Tag: Spain

With NBA and EuroLeague players …

With NBA and EuroLeague players missing, but also Sacramento Kings assistant Igor Kokoskov making his debut in the Serbian national team bench and Toronto Raptors‘ Sergio Scariolo returning for a few days in the old continent in order to coach Spain once again, the Eurobasket 2021 qualifiers started with the favorites prevailing. Spain got the road win in Romania (84-71) and Serbia did the same in Finland (80-58) behind 19 points by Miroslav Raduljica.

“For the guys sometimes coming from a …

“For the guys sometimes coming from a strong nation like Spain, it’s tougher,” said Tomas Satoransky, a Czech who spent seven years playing in Spain before joining the Washington Wizards and now starts for the Chicago Bulls. “I think that was a big issue, a big barrier for Juan Carlos to be successful.” Of course, he also had a choice of cities in which to play — Memphis or Barcelona. “He was in Memphis. He could stay in Barcelona,” Satoransky said. “That was an easier choice. It’s tougher for them to adapt.”

Ben Golliver: Bucks’ Giannis …

Ben Golliver: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, asked to pick between Real Madrid & FC Barcelona: “I love both of these players, Messi or Ronaldo, that used to play in Real, but I’ll probably go with Real. There you go, Real.” pic.twitter.com/2Z0uAL7XVd

Anthony Randolph described the Real …

Anthony Randolph described the Real Madrid organization as being superior to even NBA clubs and characterized his run in Europe that led to him joining the “Blancos” in 2016 as the “best thing that could happen.” “I really don’t know what happened. It’s something you have to ask the general managers and the coaches,” Randolph said on his NBA career in an interview with El Mundo. “I don’t decide if I play more or less or the time or whether my contract is renewed.”

Sergio Martinez, 44, hoping to make comeback in June: report

Former middleweight champ Sergio Martinez is training in Spain, hoping to make a comeback on June 6 in Madrid.

Sergio Martinez, a middle-aged former middleweight champion, wants to fight again.

Martinez is training in Spain, hoping to make a comeback on June 6 in Madrid, RingTV.com reported.

“I need it, I want to do this comeback,” Martinez (51-3-2, 28 KOs) told The Ring in a story published Thursday. “I want to check my feelings in the ring and feel the punches again. Then, we will see [what I can do].”

Martinez has been retired for about 5½ years. He lost to Miguel Cotto, failing to answer the bell for the 10th round in his last bout June 7, 2014 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“Boxing is my life,” said Martinez, who will turn 45 on Feb. 21. “Everything was wrong in my last fight against Cotto: training camp, the injuries, my knee. Now, I am feeling really good and my knees are better. All these years of rest were very good for my knees and elbows.’’

There had been talk that Martinez would fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in mid-November. But Chavez decided to fight Daniel Jacobs instead, losing on Dec. 20 in Phoenix in a bout that ended with angry fans tossing debris into the ring after Chavez quit after five rounds.

“I was training to do the rematch against Chavez, but he let me down at the last minute,’’ said Martinez, who won a wild 12-round decision over the Mexican in September 2012 in Las Vegas. “Since then, I’ve been training for a fight.

“None of the big names want to face me, and this is why I will make a comeback in a small show in Spain. We don’t have too much of a budget but, for sure, the opponent will be a tough one.”