Amir Khan's bout with Luis Collazo is being billed as the co-main event in Las Vegas on May 3, but the British-Pakistani boxer said fans will quickly recognise the real fight of the night.
“I can tell you, our fight will steal the show,” Khan told The National. “We are two exciting fighters, one with skills and speed and the other a big hitter.
“It is a 50-50 fight and that’s what the fans want to see.”
He said he foresees little drama in the main event, which has the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr taking on WBA welterweight champion Marcos Maidana, so fight aficionados are more likely to be focusing on his bout, which is the penultimate fight on the card at the MGM Grand.
“We all know what is going to happen in the Mayweather-Maidanas fight,” Khan said.
Khan believes Maidana, the Argentine he defeated by unanimous decision in 2010, gatecrashed the main event, snagging the lucrative date with Mayweather that ought to be his.
Maidana recently told The National that he was the real winner of his fight with Khan, but the 27-year-old former WBO light welterweight champion dismisses that claim.
“I don’t think there is any arguments left there,” Khan said.
“I dominated all the rounds and put him on the floor, except in the 10th round where I got hit by a couple of his big shots. But I was on my feet.
“If he manages to beat Mayweather and wants to re-fight me, I will give him a re-fight.”
Khan said that he has defeated another fighter on the May 3 card, the American Marcus Molina, who was unable to come out for the 11th round in their 2012 bout.
Molina fights the well-regarded Adrien Broner in another matchup that Khan sees little merit in.
“If they want to fight my leftovers, that’s fine with me,” he said.
Khan said his attention is on Collazo, the American from Brooklyn who has won nearly half his fights by knockout.
“I am ready,” he said. “I have all my focus on Luis Collazo and no one else.
“Collazo is a great fighter, a big puncher and I want to face the big hitters and prove my doubters wrong. I’ve been hearing non-stop from media and fans that I can’t handle big punchers.”
Much of that goes back to his loss, by fourth-round technical knockout, to Danny Garcia two years ago.
“I’ve said this many times and I will say it again: I blame myself for being too careless and got caught against Garcia,” Khan said.
“I have improved a lot moving up to 147 pounds. I want to showcase my skills. I have a game plan and you will see the best of me on May 3.”
Khan recently became the latest prominent boxer to sign with Al Haymon, a mysterious but powerful figure in the fight game who also manages Mayweather, Garcia, Maidana, Broner, Eddie Guerrero and Lamont Peterson.
“He has the best fighters in the game on his roster,” Khan said. “Boxing is a tough sport and we boxers are sometimes not treated the right way.
“Al Haymon has the boxers’ interest first. He advises us, he protects us and organises the best fights with the right opponents. He is a very good person. He has the biggest contacts and networks in the game.
“I have signed with him with the mindset to be in the biggest fights in boxing and Al Haymon can do that for me.
“There is not much about him out there. He likes to stay behind the scenes.”
Haymon will serve as Khan’s manager and agent, although, the fighter remains a client of Golden Boy Promotions where rumours have surfaced of a rift between the company’s founder, Oscar De La Hoya, and Richard Schaefer, the chief executive.
It is rumoured that Schaefer may leave Golden Boy to partner in a promotions company with Haymon after the May 3 show.
“Honestly, I have not read anything in the media about a rift between Oscar and Richard,” Khan said. “I don’t know anything about this.
“I don’t really get myself into politics. I am a fighter and I focus on my training and that’s what I have been doing the last few months.
“I am still contracted to Golden Boy. I have a great relationship with both Oscar and Richard.”
He will re-evaluate his position after he meets Collazo. “After that fight, I will think about my next move carefully,” he said.
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MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204
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Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
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.”
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Suad%20Amiry%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pantheon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20304%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
