IBRAHIM Nadim had to abandon his long-awaited return to the ring on Saturday night.

But the Keighley native hopes to be back in action as soon as the end of the month.

After winning his first nine professional bouts, the Ricky Hatton trained youngster suffered a setback with a maiden defeat to Tinko Banabakov in March.

The featherweight was pencilled in to take on the experienced Nicaraguan Cristian Narvaez (17-65-7), who instead took on and lost to Bradford’s Mohammed Subhaan (4-0) on points in Rotherham.

Another Bradford boxer, Tauseef Suleman (4-0), was on the Oldham card, edging out Stefan Vincent on points.

Nadim should have been fighting alongside Suleman, but was left to lament what might have been, telling the Keighley News: “I wasn’t well last week.

“I had a migraine, a sore throat, was aching, and it only got worse as the week went on.

“I’ve felt ill since last Tuesday, and by Thursday night I was worse, so I decided to pull out then.

“I just felt it wasn’t the best idea to go ahead with the bout while I felt that way, as I would have been in pain in during the fight.

“There was nothing I could do about it really, and while I’m feeling a bit better, I’m still not 100 per cent.”

Nadim is keen for that swift return, mainly to get back on the winning trail.

He said: “I was looking forward to the fight, as I felt I needed to get back out there.

“I don’t mind who comes next, I just need an opponent as I’ve been inactive for a while, so I want to get rid of that ring rust.

“I’m hopeful of a rematch with Tinko at some point, but regardless I’m looking at another fight by the end of the month.

“I’m in shape and my fight fitness is up there because of the training I put in for Saturday, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get back to it.”

Otherwise, Nadim is feeling positive about his progress in the boxing world, with plenty of time on his side at the age of 24.

Reflecting on training with Hatton and his team, the Keighley native said: “I feel like I’m growing as a boxer.

“I’m picking up new things and it’s true what they say, you never stop learning every single day.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Ibrahim Nadim has trained hard, and feels fight ready.Ibrahim Nadim has trained hard, and feels fight ready. (Image: ringwalkmedia12)

Nadim insisted he has both short-term and long-term plans in place, telling the T&A: “I want to get as many fights in as I can, and I’m certainly looking for another three this year.

“Long-term, I definitely want to be challenging for a British title in a few years’ time.

“But as a smaller step, I’d like to go for a Central Area title, then an English one, before a British one.

“You have to work towards each step and take each one as it comes.”