BRADFORD lightweight Mohammed Subhaan believes his faith is the key to his success in boxing, as he begins his month-long fast for Ramadan.

Subhaan picked up his third win in three professional fights on Saturday, beating Karl Sampson (5-18) impressively on points in Doncaster.

It rounded off a successful six months for the 22-year-old, as he backed up his previous victories over Lee Connelly in September and Simas Volosinas in November.

The proud British Muslim completed his usual tradition of praying before entering the ring at the weekend, and he has no worries about being able to combine his sport and his faith over the next month, with today marking the first day of his month-long fast.

Subhaan said: "For me, observing Ramadan is compulsory, it's not a choice.

"I would never use it as an excuse (for a drop off in performance) because it's a good test of my strength.

"I would have prepared in exactly the same way for my fight against Karl, other than my eating schedule, if it had been in two or three weeks as opposed to last Saturday.

"I use Ramadan as a way to get the best out of myself, as not eating all day shows who I am.

"It can be difficult, because my training is still intense during Ramadan, but I just make sure I fuel up in the night.

"It is hard, but you have to be resilient and not use it as an excuse."

He added: "I get strength from my religion, and I believe all I achieve in boxing comes from my faith.

"I'm very grateful to my family and my god, and I want people to know what I believe in."

Those in attendance on Saturday night in Doncaster would have seen Subhaan's pre-fight prayer, and once in the ring, he produced a highly-impressive performance to beat Sampson.

The Bradfordian said: "I think the fight went really well, as Karl is a good boxer and he's taken a few people's unbeaten records in the past.

"I wanted to go out there and make an impression by not just winning, but winning in style.

"I think it was my best win yet, as I felt I gave a clean and aggressive performance that all the fans at the venue seemed to enjoy."

That victory, which was scored 40-36 in Subhaan's favour over the four rounds by referee Michael Alexander, has made the Bradford fighter confident he can take his professional career to the next level.

Asked what his aims are in the ring over the next six months or so, the youngster said: "I want my next fight to be over six rounds instead of four.

"I believe I'm past the stage of having four-round bouts, as I now feel comfortable in the ring.

"I want more exposure too for my career, so I'm pretty much willing to fight anybody.

"The better my next opponent is, the more I can challenge myself, that's the way I see it."