As Jake Paul and Cedric Doumbe went hammer and tongs at each other during Thursday’s press conference in Dubai, a woman’s plea compelled the two rival fighters to pause.
Ahead of their high-profile bout at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, Paul, the American YouTuber-turned-boxer who has become a big global star, and Doumbe, a former world kickboxing champion, turned Thursday’s press conference into a no-holds-barred verbal battle, threatening to knock each other down on December 24.
But when Abu Dhabi resident Saima Ajram, a former BBC broadcaster, took the mic to urge the two stars to join her fight for women’s boxing in the UAE and support her 14-year-old daughter, Ti’jhaan Ajram (ring name Tarantula Tijhaan), a promising amateur boxer, Paul and Doumbe dropped the ‘tough boy’ personas they had adopted to promote their Christmas Eve showdown.
Saima made an impassioned appeal for support for Ti’jhaan, who has an unbeaten 4-0 record in UAE amateur boxing.
“She fights girls who are older than her. I support her so much to take her wherever I can to get her the right match and the right fight. You support women in boxing. Can you please help us here too? We need you,” Saima said.
Paul, who had been trading barbs with Doumbe until then, leaned back in his seat and took a breath.
“Hundred per cent. We gotta sign her to MVP (Most Valuable Promotions). It’s going to happen,” he said, as Doumbe looked at Saima with palpable admiration.
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Paul continued. “We’ll figure out the conversation and see how we can help. But we’re always down to support women’s boxing in any way possible.”
Saima, a British citizen with Pakistani roots who moved to Abu Dhabi three years ago, was moved by Paul’s gesture.
“It was a humbling experience. I simply wanted to know whether people who reach the top are willing to support those at the bottom,” Saima told the Khaleej Times.
“Are they willing to give someone a chance to prove themselves? I’m not asking for a golden spoon. I wanted to know whether they could help me support her.”
Saima was driving around the UAE to take her daughter to training just days after recovering from heart surgery.
“The press conference was an opportunity I could not miss as I’ve built my whole life around boxing over the past year,” she said.
“Last year, I nearly had heart failure. I was very sick, but I still made sure my daughter didn’t miss any boxing sessions.
“I came out of heart surgery on a Monday, and by Wednesday I was at the gym with her because she had her first fight coming up.
“In all that was happening, I realised something. When I woke up following my surgery, I understood that life is so short. It can be over just like that. My opportunities to do things for my daughter are limited because she’s still young.”
But Ti’jhaan, who trains under Russian coach Zorik Stepanyan at Rocky Road Dubai in Al Quoz, is not the only boxer Saima is fighting for.
“My fight is for all women boxers in the UAE. Everyone should get an opportunity,” she said.
“I have also set up an organisation to support all young female boxers. There aren’t that many here. If I support the industry, my child will prosper as well. In the same way, we support other girls.
“I recently supported a girl from a very tribal area in Balochistan (Pakistan). She didn’t have enough funds to travel to Thailand for the WIBA world title championship.
“So my business partner, Mudassar Khan, who is also my daughter’s manager, and I somehow gathered the funds for the girl.”
When Ti’jhaan first started boxing, Saima realised it was not easy to acquire good and affordable gloves.
Determined to get Ti’jhaan the best opportunities, Saima launched a brand, FYYTR, which makes gloves and headgear.
“The only reason I started the brand was that when my daughter started boxing, I realised all the equipment I was buying from Amazon was cheap and fake. I’m not from a boxing background, so I didn’t know initially,” she said.
“When the equipment arrived, I realised it wasn’t thick enough. I thought that if my child was going to be punched in the head, she needed proper protection.
“So I started developing gloves and headgear. Slowly but surely, it has become an established brand here. If it’s good enough for my child, it’s good enough for yours. That’s how I see it.”
But Saima’s biggest goal is to see her daughter become a professional boxer.
“Nobody in my family is involved in combat sports, but she really has a knack for it, and she wants to turn professional. She wants to represent the UAE and see more women in combat sports. She believes in it, and I’m going to support her all the way,” she said.
“She’s an all-rounder and also speaks up about various causes. Before her last fight, she raised awareness about breast cancer. For a 14-year-old, that’s a lot. I’m very proud of her.”
Finally, Saima felt it was the mothers’ spirit that left a mark on Paul and Doumbe at the Dubai press conference.
“As I said yesterday, I’ve reached the ceiling. I’m the mother who will drive to Ajman or Dubai, even after heart surgery, to make sure she’s in the right place and has the right equipment to perform,” she said.
“I also got to see a very different side of Cedric (Doumbe). He has 46 knockouts. The guy has recorded 46 knockouts; he’s an animal.
“But as soon as I mentioned the issue, you saw his shoulders drop. He relaxed and said that he will speak to me…
“Everybody has a family. Everybody has a mother. Everybody has a mother who wants them to perform well and prays for them. Even people like Cedric and Jake, I’m sure their mothers are always out there hoping for the best.
“But how many mothers will go out and grab every opportunity for their children? And I’m not just asking for myself. I’m asking on behalf of the women’s boxing world!”
Source: Khaleej Times