Dubai will host its first ever
world championship boxing event later this month when China’s Xiong Zhao Zhong
defends his WBC Straw-weight title against the Philippines’ Denver Cuello.
The June 28 event, hosted by
KO Promotions and Q&U Group, will take place at the Dubai World Trade
Centre and will be televised to an audience of millions around the world.
The ‘Dubai Boxing Showdown’ –
as it’s been named – will be headlined by the Straw-weight world title bout
that will see 2012 WBC Silver title champion Cuello attempt to claim the WBC
strap from Zhong.
Zhong (20-4-1) became China’s first
ever world boxing champion when he defeated Mexico’s Javier Martinez in a
one-sided points decision in November to claim the vacant WBC belt. Since his
elevation to world champion, the 30-year-old has become a national icon in
China.
He will have to be at his best
when he takes on Filipino Cuello, who has been described as the next Manny
Pacquiao by fight-fans in his homeland.
Cuello (33-4-6) earned the
right to fight for the WBC title after destroying Mexican Ganigan Lopez with a
second-round knockout in May last year.
The fight will be televised
live in the UAE, the US, China and the Philippines, and in China alone, a
television audience of over 200 million is expected, setting a record for the
most people watching a live boxing event in China.
Dubai’s World Trade Centre
venue will host 3,000 boxing enthusiasts, and tickets run from 250 AED for
Silver grandstand up to 1,250 AED for Platinum ringside tickets. Tickets are
available in advance at select locations such as KO Gym and Virgin Megastores and
at the door on event night.
The fight card will also
include contenders vying for an International Title, and three undercard fights
with professional boxers from regional top representatives from around the
world. (Source)
