this fighter from ilford in the ring if they had a beard.from ilford is in the ring if they had a beard. this fighter from ilford is a five—time champion and also a sikh. asa sikh five—time champion and also a sikh. as a sikh the reason i want to keep a beard, i believe are physical appearance comes from god and we believe that as part of the physical form and we do not wish to alter it. up form and we do not wish to alter it. up until this month, amateur boxers had to be clean—shaven to fight. it was claimed that facial hair could hide cuts, the abrasive in a venture even cushion blows. now campaigners have landed a knockout blow, england boxing has agreed to change its rules saying it is proud of the diversity in the sport and wants to be more inclusive. if we look at other contact sports, like rugby and mma, they do not have fights or competition stopped because of cuts to the job. his uncle was also a boxer and had to shave his beard. this is only the first round because the ban on beards is still in place for international amateur compe