Khalid YAFAI

Born in Birmingham to parents who had emigrated from Yemen, Khalid Saeed Yafai was inspired to box by the career of fellow Anglo-Yemeni Naseem Hamed, the former world professional featherweight champion. In 2005 he won the world cadet (under 17) light-flyweight championships, the first English champion at this level, and was a silver medallist at the equivalent European championship. One of the youngest British national (ABA) champions at the age of seventeen in 2006 he reached the quarter-final of the World Junior Championships the same year. In 2007 he was runner-up in the European Junior Championship and made his senior championship debut when he reached the 2nd round of the World Championships in Chicago.