Sajid Abid’s boxing journey has been anything but conventional.
The 16-3 welterweight from Derby, England, had just one amateur bout before turning professional, yet he has managed to build a life not only as a fighter, but increasingly as a respected coach. In February, Abid will stand in the corner of former welterweight champion Sandy Ryan when she challenges Karla Ramos Zamora for the WBC 140lbs title, underlining just how far he has come.
Coaching, however, was never meant to be his primary focus. It was something that evolved gradually – almost accidentally – alongside a career that required juggling far more than just boxing.
“It was something I did on the side,” Abid told BoxingScene. “Just kind of like a little thing here and there, but then I started to really enjoy it. Then I started to expand my client base. Then I started working with professionals. It got to a point where I used to work in a surgery as well. So, I was doing all that.
“I was coaching; I was working in a surgery; I was fighting, and trying to juggle all that when really my heart was set in boxing. So, I got to a point where what ended up happening is I got an opportunity to fight for a title where I was guaranteed a purse. So, I was like, ‘Alright, cool. Worst case scenario, if my coaching doesn’t pick up, I can fall back on that purse’. So, I handed in my notice, left the job, and literally like two weeks after me leaving the job the fight got cancelled. So, I’m still thinking, ‘Ah shit, where did I go here?’ So, I kind of just kept on with the coaching. I was definitely not running back with my tail between my legs. And then, next thing you know, I’ve got myself in a position where I can do it full-time.”
Abid had always imagined that coaching would come later, once his own fighting days were over. But his profession rarely follows neat timelines, and an unexpected opportunity to work with Ryan forced him to reconsider.
“I do my strength and conditioning with a really good trainer in Derby, and alongside this MMA fighter, Ammari Diedrick, we worked together,” Abid recalled. “I said to him, ‘Look, if you ever need help with your boxing, give me a shout’. So, we did a bit of pad work here and there, and posted it online. Sandy saw it, and because obviously she’s from Derby as well, messaged me saying, ‘I need to do a little bit of pad work to kind of get me back into things’. I'm like, ‘Yeah, sure, come down’. And literally the next day she was like, ‘Look, I like the way you work. I want you to coach me’. I was taken aback by that a bit, because she’s world champion, and actually thinks I'm good enough to coach her.”
While the professional opportunities have been significant, it is the day-to-day impact of coaching, particularly on those outside the spotlight, that Abid finds most rewarding.
“I love my sleep, but coaching is the only thing that gets me out of bed at 4am in the morning to go and travel 45 minutes to the gym to then teach someone,” he said. “I really enjoy it. When I start seeing someone where they first started and then look at a gradual progression. That’s what it’s about. And not just seeing them physically progress as a boxer, but the wonderful thing about boxing, right, is the way it changes you as a person as well.
“You develop so much confidence and not just that, the discipline in it is just, it’s ridiculous. For example, I’ve got this lad, his name’s Fetchy. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me saying it, but he has autism. And the way he was, how can I put it? He was eating what he wants; sleeping when he wants; doing whatever he wants. The moment boxing clicked with him, this kid was, he was eating well, sleeping well, training like a motherfucker, right? To the point where his family were like, ‘Mate, he’s like a changed man’. And it’s that side of boxing that I love as well.”
Despite his growing reputation as a coach, Abid insists his own ambitions as a fighter remain very much alive. Aged only 31, and fresh off a points win over Owen Durnan in December, he is targeting silverware before eventually stepping away from competition.
“If someone says to me, ‘Saj, you’re fine for a title’ – which title?” he joked. “I don’t care. Just give me that shining belt, man. I’m going to go to the local kebab shop and be like, ‘By the way, I’m a champion’. I’m in a position now where I don’t have that pressure on me where I feel like I have to fucking do X, Y and Z. I’m just enjoying the process. And you know what they say, when you have a happy fighter, you have a dangerous fighter.”
