Ashfaq treads his own path
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ByEurosport
Updated 24/10/2011 at 13:07 GMT
With his stature ever increasing it is little surprise that Qais Ashfaq has been likened to those who had treaded a path before him – but the bantamweight boxer insists he is forging his own destiny.
Boxing gloves generic (Reuters)
Image credit: Reuters
The 18-year-old’s speed and demeanour have long led to comparisons with Amir Khan – who claimed Olympic silver at lightweight at the Athens Games in 2004.
And Ashfaq showed that the comparisons extend to ability this year as he rounded off a fine season with gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games last month.
He will have to wait to attempt to match Khan’s Olympic efforts though with Luke Campbell in the box seat for the sole British bantamweight spot for London 2012 having recently won world silver.
But Ashfaq is happy to bide his time, firing a warning shot to his rivals that there is still plenty more to come as he finds his feet on the senior stage.
“I found it hard first of all but now I am loving it now,” said Ashfaq – who benefits from being on the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative.
“I felt confident going into the Commonwealth Youth Games and it was definitely my best achievement yet.
“And what made it all the better for me was that I actually had a sprained wrist going into it which obviously for a boxer is a pretty bad injury.
“I just had to work around the injury really, it helped that I box both ways or I don’t know what I’d have done to be honest.
“But there is definitely more to come from me and I am eager to keep climbing up the ladder and live up to expectations.
“I know what people have said about me and Amir Khan but I try to take a bit of everything really with my style.
“There’s a bit of Prince Naseem Hamed in there too but I try to take the best of everyone and just be me.”
And, although Ashfaq looks like he will have to watch Campbell in action in the capital next year, he believes his own time will come.
“Watching Luke do well has been brilliant,” he added. “When I first started to spar with him he used to get the better of me all the time but I’m holding my own now, it’s a lot closer.
“I showed I am getting better all the time by recently beating the Irish senior champion who was older than me and I just need to make sure I keep working hard at it.”
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