From the category archives:
Pound for Pound King Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO) successfully defended his title with a dominant twelve round decision victory over Joshua “Grandmaster” Clottey (35-4-0, 20 KO) of Accra. The scores were 120-108, 119-109, and 119-109 all in favor of Pacquiao
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On April 3, 2010, WBA Heavyweight champion David Haye (23-1, 21 KO’s) will defend his belt for the first time since winning it from 7-foot Russian Nikolai Valuev last November. The brash Haye will defend it against former two-time WBA Heavyweight champion John Ruiz (48-8-1-1, 30 KO’s) at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.
John Ruiz was in the undercard of the Haye-Valuev fight where he beat journeyman Adnan Serin via knockout in the seventh round. Ruiz came in the fight weighing an uncharacteristically 226 pounds, which was his lightest weight since 2001. He dominated Serin and with the win was declared the mandatory challenger to the winner of the Haye-Valuev match.
Ruiz fought two fights against Valuev and lost both times – at least on the scorecards. In their first fight, Ruiz utilized a stiff left jab to keep Valuev at a distance and followed up with either a right to the body or cross. Valuev wasn’t able to do any serious damage but was awarded with the majority decision.
Valuev and Ruiz fought for the second time eight months later with the Russian winning a unanimous decision. Valuev’s win was convincing and despite Ruiz’s protest, it was the right decision.
Ruiz is a mere 3-3 in his last six fights without a quality win over a tough opponent. His three wins were all against journeymen.
David Haye will be fighting for only the third time as a heavyweight in his bout against Ruiz. He is coming off a boring but convincing victory over Valuev. Haye utilized his speed, accuracy and footwork to keep Valuev off balance.
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The normalities of life have resumed. Europe’s top club competition is back, and with it has come the unforgiving knock-out stages. The reformatted setting which stretches the ties over a two week period have added some spice and anticipation to what is already a gut wrenching affair. If the past is any indicator of the present, one thing is certain; tears will be shed! Whether tears of joy or sorrow, football respects no one. The simple truth is games can be won or lost in the blink of an eye, through pure footballing genius or a mishit shot, legends can be made.
Fortunately for us, luck is not the total determinant of success in the beautiful game. There are a myriad of factors one could list that significantly alter the result of games, but the ball is round as they say. Looking at the individual ties, some naturally stand out. AC Milan versus Manchester United is one which definitely catches the eye. In a replay of the 2007 semi-final, where a tired looking United bowed out with nothing more than a whimper, this time around may be more intriguing. There is reduced emphasis on tactics and balance when this match is viewed, with both teams driven by one individual. The bare truth is the effect Ronaldinho has on his Milan team mates versus the influence Wayne Rooney can exert on the game may just be the tipping point that settles matters. [read more]
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Week 16 NFL Preview
Well, so much for NFL history as the Saints fell to the Cowboys 24-17 in New Orleans. That was unexpected, but then again we probably should always remember the old saying “On any given Sunday, any team can be beat.” The Colts on the other hand continue their perfect season and seem like they will calmly continue to do so.
Chargers at Titans – Two years ago the Chargers met up with the Titans and faced a Fisher team whose attitude has much changed. They’re a nasty team to play, with a nasty attitude. Several injuries and fines came from that game in a Chargers win in overtime. The Chargers expect more of this type of play, some may say is dirty at times, and they won’t be intimidated this time around either. At this point in time the Titans may be tough and have a tough attitude even at 7-7, but the Chargers being the better team should rise above it.
Prediction – Chargers 31 Titans 28
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NFL Week 15 Preview
Now is the time of year that most of the games really don’t mean much except for those few that are the cream of the crop and have risen to the top. Most teams are just trying to either finish with a decent record or see who they need to replace in 2010. The Colts and Saints are just a couple of weeks away from reaching an NFL record and it does not look like they will have any problems obtaining that either because it does not look like there is anyone that can beat them. At least not in the regular season.
Colts at Jaguars - With nothing left to prove the Colts have the number one seed in the playoffs, most consecutive wins and the most wins in a decade, they still plan on playing all of their starters when they go to face the Jaguars. This is not good news for the Jaguars who need to win out to be able to get into the playoffs. And with a defense that has problems with the pass rush, this pretty much spells doom this week for the Jags with Peyton Manning at the helm.
Prediction - Colts 35 Jags 24
Cowboys at Saints - The Saints are still standing with no losses and although the last few games haven’t been that easy for them to win, they still have managed to find ways to win. And that is what good teams do. With the Cowboys coming into New Orleans and struggling in December, as they have done in the past, the likelihood of them beating the undefeated Saints is probably slim to nil.
Prediction - Saints 38 Cowboys 28
Miami at Titans - A little while ago both teams were playing so bad that no one would ever have thought that either team would be trying to get into the playoffs. But this week spells the end of one of these teams hopes of doing just that. The Titans who started 0-6 will have their hands full knowing that they have to not only beat out an entire group of 7-6 teams but also the Steelers and Texans who are both 6-7. If all things go well, all the teams losing where they should, the Titans could have a shot. If Miami can keep Titan’s running back Johnson at bay though, the game could go in Miami’s favor.
Prediction - Miami 33 Titans 30
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Champions League Picks November 25 2009
Group A
FC Girondins de Bordeaux (10 points) against Juventus (8 points)
Bordeaux and Juventus played to a draw last time they met. Iaquinta and Plasil each scored for their respective teams to force the draw.
Juventus failed to prevent the Plasil led offensive attack. Buffon was great for Juventus, stopping an early strike from Fernando.
Bordeaux is coming off a momentous win over FC Bayern Munchen while Juventus escaped Maccabi Haifa.
Bodeaux will cement its status a top Group A with a victory over Juventus
Group A
FC Bayern Munchen (4 points) against Maccabi Haifa FC (0 points)
Maccabi finds itself at the bottom of the group standings while Munchen is looking to fight its way to the top.
Munchen destroyed Maccabi in their first meeting. Muller had two goals and Van Buyten scored one to lead Munchen.
Maccabi played great defense in the first half until Van Buyten smashed his way past the line in the 64th minute. Maccabi completely lost focus and concentration on the defensive end late in the game.
Munchen is fresh off a loss against Bordeaux while Maccabi is still searching for its first win.
Maccabi will continue its losing streak and pick up its fifth straight loss at the hands of Munchen.
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There are just two teams left that are standing at 9-0. Both the Colts and the Saints are undefeated in their own leagues. Although the Saints came close to losing, in an upset against the Rams last week, they still stand at 9-0. Was this a weakness in the Saints armor? Doubtful, they just had their hands full with the likes of Steven Jackson. Jackson may be on a losing team, but he’s up there statistically with the Vikings Adrian Peterson.
Dolphins at Panthers - Both teams are standing at 4-5 and play during a short week playing on Thursday. Both teams just played this last Sunday, and more than likely this will have an effect on both teams, but more so on the Dolphins who are also the visiting team. Both teams have had a good season when it comes to running, but Jake Delhomme has been on fire lately and it will probably come down to how well he plays. This game may have already been decided by the time this is read, but here’s my prediction anyway.
Prediction - Panthers 30 Dolphins 21 [read more]
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Video Highlights:
During Pacquiao’s training camp for his fight with Miguel Cotto he was distracted with movie shoots, song recordings and politicians. But it was all back to business once he stepped into the ring against Miguel Angel Cotto.
With his scintillating performance Manny Pacquiao is now arguably the best boxer in the history of the sport. He punished Miguel Cotto and forced referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight in the 12th round of their WBO championship match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday. He is the first man to defeat Cotto without any suspicious circumstances and also the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven weight divisions. [read more]
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UEFA Champions League Picks November 2009
Group H
Arsenal (7 points) vs AZ Alkmaar (2 points)
Arsenal and AZ Alkmaar played to a draw last time these two teams met. Fabregas scored in the first half to put Arsenal ahead but David Mendes de Silva scored in extra time to force a draw.
Arsenal struggled with passes before Fabregas scored the first goal. Van Persie was a constant threat with precise passes and constant movement. AZ wasn’t a dangerous threat to score until extra time. Arsenal’s defense got lazy in the final minutes and allowed de Silva to score.
Arsenal is coming off a destruction of Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 and AZ picked up a 1-0 win over FC Groningen during the weekend.
Arsenal will not let AZ push them to a draw again and will convincingly win this game. [read more]
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