By Waylon Galvez

Former Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) star Maui Huelar was gunned down Thursday afternoon in Bacolod City, according to multiple reports.

The alleged assailants fatally shot the former pro cager inside a gymnasium in Villamonte, according to the SunStar Cebu.

Huelar, nicknamed the ‘Flying Fish’ with his leaping and playmaking skills, starred for the Negros Slashers. He teamed up with Johnedel Cardel, now the coach of Columbian Dyip in the PBA, Reynel Hugnatan, the late Jack Tanuan and onetime MVP John Ferriols.

Huelar and company made the finals of the MBA’s inaugural season in 1998 against eventual champion Pampanga Dragons.

“He was scrappy, street smart, and down to earth,” said veteran broadcaster Bill Velasco, a TV analyst of the MBA. “Not as young or athletic as other players, but the guy you’d want beside you in a game of life or death.

“Even against players trained in big-school systems in Metro Manila, he held his own. Maui was a leader in every sense of the word and even when his knees were bothering him, he sacrificed for the team.”

“Off the court, he was simple, and very funny. He was easy to get along with,” Velasco added.

Hugnatan, who currently plays for the Meralco Bolts in the PBA, posted a picture on his Facebook of the Negros Slashers and captioned it “Rest in peace my brother Maui Huelar ‘The Flying Fish’ #MH15 Sad day sa mga Slashers family”.

Huelar never made it to the PBA, but his perseverance almost got him a spot with FedEx where he was once a reserve.

After his basketball career, Huelar entered politics and was elected barangay captain in their hometown.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

The Games and Amusement Board has moved to help local pro golfers and a number of teaching pros in these dire times.

GAB chairman Bahan Mitra said he has asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to include 51 GAB-licensed players and coaches in the program of cash relief.

“We have 47 teaching pros and four touring pros who requested for assistance,” Mitra said Thursday when contacted by Manila Bulletin. “We’ve already requested the DSWD to include them in the program.”

The 47 teaching pros come from the Philippine Army Golf Club (21) and the Philippine Navy Golf Club (26), while the four pro golfers that asked for assistance are Jhonnel Ababa, Jeffrey Pito-On, Rico Depilo and Marvin Dumandan.

“That’s what we have so far on our list asking for support,” said Mitra.

GAB initially got approval for selected pro boxers, as well as fighters from Mixed Martial Arts and Muay Thai to receive support from DSWD.

Under the agency’s program Assistance to Individuals during Crisis Situation or AICS, the beneficiaries are expected to get P5,000 cash assistance and P1,000 worth of gift card for groceries.

The GAB list will be reviewed by the DSWD for confirmation.

Former jungolfer Oliver Gan, recently appointed GAB consultant for golf, said the help will come in handy since all golf courses are closed while tournaments were scratched because of the health crisis.

“We understand their situation because teaching pros only get they money from fees, or tips every time they help somebody. With golf courses still closed, they have no source of income,” said Gan, a former Philippine Sports Commission program coordinator for NCR in the Philippine Sports Institute.

“As for the touring pros, it’s also the same, because these pro golfers get their resources during tournaments – depending on what place they finish. Now that events are postponed, it’s also a problem for them.”

“That’s why it’s a big help if the DSWD includes them on the GAB list for the assistance,” added Gan.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Dethroned world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder says he still does not see his conqueror Tyson Fury as the true titleholder.

The American told a Premier Boxing Champions podcast on Wednesday that the real ‘Bronze Bomber’ had not shown up for their last fight, and likened his performance on the night to that of a zombie.

“It’s not over. In my eyes I don’t see Fury as the champion,” said the 34-year-old, enjoying some downtime in Alabama.

“He ain’t the champion yet, we’ve still got one more fight left… and I’m looking forward to giving the world the best of Deontay Wilder.”

“People that know boxing know that that wasn’t Deontay Wilder that night. I was a zombie that night… I wasn’t myself, I felt like a zombie in there,” he added.

Fury overwhelmed Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch in February, seizing the WBC crown with a seventh round stoppage. They had previously fought to a draw in December 2018.

Wilder claimed afterwards that his legs had been weakened by the 45-pound costume of full dark armour and helmet that he wore to the ring to honour Black History Month.

“He knows that wasn’t me. I know that wasn’t me. Everyone knows that wasn’t the real Deontay Wilder, something was wrong,” said the American.

A third bout between the two heavyweights was set for July but has been pushed back due to the new coronavirus pandemic, with a likely date in October.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Charlotte Hornets player Bismack Biyombo has donated $1 million in surgical masks and hazardous materials suits through his charity to his native DR Congo.

The supplies include four containers filled with 10,000 face masks and 780 protective hazmat suits to help in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s battle against the worldwide new coronavirus, The Bismack Biyombo Foundation announced on Wednesday.

“We have never experienced a crisis of this magnitude. Seeing my home country suffer in this capacity is devastating,” said Biyombo.

“I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to figure out a way to help those suffering in the DRC. I am pleased to announce that The Bismack Biyombo Foundation delivered over 10,000 masks and 780 hazmat suits to the DRC this week.

“Thank you to all of those who are at the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Biyombo said it was important to get the much needed medical equipment there as quickly as possible because the DRC’s health system has been decimated in recent years by several other disease outbreaks including Ebola and Malaria which like COVID-19 are spread human-to-human.

So far there have been 254 cases of the virus in the DRC with 21 deaths, according to the Baltimore, Maryland-based Johns Hopkins University.

In 53 games with the Hornets this season, Biyombo has averaged a career-high 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He has started 29 of those games and has been used in a variety of offensive and defensive roles

Biyombo will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Sixteen years after his retirement, Vergel Meneses, the PBA’s one and only ‘Aerial Voyager,’ continues to soar.

Following a great basketball career, the 51-year-old cage legend is now trying to carve a name in public service as the esteemed mayor of Bulakan, Bulacan, who’s facing the biggest challenge yet of his young term brought about by the global effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meneses is so far coping up with the pressure of leading one of the oldest towns in the country in this time of crisis, just as he did during his 14-year playing stint where he won three PBA championships and hailed as MVP 25 years ago.

In celebration of the silver anniversary of his MVP feat and the only one of the 40 Greatest Players in league history to be elected as mayor, Meneses will be honored with the President’s Award by the PBA Press Corps during its annual awards night.

The Bulakan mayor is also the guest of honor and speaker in the affair originally scheduled last March 16 at the Novotel Manila in Araneta Center and to be aired by Cignal TV, but was postponed indefinitely when the entire Luzon was put under the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

A two-time Mythical First Team member and three-time Best Player of the Conference, Meneses is the second recipient of the award first handed out to the entire PBA Board led by chairman Ricky Vargas in 2018.

Meneses first caught the public’s attention when as an 18-year-old forward from Jose Rizal College, he bested established amateur stars Jojo Lastimosa, Alvin Patrimonio, Bong Alvarez, and Nelson Asaytono to rule the 1987 PABL Freedom Cup slam dunk contest.

When he turned pro in 1992, he was tabbed by Presto as the no. 1 pick in the draft and then had a brief stint with Sta. Lucia, which brought the CFC franchise.

But it was with Swift that Meneses established himself as a superstar, becoming its franchise player who will lead the team to three championships, including back-to-back (Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup) fashion in the 1995 season when he emerged MVP.

The two-time slam dunk champion and four-time All-Star MVP later also suited up for Barangay Ginebra, FedEx, Red Bull, and finally, Talk ‘N Text. His no. 18 jersey was retired by Air21 Express in 2006 as he finished with a total of 9,453 career points in 590 games, including averages of 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

During his pro career, Meneses was also a vital cog for the 1998 Centennial Team of coach Tim Cone, which won the Jones Cup and bagged the bronze medal in the Bangkok Asian Games.

Four years after retiring, Meneses tried his hand in coaching, taking the job as mentor Jose Rizal University. He led his alma mater to five Final Four appearances in the NCAA and had an 8476 (win-loss) record in almost a decade before resigning from his post to run as mayor in the last national elections.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Tamas Ajan resigned on Wednesday in the wake of allegations of corruption and doping violations made in a documentary earlier this year.

“The IWF thanks Tamas Ajan for more than four decades of service to weightlifting,” said IWF acting president Ursula Papandrea in a statement on its website.

“We can now begin the work of determining a fresh path towards achieving the full potential of our sport,” said Papandrea.

The statement by the Budapest-based federation noted an independent investigation is ongoing into the allegations made by German broadcaster ARD in a report in January.

The documentary alleged a “culture of corruption” had been established in the Olympic sport with prominent weightlifters rarely subjected to drugs tests and cash being taken by doping controllers to accept manipulated urine samples.

Hungarian Ajan, 81, who had been at the IWF since 1976 serving 24 years as general secretary and the past 20 as president, claimed the allegations were unfounded.

The programme by journalists ARD including Hajo Seppelt, who broke the story on Russia’s state doping scandal, claimed half of the 450 world championship or Olympic medallists between 2008 and 2017 were not asked to undertake any doping tests while a doctor for the Moldovan team was caught on hidden camera explaining how urine samples could be manipulated.

Beyond doping, the report accused the IWF of transferring $5 million in funding from the International Olympic Committee into two Swiss accounts overseen only by Ajan.

Ajan claimed he had been the victim of “an unjust attack” by ARD.

“This film has completely ruined my life and 50 years of my work. A large part of my work has been about doping prevention,” he said.

Papandrea also praised Ajan on Wednesday for his work “in recent years to ensure an anti-doping programme which meets the standards of the IOC (is) in place”.

“I offered the best of my life to our beloved sport,” Ajan said Wednesday according to the IWF statement.

“When health circumstances related to the (COVID-19) pandemic allow, holding elections would enable a new generation to start work as soon as possible on ensuring a bright future for the sport we love,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Unlike other athletes who need space to train and remain on active mode amid the pandemic, those who excel in E-Sports don’t require an area where they could jump rope, do plyometrics or run sprints.

For a master gamer like Caviar Acampado, the Starcraft 2 gold medalist in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the requirements are quite simple: a comfy chair and a computer with lightning-fast internet connection.

With these, Acampado would be able to meet the provisions needed for him to stay sharp in his chosen field.

As the entire world reels from COVID-19, Acampado remains on active rest by training at least two hours a day.

“I still do train, although not as much as I was grinding back in SEA Games. I mostly stream my practice hours,” said Acampado, who stays with fellow gamers in a townhouse in San Juan.

To balance training with recreation, Acampado engages in other games, less technical as Starcraft 2, with his longtime girlfriend Moreen Guese, a former child actress.

“I watch movies and series and sometimes play the guitar my girlfriend lent me even though I’m not really good at it.”

Despite being engrossed in E-Sports, which will return to the SEAG when the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi hosts the biennial sportsfest in 2021, Acampado makes it a point as well to dedicate some study time in connection with his school thesis.

“I also just finished doing my thesis, prototype and documents and was just waiting for my defense, but it was rescheduled because of the lockdown. In the meantime, I’m trying to learn a specific in-game mechanic.”

But with the SEAG not taking place until next year and the country still on lockdown, Acampado is putting premium on schoolwork.

“This year, I am more focused on finishing my studies and enhancing my knowledge about game development, though I make sure that I am still updated in the current meta of Starcraft 2. I’m really thankful to my Team Liyab, for being understanding with my decision of prioritizing school this year.”

Still, Acampado, just like everyone else, is deeply concerned about the present situation.

“Even though I am lucky to be safe in our bootcamp, I am also still worried about my family and loved ones, hoping that no one will catch the virus.”

As instructed by their handlers, Acampado rarely gets out of their quarters for safety reasons, expressing his utmost appreciation to the people who provide for their daily needs.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank our manang and our admin Ms. Carol who are risking their lives to buy food from the market for us players and managers in the bootcamp.”

And as people continue to struggle, Acampado is wishing that everything returns to normal the soonest.

“I hope the pandemic will be over soon and everyone who needs help will be given what they need. I also hope people will be more understanding in this time of crisis.”

So, what’s the first thing Acampado will do when the skies finally clear up?

“First is I’ll visit my family, second my girlfriend. I don’t really have anything to eat in mind, so whatever my parents and girlfriend want me to eat, I’ll go for it.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The top US health and infectious disease specialist says the key to reopening professional sports leagues in America is to have the athletes play games in front of empty stadiums.

Anthony Fauci, who is helping coordinate the US response to the global coronavirus pandemic, said reliable antibody testing and fast results are also crucial to the return of sports.

“There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci told US Snapchat show “Good Luck America.” “Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play.

“Keep them very well-surveilled, but have them tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their families, and just let them play the season out.”

Professional sports leagues are in gridlock due to the pandemic that has so far killed nearly 28,000 Americans.

The National Basketball Association is pondering a similar model for getting their 2019-20 season restarted in either Las Vegas or the Bahamas.

The NBA shut down on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, and the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer and the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour quickly followed suit.

The PGA is reportedly considering a return on June 11 without fans in attendance, starting with a tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, which was originally scheduled for the weekend of May 21-24.

The matches would not be played in front of fans, and the PGA may have to play on gallery-free courses for at least the months of June and July.

Eight Tour events were postponed on March 17. The PGA Championship and Masters were rescheduled for later in the season.

Major League Baseball’s 2020 season, which was due to start March 26, is on hold, as is the LPGA tour and motor racing, while the National Football League is just hoping it will be able to start its season on time in September.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he doesn’t want to see large-scale sporting events and concerts with fans come back for a long time.

“Those big events should be one of the last things we should bring back online. The last thing we should do is gather 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 people in one place,” de Blasio told CNN.

“That is the opposite of social distancing, so I think it could take quite a while.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday that his California city might not host large gatherings, such as sporting events and concerts, before 2021.

More will die

“It would be very difficult to see that,” Garcetti said when asked if events would resume in this calendar year.

Also, Jeffrey Smith, the chief executive for Santa Clara County in northern California, told ESPN that more people will die if events are staged too early and that only a “major miracle” could lead to the 2020 NFL season starting on time.

“It puts the entire country at risk,” said Smith, who overseas the area that includes the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and the NHL’s San Jose Sharks as well as several US college teams.

“The fundamental thing is sports is not a local event. If you have people travelling from all over and you have no way of knowing whether they’re infected or not — I mean, 50,000 of them in a stadium is not a good idea.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

The UFC is aiming to stage a fight card at an undisclosed location on May 9 featuring at least two title bouts, the promotion’s president Dana White has told its broadcast partner ESPN.

White cancelled the proposed UFC 249 event last week, which was due to take place on April 18.

Prompted by fears over the spread of the coronavirus, White came under pressure from politicians and ESPN’s owners at Disney to postpone the event.

ESPN are now reporting that Tony Ferguson will face Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight at an undisclosed location on May 9 instead.

Also on the bill is a bantamweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz and a featherweight match-up between champion Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer, although it is unclear if Nunes’ belt is on the line.

When asked by Reuters to confirm the title fights, the UFC responded in an email that they had no further comment “aside from what Dana has said to ESPN.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO

For about an hour a couple of nights ago, Manny Pacquiao traded stories over video call with a longtime acquaintance, the tales stretching back to 1995 in a Quiapo gym that no longer exists, at a time when the boxer weighed a mere 105 lbs.

The conversation kicked off with the usual expression of goodwill and the caller greeting Pacquiao: “Super!” — his pet name for the famous fighter — which the receiver acknowledged with a wide smile.

In between sips of hot tea with lemon while seated in his pantry at Dasmariñas Village, Pacquiao, who had spent the day working out and sweeping the terrace floor as wife Jinkee amusingly looked on, opened the online conversation.

“Last time I did that (sweep the floor) was 1995 or 1998,” said Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Association welterweight champion.

“I am used to that because that’s what I did when I was young, when we were poor and had a hard time putting food on the table.”

A few days ago, he and Jinkee gathered the laundry and showed daughters Princess and Queenie how to wash clothes the old-fashioned way: manually with their hands.

“It is important that our kids know how we lived before,” said Pacquiao, 41, blissfully married for 20 years now.

The talk was free-wheeling and touched topics on and off the ring, including the ongoing pandemic and how he wish he could go outside and personally help those in need.

“If only I could go out, you’d see me distributing food packs and relief goods to the poor. I can’t stand seeing people begging, it makes me cry because, deep inside, I know how it feels (to be poor).”

Turning to a lighter note, Pacquiao spoke about the secrets of longevity, his discovery’ of the fountain of youth and how he looks forward to the day when he turns back the hands of time again.

“Age is just a number,” he said, running his fingers to his beard that already has streaks of silver and white.

“I now have a lot of white hair here (raising his head so the streaks could be seen) and here (lowering his head),” said Pacquiao, also taking note of the caller’s own growing beard that also has specks of white and gray.

“We go a long way…1995,” he mused.

“How old were you then?”

“Twenty-five,” said the guy, now on his third stint as a newspaperman after years of being a mainstay at the L&M Gym.

“Who would’ve thought that I would end up winning eight world titles?” Pacquiao said.

The caller, who had just turned 50 a little over a month ago, smiled, nostalgic as well in reminiscence.

Yeah, who would have thought?

It was then that they agreed to call it a night.

Source: Manila Bulletin