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Fresh from his NYC press conference to announce his December 6 clash with Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya announced that the Pacquiao bout will not be his last after all. "There's no doubt about it. My mind can still do it, my body can still do it. I'm going to ride the wave for a little while."
The much anticipated but will go ahead after all the controversy it has produced.
The underdog Pacquiao, however, believes he has what it takes to cause an upset. "Some people say I'm picking this fight for the money. I'm going to prove everyone wrong." He said
September 30th 2008 03:55
The thrilling finish of Shane Mosley over Ricardo Mayorga had boxing fans at the edge of their seats on Saturday night. Indeed, it will be remembered as one of the top moments in Mosleys great career, the night he turned what wouldve been an unsatisfying, perhaps even troubling victory into a dramatic triumph.
Mosley hurt Mayorga with a wild left hook and short right that put him down with 15 seconds left and knocked him out flat on his back with another crushing left hook to the jaw as the final bell approached.
The left hook was dynamite, stated Shane Mosley during the post fight conference Mayorga is so unpredictable. I didnt know what he was going to throw. I tried to figure him out.
Ricardo Mayorga was a no show to the post fight press conference Mayorga will not be here and no, it has been confirmed Mayorga did not go to the hospital, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotion said during the post fight.
Mayorgas awkward, street brawling style contributed to Mosleys problems as he seemed to clinch more often than they exchanged meaningful punches.
It wasnt a slugfest because I was making sure I didnt get hit with his famous over hand right," stated Shane. "Im 160 pounds, Mayorga was 170, I knew I had to be conscious, but after the sixth round I was feeling more comfortable. By the eighth round I couldnt set it up, my father told me just go out there and let it go.
"He was doing a lot of holding, he was buying time, he was tired. I was chopping him down with the left hooks
I knew it was coming. I knew my opportunity was coming.
"Im a warrior just like him, so I sat there and fought with him. I wanted to give the fans what they deserve, and thats a knockout."
So one might ask what is next for the 37-year-old veteran. "I have to talk to Richard and the guys and find out whos next. I want to fight with the big timers like Margarito."
AT 2:59secs into the 12th round, the judges had the fight scored 105-104 Mayorga (Pat Russell), 105-104 Mosley (Nelson Vasquez) and 107-102 Mosley (Tony Crebs).
Mayorga's camp released the following statement from Mayorga: "I was proud of the way Shane fought, like a true champion. He didn't run. I will tell that he hit harder than I thought he would."
September 23rd 2008 03:25
I was a bar in Melbourne last month when two tall, large sized men plonked themselves on the seats next to me. As they ordered their beer I picked up a strong accent in their voice.
Where you from, mate? I asked.
The reply was Denmark. I followed up by asking what brings them to Australia. I was taken back when I heard their response.
Were here to play footy. AFL football representing Denmark. And Im the captain.
Last month saw the return of the Australian Rules International Cup, an event held every three years since 2002. This year saw nations such as New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, U.S.A, Finland, Great Britain, China, Samoa, Nauru, India, South Africa, Canada and even a peace team which combined players from Israel and Palestine.
Logically Australia, due to its powerhouse dominance, does not compete in the tournament.
After three weeks of group matches ad finals, P.N.G took out the final against our Trans Tasman rivals New Zealand (the 2005 champions) in a match which showcased the growing development of our game across the globe.
However, despite the excitement you would expect the tournament to bring; it came and went, without a blink of an eye. There was little coverage, little publicity and little fuss made about an event that is pivotal in the development of Aussie Rules football.
In reality the International Cup should be regarded as the biggest step our game has taken in growing our game internationally.
The AFL is currently in a state of mind where expanding the game is its main priority. This year CEO Andrew Demetriou announced that new teams from the Gold Coast and Western Sydney will be introduced into the AFL by 2011.
In addition we have seen preseason matches played in the U.A.E, New Zealand, South Africa and England.
However despite all this enthusiasm the league is showing to progress the development and recognition of our great game, they failed to act upon, or give attention to an event which culminates all the hard work the AFL has done to expand The International Cup.
After attending a lazy afternoon group match where the lowly ranked Japanese took on the brute force from Samoa, I was surprised to see no cameras, very few people, no icons or ambassadors of the game, and a lack of officials.
After chatting to a few of the coaching staff form Samoa during half time I was shocked to hear of the sacrifices each nation has to make to field a side. Most of the players have to pay for their own flights and teams would not be able to fund the trip if it were not for a major sponsor, which in Samoans case were the Nth Melbourne kangaroos. If it were not for the large amount of Samoans living in Australia, they could very easily have given up on the dream of winning an international cup.
The AFL does inject some money to support the event, but not enough. If the AFL is serious about growing the game internationally, they should do everything in their powers to ensure the international cup consists of the strongest playing nations across the globe.
Rather than offering millions of dollars to relocate a Melbourne team up north, how bout inject it into improving the tournament, generating more publicity for the event and assisting the development in each of the playing nations.
Most of all, It was the lack of coverage that was disappointing. The game of Australian Rules Football has come along way, and as a nation we should be intrigued in how other countries have adopted our game with their own unique playing style.
Weather it be the flashy, dashing speedsters from Japan, the tough, straight line attacking style displayed by the pacific islanders, or the structured and disciplined game plans shown by the European nations, we should all be able to come together as football lovers and marvel at where the game is heading in the next era.
Wouldnt it be great if, in 2020, the competition of the tournament reached the standard where Australia itself could compete? Could you imagine the excitement when an outside country finally tests us at our own game?
One can only imagine where the game could head in future. The AFL has the ability to make this progression as smooth as possible, or hinder it along the way. Either way the Australian Rules International Cup is an integral part of the games growth, and should never again go under the radar as was seen this year.
By John Michael Bric
September 23rd 2008 03:23
At the end of the 2007 season Western Bulldogs Coach Rodney Eade and his football department were in turmoil. They entered the year with high expectations and many experts tipped them to be premiers. After winning only two games in the second half of the season and slumping into the bottom four, Bulldogs president David Smorgon called for a review of the football department, putting Eade and many others on notice.
2008 was a year the doggies needed to impress, and impress they did, winning 15 matches, finishing third on the ladder and producing the clubs best result in over a decade
[ Click here to read more ]
September 23rd 2008 01:27
Australian World champion jr middleweight boxer Daniel 'The Rock' Dawson collected his second regional title in 5 months when he took the WBA Pan African Super Welterweight title with a hard fought but comprehensive win over South African Welcome NtShingila in Perth, WA, Australia on Saturday at the Courtside Multisports Complex in the Perth Suburb of Canningvale. A healthy crowd of 1500 filled the venue to watch the former dual world kickboxing champion win all the early rounds by boxing smart but with power and a little finesse included. The judges scored the bout 118-110, 116-112, 117-111, all in favour of Dawson, however the scores do not reflect just how hard and close this fight was. There were no knockdowns and the fight was fought in good spirits and terrific sportsmanship. Dawson improved his log to 33 fights, 32 wins, 1 loss and 22 KOs while NtShingila fell to 25 fights, 15 wins, 7 losses, 3 Draws, 5 KOs.
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September 18th 2008 00:50
I love to fight, were the words uttered but Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs) when he held a press conference in New York City Tuesday to announce his November 8th PPV fight against Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs). The fight will be live from Madison Square Garden, With Britain's Calzaghe regarding this as one of the most anticipated fights of his career. This is probably one of the biggest fights of my career. He proclaimed, There was only one guy I wanted to fight and thats Roy Jones Jnr.
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September 15th 2008 23:48
World champion Felix Sturm will take on mandatory challenger Sebastian Sylvester on November 1, it was announced yesterday. The bout will take take place at the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany after Universum Box-Promotion won today's WBA purse bid in Panama for the middleweight title defense.
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September 15th 2008 03:24
Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora has lost his WBC jr middleweight champion to fellow compatriot Vernon Forrest on Saturday. After being beating by the season one Contender champion Mora earlier in the year, the 37-year-old Forrest simply outworked Mora and was credited with a knockdown in round seven. Scores were 118-109, 117-110, 119-108.
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September 15th 2008 00:41
David Banks, former contestant on The Contender, picked up the NWBA Super Middleweight title with a third round KO of Louis Sargeant Saturday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in America. Banks dominated the action from the opening bell, keeping his distance and landing crisp combinations on Sargeant, whose game plan was to move forward face first. Near the end of the third round, Sargeant walked into a devastating right hand that had him out on his feet. Banks added a left hook, and Sargeant went down face first and stayed there for the ten count. Time of stoppage was 2:51. Banks goes to 17-4-1 and Sargeant drops to 10-12-2.
In the co-main event, Cruiserweight Robert Bad News Brue (5-0) out of Portland, Oregon, got off the deck to chop down Ron Simmons (2-2) in five rounds. Simmons had a reach advantage, and used it well early in the fight. In the first round, Simmons dropped Brue with a thundering straight right. Brue shook it off, and used a methodical body attack to break his man down. In the fifth round, a wicked liver shot sent Simmons down. Though Simmons beat the count, the referee waved the fight off. Time of the TKO was 2:33. (More)
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September 12th 2008 05:43
Former NRL bad boy John Hopoate has claimed his first major boxing title on Tuesday night defeatig Aussie Bob Mirovic for the Austrailan Heavywieght crown.
Going into the fight claiming he would send Mirovic into "early retirement", and being doubted by many, Hopoate displayed enormous courage by TKO'ing his opponent in the 9th round
[ Click here to read more ]
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