Gulf unity in the ring

Eighth open-air boxing event packs a punch 

The Dilmun Club in Saar hosted the 8th Domestic Open Air Boxing Championship, its fifth consecutive year at the venue, delivering 20 highly competitive bouts. Fighters from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar competed across schoolboy, junior, youth, and elite categories, with top performances drawing a strong crowd and distinguished guests from the boxing world. Organisers opted for a non-traditional bout order, mixing age groups for maximum impact.  

“You see, what we’ve done this time, instead of going through the schoolboys, the juniors, the youth, the elite, we’ve mixed it all up,” said Bahrain national team head coach Tony Davis. “So, you know, people have caught their eye and go, wow, these guys are great. Some of the strongest bouts came early to keep the audience locked in.” The approach paid off, with early fights setting a high standard. Davis highlighted the event’s broader significance: “This is our fifth one here. As you can see, it's a cross-community event. Everyone sort of enjoys this. The difference about this event is that we’ve had all six nations from around the Gulf— Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi, Qatar, UAE, and Oman.

The sportsmanship has been absolutely fantastic. We’ve had some fantastic bouts. And as you can see, how many people are still here, they’re loving it.” Bukalaf Edges Limbu The second bout, an elite 63.5kg contest between Ali Bukalaf and Prakash Limbu, proved the night’s highlight. Bukalaf secured a 3:2 split decision, earning Best Boxer of the Night, while Limbu’s determined effort saw him named Best Runner-Up. 

“Obviously, the second bout, Ali Bukhalaf and Prakash Limbu was such a great bout,” Davis noted. The closely fought match captivated the audience. Limbu, speaking to The Daily Tribune, reflected on the result: “It was close — amateur boxing is based on scoring. I feel like I lost the first round, but gave him a count in the second, so it was 10-8. I pushed hard, gave my best, and put everything on the line. 

The third round I didn’t push as much, but overall I felt it was close. This was one of the most anticipated fights in Bahraini boxing history — Ali Bukalaf vs Prakash Limbu. I did my job, and I’m proud of that. In the ring, someone has to win. I’m happy for him too.” Limbu’s coach, Rasheed Mehrinfar, praised both competitors: “Prakash is a phenomenal fighter, and so is Ali. We trained hard, and he gave his best. In amateur boxing, sometimes it doesn’t go your way, but I’m proud of Prakash’s performance. 

This was a long-awaited fight — two top athletes finally meeting in the ring. Alhamdulillah for a well-organized event. It’s a valuable learning experience, and we’ll come back even stronger, inshAllah.” Elite Division In the elite heavyweight (92+kg) category, Isaac Augustine stopped Kuwait’s Omar Hassawi in the first round via RSC. Kriszten Nileborn secured a unanimous 5:0 decision over UAE’s Aly Amr Abdalla at 75kg. Fadi Fadhul forced an abandonment from Kuwait’s Ahmed AlBahraini at 67kg after a precise body shot, while Nazim Khan won a 3:2 split decision against Morocco’s Ibrahim Hssaine at 57kg.   

Women’s Bout Maryam Khamis produced a strong performance in the women’s elite 57kg division, defeating Qatar’s Dana Al-Jabor by unanimous decision (5:0). The result highlighted the growing prominence of women’s boxing in Bahrain. Youth and Junior Fighters The younger divisions featured some of Bahrain’s emerging talent. Kaiden Zaman won unanimously at 63.5kg youth, with Hasan Jamsheer competing strongly at 75kg. Ahmed Attia defeated UAE’s Abdulrahman Al Shamsi at 63.5kg youth by unanimous decision, and Youssef Bouzgarrou outpointed Kuwait’s Mousa Alhelal 5:0 at 70kg youth. Abdulaziz Bushager secured a 60kg junior victory over Morocco’s Youcef Kaabi, while schoolboys Michael Douglas Isomaki and Salman Rafique also claimed wins. Davis emphasised the developmental focus: “It’s also about that development, you know. 

The greatest thing is the collaboration of coming together and staging such a great event.” British boxing figure Scott Welch, WBC Cares UK Chairman, presented medals, lending the event added stature. “Having someone like Scott attend adds prestige,” said Davis. “It’s motivating for the boxers to be seen by legends.” Gulf Golden Gloves Davis also outlined ambitions for future events, referencing his earlier initiative: “A few years ago, I developed what was called Triple G. 

That resonates with a famous boxer from Kazakhstan, who is now the chairman of World Boxing, the new international federation. It actually stands for Gulf Golden Gloves. This is probably the diluted version of it. We want more boxers coming from our great nations within the Gulf, coming together and boxing against one another and developing. Not only developing as boxers, but developing as coaches and developing as officials.” The vision reflects the championship’s role in fostering regional growth.