November 14 is already a marked date for boxing but with the looming issues emerging maybe a Pacquiao-Cotto might be a no show and Pacquiao decides to look for another dancing partner. With still no signed papers yet this fight could go down to the drain when Miguel Cotto won’t budge in defending his WBO welterweight crown if it is fought in the 145lb weight limit. “The weight of 145 pounds is not a category. If the WBO is upset with my decision, I shall deliver them the title. I have no problem with that.” Cotto in an interview with Primera Hora. Cotto wants Manny to settle everything at the welterweight level which was the level when he fought Oscar De La Hoya to retirement. It was already a done deal with Manny when they agreed to fight in November at 145 lbs. with Cotto’s belt not on the line but winning a 7th division title has more weight than the money and the prestige so team Pacquiao is willing to pay the sanction fees and ask WBO president Valcarel the viability of their intentions. But Cotto was defiant in saying that he would rather vacate his title than paying a hefty sum of $150,000 in sanctioning fees. That brings up to Sugar Shane Mosley the WBA champion who dethroned Cotto’s tormentor Antonio Margarito his willingness to face Pacquiao even at a catch weight of 143 lbs. and taking the lesser amount even to a 70-30 purse split. If Cotto is persistent about his stand then why not sign up a fight with Mosley the main thought about this is simple. Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley needs a fight with Pacquiao lets not forget that Manny is the smaller guy among the two which logically a beatable opponent who is in anyway a lesser risk and a more rewarding win than any other welterweights out there. He is in the top of the food chain and many fighters would want to be on Cotto’s shoe. This is his opportunity to show how good he is and winning against Pacquiao could earn him more than what he imagines. Mosley for one knows the gravity of a Pacquiao fight and tried everything to lure the Filipino to a showdown.
I hope Miguel Cotto realize this. It’s an opportunity and not just any other opportunity this would be the fight he have been preparing since the start of his boxing career.
$150 k is just a chump change compare to the guaranteed $5 million he will be receiving on a Pacquiao fight. Cotto should think about this… before Sugar Shane makes another run for a Pacquiao fight…

I was watching the New Orleans Hornets All star point guard Chris Paul driving to the basket during their 2009 first round Playoff game against the Denver Nuggets all eyes were on Paul when he made a drop pass to Tyson Chandler and Tyson with conviction dunk the basket that looks like the rim was ripped off. It was something which was still vivid in my memory until now and got me asking why in the hell would the Hornets trade such an amazing player? Chandler got traded after the All-star break to the Oklahoma Thunders for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and Devon Hardin but when Tyson failed the medical checkup and the medical team refused to give him a clean bill of health the trade was rescinded.
Chris Paul was more than happy to see Tyson back in the Hornets uniform but it’s already official Tyson Chandler got traded again this time to the Charlotte Bobcats for former Connecticut standout Emeka Okafor. In paper it looks like a reasonable trade with both guys averaging double-double in points and rebounds, they are of the same age and both players are almost identical on stats but Emeka can give the Hornets a different look in their roster with his post offense he can team up with David West and can very well flourished to be a reliable big man in Chris Paul and as for Chandler well the Bobcats can save a sizeable amount of money and salary cap other than that I’m afraid there’s nothing to squeezed it out of Chandler’s 7-foot-1, 245 lbs. body. He is a good rebounder but an offensive liability. Why? Because he strives on a system where there are guards who could command the double team and make outrageous pass for an easy two, Chris Paul in particular. He was good in Chicago but he was much better in New Orleans as a double-double player and in Charlotte he would have to gel up with Raymond Felton and DJ Augustin which is nowhere Paul’s caliber of the moment.
I believe its Tyson’s left toe which made the New Orleans Hornets organization in panic mode and Oklahoma almost made a mistake in taking him in. It must have been that big that Dr. Carlan Yates the Thunders team physician called a rescinding of trades and when nobody else took the bait the Charlotte Bobcats embraced it with open arms.
Tyson will have to proved his worth again and if I was him I’ll be working doubly hard in the gym… because he’s got a lot of catching up to do.

The Date is set and all negotiations planned out. Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao is already a done deal and November 14 would be their mega fight. Manny and Cotto will be fighting in a catch weight of 145 lbs with Cotto’s WBO Welterweight belt not on the line. It was irrelevant to Arum and Cotto win or loose wants to end up with his belt on his waist but it’s a complete 360 turn for Manny. Boxing has been a sport for ages and when we talk about history we talk about different champions in every era. Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Flash Elorde and Finito Lopez those are boxing greats with multiple championship belts. Manny will try to rewrite history while gunning for his 7 weight title division championship a feat no other boxer has achieved.
This is history this is how Manny wants to end his legacy this is how a champion take a stride up to another level. There are a lot of concerns in fighting for a belt, first would have to be paying a hefty sum of $150,000 for sanctioning fee and second would have to be Cotto’s willingness to stake his belt and trying to get some amount in the bargain. Bob Arum who co promotes the two boxers issued a statement and surprisingly said that “nobody in the US cares whether the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto bout on Nov. 14 is for a world title or not”… The Championship belt has its purpose and if nobody cares about it why would fans flock to the arena when Roy Jones Jr. fought John Ruiz for the WBA heavy weight title I’m sure it wasn’t about the predictable John Ruiz it was about the historic 174 lb fighter who go up as high as 193 lbs to fight a legitimate 226lbs heavy weight champ. The belt, the championship adds up the glitter in every boxer’s ego.
We want to see Manny’s historic act in Nov.14 and Arum should think that this bout is already part of history. Nobody cares in the US but the world cares about this.

It was Game 1 and the Orlando Magic made it’s first ever trip to the NBA finals the year was 1995 and the Magic are hosting the Houston Rockets. It was a dream matchup between rookie Shaquille Oneal and veteran Hakeem Olajuwon it was such a close game that it had to be concluded in the final minute of the game. On the line was Nick Anderson with Magic leading by 3 points and needed just a point from the free throw line to ice the game. Anderson was a reliable shooter but when the game was on the line he missed four crucial free throws which converted a three point shot by Kenny Smith which sends the game to overtime. The Magic eventually loosed the game and never got back with Houston sweeping the Magic in four games. Nick Anderson never got back to his shooting days and ended his career as a journey man.
Free throws as Wiki explains are unopposed foul shot attempted to score points in the restricted area known as the free throw line. The root word of this sentence is undoubtedly unopposed which means unguarded. Shooters who struggled in their offense tried to get back their shooting touch by driving to the basket and go to the free throw line and tall players such as Shaq and Ben Wallace dreads the free throw every time they go to the charity stripe. But nonetheless the game with its physicality the only solace and the silver lining is the free throw shot. So it’s either an added advantage or a handicapped to teams who struggled in offense. Their are unorthodox free throw shooters like Rick Barry, Jason Kidd and the murmuring Karl Malone which are called the free throw rituals even if you do a back flip or some jiggy dance before the free throw the most important thing would be it’s outcome.
So how do you shoot a free throw line effectively? I tried doing the Jason Kidd with blowing kisses in the air and also tried the wrap around dribble before shooting but still I struggled with my shots. Notice how Shaq held the ball in the air and release it with one hand no follow through and with lots of force to it. That’s why Hack-a-Shaq was invented. There are tons of tutorials around the net but they say different strokes for different folks but as I go along with some research in order to be a good free throw shooter all you have to do is stay focus in the ring and keep your arms relax it’s easy to say if you have ice in your veins but here I’ll give some good free throw tips
1. Dribble the ball thrice
2. Focus in the ring
3. Bend your knees
4. Arms clipped
5. Release the ball
6. Follow through
I dare you to try it and as far as my free throw percentage is doing I think I’ve done a good improvement.

A bloodied Miguel Cotto was clearly in trouble against the rugged and promising Joshua Clottey. It looks like Clottey was on his way to victory when a resilient Cotto came back in the later rounds and earned a hard fought split decision win against the Ghanian native. After a flush hook in round one Clottey came back dominating Cotto but lost steamed in the second part of the bout. They say Cotto never made it back after his fight with Margarito and although I beg to disagree on some point but the Clottey fight made some justification on that claim. Cotto was getting hit by right straights, it wasn’t a quick and unpredictable punch but he was getting hit with ease. Questions continue to haunt Cotto but he is still one of the best welterweights out there. And he will have the last laugh when he battles it out with no.1 pound per pound Manny Pacquiao this Nov.14. This is his time to shine a time for redemption a time for his detractors to shut up… it only takes a signed paper and a entrepreneur promoter to make this dream match a reality. But when all said and done Cotto will have to face a bigger mountain in Pacquiao he maybe bigger and stronger but he still struggles on faster southpaws like Zab Judah. Manny is gunning for another history looking for his 7 division weight title a feat no fighter ever achieves. It would have been great to see a Mayweather matchup but when a 50-50 purse split is not viable for Money May then a Cotto fight is most likely to happen with twice the excitement and intensity. This Nov.14 would be the most anticipated boxing match throughout this year and it will simply ends with a bang. Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao are good for boxing with two pugilists battling out for supremacy. It’s too early to tell but at least its one thing I’m looking forward to…

An hour delayed from my scheduled flight back home. Thoughts came rushing through my mind and got a borrowed pen and a scratch paper to ponder.
I think about the recent fight between Amir Khan and the equally talented Andreas Kotelnik. It was Amir’s second bid for a world championship after a devastating loss to Breidis Prescott on his first attempt. Breidis didn’t take that long to sweat it out with Khan as he bulldozed his way to victory with less than a minute in round 1. When everybody thought Amir Khan is spelled with H-Y-P-E he rolled back with back to back wins from Oisin Fagan and Marco Antonio Barrera and now at age 22 captured his first ever championship by a shutout against Kotelnik. Instinctively what goes to my mind is a battle between two best fighters in the 140lbs. Division in England, Ricky Hatton against Amir. Hatton is itching to lace his gloves back after Manny Pacquiao almost gave him the way to exodus. Ricky no doubt can still fight but his battles against Mayweather Jr. And Pacquiao is slowly taking its toll. Many suggested Hatton to retire but like every athlete and every fighter we don’t want to end our careers in a sad note and Hatton certainly don’t want fans to remember him kissing in the canvass on a Pacquiao left hook. He wants the last hoorah and he wants Amir Khan to be his curtain closer. One common denominator will have to be Freddie Roach who devises the perfect attack against Hatton and is currently Khan’s trainer. Amir will have to face a bigger and stronger opponent in Hatton and although speed wise he can get over with Ricky like what he did against Kotelnik but what Roach notice was his ability to fight with pressure guys like Hatton. “We’ve got to learn how to deal with guys who put pressure on because guys are going to watch this tape and see he had a little trouble with the pressure.” said Roach. Kostya Tszyu will give Amir a walk in the park when we talk about pressure. And Hatton eats, sleeps and drinks pressure in every fight that’s why fans love him an all out war freak machine. Now will Amir be victorious against Ricky Hatton well it can happen first he needs to develop more on his speed then work on his power a big feat to make from a person who campaigned at the 135lb division. Ricky will love to fight Amir anywhere and anytime it would be one of England’s greatest matchup. But that is all wishful thinking with no negotiations whatsoever but I hope this fight materialize.

Boarding time… Pen returned…

I remember my classmate way back in grade school. I was a tall and lanky student who always has a knack for jokes whenever the occasion comes and that classmate of mine had enough of my teasing that he unleashes a powerful right hand straight into my arms. I was quite the whole time and ran all the way to the C.R. crying. Yes the Ryan Gosling “The notebook” type of crying. I never cried since then except for some occasional break ups.

Crying is the cleansing of the soul it is the product of our emotions. Whenever we’re happy, sad and frustrated we cry. The death of Michael Jackson was a shocker then there was Arguello and then Arturo Gatti. A pop legend and two boxing Hall of famers died in an almost simultaneous incident. The world mourns for them having been a die hard Michael Jackson fan who always go to fiestas carrying my cassette tape dancing to the sound of Thriller who eventually became my fiesta ritual until I turned highschool lost the kid in me when Michael died. Arguello who fought his way to poverty and made Nicaragua a name felt like a country full of regrets after he took matters on his own hand and killed himself. Arturo Gatti who made wonders in boxing by fighting Micky Ward to three epic battles and won three fights of the year suffered death through the hands of his 23 year old wife. Maybe his being through drugs and womanizing has taken its toll.

This morning after hearing mass we decided to feed some of the street children roaming around the church it’s nothing new to me since we always have our traditional Christmas in the road but on the way to the office while I was driving I remember the very day my classmate pressed his hard knuckles all the way through my small arms. A child in me saw a small tear slowly dropping in my eyes. It wasn’t about Michael Jackson, Arguello or Gatti it was tears of joy coming from the smiles I saw on the faces of those children. Yep how Ryan Gosling of me… but hey it’s my birthday I cry if I want to.

The wise Mohandas Gandhi or commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi said an intriguing truth about detractors
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has issued a challenge for the pound per pound king Manny Pacquiao “If Manny really does want to fight me all he’s got to do is say it. We can pay Marquez to step aside; we can pay him $1 million. Is you ready? Let me know.”
Well Floyd maybe playing deaf or pretend he didn’t know about Manny’s intention. Manny Pacquiao have long wanted a Mayweather fight way before his clashed with Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya. Manny was vocal when he told some writers about a fight with Mayweather before a signed contract with the Hitman Ricky Hatton. Then hours before his mega fight with Hatton, Floyd had a press conference announcing his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao knows that in spite of all his accolades a duel with Mayweather would be his lasting legacy. Mayweather as good as he is continues to avoid opposition that could ruin his unscratched record. Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto could have been easy picks for upset in the making but Floyd is wise enough to avoid those guys and tarnished boxing’s good name. If he thinks he’s the best then fight the best. Even if Manny challenges Floyd into a fight I doubt if that materialized. “50-50, that’s why we’ll never get that fight” referring to the purse split. He thinks he is the cash cow in boxing well that explains the low turn out in ticket sales on their supposed July fight with Marquez and change to a new date after Mayweather’s questionable rib injury.

“It’s like a T-bone steak. I eat all the meat off the steak and they threw him the bone.”
Manny should remember Mahatma’s saying and as for Floyd he can ignore Manny and laugh all he wants in the end there’s only one winner… a big “IF” that fight happens…

Having an NBA scoring title for 4 seasons, a ten-time NBA All-star with two MVP All-star awards in 2001 and 2005 the NBA Most valuable player award in 2000-01 season the no.1 pick in the 1996 draft and rookie of the year with all the accolades and prestige it doesn’t necessarily means that you end up in the top and Allen Iverson have to learn from that experienced as he struggles to find a suitable team who would bow down to his demands. At age 34 the possibility of A.I landing in a title contender team with above the mid-level exception salary is scarce and unlikely. Talent wise there is no question to his greatness but with his exceptional talent comes with another package his disturbing in and out of court demeanor. After being a star in Philadelphia they had enough of Iverson’s feud with teammates, coaches and owner they have to shift him to Denver for Andre Miller. Although A.I had proved to be a good teammate to Carmelo Anthony but their offense seemed to suffer much demanding the ball and keeping it too long. Denver had to shift Iverson for a better and reliable guard in Chauncy Billups. Iverson went from starter to a backup guard to Richard Hamilton it was a situation A.I is not accustomed to and when Michael Curry favored a neophyte Will Bynum for Iverson he was stated that he’d rather retire than being bench.
Now there are three teams trying to get Iverson’s services which are the Miami Heat, Charlotte Bobcats and the L.A. Clippers. Two teams on the bottom standing trying to land a proven crowd seller and one team trying to lure their other superstar an extended contract as it expires next year. How will Iverson fare with those teams?
Charlotte Bobcats- One familiar face would have to be his very own former coach while he was still a sixer Larry Brown. Brown knew how Iverson’s mind work and it wouldn’t be that much improvement in plays so to say. He will be a vital component to the Bobcat’s success next season.
L.A. Clippers – Team owner Donald Sterling is slowly losing season tickets and the Clippers are in need of big ticket revenue next season and Iverson can somehow fit to that description. He can fill up the stands with his backcourt tandem Barron Davis the only downside would be Eric Gordon who is clearly showing signs of greatness how will his growth develop throughout Iverson’s stay?
Miami Heat – If he wants to stay in a title contender team then no question Miami would be his next destination. He would play alongside Dwane Wade with Jermaine Oneal and maybe they could grab a title in return. But Miami could only afford less than $3 million for Iverson as they are preparing for Wade’s free agency.
Allen Iverson used to be a franchise player and like what happened to Latrell Spreewell and Isiah Rider they we’re good players in fact A.I. is way above them but a great basketball player doesn’t have to be all about skills. Iverson nicknamed “The Answer” but from this standpoint he is still a big question…

I remember the first ever article I wrote was about Darchinyan I don’t know what fascinates me about the Armenian sensation aside from his huge talent in boxing with his impressive power maybe he sports a big mouth with a bigger ego. Just to make it clear I don’t hate Vic Darchinyan in fact he’s part of my top pound per pound list. But I hate people bullying other people. He goes knocking everybody off from Sande Kizito down to Victor Burgos he intimidates his opponent with his brute strength and humiliates them from their skills all the way to a personal level. We thought after his humiliating TKO loss to Nonito Donaire via a short well timed left hook that he will come to his senses and learn even a diminutive humility but Vic never counted the Donaire fight a loss he said he was never hurt well maybe the chicken dance was intentional right? He was unbeaten the whole time and was invincible. He broke Nonito’s brother Glen Donaire’s jaw on their fight and told Nonito he can fight both brothers at the same time in the ring before he knew it he was unconscious for about a minute in the ring with his nose all bloodied. It was an ego crushing defeat by an unknown boxer who hails from the Philippines.
Darchinyan won 5 straight wins including a controversial draw with Z Gorres in which I scored a win on Darchinyan. Kirilov, Mijares and Arce were his recent victims in which he won three belts in return with WBC, WBA and IBF belts holding the title of undisputed champion in the super flyweight division. Vic wanted more and he moves up in the Bantamweight division fighting Joseph Agbeko for the IBF title. Vic has bitten more than he could chew and after bashing Agbeko who was nicknamed “Kingkong” that he would changed his name after the fight as Chimpanzee and told everybody this would be the biggest mismatch in boxing ever. He faced another ego crashing defeat via a unanimous decision last July 11. It was a dominating fight by Agbeko giving Darchinyan cuts from his right and left eyebrows and showering him with precise power punching.
It looks like Vic will have to go back to superflyweight and look for other meaningful fights. Maybe the Agbeko fight put him back to reality I guess he stops calling marquee names such as Israel Vasquez or Manny Pacquiao when he can’t even stop a legitimate bantam weight holder how much more fighting 5 pounds or 30 pounds over. Looks like Vic is trying to make excuses on Agbeko’s fight. I guess we can’t teach old dogs new tricks and Vic will just have to Vic the egotistic maniac who lets his mouth speak rather than his fist. A rematch with Donaire would be redemption for Vic but I guess when he bullies someone and that someone fights back his magic doesn’t work anymore. He goes along looking for someone he can bully and disrespect but egotistic person like Vic has one weakness they are vulnerable when people fight back. That’s what Nonito and Agbeko did and that’s how to beat a bullying bull like Darchinyan.