Dubai is set for a huge weekend of boxing as BATL Promotions stages a two-night event showcasing both international stars and emerging homegrown talent at the Meydan Hotel on September 18 and 19.
History will be made for UAE boxing on Saturday’s show with four Emirati professional fighters – Saif Alhaj, Ammar Tayel, Abdullah Marjan and Amer Asuwaider – in action, which marks the largest representation of local professional boxers on a single card, providing a snapshot of the progress being made by the sport domestically.
Saturday’s card also features the return to action of former world champion James “Jazza” Dickens as the Liverpool-born fighter takes on Tanzania’s Ramadhani Kimwaga.
Dickens secured the WBA interim super-featherweight title by stopping Albert Batyrgaziev in Istanbul in 2025, before losing to Anthony Cacace earlier this year.
The two-night boxing showcase begins on Friday with a card dedicated to fighters whose careers have been developed through the UAE’s highly regarded boxing scene.
Among those set to feature are Ammir Khan and Michael Roos, who will compete for WBC Asia Continental honours, while rising Jordanian-Palestinian prospect Asaad Touqan will fight for the WBC Asia Youth title. Emirati fighter Ibrahim Yousif Al Ali, who has won nine of his 10 fights to date, is also in action.
Jamie Cormack, Founder of BATL Promotions, said: “When we started this journey, the ambition was never just to bring international fighters into Dubai and put on great shows. We wanted to build something that gave fighters here a genuine pathway from the amateur scene all the way through to championship-level professional boxing.
“This weekend is probably the clearest example yet of that vision becoming reality. On the first night we have fighters who came through the amateur scene here in the UAE now fighting for WBC honours. Then, 24 hours later, we have a card featuring a world champion, major international talent and four Emirati professional fighters.
“That is what progress looks like. We want young fighters sitting in gyms across the UAE to look at these cards and realise there is somewhere for them to go. There is a pathway, there are opportunities and there is a stage waiting for them if they are prepared to put the work in.
“It’s going to be a huge weekend for BATL, but more importantly, I think it’s going to be a very important weekend for boxing in the UAE.”
Alongside Dickens, Saturday’s card features unbeaten super-middleweight Pushpender Rathi, who defeated Geofrey Muwonge in July, while Yan Zak steps into the ring with both WBC and WBA titles at stake.
BATL Promotions has built its identity around creating opportunities for fighters from the UAE and wider region while bringing international talent and recognised championship bodies to Dubai. In the last two years, the organisation has staged 14 shows across Dubai and welcomed more than 15,000 attendees.
Source: Khaleej Times