King Farooq is looking to reign over Lee
British bantamweight champion Kash Farooq has been putting in the hard yards on the road and in the gym as he prepares for his longawaited meeting with Saughton’s Commonwealth champion Lee Mcgregor at the Emirates on Saturday night.
However, with two unbeaten, big-punching Scots coming together, Farooq admits that it could be one of the shortest title fights on record. Both men have won six of their last seven fights inside the distance, and this could be the tartan equivalent of Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns’ legendary slugfest. And the 23-year-old, who moved to Glasgow from Lahore when he was six, is determined to claim the local bragging rights by taking his rival’s belt.
“I’ve been training for 12 rounds but do I see it lasting that long?” Farooq asked.
“Listen, we both have a punch and either one of us could get caught flush at any time. But I’m very confident that I’ll be the winner.
“This is an unusual fight because you have two undefeated champions putting their belts on the line – that doesn’t happen all that often. It’s great for Scottish boxing, but I have the belief that I’ll come out on top.
“I think Glasgow is the best city in the world so I can’t have a guy from Edinburgh coming here and beating me – that can’t happen. He’s coming to my back yard and I’m going to have a big support on the night and I won’t let them down. I’m ready to put on the best performance of my life.” If Fa r o o q comes through unscathed, he admits he may vacate the two belts to go in search of European and world-title shots.
“I think it probably will be my last but I’m happy to leave that to my manager, Iain Wilson,” he said.
“This time last year my career was in a good position. but now it’s in a great one, and it’ll be even better if, as I intend to d o, I end 2019 with another win.”
Farooq is also anxious to make hay while the sun shines, claiming he wants to Kash in on his talent and retire by the time he’s 28.
“Boxing should be a short career,” he claimed.
“I want to be at the top for four or five years and get as much out of the sport as I can, so that I don’t need to worry about working again when I retire because this has been my only job.”
With that in mind, WBA and IBF light- welterweight champion Josh Taylor is the perfect role model.
“Jo sh is a gre a t role model and he deserved his chance when he got it,” said Farooq.
“He proves that when you add hard work to talent that you get what you deserve.”