Ubayd Haider is currently in recovery at the Intensive Care Unit of Lautoka Aspen Hospital following a challenging fight against Runqi Zhou from China. This bout took place last Saturday night for the IBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight title at Prince Charles Park in Nadi.
Haider, born Nathan Singh, faced a barrage of heavy body punches throughout the match, primarily adopting a defensive stance. Meanwhile, Zhou was relentless, maintaining pressure throughout the fight. In the ninth round, Haider fell to the canvas twice, failing to beat the count after the second knockdown.
After the fight, Haider collapsed while heading to the changing room and received immediate medical attention from a ringside physician. He was first taken to Nadi Hospital before being transferred to Lautoka, where he is currently hospitalized.
Zhou explained that their strategy was straightforward: to focus on body shots and ultimately stop Haider in the later rounds. “He (Haider) had too much smiling and not too much punching,” Zhou remarked after claiming the title. Zhou expressed his appreciation for Fiji and acknowledged the support he received.
Zhou’s trainer, Angelo Hyder, criticized Haider’s preparation for the fight, suggesting that the team should have better understood the challenges they would encounter. He expressed doubts about Haider’s training environment, highlighting the importance of quality sparring to compete at a top level in boxing.
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