Abdul Khan was in nappies when his cousin Amir gained the nation’s hearts and a silver medal on the 2004 Athens Olympics.
By the time world champion Amir produced a profession-defining efficiency towards Marcos Maidana in 2010, Abdul was a seven-yr-previous watching large-eyed in Bolton.
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On Saturday, featherweight Abdul faces journeyman Liam Fitzmaurice at Wembley in a watershed second for British South Asian boxing.
The card is headlined by unbeaten gentle-welterweight Adam Azim and options prospects Mohammad Bilal Ali, Vijayraj Karia and Saqib Mehmood within the earlier bouts – that means 5 south Asian fighters will share billing.
“Seeing Amir reach the heights of the sport only lit the fire in probably the majority of the South Asian kids out there, including me,” Abdul, 23, tells BBC Sport.
Amir rose to prominence after successful silver in Athens aged 17 and went on to seize world titles at gentle-welterweight, turning into one in every of Britain’s most excessive-profile boxers.
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Unbeaten in 14 skilled fights with three knockouts, Abdul is the primary to confess his surname helped carve his path. The household connection even led to him combating on the undercard of Amir’s last skilled bout towards Kell Brook.
But after constructing his report on the small-corridor scene and on worldwide playing cards, the time has come to step out of the familial shade.
“Being known as his cousin was always going to be like that because of what Amir achieved,” Abdul says. “I’m grateful for everything he has done to open the doors – but it is all right getting through the doors, it is how good you are to stay in those rooms.
“It’s been my personal laborious work and dedication which has stored these doorways open. This solely provides me extra of a push to only get out of the shadow. I believe we’re all our personal individuals and I’d like to shrug off that tag of Amir’s cousin.
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“My team have always said to build me in the right way and to explode when the time comes – now it’s my time.
“He achieved a lot for me however I do not wish to latch onto anybody else’s title, you solely respect it extra – and get appreciated – for those who do it this fashion.”
‘Boxing gave me a home’
While his sporting lineage might suggest an easy path, Abdul’s reality was far from privileged. When he was 10 years old, his parents separated. Growing up with his mother and two sisters, he carried a heavy responsibility at a young age.
“I’m the person of my home and I’ve been since I used to be 10,” he says.
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“It was laborious as a result of my father was by no means in my life, by no means gave me a penny or something. Boxing gave me that escape from the world the place I got here and every thing outdoors of the gymnasium meant nothing.
“This is why I stuck at it. It gave me purpose, motivation, and more than anything, it gave me a home.”
Abdul gained the nationwide youth ABA title as an beginner earlier than the Covid lockdown prompted him to show skilled early and “learn on the job.”
Though they did not join correctly till Abdul was 13, Amir has been a constant supply of steering since.
“He was always a phone call away,” Abdul says. “Whatever advice I needed, he was always there. He always said to have the right people around you who really care for you, work hard every single day and commit 100%.”
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Fighting in Pakistan and world-title goals
Abdul Khan (proper) made his skilled debut in October 2021 [Getty Images]
Trained by Alex Matvienko at Elite Boxing Gym in Bolton, Abdul – by means of Amir’s connection – additionally had the possibility to spar with future all-time nice Terence Crawford.
“It was priceless,” he says. “Sharing the ring with a pound-for-pound great. I felt all star-struck in there and surreal.
“He was most likely solely going for it at 20%, however I picked little issues from him – distance, pace, studying the sport.”
Abdul believes he can move towards a world title within the next two to three years. He also harbours a long-term dream of fighting in Pakistan, where he regularly visits family in a village near Rawalpindi.
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“I really like Pakistan, I really like the tradition,” he says. “There’s numerous expertise on the market, they need to make investments a bit extra into boxing like they’ve achieved with cricket.
“If I fought in a cricket stadium in Pakistan? It would sell out 10 times over.”
For now, although, the main target is Wembley Arena and an evening that brings collectively a wave of British South Asian expertise on one card.
Abdul says: “I want all kids – not just South Asians – who have come from broken families to look at someone like me, knowing that you can have a goal, stick at it and you will get the fruits of your labour. With the right people around you, anything is possible.”
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How to look at Azim v Claggett on BBC & what’s the operating order?
You can watch all of the undercard motion from 18:30 BST earlier than the principle card begins at 20:30.
From 20:00, you too can observe reside textual content commentary on the BBC Sport web site and app.
From 18:30 on BBC iPlayer:
Joel Kodua v Will Harrison (welterweight)
Ergal Elezaj v Dan Garber (heavyweight)
Saqib Mehmood v Simas Volosinas (light-weight)
From 20:30 on BBC Two:
Adam Azim v Steve Claggett (gentle-welterweight)
Francesca Hennessy v Aurora de Persio (bantamweight)