UAE boxer Eisa Al Dah was disappointed his fight at Glory 20 was cancelled at the last minute, but asserted his commitment to continuing his comeback.
‘The Arabian Warrior’, the UAE’s first professional boxer, was set to fight Mexico’s Cesar Soriano at Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday night. Instead, Al Dah was left without an opponent after Soriano was unable to make the event, forcing the Emirati welterweight to sit out in front of his fans.
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Despite the lost opportunity, Al Dah stated his desire to fight in Glory 21 in San Diego, California, on May 8, and Glory chief executive officer Jon Franklin confirmed the 36-year-old will be on the card following the event. Al Dah will also be on the undercard of Amir Khan’s fight against Chris Algieri in New York on May 30.
“I was training very hard for [Glory 20] and wanted to put on a nice show for the people that came to support me, those who love me and want to see me do something for my country,” Al Dah said. “I want to be a part of the event in San Diego to show the people I’m back again and strong as ever.”
Main event cancelled. #UAE boxer @EisaAldah‘s opponent has pulled out. He will be fighting on @AmirKingKhan‘s undercard though. @Sport_360
— Scotty G (@ScottyGrayston) April 3, 2015
The local crowd did, however, get a chance to cheer when Tunisia’s Mourad Bouzidi entered the ring wearing a traditional Arab headdress and beat Dustin Jacoby in the SuperFight Series.
“It’s good the Arabic audience got to watch me fight. I’m happy to be here,” Bouzidi said.
Glory director Scott Rudmann said the popular kickboxing event set a record by broadcasting live to 102 countries and declared the company will surely return to the region in the future for more fights.
“It’s the first time Glory has come to the Middle East, it’s a new market for us,” Rudmann said.
“Combat sports is incredibly popular in this part of the world. The fans are understanding about what it is. Kickboxing is starting to emerge, so we thought that we would get out in front and bring a Glory show to Dubai and the Middle East.
“We will be back here many times in the future and continue to build our fan base and also nurture local kickboxing talent.”
