SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT prospect Ibraheem ‘Spider’ Sulaimaan believes he is heading to the top of the sport.
Guided by musician-turned-manager Janum Khan, better known by his alias Jaykae, Sulaimaan has impressed with his sizzling, switch-hitting style, moving to 5-0, 3 KOs since his professional debut in August 2023.
After recently announcing a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, Sulaimaan returns on this weekend’s Sunny Edwards vs Galal Yafai undercard, back in his home city of Birmingham, amid growing intrigue and fanfare.
“Jaykae [Khan] said that [would happen] before we started to work together,” beamed Sulaimaan as he spoke exclusively to BN.
“He told me, ‘That’s what we’re heading towards, signing for Matchroom and Eddie Hearn’ and a couple days ago it became a reality.”
Small Heath’s Khan, 33, is about as well-known as you can be in the UK’s ‘Second City’.
As Jaykae, he is a pioneer of the UK rap culture and has featured on a number one record with Ed Sheeran and Stormzy. As Janum Khan, he is a co-founder of McCracken’s Gym in Tyseley, Birmingham, where he can be found working alongside Spencer McCracken Jr with a host of professional and amateur boxers, Sulaimaan included, on a daily basis.
“He [Khan] came in at a time where I was a bit down on myself,” Sulaimaan recalls.
“I had a bad skin condition. I lost six fights in a row [as an amateur] and everything was just going wrong. Then, when you hit that point in life, the turning point, God sends someone at the right time.
“I never had any support. Obviously, my brothers are there, but they ain’t got nothing to give. Jaykae came at the right time. That’s why he’s with me, from the bottom all the way to the top, Inshallah. When I had no-one, he was there for me. He was there to give me that extra fire I needed.”
While for some, the thought a rapper guiding a promising boxer’s career would raise an eyebrow – if not an alarm bell – any man plying his trade out of a gym bearing the name ‘McCracken’, one of the most respected in British boxing, is one to be taken seriously. I, like many others, had found it fascinating that one of British boxing’s brightest young prospects was being guided by one of Britain’s most well-known musicians and been keen to learn more.
“I knew his older brothers, I knew a few of his family members,” Khan told BN, when asked how the relationship with Sulaimaan began.
“One day, my friend showed me a video of him on the heavy bag. He was probably 17, 18 years old and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I started watching him from there, when he was entering these box cups and doing his thing, and at Head Movement TV we had a bit of a platform where we could start promoting him.”
It is clear when Khan talks that he has a genuine passion for the sport and, particularly, his protege. Like Sulaimaan, he recalls their first encounter and his now-correct promotional premonition with fondness and pride.
“It was the just as he took his last loss as an amateur boxer,” Khan reflects.
“We had a meeting, and the first thing I said to his brothers when we sat down is “We’re going to win the senior nationals, and I’m going to get him signed to Eddie Hearn’ – and this was about four-and-a-half, maybe five years ago.
“I was so sure of it then, fast-forward, to see how it’s manifested now, is amazing. When news broke that Galal Yafai was fighting Tommy Frank in Birmingham [in August 2023], I looked at that, and I knew instantly that was gonna be his debut. We’re going to jump on there. We’re going to sell loads of tickets and we’re going to steal the show – and that’s what we did. I feel like it’s by the grace of God. It all fell into our hands at the perfect time.”
Sulaimaan is a polite, respectful and God-fearing man. While these traits are to be celebrated in a person, the sobering fact is that in a sport wherein the loudest mouths are often the ones that get fed, those less willing to open their gobs can find themselves being starved.
Aligning with Khan, a man just shy of half a million social media followers, allows Sulaimaan the opportunity for recognition outside of the usual boxing sphere. It is something that gives the 23-year-old additional motivation.
“Once he [Khan] got on board, that’s when I start to really get my recognition outside of the boxing world,” said Sulaimaan.
“I started to get recognised in the streets and stuff. Which, obviously, makes you feel a bit more special. I felt that fire in me. A lot of people look up to me now, so I have to deliver for them, too. That made me push extra hard, 110% in the gym.
“I see through hard work and through prayer, everything happens with the will of God. God puts people in your life for a reason. He put Jaykae my life, and it’s just elevated my game tenfold.”
Saturday night represents Sulaimaan’s sixth outing in 15 months in the paid ranks, a very healthy pace for a prospect of his calibre. In each of his bouts to date, he has shown progression, both in technique and temperament, and shown an in-ring nastiness that belies his gentle demeanour outside of the ring.
In a short space of time, Sulaimaan’s exploits have seen him earmarked as a potential future star of the sport. His ascent has been authentic and, in turn, caused genuine excitement. The responsibility that comes with added pressure, Khan believes, will help to bring out the ‘vicious’ best in his unbeaten charge.
“He’s gone from a baby to a man, but now he’s building into the man,” nods Khan.
“I think he’s realised the pressure that he does have on his shoulders and it’s not a burden for him, it’s a luxury. He’s wearing that on his chest. He knows he’s that guy now, and he knows he can potentially change his family’s lives for the next three, four generations from the hard work that he’s doing.”
“I think he’s got that in his head now and it’s made him even more fierce, even more vicious. You can see in his performances. You don’t get paid for overtime – and he runs with that, big time. He’s not trying to be in there for 12 rounds, he’s trying to take your head off and go home early.”
Another motivation for Sulaimaan is his faith.
As a devout Muslim, he prays five times a day and attends the Mosque with his family. When entering the ring, he does so to the reading of Durood Sharif, an Islamic prayer to send blessings to the Prophet Muhammad. This connection to his faith brings Sulaimaan comfort in the most uncomfortable of all sports.
“The only thing that keeps me going is the faith,” smiled Sulaimaan.
“I pray for something, I work for something, and then God makes it happen. If he doesn’t make it happen, he makes something else happen which was better than what I asked for!
“Keeping strong faith means everything. This is all a test. Whatever good is given to me is a test. Whatever calamity happens to me is a test. We belong to God and we should go back to God.”
Long considered a sleeping giant in British boxing, this weekend’s Edwards vs Yafai card is Birmingham’s most notable UK show since local rivals Sam Eggington and Frankie Gavin squared off at the Utilita Arena in October 2016.
With Saturday night showcasing some of the Midlands’ best up-and-coming talent, headlined by a genuine world-class contest between two British rivals, the hope is that big-time boxing will return to the region with far more regularity.
Who could be better placed to lead the charge of Birmingham’s next generation? In Sulaimaan and Khan, there lies an unlikely duo that ticks a lot of boxes. Promotion, community and, above all, talent and hard work.
It is a story that could, in turn, prove to be a leading light in a transitional period for British boxing. With British headliners holding out for Saudi paydays, the pathway for a new domestic attraction is clear – and sorely needed. It is a void Sulaimaan will one day hope to fill, but for now, he remains focused on securing another explosive victory on Saturday night in front of his home fans.
“You can expect another clinical performance, Inshallah,” vowed Sulaimaan.
“Taking it one step at a time, but I’m wiping everyone out on the way, climbing the ladder and doing things the proper way… as my saying goes, ‘Train hard, pray harder…”