Adam Azim rises in British boxing and uses ADHD as a ‘superpower’

Junior welterweight Adam Azim said living with ADHD was like having a superpower as a professional boxer, but acknowledged his struggles as a child and the hard work it took to avoid burning out.

Azim (11-0, 8 KOs) faces English rival Ohara Davies for the European title at the Copper Box Arena in London as he aims to stay on track and fight for the world title next year. The 22-year-old, considered one of the UK’s top prospects, is defending his European title for the second time against Davies (25-3, 18 KOs). Since turning professional in December 2020, Azim has shown that he can fight at the highest level.

However, Azim differs from your average boxer in other ways.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, October is the annual awareness month for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a “developmental disorder characterized by persistent symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that interfere with functioning or development affect”.

Symptoms typically begin in childhood and can affect relationships and performance at school or work.

Azim is always happy to talk about the condition, which he believes is crucial to his success in boxing as long as his energy can be managed and channeled effectively.

“My ADHD is like a superpower for me because I can do any type of activity I want and put a lot of energy into it,” Azim told ESPN. “I always had a lot of energy to get up and box at any time of the day. The first thing I do when I get out of bed in the morning is start shadow boxing. I could get up in the middle of the night.” At night I run 10km or box with full energy, ADHD keeps me going, keeps me training and focused on boxing because I can’t sit still.

“My father [Az] and trainer [Shane McGuigan] always tell me that I’m doing too much and need to suppress it. Barry McGuigan [former featherweight world champion, and father of Shane] told me that he had a lot of energy as a fighter and that he would burn himself out. So I tried to be smart and not overdo it.

Without ADHD, Azim might not be a boxer as he started the sport on the advice of doctors.

“I was in the emergency room as a child [hospital] Many times because of my ADHD,” Azim said. “Once I fell out of a tree, another time I jumped out of a window because I thought I was Spiderman.” So I have a few cracks and scars, not from boxing, but from falling over loads.

“The doctors said I needed to channel my energy and play sports, so I tried cricket first. I liked batting and bowling, but I didn’t like fielding and standing around. I wasn’t the best at football, but then I tried boxing and put all my energy into it.

“When I was growing up, my dad took me out of school because I was fooling around too much, I couldn’t concentrate in class, and I was homeschooled after that, and that was good, it worked for me.”

“I talk about ADHD to raise awareness of ADHD and people can see how boxing has helped me and I want to help other people with ADHD by talking about my experiences. ADHD doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, you.” You can do good with it, it’s energy that you can use to do something and achieve something. It doesn’t necessarily have to be boxing, it can be anything.

Azim, who hails from Slough, west of London, trains in the same gym as WBO cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith, IBF junior featherweight world champion Ellie Scotney, WBC interim lightweight titleholder Caroline Dubois and Adam’s brother Hassan. who is a year older than Azim and 7-0 as a pro.

Azim wants to follow in the footsteps of former junior welterweight world champion Amir Khan (now retired), who, like him, is of British-Pakistani origin.

Azim is still a long way from a world title shot and 32-year-old Davies, from east London, may be facing his toughest fight yet. Davies needs a strong performance to revive his career after a first-round loss to Ismael Barroso in Las Vegas in January.

“I am 22 years old now and I feel like I need to push myself and target the world champion,” Azim said. “I have to do my best because Ohara Davies has been fighting at a good level for a while and these are the type of fights I need at this stage of my career.”

“But fighting Ohara is a bit strange. I’ve known Ohara for years, I was a kid when I first met him, probably nine years old, and it’s sad that I have to fight him, but that’s boxing.”

To learn more about ADHD and ADHD Awareness Month, visit https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/.