Tag: Argentina

The Sixers were coached by Doug Collins …

The Sixers were coached by Doug Collins at the time and it seemed that Chapu could have a good time there again, because Collins told him he was going to be an important part of the team. But he got injured just before the 2010 World Championship. Collins called Chapu when he was in Turkey ready for the tournament and said: “Give up and don’t play. If you don’t, we can pull you out from the tournament because your health is in danger.” It was the beginning of the end. “I told him that I was not going to do it because I thought I could play. I also knew my body and, although it was not at one hundred percent, it could reach 80%. I also told him that playing at the World Championship would let me be ready to play the season in Philadelphia,” said Nocioni in his authorized biography. Obviously, Philadelphia pulled him out of the World Championship.

“Doug Collins lied to my face. Because …

“Doug Collins lied to my face. Because he told me that I was going to be like Jesus Christ for the Sixers. And that’s why they took me out of the World Championship. The one coach who lied to me the most was Collins. He promised me something that later it wasn’t true. Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner played in Philadelphia, and I started playing when Iguodala was injured. But when he came back, everything changed. Andre did not want me in the team, because I hit him in practice, pushed him, irritated him. He was complaining about it, and instead of having my back, Collins pulled me out of the rotation. Then he lied to me again just before the playoffs. One day he comes and says ‘I’m going to rest Iguodala for a few games. I’ll give you those games so you are ready for the playoffs. Because this is a big thing, this is not for kids. Be ready’. I played well in the final two games of the regular season, averaging 15 points, and we started the playoffs against LeBron’s Miami, I had 10 minutes and never played again.”

Olympic qualifier for American boxers canceled due to coronavirus

The Olympics qualifiers for the Americas, the final leg for boxers hoping to make the 2020 Tokyo games, has been cancelled…

The Olympic boxing qualifier for the Americas, scheduled to take place March 26 to April 3 in Buenos Aires, has been canceled because of the coronavirus.

The government of Argentina decided to “restrict all types of international events in the country with immediate effect as a precautionary measure to COVID-19,” according to a statement by the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force, the organization that took over for AIBA to oversee all boxing events for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“We are searching for the appropriate solution for this unexpected situation and will immediately inform the National Olympic Committees, National Federations and other impacted parties as soon as further information is available.”

The tournament, which is open to all boxers from North, South and Central America, is the last qualifier for boxers hoping to make the summer Tokyo Olympics. It is uncertain whether the IOC will move ahead with the Olympics. The games are scheduled to start July 24.

The BTF organizes qualifiers in five regions around the world but is unlikely to complete them all. The European qualifier is still scheduled to take place in London March 13-23, but a delay or cancellation is still a possibility. The final qualifier is scheduled for May 13 in Paris.

The BTF’s announcement was made Wednesday shortly before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. Later that same day, the NBA decided to suspend its season “until further notice” after one of its players, center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Among many drastic steps taken by sports organizations worldwide, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played without fans.

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Masters invitation awaits for Abel Gallegos, Argentina’s first Latin America Amateur champion

Abel Gallegas becomes the first player from Argentina to win the Latin America Amateur

The Latin America Amateur Championship has provided a solid metric for golf’s growth in this particular region. An initiative that began in Argentina six years ago finally has an Argentinian winner. Abel Gallegos, a 17-year-old who learned the game on a small nine-hole course just outside Buenos Aires, calmly claimed his country’s first title in the event, securing a long list of coveted playing opportunities in the process.

Gallegos used a final-round 67 at El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to climb back from 2 down at the start of Sunday’s fourth and final round. Birdies at Nos. 3, 5 and 7 helped him step into the lead and he never relinquished it. He finished at 4 under and four ahead of runner-up Aaron Terrazas of Mexico.

Leaderboard: Latin America Amateur Championship

He becomes the first of six LAAC winners to hail from Argentina, where Pilar Golf in Buenos Aires hosted the inaugural championship in 2015.

“It’s an incredible moment,” Gallegos said through a translator at the start of the awards ceremony at Mayakoba. “I dedicate this win to all of Argentina, they’re always backing me. And it’s just for them.”

Gallegos was a first-time participant in this year’s LAAC and was one of eight players from Argentina in the field. Five of his compatriots joined him inside the top 20.

He earns the traditional Masters invitation reserved for the winner of the LAAC and also becomes the event’s first champion to receive an invitation to the British Open. Invitations to the British Amateur and U.S. Amateur, along with a pass to U.S. Open sectional qualifying, are also on the table.

The Masters invite, however, is the one that sparkles.

“It’s incredible, I think I’m in a dream,” Gallegos said. “Right now I have to enjoy and be part of it with my family.”

[opinary poll=”would-you-rather-watch-team-golf-or-indi” customer=”golfweek”]

Jorge Barrios, former 130-pound champ, stabbed in Argentina

Jorge Barrios was stabbed repeatedly with a butcher’s knife during a New Year’s Eve party, according to reports. He is expected to recover.

Former junior lightweight champion Jorge Barrios was stabbed repeatedly with a butcher’s knife during a New Year’s Eve party, according to media reports in Cordoba, Argentina, where the attack happened.

Barrios, 43, is expected to recover, according to members of his family who were celebrating with him at the time of the assault.

Barrios was stabbed in an apparent robbery attempt, according to his sister Edith Barrios. She told Argentine media that his wallet and phone were stolen. A suspect identified as Ramon Enrique Icardo is in custody in Cordoba, which is about 430 miles west of Buenos Aires.

Barrios (53-4-1, 36 KOs) won a junior lightweight title in April 2005, stopping Mike Anchondo in Miami. He successfully defended it twice, then lost the belt in a split decision to Joan Guzman in September 2006 in Las Vegas.

Barrios last fought on Sept. 28, scoring a split decision over Diego Alberto Chaves. He has won three straight bouts in an attempted comeback. Barrios, nicknamed The Hyena, has had a troubled past. He was convicted of negligent homicide in 2014. He served 3½ years in prison.

Marcos Maidana to face ex-kickboxer Jorge Acero Cali in April?

Marcos Maidana is reportedly coming out of retirement to face former kickboxer Jorge Acero Cali in a five-rounder at 187 pounds.

Evidently, not even Marcos Maidana, the recipient of two Floyd Mayweather windfalls, can ward off the boxing bug.

The hard-hitting Argentine, who hasn’t fought since his second bout against Mayweather in 2014, is planning a comeback fight against 47-year-old kickboxer Jorge Acero Cali in early April, according to reports. The fight will be set for five three-minute rounds at a catch weight of 85 kilograms (roughly 187 pounds), or more than 40 pounds over his last fighting weight. An announcement is planned for this Friday.

Maidana’s manager, Ernesto Ricci told the Argentine media outlet Telam, according to BoxingScene.com, that the fight is the former welterweight titleholder’s way of saying goodbye to his fans.

“Maidana returns to boxing because he accepted the challenge of ‘Acero’ Cali,” Ricci said. “They have been trading messages and videos since January of this year, before Marcos left for the United States to prepare for the return that did not happen. This is serious. … (The fight) “is a way to say goodbye to the fans of Argentina, something he could not do. With Marcos, nothing is ever final. Perhaps when dusting off the gloves he gets bitten by the bug and goes for a world-class opponent. Offers (for high profile fights) are not lacking.”

It was reported in February that he would end his retirement to sign a contract with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions in a bid to face the top welterweights. But Maidana backtracked a few months later as be started training in Las Vegas, citing his “lost hunger” for the sport.

Maidana last fought on Sept. 13, 2014, when he lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather in their rematch.