Boxing legends series: The twilight of Pacman’s career

I have a few Filipino friends, and I have to say – they’re the best people in the world.  Just don’t tell them their hero, Manny Pacquiao is done with boxing.  They’ll take it personally. 

Image source: thenational.ae

But seriously though, Philippine and world boxing legend Manny Pacquiao doesn’t have anything left to prove.  He’s the only 8-division world champion and one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of his generation.  Sure, he’s suffered some losses, the latest of which was from a very controversial decision against Jeremy Horn.  But he’s also had that glorious finish, knocking out Lucas Matthysse in his last bout.

Image source: wsj.com

Pacman is no longer the invincible “Mexecutioner” that he once was.  Even after delivering a beating on Matthysse, sports writers and boxing experts could see how his footwork had greatly diminished.  This can also be attributed to his letting go of Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach, which marked the end of an era for Pacman.

Whether you’re a Pacman fan or not, there’s no denying his impact on the sport.  However, there’s also no denying that his career is nearing its end.  He may have a few more exciting bouts in him, but these would only be against lower-tier fighters. 

While there are rumors now that Pacman may be having a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr., if this pushes through (and we all know this will probably only be for the money), it may well prove to be Pacman’s swansong. 

Hello there! My name is James DeVellis. I’m a college student majoring in sports business. My goal is to be a full-fledged sports writer someday. If you love sports, visit this blog.

A look at where the Lakers stand next season

Image source: clutchpoints.com

With Lebron James now the Lakers’ leader, it’s time to reevaluate the place of the once-dominant franchise in the Western Conference, and the league.

First, let’s get one thing out of the way.  With James on board, the Lakers have now become an instant playoff team.  But are they title contenders? 

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The biggest hurdle is still obviously the mighty Golden State Warriors, who are head and shoulders above their closest rivals, the Houston Rockets, who are in turn miles ahead of any other team.  To beat the Warriors, the Lakers need to show they can handle the Rockets.  After all, the Rockets and Warriors have very similar run-and-gun strategies. 

So, to be safe, let’s argue that the Lakers are now the third best team in the Western Conference, alongside the OKC Thunder and probably, the Utah Jazz.  Against teams in the Eastern Conference, they’re probably better than most and have a 50-50 chance against the rising Boston Celtics and Philadelphia Sixers.

Is this Lakers team better than Lebron’s Cleveland team last season?  With a legit point guard in Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and up-and-comers in Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball, one may say that this squad may just be as good, however severely untested.

My prediction?  For the 2018-2019 season, the Lakers make it to the second round of the playoffs.  
Hi, I’m James DeVellis. I’m starting my own blog to get ahead of the curve in the sports writing industry. For more about the stuff I love, check this link.

The Greatest Modern Day Mixed Martial Artists

The title of G.O.A.T. in MMA is thrown around pretty lightly these days. Many MMA fans believe their favorites should be called the greatest of all-time. I would also like to throw our hat in the octagon and give my opinion on who I think is MMA’s GOAT in the modern, sporting era.

Image source: lowkickmma.com

The Last Emperor

For more than 10 years, Fedor Emelianenko went on undefeated in the MMA world. Yes, for over a decade, no fighter could ever beat the highly-touted Russian, who seemed to have the answer for everything his opponents would come up with. Although his best years are clearly behind him, the legend of Fedor’s dominance will live on forever.

The Spider

No other UFC fighter was as revered and feared as Anderson Silva was at his prime. He did things in the octagon that nobody thought was possible and beat his opponents in ways no one could imagine. He was a champion for over 2,400 days, defending his title on 10 different occasions. He was simply on another level.

GSP

Georges St. Pierre is the greatest welterweight fighter of all time, period. He defended his belt 12 times and has almost never lost a single round in his MMA career. GSP’s ability to pull off his game plan perfectly makes him the most effective and well-rounded fighter in the UFC in perhaps, ever.

Image source: mmafighting.com

Hi, I’m James DeVellis. I’m starting my own blog to get ahead of the curve in the sports writing industry. For more about the stuff I love, check this link.

The wonder that was the 2017-2018 Boston Celtics

Before the 2017-2018 season started, the Boston Celtics looked like one of the most formidable teams on paper. They had a solid roster of role players and acquired Cavs’ star guard, Kyrie Irving, and Jazz standout forward, Gordon Hayward. 

Image source: usatcelticswire.wordpress.com

Then the season started. And Hayward suffered a season-ending injury. 

From being one of the highly-favored teams in the East, the Celtics’ stock dropped. But only by a bit, since they still had Irving leading the charge and the team was putting up an incredible showing throughout the first half of the season. 

Then it was Irving’s turn to suffer a season-ending injury, weeks before the playoffs. 

This time, only true green-blooded Celtic fans believed their team could attain any measure of success in the playoffs. But behind the genius of Brad Stevens, and an entire lineup devoted to the ideals of teamwork, the Celtics, without their superstars managed to beat heavily-favored teams in Milwaukee and Philly, and only fell to Lebron James and the Cavs in seven games. 

To give credit to any one player on the roster is to do the team a major disservice. Without the contribution of all these guys, Brad Stevens’ master strategies wouldn’t have come to fruition. 

This year, count on them to rule the East. 

Image source: nba.com

Hello there! My name is James DeVellis. I’m a college student majoring in sports business. My goal is to be a full-fledged sports writer someday. For more sports updates, visit this blog.

Writing Tips For The First-Time Sports Blogger

A lot of Americans are into sports or are fans of the various professional sports in the country. We like to catch up on the latest news and read insights on our favorite teams. A good pastime then (and maybe even a career move) is to write sports blogs. Hereunder are tips for the beginning sports blogger.

The first step is to decide on the sport you want to focus on and the readers you want to reach. This is establishing your niche. Are you into baseball, football, or basketball? It’s going to be hard to try to cover all major sports especially at the start, so focus on one.

Image source: uicookies.com

The next move is to think of a catchy name for your blog and set it up. There are tons of blog sites you can use, from BlogSpot and WordPress to Tumblr and Weebly. Come up with maybe a witty name or one that is easily connected by readers to the sport you are committing to writing about.

The writing itself should be less formal, with but touches of opinion and lots of factual information and stats. You have to be up to date on what’s happening and what’s brewing in the rumor mill (like trades, coaching changes, etc.) about all the teams in the sport. Also keep in mind that, unless you want to devote your blog to a particular team, you’ve to maintain a sense of objectivity. It all begins with finding a good angle or slant.

Image source: colorlib.com

My name is James DeVellis, a Sports Business student based in Arizona. I want to be a successful writer one day, so I use the social media platform to get my words out there. For more of my writings, visit this page.

World Cup Series: Franz Beckenbauer And Gerd Muller

Thank the stars that we’ve all come to another World Cup year. The entire wait felt like forever. Now, there are only a few months to go before the world’s greatest sporting spectacle once again decides who lifts the cup. Germany is defending the title it won in Brazil. But it’s common knowledge that the team’s been a force to reckon with on the world stage for decades. Let’s remember two of its all-time greats.

                 Image source: arjyomitra94.wordpress.com

Franz Beckenbauer

Called the Kaizer, Franz Beckenbauer is commonly referred to by historians and sportswriters as the greatest German player in history. He won the Cup twice – once as a player in 1974, and once as a manager in 1990. As a player, Beckenbauer not only led the team on the pitch, his play was so innovative that he actually created a new position called the “sweeper” position, in which a player can both attack and defend and create plays from the back and bring the ball all the way forward. With the Kaizer, there would be no sweepers.

                               Image source: seasonstube.com

Gerd Muller

Gerd Muller is often on top, or near the top of the list of German footballers. Before Miroslav Klose broke the record for most goals in a German uniform in Brazil 2014, Muller was the top German goal scorer. He was born to find the back of the net as he also led the German top team Bayern Munich in scoring. Muller’s average goals per game is a breathtaking scoring almost two per game during his career.

Hi there! My name’s James DeVellis. I’m a college student from Arizona, taking up sports administration. I am gunning for a career in the sports industry as a writer. Follow me on Twitter for the hottest sports news.

College Ball Vs Nba: a Fan’s Perspective

While nobody can argue that the talent in the NBA is unlike any other on the planet, many other leagues can rival its excitement. One league is the NCAA. We’ve seen a lot of NCAA games. College teams aren’t as organized on offense (or defense) as the pros, but they more than make up for it in different ways.

                                Image source:Youtube.com

As ardent fans of our teams, we can say that cheering for our college takes on a different aura than cheering for our city’s franchise. For one, school spirit plays a major role and the fact that the players we have on our team are only there for a limited amount of time (four years at most) creates a sentimental atmosphere with every game.

Also, it can be argued that with NBA’s grueling schedule, the best players only give it their all come playoffs. Notice how teams sit their best players near the end of regular season to avoid injury. The NCAA is different. Every game counts, and every great player gets to play. They seldom relax, leaving it all on the floor.

There is also the factor of age since the majority of college fans are college students with a percentage of alumni. This allows for a rowdier time, and it helps that many of them know each other. NBA fans watching in arenas can’t say the same.

Hi there! My name’s James DeVellis. I’m a college student from Arizona, taking up sports administration. I am gunning for a career in the sports industry as a writer. Follow me on Twitter for the hottest sports news.