Adam Azim believes he can target former world champion George Kambosos Jr before the end of next year as he seeks to follow the blueprint created by ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed and Amir Khan.
The 20-year-old sensation, regarded as one of the best young talents in British boxing, extended his record to 6-0 in Liverpool on Saturday night, registering his third consecutive first round knockout against Michel Cabral.
With one more fight to be pencilled in before the end of the year to crown a superb 2022, Azim has set himself a target of fighting for the commonwealth title next year and is confident he can begin challenging names at fringe world level and beyond soon after that.
Kambosos Jr is one name on his radar. The Australian stunned Teofimo Lopez last year to win the WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight titles but was dethroned by Devin Haney in his first defence of the belts in July with the American now undisputed king at 135lbs. Kambosos Jr will have the chance to reclaim his belts in a rematch in October.
While his plans may be ambitious, Azim and his team are supremely confident in his abilities and he believes Kambosos Jr could be an ideal test of his burgeoning talent – also naming Cuba’s former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa as another option.
‘I have one more fight before the end of the year. This whole year I have been knocking people out and for my last fight of the year I want to knock the guy out as well,’ Azim told Metro.co.uk.
‘We are going to look at a few opponents, my next fight will be announced soon. But I am ready for whoever is put in front of me and next year is going to be even bigger. That is when things will start to get even more serious.
‘I know the main thing is getting more rounds in. Probably next year, I will go for the commonwealth and European titles. I want to start bagging up these titles, get my ranking up and get my name out there. I want everyone mentioning my name.’
He continued: ‘If I had to fight a world level fighter it would be George Kambosos Jr. I would love to take that fight, maybe the end of next year. I look at it like how Devin Haney fought Jorge Linares [in 2021] when he was a bit older, a former champion who had been right at the top.
‘Or maybe someone like Gamboa. Talented, durable former world champions. That sort of name would be brilliant.’
Azim’s lightning quick speed, vicious power and celebratory backflips inevitably draw comparisons with the great Prince Naseem, with former cruiserweight Johnny Nelson believing the Slough fighter can go onto emulate ‘Naz’.
Hamed clinched his first world title at the age of 21 with with Amir Khan, Azim’s boxing icon, securing that success at 22 on that memorable night in Manchester against Andreas Kotelnik in 2009.
With trainer Shane McGuigan backing his young charge to become a world champion within two years, Azim is fully committed to a swift rise to the top.
‘[What Naseem accomplished at 21] is a blueprint that is there for me,’ Azim said. ‘Naz was one of my idols alongside Amir Khan. He [Khan] was my first inspirations when I was four years old watching him.
‘I’m already six fights in, I picked up a WBC youth title in my fifth fight. I have got the best trainer and the best team and if I keep going the way I am there will be no stopping me.’
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