Junior welterweight contender Adam Azim said living with ADHD is like having a superpower as a professional boxer but acknowledged his struggles as a child and the diligence required not to burn himself out.
Azim (11-0, 8 KOs) faces English rival Ohara Davies for the European title at the Copper Box Arena in London, as he targets staying on course to challenge for a world title shot next year. The 22-year-old, who is considered one of the brightest prospects from the United Kingdom, makes a second European title defence against Davies (25-3, 18 KOs). Since he turned professional in December 2020, Azim has shown that he can fight at the very top level.
However, Azim is also different from your average boxer in another way.
October is annual awareness month about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a “developmental disorder marked by persistent symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that interfere with functioning or development,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Symptoms typically begin in childhood and can impact relationships as well as the ability to perform in school or at work.
Azim is always happy to talk about the condition, which he believes is integral to his success in boxing as long as his energy can be managed and channeled effectively.
“My ADHD is like a superpower for me because I can do any sort of activity I want and put a lot of energy into it,” Azim told ESPN. “I’ve always had a lot of energy to get up and box at any time of the day. The first thing I do when I get out of bed in the morning is start to shadow box. I could get up in the middle of the night and do a 10 km run or punch the bag. I’m all energy, ADHD keeps me going, keeps me training and focused on boxing, because I can’t sit still.
“My dad [Az] and trainer [Shane McGuigan] are always telling me I’m doing too much and I need to hold it down. Barry McGuigan [former featherweight world champion, and father of Shane] told me he had a lot of energy when he was a fighter and said he would burn himself out. So I’ve been trying to be smart about it and not over do it.”
If it wasn’t for ADHD, Azim might not be a boxer as he took up the sport on the advice of doctors.
“As a kid I was in A&E [hospital] numerous times because of my ADHD,” Azim said. “One time I fell out of a tree, another time I jumped out of a window because I thought I was Spiderman. So I’ve got a few cracks and scars but not from boxing but because I was falling over loads.
“The doctors said I needed to channel my energy, get a sport, so I tried cricket to begin with. I liked the batting and bowling but I didn’t like the fielding, standing around. I wasn’t the greatest at football, but then I tried boxing and I threw all my energy at it.
“Growing up, my dad took me out of school because I was messing about too much, I couldn’t concentrate in class, and I was home-schooled after that, and it was good, it worked for me.
“I talk about ADHD to bring awareness to ADHD and people can look at how boxing has helped me, and I want to help other people with ADHD by talking about my experiences. ADHD doesn’t have to be a bad thing to have, you can use it to do good things, it is energy you can use to do something and achieve something. It doesn’t have to be boxing that they can do, it can be anything.”
Azim, who is from Slough just west of London, trains at the same gym as the likes of WBO cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith, IBF women’s junior featherweight world champion Ellie Scotney, WBC women’s interim lightweight titlist Caroline Dubois and Adam’s brother Hassan, who is a year older than Azim and 7-0 as a professional.
Azim aims to follow in the footsteps of former junior welterweight world champion Amir Khan (now retired), who like him is from British-Pakistani origin.
Azim is still some way off a world title shot and Davies, 32, from east London, is potentially his hardest fight yet. Davies needs a strong performance to revive his career after a first round stoppage loss to Ismael Barroso in Las Vegas in January.
“I’m 22 years old now and I feel I need to step up and target the world champions,” Azim said. “I have to be on my game because Ohara Davies has fought at a good level for a while and these are the type of fights I need at this stage of my career.
“But fighting Ohara is a bit of a weird one. I’ve known Ohara for years, I was a kid when I first met him, probably aged nine and it’s sad I have to fight him, but that’s boxing.”
To learn more about ADHD and ADHD Awareness Month, visit https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/.