NEW YORK (AP)—Manny Pacquiao was honored as the fighter of the decade by the Boxing Writer’s Association of America Feb. 1, along with matching Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield by winning his third fighter of the year award. Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) capped off a remarkable decade by stopping welterweight Miguel Cotto in the final round in November to win a title in a record-setting seventh weight division. Pacquiao will return to the ring in March when he defends his WBO belt against Joshua Clottey at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. FIGHTER OF THE DECADE— Champion Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, poses for a photo during a news conference Jan. 20, in New York, to promote an upcoming fight against Joshua Clottey.
The last time I checked, and correct me if I’m wrong, an all-star game usually features the best, at least for that season, performers of a particular sport. In the case of the NFL All-Star game, add to the mix a few well-endowed sisters from our 50th state with the word “aloha” flowing freely from their sensuous mouths in low provocative undertones then presto, success can be almost guaranteed.
On Jan. 22, Roy Jones Jr., and Square Ring Promotions put out a boxing card at the Hilton Hotel billed as “Three Rivers Warbash.” By now, Jones’ rags-to-riches-by-way-of-boxing story is as familiar to most as are the eight world championships that launched him into mega- stardom. His fiercely competitive spirit and determination are the stuff of legend, and the path to his many victories. SWEET HOMECOMING— Roy Jones Jr. raises the arm of Rayco “War” Saunders after he won the WBF All Americas light-heavyweight title Jan. 22 over Demetrius Davis of Washington, D.C. Jones has spent 25 years torching, torturing and utterly embarrassing almost every one of his opponents. Just as he has generated success in multiple businesses, the multi-tasking Jones plans to build on his success as a boxing promoter.
Both the boys and girls basketball teams at Perry High School were sitting atop the City League standings at the beginning of the week, each had a big game against Westinghouse who are enjoying good campaigns of their own. On Jan. 22, the Bulldogs were among the top teams in the conference but the Commodores were determined to put an end to that statistic. The Perry boys were able to sneak out of a potentially large upset in the league this year. They were down by as many as 11 with five minutes left when an unlikely hero, in the form of 6-2 junior Bruce Grover, stepped forward and took care of business for the Commodores. He hit seven consecutive 3-pointers in the period as they finished off Westinghouse, 78-67. BLOCKED—Oliver’s Tony Brown, 31, blocks a shot from behind on Ieiar White of Westinghouse.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Everywhere Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert looked, he saw pain he can’t forget. The NBA’s only Haitian-born player arrived in his home country Jan. 21 with former NBA star Alonzo Mourning as part of Project MediShare. He watched a leg amputation and people having operations on flimsy kitchen tables. Flies and filth were everywhere. TRYING TO BE STRONG —Haiti native Samuel Dalembert, of the Philadelphia 76ers, hugs Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, as he presents her with a check for $100,000 to aid relief efforts in Haiti, Jan. 15, in Philadelphia. Mostly, he’ll remember the children, many recently orphaned, with desperate looks on their faces. The 6-11, 250-pound Dalembert wept.
Andre Berto is heading to Haiti instead of Las Vegas, something that the welterweight champion could not have imagined little more than a week ago. He has no choice because there’s work to be done there that, for now, is far more important than anything he does in the ring. At least eight of his relatives are dead, he said. Others, like his sister, Naomi, and her daughter, Jessica, are homeless and helpless in the aftermath of the earthquake. ANDRE BERTO He struggles to comprehend the devastation he will see when he lands in the country he represented in the 2004 Olympics. He knows he can do only so much to help in the few days he hopes to be there.
Ya'll please excuse me. I really, really intended to flood your eyeballs with stories from last weekend’s AFC and NFC Championship games but alas, thoughts and nightmares about the freakin’ NCAA woke me up repeatedly on Sunday night and if I have nightmares I am inclined to share them with you, the readers who most of the time, unbeknownst to “yinz” guys, function as my “proxy therapists.”
For years the Perry Commodores owned City League football. The last few years the Brashear Bulls dominated and were expected to do the same this season but that didn’t happen. Schenley, Oliver and Perry joined them atop of the League, with Schenley surprising everybody by winning their first title since 1950. MANASSEH GARNER, JEROME MATHEWS, MARTISE SMITH In selecting our third annual All City football team the Courier kept this in mind with the selection of the players. The four top teams dominate the selections as they dominated league play, but all nine schools are represented. Helping us select the players were the coaches of all nine schools in the city, Woody Miller and the men in the booth who call the game and keep the stats, as well as our reporter and photographer who cover the teams. Schenley and Oliver tied for the best record at 7-1, and Perry and Brashear finished right behind them at 6-2. The other five teams finished under .500 with Peabody, Westinghouse and Carrick tied at 3-5, Allderdice 1-7 and Langley 0-8.
It was a three-point shot by Daryl Harrington with four seconds left that took care of Oliver (3-1, 5-3) and their chances of taking sole possession of second place in the City League, going down to Perry (5-0, 8-1) 68-65, Jan. 12. This puts them in a three-way tie with Westinghouse and Peabody for the “next to best” spot in the league’s standings as they have matching 3-1 conference records. PENN HILLS FALLS TO UPPER ST. CLAIR IN WPIAL ACTION—Penn Hills guard Lamont Wright dribbles past Upper St. Clair’s Mike Worthy during the Indians’ 46-39 loss in the Penn Hills Rotary Classic Jan. 16.
As I sit here at my computer on this very dreary Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am in a semi-fog in regards to the importance of wins and losses in the sports world. There is a tragedy, an almost unimaginable tragedy that has occurred in the Western Hemisphere. Yes I am talking about the almost “genocidal” non-response to the “army” of “grim reapers” that has invaded the small impoverished Afro-Caribbean country to the south of America, Haiti. The monumental loss of life is a burden unto itself and overwhelming but the response by the African-American community, particularly affluent Black athletes in the NFL, MLB and the NBA has been very “underwhelming.”
