Ali - from a career in finance to pro fights

Ali Maseem…makes his debut in Coventry on March 9

IF Mensa, that established barometer of high intelligence, had a category for pro boxers, Ali Meesam would be a member.

The light-welter, who makes his paid debut at Coventry’s Skydome on March 9, has an unusual background, that’s more red brick universities than Rocky.

Ali graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in economics and, by day, is a quantity surveyor.

The 25-year-old is measured and articulate in interview and refreshingly free from boasts about world titles waiting in the wings.

“I think everyone in the sport would say they wouldn’t be in it if they didn’t think they could succeed,” Ali told me. “But it is a matter of taking one step at a time.”

Does he carry knockout power? “We’ll find that out on the night,” he laughed. We do know he has a following, with, to date, over 100 tickets sold for his debut.

Ali hails from Leicester, but fights out of Birmingham’s Eastside gym. As an amateur he represented Belgrave, Leicester Fountain and Eastside, collecting a handful of Midlands titles and reaching a national quarter-final.

In the paid ranks, he’s managed by former pro Nathaniel Howell and trained by Karl Wiggins at Eastside.

“I’m a good, slick counter-puncher,” he said. “My style’s a bit of everything – me and my coach work on everything. I’m an ‘all around’ fighter.

“I do want to put on stoppages, because pro boxing is all about the fans – they don’t pay money to watch a boring fight.”

Ali has turned pro in search of fresh challenges.

“I had a lot of bad luck in the nationals,” he explained, “and kept saying, ‘one more, one more’. Eventually, I decided it was time for a fresh start. I thought, ‘I’m mature enough, it’s the right time’.”

Ali is surprisingly laid back about his big night at the Skydome. “Just taking things in is a part of my personality. I’m a fun guy.

“I’ve wanted to do this for ages, so it’s not pressure. I’ve wanted to do this, so no one has to get me up in the morning or force me to go to the gym.”

The journey starts on March 9 – and if Ali fails to reach boxing’s dizzy heights, a very successful business career beckons.