Floyd Mayweather has challenged Amir Khan to beat Adrien Broner on the undercard of his bout with Marcos Maidana on May 3 in order to earn a fight with the pound-for-pound king.
The unbeaten Mayweather last week ended several weeks of speculation by choosing to face Maidana over Khan, who subsequently said his American foe was “running scared” after seeing his hopes of a big pay-day dashed.
Read Omar Al Raisi’s exclusive interview with Floyd Mayweather, in which he calls himself ‘The Best Ever’ here
While Khan has been kicking his heels on the sidelines for several months, last beating unfancied Julio Diaz on a thin points decision nearly a year ago, many felt Maidana earned his shot at Mayweather with a surprise victory over Broner for the WBA welterweight title in December.
However, Khan’s barbs at Mayweather may have had some impact, with the 37-year-old telling the Briton he can be next in line to fight him if the he can overcome his good friend and protege Broner.
Notably, Khan told The National's Omar Al Raisi last month that Mayweather 'cherry-picks' his opponents 'to make himself look good'.
“I don’t have an easy fight on May 3, 2014, so I can’t over look @ChinoMaidana but @AmirKingKhan, if you and @AdrienBroner end up fighting each other on my show and you win (which you won’t)... I’ll fight you,” Mayweather posted on Twitter.
Mayweather (45-0, 26 knockout wins) last defeated Saul Alvarez in September last year in a light-middleweight world title fight but will step back down to the welterweight limit in two months’ time when he squares up against Argentinian Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
