Mobin has to wait in his bid for title glory
Khalafzadeh had fighting chance of Nationals success
THE coronavirus outbreak has denied Mobin Khalafzadeh the chance to possibly box clever on the European stage, writes TONY HODGSON.
The 13-year-old from Newcastle had been due to fight at this spring’s National Schoolboys Championships, where he triumphed at 59kgs last year.
Victory there could have secured him a place at the European Schoolboys Championships – but the lockdown has seen both events called off.
The call-offs will hopefully be just a temporary setback for the Tyneside Boxing Club starlet, who is already making a name for himself in the ring.
Khalafzadeh won gold at last year’s National Schoolboys’ Championships in Crawley with a split-decision victory over Whitby BC’s Jake McConnell.
He qualified for the event with victory in the Tyne, Tees and Wear Championships and then gain verdicts in his quarter-final and semi-final bouts in Surrey before striking gold.
The Benfield School pupil also triumphed at the prestigious Monsktown Box Cup in Dublin last year, defeating young Irishman Freddie Comlin.
Khalafzadeh has been coached for the past three years by Tyneside BC head coach Ross Wilkinson, who is delighted with his young protege’s progress.
He said: “Mobin is doing fantastically well and is going from strength to strength.
“He has improved massively in the time I have been working with him and he is very strong technically.
“He just loves to box and he works so hard in the gym – he is probably one of the hardest-working fighters I have ever been involved with.
“If we identify anything which needs working on he is straight back in the ring wanting to put it right. His attitude is spot on.”
Wilkinson added: “Mobin is a great prospect and if he continues to work hard and develop the way he is then the world is his oyster.
“He just has so much heart and he will never give up even if a fight is going against him – he will keep hitting the punches.
“I am so proud of him and I can only see him getting better and better as he gets older.”
Khalafazdeh is already a part of the English Boxing Pathway, regularly attending training camps where he receives top-quality coaching.
His precocious talents have also been recognised by Sport Newcastle, who named him as one of their 2020 Rising Stars of Sport Award winners at their annual dinner in March.
IN THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF FEATURES ON THIS YEAR’S SPORT NEWCASTLE RISING STARS OF SPORT AWARD WINNERS, WE PROFILE BOXER MOBIN KHALAFZADEH