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I started off as a football hooligan – now I am Lennox Lewis’ boxing protege
Constantino Nanga came to boxing via an unconventional route. While most up-and-coming prospects hone their crafts through long amateur careers, Nanga, an undefeated Angolan-born Swede, started out scrapping on the streets with a football hooligan firm. Constantino Nanga is advised by former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox LewisGETTY When he was a youngster, Nanga dreamed of becoming a professional football player like his heroes Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. But when that didn’t work out he was inspired to make his mark on the terraces after watching Lexi Alexander’s 2005 classic ‘Green Street Hooligans’. “I started boxing late, I started fighting for a club when I was 16,” he told talkSPORT.com in an exclusive interview. “But I started just playing around when I was 15 and it came through football hooliganism. “So my first dream as a child was to become a football player like Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham. “I saw them as heroes when I was growing up and I wanted to be a role model like them and someone that people could rely on. “Then when I was around nine I saw Green Street Hooligans and I saw the main character had the same effect as Cristiano Ronaldo. “And you are quite naive as a child so I told myself my secondary goal would be to become a football hooligan. “So I pushed through with my football until it came to the point when I realised I wouldn’t be a pro. “That is when I saved up some money to buy a ticket, went to the game, and walked up to the hooligans and said to them ‘Hey, I want to join you guys. I want to be a football hooligan’. Nanga fights Brad Rea on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol II undercard on February 22GETTY “And through that football hooliganism, I got introduced to fighting because my firm was training three times a week in a local boxing gym, just sparring basically. “It was a lot of guys of different ages, experience and weight classes just putting on gloves and punching each other. That is how I started. “I did that for a little while and then the others told me, ‘Yo, you should take this seriously. You should join a real boxing club and skip the hooliganism’. “So I followed their advice and thanks to that I am here sitting with you.” Following a brief amateur career that saw Nanga reach two Swedish National Championship finals, the 6ft 3ins light-heavyweight turned over as a professional in 2021. He quickly built up a reputation as a fearsome puncher, finishing eight of his 12 fights (12-0) inside the distance. Nanga hopes to enjoy similar successes to his mentorGETTY His destructive rise through the ranks caught the eye of former undisputed heavyweight champion Lewis, who subsequently became his mentor. “I met him through a mutual friend, who introduced us,” said Nanga of his link-up with Lewis. “He then came to my training and after that, he has been advising me and I follow his guidance. “Having him help guide my career is amazing. He is the best possible adviser I could ask for not only for what he achieved in the ring but mostly for the person he is outside of the ring. “It is not just boxing he advises me on either, he has given me some relationship tips, he has given me some food tips, and music tips as well.” Through Lewis, Nanga has bagged himself a massive opportunity on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol II undercard in Saudi Arabia on February 22. The 28-year-old slugger is set to square off with England’s Brad Rea in an early preliminary bout that promises to produce fireworks. Follow talkBOXING on social media talkBOXING is now on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us on social media for big breaking boxing news, exclusive interviews and the best bits from our talkBOXING YouTube show. Like our Facebook page HERE Follow us on Twitter HERE Sign up for our WhatsApp channel HERE
Constantino Nanga came to boxing via an unconventional route.
While most up-and-coming prospects hone their crafts through long amateur careers, Nanga, an undefeated Angolan-born Swede, started out scrapping on the streets with a football hooligan firm.
When he was a youngster, Nanga dreamed of becoming a professional football player like his heroes Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.
But when that didn’t work out he was inspired to make his mark on the terraces after watching Lexi Alexander’s 2005 classic ‘Green Street Hooligans’.
“I started boxing late, I started fighting for a club when I was 16,” he told talkSPORT.com in an exclusive interview.
“But I started just playing around when I was 15 and it came through football hooliganism.
“So my first dream as a child was to become a football player like Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham.
“I saw them as heroes when I was growing up and I wanted to be a role model like them and someone that people could rely on.
“Then when I was around nine I saw Green Street Hooligans and I saw the main character had the same effect as Cristiano Ronaldo.
“And you are quite naive as a child so I told myself my secondary goal would be to become a football hooligan.
“So I pushed through with my football until it came to the point when I realised I wouldn’t be a pro.
“That is when I saved up some money to buy a ticket, went to the game, and walked up to the hooligans and said to them ‘Hey, I want to join you guys. I want to be a football hooligan’.
“And through that football hooliganism, I got introduced to fighting because my firm was training three times a week in a local boxing gym, just sparring basically.
“It was a lot of guys of different ages, experience and weight classes just putting on gloves and punching each other. That is how I started.
“I did that for a little while and then the others told me, ‘Yo, you should take this seriously. You should join a real boxing club and skip the hooliganism’.
“So I followed their advice and thanks to that I am here sitting with you.”
Following a brief amateur career that saw Nanga reach two Swedish National Championship finals, the 6ft 3ins light-heavyweight turned over as a professional in 2021.
He quickly built up a reputation as a fearsome puncher, finishing eight of his 12 fights (12-0) inside the distance.
His destructive rise through the ranks caught the eye of former undisputed heavyweight champion Lewis, who subsequently became his mentor.
“I met him through a mutual friend, who introduced us,” said Nanga of his link-up with Lewis.
“He then came to my training and after that, he has been advising me and I follow his guidance.
“Having him help guide my career is amazing. He is the best possible adviser I could ask for not only for what he achieved in the ring but mostly for the person he is outside of the ring.
“It is not just boxing he advises me on either, he has given me some relationship tips, he has given me some food tips, and music tips as well.”
Through Lewis, Nanga has bagged himself a massive opportunity on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol II undercard in Saudi Arabia on February 22.
The 28-year-old slugger is set to square off with England’s Brad Rea in an early preliminary bout that promises to produce fireworks.
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