Express & Star

Floyd Mayweather Snr visiting Walsall for charity commemoration of tragic boxer Ali Tazeem

American boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Snr is visiting Walsall to attend a charity event in memory of a teenage boxer who tragically died in April.

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Ali Tazeem and Floyd Mayweather Snr

Ali Tazeem was tipped for sporting stardom by some of the biggest names in boxing but died in a car crash in Chapel Ash along with the driver of the car.

The Heroes Education Centre, in Bentley Lane, is holding the fundraising event on Friday in memory of the 18-year-old whose family are supporting projects which help young people.

Heroes Centre manager Idris Hanif told the Express & Star: "We are really looking forward to welcoming Floyd Mayweather Snr to Walsall on Friday.

"As well as the father of Floyd Mayweather he is a world renowned boxing trainer and we are touched he is attending our event in memory of Ali Tazeem."

Thousands turned out for the funeral of the Colton Hills Community School student who had just signed a professional boxing contract after a glittering amateur career which saw him win 51 tournaments and 16 gold medals across the world.

He began boxing aged eight at Priory Park Boxing Club, in Dudley, before moving to Prospects Amateur Boxing Club, Derby, and later joining Pound 4 Pound Boxing Academy in Walsall, which was opened by his father Toheed Tazeem, also known as Dr Tee.

The event starts at Heroes at 4pm and there will be more than 20 stalls selling food, refreshments and sports kit as well as raising awareness of good causes close to the family's heart. They raised more than £10,000 within days of Ali's death on Merridale Road on Sunday, April 17.

Sam Ghalib, from Heroes, said: "We have also got a games room so there will be a big FIFA tournament going on throughout the day and we have organised a special surprise for some students of ours who have done well this year.

"We have got some supercars turning up which they will get to have ride in around the streets of Walsall, it will look amazing.

"Ali's father and family are all well known to us at Heroes and we wanted to do whatever we could to commemorate the remarkable young man."

Multiple world champion Amir Khan tipped Ali to be a future world champion and said his death was "a massive loss to the British Asian boxing community".

Mayweather Snr was impressed with Ali when he worked on the pads with him in the ring aged 14 and then again just weeks before his death.

For more information about Heroes Educational Centre visit www.heroescentreltd.com