Pacquaio Training Updates and Other Pinoy Boxing News!

Pacquiao Training Camp

It seems that Manny Pacquiao is training religiously for his rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Well, he very well should kill himself in training. This rematch against is a very important fight at this stage of his career.

His training camp appears to be on schedule ans a set of sparring partners has been lined up when he begins sparring this week. Danny Cervantes, Roger Gonzales, David Rodela and Adrian “A-game” Gallon will be given the task of sparring against the Pinoy Boxing star.

Observers who witnessed Pacquaio pounding the mitts described his power as explosive. The sound of the Philippine boxing icon's fists striking mitts sounded like exploding firecrackers. Other writers also describe Pacquiao as "very dangerous" due to the power he displayed in the early part of training.

Well, Pacquiao always has reliable punching power. However, he needs more than power to beat Marquez. He put Marquez down on the deck thrice in their first encounter but it was not enough to give him the victory. He needs to develop other areas and skills if he is to defeat Dynamita.


Other Pinoy Boxing News

Darchinyan Lands in Cebu

Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan and his team has finally arrived in Cebu. Team Darchinyan is confident that their fighter can beat Z Gorres when they square off at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in the 12-round main event this upcoming weekend.

Darchinyan is scheduled to hold a public workout to display his boxing prowess as well as to prepare himself for Gorres. Vic has plenty of time to adjust to the warm Philippine climate and is fully prepared to unleash his full arsenal against his Pinoy opponent.


Ganoy To Fight Julio Diaz


Ranee “KO Kid” Ganoy a Sydney-based Filipino boxing prospect will face a huge test in his boxing career as he is scheduled to exchange blows with former IBF world lightweight champion Julio Diaz.

The bout is one of the supporting matches of the IBF/IBO flyweight title fight between Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire and Australia’s Hussein Hussein. This boxing promotion will be held in Dubai on April 4 of this year.

Ganoy is a powerful puncher and has been on a roll following a string of successive wins. His biggest win so far is a KO victory over Robbie Peden. He is now being trained by former multi-division world champion Jeff Fenech. Fenech described him as the best pure puncher I have seen.”

Well I hope everything works out great for our Pinoy boxers. If they train hard then perhaps it will be another good year for Filipino boxing.

Marco Antonio Barrera to Make A Splash in Pinoy Ad Market

It seems that the Baby Faced Assassin will grace the Filipino TV screen with his acting talent. Apparently, the Mexican boxing star will test his luck on the Filipino advertisement industry. You can check out this story and other boxing articles at Philboxing.com

The information about this bit of news came from Barrera's cutman, Tony Rivera. Rivera told a reporter that, "It's a done deal,we're just waiting for the paperwork. However, Rivera did not reveal the name of the company that will be promoted by the Mexican legend.

Maybe he wants to enjoy the same success as his compatriot, Erik Morales. El Terrible has starred in a few commercials in the Philippines including a San Miguel Beer commercial with Manny Pacquiao. Here is a video of one of Erik's commercials in the Philippines.



I think Erik looked good looked in that ad with Pinoy boxing star, Manny Pacquiao. Even Freddie Roach was given a break in that one.

Anyway, it seems that Barrera is not going to do ads in the Philippines. Barrera is also interested in investing in the Philippines. He is planning to establish gyms and discover Pinoy boxing talent. He knows by experience that Filipinos have great potential as boxers.

I hope that Barrera will be able to make a commercial in the Philippines. Pinoy boxing fans have a lot of respect for him and will surely welcome him into the country and give him a taste of our hospitality.

RJJ Triumphant Plus Pinoy Boxing Updates

Roy Jones Junior emerged victorious over fellow faded superstar, Felix "Tito" Trinidad in their light heavyweight match up last weekend.

Jones proved to be the dominant fighter and scored two knockdowns during the fight. The final scored tallied 116-110 twice and 117-109 all for RJJ.

Well, I think the outcome was really no surprise at all. I was hoping Trinidad would win because I am a Tito fan but Jones was really to big for him. Tito was dominant at 147 while Jones managed to win a heavyweight belt.

Trinidad also had difficulty against P4P fighters who were heavier than him. He Hopkins, Wright ans now Jones has proven that Trinidad did not have the explosive power he possessed at welterweight.

So what does this mean for both fighters? For Roy Jone Junior, well this victory will probably open the possibility of another fight for Roy. He has a lot of fans and he has a big name so promoters will be willing to find a lucrative bout for him.

And for Tito? Well, retirement is probably the best option. He has lost his last two fights and he will not be able to attract promoters to set him up for another big payday. He should not surrender the spotlight to fellow Puerto Rican, Miguel Cotto.

Filipino Boxing Updates

Donaire to Help Gorres

There have been reports that Donaire will help Gorres as he train for his match up against Vic Darchinyan. I think this is a good idea because Nonito is the only fighter to have beaten Vic. His experience will be valuable in helping Z Gorres deal with Darchinyan.

Darchinyan's main weapon is his power while Gorres has superb boxing skills. If Gorres can dodge Vic's power punches, exploit his opponent's poor defense and use the hometown support then perhaps he will deliver Vic's second career loss. However, if Darchinyan can use his power to derail Gorres' game plan then he will probably win by knockout.

Gorres has been impressive in his workouts so perhaps he will be fully prepared in this fight. His conditioning failed him against Fernando Montiel and cost him a world title. Let's hope he will be able to avoid or deflect Vic'c bombs through out the fight.


Local Fights

The ALA gym continues to produce talented fighter as one of the vaunted ALA boys displayed his boxing prowess in the ring. Ala boy, Jomar Omaz passed his acid test when he tangled against tough veteran Pedro Malco.

Malco has the same number of wins as his losses but he has experience against world class competition. He has lasted the distance against top Thai fighters including, Terdsak Jandaeng and Ratanachai Sor Vorapin.

Omanz scored a knockdown in this match up but did not escape unscathed as Malco landed his own share of power punches. Omanz's skill and talent proved to be the difference in this fight and came out the victor with a unanimous decision victory.

Pacquiao-Marquez Two Press Conference Pics!

The photos of the recent press conference for the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch have released. The two boxing superstars will clash for the second time on March 15 in Las Vegas. The Pinoy boxing superstar and "Dynamita" fought to an exciting draw during their first meeting and every boxing fan expect great action and drama from the anticipated rematch.

Here are the photos:

Manny Pacquaio and Juan Manuel Marquez pose for the cameras.



Promoter Bob Arum and Philippine boxing icon, Manny Pacquaio applaud JMM.


Arum selling the superfight to boxing fans around the world. This fight is an obvious sellout.


I am really excited to see both future Hall of Famers go at it again in the ring. Manny better come prepared in this one. Juan Manuel Marquez will surely do his best to claim the title as the best 130 pounder in the world. If Pacquiao will not focus in his training and on Marquez, then he might not be able to escape with a draw this time.

January 2008 Philippine Boxing Updates

Pacman vs. Hitman

These past few weeks, there has been a lot of buzz about a possible super fight between Pinoy boxing star, Manny Pacquiao and British boxing star, Ricky Hatton.

Since Ricky Hatton is about the same height as Manny and has a two inch reach disadvantage, some people have argued that it would be a good match up. In terms of weight, Pacquaio had weighed in at around 140 lbs. at fight time, which is around Hatton's usual weight.

This is not a good match up in my opinion because even if both fighters are of the same height, I don't think that they are of the same size and weight. Hatton would be the natural bigger man and has a big advantage in size. Pacman weighed at about 140 at the night of some of his fights but I think Hatton for his part weighed over 150 lbs in most of his fights. hatton has also been known to balloon in weight before fight training.

Furthermore, Hatton has been fighting at 140 lbs and more for most his career and is used to taking shots from fighters in this weight class. On the other hand, Manny has fought from 106 lbs to 130 lbs, and fighting at 140 lbs would diminish his speed. Let's face it, Manny's speed is a huge factor in his success as a boxer.

Of course, this fight can bring a lot of money to both fighters because of their huge fan base and it is an exciting match up as both fighters love to mix it up. However, Pacquiao faces big disadvantages against Hatton so I don't think that this fight would happen. On the other hand, if Manny wins convincingly against Marquez, then anything can happen.


Gerry, Boom Boom and AJ

Gerry Penalosa is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin on March 2 at the Araneta Coliseum. About seven years ago, Gerry knocked Sor Vorapin out in six rounds in a minor title defense. However, Sor Vorapin has stayed active since then and has manged to win the WBO bantamweight title. he lost the title to Jhonny Gonzalez who in turn lost it to Gerry last year.

Pinoy boxing prospects Banal and Bautista have been scheduled to fight in the undercard of this boxing event. Banal has kept his winning streak alive while Bautista is on the comeback trail after suffering his first lost. I hope our fighters can come up with victories this March and continue the success Philippine boxing has experienced last year.

Gabriel "Flash" Elorde

Today, January 2 marks the death anniversary of the late Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. Now, I don't know a lot about Elorde because his career ended before I was born. However, I have heard a lot about him from Filipino and international boxing writers and analysts. He is also regarded by most as the greatest Filipino boxer of all-time.

Here is an article written in tribute of this great Pinoy boxing legend:

REMEMBERING 'FLASH' ELORDE by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Gabriel "Flash" Elorde was the youngest in a family of sixteen, born into a poor farmer’s home in the town of Bogo. His poverty served not as a burden but as a challenge.

Elorde walked off the streets of Cebu where he worked as a pier hand, a dishwasher on an inter-island cargo boat and a pinboy in a bowling alley to punch his way to the world junior lightweight crown, in the process winning international acclaim and the hearts of millions of his countrymen.

The Philippines has been blessed with a long line of remarkable champions from Pancho Villa to Ceferino Garcia and in more recent times the incredible Manny Pacquiao. But in the fascinating history of boxing, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde stands out as the greatest of all time, not merely for his incredible skill and raw courage but even more so for the exemplary human qualities that shone like a beacon among the heroes of our time.

One of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the Asia-Pacific region, Elorde was born on March 25, 1935 and turned professional when he was barely 16.

An excellent boxer, the famed southpaw became an oriental champion at all weights - from bantamweight to lightweight.
In an active career Elorde had 44 title fights, 15 for world titles, and was involved in at least one every year from 1952 to 1967.
Read the rest of this article at Philboxing.com

Elorde also has a great record and fought great fighters like Sandy Saddler. You can personally check his fight record People say that he was a great man inside and outside the ring. he also had the same electrifying and unifying effect as Philippine boxing icon, Manny Pacquiao.

I hope that we will have more boxing greats like Pacquiao and Elorde in the future. Boxing is currently enjoying a "golden age" as we have four world champions and an elite boxing icon. We should use this time to develop our country's boxing program so that we will have more boxing greats in the future. Let me end this post with a picture of Elorde in action against fellow Hall of Famer, Sandy Saddler.