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Kal Sajad
BBC Sport journalist in Las Vegas
A shredded Terence Crawford – jumping up two divisions – weighed the same as champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for Saturday’s super-middleweight showdown in Las Vegas.
Unbeaten Crawford, aiming to become the first male three-division undisputed champion in the modern era, came in just half a pound under the 12st (75kg) limit.
Mexican Alvarez, 35, will defend his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and WBO titles at the Allegiant Stadium.
The official weigh-in was held behind closed doors at the Fontainebleau on Friday morning.
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Crawford in shape, but legend Lewis fires warning
There appeared to be little difference in size or height. Crawford poked his tongue at his team, while Alvarez, looking expressionless as if he had just rolled out of bed, casually stepped off the scales.
Crawford first became world champion at lightweight before unifying the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions.
Thirteen months ago, he moved up to light-middleweight and beat Israil Madrimov in arguably his closest contest yet.
Alvarez, who turned professional at just 15 in 2005, boasts a record of 63 wins, two defeats, and two draws. Saturday marks his 21st fight in Las Vegas.
British legend Lennox Lewis warns Crawford about the dangers of stepping up in weight.
“It’s not really easy coming up in weight. You get hit hard and sometimes it can affect you,” Lewis told BBC Sport.
“What Crawford has to realise is not to get hit to save his energy. He’s coming up against a guy who can hit hard.
Crawford’s sweet spot – pancakes, pounds and potential upset?
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Jumping up in weight has historically left challengers vulnerable against naturally bigger champions.
Yet in Las Vegas this week, many pundits and fighters are tipping Crawford to win – a testament to his adaptability and ring IQ.
Crawford looks ripped and defined, not having put on weight at the expense of his athleticism, but whether he can carry the same speed, timing, and precision into the ring remains the question.
He says the extra pounds have been more blessing than burden.
“It’s been different because I don’t have to worry about anything – the weight room, strength and conditioning, when I’m eating and things like that. I’m as happy as could be,” he told BBC Sport on Tuesday.
The freedom has even extended to breakfast.
“I woke up and ate pancakes this morning. I would never have been able to eat pancakes before,” he said.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has put an artificial intelligence-generated “minister” in charge of tackling corruption in his new cabinet.
Diella, which means “sun” in Albanian, was appointed on Thursday, with the leader introducing her as a “member of the cabinet who is not present physically” who will ensure that “public tenders will be 100 percent free of corruption”.
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The awarding of tenders has long been a source of corruption in the Balkan country of 2.8 million people, which aspires to join the European Union.
Corruption is a key factor in Albania’s bid to join the bloc.
Rama’s Socialist Party, which recently secured a fourth term in office, has said it can deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, with negotiations concluding by 2027.
Lawmakers will soon vote on Rama’s new cabinet, but it was unclear whether he would ask for a vote on Diella’s virtual post.
Legal experts say more work may be needed to establish the official status of Diella, who is depicted on screen as a woman in a traditional Albanian folk costume.
Gazmend Bardhi, parliamentary group leader of the Democrats, said he considered Diella’s ministerial status unconstitutional.
“[The] Prime Minister’s buffoonery cannot be turned into legal acts of the Albanian state,” Bardhi posted on Facebook.
The prime minister did not provide details of what human oversight there might be for Diella, or address risks that someone could manipulate the artificial intelligence bot.
Launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the e-Albania public service platform, Diella helped users navigate the site and get access to about one million digital documents.
So far, she has helped issue 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform, according to official figures.
Not everyone is convinced.
One Facebook user said, “Even Diella will be corrupted in Albania.”
Mohammad Haris hit a return-to-form half-century before bowlers routed Oman as Pakistan opened their Asia Cup campaign with a 93-run win over Oman in Dubai.
Haris anchored the innings on Friday with a 43-ball 66 spiced with seven boundaries and three sixes as Pakistan scored a below-par 160-7 against Asia Cup first-timers.
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But spinners Sufiyan Muqeem (2-7) and Saim Ayub (2-8) and seamer Faheem Ashraf (2-6) atoned for unimpressive batting as Oman, comprising six expats from Pakistan, folded for 67 in 16.4 overs.
Hammad Mirza, top-scored with 27 off 23 balls which contained a six and three boundaries.
Earlier, Oman’s spinner Aamir Kaleem (3-31) and pacer Shah Faisal grabbed (3-34) and kept Pakistan batters under control.
It was Haris who helped Pakistan, who won the toss and batted, with his second score of over fifty in T20Is.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Haris was eventually bowled by Oman’s Aamir Kaleem during the Asia Cup Cricket match [Fatima Shbair/AP]
Haris added a damage-repairing 85 for the second wicket with Sahibzada Farhan after Faisal dismissed Ayub with the second ball of the innings.
Farhan scored a run-a-ball 29 with one boundary.
Faisal also dismissed Hasan Nawaz (9) and Mohammad Nawaz (19) to cap an impressive T20I debut.
Pakistan added 49 in the last five overs, with Fakhar Zaman remaining unbeaten on a 16-ball 23.
Pakistan now face arch-rivals India in a high-voltage Group A match in Dubai on Sunday.
Incredible new detail about the life and loves of Prince has come to light in a new book on his career
A rare photo of Kim Basinger with Prince credited with being circa 1988 but more likely to be in 1989 when their relationship became serious(Image: Getty Images)
Until now it was known as a brief fling, one of Prince’s many love affairs with beautiful women.
But iconic music star Prince and Hollywood actress Kim Basinger were like “teenagers in love” during their relationship, and the pair almost ended up a long term couple who could easily have married. The pair are known to have dated in 1989 but the strength of the relationship is only now emerging in a new book about the life and career of Prince, featuring interviews with over 200 people from his life and inner circle.
The book details how Prince would have first met Kim on the set of Batman where she was playing Vicki Vale and he was to provide an album of music.
Revelations about Prince and Kim come in new book
He later sent a sample of his LP on cassette by FedEx to lead actors Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger to get their approval and feedback.
Prince’s PA Therese Stoulil recalls: “Michael didn’t get back, Jack asked for money because we sampled him and Kim called the office to thank him. I put her through to his office. They had a very short conversation.”
Whatever happened on set and in that brief phone call was enough to start a relationship that would last for a year or so.
Prince told his assistant ‘she’s coming to Minneapolis for a visit – get a really nice hotel room’.
The best suite at the city’s Sofitel was duly booked and on top of that it was filled with extra flowers, candles and cushions.
But in reality Kim never enjoyed any of the lavish settings. She went straight to Prince’s home and rarely left in the months to come except to join him in the studio. Minneapolis became her new base and the pair were inseparable.
Within a few days, Kim’s peach Mercedes was parked on the drive and bag and boxes of her stuff arrived soon after. Kim fell deeply in love.
At this stage she was on the brink of superstardom herself and Prince was a global star thanks to hits including 1999, Purple Rain, When Doves Cry and Little Red Corvette.
In the book Sign O’ The Times, Prince’s PA Therese says of Kim: “She was the nicest person on the planet. Everybody loved her. She went out that Christmas [1989] and bought us all presents [Stoulil received a perfume decanter].
“Very beautiful, very sweet. I don’t think, in ten years, I had ever seen Prince happier. They would go shopping together. Prince never went out shopping. They would stop in all the little shops. It was actually very adorable. It looked like a couple of teenagers in love. They were just taken with each other. It was fabulous”
Prince’s then make-up artist Terra Hinrichs agrees that Kim “was madly in love with him. I couldn’t figure it out. She is stunning.”
Things escalated to the point that Kim had her assistant flown over to field calls from Hollywood about her future roles. Engineer Tom Garneau recalls Kim “drank rum and coke [and] made us popcorn and sweet potato pie”.
And then she even got involved in the music side of Prince’s life too. Kim and Prince collaborated on a remix of the ballad from the Batman soundtrack, ‘Scandalous’. The pair’s private recording session may have been apt for the track’s title too as engineer Sal Greco recalls finding honey all over the mixing desk when cleaning it up the next day.
After their own raunchy studio time, Kim was also put in charge of recording “sexy women singers” for Prince too.
But Hinrichs explains: “She seemed almost trying too hard. She’s telling these girls to ‘be nasty’ and it seemed out of character for her. She was crazy about him. I loved Kim.”
The new book says at this point Kim was looking to buy property in the area as things escalated in 1990. Stouli recalls Kim saying “I just want this beautiful farmhouse”.
But just when it looked like they could be a Hollywood power couple, Prince got cold feet.
Stoulil says they split up because “things were promised. Things didn’t happen. I remember it.”
Others recall a cooling on Prince’s side. “We had a photoshoot,” says guitar tech Michael Soltys, “and she was directing it. I could tell it was not rubbing him right.”
Kim for her part in the relationship, has always stayed silent about their romance. When asked in 2016 about their affair and trysts in the studio, her spokesman said: “We must kindly pass on this request.” She also didn’t offer any comment for the new book either.
There were many other notable relationships for Prince although these are better known.
He has married Mayte Garcia in 1996 and they had a child Amiir who was born in October of that year but died six days later. The relationship deteriorated a couple of years later after she had a miscarriage but they did not officially divorce until 2000.
The singer went on to marry Manuela Testolini in 2001, who was working for a charity he was involved in, and they later split in 2006.
Although Prince was single at the time of his death, both of his ex-wives were on good terms with him, and each issued statements about his passing in 2016.
Another female singer Elisa Fiorillo had her second album produced at Prince’s Paisley HQ in 1990 by Ricky Peterson and Prince took a professional and then romantic interest.
She recalls: “We were very good friends and it turned into something else which was funny for me.” Her understanding of Prince’s split with Kim Basinger “was that he didn’t like that she drank”.
Fiorillo says she dated Prince between 1989 and 1991, but the lack of exclusivity eventually wore her down.
She tells the book: “I felt very loved, but I felt I wasn’t the only one and I couldn’t do that. I grew up in an Italian family and my brothers and my dad were very much ladies’ men and that’s the first thing I’m not attracted to in a man.”
Fiorillo also recalls a “one arriving in Minneapolis as another leaves” principle of girlfriends when it came to Prince.
“I remember leaving and I saw Susannah Hoffs coming in. One time I was in LA and I was hiding and Sheena Easton came in. I saw those two – I’m sure there were others.”
Other women who Prince dated include drummer Sheila E. Who dated in the late ’80s when she was a drummer for his band and Carmen Electra who he dated in the 90s.
Looking back, the Kim romance may be the most surreal chapter in Prince’s romantic history. But the pattern is unmistakable.
A number of women were attracted to Prince and drawn into his orbit and then spun out again when he turned to a new muse. He was never alone for long, if at all.
Prince seemed to be forever in search of someone to share the music with, but always open to changing the record.
* Prince: A Sign o’ the Times By John McKie is published by Bonnier Books on September 18.
The opera singer, radio host and former Strictly star has launched a fan club where you can pay to support him – but you might just win a free holiday
Wynne Evans launches a fan club – where supporters pay(Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Wynne Evans is offering fans the chance to stay at his house for the weekend. The former Strictly Come Dancing star has launched a supporters club where the unusual prize was on offer.
For £4.50 a month – or £6.50 for a couple – fans of his new Wynne Evans show can stay at his Llansteffan house.
Members will also get discounts to his shows, a mention on his online radio show and the right to call themselves a ‘Wynner’. Evans describes ‘Wynners’ on his website as “a community of people bound by kindness, courage and shared stories”
Wynne Evans has launched a fan club where if you pay, you get the chance to win a weekend trip to Wales(Image: wynneevans/Instagram)
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Sharing a message to those on his site, WynneEvansShow.com, the ex Strictly star said: “Welcome one & all. Yes you can just listen, or you can get really involved in keeping the show going & growing by joining the Supporters Club.
“One Club. Many ways to join. The same benefits for everyone – that’s what being a Wynne is all about. Wxx.”
The star shot to fame in 2009 when he starred in the Go.Compare adverts as Gio Compario, a stereotypical Italian operatic tenor.
He later appeared on Strictly before being axed from the live tour after being accused of an inappropriate remark, which he denied.
After losing his BBC job, Wynne returned to the spotlight by launching his own digital radio show in July. Answering fans’ questions in his first broadcast, Evans revealed that he’s no longer in touch with former partner Katya Jones.
When asked whether he was in contact with any of the Strictly stars, he said: “No I’m not. I’m not in contact with any of them.
“I think that when I was released from the tour, I heard – although this may not be true – that they were told not to contact me. I’ve had a few messages from them since – but not really, now today I’m not in contact with any of them at all.”
Wynne was accused of making his pro dancer Katya Jones uncomfortable(Image: BBC)
When contacted by the Mirror yesterday, Wynne said: “I asked the Wynners what they wanted as perks for joining the Wynne Evans Show Supporters club, and their answer floored me: nothing.
“Just keep the show free for everyone who needs it. That generosity speaks volumes about who they are, and this is my way of saying thank you.
Cynics can be cynical. What I’m building with the Wynners goes far beyond what traditional radio offers. We’re creating something listeners describe as ‘their daily tonic’, a morning of fun and friendship.
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I’m committed to creating a daily dose of joy, every weekday from 8:25 at wynneevansshow.com.”
The police in Anambra State have launched an investigation into the killing of four people by gunmen during a funeral at Ezi Village, Ogidi, in the Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
The gunmen reportedly stormed the ceremony on Thursday and opened fire on some of the guests, killing four and leaving at least 15 with varying degrees of injury.
The Police Public Relations Office, Tochukwu Ikenga, on Friday, confirmed the incident, which he said was related to cultism.
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Ikenga said that officers from Ogidi Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, responded swiftly to a distress call and subsequently restored order at the scene.
He stated that while the victims had been evacuated for medical treatment, further developments would be communicated in due course.
The PPRO, in a statement, said, “In the course of the operation, 16 (sixteen) expended cartridges were recovered as exhibits. The Command has since launched a discreet investigation to identify, trace, and arrest the perpetrators, as preliminary findings suggest that the incident is connected to a clash between rival cult groups.
“The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has strongly condemned the incident and assures residents that the Command remains resolute in its commitment to rid the state of cult-related violence and other criminal activities.
“The Command urges members of the public to remain calm, security-conscious, and to continue to provide useful information by reporting suspicious movements or persons to the nearest Police formation.”
The incident came two months after gunment killed 13 people, alleged to be indigenes of Ebonyi State, in Ogboji community, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra in July.
They were reportedly killed during their monthly town union meeting.
The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, had condemned the killing and called for calm and a swift investigation into the matter.
A file photo of Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru (Photo: Facebook/Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru)
In statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor and obtained by Channels Television, Nwifuru described the killing of the indigenes residing in Ogboji community as shocking.
But the Anambra State Government, while condemning the incident, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said it was “not targeted at any particular state or ethnic group”.
Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo
It also stated that it would do everything humanly possible to ensure justice.
