Adam Azim targets IBF belt
IBF #5 Adam Azim (14-0, 11 KOs) reveals he is targeting Richardson Hitchins’ IBF super-lightweight title next. However he has a tough test to get through first when he fights dangerous Argentine Gustavo Lemos (30–2, 20 KOs) on Saturday, January 31, at the Copper Box Arena in London, live on BBC2.
The former IBO world super-lightweight champion told The Ring Magazine, “When I do do a demolition job on him [Gustavo Lemos] on 31st of Jan, then it puts me in line for the IBF ranking at no.2, and if Richardson [Hitchins] has still got that belt then I can fight for that belt, I’ll be mandatory for it.
“Like I said, when I do a job on him then it shows, like, ‘look Hitchins, fight me next, take the fight’.”
The unbeaten 23-year-old super-lightweight star then shared his confidence in beating both IBF #9 Lemos and the reigning world champion signed to Matchroom, “Hitchins is not really an aggressive fighter, he’s more of a boxer and that plays into my hands. You know, Lemos, I want to put in a great show in front of everyone on BBC and hopefully I get that fight with Richardson soon.”
Dalton Smith has already been ordered to defend his brand new, shiny green and gold WBC super-lightweight title to mandatory challenger Alberto Puello next.
Smith KO’d fearsome Puerto Rican puncher Subriel Matias in five rounds to win the WBC belt at 140lbs last weekend in New York.
Azim took his hat off to his domestic rival for becoming the UK’s first world champion of 2026, but his praise was tinged with criticism, “Hats off to him for doing that, but it wasn’t broadcast on any of the other, ya know, [major] broadcasters that wanted to have that fight, but I think it’s because he lost the purse bid. If Matchroom had a lot of faith in him, then they should have won the purse bids.
“But look, he’s done the job, makes the fight [with me] bigger, so congratulations to him. One thing with Subriel Matias is that he doesn’t move his head, he relies on his chin a lot, so for him to go do that and and knock him out, it’s a big statement.”
When asked if he would challenge Smith for the WBC, Azim laid out his plans to make their inevitable meeting even bigger, “We can do that, where I can just fight for the WBC world title or if I have the IBF then we can make it a unification fight, then it’s massive showdown, like Scott Quigg vs Carl Frampton.”
If both Brits can get through their next fights with their unbeaten records intact, having both fought in the same month and their careers running in-sync, then an all-British showdown could be a possibility for later in 2026.
Azim vs Lemos full fight details