Khalid Yafai Desires Nothing but to Become a Multi-weight World Champion
Ex-WBA junior bantamweight champion Khalid Yafai (26-1, 15 KOs) returns to the ring on November 5 as he will face Jerald Paclar (16-5-3, 9 KOs) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in a ten-round contest, live on DAZN. The last time fans saw Yafai in the ring was in February 2020, when he lost the WBA title to Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez by ninth-round stoppage.
After over two years away from the ring, Yafai is back. During an interview with media source iD Boxing, the 33-year-old said it was not the plan to be inactive for so long. He took the time to reassess some personal matters outside of the ring. But he’s refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to continue with his career.
ON A MISSION
But what is the motivation to fight again? When questioned about his decision to return, Yafai’s answer was simple and to the point.
“There’s only one thing really, and that’s to become world champion again. I was a world champion for such a long time, and I was used to being world champion. So, that’s what I want to do again.
I’m not in it for anything else. There’s nothing that does anything for me. Be a multi-weight world champion, and I’ll be happy again, I’ll retire.”
PERFECT TIME TO RETURN?
This comeback comes at an interesting moment for the resident of Birmingham, England. Yafai was a world champion at 115. But in his last few fights as a champion, many British pundits expected he was having issues making weight. His upcoming fight is taking place at junior featherweight. The question begs: what weight class does Yafai plan on campaigning in moving forward?
He says time will tell, but there seems to be a consensus from British boxing observers that his future is at 118. If unified bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue defeats WBO champion Paul Butler on December 3 to become the undisputed champ, Inoue is expected to vacate the titles and move up to 122. It would create an opening Yafai is looking for to work his way to fight for a potential vacant bantamweight belt.
That potential scenario is down the road. For Yafai, step one to returning to the top begins in Dubai on November 5 and taking care of business against Paclar.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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