Bleacher Talk

ALA Boxing. Where do we start? And why did it all have to end? Philippine sports, most specially in Cebu, is mourning the death of loved one, with many having a hard time accepting it and moving on. After all, how is that possible with a phenomenon like ALA Boxing? It’s like having a well-conditioned athlete at his prime succumbing to COVID 19. Yet ironically, COVID 19 did knock ALA out. COVID has been one serial dude, hasn’t he?   As a boxing fan, I followed ALA boxing since the start of their professional boxing promotions in 1989. Yes, I’ve been around and age is catching up on us, but I’m not afraid to declare that I was there when it all started. Brix Flores, Gerry Peñalosa, Edito Villamor, Andy Tabanas, Ramy Dumpa, Noel Tuñacao and a few others were the big names then. They were followed by Jun Gorres, Joma Gamboa, and Edmund Villamor. The Golden Boys Malcolm Tuñacao, Rev Santillan and Randy Suico, though not officially ALA Boys, took their turn to shine before the new genera

  Bubble Boxing   With the NBA playoffs kicking off this week and the bubble basketball gimmick going well so far, can the bubble set-up click here in the Philippines? The first event that will go for it is the Chooks to Go Pilipinas 3X3 league, but I’d like to get closer to home and dare say that Cebu is a candidate to stage a bubble-type event too, but not in basketball. Boxing is it.   Let’s take a look at both and see how these can work. The Chooks to Go Pilipinas 3X3’s games will be played at the world-class Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna around September or October. All the players and officials of each team, along with league officials and the TV production crew will stay at the Inspire compound that includes a hotel. This has 32 dorm-type, 20 hotel-type and four executive rooms; a total of 56 rooms with 176 beds. But before they move in to the complex, testing will be conducted to ensure that everyone is safe. Once everyone is in the “bubble,” they won’t be allowed t

Milo Pivots One of the most common terms you’ll hear these days is the word “pivot.” No, we’re not referring the pivot foot that moves for a travelling call. Neither are we asking a big man to plant his pivot foot for a nice drop step or fade-away move against a defender. Pivoting is what everyone is doing now in this pandemic to survive, stay afloat, and stay relevant. Times have been tough but if you pivot the right away like a good low-post player does, you’ll be fine. In the world of sports, we’ve written about certain pivoting done by coaches who are now into online selling of essentials and food products, things totally not related to sports. Without their regular jobs, they had to go into selling to make up for the lost income from sports. Sports teams or clubs have shifted online for practice sessions because they can’t conduct actual field practices like they used to at a gym or field. Zoom, Google meet and messenger rooms are their new practice gyms or field. A popular face i

Manila Moves And they’re off! Cebuano basketball players are going to the UAAP and NCAA. In order of when the news broke out, LA Casinillo, Gab Cometa, Soysoy Escobido, Nichole Cabañero, Jancork Cabahug and Nathan Montecillo are headed to the big city for the rest of their basketball stints as student-athletes. Casinillo, Escobido and Cabañero are travelling with five other players from Iloilo to play for the UST Juniors team, a.k.a. “Bisdak All Stars.” Cometa will soon be a Red Lion while Cabahug is joining the UP Fighting Maroons. Montecillo us joining the UPIS Juniors squad. That’s six and counting.     Now many are asking. Is this good or bad news? Why did they all make the move to Manila? Why not stay behind? Let’s take a look at the different reactions, factors and thoughts about these movements, shall we?     Sports critics and fans have come out all over social media to criticize the CESAFI for cancelling the coming season and paving the way for this “exodus” of players to Mani