‘KASH’ IS KING
Chris Glover sees Farooq secures the Scottish Area bantam strap and a British title shot
GLASGOW NOVEMBER 23 ★★★ WHOLE SHOW ★★★★ ATMOSPHERE
UKASHIR “KASH” FAROOQ became the bantamweight king of Scotland as he put on a scintillating display of counter-punching to stop the brave champion Scott Allan in round eight of a bout which also served as an eliminator for Josh Wale’s British title.
Shotts’ Allan came out as the aggressor early on, trying to force the fight and push Farooq, 21, on to the back foot. Scott arguably won large parts of the opening stages with his fast-paced attacks. Farooq soon found his timing, however, and began to walk his opponent on to some crisp counters.
These counters paid off in round three, as Allan went down after a perfectly timed right hand from Farooq. Following this flash knockdown, the 25-year-old champ rose quickly and pursued Farooq around the ring, but was constantly met with accurate punches.
Farooq began pushing the fight as the pair entered the second half of the contest. Possibly sensing a stoppage, Ukashir loaded up with some big shots. His sharp counters looked to have taken their toll on a tiring Allan by this time, whose face was marked and swollen.
Putting his foot down on the accelerator even more, Farooq continued to score with stinging strikes. After a barrage of blows found the target from the Pakistanborn Glaswegian, referee Victor Loughlin decided to stop the bout at 2-33 of round eight.
The support act on this St Andrew’s Sporting Club show at the Radisson Blu Hotel saw Kelty’s Connor Law impressively exhibit his skills in a lopsided points victory against Huddersfield’s ever-game Alistair Warren. Warren touched down in the third en route to losing 60-53 on referee Kevin Mcintyre’s scorecard.
THE VERDICT At 21, Farooq is making a name for himself.