Amir Khan v Lamont Peterson ~ Capital Showdown Press Conference

For boxing fans out there in the DC area, I have some good news for you.  Yesterday's press conference between Amir Kahn (26-1) and Lamont Peterson (29-1-1) was a sight to see (i.e. standing room only for fans and late arrivers) in the DC area.  Representatives from Golden Boy, HBO Boxing, Events DC, and both players' camps spoke at the event. 

Especially since this was a local event for both of us, I should've expected to see ESPN's Dan Rafael, but was still surprised to see him again.  He and I had met and talked on the plane back from Dallas, after the Antonio Margarito v Manny Pacquiao fight.  He told me that I'd be hooked after the fight, and he was right!  Since Margarito v Pacquiao I've seen Sergio Martinez knock out Paul Williams, and Pacquiao defeat Shane Mosley.  But I digress...

Seeing as that Peterson is from DC, he definitely had hometown advantage...  Further, since the fight is being held in DC against Khan, who is currently the unified WBA Super and IBF Light Welterweight Champion, a joke was made that it was "gangster" of Khan to come to DC to fight Peterson in his own house.

It was a packed house at the W Hotel, as media and fans came out to watch the press conference. The Capital Showdown will occur at the DC Convention Center on December 10, 2011. It's the first time in 18 years that HBO has come to DC showcase boxing.

I will admit right now that I'll take Khan in this fight.  He's trained by Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza.  Both Freddie and Alex are in the Philippines (i.e. or on their way back from the Philippines), where they were training Manny Pacquiao, so they weren't in attendance for yesterday's event.

Fans of Khan and Peterson should follow them on Twitter since both more or less invited their fans to come on out and support them at the presser. 

Below are their Twitter details:

Khan: @amirkingkhan

Peterson: @kingpete26

Approximately 12,000 tickets will be sold for the Capital Showdown.  In consideration to the fans, it's expected that the the lowest price point is expected to be $25 for the event. 

For you heavyweight fans out there Seth Mitchell (23-0-1), from Maryland will also fight on the undercard.

People say that boxing is dead, but judging from the buzz around yesterday's events ~ boxing isn't dead in DC... 

THE WIRK

Ortiz and Mayweather agree to fight ~ I visit the Rocky statue

A couple of days ago, Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz decided to fight each other on  September 17, 2011.  Ok.  So let's state the obvious.  This is not the boxing match that people want to see.  Mayweather v Pacquiao would be a dream come true.  However, with Mayweather's legal troubles and the inability to agree on terms for drug testing ~ it seems unlikely that the dream match-up will ever occur.

I was at the Pacquiao v Mosley fight in Las Vegas.  I'm a Manny Pacquiao fan, but I was bored during that latest match-up.

I watched the Andre Berto v Victor Ortiz fight and was impressed with what I saw.  My friend, John, who knows about boxing anticipated that Berto would win that match.  Obviously he was wrong and surprised with the outcome of the fight.  I remember Berto used the ropes numerous times to stay up against Ortiz.  It was a great fight! 

I don't know that much about boxing, but I'm curious about the Ortiz v Mayweather match-up...  I hope it's a good one.

On another note, I'm in Philly.  Yesterday, I stopped by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Here's a picture of the Rocky statue and I.


THE WIRK

Pacquiao defeated Mosley in an underwhelming fight, but Mark and I were there

Ok, so let's talk about the Shane Mosley v Manny Pacquiao WBC Welterweight bout on Saturday night...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I took my cousin's son, Mark, with me to the fight.  ****  Mark you still owe me the pictures, so please send me them when you get a chance.

There was no question that I was going to bet the fight.  I wasn't going to lay 900 to win 100 though.  Instead, I opted to place a small, $100 bet on the boxing match to go the distance (i.e. all 12 rounds). 

I was at the Margarito v Pacquiao fight in Dallas, and I felt that Manny could've easily knocked out Antonio Margarito ~ but he didn't.  Based on that previous fight, I felt that Pacquiao (i.e. who seemed to be friends with Mosley) would "let" the fight go the distance.  Needless to say, I was right.

By the time Mark and I arrived at the MGM Grand and went to the sportsbook, the Lopez v Pavlik fight was off the board.  This was too bad, because I wanted to parlay my "Will go" with a Pavlik victory to increase my payout.  C'est la vie. 

I like Pavlik (i.e. who's from Youngstown, OH) and he won easily.  I was excited to see him fight "live" since he didn't end up boxing at the last fight in Dallas.

Arce won the next fight.

Finally it was time for the main event and a mini-concert.  Uber-talented Charice (i.e. I know her from watching Oprah) sang a perfect Philippine national anthem. Tyrese sang the US national anthem and Jamie Foxx sang "America the Beautiful".  LL Cool J sang "Mama Said Knock You Out" for Shane Mosley.  ****  This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've seen and heard LL Cool J perform this song live, but for obvious reasons this time it was even more hyped.  Manny Pacquiao came out towards the ring to "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. 

Highlights of the match:

1) When Pacquiao knocked down Mosley in the 3rd round.

2) When Bayless incorrectly ruled that Pacquiao was knocked down in the 10th.  ****  If you ask me, it wasn't a knockdown.  As a result of the bad call, Pacquiao came out with more fire.

In my opinion, the fight was underwhelming.  I sold all my extra tickets and made a tiny profit.  I knew I was bored when I was trying to figure out what brand my water bottle was and was trying to to hold it in the light so I could read the label.  It was a full house in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and you could hear the crowd booing loudly.  Boxing fans wanted to see a FIGHT.  We didn't pay to see Pacquiao and Mosley touch gloves and play it safe. 

It's obvious the two pugilists have a good relationship, but the friendship was overtly obvious and reminded me of when Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson would hug and kiss before the opening tip.  I didn't want to see buddies hang out.  I paid to see a fight.  There's no question that the Margarito fight was better.

I'm happy that Mark enjoyed the fight.  I know he enjoyed it.  I'm also happy that I'll never have to pay for dental again, once he finishes school.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning that the MGM Grand Garden Arena ran out of hotdogs.  Seriously.  That's a huge mistake.

THE WIRK

Mosley v Pacquiao ~ Pictures from the weigh-in

Make no mistake.  You want me as your friend, but you're even luckier if you have me as your relative.  I look out for my people, but I do just about anything for family (i.e. and free dental for the rest of my life).  My cousin's son, Mark, graduated from the University of Florida this year and has been accepted into dental school at Columbia University.  Mark grew up boxing and when I got tickets to the Shane Mosley v Manny Pacquiao fight, I knew that if he could make it that I'd take him with me.  Sure enough.  It all worked out.

I met Mark and his friend in Las Vegas and we went to the weigh-in on Friday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.  It was a free event, but you had to get there early to have a good seat.  James Brown hosted the event and Bob Arum also said a few words.

Here are the photos.  If you don't know anything about boxing, you might have thought Mosley had a chance based on the photos. 

THE WIRK

Pacquiao defeated Mosley is an underwhelming fight

I was in Las Vegas over the weekend to take my cousin, Mark, to the Manny Pacquiao v Shane Mosley fight.  I will update all the details from the weigh-in and the fight tomorrow. 

Plus it was a profitable weekend in the world of sports and at the tables, so we'll recap those details as well. 

I've been travelling, it's late, and I need to sleep.

Hope you all had as great a weekend as I did!


THE WIRK

Ortiz defeated Berto ~ Ortiz is the new WBC welterweight champion

I had completely forgotten that Victor Ortiz was fighting Andre Berto tonight.  I wanted to watch this fight for a couple of reasons.  1) I can't wait for Manny Pacquiao v Shane Mosley and this fight was going to serve as an appetizer, and 2) I have a friend, John, who loves boxing and thinks highly of Berto.

I saw a tweet from Dan Rafael and immediately switched from the Portland Trail Blazers v Dallas Mavericks game to HBO for the fight.

I'm not going to do a post for the fight, but for those of you that want a summary, here are my (Twitter user: TheWirk) round by round Tweets.  The most recent ones are towards the top.  Enjoy and catch the replay, if you can.  It was a good fight!

• i was right ~ congrats to ortiz! now back to basketball... #berto v #ortiz
• i have #ortiz winning and beating #berto. announce the winner so i can go back to basketball #blazers v #mavs!
• fight over - i give it to ortiz #berto v #ortiz
• ortiz looks like he's one round away from victory. this is a great appetizer for the #mosley v #pacquiao fight on 5/7! #berto v #ortiz
• berto kept backing up until he found the ropes to hold himself up. ortiz bringing the offense. #waitingforbertotofall #berto v #ortiz
• i know nothing about scoring boxing, but i have ortiz as the winner so far... #berto v #ortiz
• 11th to come #berto v #ortiz
• berto just hit the mat, but it wasn't a knockdown. we have a slugfest now! #berto v #ortiz
• it's the 10th and ortiz just lost one point for the punch to the back of the head... announcers don't seem to agree. #berto v #ortiz
• 9th round... ortiz keeps hitting berto behind his head ~ the next time he loses a point. #berto v #ortiz
• @danrafaelespn you weren't kidding! you can hear the crowd's boos when they show mayweather on tv #berto v #ortiz
• berto in corner being told to go for the body. the 8th starts NOW #berto v #ortiz
• both guys are def fighting and in it to win it now... berto just did a weeble wobble impression, and did not fall down. #berto v #ortiz
• getting ready for the 7th... #berto v #ortiz
• berto is bringing the offense now! ooooooooooooh ~ ortiz just knocks down berto! #berto v #ortiz
• in the 6th and down goes ortiz! #berto v #ortiz
• #mayweather sitting by the ring for #berto v #ortiz... closest he'll be to a ring tonight than he'll be on 5/7 for #pacquiao...
• it's the 5th & #ortiz has #berto on the ropes again. announcer says, "berto is fighting this fight like he needs one fight to change it all"
• berto told "stop bouncing and start boxing" #berto v #ortiz
• berto is using the ropes to stand up #berto v #ortiz
• ortiz is going to have this 4th round FOR SURE #berto v #ortiz
• ortiz looks to like he's in it to win it. throwing and landing more punches than berto... berto looks tired. #berto v #ortiz
• ortiz seems to be smiling in the ring.. def more offense coming from him. #berto v #ortiz
• start of the 3rd round... #berto v #ortiz
• i think berto better wake up... #ortiz looks like he has more fight in him now... pun intended. oooh ~ #berto just knocked down ortiz!
• #ortiz knocked down #berto already... 1st round.
• @danrafaelespn omg, thanks for this tweet. i just flipped to the fight! #berto v #ortiz

THE WIRK

Mosley v Pacquiao ~ I've got my tickets and Philippines watches

Today, I received notification that one of the tickets I have for the Shane Moseley v Manny Pacquiao sold on StubHub.  About a week ago, I saw a commercial for the upcoming shows on Showtime about the fight (i.e. that is less than a month away on Saturday, May 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena).  Yes, folks...  The boxing match is quickly approaching.

I can't believe the fight is less than a month away.  Today, I saw on Twitter that Bob Arum said the fight is a sell-out.  I'm not sure how that's true though, since I went on Ticketmaster to check if I could pull another ticket (i.e. and I could).

At any rate, I'm ready to go.  I have my tickets.  Further, in anticipation of the event, I even bought some Unisilver watches that feature the Philippines on the face.  I'm not familiar with the brand, but when I saw the rubber watches posted on Emma Camacho (i.e a family member's page), I had to have a couple for the fight.  ****  She's on Facebook, if you want to check out what she's selling.  She ships internationally.

I like my new watches, but I like money too.  I may even re-sell the fun timepieces in Las Vegas.  You never know! 

If you want to show your Philippine pride and you're interested in any of the watches, please let me know.  Maybe we can do some business!

Aren't the watches fun?  I can't wait to sport one at the fight.  If you've never been to a Pacquiao fight it definitely is a cultural event.

Go, Manny Pacquiao!


THE WIRK

Mosley v Pacquiao fight tickets for sale ~ MGM Grand Garden Arena, May 7

Where are my fight fans?  I have tickets for the Shane Mosley v Manny Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for sale.  If you're interested in them, send me an email to thewirk@gmail.com or comment this post with your contact info.  I'll get back to you.

Section 2, Row R, Seat 13 ~ $2000 for the ticket
Section 2, Row M, Seats 5 and 6 ~ $3000 for the pair
Section 219, Row J, Seats 5 and 6 ~ $800 for the pair

Yes, I'll negotiate on price.  I'll also trade for the "right" Super Bowl XLV or NBA All-Star ticket... 

If you've never seen Manny Pacquiao fight and have been wanting to go to Las Vegas, what are you waiting for?!?!


THE WIRK

Vegas with PDX and crew

I'm back.  I just needed to get away, for the weekend and REST.  I'm not sure how much rest I really had, but at least I tried to sleep.

Some quick bullets (i.e. just some highlights) from my trip to Vegas...

Table Games:

• I don't like craps dealers with attitude problems and who have the nerve to assume you're not going to tip as you leave the table.  As I leave the craps table, I will flip you my change (i.e. dollar chips).  Don't have your fellow dealers remind me about your level of service.  That's LAME.
• If the table karma changes or you get a bad vibe, leave.  Don't try to be a hero.  No one will remember if you turned your luck around and left with a +200 profit.  Just go.  Don't chase your money if you're losing.
• I believe in dealer signature at the roulette table. People think it's fake. I think it's true. You believe what you want, I'll believe what I want.

Sportsbook:

• Betting on the Ivy League and Atlantic-10 is profitable...  They're not the popular choices, but they pay since they're usually "consistent".
• I took the Miami Heat to cover over the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Miami had both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James playing.  The Thunder had played overtime (i.e. double overtime in its most recent game) in its last two games.   I was betting Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook would run out of gas.  They did.
• The Duke Blue Devils got crushed by St. John's University.  I got greedy and had the Blue Devils parlayed with my Heat bet, so it was a loser.
• I parlayed the money lines for 6 teams.  I picked the favorites for only $35, since I had extra chips.  It was my first time betting a 6 teamer, and it won!
• I broke my tennis curse, when I picked Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open.
• I placed my Super Bowl XLV bet.  I'm not telling you who I picked, for now.  I'll give you my prediction later.

I spend a lot of time in sportsbooks and there's something really annoying about the men in there, taking notes and never betting.  I understand some research needs to be done to pick some winners, but seriously ~ man up.  One last thing, if you're sleeping in a sportsbook, you're a loser.  Get a hotel room or go home.

Friends:

The best part of the weekend was getting to hang out with PDX and the rest of my March Madness crew!  Here's one for you.  I met a new member of his crew that had never played the card game "War" before.  Really?  I grew up playing war with my brother and the neighbor kids...  Who hasn't played war?

Weather:

Although it's not yet warm enough to throw on a bikini and hit the pool, it didn't hurt that I woke up to palm trees and sunshine as opposed to snow on the ground and freezing temperatures.

I picked up my tickets for the Shane Mosley v Manny Pacquiao fight today.  The fight is on Saturday, May 7th, in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.  I have extra tickets for sale.  If you're interested in my ticket inventory, get in touch.

The best compliment I received this weekend, "...you bring us luck."  You might think that's lame, but I hear a lot of things, and honestly that was AWESOME.

THE WIRK

After the game, it's the CPOA party ~ Jumpsuit off, and dress ON

I told you I had a party on Saturday night.  It's my group of friends' annual party, and it's called CPOA (i.e. Certified Piece of ***). About 200 of my "besties" get all dolled up and take over a place for one night only.

I had the Heat v Wizards game before the festivities, and since the party was downtown, I ended up throwing on my dress at a restaurant near the arena (i.e. after the game).  You didn't think I'd wear a party dress to the basketball game, did you?!?!

I'm very fortunate to have a group of people around me, who are light-hearted and fun.  I don't spend much time at "home" when I'm running around the country for work, the blog, and vacation so when I am "home" I cherish my time with them.  They make me laugh and smile, til my face hurts.

Here are some pics from the party (i.e. Woodburn Photography).  Drinks were flowing, music was playing, and people were dancing.  The holiday spirit was alive and well! 

There was a "photo booth" with props.  I couldn't resist putting on a mask and cheesing it up with my friends.  When I saw the boxing gloves, it was over.  I couldn't resist throwing the boxing gloves on and doing my best Manny Pacquiao impression (i.e. with my good friend, Kanak). 

You can tell she had no idea I was putting on the gloves, since she's still posing for the camera.  She's definitely a good sport!

THE WIRK

Margarito and accusations of cheating ~ Ephedra and Hydroxycut talk

I went out tonight to catch up with a bunch of friends and get their reactions to the Antonio Margarito v Manny Pacquiao fight.  A few of them started talking about Ephedra and Hydroxycut.  That reminded me of the Tweet that I saw before the fight about Margarito (i.e something about not being able to last through 3 anthems and a Nelly concert, even with Ephedra and a pill).  Huh?!!?  Since I was at the fight, this was all news to me.

From what I can piece together, evidently someone in Pacquiao's camp saw something and/or was alerted of something that looked suspicious.  I have no idea what happened pre-fight, with regard to the accusations, but I do know that Freddie Roach watched as Margarito's hands were wrapped.  I know because they showed it on the screen...

Is it just me, or does it seem like controversy follows the Margarito (i.e. or should I say, Margacheato) camp?  Maybe, it was "Just a Dream" (i.e. insert Nelly reference)...

Here's a pic of Nelly from the screen from the night of the fight.  He was on the opposite side of the floor.  Whoever the genius was, that decided not to raise the small stage, made a mistake.

Back to boxing...  Whatever the case may be, Margarito lost by unanimous decision and has a broken orbital bone...  Ouch!

THE WIRK

Margarito v Pacquiao fight ~ Videos, pictures, and PacMan wins!

Last night I went to my 3rd event that the new Cowboys Stadium (i.e I have already hit last season's Cowboys NFC Wildcard game and last season's NBA All-Star game).  This time I was there for my first boxing match. 

That's right.  I'm spoiled.  My first fight was in Dallas (i.e. ok, Arlington) and at the new Cowboys Stadium, because I couldn't resist the allure of the Antonio Margarito v Manny Pacquiao fight...  I had to watch it LIVE. 

As I settled into the scene at the stadium, I took advantage of my prime location to scan the crowd for celebrities.  I saw two of the guys from HBO's Entourage series (i.e. Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven).  I've been at the same place as Kevin Dillon before though, so the novelty has worn off a bit. 

Jeremy Piven and I

As for other notables in the crowd, of course Jerry Jones was there.  When he walked out next to me, I swear he was with Wade Phillips.  I need to look it up, but they walked to the other side of the ring where the media was sitting.  I looked at the huge screen, and I still think I'm right about it.  I mentioned this to ESPN.com's boxing writer and TV commentator, Dan Rafael, this morning on flight back from Dallas, and he wasn't sure I was right ~ but, I think I am...  I'd bet on it. 

Here are 2 other pictures that I took during the fight, of the big screen, that show Wade Phillips sitting next to Jerry Jones.

Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones

Looks like Wade Phillips to me

Ok.  Enough about that, back to the fight...  With a great seat to the fight, and my camera in tow, here are a few of the pictures and the videos I shot.

The Philippine flag and Pacquiao in the ring

You can see Margarito is cut

The punch from Pacquiao that cut Margarito

Margarito on offense

Margarito with a punch to the head

Pacquiao blocking Margarito's punch

Pacquiao's corner in between rounds

My view

Ouch ~ Margarito definitely landed that one

End of the the 11th round, Margarito's right eye is DONE

Told you

Start of the 12th and final round

Manny looked like he let up, but was punching STILL

The end ~ Pacquiao won!

The irony of the poster...  Come on, Mayweather ~ let's fight!

The final interview for Margarito, he fought until the end

Pacquiao leaving the ring and walking out of the stadium

Final picture of the night

If you're a boxing fan, you really need to go see Pacquiao fight.  He's amazing...  "They" weren't kidding when they said, "speed kills". 

Those are the best pictures, I took. Hope you enjoyed them. 

Now here are the videos from last night's adventure.

Video: Antonio Margarito entering the stadium:

Video: Manny Pacquiao entering the stadium:



Video: Manny Pacquiao unleashing on Antonio Margarito:




Video: End of the fight, Margarito returns to his corner, while Pacquiao is lifted by a team member:



Manny Pacquiao won the WBC junior middleweight title (i.e. his 8th title in an 8th weight class) and I was there to witness this historic event.  I saw a quote earlier today on my friend Kathy's facebook page and it struck me.  The quote my friend posted was, ""Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity...why would you be realistic...what's the point of being realistic? Fortunately the Wright Brothers didn't believe in being realistic." ~ Will Smith

The last guy I went out with, in Dallas, and I used to debate the virtue of being optimistic v realistic.  Yes, I realize that the quote is from Will Smith...  However, I have to believe that as a boy in the Philippines, if it wasn't for Pacquiao being hardworking and optimistic, we wouldn't have been treated to such a special talent.  Therefore, I'd argue that being realistic is not necessarily a good thing.  STILL.

Boxing.  I just might be "hooked"... 

Like my pictures and videos?  Here's the camera I have that I used.  I've had this camera for over a year now and I love it.  ****  For some reason, a little puff of smoke comes out of the top of it, when I shoot pictures.  I think it's just because my pictures are HOT!!!!  :-P



THE WIRK