Hugo Micallef will be making a historical debut for Monaco in the European Games

Monaco has done several historical steps in the European boxing map in the recent years when their Hugo Micallef competed in the youth and U22 level of championships. Luxembourg will have historical participation in the European Games and Monaco is another small country which sent one boxer to Minsk.

Monaco’s best boxer Hugo Micallef (69kg) not only attended on strong events in the recent few years but he won the prestigious Tammer Tournament in Finland last November and claimed silver medals in the Montana Belts Tournament in France and at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands.

Monaco never competed in any European Elite Boxing Championships in the past therefore Micallef’s mission is an important milestone for the European Boxing Confederation. We asked the boxer to introduce his preparation to the Games.

“I have done a very hard 15 days of final preparation for the Games in the best French boxing club at BAM Les Mureaux. The French national team got often to do their preparation also to this boxing club.

I had many sparing with all kinds of boxing style and weights during my preparation to the European Games. My main sparring partner was former French national team member Khalil El Hadri who is a professional boxer now. I had strong sparring sessions also with French amateur boxers Ali Galtier and Warren Esabe.

I learnt a lot from the sparring with Zakaria Attou who is a professional boxer and will be meeting with US star Erickson Lubin in Houston soon. I had the chance to train two days with Guillermo Rigondeaux’s and Miguel Cotto’s former trainer Mr. Pedro Diaz and it was such a great experience for me.

I expect to be the best boxer I can be in Minsk and my goal is to take a medal for Monaco. I don’t mind about my opponents even if know there is some very good boxers here at the Games. Representing Monaco means a world to me and I am so glad that I can show our country is here in Minsk,”said Monaco’s boxer Hugo Micallef who will be boxing at the welterweight (69kg) in Belarus.