Shabir in great scrap with so brave Caine

Shabir Haidary…itching to face the best in super-bantam division

SELF-STYLED “Afghan Warrior” Shabir Haidary was forced to go to war at the Excelsior Sporting Club, Cannock, on Thursday night.

At the glitzy establishment’s annual St Andrew’s Night gathering, customers were served haggis and treated to a bagpipes performance.

Haidary, now unbeaten in 11, and Caine Singh served-up very hard action and bruises in one of the best six rounders seen at Scott Murray’s bowtie establishment. Haidary took every round for a 60-54 decision on referee Peter McCormack’s card.

I felt Middlesborough’s Singh deserved a share of one session through sheer grit.

It was too one-sided to be a classic – Gloucester’s Haidary always had the final word. But it was a highly entertaining give-and-take scrap that thoroughly deserved the long applause it received.

On the final bell, the night’s compere announced that, 20 years ago, the tussle would’ve been rewarded with nobbins: loose change once tossed into a ring as a show of appreciation.

I’m from the age of nobbins and disagree. The fights that unleashed a shower of shrapnel always included big sways in fortune. In this one, 27-year-old Haidary, having his first contest in a year, never had to rally from the brink.

It was, however, all action and gripping. Haidary, switch-hitting continuously, really had to work for his win, he couldn’t switch off.

That’s down to the sheer guts and fighting spirit of Singh who never stopped looking to hit back. His career may be following a journeyman’s format, with frequent away corner contest against prospects – he’s got two more before Christmas.

Before the battle…Singh (left) and Shabir

But Singh comes to win and is far better than his 3-8-2 record: he’s a handful. I watched him drag Birmingham’s Josh Rose into a war last December and, before running into Haidary, Caine had won two of his last three.

Afterwards, the 28-year-old told me: “I need to get fitter. He didn’t hurt me, I just wasn’t fit enough. It was a good scrap, the crowd are happy – that’s the main thing.”

As for talented Haidary, a significant step-up is overdue. Manager Jon Pegg has tried to secure the big name fights Shabir craves, but contenders are reticent to risk their reputations against the box-of-tricks. It’s understandable.

Haidary’s reflexes are razor-sharp, he strings together lightning-fast combinations, his footwork makes Strictly Come Dancing’s professionals appear clumsy. He looked very, very impressive.

Is he the “lights out” puncher he proclaims he is? I’m not sure – Singh took some thudding shots without buckling.

Afterwards, Haidary claimed he could’ve stopped Singh, but decided to bank rounds instead:

“He took some heavy shots and he was still in there. I thought I could take him out, then took a step back and thought, ‘let’s enjoy it’.”

Frankly, I don’t buy it. The fact the fight went to points was down to Singh’s belligerence and old-fashioned bottle, not Haidary taking his foot off the pedal.

Haidary craves big fights with the super-bantamweight division’s best and called out red-hot talent Peter McGrail after his Excelsior win.

“If they want to test themselves, come here. I’m waiting for you,” he said. “I can box, but I can also fight. I’m an all-rounder, I’m ready for a big 2026.”

He’s certainly a colourful character, entering the ring in an eye-catching knee-length shaggy woollen coat. It is, Shabir tells me, traditional Afghanistan attire.

It looked as if he’d mugged Huggy Bear on the way to Cannock.

Haidary (8st 12lbs) was too much of an all-rounder for Singh, who was strafed with punches to head and body. Yet Caine never stop trying to land right hands after being tagged. He was intent on raising Cain.

The second was a cracking round, with Haidary landing a series of clubbing orthodox right hands to the head, only for Singh (9st 1lbs) to bulldoze back in the dying seconds.

Now southpaw, Haidary buried right hooks to the body in the third as Singh showed the first signs of fatigue.

With his opponent struggling with the frantic pace, Haidary continued to hack away at Singh’s flanks and detonated a jarring left hook to the head.

He took it and kept attempting to battle back.

Singh looked tired in the final two rounds. He continued to be harpooned by Haidary’s hooks and uppercuts yet tapped into the last reserves of stamina in the sixth and even landed a couple of clubbing rights.

Shabir Haidary is an excellent fighter. Next year we’ll find out if the Afghan Warrior is as good as he says he is.