The serious illness of a son, then 2 years old, prompted Octávio Pudivitr to seek an escape. He chose boxing, far from imagining what he would achieve. Currently, at the age of 36, the Portuguese-Mozambican is the leader of the sports rankings in Portugal and tomorrow he has one of the biggest challenges in sight: he will fight for the title of UBO (Universal Boxing Organization) World Champion with the Colombian Juan Boada. in the Pavilion of Matosinhos Congresses.
“My life completely fell apart. My two-year-old son had advanced bladder cancer and I couldn’t face the problem. But instead of turning to drugs or alcohol, I decided to devote myself to boxing and He was the one who got me saved from possible depression,” he tells DN.
Octávio was born in Mozambique, but came to a boarding school in Porto at the age of 11. “My parents wanted to keep me away from the gang fighting in Mozambique and sent me to Portugal with my older brother,” he says. The early days were not easy. “At first I thought it would be good. Same language, a European country, more developed than the third world I was used to. But it was very complicated for such a young child. I missed my parents and there were a lot of cultural differences ., gastronomy and mentality in relation to Mozambique. But I adapted there and I was lucky to have found people who gave me a helping hand,” he notes.
He started playing football and even thought about pursuing a professional career, an idea he rejected at the age of 18 when he chose to study, largely due to pressure from his mother. He practiced a number of forms of combat (the one he took most seriously was Jiu-Jitsu) and at the age of 31 he made the decision: he was going to devote himself to boxing.
“My evolution was very fast and I am living proof that it is never too late to be successful in something we like, as long as we are very resilient,” he emphasizes. Today it is number 1 nationally, number 10 in Africa, 80th in Europe and 143rd in the world. And he has won several national and international titles, one of the most relevant being the WBU (World Boxing Union) World Champion in June.
He took strong steps in the sport and at one point called him Mini Mike Tyson. “It was the Mozambican press that started calling me that, because of the similarity in fighting style. At first this nickname was important to gain more visibility, but then I realized that I was hurting myself by trying to imitate him and I decided to focus on a new style,” he confesses. However, nothing detracts from the deep admiration for the famous North American boxer: “He is my idol and I hope to one day make my dream come true: meeting him, or just take a picture with him.”
But let’s go back to 2018, when the world collapsed before his eyes and he was confronted with his son’s serious illness. “When we heard about the disease of one of my twin sons, the cancer was already at an advanced stage and there was no chance that the disease would be treated in Portugal. We went to France and it was a shock to see him suffering from chemotherapy I couldn’t even get into the hospital and was misunderstood,” he says, adding: “I felt suffocated and boxing was ultimately my escape. I tried my hardest to forget what was happening. “
After times of great suffering, he began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “My son almost became a guinea pig in a new treatment and luckily the cancer went away and today he is doing well,” he congratulates.
Dad, football and losing weight
Besides the serious health problem of one of his children, another moment that disappointed him a lot was the death of his father two years ago. His father was Czech (he was nicknamed Pudivitr), an engineer by profession, lived in Mozambique and died of Covid. The mother, also Mozambican, usually comes to Portugal once a year to spend two months with her son and grandchildren. “She is still very active, she is a businesswoman, she manages a school that we own, and a tourist complex,” she describes.
Octávio has eight children and they all live in Porto. “Not with me, but with their mothers, but we are often together. The youngest is 4 years old and the oldest is 11, and of course they are going to watch the fight on Friday. When they tell me they have a career in boxing? Yes, the boys have that wish, but I am going to advise them something else, because this is very demanding physically and mentally,” he says.
Football lagged behind. “It was that typical, very clumsy sound, but my coaches really liked my attitude!” he says. Today, football, just watching Sporting’s matches: “We walked through the streets of bitterness, but we are doing well since the arrival of Rúben Amorim.”
Octávio admits he is not particularly nervous about tomorrow’s fight, although he does not hide “greater anxiety than usual”. The worst part is that you have to lose weight. “I usually weigh 90 kg and during the week of the fight I have to reduce it to 79 kg. It is very difficult for me to ‘cut it in the mouth’ and I get very irritated, no one can tolerate me,” he says .
A victory in tomorrow’s fight will allow the Portuguese-Mozambican boxer to climb into the top 100 of the world rankings and have greater visibility. And isn’t Portugal already too small a country for those who want to explore new horizons in sports? “I have already had several invitations from abroad, from Boston, New York and some from England, but I don’t want to take a step too far. First I want to consolidate myself here in Portugal and then we will see,” he says.
As for Juan Boada, his opponent tomorrow – 153rd in the world rankings, 10 below his own – remembers that he is “a much more experienced athlete”, but is confident of victory. After all, winning for him is like breathing: it is true that he has only fought in nine fights so far, but he has lost only one, in Germany, and according to him “in a very questionable way”. .
The main goal has been set for 2024: to compete in the WBA (World Boxing Association), the most important boxing organization in the world. But for now, the future starts this Friday evening in Matosinhos.
Source: DN
