EVEN in defeat a positive outcome has emerged for Kash Farooq. Two weeks on from his points loss to Edinburgh’s Lee McGregor in one of the most enthralling boxing bouts of the year, the Glasgow bantamweight is already looking forward to 2020.
It wasn’t what he intended but the public outcry that followed the judges’ controversial decision to score the fight in McGregor’s favour has brought more plaudits Farooq’s way than might otherwise have been the case.
Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom Sports promoter, has expressed an interest in showcasing Farooq’s talent to a wider audience and the hope is a deal will be concluded in the new year.
The Pakistan-born fighter will forever be indebted to the St Andrew’s Sporting Club for helping take him to this stage but there is a general acknowledgement that Farooq can’t now go back to small hall boxing at this crucial point in his career.
“It’s actually worked out better for me,” he admitted. “A lot of other fighters and promoters took notice of what happened in the McGregor fight. Nobody likes losing – especially like that – but I got something out of it that I’m really happy with.
“It’s got me a lot of attention in a good way. I’m moving on to the next level in my life. I’m hoping to sign with Eddie Hearn and my next fight should be on one of his cards, maybe around April to let my cuts heal as well.
“I’ve broke through fighting on small hall shows without a major promoter but now I need to go to the next level. People want to watch me in bigger halls and stadiums. And Eddie Hearn is the perfect man to make that happen.
“When I started out I didn’t have a big fan base. People didn’t really know me. But you saw at the McGregor fight people were chanting my name and supporting me. I think they will come to watch me anywhere as they know I’m a real fighter who is dedicated to his craft.
“On paper I have a defeat on my record but I don’t feel like that. So it doesn’t change anything for me. I still think there are big fights for me.”
The frustration at picking up the first defeat on his professional record a fortnight ago has quickly dissipated. Instead, Farooq has channelled his energies into more positive matters such as catching up with friends. The pre-fight promise to take a first holiday in a decade has also been temporarily shelved.
“There’s always things coming up so I can never get away,” he said. “Maybe in the new year I’ll go somewhere for a few days. I’ve just been out and about, seeing friends and maybe staying out a bit later than I normally would – just the sort of things you can’t really do when you’re training for a fight.
“I’m fine now about what happened in the McGregor fight. I didn’t get too down about it. Everyone could see what happened but there was nothing I could do about it. You just have to move on and look to what’s next.
“I was out running a few days after the fight and I’ll be back in the gym next week. You have to put that disappointment behind you and look forward.”
There has been a clamour for a rematch but Farooq is not holding his breath.
“I would like that but realistically I can’t see that happening for a wee while at least for a few reasons. I would fight him right away but, being honest, there’s only a small possibility. But maybe one day in the future we will get back in the ring together.”
With judges capable of deciding fights and shaping careers, Farooq would like to see boxing’s scoring system modernised to avoid such controversies.
He said: “They need to bring something in. They need to look at the whole scoring system as it seems to be happening more and more in boxing. I know a lot of boys who have been on the wrong end of a bad decision and ended up just chucking the sport entirely. Maybe you only get one opportunity to fight for a British title or a world title and you think you’ve done enough to win. And then the judges rob you and you don’t get another shot at a title.
“We can’t have that in boxing. We need to look at it all and try to fix it. Maybe we can have computers saying how many punches have landed. Or maybe the judges can explain their cards as sometimes you wonder if they’re watching a different fight.
“The last thing boxing wants is to upset the fans. Most of them can tell if a fight hasn’t been scored the right way and they get really annoyed and fed up with the sport. And we don’t want that.”
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