Boxing News 2011: Miguel Cotto bests Ricardo Mayorga

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Ricardo Mayorga wanted to brawl all night long. Miguel Cotto saved his big punching for the final round.

Cotto fought with discipline for 11 rounds before unleashing a vicious left hook in the 12th round Saturday night that put an exclamation point on his successful defense of his 154-pound title against the wild-swinging Mayorga.

The hook dropped Mayorga to the canvas and he quit a few seconds later, ending an entertaining bout between two boxers trying to resurrect their careers.

"It was a really good fight with an amazing finish," Cotto said.

Cotto was ahead by five points on all three ringside scorecards entering the final round and seemingly headed to a win by decision. But he caught Mayorga in an exchange early in the round and, though Mayorga got up, he told referee Robert Byrd when action resumed that he couldn't go on.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=6211668

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• Cotto stops Mayorga in 12th round to defend title (reuters.com)
• Antonio Margarito Wants a Miguel Cotto Re-Match (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2011: Sergio Martinez drops Sergiy Dzinziruk

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Martinez stopped Sergiy Dzinziruk in the eighth round, knocking down the Ukrainian middleweight three times Saturday night at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino.

Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the bout at 1:43 of the eighth after Martinez (47-2-2, 26 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., sent Dzinziruk down for the third time.

"I was able to hit the gas and accelerate," Martinez said. "I got a new wind, That happens to every human."

After three uneventful rounds to begin the fight, Dzinziruk (37-1, 23 KOs) briefly went down on one knee at the start of Round 4 from a tap on the top of his head.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=6211637

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• Fighter of Year Sergio Martinez set to ring bell for 2011 (reuters.com)

Boxing News 2010: Martinez-Cotto under discussion

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"We had an honest-to-goodness conversation about the fight," DiBella said. "Bob knows we can easily make the fight. He will be meeting with Cotto's people this week and presenting them with various options. Cotto has already proven his mettle time and again, but to do a fight like this, he will get nothing but props from people."

Martinez is willing to drop down to 155 pounds and put his middleweight championship at stake against Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), who won a junior middleweight belt in June by stopping Yuri Foreman in the ninth round at Yankee Stadium -- one fight after Manny Pacquiao knocked Cotto out in the 12th round to take his welterweight belt.

"Cotto is an elite fighter, and this is a very good fight for boxing," said Martinez, who is already back in the gym doing some light training after the win over Williams. "It's a big Latino fight. I will fight him at 155. I would love to fight Cotto. I have a lot of respect for him."

Said DiBella: "Cotto wouldn't be risking his 154-pound belt and would be getting a shot at the middleweight title. If Cotto loses, he goes back and defends his title in other big fights, like against Antonio Margarito [in a rematch] or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. If Cotto beats Martinez, it's a huge accomplishment. If he didn't win, he's still 154-[pound] champion and the Chavez and Margarito bouts are still there for him. It's like the Martinez fight is a free pass. Like he gets two bites at the apple."

DiBella said he and Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs) respect Cotto as "a true warrior, so if Martinez has to struggle a little bit to make 155, so be it. It might be a little bit uncomfortable, but he's not that far removed from fighting at junior middleweight. You know it would be a big fight."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=5878407

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• Sergio Martinez Achieves Superstar Status With Stunning KO of Paul Williams (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: Mayweather should keep dodging Pacquiao

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Antonio Margarito entered the ring standing five inches taller and weighing 17 pounds more than Manny Pacquiao.

By the ninth round, Margarito’s right eye had been nearly closed. His nose was bent. The rest of his face was bloodied and bruised. So pronounced was the destruction that Pacquiao kept turning to the referee and begging him to stop the fight, to end his massacre of this bigger, stronger man.

Somewhere Floyd Mayweather had to be watching this beatdown. He had to be watching this incomparable talent defy all known properties of size and strength. And he had to feel reassured about his recent career decisions.

For Mayweather, ducking Manny Pacquiao has never seemed so smart.

If Mayweather has any brains – and for all his fool’s antics, he most certainly does – he’ll keep dodging the superfight the world wants.

Mayweather (41-0) is a different class of fighter than those men. He’s a darting, defensive wizard who would offer the most formidable technical challenge to Pacquiao. It’s why everyone wants to see the fight made.

At this point, though, Pacquiao has separated himself and each hellacious beating he hands out serves as a new round of caution. Pacquiao isn’t just fast. He isn’t just skilled. He is a destructive force. And increasingly he’s shown to possess a formidable chin. If Pacquiao can put his back on the ropes and take the best shots of Margarito and Cotto, you wonder how the lighter-punching Mayweather could possibly hurt him.

Legal woes should serve as one more roadblock that Mayweather can use. If you’re Floyd Jr., what’s the rush anyway? How many opponents need to be sent to the hospital to try to avoid being the next one?

Mayweather has never faced a relentless force like this. They just don’t exist. Pacquiao threw an astounding 713 power punches and landed an equally astounding 53 percent of them. It’s what carved Margarito’s face to bits.

It was ugly. It was violent. It was an unmistakable message to the one opponent everyone wants to see next.

No one dodges a punch like Mayweather. And the best way to slip Pacquiao’s blinding combination is to keep finding a way to stay out of the ring.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=ApDhHroVgslcmGp21ppspxKUxLYF?slug=dw-pacfloyd11410

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• Pacquiao: 'I don't need Mayweather' (sports.inquirer.net)
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Boxing News 2010: Storylines surround Pacquiao-Margarito

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito square off at Cowboys Stadium in a huge fight on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET, $54.95) and there are a litany of stories surrounding it. Here's what some of those involved in the promotion have to say about some of the storylines:

• If Pacquiao wins and a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. still can't be made, whom will he fight?

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum outlined three possibilities: Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez for a third fight or a rematch with Miguel Cotto.

• The 150-pound catch weight

There's consternation in some quarters because Pacquiao and Margarito are fighting for a vacant junior middleweight title (division limit 154 pounds) but the contract weight is at a catch weight of 150 pounds at the request of the smaller Pacquiao. So while it's still a junior middleweight title bout there are some who believe that Margarito should be allowed to weigh up to 154.

• Prediction?

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach is not shy about making predictions when it comes to fights. On this fight he said, "I think we will overwhelm him with the punches he will land on him with the fast hands and combinations. In eight or nine rounds I think we will break him down. Margarito throws a lot of punches and he makes too many mistakes to beat us. He has bad habits and we are going to take advantage of all of them."

Roach later added, "We'll make him quit. I saw the way Mosley beat him and how he fought Roberto Garcia [in May] and he doesn't impress me. He has terrible footwork. He has too many flaws to beat Manny. Technique-wise he's terrible."

• Watching the hands wrapped

Margarito, of course, is notorious because of the hand-wrapping scandal stemming from the fight with Mosley in January 2009, when he tried to enter the ring with wraps loaded with illegal pads coated in a plaster-like substance. Roach will be watching the wrapping procedure very carefully.

• Who will be the crowd favorite?

North Texas is heavily Hispanic, so Margarito will undoubtedly have strong fan support from Mexican-American fans, but so will Pacquiao, who is popular wherever he fights.

• The toll of the scandal on Margarito and his feelings toward former trainer Javier Capetillo, who was responsible for wrapping his hands:

"Tony has gone to therapy, him and his wife," said Sergio Diaz, Margarito's co-manager. "It was affecting his personal life as well. He's aware it's something that will follow him. He felt just by being in the gym and hoping he would fight again, and this is before he was licensed, it's what kept his mind at peace.

http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blog/_/name/rafael_dan/id/5792388/storylines-surround-pacquiao-margarito

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• Pacquiao vs Margarito Frequently Asked Questions (arkhilario.com)
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Boxing News 2010: Margarito will receive further punishment in the ring

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In terms of competitiveness, this is a terrible matchup. In terms of action, it’s a dream come true –- although the action will be brutally one-sided.

We saw what happened when Margarito, minus the doctored gloves, fought Mosley in January of last year. A 37-year-old who soon afterward showed that he has declined destroyed the rugged Mexican, brutally knocking him out in the ninth round.

And now he’s fighting Pacquiao? The Filipino marvel is 31 and in his prime. He might or might not punch as hard as Mosley at welterweight -- Miguel Cotto would probably lean toward the former -– but he clearly is faster and better than Mosley at this point in their careers.

And forgive the cliché but styles really do make fights. Could Margarito have a better style for Pacquiao? He knows how to fight one way: He stalks his opponent, walking directly into danger. Somewhere Pacquiao is licking his lips in anticipation.

Some might point to Margarito’s pummeling of Cotto as an example of what the Mexican is capable of doing to a quick, talented fighter. That was more than two years ago, though. Margarito looked ordinary against journeyman Roberto Garcia in his only fight since California revoked his license.

Many will point out the size factor: Margarito is a big, strong welterweight while Pacquiao is probably a natural junior welterweight.

How many times do we have to go over this? Size is only a factor when the talent level of the fighters is roughly equal. In this case, the gap in talent is wider than the ocean that separates Mexico and the Philippines.

Pacquiao probably can’t take Margarito out with one punch -– who could? -– but the sacrificial lamb will be hit by an accumulation of punches that almost assuredly will leave him a bloody heap on the canvas before the end of the scheduled 12 rounds.

Imagine a man walking into the whirling propeller of a plane. That’s what’s in store for Margarito.

For the record, I don’t wish this on Margarito. The fact he was about to fight Mosley with loaded gloves was borderline criminal and certainly reprehensible but he’s a friendly guy. You want to believe him when he says he didn’t know –- even if you’re convinced he did.

However, when Pacquiao tears him to pieces, a part of all the angry people who don’t believe he deserves this opportunity, will smile and think to themselves: “He had that coming.”

http://www.ringtv.com/blog/2256/margarito_will_receive_further_punishment_in_the_ring/

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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