Smart Gilas defeats Canberra Gunners, 101-84

The Smart Gilas Philippine National team continued its tour of Australia with an impressive 101-84 win over the Canberra Gunners one of the top teams in the South East Australia Basketball League at the Belconnen Basketball Stadium on Thursday.

A dazzling first quarter where the nationals opened up a 29-14 lead and a tremendous final quarter where Smart Gilas outscored the Australians 32-21 nailed down the team’s third win in four games with Wednesday’s rematch with the Australian Institute of Sports ending in a 73-73 standoff in regulation and both coaches deciding not to play an extra five minutes since it was effectively a no-bearing practice game.

Dylan Ababou seeing extended minutes for the first time led all scorers with 20 points in just over 19 minutes of action while Mac Baracael finished with 15 points, sweet shooting team captain Chris Tiu adding 14 points aside from pulling down 4 rebounds and handing off 2 assists in nearly 27 minutes on the court.

Lanky Japeth Aguilar played just under eleven and a half minutes but contributed 10 points with 1 rebounds and 1 shot block while Greg Slaughter continued his consistent run with 9 points to go with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in only 7 minutes 42 seconds of action.

Jason Ballesteros scored 9 points and was the leading rebounder with 11 boards aside from 1 shot block and 1 assist. Marcio Lassiter also played a key role with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 shot block while RJ Razul added 6 points.

The Canberra Gunners were led by star center/forward Glenn Baird who played in the US NCAA and can shoot the three, with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Jonathan Miller checked in with 13 points and 3 rebounds, point guard Shane Brown 12 points and 3 rebounds and Jamie Mesman 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

One of the keys to the rousing win for coach Rajko Toroman and his Smart Gilas youngsters was their ability to keep Macedonian-born guard Zlatko Todorovski in check. The Filipinos went to the dugout at halftime with a 15 point cushion 49-34 which the Canberra Gunners with a solid third cut to 6 at 69-63.

But spitfire point guard Mark Barroca buried a three less than 30 seconds into the final quarter and then pulled off a steal and when Ballesteros scored the Smart Gilas lead was quickly up to 11 74-63. After Shane Brown scored Ababou replied almost immediately and with a three point play made it 77-65 time down to 8:12.

An Ababou triple made it 83-69 before Lassiter and Slaughter split their charities to push Smart Gilas in front by 16, 88-72. Todorovski scored back-to-back baskets including a three-point shot for a 91-78 count with 2:48 remaining A basket by Baracael, a triple by Jazul and another triple by Lassiter sandwiched baskets by Aaron Coddington and Jonathan Miller but when Todorovski was forced into a turnover on an errant pass and Ballesteros scored Smart Gilas enjoyed their biggest lead of the ballgame, 19 points with 48 seconds left to play before Daniel Jackson scored the final basket for the Gunners to make it 101-84.

For the first time in their Australian stint the Filipinos were able to hold their own off the boards with both sides pulling down 31 rebounds. However, Smart Gilas out-hustled the Gunners with 5 steals to 1, had 5 shot blocks against 2, committed less turnovers 6 to 9 , shot better from beyond the arc with 13- of- 28 for 46 percent compared to 6-of-15 by the Gunners for a 40 percent clip and converting 26-of-32 free throws for a high 81 percent while the Canberra squad made 22-of-33 for 67 percent.

Smart Gilas Stats:
FG - 31/64 (48%)
3pts FG - 13/28 (46%)
FT % - 26/32 (81%)
Rebounds - 31 (Ballesteros 11)
Assists - 7
Steals - 5
Blocks - 5 (Slaughter 2)
Turnovers - 6
Points in the Paint - 22

Boxscore:
Smart Gilas 101 - Ababou 20, Baracael 15, Tiu 14, Barroca 10, Aguilar 10, Slaughter 9, Ballesteros 9, Lassiter 8, Jazul 6, Cawaling 0, Sison 0.

Canberra Gunners 84 - Baird 14, Miller 13, Todorovski 13, Brown 12, Mesman 11, Jackson 7, Aaron Coddington 6, Heaton 4, Lacey 2, Malcom 2.

Quarters: 29-14, 49-34, 69-63, 101-84

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | InsideSports.ph

Ariza wants Amir Khan to destroy Malignaggi for his disrespect to Pacquiao

Now that he’s mission to get pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao ready to throw over 1,200 punches in a total domination of the often impenetrable defense of Ghana’s Joshua Clottey who was as solid as a rock.

Conditioning expert Alex Ariza says he will commit his entire effort to make sure 23 year old Amir Khan destroys 29 year old Paul Malignaggi on May 15 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Ariza who didn’t accompany trainer Freddie Roach for the press conference scheduled in New York on Wednesday, Manila Time, said “I want him to destroy Malignaggi for what he’s said.”

Malignaggi had joined the Mayweather clan headed by Floyd Mayweather Sr in accusing Pacquiao of being on performance enhancing drugs without providing a shred of evidence and Aruza said he wants Malignaggi to pay for it in the ring against the young British WBA junior welterweight champion.

Ariza told us that Khan would be back in training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Thursday, Friday in Manila.

The conditioning expert said he was confident Khan would whip Malignaggi. “I know he will, he will. I know so. He’s got a full eight weeks for the camp and I’m going to put him through hell” so he would be in superb condition and could rip the soft-punching Malignaggi.

Khan won the WBA 140 pound title with an impressive unanimous twelve round decision over Andriy Kotelnik last July and then gave Dmitry Salita a brutal beating, knocking him down twice in the opening round before finishing off the New York based Israeli in a mere 76 seconds last December.

Khan who had earlier signed up with Golden Boy Promotions has always praised Pacquiao and thanked him for his advice and his inputs on how to first beat Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera which he did in five rounds and then in the title fight against Kotelnik. On occasions Khan has sparred with Pacquiao during the Filipinos preparation for past fights.

Ariza said that when youngsters like Khan and Vanes Matirosyan train alongside Pacquiao and watched his systematic demolition of Miguel Cotto they were “inspired and their confidence boosted” because they had a model to not merely look up but to try and emulate.

BBC Sport quoted Khan as saying “I’m just going to go in there and do what I normally do and I really think Malignaggi has a style which is going to make me look good. He’s not at my level. He has a few good wins in America, but its another fight for and I’ll go there and do what I have to do.”

Malignaggi took a bad beating at the hands of IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton in 2008 before Pacquiao separate Hatton from his senses in a brutal second round knockout in May 2009.

Malignaggi who lost a hugely questionable decision to Golden Boy Promotions Juan Diaz in Houston, Texas came back to avenge that loss and effectively re-established himself as a title contender.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing.com

Manny Pacquiao's Camp Enters Final Stage For Clottey

With his left leg not bothering him any longer Filipino boxing hero and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is in perfect shape for his showdown with big and strong Joshua Clottey.

Conditioning expert Alex Ariza said Pacquiao added an Irish fighter whose name he couldn’t recall to his list of sparring partners with whom he went a total of ten rounds.

The sparring partners included Ghana's Abdulla Amidu (18-0, 17 knockouts)and longtime sparring partners Raymund Beltran and David Rodela.

Ariza said "it went very well and he (Manny) looked really good." In fact the conditioning expert was so enamored with Pacquiao’s showing that he said "he doesn’t look good, he looks great."

He said they worked "on a little bit of everything" which included his hand-speed, his movement in going at his opponent from different angles and darting in an out.

When asked whether Pacquiao was sort of winding down Ariza chuckled and said "hopefully, that’s the problem. Its hard to get him to slow down."

Ariza said he was happy that Pacquiao's bothersome left leg was holding up well even after he went jogging at Griffith Park on Monday.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz was in the meantime busy working on flight details of the trip to Dallas next Monday as well as room assignments and ticket allocations which are always a headache as a Pacquiao fight approaches.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Marvin Sonsona to take 3-6 months break

“Marvelous“ Marvin Sonsona, his monicker under serious question after a 4th round knockout at the hands of undefeated Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in a WBO super bantamweight title fight last Sunday in Puerto Rico will take a break of three top six months following his disappointing loss.

Sonsona’s manager Dr. Rajan Yraola said the bad beating at the hands of Vazquez Jr followed his lackluster showing against Alejandro Hernandez at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada last November when Sonsona lost his WBO super flyweight title after he failed to make the 115 pound weight limit.

Dr. Yraola said Sonsona is expected to arrive on March 4 and he plans to have a one-on-one conversation with the 19 year old southpaw to find out what really happened.

The manager said “I will let him take a rest probably for three to six months” before he returns to the ring. At the same time he said he wanted Sonsona to train at his gym in Quezon City under longtime trainer Jun Agrabio where he could keep an eye on his training rather than have him train in the US like he did for the Vazquez Jr title fight under Nonito Donaire Sr.

Dr. Yraola said neither he nor Agrabio were in San Francisco for Sonsona’s training or in Puerto Rico for the title bout and said he didn’t know what happened. He said “I asked coach “Jun” (Nonito Donaire Sr) what was happening in the training and he told me he was already in condition and his sparring was good. I needed to rely on their reports, that’s the problem.”

He said he spoke to Sonsona on how he was and whether he suffered any injuries and that he had said no.

Dr. Yraola said he is concerned that because of the KO loss, Sonsona “might lose his confidence” because of two bad performances in a row.

Meantime, newly crowned super bantamweight champion Vazquez Jr who improved his unbeaten streak to 18 wins with 1 draw and 15 knockouts has been presented with his title by Governor Luis Fortuna in Bayamon. Also in attendance were Bayamon Mayor Ramon Luis Rivera Jr and WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel.

An emotional Vazquez Jr who joined his illustrious father Wilfredo Vazaquez in becoming the first father-and-son tandem from Puerto Rico to win world titles said “I still cant believe that I am a world champion. It feels like a dream to me.”

Vazquez ripped a perfect left hook to the liver to stop Sonsona in the fourth round to mark the previously undefeated Filipino southpaw’s first setback to drop to 14-1-1 with 12 knockouts.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Pacquiao busting up sparring partners, reserves sought

Trainer Freddie Roach plans to bring in some new sparring partners for pound-for-pound icon Manny Pacquiao this week as he steps up training for his showdown against Ghana’s tough Joshua Clottey.

Conditioning expert Alex Ariza told us that Roach wants “to get some fresh blood in there because to be honest its been too easy for him (Pacquiao). ”

Pacquiao sparred twelve rounds last Saturday but dropped super featherweight David Rodela from the roster and instead went up against undefeated Abdullai Amidu (18-0, 17 KO’s) if Ghana, light welterweight Mike Dallas (11-0-1, 2 KO’s) and the experienced welterweight, veteran Steve Forbes (34-7, 10 KO’s.)

Ring Magazine’s Michael Rosenthal recently quoted Dallas as saying Pacquiao is “even stronger than he was before the (Oscar) De La Hoya fight. He’s a good counter-puncher. He’s strong, he’s fast and his legs are really something. His footwork is incredible. He moves like a cat. He’s real fast.”

Amidu told Rosenthal, Pacquiao is in good condition “punches hard, had a lot of speed and has good movement. He has everything. His punches come from different directions. They don’t come from where you expect to. You have to be ready for every eventuality.”

Asked why he thought Pacquiao was so successful, Amidu replied “he has a lot of respect for humanity. God blesses him a lot. He’s very disciplined, always in good condition.”

The Ghana fighter said he was very impressed with Pacquiao’s footwork pointing out that “if you have g ood footwork you can do a lot in boxing. You have to have good movement, to move from every angle. He can do that” adding that Pacquiao was the best he had worked with.

Ariza said Pacquiao was good, same as before when he had a stirring workout on Thursday which both Roach and Ariza agreed was Pacquiao’s best showing in sparring so far.

The conditioning guru who has worked with Roach since a few weeks before the David Diaz fight which Pacquiao won by a devastating 9th round knockout told us he’s “focusing more on his legs” which caused some concern in the training camp when Pacquiao complained of pain and tightness in the left leg which was similar to what he suffered during the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Ariza told us “as long as his leg is holding up and its not bothering him I am pleased. Until he wins this fight let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

He revealed that Pacquiao “knows now” about the danger to his leg posed by playing too much basketball which Roach has long been against and has apparently stopped.

While he was in the Philippines prior to leaving for Los Angeles, Pacquiao played a lot of basketball which is his way of staying in physical shape before getting into the gym to prepare for a fight. Even in Los Angeles, Pacquiao did play in some pick-up games because he loves the sport so much.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Marvin Sonsona falls to Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. in 4th round KO

Former WBO super flyweight champion “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona was knocked out in the fourth round by Wilfredo Vazquez Jr at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and with the crushing defeat went his quest to win two world titles within a span of six months.

With the smashing victory Vazquez Jr not only won the WBO super bantamweight title he also created history by joining his illustrious father Wilfredo Vazquez to become the first father-and-son tandem from Puerto Rico to win world titles.



With the win Vazquez Jr. improved to 18-0-1 with 15 knockouts and inflicted the first knockout of Sonsona who dropped to 14-1-1 with 12 knockouts.

Sonsona who won the WBO super flyweight title with a rousing twelve round decision over Puerto Rican champion Jose “Carita” Lopez at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada last September lost the crown on the scales when he failed to make the weight in his frst title defense against Alejandro Hernandez at the same venue last November.

Sonsona’s handlers led by Filipino promoter Sammy Gello-ani, international matchmaker and promoter Sampson Lewkowicz and trainer Nonito Donaire Sr decided to have Sonsona move up two weight divisions to super bantamweight.

Prior to his departure for the US to begin training at the Kennel Boxing Gym on the outskirts of San Francisco, Sonsona was making it difficult and delayed his departure. It was only after Gello-ani went to his hometown of General Santos City and accompanied him to Manila that he caught a flight to the US along with Donaire Sr and Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales who also lost in his WBO bantamweight title bid getting knocked out in the first round by Fernando Montiel in Las Vegas last February 13.

Both fighters started off cautiously although Sonsona appeared to have a slight edge in the opening round..

The action picked up in round two as both Vazquez Jr and Sonsona began to throw more punches with Vazquez Jr counter-punching effectively against the lanky Filipino southpaw and ending the round with some solid shots and opening up a cut under Sonsona’s left eye.

Sonsona, fired up by the cut, threw some big punches at the start of round three but Vazquez fought right back and caught Sonsona with power punches of his own. The 25 year old Puerto Rican appeared to be getting the better of his 19 year old opponent.A series of punches to the head and body capped by a vicious left hook dropped Sonsona for the full count.During the fourth round, Vazquez landed a series of punches to the head and body to send Sonsona down for the full count to the delight of Puerto Rican fans and the dismay of Sonsona’s handlers.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Rubillar loses bid for IBO title in blatant hometown decision

Veteran Filipino southpaw Juanito Rubillar has lost in his bid to win the IBO light flyweight title when he was the victim of another blatant hometown decision which has regrettably become a norm for any visiting fighter in South Africa who fails to win by knockout.

Super Sport reported that two judges “gave the fight” to south Africa’s Hekkoe Budler in a fight card at Emperors Casino, Kempton Park, on Sunday morning Manila Time.


Super Sport noted that two judges gave the fight to Budler by margins of 117-113 and 115-113 and said “gave may be the operative word.” The third judge scored it even at 114-114.

The reporter said Rubillar and “many in the crowd, will call it a home-town decision. It will be hard to argue against them.”

While the undefeated Budler started aggressively to take the early rounds, Rubillar came back in the fourth and connected with a number of solid shots to the body as Budler backed off.

Leading with his head as much as with his gloves which is Rubillar’s style, the Filipino actually staggered Budler on a number of occasions and while referee Pete Podgorski who refereed the IBF/IBO flyweight title defense of Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire against then undefeated Raul Martinez at the Araneta Coliseum on April 19 last year cautioned the Filipino a couple of times for using his head he did not penalize Rubillar.

Rubillar took control of the fight in the seventh round and hammered Budler with solid hooks to the body and although Budler stayed on his feet he didn’t regain control of the fight although the official scorecards told a different story as Budler improved his record to 14-0, with five knockouts. Rubillar's record dropped to 48-14-7, with 23 knockouts.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Nonito Donaire Eyes Eric Morel Showdown For May 8

WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (23-1, 15 KO’s) , eager to move up in weight, may fight former world champion and current WBO bantamweight interim champion Eric “Little Hands of Steel” Morel (42-2-, 21 KO’s) of Puerto Rico in Mexico.

Donaire told us that there’s a tentative May 8 date set for a fight in Mexico and that “we are looking at Morel right now since he’s the only one that is available and we are hoping that fight can be made.”

Although there’s nothing definite about the Morel fight, Donaire’s announced desire to fight WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (40-2-2, 30 KO’s) was scuttled after Montiel accepted the chance for a unification title bout against Japan’s WBC champion Hozumi Hasegawa (28-2, 12 KO’s) in Tokyo on April 30.

Morel scored a controversial split decision win over former two-division world champion, veteran southpaw Gerry Penalosa in a WBO bantamweight title eliminator in the “Pinoy Power III/Latin Fury 13” fight card where the winner was supposed to face Montiel who scored a crushing first round knockout over over-matched and badly drained Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales.

But that fight won’t take place and reinforces the claim of Morel that Montiel has been avoiding him.

Trainer Freddie Roach who worked the corner of Penalosa in the Morel fight and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao who was at ringside both felt that Penalosa who dominated the later rounds won the fight with Roach pushing for a rematch.

The ABS-CBN telecast of the “Pinoy Power III/Latin Fury 13” fight card over its pre-eminent Channel 2 turned in tremendous ratings prompting Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to indicate he wants to stage the next Pinoy Power card in Manila.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Manny Pacquiao Eases Up, While Clottey Steps on The Gas

“Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao eased up in his training grind on Wednesday as he returned to the track at the LA High School.

After a hard workout in the morning trainer Freddie Roach asked him to ease up and have a light workout in the Wild Card Gym in preparation for what conditioning expert Alex Ariza said “will be a long sparring session tomorrow (Thursday in LA.)"

Ariza told us that “everything is going really well” and that Wednesday was the first day that Pacquiao “went to the track after the leg injury last weekend and he looks a hundred percent.”

Ariza said that since Pacquiao had a hard day on Tuesday when he sparred ten rounds and then a hard workout on the track, trainer Freddie Roach “talked to him to having a light workout and preparing for a tough sparring session on Thursday” although there was no definite word on who his sparring partners would be.

Last Tuesday Pacquiao went five rounds with undefeated Ghana welterweight Abdulla Amidu (18-0, 17 KO’s) and pushed Roach to allow him to follow up with five rounds against Stevie Forbes.

The conditioning expert who, working alongside Roach has turned Pacquiao into a devastating fighting machine said Pacquiao was “feeling good. Manny is the type that just when his legs feel better he wants to see how far he can push it so we are trying to keep him from doing that.”

But while there are rave reviews about Pacquiao’s preparation coming out of the Wild Card Gym, award-winning photographer Chris Farina of Top Rank who visited the training camp of challenger Joshua Clottey was quoted by Chris Robinson of Examiner.com as saying that Clottey “looked awesome” and that he is “completely ripped and toned.”

Farina said Clottey was “punching his sparring partners around the ring. He was going to knock out one of the guys with thunderous punches. It seems to me that they are almost slowing him down and backing him off because they don’t want him to peak too early.”

Farina told Robinson “this is just my impression . He (Clottey) looks like he’s ready to jump through the building.”

With problems in getting a US visa for his trainer and problems within his training camp Clottey brought in renowned cutman Lenny De Jesus, a Puerto Rican who trains fighters in New Jersey and worked the corner of Pacquiao in his early years with his last assignment being the first encounter with Erik “El Terrible” Morales.

Farina reported that Clottey appeared to be completely primed for his March 13 date on “The Event” at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium and that the former IBF welterweight champion seemed completely at peace with the world.

He said Clottey is “totally at ease, was relaxed and calm. He is a super guy. He’s like Pacquiao. He does basically anything you eant him to do and they are very accommodating type of fighters. There are hardly any egos involved.”

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Pacquiao's left leg pain is not a big problem, says Koncz

The reported pain in Manny Pacquiao’s left leg is no cause for concern according to adviser Michael Koncz. Koncz said “its nothing serious. Just cramps” even as he asked us as well as Pacquiao’s fans to “relax, don’t worry. He’ll be ready for the fight.”

He said Pacquiao’s sparring was “great as always” and emphasized that the “Fighter of the Decade” and the reigning pound-for-pound king was “ready and I have no concerns.”

Among those who went nine rounds with Pacquiao were longtime sparring partner, super lightweight Raymund Beltran and undefeated light welterweight Mike Dallas Jr, an undefeated 23 year old with a record of 11-0-1 with 2 knockouts.

Pacquiao initially didn’t tell anybody about his discomfort while jogging but when he began to go through his shadow boxing routine at La Brea park he said his leg ached.

In an interview with Chino Trinidad of GMA 7 at the Wild Card Gym after he was attended to by conditioning expert Alex Ariza, Pacquiao said it was the same ailment he suffered in his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez and that “we are doing what we did before so it won’t ache.”



However, trainer Freddie Roach asked Pacquiao to ease off a little in training where he tends to push himself extra hard.

Roach himself had expressed concern in the past over the possibility that Pacquiao could aggravate an old leg injury caused by playing basketball regularly which Roach has tried to stop, unsuccessfully.

Pacquiao’s opponent. Former world champion Joshua Clottey continued his training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida under Pacquiao’s former cutman Lenny De Jesus who worked his corner in the first Erik Morales fight and also trains fighters in New Jersey.

Clottey said he was in top condition for the March 13 showdown with Pacquiao at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium adding, “I’ve worked hard for weeks in Florida” and claimed that “we have a game plan which will give Pacquiao a lot of problems. “

The Ghanian fighter who dropped a controversial decision to Miguel Cotto prior to Pacquiao stopping the Puerto Rican in the twelfth round said “no one is unbeatable including Manny and I personally know he’s worried about me, how big and strong I will be in the ring that night.”

Pacquiao’s speed and power are key factors in his recent remarkable run of victories where his ability to move in and out in rapid fire movements may be hampered if his leg doesn’t heal and although Pacquiao's team plays down the problem, there appears to be a tinge of concern over it.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Mayol concerned about judging in title defense

WBC light flyweight champion Rodel Mayol is concerned about the judging in his first title defense against Omar Nino Romero of Mexico on Sunday, Manila Time in the Coliseo Olimpico of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mayol who won the title with a stunning second round TKO over highly-favored Edgar Sosa of Mexico last November left Los Angeles for Guadalajara last Sunday after he met with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and adviser Michael Koncz and expressed his concern over the judging.

Pacquiao and Koncz handle the career of Mayol and Koncz told us he may fly to Mexico on Friday night to be at the venue.

Koncz said he told Pacquiao “I think I should go because if nobody is there they think we don’t care and they might cheat Mayol out of his belt.”

Mayol who has a record of 26-4-1 with 20 knockouts is a hard puncher at his weight while Omar Nino Romero who has a record of 28-3-1 with 20 knockouts and earned the nickname “Giant Killer” after he won the light flyweight title from Brian Viloria in October 2006 is not a heavy puncher but is a plodder with a somewhat awkward style.

In a rematch which ended in what was considered a controversial draw, the Mexican retained his title but in a post-fight medical by the Nevada State Athletic Commission Omar Nino Romero tested positive for a banned substance, the fight was declared a “no decision” and he was suspended for one year.

Since his return the Mexican has beaten among others, Filipino veteran Juanito Rubillar in a title eliminator and faces Mayol in a mandatory.

There were initial problems over staging the fight as Pacquiao and Koncz wanted Mayol to defend his title on “The Event” headlined by the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight or to headline another card on March 12, the eve of the Pacquiao-Clottey showdown.

But the WBC insisted that the handlers of Mayol comply with the two options in the fight contract with promoter Faustus Daniel Garcia that enabled Mayol to get a crack at Edgar Sosa’s title and they decided to comply.

Although Don Jose Sulaiman upheld the victory of Mayol over Sosa despite protests that the head-butt on Sosa which fractured his cheekbone and forced him out of action for several months contributed to Sosa’s loss, the promoters claimed that Mayol won the title “in a controversial fight and now another Mexican will have an opportunity to re-conquer it.”

The Mexicans also insisted that the NSAC findings and the suspension of Omar Nino Romero after the Viloria rematch was “unjust” creating some concern in the Filipino’s camp.

The challenger himself said “my objective is to return to be champion of the world ” claiming that he “lost the belt on the table after I overcame Brian Viloria by an assumption of doping and now I have the opportunity of being world champion.”The mandatory challenger said Mayol "is a hard puncher, is fast and throws a lot of blows" but that he had prepared himself to “neutralize it with lateral movements and consistent punching.”

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Manny Pacquiao Sparring With Steve Forbes and Beltran

“Fighter of the Decade” and the world’s pound-for-pound hero Manny Pacquiao is doing so well in training for “The Event” against Ghana’s tough Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium on March 13, that conditioning expert Alex Ariza says “we can’t ask for anything more.”

Ariza told us that Pacquiao sparred nine rounds on Saturday with Steve Forbes who once fought Oscar De La Hoya and went the distance with him and also Raymund Beltran, a regular sparmate of “The Pacman.”

Ariza said Pacquiao showed “amazing speed and power and is ready to go any time.”

He said it was obvious that Pacquiao was relaxed and happy and looking forward to the clash with Clottey.

After Pacquiao’s workout at the Wild Card Gym of trainer Freddie Roach, Ariza told us Pacquiao was “feeling good and Freddie was obviously happy and had a smile on his face and when they are happy, I am happy.”

Ariza believes there is no welterweight in the world today who could take on Pacquiao and beat him and that includes Floyd Mayweather Jr and Shane Mosley who are scheduled to face-off against each other in May.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Ariza: "We can't ask for anything more"

“Fighter of the Decade” and the world’s pound-for-pound hero Manny Pacquiao is doing so well in training for “The Event” against Ghana’s tough Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium on March 13, that conditioning expert Alex Ariza says “we can’t ask for anything more.”

Ariza told us that Pacquiao sparred nine rounds on Saturday with Steve Forbes who once fought Oscar De La Hoya and went the distance with him and also Raymund Beltran, a regular sparmate of “The Pacman.”

Ariza said Pacquiao showed “amazing speed and power and is ready to go anytime.”

He said it was obvious that Pacquiao was relaxed and happy and looking forward to the clash with Clottey.

After Pacquiao’s workout at the Wild Card Gym of trainer Freddie Roach, Ariza told us Pacquiao was “feeling good and Freddie was obviously happy and had a smile on his face and when they are happy, I am happy.”

Ariza believes there is no welterweight in the world today who could take on Pacquiao and beat him and that includes Floyd Mayweather Jr and Shane Mosley who are scheduled to face-off against each other in May.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Manny Pacquiao is Nearly in Peak Form For Clottey

“Fighter of the Decade” and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is in almost perfect condition for his showdown with tough Joshua Clottey in “The Event” at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys stadium on March 13.

Pacquiao told Dyan Castillejo and this reporter during the “Pinoy Power III/Latin Fury 13” fight coverage of ABS-CBN at the Las Vegas Hilton “I got into good condition right away because there wasn’t a long break” after his November battle with Miguel Cotto whom he stopped in the 12th round to win the WBO welterweight title.

Pacquiao said he started training in January and was in shape right away.After playing basketball regularly in the Philippines in order to stay in good physical condition, Pacquiao flew to Los Angeles to begin training under Freddie Roach at Roach’s Wild Card Gym.

Roach who worked the corner of former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa in a controversial split decision loss to another former champion Eric Morel of Puerto Rico told us that he often has to hold Pacquiao back to prevent him from reaching his peak too early.

Pacquiao was with the TV panel when previously undefeated Ciso “Kid Terrible”Morales got knocked out in the very first round by WBO bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel .

When informed by Castillejo that Morales had to lose 12 pounds in six days in order to make the bantamweight limit Pacquiao noted that a fighter “ isn’t strong and durable if he reduces weight. His stomach isn’t hardy. ”

Pacquiao who himself suffered the second knockout of his career when he was totally dehydrated and weak after reducing but still failing to make the flyweight limit in his WBC title defense against Medgoen Singsuart in Thailand where he was knocked out in the third round said “that’s why I was telling the boxers no matter how hard you workout with your hands, you need to work well on your body.”

He said that at times when fighters end their workouts “they are lazy to do sit-ups, work on their abs and then they have a hard time in a fight.”Pacquiao stressed how important it is to strengthen a fighter’s midsection noting that “ it’s a much bigger target than a boxer’s face"

Pacquiao also told us that he was convinced that veteran southpaw Gerry Penalosa won his fight against Eric Morel although the judges had Morel the winner by a split decision. Pacquiao said that in his eyes Penalosa won by seven rounds to five in the WBO bantamweight interim title fight.

Pacquiao who posed for photographers with promoter Bob Arum and newly crowned WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma”Lopez said he was pleased with Bernabe Concepcion’s performance in his unanimous ten round decision victory over tough Mario Santiago whom Concepcion dropped in the sixth round en route to victory.

Pacquiao who handles Concepcion along with his adviser Michael Koncz said that Concepcion is lined up to fight Lopez perhaps sometime in June and he “will be there every day to help train him “(Concepcion) for the fight” against Lopez.

Pacquiao noted that Concepcion still has a lot to work on because his timing was a little off and the coordination of his hands was off.”

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Gerry Penalosa Will Likely Continue To Fight On

Former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa may be a veteran at 37 years of age but despite another painful setback on the threshold of one more title shot, the gallant southpaw appropriately nicknamed "Fearless" clearly finds it hard to quit the sport he loves with a passion.

Penalosa lost a split decision to former world champion Eric Morel of Puerto Rico in a WBO title eliminator that was to give the winner a crack at champion Fernando "Cochulito" Montiel of Mexico.

Montiel was pitted against inexperienced and patently overmatched Filipino Ciso "Kid Terrible" Morales whose 14-0, 8 KO record meant nothing when ranged against Montiel's 39-2-2, 29 KOs slate.

In a conversation hours after the fight and a trip to the hospital to check on his badly battered left eye which was almost totally shut due to an accidental head-butt while his right eye was less damaged also by a head-butt, Penalosa told us he thought he had won which was the view shared by trainer Freddie Roach who worked Penalosa's corner with Manny Pacquiao's conditioning expert Alex Ariza.

Pacquiao who watched the fights with his lovely wife Jinkee told the ABS-CBN television panel composed of Dyan Castillejo and this reporter he felt Penalosa won by at least 7 rounds to 5 .

The head-butts in rounds six and seven almost closed Penalosa's left eye even as blood kept streaming down but when the ring doctor during a break to check him out asked Gerry whether he could see he replied "I can't see but I want to fight" underscoring the gallantry of the Filipino.

Penalosa conceded that he lost the early rounds but turned things around beginning the middle rounds and hurt Morel with some solid body shots in rounds eight and nine as he pressured the Puerto Rican who was breathing heavily.

Penalosa continued to stalk Morel who kept running as the Filipino southpaw kept hammering away. His eye almost shut Penalosa fought furiously in rounds eleven and twelve but apparently hadn't done enough in the eyes of the judges and lost another controversial split decision which made it harder for him to decide whether or not to hang up his gloves.

Penalosa said he wants to spend more time with his charming wife Goody and their two children and will discuss his future with his wife and family before making a decision.

While he knows he can help promising young fighters Penalosa said "it will be easier to help them if I am a champion."

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Gorres eager to come home

Z "The Dream" Gorres during a check-up

Z “The Dream” Gorres says he is eager to return home to Cebu to see his four young children and cannot wait to get on a homeward bound Philippine Airlines flight along with his wife Datches and Dr. Ben Calderon who has helped look after him and been a tower of strength since his tragic accident in the ring last November 13.

A group of law students along with their professor from the University of Las Vegas Nevada called on Gorres at the clinic of Dr. Calderon this afternoon to inform him that they were drafting a bill that would law hopefully be passed into law by the Nevada State Legislature.

A prime mover behind this effort which will be named the Z Gorres Bill is Frank Slaughter, boxing coach at UNLV and himself a former amateur boxer from the US Air Force.

The aim of the legislation is to provide adequate financial coverage for boxers who suffer similar injuries to that of Gorres so that taxpayers in the state won’t be burdened by having to effectively pay the cost of treatment of indigent boxers who are hospitalized.

In an interview with Bev Llorente of ABS-CBN who was commended by Dr. Calderon for her consistent reportage on the fate of Z Gorres and the commendable efforts by the Filipino doctors, nurses and others to help Gorres recover in every way possible, UNLV professor Robert Correales said they were hoping that if the bill is passed and “drafted in a way that is attractive to other jurisdictions that it will be passed in other states and maybe in other countries.”

The law professor pointed out that over the past couple of months because of the injury suffered by Gorres which needed brain surgery at the University Medical Center and subsequent therapy which will be continued when Gorres returns to the Philippines “the concern over the lack of a safety net for the fighters and the burden to taxpayers who have to step in and take care of injured indigents, what we want to do is place the responsibility in the hands of people that are benefiting the most from the activities of the boxers.”

Female law student Jayme Martinez said there was legislation in place years ago that provided $50,000 insurance for a fighter but emphasized that such an amount won’t go very far these days. She said “we are just asking for an increase in order to make the coverage good enough.”

The group realized that small promoters won’t be able to carry any additional financial burden and Slaughter said “all these promoters will be coming in on a sliding scale – the more you make the more you pay.”

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Arum: "Pacquiao can fight tomorrow"

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says “Fighter of the Decade” and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao “can fight tomorrow” even as he noted that trainer Freddie Roach’s job is to “have to slow him up.”

Arum told us that he is “getting rave reviews on his (Pacquiao’s) performance in the gym and everybody is saying they can’t believe how great he’s looking.”

The astute promoter said “everything is excellent” in terms of the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey WBO title defense of the Filipino hero at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium on March 13 as well as the “Pinoy Power III/Latin Fury 13” fight card on Sunday, February 14, Manila Time.

Arum said all the fighters on the card which showcases five promising Filipinos against Latino counterparts. He said “all the fighters are in good shape. All the fighters are confident and they are all coming to win” which has stirred a lot of interest both among the Filipino fans and their Hispanic counterparts.

The fights will be telecast in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN over its pre-eminent Channel 2 at 10:30 a.m. with a replay over Studio 23 at 8:30 p.m. It will also be telecast globally to Filipinos abroad on The Filipino Channel TFC which is widely followed.

Meantime, Oscar De La Hoya continues to ignore the call of respected, award-winning boxing writer and lawyer Thomas Hauser to sign a waiver that would allow the Nevada State Athletic Commission to release the results of drug tests conducted on De La Hoya when he was fighting and to allow people associated with the tests to talk publicly.

Arum who was De La Hoya’s promoter has told boxingscene.com he “knows what the history is” adding that Hauser knows exactly what he is alluding to.”

While indicating even in his conversations with us that he was not going to say much about the issue, Arum told boxingscene.com “I know when it happened, how many times it happened. He also pointed out that there was a grace period when they tested fighters for steroids.”

We inquired from the current NSAC executive director Keith Kizer about Floyd Mayweather Jr’s use of the pain-killer Xylocaine which is reportedly banned in 49 US states except Nevada and there was the contention it was the reason Mayweather Jr didn’t want to go to Dallas for a planned showdown with Pacquiao and wanted to fight to be in Las Vegas.

We also inquired whether Nevada would consider banning the drug or will Mayweather be found guilty of drug abuse if he uses Xylocaine. We mentioned the fact that Thomas Hauser insists that De La Hoya needs to sign a waiver for results on his drug tests before your time, to be released. It also involved - he says - the right to talk to people involved for public consumption.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | PhilBoxing

Pacquiao-Valero would be more exciting than a fight against Mayweather

The spectacular performance of WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero who hammered interim champion Antonio DeMarco so badly for most of nine rounds that the Mexican’s corner stopped the fight before the start of the tenth has once again revived talk of a clash between the Venezuelan knockout artist and the “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao.

Valero has always wanted to fight Pacquiao and even when visiting the Philippines as guest at Pacquiao’s 30th birthday celebration in December 2008, Valero reiterated his desire to face Pacquiao and predicted he would beat him in an interview with us at the PLDT offices of businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan when Valero and former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz paid Pangilinan a courtesy call.
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Pacquiao has said he would never back out of a challenge provided the negotiations go well and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum believes a Pacquiao-Valero showdown would be sensational but that Valero will first have to move up to 140 pounds and prove himself at that weight before he get a shot at the reigning pound-for-pound king.

Boxingscene.com’s Rick Reeno spoke to Arum who wants Valero to fight some of the better names at 140 pounds including WBO champion Timothy Bradley to earn a shot at Pacquiao.

Arum told Reeno, “Valero is a very smart guy. He has a real goal. He wants to fight Manny Pacquiao and that’s the reason he went with us. But to fight Manny Pacquiao he has to prove himself at 140. He has to get a visa. I won’t have any problem getting him licensed in Nevada now that they changed the rule. It used to be where, if you had a bad [MRI] result, you were out. They changed that and Valero’s MRIs are perfect.”

Arum indicated the plan for Valero would be move up to 140 because he is having trouble making the lightweight limit of 135 pounds.

Like most fight fans as well as the media, Reeno said Arum was impressed with Valero’s performance on Saturday. He displayed his ability to box in a fight where most expected DeMarco to play the role of the boxer.

Arum noted Valero “ has balls, maybe too much balls. Valero showed that he has a lot more boxing skill than people thought.” Arum added “ A fight between him and Manny would be f**king unbelievable.”

A clash between the undefeated Valero who has a record of 27 knockouts in 27 fights and Pacaquio because of their aggressive styles produce an action-packed bout that would surely excite fight fans far more than the defensive-oriented Mayweather would against Pacquiao.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | InsideSports.ph

Three San Miguel Corporation teams in Semis

In a result that warmed the hearts of PBA officials as the pro league’s cash registers kept ringing, the league’s two most popular teams Barangay Ginebra and Purefoods won their do-or-die games in a Sudden Death Sunday to enter the All Filipino Conference semi finals where they will join sister team San Miguel Beer and the only outsider standing in the way of an all-SMC final, the renowned Alaska Aces of Wilfred Steven Uytengsu.

It seemed that league officials led by Commissioner Sonny Barrios and chairman Lito Alvarez were elated that over 21,000 fans jammed the Araneta Coliseum and looked forward to a continuing windfall in the days ahead no matter whether questions of competitive balance and league integrity simmer in the background.

For the 25th straight year, no team has returned to defend the PBA All-Filipino crown. Talk n Text, which walked out of Game Four in protest of officiating, returned to play the deciding Game Five but bowed to Barangay Ginebra, thus, seeing the end of its reign as Philippine Cup champ. The Kings, instead, completed a stirring comeback from a 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five series, advancing to the semis versus the Alaska Milk Aces with a 113-100 conquest of the Texters in a double knockout watched by a crowd of over 21,000 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Earlier, Purefoods, with its vast experience and deeper bench, outfought Rain or Shine, 95-85, to book its own place in the best-of-seven semifinal round which begins Wednesday in the same venue. The seeded teams all made the Final Four with third-ranked Purefoods arranging a duel with second seed San Miguel and No. 4 Ginebra setting up a separate series with top seed Alaska Milk.

“It’s an awesome feeling we made it through despite all the things that had happened. We’ll cherish it tonight and go back to work tomorrow (Wednesday) to prepare for Alaska,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico. “I didn’t imagine we would play Game Five. There’s no other explanation except that the guys never gave up, the crowd was there for us and the Lord gave us this blessing,” Uichico also said.

The Ginebra mentor, however, admitted they got some break with Talk n Text missing the services of Ranidel de Ocampo. The Texters, forfeiting Game Four particularly incensed on a flagrant foul penalty 2 slapped on De Ocampo in a collision with Ronald Tubid which kept everybody guessing on whether Talk N’ Text would show up or not.

The answer came towards the end of the Purefoods-Rain or Shine game. They came on board a van that picked them up at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center where they heard a mass and did a shoot-around before proceeding to the Big Dome. The Texters, however, just couldn’t hit full rhythm.

The Kings pounced on the situation, dictating the tempo early and leading by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter before completing the stirring series comeback, matching the feats done earlier by Crispa and Purefoods. JC Intal churned out a huge double-double performance with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

Eric Menk had his own double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds with Ronald Tubid, Willy Wilson, Celino Cruz and Enrico Villanueva all adding double-digit outputs.

Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes played only nine men with Mark Cardona, Jason Castro, Jimmy Alapag and Jarred Dillinger all making at least 17 points each. Obviously, they terribly missed the services of De Ocampo who averaged 12 points and nine rebounds in the first four games of the quarters.

Intal, Tubid, Sunday Salvacion and Jayjay Helterbrand combined for nine triples against only one each by Castro and Renren Ritualo as the Kings took the half at 55-49. The Kings nailed six treys in the opening quarter, enabling the team to establish control early, carrying a 30-22 spread into the second period. Intal and Tubid both had a swashbuckling start with the former hitting 16 points and the latter 11 in the first 24 minutes of play.

The Texters kept it close in the first half on points off turnovers, 10-0.

The scores:

Ginebra 113 - Intal 28, Tubid 16, Menk 16, Wilson 14, Cruz 13, Villanueva 10, Salvacion 8, Baguio 3, Helterbrand 3, Caguioa 2.

Talk N’ Text 100 - Cardona 21, Castro 18, Alapag 18, Dillinger 17, Peek 9, Carey 8, Ritualo 5, De Ocampo Y. 4, Belasco 0.

Quarterscores: 30-22, 55-49, 88-79, 113-100

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | InsideSports.ph

Ariza: "Pacquiao's power unreal"

“Fighter of the Decade” and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao’s power is “unreal” according to conditioning expert Alex Ariza.

In eight rounds of sparring on Saturday at the Wild Card Gym, Pacquiao battered undefeated light welterweight Mike Dallas Jr, a 23 year old with a record of 11-0-1 with 2 knockouts and handled longtime sparring partner super lightweight Raymund Beltran comfortably because they know each others style well.

ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo who covered Pacquiao’s sparring session said “Dallas was groggy in the second round as Manny was really going after him. While he (Dallas) was a lot slower than Pacquiao he was coming forward and getting hit and nearly knocked him out..”

Dallas later told Castillejo that Pacquiao hit him with a vicious shot to the heart and it really hurt but promised to come back better the next time they spar.

Castillejo said Pacquiao was clearly happy with his performance while Ariza told us that trainer Freddie Roach had “a big smile on his face. He was happy and when he and Manny are happy, I am happy.”

Ariza said Pacquiao who didn’t jog because it was raining in Los Angeles had an excellent workout the previous day when Roach was in Florida working the corner of Guillermo Rigondeaux was not there and the gym was closed except for one or two members of the training staff.

Ariza said Pacquiao “looked phenomenal today. He looked the best that I’ve probably seen him. His footwork, speed, power was unreal.”

The conditioning guru said Pacquiao stayed in bed, slept well and did two rounds of isometric exercises “looked strong, good moves.”

At the same time he disclosed that the roster of Pacquiao’s sparring partners would be strengthened with the arrival of Abdullai Amidu, the welterweight from Ghana who is undefeated in 18 fights with 17 wins coming by way of knockouts.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | InsideSports.ph