ESPN's Jim Rome reported on his show today that Manny Pacquaio's camp is saying the boxer has agreed to submit to Olympic style testing if a fight against Floyd Mayweather is negotiated. For those who are unaware, previous negotiations to schedule a fight between the two fighters stalled because the Mayweather camp suspects Pacquaio has doped up for some of his fights; thus requesting the unusual Olympic testing, which isn't used in boxing. Pacquaio, on the other hand, has maintained he is completely clean, but is petrified of needles. Pacquaio offered to acquiesce to Mayweather's request if the testing is done earlier in the week of the fight; no more than two days prior. Pacquaio said he wouldn't want to give up any psychological edge to Mayweather by taking a needle the day of his fight.
I have no idea why Pacquaio's trepidation would have such an effect on him, but it isn't anyone's place to question someone's fear of anything. But it appears, Pacquaio's now ready to do whatever it takes to make this fight happen and I commend him for that. Way to step up. Now it's up to Mayweather to step up as well.
What do you think? Will there be a fight in the next year? Share your thoughts.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Yohan Blake runs second fastest 200m ever.
Once the Track & Field World Championships ended in Daegu, South Korea, interest in the sport vanished as quickly as Usain Bolt's hopes of winning the 100m in Daegu. But the season remained competitive well beyond the championships. No more was that evident than in Brussels, Belgium, for the second Diamond League event (the first was in Zurich, Switzerland) since the championships wrapped.
Usain Bolt recovered in the 100m, winning in a world-leading 9.76 seconds, but was overshadowed by his country man, training partner and the man who became the 100m World Champion in Bolt's absence, Yohan Blake. Blake blew by Walter Dix around the last stretch of curve to win the 200m in a WL time of 19.26. How fast was he going? Well Dix, no slow mo himself, was a distant second in a personal best time of 19.53s. Blake surpasses former world record holder Michael Johnson (19.32) as the second fastest man in the history of that race behind Bolt's 19.19.
The U.S. has no answers for this crop of sprinters springing up in the tiny island of Jamaica. And with the London Olympics less than a year away, and the U.S. well-documented problems with baton exchanges, it's impossible to imagine the U.S. posing a threat to the Jamaicans in the 4x100m relay. Besides Dix and a healthy Tyson Gay, there isn't much promise from anyone else to make the 100m final (Gatlin has been inconsistent since finishing second at the U.S. trials prior to Daegu.) The bigger story would be who would make the Jamaicans final squad (Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter and Michael Frater top the crowd of sprinters who would contend for the final two spots.)
For some reason, I seem to be having issues with embedding videos, which I used to be able to do with ease. If anyone has solutions beyond copying and pasting the embedded info on here, please let me know. But if you're interested in watching the race, click here for it.
Usain Bolt recovered in the 100m, winning in a world-leading 9.76 seconds, but was overshadowed by his country man, training partner and the man who became the 100m World Champion in Bolt's absence, Yohan Blake. Blake blew by Walter Dix around the last stretch of curve to win the 200m in a WL time of 19.26. How fast was he going? Well Dix, no slow mo himself, was a distant second in a personal best time of 19.53s. Blake surpasses former world record holder Michael Johnson (19.32) as the second fastest man in the history of that race behind Bolt's 19.19.
The U.S. has no answers for this crop of sprinters springing up in the tiny island of Jamaica. And with the London Olympics less than a year away, and the U.S. well-documented problems with baton exchanges, it's impossible to imagine the U.S. posing a threat to the Jamaicans in the 4x100m relay. Besides Dix and a healthy Tyson Gay, there isn't much promise from anyone else to make the 100m final (Gatlin has been inconsistent since finishing second at the U.S. trials prior to Daegu.) The bigger story would be who would make the Jamaicans final squad (Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter and Michael Frater top the crowd of sprinters who would contend for the final two spots.)
For some reason, I seem to be having issues with embedding videos, which I used to be able to do with ease. If anyone has solutions beyond copying and pasting the embedded info on here, please let me know. But if you're interested in watching the race, click here for it.
Mayweather vs. Ortiz. Scratch that. How 'bout Mayweather vs. Merchant?
There's no way of knowing, but I'm sure of it. Floyd Mayweather Jr. would have won the fight against Victor Ortiz Jr. last night anyway.
If you didn't happen to catch the fight because you've chosen to wait until it debuts on HBO next week, then you missed out on one of the most entertaining moments in boxing. No it had nothing to do with Mayweather's controversial knockout in the fourth round. It happened during the post fight interview with the ubiquitous Larry Merchant peppering Mayweather about the knockout, which I will get to shortly. Feeling pressured by the much older Merchant, Mayweather lashed out at his interviewer, accusing Merchant of being biased against him. Then just as suddenly, still on live TV, Mayweather expressed his wish to have HBO fire Merchant, who has been the ringside interviewer at major fights since before I was born. It doesn't end there. Amazingly, Merchant, who I've always maintained talks too slowly to still be an active ringside interviewer, didn't back down, telling Mayweather, "I wish I was 50 years younger, I'd have kicked your (rhymes with bass.)" Ashamedly, I found myself cheering for another fight just to see the embarrassing finish to the side plot.
The Merchant-Mayweather debacle could have been a publicity stunt on Mayweather's end to embrace the hostility he earned with his win, but the conclusion to the actual fight was not. So many friends have Facebooked, twitted and (insert any other social media network you can think of) their opinions about the fight, and the majority sided with Ortiz. After all, Mayweather took a cheap shot right? Wrong.
It all happened too quickly that I never noticed how far into the fourth round the fight had gone. But somewhere in the middle of that round, Ortiz had backed Mayweather into the ropes and seemed to be earning a few points, enough to possibly claim that round. Suddenly, and in one of the worst incidents of headbutting I have ever seen in a fight, Ortiz rose from his crouched stance and deliberately headbutted Mayweather. Fight was stopped and ref Joe Cortez deducted a point from Ortiz. No harm done; until he motioned for the two fighters to approach the center of the ring and touch gloves. They touched gloves and Ortiz broke away from customary behavior to extend a hug to Mayweather as well, as if to suggest his headbutting was unintentional. Yeah right. Mayweather, probably still smarting, noticed Cortez was distracted and threw a left hook that connected perfectly with Ortiz' cheekbones. And then a right that dropped Ortiz to the mat. Fight over.
I don't think people realized what had happened until the replay showed what appeared to be a cheap shot at an unsuspecting opponent. I would have loved to see the fight end in a different way, but I don't see why Mayweather should take the blame for the results. Both Ortiz and Cortez share the blame in the bizarre conclusion.
If Ortiz hadn't taken his cheap shot, the fight would never have stopped. But not only did he stop his own momentum with that stupid decision, he lost his focus. You are Ortiz. You have been preparing for a chance to rejoin the elite of the sport after suffering an embarrassing loss that almost destroyed your career a few years back. You don't fall asleep until you are in the changing room post match. You don't show any weakness or sympathy by hugging your opponent mid-fight. Merely touching the gloves would have sufficed. He got caught up in the moment of proving his silly headbutt was unintentional that he allowed one of the cunningest fighters in the sport to catch him unguarded. Protect yourself at all times; that's the fundamental rule of boxing. In one of four episodes of HBO's 24/7, chronicling the two boxers' pre-fight preparations, one of the sons of Ortiz' trainer, Danny Garcia, labeled Mayweather a dirty fighter who wins with dodgy tactics. So why wasn't Ortiz prepared to protect himself from any possible dirty tactics?
Cortez shares the blame because he broke away from what is the norm when a fight is paused. I thought he gave a slight signal to resume that may not have been noticed by most. He should have checked with the ringside and confirmed the time left in the round before urging the fighters to touch gloves. Once he realized his mistake, he took his eyes away from the most important people in that arena and focused on the wrong ones. You cannot make those types of mistakes in big fights like this one.
In the end, hate him or love him, Mayweather's winning streak continues. Thus, his despicable behavior outside the ring is sure to continue. Until he can be stopped, there's no reason why he needs to remain quiet. Undoubtedly, there's bound to be reignited talk for a Mayweather-Pacquaio fight. I just hope there can be a compromise to make this fight happen. Boxing needs this fight to happen. Otherwise, we're stuck analyzing possible fights between elder statesmen who can barely hold onto a microphone versus egomaniac boxers who talk more about how much they stand to make from a fight than actual strategy needed to win the fight.
If you didn't happen to catch the fight because you've chosen to wait until it debuts on HBO next week, then you missed out on one of the most entertaining moments in boxing. No it had nothing to do with Mayweather's controversial knockout in the fourth round. It happened during the post fight interview with the ubiquitous Larry Merchant peppering Mayweather about the knockout, which I will get to shortly. Feeling pressured by the much older Merchant, Mayweather lashed out at his interviewer, accusing Merchant of being biased against him. Then just as suddenly, still on live TV, Mayweather expressed his wish to have HBO fire Merchant, who has been the ringside interviewer at major fights since before I was born. It doesn't end there. Amazingly, Merchant, who I've always maintained talks too slowly to still be an active ringside interviewer, didn't back down, telling Mayweather, "I wish I was 50 years younger, I'd have kicked your (rhymes with bass.)" Ashamedly, I found myself cheering for another fight just to see the embarrassing finish to the side plot.
The Merchant-Mayweather debacle could have been a publicity stunt on Mayweather's end to embrace the hostility he earned with his win, but the conclusion to the actual fight was not. So many friends have Facebooked, twitted and (insert any other social media network you can think of) their opinions about the fight, and the majority sided with Ortiz. After all, Mayweather took a cheap shot right? Wrong.
It all happened too quickly that I never noticed how far into the fourth round the fight had gone. But somewhere in the middle of that round, Ortiz had backed Mayweather into the ropes and seemed to be earning a few points, enough to possibly claim that round. Suddenly, and in one of the worst incidents of headbutting I have ever seen in a fight, Ortiz rose from his crouched stance and deliberately headbutted Mayweather. Fight was stopped and ref Joe Cortez deducted a point from Ortiz. No harm done; until he motioned for the two fighters to approach the center of the ring and touch gloves. They touched gloves and Ortiz broke away from customary behavior to extend a hug to Mayweather as well, as if to suggest his headbutting was unintentional. Yeah right. Mayweather, probably still smarting, noticed Cortez was distracted and threw a left hook that connected perfectly with Ortiz' cheekbones. And then a right that dropped Ortiz to the mat. Fight over.
I don't think people realized what had happened until the replay showed what appeared to be a cheap shot at an unsuspecting opponent. I would have loved to see the fight end in a different way, but I don't see why Mayweather should take the blame for the results. Both Ortiz and Cortez share the blame in the bizarre conclusion.
If Ortiz hadn't taken his cheap shot, the fight would never have stopped. But not only did he stop his own momentum with that stupid decision, he lost his focus. You are Ortiz. You have been preparing for a chance to rejoin the elite of the sport after suffering an embarrassing loss that almost destroyed your career a few years back. You don't fall asleep until you are in the changing room post match. You don't show any weakness or sympathy by hugging your opponent mid-fight. Merely touching the gloves would have sufficed. He got caught up in the moment of proving his silly headbutt was unintentional that he allowed one of the cunningest fighters in the sport to catch him unguarded. Protect yourself at all times; that's the fundamental rule of boxing. In one of four episodes of HBO's 24/7, chronicling the two boxers' pre-fight preparations, one of the sons of Ortiz' trainer, Danny Garcia, labeled Mayweather a dirty fighter who wins with dodgy tactics. So why wasn't Ortiz prepared to protect himself from any possible dirty tactics?
Cortez shares the blame because he broke away from what is the norm when a fight is paused. I thought he gave a slight signal to resume that may not have been noticed by most. He should have checked with the ringside and confirmed the time left in the round before urging the fighters to touch gloves. Once he realized his mistake, he took his eyes away from the most important people in that arena and focused on the wrong ones. You cannot make those types of mistakes in big fights like this one.
In the end, hate him or love him, Mayweather's winning streak continues. Thus, his despicable behavior outside the ring is sure to continue. Until he can be stopped, there's no reason why he needs to remain quiet. Undoubtedly, there's bound to be reignited talk for a Mayweather-Pacquaio fight. I just hope there can be a compromise to make this fight happen. Boxing needs this fight to happen. Otherwise, we're stuck analyzing possible fights between elder statesmen who can barely hold onto a microphone versus egomaniac boxers who talk more about how much they stand to make from a fight than actual strategy needed to win the fight.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
When lives are lost...
This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people. Orchestrated by former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, four commercial planes were hijacked in the early hours of the fateful day in 2001 and crashed into the twin World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in D.C., and an empty field in Shanksville, Pa. (reportedly headed to either the White House or Capitol building, also in D.C.) Since then, the approach to security in the U.S. has never been the same. I still remember where I was when the attacks happened. I was woken up by my mother in time to watch the second plane smash into the second Twin Tower live while sitting in the living room of our 15th floor high-rise in Downtown Miami. I didn't personally know anyone who died on that fateful day, but like many, I will forever remember the events of that day and how it changed my life.
There were all kinds of ties between Sept. 11 and the sports world then, as there were in this year's commemoration. Tennis player Serena Williams dedicated her finals match at the 2011 U.S. Open, played on that Sunday, to the victims. New York Jets players donned navy blue T-shirts with the words "Never Forgotten" written on the back for warmups on opening night for the NFL season. But long before all the commemorations took place nationwide, in the wee hours of the morning, there was a different kind of sports tie to 9/11. Tayshana Murphy, a promising basketball star was shot to death at her Harlem apartment in New York City. Reports suggest the 18-year-old was a victim of mistaken identity, shot because she was dressed in similar clothes as a boy who was involved in an altercation with some men at a different housing project. Whatever the truth may be, Murphy's life was cut shot by an unnecessary act of violence on a day when the world mourned the victims of another unnecessary act of violence.
Incidentally, Murphy's death was exactly a week from the stabbing death of another female basketball player at Florida A&M University, where I obtained my master's in broadcast journalism. Shannon Washington died from stab wounds to her neck, allegedly caused by her girlfriend of three years Starquineshia Palmer, who was visiting Washington from Bradenton, Fla. I was a sports reporter for FAMU TV 20 and covered the women's basketball team. I never knew nor interviewed Washington, but felt connected to her somehow because of my involvement with the team. Just as I felt connected to the victims of 9/11, though I knew no one.
Watching one of many 9/11 specials that aired this weekend, I learned about the families of victims. One wife of a firefighter who died trying to save people, talked about how her husband chose Sept. 11 as their wedding date because of the significance behind it. 9/11 makes one think of the most important number to call when in need of rescue. But what was supposed to be the couple's happiest day turned out to be her worst day as well when he was killed. Other stories included several passengers of the United 93 flight, regarded as heroes for attacking the hijackers and preventing them from hitting their original target. One thing many of the stories had in common was future plans, hopes or dreams cut shot as a result of the tragedy in the split of a few seconds. I don't know what Washington's future plan was beyond FAMU, but Murphy's dream was to get her mother out of the projects; a dream she would never get to fulfill.
Why am I sharing this? Because the deaths of these two basketball players, and the 10th anniversary of 9/11, reminded me of something I became fully aware of after the original attacks. Have an idea what you envision your future to be like, but live for today. I've been so caught up in worrying about my future (those close to me know exactly what I've been fretting about) and not living enough for today that I forgot to remember that when lives are lost, their goals, hopes and dreams, for the most part, are gone forever as well.
R.I.P. to the many lives lost on 9/11 and to deceased victims of violence.
There were all kinds of ties between Sept. 11 and the sports world then, as there were in this year's commemoration. Tennis player Serena Williams dedicated her finals match at the 2011 U.S. Open, played on that Sunday, to the victims. New York Jets players donned navy blue T-shirts with the words "Never Forgotten" written on the back for warmups on opening night for the NFL season. But long before all the commemorations took place nationwide, in the wee hours of the morning, there was a different kind of sports tie to 9/11. Tayshana Murphy, a promising basketball star was shot to death at her Harlem apartment in New York City. Reports suggest the 18-year-old was a victim of mistaken identity, shot because she was dressed in similar clothes as a boy who was involved in an altercation with some men at a different housing project. Whatever the truth may be, Murphy's life was cut shot by an unnecessary act of violence on a day when the world mourned the victims of another unnecessary act of violence.
Incidentally, Murphy's death was exactly a week from the stabbing death of another female basketball player at Florida A&M University, where I obtained my master's in broadcast journalism. Shannon Washington died from stab wounds to her neck, allegedly caused by her girlfriend of three years Starquineshia Palmer, who was visiting Washington from Bradenton, Fla. I was a sports reporter for FAMU TV 20 and covered the women's basketball team. I never knew nor interviewed Washington, but felt connected to her somehow because of my involvement with the team. Just as I felt connected to the victims of 9/11, though I knew no one.
Watching one of many 9/11 specials that aired this weekend, I learned about the families of victims. One wife of a firefighter who died trying to save people, talked about how her husband chose Sept. 11 as their wedding date because of the significance behind it. 9/11 makes one think of the most important number to call when in need of rescue. But what was supposed to be the couple's happiest day turned out to be her worst day as well when he was killed. Other stories included several passengers of the United 93 flight, regarded as heroes for attacking the hijackers and preventing them from hitting their original target. One thing many of the stories had in common was future plans, hopes or dreams cut shot as a result of the tragedy in the split of a few seconds. I don't know what Washington's future plan was beyond FAMU, but Murphy's dream was to get her mother out of the projects; a dream she would never get to fulfill.
Why am I sharing this? Because the deaths of these two basketball players, and the 10th anniversary of 9/11, reminded me of something I became fully aware of after the original attacks. Have an idea what you envision your future to be like, but live for today. I've been so caught up in worrying about my future (those close to me know exactly what I've been fretting about) and not living enough for today that I forgot to remember that when lives are lost, their goals, hopes and dreams, for the most part, are gone forever as well.
R.I.P. to the many lives lost on 9/11 and to deceased victims of violence.
Monday, September 12, 2011
What should matter more in sports: money or winning?
About three weeks ago, I wrote about Camerounian soccer star Samuel Eto'o's decision to leave Italian club Inter Milan for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala; a move which was purely motivated by money. The deal made Eto'o the highest paid soccer player by more than $10 million.
Now Ghana's Asamoah Gyan is following in his fellow African's footsteps by leaving English Premiership League team Sunderland on loan to Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. Sunderland hasn't exactly been a marquee team in the EPL, but Gyan was notably its star, leading the team with 10 goals scored in his first year. For now, the transfer is only effective for this season, but Sunderland manager Steve Bruce says he doesn't expect Gyan to return to the team.
At 25, Gyan is much younger– in soccer life, make that a lot–than Eto'o and had recently gained popularity following his impressive performance for the Black Stars in last year's World Cup. Gyan, despite missing a game-winning penalty that would've given the Black Stars a historic spot in the semifinals of the World Cup–a first for any African team in the history of the tournament–was Ghana's leading man. I stood less than 40 feet away from Gyan as he broke down in tears and was consoled by his teammates after Ghana lost the ensuing penalty shootout to Uruguay at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa last July. But it was obvious that his stock was set to rise in the soccer world regardless.
His career part seemed to be headed upward when he joined Sunderland, but I can't help but question his decision to leave the most competitive league for a non-existent one. The UAE? Even Eto'o's Russian league garners mild respect in the soccer world compared to the UAE. Gyan is expected to earn about $9.5 million with Al Ain, and the projection is that the move would be converted into a permanent one. It's an almost death sentence for Gyan's career, which could conclude without being a part of any major soccer title if he retires at Al Ain. He may be able to attract attention from major teams again if he performs as well as he did in South Africa, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But we're a long way from June 2014 and there's no guarantee that he'd be in top form then.
I understood Eto'o's decision to go with the money because he had proven himself on the biggest stage with three Champions League titles. English player David Beckham and French national Thierry Henry made similar decisions to join the U.S. Major Soccer League when their career paths took a decline. But Gyan's is very different. Most soccer players wait a lifetime to play against the elite and some never do, but Gyan is throwing away a potential memorable career by following the money.
So the question is Gyan doing the right thing by taking advantage of his high profile to make as much money as possible or should he have put winning ahead of career earnings in his decision?
Now Ghana's Asamoah Gyan is following in his fellow African's footsteps by leaving English Premiership League team Sunderland on loan to Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. Sunderland hasn't exactly been a marquee team in the EPL, but Gyan was notably its star, leading the team with 10 goals scored in his first year. For now, the transfer is only effective for this season, but Sunderland manager Steve Bruce says he doesn't expect Gyan to return to the team.
 |
| Asamoah Gyan |
His career part seemed to be headed upward when he joined Sunderland, but I can't help but question his decision to leave the most competitive league for a non-existent one. The UAE? Even Eto'o's Russian league garners mild respect in the soccer world compared to the UAE. Gyan is expected to earn about $9.5 million with Al Ain, and the projection is that the move would be converted into a permanent one. It's an almost death sentence for Gyan's career, which could conclude without being a part of any major soccer title if he retires at Al Ain. He may be able to attract attention from major teams again if he performs as well as he did in South Africa, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But we're a long way from June 2014 and there's no guarantee that he'd be in top form then.
I understood Eto'o's decision to go with the money because he had proven himself on the biggest stage with three Champions League titles. English player David Beckham and French national Thierry Henry made similar decisions to join the U.S. Major Soccer League when their career paths took a decline. But Gyan's is very different. Most soccer players wait a lifetime to play against the elite and some never do, but Gyan is throwing away a potential memorable career by following the money.
So the question is Gyan doing the right thing by taking advantage of his high profile to make as much money as possible or should he have put winning ahead of career earnings in his decision?
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