Queensberry Promotions has signed a young man with perhaps the best name in boxing: introducing British national amateur champion Sonny Liston Ali. It is a name fight fans will easily remember and one that the Romford junior welterweight wants to make known through his own performances. Incredibly his birth name has little connection with Muhammad Ali who twice defeated Sonny Liston in the 1960s. Ali, 22, explains: “I am called Sonny after my Grandad who has that name and Ali is my Dad’s surname because his family several generations back were from Bangladesh. It was my Mum who added the name Liston so obviously everyone must think it is after the heavyweight rivalry in the 1960s.”

 

His name caused further confusion when Ali was a star amateur winning two National cchoolboy titles, two Three nations championships and a hat-trick of wins at the prestigious Swedish Box Cup. He said: “When I was an amateur I boxed under the name Sonny Ali, and opponents would expect to be boxing a little Asian kid who tried to fight like Naseem Hamed. They would get in the ring and look across at a pasty white kid getting behind his jab. I had a good reputation in the amateurs so my name became known, but there were some kids who had no idea until they saw me. I have been sparring with a lot of top professionals like Ohara Davies and although it’s been hard, I held my own with some good fighters. That has convinced me that I should turn professional and of course I want to reach world level. You’ve got to be in it to win it.”

 

His amateur career made Ali a prospects, but at 17 he drifted away from the sport for three years. “I missed out on so much as a youngster because of boxing. When I was 17, I got my first car and took some time out,” said Ali who hopes to make his debut in May or June. I got a girlfriend, had some time with friends, holidays and enjoyed life. I’m glad I did it because it was better living a life then instead of when I’m 25 or 26 and into my professional career. Even when I returned I was in and out of the gym at first so I had a couple of unlicensed fights just to keep me focused even though I knew they were easy fights. Also there are no Senior ABA Championships this year. If I waited and next year’s Seniors never took place I would be mid-twenties before I turned professional. There are a lot of fighters turning professional because of the amateur situation. Amateur boxers can’t even train. I’m just happy to have signed with a major promoter and now I have to get in there and deliver although I know everything wont happen overnight.”