Manny Pacquiao was on ESPN Today

For pride and country...

The Pacman with the Boston Celtics

There was no way I'm going to miss Pacquiao's bout with David Diaz. Our good friends , the Baels hosted the PPV event in their home and we gladly went there last night. I won't be indulging much with my views on the match but it is suffice to say that Manny was at his best last night and David Diaz was completely overwhelmed from start to finish. Besides, with the tremendous popularity of Pacquiao worldwide among boxing fans, he is a major draw and all legitimate boxing sportswriters never misses a beat when he fights. Call it a mismatch if you may but Manny Pacquiao was simply unbeatable in this fight. That 9th round KO was just a sort of needed coup de grâce.

Now officially a four division champ after wresting the WBC Lightweight Belt from Diaz and the first Asian to be so (five if only the belt was at stake contractually when he first fought Barrera in 2003 when Barrera was officially the WBC Featherweight champ), Pacquiao is recognized as the best pound for pound boxer right now. He is truly 'up there' together will boxing's all-time greats and immortals. And when you have the superstars of the newly crowned NBA champs, the Boston Celtics visit you in the dressing room after your fight, you can be assured the 'Pacman' is the real deal and has clearly reached 'Superstar' status even outside the Philippines. IMHO, this is even bigger than if Britney Spears was the one who visited him. Now if it was Scarlett Johansson, I will have to think about it, hehe!

video: Pacquiao with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Rajon Rondo

Manny Pacquiao Wins Over Barrrera Again

We had to go to church Saturday evening. We already know it's going to be a long night and waking the kids up for Sunday morning service will be quite an ordeal. Come fight time at 9pm, we all went to our friends Wowie and Pearly Villarta's house to watch the PPV event.

I am a boxing fan and I don't just wait for the main event to start before I put my gaze on the screen. From the first undercard to the last one before the M.E., I watched intently and they turned out to be very good matches. The first bout between Steve Forbes and Francisco Bojado was to me a highway robbery for Bojado. It was a split decision but I strongly felt Bojado should have won. Well, that is Las Vegas boxing, what can I say.

When the much awaited Pacquiao vs. Barrera II match is about to start, all the available sitting space filled up. It was quite a slow start for both fighters, understandably. No one wanted to try to finish the bout early, make a mistake and lose. Each fighter just had so much respect on the capabilities of the other fighter, especially Barrera. The problem is that Barrera was so overly cautious the whole night and if he can't get his game going, he'll just try to survive the night and not be knocked out. That's exactly what he did. Knowing he can't really penetrate the defense of Manny, as Manny is just too fast for him and Manny exhibiting excellent footwork, he just coasted along.

Manny was more of a boxer last night than his usual one man wrecking crew. There were spurts, but he clearly didn't want to beat Barrera down to kingdom come like what he did in their first encounter four years ago. If somebody was expecting a knockout, it was a disappointment but I believe Manny fought an intelligent fight. He knew he was winning almost every round. Why rush? Barrera didn't want to engage toe to toe and when he did, Manny was almost always ahead. He's just too fast for the aging Barrera. In the eleventh round, Barrera showed his true color by hitting Manny on the break and thus getting a one point deduction from referee Tony Weeks.

In the end it was a unanimous decision for Manny. Two judges scored it 118-109 but one judge by the name of Tom Schreck scored it an unbelievable 115-112 meaning Pacquiao won only 7 out of the 12 rounds. He better just move to scoring soccer, he can easily do that even blindfolded. I thought Barrera won only one round and that's even questionable for a 119-108 score but we were happy that Manny won. I hope he fights Juan Manuel Marquez next for the WBC Superfeatherweight crown. That is unfinished business for both of them since the first one was a draw. Besides, boxing fans not just Filipinos are waiting for this to happen.

Now, I'm eagerly awaiting for Nov. 3 for the fight between Mikkel Kessler of Denmark (39-0) and Joe Calzaghe of UK (43-0)for the unification of the Supermiddlewight crown. The fight will be done in Calzaghe's home turf. Their records are 82-0 between the two of them. Kessler is the underdog but I think he will win. Also on Nov. 3 is the fight between welterweights Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto. This day will surely be a great fight day for boxing fans the world over.

Philippine Boxing at it's Best

I have been an avid boxing fan since I was probably 6 years old. I share this passion with my Dad who I remember seeing on TV as a boxing judge in the old days of 'Fistorama' when I was very young. Growing up, I engaged in neigborhood boxing bouts (with gloves of course) with my playmates especially during summer.

After Manny Pacquiao sort of opened the door to Filipino boxers who are now fighting regularly here in the US, I began to follow the journey of these up and coming Pinoy boxers. Most of them are poor and boxing was a way out. In their quest to be one of the best especially in the lower weight classes, not only did they inspire the Filipino people but instilled pride in all of us.

Yes, it's a violent sport but many people who are just not inclined to watching boxing will never understand why boxing is such an endearing sport to so many people. No use trying to explain but boxing will always be here to stay.

Yesterday, the Philippines vs. Mexico World Cup of Boxing was held in Sacramento, California. Two years ago, Mexico defeated Thailand with a score of 5 to 1. Last night, the table was turned against the Mexicans and this time it was also 5 to 1 with the Filipinos claiming the overall victory and the trophy. Unfortunately, it was the co-main event of Rey 'Boom Boom" Bautista against the champion Ponce de Leon that prevented the shutout. Boom Boom got knocked down twice in the first round with the referee stopping the bout after the 2nd knockdown at 2:30. Boom Boom is just not ready yet to face a boxer in the caliber of Ponce de Leon who continues to improve skillwise with every fight that he does. Combine that with his power punching and that becomes a lethal combination. Their record now, Boom Boom at 23-1 (17 KOs) and the champion, 32-1 (29 KOs). Rey is still very young at 21 and give him 2 or 3 years and he can become a champion. Of course, he should learn from his mistakes and continue to train hard and smart.

Before the event, I surmised that the possible outcome are quite even, that is 3 to 3 looking at the match-ups. In my opinion, Domingo, Penalosa and Bautista are underdogs but fortunately Domingo and Penalosa prevailed. Penalosa's win was quite emotional. He used to be the WBC super flyweight champion ten years ago and at 35 now, he's not getting any younger. He still has the skills which I admire the most among technical fighters like him. He caught Johnny Gonzalez with a perfect punch to the liver section with a left hook after ducking from Gonzalez'z right hook in the 7th round that ended the fight. Gonzalez was ahead in two of the judges scorecards and that's how I felt too after 6 rounds. Now that he won, I don't believe he should fight Ponce de Leon as his final fight which he's planning to do. If he was at least 5 years younger, maybe. In being a champion again, Penalosa improves to 52-6-2 (35 KOs). Gonzalez, 25, drops to 34-6 (29 KOs).

The pinoy boxers fighting in the undercard were all impressive in their respective bouts. Clearly, our boxers have arrived and are a force to reckon with in international boxing. Kudos to their trainers too, Edito Villamor and of course Freddie Roach for believing in the pinoy boxers. That goes to their managers as well.

Here are the final undercard results:

Z. Gorres (27-2-1, 15 KO) TKO 8 Eric Ortiz (26-7-1, 17 KO). TIME: 2:15.
A.J. Banal (14-0-1, 11 KO) TKO 3 Jorge Cardenas (9-4-3, 6 KO). TIME: 0:28.
Michael Domingo (32-14-2, 12 KO) W6 Miguel Roman (22-1, 16 KO). Unanimous decision: 60-54; 60-54; 60-54.
Diosdado Gabi (30-3-1, 21 KO) W8 Angel Beranza (30-10-2, 25 KO). Unanimous decision: 80-72; 80-72; 80-72

Now for some highlight videos.

Michael Domingo and Diosdado Gabi's Fight Highlights




Z Gorres vs. Eric Ortiz -Rd. 7


Z Gorres vs. Eric Ortiz - Rd. 8 -TKO


AJ Banal vs. Jorge Cardenas - Rd. 2


AJ Banal vs. Jorge Cardenas - Rd. 3 -TKO


Gerry Penalosa vs. Johnny Gonzalez -Rd. 7 -TKO


Penalosa's KO Punch



Rey Bautista vs. Ponce de Leon -Rd. 1 -TKO

Two New Filipino Boxing Champs

Yesterday, 07-07-07 will surely be an unforgettable day for two Filipino boxers. Despite being huge underdogs, Florante Condes and Nonito Donaire wrested the belts from the title holders. Strawweight Florante Condes (22-3-1, 20 KOs) who is from Romblon dethroned IBF champion Muhammad Rachman (61-6-5, 31 KOs) by split decision in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to reports, Rachman went down twice and the fight was an all-out war. It was a split decision with the Indonesian judge giving the fight to Rachman.

Now the fight between Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire and Vic 'The Raging Bull" Darchinyan came to an end on the fifith round. I was able to watch the fight via livestream from the internet. It was not a super action packed fight but it was very clear from round 1 up to the end, Donaire was giving the then champion a boxing lesson. Donaire came out to be a masterful ring tactician, not wasting too many movements. His footwork is very good and indeed he is very fast. Darchinyan was undefeated at 28-0 with 22 KOs before the fight but Donaire was never intimidated.

I haven't found a video of the whole fight but the video from youtube below shows the final round. If you can just watch the whole event and the post fight interviews, Darchinyan looked liked he was a sore loser. Anyway, watch and enjoy!

Filipino Boxers Did Well in the Undercard of the De la Hoya vs. Mayweather Bout

Last Saturday night, May 5 we attended the birthday party of our friends Homer and Chit Freitag's twin daughters' birthday party. After that we continued to watch the HBO-PPV of 'The World Awaits' boxing match between de la Hoya and Mayweather at the MGM Grand of Las Vegas. Forget the main event, if it was not for de la Hoya's more aggressive stance, it was a pretty boring fight. Mayweather may be the pound for pound king, religiously maintaining his unbeaten record by avoiding the real contenders but his style of fighting is completely unexciting compared to Manny Pacquiao. It's time for Manny Pacquiao to take the throne although that's another story and a big question mark especially that's he's running for congressman.

Anyway, among the bouts on PPV, it was 20 year old Filipino boxer Rey 'Boom Boom' Bautista vs. Sergio Medina of Argentina who made the PPV worthwhile. Boom Boom was all heart, despite suffering a knockdown and standing 8-count in round 7, he managed to recover and maintain his aggressiveness. It was after all his toughest fight so far, fighting a 28-0 fighter (but not anymore). At the end, after knocking down Medina twice, he unanimously won the bout.
His record stands at 23-0.



Also in one of the undercards but not on PPV was another Filipino boxer by the name of AJ 'Bazooka' Banal who made the country proud. This was his US debut and according to the news he won convincingly over another tough Mexican by the name of Juan Alberto Rosas in another unanimous victory decision. He's only 18 years old but I've seen some of his fights on youtube.com and he's a very skilled boxer. At the moment, he is 13-0.

These two boxers are the cream of the crop right now of Philippine boxing, still maintaining their unbeaten records and hopefully in the near future will be world champions and keep their belts for a long time. They do deserve to reap the rewards of their hard work.

Pacquiao Overwhelms Morales in 3 Rounds

Last night's fight between Manny Pacquaio and Erik Morales was just so awesome. It only lasted 3 rounds with Manny destroying Erik Morales, a boxing legend in his own right. Freddie Roach was right all along and this is scary for all superfeatherweights out there, Manny has improved a lot, he body punches well and he had developed his right hook tremendously. Not an easy task for a southpaw. With this vast improvement, he has become one of the most fearsome boxers out there and as of this moment, being considered the best pound for pound boxer. Only Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s camp can contest that but I'm sure they have their doubts too.

Manny was just incredibly devastating last night. In his previous fights with Erik Morales, there were a few moments when he was quite tentative but not last night. Manny was deliberate, and he knows what he was doing. He was in complete control of the fight, offensively and defensively. It was pure joy and excitement too watch the fight. Erik Morales is still is a very good fighter, one of the best and credit is due him but Manny was just stronger, faster and more powerful.

After the 3rd knockdown of Erik, he just refused to stand and fight again. He knows he was beaten and he was gracious in defeat. Morales offered no excuses for his loss. "I did my best, I had the physical and mental preparation for the fight," he said humbly. "I did my best, he was just too much." Of the final knock down, he said candidly: "I was looking to my corner, and they were urging me to get up. I didn't want to get up. I think there is a time when you know its good to give up when you can't win." "It just was not to be."

When Manny was declared the winner, Erik was standing next to him and they raised each other's hand, first was Erik raising Manny's hand and then Manny raising Erik's hand with Erik pointing at Manny, finally conceding Manny is the better fighter and Erik should be admired for that. Here are photos of that timeless moment.




















In retrospect, Manny Pacquiao threw 175 punches in those 9 minutes, landing 54 percent -- including 51 of his 71 power shots in the third round alone. Morales landed just 26 percent of his punches. The power shots stats of Manny in the third round is almost unbelievable, a whopping 71.8%. Erik just had no answer to the onslaught and Manny deserved the win.

Congratulations to Manny. He is truly the pride of the Filipino people. To Erik Morales, thank you for the 'warrior' spirit in you. You didn't back down until the end and you deserved a tremendous applause too.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales on Saturday

On Nov. 18, Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will face each other for the 3rd time in a bout dubbed 'The Grand Finale'. Having won one fight each against each other in the past, this fight is one that a lot of boxing afficionados are waiting to watch. Not just Filipinos or Mexicans but anybody who just like boxing. Manny in the past few years have attained a superstar status in the whole international boxing community and he is already being considered one of the best pound for pound boxers right now. Yesterday's Miami Herald had an article about the fight and for the first time as far as I can remember, this is their first article about Pacquiao. Click here to read it.

Although Manny is very much 'seeded' to win this fight according to the betting odds in Las Vegas, I hope he really wins this one and make it really astounding. Still, this is not going to be a 'walk in the park' for Manny. Any boxer can win with the proverbial 'lucky' punch, no matter how skilled his opponent is. Erik Morales is going to be a 'Hall of Famer' someday but so is Manny.

Please check this video of Manny Pacquiao training in front of media people at the Wildcard gym.