BOXING – THE kingdom’s biggest charity boxing event has raised BD50,000 from its latest edition held last year, with the funds being donated to Bahrain’s Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) for its various charitable projects.
Royal Rumble IV, which took place in November in front of a packed crowd at Crowne Plaza Bahrain, generated the incredible amount through the exciting fight night and gala dinner, along with an auction that featured valuable items in the world of boxing and beyond.
The evening featured fights between Bahrain’s Royal Guard and the UK Armed Forces (UKAF), and it was held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
A cheque for BD50,000 was presented last night by Royal Guard boxing director Tony Davis to RHF humanitarian affairs adviser Ammar Sami Qambar in a handover ceremony held at Crowne Plaza Bahrain.
Also in attendance were Royal Guard training head Brig Saad Ali and Crowne Plaza Bahrain general manager Charbel Hanna, among other officials.
“It’s extraordinary – the great work that the RHF do,” Davis told the GDN. “I’ve also been involved in raising money for charity during my time back in England, but here, through the four Royal Rumbles we’ve had, we’ve raised a considerable amount of money for the RHF, and that’s what I was telling people when we were trying to sell the event last year – that it’s all for a great cause.”
Royal Rumble IV brought together a number of guest stars to the island, including two-time world champion and Athens 2004 Olympics silver-medallist Amir Khan, WBA (regular) super-middleweight world champion Rocky Fielding, former middleweight world champion Darren Barker, and ex-super featherweight world champion Barry Jones.
There was also live entertainment on fight night with popular Bahraini singer Amal Al Anbary performing.
“When you come to the Royal Rumble, it’s not just about the boxing – it’s about coming together, plugging in together, and helping raise money for a lot of the different projects that the RHF cover,” Davis highlighted.
“You also have a great time cementing Bahraini-Anglo relationships and you’re getting entertainment.
“Royal Rumble IV blew everything out of the water with the type of people we had in attendance, and now we look forward to Royal Rumble V, where we will try to raise a lot more for charity.”
Qambar outlined some of the various initiatives undertaken by the RHF, in implementation of the directives of His Majesty King Hamad.
“We strive to help the orphans and widows of Bahrain – we support them and do the healthcare services for them, but we not only help them, we also try to empower them,” Qambar explained during last night’s ceremony.
“When we receive any donations, we make sure that every dinar goes to our projects. We don’t take any charges – that is all covered by the government – and whatever we get, it all goes to the right people in need.”
Meanwhile, Davis revealed to the GDN that Royal Rumble V, to be held on a to-be-confirmed date later this year, will feature fights between Bahrain’s Royal Guard and the UK’s Royal Air Force.
“That’s what is pencilled in at the moment – it’ll be a slightly different team from last year,” Davis said.
The ex-Bahrain boxing national team head coach and Bahrain Boxing Federation technical manager, who was also a former world-class boxer for England and GB Boxing – a team of elite amateur fighters from Britain – thanked all those who supported Royal Rumble IV and noted that efforts are being made to get more organisations involved in the event to generate even more support for the RHF.
Davis added that there is a UK-based company that is also looking to back the next edition of the Royal Rumble.
In Royal Rumble IV, Bahrain’s Royal Guard boxers won two of their five bouts against the UKAF, while another two Bahraini fighters triumphed in the three fights against opposition from Saudi Arabia.
In the inaugural edition of Royal Rumble in 2022, Bahrain’s Royal Guard boxers took on the British Army’s Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and won eight of the nine bouts. In 2023, the 2Royal Guard defeated the British Army’s Parachute Regiment in six of the nine contests. In 2024, six of their eight bouts were won by the hosts against the British Army’s Royal Engineers.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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