Ringside retreat

Boxing fever is in full swing in the kingdom as a tournament was staged recently to give Bahrain’s best a chance of proving themselves in the ring.

The best boxers from the Bahrain Fighters Gym in Hamad Town, which is co-owned by Yousif Al Koheeji and Suresh Kumar, took part in the open tournament which was held over two days and also encompassed a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contest.

Numerous other gyms from across the GCC region participated, and the event was officially endorsed by the Bahrain Boxing Federation.

Suresh, better known as Siv, believes that boxing is developing at a rapid rate in the kingdom. He said: “The event was a great success and we’re already looking at hosting another two or three tournaments this year.

“Our goal is to build a national team. It’s a very tough goal to work towards and we are far away from realising it, but these are small steps that we have to take and we’re pushing as hard as we can.

“Boxing is developing quickly and the more experience these guys get, the better. The quality is already really high and now they’re focussed on improving.”

Siv was born in Sri Lanka, but grew up in England where he fell in love with boxing at a young age. After six years of travelling the world, he came to Bahrain and met Hamza Al Koheeji, Yousif’s brother and the number one ranked MMA fighter in the country, and fell in love with the island and decided to settle and establish a gym.