Meet Adam Azim, the 20-year-old British lightweight star who aims to shed light on boxing’s battle with ADHD

ADAM AZIM wants to be the scarred face of boxing’s battle with ADHD.

Slough’s 20-year-old lightweight ace has a mush riddled with battle wounds, but none from his glittering amateur career or his 7-0 pro start.

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Every dent, scrape, and blemish is the result of his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which causes him to bump into and fall off of something during his accident-prone childhood.

But – in a story similar to that of 35-year-old idol Amir Khan – boxing was the perfect sport for Azim to channel his relentless energy and beat his bad-boy day.

At Shane McGuigan’s Leyton Gym, where he trains with his welterweight brother Hassan, Azim told SunSport, “Everyone thinks the scars are from boxing, but none of them are. I just kept crashing into things and hurting myself.

“It took a long time to get the right diagnosis. I was just seen as a naughty boy but my dad helped me channel my energy into sports like kickboxing and then boxing and thankfully I never needed medication.

“They tried me out at cricket first and I liked batting and bowling, but it was impossible for me to stand out on the field forever.

“I know Amir has a similar story, his parents sent him to the gym because he was so energetic and it must have been harder for him to deal with as there was a lot less understanding of hyperactivity.

“As recently as 10 years ago, people didn’t understand what was happening with me, but hopefully I can show other suffering children that ADHD can be a gift that you can use to your advantage.”

Much like Bolton icon Khan, who won a silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics when he was just 17, Azim has frighteningly fast hands.

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They also share Pakistani heritage, and Khan’s journey from Asian outcast to world champion and British national treasure is one Azim aspires to.

After capping his breakout year with a headline slot on Sky Sports against Rylan Charlton at Ally Pally, he said: “Amir is the only British-Pakistani world champion in history and I want to be next.

“In some interviews, Amir said very kindly that he believes I can do it, which is also a big motivation for me.

“I was in Birmingham 15 years ago to watch Amir beat Michael Gomez, my dad took me and there is a photo of us ringside.

“So it feels like a journey complete, it feels like it should have been and I can’t wait to seize the opportunity and make it the start of a great career.”

McGuigan’s gym is a hotbed of young British talent, which includes siblings Daniel and Caroline Dubois.

And Azim revealed to SunSport that he and lightweight Caroline, 20, played a crucial role in improving each other over a decade ago.

He explained: “Me, Caroline and Daniel all started at the same amazing amateur gym, Dale Youth, when we were kids.

“Around the age of about eight and nine, me and Caroline actually fought each other.

“I saw that when she first started boxing at another gym she had to pretend to be a boy named Colin but the Dale was happy to have female fighters and she was Caroline there.

“I remember the very first day she came down and I trained with her. I told my father that this was going to be very special.

“All these years later I’m back to training with her, Daniel and my brother every day.

“It’s a really exciting time for all of us and hopefully for British boxing.”