The pair had both ended their first year in the sport with a national title and then competed at the same tournament at different weights. As far as Birmingham's Ibraheem Sulaimaan can remember, it was Yorkshire's Ibrahim Nadim who bunked in with him.

Once they left the hotel that weekend, however, their paths went in different directions and have never crossed again since. But on Saturday in Sheffield, "Spider" Sulaimaan will challenge his old roommate for his English junior lightweight title. The pair meet as part of the Matchroom show at Sheffield Arena, live and exclusively on DAZN.

"I don't know much about him these days," Sulaimaan tells The Ring. "I know that in our first years as amateurs we both won national titles.

"I believe I won it at the weight above him, then we went to the GB tournament afterwards and both came away with gold from that too.”

When asked if they had got on back then, he added: "We actually shared a room in the hotel when we stayed over for that tournament. That's literally the only history we have, but it's from way back when I was 11 years old, so 14 years ago now."

Sulaimaan's quick success in the amateur code could be attributed to help from two of his older brothers, who were already boxing when the youngster tagged along. He received his enduring nickname at his very first session.

"My older two brothers used to box and one day when I was about seven, I joined them on a training run wearing a Spider-Man outfit," he says. "Then the next day I went to the gym for the first time, and was wearing Spider-Man gloves. That's where the name and journey started."

As one of 10 boys and two girls, there was always plenty of sibling rivalry in the household. Once his parents knew that some of their sons had caught the boxing bug, they made some necessary adjustments inside the household to ensure they had somewhere to practice.

"We literally had to get rid of the sofas and get some fold-up seats so every time we wanted to train we could just fold them and put them away," he says. "That gave us the full, clear room to use. It's mad when you think about it."

Although he started later than the others, young Ibraheem stuck with it and eventually turned professional in 2023 aged 22. He managed two outings that year, four in 2024 and four last year, which all ended victorious.

Sulaimaan (10-0, 5 KOs) claimed a regional title with a sixth-round knockout of Nico Ogbeide in November, but it has been all change since.

For this clash with Nadim, the 25-year-old has been working with Pearce Gudgeon at Sheffield's Steel City Gym, meaning a move away from his usual home comforts for the first time.

"I've got away from all the distractions and comfort, I’m here locked away," he says. "I've done my whole camp here.

"It's always going to be tough, but this is the game we're in and it's the sacrifices that count. Nobody sees the sacrifices, all they see is your hand being raised at the end of the fight.

"I believe the more sacrifices you put in, the further you go in your career. This is my first fight with Pierce, and it's been a wicked camp.

"My mindset is more locked in. I'm away from everything, and I know I've given 150 percent in this camp. It's going to produce the best performance yet."