Boxing promoter Lucien Chen dead at 88
The boxing fraternity worldwide is mourning the death of Jamaican boxing promoter and businessman Lucien Chen.Chen died at age 88 in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday. He had been residing in the United States for several years.The Jamaican was well known in boxing circles all over the world, and ruled the boxing landscape locally for decades. Boxing was not his only love, however, as he was an avid fan of horse racing and owned several horses. He was also a skilled bridge player and, at one time, was the head of Track Price Plus, a leading local book-making company.He was innovative and did things in boxing that no other promoter would dare to try. He brought some of the biggest names in boxing here, and one recalls Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Beecham, and Simon Brown, who graced our shores at his invitation. He also worked with local boxing stars who made it to the top, and these included Bunny Grant, Percy Hayles and Richard Clarke, as well as well known world champions Michael McCallum and Trevor Berbick.He was associated with Berbick in the negotiations for his world title fight with Mike Tyson, which earned for Berbick his biggest pay-day of US$2-million. Although he was not the promoter for the Sunshine Showdown between George Foreman and Joe Frazier, he played an important role in getting the fight to take place here in 1973, and was part of the group that put the card together.successful promoterHis ring savvy and knowledge of boxing enabled him to be the most successful promoter to have graced these shores, and he will go down in history as the man who introduced Dinner/Boxing to Jamaica. Frustrated that he would hold massive shows in the National Stadium, National Arena and at Sabina Park and end up losing money at the gate, he took boxing to the controlled area of a hotel ballroom.He would arrange an attractive televised boxing card, which would be preceded by cocktails and dinner, and for which all tickets were sold in advance. He was also able to garner attractive sponsorship packages that ensured that the event would make money. On many occasions, the proceeds were donated to charities. On at least two occasions, he donated the proceeds of his shows to needy boxers.Before boxing, he was very successful in the insurance business, after which he moved into bookmaking when it became legal. He owned local bookmaking company Track Price Plus, with some colleagues, and this was an area in which he was very innovative.His House of Chen Restaurant on Knutsford Boulevard was a showpiece, and was well patronised by sports people. He entertained many overseas boxers there, before and after their fights. His son, Lenny, who followed in his footsteps in both boxing and the bookmaking business, disclosed that Chen was ailing for some time and died peacefully. He has left a tremendous legacy in boxing and has set the bar high for those who will try to follow in his footsteps.
For new netball president Paula Daley-Morris, a high-performance centre (HPC) to enhance and improve netballers and sportsmen and women in general and a National Recovery Centre (NRC) to help heal injuries and aid in recovery would be an ideal investment in the nation’s sportsmen and women when the new government takes office.Daley-Morris said that with the ever-increasing importance of sports and our sportsmen to the nation, having an HPC and an NRC would show the new administration that it is serious about assisting the nation’s sports representatives.”We would want a high performance centre, and we want a high-performance programme to be put in place for netball. We would really like the mechanics and different types of testing services, and when there are injuries, we need a national recovery centre with different hot and cold baths to help with recovery processes, improving the fine things around the game. We need somewhere to facilitate all that, so that would be at the top of my list,” she reasoned.However, Daley-Morris would prefer if Netball Jamaica provided the funding to implement programmes and the Government laid the infrastructure to take the sport forward.”I don’t view the Government as being responsible for those improvements. I think it is down to my organisation. What we would need is greater financial support for the changes because we have good plans on the table.”If our plans to spread the game across the island and have competitions in all parishes materialise, we need to have government support in terms of upgrading facilities in communities where we want to play games. We need bathroom facilities and changing accommodations in those areas,” she continued.But she commended the sports ministry and both parties for maintaining continuity even after a change of government.”I must commend the Government. I am not singling out any party because over the last 10 years, the Government has done a lot to improve sports in Jamaica. I really couldn’t say otherwise. First we had Portia Simpson as minister, then ‘Babsy’ (Olivia) Grange, and now, Natalie Neita Headley, and the three have run a good baton race. The passing of the baton has been great, and they continue to make steps,” she said ahead of Thursday’s general election.”Normally, we are used to a new government coming in and dismantling everything, but we saw a lot of continuity in sports, so we have to be grateful. But I think the reason that happens is because of the setting up of the Sports Development Foundation, which is an independent body that continues to grow sports,” she said.
Jamaica College’s dominance of the Corporate Area Manning Cup competition over the past two seasons was dependent on a core of players that included their talisman and captain Junior Flemming, Rafiek Bryan, Sheldon McKoy, Kevin Blackwood, to name a few.Although the Old Hope Road-based school will have the bulk of their starting defenders such as Allando Brown, Chadwayne Johnson and Donovan Segree for the new season, they will have a new attacking core when they face Calabar High at the Montego Bay Sports Complex today at 2 p.m.”It was projected that we would have lost them (key players). But we always have good replacements, players who have come through the ranks and those who have stepped up.”We played the STETHS Cup and it showed they (players) have guts, determination and quality and we hope we continue growing as the season progresses,” coach Miguel Coley commented.Brown and Johnson will provide leadership and experience from behind. However, the midfield and the attacking units are still pretty young. But Coley’s focus is on going all the way for a third straight season.”We have players who are competent. We just need to guide them and give them the necessary confidence to go out and do the work.”I expect we will do very well in today’s opener, although it will be tough against Calabar I just want a good solid performance and a win would make me happy,” he said.Calabar’s Bradley Stewart who is in his second season at the school, expects his players to do much better than last year and a positive start, especially a win, is the result they need to kick-start their season.”It will be a challenge playing the defending champions as they were the best team (last season). We feel that we made improvements and we want to give ourselves a good chance of taking a good result.”And a good result would be not to lose. The best result would be to win, and we are going to try for the best possible result in every match,” he stated.”There is also additional motivation, as there is the anniversary of Calabar … on September 12. This is significant for us and there is no better time than now to boost activities of our founders’ day celebrations.Several other Manning Cup games will be contested in the corporate area today. The scheduled games are Holy Trinity vs St Mary’s College (Bell/Chung Oval), St Andrew Technical vs Penwood, Wolmer’s vs St Jago, Kingston College vs Camperdown (at Clovelly Park) and Waterford vs Jose Marti. All matches kick off at 3:30 p.m.
A Man of the Match performance by captain Chevonne ‘Messi’ Marsh, who dispatched a clinical 79th minute penalty and assisted his team’s opener, led Cavalier Soccer Club’s surge to a 2-0 win over Reno FC at Stadium East yesterday and seventh place in the Red Stripe Premier League.Marsh, who pushed his goalscoring tally to six this season, was menacing from the get-go. He should have scored in the first 10 minutes, but failed to tap in a ball which ran across the face of the Reno goal.Marsh then went on several marauding runs, one which, in the 71st minute, saw him slip by three Reno defenders, dribble into the box and deliver a pass on a silver platter, which substitute Andre Dawson bulleted high and hard into the Reno net to give the homesters the lead.Eight minutes later, Marsh, with the ball at his feet, bedazzled the Reno defence into fouling him as he drove skilfully into the box before being bundled over by defender Miguel Barnaby for a penalty.The attacking midfielder made amends for his early miss, as he stepped up and dispatched his penalty cleverly to the left of goalkeeper Devaughn Hawthorne in the 79th to round out his team’s 2-0 win.Cavalier moved to 27 points, courtesy of seven wins, six draws and eight losses.”We are very happy with the win,” said Rudolph Speid, the club’s coach. “We have been having a very bad 2015, and 2016 is looking very good.”Cavalier are currently on a three-game winning run since the start of the second round.”We went to work and got some firepower and fielded some young players here, only two players in the team were over 25 today,” he stressed, adding that their focus is on Harbour View, their next opponent, and over 40 points for the season.Reno’s coach, Michael Graham, blamed a lack of concentration in defence and injury to a key player for his team’s loss. They are fourth from bottom on 23 points.Yesterday’s ResultsCavalier SC 2 FC Reno 0Waterhouse FC 0 Mo Bay Utd 0Today’s Matches3 p.m.: Boys Town vs Humble Lion at Barbican Stadium3 p.m.: Portmore United vs Tivoli Gardens at Juici Park3 p.m.: Rivoli United vs Arnett Gardens at Spanish Town Prison Oval3 p.m.: UWI FC vs Harbour View at UWI Mona Bowl
RUN CHASE GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC): Batting coach Toby Radford has backed West Indies to hit back strongly in Today’s decisive third One-Day International, as the hosts chase their first series victory over Pakistan in nearly three decades. West Indies won the opener of the three-match series last Friday when they staged a daring run chase to win by four wickets, but Pakistan hit back on Sunday to level the series with a 74-run victory. Radford said although the Windies would have preferred to enter the contest with a winning 2-0 lead, they were now fully focused on pulling off the all-important win in the high-stakes game. “Everyone has got to be up for that. We were up for it [on Sunday] and we’re disappointed because we wanted to finish the series … but that was not to be,” the Englishman said. “We will come strongly on Tuesday, that’s a huge game for us. We want to win a series against them. We obviously had a great performance two days ago and we want to do that again. “We believe we can do it, we’ve got the quality here to do it, but we’ve really got to dig deep and come back firing on all cylinders.” Coming on the back of their historic victory on Friday, West Indies seemed en route to a series-clinching performance when they restricted Pakistan to below 200 in the first 40 overs of their innings. However, Babar Azam unfurled an amazing unbeaten 125 – his fifth ODI hundred and fourth in five matches against West Indies – and Imad Wasim lashed a cameo unbeaten 43 down the order, as Pakistan rallied superbly to gather 84 runs from the last 42 balls of the innings. Radford said it had been this shift in momentum which saw West Indies fall behind, and the inertia had extended into their run chase. “I think there was a real momentum shift in the last 10 overs of the bowling and fielding effort,” Radford explained. “I thought we bowled particularly well, especially the spinners in the middle. I thought Jason Holder up front was excellent today, [but] Babar Azam is a top-quality player and he struck the ball very cleanly at the back end of the innings. “So from thinking we were probably chasing 230, 240, we suddenly end up chasing 280, probably 50 more runs than we wanted.”
MOST READ Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next ‘Gorio’ wipes out NCAA Friday games Reyes couldn’t hide his disappointment with Blatche’s decision to beg off from the Asian championship, saying that they were forced to make a move as the July 25 deadline passed without a word from the Syracuse-born big man.“I think he’s gonna issue a statement soon but there’s absolutely no reason. We waited and we waited, and they couldn’t give a confirmation. The deadline has passed and we had to make that decision,” he said.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’Blatche has already aired his side on a brief Instagram post on Wednesday: “I will always be very thankful for the opportunity, the love, and the support I have received from my Filipino family but it’s a lot [sic] of reason why I can’t join. I don’t expect for many people to understand but I do wish my brothers the best of luck.”Without the 30-year-old big man, the Philippines will be parading Fil-German forward Christian Standhardinger in his place as the team’s naturalized player. 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Kawhi Leonard, Clippers rally to beat Pelicans Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netGilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes admitted that the Philippine team is coming into the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup with low morale with naturalized player Andray Blatche opting to sit out the tourney.“(Our confidence is) very, very low. I mean, we’re going to fight, and we’re going to fight like hell, but we have to manage expectations,” he said on Thursday as the national team resumed team practices at Upper Deck Gym in Pasig.ADVERTISEMENT Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ View comments LATEST STORIES Indian national gunned down in Camarines Sur LeBron James scores 31 points, Lakers beat Rockets OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson With limited time to prepare for the continental meet, Reyes banking on the dedication of the 12-man roster, but it’s not without its own set of problems.The team only has 12 days to train before they fly to Lebanon on August 6, and Reyes is expecting to miss a few players due to their individual commitments with their mother ballclubs until they leave for Beirut.“I thought we had 12 days of practice and right, we have 12 days practice — except not with the whole team. We’re still not complete so it’s gonna be very, very difficult,” he said. “That’s the tough part with this Fiba Asia. We’re going to go into a tournament, into a war and we’re never complete. I don’t think it’s gonna happen until we leave, so it’s something that we have to live with.”Still, Reyes is hoping that the individual greatness of these players will be enough to deliver results.“You know these guys. They never quit, they never give up. Hopefully, we can spring some surprises come Fiba Asia,” he said.ADVERTISEMENT McGregor blasts Cerrone in 40 seconds in UFC return End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend ‘I’m out!’: PewDiePie releases last video before taking break from YouTube Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite
Albay to send off disaster response team to Batangas MOST READ 2 nabbed in Bicol drug stings CIGNAL HD 86 – Jose 17, Perkins 13, Villarias 13, Sumalinog 12, Arboleda 6, Bringas 6, Cahilig 6, Raymundo 5, Batino 4, Sara 4, Apinan 0, Uyloan 0.MARINERONG PILIPINO 67 – Javelona 11, Sargent 8, Subido 8, Moralde 7, Herndon 6, Lopez 6, Iñigo 5, Marata 5, Alabanza 3, Isip 3, Javillonar 3, Gabriel 2.Quarters: 34-14, 48-29, 65-45, 86-67.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Lyceum escapes EAC for 7th straight win Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. LATEST STORIES Vilma Santos, Luis Manzano warn public of fake account posing as her Teen gunned down in Masbate Ai-Ai delas Alas on Jiro Manio: ‘Sana pinahalagahan niya ang naitulong ko’ 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano PBA IMAGESCignal HD derailed Marinerong Pilipino’s dream voyage with an 86-67 rout Thursday to gain a 1-0 lead in their 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup semifinals series Thursday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.Possibly playing his final game before leaving for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, Raymar Jose imposed his presence and uncorked 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench to lead his side to the win.ADVERTISEMENT But as always, the Skippers woke up from their slumber late and made a huge push in the fourth period, cutting the deficit to as low as 12, 75-63, after a Julian Sargent bucket.Unfortunately, the Skippers’ late-game magic was no match for Cignal’s end game poise, with Jose, Sumalinog, and Villarias icing the game down the stretch.The Hawkeyes can close the deal out on Tuesday for Game 2, still at Ynares Sports Arena.Pao Javelona paced Marinerong Pilipino with 11 points, while Sargent and Renzo Subido both got eight markers apiece as they saw the end of the Skippers’ seven-game winning run.The Scores:ADVERTISEMENT End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend View comments “I’m really thankful for Raymar. I had to play him for the whole of the third quarter and he did his job for us,” said coach Boyet Fernandez.Jason Perkins provided the stability for the Hawkeyes as he scattered 13 markers, 18 boards, three assists, one steal, and one block, Byron Villarias had 13 points, four rebounds, and three dimes, and Oping Sumalinog got 12 markers and four boards as the Hawkeyes starters jumped to an early 34-14 first quarter lead and never looked back.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’“I’m really happy that the starters stepped up on defense. We’re pressured enough to play at our best today given the fact that we haven’t played for a long while. But credit to my boys again. They really played their hearts out today,” said Fernandez.Showing no rust from their three-week layoff, Cignal controlled the tempo of the game and even led by high as 24, 62-38, at the 2:54 mark of the third quarter. 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano SEA Games 2019: PH’s Carlo Paalam boxing light flyweight semi final (HIGHLIGHTS) PLAY LIST 03:13SEA Games 2019: PH’s Carlo Paalam boxing light flyweight semi final (HIGHLIGHTS)00:51Ecuador: Barge carrying 600 gallons of diesel fuel sinks at port03:42SEA Games: Rogen Ladon enters flyweight boxing semis01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’
Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano “We have a long-term plan all the way to Tokyo 2020, I don’t want to commit the same mistakes I had in Rio, so this early I want to prepare,” added Tabal who stands to receive P300,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission.READ: Tabal wins half marathon in CanadaBy all indications, Tabal has already put aside her rift with the Philippine Track and Field Association as she went on to hug Patafa chief Philip Ella Juico at the end of the race.Juico stationed himself by the drinking station and even handed her drinks in one of the four loops around Putrajaya government district.She also made no mention of her strained relations with the athletics body that sacked her twice in the last two years over issues regarding her coaches and sponsors.ADVERTISEMENT Her gold medal victory, the first for the Philippines in this SEA Games, made it all seemed right.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Albay to send off disaster response team to Batangas Vilma Santos, Luis Manzano warn public of fake account posing as her Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles02:11SEA GAMES 2019: PH’s Nesthy Petecio boxing featherweight final (HIGHLIGHTS)08:07Athletes treated to a spectacle as SEA Games 2019 officially ends06:27SEA Games 2019: No surprises as Gilas Pilipinas cruises to basketball gold05:02SEA Games 2019: Philippines clinches historic gold in women’s basketball05:21Drama in karate: Tsukii ‘very sad’ over coach’s bullying, cold shoulder03:24PH’s James Palicte boxing light welterweight final (HIGHLIGHTS) Ai-Ai delas Alas on Jiro Manio: ‘Sana pinahalagahan niya ang naitulong ko’ Mary Joy Tabal wins the first gold medal for the Philippines when she ruled the women’s marathon at the 2017 SEA Games in Putrajaya, Malaysia. INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZPUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Soon after crossing the finish line in this kingly, immense district, Mary Joy Tabal said she would like to immediately visit a church.“It’s been a long time since I went to church, I have so much to thank God for,” said Tabal after ruling the Southeast Asian Games women’s marathon for the country’s first gold.ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend 2 nabbed in Bicol drug stings Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ Tabal said that every time she passed by the end of the loop where Filipino fans were gathered, “it’s like all my hardships disappear.”READ: Tabal delivers first gold medal for PH, rules women’s marathonFEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’“I would feel very heavy physically, but I just decided to go my own pace. I knew that God will guide me as long as I keep running and keep my own pace” said Tabal.Now the petite lass from Guba, Cebu City is setting her sights on the Asian Games next year in Indonesia. Teen gunned down in Masbate 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano LATEST STORIES LOOK: Mayweather says he’ll party all week leading to McGregor fight View comments
Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny She’s more than that now.NU coach Babes Castillo said he has seen the 6-foot-5 utility spiker evolve into a strong leader for the Lady Bulldogs.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smog“Her maturity is really coming out,” said Castillo of the 21-year-old Santiago who, over the past year, has been part of the national team in major international competitions.Santiago averaged 26 points during the semifinals, which saw the Lady Bulldogs sweep reigning NCAA champion Arellano University. During Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference Finals, she unloaded 23 markers to help crush Far Eastern U, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 26-24.“I no longer concern myself with any position because I train in playing all positions,” said Santiago in Filipino.Usually the tallest in every team she plays in, Santiago started out as a middle blocker.For the national team, she played open and even opposite, something that worked perfectly for the Lady Bulldogs, who are eyeing a sweep of the PVL title on Saturday—and the league’s first unbeaten run in history.“I have to remind myself to be flexible because I’m a professional player,” added Santiago.ADVERTISEMENT Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Santiago, who is now on her fifth and last year at NU, has been imposing herself over just about everyone—her experience culled from playing in several club tournaments coming to fore.She recently nixed an offer to play for Asian top club Bangkok Glass, which reportedly offered P1.2 million for a six-month stint.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next For years, Jaja Santiago has been National University’s mean scoring machine.ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Sports 5 gets huge boost with ESPN partnership Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss04:31Suu Kyi appeals to ICJ not to impose int’l justice02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson LATEST STORIES View comments
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netLyceum shoots for a finals berth against a San Beda team looking to preserve its own seven-year-old record on the final day of the elimination round of NCAA Season 93 at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.“It just another opportunity for us to inspire,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson, choosing to downplay the much-awaited rematch of their thrilling 96-91 win last July 14.ADVERTISEMENT Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? Judy Ann’s 1st project for 2020 is giving her a ‘stomachache’ Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene Malaysia leads Philippine Sr golfers by 2 It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson
A win by the Pirates will give them a perfect elimination round record (18-0) and seed them straight to the Finals. It will also deprive the Lions of a twice-to-beat edge.Instead, San Beda will be the waiting team in a stepladder semifinal. The survivor of the grueling semifinal climb will face Lyceum in a best-of-three title showdown. Under a new league rule, the Pirates will no longer own a thrice-to-beat advantage in the Finals.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smogSan Beda can claim the No. 1 seed with at least a six-point victory. A victory by the Lions regardless of the margin will put the traditional Final Four format in play, with the Top 2 teams having a twice-to-beat edge. LATEST STORIES View comments Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ MOST READ OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’