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 specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“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.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
