Writing exclusively for Sport360° Eisa Al Dah, the first ever Emirati professional boxer, will be providing a unique insight into the sacrifices a fighter must make to be a success.
The Arabian Warrior will also be discussing his life outside the ring and giving his thoughts on the issues making the headlines in boxing.
Back to business
I’m about to start training again soon and I hope to have a date for my next fight in the coming weeks. I have been practically living in the gym these last few months and once a fight is confirmed I’m pretty certain I’ll be sleeping in there as well.
My focus will be on training as it is still my target to win a world title, and I truly believe that this will happen. A long time ago people told me that I would never be a professional boxer but I made it and I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the biggest names in the sport.
I have made some great friends and having opened my own gym, EMD Fitness, I am sure that some of the best fighters in the world will want to come and train.
Hopefully they can help push me in order to reach my goal of becoming a champion. We want to have all the biggest names come to Dubai. In fact Marco Huck, the current WBO cruiserweight champion, has been in the gym the last few days and would like to work with me.
If we can get more huge names to come and train here then it will encourage young kids to come and emulate their heroes.
Inspiring the next generation
I am already planning on building a boxing team to enter into the 2020 Olympics and then hopefully I can help them turn professional.
I am also hoping to have more shows here in Dubai in 2015. Ideally it will be every two months, like they do in the UK and the US.
I want to build a strong promotional company so that we can hold a big event that attracts the best fighters and even celebrities.
Dubai is a great destination for a big show; it just needs to be given a chance. I am sure that one day Amir Khan will fight in the UAE. In fact we are working together on a big show and then doors will open and everyone will want to fight here.
Amir will be the first person to deliver a world class show but it is all about timing. Hopefully he will have his own announcement soon and I should be fighting on the undercard.
Obviously he was hoping to fight Floyd Mayweather, but once he has a new opponent then I should be able to make an exciting announcement of my own. I can’t wait to be back.
A shame for Khan
It was a huge disappointment and a real shame to hear that Amir would not be fighting Floyd. I have spent time at the Mayweather gym and I know Amir extremely well and I feel he has been treated poorly.
He opened my gym two months ago and he told me how he felt this was his time. It would have been a massive opportunity and I really felt he deserved to get the fight because he has been training so hard.
Some people question him because he has been stopped, but everyone loses. Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson; both of these greats have losses on their records.
In my opinion, the most difficult fight for Floyd would have been Amir or Manny Pacquiao as they both possess speed. Why does he not want to fight Amir? I’m not saying he is afraid but why choose Maidana? He is a good, strong fighter but we saw what Floyd did to Saul Alvarez.
He had power but lacked speed and therefore couldn’t get near him. I promise that Amir would make big trouble for Mayweather. He really deserved to get the opportunity as well.
When he left my gym in December he went straight into a training camp, even though he wasn’t sure he would be fighting Floyd. He wanted to be ready and I seriously think that he would have surprised people.
He has worked so hard and he has improved a lot. He has changed his training and is living the right way. Also, while some people fight for money, he was fighting for his people.
He had the support of everyone in the Middle East so it’s a shame that Floyd decided to ignore the public vote. But I’m sure there will be a time when people demand the fight and it wouldn’t surprise me if Mayweather chooses Khan and Pacquiao as his final two fights.
He is a clever businessman as well as a fighter, and he knows that Amir is a major attraction.
