Ill-fated Casillas injured again

ISTANBUL - Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas was forced off in the 15th minute of Tuesday's (Wednesday, PHL time) 6-1 Champions League Group B romp at Galatasaray after sustaining a rib injury in a collision with teammate Sergio Ramos.

Medical staff taped up the affected area but it quickly became clear the Real captain would be unable to continue and he was replaced by Diego Lopez.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters that he hoped Casillas would recover in 3-to-4 days but Spanish media reported the 32-year-old could be sidelined for two weeks.

"Iker had bad luck, that happens in football," said Real's hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

"He did something to his ribs. He was down in the dumps but he will recover soon."

Casillas has barely played since Real and Spain teammate Alvaro Arbeloa accidentally kicked his hand during a King's Cup match in January and broke a bone.

He fell out with former coach Jose Mourinho on his return and was replaced in the team by Lopez.

Mourinho's successor Ancelotti has used Lopez in Real's four La Liga matches this season but picked Casillas, who has retained his place in the Spain team, for their opening Champions League game.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has stood by his captain and if fit he will almost certainly be first choice for the final two World Cup qualifiers at home to Belarus and Georgia on October 11 and October 15 respectively.

The world and European champions are level on 14 points with France at the top of Group I and have a game in hand. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Mayweather apologizes for mocking de la Hoya

LOS ANGELES - Boxer Floyd Mayweather has been forced to apologize for an Instagram photo and caption that mocked former world champ and promoter Oscar de la Hoya's substance-abuse problem.

Mayweather apologized for the picture of a somber-looking de la Hoya which ran on his Instagram page Monday with the headline "MEANWHILE IN REHAB". The caption underneath the picture said, "OSCAR: "I gave Canelo the wrong Blueprint I was high."

The 36-year-old American Mayweather described the incident as "stupid" and claimed the photo was posted without his knowledge. He did not go into detail about how it ended up on his Instagram account, or who might have put it there.

The photo ultimately was deleted.

"It's unfortunate that a stupid picture was posted to my Instagram account earlier today that was not posted by me or authorized by me to post," Mayweather wrote in a statement emailed to reporters by his public relation's firm.

"I apologize to Oscar and his family for this posting. I wish him well and am rooting for him to win his fight too. I also apologize to all of my followers for this ridiculous post."

Mayweather also stressed that he had wished Mexico's de la Hoya well at Saturday's (Sunday, PHL time) post-fight news conference after Mayweather scored a majority decision in the main event over Saul Alvarez, who is promoted by de la Hoya.

It was just the second fight for Mayweather since he was released from prison after serving a sentence for assaulting the mother of his children.

Mayweather went on to say that he hopes de la Hoya recovers quickly.

But Mayweather has also previously admonished de la Hoya's fast-paced lifestyle and the promoter's track record with Golden Boy Promotions.

De la Hoya missed the Mayweather-Alvarez fight after checking himself into a treatment center last week.

Mayweather and de la Hoya fought in 2007 in a mega world title bout that set the record as most lucrative boxing match in history, with over $130 million in generated revenues.

Mayweather won by a split decision to claim the world light middleweight title.

"Although we had our difference in the past, I stand by him unconditionally and would never personally disrespect him or anyone else who struggles with addiction," Mayweather's statement read. - AFP

source: gmanetwork.com

Manny Pacquiao seeks return to top of boxing heap

Filipino boxer and congressman Manny Pacquiao said on Friday he was hoping to get his name back to the top of the boxing world.

Pacquiao and U.S. boxer Brandon Rios stopped in Singapore during their Asia promotional tour for their welterweight fight in Macau, where the Filipino pound-for-pound champion is looking to redeem his knockout loss to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.

"Great opportunity for me to give a good show for the people, to get back my name into the top of boxing," Pacquiao said.

The Filipino champion is hoping to fight Marquez again, if possible, in Asia.

"Yes I like that, I want that fight (to) happen again especially if the fight we can bring in the Philippines or in Asia it's good and looking forward to that fight," he added.

The 27-year-old lightweight champion Rios says he is prepared to face Pacquaio.

"I can't really answer that question because I'm not Pacman (Manny Pacquiao), but we're getting ready for the best Manny Pacquiao, the one that was dominating the game, the one that was beating everybody so we're getting ready for him. I'm not worried about his last fight, or about the last fight after that, I'm worried about the Manny Pacquiao that is going to come out and he's going to show the world that he's not done yet. So we're getting ready for that guy," Rios said.

Pacquiao is taking time off from his legislative duties, having won unopposed a second term as congressman for Sarangani province in last May's election. His wife Jinky won as vice-governor of Sarangani, but his brother Rogelio lost his bid to be congressman of the South Cotabato province.

Speculation is rife that Pacquiao is contemplating a run for the country's highest office, but he had said that it is far from his mind at the moment.

Top Rank Boxing Promotion Company CEO, Bob Arum believes Manny Pacquiao has a bright future out of the boxing world.

"I think what is the end game with Manny. The end game with Manny is to run and win for the highest possible office in the Philippines. I mean that is, boxing is just way-station for Manny Pacquiao. I think he has so much to offer his country so he will know when to call it quits in boxing," he said.

Regarded as a national hero in the Philippines where his rags-to-riches story has inspired millions, the 34-year-old entered politics in 2010 but many fans had said he should just stick to boxing.

The fight in November will be Pacquiao's first since his loss to Marquez last December, a defeat that prompted many to suggest he should retire after being left unconscious, face down on the canvas.

However, Pacquiao, winner of world titles at eight different weight divisions said retirement is not in his mind right now, and he would fight for two or three more years.  — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Rising star Golovkin knocks out Macklin via liver punch

Gennady Golovkin continued his undefeated run with a third round knockout against Matthew Macklin, Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) at MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort.

Golovkin, a Kazakh who now resides in Germany, landed a picture-perfect left hook to the body that dropped his opponent. Macklin folded after the punch was landed and he stayed on the canvas long after referee Eddie Cotton ended his ten count. The official time of stoppage was at 1:22 of the third round.

With the win, Golovkin defended his IBO and WBA middleweight titles. He also remained undefeated, winning all of his 27 fights with an impressive 24 knockouts under his name.

Macklin engaged Golovkin in an exciting match from the very start. Even if Golovkin had an astounding 88 percent knockout percentage, Macklin fought him toe-to-toe in the first two rounds, even landing a few big right straights of his own. His corner instructed the challenger to keep moving towards his right to make it harder for Golovkin to land his vaunted rights. However, this set Macklin up perfectly for Golovkin’s left hook.

In the third round, Golovkin caught Macklin on the ropes. He landed left and right uppercuts which ever so slightly made Macklin adjust his defense. When Macklin’s body opened up, Golovkin landed a devastating left hook, which is often called the liver punch in boxing parlance, to end the fight.

Macklin’s record fell to 29 wins against five losses. - CLP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

F1 has invested in New Jersey race, says Ecclestone

BARCELONA - Formula One has put money into New Jersey's postponed Grand Prix of America to ensure it will go ahead next year, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters on Saturday.

The riverside race, with the New York skyscrapers as a backdrop, was supposed to go ahead this year but was postponed to 2014, with June the likely date, because organizers supposedly needed more time to prepare.

Before the postponement, Ecclestone had raised doubts about the race going ahead and said local organizers had not complied with the terms and conditions of the contract which had subsequently lapsed.

Speaking at the Spanish Grand Prix, the 82-year-old said the picture was now much more promising.

"There's no reason why it shouldn't happen. We've put money behind it to pay a lot of the things off, a lot of their debts," he said. "So I'm hoping now we are going to get it together.

"We're going to try and make it happen next year."

Ecclestone said money had been "put into the circuit" which would be recovered when the race was held.

Chris Pook, a long-time Ecclestone associate who organized a grand prix in Long Beach, California, between 1976 and 1983, has joined the New Jersey senior management team as special assistant to the chairman, Leo Hindery Jr.

Pook's role is to advise on all aspects of construction, planning and execution of the race at Port Imperial.

"He knows all the things not to do, which is important," said Ecclestone. "And the other people weren't sure what not to do. They thought they knew what to do but not what was the important thing."

There has been talk of Long Beach being revived as a Formula One venue, to give the United States a West Coast race as well as East Coast and one in the middle at the new circuit in Austin, Texas.

"If we do this [New Jersey], it [Long Beach] won't [happen again]," said the Briton. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Rams hire Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator

The St. Louis Rams have hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to the same position, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

Ryan was fired Jan. 8 after the Cowboys ranked 19th in total defense, but gave up the nine-most points in the NFL. His comments after being fired turned to be somewhat prescient.

"I inherited a team that was 31st in the league in defense and made them better," Ryan told ESPNDallas.com. "I (expletive) made them a hell of a lot better. I'll be out of work for like five minutes."

Ryan will inherit a defense that did not have a true defensive coordinator following Gregg Williams’ year-long suspension for his role as an assistant coach in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal. Williams will not be with the team in 2013.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher has history with the Ryan family. He played under Rob’s father, Buddy, as a defensive back in Chicago. Fisher also served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator for three seasons under Ryan, and for two others as a defensive backs coach.

source:  http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-01-25/rob-ryan-new-rams-defensive-coordinator-hired-former-cowboys-jeff-fisher

After Lance Armstrong's doping scandal, leading tennis players to get their way on doping controls

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and other leading tennis players calling for increased blood testing in tennis could get their wish in 2013 with the introduction of athlete biological passports to the sport.

In the aftermath of Lance Armstrong's admission last week that he was on drugs when he won each of his seven Tour de France titles, several top players at the Australian Open have revealed that they have received relatively few blood tests.





World number one Djokovic said last week that he had not been blood tested "in six or seven months".

The biological passport is a method of monitoring selected biological parameters over time, rather than trying to detect individual substances, and was considered one of the main reasons for the success in catching cheats in cycling.



"We're looking very, very closely at it and I think there's a reasonably good chance that will be operational probably towards the end of 2013," Dr Stuart Miller, the head of the International Tennis Federation (ITF)'s anti-doping effort, told BBC radio on Monday.



In 2011, the most recent set of figures available, the ITF conducted only 21 blood tests out of competition and 131 in total, a figure well outweighed by urine tests, which numbered 2,019.



At the Paris Masters last October, U.S. Open champion Murray led the calls for more blood tests in tennis, a view backed up in Melbourne by Roger Federer and Djokovic.



Blood tests are more expensive to administer than urine tests and Miller admitted that they were subject to financial constraints.



The Tennis Anti-Doping Program, which operates under the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) code is funded by the ITF along with the men's (ATP) and women's (WTA) tours and the grand slams.



On Tuesday, the ITF confirmed that the total investment in the anti-doping program was $2 million per year.

That included around $400,000 for the administration, paid for solely by the ITF, which covers staff, education, court costs and insurance.



Miller said tennis was doing everything it could to try to catch cheats.



"We are looking with our partners at the ATP, WTA and grand slams to identify areas we think we can improve," he said.



"We think we need to increase the proportion of blood testing we do under the program and we think we could also do with tending to increase the proportion of tests we do out of competition."



The ITF said it is committed to increasing its contribution in 2013 and former top-10 player Guy Forget, now the tournament director of the Paris Masters, said he believed drug taking was still happening in tennis.



"I don't think our sport is clean, I'm sure some guys are cheating," he told the BBC.



"I think it's a minority, probably, but that's why Roger and Andy are right to say we should put more money into blood tests and have more controls because we should fight this any way we can.



"I lost matches probably to guys who beat me with an unfair advantage because they were taking drugs.

"For sure it has happened. I can look in the mirror knowing I have never taken anything. But some guys might have done it.



"First of all some guys have tested positive, even if it's only a few, some have." - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Glock leaves Marussia F1 team

LONDON - German Formula One driver Timo Glock has left Marussia with immediate effect and by mutual consent, the Russian-licensed team said on Monday.



They added that a replacement would be announced in due course. The team's other driver is British newcomer Max Chilton.



"The ongoing challenges facing the industry mean that we have had to take steps to secure our long-term future. Tough economic conditions prevail and the commercial landscape is difficult for everyone, Formula One teams included," said principal John Booth in a statement.



"We would like to thank Timo for working with us to reach this decision, especially as he had a valid contract, and also for the contribution he has made to our team."  - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Pacquiao closes camp at Wild Card, arrives in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada -- The hard-hitting and aggressive version of Manny Pacquiao that the boxing world has come to know and love will be making a comeback this Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) against Juan Manuel Marquez.

This was the consensus among the people who watched him train for the last time at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, before his fourth fight against Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

After just four rounds of sparring, Pacquiao completed his traditional training circuit before packing and heading for Las Vegas. Following his workout, the Sarangani congressman exchanged pleasantries with an American congresswoman from Hawaii before answering questions from the press.

"I pray for my safety and I also pray for Marquez," Pacquiao said. "I pray for everyone who will fight in the undercard because I believe that boxing is not about hurting each other."

Pacquiao and a handful of Team Pacquiao members then made their way to Nat's Thai Food to have lunch, before heading out to Las Vegas. The caravan of more than 20 vehicles, including a bus bearing Pacquiao's image, left the Wild Card Gym a little past four in the afternoon for the drive to Las Vegas, with Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee leading the way in his Lincoln Navigator.





 The group arrived a little past eight in the evening and went straight to Pacquiao's suite at the hotel, where the boxer, his family, and his entourage had dinner served.

The meal, good for about 100 people, was composed of some of the fighter's favorite food. Mike Koncz, Pacquiao's advisor, had the hotel prepare adobong manok, nilagang baka, bistek tagalog, chopsuey, sweet and sour fish, pancit, and steamed rice. The food was mostly gone 30 minutes after it was served, as throngs of family members and supporters arrived in waves to be with Pacquiao.

The eight-division world champion was in a light mood after he arrived. He started singing lines from the song "This is the Moment," perhaps signifying how the time he has been preparing for for all these months is finally near. Pacquiao also helped Koncz distribute the room keys for all his guests.


Asked why he was extra intense during his sparring for this fight, Pacquiao sheepishly said "I was only making examples," before letting out a quick laugh. The way he answered might lead some to think that he is taking things lightly, but hidden behind the boyish playfulness is a stern warning to his opponent. - AMD/OMG, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Olympics: Nostalgic Dream Teamers fancy Team USA's chances for hoops gold

BARCELONA - Original "Dream Team" members David Robinson and Chris Mullin renewed their love affair with Barcelona 20 years after the squad's gold medal triumph and are confident the current crop of U.S. Olympians will match their achievement.

"Old great memories," Mullin, a jump-shooter on the all-conquering 1992 team, told Reuters after watching the U.S. practice at Palau Sant Jordi on Monday (Tuesday, PHL time), a day ahead of the Olympic champions' final tune-up before London against Spain.

"I love the city, it's a beautiful place to be. I think there's a connection with Barcelona and that team. I think we embraced the city and I think that the people that were around at that time have a connection. It's a distant home."

Robinson also basked in the memory of the 1992 Dream Team experience, when he along with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird ushered in an era of National Basketball Association (NBA) stars competing on the Olympic stage.

"We went back to the arena out there in Badalona and it was a lot of fun," Robinson said about the arena where they enthralled fans around the globe.

"It brought back memories of how nice the people were, how crazy it was out on the Rambla. There's always zillions of people around. It made it a lot of fun."

Robinson, Mullin and teammate Clyde "The Glide" Drexler were honored during halftime of Sunday's U.S.-Argentina friendly to enthusiastic cheers from the Barcelona crowd.

Despite a tight 86-80 scoreline in favor of the Americans, the Dream Team alumni said they were impressed by the latest squad.

"They can put the ball in the basket," Robinson said. "They've got a few guys that are virtually unstoppable when they want to be.

"You've got a LeBron James and a Kevin Durant. You've seen guys like Russell Westbrook go off and Kobe [Bryant], you know what he can do. These guys are unstoppable. It's going to be tough for any team to slow us down."

Said Mullin: "Offensively, there are so many gifted players sharing the ball and creating good shots for each other."

Force turnovers

Robinson said defensive pressure was the U.S. key.

"They have to work together a little bit better, especially on perimeter defense. Giving wide open three-point shots, people are going to make those shots out here," he said.

"You have to at least get a hand in their face to challenge some shots. They get a little better on their rotations and they're going to be OK."

Mullin saw it differently.

"Perimeter-wise they're phenomenal. Defensively they're off the charts. They can really apply pressure and force turnovers and take other teams out of their offensive sets."

Neither former Dream Teamer thought a lack of size, brought about by injuries that ruled out Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, would derail the Americans.

"They can play Carmelo [Anthony] at the 4 [power forward], LeBron at 4," said Mullin. "They can do it a little bit differently than a traditional lineup."

Spain, losers to the U.S. team in the 2008 Beijing final, will have a size advantage inside, while the U.S. team has greater depth, quickness and athleticism.

They figure to give the United States a good challenge, unlike the series of routs registered by the '92 Dream Team, who went 8-0 with an average victory margin of 43 points.

"We weren't exactly tested, whereas these guys will be tested probably a few times in this Olympics," Robinson said. "But that's great. It's great to see basketball on the world stage get better and better."  - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com