Emirati boxer Al Naqbi flies UAE flag on pro debut
dubai — The word ‘Cerastes,’ adorned his boxing robe, with Majid and Al Naqbi inscribed above and below it. Boxers are known to have nicknames, like ‘Pac Man’ for Manny Pacquiao, ‘Money’ for Floyd Mayweather, and ‘The Greatest’ for the legend of them all — Muhammad Ali.
For the uninitiated, Cerastes is a creature according to Greek legend, a serpent that is said to be incredibly flexible. It is a mythological creature that has no spine, has horns and can deceive and ambush.
“This has four movable little horns; so, when it wants to feed, it hides under leaves all of its body except these little horns which, as they move, seem to the birds to be some small worms at play. Then they immediately swoop down to pick them and the Cerastes suddenly twines round them and encircles and devours them,” Leonardo da Vinci said of Cerastes.
And Majid Al Naqbi lived up to his moniker. Treading professional waters, the Emirati showed that he has it in him and he belongs.
The 22-year-old local hero came all amped up for his first pro bout at ‘The Fight DXB Uncovered’ and he brought all those characteristics to the fore at the Emirates Golf Club.
At the end of it, cut short at 2.33 seconds in the fourth and final round, Al Naqbi had floored his Russian opponent Vladimir Lytkin
Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum meets Emirati boxer Majid Al Naqbi after his victory. —
with a right hook. Al Naqbi showed some really good moves, was flexible, and never allowed Lytkin to get on top of him, one bit. And the lad from the hilly town of Khor Supplied photo Fakkan wrote history to become only the second professional boxer from the UAE after Eisa Al Dah.
And he couldn’t have asked for more, with the bout watched by Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and televised live on ESPN, with the world getting a peek into the young boxer’s qualities.
After a short and decent amateur career, the road has just begun for Al Naqbi with his TKO win over the Russian.
It is a great start but Al Naqbi is not letting it get to his head and not getting carried away.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel anything. I just wanted to fight,” Al Naqbi said ringside when asked if he was nervous before his lightweight fight.
“I’m the second professional boxer from Dubai in history, and that is big for me. It was a brilliant occasion, especially with it being in my hometown. The next step is to go forward, never give up. I have big ambitions. It is a hard sport and I need more training. The big dream is to fight for a world title someday. God willing, it will happen. Whatever it takes,” he added. Al Naqbi also thanked all those who backed him and supported him.
“I would like to thank Round 10 Boxing Club, MTK Global, Top Rank and ESPN for their support. It is a different experience than the amateur level. Professional boxing needs more training and I will keep working hard,” said Al Naqbi.
At the start of 42nd UAE Open Badminton, a record 80 matches were played in six categories, with Riyan Malhan calming top honors in the boys under 13 category by beating Nisarg Thunga in a fiercely fought match which went into three sets (20-22, 21-17, 21-13).
Other than this Boys Signles and Girls Singles Under 9 were also played along with their quarterfinal.