The Sporting Arena http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:50:32 -0500 10 The Sporting Arena http://www.neowin.net/images/neowin_feedlogo.png http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php World Cup 2010 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=847008

I thought I'd start a thread so we can start to discuss teams and maybe players you think should go and players you think shouldn't go! but so far here are the teams that have qualified!

FULL LIST OF TEAMS AT 2010 WORLD CUP

HOSTS: South Africa

AFRICA QUALIFYING: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria

ASIA QUALIFYING: Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea

EUROPE QUALIFYING: Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal and France

SOUTH AMERICA QUALIFYING: Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina

NORTH, CENTRAL AMERICA AND QUALIFYING: United States, Mexico, Honduras

ASIA/OCEANIA PLAY-OFF New Zealand]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:42:30 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=847008 <![CDATA[Mayweather ready for 'one-dimensional' Pacquiao]]> http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=846180
Pacquiao cemented his claim to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet when he stopped Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Immediately after the Pac Man's triumph at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, trainer Freddie Roach put Mayweather in the Filipino's sights.

But Mayweather has already upped the stakes ahead of any match-up, saying the Filipino lacks the variety to trouble him.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports' Adam Smith, the American said: "The thing is with Pacquiao I don't see any versatility as a fighter; he's a good puncher but just one-dimensional."

Mayweather also believes he is on a hiding to nothing in taking on the fight and would be expected to win easily.

"I'm in a no-win situation. If I beat Manny Pacquiaodo you know what they are going to say? 'You are supposed to beat him, you are Floyd Mayweather, you are the bigger man'. If I knock him out they'll say 'you're supposed to knock him out he's been knocked out before'.

"I'm in a no-win situation and when I beat him no one is going to be surprised because he's been beaten before; whatever I do to Pacquiao has been done before - he's been beaten on three occasions. And if I knock him out I don't want the world shouting because he's been knocked out twice before.

"The world's going to go 'wow' if Floyd Mayweather gets beaten. That's what everyone is looking to see."

Pacquiao was reticent to talk about his plans for future fights in the immediate aftermath of his victory over Cotto, saying: "My job is to fight in the ring and I think that depends on (Top Rank's Bob) Arum my promoter to negotiate that fight. I'm just going to take a vacation first and spend time with my family and have fun."

Mayweather thinks the Filipino is running scared.

"When they asked Manny Pacquiao 'would you like to fight Floyd Mayweather' he said talk to my promoter; they didn't ask your promoter they asked you, what do you want to do?

"Manny Pacquiaowas asked the same question 'do you want to fight Floyd Mayweather' three times. This is something the world is trying to force on him. If he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather all he has to do is step up to the plate."

What is certain is should the fight go ahead, both men will enjoy a bumper pay-day although publicly Mayweather has said he would only fight Pacquiao if he got the lion's share of any purse.

And should the two men meet, the man who now calls himself 'Money' knows he will be in for another cash windfall.

"If I go out and make $60-75million in one night; come on - I'm not losing."

Skysports]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:53:24 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=846180 Grand Slam of Darts 2009 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845892

anyone watching this or more importantly Ted Hankey letting the crowd get to him rofl.gif]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:27:22 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845892 <![CDATA[[Boxing] Pacquiao earns 7th title in 7th class]]> http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845880

LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao's speed and power were way too much for Miguel Cotto's heart.

Pacquiao put on yet another dominating performance Saturday night, knocking down Cotto twice and turning his face into a bloody mess before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.

The Filipino star used his blazing speed and power from both hands to win his seventh title in seven weight classes and cement his stature as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cotto took such a beating that his face was a river of red from the fury of Pacquiao's punches, but he refused to quit even as his corner tried to throw in the towel after the 11th round.

"I didn't know from where the punches were coming," Cotto said.

The fight was billed as a 145-pound classic, and in the early rounds it didn't disappoint. The two went after each other with a vengeance and Cotto more than held his own as they traded punches in the center of the ring before a roaring sellout crowd at the MGM Grand arena.

Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand early in the third round, but he wasn't badly hurt and came back to finish the round strong. But after Pacquiao put Cotto on the canvas with a big left hand late in the fourth round, the Puerto Rican was never the same again.

Cotto won two rounds on the scorecards of two ringside judges and just one round on the card of the third. The Associated Press gave Cotto just the first round.

"Our plan was not to hurry, but to take our time," Pacquiao said. "It was a hard fight tonight and I needed time to test his power."

Cotto's face was marked early and he was bleeding midway through the fight as Pacquiao kept bouncing around and throwing punches in his unorthodox southpaw style. Cotto tried to keep taking the fight to Pacquiao, but by then his punches had lost their sting and his only real chance was to land a big punch from nowhere.

"He hit harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we expected," Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, said.

Cotto fought gamely, but in the later rounds he was just trying to survive as blood flowed down his face and Pacquiao came after him relentlessly. Santiago tried to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto went back out to take even more punishment before a final flurry along the ropes prompted referee Kenny Bayless to end it.

Cotto's wife and child, who were at ringside, left after the ninth round, unable to watch the beating any longer. They later accompanied him to a local hospital for a post-fight examination.

Source

has to be Manny vs Floyd? and it will be epic!]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:44:01 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845880 Dana White: No return in sight for ill Lesnar http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845760
Speaking with the media after UFC 105, White indicated the heavyweight champion is very ill and will be out of action for the foreseeable future. He went on to state that an interim title match might need to be set up.

White did little to shed light on the specifics of Lesnar's condition, but he did say that the champion has been hospitalized.

"He's in a hospital up in North Dakota somewhere right now," said White. "He went to Canada and some bad stuff happened to him, so we've got to figure it out.

"He doesn't want to talk about it publicly, but he's in bad shape. He's not well and he's not going to be getting well anytime soon."

Lesnar pulled out of his Nov. 18 heavyweight title match with top contender Shane Carwin, and reports suggested he had swine flu. But when rumors began to circle about the rescheduled Jan. 2 date being in jeopardy, it was announced that Lesnar had mononucleosis and could be out even longer than originally thought.

Now, after White's comments, it is apparent that Lesnar is in more dire shape. He is not only suffering from mono but other ailments as well.

"He has other problems too," continued White, fielding a question about his diagnosis of mononucleosis. "He is not good. He is very, very sick and he's going to be out for a while."

White went on to state that the UFC would be doing everything in its power to help Lesnar.

"I am worried about it," said White of his biggest star's medical situation. "You know, I can't really talk about it right now, but he's in rough shape. He's in really bad shape … and we're going to have to do some stuff to take care of this guy. He is not well and he's not getting any better.

"We're going to have to send him to the Mayo Clinic or to Scripps, or one of those really good hospitals to figure out what's wrong with this guy."

ESPN

noexpression.gif]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:41:25 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845760 Carlos Tevez Considers Retirement http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845456
Ahead of Saturday's friendly with Spain, the 25-year-old has fallen behind the likes of Gonzalo Higuain in national boss Diego Maradona's plans after stuttering in World Cup qualifying.

Tevez confesses that, despite his young age, he thinks about hanging up his boots for club and country in order to rest and spend time with his family.

He said: "It's complicated, there's my family, the desire to return to Boca Juniors, but I think about it. It crosses my mind to hang up my boots if we win the World Cup, although I have a contract (with City) until 2014.

"I'm a bit tired of so much football. I want to enjoy my family a bit. I'm very keen to stop and get a bit of calm. I've already won a lot. Living for football has saturated me."

Regarding his place in Argentina's first team, he said: "My chance passed. I had my possibility and I couldn't take advantage of it. When the team needed goals I couldn't provide them.

"So it's logical that other lads should be in front of me."

Tevez has also hit back at critics of Argentina after it was suggested that members of the squad do not give 100 per cent at international level.

He said: "We were criticised a lot, sometimes rightly so, but to have people say we didn't play well because of the money or we don't love the (Argentina) shirt, don't sing

Source]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:09:25 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845456 <![CDATA[[Football] Winter Transfer Window 09/10]]> http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845402
who do you want your team to buy or even sell?



Robinho to leave Eastlands?]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:51:48 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845402 Ferguson hit with FA fine and ban http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845122
Quote -
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has received a two-match touchline ban for his comments about referee Alan Wiley's fitness.

The Football Association handed the 67-year-old a four-game ban, with two of those suspended until the end of the 2010/11 season.

Ferguson has also been fined £20,000 and warned about his future conduct.
He made disparaging remarks about Wiley's fitness after his side's 2-2 draw with Sunderland on 3 October.
Ferguson apologised to the official for any embarrassment caused and pleaded guilty to the FA's charge of improper conduct, but requested a personal hearing.
Peter Griffiths QC, chairman of the FA's four-man regulatory commission, said: "Each member of the commission recognised Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements and stature within the game. "Having said that, it was made clear to Sir Alex that with such stature comes increased responsibilities.

"The commission considered his admitted remarks, in the context in which they were made, were not just improper but were grossly improper and wholly inappropriate. He should never have said what he did say."

Ferguson will serve the touchline ban in his side's forthcoming Premier League matches at home to Everton on 21 November and away at Portsmouth on 28 November.


BBC Sports [Full Story]]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:21:38 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=845122 Brazil vs England http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=844946 anyone thinking this weekends friendly could be good? or is it just another pointless friendly? Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:57:43 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=844946 The Big TNA Wrestling Thread http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=844848 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:52:54 -0500 http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=844848