A MAJOR lineup of former world champions and stars of the TV series Vikings are expected to attend a boxing tournament in Bahrain this week that will raise money for good causes.
The fourth edition of the Royal Rumble Charity Boxing Dinner, which will see the Royal Guard face off against the UK Armed Forces, will be held at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain by IHG on Thursday.
It is being held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Royal Guard head of boxing Tony Davis promised that the event will be ‘bigger and better than ever’ and expects competition to be even stronger this year. “This will be bigger than the three previous events, combined!” Mr Davis told the GDN.
“Opponents this time will be the absolute best from the British forces, including the army, navy and air force.
“We also have an incredible line-up of world class guests and attendees. This will be like nothing you have ever seen before.”
Proceeds from the show will be donated to the Royal Humanitarian Foundation to help with its charitable endeavours in Bahrain.
British boxing legend Amir Khan, a former WBA (Super) light-welterweight champion and IBF light-welterweight champion and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at the age of 17, will be among the celebrity guests expected to grace the event with his presence.
He will be joined by former WBC bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie and WBA (Regular) super-middleweight champion Rocky Fielding, alongside former IBF middleweight champion Darren Barker and WBO super featherweight champion Barry Jones.
There will be a ‘meet and greet’ session with all the stars at Oliveto in Manama on Tuesday at 10pm.
The cast members of hugely-popular TV series Vikings will also be in attendance. This includes Clive Standen, who played Rollo in the show and Lucy Martin who played Ingrid.
Mr Standen recently toured the kingdom and a video of him visiting Muharraq’s Pearling Path, a Unesco World Heritage site, went viral.
There will also be a musical performance by Bahraini-Moroccan singer Amal Al Anbary, known for songs such as Radheit Bilmar (I accepted the bitter) which was first released in Bahrain.
Mr Davis expressed his delight at how the event has grown in popularity and importance on the kingdom’s sporting and social scene, and is proud at it being able to attract the attention of some of the UK’s biggest stars.
“It highlights what a fantastic place that Bahrain is,” he said. “Additionally, it can help strengthen relations between Bahrain and the UK as there will be people flying in from Heathrow just to attend. It shows how the event has grown and I am sure it will get even bigger.”
The night before the event will feature a star-studded weigh-in for all the competitors to be held at The Avenues Bahrain’s outdoor section near Gate Five at around 7pm.
Mr Davis stated that the weigh-in is open for all to attend and promises to be an amazing spectacle.
Remaining tickets for the meet and greet and the Royal Rumble Charity Boxing Dinner are available on Platinumlist.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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