Dave Coldwell has bolstered his management stable today as Yorkshire star, Atif Shafiq, has decided to put his faith in the Rotherham-based trainer/manager.
Shafiq, once considered one of British boxing’s most exciting prospects, has not fought since March last year when he looked back to his devastating best when stopping Lee Appleyard in five one-sided rounds.
With Coldwell now pulling the strings behind the scenes to navigate his latest charge into title contention, Shafiq has no doubts that his new manager can deliver some big nights for him.
“Dave is someone who I’ve always been cool with and I’ve had the pleasure of fighting on his shows when he was putting on a load of events in Rotherham and Sheffield just a few years ago.
“I’ve always been grateful for those early opportunities that he provided for me so I don’t think there’ll be any problems whatsoever with him managing me and getting me the right fights.
“Obviously I’ve been out for a long time, but I know deep down there’s a lot left inside me and as long as I get the chance to prove it, I’m confident that I can achieve a lot in this sport as long as there are opportunities, and I trust Dave to do that for me.”
Shafiq added, “2019 has got to be a British lightweight title shot for me. That’s the one belt I want most and I have to be fighting for it this year. Ideally, I’d need one or two more fights before I get to that point, but if I can get a British title shot and have enough notice then I know I’m able to go in there and get a result.
“For now, I just want to stay busy and keep building myself back up and I think I’ll be good to go for titles in about two fights time. 2019 is a really big year for me.”
