Terence Crawford is eyeing a life-changing payday against Manny Pacquiao, despite the difficulties in organising the bout amid a global pandemic.
The WBO welterweight champion, considered by many to be among the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, is plotting his return to the ring for the first time since the coronavirus crisis struck.
Crawford, 32, has long been linked with a money-spinning clash against Pacquiao, who currently holds the WBA belt. Nine years Crawford's senior, the Filipino hasn't fought since defeating Keith Thurman last July, while Crawford's most recent competitive appearance came in December with the TKO win against Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
The victory lifted Crawford’s record to 36 wins from 36 professional bouts. Pacquiao, meanwhile, has 62 victories and seven defeats from his 71 fights.
Speaking late on Monday on DAZN's AK & Barak Show, Crawford discussed the possibility of facing Pacquiao and said initial talks had taken place, although he conceded the present landscape added another layer to negotiations. Elite-level boxing returns next week to Las Vegas, with events held behind closed doors,
“We’ve been in contact with [promoter] Bob [Arum] and Manny’s men: they want the fight, we want the fight," Crawford said. “Basically, we’re trying to figure out the money situation.
"With this pandemic going on right now it’s kind of hard putting on a big fight with no audience and not knowing how you’re going to get your return back. So we've got to figure out all the details with that first.”
A sitting senator in the Philippines, Pacquiao had originally set next month for his boxing comeback and cited a match-up against either Crawford, Mikey Garcia, or IBF and WBC belt-holder Errol Spence Jr.
However, the pandemic and the subsequent travel restrictions imposed because of it have postponed his plans.
“He can’t even fight right now, so it’s not just me,” said Crawford, who has also held world titles at lightweight. “If that fight presents itself there’s going to be more money than I made in my career to date. I think that fight could get made, get worked out.
“But at the same time he’s dealing with the same issue I’m dealing with. Every top fighter is; it’s not like I’m the only one dealing with this. You look at all these other fighters, who they’re going to fight and how they’re going to get paid, that’s the big dilemma right now.
“The fighters in England and overseas, they can’t come over [to the United States] to fight, they’re stuck over there, so what about them? So it’s all messed up right now.”
Asked if he would be willing to wait for the return of fans to secure a more lucrative fight, Crawford said: “For sure. I’m done risking my health for nothing. I did that for years; I took pay cuts for years just to get to where I am now.
"A lot of people don’t know what I’ve been through with pay cuts and taking this for this and taking this for that. I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to where I am now, more than probably any fighter in the game right now.
“And that’s because I knew where I was heading. I knew that I needed those fights to secure my legacy, becoming undisputed, becoming unified, becoming Ring Magazine champion of two different weight classes.
"You can’t get to that just thinking 'I need the money'. Sometimes you’ve got to take a little pay cut here to get a certain fighter in the ring.”
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
