Emirati Fahad Al Bloushi said he was “on cloud nine” after opening the inaugural “Champion Series” in Abu Dhabi with victory – and immediately set sights on creating more history.
The Dubai-born boxer, 26, dominated Georgian Irakli Shariashvili in the opening bout at Etihad Arena on Saturday night, taking the unanimous decision 60-54, 59-55, 59-55. The win lifted Al Bloushi’s record to 11-1.
“I feel great, honestly,” Al Bloushi said. “This is a whole surreal feeling. A gym fight is one thing, but in fight like this, Etihad Arena, one of the biggest stages, where you have had big names like [UFC star] Khabib [Nurmagomedov], NBA, here… I feel like a top-level athlete right now. It feels great. I’m on cloud nine.”
Al Bloushi, who emerged to a vociferous support despite being so early in the evening, added: “There were a lot more [fans] than I expected. I was expecting it to be quiet. But as soon as I walked out I was like, ‘Yo, this is a home crowd; this is people that’s coming to watch boxing'.
"I’m really proud to be a part of an event where people are coming to support. I didn’t expect a lot of people to shout my name, but then they all started, ‘Fahad, Fahad, Fahad’. In my head I’m like, ‘Alright, now is the time to switch that gear, put on a performance, show the world, show the city, show the country that Fahad Al Bloushi is right here, put on a show’. I feel great. I can’t explain it.”
Al Bloushi, who was initially slated to rematch Giorgi Gotchoshvili – the Georgian inflicted the only defeat of his career, in 2019 – rated his performance six out of 10.
“It was a good fight, not the perfect fight,” the super-featherweight said. “I’m still going to learn from here. It’s always a learning curve from what I’m going to do. Last fight taught me a lot; this fight another.
“I made my mum proud, my dad proud, the whole country proud. And putting that statement to the whole country means a lot to me. Because this is my hometown, it gave me everything. And I’m trying to give the same thing back, the same ambition and dreams that the country wants.
“For the whole UAE, all seven emirates. I’m not leaving, not one bit. If I can fight in all seven emirates I’ll do it.”
Saturday’s event represented the first in the “Champion Series”, the multi-year agreement announced this summer between the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and renowned promotion Matchroom Boxing.
On his next move within the sport, Al Bloushi said: “I really hope I can get the better fights. I really want to become No 1 in the Middle East; small goals first and then we can proceed to the big ones.
“I want to become the first Emirati to have the Middle East title in my weight class. So I can put the country on the map as well, and I can inspire a lot of other kids. Because I want to learn how to defend themselves."
Later on Saturday, Sultan Al Nuaimi made it two for two for the UAE, when the Emirati stopped Indian Sohaib Haque in the seventh and penultimate round.
The win, sealed by a sharp right hook to the body, extended the unbeaten Al Nuaimi’s record to 9-0.
“I feel good, I’m happy with my performance,” the super-flyweight said. “It’s just the first round, I think I broke my thumb, or [damaged] a ligament, I just had it checked.
“Just knowing this is the biggest fight in UAE’s history and you performed a really good performance, that’s such an honour to be a part of it.
“And to show the world that there are some local-based fighters that can perform on a high level. We’re just trying to attract people into this sport, because some other people are focusing on other sports and are just ignoring boxing. When it’s growing really big all over the world.
“We just want to attract more local guys into this sport. This is just the beginning.”
In the night’s other bout involving an Emirati, Khorfakkan lightweight Majid Al Naqbi suffered the first defeat of his pro career, losing to Filipino John Lawrence Ordonio by unanimous decision.
Al Naqbi, who came into the contest 7-0, was outworked by his opponent during the four rounds, with the judges scoring the clash 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
“The opponent was tough, and the game plan wasn’t the same as I wanted to do. Sometimes things don’t work out for me. This is my first loss and I’ll learn from it," said Al Naqbi.
“The way to success is hard. And if you don’t taste failure, you’ll never understand what success truly looks like.
"But I don’t have to give excuses. I’m accepting my loss as a man, I’ll take it. But it is what it is. I believe in God and I believe in my destiny."
On the support he received on Saturday, Al Naqbi added: "It was something people look at you like pride of the country. We, as Arabs, even when you fail, people will be emotional with you and will support you anyway, because they know the truth, who you are, what you’re going through.
“A hundred per cent there’s a fire inside me to come back in a different weight division, and maybe I’ll take a rematch with the guy in future.”
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MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Company%20profile
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
