Apologies to my legion of readers for the delay between posts. A central heating problem had made the blogger's den all but inhabitable for the best part of a month.
Australian Open Tennis
I predicted after the US Open last year that Federer would win the title in Melbourne to draw level with Sampras on 14 Slam titles. Unfortunately Roger came up against the phenomenon otherwise known as Rafa Nadal. The conventional wisdom used to be that Nadal would struggle to win a Slam on hard courts because of the pounding the surface gives his fragile knees. That theory can be discarded. Nadal won a thrilling 4 1/2 hour match to win his first Slam on hard courts. The first four sets were played at an exceptional standard, only the fifth was a bit of a let-down. Nadal again showed his ability to hit amazing running winners: once from way behind the baseline, & another off a good deep volley were just a couple of highlights. When Nadal called for the trainer in the 3rd set, it looked like he was feeling the effects of his marathon 5 hr 14 min semi-final against Verdasco. But it was Federer who was mentally fatigued in the fifth, dropping serve twice. Against other opponents, Roger has shown a Sampras-like ability to close out a match, serving strings of aces, but he now seems to have a mental block against the iron-willed Nadal. Federer was in floods of tears at the end of the match. Maybe he was thinking: if I can't beat him after he's played a semi-final lasting over five hours, will i ever beat him again. If Roger is to equal & surpass Sampras' record, he will have to hope it's not Nadal on the other side of the net in the final.
The womens final was a nightmare for Dinara Safina. She lost to 0 & 3 to Serena in under an hour. Needless to say, more competition is needed at the top of the womens game. Ivanovic is out of form, but Sharapova is aiming to make her comeback from injury in March.
Boxing
In my last blog i previewed two bouts. Having been scathing about the Froch fight, it turned out to be a superb contest, probably the British fight of the year. It did make you realise how good Calzaghe was- his fitness, accuracy & volume of punches thrown were all superior to what Froch produced. The American Jermain Taylor, who has twice beaten Bernard Hopkins on points, is the mandatory challenger to Froch's WBC title, but the fight may not happen, as Froch is not a box office draw in the US. Calzaghe announced his retirement this week, & Oscar de la Hoya should join him. He had nothing left in the tank in the fight against Manny Pacquiao, & was overwhelmed & beaten up by the smaller man before retiring after the eight round. Calzaghe retires undefeated, a very rare feat in boxing.
Showing posts with label Oscar De La Hoya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscar De La Hoya. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Saturday, 6 December 2008
PacMan Hungry for Victory
Megafights
Its the big fight tonight. Carl 'The Cobra' Froch v Jean Pascal at the Nottingham Trent Arena ? Er...no. Manny Pacquiao v Oscar de la Hoya in a non-title welterweight bout from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. The PacMan, moving up from lightweight for this contest, is rated by all the experts as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; de la Hoya remains the biggest box office draw in boxing. The Golden Boy will have a considerable height & reach advantage & is naturally the bigger man. However he also had a big reach advantage over Floyd Mayweather last year, but lost on points. De la Hoya is spotting 6 years to his opponent (35 v 29) & I think Manny can win a close 12-round decision.
The winner is likely to meet Ricky Hatton next year in a megabucks fight in England, with the City Of Manchester Stadium or Wembley the likely venues. Carl Froch would love to join that earning league. His opponent tonight is unbeaten, though not rated in the top ten by Ring magazine. If Froch wins, he will undoubtedly repeat his demands for a fight with Joe Calzaghe. However, Calzaghe has nothing to gain from fighting Froch.
Premier League
Which Arsenal will turn up today ? The team that beat Man U & Chelsea, or the version that has lost to the likes of Stoke & Fulham ? The title race still seems to be open, despite the Gunners being 16-1 shots with the bookies, but they might need a run to match the unbeaten campaign of five seasons ago.
The timing of Roy Keane's resignation seems a bit strange. Why not wait until after today's game? Sunderland would not be expected to get anything from Old Trafford, & if they did pull off a result, it could be the catalyst for them to go on a run.
Its the big fight tonight. Carl 'The Cobra' Froch v Jean Pascal at the Nottingham Trent Arena ? Er...no. Manny Pacquiao v Oscar de la Hoya in a non-title welterweight bout from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. The PacMan, moving up from lightweight for this contest, is rated by all the experts as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; de la Hoya remains the biggest box office draw in boxing. The Golden Boy will have a considerable height & reach advantage & is naturally the bigger man. However he also had a big reach advantage over Floyd Mayweather last year, but lost on points. De la Hoya is spotting 6 years to his opponent (35 v 29) & I think Manny can win a close 12-round decision.
The winner is likely to meet Ricky Hatton next year in a megabucks fight in England, with the City Of Manchester Stadium or Wembley the likely venues. Carl Froch would love to join that earning league. His opponent tonight is unbeaten, though not rated in the top ten by Ring magazine. If Froch wins, he will undoubtedly repeat his demands for a fight with Joe Calzaghe. However, Calzaghe has nothing to gain from fighting Froch.
Premier League
Which Arsenal will turn up today ? The team that beat Man U & Chelsea, or the version that has lost to the likes of Stoke & Fulham ? The title race still seems to be open, despite the Gunners being 16-1 shots with the bookies, but they might need a run to match the unbeaten campaign of five seasons ago.
The timing of Roy Keane's resignation seems a bit strange. Why not wait until after today's game? Sunderland would not be expected to get anything from Old Trafford, & if they did pull off a result, it could be the catalyst for them to go on a run.
Saturday, 15 December 2007
Pretty Boy Walks the Walk
Hatton v Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather proved he's not rated the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for nothing. The Pretty boy dominated the fight before knocking out Hatton in the tenth. I had thought Mayweather would win on points by boxing at long range & on the retreat. But he put on a masterclass. He is now unquestionably one of the best boxers of the last ten years or so, along with other greats such as Roy Jones, De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins & Calzaghe. I think Hatton should take one more big money fight against the 'Golden Boy', Oscar De La Hoya, and then retire.
Premiership & Champions League
If sport was easily predictable, bookies would have a hard time. As it is, a fair share of shock results keeps them in profit, & the punters miserable. In the past two weeks, Arsenal could only draw with Newcastle & lost to Boro, & Liverpool lost at Reading. All 3 victors were on long odds to win.
Liverpool needed a win in Marseilles to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Reds added to their glorious history of overcoming adversity in Europe - St Etienne 1977, Olympiakos & Istanbul in 2005, with a thumping 4-0 win which put them through on Wednesday. However, as group runners-up they are guaranteed strong opposition from one of the Italian or Spanish group winners in the next round.
Euro 2008 draw
Talk about the ultimate 'group of death'. Every major tournament normally has one, but Euro 2008 Group C takes the biscuit: Italy, France, Holland & Romania. The two finalists from the last World Cup; Holland are currently FIFA world-ranked 9 & Romania 13. The Euro 2008 draw was skewed by the co-hosts, Austria & Switzerland, being placed in the top 'pot'.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Joe Calzaghe was the deserved winner of the BBC award, having beaten the previously undefeated Dane, Mikkel Kessler (now 39-1) to become the undisputed no. 1 at Super-Middle. Currently 3 Brits are rated no. 1 in their weight divisions by boxing experts (including the Ring magazine, 'The Bible of boxing' ),which is surely unprecedented. Calzaghe at Super-Middle, Haye at Cruiser, & Hatton at Light-Welter (he moved up a division to fight Mayweather).
British boxing has perhaps never been stronger, with such strength in depth at one time. In the amateur ranks, British boxing also looks in rude health, several boxers having already qualified for Beijing 2008, and Frankie Gavin (Lightweight) became the first Brit to win gold at the Worlds in November. Amir Khan looks an excellent prospect for a world title. khan defended his Commonwealth Lightweight title last Saturday, knocking out Graham Earl in 72 seconds. Earl was overwhelmed by the speed & ferocity of Khan, it was the most impressive quick title win i can remember since Tyson destroyed Spinks in 1988.
Floyd Mayweather proved he's not rated the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for nothing. The Pretty boy dominated the fight before knocking out Hatton in the tenth. I had thought Mayweather would win on points by boxing at long range & on the retreat. But he put on a masterclass. He is now unquestionably one of the best boxers of the last ten years or so, along with other greats such as Roy Jones, De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins & Calzaghe. I think Hatton should take one more big money fight against the 'Golden Boy', Oscar De La Hoya, and then retire.
Premiership & Champions League
If sport was easily predictable, bookies would have a hard time. As it is, a fair share of shock results keeps them in profit, & the punters miserable. In the past two weeks, Arsenal could only draw with Newcastle & lost to Boro, & Liverpool lost at Reading. All 3 victors were on long odds to win.
Liverpool needed a win in Marseilles to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Reds added to their glorious history of overcoming adversity in Europe - St Etienne 1977, Olympiakos & Istanbul in 2005, with a thumping 4-0 win which put them through on Wednesday. However, as group runners-up they are guaranteed strong opposition from one of the Italian or Spanish group winners in the next round.
Euro 2008 draw
Talk about the ultimate 'group of death'. Every major tournament normally has one, but Euro 2008 Group C takes the biscuit: Italy, France, Holland & Romania. The two finalists from the last World Cup; Holland are currently FIFA world-ranked 9 & Romania 13. The Euro 2008 draw was skewed by the co-hosts, Austria & Switzerland, being placed in the top 'pot'.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Joe Calzaghe was the deserved winner of the BBC award, having beaten the previously undefeated Dane, Mikkel Kessler (now 39-1) to become the undisputed no. 1 at Super-Middle. Currently 3 Brits are rated no. 1 in their weight divisions by boxing experts (including the Ring magazine, 'The Bible of boxing' ),which is surely unprecedented. Calzaghe at Super-Middle, Haye at Cruiser, & Hatton at Light-Welter (he moved up a division to fight Mayweather).
British boxing has perhaps never been stronger, with such strength in depth at one time. In the amateur ranks, British boxing also looks in rude health, several boxers having already qualified for Beijing 2008, and Frankie Gavin (Lightweight) became the first Brit to win gold at the Worlds in November. Amir Khan looks an excellent prospect for a world title. khan defended his Commonwealth Lightweight title last Saturday, knocking out Graham Earl in 72 seconds. Earl was overwhelmed by the speed & ferocity of Khan, it was the most impressive quick title win i can remember since Tyson destroyed Spinks in 1988.
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