‘Jazza’ Dickens eyes return to the top ahead of Dubai bout

DUBAI: James “Jazza” Dickens returns to action this Saturday when he headlines the BATL Promotions event at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai, on a card which also features four talented Emirati fighters.

Liverpool-born Dickens, 35, secured the interim super-featherweight title in July 2025 by defeating Albert Batyrgaziev via a stunning fourth-round knockout in Istanbul, before losing the belt to Anthony Cacace earlier this year.

Ahead of Saturday’s fight against Tanzania’s Ramadhani Kimwaga, Dickens spoke to Arab News about his desire to become a world champion again.

How are you feeling ahead of your return to the ring on Saturday?

I’m feeling very good and it’s great to be back in action. It’s nice to be fighting in Dubai, where I live now, so I don’t have to travel anywhere for once.

I’ve been in camp with my team, and my coach Albert (Aryrapetyan), at the Golden Ring gym. Now the fight is almost here I’m excited to get back out there and headline the BATL Promotions event on Saturday. 

This is your first fight since losing to Anthony Cacace on points in March. Now some time has passed, how do you reflect on that fight?

It was another great experience. I’ve had a few world title fights now, so I was getting used to them. But you’ve just got to accept the situation that you’re in sometimes, and you’ve got to make the most of it.

I’m not taking my eye off the ball. I’m learning all the time and I’m looking forward to working on what we’ve been doing in the gym and hopefully pleasing my coach on Saturday.

Having fought in Dubai previously, how does it differ to competing in the UK and other places around the world? 

The crowd’s a little bit different as there aren’t so many people drinking. It’s a calmer crowd. I’m not too keen on when people in the crowd are going nuts, and then you realize it’s one of your cousins usually causing the trouble (laughs). 

It’s nice and peaceful sometimes to be in that type of environment where people are there to just genuinely admire the sport, and that’s why I go and watch sport.

There are certain places where they don’t make too much noise, they just clap when they see good quality, they’re really into the actual art of fighting, so I don’t mind a crowd like that.

Boxing in the Middle East has really taken off in recent years, particularly with Saudi Arabia hosting huge events featuring the likes of Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua. Do you think that’s good for boxing? 

Yes, I think it’s amazing. And I think what Jamie Cormack (founder of BATL Promotions) is doing in Dubai is fantastic too. It would be great if Turki Alalshikh could reach out to Jamie and help to fill that gap in Dubai, because the boxing continues to get better.

Jamie has helped to create the infrastructure in Dubai, which is now on a par with anywhere else in the world, it just needs more backing.

We have already seen what can happen when influential people get behind it, like they have done in Saudi Arabia, which has been absolutely brilliant for the sport.

In terms of your career, there have been some incredible moments, most notably becoming a world champion in 2025. What are some of your favorite memories when you look back?

There are so many. I think the lows make the highs even better. Once you experience the lows, you really realize how high the highs are.

Going back to Dublin for the fight against Cacace was amazing because I lived in Dublin for a few years. Some of my friends were on the undercard so defending my world title there was definitely one of the highlights.

But, of course, winning it that night in Istanbul was just incredible. So much money had been invested in the show and it was a who’s who of boxing in the arena, which made it even more special. We were a small team, and nobody expected me to win, so that made securing the victory even sweeter.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world through boxing; I’ve lived in the US which was great and I really enjoyed fighting in South America too.

Looking ahead, what else do you hope to achieve during the remainder of your career?

Another world title. That’s what I’m in it for now. If you class the IBO featherweight title, which I won in 2022, I could still become a three-time world champion. That’s my goal. 

But you have to take it short-term, step by step. My immediate aim is to win this fight on Saturday night, and we’ll assess it from there, that’s the plan.

I’ve got a great managerial team around me who are helping and backing me, they’ve done a great job and have to think long-term. But for me right now, I have to think short-term and get the job done on Saturday.

Source – Arab News