Both men had no interest on waiting that long to settle their differences. As the press conference got underway, Mayweather and Mosley were both introduced separately to the crowd. After the introductions, both guys went toward the center of the stage for a face to face showdown. The two fighters started to trash talking and things nearly took a turn for the worse when Mayweather put his hands on Mosley.Sugar Shane would respond with a shove and then charged right after Floyd. The two would engage in a mini scuffle/wrestling match.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer rushed the stage to make sure the whole fiasco didn’t get any worse.Both camps would follow on stage as things started to settle down.Laughter ensued when Mayweather’s CEO,Leonard Ellerbe, came rushing to the scrum, slipped, and fell on his butt. All this stuff going on and the press conference had not even started!!  While some may think this is a stunt to promote the fight even more, this is just a case of two fighters that just don’t like each other.

They are promoting this fight as ” Who R U Picking”, which is one of the more clever slogans that any boxing promoter has come up with. The buzz surrounding this fight had started long before today. While this has been a fight that has been years in the making, the turning point came after Floyd Mayweather’s last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. As everyone remembers, Mosley jumped the ring after Floyd’s win and challenged Mayweather face to face right after Floyd’s victory over Marquez.

While it was an entertaining moment for boxing fans who witnessed it, it looked like it would be for no reason. Mosley was headed on a collision course with Andre Berto while Mayweather was trying negotiate a contract to fight Manny Pacquiao. We know what happened with Mayweather-Pacquiao but it was Andre Berto calling off his bout with Mosley two weeks before as he was trying to recover emotionally from the Haiti earthquakes. That opened the door for both men and wasted little time in signing off on the fight.

Mosley, 38, is the defending WBA welterweight champion and Mayweather, 33, is a former WBC title holder and both are considered among the top-5 pound-for-pound fighters in professional boxing. Mosley is coming off the best performance of his career when he knocked out Antonio Margarito to capture the welterweight title. Mayweather never looked better when he took apart Juan Manuel Marquez in his last bout this past September.

Here is both men’s initial response on fighting each other.

” I have always wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather and now that dream is finally coming true,” said Mosley, (46-5, 39 KO’s). ” Floyd is excellent at what he does, but my past record of beating the best competition and other great champions shows that he is just another one of my opponents.”

” Ever since I came back to the sport I said I only wanted to fight the best and Shane Mosley is one of the best,” said Mayweather (40-0, 25 Ko’s). ” Not only does he have the skills, but he is also fast, strong, and a very tough competitor. His speed and power won’t mean much that night against my will and determination to dominate him inside the square circle.

During Tuesday’s presser, both men did not have not many kind words to say about each other. Mayweather constantly reminded the crowd of Mosley’s past PED use and how they are not even on the same level in terms of star power.

Mayweather constantly reminded the crowd of Mosley’s past PED use and how they are not even on the same level in terms of star power.

” Shane is an HBO fighter. I am a Pay Per View fighter. I am the one that is making the big bucks, said Mayweather.” I have made more money in my last two fights then Shane has made in the last five years. We also know that Shane can match up with my speed or skills. We do know that when he was steroids, he was quite fast.

After these comments, one could only assume that Mosley will come into the ring on May 1st more determined than he has ever been in his 14 year career. At the age of 38, Mosley is trying to cement his legacy with a win over Floyd and try to shut down the PED talk for good.

” May 1st symbolizes something. After this fight no one gonna say it’s the CLEAR. It’s going to be clear when Floyd takes that ass whooping I’m about to give him,” said Mosley. Shane was alluding to the potion given by Balco CEO,Victor Conte,  which the fighter says he ingested without knowing it’s nature.

“Floyd is just trying to get under my skin. He knows I am a clean fighter or else he would not be stepping in the ring with me,” said Mosley.

While there is no denying the Hall of Fame credentials for Shane Mosley, this will be Shane’s first fight in 16 months since he won the welterweight title. However, Mosley does not seem to be worried at such a long layoff at his age.

” The only way for me to fight off the ring rust is by staying in the gym. I am going through a vigorous training program to keep me in shape,” said Mosley. ” I know Floyd’s style. I know what I am ready for. I just have to make sure I have the legs to keep up with him. I’m going in there in the best shape of my life. Your going to get everything”.

Mayweather was his usually cocky self when he spoke with members of the media. You can’t deny that “Money” is never boring when you get a chance to do a press conference with him. He went all over the place as he talked about how his corner never gets any love, Mosley’s admitted use of “enhancement” supplements, Manny Pacquiao, and boxing championship belts.

On Pacquiao

” I never knew a man that didn’t want to take a $25 million drug test. I have never seen a guy go from 106 pounds and then go up to 147 and just dominate the way he has. There is no way unless he is taking some steroids.Pacquiao is a cheater. He had such a hard time with Marquez in two fights I thought he lost. Imagine what I can do to him if we fought.

On Fighting Mosley

” I can adjust to any fighter. I can read an opponent when I get in the ring. I know how to adjust in the ring and I just know how to win. He never uses his jab and I am going to expose that.

On his corner/team not getting any love

Everyone talks about Nazim Richardson and Freddie Roach being the best trainers in the sport. But my uncle deserves a lot of the credit for my success. He has never won the trainer of the year once and that ain’t right. My team never gets the credit they deserve.

Floyd admitted that the media will likely bring up Mosley’s age if he takes him down. “There’s always an excuse,” he said. ” Your always going to write about me, good or bad. No matter what happens, I am going to be criticized. The most important thing is that your writing about me.”

We didn’t get the big fight we all wanted in Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. I really could care less who’s fault it is. All I know is Mayweather drew the tougher opponent as a result of it. Mayweather-Mosley is a bigger and more anticipated fight than Pacquiao-Clottey. Even if Manny is the biggest draw in the sport, his fight is just not as compelling the public than a genuinely interesting two-way fight. After May 1st, the future will be a lot clearer for everyone involved.

As the final position for the Atlantic-10 playoffs ended in a three-way tie between Fordham, LaSalle and Rhode Island, the tie-breaking procedures were needed. Rhode Island was eliminated as it was defeated by Fordham and LaSalle during the season. A coin toss decided that Fordham would be included. Fordham coach Cathy Andruzzi expressed her elation for Fordham’s inclusion,

“I’m so excited and happy for our players…I am very thankful for the opportunity to continue playing and I am so excited about being in the Atlantic-10 tournament.” This will be Andruzzi’s first A-10 tourney as Fordham’s head coach. Fordham is scheduled to meet St. Joseph’s on Friday, March 5 at 2:30 PM.” In the only meeting between the two teams this season, St. Joseph’s edged the Rams, 62-57.

Randall Hurst, the one senior on the squad, was honored prior to the contest. Hurst came to Rose Hill two years ago to play with the team and earn her degree in Visual Arts and Architecture. The Detroit, Michigan native was reared in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the same town as Fordham teammate Kristina Bell. Hurst was a star on her high school basketball team. She spent her collegiate freshman year at the University of Central Florida. She remained in Florida for her sophomore year at Daytona Beach Community College. During her two years at Fordham, Hurst led the Rams in scoring and rebounding. Her 13.2 points per game average is seventh in team history.

Hurst was escorted on court for the pre-game ceremony by her parents. The young woman gave credit for their support throughout her life, “My parents have been very supportive of me and love coming to watch me play. They have been watching me through high school and came to almost every AAU tournament I played in. I’m always excited for my parents to see me.”

Hurst is hopeful of continuing her basketball career after her graduation. She said, “I’d like to go overseas to play, preferably in Europe.” Several of Fordham’s most successful players such as Lisa Carrol and Mobolaje Akiodoi continued their playing careers overseas. Fordham’s greatest female basketball player, Anne Gregory, played professionally in France after graduating from Fordham. Hurst articulately expressed what it feels like to end one phase of life and to begin another, “It’s scary and exciting at the same time. You don’t know what to expect.”

Hurst’s time on court ended unexpectedly early as she injured her knee four minutes into the game and was not able to return. After the contest, she assured those concerned that she was fine. The visitors from Cincinnati took a 10-0 lead in the early minutes. Xavier’s highly respected front court  tandem, Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips, scored all ten of those points. At that point, it appeared that Xavier was well on the way to an easy 15^th consecutive victory.

The Rams fought back tenaciously and took the first and only lead of the game, 32-31, on a three by freshman Arielle Collins.  The Rams remained competitive until falling behind by double digits, 60-50, with 7:33 left in the game. Xavier scored the final six points to win by 15, 74-59. The victory was Xavier 15^th straight. The Musketeers ended A-10 Conference play with a perfect 14-0 mark.

Xavier superior bigs, Harris (6-5) and Phillips (6-6), made the difference in the contest. The duo grabbed 23 of their teams 50 rebounds contrasted with 28 boards for the Rams, blocked five shots and scored 39 of Xavier’s 74 points. Harris achieved her 12^th double-double of the season and Phillips her 17^th.

Four players on Fordham scored in double figures. Several of the team stepped up after the elimination of Hurst, Fordham’s leading scorer early in the contest. Sophomore Becky Peters displayed her talent, energy and leadership during a team-high 37 minutes on court. She led Fordham in scoring with 17, but was no less effective on defense garnering a career high of five steals. When complimented upon her leadership skills, she responded, “I have five siblings.”

The players on both teams are now looking forward to the next phase of the 2009-10 season. Fordham could show the team’s continued improvement with a good showing in next week’s A-10 tournament and Xavier could demonstrate that its highest ever rating is well-deserved by an outstanding NCAA Tournament performance.

The statistics Gaston has reached are not only impressive for a college freshman but are among the best of any player in the A-10. He has already accomplished a double-double 16 times this season, but has double figure averages in points and rebounds. Among Atlantic-10 competitors, Gaston ranks fourth in scoring average (17.6 ppg.). He ranks second among Fordham freshman with 450 points, exceeded only by Bevon Robin with 495.

Gaston has three games remaining in which to break the Fordham mark. This should not be difficult as Gaston has scored 32 points in three different games. His field goal percentage has only been bettered by eight A-10 players. The great shooter and aggressive offensive threat is no less effective on defense.

Although only 6-7, Gaston is second in the A-10 with 10.9 rebounds per game. His leaping ability not only contributes to his capability to rebound but makes him one of the top shot blockers in the conference. He is seventh in the conference in shots blocked with 1.8 blocks per game. In a February 6 contest against A-10 leading Charlotte, Gaston tied his season-high of 32 points in a single-handed attempt to win the game.

Fordham coach Jared Grasso effusively praised Gaston, “He’s the best freshman in the league. Today, he was the best player in the league. He’s fun to coach.” In the early minutes of the second half, Gaston scored 14 straight points for Fordham. When asked whether Gaston took the responsibility or whether he as coach asked Gaston to accept the load, Grasso replied, “It kind of happened hand in hand. He loves to compete [and] I have a lot of confidence in him.”

With Gaston as centerpiece and last week’s decision of the Board of Trustees of Fordham to greatly increase its spending on men’s basketball, the Rams made be much improved in the near future.

The group then traveled to Rhode Island to participate in a prep school tournament. The students and staff returned to New York City on the weekend for a round of sightseeing. Orellana said the trip had several purposes, to play basketball on U.S. soil, which most had never done, expose the youngsters to the eyes of U.S. scouts and give the players the experience of seeing New York City and the East Coast.

Orellana is an experienced basketball coach with many years of experience of coaching in the United States. He was an assistant coach at Division I colleges on both U.S. coasts, St. Francis in Brooklyn, Farleigh Dickinson in New Jersey and in California at the University of California-Irvine and the University of California-Fullerton. He also coached youngsters on the high school level and internationally in Venezuela.

In 2004, Orellana left his position in California to follow his dream of founding a basketball school overseas where he could help international players gain a scholarship to Division I colleges in the U.S. His first effort in this regard gave him the knowledge and experience to begin the Canarias Basketball Academy three years ago. Spain’s archipelago may seem a strange place to develop talented basketball players, but thus far,

Orellana has been successful. After his team’s game against Monroe, Orellana explained, “It was always a dream of mine to establish a basketball academy. We [CBA] offer an alternative to U.S. prep schools. Ninety per cent of our boys are looking for a scholarship to U.S. universities and ten per cent are hoping to play professionally in Europe. This experience has given me my greatest satisfaction. These are great kids. They have no baggage. They only want to play basketball and improve.” Approximately 30 of the 50 current students are from the United Kingdom. The director said, “We’ve had great success with U.K. players.”

The U.K.’s Danny Thompson is one of the British successes. After two years at the CBA, Thompson was given a scholarship to Fordham University in the Bronx this fall. Thompson reacted to the news with exuberance, “Everything about Fordham University excites me,…getting a world class education, living in New York City and playing in the Atlantic 10.”

He spoke with gratitude of his experience at the CBA, “My two years at CBA have been great. I can’t imagine being more prepared for the next level. I want to thank CBA for what they’ve done. People have all kinds of opinions about CBA but unless you’ve lived it, you can never understand how valuable it is.”

Thompson was joined at Fordham this season by a second CBA alum, Farho Alihodzic. The Bosnian native was a member of Great Britain’s U20 National Team. The 6-10 post-player has started several games as a Fordham freshman this season. An additional one dozen CBA students were given Division I scholarships to U.S. colleges during the past two years.

On Saturday, February 6, after a contest with Charlotte, Fordham’s head coach, Jared Grasso, spoke very enthusiastically of Orellna and the CBA, “Their coach [Orelllna] was an assistant coach when I played in the NEC. We developed a very close relationship. He does an excellent job over there. He’s very good at what he does. They hold three practices a day.”

He explained the reasons why CBA students make a fine fit at Fordham, “In Fordham, you could recruit in Europe because you can sell New York City and our fine education.” Grasso’s strongest words of praise for the CBA were, “I would send my son there.”

A week earlier I had visited the Untouchables gym in Springfield on a cold, snowy night.  The facility is bright and clean, a stark contract to my night time impression of the downtrodden town.  The gym is situated in an old factory building that it shares with a social service agency.  This is fitting as boxing has long provided it s own sort social services to those who present themselves for training.  Inside the gym the atmosphere had been one of pervasive calmness, despite the driving Latin beats coming out of the stereo.  We hung around for a couple of hours, chatting boxing and other sports.  We watch a young lightweight spar with an old timer, a heavyweight, effectively defending himself and even pressing the older man.  This night Jose never spoke.  He hung out, shadow boxed a little, but mostly listened as I talked with the Arriaga father and son team.  Driving home something teased at me, demanding I put into words what I had observed, what was special about this gym, this father and son team and their charges.  Finally, by the time I hit the Bronx, I had it… Zen.  The place had the calmness like that you experience at the end of a yoga session.  And it was all about  old school  boxing as a discipline both physical and spiritual.

Back at the Golden Gloves, we were about to see if Jose was actually calm and centered or if that was just superficial, masking his fear and lack of skills.  The bell rang and he and his opponent mixed it up.  A strong overhand right from Torres produced a standing eight count from the referee.  Ah, I thought, this will tell us a lot about Mr. Torres.  Would he maintain his discipline?  Or would he carelessly attack? The ref signaled for the fight to proceed and Jose stepped up behind several jabs, working his way deliberately past the opponents somewhat limited defensives.  Then a solid left jab followed by a very strong right cross to the jaw and the man from the red corner was down.  At the count of three he managed to get to his hands and knees.  But he was still there at the count of ten and now it was the ring doctor s turn.  Jose’s calm concentration was now broken by the grin of a big kid who had just won the heavyweight championship in the novice division.

McGuire was born in the Bronx on January 25, 1926. The family moved to Rockaway to be near the bar and grill owned by McGuire’s father. It was on the playgrounds in Queens and at St. John’s University where McGuire honed his considerable basketball skills.  Serving in the armed forces and graduating from St. John’s in 1949, McGuire was drafted by the New York Knicks. After his first two seasons with the Knicks, Dick’s younger brother, Al, became his backcourt teammate. They played beside one another for three seasons until Al was traded to Baltimore.

The slick ball handler led his team in assists in his first seven seasons with the club. He was elected an All-Star in five of his eight years with the Knicks. Only Walt Frazier and Mark Jackson surpassed McGuire’s total of assists as a Knick. Interestingly, both offered gracious words of praise yo a man they considered as a mentor. McGuire was Frazier’s coach when the latter joined the Knicks in 1965. Jackson, a fellow St. John’s grad, was scouted by McGuire. Both attested to the integral influence McGuire had upon their success in professional basketball and to McGuire’s innate decency.

McGuire was traded to the Detroit Pistons after the end of the 1956-57 season. He returned to the Knicks organization as coach for the 1965-66 season. He remained until his death. After his coaching duties ended, McGuire held a variety of positions, assistant coach, chief scout, director of scouting services. He was named senior basketball adviser in 2004. His son, Scott, joined the Knicks as a scout in 1988.

McGuire was the recipient of a number of well-deserved honors during his lifetime. He was one of the rare athletes whose uniform number hangs in the rafter of Madison Square Garden. The number 15 that he and Earl Monroe wore as Knicks was retired in 1992. In the following year, McGuire was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, where he joined his younger brother, Al, the former NCAA champion coach of Marquette and esteemed basketball broadcaster. They are the only pair of brothers in the Naismith Hall. In the spring of 2009, McGuire received the first Knickerbocker Legacy award.

This award is given in recognition of Knickerbocker Pride, Tradition and Class. It was announced at the ceremony that the award would be renamed the Dick McGuire Award to further honor its first recipient. The newly named honor will be awarded at MSG on February 22, Legends Night.

My final personal memory of McGuire was a long chat we had in the perss room at MSG on Janury 13. McGuire was scouting at a college doubleheader involving his Alma Mater against the Cincinnati Bearcats and Fordham against the Dayton Flyers. McGuire, self-effacing and soft-spoken as always, reminisced of his past experiences and shared his opinions of current players including the Bearcats highly touted freshman Lance Stephenson. McGuire was very positive in his personal outlook and thankful to still be a regular at MSG. He was, of course, extremely pleasant, courteous and friendly.

McGuire has left behind his wife of 54 years, four children, seven grandchildren and a multitude of admirers. One of those admirers was Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who commented, “He’s been a part of this, almost like the bricks, and so I don’t know of anybody in the league that I can say that about in the same way. So, it’s a terrible loss for us.” Each member of the team will be wearing the number 15 on his jersey for the remainder of the season.

The closeness of the game was made apparent immediately. Mini-spurts by each team earned the largest advantage each achieved in the first half. Five unanswered points by the Rams gave Fordham a 16-11 lead at 13:25 of the first half. Late in the half, six straight points by the visitors earned Charlotte a 28-24 advantage with 3:02 left in the half. To the joy of the hopeful fans in the gym, Fordham led 30-29 at the half.

Charlotte began the second half with three straight baskets to move ahead by a score of 35-30. Chris Gaston then put on a one-man show. The Fordham frosh scored the next 12 points to give the Rams a 42-35 lead with 14:58 remaining in the game. Fordham coach Jared Grasso said of the young man’s effort, “He’s the best freshman in the league. Today, he was the best player in the league.  He put the team on his back.” Two layups by Fordham’s Jacob Green gave Fordham its game high lead of 10 points, 59-49, with 6:59 left. The lead was reversed with an 18 point contribution by Derrio Green of Charlotte during the final five minutes. Green scored 22 of his team high of 24 in the second half. Grasso praised the achievement,

“Derrio Green was fantastic. Hats off to him! He made some great shots. That’s what great players do.” Fordham’s Chris Gaston accomplished his 13^th double-double of the season. He scored 32 points and grabbed 12 boards. He also led the Rams with six assists. He is the favorite to earn the A-10 Rookie of the Year award at the conclusion of the season.

Grasso, youngest head coach in NCAA Division I, was pleased by the progress of his freshman dominated squad, “It was one of those games where we had them on the ropes. This team grew up today. This team, when we add some pieces, will be very good. I’m happy with where we are. We’re moving in the right direction.” The Rams return home on Saturday, February 13^th for a 1 PM matinee with George Washington.

Ersan IIyasova came off the bench to score a season high 25 points and grab nine rebounds while Brandon Jennings scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the Bucks to a 114-107 victory. It was New York’s fourth loss in the last five games and now drop to 19-30.

After taking a 59-54 first half lead that saw them commit only one turnover, the Knicks were unable to take care of the ball in the second half as Milwaukee outscored them 36-22 in the third quarter and would hold on to the lead for good. New York would end up commiting 10 turnovers in the second half.

” They just got a lot of offensive rebounds, ” D’Antoni said. ” We turned it over five times. Those were the biggest combinations. They just beat us to the ball. They beat us to the basket, beat us to the screen, beat us to everything. That’s not a good combo.”

David Lee led the way for the Knickerbockers with another fine game scoring a season high 32 points and recording 15 rebounds for his 30th double double of the season. It’s his 18th 20/10 game of the season. Al Harrington added 22 points and eight rebounds off the bench while Nate Robinson who made us first contributed 13 points and seven assists with zero turnovers. It was Nate’s first start of the season and first in over a year and never got going shooting 3 for 12 from the field.

” It just felt awkward out there,” Robinson said. ” Trying to do everything we can, we just fell short. We have to watch film, go back and figure out what those lapses were, where those grey areas were and bounce back and capitalize.

The Knicks got a glimpse of what could have been with Brandon Jennings, the former Oak Hill Academy star who skipped college to play in Italy, as the point guard of the future. After a dismal first half in which he shot 1 for 7 for 3 points, he got it going in the third quarter with eight straight Milwaukee points. He nailed a 3-pointer that tied it at 64 and then a three-point play that gave the Bucks a 69-67 lead. Instead of that, the Knicks had turn to Robinson who is starting for the struggling Duhon.

” It’s not his fault, ” D’Antoni said. ” He was fine. We’re just not a real cohesive unit with a lot of spirit right now for whatever reason. There are a lot of times during the game when we start to sag a little bit and we just don’t have any collective spirit. It pops up a few times a year and it’s popped up now.”

After Jennings gave the Bucks the two point lead, the Knicks scored the next six points to take a 73-69 lead with 5:35 remaining after David Lee hit a running layup. But the Bucks would get real hot as they ended the quarter on a 21-8 run that included IIyasova slam of a pick and roll feed from Jennings to give them a 86-78 lead.

” I don’t know where we really went wrong,” Lee said. They put in a small lineup, something we have not seen in a while. The did a good job, they hit shots. Ersan is the one who really made the difference.”

The Knick fans booed after the third quarter came to an end and would get worse in the fourth after a Jerry Stackhouse 3 pointer gave the Bucks a 97-84 lead. The Knicks would get as close as six with 1:32 left but Jennings hit a bank shot with 32 seconds left to put the game away for good.

Another key factor for tonight was how much of a no factor Danillo Ganillari was. He only shot 2 for 6 from the field for only seven points. He was even off from the free throw line shooting 2 for 6 as well.

” Their defense is really good, ” D’Antoni said. ” That’s what they live on. They got into him. You have to learn. A few times in the first half he could have jumped into them and got a lot of foul shots because they were really running at him. Those are things to learn.”

Gallinari seemed to be more concerned on the loss that his performance and still feels there is time to make a run for the playoffs.

” We lost an important game for us,” Gallinari said. ” Today was important to us as Bucks is a team we have to beat to make playoffs. Sometimes the bad game happens for me. But it’s a long way to go and we still have a chance to get in playoffs but we have to fight hard.”

There is time but they can’t afford any more losses. New York has dropped further and further out of the playoff picture as the Bulls and Bobcats have stepped it up since the start of 2010 while the Knicks have faded. They have two games before the All-Star break, including a matchup against the team with the NBA’s best record, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.

“Try not to do crazy stuff,” is what he told me explained Moquete.  The 6’1, 181-pound point guard who cleared NCAA Clearinghouse issues in late December, scored his first collegiate basket on January 13^th at Madison Square Garden and finished with seven points in a Fordham loss to A-10 opponent Dayton.

Moquete is one of those promising athletes coming from the Dominican Republic, an Island known more for its production of baseball talent that come to the states. But the last few years there has been a revival of talent coming off the basketball court from Santo Domingo and other parts of the Republic,

And as Grasso says, his new point guard has the potential to be a leader and for the time being will get the start as Fordham continues to struggle. They lost their 12^th straight game Wednesday evening 80-73, now 2-17 overall, 0-7 in the conference. Moquete finished with five points, had three assists and was 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

“He’s going to be good in certain spots and comes here in the middle of the season as a starting point guard in a difficult situation,” said Grasso about Moquete. “He’s trying to pick up everything we do offensively and defensively. It was his first start, solid and he will get better.”

Moquete is also getting some help from newcomers, because the young Rams have only one veteran player from last year’s squad that get the start, senior Brenton Butler. Moquete was one of four freshmen that got the start against LaSalle.  And he seemed to adjust quickly in his new role, not doing the “crazy: things that Grasso referred to.

“let the game come to you  and give me the opportunity to help this team win,” said Moquete  after the game, referring to how he approached his first start. It was the same type of approach that got him a spot a spot on the Fordham roster. A graduate of Our Savior New American School in Centereach New York, Moquete averaged 15 points per game in his last year.

A call came from Miami Dade Community College, but he waited to get cleared and go for the good education and potential start up at Rose Hill.  “They showed interest,” he said about Miami and other schools,” so did Fordham.  “I think this is a perfect fit for me. Fordham is a good school and we can do something big here.”

This was the first game Fordham stayed competitive in the second half. And at one point it looked like the Rams were headed to victory. But LaSalle made 17 of their 25 shots in the second half, including mistakes by the young Rams that led to four important free throws in the final minutes that made a difference.

On the court most of the time, Moquete played 25 minutes, there was the intensity, hustle and leadership. Butler missed one of key free throws that could have tied the game at the four minute mark. Moquete went to the line and quickly gave Butler a tap to the head after he missed the first shot.

“Part of my game is to pick my teammates ,” he said   “He will make a difference for us, said the other freshman, forward Chris Gaston who led the Rams with 21 points and 15 rebounds, his 12^th double-double game of the season.

Email Rich Mancuso: Ring7876@aol.com

“JuanMa” Lopez (28-0, 25 KO’s) totally dominated and outmatched the skilled Steven Luevano to take away his WBO featherweight title in fantastic style. Lopez knocked out Luevano with a crushing right-left combo to floor Leuvano in the seventh round. Referee Benji Estevez stopped it at the :44 mark. In the co feature,  Gamboa (17-0, 15 KO’s) put on an fantastic performance in stopping Roger Mtagwa with a second round TKO at 2:35.

Lopez captured his second world title and hopes to one day match his idol, Felix ” Tito” Trinidad, accomplishment as the next great Puerto Rican fighter with four world titles. Trinidad was in the house and received the loudest cheer of the night from a crowd of about 5,000 in attendance at the Wamu theatre in Madison Square Garden. It was clear that Lopez’s power was too much for Luevano.

“We saw the video and we knew the right was there for me all night,” said Lopez.”I could feel I was landing it, and I was very surprised he took so many punches. He took a lot of punishment.”

Lopez nearly swept all the scorecards with one judge giving Luevano the 5th round. Lopez out-boxed him and hurt him repeatedly with straight left hands and quick hooks. Luevano was not able to use his counter punching skills as Lopez’s pressure was just too much.

JuanMa had a far easier time on Saturday night than the last time he fought at MSG. Lopez fought a life and death battle with Roger Mtagwa as he had to hold on for dear life in the final round to take the decision. He knew he had something to prove. I asked him what he thought was the difference from this fight than the Mtagwa fight.

“The difference was the four pounds and moving up in weight, said Lopez. ” I listened to my corner a lot more this time around. The last fight I did not listen to my corner as much I should have and stayed away from the gameplan. This time I was more discipline and it showed. I am still a work in progress and still improving.”

The turning point came when Lopez landed a great right that staggered the champion at the start of the seventh round. Leuvano backed up to the corner as he was badly hurt and Lopez went for the kill with the right hand and left hook combo for the knockout. As impressive as Lopez’s win was, Gamboa was the one that stole the show.

Gamboa had a far easier time with Roger Mtagwa than Lopez did. Gamboa retained his WBA featherweight title as he knocked Mtagwa twice in two rounds as referee Steve Smoger had seen enough and put a halt to the fight at 2:35 of the second round.

“I hope with this performance, no one compares me to JuanMa anymore,” Gamboa said. “We’re different fighters. I proved I’m Yuriorkis Gamboa.

From the sound of the opening bell, Gamboa used his blazing speed and power to totally take Mtagwa out of it. Landing some vicious left hooks in the 1st round, Gamboa knocked Mtagwa down toward the end of the first round with a left hand to the head.

Gamboa would not let Mtagwa breathe in Round 2 as he landed 38 of the 58 power shots he threw. Gamboa nailed Mtagwa with a power combination in the middle of the ring and then floored him with a right about halfway toward the round. Mtagwa and showed his heart as he tried to fight but Gamboa was too much as he would knock him down again and it was over.

” I came to demonstrate and become the best in my division, ” said Gamboa. I’d love for whoever the public or maybe the press considers the No. 1 featherweight, to have him in the ring for my next fight. That way I can show who is the best.”

With both guys victorious, the hope next would be a fight between the two but Top Rank promoter Bob Arum wants to hold off a little longer.

“I want to sweep out the whole featherweight division first,” said Arum. I want both these guys to take all the guys in the division like Chris John and Caballero. All of them and I want to milk this up as much as possible. I want this to be the biggest money fight in the featherweight history. I owe it to both guys.”

Arum talks that the next time the two fight could be June with a split site doubleheader. Gamboa would fight in Miami while Lopez would fight in his native Puerto Rico. The mentioned names could potential matchups for each guy.

Earlier in the evening, Irish John Duddy improved his record to 27-1 with a first-round TKO of Juan Astorga. Duddy is one of the more popular New York fighters and continued to hold that clai. He would knock Astorga with a left hook to the body that knock him down to cause ref Wayne Kelly to stop the bout at 1:51.

With the victory, Duddy earns himself a spot on the undercard on the Pacquioa-Clottey undercard.