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Mayweather and Pacquiao promise to deliver on hype

May 2, 2015

Las Vegas, May 2: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao weighed in for what has been labelled the 'Fight of the Century' on Friday, promising to deliver on the massive hype and give fans the excitement they deserve.

Pacquiao

What had been a subdued buildup to the most anticipated fight in decades exploded to life when Pacquiao and then Mayweather entered the MGM Grand Garden Arena to thumping hip hop music and deafening cheers from a seething crowd of 11,500, some of whom had waited three hours for a glimpse of the two boxers.

Pacquiao, 57-5-2 (38 knockouts) looking relaxed and confident, weighed in one pound lighter than the undefeated Mayweather 47-0 (26 KOs), tipping the scales at 145 pounds for Saturday's bout.

Their meeting is expected to be the biggest grossing prize fight of all-time.

"I have dedicated myself to the sport of boxing for the last 20 years and I am ready," declared Mayweather over a roar of boos and cheers.

Asked for a prediction about the fight, the 38-year-old American said, "I can't really say but I am ready to fight. It's an unbelievable turnout. I'm glad all the fans came out to here to support Manny and me."

Normally free and open to the public, the weigh-in broke from tradition, charging $10 to watch Mayweather and Pacquiao step onto the scales in a move designed to maintain crowd control.

All money raised through ticket sales went to charity, but many of the tickets found their way onto the resale market with some commanding $500.

A smiling Pacquiao, dressed in a bright red track suit, waved and raised his fists into the air as he slowly made his way to the stage, playfully interacting with the crowd.

In stark contrast, Mayweather was serious and focused, rarely looking up from under the brim of his 'Money Team' baseball cap to reveal a cheeky smirk.

Once the business of the official weigh-in was complete, the two welterweights moved to the front of the stage for the traditional stare down, the smaller Pacquiao looking up at Mayweather with a challenging smile while the stone-faced American stared straight-ahead unmoved.

"I have been fighting bigger guys like (Antonio) Margarito and (Oscar) De La Hoya," said the Filipino southpaw. "It doesn't matter to me. I feel tomorrow that the Lord is always with me and gives me strength.

"I know it's a great, great responsibility for me to give enjoyment to the fans.

"Tomorrow the fans deserve to have a great fight."

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said the Women's IPL or the Challenger series, as it is better known, is "very much on", ending speculation about the parent body not having a plan for Harmanpreet Kaur and her team.

The men's IPL will be held between September 19 and November 8 or 10 (final date yet to be locked in) in the UAE due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The women's IPL will also be fit in to the schedule, according to the BCCI chief.

"I can confirm to you that the women's IPL is very much on and we do have a plan in place for the national team also," Ganguly told PTI ahead of the IPL Governing Council meeting later on Sunday.

The BCCI president, who is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict on waiver of the cooling-off period to continue in the position, did not divulge details but another senior official privy to the development said that women's Challenger will be held during the last phase of IPL like last year.

"The women's Challenger series is likely to be held between November 1-10 and there could be a camp before that," the source said.

The former India captain also said that the centrally contracted women players will have a camp which has been delayed due to the prevailing situation in the country.

"We couldn't have exposed any of our cricketers -- be it male or female to health risk. It would have been dangerous," Ganguly said.

"The NCA also remained shut because of Covid-19. But we have a plan in place and we will have a camp for women, I can tell you that," he added.

The BCCI's cricket operations team is chalking up a schedule where Indian women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and the West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand. 

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News Network
April 26,2020

New Delhi, Apr 26: The idea of having a full-fledged women's IPL is in a "progression stage" and a World Cup title for India can actually help in turning that into a reality sooner than later, says former captain Anjum Chopra.

Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian team sailed into the final of the last women's T20 World Cup, but was thrashed by home favourites and defending champions Australia when it mattered the most.

Chopra, one of the country's most decorated women cricketers, said a World Cup title triumph would have brought about a generational shift to the women's game in cricket-mad India.

"Women's IPL in the progression stages. From one game at the start we had four last year in the Women's T20 Challenge, and this time it was supposed to be seven. It has progressed," Chopra said.

"If the women's team had won the World Cup this year, the number of matches would have been more. There is a big difference between winners and runners up."

Chopra had a successful career spanning over 17 years during which she represented India in six World Cups while becoming the first woman cricket to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She added, "A victory (in final of last T20 World Cup) would have been a complete generational shift in a much more progressional manner."

Referring to the rapid strides the women's game has made the world over, she praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for "consciously building it up".

"ICC has bifurcated viewership numbers also very well for Indian audience."

The icing on the cake was a near-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the World Cup final between India and Australia, and that was not lost on Chopra, who is now a respected analyst and sportscaster.

"To have 80,000 people watching the final that's commendable. That definitely a boost," said Chopra, who holds the distinction of leading India to their first ever Test series win.

A World Cup triumph and the "mind set would have gone to different level altogether", she believed.

Asked about the chatter around pay disparity in Indian cricket, her simple message was win more to earn more.

"There is already pay parity in Australia. Because both teams have won the World Cups more than any other nations.

"If you start winning, then I am sure things will be different. It's also about how much you are able to generate as a team.

"I would say sky is the limit for them."

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing sporting activities to a standstill, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the fate of many big events lined up in the near future.

While the IPL has been put on hold indefinitely, the pandemic has thrown the men's T20 World Cup, scheduled for October-November in Australia, into doubt.

"There has been a suggestion that if we are hosting the World Cup in October, then play the IPL as preparation ground for World Cup."

That is only if the situation improves in the coming times.

"It's difficult to see, to gauge where sport will be after this. For sure it is not going to be where it was before. Even if it opens up tomorrow it couldn't be the same.

"Can sports people can get back to work without worry? We don't know when this is going to be under control."

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Agencies
April 25,2020

London, Apr 25: Former Australian cricketer Graeme Watson who was fighting cancer, has died at the age of 75.

Primarily a middle-order batsman and a medium-pace bowler, he featured in five Tests from 1967 to 1972 and two ODIs in 1972, ESPNcricinfo reported.

The all-rounder earned the national call during the 1966-67 tour of Rhodesia and South Africa. Watson slammed a half-century in the first innings of the second Test of the series.

However, the medium-pace bowler was ruled of the next test after suffering an ankle injury. He returned for the fourth Test in Johannesburg where scalped his career-best 2 for 67 but failed to leave a mark with the bat as Kangaroos lost the series.

In 1971-72 he moved to Western Australia and played a major role in their Sheffield-Shield win in 1971-72, 1972-73, and 1974-75 seasons.

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