There are a few rare boxers who, at first glance, leave me stunned. Nicknamed “The Assassin,” I started following him closely in 2023 during his fight against Frenchman Franck Petitjean. Adam Azim is already a superstar.
I can even say out loud that he will be the next British superstar and a nightmare for the entire 140-pound division. In this article, I’ll come back to his qualities and especially to a superpower that makes him different from other boxers.
British superstar, Ben Shalom’s home run signing, and future unified champion… I believe it, but before all that, he must face Steve Claggett on May 30 at Wembley Arena in England on DAZN.
Our Dragon (40-8-2, 28 KOs) is now 36 years old. If he still hopes to pull off an upset and make one last climb up the rankings, he was chosen here for two specific reasons.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Steve Claggett (right)
The first: Claggett always delivers an extraordinary show. He has the cardio of two sub-two-hour marathon runners combined, never takes a step back, and loves to brawl.
Secondly, after going the distance with Teofimo Lopez, it was obvious that an ambitious young man like Adam Azim would want to face him to do even better than the American Lopez and send a clear message to the division. The young prodigy against a dragon who has seen everything in boxing and has already been in this exact scenario: the underdog ruining the plans of a young prospect.
“It’s another huge step forward for me on my road to a world title,” Azim told the BBC before headlining at Wembley Arena.
“Steve Claggett is a tough and experienced fighter. He gave Teofimo Lopez his toughest fight, and that’s exactly the kind of challenge I want.
“I’m ready to put on a big performance and show everyone why I’m destined for the top.”
Photo: RingSide24 – Enock Poulsen vs Adam Azim
The Assassin was born in Slough, England, to British-Pakistani parents. At age four, he was diagnosed with severe ADHD. Adam was uncontrollable and regularly injured himself because of his excess energy. After trying cricket and football, his father enrolled Adam and his brother Hassan in boxing to channel that surplus energy.
The constant comparison is with Amir Khan, who also has Pakistani roots and turned professional at 18 years old. After winning 10 national titles in England, a European championship, and becoming the number one amateur at 140 pounds, he turned professional with Ben Shalom. He went on to defeat Franck Petitjean, Sergey Lipinets, and Enock Poulsen. He is now chasing bigger names with Steve Claggett standing in his way.
His trainer is the legendary Shane McGuigan, and his family is deeply involved in his career. After watching his entire career on YouTube, I’m fascinated by the work he does with his lead hand. God didn’t attach a left arm after his shoulder — He attached a fully automatic punching weapon.
Photo: Boxing News – Adam Azim and Shane McGuigan
A ton of jabs, uppercuts, and vicious body shots. Opponents even start believing the rear hand no longer exists… and honestly, I even wondered whether he had a right arm. He only brings it out to throw punches of rare violence. Everything happens through his lead hand.
His execution speed is extremely high, the combinations are explosive, he’s brutal with his straight shots to the body, has a strong boxing IQ, and solid defense.
There’s something else: his endurance — or stamina, as they say in video games — is endless. He fights the 12th round like it’s the first. I couldn’t understand what I was watching during his fights. Can this man even get tired? I don’t think so.
ADHD is not only an attention deficit disorder. In some individuals, it creates a superior ability to function in high-stimulation environments, where rapid decision-making, emotional intensity, and constant physical output become advantages. A sport like boxing can then act as a powerful neurological outlet.
Photo: IG – Adam Azim vs Kurt Scoby
Adam Azim has done a lot for the perception of ADHD in sports. He claims it’s a superpower in his athletic career. After concentration problems in school forced him to stay home with his father, who had to teach him, doctors pushed him to find a sport.
He says ADHD gives him renewable energy, that he can handle enormous training volumes, and that he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night to run or train. Doctors explain that ADHD can lead to hyperfocus when a sport becomes a passion. In Azim’s case, that passion is boxing.
He watches hours of footage of his opponents, breaking down every punch and every movement. He claims he thinks about nothing other than boxing.
ADHD also comes with flaws that sometimes show up in the ring. He struggles to stay defensively focused because he is so attack-oriented. His hands often come back too low.
Photo: IG – Adam Azim
We still have no idea whether he truly has elite punching power for the division, as his opponents haven’t been good enough to confirm it. Other critics say he puts too much into his punches, doesn’t build his attacks enough, and “loads up” on his shots, which only works at a lower level.
Adam Azim is also beginning to admit that he sometimes does too much during training camp. His team constantly has to monitor him to prevent overtraining and breaking down on fight night.
He is still very young at 24 years old and, when watching his fights, you can clearly see constant evolution: he fixes his flaws.
Laurent’s Verdict
Teofimo Lopez landed 315 punches against Steve Claggett. Our Dragon applied relentless pressure, but he was beaten by jabs, uppercuts, and body shots… the bread and butter of Adam Azim.
The left hook when Steve Claggett charges forward will be the most important punch of the fight.
But it will still be one hell of a fight. Steve Claggett still managed the feat of landing 140 punches and going the distance with Lopez. He is the perfect candidate to test the young prodigy.
I predict a 119-109 victory for the Brit in an exciting fight.
