CBS News
Meet the fashion designer who dresses Tyson Fury, Jake Paul and more of the world’s biggest boxers
From his fashion studio on the Welsh coast, Imtayaz Qassim creates some of the most distinctive outfits worn by the world’s most famous boxers – like WCB World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who will take to the ring Saturday night in Saudi Arabia to face off against undefeated Oleksandr Usyk.
It’s being billed as the biggest fight in history, and with both fighters at the top of their physical game, what they wear can influence their mindsets going into the fight.
“I like to tell people’s stories through the garments,” Qassim told CBS News. His business is called Bespoke Boxing, and each outfit begins with a client consultation.
“We would talk a bit more in-depth and discuss why we would use certain colors. Do they mean something to you? Do you feel better in them? Do you prefer to fight from the hip, so do you need a lot of movement? Tyson Fury, for example, has a lot of issues around [movement], with shorts rising and falling,” Qassim said. “So what we’ve done for the Usyk fight is we’ve removed that by doing a skort style as opposed to short style.”
The scene a boxer creates when they enter the arena is known as a “ring walk.” Former cruiserweight world champion and sports commentator Johnny Nelson says this walk can affect the fighter’s headspace going into a match.
“When you’re a fully accomplished fighter and you believe in yourself, the ring walk is everything,” Nelson said. “This is your peacock moment. This is that time. This is what you’ve trained so many weeks and months for. This attack.”
Ranging from intimidating simplicity – like Mohammed Ali in his white robe – to the deliberately flamboyant, ring walks project a boxer’s personality to the audience. British boxer Prince Naseem Hamad created a global spectacle in 2000 when he flew into one of his fights on a magic carpet.
“Everybody’s looking at you. Everybody’s judging you. They either love you or hate you… The outfit to me is just as important as a walk,” Nelson said. “I want them to judge me and think, ‘oh my god, what’s he got on? Who’s he think he is?’ That’s how you want to be. That’s how you want it to be, all about you. And if you really, truly believe you’re dressed like a gladiator, it puts you in that gladiatorial mentality.”
Qassim understands that gladiatorial mentality because he is also a boxer. He started training multiple times a week when he was 8 years old.
His unique arena designs include a fisherman outfit for boxing superstar Terence Crawford, when he faced Errol Spence, nicknamed the “Big Fish,” last year. He’s made a fully functional bulletproof vest for boxer and YouTuber Jake Paul and a manga-inspired outfit for British fighter and anime enthusiast Ben Whittaker.
“I’m proud to see my work out there on the biggest stages in the world,” Qassim said, adding that it makes him “inspired to do more and to do better.”
“Boxing fans are actually, in reality, very small in the big picture,” Nelson told CBS News. “So if you can capture the imagination of people that aren’t normally boxing fans, that’s when you become a global superstar.”
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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