Diabetic boxer signs mammoth sponsorship
Date published: 15 October 2018
L-R: Gerald Zammit, Dexcom's Head of Europe and Ireland, Asad Shamim, Ali's Manager, Muhammad Ali, and Tilly Bather, Dexcom's Head of UK
Type one diabetic boxer Muhammad Ali, from Rochdale, has signed a mammoth sponsorship with American company, Dexcom.
Dexcom provides continuous glucose monitoring to better manage the condition by tracking glucose levels throughout the day and night.
Ali made history on 15 September after winning his professional debut, becoming the first UK boxer with type one diabetes to fight.
Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body is unable to produce insulin, the hormone that controls the amount of sugar in your blood.
Ali couldn't have asked for a more perfect beginning to his pro career, as he defeated Andrej Cepur on points after four rounds at Victoria Warehouse in Stretford.
Following a three-year battle, Ali was granted a professional licence by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) in May 2018.
Ali had previously had his application for a professional licence turned down by the BBBofC as a result of his medical condition, which runs in his family, requiring regular administration of insulin either by injection or by insulin pump.
Ali was previously told on several occasions by the Board that checking blood sugar levels during a fight would be ‘too disruptive’, despite contradictory advice from England Boxing, the national governing body for boxing, which says 'if a boxer has controlled diabetes, he or she may box'.
With the support of his manager, Asad Shamim, and medical doctor, Ian Gallan, a leading diabetes consultant in the UK, the decision was overturned.
Ali will next be in the ring on 17 November.
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