Bilal Fawaz claimed the British and Commonwealth super-welterweight titles at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena on Saturday evening, defeating champion Ishmael Davis in a triumph that has prompted calls for the 37-year-old to finally receive British citizenship.
Promoter Eddie Hearn made an impassioned plea following the bout, declaring: "For over 20 years he's lived in this country, representing England in the amateur system, working hard, paying his taxes and never been able to get a British passport, bizarrely."
Hearn continued: "Tonight, he's just won the British title.
"So please, let's just make sure we get this man a British passport for the service he's given to this country as well. It's an incredible, incredible story."
Bilal Fawaz claimed the British and Commonwealth super-welterweight titles at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena on Saturday evening
|REUTERS
The victory represents a remarkable achievement for a man who arrived in Britain as a trafficking victim.
Fawaz's journey to British champion began in the most harrowing circumstances.
At just 14, he was illegally brought to London from Nigeria by his own father, placed with a man he believed to be his uncle.
The conditions amounted to modern slavery. He was confined indoors, denied schooling, and compelled to perform domestic labour whilst being physically abused.
After escaping, the teenager found himself living rough on London's streets. Minor criminal convictions followed, including for cannabis possession and graffiti, which would later complicate his immigration case.
Eddie Hearn demanded that Bilal Fawaz be given a passport
|REUTERS
His situation was rendered even more precarious when Nigerian authorities refused to acknowledge him as a citizen, owing to his parents never having registered his birth.
He was effectively stateless, belonging to no nation.
Despite the turmoil of his personal circumstances, Fawaz flourished in the amateur ranks.
He secured victory in 80 of his 90 contests and earned the honour of captaining the national team, representing England on six occasions.
Yet his Olympic aspirations were cruelly dashed. Without legal permission to work or travel, lucrative professional contracts worth six figures were withdrawn, and his dreams of competing at the Games evaporated.
During this period, he cleaned lavatories at the All Stars gym in Kilburn and coached boxing in exchange for money, food and shelter, supplementing his income through donations.
The breakthrough finally arrived in June 2020 when an immigration lawyer delivered the news that he had secured the right to live and work in Britain. Fawaz turned professional in 2022.
Fawaz's triumph came whilst juggling an extraordinary workload. The father of two maintains four separate occupations: Uber driver, personal trainer, fitness instructor, and professional boxer.
His body tells the story of his turbulent past. He bears a gunshot wound to his leg and numerous knife scars across his midsection, the legacy of being stabbed 25 times during his troubled youth.
Bilal Fawaz juggles four jobs - Uber driver, personal trainer, fitness instructor, and professional boxer
|REUTERS
Speaking before his title challenge, Fawaz reflected onthose dark days: "When I was 17, I had so much fire and I did not know what to do with it.
"I needed guidance, I did not have a mum or dad so I got in trouble."
The All Stars gym in Kilburn proved his salvation. Yet despite now holding the British title, his fight for a passport continues.