He is the first Monegasque professional boxer in the Principality’s history — the Fresh Prince of Monaco — a national sporting pioneer who carries that title with intent.

By the time he turned professional in 2021, Hugo Micallef had already fought over 100 amateur bouts. Since then, he hasn’t lost a round — let alone a fight. Eleven wins. Zero losses. Zero draws.

On Saturday 6th December, he faces Ireland’s Sean McComb at the Salle des Étoiles: ten rounds in the super-lightweight division, with the IBF European title on the line. A victory would catapult Hugo to new heights — both in European and global boxing.

For Monaco, the 27-year-old represents a rare success story in a sport where the Principality has had little previous presence.

Just days before the biggest fight of his life, Hugo Micallef shares with me the childhood trauma that led him to the ring, what it means to represent one of the world’s wealthiest nations in a sport defined by struggle, and why he’s convinced he’s on the path to becoming a world champion.

Hugo, the countdown is on until the big fight on Saturday. How are you feeling about carrying the weight of Monaco on your shoulders?

I feel very proud to be the first professional Monegasque boxer in history. It’s also very important for me to fight in Monaco because I want to encourage the next generation of boxers in the Principality — Monegasque kids. I want to see new Monaco boxers. The Fresh Prince of Monaco 2.0!

How would you rate your performance since going pro in 2021? You have never lost a fight?

I have never actually lost a round — so 11 fights and not a round lost. I would say I’ve kept upgrading my style and skillset since I changed coaches. For my Olympic career, I had one coach, and now for my professional career, I have another coach. The difference between the coaches and the training is huge, and you can certainly see it in the ring. I’ve gotten faster and more powerful.

I believe it is your technique that is so successful?

I think I’m an intelligent fighter in the ring. I try to adapt to whatever the boxer in front of me is putting down. I’m very technical, very quick, and it’s true that in Olympic boxing, power is not so important. But now I’m a professional, the focus is on power and execution. So I think we upgraded that part of my boxing.

Where did the name The Fresh Prince of Monaco actually come from?

It came from Top Rank, my promotion team. They actually chose it and came up with the idea. It was obviously from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — the television show — and because I’m from Monaco, there’s that association with the Prince. I thought it was a cool idea, so we went with it.

Why did you decide to get into boxing?

It’s a bit deep actually. I wasn’t competitive as a kid. I was an artist — drawing a lot, I’m still drawing — listening to music, and watching TV. I wasn’t really a sporty guy. But my dad was a boxer, so I had that in mind and I was watching his tapes. Then one day, my dad got involved in a fight with six guys in France. He was alone and got destroyed. I saw that — I was in the car — and it was very traumatic. From that day, I told him I wanted to protect him. I guess it was cute because I was six or seven, but he said he understood and he would bring me to the boxing gym — even if he wasn’t all for it, because he knew the danger of boxing. But I was pressuring him, so he brought me in. And that’s how I started!

What are the other benefits of learning boxing — apart from self-defence and confidence?

Discipline, absolutely. Boxing has helped me in everything I do in life, including working in other jobs I had before I became a pro. It helps to be disciplined in life — even in my diet, the food I eat, the places I go, the people I hang out with. When you’re a boxer, you know you have a purpose and a goal, and you don’t want to become a bad person. So being involved in boxing and knowing the sacrifices it takes to get into the ring forces you to become a good person. It makes you humble, in a certain way.

What is one of the biggest misconceptions about boxing that you think people may have?

I think there are a lot of true conceptions about boxing. I used to defend boxers when I was a kid and heard things like, “Yeah, boxers are from the ghetto,” or “They’re bad guys,” or “They’re stupid”. But to be honest, I think I’m the only boxer I know that doesn’t come from the ghetto. I’ve been to so many countries for my training — Turkey, Azerbaijan, America, Cuba — and I’ve never met a boxer who doesn’t come from poverty. That’s the truth. And also, it is true that a lot of boxers are a bit… stupid.

So what do they say when you tell them you are from Monaco? Let alone not coming from poverty, but from one of the richest countries in the world?

They always call me out. It’s always been a challenge — all my life. In and out of boxing. But in boxing, each time I went to an Olympic challenge, everybody laughed. “How many boxers are there in Monaco? One?” There were teams of 10 to 15 people, so people laughed. But then I started winning the tournaments, and step by step I got recognition in the Olympic world. And now, it’s happening in the professional world. People are still laughing, saying, “This guy doesn’t come from the ghetto, he doesn’t come from poverty, he comes from a normal family in Monaco — so surely he doesn’t have the anger or the need to fight.” Well, guess what? It happened. I am the proof.

Where does your inspiration come from then?

When I was a kid, I watched a lot of Roy Jones Jr., Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard… but when I grew up, I stopped watching them because I thought it was important to focus on me — my capacity, and my failures too. I really wanted to focus on myself and watch my fights instead of the fights of others.

And obviously, having the support of your father along the way…

Yes, of course. The first idol I had was my father. I was talking about professional boxers from America, but if I have to mention the most influential boxer, it’s of course my father — because he’s the one who gave me the desire to become a champion.

In a place like Monaco that’s famous for sports like the F1 Grand Prix and tennis, how important is it to you to show that there are world-class athletes here from perhaps less luxurious sports?

I think it’s super important — because I’m the only one at the moment. But I hope there will be other boxers coming out of Monaco. And yeah, I think it’s super important to show that Monaco is able to do well in more than what we already know.

So tell us about the upcoming fight. What can we as an audience expect?

Well, you can expect a victory from me. As we say in the team, we don’t have a Plan B. We only have a Plan A, which is victory. Of course, I’m not going to give away my secrets — my preparation and what I’m going to do in the ring — but the only thing I can say is: we are going for a victory.

And make Monaco proud in the process…

Obviously. That’s the thing I think about — when I get out of the ring, when it’s finished, when it’s said and done. Then I can enjoy it. That everyone is there for me. That the Prince is there for me — because he’s going to come on Saturday night. And all of Monaco is going to be proud. That’s the moment I’ll understand that all of Monaco is behind me. Right now, I’m so focused on the fight — I’m in my bubble, I don’t think about it. But I know it’ll come afterwards.

Finally, what is the future for Hugo Micallef?

The future is world champion. You can write it in the books — Hugo Micallef is going to be a world champion.

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Main photo credit: Frederic Nebinger