By Wahaaj and Izzah, with Dr Sohail Ahmed of Aelixir Media
Editors of a newspaper need to be able to stand on their own two feet. And we are fortunate enough to train with a living legend. Our coach Tasif Khan, is the Superflyweight World Champion (World Boxing Union and Global Boxing Union), Bantamweight World Champion (World Boxing Confederation) and the International Masters Champion. Tas Khan is not your typical bruiser - he's a graduate, a former teacher and an inspiration. Rocky Balboa step aside with the fiction - Tas Khan went from inner-city Bradford to becoming the real Champion Of The World.
The World Champion is humble and stays out of the limelight, but with characteristic generosity, he agreed to be interviewed by us after an intensive workout in the heart of inner-city Bradford.
How did you get into boxing?
My eldest brother inspired me as he was involved in karate and kickboxing and he would take me down to the local community centre. I started when I was about eight years old doing karate. So realistically speaking, the inspiration for getting into a gym and boxing probably comes from my elder brother.
Why did you become a boxer?
For me, the gateway was training. I love training. I used to be involved with all sports and used to go down to the local youth club, which was known as Bradford Police Boys. I'd sometimes peer through an open window and watch boxing going on in a small room. When I was watching all this boxing, I'd admire the actual training - people punching the bag, the skipping, and sparring... so initially, it wasn't boxing itself, more the training and culture and discipline around the sport. Then as the years went on, as I did well in boxing I started enjoying it. Eventually, I fell in love with the sport of boxing.
How did winning your first fight feel?
It felt great! I started off very young, and trained only for a few months. Suddenly I got my medical done and got carded with an amateur boxing licence! Then my trainer says he has a fight for me straight away and so for me it was a big moment. I was still very young and I think I remember I was only about 4 stones 9 pounds so the gloves were basically bigger than me! To this day I recall it vividly. I boxed in Liverpool and I won the fight. On the way home I proudly clutched my trophy. I couldn't wait to tell my parents. It was a big moment for me because I came home with a big trophy and yeah I wouldn't change it for anything.
Could you tell us about how it was growing up in Bradford?
I love where I come from. I’m very proud of the city of my birth - Bradford. I'm from the inner city, from Girlington (in Bradford). It's called a deprived area but I wouldn't alter my life even if I could. It's home for me - it's where I've been brought up and you know that's where my childhood was. I've lived there most of my life. My parents still live there and this made me who I am today. We've seen some negative things - we've seen some wrong things and we've seen people take the wrong path. I believe it's up to yourself about which path you want to take. The right path or the wrong path. And we've seen it all - we've seen people I've grown up with, people my age and my friends who have sadly taken the wrong path. But ultimately it's down to the individual. For me I've never, you know, felt shame about where I'm from. Where I’ve been brought up hasn't really affected me because I've always been involved in sport and sport can be a leveller. If it wasn't for sport I think I would have been bored or not been up to anything! Boxing has kept me away from the bad stuff.
What steps did you need to take in order to transition your career from a full time teacher to a full time boxer?
Basically when I went to University, education was big for me. Primarily for my parents because it made them really proud. I've been brought up by family to see religion, Islam, and education as being important. So when I was boxing as an amateur I had already made my mind up to continue my studies. I think I was about 16 or 17 years old when I spoke to my coach at the time who was Mr Allan - he was like a mentor, you know, like a father figure to me and he knew my intention to turn professional but he also said, "..don't let go of your education..." This was wise as it meant I'd have a backup plan because no one knows how long his sporting career could last. You could have an injury and many people indeed have. You can end your sporting career in a day so I've always wanted something to fall back on, which is why I went to Liverpool University.
Does boxing teach life skills?
One hundred percent! I think I keep saying it and, hey, it's like a record I keep playing on a turntable! I keep saying this to everyone I speak to. Boxing has made me the person I am today. In a positive way it teaches you discipline, it teaches life skills and confidence. Because boxing, like I mentioned earlier, has kept me away from all the bad things in life, the drugs, the crime, the bad attitude, fighting on the streets, disrespecting people and so on. Boxing teaches you to control your aggression. Boxing is controlled in a controlled manner - you respect your opponents never mind anybody else! You respect the person you fight. You respect all your elders, your teachers and your coaches. It creates a knock-on-effect so when we go home, you know, we respect our parents and other people more. So yes, boxing does instil life skills.
Some people believe that boxing is a violent sport - what would you say to people that do?
You know, you can’t hide away from the fact that boxing can be dangerous. It is an intense action sport we're not hiding away from that. I think those people who say boxing is too violent find it difficult to understand that it has a lot more positives. So for example let's say it is a violent sport, yes it is, but so is football, so is rugby. When you compare all these sports you must understand they are controlled: you have a referee, you have judges, you have medical staff, you have a trainer, you have a coach, you have a manager and so on. Do they even know that every year we have a brain scan? Every single year. Just to make sure everything's okay. So these safety precautions are always in place. But on a life scale as a whole, the person makes it what it can be. It can change someone's life for the better because it teaches you. It teaches you how to live your life. It teaches you self confidence and makes you a better person. It makes you go very deep within yourself and make you do that which you couldn't do before. It makes you have that self-belief, that even if you might not be able to reach your target, it still inspires you to say: I am gonna give it a try I'm gonna try even harder. Self-motivation and a belief in oneself can be brought out in sport. I'm a strong believer that boxing definitely brings that out.
How does it feel like to win three world champion titles?
It was amazing! What can I say? It was a dream come true when I won the world title. When I initially got the call for the world title from my manager at the time, I actually thought it to be a joke. So I thought he was joking and I put the phone down on him! This is a true story - he rang me back and I felt as if he wasn’t being serious. The reason why I felt this way, is because from where we come from, we don’t always get the opportunities, you know, to come out as a world champion. So that's why I didn't ever really think I'll get that opportunity and to box for the WBU World Title. So I feel blessed Ma'sh’Allah. Again I always put it down to my humble beginnings and again down to my parents - if it wasn’t because of them I wouldn’t be where I am today.
What other sports do you like or participate in?
I like every sport! I like all sports: football, cricket, badminton, tennis, golf and so on. As I said, I was one of those kids who couldn't sit still! I used to be involved in a lot of sport. Once we've signed a professional deal, we've got to be very careful as in what we do. You see we can't just go out and start playing all these other contact sports in case we get injured. Sadly I learnt this the hard way - through being a bit silly myself! About eight years ago I continued playing football and didn't tell my trainer or manager. Two weeks before a professional fight I went and played a football game where I broke my foot in two places and that had a big knock-on effect on my career. I was out for like 18 months! From then on I said to myself: I need to knock out everything else and give 100% attention to my boxing.
What motivated you to push through and continue your training when it got really hard?
Sustaining motivation can be difficult. You know we're not gonna lie, sometimes it's wet outside, sometimes it's cold. You're really tired. All these kinds of things play a factor. But we have to always look at the bigger picture - for example if I've got a fight I always look at what’s in front of me and I don’t let anything distract me - if I'm turning up to this fight it's important I'm 100% ready. And if I've cut corners I'm not going to expect to win because my inner self is telling me that I've cut corners. So if I go into a fight saying to myself and believing in myself that I am not a hundred percent ready then that's always going to play on my mind. What else motivates me? The bigger picture: I want to come home and want my parents to be proud of me, our family to be proud of me, and all of our loved ones too. So that plays a big part. I always ask myself what if I lose and I hate losing. I keep reminding myself I've gotta fight and I've got this I want to make my parents proud, and that gives me a little edge.
What advice would you give to anyone who wants to become a boxer?
Like anything, whether it's boxing or any sport out there firstly I'd like to emphasise perseverance. Whatever you choose to do in life there WILL be many hurdles. People tried to discourage me from turning professional telling me how difficult and impossible it's going to be. Trying to persuade me not to give up my teaching job. I can still hear their words: don't do this, don't do that, it's going to be difficult to do. Yet I persevered! I continued and I kept going. I became world champion. So my message to everyone - realistically the biggest message I can give - is anything you dream of in life - with hard work and dedication you can achieve it - nothing is impossible. So work hard. Dedicate yourself to whatever you choose. If it's in sport or whether it's in the academic side give it your 100% attention, dedicate yourself and give it your hard work and again, keep your parents happy because without their blessings it can be very difficult. Keep a good circle of friends, because when you have genuine friends they give you positive energy and you can bounce back. When you get involved in the wrong crowd that's when you can easily get led astray so pick a nice circle of friends who have the same motivation and same aspirations as you. So remember, hard work and dedication, nothing is impossible and keep your parents' blessings.
Thank you for your time Champ!
Check out Tasif Khan's website and whilst you are there, take down his contact details. The Champ speaks from the heart so get him to visit your school, college or university. http://tasifkhan.com/