 November 26, 2010: The third part of the renowned muaythai series War on the Shore was successfully held in Dubai yesterday as a part of worldwide series Thailand vs Challenger (TVC). Also known as Thailand VS Middle East, War on the Shore-3 tournament came with a strong statement made by promoters – professional muaythai in the Gulf region reached new level, and this tournament was only the beginning.
Held outdoors at the Dusit Thani Dubai against the stunning backdrop of the Bhurj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, Thailand vs Middle East was a co-promotion between Elite Boxing and Martial Arts Academy – the number one Dubai-based promoter and founder of the popular War on the Shore events.
While there was a very strong Middle East flavour to the event, Thailand was still very well represented. In addition to being held at the Dusit Thani, a Thai hotel chain, the event was hosted by Thai model, TV presenter and actress Sonia Couling, who flew in from Bangkok especially for the event.
The impressive fight card featured four warm up fights, three match-ups as part of the Thailand vs Middle East main event, and the Superfight for the WMC Middle East Title. Undercard fights - Mohammed Samy (Sharjah Fight Club) won Mohammed Sanad (Warriors' Gym) 3R UD
- Daniel Nuamah (GenerationXtreme Gym) won Mostafa Said Hassan (Sharjah Fight Club) 2R KO
- Gadzhimirza Osmanov (GenerationXtreme Gym) won Anas Alsamraee (Sharjah Fight Club) 2R KO
- Magomed Idigov (GenerationXtreme Gym) won Tahseen Takleh (Sharjah Fight Club) 1R KO
The first Thailand vs Middle East fight saw Mostafa of Iran take on Samrachai of Thailand. It was a very close fight and even though Mostafa got a cut over his right eye in the third round, he fought on bravely against his Thai opponent. With Mostafa relying too much on clinching, however, he allowed Samranchai to use his greater experience to win the fight on points.
The second fight featured two Thais in Pitsanu and Ole Tor Silachai, who was a late replacement for the scheduled challenger, Vahit Roshani from Iran after the Iranian withdrew with an injury. Despite the lack of a Middle East challenger in this match up, the crowd showed their appreciation for the two Thai fighters who put on a good demonstration of muaythai. The fight went the distance with Tor Silachai winning what was a very technical fight on points.
Despite the Middle East team losing the opening fight, there was a great atmosphere among the crowd, which featured a cosmopolitan mix of locals and expats.
The third Thailand vs Middle East fight saw Ahmaad Saadi of Tunisia beat Wirachat of Thailand after a spectacular knock out in the fourth round. With Saadi already ahead in the first 3 rounds, his spectacular KO against the Thai really got the local crowd on their feet.
The crowd had been thoroughly entertained up to this point but the Elite Boxing Superfight was about to take things to another level as TVC favourite Antoine Siangboxing of France took on Zidov Akuma of Switzerland.
It was to be another exciting fight that went the full five rounds, making sure the crowd got full value and maximum entertainment. In the very first round, Zidov injured his thumb and although this restricted his options, the Swiss fighter battled on bravely and gave a great performance, pushing Antoine all the way before losing on points.
Zidov was sporting in defeat when he said, “I really respect Antoine and today I could see for myself how fast and skilled he is. He is a great fighter and a great person. I appreciate that he showed me a lot of respect before and after the fight.”
Speaking after the event, Elite Boxing co-founder Toli Makris said: “We are delighted with the way things have gone tonight. It was a great evening of muaythai and the crowd seemed to really appreciate it. It’s great to come to a place like Dubai and host a TVC event. Everything is perfect here and I am sure we will be back again next year.”
Vladimir Burdun, President of Martial Arts Academy and War on the Shore official promoter, added: “I’m glad that we returned War on the Shore tournaments to the UAE – it was the right time to do it. Moreover, we did it at Dusit Thani, known as one of the best Thai hotels in Dubai, so there couldn’t be any doubt in choosing the venue – it’s really a place to be. It’s great that the event was of such a huge scale and was carried out so successfully. “I want to thank once again Dubai Sport Council, World Muaythai Council, Russian Business Council, Embassy of Thailand to the UAE, and General Consulate of Thailand in the UAE for their support in making this event happened. Thanks to Thai Airways, our official carrier, for giving us opportunity to bring the best fighters for the competition, and our local and international media sponsors – Ray Marine, Basic Interiors, Russian Radio, and Russian Emirates. Thanks to our co-promoters, Elite Boxing, for being always with us and helping War on the Shore project to be known worldwide – the tournament will be broadcasted through EuroSport, ESPN, Fox Sport and other international TV networks, not to mention local TV channels”, he emphasized. “Big thanks for all fighters for showing their professionalism and making spectators excited. And of course, thanks to those who attended War on the Shore-3 and supported their favourites. I want to emphasize that it was only the beginning of the muaythai history in the region, and hope to see you all for the next War on the Shore events”, Vladimir Burdun said in conclusion. The next War on the Shore series are being planned already, and there’s no doubt that they will be even more challenging and spectacular. War on the Shore-4 is planned to be carried out in the beginning of year 2011. www.muaythai.ae
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