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Born in Kelâat Sraghna in 1989, Moughit El Moutaouakil, known by his ring name Guito, joined France by family reunification in 1992. His welder father was unfortunately one of the first victims of asbestos, which resulted in a lung cancer.
«I lost my father in 2003 when I was 14 years old. My eldest sister has been very helpful to me and my other siblings. At the same time, I was very attracted to sport and in addition to school, I went kayaking, football, running ... I also started boxing as an amateur and I practiced between the age of 15 to 18 years old to nine amateur fights», he told Yabiladi.
Guito's life has been marked by several challenges. At the age of 18, he was shining as an amateur boxer, but he couldn’t compete as a professional in French championships because he did not have French citizenship.
«Time quickly passed during a year between studies, work and the small family that I had, until 2015 when I was working two jobs», recalled Guito who put boxing on hold during this period. Moughit then devoted himself to his home and his four daughters, he made a good living, but did not like the fact his waist was expanding and his weight had gone up to 98 kg.
«I couldn't bear to see myself overweight. So I decided to go back to sport and I went back to the boxing gym in Corbeille, in the club where I used to play», he recalled.
From amateur to professional boxer
He never imagined that returning to his favorite sport could lead him to become one of the best professionals in France :
«When I got to the boxing gym, I was forced to train only during my free time and it felt bad, but that was my wake-up call. I went on a six-month long diet and increased the hours of training. I lost 20 Kg and then got an amateur boxing license. After that, I started to participate in competitions open to foreigners. After two fights, I ended up in the final round and it hyped me up».
Guito continued with the gala fights and in March 2016, he had his first professional fight in Corbeille-Essonne. «I won by knockout, the next five fights were also won by knockout, until the sixth won without a knockout, but it was during Ramadan!» he recalled proudly.
On his way, he entered the French Professional Tournament, a competition open to foreigners and which he won in 2018. «I was then offered a gala fight in Bahrain, which I accepted as a Moroccan boxer with eight professional matches ... It was a great experience and I came back victorious», he said.
But the same year, in May 2018, Guito went on a motorcycle to one of his training sessions in Levallois-Perret, when he was hit by a car. He came out with a broken collarbone that required surgery. The boxer was already 28 years old back then and his entourage believed the accident would result in the end of a promising career. Guito, on the other hand, believed in himself and his ability to fight on : «I told myself I could not end my career just because of an accident. I then started a three-month rehabilitation period and resumed my training afterwards».
Back to the ring
In December 2018, fellow Moroccan Najib El Bahja invited him to participate in a gala, which he won against the same opponent he had defeated in 2016 in the middle of Ramadan. «I thus returned to professional competitions and I have been officially licensed at Levallois Sporting Club since January 2019», the boxer said.
«I had my first fight two weeks after this new license during the evening of the Ring Star against a former member of the French amateur team. I won the fight, my opponent was very strong, but I lost by jury decision», it is the first and only defeat so far in Guito’s professional career.
Fearless, he entered the Professional League Cup, a competition open to foreigners and equivalent to the French Championships.
«In the semi-finals, I faced the number two nationwide, a double-champion of France, on July 18 in Paris. In the fifth round of an eight-round match, I won the fight, showing I was back on track».
On October 12, Guito faced Karim Benasria in Levallois-Perret. The latter had a lot of experience but Moughit ended up defeating him in six rounds, which helped him qualify for the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. If he bore French citizenship, Guito, winner by KO, would have ended up as challenger of the top championship in France. The match broadcast on French TV channel Canal + and gave his family and his loved ones much pride, be them in France, in Morocco or even in Canada.
Hope for Morocco and France
As for now, the French Boxing Federation is trying to speed up the naturalization application process of the athlete, in order to be able to participate in the French Championship as well as European tournaments.
In addition, Guito also plans to negotiate his Moroccan participation in the National Professional Boxing Group (GNBP), because until then boxing officials in Morocco have «never taken any steps to associate [him] with boxing national professional as [he was] a Moroccan living abroad». It is by through his own means that he represents Morocco in competitions in France and elsewhere, he told Yabiladi.
«It is an honor for me to represent the flag and hear the Moroccan national anthem».
«My wish is to be able to play for the two flags, if I obtain French citizenship and if I am integrated into the circuit of Moroccan official boxing organizations», the champion said.
