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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2014)
SPORTS September 15, 2014 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9 Pacquiao has Algieri next, but Floyd Mayweather is out there By Barry Wilner AP Sports Writer EW YORK — Even as Manny Pacquiao prepares for undefeated junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri, the name Floyd Mayweather is never far away. Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown on November 22 in Macau, the 64th bout of a career that includes titles in eight divisions. None of those has been against the undefeated May- weather. Pacquiao told The Associated Press that a matchup with Mayweather “is the fight fans want in their hearts” and that he is always ready to step into the ring with Mayweather. The Filipino star and congressman could be closer to such a fight because promoter Bob Arum says the two cable television networks involved, HBO and Showtime, have reached an agreement to make it happen. Now it’s up to Mayweather to agree, Arum says. “If that fight happens, fine,” the 35-year-old Pacquiao said. “If not, fine — what I have done in my boxing career already has satisfied me. What I will be disappointed if that does not happen is because that is what the fans want. My concern is the concern of the fans, and the fans want that fight.” While Arum said positive steps have been taken in the direction of a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, he is leery about Mayweather giving approval. After all, the fight hasn’t happened over a span of about a decade. “Floyd is scared to lose the zero,” Arum said of Mayweather’s 46-0 record. “Believe me, if he lost the zero, he’d be on the plane (the next day) to make the fight, no question.” Pacquiao isn’t and won’t think about that potentially huge payday, particularly with an opponent such as Algieri ahead of him. Algieri, from Huntington, New York, is hardly the stereotypical pugilist. He holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition, and aspires to attend medical N SWIMMING INTO LAW SCHOOL. China’s Ye Shiwen poses with her gold medal for the women’s 200-meter individual medley swim- ming final at the Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park during the 2012 Sum- mer Olympics in London, in this July 31, 2012 file photo. The 2012 London Games champion in the women’s 200- and 400-meter medleys registered last month at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University under a government program that waives the gruelling entrance exam for out- standing athletes. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File) Gold medal swimmer Ye enrolls in top China college BEIJING (AP) — China’s two-time Olympic gold medallist swimmer Ye Shiwen has a new title: college freshman. The 2012 London Games champion in the women’s 200- and 400-meter medleys has registered at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University under a government program that waives the gruelling entrance exam for outstanding athletes. The 18-year-old Ye told local media she plans to study law and will balance classes with the Asian Games this month in Incheon, South Korea. Ye set a world record in the 400 IM and an Olympic record in the 200 IM at London 2012, although she did not win a medal in any event at last year’s world championships in Barcelona. Numerous Chinese champion athletes have been admitted to top universities as a means to a post-athletics career. q Dethroned Myanmar beauty queen blasts pageant boss Continued from page one the tiara on the table in front of her. “I don’t want a crown from an organization with such a bad reputation.” The pageant says the Swarovski tiara is worth more than $100,000. Noe’s mother, who accompanied her on the trip to South Korea, cried when asked about the experience. The Miss Asia Pacific World pageant, now in its fourth year, is no stranger to controversy. In 2011, Wales representative Amy Willerton and several other contestants alleged that the contest had been fixed after a woman representing Venezuela was apparently named runner-up of the talent round before competing. The argument with organizers — captured on video and uploaded to YouTube under the title “Confessions of a Beauty Queen” — was widely circulated in the pageant community. Some of the contestants also accused officials of asking the women for sex in return for higher placement in the contest, and charged that the police who were called in to investi- gate the allegations were bribed. Those allegations were denied by Kim. “It is not true that the girls were sleeping with the organizers or the director,” he said. “The police already announced that these were just rumors. We checked everything, the CCTV in the hotel, everything. It was just rumors.” Myanmar, which only recently emerged from a half century of military rule and self-imposed isolation, started sending contestants to international pageants again in 2012. Noe’s win was widely covered in local media. Advertise your business, service, or recruitment advertisement in The Asian Reporter! For information, call (503) 283-4440 or e-mail <ads@asianreporter.com>. PASSIONATE PUGILIST PACQUIAO. Manny Pacquiao, left, and Chris Algieri pose for a photo in Los Angeles. The two boxers will fight for Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welterweight title on November 22 in Macau. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) school. He’s also a terrific boxer with a 20-0 record and eight knockouts. That is not in the realm of Pacquiao’s 56 wins, 38 by knockouts, and standing as one of the great fighters of his era. But it’s strong enough to impress Pacman. “He is undefeated and a world champion,” Pacquiao said, adding with a sly smile, “I love to fight undefeated guys. I want them to experience that first (defeat).” Algieri won his belt in June by beating powerful Ruslan Provodnikov. That was almost a home bout, held in Brooklyn, about one hour’s drive from Algieri’s Long Island hometown. This one is in Macau, and he can’t wait to show his stuff there, especially against Pacquiao. “I grew up looking up to other fighters,” the 30-year-old Algieri said, mentioning specifically Oscar De La Hoya — who was stopped by Pacquiao in eight rounds in 2008. “Manny is a classy champion, a gentleman, and a warrior. I kind of walk in those shoes. Professionals who show class as has Manny are a testament to the sport.” A victory would catapult Algieri to the elite level of the sport. A win for Pacquiao would further distance him from losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Marquez in 2012. Pacquiao won a decision over Brandon Rios in Macau in 2013, then avenged the loss to Bradley with a unanimous decision last April. What keeps Pacquiao going in the ring? Considering all of his other ventures, from politics to entrepreneurship to dabbling in basketball — the Philippines’ most popular sport, he said — why not walk away with his health? “I continue because boxing is my passion,” he said. “You can see it in my face every time I fight. You see I am smiling when I walk into the ring. It’s that excitement.”