Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by throwing a ball through a 10 feet (3 m) high hoop (the goal) under organized rules. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world.

Points are scored by shooting the ball through the basket from above; the team with more points at the end of the game wins. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it (dribbling) or passing it between teammates. Disruptive physical contact (fouls) is not permitted and there are restrictions on how the ball can be handled (violations).

Through time, basketball has developed to involve common techniques of shooting, passing and dribbling, as well as players' positions, and offensive and defensive structures. While competitive basketball is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball have developed for casual play. In some countries, basketball is also a popular spectator sport.

While competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court, less regulated variations have become exceedingly popular as an outdoor sport among both inner city and rural groups.

Juan Manuel Marquez

Juan Manuel Marquez Mendez (born August 23, 1973, in Mexico City) is a Mexican professional boxer and the current world WBC Super Featherweight champion. He is a former champion at IBF/WBA Featherweight (126 lb) division.

On March 17, 2007, Marquez became the WBC Super Featherweight champion by defeating Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas by unanimous decision. Marquez's first defense of his title were to be held on September 15, 2007 against Argentinian boxer Jorge Rodrigo Barrios. However, Barrios withdrew from the bout due to injury, prompting American boxer Rocky Juarez to challenge Márquez for the title in November 3, 2007 in a losing effort.

It was announced on the 29 November 2007 that Juan Manuel Marquez will defend his hard-won belt on 15 March 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino against his old nemesis, Manny Pacquiao whom he fought to a draw in 2004. Pacquiao, from Manilla in the Philippines is rated as one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world.

Boxing

Boxing (sometimes known as pugilism or fist-fight) is a combat sport of prehistoric origin in which two participants (generally) of similar weight fight each other with their fists. There have been many informal forms of boxing throughout the centuries, since getting two people to fight with fists is in essence a fairly primitive sport, but boxing is now generally conducted in a regulated way, typically in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.

In some countries with their own fighting sports, the sport is referred to as "English Boxing" (e.g. in France to contrast with French Boxing). There are numerous different forms of boxing practiced across the world.

Manny Pacquiao

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, (born December 17, 1978 in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines) is a Filipino professional boxer. He is a former world champion at IBF Super Bantamweight, and WBC Flyweight divisions. His brother, Bobby Pacquiao, is a lightweight boxer.

Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat to represent the 1st district of South Cotabato, but he was defeated by Darlene Antonino-Custodio. Custodio had 139,061 votes while Pacquiao received 75,908 votes.

In September 2007, he signed up with GMA Network as an actor.

On November 13, 2007 he was honored by the WBC as Champ Emeritus during its 45th Annual World Convention held at the Manila Hotel.

Pacquiao started his professional boxing career in 1995 at 106 pounds (Light flyweight) at the age of 16. His early fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow evening boxing show (hosted by John Ray Betita). His first professional fight was a four-round bout against Edmund Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, thus becoming an instant star of the program.

His weight increased from 106 to 113 pounds before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third round technical knockout (TKO). As well-known sportscaster Joaquin "Quinito" Henson observed, Pacquiao clearly had not made weight, so he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting Pacquiao at a disadvantage.

Shortly after the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao settled at 112 pounds, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat, or Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third round knockout on a bout held at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales by surpassing the required weight of 112 lb (51 kg).

Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight anew, this time stopping at the super bantamweight division of 122 lb (55 kg) where he picked up the WBC International Super Bantamweight title, defending it five times before his next world title fight came.

Pacquiao’s big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and won the fight by technical knockout to become the IBF Super Bantamweight champion on a bout held at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. He defended this title four times.