“I really wanted to be world champion for Germany”: Manuel Charr
Bild: Picture-Alliance
Manuel Charr was the first German heavyweight world champion since Max Schmeling in 1932. But suddenly it came out that the boxer doesn’t have a German passport. Now he explains how it came about.
BOx world champion Mahmoud Charr has shown regret almost three years after the fuss about his non-existent German passport. “First of all I would like to apologize to everyone in Germany! After my World Cup victory in 2017, I swore that I had the German passport. I really wanted to be world champion for Germany, “wrote the 35-year-old in an open letter:” In the meantime, I realize that I have made a big mistake. “
For days, in November 2017, the Lebanese-born celebrated the first German heavyweight champion since Max Schmeling in 1932. But suddenly it came out that Charr has no German passport at all. Four days after winning the WBA title against the Russian Alexander Ustinow, he gave in to media pressure. At that time, he blamed the whirlwind on his lawyers, who would have misinformed him. Now he admitted his own mistake.
In the meantime, “Diamond Boy” Charr had even changed his real name Mahmoud to Manuel, but after the pass faux passport became known he changed back the previous year. His World Cup fight against Ustinow was also his last appearance in the ring. The first title defense against the American Trevor Bryan, planned for May this year, fell victim to the corona crisis.
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