DJ has perfect mix as a boxer
FROM the Mad Cow to the Eatons Hill Hotel, Aaron Stahl knows plenty about the night life scene.
But this time he will not be going out as DJ Azzy, he will be out to establish himself as a force in the boxing ring.
The 30-year-old will make his professional debut on Saturday night as part of the Reef Rivals showcase in Brisbane, which will feature six other North Queensland fighters.
He will fight James Langridge, a man with 13 bouts to his credit who will look to use his experience advantage to crush the Townsville pugilist.
But this has been a moment Stahl has thought about for years.
Ever since he was expected to make his maiden appearance in 2011, before work in the mines shifted his focus, his visions of having his hand raised in victory have persisted.
He has come a long way from the small kid who was “bullied” by his brother, and the anticipation will have him firing from the opening bell.
“What got me into boxing was being bullied by my older brother as a child, and from that the tables turned around and I got into boxing. He used to bash me as a kid,” Stahl said.
“When my brother used to bash me it got me in the gym and then obviously going good from that I ended up have the slack over him.
“We’re best friends now and we talk about it. It’s a moment we’ll never forget, but it kind of made the man of me. It (boxing professionally) has been something on my mind for the last eight years and I’m keen to actually do it.”
Stahl has been training intensively out of Hawks Boxing as his upcoming clash has dawned, however the build-up is yet to result in any nerves.
He is calm and collected – as in-sync as one of his Mad Cow beats.
While his age may mean his career is short lived, Stahl believes entering the ring as a more mature adult will put him in good stead.
Through meditation, something he began to help him sleep at the mine sites, he has been able to tunnel vision his focus on the task at hand.
And that is perhaps the most crucial thing he has taken from his time in boxing.
Now no task daunts him, nothing exceeds his expectations.
There is a burning desire to win in everything he does, and he intends to ensure that translates to the ring this weekend.
“Just being able to clear your mind and thoughts and come back to being grounded, you’re more focused and you know your goals,” Stahl said.
“I can come up to any challenge and anything I do now I’ve got that push to challenge myself to be better than that.
“I’m aiming at going for the win then I want to go from there and have a couple more, and hopefully go for a title fight – I definitely want to keep going with it.”