Slough-based boxer shortlisted for 21st Asian Achievers Awards

A Slough-based professional boxer has been shortlisted in a category at the 21st Asian Achievers Awards.

Record-holding boxer Hamzah Sheeraz has been shortlisted in the Sports Personality of the Year category at the awards, which celebrate British Asian achievement across a range of fields.

Almost 700 people, including senior ministers, celebrities, influencers, and global stars are expected to attend the awards ceremony which will take place on Friday, September 15 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Hamzah was eight years old when he was first directed to the gym by his uncle and took part in his first bout at the age of 12.

Both his grandfather and uncle were boxers, with the latter securing 10 national amateur titles for the Slough and Pinewood Star Clubs.

Hamzah then went on to become a three-time finalist at the National Junior Championships.

But he became ‘disillusioned’ with boxing after being overlooked for the Commonwealth Youth Games and took a year away to focus on an electrician’s apprenticeship.

Having a meeting with Lenny Butcher, his then-trainer, led Hamzah to come back and try out as a professional.

Hamzah, who has held the WBO European light-middleweight title since 2019, is now signed by Hall of Fame boxing promoter Frank Warren.

He is a WBC Silver Middleweight Champion, having successfully beaten Francisco Emanuel Torres with a fifth-round TKO in July 2022.

The awards feature more than 500 nominations which have been received across all categories, including Business Person of the Year, Arts and Culture, Community Service, Lifetime Achievement Award, Entrepreneur of the Year, Media, Professional of the Year, Sports Personality of the Year, Uniformed and Civil Service, and Woman of the Year.

Judges were selected to represent a wide cross-section of society from public services, entrepreneurship, business, charity and politics.

Alongside Hamzah, a host of other accomplished names have also been shortlisted for the Sports Personality of the Year award.

These include Anwar Uddin MBE, the first British-Bangladeshi player in the history of professional English football, Bhupinder Singh Gill, the first Sikh-Punjabi and South Asian referee to officiate in a game in the Premier League, and all-rounder cricketer Naomi Dilip Dattani.

Liji George, commercial director, Asian Achievers Awards, said: “We see in the shortlist that the Awards represent the best and brightest in South Asian excellence across the country.

“We have community leaders, innovators and job creators that have added to the social, cultural and business fabric of the UK. Congratulations to all the shortlist and best of luck for the Awards.”

The awards are organised by global advisory firm EPG, supported by Market Financial Solutions (MFS), Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar, Axiom DWFM and others.

Actor and EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra will be hosting the event, alongside his co-host Pakistani actress and model Ainy Jaffri Rahman.

Funds upwards of £150,000 are expected to be raised for charity partner One Kind Act on the night of the event.

Tickets can be found at: www.asianachieversawards.com