Gamal Yafai

Gamal Yafai
Yafai in 2015
Statistics
Real name Gamal Yafai
Nickname(s) The Beast
Weight(s) Super-bantamweight
Height 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Born (1991-08-04) 4 August 1991
Birmingham, UK
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 17
Wins 16
Wins by KO 9
Losses 1
Medal record
Representing  United Kingdom
European Amateur Boxing Championships
2010 Moscow Bantamweight

Gamal Yafai (born 4 August 1991)[1] is a British professional boxer. As an amateur he was a member of the British elite squad as well as the Great British podium squad and won bronze at the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Moscow.[2]

Personal life

Gamal Yafai was born in Birmingham, UK, on 4 August 1991 to Yemeni parents. His brother Khalid Yafai is also a boxer who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics and was also a member of the Great Britain elite squad.[3][4]

Amateur career

Gamal boxed for the Birmingham City Police ABC and was a member of the Great Britain elite squad trained by Robert McCracken and funded with money from the National Lottery.

In June 2010 Gamal won the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships in Moscow. En route to the semi-finals Yafai beat Israels Peter Moyshenzon 11-1 in the 1st round, Italy's Vittorio Parrinello 5-3 in the second and Irelands John Joe Nevin, a World bronze medalist, in the quarter finals.[5] Yafai lost in the semi-final 3-2 to the Russian Eduard Abzalimv and so securing the bronze medal.[6] The tournament was Yafai's first outing at senior international level.[7]

Domestically at only 17 years of age was crowned ABA flyweight champion in 2009 with a win over Adam Whitfield beating him 11-5 in the final. Gamal followed in the footsteps of his brother Khalid who won an ABA title in 2008. Of the victory Yafai's coach at his club in Birmingham Frank O'Sullivan said "I was concerned about Gamal’s stamina but he handled it well...He boxed superbly to instructions and finished the first round 2-2. At the end of the second it was 5-5 and Gamal then went all out to win and stormed to success 11-5...It was a cracking victory and now Gamal can go on and establish his own career and will, for instance, be boxing in the three nations for England at Liverpool at the end of May."[8] Yafai did indeed box in the three nations tournament featuring competitors from England, Wales and Scotland once again meeting Adam Whitfield in the final and once again coming out on top, this time 13-4.[9]

Professional career

Early career

A 22 year old Yafai turned professional in May 2014 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on a Sky Sports card promoted by Matchroom Sport.[10] Yafai defeated Ricky Leach via a 1st-round TKO in a scheduled four round fight. Ten days later, Yafai fought on the undercard of Froch-Groves II at Wembley Stadium against Jack Heath. Referee wisely stopped contest in round 1 with just 20 seconds remaining. Health was down twice, first from a head shot, and then a left hook to the body.

On 12 July, Yafai defeated 31 year old Spanish journeyman Reynaldo Cajina on points. Referee John Latham scored it 40-36 to Yafai. Two months later, Yafai faced off against French boxer Sofian Bellahcene at Wembley Arena, outpointing him (60-54) on the referee scorecard. After a 6-month lay off, Yafai returned to the boxing ring in March 2015, beating Polish boxer Krzysztof Rogowski at the Ice Arena in Hull via 3rd-round TKO. Two months later, Yafai fought at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham beating Spanish boxer Arnoldo Solano (14-7, 0 KOs) via points decision. The referee scored it 80-71 for Yafai. In August, Yafai defeated Spanish boxer Angel Lorente at the Craven Park Stadium in Hull via a 6-round points decision, after knocking him down once in round 5. The referee Michael Alexander scored it 60-53. On 17 October 2015, Yafai was scheduled in his first ever 10 round bout as a professional at the Barclaycard Arena against Tanzanian boxer Nasibu Ramadhani. This was also a Commonwealth super-bantamweight title eliminator. Yafai defied an injured left hand to earn a comprehensive 99-91 points victory. Yafai sustained the injury inside the opening three rounds and was put on the back foot, but regained his composure in the fifth and was on top by the sixth as he started landing hooks on Ramadhani, who struggled to connect.[11]

Domestic and Regional

On 5 March 2016, in his ninth professional fight, Yafai stopped Bobby Jenkinson (9-1-1, 2 KOs) in seven rounds at the Genting Arena in Birmingham to take the Commonwealth super-bantamweight title. yafai picked up a cut four rounds in but followed up with a blistering show that ended with two knockdowns. The first knockdown coming from a straight left and the second from a left hook to the body. The victory took Yafai to 9-0, gave him his first belt and showed the watching boxing world he has the talent to follow in the footsteps of Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg in the future.[12]

It was announced that Yafai would make a first defence of his title at the First Direct Arena on 30 July. His opponent was announced to be Josh Wale (20-8-2, 11 KOs).[13] Yafai was taken the 12 round distance for the first time since turning professional in 2014, making a first successful defence of his Commonwealth title. Yafai started off sharp and cut Wale over the right eye in the round 1, although a replay showed that it was due to a clash of heads. The three judges scored it 118-111, 117-112, 117-112, all in favour of Yafai.[14]

Yafai was due to defend his Commonwealth title on 22 October 2016 against Sean Davis at the Barclaycard Arena on the undercard of Gavin-Eggington, however on 17 October Yafai had to pull out after injuring his ankle in a training session. Paul Economides instead fought Davis for the vacant WBC International title and Gamal's brother Kal was also added to the card which was a warm-up fight.[15]

On 22 February 2017, Yafai lost his Commonwealth super bantamweight title after failing to take part in a mandatory.[16] On 27 February, promoter Eddie Hearn announced that Yafai would travel to Germany for his first fight not on home soil on the undercard of the WBA (regular) light middleweight title fight between Demetrius Andrade and Jack Culcay at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate.[17] Yafai put on a concrete display throughout the six round fight to win via unanimous decision against Georgian journeyman Khvicha Gigolashvili.[18]

On 15 March, it was confirmed that Yafai would finally get a chance to compete for the WBC International title against undefeated titlist Sean Davis on the undercard of Kal's first world title defence at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham on 13 May 2017.[19] Yafai knocked Davis down six times winning the fight via stoppage in round 7. The first knockdown came in round 3, two more knockdowns following in round 5 and a further three knockdowns in round 7 before the fight was halted. Two of the knockdowns in round 7 where due to hard body shots.[20][21]

In December 2017, Yafai spoke to Sky Sports discussing 2017 as a frustrating year. He stated that he wanted to fight British champion Thomas Patrick Ward in 2018. Yafai was scheduled to fight at the York Hall in London on 13 December, which Yafai said would help 'get rid of ring-rust'. This would mark the first time Yafai would fight at York Hall as a professional.[22] Yafai fought a scheduled six round bout against Liverpool boxer Ricky Starkey, stopping him in the third round. Yafai next planned to fight again in January 2018.[23]

On 22 December, Eddie Hearn announced that Yafai would make his first defence of the WBC International title against fellow British rival and former world title challenger Gavin McDonnell (18-1-2, 5 KOs) at the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield on the undercard of Kell Brook's return bout on 3 March 2018.[24][25] Yafai opened the Okolie vs. Chamberlain card at the O2 Arena in London on 3 February 2018 stopping Jose Hernandez in round 3 of their scheduled six round fight.[26] McDonnell showed he had too much experience for Yafai in beating him via a 12 round unanimous decision, also winning the WBC International title. McDonnell used his height and reach advantage to win majority of the rounds, whilst also being more active. The three judges scored the fight 116-112, 116-112 and 117-113 in favour of McDonnell. In defeat, Yafai did well to land the occasional shots but ultimately could not keep up his work rate to match McDonnell.[27][28]

Yafai's next fight date was announced in July 2018, to be part of the JD: NXTGEN card on 4 August at the Ice Arena in Cardiff, Wales. He was also scheduled to fight at the Arena Birmingham on 8 September 2018.[29] He fought Nicaraguan boxer Jose Aguilar in a 6 round fight and stopped him with a left hook body shot in round 3. Yafai was next scheduled to fight in his home city of Birmingham on 8 September on the Amir Khan vs. Samuel Vargas card.[30] In a scheduled 8 round bout, Yafai knocked out Nicaraguan boxer Brayan Mairena in round 7.[31]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
17 fights 16 wins 1 loss
By knockout 9 0
By decision 7 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
17 Win 16–1 Nicaragua Brayan Mairena KO 7 (8), 0:57 8 Sep 2018 United Kingdom Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
16 Win 15–1 Nicaragua Jose Aguilar TKO 3 (6), 2:23 4 Aug 2018 United Kingdom Ice Arena Wales, Cardiff, UK
15 Loss 14–1 United Kingdom Gavin McDonnell UD 12 3 Mar 2018 United Kingdom FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield, UK Lost WBC International super-bantamweight title
14 Win 14–0 Nicaragua Jose Hernandez KO 3 (6), 0:46 3 Feb 2018 United Kingdom O2 Arena, London, UK
13 Win 13–0 United Kingdom Ricky Starkey TKO 3 (6), 1:59 13 Dec 2017 United Kingdom York Hall, London, UK
12 Win 12–0 United Kingdom Sean Davis TKO 7 (12), 2:27 13 May 2017 United Kingdom Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, UK Won WBC International super-bantamweight title
11 Win 11–0 Georgia (country) Khvicha Gigolashvili UD 6 11 Mar 2017 Germany Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Ludwigshafen, Germany
10 Win 10–0 United Kingdom Josh Wale UD 12 30 July 2016 United Kingdom First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK Retained Commonwealth super-bantamweight title
9 Win 9–0 United Kingdom Bobby Jenkinson KO 7 (12), 2:11 5 Mar 2016 United Kingdom Genting Arena, Birmingham, UK Won Commonwealth super-bantamweight title
8 Win 8–0 Tanzania Nasibu Ramadhani PTS 10 17 Oct 2015 United Kingdom Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, UK
7 Win 7–0 Spain Angel Lorente PTS 6 1 Aug 2015 United Kingdom Craven Park Stadium, Hull, UK
6 Win 6–0 Spain Arnoldo Solano PTS 8 9 May 2015 United Kingdom Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, UK
5 Win 5–0 Poland Krzysztof Rogowski TKO 3 (6), 2:32 7 Mar 2015 United Kingdom Ice Arena, Hull, UK
4 Win 4–0 France Sofian Bellahcene PTS 6 20 Sep 2014 United Kingdom Wembley Arena, London, UK
3 Win 3–0 Spain Reynaldo Cajina PTS 4 12 July 2014 United Kingdom Echo Arena, Liverpool, UK
2 Win 2–0 United Kingdom Jack Heath TKO 1 (4), 2:40 31 May 2014 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium, London, UK
1 Win 1–0 United Kingdom Ricky Leach TKO 1 (4), 1:46 21 May 2014 United Kingdom First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK Professional debut

Titles in boxing

Regional/International titles:

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Gamal Yafai". British Lionhearts. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Boxer profile: Gamal Yafai". Amateur Boxing Association of England.
  3. ↑ Hubbard, Alan (19 July 2008). "Boxing: Size isn't everything if Yafai can box clever in Beijing". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Gamal Yafai – Mark of the Beast". BOXRAW. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "European championships results". Amateur Boxing Association of England.
  6. ↑ "Euro 2010 results". Boxing Scene.
  7. ↑ "Team GB boxers make their mark in Moscow". London 2012. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Ian (11 May 2009). "Birmingham's Gamal Yafai wins ABA flyweight title in Sheffield". Birmingham Mail.
  9. ↑ "BABA championship results 2009". Amateur Boxing Association of England.
  10. ↑ "Gamal Yafai makes debut on Leeds show". 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  11. ↑ "Yafai scores points victory over Ramadhani". Sky Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  12. ↑ Hobbs, Tim (2016) "Gamal Yafai stops Bobby Jenkinson to win Commonwealth super-bantamweight title", Sky Sports, 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016
  13. ↑ "Yafai to defend title against Wale". Sky Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Yafai taken full 12 rounds as he retains title". Sky Sports. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Gamal Yafai is Out; Economides Steps In, With Kal Yafai Added - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  16. ↑ CBC. "Liam Walsh, Gamal Yafai, Isaac Lowe drop Commonwealth belts". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  17. ↑ "David Allen May Return On Haye-Bellew; Yafai Will Box In Germany - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  18. ↑ BoxingNewsAndViews (2017-03-11). "Gamal Yafai Decisions Khvicha Gigolashvili - Boxing Results From Germany". Boxing News and Views. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  19. ↑ "Kal Yafai first world title defence announced - Boxing News". Boxing News. 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  20. ↑ "Frankie Gavin, Gamal Yafai Pick Up Wins in Birmingham - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  21. ↑ WBN. "Gamal Yafai drops Sean Davis six times, captures WBC Int. belt". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  22. ↑ "Taylor vs McCaskill: Gamal Yafai wants British title shot in 2018". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  23. ↑ "Gamal Yafai Gets York Hall Win, Set For Busy 2018". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  24. ↑ "Brook vs Rabchenko: Gamal Yafai and Gavin McDonnell to meet in Sheffield on March 3". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  25. ↑ "Gamal Yafai vs. Gavin McDonnell Set For Brook-Rabchenko". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  26. ↑ Chamberlain, Okolie v. "LIVE: Okolie v Chamberlain - Results from London". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  27. ↑ "Gavin McDonnell Outpoints Gamal Yafai, Takes WBC Regional". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  28. ↑ "Brook vs Rabchenko: Gavin McDonnell outpoints Gamal Yafai". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  29. ↑ "Yafai, Thorley & Barton Added To Aug 4 JDNXTGEN Card". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  30. ↑ "Jordan Gill Sets Up Ryan Doyle Clash With One-Round Wales Win". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  31. ↑ "Scott Fitzgerald scores final round stoppage in dramatic fashion". WBN - World Boxing News. 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
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