Young Dewsbury man transforms his lifestyle to become a boxer

Yaseen Patel before and after his transformation (Image by UWCB/Ultra White Collar Boxing/YorkshireLive)

A man has gone against all odds to prove that anything can be achieved if one dreams big and works towards achieving it.

Yaseen Patel from Dewsbury has lost over 15 stone in two years and said that he would be “dead if he continued the way he did”.

The 21-year-old aspired to become a boxer from a young age, but never believed that it was possible due to his weight. He used to weigh 32st 4lbs, but has now dropped down to 16st 7lbs, according to YorkshireLive.

Patel’s before-and-after pictures are testament to the massive transformation he has had over the years.

The young man, who works as an engineer, admits that he can’t recognise his former self when he looks at old pictures and that he would not have survived with the kind of lifestyle he led before.

In order to fulfil his dream of becoming a boxer and to raise money for Cancer Research UK in memory of his grandfather Yusuf Patel who died of lung cancer, Patel decided to take part in a charity boxing match.

He signed up with Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB), and raised over £400 for the charity by using his ‘newly-acquired boxing skills’, YorkshireLive reports.

 Image by UWCB/Ultra White Collar Boxing/YorkshireLive

He said, “I wanted to be a boxer when I was bigger but I didn’t think I had the capability.

“I wanted to lose weight and show people that anyone can do this.

“About two years ago I remember sitting in the car with a friend and we were watching some boxing videos.

“I was 200kg plus at that point and said as a passing comment ‘I want to step foot in the ring and do it one day.’

“Two years later, here we are, finally I did it.”

After this event, Patel and the other participants were given free professional boxing training for eight weeks, preparing them for a showcase event with thousands in attendance.

According to YorkshireLive, this event requires the participants to sell tickets and raise a minimum amount of £50 for Cancer Research UK. Ultra Events, the company that organises UWCB, has raised £26 million for the charity so far.

Patel was motivated to take part in memory of his grandfather who died of lung cancer at the age of 70.

He said, “My grandad was unwell when I was very young.

“I was very close to him.

“While I was in the ring I thought, my grandad’s watching, I don’t want to let him down.”

Patel took part in other events, where he also had to taste defeat but said that many people came to support him and he had “a really good experience”.

He also got into better shape with the help of his trainer, Adam Fitness.

He said, “Training from start to finish was difficult, every week was something new, other than the burpees and sit-ups which got easier as we were getting fitter.”

The next Ultra White Collar Boxing event will be held in Leeds on 18 March, 2023. The training will commence in the week commencing 23 January. To sign up, click here.