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Qais won't rest until he is Britain's best
Dubbed in some quarters as the next Amir Khan – Leeds teenage boxing ace Qais Ashfaq could feasibly feel somewhat under pressure.
But it's actually quite the opposite, with Ashfaq aiming to be even better than Great Britain's lightweight champion.
Ashfaq, 16, was hailed as "the next Amir Khan" by his bout referee following his second Golden Gloves success in April 2007.
Two years on, the teen sensation is approaching his first Junior ABAs, which begin in Havercroft this weekend, hoping victory in the national tournament will place him well on the road to the London Olympics of 2012.
Big things are expected of the Holt Park ringmaster who now trains at Burmantofts following the closure of Bateson's Burley Hill Amateur Boxing Club.
Asked how he handles being compared to Khan, Ashfaq certainly reveals a similar confidence to the Bolton-born superstar.
"That makes me feel good – as he's a really good boxer – but I want to be better than him," said Ashfaq who, despite his huge self-belief, does not come across as arrogant.
"I don't feel any pressure because I know as long as I keep training and keep working hard I will do well.
"When I say things like that about Amir Khan most people want to see me box – they know Khan is a good boxer and they want to see me fight.
"I box a bit like him to be honest but a bit more like when he was an amateur.
"Hopefully, I can box for Great Britain in the Olympics, bring back a gold medal, turn pro and then get a world title! Who knows?
"London 2012 is what's on my mind. I'm already boxing for England so if I can keep boxing for England and get noticed by the international team then, hopefully, I'll get picked for the GB team and then take it from there."
Ashfaq, who was previously based in Burley, has come a long way since introduced to the sport as a 10-year-old through the success of his cousin, Leeds boxer Adnan Khan.
The local fighter has just returned from an international boxing match in Poland where he represented England, defeating Poland's Kazimierz Legowski in the 52kg division.
Now brimming with confidence and self-assurance, it was a different story back in 2003.
"My cousin is a boxer as well, but I never really went to watch him at first," said Ashfaq "When I heard about him fighting I got interested and my uncle, his dad, took me to the gym one day and I loved it!
"At first, I just went to the gym and then I was training with (coach) Martin (Bateson) on pads – that was my first experience of punching and then I started sparring.
"When you're sparring at first you're a bit nervous because you're thinking you might get hit but you get used to it after a while!
"My first fight I thought I boxed really well to be honest. I kept my range, I kept my composure and I won.
"About my sixth fight I started feeling comfortable in the ring when I was boxing and then I started doing other things in the ring and trying new things.
"That's how you start to progress when you do new things and they work for you."
Ashfaq has also learned how to balance his boxing career and education at Prince Henry's Grammar School in Otley.
Training five times a week, including three week nights, means he has a busy schedule but he also acknowledges the importance of not putting his academic interests on the backburner.
Ashfaq is aware early comparisons with Khan do not guarantee success and the youngster is determined to succeed in his GCSEs this summer as well as his A levels which he plans to take at sixth-form.
The only real imponderable is his selection of art, history and IT at GCSE over studying sport!
"It can get hard at times, but you have to do it, don't you?" said Ashfaq on juggling his schoolwork and boxing.
"I'm always training – I train most nights – but I do my training and then I might just have to stay awake late at night when I get back to do all my work.
"I am staying on at sixth form at school as I didn't do sport for GCSE's, so I'm going to do sport for A levels. I don't know why I didn't do sport to be honest? I just didn't pick it! I chose IT, art and history instead and I probably should have picked it really.
"I am thinking of university as well and I would just like to do something with sport.
"To me, personally, it is all about my sporting future but obviously you've got to think about your education as well. You've got to have something to fall back on."
Right now the only thing on Ashfaq's mind is progression at this weekend's Junior ABA's Yorkshire stages as the young protege tackles the event for the first time following two victories in the national Golden Gloves.
Despite only turning 16 last month, Ashfaq is bubbling with enthusiasm about the challenge ahead and particularly looking forward to meeting probable main rival Adam Fleming, of Manchester's Bridgewater Club, once the ABAs hit the national rounds.
Competing in the 50 to 52kg category for boxers born in 1993, Ashfaq has already handed a beating to the highly-rated Fleming, but insists his rival ain't seen nothing yet.
"I feel alright about it because there was another championships earlier on in the season called the Boy's Clubs," he added. "I beat Fleming in the quarters but I couldn't box on after that, as I had to box in Poland after getting a call-up from England, but the lad I beat went back in and won the competition.
"That was another national championships so the kid I beat I'm going to have to beat again in the ABAs!
"There will be a bit of friendly rivalry there but I've got the other fight on DVD and when I boxed him the first time I didn't box that well.
"If I box my best I can beat him a lot more easily."
Ashfaq also insists he owes much of his success to Burmantofts Amateur Boxing Club and Gym manager Phil Sellers who came to the rescue five months ago when Bateson's ABC shut down.
"I'm very thankful to Phil Sellers in lending us the gym and letting us train there," added Ashfaq. "That was really nice of him and without him we wouldn't have progressed as we wouldn't have had anywhere to train."
Thankfully for Ashfaq the path is now onwards and upwards with the weekend's regional ABAs projected to be one small stepping stone that could ultimately lead to London 2012.
Balancing his education and the small matter of transition from teenager to adulthood, Ashfaq still has many hurdles ahead of him but the exciting prospect is highly upbeat about his future years.
Ashfaq idolises the great Muhammad Ali – like Khan another firm believer in his own ability – and the Leeds teenager's personality is following suit.
"I'm very confident," added Ashfaq.
"I'm training hard, I've got determination and things and I just need to focus on my fights.
"Hopefully, I can perform to the best of my ability and I know if I can box to the best of my ability then I know I can be the best."
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