Amateur boxers from Timor-Leste are preparing to pack their bags later this month and head to Canberra for two weeks. From 31 August to 14 September, two of the young nation’s champions and their coach will tour the ACT, hoping to improve their fighting skills with the goal to see Timor compete in the Olympics.
Canberra man Troy Huckstepp first became acquainted with the people of Timor in 2001, while posted with the army during the United Nations mission ahead of the first democratic election post-Indonesian occupation. Huckstepp remembers children in the houses nearby were excited to wash their hats for them and to deliver their letters from loved ones.
“I think it really leaves a mark on you going to a place like that, especially going there in a challenging time for the local population but just seeing how friendly, how optimistic they remain, how resilient they are. I’ve also wanted to go back and restore some of the connections,” he said.
Huckstepp’s grandfather was a professional boxer in the 1940s, which originally sparked his interest in the sport. He had a few matches in his army days, then, when his body grew tired of playing rugby union, he decided to permanently switch to boxing. After a few competitions in the over-40s’ masters, he saw there was a need for more management of the sport here in the capital. Now, he is the president of Boxing ACT, a not-for-profit sports association responsible for developing the participation and competitiveness of amateur boxing in Canberra.
Amateur boxing differs from professional matches like those fought by Muhammad Ali; the rounds are shorter, and the damage is more controlled. The round length varies depending on the age and experience of the athletes and is capped at three minutes per bout. The goal is to outpoint your opponent, not knock them out. Knockouts rarely happen in amateur boxing; Huckstepp hasn’t seen any during his time competing or in his role as president.
The association is working with the Timorese Amateur Boxing Federation (Federasaun Boxe Amadora Timor-Leste) to put Timor on the map of the sporting world. They plan to develop the experience among their athletes, while also establishing a standard of coaching and officiating in the region to improve Timor’s level of participation on an international scale. At the recent Southeast Asian Games, boxing was the only sport in which the Timorese won medals, with boxers taking home a silver and a bronze.
“They do have a lot of martial arts sports over there. There are boxing gyms all over the place; even in the remote districts there will be clubs out there. In terms of its success as a sport, it is probably at the moment their most successful sport internationally,” Huckstepp said.
In 2020, during the pandemic, there was a call from the Department of Foreign Affairs for tenders to establish businesses in Timor to help stimulate the economy and recovery. Huckstepp’s consultancy company worked with a Canberra-based green coffee business and a Timorese coffee production company to submit a proposal. Orijem Timor commenced operations last year with the goal of helping 1,000 Timorese farmers earn a higher income for their products.
“We are teaching them to rehabilitate their farms so they will be getting much better yields out of their farms but also getting a higher price for their coffee cherries,” Huckstepp said.
For the first time since his army days, he travelled to Timor with his new business earlier this year. While there, he found a gym where he could train and quickly developed a relationship with coach Abilio Dos Santos, a former national representative for amateur boxing.
“He competed at the Southeast Asian Games and won a bronze medal, I think it was back in the early 2000s and he is actually quite a good coach, very enthusiastic and pushing everyone very hard. Working out in those hot environments is a tough gig,” Huckstepp said.
Santos will be coming to Canberra with two national champions – Delio Mouzinho, representing the 71kg weight division who recently won the silver medal, and Elidio da Conceição, representing the 54kg division.
Even though the boxers don’t speak any English, their coach’s is limited, and Huckstepp’s Tetum hasn’t fully returned, they talk frequently. He says they broke down in tears with excitement when he was able to send through the flight itinerary.
The Timorese athletes will compete in the 7th Muscle Up Charity Fight Night for Muscular Dystrophy in Canberra on Saturday 3 September; the following week they head to Blacktown for a PCYC event. The other days will be spent making the most of training in gyms around the ACT, where Boxing Australia’s head coach Jamie Pittman has agreed to run some sessions with them.
According to Huckstepp, the ultimate goal is to get Timorese boxers to the Olympics, which he knows will be quite a challenge. Because many of the athletes can’t afford to travel to fight, they only have a small pool of people to develop their skills. There is also a need for further education around coaching and training, especially sports physiology and nutrition.
“I’ve noticed there’s a lot of pretty dangerous techniques of training over there, not just with boxing but with fitness in general. You’ll see a lot of local sports athletes out running in the middle of a hot humid day, wearing full sweatsuits trying to just sweat for no particular reason and it’s not safe practice.”
Boxing ACT are currently crowdfunding to cover the costs of accommodation, supplies, and spending money for the men whilst they are here. With an achievable goal of $7,000, they have already received a few donations, including some from Timor.
The upcoming tour is only step one of their plans to boost the sport within the Timor region. Next, they are hoping to send some Australian coaches to Timor to help train teams there. While Boxing Australia has previously been able to do this, Huckstepp is hoping they can secure sponsorship to make the program more enduring.
“I’ve written to the ACT government because they have signed a friendship city agreement with Dili. The terms of that include cooperation around things like sports,” he said.
As this year marks the 20th anniversary of Timor’s independence from Indonesia, Huckstepp believes the ACT government’s support would be a great way to honour the friendship agreement between Dili and Canberra.
To donate towards the tour, head to chuffed.org
Canberra Daily is keen to hear from you about a story idea in the Canberra and surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.
