Steven Cairns Wants Adam Azim Rematch After Beating Him as a Teen

Steven Cairns has a receipt most prospects would frame on the wall: an amateur win over Adam Azim, one of Britain's most feared young punchers. The two met in 2018, both 16, in a small hall in Edenderry, Ireland. Cairns took the split decision — Ireland over England — and now, unbeaten at 14-0 (9 KO) as a pro, he says he'd happily give Azim the chance to even it up down the line.

The catch is timing. Azim sits at 15-0 (12 KO), ranked #8 at super-lightweight and closing on a world title shot after stopping Steve Claggett in three rounds. Cairns is climbing at a slower, more deliberate pace, which means a rematch is a 'somewhere down the road' conversation rather than a next-fight one. He's not shy about it, though — he called it a great fight for the future.

The Story Behind the Win

Cairns reckons that 2018 split decision undersold him. He says he was told afterward that nobody had beaten Azim as clearly as he had that night, and that English coaches and dads ringside were openly impressed by what they'd watched. Only the people inside St. Brigids Boxing Club know exactly how it went, but Cairns paints it as a statement performance, not a squeaker. He was quick to add that Azim's a good kid — the respect is real.

Kelly First, Everything Else Later

Before any of that, there's business on August 1. Cairns fights fellow Irishman Senan Kelly at Dublin's 3Arena, on the undercard of Pierce O'Leary vs Mark Chamberlain under Frank Warren's Queensberry banner. It's an all-Irish scrap built for the crowd, and it's pulled Cairns up to 140lbs — a division he doesn't normally live in. He said the matchup hadn't been on his radar as a natural lightweight, but the event called for a fan-friendly domestic dust-up, so he obliged. After this, he's dropping back to 135lbs.

Cairns arrives off a ninth-round stoppage of Arnie Dawson, and he's built his career around a very Irish decision: leave. Like a lot of his countrymen, he relocated for the pro game, settling in Sheffield to train under Dave Coldwell — the coach best known for guiding former world champion Tony Bellew. Coldwell managed him first, then took him on for sparring, and Cairns describes earning the coach's trust as one of the biggest moments of his life, bigger than his national titles and European medals.

The move meant swapping sparring kids for grown men, and swapping Ireland for Steel City. His partner wasn't thrilled about the relocation at first, though he says they've since settled — they've got a house together now. At 24 and unbeaten, Cairns has the personal side sorted. The professional side is a longer game: build the record, chase the level, and maybe, a few fights from now, get Azim back across the ropes with far more than a split decision on the line.