17-year-old illegal immigrant from Afghanistan Sharif Hassanzadeh won the French national amateur boxing championship on February 28 in the super-lightweight class, and it became known through the media that he had no legal standing in France, and could be deported early next year.
He arrived illegally in the northern city of Lille at the age of 14, after a 3-month journey via Pakistan. He “could not write, could not speak any French” and he knew no one, explains Bruno Cardosso, his trainer. Hassanzade began to box as soon as he moved into a youth home. “He had a license with (our boxing club), that was enough. No one complained about anything, and he went all the way,” Cardosso told the daily 20 Minutes.
Yesterday, the young Afghani received a French residency permit by French Immigration Minister Eric Besson during a ceremony at the Immigration ministry in Paris. He’s planning to continue his boxing career, with an eye on the European amateur championships.
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