British amateur Junaid Bostan is among a group of young boxers turning professional with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. Warren made a deal with BT Sports for six shows this year that will feature British prospects and Bostan is among a group of at least eight Queensberry signees. The Rotherham junior middleweight is a double national champion and boxed for England since he was 13 years old. Now 19, Junaid boxes out of the Sheffield’s fast rising Steel City gym where he trains alongside IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards. He is trained by the gym’s head Grant Smith.

 

“Grant asked me if I wanted to turn professional and I wasn’t too sure because I wanted to go in the National Elite Championships,” said Bostan who will make his professional debut in late July or August. I decided to have a meeting with Queensberry. I liked what I heard, what I was offered and decided to accept it. The Elites have been rescheduled for later this year and it would have been next year before I boxed professional had I entered them. There is no time to waste. I believe my style is more suited to the professionals and my personality should help me do well. I don’t feel I am just a boxer. I want to entertain people inside and out of the ring.”

 

The youngster has been trained by Smith since he was 12 years old, having spent his earliest boxing years training under the late Brendan Ingle. Having started boxing with Ingle it’s no surprise to learn that Bostan is a tricky switch hitter who can expect to bamboozle opponents. He has sparred with a string of top fighters and helped European welterweight champion David Avanesyan prepare for his win against Josh Kelly.

 

There is no doubting the influence that Edwards and of course, trainer Smith have had on him. Bostan added: “Sunny started at the gym two weeks before I did so I have been with him since the start. Seeing him winning the Elites and going on to win a professional World championship has given me confidence. If he has done it with Grant there is no reason why I can’t. Right now, turning over I will get good experience and I will be in very good hands with Grant and Queensberry. I know in my career I will be wanting to do stuff a lot quicker than Grant will. What he says I will do. This has been a long time coming and I want to show what I am about. In the first year I want to prove myself and I will from my first fight. I won’t say I am the biggest puncher, but if I land, you know about it. I am more of a boxer and I like to entertain. I don’t really have idols but I love watching boxers with personality like Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Caleb Plant, Fernando Vargas and of course Naseem Hamed.”