The work done in the boxing department of TSV 1860 Munich has been successful for years. The up-and-coming coaches Alfonso Fusco and Raschad Pekpassi are not least responsible for this.
Why has the boxing department of TSV 1860 Munich been so successful for years? “Because we speak the same language!” A simple and clear answer that sums up the secret of the success of the “lions” from the Bavarian metropolis. It comes from Raschad Pekpassi, one of the two relatively young and fresh coaches who have brought new momentum to the traditional club from Munich-Giesing in recent years. The colossus from Munich talks about himself and his colleagues in the coaching department, who maintain a lively exchange and thus complement each other time and again.
The other coaches are mainly Alfonso Fusco and the “eternal” Ali Cukur. The latter is still in charge of the boxing department and has been since 1988. The man with Turkish roots is still actively at the helm of the 700-member department, but he is slowly handing over more and more responsibility. “Alfonso was one of my best boxers and he always did everything very well. I was sure he would be able to pass that on well,” says Cukur. “And as a sports teacher, Raschad had a natural, good rapport with the youngsters.” The “leading lion” sounds proud and confident. And he can be, because: The two aspiring coaches back up their ideas with clear results.
More possibilities
Several German championships and countless Bavarian championship titles were added to the sixties’ showcase under the aegis of Fusco and Pekpassi. Their first participation in the 2022 German Boxing League was another gigantic highlight of recent years, with the Munich club finishing third. Other short-term successes include being named the best club at the Upper Bavarian Championships this year and having six participants at the 2023 German Elite Championships – a Bavarian record.
Since 2017, Fusco, 41, and Pekpassi, who is eight years younger, have dedicated themselves passionately to their coaching job, with increasing dedication and time commitment. The training opportunities for the fighters have increased from twice to six times under the coaching duo, and TSV now has completely different athletic training options than before. Raschad Pekpassi now works full-time as a personal trainer and therefore looks far beyond the boxing world.
The two coaches met as athletes back in 2012 and obtained their A license together during Corona 2020 with a final grade of 1.0. “Discipline, willingness and respect are the most important things for us,” says Alfonso Fusco, who has competed in over 180 fights himself. The coaching duo also demand great stamina; every athlete follows the “path of a boxer”. In order to teach these great values within the appropriate framework, the two makers have big plans. In the near future, Fusco and Pekpassi want to open their own gym in the Munich district of Berg am Laim (the currently favored name for the athletes’ forge is “Alpha-Ring”). In cooperation with TSV 1860 and also on its own two feet. The Wittelsbacher Halle would then be a thing of the past. When BOXSPORT takes a look at the long-standing training facility for itself, we can see why: the equipment looks outdated and bears no relation to the high quality of the athletes who work there every day. After all, German squad athletes lace up the gloves at the Munich Lions.
New gym in Munich
Randy Botikali, Jessica Vollmann, Tatjana Obermeier and Yasse Cisse are currently the biggest names under the Sixties flag. Magomed Shakhidov, starter for the DBV at the 2024 Olympics, also comes from the traditional club’s boxing forge. Of the up-and-coming fighters, Botikali probably has the greatest potential at the moment and will soon be moving to the Olympic base in Heidelberg. Overall, Bavaria’s best club has been delivering for many years.
This great potential needs the right setting. The new gym is to be built on 1,100 square meters in the premises of the well-known “Macherei” in the east of Munich. In-house physiotherapy and well-founded programs for personal development are part of the plans and could set the gym apart from other boxing gyms. It is also “our goal to establish an Olympic base here in the long term,” emphasizes Pekpassi with clarity in mind. Bavaria lacks one so far. Big plans, but they have been thought through for a long time. The two friends began working on their first ideas and steps a year and a half ago. Talks with potential investors have been ongoing for some time, and interested parties in the sports project can get in touch at any time.
The social aspect of the project should not be underestimated either. “We bring the boys from the street into training with us,” explains Pekpassi. There are also many refugees and migrants among the Löwen fighters. The old cliché is so true and so good. Instead of becoming criminals, the young boxers find a new home at TSV 1860. The new gym will provide exactly this home in the future. A place that combines top sporting performance with an honorable commitment to young people. This is currently Munich’s biggest and most ambitious boxing vision.
Text by Roman Horschig