One-handed boxer defies sports authorities to win first pro fight

American boxer Michael Costantino has just won his first professional fight despite an incredible handicap: he only has one hand.

The 33-year-old New Yorker had to battle sports authorities even to be allowed into the ring against Nathan Ortiz at the Aviator Arena in Brooklyn at the weekend.

But the cruiserweight fighter justified his perseverance by earning a second round knockout victory in front of an estimated 1,500 fans.

Costantino was born without a right hand, and while he still wears a glove over his stump he is unable to punch. He does use his affected limb for defence, not that he needed much in that department after ending the bout with a crunching left shot that sent a dazed Ortiz to walk away from his opponent and prompted referee Randy Neumann to stop the fight.

“I just wanted to show people that in life, if you ever feel like you’re not good enough or you feel down that anything is possible,” Costantino said.

Despite Costantino being more concerned about making a point than a boxing career, he is keen to fight on — at least for now.

“I felt good out there,” he said.

“If this is how these fights are going to be, why wouldn’t I want to continue my career?”

The New York State Athletic Commission were very worried, making him see several doctors and pass an extensive medical before granting Costantino a licence.

But they ended up just as surprised as the unfortunate Ortiz, who conceded that his one-armed opponent had been “better than I thought,” before adding rather unsportingly that he’d only had two weeks to train.

“Give me two months to train and I’ll knock him out in the first round,” Ortiz added.