Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Morales sets sights on another Pacquiao fight

Morales (48-6, 34 KOs) may have his sights set on a fourth fight against Pacquaio in the not too distant future, but the iconic Mexican warrior must first get past former WBA lightweight champion and Nicaraguan KO specialist, Jose “Jicaras” Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs), Mar. 27 in the 12-round main event for the vacant WBC Intercontinental welterweight crown.

“The Champion Returns,” presented by KO Entertainment and Box Latino, is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN and DISH Network, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

At a recent Televisa event honoring Mexico’s best athletes of the last decade, Morales expressed his desire to fight Pacquaio at 147 pounds, in addition to fulfilling his dream of becoming the first Mexican to capture world titles in four different weight classes.

“The two opponents who have defined my career are Junior Jones and Manny Pacquaio,” Morales said. “Defeating Jones (TKO4) was important to me because he had stopped something like 32 Mexicans in previous fights. Defeating Pacquaio (DEC12) is my greatest accomplishment in the ring. I remember seeing him cry after our fight. I would love another chance at Pacquaio and I also look forward to fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in the future. At 147, I’m faster than ever and freer with my body so I can get the most out of it. First, though, is my fight against Jose Alfaro on March 27th in Monterrey on pay per view. Alfaro is a great young fighter and a former world champion. A wicked puncher who will bring his best, he has a big heart into the ring, and always gives fans everything he has

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: The Fans Speak!

By Coach Tim Walker – Stage one of what fans are hoping is a lead up to an eventual showdown between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao boxing’s two most dominating figures is finally done. It came to a close when Pacquiao dismantled yet another bona fide fighter and WBO welterweight champion Joshua Clottey this past Saturday. Seemingly now the only thing standing in the way of the perennial pound for pound kings meeting in the ring is for Mayweather to come up victorious against Sugar Shane Mosley on May 1, 2010..

While watching the fight card at a local sports bar I had the opportunity to speak with several boxing fans and get their take on the potential mega-showdown, the steroid issue and is Mayweather afraid to take on Pacquiao. Here is what some of them had to say.

Rob Mills, Pensacola, FL
I’m Pac fan by heart and think there might be a possibility that he is on steroids. I don’t think that should stand in the way of these guys fighting because the whole world wants to see them get it on. When was the last time the whole world wanted to see a fight?

Steve Sullivan, Pensacola, FL
Yeah I think he might be on something but I’m Manny fan. I just hope they fight. Come on fight!

Wayne Maultsby, Pensacola, FL
Come on Mayweather. There is no possibility that Manny is on steroids! Floyd has no right to accuse him of steroids if he doesn’t know for certain.

Wesley Philpot, Pensacola, FL
If Manny is on steroids it shouldn’t give him any specific advantage. I used steroids for years when I played sports and all they did for me was allow me to recover faster. Sure Manny came up from 108 and people say he’s got to be doing something but at the same time Floyd came up too. [What about Floyd being willing to subject himself to the same tests that he wanted Pacquiao to take?] As far as that goes, well, I don’t know.

Chad Zimmerman, Pensacola, FL
It’s not about the steroids. Everybody wants to see Pacquaio and Mayweather get it on man. Pacquiao was willing to do hair, urine, anything else except blood. I favor Pacquiao in the fight if they do fight.

Rollo Jerkins, Pensacola, FL
It’s Mayweather all the way. He was right to as Pacquiao for the blood tests. Do you see how much bigger he is now than he was a couple years ago. I think he must have a really good Canadian doctor with some really good Canadian drugs. The whole reason they want Mayweather to jump in the ring them so quickly is so they have a better possibility of catching him with a little rust on him. He’s definitely not afraid of Pacquiao. You can’t be afraid of Pacquiao and turn around match with Mosley. Now that is the fight of year, Mayweather against Mosley.

Sandra West, Gulf Breeze, FL
Mayweather and Pacquiao should fight before the year ends. Mayweather will wipe the floor with Pacquiao guaranteed.

Eric Semon, Pensacola, FL
Clottey has not chance to win. I give Pac the edge over Mayweather. I don’t think he’s on steroids but you never know.

Tish Wright, Pensacola, FL
Don’t know if Pacquiao is on steroids or not but it’s absolutely unfair if he is. There is no way Floyd is afraid of him (Pacquiao) though. I wouldn’t be surprised if Floyd knocked him out. Out flat!

Jake Firick, Gulf Breeze, FL
I am a Clottey fan and I don’t like Mayweather at all. If Manny is on steroids and it is ever found out it would devastate the Filipino people. They would be crushed but I don’t think for one second Floyd is afraid of Manny. Boxing needs better testing because the drugs are better and harder to detect.

Robby Wade, Pensacola, FL
I don’t care what everybody says. That man (Pacquiao) is on something. This guy comes from a lighter weight class and is blowing through bigger guys. They hit him and he just keeps going. Something’s up with that. Something fishy.

Wright Hobbs, Milton, FL
Manny is all hype. It’s all a build up to him fighting Mayweather. In the Mayweather fight he will be exposed. Exposed badly. Exposed really, really badly and then people will still dismiss Mayweather beating him. They’ll say he was just a little guy anyway so Floyd was supposed to beat him. All hype!

 

[heyzel]

WBC's "Night Of Champions 2010" Event Features The Largest Gathering Of Champions In

by Pavel Yakovlev - This July, the World Boxing Council (WBC) will hold its “Night of Champions 2010” convention in Cardiff, Wales. The three-day event is scheduled from July 29-31, to be held at the Cardiff International Arena. This is the second WBC “Night of Champions” convention; the first was held in Cancun in 2006.

The Cardiff event will feature the largest gathering of world champions in boxing history, with over 100 current and former titleholders scheduled to attend. The convention will include a Civic Ceremony for the champions and public, an amateur boxing card pitting Great Britain’s best amateur boxers against select opponents from around the world, and a WBC Awards Ceremony for the champions. Featured also is the premier of the soon-to-be released film “Risen”, a biography of Welsh boxing champion Howard Winstone..

WBC officials selected Wales to host the event for several reasons. Boxing is enormously popular in Wales, evinced by the fact that 50,000 fans attended the Joe Calzaghe - Mikkel Kessler fight in Cardiff in 2007. The epic history of Welsh boxing is known worldwide. Located at the epicenter of modern boxing’s emergence in Great Britain in the early 1700s, Wales has long produced world-class boxers in proportionally large numbers relative to the nation’s small population. Numerous all-time great champions are of Welsh origin.

As explained by WBC president Dr José Sulaimán, "When we wanted to put it in the home of modern boxing, we wanted it where it would have the most impact, and boxing is very ingrained in the (Welsh) culture.”

David Walker, director of WBC Cardiff 2010, said: "Wales is a small country with a population of three million, but disproportionately, it produces some of the greatest champions in the world. "You could argue that Jimmy Wilde was the greatest flyweight that ever existed, and you could argue that Joe Calzaghe was the greatest super middleweight that ever existed. "What small country in the world can claim two pound-for-pounders?" And in amateur boxing, for example, in the last 16 months in international competition, they produced 39 gold medals. It's phenomenal. "They really do punch above their weight.”

The WBC Awards Ceremony will be broadcast on live television. Walker added, “The WBC Night of Champions Awards dinner will be the closest thing to the Oscars that boxing has, and the WBC is committed to holding the ceremony every four years.”

Two of the most interesting features at the “Night of Champions” are the premier of “Risen” and the amateur boxing card, billed as “Great Britain vs. The Rest of the World.”

“Risen” is biographical movie about Howard Winstone, the Welshman who became the WBC world featherweight champion in 1968 despite having lost three fingertips in a factory accident during his youth. Winstone is a national hero in Wales, and one of the greatest boxes ever produced by Great Britain. Written, directed, and co-produced by Neil Jones, “Risen” was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and filmed during the past three years. The film features indie actor Stuart Brennan as Winstone, and includes internationally known mainstream actors John Noble and Brian Blessed in leading roles. Remarkably, the cast includes many former world champions and leading boxers in supporting and cameo roles, including Alan Minter, Steve Robinson, Michael Bentt, Enzo Maccarinelli, Joe Calzaghe, Leon Spinks, Richie Woodhall, Tim Witherspoon, John H. Stracey, Jane Couch, Glenn Catley, Kevin Hayde, and Erik Morales.

The “Great Britain vs. The Rest of the World” amateur boxing card is essentially a dry run for fighters likely to appear in the 2012 London Olympics. The fighters representing Great Britain will very possibly participate in the 2012 Olympics. The foreign boxers invited to Cardiff for these matches will be of high international standing, quite likely 2012 Olympic participants themselves. Thus, the international boxing media will pay close attention to these matches to garner insight into possible results for 2012.

The WBC will be contributing proceeds from the “Night of Champions 2010” to The Prince’s Trust charity, which was established in 1976 by The Prince of Wales. The charity is one of the most respected in Great Britain, its purpose being to provide economic, vocational, educational, and social support to disadvantaged youth. Walker stated that in addition to raising funds for the charity, the WBC’s object is to “raise awareness of the Prince’s Trust’s legacy projects for disadvantaged youth of Wales.”

In a series of upcoming articles beginning with this report, ESB will explore the WBC’s “Night of Champions 2010” event in depth, including an interview with Neil Jones and a preview of “Great Britain vs. The Rest of the World.”

 

[heyzel]

Botha Receives Boxing License For Holyfield Fight in April

By Mark Vester

While it's no surprise, the Nevada State Athletic Commission tentatively approved a boxing license for Francois Botha to fight Evander Holyfield in a battle of former heavyweight champions on April 10 in Las Vegas. The NSAC has already licensed Holyfield to fight Botha on the date. Botha needs to pass a drug test once he arrives in Las Vegas. Once the test result comes back with a negative reading, the commission will give the final approval for the fight.

"I'm looking forward to fighting a great legend in this beautiful city," Botha said to the Las Vegas Sun.

 

[heyzel]

ESPN/DKP Contract Dispute Kills Spinks/Bundrage Card

By Ryan Burton & Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com has confirmed that ESPN's scheduled doubleheader for March 26 is off. The show was going to feature one of the bigger doubleheaders to appear on the network in some time. In the main event, Cory Spinks was going to defend his IBF junior middleweight title against mandatory Cornelius Bundrage, and cruiserweights Steve Cunningham and Matt Godfrey were going to battle in the co-feature for the vacant IBF title.

From what BoxingScene was told, the ever lovable, and huggable, Doug Loughrey, the boxing program director for ESPN, had set a deadline of March 12 to finalize the terms for the show. Don King booked the event at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, and the veteran promoter believed that everything had been agreed upon with the network. Very unexpectedly, Loughrey sent a list of contract revisions earlier this week, which came after the very deadline he set, and the show fell apart when a contractual dispute broke out between both sides.The doubleheader will be rescheduled to a later date.

Editor's Note: ESPN sent the following statement on the situation:

In line with our commitment to air quality boxing content, we had interest in airing the fights. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come to an agreement acceptable to both sides. We will continue to look for opportunities to acquire fights that serve our boxing fans.

 

[heyzel]

Pacquiao-Valero is what I want, Not Margarito: Says Roach

By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com spoke with trainer Freddie Roach about the possibility of Manny Pacquiao defending his WBO welterweight title against Antonio Margarito in November. Roach is not even thinking about Margarito because the Mexican fighter has yet to obtain a license to box in the United States.

Last February, the California State Athletic Commission revoked Margarito's boxing license. Margarito was punished over an illegal substance being discovered in his handwraps moments before the fight with Shane Mosley on January 24.

Margarito is making a ring return on May 8 in Mexico. The former welterweight champion has the ability to request a new license, but there is no guarantee the California commission will grant his request. As an alternative to the problem, Roach was approached with the idea of holding the Pacquiao-Margarito fight in Mexico, which the trainer quickly shot down.

Roach views undefeated Edwin Valero as the best fight for Pacquiao in November. Valero is licensed to box in the state of Texas. If the fight is held in Cowboys Stadium, Roach believes the entire venue will be sold out. But, Valero has some issues of his own. In early 2009, Valero was busted in Texas for driving under the influence of alcohol. Because of the charge, he's been unable to obtain a visa to enter the United States. Roach is confident the visa issue will be cleared up.

"[Margarito] has no license. They said we could fight in Mexico but that's not going to happen. That would be a real bad move for Manny Pacquiao - to slap the commissions in the face. I'm thinking about it and the number one contender in my mind right now is Valero," Roach told BoxingScene.com.

"Valero is licensed in Texas. If we do Valero there, we could sell out the whole place. You don't have to close half of it down. I've been watching him a little bit. I know he's a big puncher. He's a southpaw and does pose some difficulties. He's better than just a guy who could punch but I think that's the best marketable fight out there for us."

I mentioned a few other possibilities like undefeated WBC/IBF 140-pound champion Devon Alexander and unbeaten WBO champion Timothy Bradley, who makes his HBO debut on June 26 - at welterweight. Once they become bigger names, Roach will consider them as opponents for Pacquiao.

"Once they start selling tickets, and we could get them on pay-per-view and start making money - [then] we'll fight those guys," Roach said.

And of course there is the option of a trilogy fight with Juan Manuel Marquez - which is Freddie's personal favorite to take place.

"Personally, that's the fight I want. Nacho [Beristain] is a good trainer and we're competitive and I'd love for Manny to knock him [Marquez] out," Roach said.

All of the names previously mentioned are "Plan B" opponents. The immediate goal for Roach and Pacquiao is to fight the winner of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley, taking place on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

 

[Tony]

Lol, Manny is all hype... somebody break out the old school Public Enemy song "Don't believe the hype" huuuuaaaauuuu

 

[heyzel]

lol I just want manny to fight floyd or sugar next

 

[heyzel]

Team Alexander Bait Tim Bradley, Blast Khan/Malignaggi

By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com spoke to IBF/WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander's trainer/manager Kevin Cunningham earlier today and Cunningham had this to say:

"Ryan, Devon and I spoke today and we decided that we want [Timothy] Bradley next. We aren't interested in all of these tune up fights and what not. Everyone agrees that Devon and Bradley are the best at 140 in the world. Let's see them prove it in the ring. Team Alexander doesn't need a tune up. Tim Bradley is our tuneup."

Alexander has a date on HBO in July locked up for his next fight. Bradley is scheduled to make his HBO debut on June 26th against Luis Carlos Abregu in a welterweight clash. Team Bradley has said they can't find anyone willing to fight him at junior welterweight but they have stated the move up in weight is for one fight only.

Cunningham went on to say, "If Bradley wants a tuneup first that is fine. He can fight his fight in June and we will fight in July. We are willing to sign on the dotted line today, right now, that we will fight Tim Bradley before the year is out. We want to fight the best fights out there. We want the fights that the fans want to see."

I asked Cunningham if they wanted to fight the Khan/Malignaggi winner after Bradley to try to unify all the titles and Cunningham became more antimated.

"The Khan fight is a joke. It is just a joke fighting Malignaggi. If they think he is so good why are they running from Marcos Maidana? We will fight Khan afterwards. We are in the belt collecting business. We want the titles and we want the fans to be happy. We would rather go right into a fight with Bradley but like I said if he wants to fight a tuneup first that is fine. We will sign to fight Bradley in November or December right now

 

[heyzel]

Samuel Peter Dares Alexander Povetkin To Fight

There's an old saying that "getting to the top is tough; staying there, tougher." Perhaps nobody currently active in the sport of boxing knows that any better than Samuel Peter.

However, by virtue of his two-round destruction of Nagy Aguilera last Friday night's IBF Heavyweight Eliminator in Grapevine, TX, the former WBC World Heavyweight Champ known as "The Nigerian Nightmare" served notice to the heavyweight division that he is back in the world title picture as the #2 IBF mandatory challenger after current mandatory Alexander Povetkin accepts -- or passes up -- his opportunity to fight for the title.

"We have basically blocked out all challenges to Wladimir Klitschko with the exception of his long overdue mandatory against Alexander Povetkin, who's been the #1 contender since January of 2008," Peter's longtime manager Ivaylo Gotzev disclosed. "Povetkin has been in that position for over two years and three months. Wladimir's next defense has to be for his IBF title. That's a must! And Samuel is ready for either of them!"

Peter has his eyes focused on Saturday's WBO and IBF World Heavyweight Title bout between two of the three men to claim victory over him: the defending champion Vladimir Klitschko and #1 WBO mandatory and #3 IBF challenger Eddie Chambers. Since this will be a WBO Mandatory, the winner's next title defense will be IBF-mandated against Povetkin. The Peter camp believes that the 6-7, 240-pound Ukrainian known as "Dr. Steelhammer" will emerge victorious over the undersized American.

"Then it will be time for Povetkin to put up or shut up and move out of the way to let a more deserving challenger step in there against Wladimir. "And that man is me! I am next in line after Povetkin," Peter (34-3, 27 KOs), declared.

But the former WBC Heavyweight Champion had to overcome a great deal of adversity before he could become an established world title contender again.

Just seven months after stopping Oleg Maskaev to claim outright ownership of the WBC crown in March, 2008, Peter lost it in his first defense when he retired on his stool after the eighth round against the "other" Klitschko - older brother Vitali. Expectations of a rebound win against undersized heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers in March of last year didn't materialize as Peter, who weighed in at a career-high 265 pounds, looked uncharacteristically sluggish and lost a majority decision in Los Angeles.

It had become obvious to Gotzev that there were issues within the Peter camp that weighed heavily on the fighter's mind, and Gotzev took immediate measures to help his fighter regain his confidence and dedication to his craft.

"Losing to Eddie Chambers - even though I don't believe we actually lost -- was like a blessing in disguise," said Gotzev, who has headed Peter's management team since the 2000 Olympic Games at Sydney, Australia. "It opened my eyes to the fact that Sam was uncomfortable with his training and promotional direction, and changes were needed to give his career a transfusion and get him more focused on being the fighter we all saw when he won the world title and know he can become again."

To that end, Gotzev approached promoter extraordinaire Bob Arum and reached an agreement for Arum's Top Rank, Incorporated to take over as Peter's promoter. In addition, Gotzev called upon veteran trainer Abel Sanchez to take over as Peter's head trainer. Sanchez, best known for mentoring the Norris brothers - Terry and Orlin - along with Lupe Aquino and Nana Konadu to world title careers, has a training camp in Big Bear Lake, CA, and that is where Peter now trains. Gotzev's maneuverings have paid early dividends, as Peter has notched four straight knockout victories since bringing Top Rank and Sanchez aboard. Perhaps even more eye-opening was that , at 237 ½ pounds, Peter came into his most recent fight at the lowest weight since his seventh professional fight back in November, 2001.

"We flew under the radar to Dallas with everything set in motion for Sam to be a dominant force," Gotzev revealed after watching the newly-sculpted and motivated wrecking machine demolish Nagy. "Sam is more relaxed since putting all his promotional issues behind him and came into this last fight in the best shape of his career."

With all of his issues and emotional unrest clearly in the rear-view mirror, a rejuvenated Samuel Peter is ready for whatever opportunity is to come next.

"I am ready to regain my title as heavyweight champion of the world," Peter insists. "I am out to avenge all of my losses. I expect it will be Klitschko first in a must-fight, but I'd love to step back in the ring with Eddie Chambers, either next fight if he beats Klitschko or down the road.

"I knocked Wladimir Klitschko down three times in our fight and somehow didn't get the decision," a disbelieving Peter pointed out. "Next time we meet, he won't get back up. As for Eddie Chambers, I don't mind beating him again, but this time I will leave no doubt."

Gotzev is very pleased with the overall impact the change in promoter and trainer has had on the hard-hitting and confident Samuel Peter, and he believes his fans and those of heavyweight boxing will be as well.

"The puncher has been missed in the heavyweight division," Gotzev believes. "Samuel is the best puncher-supreme in the division. Now he is mentally and physically in shape and re-dedicated to the game. He is ready to regain his status as a World heavyweight Champion."

 

[Tony]

“The two opponents who have defined my career are Junior Jones and Manny Pacquaio,” Morales said. “Defeating Jones (TKO4) was important to me because he had stopped something like 32 Mexicans in previous fights. Defeating Pacquaio (DEC12) is my greatest accomplishment in the ring. I remember seeing him cry after our fight.

LMFAO @ "I remember seeing him cry after our fight"....

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I think this is too good to be true but crazy ass shit if HBO pulls this off.

After careful lobbying, WBO junior welterweight (140 pounds) titlist, Tim Bradley (pictured above) exclusively informed FanHouse.com on Wednesday that he is announcing the accomplishment of the unthinkable:

HBO officials, starting with President of Sports, Ross Greenburg, have signed off on the 10-man tournament, which includes Bradley, WBA king Amir Khan of England, and IBF and WBC titlist, Devon Alexander.

http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2010/03/17/tim-bradleys-hbo-140-pound-invitational-unification-boxing-to/

Timothy Bradley
Amir Khan
Devon Alexander
Edwin Valero
Lamont Peterson
Victor Ortiz
Nate Campbell
Paulie Malignaggi
Luis Carlos Abregu
Marcos Rene Maidana




In addition, promoters, Richard Schaefer and Oscar de la Hoya (CEO and president of Golden Boy, respectively), Bob Arum (CEO of Top Rank), Don King, Gary Shaw and Lou DiBella are all in agreement and approval of the talented field, which is comprised of the division's premiere fighters whom they all represent.

Bradley said that only the tournament's championship bout will be televised on pay per view.

"I just felt that it was a tremendous opportunity to give the fans what everybody considers to be the weight division's 10-best fighters in match ups that everyone has been asking for," said Bradley, who is coming off of December's unanimous decision victory over Lamont Peterson.

"After careful consideration, and the involvement of an unbiased seeding committee of respected experts whose names are being withheld from the public, we were able to come up with the pairings for fights that will generate interest, emotion and intensity as they happen," said Bradley.

"This is simply something that we believe that the fans truly want to see. And the best part about it is that you get to watch all of the fights on regular HBO," said Bradley.

"With the economy being what it is, I think that it's only fair that all of the fights through to the semifinals should be viewed by the public for only the price of their cable bills" said Bradley. "For that reason, everyone has agreed that only the champioship bout -- the one crowning the tournament's overall winner -- will be televised on HBO pay per view for the reasonable price of $54.99."

 

[MOREBASS]

^ That is fucking marvelous if it goes through. Wonder how they're going to work out the Showtime-HBO thing though?

I don't care what they do, just make it happen!


If those are actually the fighters involved, that shits all over the Super 6 IMO.


That's awesome news man. Glad these boxing big wigs are finally starting to put their egos aside for the good of the sport.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I think from what I'm gathering is that it's an unofficial tournament, whatever the hell that means, sort of like a verbal agreement. I think timothy bradley might have been talking out of his ass a bit there...

 

[Johnny Truelove]

After election, who's next for Manny?

Now that pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has easily outpointed Joshua Clottey in a stunningly one-sided decision win on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium, he's headed back to the Philippines to run for congress. The reason he insisted on fighting in March was so he would have enough time to campaign for the May 10 election, which he's apparently serious about.

"Now it is time for a more serious fight for me and that is my campaign for congress," Pacquiao said. "The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been underserved for too long. I want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my people have suffered because I have too. That is how I grew up and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty I am compelled to be a public servant for them. If my being in public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured, I am only too happy to serve.

"One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. Running for congress is a way for me to repay them."

Top Rank's Bob Arum anticipates Pacquiao's ring return in the fall, likely November, regardless of the outcome of the election.

So Arum is already looking ahead and thinking about possible fights for Pacquiao. Obviously, Pacquiao against the winner of the May 1 Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight makes the most sense and is the most lucrative, by far. But Arum was quick to point out that if Mosley wins, it's an unlikely fight because Mayweather has a rematch clause in the contract.

"So any talk of Shane Mosley beating Mayweather and then fighting Manny is poppycock," Arum said, adding that he believed the rematch clause was "strong."

Of course, a Mayweather win would put the sides in the same position they were in a couple of months ago, when Pacquiao-Mayweather imploded over drug testing procedures.

If Mayweather beats Mosley and there are again issues -- which you just know there would be -- Arum said he has three opponents in mind that he would give a shot at Pacquiao:

• Antonio Margarito, the disgraced former welterweight titlist whom Arum anticipates will eventually get his license back after having it revoked for trying to fight Mosley with loaded hand wraps 14 months ago.

• Edwin Valero, the former lightweight titlist who is moving up to junior welterweight for his next fight. Valero, who has had licensing issues because of a past medical problem, is licensed in Texas, so maybe we'll see a return to Jerry Jones' Cowboys Stadium if that fight is made.

• Juan Manuel Marquez, the lightweight champ who would have to move up in weight. Marquez and Pacquiao have fought two memorable battles with Pacquiao going 1-0-1 in two terrific and close fights in which both decisions were highly controversial. If there is Pacquiao-Marquez III it would mean Top Rank would have to work with Golden Boy, Marquez's promoter, which is always a dicey proposition.

If you missed Pacquiao-Clottey, fought before a crowd of almost 51,000, HBO will replay the pay-per-view bout Saturday night (11 ET/PT).

The pay-per-view numbers aren't out yet because Arum and HBO PPV only have totals from the satellite services.

"All we have is the satellite numbers and they are very strong," Arum said. "We're not giving out any numbers yet because we have very little [information] from the cable systems, which you need. The cable numbers are very fragmented, so it could be a few days. But the number that you can't go any lower than is 650,000 for the fight. That is the worst it would do, but it should be a lot higher."

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Arum discusses fights in the works

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- When Top Rank's Bob Arum promotes a big fight, like he's doing in advance of Saturday night's Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey welterweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium, he loves to hang around the media center and gab with the boss scribes.
Although Pacquiao-Clottey (HBO PPV, 9 ET, $49.95) is foremost on his mind -- and why not? Arum is predicting more than 750,000 buys and thinking the fight may reach 900,000 -- he is also working on other events. Here are a few things in the works:

• Arum said the Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto junior middleweight title bout at Yankee Stadium on June 5 will take place on HBO rather than HBO PPV, as had been discussed. He said he and the network had reached an agreement. This is a good thing. That fight would die on pay-per-view. As a live HBO fight, it becomes a much bigger event, particularly with the backdrop of it being the first fight at the new Yankee Stadium (sort of like Saturday's fight being made bigger by its status as the first fight at Cowboys Stadium). I would love to see HBO do a countdown show for the fight, because there are a lot of storylines. You have Foreman, the future rabbi, with an interesting story. You have Cotto trying to rebound from his November loss to Pacquiao, the death of his father soon after the defeat and his hunt for a new trainer (Arum said Joe Santiago would remain in Cotto's corner, but not as the head man). And, of course, you have Yankee Stadium and the rich boxing tradition built in the old stadium across the street.

• The televised undercard for Foreman-Cotto will be Humberto Soto defending a lightweight belt against Anthony Peterson. That, of course, is assuming that Soto, a reigning junior lightweight titlist, wins the vacant lightweight belt he will fight for against David Diaz on Saturday night's Pacquiao-Clottey undercard. And if John Duddy wins his fight Saturday night, you can also count on him to be on the untelevised Yankee Stadium undercard.

• Arum said featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez's next fight will come against Bernabe Concepcion, with a target date and location of July 10 in Lopez's native Puerto Rico. Arum promised the winner of the recent Concepcion-Mario Santiago fight a shot at Lopez, and Concepcion got the job done. Concepcion against Lopez is a nice fight. Arum added that he is not tied to HBO for the bout.

• Yuriorkis Gamboa, Arum's other featherweight titleholder, probably will return in July (but not on a split-site card with Lopez, as was originally talked about) if he retains his belt later this month in Germany. Arum said he hopes to match him against Celestino Caballero, assuming Caballero defeats Daud Yordan in their April 10 HBO bout.

• Another bout Arum hopes to make -- which conceivably could be part of a doubleheader with Gamboa-Caballero -- is Edwin Valero, moving up from lightweight, against Lamont Peterson in a junior welterweight bout. If Arum can figure out a way to keep the two fights together on the same card (they're expensive fights), that is a great doubleheader. He said Showtime has particular interest in Valero-Peterson.

• Top Rank's Carl Moretti said junior flyweight titlist Giovani Segura will headline "Top Rank Live" (Fox Sports en Español) from Acapulco, Mexico, on March 27, possibly against Denver Cuello. Moretti said it hasn't been determined if Segura will defend his title or take a nontitle bout. The opening fight on that show will be a junior flyweight title eliminator between former titlist Ulises Solis of Mexico against the Philippines' Bert Batawang. The winner gets a mandatory shot at titleholder Carlos Tamara.

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Mayweather-Mosley revives terrific '24/7'

We all know Floyd Mayweather Jr. is comfortable in the boxing ring, but as we all have learned over the past few years, he's just as comfortable in front of the camera.

Mayweather's presence is what helped make HBO's "24/7" reality series a big hit since the inception of the show in 2007 with "De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7" and "Mayweather/Hatton 24/7."

So it should come as no surprise that HBO announced Tuesday at the kickoff news conference in New York to promote the Shane Mosley-Mayweather welterweight title fight that the series will return to follow the buildup to the much-anticipated HBO pay-per-view fight on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The four-episode "24/7 Mayweather/Mosley" will begin airing April 10 (10 p.m. ET). The second and third episodes will air on subsequent Saturday nights (the April 17 episode debuts at 9:30 p.m. ET and the April 24 episode debuts at 8:30 p.m.). The finale will air on Friday, April 30 (8:30 p.m. ET), allowing HBO's cameras to capture that day's weigh-in.

This will be the fourth time in the eight boxing editions of "24/7," which has won a combined seven Sports Emmy Awards (and deserved them all), that Mayweather will be one of the stars. It will be the first time that Mosley will have the cameras following him throughout a training camp.

"We can't wait to get the cameras rolling on Floyd and Shane as they prepare for this big event," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said in making the announcement. "We appreciate all the access and cooperation that we get from the boxers and their teams. We know the bar is set high and we are excited to meet the challenge."

"24/7" is consistently great. It provides lots of training camp access and certainly works to help market the pay-per-view. From the superb music (including the great theme music) to the lush production values to the sweet tones of narrator Liev Schreiber -- count me in as a big-time fan of the show.

I even enjoyed the recent auto racing-themed series that followed Jimmie Johnson and his team's preparation for the Daytona 500, and I'm not an auto racing fan. But you know what? After watching every episode of that series, I tuned in to the 500.

Mayweather is must-see TV. Adding to the drama, undoubtedly, will be having his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, around. Never a dull moment with those guys.

Although Mayweather always makes things fun, I am also looking forward to seeing Mosley, long one of the top stars in the sport, get the "24/7" treatment. His trainer, Naazim Richardson, should provide plenty of interesting nuggets as well.

Mosley-Mayweather is one of the best and most significant fights in boxing. Even without a "24/7," it would do big pay-per-view numbers. With a "24/7" backing it up, the numbers will go through the roof. And I wouldn't be surprised if some of the folks at HBO will need to clear off a little more shelf space for some more Emmys.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather-Mosley to begin drug testing on Monday

By Benjamin Dover: Floyd “Money” Mayweather and “Sugar Shane Mosley” will begin the USADA gold standard anti-doping program on Monday, March 22nd as they continue to prepare for their clash titled “Who R U Picking?” which it set to take place on Saturday May 1st at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas live on HBO PPV.


Both Mayweather and Mosley have agreed to the gold standard, anti-program, the most stringent in sport, as outlined by the USADA. The program involves no-advance-notice sample collection of urine prior to and after the fight so that all banned substances, some of which do not show up in urine, are tested thoroughly. Both Athletes are subjected to this leading up to and after the fight.

Mayweather said: “I am excited that Shane Mosley and I are willing to take these tests to ensure a fair fight on May 1st, I just want to show the world that boxing is a clean sport and my hope is that all fighters will take a similar stance and responsibility which reflects sportsmanship at the highest level and sets a new standard for safety in boxing.”

Mayweather’s opponent Shane Mosley said: “I think that the testing is a great idea and I didn’t hesitate for one minute about agreeing to it, lets hope the rest of the boxing world follows mine and Floyd’s example.”

Both fighters seem very keen to participate in the testing process and one thing is clear about the fight, whoever wins May 1st, they will know that they have won the fight fairly and cleanly. The same as the boxing fans around the world will see. I think this is going to be a great fight and one not to be missed.

Mayweather-Mosley live May 1st.

 

[heyzel]

Clottey thinks Pacquiao would give Mayweather a lot of problems – News

By Esteban Garduno: For what it’s worth, Joshua Clottey believes that Manny Pacquiao would give unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. a lot of problems if the two were eve to fight. In an article at the Philippine Star, Clottey says “To be frank with you, the fight [Mayweather vs. Pacquiao] will be very tough for Mayweather. Pacquiao is very fast and he keeps on throwing punches. Mayweather doesn’t throw too much, so Manny will give him problems, lot’s of problems.” That may might be, but Mayweather is a lot better at moving than Clottey proved to be last Saturday night.


It’s easy to get hit with punches when you spend 99% of the fight just standing and covering up like Clottey did against Pacquiao. In hindsight, that was a really poor strategy that Clottey used in the fight against Pacquiao. Mayweather won’t fight like that against Pacquiao. He’ll move constantly, make Pacquiao follow him around the ring and pick Pacquiao off with big shots.

The worst thing that a fighter can do against an opponent that likes to throw a ton of punches like Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito is stand directly in front of them, not move and just cover up. That was basically a suicidal plan by Clottey from the first second he employed that. The thing of it is Freddie Roach, the trainer for Pacquiao, knew Clottey was going to fight that way going into the bout. Roach even said what Clottey was going to do in the fight.

And sure enough, that’s exactly what Clottey did. He covered up, moved little, spent time on the ropes covering up and basically presenting himself as a stationary target for Pacquiao for 12 rounds. Clottey should have come up with a strategy to use and employed it instead of using what he’s been doing in the past and failing miserably at it. Clottey said before the fight that he doesn’t like to watch video of his opponents.

However, had Clottey at least watched the bout between Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, he would have seen the HUGE problems that Pacquiao had anytime that Cotto moved a little. Let’s be clear about this: Cotto is not good at moving around the ring, yet he had Pacquiao looking really limited anytime he did move. Pacquiao wasn’t landing when Cotto was moving.

Clottey is right that Pacquiao would cause Mayweather a lot of problems with his high volume work rate. However, that’s only if Mayweather stupid enough to just cover up with a clamshell defense all night long, not move and barely throw punches. That’s a recipe for losing, and it’s sad that Clottey appeared to make no changes to his style of fighting whatsoever for the Pacquiao fight.

I don’t know why Clottey didn’t try to use movement, jabs and counter punching against Pacquiao, because that’s how you beat him. In his two fights with Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez used a combination of movement and punching while Pacquiao was throwing shots. In that way, Marquez was able to find a lot of success countering Pacquiao.

What Clottey was doing was just standing in one place, covering up and waiting for Pacquiao to stop throwing punches before he would start throwing shots of his own. It was a bad plan, and the same plan that Clottey uses in all his fights. There was no adjustments on his part for the Pacquiao fight, so he deserved to lose badly.

But that’s not reason to believe that Mayweather would fare the same fate as him, because he wouldn’t be crazy enough to fight the same way. Mayweather doesn’t need to throw a lot of punches, because his movement keeps his opponents from landing. When you have a fighter chasing another fighter around the ring for 12 rounds, not landing and eating a lot of shots to the head, it’s easy to beat them without landing a lot.

Share and Enjoy:

 

[heyzel]

Pacquiao fought a dumb fight against Clottey

Chris Williams: I’ve watched the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight a couple of times now and I have to say that I think Pacquiao fought about the dumbest fight I can ever imagine a fighter doing. I’ve seen son poorly fought bouts before, but Pacquiao’s performance last Saturday night really takes the cake. If not for the fact that Clottey fought an even worse fight, I think Pacquiao would have been beaten easily.


Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told him before the fight to work the body of Clottey, because Freddie saw from watching video of Clottey that it’s hard to land shots to his head because of his clamshell defense. So what does Pacquiao do? He turns around and throws 1200 punches, almost all of them to the head and ending up averaging a pitiful 20% of his shots.

Pacquiao basically pounded on Clottey’s gloves all night long, and only rarely threw any body shots. Roach said the way to get Clottey to drop his high guard was for Pacquiao to throw to the body. But instead of following Roach’s advice, Pacquiao foolishly threw shots to the head all night long. Pacquiao wasted all those shots in which he averaged over a 100 punches thrown per round.

Pacquiao might as well have saved himself the trouble of throwing all those useless shots and spent his time more wisely being more selective. Clottey may not have thrown many punches during the fight, but at least the ones he was throwing actually were landing instead of missing. I still don’t know why Roach didn’t talk some sense into Pacquiao’s head in between rounds.

How he can Roach have just let Pacquiao fight such a dumb fight? I noticed that a lot of the time that Roach was taking to Pacquiao in between rounds, Pacquiao’s eyes were looking upwards, possibly viewing the replays of the previous around along with the crowd. Roach needed to snap Pacquiao’s mind back to the present with what he was trying to tell the guy, because Pacquiao fought the entire fight the exact same way.

Round after round, Pacquiao rained shots on Clottey’s gloves as if it was some kind of ploy to get Clottey to drop his gloves. If this was what Pacquiao was trying to do, it didn’t work because Clottey kept his clamshell defense up the entire fight and did a great job of limiting Pacquiao to a poor 20% connect rate.

I’m sorry, but I can’t ever see Pacquiao beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley. You have to fight smart to beat those fighters and have a good plan that you can carry out to the letter. If Roach told Pacquiao to go to the body to get Clottey to drop his guard, then Pacquiao failed miserably at following Roach’s instructions.

Pacquiao might as well have been his own trainer for that fight because he did zero adjustments during the fight as far as I can tell, and seemed to be aiming his shots at Clottey’s gloves rather than trying to land to the body the way he should have been doing.

Share and Enjoy: