On April 20, the promoter group - the Martial Arts Academy - organized the second tournament officially approved by international organizations in Dubai - the Battle of the Coast-2. For several hours, surrounded by a wall of palm trees, the open amphitheater of Le Meridien Mina Seyahi's park complex has become the scene of exciting and unpredictable Thai boxing fights. The tournament was promoted by Vladimir Burdun, the fighters were selected by Stanislav Bukhlov. The main sponsor of the tournament was the jewelry company Damas. More than eight hundred spectators watched uncompromising battles on the Gulf. Right behind the ring in the sea, one could see the illuminated outlines of the recently erected hotels and apartments on the artificial island "Palm Jumeirah". As always, the fight of ethnic drums was accompanied by each fight. At the tournament, one could notice the bikers who came to cheer for Malik Omarov. By tradition, the tournament was attended by important people. Top managers of a number of large hotels, as well as employees of the Thai consulate, watched what was happening from VIP places in the immediate vicinity of the ring. The operators of the well-known Arab television channel Al Jazeera Sport filmed not only the fights, but also the preparation of the athletes for the fight, their interviews before entering the ring and at the end of the battle. One of the most respected coaches, Stephen Kalakoda, commented on the battles live by the man who stood at the origins of K-1. The first battle began, and immediately in the ring and in the amphitheater filled with spectators, it became hot.
Category up to 66.7 kg
Mohammed Sanad (UAE) -
George "Titanium" George Mikuris (South Africa)
George, a Thai boxing instructor from the Mina fitness club, recovered from a fracture of his right forearm, received on January 4 in a fight with Al Haddat, and throughout March he was preparing for a fight in his homeland in South Africa. The fight was conceived on the one hand, as a return to the ring of George, and on the other, as a professional debut of Mohammed. Members of the Mina fitness club and almost all of the mid-level management at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi came to support George. The return did not work. It turned out to be a very difficult and bloody battle for George. Sanad was surprisingly a strong newcomer. Fans of George, who, by the way, were the majority, remained disappointed. Their encouraging cries accompanying almost every hit, or attempted attack by George, subsided after the second round. They watched George’s further beating silently. Sanad dominated the ring during all five rounds, using all the variety of Thai boxing techniques, and delivered George a lot of sensitive punches. The result - the emirate’s victory on points after the fifth round. Mohammed performed well for the newcomer, and George showed character, holding on to the last, despite the fact that in the fourth round he received a nose fracture.
Category up to 66.7 kg
Najmeddin "Scorpio" Al Haddat (CANADA) -
Zinolabedin "Iranian rocket" Zokaevan (IRAN).
Recently, Najmeddin Al Haddad founded a team in Sharjah, with the name of "Warriors Forever". A large group of athletes in Immortals t-shirts accompanied his appearance at the amphitheater that evening. Najmeddin had already met with Zinolabedin at a professional kickboxing tournament in Sharjah. Then the battle ended with the disqualification of Najmeddin for trying to inflict a forbidden “top-scoring” kick in the head of an opponent on the ground. Both athletes knew each other's fighting style and the first three rounds were cautious, did not go for an exchange of blows. A whistle was even heard in the amphitheater. More or less athletes have intensified in the last rounds. At the end of five rounds, the referee raised Najmeddin's hand. The Iranian seconds were dissatisfied with the outcome of the battle and even tried to arrange a discussion, which the truth was settled by a panel of judges. Another battle in the piggy bank experience of the Syrian Canadian.
Category up to 72.9 kg
Ahmed "Kamikaze" Saadi (TUNISIA) -
Artem "Crazy" Myagkov (RUSSIA)
Ahmad Saadi's entry into the ring was accompanied by Sufi music. He himself was in an Arabian cape and with the flag of Tunisia draped over his shoulders. The output impressed the Arab women present in the amphitheater. The approving hooting was heard, which used to be usually accompanied by the departure of Arab soldiers to the war. Ahmad was secured by the famous fighter from England, Saul Gilbert, whose vacation in the luxurious Le Meridien Mina Seyahi hotel coincided with the holding of fights in it. Artyom Myagkov, who, by the way, won his last fight in Izhevsk by a knockout in the head, brought to the tournament the famous promoter of Thai boxing from Russia - Alexander Gochoshvili. In the first rounds, numerous blows with his hands and elbows in the head fell mainly in defense of Artem. Attempts to crown the knees and elbows in the jump did not bring Artem success. Despite the fact that Artem was a cut above, the Tunisian punched several times during the fight with kicks to the head. Ahmad attacked more and more aggressively. Already in the third round, Artem was noticeably tired. In the fourth round, Ahmad concentrated his punches on the opponent’s corps. Having been knocked down twice, the third time, being on the floor of the ring after hitting a knee, Artem was no longer able to continue the fight. Tamjid Abdullah, director of the Damas jewelry campaign, was delighted with the Tunisian’s fight, and several times, referring to Ahmad in Arabic, called him a lion.
Category up to 82.6 kg
Jan Coy (ENGLAND) -
Abdullah "The Bully"
Abu Hamdan (LEBANON) Abdallah, who has earned the title of Hooligan at the last tournament, works as a security guard in Dubai’s most hectic pub, Waxy O'Conners. The Lebanese went to the battle in shorts and in a dressing gown with the emblems of this pub. Abdullah’s performance at the last tournament was remembered more because the Lebanese threw his opponent out of the ring with a throw. Not without hooliganism, and this time. During a clinch with Ian, Abdullah received a warning for a prohibited header. In general, the fight was almost equal, both athletes successfully acted in the ring against each other. The Briton was liked by the audience, he was collected and cool-headed during the battle, with each smoke he enhanced his pace. Nevertheless, at the end of five rounds, the judges, after some hitch, gave the victory to Abdallah. Subsequently, the referee - Magomed Suleima nov - expressed his personal opinion that Abdullah clearly lost the last rounds. After the fight, Abdullah, taking a microphone, thanked the Martial Arts Academy for the opportunity to perform in a professional ring in front of Dubai spectators and stated that he dedicated this fight to his girlfriend, Sarah. As it became known the next day, during a fight with Ian Abdallah received a fracture in the bones of his right hand. It turned out that because of the wound of his right hand, which he received during a fight in the Waxy O'Conners bar, Abdullah could not clench his fist until the end. The incorrect position of the gloved hand during the impact caused the fracture.
Category up to 86.2 kg
Claude Kuam (CAMEROON) -
Ayman "Villain" Ben Ali (TUNISIA)
Claude was very determined to win and just hammered Ayman with his hands. Ayman missed a lot of punches from the very beginning, from which his head flew back and forth. Ayman tried to beat the lowki, but it turned out very hesitantly and weakly, Claude simply did not pay attention to them. Already in the first round, Ayman psychologically broke down, was not knocked down. Toward the end, he tried to strike with his knees in the clinch, but Claude did not cause serious damage. In the second round, Claude sent Aimen to a knockout. Category up to 76.2 kg Fight for the title of intercontinental champion in Thai boxing - WBL version. Olli Watson (ENGLAND) - Malik Omarov (RUSSIA) This time Malik prepared for the battle very carefully and managed to approach him in the best form. Malika was taken to the ring by the head coach of the "Martial Arts Academy" - Ma gomed Suleymanov. The fight began with Ollie Watson’s tough low-kicks, which, apparently, he wanted to “break” his opponent, but most of Malik's strikes successfully broke blocks. Malik responded to Ollie's attacks with instant counterattacks, culminating in kicks to the head. In the second round, one of these blows cut the British skin near his right eye. The Englishman's face began to fill with blood, and Malik left the straight straight several times strongly hit Olli's chin. Immediately after the second round, Ollie Watson's coach - Darren Ambrose, having thrown a towel into the ring, refused to continue the fight. The reason for the refusal was both a dissection of the right eyebrow and the likelihood that Ollie would lose by knockout. The coach refused the fight in order to maintain the health of the athlete. Malik Omarov became the Intercontinental Thai Boxing Champion (WBL). The Thai boxing champion was rocked by a crowd of Dubai bikers from the Black Eagle club. Al Jazeera Sport has already begun to create a forty-five-minute broadcast about the tournament. The program is scheduled to be shown in seven Arab countries and will certainly make a lot of noise. Thai boxing is gradually conquering Dubai.
/ Stanislav Bukhlov,
Photo: Timur Gafurov, Andrey Khokhlov /
