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Top Rank big boss Bob Arum admitted that he will have a hard time trying to sell Guillermo Rigondeaux's next fight, probably a mandatory title defense against any challenger who wants to test the Cuban champion's defensive style. Rigondeaux outboxed and outsmarted Nonito Donaire Jr. where he made the Filipino Flash look bad by dancing, ducking and spinning his way around the ring to score a unanimous decision victory and unify the 122-pound belts during their 12-round bout Saturday night at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Rigondeaux (12-0 with eight knockouts) is an accomplished amateur fighter after winning eight gold medals spread out in two Olympic Games, two World Amateur Championships, two Boxing World Cups, Pan American Games, and the Central American and Caribbean Games. He added Donaire's World Boxing Organization and The Ring super-bantamweight crowns to the World Boxing Association title he previously won over American Rico Ramos last yea...

Juvic Pagunsan was among the big-name stars that were clearly missing after one round of the US$300,000-rich Solaire Open at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s east course. Pagunsan did not get injured or even missed the cut at 65, instead, the 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner had to rush beside his wife Len, who is due to give birth to their second child. The 34-year-old veteran golfer called Asian Tour organizers, particularly tournament director Fritz Katzengruber, early Thursday morning (5:15 a.m. to be exact) informing them that he is pulling out. He decided to play even though he knew that any moment his wife is about to give birth. He was scheduled to tee off at 6:45 a.m. Too bad, since Pagunsan was just six shots behind, after shooting an even-par 72, opening-round leader Dodge Kemmer’s sizzling six-under-par 66. Still, Pagunsan welcomed the new Asian Tour event. “We are all happy with this new event on the Asian Tour and in the Philippines. This new t...

Angelo Que hopes to take advantage of his knowledge of Wack Wack Golf and Country Club's par-72 layout in the inaugural US$300,000 Solaire Open, which will be held this weekend at the East and West courses. The 34-year-old Que, whose last Asian Tour win was in the 2010 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in Malaysia, ruled the 2008 Philippine Open also held at Wack Wack. He's been aching to celebrate again after a three-year title drought and missing the cut of an Asian Tour event for the first time, the Chiangmai Golf Classic, in four events this year. And Que believes that his new equipment, and a bit of luck, would help him win again in the Asian Tour after placing fourth in the season-opening Zaykabay Myanmar Open in February. "So far I'm getting there with my new equipment. It is still early in the year. Every time you change equipment, you need time to adapt. I think I need a lot of luck to get my fourth win. I think anybody that wins needs it. You also ...

Guillermo Rigondeaux vowed to silence Nonito Donaire Jr. and snatch the Filipino-American’s World Boxing Organization super-bantamweight crown to unify the 122-pound belts. Rigondeaux (11-0 with eight knockouts), who holds the World Boxing Association version of the super-bantamweight title, will face Donaire (31-1 with 20 knockouts) on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba said he has been annoyed by Donaire’s statements in an interview with ESPN. Donaire has said that boxers like Fernando Montiel and Abner Mares are better opponents than Rigondeaux. “I’m going to shut that stubborn Filipino’s mouth and I will unify the titles,” vowed Rigondeaux. Donaire said the Cuban champion is an experienced amateur but “he doesn’t have enough knowledge in the professional ranks.” Rigondeaux also told ESPN that Donaire has been underestimating him. “This fight is a golden opportunity for my career. I’ll be...

Brian Viloria apologized to his fans, particularly to his Filipino supporters, for failing to defend the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight belts against a younger Juan Francisco Estrada on Saturday in the Venetian Resort’s Cotai Arena in Macau, China. But Viloria, who lost both of his 112-pound titles via split decision to his Mexican challenger, vowed to bounce back again similar to what he did when he suffered a 12th-round technical knockout (TKO) to Colombian Carlos Tamara on January 23, 2010, that cost him the International Boxing Federation light-flyweight title. "To my Filipino fans, I apologize for letting you down. But I promise you, I will come back from this setback, and make you proud once again," said Viloria, who suffered his fourth loss against 32 wins with 19 coming by TKO. "Like always, I will bounce back from this." The loss also ended Viloria’s six-match winning streak, the last one an impressive 10t...

Filipino-American Treat Conrad Huey and new doubles partner Francis Casey Alcantara gave the Philippines a 2-1 lead over Thailand in their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II second-round tie on Saturday at the Plantation Bay Resort & Spa in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Huey and Alcantara survived a third-set tiebreak in squeezing out a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over the Thai pair of Pruchya Isarow and Nuttanon Kadchapanan in the doubles. Alcantara is a known doubles specialist after winning the 2009 Australian Open boys’ junior doubles crown with teammate Cheng-Peng Hsieh of Chinese Taipei. The Philippines can wrap up the Group II tie with a win by either Ruben Gonzales or Johnny Arcilla in the reverse singles, which is being played at press time. Gonzales takes on 207th-ranked singles player Danai Udomchoke while Arcilla battles Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul. The Philippines opened with a 1-0 lead after Gonzales won the opening singles match against Trongcharoenchaikul, 6-7 (6...

Chris Banchero is turning out to be San Miguel Beer’s number one offensive option. The 6-foot-1 Filipino-American guard had his fourth 19-point game to power the Beermen to a 78-57 rout of the Singapore Slingers on Saturday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. It was also an emotional win for the Beermen as they dedicated their seventh straight victory to former coach Bobby Parks, who died last week after a long battle with lung cancer. San Miguel improved to 10-3 and stayed one game behind defending champion Indonesia Warriors’ 11-3 slate. Singapore dropped to 5-10 at fifth place. Banchero has been averaging 19 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 46 percent from the floor in all of San Miguel’s seven wins. The reigning league's most valuable player Leo Avenido provided scoring support with 16 points and seven rebounds while import Justin Williams added 14 markers, seven boards and blocked three shots. Rashad Jones-Jennings had a doub...

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) board is planning to release an updated and official rule book to guide the league and avoid controversial issues like the new residency rule for high school students. Henry Atayde, De La Salle University’s UAAP board representative, said the league plans to come out with the rule book before the end of the summer. The board plans to start fresh on the 76th season, which will be hosted by Adamson University. "The UAAP has a rule book but it is a bit lose and unofficial. That’s why we will have a summer workshop involving all schools handling the 16 sports, where we plan to gather all rules and agree on what to follow. We will let all members sign the approved rules to make it official," said Atayde. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the oldest collegiate league in the country, has rules and bylaws given to all member schools. "I could not comment on that since both leagues are different. La...

Brian Viloria knows he is not getting any younger and, at 32, he wants to grasp every opportunity but at the same time avoid damaging his body. Viloria (32-3 with 19 knockouts), who will be defending his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization flyweight belts against Juan Francisco Estrada (22-2 with 18 knockouts) on Saturday in Cotai Arena in Macau, said he is still learning a lot of new things and has enough gas left inside his tank. “There’s a lot of times where I only fought maybe once or twice in a year, so I feel like I don’t have that much wear and tear on my body yet. So when that time comes [retirement], when I do feel like it’s time to hang ‘em up, I’ll know,” said Viloria in an interview with MaxBoxing.com. Viloria said the pressure has mounted as he defends his titles against the 22-year-old Mexican—even going to the extent of thinking this will be his last fight. “I know how important, how big the target is on my back. I know how everybody is going t...

De La Salle University's pair of Sunshine Baraquiel and Eric Gallardo overcame all adversity they encountered to rule the recently concluded 6th Intercollegiate Golf Championships held at the Sherwood Hills and Eagleridge courses in Trece Martires, Cavite. La Salle defeated a gallant Lyceum of the Philippines University in a sudden-death playoff in the final game at the challenging Faldo course at Eagleridge. The Green Archers and Pirates head into the final game tied at one game each. The Green Archers, who had a successful 75th University Athletic Association of the Philippines season capped by winning the General Championship, won its fifth overall crown in the six-year history of the tournament. The Taft-based golfers last won the title in 2011, their fourth straight crown, but Ateneo ended their reign last year. La Salle nearly lost the crown after Baraquiel locked her car keys with her golf clubs inside while Gallardo, due to the extreme heat, suffered from no...

The Shanghai Sharks, a professional team owned by Yao Ming, will be coming over to play exhibition games against Gilas Pilipinas and a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) selection in May. The Sharks’ visit is part of the Philippines-China Friendship Games organized by China’s General Administrator of Sports and the Philippine Sports Commission. The Chinese will also conduct basketball clinics. The event is expected to raise funds that would benefit national athletes and street children. The Sharks are arriving on May 3 and will conduct a whole-day clinic for street children on May 5 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.               The Sharks then play Gilas Pilipinas on May 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena and the PBA selection the following day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. This marks the second time that Yao, who played for the Houston Rockets and the Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association, would visit the country. He was with the Chinese n...

Brian Viloria has yet to throw a punch against Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada, whom he will face on Saturday, but this early, an undefeated Puerto Rican is emerging as the next Filipino world champion’s opponent. Jonathan Gonzalez is challenging the 32-year-old Viloria, a Filipino-American based in Waipahu, Hawaii, for a title fight later this year. Viloria (32-3 with 19 KOs) is the reigning World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association flyweight champion. He will defend his 112-pound belts against Estrada (22-2 with 18 knockouts) on Saturday at the Venetian Casino and Resort in Macau. Gonzalez (12-0 with 11 KOs) is one of the rising flyweight contenders and believes he is ready to take on Viloria. Gonzalez, however, needs to hurdle an undetermined opponent on May 18 to be able to set a date with Viloria. Peter Rivera, Gonzalez’s promoter from the Puerto Rico-based Best Boxing, told BoxingScene.com that they intend to watch the Viloria-Estrada fight at ring...

Jose Rizal University (JRU) again emerged champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 88 athletics competitions—thanks to the husband-and-wife tandem of national coaches Jojo and Elma Muros-Posadas. JRU swept the field events to claim its third crown in the competitions held at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City. John Mantua teamed up with brothers Mark Harry and Melbert Diones to help the Heavy Bombers compile 854.5 points. They beat the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (786 points) for the title. The Mandaluyong-based school scored 627 and 752 points in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. General Santos City-born Mantua, a Palarong Pambansa gold medalist, ruled the discus throw (40.61 meters) and shot put (13.56 meters). Mark Harry Diones also contributed a gold medal in the high jump with his 1.95 meters effort, while older brother Melbert, who played his final year in the league, ruled the long jump with 14.52 meters and clinched bronze in the ...

An All-Star Weekend, a beach volleyball tournament, and a new broadcast partner are some of the innovations that will spice up the Shakey’s V-League's 10th season. The first conference opens on Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City with defending champion Ateneo taking on former six-time titlist the University of Santo Tomas in the 2 p.m. first game. There will be an hour-long opening ceremony that will usher in the season. Arellano University, one of three new teams in the league, takes on a vastly improved National University at 4 p.m. “It will be an exciting season with all teams deciding to beef up their rosters. Arellano, De La Salle-Dasmariñas and University of San Carlos [USC] are the three new teams while Letran decided to return to the league,” said Sports Vision President Ricky Palou on Tuesday at Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate. Sports Vision Chairman Moying Martelino and Shakey’s Executive Vice President and Chief Op...

Sports Vision officials Ricky Palou (left) and Moying Martelino. The people behind Shakey's V-League don't want to get involved in the Philippine Volleyball Federation's (PVF) ongoing leadership crisis. Sports Vision chairman Moying Martelino, president Ricky Palou of  Ateneo, and Shakey’s executive vice president and chief operating  officer Vic Gregorio are one in saying that they wanted to only bring  the sport closer to the fans. "As much as possible, we don’t want to dip our hands in the ongoing  leadership squabble in the (Philippine Volleyball Federation),” said  Palou. Palou is being eyed by a group, led by suspended PVF secretary-general  Vangie De Jesus to replace embattled president Gener Dungo. "The issue is a matter that needs to be discussed within the  (national sports association),” Martelino added. De Jesus’s group is calling for Dungo to step down as they claimed  that the PVF chief has not implemented a single gra...

Philippine Azkals coach Michael Weiss plans to begin their preparation for the 2014 Asian Football Conference Challenge Cup as early as June this year, hoping to keep the same 23-member lineup in time for the final eight-team tournament in the Maldives. And Weiss is looking at all International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) match dates for friendly games against stronger teams starting on June 4, 8 and 12. The team is set to play an away match in Hong Kong and then return home for two more games, one in Cebu and the other at the Rizal Memorial Football Field against Southeast Asian powerhouse teams Thailand and Vietnam. "We (also hope to) the  Emirates or Syria, one of those Middle East teams and see how far we can go,” said Weiss, who also eyes holding two friendly matches on all Fifa dates from September to November. He said that the Azkals’ management and coaching staff will also work on trying to keep the current 23-member roster and turn them into a ...

College of Saint Benilde (CSB) formally started its hosting duties for the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season when the Taft-based school received the league flag during Tuesday night’s turnover ceremony held at Letran College’s St. Thomas Hall. Incoming NCAA policy board president Bro. Dennis Magbanua, FSC, who will also formally assume the post of CSB president on May 15, received the flag from Fr. Tamerlane Lana, OP, of outgoing Season 88 hosts Letran. Lana said they at Letran now have a sense of relief and gratitude for hosting Season 88 as they have done their best to cope with the expectations of all NCAA fans. "We had the opportunity of bringing the league into the consciousness of more fans. The NCAA is a national student league that contributes to the development of our Filipino youth athletes,” said Lana. Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, the Season 88 Management Committee chairman, said the last year saw many firsts for the league like having ...