WOW Pinoy: Sports

Larsen and Cabral of NCR

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, October 24, 2008

Dumaguete’s Wayne Larsen and Rachel Cabral of the National Capital Region (NCR) complete the Philippine men’s and women’s national recurve teams that will see action in the 3rd Asian Archery Grand Prix later this month at the Ateneo grounds. Larsen is the only non-NCR player in the men’s recurve team that is named by the National Archery Association of the Philippines (NAAP). Other members Florante Matan, Marvin Cordero, Paul dela Cruz, Neil Divinagracia and Zander Lee Reyes Cabral will be joined by Joann Tabanag and Marie Cabral in an all-NCR women’s recurve team, which was finalized by the NAAP in time for the October 25 to 31 Grand Prix. In the compound event, the men’s team is be made up of NCR’s Earl Yap, Kit Cojuangco, Cristian Cubilla, Fermin Barrenechea and Jorge Vargas, and Cebu’s Dondon Sombrio. The women’s squad will have a mixed group composed of national team mainstay Jennifer Chan of Dumaguete, Bacolod bet Arlene Infante, NCR’s Abigail Tindugan, and Kristin Bismark and Quinnie Cabuguason of Gandiva Sports.

They have a very competitive team that they sure will contend for honors not only in the Southeast Asian Championship but also in the Asian Grand Prix. The NAAP came out with the final RP team roster after the second leg of the qualifying event at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City. Both recurve and compound teams will undergo extensive training under Korean coach Won Tae, who is a former Olympian. Eleven countries have so far confirmed of sending teams in the Grand Prix and the Southeast Asian Championship. The teams are Chinese-Taipei, Bhutan, Qatar, Mongolia, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Iran and North Korea. The NAAP has also extended the deadline to give the other interested countries to submit their respective line ups in the dual event.

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World Ten Ball gets going sans Filipino stars

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, October 02, 2008

For sure, the first-ever World Ten Ball Championship will not see a “Magician” or a toothless wonder as champion. Neither will it crown a “Lion” as one. Heck, even “Superman” will not get his chance at redemption in a setting as big as the one last year, when nerves proved to be his kryptonite. Neither will the world’s No. 1 player be around. But even then, the foreign contingent in the $400,000 tournament still believes that the Philippines has a formidable cast in the event which gets going Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. “As Filipinos, they should be here, playing,” German top gun Ralf Souquet told the Philippine Daily Inquirer during the event’s launch Sunday at the Sofitel Hotel. “We wouldn’t do that in Germany. Everyone will play for (our) country. “Their absence doesn’t take anything away from the (local) field,” he added. “Not having them doesn’t mean that it would make a foreigner a sure winner. The Philippines still has a lot of mighty good players out there.”

Souquet, a former World Pool Championship (9-ball) winner, was referring to a group of top Filipino players—led by fellow ex-world champs Efren “Bata” Reyes, Ronnie Alcano and Alex Pagulayan, last year’s WPC runner-up Robert Gomez, and current world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo—which opted to sit out the event because of differences with organizers. But the bald-headed German believes that “anyone among the Filipinos (in the field)” could still pocket the $100,000 top prize and earn the distinction of being the first 10-ball world champion. “I don’t have much experience playing 10-ball,” Souquet confessed. “I have played, maybe, 8 to 10 tournaments in the last 10 years. Though I only won one, in 1999, in Charlotte (North Carolina), I’m giving myself a good chance here.” Left to spearhead the local fight are Marlon Manalo, Antonio Gabica and the flamboyant Jeffrey de Luna, a trio of players which Malta’s Tony Drago, undoubtedly the fastest player in the world, said is talented enough to represent one country.

“The Philippines is well represented,” Drago said. “Not having those players just took a little spice out of the event. But the Philippines remains formidable. “And besides, who would want to miss playing here,” he asked. “Playing pool in the Philippines is like playing soccer in Brazil.” Manalo refused to acknowledge the pressure of being one of a few who is now being looked upon to deliver for the Filipinos. “It would have been better had they been here,” Manalo, the recently crowned national champion, said of Reyes and company. The opening ceremonies will be at 10 a.m. Monday. The draw was held late Sunday night. A total of 128 players in the main draw will be divided into groups of six who will play a double elimination format. Play shifts to knockout in the last three days.

Wu Chia-ching, another former 9-ball champ, banners the rock-solid Taiwanese delegation. Though he will be playing with a borrowed cue stick after losing his old one, worth more than P300,000, in a cab in Guangzhou, China, Wu is also giving himself a good chance. Shane Van Boening, the consensus player to beat in last year’s WPC won by Englishman Daryl Peach, is also among the favorites.

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Iris Rañola and Rubilen Amit making headway in world billiards

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Philippines’ top women billiards players, Iris Rañola and Rubilen Amit, are making big strides in the world of pool. After only a few years in the sport, Iris and Rubilen are now eyeing a much bigger stake, that of joining the handful of women billiards greats. I say that is not hard to achieve. They are still young, thus I expect many good years ahead of them. Rañola recently won the Arizona Women’s Billiards Tour in Tucson, nosing out American Emily Wilmoth, 7-6, in the finals. According to RP team coach Boyet Asonto, Wilmoth had asked for a break after a 4-4 stalemate and, when play resumed, the American stormed to a 6-4 lead. But the Philippine bet did not lose heart and squared the count before scoring a dramatic come-from-behind 7-6 victory. A native of Divisoria, Zamboanga, Rañola earlier finished runner-up at the US Women’s Open 9-Ball tournament. A mainstay of Puyat Sports, Rañola also won last year’s national women’s pool championship under the

Amit needs no further introduction. A former call center employee, Amit is the country’s foremost and most popular woman billiards player today. She won two gold medals at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games and finished runner-up to China’s Pan Xiaoting at the 2007 Amway WPA Women’s 9-Ball Championship at the Taipei Gymnasium in Taiwan. On her way to the finals, Amit, now 26, upset two former world champions, Kim Ga-young of South Korea and Allison Fisher of Britain. After her smashing performance, Amit thanked sportsman Aristeo “Putch” Puyat for sponsoring her trip to Taipei; coaches Boyet Asonto and Ramon Ancaja, teammates Mary Ann Basa, Johanna Dee and Rañola for staying by her side; her parents and, most especially, the Lord Almighty for giving her many blessings.

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Pinoy booters in Norway Cup

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, September 29, 2008

The Philippines’ junior booters, Rizal Football, swept all of their seven games to win the gold in the Norway Cup held at the Baekkelagets Sportsklub open fields. Team Philippines, represented by students from Colegio de San Agustin in Makati and Southridge School in Alabang, won its last three games demolishing their opponents en route to winning the gold. Rizal Football scored consecutive wins over Lyn 2, 4-1l Gruner, 2-0; and Holmlia, 3-1. They also scored back-to-back victories against Hakadal, 5-1, and Hoybr/Stovn, 5-2. Team Philippines had a strong start in the week-long tournament with a 10-0 crushing of Norway’s Strømmen.

Another Norwegian team, Nordstrand, also became their victims after scoring a 4-1 win on Sunday. The 15-member team, despite complaining of stiff legs and tiredness, won all their games because of their willingness to win and boosted by the cheering Filipino community. “I have my complete confidence with them," said coach Potenciano Fernandez, who added that all asked from the team is their “heart". Fernandez led the 15-man Filipino delegation who came from Denmark to Oslo to compete at the week-long tournament. Dubbed as the world’s largest youth football tournament, the Norway Cup is now on its 36th year. Some 1,500 teams with 30,000 participants from 50 countries competed in the event where 4,400 matches were played held at 62 football fields.

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Filipino in Europe leagues

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, September 27, 2008

Young football/soccer players with Filipino heritage are showing class and poise in Europe’s top leagues in England, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. The one at the top of his class is Fil-British youngster Neil Etheridge, The 18 year old, is the number two goal keeper for the Fulham FC, which plays in the English Primiere League. Brothers Chris and Simon Greatwich are also exceptional players. Chris, 23, plays as a midfielder for West Brom while his 20-year-old brother, Simon suits up for Ewes in the Coca-Cola Cup in England. Fil-Dutch Jason De Jong, a midfielder, represents NAC Brenda, a first division team in the Netherlands. Fil-Danish Jerry Lucena, 28, also a midfielder, plays for AGF FC, a first division team in Denmark. Fil-German Stephan Schrock plays for a first division team in the German national league.

Fil-American Chad Gould, 26, on the other hand, saw action for the AFC Wimbledon team in England. Pinoy booters have also done well in the U-S with Fil-Am Henry Brauner, 24, a midfielder who plays in the NCAA. This new breed of talent are set to be tapped as the Philippines gears up for the upcoming ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Elimination Cup in Cambodia. Newly-installed RP men’s coach Juan Cutillas said four Fil-Britons, two Fil-Americans, one Fil-Dutch, Fil-Danish and Fil-German will reinforce the RP team in the Asian meet set for Oct. 17 to 25. The Philippines will be up against the host Cambodia, Brunei, Laos and East Timor in the eliminations where the top two finishers will advance into the next round which will be played in Thailand and Indonesia.

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Michele Bumgarner - first woman champ of Rock Island GP

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, September 26, 2008

Asian Karting queen Michele Bumgarner made history in the Rock Island Grand Prix in Illinois by becoming the first female champion in the world’s largest street kart racing event. Bumgarner bagged the Tag Seniors crown, also earning her the distinction as the seventh foreign-born winner in the event’s 14-year history. With the victory, the media is now making comparison of her to Danica Patrick, who also emerged the first female champion of Rock Island’s counterpart, the Indy Racing League, last April. The 19 year old bet surprised everyone as a first-timer in the event when she piloted the Margay Team to a 1-2-3-4 finish and clocked 11 minutes and 24.144sec. Teammate Kyle Erdmann came in 0.916sec behind for second place, while Scott Hamble and Brett Johnson finished third and fourth places, respectively.

For years, the Rock Island Grand Prix has been known as a stepping stone to barge into the Indy Racing League (IRL) and has drawn hundreds of entries annually from all over the world, including Argentina, Bermuda, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, France, Italy and Mexico as well as Canada and the United States. “This will stick with me my whole career. Everyone goes on about how great this race is and it’s special that this is my first time here and my first win here. I hope to come back,” said Bumgarner, who credited the support of Margay’s experienced crew that includes crew chief and former RIGP champ Rick Fulks and RIGP’s winningest racer until last year Jason Birdsell. Bumgarner is also backed up by Petron XCS, Spectrum-OSO Asia, Department of Tourism, Molecule, City Kart Racing, Oakley and Goodyear.

“I’ve got fantastic support here,” Bumgarner said. “How could I not be up front?” Even RIGP officials were impressed, predicting a promising racing career for Bumgarner who’s planning to move to Indianapolis to pursue hopes of going the Indy Racing League route by the end of the year. “I think she has a pretty bright career ahead of her, and it depends on how that career goes,” RI Grand Prix president Roger Ruthhart said. “It served us well when Scott Speed went on to Formula One, with him saying how he had been a Rock Island Grand Prix champion. It could be the same thing with Michele.” Bumgarner didn’t come to Rock Island with expectations to win. But the media already speculated her historic feat after posting a top qualifying speed of 33.096 seconds that made her the first female pole-winner in RIGP history. “I didn’t come here intending to be a trailblazer, but it’s an extra perk,” she said. “What I know is, it was going to be a close race to the end.”

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Orcollo bags Guinness 9-Ball crown in Guangzhou

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, September 22, 2008

The Philippines' Dennis Orcollo improved on his runner-up finish in the Singapore leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Championships by winning the Guangzhou, China stop by beating Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Hung Hsiang in the finals, 11-7. Orcollo whipped the “Son of Pool” Yang Ching Shun in the semis after compatriot Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan. Incidentally, Pagulayan defeated Orcollo in Singapore. Pagulayan, meanwhile, blew a great chance for an all-Filipino final when he lost a 9-8 heartbreaker to Wang that was a mixture of some spectacular shots and forgettable errors. On Pagulayan's part, his gambles backfired during safety battles.

In the final battle, Wang took a 2-1 lead. Orcollo then ran off six of the next seven racks to lead 7-3 after a breathtaking safety battle marked by an incredible safety by the Filipino who is ranked No. 1 in the world. A lucky bank shot on the 1-ball enabled Wang to come to within 5-7 before he broke to get one more rack back to come to within one at 6-7. But Orcollo quickly eased the pressure somewhat to open up a two-rack lead at 8-6 . After Orcollo, who was leading 7-3, squandered his chances with a poor miss on the number 2 ball, Wang who won four of the last five racks closed to within one, 8-7, before the Filipino played a fantastic jump shot to go ahead, 9-7. He then cut the cue ball between the 4 and 6 balls to get to the hill9-7.

Both players felt the pressure and committed a series of errors but when Wang missed a fairly straightforward shot on the 2 ball which would have given him a chance to join Orcollo on the hill at 10-10. Orcollo seized the opportunity to clean up and pocket the top prize of $15,000.

Credit : abscbn news

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Joann Rolison wins in Kickboxing is half Pinay from UK

Written by Ms. Confuse on Sunday, September 21, 2008

Joann Rolison was just five years old when she learned karate from her British dad. Her father, John, is very much concerned for the safety of her daughter because of the worsening street violence involving the youth in London. He is a retired bomb disposal expert in the Hong Kong police whose wife, Leony, is a Pinay from Quezon City. In her tender age of 14 years old, Joann is world kickboxing champion in her division, and she recently won the European Taekwondo Championships in Italy. She received two gold medals under the 42-kilogram sparring category and team power event. Now a second dan black belt, Joann is member of the Master Wolf's Taekwondo Academies in Margate, Kent.

She is now in her sophomore year at the Grammar School. Joann is also doing well in academics, and has been active in other sports activities. With her rare skills in martial arts, Joann admits no one has dared to mess around with her. Despite having been raised in the United Kingdom, and behind the quiet and serious personality, Joann exudes some semblance of Filipino character. She likes Filipino food and its warm people.

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Pichay chess: Big start for So; Roca, Bancod stage upset wins

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, September 17, 2008

GM Wesley So of the Philippines did not waste time in hurdling his opening-day assignment in the fourth Prospero Pichay Cup international chess championship at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque City on Sunday. So, ever so eager to redeem himself following a so-so performance in the recent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup, where he finished only 25th, made short work of IM Aleksander Wohl of Australia in 42 moves of the Sicilian Dragon to serve strong notice of his title aspirations before a big crowd. The 14-year-old high school student from St. Francis College of Bacoor, Cavite, who is set to breach the ELO 2600 mark in the coming month, capitalized on Wohl's faulty knight push on the 16th move and came away with a crushing victory with the disadvantageous black pieces. "He (Wohl) made a weak knight move and I took advantage. Magandang simula ito," said the soft-spoken So, who is playing in his fifth straight international tournaments in less than two months. When the end came, So had three unstoppable queening pawns in a bishop versus knight endgame.

Sharing the limelight were IMs Petronio Roca and Ronald Bancod who provided the biggest upset wins for the day. Roca toppled No. 12 seed GM Konstantin Shanava of Uzbekistan in 58 moves of the Sicilian Dragon while Bancod stunned No. 14 seed GM Saidlali Iuldachev of in 57 moves of the Pirc. Three other well-known Filipino campaigners –GMs Mark Paragua, Darwin Laylo and Buenaventura "Bong" Villamayor – also made successful debuts.

Paragua shows top form
Paragua, the second highest-placed Filipino in the PGMA Cup, demolished NM Hamed Nouri in 40 moves of the Philidor, wile Laylo, a member of the Philippine team to the World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in November, crushed Jayson Salubre in a pair of all-Filipino matches. Villamayor outwitted WIM Irine Sukandar of Indonesia in 55 moves of the Queen's Indian. Top seed GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazkahstan whipped NM Ernesto Fernandez at the top board to lead the march of the favorites in this prestigious, nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). Meanwhile, second seed GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore and third seed GM Mikhail Mched lishvili of Georgia also hurdled their opening-day matches, beating Reggie Olay and Amir Mallahi of Iran, respectively. Fourth seed GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran settled for a draw with Wang Li of China, while fifth seed GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam halved the point with compatriot Nguyen Van Huy.

Newly-crowned PGMA Cup champion GM EugeneTorre begged off from participation at the last minute, saying he is still tired from winning the grueling, nine-round tournament which ended only last Friday. Torre, however, graced the colorful opening ceremony. In other notable results, GM-candidate Julio Catalino Sadorra outplayed Karl Victor Ochoa; GM-candidate John Paul Gomez downed NM Mirabeau Maga; IM Ronald Dableo crushed Xu Tong of China; IM Richard Bitoon humbled Wang Xiaochui of China; IM Barlo Nadera stopped Leonardo Carlos; Deniel Causo trounced Ali Branzuela; Haridas Pascua bested David Elorta; and University of Manila standout IM Chito Garma drew with IM Rolando Nolte; Pichay and GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore made the ceremonial moves during the colorful opening ceremony. Pichay Jr, the driving force behind the revival of Philippine chess in recent years, reiterated his commitment to the annual staging of the event that bears his name. He also said that the Philippines will hold five to six GM tournaments next year as part of the APAC Pro Tour 2008-09.

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Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz went for 12 rounds against Michael "The Great" Katsidis of Australia and was crowned new International Boxing Organization light

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, September 11, 2008

Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz went for 12 rounds against Michael "The Great" Katsidis of Australia and was crowned new International Boxing Organization lightweight champion in their "No Retreat, No Surrender" main event clash Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Ringside judge Gale Van Hoy scored the bout 116-112 while Levi Martinez had it 115-113, all in favor of the Houston fighter. Judge Glen Hamada, meanwhile, scored it 115-113 for Katsidis. Diaz was virtually unscathed throughout the fight. The Australian suffered a gash under the right eye and fought the remaining rounds with his right eye nearly closed after a barrage of punches from Diaz connected to the Australian's face.

Diaz now has 34 wins against a single loss with 17 victories coming by way of knockout. Katsidis, on the other hand, suffered his second loss in 23 fights. He has 20 KOs. Before the fight, “The Golden Boy” Oscar de La Hoya promised Katsidis that the judges chosen for his fight against hometown hero Diaz will be fair in their IBO lightweight title fight.

Katsidis assured of fair fight
De La Hoya reportedly stepped in to assure Katsidis of a fair shake when it was noted that two of the officials were Diaz’ fellow Texans. One of them is referee Laurence Cole, who was actually suspended earlier this year for telling a fighter he was ahead on points during a fight. During a final pre-fight press conference, the trainer/manager of Katsidis, Brendon Smith, said he wasn’t worried about who the officials were. Sports Nut, the Australian Web site quoted Smith as saying “the judges will be judged by the boxing fraternity and the millions of HBO viewers.”

Diaz is promoted by de La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. According to Smith, the six-time world champion assured him that there would be no problems and that they were “very fair promoters and the Texas Commission was a very fair group.” Katsidis said earlier he was “a lion entering the lion’s den” in reference to Diaz who is from Houston and is certain to get the full backing of an expected crowd of 10,000 at the Toyota Center.

Bloody co-main event
In the card's co-main event, a bloody match blood spilled out of Argentina's Jorge Barrios as he went down the canvas following a right hook by Texas' Rocky Juarez in their World Boxing Organization Latino junior lightweight championship. Juarez, who fought out of the blue corner, knocked out Barrios 2:55 in the 11th round of the 12-rounder. The two fighters slugged it out most of the 11 rounds but in the end, it was clear that Juarez outclassed the visiting opponent. Juarez now has a win-loss record of 28-4 with 20 wins via knockout. Barrios, on the other hand, went down to 47-4 with 34 victories via KO. Earlier, Jesus "El Matador" Chavez stopped visiting Andres Ledesma of Colombia via technical knockout in the 9th round of their lightweight clash, also at the Toyota Center. Referee Bobby Gonzalez counted Ledesma out 42 seconds into the round following a right hook by Chavez. Chavez, of Austin, also floored Ledesma in the 7th round. With his win, Chavez improved his win-loss record to 44-4 with 31 victories coming by way of KO. Ledesma, meanwhile, dropped to 14-1-1 win-loss-draw slate. He has nine KOs.

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Bustamante tops NYC Billiards Championship

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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Francisco “Django" Bustamante lost to Neils Feijen of The Netherlands, 200-11, in the championship round of the World 14.1 Straight Pool Championships held Saturday in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Feijen stormed to an 80-0 lead and never looked back to win $14,000. Bustamante settled for the runner-up purse worth $6,000 (P277,740).

To reach the finals, Bustamante defeated Danny Harriman of the US 200-137, Huidji See of The Netherlands 200-141 and Jasmin Ouschan of Austria 200-148 in that order.

The object of straight pool, also called the 14.1 game, is to pocket as many balls as possible to reach the required number of points. One ball is equivalent to one point.

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Pinoy wins body-building contest in California

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, September 08, 2008

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Anothe Pinoy that gives win to Filipino pride.

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Iris Rañola wins Arizona Women's Billiard Tour

Written by Ms. Confuse on Sunday, September 07, 2008

Filipino cue artist Iris Rañola won the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour stop in Tucson, Arizona by beating Emily Wilmoth of the US. A report posted on BilliardPhilippines.com said the Zamboanga native scored 7-6 against Wilmoth and came out as the top winner among 26 competitors. National coach Boyet Asonto said the two pool players battled each other to a 4-4 tie before Wilmoth called for a break. When they returned, Wilmoth surged ahead by two racks.

Rañola bounced back to take the next three and won the game. The Filipino pocketed the $500 top prize. Rañola defeated American Michelle Micik, 7-3, on her way to the finals. Wilmoth also beat Micik, 7-4, to arrange a titular showdown with the Filipino. The Filipino is coming off a runner-up finish in this year's WPBA US Open 9-Ball before competing in Arizona.

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Pacquiao to undergo most grueling training vs De la Hoya

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, September 06, 2008

World Boxing Council lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao is set to undergo perhaps the most grueling training in his boxing career for his December 6 fight against the much bigger ten-time world champion Oscar de la Hoya. The Filipino boxing champ said that prized coach Freddie Roach has already prepared their training strategy in anticipation of the mega-fight, which is slated to be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. “May ibang style at tactics na ipi-nrepare si Freddie Roach ara sa laban,” said Pacquiao. However, he declined to reveal their training plan to media citing that the fight is still months away. Pacquiao is expected to fly to the US this month to train at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. He also said earlier that the de la Hoya bout will be his most difficult fight in his stellar career.

Roach, however, knows the kinks in de la Hoya's fighting style since he trained the fighter against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather Sr. out as de la Hoya’s trainer?
Coach Floyd Mayweather Sr., who was earlier tapped to train de la Hoya for a rematch versus Mayweather Jr., looks like he won't be involved in the De la Hoya-Pacquiao bout. A report posted on IronBoxing.com said, the trainer has not heard from de la Hoya since he fought Steve Forbes last May. “I haven’t spoken with Oscar since around the Steve Forbes fight. I got to do what I got to do. That’s good for myself and my family,” said Mayweather Sr. Mayweather Sr. was supposed to train de la Hoya against the younger Floyd. The fight, however, was cancelled when Mayweather Jr. decided to retire. Mayweather Sr. now trains IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton for his fight against IBF king Paulie Malignaggi on November 22. However, if de la Hoya decides to retain his services for a coaching job against Pacquiao, Mayweather Sr. said he would have to train the boxing star with Hatton. “We can all go to Big Bear and we can all work together. I’ll train both of them at different times and we’ll all learn from each other and we can all go on runs together,” he said.

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Windfall continues for RP wushu team

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, September 05, 2008

The windfall continues for the Philippine wushu team following the successful stint at the special demonstration event at the recently-concluded Beijing Olympics. Team member Willie Wang, 24, has so far had pocketed P6 million worth of bonuses for winning the gold medal in the nanquan or form event of the demonstration sport. He also received P5 million from Malacañang, aside from the P500,000 given by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. Beverage giant San Miguel Corp. (SMC) also handed Wang a P500,000-check Wednesday as a tribute to his success. Asked what he is going to do with the money, Wang said, "Bibili naman ako laptop para sa sarili ko and cellphone para mamagamit ko’t makapag-Internet. Kasi minsan nag-iisa ako [kapag nasa-training]”.

SMC also awarded other members of the team who won medals in their respective events. Combat event silver medalist Mary Jane Estimar received P250,000, while bronze winners Marian Mariano and Benjie Rivera got P125,000 each. Despite their exclusion from the Olympics’ official medal tally count, the success of the national wushu team provided the country the much-needed consolation following the Philippines' failure to win a medal from official sporting events

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4 GMs in young RP squad to Chess Olympiad

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, September 05, 2008

A new-look Philippine team led by International Master John Paul Gomez and Grandmaster Wesley So will compete in the 38th Chess Olympiad set in Dresden, Germany, from Nov. 12 to 25. The 22-year-old Gomez and the 14-year-old So wound up 1-2 in the National Chess Federation of the Philippines qualifiers that ended Sunday night at the Kaban ng Hiyas Building in Mandaluyong City. Joining them in the team bidding to improve on its 44th-place effort in the 2006 Turin Olympiad are GMs Bong Villamayor, Jayson Gonzales and Darwin Laylo, who finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 17-round qualifier. Gomez, a mechanical engineering student at De La Salle University, drew his final-round match with fellow IM Rolando Nolte after 31 moves of the French defense to fend off So’s rally with 13 points. So, the country’s highest-ranked player with an ELO of 2577, handed Gomez his lone defeat in the 16th round and then bested IM Ronald Bancod in 28 moves of a Caro Kann to finish with 12.5 points.

The 41-year-old Villamayor will be vying in his fifth Olympiad with 11.5 points, while Laylo will be making his third straight appearance with 10 points. Gonzales, a veteran of the 2004 Calvia Olympiad, matched Laylo’s total following a draw with National Master Leonardo Carlos in 30 moves of a King’s Indian Defense. Laylo outplayed IM Chito Garma in 31 moves of the English Opening while Villamayor split the point with GM Mark Paragua after 30 moves of the Slav. Actually, Paragua wound up tied with Gonzales and Laylo at 10 points but he missed the Olympiad berth with a lower tiebreak score.

Final men’s standings:
13.0 points—J. Gomez; 12.5—W. So; 11.5—B. Villamayor; 10.0—J. Gonzales, D. Laylo, M. Paragua; 9.5—C. Garma; 9 – L. Carlos,R. Nolte; 8.5—J. Sadorra; 7.5—R. Bancod, R. Bitoon; 6.5—N. de le Cruz; 6.0—J. Nodado, H. Pascua, J. Habla; 5.5—B. Nadera; 5.0—E. Gatus.

Final women’s standings:
8.0—C. Perena; 7.5—Shercila Cua, D. Rivera; 7.0—C. Camacho; 6.0—C.. Bernales, Sherily Cua, J. Fronda; 5.0—C. Mariano; 4.5—K. Cunanan; 3.5—R. Young; 3.0—E. Magno; 2.0—E. Tumbos.
inquirer,net

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Roach: No go if De La Hoya weighs in at 150 lbs

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, September 05, 2008

Manny Pacquiao could earn as much as $23 million against Oscar De La Hoya, but trainer Freddie Roach says there will be no fight if the American comes in at 150 lbs for the Dec. 6 scrap at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “I know I’d be under tremendous pressure and I know my guy will say, ‘screw the weight, let’s fight,’ but my job is to protect the fighter. If De La Hoya comes in at 150, I’ll say ‘no fight!”’ Roach was quoted by sweetscience.com as saying. At three pounds over the agreed fight weight of 147 lbs., Roach said De La Hoya, already taller by four inches and enjoying a longer reach by six inches, would be too much of a danger for the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao. Although he would paying Pacquiao $3 million for every pound over the weight limit, De La Hoya would be way too comfortable with his poundage and at fight time could be at his fighting form of 154 lbs, Roach added. “If he’s (De La Hoya) too far over I’ll make him make 147,” Roach said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to try something like buying his way to 150 but three pounds over is a huge difference. A contract is a contract. The contract weight is 147. Make it. I want him to work as much as possible.”

It was Pacquiao’s former business manager Rod Nazario, who earlier said the Filipino champ should get no less than $20 million from the fight. “He (Pacquiao) told me he will try to get $30 million, I told him that’s better,” said Nazario. “He could very well retire after that fight if he wants to.” The computation is largely based on the pay-per-view buys, which could range from $49.95 to as much as $54.95 per household. Even if the fight just hits the $100 million mark, on the projected 2 million PPV buys, the fighters would be splitting $50 million with the other half going to HBO. Still, many are expecting the proceeds to exceed the standards set by the De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight which last year grossed a reported $120 million. The May 18 fight had 2.4 million PPV buys. All told, Mayweather, 31, reportedly pocketed $22 million. Gate receipts at the 17,000-seater MGM Grand could reach as much as $20 million, the reported figure that the De La Hoya-Mayweather earned.

From there, the amount both fighters will share profits could hit $70 million. And since Pacquiao is taking 33 percent of the pie, the reigning pound-for-pound king stands to earn $23.1 million. Pacquiao also owns the TV and cable rights for Philippine viewing and his MP Promotions is a partner of the co-organizing Top Rank. Roach, whose comment that Golden Boy no longer has what it takes to pull the trigger infuriated De La Hoya into pursuing the fight, said weight loss would be taxing on Oscar’s 35-year-old body. Then there’s the pressure of facing a fast-moving target who also hits hard like Pacquiao. “I don’t think we can knock out Oscar with one punch. He’s the bigger guy. He’s used to being hit by bigger punches. But Manny can break him down by making him work three minutes of every round,” said Roach. inquirer.net

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Talisa Mari dela Rosa wins Gold in 2008 Skate Asia

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, September 05, 2008

Figure skater Talisa Mari dela Rosa took the spotlight in the 2008 Skate Asia after winning a gold medal in the Light Entertainment Spotlight event in Sunway Pyramid Ice in Malaysia. A seventh grader at the St. Paul College-Pasig, Dela Rosa also bagged a silver medal in Artistic and Interpretative event and bronze in Technical and Footworks event. Also a member of Team Philippines-Megamall, De la Rosa actually begged off from the competition earlier to concentrate on her studies but her love for the sport convinced her to rejoin the squad at the last minute. De la Rosa was also a gold winner in last year’s edition of the tournament.

Other winners from Team Philippines-Megamall were gold medalists Ashleigh Nordstrom (freestyle 3) and? Jerico Lim (freestyle 9), while Agniella Machate, Alyzza Nordstrom, Nigelle and Symba Lim, Beatrice Fajardo, Angela Alfonso, Gimelle Ballesteros, Angelica Elmido, Mary Ann Limjoco, Danica and Dayanara Icanarom, Anna Ruiz, Jelly delos Santos also won numerous medals. First held in Hong Kong in 1989, the annual Skate Asia competition has grown into a prestigious competition in Asia. The United States, Canada and Middle East countries also took part in the event. (goodnewspilinas.com) image by ~orlandomylover

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3 Filipino to figure in world-title fights

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, September 05, 2008

3 more Filipino boxers will figure in world-title matches for the remainder of the year led by 2007 RP Athlete of the Year Nonito Donaire. Donaire (19-1 win-loss record) puts his International Boxing Federation flyweight belt on the line when he faces Moruti Mthalane of South Africa on November 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It will be Donaire’s first fight since December 2007 when he defeated Luis Maldonado via eighth-round technical knockout in Connecticut. It was Donaire’s first title defense. Mthalane, who comes in with a 22-1 win-loss slate, is in his first world-championship affair. He defeated Hussein Hussein of Australia last July in a title eliminator which awarded Mthalane the world-title shot. Donaire, who was voted by the Philippine Sportswriters Association as co-Athlete of the Year for 2007, is currently training at the Top Rank Gym with his father Nonito Sr. “We’ve already seen some of the tapes of Mthalane," Donaire’s father told Philboxing.com Tuesday. “[Mthalane] is a very tough kid. He always comes to fight. We’re not taking him lightly."

Gerry Peñalosa vs. Abner Mares (World Boxing Organization bantamweight championship) World bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa takes on a challenger 14 years his junior when he stakes his World Boxing Organization title against Abner Mares of Mexico reportedly as one of the undercards in the Manny Pacquiao-Oscar de la Hoya battle royale in December. Peñalosa, 36, has agreed in principle to face Mares, 22, for Peñalosa’s second defense of his WBO throne. Peñalosa (53-6-2 win-loss-draw) was supposed to be inside the ring on September 20 in a title defense set in Tubod, Lanao del Norte, but the handlers of Nestor Rocha, Peñalosa’s scheduled opponent, backed out reportedly because of the peace and order situation in Mindanao. In his last fight, Mares, who is undefeated in 17 matches, won over fellow Mexican Jonathan Arias via 10-round unanimous decision last June in California. Peñalosa’s last bout was in April when he TKO’d Ratanachai sor Vorapin of Thailand at the Araneta Coliseum. It was Peñalosa’s first defense of his WBO belt.

The other Filipino world champions besides Donaire and Peñalosa are Pacquiao (World Boxing Council lightweight champion) and Donnie Nietes (WBO minimumweight champion). Sonny Boy Jaro vs. Edgar Sosa (World Boxing Council light-flyweight championship) Sonny Boy Jaro debuts on the world-title stage on September 14 when he takes on World Boxing Council light-flyweight champion Edgar Sosa in Sosa’s hometown in Mexico City. It’ll be a tough assignment for Jaro (28-6-5), who will face an opponent who hasn’t lost in five years. The Jaro bout is Sosa’s sixth defense of the world championship he won in March 2007 against US-raised Filipino Brian Viloria. In his last bout, Sosa defeated Takashi Kunishige last June via TKO in the eighth round. The match was also held in Sosa’s home country. Jaro won a split decision over Along Denoy of Bohol last June in Puerto Princesa. That fight was for the vacant Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation light-flyweight throne. Viloria is also scheduled for a mandatory IBF world-title appearance but Gary Gittlesohn, Viloria’s American manager, reportedly said the date and venue has not been finalized. – GMANews.TV

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De La Hoya has to lost and gain

Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, September 01, 2008

It was speculation that was ridiculed months ago, but an Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight is no laugher. Not anymore. What first had been rumored nearly six months ago is deadly serious. De La Hoya and Pacquiao agreed last week to fight at 147 pounds. Only the scale can put that in perspective. De La Hoya, who hasn't fought at 135 pounds in more than 12 years, has a date on Dec. 6 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand against Pacquiao, who fought at 135 for the first time in March. If it sounds as though it is off the scale, it is. In fact, that's why the fight is happening. On the financial scale, De La Hoya-Pacquiao has a chance to rival record revenues generated by Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s victory over De La Hoya in May 2007. In a conference call Thursday, De La Hoya talked about other motivations, including comments from Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who was in De La Hoya's corner for the loss to Mayweather.

For a couple of months, Roach has been saying that De La Hoya would be the only big-name, bigger fighter Pacquiao would face. Roach has said a lot of things about De La Hoya. But one word sums it up: shot. Roach doesn't think there is much left to De La Hoya, the best known and wealthiest fighter of the current generation and several more. "I have to figure out a way to pull the trigger - the way Roach said," said De La Hoya, who is 3-3 in his past six fights. That trigger, the instinctive ability to throw punches, has appeared dormant, especially in De La Hoya's last outing in a decision over a smaller Steve Forbes. Maybe size will prevail. At a listed 5-10 1/2, De La Hoya, who has never fought at a weight lighter than 130, is 4 inches taller than Pacquiao, who is listed at 5-6 1/2 and started his career in the Philippines at a reported 107 pounds.

Pacquiao, who will jump junior-welterweight (140) altogether, believes his speed will be too much for De La Hoya, who could not counter Mayweather's quickness and had trouble dealing with it against an overmatched Forbes. The bout itself looks like a dilemma for De La Hoya, fighter and promoter. As a fighter with a Hall of Fame legacy, De La Hoya has a lot to lose. Pacquiao, the little guy, has little to lose. But De La Hoya, the promoter, has plenty to gain. On second thought, maybe it's not a dilemma at all.

Golden Boy fan
Beijing Olympic gold-medalist Henry Cejudo, formerly of Phoenix Maryvale High, said he would be a boxer if he weren't America's best freestyle wrestler. When he's not on the mat, he said he is watching his favorite boxers. "I like them all, especially De La Hoya," Cejudo said. "I like everybody from Rocky Juarez to Hector 'Macho' Camacho. Yeah, all of them, really."

Briefs
On the AZ card: Phoenix super-featherweight Juan Garcia (14-1, 5 KOs), coming off his lone loss, is scheduled to fight Jose Hernandez (9-1, 3 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 12 at the Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler. Valley heavyweight and cruiserweight Erik Vega (8-2-1, 6 KOs) also is scheduled for the card. And there should be plenty for everybody in De La Hoya-Pacquiao, but percentages of the financial pie were not disclosed Thursday. According to initial reports, De La Hoya wanted 70 percent. But Pacquiao reportedly balked, demanding 40 instead of 30. Pick a figure somewhere in between, say 65 percent for De La Hoya and 35 for Pacquiao.