Bob T20 Wins, Supports Opponent Fighter

Bob T20’s sponsorship of Ramadan Ondash drew attention after the Lebanese fighter defeated Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar (Jojo) via a split decision in the ONE Championship: The Inner Circle 24 event at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Friday night.

Ramadan, after the fight, did not forget to express his appreciation to his sponsor, who provided support throughout his preparation for Jojo.

“Thank you to my sponsor, Bob T20, for this fight,” he said.

Prior to the bout, Bob T20, who is also a social media influencer, emerged as one of Ramadan’s main sponsors, and even admitted that his decision to sponsor the Lebanese fighter was driven by personal dissatisfaction with Jojo.

In a podcast session, Bob T20 said he hoped Ramadan would defeat Jojo, and even dreamed of a knockout victory as early as the first round.

“I really hope he (Jojo) loses. Why? Because if he loses, it means I have beaten him without even stepping into the ring,” he said.

Ramadan’s victory via split decision after three rounds saw Bob T20’s wish fulfilled, thus triggering various reactions among local combat sports fans.

Some supporters defended Bob’s actions, arguing that as a sponsor, he had the right to decide whom to support, besides using his own financial resources.

However, there were also those who criticised the decision and described support for a foreign fighter against a national representative as unpatriotic, especially after several of Bob T20’s statements about Jojo before the fight.

On social media, some fans also described Ramadan’s victory as “Bob’s dream come true”, and some even used the proverb “the village is gambled away” to illustrate the controversy of a Malaysian supporting an opponent of his own national athlete.

Sinar Harian