TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| With $200m at stake, even Jesus would tell Manny Pacquaio to get on with it | Kevin Mitchell The Philippines' most remarkable representative has a run-in with God, plus Boxrec.com's ratings and Sweet Jimmy RobinsonOf all the stories swirling about Manny Pacquiao's blessed head this Christmas week, the one in the Philippines Inquirer that claims he told 1,500 Filipinos God once appeared to him is by far the strangest.Anyone familiar with the zeal of Catholicism will understand the deeply religious boxer will not have made the claim lightly.According to the country's largest broadsheet newspaper, Pacquiao revealed at a birthday party held in his honour in General Santos City: "In my 31 years here on earth, God appeared to me once and told me to have unconditional faith in Him. That is true. I was not yet very popular and world champion when our God appeared to me and assured me of strength and power. This is the first time I reveal this ... although I was asked many times what are the secrets that made me very popular and world champion."Pacquiao, a devout Catholic, told Brian Doogan in The Times last April: "God has given me a gift and it is my duty to share the fruits of this gift with my people." He has done that avidly for years; no one turning up at the gates of his big house asking for help is turned away."Would you like to know where I get my strength and power?" Pacquiao asked his birthday guests. The gathering, according to The Inquirer, "yelled, 'Yes!' then fell silent to catch every word he was saying. He said God told him, 'Just trust me, I will not leave you, I will not abandon you.'"Cynics will say Pacquiao is looking for votes in preparation for his run at Congress in May. The rest of us will merely wonder at the humanity of his people's most remarkable representative.As for his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jnr in March possibly falling through because the American insists he take blood tests for performance-enhancing drugs, don't worry about it. With $200m at stake, even Jesus would tell him to get on with it.Hopkins better than Pacquaio?Boxrec.com over the years has established a reputation as a reliable staple of the boxing business. With records on nearly every professional fighter in the world, updated daily, it is clearly a work of devotion and an invaluable aid for the industry.But whoever compiled the website's latest pound-pound-for-pound ratings has been at the Christmas sherry.At the end of a pretty interesting year, Boxrec's No1 is ... Bernard Hopkins, who turns 45 in a couple of weeks' time and whose last fight, his first in 14 months, was a meaningless points win over the limited Enrique Ornelas (29-5) in B-Hop's home town, a fight that scarcely qualifies as an exhibition.As fine a fighter as he is, Hopkins is a veteran with an idling engine and surely not pound-for-pound better than Pacquiao, who lit up 2009 by knocking out Hatton and destroying Miguel Cotto. Chad Dawson is third (I kid you not) ahead of Mayweather.Of the 100 fighters rated, just five are British: unbeaten world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch is highest at 23, semi-retired Hatton at 43, the world heavyweight champion David Haye at 48, the rehabilitated Ryan Rhodes at 66 and the world light-welterweight champion Amir Khan at 97.Who is rated ahead of them?The troubled Kelly Pavlik, with wins over two ordinary opponents and one refusal against Paul Williams, is rated at 8. The 36-year-old Juan Manuel Márquez, who trades still on his glorious past, obliterating Juan Diaz then losing widely to Mayweather, is at 10. Vic Darchinyan, who lost his unbeaten record in July and won again on 12 December, is rated at 12.Hatton's inclusion is a nonsense, given what Pacquiao did to him. But how is Anthony Mundine rated eight places above Haye? Is Amir Khan really 10 places worse than the Mexican Edgar Sosa, who was stopped in two rounds a month ago by Rodel Mayol?My fighter of the yearThe fighter who left the biggest impression on me in 2009 was not one of the world superstars, not a world champion (although, with any luck, he might yet do it), but a man who beat more than the guy in the other corner.Jason "2 Smooth" Booth has had anything but a smooth life. He has known the depths of alcoholism. He slept rough on the streets of Nottingham. And in October, at 31, he turned in the performance of his career, a blistering fifth-round stoppage of Michael Hunter to retain his British super-bantamweight title.That's a fighter.Here's to you Mr RobinsonThere was only one Sugar Ray Robinson. Plenty of other Robinsons, though, appended Sugar to their name. But not Sweet Jimmy Robinson. He knew his place, such as it was.Chances are you will not remember him. Wright Thompson, an American sportswriter, had not heard of him until an autograph-hunter contacted him many years ago inquiring if he knew Sweet Jimmy, the only one of Muhammad Ali's 50 opponents, it seems, to disappear from public view without a postscript - or a signature to sell on eBay.Thompson, intrigued, spent the next six years looking for Sweet Jimmy. He found a photo taken by expatriate British photographer Mickey Brennan for Sports Illustrated in the early 70s and learned that Robinson told Brennan, "Tell [Ali] I ain't doin' too good."Thompson took Mickey's photo and trawled the shanty towns of Miami, where the fighter had lived and fought and drunk his worries away. He spoke to crack heads and drunks. He listened to one tall story after another. He scoured public records. He couldn't find him. In the end, Thompson was not sure, even, if Robinson were alive.But he wrote his story for ESPN and, briefly, it is this:Jimmy got half-famous one February night in 1961 when he stepped in against Ali at the last minute in place of local doormat Willie "Shorty" Gulatt at the Convention Hall in Miami Beach. Unwilling Willie, all 6ft 6-1/2ins of him, derided the $300 he was offered as inadequate. Ali, in his fourth pro fight, earned $800.Robinson, just another Miami nobody who'd won one and lost two, was outweighed by a stone. He would go on to become a reliable loser, getting stopped 16 times in 32 paid outings. That night in Miami, he took the fight, the $300 as well as Ali's lightning right hand and was dragged away after just 94 seconds. It might have been the biggest purse of his career. And, certainly, it must have been the best minute-and-a-half of his life.And finally ...Boxing News, a hundred years old, could hardly have had two more contrasting editors than the late Harry Mullan and Claude Abrams.Harry was a boulevardier, an Irishman with not just a twinkle in his eye but a blazing klieg light. Claude, who is retiring after 13 years in the chair, to enjoy "a simpler life" and go travelling with his family, is a tee-totaller with a quieter, if no less impressive, presence.I remember a night in a dodgy bar in Detroit, when we were covering one of Naseem Hamed's fights, and Claude seeing off a large, belligerent drunk with the sort of quiet authority familiar to anyone who knew him.But Harry and Claude had one quality in common; they always called it as they saw it, resisting all blandishments of managers or promoters. And their judgment of a fight, before and afterwards, was spot on nine times out of 10.Good luck to Claude's successor, Tris Dixon. Those are mighty big shoes to fill.BoxingManny PacquiaoFloyd MayweatherKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
England holding the aces after Alastair Cook wins game of patience A hot wind blew in from the north, a portent, the locals say, of gloom and doom for the bowlers. And apart from two wickets in the first session, which raised their hopes briefly, this was a day of unrelenting, morale-sapping toil for South Africa, England closing with a lead of 43, their noses well and truly in front. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Virat Kohli powers India past Bangladesh and into triangular final • Batsman scores unbeaten 102 as tourists win by six wickets• Will face Sri Lanka in the final in Mirpur on WednesdayVirat Kohli struck an undefeated century as India cruised to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the triangular one-day series in Dhaka.India again performed strongly in the field to reduce Bangladesh to 95 for five, but Shakib Al Hasan hit an excellent 85 and Mahmudullah scored an undefeated 64, the duo adding 106 for the sixth wicket as Bangladesh finished with 247 for six.That target hardly tested India as Kohli made 102 not out and the rest of the order batted around him as the visitors, who will meet Sri Lanka in the final, also in Mirpur, breezed to victory with seven overs to spare.Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the India captain, won his first toss in the series and chose to field, a decision which was backed by an incisive effort from the new-ball bowlers Sudeep Tyagi and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.As he did yesterday against Sri Lanka, Tyagi again secured an early breakthrough, claiming Imrul Kayes in his second over with the new ball.Sreesanth then removed Mohammad Ashraful in the next over, bowling the former captain via an inside edge that deflected off the pad, his dismissal leaving the home side in some trouble.Raqibul Hasan then rebuilt and had added 45 for the third wicket with Tamim Iqbal when Ashish Nehra – back in the team in place of Zaheer Khan, who was rested – snared Tamim.Raqibul was then run out by Yuvraj Singh, who also claimed Mushfiqur Rahim in his first spell to leave the home side in disarray at 95 for five.Shakib and Mahmudullah, however, rescued the home side with a gritty display, Shakib reaching his 13th one-day half-century in 75 deliveries en route.He added 35 more to his score from only 22 deliveries, but fell while attempting to force the pace immediately after the powerplay was taken.Mahmudullah also went past the half-century mark and together with Naeem Islam (22 off 14) helped Bangladesh finish on a high.Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir again gave India's chase a solid start, the opening batsmen adding 64 in just under 12 overs.Shafiul Islam then extracted Karthik and Naeem gave his side a sniff of hope with the wickets of Gambhir and Yuvraj in quick succession, but Kohli and Dhoni restored order with a no-risk approach.Kohli reached his sixth one-day half-century off just 47 deliveries, his second consecutive 50 in this series and had added 68 with Dhoni departed, attempting to hit Shakib over the top but finding Kayes at mid-off.India Cricket TeamBangladesh Cricket TeamCricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Hatton to return for 'one more fight' • Opponent and date still to be decided• Amir Khan looks the most interesting prospectRicky Hatton, after eight months of agonising but to the surprise of few, has announced he is returning to the ring "for one more fight". He did not name an opponent, date or venue but suggested it would take place "some time in the summer".The options are limited. There is no chance of his returning to the upper echelons against the likes of Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr, the only men to beat him, or flirt with the risk of taking on any of the several rising young stars at or about his 10-stone division."It's got to be a top-10, pound-for-pound fighter or a world champion," he said on HattonTV. "I've fought at such a high level I couldn't have people look at me and say, 'well, he's just fought someone to knock them over.' If I'm going to end my career, I want to end my career at the top."The contest that would generate the most domestic interest, against Bolton's world light-welterweight champion Amir Khan, is also dangerous for the 31-year-old Hatton, whose punch resistance has clearly diminished.Khan last week repeated his willingness to fight Hatton and that seems the logical contest for both of them, if Hatton is not to have a warm-up fight.When Pacquiao brutally knocked out Hatton in round two of their fight in May there seemed little likelihood the former world light-welterweight and welterweight champion would fight again. "It's nice to hear people who say they're worried for your health," he conceded, "but a lot of these people said I shouldn't have fought Kostya Tzsyu [in 2005]."I've listened to the people who are closest to me and know Ricky Hatton best. You don't want your last fight to be like [the knockout by Pacquiao]."Hatton feels he has been able to "really get over it and put my mind straight".He added: "There's been no opponent that's been confirmed yet, there's been no date confirmed yet, but I have made my mind up."Ricky HattonBoxingKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
West Ham fans should brace themselves for sexy football THANK YOU, Santa. On Christmas Eve I hunkered down beside my bed and asked Father Christmas, please, could he fix it to ensure that West Ham United were bought out by a consortium consisting entirely of bankrupts, lunatics and half-wits. “And if you can’t manage that, Santa, then how about Sullivan, Gold and Brady?” You see, the power of prayer should not be underestimated; it worked a couple of years back too, when they signed Kieron Dyer for about a billion quid. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |