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Boxing-Subdued Mayweather might not show up, jests Roach

April 30, 2015

Las Vegas, Apr 30: Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, has a theory on why the usually verbose Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been subdued during the buildup to Saturday's hotly anticipated welterweight bout at the MGM Grand.

jests Roach"I am wondering if he (Mayweather) is going to show up, I really do," the bespectacled Roach told reporters with a smile before the two boxers held their final pre-fight media conference on Wednesday.

"His speech is very subdued and low-key. I don't think any fighter is afraid but I think he (Mayweather) was forced into a fight he didn't want to take. He didn't get to pick this opponent like he usually does."

American Mayweather, nicknamed 'Money', is undefeated as a professional and will step into the ring on Saturday as the favourite in his bid to improve on a perfect 47-0 record.

Known for his flamboyance and shrewd business acumen, Mayweather typically indulges in plenty of trash-talking to promote fights but has adopted a low-key approach ahead of a bout that is expected to to be the biggest-grossing of all time.

"I'm glad I was flashy and outspoken when I was younger but I'm close to the big 4-0," said the 38-year-old. "I don't have to bash anyone. I know what I can do.

"I don't focus on all the festivities going on. I just focus on being the best that I can be. When it comes down to it, it comes down to the two fighters."

STUDYING MAYWEATHER

Roach readily admits that he has studied more video tape of Mayweather than other fighter and felt that he and Filipino southpaw Pacquiao were now "100 percent" ready to hand the American his first ever defeat as a professional.

"We've had a great training camp," said Roach, who has seven times been voted trainer of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

"We have more speed and more power and we are 100 percent ready for what he (Mayweather) will bring to the table.

"I have studied Floyd more than anyone else. I think we can outpoint him and win a decision. If the chance for a knock-out comes, it will be a bonus. We like being the underdog."

Roach was not at all concerned that the five-foot six-and-a-half inch (1.69m) Pacquiao, an eight-time world champion renowned for his aggressive approach, would concede height, weight and reach to the defense-minded Mayweather.

"Weight doesn't win fights, speed does," said Roach. "Manny is faster than ever and he's definitely hitting harder than ever.

"Mayweather is a good counter-puncher, but Manny has faster hands and his combinations are better. I'm really happy where we're at.”

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News Network
January 9,2020

Kuala Lampur, Jan 9: Saina Nehwal and reigning world champion P V Sindhu produced dominating performances to progress to the women's singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

Sixth seed Sindhu notched up a commanding 21-10 21-15 victory over Japan's Aya Ohori in a pre-quarterfinal match lasting just 34 minutes. It was Sindhu's ninth successive win over Ohori.

The 24-year-old Indian, who won the World Championships in Basel last year, will take on world number 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the quarterfinals after the Chinese Taipei shuttler got the better of South Korea's Sung Ji Hyun 21-18 16-21 21-10.

Saina, who had won the Indonesia Masters last year before going through a rough patch, dispatched eight seed An Se Young of South Korea 25-23 21-12 after a thrilling 39-minute contest to make the last eight.

This is Saina's first win over the South Korean, who got the better of the Indian in the quarterfinals of the French Open last year.

The two-time Commonwealth Games champion will next take on Olympic champion Carolina Marin.

Saina had defeated Lianne Tan of Belgium 21-15 21-17 in the opening round on Wednesday.

In the men's singles, India's challenge ended after both Sameer Verma and HS Prannoy crashed out in the second round.

While Verma lost to Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia 19-21 20-22, Prannoy was shown the door by top seed Kento Momota of Japan 14-21 16-21.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: Batting great Rahul Dravid has attributed Chennai Super Kings' consistent run in the IPL to skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's instincts, game-smarts and the incredible amount of work that goes behind the scenes.

N Srinivasan, the former BCCI president and head of India Cements, which owns the CSK franchise, agreed that Dhoni is a man of instinct who doesn't believe in attending team meetings and going over data.

Both were speaking at a webinar organised by the Great Lakes Institute of Management.

"If you look at the success CSK has had, they've got really good access to data and they've got really good access to people behind the scenes and they've run cricket teams at the junior level," Dravid said at the webinar according to ESPNcricinfo.

The former India captain added, "They understand talent and they've obviously got a good scouting process in place. But, what they also have is a captain who really understands instincts.

"So, I mean, look, I know Dhoni quite well and I hope he hasn't changed, but I know Dhoni is probably not one to look at reams of data and statistics."

The Super Kings have won the lucrative tournament three times -- one less than Mumbai Indians -- and reached the knockouts in each of the 10 seasons they have been a part of.

Srinivasan also spoke about how Dhoni's instinct and judgement contributed to his team's success at a time when a lot of emphases is placed on data.

"We're awash with data just now. To give you an example, there are bowling coaches and in a T20 game, they play videos of every batsman whom they're going to come against and they see how he got out, what's his strength, what's his weakness etc.

"So, MS Dhoni doesn't attend this, he's a pure instinct man. The bowling coach, (head coach Stephen) Fleming will be there and everybody will be there, everyone is giving opinions, (but) he'll get up and go.

"In the context of instinct, he feels that okay he can assess a batsman or player on the field, that's his judgement. On the other hand, there is so much of data that is available to help a person also analyse. It's a very difficult line to draw (between data and instinct)."

Srinivasan also recalled how Dhoni once refused to take "one outstanding player" suggested by the franchise boss as that could have broken the team's cohesion.

"There was one outstanding player that we suggested to MS, he said: 'no sir, he will spoil the team'. The cohesion within the team is important and see in America, franchise-based sport has been there for such a long time," he said.

"In India, we're just starting and we're new to it. But we at India Cements have had a lot of experience running teams at junior levels."

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Veteran India batsman Suresh Raina feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best captain India ever had.

Raina and Dhoni play for the same IPL franchise -- the Chennai Super Kings --, which is also led by the latter.

"I think we have the best captain who has changed the Indian team like anything. Now we have that same aura in our dressing room," Raina said on 'The Super Kings show' on Star Sports Tamil.

The 38-year-old Dhoni has retired from Test cricket but his future in the limited overs formats is a subject of intense speculation.

The two-time World Cup-winning former captain took a break from cricket after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup in England. He is set to be back in action at the IPL, where he will captain the CSK, starting March 23.

With three restricted stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai finally being reopened, Raina urged the fans to fill the venue in every CSK home game.

"We have all the seats available. Hopefully, we'll have more fans now so that there is it will be more energy on the field," the 33-year-old Raina, a former India batsman, said.

Raina, who last played for India in 2018, also expressed his excitement about the prospect of playing with CSK's latest acquisitions.

"This year we have a lot of new talent in our team. Piyush (Chawla) is there, then we have Hazelwood, Sam Curran, Sai Kishore from Tamil Nadu, he has been bowling really well for them. So, I think we have a lot of mixture of youngsters and seniors."

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