Pacman Mobbed in San Francisco!

Hundreds of adoring fans mobbed Pinoy boxing superstar, Manny Pacquiao when he arrived at the Titanium Training Center. The boxing star is scheduled for a public workout at the venue prompting fans to flock at the location.

The Philippine boxing icon was moved by the reception that he expressed a desire to schedule a bout in San Francisco. Manny said, "I want to fight in San Francisco. It thrills me that so many people are here. I'm going to ask Mr. Arum to do a fight in San Francisco."

Manny Pacquiao also assured his fans that he will have no problems in making the weight limit for the super featherweight division. Even though he was reported to weigh in at nearly 140 lbs in the WBC-mandated 30-day weigh-in, Pacquiao said that he can slim down to 13o lbs in time for the showdown.


Nonito Donaire Begins Hard Training

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire the IBF/IBO flyweight champion has began training seriously for his scheduled title defense in Dubai. He will face Australia’s Hussein Hussein, a tough fighter who has experience in big fights.

Donaire arrived in Las Vegas a few days ago. He decided to train in the gambling capital of the world after scrapping his original plan of making his preparations for his title defense in the Philippines. His manager has reportedly prepared some Mexican sparring partners to help him prepare for the fight in Dubai.

I hope that our Filipino boxing stars can train well for their upcoming battles. The pride of their country is at stake in these bouts. Let us hope that they can perform well and bring honor to their country.

Pacquiao-Marquez II Training Updates

Pinoy boxing star,Manny Pacquiao and rival, Juan Manuel Marquez are deep into their training camps. Both fighters will put their boxing careers and pride on the line when they meet in less than a month for their much anticipated rematch.

Mexican star, Juan Manuel Marquez has reportedly hired a trio of Mexican southpaws to help him prepare for Manny. These tough Mexican sparring partners will help him cope with the speed and style of his left handed opponent. Observers of his public workouts say that he looks incredible. This is good news for fight fans because they want both fighters to be at their best on March 15.

Marquez began his fight preparations before Christmas and already weighs in at 132 which is well on target for the 130 pound limit. Marquez expresses his confidence at winning the fight with this statement. "I am 34 years old but I feel 25 and as far as experience is concerned I’m as smart as a 48 year old. The important thing for me is supreme conditioning and I’m in the best shape of my entire career because for me, this is the most important fight of my career." You can get an idea of Marquez's training routine in this article.

Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao is also training hard for his upcoming fight. The Filipino boxing icon is fully focused while training tin the Wild Card gym in LA. Freddie roach seems to be satisfied with his progress and is confident that his ward will be ready on the big night.

A point for concern though is Pacquiao's weight. There were reports that he is having problems with passing the super featherweight limit in his lat few fights. The Philippine boxing star has also weighed at least 140 lbs at fight night and some people have expressed that it may be time for him to move up in weight. Some people have also pointed out that his bigger frame will be an advantage against Marquez.

Well, there is nothing we can do but wait for the opening bell come fight night.

Villoria Wins Comeback Fight !

The Beginnings of a Comeback

Brian "the Hawaiian Punch" Viloria made another step towards making his come back by earning a unanimous decision victory over Cesar “Gallito” Lopez. The bout took place in the undercard of the “Revenge or Repeat” fight card featuring Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor.

Viloria is a former light flyweight champion titlist who is now campaigning in the flyweight division. He is now among the Pinoy boxing prospects who is looking to bring another title to the Philippines.

He only took an eight rounder because the card was so loaded with great world title fights. He had to take this fight because it will bring him a lot of visibility that could possibly lead to another crack at a world title. Brian was able to score a knockdown in the fifth round but the durable Lopez was able to survive. Viloria won the bout with sores of 78-73 twice and 77-74 on the last score card.

I hope Viloria can continue this streak and compete for a world title again. he has good power but he lacked focus in the early part of his career. If he can focus totally in his boxing career and use his talent well then another title might be possible.

I can't find any video highlights of this fight yet but I will post a video of it as soon as I can find one.

Very Impressive Pacman Knock Out Video!

Today I felt a bit disappointed when I heard that Pinoy boxing prospect, Rodel Mayol suffered a KO defeat because he took a fight on short notice. Luckily I found this great Manny Pacquiao video to cheer me up.

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Manny really looked like a monster in this video. he was still at the 122 lbs. division in this stage of his career. He was punching so hard at super bantamweight that you can hear his punches hit Julio.

Anyway, back to Mayol. I followed Mayol's career since he was still a young ALA boy in Cebu. He had great power but made some costly mistakes in his first two world title challenges. This third devastating loss will likely derail his career.

The was that he had no choice but to take this fight because he needed the money. apparently his wife just gave birth and his purse will take care of his wife's expenses. Since this fight was taken at short notice, Mayol was out of shape and ultimately lost the fight. The sad thing is that Mayol is supposedly being scheduled for a third crack at a world title. He can say goodbye to that chance now.

This does not seem to be a good start for Philippine boxing. Earlier this year, Z Gorres did not have enough stamina to outbox Darchinyan en route to a controversial split draw. The only consolation we have is that Bernabe Concepcion defended his NABF title and won by unanimous decision.

I hope our Pinoy boxers can put an end to the shaky start we have this year. And I also hope you'll enjoy the KO video! :)

Early February Filipino Boxing Updates

The furor over the result of the controversial Now or Never main event still hasn't died down. There are still plenty of articles made by Pinoy boxing writers on that subject. However, I think its time to move on to other things. Anyway, these are some significant info on Philippine boxing for this month.


Manny Pacquiao

Pinoy boxing star, Manny Pacquiao is currently training hard for his well anticipated rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez. Unlike his training camp for his rematch against Barrera, his training in the US is quiet with no major controversies. The only significant info on his preparations is that he is looking good and is focused on his regimen.

While Manny is hard at training, boxing writers, analysts and enthusiasts are busy making fight predictions. Some think that Manny will win because Marquez has slowed down since there first meeting while others feel that Marquez still has enough skills to outbox Pacquiao. All these discussions are certainly whetting my appetite for this super fight.

Another significant piece of news i have picked up is that Manny has given a donation to aid the family of fallen boxer, Alex Aroy. Aroy passed away due to injuries sustained during a 10-round bout in Villaba, Leyte.


Bobby Paqcquiao

With far lees fanfare than his brother's training camp, Booby Pacquiao is trainign hard for a bout against Urbano Antillon a lightweight contender. After seeing his stack rise with a string of victories aginst well kniown but faded fighters, Booby's career i once again on the way down following his KO loss against Humberto Sotto.

He is facing an uphill battle against Antillon who is fihting at the lightweight division. This Mexican lightweight prospect is undefeated in 21 fights with 14 KO victories. I hope Bobby can give his Pinoy bosing fans a great performance in this one.


AJ Banal Update

Undefeated Philippine boxing prospect, AJ Banal might be fighting Uruguayan Caril “El Raton” Herrera. Herrera is currently ranked No. 5 in the World Boxing Council and No. 12 in the International Boxing Federation. The proposed venue for this bout is the Cebu Coliseum. Let's hope that the boxing fans can keep their cool if this fight will be held there.

This will be a test for Banal as Herrera is also undefeated. If he surpasses this test then perhaps Banal is ready to step up. However, he is still a growing fighter and there is no need to pressure him into taking big fights. He needs to polish his skills and train hard if he wants to be successful at the highest level.


The Donaire Brothers

Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire Jr. the current IBF/IBO flyweight champion has mnade a chance of plans. He has announced that instead of training in Cebu for his forthcoming title defense against Australian Hussein "Hussy" Hussein, he will return to the US for the preparations.

Donaire did not elaborate further on the reason of their sudden change of plan. Well, if he thinks that training in the US is the best way to go then I'm all for it. He needs to train well because he will be up against a very good and experienced fighter. The championship bout is the main event of the blockbuster April 4 card by Third Force Promotions of Noli Eala in Dubai.

Meanwhile, his brother, Glenn "The Filipino Bomber" will face Brazilian Olympian, Jose Albuquerque when he returns to the ring just two weeks away. Glenn and Albuquerque fought to a six round draw in their first meeting. The rematch between them will be scheduled for eight rounds.

Well, I have nothing more to say but good luck to our fighters. I hope that they will train well and give a good performance in their upcoming fights.

Now or Never Results in Controversial Draw!

The match between Pinoy boxing prospect Z Gorres and former flyweight champion, VIc Darchinyan ended in a disappointing and controversial draw.

I have to admit that I felt that Darchinyan deserved the nod in that fight. Gorres had a great start and was even able to score a knockdown when he dropped Darchinyan in the second round. He was also able to deftly avoid Darchinyan's predictable lunging attack. However, by the eight round it was clear that Gorres was fading and he was losing his legs.

I thought that Gorres would focus on his stamina and conditioning for this fight. It was his stamina that failed him in his title challenge against Montiel. But, against Darchinyan it seems that he had less stamina. I've read that Gorres also came two pounds overweight at the weight-in and that indicated that he was not in shape for his match against Vic.

I was also very disappointed at the behavior of some Pinoy boxing fans during the bout. Some fans got carried away by their emotion when they pelted the referee, Darchinyan, and the visiting trainers with plastic bottles, coins and other debris. The visiting referee did an awful job and Darchinyan used dirty tactics at that fight but it was still wrong for some of the fans to throw things at them.

Throwing coins can be dangerous and any debris and the ring can also cause harm to the fighters. The unpleasant behavior displayed by some fans may also bring a negative image to our country. Foreign champions will feel reluctant in defending their belts in the country and promoters may be discouraged in investing in fights held at the Philippines.

I was also a bit disappointed with the referee when he made a mistake by scoring a knockdown against Gorres in the first round instead of a slip. But, I had nothing but pity for him when he was hit by a water bottle. I mean how can we expect him to be a fair umpire when he feels that the mob will lynch him if he makes a call against Gorres.

It was clear to me that his judgment was affected when he did not call the legitimate knockdowns against Gorres on the last few rounds of the fight. Gorres went down several times in those rounds because he had clearly lost his legs. However, I think he went down a cvouple of times due to the impact of Darchinyan's punches.

It was his first officiating job in foreign soil and the violent reactions of the crowd obviously had an effect on him. Had he scored the knockdowns for Darchinyan, it would have been a clear cut victory for the former champion.

Well, this is how I feel. I know that some Philippine boxing fans may feel differently towards the fight and I respect their views. I hope that Filipino boxing fans can control their emotions and never throw any debris in the ring again.

Now or Never: Gorres vs. Darchinyan

The exciting bout between Z "the Dream" Gorres and Vic "the Raging Bull" Darchinyan is only about 12 hours away at the writing of this post.

Will this be a big win for Gorres or will this be the start of a come back for Darchinyan. I guess we'll see tonight.

I'm excited that's for sure. Of course I'm rooting for the Pinoy boxing prospect since I'm Filipino. But that doesn't min that I'm sure Gorres will win. Darchinyan is a very dangerous opponent especially because of his power. He is also a former champion who wants to get back to his former glory.

The Raging Bull has declared that,“If I catch him I will knock him out and twelve rounds is a long time to run.” That probably sums up Darchinyan's strategy for this fight. He will rely heavily on his punching power and attempt to knock Gorres out.

Gorres has his advantages in this fight. He probably has the advantage in speed and technical skills over Darchinyan. Then there is also his age. He is 25 years old while Darchinyan is 32 which is old for a super flyweight. Maybe Darchinyan's chin has still not recovered from Nonito Donaire's left hook. And of course, Gorres will have the support of Philippine boxing fans in Cebu.

I think the key to winning this fight for the Filipino boxing prospect is to box smartly, have enough stamina to avoid Darchinyan's bombs, and exploit his opponents leaky defense.

Well, i think I can say nothing more but good luck to both fighters. i hope that they will bring boxing fans an entertaining fight.