A Milton Keynes boxer has fought back against obstacles including injury and the pandemic - and is now hoping to pack a punch at his first professional fight.

Ben Ahlijah first pulled on the boxing gloves while at university back in 2019: "...with no real intention behind it," he told MKFMs Sammy Jones.

Covid put a stop to that, but in mid-2021, he returned to his training, learning his craft at Team Shoe-Box in Northampton.

Ben put in the effort and was rewarded by great progress - his first unlicensed boxing fight followed later the same year, and he was victorious.

He then made to move to amateur boxing to compete at a higher standard. Safe to say, he did well: "I ended up having three fights within eight days and won them all. I steadily progressed and continued fighting and fought for, and won the regional belt on 10 February 2023."

The successes continued to rack up, with more wins at the National Development Championships in September 2023, which put him into the national stage - he won five fights in as many weeks.

And then Ben suffered a blow that stopped his progress: "The first round of the semi final went well but I then dislocated my shoulder in the second round. I continued to fight but lost the fight on decision gaining a national bronze medal, ranking me in the top three in the country," he told us, "I later found out that I tore my Labrum in my shoulder and required surgery. I returned to boxing after recovering from this surgery and won my first fight back in April 2025."

Ben is now back and ready to be a knock-out in the ring at his professional debut - he will take his talent to the ring in Northampton on November 28.

"This is my first step in the climbing the professional ranks with ambitions to reach the top," he said.

Ben is seeking sponsorship to support that journey to the top. If you would like to have a conversation to explore the possibilities, contact him at [email protected] or through his Insta: Benahlijah

Use the same details if you would like to be ringside for that upcoming match to arrage tickets.