RAGHIB’S STORY

THE boxing community looks after its own, as was made clear when Raghib Hanif got in touch with the guys at Mack The Knife (formerly known as Macklin’s Gym Marbella). Growing up, Hanif was bullied and abused to the point where he became suicidal. He started boxing to gain some confidence and had over 60 amateur bouts.

“As the years went by, I went to some really dark places. Like anyone growing up I went through things, my mum had a heart transplant, my dad had a tumour in his stomach and I was really low,” he told BN.

In 2014 he bumped into Seamus Macklin, Matthew Macklin’s brother, and they got to talking. Raghib told Seamus his story, and Macklin asked if Raghib wanted to visit their gym in Marbella. Eventually, Raghib was put in touch with Daniel Kinahan and Anthony Fitzpatrick, who run MTK. “I’m working for them now, helping out at shows and I also got a job as a healthcare assistant working at a mental health institute in Middlesbrough, working with forensic mental health patients,” Raghib said. He admits that without their support, he is not sure what he would have done. He’s worked with several boxers with regards to mental health and wants to do more. “It’s such a big help if people know there’s someone they can speak to. There’s not enough done at the moment,” he said.