When Hakeem Dawodu was 6 years old, a teacher of his told him he should sign up for taekwondo. He was living in Calgary with his mom, who was only 20 years old at the time and struggling to make ends meet. His father had already been deported back to Jamaica and was no help to the situation. Dawodu paid special attention to the advice, because — even at 6 years old — it felt talismanic, like something important to do. He was already getting in street fights. Taekwondo sounded fun. His mom signed him up.
“I’ve always had people hinting that I’d be a good fighter, since back all the way back then,” he says.