The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Pacquiao seeks definitive win to silence Marquez
- Tomic denies he was axed, vows to bounce back
- Federer targets Rio Olympics
| Pacquiao seeks definitive win to silence Marquez Posted: 06 Dec 2012 06:51 PM PST LAS VEGAS: Filipino southpaw Manny Pacquiao needs a statement victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in the fourth installment of their epic rivalry Saturday to prove once and for all who is the better fighter. Pacquiao, 33, will face the 39-year-old Marquez for the fourth time in eight years in a 12-round non-title welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Trainer Freddie Roach said he has seen a meaner, harder-punching Pacquiao in their sparring sessions at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. "I think he has the fire underneath him that he used to have," Roach said. "He has four knockdowns in training camp ... He wasn't so compassionate in sparring this time." Pacquiao, who is also eager to redeem himself after suffering a defeat in his most recent fight to Tim Bradley, is tired of Marquez blaming his failure to win in their series on biased judging. Marquez claims he won all three fights - although two were scored in favour of Pacquiao and one ended in a draw. "I think this is the last fight with him," Pacquiao says. "He always claims he won the fights. So he needs to prove something. "You cannot say, 'Yes, I won the fight' when you are always backing off. It is contradictory. If you are claiming you won the fight then you have to press the action." Pacquiao and Marquez, of Mexico, have fought a total of 36 rounds with their most recent fight being 13 months ago. They met for the first time in 2004 for the featherweight title. Marquez survived three early knockdowns to scrape out a draw. Fast forward four years and they would meet again at 130 pounds. Pacquiao was awarded a split decision by the narrowest of margins as one judge gave the victory to Marquez, the second favoured Pacquiao and the third gave it to Pacquiao by just one point. In November 2011, Pacquiao won on a majority decision that was roundly booed when it was announced. An incensed Marquez stormed out of the ring thinking he had won the fight. "There is not much I can do about the judges," Marquez says. "I don't pick them, and I sure don't know them. "There is no doubt in my mind that I won all three previous fights." Marquez feels he will finally break through with a victory this time - and he admits it's important to him. "Pacquiao continues to be the best in the world and to finally get a win over him would make me very happy," he says. Pacquiao says he was the aggressor in all the fights, landing more punches, so those close decisions rightly went to him. Pacquiao sees this fight as a chance to provide definitive proof as to who is the better fighter. He also wants to avoid suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his 17-year career. Bradley won the World Boxing Organization welterweight title in June by beating Pacquiao in a controversial split decision. "Pac Man" could have gone for a rematch against Bradley but in the end his camp figured another Marquez fight would sell more tickets. Besides, Pacquiao knows that much of his ring legacy will come from his contests with Marquez. "When you say 'Muhammad Ali', you think 'Joe Frazier'. And I think when you say 'Manny Pacquiao', you think 'Juan Manuel Marquez,'" he said. Much has been made of Marquez's bulkier physique for this fight. Marquez's strength and conditioning coach is Angel Heredia Hernandez, who was involved in the steroid scandal that eventually resulted in disgraced American athlete Marion Jones going to prison. Roach questioned whether Marquez was using performance-enhancing drugs. "Freddie Roach is saying I've been taking steroids. He's way off base," Marquez told the Los Angeles Times. "I say 'let's do the test right now'." - AFP |
| Tomic denies he was axed, vows to bounce back Posted: 06 Dec 2012 06:49 PM PST SYDNEY: Troubled Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic has admitted to being on a "slippery slope" this year, but denied he was axed from the Davis Cup team by captain Pat Rafter due to his behaviour. Tomic, 20, has fallen foul of Tennis Australia several times since reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2011 and the organisation said Thursday he would not be picked for the Davis Cup tie against Taiwan in February. "It's not one specific incident, just an aggregation of his approach to the game," said Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia's director of tennis. Australia's most recent Grand Slam winner, Samantha Stosur, also weighed in, telling Tomic he must "knuckle down" if he wanted to live up to his enormous potential. Tomic said he had taken the comments on board. "I'm young and I'm learning. You get to a point where you need to stop and I think it's a good bit of advice," he told the Ten Network late Thursday of Stosur's comments. "I'm working really hard and trying to push myself to become the best tennis player I can be. "I've had a slippery slope the last year. It's changing me and I'll prove I'm going to be the best-ever player one day to play this game." He denied being axed from the Davis Cup team, saying he was never going to be available as he planned to focus on ATP events in the United States. "I was never meant to play that Davis Cup tie," he said. "I spoke to Pat (about that). I'm going to use that time for training and to prepare for tournaments in America." Rafter had been scathing of Tomic's performance in losing to Andy Roddick in the second round of this year's US Open, describing his final set capitulation as "disgraceful". Tomic also admitted that he had given only "85 percent" in his 6-4, 6-0 defeat to German Florian Mayer at the Shanghai Masters in October. In the same month, he was questioned by police after a fight with a friend on Australia's Gold Coast. Tomic was found guilty last month of failing to stop for police on the Gold Coast in his high-powered, bright orange sports car and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond. - AFP |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2012 06:48 PM PST SAO PAULO: Roger Federer wants to play at the 2016 Rio Olympics and will cut back his schedule in an effort to extend his shelf life. The 17-time Grand Slam title winner will be 35 by the time the Rio Games come around, but the Swiss world number two remains without a gold medal in singles having been defeated by Andy Murray in the London Olympics final this year. He was a gold medallist in doubles in Beijing in 2008. "My goal is to be here again in three and a half years to play the Rio Olympics," said Federer on Thursday, ahead of a series of exhibition matches in Brazil. Federer will play 14 events in 2013, beginning at the season's first Grand Slam event at the Australian Open in Melbourne, but will skip the Miami Masters and Monte Carlo Masters. "I'm trying to prioritize the events in which I participate, therefore I am not able to play 25 tournaments in a year," he told the Folha newspaper. "I am picking just those already won or to which I have a sentimental attachment, either with the people or with the city." Federer will share the exhibition tour in Brazil with home player Thomaz Bellucci, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Germany's Tommy Haas and Spain's Tommy Robredo. Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are also part of the tour. "I'm very excited to be here. I have waited for this for years. I have travelled almost every day of my life. I was not able to come here until now," Federer told the Globo website. - AFP |
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