SUMMARY
- Zakaria El Jamari is set to fight Thongpoon PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 22.
- Ahead of the bout, El Jamari has opened up about his tough upbringing.
Zakaria El Jamari’s life hasn’t been easy, and the road he has traveled – bumps and all – brought him to combat sports. And it only made sense. The strawweight Muay Thai slinger has never shied away from adversity.
He has the chance to score his first ONE Championship victory against Thongpoon PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 22 on Friday, May 3, and Moroccan marauder embraces the challenge that awaits him inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
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Like the tales of those who came before him, El Jamari’s start in fighting came on the streets. The neighborhood he grew up in was rough and ragged. If he couldn’t defend himself, he was prey. But after giving a good account of his street-slugging abilities, he was taken in by a boxing coach to learn “the sweet science.”
“I used to take part in street fights with other boys who would gather and form circles, and two would fight each other face to face. The neighborhood made me into a fighter,” El Jamari said.
“When I was 13, a boxing coach saw me fighting and said that I had what it takes to become a fighter and that I had to learn the rules of fighting. I joined him and learned how to fight inside the ring… I had my first fight at 15. It was in Morocco, and I won that fight via knockout.”
El Jamari later found Muay Thai through the movie Ong-Bak. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. In fact, he’s looking ahead to creating a legacy of his own in ONE.
Zakaria El Jamari reveals how losing his father tested him mentally
A young man without guidance can quickly become a lost soul. A rebel without a cause. Unlike many, Zakaria El Jamari had his father to guide him and to learn from.
But when his father passed in 2015, that’s when the biggest test of the Moroccan’s life began. With no father to relay his worries and stress to, the 34-year-old realized how precious life is. And if he wanted to achieve his goals, the only person in his way was him.
“I had to work. Four months after my father’s death, I left Morocco and traveled to Dubai. It was early 2016. I worked as a personal trainer and searched for fights. I always had my eye on becoming a professional fighter,” El Jamari said.
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“I always said to myself: I can be a coach, but I am a champion, not just a coach. I have the mentality of a champion… Once I got my chance in Dubai, I won my fights. I eventually became a professional fighter and improved my living conditions. I knew I was on the right track.”
With his life on the right track, El Jamari has the chance to get his ONE Championship career back on the rails when he meets Thongpoon PK Saenchai inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium at ONE Fight Night 22 next week.
