Manny Pacquiao could be set to finally fight in the UAE after a member of his camp claimed his upcoming bout with Jeff Horn will “100 per cent” be held in the Emirates, although as of Sunday night there had been no confirmation from the sports bodies within the country.
The Filipino, an eight-division world champion, was expected to take on Australian Horn in Brisbane on April 23, but it was suggested this weekend that the two will clash instead in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. On Sunday, Pacquiao’s official social media accounts posted a message saying “See you in UAE for my next fight”.
However, an event of that magnitude would certainly require the involvement and approval of either the Abu Dhabi Sports Council or the Dubai Sports Council. Yet sources at each told The National the respective organisations were unaware of any such plans.
Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, had already announced that the fight would be staged in the UAE. Speaking in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, he said: “It took us a while to get this deal together. There was a lot of confusion whether this is going to happen here in the UAE.
“I’m here with full authority and power. I have been the marriage counsellor for Manny and we have developed a relationship. I’m involved in all aspects of what he does. We have executed the agreement in the morning and 100 per cent the fight will be here in the UAE.”
To add to the uncertainty, Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum, was thought to have an agreement in place with Horn’s promoter, Duco Events, for Pacquiao to defend his WBO Welterweight title against the unbeaten Australian in Brisbane.
“I was aware Bob was talking in Australia about hosting the fight there, but it is fine with us,” Koncz said. “I told Bob to go ahead but don’t close it. When Bob said it will happen there I asked him ‘what are you talking about?’ A promoter works for the boxer but the boxer doesn’t work for the promoter.
“We have had a successful bond with him, but Manny is the boss. I told him ‘why are you speaking to the media when it is just a backup plan?’”
The news has surprised organisers in Australia, though. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Duco's Dean Lonergan, who said he believed negotiations were continuing to host the fight at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
“For the last six weeks I’ve been dealing with Bob Arum and Top Rank, since he’s the promoter of Manny Pacquiao, to put this together,” Lonergan said. “We now get to the point where we think we can get close to closing it so it’s going to be in Australia.
“As far as I’m concerned this has totally come out of the blue” he said in reference to the venue switching to the UAE. “We’re just going to have to wait and see if there’s any substance to the story. I’m talking today to Brad Jacobs, the COO [chief operating officer] of Top Rank, and the other people from the Top Rank team and we continue to organise the fight and until I’m told otherwise by Bob Arum, as far as I’m concerned, we’ll just keep moving forward with Brisbane and trying to get the deal done here.”
Pacquiao (59-6-2), who is also a senator in the Philippines House of Representatives, made a successful return to the ring on November 5 with a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas following a short retirement to pursue his career in politics. Horn, 29, has 16 wins from 17 fights with one draw.
Editor’s note: This story is an update from an earlier version to include sources from Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Dubai Sports Council.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
