Look! Dubai Rising Stars: Thrilling night of boxing action in UAE

Hasibullah ‘Hasib’ Ahmadi was crowned the WBC Asia featherweight champion on a dramatic night at the Conrad hotel in Dubai as D4G’s ‘Rising Stars’ event made a major introduction on the boxing stage.

There were two WBC Asian titles on the line on a night that saw plenty of dramatic clashes and an upset or two. The event was promoted by Ahmed A Seddiqi for D4G Promotions, and was sponsored by Hublot, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and Kinetik. It was broadcast in the US on ESPN+, in Latin America on ESPN Knockout, and on IFL TV for the rest of the world, and was also heard on radio with Channel 4, on 104.8.

Hasibullah Ahmadi defeated Rauf Aghayev thanks to a unanimous decision after 10 rounds (97-93, 98-94, 99-91). Ahmadi won the first title of his career as he defeated Rauf Aghayev to become the new WBC Asia featherweight champion. Ahmadi (13-0, 4 KOs) got off to an extremely fast start, and appeared to have Aghayev (31-11, 14 KOs) in trouble during the opening rounds. Aghayev managed to weather the storm, but Ahmadi continued to dictate proceedings as the fight progressed, with Aghayev doing well to last the distance.

It was a straightforward win for Ahmadi to win the vacant title. Ahmadi said: “Thanks God for everything, and thanks to D4G for this opportunity. I’m very happy to win the title tonight. My opponent was very tough and experienced so I’m happy to win the fight and make my people proud in Afghanistan."

Apichet Petchmanee defeated Phumiritdet Chonlathondamrongkun via unanimous decision after 10 rounds (100-90, 100-90, 100-90). Petchmanee was able to come out on top in the battle against his Thai countryman, as he defeated Chonlathondamrongkun. Petchmanee (10-0, 2 KOs) was making the fourth defence of his WBC Asia lightweight title having won it back in 2019, while Chonlathondamrongkun (7-1, 7 KOs) was having a big step up in competition, and it was clear he was unable to cope with what Petchmanee had to offer.

It turned out to be a convincing win for the defending champion, who won every round on the scorecards to ensure he kept hold of his belt. Petchmanee said: “I am so happy to be here fighting here in Dubai and representing all of Thailand. I am pleased to get the win, and now I’m looking forward to facing whoever is out there at 135lbs.”

Faizan Anwar defeated Ricky Sismundo via unanimous decision after eight rounds. Rising Indian star Anwar had to dig in deep to come out on top as he was pushed all the way by Sismundo in their six-round battle. It proved to be the toughest test so far in the career of Anwar (8-0, 4 KOs), with Sismundo (35-16-3, 17 KOs) giving as good as he got throughout the contest.

Anwar had to pull himself up off the canvas to claim the win, with the judges ultimately scoring it in his favour as he extended his unbeaten record. Anwar said: “I’m very thankful to my team and my coaches. It was a very tough fight and my opponent was experienced. It’s the first time I got knocked down as a professional, and I learned a lot from the fight."

Bader Samreen defeated Sharobiddin Jurakhonov via unanimous decision after six rounds. Jordan's Samreen continued the perfect start to his professional career as he claimed a points win over the tough Jurakhonov from Georgia. Samreen (3-0, 2 KOs) has had a fast start to life in the paid ranks, making his debut in March with a second round stoppage win, before following that up with a first round stoppage win in May. He was unable to get the win inside the distance on this occasion, but managed to bank some valuable rounds as he came out on top after a great contest against Jurakhonov (2-4-1, 2 KOs).

Samreen said: “Thank you all for coming, I appreciate it. This was my first six-rounder and I am happy with my performance. It was a good fight, and I didn’t know he would be so tough. I was impressed and he changed my opinion of him. I do this for my family and my friends, and this success for me is for all of you too.”

Khurshid Tojibaev defeated Achiko Odikadze via KO in round five. Former amateur star Tojibaev returned to the ring in style as he picked up a huge fifth-round knockout victory over Odikadze. It was the first time since December 2019 that Tojibaev (5-0, 3 KOs) was back in action, but he proved that he hasn’t missed a step, dominating the opening rounds against Odikadze (22-18-1, 8 KOs).

The end came in round five, when a massive shot sent Odikadze to the canvas, with the referee waving it off and handing Tojibaev an impressive win on his return.

Shalva Guchmazovi defeated Ryan Aston via knockout in round two. There was a big shock on the card, as Britain's Aston came up short in his comeback fight, suffering a second-round stoppage defeat to Georgia's Guchmazovi.

Aston (20-6-2, 8 KOs) was back in action for the first time since April 2018, but the time out of the ring proved to be a problem, as Guchmazovi (4-6-2, 3 KOs) secured the stoppage and claimed bragging rights in the contest.

Jamie King defeated Taryel Jafarov via retirement after two rounds. England's Jamie King made it two wins from two in his career as he forced Jafarov to retire two rounds into their cruiserweight showdown. King (2-0, 2 KOs) made headlines back in May, when his 16-second first-round knockout win over Medhat El Housny went viral, and it was more of the same for the rising star this time around, with his power seemingly too much for Jafarov (7-4, 6 KOs).

The Azerbaijan fighter was pulled out by his corner after two rounds of the fight, handing King the win during his step up in competition and seeing him extend his unbeaten record to 2-0.

Fahad Al Bloushi defeated Medi Miiro via unanimous decision after four rounds. Local hero Fahad Al Bloushi claimed the fifth win of his professional career as he dropped Medi Miiro on his way to a comfortable points win.

Al Bloushi (5-1, 1 KO) was in total control throughout the fight, and looked like he may have got the stoppage when he sent his opponent down to the canvas, but Miiro was able to get up and see out the fight, with Kid Emirati cruising to victory.