Shabaz proves he can deliver knockout blow

The 25-year-old entered Friday’s bout with Louis Norman as the clear favourite as he hoped to keep his undefeated record intact.

Some swift hooks to the body and powerful straight lefts saw Masoud drop Norman four times, before the referee waved off the super-bantamweight contest.

Ahead of the fight the ‘Maverick’ had only stopped one other opponent, but as he took his tally to 8-0 and added another TKO to his highlight reel, he is now aiming to showcase his power more often.

“I’m really pleased, it’s been 16 months out of the ring and I’ve been training throughout, so it was good to get back in there,” he told the Shropshire Star.

“I thought I might be a bit rusty but once the nerves settled in the fight it was nice and easy. I went out in the first round to see what he was going to do and as soon as I noticed that he kept hesitating to throw, I knew I could go for it.

“I kept switching up the attacks, he didn’t know where it was coming from, and I got him out of there.

“We worked on the left hand straight down the line and the attacks to the body, it opened his hands up and it came off.

“I could have danced around and boxed his head off but now I want to show people that if I want to stick it on you and get you out of there, I can. It’s good to let everyone know that, if I want to go through the gears, I can.

“Sometimes I can box people’s heads off but now I’m in a mode to stick it on people and break them down.”

Masoud, originally from Stoke-on-Trent, learned his trade at Wellington Boxing Academy in Telford with uncle and head trainer Mo Fiaz.

Last June he teamed up with Tyson Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison and is now working daily with elite fighters, including world champion Billy Joe Saunders.

In his first fight since working with Davison, Masoud insists the move has allowed him to improve his game.

He added: “It’s been good working with Ben and a new team, it’s been a lot better for me and I’ve improved a lot more.

“We’ve been working on power and it’s been good. I’m always in contact with my uncle there and he was one of the reasons I teamed up with Ben.

“He was one of the main people that said to me it’s the best move for me, he advised me and it was a very good move that I made. I’m loving it, every day is about learning and getting better. I’m levelling up and developing more as a fighter.”

After 16 months out of the ring during the pandemic Masoud is now aiming for an active 2021.

“It’s looking like end of June or July for my next fight,” he said.

“Ramadan is coming up so I want to spend some time at home and once that’s done I’ll get a date and hopefully look for title. I want to stay active. After that I want to get out in September or October and then again before the end of the year, so I’m looking for three of four fights this year.”