Eighty-five seconds into our conversation, Shabaz Masoud, the new European super-bantamweight champion from England, follows two opening questions with one of his own: “How did you score it?”
He reveals, by asking the question so early, a degree of curiosity, a dash of uncertainty, and, more than anything, a total grounding in reality. It comes as no surprise, of course, given the close nature of his decision win over Peter McGrail on Saturday, yet hearing him ask for other opinions on the fight – chiefly, it’s scoring – still says a lot about Masoud and his state of mind. After all, most fighters in his shoes would just accept their victory in a close fight and ignore the opinion of outsiders, deeming only the judges’ opinions relevant. Most would close their eyes, stick fingers in their ears, and wail like an infant until all dissenting voices had disappeared.
“I watched it back and the 116-111 [scorecard from Freddy Rafn], I would agree with that,” Masoud says when asked how he scored his unanimous decision win. “I was trying to give rounds to him as well, just to not seem so biased, but that’s the score I ended up with. I know I’m biased, obviously. But I just prefer my kind of style over an aggressive kind of style.”
Often that’s all it comes down to in boxing: preference. It’s what makes boxing such a surprisingly nuanced and complicated sport and also, at times, such a ridiculous one. If not for a knockout – the most decisive way for any sporting event to end – all we have to rely on at the conclusion of a bout are the opinions and, yes, preferences of three human beings every bit as susceptible to bias and distraction as the rest of us.
For fighters, the risk of that is terrifying, hence why so many of them pursue the knockout and seek to maintain total control of their destiny. Yet not every fighter is so blessed, nor is every fight so easy to decide.
“The aim of the game is hit and don’t get hit,” stresses Masoud, now 15-0 (4 KOs) as a pro. “I shouldn’t be reading [online] comments, I know, but I was, and I was seeing people say, ‘All he does is run,’ and stuff like that. But just because I’m making him miss and not standing toe to toe doesn’t mean I’m running scared. I’m a fighter for the purists.”
There is nothing wrong with that, either. In fact, with so much emphasis on whacky fights and quick conclusions these days, there is something rather refreshing about fighters like Masoud in 2025. They demand patience from their audience. They require a certain level of understanding.
That said, when you get two high-level technicians like Masoud and McGrail competing, as was the case in Monte Carlo on Saturday, it is usually a recipe for controversy. With technicians, you see, the margins are finer and the nuance even greater. With technicians, you are having to lean in and really listen.
“Before I walked to the ring, Ben [Davison, trainer] goes, ‘He’s going to have a fast start, just stay relaxed, stay composed, pick up the data, and we’ll take it from there,’” Masoud recalls. “That’s exactly what we did. Because I’m a switch-hitter, and he’s a southpaw, I knew that he wouldn’t enjoy fighting another southpaw. I’ve seen him struggle with other southpaws in the past. I saw him struggle with Marc Leach, for example, and I know he has issues with certain tendencies. Also, I knew that he would be aggressive, because that’s his style. He throws punches in bunches. That’s perfect for me.
“Do you know why I was so proud of this performance? Peter has lost before, right [against Ja’Rico O’Quinn], but he was knocked out by a freak punch in a fight he was easily winning. Nobody has ever outboxed Peter at this level, though. They called him the ‘Scouse Lomachenko’ and he won pretty much everything as an amateur. But, technically, I’m better than him and I’m better than all of them in Britain. I’m very happy about that.”
That feeling of dominance was something Masoud felt during the fight, as well as at the final bell, when he raised both arms ahead of what he believed would be an inevitable victory. He also saw his own perceived dominance on the face of his opponent whenever he glanced his way after the fight.
“Even my corner, before we went into the last round, were telling me to keep safe and suggesting it was in the bag,” says Masoud, 29. “We were very confident. As a fighter, I feel like you know. He knew at the end. I looked at him and I saw that on his face. All those counters he had been running into round after round after round… he knew.
“Last year, when I boxed Liam [Davies], I won that fight on a split. I couldn’t see Liam winning more than two rounds but I had to settle for a split decision. Now that was a robbery. This fight on Saturday was not a robbery.”
Seven minutes into our conversation, Masoud asks another question. This time the question is posed to someone else and pertains to an order of lamb quzi and white rice, in addition to two cups of okra. He is back eating clean again after a couple of days of eating “rubbish”, it seems, and is already itching to secure another fight and capitalise on his momentum.
“I’m very confident in my ability right now,” he says as he waits for his lunch. “I feel like I could beat anyone. I feel like I’ve cleaned up in Britain and I want the biggest possible fights. I want a world title shot. I’d love to fight [Naoya] Inoue and test myself against him, or move up [to featherweight]. I struggle making the weight [super-bantamweight], so I’d love to fight Nick Ball.
“It would be a blessing to mix it with guys like that, especially Inoue. I feel like neither of them have ever fought somebody with my skills and IQ. I look up to Inoue. I watch him all the time. But everyone is beatable. He’s just a man. The key is hit and don’t get hit. I can do that. It’s about being smart as well. I don’t think he’s been in the ring with someone who has my ring intelligence.
“Ball’s a very good fighter and has the kind of style that would suit mine. Also, our styles would gel to make a very good fight. I do think I’ve got the beating of him. He would never be able to outbox me. But if he wants to be aggressive and walk on to shots, he knows what time it would be.”
Whether in victory or defeat, one thing’s for sure: Shabaz Masoud will ask questions.
