Riyadh Al-Azzawi

Riyadh Al-Azzawi (Arabic: رياض العزاوي‎‎) (born in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi-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.

Riyadh Al-Azzawi's kickboxing 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 2008, 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 his WKN and WKA world championship titles against challengers. On March 4, 2016 he will be defending his World Kickboxing Network world title against American-English Brian Connor in London, UK.

The kickboxing champion however passed through a turbulent period in his life because of his association with Lebanese pop diva Suzanne Tamim 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).

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