Said Ouali
Encyclopedia
Said Ouali is a Belgian professional boxer
at welterweight
. His nicknames include "Prince", "The Crowd Pleaser" and "The Maaseik Sledgehammer" (Dutch
: "De Moker van Maaseik").
city of Agadir
, but his family moved to Belgium
when he was only a few months old. The Ouali family ended up in the city of Maaseik
, where Said and his brother Mohammed were educated in a strict Catholic
school. At the age of fourteen he ended up in the local boxing circuit, where he would also meet his current girlfriend of 14 years, An Colson. They also have a son, called Benjamin.
. In April 2000 he arrived at Newark, New Jersey
, where he started the first phase of his American boxing career. As an amateur, he racked up an impressive 80-3 record (56 KO
) in 83 bouts.
. His current record is 27-3 (19 KO
). Ouali has claimed in an interview that his most prestigious victory was that against Argentine
boxer Hector Saldivia, who saw his 33-0 flawless win streak brought to an abrupt end.
. The fight ended in a second round no-contest when Ouali was thrown out of the ring by Bailey after taking some critical shots to the body and the fight could not continue. Ouali is also set up to face Slovenia
n powerhouse Jan Zaveck for the IBF
Welterweight Championship at a later date.
, Jackson Osei Bonsu (nickname "Sugar Jackson") in Flemish
media, calling him a "clubber" with little variation in his boxing style. He proclaims Jackson should never use his nickname in the United States
, as it would be considered a "disgrace".
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
at welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
. His nicknames include "Prince", "The Crowd Pleaser" and "The Maaseik Sledgehammer" (Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: "De Moker van Maaseik").
Early life
Ouali was born in the MoroccanMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
city of Agadir
Agadir
Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, but his family moved to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
when he was only a few months old. The Ouali family ended up in the city of Maaseik
Maaseik
Maaseik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. The city is located on the river Meuse , bordering the Netherlands. The Maaseik municipality includes the town of Maaseik and the villages of Neeroeteren and Opoeteren...
, where Said and his brother Mohammed were educated in a strict Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school. At the age of fourteen he ended up in the local boxing circuit, where he would also meet his current girlfriend of 14 years, An Colson. They also have a son, called Benjamin.
Early career
Not seeing any future in his Belgian boxing career, the then 20-year old Said decided to take up boxing in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In April 2000 he arrived at Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, where he started the first phase of his American boxing career. As an amateur, he racked up an impressive 80-3 record (56 KO
Ko
Ko or KO may refer to:* Ko , a Tamil action movie directed by K.V. Anand released in April 2011* Ko , the romanization of the Japanese kana こ and コ* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin*Ko, Lamphun, Thailand...
) in 83 bouts.
Professional career
Ouali fought his first professional bout on November 24, 2000. He then enlisted with Mayweather Productions, the most prestigious boxing academy in the States, located in Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. His current record is 27-3 (19 KO
Ko
Ko or KO may refer to:* Ko , a Tamil action movie directed by K.V. Anand released in April 2011* Ko , the romanization of the Japanese kana こ and コ* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin*Ko, Lamphun, Thailand...
). Ouali has claimed in an interview that his most prestigious victory was that against Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
boxer Hector Saldivia, who saw his 33-0 flawless win streak brought to an abrupt end.
Versus Randall Bailey & IBF Welterweight Championship
The most highly publicized fight in Ouali's career was the December 12, 2010 bout against Randall BaileyRandall Bailey
Randall Bailey is an American boxer at welterweight. Nicknamed "The Knockout King", Bailey is widely considered to be one of the hardest punchers in boxing today.- Professional career :...
. The fight ended in a second round no-contest when Ouali was thrown out of the ring by Bailey after taking some critical shots to the body and the fight could not continue. Ouali is also set up to face Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n powerhouse Jan Zaveck for the IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
Welterweight Championship at a later date.
Jackson Bonsu controversy
Ouali has openly criticized fellow Belgian welterweightWelterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
, Jackson Osei Bonsu (nickname "Sugar Jackson") in Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
media, calling him a "clubber" with little variation in his boxing style. He proclaims Jackson should never use his nickname in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as it would be considered a "disgrace".