Boxing: Antonio’s Reliable Source on Vanessa Hudgens, Paula Abdul, Cheech and yes, Boxing!

Boxing: Antonio’s Reliable Source on Vanessa Hudgens, Paula Abdul, Cheech and yes, Boxing!

By Antonio Santiago, Doghouse Boxing (Aug 12, 2009)

Dreams. Dreams are one of the most interesting features humans have. And I’m not talking about nightmares or fantasies with other people here. No, not that type of dream. I’m talking here about the dreams you have in life, the goals that you have set for yourselves.

Sometimes I question the motives behind peoples’ dreams. Some dream of being a ballerina, while others dream of breaking rival bones. Yet others want to graduate with a degree in business management

from a college, or to be a world Champion at a game played with a ball, or a nail specialist in a beauty saloon. But what makes us dream about one thing in specific? Well, often, we can find the answer to that question in our childhoods. Many times, we can trace our life’s dreams to a moment in which someone told us we were good at something, or to another person in our family whose own dreams were frustrated but who tried to make those dreams come true through us. Maybe there is a Latino, Arabian American or Asian American kid out there who has heard that Barack Obama is the first Black President in the United States enough times that he or she is dreaming about becoming the first President of his or her race. Obama has become an inspirational figure to many.

Then, there are those who had their dreams and aspirations frustrated. Many of them did it to support their children and make sure that we had a better chance in life than they did.

Well, because of those who could not reach their dreams, I will tell you this: In order for you to be a complete person when you grow old, you should go ahead and start making your dreams come true from this moment on, whatever that dream is. Do it for the future of the world. Do it for the past of your family, so that your parents and your grandparents' effort did not go in vain. Do it for your family. Most importantly, do it for yourself.

Go do it!!

Ultimate Britney

Well, what do you do when you are watching the Teen Choice Awards and want to know who will take home the trophies before they actually handle them? You go to Antonio’s Reliable Source at Doghouseboxing.com, of course!! Well, some of the awards, anyway!!

And so we have found out that the event, which airs on Monday night on television, will honor Britney Spears with their “Ultimate Choice Award”, according to US Magazine. Other people who are scheduled to perform include Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and The Black Eyed Peas.

I just wonder which choice is she being awarded for? Shaving her head? Maybe. Getting married to, huh, who was that dude? Oh yeah, Kevin Federline? Can’t be. Her music? Not likely.

I guess it’s like when Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya had their rematch, in which the one who was “awarded” did not deserve to be!

She Should Have Known…

Puerto Rican actress Vanessa Hudgens is hot. And she is mad. And now, she is red hot mad about some photos that have surfaced on the Internet, with her supposedly naked. So what’s the big deal, you may ask? Well, nothing, if you count invading a person’s privacy and exposing someone nude when she was a minor as small deals, anyways.

Hudgens, according to TMZ.com, had naked photos of her as a teenager distributed over the Internet to many websites, including TMZ, which declined the pictures. She may have been the victim of a hacker who penetrated her computer, the site claims.

Well, two things about this case: Shouldn’t she have learned something from the Miley Cyrus case? If you don’t want your nude photos shown to the entire world, you don’t put them on the Internet! For all we know, the jerk who did this could be the same jerk who posted Cyrus’ photos! Secondly, people, you need to stop being sick and using minors for your own perverted pleasures.

Those who do, deserve to be inside a ring with Chris Arreola. With their hands tied to their back.

Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye!

There are only two reasons I watch “American idol’ sporadically: To see the rejects who sing so bad, they make me feel assured I am not the only one, and to hear Paula Abdul. For sure, she is better to look at than Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson or Kara DioGuardi!

Besides, she is the only one out there who really knows what it takes to be a music star and to stand in front of thousands upon thousands of people every night and sing. And she is also the sweetest of all judges. And guess what? As of American Idol’s next season, she will also be the one that’s gone. According to the Fox Channel, Abdul has announced that she will no longer be there, the network declaring that they are saddened and wish her the best.

Abdul told people on Twitter.com that “with sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL”.

Say it ain’t so, Paula! What, if you leave now, you will only leave us with three judges about as smart about being singing stars as the judges who gave Evander Holyfield a draw in his first loss….ehem, fight, with Lennox Lewis are at judging a boxing fight!!

The Bell Rings for Marky Mark

Mark Wahlberg, rap singing brother of Old….I mean, New Kids On The Block Donnie Wahlberg and movie star of many great films such as “The Happening”, “Max Payne”, “Boogie Nights” and “Rock Star”, has just tied the knot.

Wahlberg got married to long time girlfriend Rhea Durham, according to Popeater.com. The couple did so at a very private ceremony in Beverly Hills. Only a dozen people attended, and I was not one of them. Geez, Marky Mark had promised me an invitation! Oh well!

In any case, I want to wish the couple more than just “12 Rounds” of joy and happiness together!

And So It Does For Cheech

Do you remember “Cheech” Marin? He of the crazy “Cheech and Chong” comedies with Tommy Chong? I certainly do! He was one of my favorite comics when I was a kid with all the movies he and fellow comic great Tommy made in the 1970’s! Oops!, I guess that reveals my age to the ladies, more or less!

Anyways, Cheech Marin also got married. The star of the “Born In East L.A.” movie and video, and of “A Million To Juan” and “The Shrimp On The Barbie”, among many others, got married to Piano player Natasha Rubin on August 8th in Malibu, according to Popeater.com.

To Cheech and Natasha: Make this one last longer than Michael Spinks did against Mike Tyson! And wishes of happiness forever to you as well!

Good News…and Bad News Also

Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who are Koran-American, are champions of another kind: The two are champions of the freedom of speech, and for that, they were jailed in North Korea, where freedom of speech is as honored as the New York Yankees are at Fenway Park in Boston. The two women, who we must admire and look up to, were ultimately liberated this past week, after former United States President Bill Clinton spoke on their behalf with North Korean President Kim Jong II, according to AOL.com.

I am very happy about the two being back at home, but hope that the negotiations did not include a trade-off that could put Americans in harm’s way. After all, you know some of these leaders. They don’t just give away like that!

On the other side, there is Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who is with the United Nations Mission in Sudan. She was arrested, according to Agence France-Presse, along with 12 other women, for wearing pants! The woman faces up to 40 lashes if convicted.

I know the Sudanese have had the non-sense of committing the much more frivolous crime of punishing women for that many times, so I want to ask them to come to their senses for once and realize how stupid they are when they diminish a woman’s right to do as she wants and make whatever decision she feels like making.

Al-Hussein, for standing up for women and their rights in Sudan by, well, wearing her pants right where they should go, should be considered a hero by all of us.

Break in the Madeleine McCann Case

For those of you who have been following my column since it ran at the former website, you all know that I have been publicly praying for Madeleine McCann’s safe return home for many months now, the same as I did for baby Kaylee (who was sadly found dead a few months ago in Florida).

Well, there seems to have been a break in the McCann case, and it involves a Victoria Beckham look alike. According to AOL News, Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann of Great Britain, claim that two men saw a New Zealand or Australia woman in Barcelona, Spain, days before Madeleine disappeared in Portugal, and that the woman told them some information that has led them to believe she was involved with the disappearance.

Madeleine McCann would be only 5 years old currently. We keep on praying and hoping for her safe return home.

A Hero Is Gone

Narie Balkaran may not be remembered by many when history’s books are written. But by unselfishly giving away his most important possession, he ensured he will be remembered by those who were most important to him: his wife and family.

Balkaran, 22, died on Monday, August 2nd, after saving his wife Delia, 25, and his daughter Daniela, almost 2, when a dangerous wave of water almost drowned their entire family at Jones Beach in New York City, according to The New York Post, which published the story recounted by Delia Balkaran.

Once again, like in Alexis Arguello’s, Arturo Gatti’s and Vernon Forrest’s case, a truly great one has left us.

Our condolences to the Balkaran family.

Grandma!….Not Again!!!

Many times, we hear from people who have spent half their lives in jail. What we don’t hear much about, however, are people who have spent half their lives in the process of being arrested alone!!!

The last seems to be true of Ella Orko. The 86 year old, from Chicago, is in jail for the 61st time, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. She was arrested after trying to steal wrinkle cream, double A batteries, salmon and other items from a supermarket. When arrested, she had $250 dollars worth of items, the report claims. Her first arrest came in 1956.

Well, salmon, batteries….ok, ok. Stealing is not good but at least, she could use those items. But wrinkle cream? Grandma, you’re 86, who are you kidding???

She should just join Don King in retirement.

Seen And On The Sceen

Former four division world Champion boxer and International Boxing Hall of Fame member Pernell Whitaker and former two time WBA world Welterweight Champion Mark Breland were on hand at the ESPN studio as part of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” show on Friday, August 7th, to witness Alfredo Angulo’s wipe out of Gabriel Rosado in only two rounds at Primm, Nevada. The pair is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their being together in the United States Olympic Boxing Team of 1984, where they won gold medals, Whitaker by beating Puerto Rico’s Luis Ortiz, who earned Puerto Rico’s only silver medal at any sport in Olympic history during those games. In that team, they were joined by Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor and Virgil Hill, among many others.

I want to take this opportunity to salute Ortiz, by the way. About two weeks after the games, held in Los Angeles, my dad took me to meet him at his house and I was able to pose with him, that historic silver medal placed on my neck! Great times those were! Wherever he is at now, I want to make sure Luis Ortiz knows he is not forgotten by the fans!

Boxing Anniversaries

Hector Camacho Sr. has double reasons to celebrate in August. Boxing-wise, August seems to be the luckiest month for Camacho Sr. You see, on August 7th, it was the 26th anniversary of Camacho Sr’.s beat down of Rafael “Bazooka” Limon, the all time Mexican great. The fight took place that day, but in 1983, at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the vacant WBC world Junior Lightweight title. Bobby Chacon, another all time great and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and Limon’s conqueror for the title, refused to fight Camacho Sr. in Puerto Rico due to contractual reasons, so the title was then declared vacant. In any case, Camacho Sr. gave Limon a frightful beating, stopping him in five rounds to earn his first world Championship.

Two years later, on August 10th 24 years ago, Camacho Sr. went up in weight to the Lightweight division and challenged another Mexican, Jose Luis Ramirez, for the Sinaloan’s WBC world Lightweight title. That fight took place in 1985, at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Camacho Sr. dropped Ramirez in round three, proceeding to put on a boxing clinic and win the title by a wide unanimous decision. Many of Hector Camacho Sr.’s big fights were against Mexicans, the beating he himself took at the hands of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. also being part of boxing’s lore. The fight against Ramirez was actually the fight where Camacho Sr. first introduced the defensive-first style to which he made us accustomed to the rest of his career.

Our Hearts Are With

Adam Yauch. The member of The Beastie Boys, who is also known as “MCA”, has cancer, according to Spinner.com. He underwent surgery recently at a hospital, and received well wishes from Karen-O and Q-Tip.

Steven Tyler. The lead singer for Aerosmith was lifted to a hospital in Sturgis, South Dakota, after falling off stage during a concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at the Buffalo Chips Campground, the Rapid City Journal reports. Aerosmith was playing “Love In An Elevator” when the stage suffered a system breakdown. Tyler, 61, decided to keep entertaining the fans by dancing, but he fell backwards off stage and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Please send all Questions and comments to Antonio at TJ69662094@aol.com.