Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Canadian professional boxer Tristan Hamm's staunch faith in the UAE has not gone unrewarded. The UAE's unflagging spirit revived and inspired him and, despite facing the odds, he came up trumps both in the ring and outside of it.
Hamm's efforts to organise a fight card with him featuring in one of the bouts was not without challenges. His fighting skills were beyond doubt, but his ability as an organiser with the aptly labelled “Spirit of Dubai”, was where he scored more points.
Hamm juggled roles as a promoter and fighter of a 16-fight card in which he made short work of Ahmad Ghani in the very first round.
But not everything went to plan for Hamm as he was putting the finishing touches to the third round of the FightGecko Championship when war broke out in the Middle East. The conflict created a series of logistical and operational challenges for the fighter, who decided to brave the odds.
The event was on, went off with tickets refunded, and then came back on. It took high levels of perseverance from Hamm to stay in the ring, as it were.
Conceding that there was a lot of negativity last month as he left Canada, Hamm said: “I flew in anyway. To stand with this place. To raise the spirit here. To show up when it mattered. To give, not to take. What I found was paradise. The most unshakeable people I’ve ever been around.
“No panic. No weakness. Just straight spirit. Turns out Dubai gave more to me. And it has proven to be safe... And that’s exactly who this fight is for. For those who stay in when everyone else bails,” said Hamm on his instagram account. The uncertainty led to a 98% ticket refund rate, leaving the arena nearly empty for Tuesday night’s original date.
Hamm then decided to fight till the end. He launched the “Spirit of Dubai” initiative, personally mobilising the community through direct outreach and social media where he chose to hand out tickets for free. Within two weeks, the arena sold out again, attracting more than 1,400 attendees, including over 400 influencers, entrepreneurs, real estate developers and business leaders.
The gritty fighter donated tickets worth $200,000 to UAE residents, many of whom attended their first live boxing event. The fight night delivered an action-packed programme with several knockouts.
The matchups included Warren Spencer, whose title defence of the FightGecko Championship pit him against Aleksander Ivanovic. There was Alan Graves, also founder of supplement brand Do Not Age, fighting for the WBA world title with Vega Villaman in the opposite corner. And then there was Aaron Chalmers, former Bellator fighter and someone who shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr, going up against Cedric Ulrich.
If there were doubts that this would take a toll on Hamm’s own preparations, the fighter with long locks scored a dramatic victory over Ghani: a right jab meeting his opponent’s jaw line and stunning the latter. A video clip of the final flourish has since surpassed 500 million views on Instagram.
Hamm, who has nearly two million Instagram followers, used his platform to highlight the packed venue and vibrant atmosphere at Habtoor Theatre. The following day, a yacht party was organised to bring the show to a glamourous end. The fight was worth it for Hamm who stayed in the ring for the UAE in challenging times.
