Manny Pacquiao’s promoter has denied reports the Filipino is poised to fight Amir Khan, saying the boxer is “determined to explore” the option of staging his next bout in the UAE.
Pacquiao, 38, had been expected to take on undefeated Australian Jeff Horn at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on April 23. However, the eight-division champion threw that into doubt last week when his various social media accounts stated he was set to fight in the Emirates.
Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, has earlier told reporters in Abu Dhabi that his client would “100 per cent” defend his WBO Welterweight title in the UAE.
Pacquiao added fuel to the fire last Monday by asking his Twitter followers to choose his next opponent, with England's Khan emerging as the overwhelming favourite. Of the four options, Horn was ranked last.
__________________________________
Read more
■ Jeff Horn's team expect Manny Pacquiao fight to happen in Brisbane despite UAE claims
■ Pacquiao in the UAE: Reasons why it could happen, and reasons it probably won't
__________________________________
Reports this week in the British media claimed Khan has agreed a deal to fight Pacquiao in England, but Bob Arum, the chief executive of promoters Top Rank, dismissed the reports.
"The Amir Khan story has come out of nowhere," said Arum in a report in Australia's Courier Mail. "What's happening is that Manny is talking to these people in Dubai who have offered him an insane amount of money. Whether [the offer] is real or not real — he is determined to explore it to see if it has any validity. That's all I can say."
As it is, an event in the UAE remains highly unlikely given the finances required and the logistics in organising the fight at such short notice. Pacquiao (59-6-2), also a senator in the Philippines House of Representatives, made a successful return to the ring on November 5 with a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas following a short retirement to pursue his career in politics.
Horn, who has 16 wins from 17 fights with one draw, still seems his most probable next opponent.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
Dubai World Cup Carnival Card:
6.30pm: Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.40pm: Zabeel Turf Listed $175,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Cape Verdi Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,600m
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
