Caption: Mohd Adib Pehin Hj Sulaiman (L) of Wolfpack in action yesterday. Picture: Courtesy of Kosong Tiga Company
Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
THE Pahlawan Amateur Boxing Competition 2017 opened yesterday with preliminary rounds featuring more than 50 boxers from all over the country.
Organised by Pahlawan Boxing Club as a platform for boxing talents in the Sultanate, the inaugural tournament boasted a competitive line up.
Ahmad Faez (Eazy) Anuar of Khalifa Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) delighted the crowd at the Sungai Kebun Sports Complex as he demonstrated his power against Mastani Liussin from Chainblock in the first round.
Mastani had to withstand a flurry of punches from his hard-hitting opponent before the white towel was thrown in to stop the fight.
In the semi-final, Eazy pushed his opponent to another corner retirement to set a final bout against Kevin Lim Chee Chong from ATIM Boxing in the middleweight final bout tonight.
Some of the best action of the day came in the Light Welterweight tie between Mohd Adib Pehin Hj Sulaiman of Wolfpack and Ariff Razali from Pahlawan Boxing Club.
The duo slugged it out until the final second of the two-minute three-round bout which ended in Ariff winning on points.
Another boxer from Pahlawan Boxing Club, Abu Qusyairi Hj Yacob also made an impact in the championship beating Mohd Nurhidayat Abdul from Khalifa MMA to book a final spot in the Lightweight division.
Ariff Razali (L) of Pahlawan Boxing Club in action yesterday. Picture: Courtesy of Kosong Tiga Company
Abu Qusyairi, who is also the co-founder of the event was pleased to see a very good turnout at the championship.
"Alhamdulillah the response was overwhelming, we didn't expect to receive more than 50 boxers in our first event," Abu told BruSports News last night.
"But this event wouldn't happen without the help of the National Boxing Association, participating MMA teams and volunteers who helped out in organising the venue and others.
"We are doing this to spark the interest of boxing in the country and unite all the gyms and with this we hope to continue to promote the sport in the near future, especially for the younger generation," added Abu.
The championship also featured the junior category which saw Ak Md Abdul Malik Nuriman Pg Abdul Rahman of Abdul Rahman Boxing defeating Mohd Saifuddin Hj Mat Salleh from Chainblock Gym.
The December 23-24 event will resume today at the same venue.
Sanctioned by the Brunei Amateur Boxing Association the tournament is supported by the Department of Youth and Sports (JBS), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
