Boxing: Emirati boxer Majid wows fans in 'The Fight'

Dubai - The second edition of 'The Fight' was conceived by three Emirati boxing enthusiasts

Young Emirati amateur boxer Majid Al Naqbi gave a superb exhibition of ring artistry to outclass his more experienced opponent from Uganda Henry Ssendi in 'The Fight' at Ahdaaf Sports Club in Al Quoz on Friday November 18.
Held under the supervision of Shanghai-based PBC (Professional Boxing Commission) International and the auspices of Dubai Sports Council, some of the best boxing professionals in Dubai thrilled a sell-out crowd at the indoor football academy.
The second edition of 'The Fight' conceived by three Emirati boxing enthusiasts - a former UAE boxer Hamad Bin Hadher, founder of R10 boxing gym Ahmed A. Seddiqi and the owner of Ahdaaf Sports Club Yousuf Al Hashmi - was a roaring success.
Majid shone like a beacon on a night when battle-seasoned professionals displayed their explosive skills to whet the appetite of boxing fans.
The 20-year-old Emirati boxed like a professional displaying a maturity beyond his age as he set the tempo for the six-card event by outpointing his adversary in the 64kg weight class.
"I've never been in this position before (fighting in front) lot of people. When you go inside the ring, you feel nervous a little bit. Boxing is about challenge. It's the second time I prepared for it. I know how it feels," said Majid who overcame butterflies in his stomach to show nerves of steel.
Majid attacked from the opening bell with powerful jabs and hooks staggering Ssendi with a left cross to assert his authority in the ring.
The Ugandan boxer boasted a record of 45 wins before this fight but was overawed by the powerful combinations of Majid despite making a fight of it in round two by landing body blows.
Majid wowed the crowd by towering over his rival to earn a unanimous decision and extend his amateur career record to four wins.
"They told me he is a great opponent. Alhamdulillah I won. First round I was giving him big shots to make him respect me. Second round I got a little nervous because he give me little punches. Third round I knew what I had to do," he said.
"I'm thinking of reaching professional and I'm ready to represent UAE," said an ecstatic Majid who has come under the wing of Romanian coach Voirel Morovan at R10 Boxing Club for the past one and half years.
Former Kenyan champion Nicholas Mwangi won a bloody four-round 63.5 super lightweight battle against a rugged
fighter from Afghanistan Azizi Zafar who gave as good as he got despite suffering a cut under his left eye in the opening round. However, all three judges scored 39-37 to Mwangi to the delight of the African fans.
"It was the toughest fight of my career," said Mwangi, 28, a product of R10 Boxing Club.
Irish eyes were smiling as former 'World Golden Gloves' winner Rohan Date dismantled Ghana's Stephen Okine in the 69kg super welterweight class.
Rohan floored Okine twice during the four-round clash but tough Ghanaian kept bouncing back. Okine was also penalised for holding.
"When you hit guys as hard as that in amateurs, they usually stay down. This guy kept getting up. It was not one-way, he was getting lot of punches back. It was a big testing match," said an exhausted Rohan after the fight.
"I need to build a profile. I want the Irish community over here to come and support the fights. Hopefully we can get in bigger stadiums," said Rohan who was amazed by 'The Fight'.
"You won't see anything like this back home really.
This is something we can keep improving on and getting better exposure," he added.
Nigerian Lasisi 'Lucky Boy' Aliu raised the roof with a spectacular first-round knockout of Hungary's Dodu Gyula in the 53.52kg bantamweight class.
Gyula found himself seated on the middle of ring and failed to beat the count after being stunned by two crosses as the scheduled six-round contest ended after just 59 seconds.
'The Fight' night reached a crescendo when Filipino boxer Larry Abarra outclassed Ghana's Isaac Netty in the 55.33kg super bantamweight duel.
Abarra, a former stable mate of Manny Pacquiao, unsettled Netty with a barrage of punches before whipping in a right hook forcing the referee to stop the scheduled 10-round bout in round two.
The 'Main Event' between R10 Boxing Club boy Deo Kizito of Uganda and Russian Evgenii Vazim lived upto its billing in terms of quality and intensity.
There was very little to choose between the two lightweight boxers after eight rounds of gruelling toe-to-toe fighting. Vazim used his reach advantage to jab and keep Deo at bay. Deo nailed Vazim with hooks and uppercuts but had his work cut out having to cut the distance for much of the bout.
Not surprisingly Vazim was adjudged the winner on a narrow split decision with two judges scoring 77-75 apiece while another had it 78-74 in favour of the Russian to tilt the balance.