Ahead of his fight for the BBBofC Scottish super-lightweight title this weekend at the Lagoon Centre in Paisley, Scotstoun-based boxer Ahmed Ibrahim has revealed his ambitions to make the Scottish belt the first of many.
The 26-year-old, who will take on Livingston fighter Martin Taylor for the vacant Scottish crown next Saturday, June 15, as he aims to clinch his first professional title, has targeted the British, Commonwealth or even European title at super-lightweight - while also admitting he still has aspirations of winning the Celtic lightweight title that eluded him in last year.
Ibrahim was set to face Ryan Collins for the Celtic belt back in October 2018 only to misjudge his weight the day before the fight and miss out on the chance. And, despite going on to stop Collins in the fifth round, there was no belt up for grabs due to championship weight limit rules.
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The ‘Black Assassin’ is out to put the disappointment of that night behind him on Saturday to lift the first title of his career.
And while he refused to get too carried away with an unbeaten opponent in Taylor set to provide a tough test, he has also not hidden his ambitions.
“I want to keep active so I’ll accept all the big fights I can get,” Ibrahim told Post Sport. “I want to win as many titles as possible so know I need to keep busy.
“That’s what I’m in this game for. I’ll be ready for whatever comes, whether it’s the Celtic or the British title I get the chance at down the line. I’m up at super-lightweight for the Scottish fight this weekend but I would have no hesitations in moving back down to lightweight for the Celtic.
“Looking further ahead, I’m an ambitious fighter so I would definitely say fights for Commonwealth or the European titles is something that I would like to look at and get the opportunity for.”
Like all professional boxers, Ibrahim is adamant that all of his focus is firmly on his next bout with the Ugandan born star, who also has family in Kenya, not getting ahead of himself.
“I am absolutely putting all of my focus on winning the Scottish title. I am in no way looking past Taylor as he’s an undefeated fighter,” he insisted.
READ MORE: 'Black Assassin' Ibrahim fancies title shot after routine win
If all goes to plan, however, Ibrahim, who has been training alongside Scottish middleweight champion Marc Kerr and Scottish cruiserweight champion Jay McFarlane, hopes to be able to show off his own Scottish title to his family back in Africa later this year.
He added: “I always go back to visit family in Uganda and Kenya so it would be brilliant to be able to go back with a title. My mum lives in Kenya and loves keeping an eye on how I’m doing on my Facebook page.
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“All my family over there support me but my mum keeps asking when I’ll win a title as I’ve had fights for titles postponed a couple of times now. It would be amazing to be able to show her and the rest of my family over there the Scottish title when I next visit.”
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