Zain back and ready to make a statement

Zain Ali and manager Anthony Manning…the welter fights again in March

ZAIN Ali, the Alum Rock welter with an army of fans, won’t miss 2025.

“I’m very, very, very happy to see the back of it,” said the 27-year-old. “It was a hard year.”

It was a year blighted by the worry of family health problems, the stress of taking over a fast-food business and the first loss of his career.

The only one real ray of light was the birth of Ali’s third son.

Thankfully, 2026 is shaping up to bring much better fortune. The health issues are resolved, his takeaway - Frankie’s Pizzeria in Stechford – is doing well and he and his family have moved into a new home.

What’s more, on March 14 Ali has the chance to put that first loss of his six fight career firmly behind him. On that night he boxes a four rounder on manager Anthony Manning’s Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, show.

By then, it will have been seven months since he was outpointed by Jensen Irving at the same venue. There are reasons for the loss, Ali insists, the most compelling being an ankle injury that severely restricted training.

“I learned something from the loss,” Ali said. “I realised I should listen to myself a little more – you can’t go into a fight half-injured.

“I’m back training, fully fit and ready to fire on all cylinders. I’m looking to make a statement.”

No defeat comes at a good time, but the Irving setback came just as Ali was building a head of steam under his career.

After a faltering start in the paid ranks – he drew his first two contests and flagged in the later rounds, Ali appeared to have discovered the extra discipline needed to succeed. He looked better, fought better, stepped-up to six rounds and won.

Then, in his third fight of 2025, Ali encountered his first setback.

“It was a bitter pill,” he admitted, “but it made me smarter. Now I want to get the momentum back.

“Get this one out of the way, then wait and see what happens. Trust in God and see what we can do.”

Ali has already shown he’s a formidable ticketseller, with a large Alum Rock fanbase. “I’m a promoter’s dream, to be honest,” he said. “I was selling tickets as an amateur, although I realise it’s more of a business now. Selling tickets is not an issue.”

The real issue is juggling his job inside the ring with the long hours required at the takeaway.

“It’s a bit tiring,” he added. “I do my runs at night, train in the mornings. Those are the sacrifices you have to make to create things in this world.”