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PacMan, Margarito confident of winning


BY JUN MEDINA SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT


less than six weeks to their November 13 junior middleweight title showdown at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas.


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Pacquiao, 31, who is currently training in Baguio City, told Manila newsmen that he has figured out how to demolish Margarito, with- out giving details that might reveal his game plan. Pacquiao’s renowned trainer Freddie Roach is predicting a late- round knockout win, but said Pacquiao has to play a “smart” game plan to nullify Margarito’s height and reach advantage. “We can’t afford to stay in front of him [Margarito] or he’ll hit us,” Roach said from the City of Pines, referring to the Mexican-American’s vaunted 1-2 power shots.


Margarito, 32, and a three-time former world welter champion, was


more open as he exuded confidence that he would defeat the reigning Filipino pound-for-pound best fighter of the world. “I feel as if I have the power to knock out Manny Pacquiao,” Margarito told Lem Satterfield of FanHouse.com from his training camp in Oxnard, California. “But if the fight goes to a decision, then it will have to be a decision where I’m the one that threw most of the punches.” The key to victory, Margarito said, is for him to pressure Pacquiao and throw a lot more punches than his quicker foe, insisting that he has “strength and the power” to knock out Pacquiao.


Nadal fulfills hopes with Bangkok semifinal spot


CROWD-PLEASER Rafael Nadal Fri- day easily defeated Mikhail Ku- kushkin of Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semifinals in his debut at the Thailand Open. Nadal, the world No. 1, whose first appearance in Thailand has attracted huge attention, will next face com- patriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a winner over fourth seed Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3. Even a dozen aces could not save the erratic Gulbis from defeat as his opponent fired ten.


Despite his success in 71 min-


utes, Nadal typically insisted he’s not a favorite for his seventh title of the season.


“I’m not the clear favorite, it’s very


difficult to win a tournament. I’m in the semifinal. I came here with the motivation to be in the final. “But I have a difficult match tomor-


row and I must play really well if I want to win. It’s a big challenge. This was a much better performance than in the last round, I’m really happy.” Nadal, winner of the last three Grand Slams and playing for the first time since claiming his first US Open trophy, emerged without problems from his 14th quarterfinal of the sea- son, winning his 61st match of 2010 against a mere seven losses. The 24-year-old Spaniard is on track to finish as No. 1 in the world for 2010, his second time in three seasons.


RP athletes could surpass 2006 Doha medal harvest


GUANGZHOU Asian Games Chief of Mission Joey Romasanta believes that the 249 athletes bound for the 16th Asian Games can surpass the country’s four gold medal harvest in the 2006 Asiad. The Philippines sent a total of 233 athletes in the last Doha Asian Games. Romasanta, also the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) spokes- man, told The Manila Times that the working committee has scrutinized all the records of the athletes and approved only those who have the highest potential to win medals. “I believe on them, the POC has faith on them,” said Romasanta, noting all the names of the athletes were submitted to the Guangzhou


Using Pacquiao’s most recent suc- cessful title defense against Joshua Clottey of Ghana, Margarito ob- served that Clottey threw and landed few punches that he thought bothered the Filipino boxing icon. “Clottey just didn’t follow up. I think, you know, that my key is just going to be to throw and land punches that are critical, but I just have to follow up,” Mar- garito said through his head trainer, Robert Garcia. ”I have to throw four- to five- punches and to keep busy and to throw punches in general. That’s what I learned from the Joshua Clottey fight.”


Margarito made it clear that he


■ (Above) Manny Pacquiao with trainer Freddie Roach, (below) Antonio Margarito takes stick blows to harden his abdomen.


has no problem with the 150-pound catch weight for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middle- weight (154lbs) title, saying he is almost close to that weight with six weeks to go in training camp. “I have no problem making


150. I’m already close to it right now, and that will be no prob- lem at all,” he said.


Margarito expressed satisfaction training under new mentor Garcia, tweaking weaknesses and “mis- takes” in his fighting style.


“I’m very comfortable and very


happy to be here. I’m feeling better than ever right now. Every thing is going perfect. We’re correcting a lot of mistakes that I had been making,” he said.


Although he said he is completely focused on upsetting the heavily favored Pacquiao, Margarito said he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., should he get past PacMan, the only fighter to win seven world titles in as many weight classes from fly- weight to welterweight.


US CHASING LEAD AS WEATHER-HIT RYDER CUP RESUMES


THE United States will seek to seize the early initiative when day two of the weather-disrupted 38th Ryder Cup tees gets under way on Saturday with 10 matches to be decided. A seven-hour rain delay on


Friday meant none of the opening four matches of fourballs could be completed, prompting organizers to later announce a revised playing schedule in the hope of avoiding a Monday finish.


As darkness fell on the Celtic Manor course, the United States


were leading in two of the fourballs to Europe’s one, while one match was all square. The four matches will resume at 8 a.m. local time Saturday (3 p.m. in Manila) before being followed by six foursomes matches later in the day.


The Americans, seeking to win


the event on foreign soil for the first time in since 1993, recovered from a disastrous start to finish on top after earlier trailing in three of four matches before play was suspended.


A poor morning for the Americans was compounded by the embarrassing disclosure that their wet weather gear was leaking. Team officials scrambled to a merchandising stall at the event to buy replacement waterproofs. US skipper Corey Pavin


was delighted by the American fightback.


“I’m pleased and very proud of


the guys for how we came back,” Pavin said.


The star of the show for the Americans was Pavin’s wildcard


Trap shooters not included in Asiad roster


organizer via email and a hard copy via courier on Wednesday. The Philippines would be joining competitions in the following sports: softball (15 delegates), bil- liards and snooker (14), aquatics (13), dancesport (12), bowling (12), men’s basketball (12), taek won do (12), chess (12), soft tennis (10), athletics (8), golf (7), wushu (7), judo (6), boxing (6), cycling (6), wrestling (4), lawn tennis (4), karate (4), equestrian (3), rowing (3), sailing (3), sepak takraw (3), shooting (3), weightlifting (2), triathlon (2), archery (2), canoe- kayak (2), fencing (2), gymnastics (2) and squash (2).


JOSEF T. RAMOS


AFP FOR surpassing not only the South- east Asian (SEA) Games criteria but the last Asian Games gold-medal winning score, the national trap shooting team should be included in the Philippine delegation to the 16th Asiad this November in Guangzhou, China. This, Philippine National Shoot- ing Association (PNSA) President Art Macapagal and team member Jethro Dionisio asserted yesterday even as they expressed surprised why the team, which also includes Eric Ang and youthful Hagen Alex- ander Topacio, was scratched from the official list released by the Phil- ippine Olympic Committee (POC) to the media. “Actually, we are confused and at a loss because we only learned about it in the papers,” Macapagal, half- brother of former President Gloria Arroyo, said in Friday’s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura. “There was no formal commu- nications, in fact, we in the team, learned only about it


lately,” said Dionisio. Macapagal and company showed members of Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines re- sults of the 2010 World Cup held in Beijing in April and Munich in Au- gust where the trio of Dionisio, Ang and Topacio combined for an im- pressive 331 points in team compe- titions, breaking the gold-medal win- ning score in the last Asiad in Doha. The gold-medal winning score in the 15th Asiad was 327 points, or four points short of the Filipino marksmen’s total. The silver-medal and bronze-medal output in Doha were 322 and 316, respectively, which were also inferior to the 331 of the Filipino trio.


The POC had earlier set the SEA Games gold medal as the standard for inclusion in the RP Asiad contingent. “There are only three values that a National Olympic Committee should be guided in treating ath- letes—excellence, discipline and fair play. Our trap shooters, no doubt, have been excelling in in- ternational competitions. They


have discipline. What they need is fair play,” Macapagal, who, how- ever, still expressed optimism that Dionisio, the only man to win the world speed shooting champion- ship three times, and company can still make it, stressed. Athletics president Go Teng Kok, who had the same experience with the POC granted two slots earlier despite winning seven gold med- als in the SEA Games, also, was op- timistic for the trap shooters even- tual inclusion.


“I will help them even to the ex- tent of going to the Olympic Coun- cil of Asia. We owe it to our athletes that they should go if they are quali- fied,“ Go, who succeeded adding six more of his athletes to the delega- tion vowed. Joey Romasanta, POC media group chief and head of the work- ing group that oversaw the selection, said, in a telephone conversation, said the decision was arrived after a series of meeting with Macapagal and other PNSA officials.


EDDIE G. ALINEA Meralco takes on Ginebra in PBA All-Filipino Cup opening Sunday


IT’S height versus speed when the comebacking Meralco Bolts takes on Ginebra Sunday in the opening of the 36th Philippine Basketball As- sociation (PBA) All-Filipino Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. Veterans Asi Taulava and Marlou


Aquino, who are both 6’9”, will spearhead Meralco, while Jay-Jay Helterbrand, Willie Miller and Mark Caguioa are the main sparkplugs for the Ginebra Kings, which officials


hope the fans will come in hordes wearing orange or red in support of their respective team.


An expected lavish opening rites will usher the first day at 4 p.m., which will be followed by the Meralco and Ginebra game at 6 p.m. Although Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio said that he would not be expecting much from the 37-year- old Taulava, who was acquired in a three-team trade during the pre-sea-


son, because the behemoth 2003 Most Valuable Player is under medi- cation because of high fever. “His condition is my concern, but definitely he will play,” said Gregorio, who was selected as Coach of the Year by the PBA Press Corps recently. Besides Taulava and the 38-year-


old Aquino, the youthful coach Gregorio, who is actually the defend- ing champion coach after steering Purefoods to the title last year, will


Aunzo eyes back-to-back win


FERDIE AUNZO tries to become only the sec- ond player to defend a crown on the ICTSI- Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) this year as he goes for back-to-back victory at the ICTSI- Royal Northwoods Championships beginning October 6 in San Rafael, Bulacan. Aunzo foiled veteran Rey Pagunsan’s final- round charge to snatch a one-stroke victory at Royal Northwoods Golf and Country Club last year and record his maiden victory on the 54-hole professional circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. But the former national champion failed to score another win in the current season although he turned in a couple of joint run- ner-up finishes, including at ICTSI-Apo where Juvic Pagunsan ruled for the second straight year.


Pagunsan, along with the tour’s other top


guns, including Angelo Que and Artemio Murakami are doubtful starters because of previous commitments abroad. But the field remains as tough as ever, ensuring another closely-fought battle for the top P200,000 purse in the 11th leg of the PGT, sponsored by International Container Termi- nal Services Inc.


“It will be tough [to defend my title] since the field remains strong but I’ll give it my best shot,” said Aunzo. “It’s been a while since I last won.” From Northwoods, the tour goes to Valley Golf Club in Antipolo for the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge on November 10 to 12 before the circuit winds up at Canlubang on December 8 to 10 for the Tour Championship.


also rely on veterans Mark Cardona, Nelbert Omolon, Gabby Espinas, Dennis Daa, Beau Belga, Yuosif Aljamal and John Paul Escobal. Coach Jong Uihichico of Ginebra, on the other hand, will lean on Billy Mamaril, Rico Villanueva, JC Intal, Yancy de Ocampo, Mike Cortez, Willy Wilson, Eric Menk, Ronald Tubid and Rudy Hatfield. For his part, new commissioner Chito Salud hopes for another ban-


ner year for Asia’s first professional league, saying the return of the three-conference format and the implementation of the new no- harm, no-foul rules will make the games more exciting. “We want to give the bests for the


fans, whose continued patronage made the PBA what it is today,” said Salud, who replaced Renauld “Sonny” Barrios at the helm of the league. FRANK CALAPRE


RP chessers hope to make it to ‘Top 20’ finish


GRANDMASTER (GM) Wesley So outplayed GM Diego Flores as the Philippines fought to a 2-2 draw with Argentina. But Argentina bounced back after GM Fernando Peralta beat GM Eugene Torre by time forfeit in 40 moves of the Double Queen’s Pawn opening. The Filipino contingent is still hopeful of making it to the Top 20 finish in the 39th World Chess Olympiad. The two other matches—GM John Paul Gomez against GM Ruben and International Master Richard Bitoon against GM Pablo Lafuente—also ended in draws. Gomez salvaged a draw with the higher-


rated Felgaer (ELO 2597) in 57 moves of the French defense while Bitoon split the point with Lafuente (ELO 2565) in 64 moves of the


English in almost identical position. The draw was enough to put the 37th- seeded Filipinos in a tie for 31st to 44th places with 12 points on five wins, two draws and three losses. Overall, the Philippines is six points behind solo leader Ukraine and five points behind top seed Russia-1 going into the 11th and final round Sunday.


National Chess Federation of the Philippines President Prospero Pichay said he is confident the Philippine contingent would surpass their earlier finish in the Dresden Olympiad.


“I like our chances with still one round left.


It’s all up to our players now” said Pichay. The team returns to the country tomorrow. JOSEF T. RAMOS


pick Stewart Cink, who produced some red hot putting to rattle in five birdies as his partnership with Matt Kuchar finished two-up after 12 holes against Northern Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. World No. 1 Tiger Woods and


Steve Stricker were all square with Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher after 10 holes in the third game, while rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton were one up against Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington.


AFP


Squires beat Light Bombers


THE Collegio de San Juan de Letran Squires came up with a strong third quarter blitz to beat the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers, 87-73, Saturday and forged another knockout duel for the last semifinal berth in the junior division of the 86th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournament at the San Juan Gym.


Mark Cruz finished with a game- high 25 points, while Mc Jour Luib settled with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Squires decisive run and kept their hope of advancing into the semifinals alive. Aldrin Serafica likewise added 15


points for the Squires, who will meet the College of St. Benilde Baby Blazers in a winner-take-all match on Monday for the remaining Final-Four slot. The winner between the Squires and the Baby Blazers will then face No. 1 seed and defending juniors titlist San Beda College Red Cubs in the semifinals. The Red Cubs earned the top spot via a 14-2 slate. Other semifinalists are No. 2 San Sebas- tian College Staglets (12-4) and No. 3 University of Perpetual Help Altaletes (10-6). Meanwhile, San Beda’s ace shooter


Garvo Lanete was chosen as the NCAA Press Corps ACCEL/Filoil Player of the Week after scoring 23 points in the Red Lions 90-82 victory over San Sebastian Stags on Monday. The win by the Red Lions enabled


them to end the elimination round with a historic 16-game sweep, their first since joining the league in 1929 and the league’s only second after San Sebastian did it in 1997 during the time of Eugene Quilban. Lanete was one of only few


players, who gained the awards supported by Gatorade and Terrilicious Meat Products, thrice in the 86th edition of the league. “He [Lanete] is really a clutch


shooter. He made some big shots again for us and he’s starting to make a habit of it,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who is also team manager of the Guangzhou Asian Games-bound Smart Gilas-RP national team.


FRANK CALAPRE


ASHINGTON, D.C.: Exuding supreme confidence, protagonists Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Antonio “Tijuana Tornado” Margarito are predicting victory with


Oc tober 3, 2010


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