associated rehabilitation should help the health of his tendo

There are a few things ubiquitous about featherweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz.There is the unmistakable boatload of punches he throws fight in and fight out, which has helped make him a fan favorite. There is the smile that never seems to leave his face. And there is his father and trainer, Jose Santa Cruz, always by his side and wearing a big, black cowboy hat.When Leo Santa Cruz steps into the ring to make his second title defense on Saturday (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET, with preliminary bouts on Showtime Extreme at 7 p.m. ET/PT), in a much-anticipated and expected action-packed fight against former unified junior featherweight titleholder Carl Frampton at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Jose Santa Cruz will once again be at his side.It has been touch and go for the elder Santa Cruz because he is in the fight of his life against bone cancer. He is apparently doing well at the moment and was healthy enough to work with his son during the training camp and to make the trip from their home in Southern California to New York for the fight.I am so happy my father is here with us, Leo Santa Cruz said. We thought he might not be able to make it, but thank God he is here with us. Not having my dad here in New York with me would have been hard. It actually brought tears to my eyes, but I am very happy that he is here and will be in my corner for my fight.The Santa Cruz family is well-liked throughout the boxing community and Lou DiBella, promoter of the card, seemingly spoke for all recently when he told Leo Santa Cruz during a media teleconference to discuss the match, I just want you to know that all of us in the entire boxing world are praying for your dad and thank you for your dad.Leo Santa Cruz, probably wearing that big smile, responded, Thank you guys for your prayers and, yes, my dad right now, hes doing great. Thank God, and hopefully he continues to beat cancer.Jose Santa Cruz, a Mexican immigrant, got his son started in boxing along wth Leos brothers, Jose Armando, a former lightweight contender, and Antonio. As long as he was healthy enough, Jose says he was not about to miss what many view as the most dangerous fight of Leos career -- a career that has seen him win world titles in three weight classes -- bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight.Im so thrilled for Leo that he has this opportunity and to be here for him, Jose Santa Cruz said. I know Frampton is undefeated, but Leo comes very prepared. He has worked hard in camp, like he always does. Hopefully both fighters give the fans a good fight on fight night.Leo Santa Cruz claimed a vacant featherweight belt by majority decision last August in a fight of the year contender against Southern California rival and fellow three-division titlist Abner Mares.Then, on Feb. 27, Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs), 27, dispatched former titlist Kiko Martinez (from whom Frampton won his first world title) in five rounds. The win came only hours after Northern Irelands Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs), 29, outpointed rival Scott Quigg to unify junior featherweight titles as they aimed to set up Saturdays big fight.But with his father struggling with his illness a few months ago, Leo Santa Cruz said he contemplated pulling out of the fight with Frampton.We didnt know how my dad was going to be, or if he would be in my corner or if he was going to be able to beat cancer, Santa Cruz said. We didnt know what was going to go on. So, yes, we thought about [canceling the fight]. But then when we went to talk to my dad and told him about it he told us that no, that this is a job that even if he cant be there then we still have to go out there and do what we do. I knew he was going to be happier if I went out there and fought.My dad would get strong and he said, Oh, no, no, no. This cancer is not going to beat me. Im going to fight it. Im going to fight it. Im going to beat it and youre going to go out there and do the same thing. So thats what his words were. It was a big help and then it made us come out here and work harder.By the late part of training camp Leo said his father was in the gym daily, even if he wasnt involved hands-on as he usually is.At the beginning, it was really difficult, he said. But the last couple of weeks, he was there in the camp. He was there each day doing what he had to do, so I think this chance, it has been great. Hed promised that hed come to the fight and not to give up.Antonio Santa Cruz, Leos younger brother, works alongside his father as a trainer for his brother, but he took on added responsibility during this training camp.My father is usually the one who tells us what to do. Im in the ring with Leo but hes still there, Antonio said. He is sick, but he is still going to the gym. He wants to be there for Leo.Said Jose Santa Cruz: I feel good. Right now Im going to the gym every day. Leo looks good in the ring and is training very well. Little by little, Antonio is learning and even Im still learning. Were both getting better as trainers and that is our goal -- to be great. I feel the love from my sons and I love them a lot too. Im proud of them and Im proud that they are my sons.When his father began to feel a bit better, the decision was made to go through with the fight, Leo Santa Cruz said.He has always been there with me since the beginning of my career, since I was very small, he said. When the doctors told me that he would be in my corner, I was even more ready for this fight. I know that this is going to be an interesting fight. Were both undefeated and were going to make it a war. Neither of us wants that first loss. Were going to leave it all in the ring. This wont be an easy fight. Its a 50-50 fight. The fighter who wants it the most will win the night.In the 10-round junior welterweight co-feature, former featherweight and junior lightweight titleholder Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28 KOs), of Riverside, California, who has been out idle for 2? years because of a legal battle over his promotional contract, will return and face former featherweight titlist Elio Rojas (24-2, 14 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, similarly coming off a 23-month layoff.In the opener of the tripleheader, junior middleweight contenders Tony Harrison (23-1, 19 KOs), of Detroit, and the Ricky Hatton-trained Sergey Rabchenko (27-1, 20 KOs), of Belarus, will meet in a world title elimination bout.There are also two other 10-round bouts on the Showtime Extreme portion of the card: former welterweight and junior welterweight world titleholder Paulie Malignaggi (35-7, 7 KOs) against Brooklyn neighborhood rival Gabriel Tito Bracero (24-2, 5 KOs) in a welterweight fight and Ukrainian lightweight Ivan Redkach (19-1-1, 15 KOs) against Philadelphias Tevin Farmer (21-4-1, 5 KOs).Santa Cruz and Frampton have shown the utmost respect for each other throughout the promotion and their high regard for each other carried over into the final news conference with Hall of Famer Barry McGuigan, Framptons manager, offering kind words to Jose Santa Cruz.I just wanted to say that were thrilled that Jose Santa Cruz is back on his feet, McGuigan said. Every one of our families is affected by cancer.Jose Santa Cruz is not looking for sympathy. He is just excited to be at his sons side for the fight, as he always has been.Im really happy to be here, he said. Ive been at all of Leos fights and its great to be at this one. This is just another reason to be happy. Custom Lions Jersey China . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Custom Lions T-shirts . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. http://www.customlionsjersey.com/ . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Authentic Custom Lions Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Custom T.J. Hockenson Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Virtually no one gets through an entire NBA season unscathed, but some players attract more attention than others when it comes to their injuries, often because there is a cumulative effect or because their injuries are so unusual. With that in mind, here are a handful of players to keep an eye on as the NBA season gets underway.Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers Injury: Fractured right navicular bone (in foot) When It happened: first surgery performed June 2014; second surgery performed August 2015Embiid was selected third overall in the 2014 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers despite undergoing surgery just one week prior to repair a stress fracture in his midfoot. Complicating the picture was the knowledge that injuries to the navicular often dont heal well due to the bones poor blood supply. In fact, this injury can be career-threatening, if not career-ending, to big men (former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming comes to mind). Still, the 76ers planned to keep Embiid sidelined for what would have been his rookie season and were optimistic he could eventually embark on his NBA career.It wasnt to be in the following season either, however. Persistent symptoms in his surgically repaired foot led to a second procedure in August 2015. The second surgery was performed by noted foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin OMalley of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. During the second procedure the two original screws were replaced and bone grafting was added to reinforce the bone and offer further potential for healing. A similar timetable of five to eight months recovery was provided by the team, and Embiid sat out a second consecutive season. In December he was cleared to resume some workouts and he increased his activity steadily through the summer.Now entering his third year with the organization, Embiid is finally taking to the court. He entered training camp claiming his foot has healed and he has been introduced to NBA-level competition in the preseason, albeit with a minutes restriction. Those restrictions are likely to continue as the team enters the regular season not only to gradually introduce the surgically repaired foot to the stress of games but also to adapt Embiids conditioning. Its important to remember Embiid played only one year at the collegiate level (Kansas) prior to entering the draft and is now playing for the first time in three seasons. As far as the healing of his foot, while it appears that Embiid is doing well now, no one will be likely to breathe easy until he proves he can get through a season unscathed. There remains risk until proved otherwise.Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies Injury: Fractured right navicular bone (in foot) When it happened: injured Feb. 8, surgery performed Feb. 20Gasol missed the last two months of the season after suffering a non-displaced Type II navicular fracture in his right foot and subsequently undergoing surgery to repair it. Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. Drew Murphy performed the procedure. The navicular bone is in the midfoot and is considered a keystone of the arch. It can be problematic for a fracture here to heal as the bone does not have a great blood supply, hence the decision to surgically stabilize it and improve the overall chances for healing. The fracture was nondisplaced, meaning the bone remained in alignment, another factor in Gasols favor when it comes to healing. At the time of surgery, Gasol was projected to make a full recovery.Gasol was initially projected to be away from basketball activities for 16 weeks, thus forcing him to withdraw from the Rio Olympics. The decision paid off for Gasols NBA season, however, as he focused on his rehab and was rewarded with clearance to return for the start of training camp. He did leave one preseason game in the middle of October with a scare, but it turned out to be bruising of an adjacent bone, not an aggravation of his original injury. In fact, Gasol was able to make it back for the teams final preseason game. David Fizdale has indicated Gasol will be on some type of minutes restriction (without saying how many minutes) when the season opens as the team exercises caution with his surgically repaired foot. Fizdale also noted Gasol is likely to get scheduled nights off during the season, another component of trying to ensure his health long-term.These fractures in the middle of the foot are never ideal and have been career-ending for some, but the fact that Gasol has played in games is an excellent sign. At 31 years old, he can be expected to have intermittent stiffness and soreness in the area, which could impact his minutes played from time to time. The Grizzlies have already acknowledged as much noting he will start with a minutes restriction with planned time off throughout the season.Blake Griffin, F, Los Angeles Clippers Injury: partially torn left quadriceps tendon When it happened: original injury on Dec. 25, 2015; aggravated April 225Griffin suffered a partial tear of his left quadriceps tendon, which anchors the large muscle comprising the front of the thigh to the tibia (or shinbone).dddddddddddd The quadriceps (or quad) is responsible for running and jumping power as well as the ability to decelerate sharply. The injury forced Griffin to miss more than half of the last regular season and a portion of the playoffs.Griffin underwent a procedure on April 27 to enhance the tendon healing, and an injection of bone marrow aspirate then followed with extensive rehabilitation. The good news is that the time to recover has no doubt done wonders for Griffins overall health. He was a regular during training camp and played in the preseason without issue.Its worth noting that when Griffin suffered a knee injury back in the 2011-12 season (a torn medial meniscus), it was to the same knee. He also fractured the patella (kneecap) in his left knee in 2009 during the summer before his rookie season. Griffin was forced to wait a year for his NBA debut but he returned from the patellar fracture to earn Rookie of the Year honors. He is just 27 years old with plenty of playing time ahead of him as long as the injuries do not continue to accumulate. The tendon should have had enough recovery time to be a nonissue at the outset of the season although Griffins history of multiple injuries in that region of his left leg makes him a greater risk for reinjury, particularly the soft tissue variety.Chandler Parsons, F, Memphis Grizzlies Injury:?right medial meniscus tear and surgery When it happened: injured March 18, arthroscopic surgery performed March 25Parsons is still working his way back from his meniscus repair. Repair of the meniscus is always preferable to partial removal, when viable, because the meniscus serves as a cushion within the knee joint. Considering that Parsons has already had a microfracture procedure on the same knee, there is interest in preserving as much cushion as possible to guard against further degenerative changes. The challenge after a meniscal repair is restricting the activity early in the rehab process as the repair attempts to heal. Typically weight bearing is limited early as is flexion, or bending of the knee beyond 90 degrees. As the healing progresses, more motion is allowed and loading is increased, but a complete recovery can range from four to six months or even beyond.As of the start of training camp, Parsons was increasing his activity but was not cleared for full practices. Over the course of camp he continued to progress, starting with clearance for contact in the first week of October, but he has not yet been cleared for game action. His return appears close, but there is no specific targeted date. Although the reports of Parsons progress have been positive thus far, there is no way to know just how he will respond to game action. Perhaps the more important question is how well his knee, which has already endured two significant procedures, will hold up over the course of a full season.John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards Injury: bilateral knee surgeries When it happened: Surgery performed May 5Wall underwent two different procedures for his knees in May with Dr. Richard Parker at the Cleveland Clinic Marymount. He had a patellar tendon debridement on his left knee and an arthroscopic lavage on his right. Of the two, the procedure performed on Walls left knee was more complex and reflects a more serious condition. Debridement is a term that signifies a cleanup type of procedure of his left tendon, the removal of scar tissue and calcification in an effort to try to normalize the tendon tissue. Ultimately, the healing response triggered by the procedure and the associated rehabilitation should help the health of his tendon long-term. Lavage, the procedure Wall underwent on his right knee, literally means a washing of the knee. Essentially, during the arthroscopic procedure, the knee is washed free of debris that has accumulated in the joint.The 26-year-old guard was able to resume running late in the summer. He steadily increased his sport-specific activity up to the point where he was able to participate in all training camp elements. Conditioning in a return from surgery on both knees proved to be one of the biggest challenges. Wall played in the last five preseason games and ultimately progressed to 27 minutes of play by the time the preseason drew to a close. He expressed confidence he would be able to play upwards of 30 minutes in games when the season opens while acknowledging he might still need intermittent breaks as he continues conditioning himself back into game shape. The Wizards seem more than content to work within Walls constraints at the start of the season if it means prolonging his health throughout the latter portion. ' ' '