Dubai hosts fights worth $8 million on “Night of Champions”

The world’s elite professional boxing stars announced their full readiness to fight the 13th “Night of Champions” bouts, scheduled for Friday in Dubai, as one of the most prominent events accompanying the “UAE 2025” World Elite Men’s Boxing Championship, with a total prize money of eight million dollars, to constitute one of the largest boxing evenings this year.

This atmosphere came during an expanded press conference that witnessed a remarkable media presence from various parts of the world, as the participating boxers expressed their great enthusiasm and confidence in presenting an exceptional night that lives up to the aspirations of the fans, praising at the same time the advanced infrastructure in Dubai and the level of organization, which they described as “ideal.”

The President of the International Boxing Federation, Omar Kremlev, said that choosing Dubai to host this international evening reflects the Federation’s confidence in the city’s capabilities to provide a unique organizational experience.

He added: “The UAE has become a pivotal destination in hosting major sporting events, especially with the momentum accompanying the Elite World Championship and the General Assembly meetings (Congress) hosted by Dubai in parallel with the tournament.”

All eyes are on the main confrontation between Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev and Russian Murat Gassiev for the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title, a confrontation described as one of the strongest fights of the year due to the physical strength and great experience that both parties possess in major fights.

Tajikistan’s Bakodur Osmonov will also meet Briton Maxie Hughes in an upcoming bout for the lightweight title, while Uzbek Shakhobidin Zoirov will return to face Venezuelan Yoel Fenol in a rematch for the bantamweight title, amid expectations of high competition.

The event will also witness a rematch between the Russian Khariton Agrba and the Argentine Nery Muñoz in the super lightweight, in addition to a strong confrontation between the Russian Vadim Musayev and the South African Tolani Mbenge in the welterweight, as expectations indicate that it will be one of the most exciting fights of the evening due to the attacking style of the boxers and their quest to score an influential victory in their careers.

Kremlev confirmed during his speech that the “Night of Champions” comes within a comprehensive boxing festival hosted by Dubai this year, noting that the selection of the list of participants was done with great care, given the history and level possessed by each boxer, which makes the evening a candidate to be one of the most prominent stations in the game’s calendar for the year 2025.

He said: “The fans will have a date with a night that will remain stuck in their memory, thanks to the strength of the fights and the high preparedness of the boxers, in addition to the enormous capabilities that Dubai provides to organize events of this level.”