Pacquiao Camp Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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"

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

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

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

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.