Paris - In a turn of events worthy of Hollywood, a 17-year- old illegal immigrant from Afghanistan will receive his French residency permit after winning the national amateur boxing championship, French media reported on Tuesday.

Immigration Minister Eric Besson opened the way for the step by announcing, in a press statement released on Monday, "Starting now, Sharif Hassanzade can apply at the police headquarters of (the region) Nord to obtain his residency permit and initiate, if he so wishes, the procedure to become a citizen."

"This is the most beautiful day of my life," Hassanzade told the daily Nord Eclair. "Inside me, it's all crazy. I owe a lot to my club, my trainers... I really don't know what to say."

Besson acted after Hassanzade won the national amateur boxing championship late Saturday in the super-lightweight class, and it became known through the media that he had no legal standing in France and could be deported at the beginning of next year.

Hassanzade, who has been dubbed "Rocky among the people- smugglers," arrived illegally in the northern city of Lille at the age of 14, after a difficult 3-month journey via Pakistan.

On his arrival, he "could not write, could not speak any French" and he knew no one, said his trainer, Bruno Cardosso.

Cardosso said Hassanzade began to box as soon as he moved into a youth home in Tourcoing, and that they had "bluffed" his registration for the national championship tournament.

"He had a license with (our boxing club), that was enough. No one complained about anything, and he went all the way," he told the daily 20 Minutes.

Hassanzade is planning to continue his boxing career, with an eye on the European amateur championships.

"When I'm in the ring, I represent my city, Tourcoing," he said. "Now, I would love to represent France. But I'm not French yet." (dpa)