Express & Star

Mussab Abubaker fighting back from brother’s murder

When Mussab Abubaker goes into the ring tomorrow night, he will be boxing with the memory of personal tragedy still fresh in his mind.

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The 26-year-old goes into his fight just 18 months after his brother was shot dead at a street party in Birmingham.

Mussab – know as Breaker – is on Black Country Boxing’s bill at the Holiday Inn, in Birmingham, just a couple of miles from where his younger brother Abdual Rahman Abubaker was murdered in Highgate.

And super welterweight Mussab knows only too well just how difficult the sport can be mentally, particularly when you have personal trauma to deal with, which can affect your mind in the ring.

Mussab and Abdul Rahman were well known in the community for their dessert shop Bubble Rolls, on Ladypool Road in Birmingham’s famous Balti Triangle, and for Mussab it has been a trying time as he battles to support his family, maintain his brother’s memory and concentrate on his recently-acquired professional career as a boxer. You might think all the personal tragedy would weigh heavy on the shoulders of the 26-year-old, but if anything the sad loss of Abdul has galvanised Mussab, who is using the incident to draw on his inner strengths and use it in the ring to his advantage.

Under the watchful eye of trainer Errol Johnson at BCB Boxing, Mussab has been working hard in the gym to make sure his fitness levels are in peak form and using the strict training regime to focus his mind and prepare for his next encounter.

Since turning pro, Breaker has won all three of his bouts to date – beating Danny Little, Paul Cummings and last time out Dale Arrowsmith.

He has pledged every win since coming back to the sport will be in his late brother’s honour.

“Nothing can bring my brother back, but he was always a big supporter of me following my dreams and this is what I want to do,” Abubaker said.

“Boxing is a state of mind, in many ways, so there’s no way you can fight unless you are thinking straight. That has taken some time. “We are at a point now where it’s helping me, by keeping my brain active through the training and getting ready to get in there again.

“Every single day I am in the gym, I’m learning and it’s giving me something to focus on. I’m improving all of the time.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £65 VIP ringside to include a buffet or £35 for standard entry, in advance. It will be £40 on the door.

They are available by calling the BCB Promotions Box Office on 07493 582 261.