Ian Clarkson on a boxer who is trying to make it big a long way from home...

Haider Ali is Pakistan's answer to Amir Khan and is mobbed wherever he goes throughout the country yet he could be boxing at Dudley Town Hall on Thursday night in virtual anonymity.

Ali won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester three years ago and returned back to Quetta to instant fame with thousands of adoring fans waiting to welcome him home.

A series of appearances on national television and radio followed and he couldn't walk the streets without hordes of wellwishers shaking his hand.

Frank Warren jumped on the bandwagon and handed Ali a professional contract and the hype back in Pakistan reached fever pitch.

But the riches promised by Warren didn't materialise and Ali now finds himself back to the drawing board and pleading with Errol Johnson for the opportunity to rebuild his career.

The 25- year- old has undertaken a series of boxing workshops with disengaged youths in Walsall for National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) and attracted a new army of fans. But then fate dealt him another cruel hand.

Ali had tapped into the large Asian population residing within the West Midlands but, with his fight due to take place on the October 6 and the fasting within Ramadan commencing 24 hours previously, the chances of him drawing in support are slim.

And, as any promoter will tell you, a fighter who can't sell tickets isn't a viable option. But Ali insists his is a gamble worth taking.

"I have enjoyed working in Walsall and the response has been better than I could have hoped for," said Ali.

"I need to be busy as my ambition is to fight for at least the Commonwealth title this time next year and I am grateful to Errol for giving me this opportunity.

"Fighting is a business and I understand the need to sell tickets. There has been a lot of interest from the Asian community.

"However, I am a Muslim and I know a lot of people will have started fasting on October 6.

"I won't be fasting and it isn't a difficult issue for me because boxing is my duty and that must come first.

"There isn't a problem within Islam with me not fasting, but I understand that a lot of the Muslim community will be praying.

"However, if Errol gives me this chance then I will put on such a good show that I will sell more tickets than ever on his Walsall show in November, as Ramadan will have finished."

Ali can walk the streets of his Islington base unnoticed, which is a far cry from his post-Manchester glory days.

He was about to board a flight to Pakistan when a national journalist stopped him and revealed that Warren wanted him to join his Sports Network Roster.

However, Ali went from being the star attraction to a small fish in a very big pond within a matter of months and. After two defeats in six fights, was dumped unceremoniously by Britain's biggest promoter.

Nevertheless, Ali believes their divorce was a blessing in disguise.

"I was a top amateur fighter and learning all the time, but the fights I was having under Frank weren't teaching me anything," he continued.

"My plan is to have somewhere in the region of a dozen fights in the next two years and I need the chance to fight and I think I could make a name for myself in the West Midlands.

"Most of the people in Pakistan don't even know I'm here, but boxing is such a big business in this country that I am determined to see it through."

Ali's current life is far removed from his youth, which was spent growing up on the streets of Quetta. But despite the cultural differences between the two countries, Ali's path into boxing was a well-trodden one.

"I was a tearaway and always fighting. All my neighbours complained to my parents and I used to love watching boxing on television so my father got me involved at the age of nine," he recollected.

" There are lots of impressive amateur boxers in Pakistan and it took off from there. Ironically, all the neighbours who were complaining couldn't wait to shake my hand when I returned home with a gold medal."

Ali is a great believer in the boxing's ability to save the soul and he has seen promising signs during his work in Walsall with refugees and disadvantaged youths.

"The biggest difference I have found in England is that young people don't tend to respect their elders as much," he continued.

"But I have seen some really positive signs in Walsall as there are some powerful kids who, with regular training, will get better.

"It will help them to leave their street life behind and if they are training, they will only improve.

"There may even be a future Commonwealth champion in there - who knows?"