Sonstiges » sanctioned or not, is aimed by patriotic Ru

LAS VEGAS -- Welterweight world titleholder Jessie Vargas casually strode into a ballroom at The Wynn resort on Wednesday, laughing, joking and greeting writers by name. He didnt seem to have a care in the world.In March, Vargas was the underdog when he knocked out then-undefeated former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali in the ninth round to win a vacant world title. Vargas was confident then, but now the confidence he exudes seems tenfold as he heads into his first defense against the great Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night (Top Rank PPV, 9 ET) at the Thomas & Mack Center.To me, its just another fight, another opponent, said Vargas, who will be fighting in his hometown.It really isnt just another fight or opponent, however. Vargas is in the biggest fight of his life, on a worldwide stage. He is about to face Pacquiao, a boxing legend, the icon of the Philippines and the first sitting senator to fight for a world title.Even though he has never been in a fight of this magnitude, Vargas said he has been able to handle the spotlight and keep calm because of past experiences leading to this moment.Whats probably helped me in my career is that Ive fought on major cards before, Floyd [Mayweather] undercards, huge events, Pacquiao undercards, pay-per-view undercards, where I first became world champion [as a junior welterweight], Vargas said. They were large events and my fights got a lot of attention. I feel it prepared me for this situation. So I know what to expect.Me now being in this position, its nothing new to me. I got a little taste of it before. I knew what I was in for and I am ready for it. Now its my time. Now its time for everyone to talk about me come Saturday night. He seems like a good guy, but as soon as the bell rings its all business.One reason for Vargas confident demeanor is the similar cool and focus displayed by his trainer, former pro fighter Dewey Cooper, who enters his second fight at the helm of Vargas corner.Im a level-headed guy so its another fight for me. I dont stress. Were looking forward for this opportunity, Cooper said. This is what we do this sport for. We dont do it to be B team. We do this to be the very best in the world in every aspect.Vargas is 27 and in his prime and Pacquiao is 37, coming out of a brief retirement and in the twilight of a career in which he became the only boxer to win world titles in eight weight classes. It is that age difference -- not the résumé -- that is meaningful to Vargas, who knows that boxing is generally a young mans sport.What I am focused on is that I am in my prime, Vargas said. I have a lot to show and I have a lot to give in this sport, and on [Saturday] I am going to perform at the highest level.Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) is coming off one of his best performances in years, when he outclassed and outpointed rival Timothy Bradley Jr. in their third fight in April, followed by a retirement that lasted for five months. Vargas said he loves that Pacquiao looked good last time out so he can get credit for beating him.Im happy that he was able to give that performance so when I defeat Manny Pacquiao, they will see that I beat a good Manny Pacquiao who is still performing at the highest level, Vargas said. Thats the Manny Pacquiao that I want to beat.Bradley outpointed Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) in fairly one-sided fashion in June 2015. But there was controversy because Vargas badly hurt him in the 12th round and nearly knocked him out in the final seconds, but before Vargas had a chance to see if he could finish Bradley, the referee accidentally stopped the fight about seven seconds early when he mixed up the sound of the 10-second warning clapper with the final bell.Vargas was livid and filed a formal protest to the California State Athletic Commission, but the result stood and he moved on.It was a learning experience, everything that happened, Vargas said. Not everything is fair and we had to let things go. Thats just the way it is and I am using it as an experience and make sure I let my hands go from the opening bell, not until nearly the last round.It gave me that fire, that anger to -- excuse me if I say it -- to really hurt somebody or kill somebody inside that ring, and to take it and not have any compassion for my opponent. That has built a stronger Jessie Vargas.Said Cameron Dunkin, Vargas manager: He had a bright future and it was a setback and he did take it very, very hard. It was hard on him. He was not used to losing. We talked and he wanted to go through the steps of what he could do with the commission and when that was over, Jessie dropped it and he was done with it and he said, Cameron, lets move on. And thats what we did.Vargas then beat Ali for a title and had an agreement in place to travel to England to face Kell Brook in a unification fight in September. But the deal ultimately was not finalized when the Brook camp wanted to reduce the money following the impact of the Brexit on the British currency. Vargas wound up getting an even bigger fight with Pacquiao.This is where I belong, Vargas said. Ive been waiting for this moment since I was 8 years old. This moment is not so big. Its here and I am going to take full advantage of it.When you envision something in your head over and over again, its like a movie placing you in that position, and once you are there youre ready. Thats the way I see it. I am so ready for this. I am in the best shape of my life. I have never felt this strong or this powerful. I am going to win this fight, thats how good I feel about it.Vargas is about an 8-to-1 underdog at The Wynn sports book and a victory would launch him into the big time, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said.He becomes not just a champion but a superstar. I will deny to him that I said that, because I will have to negotiate his next fight, Arum, who promotes Pacquiao and Vargas, said with a laugh. He would be a superstar. There is no question about that if he were to beat Manny Pacquiao. He has a hell of a shot to do that.Vargas trainer, Cooper, couldnt agree more.Jessie and I consider this fight the passing of the torch. We appreciate the body of work Manny has compiled in his illustrious career. However, as we all know, good things must come to an end and that will happen on [Saturday], Cooper said. This will be our moment, our time for a younger world champion to shine and earn the admiration of the fighting world.This moment is not too big for us. After this fight I will proudly hold up Jessies arm in victory. The torch will be passed.Vargas knows he is the big underdog but he also knows that a victory would be life-changing.It would definitely put me on the worldwide stage, make me that boxing star that I have been looking forward to being, Vargas said. I have been waiting for this for a long time and Im glad its here and I am going to take advantage of it.The only fighters to beat Manny Pacquiao have become legends themselves. So I plan to become one of the few to beat Manny Pacquiao and also become one of the legends.Nike Air Max 2020 Günstig . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Nike Air Max 90 Günstig Herren . 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He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season.PARIS -- Somewhere in Russia, computer hackers must be congratulating themselves on a well-executed con.By stealing and then publishing the private medical files of more than 120 international athletes from a World Anti-Doping Agency database, the self-described Fancy Bears hack team has diverted attention from Russias systemic abuse of banned performance-enhancing drugs in sport, the biggest doping scandal since East German officials fed powerful steroids to teenagers during the Cold War.The hackers tactic, used by tricksters everywhere, of waving one hand so people forget what the other is doing, has worked spectacularly. In July and August, sport was focused on how to punish Russia for a government-sanctioned program of doping and deception detailed by successive WADA probes. Russian track and field athletes, with one exception, missed the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as a result, and Russia was banned outright from the Paralympic Games.But now, in part because of the hackers mischief-making, the spotlight has shifted to non-Russian athletes whose data was stolen and onto WADA itself, left red-faced by the electronic intrusion.Instead of focusing single-mindedly on how to wean Russia off its cheating addiction and protect Russian youngsters from being strong-armed into regimens of needles and pills, sport has been fed a red herring, sucked into debate about whether the global anti-doping system is fit for purpose. Olympic leaders meet this Saturday to discuss WADAs future.If they listen carefully, perhaps theyll hear bears in the background, chuckling.The hackers must not have the last laugh. Its time to call time on their scam.For starters, the stolen info theyve published is not, as they claim on their website, sensational proof that non-Russian athletes have been doping with WADAs backing. Quite the opposite: Its proof that sport has a system in place that allows athletes, like the rest of us, to take medicines we need.Take, for example, Kathleen Baker, who won a relay gold medal and individual silver in Rio. The American swimmer has Crohns disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract that causes persistent diarrhea, bleeding, weight loss, cramps and other symptoms.Swimmings governing body granted Baker medical waivers to take anti-inflammatory steroids that normally would be banned for athletes in competition. Her waivers were among more than 200 stolen and published by the Fancy Bears. Others got waivers to treat asthma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other recognized medical conditions. Several have waivers allowing them to carry emergency syringes of adrenaline, a stimulant banned for athletes in competition but which can be life-saving for sufferers of severe allergic reactions.Such people really have to have adrenaline handy; if you dont you can die, Ken Fitch, an Australian sports doctor with long experience of the waiver ssystem, said in an interview.dddddddddddd.Such exemptions, in short, bear zero relation to the elaborate, hard-core doping schemes that operated in Russia, since exposed by two WADA-commissioned investigations, with designer cocktails of banned steroids, dirty athletes drug-test samples made to disappear and replaced with supposedly clean ones, and the Russian FSB security agency part of the plot, seemingly finding a way to pop open what were meant to be tamper-proof sample bottles.Also important: A large slice of the Fancy Bears leak is outdated, including waivers from 2007, 2008 and 2009 for drugs that then were more closely regulated but which athletes can now take freely within reason, because they are no longer considered potentially performance-enhancing if not abused.These include common asthma medications. Of the 127 athletes whose information was stolen and released so far, 53 had prescriptions for asthma inhalers and anti-inflammatory steroid injections into joints, not muscles. Today, these treatments dont require waivers, because WADAs rules have evolved with science.In short, in many cases, the Fancy Bears are peddling moldy fluff, not proof of anything untoward.WADA, based in Canada, says it has been told by law enforcement agencies that the hacks originated from Russia. Russian authorities dispute the allegation. Tony Brenton, formerly Britains top diplomat in Moscow, says Russia has a record of disinformation campaigns designed to distract from its own behavior.Im sure that all this hacking, whether officially sanctioned or not, is aimed by patriotic Russians to demonstrate that they are not the ones guilty of doping, Brenton said in an interview. They are very good at putting up these rival narratives designed to obscure what are obvious truths.A few of the Therapeutic Use Exemption certificates raised eyebrows and necessary questions about whether the waiver system is too easily gamed by unscrupulous athletes seeking banned drugs for performance enhancement, not medical need.Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins found himself having to explain waivers for corticosteroid injections in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He says they were to prevent chronic hay fever. Fitch says that of all of the leaked TUEs, thats one of the ones that really, really concerned me.Im not saying that he did it for performance enhancement, but it was a TUE that wouldnt stand scrutiny today, he said.Still, its a giant leap from there to the far bigger and more pressing problem of doping run amok in Russia.So beware of those bears.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester. See his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/john-leicester ' ' '