Maria Sharapova Confirms a Quarterfinal Birth at French Open 2011

Maria Sharapova squeezed through her way to reach the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2011.

The former world number one tennis star is currently seventh seed and she easily edged Polish 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 to make her way to the French Open 2011 Quarterfinals on Monday.

Maria Sharapova is now expected to show her skills again in Paris either against 25th seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko or German 15th seed Andrea Petkovic to confirm a semifinal seat of French Open.

Initially, it was not looking easy for Sharapova to beat Agnieszka Radwanska as Agnieszka was cruising against her with 4-1 in first set.

However, Sharapova, known for her fighting skills, bounced back and survived five set points in the second set.

The 24 year old Russian sensation Sharapova has won three Grand Slams and she is bidding to better her previous best performance at French Open 2007 when she made into the semifinals.

After a shaky start when Sharapova saw a fall of 4-1 down, she narrowly escaped a 5-1 deficit as she survived two breaks, but then she skilfully converted her fifth break point of the seventh game.

Radwanska could do nothing as she failed to retrieve a stinging forehand.

After levelling the sets, Sharapova never looked back and she took the first set tie break on her first set point.

Radwanska found herself lacking power to return a hammering first serve and Sharapova reacted in much powerful manner.

Marquez-Pacquiao III a done deal

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao's confirmation, boxing pundits have long agreed, is as binding as a signed fight contract.

"Tuloy na po 'yun, abangan n'yo (It's on, wait for it)," Pacquiao said during an interview with ABS-CBN's Dyan Castillejo. The Filipino ring superstar was, of course, referring to his third clash with Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 in Las Vegas.

Marquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, signed the contract--which assures him a personal-high $5 million purse plus a share in pay-per-view revenues--last May 19 at Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

Pacquiao's adviser Mike Koncz is to bring the contract to Manila for the pound-for-pound king's signature. Koncz has not arrived from the United States, though.

Under the fight's financial terms, Pacquiao will get $20 million--virtually the same amount he earned in his lopsided unanimous decision victory over Shane Mosley on May 7--plus a share in PPV revenues.

In their first tussle in 2004, Pacquiao settled for a draw despite knocking Marquez down three times in the first round. They met again in 2008 at 130 pounds with Pacquiao squeezing out a split decision on the strength of a third-round knockdown.

The trilogy is set at a catch weight of 144 lb with Pacquiao's WBO welterweight title also at stake. Marquez fought and lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the same catch weight in 2009.

If Marquez beats Pacquiao, a fourth fight will be held with the Mexican, who stands to receive $10 million.

Maria Sharapova and Kim Klijsters are the French Open 2011 Favorite

A clash of Titan women is certain at the French Open 2011 tournament.

After gaining easy victory in Rome last week, Maria Sharapova has proved that this time, she is a seriously planning to make her way towards the French Open title. Maria Sharapova is one of the finest tennis players of our times with 23 WTA singles titles in her kitty. She has won 3 Grand Slam singles titles including Wimbledon 2004, US Open 2006, and Australian Open 2008. However, French Open remained beyond her reach till now.

But this time, she is set to make the history as her power strokes game is improving specifically on the unique surfaces of France. After winning some great matches against even greater players this year, she has definitely got boost for her confidence.

However, the only hurdle she sees after making her way towards the quarterfinals by defeating Roland Garros after Friday match, is the Belgian super mom Kim Clijsters.

In current times and with current form, it seems that there is nothing that can beat Kim Clijsters. However, she missed the action for a long period after hurting her ankle at her cousins wedding where she stumbled to get injured. The injury is two months old and now she has recovered and is expected to make a blistering comeback again.

Analysts suggest that it would be difficult for Kim Clijsters to get her form back after two months of inaction. This gives a positive chance for Sharapova to gain her fourth Grand Slam. However, Maria Sharapova feels that it won’t be that easy as it seems.

She believes that Kim Clijsters is always a strong opponent in any condition.

The 24 years old sexy tennis star praised Kim Clijsters and said, "It's always difficult to not play for a few weeks and come back at a Grand Slam being your first tournament, "but, you know, she has a tremendous amount of experience behind her. I don't think this is the first time that she's come back after having a long lay-off.”

There are strong probabilities that Maria Sharapova will have to fight against Kim Clijsters on the unique French clay courts.

Sharapova further praised Clijsters and said, “She's been able to do really well when she's taken time off, so you can never count her out.”It might take her a few matches to get into form. That's normal when you haven't played for a while. But she's a great champion, she's won the last couple of grand slams, is number two in the world. “

History proves that Sharapova never gained at Parisian clay courts. In 2007, she reached semifinals and that was the end of her strives. However this time, she has played much better. After winning against, Smantha Stosur in Rome last week, she said, "I was really happy with the way last week turned out."

Before playing her next game, she said, "I played great tennis. I had some great matches and wins over good players, especially on clay. So it's definitely a confidence booster. Just hoping to take this form and bring it over to Roland Garros."

And she successfully carried her winning streak to win against Roland Garros; however, the next fight may not be that easy. If Sharapova is the titan of tennis game, Clijsters is also a titan goddess of the same game.

So, tennis players can expect a great draw between the two great and beautiful tennis players in coming days.

Manny Pacquiao camp mulls legal action vs Mayweather

Pound-for-pound King Manny Pacquiao is back in the country after his succesful title defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title vs “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

Upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, he addressed the media and once again thanked all his fans for their support as he was able to bring honor to the country once again. But as the Pacman was en route and airborne on his way home, little did he know that there was controversy brewing again on Twitter, this time coming from Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself.

Yesterday, Mayweather tweeted a link to an obscure boxing news site that had an article claiming that a former sparring partner of Pacquiao, who happend to be Filipino, claimed that he was the one injecting steriods to Manny at the Wild Card Gym, and that it began before the Oscar dela Hoya fight.

The story that Mayweather linked to was on Ringtalk.com

But strangely, that tweet of Mayweather and the content on the link on Ringtalk have both been erased.

Manny belied the allegations, saying he never used steroids, nor has he had a Filipino sparring partner in the US. He added that his lawyers will look into the issue if it can add merit to their ongoing case against the Mayweathers, or warrant a new case all together.

Shane Mosley also got into the picture on Twitter. His followers though got confused with his tweets and thought he believed the article and straight out accused the Pacman of steroid use as well. But Mosley later clarified his stand, and said the “the best man in the ring won that fight.”

Pacquiao appreciated the comments of Mosley, and commended him for being an educated gentleman who respects everyone.

Looking ahead to his next pegged fight in November vs Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny recalled his last fight with Marquez was at 130 pounds. While this 3rd fight is set at a catchweight of 144 pounds, he admits it’s gonna be different. He even kidded to be the underdog for this one.

But kidding aside, Manny promised to study the last 2 fights of Marquez well, knowing that he is a veteran fighter. But things have changed in the last 3 years since they fought, and that the added weight may have changed his style, too.

As for his work in Congress, the Sarangani congressman is looking forward to the groundbreaking of his hospital in his province.

Jinkee and Manny added that Paris Hitlon told them she was looking forward to visiting them here in the Philippines in the next few months.

After the brief press conference at the airport, the Pacman and his entourage proceeded to the New World Hotel to rest and have breakfast before going to Quaipo Church for mass, and then a couresty call to the President at Malacañang.

Boxing News: Manny Pacquiao Wins Against Shane Mosley!

In the third round of their match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last May 7, Manny Pacquiao knocked down Shane Mosley with a devastating left hook sending the former three-division world champion into the canvas for only the third time of his illustrious 18-year career.

Pacquiao landed more solid blows throughout the fight but as predicted by this writer, Mosley’s granite chin allowed him to survive the onslaught for 12 rounds.

It also helped that Pacquiao is not really 100% due to a leg cramp that has been bothering him since the 4th round.

Pacquiao said,

“It wasn’t my best performance. I did my best. I did not expect this result.”

Still, it was a decision win for him -- so one-sided that only one judge gave a round to Mosley. Judges’ scores were 120-108, 120-107 and 119-108.

The sellout crowd of 16,412 booed Mosley repeatedly in the late rounds for his refusal to trade punches with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao extended his winning streak to 14 fights and retains his WBO Welterweight title while cementing his status as pound-for-pound, the best boxer in the world.

Check out the Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley highlights below:

Round 3 knockdown:

Pacquiao easily beats Mosley to retain WBO title

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines retained his WBO welterweight title by recording an unanimous points victory over a lackluster Shane Mosley at the MGM Garden Arena on Saturday.

The 32-year-old southpaw dominated all 12 rounds against his defense-minded American opponent to improve his career record to 53-3-2 with 38 knockouts. It was Pacquiao's 14th consecutive win since his loss to Erik Morales in Las Vegas in March 2005, and enhanced his status as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.

Fighting for the second time since winning a seat in his country's national congress last year, Pacquiao gained one-sided verdicts from all three judges -- 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107.

"Sugar" Shane Mosley, an 8-1 underdog against the 10-times world champion, slipped to 46-7-1 with 39 knockouts.

Loud chants of "Manny, Manny, Manny" rang out in the Garden Arena before the two fighters made their way to the ring.

Mosley came out first, led by American rapper and actor LL Cool J, before Pacquiao followed suit with Jimi Jamison of U.S. rock band Survivor singing the group's 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger."

Round one began with both fighters probing. Pacquiao connected early on with a left jab before Mosley landed a solid right-handed punch to the body.

TELLING COMBINATIONS

With the crowd again chanting "Manny, Manny, Manny" Pacquiao began to find a rhythm and he landed several telling combinations before ending the second round with a right hook followed by a straight left.

In round three, Mosley connected with another solid right before the Filipino sent the American crashing to the canvas with a crunching straight left set up by a right jab, only the third time Mosley had ever been knocked down.

Pacquiao began round four in the same vein, continually forcing Mosley to back-peddle, although the American connected with his first three-punch combination of the fight

In round six, Pacquiao kept moving forward and landed a solid upper cut before Mosley, mainly focused on defense, responded late on with a powerful right hook

The Filipino, wearing yellow gloves to give hope to those fighting hunger and poverty in the Philippines, kept Mosley on the retreat in round seven with his agile footwork and a series of probing combinations.

Pacquiao unleashed several accurate body and head jabs early in round eight against a tiring Mosley to maintain control as the crowd booed the American for his defensive strategy.

Mosley was initially more aggressive in round nine with his jab but the Filipino southpaw countered with a flurry of combinations before landing a crunching straight left on the American's chin.

Pacquiao, continually moving forward, forced Mosley back on to the ropes in the 10th round. The Filipino was surprisingly adjudged to have been knocked down after being pushed to the canvas by Mosley. Fired up, Pacquiao ended the round in aggressive mode, hitting Mosley late on with a withering left.

Sensing the chance of a knockout, Pacquiao kept coming forward in the final two rounds, pummeling his opponent at every opportunity and twice pinning Mosley against the ropes.

Mosley’s last stand

When Sugar Shane Mosley climbs into the ring on Sunday (Manila time) to battle pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, it could very well be his last fight. At 39 and coming off two very unimpressive performances, Mosley is a lopsided loss away from retirement. I can't imagine any boxing promoter wanting to include him on any major boxing card if he loses big to Pacquiao, as most experts expect him to do. A loss to Pacquiao would give Mosley a 0-2-1 win-loss-draw record over his last three fights. He dropped a lopsided unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in May last year, then looked uninspired in a draw against Sergio Mora four months later. If he's looking for redemption, then beating Pacquiao would certainly do it. If only it were that simple though. Pacquiao's blinding hand speed will make it difficult for Sugar Shane to win a round, let alone the fight itself.
Regardless of what happens in the ring on Sunday, it's safe to say Mosley has had a colorful — and sometimes controversial - career. On the plus side, he's won titles in three weight divisions, he never ducked anyone, and he fought and defeated an in-his-prime Oscar De La Hoya not once but twice. In perhaps one of the biggest upsets this decade, he knocked out a heavily-favored Antonio Margarito in 2009. That was the bout where Margarito was caught with an illegal substance in his hand wraps.
But losses to the late Vernon Forrest (twice), Miguel Cotto and Ronald "Winky" Wright (twice) have kept Mosley from being in the discussion of this era's greatest fighters, even though he was once briefly considered the best pound-for-pound fighter. He did win his first 38 fights, but has gone 8-6-1 since. Plus, he has publicly admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs in the past, although he claims he did so unknowingly. (No one believes him, of course.)
Which is what makes this fight against Pacquiao his most important yet. He pulls off a big shocker, and everyone forgets about his losses and steroid use. He'll be known as the man who beat The Man. Which would make him The New Man, if that makes sense.
But does he really have a chance? I'd say his attacking style makes him tailor-fit for Pacquiao, who prefers opponents who slug it out with him because it makes them easier targets. Mosley's punches still have some sting in them, though, as he showed when he wobbled Mayweather in the second round of their fight. Pretty Boy was in serious trouble but Mosley just couldn't finish him off.
Pacquiao was also in trouble in the sixth round against Margarito, when the big Mexican caught him with a huge blow to the body that nearly sent Manny to the canvas. Later, Pacquiao admitted he was really hurt and could've easily gone down if Margarito had connected one more time. Now, Mosley has a higher knockout percentage than Margarito and is generally regarded as a pretty strong puncher, so you could say he literally has a puncher's chance against Pacquiao. And while Pacquiao loves slugfests, so does Mosley. When Pacquiao goes on attack mode, it will leave him open to Mosley's punches. With Pacquiao, he won't be facing a fighter who will go on defensive mode the way Mayweather and Mora did, which would be to his liking. Plus, Mosley has never lost by knockout, although he has been floored, which speaks to his ring savvy and ability to go the distance against tough opponents.
Expect both fighters to go toe to toe right away, until Pacquiao's relentless attacks either forces Mosley to backpedal the rest of the way, or knocks him out within five rounds. Mosley has a reputation for having a strong chin, which would help explain why he's never been knocked out, but he's also never fought anyone with the rapid-fire punches of Pacquiao. It should be a fun fight to watch for the first three or four rounds. After that, if the fight isn't over yet, it will be all Pacquiao.