Azeem is very much a work in progress

Hamza has his hand raised after outscoring Griffiths. Pic: Jack Perry

DAVE Clarke, trainer of southpaw Hamza Azeem, talks a lot of sense, he knows his boxing.

He’s honest, too. He doesn’t sugar-coat the truth.

Dave’s assessment of Azeem’s points victory over Liam Griffiths on BCB’s big title show at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham city centre, last night mirrored my own.

The Kings Heath fighter was hell-bent on getting his Bognor Regis opponent out of there. When Hamza couldn’t, frustration set in, he began to load-up and became predictable.

When he relaxed, the punches flowed. They stung.

He still took a landslide, four round points decision, 40-35 on referee Ryan Churchill’s card, with Griffiths taking a count in the final session.

At this stage, you can’t ask for anymore.

The flaws are understandable and forgivable. The 23-year-old, who scored his fourth straight win, is still wearing L Plates. Importantly, he’s showing steady improvement, fitness levels are rising and weight is coming off. He scaled 11st 9lbs 2oz last night and there’s still excess baggage to shift.

We’re some way from witnessing the complete article. As far as the professional game is concerned, Hamza – by day, a custody officer – is still wearing handcuffs, if you’ll excuse the pun.

In three bouts time, I’ll know a lot more about Hamza’s potential and the weight class in which he’ll compete for honours.

Eleven stone may be a struggle, but at 11st I believe Hamza could be a handful. I think we’ve only scratched the surface.

Clarke said afterwards: “It’s a learning curve, he’s on a journey. We had a game plan and then there was a change of opponent.

“This is one of the toughest games in the world and there’s a lot to learn, he’s learning one of the toughest sports in the world.

“You’re not going to knock them all over. It wasn’t one of his best performances, but it’s always going to be a learning curve. The other kid didn’t want to fight, he didn’t want to have a go.”

In an all southpaw clash, Griffiths (11st 10lbs 7oz), who has won six of 97 (one draw), was speared by jabs in the first, nailed by body shots in the second and attempted to make it messy in the third.

Griffith was briefly decked in the fourth by a cuffing left and rose complaining he’d slipped to the canvas.

He rode the storm.

I’ve now witnessed two of Hamza’s four pro outings.

I believe he can be a good fighter. How good is entirely in his hands, not Clarke’s.