Junaid Bostan says he has more than a feeling that he will bring the good times back to Rotherham, England, as he sets his sights on becoming the town’s first British champion in more than a century.
The new Commonwealth Silver champion was paraded on the pitch with his first title by his beloved football club Rotherham United on Saturday, a week after his stunning stoppage over Jack Martin in Liverpool, England.
But with Rotherham relegated to League One, Bostan (9-0, 7 KOs) believes his burgeoning boxing journey will give his hometown better days ahead to look forward to – with his ultimate dream of one day headlining at the club’s state-of-the-art, 12,000-capacity stadium.
“It would be a dream to headline here at the New York Stadium,” said Bostan, speaking to Matchroom Boxing, after attending the Millers final home game of the season, in which they celebrated a 5-2 win over Cardiff.
“Bringing a massive event to the area and fighting in a huge fight for a world title would mean absolutely everything to me,” Bostan said.
The Steel City Gym-trained Bostan lived up to his “Star Boy” moniker at last weekend’s NXT GEN show at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool when he dispatched a gritty Jack Martin with an emphatic left uppercut to earn an eighth-round knockout victory.
At just 22, Bostan awaits a shot at an English title in the near future – but the southpaw is already looking at bigger things further ahead with the British junior middleweight title currently vacant.
“I have only been a professional for just gone two years, and the trajectory I am moving at is very quick,” he said.
“I am in the top 10 in the country [BoxRec rankings] and within that 10 everyone is at least seven years older than me, so I am doing something right.
“Now I’ve landed my first title in winning the Commonwealth Silver. It would be a career goal of mine to go on and become the first British champion from Rotherham in over 100 years. I’m ready to face whoever is next.”
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