ADAM AZIM successfully passed the final bout of this latest training camp and then sat down to discuss life as boxing’s newest prodigy.
But there is a surprising lack of bravery from the 20-year-old who has been hailed as the future of sport in this country by the likes of Amir Khan, and he will know.
Instead, Azim preaches the importance of hard work and reveals his near-problematic boxing obsession. “I watch boxing videos from morning to night,” he said, still wiping sweat from his face. “I can’t even tell you how many hours I spent. I don’t really do anything else.
“Honest. Every day. I watch highlights and clips everywhere I go. I think it has something to do with my ADHD.”
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder pops up several times in this interview, and Azim credits that to his success as a boxer. “It has played an important role for me,” he added. “I could use it any other way but boxing is how I use it, I love it so much.
“I’ve been doing it for 16 years now. My ADHD is like a superpower. It’s something I can turn on and control in the ring. I don’t need drugs, my medicine is my boxing. That’s where I pulled my ADHD in and used it for good, both mentally and physically.”
Azim believes that what it has produced so far are Frankenstein’s monster attributes gleaned from his hours on YouTube. “I’m watching a lot of fighters; Naseem Hamed, Canelo, Floyd Mayweather, Joan Guzman.
“I think I like a particular type of fighter and in many ways I am a combination of them. Then there’s the power of Gervonta Davis, Shane Mosley on the combination, Khan on the speed. There are many ways you can acknowledge the attributes of these people and try to apply them to the ring.
“I would watch it, watch it, think about it and then try to do it when I’m in the gym or in a game. It works.
His profile suggests so. After 26 months of playing professionally, Azim won 7-0 with all but his debut which ended in the gap. It was December 2020 and after fighting just once in 2021, he has really caught the ball in style throughout 2022.
As a key component of Boxxer and Sky’s burgeoning relationship, the Slough man racked up five straight wins of the year, all live on the channel, all marked by matches. Outstanding knockout. The last of those was against Rylan Charlton, who was brought on as the man who will stretch Azim a bit when he heads the Alexandra Palace on November 27. He lasted exactly three minutes 42 seconds.
“It has been a wonderful year,” Azim said. “It couldn’t be any better. I got the destructive knockouts I wanted, a lot of people came to see me play and I had my first show. I played against Rylan Charlton and got the performance I wanted.
“Things of the year went very smoothly and I really enjoyed it. Now I want to start this year off strong and continue my journey like that.”
Adam Azim Attacks Rylan Charlton (Lawrence Lustig)
On Saturday, Azim will take another step on that journey in the form of a headline-grabbing appearance at Wembley Arena during Saturday’s Sky Sports teamfight for the first time. Only a handful of other British boxers in the last 30 years have been treated similarly with a 7-0 scoreline.
And, in fact, British boxing is calling for more real stars. We’re nearing the end of the Anthony Joshua/Tyson Fury era, and with the retirements of the likes of Khan and Kell Brook still relatively new, there are few true torchbearers waiting in the wings. However, Azim is one of them.
“This is why I want to stay on top,” he added. “It’s about growth and development. This takes time, but I’m ready to go. I am mentally strong enough to face the pressure that comes with it.
“I want to build my career well. It’s like Amir Khan, who used to headline every show and pack them every time. I want to build my fan base and make it bigger.
“I need to perform all the time. I want to take these devastating knocks and keep improving. I’m happy with the way it’s going. I think the bigger the stage, the better I am. I want to show people why I belong to a background like this and I want kids to be inspired by me just as I was inspired by Amir.”
Khan was almost always in the ring during Azim’s matches last year and the pair seem to have developed a real bond. There are clear similarities between the two as British-Pakistani boxers have shone for amateurs before creating fanfare on the paid show as teenagers.
And while Azim will get advice from many in the boxing world, Khan knows exactly what the youngster will be going through these days.
“We always keep in touch,” he nodded. “He was like a big brother to me and we became very close. I think he’s going to be in this game and we’re going to get together and just chat about normal things, it’s really like a family affair.
“We talked a lot but what I miss the most is the way he always tells me to stand my ground. The biggest piece of advice really is to be humble. Khan really is. And it’s not something you can fake either. You have or you don’t.
“Actually I got the same advice from Barry McGuigan, another legend who faced the phase where he was building to become world champion and then he became an all-star superstar. bridge. He knows what’s going on so it’s great to have him around.”
Meanwhile, Barry’s son Shane, Azim’s coach, mentors his young curator to make sure he stays strong, too. The presence of his brother, Hassan, and a few other characters from his childhood is also key to that.
“I’ve known Caroline and Daniel Dubois since I was about eight years old,” he said of the sibling duo who also train with McGuigan.
“Actually I used to hit Caroline a lot when we were kids and I struggled a lot. She is amazing and will go on to become a world champion in many weight classes.
“I heard stories that she had to pretend to be a boy named Colin but then she was always Caroline. I think the first time I fought her was when I was 8 years old, we probably fought until I was about 11 years old. It was at Dale Youth. She has talent since she was a child and has always had that style. I’m a little too big for her now but I’ll never forget the fights we had.
“Believe it or not, I have never fought Daniel. He’s also too big for me. It’s good to climb the ladder together. They have always been my friends and now it’s like family. We are all in this gym.
“Having Hassan here is also important. He’s my brother and he always keeps an eye on me, while I keep an eye on him too. We both push each other all the time.
It’s not as though he needs extra motivation as he continues to climb titles, at the same pace as he showed in 2022. Just 11 weeks have passed since he knocked Charlton down in style. definitely like that at Alexandra Palace – and some of them are underrated.
Azim said: “I got a week or two off but I was really sick during that time, around Christmas. “I had to take a break for a week or so, but actually I got sick after that, so now I am completely healthy and fresh to return to the ring. I got the flu like everyone else seemed to have, but I had a nice seven-week camping trip and I was ready.
“The secret for me is just working hard. I train really hard, I’m always focused and I’m always in the gym. I’m always angry, that’s my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I love to exercise, I love the gym and work hard. If I go to a workout and I don’t feel tired, I haven’t worked hard enough.
“The games are going fast so I want to stay in top form, eat healthy. After this fight, I will be organic, I want to keep my body in top shape like Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s 37 years old, look at his form. I’m looking for permanence in this game and that’s the only way.”
The one standing in his way this weekend is Santos Reyes, the 12-0 Nicaraguan, who represents the first undefeated opponent of Azim’s career. He arrives as a 14/1 outsider and will leave 12-1, saving one of the biggest shocks in the British ring in Azim’s life.
“I think a lot of people want to see me go round because they want to see what I’m like when the game comes after,” added Azim. “But I never go looking for knockouts, they just come. I place the shots correctly so that in the end I get the knockout that I want. But I’m even better at circling.
“He’s a very tough, tough boxer, I’ve seen him in a few YouTube videos. I’m not going to underestimate him but I want to get a great knock-out and put on a performance. I don’t feel pressure because I’m not looking for a knockout ticket but I believe it will come.”
With that said, Azim is about to complete one of his last media obligations before the fight week begins in earnest. Although he is only 20 years old, he has devoted the greatest part of his 16 years to boxing. Time to ask why.
“I thought about this a lot,” he said. “I think it’s because I want people to be inspired by me.
“A lot of young people have problems these days, even on the streets there are a lot of knife criminals – in places like my hometown of Slough and London. There’s a lot of stabbing going on.
“But I want to build boxing gyms all over the UK and get these kids off the streets, I can show them another avenue for them. There are opportunities for you to do something beneficial with your life.
“And the only way that I know I can show them that is by boxing.”
Adam Azim and Shane McGuigan (Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer)
