Hamza Uddin interview: Boxing's 'Mr Boring' delivering entertainment where it matters most
Hamza Uddin might claim to be the most boring man on the planet but really, he’s kidding no-one.
It might well be true he’s never tasted a fizzy drink. You can also believe he sees more punch bags than he does people. After all, he’s been hitting them since he could walk (the punch bags, that is, not people).
But boring? No, that’s one of the last words you would use to describe the fast-talking, big-hitting Uddin, who is almost as entertaining in conversation as he is inside a boxing ring.
Aged just 21, the Walsall flyweight’s ferocious punching power and flamboyant style have drawn comparisons to Naseem Hamed and just like the latter, he does not mind the spotlight.
“People love the style, they love the tricks and they love the talk,” says Uddin, who takes his perfect record of four wins from four fights into Saturday night’s eight-rounder with Argentina’s former Olympian Leandro Jose Blanc at Birmingham’s BP Pulse Arena.
“The main thing is winning but having a bit of fun as well is not too bad," he continues.
“So far I have put in some big performances but I truly believe we have only scratched the surface. Saturday is going to be a big night and God willing, my best performance to date.”
Uddin has designs on becoming the first-ever British Bangladeshi world champion and his ambitions do not end at flyweight.
Confidence comes from the knowledge of having put the hard yards into a sport which has dominated his life for as long as he can remember.
Pictures in the family home show a one-year-old Uddin hitting a punch bag, while it was during a trip to Pleck ABC around the age of six his talent first became apparent.
“It’s the adrenaline,” Uddin replies, when asked what he loves about boxing.
“It’s like people who enjoy theme parks. I mean, how can you be stupid enough to enjoy getting on a scary ride?
“But it is the same with boxing. Why would you enjoy getting punched in the face and punching someone back?
