DUBAI // Floyd Mayweather Jr’s fight with Manny Pacquiao was never going to take place in the UAE, but it was no surprise the country showed an interest. Eighteen years ago, when Mayweather was fighting debutants in Chula Vista and Pacquiao was an 18-year-old southpaw with 16 professional bouts under his belt, the Emirates were already dreaming of hosting title fights.
On March 27, 1997, Chris Eubank fought little-known Camilo Alarcon in Dubai as part of a comeback tour. The British former world super middleweight champion was approaching his 31st birthday and arrived at the Aviation Club proclaiming that victory would help him earn a shot at the world light heavyweight title.
In Dubai, before stepping on what proved to be a loose and bumpy canvas in a ring set up on centre court, Eubank said a deal was already in the works to hold a prospective title bout along the road in the UAE capital.
“I am setting up a world title fight now for May 15th, which will be in Abu Dhabi,” said Eubank, who had been training in the Emirates for the previous three months.
“Any championship I can get hold of is good — it gives me credibility for what I am doing.”
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Alarcon, an unheralded Colombian who had not fought for more than a year, did not add credibility to Eubank’s crusade.
While the London-born Eubank claimed the light-heavyweight bout was being broadcast to 110 countries and potentially 800 million viewers, such was the disinterest in his home country, a television deal was never signed with British broadcasters.
“People are more interested in a title fight, which l can understand,” he said before his scheduled 10-round match. “But they will sit up and take notice after I beat this man.”
The fight was broadcast on Eurosport and footage from it has been uploaded to YouTube (watch the full fight below).
It does not show Eubank, ever the flamboyant showman, entering the ring in a crane before stripping down to his trademark yellow-gold shorts, but it does showcase the crowd — predominantly male, sporting wide-necked shirts and kanduras.
The sponsors' branding, including Coca-Cola, Dugas and Gulf Today, can also be seen splashed all over the canvas.
When the bell sounded to start the UAE’s first major professional boxing bout, Eubank went on the offensive.
With Alarcon refusing to commit, the Brighton-based Brit landed a couple of jabs, but midway through the third round, the Colombian counter-puncher surprised him with a swinging right. Eubank recovered and, with a little less than 30 seconds left in the fourth round, a flurry of punches left his opponent on the canvas with weak knees.
“He was a big puncher, but as I was preparing to accept punishment, he left himself open,” Eubank said over a group of English spectators serenading him with requests to give them a wave.
Throngs of Arabs in national dress meanwhile waved UAE flags, no doubt already thinking of the short journey down Sheikh Zayed Road to watch Eubank’s title fight two months later.
The Abu Dhabi match never happened, though, and Eubank instead fought Joe Calzaghe for the WBO world super middleweight belt in Sheffield, losing by unanimous decision.
Two more bouts in England ended in defeat before he finally retired and relocated to Dubai, where he has lived on and off alongside his wife and manager Claire — while the UAE still waits to host its first major title fight.
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French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
BABYLON
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
