Pyramid scheme: Australian boxer to fight for world title at ancient Egyptian landmark
The majority of Mai Soliman’s professional boxing bouts have been staged at Revesby Workers’ Club, which is in stark contrast to the backdrop for the Egyptian-born Australian’s upcoming world title fight, the Pyramids of Giza.
Soliman will challenge Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta for her WBO and The Ring super-flyweight titles on the first card ever staged at the iconic location, just half-an-hour’s drive from where she grew up in Cairo. The stunning locale will play host to the “Glory in Giza” fight night on May 23, headlined by Ukrainian heavyweight superstar Oleksandr Usyk when he defends his WBC belt against Rico Verhoeven.
In just her 12th professional bout, Soliman will be part of a historic Egyptian fight that – save for the Queen of the Nile poker machines – is as far removed from Revesby Workers’ Club as could be imagined.
“I’m fighting in front of one of the seven wonders of the world, it’s never been done before,” Soliman said.
“They talk about the UFC White House fight, but I think this tops it.
“When people ask, ‘What’s your dream venue to fight at?’ they say Madison Square Garden, fighting in Vegas, the T-Mobile Arena. This is the top spot for me.”
For Soliman, it is literally a dream come true. At the end of 2022, after just two professional fights, the Sydney-based pugilist manifested this moment.
“It all started with a dream of mine, a fight in front of the pyramids,” she said. “It felt so, so real. Once I had that dream I just felt like that was something that I wanted to make happen.”
It became a reality after two key events late last year. The first was her win against Jasmine Parr, the daughter of mixed martial arts legend John Wayne Parr. Down on all the judges’ scorecards after six rounds, Soliman found something to change the momentum and record a stunning TKO victory in the seventh.
“I just really wanted it really bad,” she said.
And then on a boxing podcast, she caught the attention of billionaire Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh, the man bankrolling the “Glory in Giza” event.
“I spoke about how Turki has changed the game of boxing,” she said.
“He took notice of that, shared this podcast all around, and everyone called me and said, ‘Did you see that?’
“At the end of this podcast video, I mentioned, just speaking in general, how cool would it be for me to fight in front of the pyramids.
“[The fight card] wasn’t even on, Turki hadn’t even made his trip to Egypt.
“I can’t say, maybe he took the idea and made it happen, but I’m not upset! If anything, he’s the guy to kind of make that happen, and he will go over and beyond to make it really good.”
A world title win on such a unique platform could forever change the career of a boxer who fell in love with the sport after watching Million Dollar Baby and initially didn’t tell her parents when she first attended a boxing gym at the age of 17.
“It’s huge, this is every boxer’s dream,” she said.