Happy 2011

Turuk the Rabbit

Pacquiao Vs Margarito: A Warning to Mosley

Antonio Margarito's face is a warning to Pacquiao's future foes.

Below is an excerpt from my book Rex Mundi Chronicles. Seems an apt description of how Margarito must have felt inside the ring with Pacquiao.

You look the beast square in the eye and you twitched.
A moment of hesitation and you found yourself writhing in agony - the only good part is your conscious of it. It means you're still alive. But before you could figure out for how long, you found yourself being hurled from pillar to post*. "A couple of minutes perhaps", you are sure now.
You were told it was all routine. A mere sweeping of the dust with a pay of a king's ransom should have tipped you off. You should have known better. It was too good to be true.

"You're totally screwed man!" is an obvious truth that reverberates mockingly...

The whole thing spelled disaster and you were unable to read it. Well' you did but it was all too late.

*wall to wall in the book.

Serpentine

The 35

Pacquiao and The Lemmings

Published @boxingnews24

Pacquiao and the Lemmings Off a Cliff

December 6th, 2010

By Rasheed Catapang: Andre Berto, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley are the names thrown in by Bob Arum as Pacquiao’s next possible dance partner. Truth be told, they are actually Lemmings jumping off a cliff. And Pacquiao, always with a lending hand, would certainly take any one of them to a far darker place than a dance hall or a grimmer deep spot they could possibly imagine.

Mayweather – his personal reasons aside – doesn’t belong in that suicide list. Not anymore. He had long realized it’s Pacquiao’s world he’s living in and would not be coaxed to mix in. Knowing too well that it’s the Pacmonster’s way or the highway, Floyd wisely did a road runner and won’t ever be a road-kill. Good for him.

Among the three then, we probe on Berto’s chances first just as cancer initially strikes the weakest cell. Andre Berto had long feasted on mediocre fighters and fringe contenders. If “we are what we eat” holds true, then Berto is certainly a no hoper. The one time he had a step up in competition, he had lost the fight and got the gift decision. We’re talking of a Collazo here who pales in comparison to a ferocious beast that is Manny Pacquiao. What’s the appeal of a green Berto going against boxing’s finest and deadliest practioner? The answer is nil and so is Berto’s chances of winning. Similarly, Berto attracts nil fans to his fights.

Juan Manuel Marquez, however, is a different boxer altogether. A true warrior and an incredible technician, he went to war with Pacquiao twice and obtained in the process a draw, a competitive loss and a shirt to show for them which he later wore in the Katsidis fight.

JMM is a proud fighter and is of the belief that he indeed twice defeated Pacquiao though the record shows otherwise. He craved the third time more than the urine he drinks to prepare for his fights. But though there is unfinished business between them JMM doesn’t need a third fight with Pacquiao and he should leave it at that. JMM’s stocks soars with Pacquiao’s continuous rise, a direct encounter now would prove his undoing. Some things are better left untouched, like Marquez never having to ask Chris John for a rematch.

They may have been on even terms in the lower weights of the past but Pacquiao is a true welterweight now and a real beast at that. Marquez would be slaughtered if he ever shared a ring again with the current Pacmonster. He never won a round going up in weight against the defensive-minded Mayweather, how can he expect to last against the finest offensive arsenal boxing has to offer. A third time would be a slaughter.

This brings us to Mosley and the Lemmings throwing themselves off a cliff. Mosley almost certainly will get the Pacquiao fight inspite of his recent poor performances and steady decline (or precisely because of that). He had pleased Arum by disassociating with Golden Boy promotions and would later please Pacquiao who would disassociate him to his senses with a barrage of punches the old man would never see coming.

It’s still a mystery to date why Lemmings do that, hurling themselves to a world of hurt and inevitable end. In the near future, Mosley would provide the answer.

Doodle to start December

Paul "The Punished" Williams

Article published @boxingnews24

Paul “The Punished” Williams: Ready for Pacquiao or Mayweather

November 21st, 2010

By Rasheed Catapang:

Be careful what you wish for…

Paul Williams dreamt of mixing it up with Pacquiao or Mayweather for a career high payday and had a plan of how to carry it through. He’d asserted himself to the pound for pound throne and made his case, leaving it in the end to the people to call upon such a fight being made. Boxing’s top two would not have heed the call anyway on their own accord even with their talents due to William’s freakish built, a welterweight with the height and reach of a heavyweight.

In his mind it will happen. He just had to wait, bide his time and in the interim get rid of Sergio Martinez.

Sergio Martinez, of course, as we know by now had other plans. He’d gone before where angels fear to tread. And he doesn’t mind if it’s long tall Paul standing at the road’s end – he won’t be standing there long enough.

Paul Williams may have had the wingspan of a pterodactyl, but just like Icarus much earlier before him painfully learned, they’re not that good when they’re made of wax. The Middleweight Champion of the World never let up – pressuring Williams, and putting enough heat to make sure those wax melted. And melt they did as Paul Williams wilted in just about 4 minutes.

It was deluge the first time they fought and fire this time around. Paul Williams was utterly destroyed by a superior force.

In so doing, Sergio Martinez may have inherited the cursed of the leper from his fallen foe. Pacquiao and Mayweather, no slight to them, would not touch him. Who in their right mind would when you’re the Middleweight Champion of the World?

The opposite, however, is true for Paul “The Punished” Williams. The Punisher had been thoroughly punished and the Most Feared introduced to Fear itself. The utmost irony, though, is that Paul Williams’ dreams may just happen yet.

Pacquiao, with his successive grueling fights and recent battle with Margarito, might as well be deserving of a soft touch in his next fight. After Sergio’s thudding left, Paul Williams must now be soft enough. Soft and still he’ll be the biggest opponent Pacquiao would have faced. It’s a win-win situation and nobody can deny it’s a compelling match.

Mayweather, on the other hand, more of a carrion bird of late than a predator, had been known to feed on carcasses of fallen or faded champions. It’s actually a strict diet with a dodging regimen equal to or superior to those of heavyweight ducker David Haye. Paul Williams now may just be the right type of willing victim he was looking for – tall, still looks fearsome but totally vulnerable. The vulture would be thankful for a feast.

Paul Williams accomplished in losing what he could not do while winning. He might have his dream granted after all.

Pacquiao is Boxing's Superman

Published @ boxingnews24

Pacquiao is Boxing’s Superman

November 15th, 2010

By Rasheed Catapang: Once the mild mannered Clark Kent takes off his coat, we know the kid gloves are off. Saturday night in Dallas, we learned what feats of destruction such fists are capable of. No, Pacquiao is not Superman. But on the night he handed Margarito his comeuppance, he was closed enough. Was he faster than a speeding bullet? Maybe not. But against Margarito’s movement, he surely was bullet-like. The lumbering giant was being peppered with 6 to 7 hits combo before he could even contemplate mounting an attack – couple that with the fact that he could not hit what he could not see, Pacquiao being in perpetual motion and all. And when Margarito found the luck to actually launch one, he was met with a barrage of missiles whichever way he turns.

Margarito found out how it was to be an all time great. And it wasn’t great at all for him to be at the opposite end with such a man. There is not a shadow of doubt now that Pacquiao stands tall along the All-Time- Greats, the only question is whether he is now “The Greatest”.

Overcoming an opponent’s advantages amounting to 17 pounds of weight, 5 inches of reach and 5 inches in height are the stuff of legend. And Pacquiao is just that – a living legend – because he didn’t merely overcome the odds, didn’t merely win, but did it in such a comprehensive way like no other boxer can.

This is Pacquiao’s time. And he rules boxing with an iron fist masked with a boyish grin. He is the real face of boxing, and at the moment its one and only.

Mayweather could dispute that though, perceived to be at or near the same level as Pacquiao. And he’s more than welcome to try. Though after his witnessing of the thorough beatings handed over to Margarito and the past challengers to the throne, I wouldn’t really blame Mayweather if he foregoes such plans. Twice he’d thrown a wrench to that fight being made, and he’s got the most valid reason now not to – Margarito’s bludgeoned face for the entire world to see.

But let’s hope Mayweather is really up to the task this time, and that he clears all his personal problems to make way for a spring fight. After all, a Lex Luthor is needed to test boxing’s Superman

Golf Raider 2010

This is my 2009's find.

Hope to top it this year.

Antonio Margarito: To Hell and Pac

Because in Floyd Mayweather's mind, the Pacmonster had his number.

In his place, Margarito is a willing victim.

Pacquiao vs. Margarito: To Hell and “Pac”

November 2nd, 2010

By: Rasheed Catapang

Published @ boxingnews24

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2010/11/pacquiao-vs-margarito-to-hell-and-%E2%80%9Cpac%E2%80%9D/

If you can’t be good, be careful. Antonio Margarito was neither on the night Old Shane Mosley handed him a beating. In that fight, he got caught and fought like he never knew how. He was never the feared fighter advertised or thought of before that fight. But then maybe he was just missing those awesome loaded gloves. Without which it begs to be asked, was he really ever good? There was hell to pay and then Time will tell.

With the Pacquiao – Margarito fight looming, that time is almost upon us. Margarito was already through hell, or so we have been made to believe. Come November 13, Redemption awaits him like the persistent bride at the gate.

Judging from recent history, Margarito was still nowhere near good against the journeyman Roberto Garcia. The fact, however, doesn’t make him less of a monster. Bear in mind he lobbied for a Pacquiao fight. Considering that he’s towering over Pacquiao and is having as much as a 7-inch advantage in reach, a pathetic showing might have been his way of getting the Pacquiao lottery ticket. (Or so we wish, if the fight is to be competitive.)

In a different way, that is the very reason why Floyd Mayweather is not fighting Pacquiao for Boxing’s Superbowl. The Filipino sensation shines like a halogen lamp in his previous bouts which is a bad omen for Floyd who thinks he’ll be in a bout he could not win. But I digress.

In the absence of Floyd Mayweather, Pacquiao was offered a viable alternative – a beatable Goliath in Margarito with the promise of a record 8^th belt, with many even viewing him a sacrifice to the little devil’s altar. Now, after getting the fight it doesn’t mean Margarito needs to follow the script. Scripts are for lesser mortals like Clottey who in the end always finds a way to lose. Margarito needs to be the Tijuana Tornado once more, the superior force that brought Cotto down to his knees (loaded gloves or not).

Still, the Pacman can’t be stopped by either man or beast these days. In order to win, Margarito has to be something else.

Come fight night, boxing won’t ask Margarito whether he had lost his moral compass. He’d only be demanded to stop a freak of nature at all cause or go down trying.

No, Margarito doesn’t have to be good this time. To beat Pacquiao, it’s time for him to step up and unleash whatever demons he has within and become a real Monster.

It’s all in his hands now.

The Legacy of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) - Looking for Gloria

Where is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo now?

Some says she's in Congress. Giving justice to the old adage:

"Feathered Bipeds of the same plumage live gregariously."

(For those whose brains are the size of those of the subjects,

It means "Birds of the same feathers...")

In the matter of Justice, that is a grand idea which their puny minds could not comprehend.

Congress is the last resort of the scoundrel - at least it seems that way,

Or only in the Philippines.

One can only hope.

Which brings us back to the question at hand:

Where is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo now?

In the grand scheme of things, where is GMA?

Yes, this is a good place as any to start. Don't you think?

Seek and you shall find.

And, look no further.

The search is over.
The stench of corruption reaches deaf heaven.

It leaves a bad taste in the mouth...

Be wary and never forget.

Cancer find its way back, and comes nastier, if not fully cured.

The flames of evil need to be fully extinguished, leave no burning ember.

Look out for Gloria. Wipe every trace of her.

When Anarchy is the enemy, crush it totally.

Otherwise, the gangrene finds its way through the skin,

bursting at the seams.

I put Kylie's picture below to merely mask GMA's foul odor. We are entitled to a bit of heaven.

And so, a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Otherwise, what is heaven for?

Or more accurately, what is heaven?

For the Filipinos, it is the absence of GMA.

The Declaration - Rex Mundi Chronicles

“I came to the world in the usual way. At least that was what I was told. I never quite could recall how it was when I first opened my eyes so I had to rely on the testimony of first hand witnesses. No lightning, no thunder, and the heavens did not open. The odds and the gods not being in my favour, I was bound to suffer the fate of the common man.

That I could not permit. I knew then as I know now that destiny is something I could shape. Hence, I insisted and I persisted. And I lay claim to where most resisted.

Notwithstanding what one deserves, one only owns if one would take.

While the road to hell or heaven is paved with good intentions, I have recognized the signs for what they really were - a lame excuse to let life idly pass me by and a pathetic attempt to justify a bleak existence. I had to make my own way…

Youth is but a symphony of colours against a backdrop of a truth I have painted. And when perception is reality, the past simply becomes how I remembered it to be.

Now, lifetimes pass one after the other. I was Jesus, Caesar and Alexander! I have no mother and no father. And what I say are the only things that matter.

Standing at the nexus of time and space, the question of Hermes echoed through the ages and is directed at me:

Know ye not that ye are gods?”

TIKBALANG Incorporated - Prepare for Change!

Exciting times ahead.

Welcome.

TIKBALANG INCORPORATED will change your whole outlook in life.

"the thing is to find a truth which is true for U, to find the idea for which U can live and die..."

Subscribe now.

Hole-in-One

Preparing for the world championships...

Or acting a part again.

The Way, The Truth & The Life

There really is a unique race

And you could join by passing the test.

Would you be so please

If I take you to that special place?

Phyrric - Cat is for catastrophe

Spare me your pity. I don't need your sympathy.

It's my way or the highway.

Battered and bloodied.

I've won but at what cost?

There really is no victory to savor when I myself am wasted.

Yeah, a small victory. Doesn't necessarily win me the war but a stark reminder that there is one.

Go away now. Leave me alone. Just let me be.

This has always been the way for me.

(Btw, u need my permission if u'd want the photo. The cat deserved some compensation, u know.)

Philippine Hostage Taking Crisis & The Police Response

Sometimes there are only questions because we don't want to hear or know the answers.

What could be worst than police brutality?

POLICE STUPIDITY. The truth hurts and I hate to be blunt, but it has to be said.

Incompetence is unforgivable when it results to loss of lives.

What have these boys been trained for? Where they ever trained?

I could only sympathize with the victims.

Father, forgive them they don't know what they're doing.

Now we know to whom those words from Jesus refers to.

And SHAME, obviously they have none.

(They said conscience is removed during training. But were these guys ever trained?)

But then again, could we fault the caveman for their thinking or lack of such?

Also, there are unseen forces at work here.

Remember that Gloria? Yes, she of the Enchanted Kingdom.

When Garci was god, she was President. Or so she said.

Lies, corruption, incompetence and poverty were her legacy.

Like cancer, the puss and gangrene finds its way to the skin, breaking at the seams.

This are her children.

Ill equipped, incompetent law enforcers caught unprepared under the glaring lights and the world's watching eyes.

A lot of work needs to be done, obviously, for the rehabilitation of the Philippines. Meanwhile, this one could not be undone.

Forgive them for they know not what they are doing.

But not Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - always self conscious and aware. Malevolent and manipulative to the very end (of her term as President).

Let her pay for her sins. The purging must begin for the country to really move forward.

There must be accountability for there to be justice.

It must start now.

Meanwhile, will someone show these gentlemen (the policemen above in their photo session) how to behave in light of a tragedy of there making...

Next Stop, WONDERLAND

Note: This is about moving on... my thoughts on going to another job. Published in a company news letter in February 2001.

Just when you're getting the hang of it, you realized you have to move on. Changes take place and you become willing prey to its whims - we all do. Consider it a natural order in your journey through life. You move on when destiny beckons you to. I guess it's the hadr choices you make that define who you are and where you are going.

It's a crossroad. A one time opportunity since you'll never get to stand in the same place again. One step forward and a whole new world awaits.

First Gas. If it was a ride, it was indeed a good one. I never had a days work during my stay. Why? Well, it's never work when you're having fun - doing the things you were born to do and like to do.

And the people? Familiar and friendly faces lit (up) the workplace! From my peers up to the top, I have nothing but praises. Helping hands were never hard to find. (Nice working with you guys and gals).

And what have I gained during my stay? Aside from friends, I'd say experience. The confidence and know-hows all goes with it. The trainings and tasks I had gave me wisdom beyond my years. I'm a lucky guy, need I say more?

The hard thing about Goodbye is that it means leaving behind a life we have come to cherish and love. But move on we must. I may be with another organization as I write this article; the people there proving to be a wonderful lot too (though this would be for another story). but certainly, topping the First Gas experience is yet to be known

To First Gas, kudos and more power!!!

(This article talks about changes and moving on. Reading this article, I can't help but notice the differences this one has to my current articles and style of writing. Another testament to changes and moving on.)

The Inspector

Note: I've written this article for a company news letter. This was published back in July 1999 entitled the Project Inspectors.

The commissioning of the switchyard is well under way and this activity needs to be closely monitored. Simultaneously, I&C activities need your presence. Looking at the piles of paper, you noticed other work requiring equal attention. You know the drill. Pass the paper. The Project Inspectors are on their way.

In FGPC, we have inspectors at site covering every department - Civil, MEP & Instrumentation and Control. Generally, they are responsible for monitoring and witnessing activities in their respective areas of responsibility. I heard you saying easy. Well, you couldn't really tell unless you know what thei typical day is like. I should know, i'm one of them.

Picture yourself a Project Inspector now, see what happens, and check if you get a kick out of it.

0730H. Sorting out the RFIs (Request for Inspections)

You look at the files of paper to know the work that awaits you. Now believe me when I say this could be an overwhelming experience.

0900H. Sun bathing

An hour has passed and still no beach. In lieu are the trucks, concrete, a structure waiting to be mold, and a couple of dozen people toiling.

1030H. Inspections

The contractors owe us quality work but we could not be sure that's what they're giving us. Inspections give us the opportunity to conduct quality checks (with K&D).

1300H. Playing the Game.

Avoid hitting if it's humanly possible to do so. But if you must, never hit soft. In this kind of job, confrontations could never be avoided. but I guess it's supposed to be that way. Point of fact, in the construction game you deal with all sorts of people - the best and the worst so to speak.

If you're in the right track, play your cards well. The contractors would be laughing hard if you turn your other cheek. Don't just play poker to call bluffs. Do chess and beat the opponents ten moves in advance.

Also, take pictures for best results.

1500H. Inspections, inspections, inspections...

We can never get enough.

1630H. The day is done...

Retiring at the comfort of your chair, you feel the confidence brought about by finished tasks. But as you recline half dreaming of a well deserved rest, you noticed new sheets on your desk. It's all too familiar, you say to yourself. Some more RFIs. Just as you begin to think it's over, your work has merely begun.

2000H and counting...

Work, work, work.

You get the picture.

With Pacquiao, Mayweather Loses his Swagger

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2010/07/with-pacquiao-mayweather-loses-his-swagger/

Published @boxingnews24

With Pacquiao, Mayweather Loses his Swagger

July 21st, 2010

By Rasheed Catapang:Team Mayweather is speaking now, going as far as denying that a negotiation to fight Pacquiao ever took place. However, they’re still not answering the only question that really matters: When will Mayweather fight Pacquiao? Will he ever?

The words of Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself after a lengthy silence require deciphering. “I’m not interested in rushing to do anything right now. I’m not really thinking about boxing right now… Just relaxing.”

Sweet.

The words are coy and utterly unfit for a king. Mayweather, if he still fancies himself one, has to demand respect. Pacquiao, wanting to fill his coffer and all, declared war to Floyd. A king is not supposed to just move aside to avoid the onslaught.

Floyd just did.

What had happened to Floyd and where’s his swagger?

Say a kid took a bully’s lunch, demanded his pocket money and everything he had. Will the bully ask first what the kid is on before administering a beating?

Or the world’s giving you truckloads of money and a chance for you to prove what you’ve been saying all along. Won’t it be right to just take the money and do your thing?

Actions contrary to the norm would only mean something else. Floyd’s words in response to a direct challenge have no meaning.

Mayweather appears content to just grab the p4p crown through the poll, to battle it out in the court of public opinion – knowing full well that a fantasy fight concocted in man’s mind is winnable, considering he’s perceived to have the more superior skill set. However, once enclosed in the four corners of the ring, reality is sure to take an awful turn. Not having a loss because of a carefully managed boxing career, he sure will not welcome a world of hurt.

And a world of hurt is really what Pacquiao is all about.

The Golden Boy was still golden and shining before he came across the Pacmonster. But Oscar Dela Hoya had learned through 8 painful rounds what the little devil is able to give and what he, in the receiving end, is not able to take. In the face of perpetual onslaught, Dela Hoya hoped for the KO that never came. The experience, which for him is best left unremembered, was enough to make him retire.

The Hitman still had a perfect record at 10 stones (140lbs), never losing his mark at that weight, before being offered the hit on Pacquiao. It was over in 2 rounds and Ricky Hatton got what Dela Hoya had wished for himself. Hatton never really knew what hit him. Ricky was flattened and his career as a boxer is yet to recover, one step to retirement in each passing day – if he’s not there already.

Nevertheless, Mayweather had beaten those men too. But the end results of his fights with them were not as brutal, as decisive, as immediate nor as final. It was never more so in Hatton’s case, where the world was reminded of a primal force that is Pacquiao and the devastating effect of such power when unleashed.

Still, Mayweather had beaten those men too. And he has the same – if not more – of the preternatural skill that Pacquiao has.

The world demanded a clash inside the ring to prove who the better man is. But Mayweather’s not wavering in his conviction, whatever that is.

Perhaps Floyd’s real concern is that the world would stop and watch, and celebrate the fall of the mighty. If Paquiao is able to do to him what was done to Hatton, with the whole world watching, will he be able to live with the memory forever?

Hatton barely could when his pride is but a fraction of that of Mayweather. Pacquiao is all about pain and Mayweather is not ready for that.

Mayweather has retired, un-retired, and has been dangling with retirement. Pacquiao could make that permanent for him.

“I’m not interested in rushing to do anything right now. I’m not really thinking about boxing right now… Just relaxing.”

Floyd has lost the edge, the swagger and has given up the claim to Boxing’s Greatest Ever.

And while the King was looking down, the Jester stole his thorny crown. The courtroom was adjourned…