Dubai all set to flex its muscles as new boxing hub

Irish Olympian David Oliver Joyce (right) and Scotland's Stephen Tiffney will square off for the WBO European featherweight title. -Supplied photo

Forty-eight hours before fight night, the tickets were already sold out for 'The Fight DXB Uncovered.' If this is any indication, boxing indeed has a market in Dubai and the UAE, waiting to be explored.
Fans deprived of top quality boxing in the region will finally get their fix when a top-class card plays out at a specially set up ring at the Emirates Golf Club on Friday night.
After Saudi Arabia gave a raucous welcome to the World Super Series super middleweight bout between George Groves and Callum Smith into the Kingdom last September, it is destination Dubai, which has become the latest boxing outpost.
The night features 11 bouts, nine of which forms a rich undercard, which should leave boxing aficionados satiated.
And to add more heft or punch to the event, organized by Ahmed Siddiqi's Round 10 Boxing Club in partnership with MTK Global and Top Rank, two titles will be on the line.
The headlining acts though are the bouts between Irish Olympian David Oliver Joyce and Scotland's Stephen Tiffney, as well as the fight between Dubai-based Nigerian Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (12-0-8KOs) and Nicaragua's Ricardo Blandon (10-1-6KOs).
Joyce will square off against Tiffney for the WBO European featherweight title, while Lasisi goes up against Blandon for the vacant WBC International super-flyweight crown.
The weigh-in was held at the Round 10 Boxing Club on Thursday morning and Joyce tipped the scales at 124.8lb. Tiffney weighed in 125.2lb.
And Joyce is confident of making a name for himself in Dubai.
"I'm going to make my name as a pro. I want to be a worldwide name. I want people to remember me and talk about Davey Oliver Joyce - the European champion, the world champion," said Joyce, who goes by the moniker 'The Punisher.'
"I'm not looking past Tiffney at all. I'm focused on the night and that title. I'm not going to rush anything. I won't say that once I've become European champion, I'll be straight on to a world title shot. I'll let my management team decide. I'm going to win this, maybe defend it a couple of times and then decide when the time is right. I believe I've got the ability and talent to beat any featherweight. I'll show how good I am on Friday," added the 32-year-old, who holds a 9-0 record with seven KOs.
Meanwhile, Tiffney amped up the heat by saying he can knock Joyce out.
"I believe I can stop him. It will be a hard fight but it wouldn't surprise me if I did. I know how tough a night it's going to be because he's a great fighter, but I've trained hard and I'm looking forward to putting on a show," said Tiffney.
"People who have seen both of our fights in the past know that it will be a hard fight for both of us, but it's going to be a busy fight and that's what makes it exciting," added the 30-year-old, who holds a 10-1 record with four KOs.
Meanwhile, Emirati Majid Al Naqbi will be making pro debut against Russia's Vladimir Lytkin, while Saudi Arabia's Zuhayr Al Qahtani takes on India's SK Saheb.
It is not only the men with a women's super-bantamweight bout featuring Armenia's Anahit Aroyan (2-0) and Thailand's Nongnun Sor Praithong (2-2-1).
james@khaleejtimes.com
 
THE CARD:
WBO European featherweight title fight:
David Oliver Joyce vs Stephen Tiffney
 
WBC International super-flyweight title fight: 
Aliu Bamidele Lasisi vs Ricardo Blandon
 
Lightweight bout: 
Sultan Zaurbek vs Chenghong Tao
 
Lightweight bout: 
Majid Al Naqbi vs Vladimir Lytkin
 
Featherweight bout:
Shakhobidin Zoirov vs Anthony Holt
 
Super-middleweight bout:
Mateo Tapia vs Gaganpreet Sharma
 
Bantamweight bout: 
Larry Abarra vs Raymond Commey
 
Super-lightweight bout:
Zuhayr Al Qahtani vs SK Saheb
 
Super-welterweight bout:
Abilkhaiyr Shegaliyev vs Teimuraz Abuladze
 
Super-bantamweight bout:
Anahit Aroyan vs Nongnun Sor Praithong
 
Super-bantamweight bout:
Hasibullah Ahmadi vs Manot Comput