Miami To Host Super Bowl 2010

For hardcore American football fanatics and everything that is American football, all roads lead to Miami, Florida. For a record 10^th time, the major South Florida City is given the privilege to host Super Bowl 2010, one of America’s greatest sporting events. That said, this will be the first time the game will be played in Continental United States for the first time in three decades.

Other major cities have contended for the chance to hold the Super Bowl 2010 to their turf- Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. As a matter of fact, the 2010 Super Bowl was originally awarded to New York City provided the city can come up with a new stadium. A stadium was built, but it did not pass the necessary requirements to get the government’s approval and Olympic bid. NFL executives voted to have the Pro Bowl in Miami via a simple majority on the third ballot.

Football in Miami will be a great deal to the sport. The last Super Bowl, which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, has reflected a great following of the event. The 50,000-seat stadium in Hawaii was overflowing with fans. NFL organizers see a spike of ticket sales if the event is held in Miami, which houses the 72,000-seat Dolphins’ home stadium.

Another exciting news for American football fans is that majority of the tickets are priced lower than $100. A great news indeed in this economically battered times. NFL events analyst projected more than 150,000 fans will flock to Miami for the 2010 Super Bowl. Quite obviously, placing Pro Bowl in Miami makes American football more accessible to large fan bases.

As for the teams, I see the Arizona Cardinals making a great run in this event because of Larry Fitzgerald. The guy is a juggernaut once the ball is in the air. A clear indication of his talent and promise is when he set new records for receptions, yards and touchdowns in a single postseason last year. New England Patriots also have a great chance in the 2010 Super Bowl with Tom Brady returning behind center. Another promising club is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a great lineup for both offense and their impressive defense can win them games even without scoring.

Miami is the seat of the Miami-Dade County, which is also the most populous county in the state of Florida. Boasting a tropical climate, Miami is also one of the most frequented cities in the United States by tourists, as evidence by the number of hotels and other Miami vacation rentals and packages. Stable economy is quite visible in the city, indicated by the presence of business headquarters, particularly in the shipping and cruise industry, and large concentration of international banks. Also, Miami was named as "America's Cleanest City" by the Forbes Magazine for its year-round good air quality, wide green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs.

Needless to say, Miami is a great venue for such event. The place has already hosted the championship games quite numerous times already and each time was a grand success. And it’s quite fitting too. It has been 10 years since the last Super Bowl was held Miami. With all the beaches and fine weather, expect a spike in people coming in not just for the Super Bowl, but for some fun in the sun and sand as well.

Speaking of the people coming in, there are lots of great accommodations that abound in Miami. Top class Miami Vacation rentals include the Continental Oceanfront South Beach Miami, which boasts of a serene atmosphere and comfortable ambiance. Another great accommodation for tourists and fans is the Royal Palm Hotel South Beach. Located in the Art Deco District of Miami, the Royal Palm provides great access to key facilities and areas of interest in the city. You should also look at Holiday Inn Miami Beach and day Thunderbird Resort for accommodations less than $100.

Cotto Victory Over Clottey Smudged with Controversy

The fight for the WBO Welterweight Championship has ended, but not as I expected it to. I said it would be a split decision victory for Clottey; it went to other guy instead.

In my previous article, I wrote that Miguel Cotto, whose record now stands at 34-1, would lose the advantage if he failed to knock Joshua Clottey out in the earlier rounds. But as it turns out, Cotto did send Clottey to the mat via a jab in the first round.

Clottey, who now drops to 34-3, did assert himself in the middle rounds, particularly in the fifth after Cotto got cut in his left eyebrow due to an accidental headbutt.

It was a good fight, but not the one you would have expected from the hype the players and the promoters had built around it.

Most of the fans expected a rain of straights and hooks, but instead, they got a splendid display of boxing defense from both fighters throughout the fight.

The earlier rounds were Cotto’s. Then, a shift in momentum saw Clottey coming back to life and into the fight. It was indeed a close fight, so close it could have gone either way.

The scorecards seemed to be the focal point in the fight and will serve as a possible source for another boxing controversy.

Judge John McKaie gave the fight to Cotto, 115-112, while Tom Miller saw Clottey winning the fight 114-113. Judge Don Trella scored the bout for Cotto, with a strangely whopping 116-111.

Can anyone explain how the last judge’s score came to be?

Even the media men present in the fight find the score “suspicious.” Clottey claims he was robbed of the victory and demanded a rematch immediately afterwards. He exclaimed that he was chasing Cotto all night long and that the fight should have been his.

A rematch may be deemed necessary, since Cotto’s win over the Ghana native was inconclusive, but regardless of future bouts, tonight is a happy night for Cotto, his team, and his fellow Puerto Ricans.

Pacquiao Is American Media's Best Boxer For 2008

Manny Pacquiao, the IBO junior welterweight titlist and current P4P king, has been named 2008’s Best Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)for his outstanding performance last year.

Pacquiao fought three times in 2008. Here's a short recap.

Pacquiao’s three-win streak last year was initiated with his rematch against arch-nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15, 2008. On the line was Marquez’s WBC super featherweight belt.

Pacquiao managed to deck Marquez in the third round but the fight was a seesaw battle ending in a split decision favoring Pacquiao. Marquez wanted another match but Pacquiao said he plans to move to the lightweight division.

The Filipino icon next fight was also his first bout at lightweight against WBO lightweight champion David “Dangerous” Diaz on June 30, 2008.

Diaz proved to be a durable fighter that night, managing to withstand Pacquiao’s relentless attacks. But soon, Pacquiao wore him down with series of hard punches to the body and the head. In between rounds, Diaz can be heard saying that Pacquiao is “so fucking fast.”

Pacquiao dropped Diaz for the first and final time in the ninth round. With the win, Pacquiao not only got himself his fifth world title* in his fifth division but he is also the first Asian lightweight champion.

The year was punctuated on December 6, 2008 with Pacquiao’s successful debut in the welterweight division against the Golden Boy of boxing, Oscar Dela Hoya. Both fighters were non-title holders (Pacquiao vacated the WBO lightweight crown before the fight).

Dela Hoya handpicked Pacquiao as a quick replacement after Mayweather “retired” from boxing. Proved to be a wrong move for the handsome boxer.

All throughout the fight, Pacquiao was landing his punches almost at will and battered Dela Hoya in the seventh and eighth round. The Golden Boy refused to come out in the ninth round after suffering a brutal, one-sided beatdown all night.

On the side, Pacquiao's head trainer Freddie Roach is named BWAA's 2008 Trainer of The Year.

Congratulations, gentlemen! You both deserved the accolades and the cheers you are receiving right now.

Cotto Vs Clottey Pre-Fight Analysis

One more day and its Cotto against Clottey or Clottey against Cotto. However you place their names, everybody is just excited to see who can beat the crap out of the other and probably win a date to their biggest fight yet – a bout with the #1 Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world. But before we even delve with Cotto-Pacquiao or Clottey-Pacquiao, let’s see what these guys can deliver com fight night.

Miguel Cotto boasts of an almost pristine record of 33-1, with 27 victories coming by way of knockout. The only lone defeat in his standings came from Mexico’s Antonio Margarito, which became a point of controversy when it was discovered that Margarito’s hand wraps were coated with plaster of Paris moments before his bout with Shane Mosley.

The Puerto Rican native has hand speed and punching accuracy in his resume. These are his essentials come fight night against Clottey. He can also conjure vicious body shots and fast combinations, which he used extensively in his last inning against Michael Jennings. That said, Cotto is also vulnerable to powerful punches to the chin, as evident in his earlier fights. While he is good at defense, Cotto is hittable and his offensive style makes him more open to power shots.

Joshua Clottey , however, is no pushover. He has garnered 35-2 record and has never been stopped. His first loss was due to disqualification while the second was via a unanimous decision favoring Antonio Margarito. While Clottey packs power in both hands, Cotto is still the harder hitter between the two. But what makes Clottey a dangerous opponent is his ability to take hard punches and still fight back. He also has the stamina to go the distance.

As an observer, I believe Cotto will own the earlier rounds with sheer aggressiveness but Clottey will assert himself in the middle rounds and dictate the pace. Most boxing experts say Cotto’s chances are high, but I beg to disagree. If Clottey can hold his own against Cotto’s attacks, the tides will slowly roll to Clottey’s favor.

A knockout for Cotto is a possibility, but highly unlikely.

Verdict: Clottey by split decision

The Brave Shane Mosley

Being the current top-ranking welterweight may have its perks, but Shane Mosley seems to have trouble finding some quality time being the best boxer in the 147-lbs division. First, Mayweather have dogged him by picking lightweight kingpin Juan Manuel Marquez for his return bout on July 17^th. Second, fellow welterweight champion Miguel Cotto already has a date with Joshua Clottey for the former’s title defense. Third, pound-for-pound top dog Manny Pacquiao will only fight him if Mosley drops to 142 lbs.

With all the best fighters in his division currently occupied or presenting him with certain conditions, what is Mosley left to do? He is a true champion who deserves a mega-fight with someone of top quality, especially after handing the invincible Antonio Margarito his first loss in a convincing fashion.

With no possible fights looming in the horizon, Mosley decided to take a dangerous route towards greatness – agreeing to Pacquiao’s terms.

At a catch weight of 142 lbs, Pacquiao is still a dangerous boxer. He has shown in his last two outings that he can outbox and overpower men who are physically bigger and deemed stronger than him. And those last two fights were more than impressive so to speak. Pacquiao has the ability to carry his amazing speed and subtle power at any weight class and has not yet been defeated since he fought as a lightweight (130 lbs).

On the other hand, it has been a long time since Mosley fought below 147 and dropping five pounds will take a lot of his speed and power away from him. Age may also come to play here. Should they meet on October 17^th, Mosley will be 38 years old, eight years older than the Pacman. He may be taller and bigger than Pacquiao come fight night, but he may have all odds against him.

Considering all that, I can’t help but admire Shane Mosley’s determination to prove that he still has what it takes to be with the best. He may have 5 losses and be in danger of having 6 should the fight with Pacquiao pushed through, but in the eyes of an ordinary fan, Mosley will be remembered as a guy who had the guts to willingly face a strong adversary despite all the odds stacked against him.

He will be forever known as the Brave Shane Mosley, true boxing champion.

For more stuff on Boxing, go to Boxing News.

Magic Man Debuts As Little Mac

I would describe Paulie Malignaggi a C-level fighter at best. Although he has the expertise about the trade, he lacks the power to be with the top dogs of the sport. With a stellar record of 26-2, anyone would be impressed with this Bronx native with Sicilian roots, until they get to know that only five of those 26 wins came via knockout and that those two losses came against Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton, both aggressive power punchers.

I don’t feel sorry for the guy. The Magic Man, as he is known, has a great amateur career. But in my opinion, he can never be named alongside the greats of boxing’s history.

At that note, I am happy that he was chosen to be the model for Little Mac, the hero of the 1990s video game Punch-Out! What he lacks in power and explosiveness, he makes up for with his charisma and his natural ability to charm people. Maybe he is destined for greatness outside the ring. But for now, we have to make do with this trailer for Punch-Out!

CDO Bloggers Blogging 101 Seminar A Success

Warning: This post is not about sports. If you want to read about sports, read my other posts.

Last May 23, The Frustrated Sports Analyst and the rest of the CDO Bloggers held a blogging seminar for newbies and also taught on other advanced bloggers on how to drive traffic to their blogs and generate income from what they do. The best part of it? The Frustrated Sports Analyst was the designated host of the event (applause and cheers).

The seminar was held at Sentro 1850, one of the swank restaurants here in Cagayan de Oro City and the place was packed with blogging novices and webmasters. The group was expecting 50 persons to attend the said event. We never thought that a lot of people would want to know and learn about blogging.

As it was the group’s first time to organize a huge event, there were portions of it that we need to improve one. Nevertheless, a lot of people learned a lot of things and have expressed their desires to know more. At that note, The Frustrated Sports Analyst deems that the CDOBloggers Blogging 101 seminar a success.