Bradford’s celebrated Boxer, Tasif Khan, returned home, following his win over 29-year-old Venezuelan boxer, David Barreto last week to claim the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Super-Flyweight Belt.
He was also invited by Imran Hussain, Bradford East MP, to proudly display his latest title belt and discuss the impact that the win for a Bradford-born boxer will have on Mr Hussain’s ongoing campaign for greater investment in community-led grassroots boxing projects.
Raised in Bradford and proud of his local roots in the district, Tasif already holds the GBU World and WBO Africa Super-Flyweight titles after almost two decades in the profession, and in May 2023, he opened the Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy on Sunbridge Road with Mr Hussain, who as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Boxing continues to endorse the societal benefits of grassroots boxing gyms like Tasif’s.
Image: Tasif Khan website
A proud British-Pakistani, Tasif Khan got into his boxing gloves, at the age of 10.
Speaking to Asian Standard, he says, “I was one of those kids who had a lot of energy. I come from the streets of Girlington in Bradford. We had the opportunity where we lived, we had a youth club. A lot of people older than me used to train there. So, I joined the club to stay off the streets, to indulge into sporting activities, play football. They used to have a small room in the corner, called the boxing gym. I looked through the window and saw the exercises people did. At that time, I was nine years old, I was into Karate. But when I saw these boxers and punching bags, that’s when I fell in love with boxing.”
“At that age,” Tasif adds, “I never thought that I would become big and win titles, I just fell in love with the training. So, at the age of 10 I started training. It started as a passion for the training, it grew into a hobby and now it has become a full-time job.”
Even when Tasif, at an early age, had decided to pursue Boxing full time, he did not leave education and went on to pursue a university degree.
Tasif said, “My upbringing, my parents had taught me that education is one the most important part of one’s life. I didn’t want to be one of those kids, for whom if boxing didn’t work out, nothings left, and I fall back. So, I made sure that I complete my education.”
Speaking of challenges, through his boxing journey, Asif tells Asian Standard: “Boxing has always kept me on the right path. It was not always smooth There have been injuries. I broke my hand at a few places, which kept me out of the ring for a course of four to five years. At this point, many people irrespective of the profession, would have turned away from the sport. I was on the verge of walking away from boxing, but it was something within me, which told me before I went to sleep at night, ‘I haven’t fulfilled what I wanted to fulfil and I can’t relax on that’, so that’s why I continuously trained, even through injuries.”
Tasif Khan, throughout his journey, has numerous achievements to his name, becoming the Superflyweight World Champion (World Boxing Union), Superflyweight World Champion (Global Boxing Union), Bantamweight World Champion (World Boxing Confederation) and the International Masters Champion.
In 2015, Tasif started his own community boxing academy to help young kids with not only boxing, but also an all-round holistic development.
Speaking on Tasif Khan’s victory to become WBC Silver Title Champion and his community work across Bradford, Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East said:
“Coming from humble beginnings as a local Bradford-lad who remains immensely proud of his background, Tasif’s win last week to claim the WBC Silver Title was nothing short of extraordinary. Across Bradford, we are all incredibly proud of him as a brilliant Bradford success story, of what he has achieved and what he can still achieve, and he rightly deserves to be celebrated.
“Not only has Tasif repeatedly proven himself as a champion in the ring with his win last weekend as a case in point, but he’s also shown himself to be a champion in the community too, with his local boxing academy which I was proud to open with him providing those from troubled and disadvantaged backgrounds with stability, discipline and self-worth that will stay with them forever.
“As someone who’s never shied away from failure or a challenge, never ignored his roots, and never failed to meet each competition with grit, determination and hard work, Tasif embodies the Bradfordian-spirit of local pride and tenacity that has helped him achieve so much, and with this attitude, he stands as one of the very best local role models that many people can look up to. He deserves every bit of his phenomenal success, and I look forward to his future.”
