Bid to secure ‘silver’ title chance for Amir

Abubaker stops Hill in five last month. Picture: Inga Zulyte

AMIR Abubaker, newly crowned Midlands light-middleweight champ, is gunning for a new crown.

And the thunderous punching Coventry prospect is closing in on the Commonwealth silver belt.

Manager Anthony Manning is lobbying for Abubaker to fight for the title after it was recently vacated by Junaid Bostan.

And he’d like the championship bout on his March show at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms.

The surprise move comes only weeks after 24-year-old Abubaker blasted out previously unbeaten Callum Hill for the Midlands 11st title. Hill was despatched in five pulsating rounds.

 That was win number seven for Amir, a barber by day, a ring beast by night.

Manning has drawn-up a short-list of boxers who could face his prospect in a Commonwealth silver showdown.

The names include Leicester’s Stanley Stannard and CJ Challenger and Ryan Amos, from Nottingham.

Abubaker, born in Iraq, has predicted big things are waiting on the boxing horizon. Manning, however, is keeping both feet firmly on the ground.

He said: “Not many people want to fight him – he represents a big risk for little reward.

“He is a work in progress. He has good attributes, good tools and if he can keep those tools sharp by staying active and progressing, he is only going to get better.

“But we must not forget he is still a novice pro at the moment – a novice pro with very good attributes.”

One thing we do know for certain is that the man carries wrecking ball power.

In a recent interview, he told me: “I don’t even try to put power in the punches. I try to use my boxing IQ because I always want to be ahead of the game. If you’re not ahead of the game, things can get difficult.”

Abubaker has, as yet, encountered little difficulty in the paid ranks.