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[Lady Fan]

'boom-boom' bautista headlines 'pinoy pride x' on dec. 10

'BOOM-BOOM' BAUTISTA HEADLINES 'PINOY PRIDE X' ON DEC. 10



CEBU CITY – Former world title challenger and current IBF international featherweight champion Rey 'Boom-Boom' Bautista will return to action on Dec. 10 at the Hoops Dome in Lapulapu City headlining the 10th installment of the 'Pinoy Pride' series, ALA Promotions has announced in a formal press launching held at the Cebu Grand Hotel this afternoon.

Bautista (31-2-0 23KO), now rated No. 5 by the IBF whose current champion is Austalia's Bill Dib, won his last outing against former tormentor Heriberto Ruiz via 7th round technical decision at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu last June but has yet to know who his next opponent is.

“We're looking at a very formidable foe for Boom-Boom especially now that he is already rated No. 5 by the IBF,” ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told the media.

If it's Boom-Boom's choice however, he would rather fight next Daniel Ponce de Leon, the only other fighter who defeated him by a devastating 1st round knockout which triggered the tailspin of his rather promising career. Aldeguer however said that it will definitely not Ponce de Leon as Bautista's opponent this year. “We are taking baby steps for Boom-Boom because of what he had went thru,” Aldeguer said who also revealed that Bautista has recently been operated on his right foot due to fleshy growth at the sole area.

Rated higher than Bautista in the IBF is Luis Franco of Cuba at No. 4 and Eduardo Escobido of Mexico at No. 3 with the No. 2 and No. 1 vacant.

Also seeing action in 'Pinoy Pride X' are:

- Genesis Servania (15-0-0, 5KO) who impressed by defeating Mexican veteran Gerson Guerrero in his last outing. This time, Servania will face Rafael Hernandez of Venezuela.

- Rocky 'The Road Warrior' Fuentes (29-6-2, 17KO) will fight in his home turf this time against a yet to be named opponent.

- Romeo Jakosalem (15-4-1 8KO), who knocked out highly touted Eusebio Baluarte in the first round during his last outing, will vie for the OPBF super lightweight against Pan Soon Kim of South Korea.

Upcoming ALA prospects Roma Rate, Mark Acub and Mark Vincent Bernaldez are also seein action in the curtain raisers.

The 'Pinoy Pride' Series are being promoted by ALA Promotions in association with ABS-CBN Philippine TV Network.

Photo (L-R): Genesis Servania, Rey Bautista and Rocky Fuentes pose during Tuesday's press conference at the Cebu Grand Hotel announcing the 'Pinoy Pride X' boxing card on Dec. 10 at the Hoops Dome in Lapulapu City.

[Lady Fan]

Quijano: Sonsona and Cuello save the weekend

Quijano: Sonsona and Cuello save the weekend
By Jingo Quijano
Monday, October 17, 2011




JUST last month, Manny Pacquiao was quoted dropping hints about his impending retirement which could come sooner than anyone expected.

After hearing that, I took the day off and spent the rest of it tearing out my hair, and pricking my eyeballs with a rusty needle.

I do dread the day Manny retires, especially this early, with no flagship fighter ready to take the cudgels.

PROSPECTS. After mulling it over and over, it gradually dawned upon this boxing columnist that we could not hold on to Manny forever, and it’s in his best interest to retire early, healthy and wealthy.

Selfish, selfish me.

Thankfully, there are a lot of bright young prospects worthy of our attention.

Milan Melindo is in the world title equation. Mercedito Gesta is doing some nice work and catching the discerning eye of American boxing critics.

And of course over the weekend, Marvin Sonsona and Denver Cuello gave good accounts of themselves.

Maybe there’s no need after all to fret about Manny’s impending retirement. None of them will probably ever measure up to the Pacman, but at least they are salubrious to the local fistic scene.

SONSONA. “Marvelous” Marvin took a unanimous decision win against Mexican Carlos Jacobo at the Lapu-Lapu Hoops Dome last Saturday.

By his own candid admission, Marvin opined he was not at his best yet, and I readily concur. He owned the early rounds, and hung in there when Jacobo attempted to mount a spirited rally.

The thing with Sonsona (15-1, 12KOs) is that his potential is never in doubt. When he dethroned Jose Lopez back in 2009, he was a revelation with those jabs and youthful punching spurts.

It was always a dedication issue for this kid as at one time, he opted to mope around and turn his back on a promising career. Now that he has apparently re-dedicated himself to his vocation, we should expect better performances from him.

DENVER. On an even brighter note, Denver Cuello is on a tear and it seems there is no one in sight to stop him.

Last Sunday, a momentous knockout over Mexican Carlos Perez in Quintana Roo Mexico to win the WBC silver minimumweight title got a lot of people excited over this stylish lefty.

After a disqualification loss in May of last year, Denver is now on an 8-0 streak all via knockout. Amazing, isn’t it?

BLACKEYE. Of course, the fly in the ointment, which has once again stirred debate that boxing is down for the count, was the Chad Dawson-Bernard Hopkins debacle last Sunday.

With about 18 second lefts in the second round, Dawson ducked a right hand from Hopkins. After a brief clinch, the former momentarily lifted Hopkins and dumped him along the ropes.

Hopkins fell backward and part of his upper body shot through the ropes. He grimaced in pain and was declared unable to continue, making it a TKO win for Dawson.

I watched the replay a couple of times and I must say, Hopkins was probably milking it for what it was worth. I’ve seen thousands of rounds, and boxers have gotten up from harder falls.

Dawson was indeed out of line in tossing Hopkins, but the replays showed that “The Executioner” first landed on his foot, then his buttocks and the ropes which partially caught Hopkins’ left shoulder and cushioned the impact.

But, who’s to say? I’m not 47 years old. But there again lies the conundrum: If Hopkins’ bones are so brittle, what was he doing there on top of a boxing ring, defending the WBC light heavyweight title against a strong, tough ex-champion named “Bad” Chad?

I think Dawson was getting his measure and winning the fight up until that point.

Remember that in his rematch against Roy Jones, Bernard also tried to oversell the shots to the back of his head.

Bernard Hopkins is a certified legend and has nothing left to prove. If he can’t grind it out anymore, he should call it a career, rather than sully it with controversy. Or worse, get seriously hurt for real.

LAST ROUND. It’s on my college buddy, Atty. Alan F. Siu, who celebrates his birthday this week. Cheers!

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sport...weekend-185553

[Lady Fan]

Donaire wants to give fans a performance

DONAIRE WANTS TO GIVE FANS A PERFORMANCE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 19 Oct 2011



New York City -- WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" wants to give fans a "performance" when he steps into the ring at famed Madison Square Garden here on Saturday in the first defense of his title against undefeated Argentine two-division champion Omar Andres Narvaez.

A smiling, extremely confident Donaire told a large gathering of media people including Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN who will cover the fights along with this reporter that "I am always thankful to my fans for being there to support and pray for me and the least that I can do is perform."

Donaire said "there is no doubt in my mind that I am ready and I'm going to try to perform the best possible way but it takes two to tango so we need the participation from (Omar Andres) Narvaez but I think he's willing because he represents he is a legend of Argentina"

However, Donaire added, "He is taking on somebody who is in a different world right now and that's what we are going to try to give the fans - the best of what he has and the best of what I have."

He stressed that it was "of great importance" to have his wife Rachael and his family and his whole fan believe which was "all a blessing to me and that's why I fight the way I fight. That's why I train the way I train because I am thankful for every time they take pictures of me, that I give them autographs. I'm blessed with the life that I have because I never thought I will be here."

Donaire said "I box because I enjoy the sport and at the end of it all I hope I can inspire other kids out there the way that I was inspired to do the best that I can."

In his workout at the Kingsway Gym Donaire went through his usual routine and did the punch-mitts with former WBC light welterweight champion Morris East who told us later "No problems. Nonito is in great shape. He's ready."

There were times Donaire switched to a southpaw stance indicating he could switch from his normal orthodox stance if he had to since Narvaez is a southpaw,

While he admitted there are talks of possible future opponents at the super bantamweight division since he has indicated the fight against Narvaez will be his last at 118 pounds, Donaire maintained "at this point in time its just about focusing more on defeating my opponent (Narvaez), on how hard we worked and how ready we are for this fight."

Donaire confessed he didn't know too much about Narvaez who we learned has been working out twice a day in an effort to get into the best shape of his life for the step up in weight to 118 pounds,

Donaire noted that Narvaez "has been a world champion since even before I've been a world champion. He's had a lot of amateur history, he's been really good. He is still undefeated and that's the biggest challenge that we have in giving him his first defeat."

He said trainer Robert Garcia, a former world champion, was working on dissecting his style but with me is what he (Narvaez) presents in front of me and what advantage I can take and go from there and set up a plan and a trap for him because that is the kind of fighter I am. I am a strategist in that ring."

Donaire added, "whatever he brings in that first round if we can end it as early as the first round or it goes twelve rounds we are always ready for anything."

Asked whether he needs to make a statement because its his first fight on the East Coast and the original "Mecca" of boxing, Madison Square Garden where the greats such as Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and others fought, Donaire replied, "It's more about beating Narvaez and we want to look spectacular because when I started to be where I'm at its because I accepted that boxing, as much its a sport, as much as it's an art for me, it's also entertainment. You've got to entertain the people and that's one thing I have in my head, I got to look spectacular. I did it with (Wladimir) Sidorenko, I did it with (Fernando) Montiel and I just want to keep that streak going so they'll know more about Nonito Donaire."

[Lady Fan]

"PINOY PRIDE" READY TO TAKE IT A NOTCH HIGHER; KEEPS BUSY SKED STARTING DECEMBER TO ENTIRE 2012
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 19 Oct 2011



CEBU CITY--The "Pinoy Pride" series of ALA Boxing Promotions and giant television network ABS-CBN is keeping a high-octane boxing schedule starting with a huge pay-per-view card on December 10 all the way to next year with some of the best boxing matches they can provide to boxing fans around the country and the world.

This was revealed yesterday by ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer in yet another well-organized press conference at the Cebu Grand Hotel along Escario Street this city.

"After a very successful event Pinoy Pride 9 last Oct. 8 in Bacolod, we are pleased to announce that the Pinoy Pride series will continue this December and then another event for January, February, March and then the rest of next year," announced Aldeguer at yesterday's press conference to formally launch their December 10 "Pinoy Pride x" at the Hoops Dome in Mactan.

Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista will take on a soon-to-be-announced opponent to defend his IBF International featherweight crown in the main event of this 9-bout card.

Aldeguer said they will announce the opponent in the next few weeks, indicating that although Bautista wants to face tormentor Daniel Ponce de Leon, they will have to find another credible foe.

"Boom Boom is still a work in progress. We're taking it one fight at a time," said Aldeguer, who also informed that the recent Donnie Nietes-Ramon Garcia showdown generated a very high television ratings as well as a good number of pay-per-view buyers.

"Pinoy Pride X" is stacked with a heavy undercard line-up featuring OPBF flyweight champ Rocky Fuentes taking a tune-up bout while Genesis "Azukal" Servania battle's Venezuelan Rafael Hernandez in a tenner.

The other championship bout of the card pits Tagbilaran City's Romeo Jakosalem gunning for the vacant OPBF superlightweight title in a 12-round showdown against Korea's Pan Soo Kim, who is touted as the "Roberto Duran of Korea."

A special attraction featuring knockout artist Roma Rate is also on the card. Asked why he will not be fighting Ryan Bongkawil with whom he figured in a draw last September, promoter Aldeguer said they had initially offered the fight to Bongkawil's camp, but that the latter had another scheduled fight.

The other bouts in the card are Mark Acub versus Ryan Maano; Mark Vincent Bernaldez against Gilbert Garciano; Ralph Lulu versus John Mark Dita and Arjan Canillas against Abel Gayhon of Bukidnon.

NOTES... When asked of his love life, Boom2x Bautista says he has a love life and that he needs a "baje" (woman) who understands the demanding nature of his career..."Boom Boom" also badly wants to fight Daniel Ponce de Leon, telling reporters that he is tired of fans always asking him about their rematch...Reports have reached that despite his fistic prowess, OPBF champ Rocky Fuentes is still afraid of ghosts and witches at night. His trainer Edito Villamor says it's not true...Ace photographer Cyril Camporedondo, who grilled the fighters with a series of questions at the presser, asked Rocky Fuentes if the memory of that sad night in Danao where he figured in a tragic fistic action, still continues to haunt him. Fuentes answered in the negative, telling reporters that he no longer dwells on that. Cyril, however, may have just reminded Rocky Fuentes of that tragic event...Nice to know ALA Promotions always starts their press conferences on time...

[Lady Fan]

Donaire-narvaez tiff will end within nine rounds

DONAIRE-NARVAEZ TIFF WILL END WITHIN NINE ROUNDS
PhilBoxing.com
19 Oct 2011
By Ed de la Vega, DDS



From all indications, it seems that the much awaited title fight between the Filipino Flash, Nonito Donaire and his Argentinean foe, Omar Narvaez will be a huge firefight between two opponents who in paper are perfectly matched.

I however predict that it will not take more than nine rounds for Donaire to take the “O” off the record of Narvaez.

The fight will be much be like the Battle of the Falkland Islands a few years back where the mighty English subdued a supposedly equally mighty Argentineans. In that battle the forces from Argentina seemed equally matched with the English. If I am not mistaken, early in the fight they even sunk an English destroyer using a French Exocet missile. But when England stepped up the ante with their Harrier jets and battle ships, the battle became one-sided.

I for one believe the same will happen on Saturday night at the good ole’ Madison Square Garden. Donaire will have his handful at the beginning, but as soon as he gets his bearing, Narvaez won’t even have time to say “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”. He will be too busy clearing his head as he stares at the arena lights lying on his back.

Narvaez may have an excellent record, (35-0-2, 19K0) but he has never faced a dominant guy as Donaire who can also pack a wallop. Just ask Vic Darchinyan, Vlodomyr Syderenko, Fernando Montiel and Hernan Marquez. They are all recipients of the signature Donaire counter left hook.

And, save for a handful of fights in France and Italy, Narvaez has never set foot in a “big stage” with all the bells and whistles like the WAMU Theater at the MSG in New York. He fought mostly in Argentina where he enjoys a hometown advantage. This one factor in itself may make or break the fight for him. If he gets awed by the hassle and buzzle of the Big Apple, huge crowd and noise, he will have a very short night.

In addition, being short ( 5’3’) he will have to get close to the tall (5’6”) and long armed Donaire in order to be effective. But in order to accomplish that, he must come in with full barrel blazing With that, he will become a perfect target for the counter-punching Donaire. One solid left hook is all it takes and the fight will be over.

Another factor going against Narvaez is the fact that he is naturally small. He fought mostly as a flyweight and a handful as super fly. His fight with Donaire is the first time he is stepping up to bantamweight. Hopefully, he will carry his power with him that gave him 19KOs in his record.

Being disadvantaged in size, he has no prayer to win via a 12 round decision. And, he has no chance pulling an Antonio de Marco (vs. Jorge Linares) type of a win. At fight time, he will be facing a very fast Donaire who may come into the ring as big as a featherweight or even a junior lightweight ( Donaire naturally walks at around 140lbs) and the potential and the capability to end the fight very quickly.

Finally, Narvaez is up there in age. This may not be a factor, but taking all things equal, a younger, bigger and stronger boxer almost always comes up on top of an older, more experienced but smaller opponent.

Top photo: Donaire during Tuesday's media day in New York.

[Lady Fan]

Top Rank & Manny Pacquiao present World Class Championship Boxing October 27th

Top Rank & Manny Pacquiao present World Class Championship Boxing October 27th
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 19 Oct 2011



The Pac Man returns! Be here and see famed world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, when he and Top Rank present a night of World Class Championship Boxing in the San Manuel ring. Generally ranked as the number one, pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Manny was the first professional fighter to win eight-division world championships. He was named Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s, and has been honored as the Fighter of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Without doubt, he is one of the most well-known and admired persons in the world today.

Tickets: $90 & $50
Doors Open at 6:30pm
Buy tickets now at Ticketmaster.com.

[Lady Fan]

Donaire makes impact at philippine consulate reception

DONAIRE MAKES IMPACT AT PHILIPPINE CONSULATE RECEPTION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 20 Oct 2011



New York City Oct. 19- WBC/WBO world bantamweight champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire made an impact at a Philippine Consulate reception hosted by Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon Jr, on a rainy morning here today.

In welcoming Donaire, Consul General de Leon Jr said "we are really very proud of you Nonito. We find you an inspiration because of your track record in boxing as well as your continued success. Its an inspiration not only to the Filipinos and Filipino athletes in the Philippines but also to the Filipino-Americans especially those who are pursuing growth."

He said "we really look forward to your continued success in reaching greater heights as you face a formidable opponent on Saturday. I hope all of you will be supporting and rooting for Nonito Donaire who is also known as 'The Filipino Flash."

In his articulate and well-received response Donaire said he would do his best against undefeated two division world champion Omar Andres Narvaez saying "that is what you'll get with 'The Filipino Flash' which is to show pride of who I am as a Filipino fighter with all my heart with all the talent that God has given me and that's one thing you will see this Saturday... the heart of a true Filipino fighter and I'm hoping that I will entertain and most of all I will wave the flag with all my pride."

Consul General de Leon Jr presented Donaire with a coffee table book on Art at the Philippine Center which he said 'is here to promote Philippine art, culture and heritage."

In receiving the memento of his visit to the New York Consulate, Donaire said "as you know I love art. I do painting and sketching. I may not be as good as these guys but I will truly enjoy work of art from the Philippines and what the Philippines has to offer."

In a free-wheeling question and answer session among the Filipino-American media in particular Donaire said eating Filipino food like lechon "is out of my head because I've got to make weight" being a couple of pounds over the 118 pound limit.

Donaire said the fight against Narvaez would be his last as a bantamweight and he plans on moving up to super bantamweight for his next fight early in 2012.

He said "we have Jorge "Travieso" Arce from Mexico who is very talented and he's ready to go to war and he's one of the guys that I'm looking at and of course Toshiaki Nishioka who just defeated Rafael Marquez so there is a lot of excitement going on in the 122 division and a lot of challenges up ahead."

However, Donaire said "I don't want to look past the guy in front of us, Omar Narvaez."

Asked how he would rate himself among all-time Filipino boxing greats Donaire said "For me its not where I stand but its more of how I do in inspiring others because Manny Pacquiao, Flash Elorde, they all inspired me to be where I am at right now and I hope I can do the same with people. I am really bad when it comes to myself and putting myself in the pound for pound or putting myself in ratings with other fighters. All I know is they are great fighters and have done so much for our country . I'll leave it up to the people to decide where I'm at and wherever it may be I'm always blessed to know I'm part of history."



Oct. 19, 2011, New York, N.Y. --- World Bantamweight Champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire(2nd left) listens to The Honorable Mario Lopez de Leon, Jr. (L), Consul General of the Philippines along with Donaire's wife Rachel(2nd right) and his trainer Robert Garcia (R) during a reception at the Philippines Consulate in New York today. Photo by Chris Farina, Top Rank.

[Lady Fan]

Mayol set to fight Donaire’s former victim on Oct. 27

Mayol set to fight Donaire’s former victim on Oct. 27
By Rene Bonsubre Jr.
Cebu Daily News
Thursday, October 20th, 2011



RODEL Mayol of Mandaue City is scheduled to fight Luis Maldonado of Baja California, Mexico on Oct. 27 at the San Manuel Indian Casino in Highland, California.

The 30-year-old Mayol (29W-5L-2D, 21 KOs) had a homecoming fight at the Mandaue City Sports Complex last Aug. 6 where he won by unanimous decision against Jayson Rotoni. Mayol has won three straight fights since losing his WBC light flyweight title to Omar Nino Romero of Mexico last year.

The 33-year-old Maldonado (38W-6L-1D, 29 KOs) challenged Nonito Donaire for the latter’s IBF flyweight title last December 2007 and lost by 8th round TKO. His non-title fight against Mayol is scheduled for eight rounds.

There are two other Filipinos set to appear in this card.

Former world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion (30W-4L-1D, 17 KOs) of Binangonan, Rizal will fight Aaron Garcia (10W-2L-2D, 2 KOs) of California for the vacant WBC Continental Americas featherweight title while Richie Mepranum (18W-3L-1D, 3 KOs) of Saranggani fights another Mexican, Rigoberto Casillas (2W-5L-1D, 4 KOs).

The 23-year-old Concepcion will try to stop his career skid after suffering back-to-back losses to Juan Manuel Lopez and Juan Carlos Martinez. The 24-year-old Mepranum failed in his bid to win the WBO world flyweight title last year when he was stopped by Julio Cesar Miranda in five rounds. He has since bounced back with two straight wins.

This fight card is promoted by Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions in association with Top Rank.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/79191/m...ctim-on-oct-27

[Lady Fan]

Rachel Donaire: The power behind potential superstar Nonito's boxing throne
Michael Marley, Boxing Examiner
October 19, 2011



What with international superstars Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather both being close to age 35 than to 30, boxing needs one or more younger fighters to grab the flag and develop into the pay per view TV magnets that the older fighters are.

Super middleweight Andre Ward looks like a likely candidate. The fighter who calls himself "Son Of God" has a sizable following but his drawing power at the live gate has really only been shown in his home base of Oakland.

Meanwhile, another Bay Area based fighter named Nonito Donaire has the in and out of the ring tools to become a gate and PPV attraction.
The "power behind the throne" in Fil Am Donaire's camp is his wife, Rachel, and she plays an important role for her husband other than being a devoted spouse.

I sat down with the oft-criticized Mrs. Donaire on Tuesday to discuss what she does and doesn't do regarding the career of her "Filipino Flash" husband.

"I am not the manager," Rachel said. "I never said I was or tried to be that. Nonito's capable manager is Cameron Dunkin and all the boxing decisions and discussion go between Nonito and Cameron. They speak to our promoter, Top Rank, on boxing issues."

Rachel, who revealed that the couple is buying a house in the Bay Area and plans to start a family next year, said that she tries to concentrate on marketing/public relation aspects of Nonito's burgeoning career.
The selling of Nonito includes advertising photo shoots which usually include bevies of sexy female models but Mrs. D said that hardly fazes her.

"Nonito takes photos and gets his photos taken so he's on both ends of the camera," she said. "I'm not threatened by or jealous of other women. If my huisband was in Playboy, like Manny Pacquiao is right now, I wouldn't be threatened either. It's just a part of the overall marketing scheme."

When the Donaires tried to dump Bob Arum's company to go with rival Golden Boy, feelings were ruffled on both sides. Arum made a reference to Rachel dressing in a slutty manner but now that legal action caused them to return to TR, Rachel said it's all in the rear view mirror. To be more precise, Arum said "like a hooker."

"I kind of just shrugged that off because I got dragged into it," Rachel said. "That was all between Top Rank and Nonito's legal team but I think Bob took it personally and I can understand that in a way."
With Dunkin as manager and Robert Garcia as ther trainer, Rachel focuses on social network chores such as her husband's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

"People may not know this but that is usually Nonito personally on his pages, not someone else. We talk about what others are discussing and he will tell me things he wants to send out on Facebook and Twitter. The words are Nonito's, not mine."

What happens with the unavoidable "hater" type comments that come across in social networking, I asked.

"Nonito will normally give someone a second chance but if they are hateful or making racial or other inappropriate things, they get banned. Nonito says he doesn't want his world, which those pages are part of, to be negative like that. Constructive criticism is accepted but not purely negative, hateful remarks."

As the days and fights go by, Rachel said she realizes she's learning more and more about all sides of professional boxing. A former model, Rachel also got a taste of what really being a manager can be like when Nonito as handling Dodie Boy Penalosa and another Pinoy boxer.

"We paid their bills, got them a place to live, all that. It just became too much to juggle, Nonito's own career and theirs so they left us but it was on good terms. Dodie is back in the Phillipines with his father," Rachel said.

On a personal note, I have to say I've come to like Mrs. D and think she is a plus to her hubby's career.

We got off to a rocky start when I offhandedly wrote that "if Rachel Donaire is a manager, then I'm an astronaut."

I quickly got a spirited and more than reasonable email response from her.
That was then, now is now.

Rachel is not a boxing manager, NASA hasn't been calling me but she is the power behind the throne on Team Donaire...in a good way.

http://www.examiner.com/boxing-in-na...-boxing-throne

[Lady Fan]

Just another day at the wildcard

JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE WILDCARD
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 20 Oct 2011



LOS ANGELES -- Manny Pacquiao came in to train today on time. The keen observers around the gym noted that did not happen too much with his previous fights. Their conclusion: The man is deadly serious about the job ahead. He wants a scintillating result on November 12th to erase all doubts about his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez.

From the looks of it, at least physically, Pacquiao is set to go. I had the privilege of seeing the man train before for his previous fights and I have never seen him in such a physical condition as today. He seems to be ready to go even if the fight occurs tomorrow.

Today’s gym session was nothing new from what I have seen in the past. Pacquiao did the usual mitts with Freddie Roach including of course the usual small talks to continually re-hash the fight plan. But, I saw new combinations and punches which I thought were addition to his repertoire. “May mga bago” (there are new ones), Buboy Fernandez whispered to my ear as I took photos by the ringside.

Pacquiao did shadow boxing, hit the heavy bag and the floor and ceiling anchored speed bag as well as the regular speed bag.

Then of course they were the obligatory poses for TV and the few media people who were allowed to see the training session.

With what I witnessed today, Juan Manuel Marquez should train very hard. Otherwise, he would be in a heap of trouble.

Pacquiao is already in a very good shape as of this moment and the fight is still a few weeks away. What more after Roach and Ariza finish their work with him?

Photo: Pacquiao hits the heavy bag Wednesday at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles in preparation for his upcoming fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.