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.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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