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White collars including teachers, marketing executives and hotel managers from across the kingdom took a jab at competing in Bahrain’s sixth Fight Night charity boxing event in a bid to encourage more youths to take up the sports and raise awareness- writes Naman Arora.
Fourteen amateur boxers from the islands office sector spent the past three months punching, bobbing and weaving at v Bahrain Boxing Club’s Janabiya facility, in preparation for the semi-annual spectacular staged at the Crowne Plaza hotel Bahrain.
The event was organised by the Bahrain Boxing Club and Lift Bahrain taking inspiration from white collar boxing which started in the 1980s in New York City featuring beginners from pencil-pushing jobs showcasing a fistful of fun for a worthy cause.
“There is a huge interest in boxing in Bahrain,” said Khumiso Ikgopoleng, 39, Lift Bahrain’s head coach and former Botswanian Olympian athlete and coach who trained all the boxers for the competition. “I have come here hoping to develop the boxing scene in the kingdom and share what knowledge and experience I have.”
Seven bouts were held, five of them between men and two between women, with fighters from a variety of backgrounds coming together to raise awareness for the Aisha Yateem Family Counseling Centre and the Bahrain Boxing Club’s Mulakam Boxing Scholarship Programme which supports underprivileged Bahraini youth, between the ages of 11 and 16, who show promise and interest in the sport.
Spectators at the event, which started two years ago, were treated to a three-course black tie dinner while they watched their friends push personal boundaries in three, three-minute rounds.
While nine minutes of back and forth may sound trivial to white collar workers used to circling one another in hour long meetings, this was much more gruelling, as each fighter’s training was put to the test and then some. No amount of sparring can prepare one for the sheer exhaustion of the ring, salved only by the infectious spirit of the crowd.
The focus was not on the winner of each fight, as the camaraderie between opponents was apparent, and each boxer, no matter their previous experience, walked away with a box full of anecdotes.
The evening started off with a bout between Evan ‘Downtown Funkystuff’ Smith and Jola ‘Big Baby J’ Oyebanjo, followed by a skirmish between Fiona ‘Nocking Noni’ Greig and Angela ‘Lioness’ Assad.
While there is a popular myth in professional boxing about the agility of youth, in both fights, experience and training prevailed, even if it wasn’t necessarily in the ring.
First-timer Jola Oyebanjo, 24, bagged the win, saying that he definitely felt the support. “When you are pumped full of adrenaline, you just want to give it everything and next thing you know, you are just tired,” he said. “But the crowd keeps you going.”
Greig, a 52-year-old teacher, found her victory through using what she was taught. She said: “I was nervous at first but once you get into it, you start to forget that.”
Of course, while winning is always subconsciously on a boxer’s mind, not everyone makes it their prime directive.
For Assad, 23, her sole objective was to ensure her song, Baby Shark Dance by Pinkfong, was stuck in everyone’s head. Her spirit, resonating with her soundtrack, definitely struck a chord in everyone’s heart.
As dinner was served, Hashem ‘Bulletproof’ Alawi went up against Philipp ‘Spartan’ Economou. Intercontinental Hotel Group area general manager, Economou, 46, believed he was one hundred per cent ready for the ring after an intense six weeks of training.
He said: “The coaches and the ambience they created at the club were great. They really prep you to go into the ring. I definitely want to do it again!” His gruelling drills definitely paid off as he won the fight.
Abdul-Razzaq, “The Animal” Iyer then took on Deina “Hurricane” Morete as the audience were served a side of dessert.
This was the only match in which things got a tad more heated with a few drops of blood being unintentionally drawn. Iyer attempted to apologise and check in on the status of his friendly, albeit a bit dazed, opponent Morete mid-fight, while being admonished by the referees for talking.
Morete, 31, who was enjoying an off-season break from playing full back in the Bahrain national rugby team, said: “While it was a phenomenal experience, I don’t think there is another fight night on the horizon for me, not yet anyways.”
Following a short break, the evening’s remaining battles took centre stage. Shaheen Aljowder got into the ring with Nigel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, 24, who won the bout, said: “I loved it! I have enjoyed boxing all my life and since I started last year, I have just kept going. This is my second Fight Night and hopefully not my last.”
The fifth fight featured Leanna “The Unbreakable” Dismore combating Tania “Latina Punch” Semaan.
Dismore, a three-time Fight Night veteran who was defeated by Semaan, said: “Every time, you learn something new. I keep coming back because as they say, boxing is cheaper than therapy. Since my first fight, my footwork is better, my timing is better. You often feel like you are not learning but your muscles learn.”
The evening’s brawling wrapped up with an encounter between Khalid “The Lid” Alhamar and Brian “The Unstoppable” Cranston.
Cranston definitely lived up to his namesake’s character, Heisenberg, in Breaking Bad and was unstoppable.
Naman’s Notes:
There is something about rookies taking on a sport that usually takes years of commitment and training, devoting a few months to it and then competing in front of nearly 500 people while raising money for charity that really hits the spot.
That was Thursday night for me, as I joined fans and fighters at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, for an exciting evening of punches, blows and camaraderie for a cause.
When I had been in Bahrain for my first spell, even though the hotel had become a family favorite haunt with its numerous Toastmasters events, nothing quite like Fight Night existed.
Yet, in my second innings on the island, mere weeks after watching a Billions episode featuring a charity fight night, I had the opportunity to experience a friendlier version a few kilometres from my backyard.
Tony Davis, head coach of the national Boxing Team, already noted the increased interest in the sport in Bahrain and hopes to take Bahrain to the Olympics.
I don’t think the white collar competitors from the event will have time to spare for the Olympics, although I do hope I am proven wrong. If the skill and enthusiasm combined with the crowd support is any evidence of the training and investment into the national team, I am excited to see the squad fighting on the international stage!
