BRADFORD boxer Harris Akbar is having a more exciting January than most, given he is currently out at a training camp in Italy.

But the European gold medallist still holds his home city close to his heart, and is set to attend the Bradford Sports Awards in March.

He is up for Sportsman of the Year, alongside fellow boxer Tasif Khan, and other stellar names in Masters darts champion Joe Cullen, T20 World Cup winners Adil Rashid and Harry Brook, as well as superstar cyclist, and reigning UCI Elite World Champion, Jack Carthy.

Discussing his nomination, largely built on him winning light-middleweight gold at the European Amateur Boxing Championships in Armenia last May, Khan told the T&A: “Of course I’m proud.

“It all starts in your home town or city, your sporting journey, and Bradford is where everything happened first for me.

“Knowing I’m up against names like that for the award in March too is incredible.

“I’m hoping to attend the event on the night if I can.”

Awards ceremonies have become commonplace for Akbar over the last few months in truth.

He recalled: “I was named GB Boxer of the Year at an event in Sheffield at the start of December.

“There were so many amateur champions that had been nominated so to be recognised as the best of all of them was unbelievable.

“I was also at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards a few weeks later.

“There were so many celebrities there and obviously I was on the red carpet and all that kind of thing.

“It was great exposure for me.”

Akbar has not exactly had a quiet start to 2023 either, explaining; “I’m in Italy for a training camp now but I’m coming back on Friday (today) and then I’ve got another one out in the USA that starts on Monday.

“It’s mainly just about building my fitness up for now for what’s going to be a big year.

“The two main things I have to focus on in 2023 are the World Boxing Championships, which I believe are in May (May 1-14 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan), and then the Olympic qualifiers for Paris 2024, which are at the European Games in June (June 21-July 2 in Krakow, Poland).”

Bradford star Akbar will be hoping to build on a stellar 2022 with success in those two events.

He reflected: “It was my best year in boxing, 2022, but I actually got off to a bad start.

“I had four fights early on and won three, but lost one which I was really disappointed with.

“But then there was the European gold in May, winning GB Boxer of the Year and that TV exposure.

“When you look at all that, you’d have to say it was my best year in the sport.”