JEDDAH: Former world champion “Prince” Naseem Hamed has vowed to capitalize on the “buzz” around Saudi Arabia’s first professional boxing event by setting up an academy in the Kingdom.
The World Boxing Super Series final took place in Jeddah as George Groves and Callum Smith fought for an array of titles — including the tournament’s Muhammad Ali trophy.
Among those in attendance was 44-year-old Prince Naseem, who built a reputation as one of boxing’s most exciting and charismatic fighters during a 10-year career.
The Sheffield-born fighter won belts at featherweight, bantamweight and super-bantamweight level. Thanks to his Yemeni parents he has close ties to the Middle East and is determined to give something back to the region.
“I lit up the Middle East when I lit up the world in the 1990s and gave people here something to be proud of,” Prince Naseem told Arab News. “Now it’s time to take things forward. I’m planning to sit down with the government and create a Prince Naseem Academy, a boxing school of excellence, here. I want to produce champions from Saudi Arabia and throughout the region.
“We have a great opportunity. I’m sure there are talented Arab fighters out there waiting to be discovered. We will have great trainers and great champions.
“I’m not just talking about Saudi Arabia but the whole Middle East. If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”The undercard at King Abdullah Sports City included two Saudi fighters in Zuhayr Al-Qahtani and Jeddah’s Abdulfatah Julaidan.
Prince Naseem believes that the event in Jeddah can be a catalyst for the development of boxing in the Arab world.
“There’s a real buzz around the place, he said.
“Professional boxing has never come to Saudi Arabia before and it’s a blessing that things have opened up in the country like this.
“We’ve been waiting for boxing to break into the Arab countries for a long, long time. Hopefully this will just be the start of things to come.”
That view was echoed by former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Evander Holyfield. The American ace was at Thursday’s weigh-in and expressed his hope that the “Rowdy in Saudi,” as some have already dubbed the headlining Groves-Smith bout, can act as a launching pad for boxing in the Middle East.
“It’s tremendous to have boxing here in Saudi Arabia,” the 55-year-old all-time great told Arab News. “I think it will help the sport grow.
“I am sure there are some very good fighters (across the Middle East) and if they are given a chance they can change the whole game.”
Prince Naseem Hamed sets sights on creating Saudi Arabian boxing stars
Prince Naseem Hamed sets sights on creating Saudi Arabian boxing stars
- British boxing legend wants to use Groves vs Smith fight as a launching pad to find Arab boxing talent.
- Prince Naseem says he will try to create a boxing academy in the Kingdom.
Al-Hilal stroll past Al-Ittihad in top of the table Clasico clash
Al-Hilal defeated Al-Ittihad 3-1 in the Saudi Clasico on Saturday to make it four wins from four and move three points clear above the visitors at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings.
It was all too easy for the defending champions as they were three goals up by the end of the first half, in what was an ominous performance for the rest of the league. Red-hot striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored goals seven and eight this season before Salem Al-Dawsari put it beyond the Jeddah team with an exquisite strike.
While Al-Hilal had won all of their last seven games against Al-Ittihad in all competitions, such a comfortable victory was not expected, as this was not only the first Saudi Clasico of the season, but also a highly anticipated meeting between a top two in great form. With Ettifaq losing 3-0 to Al-Nassr on Friday, the two teams were the only ones left with maximum points, and something had to give in the capital. Before Saturday, Al-Ittihad had been looking very good, indeed, and had enjoyed plenty of rest. But it was not enough.
Al-Hilal, who went to Qatar midweek to defeat Al-Rayyan in the first game of the AFC Champions League Elite, made the early running, roared on by their fans. In just the third minute they were ahead. Ruben Neves floated over a perfect cross from the right and there was Mitrovic at the far post to send a perfect header into the net. The former Fulham forward has been on fire this season.
It was not the start that Al-Ittihad wanted but it got worse 10 minutes later. Brazilian fullback Renan Lodi went over in the area, the referee pointed to the spot and Mitrovic fired home goal number eight of the season. The task for Al-Ittihad became even harder eight minutes before the break but even the impressive number of away fans in Riyadh must have appreciated the third goal.
Al-Dawsari advanced down the left, entered the area and then flicked the ball over Predrag Rajkovic in beautiful fashion. It was a goal from a player at the top of his game playing for a team that simply does not lose. Al-Hilal have won 19 league titles and do not give up three-goal leads. From that impudent strike, it was just a question as to what the scoreline would be.
At halftime, Laurent Blanc had much to do, but the Frenchman is not the first Ittihad boss to struggle against Al-Hilal. Ittihad’s record against their blue rivals has become a real concern. In 24 clashes since 2016, the Tigers had won just one and lost 18. All players present for Ittihad on Saturday knew that winning would be a huge statement to the rest of the league and, indeed, to themselves and their fans. Now the number is 19 losses.
The second half was not quite as dramatic as the first. Al-Dawsari headed over from a good position but Hilal did not seem to be too concerned about getting a fourth.
It was Al-Ittihad who scored next even if it was too little, too late, as it came four minutes from the end. Moussa Diaby, who recorded four assists last week, broke free down the middle and squared the ball left to Karim Benzema, who side-footed the ball into the net for his fifth goal of the season so far. The Frenchman scored once more deep into injury time but it was ruled out by the referee.
In the end, it was a straightforward victory for the Riyadh giants, though the biggest positive for Al-Ittihad and the rest of the league is that there is still much more — and plenty of excitement — to come.
Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
LONDON: Manchester United must be more ruthless said Erik ten Hag after missing a host of chances in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes hit the bar for the visitors in the first half as United dominated on a ground where they were thrashed 4-0 just four months ago.
But only a stunning double save from Andre Onana after the break denied Palace their first league win of the season.
A point leaves United down in 11th after winning just two of their opening five matches of the new Premier League campaign.
“I’m not content, we should have won,” said Ten Hag. “First half we left them alive, the second half was more balanced.
“We played very good (in the first half), total control of the game, the only thing was in the box and in the box is where the game is decided. We should be more clinical there.”
The humiliation of their last visit to Selhurst Park in May was the nadir of a troubled season for United.
Many wondered whether Ten Hag would even oversee another match but a shock FA Cup final victory over Manchester City handed the Dutchman a second chance.
The Red Devils this time arrived in south London on a high after scoring 10 goals in the past week to dispose of Southampton 3-0 and smash Barnsley 7-0 in the League Cup in midweek.
Marcus Rashford had ended a barren run by scoring three times in those two matches, but he was surprisingly dropped to the bench by Ten Hag.
However, the decision to keep Garnacho on the left was inspired as the Argentine tore Palace to shreds early on without applying the final touch.
Former United goalkeeper Dean Henderson kept the Eagles in the game before half-time.
Garnacho did not get enough on his curling effort to beat Henderson with his first big chance before the England stopper denied Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
United knew their luck was not in when the visitors then hit the bar twice in the matter of seconds.
Garnacho sprinted onto Diogo Dalot’s incisive pass to curl off the woodwork before Fernandes’ follow-up effort also clipped the bar.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner reacted with a double substitution at half-time which resulted in a far more competitive second half.
“In the first half we needed a great goalkeeper and fortunately we had one today,” said Glasner.
“In that second half it was more like a Crystal Palace team and that is what we need to be competitive against a team like Manchester United.”
Fernandes was inches away once more with an audacious outside of the boot effort that flew wide after a neat one-two with Joshua Zirkzee.
But only a moment of magic from Onana prevented United from slipping to a third defeat in five league games this season.
The former Ajax ‘keeper got down well to parry Eddie Nketiah’s strike from distance before leaping off the ground to prevent Sarr tapping in the rebound.
“It’s not so important (how I made the double save) because we didn’t win,” said Onana. “Unfortunately we didn’t score. It’s pitiful to go back home with the one point when you deserve to win.”
Palace had another huge chance to snatch all three points when Eberechi Eze side-footed wide with the goal gaping from close range.
A draw leaves Palace down in 16th, but it is United who will be more frustrated with the missed opportunity to gain some momentum with three wins in eight days.
Fulham beat Newcastle 3-1 to hand Magpies first defeat of season
- Newcastle’s solid start to the campaign comes to a screeching halt
LONDON: Fulham’s Raul Jimenez, Emile Smith Rowe, and Reiss Nelson all scored in a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on Saturday, giving Eddie Howe’s team their first defeat of the Premier League season.
Newcastle, whose solid start to the campaign came to a screeching halt, are sixth in the table with 10 points after five games, while Marco Silva’s Fulham are eighth with eight points after their second victory this season.
“Sticking together and staying patient at times, we know Newcastle are a really strong team, so we had to sit and be patient, get the ball, and score,” Smith Rowe said.
“Happy we took our chances, first few games we struggled to take our chances, so we’re happy with our three goals. It starts off the pitch, it’s like a family in there and we know we want to do everything for each other and want to work and want to win.”
Newcastle briefly celebrated what they thought was an early lead in the fifth minute through Joelinton, but his goal was ruled offside. Fulham capitalized on the visitors’ error just 44 seconds later when Adama Traore found Jimenez inside the box and the Mexican fired home.
Smith Rowe extended Fulham’s lead in the 22nd minute when Alex Iwobi threaded a pass to the former Arsenal midfielder, whose shot hit the hand of keeper Nick Pope before trickling over the line.
Smith Rowe has been in fine form at Fulham after several injury-plagued seasons.
“I’m confident at the moment and comfortable with everything. I’ve got to keep going and keep working hard,” he said.
“Everyone knows it has been a tough couple of seasons for me. I have to stay fit, and I feel good at the moment.”
The Magpies kicked off the second half with far more urgency, and shortly after the restart, Harvey Barnes latched on to a through ball from Jacob Murphy and finished with a low shot to the far corner.
Howe’s men squandered a bagful of chances at equalizers, with Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy, and Fabian Schar all going close.
Schar missed an absolute sitter when he intercepted a short pass from Fulham keeper Bernd Leno to an unsuspecting Smith Rowe but fired his short-range shot wide of the net.
“It wasn’t clicking for us,” Barnes said on Newcastle’s poor first half.
“On the ball, we weren’t good enough, and off the ball, you can see from their goals that we weren’t at our level.”
“We needed a reaction (after the break). We got one — to a degree, anyway, because we didn’t get the result — but there were more promising signs in the second half.”
Nelson, a late-game substitute, put the match to bed in injury time with his first league goal, pouncing on Newcastle’s defensive blunder to fire home from close range.
Chelsea owners ‘happy’ with win at West Ham amid rift report
London: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca revealed co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were “all happy” after they celebrated Saturday’s 3-0 win at West Ham despite reports of a power struggle between the pair.
Boehly and Eghbali are said to have fallen out over a number of issues since their Stamford Bridge takeover in 2022, with reports claiming each wants to buy the other’s stake in the Premier League club.
It has been a turbulent time for Chelsea under Boehly and Eghbali, who have parted company with a host of managers while spending over £1 billion ($1.33 billion) on new signings in an unsuccessful attempt to revive the Blues’ fortunes.
Regardless of their alleged rift, the pair were at the London Stadium to see Nicolas Jackson’s first-half double and a strike from Cole Palmer to give Chelsea their third league win under new boss Maresca.
The Italian said Boehly and Eghbali visited the dressing room after the final whistle to congratulate the players, who have scored 10 goals in their three away league victories this term.
“Not only today, it’s always good when we win games for the owners, especially because they were both here,” Maresca said.
“We can give them some good moments. They were in the changing room, they were all happy.”
Chelsea finished sixth and 12th in the last two seasons and haven’t won the Premier League since 2017.
While Chelsea have shown signs of improvement in the early days of Maresca’s reign, the former Leicester boss warned against being lulled into thinking their problems have all been solved.
“I think we’re on the right path,” he said. “We’re in the right direction, but it’s a long journey.
“We won today and we’re in a good moment, it looks like everything is fine. But not everything is fine. We could attack better, defend better.
“For me, the main target in this moment is to see how we progress as a team and I think we are improving many things, even if today we could manage the game much better.”
LIVE: Daniel Dubois knocks out Anthony Joshua at Riyadh Season event in London
- 96,000 crowd at Wembley set to be post-war British record
LONDON: Daniel Dubois will put his International Boxing Federation world heavyweight title on the line on Saturday in a mouth-watering clash with Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium.
The pair will battle it out in front of a reported post-war British record crowd of 96,000.
Dubois has said this week he needed to justify his status as the IBF champion, which he claimed in June when Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title.
For Joshua, it marks a chance at redemption and he has said a victory would finally end the difficult period he endured since a 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz and a pair of defeats against Usyk.
22:30 - Main event
Hanging over this fight was the spectre of Tyson Fury. A match between Joshua and Fury has long been touted, and it didn’t take long for Fury to appear. Throughout the undercard fights cameras would pan to him, eliciting roars of delight from the ever increasing crowd.
If Fury is the superstar on Joshua’s mind, Usyk was also not to be forgotten, the pair sat front row.
It may have been Dubois’ belt at the start of the night but AJ, as he’s colloquially known entered the ring with a clear message: here was the boss, as the theme from mafia movie The Godfather blared out, followed precipitously by Jay Z’s HoVA, beckoning the crowd to let him reintroduce himself.
All the experts we spoke too, were unified in their belief that the challenger was the favourite. Dubois seemingly welcomed the underdog status unbecoming his title.
He started well, setting out his stall with a volley of shots that immediately appeared to ask questions of Joshua, an overhand right landing heavily. It was just before the end of the first round that the crowd erupted as the challenger went down. Dubois had dropped Joshua.
He opened the second round with that same level of ferocity. Joshua appeared stunned, his legs seemingly having given up, and then a left hook making contact with his face further unnerved him.
Nearby spectators were shocked, one noting “I can’t believe what I’m seeing here”.
By the end of the third, Joshua’s legs were clearly failing him, and in the final 10 of he stumbled, before going down again as the bell tolled.
More followed, within 15 seconds of the fourth he was again down before jumping up only to be put down again. Joshua may have looked lost but there remained a determination as he sought to fight on, but Dubois was unrelenting.
Finally, after goading Dubois, Joshua made contact and then the bell went.
That seemed to spark the fight into Joshua, who began the fifth strongly. The crowd clearly in his corner as they cheered him on.
Now it was his turn to send a message. Dubois was as in pain but not for long. It was all too little too late from Joshua.
Dubois had him down again. That was it. Game over.
Fury didn’t appear to stick around, turning his back on the ring and walking off.
"What have we just seen?" one spectator asked.
20:44 - With the main event looming, the penultimate fight of the night featured Tyler Deeny and Hamzah Sheeraz battling it out for the European Middleweight Title.
The hype was certainly flowing in Sheeraz’s favour and, with what was the first shot of the night he had Deeny on the mat.
After eight seconds he was up but it was an auspicious start, which Sheeraz followed up by backing him into the rope and unleashing blow after blow.
His height advantage showed. And in the second he had it, knocking Deeny down and rewarding Frank Warren’s faith in him.
There was more excitement emanating outside the ring as frontman of the newly reformed Oasis, Liam Gallagher, was spotted for the first time tonight.
Gallagher’s performance immediately before the main event tonight had been known for some time. But earlier this month, he and his brother Noel announced the first Oasis shows for 15 years.
Now the hype was mounting that maybe tonight there would be a preview of what those who landed tickets to next year’s shows could expect.
20:20 - This was a fight that really opened up in the sixth, with Britain’s Joshua Buatsi - entering the match up with 18 win, 13 by knock out - putting Scotland’s Willy Hutchinson - with 18 wins, 13 by KO and one loss - down.
The Scot was back up on the eight count but Buatsi went straight back in. If the preceding rounds had been tight, this was definitely the Brit’s.
And he opened the seventh in similar fashion, clearly hoping to capitalise on his success in the closing stages of the preceding round.
Hutchinson though wasn’t prepared to surrender, stirring the crowd with his own volley of attacks.
At the end of the seventh, the first images of Dubois flashed across the screens, garnering whoops for a now nearly full Wembley audience. It bears repeating that tonight, will see a record 96,000 at the home of English football.
Two minutes into the eighth and it seemed Hutchinson may again taste the mat, but he managed to keep to his feet and see the round out, before opening the ninth with a series of attacks that could have flipped things on their head before Buatsi again had Hutchinson down for another eight count, having pinned him into a corner with an uppercut before unleashing a left that sent him to the ground.In the tenth, Buatsi was wrong-footed, tripping onto the rope, but it remained very much his to lose.
Having gotten Hutchinson to the mat twice, Buatsi was not going to be rushed in the final round, instead willing to absorb the Scot’s final few attacks.
And then the bell went. We were again back to the judges.
As it did, the Scot was at a self-inflicted disadvantage, having been docked points for use of the head following repeated warnings in the earlier half of the bout.
Catching everyone in attendance off guard, the judges came to a split decision, but this was Buatsi’s night as he was crowned WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Title.
19:15 - Tonight’s first title fight as Ireland’s Anthony Cacace put the IBO Super Featherweight Championship he won in May on the line against Britain’s Josh Warrington.
Again, with the fight having gone the distance, it was fair to say a theme was emerging in the early stages of this Riyadh Season event, with the judges deciding the outcome.
Watching on in the role of commentator, former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Tony Bellew consistently rated Cacace as the better.
The positivity surrounding Cacace did not match his experience, the Irishman the less seasoned of the two, having won 22 of his 23 compared to his competitor’s 31 wins and 3 losses.
Bellew, providing his own scores throughout, considered it tight between the pair.
For the judges though, the situation was more clear cut, scoring it 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111, all in Cacace’s favour, as he retained the belt he’d won just four months earlier.
It seems that this may have also been the last of Warrington’s fights in what has been a glittering career for the proud Leeds man.
Those 31 wins of his twice brought him the IBF title he was vying for, with victories against the likes of Carl Frampton, Kiko Martinez, and Lee Selby.
18:15 - If the opening fight of this Riyadh season was a trial in patience, the second bout was its opposite.
A middleweight division fight, it featured Team GB representative at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Josh Kelly - who started today having fought 15 times, with 13 wins, 8 of which were by knock out - against the undefeated Ishmael Davis who’d stopped four of his last five fights.
Kelly was the clear favourite as far as the audience were concerned, having the back of 69 percent of those who voted.
And in the early rounds he certainly evidenced that faith.
Davis, however, seemed happy to absorb Kelly’s efforts in the early rounds.
The closing seconds of the fourth round whipped the audience up as both fighters traded blows.
But it would be in the final round that things heated up.
Barely a minute in, Davis elicited audible gasps from the watching crowd as shot after shot rained down on Kelly, opening up his face.
Davis could, metaphorically and literally, smell blood now.
And Kelly appeared shaken. But the bell went before a knock out.
Off the back of those three minutes, Kelly appeared the less assured of the two, seeming to motion to his team that he’d messed it up.
Again, we went to the judges.
The first scored it a draw at 114-114 each. The other two, though, determined a clear winner, scoring it 115-114 and 115-113 in Kelly’s favour.
17:00 - Opening the Riyadh Season, super lightweight fighters Mark Chamberlain and Josh Padley squared off at a rapidly filling Wembley Stadium.
With 96,000 due for the main event, those who were gathered for this first bout certainly made their voices heard.
Neither Chamberlain nor Padley had lost in their preceding respective 16 and 14 fights.
For Chamberlain, 12 of those victories had come by knock out, while Padley had landed knock outs in all of his.
This fight wasn’t to go that way, as chants of “Blue Army” - in reference to Chamberlain’s home city of Portsmouth - and “Padley” rang out.Indeed both pugilists seemed to recognise the quality of their opponent with the opening rounds proving tentative.
Of the two, Padley was the more aggressive, hurling a volley of shots.
Later, the stats would show Chamberlain had landed an ever so slightly higher percentage of his shots.
Eventually Padley’s determination would pay off, a left hook knocking chamberlain down halfway through the 8th round.
He was not down for long though.
And it seemed to spark some urgency in the Pompey lad.
But as the bell rang out to end the 10th round, Padley seemed far more assured he’d done enough to gain the judges favour.
And the audience agreed, with just 37 percent giving the win to Chamberlain. When the results were announced Padley had won unanimously, with the judges scoring it 95-93, 96-92, and 96-92 in his favour.
