There is no stopping Pacmania

It was reported that the Manny Pacquiao- Shane Mosley welterweight championship megafight at the MGM Grand Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on May 7th has sold more than 16,000 tickets in just 3 hours after its opening, making it one of the biggest ticket runs in Sin City's history.

No matter what the critics say about this fight, Manny Pacquiao has earned his due and boxing fans love to see his fights, perception of mismatches or not.

As they usually say, the boxing fans have spoken.

Beyonce is a Pacman fan

Manny Pacquiao in Nike's BOOM

Check out Nike's BOOM ad features Manny Pacquiao, Tim Tebow and Ndamukong Suh at Detroit Fight Sports Examiner.

Manny Pacquiao messes up Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s head

Yes folks, contrary to what Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s pronouncements of taking some time off from boxing, his head is actually so full of it.

Despite Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s practiced nonchalance and dismissal of Manny Pacquiao's greatness, the Filipino and Ring Magazine's current pound-for pound king is really plaguing his mind.

If Manny Pacquiao is a non- entity in Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s life and existence, then how do we explain his behavior whenever a whiff of Manny Pacquiao invades Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s air.

It is obvious from the way Floyd Mayweather, Jr. belittles Manny Pacquiao that a big chunk of his brain is haunted by his nemesis. It is obvious that Manny Pacquiao's standing in boxing is driving Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to madness. It is obvious that just by the mere mention of Manny Pacquiao's name in his presence, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can explode and go to the extreme.

Manny Pacquiao has tormented and continues to torment Floyd Mayweather, Jr. It seems that he just can't get rid of Manny Pacquiao's unwelcome presence wherever he goes. Manny Pacquiao's shadow looms large in Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s daily life. And Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is going bonkers because of it.



Read the rest of the article, HERE

Manny Pacquiao's USA Today Interview

Paul Pierce: Manny Pacquiao is the best P4P boxer in the world

We all know that Paul Pierce and the Celtics love Manny Pacquiao. No surprise there.

But FanHouse's Elie Seckbach cutting off ex- Laker Rick Fox while the guy was still talking on the camera in favor of his lady got me into stitches.

I guess, Elie found it too hard to resist the lady's charm.

Go Green!

The way to a Manny Pacquiao- Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy is through Amir Khan

Juan Manuel Marquez is still living in the past. If he thinks that his performance against Juan Diaz earns him the right to a third fight with Manny Pacquiao, he is surely mistaken. Ever since their last meeting, their paths have taken in different directions that probably will never again meet.

Juan Manuel Marquez' drumbeaters, which immediately proclaim that the Mexican is ready for a trilogy with rival Manny Pacquiao, are themselves living in the past. After the so-so win over Diaz, those people who said that Marquez deserves another shot at the current P4P king should better consult their ophthalmologists to check on their vision for nowhere in the fight screams the necessity of a Pacquiao trilogy.


Click the link for the article-

The way to a Manny Pacquiao- Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy is through Amir Khan

Detroit Fight Sports Examiner Digest #85

If there’s one place that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can call home, it should be Michigan. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Mayweather put the state on the boxing map for years and many Michiganders are proud of his accomplishments inside the ring.

If there’s one place where Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can clearly claim that his fans far outnumber that of his nemesis, Manny Pacquiao, it will be Michigan. The Grand Rapids native enjoys a huge following in the state and Michigan boxing fans have supported him through thick and thin.

And with Bob Arum’s deadline on the proposed Mayweather- Pacquiao megafight hovering on the horizon, many boxing fans and supporters of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. are clinging to the faint hope that their favorite fighter will sign the dotted line on the eleventh hour.

Click the link for the full article--

Michigan boxing fans want Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to 'Man Up'

Detroit Fight Sports Examiner Digest #84

The writing on the wall even before the Manny Pacquiao- Floyd Mayweather, Jr. megafight was conceived was that it would never happen. Still, many boxing fans are hoping that for a multi-million dollar mega prize all the obstacles will be overcome and the fight will push through. And Bob Arum’s announcement that Manny Pacquiao has agreed to all the demands of the Mayweathers including the contentious random blood testing and purse split brought hope to the boxing faithful. Or so it seems.



Click on the link to read the article-

Mayweather- Pacquiao debacle: Money May passes the buck to Bob Arum via David Mayo

The Legend of the Manny Pacquiao "Pompyang" double- punch

When Manny Pacquiao did the patented "FPJ- pompyang" double- punch on Joshua Clottey in their fight dubbed The Event at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas last March 13th, many were actually surprised by the pound-for-pound king's actions. Many thought it was a spur of the moment decision made by Pacquiao because of Clottey's unwillingness to fight.

Now, it can be told. The "pompyang" double- punch was actually first put into action during his training camp en route to his fight with Joshua Clottey.

In a video by YouTube user, p4pedwinkhan, Manny Pacquiao playfully unleashed the "pompyang" double- punch on his sparring partner, 17- year old prospect Jose Benavidez.

Manny Pacquiao @ The Jimmy Kimmel Live

The Event: Manny Pacquiao- Joshua Clottey Press Con

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao: Who's Bad? Part II

(Last of a two- part series)

The proposed mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr on March 13, 2010 is definitely off owing to disagreements in both camps on the how the contentious and controversial drug testing will be done and what agency will handle it.

Let us look back and answer some issues that contributed as to why the said mega fight went kaput.

Bad Move

Whoever made the decision to come out with the Olympic- style drug testing from Floyd Mayweather Jr’s camp should be crucified for putting the death knell on the biggest fight of our time. This is not only unprecedented and unparalleled in professional sports but it borders to the absurd. On the other hand, this is an admission of the amount of respect Mayweather have on Pacquiao’s fighting prowess despite Mayweather belittling his skills and ability in various interviews.

We should remember that in Mayweather’s 40 professional fights, he did not demand this kind of testing which is unheard of in professional boxing until this fight.

Although they may have some valid points with this demand especially in this day and age of Performance- Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), they could have asked the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which is the proper venue for this kind of issue to consider them in their drug testing. They could have asked the commission for a hearing to hear their apprehensions and I’m sure the NSAC will be up to the task and educate them about the merits and demerits of such tests. I’m sure Team Pacquiao will not refuse the said tests if a competent authority like the NSAC, who oversees all professional sports drug testing in the State of Nevada, demands it and warrants the test.

Instead, they went full throttle with trial by publicity without showing any pieces of evidence or witnesses linking Pacquiao to using PEDs. Mayweather and their minions slander Manny Pacquiao’s name to anybody who would care to listen. It was a move that borders to idiocy. To me, this smacks of bad faith and utter disrespect to Manny Pacquiao.

Why jeopardize the fight with these unsubstantiated accusations that should have been confined only in gossip columns? Why deal in tabloid stuff when you are negotiating for the richest fight in boxing history?

Some people will say if you‘re clean and have nothing to hide, “why not just take the damn test and be done with it?”

We should understand that there’s a big difference between the Filipino and American cultures playing here. Rudyard Kipling once said in one of his poems that, “Oh East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.”

While an American would readily take the test to prove his innocence even if he knows that he is innocent in the first place just to appease his critics, this will not be the case to a Filipino. A Filipino will stand his ground if he feels that he is being coerced to do things that he feels don’t merit any considerations. A Filipino will be stubborn to a fault if he believes that his integrity is being questioned especially if he knows deep in his heart that the accusations are not true.

Manny Pacquiao doesn’t relish the fact that his integrity is being questioned. More so, being blatantly accused of being a cheater without proof by his nemesis. Being a true- blooded Pinoy, I can understand why Manny Pacquiao would rather walk away from millions of dollars than dignify these kind of unwarranted accusations.

Make no mistake about it, like many Filipinos, Manny Pacquiao is a proud man. If this was just an issue between ordinary people in Manila or in any other place in the Philippines and somebody accuses somebody of cheating, you can expect that blood will surely flow in order for the aggrieved party to clear his name.


Bad Press

The press went to town when Manny Pacquiao did not acquiesce to Floyd Mayweather Jr’s demand for an Olympic-style testing. Some media people were blaming Pacquiao for the collapsed of the mega fight yet they turned a blind eye on the fact that the accusations against Pacquiao were concocted by Floyd Mayweather, Sr.

They further fanned the blaze and tooted the line of a convicted felon, a confessed cocaine user and high school drop-out like it was gospel truth. If that is not an obvious indictment of the state of journalism in sports nowadays, I really can’t say. If Floyd Sr. is not the most polluted source that one can find, I really don‘t know.

The media did not bother to check the facts nor research on the issue properly. Instead of reporting facts, they resorted to conjectures. Instead of reporting the truth, they succumbed to rumors and innuendos. Overnight, many respected sports personalities metamorphosed into gossip columnists and tabloid reporters. They stopped being objective and seekers-of-truth and unknowingly became peddlers of lies.


Bad Medicine

If we study the history of doping in sports, we can easily deduce that the usual culprits are athletes from first world countries who have the capability to do systematic sports doping. It all started with the athletes of the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact nations to give their athletes the edge against their western counterparts during the height of the Cold War.

The Mayweathers showed their ignorance regarding the Philippines’ capability when it comes to doping in sports by saying in one of their interviews that “we don’t know what they are capable out there”, or something to that effect, when referring to the country as a haven for steroids and other PEDs.

The only Asian country that is known to conduct systematic doping with its athletes is China. Who can forget the notorious Ma’s Army in athletics and their record-breaking swimmers a while back?

But the US and other western nations are not immune to cheating in sports. The names of Ben Johnson, Linford Christie, Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery are now forever linked to steroids and doping.

In the US professional sports ranks, the baseball ‘roid warriors like McGwire, Clemens, Bonds, Canseco and Sosa forever tarnished baseball. Even Tiger Woods is now being linked to PEDs because of his trainer. Boxing is not spared either. Fighters like Roy Jones Jr, Evander Holyfield, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley, just to name a few, have tested positive for steroids at some point in their careers.

In all of these cases, the accusations are backed up with pieces of evidence (syringe for Clemens) and witnesses (trainers) accusing a particular athlete of wrongdoings. In all of these cases, the accused athletes have been linked to people or laboratories/ companies like BALCO (Mosley and Bonds) that are known to deal in sports doping. In all of these cases, the accused athletes have been caught or have tested positive for doping (Jones).

In Manny Pacquiao’s case, not a single piece of evidence has been shown. In Manny Pacquiao’s case, not a single witness has come forward to accuse him of using PEDs. In Manny Pacquiao’s case, he has never tested positive for PEDs. In Manny Pacquiao’s case, the people around him have never been linked, accused nor convicted of engaging in illicit drugs.

Also Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy's CEO was caught lying through his teeth and showed us his plain hypocrisy on this issue. He was on record of refusing a more thorough drug-testing on Shane Mosley, an admitted steroid user in his proposed fight against Zab Judah yet they were very adamant to do this on Manny Pacquiao.

"Whatever tests they want them to take, Shane will submit to that. We are not going to do other tests than the Nevada commission requires.”

"The fact is Shane is not a cheater and he does not need to be treated like one."

The reason Olympic-style drug testing is usually done on athletes in the off-season (e.g. when they are deep in training) is because that’s the time that the benefits of PEDs (e.g. hGH & anabolic steroids) will come in handy to build those muscles and tissues. An athlete should have been using these banned substances for a long time for any changes in the body and the desired results to occur. It’s not as if you will just shoot them into your system, and voila, the dramatic effect will take place immediately. Besides, if one is a long-time user, there will be very visible changes not only in appearance but also in the psychological make-up of the user.

Nowadays, steroids can now be detected in the hair and when a positive test comes back, the urine sample is then tested for confirmation. Also, hGH is only effective if they are used in conjunction with steroids, and contrary to popular belief, it can also be detected in urine (aside from blood) by using molecular ‘markers’ which could be used as evidence of doping.

So in this case, whether you test Manny Pacquiao for hGH and anabolic steroids, 24- days or 14- days or post fight, is really immaterial since if he was really using them in the past, he would have tested positive for both, while on the other hand, if he will be using them just weeks before the fight, with a window period of less than 30 days, the desired outcome will not take effect nor make an impact on his performance. They should be looking for amphetamines and its derivatives instead.


Badass


In this mega fight fiasco, finger-pointing is the order of the day. But one doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out who’s the real badass and who’s not between the two protagonists.

They say, being a badass is not an act but a way of life. They say a badass doesn’t lie because a badass doesn’t need to lie. He is brutally honest and has a soft spot for the weak. He is a rugged man but possesses a calm and cool demeanor when dealing with everything in life.

So, between Manny and Money, who do you think is the real badass?


Note: This article can also be found at Now Boxing

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao: Who's Bad?

(First of a two-part series)

The proposed mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr scheduled on March 13, 2010 is definitely off owing to disagreements in both camps on the how the contentious and controversial drug testing will be done and what agency will handle it.

Let us look back and answer some issues that contributed as to why the said mega fight went kaput.



Bad Blood

There was bad blood between both sides and they were wary of each other’s intentions and sincerity from the very beginning. It did not bode well that Floyd Mayweather, Jr has a bad history with Bob Arum and so does Manny Pacquiao with Golden Boy Promotions. Add the fact that Pacquiao gave Oscar de la Hoya, GBP’s owner, the beating of his life and turned his pretty face into a punching bag.

Also, Freddie Roach and Pacquiao terribly embarrassed the Floyd Mayweather, Sr- trained Ricky Hatton in just two rounds that made Mayweather, Sr cope out on the Mancunian fighter by blaming him of not listening to his instructions instead of his poor fight plan and strategy.

After these two fights, rumors began to swirl around about Manny Pacquiao’s alleged steroid use without any evidence to show but mainly coming from Mayweather, Sr.’s mouth that was soon picked up by fighters with hidden agenda, some people with an axe to grind, and some media people who are skeptical of Team Pacquiao’s success.

Bad Intentions

Pacquiao shamed Oscar de la Hoya when he made him quit on his stool after the 8th round and failed to answer the bell for the 9th round of their fight that Oscar was predicted to win handily. The Golden Boy’s image was tarnished and he still cannot get over the fact that the last image of him being remembered was of a defeated man sitting forlornly in his corner while Team Pacquiao and the boxing world were celebrating around him.

Oscar de la Hoya’s huge ego was irreversibly pricked when Freddie Roach proved to the whole world that he “can no longer pull the trigger”, and was made worse when Pacquiao made him eat his word. Who can forget what he told Pacquiao during one of the press conferences before the fight, “I will knock you out“?

And after proclaiming to anybody who cared to listen after his surrender that Pacquiao’s punches had no power at all and that he could’ve have stood there all night and Pacquiao would not be able to knock him out, he made a 180 degree turn around and wrote in his blog that, “Now I have to wonder about him. I’m saying to myself. Wow, those Mosley punches, those Vargas punches and those Pacquiao punches all felt the same!”

Thus, we can forgive his conflicting statements since he was on the receiving end of many powerful and wicked blows to the head in his fight with Pacquiao and could have resulted into him not being his old self. Now, we have to wonder if he is the same sane old man that he believe is.


Bad Education

Manny Pacquaio’s accusers lack the necessary smarts to understand the nature of anabolic steroids and human-growth hormones and their functions and effects on the body. They don’t possess the necessary educational attainment to even understand the essence of what they are talking about.

Floyd Mayweather, Sr. who started the ball rolling never finished high school to have even an iota of understanding the basics of what he is accusing Pacquiao of doing. Obviously, Team Mayweather lacks the knowledge to separate the facts from fiction regarding the tests that they are demanding.

First, they asked for blood tests to look for steroids in Manny Pacquiao’s blood. Manny Pacquiao agreed to 3 tests that are not even part of the mandated drug testing by the NSAC, the sole authority in conducting such tests on fighters in the State of Nevada. When told that this could be done through urinalysis, they changed their tune and now added Human- Growth Hormones (hGH) to the lot. While it’s true that hGH can be detected in one’s blood, contrary to popular beliefs hGH can also be detected in the urine by using molecular ‘markers’ to detect its presence in the urine in this day and age.

I will not be surprised if they will raise the EPO- question in the future. This is an obvious witch- hunt that Team Pacquiao did not tolerate. More so, a ludicrous demand coming from a fighter who belittles Manny Pacquiao’s skills and says that he will “whip the Pacman’s punk ass“.


Bad Company

Team Pacquiao is not known to harbor people with questionable characters in their midst . Team Pacquiao has no links to companies with bad reputations. They have not been involved nor linked in any controversies in and out of the ring. Team Pacquiao has no links to laboratories/ companies like BALCO nor to any dirty and unsavory characters both at present and in the past.

Freddie Roach is as straight a shooter as you can get. He is so transparent and speaks his mind out without regard for anything. He is the “what you see is what you get” kind of guy.

Conditioning coach Alex Ariza who admitted that he prepared everything that he gave to Manny Pacquiao himself. He said that if there is any person in the team that should know what goes into Pacquiao’s system, it should be him. His record is impeccable and speaks for itself.

Alex Ariza, who was obviously irritated by the issue, said in an interview -

“I didn’t really do any interviews before this because I didn’t feel it warranted it. But I’ve seen stories like Lou DiBella said that members of Team Pacquiao have a history of steroid use? Show me. Where’s his paperwork that leads to BALCO? I’ve worked with Diego Corrales, Erik Morales, Angel Manfredy. None of those guys has ever even tested for a diuretic, cold medication, antibiotics, nothing. I don’t give any of my fighters that would be considered illegal or a performance enhancing drug. I don’t know where people are coming up that I’m linked to BALCO. I’ve never been associated or questioned about anything.”

As for Team Mayweather, I’ll just give you three names and I believed no further explanations are necessary to put the message across - Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Roger Mayweather and Richard Schaefer.


Bad Reputation

Manny Pacquiao earned the mythical P4P title the hard way. He persevered against the odds and fought his way to the top against worthy and world class opponents. The list of his victims are worthy of Hall of Fame status themselves. He may have been involved in some controversies in the past with regards to his dalliances with show business but his record in and out of the ring when it comes to the sport is spotless. He quietly made his mark and fought the best there is.

On the other hand, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s reputation in and out of the ring left something to be desired. His name was mentioned in relation to a shooting incident in a Las Vegas skating rink and his mansion and limo were subjected to a weapons search by authorities. The IRS is after him for several years now and also has several pending cases for foreclosures in court. Recently, he and his entourage were involved in a night club scuffle with a rapper and his crew.

True, Mayweather fought some good fighters like Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo (although he was gifted a win in their first fight) when he was still in the lower weight divisions but as he scaled the weights he was also accused of cherry- picking his opponents to preserve the “0” in his record. His most impressive win in the last 5 years was the 10th round knockout of Ricky Hatton who was fighting out of his natural weight for the first time.

His biggest fight was an unimpressive split decision win over Oscar de la Hoya wherein de la Hoya, learning from his mistakes in the first fight, could have whipped his ass the moment they faced again but he never gave him the rematch. So, that is subject to debate until now.

His comeback fight against a very bloated Juan Manuel Marquez (which earned him the laughable no. 1 P4P ranking over Pacquiao from Yahoo Sports for some time) is nothing spectacular either. It did not sit well to boxing fans that he came out two pounds over the catch weight limit and refused the customary weigh-in again on fight night. Although he showed his vaunted defensive skills in that fight, the fans were dissatisfied when he failed to engage and knockout the smaller Mexican.

While Manny Pacquiao continues to take on all- comers throughout his career, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fought patsies and second- tier fighters while dancing en route to victory. He conveniently ducked the people who could have challenged his skills and defined him as a fighter. Mosley, Margarito, Cotto and Williams are just some of the names that could have cemented his legacy, but rather than facing them in the ring, he opted to retire.

Bad Mouth

Manny Pacquiao is a soft- spoken person and is not known to bad mouth his opponents. He respects his opponents even if some of his opponents disrespect him. He just smiles at all the trash talk and lets his fist do the talking inside the ring.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. shoots from his mouth without regard for anything. He brags about his ‘greatness’ and trash talks anyone that he wants to or got in his way. Everyone is fair game to him and he will disrespect everyone if it will suit and further his cause.

Consider Floyd mumbo-jumbos on fighting Pacquiao-

“He has to call me out first- he knows he can’t beat me- it will be an easier fight than Marquez- 60-40- I’m the best fighter of all time- God doesn’t want me to lose- I’ll promise I’ll fight Mosley instead”

When Pacquiao called out his bluff, he proposed an unprecedented and unparalleled Olympic- style testing which no boxing commission in the United States uses despite the fact that the Nevada State Athletic Commission has the most sophisticated testing facilities and the most stringent measures in drug testing.

If he thinks Pacquiao will be of no match to him, why be adamant with his senseless demands since he once admitted that he was the bigger man, anyway? Why not just sign the contract and prove that he is the greatest fighter of all time inside the square ring?

Sadly, for all of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s pronouncements, deep inside he is afraid to fight Manny Pacquiao and lose his cherished “0” to the Pacman. For all of his braggadocio, deep inside he is a big coward. Floyd Mayweather, Jr should remember that being a loud-mouth will not gain him respect. He should also take to heart the old saying that “Still water runs deep.”


Note: This article is also featured at Now Boxing

Floyd Mayweather, Jr.- I'll whip Manny Pacquiao's punk ass!

Now that the fight is definitely off, Floyd Mayweather, Jr is back talking some sh**. Now that the fight is not going to happen Floyd Mayweather, Jr is talking about whipping Manny Pacquiao’s punk ass. Finally, it’s no longer quiet on Floyd Mayweather, Jr’s front but this time the typical Mayweather mumbo- jumbo is falling on deaf ears. Floyd Mayweather, Jr can keep on talking about his greatness, his wealth and his fighting ability until eternity but nobody is listening.

Mayweather in a statement released earlier today said-

“Throughout this whole process, I have remained patient, but at this point I am thoroughly disgusted that Pacquiao and his representatives are trying to blame me for the fight not happening when clearly the blame is on them.

“First and foremost, not only do I want to fight Manny Pacquiao. I want to whip his punk [rear]. Before the mediation, my team proposed a 14-day, no-blood-testing window leading up to the fight. But it was rejected. I am still proposing the 14-day window, but he is still unwilling to agree to it, even though this is obviously a fair compromise on my part as I wanted the testing to be up until the fight and he wanted a 30-day cut-off. The truth is he just doesn’t want to take the tests.

‘In my opinion, it is Manny Pacquiao and his team who are denying the people a chance to see the biggest fight ever. I know the people will see through their smoke screens and lies. I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight.”


Now, that the fight is never going to happen, Floyd Mayweather, Jr is talking tough and cheap.

I say, man up Floyd and stop making excuses, step up and fight if you really want it to happen. I say, stop the tough talk, back up your mouth, be a man and fight Manny Pacquiao in the ring. But since you don’t want to take a chance against a fighter that could erase the “0” in your resume, you won’t do that.

How naïve of some people who didn’t get the charade you were playing early on. You never really liked this fight in the first place after seeing how Manny Pacquiao manhandled Miguel Cotto (a fighter of your own size where you took the easy way out and retired instead of facing him in the ring).

Despite all your talk and press releases, I know that you are just engaging in double- talk and trying to find a way out of the hole that you dug into when your loud mouth proclaimed that you want to fight the Pacman.

The moment you asked Richard Schaefer to cancel the Texas flight, I knew that you were having a change of heart -- for how come the so-called "greatest fighter of all time" refused to fight mano-a- mano in an 80,000 seating capacity arena? How could the fight’s "greatest showman" refuse to show his greatness in front of thousands of fans and suddenly suffer from stage fright?

It’s simple, you‘re just afraid of Manny Pacquiao. Your demand for an unparalleled and unprecedented Olympic-style drug testing is an indictment of how you really fear the Pacman. In the end, you would rather be labeled a coward than enter the ring and have your pretty face busted by the fists of the Pacman.


NOTE: The reason Olympic-style drug testing is usually done on athletes in the off-season (e.g. when they are deep in training) because that’s the time that the benefits of PEDs (e.g. hGH & anabolic steroids) will come in handy to build those muscles and tissues. An athlete should have been using those banned substances for a long time for any changes in the body and the desired results to occur. It’s not as if you will just shoot them into your system and the dramatic effect will take place immediately. Besides, if one is a long-time user, there will be very visible changes not only in appearance but also in the psychological make-up of the user.

Nowadays, steroids can now be detected in the hair and when a positive test comes back, the urine sample is then tested for confirmation. Also, hGH is only effective if they are used in conjunction with steroids, and contrary to popular belief, it can also be detected in urine (aside from blood) by using molecular ‘markers’ which could be used as evidence of doping.

So in this case, whether you test Manny Pacquiao for hGH and anabolic steroids, 24- days or 14- days or post fight, is really immaterial since if he was really using them in the past, he would have tested positive for both, while on the other hand, if he will be using them just weeks before the fight, with a window period of less than 30 days, the desired outcome will not take effect nor make an impact on his performance. They should be looking for amphetamines and its derivatives instead.

Counter Punch: Pound Poundes

Obviously the self- proclaimed Professor is showing signs of dementia pugilistica even if the record of his short-lived career as a boxer is laughable and negligible to say the least. His best accomplishments, though ,came of having worked as the third man in the ring in obscure fights in obscure places.

He may have a thick skull but you can bet that there is no doubt that he is already punched drunk as evidenced by his recent article since he cannot fathom the real guise of my retort to his article. Maybe his brain is just really a bit on the soft and soggy side that he cannot comprehend even simple English now. Ha, what a shame for someone who is supposed to have been born to write and speak the Queen’s language.

You gotta laugh at how ignorant this guy is especially on his hypotheses in his newest article at RingsideReport entitled “Manny Pacquiao- Floyd Mayweather, Jr: The Idiotic Following of the Pacman” This is not surprising though as he is known for his pathetic and idiotic views in the boxing world.

Whoa, how presumptuous of Geoff Poundes to usurp the title of Professor which traditionally should have been reserved for people who truly deserved it. And how could RingsideReport pride itself as “The Heart of Boxing” with a person known to have a spurious title as one of its inhabitants. This is tantamount to having an athlete using PEDs to attain something that you don’t normally have in your system. Maybe we should use an Olympic Style testing in order to determine how Mr. Poundes obtained his Professorial chair.

Yes, you gotta laugh. This time wail if you must like a real hyena. Or better still, howl like a jackal at the absurdity of the contentions these ignorant nincompoops can come up with.

But we can forgive the man for his perception is really clouded and he is living in a wide warped world where he cannot stand Pacquiao and his followers. You can blame it on envy and his huge ego popped since he cannot accept the fact that a midget brown man like Manny Pacquiao is on top of the boxing world.

Anyway, when was the last time mighty England had a P4P champion? Nada. Zip.

Most of the boxing world had already seen the ruse by Golden Boy and Mayweather in order for them to put a huge cloud over Manny Pacquiao’s head. But this Geoff guy is still acting like a buffoon by stubbornly sticking to his beliefs based really on NOTHING but gossips and innuendos. Not very manly, come to think of it.

Why would Manny Pacquiao allow himself to be bamboozled into some test to prove he’s clean (when he knows in his heart that he is clean) just because a known drug nut and convicted felon says he’s not, without even an iota of evidence to show? Why would Manny Pacquiao dignify this obvious witch-hunt by people with dubious characters and intentions?

For the record, unlike in the cases of many British athletes like the “venerable” Linford Christie as well as their American “roid warrior counterparts like McGwire and Mosley, there is no smoking gun nor corroborating witnesses in the accusations against Manny Pacquiao of using PEDs. Even the vaunted Scotland Yard will scoff at these charges.

So, it is really quite astonishing for a person who goes around with a “Professor” title attached to his name to foolishly continue to harp on this. It doesn’t bode well for Mr. Poundes’ stature to pound on issues raised by an uneducated felon. But we cannot blame him since his illusions were shattered when his idols, the symbols of British pride and dominance in some sports, were caught using PEDs and eventually labeled as Royal Cheaters. These people who were supposed to be the Creams of the Crown shamed the Empire, of course but this doesn’t mean that what is true for the British is also true for the Pinoys. There’s a big difference between Tea and Salabat or a pudding and a Balut, if you ask me.

Unlike Geoff Poundes and his ilk, I can understand where Manny Pacquiao is coming from. Manny is not dumb enough to jump into something just because somebody told him to jump. Let them prove the worth of their accusations first by citing and giving concrete facts rather than just baseless hunches.

And yes, Manny Pacquiao is not Superman and as proven in his many fights that he is indeed human. But he perseveres and works hard to attain his mythical status that he deserves right now. And so I’m cutting him some slack on this but make no mistake about it that when a competent authority like the NSAC asks him to undergo this so-called Olympic Style testing, I’m positive Manny Pacquiao will surely answer the bell come test time.


Note: Just for the benefit of the uninformed, like Mr. Geoff Poundes, who obviously need to get out of their small worlds to educate themselves regarding the vast culture of the big, wide world in order to spare them from all the idiotic stuff that their small demented minds can come up with.

I say, with or without Manny Pacquiao the Filipinos’ world will go on turning. Filipinos are a hardened lot and they will not just succumb to the hardships of life without a fight. We don’t throw ourselves from buildings just because we lose our jobs, nor do we put bullets in our heads just because we don’t have pie for Christmas. And most of all, we know how to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Pacquiao- Mayweather Blood Feud: CBS Sports Gregg Doyel's Folly

There are articles written by writers that are worth reading, and then there are articles that are not worth the time to read. CBS Sports columnist Gregg Doyel’s article entitled “Boxing’s bloody mess: Manny meet McGwire” belongs to the latter. It is a bloody mess only because it harped on things that are nothing but the byproducts of the pure unadulterated warped sense of American righteousness and the crap that goes with it. CBS' image would be a lot better if they would stop patronizing people like him who are obviously not capable of logical thinking and deal mostly in speculative fiction.



The eras of the Salem witch hunts and McCarthyism may be in the past but make no mistake about it; many Americans still harbor those wicked principles in the dark abyss of their hearts and the deep recesses of their small minds if they suit their purpose. They would even lie and omit pertinent facts to justify their positions.

Doyel tried to sugarcoat his partisan views on the issue of the Manny Pacquiao- Floyd Mayweather Jr. mega fight fiasco with what he deemed were logical premises on the surface, but on closer examination, they smacked of double-standard, lack of knowledge and outright ignorance to justify his leaning toward his fellow American in this particular case.

I will just raise and discuss some points here in passing. I’ll do a clearer and more extensive explanation on the issues in my next post entitled “Pacquiao- Mayweather: Who’s Bad?” in the coming days. Suffice it to say that for now I will just refute some of Gregg Doyle’s dumb assertions.

“Now the onus is on Pacquiao. Like so many who came before him -- McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, cyclists and sprinters and body builders -- he is guilty until proven innocent. But this is different from the Salem witch trials or the McCarthy's reign of terror, because the solution is simple:

Do the blood test.“

Putting Manny Pacquiao in the same league as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and the like is nothing but a ploy to condition the mind of a gullible public to condemn him for these make- believe accusations that primarily originated, without rhyme or reason nor any evidence to back up the said claim, from the mind of a known drug addict and convicted dealer (Floyd Mayweather, Sr.), that were then parroted by several personalities that either had an axe to grind (Schaefer & Golden Boy) or simply lacked the brain power (Malignaggi and Cintron) to comprehend the things that they are talking about that was then aided by the equally biased and ignorant press like Doyel and his ilk.

I am also quite amused on how some media people are now saying, and gullible people are really buying it, that the Philippines is now capable of systematic sports doping typically reserved for technologically- advanced countries like the United States, Russia, China and the United Kingdom just to name a few. It’s not only laughable but absurd. The sporting world’s Hall of Shame have been populated by athletes from those countries mentioned above since God-knows when. The list is a veritable who’s who of people adored and worshiped by people all over the world before their ignominious fall from grace.

Correct me if I’m wrong but there is no record of any Filipino athlete that has tested positive on any performance- enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the history of any sports that they have participated in and Manny Pacquiao is not and will not be the first one to break the said record.

The Olympic Style Drug Testing proposed by the Mayweather camp is not only unparalleled and unprecedented in the history of professional boxing but is also not the norm by any governing body that oversees and sanctions the sport like the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

All of a sudden here comes Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his posse accusing Manny Pacquiao of this and that and demanding this tests and that for Pacquiao to undergo. Manny Pacquiao of course did what a proud champion who earned his spurs in the square ring should do- he stood his ground, refused to be bullied and bamboozled into this kind of foolish exercise.

Let us remember that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not the belt holder and P4P champion to even demand such stuff; he is not boxing’s hottest property nor is he above anybody nor has the authority to demand such tests. He is not the NSAC and is not even close to being an expert on the subject.

And unlike the accusers of the MLB ’roid warriors and Golden Boy partner Shane Mosleywho came forward with loaded guns, the Mayweather camp doesn’t have anything but their foul mouths and hot air to show. They are not in possession of any documents (BALCO), pieces of evidence (Clemens’ syringe) nor have witnesses (trainers) on hand that link Manny Pacquiao to Performance- Enhancing Drugs (PEDs).

It is on record that Manny Pacquiao has never tested positive in any tests (like A-Roid) conducted by competent authorities in his entire career to even justify their accusations. Let the Mayweathers show us some proof of what dirt they really got on Pacquiao, and only then will Pacquiao be bound to prove himself. This is the most logical thing to do so as not to dignify these baseless allegations further. The contention that if Pacquiao has nothing to hide, he should just do the damn test, doesn’t hold water in this case, if you ask me. This is simply a matter of pride and principle to avoid a precedent that will encompass a witch hunt whenever a boxer will accuse and besmirch somebody of anything at a drop of a hat.

Manny Pacquiao is a proud and honest man and is not that dumb person that will just jump into their whims and caprices. But believe you me, Manny Pacquiao is not unreasonable and would readily accede to an Olympic Style testing in a heartbeat if a sanctioning body like the NSAC would require it for his fights or to an extent if Mayweather would agree to a 65- 35 purse split in Pacquiao’s favor.

Now back to Mr. Doyel’s contentions in his article-

“Pacquiao's supporters say he will do the blood test, but they are right only up to a point. They refuse to see beyond that point, because that's what supporters do: They see what they want to see. And Pacquiao fans see this: They see Pacquiao as being accommodating -- willing to submit to a urine test whenever it is asked, and even willing to submit to a blood test months before the fight, or shortly after the fight.

Pacquiao fans ignore this glaring truth, that their hero is not willing to give blood in the weeks leading up to the fight.

When the HGH would still be in his system.”
　
It’s really elementary but Mr. Doyel is obviously way out of his league in this case. He should at least emulate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and at least take some time to study the subject and gather the pertinent facts before he puts his thoughts on paper. He is ignorant on the matter and is an embarrassment not only to himself but to the CBS Network to say the least.

I will not even go into Mr. Doyel’s malicious theory and insinuations regarding Manny Pacquiao’s weight and power that he was able to carry as he scales one division after another. Had he done his research properly and consulted some knowledgeable people, he would know the answers right away.

Let me just get this straight though; Manny Pacquiao never refused the blood tests. He already agreed beyond what the Nevada State Athletic Commission demands for its fighters. But then the camp of Floyd Mayweather Jr. wanted more but could not even make up their minds on what they were looking for and asked for additional tests to be added in the contract. First, they want Manny Pacquiao to be tested for steroids then backtracked when they learned that this can be tested via urine. They then demanded that he be tested for Human Growth Hormone (hGH) and are now even demanding to add EPO to the lot which is an obvious fishing expedition. So, why would we take these obvious trial and error accusations seriously?

If there are people who are muddling the issue here, they are the Mayweathers, the Golden Boy Executives led by Schaeffer and journalists like Mr. Doyel who do not possess the necessary smarts to comprehend the subject, yet they act like experts on the matter. They concoct stories and brew conjectures in their small minds and pass them off as truth serum.

These people should at least learn and study how anabolic steroids and hGH work: the mechanisms of action and its effect; the life span as well as the half life of the said chemicals in the system and the proper manner of detection; how to quantify their levels as well as the correlating factors that affects each and every organ system in the body.

If only they knew these things then they will be enlightened enough to know that whatever crazy idea they have in their sinister minds is far, far from the truth and realize that they really have no business talking about the subject lest they will be exposed and labeled as buffoons who have no business venturing in a field that they have no idea about in the first place.

There is an old saying which best described the attitude of this stubborn yet unenlightened few- “Little learning is a dangerous thing.” Yes, Mr. Doyel, that’s precisely the reason why a lot of innocent Americans have lost their lives at the stakes in the past.

And I’ll leave you with this food for thought in the words of Golden Boy’s henchman Richard Schaeffer in answer to Zab Judah’s demand for admitted Steroid user "Sugar" Shane Mosley to undergo a more thorough drug testing similar to what his promotion company is demanding for Pacquiao prior to their fight that was eventually canned,

“Whatever tests they (the Nevada Athletic Commission) want them to take, Shane will submit to that,”

“We are not going to do other tests than the Nevada commission requires. The fact is Shane is not a cheater and he does not need to be treated like one.”

And that, folks, is the classic American double- standard and hypocrisy at work for you.

　

Manny & Money: Geoff's Gaffes

The current brouhaha on the Olympic Style Drug Testing proposed by the camp of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on Manny Pacquiao to which the Filipino and current P4P King refused to heed has elicited a lot of controversies that were further fanned by partisan as well as ignorant boxing writers on the subject.

At first, I chose to keep quiet on the matter since I still believed that the megafight between Money and Manny will push through despite all the reports of disagreement and bad press from both sides.

But sometimes I come across articles written by people who simply have no business writing such stuff that merit some retorts lest they continue with their myopic points of view and self- proclaimed knowledge on the subject when in reality they don’t have an iota of expertise on what they are talking about.

We could easily classify them into three classes- simply biased, paid hacks, dumb & dumber.

I will not speculate in what category Geoff Poundes (RingsideReport.com) belongs to, but instead I will leave it up to the readers to put him in his proper place. I read his article the other day entitled “Did Roid Rage Ruin the Manny Pacquiao- Floyd Mayweather Super Fight?”



When reading the said article of this self- proclaimed “Professor,“ I noticed there was nothing of note in it except already known facts and baseless contentions with some “new” malicious lines attributed to a so-called unnamed “Philippine” source.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“ I was apporached recently by a contributor who laid out for me several reasons why he was convinced that Pacquiao was on steroids. His reasons mostly centers around the Pacman’s physique – the argument being that Pacquiao’s muscularity was impossible in the time span and in light of the level of weight gain – and a view of the Philippines and that country’s attitude to competition and fair play. He was a Philippine himself, so I can repeat his assertion that cheating and corruption are endemic in the Philippines in most areas of life (a cursory examination of the political history of Pacquiao’s homeland pretty much tells its own story). “


The Professor’s time in the ring as a referee might have warped his sense of reality and judgment although not a single punch has landed on his head during his long career to even suggest that he is already punched drunk. Maybe it is just endemic that he lacks the requisite grey matter to fully grasp and comprehend the enormity of his theories and beliefs.

Let me just pound on Mr. Poundes’s assertions and assumptions. As if appointing clowns like Paulie Malignaggi and Kermit Cintron as boxing dignitaries was not laughable enough, he compounded his ignorance by referring to his source as well as to Manny Pacquiao as a “Philippine.” For the record, it is a known fact that no such term exists except maybe in the minds of ignorant and uneducated people that proliferate the boxing world. The correct term is FILIPINO.

Once again, he showed his ignorance and lack of knowledge when he asserted that cheating and corruption are endemic in the Philippines. As if the Philippines has a monopoly of those things. I will not go into some historical details about how the British Empire acquired most of its wealth through conquest and plunder, but let me just state the fact that while the Philippines might be a known place for acquiring cheap drugs like methamphetamines and marijuana as well as being the transit point for cocaine and heroin from the Golden Triangle en route to the West, there is no evidence to support that the Filipinos are capable of manufacturing performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), more so of doing systematic sports doping.

It is a fact that Manny Pacquiao has never failed any drug tests administered on him by any sports bodies at any point of his career. It is also of record that NO FILIPINO ATHLETE HAS TESTED POSITIVE OF USING PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS in any sporting event that the country has participated in, which cannot be said of their MORE ILLUSTRIOUS AND HONEST BRITISH COUNTERPARTS like Dwain Chambers, Greg Rusedski, Gary Cadogan, Perriss Wilkins, Doug Walker and LINFORD CHRISTIE (who won gold in the Olympics, World, Commonwealth and European Championships).

I wonder where Professor Geoffs got his education for there is nothing professorial in the way he writes his opus. It is full of gaffes and lacking in substance. In fact, it is a shame that despite being British, he simply doesn’t have the chops nor the flair of the traditional and contemporary English writers like Conan Doyle et al in his veins. It is really very elementary but the sun has long set on the British Empire and its people.

In This Corner: Barry Gusi decisions Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao’s luck has finally come to an end and his amazing winning streak is over.



After scintillating victories against bigger opponents in Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao now suffered his first loss since a close decision to Mexican legend Erik Morales in 2005 and his worst since little- known compatriot Rustico Torrecampo’s wicked left hook knocked him out earlier in his career.

The decisive punch was delivered by the blabbering and fuming Ambassador Barry Gusi who proclaimed the one- sided fight over with less than two minutes left due to a technicality in his speech at the Meralco Theater during the awarding ceremonies of this year’s Gusi Peace Prize.



Barry Gusi whose ambassador title was bestowed by the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Pacific Islands and the reigning, undisputed chairman of the Peace Prize named after his family wherein he claimed it to be as Asia's equivalent of the very prestigious Nobel Peace Prize declared his fight with boxing’s reigning P4P king as a no- contest in his speech in front of this year’s multi-national awardees many of whom flew into the country at their own expense for the grandiose ceremony.

Gusi was so angered by Pacquiao’s no- show in the awarding ceremony and utter show of disrespect to him even though the boxer sent his Canadian lawyer Michael Koncz to be his representative but the ambassador refused to hand the award to him and reiterated his position that the Filipino boxing icon will no longer be honored by his foundation for the rest of his life.


“They assured me several times that they would attend but they did not show up. No showing up, no award. No respect , no award. No award for the rest of his life because he did not respect the people of the country and the people of the world.”

Such fighting and ironic words coming from a man who name and distribute a Peace award named after his family, if you ask me.

My curiosity was obviously piqued when I read in the papers that a certain Ambassador Gusi was fuming over Manny Pacquiao’s deliberate snub of the affair that I instantly put my fingers to good use and use the power of the internet to find out about the man.

I run into some old articles about him and the Gusi Peace Prize that gave me nothing but just general views. Even the official website’s entries were vague and lacking in details. Heck, it seems that his people even forgot to put him and his works in Wikipedia’s database. Thus being said, I say not really impressive for a man and an award- giving body of this magnitude.

The credentials of this self- proclaimed ‘Internationalist’ are also quite suspect as well as the obscure manner of which he acquired his title as ambassador - at- large of those small groups of islands in the Pacific whose so- called leaders are notorious of giving the said title at the drop of a hat.

But I was impressed with the names of the past and present recipients of the said award that could even compete with the older and well- known Ramon Magsaysay Award. The Filipino past and present recipients alone make a veritable list of the Philippines’ Who’s Who.

Unfortunately at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for these so- called ‘Peace Laureates’ because in my mind they were just taken for a ride by this eccentric man.

Yes, we cannot deny the fact that they excelled in their respective fields but they were also gullible enough to accept this so- called award that claims to be Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel from this man without even checking his background because they succumbed to that feeling inherent in every one of us which is the need and hunger for recognition.

Although Barry Gusi does not have the credentials nor the pedigree to hand out such awards more so the authority to rank it in the same level as the Nobel Peace Prize but who can blame him when it is obviously an act of self- promotion and a private endeavor for an award that many people bought without question that includes the Office of the Philippine President.

And I salute him for having the audacity, courage and fortitude in putting up this kind of endeavor for not too many people can do this kind of things. Iba talaga ang Pinoy!

But when I found the video below while trolling YouTube the other day, I am now more convinced that Pacquiao’s recent one- sided loss against Barry Gusi should be recorded with an asterisk.

Now you wonder who the real loser and who has the last laugh in this case.

Is ABS- CBN out to destroy Manny Pacquiao?

Instead of focusing on the latest accomplishment by the Filipino phenomenon against Miguel Cotto to become as the only man to be crowned champion in seven weight divisions which is no small feat by boxing standards, the alleged Manny Pacquiao- Krista Ranillo affair dominated the said station’s programming right after the historic feat.

ABS- CBN did not even give Pacquiao enough time to savor his victory before unleashing their own version of bad left hooks and wicked uppercuts on the Pambansang Kamao that brought him on the defensive and reeling from the controversy. The station also shook the family’s foundation in the process.

Even though some of their screaming headlines were eventually proven wrong like for example in the video below wherein ABS- CBN reported that Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee took separate flights from the United States back to the Philippines which by now we all know what really happened and by all accounts the truth on the matter.



Still, ABS- CBN chose to ignore the said fact and continued to peddle more malicious articles and innuendos in their website. Worse, the station that prided itself as being a Kapamilya is actually the one who is trying to destroy Manny Pacquiao’s family by their wanton abuse of press freedom.

Even though some of the reports turned out to be false, it did not even bother to issue an apology to the People’s Champion whose family was greatly affected by the said intrigues and allegations that the station had thrown his way. To me, this smacks of irresponsible journalism.

Here are some of the photos that can be found on the ABS- CBN website-









If one will only examine the said photos, it is as clear as day that although the said woman really has quite a resemblance to Ms. Ranillo at first glance, upon closer examination, we can see and deduce that the said woman is far from the real Krista Ranillo.

I will not be surprised if it turns out that it was PGMA’s Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Undersecretary Lorelei Fajardo who was in the series of photos above and not Krista Ranillo. Ha-ha-ha.




Anyway, Even if the Manny- Krista affair is true, I still believe that their personal lives are not our business even if some of us will raise the issue that Manny Pacquiao is a public figure and thus, fair game.

I also believe that the said issue should be resolved privately by the parties concerned and away from the prying eyes of the media. Also, let us give the parties involved the necessary space to think things over so as to come up with the necessary answers to our queries.

For its part ABS CBN and the media (rather than further inflaming the subject with gossips and unverifiable ‘facts’) should instead focus more on the positive aspects of Manny Pacquiao’s accomplishments and their significance to us as a nation and as a people.