Watching the Pacquiao-Bradley Fight At Cafe Lupe

Watching The Pacquiao-Bradley Fight At Cafe Lupe

                  There is a fine bar and grill restaurant along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo City serving good Mexican cuisine.  One does not have to drive to the upper ridge of Antipolo Hills. Cafe Lupe is at the right side of the highway as you begin to  make the ascent.  It is before the back gates of Valley Golf Club.  The place provides a spectacular view of the low lying areas of Metro Manila and the suburbs both during the daytime and nighttime.   If this does not meet your standard, then no other place will.

                 With its attractive pay-per view promo in mind, I drove to Cafe Lupe last Sunday to watch the Pacquiao-Bradley 12- round bout. No one was giving Bradley a ghost of a chance.  It was supposed to be a walk in the park.  It was supposed to be an easy bout for Pacman. But it didn't turn out that way.  Instead, Bradley walked away with Pacquiao's welterweight title belt through the cards of two judges who had identical scores of 115-113 for Bradley.  This controversial split decision loss of Pacquiao sent the entire nation of Pacquiao fans fuming and protesting.

                   Let us recall some highlights of the bout.  As if reviewing the tape of the match.  Over a plateful of Quesadillas, Buffalo Wings and Nachos, I was watching with keenness and was expecting the bout to end not later than Round 4.  I was predicting that Bradley would go the way Ricky Hatton and David Diaz did, that is, flat on the canvass in the early rounds. But, no, Timothy refused to be intimidated and was still up on his feet by Round 5. He was able to absorb a very powerful left from Pacquiao, the sting of which had floored the likes of Miguel Cotto, Shawn Mosley, Eric Morales and Jose Antonio Barrera.

                There were many instances when Pacman would land a jab and, as he would step in for more shots to the face and body, Bradley would bob and weave and would manage to extricate himself out of a very difficult situation.  This would explain why Pacquiao failed to knock him out.  As we had witnessed, Timothy was still up at the end of Round 12, looking strong and even scoring points in the last 3 rounds. Only a few boxers had managed to last the distance with the hard-hitting Pacquiao.

                Still and all, Pacquiao landed more punches.  He was supposed to be the winner based on computer count.  But the two judges saw it otherwise.  Perhaps the two were used to Pacquiao's knocking his opponents out which he did consistently in the past 7 years.  Pacquiao himself had set the standard of winning bouts via the short route. Anything that does not approximate such standard could create misimpression, and, consequently, misjudgment. As in the case of judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross. Anyway, let us leave it to the boxing authorities to look and resolve this controversy. And Pacquiao still has every chance to win back his belt and show to the world who the better boxer really is.

               BTW, Sitti, the songstress with a beautiful voice, is scheduled to perform on June 14 and June 28 at Cafe Lupe in Antipolo.  The chanteuse, who made hits with songs like Loving You, Fly Me To The Moon, Grow Old With You, If You Leave Me Now and other Bosa Nova songs,  regularly performs at Cafe Lupe.  Seniors are welcome.  See you there. And, pls, make no mistake about it.  I am not a publicist for Cafe Lupe in Antipolo.

- Konted

"No one else can make me feel
The colors that you bring
Stay with me while we grow old
And we will live each day in springtime
Cause lovin' you has made my life so beautiful
And every day my life is filled with lovin' you "

Sitti's Loving You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn-ikxTnv5g&feature=relmfu

Cafe Lupe along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo City

Entrance to Cafe Lupe

Stairway to the bar and grill resto

Dining area overlooking Metro Manila

There are yellow bells everywhere

View from Cafe Lupe

Bar with a cable tv monitor

Special bottles of wine on display

Another bar at Cafe Lupe

More wine and liquor to choose from

Mexican guitar on display

There is combo music every night

Sitti performs regularly at Cafe Lupe in Antipolo

You can ask for more servings

More nachos

Buffalo Wings

Serving more Mexican food

Bottomless iced tea

San Miguel Beer provides support during special sports events

Pay per view promo of Cafe Lupe

Viewing room

Wall climbing upon arrangement

View from the lower level of parking lot

Rachel tweets: "Why not nominal voting for the judges during championship bouts?  Judges have to explain their votes just like in the impeachment trial.".

Ilongga girl says:  "Pardi man si Pacquiao tani sa sunod mapatumba na niya negro"

A vintage car sighted later that day

Muhammad Ali : The Greatest

Muhammad Ali :  The Greatest

It was from classmate Jimmy Tiangco, in 1962, that I first heard the name Sonny Liston.  Knowing that I was then an avid fan of Floyd Patterson, he was telling  me that Patterson's reign as heavyweight champion was about to end.  And Jimmy went on to describe Liston as a mean and lean fighter. A tough and rough looking guy who would demolish anyone with just a combination of punches. He was, according to Jimmy, called the "big bear."           And true enough, Liston, dubbed as the "killing machine", destroyed America's sentimental favorite, Patterson, in Round One to win the heavyweight title.  He, again, knocked Patterson out in one round in their rematch.  He was now universally perceived as indestructible who would finish his opponents in early rounds. He was methodically aggressive, overpowering and viewed by boxing analysts as the boxer most likely to rule the heavyweight division for a long time.           But in a short time came a young boxer from Louisville, Kentucky who challenged the reigning champ.  He was tall at 6 ft 3 inches and with good body built. But what drew the attention, and the ire, of boxing aficionados was the man's being talkative. Being loquacious is the right word.  He talked too much and non-stop.  And he kept taunting the champ and called him 'the ugly big bear'.  His name was Cassius Clay and this was in 1964.           No one was taking Cassius Clay seriously.  While shouting that he was going "to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee", he was a 7-1 underdog come fight time. Liston said the fight would be over in 2 rounds.  And at the start of the bell, Clay was dancing and throwing strong punches and made Liston look bad as the Big Bear could not land a punch.  Perhaps frustrated and shamed by an unknown pugilist, Liston quit after round 6.  The braggart from Louisville, Kentucky was now the new heavyweight champion of the world.  In his own words, Clay " shook up the world".  He was now calling himself "the greatest".          The return bout was shorter but controversial.  In Round One, while on the offensive, Liston was hit by a chopping right to the head and he dropped to the canvass. He was counted out.  The Ali punch was so quick that some did not see it.  Some called it the Phantom Punch.  Others said Liston, known as having ties with the Mafia, took a dive. But I have been reviewing the tape up to now and still cannot say if Liston threw the fight. My two cents worth is that if Liston threw the fight, it was that he knew he could not beat Clay.          At that time, whenever I would see Jimmy somewhere in the Santa Mesa Heights area, I was now doing the ribbing.  "What happened to your Big Bear, Jimmy?"  And Jimmy would just smile. And in 1969, during one of our drinking sprees, Jimmy tappped my hand and said:" Ted, abangan mo si Joe Frazier. Magaling."           And, again, consistent to Jimmy's impression, Joe Frazier was a very good fighter and a knockout artist.  He kept moving forward, kept applying pressure on his opponent through relentless punches and, for this, he was called "Smoking Joe"  And this Smoking Joe had to cross paths three times with Cassius Clay who was now called Muhammad Ali.  Frazier decked Ali in the 15th and final round to win by unanimous decision.  The 2nd and 3rd fights of the classic trilogy were won by Ali with the 3rd fight ending in a technical knockout in the 14th round.  The more Ali called himself "the greatest".  Still I could not agree completely.             At about this time, a new powerful figure was emerging and was stealing the thunder in the boxing scene. This was in 1973. With a record of 37 - 0 with 34 knockouts, 6 ft 4" George Foreman easily disposed of Frazier  in two rounds with devastating blows to the body to win the heavyweight crown.  It was a one-sided match and others called it as a mismatch.  Foreman knocked Frazier down 6 times. He was now hailed as a great champion.  And the inevitable had to come:  Foreman Vs. Ali. This was in 1974.             It was billed as The Rumble in the Jungle with Foreman as the overwhelming favorite. He had that aura of invincibility.  At 32, Ali was past his prime and I thought that he was fighting Foreman in Zaire just for the money.  I was watching the fight in my father's clinic at Utex.  The 1st round saw Ali trading punches with Foreman.  And in the succeeding rounds, just when I thought he would use his footwork and hand speed to his advantage, Ali took refuge in the loose ropes, contented with shielding his face and head with his gloves.  He allowed Foreman to throw punches with the intent of tiring the reigning champ.            In Round 8, just when I was about to give the fight to Foreman, Ali unleashed a very powerful punch to Foreman's face that staggered Big George.  Ali followed this with successive punches that finally floored Foreman.  When he was trying hard to beat the count, the referee, seeing how dazed he was, counted Foreman out.  Again, Muhammad Ali was world champion.            It was Ali's defining moment.  It showed, once again, his superior boxing skills, his sound discretion, his strength, his speed and agility.  He defied seemingly insurmountable odds and proved critics and skeptics wrong.  And as I was about to step out of my father's clinic, I looked at Father and said:   "This man is indeed the greatest."  To which Father replied:  "Yes, yes.....the greatest.....of all time !!!!!" - Konted * see video - ali vs foreman Round 8  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3yIIxXvy4 Sonny Liston as the most feared fighter in the heavyweight division in the 60s Liston, right, pummels Patterson with strong punches to end the fight in Round One Clay too fast for The Big Bear.  Liston fails to answer the bell in round 7 Liston is a 7-1 favorite to retain his heavyweight title.  Cassius Clay is still a virtual unknown Smoking Joe Frazier In their classic trilogy, Frazier won the 1st bout while Ali triumphed in the 2nd and 3rd fights Ali and Frazier at the Madison Square Garden Frazier floors Ali with a left hook but Ali manages to stand up. The Thrilla in Manila.  Ali wins by TKO in the 14th round The seemingly unbeatable Foreman Foreman floors Frazier 6 times in 2 rounds to win the heavyweight title Foreman winces in pain as Ali lands a powerful right Ali floors Foreman in Round 8 with a powerful right. Foreman is counted out. An old Muhammad Ali with Parkinson's disease The Muhammad Ali Center in Lousville, Kentucky Muhammad Ali's Gloves on display Ali's Presidential Medal of Freedom Ali's daughter Laila who is also a retired professional boxer Ali's wife Lonnie who was named to Obama's bioethnic committee Ali with former wife Veronica * Photos from google files

Here is Mayweather again !!

Champ Floyd Mayweather in controversial win

Here is Mayweather again !!

             That was a knockout win by Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  But a controversial one.  And controversies seem to follow him everywhere and everytime.  The fight was for Victor Ortiz's WBC welterweight title.  And Pretty Boy's first in 16 months.  Really a long layoff.

              Let us recall that controversial  incident. I clearly saw that one. Ortiz was pressing and taking the fight to Mayweather in the latter part of Round 4, forcing him to the ropes.  Ortiz threw a combination of punches which Mayweather, a defensive genius, was able to parry.  Obviously frustrated, the Mexican resorted to a dirty tactic.  With a complete body follow through, Ortiz thrushed his head into Pretty Boy's jaw and mouth.  It was clearly intentional and not an accidental banging.

              Referee Joe Cortez halted the fight and deducted a point from the Mexican. Showing remorse, Ortiz apologized to Mayweather and even planted a kiss on the agitated American boxer.  After a few seconds, fight had officially resumed.  But Ortiz, seemingly guilty for his unsportsmanlike behaviour, approached the MoneyMan and apologized once more, wrapping his arms around his opponent's body. 

               Next was the pivotal moment.  As Ortiz stepped back, his gloves were still down when he should have taken that fighting stance.  Was Ortiz being naive at this point?  Was he aware of what was happening?  Pretty Boy threw a left and still the Mexican would not defend himself.  A strong right punch finally floored Ortiz for good.

               Clearly, the fight had resumed.  And definitely, Ortiz should have been in that defensive posture.  And definitely, too, he lacked awareness at a very crucial moment.  And in boxing, every moment is crucial.  As my favorite Mexican character would say:  " Estupido" !!!!

                                                                                     -Konted

Official Weigh-in

A strong right from Mayweather in the early rounds

A jolting left from Mayweather

The dirty headbutt by Ortiz

The 1st punch after the break (4th round)

1st punch viewed from another angle

2nd punch -- Ortiz should have protected himself by this time.

Ortiz is counted out

Pretty Boy with singer Keyshia Cole

Pretty Boy with new girlfriend Shantel Jackson

Shantel Jackson gives moral support during court proceedings

Mayweather and his flashy cars

Floyd's Maybach

Floyd's  $ 9 million 22,000 SQ FT Mansion in Las Vegas

Reception Area

From another angle

Computer room

Wine and liquor section

Master's bedroom

Movie room

Portrait of the Champ

*images from www.google.com