Manny Pacquiao Stamps Mania!

Getting your face on a stamp is a great honor. You need to be famous to gain the prestige of having your mug on a stamp. Of course, if you're a member of an endangered species then you probably won't have any difficulty in seeing yourself in the mail. Anyway, enough with the corny jokes. I just found out that postage stamps featuring Pinoy boxing icon, Manny Pacquiao, went on sale a few days ago.

The initial offering of four Manny Pacquiao stamps mounted on a cover and costing P7 each. This is a clear indication that Pacquiao will be known as one of the great sports heroes in Philippine sports. I think I need to find out where I can get these stamps. Someday I might be able to tell my children and grand children the story behind the stamps of a smiling guy with boxing gloves.


Manny Pacquiao Training Camp Updates

At the moment, the Philippine boxing hero is busy preparing for his lightweight debut against WBC champ David Diaz. This boxing event has been named “Lethal Combination” and will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on June 28.

To promote this lightweight showdown, Pacquiao and Diaz held a free public workout at the West Wind Martial Arts School in Berkley. Both fighters captivated fans with their pugilistic skills and whetted their appetites for the showdown at Las Vegas.

Reports say that trainer Freddie Roach has recruited an aggressive southpaw to help Pacquiao prepare for Diaz. Diaz is a southpaw like Pacquiao so this will be an interesting fight. Most of Pacquiao's opponents have been orthodox fighters so it will be interesting to see how Pacquiao handles Diaz.

Some boxing experts say that that Pacquiao's southpaw stance has been a big advantage against his opponents. Indeed Pacquiao has been considered a rare breed among south paws because of his punching power. Powerful lefties are apparently a rare breed in boxing. Now the question is, will he lose this advantage against Diaz. I guess we'll have to see. Perhaps Diaz will also find difficulty in facing another south paw.

Then there is also the question of the new weight class. Will the Filipino boxing phenom lose all the attributes that made him successful when he steps up in weight? If Pacquiao loses his power and speed then he will find it difficult to be effective against Diaz. Pacquiao's strength has always been his offense. How can he win if he can't hurt Diaz? I guess we'll find out on June 28.

Pinoy Boxers Repel Invasion!

Well, I know that this topic is late by a few weeks but I would like to blog about it anyway because it's a significant victory for Pinoy boxing. I am pretty busy lately so I was unable to post on this when it was fresh. This blog has now achieve Google's PR 4 so I'm now motivated to make a post.

Anyway, in the early part of this month, Pinoy boxing champions and champions displayed their pugilistic prowess against challengers from all corners of the world. The promotion was aptly named "Invasion: Philippines versus the World" to emphasize that our boxers were defending their belts and our country's honor against fighters from Uruguay, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and Korea.

As you probably know, the invasion turned into a massacre when our boxers defeated their opponents in impressive fashion. Ciso Morales stopped Korean boxer Yoo Shin Kim on the fifth round. Morales' performance may have earned him a fight in the US.

AJ Banal performed very well when he scored a technical knockout in the fourth round against Caril Herrera an undefeated fighter from Montevideo, Uruguay. Herrera was rumored to be suffering from the effects of a 30 hour flight and may have not performed at his best. However, Banal had no choice but to do his job and impress the Filipino boxing fans.

Bautista resumed his comeback at the world stage by going up against a Mexican fighter, Genaro Camargo. Rey Bautista displayed patience as he pounded his opponent into submission in the second round. Boom Boom may need to step up his competition and perform well to prove that he deserves another title shot.

In the main event, Gerry Penalosa successfully defended the WBO Bantamweight title against Thailand's Ratanachai Sor Vorapin of Thailand. This came as no surprise to me as
Penalosa knocked Vorapin out in their first encounter. The Thai did not come to lose but Gerry was simply too good for him. The question now is what's next for Gerry. I think he should retire if he can't get a high profile fight against Daniel Ponce de Leon, Israel Vasquez or Rafael Marquez.

Other Philippine boxing prospects also performed well after the big main event. Bert Batawang stopped Indonesian Henri Amol in seven rounds and Michael Domingo of the ALA Gym disposed Themimint Sor Chitapattana of Thailand in two rounds.

The success of our boxers in this promotion was a victory for Pinoy boxing. These promotions will attract promoters and open more opportunities for our fighters. We have to honor them for doing their best and taking advantage of the local crowd support to come up with the victory.

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.

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.

PacMan Victorious!

Philippine boxing sensation, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao emerged victorious in his his long anticipated rematch with Mexican great, Marco Antonio Barrera. As most people predicted, Pacquiao came on top as he proved to be the busier and more accurate fighter. However, the fight was different than what most boxing fan expected.

In my observation, there were two main predictions for this long awaited rematch. The first scenario that people expected is similar to their first meeting, Pacquiao would overwhelm Barrera with his superior power and speed ending the fight via TKO. The second scenario was that a more prepared Barrera would use his superior boxing skills to use Pacquiao's aggression against him and earn a decision.

However, the fight was unlike what most boxing fans envision. The match was not the usual exciting and exhilarating Pacquiao fight. Barrera was unwilling to engage Pacquiao and he was waiting for the counter while Pacquiao seems to have abandon his usual attacking style and was more calculating. Pacquaio did not take a lot of risk and did not aggressively attack Barrera. In fact, he seems to be waiting for Barrera to attack. He was using feints and footwork to avoid Barrera's counter and win the decision with his aggressiveness and higher work rate.


In the end, Barrera's unwillingness to mix it up and the Filipino bosing icon's decision to not put a lot of pressure Barrera resulted in a fight that was fought in spurts. Except in a few of the rounds, the fighters would spend most of the round looking for an opening then exchange punches and clinch. Pacquiao was the more accurate and busier fighter in these exchanges and he was taking the fight to Barrera. Barrera seems to be in survival mode as he kept on backpedaling and gave most of the rounds to Pacquiao.

The last two rounds of the fight were probably the most exciting round of the fight. In the eleventh round both fighters opened up as if responding to the crowds hunger for action. Pacquiao manged to open a cut beneath Barrera's right eye. and the fighters end their furious exchange with a clinch. However, Barrera hit Pacquiao with a right hand as referee Tony Weeks was separating them. Pacquiao appeared to have been hurt with the foul as he walked into a neutral corner and one of his knees wobbled.

However, when I watched the replay, Barrera seemed to have only landed a glancing blow and that Pacquiao did a bit of an acting job. Pacquiao may have done a good job of appearing to be hurt because the referee deducted a point from Barrera. In the end, the deduction did not play a very important role other than convince some fans that Barrera can be a dirty fighter because Pacquiao was comfortably ahead in the judges scorecards. Judge Tom Schreck scored the bout 115-112 while judges Jerry Roth and Glenn Trowbridge scored the contest at 118-109 all for The Pinoy boxing star.


I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the fight. Perhaps it was because I was expecting Pacquiao to go after Barrera and I was waiting for the knock out in every round. Upon further reflection, I realize that Pacquiao made the smart choice by not rushing in against Barrera. The situation in this rematch is different than their first meeting. Manny is now a top fighter and does not need to take the same risks as he did before. He realized that he can probably win the fight by just being busier than Barrera since his opponent does not want to go toe to toe.

Most of his fans want to see the old Pacquaio who was willing to take the punishment in order to dish out his own. However, since he was against a dangerous opponent who wants to counter and survive, he has no choice but to choose the smart strategy. When the Philippine boxing start is up against an opponent who is willing to mis it up then we will see the old Pacmonster again.

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.

More Filipino Boxing Updates

Manny Pacquiao Training Camp


After reaching the halfway point of his training for his rematch against the great Marco Antonio Barrera, Pinoy boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is on schedule with his preparations. Despite the minor distractions from his Philippine boxing fans and a bout of flu, Pacquiao's weight is now at 136 pounds. This means that he will be able to make the 130 lb. limit for the rematch with Barrera. Manny Pacquiao's current weight also places him way below the maximum 143 pounds or 64.864 kilos set by the WBC for a fighter to weigh 30 days before a fight under the super featherweight division.

According to WBC Rule 4.6, fighters should undergo compulsory "safety weigh-ins" 30 days and seven days prior to their fights. This rule was instituted in 1997 and was ratified during the 2nd WBC World Boxing Medical Congress last April 30 in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It addresses the safety concerns involved in a boxer losing too much weight during intense training.


Denoy Scheduled to Defend Title in Thailand

Reigning WBO Asia Pacific light flyweight Along Denoy will defend his title in a rematch with Kaichon Sor Vorapin that will be held in Bangkok on October 3. Denoy took the tile away from Kaichon last July 13 with a spectacular fifth round TKO win.

This will be the third meeting between Philippine boxing prospect, Denoy and Kaichon. Denoy lost by a sixth round technical decision in their first encounter on July 8, 2005. Denoy currently has a record of 15-6-1 with 8 knockouts while Kaichon who has a record of 25-10 with 9 knockouts.