Columns · PhilBoxing.com

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Donaire won’t give up fight

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Mon, 14 Dec 2020

Brandishing three negative tests to prove a false positive, Nonito Donaire, Jr. said yesterday he’s still hoping against hope to be given the green light for his fight against Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel R…

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Gaballo ready for war

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Thu, 10 Dec 2020

Reymart Gaballo with Cuban trainer Moro Fernandez in Miami. Reymart Gaballo is on a mission to capture the WBA bantamweight crown and his first step is to regain the interim title in a scheduled 12-ro…

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Boxing back in business

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Tue, 24 Nov 2020

Boxing promoter J.C. Manangquil. Last Saturday, J. C. Manangquil of Sanman Promotions staged a boxing event with five fights in General Santos City in a bold and heartful effort to keep the sport aliv…

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Donaire won’t take new foe lightly

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Thu, 19 Nov 2020

Nonito Donaire, Jr. isn’t taking Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez lightly as he steps up training for their scheduled 12-round fight for the vacant WBC bantamweight title at the Mohegan Sun Arena in U…

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Why Manny still sells

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Thu, 12 Nov 2020

Boxing experts are heralding the dawn of a new Golden Age in the 147-pound welterweight division. In the 1940s, the world celebrated the exploits of Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta, Henry Armstrong a…

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Not over for Magramo

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Tue, 10 Nov 2020

Magramo. Giemel Magramo is back home in Paranaque, none the worse for wear after losing to Junto Nakatani on an eighth round TKO for the vacant WBO flyweight crown in Tokyo last Friday but raring to p…

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Magramo goes for broke tonight

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Fri, 06 Nov 2020

Giemel Magramo with Flash Elorde’s widow Laura. It’s all or nothing for Giemel Magramo who battles unbeaten Japanese southpaw Junto Nakatani in a scheduled 12-round bout for the vacant WBO flyweight c…

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Fil-Am dreams to be like Manny

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Thu, 05 Nov 2020

Little DJ Zamora (right) and Canelo Alvarez. There’s a 17-year-old, 5-10 left-handed Fil-Am featherweight who is unbeaten in three pro fights, has sparred with the likes of Shawn Porter, Ryan Garcia a…

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Make no Bones about it

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Tue, 03 Nov 2020

Calerence Adamds (L) and Johnriel Casimero. Former WBA superbantamweight champion Clarence (Bones) Adams took over training WBO bantamweight titleholder Johnriel Casimero in Las Vegas from Nonoy Neri,…

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Gone too soon

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Mon, 02 Nov 2020

Rico Navarro. Last month, my good friend Rico Navarro texted to invite me for a one-on-one chat on his weekly online show “Bleacher Talk Goes Live” and I readily accepted. Rico and I go back a long wa…

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Inoue wins but Casimero unimpressed

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Mon, 02 Nov 2020

Super WBA/IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue was hardly threatened in mowing down overrated Australian challenger Jason Moloney in Las Vegas yesterday morning (Manila time) and even as the Japanese…

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How scary is The Monster?

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Sun, 01 Nov 2020

Super WBA/IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue got banged up by Nonito Donaire, Jr. in their unification showdown in Saitama last November but still walked away with his unblemished record intact. Th…

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Magramo endures quarantine

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Wed, 28 Oct 2020

Nakatani (L) and Magramo (R). Giemel Magramo isn’t allowed to leave the Grand Palace Hotel, where he is quarantined, until two days before his fight against unbeaten Junto Nakatani for the vacant WBO …

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Manny says focus is overdue

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Sat, 24 Oct 2020

Super WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao has made an impassioned appeal to support the creation of the Philippine Boxing and Combat Sports Commission, citing his experience in explaining wh…

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Honda assures fair judges

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Thu, 22 Oct 2020

Magramo (C) with Liza (L) and Johnny Elorde (R). Three Japanese judges will be named to work the much-awaited fight between No. 1 contender Giemel Magramo of the Johnny Elorde stable and No. 2 Junto N…

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Casimero to put ‘turtle’ to sleep

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Mon, 19 Oct 2020

WBO bantamweight champion JohnRiel Casimero, holed up in a hotel undergoing a 14-day quarantine in Ormoc, said yesterday he plans to go back to the US in January and get ready for his next fight, mayb…

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How far will Eumir go?

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Fri, 16 Oct 2020

L-R: Marcial, Ancajas and Gibbons. Olympic middleweight boxing qualifier Eumir Marcial is now in Los Angeles for training with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym and will make his pro debut as soon as…

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Mikey vows best for Manny

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Wed, 14 Oct 2020

A fight is farthest from super WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s mind in this pandemic but even as he’s focused on his chores as a legislator, potential opponents keep calling him out wi…

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No holiday break for Magsayo

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Wed, 07 Oct 2020

Roach at Magsayo's corner. There’s still a lot to learn in the gym for WBC/IBF No. 4 featherweight contender Mark Magsayo who’s fresh from a split 10-round decision win over Mexican tough hombre Rigob…

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Magsayo stays on course

By Joaquin Henson, PhilBoxing.com Mon, 05 Oct 2020

L-R: Magsayo, Roach and Somodio. Highly-touted featherweight contender Mark (Magnifico) Magsayo went through the wringer in pounding out a split 10-round decision over tough Mexican hombre Rigoberto H…