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Drug gangs war shakes French city
A bloody rivalry between two drug gangs in Marseille on France’s Mediterranean coast has claimed the lives of dozens of people this year, targeted in brazen attacks sometimes carried out by teenagers, according to police. The two gangs, “Yoda” and “DZ Mafia” are vying for control of the drug market in the notorious northern neighborhoods of France’s second biggest city. Since the start of the year, 36 people have died in the gang war, according to an Agence France-Presse count, already five more than in all of 2022. “It’s a bloodbath,” the city’s state prosecutor Dominique Laurens said back in April. Since then, there has been another surge in murders, with 12 people killed over the past month alone. The latest target was a 30-year-old man gunned down with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in northern Marseille Tuesday night. “This is nothing less than a new round in the fight between Yoda and DZ Mafia,” police prefect Frederique Camilleri told reporters Wednesday. The two gangs were behind 80 percent of the total of 68 gang-related killings or attempted killings in Marseille this year, she added. Some of the victims and perpetrators are teenagers, like a 17-year-old beaten to death by 30 attackers in the Marseille high-rise project known as La Paternelle. The killing was live-streamed on Snapchat, a messaging app. Camilleri said while murders linked to the drug trade used to be about the expansion of territory — such as the takeover of a dealing spot — they were now mostly about striking terror in their rivals. WITH AFP The post Drug gangs war shakes French city appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cambodian PM quits,Thai ex-premier returning
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Wednesday he is stepping down as the former leader in neighboring Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, ends his 15-year self-exile and will be back in his country on 10 August. Hun Sen, the 70-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre who has ruled Cambodia since 1985, is paving way for a dynastic succession by handing power to his eldest son, 45-year-old four-star general Hun Manet. “I would like to ask for understanding from the people as I announce that I will not continue as prime minister,” Hun Sen said in a special broadcast on state television. The prime minister’s announcement followed his Cambodian People’s Party’s landslide victory in Sunday’s election that was nearly bereft of challengers with opposition candidates disqualified. The victory virtually assures the CPP of all but five lower house seats. While 84.6 percent of voters turned out in the polls, Western powers including the United States and European Union condemned the poll as neither free nor fair. Meanwhile, 74-year-old billionaire Thaksin is expected to inflame an already tense political situation on his return announced by his daughter Wednesday. “Dad is coming back on Aug 10 at Don Meung airport,” his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra wrote on her official Facebook page on Wednesday — Thaksin’s birthday. The military, which ousted Thaksin from power in 2006, was badly beaten in the May elections and its senators is blocking the elections of a reformist prime minister in parliament. Paetongtarn was a candidate to become prime minister for the Pheu Thai party, which came second in the election and is now trying to form a government after Move Forward Party’s Pita Limjaroenrat was suspended. Days before the May election, Thaksin said on social media that he would return to Thailand “before my birthday” because he was getting old and wanted to spend time with his grandchildren. Thaksin was convicted in absentia on corruption charges in 2008 — and has since faced numerous other cases — but said in May he was ready to face the courts. Parties linked to Thaksin have dominated Thai politics since 2001, but lost two prime ministers to military coups and another to a court ruling. WITH AFP The post Cambodian PM quits,Thai ex-premier returning appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cattle rustlers & chicken thieves
Iremember back in the 60’s and 70’s, there were a number of cattle rustling incidents all over Luzon and the unspoken law among cattle or carabao owners was if they caught you, chances are you got lynched, shot or beaten to death......»»
‘Love The Philippines’ campaign now in marketing limbo—Sen. Binay
Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday said the campaign for the country’s new tourism slogan is now in “marketing limbo” Binay added that the Department of Tourism should “accept” that the enhancement of the Philippine tourism branding is going through uncertainties following the video mess by its contracted advertising agency. The DoT said an “exhaustive” investigation on the non-originality of footage by its contracted agency, the DDB Philippines is ongoing. The probe was followed by the DoT’s termination of the contract with the ad agency for more promotional tourism videos. "We appreciate the actions taken by the DoT against the ad agency. But the big question right now is whether or not to continue with the 'Love' campaign,” Binay said. The senator lamented the use of non-original footage in the video has put the tourism industry into trouble and become a “laughing stock” with people creating memes and lampoons—poking fun at the "Love the Philippines" slogan. "We need to accept that it really happens—marketing campaigns fail. In DoT's case, it's best to move forward from failure and save the brand at all costs,” Binay said. “We cannot afford to put to waste everything that we built for Philippine tourism. Let's do the right thing to protect the integrity of the brand,” she added. Binay underscored that tourism should be taken as a “sensitive market.” “Political unrest, negative media and people's perceptions influence travelers' decisions…It is not wise for the DoT and the people behind the marketing campaign to insist on continuing with "Love the Philippines" given the negative impact brought by the video fiasco,” she further stressed. She said the people are now awaiting the “iteration of spoof” as DoT pursues the replacement of the tourism campaign. “The recommendation is to revert to the tried-and-tested campaign, and from there, create a tactical marketing plan to prevent a window for sabotage," Binay said. The goals set by the DoT have already been tilted and shifted, she added, noting that the entire plan “may look good on paper, but the campaign was beaten and battered in the real world.” "The DOT's enhanced campaign has lost the persuasion game. We all can sense the discombobulating algorithms with promotion-limiting consequences,” Binay said. “The campaign has lost its redeeming value and has become unsalvageable—I hope the DOT is level-headed enough to accept this. We expect them to be agile and move forward from failure because we don't want the slogan to become a national embarrassment and look like losers," she maintained. Binay urged the DoT to stop forcing its rebranding saying: “Love was not meant to be. Let us all move on and just bring back the 'Fun' to the Philippines,” referring to the success of the previous tourism campaign. The post ‘Love The Philippines’ campaign now in marketing limbo—Sen. Binay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Russian reporter ‘savagely’ beaten in Chechnya
An award-winning Russian investigative journalist is in hospital after being badly beaten by armed assailants during a trip to Chechnya, her newspaper and a rights group said. The attack happened early on Tuesday as well-known journalist Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov, a lawyer, were traveling from the airport. Her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, published a video of Milashina in hospital with her head shaven and covered in a green-colored dye -- used to target Kremlin critics -- and her hands bandaged. She said the attack, which included having a gun held to her head, was linked to her "professional activity in Chechnya." Milashina has covered rights abuses in Chechnya, the Caucasus republic ruled by former warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, for years. She came to Grozny on Tuesday to attend the sentencing of Zarema Musayeva, whose husband and sons have fallen foul of the Kadyrov regime but did not make it there. "It's a sensitive case," she said, calling Musayeva a "hostage." Musayeva later was handed 5-and-a-half years on fraud charges widely seen as political revenge against her family. Milashina recounted the attack in a video shared by Novaya Gazeta: "They came, they threw out the driver, the taxi driver from the car. They jumped in, pushed our heads down, they tied my hands, put us on our knees with a gun to the head," she said. "They did everything nervously. They didn't manage to tie my hands properly." The Memorial human rights group said the pair were "savagely" beaten. She said she was taken to neighboring Ossetia for safety and the newspaper said she will go back to Moscow once a medical team examines her. Not welcome Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a briefing that President Vladimir Putin had been informed. "We are talking about a very serious attack that requires vigorous measures," Peskov said. Kadyrov, who has been accused of persistent rights abuses in his restive region, said in a statement online he had instructed officials to determine who was behind the attack. "The authorities began to work immediately after the announcement of the incident," the statement read. But his rights ombudsman Mansur Soltayev said Milashina was "not welcome by a large part of the public" in Chechnya. He said this was especially true during Moscow's Ukraine offensive, during which "the Chechen nation supports the efforts of the president of Russia." The media rights group Reporters Without Borders said it was "horrified by the savage attack" on Milashina. And the rights group Amnesty International urged Russia to investigate the "vicious" beating. Milashina's paper Novaya Gazeta, Russia's top independent publication, said she and Nemov were in a hospital in the Chechen capital Grozny. Novaya Gazeta in February last year said that Milashina had to leave Russia temporarily after receiving death threats from the Chechen leadership. The paper, whose chief editor Dmitry Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, has since 2000 seen six journalists and contributors killed, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya. By focusing on rights abuses in Chechnya, Milashina has followed in the footsteps of Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of the Kremlin's policies in Chechnya, who was shot dead in 2006. Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that the incident "should be carefully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice". The post Russian reporter ‘savagely’ beaten in Chechnya appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
French Open winner Djokovic back as world number one
Novak Djokovic, fresh from notching up a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title, moved back to the top of the ATP rankings released Monday, while Rafael Nadal dropped out of the top 100. It was a 388th week as the world's number one for the 36-year-old Djokovic, who jumped two places in the standings after his French Open victory. He beat Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, 20, who had held the number one spot until the French Open, in the semi-final. Russian Daniil Medvedev, who crashed out in the first round of Roland Garros, also dropped a place, while Norway's beaten finalist Casper Ruud stays in fourth, 40 points ahead of Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. Fourteen-time French Open winner Nadal, however, paid the price for his absence through his long-term hip injury, dropping 121 places to 136th in the rankings. ATP rankings as of June 12 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7595 pts (+2) 2. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 7175 (-1) 3. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6100 (-1) 4. Casper Ruud (NOR) 4960 5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4920 6. Holger Rune (DEN) 4375 7. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 4000 8. Taylor Fritz (USA) 3515 9. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 3300 10. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 3125 (+1) 11. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 2850 (-1) 12. Frances Tiafoe (USA) 2835 13. Cameron Norrie (GBR) 2565 14. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 2435 15. Borna Coric (CRO) 2430 (+1) 16. Tommy Paul (USA) 2205 (+1) 17. Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) 2095 (+1) 18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1905 (+1) 19. Pablo Carreño (ESP) 1730 (+2) 20. Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) 1655 (+3) The post French Open winner Djokovic back as world number one appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
French Open pair Kato, Sutjiadi disqualified after ballgirl hit
Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi were disqualified from the French Open on Sunday after a ballgirl was accidentally hit by a gentle-looking Kato backhand. The incident happened when the Japanese player and her Indonesian partner were leading 3-1 in the second set after opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo had claimed the opener. Standing at the net, Kato lobbed a ball in the direction of the ballgirl standing at the opposite end of Court 14 in an apparent effort to help the flow of the match, but it hit the youngster on the back of the head. Kato, 28, immediately apologized to the girl who was crying and shaking. Kato received a warning but the supervisor was then called to the court and the pair, seeded 16 in the tournament, were disqualified from the third-round match after Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo had protested to the umpire. On Saturday, Russia's Mirra Andreeva admitted she had been fortunate not to have been defaulted from her match against Coco Gauff after firing a ball petulantly into the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen. "Right after I thought that it was a really stupid move from me because it was not necessary to do that," admitted a crestfallen Andreeva who was beaten by the American in three sets. "It was really bad what I did. Yes, I had thoughts like this (that she would be defaulted), but he just gave me a warning." Novak Djokovic was famously defaulted from the 2020 US Open after swatting away a ball in frustration which then speared into a lineswoman standing nearby. The post French Open pair Kato, Sutjiadi disqualified after ballgirl hit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Zelensky: Russia will be defeated ‘as Nazism was’
Kyiv, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday vowed that Russian forces would be defeated in Ukraine like Nazi Germany was beaten in World War II, commemorating Victory in Europe Day. “All the old evil that modern Russia is bringing back will be defeated just as Nazism was defeated,” Zelensky said in a video statement standing in front of a war memorial. “Just as we destroyed evil together then, we are destroying a similar evil together now,” he added. His address came on the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to allied forces on May 8, 1945 and one day ahead of Victory Day in Moscow, celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II. Zelensky said he had submitted a bill to parliament to formally commemorate World War II in Ukraine on 8 May and celebrate Europe Day on 9 May distancing itself further from Moscow. He said the Kremlin was responsible for “aggression and annexation, occupation and deportation,” as well as “mass murder and torture.” “All of this will be answered by our victory — the victory of Ukraine and the free world.” The address came hours after Ukrainian forces said they had downed 35 attack drones launched by Russia, which left five people wounded in Kyiv. In the southern region of Odessa, officials reported an airstrike hitting a warehouse, in which three people were injured. The post Zelensky: Russia will be defeated ‘as Nazism was’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Darned Good Lechon Baka!
[caption id="attachment_121286" align="aligncenter" width="525"] photographs by dolly dy-zulueta for the daily tribune | Mang Cesar's signature Angus Litson Baka.[/caption] There is such a thing as a blessing in disguise. Just when you think you’ve been beaten hard by life, life bounces back and gives you the best blessing you’ve ever had. It is exactly what happened to Cesar “Chuck” Cuneta Jr. He lost his job during the pandemic because the restaurant he was running had to temporarily shut down due to certain government parameters. He could have easily felt beaten and dwelt on the loss. But then the idea of building a business out of lechon manok came, and he did not have to spend a moment agonizing over his lost job and, instead, started setting up his new business, and everything fell into place. [caption id="attachment_121295" align="aligncenter" width="525"] LITSON manok.[/caption] Not too long after Chuck and his wife started selling lechon manok, the idea of shifting to lechon baka came to mind. Long before lechon baka became a hot food trend during the pandemic, Chuck was already making and selling it. “I just thought, nobody sells lechon baka in parts. So, I went to look for a beef part that we could sell for our lechon baka. Preparations wise, we had to make sure that we could cook and sell in small batches so there would be no waste. My wife made a Facebook page for online orders, and, with the grace of God, people responded,” Chuck recalls. [caption id="attachment_121290" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Grilled bangus.[/caption] He adds: “Then came doubling on advanced orders. We started on a made-to-order basis. Then my ninang, Cory Quirino, introduced me to Rubby Lugtu, my business partner now. He was the one who made things go in a positive direction.” Chuck named the business after his real name and called it Mang Cesar, which fits the bill perfectly. Initially, the business had two stores, one in Mandaluyong and one in Makati. They have since closed the Mandaluyong store for relocation purposes, accommodating primarily online orders as well as walk-ins for dine-in purposes. [caption id="attachment_121288" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Fried bangus.[/caption] Mang Cesar sells its signature lechon baka in 800-gram packs for large orders. They use Angus belly, which is tender and moist and has a good meat-to-fat ratio for roasting. They source their US Angus beef from a friend who imports meat to the Philippines, so there is consistency in supply. Mang Cesar has darned good lechon baka, so tender, juicy and flavorful, that it far exceeds more commercially available ones. Truth is that Mang Cesar’s signature Angus lechon baka made it to the circle of winners in the Ultimate Taste Test 2022 and was named the Best Lechon Baka in Manila. [caption id="attachment_121292" align="aligncenter" width="525"] LITSON kawali.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_121287" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Dinakdakan[/caption] Chuck has also developed a number of other products for the brand. These include lechon kawali, the original lechon manok, dinakdakan, fried bangus and grilled bangus, among others. For inquiries and orders, message Mang Cesar’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The post Darned Good Lechon Baka! appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Celtics dominate Hawks, Cavs rout Knicks to square series
Jayson Tatum starred as the Boston Celtics took a 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA playoffs on Tuesday, while Darius Garland delivered a 32-point gem in Cleveland's series-leveling rout of the New York Knicks. Tatum finished with 29 points as the second-seeded Celtics overcame a slow start to dominate the seventh-seeded Hawks for a 119-106 victory at Boston's TD Garden. "Playoffs are all about adjustments, trying to move on from game-to-game, seeing what you can do better -- and I think we played better," Tatum said after the win. "We want to be peaking at this time of year. Everybody's healthy, playing the right way, playing really well -- but we've got another level we can go to hopefully." Atlanta jumped out to a 22-11 lead in the first quarter before Boston's offense clicked to give the Celtics a 28-25 lead heading into the second quarter. Once in front, the Celtics never relinquished the advantage, opening up a 61-49 half-time lead and extending that to 20 points midway through the third quarter as Boston's defense shut down Atlanta's scoring. Atlanta rallied to get within eight points of the Celtics in the fourth quarter, but Boston never looked like squandering their lead down the stretch and pulled away convincingly to ensure they will take a 2-0 advantage into game three in Atlanta on Friday. Tatum finished with 29 points including five three-pointers, while Derrick White provided offensive support with 26 points and Jaylen Brown added 18 points. Dejounte Murray led Atlanta's scorers with 29 points while Trae Young finished with 24. "They won, we lost -- we've just got to be better," Atlanta playmaker Young said after the defeat. Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference playoffs on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers roared back into their best-of-seven series with the Knicks to score a 107-90 win Beaten 101-97 in game one on Saturday, the Cavaliers bounced back in spectacular fashion to score a blowout victory. Cleveland opened up a 25-22 first quarter lead and never looked back, outscoring Cleveland 34-17 in the second quarter to take a decisive grip on the contest. New York failed to get within 15 points of the Cavs throughout the second half, as Cleveland powered on to lead by as many as 29 midway through the fourth quarter. Cleveland point guard Garland produced a sparkling display with 32 points -- 26 of them in a devastating first-half scoring burst. Caris LeVert added 24 off the bench while Donovan Mitchell added 17 points with 13 assists. The Knicks offense meanwhile failed to fire, with the team's 90-point total their second lowest tally of the season. Julius Randle finished with 22 points while Jalen Brunson added 20. Game three of the series takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday. The post Celtics dominate Hawks, Cavs rout Knicks to square series appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
World Cup: Japan roars back again to shock Spain and top group
DOHA—Japan staged its second stunning turnaround of the World Cup to beat 2010 champions Spain 2-1 on Thursday to surge into the last 16 along with its beaten opponents and dump Germany out in one of the greatest nights for the Samurai Blue. Staring at the prospect of an early World Cup exit at half-time, […] The post World Cup: Japan roars back again to shock Spain and top group appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
My Chemical Romance is Back, and Already Topping Charts with ‘The Foundations of Decay’
In case you missed it, the saviors of the broken, the beaten, and the damned, My Chemical Romance, have officially made a comeback after a 6-year hiatus with their new single, “The Foundations of Decay,” already ranking number 1 on the Billboard charts. Unbelievably, “The Foundations of Decay” is the band’s first top hit on […].....»»
Hamilton: Rule changes designed to & lsquo;peg us back& rsquo;
Sakhir, Bahrain---Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes will rise to the challenge of coping with the Formula One rule changes designed to “peg us back” after he was beaten to pole at the Bahrain Grand Prix by Max Verstappen on Saturday......»»
Rahm channels frustrations into big win with big moments
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) — Jon Rahm is no stranger to wild shifts in emotions, whether it was irritation from an absent-minded penalty that led to his only bogey of the weekend or his 65-foot birdie putt that capped an amazing victory at the BMW Championship. The difference now is he enjoyed it. All of it. The shot that will be remembered at Olympia Fields was a putt in the playoff Sunday that was just over 65 feet from the hole and had to travel even farther to get there, across the 18th green toward a ridge and then down the slope toward the cup, 11 seconds of watching, hoping and celebrating. Rahm wonders how different it might have been if not for his mental blunder. That happened on the fifth hole Saturday, when he was five shots behind. He might never be able to explain how he could walk up to his golf ball on the green, pick it up and freeze upon realizing he never marked it. He feared even after a 66 to get back in the mix that one shot could cost him. “I just hope I don't lose by one,” Rahm said that day. “I'm just going to say that. I just hope. And if I do, well, my fault.” He allowed his mind to think back to the penalty while on the range Sunday afternoon after a 64, the best score of the week, and hearing that Dustin Johnson was one shot behind facing a birdie putt just inside 45 feet. “I was like, that extra-shot cushion would be extremely nice right now, I'm not going to lie,” Rahm said. "But at the same time, it happened. I don't know if I would have won had it not happened. It kind of made me mad at myself, and I just went on with my focus after that and was able to play amazing golf. “I can tell you after making that 6-footer for bogey, I was like, ‘OK, that’s it. No playing around. Go.' That's kind of what mentally did it for me.” Rahm has always said he needs time to process success and failure, and this one could take a while. Even after it was over, and he posed with the BMW Championship and Western Golf Association trophies, part of him still felt like he was on the golf course in a playoff. He looked like a winner when his tee shot on the par-5 15th sailed into the trees and ricocheted out into the rough, avoiding a penalty, and his third shot was a 6-iron from 218 yards to 10 feet for birdie. He followed that with a 30-foot birdie putt across the 16th green for a two-shot lead. He feared for the worse when Johnson, down to his last shot, rolled in his improbable birdie putt down the slope on the 18th green for a 67 to force the playoff. That penalty shot looked as though it might be the difference when Johnson's drive on the 18th in the playoff hit a tree and came back to the fairway, and Rahm's shot from deep rough rolled out to the back of the green, leaving a putt so difficult that Rahm was hopeful of making par. “Honestly, I hoped it would be a decent putt for par coming back and have a chance to keep the playoff going,” he said. It was better than decent. It was perfect. The heart rate never eased up as Rahm watched Johnson's 30-foot birdie putt track toward the cup until it peeled away by inches and Rahm was the winner. “I still can’t believe what just happened,” Rahm said. "That stretch of waiting for DJ, him making the putt, going in the playoff, me making the putt, then trying to stay mentally in it just in case he made the last putt, it’s been a roller coaster. But so much fun. ... I set out to enjoy even the uncomfortable moments we had out there. “And man, it was fun.” Johnson took plenty away, too. He twice beat Rahm in 2017 in the span of a month at World Golf Championships, holding off a Rahm rally in the Mexico Championship and withstanding another ferocious comeback attempt in the Match Play. For Johnson, it was his third straight tournament with the 54-hole lead. He shot 68 in the PGA Championship and was beaten by a 65 from Collin Morikawa, which featured the driver onto the 16th green at Harding Park for eagle. Johnson shot 67 at the BMW Championship and lost to a 65-foot birdie putt in a playoff. Johnson held onto No. 1 in the world ranking and in the FedEx Cup, the latter meaning he will start the Tour Championship with a two-shot advantage. Rahm now has multiple victories worldwide for the fourth straight year. What stands out from this year is winning on the two toughest tests — Memorial, where the greens were allowed to bake out because they were being replaced after the tournament, and Olympia Fields, which played as hard as a U.S. Open. Rahm will get another U.S. Open test in three weeks at Winged Foot. The U.S. Open is billed as the ultimate test, most of that between the ears. Rahm looks more capable of that with each victory......»»
Karateka OJ Delos Santos strikes gold in Athletes’ E-Tournament
Beaten twice in their first two encounters, World No. 2 Delos Santos came roaring back with a vengeance as he slew World No. 1 Eduardo Garcia of Portugal by the slimmest of margins to rule the Athletes’ E-Tournament Tuesday......»»
FIBA: Mighty Jimmy and the shot that introduced Gilas to the World
This story was originally published on Feb. 24, 2019 It’s Saturday night at Mall of Asia and the arena is absolutely rocking. Eternal basketball rivals in the Philippines and South Korea are delivering another classic. Gilas Pilipinas is down to the final minute of regulation against its longtime tormentor in the second of two semifinal games. The national team is up by two, 81-79. The Philippines is hosting the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championships where three tickets to the 2014 World Cup are at stake and the winner of this particular game gets one of those tickets. Given the rich history of both teams and what it would mean to the winner, this pivotal game has gone down the wire as everyone pretty much expected. Also knowing the history of both teams in international play, Gilas’ precarious two-point lead was not safe at all. A ghost was lurking in the background and a dreaded curse felt almost inevitable. Down to the final minute of the crucial grudge match between the Philippines and South Korea, guard Jimmy Alapag has the ball and a two-point lead. What he will do will help define not only his career but the legacy of the Gilas name as a national team. WAKE-UP CALL Even before the Philippines-Korea game, Gilas Pilipinas already had to go through one emotional game early in its homestand for the Asian Championships. In a preliminary round showdown against Chinese Taipei, the Filipinos collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing the Taiwanese to steal a morale-boosting 84-79 win. In 2013, the relationship between the two countries hit a rough patch over the death of one Taiwanese fisherman. In an updated May 17 report by CNN’s Jethro Mullen, “Taiwan has reacted angrily after one of its fishermen was killed by a Philippine coast guard vessel.” Taiwan had frozen applications from OFWs seeking jobs in its territory and the government of then President Ma Ying-jeou demanded an apology, among other things, from the Philippines. While the national basketball teams of both countries never really had any prior animosity with each other, tension was naturally present as both teams squared off in Group A action. Gilas Pilipinas and Chinese-Taipei both entered the showdown with identical 2-0 records and the winner would take control of solo Group A lead heading into round 2. Taking a good lead into the fourth quarter, the Philippines was outscored by 18 in the last 10 minutes and the national team took its worst home loss in quite some time. “At the time, it was a huge game for us. We understood what was happening in Taipei during that particular time. We really wanted to win for what our kababayans were going through at that time,” guard Jimmy Alapag said on that first home loss in the 2013 Asian Championships. “We didn’t get the job done, and it was tough especially to lose a game like that, it was a very emotional and it was a game that we knew we needed,” he added. The crushing loss meant that the Philippines had little room for error in round 2. While Gilas didn’t have any world beaters lined up in the second round, anything less than a perfect run would have meant an early clash with Asia’s established powerhouse teams in the knockout stages. On the other side of the bracket, defending champion China, Iran, and South Korea were battling for position and were expected to finish in the top-3. That means if Gilas Pilipinas failed to finish no. 1 in its group, the national team would have faced one of those teams in the quarterfinals. Gilas picked up a crucial win over Qatar in the 6th of August and the day after, the Philippines got some help from those same Qataris as they beat Taipei in a close decision. At the end of round 2, all teams finished with identical win-loss records but Gilas Pilipinas would take over first place after all tiebreaks were considered, barely edging out Taipei. The Philippines ended up avoiding defending champion China, Iran, and South Korea and instead got Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals. No. 2 Taipei drew China and the third-running Qataris were matched up with the South Koreans. “I think that was the moment we grew up and grew closer. I think that was the lowest of the lows, just because of the atmosphere and what was going on between both countries. It kind of felt that we let our end of the bargain down, you know what I mean? We’re on our home soil and we didn’t take care of business. I think that was one of those moments where we had to really check ourselves and find a way to make it right,” forward Gabe Norwood said of the Taipei loss. “But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In tournaments like FIBA-Asia it’s important that you have short-term memory whether it was a win or a loss. We needed to let go of that game and continue to stay the course, keep our focus in the tournament,” Alapag added. On August 7, four days after Gilas lost to Taipei, the rift between the Philippines and Taiwan would reach a resolution and the latter country lifted its freeze hiring and other sanctions on the former. The Philippines also did issue on official apology over the death of the Taiwanese fisherman a couple of months prior and the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila recommended the pressing of homicide charges to erring members of the Philippine Coast Guard. DARK HISTORY If the word “rival” is to be defined as a, “person or group that tries to defeat or be more successful than another person or group” then sure, the Philippines and South Korea are rivals. Both countries are rivals in the Asian basketball scene and they have been going at it for a very long time. But if the word rival can also mean “equal” or “peer,” is the Philippines really a worthy basketball rival to South Korea? The Philippines’ history with South Korea in terms of basketball is dark. Very dark. Consider the most high-profile matches between the two countries and you’ll see that the Philippine national team is just not at the level of South Korea. Or at the very least, Koreans always seem to reach 120 percent of their potential when they play Filipinos and we barely bring out 80 percent of our abilities when matched up against our East Asian neighbors. The 1998 PBA Centennial team, arguably the greatest Philippine team ever assembled, was demolished by South Korea in the Asian Games. A national team set up for gold only settled for bronze. Speaking of a bronze medal game, the original Gilas Pilipinas team lost a podium finish to South Korea in the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championships. That team squandered a double-digit lead and collapsed late. Of course, who can forget the semifinals of the 2002 Asian Games in Busan when Olsen Racela had the chance to put the Philippines up four but missed two free throws. South Korea would win with a booming triple at the buzzer off a broken play and would later take down China to capture the gold medal. South Korea is the Philippines’ basketball nemesis for all intents and purposes. A worthy adversary that always seem to emerge victorious at our expense. Still, all that previous disappointment didn’t seem to bother Gilas Pilipinas six years ago. The team was not scared and instead, they were excited even. One factor to greatly consider was that fact that the game was in Manila. It makes all the difference to play at home. “We understood the bad history that we had with Korea. We haven’t been very successful with them in quite some time but we knew from Day 1 that if ever we got an opportunity to play them at home, then we have a great chance,” Alapag said. “Man, pre-game, it was just the focus. Everybody was up for the challenge, I don’t think anybody was really nervous, I think it was just the anxiety... we wanted to get out there and do it already,” Norwood added. Playing at home had its perks for sure, but it also had its drawbacks. For all the painful losses the Philippines suffered at the hands of South Korea, it would have been devastating if Gilas actually took a beating in Manila. Stakes were extra high in this particular chapter of this long, ongoing saga. “There was always pressure, it was something that we acknowledged early. Playing at home, it’s great having that support but at the same time, there is some added pressure because you wanna make sure that you make our home crowd proud of the team that they watch and ultimately, win games,” Alapag said, making sure to note that the national team knew of the disadvantages of playing at home even before the Korea game. “It was there but it was something that we acknowledged and we wanted to make sure that we took advantage of the opportunity playing at home,” he added. ALL FILIPINO, ALL HEART Once it was go time, the Philippines-South Korea game went about pretty normal, as you would expect any game from these two national teams. But even before halftime, an injury to Gilas center Marcus Douthit changed the complexion of the semifinals showdown. All of a sudden, the Philippines was without its anchor, without its best player. Sure, there were players on the Gilas bench that can come in and replace Douthit’s size but there was simply no one on the Gilas bench that can come in and replace his talent, production, and just overall presence. June Mar Fajardo was in that Gilas bench but it 2013, the would-be five-time PBA Most Valuable Player was just not at that level yet. It would have been easy for Gilas Pilipinas to fold like cheap furniture and succumb to the overwhelming pressure of trying to overcome South Korea to reach a stage very few Filipinos have reached before. Gilas didn’t fold and instead, the Douthit injury rallied the team even further. “Alam mo sa totoo lang, puso na lang yun eh. Nung nawala si Marcus talaga, sabi ni coach kailangan doble kayod tayo. Dahil sobrang dehado tayo kumbaga, wala na tayong import, wala tayong malaki,” forward Marc Pingris said. With Douthit gone, Ping ate up all of his minutes and worked by committee with guys like Ranidel De Ocampo and Japeth Aguilar to fill in the gaps. “As a player naman, kami nagusap-usap kami na kahit anong mangyari, lalaban kami. Yung time na yun, talagang patay kung patay,” Ping added. Despite losing its best player to an untimely injury, Gilas Pilipinas’ confidence in winning never wavered. With their collective backs against the wall, the Philippine national team played even better. Unlike the later iterations of Gilas Pilipinas, the 2013 team, aptly called Gilas 2.0, had the luxury of having actual preparation before the FIBA-Asia Championships. The amount of work that came before the tournament and the Korea game, the bond built over countless hours of training, all of that helped the national team avoid a monumental meltdown in front of a rabid Manila crowd. “We were such a close-knit team in terms of our chemistry, in terms of the talent that we had, so we felt confident even when Marcus went down early in the game. If you looked at our huddle, you had 11 more very confident guys, not just in themselves but more importantly, in each other,” Alapag said. “That just boiled down to the chemistry that we had. I don’t think any of us panicked, we were all confident in each other. We’ve all been into that situation with our PBA teams, having the ball in our hands and making a play. Knowing that we had five weapons on the floor that could make the winning play, I think it made us very confident and we were able to sustain our composure,” the former Gilas captain added. THE GHOST AND ITS CURSE Shin Dong Pa, Hur Jae, Lee Sang-min, Oh Se-Keun, TJ Moon, and Cho Sung-min are just some players from the South Korean national team that inflicted incredible damage to the Philippines over the course of decades. The dreaded Ghost of South Korea takes form in these players and its curse is to give Filipinos the most heart-crushing loss possible. In 2013, the Ghost was Kim Min-goo and his curse was to beat Gilas Pilipinas in Manila. Despite losing Marcus Douthit and trailing by three points at the break, the Philippines started to turn the tables in the second half. Gilas Pilipinas unleashed Jayson Castro and the Blur led a blazing offense in the third quarter, finding a way to take a 10-point lead over South Korea, the Philippines’ largest of the night. But as the dust settled and Gilas holding a 65-56 lead entering the final period, an ominous figure would make his presence felt. The Korean Ghost has arrived and his name was Kim Min-goo. His curse? Beat Gilas Pilipinas in Manila. Kim was 22 and a senior in college when he made the South Korean national basketball team as a backup shooter in 2013. In nine games in Manila, Kim would play well enough to make the tournament’s All-Star team, averaging 12.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He led Asian Championships with 25 three-point field goals, 10 came in the last two games and five came against Gilas Pilipinas. Kim drilled back-to-back triples to open the fourth quarter against the Philippines. Later, his fifth triple — a four-point play at that — pushed the Koreans to within a point, 72-73. South Korea would take over soon after as Lee Seung-jun dunked the basketball on a fastbreak. The Ghost has arrived and his curse is in effect. “Ako pumasok sa isip ko yun nung lumamang Korea, na putek ito na naman,” Pingris said. “Pero ang sabi ko, sayang yung opportunity, kaya naman eh. So sabi ni Jimmy samin, no matter what happens wag kami gi-give up. Pinaghirapan natin to at may goal tayo, this year aalis tayo,” he added, noting the team’s goal to get into Spain and compete with the world’s best national teams. Faced with the possibility of dealing with a devastating defeat, Gilas had enough mental fortitude to keep things going. Trust your system, trust your preparation, trust your crowd, trust your teammates, and more importantly, trust yourselves. “You’re never out of the game if you’re playing at home,” Norwood said as they stared a deficit late against their destined rivals. “I think that was our mindset, keep it close and just find a way,” he added. Jimmy Alapag found a way. BORN READY Down 73-75, Jimmy Alapag was under heavy duress when he let go of a three-pointer from the left wing just in front of his bench. It was good to go. The Philippines was back on top by one as Alapag somehow managed to get his team to snap out of an initial shock following Korea’s strong fourth-quarter rally. The stage is now set for a wild finish and Jimmy will star in the final act of what has been an incredible show by Gilas and South Korea. “In situations like that, as an athlete and as a pro, that’s the situations that you dream about,” Alapag said. “Those are shots that you practice when you were a kid. When the shot clock is winding down, to have an opportunity to knock down a shot. It’s a shot that I practiced thousands of times,” he added. After the Philippines and South Korea traded baskets for the lead, Alapag made perhaps the most underrated play in this crazy and emotional encounter between two basketball rivals. Tasked with inbounding the ball just near underneath his own basket, Alapag found his Talk ‘N Text teammate Ranidel De Ocampo for an open look at three. Swish. Gilas leads, 81-77, with 91 seconds to go. “Ranidel was my favorite target for a very, very long time in my career,” Alapag said on the play that most people probably don’t even remember. “Once I saw that he got open, I wanted to make sure that I gave him as great a pass as possible and Ranidel has been known for a long time to take care of the rest,” he added. THE EXORCIST “Yeah, I was right under the basket,” Gabe Norwood says with a laugh when asked if he remembers the shot that changed the course of Gilas Pilipinas as a national team. Late in the fourth quarter of what was essentially a heavyweight bout, the Philippines just landed two strong haymakers but South Korea would refuse to go down without a fight, beating the count of 10 each time. Down to the final minute of a crucial grudge match with a World Cup berth on the line, Jimmy Alapag had his hands on the basketball as Gilas would go to its halfcourt set. Jimmy will never let go of said basketball. Up two, Jimmy did what Olsen wished he could 11 years prior. Up two against South Korea in a pivotal semifinal game, Alapag received a screen from Marc Pingris, which was enough to momentarily shake off Kim Tae-sul. With some room, Alapag drifted to his left and let a three-point shot fly. Boom. Gilas leads, 84-79, with 54 seconds to go. The shot would later be remembered as the one that ended the Korean Curse, the one that finally exorcised the Ghost. “The first thought that came to my mind was don’t miss,” Jimmy said of the clutch jumper. “That last one, Ping sets a good screen and I got a clean look. It’s a shot that myself, and Jayson [Castro], and Larry [Fonacier], and Gary [David], and Jeff [Chan], all of us, we practice that shot time and time again after practice. So you know, it was a shot that I was confident in but in that moment, all you’re thinking about was don’t miss,” he added. It’s one thing to be confident in yourself and to be confidednt in your preparation. It’s a different thing to actually perform under such pressure. As soon as Alapag managed to shoot his shot, Gabe Norwood did what any other good teammate would do and got in position to get the offensive rebound. You know, just in case. Gabe got the ball alright, but he got it after it swished through the rim. “When he put the shot up, I tried to crash for the rebound but I basically knew that it was going in,” he said. “I had probably the best view, I was right under the basket. I think caught it after it went through too,” Norwood added. Alapag checked out moments later as the Philippines went to its defensive lineup in order to stop another Korean comeback. South Korea turned to its most effective shooter in Kim and as he rose up to try and answer Alapag’s triple, Norwood met him at the apex for the game’s most dramatic stop. Gabe blocked Kim and Gilas would finish things off with a final Marc Pingris basket on the other end. A historic 86-79 win was complete. “I still get chills thinking about it, to look up and see grown men just breaking down. My wife was trying to hold my kids and she was holding back tears. It was just an awesome moment, the bond that we had on that team, the stuff that we did to get prepare, I think we poured it all out in that game,” Norwood said on the monumental victory. “I think it probably didn’t hit me until the final buzzer sounded. Not just for me but for the entire team, when that final buzzer sounded, it was such a special group of guys and the fact that we could share that moment with not just with each other but the entire country, it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Alapag added, savoring the moment of a Philippine win over Korea 28 years in the making. THE INTRODUCTION Gilas Pilipinas would lose to Iran the next day in the Finals of the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championships. The Philippines put up a fight but Hamed Haddadi would prove to be too powerful to stop. It would take another two years for Gilas to beat Iran but that didn’t really matter in the moment. The Philippines is headed to the World Championships for the first time in three decades. The Philippines has beaten South Korea and one singular shot has allowed the Gilas name to be known around the world. Jimmy wouldn’t say that though. At least not directly in that way. “For me, that shot was the biggest for my career. But really, it was our entire team. We’ve gone through so much and that was just one particular play that really culminated the entire game and all the contributions from other guys from Gabe’s defense, to Ping’s rebounding, to Japeth’s rim protecting, to Jayson and LA doing a lot of the legwork,” Alapag said. “Everybody had their part in contribution to the game. After the shot, after the buzzer sounded, it was just a very special moment for us as a team and for Philippine basketball to show that all of the sacrifices, all of the hard work, now it’s given an opportunity to re-introduce ourselves to the world,” he added. Jimmy wouldn’t say it, but his teammates would. That shot of his that beat South Korea in the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championships introduced the Gilas name to the world. It announced that the Philippines has finally arrived. Gilas’ breakthrough overtime win a year later in Spain against Senegal — a game Jimmy pretty much decided late as well — made it known that Filipinos are here to stay on the World stage. “I would say so, it got us to where we wanted to be in the World Cup. I think we shocked some people there as well. But just the work that went in, I think it showed the country that we can get back to where we want to be as long as you work together,” Norwood said. “Yung puso ni Jimmy, grabe naman. Makikita mo maliit pero gusto lang niya talaga manalo. Ang liit pero parang lion pag nagalit eh, nandoon yung tiwala namin sa kanya. Ano pa ba masasabi mo, Jimmy is Jimmy Alapag,” Pingris would add. [NOTES: At the time of original publishing, Gilas Pilipinas was fighting to make a return trip to the FIBA World Cup, this time in China in 2019. To secure its slot, the the Philippine national team needed to beat Kazakhstan in Astana plus a loss from Japan, Jordan, and/or Lebanon. One of the teams that can help Gilas is South Korea... ironically. Jimmy Alapag retired from national team play in 2014 and retired playing for good in 2016. He has since made himself a champion basketball coach in the ABL. Marc Pingris suffered an ACL injury in 2018 and is in the process of returning for his PBA team in the current 2019 season. Gabe Norwood is still in Gilas. He’s still an effective two-way weapon. He can still dunk and will stop your best player too.] [Updated Notes: The Philippines beat Kazakhstan to make the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. Gilas got help from... South Korea. The Koreans beat Lebanon on the road, allowing Gilas to advance to the World Championships outright with a victory over Kazakhstan.] — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Lowry scores 33 to lead Raptors to 11th straight over Lakers
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 33 points and 14 rebounds and the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors restarted their season by beating the slow-starting Los Angeles Lakers for the 11th straight time, 107-92 on Saturday night (Sunday morning in the Philippines). OG Anunoby scored 23 points for the Raptors, the second-place team in the Eastern Conference, who haven’t lost to Los Angeles since the 2014-2015 season. Lowry had a strong second half to help turn back a surge by the Lakers, the Western Conference leaders who are 1-1 in the restart. The Lakers’ magic number for clinching the top seed in the West remains at one. Lowry’s biggest shot was a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 97-86 lead with 3:01 to play. LeBron James had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Anthony Davis had just 14 points after he scored 34 in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers in their first game back on Thursday night. Kyle Kuzma scored 16. The Lakers shot only 35.4% from the field. James hit consecutive 3-pointers for a 76-72 lead early in the fourth quarter. Anunoby responded with consecutive 3s for a 78-76 lead. The Raptors continued to pull away and Anunoby made a layup for a 90-83 lead. With James and Davis struggling, the Raptors jumped to a 13-0 lead behind Anunoby and Lowry before the Lakers got back into it behind their bench. The Lakers’ reserves outscored the Raptors 13-2 in the first quarter and 31-6 in the first half to help Los Angeles to a 44-41 halftime lead. Kuzma had nine points and Alex Caruso seven. James had seven points and Davis just one in the first half. TIP-INS Lakers: L.A. hasn’t beaten Toronto since winning 129-122 in overtime at Staples Center on Nov. 30, 2014. Raptors: Toronto’s last regular-season game was March 9 at Utah, when it completed a five-game Western Conference road trip. ... Due to travel restrictions in Canada, the Raptors reconvened on June 22 in Fort Myers, Florida, to prepare for the resumption of the season. UP NEXT Lakers: Play the Utah Jazz on Monday night (Tuesday morning in the Philippines). Raptors: Play the Miami Heat on Monday (Tuesday morning in the Philippines)......»»
ONE Championship: Eduard Folayang also interested in Christian Lee matchup
Reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee made it known that former two-time titleholder and Filipino MMA icon Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is someone that’s on his radar. “I would love to share the ONE Circle with Eduard Folayang. I have a lot of respect for all that he’s accomplished in his career, and I think that we could put on a great show for the fans,” said the 22-year old Singaporean-American. For his part, Folayang also had nothing but praise for the young lightweight king, who began his ONE Championship career at the age of 17. Folayang, who can be considered as one of the pioneer stars of ONE Championship, says he has witnessed the evolution of Lee. “I am very impressed with his improvements,” Folayang told ONE Championship. “I saw his growth as an athlete.” In Lee’s 16-fight career, he has beaten numerous notable names including Kotetsu Boku, Shinya Aoki, and Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev. Folayang knows that a matchup against Lee would definitely be a tough one, but he’s more than open to the challenge. “It’s going to be a very challenging match if I face Christian Lee. I know I am still far from a World Title match, but in the future, I look forward to facing him,” Folayang stated. Folayang will indeed have to work his way back to the top of the heap in terms of lightweight contenders, having lost three of his last four bouts. “It will be a big challenge for me if we face each other. I want to face him, and I hope he remains the champ by then,” he continued. .....»»
Mikey Garcia still wants Manny Pacquiao fight, says Pac-Crawford would be big
As eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao’s boxing career presumably nears its twilight, each fight that the Filipino boxing legend has becomes more and more special. After the 41-year old’s impressive performances against Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman in 2019, many believe that Pacquiao - while no longer in his prime - can still very much hang with the best of them inside the ring. As such, a who’s who of boxing stars have been discussed as potential future Pacquiao opponents, from the likes of welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford, even much bigger guys like middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Among those names, while arguably not as high-profile, is that of Mikey Garcia. Garcia has an impressive 40-1 professional record with 30 wins coming by knockout. In that 41-fight stretch, he’s managed to capture world titles in the featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions. He has also beaten former Pacquiao opponents in Broner and Jessie Vargas. His lone loss was against reigning IBF Welterweight World Champion Spence. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s long-time trainer, has said that he likes the idea of a Pacquiao-Garcia matchup. Garcia, for his part, says that Pacquiao indeed remains his top target once he can return to the ring. “We haven’t discussed any names, everything got put on hold,” Garcia said in an interview with FightHype.com. “That would be my number one name, the target I would go after, but we have no clue.” Garcia admits that he has no idea as to how things might play out in the future, but maintains that he still does want a fight with “Pacman.” “Originally, we talked about it, his team was excited for it, now, being that all this happened, who knows? He might want to take something else. He might want to fight someone else. He might just decide to retire, I don’t know, I have no control over what he decides to do. But if he’s still available by the time boxing resumes, then I will definitely be excited for a fight with him.” While Garcia has long been linked to Pacquiao, a name that’s getting a lot of traction now is fellow welterweight Crawford, the reigning WBO Welterweight World Champion and one of the best pound for pound today. Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s former long-time promoter and CEO of Top Rank Boxing has spoken about the possibility of a Pacquiao-Crawford clash, and Crawford himself also has the Pinoy boxing icon in his sights. While it certainly might not do him any favors, Garcia knows just how massive a Pacquiao-Crawford bout will be. “Him and Crawford, I saw the Instagram posts, Twitter and stuff. I think that would be a big fight for both, meaning that Pacquiao - at his age - he already proved to everybody just by beating [Keith] Thurman, so people are still kind of like ‘Wow!’, surprised that that that happened the way it did.” “I think Crawford has all the skills and talent to make it an awkward, difficult fight for Pacquiao based on height and reach and his IQ, so I think it would be a great fight for both. Can Pacquiao do it one more time? After beating Thurman, can he do it again? Back-to-back against Crawford? Or is he now finally too old to do it? That’s the question,” Garcia added. The 32-year old California-native even went on to say that after the Thurman bout, he believes Pacquiao can be the one to end Crawford’s undefeated streak. “I would probably still side with Manny. A little while ago, I think Crawford would have won, but after seeing [versus Thurman], I’m kind of leaning towards Manny, and only because of what I’ve seen with Thurman. Prior to that, I would have said Crawford.” As for challenging fighters in heavier weight divisions, Garcia believes that Pacquiao has what it takes to play with the big boys, so to speak. “He’s already fought up to 154, I think two fights at 154 or right under 154, so if he wants to fight some of the bigger guys, or make them come down to 156, 154, he might be able to pull it off,” he stated. Even a crazy superfight at middleweight? Like one against GGG? “He’s done it all, so I wouldn’t be surprised. F*ck it, do it! Go for it. He’s already a legend as it is, and he’ll only be greater if he accomplishes something like that. That feat would be f*ckin’ undeniable, one of the greatest achievements in boxing,” Garcia concluded......»»
Morado recalls De Leon’s big role in Lady Eagles perfect Season 77
Jia Morado shared how the then rookie Bea De Leon’s quick return from a finger injury turned out to be a pivotal moment for the Ateneo de Manila University’s perfect run back in UAAP Season 77 women’s volleyball tournament. The former Lady Eagles setter recalled how De Leon’s presence helped Ateneo complete an elimination round sweep for an outright Finals seat five years ago during an episode of The Score’s Kalye Confessions . “’Dun ko nakita kung gaano ka-passionate si Bea sa volleyball,” said Morado as she talked about the middle blockers rookie season. The Poveda product was a vital cog for the then repeat-seeking Lady Eagles. Ateneo was on a ten-game winning streak when De Leon sustained an injury while training in February 2015. De Leon suffered an open dislocation on her left index finger while trying to block an attack from then fellow rookie Maddie Madayag. “Ang dami talagang nangyari doon sa rookie year n’ya,” said Morado. “Kasama na doon na-injure ang daliri nya, na na-injure sa training at akala namin na di siya makakabalik for a long time sa games namin.” De Leon was out for two weeks and missed three games before making her return in the crucial end of elims match against archrival De La Salle University. “Sobrang crucial pa naman ng mga games namin noon and in the run for rookie of the year pa naman sana siya noon,” said Morado of De Leon, who was beaten by University of Sto. Tomas’ EJ Laure and University of the East libero Kath Arado for the Rookie of Year award. “So kami parang ‘Sayang, sobrang sayang.’” “(But) she cut her recovery short para makalaro sa Ateneo-La Salle game,” added Morado. The playmaker also lauded De Leon’s dedication that season as she opted not to undergo surgery but instead just had her finger stitched as she rested for a couple of weeks. De Leon, whose finger was heavily bandaged, was a surprise starter in the match against the Lady Spikers. “’Yun bumalik siya ng maaga kahit naka-tape pa ng sobra ang daliri niya,” Morado said. “Ang laking risk nun for her kasi kapag natamaan yun masama lalala ang injury niya but she played the game of her life nu’ng bumalik siya.” Her presence gave Ateneo a big boost in the all-important match that the Lady Eagles won in four sets, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 27-25. De Leon finished with 11 points including three kill blocks to back Alyssa Valdez, who scored 29 markers. With De Leon back in the fold, the Lady Eagles went on to write history as they defeated DLSU in the Finals to retain their crown in a perfect 16-0 season sweep. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»