Raheel Bhyria’s journey from basketball to boxing
Playing basketball was all Raheel Bhyria ever wanted.
And in 2018, at the age of 17, the Pakistani-Filipino hopeful seemed well on his way to realizing his hoop dreams, after making it into the high school varsity team of San Beda College Alabang.
It was a personal victory—however small a step it was on the long road ahead—and it thrilled him. All the training paid off. And at last, he managed to overcome his innate shyness that had long held him back from showing his true potential.
“They already took my jersey measurements,” Bhyria recalled in a recent interview with Lifestyle. “I was so happy that the coaches saw something in me. Pinaghirapan ko ‘yun. And I got it.”
But thing was, Bhyria was hardworking, sometimes to a fault. In his desire to improve and prove himself, he ended up overtraining at the expense of proper rest and sleep. One day, one game, it caught up to him. And with one awkward fall, it was all over before it started.
“I tore my ACL, PCL, and MCL, three major ligaments in the knees,” he related. “I wasn’t getting enough rest. Still, I insisted on playing a match in the school intramurals. This despite being told that I shouldn’t have joined, because the varsity league was just about to begin.”
The MRI results came in. He couldn’t bear to look at it.
‘One of the worst injuries’
“As an athlete, it’s one of the worst injuries you can have. I was crying, alone in the comfort room. I was sad … Basketball is my first love. I wanted to become a professional player. But the doctor didn’t advise me to just lay low—he told me to stop altogether. That was how bad it was,” he said. “I was like, ‘Wala na. Hindi na talaga kaya.’”
The surgery needed to repair his ligaments—performed by renowned sports physician and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raul Canlas—didn’t happen until a year or two later. While in bed, in a cast, Bhyria couldn’t help but wallow in the what-ifs. “I got depressed,” he said.
But as the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. Much to his surprise, it was showbiz Bhyria saw when he opened the door. Acting was never in the cards. Yet here he is, getting breaks and landing good projects, both in television and film, after being discovered on TikTok.
And as another saying goes, “Everything happens for a reason.” “I was young. I didn’t know there was so much in store for me still. Perhaps this was meant to happen. You just have to keep moving forward with what God gives you,” he said. “And this is what God gave me.”
In 2023, Bhyria started out as a recurring character in the hit afternoon drama series “Abot-Kamay na Pangarap.” By the time the soap opera ended the following year, he was a regular. In August 2024, he made his big screen debut via the acclaimed Cinemalaya film “Balota.”
Now, the rookie actor is on primetime television as one of the main actors of the new action drama series “Mga Batang Riles,” which premiered last Jan. 6 on GMA Network.
“I never imagined that things would have turned out the way they did. Acting wasn’t a dream. Before trying it, I didn’t know if it was right for me, or if I was doing it correctly. But the more I did it, the more I loved it. The blessings started to come and I just feel so lucky,” he said.
Second favorite
But while he has grown to love acting, his passion for sports remains. He can and still plays basketball, but not with the same intensity as he used to. So, he has turned his focus on another sport that wouldn’t be as hard on his knees.
Boxing, his second favorite, seemed a good alternative. Last year, Bhyria began training consistently, more seriously. Before he knew it, he had rekindled the fire in his belly. In September, he fought his first-ever amateur boxing match in Elorde Gym’s Ultimate Knockout Challenge. He won via knockout in the third round.
“In the months leading to the match, I trained Mondays to Saturdays. I would start jogging at 5 a.m., and then do about two hours of boxing training. I rest, eat, and go to work. If I still have energy at night, I box some more or hit the gym,” related Bhyria, whose sporting heroes include Ja Morant on the court, and Manny Pacquiao and Criztian Pitt Laurente in the ring.
Most importantly, strictly no vices. If there was one thing boxing instilled in him, it’s discipline. “I believe that it changed me for the better, not only for myself, but for other people,” Bhyria said, adding that the sport has also done wonders for his mental health. “I discovered that it’s a good way to relieve stress.”
Bhyria doesn’t get to train as often as he would like right now because of his ongoing series. And while his management doesn’t stop him from boxing, he knows very well that he has to be more careful now, especially with his face. He’s an actor—he works in front of the cameras—he reminds himself.
“Of course, I can’t go on the set all bruised up,” he said, laughing. “But I still hope to compete, maybe in February, if my schedule permits.”
Wrongfully punished
Thankfully, though, Bhyria has found an outlet for his pent-up energy and boxing skills in “Mga Batang Riles.”
He plays Sig, who’s part of a group of underprivileged boys wrongfully punished for a crime they didn’t commit. And so, together with his friends Kulot (Kokoy de Santos), Matos (Bruce Roeland), Dagul (Antonio Vinzon), and their leader Kidlat (Miguel Tanfelix), they will defy the odds to clear their names and save their town, Sitio Liwanag, from corruption and abuse.
“I believe my background in sports definitely helped me in doing the action scenes and stunts. I’m lucky to have been given a chance to apply my boxing skills in the show, and you will see it in the way I move,” Bhyria said. “I have the physical skill to do the scenes, so for me it’s about listening and processing the instructions.”
Of course, the thought of reinjuring himself still crosses his mind once in a while. But that doesn’t stop him from giving his best. “I just have to be more mindful of my landings. Because if you ask me to jump, I will really jump,” he said.
