P4PACQUIAO

Pacquiao in danger, Confident Margarito ready to fight

2012-10-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

by: Rab Romulo

“I will knock Pacquiao out,” Tijuana Tornado was quoted by Boxing Scene.com.

Knowing the importance of his comeback campaign, Margarito showed confidence in his upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao.

“This is the fight of my life and Manny will be in for a tough night, I won’t quit like de la Hoya did."

Margarito knows that this is the fight that will catapult him in the annals of boxing greats and erased the stigma of being a cheater.

Isn’t this too bad for boxing pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao? Who is in danger of losing his place as the top boxer in the planet against Margarito.

Pacquiao finally has found an opponent that has a legitimate chance of changing the boxing landscape. He is against a motivated fighter who wants redemption. Margarito is a fighter that has an ability to put pressure and can swarm the smaller Pacquiao with flurry of punches.

"That's one of the plans that we have, Margarito said in a report by Dog House Boxing.com. "Pressure, throwing punches consistently, countering." This writer believes that the only way Manny Pacquiao wins is by out pointing the bigger, heavier, taller and hungrier Antonio Margarito.

Isn’t this frustrating to all Pacman fans and be ready for any eventuality?

Original article from P4PACQUIAO NEWS DESK. All rights belongs to this site.

Manny’s Speed and Power Now a Suspect

2012-09-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

by: Rab Romulo

In Baguio City Philippines Manny Pacquiao is busy training for his fight against Antonio Margarito. While almost everybody believes that Pacquiao would win a convincing fashion against Margarito, I honestly believe that this fight will not be as easy as what they or you thought!

Just today, a revelation of Amir Khan of how he survived against the best shots of Manny Pacquiao in their sparring sessions. Khan knows and believes Pacquiao cannot knock him out and this is a welcome news for team Margarito.

Aren’t they laughing now at the power of Manny Pacquiao? Because they know that their prizefighter has a better chin compared to Amir Khan, who was tag by a single shot and was flat on canvass in one of his fights.

At 150 pounds, Pacquiao’s speed will be a bit slower compared when he was fighting Miguel Cotto. His fight against Clottey shows that an extra weight can slow his movement and pulses evident to his poor performance against Clottey.

During the Clottey fight, there were lot of times when Clottey was open but Manny failed to capitalize it. The first 3 or 4 rounds shows Clottey fighting at some point but Pacquiao just don’t have the speed to catch the defensive stance of Joshua Clottey.

Now that the power and speed of Manny Pacquiao is a suspect, why won’t you expect Margarito to gain more confidence in beating the Filipino pound for pound king?

Manny Pacquiao not as influential as Yahoo Sports believe

2012-09-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

By: Rab Romulo

Recently, Pacquiao ranked 25th among boxing’s most influential names, a list recently compiled by Yahoo! Sports’ boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst and columnist Kevin Iole. Dubbed as “the biggest boxing superstar Asia ever produced,” Pacquiao was named ahead of other greats, such as lightweight boxer Roberto Duran (No. 26), Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr. (No. 27), heavyweight legend George Foreman, and even Joe Frazier.

While we all agree that he is the biggest boxing superstar Asia ever produced, it also creates a lot of questions the way he influence people.

For the record Manny Pacquiao run for congress two times already. The first was a devastating loss and the second was an overwhelming majority. Is this made him influential?

If yes, then let’s examine the reality in Philippine politics. It is a fact in the Philippines that only those who have money and machineries can win a congress seat. Even popular personality does not guarantee a victory in Philippine politics as proven by the lost of popular movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. Gone are the days when sports personalities and movie stars carved their names in Philippine elections. Philippine elections now are all about money and that’s where Manny Pacquiao excels.

During the last May Philippine presidential elections Manny Pacquiao supported the candidacy of Manny Villiar but his support does not have a positive influence on the candidacy of Villiar instead it created a negative buzz when they were shown on 24/7 having a meeting on top of Pacquiao’s training.

Manny Pacquiao also was used as mediator between the government and the Muslims in Mindanao hoping to end the longest insurgency in the country but to no avail Pacquiao failed to bridge the gap. Even his larger than life status has no effect to the battlecry of Filipino Muslims who until now struggling to get their needed importance.

Manny Pacquiao no doubt will become the greatest Filipino boxer but shouldn’t be his influence rules to all ages not just on his ability to fight, hardwork, dedication and practice?

He should show it the way he handles his family. There’s no better way to touch the lives of others than to have a controversial free family.

Manny Pacquiao will be floored

2012-09-04T00:40:00.000-07:00

By: Rab Romulo

The adviser of Manny Pacquiao, Michael Koncz, predicts another overwhelming performance by the Filipino champion.

On November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Pacquiao will face Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Koncz sees Margarito being overwhelmed by Pacquiao's speed in the same way as past opponents.

I beg to disagree.

Manny believes that Margarito is not at the same caliber with him but his past opponent clearly speaks for it.

On December 2, 2006, Margarito defeated future champion Joshua Clottey by a twelve round unanimous decision. Margarito set a Compubox all-time record of 1675 total punches thrown in a twelve round bout.

On July 26, 2008 Miguel Cotto was also brutally beaten by Margarito that earned him the most feared welter in the world. Winning in a legitimate weight class without catch weights. It was the first defeat of the once undefeated Miguel Cotto.

At this point of his career Margarito was the man in boxing. He was feared and he was acknowledged by the boxing circle as the best thing in boxing. Nobody wants to taste his devastating fists.

The only problem with Margarito was his controvertial loss to Shane Mosley when he was found to have illegal substance in his gloves. And I believe his lost to Mosley was a fluke, after all even if he wins the bout he knows that a stiff sanction will be thrown on him. He might intentionally loss to Shane just to make the controversy less. But still he was suspended for more than a year and serves his due.

While I totally agree that Margarito is slower than Manny, I also believe that Margarito has what it takes to bring down the People’s Champ. His chin is just so strong for Manny and his just too fast compared to Dela Hoya, Hatton, Cotto and Clottey. His height advantage is insurmountable and reach advantage is going to be his biggest arsenal.

I will give Manny Pacquiao a chance on a lucky punch.

Margarito vs Pacquiao – the Prediction

2012-09-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

By: Rab Romulo

Antonio Margarito should be in cloud nine as he finally booked a date with the world’s catch weight king from the Philippines Manny Pacquiao.

Margarito has many reasons to smile in spite of his past suspension from boxing as he is now back with a bang. It was a blessing in disguise for this man who now has the inside track of capturing the pinnacle of his colorful career.

He has a legitimate crack at Manny Pacquiao. Yes, I am a Filipino and my heart is for Manny but I can’t be so patriotic this time because the odds against the pinoy superstar are very high. He is up against a bigger guy who stands like a basketball player. The weight disadvantage of Pacquiao might not matter but at 151 pounds he is again goes up in weight and I doubt if he can still be as quick as he was when he fought Miguel Cotto.

More than the weight is the height advantage of Margarito. It will be interesting how Margarito uses his height against the diminutive Filipino southpaw. But if those above mentioned advantages are not enough, hold on to your seats folks because Margarito also has an iron chin.

As a matter of fact it takes Shane Mosley only one punch to staggered Floyd Mayweather jr but it took him a barrage of the same punches to the chin of Margarito with the same result. It means Margarito has a very strong chin something that the camp of Manny Pacquiao should be wary about.

Manny Pacquiao on the other hand has also an iron chin but he was not hit much since his Marquez bout. The only time he felt the punch of a legitimate welter was when he won against Miguel Cotto. But the match is so one sided that it won’t be a gauge how strong the chin of pacman.

While Margarito’s chin is widely known to be so strong, he also possesses a very lethal uppercut and jabs well against his opponents. He has better lateral movement over Cotto, Dela Hoya, Hatton and Clottey combined.

His strongest suit is his experience in the higher class compared to Manny Pacquiao who strives to dominate the catch weights divisions. And the only reason why Margarito is underdog is because of his illegal hand wraps.

This fight will not go the distance, and it would be Margarito in 7th round.

Antonio Margarito Training Video

2010-09-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Antonio Margarito is preparing hard for his fight with Manny Pacquiao. He has been jogging in high altitude, hitting the mitts with trainer Robert Garcia, then proceeds to punch heavy bag, jump rope, and finally the speed bag. Here is a small clip of Antonio Margarito hitting the mitts with trainer Robert Garcia

Pacquiao vs Margarito. WHO YOU LIKE?

2010-09-15T02:10:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather disses Manny Pacquiao

2010-09-15T02:06:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao & Peter Maniatis Manila interview

2010-09-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

Smitty's Corner on Margarito's disgraceful licensing

2010-09-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

On this edition of Smitty's Corner, Smitty discusses the the impasse between Mayweather and Pacquiao, the disgraceful licensing of Antonio Margarito in Texas and bizarre match up between James Toney and Randy Couture fighting in the UFC. So grab a Tecate and sound off as we want to hear your opinions on these topics as well!

Steve Kim and Gabriel Montoya discuss Pacquiao vs Margarito

2010-09-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

Coverage of the Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito press conference

2010-09-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito November 13 Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas

2010-09-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito November 13 Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas - Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Executive Director William Kuntz’s Statement on Antonio Margarito’s Application

"On Monday, August 23, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation received a complete application for a Texas Professional Combative Sports Contestant license from Antonio Margarito. After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules.

The review of Margarito's application included:

- Review of Margarito's Texas Application form,
- The California Order revoking Antonio Margarito's boxing license,
- Review of the transcript of Margarito's license revocation hearing before the California State Athletic Commission
- Review of Margarito's August 18th license application hearing before the California State Athletic Commission
- Association of Boxing Commission's letter to members that they may now consider licensing Mr. Margarito

Based on the review of the above information I have authorized the issuance of a license to Mr. Margarito."

PACQUIAO’S AUTOGRAPHED GLOVES IN MISS UNIVERSE AUCTION IN LAS VEGAS

2010-08-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

While it is almost certain that pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao’s next fight against Antonio Margarito won’t be in Las Vegas, a set of Pacquiao’s gloves will be at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino where Pacquiao usually stays when he’s got a fight in Las Vegas.

That’s because of the Miss Universe National Gift Auction for the benefit of the Nevada Cancer Institute on August 14 at which the Philippines candidate Maria Venus Raj will personally auction off the prized item from her home country just like the other 82 contestants in a show to be hosted y KSNV Channel 3 personality Alicia Jacobs and featuring current Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez.

The Miss Philippines winner will auction off the signed gloves along with a photo of the congressman representing the lone district of Sarangani signing the gloves as a form of authentication.

During her courtesy call on Pacquiao, the national sports hero told Maria Venus Raj "you must be confident. Just think you are in the Philippines. There are many of our countrymen there who will support you. I will call our friends who are there to help you."

The auction will be staged from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Palm Foyer on the 3rd Floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas with tickets priced at $100.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-42489.html

Pacquiao laughs off House website glitches

2010-08-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

It is not a big deal for Sarangani Province Rep. Manny Pacquiao if the House of Representatives (HOR) website incorrectly stated that he is a 68-year-old married to another woman.

“Ngayon ko lang nalaman. Kung na-correct naman, okey naman,” Pacquiao said on Tuesday after he was informed about the glitches found on his profile page.

The website named a certain Elizabeth Salvacion as his wife rather than Jinkee Pacquiao. It also indicated that his birthday was May 28, 1942 instead of December 17, 1978

Hours after the House Secretary General’s office’s attention was called to the errors, Pacquiao’s page in the HOR website was cleared of all data.

The 7-division world champion also said that there is no need for the HOR to apologize for the erroneous date of birth and name of spouse.

“Hindi okey lang, nagkamali lang naman eh,” the Filipino boxing superstar stated.

“Alam ng mga tao kung ilang taon ako, kung saan nakatira, kung sino ang asawa ko at ilan ang anak ko,” added the father of four – Jimuel, Michael, Princess and Queen Elizabeth.

House Secretary-General Marilyn Barua-Yap, meantime, said that her office is looking into the matter.

“Those are basic but very important data that we should be very careful about. We always double check our data. We are checking because it’s unfair to Rep. Pacquiao and his family and the people of Sarangani,” she said in a statement.

Barua-Yap clarified that her office has not released data on the personal information submitted by HOR members for website posting.

She also stressed that her office could not be the source of wrong information. “We don’t release any data on the personal information of House members without their consent,” she reasoned.

Who Wins Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito?

2010-08-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

FanHouse sought the opinions of fighters and trainers at the Goossen's Gym in Van Nuys, Calif., concerning who will win a Nov. 13 bout between current WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion Manny Pacquiao and ex-world titlist Antonio Margarito.

The match up between Pacquiao and Margarito, who are promoted by Top Rank Promotions, will be contested for the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.

Mayweather-Pacquiao Targeted For May 2011, Says Arum

2010-08-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

While Manny Pacquiao recently issued a "November" challenge to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, feels it's way too late to stage the welterweight mega-fight in November.

Pacquiao penned an article where he called for Mayweather to sign a contract to fight him in November. Arum doesn't see a chance of that happening, even if Mayweather were to sign an agreement in the near future. A fight on the level of Mayweather-Pacquiao needs at least six months to properly promote, says Arum.

Arum also denied the rumors which claim Mayweather signed a promotional agreement with Don King. Mayweather and King have been spending a lot of time together in the last two weeks. King is trying to establish a working relationship with Mayweather. At this point, Arum would rather deal with King than Golden Boy Promotions, who worked with Mayweather on his last four fights. Arum believes a Mayweather deal can reached very quickly if King is negotiating for Floyd.

"It's too late for the fall. So Pacquiao-Mayweather would be something in the spring. Floyd has not signed officially with King, but when he does, I'm sure that Don will talk to me and we'll work it out," said Arum. "My recommendation is that we do the fight in May, in which case, if Pacquiao is successful in November, that will give us six months to promote the fight."

Top Rank is moving forward with Pacquiao-Margarito in full force. Arum plans to meet with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Wednesday to discuss the likely possibilty of staging Pacquiao-Margarito on November 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The vacant WBC 154-pound title would be on the line. Interested parties in Abu Dhabi made a strong pitch to stage the fight, but Arum says the deal won't happen.

"I'm going to the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium on Wednesday with the intention of making a deal, and I'm very optimistic," said Arum. "Jerry Jones, I consider a friend. I think that we're going to make a deal. Jerry Jones knows that North Texas has a huge Hispanic population, and, particularly, a large Mexican American population.

"So Margarito will be a tremendous draw, and, as you know, Pacquiao was already a tremendous draw. So if the fight happens in The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium, the attendance will exceed the previous fight with Joshua Clottey, who really had no following in North Texas."

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=29968

Pacquiao is 68 years old, House website shows

2010-08-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Seven-division world boxing champion and now Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is 68 years old.

At least, that's what the website of the House of Representatives said.

The lawmaker’s profile showed Pacquiao was born on May 28, 1942 when in fact his birthday is December 17, 1978, which makes him only 31 years old.

Also according to the House website, Pacquiao is not married to Geraldine "Jinkee" Jamora-Pacquiao but to one Elizabeth B. Salvacion.

The only correct details about Pacquiao on the website — aside from his real name, Emmanuel — were his civil status, his term as a lawmaker, and the bill — House Bill 1098 or “An Act amending the resetting of the October 2010 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October 2011 and amending Section 1, 2 and 5 of RA 9340 otherwise known as an act amending Republic Act 9164, resetting the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan election" — that he co-authored.

The bill was filed on July 8, 2010.

Even the lawmaker’s room indicated on the website was incorrect.

The House’s Information and Communication Technology Service is in charge of the content of the website. As of posting time, no explanation was given regarding the errors.

Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III said he already asked the concerned office to correct the entries on the website.

The wrong details have so far been removed.

In an interview with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Pacquiao just shrugged off the error. "Kung na-correct na, OK naman (If it has already been corrected, then that's fine by me)," he said.

He also said there is no need for the individual who made the mistake to apologize to him. "Nagkamali lang naman. Saka bakit natin [palakihin], alam ng mga tao kung ilang taon ako, kung saan nakatira, kung sino ang asawa ko, at ilan ang anak ko."

(It's just a mistake. Why make an issue about it? Everybody knows how old I am, where I live, who my wife is, and how many children I have.)

http://www9.gmanews.tv/story/198220/pacquiao-is-68-years-old-house-website-shows

Pacquiao don’t deserve Margarito – Holyfield

2010-08-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

FOR four-time world heavyweight champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, said boxing fans around the world would not be happy seeing Manny Pacquiao take on undeserving fighter like Mexican Antonio Margarito.

The 6’2” Holyfield (43-10-2 win-loss-draw with 28 knockouts in 55 bouts) told boxing examiner.com writer Brad Cooney that fans are expecting Pacquiao to face Juan Manuel Marquez the third time rather than being matched against Margarito.

“Most of the fans that I spoke with in Jackson the other night would rather see him fight Marquez next,” said the 47-year-old boxer. “The fans all over the
places that I spoke with are not happy that Margarito, who got caught cheating, deserves the fight with Manny.”

Asked by Cooney if Pacquiao (51-3-2 with 38 knockouts) could score an eighth world weight division win against Margarito, Holyfield simply said: “I think
Pacquiao will win this fight. There aren’t too many people in the world that can whoop Pacquiao.”

Holyfield also said that he doubts the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout would ever happen.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I think when you keep putting something off, and putting it off eventually it comes off of the tracks. People will start seeing this as an unattractive event.

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/component/content/article/42-rokstories/23291-pacquiao-dont-deserve-margarito-holyfield

Manny Pacquiao's Baiting of Mayweather Uncharacteristic

2010-08-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao has been quoted in a statement attributed to him, challenging Floyd Mayweather Jr and veteran promoter Don King with whom the undefeated Mayweather has been spending several days in Florida to “get it on.”

In the statement which contrasts with the usual humble tone and demeanor of Pacquiao, he issues a challenge to both Mayweather and King “Fight like warriors and brave men. I am the champion, I have the belts and I should not be the one challenging you. I should not even be the one trying to make this fight happen.”

In his regular column in the Filipino tabloid Abante, Pacquiao said that although there is no formal agreement between Mayweather and Don King he hopes Mayweather “ is serious enough in doing business with Don King and is not doing this only to save face. I hope Don King does the same in return, that he can make miracles happen.”

Pacquiao mentioned that a fight with Mayweather “is what everyone wants, that's why I am calling out your names. My promoter Bob Arum will be waiting for your call and will be very glad to hear what you have to say. The sooner, the better.”

Continuing in a vein so uncharacteristic of him Pacquiao went on to note that a lot of things can happen within three months and “if Mayweather is not really a coward, he needs to prove himself in the ring. I gave in more than what is necessary and I accepted some of the requests that Mayweather asked for just to have this fight go through. For now, Antonio Margarito of Mexico is the likely replacement of Mayweather in November 13, but for me, there is nothing more beautiful news if the Mayweather camp will change its mind. And I am sure boxing fans or any other sports fans will follow this very closely.”

In conclusion Pacquiao whose column was translated by Greg R. Penilla M.D of philboxing.com said the only way for Mayweather “to save face” is by fighting him adding “ Make the fight happen in November and stop using Mr. Don King for publicity stunts. He claims he is the best. He says he is No. 1. There is only one way to prove his greatness and that is to face me. I should be ready by November.”

While the statement appeared in a column under Pacquiao’s name, sportswriters who know Pacquiao well realize that at times he merely verbalizes or scribbles an outline and a ghost-writer does the rest. Given recent history it seems that a ghost-writer has taken liberties with Pacquiao's basic statement.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=29928

Does Don King hold key to Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather?

2010-08-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

When Floyd Mayweather was preparing to end his brief retirement last year and asked adviser Al Haymon to field offers for fights, Mayweather did a little fielding of his own.

He spent several days in South Florida hanging at promoter Don King's mansion.

King was not shy about his interest in signing Mayweather, but even though they barbecued and relaxed, nothing came of it.

Mayweather returned to Haymon and Golden Boy Promotions, which eventually put on his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez last fall, followed by his win against Shane Mosley in May.

Now the High-Haired One's courtship /pursuit/seduction of Mayweather is in high gear again. They spent several days together again last week in South Florida, feasting on lobster and making no secret about their dance.

King still hopes to sign Mayweather and believes if he does, fight fans will get what they want -- the mother of all fights between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

King expects Mayweather ringside as his guest Saturday night at the Scottrade Center to watch junior welterweight titlist Devon Alexander -- the fighter with the most Mayweather-like potential in the sport -- defend against former titlist Andreas Kotelnik. If Mayweather shows up, HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg told me the network will endeavor to interview him during the telecast.

While King, who turns 79 this month, has been all over St. Louis promoting his rear end off, Mayweather has also been on his mind.

With so much swirling about their positional pairing, I sat down with King at our hotel Friday to talk about it.

At one point, King's phone rang. He said it was Mayweather, spoke to him for a couple of minutes and told me he said he was in town and would be at the fight. Then King turned his attention back to our discussion.

"I love Floyd. Floyd's my man," said King, who was holding his cadre of flags and smiling ear to ear. "He'll get the soup to nuts treatment [if he signs]. He was down there with me for a week in Florida. He's buyin' him a nice place down there. And so it's no downside with me with Floyd because the people that have him, they gonna give him more money to keep him away from me if he stays with them. If he comes with me, he'll have a whole new vista, a whole new arena that he can play on. I can get more money than anyone out there. They can't stop that."

King said he when he tried wooing him last year, Mayweather ultimately went back to Haymon and Golden Boy because they gave him more money.

"He profited from me. He got more money for the Marquez fight," King said. "He wouldn't have got what he had. He can use me. I don't mind being used because I understand Golden Boy, Al Haymon."

King's point of view is that Haymon and Golden Boy do not understand Mayweather or know how to treat him.

King said he'd make Mayweather "a people's champion and be able to create and generate more money than he's ever had before with dignity, pride and stature. Like it is now, he's being degraded, vilified, accusations, you know. Some of it goes for the hype, but when it gets to the substance of the man, the substance is not there. And they don't understand because they can't communicate with him because Floyd speaks Ghetto-ese and they don't understand because it's hieroglyphics.

"They look down on him and put him in disrepute and disregard, the people who's with him. And they don't defend him. He goes out and says, 'Money, money, money,' and that don't win it. That don't give you what you need as a human being."

King said his pursuit is not a hard one as he has done with so many fighters in the past. He said he hasn't presented him with a duffel bag of money -- one of King's favorite moves -- to get him to sign. He didn't jet off to be at Mayweather's side. No, King is playing it cooler than that.

"Never made him an offer. If he wants me, he come and get me. I'm there for him all the time, either way," King said. "It doesn't matter whether he comes or he don't come. I love him, I understand him because I'm one of him. I am one of the masses, not the classes. I'm from the hood too and I also speak Ghetto-ese. I can relate, communicate and identify. And that's something [Haymon and Golden Boy] don't do."

King insisted that if he and Mayweather were together, the Pacquiao fight would be made quickly. Sure, he said he and Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum -- King's longtime adversary -- would argue and fight like crazy over deal points, but it would be made quickly because they are dealmakers.

"Me and Bob would get that fight done in two shakes of a lamb's tail," King said. "If I was there working with Bob Arum, this fight would have been history. It'd be ready now and we'd be talking about how we gonna promote. It wouldn't be nothing put a piece of cake. But even then it would be so much bigger that what it would be if he were to make with Golden Boy or Al. They cannot make the fight as big as Arum and I can make it. They are not in the class of a Bob Arum."

Indeed a co-promotion between the sport's most famous (some would say notorious) promoters would add another dimension to what is already the biggest potential fight in the sport. After years of promotional warfare, King and Arum, both in their late 70s, have mellowed toward each other. Fight they will for every dime, but they respect each other.

King once told me that he was glad to have Arum around as his competition because if he didn't have Arum, "I wouldn't know how good I really was."

King wants to see Pacquiao and Mayweather fight but said if or when they do, he wants to see it be the "biggest fight in the universe."

Naturally, that means co-promoting it with Arum, Mayweather's former promoter, who has openly said he's rooting for King to sign Mayweather so they can make the fight.

"This will be a good fight, and I think Bob Arum and I would make it the biggest fight in the universe," King said. "No matter who makes it, it will be the biggest fight in the world. Without me and without Bob [doing it together], it would be a good fight, Pacquiao and Mayweather, but it would not carry the same impetus."

King threw around the number $200 million as to what he thinks it could generate.

"You can generate that kind of revenue when you have the creative imagination that I have," he said.

So the King-Mayweather dalliance presumably will continue through this weekend, at least. I would never count King out.

"Floyd keeps telling me he's free," King said. "I keep hearing from Golden Boy and other people that he ain't free. So who knows? They may have done tricked him and he thinks he's free. They promise you everything and give you nothing and he finds himself in a quagmire. That's what happened to him last time.

"So now he's back saying he got it straightened out, and 'me and you gonna talk; me and you gonna do this and that.' I say, 'OK, OK.' I never ever disagree because he's the man. So whatever he says, that's what it is. But I would be delighted. It would be an honor and privilege for me to be with Mayweather.

"He has done a tremendous job of self-promotion. He's done a tremendous job of fighting and winning. I love Floyd."

http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blog/_/name/rafael_dan/id/5445183/does-don-king-hold-key-manny-pacquiao-floyd-mayweather

EX PACQUIAO TRAINER SAYS DONAIRE CAN WIN SIX WORLD TITLES

2010-08-04T02:36:00.000-07:00

American trainer Rick Stehely who led Manny Pacquiao to his first world title, the WBC flyweight championship in Thailand in December 1998 says Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire can win at least six world titles in different weight divisions and follow the path of the reigning pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade.”

Stehely told insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports “every time I watch this guy he is just amazing. The upscale with Nonito is just incredible and I think that he can win five, six maybe even seven or eight world titles in different weight classes if he doesn’t skip any.”

The well-known trainer who is based in Angeles City said Donaire “is just an incredible talent and I think he’s only going to get better and as he matures he will grow into these other weight classes and I really expect great things from him.”

Informed that Donaire wants to fight WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel who doesn’t seem too keen on accepting the challenge Stehely said “I don’t know whether anybody wants to fight him because he is a special fighter. Its risk and reward in boxing. If they go out and offer Montiel huge money then maybe he’ll go out there and risk his title in a fight with him.”

He added, “I think they know its really tough beating him on the day.”

Told that Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin is not keen on fighting Montiel in Mexico because he thinks they won’t get a fair deal, Stehely indicated “it's always hard to fight on the road in boxing. If it goes twelve rounds you never know what’s going to happen with the judges. You can’t knock everybody out on the day so that’s a good managerial stance. You got to be careful when you go on the road.”

Meantime, multi-award winning Australian promoter and popular TV boxing host Peter Maniatis said a clash between Donaire and Montiel would be “a cracker of a fight” although he indicated Montiel would be hard to beat.

Maniatis said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum must back up Donaire and make Montiel an offer he can’t refuse because Donaire “is a special talent and while you can’t compare him to Manny Pacquiao but he can come through and make Filipinos proud once Manny retires, no doubt about that.”

http://philboxing.com/news/story-42196.html

'Manny will fall in later rounds'

2010-08-04T02:28:00.000-07:00

Antonio Margarito’s trainer isn’t taking things sitting down.

After Freddie Roach predicted that Manny Pacquiao is going to knock Margarito out, Robert Garcia threw jabs of his own, saying it’s the Mexican who will come out the winner on Nov. 13.

Even if he said he’s not in the business of making predictions.

“I never called fights or predicted anything. I just know that Margarito will have the heart and the power and the conditioning to be a great champion and to beat anybody out there,” Garcia told boxingscene.com.

Garcia, the former IBF super-featherweight champion who now has a growing list of boxers under his wings, including Filipinos Brian Villoria and Nonito Donaire Jr., said Pacquiao’s end will come in the later rounds.

“I think we can get him in the later rounds. So, I’m going to say that maybe Antonio stops him in the later rounds,” said the 35-year-old Garcia, a little more specific than Roach who simply said they’ll win by knockout.

Garcia said he knows what to do, and Margarito, the former welterweight champion, will do it.

“I’ve been watching Manny’s fights. I’ve been watching Freddie Roach also. I think I’ve got a good idea about how they’re going to fight against us. I think that we have a great chance,” added Margarito’s chief handler.

Maybe a greater chance that what Pacquiao’s opponents over the last five years carried with them into the ring.

Pacquiao has never lost a fight since dropping a bloody decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005. He has won his last 12 fights, eight of them by knockout, and Margarito may need more than a “great chance” to beat him.

Garcia said Margarito will do a better job than when he defeated Roberto Garcia in Mexico some weeks back. It was his comeback fight following a United States-wide suspension due to illegal hand wraps.

“That was his first fight with me and he did what I asked him to do,” added the trainer
, who wants Margarito to work for 10 weeks as they prepare for the Pacquiao fight, one that could actually go either way.

Garcia also said Margarito should have no problems making 150 lb if that’s the catchweight Pacquiao wants for the fight where the vacant WBC super-welterweight (154 lb) crown will be at stake.

“One-fifty is no problem for Antonio,” said Garcia, adding that two weeks before his last fight, the Mexican fighter who stands very close to six feet was already on the weight limit.

“So, he had no problem making that weight. So, he will be a very strong fighter in there against Manny Pacquiao.”

That remains to be seen.

Antonio Margarito works out with trainer Robert Garcia at the Oxnard Boxing Academy in file photo

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=599554&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Bob Arum: Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito, In-House Promoting

2010-08-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

FanHouse caught up to Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum (pictured above, at far left), concerning a number of topics, most notably the state of a potential bout on Nov. 13 between seven-division titlist and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Manny Pacquiao (pictured above, second from left), and ex-world champion, Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight crown.

Arum said that it appears that Pacquiao will be pursuing his eighth crown in as many different weight classes opposite Margarito either at The Dallas Cowboys Stadium owned by Jerry Jones (pictured above, at far right)-- which Pacquiao packed to the tune of more than 51,000 fans during his March 13 victory over Joshua Clottey (pictured above, second from right) -- or, Abu Dhabi.

In this Q&A, Arum also addressed the potential for a Paquiao bout opposite Floyd Mayweather, the likelihood of a third match with WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) champ, Juan Manuel Marquez, and criticism of his practice of promoting his own fighters against each other -- commonly referred to as "In-house" promoting.

FanHouse: Where officially do you stand with Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito?

Well, [Pacquaio's adviser] Michael Koncz is over in Abu Dhabi. And he's exploring that situation. We're giving that another two days to see if it's real or not because obviously, Manny would love to fight there.

But, again, I can't tell you whether or not it's something that will realistically happen. I think that it's much more likely that we'll do the fight in the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.

What do Manny Paquiao and Michael Koncz feel are the pros and advantages of doing the fight in Abu Dhabi?

The money. There is a awful lot of it being offered. And also, there is no withholding of the taxes on Manny Pacquiao's purse.

Can you describe the venue and discuss what your thoughts are about it?

I think that the venue is fine, and I think that the fans will show up. I'm told and I know that the Royal family will come to the fight, and we can sell any number of seats at relatively low prices. And there are hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipinos who work in that area.

So, it'll be jammed and may very well be a huge, huge crowd. It depends on how many people that they set it up for, but I think that it holds 60 or 70,000 or something like that.

I would guess that it would have to be a pretty sweet deal to go to Abu Dhabi since Manny Pacquiao has proven to be an attraction at Dallas Cowboys' Stadium, where Antonio Margarito was also popular with the crowd as he watched Pacquiao-Clottey from ringside?

You have to realize that there is a huge population of in North Texas of Mexican origin and Mexican Americans in Northern Texas. Clottey had no natural fan base in North Texas. It was all curiosity and Manny Pacquiao.

And now, you have Manny Pacquiao having endeared himself to the people in North Texas, and you have a natural draw in Antonio Margarito among the Mexican American fans. You have to think that there's a chance to get 70,000 or more people in the stadium.

I haven't talked to Jerry Jones. I've talked to Jerry's people, and I won't be talking to Jerry until next week. But the team is now in San Antonio, and Jerry will be back in Dallas next week because they have an exhibition game a week from Saturday there at Cowboys Stadium.

They're not home the week before the fight, and they're not home the day after Nov. 13. They will be playing the hated New York Giants in the Meadowlands on Nov. 14.

Under what conditions if any would Manny Pacquiao fight Juan Manuel Marquez again?

Marquez is a wonderful fighter, but he has shown in the Mayweather fight that he has difficulty fighting at the higher weights. He has performed well at the lower weights.But a 135-pound victory over Juan Diaz is not impressive.

Now, that's because -- and let's be honest -- Diaz really lost two fights in a row with Paulie Malignaggi because the first decision was controversial even though that one went in Diaz's favor. But the second one with Malignaggi, Malignaggi beat him worse than Marquez did.

So, I would say that to make a legitimate sell for a fight with Manny Pacquiao, that Marquez has to fight a welterweight or even a junior welterweight (140 pounds) who, if he defeats, is a real accomplishment.

Whom would you like to see Juan Manuel Marquez fight before facing Manny?

Well, I'll throw out three or four names. If he were to fight [WBC welterweight champion] Andre Berto, if he were to fight Joshua Clottey, or he could fight [WBO junior welterweight king] Tim Bradley, or he could fight [WBC and IBF titlist] Devon Alexander.

Any of those four. And if he beats one of them, now he can say, 'I can compete at the higher weights with Manny Pacquiao.'

Why not a fight with Amir Khan, which Juan Manuel Marquez has discussed taking potentially next?

Not really an Amir Khan, no. I don't think that Amir Khan really would establish that. It would certainly move him a little bit closer, you know. With a bigger guy. But not really. Look, Pacquiao fought Clottey, and he totally dominated Clottey.

If Marquez fought Clottey, who would you pick as the favorite in the fight? But if he then beat Clottey, that would be great. Or if he then beat Berto, that would be great. Then you and everyone else could say, 'Man, this guy really is something, and could give Manny a good fight.'

But in your heart of hearts, you know, that what ever happened the first two times that Pacquiao and Marquez fought [a draw and a disputed decision for Pacquiao,] that was years ago and at lower weights.

If he fights any one of those four guys, you could sell him as a legitimate welterweight contender. Nothing would please me more at that point than to do it. In fact, when we were in a bind after the Mayweather negotiations fell through the first time, I went to [Golden Boy Promotions CEO] Richard Schaefer.

And I said, 'Look, we'll fight Marquez, because I hadn't thought of Clottey.' And I said, 'We'll fight Marquez.' And Schaefer said, to me 'Well it has to be 50-50 and with random drug testing.' In effect, he told me no. That was insulting with Marquez.

So, the idea that Pacquiao won't fight Marquez is ludicrous. But to make it a real, attractive fight from a financial standpoint, then it's a different story. Marquez should fight a welterweight, beat a welterweight, and then he could say, 'Hey, now I'm one of you, Manny.'

After having tried twice to make a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, what would it take for you to give it a third try?

The first thing that would have to be said, is that Floyd Mayweather would have to make a statement that 'I'm prepared now to fight Manny Pacquiao in such and such a time period.' Once he made that statement, then, we would find a way to conduct negotiations .

Hopefully, at that time, we could make the fight. But Floyd would have to make that statement. I don't want to go on any more wild goose chases negotiating terms if Floyd isn't on board. And I think that that was the problem this last time.

People were negotiating on behalf of Floyd in good faith, but they never had Floyd on board. I think that he knew that this was all happening, but that he never really cared. I don't think that he ever really told them. I don't know.

That's just what I'm surmising. That he never really told them that 'I want to fight in November.' He never said that to them. I really think that that's the case, but I could be wrong. I really think that there was a disconnect there.

I think that people were hoping to negotiate the fight, and then, to convince Floyd to go along. I'm not going to do that any more.

You have taken criticism for doing Manny Paquiao-Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao-Clottey, Cotto-Yuri Foreman -- all promotional stablemates. So can you speak to your critics concerning the notion of in-house promoting and why that is beneficial to you?

Well, that's a good point. First of all, people have to look at who is putting up the money for these fights. When you look at that, you see that it's Top Rank. Right? If Manny fought Berto, or if Manny fought any of these other guys, it would be Top Rank putting up the money and taking all of the risks. Right?

And Berto and his promoter, or whomever it is, would be along for a free ride. If I feel in my heart of hearts as a business man, that one of my fighters is going to draw more than the other promoter's fighter against Manny Pacquiao, and it's my money, and my risk, then I'm going to do it. Period.

And I don't care what any media guy has to say. This is not the case where I'm getting money from HBO or Showtime, and I say 'No, my guy's only going to fight somebody who is promoted by Top Rank.' That would be wrong, and I wouldn't do that. I might suggest that and so forth, but it's not my money.

So if Showtime and HBO are putting up the money, then they have the right to say 'No, we don't want you to fight this guy from under your promotional wing, we want you to fight somebody else.' Okay, that's fine. Then it's not my risk, it's not my money, and then I'd be more inclined to go along with it.

But this way, the way that I'm doing it, it's my risk, it's my money, it's my team doing the fight. What are they talking about. In my heart of hearts, I don't think the fight is going to do as much as with a Margarito or a Cotto. I'm the business man. It's my decision.

Now, if I'm wrong, then I get it in the behind. If I'm wright, I benefit from the fruits of it. That's capitalism. That's what this is all about. That's what a lot of these press guys don't understand.

For the Manny Pacquiao-Josuha Clottey, and, Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman fights, respectively, at Cowboys Stadium and Yankees Stadium, didn't you promote the event as much as the fights?

Well, Clottey was an awfully good fighter, as witnessed by the fight with Cotto. But he wasn't a marquee fighter in the sense that Cotto is, that Margarito is, that Mosley is. So, obviously, in selling that fight, we had to promote the event and the venue as much as the fight itself.

Even though I believed that it was going to be a great fight, it turned out that it wasn't a great fight. But I never saw Clottey fight that way before. It was boring ,but that can happen in boxing. But that's correct, I promoted it as an event.

I promoted it as being in this great stadium and I think that it worked. Absolutely the same thing with the Cotto-Foreman fight, and there, it really worked because it was the highest-rated boxing show in two years on HBO.

And that's because we promoted it not only as a fight, but also, as an event in Yankee Stadium.

http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2010/08/03/bob-arum-talks-manny-pacquiao-antonio-margarito-in-house-promot/

'Margarito ready for war against Pacquiao'

2010-08-04T02:11:00.000-07:00

Antonio Margarito’s trainer guaranteed that the Mexican will be an improved fighter when he faces off with Manny Pacquiao on November 13.

“The world will see a different Margarito this time around. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to change him completely,” Robert Garcia told John Martinez of PhilBoxing.com.

“If Manny wants to go to war, we will help him get his wish. Our focus is to box, but we are ready for a war if Manny wants to go there.”

Garcia related that Margarito has learned so much under his tutelage as the fighter is doing things he has not done before. These include jabbing, head movement and defense.

“Antonio looks and is far different than what people know him as from before,” he declared.

He also stated what he wants his ward to do against the 7-division world champion. Their fight venue, however, has not yet been decided on.

“I don’t want see Antonio take three hits to give one. I want him to move his head and hands more,” he said. “I want him to make Manny miss and make him pay, but Margarito is who he is and will always want to beat on somebody by going to war.”

Garcia earlier said that he thinks Margarito can deck Pacquiao in the later rounds of their match.

Arum on Marquez-Pacquiao

Although Margarito is slated to clash with Pacquiao, a faction in the boxing world is now calling for a fight with another Mexican, Juan Manuel Marquez.

The clamor surfaced after Marquez defeated American Juan Diaz by unanimous decision on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Marquez himself said that he wants another shot at Pacquiao after his victory.

Pacquiao, now the congressman of Sarangani province, defeated Marquez in 2008 by split decision. They first met in 2004 when their bout ended in a draw.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said the Pacquiao-Marquez part 3 is a good idea but the Mexican still has to prove his worth.

“Really, I would love to make the third fight with Marquez against Manny but Marquez has to show the public that he can be successful at a higher weight, at a weight nearer where Manny is,” Arum told Michael Marley of Examiner.com.

Arum said that while Pacquiao is a full-fledged welterweight, Marquez is “just a good lightweight.”

He then suggested other fighters that Marquez can take on. “I'm not demeaning the guy, he's been a terrific fighter overall but he's not in Manny's weight class at this time. Fighting Amir Khan is meaningless so I say let Marquez go out and fight a Tim Bradley, a Devon Alexander or an Andre Berto. Let him fight and beat one of those guys,” stated Arum

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/08/04/10/margarito-ready-war-against-pacquiao

Pacquiao-Margarito Could Be Announced in Dallas on 8/31

2010-08-03T10:31:00.001-07:00

According to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito could be officially announced at a press conference in Dallas, Texas as early as August 31. Cowboys Stadium is the frontrunner to host the fight after Las Vegas fell through. In March, Pacquiao's fight with Joshua Clottey drew over 50,000 fans. Arum believes the fight with Margarito will do much bigger business. Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz currently holding court in Abu Dhabi, the area making a very strong play to host the fight.

“We’ll see what happens over there (in Abu Dhabi),” said Arum to the Manila Bulletin-Tempo. "If the ﬁght ends up in Abu Dhabi, I guess we have to do a press conference there right away but if not, we will do a press conference on August 31 in Dallas followed by two more in New York and then Los Angeles.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=29771

Schaefer: Marquez won't beg, get on his knees for Pacquiao

2010-08-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

According to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez will not beg for a third fight with Manny Pacquiao. Schaefer says Top Rank, namely their CEO Bob Arum, is not looking to make a third fight with Marquez because he would rather match Pacquiao against other Top Rank promoted fighters. They will look at their other options if a Pacquiao trilogy does not come about.

“Well, we all know Bob wants to do the in-house stuff, and that’s his choice," Schaefer said. “It’s clearly unfinished business there, but it’s all right. Marquez is not a beggar. We’re not going to go on our knees. There are so many other great fights out there," Schaefer told the AP. “We all know it isn’t Manny Pacquiao that doesn’t want the fight. It’s his promoter that doesn’t want to fight Marquez, and that’s fine."

Marquez plans to move forward if he can't get Pacquiao, with either a mandatory defense against Michael Katsidis, or a jump in weight for a shot at WBA 140-pound titleholder Amir Khan.

“I’m going to keep pressing on and doing my best, and if I get a chance with Pacquiao, I’m going to use it," Marquez said.

Schaefer took a stab at Pacquiao's next fight on November 13, against Top Rank promoted Antonio Margarito. Margarito has been unable to get licensed to box in Nevada since the California State Athletic Commission revoked his license last year for the illegal inserts found in his hand wraps prior to the bout with Shane Mosley on January 24, 2009.

“Juan Manuel Marquez is fully licensed and approved to fight in Nevada on November 13, just in case Bob is wondering," Schaefer said.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=29799

Pacquiao not interested in a rematch with Marquez

2010-08-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

For now, Juan Manuel Marquez is not on Manny Pacquiao's list of possible opponents.

Lawyer Jeng Gacal, Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao's chief of staff in Congress, disclosed this on Monday after the fresh challenge hurled by Marquez—who beat Juan Diaz by unanimous decision Saturday night in Las Vegas—at the Filipino pound-for-pound king.

“He's out of the picture at the moment,” said Gacal.

In their first showdown in 2004, Marquez recovered from three first-round knockdowns to forge a controversial draw with Pacquiao. Two years ago, Pacquiao knocked down Marquez in the third round of their second fight and won by split decision.

Since then, Pacquiao has climbed to the welterweight class against Oscar De La Hoya, to light welterweight against Ricky Hatton and to welterweight against Miguel Cotto (145 pounds catch weight) and Joshua Clottey.

Negotiations are being finalized for Pacquiao to battle Mexican Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC super welterweight crown on Nov. 13.

During the post-fight conference, Marquez said he would be willing to fight Pacquiao, boxing's only seven-time champion in as many divisions, at 140 to 145.

According to Gacal, if ever Pacquiao decided to give Marquez another chance, it would be at over 140.

“Manny will find it hard to trim down to 140 now,” said Gacal.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/sports/view/20100803-284654/Pacquiao-not-interested-in-a-rematch-with-Marquez

Juan Manuel Marquez has more than earned third Manny Pacquiao chance

2010-08-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

It would be a fitting, closing chapter for them both.

I'm talking about a third chapter of the always lively, always entertaining Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao boxing series.

I know Juan Ma, who just repeated an earlier victory over Juan Diaz, is a lightweight but outside of his persistent whining about past results against Pacman, the 36 year old Mexican has been a genuine credit to his profession.

I mean, come on, what's not to like about this willing warrior?

He doesn't load his handwraps illegally, he has never been accused of using performance enhancing drugs or any other disreputable activity.

Oh, I forgot the silly “Urinetown” thing, how he likes not waste his liquid waste product.

Well, maybe the yellow stream keeps him flowing and going. He is the king of all lighttweights, no doubt about that.

I can't see why there's a need to debate if Juan Ma should get a third crack at Megamanny.

Absolutely, he should. Of course we know in boxing, as in life as Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones advised so long ago, “you can't always get what you want.”

Marquez's overall record matches up well with Pacquiao's.

They both have notched 51 victories and are only apart by one KO victory (Pacman has 38 to JMM's 37).

Pacquiao-Marquez III would be fairly simple to promote. You just roll out the past video highlights and go from there.

In an ideal world, I'd see Pacquiao inviting Juan Ma to Manila to stage the end of the trilogy.

Pacquiao would probably stop Marquez if they go at it one more time.

Maybe there is a gigantic Floyd Mayweather fight and maybe there's not.

But Pacquiao should accommodate Juan Ma for the third bout.

With a draw and split decision, there can be some argument about who was the better fighter.

Again, Pacquiao has gone above and beyond Marquez with his demolitions of Messrs. Hatton and de la Hoya.

But Juan Ma-Manny III would be nothing but fun.

After taking a pounding, the proud Marquez could ride off into the sunset with a big lump to put into his retirement nest egg.

Give him the fight, Manny.

Marquez has earned it for being your fiercest rival and for being a credit to your shared profession.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-Boxing-Examiner~y2010m8d1-Juan-Manuel-Marquez-has-more-than-earned-third-Manny-Pacquiao-chance

Marquez' suicide wish

2010-08-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

Someone should advise WBO and WBA
lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez to get real because his calling out Rep. Manny Pacquiao for a third face-off is suicidal.

After whipping a badly outclassed Juan Diaz in Las Vegas last Saturday, Marquez announced his availability to take on Pacquiao in November if Top Rank chairman Bob Arum finds no suitable opponent for the Filipino ring icon. The Mexican is conjuring visions of a trilogy after holding Pacquiao to a split 12-round draw in 2004 and losing a split 12-round decision in a rematch in 2008.

“(Pacquiao) knows I can beat him so that’s why he stays away,” said Marquez. “I think we’ll meet again before we’re done.” From Marquez’ pronouncements, it seems like he’s living in a fantasy world. Either there are loose marbles in his head or Marquez has a wild imagination.

Since turning pro in 1993, Marquez has compiled a 51-5-1 record, including 37 KOs. Maybe, the wear and tear of a long career has clouded Marquez’ thinking. After the draw with Pacquiao, Marquez turned down a $750,000 offer for a rematch to take on and later lose to Chris John on points in Indonesia in 2006. By the way, Marquez was paid only $31,250 for the John fight.

The return bout with Pacquiao eventually took place in 2008 and Marquez, who was floored in the third round, lost on a split decision.

In all, Marquez has been dropped four times by Pacquiao – thrice in the first round of their first encounter. For the record, the first fight should’ve gone to Pacquiao on a split decision as judge Burt Clements, who scored it 113-all, admitted his mistake in scoring the opening round 10-7 instead of 10-6 because of the three knockdowns. The two other judges John Stewart and Guy Jutras scored the first round 10-6. In the end, Stewart had it 115-110 for Pacquiao and Jutras, 115-110 for Marquez.

Marquez, not Pacquiao, was lucky to escape with a draw in the first meeting. Pacquiao was unlucky to be robbed of a win on a judge’s error.

For Marquez to claim that Pacquiao is avoiding him at this stage of their careers is pure nonsense. Marquez turns 37 on Aug. 23 and retirement beckons. Since losing to Pacquiao in 2008, he has posted a 3-1 record, the last two bouts going the distance. Pacquiao, in contrast, has won five in a row, four by knockout, since the Marquez rematch and is in his prime.

Besides, Pacquiao has moved up to the welterweight division. In case Marquez is unaware, Pacquiao now reigns as WBO welterweight champion. Marquez scaled 133 1/2 pounds for the Diaz fight last Saturday, compared to Pacquiao’s 145 3/4 for his one-sided win over Joshua Clottey last March. Clearly, both fighters are now two worlds apart in terms of their weight classes. As a welterweight, Pacquiao campaigns two divisions higher than Marquez.

Marquez checked in at 142 pounds, the heaviest in his career, for the Floyd Mayweather fight last September and it was evident the excess weight put him at a disadvantage. He was nothing more than a blown-up lightweight and couldn’t bring his speed or power to the next level. The experiment was disastrous. Marquez was knocked down once and lost a unanimous decision by wide margins – 120-107, 119-108 and 118-109. If ever Marquez and Pacquiao meet again, the Filipino will make short work of the Mexican – three rounds, max.

Last Saturday’s win over Diaz was far from impressive. Marquez hit Diaz with some good shots but the Baby Bull was never in serious trouble. He couldn’t pin down Diaz and cut the ring off. Marquez wasn’t as deadly or as quick as he was when he stopped Diaz in their first bout last year. Age has caught up with the Mexican. Once known as Dinamita, Marquez is now just an unobtrusive firecracker.

* * * *

FEU is head and shoulders above the rest in the UAAP senior men’s basketball race as the league’s only unbeaten team with a 6-0 record. And the Tamaraws still haven’t gotten the most out of Smart-Gilas cager J. R. Cawaling.

There’s some pressure on Cawaling to produce big numbers. After all, he’s in coach Rajko Toroman’s rotation with the national team. But coach Glenn Capacio isn’t rushing Cawaling who’s readjusting his style to suit the UAAP flow after playing small in overseas games with Gilas.

Another Gilas player in the FEU roster is Aldrech Ramos who has picked up from where he left off last season when he was runner-up to Ateneo’s Rabeh Al-Hussaini in the MVP derby.

This year, the Tamaraw making a big difference is sophomore point guard R. R. (Ryan Roose) Garcia.

FEU team owner Anton Montinola said Garcia is contributing more to the varsity than Mark Barroca did in his heyday.

“Garcia and Barroca are both from Zamboanga, play the same position but they’re like night and day,” said Montinola. “Garcia’s father is a Marine and the military upbringing shows in his approach to the game. R. R. is a disciplined player. He’s a point guard like Mark but his mindset is different. He gets along with his teammates. He likes to play within the team concept.”

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=599232&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Arum says Floyd afraid of losing

2010-08-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

As far back as two years ago, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum had made up his mind on what he thinks of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. who was widely recognized as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter until Manny Pacquiao came along.

Bob Arum: “Mayweather is a psychological coward.”
“Mayweather is a psychological coward,” said Arum, quoted by Steve Kim in Boxing Digest magazine (August 2008). “He’s a guy who psychologically cannot face the prospect of losing. He’s always avoided challenges. Forget about Mayweather.”

Arum has been frustrated by Maywather’s ducking tactics at least thrice. In 2006, Mayweather refused an $8 million paycheck to fight Mexican warrior Antonio Margarito. And twice this year, he recited a litany of excuses to wiggle out of a showdown with Pacquiao.

The Pacquiao-Mayweather duel is the marquee match-up that every fight fan wants and deserves to see. It’s the biggest money bout waiting to happen and the speculation is the fight could become the highest pay-per-view grosser ever. Pacquiao and Mayweather could conceivably earn $40 million apiece for facing off.

There’s no question Pacquiao’s willingness to battle Mayweather. Arum represents Pacquiao and has been desperately trying to arrange the match. But Mayweather refuses to oblige, citing reasons from drug-related issues to an uncompromising position on income splits. The real bottom line is Mayweather isn’t ready to take on Pacquiao who’s in the prime of his storybook boxing career. Mayweather is avoiding Pacquiao because the prospect of losing isn’t just imaginary – it’s a strong possibility.

Eventually, the fight will take place because the money is too good to pass up. Mayweather, however, isn’t in a hurry to enter the ring to meet Pacquiao. He’ll wait for the Filipino icon to get older, to absorb a little more wear and tear by fighting others and to start losing focus on boxing because of his responsibilities as a congressman. There is also speculation that Mayweather isn’t inclined to fight Pacquiao or anyone else this year to keep from moving up the tax bracket where the escalation will mean paying more millions to the IRS.

As for Pacquiao, he’s staying busy. He’s booked for his next bout on Nov. 13 and his likely opponent is Margarito.

Pacquiao said he doubts if Mayweather will ever step up to the plate and take him on. He recently denounced Pretty Boy for resorting to gutter tactics and showing disrespect by accusing him of using performance enhancing drugs. Pacquiao said he was forced to go to court against Mayweather and his team to protect his reputation. At least, Margarito is more respectful, said Pacquiao.

Mayweather, 33, ended a 21-month layoff to outpoint Sugar Shane Mosley last May but survived a scare to pull off the victory. Mosley rocked Mayweather who was on the verge of falling to the canvas in the second round. Mayweather weathered the storm and went on to dominate the faded, 38-year-old Mosley. It was the fifth fight in his last six where Mayweather went the distance, indicating a growing inability to finish off opponents, presumably because of age. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach recently said Mayweather is now too old to pose a challenge for the fighting congressman from Sarangani.

What makes the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight so marketable is according to The Ring Magazine’s Eric Raskin, how “Pacman and Money represent the antitheses of each other in many ways,” like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The dream bout pits good versus evil.

“Pacman is humble and respectful, such a genuine man of the people that he actually ran for public office to represent the common man in the Philippines and won,” said Raskin. “(Mayweather) learned to embrace his inner villain. He curses and hurls insults; he brags and boasts. He waves his money in your face and makes fun of you for paying for your possessions in installments. He wants to be loved, like we all do, but if you aren’t going to love him, then his goal is to make sure you hate his guts.”

Pacquiao is rated the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter by The Ring Magazine and ESPN.com but Mayweather, on account of his comeback win over Mosley, is at the top of the ladder in boxrec.com and Yahoo! Sports. The debate on who’s No. 1 won’t be settled until the fighters finally get it on in the ring. If the fight never happens, it will be the greatest injustice to boxing fans in history.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=599224&publicationSubCategoryId=69

MARQUEZ WINS, CONTINUES TO CHASE A THIRD FIGHT WITH PACQUIAO

2010-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

After whipping Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz who looked more like a calf being led to the slaughter, WBA/WBO and Ring Magazine lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez once again continued to chase a third fight with pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao even though Pacquiao has moved up to welterweight and reigns as the WBO champion having won the title with a12th round stoppage of Miguel Cotto last November.

Marquez beat Diaz both with his hand-speed and his movement as Diaz appeared to be hampered by a problem with his left knee as he wore a brace and hardly had any lateral movement. Despite Marquez’s right eye being partially shut, Diaz failed to capitalize on it and was effectively taken to school by the three-time world champion who at 36 may have won easily but didn’t look devastating in any way.

The fight was nowhere near as exciting as their first encounter which was voted "Fight of the Year" and was too lopsided to come anywhere near being considered a great fight.

All three judges had Marquez a comfortable winner with Patricia Morse Jarman scoring it 117-111, Glenn Trowbridge 118-110 and Jerry Roth 116-112.

After the fight Marquez kept harping on the fact that his goal is a third fight with Manny Pacquiao who dropped him three times in the opening round of their first encounter in which Marquez fought back to salvage draw and won a split decision in their rematch, once again sending Marquez to the canvas in round four that many felt earned Pacquiao the win.

Golden Boy Promotions wants Marquez to face WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan of Britain in a December 11 showdown but obsessed with a third fight against Pacquiao offered to face Pacquiao on November 13 in the face of Antonio Margarito’s problems in securing a license to fight in the US.

Marquez who won by a 9th round knockout over Diaz in their first meeting which was much closer until it ended said “A trilogy with Pacquiao is what I want and should happen. It's for the Mexican and Filipino fight fans it's my number one priority. I will be ready to fight again in November and hopefully Pacquiao takes the fight with me.”

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has, in the past, said he would like another fight with Marquez so Pacquiao could shut him up once and for all while conditioning expert Alex Ariza has said Pacquiao would knock Marquez out for sure.

The weight difference between Marquez who came in at 132 1/2 pounds way below the135 pound limit after coming in at 142 pounds for the 147 pound welterweight bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr last September and Pacquiao would be a major drawback to a trilogy with the Filipino who has zoomed way ahead both as a fighter and a crossover star for him to seriously consider giving into the Mexican’s plea.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-42100.html

Juan Manuel Marquez eyes third Pacquiao fight

2010-08-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Juan Manuel Marquez wants a third fight with Manny Pacquiao after retaining his WBA and WBO lightweight titles with a points win over Juan Diaz on Saturday.

Marquez who knocked out Diaz 18 months ago, landed 133 more punches than his opponent in the Las Vegas rematch to earn a unanimous decision.

And the Mexican immediately turned his attentions to Filipino Pacquiao who he has previously drawn with and lost to.

"The trilogy with Pacquiao is what I want," said Marquez after the fight.

"Everybody wants to see it. It's good for all fight fans, for the Mexicans, the Filipinos. Everyone wants to see it. That's the most important fight for me now."

Both of their previous fights have gone to the wire with Pacquiao taking a split decision two years ago, after their first contest, in 2004, ended in a draw.

Diaz landed enough punches in the opening exchanges to put the counter-punching Marquez on the defensive but the Mexican gradually took control of the fight, peppering the American with left hooks while staying out of trouble.

Marquez lands one of his 288 punches on Diaz

He also appeared to hurt Diaz with a series of sharp of combinations as he landed 288 punches in the 12-round contest.

"I fought the best fight I could," said Diaz.

"We were trading punches. I didn't want to stand in front of him. The game plan was to get in there, throw combinations, step around him and get out.

"But it was tough and I got hit with some good punches. He's a great fighter."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8874711.stm

Juan Manuel Marquez wants Manny Pacquiao trilogy after win

2010-08-01T03:33:00.001-07:00

Dinamita determined to have another crack at Pacman following Juan Diaz victory

Marquez now wants third Pacquiao showdown(credit: wikipedia)

Juan Manuel Marquez has reiterated his desire for a third clash with Manny Pacquiao after successfully defending his WBO and WBA lightweight titles with a second win over Juan Diaz in Las Vegas.

Marquez stopped Diaz in the ninth round of their first fight in February 2009 but this time had to settle for a unanimous points victory by margins of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 at the Mandalay Bay.

The rematch lacked the brutality of their previous encounter, which was voted 2009 Fight of the Year, but Dinamita did enough to secure an emphatic decision and stay champion.

"The first bout was a war and more difficult for both of us," said 36-year-old Marquez. "This fight was more technical, we also wanted to box a bit more but we were able to come out ahead.

"He's a great fighter, knows some good techniques and likes to box obviously, but tonight our technique was in our favour."

Marquez continued his domination of the 135lb division but insists he has unfinished business with Pacquiao, having previously drawn with Pacman and suffered a split decision defeat.

"The trilogy is what we want, I think it is the best thing for boxing and the fans," Dinamita told HBO. "The Mexican fans want it, the Filipino fans want it and everyone who follows boxing."

Pacquiao must first come through a November clash with Antonio Margarito, for which he is a 1/6 favourite with sportingbet and 1/2 to win inside the distance.

http://www.bettingpro.com/category/Boxing/Juan-Manuel-Marquez-wants-Manny-Pacquiao-trilogy-after-win-201008010098/

Marquez: Mayweather would beat Pacquiao

2010-08-01T03:30:00.000-07:00

Juan Manuel Marquez believes Floyd Mayweather Jr would out-point Manny Pacquiao if the two superstars met in the ring.

Talks over a proposed superfight between American Mayweather and Filipino Pacquiao stalled then broke down completely over the issue of drug testing, with the 'Pac-Man' not keen to provide blood samples, while there have been other differences.

However fans have not given up hope that one day they will face off in the richest event in boxing history.

Mexican Marquez fought bravely in a unanimous-decision loss to Mayweather last year while he drew with Pacquiao in 2004 then lost a split decision to him in 2008.

"I think Mayweather would win because he has a great defence," he told In This Corner TV.

"You know, if you have a great defence, you can beat anybody.

"He's quick and would use the long arms; he would win the rounds by delivering so many punches and jabs."

Pacquiao has signed up to fight Antonio Margarito in November.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29072010/58/marquez-mayweather-beat-pacquiao.html

Juan Manuel Marquez beats Diaz, calls out Manny Pacquiao

2010-07-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

In his first fight back since losing to undefeated boxer, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez defeated Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz by decision Saturday night on HBO Pay-per-view.

Diaz tried to change his style from the come forward pressure fighter we all knew, to a boxer, who was using movement and little to no pressure. Marquez counter punched Diaz throughout the fight and Diaz best punch was his left jab that marked up Marquez face but it was not enough to keep Marquez at bay.

Unlike their first fight, this fight wasn’t a fight of the year candidate it was more of a one sided technical beating by Juan Manuel Marquez instead of the back and forth action Marquez and Diaz had in their first meeting.

Juan Diaz is 26-years old and will now focus on his law career and passing the The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in October but will sit down with his trainers and promoters to discuss his boxing future. During his post fight interview with Jim Lampley, Juan Manuel Marquez said that a trilogy with Manny Pacquiao is important for himself and the Mexican and Filipino boxing fans.

Juan made his plea that he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao in November if they make a decision to fight him (Bob Arum is trying to make a fight with Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao for November 13 but Margarito doesn’t have a license to box in the US.)

http://www.nowboxing.com/2010/07/juan-manuel-marquez-beats-diaz-calls-out-manny-pacquiao/12346/

Pacquiao sis still hiding; pa denies gambling rap

2010-07-31T02:05:00.000-07:00

An elder sister of boxer-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao remained in hiding Saturday, 48 hours after police raided her home and arrested at least 10 people in General Santos City on suspicion it was a den for illegal gambling.

Members of the family, particularly the Pacquiao patriarch, Rosalio, denied that Isidra Pacquiao Paglinawan was involved in the illegal numbers game "Last Two Digits," and criticized the authorities for the raid and the arrests.

The elder Pacquiao said he was celebrating his 53rd birthday on Thursday when Central Mindanao police operatives swooped down on Isidra’s house in Barangay San Isidro in General Santos City.

Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu, Central Mindanao police chief, said the authorities had long suspected that Isidra’s house was being used for the operation of Last Two Digits, a popular form of gambling in many parts of Mindanao.

The results of the illegal numbers game, which is based on the lotto results, are drawn three times a day.

Rosalio said the raid disrupted his birthday celebration when the police arrested his guests.

Khu confirmed that at least 10 persons were arrested in the raid but Isidra was nowhere to be found. He said the raiders confiscated gambling paraphernalia and some cash, ostensibly bets.

Khu said the police were preparing charges against Isidra because the raid confirmed that her house was being used as a base for Last Two Digits operators.

As this developed, Dionisia, the mother of Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao, said her family was contemplating the filing of charges against the ABS-CBN station in General Santos City for humiliating another daughter, Liza.

The TV network, in a report on the raid, presented a photograph of Liza as that of Isidra.

“After that report, my daughter (Liza) refuses to go outside their house because many people stare at her as if she committed a big sin,” Dionisia told a local radio station.

Manny, who witnessed part of the raid but told police he would not intervene, said he too was upset by the report.

“The picture showed in the report was that of my sister Liza. Liza has nothing to do with it. I want to make that clear,” he said.

ABS-CBN has already apologized for the incident but Dionesia said were thinking of filing a suit against the television giant.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20100731-284218/Pacquiao-sis-still-hiding-pa-denies-gambling-rap

Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito to Dallas Cowboys' Stadium?

2010-07-31T02:00:00.000-07:00

Nevada State Athletic Commission Chairman, Keith Kizer, confirmed that Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum, has withdrawn his request to have Antonio Margarito to be placed on the commission's Aug. 9 agenda, where Margarito was to have stated his case for being licensed conditionally for one fight in Las Vegas.

The move all but guarantees that a proposed Nov. 13, WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) championship bout between Margarito (38-6, 27 knockouts) and seven-division titlist Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) will not take place here at the MGM Grand Hotel.

Pacquiao is the current WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion.

Earlier this week, Margarito applied to have his license reinstated by the California State Athletic Commission, which revoked it following a hand-wrapping scandal in January 2009.

Margarito was doing so in accordance with a ruling made earlier this month by the Nevada Commission, which tabled Margarito's application to be licensed until he first reapply in California -- regardless of the result -- and then, return to NSAC for consideration.

Margarito is scheduled to appear before the CSAC on August 18. But in a race against time, Arum decided that he couldn't be sure that the Nevada Commission would place him on its Aug. 9 agenda for consideration, let alone, approve him for a license.

"Because time is running out, we can't wait for Nevada to make a decision, so we have to think about moving the fight elsewhere," Arum told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "The commission, other than [chairwoman] Pat Lundvall, have other views. We decided we can't engage them in trying to change their views, so we're taking it elsewhere."

Since the CSAC's sanction is honored by most state athletic commissions, Margarito -- whose year-long suspension ended on Feb. 11 -- has been unable to fight in the United States. But Arum believes that if Margarito is relicensed in California, states such as New Jersey, Washington and Texas are likely to consider him as well.

If that's the case, the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium is a likely venue, having played host to a crowd of more than 51,000 who witnessed Pacquiao's unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey in March.

If not, Arum has said that he would take Pacquiao-Margarito to Monterrey, Mex. Margarito was licensed in May to fight in Mexico, where he decisioned Roberto Garcia over 10 rounds.

Don King would have made Floyd Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao

2010-07-30T23:31:00.001-07:00

So Floyd Mayweather Junior hung out with iconic promoter Don King Thursday night causing a tidal wave of buzz through out boxing’s knitting circle.

Is it to late for King to make a difference?

Floyd Mayweather Junior

On his official Twitter page, Floyd Mayweather wrote the following two messages last night:

“The Cash King and Money May”
and

“I'm chillin with Don King”

Unfortunately any business relationship between King and Mayweather is about a five years too late.

I would be have been a lot more interested if Floyd twitter’ed, “I am fighting Manny Pacquiao on November 13, move over Antonio Margarito”

Mayweather can hang out with Don King all weekend long down in South Florida, but that does not change the failed negotiations surrounding boxing’s biggest fight.

If Don King was Mayweather’s official promoter, I believe we would not be in the predicament we are in now.

Mr. King has a way of seducing fighters into his promotional outfit, then doing what he wants with them - not the other way around.

Mayweather may walk to the beat of his own drummer, thanks to Bob Arum, Richard Schaefer, Al Haymon, and Oscar De La Hoya, but Mr. King does not play that game.

See, Don King - for all of his short-comings, has not forgotten his place within boxing. Don King acts like what he is, and nothing else.

When it comes to the business of boxing, Don King is the boss and his fighters are the employees, be it by hook or by crook.

So Mr. Boxer, you don’t want to fight? That is okay by Mr. King, he will put you on the shelf for as long as your promotional contract lasts and if the fighter objects and wants to go to court over breech of contract, that is okay as well.

Mr. King has deep pockets and powerful lawyers to make sure his way, is the right way.

Maybe if he was not babied by Arum’s Top Rank and now Schaefer’s Golden Boy, Mayweather would have been is great fights the last three to four years on a consistent basis.

It is way too late for Don King to get in Mayweather’s soup and make a difference, as the lunatic is running his own personal asylum, but I ponder if Money would have been able to hustle King.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2850-LA-Boxing-Examiner~y2010m7d30-Don-King-would-have-made-Floyd-Mayweather-fight-Manny-Pacquiao

No way to sugarcoat this: Mayweather fears Pacquiao

2010-07-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

He is possibly the best pure athlete today. Yet, despite his great physical prowess, he looks scared. He looks like a frightened man.


Some believe Floyd 'Money' Mayweather has been enjoying his fame a little too much. (Getty Images)

Floyd Mayweather usually appears gorged with bravado and his perpetually functioning ego can power a thousand cities, but these days his courage could seemingly fit neatly into a pair of a girl's dancing slippers as he continues to dodge Manny Pacquiao.

There's no other way to say this. Mayweather has a chance, directly in front of him, to make grand history. He can shut up doubters, display true mastery and etch his place into boxing lore by staging one of the great sporting events of all time. Instead of running to this opportunity, he's scurrying away from it.

Some believe Floyd 'Money' Mayweather has been enjoying his fame a little too much. (Getty Images)
Some believe Floyd 'Money' Mayweather has been enjoying his fame a little too much. (Getty Images)
Over the last several days I've had conversations with various people within boxing and no one understands why Mayweather is avoiding Pacquiao. His tactics outside the ring are as dumbfounding as they are in it.

What many in boxing believe is that Mayweather is nervous about Pacquiao and Mayweather is also enjoying his fame a little too much.

Mayweather is becoming Strayweather, a fighter more concerned about the arid glitter of celebrity than fighting the best possible opponent. He's a ship at sea and doesn't seem to care that there are numerous ports in sight.

The closest thing to a pseudo-defense of Mayweather I'm hearing is that ducking Pacquiao is part of an elaborate plan by Mayweather to increase interest -- and subsequently the money -- surrounding the fight. That, of course, would not be atypical Mayweather behavior. No one plays the media and boxing public for bigger dupes than him.

Yet the overall opinion in boxing seems to be Mayweather's concern is Pacquiao's smart brutality is an even match for his skilled quickness.

Who are we to say that a man who fights for a living is, well, afraid to fight? But Mayweather is leaving even his most strident supporters speechless with his recent game of running.

The irony is I think Mayweather would win and it wouldn't be as close as some believe. Mayweather's hand speed is still daunting and though Pacquiao is a solid boxer, he's mostly a slugger. Pacquiao is red-fanged but Mayweather would out-technique him. Apparently, I have more faith in Mayweather than Mayweather does.

Mayweather's refusal to fight Pacquiao runs contrary to everything we know about professional athletes. Imagine the New Orleans Saints getting to the Super Bowl but refusing to play Indianapolis because they feared the Colts? Or Kobe Bryant not wanting to beat LeBron James? Or Mary Ann thinking she wasn't prettier than Ginger?

What Mayweather is doing remains one of the most unusual stories in sports today. It trumps Pitino, T.O. and almost all other summer silliness because we're seeing an elite athlete refuse to be great.

Most in boxing thought we'd have a fight set by now, particularly after Pacquiao reportedly agreed to more stringent performance enhancing drug testing. There have been charges and counter charges about who is ducking who, but it's clear now that Mayweather is the one doing the running.

Pacquiao has moved on and will fight someone else in the fall while Strayweather runs in the opposite direction.

Many of history's great fighters didn't duck other greats or if they did, they didn't for long. Sugar Ray Robinson had 200 fights, sometimes with numerous fights in one year. Mayweather is proving more the exception to this rule.

Mayweather is also proving to be something I never thought I'd see.

Scared.

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito: Three Matchups To Consider

2010-07-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao has forgotten all about the Floyd Mayweather fiasco and moved on to fight former WBA and IBF Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito on November 13.

Recently published reports indicate that Pacquiao is the favorite 4-1 over Margarito, however, the fight will be more intricate than that.

Pacquiao will be looking to claim his eighth world championship in a different weight class, while Margarito will be looking to redeem himself from the tampered hand wraps scandal.

Both fighters have a gift with gloves and a heart of a champion. Here's three matchups to watch carefully during the fight.

Pacquiao's Strength vs. Margarito's Chin

Everyone knows that Pac Man has incredible punching power. His strength is clearly reflected in his knockout ratio. Pacquiao has knocked out 38 of his 51 (67 percent) opponents he was victorious over.

However, Margarito is not human. He eats jabs, hooks, and haymakers for breakfast. So don't count Margarito out, because if there's one thing he's known for, it's his iron chin.

Pacquiao's Experience vs. Margarito's Hometown

It's not official yet, but according to several published reports, Pacquiao-Margarito will take place in Monterrey, Mexico. Margarito is a Mexican-American who currently resides in Tijuana, so the hometown advantage should work heavily in his favor.

Nonetheless, Pacquiao is a seasoned veteran. He fights anywhere and everywhere, so hometown advantage seems to be no object to Pacquiao. In fact, the last time Pacquiao fought in the Phillipines was in 2001.

Pacquiao's Patience vs. Margarito's Endurance

Like I stated earlier, Margarito is known for being able to take a punch and for that reason his stamina and heart allow him to win matches. He simply outworks opponents.

Pacquiao has quite a bit of stamina himself, however his style of fighting may make it difficult to conserve his energy if this fight goes to a 12-round decision. He is an offensive fighter who has the ability to knock a fighter out at any time. That could be a double-edged sword though; if he is unable to knockout Margarito, watch out.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/427514-manny-pacquiao-vs-antonio-margarito-three-fight-match-ups-to-consider

Charice tells Thai reporters: "Music is my boyfriend."

2010-07-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

"There, we were already briefed by the Warner Music Thailand execs that we can ask Charice everything except for two issues: 1.) the facial muscle pain procedure that Charice underwent recently and, 2.) GLEE."

"Every single person in the world has their own talent even though it's not seen. Wala namang masama kung ita-try. Yun lang yun eh. Try and try until you succeed. 'Wag lang makikinig sa mga negative things kasi kasama yun eh. Kasama yan talaga. Sila yung magta-thrive kung talagang malakas ka. And I'd say that you just have to be really, really be strong," Charice said during a press conference in Thailand. The event was attended by Thai reporters and a small Filipino contingent.

Blogger Carlo dela Rosa wrote on his personal site, giving an interesting rundown of the Filipino singing sensation's July 23 press conference held at the Pullman Hotel in Thailand. Charice visited the neighboring Asian country to promote her self-titled debut album and also to perform at the Siam Discovery.

The press engagement was well attended by Thai and a few Filipino reporters along with label representatives and fans.

Other than the two no-no questions, the invited press were pretty much allowed by the organizers to ask any question.

And talent manager Carlo Orosa also did his share of asking via dela Rosa's blog.

LETTING HER HAIR DOWN. "How do you handle your newfound success? What advice will you give to aspiring singers and what message can you give to your Little Big Star friends from where you started?"

"Yun nga po, tulad nga po ng sabi ko kanina, you really have to work hard. Kasi nga pag minadali mo siya, lalo siyang babagal. It gets slower and slower so you have to work hard. You have to do it like don't just sing it and be like a prima donna like something's gonna happen but then you're not moving. You have to move, you have to do it, you have to work hard," replied the 18-year-old singer.

Interestingly, Carlo handles the career of the young singer who edged out Charice in Little Big Star back in 2005: Sam Concepcion.

"Well, I'm very, very proud naman sa kanya," Charice said about Sam. "Very proud sa mga nararating niya ngayon. I actually want to thank him because I saw a video of him singing my song, 'Pyramid'. I felt really happy. Flattered."

She continued, "He's really a nice guy. And I'm really, really happy for what he had achieved or what he is achieving right now. You know, of course, I'm still actually wishing and hoping na someday we could have a reunion with the other fellow Little Big Star mates. Because when I did a concert in the Philippines, Sam wasn't there."

A Thai reporter asked Charice if she's thinking of changing her musical style for the second album.

"Well, my first one is pop and R&B. I mean, we're not actually planning yet for the second album but we're looking for a new song, a second single which is actually not part of the album. We're looking for a dance song faster than 'Pyramid' because dance is actually 'in' in the U.S. right now. Something like Lady Gaga."

Charice likewise revealed her desire to pen her own songs in the future. "But not right now," she quickly added. "I mean, c'mon, he's David Foster. I'm just enjoying right now and maybe on the next album."

The multi-awarded American songwriter David Foster produced Charice's debut disc, which so far has delivered the international hit, "Pyramid."

"Many people ask if you have a boyfriend?" a curious Thai reporter pitched in.

Charice reportedly laughed before answering: "No. I'm not ready right now because I'm enjoying what I'm doing right now. I'm loving it. Actually that's my boyfriend [music], you know. Sometimes it's heartbreaking, painful, but I'm in love."

Margarito camp starts fight preparation

2010-07-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

The moment Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum made the announcement that Manny Pacquiao's next fight will be against Antonio Margarito, the Mexican’s trainer, Robert Garcia, immediately gathered all of the Filipino icon’s fights on video.

MARGARITO

"Since I learned about the fight I’ve been watching Manny Pacquiao’s fights, from when he got knocked out in the beginning of his career, to his loss against (Erik) Morales (in March 2005) and all the other fights were he beat everybody else," Garcia told the leading boxing website fightnews.

"We’ve been studying all those fights and I think we’ll come in with a great plan and a great strategy to beat him," said Garcia, whose former clients include ex-world champion Brian Viloria.

Pacquiao and Margarito will slug it out for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super-welterweight title on November 13 at a venue that will soon be determined, according to Arum.

Vying to host the much-awaited return of Pacquiao are Las Vegas, Dallas, Monterrey in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Arum said he would know by next week which city will secure the rights to stage the bout.

Oil-rich Abu Dhabi is said to be very keen in getting the fight and is going all-out in pleasing Pacquiao's ultra-luxurious taste.

As Arum tries his best to get the best deal out of the interested parties, Garcia is making himself busy coming up with the blueprint for Pacquiao's downfall.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/269861/margarito-camp-starts-fight-preparation

Pacquiao-Margarito a bad idea says Cotto’s trainer

2010-07-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Esteemed boxing coach Emanuel Steward, current trainer of Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto, thinks that a match between “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao and Mexico’s Antonio Margarito will still be a difficult fight to make.
Antonio Margarito talks to ABS-CBN's Dyan Castillejo.
“The strongest move has been made by Top Rank to make the fight between Pacquiao and Margarito. So I guess that’s really the hot negotiation, but to me I’m just watching like a fan or a spectator…I think that’s going to be a very difficult fight to make,” Steward said in a report posted on The Mushroom Mag.

Steward cited that from a boxing fan’s point of view, it looks bad to see Margarito being rewarded to fight Pacquiao despite the Mexican’s involvement in an illegal hand wrapping incident.

Margarito had his boxing license suspended for a year after being caught wearing hand wraps stained with substance similar to plaster of Paris shortly before his fight against “Sugar” Shane Mosley in January 2009.

“The reaction from the fans has been very bad. The man committed a crime and now he’s being rewarded with the biggest purse of his life,” said Steward, who trained the likes of boxing legends Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield and Julio Cesar Chavez.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who handles both Pacquiao and Margarito, earlier said that he has already decided to pit the two boxers because it seems more competitive than having the Filipino champ face Cotto in a rematch. (Click here for story.)
Manny Pacquiao

Arum came out with the decision after Floyd Mayweather Jr. ignored the offer to face Pacquiao in a fight between two top pound-for-pound boxers.

“I think Margarito’s just a big question mark… The man did his time but I have to go by the reaction of the public. I don’t think he should be getting a big super fight of this caliber and the public has pretty much picked up on that fact,” said Steward.

He admitted that although he wanted a rematch between Pacquiao and his ward Cotto, who is also a Top Rank fighter, he still likes the idea of the Filipino champ slugging it out with Mayweather.

“I really wanted to see Pacquiao and Mayweather like everyone else. I would have almost bet that the fight would have been made because of the tremendous money that would have been made and the public interest,” he said.
Manny Pacquiao

Manny wary of Margarito

2010-07-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Rep. Manny Pacquiao said the other day he won’t take Mexican Antonio Margarito lightly in the event they face off for the vacant WBC superwelterweight crown on Nov. 13.

Antonio Margarito, hitting Miguel Cotto in a file photo, remains a formidable rival for Manny Pacquiao (inset).

“Margarito is taller and has a longer reach,” said Pacquiao. “He reminds me of Oscar de la Hoya. He’s a tough opponent. He was the first man to defeat (Miguel) Cotto. I must be at my best to beat him.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said Margarito was the logical choice to battle Pacquiao when talks broke down to arrange a much-awaited showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Both Margarito and Pacquiao are promoted by Top Rank.

No contract has been signed for the fight and no venue is locked up. Pacquiao, however, expressed a preference for the bout to be held in Mexico. Margarito is not licensed to fight in the US because of a suspension stemming from a tampered hand-wrap incident before losing to Sugar Shane Mosley in Los Angeles last year.

Pacquiao and Margarito have something in common – Mayweather seems to bedeathly scared of both fighters. In 2006, Mayweather turned down a $8 million paycheck to fight Margarito. Lately, Pretty Boy closed the book on negotiations for a Pacquiao duel. Writer Joseph Santoliquito once described Margarito as “the most avoided fighter in the game.”

Trainer and TV boxing analyst Emanuel Steward said Margarito mows down his opponents with a merciless attack. “Margarito keeps putting on pressure, he’s like a machine that keeps on coming, like a choo-choo, and he’ll eventually break you down,” said Steward. “He has that high-volume punch output that hurts. Most high-volume punchers hit you with love taps. But Margarito’s high-volume attack comes with pain. The only person in boxing who can bring that kind of pain today at a high volume is Margarito.”

Arum said Margarito poses more of a challenge for Pacquiao than Cotto. “He’s a guy who’s big, who’s strong, got an iron chin and never stops throwing punches,” said Arum, quoted by Steve Kim in Boxing Digest magazine. “Margarito is a guy that Mayweather ducked for years. Margarito will go in with (WBC heavyweight champion Vitaly) Klitschko if we asked him to.”

Margarito, 32, displayed his unforgiving nature by taunting Kermit Cintron while the Puerto Rican writhed in pain from a shot to the liver and was counted out in the sixth round in 2008. And he set an all-time record of 1,675 total punches thrown at Joshua Clottey in a 12-round wipe-out two years before.

Whether Margarito will be comfortable fighting a southpaw like Pacquiao is a question mark. In 2003, the Tijuana Tornado knocked out left-handed Andrew (Six Heads) Lewis in the second round but four years later, was outpointed by another southpaw Paul Williams.

Margarito’s physical attributes are a cause for Pacquiao’s concern. He stands 5-11 and towers over Pacquiao who is 5-6 1/2. His wingspan is measured at 73 inches, six more than Pacquiao’s. Margarito has scaled as much as 157 pounds for a fight while Pacquiao was heaviest at 145 3/4 against Clottey last March. If they dispute the vacant 154-pound title, Margarito will enjoy a distinct bulk advantage. A catchweight limit will likely be negotiated with 150 a probability.

Margarito turned pro in 1994, a year before Pacquiao’s debut, but has logged less fights, 44 to the Filipino ring icon’s 56. The Mexican has reigned as WBO, WBA and IBF welterweight champion. While on the WBO throne, he repulsed seven straight challengers. Margarito has won four of his last five bouts, including a first round stoppage of Golden Johnson. His record is 38-6, with 27 KOs, compared to Pacquiao’s 51-3-2, with 38 KOs.

Margarito’s only brother Manuel was murdered in an unsolved Tijuana killing in 1999 and the loss left a deep scar in his heart. His brother’s memory is what inspires him to win in the ring. The day after his brother was gunned down, Margarito knocked out Buck Smith with a body shot in the fifth round.

Born in poverty, Margarito was raised in a cramped two-bedroom home in a tough Tijuana district. His parents, brother and three younger sisters were cramped with him in the hillside house.

Margarito’s father Antonio Sr. worked hard to keep food on the table for his family. He was a night watchman and sold lamps and mattresses by day. It was his father who introduced him to boxing when he was eight. Margarito posted an 18-3 amateur record before turning pro at 15.

Benjamin Rendon of the Tijuana boxing commission said Margarito has made a name for himself not only in his hometown but in the entire country. “He represents what is a real boxer
– a healthy, humble, hard-working person,” said Rendon. Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez called Margarito the second coming of Tijuana’s greatest champion Erik Morales.

Margarito lives with his childhood sweetheart Michelle and her two younger brothers in a five-bedroom home in Tijuana, five minutes from the US border in San Diego. Since he was born in California, Margarito has no problem driving his Mercedes-Benz SUV in and out of the US to Mexico. Margarito often fights with his wife’s name embroidered on his boxing shorts.

A ferocious body banger, Margarito will no doubt target Pacquiao’s midsection and ribs in an effort to stop him in his tracks if and when they meet.

Margarito’s hand-wraps were found to contain traces of sulfur and calcium which combine with oxygen to form a hardened plaster before his fight against Mosley. He lost to Mosley and was later suspended for the loaded bandages which trainer Javier Capetillo wrapped. His suspension has not been lifted in California, causing Nevada to desist from issuing him a license.

Last May, Margarito came back from over a year’s layoff to outpoint Roberto Garcia for the vacant WBC International superwelterweight crown in Mexico where he is allowed to fight.

The Ring Magazine’s William Dettloff said Margarito’s immense self-belief, endurance and toughness make him the archetypal Mexican fighter. “For the most part, Mexican tradition is you’re not in the fight until you’re bleeding, that if you don’t have a hook to the liver, you’re nothing, that if you’re not moving forward, you’re running away,” said Dettloff. “That defines Margarito.”

Pacquiao's dad denies family involved in illegal gambling

2010-07-30T04:32:00.001-07:00

The father of 7-division world boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao denied his family’s involvement in illegal gambling following the raid at his daughter’s house on Thursday.
Money and gambling paraphernalia seized from Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan's house.
Pacquiao’s father, Rosaleo, claimed nobody in his family was involved in running a “Last 2” gambling operation.

"Last 2" is an illegal numbers game wherein bettors pick the last 2 digits of winning lotto numbers.

Rosaleo claimed that the 26 “ushers” picked up by General Santos City police during Thursday’s raid at the house of his daughter, Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan, were merely his guests.

At the time of the raid, Rosaleo said he was having a birthday celebration in his house, which is adjacent to his daughter’s residence.

Rosaleo also asserted his family had nothing to do with the alleged gambling proceeds and materials seized from Isidra’s home.

ABS-CBN tried to get Isidra's side of the story but the latter refused to face the media.

Police are now preparing illegal gambling charges against the suspects, including Isidra.

Authorities swooped down on the house of Isidra on Thursday on suspicion that it was being used for an illegal gambling operation.

Pacquiao’s sister was not present during the raid.

Pacquiao earlier vowed not to use his influence to help his sister get off the hook.

“Kung may kinalaman siya dito e...kung kailangan niyang...kung may kasalanan siya, e di parusahan. Ganoon naman ako, walang pinipili,” he said

Yahoo! scribe: Floyd chickened out of Pacquiao fight

2010-07-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

Kevin Iole, resident boxing writer for Yahoo! Sports, said the recent statement of HBO executive Ross Greenburg has confirmed one thing: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ducking Manny Pacquiao.

Iole said the statement of Greenburg, who disclosed that negotiations have indeed taken place between the camps of Mayweather and Pacquiao, proved that the undefeated American boxer is running away from the Filipino boxing champ.

“Mayweather has run from his biggest challenge. The fans, even those who have ardently supported him through the years, will surely remember that,” Iole said in his article.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who handles Pacquiao, earlier said he was working out a deal with Mayweather’s Al Haymon through Greenburg.

Days after Mayweather failed to respond to a deadline imposed by Arum, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe claimed that they had no knowledge of any negotiation for a November 13 fight with Pacquiao.

But Greenburg came out with a statement on Monday, saying that he “had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2nd, carefully trying to put the fight together.”

“No one is going to ask any more. How can anyone support someone with Mayweather’s arrogance, who cares so little about the fans who made him rich beyond his wildest dreams that he won’t even consider the fight they want more than any other?” said Iole.

The boxing scribe said Mayweather is playing in his “fantasy world” by claiming he is among the “greatest of all time.”

“Boxing doesn’t need him. And, truth be told, he’s wrong about his value… And the next time he dares to compare himself to one of boxing’s all-time greats, such as Sugar Ray Robinson or Sugar Ray Leonard, they’ll scoff,” said Iole.

Following Mayweather's snub, Arum began working out a fight between Pacquiao and Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito.

The turn of events was quite ironic since Yahoo! Sports picked Mayweather as the top pound-for-pound boxer last May.

Mayweather was chosen by Yahoo! Sports’ elite panel of voters over Pacquiao following his victory against “Sugar” Shane Mosley on May 3.

'Holds boxing hostage'

Boxing writer Chris Mannix of SI.com (Sports Illustrated) shared Iole's sentiments.

"He (Mayweather) holds the boxing world hostage by saying he will take his gloves and go home unless the fight isn't when he wants, where he wants and at what weight he wants. He perpetuates a lie -- like the one about his advisor, Al Haymon, not being involved in negotiations with Manny Pacquiao -- because he is confident in the fact that no one in the industry will stand up to him," said Mannix.

"He had a chance to cement that legacy this year by following up a win over Mosley with another over Pacquiao. He passed," he said.

Fight or Flight: Manny Pacquiao Vs Floyd Mayweather JR

2010-07-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

Calling Pacquiao – Mayweather…Pacquiao – Mayweather…

Or should I be asking, “Mr. Arum, did you hear anything about whether this mega-fight is going to happen or not?”

Or even, Mayweather Camp, you threw accusation after accusation, insult after insult, asked for all the drug testing concessions, and now, silence? I don’t get it. But the analytical writer I am, I have taken the theory of the fight or flight reaction that both Pacquiao and Mayweather are displaying. More importantly, dedicated RSR readers, you’ll find that both fighters are doing one or the other. The question remains: Who is fleeing and who is ready to fight?

Here’s the definition and a few symptoms of fight or flight reaction. I’ll mention a few of the physical responses (just for fun of course!) and I’ll go out on the creative editorial loop and choose the fighter that I perceive has more of the symptoms than the other.

Definition: Fight or Flight Reaction:

“When we perceive a significant threat to us, then our bodies get ready either for a fight to the death or a desperate flight from certain defeat by a clearly superior adversary.”
I’d give the nod to Mayweather on this one. Since Pacquiao and Mayweather are both boxers, this particular definition cannot be in a boxer’s mentality at all. It goes without saying though that it’s more of a case that both of them are facing the fight of their lives.

Pacquiao and Mayweather represent the best of the best in the pound for pound category. There hasn’t been a fighter like Pacquiao that has captured the fans’ hearts on an international level. I’m not going to call Mayweather a coward and he’s always been single minded in his own greatness and his undefeated record is the best. But his opponents in all honesty are not Pacquiao caliber either. Pacquiao answered his demands. What else needs to be done to get this fight?

Physical changes:

“Our senses sharpening. Pupils dilate (open out) so we can see more clearly, even in darkness. Our hairs stand on end, making us more sensitive to our environment (and also making us appear larger, hopefully intimidating our opponent).”

Pacquiao is keyed in on this physical change. Pacquiao is intimidating because of his preparation and his fight history. He had epic and bloody battles as a super featherweight with the supreme Mexican fighters Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao moved up in weight to 142 pounds when he forced Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya into an 8th round retirement. He scored a 2nd round KO over Ricky “Hitman” Hatton. I also theorize that Pacquiao has always been underestimated by his opponents. Now, however, Pacquiao is larger and intimidating, but not by sheer physical prowess. It’s his fight and boxing ability in the ring that has his opponents stunned.

“Fat from fatty cells and glucose from the liver being metabolized to create instant energy.” Pacquiao clearly exhibits this change, but I’m sure he’s challenged when it comes to fatty cells. As a fighter, Pacquiao always looks fresh and energized during his fights and his physical preparation is clear. Mayweather also keeps in amazing shape.

And finally, here’s the most intriguing physical change:

“The natural judgment system is also turned down and more primitive responses take over – this is a time for action rather than deep thought.”

There is no doubt that Pacquiao and Mayweather are boxing machines. They are the best of the best. As strong fighters and boxers for most of their lives, both Pacquiao and Mayweather have always acted in their best interests to take the fight that would be the best fight for each of them to take. And the only fight for Pacquiao and Mayweather to take is with each other.

The mega-fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather must happen. It got ugly when Mayweather threw accusations about steroid use. It got ugly when Pacquiao remained smartly silent. I think now Mayweather, in his silence, must answer yes or no and bear the burden of responsibility should the fight not happen at all. But it’s not just Mayweather either. All of the parties in making the fight a done deal (or not) must reach a point in negotiations where signatures are the only thing to be done and faxed signature would be just fine. No more deep thought or negotiations. Action means the fight is going to happen, period.

After that, here’s another change that occurs in fight or flight:

“It also happens when a creative new idea makes us feel certain about things of which we previously were sure. The biochemical changes in our brain make us aggressive, fighting the new idea, or make us timid, fleeing from it.”

I’d say both Pacquiao and Mayweather are on the verge of this change. RSR readers, however partial you may be, let me know.

Finally, I didn’t even consider this possibility:

“A third alternative response which often comes before fight or flight is freezing. This is often used by prey as they seek not to be noticed by predators. They also may become aggressive and unpredictable, so on the other hand you may want to avoid getting them into this state. If you get wound up yourself, stop. Get out. Use any excuse to go somewhere and calm down.”
I think this definition of freezing can be applied to what is going on in boxing as we speak. Everything just seems frozen until the date of the mega-fight has been decided – whenever that may be – sometime in November right? As a boxing fan, I definitely am experiencing a case of freezing. If the fight doesn’t happen, I’ll be wound up for sure. I’ll get out, go somewhere, and calm down – more than likely to a local bar and watch UFC.

Both Pacquiao and Mayweather are currently experiencing some signs of freezing, flight, or fight. Both fighters seem to be on the verge of fight, but right now, the fight seems to be frozen. So there you have it, whether a Pacquiao fan or a Mayweather fan, decide for yourself whether either fighter or camp is reacting with freezing, fight, or flight.

Pacmaniacs: Manny pacquiao Kamikazes

2010-07-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

If one will tactlessly declare that Manny’s source of strength is steroids, man, I tell you, over 90 million Filipinos will go against you! This time you will realize that they can bite at you far worse than mosquitoes. Undeniably, Manny Pacman is not only a Congressman in the Philippines, but his persona has been treated by many as a super hero, who is revered similar to a demigod. In fact, a number of pacquiao’s “extreme fan-based defenders” and the so-called, “pacnut-huggers” are Pacquiao / Pacman fanatics or Pac-maniacs - who will never allow any space for any opponent or critic to gain any leverage to harm their idol. They are considered the “kamikazes” of Pacman’s legacy. Tell them that Pacman is on steroids -- and you’ll find yourself being hit with destructive comments like a countless magnum bullets and detonated C4 bombs smack on your forehead!

Look how Pac-maniacs despise Paul Malignaggi who publicly accused Manny for steroid’s use. Remember also how they condemned the comedian icon, Adam Carolla, whose racist statements against Pacquiao created massive attacks and threats on his person. Fortunately, Carolla caved in to the heavy pressure and forced him to make a public apology. Of course, Yahoo’s Kevin Iole also felt the heat from thousands of angry Pac-maniacs who violently opposed his opinion and choice in installing Floyd Mayweather as the new pound-for-pound king after Mosley’s fight.. Also, look how ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas’ email-gate issue against Pacman’s camp which was bombarded with curse words upon him. You can also observe how the wrath of these Pac fanatics blasted Oscar De La Hoya’s arrogant statements which consequently, Golden Boy has been a subject of mockery in some boxing forums, including Mayweather and his cohorts. It seems that this extreme adoration transforms into a new religion in the Philippines. One mind, one heart, one interest, one belief, one inspiration- one Manny Pacquiao --seems to qualify this burning passion into a religious cult of Pac-maniacs.

Pacmania runs wild when its fight day.
Thousands crowd into a Manila gym to Pacquiao
vs Hatton on public TV.

If Pacman is a religious leader, he can surely command millions of followers!

Remarkably, a number of religious Filipino leaders were able to draw a throng of Filipino fanatics and believers to patronize their philosophies and dogmatic beliefs. To mention a few, Gregorio Aglipay did able to call hundreds of thousands of followers in his established Iglesia Filipinista Independiente church, while Felix Manalo’s Iglesia ni Cristo, Eddie Villanueva’s JCIL, Apollo Quiboloy’s Great Commission Ministries, Eli Soriano’s Ang Dating Daan have been drawing millions of Pinoy devotees and loyalists who are faithfully submitting to their respective religious views. Interestingly, Pac-maniacs reach millions in number, hence, if Manny Pacquiao is a religious icon, he could easily command a whooping tens of millions of followers in his church where Pac-maniacs are his ministers. What name would be it be?

Pinoy fanatics are in search of a similar boxing god

Today, with its extreme adoration, Filipino die-hard Pac-maniacs are desperately seeking for the ‘Next Pacquiao.” They keep on waiting for someone who resembles exactly “like-Pacquiao.” Someone who can also perform with similar feats like what Paquiao has achieved. Likewise, these extreme fans always compare any prospect-fighter to the qualities of Pacman, omitting the universal principle or law of nature on “individual differences.” If possible, his look and physical make up must be “like Manny.” Coupled with the boxing abilities that can match, if not surpass his performance. Pac-maniacs often use Manny as a gauge for comparison to anybody in terms of power and speed. Even the prominent characters of Pacman have been mirrored to dissect the prospect’s character- if he has this humility, for instance.

It can be remembered that the once-undefeated Boom-2x-Bautista was eventually placed on the sideline after a brutal knockout he suffered from Ponce de Leon. Pinoy fans’ were so upset and their level of excitement for Bautista drastically declined - as if they said, “you are not like Pacquaio!” They also added, “you’re not humble as Pacquiao.” Furthermore, they also once tried to look a great hero in Randy “Komong Bato” Suico, a knock-out artist, yet again failed to meet their expectations and concluded that he’s not with the level of their idol. Then, the rest like Rodel Mayol, AJ Banal Bazooka, Brian Viloria, Marvin Sonsona, including, Bernabe Concepcion, and lately, Johnriel Casimero - were sent to the frontline battles in order to prove their mettle of invincibility --only to find out that they were just overhyped prospects.

Unfortunately, for the Pinoy Pac-maniacs, they were just “false hopes” and disappointments for their search of a similar boxing god. The agony of defeat suffered by these prospects are also laced with moral injury when these self proclaimed “avid boxing fans and supporters” turned their backs and called them, “bums.”

Now, all eyes are on the one they call “Pinoy Flash”. Nonito Donaire is probably the ‘Last Man Standing’ in search for the “Next Pacquiao.” Donaire has been consistent with his superb performance, dominating most of his opponents. Pac-maniacs admire Donaire because they can clearly see the resembling ‘speed and power of Pacquiao’ in him. For them, the Flash will be the “Next Pacman!”

Ooophs, never say any bad word against Pac!

Be careful of what you wish for, one false lip against Pacman, means a million bites!
For the Pac-maniacs, the famous saying which states that “if anyone throws you a stone, throw him back with a bread,” may no longer be applicable in the Pac-maniacs religion. Once you criticize Pacman -expect something -far worst than stones…enraged Pacman kamikazes will come at you, fully-loaded!

Art Babao- Cagayan de oro city- 8CN Article Writer-Contributor

http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/ARTICLE/2770/2010-07-27.html

Manny Pacquiao to Fight Antonio Margarito

2010-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

A day before starting his career as a congressman in his native country of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao finally announced his next rival.

For a person as dignified as Pacquiao (who has committed most of his time to helping people from his home country) it's strange that he would decide to come back against a known cheater: Antonio Margarito.

Any fighter facing Pacquiao knows the outcome, but facing the only truly relevant boxer of today is the biggest chance of a lifetime. Why give it to this man?

Not only does Pacquiao risk his reputation, in picking the prize money over the respectability in the sport for someone that will have no trouble finding someone wanting to fight him, but he also puts his health at risk.

With a fighter known for risking his opponents' health to gain an advantage, why would Margarito not resort to cheap tactics against an opponent that is far superior to him?

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Whoever Pacquiao fights is irrelevant as long as Floyd Mayweather continues to hide in a corner.

For all the heat LeBron has gotten for going to the Heat (excuse the pun), Mayweather has been hiding from playing the best in his sport for much longer.

In boxing, a sport unfortunately becomes more irrelevant each day, only a fight of that magnitude could inspire enough hype to bring boxing within an echo of its glory days.

Mayweather is not only risking his own legacy, which he has all but destroyed, but that of the sport as well.

So in picking partners, Pacquiao simply picked a cheater over a coward.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/425849-manny-pacquiao-to-fight-antonio-margarito

Team Margarito Wait For Manny Pacquiao's Decision

2010-07-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

According to Antonio Margarito's co-manager, Francisco Espinoza, a fight with Manny Pacuqiao is not official for November 13 until the Filipino boxer approves the fight proposal. Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz is going to review the proposal with Manny shortly. There will be a catch-weight of 150-pounds and the vacant WBC junior middleweight title will be at stake.

"That's what Mr. Arum says, that it is probably going to be Margarito but we're waiting to see who Pacquiao accepts, if it's [Miguel] Cotto or Margarito. We are waiting to see what happens. There is nothing official. We are waiting for more news," Espinoza told Rafael Rivera.

Espinoza said there will be no involvement of random drug testing. He doesn't see a reason to have random testing based on rumors going around.

“No, why blood tests? That's not important. They are both athletes and both of them are responsible for what they are doing. There will be testing before and after the fight. But any other conditions I can't talk about because nothing has been officially set. Right now everything is up in the air. There is nothing official and a lot of rumors out there," Espinoza said.

A source within Team Cotto told Reymund Colon they are also waiting for Pacquiao's final decision. Miguel Cotto still believes he has a small chance to fight Pacquiao in November, if for some reason the proposal to fight Margarito is rejected.

"Until Pacquiao's fight with Margarito is signed, Cotto is still in the race," the source said.
http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=29602

Manny Pacquiao is faster and punches harder than Floyd Mayweather Jr according to Marquez

2010-07-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao is faster and punches harder than Floyd Mayweather Jr according to Marquez

AP photos

Juan Manuel Marquez might not be the biggest fan of Manny Pacquiao but he's not afraid to praise the world's pound for pound best fighter. During an open workout for his upcoming fight against Juan Diaz, Marquez was asked who is faster and who hits harder between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. To the surprise of many, including myself, Marquez voted for Pacquiao. Let's examine further:
Richard Schaefer denies Greenburg's comments. Engages in a 'war of words' with Bob Arum
Who hits harder?
“I feel Pacquiao has a harder punch, a heavier punch. But Mayweather is very fast, very quick." Marquez, Ring
In my opinion, Marquez is correct on this. Just look at how many KO's both Manny and Floyd Jr have. In 56 fights, Manny Pacquiao has 38 knockouts which equates to a KO% of about 68%. In comparison, Floyd Mayweather Jr has 25 knockouts in 41 fights with a KO% of about 61%. However, Floyd Jr's last real KO came in 1999 and Manny's came in 2009. Say what you want about Floyd's fighting style, Manny is still the harder puncher.
Who is faster?
“I believe Pacquiao, but Mayweather is fast too." Marquez, Ring
Nobody is denying Floyds' speed. In fact, I've said numerous times that Lil' Floyd is the second fastest fighter just behind Manny Pacquiao. I find it interesting that a fighter like Marquez, who's arguably one of the fasters fighters, has picked Manny Pacquiao in both comparisons.
It's interesting because Marquez had recently stated that Floyd Mayweather Jr is a more difficult fighter than Manny Pacquiao. It's also interesting because Juan Manuel Marquez has been publicly lobbying and baiting Manny Pacquiao into a 3rd fight even in the midst of his upcoming difficult rematch against Juan Diaz on Saturday

http://www.examiner.com/x-21442-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2010m7d27-Manny-Pacquiao-is-faster-and-punches-harder-than-Floyd-Mayweather-Jr-according-to-Marquez

Rep. Manny Pacquiao's first day in Congress

2010-07-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

Philippine congressman and world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2) speaks as he votes for the new Speaker of the House of Representatives during the opening of the 15th Philippine Congress in Quezon City, Metro Manila July 26, 2010. (Reuters)

Upon his introduction, the neophyte representative of Sarangani Province (in the southern Philippines) received an extensive applause from hundreds in the national legislature, including from fellow lawmakers and guests. Wife Jinkee Pacquiao attended the SONA wearing a pink gown.

On Monday, Rep. Pacquiao cast his first vote as a legislator, supporting partymate Rep. Feliciano Belmonte, Jr (4th District, Quezon City) as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both belong to President Aquino's Liberal Party (LP).

An undisclosed source, and a member of the Philippine Congress, mentioned to Examiner.com (Marv Dumon) that Pacquiao - a new legislator - will need to work with the House Speaker in order to have a successful three-year term. Otherwise, congressmen (such as Pacquiao) risk "not accomplishing anything." President Aquino's speech lasted about 36 minutes.

http://www.examiner.com/x-37982-International-Sports-Examiner~y2010m7d26-Photos-Rep-Manny-Pacquiaos-first-day-in-Congress

Boxer Manny Pacquiao spends first day on job as congressman

2010-07-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Days after the announcement of his next bout, boxer Manny Pacquiao spent his first day on the job in his new role as a congressman, attending the opening of the 15th Philippine Congress as well as President Benigno Aquino III's State of the Nation address in Quezon City on Monday.

According to the International Sports Examiner, Pacquiao, who represents Sarangani Province, received an extensive applause from hundreds in the national legislature and cast his first vote as a legislator, supporting fellow Liberal Party member Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of Quezon City as the new speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Examiner has more details and a slide show of Pacquiao's day (and judging from the above photo, it was quite an exciting day)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/07/days-after-the-announcement-of-his-next-bout-boxer-manny-pacquiao-spent-first-day-on-job-in-role-as-a-congressman.html

Pacquiao, Mayweather top Google search list

2010-07-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

Filipino boxing champ and now Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. hogged the Google searches of netizens in the Philippines for the week of July 16-22, according to Google Zeitgeist.

This is due to the news that Pacquiao lauded Mayweather Jr. for being named the Best Fighter in the 2010 Excellence in Sports Performance of the Year (ESPY) Awards.

Mayweather, on the other hand, turned up in a lot of Google searches as Filipinos constantly checked the news websites for reports on whether the boxer agreed to fight Pacquiao this year. Mayweather missed the deadline imposed by Pacquiao's camp.

With President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III all set to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 26, Pinoys have been Googling him more often this past week.

And with Charice's Botox and Thermage treatments making it to the international news, Charice figured as well in the fastest rising newsmakers list for July 16-22.

Filipinos also constantly checked the Web for sports news this week, particularly for news about the Los Angeles Lakers, 2010 FIFA World Cup, PBA Fiesta Cup, and Boston Celtics.

Here are the detailed lists of the fastest rising newsmakers and fastest rising news for July 16-22 as provided by Google Zeitgeist.

Fastest rising newsmakers
1. Pacquiao
2. Floyd Mayweather
3. Aquino III
4. Charice
5. Christina Aguilera
6. Rafael Nadal
7. Mel Gibson
8. Miley Cyrus
9. Tiger Woods
10. Adam Lambert

Fastest rising news
1. Lakers
2. Typhoon Conson
3. Inception
4. World Cup
5. iPhone
6. PBA
7. India
8. BP
9. Celtics
10. Meralco

Pacquiao to fight Margarito in November

2010-07-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao's fight vs. Antonio Margarito (above) will likely take place in either Las Vegas or Monterrey, Mexico.
Reed Saxon, AP

Manny Pacquiao will fight Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 for a vacant super welterweight championship, either in Las Vegas if Margarito can get licensed or in Monterrey, Mexico, if he can’t, promoter Bob Arum said.
Manny Pacquiao's fight vs. Antonio Margarito (above) will likely take place in either Las Vegas or Monterrey, Mexico.
Reed Saxon, AP

That ends any possibility of a match between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the top two boxers in the world, for 2010.

Arum said he decided to choose Margarito instead of Miguel Cotto, whom Pacquiao stopped in the 12th round in November, because it would be perceived as a more competitive bout. The bout will be offered on HBO Pay-Per-View.“Cotto was beaten and even with [Hall of Fame trainer] Emanuel Steward now with him, I don’t think people believe that it’s enough to make a difference and I’m not sure they would buy it as competitive,” Arum said by telephone from his vacation home in Los Angeles. “But putting aside the controversy about the wraps, the one thing you know for sure with a Margarito fight is that it will be a hell of a fight for however long it lasts.

“Margarito knows only one way to fight and that’s coming forward. They’re going to get in there and fight. That’s what people want to see.”

Margarito’s hand-wrap controversy is no minor matter, however. He was caught with a hardened substance in his knuckle pad prior to a Jan. 24, 2009, fight in California against Shane Mosley.

[Photos: Latest news in boxing]

He was forced to re-wrap his hands and was knocked out in the ninth round by Mosley. In February 2009, he was suspended for a year by the California State Athletic Commission.

He fought once since the Mosley fight, winning a lackluster unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia.

He applied for a license in Nevada on July 9, but by a 4-1 vote, the Nevada Athletic Commission tabled the matter and told Margarito to return to California. Arum said Margarito will file paperwork with California on Monday.

If Nevada grants Margarito a license, Arum said the fight would be in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. If not, it is all but certain to wind up at a 22,000-seat arena in Monterrey, Mexico, though a group from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is also bidding for the fight.

Skip Avansino, a member of the Nevada commission, said he thinks California regulators should consider it first, even though Margarito doesn’t plan to fight there. The California commission knows the matter best, Avansino said.

Avansino wasn’t willing to speculate what would occur if California were to decline taking up his request, given he doesn’t have a fight planned in the state.

“He certainly deserves a decision,” Avansino said. “I don’t know what procedures California will consider in connection with his reapplication. I would think that they would consider his application appropriately, just as we would, but I would want to wait until I see what California decides.”

Avansino said he wouldn’t be swayed by the huge economic impact the fight would have upon the depressed Las Vegas economy.

Pacquiao is a huge draw in Las Vegas and is one of the few boxers who attracts high-rolling Asian gamblers, who play $25,000-a-hand blackjack as well as baccarat. Las Vegas casinos had their best night in two years Nov. 14, 2009, when Pacquiao fought Cotto, because of the large influx of high-rollers who flooded Las Vegas, according to analysis by the Nevada Gaming Commission.

“I’m mindful of the economic conditions in the state of Nevada and I understand them well,” Avansino said. “I have every interest to improve and help improve the economy in this state. But as a commission, my responsibility is to protect the health and safety of those who compete in our state and to uphold the integrity of the sport. That’s my primary responsibility.”

The match would be for the World Boxing Council super welterweight championship. If Pacquiao wins it, it would be either the seventh or eighth division in which he has held a title, depending upon how it is calculated.

He has won sanctioning body titles at 112, 122, 130, 135, 140 and 147 pounds. At 126 pounds, he beat Marco Antonio Barrera, who was the linear champion. But Barrera had surrendered all of his sanctioning body titles by the time he fought Pacquiao, though he had not been beaten.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-pacquiaomargarito072310

Think you can take on Manny Pacquiao?

2010-07-23T09:45:00.001-07:00

If ever the Philippines is known for something, it's being the home country of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao has the distinction of having seven world titles of seven different weight divisions under his belt. He's been named The Ring Magazine "Fighter of the Year", the Boxing Writers Association "Fighter of the Year", and the HBO Sports and the Boxing Writers Association of America "Fighter of the Decade." To say that the man can fight in a boxing ring is an understatement.

For those who want to try their chance to duke it out with Pacquiao, now's your chance. Video game company Electronic Arts had already featured Pacquiao before in their Fight Night boxing simulation series (i.e. Fight Night 2, 3 and 4). This time, EA has Pacquiao all bloody but not unbowed in their upcoming Fight Night Champion set to be released by next year for the Xbox 360 and PS3 games consoles.

EA even released a screen shot of Pacquiao in all his bloodied glory and said the new game will show never before seen levels of realism. But of course what makes Filipino fans giddy is the possible report that the cover of Fight Night Champion might have Pacquiao on it.

When that happens, you can probably expect local boxing and video games fans to be out in force in playing this game. After all, this is the country where the crime rates drop when Manny is fighting. And in this country of boxing, billiards and basketball-- we take our sports seriously.

http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/the-virtual-eye/post.htm?id=63019926&scid=hm_bl

Pacquiao Will Spar With Chavez Jr. For Margarito Clash

2010-07-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

If the fight with Antonio Margarito is finalized for November 13, trainer Freddie Roach will use Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as the chief sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao. Roach told the Manila Bulletin that he plans to bring conditioning coach Alex Ariza and a variety of sparring partners to Manila in the second week of September when Pacquiao begins training camp.

Roach recently took the job as head trainer for Chavez Jr., who returns to action on September 11 with junior middleweight Pawel Wolak as the possible opponent. It's going to be interesting to see how the time tables work out. The very tall Chavez Jr. will probably join Pacquiao's camp at the end of September or early October.

If for some reason the rematch with Miguel Cotto is picked for November, the chief sparring partner would become Shawn Porter, a regular in Pacquiao's training camps.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=29489

Pacman to decide on Margarito or Cotto

2010-07-23T09:26:00.001-07:00

Manny Pacquiao’s opponent on Nov. 13 should be known by Monday, and it’s got nothing to do with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Bob Arum yesterday told boxingscene.com that he has gotten in touch with the camps of Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, and hinted that things went well during the initial talks.

The Top Rank chief, the guru of boxing promotions, said two sets of proposals are coming Pacquiao’s way, probably to be hand-carried by the boxer’s Canadian adviser, Michael Koncz.

“Probably by Monday we should have a decision. I spoke with both parties. The two proposals are going to Pacquiao,” said Arum, a week after the second round of negotiations with Mayweather came to a screeching halt.

“Now it all depends on what (Pacquiao) decides. (Mayweather) says he is on vacation. We cannot wait for him,” added Arum of the undefeated American who can’t seem to decide when he’d fight Pacquiao.

Or if ever he wants the fight.

Cotto, who failed to last the distance when he faced Pacquiao last November, is now the new WBO light-middleweight champion, and said he’s open to a second shot at the Filipino champion.

Pacquiao, the reigning WBO welterweight champion, will have to climb a notch higher to face Cotto at a catchweight of around 150 lb, and shoot for an eighth world title in different weight classes.

Taking on Margarito, the former WBA, IBF and WBO in the 147 lb division, will also give Pacquiao a crack at his “Eighth Wonder” since they will have to fight for the vacant WBC light-middleweight (154 lb) crown.

Pacquiao, now busy with his new role as congressman of Sarangani, told sports commentator Dyan Castillejo yesterday he has no problem facing Margarito in Mexico in November.

Just a couple of years ago, Margarito was nowhere in Pacquiao’s radar because the Mexican was just too big for the Filipino who started out at 106 lb, and climbed all the way to the top of seven weight classes.

“Huwag ‘yan. Masyado malaki ‘yan (Not him. He’s too big),” Pacquiao said.

But that was then, and this is now.

Pacquiao said he’s ready for the Margarito challenge, sounding like he prefers this fight more than the one against Cotto, bigger and heavier but definitely slower.

“Maganda ‘yun (That’s good). Lalabanan ko siya sa 150-147 pounds. Mga ganoon (I’ll probably fight him at 150-147 pounds. Around that weight),” Pacquiao said of Margarito.

The reigning pound-for-pound champion said he wouldn’t mind going to Mexico to face Margarito, who doesn’t carry a license to fight in the United States following a case involving illegal handwraps.

“Walang problema. Excited din ako lumaban sa Mexico, first time ako lalaban doon (No problem. I’m excited to fight in Mexico, it will be the first time I’d fight there),” said Pacquiao.

Aside from Mexico, other venues being considered for Pacquiao’s next fight are Abu Dhabi, and of course, Las Vegas.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=596187&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Pacquiao agrees to fight human traffickers

2010-07-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is championing another cause: the fight against human trafficking.

Having been armed with a mandate in Congress, the elected Sarangani province Representative said he would push for a bigger budget that would allow an inter-agency committee to monitor and put a stop to the problem.

In a speech on Thursday morning before an event attended by legislators, civil society groups and officials from the United States embassy, Pacquiao expressed concern over the rising number of human trafficking cases.

Pacquiao particularly noted that his fellowmen from the Visayas and Mindanao have been victimized.

Gamely posing for the media wearing red boxing gloves, Pacquiao declared an all-out war against human trafficking and announced he is willing to become the poster boy for the campaign.

"I will take part in the public awareness campaign against human trafficking," Pacquiao said.

He said that as a congressman, he will send a formal request letter to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the House committee on appropriations to allocate a bigger budget for the inter-agency committee handling the problem.

Last June, the US State Department retained the Philippines in its Tier 2 watch list because the number of victims is "very significant or is significantly increasing" or there is no significant effort to meet the standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

The US State Department also scored the government's failure to address the "significant level of corruption" that leads to an unabated increase in human trafficking incidents in the country.

Despite this, US ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas, Jr. said the US government will not cut the millions of dollars it has allocated to fight human trafficking.

The US government provides the country a $2-million annual fund for the fight against human trafficking.

18 convictions out of 380 cases

Elzadia Washington-Danaux, acting mission director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), said the US government is most concerned over the very low conviction rate of human traffickers in the country.

Danaux said that since 2003, there were only 18 convictions. She said a total of 380 cases remain pending in courts.

Some civil society groups fears that the Philippines may lose millions of dollars in aid from the US if it continues to fail in the fight against human trafficking.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos, meanwhile, denied that the government has had a failed campaign. He insisted that a lot has been done by the government to address the problem.

The new administration of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has started an intensified fight against human trafficking.

Early this week, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered the suspension and the filing of administrative charges against 20 immigration officers for alleged human trafficking activities at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga.

De Lima's order reverses the decision of her predecessor, former Justice Secretary Alberto Agra, that exonerated the officers of any involvement in human trafficking activities.

The case stemmed from an exposé of immigration officer Rachel Ong. She accused 15 immigration officers of facilitating the ingress or egress of DMIA passengers with incomplete or falsified documents, colluding with illegal recruiters and human trafficking syndicates in the departure and entry of persons; and, collecting personal payments and receiving favors including sexual favors in exchange for such facilitation and collusion.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/23/10/pacquiao-declares-war-vs-human-trafficking

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Odds

2010-07-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Will we ever see a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.? At this point, who knows? The fact it hasn’t happened yet is hurting boxing, but let’s face it, the sport has been known to shoot itself in the foot before. All I know is that bettors at Bodog’s Online Sportsbook desperately want to see it happen.

We’ve had a line for the Pacquiao-Mayweather super-fight since November of 2009 when talks started to heat up between the two competitors. Mayweather opened as a -160 favorite and Pacquiao was a +140 underdog. Heavy betting on the dog combined with an impressive TKO of Miguel Angel Cotto moved the line to Pacquiao +120. Another impressive title defense in March versus Joshua Clottey moved the line close to a ‘pick-em,’ where Mayweather held a slight edge at -120.
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Until May, all the action was on Pacquiao and the bout was a ‘pick-em’ at -115 aside. But after a dominant performance versus Shane Mosly, heavy betting on Mayweather moved the line back to -150.

It is a different situation for the book as we’re not use to having a bout up that is not scheduled while the two fighters fight different opponents. There has been so much movement on this line, mostly dependent on what the competitors were doing, and it’s amusing that we currently sit approximately where the line started last year. Mayweather is at -140; Pacquiao at +110.

If this fight never happens, it will be a boxing tragedy. And it’s not just that it would be a great fight, it’s that the sports needs as much positive press as possible, particularly with the rise of MMA, even though I’m not convinced that’s necessarily a bad thing for the sport. It just doesn’t look good when MMA is making great strides into the mainstream while boxing appears to be choking on its own incompetence.

As a bookmaker I can tell you that Pacquiao-Mayweather would garner more betting action than any UFC fight could. In fact, it wouldn’t even be close. Boxing is still the king of the big fight, as evidenced by both fighters’ matchups with Oscar De La Hoya, which were pay-per-view and betting bonanzas. The only problem, and it’s a big one, is the lack of product to sell fight fans. This is the bout everyone wants to see. Two stars in the same ring. One-star fights are a much tougher sell and always will be. If only they could figure it out.

http://www.docsports.com/2010/manny-pacquiao-vs-floyd-mayweather-jr-odds-112.html

Roach ready to go to Manila for Pacquiao

2010-07-23T07:55:00.001-07:00

Freddie Roach will bring conditioning coach Alex Ariza and import a battery of sparring partners when Manny Pacquiao kicks off training camp in the second week of September.

“Where Manny goes, I go,” said Roach on Saturday from the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood when asked about the timetable for Pacquiao’s November 13 ring return in a venue to be determined very soon.

Owing to his other job as Sarangani congressman, Pacquiao will have no choice but to set up camp in Manila so he could attend daytime sessions at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

Pacquiao will either pick Antonio Margarito of Mexico or Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico as his dance partner.

Roach said on standby as chief sparring partner for Pacquiao in case Margarito is tapped will be Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. If it’s Cotto Pacquiao is facing, the lead sparmate will be Shawn Porter.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/268515/roach-ready-go-manila-pacquiao

I Can't Wait Until Floyd Mayweather Finally Whips Manny Pacquaio

2010-07-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

First off the bat, I'd like to go ahead and say that I am a fan of Manny Pacquiao. I am also a fan of Floyd Mayweather.

I know, it might seem hard to believe for some, but the two feelings are capable of co-existing within the same person.

That is because I am, first and foremost, a fan of the sport of boxing itself.

And I find it hard to fathom how anybody, who claims also to love boxing like I do, could not also describe themselves as fans of both pound-for-pound kings.

They are both phenomenal athletes, with mesmerizing boxing skills, which can only but be admired. That is, of course, if you are indeed a boxing fan.

But there in lies the problem.

There are so many people, particularly on this website, that are not fans of the sweet science at all, but are merely bandwagon members of the Manny Pacquiao train.

I see countless articles, and even more comments, bashing Floyd Mayweather.

Or is it now actually officially Floyd Gayweather?

He is called a coward, a chicken, and a ducker. His father is called a bum. He is the sole reason why the super-fight has not happened.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

The people who say these things, blinded Pacquiao fans, are not fans of the sport. They simply can't be.

Because if you were, you would show respect to Floyd Mayweather. You would compliment him on his incredible talent in the ring, and feel lucky to be around to witness it.

You would not say he is boring, and you would not say he just runs away from his opponents like a little girl. You would recognize a boxing style, a style he has perfected, and you would appreciate it.

The behavior of a certain group of blinkered Manny Pacquaio really does piss me off. They spew out comment after comment of abuse towards a boxing genius, criticizing for him everything he does.

Again, if you were a boxing fan, you would not play the blame game at this time. You would be insulted by both fighters. Because like or not, both of these camps are to blame for not getting the deal done, and giving boxing fans their dream fight.

These are the same people who will also stress that their demi-God is a more humble, righteous man than his American adversary. But it is these characteristics that are valued within Pacquiao, that some of his fans disregard completely themselves.

They bear no resemblance whatsoever to the man they hold in such high esteem.

Floyd Mayweather regularly comes across as a complete asshole. Heck, he probably is a complete asshole.

But for a boxing fan, this should be irrelevant. He is a genius inside the ring, and his last few performances have been boxing masterclasses. That is what should matter.

Does he receive his due credit from die-hard Pacquiao fans?

Of course not. They are too blinded by their man's victory over Joshua Clottey to realize that Floyd, in his last two fights, has beaten the #2 and #3 rated pound-for-pound boxers in the world.

In fact he did not just beat them, he embarrassed them.

Don't get me wrong though—I love Manny Pacquiao. He is a breath of fresh air in not just the boxing world, but the sporting one. His is a credit to himself, and to his country, for what he has achieved both inside and outside the squared circle.

My problem is not with him. It is this new breed of Pacquiao followers that gets on my nerves.

Genuinely, it is becoming almost unbearable coming on this forum, and reading the diatribe that they lay upon another man. A man they have never even met. And a man, if they are proclaimed fans of boxing, they should look up to.

I wrote an article a week or so ago, listing eight fights other than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao that I would like to see.

This is one of the comments I received, and I feel it is testament to how juvenile, ignorant, and borderline racist, some Pacquaio fans are:

"gone...... like f**kng floyd IS GONE...HEY YOU FLOYD FAN WHERE IS YOUR COWARD KING CHICKEN... HIDE IN AFRICAN JUNGLE WERE HE COME FROM?"

A valuable contribution, I'm sure you would agree.

As my headline dictates, I really hope Pacquiao gets schooled by Mayweather when they do finally get it on.

Not just because I think that's what will happen, and I will win a lot of money on it, but because every single one of these Pacquiao 'nuthuggers' will crawl back under their rock, and real fans can get on with actually discussing boxing again.

A novel idea, but just so crazy it might work.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/423955-i-cant-wait-until-floyd-mayweather-finally-whips-manny-pacquaio

Juan Manuel Marquez eyeing Manny Pacquiao

2010-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

But Dinamita is taking nothing for granted ahead of this month's big rematch

Juan Manuel Marquez is fully focused on his upcoming rematch with Juan Diaz but has admitted he would like to face Manny Pacquiao or Ricky Hatton next if victorious in Las Vegas on July 31.

Dinamita will do battle again with Diaz at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in a repeat of the 2009 Fight of the Year, which Marquez won via a thrilling ninth-round stoppage.

The Mexican insists his training camp has gone like clockwork and there will be no hangover from his emphatic points defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather last September.

"We knew going into that fight it was going to be a very difficult, a very tough task but we were ready to take him on," said Marquez.

"But what made it a little more difficult was also the weight, the excess weight that Mayweather had. It was approximately 15 pounds once we got inside the ring.

"We gave it our all and after the fight we know that the people were behind us and we hope that they realised we gave it 100%, during the whole time."

Marquez will come back down from 147lb at Mayweather's welterweight division to the lightweight limit of 135lb and feels much more comfortable facing Diaz.

"Camp has been great, training has been great, the sparing, everything has been excellent and most importantly no injuries, I haven't sustained any problems," declared the 36-year-old.

"I get up every morning to run with the same enthusiasm as always and to go to the gym to train. I'm motivated to defend my titles with a lot pride and to make everyone happy."

As for dropping back down in weight, he added: "We've done it very carefully, very healthy, very well. We have had the help of a nutritionist.

"I did, obviously, gain a few pounds to go up in weight. But we're working, as always, very hard, working with the weight and working in the gym and we'll be there for a very good fight, a strong fight, and at weight come July 31."

The Mexican shrugged off talk of a clash with Amir Khan in December but did admit there are still three fighters who he would like to do battle with before hanging up his gloves.

"Manny Pacquiao, that's my desire, I want it so bad. I want that third fight with him before my career ends," said Marquez, who drew with Pacman in 2004 and lost on a split decision two years ago.

"And maybe another one would be like Erik Morales or a Ricky Hatton, but Manny Pacquiao for sure."

Marquez is 4/11 with Boylesports to beat Diaz at the end of the month, 11/8 to secure a stoppage success and 2/1 to prevail on points.

The same firm make him a slight favourite at 8/11 to beat Hatton if that fight takes place this year, with the Hitman available at 11/10.

http://www.bettingpro.com/category/Boxing/Juan-Manuel-Marquez-eyeing-Manny-Pacquiao-or-Ricky-Hatton-after-Juan-Diaz-201007220088/

Pacquiao to appear in US action film?

2010-07-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao might appear in an American martial arts action movie, an online report said.

Quoting Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, FanHouse reported that a film company is eyeing the Sarangani congressman to be part of an American action film. His appearance will be a “small, perhaps cameo role,” the report said.

Koncz told Fanhouse: "[There’s] a company that is interested in doing something with Manny. They want to do some action movie with Manny, but not as the main character."

"I told them that because of our time constraints, we'll consider a proposal where he's a guest in the movie and I'll present it to Manny. I told them we don't have the time to do anything more than that. They produced Dr. Dolittle and worked with Eddie Murphy." Koncz added.

Aside from his boxing career, Pacquiao also appears in many television shows, movies and TV commercials in the Philippines.

He is currently hard at work after being elected congressman of Sarangani province.

In a previous interview, Pacquiao said he would refrain from doing films so as to focus on his new job as a legislator.

His last movie, “Wapakman,” was a box-office bomb last year.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/07/22/10/pacquiao-appear-us-action-film

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Chess Not Checkers!

2010-07-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me what fighters, their promoters, trainers and advisors expect us to believe. If you paid attention to everything these people said in the press or the many off handed comments you would go absolutely crazy trying to figure out what was actually going on. Trust me don’t spend too much time breathing significance into the various statements floating in cyber space because agendas and individual motivations are difficult to read unless you’re actually on the inside. Negotiating through the press has always been a staple of professional boxing but in recent years it has become nauseatingly key in the failure of many a deal. Truthfully, we never really know the actual facts or the extenuating circumstances of a proposed deal but trust me in some cases even if we did it’s safe to say that it still wouldn’t make too much sense to us. I correspond with a number of very well known scribes whose names you would immediately recognize who actively enjoy the inside scoop when it comes to the finer details of some pretty high profile deals. So, I’m privy to a lot of interesting bits and pieces which I can tell you always leaves me scratching my head wondering how and why people operate the way they do. The pettiness, the grudges, the ulterior motives, the full on manipulation and the out right deceit simply dominates the process. Sure you can probably say that about all professional sports but not to the degree that exists in professional boxing. In some cases, you simply can’t apply logic to these things. Also, in most cases, there’s a back story that impacts discussions..

Many times the fighters themselves don’t have a particular gripe one way or the other but their managers do, their trainers do, their promoters do, their advisors do and for that reason they concoct and twist details to support THEIR agenda and advise their guy under the guise of looking out for HIS best interests. You’ve got people getting THEIR pay back for unfavorable past dealings and it has nothing to do with the fighters and many times it hinders the deal in play. The reason there’s a perception that some of the individuals who comprise a fighters supporting cast are leeches is because well, they’re leeches…Some fighters are treated like children and others act like children but almost all are being manipulated in one way or the other.

The business of boxing is like no other on the planet. There’s no moral authority that governs the sport and there’s nothing on the horizon that would lead us to believe anything is going to change any time soon. So, here we are once again all worked up and no fight. Where do we start? Bob Arum!! It actually ends with Bob as well….He is very, VERY clever! Did you think a master planner like Arum actually believed or would even try to facilitate a deal of this magnitude without making direct contact with the other party? Through a series of conversations with Ross Greenburg at HBO? Not likely…Arum has been accused of many things but no one can accuse him of being dumb. When you’re still around after 40 years in the business and really still at the forefront it speaks to your ability to shape perceptions. It speaks to your ability to navigate the shark tank.

So, what was the real purpose of that press conference? What did Arum really hope to accomplish by putting on such a spectacle? And, why was he so understanding of Floyd not to stepping forward at the magic hour? He was awfully subdued even offering possible explanations and lecturing the press not to be too hard on Floyd. It almost felt like it did when he represented Mayweather. The prevalent theory amongst many scribes which I also subscribe to is that Arum actually wants to push this fight back because of the 50/50 win/lose nature of the match up. He’s been around a long time and has seen many a great fighter lose so he knows anything is possible. The reality is that there is no other fighter in the Top Rank stable who comes any where near Manny Pacquiao in terms of popularity i.e. PPV buy rates and should he come out of that fight with an “L” it would dramatically impact Top Rank’s annual revenue. I’m not saying that Bob thinks Manny will lose I’m saying he’s playing the percentages here which dictates that they capitalize NOW. Oh, I believe Arum truly does want the Mayweather fight but not before he can slip in another TOP RANK controlled event. An event that is reasonably acceptable to fans and doesn’t jeopardize the BIG pay off against Mayweather. In the final analysis, it probably makes more sense for Pacquiao too whether he agrees or disagrees with the premise. So, in order to avoid making it look too obvious Arum first had to express to the fight public that THEY tried everything in their power to get Mayweather signed, sealed and delivered. He needed to set the stage for his next statement which was “we TRIED everything and had to move on to the next guy!” You notice Arum never closed the door on a Mayweather fight. He knows that‘s still the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so he’s playing a very shrewd game here to achieve that end. I know it may not seem that way to us in our disappointment but this without question is the best possible outcome for Top Rank and Manny.

The sham of a “deadline” at the stroke of midnight is almost too cheesy to fathom even for Arum but it was completely necessary for the purposes of moving the fan mindset in the direction he needed us to move in. There had to be the overall impression and public acknowledgement that a concerted effort was made to make the fight everybody wants to see or risk of a possible backlash. If Arum attempted to make a fight with Top Rank’s Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito BEFORE trying to make the Mayweather fight fans would have crucified him and Manny. AND, the fans might not throw their support behind one of those match ups under those circumstances. BUT, if Top Rank went through (at least in the public’s mind) the process of trying to make the fight happen and Floyd either said “No” which based on the way it was presented was practically guaranteed or in this case simply didn’t acknowledge it then the fans could more easily accept the possibility of those other fights.

Touché, Bob….Touché!

Those of you who are stuck in an alternate universe and believe this whole failed “negotiation” is an indication of how Floyd feels or how Manny feels you’re missing the larger picture. There is a method to Arum’s madness here and in this case it’s perfectly logical. Manny has a schedule he likes to adhere to which means he wants to fight “X” amount of times a year so from his perspective he was perfectly fine fighting Mayweather in November or anybody else for that matter. He wants to fight this year. Floyd does not and in his case he has a number of outside issues that dictate he take a bit of a break. (e.g. Roger’s legal situation) Plus as he’s gotten older and his purses have reached ridiculous highs so Mayweather doesn’t feel rushed to do anything. He feels he’s earned the right to bask in the glow of big Mosley win so that’s what he’s doing.

Mayweather never said he was going to fight again this year and we all know he wouldn’t allow anyone to dictate anything to him at this point. The man thinks of himself as bigger than the sport. No title belts required, etc…

All this is well understood by Arum. He knew Floyd wouldn’t agree so it created exactly the dynamic he needed to make one of those other fights.

I have to say, I may not like the end result but I have to take my hat off to Arum for doing it. It’s damn clever.

And another reminder that this is chess not checkers!

Pacman ranked 5th in Sports Illustrated's rich list

2010-07-22T15:24:00.001-07:00

From the distinguished Forbes magazine to Sports Illustrated’s (SI) list of the world’s highest-earning athletes.

Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxing icon, landed in fifth spot of SI’s 20 highest-paid athletes with his estimated $38 million in earnings in 2010. He was No. 3 last year in the sports magazine’s list.

Pacquiao recently made his debut in Forbes magazine’s own list of highest-paid sportsmen. He was in sixth place, sharing the spot with NBA star Lebron James and golf champion Phil Mickelson, with earnings of $40 million for 2010.

Pacquiao is the hottest boxer in the planet today, and commands a guaranteed purse of at least $12 million for each fight. He earns as much on endorsements, appearance fees, and sales of merchandise bearing his name or image.

The 31-year-old welterweight champion is set to fight in November and could have easily made $40 million if it was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. But negotiations for the fight bogged down, but it may happen in May next year.

Tennis star Roger Federer topped the SI list that included seven football players, five from motorsports, three from tennis, two baseball players and two NBA stars, according to a report that came out in ABS-CBN yesterday.

The list was arrived at following computations of the athletes’ earnings from June 2009 to June this year. Inside that period, Pacquiao had two big fights and two big wins over Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey.

Federer, who was at No. 9 last year, topped this year’s list with $61,768,110, dislodging soccer star David Beckham who is now at No. 3. Argentine Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona moved up to No. 2 with $44 million.

Another football superstar, Portugese Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid
, came in at No. 4 with $40 million.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=595876&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Snubs Arum deadline: Floyd Jr silent on Pacman fight

2010-07-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

A day after allowing a deadline for striking a deal on a superfight with Manny Pacquiao to pass without saying anything, Floyd Mayweather Jr. indicated Sunday that his stance wouldn’t be changing anytime soon.

“I’m not interested in rushing to do anything,” Mayweather told The Associated Press.

Appearing in Miami as a coach at a charity basketball game hosted by Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning, Mayweather happily fielded questions about the NBA. But when talk turned to boxing – and Pacquiao in particular – the fighter known as Money simply wouldn’t respond.

Mayweather’s camp did not respond to a deadline early Saturday put in place by Pacquiao promoter Top Rank for exclusive negotiations, which has put what could be the richest fight in boxing history in doubt. Mayweather and Pacquiao are clearly the two biggest stars in the sport but have not signed a deal despite months of negotiations.

“I’m not really thinking about boxing right now,” Mayweather said. “I’m just relaxing. I fought about 60 days ago, so I’m just enjoying myself, enjoying life, enjoying my family and enjoying my vacation.”

Mayweather has appeared at the event Mourning founded known as the Summer Groove in past years, plus has grabbed courtside seats at Heat games during previous trips to Miami. But there was a certain irony to his appearance Sunday: Mayweather was a coach on the bench that the Heat occupy, sitting in the seat that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra uses during games.

Spoelstra is of Filipino descent, and is a huge Pacquiao fan.

“I’m supporting all basketball players because I’m a fan of basketball,” Mayweather said.

Pacquiao already has agreed to an equitable split of the earnings from the megafight, along with extensive drug testing. The two sides nearly came to terms earlier this year, but the fight didn’t happen then because Pacquiao was reticent about blood testing close to a fight.

'Bazooka' blasts Yoo before big Bohol crowd

2010-07-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Power-punching A. J. Banal proved too tough for Japanese Hayato Kimura, known as Big Yoo, as the Bazooka from the ALA Gym of Cebu scored a sensational fifth round knockout in a blood-and-guts bout for the vacant WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight crown before over 30,000 wildly cheering fans at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran City last Saturday night.

Fireworks erupted from the start with neither Banal nor Yoo taking a step back in unloading their deadliest bombs. They traded power shots to the delight of the huge crowd and City Mayor Dan Neri Lim who spared no effort in assembling an action-packed card to showcase Bohol’s brightest ring stars.

Banal, who traces his roots to Bohol, didn’t disappoint his legion of fans as he bombarded the bleached-blond Yoo with a variety of punches. But the fight was far from one-sided. With blood trickling down his face from a cut on the scalp inflicted by an accidental headbutt in the second round, Banal looked like a wounded tiger in the ring. Yoo, enjoying a three-inch height advantage, engaged Banal in a give-and-take slugfest that kept the crowd on its feet from the opening bell.

Early in the fifth round, Yoo staggered Banal but as he moved forward, got caught with a right to the temple and a vicious left uppercut that spun him around. Yoo tumbled to the canvas, badly dazed. New Zealand referee Bruce McTavish counted Yoo out at the 1:59 mark.

It was no cakewalk for Banal who endured heavy blows and a bloody cut to register his fifth win in a row since losing to Panama’s Rafael Concepcion in Cebu City two years ago. But he passed the test with flying colors. The 21-year-old southpaw is clearly on track in his bid for a world title shot. He’s booked to face Nicaragua’s Luis Alberto Perez at the Waterfront Hotel ballroom in Cebu City on Aug. 28 as ALA Boxing Gym president Michael Aldeguer keeps him busy to stay sharp.

The victory raised Banal’s record to 22-1-1, with 18 KOs. Yoo, who used to fight in Thailand as Hayato Chuwatana and is now based in Seoul, was coming off a fifth round knockout win over Filipino B. J. Dolorosa in Tokyo. His record dipped to 16-3, with 11 KOs.

Another Bohol star Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista figured in a three-round exhibition with Cebu’s Fernando Otic. Bautista, 24, is training for a fight against a still to be determined opponent, possibly a Mexican, on Aug. 28.

Bautista’s progress is now carefully monitored by strength and conditioning coach Pio Gerardo Solon. “This is something very new to me,” said Bautista whose record is 28-2, with 21 KOs. “It looks so easy to do but the effect is great. I can feel my strength and balance improve and I feel other muscles have been developed.”

Bautista impressed the crowd in the exhibition, battering Otic without hardly raising a sweat.

While Banal and Bautista seem to be ready for title shots, Aldeguer said he’s not rushing things.

“The chance to fight for a world title will come at the right time,” said Aldeguer. “They have already experienced the pain of losing a title shot but in some ways, that has helped them mature fast and become better fighters and persons.” Aldeguer referred to Banal’s loss to Concepcion for the interim WBA superflyweight crown and Bautista’s one-round knockout defeat to Daniel Ponce de Leon for the WBO superbantamweight belt in 2007.

Aldeguer said ALA fighters are being lined up for a big card in Dubai on Oct. 29 and depending on how Banal and Bautista fare in their next fights, may be included in the Tennis Arena extravaganza.

“The event will be a co-promotion with the Dubai-based KO Promotions of Zack Tamafai,” said Aldeguer. “It is also part of ALA Promotions’ direction to go global in promoting events in any part of the world. We have just recently announced that ALA Promotions will be signing up fighters not only from the Philippines but also anywhere from around the world. A foreign fighter now with the ALA Gym is former WBC minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama of Japan who will make Cebu his home base. We are now promoting Jimrex Jaca and keeping our doors open to any Filipino fighter who wants to join the ALA Gym.”

Also in the Tagbilaran card, lightwelterweight contender Jason Pagara stopped Korea’s Young Bin Kim on cuts at 2:18 of the second round. Pagara, 18, made short work of the visitor as he used his razor-shop punches to cut up both Kim’s eyelids, prompting the ring physican to advise a halt. In another bout, superfeatherweight James Bacon halted Eric Macas at 2:05 of the sixth round. Body shots brought down Macas who was counted out.

For years, Mayor Lim has been at the forefront of promoting sporting events in Bohol, giving the opportunity for local athletes to perform on the big stage. Lim’s executive assistant Mark Monton worked tirelessly in making sure “Sandugo----Labanan Ng Mga Kampeon” came off without a hitch.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=594938&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Timothy Bradley makes his case for Manny Pacquiao

2010-07-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Undefeated junior welterweight champion and clearly the proven best in the division, Timothy Bradley (26-0, with 11 KOs), had a plan tonight; step up to the welterweight division and impress against a top ten contender in hopes of luring in Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his next bout.

His opponent for the showcase was a previously undefeated, big, rugged and hard-hitting Argentine by the name of Luis Carlos Abregu (29-1, with 23 KOs). While his record was impressive on the surface, Abregu had faced fairly limited competition coming into the Bradley fight, and as expected, he was made to order for the Palm Springs, CA, native.

Fought just outside Palm Springs in Rancho Mirage, CA, a pro-Bradley crowd cheered their man on to a dominant twelve round unanimous decision victory by the scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Although Abregu certainly had a few moments throughout the bout and was a game opponent, he did not have the skills to effectively compete against a man whom many have on their pound-for-pound best list in Timothy Bradley.

Fighting on HBO for the first time in his career, the junior welterweight champion made his case for a big fight with the best in the sport of boxing. While Abregu was just as busy in terms of activity, he could not come close to landing with as much accuracy as his opponent, as Bradley pretty much hit the Argentine with everything in his arsenal. Left jabs, hooks to the body, chin-checking punches to the face, Tim Bradley landed at will and wobbled Abregu on multiple occasions throughout the contest. That being said, Bradley never could seriously hurt his man which speaks to his lack of punching power.

As pointed out by HBO Boxing Analyst Max Kellerman during the fight, Tim Bradley is still developing and showed enough vulnerability in the match-up with Luis Carlos Abregu that he may entice Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. into a confrontation in the near future. Make no mistake about it. Timothy Bradley is beatable by elite caliber opposition, but he will be no easy out for anyone, and that is mostly attributable to his warrior fighting spirit and will to win.

Again pointed out by HBO during the telecast, Bradley’s fighting style is very reminiscent of boxing legend Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield. He is undersized with and undersized punch, but his fighting spirit, natural talent and willingness to press forward through adversity make him a star in the making. When hit, his fighting instincts tend to kick in, often choosing to brawl with bigger, stronger opponents. He did it tonight and has done so throughout his career, and that has made Timothy Bradley a television friendly fighter fans want to watch.

After the victory over Abregu, Bradley loudly called out Manny Pacquiao to be his next opponent. Although such a proposed bout pitting the world’s best welterweight against the best junior welterweight makes sense, Manny Pacquiao’s promoter has made it pretty clear that his next match will be against either Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito should a proposed fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fall through the cracks. Both are unworthy challengers for the pound-for-pound king, but they happen to share the same promoter, so such a fight makes a lot of business sense for Bob Arum and his company Top Rank.

http://www.examiner.com/x-23630-Oakland-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2010m7d17-Timothy-Bradley-makes-his-case-for-Manny-Pacquiao

No one can beat Pacquiao – Roach

2010-07-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Regardless of who it’s going to be for Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13 – Mexican Antonio Margarito or Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto – top trainer Freddie Roach believes the Filipino star will win hands-down.

“A hundred percent,” Roach told The Ring magazine’s on-line edition when staffer Michael Rosenthal suggested that the Mexican warrior charging into Pacquiao “would be as if Margarito would be walking into a meat grinder.”

Roach prefers to pit Pacquiao against Margarito simply because Cotto had already tasted the fury of Pacquiao’s punches last year.

“I just think Manny has his (Cotto) number,” said Roach, who guided Pacquiao to a smashing 12th-round stoppage over the Puerto Rican.

“I think Margarito would be more interesting for the fans. They’ve already seen Cotto,” he said. “Cotto was in the fight for about four rounds and that was about it. Margarito has been a pretty dominant fighter, except for the (Shane) Mosley fight. Cotto is at a higher weight now. And maybe there’s some interest because of the world title. And, who knows, maybe having Emanuel Steward in his corner will make a difference. That might add some interest.”

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is looking at either Cotto or Margarito as Pacquiao’s next foe after efforts to tap Floyd Mayweather the last several weeks proved futile.

Arum, however, said Saturday that Mayweather has another 10 days or so to make a contact while he talks with other fighters.

Arum said the Mayweather fight is not dead but now he must start making plans for the Asian superstar's next bout.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/267579/no-one-can-beat-pacquiao-roach

Time out on Floyd fight with Manny

2010-07-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

THE ''exclusivity period'' for Floyd Mayweather jnr to sign what appeared to be a done deal to fight WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao passed at 3am on Saturday without a peep from ''Money'' Mayweather despite the prospect of a bout that could gross up to $US100 million ($115m).

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Pacquiao will now negotiate a November 13 fight against either WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto or against Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC 154-pound title, which would give Pacquiao a title in a record eighth weight class. Even so, Arum left the door ajar for Mayweather for the next 10 days or so while he talks with Cotto and Margarito.

''If Floyd suddenly emerged and said he wanted to do the fight, there would be nothing opposed to getting together and doing the fight,'' Arum said. ''That is our position, and I hope it is as clear as I can make it.''

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/time-out-on-floyd-fight-with-manny-20100718-10g1v.html

Paul Williams targets Manny Pacquiao: Martinez can wait

2010-07-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, is pushing to stage an October rematch between Paul Williams and WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.

They both put in a fight-of-the-year effort last December. Williams walked away with the win by way of a close majority decision.

Sampson Lewkowicz, the agent for Martinez, told BoxingScene a few days ago that his fighter was ready to sign a contract to fight Williams on the HBO target date of October 2. But, Lewkowicz also made it known that Williams' promoter, Dan Goossen, was preoccupied with chasing a "fantasy fight" with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.

Goossen reached out to BoxingScene to respond, and he doesn't deny it - he is 100% focused on making a fight between Pacquiao and Williams - and he says it's no fantasy.

A rematch with Martinez will have to wait. Goossen, like everyone else in the sport, is waiting to see if Floyd Mayweather Jr. will accept a proposal to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Mayweather has to accept the deal by a mid-July deadline. If Mayweather passes, the two frontrunners to face Pacquiao are his promotional stablemates, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Goossen believes his chances to make a Pacquiao-Williams fight are greater than ever, if Mayweather passes.

Mayweather's removal is not the only factor in Goossen's logic. Margarito is still banned from being able to box in the United States. On Friday the Nevada State Athletic Commission refused to grant Margarito's application to obtain a license to box in the state, which also prevents him from being able to fight in Las Vegas.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=29153

24 /7 Episode 3

2010-05-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

24/7 Episode 2

2010-05-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs. Mosley Preview

2010-05-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Sr.: Shane Mosley's in trouble because he's got 'no defense'

2010-04-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley: Final Presser

2010-04-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs. Mosley weigh-in

2010-04-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Mayweather a draw even without Manny Pacquiao

2010-04-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

The talk around the MGM Grand hotel Wednesday was about new pay-per-view records and many more millions for Money Mayweather. The fact that it came mostly from fight promoters wasn't terribly surprising, but it did mean that the hype for boxing's latest big fight had officially begun.

Whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley prove to be the kind of attraction that Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would have been is doubtful, no matter how hard promoters try to convince everyone otherwise. Still, it's Mayweather against a quality opponent, and that by itself should be enough to convince a lot of people to shell out $59.95 to watch it at home Saturday night.

The last time Mayweather fought, more than 1 million people did just that, and Juan Manuel Marquez wasn't exactly what oddsmakers in this gambling city call a live dog. Mosley is that and more, despite being a 4-1 underdog in the sports books to a fighter who has never lost.

Do the math and you can see why Mayweather doesn't mind playing the role of boxing's bad boy. It's made him more money than he can count, and he figures to bank many more millions for what figures to be 12 rounds of work in a welterweight fight that isn't a bad substitute for the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout that everybody except Mayweather seemed to want.

Count Mosley among those grateful for Mayweather's drawing power, even if Mayweather has taken it upon himself to portray him as a steroid-fueled fighter. At the age of 38, Mosley is suddenly making a minimum of $7 million in a fight that could define his career and he couldn't be happier.

"I think he brings a lot of mouth. People dislike him so much they buy the fight just to see him lose," Mosley said. "But he does a very good job of promoting his fights."

There's little argument there. Despite having a defensive style that wins him few fans, Mayweather has become a superstar at the cash window, helping bring in $292 million in pay-per-view buys in his last six fights.

And, though there were still tickets for sale Wednesday at the MGM Grand arena, this likely will be a pay-per-view smash even with Pacquiao at home running for congress in the Philippines.

"They say I pick and choose who I fight," Mayweather said. "It doesn't matter. I'm Floyd Mayweather and they come to see me regardless."

Mayweather was surprisingly subdued at the final prefight press conference, perhaps because he's spent much of the last few weeks doing the dirty work for this fight. That meant everything from throwing F-bombs around on HBO's "24/7" series to questioning whether Mosley ever fought without the use of performance enhancing drugs.

His entourage was equally subdued, though uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather did come up with the line of the afternoon.

"I know it's a big fight or all you people wouldn't be eating for free," he told people who were, indeed, eating for free.

It would be even bigger had Mayweather not taken a hardline stance in demanding Olympic-style drug testing as part of the price for a fight with Pacquiao, who showed his star power last month when he drew more than 50,000 people to Cowboys Stadium. Most in boxing figure that fight will happen this fall should Mayweather beat Mosley, but most in boxing figured it would happen in the first place and it didn't.

The biggest knock against Mosley is that he's getting up in years and hasn't fought in more than a year, a combination that hasn't worked well in the past for other fighters. But he's won titles in three weight classes, beaten Oscar De La Hoya twice, and has both the speed and power to make Mayweather work hard for his money.

Equally telling, perhaps, is that Mayweather's people negotiated a rematch clause in the contract, but only if their fighter loses.

"He couldn't just fight Joe Blow," Mosley said. "He had to fight somebody good if he wants to be considered the best."

That doesn't mean the fight will be a classic, though it certainly has that chance. Both fighters are gym rats to begin with, both are highly skilled masters of their craft, and both have seen just about everything in the ring in their long careers.

But big fights seldom live up to their hype. And if Mayweather hadn't invented his thug persona to sell himself, he would still be waiting for the first fan to buy a ticket to watch him crouch and duck and counter his way to yet another tedious decision win.

Mayweather won't be changing his style against Mosley. Not when it's served him well in winning all 40 of his fights.

And certainly not when people will keep buying in anyway.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyjNLQdtVdoCqH74vJUp0Wfq6G7gD9FCCLPG0

Pacquiao in minority for Mosley

2010-04-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Although the Las Vegas betting odds opened with Floyd Mayweather Jr. a -400 favorite and Sugar Shane Mosley a +300 underdog, Manny Pacquiao is adamant in choosing the fighter less likely to win in what could be the eliminator to determine his next opponent.

Mayweather and Mosley face off at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday morning (Manila time) with the survivor expected to take on Pacquiao before the year ends.

Based on the early odds, a $400 wager on Mayweather will earn only $100 but a $100 bet on Mosley will bring in $300.

What makes Mosley a threat to Mayweather is his size. And that’s the advantage Mosley insists will make the difference.

“Mayweather’s been fighting guys smaller than him, now he’s fighting a guy who has the same speed that he has and can do the same things he can do,” said Mosley, quoted by ESPN. “There’s always a fighter that can be beat. I was 38-0 with 35 KOs and I got beat. That’s what so great about boxing, things happen in the ring that you just can’t control, they’re just destined to happen and I think something’s going to happen that’s destined to happen – this is my time.”

Mayweather isn’t buying the destiny angle. Neither is he concerned about Mosley’s size. Mayweather realizes that a convincing win over Mosley will set him up for a megabuck showdown with Pacquiao. The money on the table will convince Mayweather to forget about Olympic-style drug testing and agree to what the boxing commission requires.

Graham Houston, writing in Boxing Monthly, said he expects Mosley to put Mayweather under pressure and crowd him to the ropes, the way Zab Judah and Ricky Hatton were able to do and “there certainly could be anxious moments for Mayweather.”

Mosley’s knockout over Antonio Margarito in January last year was a more impressive showing than Mayweather’s win by decision over a much smaller Juan Manuel Marquez last September. Critics said Margarito wasn’t his usual self after the handwraps incident in the dressing room – his bandages were lined with a hardening substance like plaster. Margarito had to be rewrapped and was presumably bothered that a suspension was imminent, entering the ring.

Mosley, 38, has been there and done that. He beat Oscar de la Hoya twice and Fernando Vargas twice. Sugar Shane has held world titles as a lightweight, welterweight and superwelterweight. If there’s anyone who can break down Mayweather’s vaunted air-tight defense, it’s Mosley because Sugar Shane has the size to overpower the Money Man.

In a recent Ring Magazine poll, 17 experts picked Mayweather to win and only two agreed with Pacquiao.

“I think Mosley has a great chance to win,” said Pacquiao, quoted by Joseph Santoliquito of The Ring Magazine. “He’s a fighter. Mayweather is a boring fighter but I think, Mayweather-Mosley will be a good fight.”

Bill Calogero, host of “Talkin’ Boxing With Billy C,” said Mosley will outpoint Mayweather. “In Mosley, you have an older fighter but he is naturally bigger and faster fighter than what Mayweather has been in with lately which will force Floyd to actually fight. Floyd is one of the best defensive fighters the sport has to offer. The big knock on him is that at times, he doesn’t finish the way we would like to see, he seems content with dancing his way to a decision. Despite Mosley’s age, I believe that his speed, aggressive style and power will aid him to victory.”

Hall of Fame promoter Don Chargin said Mosley will win on points. “I make it a very, very tough fight,” he said. “A lot of people figure that Floyd will have a cakewalk but I think Shane’s long layoff will be good for him. I look for Shane to give Floyd everything he wants and then some. I see Shane winning. I base that on watching Shane since his amateur days and I know when he sets his mind to something, he’s tough to beat. I don’t know about stopping Floyd but I see a real competitive decision for Shane.”

Golden Boy chief executive officer Richard Schaefer said the Mayweather-Mosley fight could pull in about three million pay-per-view buys to set a new record although Houston said the estimate is “wildly optimistic.”

“The fight’s monicker – Who R U Picking? – is intended to convey an impression of doubt but the oddsmakers opened Mayweather as a solid favorite at about 3-1 on,” said Houston. “Of course, the oddsmakers don’t always get it right even though Mosley is an obvious underdog.”

In case the Mayweather-Mosley outcome is inconclusive, there is a rematch clause to fall back on. But a return bout will mean delaying the inevitable duel with Pacquiao and fans are eagerly awaiting the Filipino icon’s next bout, particularly if it’s against Mayweather.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=570754&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Conspiracy theories

2010-04-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather’s insistence on Olympic-style drug-testing was a ruse he concocted to wiggle out of a showdown with Manny Pacquiao last March. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is convinced the Money Man hatched the excuse because he wasn’t ready to meet Pacquiao after just one tune-up bout – against a much smaller Juan Manuel Marquez – coming off a 21-month hiatus.

“My thoughts are he (Mayweather) needed more time because one fight under your belt after a couple of years off isn’t enough to get you sharp to fight a guy like Manny,” said Roach in his guest column in London’s weekly magazine Boxing News (March 19). “He realizes that and put himself in a corner where he ended up having to fight a guy who’s maybe just as tough in Shane Mosley.”

Roach said Mayweather’s strategy backfired.

“The blood tests, it’s all BS,” continued Roach in explaining his conspiracy theory. “He doesn’t care about that. He says he won’t fight in Texas because of Xylocaine (a painkiller injected into the hands). I don’t care. He can have that. He found out Manny didn’t like giving blood and just took off with it.

“There are no negotiations with drug-testing that we will deal with because he doesn’t run the sport
, the commissions do. Next thing you know, we’ll be fighting two-minute rounds and wearing 15-ounce gloves.”

Roach’s conspiracy theory ranks among the most notorious cover-ups in the history of sports.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=570770&publicationSubCategoryId=69

24/7 Mayweather vs Mosley - HBO Episode 1

2010-04-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

24/7 Mayweather vs Mosley - HBO Episode 1 Part 1

24/7 Mayweather vs Mosley - HBO Episode 1 Part 2

24/7 Mayweather vs Mosley - HBO Episode 1 Part 3

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather must happen says WBA heavyweight champ David Haye

2010-04-22T21:02:00.001-07:00

David Haye has revealed to The Telegraph that he had been intending to go to the defunct March fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and was desperately disappointed when the superfight failed to materialise.

Haye, holder of the World Boxing Association heavyweight crown, believes that the contest between Pacquiao, currently running for election in the May 10 Congressional Seat elections in the province of Sarangani, and Mayweather must go ahead later this year – for the good of boxing worldwide.

Mayweather must first defeat Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas on Saturday week, for that to become a reality. The landscape may also change if Pacquiao is successful in the election, 19 days away.

“It is definitely a fight which needs to happen, for the state of boxing. It is one that has to be made. I was itching to see that fight, and was ready to go over for it at one point,” Haye told me. ” When they made the fight so quickly, over a week of news in December [last year], I couldn’t help feeling that someone would find a way for it not to happen.”

“With fights as big as that, there is always some drama. What has happened could hype the whole situation just to make it even bigger later this year or next year. I’m desperate to watch that fight. The skill levels of the two fighters make it unmissable. I truly enjoy watching Pacquiao fight whenever he steps into a ring. I admire boxers who come to fight, and he is thrilling when he steps inside the ropes. He is an ambassador for the sport. That fight has to be made. It is a massive fight that has to happen soon or later. Clottey was a tough fight, but the hype and build up around a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight could create the fight of a generation.”

It is also the type of hype which could surround a Haye-Klitschko contest, but Adam Booth, Haye’s trainer, revealed to me yesterday that no negotiations are set to take place for at least a month.

Meanwhile, Craig McEwan, the Scottish middleweight who trains under Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, has revealed it was he who taught Pacquiao his convincing Scottish accent.

I was fortunate enough to gain exclusive access to travel from London to Manchester on the train last year in the build-up to Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, with the Filipino fighter’s entourage (which included Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer that day), and filmed/interviewed Pacman on the train.

In the first minute of the interview, he emerged, surprisingly, with a convincingly strong Scottish accent. In conversation with McEwan (record 18-0, and four years with Roach at the Wild Card), the Edinburgh man revealed to me recently that he had been coaching Pacman on his Scots burr.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/garethadavies/100007420/manny-pacquiao-and-floyd-mayweather-must-happen-says-wba-heavyweight-champ-david-haye/

Manny Pacquiao Doubts Edwin Valero Committed Suicide in Jail

2010-04-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

Popular Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao says he doubts Venezuelan boxing champion Edwin Valero committed suicide inside his jail cell after the undefeated boxer confessed to the killing of his 24-year old wife Sunday.
Manny Pacquiao was on his election campaign trail Tuesday when told about the death of fellow boxer Edwin Valero. The Filipino boxer was surprised and shocked at the news and said he doubts the suicide angle of Valero's death.
The undefeated Venezuelan boxing champion was found dead inside the jail in Venezuela where he was brought by the police after having stabbed his own wife three times in the stomach which caused her violent death last Sunday.
Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's Canadian adviser said Manny Pacquiao was of the opinion that Velero did not commit suicide. The Filipino boxer knew Velero personally having been a guest during his birthday bash in the Philippines two years ago.
"Manny knew about the stabbing of Valero’s wife but when I told him that Valero had committed suicide he was totally shocked and surprised,” said Koncz from General Santos City.
Yahoo News reports:

Pacquiao, who’s seeking a congressional seat in the province of Sarangani, feels that there could be more than the suicide story.
“He thought about the possibility of a conspiracy,” said Koncz of Pacquiao.
“And that it was possible that the family of Valero’s wife had powerful friends and so there could have been a conspiracy to get back at Valero. How can you hang yourself using your clothes?” Koncz asked.

“Someone might have gotten back at Valero. If police authorities felt that Valero could be a danger even to himself, they should have stripped him down to his briefs inside his cell or put on a straight jacket on him,” he added.
Valero was a potential opponent of Manny Pacquiao as the Venezuelan champion has been undefeated throughout his entire professional boxing career. Valero is known as a knock out artist having won all his 27 professional fights via knock out.
The undefeated Venezuelan boxer has been reported to be suffering from brain disorder caused by a motorcycle accident several years ago. He was likewise reported to by under treatment for alcohol and use of illegal drugs.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290919

Valero hangs self after killing wife

2010-04-20T01:00:00.001-07:00

Former boxing champ Edwin Valero committed suicide in his jail cell on Monday just hours after he was arrested in his wife’s killing, police said.

The former lightweight champion used his own clothes to hang himself from a bar in his cell early Monday, Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores told reporters.

He said Valero was found by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup in north-central Carabobo state. Valero still showed signs of life when they took him down, but they were unable to save him and he died about 1:30 a.m., Flores said.

The 28-year-old was detained Sunday on suspicion of killing his wife. Prosecutors said Sunday night that they had planned to charge Valero in the killing.

Valero was detained after police found the body of his 24-year-old wife in a hotel in Valencia. The boxer left the hotel room around dawn Sunday and allegedly told security he had killed Jennifer Viera, Flores said.

The fighter was a household name in Venezuela and had a huge image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country’s yellow, blue and red flag.

His all-action style and 27-0 record - all by knockouts - earned him a reputation as a tough, explosive crowd-pleaser. Venezuelans called him “Inca,” alluding to an Indian warrior, while elsewhere he was called “Dinamita,” or dynamite.

The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had been in trouble with the law before.

Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.

The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall. When the boxer arrived moments later, he forbade Viera from speaking to the police officer, and spoke threateningly to the officer, prosecutors said in a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office said a prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero jailed but that the judge instead placed him under a restraining order that barred him from going near his wife, a condition he repeatedly violated.

Police found three stab wounds on Viera’s body, but investigators who searched the hotel rooms had yet to find the weapon used in the killing, Flores said.

In the ring, Valero shot to fame when he won his first 18 fights by first-round knockout, setting a record that has since been eclipsed by Tyrone Brunson. Valero last fought in February, stopping Antonio DeMarco in a fight in Monterrey, Mexico.

He was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to campaign in a higher weight division, WBC president Jose Sulaiman said.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/sports/view/20100420-265360/Valero-hangs-self-after-killing-wife

Venezuelan boxing champ Valero commits suicide after murder rap

2010-04-20T00:56:00.001-07:00

Venezuelan world lightweight boxing champion Edwin Valero committed suicide on Monday in his prison cell, the day after being arrested over the murder of his young wife, police said.

Valero, 28, who hanged himself by making a rope out of his clothes, was apparently still alive when guards found him but died shortly after arriving at hospital from asphyxiation.

The boxer was detained on Sunday after confessing to murdering his 20-year-old wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero, in a hotel room overnight in the northern Venezuelan city of Valencia.

Local media reports said Valero's wife had been stabbed several times.

Valero had already been arrested at the end of March for suspected aggression towards his wife and had spent time subsequently at a psychiatric clinic. He was also accused of assaulting his mother and sister in 2007.

Unbeaten in 27 fights, knockout artist Valero -- recognizable by the tattoo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on his chest -- was the WBC lightweight champion before stating his intention in February to go up a division.

The World Boxing Council lists Valero as champion in recess, with the current lightweight title held by Mexico's Humberto Soto following Valero's decision to step up in weight.

After beating Colombian Antonio Pitalua to claim the lightweight title in April 2009, Valero said he would consider stepping up to welterweight to take on champion Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao's sparring partner wins by 1st round KO

2010-04-19T02:29:00.000-07:00

American junior middleweight Shawn Porter, one of Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners, scored a 1st round knock out over his Colombian opponent Raul Pinzon on Friday (Saturday in Manila) at the Wicomico Civic Center in Maryland, USA.

According to Philboxing.com’s Ronnie Nathanielsz, the undefeated Porter dropped Pinzon with a crisp overhand right.

Pinzon fell face first on the canvas and was counted out at 2:39 of the opening round.

With the win, Porter improved to 14-0 with 11 knockouts, while Pinzon dropped to 17-5 with 16 knockouts.

Porter worked with Pacquiao during the latter’s preparation against Miguel Cotto. The Filipino won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title from the Puerto Rican in November 2009.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/04/17/10/pacquiao%E2%80%99s-sparring-partner-wins-1st-round-ko

Manny Pacquiao's Undefeated Sparring Partner Shawn Porter Wins

American professional boxer and Manny Pacquiao's former sparring partner Shawn Porter won a first round KO over Raul Pinzon of Columbia in their fight held at the Wicomico Civic Center in Maryland, USA Saturday night.
Manny Pacquiao's favorite sparring partner during his pre-fight preparations against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto, won a first round knock out over Raul Pinzon of Columbia.
The short-live bout took place at the Wicomico Civic Center in Maryland, USA.
The spectacular win improves Shawn Porter's professional boxing record to 14-0 with 11 knock outs while Pinzon's record dropped to 17-5 with 16 knock outs.
Porter is a young American professional boxer who was born in Akron Ohio on October 27, 1987. The young and promising boxer is fighting in the light middleweight division.
Porter took Pinzon out with a powerful hook to the body sending the Colombian boxer reeling to the canvas with the referee counting him out at 2:39 of the first round.
The young American boxer was in Manila late last year when Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach took him to spar with the Filipino boxer in preparation for the Pacquiao-Cotto match last November which resulted in a KO win by the pound-for-pound king.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290763

Police: Boxer Valero suspected of killing wife

2010-04-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

Former lightweight champion Edwin Valero was detained Sunday on suspicion of killing his wife, the gravest in a string of problems that have threatened to derail his career.

Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores said Valero was arrested after police found the body of his 20-year-old wife in a hotel in Valencia. Valero left the hotel room around dawn on Sunday and allegedly told security that he had killed Jennifer Viera, Flores said.

Flores told state television that police found three stab wounds on Viera's body. He said Valero was transferred to a local police precinct, "where we are headed to take samples needed for the investigation of the case" and to question the boxer.

Prosecutors will charge Valero in the killing "in the coming hours," the Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

The 28-year-old fighter is a household name in Venezuela and he has a huge image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country's yellow, blue and red flag.

His all-action style and 27-0 record — all by knockouts — earned him a reputation as a tough, explosive crowd-pleaser. Venezuelans call him "Inca," alluding to an Indian warrior, while elsewhere he has been called "Dinamita," or dynamite.

The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion has been in trouble with the law before.

Last month, Valero was brought up on charges of harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.

Valero entered a Venezuelan rehab center March 28 for treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, Mora said at the time. The boxer's attorney said Viera was injured when she fell down a flight of stairs at the couple's home while checking a water tank on the roof.

The Attorney General's Office said Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall. When the boxer arrived moments later, he forbade Viera from speaking to the police officer, and spoke threateningly to the officer, prosecutors said in a statement.

The Attorney General's Office said a prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero jailed but that the judge instead placed him under a restraining order that barred him from going near his wife, a condition he repeatedly violated.

The Venezuela daily El Universal also reported that Valero had been arrested recently after a neighbor called authorities and claimed the boxer struck his mother and a sister.

"I've never hit my little sister and much less my mother," Valero responded at the time, in comments published by Venezuelan television station RCTV's Web site.

Valero shot to fame when he won his first 18 fights by first-round knockout, setting a record that has since been eclipsed by Tyrone Brunson. Valero last fought in February, stopping Antonio DeMarco in an entertaining fight in Monterrey, Mexico.

His promoter, Top Rank, said Valero was not scheduled to fight any time soon. He had been having difficulty obtaining a visa to fight in the United States, basically ruling him out of the most lucrative opportunities.

He was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to campaign in a higher weight division, WBC president Jose Sulaiman said.

"He's a boy who is extraordinarily talented in boxing," Sulaiman said by phone from Mexico City. "It's a shame what is happening."

Valero was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2001 that resulted in a cerebral hemorrhage, and because most jurisdictions refused to license a fighter who sustained a brain injury, he was unable to fight in the United States. The boxer wound up fighting mainly in Japan and Latin America, where he won his first title in 2006.

While Valero had little trouble in the ring, outside of it was another matter.

Along with accusations of domestic violence in Venezuela, Valero was charged with drunken driving in Texas, which is the primary reason he was denied a U.S. visa.

He accused the U.S. government of discrimination, saying he had completed all the necessary paperwork for the visa but his application wasn't approved because of his sympathy for Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S. government.

Valero had the image of the president tattooed on his chest after he was barred from entering the ring in one match with shorts that bore a pro-Chavez slogan.

He has appeared as a special guest at televised events hosted by Chavez, and has been lionized by Chavez supporters as a national hero, while some critics have accused him of avoiding punishment for past problems due to close links to the government.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/253426/police-boxer-valero-suspected-killing-wife

Berto aches for Pacquiao

2010-04-17T23:47:00.001-07:00

Andre Berto of Haiti, one of the holders of the welterweight title among a bevy of alphabet soup organizations, said he holds the key to putting an end to the startling domination of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

“You have to fight fire with fire,” said Berto, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) 147-lb king, when asked about his chances in the event he gets into the ring with his counterpart from the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in an interview over On The Ropes Boxing Radio Show.

Although Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum hasn’t decided on who will be his next opponent but has penciled either September or November as the most likely dates for the much-awaited return of the Filipino, Berto is hoping to land that fight.

On top of the list is the winner of the May 1 clash between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley, Mexicans Antonio Margarito and Juan Manuel Marquez and even Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.

“I believe it would be a very entertaining fight because, unlike with Joshua Clottey and a lot of people, I would definitely let my hands go. It’s definitely going to be an entertaining fight. I mean have the hand speed, I have the power, and as the action gets turned up I get turned up,” said Berto, stressing that he will put on a much stiffer resistance against Pacquiao.

Unlike Clottey, who Pacquiao toyed with for 12 rounds last month in Dallas, Berto said he will not be intimidated.

Berto, who has an immaculate record of 26-0 with 20 knockouts, said Pacquiao “lacks defense” and is “easy to hit.”

However, Berto insists that if he given the opportunity to square off with Pacquiao, he already knows what to do.

“If I get in the position I know it will be an entertaining fight because I know I’ll be able to touch him whenever I wanted to touch him and get in there with some power and I think it will be able to stop a lot of that jumping around and stuff. It would be an entertaining fight,” added the Florida-based Berto, who stands 5-8 1/2 and is at least two inches taller than Pacquiao.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/253196/berto-aches-pacquiao

Mosley has soft heart for Pacquiao

2010-04-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao, the greatest boxer in the planet today, recently said he’s picking Shane Mosley to prevail over Floyd Mayweather Jr. when the two Americans square off on May 1 in Las Vegas.

It was time for Mosley to return the favor.

The reigning WBA welterweight champion has wished Pacquiao well in his bid for a congressional seat in the May 10 national elections in the Philippines, and said he’d love to visit the country.

Pacquiao has welcomed some of his former opponents to the Philippines, among them Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz, and wouldn’t think twice taking Mosley in as his visitor.

In an article that came out of Digital Journal yesterday, the 38-year-old Mosley, who will stake his WBA belt against the unbeaten Mayweather, said he likes Pacquiao as a boxer and politician.

“Pacquiao has the spirit of a champion in and out of the ring,” said Mosley, who’s among those being considered as Pacquiao’s next opponent.

“I think it’s a great thing that he could be President or a congressman in the Philippines. I think it’s a great thing. I’d love to come to the Philippines and visit and say hi and have dinner and hang out in the Philippines. He can show me around.

“I’d like to congratulate him on the campaign. To even get that far, and to be able to run for Congress is a great thing, a great accomplishment for a fighter, for all fighters. He’s doing a great thing,” said the native of California.

Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey last March 14 in Texas, and kept his WBO welterweight crown. The Pinoy icon said he is temporarily retired as he continues to focus on his bid in the elections.

Pacquiao, according to his promoter, Bob Arum, may fight in September in case he fails in the polls, and in November if he gets elected and becomes the first boxer-congressman, as it is, he’s the one and only holder of seven world titles in seven different weight classes.

And Mosley is being considered a possible opponent, even if the possibility looked bleak following the inclusion of a rematch clause in his contract with Mayweather, meaning if Mosley wins on May 1, Mayweather may seek a rematch by the end of the year.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, may end up facing Antonio Margarito, his stablemate at Top Rank.

For the meantime, it’s easy to say that there’s no bad blood between Pacquiao and Mosley, and a fight between these two gentlemen may be easier to make than one involving Mayweather, considered the greatest of his era.

Until Pacquiao came along.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=566886&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Arum: Pacquiao to fight in September if he loses in poll

2010-04-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao will likely fight in September if he loses in the elections on May 10, according to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.

Arum said in an interview with BoxingTalks.com’s G. Leon that Pacquiao is expected to resume training for a fight sometime in September if he loses against Roy Chiongbian for the lone congressional seat of Sarangani province.

But if the 7-division champ and reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king is triumphant in his 2nd attempt to become a member of Congress, Arum said the fight will be moved later this year.

“If he wins the election, he[’ll] probably fight in November, and if he loses the election, he fights in September,” said Arum.

In Pacquiao’s first attempt at politics in 2007, he lost to South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio.

This time around, he's up against the politically-influential Chiongbians of Sarangani, the home province of his wife, Jinkee.

Although observers are unsure about Pacquiao’s political pursuit, Arum said he is certain about one thing: “Manny Pacquiao is definitely fighting again this year."

Berto lines up for Pacquiao
Should Pacquiao decide to fight either in September or November, he will have to choose among several prospective opponents.

Those already mentioned are Floyd Mayweather Jr., Antonio Margarito, Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales.

The latest addition is World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Andre Berto, who successfully defended his title on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) against Puerto Rican Carlos Quintana.

“It would be a great showdown because he (Pacquiao) has never had to deal with my type of speed and power combined,” Berto said in an Examiner.com article by Vivek Wallace.

“Some of his opponents had one or the other, but you could make an argument that I'd be the first with that kind of mix,” the Haitian-American added.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/04/13/10/arum-pacquiao-fight-september-if-he-loses-poll

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao Fight Odds

2010-04-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao Fight Odds: All of the fighting world still wants to see Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, provided Floyd gets by Shane Mosley May 1st as a 3-1 boxing betting favorite. Pound-4-Pound king Floyd Mayweather, 40-0, 25 KO’s, looked untouchable in his last fight against Pacquiao victim Juan Manuel Marquez but Mosley is a bigger and faster foe. Pacquiao, 51-3-2, 38 KO’s, had a far more difficult time with Marquez in his two fights with Mexican by winning a disputed decision in March of 08” and a draw in 04”.

The Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao Fight Odds have Mayweather as a -130 favorite at Bodog.com.

Fight Picks Analysis: Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has stated that his fighter will not fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. due to a dispute over drug testing leading up to the fight. Pacquiao agreed to submit to a blood test 30 days before the March 13th bout but Mayweather Jr. wanted random tests up to 24 hours before the fight. Although Arum claims the fight is off we believe that this fight is worth too much money to both parties for it not to come off if Mayweather beats Mosley. With that in mind we have broken down both fighters to give away a fight picks on what would be the richest fight in boxing history. The Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao Fight Odds Total is at 11.5 Rounds with the Over at -400.

Our fight picks play on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight is based on both boxer’s skill sets that have been broken down below. While we are impressed with Manny’s rise, we still did not see anything that would suggest that he should be instilled as a favorite over a boxer of Mayweather’s caliber. We think that Mayweather will hold the advantage over Pacquiao in various areas as they are listed below.

Fight Picks Play: Floyd Mayweather Jr. -130 Boxing Betting Odds (2 UNITS)

Make steady money Fight Betting as an investment with our Expert Boxing Picks at Bodog Sportsbook and get a 10% CASH BONUS!!

Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao Boxing Predictions Ratings

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Size: 7 (x200%)
Power: 7 (x200%)
Boxing Ability: 10 (x200%)
Hand Speed: 10 (x200%)
Stamina: 10(x200%)
Defense: 10 (x200%)
Durability: 8 (x200%)
Legs: 8
Jab: 8
Bodypunching: 9
Heart: 9
Punch Output: 6

Overall: 9.6

Manny Pacquiao

Size: 5 (x200%)
Power: 8 (x200%)
Boxing Ability: 9 (x200%)
Hand Speed: 9 (x200%)
Stamina: 9(x200%)
Defense: 7 (x200%)
Durability: 8 (x200%)
Legs: 10
Jab: 7
In-Fighting: 8
Heart: 9
Punch Output: 9

Overall: 9.0

http://www.onlinesportshandicapping.com/news-9/fight-picks/041110-floyd-mayweather-jr-vs-manny-pacquiao-fight-odds.html

Pacquiao's Canadian Adviser Says the Filipino Boxer not retiring

2010-04-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

A close adviser of Manny Pacquiao says he believes the Filipino boxer is not retiring yet. Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz said Pacquiao may still fight even if he is elected congressman of his province in the May 10 Philippine elections.
Manny Pacquiao's Canadian adviser Michael Koncz says the Filipino WBO welterweight champion is not yet retiring from professional boxing.
Pacquiao is currently campaigning in his home province in southern Philippines in his bid for a congressional seat in the coming May 10 national elections.
The popular Filipino boxer has been asked by his mother to quit boxing after his unanimous but boring fight last March 13 against Joshua Clottey of Ghana at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas.
Koncz said that even if Pacquiao wins in the coming May 10 elections , he thinks the pound-for-pound king will still fight because it is his means of livelihood.
“Imagine the money he would lose in his every fight at least a minimum of $15 million if he stops boxing,” Koncz said.
Asked about the possibility of Pacquiao’s fight with Floyd Mayweather, Koncz said it was Mayweather who was making all the excuses to avoid a match with Pacquiao.
He said Mayweather should not impose his conditions and terms for Manny to follow in their boxing match.
Meanwhile Pacquiao who joined the procession of the station of the cross last Friday in his province said he predicts a Mosley win over Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in their May 1 fight in Las Vegas. His trainer on the other hand thinks Mayweather will win the fight.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290072

Hopkins gets back at Jones after 17 years

2010-04-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Bernard Hopkins won a brutal unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. in their long-delayed rematch Saturday, emphatically avenging his loss in the famed champions’ first fight nearly 17 years ago.

The 45-year-old Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KOs) dominated nearly every round of a light heavyweight bout filled with wily veteran tactics and fueled by obvious mutual hatred, winning for the fifth time in his six fights since 2005.

Hopkins punctuated his dominance with a stirring rebound from the 41-year-old Jones’ punch behind his head late in the sixth round. Hopkins, who was seeing spots throughout the later rounds, collapsed in his dressing room afterward.

Both fighters were taken to a hospital for evaluation, although both left the Mandalay Bay Events Center under their own power.

“It was definitely worth it, and it was sweet revenge,” Hopkins said. “It was really rough in there. He’s a good fighter, and he tried to rough me up. I tried to tough it out, but I was seeing spots from the sixth round on.”

Hopkins settled an old score against the 41-year-old Jones (54-7), who beat him by decision in May 1993 when both fighters still were on the cusp of standout careers. Jones has lost six of his last 11 bouts, falling precipitously from his pedestal as arguably the most dominant fighter of the 1990s.

“He’s a defensive fighter, and he fought a smart fight,” Jones said. “I had to chase him the whole time. The referee didn’t warn him about (head butts), but every time I did something, I got a warning.”

Judges Don Trella and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 117-110 for Hopkins, while Dave Moretti favored him 118-109. The Associated Press had it 119-108, scoring 11 of 12 rounds for Hopkins.

The rematch was delayed by money and egos until well after most fight fans had stopped salivating for it. Hopkins finally agreed to the bout last year and stuck with it even after Jones lost his previous fight by first-round knockout in Australia last December.

With veteran skills in the body of a man half his age, the longtime middleweight champion then unleashed 17 years of frustration on Jones, who repeatedly declined to fight him a decade earlier.

Hopkins used his strength from the opening round, backing up Jones with bull-rushes or peppering him with shots while in retreat. A right hand from Hopkins in the second round appeared to open a cut near the left eye of Jones, who struggled to land combinations against Hopkins’ defense and aggression.

During a clinch in the sixth, Jones threw a left hand to the back of Hopkins’ skull with 10 seconds left, and Hopkins immediately crumpled to the canvas on his knees with his hands on his head. Hopkins said he saw spots while staying down for about three minutes, but he eventually recovered – and Hopkins then unleashed a stunning flurry of vicious punches to Jones’ head, propelling the crowd to its feet.

The fighters kept trading shots well after the bell sounded. Referee Tony Weeks dived between them to break it up after a prolonged struggle against the ropes, and a member of Jones’ entourage jumped into the ring before Weeks and security guards restored order and got the fighters back to their corners.

Jones then threw a right hand to the back of Hopkins’ head with 20 seconds left in the eighth round, and Hopkins dropped to one knee.

Hopkins dropped to his knees for a third time after Jones hit him with a low blow 45 seconds into the 10th round, staying down for another long stretch. Jones then got a recovery timeout in the 11th round when Hopkins charged into him with a flurry that included a clash of heads.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=563711&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Roach picks Floyd over Mosley

2010-04-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is predicting that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will beat WBA welterweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley by decision in their 12-round bout in Las Vegas on May 1.

If Mayweather dethrones Mosley, it will only be logical for Pretty Boy to face Pacquiao, who holds the WBO title, in a unification showdown. Pacquiao is now recognized as the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, an honor that was once Mayweather’s until he retired over two years ago. Mayweather is now back in active ring duty and itching to reclaim his throne.

“Shane’s my friend and I hope he wins but he has trouble with speed and movement and likes guys to come to him so it’s going to be difficult,” said Roach in a guest column on London’s Boxing News.

Roach, who has been involved in a word war with Mayweather’s foul-mouthed father Floyd Sr., seemed reconciliatory in remarking that “I like Floyd as a person ...out of the Mayweathers, he’s one of the better ones.”

The celebrated Wild Card Gym of Los Angeles owner said Mayweather has never disrespected him and always calls him Mr. Roach. But in anticipation of a duel with Pacquiao, Roach said it’s likely that Mayweather will turn against him in the process of hyping what is being billed as the “Fight of the Decade.”

“Floyd’s scared of my guy,” said Roach. “I let him use my gym when he was doing ‘Dancing With The Stars’ before the Ricky Hatton fight and I’ve known him since he was a little kid. He’s not a bad guy. But the only way the fight with Manny is going to happen is we go by the commission drug-testing rules.”

Roach said just like every fan, he’s looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather battle. Still, he expressed doubt that it will push through “if (Mayweather) tries to bring in his own company for Olympic-style testing or any of that rubbish, the fight’s not going to happen.”

Roach, 50, said if the Mayweather-Mosley winner dodges Pacquiao, boxing will suffer a serious blow.

“Let’s face it, people want to see Pacquiao-Mayweather,” said Roach, quoted by Bob Velin in USA Today. “If the Mayweather-Mosley winner doesn’t come around, where do we have to go? We’re going to do whatever it takes to make that fight. The only thing we won’t do is to let Floyd call the shots and make the rules because he’s not that big. Any commission test and sanctioning body test, we’ll do. But we will not do private testing with a company that Floyd hires.”

The issue of blood-testing derailed plans to stage a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight last March. Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style random blood-testing even the day or hours before the fight while Pacquiao said he will agree to the examination only up to 14 days leading to the bout.

“Floyd doesn’t realize that he’s killing his own sport,” said Roach. “I get upset that some people can’t accept that Manny’s just a great fighter. Manny is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever seen. He has a lot of distractions around him but once he comes through the gym doors, all that goes away.”

Mayweather has accused Pacquiao of taking performance enhancing drugs or steroids to maintain his speed and power while moving up and down different weight divisions. But what Mayweather failed to appreciate is the scientific conditioning program that Pacquiao undergoes in invading higher weight classes.

Since Pacquiao contracted conditioning coach Alex Ariza for his assault on the WBC lightweight title held by David Diaz in 2008, he has been unstoppable. With Ariza in his team, Pacquiao has won three world titles in two years – lightweight, lightwelterweight and welterweight – to add to his collection that now lists seven championships in different divisions.

So far in his career as a trainer, Roach has worked with 27 world champions. Pacquiao is No. 1 in his list of clients.

“I think I have the best fighters in the world, that’s why I’m the best trainer,” he said. “When the bell rings, I sit down and they fight. My key to success is hanging out with good fighters. I’m probably having more fun than I ever had in my life.”

Roach said there’s no short-cut to success and it’s all about working hard.

“I know my job but when they get in the ring, I sit down so I give the credit to them,” he continued. “But I like getting the Trainer of the Year award which the Boxing Writers Association of America awarded me for the fourth time recently because it’s named after my trainer and mentor Eddie Futch so it’s a great honor. Training fighters is all I do. I don’t have time for anything else.”

Boxing writer Bert Randolph Sugar said, “Freddie Roach is up there among the all-time greats. Like a jockey with a racehorse, a trainer is known by the productivity of his fighters. And Freddie’s done one hell of a job.”

Pacquiao is Roach’s prized trophy. Together, the team is unbeatable in pro boxing today.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=563700&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Pound for Pound: Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, or None of the Above?

2010-04-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ranking a fighter pound-for-pound has never been easy for me.

Some fighters are exciting to watch whether they win or lose. It’s really hard to rank a fighter based on pound-for-pound.

What do you look for?

Some fighters are big punchers who knockout their opponents; then there are some fighters who are so skillful in the ring, that they can hit and don’t get hit. Meaning they give punishment, but taking very little punishment themselves, if any at all.

Should a pound-for-pound fighter be judged on how many opponents they knockout, or what kind of ring generalship they show in the ring? There have been some experts in the sport that don’t believe in a best pound-for-pound ranking. Hall of Fame Trainer and HBO boxing analyst Emanuel Steward does not believe in such a thing.

Steward feels that ranking a boxer pound-for-pound is something that’s been made up of lately. Steward has been involved in the sport of boxing for many decades and “when he’s asked that question” he quickly ops out of it. “I don’t believe in a pound-for-pound ranking,” he’d say without any hesitation.

I remember during a HBO telecast years ago, Hall of Fame Boxing Analyst Jim Lampley asked Steward to pick the pound-for-pound best fighter for that era. Steward quickly responded, “I don’t have one”. I just don’t believe in a pound-for-pound ranking. He then said, “If I had to pick a fighter, I would have to pick my all time favorite, and that is…Sugar Ray Robinson. He would be the only one worth such a title” pound-for-pound in his opinion, he said.

That same year, during a Roy Jones, JR., fight, Lampley asked Former Heavyweight Champion and HBO boxing analyst at the time, George Foreman that same question. Foreman answered saying, “trying to rank a fighter pound-for-pound is pure garbage, there should be no such thing.”

Lampley smiled and turn away.

I really share the same views as Emanuel Steward and George Foreman on this subject. Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to ranking fighters. I’m one that enjoys the “sweet science of boxing.”

I rank fighters high who display skills in the ring. No disrespect to the trainers, but–smart fighters who can think for themselves in the ring to pull off a win, gets my vote.

A fighter that is smart and can deliver punishment without taking much in return, while in the ring, and win, gets my vote.

Fighters such as; Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Aaron Pryor, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker, Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd ”Money” Mayweather. These fighters have displayed unbelievable skills in the ring. I usually can look at fighter’s face at the end of any bout and see the damage that was done in the ring

Very rarely did these guys show damage to their face after a fight.

I’ve just recently added Manny Pacquiao to these special names above; even though his defense is still a little suspect, but the excitement he always brings makes him worthy.

To place Pacquiao at the top of the current pound-4-pound list, will be based on how well he competes against Mayweather and Mosley should those fights take place.

If there is a pound for pound list, this is what it would be:

1. Floyd Mayweather, JR

2. Shane Mosley

3. Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao

4. Bernard Hopkins

5. Juan Manuel Marquez

6. Paul Williams

7. Chad Dawson

8. Israel Vazquez

9. Miguel Cotto

10. Nonito Donaire

Some may agree or disagree with my picks, but this is how I rank the best fighters in the world today.

http://www.ringsidereport.com/?p=1896

Pacquiao Still Pound-for-Pound King in Latest Rankings

2010-04-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao – Reigning WBO Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao remains the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world, according to the latest rankings released by Ring Magazine, considered the authority for ranking boxing’s best.

Pacquiao, who owns the record for most titles in different weight divisions with seven, solidified his hold on the top spot by virtue of his victory over Joshua Clottey last March 13. The “Pacman” completely overwhelmed his Ghanaian challenger, throwing over 1,200 punches en route to a near 12-round shut-out. It is his 330th week in the prestigious rankings.

Right behind Pacquiao is his nemesis, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. at second spot. A former p4p king himself, Mayweather is trailed by his next opponent, Sugar Shane Mosley at no.3. The two are set to face each other in a mega-fight on May 1st. At no.4 is Bernard: The Executioner” Hopkins, who has a fight this coming week-end against old rival and fellow legend Roy Jones, Jr.

Juan Manuel Marquez, who had two scintillating battles with Pacquiao, is at no.5. The “Filipino Flash”, Nonito Donaire, Jr. is in 6th place and former two division champion Miguel Cotto holds the fort at the 7th spot. A couple of Americans are at nos. 8 and 9 respectively, Chad Dawson and Paul “The Punisher” Williams. Rounding out the top ten is Panamanian Celestino Caballero.

Ring Magazine, published since 1922, is universally recognized as the “bible of boxing”. Its pound-for-pound ratings list is considered the true list of the sport’s best.

http://www.twominutenews.com/2010/sports/boxing/pacquiao-still-pound-for-pound-king-in-latest-rankings-7051.html

Pacquiao may 'see light' on Mayweather blood test

2010-03-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe Manny Pacquiao will now "see the light" on blood testing.

Pacquiao doesn't like getting jabbed by needles close to fight night.

Floyd Mayweather wants medical assurance that the Pinoy Idol isn't using illegal drugs which will give him an edge if they finally fight.

Pacman agreed to totally random urine testing. Pacman agreed to take a blood test 24 days prior to a Mayweather match and one immediately afterwards.

Mayweather demanded that they both have blood drawn 14 days before the bout. So there was a 10 day gap and their negotiations blew up.

I wondered what the magic was to Mayweather's 14 day demand.

It's widely known that Mayweather's side believes Pacman has used HGH.

Now I think we know why the 14 days before blood test is crucial in Mayweather's view.

The magic word is a blod test using what are called biomarkers.

But, according to an engrossing piece by Michael S. Schmidt in Monday's New York Times, there is an advancement in science using what are called biomarkers.

"A test similar to one used in cancer treatments has antidoping officials encouraged that they have found a new, and important, way to catch athletes using human growth hormone.

"The test uses the same science that detects bone and breast cancer. A laboratory technician takes several milliliters of blood and spins the sample in a centrifuge. The blood is then mixed with chemicals, a reaction occurs and an instrument is used to measure the illumination in the blood.

"The intensity of the light, antidoping experts say, signals whether the person has used H.G.H. over the past 10 to 14 days. The procedure is known as the biomarkers test.

Floyd Mayweather keys in on 14 day before blood testing for scientific reason (AP Photo)

"Antidoping officials are usually eager to trumpet new testing methods, and skeptics have at times accused them of overstating scientific developments. Nevertheless, the officials maintain that the biomarkers test is a significant advancement over the current test for human growth hormone. That test can only detect H.G.H. that has been used in the previous 24 to 48 hours.

"Officials for the World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees the testing protocols of Olympic athletes and many professional athletes outside the United States, said that after more than a decade of research, the biomarkers test was only months from being put into use on athletes."

Officials of the National Football League Players Association are receptive to this biomarker blood testing and have said so on their website.

I realize we still be left in the lurch with a 10 day gap but let the promoters on both sides go to work and make this fight happen.

Let Manny and Floyd get jabbed for blood 14 days before the fight.

Then then can jab each other.
http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-Boxing-Examiner~y2010m3d29-Biomarkers-Pacquiao-should-see-light-on-Mayweather-blood-test

Is Floyd Mayweather, Jr Really Afraid to Face Manny Pacquiao?

2010-03-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Famous heavyweight champion George Foreman believes that Floyd Mayweather,Jr is scared to fight Manny Pacquiao. Foreman's opinion is shared by many boxing fans as the reason for the failed Pacquiao-Mayweather match.
Is Floyd Mayweather Jr really Afraid to face Manny Pacquiao inside the ring? The question surfaced when Philboxing's Efifanio Almeda quoted a friend who said that Floyd Mayweather, Jr is afraid to face the Filipino boxer.
It turned out that his friend's daughter bumped into the former heavyweight boxer George Foreman while they were inside an elevator in Texas. When asked about what he thinks of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, Foreman reportedly said: 'Mayweather is afraid to fight Manny'
Actually Foreman may just be repeating what some boxing analysts and commentators are saying - that Mayweather is afraid to fight Pacquiao. They cited different reasons for saying it. One is Mayweather's fear of losing his zero loss record which will lead to the exclusion of the word 'undefeated' whenever he is introduced to the audience before he climbs the ring.
The other probable reason is the humiliation that he will get if he gets knocked out by a much smaller boxer who represents a third world country.
Mayweather has been criticizing Pacquiao for being an 'amateur' and 'ethnic minority' in his country as quoted in a Philstar.com report:

“Let’s not forget who generated a revenue of $2.5 million in one fight alone. The only reason why he’s popular is because he’s an ethnic minority and from the Philippines so it’s something special. If he was from Africa he would be just another boxer,” he said

But any boxing analyst will agree with the observations cited by Mr. Almeda in the Norton-Foreman fight where he quoted Muhammad Ali as saying that the cause of Norton's loss was because he was scared to fight Foreman .
In the scuttled Pacqiao -Mayweather match which was originally scheduled for March 13, Mayweather was probably looking for a graceful exit from the match which could have been the biggest fight of the year with a promise of at least $30 million revenue windfall for each boxer.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/289755