WBA Interim champ Albert Batyrgaziev set for title defence to Jazza Dickens in Turkey

Jazza Dickens challenges WBA Interim champ Albert Batyrgaziev in Turkey

Former IBO world featherweight champion Jazza Dickens (35-5, 14 KOs) challenges Russian southpaw Albert Batyrgaziev (13-0, 8 KOs) in Turkey tonight, July 2nd.

Southpaw Jazza challenges the unbeaten champion Batyrgaziev for his WBA Interim world super-featherweight title at the Rixos Tersane in Istanbul, live on DAZN.

Now 34, Liverpool's Jazza Dickens has been a pro for over 14 years, winning English, British, IBF and WBO European, and IBO world titles.

Since losing his IBO belt to Hector Andres Sosa in July 2023, the Liverpudlian has won three on the spin, including two KO wins, followed by his impressive unanimous decision victory over Zelfa Barrett in February this year.

Dickens challenged for the WBA world title once before, against the super-bantamweight holder Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2016, forced to retire after the second round with a broken jaw.

His next crack at a world crown ended in another retirement, this time after the 11th round in 2021 against Kid Galahad for the vacant IBF featherweight title.

He finally became a world champion on his third attempt when he won the IBO featherweight belt in 2022 in his home city.

Dickens has beaten the likes of Zelfa Barrett; Ryan Walsh; Leigh Wood; Martin Ward; Josh Wale during his glittering career.

Albert Batyrgaziev will represent a tough test for the Brit, but it won't be anything new for Jazza, who has often walked into the lion's den and taken away the win.

Batyrgaziev is a powerful, unbeaten southpaw, which is, again, nothing new for Dickens, who fought Rigondeaux when the Cuban was in his prime.

Stylistically, it’s a compelling clash as both fighters are smart southpaws with a lot of experience behind them, and both are hungry, determined, consummate professionals.

The older Dickens brings craft, awkward angles, experience and ring IQ. Batyrgaziev offers youth, sharp fundamentals, and physicality. It’s the classic crossroads fight - rising star vs seasoned contender - with a world title on the line.

The WBA spotlight shines bright on Istanbul, and the super featherweight division awaits its next big name. Will it be the decorated Russian phenom or the gritty British warrior? Wednesday night, we’ll find out.

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Who is Albert Batyrgaziev?

Albert Batyrgaziev was born on June 23, 1998 (age 27) in Babayurt, Dagestan, Russia.

His boxing nickname is "AL BA".

He stands at 5ft 5in (166cm).

Albert initially started as a kickboxer in his teens, winning titles, before he took up boxing in 2016, aged 17.

The southpaw won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to become the first-ever professional boxer to be crowned Olympic champion.

Batyrgaziev turned pro in July 2020 and went straight into a 10-round bout, winning in the seventh round. He fought in another 10-rounder the next month, scoring a second successive stoppage in the final round. Another seventh-round knockout win followed in January, then he put his paid career on hold to take advantage of the controversial new rule allowing pro boxers to compete against amateurs in the Olympic Games, which was delayed to August 2021, due to the pandemic. He won all three fights via split decision to claim gold.

He won a title in his first pro bout - the WBA Asia East super-featherweight title.

Albert's pro record has another two bouts on, which aren't entirely recognised as the come under the IBA-pro banner. In December 2023, he defeated his long-term amateur rival and three-time world amateur champion, Lazaro Alvarez on points in Dubai, and also Albert Pagara in 2024, yet neither win shows up on his official pro boxing record.

Titles:

WBA Asia East super-featherweight
WBO European featherweight
IBF Inter-Continental featherweight
Eurasian Boxing Parliament featherweight
Eurasian Boxing Parliament lightweight
WBA Interim featherweight
IBA Pro World super-featherweight
IBA Pro World lightweight