Farooq aiming to Kash in with a bit of help from the greats
Most professional boxers waiting for their first title fight also have day jobs in order to pay the bills. But, for Glasgow’s Kash Farooq, who fights Dundonian Jamie Wilson for the vacant British bantamweight crown at the St Andrew’s Sporting Club in Glasgow on Thursday, it’s a full-time occupation. The unbeaten 22-year-old has to be dragged out of the gym but even when he goes home he spends all his time studying footage of boxing greats in an attempt to pick up tips which will help take him to the top. It’s an approach he expects will see him take home the Lonsdale Belt. “Ever since January, when I found out I was going to be the mandatory contender for the belt, I’ve been training non-stop, even though I’ve had only one fight – when I stopped Jose Hernandez in June. “I’m in the gym constantly but I’m not worried about over-training – there’s always someone who’ll tell me when I need to take time off. “My trainer, Craig Dickson, is the person I trust most and, because he made mistakes when he was a fighter, he keeps me right. “But I prefer it when I’m either in the ring or practising moves and shots with the punch bags. “I’m always on the scales so making the weight is never a problem. I don’t drink or smoke because I live and breathe boxing.” Kash makes no attempt to get away from the sport, spending his free time watching black-and-white footage of the fight game’s greats. “I love watching Roberto Duran, Orlando Canizales, Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard,” he grinned. “Going further back, I also enjoy seeing the likes of Tony Zale and Carmen Basilio in their 1950s title fights. “Your trainer can only show you so much. However, I find I benefit a lot from watching the greats – there are lots of things I can learn from them 60 years on.” As for Wilson, Farooq claims he knows what to expect but he’s confident he’ll rack up a fourth successive win by KO. “We’ve sparred a few times in the past so we know what each other can bring to the table,” he claimed. “However, sparring and fighting are two different things and he’ll discover that on Thursday night.”