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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday October 8, 2015
Pacquiao likely to retire after one more fight next year MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) - Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquiao, a winner of world titles in eight different weight categories, said he is likely to retire from the sport after one more fight next year. Pacquiao, 36, last fought in May when he lost to American Floyd Mayweather Junior in a long-awaited
bout between the sport’s best two fighters, dubbed the Fight of the Century that failed to match the hype. Pacquiao underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff after the fight and had been expected to retire with little left to prove after achieving his long-stated goal of getting in the ring with Mayweather.
“I think I’m ready. I’ve been in boxing for more than 20 years,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN yesterday. The Filipino said he wanted one more bout but it is unlikely to be against Mayweather, who has announced plans to retire after beating Andre Berto in September to improve
his record to 49 wins and no losses. “We cannot say if there is a rematch or not. It depends, it depends,” Pacquiao said. Pacquiao’s long-term manager Bob Arum said last month he expected
Pacquiao to fight again in February, with Briton Amir Khan and American Terence Crawford among the possible opponents. The Filipino southpaw, who boasts a fight record of 57 wins, six losses and two
draws, said he wanted to focus more on his political career. Pacquiao is already a member of the country’s lower House of Representatives and announced plans on Monday to run for a seat in the senate next year.
Guyana gear up for Venezuelan Pan Am hockey battle GUYANA will tomorrow take on Venezuela in the semi-final stages of the of the Pan American Challenge in Chiclayo, Peru from 16:15hrs Guyana Time (GYT). This comes as the Guyanese finished as one of the top two teams in the Group A following their 2-2 draw with Brazil, the Group A leaders, on Tuesday. By virtue of topping the Group A, Brazil have to play Group B second-placed
Uruguay (14:00) while second-placed Group A team Guyana have been paired with Group B winners Venezuela. In the crossover games for places 5-8, Puerto Rico will take on Ecuador (9:30) while Panama take on Peru in the first round of matches from 10:45hrs In Guyana’s most recent 2-2 draw, Aroydy Bradford in the 12th minute through a field goal (FG) opened the scoring, putting the Golden Arrowhead ahead and
exerting early pressure on favourites Brazil. However, two quickfire penalty corners from Stephane Vehrle-Smith and Lucas Paixão (42ne and 43rd) gave the Brazilians a slim lead, with the Guyanese having to chase to level the game. Bradford again proved the determining factor as he converted a penalty shot to goal in the 51st, the last of the goals scored in this match as either team failed to convert any more shots.
Rugby season scrum-off on Sunday THE new-look Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) will kick off their season this Sunday at the University of Guyana ground. According to a release from the GRFU, the schedule was made after the first meeting of the new executive on Monday. Set for the University of Guyana ground at Turkeyen, the GRFU 7s tournament will feature the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Hornets, Caribs,
UG Wolves and the Guyana Police Force (GPF). The five teams will play each other once in a round-robin, and then the top two teams will face-off in the final. The aforementioned teams will then take the week off before turning their attention to the Banks Sevens at the National Park Rugby Field on Sunday October 18. Like the GRFU 7s Tournament, the Banks
DIH-sponsored event will take a similar format to come up with a winner. Meanwhile, today, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) will announce the details of its partnership with the GRFU for the development of the game. The local telecommunication company’s partnership will pave the way for the GT&T 10-a-side Rugby tournament, set for November 7-22.
ESPN joins hands with India’s MSM to launch channels By Sudipto Ganguly MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - Sports fans in the Indian subcontinent will be spoilt for choice after Indian Premier League (IPL) rights holder Multi Screen Media (MSM) and sports broadcaster ESPN announced plans yesterday to launch new channels and foray into digital market. ESPN, a Walt Disney unit, exited India in 2012, after a split with Rupert Murdoch-owned Star TV, which owns the rights to cricket-crazy India’s home inter-
national matches and domestic tournaments, excluding the annual IPL Twenty20 competition. As part of the “long-term” deal, Sony Corp-owned MSM will rebrand its sports channel KIX as SONY ESPN and the two broadcasters will also launch new channels in the coming months. In collaboration with MSM, ESPN will start a multisport website and app, which will provide coverage of cricket, football, tennis, the NBA and several other sports. “It brings together two of the most respected brands in the media world,” Prasana Krishnan, vice-president and business head of sports for
MSM, told Reuters. “It will be a combined portfolio of their expertise in sports coverage and our reach and penetration and market position we bring in this particular territory. “I see it as a win-win combination from a sports fan’s perspective.” Besides broadcasting the popular IPL and the NBA, MSM also holds rights for the Rugby World Cup, Euro 2016, the Under-17 World Cup to be held in India, soccer leagues such as Spanish La Liga, the Serie A and the FA Cup and the Australian Open tennis.