Amandazi Knocks Out Every Opportunity On Path To Daemen

AMHERST, N.Y. - It’s a story fit for the silver screen – a man with many lives.

But for Astrid “AJ” Amandazi, it’s been a reality filled with many chapters. 

From amateur boxer to soldier in the United States Army, to now a student-athlete and Pre-Med major at Daemen College, the 21-year-old said strong time management skills is why he’s soared under the heavy pressure.

“It’s not that much as long as you balance everything out,” said Amandazi, a redshirt junior on the men’s track and field team. “Usually, people ask me, ‘How old are you?’ And I tell them, ‘Dude, you can do all these things within five or six years.’ It’s not that much.”

While he waits for his official Wildcat debut until at least the start of 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, Amandazi has already made a name for himself in the boxing ring, tallying 89 career wins in 114 matches on the amateur scene and winning five national titles. After he represented the United States Army boxing team at the Olympic Trials for the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, Amandazi switched to the Ugandan National Team – an opportunity to represent the home country of his parents, Emmanuel and Mimi. 

Due to the pandemic, the International Olympic Committee postponed the Tokyo Games until the summer of 2021. Despite this extended wait, wearing the national colors of black, yellow and red in front of his parents is an opportunity he’s hoping for.

“That’s where I’m from,” said Amandazi, who has spent the past few summers training in his family’s native country. “It’s definitely a big step. There’s a lot of weight on my shoulders… It’s definitely a lot of weight, you know? It’s a small country… The chances are definitely higher this time, so I have to work harder for it.”

More intense than the actual rounds and trials themselves is the preparation between the Games every four years that, at times, can feel like an eternity.

“The work and the prelims, I feel like that’s the main focus because there’s so many countries battling for three spots – gold, silver and bronze. You can only be an Olympian once or maybe multiple times, but it’s every four years. To wait for that long, it’s a lot. I take that into consideration.” 

But, it doesn’t take him long to get motivated once the pre-fight routine begins. 

“I just try to stay focused on myself,” he said. “I don’t care how big he looks… if he has a meaner face than me or looks stronger than me, I just focus on me. As soon as the bell rings, it’s on.”

Before his Olympic aspirations though, AJ, the second of three children, always had boxing in his blood. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, N.Y., Amandazi first stepped into the ring when he was six years old. 

Unlike his contemporaries, Amandazi didn’t specifically study a professional boxer. Sure, he liked Muhammad Ali’s attitude and personality. And, his dad was a huge Mike Tyson fan. But, when he’s in the ring, it’s all AJ, all the time.

“I never really watched boxers growing up and didn’t specifically model myself after one,” Amandazi said. “Now, I like watching Terence Crawford and relatively watch boxing, but there isn’t one that I try to copy my style from. I don’t really have a favorite boxer.”

In his corner for the past few years is his coach, Maurice Miles, of Rochester, N.Y. When he started his college education at Niagara County Community College, he drove out to see his coach every day after classes and boxed for hours on end. He also gives his coach credit for staying motivated in school when it’s challenging.

“He said, ‘You’re in a good spot and not everybody can be your position. You came from everything to nothing to gaining back some of it. You have an opportunity that other people can’t and from where we’re from, not everybody has the opportunity you’re in. Take advantage of it.’

Taking advantage of every opportunity is something that plays in the back of Amandazi’s head, considering where he was just a few short years ago. While he was successful in the ring, Amandazi struggled in the classroom and with personal obstacles, including the divorce of his parents and a period of homelessness when he lived out of his car for several months. He got back on track after transferring to the New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy, a leadership development program sponsored by the U.S. Army National Guard that aims to “intervene and reclaim the lives of disengaged youth through education, excellence, mentoring and empowerment.” Based at Fort Dix, the Academy helped Amandazi earn his GED, and while there, he decided to enroll in basic training and join the U.S. Army.

After finishing at the top of his basic training class for physical fitness and earning Solider of the Cycle honors at Fort Jackson (S.C.), Amandazi moved into his Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) in Human Resources, which is where he’s been ever since.

Today, Amandazi’s skills have transferred over to his current off-campus role as a registered nurse and his role in the Daemen College Rescue Squad. He is also one of over roughly 50 students that are provided assistance from the Veteran Services Department on campus. Established at campuses shortly after the end of the Vietnam War conflict and still ongoing across the country, Daemen’s chapter provides assistance to men, women and military-aligned students, helping them reintegrate and be successful in their academic pursuits. For the last 11 years, Daemen College has been recognized as a Military Friendly School, making it one of the best colleges in the country for veterans to receive a higher-level education. 

“With the size of our student body, Daemen has made the most significant commitment to the veteran population of any similar-sized college in the area,” said Paul Muccigrosso, the director of the Veteran Services Department on campus. “They’ve done so by encouraging the (Daemen College) Alumni Association and veteran support groups to fund programs specifically designed to help the student population who are veterans to succeed. 

And that is by providing alternative or even extended care in the form of reintegrated services, like housing, medical benefits, mental health benefits, adjustment benefits, and, in many cases, employment… Daemen has really gone out of their way and extended their commitment by encouraging and involving the community.”

Amandazi has received many “thank yous” since joining the service and knows what the Veterans Day holiday entails. And while he appreciates the gestures, he said he’s just thankful for the opportunity. His time as a reservist is expected to end early next summer. 

“For me, I wouldn’t say I served the United States,” he said. “They saved my life. I really do believe that. I didn’t know they had an Army boxing program and they saved my life, I won’t lie. I don’t think I did anything for America. America did a lot for me, honestly.”

Set to graduate in May 2022, Amandazi plans to pursue medical school wherever he is accepted, but hopes to stay in the area at the Jacobs School of Medicine at the University at Buffalo. His desire to become a doctor is the reason he won’t pursue professional boxing. Competing at the Olympics is where he wants to be.

“As long as I’m in school and finishing medical school, I just want to keep going at that pace,” he said. “Every four years, I’ll just keep trying, so if I got to keep representing Uganda every four years, I will represent them until I medal. I don’t want to go pro. That was never in my decision. I want to be a doctor and take care of myself. There’s more to life than just boxing, for me at least, and I don’t want it to be around just boxing because it’s never guaranteed. Just one hit can end it all.”

As he heads toward his hopeful medical career, Amandazi carries his growth with him and encourages his peers to challenge themselves when possible.

 “I took so many risks and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said. “I feel like a lot of people are scared of taking risks and they stay comfortable. They’d rather be comfortable than take a risk that might change their life for the better and just have faith. 

And just stay focused. A lot of people don’t. Just stay focused.”