Sheffield fighter overcomes bullying and the death of his father to represent the city on the world stage
Fahd Alshemali has overcome adversity to earn a place on the world stage
A promising Sheffield fighter from Heeley has been handed a golden opportunity to represent the city on the world stage.
Rising star Fahd Alshemali was born in Syria, but was forced to move to Jordan when he was just two-years-old due to the conflict in his home country. He has grown up for most of his life without his father, who lost his life during the war.
Fahd, who moved to Sheffield when he was just six-year-old, with his mother and older brother, encountered a difficult time when he first moved to the UK, revealing that he was bullied by some of the children at his primary school.
He told The Star: “I started kickboxing because I was getting into fights at school and getting bullied by some of the kids. Although I liked fighting at the same time I never liked hurting anyone.
“My friend and his mum took me to a kickboxing gym near me and I loved it so much I turned up the next day by myself and fell in love with the sport.”
Fahd quickly developed a passion for the sport and picked up the fundamentals very quickly. In November 2023, he got selected to take part in skill bout, which is essentially a form of semi-contact sparring based on points scoring rather than knockout power. From there he began to compete in amateur competitions.
The 14-year-old, who has also won both of his fights in white-colar boxing. Is currently the British champion for his age group in kickboxing and as a result is set to compete in the ISKA World Championship in Madrid - alongside a whole host of other promising Sheffield stars.
A mother at the gym describes Fahd as very fierce and someone that almost always ends up winning his fights in the first round. Despite this, she adds he also has an extremely caring and gentle personality.
She said: “Fahd is a really caring lad. He helps my son, who is autistic with his training, and has been massive for boosting his confidence.
“He does a lot when it comes to training the younger lads. He’s a great role model and has a lot of time for everyone.”
The ISKA World Championship, which Fahd is competing in, is essentially the highest form of kickboxing at amateur level - and potentially a great stepping stone into a career for professional fighting.
Fahd said: “I’m fighting for a future that I didn’t think was possible. It means the world to me to be able to represent Sheffield and England on the world stage in Spain.”