A talented young boxer tipped for the top has died in a car crash in the West Midlands.
Ali Tazeem, 18, was killed after the car he was travelling in hit a wall in Wolverhampton in the early hours of this morning.
The 18-year-old driver who was with him was also injured, and is in a critical condition in hospital.
Mr Tazeem was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, off Merridale Road in Chapel Ash at around 1.45am.
The Wolverhampton-born teen was part of Walsall’s Pound 4 Pound Boxing Academy and had spent the past week training with Floyd Mayweather Senior.
Mr Tazeem had won 15 international gold medals at amateur level, and had signed a professional contract with Probellum just a few weeks ago.
He had been dubbed the ‘next Amir Khan’ – and had already gained the admiration of the more famous boxer.
After witnessing him in a Bristol Boxing Cup amateur tournament in 2020, Mr Khan said: ‘I definitely think he is the next big thing for sure.
‘I mean, the skillset he has, the movement, everything really reminds me of myself when I was younger and how I used to fight.’
He previously said: ‘He will be the next me and make history.’
Promoter Sam Jones confirmed his death, writing on Twitter: ‘This morning I woke up to the news that @_AliTazeem has passed away at the age of 18, I can’t believe it I can’t even process it properly.
‘We only spoke yesterday talking about how he was going to light up the pro game, all I can think about is Ali and his lovely family.
Ali was a bright talented young man. At 18 years old he had his whole life ahead of him, Ali was a superstar in the making and while boxing is irrelevant, we will make sure Ali’s name will live on for him and his lovely family. Rest easy young champ.’
An eyewitness told how he desperately tried to save him after hearing the crash outside his flat.
Dad-of-two Ali Zinkal, 42, was watching TV when he heard ‘a huge bang’ and then saw the accident.
‘I ran out of my flat in my boxer shorts and went over to the car,’ he said. ‘The driver’s head was moving a bit but the passenger was completely still.
‘He was only a young kid, wearing tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt and was still holding his mobile phone in one hand.
‘At first I was really scared because he looked just like my son who is the same age. It must have been the shock because I really wasn’t sure it wasn’t my son.’
He dialled 999 and woke up his neighbour who turned the car off at the ignition.
‘I begged them to send an ambulance but it took a long time for them to arrive. It was at least 15 minutes.’
‘It is so sad to see a young man’s life end like that. The road is a death trap.’
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said of the two men injured: ‘Our thoughts are with their loved ones and we’ll be offering them support at this terrible time.
‘A cordon remains in place while officers from our serious collision investigation unit carry out enquiries to establish exactly what happened.
‘We’d ask people not to speculate at this stage but for anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible.
‘We’re keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw the red Vauxhall Corsa. We’re particularly keen to secure any dash cam footage.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/w5KiXql
0 Comments