Bradford boxer opening community academy on Sunbridge Road

Tasif Khan, 40, won the WBO African Super Flyweight title in December to be placed eighth in the WBO world rankings and he is eyeing up a title fight next month.

But Khan grew up in inner-city Bradford and knows how boxing can be used for a force for good.

He created the Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy alongside a group of close friends and fellow boxers in 2020, with the last three years spent delivering programmes at other gyms and schools.

But the academy finally has its own premises, at 108-114 Sunbridge Road in BD1, with the grand opening taking place from 5pm this evening.

A delighted Khan told the T&A: “It’s been a long time coming.

“We set the academy up three years ago, just to sort of emphasise my position in boxing as someone for kids to look up to.

Tasif Khan has won 16 of his 19 professional fights, with his only defeat coming 16 years ago. (Image: Joe Ibbotson.)

“We were delivering programmes at other clubs and in schools, but we didn’t have a base of our own, until the opportunity came up at these premises on Sunbridge Road.”

The academy is about far more than boxing though, with Khan explaining: “We do a lot of community work, with Impact Hub and the NHS, as well as doing things around crime prevention and education.

“We are looking for future boxing champions of course, including in our female-only classes, but we’re working with mental health charities and disabled groups too.”

The inspiration for the facility comes from Khan’s childhood, as he said: “My best friend Nissar Hussain and I grew up going to Bradford Police Boys boxing club and Alec Allan was a mentor to us, who gave us a home.

“It was like a youth club as much as a boxing one, and I want to get them back in fashion.

“We want to help kids who are falling out of education and work with organisations on preventing that, using sport to help them get back into schooling.

“We’re looking to mould and discipline youngsters into being good community members and just give them a sense of direction in life.”

This venture means a lot to Khan, given his backstory and the involvement of those closest to him.

He said: “I’m just a kid from inner-city Bradford who worked hard, and is now among Hall of Famers from around the world in his weight class, and you wouldn’t have thought that was possible.

“It’s not just Nissar and I working at this academy either.

“There was a group of us growing up, who’ve got about 300 fights between us, in myself, Nissar, Oulfath Hussain, Shaun Doherty, Jamil Hussain and Zahoor Khuddamee.

Oulfath Hussain, Nissar Hussain, Shaun Doherty, Tasif Khan, Jamil Hussain and Zahoor Khuddamee (from left to right) have all come together to try and make this academy a success. (Image: UGC.)

“They all make up a great A team at the Academy and we’ll be teaching the same morals we were brought up on.”

Plenty of well-known faces will be at tonight’s academy opening, including long-time Leader of Bradford Council Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford MP Imran Hussain, Lord Mayor of Bradford Martin Love, and the founder of the Kashmir Orphans Relief Trust, Mohammed Akhtar.

Sponsors and local businesses will be there too, along with representatives from Impact Hub and the NHS.