Champion versus Champion

Veteran Filipino WBO Bantamweight Champion Gerry Penalosa (54-6-2) will climb the ring tonight a heavy underdog against Puerto Rican sensation and WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Lopez (24-0) in the latter's hometown hoping to turn back the time and win his third world title in three different weight divisions.

It's a tall order for him though since JuanMa is a very heavy- handed fighter and is undefeated in 24 professional fights with 22 inside the distance aside from the fact that Gerry is moving up in weight at this late stage of his career.

The Puerto Rican Champion is the taller, bigger and faster fighter with impressive knockout victories in the first round in his last three fights including one with erstwhile Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon of Mexico who defeated the Filipino via a unanimous decision in 2007.

If style makes fight then JuanMa's style is tailor-made for Penalosa though. JuanMa comes forward, loves to mix it up inside and sometimes throws wild punches which makes him susceptible to Gerry's counter punches.

And if Gerry can withstand the powerful bombs early and carry the fight into the later rounds, his chances of a huge upset is plausible since JuanMa has never been really tested by a fighter of his class.

I'm picking Gerry to win the fight in the 10th.


UPDATE: Freddie Roach, Gerry Penalosa's Trainer stopped the fight in the ninth round to spare his ward from more punishment. Gerry was game and fought a defensive but courageous fight in his second foray at 122 lbs but JuanMa was simply too fast and too big for him.

JuanMa is the real deal and will be a force to reckon with in his division but he needs to work more on his defense as Gerry was able to tag him with several right hooks as he came forward in the course of the fight.

Manny Pacquiao's Kickass Kicks

You are looking at the new Air Trainer 1 specifically designed and made for Manny Pacquiao, the world's best pound- for- pound fighter by Nike and will be released before his fight with Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009.

The colorway with a logo of the Pacman at the heel and is believed to have been designed by renowned Nike designer Tinker Hatfield is limited to just 200 pairs worldwide.

100 pairs of which will be given to Manny Pacquiao while the other hundred will be sold to selected stores in the US like the Niketown in San Francisco and Las Vegas among others.

Pacman in San Francisco

The Pacman invades Giants Land

When boxing and baseball met; they produce a hybrid.

A hybrid that combines the speed and power of that enigmatic whirlwind from across the Pacific and that of one of the oldest and storied franchises in baseball history.

No, forget the juiced- up android Barry Bonds who once reigned supreme in SF baseball land but it's all about the brown giant known as the Pacman now.

Meet the Pac- Giant




The bobblehead give-away by the San Francisco Giants when it plays the San Diego Padres tomorrow night at the AT&T park dubbed as the Flip err Filipino Heritage Night by MLB with reigning boxing pound-for-pound King Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao throwing the ceremonial pitch to the estimated huge Asian crowd.

This will be a highly- coveted memorabilia for many sports fans worth his salt but since I live on the other side of the coast, the only way I can get this is either to fly to the Bay Area for a night or just get 'em online. So, Ebay here I come?

The Iceman melts under pressure

It's the end of an era. The legendary Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (21-7) melted against the hammer fists of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-3) in the Octagon at UFC 97 Saturday night.

Referee Mario Yamasaki halted the fight when The Iceman was unable to protect himself from the head blows that Shogun is raining on him to prevent further damage. Liddell has now lost three of his last four fights.

Much as I want to see more of Chuck Liddell in the Octagon but in the brutal world of Mixed Martial Arts, I am inclined to see him to just fade into the sunset with his dignity intact. He is not the same fighter that electrified the MMA fans earlier in his career.

He's done and accomplished everything as a fighter and there is nothing left for him to prove. It's time for him to just relax and enjoy his fortune because to his legions of supporters, The Iceman was and still is a legend in the Octagon, no matter what.

Edwin Valero- Lightweight Lightning?

The fight between Edwin Valero and Antonio Pitalua in the main event of the Lightweight Lightning fistorama held in Austin, Texas where the Venezuelan Knockout Artist pummeled Pitalua in the second round en route to a TKO to remain undefeated and became the WBC Lightweight champion was hardly an indication of his future in boxing.

He called out Juan Manuel Marquez and even the winner of the Manny Pacquiao- Ricky Hatton fight as his next possible opponent. On paper, his record of 25- 0 all inside the distance and 19 of those coming in the first round is quite menacing. But if he thinks he can handle Marquez or Pacquiao at this stage of his career, then he is obviously mistaken. He is not yet in the same league with those two great fighters.

Sure, he can punch, has the power in both hands and has the belt to prove it but sad to say, he is still far from being taken seriously as a legitimate elite fighter. His footwork is slow and his defense needs improvement. He's a straight-up fighter who comes forward and throw wild punches which oftentimes leave him unprotected that will make his suspect chin a very good target for a counter- puncher like Marquez or a very fast and powerful puncher like Pacquiao.

He is a work in progress though and if he can overcome his weaknesses will one day be a force to reckon with and a very dangerous opponent in the fight world.

But for now, he remains just another prospect in my book.


Here's the fight between Valero and Pitalua---