Former IBF world welterweight champion Kell Brook is making a comeback in Dubai next February in a bout to honour the late Ricky Hatton.
Hatton had been set to make a comeback of his own against UAE fighter Eisa Al Dah on December 2, but died last month with an inquest later revealing he had taken his own life.
Brook, who held the IBF's 147-pound title between 2014 and 2017, has agreed to step in and face Al Dah on a new date of February 13, 2026, at The Agenda in Dubai Media City with the event also being billed as a tribute to Hatton.
Entitled “Destiny In The Desert”, the main event will see Al Dah (8-3, 4ko) – the UAE's first ever professional boxer – face Brook with the WBC's World Union Belt on the line.
The show will support the newly created Ricky Hatton Foundation and will feature a number of bouts between UAE-based boxers and visiting fighters from Hatton's hometown of Manchester.
Al Dah, who has been instrumental in putting the card together, said it would be a privilege to share a ring with Brook.
“It’s an honour to represent the UAE on a stage of this magnitude,” he said. “This fight is not just about winning a world title – it’s about showing the world that champions can rise from anywhere. On February 13, I plan to make history in front of my home crowd.”
“This is more than a fight – it’s a milestone moment for the sport in the Middle East,” added promoter Martin P Gravestock.
“With world-class athletes, celebrity guests and an atmosphere unlike anything the region has seen, this is an event that will write a new chapter in boxing history for the UAE.”
Brook, 39, last boxed in 2022 when he stopped bitter UK rival Amir Khan in six rounds to close out his career with a 40-3 (28ko) record.
He turned pro in 2004 having graduated from the famous Ingle Gym in Sheffield and quickly gained attention as a rising star of the domestic scene.
Brook won the British welterweight title in 2008, before moving on to world level. His defining moment came in August 2014 when he travelled to Los Angeles and dethroned Shawn Porter via a deserved majority decision to win the IBF title.
Frustrated by his inability to land a unification bout, Brook jumped all the way up to middleweight to challenge unified champion Gennady Golovkin. Despite a brave effort and some moments of success, Golovkin pulverised Brook into submission in five brutal rounds.
The following year he lost his IBF welterweight title to Errol Spence in another thrilling bout at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane. Brook continued to campaign at welter and super welterweight before hanging up his gloves once he'd settled his feud with Khan three years ago.
Like many in British boxing, Brook was close to Hatton, who forged a brilliant Hall of Fame career that included a historic world title victory over Kostya Tszyu and bouts against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao
The charitable foundation opened in his name hopes to “empower the next generation of fighters, and tackle the often taboo subject of mental health, especially in men”.
Tickets for “Destiny in the Desert” are available from www.theagenda.com.
