Celts beat Heat 88-80 despite 31 from James

BOSTON (AP)—LeBron James(notes) and the Miami Heat were showered with chants of “overrated!” They sure looked that way in their debut as a team formed to win a championship.

The old Big Three of the Boston Celtics, playing under the franchise’s 17 title banners, beat the new Big Three of James, Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) 88-80 on Tuesday night.

The Heat, though, knew it would take time to jell.

“It’s a feel-out process,” James said. “When you have so many options, it’s something I’m not accustomed to, having that many threats out on the court at the same time.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers is convinced the Heat will progress into a title contender.

“They’re going to be great,” he said.

Not yet, though. Wade and Bosh weren’t even all that good on opening night.

Wade was limited to 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting and Bosh added eight points and eight rebounds. The trio combined for 15 of the Heat’s 17 turnovers— eight by James, six by Wade and one by Bosh. And Miami was outscored 16-9 in the first quarter.

“This is one of 82,” said Wade, whose preseason action was limited to the first three minutes because of a strained right hamstring. “Sorry if everyone thought we were going to go 82 and 0. It just ain’t happening.”

James announced his intention to leave Cleveland for Miami, revealing “The Decision” on national television 110 days before the opener.

Tuesday’s decision went to the Celtics behind 20 points from Ray Allen(notes), 19 from Paul Pierce(notes) and 10 points and 10 rebounds from Kevin Garnett(notes). Rajon Rondo(notes) had 17 assists, two more than Miami had as a team.

Shaquille O’Neal(notes), James’ teammate last season and a member with Wade of Miami’s last championship team in 2006, had nine points and seven rebounds for Boston. The Big Shamroq was just another reason for all the excitement surrounding the game.

“I just said to Paul as we were coming in here,” Garnett said after taking his seat at the postgame news conference. “I said, `Are we in the finals already?’ You know, but it did have a lot of hype on it.”

Boston led 45-30 at halftime, but Miami cut that to 63-57 after the third quarter behind James’ 15 points in that period. A layup by James made it 83-80 with 1:10 left in the game. But Boston, which once led by 19, got the last five points on a 3-pointer by Allen and two free throws by Pierce.

James came back to the building where he lost the last game of his Cleveland career in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the second time in three seasons that the Celtics eliminated the Cavaliers. He then became a free agent after seven seasons with the Cavaliers and signed with the Heat, who were beaten by the Celtics in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

Boston’s Big Three won the championship in their first season together, 2007-08, then made it to the seventh game of the NBA finals last season before losing to the Lakers in Los Angeles.

O’Neal said the Celtics weren’t making a statement that predictions of the Heat going to the finals are misguided.

“We just wanted to come out and win our first game,” he said. “We let you all worry about the hoopla and all of that.”

Boston held Miami to nine points in the first quarter, the first time since March 15, 2009, at the Philadelphia 76ers that the Heat scored nine points or fewer in a period. The last time James’ Cavaliers scored nine or fewer points in a quarter was February 2, 2007, when they managed nine in the second against the Chicago Bulls.

Things got so bad for the Heat in the first half that O’Neal, a notoriously poor free throw shooter, made the first two he tried as a Celtic. That boosted the lead to 41-22 with 2:13 left in the second quarter.

“I think everybody was just a little bit anxious and wanting to make it work so much,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Miami then got a brief burst, scoring six straight points to make it 41-28. The last basket in that surge was a dunk by James on a backward pass from Eddie House(notes), whose steal started their 2-on-none break.

That drew cheers from two Heat fans—one wearing a T-shirt with James’ name on the back and the other with a jersey bearing Wade’s name—but a fan wearing a green Celtics T-shirt, yelled, “He’s supposed to do that. That is not impressive.”

It was considering how poorly the Heat shot in the first half against a quick, aggressive Celtics defense.

Miami missed 30 of its 41 shots, a paltry 26.8 percent. Boston went 17 for 38 (44.7 percent).

The Celtics lost Pierce with 4:32 left in the third period when he hit the floor and hurt his back as he was charged with a blocking foul on James, who made two shots and cut the lead to 55-45. Pierce returned with 10:43 left in the game with Boston ahead 64-57.

And he finished the scoring with his two free throws with 22 seconds to go.

“It was a big game. It was a fun game,” Rivers said. “They’re going to be a lot better when we see them again. And, hopefully, we are as well.”

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With Miller sidelined, Heat sign veteran Stackhouse

Once denied a championship by Miami, Jerry Stackhouse is resuming his chase of a title with the Heat.

Stackhouse joined the Heat on Saturday, one day after the NBA championship hopefuls learned that they'll be without injured swingman Mike Miller until possibly January. Stackhouse, who turns 36 next month, averaged 8.5 points in 42 games as a reserve with the Milwaukee Bucks last season.

"This is a very exciting time in my basketball career," said Stackhouse, a two-time All-Star who's now with his sixth NBA club and worked out with the Heat on Saturday, the same day Dwyane Wade returned to full work with the team for the first time since straining his right hamstring on Oct. 5.

"I am ready to compete at the highest level," Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse often said during the summer that he wanted a chance to join LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, believing it would give him the best chance at winning his first NBA title.

Stackhouse was with the Mavericks when Wade carried Miami to the 2006 title in six games.That was the series when Stackhouse became a bit of a villain in Miami, after he leveled Shaquille O'Neal in Game 4 and was forced by the NBA to sit out the next game. Wade jumped in O'Neal's way after the play to keep him from retaliating, but on Saturday, the MVP of those finals welcomed his newest teammate.

"He's a very productive player," Wade said Saturday, about an hour before Stackhouse completed the process of going through physicals and actually signing his deal. "He's a guy who's a matchup problem in the post. Also, he can stretch the floor, shoot the ball very well. It's a good option ... to be able to have the luxury of a guy like that out there that you can add to your team."

So in an offseason replete with huge moves by Miami - keeping Wade and Udonis Haslem, then adding James, Bosh, Miller and others - the Heat used the final weekend before Tuesday's regular-season opener to add one more All-Star name in Stackhouse.

He'll practice in Miami for the first time during what's expected to be a full-contact session on Sunday, then accompany the team to Boston on Monday afternoon.

"He's a proven guy, a proven in this league," James said. "A guy that can score, if he's in the starting lineup or even if he's coming off the bench."

Miami's roster is now at 17, meaning two moves will need to be made before getting down to the league-mandated total of 15.

Miller is recovering from a broken right thumb as well as ligament damage, hurting his shooting hand in a freak accident at practice Wednesday when he got tangled in a teammate's jersey during a post drill. He had surgery Friday, will remain in a cast for four weeks, then in a brace for a few more weeks, and the Heat don't expect him back on the court before January.

"Right now, we're short at that position, obviously, with Mike out," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We have James (Jones) really coming off the bench with size, and really that's it."

Stackhouse started with Philadelphia in 1995, and has also played with Detroit, Washington, Dallas and Milwaukee. He's a career 18.0 point-per-game scorer, though hasn't averaged more than 13.0 points in a season since 2004-05.

Stackhouse joined the Heat on Saturday, one day after the NBA championship hopefuls learned that they'll be without injured swingman Mike Miller until possibly January. Stackhouse, who turns 36 next month, averaged 8.5 points in 42 games as a reserve with the Milwaukee Bucks last season.

"This is a very exciting time in my basketball career," said Stackhouse, a two-time All-Star who's now with his sixth NBA club and worked out with the Heat on Saturday, the same day Dwyane Wade returned to full work with the team for the first time since straining his right hamstring on Oct. 5.

"I am ready to compete at the highest level," Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse often said during the summer that he wanted a chance to join LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, believing it would give him the best chance at winning his first NBA title.

Stackhouse was with the Mavericks when Wade carried Miami to the 2006 title in six games.

That was the series when Stackhouse became a bit of a villain in Miami, after he leveled Shaquille O'Neal in Game 4 and was forced by the NBA to sit out the next game. Wade jumped in O'Neal's way after the play to keep him from retaliating, but on Saturday, the MVP of those finals welcomed his newest teammate.

"He's a very productive player," Wade said Saturday, about an hour before Stackhouse completed the process of going through physicals and actually signing his deal. "He's a guy who's a matchup problem in the post. Also, he can stretch the floor, shoot the ball very well. It's a good option ... to be able to have the luxury of a guy like that out there that you can add to your team."

So in an offseason replete with huge moves by Miami - keeping Wade and Udonis Haslem, then adding James, Bosh, Miller and others - the Heat used the final weekend before Tuesday's regular-season opener to add one more All-Star name in Stackhouse.

He'll practice in Miami for the first time during what's expected to be a full-contact session on Sunday, then accompany the team to Boston on Monday afternoon.

"He's a proven guy, a proven in this league," James said. "A guy that can score, if he's in the starting lineup or even if he's coming off the bench."

Miami's roster is now at 17, meaning two moves will need to be made before getting down to the league-mandated total of 15.

Miller is recovering from a broken right thumb as well as ligament damage, hurting his shooting hand in a freak accident at practice Wednesday when he got tangled in a teammate's jersey during a post drill. He had surgery Friday, will remain in a cast for four weeks, then in a brace for a few more weeks, and the Heat don't expect him back on the court before January.

"Right now, we're short at that position, obviously, with Mike out," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We have James (Jones) really coming off the bench with size, and really that's it."

Stackhouse started with Philadelphia in 1995, and has also played with Detroit, Washington, Dallas and Milwaukee. He's a career 18.0 point-per-game scorer, though hasn't averaged more than 13.0 points in a season since 2004-05.

Margarito will fall like a tall tree – Roach

Mexican Antonio Margarito would definitely “fall like a tall tree” when he receives the rapid solid punches of world’s pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in their scheduled 12-round bout, according to American trainer Freddie Roach.

Roach said Pacquiao (51-3-2 win-loss-draw with 38 knockouts) could finish Margarito so fast in round six rounds. 

“We’ll keep him a little more active and a little more focused,” said Roach, noting that Pacquiao has improved a lot since the first day he started training late September. “Speed, as what I’m telling everyday, is the key to off set Margarito’s height and reach advantage.”

Roach is confident that Pacquiao will devastate Margarito with strong massive punches which he never experienced before. Pacquiao will be training away from everything not related to boxing by closing down his gym to keep the outsiders away.

“I’m closing the gym down from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” he said. 

Personal trainer Buboy Fernandez also said they are doing all their best to increase Pacquiao’s superb stamina and improve his counter-punches that could easily whip Margarito’s ass, when they face on November 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

“We want to increase Manny’s [Pacquiao] stamina and at the same time improve his footworks because we know Margarito always attack and attack,” said Fernandez. 

Pacquiao and Margarito will fight for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight belt. 

Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, in an interview by ABS-CBN over the weekend, said Pac-quiao, the Fighter of the Decade, has three more weeks to improve everything at Roach’s Wild Card gym. 

“He knows when we get to LA [Los Angeles], it’s gonna be a different ball game. There are no excuses there are no outside distractions no appointments,” explained Ariza. “We’re three weeks away and we still have a lot of time.”

Pacquiao, for his part, said: “I’ll do everything to win. I will be training everyday in LA.”

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Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito Face Off

There will be a number of things at issue on Nov. 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium when ex-titlist Antonio Margarito takes the ring for an HBO televised, Top Rank Promotions battle against WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts) will take a 12-fight winning streak into the bout, this, as he pursues an eighth title in as many different weight divisions and the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.

The 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) is looking to erase the stains left on his reputation as the result of a hand-wrapping scandal that has tainted his legacy.

In this HBO video, boxing analyst Max Kellerman, Pacquiao, Margarito and their respective trainers, Freddie Roach, and, Robert Garcia, faceoff to address some of the issues heading into the big fight. 

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Pacquiao-Margarito May End Up Like Judah-Tsyzu

Come November 13^th, seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) will strut his wares against the hard-hitting mauler Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs). Both guys come forward. Both boxers are high-output volume punchers. Aside from the size and reach, the obvious difference is that Pacquiao is an elite speedster while Margarito is a topnotch power puncher. Their upcoming bout is another case of speed versus power, no doubt about it.

And many people are thinking speed will carry Manny through en route to an 8^th title in as many weight classes. And it is quite understandable why. But if you care to look at history, speed winning over power is not always the case.

Nine years ago, a same high profile clash of champions occurred and it ended in a major upset. Speed demon and heavy favorite Zab Judah, then the IBF light welterweight champion, slugged it out with Australia’s heavy bomber and then WBC and WBC light welterweight titlist Kostya Tszyu.

Judah, brash and undefeated, was Tszyu’s superior in speed, skills, ring savvy, and whose power was nearly equal to Tsyzu’s,  at the time. Many predicted a big victory for Judah, but Tsyzu would end the night in a very surprising and emphatic fashion.

Tsyu, a bruiser who relies mostly on his power, was getting bruised up by Judah in the first round. The American exploited Tszyu’s slow reflexes and tagged the Australian almost at will. If anything, the first inning showed that Judah is too fast and too quick for the heavy hitting albeit slow Kostya Tsyzu. The second round was relatively the same as the first. However, something happened that nobody really was bracing for.

TSZYU KNOCKED OUT JUDAH. AT THE DYING SECONDS OF ROUND 2.

Judah was backing down from an attacking Tsyzu when the Australian caught Judah with a huge right cross to the chin, sending Judah to the canvass. The power of the Tszyu’s cross was too strong that a wobbly Judah fell to the mat one more time after trying to beat the referee’s count.

Lucky shot? Maybe. But there is no doubt that power owned speed in that fight.

Fast forward to nine years later. Pacquiao will definitely exhaust his speed advantage against the much slower yet durable and heavy pounding Margarito. Now, this is no prediction that Pacquiao will lose. Both men can lose or win.

And supporters from each side can present a valid argument. There is no doubt that Pacquiao-Margarito will be a war of speed against power. A classic matchup that will definitely hook in fight fans all over the world.

Will Pacquiao’s speed fully capitalize on Margarito’s slowness? Will Margarito heavy shots find their target? The answers will surface come fight night. But as the lessons of Judah-Tszyu taught us boxing fans, better brace yourself for a different result.

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Margarito Guarantees Knock Out Victory Over Manny Pacquiao

On November 13 former world champion Antonio Margarito will fight for the WBC Super Welterweight title against one of boxing’s fiercest warriors and heavily favored multi-division champion, Manny Pacquiao live from Cowboy’s Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Pacquiao is looking to dispatch Margarito and win a record eight championships in as many weight divisions while Margarito has an eye on derailing the Pacquiao Express by late stoppage, thus becoming only the third man in Pacquiao’s career to do so.

“ Pacquiao won’t stand up to my punches,” said Margarito, “he’s been shook by smaller fighters than me and he will find out the hard way that his punches won’t hurt me.”

With an overwhelming majority of people having already discounted Margarito’s chances of winning much less stopping Pacquiao this fight, one would think there’s no reason to pay the asking price for this HBO PPV event.

Why tune into a fight that the public has already deemed an automatic victory for the Filipino Bomber?
Robert Garcia, Margarito’s trainer, has an answer.

“I know what I’ve got in Antonio Margarito. He’s a fighter’s fighter. He comes to not just work, but to improve on what he has been learning since training camp has started.”

“Antonio isn’t going to be the same pressure fighter from before; he’s going to be a pressure fighter that applies his will smarter and with more patience and defense.”

After recently speaking with Antonio, I now believe that his goal of not just beating Manny Pacquiao, but stopping Manny is a high probability that may come to fruition.

Margarito is training like a demon possessed, but not overly tense. He is seemingly calm and relaxed, but more importantly unphased by the taunts from the naysayers, including Pacquiao’s famed coach, Freddie Roach.

“I know that everyone’s saying that I’m going to lose and get knocked out and that I’m no match for him (Pacquiao),” Margarito continued, “I heard that Roach even said I was going to be just like a punching bag and that Manny would stop me early.”

“I think that’s fine to let people say what they want, but they have to remember that there’s only two of us getting into that ring and fighting for that title.”

“Manny’s not going to have everyone’s help in there (ring); he’s going to fight me and me only. He won’t have anywhere to go once I start to apply the pressure and throw my punches at him. I will knock out him out because of this.”

“And as far as what Roach says….I don’t have much to say about him except for thinking that he needs to keep his f**king mouth shut and that because he talks too much that his fighter’s going to pay the price by getting a serious beating by me. His career is over; he needs to be a trainer instead of talking too much. I’m going to shut his f**king mouth by stopping Manny in eleven rounds.”

Garcia and Margarito both believe that Manny has had trouble with fighters that pressure him and believe that the uppercut is a major key to Margarito’s victory.

Said Garcia, “we’re not going to just get in there and throw punches in volume; we’re going to set it up with jabs, angles, and then go in for the attack.”

Margarito added, “ I’ve seen other guys hit him and give him pressure, but then they don’t continue their attack. I am going to go nonstop if I see or think he’s hurt and I’m not going to stop until he’s on the floor.”

“The way he (Pacquiao) fights, he is open to uppercuts. He’s going to be eating mine and when he does, he won’t want to come inside.”

Garcia and Margarito are so confident in their victory over Manny Pacquiao that Antonio told me that he agreed to let Pacquiao come in under the initially approved weight of 149-150 pounds.

Margarito stated, “he wanted to come in lighter than what was agreed on and so I said, ‘OK’, because it’s not going to matter in the end when I’m weighing in and with the game plan I have . I think he’s going to weigh probably around 145, 146(lbs.) I know what he’s doing, but it’s not going to work.”
If you think that Margarito is fighting for redemption, you’re wrong.

According to Antonio, he doesn’t feel any added pressure to dispel the stain of being caught with his hands illegally wrapped prior to his bout with Shane Mosley in January ’09 which led to a lengthy suspension that he was forced to serve.

“I don’t feel like I have to prove anything extra to everyone because of my suspension. I know that I’m a great fighter and a good boxer. People will see that again when I beat Manny Pacquiao. My fans have been behind me through all of this and this victory will be for them.”

Though Antonio says he feels no pressure in wooing the audience, he is a tad concerned about the judges.

“I know that Jerry Jones, Bob Arum, HBO, and everyone else wants Pacquiao to win. They have their ideas on future plans so I do feel that going to the scorecards is not good for me. I can’t chance a bad decision so I’m making it my job to knock him out before there’s any chance of a controversy happening.”

So as the media frenzy continues to descend on Team Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Robert Garcia, quietly go about their business of honing Antonio’s skills and biding their time until November 13 when they plan to deliver a Texas sized upset to Top Rank and Jerry Jones and win the WBC Super Welterweight title and effectively end Manny Pacquiao’s status as the “Mexican Assassin.” 

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Why Antonio Margarito will Stop Manny Pacquiao in 10 Rounds

Antonio Margarito is just too big and too strong for Manny Pacquiao. Prime example, Sugar Shane Mosley vs Vernon Forest. Shane had all the speed and finese, but Vernon's range and height was just too much for him. Same thing is going to happen to Manny Pacquiao. We are not trying to take away any credit from Manny but we must be honest here.

Let's take a look at the stats first of all. Antonio Margarito is 5'11 Age 32 Reach 73 Record 38-6, 27KO's. On the opposite side of the ring we have Manny Pacquiao 5'6 Age 31 Reach 67 Record 51-3-2, 38KO's. Keep in mind that Pacquiao is moving up in weight to chase his 8th World Title and it will be no easy task. Come fight night Manny will be mostly 152lbs and Antonio will most likely be 160lbs. Big height advantage, reach advantage and power advantage all goes to Antonio Margarito. The only thing Manny has going for him is speed. The problem is how will he be able to land shots on a taller fighter that likes to fire back.

Freddie Roach is a skillful trainer and what he tells Manny during the fight must be dead on point in order for him to win. Any deviation and it could be a short night for Manny. Manny admitted himself that Cotto packs some power and he was hurt a few times but weathered the storm. Antonio hits hard even without loaded gloves. Antonio has great conditioning just like Manny has. Pacquiao has to fight him inside to win. There is no way he can stay on the outside even with his great footwork. If Antonio starts landing those punches with long range, it will not be a good night for Manny. Antonio has a pretty decent chin as well. His only stoppage was from Sugar Shane and anybody would have went down the way Shane was fighting that night. This is the worst match up of all time.

The loss for Manny would be devestating for any possible Floyd Mayweather match. Then again Floyd has a bigger fight once his case goes to court. More than likely there will be settlement. Then again, there is a chance that Uncle Roger might not be there depending on where his case heads. If there is going to be any knockout during their fight it will be Antonio Margarito putting Manny Pacquiao down which is something that hasn't happen for a long time. Stay tuned for Nov 13, 2010 as many of you will see the upset of your life.

Prediction: Antonio Margarito by 10th Round KO.

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Question for Miami Heat: Who gets the ball?

SAN ANTONIO — If a choice is to be made, a player anointed, a hierarchy established, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra coach gives no indication of which direction he leans.

LeBron James? Dwyane Wade? One of them must have the ball in his hands at the end of a close game. One of them must be the guy everybody else plays through. One of them must be the man.

Those were issues raised by inquiring minds when James, a one-man band in Cleveland, bolted for Miami to form a supergroup with Wade and Chris Bosh.

Three preseason games don't reveal much. Wade left with a strained right hamstring three minutes into the first game. He has yet to return.

Spoelstra said no choice is necessary.

"Whoever's open," Spoelstra said before the Heat's 90-73 loss to the Spurs, in a preseason game Saturday night.

Spoelstra goes further, pointing out that in his continuity offense — which includes elements of the triangle used by Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers — the ball moves continually from side to side. "Everybody's involved," Spoelstra said.

He's right — to a point. Jackson used the triangle in Chicago, encouraging Michael Jordan to share the ball. The same with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Even so, Jordan would take control when necessary, or when we wanted to. Bryant does that now.

James and Wade will likely face such decisions in Miami. Won't somebody have to take command?

Wade did not speak to media after the game Saturday.

As for James, he recently said, "I can't defer. I'm always in attack mode."

Spoelstra's offense is new to James.

"I was the No. 1 and 2 option at times in Cleveland," said James, who scored 12 points in 12 minutes Saturday. "Here, if it's late in the game, we have sets where we can get it to us in our sweet spots. We both know we can go get it if we need it.

"I think people get caught up in saying who's gonna take the last shot, or who's gonna make the last shot. It's about who's gonna make the right play."

That was often James' approach in Cleveland. Though James said deference is not natural to him, he is given to passing the ball. He's one of the best.

In Cleveland, he was occasionally criticized for passing to teammates, who then missed shots in critical situations.

"Sometimes we lost the game," James said. "Sometimes we won the game. But I always tried to make the right play. No one said anything when I made the same play and we made the game-winning three."

James has received a new round of criticism since he opted for a dog-and-pony show on ESPN to announce that he was taking his talents to South Beach. His Q score, a national popularity rating , has dropped dramatically since January.

On the other hand, James and the Heat will not be ignored. Their first preseason game received the highest ratings on Sun Sports in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market since the Heat's playoff game against New York in 1998.

And NBA general managers, in a survey, predicted that the Heat would appear on TV well into June, when they will lose to the Lakers in the finals.

Some will regard James as a failure if he does not produce multiple NBA championships after hooking up with Wade and Bosh. Heat president Pat Riley has given them a chance to succeed, surrounding his stars with complementary players who can help.

Rugged forward Udonis Haslem took less money to stay in Miami than he could have received elsewhere. Newcomer Mike Miller can fill the basket. The 7-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas followed James from Cleveland. Veterans Juwan Howard and Eddie House signed on as well.

"I think Pat and the coaching staff did an unbelievable job assembling this team," James said.

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Peñalosa stops Kietmangmee in 4 in Last Hurrah

Former two division world champion Gerry Peñalosa scored a 4th round TKO win over Yodsaenkeng Kietmangmee of Thailand in a fight held at the Zamboanga City Coliseum. Peñalosa informed this writer through text of the fight result. Peñalosa had stated earlier that this will be the last fight of his 21 year career.

Proceeds of this bout, which consists mainly of the TV rights given to Gerry, will be given to Z “The Dream” Gorres to help him with his continuing medical expenses. Gorres has undergone two operations on his upper airway since he was sidelined by a career-ending brain injury when he fought Colombian Luis Melendez in Las Vegas in November 2009.

Peñalosa leaves the ring with a record of 55 wins, 37 by KO with 8 losses and two draws. He will always have a special place in the hearts of Filipino boxing fans.

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Price of knocking Manny Pacquiao down just went up 100 percent

"I raised the stakes, the ante a little," Koncz just told me by phone from Baguio, where it was late Saturday night.


"I pushed Freddie's bounty up to $2,000, so let's see if any of these guys can collect."

This is said to be the second training camp in which Coach Roach has offered the bonus money but so far no one has cashed in.

In camp with Manny noware Michael Medina, Glen Tapia, Vanes Martirosyan and world champ also trained by Roach, Amir Khan. (Actually, Glendale, Calif., based Martirosyan, who fights Pawel Wolak Dec, 4, is said to be in the air.)

Martirosyan, who is trained by the ubiquitous Roach and is angling for a big bout, proclaimed himself most likely to grab the bonus money.


"I respect Manny a lot and I have learned a lot from him. He is a great fighter but I feel I am up to the challenge," Martirosyan continued.  "That is why I always say I want to fight the best. I want to prove how good I am. It doesn't get much better than sparring with Manny Pacquiao. I hope some of these other champions man up and accept my challenge," Martirosyan told Boxingscene.

There continues to be skepticisim as to whether Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is flying to the Philippines to join the happy campers.
Koncz said that Baguio Media Day remains set for Monday, Oct. 18 and that Bob Arum, winding up a humanitarian visit with a group from his Las Vegas temple in Cuba, will be in attendance.

Right now, though, Arum is playing Our Man In Havana.

The Canadian agent also said will leave the mountain air of Baguio Oct. 22 and shoot down to Manila where he may train just one day before flying to Los Angeles. Baguio is a five hour drive from Manila.

Pacquiao will wrap up his training at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and then just taper off when they get to Arlington, Texas, for the Nov. 13 Cowboys Stadium bout against Antonio Margarito.

Koncz also reported that Pacman's previously sore left foot is fine and that a sinus headache/cold has subsided.

"It's been a solid camp so far," Koncz said. "Trust me, Manny is not taking Margarito lightly, not at all. Manny is very focused, as focused as I've ever seen him."

Unlike their previous camp in Baguio, before the Miguel Cotto bout, Koncz and conditioning guru Alex Ariza have not engaged in any "unofficial sparring" of their own.

No one gets any bonus for knocking Mr. Koncz down, especially if he is wearing his Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens goalie's mask which is made of reinforced vulcanized rubber mixed with bulletproof Kevlar.

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