Tyson Fury seems to expect to face Deontay Wilder next instead of Anthony Joshua, claiming his former foe requested $20 million to step aside for this summer’s world heavyweight title unification bout.
Fury and Joshua had this week agreed finally on a money-spinning clash in Saudi Arabia on August 14, which would crown the undisputed heavyweight champion. The Brit boxers had earlier this year signed a two-fight deal.
However, on Monday a US arbitrator ruled in mediation that Wilder has the legal right to fight WBC champion Fury for a third time following their rematch in February last year, with a deadline set of September 15.
On Wednesday, Fury posted a message on Instagram over a video of Wilder doing some pad work with trainer Malik Scott, with the tag: “What a joke [Wilder] has become.”
Fury said the American had asked for “$20m to move over" before adding: "Looks like I will have to crack his skull again."
Scott also posted on Instagram, saying Wilder "declined and had no interest in step-aside money. He wants blood and not step-aside money. Retribution is upon us."
Fury, undefeated in 31 professional bouts, became a two-time world champion when he stopped Wilder in the seventh round of their hugely one-sided rematch in Las Vegas 15 months ago. The first fight, in December 2018, had ended in a contentious draw.
The pair was slated to meet last year for a third time, but the coronavirus pandemic and an injury to Wilder appeared to clear the road to the much-hyped encounter with Joshua. Joshua holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts.
Fury's American promoter, Bob Arum, has seemingly given conflicting statements to various media outlets, with ESPN reporting the Top Rank chief on Tuesday as saying he would abide by the arbitrator’s ruling.
"We're not paying Wilder to step aside," Arum said. "It's better to get rid of him and go about our business. We can make the Fury-Joshua fight for November or December."
Arum said Top Rank has already reserved Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for a Fury-Wilder fight on July 24.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, the driving force behind the unification bout in Saudi Arabia, said he is now assessing possible alternatives for his client. Chief among those, a defence against Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk, the mandatory challenger for the WBO crown.
Speaking on an in-house video on Tuesday, the Matchroom Boxing head said: "It would be in an ideal world, if the right deal could be done, to maintain those belts and to keep the Fury fight alive for probably December, but for the undisputed [title] as well.
"We want to be in a position by the end of this week to know are we fighting Tyson Fury or are we moving forward with another option.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
