2006 June | The Postman

We have to ask the question because Oscar Larios obviously had a longer training than Manny Pacquiao. Larios trained over an 8-week period and did most of his training in the tropical climate of Japan. In his latest public appearance yesterday at the Big Dome, he looks in perfect shape and his confidence is dangerously high.

Manny Pacquiao trained over a 6-week stretch and stayed in the westernized climate of Los Angeles. Trainer Freddie Roach says Manny is in great shape but did he train enough?

It is no secret to many that the longer the training, the betterit is and if that’s going to be a gauge to determine who is in better shape, then Oscar Larios has the advantage.

The next question is: Will the short training period be costly for the Pacman? Two things can give us a glimpse of the best answer to this question.

One, If Pacquiao starts to open his mouth to get more air in this lungs by the fourth round, then we can safely assume that his short training has indeed been his undoing. This is, of course, very true if Pacquiao will go toe-to-toe with Larios right from the start of round 1. If the Pacman shows no sign of slowing down after the fourth round, then his training was long enough.

Two, if Pacquiao’s power can be neutralized by Larios especially in the first four rounds, then it’s pretty sure that Larios had the training really fit against Pacquiao. Manny is most dangerous in the first four rounds and if in these rounds Larios can take all of Pacquiao’s power shots, then he has a good chance of pulling the upset of the year.

I am not going to say, however, that, if Pacquiao did not really train enough, he will lose the fight. Insufficient training may still be enough to bring a victory but that victory will be factored largely by the kind of opposition Larios is capable of giving. Even if he trained longer and better than Manny, he might still find himself at the losing end because of tactical errors or simply because he’s no match to Manny’s skills and power.

But the question remains at this point: Did Pacquiao train enough?

Filed under Sports by The Postman.

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With all the hype given to the Mano-a-Mano Boxing Showdown between the Philippines and Mexico, the whole country is now getting into the anxious excitement of awaiting the outcome of the July 2 scuffle.

Oscar Larios, the challenger to Manny Pacquiao’s WBC International Title, has arrived and is rocking hot in his bid to put a shame to the pride of the Philippines and the acknowledged people’s champion. He said he came here to win and there’s no question about that. We saw how he trained in Japan and his aura speaks of a man who is confident of doing what he aims to do. His manager-trainer also puts so much belief in his ward that he sees a fight that will end in their favor.

Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, looks so prepared also in his quest to bring another honor to flag and country right here in his own native land. He says he is aware of the expectations of his nation and is not that ready to fail them. His knowledge of these expectations is what will fuel him to go for the win.

Not only are Larios and Pacquiao going to show their wares. A bunch of excellent boxers of both countries is set to add glamor and entertainment to the biggest boxing show on Philippine soil since the Luisito Espinosa-Miguel Soto title fight. Gerry Peñalosa, Jimrex Jaca and other Pinoy pugilists will set the tempo of the battlefield when they meet their Mexican counterparts.

Excitement mounts and there’s no stopping what promises to be rampage.

Filed under Sports by The Postman.

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I watched The Buzz yesterday and I just couldn’t help to see the perfect combination of Kim and Gerald of the PBB Teen Edition fame.

Kim’s cutie face and Gerald’s boyish aura makes a chemistry that’s nothing short of utmost blending. There is also a growing following for the love team and a lot of requests have been saying, “Let them have their own program at ABS-CBN.”

If the talent experts of the channel are really going to develop these two youngsters into blockbuster stardom, they might just be the next popular love team in the country.

Filed under Sports by The Postman.

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I’m coming off a long break, teacher’s break, you know. I just happen to sneak out of the house to do this simple post.

I’ve been following the news items about the Pacquiao-Larios showdown on July 2nd and two things got my attention.

One, Oscar Larios is really training hard and from the looks of it, he will give Manny Pacquiao a real battle. He’s accustomed himself already to the oriental weather and is doing fine in his daily training. His confidence level is also very high and this makes him a notch higher than Pacquiao’s last three opponents. It takes a lot of energy to foil the confidence of a hungry and fiery fighter.

Two, Roach and Pacquiao are obviously aware of the kind of training Larios is doing and they are confident Manny can pull off a knock out victory. If that spells confidence, I hope it’s not at a level too high because what really counts is what happens in the ring, not out of it. But one thing comforting, to quote Roach himself, is that they know Larios is a “training freak”.

Over confidence is not always a negative but it generally is and if it’s something to perk up both boxers, then we should prepare to watch a highly spectacular slugfest come July 2.

Filed under Sports by The Postman.

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It’s been a long while since my last post, dear readers, but now I’m on line again.

I was in Laoag City from June 1 to 3 to do my share in the training of English teachers from the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. This is part of the project of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Office 1 dubbed as Higher Education Language Proficiency Program (HELPP).

The 5th Batch of Training stretched from May 26 to June 3, 2006 and was held at the Hotel Palazzo de Laoag. Together with me in training 52 trainees were Ms. Marlina Lino of the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Ms. Shirley Landingin of the Colegio de Dagupan in Dagupan City, Ms. Loraine Apostol of the Lorma Colleges in San Fernando City, La Union, Ms. Grace Hope Bautista of the Union Christian College in San Fernando City, La Union, Dr. Jessica Jimenez of the Pangasinan State University in Bayambang, Pangasinan, Mr. Ernesto Ader, Jr. of the Saint Louis College, San Fernando City, La Union, and Jennifer Pidong of the Northern Christian College, Laoag City.

The trainers and trainees were ably supported by the secretariat coming from CHED RO1 led by Ms. Cherrie Melanie Ancheta and the Program Head, Dr. Evelyn Pascua, CHED RO1 Director.

The 52 trainees of the 5th batch presented a culminating activity with a variety of dramatic, musical and creative presentations. VIP’s from the higher education institutions in Laoag City were invited to grace the closing program where the trainees sang the Project HELPP’s theme song which they themselves wrote and composed.

The members of Project HELPP 5th Batch of Training are: