ISLAMABAD: Former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan on Wednesday thanked Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for giving him the opportunity to fight in Saudi Arabia, and praised his endeavors to promote sports activities in the Kingdom.
The boxer is currently in Pakistan. In July, he won the World Boxing Council international welterweight title by knocking out Australia’s Billy Dib at the inaugural Fight Night in Jeddah.
That fight, part of a series of events at Jeddah’s Season Festival, was only the second mega boxing event of it’s kind in Saudi Arabia, following last year’s fight in which British boxers Callum Smith and George Groves competed for the Muhammad Ali Trophy in Jeddah.
Khan has been vocal about his hopes that the Keddah event would catapult boxing to the center stage in the Middle East and make him the face of the sport in the region.
“I think [Crown Prince] Muhammad Bin Salman is an amazing person who has supported me in my fight in Saudi Arabia,” Khan told Arab News in an interview on Wednesday. “I am very happy that he helped me. He has given me the opportunity.”
Khan said he had played in many parts of the world but had always dreamt of playing in the Middle East and Asia.
“I always wanted to fight in the Middle East and Asia. I got this chance as KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] made this happen,” he said. “I want to thank the Saudi government for making this happen. I know it was Muhammad Bin Salman behind all this, for having me fight in Saudi Arabia. We have a great performance there, it was great entertainment.”
The internationally acclaimed British boxer said he was looking forward to a big match between unified world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua to be held on December 7, 2019, at a custom-built venue in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
“Everyone is very happy,” Khan said. “We can’t wait to go there (Saudi Arabia) at the end of the year.”
Boxer Amir Khan thanks crown prince for opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia
Boxer Amir Khan thanks crown prince for opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia
- Praises Crown Prince Salman’s endeavors to promote sports activities in the Kingdom
- Won World Boxing Council welterweight title against Australia’s Billy Dib in Jeddah this July
No third meeting with Pakistan army chief on Trump’s calendar – White House official
- Reuters reported that Donald Trump was expected to hold a third meeting with Asim Munir in six months over a proposed Gaza force
- Pakistan’s top military commander has met Trump twice this year, including a White House luncheon without Pakistani civilian leaders
ISLAMABAD: A White House official said on Wednesday there was no meeting scheduled between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, after a Reuters report cited sources saying Munir is expected to travel to Washington in the coming weeks for talks that could focus on a proposed multinational force for post-war security and aid delivery in Gaza.
Trump’s Gaza plan, outlined as part of a 20-point framework, envisages the deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase, intended to support security and governance as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
Reuters reported that Washington saw Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military, which has fought a brief but intense conflict with India this year and continues to combat insurgencies in its remote regions, adding that the visit would mark Munir’s third meeting with Trump in six months.
“This is not on the President’s calendar at this time,” a White House official said on background, responding to an Arab News query about a possible Trump-Munir meeting.
Munir has met Trump twice in recent months. In June, he was invited to a White House luncheon, an unusual and unprecedented interaction in which a US president hosted a Pakistani military leader without the presence of civilian authorities.
A second meeting took place in October, when Trump hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and publicly thanked Munir – whom he described as his “favorite” field marshal – for Pakistan’s efforts toward peace in Gaza, alongside leaders of other Muslim nations.
Pakistan this week reiterated its position the situation in West Asia during an open debate at the UN Security Council, calling for a “time-bound and irreversible” political process anchored in relevant UN resolutions that would lead to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian state.
Islamabad and Washington have meanwhile sought to repair ties after years of strained relations, with both sides working to boost bilateral trade and investment following what officials have described as a favorable tariff deal.
