Adam Azim could be Britain’s best young boxer and the Assassins’ next fight, against Santos Reyes, comes almost a year after he fought under hero Amir Khan’s last fight card.

When Adam Azim steps into the ring at Wembley Arena to fight Santos Reyes, he will do so just under a year after his friend and mentor Amir Khan fought for the 40th and final time.

The talented Azim, 20, was present as a child in some of Khan’s early successes, including against Michael Gomez and when he beat Andriy Kotelnik to become world champion in 2009, and 13 years later fought on the undercard when Khan lost to Kell Brook before announcing his retirement.

Much like Khan in his early years as a professional, Azim, who is also of Pakistani descent, is recognized as one of Britain’s most exciting fighters, and he is determined to emulate his successes while remaining suspicious that Khan had finally fought too long.

Khan, 35 when he lost so convincingly to Brook, was vulnerable since being stopped by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and had little left to give. A third stoppage loss in six fights almost inevitably followed against his rival, and Azim, who first eyed Khan when he beat Gairy St Clair in February 2008, was there again when he retired. .

“This fight probably should have happened 10 years ago,” he told talkSPORT ahead of his Feb. 11 date with Reyes on the Boxxer card. “If it had happened a little earlier, we would have seen the real Khan. It was very sad. Kell Brook was physically taller that day; Khan looked too small for Kell.

“The atmosphere was great. I saw Khan when he came out and he gave me a fist; I was really excited for this fight.

“My dad used to take me to his fights. When I was a kid, I was inspired by Amir Khan. He did so much in sports; I want to do the same. I have a picture of me at the edge of the ring, watching him fight, when I was little.

“He came to [my hometown] Slough once, and met his fans. I must have been five or six years old. He signed my glove – I still have it in the back of my garage. The first time I met him [as an adult] was Khan and Brook’s press conference. He knew a lot about me.

“He tells me a lot of things. How he used to wrap his hands; [about his] gloves; his entrepreneurial spirit.

“He had blistering hand speed and the combination of punches; power. He knows I could be world champion at a young age, like him [Khan was 22 when he beat Kotelnik].

“He retired very late. He said to me: “Win a world title”. I want to become undisputed champion, like George Kambosos Jnr did; [Devin] Haney; I want to do the exact same thing.

Azim is just one of the promising fighters managed by Shane McGuigan from Britain’s top stable, London. He first spent time there when Luke Campbell, once a decorated amateur and established competitor as a professional, remained an active fighter, and saw and experienced enough to be convinced he should join the McGuigan’s Gym.

As with Azim, there have been world title predictions for stable mates Chris Billam-Smith, Daniel and Caroline Dubois and Ellie Scotney, and unsurprisingly given his reputation, Azim – whose older brother Hassan and WBO heavyweight champion Lawrence Okolie are other stablemates – believes Caroline Dubois is the most talented of them all.

“She’s very, very clumsy,” he said of the 22-year-old. “She has the power in both hands. Her [ring] The IQ is amazing. She is a threat. She will become multi-weight world champion. I wouldn’t be surprised if she won a world title this year.

“She’s the best girl in the UK right now. She’s amazing the way she hits. She’s going to be a [international boxing] Hall of Fame. She hits so hard just like her brother [heavyweight] Daniel.

“[Scotney’s] shiny too. She is a high work rate fighter; her IQ level is really good and she trains really hard. She pushes me and I push her. She’s definitely going to be world champion too.

“I used to train Luke Campbell – probably my toughest training. Every time I got in the ring I had to be turned on. He went up there with [Vasyl] Lomachenko and [Jorge] Linares. The upper level. i can’t turn off [against him]. He is a world class fighter. Its remoteness; the way he places his punches.

“When I saw Shane coaching Luke Campbell; making pads with Luke Campbell; doing pads with other people – the way he trains is brilliant. He’s one of the best coaches in the UK – probably the best.

“I did a trial run with him. He said, ‘You have the power in your two hands; you have the speed’. [I knew then that] he was the trainer I needed.

“Everyone in this gym is thriving. They are all world class fighters. You have Chris; Daniel; Carolina; Elijah; Me; My brother; Robbie [Davies Jnr]. There are so many great fighters in this gym. I keep watching them, to learn.

BOXXER: Fight Night is live on talkSPORT this Saturday from the OVO Arena. The last remaining tickets are on sale at Boxxer.com

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