For Sunny Edwards, giving up home advantage and making the first defence of his world title in Dubai was not a difficult decision to make. If it meant he was free to enjoy his favourite week of the year, he was up for it.
Edwards puts his IBF flyweight title on the line on Saturday against Jayson Mama, of the Philippines, at the Coca-Cola Arena.
He had been due to face Mama in September in London, but it was postponed when he suffered an ankle injury.
When they started talking about new dates, he was adamant he did not want to be in the gym for the week between Christmas and New Year.
“New Year’s Day is my birthday and I always said I will fight anytime, anywhere, apart from the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day because it is my favourite week of the year,” Edwards said. “Give me eight weeks either side of that and I am good to go.
“I was being told February and March dates, but Frank Warren [Edwards’ promoter] and Probellum came together and worked something out. It is really exciting to be on Probellum’s first show and I am grateful not to be just boxing once this year.”
Not that Edwards has skipped time in the gym this year. He won his world title with a landslide points decision over long-reigning champion Moruti Mthalane, from South Africa, in London in April. The win made him the second world champion in his family, after his older brother, Charlie, who held the WBC flyweight title from 2018-19.
“I’ve been training all year,” he said. “I came into the new year knowing I had my world title shot lined up. And within five days of that I was back in the gym. I thought ‘if my mandatory gets called, I have to be ready’.
“I did hundreds of rounds sparring, hundreds of miles running.”
Even when he suffered his ankle injury, it only kept him out of the gym briefly, as he swapped running for a gym bike and sat on an office chair to punch a bag.
“Within two weeks I was back sparring again, which was frustrating," he said. "I just couldn’t put my weight on it for a week-and-a-half.
“Boxing is so implemented in my DNA, I don’t know what I would do without it.
“If I don’t spar for 2-3 weeks, I don’t really feel alive. It’s the only thing that makes hair stand up, that physical chess match. It’s all I have ever done since I was 9 years old.”
Having proved himself against Mthalane, where he was simply too quick for the ageing champion, Edwards faces a very different challenge against Mama, one of two UK v Philippines world title fights on the Dubai bill as Paul Butler challenges John Riel Casimero for the WBO bantamweight title.
At 24, Mama is unbeaten in 16 fights, the same record as Edwards, although the Filipino has a notably better stoppage percentage.
“He is what I like to call an ‘aggy fighter’, he likes to have a tear-up, he likes to let shots go,” Edwards said. “He is not like me tip-tapping around, he brings war and heat.
“Maybe I can make this easy, maybe he will drag something out of me. If you go in and think you are levels above someone, you are often shown that you are not."
Edwards has sometimes been criticised for a safety-first approach in the ring, but he insists that there is plenty more to him than he has shown before and he has not spent much time studying videos of his opponent.
“He’s got heavy hands, he likes to plant his feet and he doesn’t seem to care sometimes what is coming back,” Edwards said.
“I don’t like to spend too long studying videos of them against other people, because they will never have been in the ring with someone like me before.
“My scouting mission will be the first three rounds.
“I am expecting a good hard fight. But it is not like last time when I was facing someone with all their man strength and experience. He is a bit younger than me and greener than me.
“And I’ve got some old man tricks up my sleeve.”
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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'Jurassic%20World%20Dominion'
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Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Book%20Details
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FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
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