Archive for December, 2007
Pacquiao vs Marquez II: WBC Championship already set at Mandalay Bay
Monday, December 24th, 2007
World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez will fight against Manny Pacquiao on March 15 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.
Considered two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao already have staged one legendary slugfest, with that ending in a draw on May 8, 2004.
In that match, the lightning-quick Manny Pacquiao attacked Juan Manuel Marquez, knocking him down three times in the first round. But the gritty Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez was able to pick himself off the canvas and battle his way back into the fight.
Since that memorable bout, Manny Pacquiao (45-3-2, 35 KOs) has emerged as a superstar, becoming a big name not just in his native Philippines, but also throughout the sport.
Manny Pacquiao has won seven of his last eight bouts, with the only loss during that span an exciting decision to Erik Morales. But Manny Pacquiao avenged that loss, twice stopping Morales in 2006.
“Marquez-Pacquiao II will be one of those ‘must-see’ fights for boxing fans,” HBO PPV’s Mark Taffet said. “Kudos to the promoters and fighters for continuing to make the fights that boxing fans want to see and for continuing the sport’s momentum well into 2008.”
Bet on Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez @ Bodog Sportsbook
BCS Bowl Games: Boise State vs East Carolina
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007
East Carolina Pirates subdue Boise State Broncos 41-38 in a thriller in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Sunday night.
East Carolina Pirates Ben Hartman delivered a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give East Carolina the win over No. 24 Boise State Broncos.
East Carolina Pirates running back Chris Johnson set an NCAA bowl record with 408 all-purpose yards for the Pirates (8-5), who won their first postseason game since the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
Pirates’ running back Chris Johnson rushed for 223 yards and caught three passes for 32 yards and returned six kickoffs for 153 yards. But he committed a costly fumble late that almost sent it to overtime.
With East Carolina trying to run out the clock near midfield, Marty Tadman scooped up Johnson’s fumble and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 38 with 1:25 left.
East Carolina Pirates took possession at their 39 with 1:16 left and drove to the Boise State Broncos 17 to set up Ben Hartman’ kick.
Boise State Broncos (10-3), making their sixth straight bowl appearance, almost repeated their last-minute magic from a year ago when they stunned Oklahoma in overtime in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 13-0.
But this time, it was the Boise State Broncos who fell a little short without any trick plays and an ailing Boise State Broncos running back Ian Johnson. Boise State Broncos running back Jeremy Avery, who rushed for 68 yards and caught four passes for 43 yards, was named Boise State’s MVP. Boise State Broncos quarterback Taylor Tharp was 30-of-44 for 266 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for Boise State.
BCS Bowl Games: Southern Mississippi vs Cincinnati
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007
Cincinnati Bearcats finished their season on a high note as they breezed past the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles with a 31-21 victory in the Papajohns.com Bowl Saturday night.
The victory gave Cincinnati Bearcats (10-3) its second 10-win season and first since 1951. Led by Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Ben Mauk who passed for 334 yards and four touchdowns, and Cincinnati Bearcats DeAngelo Smith intercepted three passes.
Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Ben Mauk, the game’s most valuable player, completed 30 of 52 passes and overcame three interceptions to become only the third Bearcats player to have a 3,000-yard passing season.
Bearcats’ quarterback Ben Mauk who also rushed for 41 yards and frequently broke loose from defenders to make plays threw three touchdown passes during an 8-minute span extending into the second half.
Bearcats’ quarterback Ben Mauk hit Cincinnati Bearcats Earnest Jackson for a 29-yard TD strike on the next play for a 21-7 lead. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles quarterback Jeremy Young answered with a 1-yard scoring run for Southern Miss before Ben Mauk struck again with a 10-yarder to Bearcats’wide receiver Antwuan Giddens and set up a 22-yard field goal by Jake Rogers in the final seconds of the third quarter to put the Bearcats up 31-14.
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles quarterback Jeremy Young cut into the lead again with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles wide receiver Chris Johnson. But Southern Miss couldn’t recover an onside kick or convert a fourth-and-1 play on its next possession.
BCS Bowl Games: Nevada vs New Mexico
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007
New Mexico Lobos ended a 46 year skid as they dismantle Nevada Wolf Pack 23-0 in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.
New Mexico Lobos running back Paul Baker ran for 167 yards in his first start, and New Mexico Lobos quarterback Donovan Porterie threw for a career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns.
The New Mexico Lobos 9-4 ended a 46-year span without a postseason victory and gave New Mexico Lobos head coach Rocky Long, the team’s 10th-year coach, his first bowl win in five tries.
This marked New Mexico’s first bowl victory since beating Western Michigan 28-12 in the 1961 Aviation Bowl at Dayton, Ohio. The New Mexico Lobos also notched a nine-win season for just the fourth time in school history.
The Nevada Wolf Pack (6-7) hadn’t gone scoreless since losing 10-0 to Weber State on Sept. 27, 1980, a span of 329 games — the longest current streak in college football and the second longest in history. It was the first time Nevada Wolf Pack was shut out since moving to Division I-A in 1992.
BCS: Nevada Wolf Pack vs New Mexico Lobos at New Mexico Bowl
Friday, December 21st, 2007
New Mexico Lobos will host the Nevada Wolf Pack on December 22 in the New Mexico Bowl at the University Stadium.
The New Mexico Lobos finished with 8-4 this year, marking just the fourth time since 1965 that they have won eight games. New Mexico Lobos receiver Travis Brown admits there was some disappointment that the […]