Mohamed Touizi has set his sights on the kickboxing world title after beating Ricardo Hilario to win the K1 Intercontinental flyweight belt in Abu Dhabi.
The Emirati took a points decision over the Portuguese in the co-main event of the sixth K1 Pro Night on Saturday, to extend his kickboxing record to 10 wins against one loss.
Touizi, 25, started off strongly before coasting through the later rounds, scoring in four rounds of the five-round contest and safe in the knowledge he had done enough to win the fight and secure the belt.
“I was well prepared. My team studied Ricardo’s strengths and weaknesses and I successfully executed those plans. Every fighter comes with game plans, which doesn’t always work, but it worked for me perfectly on the night,” Touizi told The National following his win at Space 42 Arena.
“Ricardo is a well-rounded fighter with powerful kicks and good boxing muscles. My game plan was to counter his strengths and exploit his weaknesses. I used my push kicks to avoid some of his strengths.
“I think I was well ahead of Ricardo going into the final round and played it safe as I had also suffered some hard blows to my legs and they were starting to hurt.”
Touizi was given a rousing reception by the home fans as he left the ring, with supporters carrying the Emirati back to the locker room as he proudly clung to his belt.
“I really am grateful for the fans for standing behind me in support and that obviously is the advantage of competing at home,” he said.
“Every bit of encouragement and cheer from the fans gave me strength and confidence and urged me to give my best inside the ring. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.”
Victory has moved Touizi a step closer to earning a world title shot in kickboxing, though he said he has not discussed any plans with the UAE Muaythai and Kickboxing Federation.
“I would assume I have earned a shot at the world title but that’s for our federation to decide because we have a big squad to choose from,” he said when asked what was next for him.
“Right now, I’m going to celebrate this win, which is my biggest in kickboxing so far. It has been a long and tough journey, but I have enjoyed every moment of it and super excited tonight for the reward of all that hard work.”
Touizi already has a world title in Muaythai, having won gold in the IFMA U23 World Championship in Abu Dhabi in 2022.
He’s now hopeful of following compatriot Ilyass Habibali’s path of being a world champion in both combat sports.
“I have come out of this fight well and will be back in the gym to continue my training after a short break. It’s too early to speak of my plans but I’ll be ready for anything that the federation will schedule for me,” Touizi added.
“The world title is definitely a step up. The federation will plan what I do next and obviously take one step at a time. But yes, a shot at the world title should be next, I guess.”
Nikola Todorovic took home the super middleweight title belt after Jordi Coronado’s corner threw the towel early in the third round after the Spaniard suffered a hand injury.
Coronado held his left hand after taking a full blow from a Todorovic kick and his corner was quick to respond to avoid their fighter receiving any further punishment
“This is the moment I have been waiting for a long time and this is the ultimate prize for all the work that has gone into to become a world champion,” Serbian Todorovic said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
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