LAST Sunday morning at the Casino Espa?ol de Cebu, I chanced upon meeting Michael Aldeguer.
I’ve known Michael since high school—we played basketball against each other; he donned the Sacred Heart uniform while I wore the CIS jersey—and, when we talk of sports and boxing and the NBA, he’s one of the most impassioned and enthusiastic of men. Mike and I sat down for a few minutes to talk about—of course—this Saturday night’s blockbuster named “Now Or Never.”
“This fight is generating a lot of excitement,” I told Mike. “Probably even more than the one of Gorres and Montiel. And considering that in that fight (last year at the Cebu City Sports Center), Boom-Boom fought.”
“You think so?” Mike replied.
When Mike asked why, I mentioned that the key component in all this hysteria can be summed up in one word: DARCHINYAN.
Because while Montiel last year was the WBO super flyweight champion when he fought Z, he wasn’t known. I, for one, had not known of the Mexican until I saw the posters promoting “The Moment of Truth.”
Darchinyan? He needs no introduction. We must have read his name and seen his video footages, what, 127 times. The reason?
Because of a Filipino-American named Nonito Donaire who knocked him out in the fifth round last July 7—for his first-ever defeat. And more than that, we also know Vic Darchinyan to be “The Raging Bull.” Prior to his Donaire upset, he won all 29 pro fights (with 23 KO’s). So the Cebuanos know that this, quite possibly, will be one of the best-ever fights we’ve seen on home soil.
Z Gorres? “He’s very, very excited,” said Michael. “In fact, when we asked him months back whom he wanted to face, he really asked for Darchinyan. So this, I think, is the perfect match-up.”
Where’s the fight? At the Waterfront Lahug. I really enjoy watching fights there. I recall accompanying my father-in-law Jack Mendez there a few times. You’re seated on foam chairs, there’s no chance of rain falling, the room is cold, and the boxing is hot. What more can you ask?
Trust me: This Saturday is a fight you should NEVER miss. And if you still haven’t bought tickets, here’s another tip: but them NOW.
‘KING TSONG’ VS. ‘THE DJOKER.’ It doesn’t matter if you’ve never swung a Wilson tennis racquet before, I hope you saw the Men’s final of the Australian Open last Sunday night. The first set? It was all a tussle and grapple of physical will.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, all of 6-foot-2 and built and looking like Muhammad Ali, sparred against the 6-foot-1 1/2 Novak Djokovic. And, just like the way he demolished Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, Tsonga won the first set.
Then he started making errors. Then Djokovic started to play like the world’s No.3 who had just beaten Roger Federer two days earlier. Novak won the second set. Next, the third. And, just when we proclaimed the match was over, Djokovic limped.
He looked weary. A trainer was called to massage his legs while Tsonga bounced and was ready to pounce. But in the end, after a fourth set tiebreak, Djokovic collapsed to the ground in victory to claim his first-ever Grand Slam title.
My thoughts? A few…
Had Tsonga converted on that break point in the 11th game of the fourth set, he’d be the Last Man Smiling. He’d have won the fourth set and, with Novak limping, captured the Oz Open trophy. Still, he couldn’t have been happier at week’s end: For who’d have thought (him included) that he’d beat several players in the Top 15 and reach the finals? His game reminds me of Marat Safin: fearless, athletic, all-power.
Djokovic is a nice guy. He clapped when Tsonga rifled winners past him and, though he does impersonations of Sharapova and Roddick, they’re all meant for clean fun. What a personality for a future world no.1.
Finally… wasn’t it refreshing to witness a Grand Slam final not contested by R and R?(www.pages.ph)
