ZSOLT Bedak, the Hungarian boxer earlier advertised as Mr. Left Hook, failed to live up to his moniker on Saturday when he challenged Nonito Donaire for the Filipino?s World Boxing Organization super featherweight title at the Cebu City Sports Complex.
Bedak is ranked no. 4 in the WBO, which gave him the legitimacy to challenge Donaire for the crown, and I thought that he would give the Filipino a difficult time in the match that drew a record crowd of 20,000. While watching the fight on TV, I was sort of anticipating what the Hungarian can do with his left hook.
But I was in for a disappointment.
Instead of Bedak scoring with his vaunted weapon, it was Donaire who unleashed his own, much deadlier version of the left hook that dropped the Hungarian not once, but twice in the second round.
Donaire then finished the job with a right straight that again dropped Bedak in the third round, capping an impressive victory that improved the his record to 327 victories, 24 via the short route, with only three losses.
After the fight, Donaire was quoted as saying in the Visayan dialect that ?I know my left hook is stronger than his and I could read his movements.?
Well, Donaire?s left hook was not only stronger, it came a bit faster for the tough but slow-moving Hungarian.
It was actually the same left hook that sent several of Donaire?s opponent to the canvas in his previous fights, notably the one that sent Vic Darchinyan of Armenia to dreamland back in 2007, which had practically launched Donaire into superstardom.
Donaire is known as The Filipino Flash, but with the way he had been mowing his opponents with his lefts, it?s but fair to also christen him as The Real Mr. Left Hook.
As for Bedak, maybe we could start calling him as the Left Hook Victim.
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The Ateneo Lady Eagles and the De La Salle Lady Spikers go at it again in Game 2 of the UAAP women?s volleyball finals at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday. The Lady Spikers took Game 1 in straight sets, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21, last Saturday for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three title series and are expected to go for the kill and regain the title they surrendered to the Eagles the last two years.
I believe that the Lady Archers won Game 1 not because they are the more skilled players, but because they are the hungrier team. Hunger fuels an athlete to exert a bit more effort, to go the extra mile, or in the case of volleyball players, to dig a bit deeper for the ball, to soar even higher for a kill, and to do whatever it takes to win.
The Lady Eagles, however, can still turn the tide in Game 1 if they will be able to rekindle the fire that gave them two championships in a row and the one that sent them back in the finals.
Whatever the teams? motivations are in Game 2, sports fans can expect a hell of a volleyball match on Wednesday.
