22
Philippine Showbiz Today
October 22
February
- November
8 - 21,
7, 2017
2019
Bring ‘em all on! - Pacquiao
World Boxing Association
regular welterweight champion
Manny Pacquiao, who had outpo-
inted Adrien Broner to retain his
belt two Saturdays ago, said on
Thursday he’s ready to fight two
more times before year’s end to
complete a three-fight 2019 in
celebration of his 40th year as a
prizefighter.
Asked of his immediate plan
during a thanksgiving party he
hosted for local sports media at
the Shangrila Hotel in Makati, the
Filipino ring great said he prefers
arch-rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. to
be his dancing partner the next
time he climbs the ring.
“But just in case Floyd isn’t
ready yet to unretire as he pro-
mised when we met in Tokyo last
year, I can face anybody in the
top list, including Keith Thurman,
who I learned is willing to do batt-
le with me,” the 40-year-old said.
“A I said two weeks ago after
beating Broner, I’ll fight anybody
na gusting lumaban sa akin,” he
asserted. “Kilala na naman ninyo
ako, hindi ako pumipili ng kala-
ban. Whoever my promoters put
on the table, puwede
“Errol Spence Jr., Mikey Gar-
cia, Shawn Porte Bring them all
on. Basta gusto rin nila pasayahin
ang fans sa magandang laban, la-
ban din tayo, he said. “Dalawang
laban na naman nanapatunayan
natin na kaya pa, so samantalahin
na natin hangggang my speed
and strength are still there.”
“Kahit sino makalaban ko sa
kanila, magandang tuneu for the
Mayweather 2, just in case he’s
ready to fight this year, he added
smiling.
July last year, Pacquao
TKOed Lucas Mathysse in seven
rounds to take a piece of the 147-
pound jewel he lost to Australian
Jeff Horn a year back. He follo-
wed this up with that unanimous
decision triumph over Broner last
January 19 at the MGM Grand.
“It’s a matter of how you train
lang naman yan eh. Walang se-
kreto. And the way I see it, mas
solid ang preparasyon namin ni-
tong huling dalawang laban. My
training team is more solid now
than before. Mas nagkakaintindi-
han na kami,” he said.
Pacquiao was referring to his
coaching team headed by Buboy
Fernandez, conditioning guru
Justin Fortune, Nonloy Neri, Ro-
ger “Haplas” Fernandez and con-
sultant Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao’s three-fight per-
formance in a year happened in
2008, the year he considered his
best year, beating Juan Manuel
Marquez by split decision March
that year to crown himself the
WBC super-featherweight king,
David Diaz, who he TKOed in nine
rounds for the WBC lightweight
diadem.
He ended that year by reti-
ring legendary Oscar DeLa Hoya
in nine in his first fight as a wel-
terweight.
Pacquiao Thanksgiving Dinner w/ Philippine
Sports Media at the Shang Palace,
Makati Shangrila, Philippines
( Photos by Wendell Alinea)
He, too, fought and won thri-
ce in 2003, including a TKO of
Marco Antonio Barrera at the San
Antonio Alamodome on Novem-
ber 15 to clinch he RING fea-
therweight plum.
Pacquiao’s busiest yea was in
1995 when he started his po-ca-
reer, climbing the squared ring 10
times and winning all his assign-
ments.●
SBP eyes sweep of SEAG golds
The Samahang Basketbol
ng Pilipinas is eyeing a sweep of
all four basketball gold medals at
stake in the 30th Southeast Asian
Games in the country in Novem-
ber
SBP Executive Director Son-
ny Barrios said that is the order
coming from the country’s top
basketball officials – to win gold
medals in the men’s and women’s
categories composed of five-on-
five and 3-on-3 competitions, res-
pectively.
“That’s the mandate,” Ba-
rrios said yesterday during the
first Philippine Sportswriters As-
sociation Forum for 2019 at the
Tapa King Restaurant in Farmers
Plaza Cubao.
The challenge right now is
for the women’s team to deliver
since the Filipina belles have yet
to win a breakthrough gold in the
biennial meet unlike their men’s
counterpart which had won all
gold medals except for two since
the country first joined the bien-
nial meet in 1977.
Multi-titled coach Patrick
Aquino will continue to call the
shots for the women’s squad.
“That’s why nai-stress na si
coach Pat kasi alam n’yo naman
mas mabigat ‘yung challenge sa
kanya. ‘Yung sa men’s sabi nga
nila kapag nanalo ng less than 50,
galit pa tayo sa coach,” Barrios
said in the public sports program
presented by San Miguel Corp.,
Tapa King, and the Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corp.
“Kasi masyadong mataas na
‘yung standard natin sa Southeast
Asia. But sa women’s hindi pa
tayo nag-go-gold. We missed it
formed although Philippine Olym-
pic Committee president Ricky
Vargas earlier expressed his desire
to see PBA players reinforce the
squad. Vargas is also the current
chairman of the PBA Board.
“Ngayon pinag-uusapan ng
PBA at SBP is to provide the best,”
said Barrios, stressing the country
can’t leave nothing to chance es-
pecially since we are hosting the
games.
“Pag nag-host ka there is no-
thing as overkill. Gusto natin to
win, and not just win but win big,”
he added. “Pero lahat ‘yun pinag-
aaralan, don’t quote me as if it is
cast in stone.”
The SBP executive said a lot
of basketball events were also
considered to be included in the
SEA Games calendar aside from
the 5x5 and 3x3.
“We did. Ang daming pinag-
a few years back,” added the for- usapan na basketball events. But
mer PBA commissioner. “Now at the end of the day, the SEA Ga-
that were playing here, coach Pat mes Federation Council just sett-
is really preparing (the team).”
led for the four events,” he said.●
The men’s team has yet to be
- Malaya Sports