source: Steve Kim | maxboxing.com

Back in April, Gerry Penalosa was conclusively defeated by Juan Manuel Lopez in an attempt to win the Puerto Rican’s WBO super bantamweight title. After nine, mostly one-sided rounds, his trainer, Freddie Roach had seen enough.

And if it were up to Roach, it would have been the last time Penalosa would have ever fought professionally, in a career that spans 63 fights and began in 1989.

But alas, Penalosa faces Eric Morel this Saturday night at the Las Vegas Hilton for the interim WBO bantamweight title as part of Top Rank’s “Latin Fury/Pinoy Power” pay-per-view card.

"I felt it was the right time for him [to retire]," Roach said this past Saturday afternoon from his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. "Gerry pleaded with me. I gave him one more chance. He said he was going back down to his weight class where he belongs. The Morel fight was put together, I said, ’OK, Gerry, you fight Morel, he’s not a big puncher. If you can beat him, get you a title fight, then that’s it. Win, lose or draw, we’re going to call it a day.’ He said OK."

But Penalosa, 54-7-2 (36), says that retiring after the loss to “JuanMa” never entered his mind. "No, no, no. I love this sport so much," he said after his workout at the Wild Card on Saturday. "I know I’m the king of 118, at bantamweight, so I had to go back. Nobody can beat me at this weight."

What was clearly evident was that he certainly wasn’t going to beat Lopez, who was simply too young, fresh, talented, and ultimately, too big and strong for the Filipino.

"Yeah, he was just too big. The thing is, he was too big for me. 122 is not my weight," he agreed. Penalosa landed some clean counter right hooks, but he simply couldn’t shake the gifted Lopez. "I hit him hard but I don’t think he felt it. So I told myself, ’Oh, he’s too big for me. 122 is not my weight.’"

Roach says, "Gerry’s really not a ’22-pounder and never was.. Size really was the difference in that fight. He just couldn’t hurt that guy and he did hit him some good shots and Gerry’s a pretty good puncher. He was just way too big for him by fight time." After the ninth frame, Roach threw in the towel. He was hopelessly behind on all three scorecards and he didn’t possess the pop to turn the tide, there really was no good reason to continue.

"Personally, I wanted to fight," said Penalosa. "I was waiting for the exact time but I trust Freddie so much. When Freddie said no in the seventh round, I said, ’Gimme one more round, coach.’ In the ninth round, he said, ’Gerry, I’m stopping the fight.’ I told him I respect whatever decision you make.’"

As you see Penalosa work mitts with Roach and hit the heavy bag, you see the consummate, skilled professional he is. Before there was a Manny Pacquiao, there was Penalosa.

"He’s very smart, very clever," Roach says of his old pro. "I asked Manny the other day, ’Who’s a better boxer, you or Gerry?’ He said Gerry is. Gerry is the best boxer from the Philippines, technique-wise. But he’s getting up there in age."

He still looks very good as he does his floor work, but then, everyone looks pretty good when facing air. "I saw him get shook in sparring, one day," said Roach, of a recent session with the Cuban phenom, Guillermo Rigondeaux. "I was a little concerned because I don’t think he’s quite taking the shots he used to. But Rigondeaux can punch, though."

The 37-year old southpaw stylist says he still has the same zeal for the sport he did as a younger practitioner of the sport.

"Yeah, I really love this sport. I love it. Being in the gym, I love it. This is my passion," said Penalosa, who unlike his older brother, will not get into the business of training fighters. "No, I don’t think I have the patience," he says, laughing.

Helping matters in this upcoming fight is that Morel, himself, is 34 years old and not exactly the most aggressive fighter you’ll ever see.

"I don’t think he comes forward. I think he just runs, he’s not that good, compared to Lopez or the one that I fought before [German Meraz]. No way, no way," is Penalosa’s assessment of Morel, 41-2 (21). Old legs are much more effective coming forward than backing up, which may occur against Morel. "I think so, I think that’s what Freddie wants me to do.. That’s what I want to do," he says of being aggressive. "I don’t know if he will run that much. I don’t think people want to see a boring fight. So I expect him to come forward so it’s a good fight."

But regardless, if the man in his corner does not like what he sees on Saturday, he will not hesitate to have a quick hook.

"100-percent," said Roach, "because I won’t let him get hurt and if I don’t see what I want to see out there happening, I will pull him out. Gerry respects me enough that he won’t go somewhere else, he will retire."

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source: Nick Giongco | mb.com.ph

There was a time when Manny Pacquiao was happy to be on board a commercial flight. But times have changed. He is famous, rich and is the apple of Bob Arum’s eye, his energetic promoter.

The best luxury hotels, 24-hour security, any food and practically anything are at Pacquiao’s beck and call.

But the one thing that truly indicates that Pacquiao has arrived is the private plane that Arum has put at the Filipino boxer’s disposal.

Like a rock star and sports megastars in the category of Tiger Woods, a private plane is the transport of choice for the once poor boy from General Santos City.

So when Pacquiao and his entourage travel the three-hour flight to Dallas, Texas, on Monday, a plane will be waiting for him.

“Manny’s going to Dallas first thing in the morning of Monday, March 8th,” Arum said yesterday from Las Vegas.

Except for flights arriving in the US from the Philippines, Pacquiao has been riding private planes to fulfill countless appointments as though he owns one.

Not only that, Arum has also asked the management of Gaylord Texan Resort and Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, to build a makeshift gym at the basement so Pacquiao could train there in the final days leading to the fight.

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Barangay Ginebra dethroned Talk 'N Text fair and square Sunday night, 113-100, to advance into the semifinals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.


Ginebra vs. TnT Video (Game 5 - February 7, 2010)

[click here to watch Game 4]



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source: Tito S. Talao | mb.com.ph

Robert Non, Barangay Ginebra’s alternate governor to the PBA board, wants future walkouts to be treated more severely by the Commissioner’s Office, recommending no less than a whopping P10 million fine to start the ball-and-chain rolling.

“Half a million pesos is too small at today’s rates. Iba ang scenario noon,” said Non by phone from his office Tuesday afternoon.

“Kung 20 years ago e kaya nang bayaran ng isang team yung five hundred thousand, ngayon pa kaya? Ilang inflation na ba ang nangyari?”

Non was referring to Anejo Rum under playing-coach Robert Jaworski back in 1990.

The 65ers were fined P500,000 – an astronomical amount then – after walking out in the second quarter of Game 6 of the First Conference Finals and forfeiting the championship in favor of Shell Rimula-X, 4-2.

Asked to react to reports that Anejo Rum was already a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation in 1990, Non said: “E hindi pa naman San Miguel ang nasusunod noong mga panahon na ‘yon. Di dapat sana walang walkout.”

Non said the league governors have requested copies of the PBA rules for immediate review.

“We have to revisit and strengthen the rules, especially on walkouts. Kailangan
maging deterrent talaga yung sanctions dahil you’re depriving fans who had paid hard-earned money to watch the game,” he said.

Non stressed he isn’t putting any kind of pressure on PBA Commissioner
Sonny Barrios.

“Suggestion lang naman ‘yon. Di naman cast in stone,” he said. “It’s up to the commissioner naman whatever revisions he thinks are appropriate for these times. Baka lang kasi obsolete na yung ibang rules.”

Non also made it clear he “isn’t zeroing in” on Talk ‘N Text, which walked out of Game 4 of its KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series with Barangay Ginebra last Friday and was fined more than P1 million.

“This isn’t about what happened. I’m just looking ahead, kung baga,” he said. “This isn’t about them.”

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source: gmanews.tv

The Philippine Patriots have no doubt in their minds that they will romp off with the 1st ASEAN Basketball League title.

Imports Jason Dixon and Gabe Freeman and local player Jerwin Gaco on Tuesday expressed confidence the team will be able to handle the challenge of Satria Muda BritAma of Indonesia in their best-of-five title series beginning Friday.

“I don’t want to disrespect the Indonesian team but personally, I believe it will be three to one in our favor," said Dixon during the PSA Forum in Manila. “We can score a win in their own court."

Under the ABL’s format, the Patriots will host the first two games while Satria Muda BritAma will host Game 3 and if necessary, Game 4. The deciding Game 5, if necessary, will get back to the Patriots’ turf.

“We have the home court advantage and if we win our first two games, ninety percent the title is ours," said the veteran Gaco.

Coach Louie Alas shared his players’ confidence although he stressed the importance of being in their best shape against the tough BritAma quintet.

The Patriots swept the Indonesian team in three elimination meetings but Alas said the championship series is a different ball game.

“The Indonesian team is a disciplined team and boasts of two imports in Alexander Hartman and Nakiea Miller who can explode at any point in the game. Winning the series is easier said than done. But I’m confident we will win this series and be the champion. Nobody remembers the runners-up and that is our motivation," said Alas.

Defense, according to the veteran mentor, will be the key as he eyes to stop the Indonesian imports aside from pressuring their ballhandlers.

“One thing that I have noticed with the BritAma team is that they have no legitimate point-guard, So our plan is to really pressure their guards and let other players bring the ball down," Alas said.

Dixon will be taking care of Miller whom he describes as a player with speed and a good outside shooting.

“I don’t expect him to play physical with me but he has good speed and can hit his outside shot. But we have laid down plans on how to stop him," said Dixon.

Freeman will be matching up with Hartman who exploded with 30 points in their deciding Game 3 against the favored Singapore Slingers.

“He’s good but I’m not worried about him. I will just go out there and do what I have to do to help this team win," said Freeman, a former PBA Best Import Awardee who steered San Miguel Beer to the title in the last conference. - GMANews.TV

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source: Ronnie Nathanielsz | philboxing.com

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.

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source: Chris Williams | boxingnews24.com

With little more than a month to go for the March 13th clash between World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and challenger Joshua Clottey, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is saying “we’ve sold well over 30,000” tickets to the fight, according to Boxing Talk.

That’s a phenomenal number for a bout that figures to be mismatch. Clottey, 32, isn’t well known by casual boxing fans, and he’s not exactly been a world beater during his career, losing to Antonio Margarito, Carlos Baldomir and recently to Miguel Cotto.

The tickets appear to be getting purchased on droves by boxing fans who want to see Pacquiao only, even if he’s not fighting an interesting opponent like Floyd Mayweather or Shane Mosley. There are some estimates that the Pacquiao-Clottey fight could end up selling as many as 65,000 tickets by the time the fight takes place. That would be an incredible number for the fight, which will be taking place at the Dallas Cowboy stadium, in Arlington, Texas.

Historically, fights that have taken place in stadiums and sold in big numbers of have been competitive ones with two famous fighters going at it. In this case, Pacquiao pretty much is taking part in a stay busy fight against a good but far from great fighter in Clottey. While Clottey is ranked number #1 by the WBO, he might be perhaps the 10th or 11th best fighter in the division, if that.

However, if boxing fans are willing to purchase tickets just to see Pacquiao fight, there’s no point in him having to take risks by facing dangerous fighters like Mayweather and Mosley, both of whom would have a good chance of beating him.

Arum promotes Pacquiao and stands behind his fighter in regards to the random blood tests that sunk Manny’s fights against Mayweather. Arum says “We [Pacquiao] have no absolute problem with random testing, as long as it’s urinalysis, and as long as it’s done by a legitimate boxing commission.”

The problem here is that Mayweather wants random blood tests for a fight between him and Pacquiao to take place, not just urine tests. Mayweather feels that the blood tests are the best method for checking for performance enhancing drugs. However, Mayweather needs help with the Nevada Athletic Commission, who only mandates that urine be checked for drugs, if he wants to try and push for random blood testing to be taken before a fight against Pacquiao in the future.

Although Pacquiao and Arum are agreeable to a certain amount of blood testing to be taken before a fight against Mayweather, both want a cutoff point well before the fight. In the case of his failed fight with Mayweather, Pacquiao wanted the blood tests to stop 24 days before the fight. Mayweather didn’t agree with this number, and countered with 14 days before the fight.

As for the blood testing, Arum says “Blood testing is very dangerous.” He fears that a nurse could “miss the veins” when drawing blood,” causing the fighter’s arm to be sore for several days after the blood draw. Arum also thinks that the urine testing is “even more effective than blood testing.”

Unfortunately, Mayweather doesn’t agree with Arum on this point. It comes down to whether Arum and Pacquiao will give in on these issues. If not, then Arum is going to have to look for someone else other than Mayweather after Pacquiao finishes up with the Clottey fight.

Mayweather is fighting Shane Mosley on May 1st, and if Mayweather wins that fight, Mosley won’t be a good option for Pacquiao for obvious reasons. But then again, Pacquiao is fighting Clottey, who was just beaten in his last fight, so you can’t really rule out Pacquiao fighting Mosley even if Shane loses to Mayweather.

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source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph

After surviving their respective quarterfinal series, the going gets tougher for both Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra.

The Gin Kings and the Giants start their Final Four showdowns this Wednesday against the top two seeds at the end of classification phase, the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen as the playoff continues in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.

Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra will enter the semifinals carrying the momentum of their 3-2 victories in the best-of-five quarterfinals series against wildcard survivor Rain or Shine and erstwhile champion Talk ’N Text.

The Jong Uichico-mentored Ginebra came back from a 0-2 in the series with three straight wins including Game 4, which TNT forfeited with a walkout in the first period last Friday, and a convincing 113-100 triumph in the sudden-death Game 5 last Sunday.

The Kings will face the Aces and Uichico knows it’s going to be another tough series considering they are up against the No. 1 team.

“They have the offensive system, they can defend. As always, it’s going to be hard beating Alaska,” Uichico said.

Another thing that concerns Uichico is his roster, with Mark Caguioa and reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jayjay Helterbrand, as well as Eric Menk “not a hundred percent” after sustaining injuries early in the conference.

That’s the reason why he had to rely most of the time on second stringers like JC Intal, who proved to be a revelation in the quarterfinals as he averaged almost 25 points per game, Ronald Tubid, Cyrus Baguio, Celino Cruz, Willie Wilson, and Rico Villanueva.

Alaska will come into the series well rested and coach Tim Cone’s Aces led by former two-time MVP Willie Miller are eager to end a 10-year title drought in an all-Filipino conference.

As for Purefoods TJ, Ryan Gregorio’s team blew a 2-0 lead when Rain or Shine leveled the series with back-to-back wins, but the Giants, led by James Yap’s 28 points, scored a 95-85 win in the no-tomorrow Game 5.

Waiting for Purefoods though is San Miguel, which won twice its head-to-head in the classification phase and has the manpower to match the Giants’ firepower.

“They beat us in the elims, so we have to find ways to beat them,” Gregorio said.

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source: Ronnie Nathanielsz | insidesports.ph

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.
.
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.

Valero stops DeMarco (Video)

DeMarco sat in his corner and declined to come out for the 10th round

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source: The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Pau Gasol had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead five players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-89 Monday night without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Bryant missed his second consecutive game with a sore left ankle, while Bynum sat out with a bruised right hip.

In their absences, the Lakers used a collective effort to win in their final home game before this weekend's All-Star break. Ron Artest added 18 points, Lamar Odom 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher had 13 each.

Manu Ginobili scored 21 points, Tony Parker 20, Tim Duncan had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Antonio McDyess 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who have lost four in a row to the Lakers at Staples Center.

Los Angeles again showed it could win without Bryant. The Lakers snapped a five-year losing streak at Portland with a victory Saturday, when Bryant ended his streak of 235 consecutive games played and Bynum missed the second half.

Lakers vs. Spurs Highlights Video


The Lakers extended their lead to 81-70 early in the fourth, equaling their largest lead to that point, capped by Shannon Brown's 3-pointer.

Mostly though, the final period was a messy affair, with the Spurs throwing the ball away on three occasions and the Lakers stumbling through a cold stretch after their strong start.

But they regrouped and ended the game on a 17-11 run after going 4½ minutes without a field goal.

Los Angeles led 68-57 on a 14-4 run in the third. Gasol scored seven in a row and Odom had three. But the Spurs closed the quarter with an 11-5 spurt, capped by Ginobili's 3-pointer, to trail 73-68 going into the fourth.

Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Farmar and Josh Powell started the second quarter for the Lakers along with Gasol. The youngsters' energy paid off as the Lakers scored the first seven points to take their first lead since early in the game.

The Lakers made 5 of 6 free throws to end the half ahead 50-47.

The Spurs raced to a 9-0 lead to open the game before Artest sparked the Lakers' offense with consecutive 3-pointers. Parker scored 12 of his 15 first-half points in the opening quarter when he wasn't dishing off in traffic. - AP

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source: gmanews.tv

Still reeling from their failure to retain their PBA Philippine Cup title, the Talk `N Text Tropang Texters just became the recipient of the highest-ever penalty in the league’s 35-year history.

For walking out of the playing court and eventually forfeiting Game 4 of their quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra Kings last Friday, the Tropang Texters were fined for over P1 million by the PBA commissioner’s office Tuesday.

Commissioner Sonny Barrios penalized the telecommunication franchise P500,000 for the forfeiture, the said amount going to Barangay Ginebra as underlined in section 32 of the PBA Constitution and By-Laws.

Barrios also imposed an additional P500,000 fine, which, he said, will go directly to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund that will benefit the league players and their dependents.

Likewise, the Tropang Texters’ share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that particular game has also been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA teams. The amount ranges anywhere between P200,000 to P250,000.

The total fine was the highest ever levied against a team that walked out of a PBA game. Ironically, Ginebra itself got slapped with a P500,000 penalty back in 1990 after the Robert Jaworski-led Añejo Rum left the court due to what the team felt was spotty officiating and never returned in Game 6 of its First Conference Finals with Shell. The Turbo Chargers were awarded the victory and the title.

Red Bull, now Barako Bull, also shelled out P507,000 in 2006 for walking out of its Philippine Cup semifinal series with San Miguel. Unlike the Texters and the Añejo cagers, though, the Red Bull players returned to the court to resume action upon orders from their team manager, the late Tony Chua.

Barrios stressed that the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which are the paying fans, who happen to be “the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial."

“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls," said the commissioner.

A flagrant foul penalty 2 called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked Talk N’ Text walkout with still 60 seconds left in the opening period and Ginebra ahead, 27-20.



The forfeiture allowed the Kings to level the series at 2-2.

Barangay Ginebra eventually eliminated TNT by beating the Tropang Texters, 113-100, in the deciding Game 5 last Sunday to advance into the semifinals of the All-Filipino conference opposite top seed Alaska.

The Kings became only the third team to rally back from a 0-2 hole to win a best-of-five series. - GMANews.TV

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Broadcast before the kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV, NBA stars Dwight Howard and LeBron James star in a remake of iconic 1993 Super Bowl commercial Watch the video below...


McDonald's Commercial with LeBron James and Dwight Howard


"The Showdown" - Bird vs. Jordan McDonald's ad - 1993


MORE TOP 10 VIDEOS OF JANUARY:
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source: abs-cbnnews.com

Nonito “the Filipino Flash” Donaire is raring to put on his best performance when he enters the ring on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) for the Pinoy Power 3 main event against Gerson “El Nene” Guerrero of Mexico.

“"I trained really hard for this fight. I’m going to give it all I got. All my fights in Vegas, haven’t been 100-percent because maybe the pressure, maybe perhaps it’s Vegas,” Donaire told Steve Kim of MaxBoxing.com.

“Maybe it’s all of the above; everything else and I haven’t performed the way Nonito Donaire, ‘The Filipino Flash,’ has performed in different places,” added the World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super flyweight champion.

He will defend his title against Guerrero at the Hilton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I haven’t felt like I performed my best in Vegas. That’s what I want to bring out. To perform 100-percent going into the fight and I think that’s what they’re going to see.”

His trainer, Robert Garcia, told Ronnie Nathanielsz of PhilBoxing.com that his ward’s movement, footwork, speed and power are impressive.

Donaire, for his part, told Kim that he will keep his focus on the Guerrero bout. “I’m really committed in just going for it and not thinking about all the other stuff.”

“The Filipino Flash” headlined Pinoy Power 2 last August at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He defeated Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion of Panama by unanimous decision.

'Latin Fury'

Pinoy Power 3, which features 4 Filipino boxers going against 4 Latino fighters, is also called “Latin Fury 13.”

Bantamweight Gerry “Fearless” Peñalosa will face Eric “Little Hands Of Stone” Morel of Puerto Rico.

Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales will challenge World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel while Bernabe Concepcion and Puerto Rican Mario Santiago will figure in a 10-round featherweight clash.

Pinoy Power 3 will be telecast on ABS-CBN Channel 2 on Sunday, February 14 at 10:30 a.m. Replays will be shown on the same day on Studio 23 at 8 p.m. and ABS-CBN’s “Sunday’s Best” at 10:30 p.m.

Viewers can also watch the Pinoy Power 3 replays on SkyCable TV’s Balls Channel on February 16 at 4 p.m. and February 18 at 9 p.m.

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source: gmanews.tv

Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao is not too far off his top fighting shape that trainer Freddie Roach will cut down on his sparring sessions in his preparations for his March 13 duel with Joshua Clottey in Texas.

In an interview with GMA News’ Chino Trinidad, Roach said 100 to 110 rounds - instead of the usual 150 rounds - will be enough to make the 31-year-old Pacquiao ready for Clottey.

“We don’t need that many rounds. We’re sharp from the last fight (against Miguel Cotto last November). We don’t need 150 rounds for this fight – maybe about a hundred, maybe 110, somewhere in that neighborhood," Roach said.

Pacquiao has so far logged 32 rounds of sparring with younger and bigger guys like Jose Buenavidez, Ray Beltran and Mike Dallas entering the last five weeks of training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

Last Saturday, the Pacman got accidentally hit below the belt by Dallas (11-0-1) but instead of sulking, Trinidad reported that Pacquiao was fired up to unleash clean right hooks and left upper combos that nearly knocked out his 5-foot-9 sparmate down.



Roach said Pacquiao, the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s “Fighter of the Decade" and three-time “Fighter of the Year" Awardee, is fast getting there in so far as reaching 100% is concerned.

“He is already in good shape. The first day he came in the gym, he weighed around 147 pounds already. We have to keep the weight up and feed him five meals a day just to keep it up," the four-time Trainer of the Year winner said in an earlier interview with Fight News.

“He is doing great in sparring and we are studying his game plan as we watch Clottey tapes. He’s not ready to fight yet but we have about four and a half weeks till fight night and he will be ready then," he added.

Roach reiterated his confidence that Clottey, who has never been knocked out before, will suffer the same fate as previous Pacquiao foes like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto.

“I have been studying him (Clottey) quite a bit now. He is very strong and has a good chin but he makes too many fundamental mistakes and I think Manny will be the first person to knock him out," he said.

Pacquiao will be defending his WBO welterweight title against Clottey, who has previously vied for the same belt in June 2009 but yielded a close split decision to then champion Cotto. - GMANews.TV

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by Joey Villar | philstar.com

Smart Gilas Pilipinas is looking at two NBA veterans and a former PBA import as candidates for naturalization and replacement for Jamal Sampson, who failed to meet the team officials’ expectations.

Earl Barron, a member of the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat who suited up for Red Bull years ago, has been considered for inclusion to beef up the Filipinos’ ambitious Olympic bid.

The seven-foot Barron has averaged an impressive 13.6 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Iowa Energy in the NBA’s developmental league, the NBDL and should be the best bet since he’s only 28 years old.

Smart Gilas’ Serbian coach Rajko Toroman is also considering the 6-11 Courtney Sims, a 26-year-old forward who normed 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds for the University of Michigan Wolverines. He also played for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA two years ago.

Jameel Watkins, who suited up for Shell, has also been included in the short list of candidates.

Watkins churned out norms of 15.9 points, 10.1 caroms and 2.7 blocks in the current Chinese Basketball League season with the Jiangsu Dragons. But at 32, he could be too old for Smart Gilas, which is composed of the country’s top collegiate players.

Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim is currently in the US trying to arrange workout sessions with these three players with Toroman, who is expected to join Lim anytime this week.

The team has also tried out 6-10 Darian Townes.

Toroman, who steered Smart Gilas to a third place finish in the import-laden 21st Dubai Invitational despite playing practically all Filipino, said he is still weighing his options with regard to the selection of a naturalized import.

“I will look at all these players and see some more before we make a decision,” said Toroman.

*******
Courtney Sims' Professional career highlights: (via wikipedia)

Sims played briefly for the NBA's Indiana Pacers in 2007–08. Signed to a non-guaranteed contract after going undrafted, he appeared in only two games for the Pacers before being waived on December 4, 2007.

He was signed again on December 12, and waived again on December 19. Going scoreless in three total games, he had one rebound, one assist and committed two personal fouls in eleven minutes of action.

On February 25, 2008, Sims was acquired by the NBA Development League's Iowa Energy.

He played for the New Orleans Hornets during the 2008–09 NBA pre-season.

With the Energy, he registered a rare triple-double on November 28, 2008, in a 113–101 win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots.

On December 28, he scored a season-high 36 points, including 13 in the last quarter, to go along with 16 rebounds in a 107–101 victory over the Utah Flash.

On January 20, 2009, the Phoenix Suns officially announced they signed Sims to a 10-day contract.

He was signed to a second ten-day contract on February 14, but was released by the Arizona club upon the expiration of this contract, as the third would immediately mean his signing until the end of the season. Sims signed another ten-day contract on March 23, 2009, this time with the New York Knicks, and signed a second on April 2. On December 27 he was signed by CSKA Moscow until the end of season with a club option to terminate the contract after one-month trial period.

On January 12, 2010, Sims was replaced in CSKA's lineup by Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Earl Barron's Professional career highlights: (via wikipedia)

A 7'0" center from the University of Memphis, he was never drafted by an NBA team, and instead began his professional career with the Turkish team Tuborg Pilsener in 2003.

He spent the 2004 pre-season with the Orlando Magic, but was waived before the regular season began.

In 2005, he played with the Red Bull Thunder team in the Philippine Basketball Association. He also had several stints in the NBA Development League, and from 2005 to 2008, he played for the Miami Heat, with whom he earned an NBA Championship ring.

He then signed a one-year $2 million deal with the Italian team Fortitudo Bologna. On September 29, 2009, Barron was signed by New Orleans Hornets to their training camp. He was waived on October 21, 2009.

After signing with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the D-League, he was traded to the Iowa Energy in November 2009.

Jameel Watkins: (via wikipedia)

Watkins made his Philippine Basketball Association debut for the Formula Shell. He is slated to play for the Magnolia Beverage Masters in the PBA 2007-2008 season.

Watkins then made his way to China. He now plays for the Jiangsu Dragons of CBA. He average 16 points, 10.2 rebounds an 2.8 blocks in 2008-09 season, and 15.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in the recent 09-10 season.

*******

UPDATE (related news):
Reinforcement for Smart Gilas (click here)
3rd import for Smart Gilas in town (click here)
SBP wants Asian test for Smart Gilas five (click here)
SBP needs to touch base with PBA (click here)
Pro league execs: Smart Gilas doesn’t need PBA reinforcement (click here)
Sta. Lucia protests pressure from SBP (click here)
Toroman wants Williams to beef up Smart Gilas (click here)
Lim to US to find big man for Smart Gilas (click here)
Signing pros could be the solution (click here)
PBA teams still mum on lending players to Gilas (click here)
Gilas part ways with naturalized prospect Samspon (click here)
Smart Gilas 5 to go all-Filipino in Asiad? (click here)
Smart Gilas-RP five ready for Asiad, says Toroman (click here)
Smart Gilas has 80-game sked for Asian Games (click here)
Smart Gilas to play all-Filipino in Asiad (click here)


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source: The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Vince Carter had a season-high 48 points, leading the Orlando Magic back from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets 123-117 on Monday night.

Carter was 19 for 27 shooting and had 34 points in the second half with some of the most sizzling moves since he joined the Magic, who have won nine of their last 11 games.

Dwight Howard added 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis finished with 18 points for Orlando.

Peja Stojakovic had 29 points, and Darren Collison and David West added 27 points apiece for the Hornets, who have lost four of five since Chris Paul went down with an injured left knee.

For at least one night, Vinsanity was back. With plenty of other fireworks.

Darius Songaila was called for a flagrant-one foul with 6:21 left in the fourth after he wrapped up Howard and tossed him to the ground. Howard made the free throws, then Carter had a jumper and a step-back 3-pointer at the top of the key to tie the game at 106.

Carter followed that by slicing into the lane and finishing strong with his right hand for a layup, drawing a foul on James Posey for a three-point play. He would later hit another 3-pointer — his sixth of the game — and stand near midcourt, soaking in the celebration, pumping his chest and popping his jersey.

He wasn't done.

Carter would add a fall-away floater over Posey from the baseline to extend Orlando's lead to 116-110, and he would later make a pair of free throws to seal the win.

It was by far Carter's best performance since he was traded from New Jersey in the offseason, finishing three shy of his career high. The eight-time All-Star expected to be Orlando's missing piece to a title was back in peak form, and the Magic can only hope he stays there.

The short-handed Hornets had no answer.

Playing without the injured Paul and Marcus Thornton (lower back), they just couldn't keep pace at the end. Early on, the Hornets seemed just fine without their injured backcourt.

Stojakovic, Collison and West were hitting from inside and out to finish with 16 points apiece at halftime. As quickly as the Magic trimmed a 14-point deficit to six, the Hornets extended their lead even quicker.

West closed the half with two straight three-point plays, the last coming on a fast-break layup, losing his balance and falling into the media table behind the basket after being fouled by Howard. West's free throw gave New Orleans a 70-55 lead at the break. - AP

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source: PBA.ph

Player of the Week Feb. 1 to 7. Displaying courage under fire is one of JC Intal’s finer traits of late and Barangay Ginebra is much better off because of it.

There was little the 6-foot-4 high-flyer did not do in the week that was, enabling the Kings to realize their goal of hurdling Talk N Text in an eventful KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series and making the semifinals.

That earned for the man nicknamed as “The Rocket” the nod as the KFC/Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period Feb. 1 to 7. Intal has also been previously cited, along with Sta. Lucia Realty’s Kelly Williams, in the span covering the Jan. 4 to 10 period.

This time, the accolade is all his as he beat out Purefoods’ James Yap for the honor. In leading Ginebra to two of the three victories the team needed to overcome a 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five duel, Intal averaged 26.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks, capped by a career-high 28 points in a 113-100 clincher last Sunday.

The Kings won Game 4 by forfeiture when the Tropang Texters walked out, making most wonder how Intal’s numbers would have come up had that match continued. There was little doubt he would have approximated the 25 points, 10 rebounds and three assists he racked up in a 102-97 breakthrough victory in Game 3.

“JC has gone a long way from the time before he came to Ginebra,” admitted Kings coach Jong Uichico of the man who was acquired, along with former Ateneo teammate Doug Kramer, from Air21/Burger King in a mid-season trade in 2008-09.

Those productions came at a time Ginebra needed them most as the team desperately needed an on-court spark due to the injuries that sidelined Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa for so long.

The backcourt duo returned, but it was clear their form was still far from their old deadly self. So it was up to the likes of Intal, Ronald Tubid and Eric Menk to pick up the cudgels. Especially the former, who tallied averages of 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds during the eliminations but finished the quarterfinals as the leading scorer.

“If there’s a good thing that happened without Jayjay and Mark is JC finding a niche in the system,” Uichico pointed out.

“It’s so hard to find a niche in my system because I tend to control my players, until I know I can let them go.” That time may come when the perennial crowd favorites take on Alaska in a best-of-seven semis duel starting Wednesday. For sure, Uichico is among those eagerly waiting how Intal’s continuing improvement as a player turns out. “The more games he plays the more mature he’ll become and the more he’ll study and withstand the pressure,” he said. (NC)

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source: philstar.com

Indonesia’s Satria Muda BritAma downed the Singapore Slingers, 86-76, in their sudden death duel at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last Sunday to arrange a title showdown with the Philippine Patriots in the Asean Basketball League.

Satria Muda’s import Nakiea Miller took charge for Indonesia in the second half, scoring 20 points to power BritAma to the victory and into the best-of-five title series with the Patriots.

The playoff starts on Friday at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig with Game Two set Feb. 17 at The Arena in San Juan. Game Three will be played at the BritAma Arena in Indonesia on Feb. 21. If necessary, Game 4 will also be held at BritAma on Feb. 24 while Game 5 is set at the Ynares on Feb. 28.

Though the Patriots, co-owned by Harbour Centre president and CEO Mikee Romero and Tonyboy Cojuangco, have swept the Indons in their three meetings in the elims, Romero and coach Louie Alas said the title series will be an entirely different phase.

“We have an intense rivalry with Indonesia dating back our days in the SEABA Club Championship, so I expect the series to be an emotional one. But I have strong faith in our boys, we’re determined to win the first-ever title of the tournament,” Romero said.

Romero, who also funded the RP team in the 2007 SEA Games where the Nationals posted a record winning average margin of 42 points, said the Patriots, especially imports Gabe Freeman and Jason Dixon, are all primed up against the Indons.

“They’re all ready for the series,” said team manager Erick Arejola. “Coach Louie is now working on the details of our preparation.”

Held to just two points in the first half, Miller came out smoking in the second half, coming through one big play after another to frustrate the home crowd.

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source: Abac Cordero | philstar.com

Manny Pacquiao is being lined up for a special appearance on “60 Minutes” the long-running and award-winning television newsmagazine of CBS.

Top Rank’s main man Bob Arum, Michael Marley of The Examiner wrote yesterday, said a CBS crew will soon begin shooting clips of Pacquiao as he trains at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles for a March 13 fight.

It was not clear, however, if Pacquiao would appear on the 42-year-old program before or after his March 13 showdown with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

What’s important, Arum, however, said, is that Pacquiao has truly crossed all the boundaries as the greatest boxer of his era.

“It just shows that interest in Manny has transcended sports, gone beyond that,” Arum said.

“Good Morning America on the ABC network is also going to do something on Manny. It is really phenomenal how the interest is widening on Pacman,” said the ageless boxing promoter and Harward lawyer.

Last year, as Pacquiao waged and won big battles against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, the reigning pound-for-pound champion also scored a very big hit by landing on the cover of Time Magazine.

He also appeared at the Jimmy Kimmel Show in LA, and graced a few pages of Sports Illustrated. He was chosen as Fighter of the Decade by Ring Magazine and ESPN, and will soon be honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

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source: Nelson Beltran | philstar.com

Despite their failed semifinal bid in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup, Smart-PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan said he had no regrets in backing his Talk n Text team’s walkout against Barangay Ginebra Friday night.

“It was the right decision under the circumstances,” he said.

Pangilinan, however, reiterated that the entire team will be evaluated after Talk n Text’s sorry exit Sunday night, marking the end of Tropang Texters’ reign as PBA Philippine Cup champions.

The Texters swept the Gin Kings in the first two games of their best-of-five series but dropped the next three, including a forfeiture in Game 4 after they walked out in the first quarter in protest over officiating.

The team instead settled for fifth in the tourney which they ruled over the Alaska Milk Aces last season.

Ginebra, meanwhile, completed a comeback from that 0-2 deficit with a 113-100 win Sunday, gaining the right to play Alaska Milk in the best-of-seven semis.

“It’s difficult to say what will happen because (our campaign) has just finished. For sure, we’ll evaluate the performance of everybody. We’ll see what went wrong and what went right,” said Pangilinan, who with his Tropang Texters were the last group to leave the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.

Pangilinan, furious over officiating in the first four games of the series, said he was satisfied with the way the calls were made in the do-or-die match.

“Ginebra played very well and they deserved to win. We didn’t play as well as we should have, but it happens,” said Pangilinan.

The series may be over for Talk n Text but it still faces stiff sanction from the PBA for its Game Four walkout.

The league basic fine for a walkout or forfeiture is P500,000. At presstime, the Commissioner’s Office is still looking at other compensations like lost TV income to be imposed on the ballclub.

The Talk n Text management, however, maintained walking out of Game Four was the right move to stress their stand on officiating.

“We will not hesitate to walk out again if such unfairness continues. We cannot, as a matter of principle, tolerate biased officiating in the PBA,” said Talk n Text board representative Ricky Vargas before they returned to play Sunday.

In Game Five, Talk n Text supporters wore yellow shirts bearing a line “Be Fair.”

The Texters, however, seemed to have lost their focus, and the Kings pounced on the situation to make it three in a row, matching historic comeback feats from such deficits by Crispa and Purefoods.

Talk n Text thus joined early casualties Barako Bull, Sta. Lucia Realty, Burger King, Coca-Cola and Rain or Shine in the sideline.

Meanwhile, JC Intal bagged the KFC-Accel Player of the Week honors after stepping up for Ginebra’s stirring comeback in the series.

The former Ateneo Eagle capped his impressive showing with a double-double game in Game Five with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

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