Richard Schaefer’s Probellum Excels In Dubai’s Back-To-Back Shows
For the second day in a row, Probellum brought the heat to the dunes of Dubai in what was a breathtaking show. From the most delicate details in the production to the bulletproof matchmaking throughout the night, Mr. Richard Schaefer and company truly put on a statement for the Boxing world. And what better way to start the night than with a firefight between two hungry gladiators seeking one thing, validation…
Faizan Anwar vs Khojibakar Qosirokhunov
The slick southpaw Faizan Anwar(11-0) went toe to toe with fellow undefeated prospect Khojibakar Qosirokhunov(4-0) in what was an all-out shootout in the streets of Dubai. Following eight gruelling rounds with a frenetic pace, Anwar earned the unanimous decision victory in a fight where he had to dig deep to keep his undefeated record unblemished. Priceless experience for the young man from India.
Bader Samreen vs Denis Bartos
The following bout was unique for plenty of reasons, and the winner made it as such. The pride of Jordan, Bader Samreen(5-0), clashed against fellow heavy-handed youngster Denis Bartos. Composure is the main word that stands out when describing the matchup. Bader’s cerebral fight IQ and poise under the fire stole the show in my books.
In the first round or two, it’s almost like Bader was intentionally giving Bartos a false sense of security with his patience. Then, in the blink of an eye, a vicious right uppercut from Bader sent Bartos crashing down like there’s no tomorrow.
The Boxing world has been eager for the rise of a modern-day gladiator to represent The Middle East at the highest stage and brightest lights of all, and let me tell you, Bader Samreen has all the potential in the world to break out as a future global star.
For a twenty-one-year-old, Bader showed an elite fight IQ, and most importantly, his dedication and devotion for the sport of Boxing will separate him from the pact. Believe in the young phenom from Jordan, and remember the name Bader Samreen.
Jamie King vs Naveen Verma
The sun was setting, and the UK fans started to make their presence known, and as they began to electrify the arena, their hometown guy Jamie King(3-0) lived up to his name, walking out as a king aiming to take his throne with the support of his family and friends. Standing in his way was the tough Naveen Verma. It was simple: The king came and conquered.
Cristian Coria vs Hovhaness Bachkov
The fight that followed was my most anticipated matchup from the entire weekend. WBO super welterweight champion Brian Castano takes pride in the quality of his training partners, and not only does Argentina’s Cristian Rafael Coria (29-9) train with Brian Castano, but he also trained on plenty of occasions with the all-time great, Manny Pacquiao. Coria’s journey of hardships propelled him into the man he is today. Raised by wolves is the fitting analogy.
That being said, Argentina’s Coria had a sturdy mountain to conquer. Standing across from him was a world of trouble named Hovhaness Bachkov. The pride of Armenia(Bachkov) was simply faultless on the night.
The contest was rough, rugged and ruthless. However, most of the punishment was dished out by the Armenian phenom, resulting in an eighth-round merciful stoppage. Coming into the contest, Bachkov had almost ninety amateur fights, and it was evident why he had so much success throughout his young career so far.
A simple yet telling statement about Bachkov sums it all, its relentless pressure. The pace Bchkov managed to keep throughout the contest was out of this world, combined with his ferocious body onslaught was what opened the doors of doom for the Argentinian.
Not to forget, while I was sitting ringside in awe of Bachkov’s phenomenal work, the thud on his blows stood out to me. A sound of a double-barrel shotgun unloading on one’s worst enemy. MTK got a real noteworthy man on their hands, the pride of Armenia, Hovhannes Bachkov.
TJ Doheny vs Cezar Juarez
What happens when you put a proud Irishman southpaw against a resilient Mexican gladiator in the squared circle? Guaranteed fireworks. That’s exactly what happened when Ireland’s TJ Doheny(23-3) clashed against Mexico’s Cezar Juarez (27-11).
Both men have experienced character-building tests in the form of losses throughout their young careers. So, neither of them had a perfect record to shield, and they fought as such. At last, the savvy southpaw(Doheny) was just too fast, too slick, and quite candidly too good for the Mexican warrior. Doheny shined bright with a vicious second-round knockout with the vision of moving on to bigger and better goals.
Peter McGrail vs Uriel Lopez
As the night rolled on, another second-round knockout was delivered by another southpaw, the pride of Liverpool, Peter McGrail(3-0). Coming into the contest, McGrail had almost seventy amateur fights under his belt, and it was evident the moment the bell rang. McGrail’s adversary(Uriel Lopez) had nothing for the scouser. Keep an eye out for the twenty-five-year-old Liverpudlian as he looks to replicate his amateur success in the professional ranks.
Regis Prograis vs Tyrone Mckenna
Sweaty palms at the Duty-Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai as the lights dimmed for the co-main event of the evening. The WBC #1 contender and former super lightweight world champion Regis Prograis faced off against the forever tough Irishman Tyrone Mckenna.
They say that there are levels to this game, and unquestionably, not only is Regis Prograis ELITE, but in my eyes, Louisiana’s proudest son is a top ten pound for pound complete fighter. As the fight started and both men started to get loose, Prograis’s composure was chilling.
As I watched the fight ringside, I noticed that Regis’s distance management was unbelievably accurate. He(Prograis) was like a hitman inside that squared circle. Cool as ice, picking his spots to land his heavy blows that genuinely sounded like a shotgun, and in the blink of an eye, Prograis sent Mckenna crashing with a darting left hand that had the Irishman in a world of trouble.
Still, Prograis was in no rush. The sharpshooter chose to box instead of emptying the tank looking for the finish, and that decision showed one telling factor about his game, growth.
When Regis attempted to unify the belts against Taylor, looking for the knockout shot instead of setting it up was what cost him that fight. However, if you frankly put things into perspective, if that fight wasn’t on Taylor’s home turf, we could be looking at Regis Prograis as an undefeated, unified world champion. So, all I’m saying is this: Regis Pograis might very well be the best super lightweight on god’s green earth.
Sunny Edwards vs Muhammad Waseem
Another one bites the dust: Sunny Edwards, more like the invisible man, put on an absolute masterclass in the Dunes of Dubai against the hard-hitting Muhammad Waseem, and I’m genuinely at a loss for words. I have always known that Sunny Edwards is elite. However, watching him dart then disappear had me in awe of what I was witnessing.
Muhammad was on the front foot all night, looking to land that seminal blow, but Sunny Edwards was never there, cutting angles, switching stances, feinting nonstop, managing the distance. Edwards looked like a young Lomachenko under the bright lights.
Most might say that Edwards won because he was simply levels above Muhammad, and I agree. However, Sunny’s purpose was too potent.
As most might know, Edwards was vocal leading up to this fight, wanting to establish supremacy over Muhammad for the roads to open to one direction, a unification bout against the WBC Flyweight champion, Julio Cezar Martinez.
Killing two birds with one stone: If Sunny Edwards defeats Martinez, not only will he become a unified world champion, but also, a win over Martinez would be the final chapter in the revenge storyline of the Edwards brothers due to Martinez leaving Charlie Edwards with a bitter taste in his mouth from their controversial contest back in 2019.
Fight night comes to an end, and everyone heads home with a piece of history installed in their memories until the end of time.
What a spectacular night, with an electrifying atmosphere caused by the passionate English fans and, most importantly, by all the modern-day gladiators that made the walk and put their lives on the line for our entertainment.
Richard Schaefer, Sam Jones, Mauricio Suleiman alongside everyone at Probellum truly did revive the beautiful sport of Boxing in one of the most magical cities in the world. Probellum is the future.
Images Credits: Getty Images/Probellum
