Published by Scoop Malinowski

Manny Pacquiao has already agreed to drug tests before and after the March 13th fight, isn’t that enough for Golden Boy and Floyd?

It is public knowledge that Roy Jones, James Toney and others have tested positive for substances after fights through the established testing system . If Manny Pacquiao is on a performance enhancer isn’t the current testing system reliable enough to detect and capture him – if he is cheating?

Why is Golden Boy and Floyd doubting the current testing system which has proven to work – are they indirectly accusing Pacquiao and the Nevada State Athletic Commission to be capable of CORRUPTION?

Was Richard Schaefer or Golden Boy involved in the selection of the judges of the Guzman-Funeka fight in Quebec City?

Are the actions of Golden Boy, Richard Schaefer and Floyd consistent with an entity that wants to stage “Boxing’s Super Bowl”? Or would they prefer to kill the fight and stage a 10-round sparring session between Floyd Mayweather and Matthew Hatton?

Why won’t Golden Boy and Richard Schaefer and Floyd Mayweather demand and accept a urine test 48, 36 or 24 hours before the fight? Why must it be a blood test – is this their last and final way to kill the fight, except for Floyd coming up with another rib injury?

Are Golden Boy and Floyd hoping that by drawing blood from Manny Pacquiao within 24 or 48 hours of the fight, that this never before used tactic (to the best of my knowledge) in boxing history could have a minute but mental and physical effect on the strength and punch force of Manny Pacquiao in the fight? Could the loss of blood be their way to try and negate the vaunted power of the Filippino, which they fear?

Why did Bernard Hopkins and George Peterson previously say on the record that they believe the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight will NOT happen on March 13? Are they privy to secretly planned insider information?

Does Golden Boy and Richard Schaefer know that Floyd Mayweather is a “psychological coward” who will never fight any man who has a chance to brutally beat him to a bloody pulp, and therefore must DO ANYTHING to protect their scared fighter from a signing a contract that could lead to a devastatingly brutal knockout loss, so therefore they can continue to try and milk him with safer handpicks like Matt Hatton in order to fulfill a five-fight contract?

Where is Matthew Hatton lately and why has he not spoken to anyone from the boxing media?

Is Golden Boy standing on the edge of the financial cliff and knows it must protect it’s only significant asset of Mayweather from taking part in a fight that would destroy his career, his confidence and his future drawing power?

Do Golden Boy and Richard Schaefer look at Manny Pacquiao in total awe and dream about promoting such a wonder of the world type superstar? Do Golden Boy and Richard Schaefer ever compare Floyd to Pacquiao in terms of charisma, personality and drawing power and enviously conclude Top Rank is holding a bag of GOLD while they are holding a bag of **** in comparison?

Did Golden Boy or Richard Schaefer have anything whatsoever to do with the selection of the judges of the Guzman-Funeka fight?

Since the devastating KO of Miguel Cotto, has Floyd Mayweather carried himself like an ultimate warrior with supreme confidence, eagerly waiting to take part in the biggest event in boxing history? Or is Floyd acting like a frightened coward, desperately trying to set up block after block to prevent the fight from ever happening?

Why did George Peterson, who works with Floyd advisor Al Haymon, as they together guide the career of Paul Williams, insist with vehemence and certainty on December 2nd in New York City
that the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight “isn’t gonna happen” because some fights are “not meant to be made?”

Does Golden Boy and Floyd Mayweather fully realize that Manny Pacquiao can’t be beaten by a manufactured illusion with fast fading skills and confidence and therefore must resort to the ridiculous ploy of drawing blood from the man’s body within 24 or 48 hours of the biggest event in the history of the sport?

Does Golden Boy fear seeing it’s THIRD high value asset in a row lose by brutal knockout to Manny Pacquiao and therefore to ensure the survival of the company must protect it’s already psychologically beaten fraud (no win situation) from the certain defeat?

Does Golden Boy see Pacquiao vs. Floyd as a NO WIN SITUATION?

Why does Golden Boy and Floyd Mayweather feel the desperate need to randomly test a one-dimensional fighter, who as Floyd stated, “Knows he can’t beat me” though the said figther is willing to be tested before and after the fight?

By demanding and employing Olympic style testing and not the customary Las Vegas procedure, are Golden Boy and Floyd Mayweather implying that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will use CORRUPTION and FOUL PLAY to benefit Manny Pacquiao on March 13?

And one more time: Did Richard Schaefer or Golden Boy HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SELECTION OF THE THREE JUDGES OF THE GUZMAN-FUNEKA FIGHT?

After Pacquiao knocks out Mayweather, just what assets are Golden Boy left with? And how much revenue can they generate with Hopkins and Mosley who, despite being top rated pound for pound fighters, have each been mysteriously inactive for over a year each?

Source: http://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/why-are-golden-boy-floyd-trying-to-kill-the-fight/

By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com

To borrow the famous quote, “Only in America”, I say: “Only in boxing” where mind games get center attention so much so that they may even lead to cancellation of a fight.
 
Case in point:- The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight that is supposed to happen on March 13th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Team Mayweather started it all.

The mind games comes in form of several demands . Some are within reason, but one in particular is just so mind-boggling that there is just one word to aptly describe it.

Out-of-this-world!

Team Mayweather is demanding “Olympic-style drug testing” insinuating that Pacquiao is on something that needs to be tested.

That has never been done in professional boxing!

Why create a precedence for a sport that until lately has been struggling for survival?

With the Team Mayweather insisting so strongly, surely there must be a covert reason they can use to their advantage.

The Mayweathers know that Pacquiao is very superstitious and would never agree to random blood testing all through the whole training period. They know it because Freddie Roach stated it so. And, Pacquiao himself has demonstrated such beliefs in the past like not wanting to fly to Vegas from LA where he trains and refusing to stay at a different hotel other than the room he always stayed at the Mandalay Bay during fight week.

Roach said Pacquiao will never agree to random testing. But, he would gladly submit to it at the initial press conference to announce the fight sometime early January. And, he has no objection about doing it again right after the fight.

So what’s wrong with that?

A blood test during the initial press conference is reasonable enough particularly for a fellow like Pacquiao who passed all the testing conducted by the State of Nevada. Admittedly, they are only urine tests. But, they are reliable and should be enough.

Probably Team Mayweather is hoping that Pacquiao would not agree to the random testing.

Then they can go out there and say all the things they are saying before. That is, Pacquiao is on something and is scared to be caught by the random testing. (In fact, latest reports did indicate that Pacquiao is refusing the random testing.)

But, in all probability that is just a smoke screen.

The Mayweathers will “reluctantly agree” not to have the random testing and look good before everybody particularly in the eyes of the fans and the media. And, Pacquiao will certainly look bad.

Score one for psychological advantage in favor of Junior.

But, there is something else. The ulterior motive, remember?

Not having random testing opens the door for everybody to use drugs, Junior included.

And, it would not be a surprise if he does because he simply would not be outdone by Pacquiao.

And, with Junior running scared, I am sure he will do everything to keep the “playing field equal” no matter the consequences.

If he believes that Pacquiao is on drugs, he too will take them on the mistaken belief that it will equalize things.

And, if Pacquiao is not on drugs as he claims, them Junior will have all the advantage due to the drugs.

A smart move by Team Mayweather? I don’t think so.

Exposed? No doubt about it!

 Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-31568.html

By Brent Matteo Alderson

Just this past weekend at the Timothy Bradley-Lamont Peterson, Pacquiao’s cutman, Miguel Diaz, commented, “Pacquiao doesn’t want to fight in Los Angeles and Mayweather doesn’t want to fight in Texas so we’ll see what happens.” And according to the most recent reports, it seem like the fight is going to land in Las Vegas, which makes sense since it is the site preferred by both fighters.

Why would Pacquiao and Mayweather have wanted to fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles anyway? Yes the company, AEG, which owns the facility, offered a lucrative twenty million dollar site fee, but you have to look at the particulars of that offer to understand that the only people that would have benefited from the mega-bout taking place at the Staples Center are Golden Boy Promotions and AEG.

First off, Golden Boy Promotions has worked with AEG for a number of years and in the Spring of 2008 the world-wide facilities company bought share in De La Hoya’s promotional firm and the alliance has proved valuable to De La Hoya’s firm which regularly puts on shows at Club Nokia, another one of the company’s sites directly across from the Staple Center. They also staged Mosley-Margarito as well as Victor Ortiz’s war with Maidana this past June at Staples and De La Hoya fought Steve Forbes at the Home Depot Center, another one of company’s properties.

Without question the partnership has been more beneficial to De La Hoya’s firm because like HBO, AEG entered into the agreement, thinking that the company would be involved in major cross over promotions involving boxing’s number one superstar; De La Hoya himself.

Unfortunately for HBO and AEG, the Golden Boy’s involvement in the sport as a participant was unceremoniously cut short when he was dominated by Manny Pacquiao in December of 2008.

At the time of Golden Boy Promotion’s agreements with both HBO and AEG, Oscar was the sport’s only true cross over star and undoubtedly, both companies entered in to those lengthy agreements anticipating their future involvement in multi-million dollar mega-events.

The executives of both companies were aware that Oscar was at the end of his career, but besides his fight Bernard Hopkins in the fall of 2004, De La Hoya had never been dominated in the ring so the thinking was that he was going to beat Pacquiao, then have a summer of 2009 super fight with Mayweather. Then depending on the outcome, one or two more farewell fights. That forecast would have had De La Hoya fighting up until around the same time that Golden Boy Promotion’s contract with HBO expires.

Trust me, HBO didn’t give Golden Boy Promotions a slew of guaranteed dates to be funded by Time Warner because they like him. They liked the recognition and revenue that his bouts brought to the network.

This is a star driven multimedia society and HBO executive Ross Greenburg wanted the sport’s biggest star as did AEG.

People might think that major companies such as AEG and HBO wouldn’t have signed long term agreements with Golden Boy Promotions just to be involved with the final stage of Oscar’s career, but that’s the reality of it.

In the early nineties, Showtime, which is owned by Viacom signed a long term promotional agreement with Don King that made him the network’s sole promoter. Thus from 1991 until 1999 when Showtime distributed the first fight between Paulie Ayala and Johnny Tapia, King was Showtime’s only boxing promoter and the company was forced to buy whatever fights he provided. Just like HBO did with Golden Boy Promotions, Showtime conceded to these demands because King provided them with Mike Tyson; the sport’s biggest star.

So now Golden Boy Promotions has contracts with two of the sports-world’s power brokers in AEG and HBO and can’t really provide the services that the two companies expected to receive. Yes Golden Boy has staked a claim in the sport as one of its preeminent promoters, but at this point in time they don’t have any stars that can transcend the sport and generate the type of media attention and revenue that AEG and HBO anticipated when they entered into their agreements with Golden Boy.

Everybody can see the writing on the wall. Since Oscar’s retirement HBO has approached negotiations with Golden Boy Promotions from a different plateau and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has already expressed his frustrations about the recent lack of preferential treatment and complained about HBO not providing Shane Mosley or Bernard Hopkins with significant fights in a timely manner, especially since they were coming off two of the biggest wins of their respective careers. Now that De La Hoya is no longer a revue generating giant, HBO is going to treat Golden Boy Promotions accordingly and the Time Warmer owned company is going to ride out this contract with Golden Boy Promotions and then the promotional firm is going have to compete for dates just like everybody else because they won’t be able to use Oscar’s multi-million dollar pay per view extravaganzas as a leveraging tool.

I don’t know the the Quid Pro Quo specifics of the deal between AEG and Golden Boy Promotions, but you have to think that AEG is also dissatisfied with the situation. They signed on to be to be involved with a mega-star in a mega events and that’s not what they are getting.

That’s why Richard Schaefer was intent on using his position as a liaison between Top Rank and Floyd Mayweather to bring Pacquiao-Mayweather to Staples Center, so that he could provide AEG with the services that Gold Boy Promotions was supposed to deliver; mega-events with crossover appeal.

And AEG even stepped up and did their part and offered a 20 million dollar site fee, which is 7.5 million dollars more than the all time site fee record set by Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Still a site fee is supposed to contribute to the total fight revenue which will directly contribute to the fighters’ purses, but because there is income tax in California, Pacquiao and Mayweather would have to pay 3.5 to 7 million dollars apiece in taxes. As a result you might as well deduct about ten million from AEG’s offer since that’s the amount that will be deducted from the Pacquiao and Mayweather. Why should Mayweather and Pacquiao lose significant personal income for the benefit of Golden Boy Promotions and AEG? They wouldn’t and that’s why representatives of both camps vocally rejected the Staples center as the site of the fight.

Source: http://www.fightfannation.com/pacquiaogoldenboy121909.html

Published by Scoop Malinowski

What if Bob Arum revealed a horrible but 100% accurate truth when he said Floyd Mayweather “is a psychological coward” who will never fight anyone who can beat him?

As it looks now, with all the blocks he keeps putting up, it’s entirely possible Floyd Mayweather might pull out of March 13 and duck Manny Pacquiao.

Imagine, if you will, if the NFL Super Bowl got canceled because one of the teams got scared and pulled out – that’s the equivalent scenario if Floyd decides to pull out and duck Pacquiao on March 13. Imagine the outrage by the NFL, sponsors, TV networks and the fans, consumers and lifeblood of the sport, if the Super Bowl was canceled?

How should boxing respond if Floyd attempts to pull off the greatest duck in the history of boxing – and cancels boxing’s Super Bowl?

Should HBO and Golden Boy fire Floyd Mayweather and blackball him from the sport?

Would Showtime be interested in paying millions to a cowardly fraud who perpetually ducks the best, in favor of handpicking tune-ups?

If championship boxing prizefighting is supposed to be the best competing against the best, why would any network opt to try to sell this monstrous fraud to the public, against another handpicked set up?

Wouldn’t it be in the best interests in the sport to devote their time, energy and resources on developing and hyping true champions like Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch, Andre Berto, Shane Mosley, the Klitschkos, Juanma Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, etc., while kicking Floyd to the curb and let him go it alone as a free agent?

Just who the hell in their right mind would even try to sell Floyd Mayweather vs. Matthew Hatton to the public? Would Richard Schaefer? Would HBO or Showtime?

Just who in the hell would waste their time to pay to watch such a farce of a meaningless “fight” which really should end up free on YouTube as a sparring video?

If Floyd Mayweather ducks Manny Pacquiao isn’t it about time the sport unites and, once and for all, rid this annoying “farce of boxing” from the sole of it’s shoe, and move forward and focus on promoting the true warriors who deserve the TV airtime, paydays, and promotional energy that has been wasted on Floyd Mayweather these last few years?

Let’s hope the recent reports are erroneous and Floyd Mayweather is not plotting a way to get out of March 13 vs. Manny Pacquiao.

Let’s hope Floyd Mayweather is as eager and confident to play his part in Boxing’s Super Bowl next year, and cherishes the chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage in possibly the entire history of the sport.

And may the best man win.

Source: http://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/should-floyd-be-exiled-if-he-ducks-pacquiao/

Published by Scoop Malinowski

Manny Pacquiao has been accused of using steroids or performance enhancing drugs by several high profile members of the American boxing community in recent weeks, without any evidence being shown to support their wild claims against the Filippino marvel.

This begs the question: If Manny Pacquiao is drug free, isn’t he being slandered and defamed by false allegations? Wouldn’t he be entitled to take his accusers to court and ultimately receive compensatory damages?

“Absolutely,” says New Jersey attorney Andrew K. Murray. “If the charges are not true. And not only that, it’s not Pacquiao’s responsibility to prove he’s not taking steroids. It’s there responsibility to prove that he is.”

It’s documented that, over his boxing career, Pacquiao has taken approximately ten drug tests by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He has never once tested positive for any drug.
Mr. Murray says Pacquiao could be entitled to receive serious damages — as the accusations against him have been widely reported in the print and television media.

Imagine if three PGA personalities such as Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson’s caddy, and Fuzzy Zoeller publicly accused Tiger Woods of using steroids, during his major-winning years, without showing any evidence to back their outrageous claims. It goes without say that the Tiger legal team would have retaliated against those three in a strikingly forceful manner.

One has to wonder, if Manny Pacquiao is indeed innocent of steroid-using charges, why his team of advisors has so far been asleep at the wheel and not taken any legal action against the three American accusers who have undoubtedly sullied and defamed Pacquiao’s well-earned positive public image.

Source: http://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/pacquiao-may-want-to-consider-legal-action-vs-accusers/

By Geno McGahee

In boxing, absolutely nothing is certain. Fights are signed, sealed, and then never get delivered. In the biggest fight in the past ten years, certain obstacles have to be overcome. Egos are colliding, arguments about money and billing arise, and both believe that they have a bigger stake in the matter and should be given preferential treatment.

According to a source very close to the situation, Floyd Mayweather, JR., has threatened to pull out of the March showdown with Manny Pacquiao over a weight issue. Apparently the weight of the meeting has been established, but the wiggle room that Floyd allegedly wants is being contested by Team Pacquiao. In his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd came in heavy and paid for it financially, but others contend that Marquez paid for it in the ring, losing badly. Pacquiao does not want to face a fighter a division or so heavier than he is and has rightfully protested.

With the Manny Pacquiao bout in limbo, other options have been mentioned but these appear to be negotiation tactics. Reportedly, Mayweather’s camp has suggested that an in between bout would take place in March against a much lesser foe, perhaps a Yuri Foreman or Matthew Hatton and after that, should Pacquiao not accept the terms, a bout with the winner of the Shane Mosley – Andre Berto fight could be in the wings.

Although other options have been mentioned, expect this fight to stay on course and occur. There is far too much money involved and they have agreed on the most important specifics…the cash divide. Now we are in the bickering stage of the negotiations and expect more and more little things blown out of proportion and turned into big deals.

Manny Pacquiao has cleaned up boxing, removing Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Miguel Cotto from the big picture. There is no other fight for Floyd at this time and there is not many more options for Pacquiao either.

Pacquiao, should the fight with Floyd fall through, could fight Joshua Clottey, Zab Judah, the winner of Berto-Mosley, or move up again and challenge a guy like Yuri Foreman, a light hitter that gets hit too much…a perfect opponent for Manny should he attempt to go up in weight again, but NOBODY wants to see any of these alternatives. The boxing fans want this fight and when they want something this badly, the promoters will jump through all necessary hoops to make it possible.

When Muhammad Ali and George Foreman seemed like an impossible match up to make, Don King found a way. He lied, manipulated, and stroked the egos of both men, made them both feel like they were getting preferential treatment, when it was an equal deal. That is the mentality that should and will go into this promotion as both men are dealt with and both egos are soothed.

Floyd Mayweather, JR’s reported behavior may also have to due with nerves as he goes into the biggest challenge of his career and frustration may also be a factor. For years, nobody could share the spotlight with Floyd as he stood atop the pound for pound list. He would go into fights with popular fighters, but nobody realistically saw a chance that he would lose.

With Manny entering the picture, we have a real force that adjusts to every situation and finds a way to win, knocking out men that are talented and durable, and sending a statement to Floyd…one that he has received.

The day that Pacquiao took on and destroyed Ricky Hatton, Floyd Mayweather held a press conference announcing his return to boxing and his upcoming contest with Marquez. Part of it was positioning himself in line to take on Pacquiao, but part of it was also anger that people could actually think that the Filipino destroyer could actually defeat him.

Once this latest obstacle is ironed out and both parties are appeased, we will see this bout take place and we should see a modern day Pernell Whitaker – Julio Cesar Chavez sort of bout with the same amount of “experts” splitting down the middle. The fan bases of both men will fill the arena and they may not be able to find a place large enough to fit all of the fans that desperately want to see this bout.

This is why this fight is going to take place…despite the latest news of Floyd pulling out. Boxing is about dollars and sense and Floyd has always treated the sport like a business. He realized that he would get comparable money to take on Carlos Baldomir vice Antonio Margarito. The public didn’t have faith in Margarito at that time and accepted Baldomir just the same. There will be a huge backlash from the public if Floyd takes on anyone other than Pacquiao at this time, and when you look at the persona that he has created for himself, regardless of what the facts may be, the people will believe that he is ducking this challenge.

Floyd has made himself the villain and there are those that desperately want to see him lose for his continual disrespect of his opponents and selective matchmaking at times. No other fighter is as threatening as Pacquiao and no fighter is more popular at this time. This fight has to happen and it will. So don’t panic yet people. This issue should be resolved rather quickly. Stay tuned to RSR for the continued breaking news of the building of this super fight.

Source: http://www.ringsidereport.com/rsr/news.php?readmore=2463

Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis told me late Saturday night that he thinks that Manny Pacquiao can beat undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Lewis, working as a fight analyst for HBO on the Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi main event at the University of Illinois, Chicago, made it sound as though he expects Money May to remain undefeated when the two little titans tangle, hopefully on March 13.

“I’d say that Manny is one of two guys who have a chance to beat Floyd,” the dreadlocked Lewis said. “It’s him and Shane Mosley, I can’t think of anybody else who could even possibly beat Mayweather.”

Lewis then said that Mayweather’s strengths are the obvious ones, amazing hand and foot speed and an overall defense which seems impenetrable.

“It is amazing how fast Mayweather is, it really is,” Lewis said.

“It should be a great thing for boxing when he and Pacquiao fight.”

Hall Of Famer Lewis was born in England, grew up in Ontario, Canada, and campaigned as a professional fighter out of London after winning an Olympic gold medal for Canada in 1988.

Lewis ran up a 41-2-1 record with 32 KOs.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m12d13-Lennox-Lewis-Only-Pacquiao-or-Mosley-can-possibly-whip-Mayweather

by Mississippi Fight Sports ExaminerBrad Cooney

Floyd Mayweather Jr wants the fight to take place in Las Vegas. Of course it’s in his back yard, and he wouldn’t get creamed in taxes.  Both reasonable enough reasons I suppose.  Pacquaio could care less where they fight.  This writer spoke with Freddie Roach this afternoon, and was informed that Manny is completely on board with the fight, and will fight anywhere.  Roach explained, ” We are completely on board, we’ll fight anywhere.  Floyd wants to fight in Las Vegas, but Dallas is making an offer tough to refuse.”

NFL football franchise owner, Jerry Jones is pushing hard to land this fight at the new Texas Stadium, in Dallas. The bottom line is this, if both fighters are being guaranteed 25 million dollars, the promoter of the show must find a venue that is willing to absorb that cost.  Jones is offering 25 million dollars to bring the fight to Dallas, Texas.  Unless someone tops that, that is where Arum will want to bring the fight.  Now, Mayweather of course will have to agree, and that’s the tricky part. 

This is all boiling down to the venue?  Depending on how stubborn Mayweather is, it could take some time for this thing to get done.  The purse is settled, the glove size is settled, the weight is settled, it seems as if it’s all coming down to location, location, location.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-23590-Mississippi-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m12d13-Mayweather-wants-the-MGM-Pacquiao-could-care-less

By Abac Cordero

MANILA, Philippines – Could this be the last fight for Manny Pacquiao?

Well, the boxer now being considered as the greatest of his era thinks so.

“Baka last fight ko na (It could be my last fight),” he said on TV yesterday of his highly-anticipated showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr., the undefeated American ex-pound-for-pound king.

Pacquiao, who turns 31 on Wednesday, now holds the distinction of being the best fighter in the planet, not long after scoring historic wins over Oscar dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao is the first and only boxer in history to win seven world titles in seven different weight classes – flyweight, super-bantam, featherweight, super-feather, lightweight, junior-welter and welter.

His victory over Cotto, who’s supposed to be much bigger and much stronger, cemented his place in boxing history, and after starting out at 105 lb he’s now the reigning world champion at 147 lb.

Following his sensational win over the Puerto Rican last Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, said it’s about time to call it a day and that she can’t stand watching him fight again.

“Ayoko na makita siya lumaban at masaktan (I don’t want to see him fight and get hurt),” said Dionisia.

Pacquiao said retirement had crossed his mind a couple of times.

“Ayaw na talaga ng mama ko (My mother doesn’t want it anymore). Umiiyak na nga siya (And she cries),” said Pacquiao, now getting ready for another big birthday bash in his hometown in Sarangani.

Then he gets to enjoy more time with his family on Christmas and as they celebrate his wife Jinkee’s birthday on the first week of January. By that time, however, they could be in the United States.

Pacquiao and Mayweather, unless fate dictates otherwise, should be holding a press conference in New York on Jan. 6 or Jan 11 to announce the fight being billed as the fight of the new century.

Then it’s off to training, another seven to eight weeks, starting off in Baguio City and capping it at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. Pacquiao said he will train like never before because it could be his last.

The boxer is also seeking a congressional seat in Sarangani in the May 10 national elections.

That’s why his promoter, Bob Arum, is making sure Pacquiao gets the best of both ends in his fight with Mayweather. And as it is, despite a recent hitch, negotiations could be done and over with in a week.

While both camps are ironing out minor kinks in the contract, promoters are busy trimming down the choices as venue of the fight. As of presstime, the choices are down to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

Even before negotiations for this fight started, Pacquiao said if it’s Mayweather then he deserves a guaranteed purse of at least $25 million or almost P1.2 billion which is enough to fund a presidential campaign.

But his Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, said because of the magnitude of the fight, the pride of the Philippines could end up with $50 million in his already fat bank account.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=532127&publicationSubCategoryId=69

By David Mayo | The Grand Rapids Press

In a highly unconventional move, representatives of Floyd Mayweather are demanding that both their fighter and Manny Pacquiao be subjected to random, Olympic-style drug testing in the weeks leading up to their proposed March 13 fight.

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s adviser, declined to comment whether the demand was based on suspicions, initially voiced by Floyd Mayweather Sr., and subsequently by others close to Mayweather, that Pacquiao uses performance-enhancing drugs.

“I’m not going to get into that,” Ellerbe said. “But people can read between the lines. Al and I made sure this will be implemented.  It is going to be done.”

Ellerbe stressed that the decision was made solely by himself and fellow Mayweather adviser Al Hayman, without their fighter’s input.

“It’s not a one-way thing, it’s both fighters who are subject to testing,” Ellerbe said. “And this is not Floyd saying this. This is me and Al.  This is one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport and the fans deserve it to be fair.

“Floyd’s got nothing to do with this. It’s our job to protect him and give him the best chance to be successful. Inside the ring, he’s got that. He’ll have no problem with Pacquiao, none whatsoever. Our job is to take care of things outside the ring.”

Ellerbe said the Olympic drug-testing agency would be empowered to administer random tests whenever it chose.

Such tests typically are administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency, although Ellerbe declined to specify which organization actually would be retained to oversee the testing.

“With the standard commission testing, they only test for specific things. The Olympic-style testing tests for everything. The commission testing is nowhere near as sophisticated.”

Ellerbe also fired back at recent claims by Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, that Mayweather’s representatives wanted the fight contested at 154 pounds rather than the welterweight limit of 147, in an oversized ring, and with oversized gloves.

“That’s one of the most ridiculous comments I’ve heard in quite some time,” Ellerbe said.  “That’s just Freddie attempting to play mind games with the public.  His guy’s in a no-win situation.  No matter what he attempts to convince the public of, there was no effort by Team Mayweather to have the fight at 154, to have a 22-foot ring, or to have 10-ounce gloves.”

Also, Cowboys Stadium reportedly has made a $25 million offer to host the fight, after Richard Schaefer, who is representing Mayweather in fight negotiations, was pulled out of a scheduled meeting last week with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The offer seems to have had no impact on Team Mayweather’s position that it doesn’t want to have the fight in Texas.

MGM Grand, which has yet to make a formal offer, remains the likely frontrunner to host the fight.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/mayweather/index.ssf/2009/12/floyd_mayweather_representativ.html

By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com

What are three million dollars to give away if the purse is 30 million and the projected total earnings much more than that?
 

Peanuts, if I may say. Particularly if the benefit is a possible advantage in weight at fight night!

There has been many speculations regarding weight on the yet unsigned, but agreed upon fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13, 2010.

In so far as Pacquiao is concerned, making the 147 weight limit is a no brainer. In fact, Pacquiao may well come in at 145 or even less. But, that makes no difference. He will still be as fast as a bullet and strong as a bull.

The main concern of many is at what weight will that Little Floyd be? Will he pull “another Marquez” in this fight?

That is a distinct possibility!

Little Floyd may utterly disrespect the fight contract, Pacquiao and the host of people putting the fight together by coming in overweight much like he did with the Marquez fight.

Little Floyd has done that once and he may well do it again. As he has shown with the Marquez fight, he respects no contracts. He is that arrogant!

It was said that if and when the contracts are signed, part of the specs will include a million dollar penalty for every pound over 147 lbs.

A mere million dollars for every pound?

That is totally absurd!

That is nothing, particularly when the final purse for each fighter will be well over 30 million!

If both boxers will indeed make the more than the 3o million bucks being tossed around by the promoters, Little Floyd will have no qualms coming in at 150 lbs., and pay three million in penalties. With that, when fight time comes, he will be at 160 lbs or more and will definitely have a huge advantage over Pacquiao, weight-wise.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach said that if Little Floyd comes in even at an iota over 150 lbs, he will cancel the fight. That is well and good and I hope he will not be over ruled by the powers that be.

But Little Floyd is such a smart ass that he will never come in more than three pounds over the weight limit, allow the fight to be canceled and miss a huge payday.

At most, he will come in at exactly 150 lbs. or slightly under the limit. He then pays 3 million dollars in penalty, allow the fight to continue and still make the rest of the money. And, as I mentioned, will have the tremendous weight advantage as he did over Marquez.

In order to prevent Little Floyd from literally cheating the system, I suggest that the penalty for coming anything over the 147lbs. limit be set at 5 million dollars per pound or the fraction thereof.

Five big ones!

Do you hear me Schaefer?

Got it, Uncle Bob?

With that, Little Floyd who loves to call himself the “Money Man” will think really hard before messing up with the fight contract.

Five million dollars per pound is totally insane. It has never been done before, you may say.

I totally agree.

But this is the biggest fight of this generation and it must be fought on equal terms.

And, it is the best way to assure that Little Floyd will not pull “another Marquez” again.

As we all know, with the kind of mentality and the cunning he has shown before, there is no telling, much less an assurance that he will never do it again.

He has done it once and he is totally capable of doing it again. And, if there is no major impediment like a huge loss of cash, who knows what he will do?

There is no doubt Little Floyd would love to keep the “O” in his record. Thus, he will definitely leave no stones unturned to do so.

And if that takes coming in overweight, I have no doubt he will do it.

People will say that I am just “hating”. That is so far from the truth.

It is not about hating. It’s about telling it how it is, based on facts.

Little Floyd did it during the Marquez fight where the risks are lesser, what more now with Pacquiao who stands the greatest chance to knock him off his socks?

Will his love for his undefeated record and gigantic ego take over common sense? I hope not. But then again, who are we to say that it will not?

The 5 million per pound penalty is the best and might well be the only way to prevent Little Floyd from cheating at the scales.

The question is will all those concerned have the balls to include such an unusual penalty to keep the fight fair and square? Or will they just succumb to the dirty tricks of Little Floyd?

Let’s just wait and see!

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-31000.html

by JASON LOGAN

Fight fans are practically in dreamland these days with the announcement that negotiations for a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight are close to being finalized. If all works out, it would give the boxing world perhaps its biggest bout of the modern era.

In Las Vegas, a few sportsbooks have already posted a line on the fight with some oddsmakers differing on the favorite. At the MGM Grand, sportsbook manager Jeff Stoneback hasn’t released numbers for the highly-anticipated bout and is keeping his fingers crossed that his company will land the contract to host the event on March 13.

“For a fight like that, you get a lot of high rollers coming to town plus all the Filipino fans coming to cheer Pacquiao,” says Stoneback. “It would be a huge month for us with March Madness going on as well.”

Oddsmakers are expecting this high profile fight to eclipse all other past bouts in terms of interest and betting volume. It would feature the top two pound-for-pound boxers in the world in a welterweight superbout.

Past events like Mayweather-De La Hoya and Pacquiao-De La Hoya have been huge moneymakers for everyone involved.

“I expect this bout to break records everywhere,” says renowned boxing linesmaker Joey Oddessa. “Pay-Per-Views, live gate and wagering volume. This bout quenches everyone’s thirst for a phenominal global matchup that will determine the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.”

Many offshore and Las Vegas bookmakers posted Pacquiao-Mayweather odds following Pacquiao’s recent TKO victory over Miguel Cotto. Oddessa opened his numbers in November with Mayweather Jr. as a -175 favorite, coming off an impressive decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in September.

“People say you’re as good as your last fight,” says Oddessa. “If Pacquiao didn’t look so impressive against Miguel Cotto, Floyd would belong over -200. Bettors have short memories because Mayweather put a one-sided beatdown on Marquez after a year layoff.”

The early action for offshore books is coming in on Pacquiao, driving the price on Mayweather down as low as -145 at some markets. Pacquiao is sitting around a +115 underdog at most sportsbooks. But while the scales are tipping, Oddessa doesn’t expect the line to flip as fight night draws nearer.

“I dont see the offshore line crossing over and making Pacquiao the favorite,” he says. “Offshore sportsbooks are dealing to a global market rather than a window market of wiseguys and this line has been stable since I opened it.”

The MGM Grand is contending with the brand-new Cowboys Stadium in Texas while the Superdome in New Orleans has also been mentioned as a possible venue. Stoneback says if the fight is held in Las Vegas, it will up the sportsbook’s overall handle on the fight by more than 60 percent.

Stoneback also sees this bout as one of the biggest draws for boxing betting. Boxing accounts for about two percent of the MGM’s total handle but superbouts, like Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, have increased that number in recent years.

“This would be a Top 5 all-time biggest draw, at least,” says Stoneback, “if not the biggest fight we’ve ever taken action on.”

 Source: http://www.covers.com/articles/columns/articles.aspx?theArt=176069&t=0

They are, by critical acclaim, the two best boxers on the planet.

Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be in a boxing “Super Bowl” when they finally fight on March 13.

They deserve no less than a level playing field, or more accurately, a square ring with a referee and three judges who are the best available.

Boxing plays with dynamite if it uses a hometown referee like Marlon Wright, the Montreal ref who robbed Libradao Andrade of a title winning KO over Lucian Bute. Or if a Gale Van Hoy (Texas) is allowed to render a competely baseless scorecard like he did in the Paulie Malignaggi-Juan Diaz bout in Houston. Ditto for clueless Pierre Benoist (New Jersey) with his ridiculous 119-110 vote for Paul Williams over Sergio Martinez.

That’s why Mayweather-Pacquiao must take place under the auspices of the most stringent boxing commission on the planet.

That’s why this mega bout belongs in Nevada, and not in Texas, where both camps know that the best available officials will be chosen to work this historic fight.

Nevada lays claim to the best referee (Kenny Bayless) and to the most active, most well seasoned judges extant.

I don’t recall the Mayweather camp ever having any sort of “beef” with Nevada officiating, do you?

As for Pacman, yes he had a legit complaint back in 2004 when NSAC judge Bert Clements blew it in not calling him a 10-6 winner of the opening round against Juan Manuel Marquez.

You will recall that Manny floored the Mexican counterpuncher thrice in that frame and the other two judges did mark their cards correctly while Clements made it, 10-7.

Aside from that miscue, Pacquiao has been rendered competent work from judges and referees under the NSAC banner.

Now if someone wants to assure us that four officials picked by Nevada will be used in Jerry Jones football playpen for the Cowboys, that’s another story.

But Dickie Cole, who rules the Texas commission with an iron hand but no velvet glove, won’t agree to that.

And he will, as a good father should, insist that his son, referee Laurence Cole, be the third man in the ring.

As for Texas picking the judges, well let’s not forget the reason there is a Diaz-Malignaggi rematch happening on neutral turf (Chicago) on HBO this Saturday night.

To his credit, Malignaggi predicted he would be be the screwee BEFORE the fight. Mouthy Paulie was entitled to his I told you so’s afterwards.

Putting Mayweather-Pacquiao anywhere outside the Nevada state limits is inviting disaster.

If there’s one thing I think the Mayweather and Pacman camps can totally agree on, this is it.

Mayweather-Pacquiao must land in Las Vegas.

That way, the world is put on notice that only Manny and Floyd will decide the outcome.

‘Nuff said.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m12d7-Putting-MayweatherPacquiao-outside-Nevada-is-lunacy

PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 08 Dec 2009

(MPBoxing.com) — Mike Koncz, Manny’s U.S. advisor stated “he and Manny are currently working on the contracts for the next fight. Nothing is done yet, so please do not believe anything else you read. They are still working on a couple of matters, but we believe that in a short amount of time everything could get agreed upon by all parties concerned.”

Right now Manny is still enjoying his victory over Miguel Cotto. Manny is fully healed and enjoying his family and friends in the Philippines. As soon as the Cotto fight was over and Manny flew back to the Philippines, Manny celebrated with family, friends, and fans, but eagerly went back to work finishing up projects and obligations over in the Philippines, such as the movie Wapakman.

Manny is going to be doing a lot of traveling soon. Mike Koncz stated that “www.mpboxing.com will be notified with all the real information as soon as possible about this fight, as well as anything else going on in the life and world of Pacman.”

“Also, Manny’s hands and ears are already fully healed, otherwise they would not even be negotiating his next fight.” Mike feels Manny would be ready and willing to fight come March, as long as there is an amicable agreement met.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-30884.html

Published by Scoop Malinowski

Do you think Floyd Mayweather is happy or annoyed that Manny Pacquiao has accepted to do battle on March 13?

This is not such an easy and obvious question to answer because neither Floyd nor Leonard Ellerbe has made a public statement or comment upon learning last week that the Pac-Man wants to come back to America to trade fists with the self-proclaimed greatest fighter in history.

So we really can’t say for sure if Floyd is happy or annoyed or worried to know that he now has to man up and fight the most dangerous, most ferocious, most complicated challenge of his life on March 13, which could pay the talkative American in upwards of $20, 30 or even $40 million.

I am one of the belief that had Pacquiao rejected the fight date of March 13 – reasonably saying he needed more time to rest after Cotto or prepare for elections – Mayweather would have been all over the media, declaring victory and that Pacquiao
was ducking him.

And Mayweather would have been able to justify to HBO and Golden Boy about proceeding with plans to box Matthew Hatton in London in March or April. I believe it is entirely possible that Mayweather attempted to force Pacquiao with an ultimatum last week that he fully expected Pacquiao to reject the aggressively rushed date of March 13.

But once again, like how he unexpectedly shocked everyone by easily destroying Oscar, Hatton and Cotto, Pacquiao has bewildered and confused Floyd who does not know exactly what to say at this time about having to fight Pacquiao.

Of course, Mayweather could say or release a simple statement saying:

“I’m very happy that Manny has accepted to fight me on March 13 and I look forward to proving I am the best boxer in the world.”

or “I want to thank HBO, Golden Boy, Bob Arum and Manny Pacquiao for this opportunity. I am honored and privileged to be a part of a prolific event like this. And may the best man win.”

or “I respect Manny Pacquiao and thank him very much for making this super-fight possible. But I will rise to the occasion and show the world I am the most skilled and exciting boxer of all time when I easily beat Manny on March 13.”

or “I have waited my entire career to be involved in such a defining fight and be assured I will be the winner.”

or “Manny Pacquiao is a good little fighter with a whole country behind him but I will show everyone he is making a big mistake picking a fight with me.”

or “I have grown bored with boxing again as all fights are a no-win situation and therefore I have decided to immediately retire from the sport for the second time.”

But no. We have heard nary a peep from Mayweather Headquarters. And the strange silence is sparking suspicion and curiosity.

Could Floyd be in secret panic and examining all possible excuses to use as an escape from the March 13 date, such as by coming up with an injury?

Or could Floyd be celebrating with a 72-hour party in Las Vegas at having secured the biggest payday in boxing history? Or could Floyd be so inspired by the challenge, he is already busy studying films and already engaging in two-a-day training sessions, to make sure he is more than ready for Pacquiao? Could Floyd have bolted all windows and doors, shivering and suffering from repeated nightmares of what Manny Pacquiao might do to him on March 13?

We don’t know. We can’t tell what Floyd is thinking because he hasn’t officially said anything about Manny Pacquiao agreeing to fight him.

Could Floyd be busy? Sure. Could Floyd be partying? Maybe. Could Floyd be struggling with the reality that after all these years he has finally been cornered and must put his skills to the ultimate test, against a man even his own father advised him to avoid? Yes.

Could he be…scared? Any boxer, now matter how talented, who saw what happened to Oscar, Hatton and Cotto, and knows he has to fight that monster next, has every right and reason to be even a little bit scared. Floyd Mayweather included.

Source: http://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/is-floyd-happy-or-annoyed-pacquiao-accepted/

By NICK GIONGCO

Manny Pacquiao could earn as much as $40 million (roughly P2 billion) when he fights Floyd Mayweather on March 13, 2010, possibly in Las Vegas.

“I learned that Pacquiao’s guaranteed purse (for the Mayweather fight) is about $25 million and because the pay-per-view sales would be a success, Manny’s earning can go to as high as $40 million,” disclosed Pacquiao adviser Wakee Salud Saturday after the Filipino fighter himself revealed that the Mayweather fight is on.

Salud could not tell exactly how the profits are going to be divided but “a 50-50 sharing should be fair to both fighters.”

Against Miguel Cotto last month, Pacquiao was guaranteed a paycheck of $13 million but owing to the success of the pay-per-view sales that generated 1.25 million buys at $54.95 per subscription, the 30-year-old Pacquiao wound up getting $22 million.

Mike Koncz, the Canadian adviser of Pacquiao, who was the only one present when Pacquiao met with promoter Bob Arum on Friday morning, said the figures ended up “where we want it to be” and that everything is green and go for the 12-round fight that will see Pacquiao staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown.

“(The only way this is not pushing through is) if Mayweather chickens out of the fight,” Koncz said.

Arum was surprised over Pacquiao’s declaration that the fight is indeed happening next year but a formal joint announcement with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) will be issued this coming week.

Arum said only “acts of God” or that “somebody acting like crazy” will prevent the fight from taking place.

GBP Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer, who is Oscar De La Hoya’s right-hand man, has been given authority by Mayweather to negotiate on his behalf.  Mayweather has dealt with GBP on two occasions, both of them pay-per-view and box-office hits.

Because of time constraints, a plan to hold a promotional tour has been shelved but a major press conference will be held either January 11 or 12 in New York and that instead of the usual four-part 24/7 documentary show produced by HBO aimed at promoting the bout, Arum said there will be one additional episode that will be filmed.

Koncz said Pacquiao will likely set up camp once again in Baguio City before heading to the Wild Card in Hollywood a month or two or three weeks before the fight.

Arum, who flies back to the US tonight, said Pacquiao should get ready for the deluge of media from all over the world once he begins training in the City of Pines, the site of his preparation for the Cotto showdown.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/232681/pacman-earn-p2-billion-vs-mayweather

By Geno McGahee of RingsideReport.com

RSR got word from a reliable source that the super bout that the world is demanding will take place in March of 2010. The teams are currently working out the specifics but have tentatively agreed to a showdown early next year, which shouldn’t be a surprise to any boxing fan.

What other fight does either man have that the boxing public would want? Floyd Mayweather, JR., could take on the winner of Shane Mosley-Andre Berto, but it will not attract the masses and will not settle the score. The people are divided and even the biggest fans of each fighter are not certain of who will come out victorious.

There are arguments to be made on each side. You have Floyd’s defensive genius, timing, underrated power, and ability to adapt versus Manny’s speed, crushing power, timing, and ability to adapt. Both men have found ways to win and have not suffered defeats, ever, in Floyd’s case, and hardly ever in Manny’s. The losses to Pacquiao, outside of the decision defeat to Erik Morales (which was avenged twice by knockout), were early on in his career and cannot be considered when going into this showdown.

Even when you point to the defeat at the hands of Erik Morales, you have to admit that Pacquiao is a much better fighter now then he was at that point. He is more developed and more dangerous. His confidence is through the roof after his three straight knockout wins over popular and established warriors: Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto.

Floyd needs this fight with Manny more than the other way around. There have been several instances throughout the career where Floyd took the easier money and elected not to face off against an opponent the people hoped he would. Antonio “Hands of Plaster” Margarito comes to mind. You cannot fault him for being a great businessman, but there is some sketchiness when you analyze the opponents he chose and when he chose to fight them.

Even his last opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez, was a safe and smart choice for his return. Marquez nearly beat Manny Pacquiao on two occasions, and since Floyd is always under the threat of the Filipino, he perhaps thought a dominant win over Marquez would silence the people. It hasn’t. Marquez had nearly zero chance of upsetting Floyd due to his size and style. Marquez had to be the aggressor, which is something that he is not comfortable doing and his weaknesses in that department were exploited quite nicely by Mayweather.

Mayweather made a point in that fight that he did better against Marquez, but the same can be said about Manny and his performances against De La Hoya and Hatton. He destroyed them both as Floyd struggled at times. What does all this mean?

Nothing.

Styles make fights and the style match up between Manny and Floyd seems perfect on paper. You have the aggressive and quick Pacquiao, trying to find a way in and you have Floyd, trying to counterpunch the quickest fighter he has ever faced. Considering that Zab Judah beat him to the punch on several occasions bodes well for Pacquiao, but Floyd is a better boxer than Marquez and has a lot more savvy…this is why this bout is so intriguing. Enjoy the fight, but don’t put too much money on it. It looks like a pick’em to me.

There are so many things that can be examined going into this fight and they will be. Because the fans are cut down the middle, both siding with their fighter to win the bout, and both citing reasons, publications will turn over every stone to try to predict an outcome.

What is promising for Pacquiao’s fans is his ability to put punches together in combinations and from different angles. Floyd loves fighting guys like Arturo Gatti and Carlos Baldomir, men that throw one or two punches at a time and they come at a snail’s pace. Pacquiao is a speed demon and it is debatable if Floyd can dodge them all. It is possible that Floyd’s counters won’t be fast enough and that he will be hit while trying to hit return fire.

A weak chin can be put to rest too. Manny Pacquiao took shots from a very strong and powerful Miguel Cotto and didn’t flinch. He won’t drop on one punch from Mayweather, but Mayweather doesn’t just throw one punch either. He will launch in with that left hook, which is a punch that Manny is open for. Unfortunately for the Pacman, that is Floyd’s best punch and if it lands, it could send him into a series of punches by “Money Mayweather.”

The best piece of evidence supporting the Floyd fans and their contention that he will win is the Miguel Cotto fight. It is Manny’s most recent outing and although he won it in spectacular and dominating fashion, there is something in there that should be pointed out.

In the first round, Cotto controlled Manny and easily won the round. He used his jab and a tight defense to keep the bout under control, but he did little after that. Did Manny adjust that well or did Cotto lose focus? Floyd never loses focus and if he gets control, he will be able to maintain it much better than Cotto.

A toss up. A “pick’em.” Whatever way you cut it, this is the bout that the public wants to see. The two very best in the sport going head to head in their primes. I, like all of you cannot wait and am happy to say with some confidence that it is close to be delivered.

A March showdown between Floyd and Manny will begin 2010 with a bang. The biggest fight in probably 10 years of boxing will take place for all the pound for pound marbles. The momentum is with Pacquiao, but he has never faced a puzzle like Mayweather. This is the type of fight that you would hope would reinstate the 15 round limit. It is a classic showdown, much like Thomas Hearns – Sugar Ray Leonard and should be treated as such.

Source: http://ringsidereport.com/rsr/news.php?readmore=2423

Floyd “Money” Mayweather really has no choice now.

Prior to the Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao fight, there was considerable doubt a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown would ever happen. The modest Pacman felt, and still feels, no urgency to fight Mayweather simply because being No. 1 is not important to him. That would have allowed Mayweather the luxury of continuing his claim to the mythical pound-for-pound title without risking a loss to Pacquiao.

After all, did not Mayweather convincingly beat Juan Manuel Marquez, who had fought two wars with Pacquiao that could have gone either way? Plus there was still some doubt that Pacquiao could get past Cotto, a very good fighter who had already beaten some very good welterweights, including Shane Mosley.

But in the wake of Pacquiao’s total annihilation of Cotto, it is a whole new ballgame. Ask 100 fight fans today who is the best pound-for-pound fighter and you’ll get at least 99 votes for the Pacman.

Pacquiao didn’t just pass the Cotto test, he knocked it (and Cotto) out of the ballpark. It started out as a competitive fight, but that lasted less then four rounds. Just when it looked like Cotto was coming on in the fourth, he was knocked down a second time by Pacquiao. The impact of that knockdown (after Cotto had landed his best shots without so much as a blink from Pacquiao) was written all over Cotto’s face as he staggered to his feet, dazed and confused. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

It was a mismatch from there on. His will broken, his confidence shattered, Cotto valiantly fought on but took a brutal beating before referee Kenny Bayless mercifully stopped the slaughter in the 12th.

The debate now is not about who is the best fighter on the planet, it’s about where the Pacquiao stands among the all-time greats. He is being mentioned in the same breath as names like Armstrong, Robinson, Ali, Leonard … that’s not to say he’s as good as those ring legends, but he’s in that group.

Pacquiao insists he doesn’t want to be compared with the great fighters of the past.

“I’m just doing my job, to give a good fight,” he said. “My goal is to give happiness to all those who watch me.”

“I’ll compare him to those guys,” said his trainer, Freddie Roach. “He is as good as any of them. He’s the greatest fighter of his generation, that’s for sure.”

HBO commentator Larry Merchant probably summed it up best: “We knew going into the (Cotto) fight that Pacquiao was a great fighter, but he has exceeded our expectations yet again.”

Like most great fighters, Pacquiao brings a unique style to the ring. He doesn’t have the silky smoothness of a Robinson or Ali, who seemed to glide about the ring, their feet barely touching the canvas.

Pacquiao doesn’t glide. He is perpetual motion, bouncing on the balls of his feet to a rhythm only he hears. Look at his legs and they seem almost out of proportion with the rest of his body. They are sturdy and muscular, not the spindly legs of so many small fighters. The footwork is important because it enables him to punch with power from seemingly impossible angles.

“I didn’t know where the punches were coming from,” said Cotto.

The punches come in incredibly swift combinations before he bounces out again to gauge the damage. The attacks are relentless, but measured, calculated, precise. He landed 43 percent of his punches overall against Cotto and 49 percent of his power shots, an extraordinarily high percentage.

Before the Cotto fight, Mayweather could still have made unrealistic demands on a Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight. He could have bided his time, waited for Pacquiao to retire or get lazy. The fight would have been on his terms. But that’s all changed now.

Pacquiao is king and he doesn’t need to fight Mayweather to prove it … Mayweather now needs Pacquiao. A victory over the little Filipino is the only way Mayweather can regain the No. 1 spot and secure his niche in history among the all-time greats. And that’s more important to Mayweather than it is for Pacquiao.

And that’s why there will be a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown, probably in May or June, what could be the richest single event in the history of sports.

Truly a fight for the ages.

Source: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091128/SPORTS/911280328