In a year littered with statement-making knockouts, Adam Azim believes he will head into 2023 as one of boxing’s most avoided young fighters.
The explosive super-lightweight talent extended his professional record to 7-0 with a demolition job on Rylan Charlton on Sunday, the durable opponent tipped to give the 20-year-old the toughest examination of his young career.
On the night, it was another formality, with Charlton dropped three times before being finished off in the second round.
It is so far, so good for Azim, who has widely tipped as a future world champion with trainer Shane McGuigan, who has previously worked with Josh Taylor, George Groves and Carl Frampton to name a few greats, hailing him the most talented fighter he has ever worked with. Azim is eager to fulfil that promise and progress through the levels as quickly as possible.
In his sights are the Commonwealth and European belts, currently in the possession of Sam Maxwell and Sandor Martin respectively. But the Slough fighter is also hopeful of a major scalp in the form of a fight against former unified world champion George Kambosos Jr, a bout he believes will further accelerate his path to the top.
‘I have big plans next year and I want to get these title shots,’ Azim told Metro.co.uk.
‘But I probably will be the most avoided fighter. Ryan Charlton is no joke, he had never been stopped and is very heavy handed. But for me to display a performance like that, I have got everyone up on their feet talking about me.
‘Next year, I want to be grabbing the Commonwealth title and the European title. I want to build up even more. I am going to keep headlining fights and getting my name out there and I need to keep doing that in style for my career.
‘I would love to take that fight [against Kambosos Jr],’ he said of the former champion, who is coming off the back of two unanimous decision defeats to Devin Haney.
‘Maybe the end of next year, he is a big name. I believe I have got the ability, power and speed to beat Kambosos. Haney is very slick, he hits and doesn’t get hit, but I know for a fact that if I hit with one of those shots myself, he will be feeling it.’
Among Azim’s biggest fans is former unified champion Amir Khan, someone he grew up watching as the Bolton fighter emerged from the Olympics as a 17-year-old overnight sensation to launch his own world title charge – a dream he fulfilled at the age of 22.
Azim is hopeful of eclipsing that achievement but while Khan is certain he will become a world champion, he has urged caution amid the hype and excitement surrounding the youngster, insisting he should be steadily progressed rather than ‘catapulted’ into stardom.
‘You don’t want to move him too quick, because you can just get beat by someone with more experience,’ Khan said following the win over Charlton.
‘Sometimes you need more than power and speed, you need to have the experience under your belt. So I think you still have to keep him moving steadily, step by step, and I’m sure he will be one of the youngest world champions if he’s managed the right way.’
While full of respect for his idol, Azim plans to follow his own ambition and will defer to his trainer when it comes to plotting the next step.
‘I respect Amir for anything he says, he has been right up there at the world level,’ Azim continued. ‘He knows what it is like. He was my age doing it, getting his title shots so he is trying to tell me to take the right fights, don’t take hard fights yet, keep developing and getting the rounds in.
‘He has of course been at that stage but my team and Shane make all those decisions, who I fight and when. He knows when I’m ready and I’m what I’m ready for.’
Reigning British super-lightweight champion Dalton Smith was another interesting observer at Alexander Palace last weekend with the Sheffield fighter also establishing himself as a future star at 140lbs.
While the two haven’t sparred each other, they spent time in camp together when preparing Luke Campbell for his fight with Ryan Garcia in January 2021.
‘I know Dalton, we get on really well,’ Azim said. ‘I think he said he wasn’t down to scout me, he was down to support and watch me [on Sunday] so we have that mutual respect. We are friends. A lot of people want to see that fight down the line so if it comes, it comes. I have a lot of respect him.’
Azim fought five times in 2022, all of those ending before the third round. Targeting a return in January or February next year, he promises to deliver the sort of performances and knockouts he hopes will have in conversations alongside the likes of Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney before long.
‘I am getting recognised more and more with each fight. My name is getting out there, even with audiences in the USA, people will be starting to think, “who is this kid?”
‘We are looking forward to the journey. I want my name in these conversations and with my knockouts and victories, I am bringing something to the table.’
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