Hitting Bigtime: Broner’s Big Night

As the sun sets on the prolific careers of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, a 23 year old from Cincinnati is blazing a trail through the fight game. It’s surely only a matter of time till the world knows the name Adrien Broner. Opinion amongst boxing fans is split on Broner’s controversial antics, from the rap concerts during his ring-walks to the ceremonial hairbrushing and fake marriage proposals after emphatic victories. Cocky is an understatement when it comes to describing how the number five pound for pound boxer in the world (in The Ring Magazine ratings) conducts himself. One thing is certain however, the man nicknamed “The Problem” backs up his other worldly arrogance with other worldly talent. The most accomplished young fighter in boxing, Broner takes with him into tonight’s bout against Welshmen Gavin Rees an undefeated 25-0 record (21 Knockouts). Few give his British foe a chance and a closer look at the match up tells us exactly why.

The Match-Up

Broner has outstanding power and speed which Rees could struggle to deal with despite the latter’s impressive record as a former WBA light welterweight champion with 37 wins and only 1 loss. In his last fight against Antonio DeMarco number one Lightweight in the world at the time; “The Problem” put forth a masterclass winning by an 8th round technical knockout, Broner’s accurate punches reduced a formidable opponent to a crumpled and bloodied mess. The vast majority of boxing analysts believe Rees will take a similar approach to DeMarco and try to pressure the 23 year old by constantly moving forward. The results could prove disastrous; walking into the eye of Broner’s storm of venomous hooks and flurries could result in the Welshmen who has never been sent to the canvas in his career suffering his first knockout.

So what are the chances Gavin Rees a relative unknown from Newbridge, Wales takes down Boxing’s youngest phenom? 80-1 odds and a whole host of observers suggest none at all. Broner, for all his talent, has not quite entered the stratosphere of boxing megastars yet. A blockbuster display in New Jersey tonight could help elevate him to were he wants to be; alongside the man he calls his big brother, Floyd Mayweather at the top of boxing’s pound for pound mountain.

The Bull Is Back: Rafa’s Return

With the late afternoon shadows crossing centre court at the VTR Open in Chile, a dark haired 26 year old Spaniard grunted, ripped a forehand winner, and followed it up with a series of energetic fist pumps. VAMOS!  Rafael Nadal had just taken the opening set in his comeback match against Argentine Federico Del Bonis 6-3. That moment reminded the sporting world exactly what they had been missing for 7 long months, the unique aura of an 11 time grand slam winner and one of the greatest athletes of his generation. Nadal’s re-emergence from a knee injury induced hiatus at the obscure tournament has been as straight-forward as many had expected. Barring a major upset, Nadal should beat his semi-final opponent Jeremy Chardy and go on to clinch the title. What’s more important is how sharp Nadal looks and the implications his comeback has on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) landscape.

Whilst Federico Del Bonis and Daniel Gimino-Traver, the two opponents Rafa has defeated so far in his comeback do not exactly strike fear into the hearts of opponents, the efficiency of Nadal’s performances was still noteworthy. He has shown less rust than expected, serving with confidence and moving his foes from side to side in the punishing manner for which he is renowned on clay. Arguably the greatest clay-court player of all time is still proving to be his dominant and intense self. Nevertheless, there have been a couple of minor hitches; at times the the 26 year hasn’t hit the ball with the usual depth, he also showed some nerves in the final game of his quarter-final match against Traver, leading to a rather erratic finish. As we move into the Spring and the opposition gets tougher, Nadal with more matchplay under his belt will do one of two things: struggle to adjust to facing top quality foes as he did in his previous comeback in 2009 or thrive and once again mount a charge to the top of the world rankings, having fallen to number 5. The two prestigious American hard-court events in March at Indian Wells and Miami will be pivotal in his comeback.

Murray, Federer, Djokovic and Ferrer have been put on notice. The King of Clay is back. What happens now is anyone’s guess; another injury to Nadal’s troublesome knees cannot be ruled out but for now the Majorcan Matador is back and the flavour of the ATP 2013 season has just become even more tantalising.

By Shingi Mararike

Irving, Lillard lead selections for All-Star Rising Stars (rookie/sophomore game)

Reblogged from ProBasketballTalk:

Friday night of All-Star weekend is when the NBA likes to show off it’s future All-Stars. Or, at least the guys who seem like they are going to stick around the league for a while.

It’s the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge — what the rest of us still call the rookie/sophomore game. Although for the second year in a row the teams of rookies and sophomores will be mixed together on teams selected by Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley during the TNT pregame show Feb.

Read more… 256 more words

The Week-End Preview: 26-27th January (Australian Open Special)

In recent years the Australian Open has consistently done one thing, kick off the tennis grand slam season with a bang. The story lines that come out of Melbourne Park give us a flavour of what’s to come for the rest of the tennis year, a flavour that often leaves us craving for more. Finals week-end in Melbourne is the biggest sporting event in the coming two days, so it is only fitting this edition of The Weekend Preview looks ahead to two fascinating finals down under.

Women’s Singles Final: Victoria Azarenka vs Li Na (26th January) Not before 7:30 PM Australian Time

Who would have picked this as the women’s final on the middle Sunday of the competition? With Serena Williams mowing down the competition left right and centre and Maria Sharapova shrieking and smashing her way through the draw, a final round confrontation between the pair was looking more and more likely with every round. However, the tennis God’s had a completely different agenda. Serena and Sharapova both fell before the championship round; in the quarter finals and semi-finals respectively. Having said this, we cannot take anything away from our pair of deserving finalists- Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and China’s Li Na.

One of the most intriguing points about the match between Li and Azarenka is the pair’s penchant for playing their very best tennis in Australia. Azarenka the world number one is renowned for her infamous grunt and fearsome ball-striking. “Vika” as she’s dubbed has forged quite a record in Melbourne since a 2011 loss to (you guessed) it Li Na. Since then she has gone on to achieve 13 straight wins on the Melbourne Park hard-courts including a title round thrashing of Maria Sharapova in 2012. On the other side of the net, Li is no slouch either. She has built up a solid Australian Open resume in that same time frame. Since 2010 not once has the Chinese number one failed to reach the quarter-finals. There is much to suggest Li Na will this time go one step further and wrench the title from the world number one. Since she began working with her new coach Carlos Rodriguez, we can see a marked improvement in Li’s game. She seems to have lost the chronic nervousness and lack of consistency that have plagued her throughout her career. Her steady semi-final victory over Sharapova is a confirmation she now packs the mental power to go with a powerful game. In addition to this, the crowd is bound to be behind her. The affable and funny home continent hero takes on Azarenka, a figure who divides opinion. When two players who like to dominate points meet, the question is who will sustain their dominance enough to gain the victory? The answer will be delivered tomorrow morning at 7:30 pm Australian time.

Men’s Singles Final: Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray (27th January) Not Before 7:30 PM Australian Time

War. That is the word that springs to mind and aptly describes confrontations between Murray and Djokovic. Only born a week apart, the duo have engaged in some phenomenal contests. They stretch each other to their physical limits and then some; scampering left right and centre to retrieve balls seemingly out of reach. On the very same court where they will clash on Sunday, Djokovic edged out Murray in a 4 hour 50 minute semi-final skirmish 367 days prior. Djokovic took the win at the death; 7-5 in the fifth set. To say a lot has changed in those 367 days would be an understatement. Murray has gotten the grand slam monkey off his back. He stopped Djokovic in yet another five set grand slam encounter to win the U.S Open. Murray had come of age, finally chasing the ghost of Fred Perry the last British man to win a Grand Slam title into the shadows once and for all. Playing a more aggressive brand of tennis, the 25 year-old Brit has learned that to win grand slam titles you have to go out and snatch victory. As a result he has made a spirited run to the Australian Open final this year, outlasting Roger Federer in his second consecutive five set semi to set up a confrontation with Djokovic.

On the other hand Djokovic who finished 2012 ranked world number one, enters his third straight final in Melbourne with the history books in his sights. No man in the open era of tennis (since 1969) has won the Australian Open three times in a row. It must be noted that his form has not been as impressive as Murray’s leading into the final. The Serb was pushed to the limit in an epic struggle with Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round. Despite this he heads into Sunday’s final a marginal favourite. He brings to big matches a potency and competitive drive that is unmatched. The longer a match goes, the stronger he seems to become. All signs are pointing to a marathon, this final may not be about who simply wins but who conjures up enough will power to survive their opponent.

Sporting Heroes and Zero’s of the week: 20th January

It has been a mixed bag in terms of heroes and zeroes in the world of sport this past week. Whilst there were some good moments, there were no seismic shifts of the type that produce a single, indisputable hero on the sporting landscape. On the other hand, the week has produced arguably the biggest sporting zero of all time, his exploits providing a talking point for people from all walks of life and not just sport fans. 

Sporting Heroes of the Week:

NBA Basketball: Kevin Durant and LeBron James

The NBA has been blessed with phenomenal rivalries over the years with legendary players tending to come in two’s. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in the 60′s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 80′s and now LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Although it might be premature to elevate their rivalry into such distinguished company, (the duo have only met in one NBA final’s series so far), it is clear the pair are the NBA’s premier talents. The fact both of them managed to reach career milestones in the same week means it is only right that they should share the title of sporting heroes of the week.

Thursday night saw twitter erupt, the trending topic? #LeBron20k. The reigning Most Valuable Player, (MVP),  drained a jumpshot with 2:45 seconds remaining in the second quarter of the Miami Heat’s game against the Golden State Warriors to pass the milestone of 20,000 career points. At the age of 28, LeBron James or “King James” as he is rightfully dubbed became the youngest man to pass the milestone. He has also been the consensus choice for the best basketball player on the planet for a number of years now and it is important to note the effect he has on a basketball game extends well beyond scoring. LeBron is one of the most well-rounded athletes ever to  grace the basketball court, just the 13th player ever to amass 5,000 career assists as well as 20,000 points. The King’s march towards history continues as steadily as his hairline recedes!

Our second hero is Kevin Durant, leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that owns the NBA’s best win loss record. Not to be outdone by his Team USA team mate, Durant exploded for a career high 52 points on Friday, sending his OKC team to an 117-114 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Not only did he put in the only 50+ point performance of the 2012-13 NBA season so far (even the on fire Kobe Bryant hasn’t achieved this), he did it without missing a free throw, downing a whopping 21/21 at the charity stripe, the second most ever in a single game without a single miss. During the overtime period he took over the game nailing some clutch shots to will his team to victory. Although not as historically significant as James’ achievements the night before, KD proved once again that despite his shy and retiring character off court, on court he is the undisputed leader of arguably the NBA’s greatest team.

Sporting Zero Of The Week:

Cycling: Lance Armstrong

Where to begin with this man? What hasn’t been said already? Zero of the week seems inadequate to describe the fallen hero – more like Zero of the century. I didn’t know much about road cycling growing up, but I did know that the most prestigious bike race in the world was dominated by a true sporting legend, one Lance Armstrong. This cycling demi-God survived cancer and won the Tour De France an astounding 7 times before literally riding off into the the sun set and retiring in 2005. In 2011 when the USADA accused Armstrong of blood doping as well as trafficking the bubble burst. His use of banned substances including EPO, Testorone, Steroids and The Human Growth Hormone as well as his trail of lies and bullying tactics had finally caught up with him. By the time he appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network to confirm what the world already knew his reputation was in tatters .The two part interview saw Winfrey allow far more sympathy than the 41 year old deserved but it was nice to see a man who had lived a lie come to terms with it all, right in front of our eyes. The teary eyes and confessions did stir up some empathy but it wasn’t for the man who sat in the chair. It was for those who were affected by his reckless pursuit of victory at all costs like his wife, children, team mates and sponsors, and of course those fellow competitors he might have robbed of their place in history. The Tour de France record books now have a gaping blank space against the winner’s entry for all the 7 years previously devoted to Lance Armstrong. Oprah closed the interview with the widely used cliche “the truth will set you free;” not quite. The truth will set others around Armstrong free whilst leaving him wrapped in the shackles of condemnation forever.

Kevin Durant scores career-high 52 points, hits overtime game-winner to get win over Mavericks

Reblogged from ProBasketballTalk:

Kevin Durant scored 52 points, a new career-high in leading the Thunder to a 117-114 overtime win in Dallas against the Mavericks.

None of his shots were as ridiculous or as important as the one you see in the video clip above.

With under 27 seconds remaining in overtime and the game tied at 114, Russell Westbrook has possession at the top of the three-point arc.

Read more… 203 more words

The Week-End Preview: 19th-20th Janaury

It feels like a good time to post the inaugural edition of the week-end preview, for two reasons. Firstly, sport is thickly ingrained in the social conscious at this moment in time; Lance Armstrong’s confession in an interview with Oprah Winfrey left everyone’s blood boiling. Secondly, for arm chair sport fans in the UK, snow falling across the country has provided the perfect excuse to stay indoors and concentrate on the weekend’s sporting action. This Friday’s edition of The Week-End preview looks ahead to grand slam tennis down under and the Premier Leagues most high profile fixture of the week; derby day at Stamford Bridge as Arsenal take on Chelsea.

Saturday: Australian Open Tennis- Tomic vs Federer (Third Round) Starts 7pm Australian Time

A new year for ardent tennis fans is synonymous with one tournament, the Australian Open. The tennis calendar from January to November is held together by the four grand slams or majors that capture the imagination of casual and hardcore fans alike. The first of these 4 grand slams got under way on Monday in Melbourne Australia quite literally sending a ray of sunshine onto our TV screens. Once you begin moving into the second week of a grand slam the formalities are over and the gloves come off. Serious match ups between top class players begin to materialise. Tomorrow’s fascinating inter-generational third rounder is well worth watching.

Tomic vs Federer at the Australian Open haven’t we been here before? Whilst the answer is yes, the circumstances surrounding the match-up this time are distinctly different. The 2012 edition of the Australian Open saw Tomic enter a fourth round meeting with Federer riding a wave of home nation support in Melbourne before falling to the man many call the greatest player of all time. The scoreline was a straightforward 6-4,6-2,6-2 victory for Federer. That run was arguably the highlight of the young Australian’s year. From then on he went from hero to zero; the most celebrated young talent in tennis to a much maligned character. He was chastised for his lack of commitment and even accused by tennis legend John McEnroe of “tanking” (losing a match on purpose). Entering 2013 it was safe to say all the cognoscenti believed the wind had been taken out of the 20 year old’s sails. He has responded to his critics emphatically; winning seven matches in a row, including a victory over the world number one Novak Djokovic. This weekend Tomic enters a showdown with Federer in much better stead. He is mentally tougher, a more seasoned competitor with the ability to put forth a better effort against the Swiss maestro. Could we  dare think the unthinkable and expect a Tomic victory? Well, it’s less unthinkable than last time.

Sunday: Premier League Football – Chelsea vs Arsenal, Kick Off: 1:30 PM

The hallmarks of recent Arsenal and Chelsea fixtures have been lacklustre performances and disgruntled fans. As with all derbys this is a huge game for fans and players alike. Both teams’  recent league form has been indifferent; Chelsea squandered a 2 goal lead at mid-week against minnows Southampton whilst a 10 man Arsenal were comfortably beaten on Sunday by champions Manchester City. A key component in the Gunners’ play of late has been the sterling performances of Jack Wilshere. The 21 year old England international has been dynamite. A pair of determined displays against City and Swansea suggest he is back to his best following his extended injury lay-off due to an aggravated stress fracture in his ankle. If so, expect him to to run the show in the middle of the park in Stamford Bridge against Chelsea and their creative attacking trio of Oscar, Mata and Hazard. The Blues tendency under Rafa Benititez is to play poorly at home whilst Arsenal have ever present defensive liabilities. This combined with the need for both sides to grab all three points provides the combustible elements that should make for a cracking game. If last year’s 5-2 win away win by Arsenal is anything to go by then sparks could fly at the bridge on Sunday.