Sporty Dad

Sportydad joins the boxing world in paying tribute to one of the world's greatest boxing champions.

He reigned in my days of youth, at that time when I was still starting to appreciate the sport of boxing and starting to idolize great boxers. There were no cable TV's then, no live feeds, not even replays. I just read their exploits in the sports pages but somehow I was able  to know them. It is only now that I've got to see them fight because nowadays, a number of TV channels have programs featuring old boxing matches. But I saw Smokin' Joe's first fight with the great Muhammad Ali at the famed Madison Square Garden, then the mecca of great boxing fights, in March 1971. That fight, dubbed as The Fight of the Century, was shown in Ever cinema in Guanco Street in Iloilo Calle Real, then Iloilo's Escolta.  I could not forget that left hook Frazier unleashed in the 14th or 15th round, which knocked down Ali, the first and I think the last time ever that Ali fell to the canvass. That crushing left hook, Frazier's trade mark, won him that match. Of course, everybody know what happened to their next two fights, especially the historic 3rd and last match, Thrilla in Manila in September 1975, considered by many as the greatest boxing match of all time.


Joe Frazier embodies the heart and fighting spirit of a boxing warrior. He never wavered nor retreated. From the first bell to the last, he comes in charging, never afraid, never intimidated. That's how he got his tag name, Smokin' Joe. At 5'11" and weighing just over 200lbs, he was quite small for a true heavyweight. Ali was 6'3" and comfortably  fought at 215 to 220lbs.But Frazier compensated this by his never ending attack, ducking, weaving, in the process absorbing those hard jabs and straights.He fought at close range and barrels his way through for his vaunted and feared hooks. He knocked out many of his opponents by those deadly left hooks.

Only Pacquiao can match the deadliness of that  left hook which could send opponents to dreamland by just a single blow. I pitied him in his 2 fights with that destroyer named George Foreman. Frazier was simply no match to this big man who wallops killer punches where many of  his fights ended just in one round. But he never retreated. Shame on those boxers today who fought only for money and fought only to survive and protect their bodies from bombardment.

Of course, talk of Joe Frazier would not be complete without mentioning Muhammad Ali. Together, they symbolized the glory days of boxing, even if their animosity was carried outside the ring. Ali won the 1960 Rome Olympics Heavyweight title; Frazier followed with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Foreman next came in during the 1968 Mexico Olympics. All Olympic Champions. all world boxing champions. In the end though, Ali and Frazier, Frazier and Ali made peace with each other.

Smokin; Joe Frazier will remain  the idol of my youth!

The whole world saw what the arrogant brat named Floyd Mayweather did to his young opponent, Victor Ortiz in their much awaited fight yesterday at the MGM Hotel and Casino at Las Vegas. To say that it was an unsportsmanlike act is I think an understatement. My kids saw it in disbelief. My wife, who hates boxing (but is only forced to watch it while waiting for the station breaks in between rounds for her to switch to her favorite Sunday noontime show) was aghast. Knocking out an unsuspecting, defenseless opponent who was still in a break mode following a gentleman's beso-beso was a treacherous act. And he says he's the best boxer in the world? Even in those days of  the cowboys "high noon" shoot-outs, all was fair. They count out their steps and draw fire at the designated moment.

The boxing crowd booed the decision by veteran referee Joe Cortez. Their message was clear. It was not a knockout. It was a no contest. Joe Cortez should be sanctioned. He messed it up. How could he say it's a "go" already when he was clearly not looking at the boxers and was even heard talking to someone else? Normally, referees should be at the center  and signal the boxers to start by saying "box". Blame him for that. The post fight interview further revealed Mayweather's persona. He was rude and got irked when Larry Merchant, the respected grand old man of HBO who's been in boxing long before Mayweather was even born, kept on asking himof the circumstance. He was guilty and the whole world saw how disrespectful he was.

I have no love lost for Mayweather. His personal life is a mess. He batters his wife and he is always hailed to court for other misdeeds. Ok, it's his personal life; his boxing is another thing. But he's scared of our idol, Pacquiao, making all excuses in the world just to evade the much awaited fight. Much more, that drug accusation is simply slanderous.That's why, he's not a great boxer. A great boxer should fight the best; that's the only way to prove who you are. Ali fought Frazier three times. Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, all great fighters, Hall of Famers. They fought one another. And the boxing world knew what stuff they were made of. They lost at one time or another but they still were hailed as great boxers. That's why Pacman is great. Not only did he fought and demolished all those best boxers in several weight divisions he could reach, he wants to fight Mayweather to settle the score once and for all.

My wife says how could I enjoy the brutal world of boxing. But boxing is art. Boxing can be fought by true sportsmen. Boxing is a sport of men;men of honor, dignity, courage, respect, discipline. The one we saw yesterday was not the boxing I love.

I can't wait that day when Pacquiao demolish and crush that brat ego tripping Floyd "The Foul" Mayweather.

I was hurt, my wife was hurt, and my kids were also hurt by that semi-final loss of our idol Roger Federer to top ranked and No.1 seed Novak Djokovich. It was a classic 5 set thriller but it was hurting how he lost that match. For sure, my friend from our NSC days, Vic, a.k.a. Ting was also hurt for he says, in those games when his idol Roger seemingly loses a match especially against Rafa Nadal, he would just switched off the TV. He just could not endure the suspense.

Advantage Federer. That was his position. He won the first 2 sets and Djoko had to extricate himself from a deep hole he was in by winning the 3rd and 4th sets to extend the match into a do or die 5th setter. Tied at 3 all, Federer stormed ahead to 5-3, and serving for the match, he reached an almost insurmountable triple match point. All he needed was an ace and the match is over. Djokovich himself looked resigned to his fate. But I don't know what happened. Pressure for sure, pressure he always handled in the past by his cool demeanor, must have crept on him. And Djokovich recovered, saved matchpoint and went on to tie the set at 5 apiece. Clearly, the tide turned in his favor, and ended at 7-5. All this time, the cameras would focus on Mirka for almost every point won or lost. She was shouting, cheering from the box, but how could we described how she felt after that loss? Didn't we said she's the most courageous woman in tennis?

So it's gonna be the No.1 seed vs the No.2, a rare happening. In fact to have the top 4 seeds in semis doesn't also happen often. It promises to be another classic match, a no holds barred encounter, power for power, speed for speed, and what have you. In last year's final, they also met with Nadal winning. So Djoko has a score to settle. Nadal has a mission to redeem his top ranked status. My crystal ball? It's gonna be Djokovich. Watch it live starting 4AM tomorrow, Manila time.

I was watching the semis of US Open 2011 and heard Rafa Nadal's brief dedication to the victims of 9/11 after his winning match against Andy Murray.

It took me back to New York and World Trade Center now Ground Zero 25 years ago.

Here's my story.

Mirka. She is of course the wife of Roger Federer and mother of their two year old twin daughters. They got married in 2009 although they have been together for quite sometime now, ever since they met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where they both represented their country, Switzerland, in tennis. Hers is the face that regularly and constantly graces Federer's player's box in all his matches, especially during the tennis majors. No other woman, wife, girlfriend, or companion or whatever could match that adoring presence, much less survive the suspense, thrill, and excitement, in victory and defeat, every game her man played. Her "stamina" in the player's box for almost ten years now has the media describing her as "the most courageous woman" in tennis. I've seen and watched her perhaps since 2002 because the TV cameras have always focused on her. You could sense her joy when Federer scores and wins but likewise feel her pain and agony in those difficult moments and defeats of her man. We ourselves watching on TV could hardly bear those moments because we are Federer's big fans. How many times has he gone through tie breaks, 5 setters, etc.; those classic encounters with Rafa Nadal in Wimbledon and Australian Open where Federer broke down during the awarding ceremony . She's a major presence indeed in the tennis world but the significance of that presence was best described by Federer himself when he said, "Thanks to her, I have been very calm in the important moments of my career."




Miroslava Vavrinec, a.k.a. Mirka was born in Bojnice, Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia). At age 2, her parents migrated to Switzerland. When she was 9, she watched tennis legend Martina Navratilova (also from Czechoslovakia but later acquired American citizenship) play in Germany. It was here that Navratilova took fancy on her, discovering a potential champion. Thereafter, she sent her a racket and gave her a trainer. At age 15, Mirka became Switzerland's Girls Junior champion. She attained her highest ranking in the ATP tour at No.76 in 2001 but recurring foot injury forced her to retire in 2002. Since then, she went with Federer with a role as Press and Public Relations Manager. It is said that in those years that Federer didn't have a coach and manager, she also acted as one because being a professional player herself, she knows tennis. Her addiction to chewing gums is famous and you could see her continually chewing during the games. And unlike most wives, celebrities, etc, she doesn't have a blog nor a twitter account.



She has a beautiful face that still looks the same after 10 years. She may have gained weight but it is still that face that launched 200km/hr serves and aces in Roger Federer's arsenal. Federer is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, having won the most number of tennis major titles at 16 at all four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US Open. And perhaps still going. But many agree that he couldn't have accomplished everything he has in his career without the "constant, loving, sympathetic, and knowledgeable" presence of Mirka. German tennis legend Boris Becker aptly described their relationship: "So this is it. Match point for eternity."  

It's interesting and quite "showbizzy" to be following ( to know maybe is the more appropriate word ) the loves of our idol tennis superstars. My wife even quipped,"why, do they still have time for that?" Yet, when you read that this and that have already broken up, the most common reason they cite is, "we just didn't have time for each other". For me, I just love to hear that he or she is in love with this girl or man.

During a match, watch out for that beautiful lady or handsome gentleman in the player's box   which the TV camera focuses from time to time. No doubt, she's the girlfriend or wife or he's the boyfriend or husband. More often, it is the TV that confirms the relationship.

First on the roll. World's No.1 Novak Djokovic's girlfriend, Jelena Ristic.Also from Serbia, she's Novak's longtime girlfriend, described by the press as the lady with "a flawless face, beautiful hair, delicate body, and a beautiful smile".She's not always at his box for she stays in Monaco, pursuing a Master's degree and working as Human Resource Coordinator in a Libyan oil company. A few days ago, it was confirmed that they are finally getting married next month, with Scotman, World No.4 Andy Murray as the best man. Headlining the women's draw is No.1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and boyfriend, young golfer sensation and one time Major winner Rory McIllroy. Good match. Both aces. Reminds me of another tennis-golf love pair before: Swiss No.1 Martina Hingis and Spain's top golfer, Sergio Garcia. Now, Maria Sharapova, tennis' poster girl, is engaged to Sasha Vujacivic who helped Kobe Bryant and the Lakers win their 3rd straight NBA title a year ago but who now plays with the New Jersey Nets. This is another good match and a slam dunk showtime. We could add Ana Ivanovic and golf sensation Australian  Adam Scott.  These are just a few of those love matches.

But I think the two greatest matches so far is the Roger-Mirka Federer and the Andrei Agassi-Steffie Graf love affairs.Theirs are beautiful and enduring love stories that need a separate story telling.