Just weeks after buying his first holiday home in Dubai, two-time world boxing champion Amir Khan said he wants to bring the next big sporting event to the city.
The British-Pakistani boxer, who was recently named president of the World Boxing Council Middle East, said Dubai was the perfect spot to attract sports fans from across the world.
He said the success of the UFC's Fight Island Series in Abu Dhabi only served to highlight how successful blockbuster sporting events can be in the UAE.
The 39-fight veteran has not ruled out lacing up for his gloves for a boxing bonanza in the emirate.
“Being president of the WBC Middle East gives me the opportunity to host big events over here,” said Khan, who also clinched a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at the age of only 17.
“Look how successful the UFC Fight Island was, Dubai could definitely rise to the occasion and host a mega boxing event.
People love to come [to Dubai] on holiday so why not make it a destination for sporting showdowns too. I'd even be willing to fight in the debut match
“People love to come here on holiday so why not make it a destination for sporting showdowns too.
“I could help bring big fighters out here and I’d even be willing to fight in the debut match.”
The decorated fighter was speaking at a meet and greet hosted by Rising Stars, an initiative founded by Dubai resident Rahima Amiraly to support people with disabilities.
The event was hosted in collaboration with WBC Cares and the Amir Khan Foundation, which work to support disadvantaged children through sports.
After laying down roots in Dubai, the 34-year-old said he wants to spend more time in the city over the next few years to build up the boxing scene in Dubai.
“Boxing has been such an important part of my life. I was a very hyperactive kid and my dad sent me to the gym to burn that energy off,” he said.
“I’d love to set up boxing academies and gyms here to help other children that were like me to find their path.
“It’s also so important to make children of determination feel included and become the rising stars they want to be.
“Maybe we could even help produce a champion boxer in the Middle East.”
Khan, who has no plans to retire any time soon, said he hopes to get back in the ring himself next year. And when it comes to his first opponent, he said his first choice would be British boxer Kell Brook.
"I think it’s time to put him in his place and I’m up for the challenge,” he said.
“I remember in a previous interview I said I wanted to retire at 28. I’m 34 now and have no plans to throw in the towel yet, I love the sport too much, it’s my life.”
Rising Stars was launched earlier this year to help people of determination reach their goals through sport, art, dance and music.
On Monday, the sporting star met with nine pupils from the initiative and told them never to give up on their dreams.
“When I would lose a fight I used to read the comments online saying I was finished, my career was over, but I never let it stop me,” he said.
“The best advice I can give you is never let someone else have the power to make you give up.”
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
On racial profiling at airports
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
