Nadim Salloum springs up from a crouched position – leaning back to avoid a right hook from his sparring partner. He moves in on his opponent, his right is blocked by a shoulder roll, but he then follows up with a left to the body.
It’s a pulled punch, but strong enough to cause Andy to drop his guard and backtrack. He responds, and one of a flurry of punches catches Nadim’s head guard.
“Good!” shouts Salloum through his gumshield, goading Andy to keep going.
Having returned from New York to visit his home town of Jounieh, Nadim “The Unpredictable” Salloum – Lebanon’s first professional boxer – is sparring with Andy, 17, an aspiring fighter from Beqaa, eastern Lebanon.
The bell sounds on an automated timer that rings out in the Fitmind Gym, but both boxers continue to grapple and exchange jabs.
“We keep going until he says he’s had enough,” says Salloum.
For the 17-year-old amateur, every second in the ring is invaluable. “It’s great experience. Gradually I’m learning what you have to do to get to a higher level. Me being in there makes me better,” Andy says later.
And there is certainly a lot to learn.
Salloum, 28, has spent the past three years making his way up the world rankings, picking up four wins in the last year alone. Currently ranked at 155 on BoxRec in the super-middleweight category, and with an official record of 10-1, Salloum is forging a path in professional boxing that no other Lebanese fighter has walked before.
His trajectory took a huge upturn last year when he was signed by Adam Glenn, the son of the legendary New York trainer Jimmy Glenn, who has worked and trained with the likes of Floyd Patterson.
Since coming under Glenn’s management, Salloum has proven he’s a winner. He has also shown he can sell tickets to a captive Lebanese diaspora in places like New York, Washington, and Kentucky. Salloum says he is now ready to take on tougher opponents and move up to eight-round fights.
“In my division, there are a lot of up-and-coming fighters, I’m not going to mention names, but I’m ready to take them on,” he says.
Ever since committing to a life of pro boxing, Salloum has only had one goal in mind – to be world champion. He now says he is only a few years away from being able to take on the likes of Canelo Alvarez.
"I know how to adapt. If I keep doing that, I'll get there," says Salloum.
Salloum's story is certainly one of adaptation and sacrifice. After years of winning fights in Lebanon, he realised that in order to go to the next level and turn professional, he would have to leave his home and train professionally in the US.
To afford his dream he sold his car, dropped out of university and, since 2019, has been living on his friend's couch in New York, allowing him to focus entirely on boxing.
“The whole family turned against him at the time, but he was insistent,” his mother Ghada told The National in his family home, “now we are very proud.”
As Salloum waits for news of his next fight date, he is trying to use his time at home to support Lebanese talent, promote boxing, and share some of the lessons he has learnt along the way.
“I want to help other people take the same steps. As I grow, I want Lebanon to grow with me,” he says.
During his previous returns to Lebanon, Salloum set up training days with young fighters. On this trip, he is organising an informational day on the August 2 at Bar National in Jounieh to share what he has learnt about networking and turning professional.
“People have no idea about the ins and outs of pro boxing; what it means to have a manager and why you need a promoter. Also practical things like how to make weight, how to get paid, how much you get paid?”
Salloum has grand ambitions for boxing in Lebanon, including setting up his own professional-standard gym – but admits he has struggled in the past to engage with the Lebanese Boxing Federation.
“There is a lot of talent in Lebanon, but they’re not doing enough to support it,” he says, saying the federation is, like the rest of the country, held back by sectarian politics.
The National contacted the LBF, who said they are willing to work with Salloum to promote boxing in Lebanon.
In the meantime, he continues to focus on his main goal – making it to the top.
“Once I become world champion, I will be able to do whatever I want.”
His next fight is yet to be confirmed, but Salloum said Glenn is eying up dates in September. He hopes that within the next year he will be competing for any one of a number of belts from the WBC, WBO and WBA.
GRAN%20TURISMO
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company%20Profile
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Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Teaching in coronavirus times
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee