Kal Yafai

Born on June 11, 1989 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, Khalid Yafai has been successful at both the amateur and professional levels. Despite fighting at super flyweight, he possesses solid punching power to complement his considerable boxing skills.

Starting his boxing training at a young age, Yafai was named Junior Sportsman of the Year by the BBC Midlands in 2005 for winning the World Cadet title. He qualified for the 2008 Olympics, but was defeated by Andry Laffita, who went on to win silver. At the 2010 European Championships, he won the silver medal. However, he wasn’t able to make the 2012 Olympics boxing team, so he decided to turn pro, instead.

His first pro fight was on July 7, 2012 against Delroy Spencer, and it didn’t last long. Khalid Yafai won after a stoppage after the second round, which is to be expected against a fighter that was 14-139-3 at the time. His next fight ended even more quickly, as he beat Richard Voros by way of first-round TKO on September 8, 2012. Exactly two weeks later, he took a decision on points after six rounds against Victor Koh.

Yafai was fairly active in the early stages of his career, fighting lower-level competition and winning handily by TKO, KO or clear victories on points. By the end of 2013, he had compiled a perfect 10-0 record, with seven of those wins coming by stoppage. This was enough to earn him a shot at the Commonwealth super flyweight title.

That fight was on May 21, 2014, and he fought Yaqub Kareem. In a masterful performance, he worked the body and head beautifully, eventually taking out Kareem with a hard body shot in just the third round. Next was a fight against Herald Molina for the IBF Inter-Continental super flyweight title and he looked even better, winning easily by second-round KO.

After four more wins, he fought for the British super flyweight belt on October 17, 2015 against Jason Cunningham. He was the smaller man, but it didn’t matter, as he scored a knockdown in round five off a slick combination on his way to a 12-round unanimous decision victory. Just under five months later, he fougth Dixon Flores for the WBA Inter-Continental super flyweight title. Flores may have been a game opponent, but he proved no match for Khalid Yafai, who destroyed him for a first-round KO.

He would fight three more times in 2016, which ended up being a banner year for him. First, he scored another first-round stoppage, this a TKO over Jozsef Ajtai. He followed that up by defeating Johnson Tellez by TKO in the third round, with this finish coming from a body shot. That set up a fight for his first world title, the WBA super flyweight belt.

The fight took place on December 10, 2016 against Luis Concepcion, who brought a 35-4 record into the bout. After Concepcion missed weight, the title was only on the line for Yafai, and he took it with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision where he controlled every round.

What is Kal Yafai's Record?

Kal Yafai's record currently stands at 26 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws. Of those 26 wins he has stopped 15 of his opponents, so his current knock-out ratio is 58%. In his 1 loss, he was stopped. He's boxed a total of 157 rounds, meaning his professional fights last 5.8 rounds on average.

What was Yafai's last fight?

Kal Yafai's last fight took place against Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez's on 29th Feb 2020, in Texas, United States. He lost by technical knockout in the 9th round. That fight was 2 years and 2 months ago.

How active is Kal Yafai?

Yafai's last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 6 months and 21 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 10 months and 28 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 52 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 10.4 rounds on average.

Where is Kal Yafai From?

Yafai was born in the United Kingdom.

How Old Is Kal Yafai?

The bantamweight is currently 32 years old. He was born on 11th June 1989, so he will turn 33 in 23 days.

How long has Yafai been fighting?

Kal Yafai made his professional debut in July 2012, so he has been a pro for 9 years and 10 months.

How tall is Kal Yafai?

Yafai is 5' 4" (5 Foot and 4 inches) which is 163cm (1 meter and 63 centimeters).

What is Yafai's Reach?

His reach is 64.6 inches (64.6") which is 164 cm (1 meter and 64 centimeters).

What stance does Kal Yafai use?

Yafai fights from a traditional orthodox stance, which means he favours his right hand as his power hand when fighting.

What are some potential opponents for Kal Yafai?

Some potential future fights for Yafai include Jerwin Ancajas, Charlie Edwards, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Andrew Moloney and Unified Super Flyweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada.

What will be Kal Yafai's Next Fight?

Kal Yafai's doesn't currently have a fight scheduled.

Some potential future fights for Yafai include Jerwin Ancajas, Charlie Edwards, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Andrew Moloney and Unified Super Flyweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada.

How can I stream Kal Yafai's Fights?

In the UK you can usually stream Yafai's fights on NowTV and Sky Go.

In the US you can usually stream Kal Yafai's fights via DAZN.

What are some recent Kal Yafai results?

Yafai has won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 1 of them, going the distance 4 times.

In his last fight, he defeated Norbelto Jimenez on 29th June 2019 by unanimous decision in their WBA World Super Flyweight championship fight at Dunkin Donuts Center, Rhode Island, United States.

Previous to that, he had defeated Israel Gonzalez on 24th November 2018 by unanimous decision in their WBA World Super Flyweight championship fight at Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Going into that contest, he had beat David Carmona on 26th May 2018 by technical knockout in the 7th round in their WBA World Super Flyweight championship fight at Selland Arena, Fresno, California, United States.

Before that, he had won against Sho Ishida on 28th October 2017 by unanimous decision in their WBA World Super Flyweight championship fight at Millennium Stadium, Wales, United Kingdom.

He had beat Suguru Muranaka on 13th May 2017 by unanimous decision in their WBA World Super Flyweight championship fight at Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Afghanistan.