On Saturday night in Las Vegas one of the biggest in years, and certainly of 2025, will take place when Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez faces Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium.
Canelo starts as a strong favourite but many from around the boxing industry beg to differ. The Mexican will defend his undisputed super middleweight crown against Crawford, who steps up two weight divisions. Much of the pre-fight discourse surrounds Canelo's size advantage - and whether Crawford's sublime skills can mitigate it.
Mike Tyson
Former world heavyweight champion
“I want Crawford to win, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. I would like for it to happen [but] this guy [Alvarez] is a hard puncher, he’s a smart fighter."
Pick: Canelo
Roy Jones Jr
Former four-weight world champion
“Bud [Crawford] has a great chance of winning the fight. I think Canelo also has a good chance of winning but I’d probably lean more towards Bud’s side because of the hunger issue. But Canelo is a guy that’s been there for a long time, and he’s not going to be beat easily by nobody. So that’s going to be a tough task for anybody to attack. But if anybody can do it, it is Bud Crawford.”
Pick: Crawford
Carl Froch
Former world super middleweight champion
“Crawford’s bigger than you think. I just think that size matters and he probably is bigger than the weight division he’s been campaigning at. He’ll grow into it. He’ll get some bulk on him and he’ll be comfortable in the ring. And he’s extremely talented. Very skilful. He’s certainly got the ability to beat anybody he gets in the ring with. I’d probably pick Crawford to beat Canelo.”
Pick: Crawford
Tyson Fury
Former world heavyweight champion
“This is a very tough fight, different weight categories. What weight will this fight be? I don’t know. If it’s at 168lbs, I’ll say Canelo. If it’s at 140lbs, I’ll say Crawford. So I’ll give the edge to Canelo.”
Pick: Canelo
David Benavidez
Two weight and current WBC light heavyweight champion
“I give Canelo the edge. He’s the bigger man. It’s a lot of weight for Crawford to jump. If anyone beats Canelo, it’s someone like Crawford. But the weight, the size … they matter.”
Pick: Canelo
Hamzah Sheeraz
Super middleweight No 1 contender
“I expect the fight to be very competitive for the first six rounds and then Canelo will take over and dominate.”
Pick: Canelo
Teddy Atlas
World champion trainer and pundit
“Before this fight was made and when it was only vaguely proposed, well, a lot of people poo poo’d it, ‘No, Crawford is too small, forget about it, it doesn’t make sense'. When it was going through those times, I didn’t hesitate. I said Crawford. I’m not changing now.”
Pick: Crawford
Tim Bradley
Former two division world champion
“Crawford is at a different level. He’s a GOAT, too, but he’s at a different level. He’s going to show everybody who is going to witness this on Netflix on September 13. He’s going to defy all the boxing odds. He’s going to rewrite the book.”
Pick: Crawford
Andre Ward
Former super middleweight champion
“I’m going with Terence Crawford. You know, big weight jump, dangerous fight, but somebody has got to prove to me that they can break Terence Crawford’s will and that he can’t figure it out against you.”
Pick: Crawford
Robert Garcia
World champion trainer
“That was a great move to bring Boots [Jarron Ennis] into camp. The choice means that Canelo wants to be in the best shape of his life. It's a big plus. I give Canelo an even bigger edge now because of the kind of training I am sure he's going through.”
Pick: Canelo
Eddie Hearn
Promoter
“This is the fight that will make Terence great. I give him every chance. I think size is going to be a problem, but is Canelo getting old? I just think the movement is going to cause [Canelo] a lot of problems.”
Pick: Crawford
Antonio Tarver
Former world light heavyweight champion
“Canelo hasn’t faced an opponent like this in a long time. Canelo is going to have to go back to the Caleb Plant fight [in 2021] and look that good, that active. Weight isn’t going to make a difference it’s going to be the skill set and how bad they want it.”
Pick: Crawford
George Groves
Former world super middleweight champion
“When the fight was made, I was just like, yeah Crawford's amazing, but Canelo's too big. And Canelo isn’t finished just yet. Crawford backs himself but I still think Alvarez will win this fight.”
Pick: Canelo
Carl Frampton
Former two-weight world champion
“I believe Crawford can beat Canelo, I genuinely do. I think he’s a very special fighter, as is Canelo, but I just think Canelo’s maybe slightly on the slide.”
Pick: Crawford
Joel Diaz
World champion trainer
“Canelo should win. I see Canelo beating Crawford by a convincing decision. There is no way Crawford beats Canelo.”
Pick: Canelo
Erik Morales
Former four-weight world champion
“Crawford is the longer fighter. He has more speed, better technique. If things go as planned, Crawford could take the fight.”
Pick: Crawford
Abel Sanchez
World champion trainer
“In my opinion, Canelo will be too big and is used to hitting heavier targets.”
Pick: Canelo
Amir Khan
Only man to have fought both
“Look, there’s weights for a reason in boxing, and even though I’ve got huge respect for Terence Crawford for showing the balls that he wants to go in the ring and fight a beast like Canelo, but like I said, Canelo … maybe Crawford sees something that, you know, other people have not seen against Canelo, which is, like, maybe he’s gone past his sell-by-date.”
Pick: Canelo
Vergil Ortiz Jr
Light middleweight contender
“I don't say this out of bias towards Canelo, but logically, a great bigger fighter beats a great smaller fighter.”
Pick: Canelo
Marco Antonio Barrera
Former three-weight world champion
“I don’t know about the weight difference. We saw Crawford fight [Israil] Madrimov at 154lbs I believe. He did not look like he used to, so having to jump all those weight classes to fight Canelo. It’s going to be hard, but I’ll watch it. I’ll tune in.”
Pick: Canelo
Shane Mosley
Former Canelo opponent and three-weight world champion
“They’re both great fighters, but Canelo is too big. They’re mistaking him for being just a regular guy at 168, and Crawford being the more talented. That’s not the case. They’re both talented.”
Pick: Canelo
Shakur Stevenson
Three weight and current world lightweight champion
“Bud [Crawford] is ready. Bud is always going to be on top of his game. He's going to come in there, sharp, fast, strong. That's the thing that's going to surprise a lot of people in this fight, Bud's power carries up. It's not power that was just there for 147 or 140, his power carries up. That's the biggest thing that's going to surprise everybody.”
Pick: Crawford
Shawn Porter
Former welterweight champion
"It’s perfect timing for both of these guys. This is a fight that both guys have the ability to win, I think that Canelo has been in enough wars and Terence hasn’t so health is on his side, the ability to be able to be 100 per cent on fight night is on Terence’s side."
Pick: Crawford
Claressa Shields
Five-weight women's champion
“You know I got Terence Crawford beating Canelo. I am not going to say knockout, but he's going to box [Canelo's] shoes off.”
Pick: Crawford
Paulie Malignaggi
Former light welterweight champion
“Crawford can win the fight. I just wonder if he can get a decision. That’s always the question with Canelo. Can anybody get a decision against Canelo? We know Bivol did, but he won essentially a 10-2, 11-1 fight, and they barely [gave it to him].”
Pick: Crawford
Totals:
Canelo 12, Crawford 13
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
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Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
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Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
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Sector: Technology
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EGYPT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ahmed El Shennawy, Mohamed El Shennawy, Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Mahmoud Abdel Rehem "Genesh"
Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Omar Gaber, Ali Gazal, Ayman Ahsraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Baher Elmohamady, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Abou-Elfotouh
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Abdallah El Said, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Amr Warda, Nabil Emad
Forwards: Ahmed Ali, Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen, Ahmed "Kouka" Hassan.
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPros%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEasy%20to%20use%20and%20require%20less%20rigorous%20credit%20checks%20than%20traditional%20credit%20options%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOffers%20the%20ability%20to%20spread%20the%20cost%20of%20purchases%20over%20time%2C%20often%20interest-free%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EConvenient%20and%20can%20be%20integrated%20directly%20into%20the%20checkout%20process%2C%20useful%20for%20online%20shopping%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHelps%20facilitate%20cash%20flow%20planning%20when%20used%20wisely%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECons%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20ease%20of%20making%20purchases%20can%20lead%20to%20overspending%20and%20accumulation%20of%20debt%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMissing%20payments%20can%20result%20in%20hefty%20fees%20and%2C%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20high%20interest%20rates%20after%20an%20initial%20interest-free%20period%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFailure%20to%20make%20payments%20can%20impact%20credit%20score%20negatively%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERefunds%20can%20be%20complicated%20and%20delayed%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ECourtesy%3A%20Carol%20Glynn%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
