Go to AJ Banal’s blog!

Freddie Roach once said that AJ Banal is the hottest prospect in the boxing world today. I believe him. With a promising undefeated record of 16-0-1 with 13 KOs, this guy is certainly going places. The way he handled experienced Jovanny Soto in his latest 10-rounder with exceptional speed and lateral movement, he certainly is a shoo-in for a legitimate world title fight. He’s only 18 years old and he already has the patience and maturity to wait for the perfect opportunity to unleash his combinations that will eventually spell doom for his opponent. I say give him 5 or 6 more fights and he’s ready for a world championship.

Boom Boom

I particularly wasn’t impressed with the way Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista handled Antonio Meza in his latest outing. There was a lot of buzz on how he’ll be a much different and polished fighter coming out of a devastating first-round knockout in the hands of Daniel Ponce de Leon. The Boom2x that we saw was a carbon copy of the boxer who faced de Leon. There was almost no footwork displayed and what was very evident was his desire to win in a very dramatic and crowd-pleasing fashion. There was a lot of inside fighting when the obvious plan was to outbox and confuse the Mexican. Alas, the knockout was not to be when Meza was tougher than expected. Bautista landed stinging body shots and a few were very solid shots to the head that even made Meza’s knees buckle for a moment. Meza, the true Mexican that he is did not succumb to the barrage of Bautista’s patented liver punches but even gave a few of his own haymakers that had the crowd anxious at times. Nonetheless, a win is a win. Bautista clearly won a lopsided decision. We just hope that Boom2x truly learns more of the defensive skills that will make him a worthy world champion someday.

Poker gals

Back in the old days of gun-slinging Westerners, poker was definitely a very masculine sport. There was no way you could find a lady slugging it out with smoking cowboys in the saloon. Now, it all seems laughable when we see so much talent from the women players. Erica Schoenberg, Lynette Chan, Sabina Gadecki and more pro names just keep on coming. Isn’t it such an ego-bashing thing when men get their fat asses kicked by gals over a game of Texas Hold’em? All the more painful is that these girls are way better looking than the guys. Check out bankrollbacker.com for more.

A mate is inevitable!

 When I was in high school I could say that I played a relatively respectable game of Chess. There were, of course, others who were better. I would buy chess books thinking they could make me play better. It helped me not as much as playing long hours. It is very true that experience is the best teacher. But what if your chess teacher is Alexandra Kosteniuk?

She is the twenty-three year old International Woman Grandmaster from Russia. Check out kosteniuk.com and chesspics.com from where I found these pictures:

Now, I don't know if this is a good thing or not. Most probably I'll end up a bad chess player. I might not be able to think well and look at other positions and openings on the chessboard. Pun not intended.

Billiard babes

Our country is flourishing with billiard fanatics. I for one am a fan and closely watched the games of the recently held World Pool Championship. It is indeed a very relaxing game to play wherein the right mixture of mental toughness, nerves and sharp eyesight will make you win. This sport however is dominated by males. In the last few years, we have seen a wave of women pool sharks (a lot from Asia) that invaded the scene. Believe me, these gals can play and whip your ass. They’re kinda cute too. Google these names: Xiao Ting Pan, Jeanette Lee and Jeniffer Baretta. More from azbilliards, wpba and  brianx.

It’s David

If you really think about it and if you're in the fight business, there's no sense in challenging the best fighter for bragging rights. What really matters is the money. Forget about beautiful story lines, bragging rights and the satisfaction of a nation. Money talks and Manny, will certainly pick a world champion at a higher weight class. With this, I think WBC lightweight champ David Diaz (33-1-1) 17 KOs is the winner of the Pacquiao sweepstakes. 

Forget about the fact the Juan Manuel Marquez (48-3-1) 35 KOs is the more skillful and dangerous fighter than Diaz. That fight offers a smaller paycheck because JMM is a methodical and calculated fighter who is not the most exciting fighter in the world. If I were Pacquiao's manager, I would not  risk losing the goose that laid the Golden eggs for a lesser paycheck. This is what you call a high risk - low reward scenario. With Diaz, it's the exact opposite. Sorry, true blue fight fans. Painful as it may for all of us, money has won once again.