Khalid Saeed Yafai

Khalid Yafai (born June 11 1989 in Birmingham) is a British amateur boxer. He is best known for becoming the first English boxer to win the U17 World Championships in 2005.

Career

Like Naseem Hamed, flyweight Yafai is the son of Yemeni parents.cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2466261/Beijing-Olympics-British-Boxings-2008-class.html |title=Beijing Olympics: British Boxing's 2008 class |date=2008-08-07 |publisher="The Telegraph" |accessdate=2008-08-07] He currently lives in the Moseley area of Birmingham.cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2005/12/05/sports_awards_winners_2005_feature.shtml |title=Sports Awards 2005 |date=2005-12-05 |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2008-08-07]

In June 2005, he won a silver medal in the European Cadet Championships in Hungary, recording 4 wins before losing in the final to Russian Farid Aleshkin. He received the 2005 award "Junior Sportsman of the Year", after he became England's first ever U17 World Boxing Champion, when he won the World Cadet title winning the junior flyweight title against Luis Yáñez of the United States. [cite web |url=http://www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Championships/WorldCadetChampionships2005.html |title=4.World Cadet Championships - Liverpool, England - October 10-18 2005 |publisher=Amateur Boxing Results |accessdate=2008-08-07]

Fighting for Birmingham City Amateur Boxing Club, he became one of the youngest British (ABA) champions in December 2006 while still 17, at the World Junior Championships 2006 in Agadir, Morocco. He lost in the quarter final to the eventual Cuban winner Alexei Collado.

At the 2007 European Junior Championships in Sombor, Serbia, he lost in the final to Russian Misha Aloyan. [cite web |url=http://www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Championships/EuropeanJuniorChampionships2007.html |title=20.European Junior Championships - Sombor, Serbia - July 8-16 2007 |publisher=Amateur Boxing Results |accessdate=2008-08-07] As Britain's youngest team member at the 2007 Seniors World Championship, the 18-year-old beat his Armenian opponent Derenik Gizhlaryan, however lost to Violito Payla of the Philippines.

He then qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the 1st Olympic qualifying event in Pescara, Italy, where he stopped fellow team mate Mo Nasir of Wales and then when on to beat the 2004 Olympian Igor Samolencko of Moldova to qualify. He then pulled out of the final due to an injury.

References