Fighting for Heritage
The rise of Jonny Mansour
By Sarah Kittle
Jonny “Magic” Mansour, 25, is a boxer on the rise. His Instagram account names him “God’s Chosen Warrior,” and he’s currently 5-0 in the ring. He recently had the opportunity to visit the land of his ancestors; his parents are both from Alqosh in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq.
Jonny, given name Jonathan, is American—San Diegan to be precise—but he’s always been proud of his Chaldean heritage. His parents never forgot where they came from. “My dad insisted we speak Chaldean (Sureth) at home,” he says.
His recent visit to Iraq was “amazing.” Life in the motherland is “a lot different from where I grew up,” says Mansour. His travels through Alqosh, Telkaif and by Batnaya showed him an alternate way of life.
“Our people are driven to succeed,” he says, “Seeing what they grew up from tells me why.” The drive and resilience of the Chaldean people was formed in the hard clay of Iraq and the pressure cooker of being surrounded by people of an aggressive opposing faith.
Jonny was wooed by the Iraqi government to represent them in the 2028 Olympics. He was treated like royalty on his recent trip to the Middle East and felt safe and comfortable the entire time. He loved meeting young boys in small villages who dream of fighting for their country in the Olympic games. Jonny’s main goal is “inspiring people to do good things.”
Jonny started boxing when he was 8 years old. His uncle introduced him to the sport, and he quickly developed a passion for it. “It was different from what everyone else was doing,” he says.
His family was unsure of his new interest, citing the dangers of boxing and encouraging him to think about going into the family business. But when he made the US Olympic team at age 19, the full support of the family swung behind him. “Now they won’t let me quit,” he says with a laugh.
Jonny currently spars with his cousin, a few years younger than him. “We push each other every single day,” he says.
His heroes in the ring are “Prince” Nassem Hamed and Amir “King” Khan, both famous British world champions of Middle Eastern descent. They’re known for paving the way for the next generation.
That is something that Jonny also aspires to. “I feel like I’m cutting through the trees,” he says, meaning clearing a path for others to follow in his footsteps. Professional boxing is not a common career for Iraqis, although fighters like Chaldean American Austin Bashi from West Bloomfield and Randa Markos, who was born in Iraq but moved to Canada as a child, have made names for themselves in the world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).
As a Chaldean American, Jonny celebrates his heritage and brings it with him when he steps into the ring. At a bout at a casino – he thinks it may have been his fourth fight – his entrance to the ring was accompanied by drummers, much like the zaffa entrance at a wedding. “That was really cool,” he remembers.
Standing at 5’10” and weighing in at under 135 pounds, Jonny is not necessarily menacing. Unless you’re facing him in the ring. He’s an eight-time national champion, Golden Glove winner, and international Gold Medalist with Team USA. Now he’ll be fighting for Team Iraq.
When asked what they offered him, he says, “Offer? No they, promised—a statue in Baghdad and a million dollars if I bring them a medal in the 2028 Olympics.”
Iraq first participated in the Olympic Games in 1948 and has won a total of one Olympic medal – a bronze medal in lightweight weightlifting by Abdul Wahid Aziz at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
What does it mean to Mansour to represent the country where his parents were born and raised? “It means everything.” Jonny, who lost his mother recently to cancer, is extremely motivated to not only excel, but to inspire others to excel.
“I want to inspire youth in the next generation to know that anything is possible,” he says. Especially the Chaldean youth in Iraq. “I want them to dream bigger.”
Asked about his vision of himself for the next five years, Jonny answers, “A Gold Medal in LA in 2028 and then the World Boxing Championship—that’s my goal.”
After that? “I’d like to build a gym in Iraq,” he says. More than that, he wants to build a community center and build actual community in Iraq to support the young people there. “A charitable foundation in the Middle East would be an ultimate goal,” he says.
Jonny is busy preparing for his next bout, which is scheduled for October 25 in San Diego. “I hope my supporters in Michigan will come to see me fight,” he says. He has a lot of support from the Chaldean American community here. He expects to compete in Michigan early next year.
For Jonny Mansour, boxing is more than a sport—it’s a way to honor his heritage, inspire others, and leave a lasting impact on the Chaldean community both in the U.S. and in Iraq. With his eyes set on a Gold Medal at the 2028 Olympics and a professional boxing career beyond, Jonny is determined to blaze a trail for future generations. But his vision extends far beyond the ring: he dreams of building gyms, community centers, and foundations in Iraq to empower youth and show them that anything is possible. Jonny “Magic” Mansour isn’t just fighting for medals—he’s fighting for a legacy.