Khaberni - Saif Zaqqout, a national team player in Muay Thai, has become the first Arab player to win a belt in the professional world championship for weight under 65, continuing his series of successes over the past years that he translated into achievements.
At the age of 34, Zaqqout managed to defeat the European champion and holder of the world championship belt over the last five years, Austrian Reza Jafari, and triumphed over him amidst his own fans at the event that was held last Saturday in the Austrian capital, Vienna, according to Al-Ghad newspaper.
Zaqqout, who hails from a sports-oriented family renowned in "Muay Thai", continues his successes in the sport in which he has often represented Jordan on the professional stage, earning the belt title from the "Freedom" organization in both 2021 and 2022 respectively, in addition to his numerous participations in the sport at the amateur level.
Professional bouts differ from amateur ones in terms of certain rules and the duration; where a fight spans 5 rounds, and each round lasts 3 minutes. This format distinguishes it from other sports by allowing a player to use all parts of the body in combat and defense.
Zaqqout valued the team's efforts that were with him during this bout, working hard in the preparation phase to win the belt, expressing that the preparation was done in a record period of 3 weeks, through exceptional work by the coaching staff.
Zaqqout added that there were approximately 30,000 people attending the fight, and revealed that he was able to overcome the obstacles he faced before the bout with strong will, hoping to retain the title in the upcoming years by organizing this event in the future in Jordan.
He continued, “I participated in the fight based on my strong record, as they were looking for an Arab player with significant previous experience, and I had the opportunity to fight for the title, where the competition was fierce against the European champion, and I succeeded in being the first Arab player to hold this belt, proudly raising my country's flag at one of the largest sports venues.”
Zaqqout began his journey in Muay Thai at the age of four and represented the national team for the first time in 2007, winning 11 amateur world titles, in addition to being the first Jordanian and Arab player to win a gold medal at the World Championship in 2009 in Thailand.
Zaqqout hopes to help the next generation achieve their ambitions in Muay Thai by guiding players towards the fastest path to the top, wishing for an increasing number of Muay Thai players from the community, both men and women, due to the many benefits including releasing positive energy, reducing excess weight, and more.
At the end of his speech, Saif thanked the training team that worked with him, consisting of Frenchman Pierre, Ali Zaqqout, Kamel Al Barq, Uz Zaqqout, Charlie Metri, Walid Zaqqout, and Zaid Sano, in addition to great support from his father Khaled Zaqqout and support from his friends in the sports community and beyond.
