Dan Azeez using Marvin Hagler as inspiration ahead of Joshua Buatsi showdown،
Dan Azeez hopes his breakthrough moment will come at the same London venue where his hero, Marvin Hagler, first became world champion.
Azeez not only draws inspiration from Hagler in his in-ring appearance, but also takes inspiration from the boxing legend's arduous journey to a world title ahead of his own clash against light heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi at Wembley Arena on Saturday evening in London. England.
Azeez sees similarities early in his career to that of Hagler, the 1980s world middleweight champion from Brockton, Massachusetts, and even wears socks and shorts similar to those Hagler wore.
Hagler, who died in 2021, fought Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and “Sugar” Ray Leonard during a brilliant reign of 12 title defenses, but it took him six years to earn a title shot, then a year of more until he finally became champion when he defeated Alan Minter at Wembley Arena in 1980.
Azeez, who believes he had a tougher path than Buatsi to reach the top, as Hagler had to do in the 1970s, will be rewarded.
“I love the story of Marvin Hagler, I can relate to it, he went through the tough road like I had to,” Azeez told ESPN. “Hagler had to fight a lot [49] Before winning a world title fight, he was not a big amateur and never fought in the Olympics. He had to graft to get where he wanted to be.”
Azeez also had to do it the hard way and won every belt from the Southern Zone to the English title to the British title to the Commonwealth and European titles.
“I had to progress, nothing was given to me, I always had to prove myself,” Azeez said. “I have the drive, the passion and I worked hard to get where I am.
Azeez (20-0, 13 KOs), 34, and Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs), 30, come from the same corner of south London, but their careers were very different before their knockout fight of the title. a shot against WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol.
While Buatsi has had a successful amateur career, winning an Olympic bronze medal in 2016, and has enjoyed the support of a major broadcaster and promoter (he was at Mathcroom before joining BOXXER last year) throughout Throughout his professional career, Azeez has risen from mediocrity and obscurity to be ranked No. 2 by two global governing bodies and No. 3 and 4 by the other two.
“[Azeez is] “I'm an Olympian, so he's earned the right to get all the attention and the deals, but it's my job now to tear this apart and be an example: if you keep grafting and stay motivated, you can succeed,” Azeez said. “
IT WAS DURING Azeez was studying for his degree at the University of Essex in England in 2011, and he wanted to get serious about boxing. He watched Anthony Joshua – future Olympic gold medalist and world heavyweight champion – box as an amateur.
Azeez was not deterred by a quick knockout defeat in his first amateur fight, and after 60 amateur fights, he turned professional in 2017 – without much fanfare. Azeez had to supplement his boxing income by starting his own moving company. It was a struggle. He boxed in the small rooms of leisure centers and far from television cameras, but for Azeez all these fights contributed to his development.
“I've had to really work and grind at every stage of my career, it's toughened me up,” Azeez told ESPN. “Every step has built me up to this point. My first amateur fight ended in the first 20 seconds and if it was anyone else he would have told me to forget it, to try a different sport. But there was something inside me that said it might not, and I didn't want to let go. I also lost my second fight against Lawrence Okolie. [who went on to win the WBO cruiserweight title as a professional]. When I got into the top ten nationally, I asked myself why not turn professional? I didn’t want any regrets.”
After earning a college degree in accounting and finance, Azeez then decided to focus on something other than spreadsheets.
“I got my degree and my master's degree and then I started working for an accounting firm and that's when I thought why not take a chance as a professional,” said Azeez.
Azeez therefore put his job as an accountant on hold and began his boxing career at the lowest levels. He fought in small venues and had to pay his opponent, pay his trainer, pay his promoter and sell his own tickets.
“It was tough,” Azeez said. “I started my own moving company to make ends meet. I would lift stuff and move people out of their homes, then I would do two or three hours of training in the evening. I did that for two years. Looking back, I wonder how did I do that? I would carry refrigerators up and down stairs during the day, then go to the gym. It was difficult but I had the drive and the motivation to do it.
Azeez, from Lewisham, and Buatsi, who has lived in Croydon since his family left Ghana when he was nine, have known each other for 10 years. Buatsi, who has fought twice in 29 months, is the No. 1 challenger for two of the world titles and the favorite to win on Saturday.
“I met [Buatsi] around 2014, and we've been fighting ever since,” Azeez told ESPN. “We even fought last year before my European title fight in March. We know each other well, but it was too tasty an opportunity to refuse.
“Every time we go there [the ring to spar] we have a good fight and I can't imagine it being a chess match that night. If I'm honest, I don't know what to expect.”
Saturday's winner is expected to face either champion Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev, who will face each other this summer for the undisputed light heavyweight title.
Azeez, who has been recovering from a back injury that delayed this fight, fought in Italy and France last year. He will return to his hometown this weekend and has added experienced American coach Buddy McGirt to his squad.
“I trained with Buddy in Liverpool for this fight because he was training Callum Smith there for his fight with Beterbiev. [in January]and he used to come to London sometimes,” Azeez said.
“Last year I was with Buddy for half the year training in Florida and I also went to train with Beterbiev for a month in Canada,” Azeez said. “It was a good indicator of where the situation is at the top. I don't want an easy path to get there, but if I win this one I'll be at the top.”
