Pacquiao-Bradley Script!

For the first time in 7 years Philipines' top sports phenom Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao lost boxing match.  Pacquiao was defeated by undefeated Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley in a highly controversial match. The whole world was stunned by the decision.  The decision become trending in twitter with hashtags like #RIPBoxing. While many are mad about the decision, I am sure some are happy.  These are the people who could be happy with Bradley's win.

1. The Bettors. +350. I am sure that many made a killing. The mafia maybe or just an average Joe who needs the long shot to win so that he can pay for mortgage are some important medicine. Maybe Manny was the instrument someone who needs a big help. A miracle happened to some lucky gamblers. 
2. Gays. Pacquiao was deemed anti-gay marriage. I guess some homosexuals are saying, "that's for saying, we can't marry!".  Who knows, there is a judge who is gay or is close to someone gay. Judging a boxing match is based on opinion.  Now Manny knows that opinions can HURT A LOT!
3. Marquez or his fanatics. Finally, they can say "How does it feel now, Manny Boy?".  After hurting from 3 very close matches, this one for sure hurts more. Pacquiao might say he has accepted it but definitely it will hurt once it sinks in. A Philippine presidential candidate even died after losing a very controversial election loss.  Hopefully, Pacquiao can truly move on.
4. Gloria Arroyo ultra haters. It has been a bad year so far for ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA)'s supporters.  Corona got impeached. Pacquiao lost. Some close aides get sued.  It has been all downhill. Who's next?
5. Bradley and his team. He should be or he shouldn't be. Would you be elated to win the greatest robbery in boxing history? Would you want your name stained by it? At first glance though they should be happy. A major windfall could come if there is a rematch.  That is a big IF.
6. Bob Arum. Bob "Puppet Master" Arum is happy that he has found "a. A rival b. replacement" to his most prized boxer in recent years.  He can groom Bradley to be the heir apparent but apparently he can also just feed him to the dogs after being involved in the biggest heist in the square ring.  Arum is happy because he can make more money with the prospects of having a "fake" trilogy.
7. Nevada. With another supposed blockbuster card coming in November, the State of Nevada will be alive. Yohoo! Money to the economy! Hurray!!!
8. MMA. Mixed Martial Arts will use this to encroach and get more boxing fans to switch loyalties.  They have slowly developed stars that could eclipse the available stars of boxing. Dana White is smiling and he could probably invite Manny to switch over.

The original "script" supposedly calls for Manny lose a very close decision to Bradley. But Bradley freakin' blew it and judges were dumb to see that one of the actors was not convincing enough to merit a winning round.  As damage control, Arum has to act as if he did not want to be part of the "scam". Manny, being a good actor, just accepted the loss and is open for rematch. Many are even praising for being a gracious loser. LOL. They are selling the rematch a week earlier than the first fight. Is it just a plain coincidence? Manny is playing like the best actor of a very ugly play or movie.

The second part of the trilogy will have Manny win a close and similarly controversial decision. The major players on this script are Arum, HBO, and WBO. They are supposed to save boxing but they are equally giving it a sudden death. After the win, the Filipino hero would run for higher office. He could either end up a governor or a senator.

With the outrage of fans and writers, there will be major changes on the script for sure. Manny can also opt out and just scuttle all the plans of the conspirators. Will you be a part of the story? The plot thickens....

Links:
Pacquiao-Bradley 1: Unanimous Decision except by 2 official judges
WBO asked to review the fight (via philboxing.com)
Ford and Ross should be accountable (world boxing news)
Sad State of Boxing
If I were...The Day after Pacquiao lost

Overweight Mexican Boxers

Mexico produces the toughest boxers especially in the lower weights. They have been known to produce Hall pf Fame fighters like Julio Ceasar Chavez, Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, and countless professional boxing champions. This weekend though, a bunch of Mexican fighters were found overweight during the pre-fight weigh-in. 

First, the legendary Eric Morales was stripped of his WBC junior welterweight title after tipping the scales at 142 lbs which is 2 lbs over the limit. His opponent, Danny Garcia was paid an extra $50,000 to continue with the fight and have the chance to claim the championship belt outright. 

In Cebu, 2 Mexican boxers came for Pinoy Pride XIII and both were a bit overweight. Raul “El Bule” Hidalgo was able to shed the weight on his second attempt and he will be facing AJ "Bazooka" Banal. Javier Blanco, however, will be fighting OPBF champion Rocky “Road Warrior” Fuentes with 10 ounce gloves as a consequence for being overweight by 2 pounds. 

 Rodel Mayol's supposed title challenge for Hernan "Tyson" Marquez's WBA Light Flyweight belt is apparently cancelled because the Mexican champ was overweight. (see story on the link below)

 I do not know what has happened to these boxers.  The hardest part of being world class boxer is actually related to weight management. Maybe, it is fiesta season now in Mexico that these boxers cannot help but gorge on Nachos, Burritos, Chimichangas, and Tacos. I could probably be 300 lbs now if I lived in Mexico. It would be unfair though that their opponents will be fighting an overweight world-class Mexican fighter. It could be suicide. 

Good thing that Rodel Mayol is wise enough not to fight an oversized Mexican champ in front of passionate Mexican fans who want to see a Filipino fall. They really want to see a Pinoy KO victim because boxers like Manny Paquiao have somehow shown that Filipinos can beat the best of Mexico. The Filipino-Mexican rivalry has given boxers from both sides opportunities to visit and fight in the rival's turf. "Cheating" can easily happen via hometown decisions but cheating in weight is definitely a no-no. A trained boxer can easily kill someone 10 lbs lighter. 

 I hope that Mexican boxers can shape up and say no to Mexican goodies during training because the boxing world will miss some exciting bouts if these world-class Mexicans keep on going beyond the weight limits.

Links:

Mayol title fight cancelled
WBC regrets Morales not making weight
Weight Issues hound Pinoy Pride Challengers
Sad State of Boxing
Pinoy Pride 13 Results

Sad State of Boxing

Boxing has been one of the Philippines' top spectator sport. Majority of Filipinos, being sports fan or not, know their ring heroes. From Pancho Villa to Gabriel "Flash" Elorde to Rolando Navarette to Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire. These pugilists are our source of pride and are used as symbol of the Filipino's courage and masculinity. So popular is the sport that we see a lot of 18 year old Pinoys go pro rather than go to school. We cannot blame because out of the millions of Filipinos who finished college and even post-graduate studies, only few can claim to be earning as much as Congressman Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.
The same people who sermon about the dangers of the sport would be cheering and shouting every time the Pambansang Kamao bateers another Mexican fighter. So, are we gonna stop our kids from going to college and start taking boxing lessons instead? Recent events here and abroad can make you think twice. 
Three  recent incidents could in a way discourage many future wold-beaters to pursue a serious career in this sweet science.


Incident 1: Death of Karlo Maquinto 


21 year old Karlo Maquinto was promising young fighter from Ilo-ilo. He was an undefeated prospect (6-0-1) who was known to fight on and rally after a knockdown. He got knocked down twice in the opening round of his last fight and by sheer will, he was able to salvage draw to keep his unblemished record. He collapsed just as the results were announced. He left a very good impression to boxing fans in his last fight but as the saying goes, "he saved the best for last". Five days after the fight, Maquinto died because of some bleeding in his brain. His death raised many issues about how prepared were the organizers of the event. There are people questioning the lack of equipment like oxygen tanks. 
I only have one question, how can we make a dangerous sport safer? Just like in American Football, boxers are risking severe injuries every time they step on the ring. Broken hand, broken ribs, broken nose. and deep wounds are far too common occurrences. Even the greatest boxing champion (Ali) does not look so good years after retiring from boxing. While the NFL is becoming serious about concussions, the boxing world  probably do not even know what it means. Fans love to see boxers get pummeled and knocked out. People boo when 2 boxers are hugging and not dishing heavy pnishment to each other. They are the modern day gladiators. Just like gladiators many of them fight for freedom... freedom from poverty.
The boxing event when Maquinto died was a big event. It was not a boxing card in remote barangays.  It was televised and the promotion was big. If a "big" promotion can be dangerous, how much more are the little known events. Maquinto's death is an eye opener and the leaders of sport should take it seriously.


Incident 2: Donaire beats Vasquez


The Filipino Flash captured the WBO interim superbantamweight by dominating former champion Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. of Puerto Rico. Nonito Donaire practically won all rounds and yet he was surprised when the scorecards were announced, he was down 112-115 in the eyes of the first judge (Ruben Garcia). Luckily, the two other judges gave him the bout with a similar 117-110 score. Donaire scored the only knockdown of the match in the 9th round. How in the world a competent boxing judge can score a match against Donaire? I do not what criteria in judging was Ruben Garcia looking for in picking the winner of the fight. 
That is why a lot of boxers now want to KO his opponent or face the risk of being kayoed by the judges. Donaire almost got robbed. Many Filipino boxers have their dreams crushed by poor judging. They go to far away lands to try to grab some glory only being denied by hometown decisions.  It is probably one of the major reasons that there are very few Filipino boxing champs (it is a similar case of Filipino saints where we only have one even if we are the only Catholic country in Asia). 
To be a champ, one has to overcome great odds sometimes including the judges and the third man on the ring. It is not an easy path for the Filipino pugs.


Incident 3: Casimero gets mauled in a post-fight riot


Johnriel Casimero just became the newest Filipino world champion after capturing the IBF flyweight title by beating 40 year old Argentinean Luis Alberto Lazarte via tenth round knockout in Mar de Plata, Argentina. Before the official verdict could be announced, the partisan crowd started throwing debris and chairs towards the Filipino contingent. Some rowdy fans started to climb to the ring and attempted to maul Casimero and his handlers. The video look liked a riot of football fans after seeing the home team losing. The passion was there indeed and it almost killed our champion.
Even in victory, a boxer can now face the risk of losing his life from angry fans or probably bettors. Boxing is gambler's sport and it could go too far. Fans which could be short for fanatics can take their loyalty to the extreme.
Boxers now can be killed or hurt seriously by their opponents, judges, referees, ring officials, and fans. If you are brave enough to face many opponents (like the movie 300), then start taking up boxing. 


Links:
Pacquiao for VP in 2016???
Manny Pacquiao and his websites
Pro boxers in the 2016 Olympics??

Pro boxers in 2016 Olympics??

The executive committee of the International Boxing Association (Aiba) has approved a new program that will allow professional boxers to compete in the 2016 Rio de Janiero Games... More on the story.

Well, AIBA will now have a professional division.  That would be cool for our country but what does it truly mean? I guess AIBA realized the marketing potential of their boxers. By having stars, they can probably help the boxers earn some good income but also give the organization some new lifeblood. I guess the dangerous Cubans will no longer defect just to be pro. Here some issues and questions:

1. Rules and Officiating.  I just do not what will be there rules? Are they still going to use to their controversial point system to a system used in the pros which can be more controversial?  Is it still going to be 4-rounders? I cannot imagine a fighter fight 10 rounders in 5 consecutive days.

2. Promotions. With AIBA going to compete with WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO, we are just adding another alphabet in the muddled world of pro-boxing. Under the AIBA Professional Boxing (APB), fighters are exclusively fighting for APB and they cannot challenge the other alphabet belts. It is definitely harder now to find the real champion. Who will promote the fight? AIBA? How will they pay for the boxers and what is the cut for the organization? Are boxers going to be paid the same?

3. Implications in the Philippines. Will ABAP will directly compete now with the big promoters for the services of our boxers? Will allowing pros be good for our quest for boxing gold? 

While it is good that the sport of boxing be unified under one umbrella like basketball's FIBA, we still do not know how the big personalities of the sport would react to change. How will WBC for example react with this development. If we really want to find who is the best then why would they limit the competition to one organization? It will be exciting to see what happens next but I am sure once it is implemented I will expect to see weekly boxing cards here in Cebu.