Fighting Farooq ready for UK bow
INTERVIEW
NEW era, same old Kash Farooq. The Glasgow bantamweight may be preparing to enter the latest phase of what has already been a hugely successful boxing career but there is little chance of him ever becoming complacent. It’s just not in his mindset.
The 24 year-old is gearing up for his first fight since joining promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom team on the undercard of Lewis Ritson’s hometown bout against Miguel Vazquez in the Newcastle Arena on April 4.
It will be Farooq’s first professional outing outside of the west of Scotland, his first in a while when he isn’t topping the bill, and a maiden appearance in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
It will also be his first contest with a defeat on his professional record following the compelling if controversial loss to Lee McGregor in November that saw him shed both his British and Commonwealth titles.
What remains the same, however, is his dedication to his craft and an unshakeable belief in his own abilities.
“Losing my undefeated record hasn’t really changed anything for me,” he insisted. “My attitude and heart are just the same as before. After that fight I never felt sad or deflated by the result. I went back to work after a week and I’ve been in the gym ever since.
“It’s a lifestyle for me. I’ve dedicated my life to boxing and nothing has changed on that front. I don’t feel like I need to make big changes as I didn’t really do anything wrong on that night. It was just the judges’ decisions that went against me.”
Farooq’s opponent is set to be named in the coming weeks and there will an immediate chance to add a new title to his record.
“I want to find out who it is so we can work on our fight strategy and things like that. But I don’t have any real preference. I’ll fight anyone that my manager or Eddie put in front of me.
“I know it will be a title fight over 10 rounds against probably an international fighter. It will be someone who will be coming to win and that will bring out the best in me.
“I’m away from my hometown but I’m going to be taking a lot of supporters down to Newcastle with me. It’s only a three-hour drive so people can go up and down in one day if they wanted. The Newcastle fans will be like the Scottish fans and make a lot of noise I’m sure so it will be a good night.”
Farooq’s warm-up so far has included some ring time with a world champion. “I went down to spar with Kal Yafai who’s defending his title at the end of the month against Roman Gonzalez,” he revealed.
“He invited us down to Sheffield so that was great to get a few rounds in. That was something different and what you need to improve. I picked a lot of things up. We’ll make a few trips down to England between now and April 4 to do more sparring. It’s about constantly learning.”
Farooq, though, doesn’t want to neglect his loyal fanbase and hopes Hearn will stick to his promise to put on a big Scottish card.
“After this one I’d love to fight in Glasgow in the summertime,” he added. “I hope Eddie does that as he’s got a few Scottish guys on the books now with me, John Docherty, Martin Bakole, Ricky Burns and then we’ll see what happens with Josh Taylor. And there are other big Scottish fighters he could get on the bill, too.
“I’ve had a chat with Eddie about it. Glasgow is my home city and I’d love to fight in somewhere like the Hydro. Most of my fans are here and I want to put on a show for them.”
I’ve dedicated my life to boxing