Pinoy sports | Sports Alchemist

Nonito Donaire Jr. Following Manny Pacquiao’s Road Less Travelled

Posted on 19 March 2011.

When an employee leaves a company, regardless if it’s voluntary or termination, there should be a proper and professional exit interview to avoid legal difficulties in the near future.

The recent Nonito Donaire Jr. signing with GBP or Golden Boy Promotions could further give a lot of complications more than a positive direction to his career. I am no lawyer but to put it in layman’s term it’s simple as dating a new girlfriend without informing your old one that you’re breaking up with her. In other words, it’s as simple as T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Nonito deserves all the exciting fights on his career now. At 28 years old he is in his prime, and he deserves nothing but the best with all his God given gifts. He is donned as the next Manny Pacquiao. And GBP could give him all the marquee fights on his current division, and he could cash in as much money as he wants which he direly deserves. Boxing is still business and whoever gives the best matchup and the biggest payday then that’s the best promotion company to sign. However, like any business there should be proper and legal ways to do it. In quitting your job you still have to go for your clearance before getting your last pay right?

Manny Pacquiao made that mistake once, when he signed up with GBP, even if his contract is still with Top Rank. It was a road less travelled but Nonito travelled that road anyway.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if he talked it out with Bob Arum. He could have stated his reasons that he needed those matchups that Top rank couldn’t give. He could have asked Arum about the legality of his contract before signing with GBP. In that way, everything will be on the right foot when he announces his departure. I couldn’t blame Nonito with his decision because if you look at the big picture, we would see great and exciting matchups in pay per view. He could fight Israel Vasquez or Rafael Marquez. However, he could have done it the right way.

With the situation what will likely happen, is that Nonito will be in for a long vacation. Even if GBP can get him all the fight he wants. Bob Arum can prevent that from happening if he asks for a court injunction when everything is still not legally settled. The simple girlfriend math is 1+1=0.

At the end of the day we still want everything to be ironed out. Nonito Donaire Jr. is such an exciting fighter that we all want to see him fight those big names.

Well, I guess it’s not too late to get an exit interview right?

Download now HBO version Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel Fight

Posted on 20 February 2011.

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My 2011 Boxing Wish List

Posted on 28 December 2010.

2010 so far has been a good year for boxing. There are key fights that the fans craved for that actually happened. There was also startling news about Edwin Valero’s tragic death and the ongoing talks about the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, in which we thought 2010 would be the culmination of it all.
Pacquiao remains the top pound per pound boxer but the boxer of the year clearly belongs to Sergio Martinez with victories against Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams.
As the year slowly coming to an end, 2011 seems to be a promising year for boxing with future fights with the likes of Nonito Donaire- Fernando Montiel fight and Manny Pacquiao against the aging veteran Shane Mosley. Allow me to share my boxing wish list for 2011.

10. Hopkins Career
- At age 45, The “Executioner” found the fountain of youth and continues to box beautifully. It was always a constant call for him to retire but he continues to defy expectations. He fought Roy Jones Jr. to a unanimous win and salvages a draw against the younger Jean Pascal in spite suffering knockdowns in rounds 1 and 3. I wish Hopkins would still continue dominating this year until he approaches the golden age of 50. That would certainly be a feat.

9. The Heavy weights
- Boxing belongs to the lower weights now with Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Martinez. Long are the days when the Heavy weights rule the sport with Ali, Joe Frazier, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. They were the last of their kind with the heavyweights becoming an undercard now with lackluster fights from the giants of the sport. I hope 2011 would be a better year for this division. David Haye is the only title holder who stood among the Klitschko brothers who collected the WBC, IBF, WBO and the Ring belts. It looks like it would take years to make this division exciting again.

8. Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez fight
- Gamboa survived his latest fight against Orlando Salido when he was down once in round eight and was deducted by two points in the final round. It was an exciting fight with Gamboa returning the favor by downing Salido twice in the last round. We all thought his next fight would be a salivating match up against his equally talented counterpart Juan Manuel Lopez who was very impressive on his last fight against Rafael Marquez. However, Gamboa was not even considered to be Lopez’s next opponent. Juanma will be fighting Teon Kennedy this April in Puerto Rico instead. This is what we call marketing. But I hope after the Kennedy fight, a November match up with Gamboa would be a mouth watering event.

7. Unified Champion
-This has been my long time wish for boxing to have one champion in each division. No sanctioning fees, no ABC titles, no interim just one pure champion. In that case it would be much easier to identify the true champion. Ok i’ll bet my house if you could name Impromptu the IBF cruiser weight champion? Or the WBU bantamweight champion?
The good thing about having a unified champion is that Champions on each division would be force to fight their contenders and the best would always be the best.

6. Manny Pacquiao- Juan Manuel Marquez fight
- Manny is picking Shane Mosley for his next fight. However, Juanma is still going after Manny. If I were Manny I would give Marquez the fight that he wants at 145. It’s a totally different Manny this time after their 2004 bout. We all know how the script goes but Marquez can still be a good matchup whatever the ending is.

5. Sergio Martinez-Felix Sturm fight
-Sturm’s WBA title and Martinez’s WBC and WBO titles for a unification bout. Sturm has bounce back beautifully after his first TKO loss against Javier Castillejo. Winning nine out of his ten fights with one fight declared as a draw. He deserves a fight with Martinez however, with both fighters having an upcoming scheduled fight early next year this matchup could very well happen late in 2011.

4. Amir Khan-Timothy Bradley fight
- It is already known that Khan’s glassy jaw is a thing in the past. He took the heavy banger Carlos Maidana’s best shot and still came out standing. However, a fight with Timothy Bradley would be a good match up for Khan with both undefeated fighters identically using the same strengths in speed and footwork. However, everything depends on Bradley’s next fight against fellow undefeated fighter Devon Alexander.

3. David Haye against the Klitscho brothers
- I don’t know how many tricks Haye got on his pockets but he has to let it all out if he would be facing one of the Klitscho. If Haye wins it would be a great wake up call for the heavy weight division.

2. Miguel Cotto- Antonio Margarito rematch
-Margarito scored a TKO win against Miguel Cotto and broke Miguel’s winning record and invincibility. It was rather a controversial win with the emergence of the hand wrap controversy. Without Margarito’s magic hands he seemed ordinary. Losing to Mosley and Pacquiao then fought a lack luster fight against Roberto Garcia. A rematch with Cotto would be a great boxing match for diehard fans like us. Cotto has a score to settle and Margarito has a statement to tell.

1. Manny Pacquiao- Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight
- I know this fight is becoming a farfetched and a hopeless case but that’s how I included this one on my wish list. “Never say never”… anything can still happen. This is the fight we all been waiting for and hopefully 2011 would be the year that this fight happens.
Fingers crossed…

My bleacher articles:http://bleacherreport.com/users/220544-jess-matthew-beltran

Shane Mosley: Anything Still Can Happen

Posted on 22 December 2010.

“But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” That’s the famous Rocky Balboa phrase way back four years ago.

It was officially announced that Shane Mosley will be fighting Manny Pacquiao this coming May 7 in a block buster fight between two crafty fighters. Mosley won the mega-Manny sweepstakes against the hopeful Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto after Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be facing a different battle out of the ring and in the law court.
The three division champion Mosley cut ties with his business partner and boxing promoter the Golden Boy Promotions in favor of Bob Arum’s Top rank. Shane wanted his career on the right direction, and he wants the big pay day. He wanted to fight Pacquiao and moving to Top rank was the only logical thing to do. It was a business move and a career risk but everything is now paid off.

Shane doesn’t have the luxury of time. He could have wished this fight could have happened two years or a year ago. However, it is better late than never and at 39 years old it seems a bit too late. Those heavy battles against Oscar De La Hoya, Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright and Miguel Cotto are slowly taking its toll. His quick cat reflexes seem a step slower now. His power is already a suspect when he failed to dispose a wobbly Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the early rounds of their fight. And it seems he doesn’t dominate his opponent like he used to with his lack luster draw on his last fight against Sergio Mora. It was always his speed and power that kept him that long on his career. However, those skills started to fade out.

Andre Berto could have been a good and explosive fight for Manny but Mosley simply brings more crowd and more money to the table. It seems Manny is fighting Mayweather’s leftovers. But Manny respected Mosley’s skills. It was only Shane in such a long time made Mayweather in trouble. He is not a shot fighter, and if he could hurt Margarito in such a brutal fashion then he could certainly hurt Manny.
He still moves a lot and has a powerful sneaky left jab, a good weapon against Manny’s straight forward offense.

Shane just wanted a chance. He wanted to believe that he can still do it. He may be a step slower now, but he can still punch and he can still knock anyone out. It is not about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward… But at Mosley’s age, I wonder how long his legs could stand Manny’s assault. How much can he take? And keep moving forward…He definitely is no Rocky, but he is definitely not on his fifties.

Anything can still happen.

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Boxing Power Rankings: The Top 10 Upsets of the Year

Posted on 13 December 2010.

One thing that makes boxing more intriguing is that we always root for the boxer who is an underdog, a tiny little chance of winning and who is way below the physical attributes of his opponent.
It has something to do with our daily lives. Something that we strive everyday just to make both ends meet. A Cinderella story that we wanted to end with a “happy ever after”. That’s why “Rocky” was a famous boxing movie because almost everybody can relate their experiences to it. A feel-good movie that makes you simply felt better after a tired day of work or after being beaten down to pulp by your bosses who made impossible demands. At the end of the day we always want to be the victor. The person who raises up his hands in the air and shout to the world “I told you so”.
2010 has been such a long and winding road. Although there isn’t much of a Cinderella story but we all hope everything ends with a “happy ever after”.

Allow me to enumerate the top ten boxing upsets of the year.

10. Nate Campbell lost to Walter Estrada.
- Ok Nate’s career after his lost against Victor Ortiz was going downhill. At age 36, he conquered what nobody expected he could win against an uprising superstar in Juan Diaz. After that bout, he was always part of the talk on Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent. But this year he went up against an unknown boxer who fights mostly on his hometown in Columbia. Walter Estrada is no Juan Diaz, in fact, he was only four years younger than Nate at age 34. The fight of the older statesmen and the younger one prevails. It was an upset but it was expected as Nate finally hanged his gloves for good.

9. Brian Viloria lost Carlos Tamara.
-Viloria was the defending champion and fought Tamara on his own turf. It was just like a prelude to a much bigger event, a sparring session to boost Viloria’s record. However, nobody informed Tamara about his script. As he scored a stunning come from behind TKO right in front of a shock hometown crowd. Brian was leading in all judge scorecards until fatigue took over and faded out in the later rounds.

8. Celestino Caballero lost to Jason Litzau.
-Caballero is a highly ranked Featherweight fighter. He was a prospect for future bouts against Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa. He is a natural freak of nature with a 5-foot-11 in height and a 72 inch reach, and he is mostly campaigning in the super bantam division with a weight limit of 122 pounds. However, after losing to Jason Litzau all of those future fights went down the drain.

7. Vic Darchinyan lost to Abner Mares.
- We all thought it was a short night for Vic Darchinyan when he dropped Abner Mares in the second round. However, it was a long and exciting match with Mares returning the favor in round seven. Mares won a split decision and a chance to fight for the overall champion in the bantamweight division against Joseph Agbeko.

6. Sergio Martinez beats Kelly Pavlik
- After an impressive but losing effort on his fight against Paul Williams, Sergio challenged Kelly Pavlik for the WBC, WBO and Ring titles in the middleweight division. Nobody thought he would win the fight after an early knockdown. However, Sergio stayed in the ring and dominated Pavlik in the later rounds awarding him a unanimous decision nod on all the judges scorecards.

5. Arthur Abraham lost to Andre Dirrel.
- The former undefeated Abraham was dominated from start to finish against Andre Dirrel in the super-six tournament. Abraham was the crowd’s favorite going to the match but was clearly outclassed by Dirrel’s hand speed and footwork, knocking down Abraham early in the match. In the 11th round, Dirrel slipped to the canvas and while he was down, Abraham landed his best punch of the night, knocking down Dirrel cold. Andre won that fight via disqualification.

4. Miguel Cotto bounces back against Yuri Foreman
-After the Pacquiao fight, it looks like Miguel Cotto’s career is coming to an end. But instead of staying in the dark corner and doing nothing he moved up to the light middleweight division challenging Yuri Foreman’s WBA belt. It was a gutsy move considering he is fighting an undefeated champion who weighs so much bigger than him in fight night. He won via a ninth round TKO and not only scored an upset but bounce back to the elite pound per pound ratings.

3. Rocky Juarez career
- Rocky Juarez career have been riddled with upsets all throughout. This year he lost to Jorge Linares and Jason Litzau. He has the heart and the talent to become a champion and he works doubly hard in training. However, in championship bouts a different Juarez goes in the ring. He fought good fighters such as Marco Antonio Barrera and Humberto Soto and went to the distance with them. There are still a lot left on this 30 year old fighter and if not this year maybe next or maybe never.

2. Jean Pascal upsets Chad Dawson.
-The fight was for the WBC, IBO and the vacant Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles. It was Dawson’s third defense for his IBO title and Pascal’s also third defense for his WBC belt. The former undefeated Dawson was the heavy favorite going through the fight with some key wins against Antonio Tarver (twice) and Glen Johnson and a pound per pound top ten fighter. But he was surprisingly tentative on fight night with Pascal building a comfortable lead by outworking and outhustling him throughout the fight until the fight was stopped on an accidental headbutt. It ended with a technical decision win in favor of Pascal and will be defending his titles this time against the veteran Bernard Hopkins.

1. Sergio Martinez knocks Paul Williams out.
-Martinez top the list by knocking out Paul Williams in their rematch last November 20. It wasn’t much of a surprise since Martinez could have won in their first bout against Williams. However, the manner he dismantled Williams with a timed left hook was so devastating that it took Williams five minutes to regain consciousness. We all know Paul was the most feared fighter in his division because of his height and his freakish reach. But Sergio made true to his claim in knocking Williams out on their rematch. He knows the decision could go against him that’s why he got justice on his own hands… literally.

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Nonito Donaire Jr: Bigger Challenges Ahead

Posted on 08 December 2010.

Nonito Donaire stepped out from the dark, and dim lit tunnel into the welcoming crowd. Chanting his name “Nonito”, “Nonito”… It was his bout against the former two time Bantam weight champion Volodymyr Sydorenko. Nonito was in his best shape ever in his boxing career, and he hopes Sydorenko would offer a challenge when they step in the ring. However, it wasn’t much of a boxing match. It was a one-sided and bloody affair. Knocking down Sydorenko in rounds 1 and 3 until Nonito delivered the final blow in round 4.

The performance was a bold statement for Nonito’s next opponent. There is nothing, no one, who could stop him.

With the possible match up against Fernando Montiel this February, Nonito is in for his toughest test. He is very motivated. It’s been years, since he fought a real competition, against a cocky Armenian in Vic Darchinyan way back three years ago. The case was he was too good and too risky to fight. Champions belonging on the same division opt to go in a different way. Nonito had to make a decision in moving up where competitions are greater and the risk is bigger. Sydorenko was his first litmus test in the Bantamweight division, and he passed in flying colors.
This is not about chasing legacies or chasing Manny Pacquiao. He knows there won’t be any other Manny. Not in this lifetime… This is all about an opportunity to prove that he belongs there on the top. And Fernando Montiel is his ticket.

At 28 years old, there are still a lot of mountains to climb and a lot of battles to conquer. After Montiel, there are still Israel Vasquez, Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. and Steve Molitor, who could give him a good fight if he goes up again one division higher.

Nonito, thank the crowd after his amazing performance against Sydorenko. The crowd appreciated and cheered him all the way back to the tunnel. It was more like a sparring session rather than a fight. But it was a masterful performance by a crafty and gifted fighter. Nonito smiled as he moves forward back to his dressing room. he was overly happy because after Sydorenko, for the first time in such a long time he finally gets the fight he wanted-Montiel then the world…

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Nonito Donaire v.s. Volodymyr Sydorenko Fight Download

Posted on 05 December 2010.

Download now Nonito’s latest fight against former WBA Bantamweight Champion Sydorenko on to the mega fight against Fernando Montiel this February..

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UBQJ7T1N

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Juan Manuel Marquez: Pleads his case as Pacquiao’s next opponent

Posted on 02 December 2010.

The proud Mexican, Juan Manuel Marquez shows his “Marquez beat Pacquiao twice” shirt in the crowd with a confident grin on his face. After his win against his tough challenger Michael Katsidis for nine rounds, Marquez is once again closed in making a third fight against his nemesis and the world’s pound per pound fighter Manny Pacquiao.

In every sentence, you always end up with a period. And with Pacquiao-Marquez there are still a lot of uncertainties and questions left unanswered, doubts needed to be erased. Marquez pleads his case as the next Pacquiao opponent. He believes he was never been dominated by Manny like the way his Mexican counterparts have.

Marquez salvage a draw on their first meeting, even if he was down three times in the first round. He went twelve full rounds against Manny on their rematch and lost via a split decision. It was like watching a movie without an ending, even though you already know how the script ends, but still it left you intrigue and curious.

The Last time Manny fought in the 130 pounds division was with Marquez. And going up fighting David Diaz as a lightweight all the way to the super welterweight division against Antonio Margarito, he was fighting with a sense of urgency, and a different battle cry. He was a totally different fighter now compared to his last fight with Marquez. It was an evolution from a one sided fighter to a complete and technical fighter. Marquez’s chances of winning against Manny seem to be a bit dimmer and dimmer. But he never doubted himself. Never…

He fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in spite giving up a lot of weight advantage. He doesn’t believe in disadvantages. He just knows that you have equal chance of hitting and hurting each other in the ring.

People considered a third meeting with Manny as a mismatch and a massacre in the making. But Marquez knew he was very closed in winning against Pacquiao. He believes he has the tool to beat Manny and no matter how good or better he is now. He still feels he is the same Manny, he fought way back in 2004.

Maybe it’s Marquez’s confidence with his unwavering belief that he could beat Manny.
Pacquiao has already made his intention on staying as a welterweight so that means Marquez will have to go up to challenge him. And it was no secret how bloated and how slow Marquez is when he fought Floyd Jr.

Nobody thinks he could win against Pacquiao. But Marquez is confident and sturdy on his stand. He knows he can win. Even if his two fights against Manny came out not favorable, but he knows he won that fight.

A confident and cocky Marquez thank the crowd and wanted a trilogy with Pacquiao. Nobody can say no… it’s not even on Marquez’s vocabulary, and if there are questions then look closely… His shirt says it all.

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Manny Pacquiao Camp Accuses Antonio Margarito of Ephedra Use

Posted on 15 November 2010.

Long before Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito steps in the ring, Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach wanted a pre fight urinalysis test for Margarito as he accused team Margarito taking a bottle mixed with Ephedra according to Billy Keane who witness the wrapping of Antonio’s hands who later confirmed to Kevin Iole the Yahoo sports columnist that he saw a Hydroxycut pill mixed with coffee given to Margarito, although Hydroxycut claimed that it is Ephedra free since 2004 but it has the exact same formula with the presence of hydroxylean which basically contains Ephedra.

So what is Ephedra? It is an herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine used for treatments of asthma and other respiratory ailments. It is also found in herbal products for weight loss, athletic performance and physical and mental stimulation. This is currently banned in the US. The Ephedra containing supplements are associated with stroke, seizures, psychosis and even death. Many have been tested positive including the Argentine footballer and hall of famer Diego Maradona
It suddenly made perfect sense. Margarito could have used the pill to get into the contracted weight limit considering his woes on weight issues. But everything is assumed and baseless. Ephedra supplements are mostly used by athletes to enhance athletic performance and I hope this issue would prove to be a groundless accusation because if proven guilty this would be another stain on Margarito’s reputation. He already has a massive advantage with his weight, height and reach. He is almost 5 inch tall and weighs about 17 pounds more on Manny in fight night. Taking athletic enhance supplements could give him far more superior chances of winning. It was Pacquiao’s ring smarts, speed and accuracy that gave him a win but if it was a lesser known fighter, Margarito could have killed him.

Antonio is still innocent until proven guilty. But somehow someone has to remind Margarito it’s not all about winning it’s still how you play the game. He fought Manny Pacquiao valiantly in a losing effort and this could simply ruin everything. Say isn’t so Margarito… Say isn’t so.

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Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito HBO PPV and Skysports Full fight download with Torrent

Posted on 14 November 2010.

I know everybody is waiting for this one… Anyways there are two versions the HBO coverage and the British Skysports…
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