40-year-old Choi wins Prizefighter tourney; Pacqiao vs. Marquez on November 12th

40 year-old Mongolian Warrior tastes York Hall glory

The Mongolian Warrior Choi Tseveenpurev dominated the Prizefighter Featherweight tournament at York Hall, Bethnal Green to claim the title against Rhys Roberts.

The 40 year-old made up for his semi-final heartbreak against Derry Mathews in the Prizefighter Super-Featherweights last November, kicking off the night with a destructive win over Lee Glover and never looking back. He used every round of his experience to out-punch and out-think his younger foes George Jupp in the semi-final and Roberts in the final to claim victory in the 22nd edition of Matchroom Sport’s eight-man, one night shows.

In the final, a stiff left hook was probably enough to take the first round for Choi and his work rate and desire to take the fight to Roberts, disrupting the slick Mancunian’s stylish approach and taking every round to complete Choi Story II and take the trophy and the £32,000 winner’s cheque.

“I used my experience and just bullied him,” said Choi. “He tried to grab too much and that didn’t work against me. I want to thank my fans and my team for this.”

A big right hook inside the first 30 seconds from Choi set the tone for his performance and he floored Glover with another right before the end of the first round. Choi finished the Tipton Slasher off with that big right again doing the business with just a minute of the second round gone.

Choi’s semi-final opponent Jupp also had a bit of a breather going into their clash after his quarter-final with Lee Jennings was called off through the Liverpool man receiving a nasty cut above the left eye from a clash of heads, just as the fight was really warming up.

Choi and Jupp used the energy they conserved to serve up the fight of the night in the first semi-final. The Mongolian Warrior is twice the age of the 20 year-old Londoner and used all his experience to get past Jupp through a unanimous decision, but Jupp provided a real test for the eventual winner and looks a real prospect.

Roberts signalled his intent with a classy display in the third quarter-final against Ian Bailey, taking control of the fight in the opening round with slick work and continuing throughout the three rounds against the aggressive Slough man, and Roberts took all three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.

Troy James had to withstand an early barrage from Barrington Brown in the fourth-quarter final, recovering well to settle into the fight and boss proceedings, reaching the semis with a unanimous decision.

With the carrot of Choi waiting in the final, Roberts unveiled the left as a real weapon and picked James off at will in the opening two rounds of their semi. James continued to hunt Roberts down but the Manchester man had too much for James and reached the night’s climax with Choi.

Prizefighter Featherweights results:

Quarter-finals

Choi beat Lee Glover – second round KO

George Jupp beat Lee Jennings – Jennings no longer able to continue after second round cut

Rhys Roberts beat Ian Bailey – unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Troy James beat Barrington Brown – unanimous decision 30-28, 29-28, 29-28

Semi-finals

Choi beat George Jupp – unanimous decision 30-28, 29-28, 29-28

Rhys Roberts beat Troy James – unanimous decision 30-28, 29-28, 29-28

Final

Choi beat Rhys Roberts – unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Pacquiao vs. Marquez III on November 12th

By Reni M. Valenzuela: November 12 in Las Vegas MGM will be a nervous day for both fighters despite the show of force and muscles during open-media workouts and notwithstanding the “bravado” pronouncements coming from their respective trainers.

For Manny Pacquiao, it is the scare and horror that the “ghost” of Juan Manuel Marquez may appear in the arena during their upcoming trilogy bout.

In view of the breath-taking stiff rivalry and painful punishment Pacquiao had endured fighting the avenging, “insulting” man who gave him the most trouble in the ring all his life as a professional boxer, not just once, but a couple of times in 2004 and 2008, the Pacman is still unsure if he can be able to exorcize the “ghost” while focusing on the fight at the same time with the real person.

Pacquiao and Freddie Roach may have developed a phobia of Marquez.

Marquez remains strong and is a kind of pervading specter for Pacman. As such, the Dinamita’s power to call up the past may be so compulsive that the only place perhaps for the fighting Congressman where he could elude the hounding, haunting “spirit” of the “twenty four grueling rounds” with Marquez is in the tension-filled noisy session hall of the Philippine Congress while frightfully delivering his privilege speech.

And for Marquez, it is the commanding “no fear” spook that has shaped up in Pacquiao due to the fact that the current world number one pound for pound boxer has improved tremendously. Something for Marquez to ponder, and ponder deeply even in sleepless nights.

Pacquiao has grown monster “shadows” that won’t leave him when he fights. As a consequence, it seemed to his victims starting from David Diaz that they were going against ten or a thousand more boxers in the same ring with them when they fought Pacquiao. All these are but miraculous workings of the Pacman corner “knee-prayers,” a mother’s back-up closet-prayers and the Pacman signature hand speed with magical movements. That’s why the most recent “fighters” who “challenged” to dethrone Paquiao ended up merely as “survivors.” Mosley and Clottey opted simply to cover and cower for safety and “pride,” while Margarito could have been knocked out cold, but had the benefit of a Pacman compassion in the final closing rounds.

Pacquiao has become the meek-type Goliath who literally “destroyed” all who dared to cross his path as a giant David since Marquez has last clashed in a war with him. A Pacman phantom has unfolded and which supernatural phenomena is absolutely untested and “untasted” by the Mexican Dinamita; such a strangely new and baffling “UFO contraption” in fight sport that is unstoppably a marvel and could be unpredictably explosive in any round.
Pacquiao is human, but he can be a machine on top of the canvass.

The Pacquiao camp, however, should not boast too much about the Filipino champion’s progress lest they eat their words afterward. The Marquez camp has been doing smartly for their combatant to catch up with Pacquiao’s evolution, working tirelessly on being scientific even in the minute details to maximize the Dinamita’s potency and make it function well to cause it to explode in time with precision and in perfect conditioning – to make the enemy fall.

Eagerness but with caution, determination but with strain, readiness but with heart-thumping, hope but with reservation, bravery but with anxiety, answers but with questions, prediction but with “ifs,” belief but with “buts,” and certainties but with deep, buried sighs. This is how it will be for Dynamo and Dinamita and this is likely how feelings would persist to evolve in both camps as their preparations are “nearing the end” toward the highly anticipated “final battle” of their respective warriors.

Marquez and Pacquiao have no puppy infatuations going on between them and they are no seekers of love and romance at this time, but it seems like they are being set up for a blind date, not one of them being so sure of what to expect; having no plain hint what might exactly be in store for them during probably the most exciting but perplexing moment in their career as great pugilists, so far.

On fight night, though, one thing is most imperative. They both must have clear but truthful visions.

Don’t blink.

renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com 1 November 2011