Bader Samreen Al Dherat, popularly known as Bader Samreen, has come a long way in a short time during his nascent boxing career. The Dubai-based Jordanian lightweight has risen to 77th in the world rankings – according to BoxRec – since turning pro just over three years ago.
His next goal is to break into the top 50, and then reach the top 10 before the opportunity to compete for a world title. While that might seem a lofty ambition, Samreen has his feet firmly on the ground as he prepares for a crucial juncture in his boxing journey.
Samreen, who turns 24 next month, meets Panamanian Orlando Mosquera, 26, in the headline contest of the fourth edition of the Rising Stars Arabia. The 10-round lightweight bout takes place at the Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
“When I first ventured into professional boxing, I was outside top 200 in the rankings but after 10 professional appearances and still undefeated, I have now reached 77. I think that’s remarkable progress,” Samreen told The National.
“Rising Stars Arabia is a platform for Arab fighters to showcase their skill and power. We Arab fighters never had the chance to prove ourselves.”
Samreen took up boxing in 2012, following in the footsteps of his older brother Hesham. He represented his country at the 2018 AIBA World Youth Championships in Hungary and only lost at the semi-final stage to the eventual gold medallist from Cuba.
Having won bronze in the World Youths, Samreen struggled to make the switch to the pro ranks. He finally got the opportunity when Dubai businessman and promoter Ahmed Seddiqi signed him up in 2021.
“I have a Jordanian passport, I didn't have the chance to travel to western countries and pursue a professional career.
“So, that's why it was very hard for me and I gave myself another year. If I didn't have a chance to turn professional then I would have dropped the sport and started working on something else.
“In Jordan, boxing is not really a sport over there, so surviving over there is very hard. I could have wasted so many years and then ended up doing nothing in life.
“Fortunately for me, I got this break to pursue my dream as a professional boxer out of Dubai. I’m very grateful to my manager and promoter Ahmed Seddiqi.”
It indeed has been a tough journey for Samreen, who says the mental aspect of the sport is perhaps even more demanding than the physical.
“Honestly, I can't really describe how hard it has been because most people won’t understand what we go through and how it feels like to be not just a professional boxer but to be a dedicated boxer. I dedicated my entire life to this and it's very tough,” he said.
“It's more mentally demanding than physically because it takes so much time of your life. However, I lead a simple lifestyle and am quite satisfied to continue with what I have chosen to do as a profession.”
Samreen is also a devout Muslim, his faith having withstood the tests of time and hardships. “I'm a strong believer and Allah is with me. Also, my family, they really inspire me and I need to do this for them. I owe this to them,” he said.
“I do make smart choices with my money that I make from the sport of boxing and that's why I don't really find a need to do something else.”
For now, his focus is on his next challenge. Samreen's opponent Mosquera turned professional in 2016. He suffered his first defeat against Jose Nunez in his fifth fight. A few fights later, he fought John Valencia to a sixth-round technical draw when they battled for the Panamanian national title.
That result was followed by seven wins, two of those against previously unbeaten opponents before Mosquera was stopped by Juan Carrasco. His record stands at 12-2-1.
“Obviously you study your opponents by watching their fights on video but I hope he knows who I am. And, yes, I would like to think the contest will end just like any other for me, which is coming out victorious,” Samreen, who has eight knockouts in his 10 fights, said.
“I'm very confident in my abilities and I'm well prepared. I'm always ready.”
Samreen hasn’t set a time limit on reaching his ultimate goal but, with time on his side, hopes to fulfil his dream of becoming a world champion.
“Me and my team, we study it well,” he explained. “We don't rush our work. We have all the time in the world to do it the right way and enjoy the journey.”
In the other contests this weekend, Emirati Sultan Al Nuaimi (11-0) meets Muhsin Kizota (20-4) in a super flyweight contest, Faizan Anwar (17-0) of India faces Nurali Erdogan (15-2) of France at welterweight, and Moroccan Moussa Gholam is up against Chinese Lingjie Xia in a super featherweight bout.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
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Company Profile
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Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
