Mamekiye Management is supporting professional boxer Yusuf Atmis on his sporting journey at Universum Hamburg. But behind Mert Yildiz, Davut David Demirel, Yusuf Atmis and trainer Artur Grigoryan lies an idea that reaches far beyond the boxing ring: sport should give young people stability, direction and hope.
Hamburg / Germany / Switzerland – In sport, success is usually measured in victories, titles and statistics. But every career eventually comes to an end, the lights go out and great sporting moments become memories. What remains is not only the question of what a person achieved, but also what they meant to others.
This idea lies at the heart of Mamekiye Management, jointly led by Mert Yildiz from Germany and Davut David Demirel from Switzerland. The two cousins want to combine sporting success with social responsibility. They believe in the power of sport to teach young people values and, especially during difficult periods of their lives, to give them a place where they can learn to believe in themselves again.
At the centre of this journey is professional boxer Yusuf Atmis, who boxes at Universum Hamburg and is trained by Artur Grigoryan. In Grigoryan, he has a world champion and a figure with decades of experience in boxing by his side. Their connection symbolises the shared vision: the experience of a successful generation is being passed on to a young athlete whose story is still being written.
Behind sporting success are things the public rarely sees: countless hours of training, sacrifice, setbacks, pain and the decision to keep going despite it all. These are precisely the values that should accompany Yusuf beyond the boxing ring as well.
For Davut David Demirel, Ismail Özen, a former professional boxer and an influential figure at Universum, also plays an important role. Demirel particularly believes that Özen’s commitment to supporting and developing young athletes deserves recognition.
“When we talk about the future of sport, we must not forget the people who give young athletes opportunities in the first place. Ismail Özen therefore deserves our sincere gratitude. Behind every young person who finds their path, there is someone who once gave them a chance,” says Demirel.
This same attitude also shapes the social commitment of Mamekiye Management. Today, Mamekiye Management already supports Knack den Krebs Hamburg. Further partnerships are currently being discussed.
In the long term, the focus will be on child protection, the prevention of violence and bullying, drug prevention, social commitment, environmental responsibility and sustainability. Social responsibility should not be a marketing strategy, but an integral part of the identity of the management and its athletes.
Boxing in particular can show young people what it means to transform anger into discipline, insecurity into self-confidence and defeat into new strength.
For Mert Yildiz, this lies at the heart of their shared mission:
“We cannot solve every problem, and we will not reach every young person. But if one day a young person tells us that sport helped them believe in themselves again and that they did not give up because of it, then we will have achieved something that no trophy can measure.”
In doing so, Mamekiye Management is also consciously building on values that connect generations. For many people, sports clubs were never simply places to train. Coaches were figures of respect, listeners and mentors. People looked out for one another, a handshake meant something, and sport taught people how to lose without giving up and how to win without losing respect for others.
These values are not outdated. At a time when young people face social pressure, social media, violence, bullying, drugs and a constant search for recognition, they may be more important than ever.
Davut David Demirel describes this belief in deeply personal terms:
“Remember, one day the cameras will be switched off and no one will ask how important you once were. What will remain is the question of whether you were there when another person needed you. One day, I want to be able to say that we used the opportunities we had to give people hope.”
This is precisely why the support of Knack den Krebs Hamburg holds such special meaning. A boxer makes the choice to step into the ring. Children and families fighting a serious illness never had that choice. Sport cannot fight that battle for them, but it can show them that they are not alone and that they have not been forgotten.
Together with social organisations, businesses and committed individuals, Mamekiye Management aims to build something that will endure far beyond sporting success.
Because trophies gather dust and applause eventually fades. What may remain is the memory of someone who believed in you at a time when you could no longer believe in yourself.
Perhaps that is the greatest victory of all.
