Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather went nose-to-nose in front of a frenzied standing-room only crowd in a glittering weigh-in showcase at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Many of those inside the arena were unable to get tickets to the sold out mega-fight, so this was their only chance to see their heroes before the fight which will determine the top fighter of his era and unify three welterweight titles.
A deafening roar went up from the raucous crowd of 11,500 when the two champions stood face-to-face in a brief stare down under the multi-coloured strobe lights at the front of the stage.
“Pacquiao is going to win in the sixth round because he just has so much aggression about him,” said Adam Reed, who flew all the way from London having scored a precious ticket to the fight.
Crowd favourite Pacquiao was beaming as he made his way to the stage first. Chants of “Manny, Manny” echoed through the stands from his adoring supporters, who shelled out $10 — or in some cases hundreds on the secondary market — for their weigh-in tickets.
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They waved the national flag and held up “Pacquiao for President” signs recalling the fighter’s other career as a congressman.
Fans of the Filipino also came dressed in a variety of costumes, including three Filipino nurses from Miami, Florida, who wore yellow Pac-Man video game outfits.
“Pacquiao is going to come out fast and win the first six rounds,” Michelle Lakibul said. “Mayweather will win four rounds in the middle but Manny will come on later and win the fight by a decision.”
Pacquiao was relaxed and smiling, even thanking Mayweather on stage for helping make it happen.
“I believe the fans deserve this fight. They deserve a good fight,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao stepped on the scale first followed by Mayweather as they both came in under the welterweight limit.
Pacquiao said he saw something in Mayweather’s eyes that reinforced his belief that he would be the first to make the American taste defeat.
“I saw a man with a lot of worries,” he said of the stare down.
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When it was Mayweather’s turn to climb up on stage he appeared all business as he gazed out at the crowd.
Boxing fan Frank Pino, of Phoenix, Arizona, said he is backing Mayweather to win by a decision.
“Look at his past performances,” said the 32-year-old. “He plays with opponents early on then takes it in the later rounds.”
Even some diehard Pacquiao fans aren’t sure their courageous fighter is going to win.
“Like everybody else, my heart is with Pacquiao but Mayweather will win,” said George Tavarez, 34, of Yakima, Washington. “Floyd is too smart and he has a perfect game plan.”
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
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He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
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