“Why don’t they play football? This is a sport where you get hit and hurt. The way some of them go on like they’re real fighters! They’re not real fighters!”
Alex Dilmaghani is not a fan of ‘crossover’ boxing. He is sat in the office at FOX ABC, a gym housed at the back of AVRO FC, a non-league football club in England’s ninth tier located a couple of miles south of Oldham town centre.
“It should bother every boxing fan – gimmicks like YouTubers,” he continues. “This [boxing] is not a new sport. When people say YouTubers bring more fans to the sport? No, they really don’t. However, one thing that I do believe, if you had a YouTube main event that brings enough revenue to pay proper fighters good money, then of course, stack the card.
“Get a YouTuber on, sell loads of tickets, pay-per-view buys and what have you, then bring real fighters in and have the good fights. But it’s not working like that, it’s all YouTube cards, so what is the point? Bringing in new fans? No, they’re bringing in the wrong type of fans. It is what it is. The world has changed so much in the last five years”
Just as he is not afraid to make sacrifices and take chances, Dilmaghani is not afraid to speak his mind. A law graduate and a thinker, the Surrey man has once again taken himself out of his comfort zone, to new surroundings and a new place of work.
The main room at the FOX is square, with a ring at one end, equipment and weights down the sides and an array of bags hanging from a steel frame in the middle. Recently refurbed, it smells clean, the equipment still shiny. It is a safe haven for kids off the surrounding Limeside estate – for young boxers, those in need of alternative schooling and other community programmes – it is also the place where head coach Anthony ‘Million Dollar’ Crolla trains his professionals.
Before settling into the black leather sofa in the office just off the main room, Alex (20-2-1) finished his session with a few rounds of pads with the former WBA lightweight champion. The pair have been together for a while, albeit for just one fight to date, a points win over Victor Julio (16-3) in Denmark last April.
“I’ve always liked Ant,” says Alex. “Sometimes, you shouldn’t believe what you hear and read, however everything everyone hears about Anthony Crolla is true. He’s such a nice, good guy. That’s number one, but number two, he knows boxing.
“I’m very much a student of the game and I know it’s slightly arrogant, but I feel my knowledge is extremely high. But Ant’s is extremely high too, so we bounce off each other. We work with each other, so it’s just great to have a guy in the corner who’s been there, done it, had his cuts, had his bruises, but not only that, it’s a guy I get along with as well. That guy is my man. He’s a great friend and a really top, top guy.”
The link-up came after Dilmighani suffered a dramatic 12th round stoppage at the hands of Frenchman Samir Ziani in a challenge for the latter’s European super featherweight title in a behind-closed-doors fight in September 2020.
“He [Crolla] messaged me after my fight and was like, ‘how are you doing?’ And ‘why don’t you come up?’ So, I came up. We gel. Not only in the gym but we gel outside of the gym. We speak to each other regularly. It’s great.
“He has been there from grassroots. He’s got a very good brain. The way he breaks down fighters, analyses them, it’s experience. People don’t realise there’s so many intangibles in boxing that are forgotten about if you haven’t experienced it. It’s a cliché to say you have to have been in the ring to know boxing. No, I disagree with that. You don’t. However, being in the ring at a certain level helps because you’ve experienced it. He’s a great trainer and I really do believe as the years progress, he’s going to go down as one of the best from this country.”
The pair will soon have the chance to test their partnership when Dilmaghani takes on unbeaten Liam Dillon (12-0-1) for the vacant super featherweight British title at York Hall on February 24. It’s an opportunity that the 31-year old southpaw feels is long overdue.
“I’m particularly pissed-off to be honest,” he says with a shake of the head. “How I’m a very exciting fighter, I’ll fight anyone, and I should be a lot more active. I’ve had certain fighters duck me and stuff like that, but I should be on TV regularly because, no disrespect to a lot of fighters, they’re not as exciting as me and they don’t bring it as much.
“Especially now, with the cost-of-living crisis, people buy tickets for fights and people tune in after working a hard day, and they should be entertained. I feel like I’m an exciting fighter and I should be on tv regularly.
“In Britain, there’s a lot of world class featherweights, and I think I’m the best one. I’m a world class fighter, I’ve proven that. However, this British title, it’s a fight. I don’t care who it is, it’s difficult to get fights. This guy [Dillon], for the vacant title, it’s incentive for someone to fight me. Which is good.
“He’s game, he’s tough, comes forward. Nothing I haven’t seen before. Not being arrogant, but I’ve fought many times in Mexico, trained there and I’m used to aggressive fighters. He’s going to fight with everything, but I’ve got him beat in every area and I’m going to prove that. It’s going to be exciting and I’m really looking forward to it.
“After that fight in Denmark, I’ve had four fight cancellations. I’ve just been preparing, improving and I live the life. I eat healthy, I study, and I learn. I love boxing. Don’t get me wrong, I hate boxing too! I don’t love the sacrifice of dieting and all the politics, but I do love boxing.”
That love of boxing has resulted in one of the more unusual pathways for a British fighter. Shortly after gaining his law degree, Dilmaghani decided to go on the road in search of a masters in boxing. Inspired by Mexican legends like Barrera and Morales, he set out for the Romanza Gym in Mexico City with just a pocket full of pesos and a head full of dreams.
Welcomed into the fold by esteemed trainer Nacho Beristáin, it wasn’t long before ‘El Inglés’ was sparring multi-world champion Juan Manuel Marquez and settling into a completely different environment.
“People here in this country say, ‘I’ve got it tough.’ No, no. You’ve got it easy compared to a lot of people in other countries. I’ve seen people beg with no legs, kids that are real poor. I’ve lived in ghettos where people get shot a couple of doors down.
“I learned the language, I met people who are like family, great times there. However, it is about sometimes having an old-school mentality. Some people protect the ‘0’ too much and I think it’s too political. Times change, so maybe they’ll change back again, who knows?
“Boxing is still a sport where you win and you lose. Some people fear losses too much – protect, protect, protect. In Mexico, when they pick up losses, they’re fighting guys who are good. That’s how you get better. Of course an undefeated record is lovely – Floyd Mayweather 50-0 – but one, he’s a special boxer, and two, he knows the business of boxing, picking fights at the right time.”
After four fights and four wins on Mexican soil, Dilmaghani enjoyed an unbeaten seven-fight run in Canada. Have kitbag, will travel. It’s been an interesting ride for the man born in Redhill to an Iranian father and English mother.
“I like to see myself as a world citizen. I think the world is too segregated, people are always labelling or separating themselves with country, class or religion. We’re all people. If you’re a good person, you’re a good person, if you’re bad, you’re bad. My mentality? I lost my father when I was very young, had a very tough single mum who was widowed and raised me and my brother. I’ve been through quite a lot but I’ve been brought up mentally tough.
“I don’t believe in any of this ‘nationality,’ I don’t really care where you’re born, it doesn’t make you a certain mentality. Of course I’m very proud of my Iranian roots, British roots, whatever, however I am who I am. I embrace the Mexican in me because I’ve got people out there who are like family.
“My mum and my brother are blood family and other than them, the Mexican family that I speak of are like family as well. Although I’m still young, I’ve experienced a lot and have the blessing of a lot of great people in my life. I’ve got a unique mindset, even in the way I look at religion. I’m religious, but I don’t assign myself to any religion. That may seem quite funny, but I always think as long as you’re a good person, I believe in God, but I believe what I believe. It’s about having your own unique mindset in life.”
For the foreseeable future, the cosmopolitan city of Manchester will be home for Alex Dilmaghani as he prepares for an assault on his weight division.
“I like Manchester. I’m still going to go to and from Mexico because I love Mexico and the way of life. But this is my base, it’s where I’m going to be fighting mostly and as my record suggests, I don’t mind fighting anywhere.
“Manchester’s a great city, family are in the UK. What people don’t understand about living abroad, is if something were to happen, it’s one thing jumping in the car and going there in four or five hours, it’s another thing booking a plane, waiting a day for the flight to come – it’s a lot of bother.
“Manchester is my favourite city in England. I feel really at home here and I’ve got friends for life here already. I don’t like the rain, but you can’t have it all, it’s the Ying and the Yang!”
With that, Dilmaghani flashes a smile, gets up from the sofa and leaves the office to head home for a rest before another session later in the day. As he leaves, his trainer walks in, drops his pads and plonks himself down on a chair next to a table. Anthony Crolla has a growing stable of fighters with Rhiannon Dixon, James Moorcroft, Jake James, Bobby Faulkner and Sahir Iqbal training alongside Alex Dilmaghani.
“I have a good mix of fighters here now and each has their own qualities. With Alex, the only trouble is holding him back, not wanting him to do too much. He would run through a wall if you told him too, but you’ve got to be smart with him. He is so dedicated that sometimes he just needs to be told to take a bit of a break.
“He’s never in a bad fight. I believe if he gets this British title, then it’s the old saying that once you’ve got a title, you’re always in work, then fighters have to come to him. Alex is not at the top of anyone’s list – he’s high risk, but you don’t get the reward. Now, he wins this title then he’s got the reward that comes with the high risk.
“He’s a clever lad, he’s educated, he could’ve taken an easier route in life, but he just likes to fight. The way he took himself off to Mexico, making incredible sacrifices, just shows you what kind of man he is. A lot of people would think he’s mad doing what he did, but it just highlights his determination to learn, improve and achieve his dream of ruling the world.”
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
