Rumble, errr, Ridiculousness at Rama

before people make assumptions about what I'm gonna say ... it's probably the exact opposite ... exactly one week after seeing boxing at its absolute best, I witnessed boxing at its absolute worst ... and the sad part it seemed so promising ... two Pinoys on the card, on the heel's of Manny Pacquiao's masterful performace against Miguel Cotto last Saturday ... I've never seen such a poorly put together event in my life ...

-first, the layout of the arena, where I was sitting, there was a glass divider partially obstructing the view ...

-second, the atmosphere (crowd) completely fit the bill of "polite Canadians" ... totally unenthusiastic, sort of like the ACC during Raptor games ... probably because the people there knew jack sh*t about boxing, and yes that includes most Pinoys in the crowd ...

-the first three fights were actually OK, but the last three had some of the most suspect judging I've ever seen in my life, to say the least ...

-the first of those controversial bouts involved one of the Pinoy pugilists, Ciso Morales ... the way I scored the fight, I only had him winning 2 (3 at most) out of 8 rounds ... but he ended up winning by decision ... and yes, I was yelling "BULLSH*T!" after a Pinoy victory ...

-next up was the Steve Molitor fight, he was knocked down once in the fight and I only had him winning one round at most ... but based on the judges scorecards they had him winning 7 of 8 ... I've seen hometown decisions before, but this was a joke, I was yelling "BULLSH*T!" even louder after this one ... some people sitting around me actually left the arena after that decision ... Molitor IMO was a cookie cutter champion, who was protected in his early career (much like Ricky Hatton) but when he faced a legit opponent last year in Celestino Caballero he got completely exposed ... last night was pretty much a confirmation that he isn't an elite level fighter ...

-the main event of the evening featured "Marvellous" Marvin Sonsona ... who unknowledgable Pinoy fans bill as "The Next Pacquiao" ... before last night, I thought he was a decent fighter with good potential, but I never placed that "next one" tag on him ... early in the fight he seemed to be looking for the one-punch knockout ... but then from the mid-rounds on he looked like he ran out of gas ... one indication of not training hard enough ... the other indication was that he failed to make weight, thus losing his WBO Championship on the scales ... I had Sonsona winning at most 3 rounds ... I thought the draw was a bullsh*t decision, because he clearly lost ...

-Allan Tremblay, the promoter, should be ashamed of himself with how this card came off ... word of advice to him, if he's looking to showcase his fighters, put them up against cream puffs to make them look good ...

-I feel bad for my cousin who forked out $150 for his ticket ...

-Freddie Roach is right ... there is only one Manny Pacquiao ... this search for "the next Pacquiao" needs to stop ... fighters like that are indeed one in a generation ...

-only two highlights of that experience for me ... first, winning some money on the slots, always a winner! ... second, meeting Marvin Sonsona in the lobby before the fight ... he's a nice guy, but I'm thinking the fame after his last win, plus "The Next Pacquiao" tag, has gotten into his head a little bit ... it was cool meeting him, but I was thinking, "it's fight night, shouldn't you be in the lockerroom getting ready?" ... just goes to show, a big victory can have just as adverse effects on a fighter as a first loss ... Sonsona clearly had a let down this time after riding such a high in September ...

-there you have it ... an impartial J-Smooth, telling it how it is, regardless of my Pinoy loyalties ...

~J-Smooth~

Random Shots

-ughhhhh, seems like all I keep hearing about is this New Moon business ... can't escape it no matter where I go ... it's all over TV, on the radio, on newsstands ... on the same level of annoyance for me as Harry Potter ... all I can say is that if you're a dude that goes to the theater to watch New Moon on your own volition, you need to get yourself some panties ...

-speaking of which, while I was in San Diego, my "soon-to-be" bro-in-law Romeo and myself were driving past Hillcrest to pick up some take out ... for those that don't know, Hillcrest is a densely populated homosexual area ... just the way the mannequins were displayed and "posing" in the shop windows, I couldn't help but LOL and SMH ... I've never seen anything like it ... and the people walking around too, V-necks (no exaggerating either) reaching down to dudes' belly buttons ...

-oh man, another current annoyance of mine are the Facebook apps like: Farmville and Mafia Wars, or whatever they're called ... people keep inviting me to that sh*t ... what's worse is that these people are older than me with young kids ... I'm thinkin' are your lives that boring? ... hell, I'll take this a step further, because those same people also annoy me with something else on Facebook and that is their status updates ... F*CK!, I do not need to know every single detail of your life up-to-the-minute ... I must be coming off as a hypocrite, because I have a Twitter account ... but these people I'm talking about are f*ckin' ridiculous: "just clipping my toenails before work", "I just took a dump, is it normal when it's green?" ... well, not exactly verbatim, but I think you catch my drift ...

-I'm lovin' my Blu-ray player/Playstation 3 ... I'm sayin', if it can clean up my DVDs that well, BDs must be the greatest thing since sliced bread ... but with prices for BDs still not at practical levels, I'll reserve those purchases for visual effects movies that rate a 3.5 at least on my rating scale ... a mark I guarantee Star Trek won't even come close to ... ;P

-funny how everyone nowadays is claiming that they're a boxing expert ... honestly, there are only a handful of people all together and more specifically two in my familia that I can have an intelligent boxing convo with ... my dad being one and my Kuya M being the other ... everyone else in the familia is a Manny Pacquiao nuthugger ... nothing wrong with that and completely understandable, but their knowledge of the actual sport extends no further than Pacquiao and namedropping past and potential future opponents ... but I guess that's just how most people are, not just in my familia, they only start jumping on board when something is hot ...

~J-Smooth~

Wii; SD; Manny

It's official: Nintendo Wii is the greatest console of all time! ... I was ready to hand it the crown after the release of Punch-Out!! in May, but its subsequent releases of Wii Sports Resort and New Super Mario Bros. Wii cements its status ... oh, and by the way, I also have a Playstation 3, so I have grounds to make this claim for the Wii ... don't get me wrong, PS3 is nice, but the games I have so far, ie. Fight Night Round 4 and Street Fighter 4 (great games) are not PS3 exclusives ... the only plus, is the Blu-ray player ... Wii is the perfect combination of innovation and nostalgia ... when I picked up my copies of Punch-Out!! in May and New Super Mario Bros. Wii this past weekend, I was offered a "strategy guide" ... pshhhhh ... playing those games for the first time is the same feeling of getting re-acquainted with an old friend, old school gaming instincts take over just like continuing a conversation from 10 years ago ... but it's not as though they're identical games ... there is that level of familiarity but they're definitely more challenging ... I will say this, they're just as addicting ... sure, advanced graphics are nice, but the core of videogames to me is, a simple concept, but challenging and addictive at the same time ... thank you Nintendo! ...

really missing San Diego at this point ... I think I've said it before, but if the Tri-State Area (NYC, NJ) is my number one choice for where I'd like to end up, Southern California (LA, SD) is officially number two, and for those that care The Bay Area (SF and San Jose) is third ... why? ... I need a cosmopolitan city with a significant Pinoy population ... back to SD, what I miss are the channels, especially HBO on Demand ... I got to watch 24/7 and Pacquiao and Cotto fights at my leisure ... but I also got to watch Slumdog Millionaire ... I won't even do a review, because I was just as entertained as House of Flying Daggers ... now I'm sure my critics will chime in and say, "well if that story was about a Pinoy you would've liked it" ... my response: it's already been done ... someone coming from poverty to being on top of the world and having everything ... but I didn't see it on the big screen, I see it every six or so months in the ring ...

finally, if I had my way ... Manny Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May ... then after knocking his @ss out, takes on the winner of the WBA-WBC unification bout between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto ... if Pacman wins that, he'd add those two belts to his WBO crown and can retire undisputed champion ...

~J-Smooth~

All Hail King Manny!

I'm still waiting on the possible excuses this time for Manny Pacquiao's latest performace of what's become a legendary career ... the one I can think of: "Miguel Cotto was a shot fighter and hasn't been the same since fighting Antonio Margarito" ... well, that excuse is out the window, because Pacquiao didn't shut him out, Cotto clearly won the first round, outboxing and beating Manny to the punch and in the first four rounds landed some clean, stiff shots ... another one, coming from Floyd Mayweather Sr. ... he doesn't believe his son Floyd Jr. should fight Manny, because something seems fishy, implying that Pacman is juiced ... this coming from a guy who I've never heard produce a proper English sentence (and people criticize Manny's English) ... honestly haters can hate, but the fact is, Manny beat one of the world's top welterweights in his prime ...

As for the fight ... what a fight it was ... like I said in my previous entry, something which I'll be talking about for years to come ... I read my last entry after the fight and I was bang on about everything, from the fight length to what would win the fight for Manny (ie. speed, punch angles) ... Damn!, maybe I should've put money on it ... rounds 2-4 in my opinion can be described as legendary, classic and epic ... those exchanges are what makes boxing live up to its billing as the sweet science ... in all honesty laws of science that Manny defies ... he's got it all: speed and power in both hands, footwork, head movement and a granite chin ... he's the greatest of all time, period ...

As for Miguel Cotto ... I hated to see him take a beating like that because I'm a big fan ... but that being said, any and all criticism towards his cornermen at this point are more than warranted ... why would you let your fighter continually recieve punishment like that, I mean, were they blind?, just look at Miguel's face ... why even ask Miguel if he wants to continue? you know he's not gonna give up on his own ... his "trainer" Joe Santiago has no business being in boxing ... he gave Miguel absolutely no technical advice during the fight ... he should be ashamed of himself for not throwing in the towel, in my opinion should've been done after the 8th round ... if Cotto decides to hang 'em up at this point, I like many would not look down on him at all, he's had a brilliant career ... he showed his heart in this fight and went out like a true champion by embracing Manny after the fight and acknowledging him as the best fighter he's ever faced ... it's hard to dispute that ... championships in 7 weight classes and 50 wins, 38 by knockout ...

of course, the media and fans didn't even let the dust settle after the Pacquiao/Cotto fight, with the attention immediately shifting towards a fight between Manny and Floyd Mayweather Jr. ... and the trash talk has already begun ... with Floyd calling Manny "one-dimensional" and Freddie Roach saying he already knows how to beat Floyd and guaranteeing that Manny will knock him out ... this is definitely going to be the biggest fight of all time and will define a generation ... the only stumbling block, of course, will be the negotiations ... if you ask me: 50/50 revenue split, at 147 (no catchweight) and held in Yankee Stadium ... it's inevitable that this fight happens, because there is too much pressure from the media, networks and fans ... on top of that, there is too much money on the table at this point ... I will say this, I was hesitant on making a prediction on that fight, but I'll call it right now: Manny Pacquiao by knockout in the championship (11th or 12th) rounds ...

finally, what did I just see on the cover of this morning's Toronto Star sports page? ... Manny Pacquiao's image? for a minute there I thought I was still in the States ... and inside an article on Pacquiao and another one on another Pinoy pugilist, Marvin Sonsona (whose fight I'm watching live this coming Saturday) ... there might be hope yet for this sports Siberia ...

Pinoy Pride!!! ... Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!!!

~J-Smooth~

Fight of the Year TONIGHT!!!

It just amazes me that just three years ago, I was looking at this as merely a Dream matchup ... but the prizefighting heavens were looking down on me and other REAL fight fans and decided to give us what we want ... and this is what I'm talking about when I say "boxing builds fighters" ... both Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto have been making noise in the sport over the past three years, establishing their names and reputation, and tonight we get the payoff ... I'm probably more excited about "Firepower" than I was for Pacquiao's fight's with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton combined ... how could I not be? ... two of my top three fave fighters on the planet and neither have ever produced a boring fight ... it's got a really good feel to it, despite boxing's critics saying the sport's only had three major PPV's this year ... well, my argument is that, it makes the events that much more special ... it's like when WWE had only four major PPV's a year, each one was special ... in my opinion, the significance of prizefighting PPV events is greatly diluted when you have one a month, you over-expose the product and the fighters, and it doesn't give the audience a "must see" attitude, because there is another PPV the next month ... another thing, it really speaks volumes about what level the sport is at compared to its rivals, when all it takes to garner interest from the general public is the 24/7 series (on a channel you pay extra for) ... but all that aside, I have a feeling I'll be talking about this fight for years to come ...

my official prediction (not that I'm the most objective of people to give one), but I see Pacquiao stopping Cotto in the championship rounds (11th or 12th) ... Pacquiao will eat some punches in this fight, I have no doubt about that, but he's got one of the best chins I've ever seen ... and in all of Cotto's fights, Miguel takes waaay too many punches, not exactly a defensive wizard ... I just see him being broken down methodically, and succumbing to the speed, punch volume and the weird angles Pacquiao delivers his punches from ... but like Pacquiao, Cotto and Arum have said, regardless of the outcome, the only winners in this fight are the fans of boxing ... WOOOOOO!!! I've got my Pacquiao shirt on and I'm ready to go ...

~J-Smooth~

LA/SD '09 Recap

I've been really slackin' on these entries ... but f*ck it, J moves when he wants to move ... I've also been away on my much anticipated Los Angeles/San Diego Trip and as follows is a recap ...

-last Friday: long a** flight ... stayed at the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo ... for dinner, Carl's Jr., man that didn't sit too well with my stomach ...

-last Saturday: my sis M&M and Romeo picked me up and I got a look at their new BMW ... ate at Roscoe's Chicken n Waffles that night ... then made the trek back to their place in San Diego

-Sunday: got acquainted with the newest addition to mi familia, Mr. Mason, their dog ... ate out again, this time at Phil's BBQ ... bar none, the best BBQ chicken and ribs I've ever had ...

-Monday: my sis toured me around the shopping places in her area ... then after Romeo came home from work, we drove to an outlet mall next to the U.S./Mexico border ... I was looking around for a car with a Mexican license plate, because I've never seen one before, when I finally did, the owner came up to the car at the same time ... it was a female and she had a concerned look on her face, like I was immigration or something, LOL ... chatted up with a couple of Chicano boxing fans at the Nike Store, they said they were rooting for Cotto, but they know Pacquiao's gonna win, I guess real recognizes real, just refreshing to talk to some real fans ... for dinner, we went to a mall in "Filipino Town" and had what else, Jollibee ...

-Tuesday: my sis and myself took the trolley (the equivalent to our RT) into downtown, where I got to see The Padres' Petco Park ... afterwards, we hit up another mall, but that was it for downtown, which in my opinion is pretty dead ...

-Wednesday: got a firsthand preview of the site where my sis will be getting married next July ... envisioning it at this point, I honestly think it's gonna be great, I'm really looking forward to it ... afterwards, we hit up Mission Beach ...

-Thursday: my last day, I kept it open ... I decided to take it easy that day, considering I was on vacation, just spent time packing and playing with Mr. Mason ... concluded the night with dinner from this authentic Mexican place and watched my boy Dwyane Wade completely crown Anderson Varejao ...

Overall, I really enjoyed this trip ... completely made me forget that I have a life and responsibilities at home ... things I will miss most, besides my familia obviously: the prices (my brands Jordan and ecko are waaaaay cheaper down there), the food, TV Channels (esp. ESPN where the real sports take center stage), the workout weather (got in a run every day, but one) and my new little dude Mr. Mason ... coming home really confirmed that Toronto is not the place I want to be ...

~J-Smooth~