Sport | Other Sports
Move on to bring Filipino boxing sensation Pacquiao to UAE
Organisers of Arab Boxing Championship set sights on Filipino star
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:00 April 15, 2011
- Image Credit: EPA
- Manny Pacquiao
Dubai: Following a successful staging of the Arab Boxing Championships at the Meydan last week, its organiser has now set his sights on bringing Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao to the UAE.
"We are already in talks with Manny's agent and considering the following the boxer has here, they have been showing a lot of interest in staging a fight here," boxing organiser Ali Rashid Al Kaitoob told Gulf News.
"For some time now the Manny camp has been keen on staging a fight involving the Filipino boxer in the UAE, but they have not been able to seal a deal to this affect. They were very positive after speaking to us earlier this month," Al Kaitoob said.
"Maybe, they have heard of the successful Arab Boxing Championships we staged at the Meydan last week," he offered.
Assisted by his sons Mohammad and Ahmad of Intra Events, Al Kaitoob put up a successful fight card at the Meydan last weekend with four professional fights and as many bouts involving amateurs, among them a couple from the UAE. Attended by more than 2,000 fans, the fight was watched live by Shaikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum in the presence of Dubai Sports Council members Saeed Hareb, Ali Bujsaim and Salah Tahlak.
"The fight night was like a renaissance for boxing in the UAE. Everyone loved it," Al Kaitoob noted.
Goaded by this success, Al Kaitoob said that he has decided to bring in someone famous such as Manny Pacquiao to the UAE.
"We need to ride on this popularity wave for boxing in the UAE. We cannot allow people to forget last week's experience," he said.
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