Abubaker: I’m ready to make statement

Amir Abubaker with River Wilson-Bent after a sparring session

AMIR Abubaker is something very special, a man destined for the sport’s very pinnacle.

Those aren’t my words. They are his.

Make no mistake, Abubaker oozes self belief from ever pore. Simply put, the light-middle who runs two barbers’ shops in Coventry believes he’s a cut above.

On June 23, on manager Anthony Manning’s Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, show entitled Nxt Gen, the words become action. Abubaker makes his debut.

“Expect fireworks,” the 23-year-old told me. “Expect a statement. Those present expect an explosion.”

An opponent has yet to be named, but, frankly, Abubaker isn’t fussed who is in the opposite corner: whoever it is will one day tell their grandchildren, “I shared a ring with Amir Abubaker”.

“We had someone,” he told me, “a tough opponent, but they booked another fight.”

Abubaker turned pro after a 33 bout amateur career with only a handful lost. “Whenever I got to the top, there was always a cut or something stopping me. I never took a beating, they were split decisions or someone jabbing and moving away from me.”

Amir says today, under Manning’s wing, he’s a much more complete fighter.

“I’ve always been aggressive, now I’m smart,” he said. “Since I’ve turned pro, my recovery has gone through the roof, so I’m training harder and stronger. I’ve got what it takes to reach the top.”

Abubaker has, no doubt, benefitted from a gym that bristles state-of-the-art training equipment. It’s a sci-fi as a sweat shop gets.

And he’s had top notch sparring for the big night. I spoke to him after a spar with Junaid Bostan, who has won all his five pro contests by stoppage.

He’s also shared the ring with red hot prospect Owen Cooper, middleweight contender River Wilson-Bent and British welterweight champ Ekow Essuman.

“With a day before weigh-in, I can make welterweight,” he said. “Running your own businesses while boxing is a challenge, but it comes with benefits. I haven’t had to chase for sponsors, I support myself, although a sponsor would be nice.

“People are starting to become aware I’m a boxer and getting them in is a challenge, but the show will be a sell-out and I’ll sell all the tickets I’ve been given.”

On his facebook page, Abubaker has posted: “Time to show you all what the boxing world is missing – June 23.”

The man has set a high bar for himself, but he’s confident he’ll clear it with ease.