IT IS only a few minutes before Iftar when Adam Azim sits down at a Lebanese restaurant a few hundred yards from the hustle and bustle of London’s Oxford Street to discuss his plan for the rest of 2025.

Despite not having a date in the calendar, the 23-year-old is already close to his 140lb fighting weight after mastering his training during Ramadan.

And, far from dialing down his training during the Holy Month, Azim believes he has prepared himself perfectly for a July ring return.

“I've been training while I'm fasting,” Azim tells The Ring. “ We had tried training later in the day just before breaking fast but I just feel like I prefer to train in the morning at around 10 or 11am.

“Obviously that means I can't eat or drink until after 6pm which means I can’t have anything during the sessions or straight after. But, to be fair, I just push through it. It might hurt but there's a quote that Muhammad Ali said: ‘if it hurts, it means it's working’.

“I just make sure I fuel up with a lot of carbs at suhoor time so that I know I can train hard during the day. For instance last night that was at around 4am so I got up at 3:30am - got some food, fluid and electrolytes on board. Then I sleep and get up around 9am before training with Shane at 11.

“Many people say they gain weight because they eat loads when they break their fast. But it actually helps me I think and I seem to lose body fat during this time and it’s a good way to detoxify your body. It’s also very good for your mental strength.”

The Assassin has shown no lack of that so far on his reasonably serene rise to 13-0 with 10 quick. His most recent outing, against former world champion Sergey Lipinets in February, had been billed as an acid test for the youngster. If it was, he passed it with flying colours thanks to a punch-perfect performance which culminated in a ninth-round finish.

That result nudged him inside a sanctioning body top 15 for the first time, with the WBC now placing him at 12. His team are now on the hunt for a viable next opponent as he bids to move closer towards a world title shot he hopes will arrive in the next calendar year.

“I’m aiming for three fights this year,” he adds, as the waiting staff at the Yalla Yalla Lebanese Kitchen begin to deliver plate after plate to Azim’s table in preparation for the feast.

“We had one in February, then next will probably be around July and then we will have the last one in October. That would be a great year for me.

“If that happens then we will be well placed to win a world title in 2026. The plan is still to win numerous world titles, to put my name right up there and be in the top 10 pound-for-pound in the world. That will also include smashing everything up domestically.”

Based on the current rankings, Azim is currently the No.3 at the weight in Britain given Dalton’s Smith’s position as the WBC mandatory challenger while 30-2 (13) Jack Catterall is still at No.4 with the WBC and WBO despite his recent defeat to Arnold Barboza. Meanwhile, the mooted fight with Harlem Eubank looks to have passed Azim by given the Brighton man is now campaigning as a welterweight.

“My time will come with all of those names you mention,” Azim adds. “Harlem Eubank, we’ve offered him the fight numerous times and I feel like he just doesn’t want it. If he does, he knows where my manager is - just give him a call. I know I’ll beat him every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”