Express & Star

Talented young boxer who impressed Amir Khan dead at 18 after car crash

A talented teenage boxer from the Black Country has died aged 18.

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Amir Khan with Ali Tazeem in 2020

It is believed Ali Tazeem was killed in a car accident in the early hours of Sunday.

The teenager, who was from Wolverhampton and boxed at the Pound 4 Pound Boxing Academy in Walsall, was hailed as the ‘next big thing’ by former world champion Amir Khan.

The teenager’s promoter, Sam Jones, the head of talent relations at the Probellum boxing brand, said on Twitter: “This morning I woke up to the news that Ali Tazeem has passed away at the age of 18, I can’t believe it. I can’t even process it, we only spoke yesterday talking about how he was going to light up the pro game, all I can think about is Ali and his family.”

Mr Tazeem, who attended Colton Hills Community School in Wolverhampton, won high praise from boxing great Amir Khan in 2020. Khan told the Express & Star then: “I definitely think he is the next big thing for sure.”

And Mr Khan tweeted today: “Rip champ, a big loss for in the British Asian boxing community.”

It comes as police appealed for witnesses to a fatal crash in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton at 1.45am. An 18-year-old, who was a car passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was critically injured.

West Midlands Police declined to confirm whether the crash is related to Mr Tazeem’s death.

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