December 8, 2006

UFC66: Liddell vs Ortiz
Mood:  on fire

November 20, 2006

The Better Man
Mood:  celebratory

LAS VEGAS (AP) Manny Pacquiao finished this trilogy with the flair befitting a movie star, knocking down Erik Morales three times on the way to a third-round knockout victory Saturday night in the super featherweights' third meeting in 20 months.

Pacquiao (43-3-2, 33 KOs), the Filipino phenomenon known for his excesses of punching power and courage, might have knocked Morales (48-5) into retirement in a fight that was every bit as thrilling as their first two meetings — even if it didn't last nearly as long.

Both fighters came out with heedless aggression, and Pacquiao first knocked Morales down against the ropes late in the second round. Morales kept returning shots, but couldn't keep up with Pacquiao's pace — and after a knockdown midway through the third, Pacquiao finished him with a devastating left hook with just 3 seconds left.

"He was coming to me, and he was not able to handle me," Pacquiao said. "I felt so much stronger than him. I was prepared to fight the best of Morales."

Morales sat up after the final blows, but disconsolately shook his head at his trainer-father, Jose, in his corner — and Pacquiao celebrated another dynamic victory over the only man to beat him since 1999. Afterward, Morales acknowledged he might be finished after 52 brutal fights, including four losses in his last five.

"For the first time in my career, I actually felt the power of an opponent like I've never felt it before," said Morales, who also lost two of three fights in his previous trilogy against Marco Antonio Barrera.

"I was hurt by the power of his punches, and maybe it's time to think about not doing this anymore. I had a great career. Maybe it is time."

Thousands of Filipino fans at the sold-out Thomas and Mack Center chanted Pacquiao's name, worshipping their native megastar of film, music and endorsements — and don't forget boxing, where he belongs among the world's top handful of pound-for-pound fighters.

The 130-pounders split their first two meetings in the previous two years, with Morales winning a unanimous decision and Pacquiao replying with a TKO victory over "El Terrible" last March.

Their rivalry became one of boxing's better trilogies in recent years, with both punch-addicted brawlers dazzling casual fans and building rabid followings in their native lands.

Pacquiao opened the third fight with a blistering series of combinations, and he only slowed down when Morales replied with tenacious jabs. But Pacquiao's momentum was overwhelming, and he had no shortage of ways to hurt his old foe.

"I was faster and bigger than him," Pacquiao said. "I could tell in the second round he was surprised by my right hook."

Pacquiao threw 175 punches in those 9 minutes, landing 54% — including 51 of his 71 power shots in the third round alone. Morales landed just 26% of his punches.

"He was too fast and too strong," said Morales, who sat speechless in his corner for 5 minutes afterward. "I did everything in camp necessary to win this fight. I didn't win it. It wasn't my night."

Though both fighters have only middling profiles in the U.S., each of their three pairings has been an international incident.

Television sets from Manila to Mexico City were tuned in to the pay-per-view telecast of a fight pitting perhaps the Philippines' most famous person against one of the toughest fighters in Mexico's long line of famed brawlers.

Thousands of Filipino fans traveled halfway across the world to Las Vegas for the fight, while thousands more came up from Mexico and Southern California to support Morales. The crowd of 18,276 was the second-biggest in the arena's history — and a measure of the fighters' love in this fight-crazy town, where several closed-circuit broadcasts were opened as well.

Morales won their first bout in March 2005, stunning and bloodying Pacquiao — but Pacquiao battered Morales repeatedly last January, bruising his face and body before dropping him twice in the 10th round for the first TKO loss of Morales' career.

Pacquiao, who gained 15 pounds after making weight Friday at 129, was guaranteed $3 million for the match. Morales will get at least $2.75 million.

Earlier in the evening, Ricardo Torres won the WBO super lightweight title with a sketchy split decision over Philadelphia's Mike Arnaoutis. Mexico's Omar Nino also retained his WBC 108-pound title with a majority draw over former champion Brian Viloria of the Philippines, even though Viloria knocked down Nino twice.

Vanes Martirosyan, a 2004 U.S. Olympian, improved to 11-0 as a rising super welterweight with a fourth-round TKO of Edgar Reyes.

Source: AP

November 14, 2006

A fun-filled day for Anime Fans!
Mood:  celebratory

November 9, 2006

The Grand Finale!
Mood:  energetic

THE GRAND FINALE" SET FOR NOVEMBER 18 at THOMAS & MACK LIVE ON HBO PAY-PER-VIEW

It's official. Three-division world champions MANNY "PACMAN" PACQUIAO and ERIK "EL TERRIBLE" MORALES will get it on for the third time to determine who really is the best man inside the ring. Pacquiao and Morales each own a victory over the other in their two previous fights - both considered "Fight of the Year" candidates -- which have attracted over 700,000 pay-per-view buys combined. The announcement was made today by Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank and Shelly Finkel, Pacquiao's manager. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Wynn Las Vegas, Pacquiao-Morales III will be a 12-round super featherweight bout, taking place Saturday, November 18, from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, and broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

"Erik is very determined and he is anxious to take on Pacquiao for a third time," said Arum. "These two great champions have always given it their all, each and every second in the ring, especially against each other. I expect this third fight to be the most exciting of the trilogy - and that's saying something!"

Finkel put it more simply. "Manny will start training in the U.S. on September 1. He is thrilled to have this rubber match to show he is the better man."

"For drama and excitement, there's nothing quite like the deciding match of a great boxing rivalry", said Mark Taffet, HBO Senior Vice President of Sports Operations & Pay-Per-View. "We have every expectation that Pacquiao-Morales 3 will result in their trilogy being as memorable as Barrera-Morales and Gatti-Ward."

Pacquiao, (42-3-2, 32 KOs), from General Santos City, The Philippines, returns to the ring looking for his third victory of 2006. He won a 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Oscar Larios on July 1 at the sold-out Araneta Coliseum in The Philippines, the same arena that hosted Ali-Frazier III - the "Thrilla in Manila."

On January 21, Pacquiao avenged his previous loss to Morales scoring a dramatic and historic victory dealing "El Terrible" his first-ever knockout loss, stopping him in the 10th round, utilizing his secret weapon -- the savage punch known as "Manila Ice." Pacquiao has gone 16-1-2 in his last 19 bouts with 15 of his victories coming by knockout, including a sensational stoppage of world champion Marco Antonio Barrera. A former WBC flyweight, IBF jr. featherweight and The Ring magazine featherweight champion, Pacquiao is the WBC's and the WBO's No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger for the 130-pound titles and a consensus Top-Three "Pound-for-Pound" fighter. He is trained by Freddie Roach.

"I will beat him in this fight just like I beat him last fight," said Pacquiao. "I am the best super featherweight in the world and I cannot wait to prove it to Erik Morales...again. Morales will fee the strength of the people of The Philippines behind every punch I land on him. This may be the 'Grand Finale' on our trilogy, but it is just the beginning for Manny Pacquiao."

Morales, (48-4, 34 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, is universally recognized as one of the best boxers in the world at any weight, pound-for-pound. He is also one of the most exciting and has fought in several of the most sensational battles of recent years, including his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Pacquiao in their first battle. A former WBC super bantamweight champion, two-time WBC featherweight champion and WBC super featherweight champion, Morales became the second fighter from Mexico to win world titles in three weight divisions - Julio Cesar Chavez was the first. Like Chavez, Erik is also a certain future Hall of Famer.

Morales' Hall of Fame caliber resume boasts victories over Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus 'El Matador' Chavez, Guty Espadas, Paulie Ayala, Injin Chi, Kevin Kelley, Wayne McCullough, Junior Jones, Jose Luis Bueno, Daniel Zaragoza and Hector Acero-Sanchez.

Morales is also a true sportsman as he displayed after his loss to Pacquiao in January.

"I ran into a guy with a lot of ambition who wanted to win very much," said Morales. "He was in great condition and was obviously well-prepared to fight me. It was a very tough, intense fight. I think I had some good moments early, but was getting very tired as the fight was going in the later rounds. I have nothing but respect for Pacquiao, he's a good person and he beat me. You won't hear any excuses from me."

Souce: www.hbo.com

November 1, 2006

Whilce Portacio in Manila!
Mood:  cool
The event was supposed to be held in December 2006, in time for the release of Batman: Confidential, but the time to organize is very limited so it was moved to January 2007. Click the image for future updates!

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