Boxing News 2012: Mayweather rant means no Pacquiao fight

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. at the DeWalt event on June 29, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)This was pure Mayweather, unvarnished, unplugged, and totally uninhibited.

He won't fight Pacquiao unless he's convinced he doesn't use steroids - something, by the way, that only Mayweather has accused the Filipino of doing. And there will be no convincing Mayweather that he's wrong.

''You all think I'm scared, I'm a coward? Well guess what? I'm a rich, scared coward. I'm a rich coward,'' Mayweather said. ''And if that's the case, why the hell would you want to watch me? I don't want to watch no coward. I don't want to watch nobody who's scared and you all know for a fact I'm not scared. You all know that.''

I'll take part of the blame for setting Mayweather off. Sitting next to him Tuesday in a VIP check-in room just off the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel, it seemed like a good time to get his thoughts on his main rival.

My mistake.

Instead of an answer, I got a soliloquy. Instead of a yes or no on Pacquiao, I got a disjointed diatribe on all things Mayweather.

He railed about common sense and hat sizes, doing the right thing and protecting his health. He called Bob Arum a professional liar, and suggested I was in the rival promoter's pocket.

He even questioned my patriotism for some odd reason that only his pals seemed to get.

''So, you're an American, right? I'm an American,'' he told me. ''I was in the Olympics. I represent the red, white and blue. You know what the American writers should say? 'Well, why's this guy from another country who comes over here and makes money taking it back to his country?

''Once again, I'm feeding American citizens every day. All I ask is give a little blood, give a little urine. That's a crime?''

Actually, the drug testing shouldn't even be an issue. Arum has already said Pacquiao is willing to take blood and urine tests in the weeks and months leading up to a fight with Mayweather.

But Mayweather seems obsessed with the idea Pacquiao is juicing. He seems to truly believe that Pacquiao has some sort of super human powers other fighters don't.

He's not going to change his mind. And, ultimately, that means no Pacquiao fight.

It is true that Pacquiao has grown noticeably since he first began boxing professionally in 1995 at 106 pounds. He's much more muscular and his body has filled out in the 17 years since then.

However, I reminded Mayweather that he boxed in the 1996 Olympics at 125 pounds, and will be fighting at 154 pounds against Cotto.

''Guess what? It took me years to get to here. Years,'' he said. ''Go back and look at the pictures. First, his head is small. Then, all of a sudden, his head just grew? Come on, man. Stop! Stop this man! Come on, man! This (stuff's) so easy. Ray Charles can see this (stuff). Come on. Come on, now! Come on, man. I told you, it's basic common sense. Look at the pictures and tell me this man's head didn't get bigger? This man probably went from a seven and one-fourth to an eight. In a hat, a fitted hat. And you're going to tell me this (stuff) is all natural? Come on, man. Stop this. I'm going up in weight, but I ain't just walking through no damn fighters.''

If that wasn't clear enough, Mayweather shifted into third person mode to press his point.

''Writers are saying, 'Floyd is scared,''' he said. ''No, Floyd cares about his family. Floyd is smart. At the end of the day, Floyd is smart. My health is important. My health is more important than money. They can take all the money and my health is more important. If they say, 'Floyd, you can live a healthy life like you is right now, or you got to walk with a limp, and walk all bent over, but you can have a lot of money for the rest of your life,' I'd say, 'Take it all back.'''

Guess we should give the guy a break. He's got a fight that might be tougher than most Saturday night, and he'll barely have time to relax afterward when he's due at the Las Vegas jail to begin serving what's expected to be a two-month sentence for domestic abuse.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/column-mayweather-rant-means-no-221255727--box.html;_ylt=Aqb_jWBJ86X5h.z7Rnkj6DCUxLYF

Related articles

• Opinion: Mayweather-Pacquiao won't happen (nbcsports.msnbc.com)
• Mayweather rant means no Pacquiao fight (sports.inquirer.net)
• Floyd Mayweather Says He's Not Scared of Pacquiao, Fighting Him is a Health Risk (thesource.com)
• Mayweather rants on Pacquiao: 'You all think I'm a coward? Well guess what? I'm a rich coward' (offthebench.nbcsports.com)
• Pacquiao promoter fires back in Mayweather row (espn.co.uk)
• Floyd Mayweather beat Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision (faniq.com)
• Mayweather scared to fight Pacquiao because he's a 'health risk' (twitchy.com)

Boxing News 2011: Mayweather-Ortiz prelude to Mayweather-Pacquiao

Image via Wikipedia
Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, sees the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz fight as more than just Mayweather’s return to the ring and a compelling matchup.

He sees it as a potential prelude to the biggest-possible matchup in boxing sometime soon: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, which could everyone involved untold millions.

 “It might mean that he’s getting ready for Manny because he’s fighting a southpaw,” Roach said Wednesday at a news conference to promote the July 23 fight between Amir Khan, his fight, and Zab Judah. “That’s interesting. I think Victor is a big, strong guy who is gonna come to fight.

“I hope Victor wins the fight. If he doesn’t, it will give me a lot better blueprint of how to fight his guy [Mayweather].”

He continued: “Right now the best fight to watch for how to fight Mayweather is Zab [in 2006]. Zab had success for four rounds. Once Mayweather decided to go offensive in that fight, though, he ate him up. And that gave me a good look at Zab for this fight [Khan-Judah].”

Roach is a big fan of Ortiz. The trainer predicted he would upset Andre Berto to win the WBC welterweight title in April, which became reality.

And he believes Ortiz has a shot against Mayweather.

“I think he does,” Roach said. “He’s a big, strong kid. He’s fighting a guy who hasn’t fought in a year and a half. I think he has a real shot. The southpaw stance could give [Mayweather] trouble.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/box;_ylt=Au0RCYMf7DJxjVVsGwcgShyaxLYF

Related articles

• Amir Khan to fight Zab Judah in Las Vegas (mirror.co.uk)
• Mayweather to Return Against Ortiz in September (nytimes.com)
• Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez: Trilogy Should Be Fought (bleacherreport.com)
• Mayweather announces next opponent (dynaspisports.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Jr to fight Victor Ortiz for WBC welterweight title (guardian.co.uk)

Boxing News 2011: Mayweather-Pacquiao could happen after all

Image via Wikipedia
Floyd Mayweather Jr. gets beaten up a lot. In the media. On the Internet. By reporters. By fans.

But the erstwhile pound-for-pound champion has yet to be beaten where it matters – in the ring. Mayweather is 41-0-0, which, if you’d forgotten, is three fewer losses and two fewer draws than are on Manny Pacquiao’s record. And if you didn’t know that, just listen to Mayweather speak for a while. He’ll be quick to remind you of it.

The guy is a genius. He may not be the nicest guy you’ll run into and you definitely don’t want to draw the security patrol duty in his neighborhood, but he knows how to grab attention and sell himself.

The genius of this match with Ortiz is that it will come about two months before Pacquiao fights Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will be in the early days of his training camp for Marquez when Mayweather climbs into the ring to face Ortiz, presumably at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, though that was not announced on Tuesday.

But Mayweather could invite Pacquiao to come to the fight as his guest. He could infuriate Pacquiao’s loyal legion of followers, who become irate if one says anything that could in any way be construed as remotely critical of Pacquiao, by taunting him and telling him to watch how a real professional operates.

Of course, you know he’ll taunt Pacquiao for picking at his leftovers. Mayweather won 11 of 12 rounds against Mosley in 2010 and won all 12 in a demolition of Marquez in 2009. He also beat Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya before Pacquiao did the same.

That will just up the ante for a fight between them, one that would almost certainly shatter every existing record in terms of revenue generated, paid gate and pay-per-views sold.

The thing that makes a Mayweather-Pacquiao match so fascinating is the great contrast in style. Mayweather is a defensive maestro and an underrated offensive fighter whose jab sets up a range of other punches, all of which are delivered with near-perfect precision and blinding speed. Pacquiao is an offensive machine whose overwhelming punching power and killer instinct make up for whatever small defensive holes he may have.

Golden Boy, which is promoting Mayweather, and Top Rank, which promotes Pacquiao, couldn’t have asked for anything better: Pacquiao sitting ringside at Mayweather-Ortiz on Sept. 17 and then Mayweather cheering on Marquez at ringside at Pacquiao-Marquez on Nov. 12.

The fact that Mayweather chose as his opponent Ortiz, a strong, powerful offensive fighter just moving into his prime rather than a fading Paul Spadafora, could be construed as a sign that he’s getting himself ready for the offensive onslaught he may see when he takes on Pacquiao.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AmdGpIXz2BBdpeHOSFtzuS.UxLYF?slug=ki-iole_mayweather_pacquiao_ortiz060711

Related articles

• Mayweather preparing for long-awaited fight with Pacquiao? (tsn.ca)
• Mayweather to Return Against Ortiz in September (nytimes.com)
• Mayweather to end layoff against Ortiz (canada.com)
• Mayweather to fight Ortiz after year-plus layoff (sports.espn.go.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Jr to fight Victor Ortiz for WBC welterweight title (guardian.co.uk)
• Floyd Mayweather Will Fight Victor Ortiz In September In Return To Boxing (sbnation.com)

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

Image via Wikipedia
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

Related articles

• Manny Pacquiao: Why Arum and Roach are More Important Than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: Who is next for Pacquiao?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The front runners for Pacquiao’s next opponent are Mosley and Berto. There’s no way they’ll fight each other. Mosley is near the end. If he’s going to get wiped out he wants it to be against a great fighter in the biggest fight of the year, not against a young, still-largely unproven beltholder such as Berto.

My guess is that Mosley will get the Pacquiao fight. He’s the best known of Pac’s potential opponents for next year (and no, I’m not including the troubled Mr. Mayweather) and the perception is that he presents the least amount of risk at this stage of his career. Arum believes he can sell a Pacquiao-Mosley fight to the general public and Sugar Shane has endeared himself to the old promoter now that he’s distanced himself from Golden Boy Promotions.

Marquez was always a long shot to get a third bout with Pacquiao, and I’m kind of glad. I don’t care that he weighed 145 pounds on fight night vs. Katsidis. The fact that he made 134 pounds the day before tells me that extra poundage he put on was just water weight -- not muscle. Marquez is not a welterweight. Period. Marquez is an old, small lightweight. Don’t even call him a junior welterweight. There isn’t a world-class junior welterweight alive who can make 134 pounds without killing himself. Pacquiao would kill himself making 134 pounds. Pacquiao would have to seriously dry out to make 140 pounds. We should all forget about Pacquiao-Marquez III unless Manny decides he wants to go against Freddie Roach and Arum and agree to weigh-in between 140 and 142 pounds. Even then, he’ll have a distinct size and strength advantage over Marquez. I think JMM has given fans enough thrills in hard, grueling fights. I don’t want to see him take any more serious punishment. That’s what a Pacquiao fight equals, in my not-so-humble opinion, punishment.

http://www.ringtv.com/blog/2572/dougies_friday_mailbag/

Related articles

• Marquez ready for Round 3 with Pacquiao (nypost.com)
• Pacquiao to choose from three opponents for next fight (reuters.com)

Boxing News 2010: Manny Pacquiao's Next Fight: Why Juan Manuel Marquez Is Not It

Image by sjsharktank via Flickr
The fight everyone wants to see is Pacquiao vs Maywether. One thing I am willing to bet on is that this will not be Pacquiao's next fight. Mayweather needs to fight someone as a tune up match before Pacquiao. Someone he can fight with no real risk of a loss. Maybe Mayweather takes KJ Noons up on his challenge.

In the meantime who will Pacquiao fight?  Some say Marquez should be Pacquiao's next fight. In fact, Oscar De La Hoya tweeted after the fight with Katsidis, "Great fights now let's rally for a Marquez paquiao fight," from his official verified twitter account. The fact is that Manny Pacquiao has one win and one draw over Marquez. The draw was due to the fact that one judge had it 115-110 for Marquez, another 115-110 for Pacquiao and Judge Burt Clements sealed the draw with a 113-113 score, but he admitted making a mistake. He should have had the first round 10-6 for Pacquiao instead of 10-7 because Pacquiao had knocked Marquez down 3 times in the first round. Pacquiao would have won, had Clements added the third knockdown to the scorecard for round 1.

So Pacquiao has really beat Marquez twice. Why would he fight him again. Die hard Marquez fans that say Pacquiao is ducking Marquez or Pacquiao is afraid of Marquez, are really just kidding themselves. They refuse to come to grips with the reality that Marquez is past his prime and Pacquiao is peaking in his. Marquez has less of a chance this time because has not only improved tremendously but is bigger and stronger since they last fought. So why would he think he can win? Maybe he just wants one last huge payday. Maybe he wants to be in the spotlight one last time. Or is that Marquez possibly has delusions of grandeur. Who knows. What I wanted to know is how can he realistically be in the pound for pound discussion when you have a new era of talent and he has lost to Pacquiao twice. Doesn't someone who hasn't lost to Pacquiao twice deserve a shot?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/529072-pacquiaos-next-fight-and-why-juan-manuel-marquez-is-not-it-vote-on-who-is

Related articles

• Manny Pacquiao: Trainer Says Pacquiao Would Finish Mosley Like Margarito (bleacherreport.com)
• Juan Manuel Marquez ready for Round 3 with Manny Pacquiao (sports.espn.go.com)

Boxing News 2010: Juan Manuel Marquez wants rematch

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Juan Manuel Marquez didn't waste any time after defending his lightweight title before setting his sights on Round 3 with Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez stopped Michael Katsidis in the ninth round Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, winning an all-action battle and certain candidate for Fight of the Year. Moments later, he turned his attention to settling the score with the man considered the best in the world.

"Obviously, Pacquiao is my priority. I'll go up to 140 [pounds], it's no problem," Marquez said through a translator. "Stop making excuses, Manny. Fight me."

The two have met twice before, and both of the bouts were thrilling. They fought to a 12-round draw in 2004, and Pacquiao won a close split decision in March 2008.

Pacquiao, who has discussed retiring in three years, said at a news conference Monday in Manila that he's willing to fight Marquez again but that the match would probably not excite fans. He sounded doubtful himself, saying "I would not watch Pacquiao vs. Marquez."

Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday that a third fight with Marquez is a distinct possibility, although just like everyone else, he's waiting to see whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. steps into the ring against Pacquiao in what could be the richest fight in boxing history.

"If we do a deal with Marquez, and it'd be a money deal, they can come and represent Marquez at press conferences and that kind of stuff, but they wouldn't have anything to do with the promotion, nor would Lou," Arum said. "They would in effect be signing the fighter to us, because at this point, Manny doesn't have to do co-promotions with anybody."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5860025

Related articles

• Manny Pacquiao's Next Fight: Why Juan Manuel Marquez Is Not It (bleacherreport.com)

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

Image via Wikipedia

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

Related articles

• Paul Williams Is the Only Current Prizefighter Who Could Beat Manny Pacquiao (bleacherreport.com)
• Martinez, Williams all set for Atlantic City rematch (nypost.com)
• Martinez-Williams could be bright spot in dismal boxing year (nypost.com)

Boxing News 2010: Mayweather should keep dodging Pacquiao

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

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

Related articles

• Pacquiao: 'I don't need Mayweather' (sports.inquirer.net)
• It's time for Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao, says Roach (guardian.co.uk)
• Manny Pacquiao: Why He Must Fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Next To Stay Popular (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: High stakes for Pacquiao, Margarito

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

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

Related articles

• Manny Pacquaio's team questions legality of Antonio Margarito's gloves (guardian.co.uk)
• Antonio Margarito Defeat of Manny Pacquiao Key to Sealing Pacquiao-Mayweather (bleacherreport.com)
• Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito: What Happens to the Boxing World Afterward? (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: I’d Have Schooled Pacquiao in my Prime — De La Hoya

Image by Kaloozer via Flickr

MANILA, Philippines — Seems like Oscar De La Hoya simply can’t get over Manny Pacquiao.

On Wednesday, Michael Marley of Examiner.com had a brief chit chat with the Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) big boss, who was in Brooklyn to grace a media event announcing GBP’s tie-up with Barclays Center (who will be housing the New Jersey Nets in the NBA) to promote boxing in New York.

Marley, wanting to strike up a lively conversation with the 37-year-old Hall of Famer, asked De La Hoya what he thinks could be the outcome if he were given the chance to face the Manny Pacquiao of today during his prime.

“Whew,” De La Hoya said. “Different story.”

De La Hoya, who set a 2.5 million pay-per-view record against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in 2007, would surely want to erase the memory of his brutal loss to the pound-for-pound king during their December 2008 showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where he was forced to quit on his stool just before the bell signaled the start of the ninth round.

Pacquiao landed 195 of the 333 power punches he unleashed against De La Hoya in that match, or a staggering 59 percent accuracy, as compared to less than one-third of what De La Hoya converted from the 164 he threw.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/279637/i-d-have-schooled-pacquiao-my-prime-de-la-hoya

Related articles by Zemanta

• Could Oscar De Hoya Beat Manny Pacquiao In His Prime? (bleacherreport.com)
• Pacquiao to Win Fight Despite Margarito's Height and Reach Advantages (bleacherreport.com)
• Oscar DeLa Hoya Enrages Boxing Fans On Failed Pacquiao-Mayweather Fight (bleacherreport.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Might Be A Punk According To Freddie Roach [Boxing] (deadspin.com)
• Manny Pacquiao, Not Floyd Mayweather, is a Warrior (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: Martinez, Williams to the rescue

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Promoters Lou DiBella and Dan Goossen got this message earlier than most. They have put together a rematch between WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams that is sure to lessen some of the disappointment most boxing fans currently feel.

If boxing ever needed to smooth things over with its fans it does now, and Martinez-Williams II (set for Nov. 20 on HBO) will likely do it.

"This is a can't-miss fight," Williams promoter Goossen told ESPN.com during a prefight news conference Thursday. "This isn't a fight that we are going to look back at on Nov. 21 and say, 'It looked better on paper.'

"There is no way this fight isn't going to look great on paper and in the ring on Nov. 20. There is no doubt about it. We have two elite athletes, two of the most feared fighters in the world, two of the most aggressive ones fighting each other and two of the fighters with the most heart fighting each other," Goossen said.

"It's going to be an explosive night of boxing."

Williams (39-1-0, 27 knockouts) won the hotly contested first meeting -- on Dec. 6, 2009 -- by majority decision. The rematch will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., where the original bout was held.

Each fighter used every weapon in his arsenal. Neither took a backward step.

There is no reason to expect less action in the rematch. If Williams and Martinez are half as motivated as they were in the original, boxing fans are in for a much-deserved treat.

Based on the excitement in their voices and the personal goals each has set for himself, fireworks are just about guaranteed.

Both Martinez and Williams are ranked in the top five on most boxing pound-for-pound lists. Neither, however, is satisfied with his current status.

Each man wants to be the best in the sport, and a victory Nov. 20 will go a long way toward achieving that goal.

Williams is in the better position to control his destiny. He is expected to immediately begin campaigning for a 147-pound bout against Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- the only fighters ranked ahead of him -- following a win over Martinez.

For Martinez (45-2-2, with 24 KOs), reaching the top of boxing's pound-for-pound rankings might prove more difficult. Even with a win over Williams, a future bout against Pacquiao or Mayweather is highly unlikely. Martinez can't cut to 147 pounds.

http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blog/_/name/boxing

Related articles by Zemanta

• Martinez-Williams could be bright spot in dismal boxing year (nypost.com)
• Williams, Martinez to fight rematch on Nov. 20 (tsn.ca)
• Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams Rematch Helps Anchor a 2010 November To Remember (bleacherreport.com)
• Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez II Locked and Loaded For November 20th (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: Shane Mosley, Sergio Mora fight to draw

Image by Puma Booma via Flickr

LOS ANGELES -- Sugar Shane Mosley wanted a victory that would earn him another big-money fight. Sergio Mora wanted to re-establish himself as an elite boxer.

Neither left Staples Center satisfied after their 12-round draw Saturday night.

The junior middleweight bout was an anticlimactic end to a solid card that featured spectacular knockout wins by Victor Ortiz, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Daniel Ponce De Leon.

In a sometimes dull fight, the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) didn't get redemption for his one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May, and Mora (22-1-2, 6 KOs) fell short of his biggest victory.

Both fighters were booed by the crowd, which chanted "Canelo! Canelo!" -- the nickname of the rising 20-year-old Mexican star -- during the main event.

"We both fought hard," Mosley said. "It was good fight, a good decision."

The fight was very difficult to score, with judge Kermit Bayless calling it 115-113 for Mora, David Denkin giving Mosley a 116-112 edge, and Lou Moret ruling it even at 114-114. The scores at press row were equally divided, from a six-point victory for Mosley to a four-point win for Mora.

Mosley had an edge in the CompuBox punchstats, landing 161 of 522 punches to 93 of 508 for Mora.

Mora, who held the 154-pound title in 2008, said he actually let up because he thought he was winning the fight down the stretch.

"I should've listened to my corner," he said. "They were telling me that it was a close fight. I thought I was winning, so I didn't fight as hard because I have respect for Shane. I didn't want to hurt him."

Mosley was the aggressor from the beginning, but had a difficult time landing clean punches because Mora is a standout defensive fighter. The former 154-pound titleholder consistently danced out of harm's way or tied up Mosley when he got inside.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5590908

Related articles by Zemanta

• Boxing: Mosley, Mora fit to be tied (theglobeandmail.com)
• Mosley, Mora fight to 12-round draw at Staples Center (tsn.ca)
• Shane Mosley, Sergio Mora fight to unsatisfying draw (sports.espn.go.com)
• Mosley, Mora Fight to Draw at Staples Center (nytimes.com)
• Mosley-Mora fight ruled draw as judges disagree (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
• Mosley frustrated by Mora (skysports.com)

Boxing News 2010: Erik Morales: Best I've faced

Image via Wikipedia

In his prime, and even as his hall-of-fame career began to wind down, there was no better elite-level warrior than Erik Morales. Few fighters of the past 20 years were as consistently entertaining against the sport’s best as the Tijuana native, who produced fight-of-the-year ring wars and instant-classic trilogies with fellow first-ballot hall of famers Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao.

Best boxer: Junior Jones -- This is a tough question. I faced a lot of good boxers in my career, but I think Jones might be the best. He had very good technique. He threw straight, accurate punches. He could punch too. He hurt me in our fight.

Best puncher: Jones -- I really felt it when he connected. I remember freezing for a second in the second round of our fight when he caught me with a right hand.

Quickest hands: Pacquiao -- Pacquiao had the quickest hands. Jones was faster with single punches from the outside, but Pacquiao could deliver four or five quick, short punches in combination in the blink of an eye. Both guys had the kind of speed that you couldn’t see.

Quickest feet: Hector Acero-Sanchez -- He kept running or walking around the ring the entire fight. I never knew where he was going or what he was going to do. I just wanted to fight. It was a frustrating night.

Best defense: Acero-Sanchez -- I had a hard time finding him. He kept his gloves up and he never stopped moving in and out and around me.

Best chin: In-Jin Chi -- That was one very tough guy. I should have knocked him out with the number of hard punches I landed to his chin, but he just kept coming forward all night. He was strong and he had great conditioning.”

Best jab: Zahir Raheem -- Everything he did was off his jab. That was his key punch. He was all about the jab, and that jab gave me trouble.

Strongest: Pacquiao -- Often guys who are as muscular looking as he is aren’t that strong in the ring, but he is strong. Very strong. Chi was physically strong, too. He had the strength to push me around and wrestle with me on the inside, but Pacquiao was more explosive. He is a very powerful man in the ring.

Smartest: Raheem -- I never liked the way he fought and I didn’t like that fight for me. I knew it would be difficult. I didn’t have the best camp for Raheem, but even if I had had a great camp, he would have been frustrating because he’s so cagey.

“My fights with Barrera and Pacquiao are among those tough fights, but I don’t see them as being any more special than my tough fights with (Wayne) McCullough, (Guty) Espadas, Chi, (Jesus) Chavez, (Carlos) Hernandez and (David) Diaz. I’ve had so many wars I forget some of them. You or anyone else can probably put together a Top 20 list of my toughest fights.”

That’s why Morales is a modern legend.

http://www.ringtv.com/blog/2295/erik_morales_best_ive_faced/

Related articles by Zemanta

• Manny Pacquiao, Not Floyd Mayweather, is a Warrior (bleacherreport.com)
• Why did Mayweather turn down fight with Pacquiao? (trueslant.com)
• Marquez dominates Diaz to keep lightweight belts (sfgate.com)
• 10 Reasons Antonio Margarito Will Never Knock Manny Pacquiao (bleacherreport.com)
• Manny Pacquiao: 10 Reasons He'd Fare Better in UFC Than James Toney (bleacherreport.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Is a Loser Because He Is Afraid to Lose to Pacquiao (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: Time for Money Mayweather to shut up and fight

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Give Floyd Mayweather Jr. credit for one thing. Like any great fighter, he knows when to turn and run.

A day after unleashing a racist rant against Manny Pacquiao that was insulting even by boxing standards, Mayweather was at it again. Surprisingly, this time it was to apologize.

“Forgive me for saying what I said,” Mayweather said in yet another video. “I was just having fun. I didn’t really mean it, nothing in a bad way.”

Oh, what fun it was, for as long it lasted. Fighting words, from a man who refuses to fight.

But, hey, what did you really expect from Money May?

Not an apology, surely. With all the sycophants and yes men who surround Mayweather it’s a wonder he was able to figure out that this time he had crossed the line from fun to just plain disgusting.

But cross it he had, in a 10-minute video that was racist, homophobic, and an insult to Filipinos everywhere.

If Mayweather’s idea was to get people to back off criticism for him not fighting Pacquiao this fall, it didn’t work. He still seems to be afraid of either the fight or the thought that he could actually lose.

But if his idea was to get Pacquiao’s attention, he succeeded.

Pacquiao sat in his hotel room in Texas and watched Mayweather unleash every derogatory Asian stereotype he could come up with. Then he pressed the play button to watch it once more, his expression never changing.

The fighter in him probably wanted a shot at Mayweather right then and there. The politician in him thought better of it.

“It’s an uneducated message,” the congressman from the province of Sarangani said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AmpHABJ1TO87dNPzrJOscZSUxLYF?slug=ap-timdahlberg-090410

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The Ongoing Saga Gets Testy and Personal (bleacherreport.com)
• Manny Pacquiao Ignores Floyd Mayweather's Insults, Begins Training (bleacherreport.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Unleashes Racist Rant Against Manny Pacquiao (arkhilario.com)
• Censure Mayweather for racist rants - Fil-Am group (globalnation.inquirer.net)
• Floyd Mayweather Racist Rant: Nail in Coffin for Manny Pacquiao Fight? (bleacherreport.com)
• Manny Pacquiao Responds to Racist Rant (everyjoe.com)
• Mayweather could make amends for his racist rant by fighting Pacquiao instead (thestar.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Apologizes For Racist Video Rant Against Pacquiao (newsone.com)
• Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao: A Call To Unite Boxing Fans (bleacherreport.com)

Boxing News 2010: Floyd Mayweather: 'I'll cook that chump'

Image via Wikipedia

Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has steadfastly refused to answer questions about the most recent round of failed negotiations for a fight with Manny Pacquiao, has unleashed a profanity-filled racist and homophobic Internet rant against the Filipino star.

In an approximately 10-minute UStream video, apparently made Thursday and also posted on YouTube, Mayweather repeated his assertion that Pacquiao uses performance-enhancing drugs, an accusation that resulted in a defamation lawsuit from Pacquiao earlier this year.

"I'm on vacation for about a year, about a year," Mayweather said. "As soon as we come off vacation, we're going to cook that little yellow chump. We ain't worried about that. So they ain't gotta worry about me fighting the midget. Once I kick the midget ass, I don't want you all to jump on my d---. So you all better get on the bandwagon now. ... Once I stomp the midget, I'll make that mother f----- make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice."

"The video speaks for itself," Pacquiao said in a statement given to ESPN.com by his publicist, Fred Sternburg.

"At this particular time I don't know if I'm gonna fight again," Mayweather said. "As of right now, I truly believe I am gonna fight again, but as of right now I don't have the urge to get up. But when I do got the urge to get up, believe me my UStream and my Twitter fans will be the first to know, and when we do come back, we will kick 'Poochiao' ass. So I'll let the fans know. Don't worry, we'll kick 'Poochiao' ass. He's gonna take the urine and blood test."

All terms had been agreed to in January for Mayweather and Pacquiao to meet in March, except for the drug testing protocol. Mayweather had demanded that he and Pacquiao submit to random blood and urine tests throughout the buildup to the fight. Pacquiao agreed to random urine tests, but they could not come to an agreement on the blood testing protocol and the fight imploded.

During the video, Mayweather also went on a rant about Pacquiao's record, even though Pacquiao has not lost a fight since 2005, and made false comments about the money each had received for recent fights and endorsements.

" 'Poochiao' got three losses and two draws and been knocked out twice," Mayweather said. "So, like I said before, once I beat him it's going to be a cakewalk and it's on to the next. ... We know Pacquiao made $6 million in his last fight and Floyd Mayweather made $65 million in his last fight. Three losses, two draws. Ohhh, hell no, this is America baby. We built on winning. Step your game up, f----t. ... That mother f----- Pacquiao, he can't speak no English. He never seen a contract he didn't like. Mother f----- signed with two companies [Top Rank and Golden Boy]. Look it up. And then this mother f------ with Nike only got 70 Gs. How stupid can a mother f----- be? Reebok gave me a million dollars for three weeks. I wore Reebok s--- for a week for a million dollars. ... This mother f------]'s name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets."

Mayweather also broke out into a bizarre song in which he called Pacquiao a "whore" and added: "When we do come back, we'll kick 'Poochiao's' ass. I'm gonna fight the Pacman when he gets off the power pellets."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5527403

Related articles by Zemanta

• Floyd Mayweather Racist Rant: Nail in Coffin for Manny Pacquiao Fight? (bleacherreport.com)
• Floyd Mayweather's Racist Homophobic Rant Caught On Tape (VIDEO) (realestateradiousa.com)
• Manny Pacquiao, Not Floyd Mayweather, is a Warrior (bleacherreport.com)
• Manny Pacquiao on a Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout: 'He needs me' (sports.espn.go.com)
• So, Is Floyd Mayweather Scared? [Boxing] (deadspin.com)
• Pacquiao Still Wants Fight Against Mayweather (abcnews.go.com)
• Should Manny Pacquiao Get More Money Than Floyd Mayweather In The Fight? (bleacherreport.com)
• Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather: Roger Mayweather Says Fight Will Happen (bleacherreport.com)
• A Boxing Fantasy: Floyd Mayweather Moves To 42-0 (bleacherreport.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Might Be A Punk According To Freddie Roach [Boxing] (deadspin.com)
• Floyd Mayweather Jr. Racist Against Manny Pacquiao (everyjoe.com)