ABU DHABI // Bleary-eyed Filipinos who got up early to watch the Manny Pacquiao boxing match were rewarded when their favourite fighter won a record eighth world title yesterday morning.
Pacquiao, a national hero in the Philippines, defeated Mexican Antonio Margarito in Texas after 12 rounds to win the WBC super welterweight championship, adding to his previous titles and cementing his status as the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.
At the Goto King restaurant in Khalidiya Mall, more than 170 Filipino expatriates gathered to watch the fight. The first of the fans arrived at 5.45am to watch the two fights before the main event, which started at 8.30am, said Amir Zalzo, 34, the manager of the restaurant.
"They were very enthusiastic the moment they heard the national anthem and the introduction to the Manny match," said Mr Zalzo.
"The two fights before that, they were a bit sleepy and were waiting for the main event to start."
Lerma Leyco, 54, a property agent, arrived at the restaurant at 6am with five friends to watch the boxing icon, who is also a congressman in the Philippines.
"I was over-excited," she said. "One is never sleepy before a Manny Pacquiao fight."
She added that fans got their money's worth because Pacquiao fought Margarito for so long.
"Normally, from my own analysis, I have seen that he finishes in a few rounds but this time, we went for 12 rounds," she said.
"It was worth it for everyone who watched the match from around the world."
Joseph Lee, 46, an ice skating coach at Zayed Sports City, used the opportunity to arrive an hour early at work after watching the fight so he could announce Pacquiao's win to his colleagues.
Mr Lee said he was not tired after waking up early to watch his favourite boxer punch his way to victory.
"From the start, I knew Manny would win," said Mr Lee. "I could tell after I saw the first punch that Margarito threw at Manny. Manny could've won easily. But he didn't want his opponent to fall down so quickly."
sbhattacharya@thenational.ae
BLACKBERRY
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Jurassic%20Park
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RESULTS
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BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Results
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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.
