Boxing News 2011: Mayweather jabs (but won't fight) Pacquiao

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. might never fight Manny Pacquiao, but Mayweather has the pound-for-pound king on his mind.

It is unfortunate that they may never share a ring for the fight the world wants to see; at this point, Mayweather refuses to fight Pacquiao -- not to mention that Mayweather is also jammed up with multiple court cases, including eight criminal charges (four of which are felonies) stemming from an alleged domestic incident last fall with the mother of some of his children. Pacquiao is always in the spotlight, but even more so last week and this week, as he and Shane Mosley promote their Showtime pay-per-view fight, which takes place May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And Mayweather apparently can't stand it.

Pacquiao, Mosley and the rest of the Top Rank circus took to the road to promote the fight on a national media tour, which began last week and continued this week. Of course, Mayweather could have been the one fighting Pacquiao, but he wanted no part of it. That left Top Rank's Bob Arum to tap Mosley for the fight instead, the same way he tapped Antonio Margarito to fight in place of Mayweather in November and called on Joshua Clottey last March.

Mayweather could have had the fight each time and made perhaps as much as $50 million for his trouble.

Instead, Mayweather declined and now, just as the media attention around Pacquiao ramps up again, it is clearly driving Mayweather crazy.

http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blog/_/name/rafael_dan/id/6124991/mayweather-jabs-fight-pacquiao

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Boxing News 2010: Margarito gets Texas license, fight with Pacquiao

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Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito of Mexico has been approved to fight in Texas, clearing the way for his proposed bout against Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium this fall.

Margarito is expected to face Pacquiao for a vacant junior middleweight title on Nov. 13.

“I want to thank the state of Texas for granting me a boxing license, which enables me to continue my passion for the sport of boxing in the United States,” Margarito said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “I have dedicated my life to giving the fans of the sport entertainment and excitement. On Nov. 13, this great opportunity will ultimately be fulfilled.”

Margarito hasn’t fought in the United States since January 2009, when a plaster-like substance was found in his hand wraps before a fight against Shane Mosley in Los Angeles. Margarito’s license along with that of his former trainer, Javier Capetillo, were revoked for at least one year by the California State Athletic Commission, a decision that was upheld by other states.

The “Tijuana Tornado” honored the revocation, even though he denied knowing anything about the illegal hand wraps. He could have fought outside the United States during his yearlong suspension, but didn’t return to the ring until May 8, about 16 months after his fight against Mosley.

Moving up to junior middleweight, Margarito coasted to a win over Roberto Garcia in Mexico.

“After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules,” Executive Director William Kuntz said in a statement posted on the department’s website. “Based on the review of the above information, I have authorized the issuance of a license to Mr. Margarito.”

The decision was important not only to those involved in the fight, but also to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his opulent stadium near Dallas, as well as the state of Texas.

Any fight involving Pacquiao means big business for the hosts, including massive crowds and hundreds of thousands of pay-per-view purchases. The pound-for-pound king drew 51,000 fans to face the relatively unknown Joshua Clottey on March 13 in the stadium’s first night of boxing.

The choice has drawn the ire of many fans who don’t believe that Margarito should not receive the lucrative payday after what has transpired over the past 18 months. Still, Margarito remains wildly popular in Mexico and the matchup should outdraw the last crowd at Cowboys Stadium.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AhEF5NPdgiNjZWyS_t1JDQOUxLYF?slug=ap-pacquiao-margarito

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Boxing News 2010: Pacquiao dispatches Clottey with ease

Image via WikipediaARLINGTON, Texas — Fighting on the star, Manny Pacquiao showed once again why he is the star.
With most in the crowd of 50,994, the biggest fight crowd in the U.S. in 17 years, cheering him on at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao dominated a strangely passive Joshua Clottey from the opening bell Saturday night to retain his welterweight title.
One ringside judge gave Pacquiao every round; the two others gave him all but one.
Clottey kept his gloves up high in front of his face and chose to engage Pacquiao only in spurts. The strategy worked to keep him upright, but he was never competitive in the biggest fight of his career.
"He's a very tough opponent," Pacquiao said. "He was looking for a big shot."
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-03-14/sports/18831163_1_humberto-soto-manny-pacquiao-joshua-clottey

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Boxing News 2010: Pacquiao vs Clottey fight disappoints boxing fans

Image by mario_d via FlickrMANILA, Philippines – Perhaps spoiled by previous Manny Pacquiao knockouts, only a handful of people from the crowd at SM Megamall Cinema 10 were left applauding and rising from their seats even before the decision, declaring the Filipino boxer the winner, was announced.
“Of course, expectations were not met. It was still a little exciting, though,” said Loy Kaloso, who works for a bank in Pasig City.
He wasn't among those who walked out but Kaloso admitted the fight was not the most exciting one.
“(Joshua Clottey) did not put up a fight. He was playing it safe,” he said, adding that Pacquiao's fight against Miguel Cotto in November was more thrilling.
Only a smattering of applause greeted the announcement that Pacquiao had won by unanimous decision over Clottey although some cheers rang out as Pacquiao was seen celebrating his victory.
http://sports.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20100314-258617/Pacquiao-vs-Clottey-fight-disappoints-boxing-fans