Adam Azim went the distance for only the second time in his career against Nicaragua’s Santos Reyes, and it left Josh Taylor questioning the hype behind him.
The 20-year-old from Slough dropped his opponent in the second round and dominated from then on, but couldn’t quite crack the tough chin of Reyes. It was Azim’s second time headlining a show despite only being his eighth contest.
During the event, Taylor tweeted ‘superstar my arse!’ followed by the hashtag ‘hype’ and ‘he needed them rounds!’ The Scotsman is currently WBO champion – previously undisputed – in the super lightweight division that Azim is trying to make a name in.
Superstar my arse! #Hype
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorBoxer) February 11, 2023
Although not naming Azim directly, it’s hard to argue that he was talking about any other fighter given the timing of his comments.
Boxing Social asked promoter Ben Shalom for his thoughts on the matter, and he said he ‘wasn’t surprised.’
“Is that what he said? I’m not surprised. I don’t know. Look I’m not gonna bad mouth anyone. Adam Azim is twenty years old, he’s just done ten rounds and absolutely dominated every single round. He’s knocked out six of his eight opponents.”
“I think there is – and I’m not saying this about Josh I’m saying in general – a lot of boxers that see the promotion that he’s getting and the fame that he’s getting and everything that comes with it. We saw it with Anthony Joshua, Amir Khan, all the big boys are there to be shot at, and Adam Azim will go right to the very top.”
Azim has since said that he picked up a minor injury in the second round and will be back out again after a period of rest as well as Ramadan.