Mohamed Touizi said he is confident he has the measure of Ricardo Hilario ahead of their bout for the K1 continental flyweight belt in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Touizi will represent the UAE as he takes on the Portuguese on a stacked K1 Pro Night at Space 42 Arena.
The sixth edition of the event consists of 30 bouts that has drawn fighters across 24 countries with the headline contest being the World Super middleweight title contest between Serbian Nikola Todorovic and Jordi Requejo Coronado of Spain.
Touizi, 25, is a Muaythai world champion and believes the skills he has honed lend themselves perfectly in his pursuit of kickboxing glory.
“It’s two different combat sports with some similarities. I train and compete in both and looking forward to winning the continental belt for the UAE,” Touizi told The National.
“I have been on the world stage in Muaythai and to be in the intercontinental title fight is a big step up for me in kick boxing. Obviously I’m fully prepared and focused for Saturday."
Touizi, who won gold at the IFMA U23 Muaythai Worlds in Abu Dhabi in 2022, met Hilario last year at the World Association of Kickboxing Organisation (Wako) championship in Portugal, although not in the ring as they were both eliminated in the early rounds of that competition.
“We have seen each other in action,” Touizi said. “I have a fair idea of Ricardo's style but a lot may have changed in one year. Like me, I guess he too must have progressed up the ladder to meet me in a title fight. But I’m quite confident in taking him on.”
The youngest in a family of six, Touizi was a very active child, prompting his parents to enroll him in a karate school to help him expend his energy. He turned professional three years ago and has continued his journey full time in combat sports.
“I stopped enjoying karate and moved to Muaythai and kickboxing when I was around 13. Here, I got hooked to the two martial art sports, which I love it to this day,” he said.
“I participated in the Wako events to reach the top 10 and now I’m in the top three going into the intercontinental belt [match]. So, I’m really happy of my decision to pursue fulltime in the sport that I love.”
Touizi also has a business management degree which he said would be useful in the years to come.
“Right now, I’m not thinking of doing any other job, except to remain a professional fighter. I’m not looking too far but enjoying what I’m doing right now and doing the best for the UAE in the sport.
“When you enjoy what I do and earn a decent income, that’s good enough for me. Combat sports has grown and is still growing with big money to earn like in boxing and MMA, but I’m happy in the martial art sports I do with some success.
“If I have to crossover to MMA, I need to learn a few more martial arts like jiu-jitsu and grappling. That will take another two years and I feel it’s too late for me,” he said when asked if a switch to mixed martial arts was on his radar.
“My lifestyle has changed since turning a pro fighter. I’m more disciplined in my work ethics, eating habits, mental and physical health and so on. The intercontinental belt can do a world of good for me to continue my journey and bring honour to the UAE.”
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
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“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
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