News has it that Mexican boxing legend Marco Antonio Barrera will be coming over to the Philippines on July 2 to personally watch the Pacquiao-Larios spectacle.  Manny Pacquiao even said in a televised interview that the Golden Boy himself, Oscar dela Hoya who is Barrera’s promoter, is also coming to town.

If that’s really going to happen, the Pacquiao-Larios slugfest will be listed as one of the star-studded boxing events in the Philippines.  Not since the Thrilla in Manila of the Ali-Frazier blockbuster has any boxing event been graced by big names in boxing.  There’s word also that Frazier is also coming over.

But the one guest who will receive many a stare is Barrera himself, that is, if he does come.  I wonder how the Filipino fans will receive him after he gave out some unfriendly words about Pacquiao’s being a one-dimensional fighter.  What if this “one-dimensional” sensation floors his compatriot to submission?  What would he say next?  Would he challenge PACMAN and say “You’ll have your time when it’s my turn?”

What do you say?

The upcoming slugfest between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Oscar Larios of Mexico is not just a battle of former world champions.  It is also a war of two nations:  the Philippines and Mexico.

Promising fighters from both countries are going to slug it out to decorate the main event between Pacquiao and Larios.  Ray “Boom-Boom” Bautista, a TKO winner in an undercard event in the Barrera-Juarez title fight, will be seen again come July 2. 

The question is:  Can the Filipinos, led by Pacquiao sweep the visiting Mexicans spearheaded by Larios?

Was Oscar dela Hoya serious when he said that the Filipino boxers will be next dominant group of boxers in the world?  Isn’t he of Mexican descent?  Why does he seem to have a bias for Filipinos?

Say your thoughts, guys!

If the lackluster performance of Marco Antonio Barrera is any indication, Manny Pacquaio should take that as a lesson in his current training going to his meeting with Mexican former champ Oscar Larios.

Although there is a point in arguing that Barrera is on the decline because of his age, it was also clear that he didn’t train hard enough for Rocky Juarez.  Had he done his training well, age would not be much of a factor as has been shown by his previous victories and the wins of old warriors like Bernard Hopkins and recently Oscar dela Hoya who dished out a scintillating performance against Ricardo Mayorga after eighteen months of inactivity.

Manny Pacquiao should not take Larios lightly.  At this point, Larios already has an advantage in terms of length of training because he started earlier than Pacquiao did.  This doesn’t mean, however, that Pacquiao is going to have an inadequate training.  There are also other factors that come with excellent training such as quality of sparring partners, trainer’s regimen and diet.

With respected trainer Freddie Roach keeping a close eye on him, Pacquiao may be in the right path in his training.  Lately, he vowed to give it his best for the sake of his countrymen and that’s a welcome remark for his fans.

He should, however, closely study the skills of Larios who is out to make a name for himself.  For sure, Larios is looking at his coming slugfest with Pacquiao as his chance of turning moneyed heads toward him if he beats the top 3 pound-for-pounder.  And this should be in the head of the PACMAN if he really is bent on making Larios another addition to his long list of Mexican victims.

What can you say, Pac fans?

Days are numbered for the six remaining housemates in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition before the big 4 are finally announced.  Who are your bets for the Big 4?  Here are mine.

1. Kim.  She’s been doing it to the pleasure of most fans and with her attractive chinese looks and not-so-offensive personality, she is in my number 1 list.
2. Clare.  This young lady is a sort of wildcard for the big 4.  She is not that as pretty as Kim or Jam but she has that X factor that makes her blend into the numerous situations especially those that tested the jelling tendencies of the housemates.
3. Jam (if she’s going to stay till the end).  Of all the housemates, she’s the most controversial.  Her being a teenage mother already sets her apart from the pack.  It normally is a taboo to be a teenage mom but that fact works wonders for her in her bid to be a teenage sensation.  News about her being a bar girl and about a naked picture in the FHM magazine only added to the controversial nature she already has.  But she’s handling things quite well, so far.
4. Mikee.  Between the two remaining lads, he is the more popular one although lately, Gerald is gaining some ground against him with Kim.  Mikee’s identification with Kim more than his being an Atenista is largely the biggest factor that will write his name in the Big Four list.

What about Brenda and Gerald?  Brenda is an addition and I don’t think she should be qualified for the Big Four.  Gerald, on the other hand, has the looks but he lacks the connections.  If he makes some exciting late moves, he might make it.  I would have him replace Jam in my list of bets if Jam’s request for voluntary exit is granted.

Keep on voting. . . and log your comments.

It’s not really surprising to know that Gerald also has some secret longings for the Chinese Cutie Kim in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition.

Are we going to see a close battle of two guys for one girl in the downstretch of the famous reality TV program for teens?

What if we ask Kim herself of her preference between Mikee and Gerald?

They were together in one team for several years but in last year’s playoffs, Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Steve Nash (Phoenix) were not teammates.  Nash won his match against his friend in the 2nd round of playoffs in 2005.  Now they are going to face each other again this time for the Finals in the Western Conference.

The two share similar experiences lately:  they had to go the full route with their 2nd round opponents before making it to the Conference Finals.  Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks felt the jitters of losing a 3-1 advantage and were pushed to the limit by the finals veteran San Antonio Spurs.  In the decisive game 7, however, Nowitzki did what he does best and barely came through with a close overtime victory.  Now, it’s a new experience for the Dallas star as he starts to go for one more hurdle in bringing his team to a historic appearance in the NBA Finals.

But he has to pass by the excellent playmaking of his former buddy, regular season MVP Steve Nash.  Like Nowitzki, Nash and his Phoenix Suns needed to go past the 7-game limit to dispose of wildcard qualifier, the Los Angeles Clippers.  In fact, they had to extricate themselves from the improved Lakers for seven games, too.  His being an MVP for two successive years is showing in the playoffs and the question is:  Can he hold on and bring Phoenix back to its glory days against his friend at Dallas?

I see an exciting series for the Mavericks and the Suns.

Two things are here about one tenant in the Pinoy Big Brother house:  Jam the teenage mom.

First, she has aired her intention to exit voluntarily from the show.  This is after she learned of the successful operation done on her Baby Miggy.  After the good news was broken to her, she said that her purpose in joining the PBB Teen Edition is over.  Having fulfilled her purpose, Jam went into a personal reflection about her role as a mother and as a celebrity now in the world of showbusiness.

Her decision to freely exit is an indication of the kind of character this young mother has.  Young as she is, she already is mature as far as priorities are concerned.  What is most important to her right now is the welfare of her child and she’s willing to sacrifice the limelight of popularity and even the pull of money for the sake of her beloved “angel Miggy.”

The typical teenage mama would not readily go for a similar decision especially she who is too immature to have gone to the difficult scenario of child-bearing and child-rearing.  But not Jamilla.  She typifies a very unique Filipina in the world of motherhood in spite of her age.

It’s going to be sad to see her go away if Big Brother consents to her request to leave and her fans will surely miss her.  But the same fans can understand and they hope to see more of Jam in the future.

The second thing, however, is a bit minus to Jam.  This happened when Kim said in the confession room that she was hurt by Jam’s remark on the eviction night that saw Matt and Olyn leave the house.  Jam questioned why Kim seemed to be unaffected by the departure of the two and that she didn’t shed even a teardrop for all the good and bad times they had shared together with Olyn and Matt.

Kim explained that she is a person who looks at tears as sign of weakness and that she never want people to see her cry.  She wears a strong countenance and she has developed that aura of a tearless lass.  She said that what people saw on the eviction night is the real Kim.  “Ganun talaga ako. . . hindi ako iyakin,” she quipped.  She implores that although she didn’t cry, that didn’t mean she didn’t care.

Well, let’s see what will transpire in the next days.  Will Kim ever say to Jam that she was hurt?  Will Jam be ready to ask for forgiveness if she learns about the effect of her remark to Kim?

What do you think:  Should Kim tell Jam about this?

This was Marco Antonio Barrera after he fought a relatively unknown Ricardo “Rocky” Juarez.  The fight was initially declared a draw, but eventually it was announced that Barrera won via split decision.  Either way, one thing was made sure: Barrera keeps his belt.

Whether he deserves to keep it is now out of the question.  Express your doubts as you may in boxing but it seems like the cruelest blow of boxing boo-boos is the helpless boxer who kills himself daily during training in the hope that he will get a fair share of the deal only to discover that his utmost best was discounted by a selfish cheat.

On the other hand, the fighter whose chips were kept in tact not by his exploits but by the machinations of the gods near the ring still has balls to say that he deserves the victory.

This is just another technical tragedy in boxing, a tragedy that is well within human control to avoid but which still happened.  How many more of this type of crap shall we see?

Anyway, things have settled down and Barrera is still champ.  Does he still want to push the shout of a rematch with Pacquiao after his not-so-good performance last Saturday?  Will the thought that he was up with an upstart young boxer and barely survived the face-off provide him the realization, the awakening about his chances in his next fight especially if that one will be against the PACMAN?  Would he rather retire and hang up his gloves with the champion’s belt as his crowning glory?  Or he’s too proud to do just that and hopes his body still has its youthful power to go into top-level battle, again, with Manny Pacquiao?

I am thinking: if that was not Juarez but Pacquiao instead, what would the outcome be?  If that is the Barrera that will face Pacquiao in the future, would he stand a chance?

Got something to say?

My three early bets were Matt, Mikki and Jam.  First to go was Mikki and lately, it’s Matt’s turn to be evicted.  Matt joined Olyn in last Saturday’s eviction, something that was not surprising considering the naughtiness of the two.  Mikee’s survival in the nomination can be largely attributed to his identification with the pretty and popular chinese cutie, Kim.

But one of my bets, Mommy Jam, is still in and though she said that her purpose in joining the PBB Teen Edition is over (her angel Miggy has recently undergone a successful surgical intervention from volunteer doctors of St. Luke’s Hospital), she still has the chance to make it to the big four, that is, if she decides to stay.

She also has secured a huge fan base in spite of an intriguing revelation that she was bar girl (Talks have it that, she didn’t really work in a bar.  The chika is just alleged to be an invention of the PBB organizers to make her story sell).  There’s also a rumor circulating around claiming that she posed completely naked in the FHM magazine.  Whatever truth there is into these allegations, one thing is sure:  Mommy Jam is already a celebrity.

If she decides to stay until the conclusion of the popular edition of PBB, she will surely have a tough time especially with the pretty chinese lass, Kim.  But who knows, there just might be something to pull Jam off to complete stardom.  She has the looks, character and situation to make it to the big four.

Say something, guys, click the comment button now.

There seems to be no stopping Kimberly Sue Chiu, the Chinese Cutie from Cebu in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition.  Aside from her attractive and, of course, cute face, this  teenie has some promise as far as talent is concerned.  She claims to be multi-talented; she says she can dance, sing, act and play the guitar.

In terms of her singing talent, there’s this nice little video from Yunie.  Kim showcased her singing ability in the confession room of Big Brother.  There’s also her musical antics in another occasion.
Kim has the looks and talent, and she seems to be coping well with the standards for the Big Winner.  If she hangs on there, she could well be in the Big Four teeners.

She was not in my early bets who are Jamilla, Mikki and Matt.  Now that Mikki’s out, I put Kim in her stead in my updated top bets.  To complete my big four, I place my last bet on Mikee who is so far living up to expectations as far as his being Atenista is concerned.  Also, his close attachment to Cute Kim is generally welcome to fans so that’s another plus for Mikee.

Days are getting fewer and the tasks ahead will put more tension among the tenants so keep channeled to PBB Teen Edition.