A mixed martial arts fighter from Dewsbury has raised thousands of pounds for an orphanage in Palestine after defeating a long time rival in Bradford last weekend.
On Sunday 20th September, Junaid Cheema faced off against 100-bout veteran Brad Conway as crowds packed into Bradford’s Cedar Court Hotel for the Combat Challenge show.
A close fight was always expected between the two competitors and it was pre-fight favourite, Conway, who started the liveliest despite a roaring crowd support for the challenger.
Swinging wildly out of his corner, and landing with a couple of shots, the 33-year-old middleweight was taking the contest to Cheema before the KBW fighter was able to land a couple of combination shots of his own.
Just as Cheema was gaining momentum, the match was halted as Conway was forced to the canvas following a mid-section kick.
Complaining that the kick was ‘low’ to allow maximum recovery time, replays showed contact only occurred with the abdomen and the fight continued.
Cheema increased the pressure by throwing numerous kicks to the legs and body, once again forcing Conway to the canvas and despite attempts to rally, he was met with further devastating blows by the Dewsbury competitor.
With the fight looking likely to be stopped by the referee, Conway threw in the towel as he was treated in his corner, awarding Cheema the victory by TKO.
As well as the triumph, Cheema was also able to take pride in knowing he raised a large sum of money from the night for the Wadi-El-Fara orphanage project based in the west bank of Palestine.
Speaking after the fight, he said: “This was a much needed win for KBW.
“The club has grown into a major force in the amateur boxing circuit hosting an impressive stable of talented young boxes that train at the gym from all over Yorkshire.”
