Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 4 - Not buying this Bullsh!t Boxing PPV!
By Johnny Benz, Doghouse Boxing (Aug 28, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
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Manny Pacquiao
By Johnny Benz, Doghouse Boxing. - All indications are seeming to point to Manny Pacquiao's next opponent to be against Juan Manuel Marquez. Well excuse me for not being stupid enough to want to buy a 4th battle between these two foes. Not only have I been there and done it again, and again... but I am (yawn) bored as hell with the idea of a 4th battle. In fact I am bored as hell with Pacquiao in any fight except one against Floyd Mayweather.

Should Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4 become official... I am willing to bet it will be the lowest PPV Pacquiao has done in years. I won't be buying it, neither will any of my friends. If you have half a brain, you will not buy this PPV either. In fact, I'll tell everyone I know over and over to save their money and you should too! Top Rank and Bob Arum have bleed as much blood as they can from my pocket book by pitting Pacquiao over and over with Top Rank fighters. The sport is becoming a joke and this is just part of the reason. It's always Top Rank vs. Top Rank and not Top Rank vs. the Best possible opposition.

I like to watch the Sport of Boxing... not the Sport of Top Rank.

It only took Floyd Mayweather one fight against Juan Manuel Marquez to prove who the better fighter was... yet here we are with another Pacquiao vs. Marquez battle possibly on the horizon. The thought of another Pacquiao fight (while Mayweather is not the choice) makes me sick to my stomach.

I will not be buying a 4th fight with Pacquiao and Marquez. I will not buy any fight with Pacquiao in it that does not include Mayweather. Obviously Pacquiao is running scared from Mayweather... and should Marquez finally beat him... it will be the nail in the coffin for Pacquiao's career.

Save your money (Top Rank and Pacquiao are rich enough and seem to not care what any of us think) and avoid Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4. You will also send a strong message to Top Rank and Pacquiao... ENOUGH OF THE BULLSH!T!

 

[heyzel]

Bradley: I don’t know how Pacquiao couldn’t choose to fight me again; I have his belt
August 28th, 2012

By Chris Williams: WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley (29-0, 12 KO’s) feels he’s someone that Manny Pacquiao has to fight again because of him losing to Bradley last June in a 12 round decision loss. Bradley feels he’s the most appealing opponent of the three guys picked out for Pacquiao by his promoter Bob Arum.

Bradley told the Los Angeles Times “I don’t know how he can pick anyone other than me. If he wants his belt back, he has to come through me to get it…I’ve got a win on my resume over Manny Pacquiao, and it’s going in the history books that way.”

I think it’s reasonable that Pacquiao should fight Bradley again to at least try and get his WBO strap back, but that’s not how Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum sees this. He sees things in dollars and cents, and he obviously was disappointed with the amount of loot that the Pacquiao-Bradley fight was able to net last June. The figures that I’ve been hearing are 700,000 pay per view buys, which are way below the numbers that Pacquiao has picked up in his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto recently.

I think if it was a little bit of a difference in terms of cash, Arum probably wouldn’t mind, but this is a huge amount of money that he and Pacquiao couldn’t rake in for the Bradley fight. I don’t think Arum wants to risk another smaller payday by letting his cash cow Pacquiao fight Bradley again and it not hauling in big cash. Arum wants to maximize the cash that his fighter brings in and if he puts him back in with Bradley, he might end up having to settle for less.

In hindsight, Arum probably made a huge mistake of signing Bradley to his Top Rank stable to begin with because he wasn’t a star and there were huge question marks whether he had the fighting style needed to ever become a big name. Arum still went ahead and signed Bradley up, and then rushed him into a fight with Pacquiao after only one fight under his belt with his Top Rank stable.

Arum usually builds up a fighter slowly over many years when he’s trying create a star, but with Bradley he didn’t take his time like normally does and just threw him in with Pacquiao. Of course, the fight wasn’t going to do well because he rushed it. And the worse thing that came from all this was that Pacquiao got beat and exposed by Bradley. All it took was a little movement by Bradley and a consistent work rate and he beat the Filipino. You think Arum wants to risk having that happen again? No way. Bradley is all wrong for Pacquiao, and I think Arum is going to gently but firmly steer his little cash cow away from Bradley to bigger money fights against Marquez or Cotto.

 

[heyzel]

Bradley: I don’t know how Pacquiao couldn’t choose to fight me again; I have his belt
August 28th, 2012

By Chris Williams: WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley (29-0, 12 KO’s) feels he’s someone that Manny Pacquiao has to fight again because of him losing to Bradley last June in a 12 round decision loss. Bradley feels he’s the most appealing opponent of the three guys picked out for Pacquiao by his promoter Bob Arum.

Bradley told the Los Angeles Times “I don’t know how he can pick anyone other than me. If he wants his belt back, he has to come through me to get it…I’ve got a win on my resume over Manny Pacquiao, and it’s going in the history books that way.”

I think it’s reasonable that Pacquiao should fight Bradley again to at least try and get his WBO strap back, but that’s not how Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum sees this. He sees things in dollars and cents, and he obviously was disappointed with the amount of loot that the Pacquiao-Bradley fight was able to net last June. The figures that I’ve been hearing are 700,000 pay per view buys, which are way below the numbers that Pacquiao has picked up in his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto recently.

I think if it was a little bit of a difference in terms of cash, Arum probably wouldn’t mind, but this is a huge amount of money that he and Pacquiao couldn’t rake in for the Bradley fight. I don’t think Arum wants to risk another smaller payday by letting his cash cow Pacquiao fight Bradley again and it not hauling in big cash. Arum wants to maximize the cash that his fighter brings in and if he puts him back in with Bradley, he might end up having to settle for less.

In hindsight, Arum probably made a huge mistake of signing Bradley to his Top Rank stable to begin with because he wasn’t a star and there were huge question marks whether he had the fighting style needed to ever become a big name. Arum still went ahead and signed Bradley up, and then rushed him into a fight with Pacquiao after only one fight under his belt with his Top Rank stable.

Arum usually builds up a fighter slowly over many years when he’s trying create a star, but with Bradley he didn’t take his time like normally does and just threw him in with Pacquiao. Of course, the fight wasn’t going to do well because he rushed it. And the worse thing that came from all this was that Pacquiao got beat and exposed by Bradley. All it took was a little movement by Bradley and a consistent work rate and he beat the Filipino. You think Arum wants to risk having that happen again? No way. Bradley is all wrong for Pacquiao, and I think Arum is going to gently but firmly steer his little cash cow away from Bradley to bigger money fights against Marquez or Cotto.

 

[heyzel]

ALVAREZ ALREADY LOOKING BEYOND LOPEZ AS HE PROCLAIMS HE'S READY FOR COTTO
By Fernando Pimentel | August 29, 2012

"I am ready for Cotto," proclaimed WBC jr. middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alavrez shortly after putting in work on the heavy bag during today's media workout in Santa Monica, California. First up for Alarez, however, is Josesito Lopez, who hopes to move up another weight division and pull off his second upset of the year. Regardless of Lopez's intentions, it's clear that Alvarez and his team are already eyeing bigger plans, which likely included a December return to the ring to headline his first pay-per-view event.

"First Lopez, then Cotto, then Mayweather," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer would add before jokingly throwing Klitschko's name into the mix. As previously reported, Miguel Cotto was already planning his own December 1st return to the ring at Madison Square Garden. Whether or not that will actually be against Alvarez remains to be seen, however, Schaefer did confirm that Golden Boy Promotions was working on a December 1st card at MSG.

 

[heyzel]

FLOYD MAYWEATHER: "IF I DO FIGHT AGAIN, I'LL FIGHT WHOEVER THEY PUT IN FRONT OF ME"
By Ben Thompson | August 29, 2012

"I don't have any hate towards Manny Pacquiao, you know. I respect him, but I'm just saying...The only thing I can continue to do is, if I do fight again, I'll fight whoever they put in front of me," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who recently visited the studios of Hot97 FM to discuss a number of topics, including his time in prison, the newly formed TMT Promotions, as well as his future plans and whether or not they involve Manny Pacquiao. Check out some of the highlights from his appearance.

On TMT Promotions...

"50 is, like I said before, everything that he touch turns to gold. We got The Money Team Promotions and we also got Mayweather Promotions, we got, it's all one family, so we stick together and we're gonna continue to work hard

On Manny Pacquiao...

"I don't have any hate towards Manny Pacquiao, you know. I respect him, but I'm just saying, it's not a crime. I'm also saying I'ma do random blood and urine testing, you know, just so I can be in a clean sport. That's all I'm asking."

"Actually, we don't do the same type of numbers, so how can we split? We don't draw the same type of money."

"It's kind of hard. I mean, Arum wants money, but the thing is, it's about putting the fighters in a good position. It's about Pacquiao and Mayweather. It's about putting both fighters in a good position, and of course I'm going to put myself in a good position."

"I can't really say why he won't do the random blood and urine tests...at this particular time, I don't know if he wants to do it or not, but

"The only thing I can continue to do is, if I do fight again, I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."

On his persona...

"It's about having personality, you know. You gotta be outspoken and have personality. It's not really the bad guy. I enjoy entertaining. That's what it's about, giving the fans excitement and entertainment. Some pay to see me win, some pay to see me lose, but they all pay."

On his time in prison...

"Your locked up 23 hours a day on weekdays; on weekends, you don't come out at all until Monday."

"I had lost weight at first. I had lost a lot of weight and I was dehydrated, and I was surviving off commissary basically. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, candy bars, potatoe chips; I was surviving off commissary. I didn't eat the food at all...I don't like it and I didn't trust it."

"I was doing a lot of reading from the fans, and just reading different books, different magazines."

"No music; no nothing...I started doing 436 pushups a day. Then I went from 436 to 872. Then I went to 1308, so I was doing like 1300 pushups a day. The most I ever done [in a row] was, when I got out, I done 141, but just regular, 100."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek-NZMndVL8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUxOPmzhzKo&feature=player_embedded

 

[heyzel]

FLOYD MAYWEATHER: "IF I DO FIGHT AGAIN, I'LL FIGHT WHOEVER THEY PUT IN FRONT OF ME"
By Ben Thompson | August 29, 2012

"I don't have any hate towards Manny Pacquiao, you know. I respect him, but I'm just saying...The only thing I can continue to do is, if I do fight again, I'll fight whoever they put in front of me," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who recently visited the studios of Hot97 FM to discuss a number of topics, including his time in prison, the newly formed TMT Promotions, as well as his future plans and whether or not they involve Manny Pacquiao. Check out some of the highlights from his appearance.

On TMT Promotions...

"50 is, like I said before, everything that he touch turns to gold. We got The Money Team Promotions and we also got Mayweather Promotions, we got, it's all one family, so we stick together and we're gonna continue to work hard

On Manny Pacquiao...

"I don't have any hate towards Manny Pacquiao, you know. I respect him, but I'm just saying, it's not a crime. I'm also saying I'ma do random blood and urine testing, you know, just so I can be in a clean sport. That's all I'm asking."

"Actually, we don't do the same type of numbers, so how can we split? We don't draw the same type of money."

"It's kind of hard. I mean, Arum wants money, but the thing is, it's about putting the fighters in a good position. It's about Pacquiao and Mayweather. It's about putting both fighters in a good position, and of course I'm going to put myself in a good position."

"I can't really say why he won't do the random blood and urine tests...at this particular time, I don't know if he wants to do it or not, but

"The only thing I can continue to do is, if I do fight again, I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."

On his persona...

"It's about having personality, you know. You gotta be outspoken and have personality. It's not really the bad guy. I enjoy entertaining. That's what it's about, giving the fans excitement and entertainment. Some pay to see me win, some pay to see me lose, but they all pay."

On his time in prison...

"Your locked up 23 hours a day on weekdays; on weekends, you don't come out at all until Monday."

"I had lost weight at first. I had lost a lot of weight and I was dehydrated, and I was surviving off commissary basically. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, candy bars, potatoe chips; I was surviving off commissary. I didn't eat the food at all...I don't like it and I didn't trust it."

"I was doing a lot of reading from the fans, and just reading different books, different magazines."

"No music; no nothing...I started doing 436 pushups a day. Then I went from 436 to 872. Then I went to 1308, so I was doing like 1300 pushups a day. The most I ever done [in a row] was, when I got out, I done 141, but just regular, 100."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek-NZMndVL8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUxOPmzhzKo&feature=player_embedded

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Hell yeah, dope ass fight right here:

Peter Quillin to fight Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam Oct 20th in Brooklyn

Schaefer also says Peter Quillin L @LazyL CHOCOLATE will fight for WBO middleweight title Oct. 20 in Brooklyn vs. champ Hassan N'Dam.


This is for the WBO belt as Dmitry Pirog was stripped, unfortane amount of injuries (had to pull out of the GGG fight).

oh and there's more!


Gotta love Amir Khan for taking big risks especially after a KO loss, but uh, man are his handlers dumb! This is great for us fans though...

Joan Guzman vs Amir Khan in negotiations for December!

http://thaboxingvoice.com/?p=3379

If this fight goes through I can see Khan giving him some problems with his height but in the end Guzman will seriously fuck up Khan with the big upset! WAR GUUUZZZZMMMAAAN!!

 

[WYNO707X4]

Khan is finished... i want to see guzman vs the bigboyz. War gusman!

 

[heyzel]

Arum wants Bradley-Marquez if Pacquiao faces Cotto
August 29th, 2012

By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum still isn’t spilling the beans about who his fighter Manny Pacquiao will be facing in his next fight. Arum’s saying that Pacquiao will make the choice by the end of this week.

Earlier today, it was reported that 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez has been given an offer for a fight with Pacquiao. However, Arum is still looking at alternative options depending on who Manny choices.

If Pacquiao decides on not going with Miguel Cotto for his next fight, then Arum wants to pair the two rejected Top Rank stable fighters Marquez and Tim Bradley in a pay per view fight on November 10th in what would likely be an elimination bout to get a winner to face Pacquiao in 2013.

That doesn’t mean the loser won’t get to fight Pacquiao as well, because Arum almost certainly will get around to having Pacquiao fight all three guys – Cotto, Bradley and Marquez – again. That kind of goes without saying, though, because two of them are Top Rank stable fighters and the third is an ex-stable fighter on good terms with him.

Arum told RingTV “If it’s Cotto and Pacquiao, then Bradley and Marquez will fight each other…the fighters have agreed to that…Cotto may be reluctant to fight Manny…Cotto people will get back to me tomorrow or Friday.”

Wow! Looks like Arum is trying to go for the biggest PPV bout of the three potential guys to fight Pacquiao. Cotto brings more fans to the table than Bradley and Marquez. Arum might be licking his chops at the idea of Pacquiao getting a slightly bigger payday against him compared to Marquez. However, Arum and Pacquiao obviously either want Cotto to come all the way down to 147 lbs or meet him at a catchweight of 150 lbs to make the fight happen.

You got to imagine that if Cotto says not to either request the fight won’t happen. Pacquiao likely won’t be interested in stepping up and fighting Cotto at 154 lbs, even though Floyd Mayweather Jr. just finished doing that successfully last May. But it was a very tough fight for Mayweather, and I don’t see Pacquiao and Arum wanting to have to experience what it’s like to fight Cotto at full strength instead of a weakened version from having to drain down to 147 or 150. Arum obviously wants his cash cow Pacquiao to keep winning, and if he faces Cotto at 154, the chances are very high that Pacquiao will lose again.

Look for Cotto to say no to any request for him to melt down to 147 or 150. I can’t see him doing that when it would likely result in him being weakened enough for Pacquiao to win with a handicap for weight.

 

[heyzel]

Arum wants Bradley-Marquez if Pacquiao faces Cotto
August 29th, 2012

By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum still isn’t spilling the beans about who his fighter Manny Pacquiao will be facing in his next fight. Arum’s saying that Pacquiao will make the choice by the end of this week.

Earlier today, it was reported that 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez has been given an offer for a fight with Pacquiao. However, Arum is still looking at alternative options depending on who Manny choices.

If Pacquiao decides on not going with Miguel Cotto for his next fight, then Arum wants to pair the two rejected Top Rank stable fighters Marquez and Tim Bradley in a pay per view fight on November 10th in what would likely be an elimination bout to get a winner to face Pacquiao in 2013.

That doesn’t mean the loser won’t get to fight Pacquiao as well, because Arum almost certainly will get around to having Pacquiao fight all three guys – Cotto, Bradley and Marquez – again. That kind of goes without saying, though, because two of them are Top Rank stable fighters and the third is an ex-stable fighter on good terms with him.

Arum told RingTV “If it’s Cotto and Pacquiao, then Bradley and Marquez will fight each other…the fighters have agreed to that…Cotto may be reluctant to fight Manny…Cotto people will get back to me tomorrow or Friday.”

Wow! Looks like Arum is trying to go for the biggest PPV bout of the three potential guys to fight Pacquiao. Cotto brings more fans to the table than Bradley and Marquez. Arum might be licking his chops at the idea of Pacquiao getting a slightly bigger payday against him compared to Marquez. However, Arum and Pacquiao obviously either want Cotto to come all the way down to 147 lbs or meet him at a catchweight of 150 lbs to make the fight happen.

You got to imagine that if Cotto says not to either request the fight won’t happen. Pacquiao likely won’t be interested in stepping up and fighting Cotto at 154 lbs, even though Floyd Mayweather Jr. just finished doing that successfully last May. But it was a very tough fight for Mayweather, and I don’t see Pacquiao and Arum wanting to have to experience what it’s like to fight Cotto at full strength instead of a weakened version from having to drain down to 147 or 150. Arum obviously wants his cash cow Pacquiao to keep winning, and if he faces Cotto at 154, the chances are very high that Pacquiao will lose again.

Look for Cotto to say no to any request for him to melt down to 147 or 150. I can’t see him doing that when it would likely result in him being weakened enough for Pacquiao to win with a handicap for weight.

 

[JLMACN]

Hell yeah, dope ass fight right here:

Peter Quillin to fight Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam Oct 20th in Brooklyn

Schaefer also says Peter Quillin L @LazyL CHOCOLATE will fight for WBO middleweight title Oct. 20 in Brooklyn vs. champ Hassan N'Dam.


This is for the WBO belt as Dmitry Pirog was stripped, unfortane amount of injuries (had to pull out of the GGG fight).

oh and there's more!


Gotta love Amir Khan for taking big risks especially after a KO loss, but uh, man are his handlers dumb! This is great for us fans though...

Joan Guzman vs Amir Khan in negotiations for December!

http://thaboxingvoice.com/?p=3379

If this fight goes through I can see Khan giving him some problems with his height but in the end Guzman will seriously fuck up Khan with the big upset! WAR GUUUZZZZMMMAAAN!!

Guzman will finally end Khan career.....

Thank you Guzman

 

[heyzel]

CARL FROCH: "ANDRE WARD WILL BEAT YOU AND HE'LL BORE YOU TO DEATH"
By Scott Smith | August 30, 2012

"Ward's a boring fighter. He does what he does well. It's hard for me to talk about Andre Ward without sounding like I'm being bitter or being overcritical...honestly, I'm not bothered. I lost to Ward fair and square. I got beat by the better man on the night. But what Ward does is very effective, but it's also very boring...it produces the result, he gets the win, but he doesn't get the fans going and it doesn't get television exicted...Andre Ward will beat you and he'll bore you to death," stated super middleweight champion Carl Froch, who shared his thoughts on the September 8th clash between super middleweight kind Andre Ward and WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson. Check out what else Froch had to say about his own return to the ring on November 17 to face Yusaf Mack, a rematch with Lucian Bute, and much more.

 

[Swayze]

heard guzman vs khan aint going down

 

[heyzel]

Roach: I think Martinez is a little scared of Chavez Jr
August 30th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Freddie Roach, the trainer for WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (46-0-1, 32 KO’s), thinks that his opponent 37-year-old Sergio Martinez (49-0-2, 28 KO’s) is afraid of Chavez Jr. as they approach their fight on September 15th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Roach believes that Martinez’s constant trash talking is because of fear.

Roach told fightnews.com “I think Martinez and his trash talking is a way for him to motivate himself. I think he’s a little bit scared…we’ll see if they can back it up on fight night.”

Martinez may be scared, but I think Chavez Jr. is no less frightened himself. The fear thing won’t control wins the fight. The winner of this fight will be the guy with the better stamina, technical sills and power. Chavez Jr. can negate whatever advantages that Martinez has in this fight by simply being the heavier guy. Being a lot bigger will help Chavez Jr. take a lot of Martinez’s shots and the weight will also help Chavez Jr’s power. Judging by the photos taken of Chavez Jr. today, I’d say that he’s not making a huge effort to trim his weight down any, so I expect him to be at least 180. With two weeks to go before the Chavez Jr-Martinez fight, Chavez Jr. is still looking very heavy and you can see it around his torso and jowls.

He’s got a nice coat of blubber that he’s carrying around, and you’re not going to lose that kind of fat in two weeks. That’s not going to happen. That fat is staying. It just means that Chavez Jr. will have to work a little harder when he dehydrates down from whatever weight he starts at. He looks like he’s weighing in the 180s, perhaps as high at 187, and I wonder why Roach isn’t stressing out right now.

 

[heyzel]

Roach: I'd Prefer A Cotto Re-match...



By Chris Robinson

During Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.'s open media day at the Top Rank Gym on Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada, myself and other media members caught up with the WBC middleweight champion's trainer Freddie Roach to discuss their September 15th date against Sergio Martinez in-depth.

During some down time, Roach and I again had dialogue, this time about his star fighter Manny Pacquiao and that status of his next fight. Pacquiao is slated for a December return to the ring and at the moment he has three realistic options in Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto,and Timothy Bradley.

Pacquiao was upset by Bradley on June 9th in a highly-controversial bout that the majority of those watching had in his favor. The Filipino icon defeated Marquez this past November in a fight that he looked to be in danger of losing and he holds a 12th round TKO over Cotto.

Roach gave his thoughts on who he would prefer at this point.

"Bradley, I feel there's no need for that fight because the whole word knows we beat him," Roach revealed. "Marquez, we've already done three times. Cotto makes the most sense to me because he just went the distance with Mayweather. If we can knock him out again at 150, which he said yes to, and if we could knock him out again, our negotiating power with Mayweather would be a little stronger."

Just as quickly as Roach was letting his preference be known, he too admitted that a Cotto rematch was unlikely at this point.

"I think it's the most sensible fight out there but Marquez is closer to being made though, because Cotto wants more money," stated Roach.

Cotto fought valiantly with Pacquiao during their November 2009 encounter at the MGM Grand but he was dropped in rounds three and four before being dominated the rest of the way out, with referee Kenny Bayless jumping in to save him from any further punishment in the final round.

Still, Cotto has rebounded nicely since that defeat and he is coming off of a great effort vs. Floyd Mayweather on May 5th in a fight he lost on the scorecards.

"Well, I just have to sit down and watch what he's been working on with his new trainer and so forth," Roach stated of Pedro Diaz, who seems to mesh very well with Cotto. "He does have that Cuban trainer now who is very, very good with the counter-punching style. That usually poses the biggest problems for Pacquiao. We just have to watch tapes and identify what he's working on and try to nullify that."

Roach seemed beside himself following Pacquiao's split-decision loss to Bradley a few months back but he admits he holds no ill will over how the fight was scored.

"I was never upset," Roach claimed. "It's part of life. Manny hugged me after the fight and said 'It's ok, we'll get him next time'. There's nothing we can do about it."

A Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is the dream bout that the boxing world has wanted for nearly three years now and Roach would have preferred such a scenario for later in the year despite Floyd just recently having gotten out of jail.

"We want Floyd to come to the table and try and negotiate that," said Roach. "That would supersede any other fight."

***Roach, is delusional if he believes another victory over, Cotto, at a CATCHWEIGHT will help Manny at the negotiating table. Mayweather is simply going to counter with the fact that he defeated, Cotto, at the true junior middleweight limit of 154lbs. If, Manny, truly want to gain leverage at the bargaining table then he'll have to either KO or Dominate, Cotto@154. Another catchweight victory over, Cotto, does absolutely nothing his legacy nor bargaining chip. I really hope that Cotto turns down this catchweight proposal against, Manny. Cotto has more options then anyone in boxing right now. He doesn't need, Manny...Manny, needs him.***

 

[heyzel]

Roach: I'd Prefer A Cotto Re-match...



By Chris Robinson

During Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.'s open media day at the Top Rank Gym on Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada, myself and other media members caught up with the WBC middleweight champion's trainer Freddie Roach to discuss their September 15th date against Sergio Martinez in-depth.

During some down time, Roach and I again had dialogue, this time about his star fighter Manny Pacquiao and that status of his next fight. Pacquiao is slated for a December return to the ring and at the moment he has three realistic options in Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto,and Timothy Bradley.

Pacquiao was upset by Bradley on June 9th in a highly-controversial bout that the majority of those watching had in his favor. The Filipino icon defeated Marquez this past November in a fight that he looked to be in danger of losing and he holds a 12th round TKO over Cotto.

Roach gave his thoughts on who he would prefer at this point.

"Bradley, I feel there's no need for that fight because the whole word knows we beat him," Roach revealed. "Marquez, we've already done three times. Cotto makes the most sense to me because he just went the distance with Mayweather. If we can knock him out again at 150, which he said yes to, and if we could knock him out again, our negotiating power with Mayweather would be a little stronger."

Just as quickly as Roach was letting his preference be known, he too admitted that a Cotto rematch was unlikely at this point.

"I think it's the most sensible fight out there but Marquez is closer to being made though, because Cotto wants more money," stated Roach.

Cotto fought valiantly with Pacquiao during their November 2009 encounter at the MGM Grand but he was dropped in rounds three and four before being dominated the rest of the way out, with referee Kenny Bayless jumping in to save him from any further punishment in the final round.

Still, Cotto has rebounded nicely since that defeat and he is coming off of a great effort vs. Floyd Mayweather on May 5th in a fight he lost on the scorecards.

"Well, I just have to sit down and watch what he's been working on with his new trainer and so forth," Roach stated of Pedro Diaz, who seems to mesh very well with Cotto. "He does have that Cuban trainer now who is very, very good with the counter-punching style. That usually poses the biggest problems for Pacquiao. We just have to watch tapes and identify what he's working on and try to nullify that."

Roach seemed beside himself following Pacquiao's split-decision loss to Bradley a few months back but he admits he holds no ill will over how the fight was scored.

"I was never upset," Roach claimed. "It's part of life. Manny hugged me after the fight and said 'It's ok, we'll get him next time'. There's nothing we can do about it."

A Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is the dream bout that the boxing world has wanted for nearly three years now and Roach would have preferred such a scenario for later in the year despite Floyd just recently having gotten out of jail.

"We want Floyd to come to the table and try and negotiate that," said Roach. "That would supersede any other fight."

***Roach, is delusional if he believes another victory over, Cotto, at a CATCHWEIGHT will help Manny at the negotiating table. Mayweather is simply going to counter with the fact that he defeated, Cotto, at the true junior middleweight limit of 154lbs. If, Manny, truly want to gain leverage at the bargaining table then he'll have to either KO or Dominate, Cotto@154. Another catchweight victory over, Cotto, does absolutely nothing his legacy nor bargaining chip. I really hope that Cotto turns down this catchweight proposal against, Manny. Cotto has more options then anyone in boxing right now. He doesn't need, Manny...Manny, needs him.***

 

[heyzel]

Dawson to continue to fight at 168 lbs if he beats Ward on September 8th
August 30th, 2012

By Allan Fox: WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) says he’ll continue to look for big fights at 168 lbs if he beats WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) next month in their fight on September 8th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Dawson, 30, intends on fighting in both the light heavyweight and super middleweight divisions if he conquers Ward, so that he can defend both of his titles against the top names.

Dawson said “I’m looking for the good fights in either weight class. I think 168 is a lot more loaded than the light heavyweight division is. I also think those guys at 168, including Andre Ward, will be coming up to light heavyweight real soon.”

So either way, Dawson will be in a good position to get big fights at both weights even after some of the top super middleweights move up a class. I honestly don’t think as many will move up to light heavyweight as Dawson thinks they will. I can see Ward moving up and possibly Kessler in order to get easier fights.

However, guys like Carl Froch, Lucian Bute, Andre Dirrell, Adonis Stevenson and Thomas Oosthuizen, will likely stay at super middleweight for the remainders of their careers. The light heavyweight division will remain a pretty much empty one in terms of talented fighters. There will be some good fighters, to be sure, but also a lot of mediocre guys that can’t compete with the creme of the division.

The Dawson-Ward fight should give us a good indication of how Dawson will fare against the better fighters at super middleweight. If he gets totally blown out or dominated by Ward in a 12 round decision, that will be a good sign that Dawson would also struggle against other top 168 pound fighters like Froch, Bute, Kessler and Oosthuizen. Dawson should go back up in weight if Ward is able to easily take care of him on September 8th, because Dawson doesn’t need to ruin his career fighting against guys that may have his number due to their talent.

 

[heyzel]

Garcia vs Morales II: Erik Morales Says He'll Retire If He Can't Win




Erik Morales has given boxing fans a lot to love over his 19-year professional career, and now the Mexican star, who turns 36 tomorrow, says that if he can't beat Danny Garcia on October 20 in Brooklyn, he'll leave the sport.

"[If I lose I will] say goodbye to boxing. I'm in the home stretch of my career and I have the challenge of recovering my belt. It's an attractive confrontation and one that motivates me to prepare well," Morales said.

Morales (52-8, 36 KO) has done it all over the years -- great rivalries with Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao, titles at 122, 126, 130, and 140 pounds, numerous Fight of the Year-type wars. And it's no secret that he's nearing the end of his career. And he knows it, too.

Really, it's remarkable he got back to this level at all.

Star-divide

It's somewhat easy to forget now that back in 2007, when Morales lost a competitive, very entertaining fight to David Diaz at 135 pounds, he left the sport after four straight losses. His career had basically collapsed, as he went from a shocker loss to Zahir Raheem into two straight defeats against Manny Pacquiao (which were humbling-type losses, too), and then Diaz, a blue collar fighter who once would have been a near pushover for some with Morales' talent. And like that, Morales was gone.

Three years later, he was back, fighting and winning modestly against the likes of Jose Alfaro, Willie Limond, and Francisco Lorenzo. We scoffed, at least a little bit, at his soft, almost doughy physique. The rail-thin figure of the past had aged into a body that didn't look like that of a professional athlete in his early 30s.

And then he fought Marcos Maidana with one goddamn eye for 12 hellacious rounds, and it all came back to us. This was Erik Morales. El Terrible.

Morales lost in March against Garcia. It wasn't really remarkable. He was old. He looked old. He fought old. And yet there were moments where you could see that the younger Erik was still there. Take this bit, which is comedic in nature, but is an example of those flashes where clearly, he could still control the ring against Garcia:

 

[heyzel]

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI: "LOTS OF DOUBTERS...BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE ME EITHER OF MY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS"
By Press Release | August 30, 2012

"Lots of doubters for both of our careers. But we learn from our mistakes and pick ourselves up. Trust me, even I doubted myself, but you have to dust yourself off and come back stronger than ever....I respect Cano...But they didn't give me either of my world championships, especially not this one," stated WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, who talked about his upcoming title defense against Pablo Cesar Cano on October 20th at the Barclays Center. Check out what else he had to say!

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI, WBA Welterweight World Champion (Brooklyn)

"Brooklyn, baby. All about Brooklyn for me, and it is amazing because the Barclays Center is so close to where I was born. And I just don't mean New York close, I mean close as in 5 miles from the hospital.

"This is going to be a great show. When I got to the hotel I saw Danny (Jacobs) in the lobby and we both realized it was two years ago that we were together at Gleasons Gym with Brett Yormark and Oscar de la Hoya to announce this whole boxing program.

"If anyone had bet that day that Danny and I would have both been on the show and I was going to headline as one of the main events, they would have made a lot of money because the odds would have been huge.

"(There have been) lots of doubters for both of our careers. But we learn from our mistakes and pick ourselves up. Trust me, even I doubted myself, but you have to dust yourself off and come back stronger than ever.

"When I lost, a lot of people wrote me off, but I got with some great people, went west to train and found a way to get it done. I have always been an ambitious person and a go-getter.

"I have great respect for Golden Boy and I appreciate them believing in me. Since I have signed with them, I have had four fights and now a world championship.

"I respect Cano. There is a level of fighting with a world championship when you're young like he is and of course he is going to be hungry. I know he came up the hard way.

"But they didn't give me either of my world championships, especially not this one. I went across the world and knocked out an undefeated champion who no one thought I was going to beat. That is why I can be proud of my boxing career and put in on display October 20."

 

[bigface]

Arum Receives Cotto's Terms, Pacquiao Decision Looms

By Ryan Burton

Top Rank's CEO, Bob Arum, spoke to BoxingScene.com about the current status of Manny Pacquiao's December ring return.

In a recent BoxingScene article, Ronnie Nathanielsz reported that Top Rank had tentative agreements in place with Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley - and they were simply waiting to receive the terms from Miguel Cotto's camp in order for Pacquiao to make a final decision on who his opponent will be.

Arum advised BoxingScene that he has now hashed out the parameters to make a deal with Cotto.

"We have pretty well ironed everything out with his team, at least I believe that. Now the question is does Miguel want to fight Manny at this time and (his advisor) Gaby(Peñagarícano) is talking to Miguel (about that). It is no longer a money issue," Arum told BoxingScene.com

During my conversation with Arum, fellow BoxingScene scribe Chris Robinson chimed in and asked Arum if the agreed upon weight would be an issue. Earlier this year, a potential Pacquiao-Cotto rematch fell apart when the two boxers were unable to agree on a catch-weight between 147 and 154-pounds.

Arum says the weight is no longer an issue.

"That is not an issue. Remember, Manny beat the hell out of him and a fighter who gets the hell beat out of him by an opponent, if there are other options, may not want to fight the same guy," Arum stated.

I also asked Arum how realistic is a potential Cotto vs. Tim Bradley showdown - if Pacquiao decides to fight Marquez for a fourth time. In a recent BoxingScene article, Bradley said he would have no problem moving up in weight for a fight with Cotto. It appears Bradley has already agreed to face Cotto - but Arum is not sure if Cotto would feel the same.

"We've presented all the options to everybody. Bradley is totally on board to fight Cotto but Cotto may be looking for a very easy fight in December," stated Arum who pointed to Cotto's track record of taking easier fights when coming off a loss.

"Look at Cotto's career, that is what Gaby said to me (about taking easier fights after losses). After he lost to Margarito he did a transition fight against (Michael) Jennings that wasn't very competitive. After he lost to Manny he fought Yuri Foreman," he continued.

If Pacquiao decides to fight Cotto then Arum said he would likely stage Juan Manuel Marquez versus Tim Bradley on November 10th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Arum hopes to finalize the details of Pacquiao's December fight by Monday.


So Arum is going to shit on Cotto's name now because he said fuck you to another Manny catchweight fight for the second time this year. Wow I guess when you become your own boss Oscar, Mayweather, and now Cotto you become a ducking bum in the media. lol Mayweather leaves Arum then all of a sudden he's ducking Cotto, bum ass Margarito, and catch weight Manny.