ONE TO WATCH
Matt Bozeat highlights a possible contender in this year’s Elite championships
AKASH TUQIR is a confident entry at 60kgs in this year’s England Boxing Elite championships.
For the lofty left hander from Telford, the championship gets underway at Retford Town Hall on Sunday afternoon (March 18 ) and the 19-year-old said, “I know it’s the best against the best, but I think I can handle anyone out there.
“I’ve won two of three fights with Mickey Mcdonagh and he’s on GB, so that makes me think I’m good enough to be there.”
Tuqir [pictured] has previously been good enough to win European Youth gold at 52kgs in Poland in 2015. He was boxing for Merridale ABC at the time and following a spell with Len Woodhall Boxing Academy, Tuqir has joined King’s Heath in Northampton. “I’ve fought a few King’s Heath boxers,” he said, “and I like the way they fight. They are all really strong and I know I have to get stronger. I’ve jumped up from 52kgs to 60kgs and the opponents are stronger.” Tuqir has yet to compete at 60kgs. He won silver at 56kgs in the Eindhoven Box Cup last year, but with clubmate Liam Davies entered in the Elites at bantamweight, Tuqir competes at 60kgs.
Davies and Tuqir share a car on the two-hour trip from Telford to Northampton five times every week and spar regularly.
Tuqir also gets quality sparring at the Kings Heath gym with Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist Eithan James and coach James Conway reports nobody has an easy spar with Tuqir, who’s won around 60 of 70 bouts since he started competing at 11.
He describes Tuqir as “everyone’s nightmare” and the fighter himself said, “I’m awkward. Opponents find it hard to get a clean punch on me and I believe I can win the Elites, get on the GB squad and go to the Tokyo Olympics.”