Taken from british boxing
I found Jav to be a true gentlemen and good sportsman. Pity his world title fell throguh against american fogotten his name!
IBO welterweight champion Jawaid Khaliq has fulfilled his ambition of retiring as a reigning world champ.
The thirty-five year-old has decided to hang up his gloves after a proposed defence against Chad Bennett in Australia fell through.
Khaliq has been one of the most popular British fighters of recent years, making seven defences of his IBO title and being awarded an MBE for services to his local community in Nottingham.
But he has decided to quit whilst at the top in order to spend more quality time with wife Shazista, daughters Samia (10) and Alima (6), and sons Saqlaim (7) and Haseed (4).
“I've had a lot of great times in boxing and have achieved much more than I could ever have dreamed of when I came into the sport,” said Jav. “But there comes a time for every professional sportsman when you have to retire and I think this is the perfect opportunity for me to call it quits.
“I've been inactive for a while, mainly due to TV companies cutting back on their coverage of boxing, and I was disappointed when the fight against Bennett fell through.
“But it has always been my ambition to retire with my world title, rather than losing it in the ring, and I've been able to fulfil that dream.
“My wife, Shazista, is delighted that I'll be able to spend more time with her and the kids. They were all really proud of what I achieved in boxing, but, as a family, we all agree it's the right thing to do. I'd like to thank all my friends and family for their support during my career because they were a real inspiration to me.
“I've been a world champ, I've been Asian Sportsman of the Year and I've been awarded an MBE from the Queen – I'd say that's a pretty list of good achievements for an ordinary guy from Nottingham!”
Khaliq, who turned pro in 1997, lost just one of his 25 fights – a controversial points defeat in France in his seventh fight – and lifted the Commonwealth and IBO crowns during a sparkling career.
He enjoyed impressive wins over world-rated opponents such as Sean Sullivan, Willy Wise, Maxim Nesterenko (twice), Ener Julio and, in probably the highlight of his career, he battered South African Jan Bergman to a seventh round defeat in his own backyard.
And Jav paid tribute to manager and promoter Tommy Gilmour for helping guide him to such glory.
He said: “I turned pro when I was 27, which is pretty late on for a boxer, but I couldn't ever have contemplated that I'd have achieved so much.
“My trainer Fidel Castro Smith deserves huge credit, as do Jason Shinfield and Chris Aston, who also helped me a lot, and my cut-man Benny King. But the man who did more than anyone for me was my manager and promoter, Tommy Gilmour.
“Tommy showed real faith in me when others didn't and he was the real guiding light in my career. He didn't only look after me in the ring by giving me the opportunities to fight at such a high level, he also treated me with real respect and class outside the ring.
“I remember when he took me to South Africa to fight Bergman and he flew me out first-class and then put me up in the biggest suite in the hotel. It was amazing, bigger than my house! Not only did Tommy help make me a champion, he made me feel like one – and I'm sure he and I will be good mates for the rest of our lives.”
Ed Levine, President of the IBO, paid tribute to Jav's impact on boxing.
“Jav can be very proud of what he achieved in boxing and certainly the IBO is very proud of what he achieved for the organisation,” said Levine. “He is one of our ‘Super
Champions', having made more than five successful defences, and certainly distinguished himself as one of the best fighters in the world at his weight during his reign.
“He won the IBO's fighter of the year award a couple of years ago, which was a huge achievement considering our other champions at the time included all-time greats such as Roy Jones Jnr and Lennox Lewis.”
Promoter Gilmour added: “Jav has been a real credit to himself and to boxing. He has been an ambassador for the sport, the Asian community and Nottingham as a whole. We had a very close relationship, but that won't change – he knows he can still give me a call at any time.”
Bit of a pity i only posted a few weeks ago what was going down with this guy, always liked Khaliq, but im a bit confused why he has retired, i feel there is plenty of fights out there for him, Young Mutley-Micheal Jennings-Kevin Anderson?? Anyway all the best for him in the future nice guy and a very good boxer. 8)
