By Ian Aldous: On March 30th, 2019, Kash Ali had made himself famous – just not in the manner he’d hoped.
“Throw him out, don’t let him back in a boxing ring,” the ever-bashful Tony Bellew told Talksport at the time.
The former cruiserweight king made that over-exuberant claim in the aftermath of Kash Ali’s infamous fight with David Price in Liverpool. During the fifth round of a domestic clash in which he appeared to be second best, Ali sunk his teeth into Price, more than once, and was rightly disqualified. He and his corner team were pelted with missiles by the disgruntled home crowd as they sprinted towards the exit.
In a sport where drug cheats receive minimal bans and continue to fight, it would have been foolish to heed the words of Bellew and ban Ali for life from such a crooked sport. The 6’6” heavyweight was handed a six-month ban and hefty fine by the British Boxing Board of Control. His reputation was in tatters, but he had illustrated remorse and the rebuilding process would subsequently begin.
Fast-forward two years and Ali, now 18-1 with nine stoppages, stands on the precipice of his toughest test to date. This Friday night, live on Fightzone, Ali battles Tomas Salek for the IBF European heavyweight title, and more importantly, the chance to attain a ranking within that governing body.
“It’s going to be a case of whoever lands first will get the KO – and I can promise you it’ll be me!” Ali proclaimed.
“The heavyweights in the UK are on fire at the moment, and I believe Kash Ali has a big part to play in that, and beyond,” promoter Dennis Hobson said. “This fight against Salek is a really dangerous one though. It’s a massive opportunity for both of them to make a name for themselves on the European scene, and whoever wins will put their name right in the frame for some huge fights.”
Since that infamous night in Liverpool, Ali has scored three relatively routine wins against journeymen on Hobson-promoted shows. This Friday is a huge step up as he headlines on the brand-new Fightzone platform. The twenty-nine-year-old’s pro career has been a near-decade slow-burner, however, a win against Salek will ignite proceedings and bring with it the chance of some huge dust-ups in not only the stacked domestic heavyweight scene but worldwide too.
Salek, from the Czech Republic, boasts thirteen knockouts in his fifteen wins and has suffered just two defeats. It would be remiss to expect the man in the away corner to simply turn up and lose. The sheer volume of upsets inside British rings this year leaves me expecting anything to happen. After all, just one punch changes everything in the land of the giants.
Ali, now under the guidance of Richard Towers, has sparred with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in the past. He possesses genuine aspirations of emulating those two titans of boxing and becoming a world champion himself. If that’s truly the case, he must win on Friday, and achieve it in an impressive fashion. The Kash Ali hype train will either thunder on, or spectacularly derail.
Chief support on this Fight Academy card comes in the form of a Midlands Area Title fight with Wolverhampton’s Conah Walker and Walsall’s Levi Ferguson going head-to-head for the vacant crown. A well-matched affair – Conah has eight wins and a draw, with two KOs; Ferguson has been only beaten once in six – this 10-rounder promises to be keenly contested as both look to pick up their first belt.
The pick of the undercard sees a return to action for hot, undefeated middleweight prospect, Mark Jeffers (11-0), who takes on well-regarded Czech fighter Tomas Bezvoda, (9-14) in a decent test.
Belfast’s Ciaran McVarnock, (10-0-1)will also make a two-year ring return after taking time out from the sport to support partner Nicole, who has had her own fight with cystic fibrosis.
Also on the bill are a trio of undefeated Lancashire fighters – Josh Holmes (5-0), Dan Catlin (5-0), and Zak Miller (3-0); whilst Burnley’s Reece Farnhill and Blackburn’s Jack Fay will take their first steps in a professional ring.