Zain: I’ll be 100 times better than my debut

Zain Ali after his drawn debut with George Rogers

LET’S tell it as it is. Zain Ali didn’t shine in his debut last October.

He laboured to a four round draw with journeyman George Rogers, having the best of the first half of the fighting but under the cosh for most of the second.

That performance was a surprise. The Birmingham light-middle had been signed-up by Alfie Warren, nephew of Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren.

Ali gets the chance to show his true worth on Anthony Manning’s May 4 show at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms. In the opposite corner will be Shane Smith who has lost both his pro outings and suffered stoppage defeat last time out.

In fairness to 25-year-old Ali there are powerful mitigating factors behind his lack-lustre performance. He’d not boxed for close to five years: the last time he stepped through the ropes was for Nechells Green amateur boxing club in 2019.

A pandemic, marriage and then fatherhood kept him on the side-lines.

“It was mostly to do with not boxing for years,” he said, “but I still thought I nicked it. It was the ring rust.

“I was a bit nervous because I hadn’t boxed for so long. I’d prepared properly, had good sparring, but sparring is a lot different to a real fight.

“You’ll see a hundred times better performance this time round.” He’s still training with former pro Dan Breeze, but also getting battle ready at Manning’s own gym.

Ali certainly has the amateur pedigree to make his mark on the pro game.

He fought 50 times, registering 24 win, under the tutelage of ex-pro Mark Holt, a former Midlands area featherweight champion.  His last amateur opponent was Liam Gould, now unbeaten as a pro and fighting for a Midlands title on Friday.

Before he made his pro debut, Zain told me: “Covid hit, so I had some time out, and then I got married and had a couple of baby boys, so I needed to be with my family. I’m still working full-time, too, as a courier. 

“Now is the right time for me to come back to boxing. I’ve spent 13 years at Nechells Green and I still train there. Mark (Holt, amateur coach) has been like a dad to me.”

This week Ali said: “I have a good jab and I can work to the head and body. I would be happy with a Midlands title, then see what opportunities unfold from there.”