MANNY PUMMELS ZAMBIAN SPARRING MATE / MEET THE OTHER 'PACMAN'
MANILA, OCTOBER 19, 2011 (TIMES) Written by : Josef T. Ramos - Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has decided to teach his cocky Zambian sparring partner a lesson in humility according to boxing site philboxing.com.
Hastings Bwalya, with seven wins and five knockouts under his belt according to report, taunted the Filipino ring icon to "mix it up." Bwalya, also a former Zambian Olympian was said to have provided Floyd Mayweather Jr. tough sparring sessions during his training camp against Sugar Shane Mosley.
Pacquiao obliged and in the second round battered Bwalya with rapid-fire combinations bloodying the Zambian's nose and mouth.
Bwalya is serving as replacement for Pacquiao's former sparring partner Venezuelan Jorge Linares. The Venezuelan is preparing for his fight against Antonio de Marco for the vacant World Boxing Council lightweight title on Saturday.
FROM THE BULLETIN
MEET THE OTHER 'PACMAN MANILA BULLETIN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011
[PHOTO - PACQUIAO'S PACER With his pet dog 'Pacman' leading the way, boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (left) jogs with his trainers in Griffiths Park in suburban Los Angeles. (Photo by NICK SAGMIT)]
MANILA, Philippines — There may be other dogs that are bigger celebrities, but there is no question "Pacman" has logged more frequent flyer miles than any of them.
Not "Pacman," or Manny Pacquiao, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight and eightdivision champion people's champ, but "Pacman," his favorite pet.
Since acquiring the Jack Russell terrier five years ago, Pacquiao makes it a point to bring it along wherever he goes.
The dog, which lives in Los Angeles, even has a special permit from the United States to join the boxing hero wherever he wishes to go.
"Pacman is an American citizen," Noel Lautengco, who takes care of the terrier, said in an interview while Pacquiao was in Baguio City for the first leg of his preparation for his third fight with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.
"He's gone to many places, because Manny takes him along whenever he fights, trains or sightsees," Lautengco, who is married to Jinkee's aunt Marlyn Jamora, said.
"There are dogs which appear in movies that could be more popular than Pacman, but, undoubtedly, no one is more well-travelled than Pacman is. Just think of how many times Manny fought since 2006. And what about the times when he goes on training?" Lautengco, who now works as an oncall plumber in Los Angeles, said.
"It's Pacman who wakes Manny up for his morning roadwork during his training. We in Team Pacquiao always know that Manny is awake because Pacman always shows up ahead of him," Lautengo said.
The terrier can keep up with Pacquiao when he runs. "Manny uses him as a pacer," Lautengco said.
During Pacquiao's first week of training in Los Angeles, Pacman kept him company during his roadwork at the hilly Griffith Park.
Lautengco said he and Manny were friends even before he courted Jinkee, who then worked as a model and endorser for a beauty product. "I was, in fact, responsible for introducing him to Jinkee," he said.
Pacman was given to Pacquiao by boyhood friend and now assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez. "The dog was given to Buboy by a friend. Manny took a liking to the dog because it was cute and frisky. It was Buboy who christened the terrier Pacman."
Lautengco said that Pacman used to sleep beside Manny. "But because Manny is allergic to fur, Pacman now sleeps beside me," he said.
Pacman doesn't like to sleep without someone beside him, he said. "I lay him on the floor beside the bed before I sleep. But when I wake up, the dog's at my feet, sharing my blanket," Lautengco said, chuckling. (PNA)
Nadal takes stock after sobering loss in Shanghai inShare0Published : Saturday, October 15, 2011 00:00 Article Views : 302 Written by : AFP for MANILA TIMES
[PHOTO - Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts while playing against Florian Mayer of Germany during their third round match at the 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament at the Qizhong Tennis Center in Shanghai AFP PHOTO]
RAFAEL Nadal came to Shanghai in high spirits and eyeing a 20th Masters title, but a shock defeat to Germany's Florian Mayer means he no longer has a chance of topping the year-end rankings.
For so long locked in a duel for tennis supremacy with Roger Federer, Nadal is now playing second fiddle to Novak Djokovic, who is guaranteed to end the year as world number one after Nadal's third-round defeat on Thursday.
A rueful Nadal said after his 6-7 (5/7), 3-6 loss to world number 23 Mayer that he came into the Shanghai Masters, missing Federer and Djokovic, in the right frame of mind after a good run, and defeat had hit him hard.
"For me today is a disappointing day. I felt that I did everything right. I was in the right line since the week before the US Open," said the Spaniard, who lost in last month's final at Flushing Meadows to Djokovic.
"I think I was doing everything right, practising with good motivation, practising well in general. I had a good result at the US Open. I had a good result last week."
The 25-year-old, beaten by Britain's Andy Murray in Sunday's Japan Open final, said defeat in Shanghai was a chance gone begging.
"It is an opportunity lost for me. To be at the top, to win tournaments, can happen less, you cannot lose opportunities. Today I felt I lost an opportunity to have a fantastic tournament here, and that's the negative part."
In a mixed season Nadal has lost seven out of 10 finals in 2011 and has won a single Grand Slam, the French Open, compared with three Slams in 2010, when he established himself as the unquestioned number one in the game.
"It's been a very positive season but at the same time a tough season for me. These kind of losses have an effect. It's normal," he said.
"If you are playing badly and you lose, it's fine. But my feeling is I was playing really well before the tournament. It is for that reason that the loss is tougher," he added.
Nadal said he had to "just accept the loss, accept that I have to keep working with the same line for the next two or three months, for the next season, and hopefully I can start the next season with more power, with a few things better".
Djokovic, the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open winner in 2011, took top spot in the rankings for the first time in his career when he deposed Nadal as All England Club champion in July.
Djokovic is the first player other than Federer (2004-07, 2009) or Nadal (2008, 2010) to finish number one since American Andy Roddick in 2003.
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