HONG KONG // Brandon Rios believes Filipino great Manny Pacquiao will draw inspiration in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan, but that won’t stop him trying to send the eight-weight world champion into retirement.
Rios sent his condolences after the giant storm slammed into the Philippines, leaving about 4,000 people dead and three million homeless, but said will have little sympathy for his opponent once they step in the ring on Sunday.
“It’s a terrible thing that happened in the Philippines and for everybody that lost their families I feel sorry, my condolences goes out to them and, you know, God be with them,” he told AFP in an interview by phone Monday from his training base in Macau.
“But we still got to concentrate on the fight. I’m not fighting the crowd or the Philippines people, I’m fighting Manny Pacquiao in front of me,” said the fast-talking American.
Pacquaio’s trainer Freddie Roach said last week that he would have no hesitation in telling Pacquiao, who turns 35 next month, to quit if he suffered a third straight defeat in his “must-win” battle against Rios in Macau.
The ‘PacMan’ has been one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of his generation, winning 10 world titles at eight different weights.
But the Filipino’s legacy suffered in 2012 with his first defeats in seven years: a controversial points loss to Timothy Bradley, and a devastating sixth-round knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez last December.
The 27-year-old Rios has no doubt he will make it three in a row and force the man with a record of 54 wins, five defeats and two draws, in a pro career spanning almost 19 years, to hang up his gloves for good.
“I’m young, I’m hungry and I want it. I want the success,” said the nine-year pro with a record of 31 wins and just one defeat, on points to Mike Alvarado in their junior welterweight rematch in March.
“Pacquiao has done great. No one can say he didn’t because he won world titles at eight weights. But it’s time he should call it quits. It’s time for me,” added the former World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion.
“I want to beat the best to be the best and to be recognised as one of the best. And so that’s why I’m going to win.”
Sunday’s World Boxing Organisation (WBO) welterweight title fight at the Venetian Macau resort will be Rios’s debut outside of the US or Mexico.
He said he is prepared for a rough ride from a heavily partisan crowd supporting Pacquiao in his first fight in Asia since 2006.
“If they think I’m the bad guy for trying to beat Pacquiao then it’s even better for me. I like being the bad guy. It don’t bother me. I’m not really worried about the crowd,” said Rios.
Rios will also be fighting at welterweight (147 pounds, 66.7 kilos) for the first time, having won his WBA title at 135 pounds and stepping up to junior welterweight (140 pounds) for his last two fights against Alvarado.
Rios, who at five feet eight inches is two inches (five centimetres) taller than Pacquaio, believes the extra weight will only make him stronger.
“Yeah it’s a step up in weight, but 147 is not going to be any factor. I’m probably stronger at 147. I think 147 is my natural weight,” he said.
“I think I’m going to stay here for a while now. I don’t see that I’m going to go down to 140 again. I can make 140 easily but why make 140 if you can stay at 147? So I think it is a natural weight. I’m ready.”
Rios, who has been in Macau for a week, said he had adjusted to the time difference and climate and will be ready to fight come Sunday, despite the unusual 10:00 am start tailored for US prime-time pay-per-view audiences.
“Today was actually the first time I woke up at the right time,” he admitted on Monday. “I got my 10 hours’ sleep so I feel great now.
“We’ve been training and sparring at nine o’clock in the morning. So I got used to the time and I feel really great. I can’t wait to fight now.”
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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.”
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
