Riyadh Al-Azzawi
Encyclopedia
Riyadh Al-Azzawi (born in Baghdad
, Iraq
) is an Iraq
i-British
kickboxer and the 2008 World Kickboxing Network
(WKN) World Champion after a fight against 3-times world champion Tomasz Borowiec in the 91 kg category on February 12, 2008, becoming the first-ever Arab World Champion in heavyweight kickboxing with a record 34-0 at the time.
career goes back to a very young age. He started his sporting career in Iraq where he became champion, winning the gold medal when he was 15-years old. After winning the Arab
Kickboxing Championships, Riyadh moved to London
and continued his kickboxing career and was able to maintain his championship title and challenged for the British title. In 2003, Riyadh successfully defended his British title and won the European Championship bringing him a lot of attention from international media. Then, in he won the World Champion title in Stratford, London
.
As a result of his title, he became hugely popular in Britain, Iraq and the Arab World. Al-Azzawi has also worked in arts and promotions, appearing in advertising, sponsorship of athletic items and in a video clip as an athlete.
His brothers Mohammed and Ahmed Al-Azzawi are also sportsmen and Mohammed was a European champion in full contact.
In summer 2009, Al Arabiya Satellite Television reported that after a hiatus of almost one year, coming out of personal adversity, Riyadh Al-Azzawi had reportedly returned to training in order to defend of his WKN and WKA world championship titles against challengers.
who was brutally murdered in Dubai
. Riyadh Al-Azzawi told The Sunday Times
in an exclusive interview that at the time of her murder, he and Suzanne were "married" (this despite vehement claims by Tamim's second husband and manager Adel Matouk that he and Suzanne Tamim were still legally married after she divorced her first husband Ali Muzannar. Matouk claims they had never divorced, despite the couple's bitter conflict and separation).
Riyadh Al-Azzawi had met Tamim, in Harrods
in 2006. She was already receiving some threats to her life and he, a world kickboxing champion, had offered to help protect her. The couple became close and reportedly engaged in 2007. Al-Azzawi and Tamim stayed with each other for 18 months before she was murdered during her stay in Dubai
.
Al-Azzawi said in the interview that Tamim was being subjected to a string of threats and that he warned the London police of these serious threats on Suzanne's life. "I was there to protect her [Suzanne Tamim], but was doing it all by myself", claimed Al-Azzawi, "I didn’t get any help". Al-Azzawi said his spouse's former lover, Egyptian business tycoon and member of Egyptian Parliament Hisham Talaat Moustafa
had offered Suzanne Tamim $50m to lure her away from Al-Azzawi and marry him — and threatened to pay $2m to a hitman to have Suzanne killed in revenge if she refused to marry him.
Suzanne Tamim's body was found on July 28, 2008 in Dubai. The courts later found she was murdered by an Egyptian former police officer Mohsen al-Sukkari
in return for $2 million from the business tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa
, according to statements made by the suspected murderer to the investigators in Cairo. Consequently the parliamentary immunity was dropped from Mr. Moustafa and he was arrested and charged. Both el-Sukkari and Moustafa were found guilty and sentenced to death by an Egyptian court on the 21st of May 2009.
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) is an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i-British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
kickboxer and the 2008 World Kickboxing Network
World Kickboxing Network
The World Kickboxing Network is a professional kick boxing and thai boxing organization and is one of the largest professional sanctioning organizations in the world, represented in more than 100 countries....
(WKN) World Champion after a fight against 3-times world champion Tomasz Borowiec in the 91 kg category on February 12, 2008, becoming the first-ever Arab World Champion in heavyweight kickboxing with a record 34-0 at the time.
Career
Riyadh Al-Azzawi's kickboxingKickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
career goes back to a very young age. He started his sporting career in Iraq where he became champion, winning the gold medal when he was 15-years old. After winning the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Kickboxing Championships, Riyadh moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and continued his kickboxing career and was able to maintain his championship title and challenged for the British title. In 2003, Riyadh successfully defended his British title and won the European Championship bringing him a lot of attention from international media. Then, in he won the World Champion title in Stratford, London
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
.
As a result of his title, he became hugely popular in Britain, Iraq and the Arab World. Al-Azzawi has also worked in arts and promotions, appearing in advertising, sponsorship of athletic items and in a video clip as an athlete.
His brothers Mohammed and Ahmed Al-Azzawi are also sportsmen and Mohammed was a European champion in full contact.
In summer 2009, Al Arabiya Satellite Television reported that after a hiatus of almost one year, coming out of personal adversity, Riyadh Al-Azzawi had reportedly returned to training in order to defend of his WKN and WKA world championship titles against challengers.
Personal life
The kickboxing champion however passed through a turbulent period in his life because of his association with Lebanese pop diva Suzanne TamimSuzanne Tamim
Suzanne Tamim was a Lebanese singer who rose to fame in the Arab world after winning the top prize in the popular Studio El Fan television show in 1996.-Biography:...
who was brutally murdered in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. Riyadh Al-Azzawi told The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
in an exclusive interview that at the time of her murder, he and Suzanne were "married" (this despite vehement claims by Tamim's second husband and manager Adel Matouk that he and Suzanne Tamim were still legally married after she divorced her first husband Ali Muzannar. Matouk claims they had never divorced, despite the couple's bitter conflict and separation).
Riyadh Al-Azzawi had met Tamim, in Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
in 2006. She was already receiving some threats to her life and he, a world kickboxing champion, had offered to help protect her. The couple became close and reportedly engaged in 2007. Al-Azzawi and Tamim stayed with each other for 18 months before she was murdered during her stay in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
Al-Azzawi said in the interview that Tamim was being subjected to a string of threats and that he warned the London police of these serious threats on Suzanne's life. "I was there to protect her [Suzanne Tamim], but was doing it all by myself", claimed Al-Azzawi, "I didn’t get any help". Al-Azzawi said his spouse's former lover, Egyptian business tycoon and member of Egyptian Parliament Hisham Talaat Moustafa
Hisham Talaat Moustafa
Hisham Talaat Moustafa is an Egyptian businessman who had been elected in 2004 to the Shura Council in the Parliament of Egypt. As the former chairman and former head of the Real Estate Branch of the Talaat Moustafa Group, his net worth was estimated at $800 million in 2007...
had offered Suzanne Tamim $50m to lure her away from Al-Azzawi and marry him — and threatened to pay $2m to a hitman to have Suzanne killed in revenge if she refused to marry him.
Suzanne Tamim's body was found on July 28, 2008 in Dubai. The courts later found she was murdered by an Egyptian former police officer Mohsen al-Sukkari
Mohsen al-Sukkari
Mohsen al-Sukkari, is an Egyptian former police officer who, on July 28, 2008 murdered the Lebanese well-known artist Suzanne Tamim in Dubai, UAE on orders of Egyptian business tycoon and member of the Egyptian Parliament Hisham Talaat Moustafa in return for $2 million paid by Moustafa, according...
in return for $2 million from the business tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa
Hisham Talaat Moustafa
Hisham Talaat Moustafa is an Egyptian businessman who had been elected in 2004 to the Shura Council in the Parliament of Egypt. As the former chairman and former head of the Real Estate Branch of the Talaat Moustafa Group, his net worth was estimated at $800 million in 2007...
, according to statements made by the suspected murderer to the investigators in Cairo. Consequently the parliamentary immunity was dropped from Mr. Moustafa and he was arrested and charged. Both el-Sukkari and Moustafa were found guilty and sentenced to death by an Egyptian court on the 21st of May 2009.
Titles
- Iraq Champion World Association of Kickboxing OrganizationsWorld Association of Kickboxing OrganizationsThe World Association of Kickboxing Organisations is one the international organization of kickboxing, and the governing body of Amateur kickboxing sport certified by SportAccord...
(WAKO) - Arab Champion World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO)
- British Champion World Kickboxing NetworkWorld Kickboxing NetworkThe World Kickboxing Network is a professional kick boxing and thai boxing organization and is one of the largest professional sanctioning organizations in the world, represented in more than 100 countries....
(WKN) - European Champion World Kickboxing AssociationWorld Kickboxing AssociationThe World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....
(WKA) and World Kickboxing Network (WKN) - World Champion World Kickboxing Network (WKN)
Sources
- Riyadh Al-Azzawi: Heart of a Champion
- Riyadh Al-Azzawi Best Kickboxer in the World
- The World Winner Title in Kickboxing Riyadh Al-Azzawi vs Tomasz Borowiec