Hermie River has an article at PACLAND entitled “Betrayal of Trust” explaining among other things the stiff requirements of governing boxing bodies relative to matches like the Pacquiao-Larios fight.  He made mention of some belt-holders who thrashed their title belts because of disagreements with the sponsoring organizations.  And it seems like Manny Pacquiao will have his share of their predicament going into the July 2 showdown with Larios.

Hermie Rivera’s opinion hits the nail right on the head.  There is, in fact, too much dirty politics in boxing brought by some barb-wire conditions exacted on the main protagonists of the sport–the boxers, albeit, the champions themselves.  Is it any wonder then why we have seen a new paradigm in boxing?  Boxers are thinking humans, not instinctive animals.  They have wits and they know when they are given wastes. 

A boxer actually puts his life on line just to please people.  Yes, he needs the money but they should be treated like the important customer who is willing to pay any price if he gets what he really wants.  Problem is, many times, after going through the ordeal in the ring, our boxers still have to withstand the blows of people outside the ring.  If these sponsoring organizations don’t make some more humane measures and if promoters don’t strike the balance between fighters’ welfare and their profits, the boxers will have no choice but to find other more boxer-friendly entities and create another paradigm that might be gravely detrimental to the sport of boxing as a whole.

Three stories show how this could happen.

First, Marco Antonio Barrera’s loss to Manny Pacquiao.  Going into the fight, Barrera was hobbled by at least two distractions: the metal plate in his skull and the forest fires that affected his training camp.  News of an embedded metal plate in his cranium in a previous surgery raised questions about his fitness to go into top-level slugfests.  Although this was not so much a factor to contend with because he’s been fighting with that thing in his head, this proved to be a distraction in his training.  But the more damaging distraction was the forest fires which caused his training camp to be relocated hampering in the process his concentration to the fight.  In his eventual face-off with the Pacman, he lost the battle in a very un-Barrera way.  Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, did not have anything big to distract him and his training and he beat the best featherweight in the world that time.

Second, Manny Pacquiao’s loss to Erik Morales.  Two things also drove Manny’s focus away from the match.  One is the “cheating” allegedly committed by no less than his promotions boss in the US, Murad Muhammad.  Although news about this broke out after the fight, one cannot but help to think that Pacquiao already knew about this deception.  Since this involves money, Manny was probably bothered so much because he was the one receiving all the beating during a fight and yet he was also receiving “blows” to his financial shares in the fight.  There was also the frightening blood sample issue days before the battle.  This caused a kind of stir in Pacman’s focus, and the result was a disappointing defeat.  Erik Morales didn’t have much to distract his preparations and he dealt a big blow to the surge of Pacman to boxing stardom.

Third, Erik Morales and his loss to Manny Pacquiao in the rematch.  This time, it’s the turn of Morales to be disturbed.  After an unsuccessful stint in the lightweight division against unheralded Zahir Raheem, Morales sacked his father Jose as trainer.  This divorce was costly however Erik would deny it.  He had to adjust to the ways of a new trainer and was haunted by the emotional impact of his decision.  How many nights did Erik have to watch because he was thinking about the effect of his decision to his father’s ego?  How many days did Erik have to make comparisons between the way his father trained him and the way his new trainer handled him?  Was the extra poundage  he had to shed days before the second encounter with Pacman an indication that his training was not the ideal?  Was the absence of his father in his corner a big factor because he was not used to it?  Maybe, there is only one common answer to the questions.  Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, was a picture of complete focus and did what no other boxer could do against Morales.

You may say my analysis is faulty and that I’m taking away the credit from the winners in each match-up.  Well, I have to admit that an excellent boxer may still win a fight inspite of bruhahas during his training.  But that may hold true only if the opponent does not belong to the elite group.  A top-level opponent with so much focus is very hard to beat especially when the other boxer had a less-than-ideal training.  And a less-than-ideal training is one hampered by distractions.

Manny Pacquiao’s extra-marital affair, his many commercial endorsements, and his venture into the showbiz world may prove costly in his fight against Oscar Larios.  On the other hand, is there anything Larios has to contend with except his upcoming fight with the Pacman?  Have we heard of anything that bothers Larios’ training?  Isn’t he already up in his preparations?  What about Manny, has he been training yet?  Has he heard about the reunion of the Moraleses?  Does he know that he will meet again the tandem of the father and son, the tandem that registered his first loss since 1999?

Just asking.  Any comments?

ACNE. If you’re a teenager you can’t wait to get rid of it. If you’re an adult, you can’t believe it’s back. Fortunately, improvements in acne treatments over the last decade mean you don’t have to put up with it anymore.

The major determining factor is who gets acne genes, according to Albert M. Kligman, M.D., Ph.D., emeritus professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. In other words, you may have inherited a skin characteristic that makes you more likely to develop acne.

You have thousands of oil glands in the skin on your face, chest, and back that lubricate the skin by producing sebum, or oil, explains Alan D. Klein, M.D., a member of the teaching staff at Ventura County Medical Center in California and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. “You have as many as 2,000 oil glands per square inch in the central part of your face,” he says. The oil from the glands flows through tiny ducts to the skin surface.

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Both are Filipino world champion boxers in the featherweight division.  This seems to be the only striking similarity between the two.  What differentiates them?  There are a number.
 

 

In terms of boxing skills, Luisito Espinosa was more of a classic boxer and a counter-puncher.  Manny Pacquiao is an attacker and a slugger.  In terms of punching power, Espinosa’s orthodox style was generally effective but Pacquiao’s left-handed salvo arguably is more power-packed.  In terms of weakness, Louie seemed to have a more vulnerable chin and a suspect abdomen.  Manny, on the other hand, used to have the same weakness prior to the coming of Freddie Roach but he has overcome those liabilities since then.  If it can be considered weakness, Manny’s attacking devil-may-care attitude could be one.  He is also criticized by experts to be a mono-dimensional fighter unlike Louie who was considered as a very technical puncher.  In terms of opponents faced, those of Espinosa had quality but were not enduring and top-level.  Manny Pacquiao’s adversaries are so far high quality and top-level.  No wonder he is right now in the upper echelon of many pound-for-pound lists.
 

What about handlers?  Obviously, Manny and Louie have their share of problems with their handlers but Louie has the more severe share of the problems.  This is evidenced by his present plight, which is very unfortunate for a champ.  Whether he is more to blame we do not know but the fact remains that his boxing career did not end the better way.
 

Manny Pacquiao, probably learning from the experience of Espinosa, has done some excellent adjustments in terms of problem solving.  The fiasco with Murad Muhamad dealt a blow to his losing cause against Erik Morales but he bounced back to avenge that loss after getting rid of the scheming Murad.  He also had his problems with former promoter Rod Nazario but that’s already a thing of the past.  At present his team of experts in and out of the boxing ring is earning his precious respect.

Any comments?

For those who are not yet aware, P4P is short version of pound-for-pound. The idea of pound-for-pound is to rate boxers as to who are the best among them taking weight as a non-factor.

In most experts’ p4p list, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. occupies the top spot. His performance against Zab Judah last April 9th, however, has put a lot of question marks to his occupancy of the p4p rank 1. He is known to be an explosive champion but he was short of being explosive against Judah. He decided to play it defensively when he realized that he had the numbers for the win. At one point in the fight, he appeared to have been knocked down but the referee called it a slip and no mandatory counting was given against him.

This lackluster of a show by Pretty Boy Floyd may give way for Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao to get to the top spot in those lists which Pacquiao at no. 2, and he may get to no. 2 position in the p4p that that lists him at no.3.

The only remaining item for Manny Pacquiao to legitimize his top rank among the best in boxing is a spectacular performance in a title showdown against one of the belt-holders in the superfeatherweight division.

He is the winner because he won his highly-hyped up match against Zab Judah. But it appears that is all there is to his being a winner.

With no defeat to blemish his record, having been compared to the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns, and occupying the no. 1 spot in most pound-for-pound lists, Mayweather was expected to show a hellish combat against an obviously out-of-synch Judah. But Floyd’s antics last Saturday made more heads shaking than nodding in confirmation to his billing as the best boxer worldwide.

Yes, there is still an unblemished record and another championship belt to count in another weight division but there are lots of questions now all boiling down to a doubt whether he is what he appears to be prior to his showdown with Judah.

And to make matters worse, he may be up for disqualification due to his uncle-trainer’s unsportsmanlike conduct during the fight. Judah gave Floyd a low blow and a right to the back of the head. Roger Mayweather, top man in Floyd’s corner jumped into the ring in protest. It took a long while before order was restored and yet this might spell disorder for Pretty Boy Floyd’s victory.

Is there anything the Blackboard can say about this?

I just came from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Region 1 Office in San Fernando City, La Union. We, the next batch of trainers for Project SPELL (Strengthening Proficiency of English Language Learners), sat down together today to formalize things for the next training scheduled from April 20-26, 2006 in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Dr. Evelyn Pascua, CHED Region 1 Director, spent time with us as we strategize to make this upcoming training a success. We are thankful that we have been tapped by CHED RO1 to be its partners in its desire to improve the English language proficiency of the English teachers in higher education. Since college English teachers are the last English language mentors of students going to their professional life, CHED is making sure that these English teachers become able and equipped in their craft. The students’ remaining curricular encounter with the English language should be greatly emphasized because many students don’t seem to realize the valuable role of English proficiency in the world of work.

On cue are thirty (30) trainees from several higher education institutions (HEIs) in the four provinces of Region 1 namely, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos sur, La Union and Pangasinan.

Two victims watching their predator preying on another one of their kind? To me, it sounds to good to be true.

Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two of Manny Pacquiao’s knockout punch tasters, are rumored to be coming over to see the Pacquiao-Larios fight on July 2, 2006 at the Araneta Coliseum. If my mind serves me right, I don’t think the two will bite the bait! Why? It would be a “bow” to Pacquiao.
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Yes, Box Latino reports that Erik Morales and his father, Jose Morales, have joined hands again as they prepare for the second rematch with Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

It must be remembered that most of Erik Morales’ fights were designed according to his father’s training concept. It would be safe to say that Jose Morales made Erik Morales at his best.

When Erik Morales lost to Zahir Raheem, however, things didn’t go well between the father and son. The rift went to some serious proportions culminating to the eventual separation (as trainer and trainee) of the two going to the Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao II. In that encounter, Erik Morales suffered his most terrible loss in his career.

Whether you agree or not, I would say that the feud was negatively factored into the game of Morales when he lost to Manny Pacquiao. He didn’t train well in fact as evidenced by the excess pounds he had to lose two days before the fight.

Now that the two are reunited, things will be running a smooth flow in Morales’ camp and this will be positively factored into his preparations. You must recall that in the first meeting of Morales and Pacquiao, father Jose was the trainer and . . . Morales won.

Should Manny Pacquiao be alarmed by this development? Give your comments.

The Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition was such a hit.  Now comes probably another hit in the upcoming Teen Edition of the reality TV program.

What could be the defining factors to becoming the big winner for the young housemates on cue?  Well, here are some of my thoughts.

1.  Maturity.  I put this on number one because the challenges will test the inner character of the little men and women.  Note that teeners are in such a psychological equilibrium matrix that shakes them off to different mood swings and interests.  It’s gonna be exciting to see how the youngsters will behave properly in Big Brother’s House.

2.  Looks.  No doubt, this is a factor.  In fact, in the selection alone, this is already an important criterion.  But looks here does not mean the stereotypical one–the optical attractiveness.  Looks refer to a wider meaning which would include the invisible magnets in the youngsters’ outward appearance.

3.  Talent.  Are we going to see the successors of Aga Mulach, Richard Gomez, Dolphy, Bong Revilla, Ogie Alcasid, Gary V, Ai-Ai delas Alas,  Kris Aquino, Regine Velasquez, Judy Ann Santos, Christine Hermosa, etc.?  I can’t wait to see the multi-level teeny battles.

4.  The X Factor.  Whatever this is, it’s going to make a difference during each eviction.  Survivors will always have it and it will take a different form each time.  Let’s wait and see.

You want to add more?  I welcome them.  Click the comment button.