The big smile that splits his face is sincere, communicative, a real happiness after having largely dominated his opponent, the Italian Claudio Pacella, and ignited the first sparks at the Accor Arena. The Belgian Patrick Habirora, who fought in the middle of the evening, is undeniably a showman. There was his running arrival, his fluid style, his variety, his loud words, his Luffy disguise (from the One Piece manga) and his punchlines.
“I’ve never taken a knee in my life, and then I thought I was Thai, damn it! » He never stopped stringing them together in front of the press, these hilarious sentences, chatter carried by the adrenaline of this victory during his second professional fight (2-0), he being an amateur experienced in 35 fights. “People think I don’t have experience because I’m 22, but I’ve fought a lot,” he says.
Habirora, 111,000 followers on Instagram, has the potential to go higher, and especially the range of fighters who walk. For his followers, he just regrets not having ended the fight more quickly. “I wanted to knock him out, but that bastard has a hard head!” he laughed again, a sunny boy in the aisles of the arena. I wouldn’t have my highlight for Insta, too bad…” France should see him again soon, on May 17 in Rennes, at Roazhon Park, during the AEF Championship.