Sky is the limit for gifted boxer Hassan Mwakinyo

Dar es Salaam. On first sight, Hassan Mwakinyo, one of the best super welterweight boxers Tanzania has ever produced, looks humble.

However, Mwakinyo’s calm demeanour is in stark contrast to his fearsome reputation in the ring.

Indeed, boxing fans who watched him battering Argentina’s Sergio Gonzalez in Nairobi, Kenya, last Saturday, know him as a ruthless young boy.

But sitting down with him for an interview, proves that the gifted boxer sponsored by SportPesa has a softer side. Actually, he passes for a gentle giant.

“I’m just a disciplined and strict boxer when it comes to duty,” the 24-year-old boxer said of his perceived toughness.

Mwakinyo, who visited Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) offices yesterday, said Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are his favourite boxers.

“I have learnt a lot from them especially,” he said in an interview at MCL – publishers of The Citizen, Mwananchi and Mwanaspoti newspapers as well as online platforms such as MCL Digital.

“My target is to win the World Boxing Council (WBC), and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles go down in the national record books,” he said.

Last Saturday, Mwakinyo knocked out Gonzalez in the fifth round in their non-title bout at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

MCL managing director Francis Nanai showered praise on Mwakinyo for his convincing victory against Gonzalez.

He said he was happy with the way the boxer floored Gonzalez, and urged him to avoid complacency.

Nanai gave Mwakinyo $100 (Sh230,000) in appreciation of his win.

For his part, MCL executive editor Bakari Machumu urged the boxer to be diligent and focused.

He said Mwakinyo has what it takes to excel internationally.