A Repost From Manila Bulletin

Margarito Kicks Off Training

Manila Bulletin - Wednesday, September 8

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Manila, Philippines - Antonio Margarito formally begins training camp at the TKO Boxing Gym in Las Vegas, roughly 10 weeks before he clashes with Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on November 13 in Dallas. Margarito's trainer Robert Garcia is in Sin City to work the corner of a rising lightweight star Brandon Rios for a fight set this weekend and he has instructed the 5-11 Mexican to do light workouts in preparation for the tough grind that is set to commence Monday in Oxnard, California. ''We'll do some work here then starting next week it's going to be training proper,'' said Garcia, who will work Margarito's corner for only the second time after the fighter decided to drop Jaier Capetillo owing to the handwraps controversy that led to his one-year suspension. Garcia said Margarito is not the type to bloat in-between fights and he expects to breeze through training camp with ease. ''Margarito is a hard worker and is always in good shape even if he doesn't have a fight scheduled,'' said Garcia, who is upbeat about his fighter's chances of scoring a major upset at Cowboys Stadium. Pacquiao, meanwhile, is still taking it nice and easy, still attending to his demanding job as Saragani congressman. But Pacquiao expects to kick off his eight-week training camp on September 20 with Freddie Roach and strength coach Alex Ariza. Reports say Pacquiao will now instead train in Metro Manila so he could attend sessions at Batasang Pambansa but Roach feels it would be better if they set up camp in Baguio City. ''The last time I talked with Manny when he was here last week, he said we'll be going to Baguio for training camp,'' said Roach. Roach said it's not a good idea to train in Manila owing to numerous distractions in the Big City.

Reposted From Manila Bulletin

A Repost From Nelson Beltran of Philstar

Bata-Django exacts revenge on Thais

Philstar.com - Wednesday, September 8

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MANILA, Philippines - Filipino pool greats Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante settled an old score with Thais Nitiwat Kanjanasri and Surathep Phoochalam, pulling off an easy 8-3 win to start their title defense in the World Cup of Pool 2010 at the Midtown Wing of Robinson’s Place Ermita yesterday.

Reyes and Bustamante brandished a near flawless game to avenge an upset at the hands of Kanjanasri and Phoochalam during the quarterfinals of the 2007 SEA Games 9-ball doubles in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

The two had different thoughts on the victory.

“I’m happy we’ve taken revenge. We waited three long years to get it done,” said Bustamante.

“Sorry, but I don’t think we’ve already got even with them. They denied us of a gold medal in the SEA Games. We can’t win that gold medal here,” said Reyes.

In dumping the Thais, Reyes and Bustamante advanced to the WCP second round versus the Indon duo of Muhammad Zulfikri and Ricky Yang.

Four dry breaks by Bustamante and an illegal break by Reyes marred an otherwise perfect game by the Filipinos who are out for a third crown in this annual championship first held in 2006.

Germany’s Ralf Souquet and Oliver Ortmann, runners-up to the Filipinos over at SM North EDSA last year, crushed Hong Kong’s Lee Chenman and Kenny Kwok, 8-4, earlier.

Unseeded Russia pulled off a shocker in Day One of the six-day world pool event among 32 big teams when it rallied from a 0-4 deficit in stunning 12th ranked Canada, 8-4.

Konstantin Stepanov and Ruslan Chinakhov displayed superb pocketing when they finally got the chance at the green-felt table, blowing past John Morra and Jason Klatt and into the second round versus the German pair.

Sixteenth ranked Indonesia fashioned out its own come-from-behind in nipping India, 8-7, while eighth seed China dumped Belgium, 8-2, and No. 9 Italy tripped Korea, 8-6.

“We were nervous at the beginning and they played well. But we were just waiting for a mistake and when they made one and we took two racks,” said Stepanov.

“We gave them the play again but they didn’t take it and made a stupid foul (when Klatt’s shirt touched a ball) and that was the main moment of the match,” Stepanov added.

Stepanov and Chinakhov were hopeful of their chance in the second round.

“We could play Germany and that will be a tough match. The German team is really special with Ralf (Souquet). But their (Souquet-Oliver Ortmann) relationship is not perfect and I don’t know how comfortable they feel so we will see what happens,” said Stepanov.

Italians Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore were the day’s spoilers for the hometown crowd as they bundled out the all-female Korean team of Yu Ram Cha and Ga Young Kim. - By Nelson Beltran (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Reposted From Nelson Beltran Of Philstar

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

Gerald Anderson reacts to Kim's 'suicide attempt'

ABS-CBN - Tuesday, September 7

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Gerald Anderson reacts to Kim's 'suicide attempt'

MANILA, Philippines – Popular love team Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu had a “special relationship” but there was never a commitment between them.

Anderson made this statement in his exclusive interview with “The Buzz,” which was aired Sunday, amid reports that the 2 had secretly broken up.

“Nagkaron po kami ng isang special relationship. We cared for each other. We were there for each other. Nagkaroon po kami ng commitment? Hindi po. Hindi po kami boyfriend-girlfriend,” the 21-year-old actor said.

He pointed out that from the very beginning of their careers, he has been open about his feelings for his on-screen partner.

He, however, clarified that getting committed to each other is still far from their minds, saying that their top priority right now is their respective careers.

“Na-realize po namin 21 ako, 20 si Kim pero tingin ng ibang tao sa amin para kaming mag-asawa na parang sabi namin, ‘Sandali lang, sandali lang. Marami pa kaming kailangan ma-explore, ma-discover na kami lang…’ para mag-grow kami not on TV but behind the camera,” he said.

He maintained that he will “always care for her,” and that “she will always be part of my life.”

He also shot down the possibility that they might stop doing projects together in the future. “May mga proyekto kami na hindi kami magkasama pero hindi ibig sabihin na hindi na kami magsasama [ulit].”

In fact, he said they are gearing up for another film under Star Cinema. He said it will be directed by Laurenti Dyogi.

Meanwhile, when asked to comment on Chiu’s reported suicide attempt, Anderson expressed disbelief. He maintained that Chiu can never harm herself.

“Hindi niya magagawa. Maraming nagmamahal sa kanya and mahal niya ang mga kaibigan niya, mahal niya ang career niya, mahal niya ang pamilya niya,” he said.

According to reports, Chiu tried to take her own life after purportedly breaking up with Anderson. Star Magic, which is handling her career, earlier denied the reports.

Anderson is now rumored to be courting actress Bea Alonzo.

Reposted From ABS-CBN News

A Repost From Manila Bulletin

Smoking is dangerous to your health: The rationale behind the warning

Manila Bulletin - Thursday, September 2

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There's no other way to say it. Smoking is dangerous to your health. This warning is written in every cigarette pack every smoker consumes but, over time, has lost its effect and value. According to QuitsmokingHub, about 1.35 billion people worldwide are smokers. In Asia alone, 9.6% are smokers. And five million deaths recorded around the world yearly are caused by smoking. Composition of a cigarette

Aside from nicotine, which is an addictive drug found in cigarettes, there are many more cigarette ingredients that even smokers do not know about. QuitsmokingHub has named seven human carcinogens found in cigarettes. Carcinogens are substances known to cause cancer in humans and animals. These carcinogens include Aminobiphenyl, 2-Naphthylamine, Chromium, N-Nitrosodiethylamine, N-Nitrosopyrrolidine, N-Nitrosodiethanolamine and Cadmium.

But the list doesn't end there. Aside from these carcinogens, cigarettes are composed of different ingredients like lead, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia that aside from respiratory problems, may also cause weakness in the fingers, wrists and ankles, negatively affect memory, disrupt blood cell production and the male reproductive system, cause hearing and color vision loss and many other negative effects that one body cannot take all in.

Why it's harder to stop smoking now than ten years ago

The Massachusetts Department of Health released a report in 2007 that the level of nicotine found in U.S. cigarettes has risen since 2001, making it harder to quit and easier to get hooked, as reported by the Associated Press.

The study shows a steady climb in the amount of nicotine delivered to the lungs of smokers regardless of brand, with overall nicotine yields increasing by about 10 percent.

The study found the three most popular cigarette brands - Marlboro, Newport and Camel - delivered significantly more nicotine than they did years ago.

Smokers who choose "light" brands hoping to reduce their nicotine intake are out of luck, according to the report that found for all brands tested in 1998 and 2004, there was no significant difference in the total nicotine content between "full flavor," "medium," "light," or "ultra-light" cigarettes.

With all the statistics of smokers and the ill-effects of smoking listed over the years, it is obvious that smoking is a very hard habit to break. But knowing all the ill-effects of smoking to a smoker's body can at least make one fall into a deep thought and take a second look before puffing his/er next cigarette. (With a report from AP)

Reposted From Manila Bulletin

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

Roach: Pacquiao will overwhelm Margarito

ABS-CBN - Friday, September 3

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Roach: Pacquiao will overwhelm Margarito

MANILA, Philippines – American trainer Freddie Roach reiterated his prediction of a Manny Pacquiao knockout win over Mexican Antonio Margarito during the second leg of the media tour for the November 13 fight.

Roach said that his ward “will be the winner by knockout” at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

“It’s a bold statement, but his skills are gonna be too much for Margarito,” the acclaimed trainer said as quoted by Michael Woods of TheSweetScience.com.

Margarito’s trainer, Robert Garcia, earlier proclaimed that they will score an upset over the 7-division world champion.

Pacquiao, for his part, refused to forecast the outcome of his second fight at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“I don’t want to predict the fight,” said the boxing superstar and newly-elected congressman of Sarangani province.

But he vowed that his bout with Margarito will be better than his lopsided fight against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey which was held at the Cowboys Stadium last March 13.

Pacquiao successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt by unanimous decision.

“He is a very aggressive fighter, as opposed to the last opponent, Joshua Clottey, who was always covering his face and didn't want to get hit. I want to satisfy all the fans,” said the Filipino boxing icon.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao was also asked about his supposed November 13 opponent, undefeated American Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

“The Pacman” said he was not disappointed that the Mayweather fight did not push through.

“I don't need him, he needs me,” remarked Pacquiao. “Compare my achievements to his.”

The Pacquiao-Margarito media tour will proceed to Texas on Thursday (Friday in Manila). – With a report from TheSweetScience.com

Reposted From ABS-CBN News

A Repost From Reuters

Michael Douglas hopes to beat "intense" cancer

Reuters - Wednesday, September 1

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Michael Douglas speaks at the American Theatre Wing's 64th annual Tony Awards ceremony in New York in this June 13, 2010 file photograph.

Slideshow: Showbiz Photos

LOS ANGELES - Michael Douglas said on Tuesday he felt optimistic about recovering from throat cancer but drew gasps when he told a television audience he had the most advanced stage.

The 65-year-old "Wall Street" actor told TV talk-show host David Letterman that a biopsy indicated that his cancer was at stage IV, which he described as "intense, and so they've got to go at it ..."

Letterman asked whether stage IV was a good diagnosis.

"Um no," Douglas replied, according to a transcript provided by CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman."

Stage IV cancer has spread far beyond the original tumor and is usually impossible to cure.

"No, you like to be down at stage I ... but it has not -- the big thing you're always worried about is it spreading ... and the expectations are good ...

"The percentages are very good," Douglas added. "I would hate to say, but right now, it looks like it should be 80 percent, and with certain hospitals and everything, it does improve."

According to the National Cancer Institute, patients with stage IV head and neck cancer usually undergo surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Douglas told Letterman that his cancer was caused by his drinking and smoking.

He said his throat had been bothering him for a while, and a multitude of doctors put him through a battery of tests in the early summer, but had found nothing.

After a summer break, he underwent a biopsy, which revealed his advanced cancer.

He expressed frustration with the doctors who could not find anything, "because I was on it early in the summer and started complaining about something, but they couldn't see it then."

Douglas is married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, with whom he has two children, Dylan, 10, and Carys, 7.

Reposted From Reuters

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

'Margarito deserves to fight Pacquiao'

abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 09/01/2010 12:27 PM | Updated as of 09/01/2010 2:33 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Members from the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito pleaded to the media and public to give the Mexican a chance to prove himself in the ring after serving out a one-year suspension.

Top Rank, Inc. CEO Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, cited the Texas Athletic Commission for granting Margarito a license to fight again in the United States after the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended him last year.

“Evidence determines guilt or innocence and there was not one shred of evidence that Antonio Margarito knew anything about the hand wrap,” Arum said during a press conference at the Rodeo Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

The CSAC suspended Margarito after a plaster-like substance was found in his hand wraps ahead of his January 2009 bout against Shane Mosley.

The Margarito vs Pacquiao fight, which still lacks a marketing title, will be held on November 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas.

“Probably Pacquiao-Margarito is all the title that it needs,” Arum commented.

Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser, Michael Koncz, slammed Margarito’s critics for being too hard on him.

“I wanna thank the media for coming out its always great to have your support. But on the other hand, I also wanna scold the media, the media that’s writing that we shouldn't be fighting Maragarito and so forth. I think it's absurd,” he stated.

Koncz reminded the media that the former welterweight champion has served his suspension.

“I just wish… if you're not gonna support the fight, maybe don’t write anything about it. It's gonna be a good fight. Styles makes fights,” he continued.

He also repeated what Pacquiao told him which is to move on, forget the past and concentrate on the fight.

Margarito out to surprise the world

The Mexican fighter personally appealed to the public to give him a chance.

“I’ve been asking for this fight. I’m very happy and motivated that I’m here,” he said. “Everything that happened is in the past. We’re in the present. It’s time to show everyone I’m still very good and nobody wants to miss the fight… Now is the present. Forget about the past.”

The Mexican, who goes by the nickname “Tijuana Tornado,” also thanked Pacquiao for taking the fight, and the Texas Athletic Commission for allowing him to fight again in the US.

His manager, Sergio Diaz, and trainer, Robert Garcia, also spoke about Margarito’s chances against Pacquiao.

“I can see the hunger in Antonio. He talks to me. He tells me how hungry he is,” said Diaz.

“We believe that Mexico will have a new champion and a 4-time world champion again,” he added.

Garcia stated that Margarito, whom he said was a great person and a very dedicated athlete, is out to surprise the boxing world on November 13.

“I know we’re going against Manny Pacquiao who is a great fighter, a great champion but we have a tremendous fighter in Antonio Margarito. He’s gonna come and surprise the world... Everybody is in for a surprise. Pacquiao is a legend but we’re gonna make history,” he said.

Fight of the year?
Pacquiao, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king, promised that he and Margarito will have a good fight.

“I’m just a fighter doing my job and it’s gonna be a great, great fight. And this is what people want to see… a lot of action in the ring,” said the Sarangani province congressman.

“Margarito has the capability to give a good show. His fighting style is very impressive. His style is [of a] very aggressive fighter, strong and bigger than me, so we have to train hard, both of us, to give a good show.”

Pacquiao and Margarito will fight for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight belt.

Conditioning coach Alex Ariza, meantime, brushed off the predictions of Team Margarito.

“Everybody keeps saying we’re gonna have a tough fight in our hands. But we’ve always had a tough fight in our hands… Manny ultimately prevails and he’s gonna prevail in this fight as well,” he declared.

Ariza also commented how Margarito is taller and bigger than Pacquiao.

“He definitely seems to be getting bigger and bigger that’s for sure,” he said. “But that’s Manny. He always likes a challenge.”

“It's gonna be a war. Everybody knows Margarito comes to battle, Manny comes to battle. And probably, maybe the fight of the year,” Ariza stated.

Reposted From ABS-CBN News