Jazza Dickens returns as four Emirati fighters make history

Dubai is set for a major weekend of boxing as BATL Promotions hosts a two-night showcase featuring international stars and emerging homegrown talent at The Meydan Hotel on September 18 and 19.

Saturday’s card will mark a milestone for UAE boxing, with four Emirati professional fighters – Saif Alhaj, Ammar Tayel, Abdullah Marjan and Amer Asuwaider – set to compete. It will be the largest representation of Emirati professional boxers on a single card, highlighting the growth of the sport in the country.

The show will also see former world champion James “Jazza” Dickens return to the ring against Tanzania’s Ramadhani Kimwaga.

Liverpool-born Dickens captured the WBA interim super-featherweight title after stopping Albert Batyrgaziev in Istanbul in 2025. He subsequently lost to Anthony Cacace earlier this year and will be looking to bounce back in Dubai.

The two-night event begins on Friday with a card focused on fighters who have developed their careers through the UAE’s boxing scene.

Ammir Khan and Michael Roos will compete for WBC Asia Continental honours, while rising Jordanian-Palestinian prospect Asaad Touqan will challenge for the WBC Asia Youth title. Emirati fighter Ibrahim Yousif Al Ali, who has won nine of his 10 professional bouts, will also feature.

BATL Promotions founder Jamie Cormack said the event reflects the organisation’s long-term vision of developing a pathway for local fighters.

“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,” Cormack said.

“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.

Great opportunity

“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.”

Saturday’s card will also feature unbeaten super-middleweight Pushpender Rathi, who defeated Geofrey Muwonge in July, while Yan Zak will compete with both WBC and WBA titles at stake.

BATL Promotions has established itself by creating opportunities for fighters from the UAE and the wider region while bringing international talent and recognised championship bodies to Dubai.

Over the past two years, the organisation has staged 14 shows across Dubai, attracting more than 15,000 spectators.