Category Archives: Filipino

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Emil Guillermo: Who broke the stare pose first? Pacquiao? Mayweather? Was that really Round One? Oh, fight already…

n the televised “stare off” in the Mandalay Bay, the two fighters went face-to-face.

pacmay stare 1

Pacquiao always look like he is holding back a grin.  Mayweather looks like a killer.  I see Pacquiao blink a few times during the staredown. Floyd is stone-faced.

But who breaks down the whole pose first?

I see Pacquiao move in. He is always moving, like in his fights. And then Mayweather moves toward Pacquiao.   That’s when Pacquiao breaks off, turns to the cameras and smiles.

pacmay 2

So who broke down first?

I just don’t think it’s as definitive as ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas believes, that Pacquiao  broke down first and lost a “psychological edge.”

But Atlas has his bias toward Mayweather and thinks Floyd’s straight right will come in get the left-handed Pacquiao in the head when the Pacman exposes himself while overreaching  with his straight left.

Possible. But Manny says he’s preparing different strategies for Mayweather, who will have to deal with Pacquiao’s quickness and mobility.

Manny isn’t a straight-up boxer. He creates new angles, comes from out of nowhere.  Mayweather is more stationary, counterpuncher.

He’ll have to move to catch Pacquiao in order to beat him.

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Emil Guillermo: In hashtag war, Filipinos say #PacMay, everyone else says #MayPac, but Pacquiao should win. Ali can’t be wrong. Justin Beiber can.

IMG_6168

Yes, that’s me and Pacquiao walking at the suites level at AT&T Park last Fall.  He’s not a great interview. But he likes to pray. And he likes to beat people up. We had just beaten up the cameraman here. (Wait a minute, this is a selfie…)

I’m taller than he is.

I still think he’s going to beat Mayweather.

Here are some Pacquiao quotes on the big fight (from fan rally at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, from Inquirer.net),

On being the underdog:

“My confidence right now is different than the other fights I had,” said Pacquiao. “I’m very excited. This is it. I had to prove something.”

“This is it. I like that (underdog),” said Pacquiao. “My killer instinct is back.”

On Strategy:

“We’re not depending on one strategy. We have two, three,” said Pacquiao.

“If he wants to fight, or if he wants to run in the ring,” I’m ready,” said Pacquiao, later changing the word ”run” to ”move,” grinning.

On Mayweather’s win streak against 47 fighters:

“I’m different from those 47. I’m faster, more confident for the fight. I believe he will lose.”

Pacquiao said Mayweather isn’t even the toughest fighter he’s faced, saying Oscar DelaHoya, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez were tougher.

I’ve seen just about every Manny fight. And the last two Mayweather fights.

In boxing terms, both are aging warriors and will have to rely on guile.  But Mayweather’s 38.  Pacman is 36. This isn’t a senior citizens affair.

Manny is slightly younger and has dealt with taller more aggressive boxers.

I think Pacquaio will have to knock him out to prevent an injustice like Bradley 1.

If it goes the distance,  Mayweather will win, thus setting up a re-match.

Money talks.

To win, Manny will have to do an Algieri performance-plus:  Knock him down and keep him down for the count. He won’t get six knockdowns. But he might get one good pop that rocks Mayweather.

Pacquiao  might have done it easily five years ago.

Now? It will be close.

 

 

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Emil Guillermo: Magnus Carlsen wins the Gashimov Chess tourney in Azerbaijan; Wesley So finishes 3rd.

soplayinggashAmerican Filipino Wesley So  was trying to convert a draw into a win in 9th round action vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France.

But it was  all for naught.

Magnus Carlsen of Norway the World No.1 has already prevailed with a win over Rauf Mamedov.

With 7 points in 9 games, Carlsen was the tourney’s runaway winner.

Meanwhile, So’s perfect scenario didn’t work out.  Viswanathan Anand had to lose his match to Fabiano Caruana. Anand had to be shut out, but a draw gave him a half-point. He finished with 6 points  for sole possession of  second place.

Caruana’s half-point seemingly left him next in third with 5 points.

But So is placed ahead of Caruana because So had more wins in the tournament.

It didn’t  really matter if So eeked out an endgame victory in  this last match because Anand would be a half point ahead.

Still, a good, strong tournament finish for So, playing in back-to-back tournaments after the U.S. Championships earlier this month.

 

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Emil Guillermo: Wesley So playing white can’t upset World No.1 Carlsen, as 8th round Gashimov matchup ends in draw

carlsen so

For Filipino chess watchers all over the world, this was the Paquiao/Mayweather matchup in this tournament of international grandmasters: The up and coming Wesley So  vs. World No. 1, Magnus Carlsen.

magnus carlsen

Earlier this week I asked So what it would take to win.

“Full focus,” he replied in an e-mail.

When I asked him if after the U.S. Championships he could beat the highest rated player in the world,  he offered another terse reply.

“If you don’t think you can beat your opponent,” he said,” you shouldn’t be playing against him.”

So went on a ponderous attack, taking more than an hour for his moves on the clock. But whatever So did, Carlsen, playing black, deftly defended with ease. Carlsen registered less than seven minutes on the clock to neutralize So. After the Queens were gone in move 36, the  game came down to each player with a rook and four pawns.

It seemed like a relatively stress-game for Carlsen, as the game ended in a draw between the two players who as teenagers once trained with each other.

Going into the final round, So at best could place second, overall.

But he’d need a full point win  against 8th seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave;  And then Fabiano Caruana would have to beat and shutout Viswanathan Anand.

It would create a mirror of the chess world: Magnus alone at top, and a bunch of folks in a  logjam for second.

 

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