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Star Snippets: Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire, Jr., Chien-Ming Wang …..

Benjie — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:25:25 +0000

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines confirmed to local scribes that his much anticipated bout with Floyd Mayeweather may be the last of his illustrious boxing career. Pacquiao, who debuted in 1995 has already been in 55 bouts and has compiled a record of 50-3-2 with 38 KOs. Pacquiao is also eyeing a congressional seat in Saranggani Province this coming May, his second attempt as a lawmaker after he was defeated by Darlene Antonino Custodio in South Cotabato Province in 2007.

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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.

Sports Calendar – August 2009

Benjie — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:05:29 +0000

Here are some interesting events in the world of sports for this month:

I. Boxing

1. August 1, Timothy Bradley vs. Nate Campbell, Rancho Mirage, CA., USA

2. August 15, Roy Jones Jr. vs. Jeff Lacy, Biloxi, Miss., USA

3. August 15, Nonito Donaire Jr. (PHL) vs. Rafael Concepcion, Las Vegas, NV, USA

4. August 15, Bernabe Concepcion (PHL) vs. Steven Luevano, Las Vegas, NV, USA

5. August 22, Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi, Houston, TX, USA

6. August 29, Brian Viloria (PHL) vs. Jesus Iribe, Honolulu, HI, USA

7. August 29, AJ Banal (PHL) vs. Jose Angel Beranza, Honolulu, HI, USA

II. Basketball

1. August 2, PBA Rookie Draft, Metro Manila, Philippines

2. August 6-16, FIBA-Asia Championships, Tianjin, China

3. Phil. NCAA Season 85 (Ongoing), Metro Manila, Philippines

4. UAAP Season 72 (Ongoing), Metro Manila, Philippines

III. Tennis

1. Jul 27 – Aug 2 Allianz Suisse Open, Gstaad, Switzerland

2. Jul 27 – Aug 2 Los Angeles Open, Los Angeles, California, USA

3. Aug 3 – Aug 9 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington, D.C., USA

4. Aug 10 – Aug 16 Rogers Cup, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

5. Aug 17 – Aug 23 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

6. Aug 31 – Sep 13 US Open, Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

IV. Mixed Martial Arts

1. August 8, UFC 101: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin, Wachovia Center, Philadelphia

2. August 8, UFC 101: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida, Wachovia Center, Philadelphia

3. August 29, UFC 102: Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva, Rose Garden, Portland, Ore., USA

4. August 29, UFC 102: Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski, Rose Garden, Portland, Ore., USA

V. Motorsports

1. F1 European Grand Prix – August 21-23, Valencia, Spain

2. F1 Belgian Grand Prix – August 26-28, Francorchamps, Belgium

Boxing’s 1st Half Highlights – Part I

Benjie — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:16:30 +0000

Photo Courtesy: Ringtv.com

So far, so good. We are now in the second half of the year. There are big fights coming up and deals that are about to be sealed. But let’s take a look of what went through with boxing in the 1st half of the year. I’ve found out however, that this would be quite long. So, I have decided to have two parts. My list is not in accordance with excitement, or PPV buys or whatsoever. I have arranged this based on chronological order.

1. Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito (January 24)

After an impressive KO victory over Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito was beaten black and blue. Thanks to an even more impressive performance by Shane Mosley. Margarito was brutally TKOed in the 9^th. Another highlight in this fight was, actually prior to the fight, Margarito was caught having a plaster of paris substance-like in his handwraps that led to his suspension.

2. Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (February 28)

I was quite disappointed to find out that this fight was not shown on Solar Sports or ABS-CBN Sports. Nonetheless, I watched this in YouTube. It was one of the greatest comebacks in recent history of boxing. Juan Diaz was landing crisp and powerful shots on Marquez in the earlier rounds. As the fight progressed, Marquez was able to adjust to Diaz style and eventually caught him in the 9^th round en route to a TKO victory.

3. Nonito Donaire vs. Raul Martinez (April 18)

Fighting on the same card with Viloria, it was like hitting two birds with one stone. Time and again, Nonito has proven that his KO victory over Vic Darchinyan in 2007 was no fluke. He did enough damage to Martinez that led to the stoppage in the fourth round.

To be continued……