Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Pacquiao, 274; Bradley 346: power punches thrown in previous fights
Power punches
thrown in previous
fights:
Pacquiao, 274; Bradley 346
By Alex P.
Vidal
HOLLYWOOD,
California – When Timothy Ray Bradley Jr. declared recently he is “going to be
all over” Manny Pacquiao when they clash for the WBO welterweight 12-round championship
at the MGM Grand, he must have been reviewing the chart of their previous
fights where they both bundled out their respective foes in contrasting
fashions.
Both champion
Pacquiao, 33, and challenger Bradley, 28, last fought on November 12, 2011 in a
pair of world title fights and logged punch statistics that could serve as
guide for oddsmakers and experts to assess the outcome of their showdown on
June 9.
Pacquiao (54-3,
38 KOs) escaped with a disputed 12-round majority decision win in a trilogy
against Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6, 39 KOs) to grab the WBO 147-lb diadem, while
Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) stopped Joel Casamayor (38-6, 22 KOs) in the 8th
round to keep his WBO 140-lb belt.
Although Pacquiao
outpunched Marquez (14-11 in average per round), Bradley released the most
number of power punches (346) against Casamayor (136) and connected 177 against
Casamayor’s 136. Pacquiao was able to connect 117 of his total 274 power
punches.
BUSY
Floyd
Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) was busier than Pacquiao and Bradley. The popular
black American ring superstar connected 128 of the 382 power punches thrown en
route to trouncing by unanimous decision defending WBA junior middleweight
ruler Miguel Angel Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs) on May 5, 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas, Nevada.
Bradley cautioned
Pacquiao not to underestimate him. “I have been an underdog my whole career. You think Marquez gave him a
tough time? I'm going to be all over him," vowed the unbeaten challenger
nicknamed “The Desert Storm.”
FOUR FIGHTS
Bradley said
he is unfazed by Pacquiao’s winning streak in world title fights saying the
most feared fighter outside the heavyweight division from Saranggani Province
in the Philippines has failed to score a knockout against fancied but "old, straight-forward fighters"
in his last four performances.
He belittled
Pacquiao’s wins against Joshua Clottey (34), Antonio Margarito (34), Shane
Mosley (40), and Marquez (38) saying they were “lackadaisical.”
“He’ll have
to dig down deep to beat me,” Bradley warned the Filipino congressman.
"I slip,
slide, bob and weave," Bradley added. "I have good footwork. For
Manny, he'll be looking at himself when he sees me. The only advantage he has
on me is his power. But I can go to the body if he gets reckless. I'm young, in
my prime, and I have a lot of confidence and swagger. I don't fear this guy.
He's just a guy to me. He hasn't proved he's better."
Thursday, May 17, 2012
‘Pacquiao fans should boycott the Grove’
‘Pacquiao
fans should boycott the Grove’
By Alex P.
Vidal
HOLLYWOOD,
California – Even if the Grove, Jinky Pacquiao’s most favorite shopping center
in Los Angeles, will lift the ban on Manny Pacquiao, the damage on the Filipino
world champion’s name has been done.
The mall
management issued a terse statement May 15 evening that the 33-year-old
lawmaker from Saranggani Province in the Philippines was persona non grata at
the popular outdoor shopping center a day before Pacquiao’s scheduled interview
with “Extra,” which regularly films at the mall next to the Original Farmer’s
Market at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue.
The mall, the
report said, was reacting to Pacquiao’s statement where he disagreed with
President Obama’s stand in favor of gay marriage.
“Based on
news reports of statements made by Mr. Pacquiao, we have made it be known that
he is not welcome at the Grove and will not be interviewed here now or in the
future,” said the mall management quoted by the Los Angeles Times. “The Grove
is a gathering place for all Angelenos and not a place for intolerance.”
INTERVIEW
Quoting the
same source, the LA Times reported that “Grove officials feared that allowing
Pacquiao’s interview to go forward at the mall could have proved disruptive.”
The article,
where the Grove management based its ban on Pacquiao, stated that “Pacquiao’s
directive for Obama calls societies to fear God and not promote sin, inclusive
of same-sex marriage and cohabitation.”
Stoking
further controversy, the LA Times said, the story quoted Leviticus 20:13,
saying: “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have
done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on
their own heads.”
Pacquiao has
denied quoting that biblical reference saying he had nothing against gay people
and that hateful comments attributed to him were untrue. Writer Granville
Ampong also confirmed he did not attribute the statement to the boxing champion
saying the Leviticus verse was his own version. Some American newsmen who
picked the story may have wrongly attributed the Leviticus statement on
Pacquiao, it was reported.
“To the gay
community, I apologize,” Pacquiao declared during the “Extra” taping held in
his L.A. house as reported by L.A. Times. “I’m against same-sex marriage, but I’m not
condemning you. My favorite verse is ‘Love one another as you love yourself.
Love your neighbors. So I love everybody!”
DISPLEASURE
Many boxing
fans and shoppers have expressed displeasure that the reigning WBO welterweight
titlist was barred from the mall saying the order was “divisive and
discriminatory.”
“It (the
mall) shot before asking a question,” lamented shopper Felipe Fontaine of
Orange County. “Since Pacquiao has denied saying the harmful words against gays
and most of his fans believe him, the fans should retaliate by boycotting the
mall.”
During the
Christmas shopping season, fake snow is produced periodically during the night
in the mall. In mid-November, the Grove Christmas Tree goes up. At 110 feet, it
is the tallest Christmas tree in the city of Los Angeles.
As this
developed, Yahoo news reported that “hundreds of netizens have supported a
petition asking sportswear company Nike to drop Pacquiao as an endorser,
following his opposition against gay marriage.”
The petition,
initiated by Gay Marriage USA via Change.org, asks Nike to "say 'no' to
hate speech" by withdrawing its sponsorship of Pacquiao, a champion boxer
whom the brand has supported since 2008, it was reported.
"Following
(U.S. President Barack) Obama's recent announcement of support for marriage
equality, Pacquiao quoted Bible excerpts to state that homosexuals should be
put to death: If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them
have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on
their own heads," the petition read.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Merchant, Mayweather bury hatchet before Pacquiao fight
Merchant,
Mayweather bury
hatchet
before Pacquiao fight
By Alex P.
Vidal
HOLLYWOOD,
California – Now that they have buried their hatchet, WBA junior middleweight
champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and HBO senior commentator Larry Merchant are
expected to step into the ring together again in the future for a post-fight
interview in Mayweather’s next fight as they used to do prior to their verbal
joust that grabbed headlines last year.
If Mayweather
(43-0, 26 KOs) would fight again after completing his jail sentence which commences
on June1, it could be against Manny Pacquiao (54-3, 38 KOs), who is favored to
put away Timothy Ray Bradley Jr. (28-0, 11 KOs) on June 9 at the MGM Grand in
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather,
35, had called for Merchant to be fired due to Merchant declaring that
Mayweather cheated in his WBC welterweight fourth round KO win against Victor
Ortiz (29-3, 22 KOs) on September 17, 2011. Mayweather then offered “free
advice” to HBO that it should fire Merchant. The unbeaten boxer told the analyst,
"You don't know shit about boxing."
IRRITATE
Mayweather
grew irritated by Merchant's questioning and interrupted Merchant by saying
"You never give me a fair shake...They can put somebody else up here to
give me an interview. HBO need to fire you. You don't know shit about boxing.
You ain't shit...All of these boxing experts - how can you be a boxing expert
if you never had a fight before?" Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s outburst led to
Merchant responding: "I wish I was 50 years younger and I would kick your
ass." Later Mayweather defended his outburst by saying that
"Everybody is tired of Larry Merchant."
After Mayweather
whipped Cotto for the WBA diadem on May 5, 2012, Merchant, 81, admitted that
Mayweather had apologized the night before the bout and accepted the apology.
Merchant has
told USA TODAY Sports he didn't think the brouhaha was hype. "His
September thing was spontaneous. And I just responded spontaneously because I
wasn't smart to think that up," he said. "If I was smart enough to
figure out something that would go around the world three times before I left
the ring, I'd be doing something else. … He's the star. He made a big gesture.
We'll move on."
WRONG
But
Mayweather was all smiles on-air with Merchant and told HBO's JimLampley that
he was wrong about Merchant.
"His
September thing was spontaneous. And I just responded spontaneously because I
wasn't smart to think that up," Merchant said. "If I was smart enough
to figure out something that would go around the world three times before I
left the ring, I'd be doing something else. … He's the star. He made a big
gesture. We'll move on."
An Army radio
operator, Merchant said the Mayweather flap was sort of an old story.
"Athletes, like all of us, want love," he said. "They think
you're great and know everything when you give them love. Once you don't,
they're not so enamored."
Famous boxers
who have clashed with Merchant include Mike Tyson, Oscar de la Hoya. The De La
Hoya incident came during his fight with Pernell Whitaker. When De la Hoya
entered the ring to Mariachi music, Merchant stated that while he loved
Mariachi music, he felt that it "stunk" in this particular situation.
Merchant would later apologize on the air after De La Hoya tried to have him
removed from HBO.
INTERVIEWS
Merchant is
well known for his postfight interviews which feature his hard hitting, blunt
questions and confrontational interview style. These have drawn both praise and
ire in the past. Fans have claimed them to be candid and honest while
detractors consider them to be purposely agitational and insensitive at times.
An example of this occurred when Vernon Forrest won a controversial decision in
2006 over Ike Quartey. When Forrest thanked those close to him, Merchant
quipped, "Would you also like to thank the judges?"
In 1985,
Merchant received the Sam Taub Award for Boxing Broadcast Journalism presented
by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He is also the author of three
books. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. In October 2002, he was
inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Pacquiao agrees that Mayweather should get more share in purse
BRADLEY: 'I TRAIN LIKE I WAS IN MILITARY'
By
Alex P. Vidal
HOLLYWOOD,
California – As long as the fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will push through,
Manny Pacquiao doesn’t mind if the newly crowned unbeaten world junior
middleweight champion will get the lion’s share of the purse.
“It’s
OK with me getting the lesser amount as long as the fight (against Mayweather)
will take place,” said Pacquiao, 33, who started reporting for training at the
Wild Card gym on Vine Street here on May 7.
Both
Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions and Golden Boy Enterprises Chief Executive
Officer Richard Schaefer have blamed Top Rank, Inc. big boss Bob Arum why the
Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has not materialized.
Schaefer,
reiterating Oscar De La Hoya’s statement, had asked Pacquiao to “put a pressure”
on Arum if they (Pacquiao camp) really wanted the Mayweather fight.
DEAL
Arum
has repeatedly declared he was not closing the deal with Mayweather’s camp
saying the Pacquiao-Mayweather duel “is not anymore a question whether to push
through or not but when.”
“I’m
tired of the media and the people being fooled,” Mayweather exhaled on the
podium during the post-fight press conference after snatching Miguel Angel
Cotto’s WBA junior middleweight belt on a 12-round unanimous decision at the
MGM Grand on May 5.
“The
truth is that Bob Arum is not going to let the fight happen. It’s not on me. I
offered him $40 million. I told him I’d wire him $20 million in 48hrs. He
wanted 50% of the earnings,” Mayweather said.
“But
he doesn’t earn record breaking numbers to deserve that. He doesn’t know what
he wants. The public is being fooled. Once he is free from Bob Arum the fight
will happen because Arum doesn’t care about the fighter making money. This
sport is grueling and I want Pacquiao to make money.”
CONFIDENCE
Pacquiao,
meanwhile, expressed confidence he will roll past Timothy Ray Bradley Jr. on
June 9. He has opened his training camp at the Wild Card gym for press people
and is expected to conclude the two-month training a week before motoring to
Las Vegas.
Younger
by five years, Bradley (28-0, 11 KOs) said he is unfazed by the disadvantages
listed by ring experts of fighting a top caliber fighter like Pacquiao.
Called
“The Desert Storm,” Bradley said he wanted a name that would stick.
“I’m
from the desert down here in Palm Springs. I was listening to a rapper named
Fabolous and in the background, I heard, ‘Desert Storm,” and I was like, ‘Man,
that sounds good.’ The war was going on and I was like, ‘That would be perfect.’
I wasn’t in the military, but mentally and the way I train, I train like I was
in military – a lot of discipline.”
Bradley
was an amateur standout. He was eliminated in his first fight at the 2004
Western Olympic trials, but became the first member of the “Class of ‘04” to
win a world title on May 10, 2008. Eleven months later, he also became the
first to win two world titles.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
ANGELO DUNDEE
Legend is gone; I will miss him in Las Vegas
BEAUTY AND GRACE
By Alex P. Vidal
HOLLYWOOD, California -- I was in Canada when I received
the news that Angelo Dundee, the greatest trainer of all time who piloted
Muhammad Ali’s ascension to boxing immortality, died of heart attack in Tampa,
Florida on February 1, 2012. He was 90.
I was a kid when I first saw Dundee on black and white TV
during the “Thrilla in Manila” on October 1, 1975 where he embraced the charismatic
world heavyweight champion after referee Carlos Padilla Jr. declared Ali the
winner by technical knockout (TKO) after Joe Frazer refused to answer the bell
in the 14th round.
I finally met Dundee personally on December 4, 2008, two
days before the world welterweight “Dream Match” duel between Oscar De La Hoya
and Manny Pacquiao on December 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In my brief interview with the legendary trainer from Philadelphia, he insisted
that “Ali is the greatest fighter of all time.” While he admired the skills and
power of Manny Pacquiao, Dundee said sports scribes should not compare Pacquiao
to Ali (56 wins, 5 losses, 37 knockouts, 19 decisions) because Ali was a light
heavyweight gold medalist in the 1960 Rome Olympics prior to becoming the world
heavyweight champion on Feb. 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida when he upset Sonny Liston
as “Cassius Clay.”
YOUNGEST
When Clay beat Liston, he was the youngest boxer (age 22)
ever to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion, a mark that stood
until Mike Tyson won the title (age 20) from Trevor Berbick on November 22,
1986. At the time, Floyd Patterson (dethroned by Liston) had been the youngest
heavyweight champ ever (age 21), but he won the title during an elimination
tournament following Rocky Marciano's retirement by defeating Archie Moore, the
light-heavyweight champion at the time.
Dundee met Ali on February 19, 1957 when the latter was
in Louisville the day before a fight with light heavyweight champ Willie
Pastrano.
The teenaged Golden Gloves winner traveled downtown to
the fighter's hotel, called Dundee from the house phone, and was asked up to
their room. He took advantage of the opportunity to query Dundee (who had
worked with champions Sugar Ramos and Carmen Basilio) about what his fighters
ate, how long they slept, how much roadwork (jogging) they did, and how long
they sparred.
MEET
“When I met Ali, he was Cassius Clay and he talked too
much the reason why he was called ‘The Louisville Lip’ and he was a gentleman,”
recalled Dundee.
He admitted he was “disturbed a lot” when Ali was arrested
and found guilty on draft evasion charges; he was stripped of his boxing title,
and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight
again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S.
Supreme Court, where it was eventually successful.
Ali would go on to become the first and only three-time
lineal World Heavyweight Champion.
Nicknamed "The Greatest," Ali was involved in
several historic boxing matches. Notable among these were three with rival Joe
Frazier, which are considered among the greatest in boxing history, and one
with George Foreman, where he finally regained his stripped titles seven years
later. Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, which he described
as "float(ing) like a butterfly, sting(ing) like a bee", and
employing techniques such as the Ali Shuffle and the rope-a-dope.
BEAUTY AND GRACE
Dundee said Ali had brought beauty and grace to the most
uncompromising of sports and through the wonderful excesses of skill and
character; he had become the most famous athlete in the world. He was also
known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents,
often with rhymes.
Dundee said he liked the Filipinos because “they treated
us like celebrities” during the “Thrilla in Manila” and remembered the historic
Manila Hotel in Intramuros where they stayed.
I met Dundee once more during the Pacquiao versus Shane
Mosley fight on May 7, 2011 at the MGM Grand. With his death last February 1, he
will be missed when Pacquiao squares off versus Timothy Ray Bradley Jr. on June
9, 2012.
Here’s how Dundee became a legend in boxing circles
1921: August 30 - Born Angelo Mirena in Philadelphia.
1955: Helps Carmen Basilio win the world welterweight
title against Tony DeMarco.
1960: Begins training one-fight novice Muhammad Ali, then
still using his birth name Cassius Clay.
1964: Plays a crucial role in Ali avoiding defeat to
Henry Cooper in London, illegally helping his fighter to the corner and using
smelling salts after he was knocked down by a left hook. Allegedly tears a hole
in one of Ali's gloves to buy more time for his fighter to recover.
1965: Ali defeats Sonny Liston to become world
heavyweight champion.
1971: Ali, back from boxing exile, loses for the first
time to Joe Frazier at New York's Madison Square Garden.
1974: January 28 - Helps Ali avenge Frazier defeat,
winning points decision in rematch.
October 30 - Ali shocks George Foreman in the Rumble in
the Jungle, playing 'rope a dope' before stopping the heavy-hitting younger man
in the eighth.
1975: Ali beats Frazier in the 'Thrilla in Manila' with
an epic 14th-round stoppage victory.
1977: 'Sugar' Ray Leonard turns professional with Dundee
in his corner.
1979: Leonard wins WBC welterweight title by beating
Wilfred Benitez.
1980: Leonard loses to Roberto Duran.
1981: Leonard beats great rival Thomas Hearns in 'fight
of the year', stopping the Detroit man in the 14th round. Dundee famously
rallies his charge, warning him 'You're blowing it, son!' before Leonard scores
the knockout. Ali retires following ignominious defeat by Trevor Berbick.
1987: Leonard returns to the ring to beat Marvin Hagler
for the WBC middleweight belt.
1988: Dundee and Leonard split for the fighter's latest
comeback, against Donnie Lalonde.
1992: Inducted into prestigious International Boxing Hall
of Fame.
1994: Works Foreman's corner as the veteran knocks out
Michael Moorer to regain the world heavyweight title.
2012: January - Attends Ali's 70th birthday celebrations
in Louisville, Kentucky.
Pacquiao’s real threat is Bradley, not Mayweather
Pacquiao’s
real threat is Bradley, not Mayweather
By Alex P.
Vidal
HOLLYWOOD,
California – When Manny Pacquiao was 28, the age today of Timothy Ray Bradley Jr.,
he was so destructive in scoring back to back disposal wins over Erik “El
Terrible” Morales in the last two collisions of their trilogy.
Then 30-year
old Morales succumbed via TKO in the 10th round of the 12-round WBC
international super featherweight championship at the Thomas & Mack Center
in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 21, 2006 in his rematch with Pacquiao.
In the same
venue on Nov. 18, 2006, Pacquiao made sure Morales’ trip back to Mexico was
expedited by finishing him off in the third canto with a brutal assault at 2
minutes and 57 seconds. When referee Vic Drakulich stopped the carnage,
Pacquiao was leading comfortably in the scorecards of the three judges Guido
Cavalleri, Glenn Trowbridge, and Duane Ford.
The twin
victories avenged Pacquiao’s embarrassing defeat to Morales, his only loss in
the United States, on March 19, 2005 where the hard-hitting Mexican legend
scored a 12-round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to annex the
International Boxing Association (IBA) super featherweight title
STOPOVER
.
In between
the last two fights against Morales, then 28-year-old Pacquiao made a Manila
stopover on July 2, 2006 to dismantle then 30-year-old Oscar Larios to keep his
crown.
Pacquiao has
never yielded a single match in the United States since his debacle in the
first duel with Morales.
At 33,
Pacquiao (54-3, 38 KOs) is five years senior when he goes up the ring to defend
his WBO 147-lb belt against 28-year-old Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) who is in the
prime of his career.
Mocked for
his lackluster majority decision win in the last of his trilogy against Juan
Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12, 2011, Pacquiao is favored to roll past the black
American dynamo nicknamed “The Desert Storm” in preparation for his off-and-on
duel with newly crowned WBA junior middleweight ruler Floyd Mayweather Jr. who
recently toppled Miguel Angel Cotto via 12-round unanimous decision win in Las
Vegas.
Pacquiao is
now in the twilight of his career and has told reporters in Manila Bradley
would be his last opponent after he was allegedly told by God in a dream it was
time to wrap us his fistic career and abandon his vices.
Months
leading to his June 9 fight against Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,
Pacquiao spent his time in Bible study and attending to his responsibilities as
product endorser and member of the House of Representatives representing the
lone district of Saranggani Province in Mindanao.
BUSY
Bradley, on
the other hand, was busy revving up under the tutelage of his trainer former
lightweight contender Joel Diaz and father Timothy Sr. Some experts consider
him “more dangerous than Mayweather because of his age and hunger for recognition.”
“I’m just so
happy. I’m so excited. Everything was looking down, looking down, and boom. Now
everything is starting to look up,” Bradley Jr. told The Desert Sun shortly
after he signed a promotional contract with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc. September
last year. “My main objective was to get a promoter to build the Bradley brand,
and Top Rank is good at doing that. That’s why we chose Top Rank.”
With
consistently impressive performances and decisive wins in recent fights, most
observers now consider Bradley to be the top 140-pounder in the world. He and
Pacquiao will dispute the lawmaker-cum-boxer’s WBO welterweight crown.
Bradley is
coming off an 8th round TKO win in a 12-round WBO junior
welterweight title fight against Joel Casamayor in the main aperitif of the
Pacquiao-Marquez III on Nov. 12, 2011. Prior to torturing Casamayor, Bradley defeated
previously unbeaten WBC world champion Devon Alexander on January 29, 2011.
TENACIOUS
“Bradley once
again showed he is one of the strongest-willed, most doggedly determined and
tenacious fighters in the business as well as being a pocket-Hercules type
physically,” wrote Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston.
“He did what
I like to see a fighter do, which is to come out ready to fight from the
opening bell and let the other man know immediately that he had better be ready
for a long, hard night. Bradley has boxing ability, but he was simply too much
fighter for the supposedly more highly skilled Alexander. The strategy was
simple but effective: Don’t let Alexander get settled, fire right hand get
rough with him, keep him thinking defensively.”
Meanwhile,
although Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) dethroned WBA super welterweight world
champion Miguel Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs) by twelve round unanimous decision (117-111,
117-111, 118-110) on May 5 night at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, some observers believe he is less
dangerous to Pacquiao compared to Bradley
Mayweather
had the edge in most rounds over the first six rounds, but Cotto had his
moments and was determined to take the fight to Mayweather and bloodied his
nose early on. Big round eight for Cotto who went all out for the KO, but after
that Mayweather took control, staggering Cotto in the final stanza.
A win over
Bradley will oblige Pacquiao to fight Mayweather. Afterall, Mayweather has
already declared he would next face Pacquiao after tackling Cotto. “Pacquiao
needs Mayweather more than Mayweather needs Pacquiao,” Mayweather recently told
CNN.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
MANNY PACQUIAO VS TIMOTHY BRADLEY
Pacquiao’s
five-week training in L.A. begins
By Alex P.
Vidal
HOLLYWOOD,
California – World 147-lb king Manny Pacquiao was scheduled to hit the ground
running here starting May 7 as he revs up for 12-round world welterweight title
tussle against unbeaten Palm Springs, California resident Timothy Ray Bradley
Jr. on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao’s training
at the Wild Card gym on Vine Street here will culminate after five weeks. Team
Pacquiao will motor to the glitzy gambling capital of the world six days before
the fight sanctioned by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and supervised by
the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The 33-year
old lefty from Gen. Santos City will be facing several heavier sparring partners,
including Russians Ruslan Provodnikov and Ruslan Nugaeve, tapped by trainer
Freddie Roach to engage Pacquiao in a no holds barred sparring sessions that
romped off in Baguio City last month.
Bradley (28-0,
12 KOs), 28, the youngest fighter to face Pacquiao (54-3, 38 KOs) in a world
title showdown since then 29-year-old Miguel Angel Cotto, sent notice he was
ready for the big league when he dismantled the feared Cuban former world
titlist Joel Casamayor in the 8th round on Nov. 12, 2011 underneath
the Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy also at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
‘DESERT STORM’
Nicknamed “The
Desert Storm” and stands five feet and six inches like the Filipino buzzsaw,
the black orthodox fighter won every round against Casamayor before referee Vic
Drakulich pulled the plug at 2:59 of the eighth round to retain his WBO junior
welterweight tiara.
Final punch
statistics obtained from the CompuBox showed Bradely, an orthodox, connected
192 of the 480 punches thrown against Casamayor’s 41 of the 290 punches thrown.
Bradley uncorked
346 power punches and connected 177 against Casamayor’s 33 of the total 136
thrown. A point had been deducted from Casamayor in the fourth canto for
excessive holding.
Bradley’s
rumble versus Pacquiao will be his second outing under the Top Rank, Inc. since
he signed the promotional contract with the gigantic outfit managed by Bob Arum
last year following an eye-popping 10th round technical decision win
over Devon Alexander on January 29, 2011.
Bradley is a
seven-year professional fighter and has defended the WBO junior welterweight belt
three times. He was also a two-time WBC super welterweight crown holder. As
amateur, he won gold medals in the 2001 National PAL Championships (147 pounds)
and the 2001 Under-19 National Championships (147 pounds).
HARDLY
IMPRESSIVE
While Bradley
made heads turn in putting away Casamayor, main eventer Pacquiao was hardly
impressive in subduing 37-year-old Marquez nicknamed “Dinamita” (52-6-1, 39
KOs).
Of the 578
total punches thrown, Pacquiao connected 176 against Marquez’s 138 of the 436
punches thrown.
The
congressman from Sarangani Province in Mindanao, connected 117 of the 274
punches thrown against Marquez’s 100 of the 254 punches thrown. Pacquiao landed
an average of 14 of the 49 punches thrown per round against Marquez’s 11 of the
36 punches thrown per round.
Unlike
Pacquiao’s previous opponents in the welterweight division, Bradley has good
skills and movements and is physically strong. Manager Cameron Dunkin described
his ward as “always in top condition and has great stamina and recuperative
ability.”
Bradley is
also a sharp, accurate puncher, a good body puncher, and is versatile in the
ring, added Dunkin. He can pressure his opponent or box, move and counterpunch
and is experienced against very good opposition, aside from his strong amateur
background.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Historical Filipinotown officers and board of directors in Los Angeles, California
Historical Filipinotown
242 N. Burlington Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213.413.3323
Fax 213.483.0908
Officers and board members are all volunteers
comprising of residents, property and business owners of HIFI.
President: Cecilia C. Ramos
Founder, Burlington School, 1974
Developer, builder, VGR & Associates
Vice President and Treasurer: Leo Pandac, Ph.D.
Director, Pacific Asian Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program
Commissioner of Lotus Festival
Mr. Pandac is also very active in the community
Secretary: Ben Marte, M.D.
Co-chair, Pilipino-American Network Advocacy
Dr. Marte is a retired Psychologist - still very active in the community as a mentor
Director: Jorge Prado
from Chamber and also Fundraising
Directors:
Dennis Arguelles, M.A.
Director, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans
Pam Darden
Resident Founder, Marvalettes Group Vice President, Historic Filipinotown Chamber of Commerce
Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal, MSW
Resident and Businessowner, Remy’s on Temple President, Temple Westlake Development Corporation
David Rockello
Resident and Community Activist President, Historic Filipinotown Homeowners Association
Jorge Prado from Chamber and also Fundraising
242 N. Burlington Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213.413.3323
Fax 213.483.0908
Officers and board members are all volunteers
comprising of residents, property and business owners of HIFI.
President: Cecilia C. Ramos
Founder, Burlington School, 1974
Developer, builder, VGR & Associates
Vice President and Treasurer: Leo Pandac, Ph.D.
Director, Pacific Asian Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program
Commissioner of Lotus Festival
Mr. Pandac is also very active in the community
Secretary: Ben Marte, M.D.
Co-chair, Pilipino-American Network Advocacy
Dr. Marte is a retired Psychologist - still very active in the community as a mentor
Director: Jorge Prado
from Chamber and also Fundraising
Directors:
Dennis Arguelles, M.A.
Director, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans
Pam Darden
Resident Founder, Marvalettes Group Vice President, Historic Filipinotown Chamber of Commerce
Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal, MSW
Resident and Businessowner, Remy’s on Temple President, Temple Westlake Development Corporation
David Rockello
Resident and Community Activist President, Historic Filipinotown Homeowners Association
Jorge Prado from Chamber and also Fundraising
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