During the journey, Pressenza has had plenty of opportunity to find out about this intriguing personality and to find out how a Boxer has ended up in a bus full of peace fanatics.

Mensur, 42, is divorced and a father of 2 daughters and also looks after his 2 nephews from his late brother who passed away last year. He spends his time between Sarajevo and Brčko in Bosnia and Vienna in Austria where his brother’s family live.

Peljto won his IBF Cruiserweight World title in 2000, in the town of Tuzla, 70 kilometres away from where he was born. You can find footage of the final round on youtube. He says that he didn’t sleep for 3 days after his victory; partly it was from the headache, and partly from the adrenaline rush.

He had to relinquish his title six months later because of a disagreement with the Bosnian government over who would pay the costs of sending his team to Kansas to defend the title in the States.

We realise that we are not with just another member of the public from the moment we step foot in the former Yugoslavia with our first stop in Macedonia; people seem to know him everywhere. In Pristina people come to greet him on the street and word spreads quickly about who is in town. Suddenly just before we’re about to leave, an old friend and Yugoslav former Olympic boxer, Aziz Salehou, arrives having heard his old friend is in town. Soon it feels like the paparazzi have arrived with so many people taking pictures. You get the sensation in the Balkans that the differences between the people are totally artificial and have been exploited for selfish interests of those who stoke the fires of nationalism. Mensur is known and loved by everyone we come across regardless of their national identity. The friendships he has go way beyond the newly created borders and self-defined communities within the former Yugoslavia.

His status as national hero becomes clear to us on our entry into Bosnia. The Border Guard takes one look at who’s on the bus with us and for the first time on this trip none of us are asked for our passports. His presence on the bus is enough to ensure that we are welcome to enter the country.

Mensur is not the stereotypical boxer: a bit stupid and suffering from the consequences of years of punishment in the ring. He speaks in Bosnian fluently (and thereby is understood in the all the languages of the Balkans except Albanian) as well as French, German, English, and Russian and can also manage to make himself understood in Turkish. On the journey he takes time to revise his notes and study for his Masters as he has his final exam coming up in December.

During our interview I ask him about his victory and what it meant for Bosnia. *“It was great for Bosnians; they needed a diversion from their difficulties. This was 5 years after the war and it was great for people to be able to go beyond their community identities and celebrate a victory for Bosnia.”*

Peljto wasn’t always a regular boxer. He started life as a kick boxer and was the champion of Yugoslavia before the country imploded into war. *“I changed from kickboxing because I had better upper body strength and my head was very hard.”* After a pause he says, *“Don’t write that last bit!”* Too late my friend, it’s going in the interview!

*“I was the first competitor to represent Bosnia-Herzegovina overseas when I went to Budapest for the World kick-boxing championships where I lost in the quarterfinals against an English guy.”*

How did you get involved in boxing?

*“I tried, basketball and football, but I was always better in individual sports.”*

Why not swimming or running?

*“In those sports, I’m not alone I’m fighting against many people. In boxing, it’s one to one.”*

As we drive through the Bosnian countryside on the way to Zagreb we pass through a landscape with property after property damaged and ruined by war, a constant reminder of an unresolved past and so much violence. Activists we meet in Sarajevo say that they feel like there’s no peace just an intermezzo between wars. I’m intrigued to know how a boxer became interested in the themes of nonviolence and peace.

How did you get involved with the World March?

*“I first knew about the March 3 months ago. Two Italians found me at the sports institute in Sarajevo and immediately I decide that this is very good and that I can help. I provided the venues, the press conference, the musicians, the contacts with the President, the premier of the canton and the Mayor. I’m happy I was able to contribute.”*

But Mensur you are a boxer!

*“Inside me there are 2 temperaments; I was a boxer on the outside but on the inside I was always sensitive. I didn’t like to win by a knockout; I always preferred to win on points, to show my opponent that I had a better technique and speed. Inside me there has always been another part, a melancholic man, and I see now when I’m here with these people that I share a lot with the people on the World March. My feelings are with them. I have to say that I see myself as similar to them.”*

How is your experience on the World March?

*“Very great and new. I always say that in my life I never fought on the street. Dialogue is the better way for the future. I believe this to be true. This is maybe the best experience in my whole life. And I think this will change my feelings about war and peace. I, and the Bosnian people, are in a better position than anyone else to know what war is like. Nobody should have to face weapons.”*

Is life better now today or in Yugoslavian times?

*“Some people have nostalgia for the past and in 2000, 2001 it was also a different time. Now we feel violence in the economy and discrimination. Everyone is worried about money so there’s no time for sport and for children. Sport in school is my passion.”*

Are you coming to Argentina for the end of the March?

*“I have to speak to my boss but I’ll be very happy to be in Argentina.”*

Don’t worry Mensur, the Balkan Bus organisers have already spoken to your boss. See you in Argentina.