Sheffield promoter scales back Heist boxing plans
Sheffield promoter Izzy Asif is staying positive despite some big setbacks this year
As the sport of boxing reaches the halfway point of 2026, Sheffield promoter Izzy Asif has far from given up.
Initially, he had hoped to export his 'Heist' short-format boxing tournament around the world, this year, identifying venues across four continents.
War in the Middle East put paid to that, given the fact Asif wanted to launch the programme in the UAE.
More recently, he developed a scaled-down plan for Heist events in Sheffield, the North West, the Midlands and the south of England.
With time slipping by, that is now too big of an ask for him and his GBM Sports outfit.
"Boxing is saturated at the moment; we are looking at one or two Heist events, but with an undercard beneath them to support the tournament," he told The Star.
GBM Sports, like other promotional firms, don't hold on to their boxers forever, and Izzy has seen Tysie Gallagher - whom he'd hoped would be GBM's first world champion - sign for MVP.
Asked if he wished her well, he replied: "I wish everybody well. There is nothing personal, this is a business.
"No boxer is 'yours to keep' in boxing and there is a saying that sums up boxing: 'Eaten bread is soon forgotten.'
"In boxing you invest in them, build them up, and they can **** you straight off. They go where they want, and you have to understand that it is a short career."
Other fighters have left GBM during what has been a quiet 2026 for them, although Asif continues to manage boxers as well as promote them.
He says his top three assets, in terms of title ambitions, are the "Dancing Dutchman" Gradus Kraus, an 11-0-0 light heavyweight who competed at Sheffield's Park Arena and Rotherham's Magna Centre last year, Belfast European super lightweight champion Sean McComb, and 34-fight veteran heavyweight Hughie Fury, cousin of Tyson Fury.
He also manages Totley's Naphtali Nembhard, who chalked up his eighth victory at the Magna Centre last Saturday.
Asif wants to set local adrenaline running with a local derby for Nembhard, either at middleweight or super middleweight, and says Doncaster's Calvin Moyo's team has already reached out to discuss the possibility.
As has coach and promoter Curtis Woodhouse, he says.
Nembhard has yet to record a knockout and coach Sean Thickett wants him to "sit down" more on his shots.
Asif said: "Nap is still learning, and has been in with very durable journeymen who don't make it easy. When he fights another prospect, you will see his power and timing."