LAS VEGAS // Amir Khan is prepared to fight anyone as he continues his quest to be recognised as the next pound-for-pound king.
Khan took another step towards claiming boxing's most prestigious accolade when he became unified light-welterweight champion with a fifth-round stoppage of Zab Judah at the Mandalay Bay Events Centre.
Accusations made by the veteran American southpaw Judah that the knockout blow was low — replays suggested it was legitimate — failed to take the shine off a masterful display from the 24-year-old.
Judah was viewed as dangerous opponent capable of causing an upset, but he was outboxed and bullied by his younger rival and seemed to be looking for a way out from an early stage.
It was a highly impressive display from Khan, whose stock continues to rise on this side of the Atlantic.
"I'll fight anyone and there are some big names out there for me. I'll take a look at the shortlist," said Khan.
"My aim is to move up the pound-for-pound rankings and to one day be pound-for-pound champion. I want to be the best fighter in the world.
"I'm still a fight or two away from there yet. At 25 I'll fight at 147 pounds and see where we go from there. We just keep on collecting titles, that's what we want to do. I'm only 24 and there's a lot of improvement to come."
Adding Judah's IBF title to his own WBA belt proved surprisingly easy as a fighter who had mixed it among the best of his era — including Floyd Mayweather and Kostya Tszyu — was picked apart.
Judah was fazed by the hand speed and aggression of his opponent, who marched forward with intent throughout a dominant performance.
The straight left, Judah's most dangerous shots, was hardly seen thanks to Khan's movement.
The punch stats showed Kahn landed 61 times to Judah's 20 and by the fifth he had won each round on all three of the judges' scorecards.
When the end came it was shrouded in controversy with Judah, his left eye swollen and nose bleeding, claiming he had been felled by a low blow.
Locked in a tangle, Khan spotted an opening and drove a right uppercut through the middle that landed just above the waistline of the shorts.
The American went down and was counted out by referee Vic Drakulich with 13 seconds of the round remaining, resulting in jeers from his disgruntled supporters.
Khan, however, was content he had ended the contest legitimately.
"I don't think it was a low blow. It was a clean shot and the referee was there," he said. "In my eyes it was a clean shot, just above the belt. Zab took the shot.
"It was a very hard shot and we'd been working on the shot throughout our camp. It happened naturally, I fired the uppercut and it worked for me."
He added: "I felt sharp. The game plan was to keep away from Zab's powerful back hand, so we always had to move from it and we did that well.
"Zab's very awkward, at times I was missing him and he's one of the quickest fighters I've faced. I still think he's got a lot in the tank, he'll still win a world title."
Judah thought Drakulich's count was to give him time to recover from the low blow and only realised his error when it was too late.
He had absorbed a barrage of punches before the crucial punch landed and the lack of passion evident when later making his case suggested that he was happy enough the fight was over.
"I don't make any excuses but that was a low shot," he said. "I went down and the referee was counting, I figured he was counting for a low blow - the eight count to get myself together.
"But when I heard him say 'nine, 10, it's over' I said, 'what do you mean it's over, it's a low blow'.
"We'll have the right people take a look at it. But Khan fought a good fight."
The manner of victory has taken Khan closer to his dream showdown with Floyd Mayweather — pencilled in for late next year — and the Olympic silver medallist is inspired by the prospect.
"The Mayweather fight is something I'm looking at the for the future and it would be huge for me. It would drive me on," he said.
"I've got the speed and the skills and with [trainer] Freddie Roach polishing me up a little more, it's a fight we can win."
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
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Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Company%20Profile
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Pakistan - Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Rumman Raees.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
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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.