Pacquiao VS Diaz This Weekend!

Its only two days before Manny Pacquiao meets David Diaz in his debut at the light weight division. The Pinoy boxing icon will challenge Diaz for his WBC title. I'm very excited to watch this fight and see if Pacquiao can make an impact on the light weight division. But there's one little problem.

Last Saurday, Typhoon Fengshen or Frank ravaged Iloilo and covered it in mud and water. As a result, power lines are down and many towns still do not have electricity including my hometown. We haven't had electricity for a week now which proves how devastating the effects of typhoon affected our region.

Well, the typhoon wasn't that powerful but the flood that came with it was really destructive. I witnessed the rising waters because I had been foolish enough to travel in the middle of a raging storm. I saw people frantically trying to escape the flood waters as I am being "rescued" together with others stranded by the deluge.

But I'm not here to talk about that tragedy. After all, this is a Philippine boxing blog. But that's my problem. If we still won't have electricity by Sunday, then I won't be able to watch Pacquiao-Diaz live (well, technically none of Pacquiao's international fights on national TV are live because of the delays).

Fortunately, I have heard rumors that the government will try their best to restore power to all the towns in my province. Maybe they know that the people's morale will be lifted by a Pacquiao victory. Well, I hope that they can fix this problem in time. Watching the fight as it happens is the best way to view a boxing match.

After surfing the web for predictions on this fight, I have noticed that Pacquiao is expected to win. Well, that's not a difficult prediction to make because people feel that Diaz is a hand picked opponent and the weakest among the lightweight titlists. However, I feel that Diaz is a live opponent who will not give up his title easily. As the bigger man with a good chin, he is capable of pulling the upset.


Filipino Boxing Updates:

I've just found out that another Pinoy boxing champ, Nonito Donaire, has signed a deal with Bob Arum. Apparently, Donaire decided to junk his contract with Gary Shaw because he is not getting any fights. His last fight was against Luis Maldonado last December and he needs a fight to keep him in top shape.

I think this is a good decision on Donaire's part. Arum is perfectly capable of setting up the fights he need to become successful in his boxing career. Inactivity can cost him his title just as in the case of Florante Condes.

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.

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: 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.

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.

Pinoy Boxing Stars Score Impressive Wins

Philippine boxing was again in the limelight this weekend when three of its stars scored victories against Mexican opponents.

Filipino boxing star Nonito Donaire was out to prove that his KO victory over Vic Darchinyan was no fluke against Mexico's Luis Maldonado. Donaire, the reigning IBF and IBO flyweight ruler dominated mandatory challenger Luis Maldonado en route to a via eighth-round technical knockout victory at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket,
Connecticut.

Donaire went off in an impressive start against Maldonado as he ripped the challenger with accurate and crisp left hooks and right crosses. Donaire's punches caused cuts in both of Maldonado's eyes and it seemed that the challenger would not be able to last the champions firepower. However, Maldonado was able to put himself together and scored with some big shots as Donaire began throwing wide punches in the hopes of finishing the bleeding challenger.

The challenger's hope were dashed when Donaire resumed his accurate counter punching barrage and neutralized his challengers attacks. Maldonado finally succumbed to the champions assault in the closing seconds of the seventh round. The brave challenger answered the bell for the eight round but was met with aggression and power punches from the champion. Donaire rained punches on his bleeding opponent as the challenger covered up along the ropes forcing the referee to stop the contest. This TKO victory proved that Donaire is no one punch wonder and has the talent to become successful in the flyweight division.

Filipino boxing prospects, Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal also delivered wins for Pinoy boxing at a card held at he Araneta Coliseum. Bautista made the first step towards his comeback to contender status with a morale boosting unanimous decision win over Antonio 'Barrio' Meza of Mexico. The scores were 117-111, 116-112, and 118-110 for Bautista in his first win after being annihilated by Daniel Ponce de Leon.

AJ 'Bazooka' Banal, an undefeated Pinoy boxing prospect continued to impress with a brilliant performance against Mexican Jovanny Soto. The two fighters went against each other with desire to win but Banal's superior talent and power lead to a 9th round KO win for the Filipino boxer.

These victories will whet Pinoy boxing fans appetite for the super rematch between MNanny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. The superfeatherweight stars produced a thriller in their first meeting and their long anticipated rematch has fight of the year potential.

Darchinyan VS. Gorres on March!

Pinoy boxing prospect Z :the Dream" Gorres will have his second chance in the spotlight when he takes on the very Dangerous Vic Darchinyan next year.



Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Promotions have finally managed to secure the elimination bout after hard rounds of negotiation.

The fight will be not be staged in either fighter’s home soil much to trhe dismay of the fighter's teams. Instead the bout will be on the undercard of Israel Vasquez vs Rafael Marquez contest for the WBC super bantamweight title.

This promises to be an exciting fight from the perspectives of styles. Gorres is a skilled boxer who uses his skills to outpoint his opponent while Darchinyan relies largely on his power to pound his opponent to the canvass.

This will not be an easy one for Gorres, as Darchinyan though old and has little defense is an experienced fighter. Vic has fought good competition when he defended his IBF title several times. Gorres also has a tendency to fade in the late rounds and I don't think he has the power to KO Darchinyan. Vic also wants to regain his honor after Donaire shamed him. And what better way to do that than to KO a Filipino boxing top prospect like Gorres.

4 World Champs for Philippine Boxing!

Donnie "Ahas" Nietes' hard fought win last weekend over Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym of Thailand for the the vacant WBO world Minimumweight Title, the Philippines currently has 4 world boxing champions. Pinoy boxing stars Florante Condes, Nonito Donaire,Gerry Penalosa, and Donnie Nietes now hold world championship belts. Well, technically they are not world champions because boxing has been split up into various governing bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, WBU, etc...)that recognize it's own champions for every division. The proper term might be world titlist because they hold a part of the World championship. Unless these Filipino boxing champs cannot unify the world titles in their divisions, then I think they cannot be declared as true world champions.

Let us relive how this Pinoy boxing heroes bought glory to their country through this videos:

Let us begin with Nonito Donaire's impressive KO win over Vic Darchinyan:




Then we have Gerry Penalosa's liver shot KO win over Jhonny Gonzalez



This is the third round of the Condes-Rachman fight in which COndes captured the title by split decision. This round was a big one for Condes as he was able to knock Rachman down on his back.



And finally this is Donnie Nietes in action against the very tough Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym. This is the fourth round in which Nietes scored a knockdown on his way to a unanimous decision win.



Let us hope that our Philippine boxing champions can defend their titles successfully follow in the footstps of Manny Pacquiao and other Filipino boxing legends.

Donnie "Ahas" Nietes' Chance for Glory

This Sunday, ALA Boy, Donnie "Ahas" Nietes will attempt to join Gerry Penalosa, Florante Condes and Nonito Donaire as world titlists. This Pinoy boxing prospect will face the equally impressive Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym of Thailand for the the vacant WBO world Minimumweight Title.

This is a video of Donnie Nietes (21-1-3 with 13 KO's) in action against Saengpetch Sor Sakulphan also of Thailand. The video shows why this Philippine boxing rising star is nicknamed "Ahas" or snake. He knocked out his opponent with an uppercut that resembled a snake strike (well at least from my view).



Nietes won't find it easy to win the title for Filipino boxing as the talented Pornsawan Porpramook Kratingdaenggym of Thailand is standing in his way. Kratingdaenggym has an impressive record of of 20 wins without any losses or draws with 15 knock outs.

A quick look of their records shows that Kratingdaenggym has faced better opposition. The Thailander has faced Heri Amol (21-5-3), Benjie Sorolla (21-11-3), and Sonny Boy Jaro (22-4-3). On the other hand, Nietes has only faced two opponents with decent records namely, Heri Amol (21-4-3) and Abrin Matta 18-3-2.

Pornsawan is also condfident of winning as he expressed in his opening statement to the media: "I'm very excited in my first trip to the Philippines. But I'm also very confident of beating Nietes. I've prepared long and hard for this fight,"

Well' the only way to determine who will come out on top is by letting these fine athletes perform in the ring. I hope that with the crowd behind him, Nietes can pull out a victory.

Mayol Losses, Conception Wins Impressively

July was a lucky month for Pinoy boxing but August does not seem to be a very auspicious one for Philippine boxing. Rodel Mayol's painful KO loss to Ulises Solis is an example of the ominous boxing results fort this month.

It was a painful loss, as Mayol seems to be in control of the fight. However, he made one crucial mistake and paid a heavy price for it. IBF light flyweight champion Ulises Solis nailed Mayol him with a cracking right hook that sent him crashing to the canvas as he was going after the IBF champion.

Fortunately, there also some bright moments for Pinoy boxing in this early part of August. Bernabe Concepcion of the Aljoe Jaro stable shined in an impressive 4th round TKO win over Gabriel Elizondo (23-3 10KOs) at the All-State arena in Rosemont, Illinois. He dominated Elizondo and finally put him down in the fourth.

The brave but out matched Elizondo wanted to continue despite being hurt and even asked the referee for an eight count. However, it wss clear that he was being dominated by the much stronger Concepcion and would only get hurt if the referee allowed the fight to continue.

Elizondo now has a 23-3 10KOs record after his loss. One of his notable wins was against Glen Donaire the older brother of current IBF champ, Nonito Donaire. On the other hand, Concepcion improved his record to 22-1-1 with 12 KO's.

Amonsot and Katsidis Plus Other Boxing Updates

The reigning champion Michael Katsidis of Australia and Filipino challenger Czar Amonsot of the ALA Boxing Gym are making their final preparations for their upcoming bout. The fighters have both arrived at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The pugilists will battle it out for the WBA interim lightweight title in a 12-round war underneath the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright superbout. According to reports, both of them are in top shape for their upcoming battle. Let us hope that Amonsot can sustain this month's run of big wins of Pinoy boxers.

Pongsaklek Losses Title!

In another shocking upset, Pongsaklek Wongjongkam of Thailand lost his WBC flyweight title with a decision loss to Japanese Daisuke Naito. This is truly shocking as Pongsaklek has defeated Naito twice and knocked him out in record time during a title defense. In fact, many journalist have criticized this match up as a mismatch based on what happened in their previous meetings. This just shows that anything can happen in boxing.

Judges Bruce McTavish and Stephen Blea both scored the bout 116-113 while Hubert Minn saw it 115-113 all for the now champion Naito. Wongjongkam loses the chance for a possible unification duel with IBF flyweight champ Nonito Donaire of the Philippines because of this unexpected loss.

Mid July Pinoy Boxing Updates

This is a continuation to the last I made yesterday. It was meant to be an update but I decided that the story on Nonito Donaire and Wonjonkam's possible bout was enough.

This seems to be a great month for Pinoy boxers as ALA Boy Along Denoy took the WBO Asia Pacific light-flyweight crown with a shock l knockout victory over Kaichon Sor Vorapin in Thailand just a few hours ago. Denoy stopped Vorapin at the 2:40 mark of the fifth round to snatch the title away from Vorapin.

The ALA boy drew first blood early, knocking down Vorapin in the second round. He then continued his domination when he knocked Vorapin down twice in the fourth stanza. The fight was over when he scored two more knockdowns against Vorapin in the fifth round.

Meanwhile in japan, OPBF welterweight champion Taesei Marumoto and Filipino challenger Rev Santillan tipped the scales easily at 66.6 and 66.65, respectively for their 12-round championship fight. Their bout will be held tomorrow at the Amagasaki in Hyogo. Let us hope that Rev can regain the OPBF title and add to the success of Pinoy in this month. He has a good chance as he has beaten Marumoto three years ago.

Wonjongkam Willing to Fight Donaire for the Right Price

Here are some of the current updates on the Pinoy boxing world. Most of these are the result of the impressive wins of Florante Condes and Nonito Donaire.

Let us begi8n with the "Filipino Flash." It seems that things are starting to heat up between him and WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand. The Thai World flyweight champion has also expressed his willingness to defend his crown against fellow titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr. in the Philippines.

Piyarat Vachirarattanawongse, the manager of Wonjongkam, told the Bangkok Post that a lucrative offer may lure Wonjongkam to fight outside of Thailand and challenge the General Santos City-born Donaire in a unification bout.

Well, this will be an exciting one as undoubtedly pinoy boxing fans want to witness the demise of Wonjongkam. Wonjonkam took the title by knocking out Malcolm Tunacao in Thailand so seeing him beaten by a Filipino would be very sweet.

Two New Pinoy World Boxing Champs!

This is a great time for Pinoy boxing because we have two new world boxing champions. Florante Condes and Nonito Donaire won their title fights impressively to bring world titles home.

Nonito Donaire pulled a big upset over highly respected champion, Vic Darchinyan to bring home the world IBF flyweight championship. A "massive" left hook in the fifth round floored Darchinyan. The champion who bravely staggered back to his feet halfway through referee Eddie Claudio's count but he wobbled into the ropes and his trainer, Billy Hussein, entered the ring to spare him further punishment forcing Claudio to stop the fight.

On the other hand, Florante 'The Little Pacquiao' Condes won the IBF 105-lb crown with a split decision by showing tremendous power and fighting heart. He knocked down the champion Muhammad Rachman twice en route to a winning verdict. Judges Salven Lagumbay and Montol Suriyachand both scored 114-112 for Condes, while Muhammad Rois saw it 117-113 in favor of Rachman.