Ijaz considers future after epic title draw
Ijaz Ahmed…he’s now drawn three British title fights
IJAZ Ahmed admitted he’s considering retirement after again falling fractionally short in his bid to lift the British super-flyweight title.
After 12 action packed rounds at Dudley Town Hall last night, the Bordesley Green battler drew with late sub Marcel Braithwaite.
Incredibly, that’s the THIRD time Ahmed has drawn in a British super-flyweight championship. He and Quaise Khademi had previously fought two stalemates.
That’s a unique statistic.
His future may be in doubt, but there’s one certainty: Ahmed will one day feature prominently as a sports quiz question.
He and Khademi were set to do it again at York Hall, Bethnal Green, until the Afghanistan born contender pulled out through injury.
Errol Johnson, head of Black Country Boxing Promotions, worked something of a miracle in securing the service of Liverpool’s Braithwaite at just over two weeks notice – and ensuring home advantage for his fighter.
He’d invested in what was hoped to be a coronation for 29-year-old Ahmed. Braithwaite ripped up the script.
Judge Mark Lyson scored 115-114 for Braithwaite, Terry O’Connor had Ahmed a clear 117-111 winner and Kevin Parker had honours even at 114-114.
I thought Ahmed edged it on industry, but there’s no doubt the cleaner, heavier shots were delivered by 28-year-old Braithwaite, who was outpointed by Sunny Edwards in a previous bid for the Lonsdale Belt.
It was a question of what you liked. I spoke to one member of the BCB team who believed Braithwaite had snatched the decision.
In the aftermath of last night’s cracking clash – I can’t recall a British title fight where more punches were thrown – there is one, over-riding question:
If Braithwaite can perform like that at a fortnight’s notice, what would he do given the luxury of a full training camp?
Dejected Ahmed said: “I need to think about my future. I have a child on the way and can’t keep putting my body through this. I’ll talk with my family about what the future holds.
“At the end of the day, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve done this for a long time, I’ve been boxing since I was 10. For some reason, they don’t want to give it (the title) to me.
“I thought I won. I’m not a big puncher, but my pressure won it. He was doing a lot of holding. To be fair, he took it at short notice and put on a show. He’s a warrior and came to win.”
I expected Braithwaite (8st 2lbs 9oz) to gas – and he certainly appeared to feel the relentless pace from the seventh.
Yet Marcel, his nose bleeding, remained dangerous. One looping left at the end of the 11th clearly hurt Ahmed, but the bell sounded before his pint-sized opponent could capitalise.
What Ahmed lacks in power, he more than makes up for in stamina. He has a phenomenal engine and his arms worked liked pistons throughout the gruelling battle.
In the early rounds Braithwaite landed eye-catching left hooks to the body and uncorked uppercuts. Ijaz (8st 2lbs 6oz) took them and, by the fourth, was pushing his opponent back.
My notes for the fifth state: “Ijaz beginning to grind him down.”
But whenever Ahmed, bleeding from the mouth, seemed poised to take control, Braithwaite would find something to stem the tide.
He connected with a heavy right in the sixth, was driven back for most of the seventh, yet connected spectacularly with a big uppercut in the ninth.
Such was the see-saw nature of the scrap.
The 10th provided three minutes of relentless action, Braithwaite uncorked that booming left – his best punch of the night in the 11th and both blazed away, toe to toe, in the final round.
Such a pulsating punch-up deserves to be re-run, a re-match is needed.
Ijaz, who has now put everything on the line in three title fights and walked away empty handed, is understandably unsure about the merits of putting his slim frame through a fourth.
He’s now won 10 of 15 (three draws), Braithwaite is 14-3-1.