Isports ATBP.

Union Internacional Manila (UIM) and Pachanga marched into the quarterfinals of the 2013 United Football League (UFL) Cup after posting contrasting wins over separate opponents in the Round of 16 knockout stages on Tuesday night at the Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill in Taguig City. UIM relied on Iranian reinforcement Shayan Jafari Dastjerdi’s hat-trick in a 4-1 mauling of all Korean guest team General Trias International while Pachanga Diliman needed a penalty shootout to eke out a 4-3 win over Forza. After a scoreless first half, Dastjerdi opened up UIM’s scoring in the second half with a blistering shot just outside the box in the 55th minute and doubled the score three minutes later. He capped his blistering performance with a long-range free-kick. General Trias’ Myung Soo Song prevented the shutout even after UIM midfielder Muhamed Hassan completed the scoring in three minutes of stoppage time. In the second game, Pachanga Diliman eliminated eighth seed Forza i

Expect a quick ending as Manny Pacquiao plans to take the same approach as what he did against Ricky Hatton when he faces Brandon Rios for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International welterweight title on November 23 at the Venetian Resort in Macau, China. The former WBO welterweight title holder is hoping to bounce back from consecutive setbacks to undefeated American Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 knockouts) and Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, with 40 KOs). Pacquiao (54-5-2, with 38 KOs) was riding on a 15-match winning streak including that second-round KO win over Hatton on May 2, 2009. Rios is aiming to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Mile Alvarado (34-2, with 23 KOs) in March this year. “My game plan for Rios will be similar to the one I had for Ricky Hatton. That fight didn't go long enough for me to unveil everything. Maybe this time I'll be able to show more of that plan—maybe,” said Pacquiao in an interview by World Boxing Ne

The joint Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)-Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Southeast Asian (Sea) Games Task Force has approved the inclusion of the women’s basketball and golf teams, and three wushu athletes in the country’s delegation to the biennial games in Myanmar. The additional 18 players –12 from Discovery Perlas Pilipinas, and three each in women’s golf and wushu—bring the entire Philippine athletes to 202 to the Sea Games, slated from December 1 to 22 in the cities of Naypyidaw, Yangon, and Mandalay. Chef de Mission Jeff Tamayo said PSC Chairman Ricardo Garcia approved the inclusion of the additional 18 athletes after their meeting on Monday. The Task Force initially reserved 12 slots for Perlas Pilipinas but consecutive losses by the women’s cage team in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Championship for Women in Bangkok, Thailand endangered their inclusion in the Sea Games delegation. The Level I promotion is within Perlas Pilipinas’s

The series of natural calamities that hit the Visayas forced Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Ricardo Garcia and Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentebella to postpone the staging of the 2013 Batang Pinoy national finals. Bacolod City was set to host the national finals from November 19 to 23 but Garcia and Puentebella agreed to move the weeklong tournament for athletes 15 years old and below from January 28 to February 1, 2014. “We decided to postpone Batang Pinoy by late January or early February because of the situation not just in the host Bacolod City but also of their nearby provinces. Hindi puwede na ituloy natin ito na ang situwasyon ay lubhang naghihirap pa ang mga kababayan natin,” Garcia said. The PSC initially planned to move the games in December but Garcia turned it down. “It is too close. Marami pa tayong kababayan na hinahanap at posibleng hinuhukay pa at that time.” A 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Bohol, Cebu and several other Central Visayas p

Deposed Filipino champion Ale Cali quickly apologized to his fans after losing the Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) flyweight belt to challenger Louis Smolka in PXC 41 on Saturday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. The 22-year-old Davao-born fighter surrendered his 125-pound title to Smolka by referee stoppage contest (RSC) with one minute and 30 seconds gone in the second round. Cali dropped to a 5-2 won-loss record snapping his five-match winning streak after losing his debut mixed martial arts debut against Salvador Larozza in 2009. Smolka remained undefeated after five bouts. “Sorry sa mga fans at sa mga kababayan ko. Babalik tayo, babawi at babangon ulit,” said Cali, who added that his arms hurt after experiencing several take downs by Smolka. Smolka used his four-inch height advantage to the hilt to keep a safe distance away from Cali, who is known for his punching power after winning four fights by way of technical knockout (TKO). “It’s an unbelieva

The top clubs of the United Football League (UFL) that clinched spots  in the UFL Cup’s Round of 16 are united in saying that anything can  happen in the win-or-go-home stage. The UFL Cup’s Round of 16 stage starts on Tuesday with either Forza  FC or Union Internacional Manila FC (UIM) facing Pachanga at 5 p.m. at  the Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill in Taguig City. Head Coach Ernie Nierras of defending champion Stallion Football  Club, Global FC’s Mark Malcampo, Kaya FC mentor David Perkovic and  Loyola Meralco Sparks goalkeeper Ref Cuaresma all expressed that  it will be a wide-open race for the 2013 UFL Cup. “Every team is preparing and you need to bring you’re A-game. We’re  hoping that none of our players get suspensions or ridiculous cards.  There should be no room for error, one mistake and you’re going home,”  said Nierras. “It will be anybody’s ball game since these are the top  clubs in the UFL.” Nierras guided Stallion to the UFL Cup by beating Global, 2-1, then 

College of Saint Benilde-La Salle Greenhills earned the right of facing five-peat seeking San Beda after escaping with a 76-72 win over San Sebastian in the stepladder semifinals of the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association juniors’ basketball tournament on Saturday at The San Juan Arena. Game One of the juniors’ finals between the Red Cubs and the Greenies is on Monday at 12:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. San Beda, aiming for a 20th overall crown, completed an 18-game sweep to clinch the first finals berth and the thrice-to-beat advantage that goes with it. The Alabang-based squad only needs to win twice to clinch the title while the Greenies need to beat them three straight. The Red Lions defeated the Greenies convincingly in the elimination round (88-59 and 86-71) with an average winning margin of 22 points. Regular season Most Valuable Player Rashleigh Rivero scattered 21 points to lead three other Greenies who scored in double digits. Al

Blackwater Head Coach Leo Isaac sees no problem in the Elite’s Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Developmental League campaign after four of his players decided to try their luck in the PBA Annual Rookie Draft. Big man Justin Chua and shifty guard Robby Celiz, both instrumental in Blackwater's title run in the recent Foundation Cup, along with Joseph Marata and Isaac Holstein were among those drafted during the proceeding on November 3 at the Robinson’s Place in Manila. Chua was picked 10th by San Mig but was later traded to Global Port in exchange for Holstein, the Batang Pier's original choice in the first round. Celiz was tabbed by Talk 'N Text in the second round while Marata was chosen fifth by Petron in the third round. Isaac said the four informed the coaching staff and the management of their intention to turn professional after helping the Elite sweep four-time PBA D-League champions NLEX Road Warriors in the best-of-three finals of the season-ending

Rubilen Amit reclaimed her throne as the queen of billiards, completing a come-from-behind 10-7 decision over Kelly Fisher of Great Britain in an epic race-to-10 finale in the Yalin 2013 Women's World 10-Ball Championship on Monday night at the Resort’s World Manila in Pasay City. Amit beat the 2011 titlist Fisher in a dramatic title match to become the first two-time women's world champion after winning the inaugural event in 2009. Her latest conquest on home soil earned her $21,000. "[Big] pressure playing in front of your home crowd, pero big help din. I feel blessed with all the people cheering around me, kayo ang nagpanalo sa akin,” said the two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Amit. Amit was up 9-7 and was one rack away from the championship but encountered some anxious moments and nearly gave the world number four Fisher the chance to make a comeback. Amit had a dry break in the 17th rack and both pool artists exchanged safeties with the Fil