LONDON: Manuel Charr, the world’s first Arab heavyweight boxing champion, will make the first defense of his WBA title this spring and move one step closer to a super fight with the division’s highest-profile fighters.
The Lebanese-German will fight mandatory challenger Fres Oquendo on May 4 in Chicago after Oquendo’s camp successfully bid for the promotional rights to the fight. POW Sports, which is part of Oquendo’s team, bid $600,000 to easily beat a $101,000 offer from Charr’s camp at the WBA purse bid. The fighters will split the winning bid 50-50. Confirmation of the winning bid comes almost three months after the WBA first initiated negotiations for their fight, but an inability to come to an agreement meant that purse bids were then ordered.
Charr and his promoters had hoped to stage the fight on April 7 in Cologne, given Germany is where he has mostly fought, but he will now fight outside of Europe for the first time.
“It is always better to fight in front of your home fans, but Chicago is a beautiful city, and I have many fans in the United States, so I am looking forward to the fight,” said Charr. “I know and respect Fres. If I have to beat him in front of his home crowd, then so be it. I hope that many fans will come to support me. It will be a great experience and hopefully an exciting fight.”
Charr was born in Beirut but raised in Germany from the age of five. He dedicated his title win over Alexander Ustinov in November “to Germany, the country which gave me a chance and built me up.”
“Of course, we would have loved to stage the fight in Germany, but we are also happy to travel to Chicago,” said Bernd Trendelkamp, Charr’s promoter. “We always knew that there was a risk we would lose the bid but we had planned to bring Manuel to the States anyways. Now we don’t have to pay for it and promote ourselves so we are very happy with the outcome.”
Charr, 33, has won 31 of his 35 fights, including 17 by knockout, and he will be the favorite against Oquendo, who will turn 45 a month before the fight and who has, partly owing to injury, been inactive since July 2014 when he lost a majority decision to Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaev.
Oquendo earned the status of mandatory challenger with the WBA through a federal court order he pursued after not being given the rematch with Chagaev he had been promised.
Victory in Chicago — where, incidentally, there had been interest in staging the World Boxing Super Series final between Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev scheduled for Jeddah on May 11 — will take either Charr or Oquendo into contention for an eventual fight with IBF and WBA super heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, or another of the division’s highest-profile fighters.
The returning Tyson Fury has already called out Charr. “Tell me I’m not gonna take over the division once again!” tweeted Fury last month. “Wilder AJ Parker Charr watch out as the boggy man is coming for you! I’ll see you in your nightmares! GYPSYKING WILL REIGN OVER THE WORLD.”
Charr’s rise up the rankings, to hold one of the heavyweight belts, is remarkable when you consider the setbacks he has had to overcome. He was stabbed in the back at the age of 16 and then, in September 2015, he was left fighting for his life after being shot in the stomach following an altercation at a kebab restaurant. He returned to the ring just seven months later, bearing the scars of the attack on his abdomen. Then came another setback earlier last year when both hips had to be replaced.
Arab puncher Manuel Charr ready to beat Fres Oquendo in his own backyard
Arab puncher Manuel Charr ready to beat Fres Oquendo in his own backyard
Saudi Polo Federation names six participants for Desert Polo Championship in AlUla
- The teams are AlUla, Richard Mille, Dadan, Budget, Bentley, and Ikmah
- Pierro Dillier, president of the International Polo Federation, will attend the event
RIYADH: The Saudi Polo Federation on Saturday announced the six teams to participate in the 2025 Richard Mille Desert Polo Championship, which will take place on Jan. 17-18 in AlUla.
The teams are AlUla, Richard Mille, Dadan, Budget, Bentley, and Ikmah. They will compete in the fourth edition of the championship, which is being organized in coordination with the Royal Commission for AlUla.
A media statement said Pierro Dillier, president of the International Polo Federation, will attend the competition.
The matches will be held at the Village of Knights, featuring top international players, led by Adolfo Cambiaso, widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of polo.
Saudi rider Prince Sultan bin Khaled Al-Faisal, alongside Prince Abbas bin Ali and Prince Hamza bin Abbas from Jordan will participate in the tournament.
The contenders will be divided into two groups; AlUla, Dadan and Ikmah in Group 1, while Group 2 comprises Bentley, Budget and Richard Mille.
Chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation, Amr Zidan, confirmed the readiness of the Village of Knights to host the event, promising strong competition and highlighting the continued development and growing popularity of the sport in Saudi Arabia.
“This fourth edition of the championship has witnessed significant improvements, alongside accompanying events and entertainment activities for spectators,” Zidan said.
EA Team of the Year celebrates top football players
RIYADH: To celebrate the best football players of the year, EA Sports has launched Team of the Year, allowing fans to create and vote for their dream team.
Saudi Arabia’s football talent is Salem Al-Dawsari, midfielder for Al-Hilal, who has earned his place as one of TOTY’s nominees, showcasing the region’s growing impact in the world of football.
Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, has also been nominated for TOTY.
Following the Italian and Spanish Super Cup matches, which were held in Riyadh and Jeddah, this year’s TOTY card lineup includes players from Italian teams AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atalanta, and Juventus, and Spanish teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
TOTY has cards for each position — goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers — allowing fans to create the ultimate fantasy men’s or women’s football team.
The EA FC 25 TOTY vote will be closed on Jan. 12, 2025.
For more information on Team of the Year, visit www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/fc-25/toty
Arab tennis hero Ons Jabeur plans to bounce back in 2025
- After a year beset by injuries, the Tunisian star tells Arab News she is confident of hitting the heights again
DUBAI: Last year was not one that Tunisian tennis superstar Ons Jabeur will remember with great fondness.
Having enthralled fans with her unique brand of tennis in the two previous years, reaching two Wimbledon finals and hitting the world No.2 ranking, 2024 was beset by injuries and disruptions.
As Jabeur prepares to launch her Australian Open campaign against Anhelina Kalinina of the Ukraine, she is determined to get back to the form that her army of supporters had come to expect of her.
“I’m feeling much better, happy to be back,” she told Arab News. “I feel like I’m playing good, I’m getting back into the game. I feel very motivated and definitely very positive. I can continue playing even better and the good news is there are a lot of great things to improve.”
Since landing in Australia at the start of the year, Jabeur has taken part in the Brisbane International, where she reached the quarterfinals, as well as the Adelaide International. Improving her form, and not her current WTA world ranking of 39, is the priority.
“I feel like ranking maybe would be a bit irrelevant in this case because if I focus a lot on it, I might kind of not see the level that I was in (before). I was in the top 10 for a good time and I think I need to always remember that I have that level to be one of the great players in the world.
“I always say the most important thing is that I should have the level and the ranking will follow up no matter how much time it will take.
“It is very important for me to get back to my game, and definitely improve a lot of points in my game. That would help me be a better player, especially, playing against these unbelievable players, they’re improving all the time and tennis is improving all the time. And I think it is really important for me to keep up with that game.”
Despite a tough year, Jabeur is now looking forward to mixing it with the next generation of players, for whom she has plenty of praise.
“It’s very impressive. A lot of things are growing very fast, (there are) a lot of unbelievable players,” she said. “You can see the level is super close between different players and it’s definitely an honor for me to be part of this generation, they are younger than me, but playing at the same time, it’s great to see that.
“It’s definitely motivating to get back on to the court and try to impose my game, because I know my game is a bit different than any other player and the challenge is kind of exciting.”
The Arab tennis hero is confident that she can return to the form she showed in 2022 and 2023.
“Definitely, yes. I think it’s a matter of time, a matter of motivation, and how mentally I feel about it because I always say if you’re mentally ready, and if in your head you’re ready, you can achieve anything. I think your body will follow and everything will follow.
“Now I think I have more experience than in 2022, which is a bonus I could use. But I’m definitely ready to get back into the game, to fight hard and leave everything on the court.”
Aside from her personal targets on court, Jabeur continues to be an inspiration for young Arab tennis talent, Both female and male.
“Of course, it’s one of my goals,” she said. “One of my dreams is to see our players playing on tour. I think we have the talent, I think we have so many motivated players to play on tour and I can say nothing is impossible.
“Just training from Tunisia, I discovered a lot of things and like I said, I’m happy to share my experience and … one day when I’m 100 percent focused, on maybe giving back more. That’s something I really want to do, and I think our region deserves to have more and more champions at international level.”
Saudi Arabia recently awarded citizenship to 15-year-old French tennis player Maysan Hussein, who is of Tunisian origin, and Jabeur believes such moves can help more players get a platform to realise their potential.
“I know Maysan, I met her and met her father, very nice people. Every player deserves the support, deserves to be there, deserves to not think about how much everything will cost. They just need to focus on their training and doing their best. And what Saudi and other countries are doing is really great and I hope they can help her and they can set a good program for her. I wish her well.”
Najmul to lead Bangladesh in Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
- Key players Liton Das and former all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan not part of the squad
- ODI Champions Trophy tournament takes place in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19
DHAKA: Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai next month, the cricket board said Sunday, with key players including Liton Das missing the cut.
Former star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is also missing from the 15-man squad for the one-day international tournament.
The Champions Trophy takes place in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 with Bangladesh placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan and New Zealand.
Bangladesh are ninth in the ICC ODI rankings.
They play their opener against India in Dubai on February 20.
Bangladesh squad: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
Australian Open: Olympic champ Zheng Qinwen starts her bid for another final on a rainy Day 1
- They had just finished the pre-match formalities when play was delayed by a few minutes so that the roof could be closed
- It was one of the matches that continued under cover when tournament organizers suspended play on all outside courts until later in the afternoon
MELBOURNE: Zheng Qinwen’s tennis resume is quite different from what it was when she showed up at the Australian Open a full year ago. No matter everything she accomplished in 2024 — a runner-up finish at Melbourne Park; an Olympic gold medal for China — she felt jitters before entering Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.
After overcoming some hiccups late in the opening set of her first-round match on a stormy Day 1 at the season’s first major tennis tournament, Zheng came through with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory against Anca Todoni, a 20-year-old qualifier from Romania who has won one Grand Slam match in her career.
“Actually, I feel really nervous,” said Zheng, who is seeded No. 5. “I started to feel nervous already since yesterday, ‘cause I felt special emotion for the Australian Open. ... I really like it here.”
As well she should.
It was 12 months ago on Melbourne’s hard courts that Zheng made it all the way to the final before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. The two-time champion was due to begin her title defense as the No. 1 seed on Sunday night against 2017 US Open title winner Sloane Stephens, before Alexander Zverev, the men’s No. 2 seed, faced Lucas Pouille.
Before her run in Australia last January, Zheng had only played in eight major tournaments, making one quarterfinal. Her big-hitting breakthrough opened a season in which she wound up with a gold draped around her neck at the Paris Games in August.
The 22-year-old Zheng’s power-based game is best suited for hard courts, and playing indoors doesn’t hurt, either, so she eventually was quite comfortable against Todoni under a closed retractable roof, while thunder and lightning and a serious downpour suspended action on the courts that can’t be covered.
Still, Zheng frittered away set points while serving for the opener at 5-4, then was forced to save set points for Todoni later. Afterward, Zheng said that being nervous usually makes her focus better, but this time, it didn’t make “me play my best tennis out there.”
Maybe that’s because it was her first match of the season. Still, she was good enough on this day.
The second set was more one-sided, and Todoni took a medical timeout for treatment on her lower back after three games.
Zheng was among only a handful of players able to complete matches in the early going at what is now a 15-day tournament after a Sunday start was instituted last year. That extra time, which spreads out the first round across three days, could be particularly helpful this week, when Monday’s packed program already included matches for Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.
Other winners Sunday afternoon included No. 14 Mirra Andreeva, a 17-year-old from Russia; No. 18 Donna Vekic and No. 20 Arthur Fils.
“To be able to play a match and to finish a match with a roof, it’s much more easy than ... to stop with the rain,” said Fils, who eliminated Otto Virtanen of Finland 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4. “So, yeah, it’s a nice treatment.”
