Under the tutelage of trainer Shane McGuigan, Azim stopped the experienced Ohara Davies in October.
Yet ‘the Assassin’ acknowledges that performances in the ring – no matter how spectacular – can only take you so far, and has made a conscious decision to sharpen his public image.
“I’ve been reading books, trying to better my English, and I’ve also been doing some media work to get better at doing interviews,” he says.
The fondness for fiction, which began with Azim reading two Harry Potter books, is quite fitting of his endearing innocence, with ambition another of his clear attributes.
“My head is proper zoned in for this fight but, after that, hopefully I will take over the world,” he adds.
Azim is flying the flag for British-Pakistani boxers, alongside the likes of super-bantamweight Shabaz Masoud and middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz, who challenges for the world title in Saudi Arabia next month.
As part of his global domination plans, Azim’s fight will be televised to audiences across Pakistan.
“It’s good to target the Pakistani audience as a British-Pakistani and it’s good for my profiles,” he says.
“Inshallah, me and Hamzah both get the victories and open more doors.”
