Adam Azim walked to the ring to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" sporting a black fedora with white-trimmed brim, and within three rounds, the Slough fighter had made a statement that reverberates far beyond the London arena: he is ready for championship glory. The British boxer dismantled American challenger Steve Claggett with relentless power and precision, forcing referee Marcus McDonnell to stop the fight in the third round and signalling that Azim has arrived as a legitimate contender for the world stage.
This victory matters because it positions Azim perfectly in the queue for the vacant IBF light-welterweight title. His team has carefully engineered his rise, and now the IBF has ordered a title fight between Mexico's Lindolfo Delgado and Russian-Canadian Arthur Biyarslanov—a match whose winner Azim could very well face next. For a fighter nicknamed "The Assassin," the path to a world belt is no longer a distant dream but an imminent possibility.
Claggett, 36, brought the kind of resume that tests real contenders. He had been stopped only once as a professional and had faced Teofimo Lopez in a world-title challenge as recently as 2023. But the American had no answer for Azim's relentless power. From the opening minutes, Azim drew blood from Claggett's nose with an uppercut, establishing dominance early. Then came the moment that sealed the fight: a stunning right hand followed by a right hook that dropped Claggett heavily. Claggett beat the count and made his way back to his corner, but he looked a beaten man. Azim, sensing the kill, piled on the pressure with clean shot after clean shot until McDonnell had seen enough and waved the fight off.
The significance of this performance lies not just in the victory but in the manner of it. Azim demonstrated the power, timing, and ring intelligence required to compete at the highest level. His trainer Shane McGuigan left no room for doubt about his fighter's ceiling: "I'd be doing something terribly wrong if he doesn't win a world title. I don't just think he is going to win a world title, I think he will be unified and a multi-weight world champion."
Beyond Azim's moment in the spotlight, the evening also showcased the next generation of British boxing talent. Hennessy, a 21-year-old from Sevenoaks, extended her unbeaten record to nine victories with a commanding sixth-round stoppage of Italy's De Persio. Hennessy had something to prove after a narrow points decision in her previous fight against Ellie Bouttell, but she showed remarkable composure in this outing, mixing attacks to the head and body with methodical precision. De Persio, fighting outside Italy for the first time, could not match Hennessy's technical improvement as the rounds progressed. The turning point came in the fifth, when Hennessy unloaded combinations that forced her opponent onto the ropes. Hennessy is now mandatory challenger for the WBC belt held by New Zealand's Cherneka Johnson, who holds all four world titles in the division.
For Azim, the road ahead gleams with possibility. A domestic showdown against fellow Briton Dalton Smith has long been discussed, but first comes the world title—the prize that would cement his place among boxing's elite. On this London evening, he proved he belongs there.