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Thursday, December 3, 2009

Negotiations Begin for Mayweather vs Pacquiao

The fight has been rumored for quite some time, and now with both of their most recent fights out of the way, the negotiations for Pacquiao vs. Mayweather have officially gotten started. This is great news for the boxing community, as the fight promises to be the biggest of the generation. A Pacquiao vs. Mayweather bout will mean everything for boxing. It’s a fight between the sport’s two biggest active stars. Both men are in their prime, or are at least close to it. Both men fight in the same weight class. And there is a contrast of styles that promises to lead to a dramatic engagement in the ring. While it is by far the richest bout that can get made in the boxing world, there are worries that the egos will get in the way and the bout won’t get made.

It looks like everything is getting lined up, and boxing fans just may be treated to a generational defining fight in early 2010, perhaps as early as March. A rumored location for the bout is the Cowboys new stadium in Dallas, and of course Las Vegas would be an obvious candidate as well. If the fight isn’t held in March, it could take place by May, and obviously the fighters, the networks and all other parties will adjust schedules as necessary to allow the fight to take place.

Pacquiao-Mayweather fight must wait

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather each made their claims as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter on Saturday but a big-money showdown to decide the issue will not happen any time soon. Philippines southpaw Pacquiao knocked out British junior welterweight Ricky Hatton with a devastating left hand in the second round for his 10th triumph in a row and claimed a world title in a record-tying sixth weight class. "Manny is unbelievable. He's the best fighter in the world," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. "He is in his prime right now. Anyone in the world, he could beat them all." Former undisputed welterweight champion Mayweather put himself atop that list a few hours earlier by announcing the end of his 17-month retirement and a comeback fight July 18 in the same arena against Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather abdicated the pound-to-pound throne that Pacquiao has claimed by winning four fights in a row in as many weight classes, but the International Boxing Organization's new junior welterweight champion likes his current size. "I'm very comfortable at 140 pounds. You could see it in my performance," Pacquiao said. "I want to stay there." That's the weighty matter that might delay a showdown with Mayweather, who would not say what weight he will fight the smaller Marquez because talks are still ongoing between 143 and 144 pounds. Roach said Mayweather feared facing Pacquiao at a similar catch weight so announced his fight before the Filipino star won to make himself the obvious top opponent for Mayweather to prove he is still the ring king he claims to be. "Mayweather, he just had to wait one day and he could have fought Manny. I think he's afraid of Manny," Roach said. "He made the fight maybe not happen. We're not going to wait for him. There are other great fighters out there." US veteran Shane Mosley and Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto, two fighters who have tried in vain to make a deal to fight Mayweather, were mentioned by Roach as possible next foes for Pacquiao. Asked to predict how Pacquiao-Mayweather would end, Roach said he expected the fight to go the distance. "We win on points," Roach said. "He doesn't like to engage. He's going to run from us." Roach also made it clear they would not make the leap for a chance to fight Mayweather at his prime weight if he would not step down to face Pacquiao at 140. "At the right weight? No problem. At 147? Forget it," Roach said. "Why? Manny doesn't need it. Manny's best weight is 140. He should take some time off and make a good decision. He needs some time off." Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said no decision about who Pacquiao faces next will be made until after Cotto's next fight in July, just one week ahead of Mayweather's return to the ring. One person who thinks Pacquiao-Mayweather will happen sooner rather than later is Mayweather's estranged father and Hatton's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. He doubted there would be much talk about his son fighting Pacquiao. "They probably aren't going to be talking about it a long time," he said. "They are probably going to be doing it."

sports.inquirer.net

Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Twilight Phenomenon

Upon Twilight's initial publication, the book generally received positive reviews, which acted as a catalyst to spread its popularity. Some fanatics hailed the book and called hot new teen novel, an iconic love story for a whole generation, and realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it. The widespread appeal of the novels and the huge online fan community of the series are often noted, and the author and the series' popularity are often compared with J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. Meyer responds to such comparisons, saying, "It's terribly flattering to be compared to her, but there's never going to be another J.K. Rowling; that's a phenomenon that's not gonna happen again", however noting that "you can compare my fans to her fans more easily [than me to her]. I do think that we both have people who are just really enthusiastic, and will come miles to see you and be involved, and everybody really cares about our characters." A social networking community for Twilight fans has over 200,000 members at the series' official site, and the series has spawned hundreds of fansites. The Twilight series' popularity and enthusiastic fan following have grabbed media attention and been dubbed "The Twilight Phenomenon". Economically, the town of Forks, Washington, the setting for the Twilight series, has improved due to tourism from fans of the books. Forks are visited by an average of 8,000 tourists per month, and have been described as a "Mecca for Twilighters".

Main characters
1. Isabella "Bella" Swan – The protagonist of the series, teenager Bella is a perpetually clumsy "danger magnet", with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She is often portrayed as having low self-esteem and unable to comprehend Edward's love for her. She has immunity to supernatural abilities involving the mind, such as Edward's mind-reading ability. After her transformation into a vampire in the saga's fourth installment, Bella acquires the ability to shield both herself and others from "mental harm" from other vampires.
2. Edward Cullen – Edward is a vampire who lives with a coven of like-minded vampires known as the Cullen family, who feed on animals rather than humans. Over the course of the Twilight series, Edward falls in love with, marries, and has a child with Bella. At first, Edward feels a mutual hatred toward Jacob Black because of his love for Bella, but in Breaking Dawn he comes to see Jacob as a brother and friend. Like some vampires, Edward has a supernatural ability, mind reading; it allows him to read anyone's thoughts within a few miles radius. Bella is immune to his power as a human, but learns how to lower this "shield" after her transformation to a vampire.
3. Jacob Black – A minor character in the first novel, Jacob is introduced as a member of the Quileute tribe. He resurfaces in New Moon with a much larger role, becoming a werewolf and Bella's best friend as she struggles through her depression over losing Edward. Although he is in love with Bella, she initially sees him as just her best friend. In Twilight Saga: Eclipse Bella realizes that she loves Jacob as well, though this love is overpowered by her love for Edward Cullen. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob finds a soulmate in Bella and Edward's baby daughter, Renesmee, ridding him of his heartache for Bella.