The unified super-middleweight world title fight between champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga is all set for Saturday night in Las Vegas after both fighters made weight during Friday's weigh-in.
Alvarez (61-2-2 39 KOs) will defend his WBC, WBA, and WBO belts at T Mobile Arena after tipping the scales at 166.75 pounds, while Berlanga (22-0-0 17 KOs) will contest his first world title fight after weighing in slightly heavier at 167.5 pounds. The weight limit for the super-middleweight division is 168 pounds.
The fight will be Alvarez's ninth consecutive super-middleweight world title fight, a run which started in 2020 when he defeated Callum Smith to claim the Briton's WBA belt and the vacant WBC strap. The Mexican added the WBO title to his collection two fights later by defeating another British fighter, Billy Joe Saunders, before becoming the division's undisputed champion by stopping then-IBF titlist Caleb Plant in November 2021.
Alvarez's only defeat during this run came when he made an audacious step up to light-heavyweight in May 2022 to challenge WBA world champion Dimitrii Bivol, who delivered a masterful performance to win on points. Since then, the pound-for-pound superstar has put together a four-fight win streak, although he has received some criticism for his choice of opponents.
Berlanga, meanwhile, enters the bout as one of the leading contenders in the division. The New York-born Puerto Rican caught the attention of the boxing world by knocking out his first 16 opponents in the first round. That relentless form was checked when he stepped up to 10-round bouts against better fighters, but after four successive points wins, Berlanga returned to knockout form in his last bout in February.
The fight, taking place on Mexican Independence Day weekend, will be the latest in a historic rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico – two nations with rich and storied boxing cultures.
"It’s a war tomorrow,” Berlanga, 27, said. “Puerto Rico vs Mexico ... I love all this right here. It’s all fuel for me. I belong here, you hear me? I belong here.”
When asked for his prediction for how the fight will play out, Berlanga added: “Knockout. And then the rematch, we’re bringing it to New York. Puerto Rican Day weekend.”
Alvarez, who is regarded as the massive favourite to win the fight, had also predicted a knockout victory but was less confrontational following the weigh-in.
“Look, I don’t have much to say about Berlanga anymore,” Alvarez, 33, said. “What I can tell you is he’s about to face someone that’s very, very different than what he’s accustomed to. It’s very easy to say, but he’s going to find out Saturday night. It’s going to be something different.”
The fights on the undercard will also go ahead as planned after all fighters made weight. The co-main event will see WBA middleweight world title holder Erislandy Lara defend his belt against former two-weight world champion Danny Garcia.
The main card will begin with a super-lightweight fight between Rolando Romero, who briefly held the WBA title, and Manuel Jaimes, before former super-middleweight champion Caleb Plant takes on Trevor McCumby.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
