Adam Azim has been making headlines since bursting onto the British boxing scene four years ago.
What initially caught attention was Azim’s incredible hand speed. However, his influence caused him to quickly engage in a fight for the victory with his younger welterweight rival Dalton Smith.
Each fighter benefits greatly from having a talented, high-profile rival, but despite the best efforts of the governing bodies, a match between the two is still a long way off and it has begun to feel like the constant chatter and maneuvering is overshadowing Azim’s development.
Ankle and wrist injuries have kept Azim (11-0, 8 KO) out of the ring since he defended his European title against Enock Poulsen in February. As frustrating as it was to force the newborn player to the side, the setbacks may have been his body’s way of telling him – and everyone around him – to snail-paced down.
In his absence, Azim relinquished the European title and Smith vacated the British belt after stopping the still unsafe Jose Zepeda to legitimize himself as a world title challenger. The two are further apart than they have been in a while.
Azim seems to have benefited from this break. Instead of constantly working on a specific opponent, he was able to work on his all-around game and instead of defending his career path, he focused solely on self-improvement.
On October 19, Azim returns to action in a reasonable and meaningful domestic fight against recent world title challenger Ohara Davies.
The conversation about Smith will inevitably heat up again, but over the next few weeks the talented Azim will be at the center of his own story again.
“My attitude towards this fight is completely different. I’ve been working really strenuous in the gym, improving every day and working extremely strenuous,” Azim told BoxingScene. “The good thing about being in the gym all the time is that you take into account what you need to do in the ring and keep working on it. That’s why I’m working on my footwork and internal fight, which is one of the things I want to work on.
“As a complete package – as a professional player – it’s good to have a good inside game, but also an outside game.”
It seemed like barely a month had passed without Azim scoring such a spectacular early goal that provides manna from heaven for social media teams and fuel for the hype machine.
In November 2022, Azim made his sixth straight stoppage quickly, defeating the tough Rylan Charlton over two rounds, and then the search began for opponents who could weather the early storm and give him quality innings.
The matchmakers certainly did their job.
Santos Reyes got up from the floor and went 10 rounds, just like Adam Faniian. Franck Petitjean made it to the 10th round of a free European title fight before ultimately being overwhelmed, while a shoulder injury forced Enock Poulsen to withdraw after five rounds earlier this year.
The rounds were invaluable. They gave Azim confidence in the gas tank, but also taught him which elements of his style would work at a championship level and which elements needed more work.
“You know what?” Azim said. “After the Rylan Charlton fight, I fought Santos Reyes and when I dropped him, I thought, ‘Yes, I’ve got him again.’ But there is a point where these people have strenuous heads, good chins and there is a way where you have to overcome it in a mature way. In my case, I was just throwing punches, trying to get him out, not thinking about it.
“If I fought him again, the story would be different because now I know how to beat him, you know? If I had stayed inside with him then, I would have gotten him out because I just kept it ticking for so long. It’s those three and four punches, not just one or two, where there are shots that they can’t see.
“Even with the Aram Fanian fight, it was a unsafe fight for me at the beginning. He fought 24 fights and lost only one during that time, so he was a good, advancing opponent for me.
“Now the fights last longer, I can think about how to eliminate them and break them – but that comes with maturity. I was 19, 20 years venerable then. Now I’m 22, so I’m getting older and of course gaining masculine strength, which is also good to have.
“I work really strenuous so I know what to do in the ring.
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