BOXING NEWS:A MUSLIM boxer banned from the ring for wearing a beard is at the centre of a row that some would see as, so to speak, splitting hairs, and others as potentially an international incident over religious beliefs.

The Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) says it will not allow Mohammed Patel (25) to compete unless he shaves it off, because it is bound by directives from the sport’s world governing body, which declares in its rules that “a boxer shall be clean-shaved before the weigh-in. Beards and moustaches are not allowed”.

Patel, who was barred from the ring when he turned up to box at a Bolton club last January, says confirmation of the ruling by the ABAE council in Sheffield at the weekend discriminates against him on religious grounds.

Inayat Omarji, speaking on behalf of the Bolton Council of Mosques, told the Muslim News: “If the governing body doesn’t accept the religious sensitivities, then there’s a big problem.”

The boxer said he was “gobsmacked” when he encountered the ban because Sikhs are allowed to box if they tie back extraneous hair with a net. “I didn’t know what to say. When I saw the rule book, I thought, ‘What can I do?’” said Patel.

An ABAE spokesman said: “It is not discriminatory. Sikhs are allowed to hold back their hair with a net, as are all boxers, so the referee can see clearly and quickly if there is a cut. The rule is there for the boxers’ own safety, not to discriminate against any particular religion.”

Beards are also banned in professional boxing – as current British heavyweight champion, Danny Williams, a Muslim, discovered when he challenged Vitali Klitschko for the world title in Las Vegas five years ago. Williams threatened to withdraw if forced to cut his beard, fought anyway with a trimmed version and was knocked out.

An International Amateur Boxing Association spokesman said last night: “We have been speaking to ABAE and we are basically expecting them to fall into line with our rules and regulations.”

- Guardian Service