President receives UAE Muay Thai, Kickboxing Federation teams

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, received today at Qasr Al Bahr a delegation of the teams from the UAE Muay Thai and Kickboxing Federation on the occasion of their coronation with several regional and international championships and titles for the year 2022.

During the meeting, which was attended by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed congratulated the teams for the results they achieved in recent tournaments that enhance the UAE’s record of achievements in various types of sports, praising their efforts to promote these sports and wishing them further successes.

In turn, the delegation expressed its thanks and appreciation for President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed and his support for the sports sector, which constitutes an incentive to continue achieving triumphs, representing the UAE and consolidating its position in the global sports arena. Meanwhile, Boxing fans across the Emirates, the wider Arabian Gulf, and around the world can now secure seats for the UAE’s first-ever world title fight – the historic WBA Light-Heavyweight title showdown between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in Abu Dhabi.

Organisers Matchroom Boxing and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) have revealed tickets for the hotly anticipated bout at Etihad Arena are now on general sale – with high demand from local, regional and international fans expected for Russian champion Bivol’s eye-catching title defence against Mexican challenger Ramirez. The November 5 bout sees Bivol step into the Abu Dhabi ring on the back of defeating pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas, to retain his world title and extend his immaculate undefeated record to 20 fights.

Ramirez will face Bivol having won all five of his fights at Light-Heavyweight, after the hard-hitting southpaw moved up a weight class in 2019. Tickets for the unprecedented event, which will include a stacked undercard, with limited VIP packages, including ringside seats. The historic fight night is the first event in Abu Dhabi’s new Champions Series, a landmark partnership between DCT Abu Dhabi and Matchroom Boxing.

With both main event fighters putting their unblemished Light-Heavyweight records on the line, something has got to give, according to Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Boxing. “We have seen a huge appetite for major boxing events in the region in recent years, so we were determined to bring something special to the UAE, and boxing’s first world title fight in Abu Dhabi is certainly something special,” said Hearn. “The UAE capital has a growing reputation for hosting some of the world’s biggest sporting events and the Champions Series, through our partnership with DCT Abu Dhabi, is only going to further enhance that reputation.

“Given the magnitude of this huge fight, with two undefeated boxers, a title on the line, and global interest in what promises to be an enthralling encounter, it’s safe to say we expect Bivol-Ramirez to sell out very quickly,” he added. The Champions Series aims to provide fight fans around the globe with opportunities to experience world championship boxing in a new environment.

Demonstrating global confidence in the emirate as a tourism destination, Hearn has already indicated the inaugural Champions Series event will be the first of many world-class boxing events to be held in the UAE capital in the future. Bivol and Ramirez will lock horns just weeks after the biggest stars in basketball and the UFC grace Yas Island’s Etihad Arena, as the UAE capital hosts the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 and UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev.

All the action will take place on Yas Island, with tens of thousands of sports fans flooding into the city to encounter the very best that Abu Dhabi has to offer. On top of all the high-octane sporting entertainment, the emirate offers engaging ways to connect with culture and heritage, with a modern cosmopolitan capital that provides an array of experiences to enjoy, at your own pace.