Crypto clash: Popular crypto traders to duke it out in Dubai duel

Popular cryptocurrency traders with cult social media followings will face off in a first-of-its-kind boxing event on Saturday in Dubai.

The Amir Khan Crypto Fight Night, organised and hosted by the British former light-welterweight champion, will take place at Dubai’s La Perle venue.

The night will see RookieXBT and Loomdart - crypto traders with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media - face off in the night’s main event.

“I’m happy to be participating in an event that brings the crypto family together in a way that’s never been done before. It’s extremely humbling. I’m looking forward to this event being a success and hopefully something that happens annually,” said RookieXBT, a Canadian crypto trader known for his daring crypto trades often shared on Twitter.

The winner of Saturday’s main card will walk away with the World Boxing Council’s newly-inaugurated Crypto belt.

“There’s something beautiful about being able to say that getting involved in crypto has led to me fighting some dude I’ve never met before. I can’t wait for these to be regular events and let people get revenge for getting dumped on!” said Loomdart, a trader known as one of the crypto space's longest-standing influencers.

LMFAOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/Rj0uOSTMia

— RookieXBT 🧲 (@RookieXBT) October 14, 2021

Big reveal

Both fighters have for years maintained anonymity online, becoming widely recognised in the online crypto space by their respective avatars. 

At a pre-fight press conference on Thursday, the pair wore masks representing their online entities, with RookieXBT donning a Dogecoin-style dog headpiece, and Loomdart wearing a circular blue one.

Saturday will also see New Zealand's Hemi “The Heat” Ahio fight Dubai's Mohammed Ali in a co-main event for the WBC Middle East Heavyweight Title.

Undercards include crypto influencer Luke Martin vs. Barney the Boi,  Raghav “Reggie” Jerath vs. Gath3r network co-founder Foz and Adam “Cass” Craigmile vs. Ahmed.

The night will also see ABA Youth Champion Abdul Khan, a cousin of Amir Khan, take on England Boxing National Champion Tal Singh.

'How did we get here'

The fight, which is largely the result of online banter between crypto traders, has been seen by many as a sign of cryptocurrency’s gaining popularity.

Unlike the world of traditional stocks and shares, in which traders often refer to financial outlets and news cycles for market insight, the online crypto space - often referred to as Crypto Twitter (CT) - is one dominated by avatar-anonymous traders sharing memes and screenshots of their daring dives into the market.

Saturday’s fight night is seen as a culmination of both the real-world momentum gaining behind cryptocurrencies and the humorous absurdity that characterises its online space.

“At a press conference for crypto fight night How the f*ck did we get here lmao,” RookieXBT tweeted on Thursday.

“Cameras and organizers everywhere …. Like brooo we’re just cartoon characters that are on our computers 24 hours a day”.