Fight week in Abu Dhabi has kicked off for Dmitry Bivol’s mandatory defence of his WBA light-heavyweight titles against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez – but the first punch has been thrown but somebody else.
The Matchroom partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism has seen media, pundits and fans descend on the capital to celebrate boxing and, ultimately, watch a great card of fights. Amidst weigh-ins, media events, and welcome parties, someone saw it fit to get a punch machine.
Eddie Hearn, the man behind all of the promotion, stepped up to the plate to see what numbers he could hit on the game that’s more likely to be found in a nightclub than a boxing gym. It turns out that the Brentwood man packs a punch.
🔥 @EddieHearn is on FIRE#Boxing #EddieHearnpic.twitter.com/dsnieerOMP
— IntuBoxing (@IntuBoxing) November 2, 2022
One wonders now if all of the people Hearn has jokingly called out for charity fights might retreat slightly, given he was close to hitting the high score. That would be the likes of Queensberry Promotion’s Frank Warren and Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe. Most recently, it was Simon Jordan who Hearn lay down the challenge to.
On a more serious note, the promoter will be hoping for big numbers on DAZN this weekend, as the partnership with Abu Dhabi looks to be a lasting one with many more events planned in the future.
The streaming platform will broadcast the card exclusively, with the action starting from 5:30PM GMT and the main event expected around 9PM. Before Bivol and ‘Zurdo’ enter the ring, viewers can enjoy Chantelle Cameron vs. Jessica McCaskill for the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF women’s super lightweight titles and Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov vs. Zelfa Barrett for the vacant IBF world super featherweight title.