It’s the dream of almost every young British boxer to travel to the United States to box against one of America’s biggest boxing stars and one of its most promising boxers, and Junaid Borstan must turn that dream into a reality.
Bostan is a 10-0 (8 KO) junior middleweight prospect who made waves across the pond after getting the chance to travel to the United States to meet with trainer Kai Koroma in Colorado Springs, Colorado. sensation. On the field, the 22-year-old Bostan has the opportunity to share the ring with former 168-pound title holder Caleb Plant and rising star Curmel Moton.
“I had a lot of free time — they wanted me to stay out of trouble,” Bostan told BoxingScene. “So they’d ask, ‘Do you want to go play in America?’ People would die for an opportunity like that, so I went there. I trained with Coach Kay. If there’s one guy who has a very, very strong connection there If anything, it’s Coach Kay who gives me the job I need and it gives you a different experience. [being] leave.
“The culture change is one thing, the way they train is another. The weather, the conditions. I even went to see one [Gervonta Davis] Fighting Frank Martin there. This is an experience in itself. So, overall, it was a good experience – of course, in sparring, you’re just learning.
“Caleb Plant is someone I’ve always looked up to and I was told to watch him grow and pick up the pieces,” Bostan continued. “So to see it live and then handle it yourself, it’s an experience you can’t buy, a story for the grandkids.”
It can be intimidating to face someone you’re used to knocking out on your bedroom screen – but Bostan takes it all in stride. Plant is still considered one of the top super middleweights in the world, but Bostan is not being surpassed in boxing.
“They’re very comfortable,” he said. “They gave me confidence. Of course, they are world-class competitions so it makes you think and makes you have to do certain things and adjust and stuff like that. But that’s what you’re there for and it’s a Great job. If anything, I wish I had more rounds – it was really, really good.”
Bostan found the sparring culture in America to be very different from what he was used to at the Grant Smith Steel City Gym in Sheffield. In the UK, it is considered rude to talk trash to an opponent when trading leather, but Bostan found that Plant and the United States had a different attitude.
“Pre? Top man. Spar period? Doghouse,” he said. “They say bad words and I say bad words. I almost like it. I think it’s a better fit for me there than here. There’s more etiquette here and you have to shut up. Over there, you can say some shit but no one really has your back. .
“Caleb gave me some time afterward, which was nice. It was weird. It was almost like what I was thinking about, what he did. He told me why he did it, what he did, what he was doing How, why he does it, and when he does it and then he’ll explain, if you’re useless at something in the ring, how do you do it outside the ring, through sparring, training and stuff like that. Deal with it. So, really, I know it’s been a good experience.
“Like I said before, I’d love to get back out there. It’s great. I’m 22 years old and I haven’t finished an article yet. I never will, and when you have these opportunities to pick up bits and pieces, you just Will make the most of it, won’t I? So, to be honest, I’m a bit annoying, asking questions constantly, but it shows that I’m passionate about the sport and I really want to learn.”
