Ubayd Haider is recuperating at the Lautoka Aspen Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit following a grueling match against China’s Runqi Zhou for the IBO Asia Pacific Super Featherweight title at Prince Charles Park in Nadi last Saturday night.
Born Nathan Singh, Haider faced a barrage of powerful body punches throughout the fight, spending much of his time on the defensive. In contrast, Zhou displayed an aggressive fighting style, likened to that of a Samurai, continually putting pressure on his opponent.
The turning point came in the ninth round when Haider was knocked down twice and was unable to rise before the count on the second occasion. Following the match, he collapsed while heading to the changing room and was immediately attended to by the ringside doctor. He was initially taken to Nadi Hospital before being transferred to Lautoka, where he remains under care.
Zhou revealed that their strategy was straightforward — to work on Haider’s body and aim for a later-round stoppage. He commented, “He (Haider) had too much smiling and not too much punching,” after claiming the title.
Zhou expressed his gratitude to Fiji, saying, “Bodywork, bodywork and stop him in the later round, just non-stop pressure. I love you Fiji, vinaka.”
Zhou’s trainer, Angelo Hyder, voiced his concerns about Haider’s preparation, stating that the corner team should have anticipated the challenge posed by Zhou. He remarked, “I don’t know who is training him (Haider), I don’t know the level of sparring and how can he prepare for this guy. Runqi has a lot of sparring partners which is very difficult at times. He had his chance to come to Australia. You want to be on the top level, you must be where the top level is.”
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