'Give him his passport' - Hearn backs British champion's citizenship fight - Published The UK government should be "embarrassed" that boxing champion Bilal Fawaz does not have a British passport after living in the country for more than 20 years, says his promoter Eddie Hearn. Fawaz, 38, was trafficked to the United Kingdom at the age of 14 and has not travelled outside the country since. The London-based light-middleweight represented England as an amateur before turning professional after receiving a work permit.

He has since become British and Commonwealth champion, but his immigration status prevents him from fighting abroad - or taking his family on holiday. "What on earth is the hold-up?" asked Hearn. "You want to go down to Number 10 [Downing Street] and bang on the door and say: 'Any chance of dealing with this?' It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

"If you were them, you'd almost be embarrassed. Someone should look at it and go, 'What are you guys doing? Give him his passport.'" A Home Office spokesperson told BBC Sport it does not routinely comment on individual cases.

Fawaz's remarkable story is explored in the new BBC documentary Fighting for Freedom, which followed him as he prepared to defend his British title against Ryan Kelly in Wolverhampton in May. 'My best friend was the window' Born in Nigeria to a Beninese mother and Lebanese father, Fawaz says his childhood was shaped by abuse, neglect and a persistent feeling he did not belong. He was sent to live with relatives before being taken to London, believing he would be reunited with his father.

Instead, he claims he was confined in a house, forced to work and prevented from attending school or mixing with other children. "My best friend was the window," he says. "I could see people walking and kids outside playing, but I wasn't allowed to play with them." After escaping, he entered the care system and received convictions for minor offences - including cannabis possession and graffiti - during his youth.

Fawaz says he was a vulnerable teenager who needed guidance rather than punishment. "I've never robbed anything," he says. "I've never beaten anyone up.

I've never done anything that's atrocious. "I was just a kid who needed guidance and I never had that. Somebody should have taken care of me and fixed my whole life before I turned 18." Fawaz found stability at the All Stars Boxing Club in west London.

He became an English amateur champion and represented England six times, but was unable to pursue Olympic qualification or accept professional contracts because he did not have permission to work or travel. He was twice held in immigration detention and threatened with deportation before a judge ruled there were no lawful grounds to detain him. He was released and found himself effectively stateless.

How boxing 'saved' Fawaz Fawaz received a work permit at the age of 33, by which point many professional fighters are approaching retirement. After turning professional he made up for lost time by beating Junaid Bostan to win the English light-middleweight title, then defeating Ishmael Davis to become British and Commonwealth champion.