Kal Yafai

Khalid "Kal" Yafai (خالد يافعي; born 11 June 1989) is a former British professional boxer who held the WBA super-flyweight title from 2016 to 2020.

In June 2005, he won a silver medal in the European Cadet Championships in Hungary, recording 4 wins before losing in the final to Russian Farid Aleshkin.

He received the BBC Midlands 2005 "Junior Sportsman of the Year" award, after he became England's first ever U17 World Boxing Champion, when he won the World Cadet title winning the junior flyweight title against Luis Yáñez of the United States.

Fighting for Birmingham City ABC, he became one of the youngest British (ABA) champions in December 2006 while still 17, at the World Junior Championships 2006 in Agadir, Morocco.

He lost in the quarter-final to the eventual Cuban winner Alexei Collado.

At the 2007 European Junior Championships, he lost in the 51K final to Russian Misha Aloyan.

As Britain's youngest team member at the 2007 Seniors World Championship, the 18-year-old beat his Armenian opponent Derenik Gizhlaryan, but later lost to Violito Payla of the Philippines.

As an amateur, he represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2010 European Championships as a flyweight.

As of January 2021, he is ranked as the world's fourth best active super-flyweight by The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and sixth by BoxRec.

Yafai is the son of Yemeni parents.

He currently lives in the Moseley area of Birmingham.

Yafai has two brothers who are also boxers.

Gamal Yafai is a professional boxer and Galal Yafai is an Olympic flyweight boxing champion.

He then qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the 1st Olympic qualifying event in Pescara, Italy, where he stopped teammate Mo Nasir of Wales and then went on to beat the 2004 Olympian Igor Samolencko of Moldova to qualify.

He then pulled out of the final due to injury.

After qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games he participated in the 2008 European union championships in Poland where he won a silver medal beating former olympic boxer Redouane Asloum of France (RSCO2) in the semi-finals but then losing a controversial 13–10 decision to home favourite and Beijing Olympian Rafal Kaczor.

At the Olympic Games, Khalid was beaten in the round of 16 by Cuban veteran Andry Laffita who went on to claim the silver medal.

Khalid was absent at the 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England but made a return in the GeeBee Championship in April 2009 in the 54 kg class (bantamweight) and claimed gold beating European silver medalist Salomo N'tuve of Sweden.

Yafai lost to Andrew Selby 26:12 on 11 November 2011 to deny him qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games after the pair both reached the last eight of the 2011 GB Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku.

Yafai and Selby were scheduled to face each other three times to decide the winner, but Yafai pulled out of the second fight, thus handing a shot of the Olympics to the Welshman.

In 2012, Yafai was named "Young Boxer of the Year" by the British website BoxRec.

On 7 July 2012 Yafai made his professional debut, aged 23, at bantamweight, at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield on the undercard of Kell Brook vs. Carson Jones.

His opponent was veteran 43 year old Delroy Spencer (14-139-3, 1 KO).

The fight was stopped after Spencer refused to come out for round 3.

In his second fight, Yafai defeated Hungarian boxer Richard Voros via first-round TKO.

Two weeks later, Yafai was against Mexican Victor Koh at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast.

This was on the undercard off Frampton-Molitor.

The fight went the full 6 rounds, as referee Paul McCullagh scored it 60–54 in favour of Yafai.

On 20 October, Yafai knocked down Scott Gladwin (5-1) three times in round 1 and once in round 2 as the referee waved the fight off, giving Yafai the victory via TKO.

A month later on the undercard of Froch vs. Mack at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, Yafai knocked out Italian boxer Pio Antonio Nettuno in round 1 in a super bantamweight bout, after a body shot.

Nettuno could not make the count.

In December 2012, Yafai fought Spanish boxer Jorge Perez (11-5, 6 KOs) at the Olympia in Kensington, London.

Yafai won the fight via 3rd-round TKO.

In January 2013, Yafai defeated Mexican boxer Gonzalo Garcia, after Garcia did not come out of his corner for round 5.

In March, Yafai fought in an 8-round super bantamweight bout against Michael Ramabeletsa (8-9, 4 KOs) at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

It went the full 8 rounds as referee Alvin Finch scored it 79–73 in favour of Yafai.

After a 7-month lay off, on the undercard of Brook vs. Senchenko at the Sheffield Arena in October 2013, Yafai defeateds Spanish boxer Santiago Bustos via points (59-55) after 6 rounds.

Two months later in December, although being docked a point for a low blow, Yafai defeated British boxer Ashley Lane (4-3-2, 1 KO) via fourth-round TKO.

On 21 May 2014 Yafai fought at the First Direct Arena in Leeds for the vacant Commonwealth super flyweight title against Nigerian contender and former titleholder Yaqub Kareem (13-3-1, 8 KOs).

With 30 seconds remaining in round 3, Yafai knocked down Kareem with a body shot to claim the vacant title.