Boxing

Adam Azim’s secret? Family bond and the “untouchable” bond

Published

11 months ago

November 11, 2025

The Punch Junkie™ News

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.

Boxing

Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap

Published

10 hours ago

September 26, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap"

World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.

Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.

Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.

WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.

Results

All times are local BST.

23:11

Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.

Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.

22:04

Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.

21:22

Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.

20:10

Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.

19:56

Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.

18:55

Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.

18:11

Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.

17:22

Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.

TV Coverage

DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Boxing

Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing

Published

12 hours ago

September 26, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing"

Janibek Alimkhanuly spent months trying to get Hamzah Sheeraz into the ring. Now that Sheeraz has vacated his WBO super middleweight title, Janibek is asking fans to stop saying the former champion ran from him. That is generous. It also leaves Janibek with less to say about a fight he wanted badly.

He’s not afraid of me. He didn’t run from me. He made his decision based on his own plans. He has his own goals! He’s my brother, and I ask everyone to stop saying he ran from me. He’s a great fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him! @sheeraz_hamzah 🫂 pic.twitter.com/uxZlegqSmH

— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) September 26, 2026

Janibek’s tone has changed since the purse bid. He was eager to fight, said money was not his priority, and publicly pushed Sheeraz to accept. Queensberry then bid $1,001,809 to stage the ordered defense, beating Top Rank’s $820,000 offer. Sheeraz’s 75 percent share would have been roughly $751,000. Days later, he gave up the belt.

That sequence deserves a closer look. Queensberry put a serious number on the fight, so the bid itself cannot be dismissed as proof that nobody valued it. But winning the right to promote a title defense means little to fans when the champion vacates before it happens.

Sheeraz has objected to Janibek receiving a mandatory shot after his failed drug test. He is entitled to explain that position. Fans are equally entitled to ask why the issue reached a purse bid before he surrendered the title. Janibek’s post supplies no answer.

Perhaps Janibek sees no benefit in branding Sheeraz a coward. Doing so would also make the opponent he chased sound less valuable. Calling Sheeraz a great fighter preserves the idea that this was an important contest, even after the belt and the fight slipped away.

The respect between them may be sincere. Janibek still gets no Sheeraz fight, and Sheeraz no longer has to defend his title against Janibek. A friendly photo does not change either result.

About the author

Boxing 24/7 Wire

Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.

Boxing

Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records

Published

13 hours ago

September 26, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records

Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.

WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.

Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.

WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.

“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.

“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”

The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.

Virginia Closes Appeal Route

Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.

“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”

The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.

For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.

WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón

It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.

That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.

Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.

Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.

WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.

This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.

About the Author

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.