Ijaz looks to make it 4th time lucky and grab the British title

Ijaz Ahmed…incredible three British title draws to his name

MARCEL Braithwaite, the Liverpool fighter who faces our own Ijaz Ahmed in a British super-flyweight title return on Friday, has warned: I’m primed and ready to put on a show.

The pair meet on BCB’s Holiday Inn bill – and, incredibly, it’s Ahmed’s fourth bid to take the Lonsdale Belt.

In a sequence that has gained a place in boxing history, all three previous attempts ended in draws.

Seven months will have passed since Ijaz and Braithwaite’s controversial first battle in Dudley, which both felt they should’ve won.
It was a classic back and forth affair. Brathwaite, who took the fight at 19 days notice, started well, Ahmed grew into the contest and finished strongly.

At the end there was to be a horrible sense of deja vu for the 30-year-old Bordesley Green boxer, as his two previous title shots, both against Quaisie Khademi, had ended in stalemate.

This time Braithwaite will has had a full camp and he enters the ring a champion in his own right: the 29-year-old won the Commonwealth title three months after facing Ahmed.

He told hometown paper the Liverpool Echo: “We all know the last fight was on 19 days’ notice. People don’t normally do that for the British title, but I did it, and I felt I won the fight.”

He’s not alone. Many at ringside felt the Toxteth boxer unlucky.

Braithwaite added: “I was never going to sit there and cry over spilt milk. I just got back to work, worked harder than I ever have, and I have been in that zone for a while now.

“I’m thriving. I’ve left no stone unturned, and I have worked harder than ever.

“In the sense that it has made me mature, I’ve really knuckled down and been disciplined. It is only right that all this shows up.

Marcel Braithwaite…”It’s going to be a memorable night”

“I'm looking forward to putting a show on for everyone. It is going to be a good night and a memorable one.

“I have shared the ring with him, and I know how he thinks. I shared that time with him and the hard-fought rounds.

“He should have been at his best ever (for the first fight). I think this time, with the preparation I have had, it is going to show.

“You know what? We could have had it in Liverpool, but I wanted to do this one last time because, honestly, this will be the last time I fight on a small hall show.”

Ahmed, a deeply religious, at times complex character, is genuinely baffled by divided opinion over the drawn verdict in March. And far too much has been made of the short notice Braithwaite received, Ijaz believes.

“It’s as if they don’t want me to win the British title,” he told me.

“He was able to do the 12 rounds because he was already ready. He may not have been 100 per cent, but he was certainly 80-90 per cent. He’s not one to get out of shape, he’s always ready. That’s why he was able to last 12 rounds at the pace I put him under.

“He was working off the back-foot, blocking what I was throwing at him. I won that fight.

“If you understand the rules of boxing, the person who throws and hits more wins the fight. It’s that simple. Fair play to him, he was throwing the bigger, telling shots that made people get off their seats, but he didn’t trouble me, he didn’t put me down. But I was throwing more punches, landing more punches and didn’t get hit a lot.

“Three times I’ve fought for the British title and three times I’ve drawn. It’s outrageous – it’s never happened before and it will probably never happen again. It’s horrible.

“Three camps back-to-back take their toll on your body – and I’m no spring chicken. I’m reaching the end at super-flyweight. People who understand boxing know what it takes to get into shape during those camps.

“People have said they would’ve have thrown in their hat and walked away after the first time. It’s happened to me three times.”

Ijaz stressed his faith has helped him overcome the hard times.

He added: “I’m a religious man and I believe everything happens for a reason. I’ll try me hardest and what unfolds is pre-ordained by God.

“If it is written, it will happen.”