A humble club with a traditional hardcore coach in Dandenong South is not new to creating boxing champions.
The Team Hatton club has done it again with three of its champions claiming victory in the regional, state and national fights.
Jawaad and Senad Alesevic, both Greater Dandenong locals, and Harley Stanway of Pakenham won their fights, but they were and still are committed to gruelling training and discipline.
Jawaad has claimed the national title championship, dedicating his lifestyle towards the end goal for many, to fight professionally.
He got hooked on the sport after his elder brother encouraged him to take it up.
“I didn’t think I would come this far into sport, but after just fighting and trying it out, I liked the peace in the sport and just wanted to keep fighting.”
Training morning and evening six times a week is not the toughest part. For Jawaad it’s the weight cutting, resisting his mother’s traditional mouth-watering Afghan cuisines like the mantu.
This is the norm for those who are committed to their boxing journey. Training at least five to six times a week, sometimes double-training morning and evening.
Harley has been boxing for 11 years overall and has been with Team Hatton for four, committing to an early morning commute via train from Pakenham to Dandenong.
“It’s costly, but before I was doing morning and night, so I was coming here 10 times a week.
“I’d wake up 5.30 in the morning, catch a train around 6am, then get here before 7.30 every morning – and go straight to school after I get home, have a shower and everything. It was a mission, but it was worth it.
“But I’ve cut down to five times a week now.”
Senad Alesevic is turning 17 aceing both school in advanced maths as well as boxing. He’s aiming to become an engineer and a pro fighter.
He played soccer at Dandenong Thunder, transitioned to kickboxing and then boxing at Team Hatton for five years.
He has claimed eight wins in fights, including his first title win as a Champion in Amatuer Boxing League Victoria.
“I started my diet before the fight, had to train very hard. It was a close fight, but I came up better.
“All the hard work pays off.”
His father, Osman Alesevic, who is assistant treasurer at Springvale City Soccer Club, says his son made the switch from soccer to boxing because he didn’t like losing.
“Obviously soccer is a team sport. He likes boxing more because he can handle pressure, he prefers the one-on-one, he likes the challenge.”
Fighting pro is not a far-fetched dream for these dedicated champions, with Melisa Murselovic as the prime example.
One of Peter’s long-term champions Melisa has been training and grew up under the guidance of Mr Hatton since the age of 9.
She brought home gold twice in world championships and is qualified to represent Australia again on the world stage this year in October.
“Working with Peter, pro is very achievable for anyone. You just put the work in and anyone can be a pro.
“You just got to have the heart, grit, and the determination and I’ve had that for a long time. The only thing stopping me was turning 18.”
A decade into boxing, she has reached her ultimate goal of fighting pro, with another pro fight upcoming in November.
As a pro fighter, the protective gear comes off, no shin guards, no head gear, gloves are minuscule, with only a mouth guard.
She is also set to smash the world championships next year in March.
All while studying psychological science at Deakin University and joking that she’s “making her own clients”
“Funny, everyone asks how can you help people when you hurt them? And I say you got to have balance.
“We all fight alone, but we all work together. In here, we bleed together, we sweat together, tears, we starve, we do all that together.
“But everyone’s on their own path, we all have our own mental games, but we always support each other.”
She hopes to finish off her pro career after a few more titles including the World Heavyweight Champion before she can commit to her career in child psychology.
