Papi Chulo's BLOG

Shaquille O'Neal Vows to Walk Two Miles In a Pink Speedo If He Loses on Shaq Vs.

ABC debuts a new celebreality competition series later this month with Shaq Vs. ...

The series pits Shaquille O'Neal against other top athletes in their own sports ... Shaq goes up against Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, tennis pro Serena Williams and beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh ...

Shaq announced that if he losses to May-Treanor and Walsh, he would walk two miles in a pink Speedo ...

Shaq Vs. premieres August 18 on ABC ...

~Papi Chulo~

Talk of the Town :: Azea Augustama Goes for the Gold

Azea Augustama is making his Olympics debut ...

The 25-year-old boxer has come a long way ... As a 7-year-old Augustama landed in Miami aboard a rickety boat from Haiti ...

Azea Augustama: "I have been working at this for 18 years. When I'm at the opening ceremony and they light the torches, it might sink in then. This is a lifelong experience."

A light heavyweight ... Augustama will be among 10 athletes ... but he will be the only boxer representing Haiti ...

In mid-April Augustama made the Olympics by capturing the bronze medal at the International Boxing Association American Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Guatemala ... His win gained the attention of South Florida's Haitian community ... Last week a fundraiser was held to help raise the $20,000 for his Beijing trip ...

Azea Augustama: "Not being a [U.S.] citizen, I couldn't go to certain competitions, and Haiti is in a lot of turmoil and did not have the money to send me because it is expensive."

Augustama paid for his training ... which included jump roping, shadow boxing, sparring with partners and the punching bag, and running four miles a day ... by working a construction job for the past four years ... It also allowed him to support his 2-year-old son, Azea Jr., and his girlfriend ... Augustama was laid off in March ...

Augustama may not on any Olympic "to watch" lists ... but he certainly is in the thoughts and prayers of South Florida's Haitian community ... and in the minds of many South Floridians ...

~Papi Chulo~

Roy Jones Jr. :: "I Want De La Hoya at 156 in May!"

An energized Roy Jones Jr. ... still reeling off of his unanimous-decision win over Felix "Tito" Trinidad ... says he's ready to take on all corners in the light heavyweight or super middleweight divisions ... and beyond!

Roy Jones Jr.: "I told you Roy Jones Jr. is back. I'll take the winner of either the re-match between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor or Joe Calzaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins. I'm even willing to go down to 156 pounds to face Oscar De La Hoya in May. Line them up and I'll knock them down."

Jones proved everyone wrong on Saturday ... He still has the skills that made him one of the best and most feared boxers in the history of boxing ...

Roy Jones Jr.: "I always said that with the right motivation and focus I can still be Superman. I saw it in the gym leading up to the fight and Tito Trinidad and everybody else saw it on Saturday night at the Garden. Like I said, line 'em up and I'll knock them down."

~Papi Chulo~

And the Winner is ...

Four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. and three-division champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad got in the ring together Saturday night in Madison Square Garden ...

Jones grabbed glory by the horns ... dominating the ring ... and scoring a unanimous decision victory over Trinidad in front of 12,162 viewers ... The "win put an exclamation point on the career of a fighter who many view as an all-time great" ...

Trinidad didn't have the power to hurt Jones ... and Jones didn't have any issues showing his power when he knocked down Trinidad in the seventh and tentch rounds ...

Roy Jones Jr.: "He's got a hard head and I jammed a knuckle."

Jones landed 147 power punches ... while Trinidad achieved 101 ...

Jones (to Trinidad after the fight): "I can't believe you stayed in there 12 rounds with me."

~Papi Chulo~

Roy Jones Jr. vs. Felix "Tito" Trinidad -- TONIGHT!

Former world champions Roy Jones Jr. and Felix "Tito" Trinidad face off tonight at Madison Square Garden live on HBO Pay-Per-View ...

Jones spoke to FOXSports.com recently about the fight ... Here is an excerpt ...

FOXSports.com: Obviously you're not as young as you used to be — none of us are. Does that affect your training methods at all?

Roy Jones: No, man. What really helped me this time was training with a guy who's pretty good, and he kind of helped me pick out some of the small problems I had been having, so it made it really good.

This is the first time I've been able to properly prepare in a long time. I was able to work on my legs, work on my movement and work on my defensive stance. I think was really a blessing in disguise because I've been able work on things I haven't been able to work on.

FOXSports.com: Why Tito Trinidad and why now?

RJ: He asked for it. That simple. It wasn't my choice. He asked me, so of course I'm not going to turn it down.

FOXSports.com: Does the fact he hasn't fought in 2 1/2 years affect the way you approach the fight?

RJ: No, because last time he took off two years he came back and fought against Ricardo Mayorga and he looked better than I'd ever seen him look. So sometimes taking a break serves you well.

However, I just don't think he knows what he's getting himself into this time.

FOXSports.com: What challenges do you think Trinidad presents to you?

RJ: He's just got a strong punch. He's got a strong left hook and a pretty decent right hand. He's a strong puncher. That's all he's got. He's a very strong puncher.

FOXSports.com: Why do you expect to beat him?

RJ: Because I'm a stronger puncher.

FOXSports.com: Is there any timetable you're setting for yourself as far as how long you want to keep fighting?

RJ: No. I go by God's timetable. Never my own.

FOXSports.com: What should fans expect to see on Jan. 19 when they tune in?

RJ: The old Roy Jones. The showin'-up-havin'-a-good-time
-razzlin'-dazzlin'-dazin'-you Roy Jones that we've grown to love back in the day.

~Papi Chulo~