Renowned fight figure, Asif Vali, says undefeated protege Osman Aslam will be fast-tracked into title fights in 2017 after a hugely successful last 12 months.
The Bolton bantamweight has already blasted through five foes this year, and will want to end the year on a high when he appears at Manchester’s Bowler’s Exhibition Centre on November 18.
Former ABA winner Aslam, whose record reads 7-0 with two KOs, takes on Poland’s Kamil Jaworek in his first ‘eight-rounder’ on the Bowler’s card and will be aiming to force an early retirement. Jaworek has won three of six fights but has only been stopped once and should prove a durable test.
“I know a bit about what it takes to get to the very top of this sport,” explained Vali, former manager of Amir Khan, “and I sincerely believe we have a real talent on our hands in Osman. He began boxing at the ‘Bolton Lads and Girls Club’, which is where Khan also started out and I see him following a similar path in the pros.
“Osman has all the skills, has extremely quick hands and he can punch very hard. He’s also got a great trainer in Alex Matvienko and is constantly learning and improving because he has a really sensible head on his shoulders.
“He’s got to get through this test first, and every fight is dangerous, but if he does win then we’ll be looking to match him harder and move him into title contention next year. He’s in the smaller weight category, which means the big opportunities come around quicker, so 2017 will be a very exciting time. I hope boxing fans in the Northwest get behind him because it’s going to be a great journey.
“I also want to thank promoter Kieran Farrell for putting Osman on this upcoming show. Kieran was a top fighter, is proving himself in the promoting business and it’s great to be working with him.”
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