Sergio Scariolo talked to El Transistor shortly after the NBA shut down all activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, about the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Spanish NT head coach addressed the issue, stating that at this timeframe, the Olympic Games cannot take place as initially planned. “Everything is subject more to the general feeling than to the data, but on a personal level, it will be difficult to think about the Olympics being held… I see it as borderline impossible”, he mentioned.
Tag: Japan
Fred Katz: Scott Brooks on Rui …
Canelo Alvarez: Potential foes are asking for too much money
Canelo Alvarez is frustrated that potential opponents for his May 2 date are asking for too much money.
Canelo Alvarez is frustrated.
The Mexican superstar is still without an opponent for his annual May fight date and, to him, the reason is obvious.
“Because they want a lot of money,” he told ESPN Deportes. “When they go to fight with Canelo they want the moon and the stars. That is the complication.
“But there are many opponents, and there has to be one out there. I’m ready for anyone.”
Alvarez reportedly is close to a deal to fight super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders of England on May 2 but we’re heard that refrain before.
Golden Boy Promotions, Alvarez’s promoter, reportedly has made offers — or at least put out feelers — to Saunders, Callum Smith, Caleb Plant, Ryota Murata and who knows who else.
None have been willing to accept the amount of money being offered. Hence Alvarez’s frustration.
Murata, the Japanese middleweight contender, also reportedly was close to a deal but talks eventually cratered. It’s not clear what the reason was. Nevertheless, Alvarez, 29, is set on fighting in the Land of the Rising Sun.
“I want to end the year by fighting in Japan if God is willing. That is the idea,” Canelo said, according to BoxingScene.com.
Murata, a gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, was an undefeated professional until he was upset by Rob Brandt in 2018. He avenged the loss the following year with an early knockout. At 34, Murata has yet to face an elite opponent.
An Alvarez-Murata fight is thought to be attractive to streaming app DAZN, which has exclusive rights to Alvarez and maintains a relationship with Murata.
Alvarez also reiterated his desire to some day fight in his homeland of Mexico, which he has not done since 2011.
“Maybe not this year, but the next [year I will fight in Mexico].” Alvarez said. “There are possibilities to return to Mexico. I am delighted to come to Mexico. It can be anywhere in Mexico.”
Though they were on the losing side …
Though they were on the losing side with Team World, both Hachimura and Wagner fared well on the All-Star stage. Hachimura had 14 points as a starter and Wagner had 16 off the bench. They came away from the experience appreciative they were able to represent the Wizards and also their home countries. “I’m just proud of myself and proud to be Japanese,” Hachimura said. “I think a lot of people were watching in Japan. I just want to grow basketball in Japan.” “[It hit me] when I saw my flag,” Wagner said. “Germans are not like Americans like super patriotic… it was cool.”
Kazuto Ioka and Kosei Tanaka successfully defend titles in Tokyo
Kazuto Ioka earned a 12-round unanimous decision over Jeyvier Cintron, while Kosei Tanaka knocked out Wulan Tuolehazi inside three rounds.
A pair of Japanese titleholders successfully defended their belts Tuesday night in Tokyo.
Four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka dominated Puerto Rico’s Jeyvier Cintron in a junior bantamweight title bout to win by unanimous decision win at Ota-City General Gymnasium. On the undercard, Ioka’s countryman Kosei Tanaka retained his flyweight title by knockout.
Ioka’s was making the first defense of his WBO belt, which he took from Aston Palicte in June. Two judges scored it 116-112, while another had it 115-113, all in favor of Ioka, who has fought on New Year’s Eve every year – except 2017 – since 2011.
“I had hoped to demonstrate how strong a champion can be and how hard a world title fight can be,” an emotional Ioka said afterward.
He continued, “There was some pressure, because this was my first fight since my son was born.”
The southpaw Cintron (11-1, 5 knockouts) used his superior height and reach to keep Ioka at bay with his jab early in the fight. But Ioka (25-2, 14 KOs) soon turned it up a notch, getting on the inside and landing pinpoint body punches.
Ioka ramped up the pace in the mid-to-late rounds, including an onslaught of combinations to the body in Round 10. Cintron simply had no answer, although he was able to outbox Ioka in the final two rounds.
Earlier, Tanaka made short work of Chinese flyweight Wulan Tuolehazi, stopping him in three rounds. Tanaka was making the third defense of his WBO title, which he won last year.
Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs) landed a double uppercut that sent Tuolehazi (13-4-1, 6 KOs) crashing to the canvas. Referee Jose Rivera waved the fight off at 2-29 of Round 3.
“I was able to land that uppercut after a feint to the body,” Tanaka said.
DAZN pushing for fight between Ryota Murata and either Canelo
Ryota Murata could be in line for a big fight against one of DAZN’s tentpole middleweights in Canelo Alvarez or Gennadiy Golovkin in 2020.
DAZN’s great appetite for subscribers may net Ryota Murata a big fight against either Gennadiy Golovkin or Canelo Alvarez in 2020.
According to a Yahoo! Japan report, DAZN is pushing for a matchup that pits one of their flagship fighters against the Japanese middleweight star because of stalled subscriber growth in its U.S. market.
The report’s sources also say that DAZN did not have the surge that they expected in Alvarez’s last fight in November, against Sergey Kovalev.
All of which makes both Golovkin and Alvarez realistic possibilities next year for the 33-year-old Murata, perhaps the most active high-profile professional boxer in Japan.
DAZN, which has exclusive rights to Golovkin and Alvarez, also has a relationship with Murata. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist fought for DAZN Japan one time, an upset loss to Rob Brant last year.
Murata is coming off a fifth-round technical knockout of Steven Butler last week. The victory capped a marked turnaround for Murata, who began the year by avenging his loss to Brandt. Afterward, his promoters – Teiken’s Akihiko Honda and Top Rank’s Bob Arum – both expressed their desire to see Murata fight either Golovkin or Alvarez in 2020, ideally before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Yahoo! Japan also reported that Golden Boy executive Roberto Diaz said Murata is definitely on the table for Alvarez. And Canelo said during the DAZN streaming of the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua rematch in Saudi Arabia that he would consider fighting in Japan.
Should the fight happen, it would most likely take place at 168. An Alvarez-Murata fight at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome could rival a fight between Alvarez and either Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith in England.
As the league struggles to repair the …
As the league struggles to repair the political fallout in China from Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s tweet, Japan has emerged as a key international focus for the NBA, with subscriptions for its live viewing platform in the country up 30%, according to Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.
“Japan is a market where we have been …
“Japan is a market where we have been in for about 30 years. We’ve been in games there but one of the big difference makers has been a player like Rui Hachimura,” Tatum said, speaking to Yahoo Finance’s On The Move. “We’re seeing unprecedented growth in our business there.”
NBA executives quickly took notice 24 …
NBA executives quickly took notice 24 hours after the draft, when nearly 100 members of the Japanese media showed up for Hachimura’s introductory press conference. Monumental Sports, which owns the Wizards, responded by building out a Japanese digital content team, complete with a Japanese digital correspondent, a Japanese language Twitter account, even a video series called “Wizards Players’ Diaries,” which goes behind the scenes with Hachimura and his teammates. All of the content combined, has logged 8 million video views in just two months, with more than 50 million interactions, according to Monumental Sports.’
Who were some of your heroes when you …
Who were some of your heroes when you were growing up in Japan? Rui Hachimura: I’d say Ichiro [Suzuki] was my hero because I played baseball before I played basketball. I played for six years, and Ichiro is obviously the guy in Japan at that time. And I still like him because he’s not only a great baseball player, but a great guy, a great person.