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Austine Igba Ujene attributes his determination to succeed to his childhood poverty in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.
In an interview, Austine’s training partner stated that the difficulties he faced in Nigeria inspired him to strive for the highest.
“I was born in Nigeria’s Warri. The delight of the people in Nigeria is one thing I keep in mind. You don’t have the most money or even the most money at all, yet you still enjoy life. You always strive to make the most of each day. I was raised in a setting that was somewhat rural and urban. You become closer to the city the further north you travel, and the more rural it gets the further south. I gained respect and interpersonal skills while living in the village. Also, it was in the city that I gained a little bit of cunning and slyness. Get to know the streets. As children, we frequently received bikes with damaged wheels that we were unable to use. We take the wheels off and play with it while moving it along the street for fun. Because we lack the funds to purchase toys, we became imaginative.
Even though he moved for Germany, he claimed to have maintained contact with his roots. “Nowadays, the middle class in Nigeria is effectively nonexistent once more. There is a lot of poverty. When I hear people complain that the government isn’t helping them because they are poor here, I laugh. Once you travel to other countries, you truly understand what poverty is. Other nations, like Nigeria, have high levels of poverty. For weeks or months at a period, the light will go off, and perhaps you won’t know what to eat for breakfast. In Nigeria, access to clean water might often require a long trip. Together with my mother, grandma, and siblings, I carry water on my head. After that, you must boil it before drinking it. I can still picture the streets and the long distances my grandma and I had to travel to get water from the wells—it seemed like miles and miles and miles. When I was very young, I spent a year living with my grandma, and even now, when I recount the incidents to my mother, She finds it incredible that I can remember that much. Much of it comes to mind. I remember the struggle my family faced just to maintain the lifestyle we were leading—a lifestyle that was by no means excellent. Poverty is what motivates me to handle any scenario on the ring because it was such an amazing way to instill certain ideals in a young child. It is what motivates me to put in a lot of effort and advance.
