Brian McDonald
In his fashion studio on the Welsh coast, Imtayaz Qassim creates some of the most distinctive outfits worn by the world’s most famous boxers – like WCB world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who will take to the ring on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia to face the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk.
It’s being billed as the biggest fight in history, and with both fighters at the top of their physical game, what they wear could influence their mindset going into the fight.
“I like telling people’s stories through clothes,” Qassim told CBS News. His business is called Bespoke Boxing, and each outfit starts with a customer consultation.
“We would talk a little deeper and discuss why we would use certain colors. Do they mean anything to you? ?Tyson Fury, for example, has a lot of problems out there. [movement]with shorts going up and down,” Qassim said. “So what we did for the fight with Usyk was remove that by doing a skort style instead of a short style.”
The scene a boxer creates upon entering the arena is known as the “ring walk.” Former world cruiserweight champion and sports commentator Johnny Nelson says this walk can affect a fighter’s headroom before a fight.
“When you are a totally talented fighter and believe in yourself, the ring walk is everything,” Nelson said. “This is your peacock moment. This is the moment. This is what you trained so many weeks and months for. This attack.”
Ranging from the intimidating simplicity – like Mohammed Ali in his white robe – to the deliberately extravagant, ring walks project a boxer’s personality to the audience. British boxer Prince Naseem Hamad created a global spectacle in 2000 when he flew to one of his fights on a magic carpet.
“Everyone is looking at you. Everyone is judging you. They either love you or hate you… Clothing to me is as important as a walk,” Nelson said. “I want them to judge me and think, ‘Oh my God, what is he doing? Who does he think he is?’ This is how you want to be. This is how you want it to be, all about you. And if you truly believe you’re dressed like a gladiator, that puts you in that gladiator mentality.
Qassim understands this gladiator mentality because he is also a boxer. He started training several times a week when he was 8 years old.
His signature arena designs include a fisherman outfit for boxing star Terence Crawford when he faced Errol Spence, nicknamed “Big Fish,” last year. He made a fully functional bulletproof vest for boxer and YouTuber Jake Paul and a manga-inspired outfit for British fighter and anime enthusiast Ben Whittaker.
“I’m proud to see my work on the biggest stages in the world,” said Qassim, adding that it leaves him “inspired to do more and do better.”
“Boxing fans are actually very small in the big picture,” Nelson told CBS News. “So if you can capture the imagination of people who aren’t normally boxing fans, that’s when you become a global star.”
