The Philippine Online Chronicles

Puerto Rican champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez retained his WBO featherweight championship belt by stopping multi-belt champion Rafael Marquez at the start of the ninth round. Marquez was unable to come out of his corner in the ninth round after sustaining a right shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, in NBA (National Basketball Association) news, the San Antonio Spurs escaped with an overtime victory against the winless Houston Rockets, 124-121. The Spurs relied on Tony Parker’s clutch shooting in the payoff period to hand the Rockets their fifth straight loss.

Juanma TKOs Marquez

Puerto Rico’s rising boxing sensation Juan Manuel Lopez retained his WBO featherweight belt by stopping Mexican challenger Rafael Marquez.

Marquez, who is fighting in the 130-pound (lb) division only for the third time, was unable to come out of his corner in the ninth round. The referee stopped the fight when Marquez’s handlers finally waved the white flag signifying his surrender.

Marquez postponed this matchup twice with Lopez because of a recurring right shoulder injury. He injured the same shoulder again in the third round when Lopez started throwing combinations at him.

In the fourth round, Marquez appeared to dictate the tempo, causing the bigger Lopez to get frustrated. Lopez ended up hitting Marquez at the back of the head, earning himself a point deduction.

Through the fifth to the eight round, Lopez began using his superior strength and size to pursue his challenger. Marquez was flagging in the seventh round and failed to counter any of Lopez’s power bombs.

After the fight, Marquez blamed his injured shoulder for his inability to perform well. He said that he wants a rematch because he feels he can perform a lot better against the Puerto Rican champion if he is no longer injured.

Lopez, on the other hand, said that Marquez was the best fighter he had ever fought.

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Round 8 onwards, Rafael Marquez vs Juan Manuel Lopez (rantplan13)

Spurs notch third straight win

Though they eventually emerged victorious, the San Antonio Spurs lost focus against the undermanned Houston Rockets in the final period of their game, a mistake they had to pay for, fortunately without interest.

Without Yao Ming, Aaron Brooks, and Kevin Martin, the Rockets’ second stringers gave the Spurs a run for their money in the final period. The Spurs relied on experience to pull off a 124-121 overtime squeaker over their Texas rivals.

Frenchman Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points, seven of which he made during the overtime period. Aside from that, he also dished out a team high 14 assists.

The resurgent Richard Jefferson also contributed 22 points by going four-for-five in the three-ball area. Meanwhile, Argentine spitfire Manu Ginobili topped the Spurs with 28 points including an ankle-breaking jumper in the end of regulation.

The Spurs also had excellent contributions from Tim Duncan, who bounced back from a subpar first half to finish with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Veteran center Antonio McDyess finished with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

This the Spurs’ fourth win in five outings and their third straight after beating the Clippers and the Suns over the past week. It is also their best start since the 2007-2008 season when they eventually lost against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

For the Rockets, however, this game's outcome is a real downer. Aside from this being their fifth straight loss, they are the only team in the league still without a win. This atrocious start matches their 1999 campaign when they also started with an 0-5 card.

Martin and Brooks were having a fine night against the Spurs before both of them left with an ankle sprain. Brooks had 18 points in the first half, but his awkward landing on Ginobili’s foot in a last-second heave prevented him from playing on.

Martin on the other hand, already had 24 points in the third quarter when he landed on George Hill’s foot. Just like Brooks, he had to be benched for the rest of the game.

With Brooks and Martin out, the Rockets relied on Luis Scola and Shane Battier who scored 20 and 14 respectively.

The Rockets had a chance to win the game in regulation time but Courtney Lee missed two free throws with 16.8 seconds remaining. Rookie point guard Ishmael Smith also missed a game-winning floater with 2.8 seconds left.

With the Rockets up 113-111, Ginobili took control of the game with 15 seconds left. The 6'6" shooting guard made an ankle-breaking crossover to put Lee off-balance, before pulling off a step-back jumper that tied the game.

In the overtime period, the Rockets had a chance to tie it again with seven seconds left in the overtime period, but they clanked three straight-three pointers until the time expired.

Photo: “2009-2010 Spurs Schedule-Manu Ginobili” Mike c/o Flickr. Some rights reserved.