Hamza Ben Haj Mohemed is a Dearborn resident and aspiring professional boxer. Mohamed balances his studies, his faith, and boxing. Mohamed plans on fighting in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

This year, Mohamed is preparing to fight for his fifth time at the National Boxing Championships in Las Vegas. Mohamed is ranked #4 in the country for his weight class. He currently weighs 106 pounds. Mohamed said that his weight is “really hard to manage at times, but I can’t get disqualified, you know?” When registering for nationals, each fighter must pick their weight class and age group; depending on that, the fighters have to be slightly lower than whichever weight class has been chosen.

The average day for Mohamed begins with his studies, then going for a run, doing more classes afterward, and in the evening working out at the gym. “It’s not too difficult managing school and boxing since I’m currently being homeschooled. It allows me a more self-paced and manageable schedule.”

Mohamed boxes every single day from seven to nine p.m. However, it isn’t only school and boxing that must be balanced, Mohamed also works at his dad’s mechanic shop where they change and repair parts for trucks.

Being able to balance all three things is indeed difficult for Mohamed, but it is the passion for boxing and making a difference as an aspiring Muslim boxer that keeps him going forward.

Mohamed is adamant on winning a medal at the Olympics. In his words, “It’d be easier for me to build on my career from there. However, if I don’t win, it’ll be a lot harder for me to start again and build my name as a professional boxer.”

Whatever the future holds, Mohamed wants to dedicate his time to helping other young Muslims achieve their goals in boxing through coaching. “I already help coach and train my little brothers who have also started boxing and have always been there with me at nationals.” Mohamed’s backup plan is college. “If boxing doesn’t work out, I’d want to go to college and get a degree in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering,” he said. Mohamed said, “As a Muslim it’s hard. Sometimes it’s as if you feel like a stranger because at times it feels as if you don’t really have anyone. But Alhamdulillah, living in Dearborn and going to the gym I train at, there are a lot of Muslims there and it feels like we have each other’s backs. But when we go to nationals, you’d hardly find that many Muslims there to compete. Aside from a few, we’re the only ones.”

Mohamed says, “More Muslims should pursue their dreams in sports that are dominated mainly by western religion and culture. It’s important for us Muslims to have a name for ourselves and not be neglected because of a majority complex.”

Mohamed’s advice to aspiring boxers is “Focus. Because anything could ruin your career, especially in boxing. Some people turn away from their career out of petty distractions and end up losing their potential which is really sad to see.”