MANUEL CHARR – FROM THE ROAD TO THE STARS: On Saturday the 25th of November 2017 MANUEL CHARR wrote history! He fought for the WBA heavyweight world championship against Russian giant Alexander Ustinov in the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen. Manuel Charr is the only competitive athlete in the world who actively works as an athlete with two artificial hips. There has never been a man in the history of boxing who climbed into the ring with two artificial hips. His hip replacement was just 7 months ago when he claimed the coveted title. In medicine, the performance of Manuel Charr is considered a world sensation, a miracle.
MANUEL CHARR, Fight Name Diamond Boy, born on 10.10.1984 in Beirut / Lebanon as Mahmoud Omeirat Charr is a heavyweight boxer with Lebanese / Syrian background. Manuel made his debut on May 14, 2005 and has since played 35 fights, of which he won 31 fights. 17 of his fights he ended prematurely by knockout.
From 14.05.2005 to 08.09.2012 he remained unbeaten for more than 7 years in 21 fights, always facing great opponents. During this time he won in a strong fight against Marcelo Luiz Nascimento the International Silver Heavyweight title of the WBC. Only on 08.09.2012, after 7 years as an undefeated boxer, he suffered because of a cut injury his 1st defeat against the very competitive worldchampion Vitali Klitschko.
In the following two years Manuel had 5 fights, which he won them all. During this time, he won the following titles: WBC Baltic Heavyweight, WBC Mediterranean Heavyweight, and the WBC International Silver Heavyweight and other WBC titles, which he successfully defended against the punchy and experienced heavyweight Denis Bakhtov on 19.10.2013. The years 2014 and 2015 ran under the slogan: Sometime you win, sometime you lose. With 3 defeats, all against world-class fighters (Povetkin, Duhaupas and Briedis), Manuel Charr gained the most experience. The defeat against Duhaupas was hotly debated among sports experts and is still controversial.
Only 9 months after a life-threatening abdominal-blast injury on 02.09.2015, Manuel Charr was able to face an opponent again and win the fight. Only 3 months later he won the WBA International Heavyweight title against undefeated Sefer Seferi, which catapulted him far ahead in the WBA World Ranking. This title entitled him to fight for the WBA World Championship.
Due to his severe hip osteoarthritis, he was barely able to move his lower body and was constantly in pain. For years, this situation forced him to box only from his upper body. After all, he knew that if he wanted to get to the top of the world, he must accept an operation. So on 26.04.2017 Prof. Dr. med. Gruber in Heidelberg implanted 2 artificial hips.
After the injury to the stomach and even more with the hip implants, there were voices that Manuel will never be able to get back into the ring again. On 25.11.2017, only 7 months after this serious operation and 14 months of inactivity, he wanted to show the world, what is possible, if nothing works. “I do not let myself be influenced by foreign opinions,” says Manuel Charr. “It’s all a matter of the head and I’ve set myself the goal of becoming world champion, whether a belly shot or artificial hips: don’t go, do not exist. This is my goal and I will show you that everything is possible when you set goals, believe in yourself and follow your inner voice. I will become world champion, no doubt about it “were his words before the legendary fight
THE DIAMOND BOY – THE WORLD CHAMPION IN HEAVYWEIGHT – THE COLOSS OF COLOGNE
The 33-year-old Manuel Charr came as a 5-year-old boy with his mother and 5 other siblings as a war refugee from Lebanon to Germany. He had lost his Syrian father at the age of three. After being hit by a gunshot wound in his leg at the age of five, his mother withdrew the consequences and left home country with the children.
Manuel did not have an easy time to gain a foothold in Germany. His missing father and the strange environment, in addition to fear of darkness and loud noises, which resulted from the trauma of the war, gave him no rest. In addition, he felt responsible as a small boy as a replacement for the family. So he worked next to the school to bring home money for the family.
Manuel loved the sport, especially the martial arts had inspired him in his younger years. He initially chose the kickboxing and was European champion in 2005 under the rules of K1. Previously, he had won numerous wins and titles in the K1 and discovered his love for classic boxing as well.
First, he made his name as an amateur boxer by winning 10 out of 11 fights. But the already professional appearance as a kickboxer prompted him to pursue the professional career in classic boxing as well. A visit to Sauerland and the legendary coach Uli Wegner should mean for Manuel Charr the first big turnaround in his life.
As a sparring partner, among others by Nikolay Valuev, Charr convinced with his boxing skills and this earned him the professional contract immediately.
In the same year of his won European Championship in K1 debuted the 192 cm tall and 106 kg heavy man on 14.05.2005 as a heavyweight boxer. During the next 7 years, until 30.03.2012, he was 21 times victorious in the ring, where he defeated most of his opponents by K.o.
It did not suit him to play against opponents who had weaknesses. So he took the right to punch strong opponents and he showed his audience that although he knows how to handle his own special way, but successfully with his fists.
To a selection of his fights is one example the fight against the undefeated Gbenga Oluokun, whom he won on 25.04.2009 in round 7 by Ko . Also, the fight against Owen Beck, whom he defeated in round 10 by T.K.o and finally the certainly very interesting fight against the Tyson challenger Danny Williams, where he also convinced with a T.K.o.
On November 18, 2011, Manuel Charr won the WBC – International Silver Heavyweight title when his strong opponent Marcelo Nascimento, who had previously won 15 of his 16 fights, retired in the 8th round. He defended this title against the experienced heavyweight Taras Bidenko, with whom he delivered in a thrilling duel over 12 rounds a worthwhile fight and was finally declared the winner.
On 08.09.2012 the tide turned. Manuel Charr lost the fight against Vitali Klitschko by T.K.o., the referee ended the fight because of a cut injury. The fight was broadcast live in over 150 countries worldwide, in Germany saw nearly ten million people on RTL, as Manuel Charr fearlessly cushioned the undefeated world champion for ten years.
To this day, Manuel Charr claims that he has fought on and also regrets the decision of the ring doctor, who wrongly decided against him and in his opinion. Today Manuel Charr does not want to talk about disagreements.
Although after the fight against Klitschko, who had given him his first defeat in professional boxing, the following 5 fights against well-known opponents such as Konstantin Airich (Ko in round 1), Yakub Saglam (demolition in round 2), as well as the title fights against Oleksiy Mazikin (TKo round 3), and denied Denis Bakhtov (task round 5) and against Kevin Johnson after round 10 and thus had won some titles, his lucky streak should first come to an end.
The years 2014 and 2015 did not go well for Manuel Charr. Many private problems – especially with family members in the Syrian war zone – led to losing his focus on his goals. At the time of the fight against Mairis Briedis he was mentally already far from boxing, was very overweight, untrained and unmotivated as never before. On 02/09/2015, the almost final misfortune came over him when he was shot by a boxer and was seriously injured. Manuel Charr barely survived the injury, with subsequent lifelong ailments.
Despite the gunshot wound, he did not want to give up and continue to fight for his dream of becoming a heavyweight world champion. Manuel Charr knows his strengths, he knows his weaknesses. “You can work on the weaknesses”, he says and “of course there is always something to improve”. But he also says the essentials: “I had lost my focus and was no longer on my way. Now I’m focused again and full of energy. I will go my way ahead.”
„I went into the ring for Germany, held the German flag and triumphed for Germany and I will often win in the future for my new home country,” said WBA World Champion Charr. “Here I grew up, this is my home and here I belong to. For years I boxed the big names and marketed myself. Most of the time nobody helped me and yet I fought my way forward. I was in the top 10 for a long time, today I am the number 1 by WBA ”
He was a true lone fighter right from the start, consistently going his own way. He had to learn early to assert himself and fight against resistance. “I’ve never been given anything, I’ve worked hard for everything,” says Charr.
Since 2011, the 33-year-old is self-employed, markets himself and organizes his fights with the “Diamond Boy Promotion” in the truest sense of the word “on your own”. And with success. Since he’s been on his own, Charr has amassed an impressive collection of titles: the “Diamond Boy” has won five champion belts from the world’s biggest boxing federation since 2011.
“If you want to play in the champions league, you need to focus on the essentials,” said Charr and that should soon be realized. Through the well-known Tyrolean personal trainer Jopo Pötschger, in 2016 he got to know and appreciate his current manager Christian Jäger.
“Today we are an unbeatable team and I finally have the leisure time to take care of the essentials: boxing and my future as world champion.” Charr accompanies a whole army of employees on his way to the stars. After his mandatory defense against Fres Oquendo, he is ready to face the other big challenges.
“Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder or Joseph Parker are excellent colleagues and my future opponents. My focus is on victory, it will be my pleasure to compete with these opponents in the ring. “