The proposed superfight between undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr and seven-time world champion Manny Pacquiao remained on the ropes last night after the two boxers' camps failed to reach agreement over blood-testing. The planned March 13 fight was due to be formally announced on January 6 in New York, after both parties agreed with unprecedented haste to split the $50million (Dh183.6m) purse, the $150m pay-per-view revenue and the 147lb weight limit. But following a barrage of verbal barbs from both sides, such an announcement now appears unlikely.
Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, said yesterday morning that the fight was off due to Mayweather's demands that his opponent undergo Olympic-style blood tests in the 30 days prior to the fight. "As far as I am concerned the fight is off," said Arum initially. "I think it's over and we're going to another opponent if there is no agreement. It looks to me like they want a way out of the fight. Mayweather doesn't want to take a chance of losing."
But he later softened his stance, leaving the door ajar and the ball in the court of Mayweather's promoter, Richard Schaefer. "Manny will submit to as many random urine tests as requested," said Arum. "Regarding the blood tests, he will subject himself to three tests, one given in January during the week the fight is formally announced, one 30 days from the fight, no later than February 13, and the final one immediately following the fight, in Manny's locker room." Such an agreement would render it impossible for Mayweather to have his wish granted that the test be carried out by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. "The major issue related to the testing rests with which independent agency will administer these tests," added Arum. @Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMaly%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mo%20Ibrahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.6%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2015%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%2C%20planning%20first%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GCC-based%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.