Tyson heads to Dubai for World Arab Boxing meet

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson will be the guest of honour at the World Championship for Arab Boxing in Dubai next month.

Tyson, also known as Malik Abdul Aziz, has been confirmed for the seven-card fight to be held at the Festival City on January 21 and 22 commencing at 7.30pm each day.

"Mike Tyson is arguably one of the best boxers in the world. He fought with a passion that till today remains unsurpassed in the boxing world. It will be our pleasure to have him in Dubai and taking boxing to the next level in the UAE," said Ali Hadi Al Sideri, president of the International Arab Boxing Federation (IABF).

"Tyson is a legend and having him with us as a chief guest for this championship will benefit boxing to a great extent in the country," he added.

Al Sediri added that negotiations are on to invite another boxing great to be announced in a week's time.

Tyson, often referred to as the 'Baddest Man on the Planet' or simply as 'Iron Mike', was at one time the youngest world heavyweight champion.

Al Sediri parried questions relating to Tyson's controversial record in and outside the ring by claiming it was all a conspiracy.

"He is not a criminal. We are aware of his past history. The boxing mafia in US, they are controlling everything. They can put anyone high or low," he said defending their choice of Tyson who gained notoriety for biting the ear of Evander Holyfield during a title fight.

Al Sediri hoped to entice Tyson to take up Arab boxing during his visit. Arab boxing which originated more than 70 years is similar to K1 with kicking allowed.

The American boxer retired from professional boxing in 2006 after he was knocked out in successive bouts by Danny Williams and Kevin McBride.

"This sport has been recognised since 1972. Most important for this tournament is the presence of boxing legend Mike Tyson. This is the first time tyson is coming to an Arab country. We are glad to have him here," said Al Sideri who revealed that he will be paid an appearance of $160,000.

President of Golden Star Muad Al Merri said they were pleased to organise a sports event of this magnitude for the first time.

"It is very important because it adds something to the Dubai sports agenda. There will be lot of entertainment," he promised.

Omran Al Jasmi of Dubai Sports Council said they were happy to support this event which comes under the umbrella of sports activities in Dubai.

Baraka Al Jassar of IABF was confident the event would be a success.

A similar boxing championship featuring some of the top pugilists from the across the Arab world was held earlier this year.

"We have seen the success of this earlier event and we want to take this further and ensure this sport has solid base in the UAE," said Al Sideri.

The Dubai Sports Council-backed Arab Boxing Championships will feature 12 fights, of which three will be for amateurs and the remaining nine for professional men and women boxers.

The championships, organised by Golden Star, has already attracted top boxing champions from the US, Iraq, Switzerland, Russia, Netherlands, France, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Surinam, Kuwait, Palestine, Spain,Colombia, Portugal, Turkey, Mauritania and host the UAE.

The two-day boxing championships is sponsored by Dubai Festival City with tickets being priced at Dh300, 500 and 700.
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.