FightHype's UK correspondent Scott Smith will produce a series of reports titled "Destined for Success" which will focus on the promising talent coming out of Britain who will be looking to assert themselves on the world stage. These reports will give you insight to the background of the fighter, their current fight record with key moments in their career, and the possible future path of the fighter on his road to success. Opening up the series of articles is Jr. Welterweight Prize Fighter winner Adil Anwar.
Adil's Background - Overcoming adversity
Adil was born and raised in Burley, Leeds and started boxing at the age of 14 at Batesons A.B.C in Leeds. He went on to represent England against Italy and emerged victorious. Adil then went on to represent Great Britain in the Four Nations and lost by one point to take a very commendable silver medal. Unfortunately, Adil was then involved in a near fatal car crash, and as a result, he was dropped from the Great Britain team. Adil's family left him to move abroad, leaving Adil to look after himself. He must be applauded for taking the initiative in seeking and gaining employment to support himself financially before establishing himself as a promising boxer with big things expected of him in Britain.
Adil's Career So Far - "I haven't been practicing the platinum shuffle for no reason"
Adil's amateur background is very impressive with over 50 wins from 60 fights and numerous achievements before turning professional. He has seen scintilating performances against Nathan Graham and James Finn, and captured the crown of Prizefighter champion, defeating the previously unbeaten and hotly fancied Tyrone Nurse in the final. A crowd pleasing style is always a bonus, plus the importance of understanding when to press the attack and when to stand off and box. With good footwork, good hand speed, and good variety in his selection of shots, Anwar will definitely prove a tough opponent for any of the top boys in Europe at the moment. While gaining valuable experience in upcoming fights, the next 12 months could really be a platform for success for the man from Leeds. In recent times, Adil and his camp have been meeting with Amir Khan and are looking forward to the sparring sessions with him, which will obviously improve Adil's in-ring ability and knowledge.
Nickname: The Platinum Kid
Manager: Mark Bateson
Agent: Niyaz Roaf
Birthday: 06/07/87 (24 years old)
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5'9" (177cm)
Fights: 17
Wins: 16 (7 KO)
Draws: 0
Losses: 1
No Contests: 0
SS: What are your immediate plans; a possible British title showdown?
AA: At the moment, the next fight is up against Lenny Daws for the British Title eliminator. Lenny Daws is a talented boxer, but I challenged him in November last year and his team turned me down. He knows what I have to offer and now he cant hide from me. He must be training very hard. I proved on Prizefighter I am not the most orthodox of boxers and I bring a flair and unique style to boxing. But he knew this before and that's why he avoided me, hence why I took the English welterweight title at just 4 days notice. I don't see him as a threat and once I've beat him, the British title is firmly on my radar. I have dreamt as a child to have the British title belt around my waist. There is no way I will let this opportunity slip by.
SS: Eddie Hearn was reported as saying before the tournament that the winner could be in for a British Title shot against Ashley Theophane. FightHype's Percy Crawford recently interviewed Ashley Theopane. How likely is that looking?
AA: Ashley was definitely watching the fight. It's a shame he didn't attend the event. It would have been interesting to ask him directly for the challenge and give the public sonething to watch. Come on, seriously, do you want to watch two boxers get technical in a ring or would you rather bring in a challenger who likes to slip around, ducking, weaving, spinning and shuffling? Ashley hasn't been very positive towards me in his Twitter posts and I wonder whether he will step up and take on a new dynamic style of boxing ability? I doubt it. He is too career-driven. Credit to him; he has achieved well. He has worked hard, but his risk-taking nature is something I see lacking. Challenging him, I bet he would ask for too much money. I am too risky for him. It will be interesting to see if he breaks to public pressure? However, right now, Ashely has to fight Steve Williams in the next British title fight and I have been granted the British title elimantor fight against Lenny Daws. If Ashley beats Williams, this time he might slip away and get some more time to hide, but I'm hot on his tail and even hotter on the tail of getting that Brititsh title belt wrapped around my waist.
SS: Amir Khan has spoken about fighting in Pakistan one day. How about Anwar vs Khan over there?
AA: (Laughing) So many people ask me if I would fight Amir Khan. If the truth be known, Amir Khan is an inspiration to me. He is definitely one of my all-time greatest boxers, closely behind the likes of Muhammad Ali. I also consider Amir a friend and supporter. I speak to Amir and on the night of the Prizefighter, he telephoned to show his support, and also after. You can never say never, but my targets for the near future don't involve fighting Amir Khan. With all due respect, he is fighting at world-class level and it would be arrogant of me to put myself up there and say I am worthy to fight someone who has worked so hard and spent so much time developing his career to get to his position. But ones thing's for sure, in time, I intend on fighting at the same level. For the mean time, I'm quite happy with his support.
I would like to thank Niyaz Raof and Adil Anwar for their time and cooperation, and being very supportive whilst producing the report. I would like to wish the Anwar camp all the best in the future. Follow Adil Anwar on twitter @Adil_Anwar or visit his website www.adilanwar.com
Any questions about this article or a list of other promising prospects I have lined up for this section please email me ssmith@fighthype.com or follow me on twitter @scottsfighthype