After two years away from the ring, Alexandria world champion Muay Thai kickboxer Amine “The Lion” Ballafrikh has announced his comeback.
Earlier this month, Ballafrikh announced on social media that he’d spent the last two years with his young family, building his Atlas Muay Thai gym (2395 S. Dove Street) and coaching his fighters.
In a recent interview, he told ALXnow that he is now a different fighter altogether, no longer motivated by world and national titles. Ballafrikh now hopes to inspire people through his fighting.
“Back when I was fighting, I had a dream to reach a world title,” Ballafrikh said. “I grew up in a small town in Morocco and this dream seemed almost impossible. Now, I just want to inspire the young generation to know that it doesn’t matter where you’re born, and I think when you see me fight in September, you’ll see a different person in the ring, much happier, because I know I’m doing something for a huge community.”
Ballafrikh, 33, is the former Freedom World Champion under Freedom Fighter Promotions and a two-time North American Lightweight Champion. He recently contacted Freedom Fighter Promotions and has scheduled his return bout — at lightweight (135 pounds) — for Sept. 12 in Philadelphia. His opponent has not yet been announced.
“I’m going back to six-hour-a-day training days starting at 6 a.m.,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since I was 14, so I know what it takes to get in there. I know the work, I know the discipline. It’s gonna take me about eight weeks to be back in shape, ready to go.”
Ballafrikh has missed fighting competitively, he says.
“There’s a lot of joy in the ring,” Ballafrikh said. “Not a lot of people understand that. I’ve missed it, and I look forward to seeing myself back in there, jumping in there and just punching people and representing this beautiful city.”
Ballafrikh opened Atlas Muay Thai in October 2023, five months after winning the title of WMC Intercontinental Champion. The business now has seven full- and part-time employees. He also got married last year, and his young son is nearly a year old.
“He’s going to be a fighter,” Ballafrikh said of his son, who crawled around a workout mat during the interview.
Ballafrikh also wants to open a second Atlas Muay Thai location in Alexandria before the end of the year. He hasn’t staked out a location but said he wants it to be a good distance from its current home on S. Dove Street near the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
Ballafrikh moved to Alexandria a decade ago and continues to call the city home.
“I could’ve opened Atlas in Springfield and it would’ve been cheaper,” he said. “I chose Alexandria because the people here, they’re different. They’ve made a positive impact on my life, and I want to give back to the community.”
