LONDON – Shane McGuigan moves his shoulders and looks into his eyes to get Adam Azim to make his next move.
Left jab followed by a right hook.
Their movements are brisk and fluid thanks to hundreds, if not thousands, of hours spent together in the ring; stomping, shuffling, dancing while Azim hits the cushions in an east London gym that’s barely larger than a basketball court. After a few rounds, the 23-year-old approaches a hefty bag lying on the wooden floor, the true color of which has long been hidden under a hefty layer of dirt and sweat.
“We’re really just fooling around today,” McGuigan says as Azim practices for the media ahead of Saturday’s return to the ring against Kurt Scoby on the Chris Eubank Jr. card. – Conor Benn II [Nov. 15, DAZN PPV].
The real work is done away from the cameras.
Among the people observing the session is Az Azim, Adam’s father. He didn’t come for the cameras either. It’s been there since day one; observing, getting water, unpacking hands and giving words of encouragement.
A warrior’s relationship with his parents – whether good or bad – is often crucial to his story. Will it be a father training his son; Lomachenko or Benavidez syndrome; or a child seeking the mother’s approval; For example, Terence Crawford. In the case of Az attending Adam’s training, it is simply always like that. Az is not domineering or pushy like many boxing fathers who think they know better than the coach.
“My hand was the first one he held when he was born. I was the first person to introduce him to a box. It was more about challenging his aggressive baby behavior, [Adam] she’s very hyperactive,” Az tells ESPN.
Adam has ADHD, which he openly talked about, calling it his “superpower” in boxing. While his brother and fellow boxer Hassan attended school, the younger Azim struggled with behavioral problems. So Az took matters into his own hands and decided to homeschool his son with a home teacher and, most importantly for this story, take him to boxing.
For his part, McGuigan has experience dealing with fathers and their struggling sons.
History has shown that this can be a sophisticated and destructive animated. Early in his career, McGuigan was coached by Daniel Dubois, whose father Stanley tried to call the shots. McGuigan suggested to Stanley one day that he take a step back. He had never felt the need to make the same intervention with the Azims.
“With Adam, it’s more than just a sense of security. He just likes his dad around, but he stays in the background. You have to remember we all went to school. Adam didn’t go to school,” explains McGuigan. “His dad always treated him differently throughout his life.”
In other words, they spent a lot of time together. Az being there would be weird.
As Adam prepares for our interview, his hands are unwrapped by his father, who reveals the red, raw knuckles from the last few days of sparring.
“This is how you end up knocking people out,” Az says with a crooked, proud smile. At camp, the presence of family can often be a distraction. But for Azim, it’s all he’s ever known.
“He wakes me up, tells me when to go to sleep. Gives me food. Takes me everywhere,” Azim told ESPN. “My father introduced me to boxing when I was four. We have had a long journey together and have always stuck together.”
Adam’s mother is also with him at camp, preparing meals and supporting him as only a mother can. It also makes life easier for McGuigan, who has several elite boxers in his stable.
“He [Az] I want the best [Adam] and he listens. It doesn’t overwhelm and say, ‘I think he should do this, this and this,'” McGuigan says. “He said, ‘What should he do? I’ll make sure he drinks some water. I’ll make sure I tell him he’s doing well, you look good.’
While the bond between father and son is obvious, the relationship that McGuigan and Azim have developed is also deep.
“Untouchable,” Azim replies when asked how he sees this connection.
“Our bond together is truly amazing. He’ll tell me if I’ve done something wrong in sparring or in the pads, or if I need to work on it… One thing about Shane, he’s also someone I admire. He’s an amazing person. No one will have a relationship like that between me and Shane.”
The relationship began when Azim was 18; Az bought his son a professional boxing license to celebrate his milestone birthday. McGuigan came across a kid from Slough, west London, who had quick hands. It wasn’t long before they started working together and Azim had aspirations of being a world champion.
The next chapter in his teenage career begins on Saturday. Everything will go according to plan, in 2026 he will fight for the junior welterweight world title, just like the fight on BBC after extending the contract with Boxxer Ben Shalom.
It’s a huge platform that Azim hopes will catapult him to national stardom.
“All the legends like Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and Barry McGuigan, they all also fought on the BBC and became stars there,” says Azim.
“Yes, of course I want to win world titles and then being on the BBC and on the platform itself I would do that [help] I’ll become a star too. Ben has always been good to me, so I think it was the best decision I made.
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