But his son, he says, is a better fighter than his father and himself put together. The whole ride Reshat is silent. The next gym, also in a strip mall, is run by an Uzbek named Akmaljan Zakirov, a two-time world kickboxing champ. Reshat changes quickly and begins working on punch-kick combinations, then sparring again.
At 10 p. In the car, Adrian points to a corner. It destroyed their home. The car goes silent for a minute or two, and I notice Reshat nodding off quietly. I ask him if he ever dreams of fights, or if he dreams at all, after such long days.
Adrian interrupts. Must be. Already a subscriber? Log in or link your magazine subscription. Account Profile. Sign Out. Most Viewed Stories. More than 60 civilians, including many women and children, appear to have been killed, according to a new investigation. Most Popular. The two charges came after Bannon refused to comply with a House subpoena in the investigation into the January 6 riot at the U. Goldbugs were screaming about inflation for years. Black Republicans who share strongly conservative views can paradoxically appeal to white racists as exceptions that prove their so-called rules.
In a bad echo of the last Republican primary, the former New Jersey governor seems to be picking a fight with Trump that he will lose. It is an odd existence for a year-old from Staten Island, a youngster with a smile full of braces and a friendly, chatty manner. Most nights, as other boys settle down to watch television or text friends, Reshat travels with his father from gym to gym. His love of boxing, martial arts and wrestling — any kind of hand-to-hand combat — began when he was a toddler.
People in the fight game, seeing that he has accumulated almost bouts and dozens of amateur titles in various disciplines, wonder if they are looking at a future champ. Videos of him in action attract millions of views on the Internet. Something about the kid changes when he steps into the ring.
His smile tightens into a grimace. Even Reshat struggles to describe the innate ferocity that takes over, the thing that makes people call him the "Albanian Bear. His grandfather learned to box in the Albanian military, then taught Reshat's father, who recalls there wasn't much else to do while growing up in mountainous terrain near the country's eastern border. Reshat Mati, a year-old who is ranked No. Immigrating to the U. His eldest, Diana, boxed until she was After that, he says, "she got into makeup and nail polish.
Reshat, the youngest, was a different story. Adrian and Ajshe called him "the punching baby" because he would lie in his crib throwing crude facsimiles of hooks and uppercuts.
Reshat started taking self-defense classes at age 4 and was enthralled. He recalls sparring with a classmate. Within a year, he had won his first tournament and acquired a reputation for fierceness. Video from a submission grappling tournament — the sport features elements of martial arts and wrestling — shows him ducking low to grab his opponent by the legs, lifting the boy onto one shoulder and slamming him down to the mat.
In other footage, a year-old Reshat drives relentlessly across the boxing ring, heedless of the punches that come his way. Other kids won't do that. Reshat Mati poses for a portrait at home in Staten Island in his room filled with championship belts and awards. Reshat says he doesn't crave celebrity. A high school freshman, he could not afford to miss class for this year's tournament in Missouri. Proof of his success covers the walls of his bedroom in a tidy home just up the hill from where Hurricane Sandy's floodwaters crested last fall.
Dozens of title belts — the kind made from colorful leather with oversized, shiny center plates — leave no space for other decorations. Reshat dismisses any suggestion that he craves celebrity. As he puts it, "When I win, I'm happy.
Two years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement that discouraged boxing for children and adolescents. The academy cited potential risks: concussion, chronic neurologic injury, death. The decree made no mention of other sports that Reshat favors, including his beloved mixed martial arts.
With competitors wearing minimal padding as they punch and kick each other in a caged ring, MMA has been called "human cockfighting" by U. John McCain. It is banned in New York, forcing Reshat to travel to nearby states in search of matches. Youth MMA differs from the professional version on television. Martinez: Post-Fight Analysis Galahad vs. Martinez: Full Fight Galahad vs. Canelo 'in the Conversation' for Greatest Super Middleweight. Jake Paul vs. AnEsonGib Boxing Archive. Whyte Ranks His Top 5 Heavyweights.
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