Welterweight Super Fight Mayweather vs Mosley

On May 1, 2010 the highly anticipated Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley fight will be upon us and it’s the bona fide fight in the first half of the boxing history, and it should serve to answer many questions about both boxer's status in the welterweight division as well as their positioning amongst the all-timers from this generation and others previously.

Shane Mosley will defend his welterweight title against Mayweather on May 1 on HBO PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather's adviser Leonard Ellerbe said that he expected Mayweather's paperwork to be completed in the next few days with a formal announcement likely next week and the financial terms were not disclosed, but Floyd Mayweather has the option for an immediate rematch in the event he loses.

This Mosley -- Mayweather fight became possible when Mayweather became available after his agreement for a fight with Manny Pacquiao that went to ashes. Both fighters agreed to fight each other but it’s the drug testing protocol that stopped the negotiation because Pacquiao camp did not agree on Mayweather’s camp Olympic style drug testing which is not a requirement under the NSAC.

While Shane Mosley was set to fight Andre Berto but Berto’s family was affected by the Haiti earthquake so he withdrew from the fight. Then, negotiations between Mosley and Mayweather’s camp began. Floyd Mayweather has a 40 wins 0 losses with 25 KOs record in 5 division championships while Shane Mosley has 46 wins, 5 losses and 39 KOs in 3 division championships. With their impressive records, the boxing fans are sure to get an exciting fight between two great fighters. 
 
Floyd Mayweather has only been in the ring once with a man with comparable hand speed as his own, and that was his 2006 fight against Zab Judah. Mayweather ended up breaking down Judah and winning the bout without problem – save an in-ring riot caused by a Judah meltdown. However, the first third of the bout saw Judah beating Mayweather to the punch and scoring what could have been called a knockdown.

Shane Mosley is certainly not as fast as he was when he was burning through the competition as a lightweight champion, however he still possesses very fast hands and very good timing. Mayweather is a notoriously slow starter as he waits to gauge his opponent’s tactics, and this will be the best time for Mosley to make his mark. It’s entirely possible that his speed, pressure and power prove to be big trouble for Mayweather in the early going of the fight “I'm trying to clean up my sport, That is why we are both (he and Mosley) taking random urine and blood tests.” Said Floyd Mayweather ina n interview. Sahen Mosley has agreed to undergo random blood and urine testing, as has Mayweather, Ellerbe said. 
 
Shane Mosley has had a lay off, but putting the Marquez fight aside, Floyd Maywether has been longer. Mosley will put his punching power on Floyd in a way that he has not seen before. He should use his jab like Oscar did not do to keep Floyd preoccupied and off balance until an oppening happens and then let go with a barage of rights and lefts that are too numerous for Floyd to track with his “see everything defense”.

Friday, April 30, 2010 | posted in , , | 0comments [ More ]

UFC Top 10 Middleweights Warriors

The middleweight division in mixed martial arts is tabulated and the undisputed best middleweight in the world is Anderson Silva who looks bored with middleweight division in the UFC since his last fight with Demain Maia, and he's moving up to fight Forrest Griffin at light heavyweight, at least for the time being. The UFC 99 main event of Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin features one star to Anderson Silva moving down from light heavyweight to middleweight because he wants a shot at Anderson Silva's belt, and another star Rich Franklin moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight because he knows he'll never get another shot at Anderson Silva's belt.

The UFC 100 middleweight battle between Ultimate Fighter coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping will probably produce the next contender to the middleweight throne, but Henderson already tried and failed at beating Wanderlei Silva, and Michel Bisping seems very unlikely to beat Anderson Silva. Meanwhile, the guy who I've been saying forever deserves a shot at Silva -- Yushin Okami -- keeps getting hurt and may never get that shot.

There are questions beyond the UFC as well. Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le isn't fighting because he'd rather be a movie star, and the two fighters who won the two middleweight Strikeforce fights on Saturday night – Nick Diaz and Jake Shields who won't fight each other because they're friends and training partners. And anyway, those two fights were technically at catch weights rather than middleweight, and Diaz and Shields should really be fighting at welterweight. There are some good middleweight fights coming up this summer: Henderson-Bisping, Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago at Affliction Trilogy and Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia at UFC 102 will all be fun. 
 
Below are the latest ranking of UFC Top 10 Middleweight Warriors:
  • Anderson Silva – The UFC middleweight champion had his title defense against Vitor Belfort in April called off. Will he fight Sonnen instead? Silva seems to want fights against bigger names and bigger challenges, and that may necessitate a move up to light heavyweight — or even heavyweight.

  • Chael Sonnen – Chael Sonnen has won some impressive decisions, but now he needs to start finishing fights — something he hasn’t done since TKO’ing a little-known opponent named Kyacey Uscola in 2007.
  • Dan Henderson – Strikeforce’s big acquisition will fight Jake Shields for a title belt on CBS in April. 

  • Vitor Belfort – No word yet on how soon he’ll be able to return from shoulder surgery.
  • Jake Shields – Jake Shields will be the underdog when he takes on Henderson. 

  • Demian Maia – It might seem unfair to have Maia below Sonnen after Maia needed only half a round to submit Sonnen last year. But Sonnen has looked much more impressive than Maia since then.
  • Nate Marquardt – Nate  Marquardt desperately wants another chance at Silva. That’s not going to happen.

  • Robbie Lawler – His comeback win over Melvin Manhoef was thrilling, and his presence gives Strikeforce a middleweight division with more depth than just the Henderson-Shields fight. 

  • Yushin Okami – The UFC just keeps on burying Okami; his next fight will be against Lucio Linhares on the non-televised portion of the UFC Fight Night 21 card.


  • Mamed Khalidov – His rematch with Jorge Santiago at Sengoku 12 in March should be outstanding.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | posted in , | 0comments [ More ]

Jim Cleamons Hoping For LA Lakers' Victory Next Season

NBA's most renowned basketball team LA Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons stated his team statistics where the LA Lakers won by 8 points. But they shot just 41% from the field, 68% from the free-throw line. They outscored the Thunder by 14 points in the first quarter, but Oklahoma City outscored them, 66-60, the rest of the way. The Lakers built a 17-point lead, but saw that cut to six points in the fourth. The one constant was the stifling LA Lakers defense, which held the Thunder to 40% shooting for the game. 
 
At the start of every season, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson gives his assistants eight to 10 teams they are in charge of scouting. The Thunder is Jim Cleamons' team, and it's his job to develop the Lakers' game plan.
"I thought we did OK, OK is nothing to brag about because the first game you never know anyway what they were going to do or how we would respond. But we survived and it's always nice to get a win as you go." As LA Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons collected his thoughts, he came to a conclusion.
The Game 2 is on Tuesday night at Staples Center. Jim Cleamons said the Thunder has a versatile menu of plays it runs, something it did out of timeouts Sunday. "Even opening the game, they ran a couple of plays that we hadn't seen before," Jim Cleamons added.

Jim Cleamons was very complimentary about the young talent on the Thunder. He called the league's top scorer Kevin Durant a versatile player. Jim Cleamons said Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook showed he can attack the rim and that Jeff Green can play both power and small forward. The LA Lakers' assistant also noted that Thunder rookie James Harden is a swing player who can score and be a facilitator. 
 
LA Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons has a wish list for the Lakers to be successful in Game 2. The LA Lakers were really never in any danger of losing Game 1 of the best-of-seven first-round series although the Thunder did cut the lead to an uncomfortable six points a couple of times. More might not be known until Thursday when the Lakers play their first road game in Game 3. The next game will be Tuesday at the Staples Center. 
 
Kobe Bryant also came back after a self-imposed respite in order to try to heal some of his various injuries. He finished with 21 points on less-than-stellar 6-of-19 shooting. He was 7 of 12 from the free-throw line including two times that he missed both of his free throws. The Lakers got the lead back to 8 when Pau Gasol made two free throws after being fouled by Russell Westbrook. But the Thunder got it back to an uncomfortable seven when Serge Ibaka made one of two free throws with 1:40 to play. Derek Fisher had a flash from the past when he sank a three-pointer to lengthen the lead to 10. It was his first field goal since the first quarter. 
 
Meanwhile, the whiteboard created by Phil Jackson in the LA Lakers' locker room had a simple message, "Look @ this," for the Lakers basketball players, and posted a box score of the last time the Lakers played the Thunder, a 91-75 loss. There are 2 stat categories were circled: The LA Lakers shot a miserable 39% from the field and were only two of 15 from the 3-point line in that game.

Monday, April 26, 2010 | posted in , , | 0comments [ More ]

NBA Star Lebron James Starts A Good Game Next Season

It's been almost 11 months since LeBron James walked off the court in Orlando after the Cavaliers were eliminated by the Magic in six games in the Eastern Conference finals, but he says the pain from that loss is fresh in his mind. 

 
Cleaveland Cavaliers' ace player Lebron James says he has been waiting for the start of this year's playoffs since he walked off the court last May in Orlando after the Cavaliers lost Game 6 and the Eastern Conference finals to the Magic. Promising to be better than ever, Lebron James said he knows what a championship would mean for the Cleveland area. 
 
"It feels like yesterday, It hurt for a long time when you've got to hold that in all summer and all regular season to get back to this point. I'll be happy Saturday when I get an opportunity to release it." Lebron James said after the Cavs' first practice in preparation for Saturday's first-round opener against the Chicago Bulls.

"It would mean everything, I'm trying everything possible to do it. It would mean a lot to a lot of fans, a lot of dreams. I would be happy to be a part of it." NBA 2009 MVP player Lebron James added. 
 
It's been a while since the Cavaliers had a game that mattered. Thankfully, Wednesday was the last meaningless game on the schedule. With LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Mo Williams watching from the bench, the Cavaliers completed a week of officially endorsed NBA scrimmages with a 99-83 loss to Atlanta. With their first-round playoff opponent settled, the Cavaliers will host the Chicago Bulls this weekend in the opener of their chase of the franchise's first NBA title.

Unfortunately, perhaps it would have made some happier if the Cavaliers came out and declared that James had a phony injury. Achilles tendinitis was popular back when there was an injury list. So was bursitis. Then there wouldn't have been an issue, just lots of concern over Lebron James' health or more criticism because the team wasn't being truthful.

Moreover, the Cavaliers players did not like having to take it on the chin over the last 10 days. This is a team that hadn't lost four in a row in 2.5 seasons. They were restless during the loss tonight and in the second half just wanted to get the game over and it showed. A case can be made that the team risked losing its edge by laying down for the last four games. There are historical references that can support both sides. The Cavaliers' recent history suggests they will struggle opening the playoffs because they don't adjust quickly to changes. But judgment will have to be saved until the weekend for that.

The Cavaliers totally have given up on this game. They are barely moving by NBA standards. Their defense is lethargic at best and they are just going through the motions when it comes to rebounding. They are now 16-of-30 at the foul line. 
 
"This is what everyone was brought here for. This is why everybody worked hard in the off-season and all year long. This is the time, now.” Lebron James said after the Cavaliers' first practice in preparation for Saturday's first-round opener against the Chicago Bulls.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 | posted in , , , | 0comments [ More ]

MLB Baseball Players Have On No. 42 Jersey To Honor Jackie Robinson

The Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced that all MLB baseball players, coaches and umpires will once again wear Number 42 to honor the 63rd Anniversary and enduring impact of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier. Continuing last season’s inaugural effort, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. Selig has again invited all on-field personnel wear the number as a sign of unified, League-wide support of Jackie Robinson Day.
 
Commissioner Allan Selig and MLB have celebrated Jackie Robinson’s longstanding legacy as the first African-American to break the color barrier by retiring Robinson’s number throughout the League in 1997 and, since 2004, dedicating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day in his memory. Robinson played his first Major League game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 as a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. 
 
“Jackie Robinson’s incredible legacy continues to impact our society today,Baseball’s proudest moment was when Jackie took the field in 1947, so it is important to always remember him and his achievements. It is a privilege to pay tribute to the effect he had on baseball and our country by continuing to honor his Number 42.” Said Commissioner Allan Selig.

All Clubs will commemorate Jackie Robinson Day. The Robinson family will join MLB baseball in a special Jackie Robinson Day celebration at Yankee Stadium, prior to their 7:05 p.m. ET game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a nationally televised game carried live by MLB Network. The on-field ceremony will include Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s wife and Founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation; their daughter Sharon Robinson, Vice Chair of the Foundation; and Jesse Simms, son of Sharon and Jackie’s grandson, who will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The game will be called by Bob Costas and Jim Kaat.

“When Jack stepped onto Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, he set a new course for American history both in the game and in society, I am grateful that Major League Baseball continues to honor his enduring impact, along with the values he lived by, both on and off the baseball field.” said Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s wife and Founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Major League Baseball will be airing “42: Beyond a Number”, a 30-second television ad that illustrates the significance of Robinson breaking the color barrier and mixes imagery of Robinson with that of today’s players and on-field personnel wearing Number 42. The spot, which is the latest in the “This is Beyond Baseball” campaign, can be viewed here.

In recognition of Jackie Robinson Day, one Number 42 jersey from every Club will be signed and auctioned off on MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball, with the proceeds benefitting the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Foundation, established in 1973, provides, four-year college scholarships, graduate school grants and extensive mentoring to academically distinguished minority students with leadership capacity. MLB and the 30 Clubs sponsor more than 60 Jackie Robinson Scholars.

Major League Baseball has created and annually supports a number of programs to ensure that Jackie Robinson’s legacy lives on, including Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life; Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) presented by KPMG and the Jr. RBI playing divisions; Diverse Business Partners; and the MLB Urban Youth Academy.

Monday, April 19, 2010 | posted in , | 3comments [ More ]

NASCAR Star Josh Parker Wins His First iRacing Title

The moment so many have anticipated for so long is nearly upon us. People like car racing co-founders John Henry and Dave Kaemmer, who dreamed of the day when the world's best sim-racing would be sanctioned by NASCAR. And the late Bill France Jr. who, as NASCAR chairman, spoke more than a decade ago of a time when race fans would be able to race virtual stock cars on their computers under the auspices of NASCAR. 
 
Josh Parker barged into the lead with 10 laps remaining to secure his first NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship victory at Phoenix International Raceway. Josh Parker out-muscled leader Josh Berry on a late restart and then cruised to the win in front of John Gorlinsky and Derek Wood when a multi-car crash resulted in the race finishing under caution. Prior to the rough-and-tumble finish, PIR produced some of the best racing action to date in the NiSWC, with no fewer than eight drivers swapping the lead 11 times. Although a dozen cautions disrupted the flow of the race, many of the incidents were for single-car spins resulting in little to no damage. 

 
"On the second to last restart I got into Josh Berry, looks like he missed the corner a little bit and had to slow down way too much and caught me off guard. Real sorry to him. ... All-in-all I wish it turned out better." NASCAR iRacing Champion Josh Parker said.

On Lap 150, however, Josh Parker got a good restart, forcing Berry to take a defensive line into Turn 1. Contact ensued, sending Berry into the fence and ruining his chance for his first NiSWC win. When the desert dust settled it was Parker, Gorlinsky and Wood with Theo Olson from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. in fourth ahead of Schoenburg, Chris Main from Germantown, Md., Lewandowski and Davies.

Although Theo Olson got the better of Wood on the Lap 154 restart, Wood returned the favor on the following lap with Main losing a couple of positions before the multi-car crash on Lap 156 seemingly ended the race. During the final caution period, Josh Parker inadvertently nosed ahead of the pace car. Although he was initially penalized two laps for the infraction, NASCAR and iRacing officials subsequently declared Josh Parker the winner and issued a stern warning to all NiSWC drivers that future pace car infractions could result in severe penalties, including the loss of laps. 
 
Exactly what Davies didn't want to happen after the yellow, happened. Josh Parker took the lead and dominated the rest of the race, getting the win and the points he needed to take the championship lead for the first-ever lead change in iPSO points, while Davies came home a lap down in 12th spot. Derek Wood could not manage a win. He had a good run, finishing third, but nobody in his split had anything for Josh Berry, who started outside the top five, but picked them off one by one, found the lead and was never really challenged.

"First off, I want to applaud iRacing on a great inaugural Pro Road and Oval Series, before Pro Oval began, if you said I will be battling for the championship I would probably say, 'Uh, what?' Especially with some of the best racing against me. After 24 weeks of racing, and it coming down to whoever wins the last race between Brad Davies, Derek Wood and myself is just incredible. I have won a few big races but this is by far the most accomplished series championship I've won.” NASCAR iRacing Champion Josh Parker said in his interview.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | posted in , | 0comments [ More ]

NHL Updates: Toronto Maple Leafs Come Back Against New York Rangers

Just when you think the New York Rangers are out, they pull themselves back in. A dominant performance against the Islanders and a come-from-behind win in New Jersey have pushed the New York Rangers to within three points of the eighth-place Boston Bruins. But don't sleep on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have won 4 of 5 despite having the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Not that teams ever lose on purpose, but without a first-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs have no incentive to lay down over their final eight games.
Last Tuesday, New York Rangers came out flat in a 2-0 loss to the 7th place Philadelphia Flyers. A day later, they repeated that effort in a 5-1 loss to the 9th place New York Rangers. With one more game remaining, the Toronto Maple Leafs are destined to finish the season with the second-worst record in the NHL. And, unlike the last two years, they are without a first-round - or second-round - draft pick to look forward to.

Toronto Maple Leafs team that embodies the term "playing for pride". They have a better chance of seeing a unicorn than a postseason berth, but it hasn't stopped them from putting forth a strong effort since the Olympic break. In a road game against the Atlanta Thrashers, a team in the thick of the playoff race, the Toronto Maple Leafs fought their way to a 2-1 overtime win Thursday. So don't expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to do the New York Rangers any favors.

"We've been finding ways to win hockey games, We don't care if takes 60 minutes or 65, and that's a good sign. We know we can be better, but with saying that every game is not going to be a perfect one. We'll take the two points." said the Defenseman Dion Phaneuf, who was a Calgary Flame the last time Toronto faced New York.
Desperate for a win, the Rangers certainly came out to play on Wednesday. "A lot of people thought we were dead, But we just come out and play. That's all we can do." Rangers head coach John Tortorella told TSN.

The problem was that the Toronto Maple Leafs' once-thriving offence has dried up recently. Toronto has managed jut two goals in its last three games. And its power play, which went 0-for-4 on Wednesday, last scored on March 28. New York Rangers rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto has 2 goals and 3 assists in his last three games. Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Phil Kessel has 7 goals in his last 7 games, and goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, who will start Saturday, has won six straight. 
 
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a hurried state to make their charter flight to Pittsburgh for their late Sunday afternoon tilt against the Penguins, but there was time to first celebrate their come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers moments before at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame a two-goal deficit in the first period to continue to successfully play their spoiler role against teams like the New York Rangers, who still have a shot at cracking the top eight playoff positions in the NHL Eastern Conference.

Thursday, April 8, 2010 | posted in , , | 0comments [ More ]

NFL Passes Football Players Safety Rules

NFL football players should be out of harm's way during games thanks to several rules changes passed at the league meetings. The NFL passed rules last Wednesday to further protect defenseless players, including ball carriers who lose their helmet during a play. There are 7 of 8 oveNFL Passes Football Players Safety Rulesrall rules proposals were adopted. The key rules change for player safety bars a defenseless player from being hit in the head or neck area by an opponent who launches himself and uses his helmet, shoulder or forearm to make contact. Previously, those kind of tackles were banned against receivers who couldn't protect themselves, but now it will apply to everyone.
 
NFL rules also will now echo those in college when a player running with the ball loses his helmet. The whistle will blow immediately and the ball will be placed at the "progress spot" where the helmet came off. Several football team owners said they also expect the modified overtime for the playoffs that passed the previous day to be revisited in May to include the regular season.
NFL rules also will echo those in college when a player running with the ball loses his helmet. The whistle will blow immediately and the ball will be placed at the "progress spot" where the helmet came off. The umpire now will be stationed behind the offensive backfield rather than in the linebackers area after the competition committee saw "a hundred" examples of umpires being run over.

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said "It's a better system, so why not have a better system every game?" Who states about expanding the new OT rule that allows a team losing the coin toss and allowing a field goal on the first series to then get a possession. On the other hand, the New York Giants owner John Mara added he expects discussion and possibly a vote on using the new OT system to occur at the owners meetings in Dallas in May. The change was proposed only for the postseason by the competition committee and was passed 28-4 Tuesday.
"We had a proposal for the postseason, we passed that with the understanding that it'll be discussed for the regular season," said the NFL football Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league wants to meet with the players and the networks for some input and further discuss the ramifications of expanding the OT change.

The 2010 schedule will be released in April and NFL football Commissioner Roger Goodell also mentioned scheduling only intradivision games on the final weekend of the season, and placing many such games in Week 16, as well. He said at the end of last season he was concerned about teams not playing their regulars after clinching titles and is hopeful such scheduling would help avoid that. 
 
The most valuable rules that passed in the NFL game are:

  • Coaches can also challenge whether there was interference with the ball.

  • If the clock is stopped in the final minute of either half for a replay review, but would not have stopped without the review, officials will run off 10 seconds before resuming play. Either team could take a timeout to void the 10-second runoff.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 | posted in , , | 0comments [ More ]