December 19-21, 2014
The San Juan Daily Star
41
Triple Crown This Weekend in Carolina
The oﬃcial weigh in will be held today at
Club Tropicoro in El San Juan Resort and Casino in Carolina
W
orld boxing is back to Puerto Rico
this Saturday, December 20, with
Triple Crown presented by DIRECTV and PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) at the International Ballroom of El San
Juan Resort and Casino in Isla Verde, Carolina, broadcast on DIRECTV Pay Per View.
Contender McJoe Arroyo, former twotime world champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez, former world title challenger Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez and former world champion
Hanna Gabriel will headline the event, which
will feature a total of seven bouts.
“This Saturday we came back with
another great event of Triple Crown. We will
present four good fights, headlining the IBF
elimination bout between McJoe Arroyo and
Mark Geraldo, that will bring good action,”
said promoter Ivan Rivera, president of PRBBP.
In the main event, 2008 Olympian,
McJoe Arroyo (15-0, 8 KOs) will face the Filipino Mark Anthony Geraldo (31-4-3, 14 KOs)
in an IBF elimination fight at 115 pounds scheduled to 12 rounds. Arroyo is currently rated
number two in the IBF and Geraldo is the #9
ranked. Arroyo, whose twin brother McWi-
lliams is a 112 pounds world contender, was
a bronze medalist at the 2007 World Amateur
Boxing Championships in Chicago and at the
2006 Central American and Caribbean Games
in Colombia. In 2014 the undefeated fighter
beat former world challenger David Quijano
by unanimous decision in April and a former
world champion Hernan “Tyson” Marquez by
KO in Mexico in June.
“I have not seen much of Geraldo, but
a he is a young Filipino fighter, who are good
boxers. In addition he is ranked in several entities, so you have to be well prepared, as I am
doing,” Arroyo said.
Meanwhile, Geraldo, 23, also has two
fights this year. The southpaw boxer have a
KO win over Elmar Francisco in April and a
unanimous decision victory over Efrain Perez
in July.
“I know that McJoe Arroyo is a good
fighter and so we have trained hard and I
hope that he also is well prepared to make a
great fight,” said Geraldo.
In one of the co main events, former
two time WBO junior lightweight champion,
Rocky Martinez (27-2-2, 16 KOs) will fight for
the first time in over a year when he steps into
the ring to face an opponent to be determined
in the lightweight division at 10 rounds. The
most recent bout of Martinez was in November, 2013, when he lost by knockout against
Mikey Garcia, losing his WBO title.
“We have a year without fighting, but
I feel good because I’m always in the gym.
Let’s make this fight at 135 pounds to continue at this weight, but do not rule down to
130 pounds if there is a good deal,” said Martinez.
The other co-main event is between the
former world title challenger Chelo Gonzalez
(22-1, 17 KOs), who will face Antonio Joao Bento (27-14-2, 15 KOs) for the WBO Latino title at
lightweights scheduled to 10 rounds. Gonzalez, last fight was on May 11, 2013, when he
lost to then-WBO lightweight champion Ricky
Burns after a wrist injury did not allow him to
continue for the tenth round.
“We have had training and sparring, so
we’re ready for this fight,” Gonzalez said.
Also in the show, Costa Rican Hanna
Gabriel (13-1-1, 9 KOs), a former welterweight
and junior middleweight WBO champion returns to the ring to face Mexican Paty Ramirez (10-1, 5 KOs) for the WBO vacant junior
middleweight belt.
The action will also feature three four
round fights. In the junior lightweight Roberto Rivera (2-3, 1 KOs) will face Edgardo
“El Indio” Rivera (6-2-2, 5 KOs); in the super
bantamweights debutant Félix Pérez will face
Carlos Lopez (1-0) and at flyweights Gustavo
Ortiz (1-2-1) will face debutant Roy Mendez.
The oﬃcial weigh in will be today, December 19, at Club Tropicoro in El San Juan
Resort and Casino in Isla Verde, Carolina.
René Rivera Welcomes New Teammate to San Diego, Is Immediately Traded
By Mark Townsend
T
he unpredictable nature of baseball’s
oﬀseason struck again this week, resulting in what would best be described as
an awkward tweet from veteran catcher Rene
Rivera.
Like any good teammate, Rivera went
out of his way to welcome free-agent pitcher
Brandon Morrow to the San Diego Padres after he inked a deal with team on Tuesday.
“@2Morrow23 good to have you in the
team! Excited to work with you! Welcome to
the @Padres”, wrote Rene Rivera via tweeter.
The awkward part? Just as Rivera was
welcoming his new teammate to town, he became a new teammate himself. New Padres
general manager A.J. Preller continued his
aggressive oﬀseason, shipping Rene Rivera
to the Tampa Bay Rays as a part of the threeteam, 11-player deal that included the Washington Nationals and was highlighted by Wil
Myers going to the Padres.
“#Rays deal in place, per medicals, players being notified. Keys: Myers + Hanigan to
#Padres, get Souza from #Nats, Rivera plus
from #Padres”
wrote Marc Topkin.
Hello, good-bye and...
San Diego also agreed to trade catcher
Yasmani Grandal to the Los Angeles Dodgers
in the Matt Kemp deal, so they’re essentially
starting over at the position in 2015. Veteran
catcher Ryan Hanigan was brought over from
Tampa, so he figures to get a crack at catching
Morrow and San Diego’s other pitchers. Top
prospect Austin Hedges should be in the mix
as well. As for Rivera, he’s moving on to his
seventh organization in 13 professional seasons, but the memories of his extremely short
partnership with Morrow will live forever in
the hearts of baseball fans.
Sports
42
The San Juan Daily Star
December 19-21, 2014
Cotto on Negotiations with Canelo: ‘It’s Done in Oscar’s
Mind and in Bob’s Mind but in Miguel Cotto’s Mind It’s Not’
By Victor Salazar
M
iguel Cotto was on hand
at the WBC Convention
and while the masses were
celebrating the past and the future at the
Convention, the focus of Miguel CottoCanelo Alvarez could not be escaped
by Cotto. Is the deal done? Is it close?
Miguel Cotto played Miguel Cotto well
with a poker face and poker answers.
“We’re just waiting on our dance
partner. We’re always going to pick the
best option,” Cotto told ThaBoxingVoice.
“All we’ve discussed with Canelo is up
in the air, all is negotiations, and there is
nothing definite at this point.”
Oscar De La Hoya had went public
letting the world know that Canelo had
agreed to his part of the deal, Cotto’s
response was, “If it’s done in Oscar’s
mind and in Bob’s (Arum) mind but in
Miguel Cotto’s mind, it’s not.”
When asked about his newly
announced
mandatory
Gennady
Golovkin, Cotto stated, “He’s a great
fighter and a great champions and we’ll
see what happens next.”
Cotto told ThaBoxingVoice that
the Canelo side now has his terms and
the balls in their court now.
“We’ve made what we wanted
clear to the other side and now we’re
waiting on the other side to respond,”
explained Cotto. “Miguel’s always
going to go to what benefits Miguel the
most, so now we’re just waiting. All I
want is the best for my career. I didn’t
put any conditions on Canelo. I’m
simply just letting them know what I
think I’m worth and earned the right to
do so throughout the years. The balls in
their court so now they can decide what
they want to do.
Cotto said the date and venue
have no preference and anything being
mentioned is all rumors in the air.
“There’s nothing concrete right
now so I’m going to be patient and it’s
all speculation so we’ll see what the
new year brings.”
Major League Baseball to Closely
Follow Shift in US-Cuba Relations
U
.S. President Barack Obama’s
announcement
of
plans
to restore full diplomatic
relations with Communist-ruled
Cuba has piqued the interest of Major
League Baseball’s top executives, who
said they plan to closely follow future
developments.
The impact of the policy shift
on U.S. professional baseball and the
flow of players from the island to the
big leagues, where numerous Cubanborn players have excelled, remains
to be seen.
Shortly after Obama made the
announcement Wednesday, the Oﬃce
of the Commissioner of Baseball
released a statement in which it
acknowledged not being certain of the
impact the political decision would
have on the sport.
“While there are not suﬃcient
details to make a realistic evaluation,
we will continue to track this
significant issue, and we will keep
our clubs informed if this diﬀerent
direction may impact the manner in
which they conduct business on issues
related to Cuba.”
Because of the United States’
longstanding economic embargo on
the island, any baseball player who
defects from Cuba must obtain a license
from the Treasury Department’s Oﬃce
of Foreign Assets Control before he
can sign with a Major League club.
Defecting
players
typically
establish a legal residence in third
countries such as Mexico and the
Dominican Republic so they can
become free agents and avoid being
subject to MLB’s amateur draft.
One legend of Cuban baseball
who forged a successful big-league
career, Tony Oliva, said Obama’s
announcement made him very
happy.
Oliva, who just last week fell
one vote short of being inducted
into the Baseball Hall of Fame in
Golden Era Committee balloting, told
ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that the
announced steps toward normalizing
relations are “the best thing that can
happen for the United States and
Cuba and will help both countries.”
The 76-year-old former Minnesota
Twins star, a three-time American
League batting champion, has three
sisters and two brothers who live in
Cuba and visits the Caribbean nation
regularly.
“It’s hard to explain all the good
things that can come from this for me
and my family,” Oliva said. “It’s what
I’ve been waiting for for 50 years, and,
oh man, this could be great.”
Oliva is regarded along with pitcher
Luis Tiant and catcher Tony Perez, the
only Cuban-born player in the Hall of
Fame, as the greatest MLB players to
hail from the Caribbean island.
A new batch of stars, including
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel
Puig, Chicago White Sox slugger Jose
Abreu, White Sox infielder Alexei
Ramirez, and Detroit Tigers outfielder
Yoenis Cespedes, are currently playing
in the big leagues.
Cuba’s national team is not
as dominant as it once was on the
international stage but it remains
highly competitive.
Jaime Torres, an agent for
numerous players who have defected
from Cuba, told that same ESPN
program that he had been expecting
the move since Obama was elected in
2008.
He noted, however, that the
embargo has not yet been lifted, a
move that would require congressional
approval, and therefore the shortterm ramifications of Obama’s
announcement remain unclear.
“I hope that Cuba’s players won’t
be exploited as other countries’ have,
such as the Dominican Republic,
where kids are enticed to abandon
schooling (to pursue major league
dreams),” Torres said.
Cuban baseball stars also have
been illegally aided by people based
in the United States.
A Florida businessman pleaded
guilty Tuesday to conspiring to
smuggle Puig out of Cuba in 2012
in exchange for a percentage of his
multi-million-dollar salary.
The San Juan Daily Star
December 19-21, 2014
43
Sports
Ranking This Week’s NFL Games, 1 to 15: A Viewer’s Guide
N.F.L. Standings and Playoﬀ Scenarios, Week
16
By David Leonhardt and Kevin Quealy
T
he N.F.L. playoﬀ possibilities will start to
narrow sharply this week, but figuring
out which games matter most can be
tricky. The Upshot has ranked all 16 of the
games on the second-to-last week of the N.F.L.
season to help fans understand what to watch
and what they are watching.
The weekend starts slowly, with fairly
weak games on Saturday. By Sunday afternoon,
the games begin to pick up, and two of the most
intriguing are the Sunday and Monday night
games. The first two games in our ranking
have something in common: home teams in
the playoﬀ mix, trying to overcome injuries to
beat strong opponents.
In all, 17 teams are chasing the eight
remaining playoﬀ spots, with four having
qualified. Eleven teams remain alive for the
four first-round byes that go to the top two
seeds in each conference.
1. Seahawks at Cardinals, Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
Eastern This game is what a late-season primetime game should be: The red-hot defending
Super Bowl champions visit this season’s
biggest surprise team, with a division title at
stake. Arizona, forced to play a third-string or
fourth-string quarterback because of injuries,
clinches the division and the N.F.C.’s top seed
with a victory. If Seattle wins, it overtakes
Arizona in the division and is well positioned
for the top seed. Prediction markets like the
Seahawks, giving them a 75 percent chance to
win the division, according to PredictWise.
2. Colts at Cowboys, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. The
Cowboys’ win Sunday in Philadelphia was a
big one, setting them up to win the division.
But it may be for naught if they do not also
win this week. It remains unclear how much,
or how well, the Cowboys’ DeMarco Murray,
the N.F.L.’s leading rusher by a wide margin,
will be able to play after having hand surgery
Monday. A loss by Dallas would put the Eagles
back in control: Philadelphia could win the
division by beating the lowly Redskins and
Giants. The game is less important for the
Colts, who have clinched a playoﬀ spot and are
probably headed for a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. Their
kicker, Adam Vinatieri, who will soon turn 42,
has a chance to become only the seventh fieldgoal kicker with a perfect season.
3. Broncos at Bengals, Monday, 8:30 p.m. Two
of the A.F.C.’s top four teams meet, with the
Broncos simply looking to improve their
seeding and the Bengals still trying to clinch
a playoﬀ spot. With a victory, the Bengals
would do so and remain in first place in the
A.F.C. North before a season-ending game
in Pittsburgh that is likely to help decide the
division. The Broncos will probably get a firstround bye regardless, but a win would keep up
their hopes of overtaking the Patriots for the
top seed and home-field advantage. Ravens
fans should root for Denver.
4. Chiefs at Steelers, Sunday, 1 p.m. Both of
these teams — the Chiefs with a strong defense
and the inconsistent Steelers with a top oﬀense
— are in the A.F.C. scrum. The Chiefs will make
the playoﬀs by winning out. If the Steelers win
out, they win their division; if they win one
of two, they are likely but not guaranteed to
qualify for the playoﬀs. Prediction markets
give the Ravens, the Bengals and the Steelers
each a roughly one-third chance of winning
the division.
5. Ravens at Texans, Sunday, 1 p.m. The
Ravens make the playoﬀs by winning their last
two games. If the Ravens lose this week, they
still have a good shot to make the playoﬀs but
would need help. The Texans are long shots
who need this game to stay alive.
6. Chargers at 49ers, Saturday, 8:25 p.m. The
Chargers need help — but not a huge amount
of it. If they win both of their last two games
and either the Ravens lose once or the Bengals
or Steelers lose twice, San Diego makes the
playoﬀs. There is also some mildly entertaining
drama around the expected end of the Jim
Harbaugh era in San Francisco.
7. and 8. (tie) Packers at Buccaneers and Lions at
Bears, both Sunday, 1 p.m. The home teams are
weak, but the games are still worth keeping an
eye on. Wins by Green Bay and Detroit will set
them up to play each other next week for the
division title and a first-round bye. Cowboys
and Eagles fans should root for upsets here. A
reason for Bucs fans to keep watching: They
are on track for the first draft pick in 2015 if
they lose out.
9. Falcons at Saints, Sunday, 1 p.m. Oy. What
else can you say about a game between a sixwin team and a five-win team in Week 16 that
will help determine a division champion? But
here we are. Whoever wins this game will be
able to clinch the division by winning again
next week. Panthers fans should root for
Atlanta.
10. Patriots at Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. The Patriots
need to keep winning to take the A.F.C.’s top
seed and avoid a January trip to Denver. This
game may also be Rex Ryan’s last at home as
the Jets’ coach. It is somehow fitting that he
will face the team he vowed to dislodge atop
the A.F.C. East. The Jets enter the game 3-11,
the Patriots 11-3.
11. Browns at Panthers, Sunday 1 p.m. The
Panthers can win the N.F.C. South if they win
their games and the Saints lose one of their
last two, while the Browns remain marginally
alive. This game features the second start of
Johnny Manziel’s N.F.L. career, which cannot
be worse than the first, can it?
12. Bills at Raiders, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. The Bills
almost certainly need to win to retain their
playoﬀ hopes, and, even then, it would be a
tough road. Bills fans should root against the
Chargers and the Ravens this week.
13. Eagles and Redskins, Saturday 4:30 p.m. A
win by the Eagles on Saturday would keep the
pressure on the Cowboys on Sunday. To make
the playoﬀs, the Eagles probably need to win
their last two games and get a little help.
14. Titans at Jaguars, Thursday, 8:25 p.m. If
you do not have anything else to do Thursday
night, you could check in on this battle for
draft position. The loser of this game will be
in position to draft second next year and could
sneak into the top spot if the Buccaneers win
another game.
15. Vikings at Dolphins, Sunday, 1 p.m. For the
Dolphins to advance, one of the few scenarios
goes like this: they win twice; the 49ers beat the
Chargers and the Steelers beat the Chiefs this
week; the Patriots beat the Bills next week; and
the Ravens lose out. Did you get all that?
Bears to Start Clausen Over Cutler
W
ith two games left in a dreadful
season, the Chicago Bears are
reportedly benching their starting
quarterback.
The Bears plan to start Jimmy Clausen
over Jay Cutler in Sunday's game against
the Detroit Lions, ESPN.com reported
Wednesday.
Cutler has started all 14 games in
his sixth season for the Bears, completing
66.1 percent of his passes for 3,640 yards,
28 touchdowns and an NFL-high 18
interceptions.
He has fumbled 12 times, losing six to
lead the league in overall turnovers.
Clausen, who was signed to a one-
year contract in June, hasn't started a game
since 2010 for the Carolina Panthers. He
has thrown nine passes in three games for
Chicago (5-9) this season, completing three.
Before this season, the former Notre
Dame star hadn't appeared in an NFL game
since playing 13 for the Panthers as a rookie
after he was taken in the second round of the
2010 draft.
Sports
44
The San Juan Daily Star
December 19-21, 2014
Mavericks Trading for Rondo Could Happen Soon
By Dan Feldman
T
his seems to be accelerating quickly.
Just how quickly?
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning
News:
“The Dallas Mavericks’ pursuit of
Boston’s Rajon Rondo has more traction
beyond the stage of just testing the water
or kicking the tires, a source said today
[Thursday].The Mavericks are solidly in the
mix and it appears this could happen sooner
rather than later”.
Rondo has repeatedly come up in trade
rumors – he called it “a way of life” – without
being dealt. But this time, the Celtics have a
greater sense of urgency. Rondo will become
a free agent after the season, and they risk
losing him for nothing if they don’t trade
him now.
Though the rebuilding Celtics are
improving, they can’t oﬀer Rondo the best
team – or biggest market. Banking on Rondo’s
loyalty to Boston might not be enough.
If they keep him past the trade deadline,
the Celtics could oﬀer Rondo the most
money this summer, and that always helps.
Rondo said he deserves a max contract, and
he’s right. But I wonder how much of that is
about respect rather than just dollars. If it’s
the former, Boston’s advantage shrinks if
other teams oﬀer their (lower) max.
For the Mavericks, they’d prefer more
time with Rondo to develop chemistry before
the playoﬀs. Plus, Rondo would help them
secure better postseason position in a packed
Western Conference. Right now, Dallas is
sixth, 1.5 games ahead of the seventh-place
Spurs and 3.5 games behind the first-place
Warriors. Ainge is clearly trying to find the
right moment to trade Rondo, or at least get
the best Rondo oﬀer on the table. The Celtics
general manager could always pull back
and try again to drum up interest before
the trade deadline, but this latest round
of discussion sure seems like it’s building
toward something real.
Atlético Madrid Advances Past
Hospitalet to Set Up Real Madrid Date
A
Djokovic, Serena Honored by ITF
W
orld No. 1 stars Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were selected as the
International Tennis Federation's world champions for 2014.
Djokovic captured the award for a fourth time, while Williams is now a five- time
recipient.
Djokovic titled at Wimbledon for his seventh career Grand Slam singles championship
and reclaimed the No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal. Williams captured the U.S. Open for her
18th major title and was the No. 1 player throughout the entire year.
Americans Bob and Mike Bryan won the men's doubles award for the 11th time in 12
years, while Italy's Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci claimed the women's honor for the third
straight season.
tletico Madrid set up a Copa del Rey clash with Real Madrid despite drawing 2-2
with third-division Hospitalet on Thursday as they advanced 5-2 on aggregate.
Striker Mario Mandzukic slotted in Atletico’s opener in the 19th minute and
headed in a second in the 74th, seven minutes after Hospitalet’s Ruben Alcaraz got his
first goal.
Alcaraz struck again in the 84th with a long strike that sailed over goalie Jan Oblak
and hit the crossbar before going in. Oblak spared Atletico an embarrassing loss with a
one-handed save in the 89th minute.
Diego Simeone’s men will face cup holders Real in the round of 16 in January.
Elche, meanwhile, will meet Barcelona after they eked out a 1-0 win over secondtier Real Valladolid following their 0-0 first-leg draw.