The Latest Boxing News

Pacquiao Camp Update

2010-02-28T13:29:00.002+08:00

Manny Pacquiao looks focused and right on track as he prepares for his showdown against big Joshua Clottey. Yesterday Manny sparred with former world champion Steve Forbes. Both fighters gave each other good work. Freddie Roach feels good about where Manny is thus far into his training, " So far so good, everything is looking good so far."

With each camp Manny Pacquiao's popularity grows and grows. The Wild Card has a history of celebrities walking in so that they too can have a brush with greatness. Yesterday actor Ron Perlman, who has a resume that could stack up against Pacquiao's in terms of accomplishments, walked into the gym. Perlman who currently has a role in the hit television show Sons of Anarchy, on the FX channel, summed it all up, "Anytime you can have a brush with greatness and see someone like Pacquiao, you should do it. He's one of a kind."

Manny looks very impressive as he draws closer to his March 13th clash against Joshua Clottey. The camp's atmosphere seems focused, yet relaxed at the same time. Void of any major distractions, this camp seems to be on cruise control. Pacquiao's hand-speed and power were both on display for those fortunate enough to have been in the gym. The pound for pound king got in some good sparring rounds with Steve Forbes yesterday, and looked very good.

8CountNews.com's Peter Czymbor spoke with Pacquiao yesterday and informed him that over 40,000 tickets have been sold. With hearing this, Manny smiled wide. The camp is focused and seems

Pacman tackles energy issue

2010-02-21T06:07:00.002+08:00

World boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is opposing the construction of a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Maasim town by Conal Holdings because of potential damage to the environment.

Pacquiao, who is running for congressman in Sarangani, is executive director of Task Force Luwas Kinaiyahan (TFLK), or “save the environment” in the Cebuano dialect.

TFLK deputy director Boy Lim said the organization has the full backing of the People’s Champ.

“Manny is not backing down a bit because he has seen that there are alternative sources of sustainable energy other than coal, which has been proved to be one of the major causes of global warming and climate change we are experiencing today,” Lim said.

Lim said power can be harnessed from biomass containing biofuel for industrial use, such as the jathropa plant.

He said biomass has less toxic emissions compared to coal.

“The gas emissions by coal-fired power plants will enter the atmosphere where it will gather in the clouds and drop back to earth in the form of acid rain,” he said.

He said the proposed coal-fired power plant in Maasim, would need a carbon sink of at least 7,000 hectares of trees to absorb the toxic emissions.

“But then again, this is no guarantee because gas emissions respect no boundaries and could waft across the atmosphere as far as North Cotabato and Davao del Sur, depending on wind direction,” Lim said.

The TFLK has joined the Diocese of Marbel and people’s organizations in opposing the construction of the power plant.

“Manny is for development, but not development at all costs, or at the expense of the health and wellbeing of the people,” Lim said.

.....source

DONAIRE DESTROYS VARGAS, RP IN 2-2 STANDOFF WITH LATINOS

2010-02-15T05:53:00.001+08:00

LAS VEGAS, FEB. 13 - Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire salvaged a 2-2 standoff between the Philippines and their Latino rivals in the “Pinoy Power III/Latin Fury 13” fight card when he destroyed Mexico’s Manuel “Chango” Vargas in the final bout of the evening at the famous Hilton Hotel and Casino here in Las Vegas, Saturday.

Together with a crucial victory by world rated featherweight Bernabe “The Real Deal” Concepcion over tough Puerto Rican Mario Santiago in a ten round bout, the Filipinos overcame the split decision loss of veteran Gerry Penalosa to another former champion Eric Morel of Puerto Rico and the first round annihilation of a terribly overmatched Ciso “Kid Terrible”Morales who was knocked out in 2:06 of the very first round by WBO bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel.

In the non pay-per-view telecast of the Top Rank fight card which was carried in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN, welterweight Mark Jason Melligen recovered from a disappointing split decision loss in his last fight to Michel Rosales with a smashing 6th round TKO over previously undefeated Raymond Gatica of Austin, Texas.

Donaire showed too much class for Vargas, a late replacement for Gerson Guerrero who had to be pulled out after he was found to have a tear in the retina of his right eye at Wednesday’s medical examination.

Although Vargas who is known to move up from minimum weight to fight as a flyweight or a super flyweight had been in training for a fight in Mexico today, he was no match for Donaire who combined speed, power and ring savvy to demolish the little Mexican who had previously dropped a twelve round split decision in a WBO minimum weight title fight to the Philippines Donnie Nietes last September 12 in Mexico.

At the end of the second round a somewhat tense Donaire loosened up as trainer Robert Garcia told him “get him apart little by little.”

In a post fight interview Donaire told us that Vargas’s style was different from Guerrero whom he had prepared for so he was “just being cautious.” He said “I felt stiff in the first two rounds but I wanted to knock him out” and the chance came in round three. Donaire conceded that Vargas caught him a couple of times with a roundhouse bolo punch which was “strong” and that one punch which hit him on the buttocks “still hurts. He hits hard.”

With the win Donaire improves to 23-1 with 15 knockouts but gave every indication that he wants to move up in weight and possibly face WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel although Eric Morel with his win over Penalosa has priority.

Donaire said that if the camp of Vic Darchinyan continues to insult him and play games “I don’t to fight him because there’s Montiel and his showing was great.”

After an initial exchange, Montiel caught Morales with a right to the side of the head and a solid blow to the mid-section which saw Morales double-up in pain and crash to the canvas as referee Robert Byrd counted him out at 2:06 of the opening round.

The consensus was that Morales had no business being in the same ring with the veteran Montiel especially after he had to shed off some 12 pounds within the past week to make the 118 pound limit.

Even “Fighter of the Decade” and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao who flew in from Los Angeles with wife Jinkee on a specially chartered flight to provide moral support to the Filipino fighters said reducing to make weight is not good and he is the best example of being comfortable while moving up in weight.

Pacquiao who sat next to Bob Arum received an ovation when he entered the stadium and was whisked away from one TV panel to another. Also sharing the spotlight on the sidelines was Z “The Dream” Gorres who watched the fights from a special ringside seat along with his wife Datches and Dr. Ben Calderon who will accompany them on their return to Cebu on Sunday.

In a brief address to the fans prior to the main event, Pacquiao said his foundation was raising funds to help Gorres and his family recover from the tragedy that ended his promising boxing career.

Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach were both disappointed over Penalosa’s loss claiming that they figured he won seven rounds to five. When the decision was announced Penalosa stood in the ring in disbelief.

PENALOSA FINDS IT HARD TO QUIT

2010-02-15T05:48:00.001+08:00

Former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa may be a veteran at 37 years of age but despite another painful setback on the threshold of one more title shot, the gallant southpaw appropriately nicknamed “Fearless” clearly finds it hard to quit the sport he loves with a passion.

Penalosa lost a split decision to former world champion Eric Morel of Puerto Rico in a WBO title eliminator that was to give the winner a crack at champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel of Mexico.

Montiel was pitted against inexperienced and patently overmatched Filipino Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales whose 14-0, 8 KO record meant nothing when ranged against Montiel’s 39-2-2, 29 KO’s slate.

In a conversation hours after the fight and a trip to the hospital to check on his badly battered left eye which was almost totally shut due to an accidental head-butt while his right eye was less damaged also by a head-butt, Penalosa told us he thought he had won which was the view shared by trainer Freddie Roach who worked Penalosa’s corner with Manny Pacquiao’s conditioning expert Alex Ariza.

Pacquiao who watched the fights with his lovely wife Jinkee told the ABS-CBN television panel composed of Dyan Castillejo and this reporter he felt Penalosa won by at least 7 rounds to 5.

The head-butts in rounds six and seven almost closed Penalosa’s left eye even as blood kept streaming down but when the ring doctor during a break to check him out asked Gerry whether he could see he replied “I can’t see but I want to fight” underscoring the gallantry of the Filipino.

Penalosa conceded that he lost the early rounds but turned things around beginning the middle rounds and hurt Morel with some solid body shots in rounds eight and nine as he pressured the Puerto Rican who was breathing heavily.

Penalosa continued to stalk Morel who kept running as the Filipino southpaw kept hammering away. His eye almost shut Penalosa fought furiously in rounds eleven and twelve but apparently hadn’t done enough in the eyes of the judges and lost another controversial split decision which made it harder for him to decide whether or not to hang up his gloves.

Penalosa said he wants to spend more time with his charming wife Goody and their two children and will discuss his future with his wife and family before making a decision.

While he knows he can help promising young fighters Penalosa said “it will be easier to help them if I am a champion.”

Nonito Donaire Fights On

2010-02-10T07:18:00.003+08:00

In mid-August, Nonito Donaire was scheduled to face Rafael Concepcion for the interim version of the WBA junior bantamweight title. Beyond that, he was the featured performer in the second installment of “Pinoy Power” from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. One problem, Concepcion came in much closer to the junior featherweight division than 115 pounds.

Which meant that Donaire had two options: go on with the fight and face a much heavier foe at a great disadvantage. Or walk away from the fight, but put a damper on the whole card and not get anything for the months of hard work he put in.

It may not seem like much, but in a sport where fighters dry out and starch themselves to make weight, a few pounds can make a big difference.

"I mean, he came in about five pounds (heavy). For that fight he came in at 120," Donaire said to Maxboxing, about a week-and-a-half before his bout against Gerson Guerrero this Saturday night at the Las Vegas Hilton. "That’s a big difference. You’re 115, that’s why the next weight class is 118, three pounds. That’s a big, big difference and he was trying to take advantage of whatever he had."

What made it worse was that his opponent seemingly made no real effort to drop any of the extra poundage.

"We tried to get them to do everything and he didn’t want to lose weight. What was important to him was a Filipino not beating a fighter from Panama or something like that, in his mind, anyways," said Donaire.

Who knew there was a rivalry between the Philippines and Panama in the squared ring?

"But they did try and pull a fast one on us, on me. But it was a learning experience on my part," Donaire added.

But after the weigh-in took place, a tough decision had to be made: to fight or not.

"I think I was going to get somewhat of a percentage because I did my part. (Donaire’s manager) Cameron Dunkin knows his way around boxing," said Donaire, who may not realize that in instances like this, the usual protocol is for the offending party to give up a piece of his purse to the other fighter and in title fights, the boxer who comes in heavy, is ineligible to win that title on that night. But getting even a fraction of your purse to not fight? Not happening. "It’s all or nothing," confirmed Dunkin. "But our argument would have been, we signed a contract and we trained and showed up. But he didn’t want to do that to Top Rank. He didn’t want to put them in that position and he didn’t want to do that to the people that came to watch him fight and there were a lot of people that traveled to see him and he wanted to fight."

It’s one thing to pull out of a fight when you’re a preliminary fighter. It’s a whole other set of responsibilities to do so when you’re headlining the marquee- even when you have a justifiable reason. When it was all said and done, it was Donaire’s decision.

He explained his choice to fight on by saying, "There’s so many people that showed up, who drove 20 miles, showed up from the Philippines, showed up from Hawaii, all around from Canada. So there was a lot of people there and a lot of them were my friends who connect with me through the internet. There was just a lot of support and I was appreciative of the effort and support they’ve given me. Part of me just wanted to take the fight because of that. And also, the fight was dedicated to some former president who helped the Philippines. So I felt I had no way out and I had to do what I had to do. I wanted the fight because of the fact I trained so hard for it."

Dunkin says, "It was up to the fighter and Nonito wanted to fight. He didn’t even hesitate. He said, ’I don’t care what he weighs, I wanna go.’ A lot of guys might not have fought, it was a huge weight difference and he wouldn’t even try to lose a pound or anything. So that just shows Nonito’s got a lot of balls."

He beat Concepcion rather comfortably on the scorecards, but it wasn’t a sterling performance by any means. Let’s put it this way, it won’t be on his “Greatest Hits” collection.. To a certain degree, not only did he face a significantly heavier boxer, he could be excused for being a tad distracted with the snafu that took place the day before.

"I think it did affect me. I mean, it was there, mentally, in the back of my head and all the things around me," he says. "It was like a separation in decision, from all the groups, from everyone. From no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, you had to. So it kinda affected me and took the focus out of the whole thing and I couldn’t think. I couldn’t get my game plan going. I told everyone I felt like I was floating in air and going with the flow."

It didn’t help matters that he had a bum left hand for that fight.

"I hurt it in the second round, but even before the fight. That’s why I chose to use a bigger glove, a thicker Everlast glove. Usually I fight with Reyes or the Mexican-style Everlast. I was supposed to fight with that one," Donaire explained. "That definitely affected my ability to throw a jab but I had to throw it anyway and the power in my hook wasn’t there because every time that I landed, I would pull back or I would clinch. So it was just a lot of things but I’m not going to make any excuses. I felt my skill was still above his and no matter what I did, no matter what he did, I was always better than him."

It was one of those nights where a trainer says, ’Win tonight, look good the next time.’

A win on Saturday night and Donaire could be rematching Vic Darchinyan, who he knocked out in five rounds in the summer of 2007 as a flyweight. Currently, “The Raging Bull” from Australia has been making stronger and stronger comments towards Donaire, who is more than willing to meet him again.

"Oh, definitely," he says. "It’s in the works, right now. My manager is talking to Gary Shaw. We’re definitely wanting that fight. I mean, he has two belts and we want to take those back from him. I think it’s a good fight and once and for all, I want to shut him up- if he will ever shut up. But, once and for all, all the people will know, everyone will know, I wasn’t lucky. I did what I had to do and I’m a better fighter than he can ever be."

Donaire takes umbrage to the assertion made by Darchinyan that he landed a lucky punch back in their initial encounter. Donaire, counters by referring back to an interview he did with this reporter, prior to that bout. "I had told you when you interviewed me a week before the fight when I was at Wild Card; I told you what I’m going to do and where I was going to go. I told you I’m going to hit him with the left hook and I’m going to knock him out. I said it clearly, without being cocky about it; I said it confidently that I was going to do what I had to do.. It showed in the fight and everything that I told you before I did it.

"So it was planned already, what I had to do. So it wasn’t lucky at all. He’s a bitter old man because I took everything from him."

Regarding the possibility of Donaire-Darchinyan II, Dunkin said on Thursday night.. "I talked to Gary Shaw yesterday about it. He said, ’Listen, I’d like to do it in August and it can be both of their next fights because they’re both fighting around the same time and they’re both getting work.’ He said that’s the fight to do. And, of course, we’re looking at that, but we’re also looking at Jorge Arce who just won the WBO title. I would love to make that fight for Nonito."

Darchinyan makes an appearance on Showtime on March 6th. But first things first, Donaire has to get past Gerson Guerrero. And he hopes to be much more impressive than he was the last time out.

"I trained really hard for this fight. I’m going to give it all I got. All my fights in Vegas, haven’t been 100-percent because maybe the pressure, maybe perhaps it’s Vegas. Maybe it’s all of the above; everything else and I haven’t performed the way Nonito Donaire, ‘The Filipino Flash,’ has performed in different places,” lamented Donaire. “I haven’t felt like I performed my best in Vegas. That’s what I want to bring out. To perform 100-percent going into the fight and I think that’s what they’re going to see.

"I’m really committed in just going for it and not thinking about all the other stuff."

One Last Run for Penalosa

2010-02-10T07:13:00.002+08:00

Back in April, Gerry Penalosa was conclusively defeated by Juan Manuel Lopez in an attempt to win the Puerto Rican’s WBO super bantamweight title. After nine, mostly one-sided rounds, his trainer, Freddie Roach had seen enough. And if it were up to Roach, it would have been the last time Penalosa would have ever fought professionally, in a career that spans 63 fights and began in 1989.

But alas, Penalosa faces Eric Morel this Saturday night at the Las Vegas Hilton for the interim WBO bantamweight title as part of Top Rank’s “Latin Fury/Pinoy Power” pay-per-view card.

"I felt it was the right time for him [to retire]," Roach said this past Saturday afternoon from his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. "Gerry pleaded with me. I gave him one more chance. He said he was going back down to his weight class where he belongs. The Morel fight was put together, I said, ’OK, Gerry, you fight Morel, he’s not a big puncher. If you can beat him, get you a title fight, then that’s it. Win, lose or draw, we’re going to call it a day.’ He said OK."

But Penalosa, 54-7-2 (36), says that retiring after the loss to “JuanMa” never entered his mind. "No, no, no. I love this sport so much," he said after his workout at the Wild Card on Saturday. "I know I’m the king of 118, at bantamweight, so I had to go back. Nobody can beat me at this weight."

What was clearly evident was that he certainly wasn’t going to beat Lopez, who was simply too young, fresh, talented, and ultimately, too big and strong for the Filipino.

"Yeah, he was just too big. The thing is, he was too big for me. 122 is not my weight," he agreed. Penalosa landed some clean counter right hooks, but he simply couldn’t shake the gifted Lopez. "I hit him hard but I don’t think he felt it. So I told myself, ’Oh, he’s too big for me. 122 is not my weight.’"

Roach says, "Gerry’s really not a ’22-pounder and never was.. Size really was the difference in that fight. He just couldn’t hurt that guy and he did hit him some good shots and Gerry’s a pretty good puncher. He was just way too big for him by fight time." After the ninth frame, Roach threw in the towel. He was hopelessly behind on all three scorecards and he didn’t possess the pop to turn the tide, there really was no good reason to continue.

"Personally, I wanted to fight," said Penalosa. "I was waiting for the exact time but I trust Freddie so much. When Freddie said no in the seventh round, I said, ’Gimme one more round, coach.’ In the ninth round, he said, ’Gerry, I’m stopping the fight.’ I told him I respect whatever decision you make.’"

As you see Penalosa work mitts with Roach and hit the heavy bag, you see the consummate, skilled professional he is. Before there was a Manny Pacquiao, there was Penalosa.

"He’s very smart, very clever," Roach says of his old pro. "I asked Manny the other day, ’Who’s a better boxer, you or Gerry?’ He said Gerry is. Gerry is the best boxer from the Philippines, technique-wise. But he’s getting up there in age."

He still looks very good as he does his floor work, but then, everyone looks pretty good when facing air. "I saw him get shook in sparring, one day," said Roach, of a recent session with the Cuban phenom, Guillermo Rigondeaux. "I was a little concerned because I don’t think he’s quite taking the shots he used to. But Rigondeaux can punch, though."

The 37-year old southpaw stylist says he still has the same zeal for the sport he did as a younger practitioner of the sport.

"Yeah, I really love this sport. I love it. Being in the gym, I love it. This is my passion," said Penalosa, who unlike his older brother, will not get into the business of training fighters. "No, I don’t think I have the patience," he says, laughing.

Helping matters in this upcoming fight is that Morel, himself, is 34 years old and not exactly the most aggressive fighter you’ll ever see.

"I don’t think he comes forward. I think he just runs, he’s not that good, compared to Lopez or the one that I fought before [German Meraz]. No way, no way," is Penalosa’s assessment of Morel, 41-2 (21). Old legs are much more effective coming forward than backing up, which may occur against Morel. "I think so, I think that’s what Freddie wants me to do.. That’s what I want to do," he says of being aggressive. "I don’t know if he will run that much. I don’t think people want to see a boring fight. So I expect him to come forward so it’s a good fight."

But regardless, if the man in his corner does not like what he sees on Saturday, he will not hesitate to have a quick hook.

"100-percent," said Roach, "because I won’t let him get hurt and if I don’t see what I want to see out there happening, I will pull him out. Gerry respects me enough that he won’t go somewhere else, he will retire."

Anatomy Of A Superfight

2010-02-01T14:04:00.001+08:00

Written by Andrew Harrison

Sunday, 31 January 2010 14:11

In a Boxing Monthly preview piece from 1999, Steve Farhood carried out an analysis of boxing "superfights" over a 20-year period. In order to determine just how many of the sport’s biggest nights were what they had been purported to be, the writer used a three-point criteria, which was as follows: Are both fighters in their primes? Are both at their best weights? Are both legitimately great fighters?

The piece is worth a second look because of the recent maneuvering of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Mr. Farhood whittled down 33 bouts considered from 1979-1999 to just the following eight bonafide, classic match-ups:

1. Ray Leonard-Wilfred Benitez (1979)

2. Salvador Sanchez-Wilfredo Gomez (1981)

3. Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns (1981)

4. Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns (1985)

5. Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor (1990)

6. Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield (1992)

7. Michael Carbajal-Chiquita Gonzalez (1993)

8. Roy Jones-James Toney (1994)

A quick flick through the history books would suggest that since his list was published, the following bouts have squeezed between the superfight goalposts:

9. Felix Trinidad-Oscar De la Hoya (1999)

10. Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera (2000)

11. Shane Mosley-Oscar De la Hoya (2000)

12. Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales II (2002)

13. Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera (2003)

14. Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez (2004)

Selecting those that made the grade is of course tricky. It’s difficult to bestow greatness on men who are still throwing leather for money. Time and perspective help to assist in the measurement process, hence the Hall of Fame’s induction criteria (a fighter must have been retired five years before receiving consideration).

The selections above along with omissions made are sure to fire debate; should any of the Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fights qualify, for example? Aside from this, what does the list tell us about what we have lost in the aftermath of the Pacquiao-Mayweather farce and what we may have gained with the announcement of Mosley-Mayweather?

Firstly, are either of the two fights above eligible for superfight status?

All three men are undoubtedly great fighters. There’s no real argument there, which puts a tick in the box for each.

As for primes and best weights, here’s where it gets problematic. There are those who will argue that Floyd was at his best as a junior lightweight circa 2001 and Mosley as a lightweight circa 2000; that’s quite a while ago.

Pacquiao is a different beast again. As a fighter, he just keeps on improving, yet thanks to the weight stipulations he’s insisted on in two of his last three bouts, he has wound up fighting at all manner of odd poundages. Indeed Manny has yet to fight at the full welterweight limit (although he’s scheduled to do just that next up against Josh Clottey).

Mosley is 8-3 up at 147 lbs, with big wins over Oscar De la Hoya and Antonio Margarito offset against defeats to Vernon Forrest (twice) and Miguel Cotto. He currently rates second behind Pacquiao at welterweight.

Mayweather meanwhile is 5-0 at welter, yet it can be argued that his only victory over a fully blown 147-pounder came against the limited Carlos Baldomir. He currently rates third at the weight behind Pacquiao and Mosley.

Despite this, Ring magazine lists all three at the top of its pound for pound ratings, albeit it in a different order to the way they rank at welter (Mayweather is rated second above Mosley). This indicates that Mayweather’s previous exploits away from his current division weigh heavily in his favour and would seem to dispute that he’s currently fighting in his best weight class.

I would contend that Mosley-Mayweather does not qualify for superfight status on two counts, these being:

1. Mosley is 38 years of age and 10 years removed from the lightweight phenom who dominated the 135lb division with a startling blend of speed and power. Only his most ardent supporters would contend that he remains in his prime years, although if he can beat Mayweather, conventional logic goes out of the window.

2. Mayweather hasn’t fought enough quality opposition at welterweight. A win over Mosley however would help to right this significantly and would help to earn any subsequent Pacquiao-Mayweather bout true superfight status as per the Farhood equation (a cause helped also if Pacquiao can score a legitimate welterweight win over Clottey). Should the pair struggle significantly in their next bouts, however, questions will arise as to whether their peak years and their best weights have been left behind.

If Mosley-Mayweather is a near miss, it joins the ranks of modern era bouts such as Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez, Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield and Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao, among others. So can we still expect to see a great fight?

As I explained earlier, 25 of the bouts originally examined missed the cut. Of these, only Leonard-Duran, Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello and Wilfredo Gomez-Lupe Pintor resulted in great fights (although arguments can be made for Marvin Hagler’s brace of bouts against Leonard and Duran).

Leonard-Duran and Pryor-Arguello failed the three-point test due to Duran and Arguello being matched above their best weights. In each case, the smaller guy overcame this handicap in order to be competitive (and in Duran’s case, to win). Gomez-Pintor, on the other hand, fell down due to the writer not having perceived Pintor as having been a great fighter, which only serves to highlight his remarkable performance in pushing Gomez to the wire.

In all other instances, as one would expect, the great fighter in their prime and at their best weight had far too much for the opponent who couldn’t hit all three markers (an example being Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks). This inevitably resulted in disappointment with punters being left to mutter, “Spinks was no heavyweight” or “Chavez was too old” (against De la Hoya) etc.

For Mosley-Mayweather to be a great fight, we’ll require Mosley to demonstrate that he can still fight close to how he did in his prime, which is the unknown quantity here.

Of course, not every fight from the 14 selected resulted in classic action.

Roy Jones-James Toney fell short due to the problems "Lights Out" had making weight. Unable to be competitive, James was dominated by Jones in a virtuoso performance from the Floridian.

Oscar De la Hoya-Felix Trinidad was perhaps the biggest disappointment of them all. With the stakes sky high, neither man seemed prepared to reach for greatness in a dissatisfying bout which left many questioning both men’s true worth.

The only other encounter from the crop which failed to measure up was the 2003 battle between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, a fight Pacquiao surprisingly dominated. Barrera mitigated his disastrous showing with claims that his mental state had been affected due to leaked medical records (detailing that he’d undergone brain surgery) and a tumultuous training camp. Whatever the reasoning, he clearly underperformed.

With a true superfight being made on average once every couple of years, there are some who have poured scorn on observers lamenting the "death of the sport" after the collapse of Pacquiao-Mayweather. Whilst the regularity of classic match-ups is surprising, one would argue that there have been only three from the last 30 years which held true cross-over appeal to the masses; Leonard-Hearns, Hagler-Hearns and De la Hoya-Trinidad, with the last of those coming 11 years ago.

It’s the reason fans should probably be pulling for two guys they don’t feel like showing much love for right now in upcoming bouts with Messrs Mosley and Clottey.

Delayed Signings and a Rematch Clause proves Floyd Mayweather Jr is scared of Shane Mosley

2010-02-01T13:55:00.002+08:00

With all the delays in signing and a reported rematch clause put into the fight contract, it makes me think that Mayweather Jr doesn’t really want to fight Shane Mosley. And, in my opinion, the biggest reason he doesn’t really want to fight Mosley is because he’s scared of him. Let’s examine this further.

"I believe this fight he got pushed into because the Pacquiao fight fell out, so he got pushed into this fight. He really didn't want it." Shane Mosley from interview with Fanhouse.com

Shane is correct in this assessment. Mayweather really didn’t want to fight Mosley. However, I’m beginning to think that Mayweather doesn’t really want to fight anyone. I think he would rather create the illusion that he’ll fight all the best fighters in his weight class, but in the end, he won’t. If Mayweather truly wanted to fight Mosley then why all the hesitations, delays in contract signing, and a rematch clause?

Delayed Signing
Jeff Lamonick of West Sacramento, CA “Mayweather has been ducking Mosley for 10 years now. Of course he will be hesitant and delay the signing.“ It’s been officially reported by ESPN that Mosley has signed the fight contract. It’s also been reported by ESPN that Mayweather Jr should be signing the contract in the next 2 days. However, with Mayweather’s history of ducking Mosley, there’s really no guarantee that he will sign the contract in 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months.

Rematch Clause

Examiner.com columnist Michael Marley has reported that Mayweather Jr. demanded and received an immediate rematch clause in the contract. Ryan Inzko Roseville, CA “If someone demands a rematch clause then they obviously have doubts.” Ryan you are absolutely correct. For a man who claims to be the best in the world, demanding a rematch clause doesn’t bolster any confidence. In fact, it says the opposite. It says that you think you might get beat.

This rematch clause also proves that the Mayweather critics, including Shane Mosley himself, were right in their assessment that Floyd has been ducking Shane for the last 10 years. Bottom line is this, Shane signed the contract and Shane jumped into the ring after Mayweather’s fight with Marquez to challenge Money Mayweather. These delays and rematch clauses prove to me that Floyd Mayweather Jr is and has always been scared of Shane Mosley.

THE SUPER FIGHT IS OFF; MAYWEATHER CHICKENS OUT

2010-01-07T15:33:00.002+08:00

The planned March 13 super fight between boxing hero and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr is off after Mayweather chickened out despite Pacquiao accepting a compromise proposal to bring the blood test closer to the fight date from his original 30 day cutoff period to 24.

The Mayweather camp had demanded that Pacquiao undergo random blood tests to be conducted by the US Anti Doping Agency following unsubstantiated allegations that he was on performance enhancing drugs. The Pacquiao camp originally indicated it was ready to submit to blood tests one day before the kickoff press conference, 30 days before the fight and immediately after the fight in his dressing room stating that if Pacquiao was on any illegal substance it would surely show up in the post-fight test.

After the Mayweather handlers claimed Pacquiao had blood extracted from him 14 days before the Ricky Hatton fight in May 2009 as shown on the HBO 24/7 pre-fight series to put holes in his position of a 30-day deadline, Rick Reeno of boxingscene.com produced documents to show the blood test shown on HBO was actually done 24 days before the fight which Pacquiao agreed to as a compromise to help get the fight done.

Despite the mediation efforts of retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein who spent nine hours with both parties on Tuesday, nothing was apparently achieved except that both sides were placed under a gag order which prevented them from talking.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has steadfastly refused to divulge details of what transpired behind the closed doors of Judge Weinstein’s Santa Monica office except to confirm on Thursday (Manila Time) that the fight was off even as he blamed Mayweather for the collapse of a fight which millions of boxing fans around the world wanted.

Arum maintained that Mayweather’s refusal “established what I have always believed and that is that Mayweather never wanted to fight Manny because he was scared to death” which is what trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning expert Alex Ariza had said from the very beginning when they claimed Pacquiao would give Mayweather “a bad beating.”

Arum revealed that Pacquiao is likely to fight for his eighth world title in an eighth weight division against 154 pound champion Yuri Foreman. The renowned promoter who handles Foreman said “Yuri is ready and I’ll check to get confirmation with Manny,” indicating that should it push through the fight would be held on March 13 or 20 also in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz said that the immensely popular Filipino southpaw who has won every conceivable award in boxing and was recently featured on the cover of Time Magazine with a five-page spread said he was “disappointed at not being able to give the fans what they wanted and claimed Mayweather used this (blood testing) as an excuse to get out of the fight and we’ll just have to move on.”

Koncz himself posed the question “how does Mayweather go around claiming he is the best pound-for-pound fighter and the best fighter if he is not willing to engage the people’s choice as the best fighter?” noting that Pacquiao has also been endorsed by Ring Magazine and numerous other boxing publications and internet sites as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today. Koncz added “this is all a sham.”

Pacquiao’s concern over blood being extracted too close to the fight stems from his experience before the first fight with Erik “El Terrible” Morales in March 19, 2005 when he was forced to have a blood test a couple of days before the fight after his medical records were allegedly lost in transmission.

However, a video tape from our personal archives of a heated discussion on the issue showed that the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission at that time, Marc Ratner, pointed out that the blood test submitted had been taken in January which was too long before the fight and the NSAC commission set a cut-off of 30 days and emphasized that if Pacquiao refused to take the blood test the fight would have to be called off. Pacquiao reluctantly took the test and later said he had a headache and felt dizzy and attributed that to the extraction of blood too close to the fight which he lost on points.

It appears that Pacquiao’s original 30-day cut-off jibed with the requirements of the NSAC which has jurisdiction over the fights in Las Vegas and whose authority Pacquiao and his handlers want respected, which Mayweather, by demanding that the USADA undertake the tests refuses to do. Koncz pointed out that even when the chairman of the NSAC asked Pacquiao to take a urine test in the Philippines over which the Commission has no jurisdiction he took the test which was done by a doctor of the Philippine Olympic Committee, accredited by the World Anti Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee.

www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today, Viva Sports and boxingscene.com understand that the Mayweather handlers led by Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Mayweather’s top adviser Al Hayman had tried to convince the fighter to agree to the 24-day blood test proposal which Pacquiao had agreed to and which medical experts had said was more than sufficient to detect any traces of performance enhancing drugs, but they were turned down by Mayweather resulting in the fight being called off.

Edgar Sosa Will Protest TKO Loss To Rodel Mayol

2009-11-23T09:48:00.002+08:00

Former champion Edgar Sosa has spoken to the press in Mexico and disclosed his plans to file a full protest with Mexican Commission and the WBC to overturn Saturday's two-round TKO loss to Filipino Rodel Mayol in Chiapas, Mexico. Sosa won the WBC junior flyweight title in April 2007 with a decision over Brian Viloria. He made ten defenses of that title until Mayol shocked the world on Saturday.

The sticking point of the protest has to do with the bad clash of heads that took place in the second round of the fight. The head clash sent Sosa down and opened up a cut on his face. The referee Roberto Ramirez ruled it as an "intentional" foul and took away a point from Rodel. After a ringside physician ruled that Sosa could continue, Mayol jumped on Sosa and battered him until the ref stopped the contest.

"I did not recover from the headbutt. It was hard to fight because I was very hurt and could not focus. What happened was intentional," Sosa said. "There should have been a disqualification but they let it continue."

Mayol's camp will shoot back and ask why Sosa did not disclose any of this to the ringside doctor or the referee. Sosa's camp will shoot back and tell officials to take a look at Mayol's history. In Mayol's last two fights, both against Ivan Calderon, there were clashes of heads that forced an early end in both contests. In both fights Calderon was cut badly from clashing with Mayol's head.

Sosa suffered a fractured cheekbone from the head clash and wants the fight's result changed to a no-contest. It's already being reported that the WBC will order an immediate rematch but Sosa's injury will keep him away from the ring for several months.

Ward Owns Kessler, Puts U.S. Back in The Super Six

2009-11-23T09:40:00.002+08:00

In 2004, Super Middleweight Andre Ward unselfishly moved up in weight to make room for more talent on the U.S. Olympic team. He went home from Athens with the Gold Medal in the Light Heavyweight division.

On Saturday night, the 25-year old Ward (21-0, 13 KO) added professional gold in front of a rabid hometown crowd at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, to close the first round of the “Super Six World Boxing Classic” tournament. Fighting with poise and a bag of tricks as varied as any seasoned veteran, Ward used his hands, arms, feet, and head to dominate the man who entered the tournament as the de facto number one seed, 30-year old WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler of Denmark (42-2, 32 KO), winning a decisive technical decision after the contest was stopped due to cuts in the eleventh round.

Both men came into the bout in fighting trim, Kessler a pound beneath the division limit at 167 and Ward weighing in at 166 ½.

After an intense staredown where both men rocked back and forth, their eyes never off the other man, Ward stepped forward with a hard lead left hook at the opening bell. The blow missed but Ward made contact with some snapping jabs and a counter left over a lazy Kessler right. Switching to southpaw, Ward popped in a lead left to the body and he stayed at distance. Ward would continue to vary his stance while Kessler stalked, throwing little until attempting to unspool his jab in the final minute of round one.

Both men fired jabs to start the second, Ward also finding another blinding left hook. A pair of Kessler rights sailed over the shoulders of a ducking Ward, later joined by another missing right and a blocked left hook as Ward circled the ring. Kessler found contact with a pair of rights to the body, followed by a jab to the chest, as Ward skated near the ropes. In the closing thirty seconds, both men grappled in clinches, Ward bursting out with two left jabs and landing a measured right just before the bell. Ward missed with a big right seconds in the third then, after briefly clinching, opened up and landed to the body then with a right and left upstairs. As the round wore on, Ward continued to land with both hands, his speed overwhelming the aggressive but ineffective Kessler. Kessler headed to the corner with the beginnings of a swelling beneath his right eye.

The action heated up considerably in the fourth round of an already fast paced fight. Near the midway mark, Kessler landed a big left hook, stunning Ward who slipped the following right and clinched. Seconds later, Ward landed his own big right hand and forced a backwards step from Kessler. Ward, who was clinching often, was able to land in explosive bursts between holds.

Round five opened with another slashing Ward right hand but as the round wore on Kessler slipped more shots. Halfway through the round, Kessler landed a hard left hook and Ward a right almost simultaneously and in the final minute the titlist’s offense emerged as a factor. A hard right near the ropes slowed Ward’s output and the Californian appeared to lose a bit of steam as the closing bell approached.

Both men were at center ring well before the clang which initiated round six, both landing hard jabs before a hard Kessler left hook brought a motion of acknowledgement from Ward. It was a brief respite from frustration as Kessler continued to struggle with the speed of Ward’s clinch-throw-clinch approach. In the final minute, Kessler landed a right but found the left hook blocked only to be slowed again by rapid holding from Ward. Ward closed the sixth with two right hands to the face of Kessler as the Dane searched for answers.

Clearly behind at the bout’s middle, Kessler found the scoring hole only getting deeper, able to land a token left hook while being raked with right hands. By round eight, it was Kessler initiating clinches as he tried to catch his breath and stem the tide of leather raining onto his face. A short right early in the round and an early return of his jab were his only notable offense before a sneaky left in the final minute. Ward rocked his head back with rights to avenge the latter slight and Kessler trudged to the corner, blood streaming from a cut opened over his left eye during a late clash of heads.

For the second round in a row, Kessler complained to his corner that he couldn’t see but Kessler said no when asked if he wanted to stop. Told by his corner he needed a knockout to win, Kessler walked into a right and left to start the ninth. Attempting to measure Ward coming in while back pedaling for most of the round, Kessler would take steady punishment until landing a flurry of blows in the closing seconds. It was his most spirited, sustained punching effort of the fight to then.

Following a clash of head which brought an audible yelp from Kessler in round ten, and a fresh cut over the right eye, Kessler and Ward engaged in a heated exchange and Kessler took punches in multiple while hoping for a turn-around bomb. He ended the round slammed with a left hand to the mouth.

The championship rounds reached, Ward needed only to stay afoot for six minutes to claim his first major title as a professional…in theory. Just shy of two minutes into the eleventh, the cut over Kessler’s right eye worsened after another clash of heads and the ring doctor ruled the fight closed. The cuts having come via referee Jack Reiss’s ruling of accidental headbutt, the bout went to the cards where scoring was academic, judges Stanley Christodoulou and Steve Morrow favoring Ward in eight rounds at 98-92 and judge Mikael Hook giving Kessler the benefit in a single frame more at 97-93.

All of the scores appeared closer than the fight itself.

Ward was jubilant in celebrating the biggest victory of his career so far. Before commenting on the action in the ring, Ward reflected with faith. “I have to thank God for this because he constantly puts me up against giants. He puts me in situations where naturally I’m not supposed to overcome but, I’m telling you, that God…there’s nothing impossible with Jesus Christ in your life.”

Turning to the victory, Ward stated, “I just felt like it was my time. I wasn’t intimidated by Kessler’s record…I was surprised he didn’t make the adjustments. He kinda’ kept doing the same thing over and over. Taking nothing away from (Kessler), I know he’s a super champion and I know why he’s been champion for so long.”

A dejected Kessler remained frustrated after the bout with the holding tactics and head work of Ward. “I’m not used to that the referee don’t stop the fight when you’re holding. And he was using his headbutt all the time. Every time he got in, he head butted me. And every time I (attempted to break) he let him punch me. I’m not used to that…I think it was unfair with the headbutts, the holding, and the home judge referee.”

Kessler sounded unsure about his future in the immediate aftermath of his loss. “I have to look at how the fight went on, see what I can do better, and see if I still got it.” Kessler’s only other defeat came in November 2007 when, while holding the WBA and WBC belts, he lost a unification battle with future Hall of Famer Joe Calzaghe of Wales.

The much anticipated “Super Six World Boxing Classic” tournament completes its first round with Ward joining Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch in the winner’s circle. The previous two bouts of the opening round occurred last month, on October 17th.

Based in Germany, the 29-year old Armenian Abraham (31-0, 25 KO), a former IBF Middleweight titlist, knocked out 31-year old former World Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KO) of Little Rock, Arkansas, in the twelfth round in Germany.

The 32-year old WBC Super Middleweight titlist Froch (26-0, 20 KO), of England, won a narrow and debated split decision verdict against 26-year old 2004 U.S. Olympic Middleweight Bronze Medalist Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO) in his hometown of Nottingham.

Under the points system utilized in the three preliminary rounds of the “Super Six,” Abraham leads the field with three points (two for the victory over Taylor, one for knocking him out), while Froch and Ward each trail Abraham with two points.

The second round matches, set to begin in early 2010, are currently slated as Kessler-Froch, Ward-Taylor, and Abraham-Dirrell.

Taylor has been a source of speculation as to whether he would continue in the tournament. The Abraham loss was his third suffered knockout in his last five contests; including stoppage defeats in the first of two fights with current Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in September 2007 and to Froch in a fight prior to the Super Six in April 2009.

Asked if he expected to see Taylor in the next round, Ward said, “That’s up to him. I read a Twitter where he answered his fans and said he was training and preparing, so that’s who we’re getting ready for. We fought the best in the world tonight…people though I got a bad draw but we told everybody, ‘no, this is the right draw.’ So, we beat the top guy, we’re gonna’ rest a little bit.”

Saturday’s contest was broadcast on United States premium cable outlet Showtime, promoted by Sauerland Events and Goosen Tutor Boxing. ....source

PACQUIAO HAD SOME INJURIES TOO

2009-11-16T16:00:00.001+08:00

Las Vegas, NV: Manny Pacquiao won his 7th division world title fight with a magnificent TKO over a very strong and tough Miguel Cotto.

But he did not escape unscratched.

“Cotto’s punches hurt but I just pretended they did not so as to discourage him” Pacquiao was quoted as saying.

After the 12-round fight, Cotto was taken to the hospital upon advice of the Nevada Athletic Commission as a pre-cautionary measure for routine full body scan. Thankfully, it was announced later that his is fine and will box again another day.

Pacquiao did not have to go but he stayed at the dressing room for several minutes to be attended by a plastic surgeon. Bob Arum indicated that they had to “drain some blood from his right ear to prevent the so called “cauliflower” effect that is prevalent on boxers and wrestlers.

At the post fight press conference the ever smiling world champion came in sporting a huge bandage on his right ear.

But he did not seem affected as he answered questions from the media.

He even sang a few bars of the same song he sung at the Jimmy Kimmel Show a week ago and invited everyone to witness his concert. “Of course you will have to pay $40.00”, he said.

Cotto's Grand Arrival at the MGM Grand

2009-11-11T18:41:00.002+08:00

Cotto was greeted by his countrymen about an hour after Pacquiao's arrival. The Boricua Bomber is looking lean and mean and ready to inflict as much pain he can on the Pacman this Saturday. Also present were his team members such as cutman Joe Chavez, strength and conditioning coach Phil Landman and best friend Brian Perez.

Funny Clip: Pacquiao talks smack about Marquez

2009-11-11T13:49:00.004+08:00

"That's why he (Marquez) was not strong enough in the fight because he only drank urine, he has to eat his sh!t too" - Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao Arrives in Las Vegas

2009-11-11T07:48:00.001+08:00

1/10/09, Las Vegas, Nevada -- Six-time world champion pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, General Santos, Philippines is surrounded by hundreds of fans and media as he makes his 'Grand' arrival at the MGM Grand Tuesday for his upcoming "FIREPOWER" World Welterweight championship fight against three-time world champion and the pride of Puerto Rico Miguel Cotto, Caguas, Puerto Rico. Pacquiao vs Cotto is promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions,Cotto Promotions,MGM Grand and Tecate, will take place, Saturday, November 14 at the sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be available live on HBO Pay Per View.

Cotto's punching power against Pacquaio's speed

2009-11-09T23:08:00.000+08:00

We are now days away before these two fearless fighters,Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto finally meet in the ring. Is there really anyone who believes this fight will go to decision? The probability of this fight resulting in a stoppage seems extremely high. This mega fight card was properly named,"Firepower" which both Pacquiao and Cotto possess.

Miguel Cotto is a true welterweight,many of Pacquaio's previous opponents have lacked the power he has. Cotto's impressive record speaks for itself 34-1. That one questionable loss coming from Antonio Margarito. Although he is not the same fighter,since suffering from that devastating loss. Miguel Cotto should not be underestimated.

Cotto has many strengths he is a smart,skilled fighter who is a very heavy handed puncher. He is also very weak in many areas. In Cotto's last fight with Joshua Clottey,he showed he can be easily hit and lacks speed. Pacquiao will not hesitate to capitalize on every weakness Cotto has.

Miguel Cotto must be ready to take punishment from Manny Pacquiao,who will use his overwhelming speed,and dish out relentless attacks. The same can be said for Pacquiao,who will get hit with forceful punches from a strong Cotto.

Pacquaio has many advantages over Cotto,with his ability to cut off the ring and apply pressure. This will prove to be a problem for Cotto,who has difficulty when under pressure. Cotto must be ready to defend,against Pacquiao's power and blinding combinations. Miguel Cotto's defense has been dismal of late.

Pacquaio seems to get better with every fight,in his last 5 fights he is 5-0. His stamina is ridiculous. This also is a huge advantage,because Cotto seems to look fatigued in later rounds..
Pacquaio's speed and exceptional footwork also has to be carefully looked at. Pacquaio will unleash solid strikes on Cotto,and get away before Cotto has an opportunity to retaliate.

Pacquaio is much smaller which gives Cotto a huge advantage.. Cotto is an excellent counter puncher and Pacquaio's defense must be solid. Cotto's powerful punches if landed can inflict damage on Pacquiao. Can Cotto surprise the world,and upset the Filipino sensation,with the odds clearly stacked against him?

Both fighters have a tremendous amount of heart. Cotto must man up to have a chance against Pacquaio. As seen in Cotto's previous fights he tends to run when under pressure. Pacquiao will not give him any breathing room,and will chase him. It is highly unlikely neither fighter will give up and quit. This will be a battle of who can outbox each other.

If Cotto can neutralize Pacquiao's lightning speed and land key punches it is a strong possibility he could win.

If Pacquiao can survive those tough punches from Cotto and land some ruthless combinations it is a strong possibility he could win.

In my 8CountNews exclusive interviews with Joshua Clottey and Alfonso Gomez last month. The two opponents who faced Miguel Cotto gave me their predictions on this upcoming fight.

Joshua Clottey: If Pacquaio can take all of Cotto's punches he will win.

Alfonso Gomez: This fight is for Pacquiao to win. He is fast and strong. Pacquiao should win.

No one can really predict what may happen in this fight. All we can do is continue to analyze the weakness and strengths of both fighters. It has to be said that the advantage is for Pacquaio speed,accuracy,stamina,and strength is a winning combination,but as i stated Cotto should never be underestimated.

This is the most anticipated fight of 2009. We will soon have a clear winner and the speculating will be over. November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,the pride of the Philippines and the pride of Puerto Rico will meet and only one will emerge victorious.

......source

COTTO: "I'm Completely Recovered From The Margarito Fight"

2009-11-07T06:23:00.003+08:00

After so many press conferences, there‘s not much left to say. All the good questions have been asked and answered. And asked again and answered again. So what else is there? It’s late - just over a week until fight night - and if there’s a good question out there that still needs to be asked, no one has heard it. And it might be too late for second chances. Besides, it’s not like Miguel Cotto is running for office, trying to sway undecided voters to his side just before the midnight hour. You have to figure by now, all the important questions have been asked and sides picked. Most have been asked a dozen times or more, stuff like, “How are you going to deal with Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao’s speed,?” Or, “What have you been working on in the gym?” Or, “How is your weight situation?” Good questions, but tired questions. Cotto is not going to convince anyone to come over to his side, not now, not when it’s this close to the Big Night. He must be tired of repeating himself. But that’s part of the fight game and Cotto will play his role in it, quietly and politely answering even the most foolish questions, the ones that have been asked a dozen times already. So on a conference call Thursday night, just nine days before his fight, Cotto went through the drill one more time, if not to win voters, maybe to get more pay-per-view viewers. “I plan on going home to Puerto Rico as the winner,” he said, again. “We wouldn’t have taken this fight (with a 145-pound catch weight) if we didn‘t think I‘d be at my best.” To the many Manny supporters out there, I can promise you this: Cotto is a very confident fighter. And he seems to easily ignore the wild predictions of Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, who says his fighter will win by an early knockout.. Maybe round one. . A great trainer, Freddie is a heck of a psychologist. Asked what he thought about Freddie’s prediction, Cotto didn’t miss a step. “Forget about what Freddie Roach says. He’s not going to be (fighting). All he can do is train Manny the best he can. No matter what Freddie says, I have a very strong mind, but I’m not going to (play mind games) with Freddie.” Might have been fun. The facts of the fight are this: Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) , of Caguas, Puerto Rico, will put his WBO welterweight title on the line when he faces Pacquiao (49-3-2, 27 KOs) of the Philippines at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14 (HBO, pay-per-view). Cotto is expected to make $10 million and Pacquiao will take home about $20 million before taxes. But the guaranteed winner in this fight is promoter Bob Arum, who handles both fighters. “My job as a promoter is to put my fighters into those fights where they can make the most money,” he said on the conference call. “In that regard, I’ve done my job.” In spades. It doesn’t seem right to call this just a fight. It deserves something bigger, something better. But then you think back to other great fights - Ali and Frazier, Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo - and you realize some fights don’t need any help. They don’t need nicknames, or gimmicks, though they are calling this fight, “Firepower,” which doesn’t have the same ring to it as the “Thrilla in Manila,” or the “Rumble in the Jungle.” While Cotto is defending his WBO belt, Pacquiao is going for his seventh title. Asked what he thought about that, Cotto again didn’t hesitate. “If he thinks he’s going to win a seventh title, he picked the wrong fighter to do it against.” As for Pacquiao’s legendary hand speed, Cotto wasn’t giving out any secrets, but he did say “his speed is not going to be the factor everyone thinks it’s going to be.” Asked if he’s a better fighter since his close win over Joshua Clottey in June, Cotto said he fought nine rounds with a huge gash over his eye against a worthy opponent. How can that not make you a better fighter? “And I won,” he said. “I learned how to deal with huge problems during a fight.” He’ll have to deal with another huge problem on the night of the 14th. Finally, he was asked - again - if he is the same fighter today that he was before he was stopped in a brutal, controversial fight against Antonio Margarito in July 2008. It’s his only loss. “I’m completely recovered from the Margarito fight,“ he said. He’d better be.
......source

The Meaning of Manny

2009-11-06T09:15:00.002+08:00

By Howard Chua-Eoan and Ishaan Tharoor

Manny Pacquiao is going through his throwing motion at Yankee Stadium. With easy deliberation, he shows off the form he says he perfected playing elementary school baseball in the dirt-poor southern Philippines before boxing took him over completely. His shoulder slips back, his torso pitches smoothly forward, left hand and arm torquing an imaginary ball into the depths of the air-conditioned players' cafeteria, where he is waiting to take the field for an announcement. The diamond stud in his ear catches the light. The baseball pose has a balletic grace at odds with the savage power that the best pound-for-pound professional boxer on earth exhibits in the ring. "Best pound-for-pound" is the mantra intoned with every story about Pacquiao. It sounds strange because he has never been bound by the laws of physics. In the past eight years, he has risen through six weight divisions to win just as many world championships. At the stadium, his promoters have arranged for the Filipino to make official his plan to fight Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto for a seventh title, the welterweight, which has a maximum limit of 147 lb. (67 kg). That is a 40-lb. swing up from the 106 lb. Pacquiao weighed at the start of his career. He carried increased poundage through his past two jaw-droppingly awesome victories: demolishing Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008 and knocking out Ricky Hatton in two rounds in May. This is how Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach describes his skill: "He'll throw a combination at you. You'll think he's done, but then he'll keep pounding you. And there's not a dense hardness to his punch. It just jumps on you. It explodes." Roach, who has worked with boxing luminaries such as De La Hoya and Mike Tyson, offers a little poetry when he recalls the time in 2001 when Pacquiao first came into his gym. "I just did one round with mitts with him, and I thought, 'Man, can this motherf______ fight.'" At Yankee Stadium on this September day, the Puerto Ricans who have come out to cheer Cotto are jeering Pacquiao, but for all that physics matters, the Filipino is the favorite for the Nov. 14 Las Vegas bout. His payday, it is said, will be about $18 million. Back in the Philippines, you can pun on Pacquiao with pakyaw — a verb, pronounced the same way, that means "to monopolize, to corner the market, to take everything at wholesale in order to maximize profit." Pacquiao knows he wants more than he has, more than boxing can give. At the stadium, he retails anecdotes from his life to a couple of Filipinos and repeats what seems to be both an assertion and a lesson learned. "'Di ako bobo," he says in Tagalog. "'Di ako bobo." "I'm not stupid." A Face for the Selfless Manny Pacquiao, now 30, is the latest savior of boxing, a fighter with enough charisma, intelligence and backstory to help rescue a sport lost in the labyrinth of pay-per-view. Global brands like Nike want him in their ads. He made the TIME 100 list this year. West Coast baseball teams invite him to throw out the first pitch in order to attract the Filipino-American community. He has even become an object of desire: ESPN the Magazine has his naked torso in its Body Issue, which explores the engineering of several athletic physiques. In the Philippines, Pacquiao is a demigod. The claim goes that when his fights are broadcast live, the crime rate plummets because everyone in the country is glued to a screen. His private life as well as the ins and outs and ups and downs of his training regimen are tabloid fodder; his much brooded political ambitions are a dilemma many Filipinos feel as existentially as Hamlet's soliloquy: To be or not to be ... a Congressman?
....read more

Roach bets on Pacquiao victory by KO

2009-11-05T18:07:00.001+08:00

HOLLYWOOD — The joke among journalists huddled around trainer Freddie Roach Tuesday afternoon at the Wild Card gym was that they were betting on Manny Pacquiao stopping Miguel Cotto either in the first, ninth or 10th round.

Anybody hoping to make a little money on the side knows that Roach has been spot on with his predictions concerning the Filipino champion lately.

And “I put a thousand on the first, ninth and 10th rounds,” said Roach.

Pacquiao hunts for Cotto’s WBO welterweight belt on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the cerebral Roach believes his ward will snatch the crown from an opponent pasted to the canvas.

“Cotto gets hit early and once we hit him early, we’ll take him down,” Roach said.

Pacquiao, who is tapering off as fight night approaches, fought eight more rounds of sparring with Raul Beltran and Urbano Atillano and Roach hopes to have just 10 more rounds—six on Thursday and four on Saturday—of simulated matches before Team Pacquiao heads for Las Vegas.

After the session, Pacquiao went off to his first nationally televised appearance in the United States via the Jimmy Kimmel show where, according to Top Rank in its official website, the reigning pound-for-pound champ even belted out a ballad.

Pacquiao is slated to hold his media workout Wednesday afternoon at the Wild Card gym.

“I’m happy with everything and he’s where I want him to be,” said Roach, who has been on target with his predictions in Pacquiao’s last two fights.

Against Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008, Roach predicted a knockout by Pacquiao in the ninth round. After helplessly staying on the receiving end of a relentless barrage, De La Hoya did not answer the ninth-round bell.

Five months later, Roach predicted a second-round KO victory by his ward over British sensation Ricky Hatton. True enough, Pacquiao ended Hatton’s night—and possibly the Briton’s career—in the second round with a powerful left which his current foe, Cotto, described as a punch that could have brought down even Mike Tyson.

Roach said the only way Cotto is going to escape the fury of Pacquiao is to fight dirty, but the multiawarded mentor said he is counting on Kenny Bayless to keep things clean on fight night.

Roach said the game plan is to stay off the ropes and to keep the fight in the middle of the ring. The American has also tipped off Pacquiao on a Cotto mannerism that may help in fulfilling his predictions.

“Cotto cocks the left hook before he throws it,” Roach said of the Puerto Rican champ’s pet punch. “He basically tells you it’s coming.”

Behind the Scenes at David Haye's Training Camp

2009-11-05T17:44:00.002+08:00

David Haye's trainer and manager, Adam Booth, claims only minor adjustments were made to the training regimen in preparation for Saturday's WBA heavyweight title fight against Nikolai Valuev, who stands over seven feet tall and weighs north of 300 pounds.

“Well, we hung the bags a bit higher, we had him punch upward at an angle,” Booth told BoxingScene.com during a brief telephone interview on Tuesday after an open workout in Nuremberg, Germany. “I wore what I call 'wedge boots' when we worked on the pads. We had some life-sized photos of Valuev in our gym which put his height into perspective and helped to remind David of the enormous task in front of him. But to tell you the truth, besides that, there was nothing major that we have done differently.”

Haye trained at a specially constructed private gym in South London just around the corner from the Park Plaza Hotel, which served as his home base. Most visitors were kept at a distance and locked out of training sessions. Haye often trained late at night and into the early morning hours to mimic the time the fight between he and Valuev is set to begin.

Booth admitted that part of their strategy revolved around making Valuev angry by insulting him and calling him names. The hope is that Valuev will be more aggressive than he has been in recent fights which they feel will play right into their hands.

“There has been a lot of talk, back and forth, and yes, some of it has been done by me,” said Booth who chuckled a bit. “David wound him up because he wants a fight, not a boxing match. We want the knockout. The hope is that Valuev won't jab and grab as he has been doing in the recent past.

“After 23 fights, to have this fight and for David to be in a position where he could choose which champion he could challenge, is definitely a testament to how exciting he is,” said Booth.

The primary sparring partner for Haye was 6'7” tall Danny Watts, 36, who retired in 2002 with a 10-2, 7 KOs record as a pro. Watts was the 1994 and 1996 English ABA super heavyweight champion when he boxed for the British army. His fighting weight was in the vicinity of 250 pounds but he now tips the scales at close to 300. Watts, who hails from Aldershot, about an hour's drive from London, has been in camp for the past three months. He also worked with Haye prior to the aborted Wladimir Klitschko fight.

Those who witnessed the sparring between Haye (who is weighing around 225 pounds) and Watts noted that the sessions were very productive. Watts watched many hours of fight tape on Valuev and he was able to closely emulate the Russian's moves. He also proved invaluable with the pad work and wearing the body armor as Haye was able to punch the big man with full force – something that was not possible to do with the smaller Booth.

ROACH WANTS PACQUIAO TO TRAIN IN BAGUIO IN HIS NEXT FIGHT

2009-10-27T23:05:00.003+08:00

Baguio City, yes. Manila, no.

This was how famed trainer Freddie Roach answered a query whether he would again allow Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao to establish his training camp in Baguio for his future fights.

“Baguio is very good. The weather is cold and very pleasant. It’s an ideal place for altitude training needed by any fighter to prepare for a bout,” Roach said after the world junior- welterweight wound up his five-week training stint Saturday at the Gerry Penalosa Gym in Mandaluyong City.

“The most important thing is in Baguio, there were no disturbance,” he said.

“Had it not for the typhoons that hit the city, we could have stayed there for five weeks and attain fully what we planned to accomplish,” he said, reiterating that if he will have his way and Pacquiao again decides to train here, he will recommend it.

The 49-year-old Hall of Famer added though that Manila, where Pacquiao undergone the last week of his preparation, will be his last choice, if ever the capital city will again be considered owing to what he said were distractions that, in one way or the other, affected Pacquiao’s training.

Roach was referring to a pair of workouts that were canceled because of sign of tiredness on the part of his boxer, which he attributed to his staying late at night entertaining visitors, mostly politicians and movie personalities.

“There’s just too much going on in Manila, but we were forced to be here because of the typhoons,” Roach said.

Despite the disruptions Roach assured that the preparations went well and that whatever delay incurred, the training team will make up when the group arrive in Los Angeles where Pacquiao will stay for two weeks before proceeding to Las Vegas where he will battle world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

The welterweight championship fight titled “Firepower,” is set November 14 at the MGM Grand Arena.

“I’m not really worried. He’s (Pacquiao) in great shape he just got to get his mind on track and we’ll have no problems,” said Roach hours before they left for the United States Saturday evening.

Pacquiao himself expressed satisfaction with the way his training went.

“Gumanda ang kondisyon ko. Pagkatapos ng lamig sa Baguio, init naman dito sa Maynila. Medyo nakatulong sa endurance ko,” he told GAZETTE.

Pacquiao opted not to train in Hollywood because he is nearing the limit of his maximum allowable stay, as a non-US resident, in the United States.

Under the Substantial Presence Test, Pacquiao, if he stays beyond the limit, would have to pay taxes based on his earnings worldwide.

Meantime Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles Sunday morning (Manila time) where he will undergo two more weeks of training at the Roach-owned Wild Card Gym in Hollywood starting today.

Top photo: Six-time world champion pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (R), General Santos, Philippines gets help with his gloves from chief trainer Freddie Roach (ctr) and members of Team Pacquiao at the Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood Monday during his first day of training since arriving in the United States on Saturday. Pacquiao is preparing for his upcoming "FIREPOWER" World Welterweight championship fight against three-time world champion and the pride of Puerto Rico Miguel Cotto, Caguas, Puerto Rico. Pacquiao vs Cotto is promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions,Cotto Promotions,MGM Grand and Tecate, will take place, Saturday,November 14 at the sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be available live on HBO Pay Per View.

Pacquiao versus Cotto: The Firepower Mega-fight

2009-10-21T11:15:00.002+08:00

If you are involved in real estate business, you are very much familiar with the housing adage "location, location, location." Not surprisingly, in boxing today there is a similar tune and that is "prediction, prediction, prediction." This is the most common topic in every boxing forum and every boxing website on the Internet: Who can accurately predict the outcome of the much anticipated, mega welterweight showdown between the pound for pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and the current WBO welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto of Puerto Rico? Boxing fans from all over the world and of course, boxing experts (analysts, promoters, trainers, journalists, etc.) have something to say about this incredible and exciting match-up between the two best ring gladiators of the Sweet Science.

Legendary boxing trainers like Angelo Dundee and Emanuel Steward predict that Cotto's skills and power will earn him a victory over the most exciting fighter in the world in Pacquiao, while Pacman's astute trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning guru Alex Ariza boldly claim that Cotto will not last against their fighter's blinding speed and vaunted power. Many popular fighters, who either currently have a championship title or have held one in the past, like Bernard Hopkins, Mike Tyson, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., agree with Roach and Ariza's assessment. Hopkins believes that Cotto's youthful face will be "busted up" in this fight; Mayweather states that Pacquiao "is a quick starter" and he leans toward the latter in this showdown; and Mike Tyson undoubtedly forecasts, "Pacquiao will win." There are countless predictions made by different, knowledgeable boxing experts for this championship duel and the fighters truly deserve all the accolades and recognitions because they amazingly stand out amongst all the fighters of today: two gallant warriors ready to face and destroy each other with their limitless arsenal of "Firepower."

On November 14th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, we will witness a boxing classic unfolds before our very eyes, between the fighting pride of Puerto Rico, Miguel Angel Cotto and of the Philippines, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao. The former (Cotto) eying to dethrone the pound for pound champion and the latter (Pacquiao) ready to defend his title as the best fighter in the planet and to cement his legacy as one of boxing greats, if not the greatest, by winning an unprecedented seventh title in seven different weight divisions. Regardless of the outcome, worldwide fans of the Sweet Science can proudly boast that they witnessed the greatest fight of all time in their generation: The Firepower Championship of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

.......source

Haye Gets Under Valuev’s Skin

2009-10-21T11:09:00.003+08:00

David Haye set out to unsettle WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev as soon as their November 7 heavywieght title bout was offically announced. A few weeks on and it appears that Haye’s continual insults appear to have had the desired effect. According to the giant 7ft 2, 360lbs champion’s German promoter Kalle-Sauerland, Valuev is finally getting wound up despite his claims the Englishman’s insults had no effect on him. Speaking to Sky Sports Sauerland said: "Niko has laughed at what Haye has been saying but he didn’t like the image of Haye punching his head off a cardboard cut out of himself. "He promised me that he’s going to knock Haye out, which he doesn’t normally say about opponents. "I think Haye has got to him a little bit. I don’t think he appreciates being called some of the things Haye has said. "He(Nicolay) has lost just once in fifty one fights and fought everyone out there available, so if he is a circus act like Haye says he is, I want to go the circus," added Sauerland.

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GORRES FACES COLUMBIAN KNOCKOUT ARTIST ON NOV. 13

2009-10-21T10:50:00.002+08:00

CEBU CITY -- Z 'The Dream' Gorres, who will headline the Nov. 13 card at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, will face Columbian knockout artist Luis Melendez, ALA President Michael Aldeguer has informed.

The 29-year-old Melendez has 30 fights to his credit winning 26, 21 by KOs, with 3 losses and 1 draw. Melendez challenged Fernando Montiel's WBO superfly title on Oct. 4, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and lost by 12 round TKO. Melendez last fought on Sep. 9, 2009 against Rafael Salgado which he won by 3rd round TKO.

Gorres (30-2-2 19KO), who last fought and won in Tepic, Mexico on Sep. 12, 2009 against former world champion Cruz Carbajal, is now in Los Angeles training at Freddie Roach's Wildcard Gym in preparation for the fight.

The Top Rank promoted 'night before the big fight event', a prelude to the Pacquiao-Cotto superfight the following day, also features Filipino welterweight prospect Mark Jason Melligen (16-1-0 12KO) who will go against Michel Rosales (24-3-0 21KO) of Mexico and another Filipino in Federico Catubay (25-15-3 13KO) who will go up against Juan Alberto Rosas (30-5-0 25KO) of Mexico for the IBF superfly title eliminator.

Ward, Kessler React To Abraham-Taylor, Froch-Dirrell

2009-10-21T10:47:00.000+08:00

Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward were just spectators and fans on Saturday night as their fellow Super Six World Boxing Classic competitors battled in the first stage of the groundbreaking tournament, but the two fighters have plenty of thoughts about the exciting fights.

Kessler is eager to begin the tournament and enjoyed what he saw ringside at the o2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany, but Ward, who watched the fights from his training camp in Oakland, Calif., admits that he now feels a little added pressure to represent America after his fellow countrymen Taylor and Dirrell lost in Group Stage 1.

"I think that both fights Saturday night in Berlin and Nottingham showed the great potential of the Super Six,” Kessler said. “Both Abraham-Taylor and Froch-Dirrell left no doubt why these guys are a part of the Super Six tournament - they are all great fighters. I am really looking forward to enter the tournament now!

"I enjoyed myself at the o2 World Arena with a brilliant Super Six setup, a great fight and, of course, tactical notes for my future fights against Taylor and Abraham later on in the tournament. For now though, my focus is on the fight against Ward Nov. 21. I have a great feeling about that fight and the tournament in general."

With Taylor losing by 12th round knockout and Dirrell winding up on the losing end of a split decision, Ward is the sole unbeaten American in the tournament.

“It’s unfortunate what happened to Jermain,’’ Ward said. “I thought he was fighting well through the first half of the fight. Abraham came on late and started to close the show. I think the punch he got hit with was a technical mistake. I think he thought Abraham was coming with a looping right hand, the kind of right hand that Abraham was throwing all night. This time he brought it down the middle and Jermain squeezed his gloves together and closed his eyes so he didn’t see it. Nevertheless, it was a great win for Abraham to start off the tournament and the Super Six and I congratulate him. I’m happy that Jermain is up and doing well and happy he’s doing better.

“I felt like Dirrell definitely won the fight and I felt like he deserved the nod. This fight is definitely going to take Dirrell to another level because he knows he can compete at the highest level. I definitely feel like I’m back in Greece all over again and even though the Americans fought well, unfortunately we were unable to get a victory in the first two fights. I’m definitely inspired to bring America their first victory in the Super Six tournament.’’

Kessler feels the added pressure now that his fellow Europeans have earned points in Group Stage 1.

"Of course I feel the pressure, now that Abraham and Froch have won their fights - but with a 43-fight record - I know all about pressure - you learn to live with it,” Kessler said. “The Ward fight is not different from any other fight at this level. I have my routines, and I know exactly how to deal with pressure. But, of course, a 3-0 European lead would make a statement on the global boxing scene."

....source

Typhoon may force Pacquiao to flee Baguio

2009-10-18T20:04:00.001+08:00

American trainer Freddie Roach reported from Baguio City that boxing idol Manny Pacquiao is about 75 percent ready for his Nov. 14 showdown with Miguel Cotto after completing a third of his required 160 sparring rounds.

“No worries as far as his conditioning is concerned,” said Roach as he was awaiting word if they will uproot their training camp later in the day in anticipation of heavy rains and howling winds with the arrival of a new typhoon in Northern Luzon.

“We just can’t jeopardize Manny’s training so we might just go down to Manila and resume training there,” said Roach, who will fly to Los Angeles this Saturday for the most crucial stage of preparation beginning next Monday (Oct. 26) at the Wild Card in Hollywood.

Pacquiao had initially wanted to train in Baguio right until the day he was scheduled to leave for the US and then made a slight alteration when his handlers disclosed that they will instead leave for Manila on Thursday afternoon.

But owing to the devastation that the new storm is threatening to leave, Pacquiao is seriously considering an early departure for Manila so it would much easier for them to go to the airport.

If indeed Team Pacquiao heads for Manila way ahead of schedule, Roach said the ultra-important sparring sessions would resume Tuesday with three rounds each against Shawn Porter, Jose Luis Castillo and possibly against either Urbano Antillon or Danny Escobar.

“On Tuesday, it’ll be nine rounds total and nine again on Thursday and 10 rounds on Saturday before we leave for the US,” said Roach, who has been camping out in Baguio since Sept. 21 presiding over Pacquiao’s preparation with the help of conditioning coach Alex Ariza.

Pacquiao will train at the Wild Card from Oct. 26 until Nov. 9, the day Team Pacquiao will roll on to Sin City.

Meanwhile, Kenny Bayless has been appointed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to referee the Pacquiao-Cotto 12-round welterweight title match. Also picked to score the fight are Duane Ford, Dave Moretti and Adalaide Byrd. All are from Nevada.

Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 Debuts Oct. 24

2009-10-15T08:06:00.002+08:00

Number 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world Manny Pacquiao will be making his third appearance in the HBO documentary series “24/7”. The Emmy Award-winning series will feature the preparations leading to the “Pacquiao vs Cotto” match this coming November 14 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, Nevada.

The new four-episode series will debut in the US on October 24 with the remaining episodes on October 31, November 7 and the final episode will air on the eve of the fight, November 13.

“The ‘24/7' franchise provides an engaging and accurate look into the lives of boxers as they toil and sacrifice to get ready for a huge showdown in the ring,” Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports.

“Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto are dynamic individuals in and out of the ring, and our cameras will be there to capture all the drama prior to their fall face-off,” he added.

Manny Pacquiao was first featured in the 24/7 series when he was preparing to fight boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya whom he defeated last December 2008. His second was with Ricky Hatton whom he knocked out last May in just 2 rounds.

More on Pacquiao-Castillo

2009-10-14T07:55:00.003+08:00

Proving that last week’s bad weather was never an issue in training camp, Manny Pacquiao dominated his sparring partners Tuesday at the Shape-Up Gym in Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio City. Pacquiao sparred with highly touted former two-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico for three rounds. Pacquiao is preparing for his upcoming world welterweight with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto set for 12-rounds at a catch weight of 145lbs scheduled on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his anticipated sparring with Castillo, Pacquiao used his vastly improved lateral movements in trying to avoid the Mexican’s uppercuts and body shots. Pacquiao stalled Castillo’s aggressive attacks with three to five punch combos and counter left straights.

The 35-year-old Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs) ended his first day of sparring with specks of blood in his left nostril.

“I can’t see his left. It’s very fast and strong. I think that will be a big problem of Cotto,” Castillo told Fightnews after the work out.

Chief trainer Freddie Roach, who at first seemed cautious when it comes to having Castillo as a sparring partner now expressed his contentment in having the Mexican inside the gym.

“Castillo looked to be off a little bit and he’s never sparred as fast as anyone like Manny. But I like his movement because he moves similar to Cotto. Overall it was a great workout and I was very happy,” said Roach.

In sparring with Porter, Pacquiao again worked on his footwork and stiff combinations while moving out of harm’s way.

“That will one of Manny’s best assets. His ability to throw strong punches while moving out of the ropes,” said two-time world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa who now works as one of Pacquiao’s assistant trainers.

Meanwhile Roach denied reports circulating on the internet that Pacquiao was knocked down in one sparring session last week.

Roach said no one has come close to flooring Pacquiao in any of their sparring sessions in their Baguio training camp.

Last weekend internet forums were deluged with queries and reports that Pacquiao got tagged by American sparring partner Shawn Porter.

“That’s a lie. I would know because I would have to pay. He’s getting hit but he’s never been floored ever. Not in eight years. The money is still in my pocket,” said Roach.

Roach has promised $1,000 for anyone among the sparring partners who could put down Pacquiao during sparring.

Pacquiao training in full tilt as Castillo sparring begins!

2009-10-13T07:49:00.004+08:00

Read on for the latest news from Camp Pacquiao as ‘The Pacman’ is hard at work in Baguio City, Philippines for his Nov. 14 super fight with Miguel Cotto!

It’s full speed ahead for Manny Pacquiao in his Philippines based training camp. Two weeks into the sparring phase of training, the pound-for-pound king has over 31 rounds under his belt. Thus far Pacquiao has been sparring with highly regarded Mexican upstart Urbano Antillon and undefeated junior middleweight prospect Shawn Porter. Things will no doubt intensify this week as Pacquiao is set to begin sparring with former world champion Jose Luis Castillo. Castillo is now on location in Baguio City and he will engage Pacquiao for the first time Tuesday when the two are set to spar for several rounds. Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon have been giving Pacquiao some tough work, as head trainer Freddie Roach has an open offer of $1000 cash to anyone who can drop ‘The Pacman’ in their sparring sessions. So far the task has proved to be a daunting one.

“He dominated both guys last week,” Roach told Filipino media outlet Philstar.com after putting Pacquiao through his paces in the swimming pool (a substitution for road work last week as the weather in Baguio City continues to be tumultuous).

With the arrival of Castillo, Roach expects Pacquiao to benefit from being hit by a big strong world class opponent.

“I believe he is weighing around 160 right now,” Roach said of Castillo. “According to him, he has a fight scheduled next month, so he must be in good shape.”

With over thirty rounds of sparring under their belt, Roach intends to have Pacquiao up to 150 rounds by the end of their sparring phase of training.

Pacquiao opened camp in the secluded confines of Baguio City in late September as American tax laws prevented the Filipino champion from operating for too many accumulative days on US soil. As a result, Pacquiao decided to begin training in the boxing crazed Philippines before moving his camp to Los Angeles on Oct. 24. That puts him back in the Pacific time zone three weeks prior to his November 14 super fight with Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao’s road work had been going well in the high altitude surroundings north of Manila, but devastating storms have hampered his outdoor training and have wreaked havoc on the Philippines as a whole.

A deadly Typhoon and several storms have triggered dozens of landslides and killed nearly 500 people nation wide. Despite being hard at work for the biggest fight of his life, Pacquiao halted his camp in early October to distribute food and supplies to the hundreds of people who have been affected by the country’s worst flooding in 40 years.

The distractions aren’t anything new Pacquiao, who’s fame in his home country is unparalleled around the world. Weather it’s politics, entertainment, family, or natural disaster… the hardest working man in boxing keeps moving forward as his biggest fight always seems to lay right around the corner. This time it comes in the form of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14, and based on his intense training regime, it is not something Pacquiao is taking lightly.

Cotto's Trainer Says Sparring is Key To Beat Pacquiao

2009-10-11T06:24:00.002+08:00

Miguel Cotto's training camp is pushing him to the limit at Fight Factory in Tampa, Florida. Cotto defends his WBO welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao on November 14 in Las Vegas. Trainer Joe Santiago says the camp is going well without any problems.

"It has all gone very well here. Thank God everything has gone smoothly. Miguel is very good, happy and in good spirits, which is important," said Santiago. "We have covered all of the objectives that were outlined in these first three weeks."

"Everything is running more or less the same [as the Joshua Clottey camp]. The only thing different is the strategic plan we are working on now. We are dealing with a southpaw boxer, with great hand speed, and for that we are preparing."

The camp is made up of traditional morning runs and fitness, along with technical work in the evenings. Sparring takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with floor exercises on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and using Sunday as a day off.

While Pacquiao's sparring partners are well known, Santiago refused to disclose the names of Cotto's sparring partners. It is known that junior welterweight Frankie Figueroa has worked done work with Cotto in camp. Santiago says the right kind of sparring is the key to victory.

"That's the key, the sparring. That's as close as you can get to the fight. That's where you can develop the strategy for fighting," Santiago said.

Jose Luis Castillo's arrival serves multiple purposes for Team Pacquiao

2009-10-08T19:29:00.004+08:00

Team Pacquiao has tapped welterweight veteran boxer Jose Luis "El Temible" Castillo who has a record of 60 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw with 52 knockouts to help Manny Pacquiao in his preparations against Miguel Cotto.

Those looking to find some use from Michael Koncz should take note that it was Koncz who brought in Castillo after receiving guarantees that the Mexican warrior is in shape. The 35-year old Castillo is coming from a 2 round TKO victory last September and is on the comeback trail going 4-0 in 2009 with all his victories coming by way of knockout or TKO.

This is good news for Team Pacquiao and bad news for Miguel Cotto as Castillo will definitely be able to emulate Cotto and display his veteran boxing skills and craftiness during sparring sessions against Pacquiao which definitely helps tremendously. Castillo is big and strong too and has fought the best of the best with victories over Joel Casamayor, Diego Corrales and Juli Diaz.

Castillo is best known for his classic wars with the late Corrales in 2005 whom he knocked out the second time they fought. Castillo also fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2002 twice losing on both occasions by unanimous decision. Castillo definitely gave Floyd fits and I actually had him winning the first fight as he gave Floyd the toughest fight of his career in my opinion.

Perhaps the arrival of Castillo as Pacquiao's sparring partner will be beneficial to the Filipino slugger in more ways than one. Not only will he prep up and push the Pac Man in sparring and get him accustomed to the stalking style Cotto will probably try to do against Manny, he will also be able to share his pointers on how to beat Mayweather's style. Castillo throws combinations similar to Cotto and is very savvy. He is also bigger and moves kind of similar to Cotto in the sense that Manny can definitely hit both of them. I won't say he is a Cotto clone, but the looks that he will give Manny will really help out.

It's like killing two birds with one stone. Not only will Pacquiao get help in preparations against Cotto but in case he does clash with Mayweather in the dream fight all fight fans have been yearning for, he will have great tips and pointers from a man whom a lot of people think actually beat Mayweather before. As of now however, all eyes are on Cotto. Bringing in Castillo is definitely a good move by Team Pacquiao and should pay dividends.

......source

PACQUIAO NO. 24 ON ASKMEN.COM'S TOP 49 MOST INFLUENTIAL MEN

2009-10-07T08:50:00.001+08:00

Filipino ring hero Manny Pacquiao landed No. 24 on AskMen.com's Top 49 Most Infuential Men of 2009, the world's largest lifestyle portal for men with more than 11 million visitors monthly, revealed today from its headquarters in Los Angeles, CA.

Pacquiao garnered an overall score of 82.1 from the online voting among more than a hundred nominees which the lifestyle portal commissioned last August.

In a statement, Pacquiao told the online magazine, "I am humbled and honored to have been selected as one of 2009's Top 49 Most Influential Men. It's incredible to be included among such an esteemed list."

The list assembles a diverse collection of men from around the world and from a variety of industries including entertainment, politics, technology, and sports. All the honorees had a direct effect on the way men see the world, and notably in 2009, many reflect classic values that are most meaningful to the male identity today.

Topping the list for this year's edition with a score of 91.1 is Don Draper, a fictional character on AMC's television series 'Mad Men'. Multi-titled Olympic medalist Usain Bolt came in second and US President Barack Obama is third.

Pacquiao continues to reap accolades after his rise in the boxing world where he has now become a certified cross-over star recognizable all over world. Earlier this year, Pacquiao also landed on Time Magazine's 2009 TIME 100 and won the ESPY's Fighter of the Year.

Below is the complete list of this year's AskMen.com's Top 49 Most Influential Men:

1. Don Draper
2. Usain Bolt
3. Barack Obama
4. Mark Zuckerberg
5. Simon Cowell
6. Michael Jackson
7. Steve Jobs
8. Roger Federer
9. Peyton Manning
10. Dana White
11. Jay-Z
12. Tom Ford
13. Jon Stewart
14. Jack Dorsey
15. Quentin Tarantino
16. Conan O'Brien
17. Ashton Kutcher
18. Gary Vaynerchuk
19. Ryan Seacrest
20. George Clooney
21. Brad Pitt
22. Lionel Messi
23. Chesley Sullenberger
24. Manny Pacquaio
25. Mark Ronson
26. Kanye West
27. Seth MacFarlane
28. Cristiano Ronaldo
29. Harvey Levin
30. Tiger Woods
31. Shepard Smith
32. Hugh Jackman
33. Kobe Bryant
34. Sidney Crosby
35. Andy Roddick
36. Georges St. Pierre
37. Chris Martin
38. Bear Grylls
39. James Cameron
40. Jeff Bezos
41. Andre Balazs
42. LeBron James
43. Dwyane Wade
44. Robert Pattinson
45. Italo Zucchelli
46. Mario Batali
47. Santiago Calatrava
48. Jenson Button
49. Lance Armstrong

Pacman takes hard shots from sparmates

2009-10-07T08:44:00.001+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao sparred six rounds yesterday and again took some hard shots as he tried to squeeze the best from his sparring partners, Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon, at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City.

“He took some real hard shots but overall it was a good workout,” said Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, over the phone on his way back to the Manor Hotel where he’s staying for the duration of the training.

“It was pretty good,” said the American trainer, adding that the number of rounds in sparring should move up by Saturday. He said they plan to do another six rounds on Thursday while they await a new sparring partner.

Former WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, who figured in two brutal bouts with the late Diego Corrales in 2005 (the first one, won by Corrales, being chosen Fight of the Year), is scheduled to arrive Thursday.

“If he does, then he spars with Manny on Saturday,” said Roach of the 36-year-old Castillo, who lost two close decisions to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2002. Many thought that Castillo, a veteran of 70 fights, won the first one.

After four days of sparring, Pacquiao has logged a total of 18 rounds, the most difficult of which are those with Porter, a junior-middleweight who looks like he’s out to knock Pacquiao out.

Roach has dangled $1,000 to anyone among the sparring partners who could send Pacquiao to the canvas.

The 21-year-old Porter, with more than 200 fights as an amateur and unbeaten in 10 fights as a pro, has forced Pacquiao to keep his hands up in training, having hurt the reigning pound-for-pound champion a couple of times since last week.

Still, the 2007 National Golden Gloves champion is in awe, adding that Pacquiao, with both his power and speed, should have the upperhand when he faces Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight crown on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

“I think Manny’s speed, quickness and power and all that would take care of the whole match for him. He’s quick. He’s very quick,” said Porter, who also excelled as a college football player.

“One of the best workouts I’ve ever had. I know he’s the best of the best, and he’ll shock the world again I think,” added Porter.

Roach said Pacquiao will close out his training in Baguio on Oct. 24 and in the evening of the same day, a Saturday, they travel to Los Angeles, rest the following day and resume training at the Wild Card Gym on Monday.

They will spend two more weeks in LA as they wrap up the sparring and begin to taper off, and should be in Las Vegas on the Monday of fight week.

Notes: The latest Nike commercial featuring Pinoy icon Manny Pacquiao, along with some of the great athletes in the world today, is out. The commercial, shot in the United States a couple of months ago, features Pacquiao along with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, tennis champions Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, soccer star Christiano Ronaldo and 110-m hurdles world record holder Xiang Liu. In the 60-second commercial, each athlete is shown in training and in actual competition, with Pacquiao pounding the roads of Los Angeles, hitting the mitts at the gym and knocking out an opponent on the ring. It’s not the first time Pacquiao has starred in a Nike commercial with the world’s best, and certainly it won’t be the last.

Roach belittles Floyd

2009-09-22T07:07:00.000+08:00

There was one guy out there who was hardly moved by Floyd Mayweather’s masterful beating of Juan Manuel Marquez over the weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Mayweather beat the best lightweight in the world,” said top trainer Freddie Roach, who didn’t even bother to watch the 12-round bout on pay-per-view, insisting that he knew what was going to happen.

“That’s exactly what happened,” said Roach, referring to the lopsided victory posted by Mayweather over the relatively smaller and much slower Mexican.

A noted observer of the fight game, Pacquiao conditioning coach Alex Ariza, said there was no way Mayweather was light when he answered the bell for Marquez.

“He was 158 (or even) 160 lbs),” said Ariza, stressing that even if Mayweather was three divisions heavier, “he couldn’t knock Marquez out.”

Ariza said that while Mayweather was hardly challenged by Marquez and Pacquiao went through rough times with Marquez, it doesn’t follow that Mayweather is going to pick Pacquiao apart.

“It’s different and you can’t compare,” said Ariza.

Ariza said the Mayweather-Marquez bout was a product of “poor matchmaking.”

Meanwhile, Roach and Ariza will arrive at 5:55 a.m. on Tuesday on board a Philippine Airlines flight from Los Angeles.

From Manila, Roach and Ariza will be brought to Baguio City so they could be there in time for Pacquiao’s afternoon workout at the Cooyeesan Hotel, where a well-equipped gym will play host to the fighter’s four weeks of training in preparation for the November 14 clash with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

MARQUEZ LACKS REACH: Mayweather impresses Pacman

2009-09-21T06:59:00.002+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao was pretty impressed with Floyd Mayweather Jr. yesterday and said he can do better than what Juan Manuel Marquez could offer against the flamboyant American.

“Magaling pa din. Mabilis pa din (He’s still good. He’s still fast),” said Pacquiao from his hotel room in Baguio City where he watched the 12-round fight between Mayweather and Marquez.

The fight was entering the third round on the ABS-CBN telecast when The STAR got hold Pacquiao through his cell phone. By that time, he knew Mayweather had won via unanimous decision.

“Walang panama si Marquez (Marquez had nothing to land),” said Pacquiao who watched the fight with his friend Chavit Singson, adviser Mike Koncz and trainers Roger and Buboy Fernandez.

“Hindi niya maabot. Hindi talaga mananalo (He can’t get to him. No way he could win),” said Pacquiao of Marquez, who went down in the second round, and was cut and beaten hard the rest of the way

Pacquiao said Mayweather always looked good in his fights because he hardly gets hit, just waiting for the opening. In this case, Marquez learned it the hard way as he took one of the worst beatings in his boxing career.

“Naghihintay lang (He just waits),” said Pacquiao of Mayweather.

Asked if he can do better than Marquez or the 39 others who failed against the unbeaten ex-pound-for-pound champion, Pacquiao paused longer than usual The STAR thought he already hung up.

“Kaya abutin,” Pacquiao answered back in Filipino. He could have meant Mayweather was reachable or can be hit if and when a fight between the great superstars takes place sometime next year.

Pacquiao said last week when he staged a whirlwind press tour with Miguel Cotto, his opponent on Nov. 14, that if he and Mayweather win their fights then they’re bound to meet head-on.

If that happens, Pacquiao stands to receive no less than $25 million.

He said talks are on but did not state whether it would be for his next fight. Top Rank’s Bob Arum said Pacquiao can fight on March 15 then will have time to campaign hard for the May 2010 elections.

Pacquiao is seeking a congressional seat in his hometown in Saranggani and he can use a fight, not necessarily against Mayweather, that he can win as a boost to his campaign.

Pacquiao arrived in Baguio yesterday morning, and in the country’s summer capital he would train for the next four to five weeks before moving to the US for his Nov. 14 fight with Cotto.

Pacquiao left Manila at 4 a.m. for the five-hour drive to Baguio. He was on board his black Hummer, towed by three police motorcyle escorts and tailed by three back-up vehicles.

Jake Joson, Pacquiao’s buddy, said the boxer went straight to his hotel room at Coyeesan and slept. He got up just before noon, in time to watch the Mayweather-Marquez fight.

Trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning coach Alex Ariza are flying in this week to supervise the training that will be conducted under tight security provided by Singson, the deputy National Security adviser.

The eight-week training starts today — under the Fernandez brothers until Roach comes in. Arum, the Top Rank president, is coming over as well. He plans to be in Baguio from Oct. 1 to 4.

Pacquiao welcomed the sight of Baguio, which should serve him in good stead while training.

“Maganda ito. Matindi jogging ko dito (This is nice. This will make my jogging tougher),” said Pacquiao of the city which is 1,500 meters above sea level.

“At hindi masyado crowded (And it’s not too crowded),” said the boxer, adding that while he’s in Baguio there will be no distractions, no breaks to film a movie or commercials.

“I need to focus,” he added. .....source

MAYWEATHER IN MASTERFUL PERFORMANCE OVER MARQUEZ

2009-09-20T19:57:00.001+08:00

The fight that boxing experts say was a mismatch turned out to be exactly like that as Floyd Mayweather, Jr asserted his superiority over the smaller Juan Manuel Marquez in terms of speed and technical skill to carv out a masterful shutout victory over the proud Mexican during the Mexican Independence Day weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).

First round action saw Marquez take the offensive but Mayweather's defense was just too good to give any meaning to Marquez's punches as these were either deflected, blocked or waved by the wily self-professed world's greatest boxer but every Mayweather counter punch seemed to find its mark. The first round action established the blueprint for the remainder of the night as Marquez -- tried as he might -- could not do anything from within his power to counter Mayweather's supreme boxing skill. A short left by Mayweather in the second round that landed squarely on Marquez's jaw sent Marquez to the canvas. Mayweather, however, failed finish Marquez in the second round or at any round after that as he refused to get away from his comfort zone and stick to his play-safe first stance at all times.

Mayweather now looks forward to making more megafights -- against the winner of Pacquiao-Cotto on Nov. 14 or with Sugar Share Mosely who climbed the ring after the fight to personally challenge Mayweather. Mayweather remains undefeated at 40 and 0 while Marquez dropped to 50-5-1. Top photo: Floyd Mayweather, Jr (L) tags Marquez with a left as Marquez was on the way down on the canvas. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.

NUMBER ONE/NUMERO UNO WEIGHIN RESULTS...MAYWEATHER 146; MARQUEZ 142

2009-09-19T09:45:00.002+08:00

Moments ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez made weight for their anticipated clash tomorrow night, September 19th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marquez, moving up from lightweight, weighed in at 142. Mayweather, who hasn't fought in nearly two years, tipped the scales at 146.

Surprisingly, or not, there were quite a few boos in the crowd when Golden Boy partners Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya were introduced to the crowd. Although there were a number of fans in attendance for the weigh-in, there were also several empty seats; it definitely wasn't as packed as it was for Pacquiao vs. Hatton earlier this year. At one point, when D.L. Hughley, co-host of the weigh-in, asked the crowd if there was one Floyd fan in attendance, all that could be heard were boos. WWE superstar Triple H was in attendance and in form as he took the mic, stared at the audience and stated, "I just want to know one thing. Are you ready? I said, are you ready to see the greatest fighter in the world, the pound-for-pound greatest fighter on this planet Floyd Money Mayweather take back his throne at the top of boxing...tomorrow night, the only one laughing is going to be Floyd Mayweather." More Boos from the crowd. As both men took the stage, Marquez received a chorus of cheers while Floyd garnered more boos from the crowd. Floyd did some shadowboxing as he waited to step on the scale and wooooo did he look sharp and ready to fight.

Marquez looked solid weighing in at 142. Floyd looked ripped as usual at 146. Surprisingly, Marquez didn't appear to be too much smaller than Mayweather. "That's the weight we wanted to weigh...we're very happy," stated Marquez. "It's a very difficult fight, but not impossible," he continued. "Marquez knows what he has to do...Mayweather's like, you know, those little puppies, all bark and no bite," stated De La Hoya. "I feel tremendous...my dad played a major part...I'm going to go out there and be the same Floyd Mayweather," stated Mayweather. "I'm a well-rounded fighter. I feel good. Camp went good...key to the fight is just be smart, be me," he added.

Prior to the weigh-in, there was much speculation as to what weight the two fighters would be meeting at. Lightweight champion Marquez fought his last bout at 135 pounds so many assumed that Mayweather, who last fought in the 147-pound division, would meet the smaller man at a catchweight. Despite the fact that the bout was being billed as a welterweight clash, there was speculation that both men had agreed to meet at 144 pounds. Today, Mayweather's weight of 146 pounds put the rumors to rest. Judging from the lack of concern by Team Marquez regarding Floyd's weight, the two sides must have previously agreed that the bout will indeed be fought at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. It will be extremely interesting to see how much both fighters unofficially weigh on fight night.

YAHOO! SPORTS POLL SHOWS MAYWEATHER VS. MARQUEZ VERY CLOSE TO CALL

2009-09-15T08:42:00.002+08:00

Looks might be deceiving but they can't fool everyone. A yahoosports.com poll (Who will win Mayweather vs Marquez?) published last week showed the public is nearly split down the middle as to who will win the September 19 super fight between Floyd "Money" Mayweather, returning to the ring after an 18-month layoff and and Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez,the number one Mexican fighter in the world right now and moving up in weight to face the dangerous Mayweather.

With close to 55,000 (54524 total votes) fans participating, 51% think Mayweather will win; 46% say Juan Manuel Marquez will win and 3% think it will be a draw.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Marquez is coming to fight and fight hard Saturday night," said Mayweather. "The fans have known all along this is going to be a great fight and their votes tell it like it is. But I can tell you right now that the 51% of them that are picking me are the ones that are right."

"I am happy to see the people believe in me and my abilities and they will witness a great upset September 19," said Juan Manuel Marquez. "I am bigger, stronger and faster, all of which I will bring to the ring with me Saturday night to beat Mayweather."

"Floyd has no doubt that he is fighting the best guy out there and that is why he picked him," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO Mayweather Promotions. "He wants to comeback right where he left off and give the people another great performance and memorable boxing moment too. But certainly don't let the poll fool you either, as Floyd is in the best shape of his life and plans on destroying this guy."

"The people believe that Juan Manuel has a great shot at pulling off the upset and so do I," said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. "Mayweather is coming back from a big layoff and happens to be fighting Marquez, who is the most intelligent fighter in the game today. I wouldn't be surprised to see the odds get even closer this week too."
Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, Quaker State, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The 12-round bout will take place Saturday, September19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored.

HBO Sports' all-access reality series "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" returns with the premiere of the finale on Friday, Sept. 18 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. HBO will replay episodes #1, #2 and #3 consecutively prior to the premiere of episode #4. The replays begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Sept. 18. Episodes #1-3 are also available on HBO ON DEMAND.

WEIGHIN RESULTS FROM NAYARIT

2009-09-12T08:44:00.003+08:00

WBO minimumweight champion Donnie Nietes (L) and Interim champion Manuel Vargas pose during today's weighin Recinto Ferial in Tepic, Nayarit. Nietes and Vargas both came in at 105 lbs, the minimumweight division weight limit.

Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr (R) and Jason LeHoullier pose during today's weighin Recinto Ferial in Tepic, Nayarit. Chavez and LeHoullier both came in at 154 lbs.

WBO Interim champion Fernando Montiel (R) and Alejandro Valdez pose during today's weighin Recinto Ferial in Tepic, Nayarit.

Z Gorres (L) and Cruz Carbajal pose during today's weighin at Recinto Ferial in Tepic, Nayarit. Gorres came in at 199 lbs while Carbajal was 2 lbs over in his first try but came back 2 hours later to also make 119 lbs.

Chavez, Jr flexes his muscles after making weight.

Nietes signs a kid's shirt for autograph.

Gorres signs autographs.

Photos by Reiver Rodriguez.

Weights from Puerto Rico

2009-09-12T08:41:00.001+08:00

Ivan Calderon 107.4 vs Rodel mayol 107.3
(WBO light flyweight championship)
Rocky Martinez 129.4 vs *Feider Viloria 129.2
(WBO jr lightweight championship)
Juan Mercedes 115.2 vs Robert DaLuz 116.5
Carlos Negron 185 vs Larry Carter 184.8
Venue: Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Promoter: PR Best Boxing

*Martinez (will now defend against former world title challenger Feider Viloria of Colombia (22-4-1,15 KOs). Viloria lost to former world champion Oscar Larios in a bout that he fought competively for the WBC interim featherweight title in 2008. Martinez’ original opponent, Vincente Martin “El Mono” Rodriguez (25-2-1, 13 KOs), was unable to obtain his visa to enter into Puerto Rico in time for Saturday’s event.
—–
“Undefeated Champions” is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand and DirecTV for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. For more information about the “Undefeated Champions” PPV show, go on line to www.integratedsportsnet.com.

Cotto in NYC

2009-09-10T08:12:00.001+08:00

WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto arriving in New York City on the eve of the FIREPOWER kick off press conference for his showdown with Pound for Pound King Manny Pacquiao. Cotto and Pacquaio will tour four cities in two countries over the next 6 days. Tomorrow’s press conference will take place at Yankee Stadium at noon. Fight fans are invited.

Two Great Heavyweight Fights Added to Klitschko-Arreola World Title Event

2009-09-10T08:06:00.002+08:00

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 9, 2009) – Two spectacular heavyweight fights were added to the highly anticipated event featuring the world title showdown between World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Vitali “Dr. Iron Fist” Klitschko and WBC No. 1 contender Cristobal “The Nightmare’’ Arreola on Saturday, September 26 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Tom Loeffler, of K2 Promotions, was excited to announce the addition of these fights. “These two heavyweight fights are a great compliment to our Heavyweight World Championship main event. It will be an exciting display of Heavyweight talent where the six fighters have an amazing record of 155 wins with only 8 losses”

Fast rising star, the hard-hitting, undefeated heavyweight Alexander Ustinov (17-0, 14 KOs), of Minsk, Belarus, will take on once-beaten Cedric Boswell (31-1, 24 KOs), of Atlanta, Ga. This will be a 12-round championship fight for Ustinov’s World Boxing Association (WBA) European title, where the winner is guaranteed to rise to the top of the division.

The other compelling heavyweight match features two talented American brawlers. Once-beaten Johnathon Banks (21-1, 15 KOs), of Detroit, Mich., will take on Javier Mora (22-4, 18 KOs), of Anaheim, Calif., in a scheduled10-round fight.

Tickets are on sale at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at the STAPLES Center Box Office. Tickets are priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25.

The remaining undercard fights will be announced soon. The event will be promoted by K2 Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions.

Ustinov, who won the vacant WBA European title with a fifth round TKO of then-unbeaten Maksym Pedyura on Feb. 26, 2009, has climbed through the world heavyweight ranks this year to No. 13 in the WBA and has knocked out 82 percent of his opponents.

The 6-foot-seven, 32-year-old Ustinov will face his toughest challenge to date in the veteran Boswell, who’s only loss came against world title-tested Jameel McCline in 2003. Since the loss, the 6-foot-3, Boswell has knocked out eight of his nine opponents, all but one of which came inside of three rounds.

Banks will be fighting for the second time since moving up from cruiserweight. The sole blemish on his record came in a fight for the IBF cruiserweight title against current champ Tomasz Adamek on Feb. 27, 2009. Since the loss, the 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Banks scored a seventh round TKO over Paul Butlin in his heavyweight debut and hopes to contend for another title in his new division.

The 6-foot-2, 28-year-old Mora is experienced against top opposition, having fought former World Boxing Organization (WBO) champ Sultan Ibragimov on March 10, 2007. Mora scored a first round TKO in his next fight, and the Anaheim resident will enjoy a hometown crowd when fighting against Banks at STAPLES Center.

Klitschko will return to the famous site of two of his most memorable fights when he defends his WBC crown against the unbeaten Arreola, who is trying to become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican decent.

Klitschko brings a record of 37-2 with 36 knockouts into what will be an exciting, hotly contested 12-round showdown. The dangerous-punching Arreola, of Riverside, California, via East Los Angeles, is 27-0 with 24 KOs.

The Ukrainian heavyweight has been involved in the only two heavyweight world title fights to emanate from the internationally-known home of the NBA Champion Lakers, STAPLES Center. He is 1-1, but both matches were unforgettable. The first – against then-champion Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003 – was a bloody, exhilarating slugfest that resulted in a hotly disputed victory for Lewis.

TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: MARVIN SONSONA IS CHAMP!

2009-09-06T09:15:00.003+08:00

"Marvelous" Marvin Sonsona and Jose "Carita" Lopez took turns battering each other for twelve action packed rounds but in the end it was the 19 year Filipino who emerged victorious and wrested the WBO superflyweight world title.

The 37 year old 49 fight veteran from Puerto Rico gave up too much in terms of height and reach to the relatively inexperienced southpaw from Gen. Santos City. Sonsona's sharp right jab as in Lopez' face from the opening round. Lopez countered with the textbook way to fight a left hander - right hand lead and left hook. Lopez' left hook to the body kept him in the fight. He showed his excellent survival skills every time Sonsona would stun him with a straight left.

The southpaw jinx struck in the fourth as a powerful left to the temple from Sonsona ruined Lopez' equilibrium. He fell and was visibly dazed when the referee started the count. Lopez showed the heart of a champion as he got up and fought back stunning Sonsona with a powerful right.

In the fifth and sixth rounds Lopez staged a fiery rally and hurt Sonsona on several occasions. His body shots were sapping the Filipino's strength. Lopez took Sonsona's best shots and kept firing back with powerful rights. This was now unfamiliar territory for Sonsona who has never been past the fifth round in his pro career.

The seventh round was highlighted by a breathtaking exchange of bombs at the center of the ring. In the eighth, Lopez landed a powerful left hook. Sonsona was now back pedaling. Lopez then was deducted a point for low blows which also disturbed the momentum of the fight. In the ninth Lopez' investment in body punching was visibly paying off as the tide was turning in his favor if it wasn't for the low blows.

In the final three rounds, Sonsona showed the ring generalship of veteran and shifted to smart boxing.

The boy became a man and the man is now a world champion.

The scores were unanimous: 114-111, 115-110 and 116-109. Sonsona and his cornermen, Jun Agrabio, Nonito Donaire, Sr. and manager Rajan Yraola erupted in a marvelous celebration. Marvin Sonsona is now 14W-0L with 12 KO's. He is the second youngest Filipino world boxing champion after Morris East.

POSTSCRIPT:

This would be a vindication of sorts for the people who made this fight possible. There were those who criticized the promoters and Team Sonsona - both publicly and privately- for prematurely sending a teenager into a title fight.

In the end, it was Sonsona who gave a magnificent performance well beyond his years. It was he who did the weeks of training and it was he who did not wilt under pressure.

Congratulations also to the two trainers, Donaire and Agrabio. It is very refreshing to see my countrymen working as a team instead of trying to pull each other down. Our elected officials can learn a thing or two from these two gentlemen.

Marvin Sonsona of the Philippines reacts after being announced the winner over Jose Lopez of Puerto Rico in their WBO Junior Bantamweight World Title match at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario September 4, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill (CANADA SPORT BOXING)

.......source

Mayweather is fresh for Marquez

2009-09-04T08:04:00.000+08:00

Floyd Mayweather is confident there will no ring rust when he returns to action after a long lay-off against Juan Manuel Marquez on 19 September.

The former five-weight world champion, 32, is back after retiring in December 2007, after he beat Ricky Hatton.

"I feel fast, strong and my timing is there," said the American.

"I feel the same way as before I left. Actually I feel a little better. I think the break helped because I haven't had a break since 1987."

Mayweather, who has won all of his 39 fights with 25 knockouts, faces the formidable Marquez for The Ring welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

And Mayweather said maintaining his unbeaten record had been the key motivating factor in preparing for the fight.

"When you go out there [against a fighter] with an undefeated record, there is no pressure on these fighters because they have nothing to lose," he said.

"If Marquez gets beat in 12 rounds or he gets knocked out, they are still going to love him in his country because he had the chance to face the best. They will say: 'You lost but you lost to the best'.

"But in the US it doesn't work like that so we have to work that much harder to stay on top.

"If I win, it's normal. If a guy gives me a tough fight or even comes close to winning, that's abnormal. Everybody expects me to dominate.

"It's extremely important for me to go out there to perform well and dominate.

"I've got to go out there and be smart, be intelligent and listen to my uncle Roger [Mayweather, Floyd's trainer]. If I do that, we will come out 'A' OK."

Mexican Marquez, 36, is a former three-weight world champion, but has only ever fought as high as lightweight before.

However, he has 50 wins from 55 professional encounters, with 37 knockouts, and has drawn once and lost narrowly to Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

"He is Mexico's numero uno," said Mayweather. "He's one hell of a fighter with over 50 wins and champion in more than just one weight class.

"Believe me, Marquez is not going to lay down. There's going to be blood, sweat and tears on 19 September."

...source

VILORIA RETAINS IBF WORLD TITLE

2009-08-31T07:24:00.003+08:00

Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria used his excellent technical skills and hand speed to outlast a tough Jesus “Azul” Iribe in their twelve round title bout for the IBF light flyweight crown.

Viloria was doing well in the first six rounds as he baffled Iribe with his combination punching. In the fifth and sixth, Viloria rocked the Mexican with one two combinations to the head. But in the seventh, the tide seemed to turn as Iribe fought back.

Iribe was a lot tougher than what his pre-fight 15 wins 5 losses and 5 draws record would suggest. In the ninth and tenth he continued to take Viloria’s best punches. In the twelfth and final round both fighters chose to throw caution to the winds and slug it out.

The judges scored the bout 118-110, 117-112 and 117-111 all in favor of Viloria who successfully made his first title defense.

Viloria, who traces his Filipino roots to the Ilocos Region, also wants the WBO lt.flyweight belt of Ivan Calderon. But Rodel Mayol may beat him to it as the Mandaue City boxer will be fighting the Puerto Rican champ in a rematch this September.

Postscript:

Pinoys went three for three : AJ Banal showed he can also box with his impressive unanimous ten round win over Jose Angel Beranza.

Dennis Laurente’s unanimous decision win over Mexican Zaid Zavaleta was not shown in the free TV Philippine broadcast of this Hawaii fight card. Pinoy fight fans still hope to that they will show it on a delayed telecast.

Top photo: IBF light flyweight champion Brian Viloria (L) tags challenger Jesus Iribe with a left straight during their fight Saturday night at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

....source

Viloria Attempts to Elevate Himself and Hawaiian Boxing

2009-08-30T08:12:00.002+08:00

Tonight at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, native son Brian Viloria makes his return to the state to defend his IBF Light Flyweight title against Mexican challenger Jesus Iribe. Their twelve-round title bout headlines an eight-fight card, dubbed “Island Assault,” which marks the most significant event to take place in the state for over thirty years. A potential unification bout against WBO 108-pound ruler Ivan Calderon could hang in the balance for Viloria. Fighters weighed in on Friday at the venue where they will clash tonight.

Viloria (25-2, 15 KOs) of Waipahu, Hawaii developed as a young aspiring boxer at the Waipahu Boxing Club, eventually ascending to the upper echelon of amateur boxing and representing his country in the 2000 Olympic Games. In the years since he has carried the hopes of boxing aficionados in a state that was once a boxing hotbed but has not hosted a world championship fight since 1976. While there are currently a handful of Hawaiian amateurs highly ranked by USA Boxing, Viloria is the face of professional boxing for the state and much of their future rides on his success both in the ring and at the ticket window. Tonight he makes the first defense of his IBF title, his second reign as a 108-pound champion. Viloria had no trouble making weight on Friday, scaling 107 ½ pounds.

Iribe (15-5-5, 9 KOs) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico will make his first ring appearance outside of his native country and take his second stab at grabbing a world title. In February of last year, Iribe went the twelve-round distance with WBC Light Flyweight titleholder Edgar Sosa, only to drop the unanimous decision. The bout was nearly a shutout on the scorecards for the defending Sosa, who won his title with a victory over Viloria in 2007. Iribe did have to battle a bit with the scales on Friday as he originally came in at 108 ¼. Iribe’s team insisted that he was right on weight on a different scale just before the weigh-in. After jogging in a suit for a bit, Iribe returned to the scale in the nude to weigh in right on weight to ensure the title bout.

Three high profile bouts will round out the television broadcast for Philippine network Solar Sports’ broadcast. Former title challenger A.J. Banal (19-1-1, 16 KOs) of Ermita, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines will take on venerable Mexican journeyman Jose Angel Beranza (32-15-2, 25 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a ten-round bantamweight bout. Banal has won two straight in his native Philippines since suffering a knockout defeat to Rafael Concepcion in a failed try at the Interim WBA Super Flyweight title just over a year ago. Banal weighed in at 118 ¾ pounds. Beranza, coming off of an upset win over highly regarded prospect Juan Carlos Velasquez, came in at 118 ¼ pounds.

Former title challenger Alfonso Gomez (19-4-2, 9 KOs) of Whittier, California will meet Raul Munoz (20-12-1, 15 KOs) of Topeka, Kansas in a ten-round light middleweight fight. Gomez, an original cast member of The Contender, is coming of a thrilling eight-round knockout of Juan Manuel Buendia in May. Gomez weighed in at 154.2 pounds. Munoz, who has dropped three of his last four to previously undefeated foes, weighed in at 156.3 pounds.

Streaking Filipino contender Dennis Laurente (31-3-5, 16 KOs) of Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines will meet Zaid Zavaleta (18-5-2, 11 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a ten-round light welterweight bout. Laurente, a victor in his last eight consecutive bouts, weighed in at 142 pounds. Zavaleta, who challenged Edwin Valero unsuccessfully for the WBA Super Featherweight title in 2007, weighed in at 141 pounds.

Local Hawaiian fighters will get a rare opportunity to fight on a big stage in the four remaining bouts on the card. Michael Balasi (7-1, 5 KOs) of Honolulu will meet Toby Misech (1-0) of Hilo in a four-round welterweight fight. Balasi weighed in at 149 ¼ pounds, while Misech came in at 149 ½.

Justin Mercado (1-0) of Honolulu will take on Richard Barnard (1-1) of Makakilo City in a four-round light welterweight fight. Mercado weighed in at 144 ½, while Barnard scaled 141 ½ pounds.

Isaac Arasato (4-0, 3 KOs) of Honolulu will take on Donald Gonzalez (0-1) of Hilo in a four-round welterweight fight. Gonzalez, weighing in at 149 ½, will have a sizable weight advantage over his opponent. Arasato scaled only 131 ½ pounds Friday.

In the featured women’s contest, Kuulei Kupihea (3-1) of Mililani will face debuting Shalae Padilla of Kona in a four-round welterweight fight. Kupihea weighed in at 148 ½ pounds, while Padilla scaled 147.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Tom Moffatt Productions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

IBF Light Flyweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Viloria 107 ½
Iribe 108

Bantamweights, 10 Rounds
Banal 118 1/4
Beranza 118

Light Middleweights, 10 Rounds
Gomez 154.2
Munoz 156.3

Light Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Laurente 142
Zavaleta 141

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds
Mercado 144 ½
Barnard 141 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Balasi 149 ¼
Misech 149 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Gonzalez 149
Arasato 131 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Kupihea 148 ½
Padilla 147

Undefeated Champions set to defend

2009-08-30T08:09:00.002+08:00

San Juan, P.R.-Undefeated titlists Juan Manuel López and Yuriorkis Gamboa were present yesterday to promote their respective October 10 bouts at the Madison Square Garden Arena in New York City. The card will also feature undefeated Cuban heavyweight Odlanier Solis and also undefeated super welterweight Vanes Martirosyan.

Jaunma López (26-0, 24KO’s) will defend his WBO Jr. Featherweight title against tough but somewhat unaccomplished Rogers Mtagwa (26-12-2, 18KO’s) of Tanzania. López showed respect for his opponent citing the fight against Tomas Villa as a testament to his toughness. Still, it appeared as if López as well as most of the media was looking past this bout and into future fights. When asked about these upcoming bouts López quickly mentioned Panamanian IBF and WBA titlist Celestino Caballero as a very possible fight and a fight he would like. About Cabalelro, Juanma expressed his desire to beat the belt holder for all Puerto Ricans.

Mtagwa said very little but his manager, Joe Parello made statements and answered questions for the press. Most of the questions made regarded Mtagwa’s chances and what made him deserve the title shot. About this, Parello indicated that his fighter has never ducked anyone and cited the most famous names on his fighter’s record which includes losses against fighters such as Martin Honorio, Agapito Sánchez, Orlando Salido and Billy Dib and his tenth round KO victory over Tomas Villa.

Gamboa on his turn expressed his confidence in victory against Whyber Garcia (22-6, 15KO’s) of Panama City, Panama and his desire to fight the best at the division. This included a possible future match up against Juanma who said it was no secret he was moving up to 126 next year. 15rounds.com asked the former Olympian Champion what he missed the most about his homeland and the young champion was quick to point out he misses the warmth of a homecoming welcome after a victory.

The card billed as “Island Warriors” will be presented live on Pay-Per-View and will include four televised bouts. Opening the transmission will be former US Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (25-0, 16KO’s) of Glendale, Ca. against Brazilian Carlos Nascimento (24-1, 20KO’s) followed by former Cuban Olympian and WBC #7 rated Odlanier Solis fighting against WBC, WBA, and WBO top ten rated Kevin Johnson. Both fights are set for ten rounds.

.....source

Urango stops Bailey in 11th round TKO

2009-08-30T08:03:00.002+08:00

Making his 1st defense of his IBF light welterweight title, champion Juan Urango (22-1-1, 17 KO’s) stopped number #1 International Boxing Federation challenger Randall Bailey (39-7, 35 KO’s) in the 11th round on Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Hollywood, Florida. Urango, 28, survived a 6th round knockdown and a bad cut under his right eye to come back and knock Bailey down two times in the 9th and one more time in the 10th. Bailey, 34, soon to be 35 next month, had nothing left after knocking Urango down in the 6th round. From then on, Bailey only rarely threw any big right hand shots and pretty much stopped throwing punches altogether.

This allowed Urango to take over the fight with his solid power shots. After knocking Bailey down in the 9th, Urango spent much of the remainder of the fight chasing Bailey around the ring at a full gallop. Normally, a fighter moving quickly like this would be asking for trouble, but Bailey was far too tired to make Urango pay for his lack of boxing basics and let him get away with it.

Although knocking Urango down in the 6th, Bailey looked every bit of his 34 years and then some. Most of the fight, Bailey tapped Urango with a lazy jab and measured him constantly for right hands. Bailey seemed to wait far too long while preparing to throw his right hands and wasted a lot of time waiting for Urango to be at the proper distance for him to throw his rights.

Going into the fight, Bailey had to have known that Urango had an iron chin and that he was almost impossible to knock out. The smarter thing for Bailey to have done, in hindsight, is to have worked on his jab and movement instead of putting so much focus on his right hand. The way to beat Urango is through movement and a jab, not by trying to bang him out of there the way that Bailey was trying to do.

In the 6th round, Bailey landed a short right hand that put Urango down flat on his back on the canvas. On the knockdown, Bailey blinded Urango temporarily by throwing a pawing jab and then came directly behind it with a hard right hand that Urango never saw. The right hand cut Urango under his right eye, opening up a huge gash that leaked blood everywhere.

Luckily for Urango, the cut was underneath the eye and not above it, because this allowed the blood to leak down his face rather than into his eye. Urango’s right eye would later swell up as the rounds went by, and had Bailey continued to land heavy shots beyond the 6th, Urango’s right eye would have likely closed.

At the start of the 9th round, Urango knocked a tired Bailey down with a left hand in the opening seconds of the round. Bailey was badly hurt by the shot and tried clinching his way out of the round. However, there was far too much time in the round to clinch all the way through.

Moments later, Urango ran at Bailey and knocked him down for a second time in the round with a left to the head. Urango got a little too impatient at that point and missed with a ton of punches as Bailey stood covering up in the corner. In the 10th round, Urango knocked Bailey down with a right hand to the side.

Bailey was exhausted at that point in the fight and not throwing any punches back at Urango. Somehow, Bailey’s corner allowed the fight to continue even though he was no longer even remotely competitive. In the 11th, Bailey’s corner finally stepped in and let the referee know that they wanted the fight to be stopped. Bailey was taking a terrible beating in the round and not firing back any punches. The referee stopped the bout at 1:51 of the round.

Overall, it was a good performance from Urango. He did what he had to do to get the victory. However, Urango looked as one dimensional and slow as he always looks. He’s fortunate that his opponent was Bailey and not someone like Timothy Bradley, Kendall Holt or Devon Alexander, because Urango would have likely been beaten by a lopsided decision against skilled fighters like them. Urango is good when matched against stationary sluggers like Bailey. However, if Urango is presented with a fighter that can move a little, he has major problems.

....source

Cotto vs. Pacquiao: The One True Superfight Of The Year

2009-08-28T08:37:00.002+08:00

By Matthew Hurley: The upcoming bout between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao on November 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas holds so many intangibles that boxing fans are champing at the bit for the opening bell to ring. Every year there is one fight that defines the sport whether or not the match-up itself warrants such scrutiny. Cotto – Pacquiao is this year’s high water mark. (Don’t let Floyd Mayweather’s diarrhea of the mouth concerning his comeback against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19th fool you.) Whether Cotto – Pacquiao lives up to expectations remains to be seen but most insiders speculate that for however long it lasts this bout, because of the respective styles and temperaments of the fighters, will be fan friendly from first punch to last. And then there are the questions surrounding both fighters. Is Miguel Cotto damaged goods? After his brutal loss to Antonio Margarito in 2008, in a fight of the year candidate, many wondered if the beating Cotto took over the second half of the bout robbed him of his prime. Fighters are so vulnerable, no matter how skilled and how courageous, that even one vicious encounter can take away bits and pieces of his physicality and his will. For Cotto, the Margarito fight was his foray into hell. We don’t quite know if he’s come all the way back. Cotto fought masterfully for six rounds but Margarito’s imperviousness to pain or fatigue overwhelmed him in the bout’s final rounds. Cotto, his face battered and his will depleted, took a knee in the eleventh round and suddenly his future as an elite fighter was in question. Can he come back from such a wicked beating, many wondered. Cotto rebounded with an easy victory over the limited Michael Jennings in February to take the WBO welterweight title and then he took on the rugged Joshua Clottey in June. The razor thin victory over Clottey seemed to split opinion on Cotto right down the middle. He suffered a hideous gash over his left eye early in the bout but his resolve remained firm and he battled through it. Some saw the close victory as an indicator of wear and tear on a body subjected to several taxing fights over the years. (To his great credit Cotto has sought out and taken on tough competition over his last several fights.) Others applauded his courage, fighting through injury and closing the show strongly. It seems with Cotto everything is open for debate. Everything, including his loss to Margarito, which came into question when the Mexican fighter’s hand wraps were discovered to have been padded with hardened bits of a plaster-like substance before he entered the ring to take on Sugar Shane Mosley. Had Margarito and his team done the same thing prior to his dismantling of Cotto and simply gotten away with it? It’s a legitimate question, but the damage done in that fight is done. It can’t be wiped away from Cotto’s mind and body. All questions regarding the past are actually moot now that the biggest fight of Cotto’s career is on the horizon. His future, and perhaps his legacy, will be determined on the outcome of this one big fight. As for Pacquiao, his legacy is already secure. Few, if any, will question the legitimacy of his greatness as a fighter. He is already a lock for the Hall of Fame. But a win over Cotto, particularly if it comes in dramatic fashion, will elevate him into the pantheon of the all time great fighters. Pacquiao’s star quality began to change when he broke apart David Diaz in June of 2008 for the WBC lightweight title. That perfect performance, against the perfect opponent, led him to a showdown with Oscar De La Hoya. Going in, many assumed Oscar’s size and strength would be too much for Pacquiao. But the Filipino used speed and angles to dominate a weight drained De La Hoya who, on that night, was more tin than gold. With that signature win under his belt Pacquiao’s popularity exploded. Even marginal fans of the sport, and non-fans as well, took notice of the diminutive fistic titan.

He then solidified his standing as boxing’s most popular figure with his most emphatic performance yet – a second round stoppage of junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton. The knockout of Hatton was so conclusive that it could actually serve as the only highlight reel necessary in years to come to define Pacquiao’s career. However, skeptics – and they are out there – point out that in these three key victories Diaz was a marginal foe at best, De La Hoya came in too light and was probably shot and the popular Hatton was a wide open target and arguably overrated to begin with. There’s a bit of truth in all of that, but hindsight justifies the brilliance in us all. Going into the fights with Hatton and particularly De La Hoya, many people picked Pacquiao to lose. Well, not only did he not lose he embraced his moment on center stage like all great performers do and simply killed. In fact Pacquiao hasn’t lost a round since his 2008 rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez. Cotto is a different animal altogether. He is either at or a little past his prime. And though not a one-punch knockout artist he has very heavy hands, good boxing skills and a tremendous will to win. He’s also a natural 147-pound fighter and at some point in Pacquiao’s rise in weight classes size will make a difference. Will this be that fight? Should Pacquiao win in impressive fashion his status as an all time great fighter will be fully realized. It will also mark the closing act of a brilliant career, as Manny has stated that he only intends to fight two or three more times. Should Cotto win all the questions surrounding him since the loss to Margarito will be brushed aside and he will have also reestablished his lofty standing in the pound-for-pound rankings. He can then look forward to further big time match ups down the line. A rematch with Sugar Shane Mosley, whom he defeated by a close decision in 2007, to decide preeminence in the welterweight division is a natural. Whatever the outcome, because these two fighters always come to do damage and never fail to entertain, Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao is the most anticipated fight of 2009 and should the fight exceed expectations and the surrounding hype boxing fans are in for a treat on November 14th.

.....source

Valero vs Soto is Being Pushed For Pacquiao-Cotto

2009-08-28T08:35:00.000+08:00

Bob Arum of Top Rank is pushing for the fight between WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero and WBC super featherweight champ Humberto Soto to take place on the November 14 undercard to Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto. Ricardo Jiminez of Top Rank said Arum wants the fight but bothe fighters want the right kind of money and talks are ongoing.

"Arum aready began the negotiations. It is the fight that wants Arum. It's a bit complicated because we have to accommodate both fighters financially based on what they want because it's going to be a great fight," Jiminez told The Record.

Valero is still medically suspended in every state except for Texas. New exams are being submitted and hopefully he gets cleared for a ring return. Valero was medically suspended in 2004 when an MRI revealed a brain bleed that stemmed from an motorcycle accident.

"We are going to put in some quick exams and God willing, I will be ready to fight in Las Vegas against the best. I consider Soto one of the best so it should be a good fight," Valero said.

Soto has a title defense in September but he wants to face Valero in November.

"My first objective is to get past my next defense that is set for September 15 in Monterrey and then we will see about Valero. It is a fight that I would like but we will have to see," Soto said.

Viloria Returns Home to Defend Title

2009-08-28T08:32:00.001+08:00

On Saturday night Hawaiian native Brian Viloria will defend his IBF Light Flyweight title for the first time against Jesus Iribe at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Viloria’s title defense headlines the event, dubbed “Island Assault,” which marks the return of world class boxing to the state.

High hopes and heavy expectations were held for Brian Viloria when he emerged from the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. Many in the business had hoped that “The Hawaiian Punch” would be the one to regenerate American interest in the lower weight classes of boxing. Surely boxing fans in Hawaii had hoped that their native son could be the one to bring back the sport’s popularity in the state. The marketable and well-spoken Viloria looked to be en route to achieving some of those lofty goals when he demolished Eric Ortiz in a single round to win the WBC Light Flyweight title in 2005.

Two fights removed from his title-winning effort, Viloria was stunned by unheralded Omar Nino in a bout televised nationally by Versus. Nino outworked the champion over twelve rounds on his way to the unlikely decision win. Viloria fought Nino to a majority draw in the rematch, which was later changed to a no decision when the Mexican failed a post-fight drug test. Five months later, Viloria, entering the bout as the favorite again, was upset by previously little known Edgar Sosa in a bout for the vacant title he had lost two fights before.

The road back to prominence for Viloria was long and without any fanfare. Fighting without the benefit of much television exposure, Viloria strung together five consecutive victories and found himself back in a title fight. Entering the bout as an underdog, Viloria stopped well respected Ulises Solis in the eleventh round of an exciting fight, in the Philippines no less, to win the IBF Light Flyweight title.

Now Viloria (25-2, 15 KOs) finds himself in a familiar position, as he defends his title against an unheralded Mexican challenger. This time however, Viloria seems to be better prepared to meet the high expectations placed on his shoulders. “This fight is very important,” Viloria told 15rounds.com on Tuesday. “Every fight I need to look good to establish myself as a dominate fighter in my weight class.” Viloria vows to not make the same mistakes he did in his first go around as a world champion. “Now that have the title again, I don’t want to be complacent like I was when I first won a world title,” said Viloria. “I want to keep the intensity that I had when I fought Solis.”

Viloria, who joined forces with renowned trainer Robert Garcia about a year ago, held camp at the La Colonia Boxing Club in Oxnard, California, before arriving in Hawaii on Monday. “I’ve had an excellent camp,” says Viloria. “Two and a half months of training. It is the final week until fight night on Saturday and I just have to maintain. I’ve been in shape since my last fight. I just took a couple weeks off and got right back to training and preparing for this fight.”

Opposing Viloria in his homecoming bout is Mexican veteran Jesus Iribe (15-5-5, 9 KOs) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Iribe has gone 3-0-1 since dropping a decision to reigning WBC Light Flyweight Champion Edgar Sosa in February of last year in a failed title try. “He is durable and resilient,” said Viloria of his challenger. “He went twelve rounds with Edgar Sosa and gave him a tough fight. I expect to go twelve hard rounds.” Viloria studied the Sosa fight and hopes to put what he saw to good use. “He doesn’t like pressure or combinations. If I stick to my game plan in this fight I should come out with the win.”

Adding additional intrigue to his title defense, Saturday’s bout marks the first time Viloria has fought in his native state since April 2003. The last time Hawaii saw a world title bout, Honolulu’s Ben Villaflor fought to a fifteen-round draw against Samuel Serrano in defense of his WBA Super Featherweight title in April 1976. “There is no pressure,” claims Viloria. “The excitement to be in front of my friends and family helps with my preparation. There is no difference in pressure whether I am fighting in the Philippines or at the Alameda Swap Meet.”

While Viloria is focused on Iribe, the talk is that his handlers are angling towards a fight against WBO Light Flyweight Champion Ivan Calderon, should both men take care of their immediate business. Calderon is set to defend his title against Rodel Mayol in a rematch on September 12th. While their potential pairing could not be labeled a “superfight” by most standards, a Viloria-Calderon clash would be the closest thing to one at the 108-pound weight class. “I am taking things one fight at a time,” said Viloria. “I don’t want to look past any fighter. Should I get past Iribe, there’s been talk about the possibility of a unification match with Calderon or a rematch with Edgar Sosa. But right now my world championship fight is this Saturday versus Jesus Iribe.”

MONEY MAY, GREEN WITH ENVY

2009-08-26T09:30:00.001+08:00

A month from now, the apathetically anticipated boxing match between Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be a reality.

Or is it?

Most boxing fans, pundits and talking heads have pretty much ignored and stayed away from discussing or being enthusiastic about this inappropriately titled boxing match; Number One-Numero Uno. Of course, it is the right description, if we are talking about whiners and not about the best pound for pound boxers.

Lil’ Floyd is so befuddled by the obvious lack of excitement about his fight while Pacquaio-Cotto’s Firepower is creating an incredible degree of anticipation even beyond the boxing world, that he is doing his arrogant best just to get some semblance of attention. He has injected the race card. He sparred with ESPN and anybody else who disagree with him. He has essentially proclaimed himself as boxing god to anybody who would listen. Sadly for him, nobody seemed to be really listening. His bloated ego is hurting enormously for the apparent snub.

It must be heart wrenching for Lil’ Floyd to accept that the only time he gets somebody to listen is when he talks about Pacquaio. During the Numero Uno-Number One press conferences, Pacquaio is mentioned so many times, one would think Pacquiao is the main protagonist. Poor Juan Manuel Marquez, he has become practically invisible during these promos.

For the past year, Freddie Roach has been pretending to be Carmac the Magnificent, accurately predicting that the great Oscar De La Hoya would succumb to Pacquaio in eight rounds and boldly sticking his neck out that Hatton would go down in three. OK, he was wrong. Hatton was sent to dreamland at the end of two. But are we going to be picky?

In one of his interviews, he thinks that the Numero Uno-Number One bout may end up canceled.

Mr. Freddie Roach may be on target once again. There are writings on the wall that point to an outright cancellation. Although Lil” Floyd is trying very hard to be at his obnoxious best and hype up the fight including falsely claiming he grew up in a ghetto and a guest appearance at WWE, still nobody seems to be interested. A potential criminal case involving one of Floyd’s employees in a shooting incident could also pose a problem.

Tickets have been on sale for more than 2 months now but sales remain as cold as the Alaskan Tundra, while Firepower almost sold out in less than 2 days.

Interestingly, there are reports that the 5,000 rooms at the MGM Hotel are all booked during the November 14 weekend, while there are plenty of rooms available during the weekend of September 19. What a contrast!

Juan Ma and Floyd fans, if you are out there, worry no more. The fight will go on.

Although maintaining a positive façade, massive jolt of reality has caught up with Lil Floyd and Golden Boy CEO. Mr. Schaefer. They finally recognized that Lil’ Floyd cannot draw boxing fans on his own. It is well known that Juan Ma cannot even get the Mexicans excited, so he is not even in the equation. Although it was a bitter pill to swallow, Junior is clever enough to make financial concessions to pack the under card with good and exciting fighters who on their own merits can be main event headliners.

Whiners: Numero Uno – Number One will be saved from box office disaster not by Juan Ma, not by Lil Floyd but by first-rate and marketable boxers fighting in the under card. It is well known that Katsidis, Chris John, Rocky Juarez, and Zab Judah have enough name recognition and fan base that Sept 19 will not end up a catastrophic failure. However, knowing that the mere addition of a good undercard, not seen in many years, may not be enough to attract a lot of paying fans, Schaefer is resorting to smart corporate sponsorship to drive up more revenue to help offset the projected substantial losses.

Regardless, Numero Uno-Number One will be a box office and PPV disappointment. 200,000 PPV buys will be an overly generous estimate. Golden Boy will be lucky to fill the arena with enough warm bodies even with tickets selling under face value.

What would this mean for Manny Pacquaio?

After successfully prevailing over Cotto in a thrilling and action packed fight with a blockbuster box office receipts and decent PPV numbers that would be in the vicinity of 700,000, he will definitely be in the driver’s seat in any future negotiations with Money May or Juan Ma.

Although a Manny vs. Money fight will generate obscene payday for both fighters, a Manny-Juan Ma bout would not be far behind. Either man Manny fights, the Filipino Pound for Pound King would not only win in the ring but also would amass a financial windfall.

Lil Floyd must really be crying inside seeing Pacquaio having the upper hand and getting all the attention.

Money May is simply too green with envy.

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Ward and Kessler double bill on Showtime Sept. 12!

2009-08-26T09:13:00.003+08:00

Undefeated super middleweight Andre Ward will share the stage with his first Super Six World Boxing Classic opponent Mikkel ‘Viking Warrior’ Kessler on a special Saturday primetime edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, on Showtime.

Andre Ward (19-0, 12 KOs) will tangle with Shelby Pudwill (22-3-1, 9 KOs) of McGlauglin, S.D., in a 10-round super middleweight scrap live from Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Ward fight will air immediately following Kessler’s World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight mandatory title defense against No. 1 ranked Gusmyl Perdomo (16-2, 10 KOs) of Turmero, Venezuela, which will air on same day tape delay from MCH Messecenter Herning – Herning, Denmark and be shown live at Pechanga. Sharing the stage with Ward in Temecula will be former two-time Ring Magazine “Fighter of the Year” and multi-division world champion James ‘Lights Out’ Toney, who will be featured in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

“There was no way we were going to allow Mikkel Kessler to have a showcase fight preceding his Super Six showdown with Andre, and not have the viewers on SHOWTIME and the fans at Pechanga witness our 2004 US Olympic gold medalist in action the same night,” Ward’s promoterDan Goossen said. “Kessler may be the champion, but Andre Ward is coming to take that title and making history.”

Goossen is referencing the Group Stage 1 matchup of Ward vs. Kessler in the celebrated Super Six World Boxing Classic, Nov. 21, 2009, live on SHOWTIME. Ward-Kessler promises to be one of the most exciting fights of the year, pitting Team USA’s only Olympic Games gold medalist from Athens 2004 against Kessler (41-1, 31 KOs), of Copenhagen, Denmark, an early favorite in the tournament.

In his last fight on Dec. 6, 2008, Pudwill, 34, beat Anthony Osbourne in Mandan, N.D., with an eighth-round knockout. Inactive in all of 2007, Pudwill suffered a loss in his fight before Osbourne to John Duddy at Madison Square Garden in 2006.

Pudwill took eight straight wins into the Duddy fight and didn’t lose for almost five years in a time-span that dated from June 2001 to March 2006.

Sharing the stage with Ward in Temecula will be former two-time Ring Magazine “Fighter of the Year” and multi-division world champion James “Lights Out” Toney, who will be featured in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout. The 40-year young native of Ann Arbor, MI now living in Sherman Oaks, CA, who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’, either in the ring or out of it, remains steadfast in his belief that he can become heavyweight champion of the world.

Toney (71-6-3, 43 KO), who won a hard-fought decision against rugged veteran Fres Oquendo in his last ring appearance back in December, is no stranger to Pechanga. He has turned in three impressive performances there, including a knockout victory over Jason Robinson (2002) in an IBF Cruiserweight Eliminator; a 12-round unanimous-decision verdict over Rydell Booker (2004) for the Vacant IBA Heavyweight Title and a WBC Heavyweight Elimination bout; and had former WBC Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman (2007) out-boxed and in big trouble when “Rock” informed the ringside physician that he could no longer see out of one eye and a TKO win for Toney was eventually overturned and ruled a “No Decision.”

“I love fighting and I especially love it at Pechanga,” Toney offered. “None of the Russian chumps who are posing as champions want to fight me. I am the best heavyweight boxer in the world and I will do whatever it takes to get one of those titles. But first I am going to kick some a** on September 12.”

Goossen, who also promotes Toney, said: “James believes he will not let another opportunity slip through his fingers again — even at the age of 40 — and has recommitted himself to getting into great shape. If in fact he can go into his bag of tricks and pull out a few good performances, there is no doubt that he will place himself back into the Heavyweight World Championship picture in 2010. We shall see.”

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Donaire honored by Aquino family, too

2009-08-22T21:14:00.002+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - It was supposed to be newly crowned interim WBA superflyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr.’s tribute to the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino and former President Cory Aquino but to his surprise, the surviving Aquino family turned the tables on the fighter in an emotional show of affection at the Roozen Hall of the Don Bosco complex in Makati yesterday.

Donaire and wife Rachel attended the concelebrated morning Mass to commemorate the late Sen. Aquino’s assassination in 1983 at the jam-packed Don Bosco Parish Church then trooped to the Roozen Hall for the champion to present the WBA title belt, his yellow robe (with the inscriptions “I.M.O. (in memory of) former President Cory Aquino” and yellow fighting trunks (with “Aquino” emblazoned on the back waistband) to the family.

Donaire wore the robe and trunks in his win over Panama’s Rafael Concepcion for the interim WBA crown in Las Vegas last Saturday. He dedicated the fight to the late President Cory.

After the turnover, former President Cory’s daughter Ballsy Aquino-Cruz sprang a surprise when she announced the family is “adopting” Donaire as a “bunso” brother.

“I was overwhelmed,” said Donaire. “I never expected it from the family. What an honor for me to be accepted as part of a family which I respect so highly.”

Ballsy then gave Donaire an autographed family portrait and a bag-full of President Cory memorabilia.

Ballsy’s son Jiggy said his grandmother’s name Corazon means “heart” and that’s exactly what Donaire showed in agreeing to fight an overweight Concepcion when he had the option to take his $150,000 purse plus $6,500 as his share of the Panamanian’s fine for failing to make the weight without entering the ring.

Donaire said he couldn’t disappoint the Filipino people by walking away from the bout because it was a matter of national pride.

“It isn’t about money,” he said. “In my heart is instilled the word ‘laban’ which was President Cory’s battlecry in her fight for democracy. We owe her our democracy because she gave us the voice to speak out. I couldn’t have backed out from the fight. I was determined to fight even if Concepcion weighed 20 or 50 pounds over the limit.”

Donaire’s wife Rachel, who wore a bright yellow dress, explained that yellow symbolized hope and a bright future for the Philippines. Donaire was in a suit with a yellow necktie.

“Jun’s fighting color is red but this was an exception to honor President Cory,” she explained. “More than anything, yellow means there is hope for a bright future. It’s a color that shines through and of course, it’s the color that President Cory used to rally our people.”

Donaire said his fighting sign – two interlocked Ls, one upright and the other, reversed – combines “L” for “laban” and “7” or a reverse “L” to commemorate his knockout over Vic Darchinyan for the IBF flyweight title on 07/07/07 – July 7, 2007.

After the Mass, another daughter Pinky Aquino-Abellada walked up the rostrum and thanked the crowd for remembering her parents as heroes. She urged the people to vote wisely and said she is confident that Filipinos know which politicians are candidates for personal gain and which are not.

“There was never a taint of corruption when my father was a senator and my mother was President,” said Pinky. “In the end, they still went home to our old house on Times Street.”

Pinky said Donaire’s belt, robe and trunks will be on display at the Aquino Center in the Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City. The Center is where the family recreated Sen. Aquino’s Fort Bonifacio cell and exhibits the clothes he wore during his assassination.

GMA’s Chino Trinidad was the master of ceremonies in the tribute and testified how Donaire overcame a much bigger opponent to win for the country and the Aquino family. Trinidad covered the fight on-site for live satellite TV transmission to the Philippines.

From Don Bosco, the Aquino family hosted a lunch at 11 Palm Avenue, Forbes Park, where President Cory’s parents lived. The Donaires were warmly received as part of the family.

Among those who attended the lunch were US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, Bro. Bernie Oca of La Salle, Star columnist Popoy Juico and wife Margie, Ambassador Howard Dee, Mila Drilon, Dinky Soliman, Fulgencio Factoran, Cesar Buenaventura, Antonio Gonzalez, Deedee Sytangco, Domingo Lee, Miguel Perez-Rubio, Cesar Sarino, Gen. Voltaire Gazmin, Gen. Ramon Montano, Odette Ong, Speaker Jose and Gina de Venecia, Solar owners William and Wilson Tieng, Ambassador Mercy Tuason, Adolf Azcuna and Maritess Lopez.

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uan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi: The Pre-Fight Report Card

2009-08-22T21:09:00.002+08:00

While hesitating to call it a comeback, the return from a first knockout defeat is usually a tricky thing in today’s boxing world. It didn’t used to be as much and isn’t at every level now. A fighter can be stopped in an amateur tournament one month and be right back in a final the next. Knockouts happen. They are part of boxing.

Juan Diaz has a chance to prove it this weekend. Not surprisingly, his team may have picked the perfect foe to prove it against.

Paulie Malignaggi is not a bad fighter. He’s displayed skill and courage over the course of his pro tenure. What he hasn’t displayed might be all anyone needs to know about this one.

Let’s go to the report card.

The Ledgers

Juan Diaz
Age: 25
Titles: None
Previous Titles: WBA Lightweight (2004-07, 6 Defenses); WBA/WBO (2007, 1 Defense); WBA/IBF/WBO (2007-08)
Height: 5’6
Weight: 137.7 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 134.6 lbs.
Hails From: Houston, Texas
Record: 34-2, 17 KO
Record in Title Fights: 8-2, 4 KO, 1 KOBY
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 4 (Lakva Sim, Julien Lorcy, Acelino Freitas, Julio Diaz)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced in Defeat: 2 (Nate Campbell, Juan Manuel Marquez)

Vs.

Paulie Malignaggi
Age: 28
Title: None
Previous Titles: IBF Jr. Welterweight (2007-08, 2 Defenses)
Height: 5’8 ½
Weight: 138.2 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 139.35 lbs.
Hails from: Brooklyn, New York
Record: 26-2, 5 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 1 (Lovemore N’Dou)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced in Defeat: 2 (Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton)

Pre-Fight Grades

Speed: Diaz B+; Malignaggi B+
Power: Diaz B-; Malignaggi C-
Defense: Diaz B; Maliganggi B
Intangibles: Diaz B+; Malignaggi B

In terms of speed, this fight may be about equal. On a single shot, Malignaggi probably gets off quicker but Diaz is still quick on shots number five and six. He throws fusillades of shots and all but two foes have been able to successfully deal with it. For Malignaggi to win, his speed will have to come in his feet. He’ll have to jab and move, forcing Diaz to turn and reset without getting those volleys off. Against Hatton last year, Malignaggi didn’t do that and made Hatton look like a bigger puncher than he had in years, sending Malignaggi reeling about from several hard, flush right hands.

The reason Malignaggi would be well advised to use his legs is the reason he was probably picked for Diaz’s first bout since being stopped by Marquez in February, still the leading candidate for Fight of the Year. Malignaggi scored a good knockdown against N’Dou when he won his lone title but outside that his punching power is somewhere south of the Rosenbloom line. Diaz isn’t a huge banger either; what stoppages he’s scored in recent years have been products of attrition, wearing Freitas and Julio Diaz down with so many shots they elected to sit out. However, those shots do multiply and his body attack is wicked.

Due to his low knockout percentage, one might assume a defensive mastery in Malignaggi. While he can be elusive, against better opposition he has been hittable. Miguel Cotto roughed him up even as Malignaggi showed game in lasting the distance and stealing his share of rounds. N’Dou (the second time in 2008), Ngoudjo, and Hatton all got through his guard with regularity. Diaz can be hard to catch because his pressure makes it hard to target him. However, both Campbell and Marquez showed that with patience his aggression can be used against him and he can be worn down with hard counters.

Beyond the obvious elements, both of these guys are no quit types. Malignaggi wore of mask of despair when Hatton was ended early while he was still on his feet. He was trapped in the bout, unable to find a plan B because he didn’t have the punches to make the turnaround once behind. He still wanted to hear the final bell. Diaz, cut in both his defeats, appeared disturbed by the sight of his own blood which may suggest some give in his confidence under duress. There was no give though in his effort. He kept throwing shots in those fights, marching into defeat with both hands flailing. It might not make for a long career, but it continues to make for one which must be seen and respected.

The Pick

Diaz was on the fast track to Lightweight greatness prior to his losses and, at 25, may still get there. Losing to a Campbell who put it all together for a career best night, and to a Marquez bound for Canastota, is no shame. Epic warrior Bobby Chacon, a stylistically different fighter than Diaz, had his issues with veterans on the way up and yet still managed to carve his own place in history. This fight, Saturday night on HBO, will be about letting Diaz remember what he can be best at against an opponent who doesn’t have the weapons to stop him from doing it. Malignaggi probably makes it the distance but loses a lopsided decision after the final bell.

Report Card Extras

Of course this will not be the only bout on tap on HBO with two others in support. As noted elsewhere this week ( http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=21694 ), the best fight of the weekend is likely the chief support to Diaz-Malignaggi. For the IBF Jr. Lightweight belt, former Featherweight titlist Robert Guerrero (24-1-1, 17 KO) battles beltholder Malcolm Klassen (24-4-2, 15 KO) and it should steal the show.

Also featured will be rising Middleweight Daniel Jacobs (17-0, 15 KO) against the best foe of his young career, Ishe Smith (21-3, 9 KO). What are the picks on these?

Look for an upset in the middle with Klassen by narrow points verdict or a late stoppage on a cut against Guerrero and look for Jacobs to struggle early before closing for a decision win over Smith.

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Hopkins-Williams Possible at 168? Awaits Pavlik

2009-08-22T21:08:00.001+08:00

It seems there is a small chance that a fight between Bernard Hopkins and Paul Williams could happen at 168 - if the right money is the table I'm sure. Williams' promoter Dan Goossen says Williams could fight as high as 168 but there is no way that his fighter will meet Hopkins at 170-pounds. Williams has weighed 157 for his two recent bouts at the middleweight limit. Facing Hopkins at 168 would already be a lot to ask of Williams, 170 is too much and too soon. Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions told Morales that Hopkins is unable to get below 170. It was only a few months ago that Hopkins vowed to come down to 168 to fight Carl Froch.

"I believe at 168, certainly Paul is giving up the most," Goossen said to BoxingScene.com's Robert Morales. "That (fighting at 170) is putting himself at a bigger disadvantage."

Williams was due to fight WBO/WBC middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik on October 3. On Monday it was announced that Pavlik was forced to withdraw because of a staph infection on the middle knuckle of his left hand.

Goossen told Morales a few ago that Williams would not wait around until the two proposed dates November 21 and December 5 to fight Pavlik. Before Williams commits himself to another opponent, Goossen is waiting for the results of Pavlik's medical tests to see how long it will take for him to recover from the infection and how soon he can fight.

"I've had conversations with Top Rank and HBO and our side and things haven't really changed much," Goossen said. "We don't want to be sitting around waiting for Kelly Pavlik. If he is unavailable to fight, we want to keep Paul out there. I'm still waiting for this Pavlik thing to come to some sort of conclusion."

Pavlik's manager Cameron Dunkin told Morales that he will not be upset if Williams and Goossen decide to move on. He understands their position.

"If that is his feeling, I am fine with it. I am not upset with him or Paul," Dunkin said.

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Manny Pacquiao must stay out of fight against terrorists

2009-08-20T08:16:00.002+08:00

Politics in the Philippines, I am informed by insiders and history, is a rough and tumble business.

It’s filled with the kind of corruption I’d have to cross the Hudson River to North Jersey to discover. Mayors and other top elected officials in New Jersey never seem to get indicted until just after they get their best offer in an envelope. Then the feds drop by and slap the bracelet on them.

I’m not easily shocked by this as I was weaned on Boston’s legendary Mayor James Michael Curley (rhymes with vote often and early for…). The rogue Irishman even got elected while sitting in jail.

Now that’s political power.

But down and dirty politics is one thing and being thrust into the middle of a vicious war is another.

Some Pinoy pols like to throw boxing idol Manny Pacquiao’s name around as a possible peacemaker in the country’s continuing war with its equivalent of Al Queda, the Abu Sayyaf Muslim separatists who bring death and destruction wherever they go.

(See the GMA produced list of Abu Sayyaf atrocities below).

I don't claim to be knowledgeable about the bloodshed here or the history behind it. I certainly have no idea, other than through military force, how it can be ended. But I do know an entertainer named Pacquiao has no place anywhere in it.

Forget any jokes about these militants being Manny’s toughest opponent. There’s nothing comical about beaheadings, airport bombings, blowing up ferries or killing infants.

Any political figure, and that includes President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who wants to see Pacquiao mixed up, even as peacemaker holding out an olive branch, in this dangerous situation is not the fighter’s friend.

I understand politicians tugging on the famous coat of Pacman but there should be a limit to it.

Who’s to say some deranged terrorist wouldn’t want to kill the nation’s most famous worldwide personality as a sick sort of trophy?

Who’s to say there’s not some Lee Harvey Oswald type lurking in the Philippines?

Let Pacquiao do his electoral thing in Sarrangani next year.

But he has no place even being mentioned in the war between crazed militants and the Philippine armed forces.

That’s a fight that Pacquiao needs to sit out.

The Bible says blessed are the peacemakers, I know, but let’s keep this sporting hero out of a bloody fight in which he has no place.

Abu Sayyaf killings under Arroyo administration

2001: Beheads Dos Palmas cook Sonny Dacquer and Dos Palmas security guard Armando Bayona

- Kills 16 soldiers in a firefight in Tuburan, Basilan

2002: Beheads two members of the Jehovah’s Witness, puts the men’s heads inside plastic bags and leaves them in Jolo market

2003: Claims responsibility for the death of 21 people in the Davao airport bombing

2004: Bombs Super Ferry 14 off the coast of Manila, resulting in the death of 116 people

2005: Kills four personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology after Abu Sayyaf leaders attempted to escape from Bicutan prison

2006: Kills six people, including an infant in a farm in Patikul, Sulu

-Kills Marine officer in an encounter in Patikul, Sulu

2007: Kills 29 soldiers in an encounter in Basilan

2008: Kills Catholic missionary in a raid in Tawi-Tawi province

2009: Kills a hostage from a Christian community in Lamitan, Basilan

- Beheads a 61-year-old man in Basilan - GMANews.TV

A full night of boxing on tap for Saturday in Houston!

2009-08-20T08:11:00.001+08:00

A packed undercard will prime Texas Fight Fans up for the main event between Juan Diaz and Paul Malignaggi this Saturday night on HBO. Read on for more.

Houston’s finest will be out in force at Toyota Center on the Saturday, August 22 HBO Boxing After Dark undercard, as unbeaten hometown rising stars Hylon Williams and Jermell Charlo will be featured on the hottest night of the boxing summer. Joining Williams and Charlo on this stacked card will be fellow Houstonians Marcus Johnson, Adam Richards and Darlington Agha, as well as Philadelphia’s undefeated rising star Danny Garcia, unbeaten power hitter Adrien Broner, Philadelphia’s Mike Perez and Texas’ Omar Figueroa. In the August 22 HBO BAD main event, former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion and Houston hero Juan ‘Baby Bull’ Diaz takes on former 140-pound world titleholder Paulie ‘Magic Man’ Malignaggi of Brooklyn, New York, while the co-featured bout sees IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Malcolm Klassen challenged by heavy-handed Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero as he looks for a world title in a second weight class. Opening up the HBO telecast is unbeaten rising middleweight star Daniel ‘The Golden Child’ Jacobs in a stern test against ‘Contender’ alumnus Ishe ‘Sugar Shay’ Smith.

All three bouts, which are presented by Golden Boy Promotions, with Diaz vs. Malignaggi and Jacobs vs. Smith being presented in association with DiBella Entertainment and Klassen vs. Guerrero being presented in association with Branco Sports Productions, will air on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 8:45 pm CT (9:45 pm ET/PT). The evening of boxing is sponsored by Quaker State, Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. Doors open at 3:30pm CT and the first bout begins at approximately 3:30pm CT.

Tickets, priced at $250, $125, $70, $45 and $25, are on sale now, and may be purchased online at www.ToyotaCenterTix.com, by phone at 1-866-4-HOU-TIX, at the Toyota Center Box Office and select Houston area Randalls locations.

Lightweight sensation Hylon Williams (10-0, 3 KO’s) of Houston has barely lost a round in his professional career thus far, with a shutout win over 41-fight veteran Derrick Moon in April being one of his most impressive wins. Fresh off of a hard fought victory over Khadaphi Proctor in June, Williams will face Los Mochis, Mexico’s Baudel Cardenas (18-17-2, 6 KO’s)in an eight round lightweight bout.

Williams’ Houston stablemate, junior middleweight Jermell Charlo (8-0, 4 KO’s) is already veteran of the fight game despite being only 19 years old. A former amateur star, Charlo has progressed steadily through the pro ranks, most recently showing his power by stopping Federico Flores in eight rounds in June. Charlo will be making his third appearance at the Toyota Center when he takes on Glendale, California’s talented Vardan Gasparyan, who has compiled a stellar 11-1-4, 5 KO’s record in his four year career. They will meet in a six round bout.

Also proudly representing Houston on August 22 will be super middleweight Marcus Johnson (16-0, 13 KO’s), 28-year-old heavyweight prospect Adam Richards (22-2, 15 KO’s) and debuting Sugar Land heavyweight Darlington Agha. Another of Houston’s rising boxing stars, Johnson has been on a tear since turning pro in 2004. Only three of his opponents have heard the closing bell when facing him and all three left the ring disappointed with decision losses. On the 22nd Johnson will face Matt Gockel (12-10, 7 KO’s) of Topeka, Kansas in a six round fight. A four-time National Amateur Champion, Adam Richards has won 20 of his last 21 fights and after his stoppage of Gustavo Enriquez in April, he’s eager to keep moving up the heavyweight ranks in an eight round fight against Harvey Jolly (9-10-1, 4 KO’s) of Adrian, Missouri. Rounding out the Houston contingent will be Agha squaring off against Long Beach, California’s Joseph Rabotte (5-6, 2 KO’s) in a four round bout.

The line-up of impressive fighters participating in the event does not end with local standouts. Rising star Danny Garcia (13-0, 7 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the sport today, will square off against former world title challenger Oscar Leon (28-9, 18 KOs) of Miami, Florida in a six-round junior welterweight bout.

Another rising young standout, Adrien Broner (10-0, 7 KO’s) has made an immediate impression on fight fans with his exciting style and fight-ending power. In May, Broner pounded out an eight round decision win over unbeaten fellow prospect Fernando Quintero and topped that performance with a sixth round knockout of then 15-1 William Kickett in June. What’s next for the Cincinnati cyclone? We’ll find out when he faces Midland, Texas’ Edgar Portillo (5-2, 3 KO’s) in a six round junior lightweight battle.

Decorated amateur star Mike Perez (3-0-1, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia returns to action in a four rounder at Toyota Center. After starting his career with three wins in his first four professional bouts, he’s looking to put on a show for Southwest fight fans. Perez will face Jaime Rodriguez (4-5-3, 2 KO’s) of Reno, Nevada in a four round lightweight battle.

Houston isn’t the only part of Texas represented, as Weslaco’s lightweight knockout artist Omar Figueroa (6-0, 6 KO’s) will face Jeremy Marts (5-7, 3 KO’s) of Ottumwa, Iowa in a four round bout.

....source

Number One/Numero Uno Fight Officials

2009-08-20T08:09:00.001+08:00

The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced today the names of the referee and judges who will officiate the Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez super fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, Sept. 19. The referee assigned to the 12-round bout is Tony Weeks from Nevada and judging the bout will be Burt Clements from Nevada, Dave Moretti from Nevada and William Lerch from Illinois.

Pavlik vs. Williams

2009-08-20T08:07:00.001+08:00

The WBC and WBO World Middleweight Championship bout between Kelly Pavlik and challenger Paul Williams will be rescheduled to a new date of Nov. 21 or early December at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Sources close to the Pavlik camp state that Kelly has suffered an injury while in training. Reports are that Pavlik suffered an injury to his middle knuckle of his left hand. Also, there is the possibility that his previous staph infection has flared up.

Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions has said that is news to him and the Williams camp.

“If a release was sent stating that Pavlik was fighting November 21, I would be very interested in finding out who he’s fighting. As we’re all aware, we’ve just learned of Pavlik’s decision to cancel the press conference and thus the fight, and we will evaluate where we go from here.”

Vegas for Valero?

2009-08-20T08:01:00.000+08:00

Edwin Valero holds the World Boxing Association’s lightweight championship title and is one of the most exciting fighters in the world. He’s also been unable to fight in Las Vegas, the so-called boxing capital of the world, because of a 37-year-old Nevada Athletic Commission regulation that prohibits anyone who ever had a cerebral hemorrhage from competing in the state.

On Wednesday, though, the commission will hear a recommendation from neurosurgeon Albert Capanna, the chairman of its medical advisory board, to lift that prohibition. That could be the first step in allowing Valero to be licensed in Nevada – and could lead to a Nov. 14 fight against Humberto Soto on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Valero fractured his skull in a February 2001 motorcycle accident in which he wasn’t wearing a helmet. He turned pro as a boxer in 2002 and has fought without incident since.

However, Valero was suspended medically by the New York Athletic Commission in 2004 after concerns were raised about the results of a prefight MRI of his brain. Texas licensed him and he fought there successfully earlier this year.

He is ineligible to fight in Nevada because of the 1972 regulation. But because medical techniques have improved dramatically, the commission’s medical advisory board felt there was no need for an absolute ban on someone who’d ever had a hemorrhage.

If the regulation is passed, the commission would review things such as the extent of the hemorrhage, how long ago it occurred and how it occurred in determining whether to license a fighter.

Commission executive director Keith Kizer, who does not have a vote, said it’s probably unlikely that anyone who had ever had a hemorrhage from a fight would be licensed, but that would be up to the five-person board.

In situations like Valero’s, in which he was injured after being ejected form his motorcycle, an argument could be made that the impact from a vehicular accident would be much greater than anything that could occur in a prizefight.

Valero will have to undergo testing and appear before the commission even if the regulation is passed on Wednesday. But the hearing is the first step toward having one of the world’s most exciting fighters display his talents in the town that likes to bill itself as the boxing capital of the world.

THREE ELECTRIFYING FIGHTS ADDED TO THE MAYWEATHER VS. MARQUEZ UNDERCARD

2009-08-19T09:01:00.000+08:00

LOS ANGELES, August 18 - It's the biggest and one of the most highly-anticipated boxing events of 2009, so there was no question that when it was time to compile the undercard of the Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez super fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas Saturday, Sept. 19, it was decided to bring out the big guns with three spectacular televised undercard bouts on HBO Pay-Per-View®, including two world championship fights.

In the chief support bout, unbeaten Chris John will defend his WBA Featherweight World Championship against one of the most courageous warriors in the game, 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Rocky Juarez, in a rematch of their February 28, 2009 fight which is seen as one of 2009's most compelling battles thus far. The WBO Interim Lightweight World Championship will be up for grabs on September 19 when Australian action hero and former Lightweight World Champion Michael Katsidis and 2004 U.S. Olympian and hot lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo collide in the ring in what looks like a can't-miss brawl. Opening the HBO Pay-Per-View portion of the card will be a 10-round matchup of welterweight veterans, as former Undisputed Welterweight World Champion Zab Judah takes on the always exciting banger, veteran Antonio Diaz.

"The Mayweather-Marquez fight card is definitely living up to the hype of Floyd's comeback," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "With three more excellent fights being shown on the telecast, fans are in for a great night of boxing from start to finish."

"Mexican Independence Day Weekend is one of the biggest boxing weekends of the year and with the Mayweather-Marquez mega-fight as the headliner, we wanted to make sure that we have a full night of hard-hitting action which is what we have with the September 19 undercard," said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar de la Hoya. "In these three fights we have two World Championships, three current or former World Champions, three Olympians and an exciting rematch of one of this year's greatest fights. As a fan, I can't wait to see these fights and the fans will not want to miss this card whether it's live in Las Vegas or at home on Pay-Per-View."

HBO Pay-Per-View's Mark Taffet said, "This outstanding undercard is the perfect complement to the Mayweather-Marquez main event and ensures that pay-per-view boxing fans will have a night of non-stop action on September 19."

Long considered one of the most talented, yet underrated, champions in the sport, Indonesia's Chris "The Dragon" John (42-0-2, 22 KO's) finally broke through to the U.S. audience in 2009 with his exciting battle with Rocky Juarez. A world champion since 2003 who has defended his crown 11 times including victories over Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez and Derrick "Smoke" Gainer, John is eager to build on his newfound fame with a victory over Juarez on September 19.

"I thought I won our first fight but now I am going to show how much I appreciate being champion and beat him again," said John. "It has always been my desire to fight in Las Vegas and on the big fight cards. September 19 I will be able to do this and show the whole world that I am one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport today."

Hard-charging Houston native Ricardo Rocky Juarez (28-4-1, 20 KO's) has made a home for himself at the top of the featherweight division for many years now. The only thing missing for the 29-year-old is a world title and after just falling short in competitive wars with Humberto "Zorrita" Soto, Marco Antonio "Barreta" Barrera (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez, Juarez put it all together in his first bout against John on February 28, 2009, only to have the judges score the fight a draw. The second time around, Juarez vows to bring everything he has to the ring as he looks to take home a world championship belt.

"I am very fortunate to have another chance at a world title and a chance to show the world why I feel like I did enough to win the first fight, said Juarez. "I am getting older and therefore it becomes even more important to reach my long-standing goal of becoming a world champion."

The pride of Toowoomba, Australia, Michael "The Great" Katsidis (25-2, 21 KO's) has gained worldwide acclaim as one of boxing's most exciting fighters, punch for punch and pound for pound. The former interim WBO Lightweight World Champion, Katsidis has been in with some of the best in the world over his eight-year career, including Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor and Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz. Winner of two in a row, including an April stoppage of former World Champion Jesus "Matador" Chavez, the 29-year-old Katsidis is ready to regain his title with a win over Escobedo.

"I just turned 29 and that is a great age for boxing, fighting for championships and I feel I am peaking right now with my power and ability," said Katsidis. "I think we are both going to pull out everything to win the title on September 19, but I plan to win and it's certainly going to be a great way to celebrate my birthday."

At 27 years of age, 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (21-1, 13 KO's) is hitting his stride as a professional and is ready for his first world title opportunity. A native of Woodland, California, Escobedo has drawn comparisons to Oscar de la Hoya for his style and demeanor both in and out of the ring. After a three-fight stretch that has seen him impressively beat the previously undefeated Dominic Salcido and former World Champions Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez and Kevin "Flushing Flash" Kelley, there is no question that he's ready for prime time.

"I am really looking forward to the opportunity to fight on this card as it falls on Mexican Independence Day and I will be fighting for all of the Mexican people out there," said Escobedo. "It is for my first world title and I am training extremely hard because I know this is a great opportunity and my dream coming true. I can't wait for the fight and I am ready to win."

A charismatic wizard in the ring known to his fans as "Super Judah", Brooklyn's Zab Judah (37-6, 25 KO's) is a Former Two-Division World Champion who got to the top not only because of his blazing speed, but also because of his fight-stopping power. Owner of a resume that includes victories over Micky Ward, Junior Witter, Demarcus Corley and Cory Spinks, the 31-year-old from Brooklyn has readied himself for a run at another world championship and the first fighter in his way is Antonio Diaz.

"I appreciate the opportunity to be able to fight on Floyd's comeback show and I know I have a very tough opponent in Daiz," said Judah. "I know he is the bigger guy but I intend to take advantage of his fighting style by boxing him all the way to the finish, whether it goes the distance or it's a knockout. I will beat Antonio Diaz on September 19.

Antonio "Toño" Diaz (45-5-1, 27 KO's) first made his name in the late '90s in the light welterweight division with wins over the likes of Cory Spinks, Emanuel Augustus, Ivan Robinson and Omar Weis. Not content with settling on this an impressive resume, Diaz moved up to 147 pounds to do battle against Sugar Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito, and after a three-year layoff from 2005 to 2008, he has won four in a row, putting him in fine form as he approaches the fight with Judah.

"I am looking forward to fighting Zab Judah and think it is a great challenge for me as I continue to comeback after my layoff," said Diaz. "I have been feeling really good since I took the break and I am training very hard as my goal is to accept this challenge, beat Zab Judah and move on to the next challenge."

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Quaker State, AT&T, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The explosive evening of boxing will take place Saturday, Sept. 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored.

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO's Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series "24/7" returns to HBO® with an all new edition as "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" premieres Saturday, August 29 at 10:15 pm ET/PT. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their September 19 pay-per-view showdown.

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Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and the WBC's ridiculous belt

2009-08-19T08:59:00.001+08:00

In case you missed it, the WBC recently manufactured a title and a belt for catch-weight mega-fights, or for mega-fights in general, or some such total nonsense, and they called it the WBC Diamond Championship.

Hardcore boxing fans were almost universal in their dismissal, with I'd wager about 70% of us wondering if this was a joke that had gotten out of hand. The Diamond title! And it was unanimously voted on by cardboard cutouts representing the WBC's "board of governors."

But it's real, and it's happening. When WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao square off on November 14, the title will be "at stake." Ronnie Nathanielsz reports that both fighters are excited, according to Bob Arum, who says they're "crazy" about all the diamonds, and that the belt "is something new and adds to the excitement."

Now...hang on.

First of all, I highly doubt that Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao are "crazy" about the title. I just don't see Cotto or Pacquiao getting all giddy about an ugly belt with a bunch of diamonds on it. This sounds like grandpa at Christmas time. "Didja see Billy openin' up that surfboard (note: it was a skateboard) I got 'im? He was crazy about it!" Billy, for the record, is fairly indifferent.

Second, it adds nothing. It IS something new, and it's so ridiculously unnecessary that words can't properly describe it. I could even use some words I generally keep off the front page here, and they still wouldn't be enough. In short, it's a f***ing stupid waste of f***ing time, another f***ing belt in a sport with too f***ing many of them for anyone sane to keep track of in the first f***ing place.

See? Not good enough. Not descriptive enough. Doesn't quite get across just how much I hate the WBC diamond title, which I may simply choose to ignore, making one of those internet political statements the kids are so fond of in our current era. This belt means nothing. It gives the WBC money for fights it has no f***ing business sticking its f***ing nose into. That's it and that's all. It is a money-grubbing, fake, fabricated piece of jewelry that has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. If Cotto and Pacquiao pay sanctioning fees for that hunk of nothing, then they deserve to have given the money away.

And if anyone wants to pay me for the kids' WWE championship belt that is currently serving as the Wii Sports bowling title in my living room, I'll put some new tape and notebook paper on that and you guys can fight for that, too. Hey, at least that belt has history.

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THE FLASH TAMES EL TORITO

2009-08-17T10:56:00.001+08:00

The knockout wasn't there so Nonito Donaire, Jr. decided to do something he also does well – box.

Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion came into this fight more than four pounds over the 115 lb.weight limit and looked really bloated. In the opening round it was the “Not So Little” Panamanian Bull who was moving around and the Filipino Flash doing the chasing. Donaire's left jab started to find its target in the second and caused a cut on Concepcion's left eyelid. El Torito however signaled he was not going away by landing powerful overhand rights. Donaire started his stick and run routine in the third with Concepcion continuing to stalk him. Donaire employed a disciplined strategy in the middle rounds by employing jabs, one two combos and lateral movement. The Pananamian continued to apply pressure and hurt Donaire on a few occasions. In the ninth round Concepcion started to tire and his punches simply beat the air. Concepcion's cut became a huge crimson target for Donaire as the fight wore on. Donaire continued to land powerful rights but Concepcion was still standing until the final bell. The scorecards read: 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112 all for Donaire who now owns the WBA interim superflyweight title belt. Concepcion reportedly was fined 20 percent of his $65,000 purse for being overweight, or $13,000, half going to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and half going to Donaire. Whether the extra weight helped him absorb punches better or made him stronger, it still wasn't enough. Donaire previously had three successful defenses of his IBF flyweight belt. He wore yellow trunks for this fight as tribute to the late Philippine Pres. Corazon Aquino. POST SCRIPT: Donaire's cornermen once again were the Penalosa brothers Jonathan and Dodie. Their brother Gerry Penalosa was the first superflyweight champion from the Philippines. In 1997, he beat Hiroshi Kawashima of Japan by 12 round split decision for the WBC world title in Tokyo. This fight would also be vengeance served cold for Dodie. In 1986, he lost to a Panamanian, Hilario Zapata by unanimous decision in his first attempt to move up in weight and win a second world title, the WBA flyweight belt. The 115 lb. superflyweight or junior bantamweight division was created in 1980. Rafael Orono of Venezuela was the first champion for the WBC when he beat Seung Hoon Lee of South Korea by 15 round unanimous decision. In 1981, the WBA had it's first 115 lb. champ when Gustavo Ballas of Argentina beat Korean Suk Chul Bae by 8th round TKO. The IBF had it's first superflyweight champion in 1983 when Ju Do Chun of South Korea beat Ken Kasugai by 5th round KO. Top photo: "The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire Jr.(R) of the Philippines defeats Rafael "El Torito" Concepcion of Panama with a 12-round unanimous decision Saturday night to win the WBA interim world Super Flyweight title at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank.

Referee Jay Nady made the right decision but the wrong assumption

2009-08-17T10:51:00.001+08:00

Truth be told whether you like the decision Jay Nady made in disqualifying Bernabe Concepcion for hitting Steven Luevano after the bell sounded the end of the seventh round or not, it was a decision that had to be made. What was bothersome however was Nady accusing Concepcion of blatantly and deliberately hitting Luevano after the bell and said to officials and Concepcion’s corner,

“He heard me and he heard the bell because I was right there.”

Concepcion’s corner man Freddie Roach justifiably shot back and questioned Nady,

“How do you know he heard you?!”

Nady then insisted,

“It was wrong! It was simply wrong!”

and when Roach tried to dispute Nady’s accusation that Concepcion maliciously hit Luevano after the bell, Nady yelled at Roach and said,

“Don’t argue with me! Don’t argue with me!!!”

After looking at the replays however, two things were clear. First, the punch was indeed after the bell had sounded. Second, Nady jumped to break both fighters way too late than he should’ve and that Concepcion indeed looked at Nady but not before he threw a punch at Luevano or when the bell sounded as Nady insinuated but only after Nady stepped in which was too late and the punch was already thrown.

Nady failed to do his job as a referee in a timely manner and washed his hands of any blame by saying Concepcion did something that in his words was “simply wrong”. The decision to disqualify Concepcion was fair because whether he intentionally hit Luevano after the bell or not, he still flattened his unsuspecting opponent who appeared and acted at the moment as if he was ran over by a speeding Sarao jeepney and could not continue. Whether Luevano deserves an Oscar or not for the acting job he did in selling that hit or whether he did any acting at all, is a whole different subject. What was not fair though was Nady concluding that Concepcion deliberately did a wrong act.

Perhaps as TV commentators Mario Lopez and Al Bernstein mentioned, Nady forgot he was still refereeing a fight. As the fourth round began Bernstein made the comment,

“It’s a good thing for Jay Nady he’s not paid per clinch because he hasn’t had to break them up I don’t think, maybe once in this fight.”

And Lopez added

“This is the least I’ve had to seen Jay to go in there and work, you’re right. You made a good point”.

After the fight and as translated by Quinito Henson of Philstar.com, Concepcion said,

“The crowd was noisy and it was in the heat of the battle, I didn’t see the referee breaking us up so I thought the fight would continue. I’ll try harder next time.”

This is not the first time Nady has failed to properly officiate a world title-fight. In 2007, ironically also at the end of the seventh round, Marco Antonio Barrera hit Juan Manuel Marquez after Marquez appeared to have been already down. Nady was late to break both fighters up as a result, Barrera tagged Marquez late and was awarded a point deduction by Nady which played a vital role in the outcome of that fight.

Nady was too far from both fighters and too slow on his feet to break them up. Fighters should definitely practice awareness in the ring but at the same time they are taught to not relent until their opponent is down. What if a fighter stops hitting an opponent assuming he was down but he wasn’t and gets tagged by a knockout counter?

It’s the referee’s job to call knockdowns and break fighters up. Granted referees are humans like all of us and are always first to be blamed whenever controversies in fights occur, but just to set the record straight, I simply can’t let Nady get off the hook like that especially knowing how much these fighters invest and sacrifice just to win these fights. Concepcion was starting to regain momentum and was certainly in the fight as the judges’ scorecards revealed after the bout when one out of the three judges had him winning. Hopefully Concepcion gets a rematch as Arum promised.

At the end of the day, Nady made the right decision in disqualifying Concepcion, but made a terrible accusation and the wrong assumption by saying Concepcion punched Luevano on purpose. Sorry Nady, you may not want people to argue with you but as the old adage says, “the tapes don’t lie.”

PINOY POWER 2 WEIGHIN PHOTOS

2009-08-15T08:30:00.007+08:00

8/14/09, Las Vegas, Nevada --- "The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire Jr., of the Philippines weighs in at 115 lb Friday for his upcoming WBA interim world Super Flyweight against Rafael "El Torito" Concepcion of Panama on the Top Rank promoted "Pinoy Power 2” on Pay Per View, Saturday, August 15 at the New Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Concepcion came in over weight at 119.5 lb. -- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank.

"The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire Jr., of the Philippines weighs in at 115 lb Friday for his upcoming WBA interim world Super Flyweight against Rafael "El Torito" Concepcion of Panama on the Top Rank promoted "Pinoy Power 2” on Pay Per View, Saturday, August 15 at the New Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Concepcion came in over weight at 119.5 lb. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank.

(L-R) WBO Featherweight champion Steven Luevano, La Puente,Ca and #1 contender Bernabe Concepcion from the Philippines both weigh in at 125.5 lb Friday for their upcoming WBO World Featherweight championship on the Top Rank promoted "Pinoy Power 2” on Pay Per View, Saturday, August 15 at the New Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank.

WBO Featherweight champion Steven Luevano, La Puente,Ca weighs in at 125.5 lb Friday for his upcoming WBO World Featherweight championship against #1 contender Bernabe Concepcion from the Philippines on the Top Rank promoted "Pinoy Power 2” on Pay Per View, Saturday, August 15 at the New Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank. .....source

Jones and Lacy battle for the key to “Hook City”

2009-08-15T08:27:00.001+08:00

“Hook City” may very well be one of the strangest names we’ve seen for a fight promotion in quite some time. Perhaps it is fitting, because it is attached to one of the stranger fights we’ve seen as well.

Roy Jones Jr. clearly needs no introduction. Many boxing fans swore off watching Jones fight ever again—about five fights ago. Much like his contemporary, Brett Favre, all seems to be forgotten when he shows up and says he wants to compete again.

Jeff Lacy, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. For all the talk of him being washed up, and an afterthought, it’s very hard to imagine that he only has two losses on his record. Find me another former Olympian that was considered washed up at the relatively young age of 32 after only two professional losses. You may find some, but it’s no easy task.

On Saturday, August 15, 2009, at the Gulf Coast Arena in Biloxi, MS, these two men will face each other in an attempt to add another act onto their careers. For Jones, most fans agreed that after his embarrassing loss to Joe Calzaghe, he should probably retire. You’ll have to excuse my skepticism, but his last fight, against Omar Sheika in March of this year, appeared to me to be a blatant farce designed to get Jones another fight. Sheika was clearly not hurt when the referee stopped the fight. However, I’d like to think Jones and his team have more integrity than to pull a stunt like that, and I hope I am right.

For Lacy, who is coming off a disputed decision over Otis Griffin, and a complete manhandling at the hands of Jermain Taylor before that, a win over even a 40-year old Jones would be the signature win he needs to prove that he even belongs on the stage at this point.

Ever since Jones was knocked out by Antonio Tarver, he’s been a shell of his former self. His subsequent fight, against Glen Johnson, was the first time we saw Roy display what I playfully began calling, “The Roy Jones Pose.” It seems that as soon as Jones is punched flush in a fight, he simply covers up and only throws punches reluctantly and sporadically. This makes him a sitting duck for any boxer, especially one with some pop.

When Lacy was being dismantled by Taylor, he never stopped coming forward and pressing the action. Even when he was being outboxed, he was up to the challenge. I see no reason to think that Jones will deliver any blows significant enough to deter Lacy from attacking.

I see two possible ways this fight can go, but I can not decide which one I think will happen. Either Jones will be able to use his hand speed, which is still superior to Lacy’s, to hold him off and mostly pot shot him for the entire fight or Lacy will get to him with a significant punch early in the fight and send Jones into retreat mode.

In his heyday, Jones’ athleticism was his defense, and he routinely pitched shut outs against opponents. He hasn’t been able to do that lately and I don’t see it happening here. Can we actually picture Roy Jones fighting “balls to the wall” in an all out brawl? I can’t say that I can.

I believe we will know the winner within the first three rounds. If at that point, Roy has stayed clean and showed the ability to thwart Lacy’s attack and land significant punches, I would see no reason why he wouldn’t be able to continue that for the duration of the fight.

If Lacy is able to get to Jones within those first three rounds with any significant punches, a ‘left hook’ perhaps, then I think Jones will retreat into his shell, leaving Lacy with plenty of room to swing for the fences in an attempt to get him out of there.

The most intriguing part of this fight might be the uncertainty of it. I can honestly say that no matter who wins and in what manner, I will likely still be surprised by what I saw.

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No one dares pick on Donaire anymore

2009-08-14T06:51:00.001+08:00

LAS VEGAS – The contradictions in Nonito Donaire’s life are stark.

He’s one of the finest professional boxers in the world, yet he freely admits to nerves each time he’s about to fight. He moves so freely and effortlessly in the ring, but was so fearful the first time he was to climb between the ropes for a fight that he urinated on his leg in his dressing room.

He’s beloved by his country, where he’s a national icon in the boxing-mad Philippines, yet he’s shunned by a family he loves desperately because of a disagreement with his father, Nonito Sr., which he declines to discuss

He’s a charismatic, well-spoken young man who is a favorite interview subject of boxing journalists, but he was chastised mercilessly as a child for his big ears, big teeth and diminutive frame.

He’s now starting to realize significant purses and is able to help his family financially, though he grew up in abject poverty with tree branches serving as the roof of his home.

“Aside from me being picked in school and everything, I was a miserable kid,” Donaire said Thursday at a news conference to promote his fight against Rafael Concepcion for the interim World Boxing Association super flyweight title at the Hard Rock Hotel. “I never believed there was a tomorrow for me. I never believed I was going to be here. I never believed I was going to be something.

“Everyone made fun of me, and my feeling was just to go with the flow wherever life takes me. I didn’t believe in anything. I didn’t believe in the future. I didn’t believe in success or achieving anything.”

Donaire, though, has become the most successful member of his family – and far more successful than the vast majority of those who used to torment him when he was a child. The taunting continued even after his family left the Philippines and moved to Northern California. There, children taunted him for the same reasons, calling him “Dumbo” and “Bucktooth Beaver.”

He wanted to do something to shut them up but was terrified to even give them a dirty look. Fighting was simply not a part of his nature.

“I hated fighting,” he says. “I hated fighting. I was so afraid of everyone and everything. I never saw myself as a fighter. Never, ever, ever did I see myself as a fighter.”

His brother, Glenn, began to box and was getting plenty of attention from his family for his success. So Nonito Jr. decided he ought to give it a shot as well.

The need for parental and familial approval was strong – strong enough to overcome his many fears and doubts.

“I wanted my parents to be proud of me, so I started training,” Donaire said.

Less than two months later, his father – who would go on to become his trainer until their split – told him he felt he was ready for a fight.

Most fighters have nerves before a bout, but few were as nervous as Donaire recalled being. He was unable to contain his bladder as he was having his hand wraps and gloves put on.

“I was like, ‘I got to go to the bathroom’ and, boom, I just [urinated] in my pants,” Donaire said. “I was that scared.”

He was fearful until he got hit for the first time. When he was whacked in the face, he was a different person. He had nowhere to go. He either had to surrender – and get abused by his opponent until the fight was stopped – or fight back.

He opted to fight back. That was the start of a career that led him to the International Boxing Federation flyweight title and a place among professional boxing’s elite.

“When I got into the ring, it was home for me,” Donaire said. “After I got hit, that was it. I didn’t want to back down, because I couldn’t get out of the ring. The one thing I didn’t want to do was to discourage my father. I had no options, so I went on.”

He said he still isn’t at ease before fights, despite a 21-1 record with 14 knockouts and a 4-0 mark with four knockouts in world title fights. The stomach still churns. The palms still sweat.

He sees himself as more of a challenger than the champion.

He’s able to channel his nerves and has gotten so good that many consider him one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world. If he wins on Saturday, which he should, he’s in line for several big fights against the likes of Fernando Montiel or Jorge Arce.

But as good as life has become, he lives with the burden of a strained relationship with his father as well as his brother and two sisters. His siblings don’t speak to him, he says, because they take their father’s side in their dispute.

In addition, he said, his siblings think he should financially support them more than he does.

“There is a lot of misunderstanding going on about all this,” Donaire said. “But when I do try to talk to them, they don’t want to confront it. All they want to do is point fingers.

“That’s the difficulty I have going into this fight. The closest person to me all my life is not supporting me.”

He expects to win, and he expects to reconcile with his family. That, he says, would be more significant than any championship.

“I want to put it out there that I love my family and I want to be with them and I want them to be with me,” he says. “I know that one day, we’ll get back together and be the family we once were, but it’s hard. Emotionally, there’s a toll. “I have to separate myself from that, though,” Donaire added. “Until I can solve that problem, I can’t let it affect the business side of my life. Eventually, we’ll get this taken care of and we’ll be a family again. I don’t know when, but I do know we will.”

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Roy Jones Jr. vs. Jeff Lacy: Words before war!

2009-08-14T06:47:00.002+08:00

Hear what Roy Jones Jr. and Jeff Lacy are thinking as they prepare for battle Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi!

Roy Jones Jr.

ROY JONES JR: I do really feel the fight will not go the distance. He’s a strong puncher and he only chance he has to win the fight is to knock me out. So when you come to knock a guy out, chances are you are going to get knocked out. I can’t see it going 12 rounds if he does what I think he will. I have prepared to go fifteen, so if he can survive 12 rounds OK, and he’s a better man than I thought he was. I don’t know how he’s going to take it for 12 rounds myself.

You both fought Calzaghe, can you take anything from that fight?

ROY JONES JR: No, Calzaghe kind of murdered him. He kind of got me with a cut and that was a different situation. I look at the fact that how bad Calzaghe beat him, I really can’t take anything from that fight. I came up better all-round, but Calzaghe was a better fighter than me that night but he got me with a good cut and was the better fighter that night. Overall, I am one of the best that ever did it and I feel like I’m getting back to my potential right now.

Over the years you have been able to cover a distance of about ten feet in a blink of an eye…

ROY JONES JR: I still can.

Has your style changed at all?

ROY JONES JR: Yes, when I had gone to heavyweight, I was a speed-combination puncher who has power and when I went to the heavyweight division I focused on getting more power and less combination and speed. Now I am focused more on my combination and speed. Now I am back to the fighter I was when you say me fight Julio Gonzalez. As a matter of fact, I might be better now than I was on that night. Now I am back to that Roy Jones and that Roy Jones was a technician.

Have you changed your defensive style?

ROY JONES JR: I did change it a little bit again, but when I changed it I realized that when I was keeping my hands up by my face like an ordinary fighter is not Roy Jones. Roy Jones is not an ordinary fighter and that was hard for me so I had to leave that alone. The old Roy is now me.

How do like fighting in Biloxi?

ROY JONES JR: It is great. All my fans get to drive to the fight. I was raised up boxing as a kid on the Gulf Coast…Louisiana, Gulf Port, MS, Biloxi, Mobile, AL, – I was raised up fighting kids from all those areas. So it’s great to be able to go to a place and perform where they can come. One guy over there by the name of Luis Callahan calls me every Thursday. There are so many guys over there that supported me back in the day that I love to come over there and give them the opportunity to come over there an perform again.

What type of training have you done to go back to being the old Roy Jones?

ROY JONES JR: What I really did to go back to being the old Roy Jones is the bull shit. Old Roy used to bull shit in the boxing ring. It was always about bull shittin and I had a great time bull shittin. What I did when I bull shit was to play around and when I bull shit I beat you. That’s what I had to do in my training, I had to put bull shit back into my regimen. I quit bull shittin and became a serious fighter and I’m not that kind of fighter. I am not an ordinary fighter, I’m a bull shitter. I do all the shit that is wrong, that’s what I did and now I’m back to that and that’s what I did in the gym. Look at the fight against Kelly that will e on ESPN Classic next week and you will see. I put my hands behind my back. I was bull shittin and I knocked him out. No one else can do that! That’s what I am blessed with and if I can’t do that I have to get out. I’m having fun again.

Do you look at that Calzaghe fight?

ROY JONES JR: I have been asked if there was one thing that I wish I had that would have helped me win that fight. The problem with that fight was that I didn’t have enough “rooted” knowledge in my corner to help me win the fight that night. Not saying that Coach Merk wasn’t enough, but Coach Merk doesn’t really understand the way I was taught. I was taught totally different than everybody else. He was doing all he could but I need somebody else that knew how I could beat Calzaghe and that person would have been with me from day 1. My dad was with me from day 1 and a guy that knew what I needed to do to beat Calzaghe. I didn’t have the knowledge of my skills in my corner that I needed to get through that fight. Then I got the cut and I didn’t know I was going to have to go through something like that. I needed him to get me through that.

What is your next step after this fight?

ROY JONES JR: I can’t go on to the next step because I have to take the first step. You never know what the next step might be. I may feel so good that I may go back to heavyweight. I want to win the heavyweight championship again. Right now, Danny “Green Machine” Green wants me to go to Australia and fight him and that would be a wonderful thing and that would be the biggest fight to ever come to Australia. I look forward to that but you never know what the best situation would be for me. Somebody called me the other day and said that “Bad Chad” wants a shot at me so who knows?

Jeff Lacy:

JEFF LACY: Well, with Roy Jones you have an eight-time world champion and one that really understands the professional side of what we call boxing. He’s a professional at what he does and that means I have to bring my AA game and that’s what we’ve been working on at the gym, to bring our AAA game. And Roy Jones always shows up and if he brings his AAA game it’s going to be a great fight.

How do you feel going into this fight?

JEFF LACY: Mentally I am feeling very, very confident. I am very confident and like I said, it is very hard to get up for a fighter that doesn’t want to fight and doesn’t pose a challenge. Roy Jones poses the challenge. He’s got me up every morning knowing that this is going to be a real fight. He’s going down as a legend and I want to be the one that beat the legend.

JEFF LACY: Certainly. Otis Griffin, I had no idea who this guy was. I knew that he was on the Contender but I didn’t know that he won the Contender series. I didn’t overlook him but I didn’t bring my AAA game. You don’t prepare the same way as you do for a Roy Jones. This Griffin, he didn’t pose a real challenge. I knew that I could go in there, by just watching him, the little tape that I did see of him, that I could beat him. He didn’t pose a real challenge that Roy Jones is posing to me.

What do you think about Roy’s nickname?

JEFF LACY: He is now, as you said, he is now “Captain Hook” Roy Jones has been in this game a lot longer than I have and all the sudden he is now “Captain Hook.” I started of f and I had one nickname the rest of my career. Everybody knows me as “Left Hook” from what I do in the ring. That poses a challenge and if he feels that he has a better left hook…hey, we are going to find out on Saturday night and I’m not here t argue about it.

JEFF LACY: Compared to other fights that I have had after the Calzaghe fight, it was hard to get the fans behind me like I had when I was getting ready to fight Joe Calzaghe. Being that Roy Jones is a name and a threat to a lot of fighters and he’s still a dangerous fighter. Still now. It means a lot and it means so much more than me going out and taking tune-up fights. This is not a tune-up fight. This is a fight that will take me to another level. That’s why I am so focused for this fight because Roy Jones is not a pushover. I respect Roy Jones but we have to take care of business on Saturday night.

How will you feel fighting at 175?

JEFF LACY: At the beginning of this promotion, Roy Jones said he could also make the fight at 168. There is no question that I can’t make 168. But this is a fight for the NABO, Roy Jones’ title and what best way to do it than to fight at light heavyweight. Being that I have no problem making 175 and Roy Jones can make 175 then let’s do it. I always have to come down in weight anyway because I walk around at about 190. But don’t get me wrong and don’t let Roy Jones think that because I’m only going down to 175 that I’m not working hard. I love to work out. Number one, I love for my body to look ripped. I’m going to look like I weight 190 but in a smaller frame. Ripped up. Lean.

Do you worry about fighting Roy in his home area?

JEFF LACY: No, because when you ring the bell, you fight. Roy Jones has to deal with the pressure of his fans. I’m going to pose a new thing to him on Saturday night. I’m aggressive. He came to see me in Tampa and saw that I’m an aggressive fighter and I punch hard. That’s one thing that he cannot get by. Even if I am taking a step back, I am still aggressive and punch hard. So that’s the thing he’s got to deal with all his fans in his backyard.

What do you think about the Jones-Calzaghe fight?

JEFF LACY: The thing about boxers, greatness comes and goes. You are not going to be great every time out. Being that you can still his=t those key points and Roy Jones can still hit those key points. He is great in spots. You are not going to always go out there and look fantastic each and every fight out. There are going to be times that you look great in those 10 or twelve rounds that you are going. You’re not going to go out there and look perfect. He still fought a competitive fight against Joe Calzaghe and Calzaghe is still considered one of the best pound-for-pound.

Can Jones be aggressive and punch hard against you?

JEFF LACY: Of Course. That’s what is going this make this an exciting fight for the fans. Roy is going to come and basically…Roy knows he is going to have to come. He is going to have to do something to get me to back up. My aggressiveness is coming and he knows that. In his preparation for me, he knows he is going to have to stand his ground and punch with me and not try to run and run and run because the fans and being in his back yard, they are going to boo him.

Hall of Fame-bound Jones is known for possessing one of boxing’s all-time greatest hooks, while Lacy’s nickname is, aptly put, “Left Hook.” Which one is the better hooker? That will be determined in Aug. 15 when Jones defends his NABO light heavyweight crown in the 12-round main event. The loser will be busted in “Hook City.”

The “Hook City” pay-per-view show, presented by Square Ring Promotions in association with Left Hook Promotions and Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, is being distributed by Square Ring Promotions, Inc. at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in the United States on cable and satellite via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network for a suggested retail price of $34.95, as well as on Super Channel in Canada.

Tickets, priced at $150.00, $125.00, $100.00, $75.00, $50.00 & $25.00 are on sale and available at all Ticketmaster locations by calling 800.745.3000, on line at Ticketmaster.com and at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office.

....source

Bernabe Concepcion ready to be a world champion

2009-08-13T06:58:00.001+08:00

"Success is a ladder... you can't climb with your hands in your pocket."

That is the case for Bernabe Concepcion's quest to be one of Boxing's best. Concepcion is taking on the biggest challenge of his life this weekend against WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano as a co-headliner for "Pinoy Power 2" at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. It's definitely a big opportunity as well as a big risk for the young rising Filipino star.

Luevano told FightHype.com's Percy Crawford last week,

"Just because it's a Filipino show doesn't mean all Filipinos are going to win."

Truth be told, in my opinion, this match-up will be the hardest to pull-out for the Filipino contingent on Saturday night. Not that I think Concepcion isn't capable of doing it, it's more of a tribute to Luevano's skill than anything.

Concepcion is aware of the task at hand and is pulling all stops to ensure he is as ready as he can be for his first world title shot.

"The way he fights, his style, I try to study every day. That’s what I always I try to study so I figure out his style of fighting."

Admitted Bernabe when I spoke to him recently regarding his preparations against Luevano and added,

"Luevano runs a lot. He is a hit-and-run fighter. That’s what I try to figure out; how I’m going to attack him. Whether I’m coming in from the left or the right or what hand I’m going to use that will make the most damage, that’s why I just keep trying to study his style.

Luevano will have the experience advantage and at 28, he is in the prime of his career. His physical frame is more developed rgiht now which might negate Concepcion's strength. Luevano is a seasoned and grizzled vet at this stage of his career and is already making the fifth defense of his world title and has a record of 36-1. Luevano will come in and aim to give Concepcion fits and lure him to his counter-punching style. Luevano is also a very skilled southpaw and as Freddie Roach told MaxBoxing's Steve Kim

"Southpaws are always a little more difficult. Bernabe has a little bit of an advantage because of living in the Philippines and 90-percent of the Philippines is southpaw. So he's used to boxing southpaws. The thing is, Luevano's a good boxer and my guys a good fast puncher with knockout power. Sometimes I worry about Bernabe because he relies on that a little too much. But I expect we might be a little behind in the early rounds in this fight but we'll get to him."

Actually, Roach need not have gone as far as the Philippines to find a perfect sparring partner for Concepcion. Fellow Filipino Nonito Donaire who is fighting another Concepcion, Rafael (no relation to Bernabe) on the same night would've been a perfect fit to give his ward the looks Luevano will throw at him this weekend. Donaire and Luevano have similar built, movement and fighting style although Donaire switches his style up during fight depending on what the situation needs.

Concepcion is no greenhorn either though, he boasts a record of 29-1-1 with 16 wins coming by way of KO and is hungrier and more determined than Fat Albert waiting in line at a Las Vegas buffet. The Pacquiao prodigy has knockout power in his fists and enjoys the benefits of learning from the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter together with the best trainer in boxing. He has a huge frame and is strong for his division, and at a young age of 21, Concepcion is already no stranger to big time boxing having been fought in the US seven times that started in 2006 as an undercard for Pacquiao-Morales 3 at the Thomas & Mack center in Las Vegas.

Concepcion is focused. A soft-spoken and religious person, Concepcion is free from distractions other fighters suffer from. When he trains at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood or anywhere else in the US to prepare for a fight, he has nothing on his mind than to take the next step and come back home to the Philippines with a victory.

When asked whether there was any pressure on him living-up to being touted by some as the next Manny Pacquiao, Concepcion told me,

"Manny has really helped a whole lot as he has with almost all Filipino boxers fighting here in America. He opened the doors for Filipino boxers to get recognition here and he also made Filipino boxers significant because of his ring exploits. He’s my business manager and he lets me stay in his apartment when I’m here training. Manny has really helped me so much throughout my boxing career and brought honor to the Philippines. Now it's my time to do my part.

It's going to be a battle of two nice guys. A victory over Luevano this Saturday will definitely elevate Concepcion's career to the next level. Some worry though if it's a tad pre-mature. I think he can pull it off. Regardless, Concepcion is ready as he should be. To put it succinctly, he will be in for the biggest test of his boxing career.

Pavlik vs. Williams set for October 3 on HBO!

2009-08-13T06:56:00.002+08:00

Several sources, including ESPN’s Dan Rafael, are reporting that Top Rank and Goossen Tutor have finally come to terms for an October 3 fight between Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams. The venue is likely to be Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, with HBO set to televise.

The deal was finalized Tuesday night after weeks of tough negotiations. It is being reported that Williams will make somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million, and Pavlik will receive around $1.75 million plus the live gate, which could amount to a couple of million dollars. Williams team has also agreed to a rematch clause, should Pavlik lose.

This is great news for boxing fans, and it is sure to become one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year as Paul Williams continues to seek out the biggest challenges as he moves up scales, this time against the undisputed middleweight kingpin, Kelly Pavlik.

Stay tuned for more information on this megafight as it becomes available.

Weather Cotto Likes it Or Not, His WBO title Will be On the Line Against Pacquiao

2009-08-12T09:45:00.002+08:00

Well, it looks as if WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto will be forced to have his World Boxing Organization title on the line regardless of whether he wants to or not against Manny Pacquiao. It figures. The WBO is forcing Cotto’s hand by making saying that Cotto has to put the title on the line if the fight is go take place between the weights of 141-147. Since Cotto agreed to fight Pacquiao at a 145 pound catch weight, Cotto will be prevented in coming in at the full 147 pounds for the weight. This gives the advantage to Pacquiao, because he’ll have a weaker Cotto to deal with on November 14th, while at the same time still have the chance to fight for Cotto’s WBO belt, even though it neutralized welterweight clash. In effect, it’s like a welterweight match with training wheels for Pacquiao. He’ll still get credit if he wins, and only the boxing fans that dig deeper will realize that Cotto was prevented from coming in at the full 147 pounds for the weight class.

If Cotto fails to agree to put his WBO title on the line, he’ll be stripped by the WBO, and the title will be on the line anyway because the WBO recently made Pacquiao the number #1 mandatory for Cotto’s title a couple of weeks ago.

That was a real swift move by the WBO. They saw that Cotto was unwilling to put the title on the line because this was at a catch watch and they then decide to make Pacquiao the number #1 challenger so that Cotto would have no other choice but to put the title on the line.

If he doesn’t, and vacates or is stripped, Pacquiao will get to fight for the vacant title against Cotto or whoever steps in and take the fight. That’s really big of WBO to do this. They must really like Pacquiao a lot to push him above the other contenders in the WBO to force Cotto’s hand. That puts Cotto in a situation where he has little choice but to put the title on the line.

It’s either that, or he decides not to take the fight. Cotto’s not about to shoot himself in the foot, so he’ll probably take the fight so that he can get a huge payday, but this really ridiculous what the WBO is going to him. All this just so that Pacquiao can get a chance to win a 7th world title in seven different weight classes.

Never mind that many of the wins have come against fighters that probably shouldn’t have held titles in the first place or that Pacquiao was given one of the hugest gift decisions I’ve ever seen in my life with his 12 round decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez last year in March 2008.

The important thing is Pacquiao will be given the chance at a 7th world title, along with a nice handicap to ensure that he wins. Goodness knows, Pacquiao probably needs every handicap he can get. What a joke. Pacquiao loses twice to Marquez, then hunts out some mediocre fighters like David Diaz and then some shots fighters like Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, and all of a sudden Pacquiao is the king of the hill and given all kinds of advantages. You got to feel sorry Cotto. He’s really getting the business in this one. All this so that Pacquiao can get his chance to win a 7th title. I think I’m going to be ill.

.....source

The Top 25 Flyweights of All-Time – 11 to 25

2009-08-10T08:41:00.000+08:00

The Eight, Pt. 1

For any new boxing fan, the time is not long before a fellow fan points out a magic number which grows more mythologized with time: eight. As in boxing’s original eight weight classes. The number represents in the mind of many a time when the sport was compressed into fields which couldn’t help but be talented, couldn’t help but draw crowds, because there were so few places on the scale to go. They were divisions marked by single champions ever challenged by a depth of contenders today’s seventeen weight classes rarely know.

Reflection and research reveals this was not always the case, but it was true often enough to bestow a mystique on boxing’s ‘original eight weight classes’ which carries through to the modern day. As good as they can be, as great as some of their competitors have been and still are, weight classes prefixed by a “Jr.” designation will always be seen some as bastard spawn which took something away from the game no matter what they added.

Even with classes taking up space in between the old markers, the eight continue to provide memories and spilled blood today. Over the course of this series, homage is paid to boxing’s original eight by identifying the best of their lot through the years.

Flyweight

Flyweight is technically the youngest of boxing’s ‘original eight’ with early incarnations at the end of the nineteenth century. Its first professional champion in terms of the class which exists today was crowned in the U.K. in 1911 when Sid Smith defeated Louis Ruddick on points under the British Boxing Board of Control. The division had other early incarnations. It existed in Olympic competition as early as 1904 and a previous sub-Bantamweight class, Paperweight, lived a brief life fluctuating between 95 and 105 lbs., the latter of which is the line for the modern Strawweight class. Ultimately, Flyweight became and remained marked at 112 lbs.

While today Flyweight is marked by a mass of title belts and geographic boundaries and markets which preclude fights between most of the division’s best, the following list provides a look at many years and eras where greatness could be earned at 112 the old fashioned way: tough fights with the toughest foes.

In determining the top twenty five, a few ground rules applied as did some tough choices. While men like Jimmy Barry, Johnny Buff and Johnny Coulon could all be rated here, the arcs of their careers and the titles they contested made them easier to characterize at Bantamweight. No one who fought almost exclusively below Flyweight, once the Jr. Flyweight and Strawweight classes were established, is considered here so men like Ricardo Lopez or Yoko Gushiken will not be found.

Finally, no fighter currently active in the division was considered so the record setting reign of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam excludes him from what might have been a lower top 25 spot. Better to let today’s fighters complete their Flyweight legacies to figure out exactly where they belong.

Without further ado, here are the men who fill in the slots from 25 to 11.

The Top Twenty-Five

25) Guty Espadas (1971-84): Mexico’s Espadas was overshadowed by the parallel title reign of countryman Miguel Canto but his fights provided the sort of action Canto’s rarely could…career mark of 39-6-5, 28 KO…WBA titlist 1976-78, 4 defenses, all by knockout…Working his own way up the ranks, a vastly more experienced Espadas would ruin the pro debut of future champion Freddy Castillo in the fourth round…Espadas began his title reign with a 13th round knockout of undefeated Alfonso Lopez in a savage brawl and turned the trick again in the same round in 1977…He traveled to Venezuela to face native son Betulio Gonzalez and dropped a competitive majority decision to end what had been a short but fiery prime…Espadas would pick up all of his three knockout losses in his final nine fights against championship level foes Chan-Hee Park and Eleoncio Mercedes and in a final challenge for a 115 lb. belt versus Payao Poontarat.

24) Yoshio Shirai (1943-55): Call him the Godfather of the vibrant, modern Japanese fight market, Shirai was the first world champion from the land of the rising sun…career mark of 46-8-2, 18 KO…World champion 1952-54, 4 Defenses…Shirai learned his craft in the ring, losing 3 of his first 13 bouts before beginning his rise through the ranks, not losing again from 1947-51…dropped two straight from March to May of the latter year and avenged both…critically, he avenged a non-title split decision loss to champion Dado Marino via knockout, earning a shot at the crown…Shirai would defeat Marino twice by decision, the first time for the title…Also posted a successful defense over former champion Terry Allen…retired in the corner in a shocking non-title upset versus a 7-4 Leo Espinosa and narrowly found revenge in a split decision title fight…traveled to Argentina and left with a draw against the undefeated Pascual Perez in a non-title affair but fell to Perez twice for the World championship in his native Japan, first by decision and by knockout in his final fight.

23) Jackie Paterson (1938-51): One of many in a long tradition of fantastic flyweights from the British Isle, Paterson was a fighter through and through…career mark of 64-25-3, 41 KO…World Champion 1943-48, 1 Defense…That’s no misprint as Paterson spent most of the time in his reign fighting well above the limit…Paterson’s career was bookended in many ways by a rivalry with Rinty Monaghan…Paterson practically turned pro against the man, handing the then-veteran of over 30 fights his second, and only knockout, loss in 1938…In 1943, he blasted a fading and weight drained Peter Kane to win the title…a non-title knockout loss to Monaghan in 1946 helped to pave the way for a 1948 rubber match where Paterson was stopped again for the crown…Paterson would go 3-9 after the second Monaghan loss, including losses to Bantamweight notables Manuel Ortiz and Vic Toweel.

22) Rinty Monaghan (1934-49): The Northern Ireland product wasn’t a big banger but he came to fight and saw a long battle to become champion cut short by chronic bronchitis…career mark of 51-9-6, 20 KO…World champion 1947-49, 3 successful defenses…Monaghan could occasionally lose some head scratchers but also posted wins against some of the best of his day…as noted earlier in this list, he avenged a stoppage loss to Jackie Paterson twice over by seventh round knockout…a disqualification loss in non-title action versus champion Dado Marino in July 1947 led directly to a rematch three months later for the vacant World title, Monaghan victorious over fifteen rounds…he dropped an eight round non-title decision to Terry Allen between his first two defenses and would escape Allen with a draw in what would turn out to be his farewell fight.

21) Sot Chitalada (1983-92): The Thai battler spent over half of his career bouts competing for major titles…career mark of 26-4-1, 16 KO…two-time lineal World champion and WBC titlist from 1984-88 and 89-91 with ten total defenses…Chitalada’s first loss came in his fifth pro fight, competing for the great Jung-Koo Chang’s WBC belt at 108 lbs in March, 1984…he’d bounce back to defeat Gabriel Bernal in October of the same for the title at 112…Chitalada would trade the crown with Korea’s Yong-Kang Kim and avenge the early career loss to Chang in his second reign…in total defeated five Flyweight champions (Bernal, Charlie Magri, Freddy Castillo, Kim, Carlos Salazar) before running into the man he couldn’t solve…Muangchai Kittikasem took his crown in 1991 and held off Chitalada’s bid for a third title in a 1992 rematch, handing Chitalada the only knockout losses of his career…Chitalada retired still only 29 years of age.

20) Mark Johnson (1990-2006): Washington, DC’s Johnson may well have been the most talented American Flyweight since the 1920s and 30s and was the first African American titlist in the division…the one-time U.S. Amateur champion had a pro career mark of 44-5, 28 KO…IBF titlist 1996-99, 7 defenses…the southpaw was one of the most criminally avoided fighters of the 1990s and suffers historically for it with a lack of elite competition in the division to point to …despite ducks, Johnson carved a niche at the old Forum shows as a sort of Mexican Assassin, including wins over former 108 lb. titlists Josue Camacho and then-future WBO Flyweight titlist Alberto Jimenez…Lost only once in the decade, a four round points defeat in his second pro bout…defeated former IBF titlist Francisco Tejedor for the vacant belt in 1996, destroying him in one round…Johnson would later add two titles at 115 lbs., the second a late career affirmation against a young Fernando Montiel.

19) Yuri Arbachakov (1990-97): Arbachakov was Russia’s first post-Soviet professional world champion after a stellar amateur career capped by a World championship in 1989…career mark of 23-1, 16 KO…lineal World champion and WBC titlist 1992-97, 9 defenses…Arbachakov announced his presence by stopping former IBF titlist Rolando Bohol in two rounds in his first paid year…In his 13th pro bout, stopped two-division titlist Muangchai Kittikasem to begin his title reign and turned the trick again in his second defense…was the first man to stop then-future WBA titlist Hugo Soto in 1994…Easily decisioned Chatchai Sasakul in 1995 but hand problems and years in the ring caught up in 1997 as Sasakul lifted the crown over twelve in what would be Arbachakov’s final fight…The lack of a fight in the 1990s between Johnson and Arbachakov is a historical tragedy and Arbachakov gets the nod here for having faced slightly better overall opposition in the division.

18) Chartchai Chionoi (1959-75): Thailand’s Chionoi was the sort of give and take, knock out or be knocked out, warrior who make boxing what it can be at its best…career mark of 61-18-3, 36 KO…lineal World Champion and WBC titlist 1966-69 and 1970 with four successful defenses in his first reign…later held the WBA belt from 1973-74 with two more defenses…Chionoi faced a deep pool of opposition, contesting with eight men who had or would hold a share of the 112 lb. crown (Hiroyuki Ebihara, Salvatore Burruni, Walter McGowan, Efren Torres, Bernabe Villacampo, Erbito Salavarria, Masao Ohba, Susumu Hanagata) with wins over Burruni, McGowan, Torres, Villacampo, and Hanagata….Chionoi’s first of three fights with Torres was selected as the 20th greatest title fight of all time by Ring Magazine in 1996 and as the greatest Flyweight fight of the Magazine’s first 80 publishing years in 2002…Chionoi won his three titles against McGowan, Torres, and Fritz Chervet.

17) Peter Kane (1934-51): The U.K.’s Kane battled often with a scale that wanted him at Bantamweight and the long shadow of Scotland’s great Benny Lynch…career mark of 89-8-2, 54 KO…Kane won his first 42 professional bouts to secure a 1937 shot at an aging Lynch just past the 100 fight mark for his own career…after a classic October battle in front of over 40,000, Kane succumbed in the thirteenth frame…an intended title rematch ended up a non-title affair when Kane came in just shy of eight pounds over the limit in March 1938; Kane earned a fifteen-round draw…when Lynch vacated the crown, Kane was matched with Jackie Jurich for the title and left with a points win…focusing on the Bantamweights, where he would net a decision win over former 118 lb, champ Baltazar Sangchili, Kane would briefly return to Flyweight in 1943 to be stoned out of his crown by the heavy handed Paterson…in the latter days of his career, he would earn a points win over future Fly king Dado Marino and completed his career halting a three fight losing streak with a knockout win in 1951.

16) Newsboy Brown (1922-33): Born David Montrose in Russia, Brown was a steady presence among some of the best of one of the division’s golden eras and is remarkable for success without a knockout punch…Career mark of 66-14-8, 11 KO…one of multiple title claimants following the retirement of champion Fidel LaBarba in 1927, briefly capturing recognition as World champion in California with a win over rugged Johnny McCoy…couldn’t defeat LaBarba in two tries, settling for a pair of draws, but managed two wins over Hall of Fame great Frankie Genaro…would have success well past his prime at Flyweight against championship level foes, defeating Bantamweight great Panama Al Brown and Featherweight great Chalky Wright among others and Hall of Famer Baby Arizmendi.

15) Pone Kingpetch (1954-66): One of Thailand’s greatest, and it’s first world champion, Kingpetch got by with precision and smarts where power was lacking…career mark of 28-7, 9 KO…three-time World Champion reigned off and on from 1960-65, making all three of his successful defenses in the first reign…Snared his first crown with a split decision in Thailand over the great Pascual Perez and bettered the feat in becoming the first man ever to stop Perez in his first defense…was stopped in eleven by Fighting Harada in Japan in 1962 but regained the crown with another home turf split decision in 1963…the cycle began anew later in the same year…Kingpetch would be shocked in a single round by Japan’s Hiroyuki Ebihara in Japan only to return home in 1964 to again become king via split decision…His final title was lost on enemy turf in Italy via decision to Salvatore Burruni and no rematch would come with only two more fights, a loss and win, remaining in his tenure.

14) Hiroyuki Ebihara (1959-69): The Japanese southpaw could bang or box with the best of his day…career mark of 62-5-1, 33 KO…reigned as lineal World Champion and WBC titlist for only a few months from 1963-64 without any successful defenses and later added a WBA crown in 1969 but his career was more than just a title…Ebihara faced six men who held the lineal or other major title at 112 (Fighting Harada, Chartchai Chionoi, Kingpetch, Efren Torres, Horacio Accavallo, Bernabe Villacampo)…defeated Chionoi by decision and bested Torres twice…Accavallo held him off in two WBA title attempts in his native Argentina in 1966 and 67, the second of which many felt Ebihara deserved…decisioned Jose Severino for the WBA strap but lost it in his first defense, and final fight, to Villacampo…Ebihara was never stopped in 68 career starts.

13) Betulio Gonzalez (1968-88): Over two decades, Venezuela’s Gonzalez faced 13 men who held the lineal crown or some other major belt at Flyweight, more than any other man in the division’s history…career mark of 77-12-4, 52 KO…Gonzalez held the WBC title on two occasions and the WBA title once…it took three tries to snap the first belt on…after defeating former titlist Villacampo in 1970, he fell short in a WBA opportunity against Masao Ohba in 1971…another shot would come later in the year for the lineal and WBC honors against Erbito Salavarria resulting in a draw…the WBC stripped Salavarria for testing positive for drugs and Gonzalez would capture the vacant belt in 1972 only to lose it in his very next fight by stoppage versus Venice Borkhorsor the same year…when the belt became vacant again in 1973, Gonzalez would regain it with a majority decision over Miguel Canto to kick off a serious rivalry…Gonzalez would manage two defenses before dropping a decision to Shoji Oguma in 1974…losses in 1975 and 76 to then-champion Canto would keep him out of the title picture until defeating Guty Espadas for WBA honors in 1978 to kick off his best title reign…three defenses included a draw and knockout of Oguma before a decision loss to Luis Ibarra in 1979…he would fall short in two more WBA title tries against Juan Herrera in 1981 (TKO by 7) and Santos Laciar in 1982 (SD 15)…after stepping away in 1984, he would try a brief three fight comeback in 1988, going 1-1-1 and losing his final fight via knockout to future titlist Rodolfo Blanco.

12) Santos Laciar (1976-90): Laciar is one of the unsung greats from the land of Carlos Monzon, Argentina, and one of the more dominant titlists of the 1980s…career mark of 79-10-11, 30 KO…Laciar held the WBA belt twice in 1981 and from 1982-85 with all of his nine successful defenses coming in the second reign…Laciar would win his first belt from Peter Mathebula by knockout only to lose it in his first defense versus Luis Ibarra…He bounced back less than a year later to stop Ibarra’ conqueror, Juan Herrera, in thirteen and would hold the title until a move up to Jr. Bantamweight…in total, Laciar faced nine men who had or would hold a share of the Flyweight title (also including Charlie Magri, Betulio Gonzalez, Hi-Sup Shin, Prudencio Cardona, and Hilario Zapata, and Hugo Soto)…Magri and Soto were the first and last of those he’d face, both handing him decision losses, Soto in Laciar’s final fight…Laciar would also briefly hold the lineal World and WBC titles at 115 in 1987.

11) Fighting Harada (1960-70): A serious case can be made for Japan’s Harada as the greatest Asian fighter of all time…career mark of 55-7, 22 KO…the World Flyweight champion from 1962-63, Harada lost the belt in a debated split decision to the man he’d taken it from one fight prior, Pone Kingpetch…prior to Kingpetch, Harada also posted an early career six-round decision over future champion Ebihara…Harada was a whirlwind of activity in the ring whose speed and pressure made him a force in three weight divisions…He would later add the Bantamweight crown in 1966, lodging both of the only losses the great Eder Jofre ever had in the class…Harada should have beaten today’s Manny Pacquiao to the feat of being the first to win both the Flyweight and Featherweight crowns but suffered from a criminal robbery on champion Johnny Famechon’s Australian home turf in 1969…his career ended in a stoppage defeat to Famechon two fights later…Harada was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1995.

To Be Continued Tomorrow with the Top Ten

Semantics

The results here are compiled in two parts which tweaks the format used for the review of the nine Jr. Divisions conducted earlier this year.

First, a points-based comparison assigns points in part based on:

1. Number of fellow champions faced (total) then divided into a competition score to flatten the field due to the fluctuation in titles recognized.
a. Lineal World Titles
b. Sanctioning Body Titles
2. Title Defenses
a. 2 Points per KO; -2 per KOBY; 1 per UD against fellow titlists
b. Quality Wins (Points Assigned based on opponent accomplishments; i.e. lineal champions can count for 1, a single sanctioning body champion based on their sanctioning body total, discretionary points for established champions from other weight classes)
3. Quality Losses (Losses to champion opponents -1 point; selective non-title losses)
Draws (.5 points)

From this, a baseline is established and the top fifty fighters are identified. Further analysis focuses on the context of wins and losses, the relative dominance displayed in a fighters prime, and the strength of one’s era versus the competition faced, to get to a final top twenty-five.

.....source

Lacy: Written off but determined

2009-08-10T08:38:00.002+08:00

The story is legendary. Jeff Lacy was so scary that the opponent for his pro debut took one look at him shirtless at the weigh-in and bolted from the building, never to be seen again. That’s how intimidating he once was.

And the former Olympian lived up to the image for five years, starting his career 21-0 (with 17 knockouts). It seemed a star was blossoming.

Then, amid considerable excitement, he stepped into the ring with Joe Calzaghe in 2006 and perception was turned upside down.

The talented Welshman battered his young rival for 12 solid rounds to win an almost-shutout decision and render Lacy helpless fodder for critics in the media and public. Overrated, no talent, just another fighter, a joke ... they didn’t hold back.

The beating Lacy took hurt plenty. The reaction afterward hurt worse.

“It was difficult,” said Lacy, who fights fellow Floridian Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday in Biloxi, Miss., on pay-per-view television. “… Nobody said, ‘Well, he had a bad night.’ They said things like, ‘He’s not what we thought he was.’ That hurt like hell. You go out there and put everything on the line for something you love, and you do it for the public instead of yourself.

“When they turn on you, it hurts. I was angry. Now, I look at it as a life lesson. I’m OK with it. Now, I do it for myself.”

Lacy (25-2, 17 KOs) was careful not to make excuses for the enormous setback against Calzaghe, giving the future Hall of Famer his due while also pointing to other elite fighters – Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins and Jones – who also lost to Calzaghe.

In retrospect, however, he said he wasn’t ready for the fight. He had bought into his own hype, feeling invincible. Now, he looks back and sees that he didn’t have the experience to give Calzaghe a good fight in his home country.

Lacy has more explaining to do, though. He lost a one-sided decision to 2000 Olympic teammate Jermain Taylor and hasn’t won convincingly since Calzaghe, including fights against opponents we’ve never heard of.

Lacy dismisses the Taylor loss because the two are friends; he said he wasn’t nearly as aggressive as he normally is, adding that he still thinks he should’ve been awarded the decision. And he attributes his less-than-convincing victories since Calzaghe to difficulty getting up for no-name opponents.

Yes, he knows his many doubters will interpret such comments as excuses and his most-recent performances as further evidence of his mediocrity. He's used to it, though.

“It’s the same stuff they were saying after the Calzaghe fight,” Lacy said. “I’m the one who has to go into the ring next Saturday night and prove people wrong or right. It’s easy for someone to sit behind a computer or a TV and judge you, as if they know what you’re going through day in and day out.

“Everyone has their ups and downs, no matter what you do. As fighters, we're judged because we’re in the public. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”

Lacy insists he’s motivated for Jones, the one-time wizard who is 40 and has a lot less magic than he used to. He knows this is a chance to surprise those who have written him off as an over-hyped, under-skilled physical specimen.

Physically, he says he feels as good at 32 as he ever did. He claims he’s confident, having had a very good training camp, and is in a very good frame of mind. And he still has the dreams he has always had, which includes recognition as one of the best fighters in the world.

“To sum it all up, I want to get back to the top of the mountain and look down on it all,” he said. “Y’all wrote me off. That’s the only thing I want to say.”

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Jones-Lacy 'Hook City' Card Stacked

2009-08-08T07:25:00.001+08:00

“Hook City,” headlined by 8-time world champion Roy “Captain Hook” Jones, Jr. and former 2-time super middleweight world title-holder Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy, will feature four, exciting title fights.

In addition to being a well matched, entertainment valued promotion, “Hook City” has a slew of interesting storylines in each of its four PPV title fights on August 15th, which includes famous boxing “hookers,” wide-eyed dreamers, legitimate contenders and promising prospects.

"We’re proud to bring boxing fans such a great show from top to bottom," Square Ring Promotions CEO John Wirt said. "We have four title fights featuring three former world champions. ’Hook City’ has a power-packed line-up of highly competitive fights and entertaining fighters."

Hall of Fame-bound Jones (53-5, 39 KOs) is known for possessing one of boxing’s all-time greatest hooks, while Lacy’s (25-2, 17 KOs) nickname is, aptly put, “Left Hook.” Which one is the better hooker? That will be determined in Aug. 15 when Jones defends his NABO light heavyweight crown in the 12-round main event. The loser will be busted in “Hook City.”

Two-time world champion Danny “Green Machine” Green (26-3, 23 KOs), the power-puncher from Down Under, dreams of fighting Jones later this year in Australia. His opponent in the 12-round IBO cruiserweight title fight is South American light heavyweight title-holder Julio Cesar “La Furia” Dominguez (20-4-1, 14 KOs), who has fought in relative obscurity in his native Argentina. All he’s been dreaming about is knocking out Green. Which one’s dream will come true? That, too, will be decided in “Hook City.”

NABO cruiserweight champion B.J. “El Peligroso” Flores (23-0-1, 14 KOs) has a display case filled with regional title belts. He’s rated as high as No. 3 by the WBO and No. 6 by the WBA and positioned for a major world title fight. Standing in his way in “Hook City” is former world title challenger Epifanio “Diamente” Mendoza (29-7-1, 25 KOs), the Colombian hit man who specializes in putting opponents to sleep, as well as knocking-off unbeaten contenders.

Two highly-regarded lightweight prospects - Verquan “The Show”
Kimbrough (21-1-2, 7 KOs) and challenger Jason “American Boy” Litzau (24-2, 20 KOs) -- go toe-to-toe in “Hook City” in a 10-round Special Attraction for the vacant NABF belt. Both have rich amateur pedigrees and Kimbrough is trying to get where Litzau has been and plans to return -- a world title shot. All bouts are subject to change.

The “Hook City” pay-per-view show, presented by Square Ring Promotions in association with Left Hook Promotions and Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, is being distributed by Square Ring Promotions, Inc. at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in the United States on cable and satellite via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network for a suggested retail price of $34.95, as well as on Super Channel in Canada.

Tickets, priced at $150.00, $125.00, $100.00, $75.00, $50.00 & $25.00 are on sale and available at all Ticketmaster locations by calling 800.745.3000, on line at Ticketmaster.com and at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office.

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De La Hoya not worried about Sept. 19 conflict with UFC

2009-08-08T07:10:00.001+08:00

Two fights will take place on Sept. 19 -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez and boxing vs. MMA.

Mayweather’s comeback fight and UFC 103 are both scheduled to take place that night and both are on pay-per-view television, which means they’ll be competing for pay-per-view buys in a struggling economy.

So is Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions is staging the Mayweather-Marquez card, worried? Doesn’t sound like it.

“I’m not concerned whatsoever,” he said. “I feel strongly that UFC has its audience and we have ours. We have a strong, solid foundation of fans who have supported boxing for many years. If you give them a good fight, they’ll watch.

“It doesn’t bother me. I’m confident we’ll do well – extremely well.”

There are underlying stories behind the scheduling conflict, starting with Mayweather.

The loquacious former pound-for-pound boxing king, who hasn’t fought in almost two years, has publicly criticized Mixed Martial Arts and its fighters. Dana White, UFC’s president, has fired back with criticism of Mayweather.

And De La Hoya has ties to Affliction MMA, UFC’s former rival. Thus, the competing entities don’t necessarily have warm feelings for one another.

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, is openly disgusted. He believes White intentionally scheduled his UFC show on the same night as Mayweather-Marquez to sabotage the promotion, saying Sept. 19 –- three days after Mexican Independence Day -– has always been a big night for boxing and White knows it.

He also said White’s actions will come back to bite him one day.

“In business, that kind of arrogance, that kind of short-sightedness eventually comes back to you,” Schaefer said.

De La Hoya spoke mostly with an olive branch in hand.

The former multiple-weight champion questioned the pay-per-view numbers UFC reports, including the 1.5 million-plus for UFC 100. And even if that number for UFC’s biggest night ever is accurate, he said, he’s not overwhelmed. Boxing shows have exceeded that number at least three times.

That was the extent of anything that could be construed as negative.

He explained why he believes the Mayweather-Marquez card will generate interest with or without the UFC card. He said Mayweather has become a crossover star with a substantial following; Marquez has a solid Mexican and Mexican-American fan base; HBO’s 24/7 helps generate numbers; and he will soon unveil a novel marketing campaign he believes will reach unprecedented numbers of potential customers.

And he wishes UFC well.

“UFC is its own sport and so is boxing,” he said. “We can live happily ever after side by side. There doesn’t have to be this back-and-forth bashing each other. They’re doing a wonderful job. We do a good job.

“Let’s leave it at that.”

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Pacquiao-Cotto vs Mayweather-Marquez: Top Rank over Golden Boy in the Early Rounds (Plus ask Freddie Roach!)

2009-08-07T08:35:00.000+08:00

Two mega bouts just months apart and Top Rank has won the promotional fight by fueling the media with doubts. Of course I’m referring to the Manny Pacquiao / Miguel Cotto fight. Bob Arum may be a genius or is it raw luck? Since he announced that the Ninja and Cotto had agreed to throw down in November the following events have captured the boxing fans attention:

- Arum goes on vacation leaving both camps to negotiate a deal.
- Both teams can’t agree on money or the weight limit.
- Pacquiao’s camp says they might fight Mosley instead of Cotto.
- Arum gets back from vacation and settles all disputes, maybe.
- The Ninja wants belt number seven but Cotto and the WBO say he gets it at 147lbs. not 145 lbs.

Now let’s take a look at the other mega fight set for next month. That would be Floyd Mayweather Jr. / Juan Manuel Marquez. What’s happening in this camp? No news is not good news in the world of boxing promotion. Why is Mayweather Jr. not talking to the media? Where are the controversial statements? Why the trouble selling out this event? Could it be no publicity coming from Golden Boy Promotions? Oscar where are you when we need you? Are you counting on 24/7 to draw the PPV viewers? Haven’t we already seen Marquez up in the mountains pounding tires with a hammer? How about Mayweather Jr. bragging how he is the greatest boxer in history? Been there done that!

Do you really believe that Cotto would turn down a fight against the Ninja which would fill his bank account with millions and millions of dollars? Do you think that a two pound difference would cause the fight to come to a screeching halt? Mosley belongs to Golden Boy and Cotto belongs to Top Rank. Let’s do the math together, if the Ninja fights Cotto then Arum gets all the promoters share of the fight. If the Ninja fights Mosley then Arum splits the money with Oscar De La Hoya. No way Mosley takes Cotto’s spot against the Ninja.

In a nutshell….Pacquiao / Cotto was a done deal the night of the Cotto / Clottey fight when the Ninja told Bob Arum he wanted to fight Cotto. The rest is all hype benefiting the promotion of the event.

Super trainer Freddie Roach says “he is tired of the back and forth nonsense, I just want my fighter in camp preparing for the fight.”

Lee Samuels of Top Rank believes that Pacquiao/ Cotto is capturing the public’s attention because “both fighters are so evenly matched no clear winner, it’s up for grabs.” Hmmm…not so sure about that Lee. The last time I saw the Ninja he was throwing power punches so fast they left vapor trails.

Early on it looks like the Mayweather Jr. / Marquez fight will have trouble selling PPV buys. The flip side of the coin is everyone can’t wait for the Ninja to do his thing against Cotto. Fireworks for sure!!!

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De La Hoya fights the good fight

2009-08-07T08:31:00.000+08:00

Amateur boxing was once such a significant sporting event in the U.S. that major international competitions were common fare on network television. The country’s finest sports writers chronicled the events.

These days, network television pays next to no attention to boxing of any kind and the country’s finest sports writers have plenty of better things to do than write about a fight.

It doesn’t say much for the future of the sport.

America’s best athletes rarely choose boxing. They’re going to football or baseball or basketball, chasing a dream of a college scholarship and a rich professional career. If you’re a teenager, you have a better chance to win the lottery than you do to make it into the NBA or NFL, but that doesn’t stop any of them from trying.

Parents hire private coaches and personal trainers for their children at frighteningly young ages with the hope that their child may be the chosen one.

Few parents choose to enroll their children in a boxing club, though, and the number who do is dwindling each year.

With Little League baseball and Pop Warner football and summer league basketball so firmly established – not to mention youth soccer – there’s scant hope that boxing can ever regularly attract quality American talent again.

That is told in the declining medal numbers won by U.S. Olympic boxers. In the past six Olympiads, Americans have won 23 medals, including five gold medals. However, 16 of those 23 medals and four of the five golds came in 1988, 1992 and 1996. In this decade, the U.S. has just seven medals, including only one gold, at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Worse, the only medal at all off the 2008 team was the bronze won by Deontay Wilder.

Unless that changes, that means that the quality of professional boxing is going to decline precipitously in the next 10 years. Already, the lack of quality trainers is evident and that is only going to get worse, as budgets are cut for youth boxing programs and fewer volunteer their time to teach the sport.

Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya, who won a gold medal in 1992 and used his Olympic success to become one of the most popular fighters in the history of the game, said in a recent column with RingTV.com that his company was going to invest in the amateur program.

But unless there is a dramatic turnaround of some sort, it’s only going to be pouring dollars down the drain. The American amateur boxing program is riddled with corruption and incompetence and it would take a miracle to turn it around.

However, give De La Hoya and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer credit for trying to find alternate ways to improve the caliber of those who have chosen to box.

Golden Boy has partnered with AEG to host a “Fight Night Club” at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. The cards are filled with young fighters who are put into competitive fights.

In the last two decades, promoters have been very reluctant to put even their finest young prospects into difficult bouts, because the significance of a loss has increased substantially.

They won’t admit it, but unbeaten records and high knockout percentages are very important as marketing tools for television executives. The reality is that those records often mean little because the fighters are so undermatched it’s frightening.

Yet, it makes a fight look a lot more attractive on the marquee when it’s between a guy who is 16-0 with 14 knockouts and another who is 17-1 with 15 knockouts.

Golden Boy has decided not to try to protect any of its fighters who are involved in the Fight Night series and allow them to develop. Schaefer also said he wants to expand the series outside of Los Angeles and have fighters compete in their home regions in an effort to help them develop a strong fan following.

If they stick to that and don’t get lured into protecting fighters they think could develop into stars, it will have a long-term positive influence upon the sport. Golden Boy has most favored nation status with HBO and their fighters regularly show up on the network.

If Golden Boy truly puts these young fighters into difficult matches on a regular basis, by the time they’re ready to graduate to HBO-level fights, they’ll actually be able to fight.

Better, by having fought regularly in front of a hometown crowd, the better ones will presumably have picked up a following. That will only make them more attractive for television and ultimately create better and more exciting fights.

The bottom line is that, in more cases than not, professional fighters are learning how to box after they begin fighting for a paycheck. That wasn’t the case 20 years ago, when amateurs graduated to the professional ranks having already been schooled for years over hundreds of fights in what it takes to be a professional.

The Fight Night Club is a sort of on-the-job training for the fighters.

Done regularly, and run honestly, this concept figures to be one of the best things to hit pro boxing since De La Hoya himself turned professional.

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Video Feature: Super Six World Boxing Classic - Interviews

2009-08-06T08:49:00.000+08:00

The worlds top super middleweights - Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor, Carl Froch, Andre Dirrell, and Andre Ward declare their excitement for the upcoming tournament which will be broadcasted live on Showtime!

Ivan Calderon vs. Rodel Mayol rematch set for Sept. 12!

2009-08-06T08:45:00.000+08:00

After their exciting fight earlier this year ended prematurely due to a cut, Ivan Calderon and Rodel Mayol will rematch Sept. 12 in Puerto Rico. Román ‘Rocky’ Martínez will appear on the undercard!

World Champions Iván ‘Iron Boy’ Calderón and Román ‘Rocky’ Martínez will defend their titles next September 12 in Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in a presentation of PR Best Boxing Promotions. “There will be a great card in September 12 with Calderon and Martinez will defend their titles in their country with the fans of Puerto Rico, it’s great for them”, said promoter Ivan Rivera, presidente of PR Best Boxing Promotions.

WBO junior flyweight champion, Calderon (36-0-1, 6ko’s) will face philipine Rodel Mayol (25-3-1, 19ko’s) in a rematch of the June 13th fight, that ended in a technical draw because of a accidental headbutt that caused a hurto n Calderon’s head.

While, Martinez (22-0-1, 13 ko’s) will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against mexica Michael Lozada (35-5-1, 24 ko’s). Martinez won his title on March 13 when he knocked out britain Nicky Cook.

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Klitschko Vs Arreola Set For Sept 26.

2009-08-06T08:41:00.000+08:00

By Clive Bernath: According to the Los Angeles Daily News WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is set to defend his title against unbeaten American Chris Arreola at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on September 26. The fight will be broadcast by HBO.

A press conference is said to be scheduled for next week to officially announce the fight and will come as a huge relief to Klitschko, who will finally get to defend his title following the farcical on off negotiations with British heavyweight David Haye.

Vitali had all but signed to fight the former cruiserweight world champion in Germany but Haye pulled out of negotiations at the last minute and signed to face WBA champion Nikolay Valuev instead.

Mandatory challenger Arreola, from Riverside via Los Angeles, will not only be motivated by the huge support he can expect from his local fans but also by the fact he could become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican ancestry.

Nothing comes easy, though, in boxing, especially in the heavyweight division. Klitschko stands 6ft 7,owns an impressive record of 36 knockouts from 37 starts with just two defeats, and will provide Arreola with by far the sternest test of his unbeaten career. That said the 28 year-old, who calls himself ‘The Nightnmare’, is a pretty heavy hitter himself, having stopped 24 of his 27 victims. The quality of his opponents may not quite match up to that of the more experienced Klitschko but Arreola comes to fight, is a solid 250lbs and will be a far tougher opponent than David Haye.

It is fair to say that the heavyweight division is not exactly bursting at the seams with talent at present. Neither Vitali or his brother Wladimir Klitschko, who holds the IBF title, have been overly stretched whilst defending their respective titles. But as said earlier, Chris Arreola comes to fight. He may not be the most technical of fighters but he likes to come forward throwing punches, before slowly walking his opponents down. Vitali too is not shy when it comes to exchanging bombs so hopefully, we may just see something that is all too rare in heavyweight boxing nowadays-a highly entertaining and explosive encounter.

August 5, 2009

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Update: Notes on Pinoy Power 2

2009-08-04T08:36:00.000+08:00

Read on for the latest on Top Rank's Aug. 15 "Pinoy Power 2" card that will take place in Las Vegas featuring Nonito Donaire!

Dessa, an award-winning entertainer from the Philippines, will sing the Philippines National Anthem at Top Rank’s ‘Pinoy Power 2′ which features ‘Filipino Flash’ Nonito Donaire against Rafael Concepcion.

Lupang Hiniran is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julian Felipe, with lyrics in Spanish adapted from the poem Filipinas, written by Jose Palma in 1899.

Donaire vs. Concepcion is set for August 15 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Donaire will wind up his training in early August at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas. Concepcion has been training in Panama. Concepcion and his team will arrive into Las Vegas on Sunday, August 9. Both will be at Top Rank’s final press conference on Wednesday, August 12 at the Hard Rock.

Featherweight challenger Bernabe Concepcion of the Philippines has been training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Ca. to get set for his title bout against Steven Luevano of LaPuente, Ca. Bernabe is trained by Freddie Roach, Luevano by Robert Garcia.

“Freddie Roach is the #1 trainer in boxing today,” said Garcia. “This is my first time in a fight against him. I’m working very hard with Steven and I think this result will also reflect how I am doing as a trainer. This is why this is such a very important fight.”

Luevano vs. Concepcion will be in the ring just before the Donaire vs Concepcion fight on Top Rank’s Pinoy Power 2 on August 15.

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