With the dust settled on one of the most epic trilogies in boxing history, the question now is what, or rather who, next for Tyson Fury.
The 33-year-old Englishman had his hand raised for the second time in three fights against Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas - after their opening draw - leaving the big-hitting American in a crumbled heap in the 11th round.
It was the third time Wilder had been down in the contest. All the more impressive was Fury's fortitude to climb off the canvas himself - twice in the fourth round - before securing the victory.
Fury, who improved his unbeaten record to 31 wins and one draw, proclaimed himself the "greatest heavyweight of my era" and that he would "beat any man in history".
While the latter is up for debate, the former is much harder to dispute. Fury was already the owner of the greatest performance by a foreign heavyweight on US soil following his seventh-round stoppage to claim the WBC title from Wilder in February 2020. His performance on Saturday night, emphatically answering any remaining doubts as to his ability and courage, topped it.
Fury was evasive about his plans in the post-fight news conference, refusing to say who he wanted to face next.
"Before I start thinking about other men I am going to bask in my victory," he said. His co-promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren were also playing their cards close to their chests.
A fourth instalment with Wilder will hold little appeal, and there are plenty of options out there for Fury.
The one most fight fans (certainly most British ones at least) want to see is a showdown with long-time rival Anthony Joshua.
Joshua triggered a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk a day before Fury vs Wilder 3 after surrendering his WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF heavyweight titles to the Ukrainian in London last month.
Usyk systematically dismantled Joshua in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning a unanimous decision to become only the third man in history to win titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Joshua will need to make plenty of adjustments if he is to reclaim his belts for a second time when he meets Usyk again, but even without them a fight against Fury holds plenty of appeal, although with less money to be made as a non-unification bout.
"It'd be an ideal world for Anthony Joshua not to go for the rematch so we can just get straight to it," Warren said of a potential blockbuster bout against Britain's two best heavyweights.
But should Joshua bounce back to become a three-time world champion, a fight with Fury will be back on, the biggest showdown in British boxing history.
Another victory for Usyk over Joshua, however, would catapult him to the top of the pile. The 34-year-old showed he has the tools to take down much bigger men in boxing's blue ribband division, and a fight against Fury would, from a purists point of view, certainly be the most aesthetically appealing matchup.
With Usyk-Joshua locked in, the next opponent for Fury is most likely to be Dillian Whyte. The Brit faces Otto Wallin on October 30 at London's O2 Arena. Fury will be ordered by the WBC to fight the winner of that meeting straight away if a unification bout cannot be arranged.
Fury says he is open to a fight in the UK having not fought on home soil in three years. A fight against Whyte, therefore, would hold more appeal. The 'Gypsy King' overcame a pair of nasty cuts above his right eye and survived being rocked in a shaky final round to outpoint Wallin via unanimous decision in Las Vegas in 2019.
An outside shot could see Fury face Andy Ruiz Jr. The Mexican shocked the world when he dethroned Joshua in June 2019 with a seventh-round TKO of the previously unbeaten Englishman. He dropped the titles back to Joshua six months later.
Ruiz showed up for the rematch in Saudi Arabia looking like a man who had enjoyed his time in the spotlight a little too much. But he looked leaner and meaner in his comeback win against Chris Arreloa in May, and has also taken former heavyweight champion Tony Parker the distance. He is currently ranked sixth by the WBC.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
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
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.