Manny’s parents Zaher and Fatima Sohriba Safari are from Afghanistan and were rescued by the UN to come to the UK over 24 years ago when the Taliban’s oppressive regime led to the murder of Zaher’s father who was a schoolteacher. After a year spent in Bedfordshire, Zaher and Fatima settled in Ealing where Manny’s older siblings, Bilal (21), Yalda (20) and Tayebeh (18) were born. Manny’s Dad Zaher used to enjoy amateur boxing, but his devotion to the sport took an unexpected upturn when he realised that his youngest son had a natural aptitude, he says: “I’ll never forget the first time Manny came down to the gym and tried out skipping – he’d only watched his older brother do it – one of the coaches asked me, ‘How long has your boy been boxing for?’ I said ‘this is his first try!’ he said ‘no way! He’s skipping like a professional!’…Manny then went on to spar with a boy 2 years older than he was!”. The rest as they say is history and now Zaher is completely devoted to Manny’s burgeoning boxing career, he says “He’s going to be a world champion, all my focus is on him, he trains so hard, 7 days a week. Since 2019, he’s never lost a single fight in the UK…everyone knows he’s going to be a special one to watch”.  Zaher used to work in a garage however he developed asthma and on the advise of his GP had to leave his job. Zaher now works for British Airways as part of their Ground Operation crew, however he is becoming increasingly concerned about the toll that supporting his son is taking on his commitment to his work, and paying out to fetch Manny to and from Sheffield every Friday – Sunday for training at the English Institute of Sport (Sheffield) with accommodation costs, is becoming increasingly challenging to afford. 

Manny believes“The bigger the sacrifice, the bigger the reward”. Fighting in the same southpaw stance as his role model, professional boxer Manny Pacquiao (aka ‘Pacman’), Manny’s humble outlook on life and character bears an uncanny resemblance to his namesake. Manny’s credits his success to taking the mindset of “when you don’t like things to do, do it like you love it”. 

Thoughts from Manny’s trainer Darren Taylor from The Ring Amateur Boxing Club where Manny has trained since 2019: “I’ve been boxing 35 years and with Manny I’ve been able to pass on all of my knowledge and experience into Manny, he’s got so much potential and I’ve always known that this kid has got the brightest future ahead of him, he’s going to be our champion and one day he’ll put my club on the map. I want everyone to know what an unstoppable talent this kid is, he’s got it all – physical and mental strength, discipline, a solid perseverance and an unwavering determination to push on through. With his Dad backing him every step of the way and holding down a full-time job and a family, it’s incredible we’ve come this far, but to get Manny to next level, we need financial support, we need sponsorship”.