Just 16 months ago, Anas El-Abid, a 25-years old middleweight from the small town of Aachen, Germany, decided to become a professional prizefighter.
The move came after a successful stint as an amateur and after a memorable sparring session with German boxing legend and five-time world champion Felix Sturm.
Maurice Weber, head coach of Sturm and a former pro boxer himself, saw the potential in El-Abid and teamed up with him straight away, racking up five wins from August to November 2021.
Now, a year later, Anas El-Abid has a record of eleven wins, no defeats, with three wins coming by way of knockout.
Boxing magazine BoxSport named El-Abid as one of the most promising German prospects in a recent issue – and last Saturday night, El-Abid added fuel to the fire by winning his first title as a professional.
He beat previously unbeaten Jamshid Nooristani by ten-round unanimous decision to capture the vacant IBO Youth World middleweight championship in Darmstadt, Germany.
”It feels great to have won my first title,“ El-Abid said after receiving his shiny IBO belt. “Hopefully, this is just the first of many more. I’ll enjoy the holidays now, but after that, it’s straight back to the gym. The ultimate goal is the World middleweight title, but first things first: I want to become the German number one at 160 pounds next year!“
Boxing record keeper BoxRec currently lists former world champ Vincent Feigenbutz as the nations’ top middleweight – someone Anas El-Abid feels he can defeat despite the difference of in-ring experience.
”I respect what he has done in his career, but it’s a fight I want and a fight I know I can win,“ El-Abid said about a possible showdown with Feigenbutz. ”I hope we can make it happen sometime next year.“
Trainer Maurice Weber, who guides El-Abid’s career alongside managers Ömer Faruk Özkan of the recently founded BODO Mgmt and Bashar Faraj, feels confident about his fighters’ chances to upset Feigenbutz should a fight come to fruition: ”Hands down, I think Anas beats him.
“He needs a couple more rounds, a bit more experience, but his skills are on a higher level already. You have to be respectful of Feigenbutz’ power, of course, but he would get outboxed by Anas. It would be the passing of the torch, so to speak,“ Weber said.
