source: abs-cbnnews.com

Manny Pacquiao said Floyd Mayweather Jr. would have to make up his mind soon if he really wants their superfight to push through.

The 8-division champion from the Philippines claimed that Mayweather is taking too long to decide on whether he will agree to an equal sharing of revenues.

“Kaya hindi matuloy tuloy kasi minsan agree na siya sa 50-50 tapos ayaw na naman niya, iba na naman kundisyon niya (The fight couldn’t push through because at one time he agreed on a 50-50 split only to change his mind),” said Pacquiao in an interview with ABS-CBN correspondent Jay Dayupay.

Mayweather recently urged Pacquiao to take the superfight in exchange for a $40-million guaranteed prize.

The Filipino, however, made a counteroffer by suggesting a 50-50 purse split.

‘No fight in May’

Boxing promoter Bob Arum, for his part, said he has practically given up on arranging a May fight for Pacquiao and Mayweather.

"Let's forget the May date," he said in Ronnie Nathanielsz's report on Boxing Scene.

"What we are trying to accomplish, assuming Mayweather is going to fight in May and Manny is going to fight in June, is that we are pressing to see if we can get a contract signed between the two fighters for November," Arum added.

Arum said if both Pacquiao and Mayweather agree to hold the megafight on November, "that way the people will be assured that the fight is going to happen."

"There won't be any of this nonsense, which we can put behind us so we can do a huge, huge promotion," he added.

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source: gmanetwork.com

Powerade thwarted Talk 'N Text's sweep bid in the 37th PBA Philippine Cup Finals, winning Friday night's Game Four, 100-97, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Sean Anthony buried a pressure-packed jumper with 39.8 seconds left to break the game's final deadlock and put the Tigers in front for good, 99-97.

The Tigers' breakthrough win in the best-of-seven title series derailed what many expect to be a sweep by the Tropang Texters, who still holds a 3-1 lead over the lowest seeded team to ever reach the championship round.

Game Five is set Sunday also at the Big Dome.

"Buhay pa," was Powerade coach Bo Perasol's opening statement during the post-game interview.

"I think I have to give it to the players for really wanting to win and let the people know that we're here to compete."

And the Tigers, behind newly-crowned Best Player of the Conference Gary David, showed that they too can go toe-to-toe with the defending champions.

David finished with a game-high 35 points, including a split from the foul line with 14.6 seconds left for the final count.

Anthony added 19 markers and 11 rebounds for Powerade, which led by 46-32 late in the third period and 92-81 with six minutes left in the final quarter.

Rookie Marcio Lassiter, Doug Kramer and rejuvenated veteran Rommel Adducul combined for 34 points.

But Talk 'N Text, as expected, came roaring back entering the homestretch.

Larry Fonacier's back-to-back three pointers, six of a team-high 20 points, in a one-minute span tied the game at 97-97.

The Tropang Texters again had a chance to knot the count after Anthony's jumper, but Jayson Castro, uncharacteristically, missed two free throws at the other end.

After David made it a three-point Powerade lead, the reigning champions had two good attempts for a possible game-tying basket.

But Castro's shot missed its mark and so did Alapag at the buzzer, even after the Talk 'N Text playmaker successfully evaded David's defense.

"Kinabahan din ako nung binato ni Jimmy," said David, who shot 11-of-20 from the field and 11-of-12 from the foul line, later.

Castro added 18 for the Tropang Texters—16 of them coming in the third period, including a three-pointer from about 30 feet that beat the quarter buzzer and tied the game at 75-all entering the final 12 minutes of play. — JVP, GMA News

Scores:

Powerade 100—David 35, Anthony 19, Lassiter 13, Kramer 11, Adducul 10, Casio 7, Lingganay 3, Vanlandingham 2, Cruz 0, Crisano 0.

Talk 'N Text 97—Fonacier 20, Castro 18, Alapag 18, Carey 11, Reyes 10, Peek 8, Williams 7, De Ocampo 3, Dillinger 2, Aguilar 0, Alvarez 0, Lao 0.

Quarter scores: 25-23, 53-43, 75-75, 100-97.

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source: abs-cbnnews.com

Top Rank chief executive officer Bob Arum admitted that it will not be possible to put together a mega-fight between pound-for-pound kings Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. this May.

In an interview with Boxing Scene's Ronnie Nathanielsz, Arum said, "Let's forget the May date," but added that he is still working on trying to put the fight together later in the year.

"What we are trying to accomplish, assuming Mayweather is going to fight in May and Manny is going to fight in June, is that we are pressing to see if we can get a contract signed between the two fighters for November," Arum added.

Arum said that if both Pacquiao and Mayweather agree to hold the mega-fight on November, "that way the people will be assured that the fight is going to happen."

"There won't be any of this nonsense, which we can put behind us so we can do a huge, huge promotion," he added.

Negotiations between the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps fell apart once again last week, after Mayweather refused to accept a 50-50 split. It was reported that he offered Pacquiao $40-million guaranteed, but with no share of pay-per-view revenue.

The fight date was also being contested, as Mayweather's lawyer insisted that the fighter is legally required to fight on May 5, while Pacquiao's camp wants to hold the fight at a later date for "economic reasons."

Mayweather is required to report to jail on June 1 after he pleaded guilty to a 2010 domestic violence charge.

Miguel Cotto is being considered as a possible opponent for both Mayweather and Pacquiao, though the Puerto Rican boxer seems to be leaning towards a fight against Mayweather.

Mayweather is willing to fight Cotto at above 150-pounds, while Pacquiao wants to fight at the welterweight limit of 147-pounds. Arum said Cotto has informed them that he cannot make the welterweight limit.

Aside from Mayweather and Cotto, Lamont Peterson, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley are being considered as possible opponents for Pacquiao.

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source: Olmin Leyba | philstar.com

Although enjoying the obvious edge in height, Ateneo All-Star selection will not be that disadvantaged in terms of speed when it takes on La Salle in the “Blue vs Green: Dream Game 2012” exhibition game on Feb. 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, coach Norman Black said yesterday.

“Based from what I have read in the newspaper, our advantage is size,” said Black, who will have at his disposal an awesome frontline composed of Enrico Villanueva, Japeth Aguilar, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Noy Baclao, Doug Kramer, Paolo Bugia, and Rich Alvarez.

“But remember, we also have speed with L.A. out there.”

He’s referring to L.A. Tenorio, the cat-quick point guard who is expected to quicken the pace at times, along with the other speedsters on the backcourt, JC Intal, Eric Salamat, Larry Fonacier, Wesley Gonzales and Magnum Membrere.

Ateneo’s big men are also capable of running the floor and complementing the team’s speedy guards on transition, Black pointed out.

However, Black expressed doubts Al-Husseini will already be 100 percent for the charity event jointly presented by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Mastermind Entertainment for the benefit of young cancer patients of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) .

“I’m not sure though if Rabeh can play,” said Black of the former UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) and last year’s PBA Rookie of the Year, who’s still recuperating from an ACL injury.

Their archrivals are loaded at the 1-2 positions, with JV Casio, Mike Cortez, Joseph Yeo, Mac Cardona, RenRen Ritualo, TY Tang and Ryan Arana forming a deadly combo for coach Franz Pumaren.

Supplying the muscle underneath for the green squad in the first AdMU-DLSU exhibition match in four years are Don Allado, Rico Maierhoffer, Carlo Sharma, Jerwin Gaco, Willie Wilson and Brian Ilad.

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source: philstar.com

CEBU, Philippines – A confident ALA Boxing Gym star Milan “El Metodico” Melindo sees an easy outing as he defends his WBO Intercontinental flyweight crown against Mexican Juan “Panterita” Esquer in the main event of the “Pinoy Pride XI:Philippines vs The World” tomorrow at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

“I trained not for him (Esquer) but for a world title fight. This fight is very easy for me,” said Melindo during the event’s final press conference yesterday at the Aegean room of the posh hotel.

Seated just a few inches apart, Esquer calmly took Melindo’s stingy verbal shot.

“His words don’t shock me because I have already fought seven world champions. For me, he is a newbie,” said Esquer through his Cebuano interpreter Mon Escaño.

The challenger even told Melindo straight to the face, “tumbahon tika (I will knock you down).”

“I’m here to win. I came prepared. You will see on Saturday how Melindo will fall,” said Esquer. “I hope the judges won’t help him because he’s fighting in his hometown.”

But Melindo shoots down any possibility of an Esquer upset, more so derail his bid for a crack at the world championship.

“If he’s wiser than me, he can beat me. If not, he can beat me in my dreams,” said the Cagayan de Oro City-native warrior. “I just hope he will make good of his promise to knock me out in the early rounds because if not, it’s the other way around.”

For his part, ALA chief trainer Edito Villamor said his ward shouldn’t be overconfident given the fighting spirit of the Mexican fighters.

“We can’t take the Mexicans lightly because they’re here to fight and win. But we’re ready for everything. With the two boxers aching to score a knockout, then expect one of them to fall down,” said Villamor.

by Emmanuel Villaruel/Freeman News Service | philstar.com

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UPDATE: (Game 4) Powerade stays alive, foils TNT's sweep bid | Gary David of Powerade was amply rewarded for his rise in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup, beating Arwind Santos of Petron Blaze in a close fight for the Best Player of the Conference honors.

The scoring machine prevailed over Mr. Double-Double, becoming the first Tiger in eight years to win the coveted award.

Jeffrey Cariaso emerged as BPC in the 2002 All-Filipino Cup while Rudy Hatfield won the same award as a (Coca-Cola) Tiger in the 2003 Reinforced Conference.

David, the scoring champ in the last two seasons and in four of the last five conferences including the current one, gained BPC honors on the strength of the PBA Commissioner’s Office and the media votes.

Santos contended in the derby by topping the stats race and gaining the nod of the majority of his fellow players.

The Powerade main man amassed 1268 value points as against the Petron stalwart’s 1159. Alex Cabagnot came in third with 569 then James Yap with 464 and Marcio Lassiter with 454.

It’s the second individual award for David after his inclusion in the Mythical Five Selection in the 2006-07 season as an Air21 Express, the same year he was awarded Comeback Player of the Year by the PBA Press Corps.

The former Lyceum star was drafted No. 10 overall by Coca-Cola in 2004. He was traded to Air21 the following year before moving back to his original team in 2009.

The 6-foot-2 gunner has become a legitimate star, carving his niche as he carried Powerade to the Philippine Cup finals versus Talk n Text with his steady prolific showing.

Going to Game Four of the Philippine Cup finals, David averaged 25 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal.

He scored at least 30 points in nine of 12 games in the playoffs and 12 times overall this conference – the most explosive performance by a local player in the league in years. (SB)

source: www.pba.ph/

UPDATE: (Game 4) Powerade stays alive, foils TNT's sweep bid

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source: abs-cbnnews.com

Puerto Rican boxing champion Miguel Cotto reiterated that he has no intention of accepting a rematch with Filipino boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao at a weight class below 150-pounds.

"I will not fight below 150-pounds," Cotto told Boxing Scene. "If Pacquiao has no trouble going up to 150 to fight (Antonio) Margarito, why is there a set requirement for me to go down again? Does he fear me?"

Cotto lost to Pacquiao when they first fought in 2009, in a bout that was held at a 145-pound catchweight. Since then, Pacquiao has fought at above 147-pounds only once, defeating Margarito in 2010 in a bout held at a 150-pound catchweight.

A Pacquiao-Cotto rematch may be held on June 9, but both camps are still at odds over the weight division.

Cotto said that if Pacquiao refuses to agree to a 150-pound catchweight, he will instead fight undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Mayweather Jr. said he has no problems going up to 154-pounds to fight me," he said.

"If Pacquiao wants to fight me again, it must be above 150 pounds. I will not continue to sacrifice my body to lose weight," Cotto added.

After his loss to Pacquiao, Cotto moved up to the junior middleweight division, where he has since won the WBA championship.

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source: Reynaldo Belen | interaksyon.com

The PBA on Friday approved the blockbuster five-man trade involving Barako Bull, Barangay Ginebra, and B-MEG.

In the deal, B-MEG received Gin Kings forward JC Intal and a 2012 2nd round pick from Barako Bull that originally belonged to Air 21, formerly Shopinas.com. Ginebra got Llamados forward Kerby Raymundo and Energy rookie Dylan Ababou. Barako Bull ended up with Gin Kings veteran swingman Ronald Tubid and rookie Reil Cervantes, as well as a second round draft pick in 2014 from Ginebra.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud, who has the right to revise or veto transactions that he deems imbalanced, gave his stamp of approval to the trade as is.

“The three-way trade was fairly sound and reasonable,” he said. “The teams gave and received players and picks of relative even value and use for their respective purposes.”

B-MEG coach Tim Cone had nothing but kind words for Raymundo on Twitter.

“Kerby was the consummate professional. It only took one conference for me to realize his greatness as a player and a person,” Cone wrote.

“Kerby leaving is almost like when Alvin retired. End of an era for Purefoods/B-MEG.”

He also explained how the acquisition of Intal would complement B-MEG top gun James Yap.

“We feel JC will be the perfect ‘bookend’ for James — a threat on the other side of the floor and a topnotch, athletic defender,” he wrote.

A 10-time all-star selection and a three-time member of the PBA mythical squad, Raymundo has been part of the Purefoods franchise since 2002, winning the Governors’ Cup finals Most Valuable Player award in his first tournament with the team. After missing most of last season due to injury, the former Letran stalwart made a triumphant return for the Llamados in the Philippine Cup, ranking first on the team in assists, second in rebounding, and third in scoring.

Intal was a reliable role player for the Gin Kings, averaging 9.2 points per game in the Philippine Cup, good for fifth on the team.

Ababou, a former SMART-Gilas Pilipinas backup forward, had a solid rookie campaign for Barako Bull, averaging 11.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Picked 10th overall, Ababou will be joining another former Barako rookie, No. 8 pick Allein Maliksi, on the Ginebra lineup. Curiously, Barako Bull, Ginebra, and B-MEG were also involved in another blockbuster deal earlier this season that sent Maliksi and Rico Maierhofer to the Gin Kings.

This marks the second consecutive year that the Barako Bull franchise has traded away all its first round picks midway through the season. Last year, the team, then known as Air 21, traded its top three picks Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and Rey Guevarra to San Miguel.

by Reynaldo Belen, InterAKTV | interaksyon.com

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source: gmanetwork.com

Saturday will be a battle of the unbeaten teams as last year's runner-up Loyola Meralco Sparks face Stallion Gilligan's at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the first division of the United Football League.

The 4pm face-off is a rematch of the UFL Cup quarterfinals that the Sparks won, 2-1.

Although the Sparks have been the crowd favorite since last year, Stallion Gilligan's are making a name for themselves in the first division after two consecutive convincing wins. They punished Navy Red Juice 6-0 and followed it up with a convincing 4-1 win against champion Air Force.

Anchoring the Stallion offense are Korean striker Lee Joo-young and Ruben Doctora, who have combined for seven goals in two games.

Stallion manager Ernie Nierras credits their early preparation for their success.

"There's just a commitment from the players to get better," shared Nierras.

In Saturday's opening game at 2pm, defending champions Air Force Phoenix will try to snap a two-game losing streak as they battle Army.

On Sunday, the Green Archers will meet Pasargad at 4pm, followed by the match between Kaya and Navy at 6pm at the UMak Football Field, while Nomads face Global at 4:30pm at the Nomads Field in Parañaque. -- RAF/OMG, GMA News

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source: abs-cbnnews.com

Filipino boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is one of the most powerful athletes in the world, according to a list released by Bloomberg/Businessweek Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

The Power 100 2012 was developed by CSE, an integrated sports and marketing firm and Horrow Sports Ventures. They take into account an athlete’s on-field and off-field attributes in developing their ratings.

On-field attributes consider the athlete’s rankings within his own sport; in boxing, it considers the athlete’s world rankings.

Off-field attributes, meanwhile, are comprised of expected endorsement potential, endorsement earnings and social-media presence.

Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion, is ranked No. 28 in the Power 100 2012, four places lower than his No. 24 rank in 2011.

Bloomberg/Businessweek puts Pacquiao’s earnings at $50 million, with Nike, Hewlett-Packard and Henessy as his key sponsors.

“The most Web-searched athlete in 2011, according to Google, Pacman the Destroyer holds world championships in eight different weight divisions. Controversy may have helped fuel the Internet interest as Pacquiao was booed after a clsoe win against Juan Manuel Marquez and endless talk that Pacquiao might fight Floyd Mayweather,” Bloomberg/Businessweek noted.

“Pacquiao is also a Philippine politician and singer who has become more recognizable in recent years with new high-profile commercials such as those for the HP TouchPad.”

Mayweather also in the list

Meanwhile, undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. made his way back to the list after not being included last year.

Mayweather is ranked 49th with $40 million in total earnings. His key sponsor is SMS Audio.

“Unbeaten in his professional boxing career, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has won six world boxing championships in five differen weight classes. He’s recently drummed up a lot of attention for calling on eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao to fight him,” Bloomber/Businessweek said.

“If Pacquiao accepts, it will have to wait until Mayweather finishes an 87-day jail sentence for pleading guilty to domestic violence and harassment charges.”

Pacquiao and Mayweather were the only boxers on the list, which was dominated by players of the National Football League.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was ranked No. 1, followed by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at No. 2 and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady at No. 3.

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James is the highest ranked basketball player on the list at No. 4.

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal rounds out the top 5.

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Just one more game with the kind of mind-set that has carried Talk 'N Text this far and a rich prize awaits.

"We've done a great job staying present and not getting ahead of ourselves," said Tropang Texters coach Chot Reyes. "We have to stick to that thinking, that we're only concerned about the next play, the next possession, the next game."

That match is Friday, when TnT tries to complete a sweep of the Powerade Tigers in what could be the final PBA Philippine Cup duel at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tne Texters put themselves in the position of becoming the first team in 27 years to defend the title of the tourney formerly known as the All-Filipino with a 133-126 overtime win in Game 3 last Wednesday.

The victory was TnT's third in as many games in the best-of-seven series and league history is on its side.

All 11 teams which erected 3-0 leads never lost the series. Five teams have managed to force a Game 5, Alaska even set up a Game 6 against Gordon's Gin in the 1997 Commissioner's Cup. But they still fell short.

Also, TnT is now on the verge of becoming only the sixth team to complete a best-of-seven sweep and just the fourth in the finals. But that niche is something Reyes would only look at when the series' final buzzer has sounded.

"We have to keep our focus on the next game," he stressed. "Nothing else, just the next game."

After seeing his Powerade team's mightiest stand thus far in the series still come up just short, coach Bo Perasol himself admitted the task is now tantamount to insurmountable.

That doesn't mean the towel is about to be thrown.

"Their (Texters') firepower is more superior than what we have," admitted Perasol. "Their points are coming from anywhere. I was telling the guys that if its not Talk 'N Text we were up against, we would have blown out our opponent already."

What is foremost on the Tigers' collective mind right now is, simply, to avoid that big broom and take it from there.

Perasol even knows what it will take. "It's just about trying to commit to what we need to do, which is to make stops," he said.

Last Wednesday's game saw Powerade force overtime by stringing up five points, courtesy of workhorse Doug Kramer and Jayvee Casio, in the last 10 seconds of regulation. Kramer's undergoal stab and Casio's triple off an inbounding error by Ranidel de Ocampo pegged a 121-all count.

The Tigers were visibly running on vapors in the extension, however, making only two of 10 shots while De Ocampo atoned with five of his 21 points through a triple that made it 126-121 and a pair of charities for a 129-123 lead, only 1:54 left.

Gary David wound up with a gamehigh 36 points, his 12th game of at least 30 points in the conference, but he went 0-for-5 from the field in OT.

"I told my guys at end of the game, what can I ask more from them?" offered Perasol.

Powerade can take heart from what TnT just recently pulled off.

The Texters were in a similarly dire position after falling behind Petron Blaze, 1-3, in their race-to-four semifinals. That explains why Reyes keeps reiterating his desire to wait for the series to be over first.

"What we've got to watch out for on Friday is we're gonna play a team that has nothing to lose," he pointed out. " It would go out there, play its heart out, play relaxed basketball. That's always dangerous.

"So we have to go out, hang out and play. We know how Powerade thinks right now and we've got to take that into heart."

Meanwhile, the Best Player of the Conference will be handed out before the game, with Petron's Arwind Santos and David leading the contenders that include another Tiger in rookie Marcio Lassiter, B-MEG's James Yap and another Booster in Alex Cabagnot.

In case the finals ends Friday, the PBA Press Corps will also be handing out the scribes' choice for Finals Most Valuable Player, which, after three games, remains a toss-up among TnT's prized players, led by Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag and Larry Fonacier. (NC)

source: www.pba.ph

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source: abs-cbnnews.com

The Philippine Volcanoes have received an invitation to compete in the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong 7s, one of the most important rugby 7s tournament in the world.

The Volcanoes’ silver-medal finish in the Borneo 7s last September earned them the invite.

“This invitation to the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens marks a milestone in the history of the Union” said Alvin San Diego, Philippine Rugby Football Union president.

“It’s a testament to the hard work of our players, coaches and supporters and more importantly, proof that Filipinos can excel in the sport of Rugby,” he added.

The Hong Kong 7s, considered the premier leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, is scheduled to take place on March 23-25 at the Hong Kong Stadium.

The Hong Kong 7s is a by-invitation-only tournament attended by the top 7s teams in the world like New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and England.

The Philippine Volcanoes, led by Men’s 7s captain Jake Letts and guided by national coach Matt Cullen and assistant Noel Flowers, surprised their competitors in the Borneo 7s by beating their highly-regarded rivals one by one.

They ended up finishing second to Asia No. 1-ranked Japan.

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source: abs-cbnnews.com

The KIA RIO Cup charity game between the Philippine Azkals and South Korea’s Icheon Citizen FC raised $50,000 or P2 million, for the victims of tropical storm Sendong and the landslide in Compostela Valley.

Dragon Promotions, which brought the Korean squad to the Philippines, said organizers donated over P2 million from the gate receipts.

Main sponsor, KIA Motors, also donated to the calamity victims.

The charity game saw the Azkals United fighting Icheon Citizen FC to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.

The Filipino footballers lost the game on penalties, 4-2.

Philippine-based Koreans trooped to the Rizal Memorial Stadium to watch the game and support their squad.

Dragon Promotions’ founder Charlie Williams said the game has long been planned even before Sendong struck southern Philippines.

"Our game was already planned when the disaster struck. [ABS-CBN VP for Sports] Peter Musngi and I talked on the phone and he mentioned about the idea of turning our game into a charity event as well, and donating the gate receipts,” said Williams.

“ABS-CBN's motto has been ‘in the service of the Filipino,’ and they live up to it. We just follow their lead," he added.

The KIA RIO Cup was organized by Dragon Promotions, ABS-CBN, and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).

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source: abs-cbnnews.com

There will be no issues regarding weight class should Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto decide to fight unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Cotto’s manager, Gabrial Peñagarícano, told Boxing Scene that a bout against Mayweather will be easier to make as there are no weight issues, as opposed to a bout against Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.

“Both fighters are at different weights and they are separated by a few pounds. We are not pessimistic and we will continue talking,” Peñagarícano said.

“The Mayweather fight is entirely feasible. We have also had several conversations with Mayweather’s representatives and that is being evaluated. In that case, there would be no weight issues.”

Cotto is being considered as a possible opponent by both Mayweather and Pacquiao, whom Cotto already lost to in 2009.

Cotto has made it clear that he will not fight Pacquiao at a 147-pound weight limit, as he now campaigns at junior middleweight (154-pounds).

A fight against Mayweather may be held at a 150-pound catchweight, however.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank boss Bob Arum, remained optimistic despite the developments in the negotiations.

“The fight between Pacquiao and Cotto is what we want to see,” Arum said. “There is still enough time to resolve the issues, so we’ll talk again.”

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UPDATE: PBA OKs Raymundo-Intal-Ababou deal

Now come the moves. Three teams which failed to live up to expectations in the PBA's season-opening tournament have started taking steps towards redemption by formally offering a trade proposal to league commissioner Chito Salud Thursday for approval.

Reports persist, however, that more trades are in the works, although nothing solid has yet completely surfaced.

At the center of the currently proposed deal is B-Meg's Kerby Raymundo, which is set to go to Barangay Ginebra by way of Barako Bull.

Also being included in the package are Ginebra's JC Intal, Ronald Tubid and Neil Cervantes and Barako's Dylan Ababou, plus a pair of future second round picks in the draft.

Salud's decision on whether to approve the trade or order a fairer deal should be known as early as Friday.

The Commissioner's Cup starts Feb. 10 featuring imports of unlimited height.

The involved teams do need some overhaul, based on their disappointing performances in the Philippine Cup.

Ginebra got ambushed by Rain or Shine and Barako by Talk ,N Text in the quarterfinals, winding up fifth and seventh, respectively.

Despite a new man at the helm in 13-time champion Tim Cone, B-Meg proved to be the biggest bust after topping the eliminations, only to get swept by twice-to-win Powerade in their own quarterfinals duel.

The incoming players, if approved, should help.

Under the proposed deal, Intal goes to Barako for Ababou before heading B-Meg's way, along with Barako's second round pick (acquired from Shopinas) next year, for Raymundo.

Raymundo then goes to Ginebra for Tubid, Cervantes and the Kings' second round pick in the 2014 rookie draft. (NC)

source: www.pba.ph


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source: abs-cbnnews.com

Serbian football coach Zoran Djordjevic said he is looking forward to work with the Philippine Under 21 (U21) and Under 23 (U23) football teams.

"I'm very optimistic because of what I saw during the first few days, it's unbelievable talent of boys, full of enthusiasm and passion. Mr. Dan [Palami] have (sic) great ambition and willing to put the future of Philippine football in the highest level" Djordjevic said in Soccer Central.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) recently signed Djordjevic to let German Hans Michael Weiss concentrate on the Philippine Azkals.

First in Djordjevic’s task list is to prepare the Philippine U21 team for the Hassanal Bolkiah Cup in February.

"They will (have to) show themselves in official games, important, under pressure and result oriented games. This is the time to talk, we will show ourselves in the games and the results," he said.

Djordjevic will also train the Philippine U23 team for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.

The 60-year-old Serbian coach has an impressive football resume.

Djordjevic steered Bangladesh's national football team to a first place finish in the 2010 South Asian Games. He was also the former head coach of the Sudan and Yemen national teams.

He also managed the Churchill Brothers SC in India and was proclaimed as the first foreign coach to win the India Championships.

“[I’m] grateful and very excited for the Football Association of the Philippines give me an opportunity to work with them as football coach, and I take the obligation as the most challenging in my life. I'll do my best as the coach to promote Philippine football in the world level," Djordjevic said.

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