Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The fourth edition of the Rising Stars Arabia (RSA) boxing series will be held on Saturday at a new venue – the Space42 Arena next to Al Raha beach – with fighters on the cards looking to scale another height in their careers.
Among the prominent names will be Ajman policeman and UAE’s pride Sultan Al Nuaimi and Jordan’s Bader Al Dherat, who has been based in Dubai for the past three years since getting his first big break with the Rising Stars when he was handpicked by the promoter Ahmed Seddiqi. Al Dherat’s lightweight clash with Orlando Mosquera will be the main bout on the fight card.
UAE’s own Al Nuaimi and Fahad Al Bloushi, both boasting impressive records, will also be putting their undefeated statuses on the line in their respective matches.
This initiative is propelled by AAM Seddiqi Sports in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
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Confident After Camp
Al Dherat is no stranger to high-profile bouts, having featured on the undercard of the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua II and Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fights. Speaking to Aletihad, though, he played it down and said: “I am fortunate enough to have my name but I have also fought to show I deserve my place along side theirs on the card. I don’t know about the main card spotlight, but I always fight as if it is a world title fight.”
Al Dherat is carrying a perfect 10-0 record with eight knock-outs against Mosquera. Hailing from a village in north of Jordan, close to the city of Irbid, Al Dherat is against a former International Boxing Federation super lightweight champion, who boasts a record of 13-2-1 with two wins in knockout fashion.
Incidentally, both Al Dherat and Al Nuaimi have had different approaches to fighting. Befitting a professional boxer making a living in UAE, the Jordanian went into a “camp” with his team to train in Dubai. Basically working on a dedicated schedule and regimen, his dedication can be gauged by the fact that the practising Muslim started in the last 10 days of Ramadan month even while fasting.
“Before also, I was training once. Those 10 days in Ramadan, I trained twice and then picked up. I did not even enjoy Eid, to be honest,” he said. “Right now, I am focused on this. After this, I will sit down with my manager and discuss future plans. I have fought twice in Saudi Arabia, so I can fight anywhere in the world.”
Speaking of his opponent from Panama, Al Dherat said Mosquera possesses a good amount of “speed, but I am accurate and can time well. So I believe I can break him down. This the third time I will be fighting in Abu Dhabi and I am very comfortable with the level of fights organised.
“This is a very nice card with good fighters; even better than some in Europe. That is what RSA is all about, giving fighters an opportunity and platform,” said the four-time Arab champion as an amateur.
Al Dherat trains at Round 10 boxing club in Dubai under coach Robert Etorma and assistant Pedro Cuizon. His strength and conditioning coach is Tarik Al Zaim while he has sponsors Fisher8 and MealsOnMe to back his professional journey.
