A BOXER has teamed up with a Bolton clothing brand in his first sponsorship to represent his hometown in the ring and beyond.

Ali Akbar Javid, an amateur boxer from the borough, can’t wait to get back in the ring with shorts made for him by Bark Street based fashion house Zanouchi.

With the classic t-shirts, tracksuits, joggers, hoodies and sweatshirts, all with the Zanouchi logo, Ali himself thinks this is the perfect style of clothing for his everyday wear.

Ali said: “I’ve always been a tracksuit kind of guy, so when I saw the clothing line, I knew it would suit me and keep me looking fresh and if you look good, you feel good.”

“I post on my socials a lot, so that’s how they got in touch with me, and they’re going to get me my shorts for my next fight, so I thought it was a good partnership.

“It’s hard to find good sponsors and this is my first one, so I’m happy to have them on board.”

Zanouchi’s founder, Bill Akram, can’t wait to pair the staple pieces of the brand to local sporting talent, finding the perfect candidate in the 19-year-old boxer.

Bill said: “Sponsoring fresh sporting talent in the local area aligns with our brand ethos of young people making a statement, whatever their background.

“Athletes know what clothing works and what clothing doesn’t work when training or competing, and Zanouchi offers styles that deliver an edge.”

Ali, eight times North West regional champion, moved from Bury Amateur Boxing Club to Jennings Gym for training.

He got into boxing aged just eight, watching his brothers, Nasser, Yasir, Amir and Jaffer, in the ring as his inspiration.

He said: “All of my brothers got to a good level but just stopped after a while, so I’m the only one that stuck to it, but they always told me to not make the same mistakes. That support is really important to me because without my dad and I wouldn’t be boxing today, he’s really helped me.”

After winning his first national title, of which he now has three, Ali got the bug and 40 fights later, is the last guy everybody wants to fight.

He added: “I just thought I’m decent at this and now I spar pros and I can hold my own, so I know this is the career for me.”