Diabetic boxer still hopes to compete professionally after two year fight

Boxer Muhammed Ali Zahid

A diabetic boxer has been fighting to compete professionally for over two years.

Rochdale-born Muhammed Ali Zahid, 24, has high hopes to fight professionally after 10 years of boxing, but has run into a number of issues due to having type 1 diabetes, a condition which runs in his family.

Type One diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body is unable to produce insulin, the hormone that controls the amount of sugar in your blood. It requires regular administration of insulin either by injection or by insulin pump.

Current rules by the British Boxing Board of Control, which is reviewing Ali’s case, dictate that boxers with type one diabetes cannot fight professionally, as checking blood sugar levels during a match “would be too disruptive.”

Ali told the BBC: “I feel alienated because I didn’t develop diabetes overnight. I got it through genes.

“I do not need to check my blood sugar levels during a boxing bout. I wil have to check pre and post boxing match.”

Ali added: “I have been fighting for my case for over two years now and I won’t stop until I get my licence.”

In 2015, he revealed plans to turn professional after graduating from Edge Hill University, but is still fighting for the achievement.

http://www.rochdaleonline.org/news-features/4/sport-news/99544/boxer-muhammad-ali-zahid-to-turn-professional

The boxing board is understood to have only received four requests for licenses from diabetic boxers in its history.