Ijaz Ahmed insists he will be getting ahead in his quest to become the British flyweight champion through a keep-busy contest. He gets a run-out at the Holiday Inn Queensway, in Birmingham city centre, on the evening of Thursday December 2, as part of a show staged by BCB Promotions.
His 12th pro outing will instead take place in his home city, two days ahead of when ‘Jazzy’ was supposed to be challenging for the vacant British crown again.
That clash has been postponed, because of an injury to Quaise Khademi, who Ahmed has already beaten once in a 10-rounder, at super flyweight.
The ‘0’ of Khademi vanished in February, with Ahmed not behind on any judges scorecard. One had it 96-94, another posted 96-95, while the third decided upon a 95-95 draw.
That majority decision points success led to a rematch, for the British flyweight title, in August, which went the full 12 rounds, although they could not be parted at the final bell.
This time, a judge apiece ruled in their favour, one with Ahmed (115-113) and another going for Khademi (115-114). The third had a 114-114 stalemate, resulting in a split decision draw.
Their trilogy has been temporarily curtailed, which Ahmed believes will go in his favour when he becomes fight fit before the new date.
The 28-year-old is keen to add to his growing stash of prizes, which includes Midlands, WBO European and IBF European honours.
Only Harvey Horn and Brett Fidoe have defeated him in a pro ring and every one of his outings has gone the distance. Of his nine wins, the victory over Khasemi is the highlight.
Ahmed said: “I’m pleased to have this tick-over fight, so I can get back in there and let my hands go, before I can have another shot early next year.
“I’m still determined to get my hands on that British title and I should already have it, in my mind. I believe I did enough to win and so did many others.
“I’ve watched it back and looked at it closely. The rounds I won were convincing, whereas the ones they gave to him mostly seemed 50-50 to me.
“Most of his shots were tippy-tippy and I know I hurt him a few times. I should have capitalised on that and the bell saved him in one round.
“I think I did enough to become the British champion and I want to put that straight, then win the belt outright and do as much as I can in boxing.
“The first time, when I beat him, I wouldn’t allow him to do enough that he could get ahead. In the rematch, he came with a more dangerous approach, but he failed at taking me out.
“I’ve had him in trouble before – taking the WBO European title off him and winning the vacant IBF European belt was a career highlight.
“Being a British champion would top that and it’s what I’m striving for. That would be an amazing achievement and I’m capable of doing it.
“I’ve been training very hard, I didn’t want my camp to go to waste and that’s why I’ve taken this date, to get another win under my belt and a bit more experience.
“The dream is to, one day, be in there for world titles and that should be the ultimate goal for any fighter. At the lower weights, the division can open up quickly.”
Tickets for the Holiday Inn offering are available now, priced at £40 standard or £80 VIP ringside with buffet, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.
