AZKAL - Philippines National Football Team

Philippines national football team called "AZKAL" is the national football team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the governing body of football in the Philippines.

Despite being one of the oldest national teams in Asia, the Philippines had yet to qualify for the Asian Cup or the World Cup. However, they enjoyed some success in its early years between 1913 and 1934 in the Far Eastern Championship Games. However, a reemergence in Philippine football is greatly anticipated as interest in the sport has grown significantly in recent years.

In September 2006 the country fell to 195th on the FIFA World Rankings, its lowest ever. By the end of the year, the Philippines moved back up to 171st overall, after a good run in the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship qualification. They were able to win three games in a row which was a first for the Philippines and thus qualifying for the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship. Coach at that time Aris Caslib, aimed to reach the semi-finals with two wins at the group stage. The decision came despite Philippine Football Federation president Juan Miguel Romualdez stating that they would still be underdogs in the tournament and that they mustn't raise their expectations too high, as the Philippines have only won their first ever win of the tournament during the 2004 edition.

The Philippines eventually failed to reach their target, only getting a draw in three matches. Their poor performances led to Caslib's resignation, as well as the refusal of the PFF to register and enter the qualification stages for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They would be one of four nations, all from Southeast Asia not to enter after a record number of entries. However it was revealed that the decision not to enter the 2010 as well as the 2006 World Cup qualification was made during the PFF presidency of Rene Adad, whose term ended in 2003. Instead, the PFF wanted to focus on domestic and regional competitions.

Since 2007, the Philippines have failed to qualify for a major competition. They came close in 2008 after missing out on the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup only on goal difference, and the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup with an inferior goals scored record. In 2010, they qualified for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, where they stayed undefeated in the group stage and also went on to beat defending champions Vietnam, becoming one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament. The team reached the knockout stage for the first time, eventually losing to Indonesia in the semifinals. In 2011, the Philippines qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup for the first time since qualifiers were introduced in the tournament.

On July 3, 2011, the Philippines recorded their first ever victory in FIFA World Cup qualification, beating Sri Lanka 4–0 in the second leg of the first preliminary round. They advanced 5–1 on aggregate, drawing 1–1 in the first leg before winning at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

On March 11, 2012, the Philippines recorded it's first win in the AFC Challenge Cup by defeating previous champions India 2-0 and followed by another victory in March 13, which they won 2-1 against Tajikistan, thus qualifying for the semi-finals for the first time. However, on March 16, 2012, the team suffered a 2-1 defeat against Turkmenistan in their semifinals match. 

Team Outfitters

In March 2008, the Philippine Football Federation signed a three-year, P 9-million contract with Mizuno to become the official outfitter and equipment supplier of the national team, as well as becoming a major partner in its grassroots development programs. The previous outfitter was Adidas. The traditional home kit is similar to the France national team; blue jersey, white shorts, and red socks. However, in recent times, the home and away kit has either been all-blue, all-red or all-white. Currently the home kit is all-blue, while the away kit is all-white.

Recognize Team Names

Under the official FIFA Trigramme the team's name is abbreviated as PHI; this acronym is used by FIFA, the AFC and the AFF to identify the team in official competitions. The team is also identified under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) country code for the Philippines as PHL. However the team was more commonly known as the RP, the acronym for the country's official name, Republika ng Pilipinas, which the local press used when they referred to the team as the "RP Booters" or the "RP XI". This was until late October 2010 when the Department of Foreign Affairs decided to change the official abbreviation of the country from "RP" to "PH" or "PHL", to be in line with ISO standards. The local press have since referred to the team as either "PH/PHL Booters" or "PH/PHL XI". 

 

The national team is popularly referred to as the "Azkals". The name was coined when an online Philippine football community proposed the nickname Calle Azul (Spanish for Streets of Blue, referring to the color of their kit) which was modified to Azul Calle, shortened to AzCal, and finally became Azkal – a word that is similar to Filipino term Askal meaning street dog. “Azkals” became a trending topic on Twitter during the semi-finals of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.

They are also known as the "Tri–Stars" which is derived from the three stars on the Philippine flag, although this nickname is not frequently used.

Official Stadium

During the early years of the Philippine national team, they played their home matches at the Manila Carnival Grounds. By 1934 it became the site of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. One of the facilities within the complex is the 30,000 capacity national stadium, known as the Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium or simply the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Since its opening, it has been the home venue of the Philippine national team.

However, it has also become a hub for athletics. The continued use for athletics along with poor maintenance has deteriorated the stadium and the 1991 Southeast Asian Games was the last time it was used for international football matches. In early 2009, the Philippine Sports Commission planned to transform it to a modern football stadium which would make it usable by the national team for international matches.

Ana Julaton - The Hurricane

Luciana “Ana” B. Julaton was born on July 5, 1980 in San Francisco, California. She is first Filipino American boxer to win the Women's WBO Super Bantamweight and IBA Super Bantamweight titles. Nicknamed “The Hurricane,” she is also one of the “quickest” boxers ever to win a world title, having fought only five other professional bouts before winning the IBA Super Bantamweight title.

Early Career

 

Despite her father making her train in martial arts when she was little, she had no interest in boxing whatsoever. It was only while working as a bok-fu instructor at the West Wind Martial Arts and Boxing School in Berkeley, California, that Julaton was introduced to boxing through a lecture session organized by her now trainer-manager, Angelo Reyes.

Amateur Career

 

Her amateur boxing debut in 2004, managing to win a silver in the San Francisco Golden Gloves despite having officially trained for only two weeks. After delivering a good performance at the National Golden Gloves in 2005, Julaton would be taken under the wing of two-division world champion Carina Moreno and trainer Rick Noble, further improving her craft.

Year 2007, she was ranked as second among all female amateur boxers in the United States, and took part of the unsuccessful campaign to include women's boxing in the lineup of events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Professional Career

 

Julaton decided to turn professional and approached veteran trainer Freddie Roach. Impressing Roach with her work ethic even sparring against male fighters, Julaton eventually became part of Roach's large stable of boxers, alongside Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and former world champion Gerry Peñalosa.

She was about to make her professional debut against Hondi Hernandez as part of the undercard of the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch in October 2007, but her fight was canceled when Hernandez failed to make the weight limit. Julaton instead fought and won against Rita Valentini one month later. This was followed by several other successful fights, culminating in her first title win against Kelsey “The Road Warrior” Jeffries last 12 September 2009 for the vacant International Boxing Association super bantamweight title in women's boxing.

Now trained by Nonito Donaire Sr.,father of boxer Nonito Donaire Jr., Julaton followed up that win by defeating Donna Biggers and becoming the first female World Boxing Organization Super Bantamweight champion on 4 December 2009.

Nonito Donaire - The Filipino Flash

The Filipino Flash Nonito Donaire, Jr. (born November 16, 1982) is a Filipino American professional boxer. Known as "The Filipino Flash," Donaire is a four-division world champion and the reigning WBO Super Bantamweight Champion. He is also the former WBC and WBO Bantamweight, Interim WBA Super Flyweight and IBF Flyweight Champion.

He is a known switch-hitter with the ability to fight either southpaw or orthodox. He is currently rated by The Ring as the number four pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Childhood life 

Nonito Donaire was born in Talibon, Bohol, Philippines to Filipino parents, Nonito Sr. and Imelda Donaire. He is the third among four siblings: Glenn, Rosiel and Ermie. Back then, there was no electricity in Bohol. He grew up in General Santos City, South Cotabato, where he lived until age six and went to the same school as boxing icon eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. His father, a second year high school dropout, was in the Philippine Army for eight years and fought as an amateur before trying his luck alone in the US in 1990. In 1993, at the age of eleven, he had joined his father in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California and they lived in San Leandro. He later moved to San Mateo in the Bay Area.

Nonito was a frail, asthmatic and wimpy kid who got bullied in school and went back home crying. He was picked on for three years, until a little after he migrated to San Leandro. At home, he felt no attention has been paid to him, as a middle child. He wanted to be recognised by his parents, especially his father. As soon as his brother started boxing, ten year old Nonito craved the respect and recognition the brother got from it, and started it. His father took him to a boxing gym at age eleven to get him off the streets. In his first amateur bout as a kid, he beat the opponent with his straight punches, all the while just thinking that "I’m going to kill him before he kills me." However, he had had no confidence until he earned four or five knockout victories in the professional bouts.

During their younger years, Nonito and his older brother Glenn would spar, with the younger brother being beaten often. As a kid, Nonito watched videos of his hero Alexis Argüello, using them to learn how to throw his powerful left hook. While in San Lorenzo High School in San Lorenzo, California the brothers won an assortment of regional and district amateur boxing championships. His cousin, Richard Donaire, is also a professional boxer. 

Married Life

Nonito Donaire was married to Rachel Marcial, a Filipino-American USA National Collegiate and Military Taekwando Champion. They were married on August 8, 2008 in a private ceremony in Carmel, California, with all their close relatives. Subsequently, they had a church wedding in the Philippines on November 11, 2011. 

Donaire’s wife is a pivotal member of his team, with her father acting as his chief security. His parents-in-law, Gerry and Rebecca Marcial, are the leading members of his support group. Nonito wants to be with people who are there for him even if he has nothing and likes to please them above all. During his early career, he had hated boxing. Due to excessive pressure, he had not only never enjoyed boxing, but had even dreaded it every day. Nevertheless, he did stick with it because he did not want to disappoint his father. Currently, he always fights for such people who support him and believe in him, and finally for himself, so he loves and enjoys boxing.

Amateur career 

Nonito Donaire, as young American amateur boxer won three national championships: the National Silver Gloves in 1998, National Junior Olympics in 1999 and the National USA Tournament in 2000. He also won the International Junior Olympics in 1999. Donaire's amateur record was 68–8 with 5 TKOs.

Professional career

Nonito Donaire turned professional with his brother in 2001 and signed up with promoter Jackie Kallen. When Nonito lost his second fight in 2001, via a dodgy decision, he tasted the intense feeling that he did not want to see the sorrow, sadness or pity in people's faces. Since then, he has continued a winning streak for over ten years. After four pro bouts, Nonito and his brother Glenn left Kallen and returned to Manila with their father. Initially mulling restarting their boxing careers in the Philippines, they decided to go back to the better facilities in San Leandro, where their father felt there were fewer distractions.

Flyweight division

Nonito Donaire won his first regional title in flyweight division by defeating Kaichon Sor Vorapin for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific flyweight title in Guam on 9 September 2002. Donaire knocked out the future world title challenger in the second round.

He won his second regional title, the NABF super flyweight title, by defeating Kahren Harutyunyan on Shobox by split decision on January 20, 2006. The scores were 97–92, 97–92 for Donaire and 95–94 for Harutyunan.

On October 7, 2006, he outpointed veteran Oscar Andrade by the scores of 118–109, 116–112, and 116–112. His older brother, Glenn Donaire, fought and lost to Vic Darchinyan on the same night. A 7–1 underdog, Nonito Donaire won the IBF Flyweight title with a one-punch, fifth round knockout of the then-undefeated Vic Darchinyan on July 7, 2007. This victory was awarded Ring Magazine's "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" on December 23, 2007. On July 31, 2007, Donaire met Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo along with Florante Condes, who won the IBF Minimum weight title on the same weekend as Donaire. Donaire said the experience was, "An overwhelming feeling. It was indescribable. The moment I walked up the stairs and she was up there and when I looked it was a moment when I couldn’t even look at her face. It was a great honor." 

On December 1, 2007, Nonito Donaire made the first defense of his IBF title against Luis Maldonado of Mexico by technical knockout in the 8th round. Donaire stated: "I guess my validation was today but I didn't feel my best; I felt sluggish. I didn't have my legs. I don't know what the problem was. I couldn't move well so I tried to rely on my upper body movement."

In late June 2008, he severed ties with promoter Gary Shaw because the number of fights had not matched the number stated in the contract and Shaw had failed to properly disclose revenue from previous fights as stated under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Days after leaving Gary Shaw Productions, he would sign with Top Rank Boxing.

On November 2, 2008, retained his IBF flyweight title via a 6th-round (1:31) technical knockout of Moruti Mthalane. During sparring for that fight, Donaire had an asthma attack. He could not carry through twelve rounds as his father ordered. While his father did not notice the reason and tried to force it to him, he left the gym to go to a hospital. He had a slight symptoms of bronchitis, and was diagnosed with recurrence of asthma. After the Mthalane fight, he became estranged from his father.

On April 19, 2009, Nonito Donaire faced flyweight Raul Martinez for his third defense of his IBF flyweight title at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines. He scored the TKO after 2:42 into the 4th round. Nonito has been trained by the Peñalosa brothers (Gerry, Dodie Boy and Jonathan) since the training camp for the match against Martinez. Because of his victory over Martinez, Donaire was included for the first time in the Ring Magazine pound for pound rankings, in the 7th spot.

Super Flyweight division

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) ordered a mandatory rematch between Donaire and previous challenger Moruti Mthalane by August 1, 2009. However, Donaire's agent has expressed interest in moving up to the junior bantamweight/super flyweight division at 115 pounds. Initially, Donaire was set to face Hugo Fidel Cazares on August 15, but talks for the bout had fallen through 2009. Rafael Concepción of Panama then replaced Cazares as Donaire's opponent for the Interim WBA super flyweight title, which headlined the card titled "Pinoy Power 2." Donaire added conditioning coach Mike Bazzel to supplement Dodie Boy and Jonathan Peñalosa in their camp at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos, a Bay Area suburb near San Mateo. He dedicated his fight against Concepcion in memory of late Philippine President Corazon "Cory" Aquino where he requested Everlast, a boxing equipment company, to provide a yellow robe with the inscription “I. M. O. (in memory of) former Pres. Cory Aquino.” Because Concepcion failed to weigh within the super flyweight limit (115 lbs.), only Donaire, who made weight successfully, can win the title. Donaire won the bout via unanimous decision. Two days after the win over Concepcion, he arrived to a rousing welcome in Manila, where he was feted in a motorcade by Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Nonito Donaire's trainer was switched from his father to Roberto García Cortez in late 2009. Donaire does not want to be rude to Garcia by not training hard. So, even when he is not with Garcia, Donaire is working to the limit.

On February 13, 2010, Nonito Donaire faced Manuel "Chango" Vargas for his first defense of the Interim WBA super flyweight title at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada. The latter was only a late replacement to Gerson Guerrero, who did not pass eye examinations and was forced to pull out. Vargas took the fight on less than 3 days short notice and had to move up 3 weight divisions. The bout headlined the card titled "Pinoy Power 3." Donaire won the fight via a 3rd-round (1:33) knockout and successfully retained his title.

After the fight Nonito Donaire expressed his interest in fighting Vic Darchinyan, for a rematch, or Fernando Montiel, both boxing champions, as he plans to move up to the bantamweight division. According to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, Nonito Donaire would have faced the reigning WBC and WBA Super Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan on August 21, 2010 at the Home Depot in California. After weeks of uncertainty regarding the Donaire-Darchinyan rematch, Arum said the fight was done. However, the deal fell apart on May 5, 2010, so the bout was called off.

Nonito Donaire is also looking for a fight with WBO Bantamweight Champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico. However, Donaire stated that he is looking forward to a regular world title match in super flyweight division first before taking on Montiel.

Following this events, Bob Arum announced that Donaire would fight in the undercard of Juan Manuel López and Bernabe Concepcion bout on July 10, 2010 at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Opponent for this fight was expected to be announced in the coming days. Donaire challenged Puerto Rican boxer Eric Morel, but the latter turned the offer down. As a result, Donaire planned a bantamweight move, as he did not find any available opponent in the super flyweight division; at first he refused to fight Hernan "Tyson" Marquez, who was coming from a lopsided loss against Richie Mepranum. The Donaire-Marquez bout took place in the super flyweight division. Donaire won the match by TKO in the eight round. The bout was supposed to be his last fight in the super flyweight division.

Bantamweight

Following his win against Marquez, Nonito Donaire stated his intention to compete in the bantamweight division (118 pounds) to challenge WBO and WBC Champion Fernando Montiel.

On December 4, 2010, Nonito Donaire challenged former WBA Bantamweight Champion Wladimir Sidorenko for the vacant WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title. Donaire knocked down Sidorenko thrice and became the first man to stop Sidorenko. The win against Sidorenko gave Donaire the chance to face Mexican Fernando Montiel.

On February 19, 2011, Nonito Donaire stopped Fernando Montiel in the second round to take the WBC and WBO Bantamweight titles. Donaire took a right to the head from the Montiel, then immediately countered with a devastating left to the head that sent Montiel crumpling to the canvas. Montiel rose to continue and Donaire rushed over to land a left and a right before referee Russell Mora stopped the fight after two minutes and 25 seconds of the second round. With the victory, Donaire became the second Filipino and third Asian to become a three-division world champion, a fighter who won world titles in three different weight divisions.

On February 28, 2011, the Philippine Senate formally adopted two Senate Resolutions filed by Senators Pia Cayetano and Manuel Lapid congratulating and commending Donaire for being an outstanding Filipino boxer and for bringing honor and pride to the country.

On October 22, 2011, Nonito Donaire made his New York debut by beating previously undefeated two-division world champion Omar "El Huracán" Narvaez at Madison Square Garden in New York. Donaire dominated the fight against an obviously outmatched Narvaez but did not get the knockout he sought.

Super Bantamweight

After the fight between WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Toshiaki Nishioka and Rafael Márquez, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum stated that he had an agreement for the winner of the Nishioka-Marquez title fight to face Nonito Donaire, who wants to move up to super bantamweight after his WBC and WBO bantamweight title fight with Omar Andres Narvaez. However, in an interview after Nishioka won, Arum said that the planned Donaire-Nishioka fight will not happen as earlier planned for mid-January and that "probably Nishioka won't fight Donaire until May or June (2012) because he wants to take a rest." Instead, Arum raised the possibility of Donaire fighting WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Jorge Arce.

WBO Super Bantamweight Championship

On Saturday night to capture the WBO Super Bantamweight Championship. It was not a perfect fight for the new champion, but he showed his resolve and did what was necessary to walk away with a win. 

Give Vazquez credit where it is due, he came in with nothing to lose. He was still trying to build himself back up after the loss last May to Jorge Arce, and managed to hang in there with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world for 12 rounds.

There were plenty of stories to come out of Saturday's fight, and here is what we are most excited to see come out of this epic battle. 

After twelve rounds, kept rolling along with a dominant victory over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. scores of 117–110 twice were read in Donaire’s favor as the third judge had a surprising 115–112 for Vázquez Jr. He won via split decision to capture the WBO Super Bantamweight title, even though Donaire connected 60 percent of his power shots, outlanded Vázquez in eleven rounds except for the sixth round and knocked him down in the ninth round. That makes him the second Asian (only other than Manny Pacquiao) to win championships in four different divisions.