Plans to place Adam Azim on Eubank-Benn card, should he come through Sergey Lipinets exam

Ben Shalom is preparing to add Adam Azim to the April 26 undercard of Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn.

Azim on Saturday fights Sergey Lipinets at London’s Wembley Arena, and if he emerges relatively unscathed and having recorded his finest victory, Shalom wants to give him another high-profile platform on which to fight.

If Eubank-Benn, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, is on course to be Boxxer’s biggest promotion, Azim, the 22-year-old junior welterweight, is among their most promising talents. 

He fought in October when stopping Ohara Davies, and his trainer Shane McGuigan had hoped that he might fight again before the end of 2024, but ahead of the date with Lipinets – 35 years old and from Kazakhstan – that will determine whether his promoter and trainer attempt to accelerate his career, Shalom told BoxingScene: “Activity has been a big part of his progression. He fought on October 12; he fights on February 1st. April 26 is not short – you’ve got almost three months. The key is to keep him active. 

“He’s getting the accolades and the recognition that he deserves as a fantastic fighter coming through. But he’s got a big job first, so we’re going to focus on that and look at what’s after it.”

It is little secret that Azim’s potential has attracted the interest of the General Entertainment Authority – investment from those in Saudi Arabia could yet prove capable of matching him with his domestic rival Dalton Smith, who has also previously travelled to be present for fight nights in Riyadh – and Shalom said: “They really like him. I think everyone really likes him in boxing, but he’s got to take the necessary steps, keep his feet on the ground, put in big performance after big performance. 

“He’s got a massive night on Saturday night. There’s very few guys his age that are performing how he does, and we need to cherish him. A lot of our stars are coming towards the end of their careers now, and we have to look forward to the big headliners and the big names coming through. 

“I don’t think they look at [his ethnicity or religion; Azim is British-Pakistani and Muslim]. They want to make boxing as global as possible, and I think they want the best of the best. 

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, and that’s the way it should be. He’ll be there because he’s a phenomenal fighter. They want him because he’s a phenomenal fighter, and the future’s very big for him.”