LAS VEGAS: The carnival finally hit town Tuesday, with Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. putting on a bit of a fashion show before promising to knock each other out in their highly anticipated boxing match.
Mayweather wore a fedora and gold rimmed glasses while McGregor sported a three-piece suit and tie and aviator sunglasses as they made separate appearances before a crowd of several hundred people in front of the arena where they will fight Saturday night.
The two got into an unplanned verbal confrontation as they moved between the outdoor stage and the arena, though it was brief. Bodyguards kept them apart and both fighters are smart enough not to do anything to jeopardize their immense paydays from what could be the richest fight ever.
“It’s work,” Mayweather said when asked if he was having fun. “My job is to be a fighter.”
McGregor, meanwhile, reiterated his vow to knock Mayweather out within two rounds, and claimed the boxer was getting desperate in making comments about his weight and stamina.
“Let him keep praying about weight and fatigue. All he’s doing is praying,” McGregor said. “But he’s praying to the new god of boxing.”
The crowd for one of the final promotional events was small and not terribly vocal, especially after waiting an hour or two in 100-degree heat to see the fighters. There was no one in line at T-Mobile Arena’s three ticket windows, where plenty of expensive tickets remain for the bout.
The big money for the two fighters will come from pay-per-view sales, and early indications are that it could break all records. Some 50 million people may watch in the US alone, with millions more tuning in worldwide.
Estimates vary wildly, but Mayweather could pocket $200 million, while McGregor might make $100 million.
The promotion has been more circus-like than anything, but both boxers said they were serious about putting on an explosive show on fight night.
“This fight is not going to go the distance,” Mayweather said.
“I believe I’ll knock him out early, one or two rounds,” McGregor said.
Both fighters seemed relaxed and confident, just days away from a fight that seemed improbable at times and impossible at other times. Yet they will meet under boxing rules in a scheduled 12-round fight that matches a UFC champion who has never boxed professionally against the master defensive fighter of his time.
McGregor said it was just another progression in his fighting career, and chided Mayweather for saying he hopes the referee does his job and does not allow McGregor to try any mixed martial arts moves against him.
“I may make him beg me to follow the rules,” McGregor said.
Mayweather said he expected McGregor to come out wildly and use roughhouse tactics, something Marcos Maidana did effectively when he fought Mayweather in 2014. But he said the Irish fighter cannot keep that up for 12 rounds and does not understand what it is to get hit by a real boxing champion.
“When he gets hit he’ll find out it’s totally different,” Mayweather said.
While looking as fit as ever and insisting he is taking the fight seriously, Mayweather said he will be doing meet-and-greet experiences every night living up to the fight at his new strip club just off the Las Vegas Strip.
“I’ll be at the Girl Collection every day this week,” he said. “Every day.”
Carnival hits town as Mayweather and McGregor get ready to rumble
Carnival hits town as Mayweather and McGregor get ready to rumble
Trump Middle East envoy predicts ‘good things’ to announce on Gaza hostages before inauguration
“I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president“
WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday he hopes to have good things to report about hostages held by Hamas in Gaza by the time Trump is sworn in as US president on Jan. 20.
“Well, I think we’re making a lot of progress, and I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job back in Doha,” Witkoff said at a Trump press conference in Palm Beach, Florida.
Doha has been hosting negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war that would include freeing hostages that Hamas abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Doha is capital of the Gulf state of Qatar, which along with Egypt and the US has been mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Witkoff said that if he did not travel back to Doha on Tuesday night, he would head there on Wednesday night.
“I think that we’ve had some really great progress, and I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president,” Witkoff said.
Trump, a Republican who will succeed Democratic President Joe Biden, repeated his threat that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if Hamas does not release the hostages by the time he takes office.
“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” he said.
Hamas-led Islamist militants killed 1,200 people and captured more than 250, including Israeli-American dual nationals, during their Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 100 hostages have been freed through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations. Of the 101 still held in Gaza, roughly half are believed to be alive.
Israel’s subsequent campaign against Hamas has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Palestinian health officials, displaced nearly all of the population in Hamas-ruled Gaza and reduced much of its territory to rubble.
Gaza clan leaders urge Palestinian Authority to govern coastal enclave
- Community leaders demand a stop to ongoing forced Israeli displacement of Palestinians from northern Gaza
- Confirm the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole representative of the Palestinian people
LONDON: Clan leaders in Gaza City and northern Gaza called for the Palestinian Authority to govern the coastal enclave in a rare public statement this week.
Prominent clan leaders in the Gaza Strip have requested President Mahmoud Abbas take charge of Gaza’s affairs, which have been affected by Israel’s war in the enclave and clashes between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces since October 2023.
Some signatories include Yahya Ayub Al-Kafarnah, chief of Gaza’s northern clans; Zakaria Jahshan, coordinator of the Christian denominations; and Mohammed Al-Masry, former mayor of Beit Lahia municipality, along with many other community leaders, dignitaries, and Mukhtars.
They urged the PA to lead the Gaza Strip, connect it to the West Bank geographically, and stop the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians from northern Gaza by Israel.
They confirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad are a part of, will continue to be the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people.
The community leaders urged the PA to exercise pressure on Arab and Western countries to “force the Israeli government to stop its war of genocide ... and secure an immediate ceasefire,” the WAFA press agency reported.
Mediated and indirect talks between Hamas and Israel to secure an exchange of captives and a truce have been ongoing for months, but without success.
At least 45,000 Palestinians have died during the war in Gaza, and around 11,000 are missing under the rubble of bombed or damaged buildings, with 100,000 people having left the enclave.
The Gaza Strip’s population had decreased by 6 percent in 2024, according to recent data by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics.
Three Pakistani soldiers, 19 militants killed in clashes in restive northwest
- The clashes took places in Peshawar, Mohmad and Karak districts of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- Islamabad has frequently blamed the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies allegation
ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani soldiers and 19 militants were killed in separate clashes in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
Security forces killed eight militants in an intelligence-based operation in Matani area of KP’s Peshawar district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Another eight militants were killed in an operation in the Mohmand district. A third engagement resulted in the killing of three militants and three soldiers in KP’s Karak district.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji [militant] found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in militant attacks in recent months, particularly in KP and the southwestern Balochistan province.
In 2024 alone, the military reported that 383 soldiers and 925 militants were killed in various clashes.
The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are one of the most prominent militant groups that have regularly targeted security forces in KP along with separatist militants operating in the restive southwest.
Islamabad has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
Saudi golf team to compete in Arab Professional Golf Championship in Morocco
- Othman Al-Mulla, Saud Al-Sharif among top Saudi golfers taking part in event’s 2nd edition
- Abdulkarim Al-Najran, Ali Babatin to represent Kingdom in amateur category
RIYADH: Top professional Saudi golfers, including Othman Al-Mulla and Saud Al-Sharif, will represent the Kingdom’s national team in the second edition of the Arab Professional Golf Championship in Morocco.
The event will take place at Mazagan Resort in the major port city of El Jadida on Jan. 9-12.
A media statement on Tuesday said that the participation aligns with the efforts of the Saudi Golf Federation to enhance the Kingdom’s presence in the Arab and international sports landscape, and showcase Saudi talent in the sport.
Al-Mulla and Al-Sharif are two prominent names in the Saudi sports scene who aim to achieve strong results in the competition.
Golfers Abdulkarim Al-Najran and Ali Babatin will represent the Kingdom in the amateur category, reflecting the country’s commitment to nurturing and developing young talent in golf.
SGF is dedicated to creating opportunities for Saudi players to compete in major international and regional tournaments, striving for achievements that elevate Saudi Arabia’s global sports standing.
The Arab Professional Golf Championship highlights Saudi and Arab talent while fostering sports interaction in Arab countries.
Organized by the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation in coordination with the Arab Golf Federation, the championship reflects a shared ambition to develop golf in the Arab world, showcase regional talent and strengthen Arab ties through sports excellence.
Ex-PM Khan’s party demands ‘unfettered’ access to him for talks with Pakistan government to succeed
- The government last week said it had facilitated meetings with Khan, but his party remained ‘indecisive’ about formalizing its demands
- The two sides have held two rounds of negotiations since last month to end a political deadlock, but have failed to make a headway
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party on Tuesday demanded the government provide it “unfettered” access to the jailed ex-premier, saying it was the only way to demonstrate “seriousness” to end an ongoing political impasse in the country.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
The two sides kicked off negotiations last month and have held two rounds of talks to end the political deadlock, but have failed to make a headway. The PTI and the government’s last round of talks on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting their demands in writing.
A government spokesperson last week said the government had facilitated Khan’s party by arranging its meetings with the ex-premier in jail, but the PTI remained “indecisive” about formalizing their demands despite written assurances made in joint declarations issued after talks between both sides.
“In the second and last session of our negotiations committee, we had clearly conveyed to the government that our unmonitored, unfettered meeting be arranged with [former] prime minister Imran Khan, in which there is no monitoring in that room,” PTI leader Omar Ayub said at a presser on Tuesday, adding their meetings with Khan were held in a small room, with cameras and other monitoring devices installed.
“In that environment, discussions can’t be held freely.”
Ayub said the government committee had promised to facilitate such a meeting, but they had been no development since.
“We have not received any information [about the meeting] so far from the government,” he said, adding the government’s arrangement of a meeting with Khan in an “unfettered environment, without restrictions,” would demonstrate its seriousness for talks.
Last week, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government’s negotiation committee, said the talks could encounter “serious hurdles” due to the PTI’s failure to submit its demands in writing at the next meeting.
“If the PTI does not submit its demands in writing as promised, the negotiation process may face serious hurdles,” Siddiqui was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
“Even after 12 days, no significant progress has been made.”
The two sides held the first round of talks on Dec. 23. Khan’s party has previously stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
The talks between the two sides opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023 protests.
