Ibrahim Balla
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ibrahim Balla |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Born |
1 October 1990 Werribee, Victoria |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 56 kg (123 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Boxing |
| Rated at | Bantamweight |
| Club | Australian Institute of Sport |
Ibrahim Balla (born 1 October 1990 in Werribee, Victoria) is an amateur Albanian Australian boxer who competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and has been selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics in the bantamweight division.[1]
Balla comes from an Albanian family of boxers. His father Nuri was a Victorian champion while his uncle Mitat (also his coach) was an Australian champion. Older brother Qamil Balla has also won Australian titles and currently boasts an undefeated professional record of 4 wins and 1 draw. Both Balla brothers vow to never fight each other after a promise made to their mother. Younger brother Nasuf is also a promising boxer and full-time trainer to up and coming amateur boxers notably Gealan Toullea.[2]
Ibrahim Balla won his first Australian junior title in 2001 when he was just 11 years old. By 2012, he had won five Australian titles and a silver medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Pune, India. Victory in the Australian and Oceania titles in 2012 earned him (and his family's) first shot at Olympic glory.
References
- ↑ "London 2012 - Ibrahim Balla". London2012.olympics.com.au. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
- ↑ "Promising athletes given a sporting chance - National". theage.com.au. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2012-06-09.