Boxing News 2010: Pac-Man eludes Williams-Martinez winner

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The world middleweight championship is one of the marquee titles in professional boxing, a prize held by some of the greatest fighters who ever lived.

It’s not, apparently, good enough for Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez. The two will meet on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., for the World Boxing Council version of a crown, albeit with a ridiculous agreement insisted upon by Williams’ team that the upper weight limit is 158 pounds and not the division limit of 160.

That’s just another sign of the negotiating power wielded by Williams’ adviser Al Haymon, who dictated to everyone involved – HBO, Martinez promoter Lou DiBella and Williams promoter Dan Goossen – what the terms of the fight would be.

But the middleweight belt is just a sidelight to the Williams-Martinez rematch. The real prize, if any of those would answer honestly, is a fight with the reigning pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao.

Goossen has made no secret of his desire to pit Williams against either Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. DiBella hasn’t been as vocal, but be very certain if Martinez prevails on Saturday, DiBella will plead the case for a Pacquiao-Martinez bout.

They’re going to have to be content with the middleweight belt, however, because Pacquiao isn’t going to fight either man.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, didn’t dismiss the possibility at the postfight news conference Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, that Pacquiao could face the Williams-Martinez winner, but he did on Tuesday.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=Ao5iQCkDhsuOdFEnnXtmBPeUxLYF?slug=ki-titlefightcolumn111710

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Boxing News 2010: Manny Pacquiao unanimous winner

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao more than made up with speed what he lacked in size.

Giving away both pounds and inches, boxing's little superstar turned Antonio Margarito into a bloody and nearly blind fighter with a dizzying array of punches Saturday night in a lopsided decision victory that wasn't close from the opening rounds on.

In a spectacular performance before a delighted crowd of 41,734 at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best fighter in the world by dominating the bigger but slower Margarito almost from the opening bell.

Pacquiao won round after round, opening a cut on Margarito's cheek, closing his right eye, and turning his face into a bloody mess.

The punches came quickly, and they came often. Margarito was plenty game as he tried to stalk Pacquiao around the ring, but every time he got close Pacquiao would land a four- or five-punch combination that snapped his head back and stopped him in his tracks.

The beating was so thorough that the congressman from the Philippines turned to referee Laurence Cole several times in the 11th round, imploring him to stop the fight. It went on, though, even though Margarito had no chance to win.

"I can't believe that I beat someone this big and this strong," Pacquiao said. "It's hard. I really do my best to win the fight."

Pacquiao moved up in weight yet again to take on Margarito, a natural welterweight with a reputation for ruggedness in the ring. And rugged he was, though he took a beating all night long at the hands of a faster and seemingly more powerful opponent.

"There was no way I was gong to quit. I'm a Mexican, we fight until the end," Margarito said.

Pacquiao won every round on one scorecard, 120-108, and was ahead 119-109 and 118-110 on the other two. The Associated Press had it a 120-108 shutout.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/news/story?id=5804295

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Boxing News 2010: High stakes for Pacquiao, Margarito

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound king, and the controversial Antonio Margarito are fighting for different stakes. One fights for history. One for redemption.

Pacquiao had hoped to be in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. defending his welterweight title, but Mayweather refused to fight him and is, as he says, "on vacation," while also now fighting a variety of criminal charges stemming from an alleged domestic dispute in September.

So while Mayweather's next fight will be in the courtroom, Pacquiao has moved on with his career and is moving up in weight yet again as he seeks a vacant junior middleweight belt when he and Margarito meet Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET, $54.95) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington in front of a crowd that could be as large as 70,000, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said at Wednesday's final news conference. That would be a record for an American indoor fight.

If Pacquiao wins, he would claim a title in a record-extending eighth weight class, which, even in this era of title proliferation, is eye-catching.

"It would be an eighth title, which nobody else has ever done, but Manny Pacquiao is a different kind of athlete," said Arum, who also promotes Margarito. "He's very special and the type of accomplishments he has shouldn't really surprise anybody."

Margarito had his license revoked and his once-solid reputation went into the toilet. He was not allowed to fight in the United States and only after California rejected his plea for a return of his license did Texas regulators give him one in September. It was a controversial move, but it paved the way for his fight with Pacquiao, which will be contested at a contract limit of 150 pounds even though the limit for junior middleweights is 154 pounds.

"Antonio knows he needs to win the fight. He's hoping he's going to redeem himself with the victory," said Sergio Diaz, Margarito's co-manager. "But at the same time he says he doesn't really think he'll get the credit he had before [the scandal]. He thinks if he wins there will be people who will say, 'Well, he got lucky. Maybe it was the weight and Manny was too small and Margarito was too big.' I feel, and he feels, he will carry this scandal the rest of his life.

"But I do believe it's going to diminish and you'll hear about it here and there and every time he fights it's always going to be written about and spoken about. It's going to always be there. It's tough to accept it."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=5789959

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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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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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