Jeff’s brother Jay told me that he wouldn’t bother to watch the replay at all. Me too. It was not Manny’s fault. Nor the referee’s and the judges’. Numbers don’t lie. Manny threw a total of 1,231 punches and landed 246 of those. Joshua, on the other hand had a mere 399 punches thrown and made 108. So, what can you expect?

It looked like Clottey was there not to win but merely to survive 12 rounds with Pacquiao. It was definitely not exciting at all. Truly, Clottey made ‘The Event’ uneventful.

What makes sense to these words is the fact that the fight between the two boxing heroes Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey is really worth the wait. I bet that this showdown would take us to the edge of our seats. For the first time, I’ll be watching it at the Gaisano Grand Citimall (formerly JS Gaisano) in Ilustre St., Davao City. I’ll be with my buddy Jeff, his fiancée Doodles, and Jeff’s brother Jay.

Now as the clock ticks near midnight, I am about to take that ‘sleep’ away.

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Promising boxer Drian Francisco is set to face Ricardo Nuñez of Panama on March 27 either in Ynares Center in Rizal or in Batangas City Sports Complex. The fight at the 115-division will be a title eliminator for the right to face WBA super flyweight champion Nobuo Nashiro of Japan. Francisco earned his No. 3 rating in the WBA with a 10^th round TKO win over Roberto Vasquez, also of Panama last October. Nuñez meanwhile occupies the No.2 spot in the WBA rankings.

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Ginebra Gin Kings coach Jong Uichico engaged Talk N’ Text coach Chot Reyes in a word war following the controversial ‘walk out’ incident staged by the PLDT –owned team in the game 4 of their quarter final series . Ucihico gave his reactions after Reyes showed some game statistics to defend his claim that game officials had been working  for Ginebra’s favor. Uichico also cited some game statistics to refute Reyes’ allegations. Both teams are set to face in the sudden death game tonight.

Breaking down each fight, I think Manny could take Joshua’s best blows same as he did against Miguel Cotto. And Pacquiao’s speed, footwork and ring generalship will be too much for Clottey to handle. The only question that makes sense is if Pacquiao can knock Clottey out.

Meanwhile, the Mosley – Mayweather fight has long been overdue. As what I’ve mentioned in my previous post dated January 10 that this bout is a decade long in the making. At least, finally it becomes a reality.  In this fight, I pick Mosley to win over Mayweather in a Split Decision or a Majority Decision fashion. Mosley can equalize the speed of Mayweather  but Mayweather can not match Mosley’s power.

It’s still February but I bet that the best fight that we’ll most likely see is the Pacquiao vs. Mosley and not Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.  Manny – Floyd megashowdown may not happen at all

Photo Courtesy: Boxnews.com.ua

I am concerned with the mental state of Juan Manuel Marquez after reading the reports yesterday about a proposed third bout with Manny Pacquiao. As reported, Marquez would agree to take on Pacquiao on two conditions: Olympic-style drug testing and a 50-50 Purse split. Whew! What do you think?

Well, Marquez has already been into 56 fights in 16 years. Maybe, boxing has taken its toll on him especially on the mental aspect. Head trainer Nacho Beristain should take notice about the condition of his prized fighter after making unbelievable demands. Again, Marquez will take on Pacquiao if Olympic-style drug testing will  be used and a 50-50 purse split! To refresh our memory, let’s take a look at their routes after their second encounter last March 2008. Pacquiao took David Diaz to the canvass in the 9^th round in June 2008, retired the legendary Oscar dela Hoya on his stool on December of the same year. As if it was not enough, Manny sent Ricky Hatton to the dreamland in two rounds and brutally defeated Miguel Cotto in 2009. That’s four straight victories, all in convincing manners.

JMM, on the other hand, took on the old Joel Casamayor in September 2008 and the over rated Juan Diaz in February 2009. He scored KOs in those two fights. Come September 2009, he was turned upside down by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. all the way to an embarrassing defeat. In fact he never won even a single round against the loud mouth Floyd Jr. in all the Judges’ scorecards.

Ok, let’s rate it. Pacquiao went 4-0, all by way of KOs and Marquez 2-1, including his last fight which was an embarrassing loss. Now, there must be something wrong with JMM.

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Japan’s Akifumi Shimoda will face compatriot Hiromasa Ohashi on March 26 in the latter’s hometown of Nagoya. The fight will be for the OPBF Super bantam weight title currently held by Ohashi. This will be Ohashi’s second defense of the title.

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South Korean Seok Hyun-jun has signed with AFC Ajax in the Eredivisie becoming the first Asian football player to sign with the prestigious Dutch club. The 18-year old striker also became the eight footballer from South Korea to play in the Netherlands. Among those who played in the Eredivisie before Seok are Huh Jung-moo, Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo, Roh Jung-yoon, Song Chong-gug, Kim Nam-il and Lee Chun-soo.

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Midfielder Koo Ja-cheol of South Korea will undergo a trial with the Blackburn Rovers of the English Premier League. The 3^rd pick overall in the K-League 2007 draft is currently under contract Jeju United but has received green light from manager Huh Jung-moo to join the tryouts late this month.

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Ken Takahashi of Japan will rejoin his former team Hiroshima Carp in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) after a brief stint with the New York Mets in the Major league Baseball (MLB). The 40-year old native of Yokohama hopes to end his career with the Carp where he started his professional career in 1995.

1. Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III

Manny Pacquiao has been on a roll since escaping a narrow split decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2008. Both have given boxing fans their money’s worth in two exciting bouts in 2004 and 2008. And there’s only one reason why I’d like to see this fight happening. I want to see Marquez brutally KOed by Pacquiao to stop his loud mouth from talking.

2. Paul Williams and Kelly Pavlik

In 2009, the proposed fight for these two was nearly sealed. In 2010, I hope to see them face to face to determine who’s the real king in the 154-160 weight categories.

3. Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Angel Cotto II

Antonio Margarito hopes to have his license back this year after he was suspended for the ‘loaded gloves’ he had for the Mosley fight last year. Miguel Cotto, on the other hand hopes for redemption after a devastating defeat to Manny Pacquiao last November. The two have a ‘not so good past’ as Margarito pounded Miguel Cotto en route to a 11^th round TKO victory in July 2008. But Margarito’s win has become questionable because of the ‘loaded gloves’ incident. Now, I’d like to see if Margarito can do the same thing in a level playing field.

4. Shane Mosley vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Shane Mosley vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight talks has been around for almost a decade. I think it’s time to make it a reality. Mosley says that it’s Mayweather who doesn’t want to fight him. Mayweather says otherwise. Now, I want to see their fists do the talking in the ring. I would rather see a Mosley-Mayweather clash than Pacquiao taking on Mayweather. It’s because a Mayweather fight for Pacquiao might be too risky for the phenomenal Filipino.

5. Carl Froch vs. Bernard Hopkins

The first time I saw Bernard Hopkins in the ring was when he fought Felix Trinidad of Puerto Rico. At that time, I was a die hard Trinidad fan because of his boxing skills and ring generalship. To my dismay, Hopkins gave Trinidad a brutal beating. Since then, I have been rooting for every opponent Hopkins is facing. I think Carl Froch has more than enough to knock Hopkins out.

Photo Courtesy: Boxnews.com.ua

As what I’ve promised last July, I am going to share my own picks for the best fights for the second half of the year. Unfortunately however, second half of 2009 did not have much exciting bouts like the first six months. I could only cite three electrifying battles that I could retain in my memory lane. Like my previous post, I’ll do it chronologically.

1. Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez (September 19)

This was supposed to be a supporting bout to the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Floyd Mayweather main event but it turned out to be the most exciting fight of the night. In the fight, Chris John of Indonesia was clearly ahead on the early rounds until he appeared to be fading in the later rounds. In fact, he was nearly knocked down in the last round.  John escaped with a Unanimous Decision though.

2. David Haye vs. Nikolay Valuev (November 7)

Briton David Haye is 6-foot-3 while the Russian Nikolay Valuev is a 7-footer. With that, this fight really made sense. Seldom you see in boxing two gigantic figures square off the ring. Nikolay Valuev is one among the most feared boxers because of his size. David Haye, however, displayed not just his heart but also skills and ring generalship to outpoint via Majority Decision Nikolay Valuev. Haye, in turn, became just the second boxer after Ruslan Chagaev to defeat Valuev in 52 fights.

3. Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Angel Cotto (November 14)

I witnessed how history unfolded. This was Pacquiao’s 55^th career fight as he ascended to the 147 division throne – the seventh division he conquered. As expected, Pacquiao and Cotto went toe-to-toe in the early going but Cotto could not bear the punishment Pacquiao inflicted. Cotto was knocked down in round 3 and in round 4. The fight was practically over halfway but Cotto’s big heart pushed him until the 12^th round when Referee Kenny Bayless finally put an end to Cotto’s agony. Manny Pacquiao is simply the best in this era.

So, this is it! 2009 has become a year that was. Most likely, I share the same thoughts as you when it comes to fights we want to see in 2010. Happy new year everyone!

Photo Courtesy: Allan Miel and Examiner.com

As of the moment, the much awaited fight between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and American Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is in the works.  In principle, both have agreed to a mega showdown on March 13, 2010. But there is still a fundamental issue to be settled, that is the venue of the fight. I think it boils down to economics in choosing the host of the event.

Besides, there are specific concerns that need to be ironed out before this fight happens. Firstly, the money matters. At first, the Mayweather camp demanded a 65-35 split in their favor. I think they are more than stupid if they insist on that. But eventually, it was reported that Floyd’s camp has begun to realize their fantasy and accept closer to a 50-50 sharing. For the record, Mayweather’s last PPV fight with Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico generated about a million buys. In contrast, Pacquiao’s recent outing with Cotto reached at least 1.2 million PPV buys. With it, Floyd’s camp should stop dreaming.

Secondly, the weight issue. Pacquiao has fought above 140 pounds just twice – against Dela Hoya and recently against Cotto. Mayweather, on the other hand, has fought five times at 147 and once at 154. This simply suggests that by nature, Floyd is a larger specie compared to Manny. For sure Manny should insist to make the fight closer to 140 while Floyd is expected to make it closer to 147.

With the year about to end, people from all walks of life and races are more than excited to find out whether this ‘fight of the decade’ will become a reality in 2010.

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The ‘Filipino Flash’ Nonito Donaire, Jr. may have another shot to knock Vic Darchinyan out after the latter defeated Mexican Tomas Rojas. Darchinyan’s victory over Rojas may prove to be the last stumbling block in their much anticipated rematch. Donaire knocked Darchinyan out in the 5^th round in their first encounter in July 2007.

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Chinese Taipei’s Chien-Ming Wang has officially become a free agent in the Major League Baseball (MLB) after the New York Yankees decided not offer him a new contract before the December 12 deadline. The 29-year old native of Tainan City however is hopeful that he could clinch a deal with the LA Dodgers now managed by Joe Torre who used to be with the Yankees. Torre was the Yankees manager when Wang had his best years in the MLB.

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Right-handed pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma of Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles has decided to stay with the team and signed a new contract including Y300 million in incentives in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Iwakuma played a key role last season as the team advanced for the post season for the first time. He also helped Japan win its second consecutive title in the World Baseball Classic.

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South Korean pitcher Park Chan-ho is reportedly unable to reach an agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies. Among the demands of Park are, being a starter for the team and a longer contract. But the Phillies could not give in to his demands saying they would have Park Chan-ho as reliever and has a one-year contract to offer.