Boxing News Thread
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Jeff Mayweather says he puts asterisks next to Pacquiao’s recent wins
By Dave Lahr: Jeff Mayweather, the uncle of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., is skeptical and less than impressed with Manny Pacquiao’s recent wins as he’s moved up in weight against fighters like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. In an article at fighthype.com, Jeff makes it clear that he thinks it’s strange that Pacquiao is beating these bigger guys given that he felt he lost both of his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez in the past.
Jeff M says “I put asterisks by them [Pacquiao's recent wins]. We’re talking about a guy that, depending on who you’re talking to, got beat two times by Marquez. But yet, all of a sudden now, he starts dogging guys that are much bigger than him. Why didn’t he do that to Marquez back then. Marquez is a much smaller guy and if you are knocking out these guys, there ain’t no way he wouldn’t have knocked out Marquez.”
Jeff doesn’t have an answer for Pacquiao’s success against the bigger fighters. But he says he would feel much better about Pacquiao’s wins if he agreed to take the blood tests. Until then, Jeff is putting asterisks next to Pacquiao’s wins.
For me, I put asterisks next to Pacquiao’s wins because of his catch-weight fights, which I feel give Pacquiao a huge handicap against his opponents, and also because I don’t see Pacquiao’s previous wins in title fights coming against the best fighters in those weight classes. With four champions in every division, it’s a lot easier nowadays to go title shopping by looking for easy marks and then go after their titles to pick up belts the easy way. I haven’t heard of half of the fighters Pacquiao has beaten for titles in the past, and the ones I have heard of, I haven’t been impressed with them. Like Jeff M, I feel that Pacquiao lost both of his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez in the past.
Jeff also points out Floyd Mayweather Jr. could also have won eight world titles by now if his goal was just to pick up belts instead of looking for the best fights. Jeff thinks that it gets easy for fighters like Pacquiao once they get as popular as Pacquiao is right now to get catch-weight fights help you win titles. Jeff says “Once you get to a level and you become bigger than the sport itself, where basically you’re in a position to be able to say I want to fight at a catch-weight or do this or do that, that means you transcend the sport. You are changing the rules of the game.”
Yes, I agree with much of what Jeff says. Once you become as popular as Pacquiao is now, you can get pretty much any catch-weight or whatever you want from your opponent because they’re not in good position to say no to them. Sure, they can say no, but they’re probably not crazy enough to do that for fear of losing out on the big money they’d make for a fight against Pacquiao. While Pacquiao’s fans might think this is something he deserves to have because of his popularity, it sets up situations where he has a huge amount of power over his opponents.
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By Dave Lahr: Jeff Mayweather, the uncle of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., is skeptical and less than impressed with Manny Pacquiao’s recent wins as he’s moved up in weight against fighters like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. In an article at fighthype.com, Jeff makes it clear that he thinks it’s strange that Pacquiao is beating these bigger guys given that he felt he lost both of his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez in the past.
Jeff M says “I put asterisks by them [Pacquiao's recent wins]. We’re talking about a guy that, depending on who you’re talking to, got beat two times by Marquez. But yet, all of a sudden now, he starts dogging guys that are much bigger than him. Why didn’t he do that to Marquez back then. Marquez is a much smaller guy and if you are knocking out these guys, there ain’t no way he wouldn’t have knocked out Marquez.”
Jeff doesn’t have an answer for Pacquiao’s success against the bigger fighters. But he says he would feel much better about Pacquiao’s wins if he agreed to take the blood tests. Until then, Jeff is putting asterisks next to Pacquiao’s wins.
For me, I put asterisks next to Pacquiao’s wins because of his catch-weight fights, which I feel give Pacquiao a huge handicap against his opponents, and also because I don’t see Pacquiao’s previous wins in title fights coming against the best fighters in those weight classes. With four champions in every division, it’s a lot easier nowadays to go title shopping by looking for easy marks and then go after their titles to pick up belts the easy way. I haven’t heard of half of the fighters Pacquiao has beaten for titles in the past, and the ones I have heard of, I haven’t been impressed with them. Like Jeff M, I feel that Pacquiao lost both of his fights with Juan Manuel Marquez in the past.
Jeff also points out Floyd Mayweather Jr. could also have won eight world titles by now if his goal was just to pick up belts instead of looking for the best fights. Jeff thinks that it gets easy for fighters like Pacquiao once they get as popular as Pacquiao is right now to get catch-weight fights help you win titles. Jeff says “Once you get to a level and you become bigger than the sport itself, where basically you’re in a position to be able to say I want to fight at a catch-weight or do this or do that, that means you transcend the sport. You are changing the rules of the game.”
Yes, I agree with much of what Jeff says. Once you become as popular as Pacquiao is now, you can get pretty much any catch-weight or whatever you want from your opponent because they’re not in good position to say no to them. Sure, they can say no, but they’re probably not crazy enough to do that for fear of losing out on the big money they’d make for a fight against Pacquiao. While Pacquiao’s fans might think this is something he deserves to have because of his popularity, it sets up situations where he has a huge amount of power over his opponents.
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Why doesn’t Pacquiao fight African American fighters?
By Chris Williams: Bernard Hopkins mentioned that Manny Pacquiao hasn’t faced any African Americans earlier today in an interview. I’ve always wondered why Manny Pacquiao, out of all the opponents he’s had in his career, he for some reason hasn’t fought any African American fighters? Now why is that? With the opportunity to face Paul Williams or Shane Mosley staring at him in the face, Pacquiao chose to fight Antonio Margarito recently. The last time I checked, Pacquiao had already fought countless Mexican fighters in the past. So why hasn’t Pacquiao fought any African Americans? You have to wonder how Pacquiao could have not fought any after all these years. Pacquiao seems to have been matched only against slow fighters that either stand directly in front of him are come straight at him. Why hasn’t he fought any African American fighters that can move and box and have fast hand speed? Is it because Pacquiao would lose badly against their kind of style?
Sure, his promoter Bob Arum is now considering matching Pacquiao up against Shane Mosley, but isn’t it a bit late for that fight? I mean Mosley is 39-years-old now and was recently dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and fought to an equally unimpressive 12 round draw with Sergio Mora in his last fight in September. I bet Mosley gets the fight just to shut the mouths of boxing fans who are complaining about Pacquiao not having fought any African Americans, but I wouldn’t be satisfied with that fight. Fighting Mosley now won’t prove a thing because of how bad he’s deteriorated in the past year.
Why doesn’t Pacquiao get matched up against an African American fighter that is still fighting good like Timothy Bradley, Paul Williams, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Andre Berto? Those are the ones Arum should be looking to match against Pacquiao. Putting him in with Mosley isn’t interesting at this point in Mosley’s career. He’s struggling and I see him as less a threat than Margarito was going into the fight with Pacquiao. If Arum is just looking for Pacquiao to get an easy win over an African American fighter, then Mosley is probably the way to go because I don’t think Mosley has enough left to fight hard for more than three rounds without tiring out and doing nothing the rest of the fight.
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By Chris Williams: Bernard Hopkins mentioned that Manny Pacquiao hasn’t faced any African Americans earlier today in an interview. I’ve always wondered why Manny Pacquiao, out of all the opponents he’s had in his career, he for some reason hasn’t fought any African American fighters? Now why is that? With the opportunity to face Paul Williams or Shane Mosley staring at him in the face, Pacquiao chose to fight Antonio Margarito recently. The last time I checked, Pacquiao had already fought countless Mexican fighters in the past. So why hasn’t Pacquiao fought any African Americans? You have to wonder how Pacquiao could have not fought any after all these years. Pacquiao seems to have been matched only against slow fighters that either stand directly in front of him are come straight at him. Why hasn’t he fought any African American fighters that can move and box and have fast hand speed? Is it because Pacquiao would lose badly against their kind of style?
Sure, his promoter Bob Arum is now considering matching Pacquiao up against Shane Mosley, but isn’t it a bit late for that fight? I mean Mosley is 39-years-old now and was recently dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and fought to an equally unimpressive 12 round draw with Sergio Mora in his last fight in September. I bet Mosley gets the fight just to shut the mouths of boxing fans who are complaining about Pacquiao not having fought any African Americans, but I wouldn’t be satisfied with that fight. Fighting Mosley now won’t prove a thing because of how bad he’s deteriorated in the past year.
Why doesn’t Pacquiao get matched up against an African American fighter that is still fighting good like Timothy Bradley, Paul Williams, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Andre Berto? Those are the ones Arum should be looking to match against Pacquiao. Putting him in with Mosley isn’t interesting at this point in Mosley’s career. He’s struggling and I see him as less a threat than Margarito was going into the fight with Pacquiao. If Arum is just looking for Pacquiao to get an easy win over an African American fighter, then Mosley is probably the way to go because I don’t think Mosley has enough left to fight hard for more than three rounds without tiring out and doing nothing the rest of the fight.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is Annoyed With Pacquiao Critics
By Chris Robinson
I recently caught up with junior lightweight contender Mickey Bey right before he was set to make a trip back to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Bey is fresh into a promotional deal with Top Rank and coming off of a six round decision over journeyman Eric Cruz on the Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez card earlier this month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bey injured his right hand in the bout but expects to be making a return to the ring sometime in January.
Bey become very close with Floyd Mayweather Jr. during his amateur days and was persuaded by the superstar to make the move to Nevada to help boost his professional career following the 2004 Olympic trials. The two fighters became very close over the years and they still keep in touch to this day, as Bey trained on a few occasions out of Floyd’s personal gym for the Cruz fight.
At the moment Mayweather has been the target of some criticism online as some members from the media claim he is avoiding a fight with Manny Pacquiao, who last weekend throttled Antonio Margarito over twelve rounds to win the WBC junior middleweight championship. A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has had the boxing world in limbo for the past year and Bey says that Floyd is in a situation where his back is kind of to the wall.
“He has to [take the fight],” Bey said. “Floyd is like a big brother but it’s time to go ahead. He has to show the world who the best pound for pound is. Everybody wants to see it. There are stars all over the world who are requesting the fight. All the sportswriters on ESPN and everything, they made it public that Floyd is scared to fight Manny.”
Bey went on to state that Mayweather doesn’t read the news online himself but that he is often told of what is written about him by those in his inner circle and that he is annoyed by people insinuating that he is afraid to face Pacquiao. Bey closed out by stating that Floyd loves boxing and deep down he really wants the fight but with random blood testing leading up to the bout.
Expect more from Bey later this week...
Caballero’s time to shine
Ran into two division champion and featherweight contender Celestino Caballero in the gym the other day. 'Pelenchin' is getting ready for a November 27th bout with gutsy Jason Litzau at the MGM Grand and actually sparred several rounds with Bey to help prepare for the contest, as each fighter is trained by Jeff Mayweather. The two fighters reportedly went about 50 rounds with one another and Bey insists it was some of the best work he has had.
Caballero-Litzau is sure to elicit several fireworks but it isn’t the fight that the Panamanian wants, as he has been calling out the likes of Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa for quite some time now. After being unable to lure any suitable opponents from the featherweight class into the ring with him, Caballero had to move up to 130 pounds for this particular fight. Given his dimensions and lanky build, he should be able to pull the move off without too many problems.
At 34 years of age time is definitely ticking for Caballero but he has an amazing work ethic and will likely be a force for at least a few more years. Whether or not he is ever able to land a fight with Lopez and Gamboa, two men who seemed destined to face one another, remains to be seen.
Holloway still focused despite loss to Laurente
During Pacquiao’s open media workout late last month in Los Angeles I came across welterweight hopeful Rashad Holloway, who was then eyeing a November 13th fight with Metro Manila's Dennis Laurente on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard. Holloway informed me that he had been training like a dog and recalled some earlier sparring sessions that he had with Laurente.
“It was a clinic,” Holloway said. “I boxed the shit out of him.”
Despite that bravado, Holloway was beaten by Laurente after eight rounds when the two met on a professional level in a fight where the 33-year old overcame Holloway's slick style with an awkward attack, often smothering him for the majority of the rounds. The loss dropped Holloway’s record to 11-2-2 with 5 knockouts and while it may have seemed heartbreaking on the surface, Holloway said it was just a bad style matchup for him and that his aspirations haven’t been deterred.
“It was just an ugly fight,” Holloway claimed. “The guy kind of had a style like a Ricardo Mayorga. But my head is still up and I’m focused. On to the next one.”
By Chris Robinson
I recently caught up with junior lightweight contender Mickey Bey right before he was set to make a trip back to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Bey is fresh into a promotional deal with Top Rank and coming off of a six round decision over journeyman Eric Cruz on the Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez card earlier this month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bey injured his right hand in the bout but expects to be making a return to the ring sometime in January.
Bey become very close with Floyd Mayweather Jr. during his amateur days and was persuaded by the superstar to make the move to Nevada to help boost his professional career following the 2004 Olympic trials. The two fighters became very close over the years and they still keep in touch to this day, as Bey trained on a few occasions out of Floyd’s personal gym for the Cruz fight.
At the moment Mayweather has been the target of some criticism online as some members from the media claim he is avoiding a fight with Manny Pacquiao, who last weekend throttled Antonio Margarito over twelve rounds to win the WBC junior middleweight championship. A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has had the boxing world in limbo for the past year and Bey says that Floyd is in a situation where his back is kind of to the wall.
“He has to [take the fight],” Bey said. “Floyd is like a big brother but it’s time to go ahead. He has to show the world who the best pound for pound is. Everybody wants to see it. There are stars all over the world who are requesting the fight. All the sportswriters on ESPN and everything, they made it public that Floyd is scared to fight Manny.”
Bey went on to state that Mayweather doesn’t read the news online himself but that he is often told of what is written about him by those in his inner circle and that he is annoyed by people insinuating that he is afraid to face Pacquiao. Bey closed out by stating that Floyd loves boxing and deep down he really wants the fight but with random blood testing leading up to the bout.
Expect more from Bey later this week...
Caballero’s time to shine
Ran into two division champion and featherweight contender Celestino Caballero in the gym the other day. 'Pelenchin' is getting ready for a November 27th bout with gutsy Jason Litzau at the MGM Grand and actually sparred several rounds with Bey to help prepare for the contest, as each fighter is trained by Jeff Mayweather. The two fighters reportedly went about 50 rounds with one another and Bey insists it was some of the best work he has had.
Caballero-Litzau is sure to elicit several fireworks but it isn’t the fight that the Panamanian wants, as he has been calling out the likes of Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa for quite some time now. After being unable to lure any suitable opponents from the featherweight class into the ring with him, Caballero had to move up to 130 pounds for this particular fight. Given his dimensions and lanky build, he should be able to pull the move off without too many problems.
At 34 years of age time is definitely ticking for Caballero but he has an amazing work ethic and will likely be a force for at least a few more years. Whether or not he is ever able to land a fight with Lopez and Gamboa, two men who seemed destined to face one another, remains to be seen.
Holloway still focused despite loss to Laurente
During Pacquiao’s open media workout late last month in Los Angeles I came across welterweight hopeful Rashad Holloway, who was then eyeing a November 13th fight with Metro Manila's Dennis Laurente on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard. Holloway informed me that he had been training like a dog and recalled some earlier sparring sessions that he had with Laurente.
“It was a clinic,” Holloway said. “I boxed the shit out of him.”
Despite that bravado, Holloway was beaten by Laurente after eight rounds when the two met on a professional level in a fight where the 33-year old overcame Holloway's slick style with an awkward attack, often smothering him for the majority of the rounds. The loss dropped Holloway’s record to 11-2-2 with 5 knockouts and while it may have seemed heartbreaking on the surface, Holloway said it was just a bad style matchup for him and that his aspirations haven’t been deterred.
“It was just an ugly fight,” Holloway claimed. “The guy kind of had a style like a Ricardo Mayorga. But my head is still up and I’m focused. On to the next one.”
Bert Sugar Talks Mayweather-Pacquiao, Williams-Martinez
By Chris Robinson
The boxing world continues to discuss Manny Pacquiao’s impressive twelve round battering of brave challenger Antonio Margarito, which took place last Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With the victory Pacquiao netted the WBC junior middleweight championship, his eight weight class in which has claimed a belt, and left the masses amazed after controlling his much larger foe with his speed, fluidity and deceptive power.
One man who had been eyeing the contest for quite some time while relishing the opportunity to take in the event from ringside was boxing historian Bert Sugar, who makes the rounds on a yearly basis covering the world’s best fighters and biggest events. Asked for his thoughts on his time in Dallas, Sugar concedes that the fight may have been a mismatch but was still very much worth everyone's time.
“It wasn’t a great fight,” Sugar said upon returning home to New York. “It was a great virtuoso performance by Pacquiao. He dominated expect for one punch in the sixth round from Margarito that hurt him. He dominated the fight. He couldn’t hit him and it was a one-sided ass whooping was what it was.”
Pacquiao’s last two contests have taken place at Cowboys Stadium after a string of stirring performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he defeated the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto amongst others. After taking in all of the festivities during Pacquiao’s March drubbing of Joshua Clottey as well as the action last weekend, Sugar admits that there is a completely different vibe in the Lone Star State.
“40,000 people make more noise than 23,000 to begin with,” Sugar mused. “And it was an excited and an excitable crowd who applauded and cheered everything that Pacquiao did. And if you had any friends in Manila there was no need to call them because they were all there at the fight.”
The attention has of course turned to Pacquiao’s immediate future in the sport, as it is presumed he will be returning to campaign in the welterweight division after a grueling albeit one-sided battle with Margarito. Asked who he would prefer to Manny face next, Sugar insists he hasn’t fully lost his interest in the potential matchup that has captured the public’s interest for over a year’s time.
“I’d love to see a Manny and Floyd [Mayweather] fight,” Sugar said of the Las Vegas-based superstar. “When it was about to be made twice over it was the most anticipated fight since Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns, it just never happened. But I do think it is one of the fights I would like to look forward to. The question now becomes where does he go? What does Pacquiao do? Where is Floyd? These are all questions in the boxing fans eyes. Somehow, someway, somewhere if that fight isn’t made, boxing loses.”
Unfortunately a Pacquiao-Mayweather meeting may never come off as Floyd’s future is extremely uncertain given his current legal woes. I ran a list of other formidable champions and contenders by Sugar and he seems to think the most logical choice is right in front of us.
“I conceivably could see the winner, at a catch weight, of Saturday’s fight between [Paul] Williams and Sergio Martinez being exciting enough for Pacquiao,” Sugar said. “I just don’t think that ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley would raise the interest in the fight crowd. We’re looking for big fights from Pacquiao right now. And you got to have a marquee name and it has to be outside of the framework of just the hardcore boxing fans in order to make it feasible. Pacquiao got fifteen million dollars for the fight Saturday night. Where are they going to find that the next time?”
Again taking place at Atlantic City, the rematch between Williams and Martinez is one of the year’s most intriguing fights, as the two men engaged in a thrilling battle last year that saw the two southpaws trade knockdowns in the first round before attacking each other with great fervor the remaining eleven stanzas. Williams was awarded with a majority decision win but Sugar saw things the other way.
“I had Martinez winning,” Sugar claimed. “I just thought he did more. Paul Williams didn’t fight the fight that everyone hoped he could fight. Maybe he will this time but Paul Williams was hurt several times. He didn’t show the explosiveness, except in the first round and then he got knocked down himself. So if Paul Williams is the Paul Williams we hope he is than he will do better.”
All one has to do is take a glimpse of Martinez for a few seconds inside of the ring to spot the great talent for which he possesses but he raised his stock to a new level with his gutsy victory over former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in April. Elaborating further on Martinez, you can tell just how intrigued Sugar is by his style.
“Martinez is one heck of a fighter,” Sugar continued. “He’s the most unorthodox fighter I have seen since Prince Naseem. And he has power to boot. He took Pavlik apart. Martinez looks like he took a four-way cold tablet and he’s running three more ways to catch up with it. I don’t know where he is in the ring and that’s what makes him exciting, interesting and fun to watch.”
The Williams-Martinez rematch is at a contracted weight of 158 pounds and what was alarming was the fact that the Argentinean stylist came in weighing 176 last month for the 30-day weight check in advance of the fight. Martinez followed that up by tipping the scales at 166 pounds for the seven day weight check which means he will be spending much of this week simply trying to cut pounds instead of focusing on the fight. Sugar knows fully well that weight loss can be a huge issue for a fighter but doesn’t know Martinez well enough to know how much impact it will have on the fight.
“Oh I think it’s a problem,” the always blunt Sugar said. “The question now becomes can he handle the problem? Some fighters are drained by making weight. I don’t know enough about Martinez and his problems of late to know if it is a problem.”
At this time last year Williams seemed to be the center of much more discussion and his 2010 calendar year has been disappointing thus far, with only an odd technical decision over Kermit Cintron this past May to his credit. Now 29 years old, Sugar feels that this is an essential fight for Williams if he is to ever live up to the hype that first surrounded him years ago.
“This is a fight that Paul Williams has to make. This is his crossroads fight. He’s the bigger name, at least in America. There have been great hopes held for him and if he can’t come away from this fight with a win then a lot of those hopes are going to go away. Williams has more to lose than Martinez in this fight. There’s going to be a point where the potential becomes past potential and he never really became that great fighter that many thought he was going to be. I think Saturday night is that chance for him.”
By Chris Robinson
The boxing world continues to discuss Manny Pacquiao’s impressive twelve round battering of brave challenger Antonio Margarito, which took place last Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With the victory Pacquiao netted the WBC junior middleweight championship, his eight weight class in which has claimed a belt, and left the masses amazed after controlling his much larger foe with his speed, fluidity and deceptive power.
One man who had been eyeing the contest for quite some time while relishing the opportunity to take in the event from ringside was boxing historian Bert Sugar, who makes the rounds on a yearly basis covering the world’s best fighters and biggest events. Asked for his thoughts on his time in Dallas, Sugar concedes that the fight may have been a mismatch but was still very much worth everyone's time.
“It wasn’t a great fight,” Sugar said upon returning home to New York. “It was a great virtuoso performance by Pacquiao. He dominated expect for one punch in the sixth round from Margarito that hurt him. He dominated the fight. He couldn’t hit him and it was a one-sided ass whooping was what it was.”
Pacquiao’s last two contests have taken place at Cowboys Stadium after a string of stirring performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he defeated the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto amongst others. After taking in all of the festivities during Pacquiao’s March drubbing of Joshua Clottey as well as the action last weekend, Sugar admits that there is a completely different vibe in the Lone Star State.
“40,000 people make more noise than 23,000 to begin with,” Sugar mused. “And it was an excited and an excitable crowd who applauded and cheered everything that Pacquiao did. And if you had any friends in Manila there was no need to call them because they were all there at the fight.”
The attention has of course turned to Pacquiao’s immediate future in the sport, as it is presumed he will be returning to campaign in the welterweight division after a grueling albeit one-sided battle with Margarito. Asked who he would prefer to Manny face next, Sugar insists he hasn’t fully lost his interest in the potential matchup that has captured the public’s interest for over a year’s time.
“I’d love to see a Manny and Floyd [Mayweather] fight,” Sugar said of the Las Vegas-based superstar. “When it was about to be made twice over it was the most anticipated fight since Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns, it just never happened. But I do think it is one of the fights I would like to look forward to. The question now becomes where does he go? What does Pacquiao do? Where is Floyd? These are all questions in the boxing fans eyes. Somehow, someway, somewhere if that fight isn’t made, boxing loses.”
Unfortunately a Pacquiao-Mayweather meeting may never come off as Floyd’s future is extremely uncertain given his current legal woes. I ran a list of other formidable champions and contenders by Sugar and he seems to think the most logical choice is right in front of us.
“I conceivably could see the winner, at a catch weight, of Saturday’s fight between [Paul] Williams and Sergio Martinez being exciting enough for Pacquiao,” Sugar said. “I just don’t think that ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley would raise the interest in the fight crowd. We’re looking for big fights from Pacquiao right now. And you got to have a marquee name and it has to be outside of the framework of just the hardcore boxing fans in order to make it feasible. Pacquiao got fifteen million dollars for the fight Saturday night. Where are they going to find that the next time?”
Again taking place at Atlantic City, the rematch between Williams and Martinez is one of the year’s most intriguing fights, as the two men engaged in a thrilling battle last year that saw the two southpaws trade knockdowns in the first round before attacking each other with great fervor the remaining eleven stanzas. Williams was awarded with a majority decision win but Sugar saw things the other way.
“I had Martinez winning,” Sugar claimed. “I just thought he did more. Paul Williams didn’t fight the fight that everyone hoped he could fight. Maybe he will this time but Paul Williams was hurt several times. He didn’t show the explosiveness, except in the first round and then he got knocked down himself. So if Paul Williams is the Paul Williams we hope he is than he will do better.”
All one has to do is take a glimpse of Martinez for a few seconds inside of the ring to spot the great talent for which he possesses but he raised his stock to a new level with his gutsy victory over former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in April. Elaborating further on Martinez, you can tell just how intrigued Sugar is by his style.
“Martinez is one heck of a fighter,” Sugar continued. “He’s the most unorthodox fighter I have seen since Prince Naseem. And he has power to boot. He took Pavlik apart. Martinez looks like he took a four-way cold tablet and he’s running three more ways to catch up with it. I don’t know where he is in the ring and that’s what makes him exciting, interesting and fun to watch.”
The Williams-Martinez rematch is at a contracted weight of 158 pounds and what was alarming was the fact that the Argentinean stylist came in weighing 176 last month for the 30-day weight check in advance of the fight. Martinez followed that up by tipping the scales at 166 pounds for the seven day weight check which means he will be spending much of this week simply trying to cut pounds instead of focusing on the fight. Sugar knows fully well that weight loss can be a huge issue for a fighter but doesn’t know Martinez well enough to know how much impact it will have on the fight.
“Oh I think it’s a problem,” the always blunt Sugar said. “The question now becomes can he handle the problem? Some fighters are drained by making weight. I don’t know enough about Martinez and his problems of late to know if it is a problem.”
At this time last year Williams seemed to be the center of much more discussion and his 2010 calendar year has been disappointing thus far, with only an odd technical decision over Kermit Cintron this past May to his credit. Now 29 years old, Sugar feels that this is an essential fight for Williams if he is to ever live up to the hype that first surrounded him years ago.
“This is a fight that Paul Williams has to make. This is his crossroads fight. He’s the bigger name, at least in America. There have been great hopes held for him and if he can’t come away from this fight with a win then a lot of those hopes are going to go away. Williams has more to lose than Martinez in this fight. There’s going to be a point where the potential becomes past potential and he never really became that great fighter that many thought he was going to be. I think Saturday night is that chance for him.”
Roach thinks Pacquiao can beat Bernard Hopkins
By Chris Williams: Trainer Freddie Roach appears to be experiencing a state of delusions of grandeur after Manny Pacquiao’s recent win over Antonio Margarito last Saturday night at the Cowboy Boy Stadium. Instead of putting the win in perspective and realizing that Pacquiao beat a painfully slow, pumped up welterweight for the WBC junior middleweight paper title instead of a real junior middleweight like Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo or James Kirkland, Roach is now saying that Pacquiao could even beat light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins. Boy, you give a guy a nice setup fight against a struggling fighter like Margarito and it really goes to their heads.
In an article atphilboxing.com, Roach said “After his [Hopkins] last fight [with Roy Jones Jr.], he should just shut up. In fact, Manny can beat him.” Wow, I think Roach is lost his senses completely judging by this comment. It’s one thing beating up a skinny fighter that throws wide, slow punches like Margarito, but it’s whole different ball game to beat a light heavyweight with a superior inside game like Hopkins. Since Roach isn’t the one that would have to risk his head getting hit by Hopkins, he needs to let Pacquiao do the talking about who can or can’t beat.
I don’t think Pacquiao can beat Hopkins, even though Hopkins is 45 and has declined somewhat in the past two years. I think Pacquiao would get bullied on the inside and broken down. If you thought that Margarito punished Pacquiao a lot, just imagine what Hopkins would do to him. It would be like watching some small guy get beaten up the playground. Of course, Hopkins would likely have to melt down some god awful catch-weight number like 154 for the fight with Pacquiao to happen. That may weaken Hopkins enough for Pacquiao to get a win, but if the fight were to happen at 160, forget it. Pacquiao takes a beating and Roach would be eating humble pie.
Roach, of course, is firing back at Hopkins because Bernard recently had the nerve to say that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would beat Pacquiao if they fought because of his fighting style. I think I agree with Hopkins. I think Mayweather easily beats Pacquiao because of his style of fighting and because of his great physical tools – fast hand speed and good power. I also think there’s other African American fighters that could beat Pacquiao, too. Timothy Bradley, Paul Williams and James Kirkland are three of them that I can think of on the top of my head.
By Chris Williams: Trainer Freddie Roach appears to be experiencing a state of delusions of grandeur after Manny Pacquiao’s recent win over Antonio Margarito last Saturday night at the Cowboy Boy Stadium. Instead of putting the win in perspective and realizing that Pacquiao beat a painfully slow, pumped up welterweight for the WBC junior middleweight paper title instead of a real junior middleweight like Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo or James Kirkland, Roach is now saying that Pacquiao could even beat light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins. Boy, you give a guy a nice setup fight against a struggling fighter like Margarito and it really goes to their heads.
In an article atphilboxing.com, Roach said “After his [Hopkins] last fight [with Roy Jones Jr.], he should just shut up. In fact, Manny can beat him.” Wow, I think Roach is lost his senses completely judging by this comment. It’s one thing beating up a skinny fighter that throws wide, slow punches like Margarito, but it’s whole different ball game to beat a light heavyweight with a superior inside game like Hopkins. Since Roach isn’t the one that would have to risk his head getting hit by Hopkins, he needs to let Pacquiao do the talking about who can or can’t beat.
I don’t think Pacquiao can beat Hopkins, even though Hopkins is 45 and has declined somewhat in the past two years. I think Pacquiao would get bullied on the inside and broken down. If you thought that Margarito punished Pacquiao a lot, just imagine what Hopkins would do to him. It would be like watching some small guy get beaten up the playground. Of course, Hopkins would likely have to melt down some god awful catch-weight number like 154 for the fight with Pacquiao to happen. That may weaken Hopkins enough for Pacquiao to get a win, but if the fight were to happen at 160, forget it. Pacquiao takes a beating and Roach would be eating humble pie.
Roach, of course, is firing back at Hopkins because Bernard recently had the nerve to say that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would beat Pacquiao if they fought because of his fighting style. I think I agree with Hopkins. I think Mayweather easily beats Pacquiao because of his style of fighting and because of his great physical tools – fast hand speed and good power. I also think there’s other African American fighters that could beat Pacquiao, too. Timothy Bradley, Paul Williams and James Kirkland are three of them that I can think of on the top of my head.
Pacquiao use a catch-weight for the Mosley fight?
By Jason Kim: While it still unclear who Manny Pacquiao will be fighting next one can get a pretty good idea of who he’ll be facing in the future by looking at who his promoter Bob Arum is interested in. Right now, Arum sees welterweight Shane Mosley as great fight for Pacquiao next rather than someone else like Juan Manuel Marquez. Arum is pretty much the decider who Pacquiao fights, and that means that Mosley will likely get the call for Pacquiao next. If Mosley gets picked, the question that you have to ask is whether Pacquiao will fight Mosley at a catch-weight below 147 or at the full weight of the welterweight division.
Given that Pacquiao just finished fighting Antonio Margarito at a 150 pound catch-weight, it seems unthinkable that Pacquiao would need a catch-weight to fight to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title against the 39-year-old Mosley. It’s not like the 5’9″ Mosley is a huge fighter or anything. Pacquiao would only be three inches shorter, and with Mosley looking poor in his last two fights against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Mora, it doesn’t appear that Pacquiao would need a weight handicap to give him a better chance at beating him in this fight. Mosley looks slower than he used to be in his prime, and his stamina has taken a big hit.
Against Mora and Mayweather, Mosley looked exhausted after the first four rounds. If Pacquiao needs a catch-weight to fight Mosley, the way he’s fighting, then I think the fight is a bad idea. It won’t make Pacquiao look good fighting at a catch-weight against an old grizzled veteran like Mosley, especially when Pacquiao just finished fighting at 150. I was hoping the Margarito bout was going to be the last catch-weight fight of Pacquiao’s career. Pacquiao fought Joshua Clottey, a welterweight, without a catch-weight. So it makes sense that he wouldn’t need one for this fight against a fading
By Jason Kim: While it still unclear who Manny Pacquiao will be fighting next one can get a pretty good idea of who he’ll be facing in the future by looking at who his promoter Bob Arum is interested in. Right now, Arum sees welterweight Shane Mosley as great fight for Pacquiao next rather than someone else like Juan Manuel Marquez. Arum is pretty much the decider who Pacquiao fights, and that means that Mosley will likely get the call for Pacquiao next. If Mosley gets picked, the question that you have to ask is whether Pacquiao will fight Mosley at a catch-weight below 147 or at the full weight of the welterweight division.
Given that Pacquiao just finished fighting Antonio Margarito at a 150 pound catch-weight, it seems unthinkable that Pacquiao would need a catch-weight to fight to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title against the 39-year-old Mosley. It’s not like the 5’9″ Mosley is a huge fighter or anything. Pacquiao would only be three inches shorter, and with Mosley looking poor in his last two fights against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Mora, it doesn’t appear that Pacquiao would need a weight handicap to give him a better chance at beating him in this fight. Mosley looks slower than he used to be in his prime, and his stamina has taken a big hit.
Against Mora and Mayweather, Mosley looked exhausted after the first four rounds. If Pacquiao needs a catch-weight to fight Mosley, the way he’s fighting, then I think the fight is a bad idea. It won’t make Pacquiao look good fighting at a catch-weight against an old grizzled veteran like Mosley, especially when Pacquiao just finished fighting at 150. I was hoping the Margarito bout was going to be the last catch-weight fight of Pacquiao’s career. Pacquiao fought Joshua Clottey, a welterweight, without a catch-weight. So it makes sense that he wouldn’t need one for this fight against a fading
Why is Pacquiao fighting Mayweather’s leftovers?
By Chris Williams: Recently, Bob Arum said that he’s considering matching Manny Pacquiao up with possibly Shane Mosley or Juan Manuel Marquez. I don’t know if Arum is aware of this but Floyd Mayweather Jr. just got finished dominating both of these fighters in one-sided 12 round unanimous decision back to back victories.
What’s the point in putting Pacquiao in with fighters that Mayweather has already schooled? Pacquiao already fought a softened up Ricky Hatton last year after Mayweather had stopped Hatton previously. Does Arum just want to put Pacquiao in with fighters that have recently taken one-sided beatings? I don’t really don’t see the gain for Pacquiao to be facing either Marquez or Mosley at this point.
There’s no real sense of excitement when you’re talking about a couple of fighters that weren’t just beaten by Mayweather, they schooled in the worst way imaginable. Why would Arum want to put Pacquiao in with fighters that have recently been beaten? I just don’t see the point.
Does Pacquiao get put in with fighters coming off a recent beating by design? If you look at a lot of Pacquiao’s opponents in the past couple of years, a lot of them were either coming off of bad whippings or their career was on a serious decline at the time Pacquiao fought them.
These are Pacquiao’s recent opponents in the past two years: Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Oscar De La Hoya. Each one of these fighters had been beaten recently at the time that Pacquiao fought them.
So, why is Arum looking to put Pacquiao in with some of Mayweather’s retreads? Why not put Pacquiao in with someone that is actually winning, looking good and has a chance to beat him. And while Arum is at it, why doesn’t he have Pacquiao fight someone without a catch-weight? I’m officially sick of watching Pacquiao fight for titles aided by catch-weight handicaps.
By Chris Williams: Recently, Bob Arum said that he’s considering matching Manny Pacquiao up with possibly Shane Mosley or Juan Manuel Marquez. I don’t know if Arum is aware of this but Floyd Mayweather Jr. just got finished dominating both of these fighters in one-sided 12 round unanimous decision back to back victories.
What’s the point in putting Pacquiao in with fighters that Mayweather has already schooled? Pacquiao already fought a softened up Ricky Hatton last year after Mayweather had stopped Hatton previously. Does Arum just want to put Pacquiao in with fighters that have recently taken one-sided beatings? I don’t really don’t see the gain for Pacquiao to be facing either Marquez or Mosley at this point.
There’s no real sense of excitement when you’re talking about a couple of fighters that weren’t just beaten by Mayweather, they schooled in the worst way imaginable. Why would Arum want to put Pacquiao in with fighters that have recently been beaten? I just don’t see the point.
Does Pacquiao get put in with fighters coming off a recent beating by design? If you look at a lot of Pacquiao’s opponents in the past couple of years, a lot of them were either coming off of bad whippings or their career was on a serious decline at the time Pacquiao fought them.
These are Pacquiao’s recent opponents in the past two years: Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Oscar De La Hoya. Each one of these fighters had been beaten recently at the time that Pacquiao fought them.
So, why is Arum looking to put Pacquiao in with some of Mayweather’s retreads? Why not put Pacquiao in with someone that is actually winning, looking good and has a chance to beat him. And while Arum is at it, why doesn’t he have Pacquiao fight someone without a catch-weight? I’m officially sick of watching Pacquiao fight for titles aided by catch-weight handicaps.
Lucian Bute-Sergio Martinez on Hold For Now, Says DiBella
By Lem Satterfield
It's no surprise that a dream fight, between Lucian Bute and Sergio Martinez, is on hold until further notice. As reported on BoxingScene.com last week, the network ties of both boxers would likely prevent a possible showdown from happening until a much later date in the future.
Bute, the IBF champion at super middleweight, is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and he generates a lot of money in Canada. But, he recently signed an exclusive three-fight contract with Showtime. While there is no binding agreement in place, Martinez and promoter Lou DiBella are very loyal to rival network HBO.
DiBella is not ready to send Martinez to a higher weight division. Even if Martinez received a huge offer to face Bute, the fight couldn't happen because of Bute's exclusive contract with Showtime, says DiBella.
"We'll fight anybody, but Sergio is not yet a 168-pounder. Bute is the big guy who generates the big money at 168 pounds, but frankly, Bute has got a three-fight deal with Showtime, and we're sticking with the people [HBO] who helped us to get where we are," said DiBella.
"So we can't fight Bute on Showtime, and, with respect to being a 168-pounder, if he has an unbelievable opportunity, Sergio would consider fighting King Kong. But this is a guy who was really a 154-pounder who moved up to 160 out of necessity and grew himself into being a middleweight. Sergio will fight anybody, so don't ask him. I ain't going to let him do it."
By Lem Satterfield
It's no surprise that a dream fight, between Lucian Bute and Sergio Martinez, is on hold until further notice. As reported on BoxingScene.com last week, the network ties of both boxers would likely prevent a possible showdown from happening until a much later date in the future.
Bute, the IBF champion at super middleweight, is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and he generates a lot of money in Canada. But, he recently signed an exclusive three-fight contract with Showtime. While there is no binding agreement in place, Martinez and promoter Lou DiBella are very loyal to rival network HBO.
DiBella is not ready to send Martinez to a higher weight division. Even if Martinez received a huge offer to face Bute, the fight couldn't happen because of Bute's exclusive contract with Showtime, says DiBella.
"We'll fight anybody, but Sergio is not yet a 168-pounder. Bute is the big guy who generates the big money at 168 pounds, but frankly, Bute has got a three-fight deal with Showtime, and we're sticking with the people [HBO] who helped us to get where we are," said DiBella.
"So we can't fight Bute on Showtime, and, with respect to being a 168-pounder, if he has an unbelievable opportunity, Sergio would consider fighting King Kong. But this is a guy who was really a 154-pounder who moved up to 160 out of necessity and grew himself into being a middleweight. Sergio will fight anybody, so don't ask him. I ain't going to let him do it."
Arum Begins Negotiations For Pacquiao vs Berto, Mosley
By Lem Satterfield
The wheels are turning for Manny Pacquiao's first fight of 2011. Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum has begun negotiations for two potential opponents. Arum has reached out to promoter Lou DiBella to begin discussions regarding a unification between Pacquiao and WBC welterweight king Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs). Berto still has to win next Saturday when he defends his title against Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Arum held a meeting with Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) and his newly-appointed adviser, James Prince. Mosley, who fought under Golden Boy Promotions for the last couple of years, is claiming to be a promotional free agent.
Two options down, and one to go. Arum is still waiting to hear back from Floyd Mayweather Jr., (41-0, 25 KOs) regarding a contact to begin negotiations. Whether it's adviser/manager Al Haymon, or promoter Don King, Arum wants to immediately begin his discussions for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.
"All that we need to know from Floyd is who we need to talk to," said Arum. "Whether it's Don King or Al Haymon, we just need a representative for Floyd
By Lem Satterfield
The wheels are turning for Manny Pacquiao's first fight of 2011. Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum has begun negotiations for two potential opponents. Arum has reached out to promoter Lou DiBella to begin discussions regarding a unification between Pacquiao and WBC welterweight king Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs). Berto still has to win next Saturday when he defends his title against Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Arum held a meeting with Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) and his newly-appointed adviser, James Prince. Mosley, who fought under Golden Boy Promotions for the last couple of years, is claiming to be a promotional free agent.
Two options down, and one to go. Arum is still waiting to hear back from Floyd Mayweather Jr., (41-0, 25 KOs) regarding a contact to begin negotiations. Whether it's adviser/manager Al Haymon, or promoter Don King, Arum wants to immediately begin his discussions for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.
"All that we need to know from Floyd is who we need to talk to," said Arum. "Whether it's Don King or Al Haymon, we just need a representative for Floyd
Sergio's Destruction of Paul Williams Demotes Mayweather
By Michael Marley
It could soon be the longest list in boxing.
I'm talking about the list of fighters who want no part of 35-year-old, one punch KO superstar Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.
With his one shot to the chin destruction of Tall Paul Williams Saturday night in Atlantic City, the man who labored in ring obscurity for years in Spain has put his homeland of Argentina back on the boxing map like it was when Hall Of Famer Carlos Monzon ruled the world middleweight roost.
Problem is, beyond the lack of voluntary foes, is that Martinez--hands down now the selection as the 2010 Fighter of the Year--hits the big time gravy train when his skills should begin eroding.
Having said that, he's a puncher and, while the legs go first, the punch leaves last, a la ancient Big George Foreman pole-axing Michael Moorer.
I'm giving BOTH Manny Pacquiao and, yes, Floyd Mayweather passes for not entertaining a fight with the fearsome Argentinian.
Both are too small for "Maravilla" and to say they are not, or say they are ducking him, well madness this way lies.
Only way it could be credibly alleged either Manny, Floyd or both are dodging Martinez if he could somehow shoehorn his way down to 147 pounds and that will happen the next Brandon Rios, Robert Garcia and Antonio Margarito (who beat "Maravilla" in another life and time) are house guests at Freddie Roach's abode.
But I do have a dose of bad news for the still vacationing Mayweather.
My new P4P rankings go a little something like this:
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Sergio Martinez
3. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
I know, I know, call me a pugilistic provacateur if you will, I can take it...unless PWill.
Fill out the balance of the Top Ten list with two Klitschkos, Amir Khan (maybe), Nonito Donaire and then rely on flotsam and jetsam, whatever that means.
For you flag-wavers, then, my P4P standings now read:
1. Philippines
2. (Don't cry for me) Argentina
3. USA, USA, USA
Martinez launched his massive, short left hook KO shot before an orderly, small gathering of 5,000 in AC.
But it's become The Roar At The Shore.
It's turned into a shot heard round the boxing world.
Martinez said he wants two or three cashing in bouts, then he will retire.
I say this, in defense of Manny and Floyd, let the big, badass bruiser pick on someone his own size.
The only downside to the "Maravilla" uprising is this, now we will have to listen to the lunatic ranting and raving of Lou DiBella.
DiBella doesn't speak, he screams.
The man learned how to whisper in a saw mill, it seems.
If ever it was time for DiBella to shut his piehole, it is now.
The world saw "Maravilla," they saw his masterpiece.
Some things, Uncle Lou, do speak for themselves.
There is no need, none at all, to gild this lily.
By Michael Marley
It could soon be the longest list in boxing.
I'm talking about the list of fighters who want no part of 35-year-old, one punch KO superstar Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.
With his one shot to the chin destruction of Tall Paul Williams Saturday night in Atlantic City, the man who labored in ring obscurity for years in Spain has put his homeland of Argentina back on the boxing map like it was when Hall Of Famer Carlos Monzon ruled the world middleweight roost.
Problem is, beyond the lack of voluntary foes, is that Martinez--hands down now the selection as the 2010 Fighter of the Year--hits the big time gravy train when his skills should begin eroding.
Having said that, he's a puncher and, while the legs go first, the punch leaves last, a la ancient Big George Foreman pole-axing Michael Moorer.
I'm giving BOTH Manny Pacquiao and, yes, Floyd Mayweather passes for not entertaining a fight with the fearsome Argentinian.
Both are too small for "Maravilla" and to say they are not, or say they are ducking him, well madness this way lies.
Only way it could be credibly alleged either Manny, Floyd or both are dodging Martinez if he could somehow shoehorn his way down to 147 pounds and that will happen the next Brandon Rios, Robert Garcia and Antonio Margarito (who beat "Maravilla" in another life and time) are house guests at Freddie Roach's abode.
But I do have a dose of bad news for the still vacationing Mayweather.
My new P4P rankings go a little something like this:
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Sergio Martinez
3. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
I know, I know, call me a pugilistic provacateur if you will, I can take it...unless PWill.
Fill out the balance of the Top Ten list with two Klitschkos, Amir Khan (maybe), Nonito Donaire and then rely on flotsam and jetsam, whatever that means.
For you flag-wavers, then, my P4P standings now read:
1. Philippines
2. (Don't cry for me) Argentina
3. USA, USA, USA
Martinez launched his massive, short left hook KO shot before an orderly, small gathering of 5,000 in AC.
But it's become The Roar At The Shore.
It's turned into a shot heard round the boxing world.
Martinez said he wants two or three cashing in bouts, then he will retire.
I say this, in defense of Manny and Floyd, let the big, badass bruiser pick on someone his own size.
The only downside to the "Maravilla" uprising is this, now we will have to listen to the lunatic ranting and raving of Lou DiBella.
DiBella doesn't speak, he screams.
The man learned how to whisper in a saw mill, it seems.
If ever it was time for DiBella to shut his piehole, it is now.
The world saw "Maravilla," they saw his masterpiece.
Some things, Uncle Lou, do speak for themselves.
There is no need, none at all, to gild this lily.
Chavez Jr. may fight Cotto in early 2011 – News
By Jason Kim: Unbeaten middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) will defend his WBC Silver middleweight title against welterweight Alfonso Gomez (22-4-2, 11 KO’s) in a fight at 157 pound catch weight on December 4th at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California. If Chavez Jr. can win this fight and look good, his promoter Bob Arum will match Chavez Jr. up with WBC junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s) in early 2011, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.
This is a fight that many people expect Chavez to get destroyed in, if he takes the fight. Chavez Jr. has been handled with the utmost care in being brought along in his seven year pro career. It’s still hard to believe that after seven years as a pro, the best fighter that Chavez Jr. has fought thus far is fringe middleweight contender John Duddy, who Chavez Jr. beat last June by a lopsided 12 round decision. However, even in winning the fight against the limited Duddy, Chavez Jr. was staggered in the fight at one point. Cotto doesn’t appear to be the same fighter he once was after taking a beating from Antonio Margarito in 2008, but he should have more than enough to take Chavez Jr. out.
I still have my doubts that Chavez Jr. will even take the Cotto fight, because he’ll very likely lose his unbeaten record and that may hurt Chavez Jr. in the future. It was thought by some that Chavez Jr. was going to take easy fights until he got a big money bout against Manny Pacquiao. But given how Chavez Jr. continues to grow and fill out, it would be hard for him to drop enough weight to meet Pacquiao at one of his catch weight limits.
Chavez Jr. faces welterweight Gomez on December 4th at 157 pounds. This is a fight that Chavez Jr. will have a good chance to win, mainly because his management has selected an opponent in Gomez that is two divisions below him in weight. That size advantage should be enough for Chavez Jr. to get the win. It is rather telling that he’s being matched against a welterweight rather than a full fledged middleweight like Fernando Guerrero. Chavez Jr. needs to be fighting guys from his own weight division, not fighters two divisions below him. The catch weight isn’t going to benefit Gomez much, because it’s still at nearly the full limit of the middleweight division. It’s sad that Chavez Jr. is being matched against a small welterweight, as if Chavez Jr. needs to be protected from fighters in his own weight class for fear he’ll get beaten before he takes on one of the big named opponents like Cotto.
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By Jason Kim: Unbeaten middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) will defend his WBC Silver middleweight title against welterweight Alfonso Gomez (22-4-2, 11 KO’s) in a fight at 157 pound catch weight on December 4th at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California. If Chavez Jr. can win this fight and look good, his promoter Bob Arum will match Chavez Jr. up with WBC junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s) in early 2011, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.
This is a fight that many people expect Chavez to get destroyed in, if he takes the fight. Chavez Jr. has been handled with the utmost care in being brought along in his seven year pro career. It’s still hard to believe that after seven years as a pro, the best fighter that Chavez Jr. has fought thus far is fringe middleweight contender John Duddy, who Chavez Jr. beat last June by a lopsided 12 round decision. However, even in winning the fight against the limited Duddy, Chavez Jr. was staggered in the fight at one point. Cotto doesn’t appear to be the same fighter he once was after taking a beating from Antonio Margarito in 2008, but he should have more than enough to take Chavez Jr. out.
I still have my doubts that Chavez Jr. will even take the Cotto fight, because he’ll very likely lose his unbeaten record and that may hurt Chavez Jr. in the future. It was thought by some that Chavez Jr. was going to take easy fights until he got a big money bout against Manny Pacquiao. But given how Chavez Jr. continues to grow and fill out, it would be hard for him to drop enough weight to meet Pacquiao at one of his catch weight limits.
Chavez Jr. faces welterweight Gomez on December 4th at 157 pounds. This is a fight that Chavez Jr. will have a good chance to win, mainly because his management has selected an opponent in Gomez that is two divisions below him in weight. That size advantage should be enough for Chavez Jr. to get the win. It is rather telling that he’s being matched against a welterweight rather than a full fledged middleweight like Fernando Guerrero. Chavez Jr. needs to be fighting guys from his own weight division, not fighters two divisions below him. The catch weight isn’t going to benefit Gomez much, because it’s still at nearly the full limit of the middleweight division. It’s sad that Chavez Jr. is being matched against a small welterweight, as if Chavez Jr. needs to be protected from fighters in his own weight class for fear he’ll get beaten before he takes on one of the big named opponents like Cotto.
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Pacquiao says he’d fight Sergio Martinez but likely below 150
By Dam Anbrose: For fans interested in seeing a bout between Manny Pacquiao and WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, it’s not likely to happen unless Martinez is willing to drain down below 150. In an article at abs-cbnnews.com, they say that Pacquiao is interested in fighting Martinez but the fight would “likely below 150 pounds. It doesn’t say how much below 150 Pacquiao would want Martinez to melt down to before he’d agree to fight, if Pacquiao would agree at all. Pacquiao just finished fighting welterweight Antonio Margarito for the WBC junior middleweight vacant titel at 150. But it looks like Pacquiao would want a bigger handicap for a fight against a real junior middleweight/middleweight like Martinez.
Depending on how much weight that Pacquiao would want Martinez to drain down to, it might not be doable. If it’s something like 147 or even below that, it would be almost impossible for Martinez to make the fight without being too weight drained to fight. Martinez said that he’d be willing to fight at a 156 pound catch weight when asked by HBO analyst Max Kellerman if he would be interested in fighting Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But it looks like Pacquiao doesn’t have much interest in fighting at that weight. Pacquiao is likely going to take on 40ish Shane Mosley next. This is a good safe fight for Pacquiao, because he’d likely be able to beat Mosley even without a weight draining catch weight handicap working for him. Pacquiao says “He’s a good fighter and a champion,” explaining why he thinks Mosley is a good option. One fighter that likely won’t get a fight with Pacquiao is Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao says “No one would watch it.” That’s obviously not true. Marquez is arguably a much more popular fighter than Pacquiao’s last two opponents Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito.
The only difference I can see is that he doesn’t fight for Top Rank like Pacquiao and those guys, meaning Bob Arum would have to work with another promoter. But the fight would have a great chance of being more successful than both the Clottey fight and Margarito fights, because Marquez fought Pacquiao to a virtual stand still in their previous two fights in 2004 and 2008. I think the fight won’t get made because Marquez isn’t a Top Rank fighter, because he’s fighting at a higher level than Mosley is right now, and still holds titles, which is more than you can say about Mosley. The article says that “Marquez would be easy” but Pacquiao doesn’t know if the fight would bring in enough pay-per-view buys. I still think Marquez is a better opponent than Mosley at this time, but if they want an easier option, then Mosley is the guy right now.
By Dam Anbrose: For fans interested in seeing a bout between Manny Pacquiao and WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, it’s not likely to happen unless Martinez is willing to drain down below 150. In an article at abs-cbnnews.com, they say that Pacquiao is interested in fighting Martinez but the fight would “likely below 150 pounds. It doesn’t say how much below 150 Pacquiao would want Martinez to melt down to before he’d agree to fight, if Pacquiao would agree at all. Pacquiao just finished fighting welterweight Antonio Margarito for the WBC junior middleweight vacant titel at 150. But it looks like Pacquiao would want a bigger handicap for a fight against a real junior middleweight/middleweight like Martinez.
Depending on how much weight that Pacquiao would want Martinez to drain down to, it might not be doable. If it’s something like 147 or even below that, it would be almost impossible for Martinez to make the fight without being too weight drained to fight. Martinez said that he’d be willing to fight at a 156 pound catch weight when asked by HBO analyst Max Kellerman if he would be interested in fighting Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But it looks like Pacquiao doesn’t have much interest in fighting at that weight. Pacquiao is likely going to take on 40ish Shane Mosley next. This is a good safe fight for Pacquiao, because he’d likely be able to beat Mosley even without a weight draining catch weight handicap working for him. Pacquiao says “He’s a good fighter and a champion,” explaining why he thinks Mosley is a good option. One fighter that likely won’t get a fight with Pacquiao is Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao says “No one would watch it.” That’s obviously not true. Marquez is arguably a much more popular fighter than Pacquiao’s last two opponents Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito.
The only difference I can see is that he doesn’t fight for Top Rank like Pacquiao and those guys, meaning Bob Arum would have to work with another promoter. But the fight would have a great chance of being more successful than both the Clottey fight and Margarito fights, because Marquez fought Pacquiao to a virtual stand still in their previous two fights in 2004 and 2008. I think the fight won’t get made because Marquez isn’t a Top Rank fighter, because he’s fighting at a higher level than Mosley is right now, and still holds titles, which is more than you can say about Mosley. The article says that “Marquez would be easy” but Pacquiao doesn’t know if the fight would bring in enough pay-per-view buys. I still think Marquez is a better opponent than Mosley at this time, but if they want an easier option, then Mosley is the guy right now.
Sergio Martinez plans on fighting three or four more times and then retiring
By Jim Dower: WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO’s) has found stardom late in his career at the age of 35. In a career that’s spanned 13 years and titles in two different weight classes, Martinez finally has found fame with his wins over Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams this year.
Martinez defeated Pavlik by a 12 round decision in April, in a fight that many boxing fans felt that Pavlik would win. And then to show that his win over Pavlik wasn’t a fluke thing, Martinez turned around and defeated Williams by a 2nd round knockout last Saturday night.
Martinez didn’t want to take any chances at getting beaten by another controversial 12 round decision like the one he lost to Williams in December of last year. Martinez said before last Saturday’s fight that he was going to take the judges out of the fight by stopping Williams this time, and sure enough that’s exactly what he did.
However, just as Martinez is finding popularity among boxing fans world wide, he’s announced that he’ll be fighting three, possibly four more times and then retiring from the sport. Martinez wants to get some major paydays and then get out of the sport while he’s still young enough to enjoy life.
But unfortunately there’s not a lot of big named opponents for Martinez to fight. Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. likely won’t fight him, and the other middleweights are lacking in star power. Martinez best options at this weight are bouts against Pavlik, Dmitriy Pirog, Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester.
None of those fighters are big stars. Martinez could go after a rematch with Antonio Margarito, who beat Martinez earlier in his career. That would be a great fight. Also, fights against Miguel Cotto, Saul Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. are interesting options.
By Jim Dower: WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO’s) has found stardom late in his career at the age of 35. In a career that’s spanned 13 years and titles in two different weight classes, Martinez finally has found fame with his wins over Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams this year.
Martinez defeated Pavlik by a 12 round decision in April, in a fight that many boxing fans felt that Pavlik would win. And then to show that his win over Pavlik wasn’t a fluke thing, Martinez turned around and defeated Williams by a 2nd round knockout last Saturday night.
Martinez didn’t want to take any chances at getting beaten by another controversial 12 round decision like the one he lost to Williams in December of last year. Martinez said before last Saturday’s fight that he was going to take the judges out of the fight by stopping Williams this time, and sure enough that’s exactly what he did.
However, just as Martinez is finding popularity among boxing fans world wide, he’s announced that he’ll be fighting three, possibly four more times and then retiring from the sport. Martinez wants to get some major paydays and then get out of the sport while he’s still young enough to enjoy life.
But unfortunately there’s not a lot of big named opponents for Martinez to fight. Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. likely won’t fight him, and the other middleweights are lacking in star power. Martinez best options at this weight are bouts against Pavlik, Dmitriy Pirog, Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester.
None of those fighters are big stars. Martinez could go after a rematch with Antonio Margarito, who beat Martinez earlier in his career. That would be a great fight. Also, fights against Miguel Cotto, Saul Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. are interesting options.
Sergio Martinez vs. Dmitry Pirog – The best option for Sergio unless Pacquiao and May
By Jason Kim: After knocking out Paul Williams in the 2nd round last Saturday night to avenge a controversial 12 round decision last year, WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO’s) has a number of options for his next fight. The best options are fights against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
However, it’s unlikely that either Pacquiao or Mayweather will want to fight someone as powerful, slick and tough as Martinez. The next best opponent for Martinez is WBO middleweight champion Dmitriy Pirog (17-0, 14 KO’s), this would be a great fight because Pirog is just as slick as Martinez and has excellent right hand power, as he showed in his 5th round TKO win over Daniel Jacobs in July.
Pirog might have problems with Martinez’s southpaw stance and his power, and I can see Martinez scoring another stoppage. However, Pirog would make for an even better opponent than Williams because of his skills and power.
HBO would have to drive this fight, because Pirog is virtually unknown among casual boxing fans in the U.S. and it’s not a fight that they’ll be clamoring for. Pirog may be the 2nd best fighter in the middleweight right now.
Felix Sturm has good skills, but he’s still not fought anyone worth mentioning during his career, and was beaten by 40-year-old Javier Castillejo and Oscar De La Hoya. Sturm is definitely a step or two below Pirog. It would be an interesting fight for boxing fans because Sturm mainly jabs, and has no inside game or power.
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By Jason Kim: After knocking out Paul Williams in the 2nd round last Saturday night to avenge a controversial 12 round decision last year, WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO’s) has a number of options for his next fight. The best options are fights against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
However, it’s unlikely that either Pacquiao or Mayweather will want to fight someone as powerful, slick and tough as Martinez. The next best opponent for Martinez is WBO middleweight champion Dmitriy Pirog (17-0, 14 KO’s), this would be a great fight because Pirog is just as slick as Martinez and has excellent right hand power, as he showed in his 5th round TKO win over Daniel Jacobs in July.
Pirog might have problems with Martinez’s southpaw stance and his power, and I can see Martinez scoring another stoppage. However, Pirog would make for an even better opponent than Williams because of his skills and power.
HBO would have to drive this fight, because Pirog is virtually unknown among casual boxing fans in the U.S. and it’s not a fight that they’ll be clamoring for. Pirog may be the 2nd best fighter in the middleweight right now.
Felix Sturm has good skills, but he’s still not fought anyone worth mentioning during his career, and was beaten by 40-year-old Javier Castillejo and Oscar De La Hoya. Sturm is definitely a step or two below Pirog. It would be an interesting fight for boxing fans because Sturm mainly jabs, and has no inside game or power.
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Ariza: Floyd Mayweather Will Never Fight Manny Pacquiao
By Ernest Gabion
Alex Ariza, the strength and conditioning coach of Manny Pacquiao, seems pretty sure that a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will never happen. He told BoxingScene.com that Mayweather is too afraid of being beaten to accept the fight. Mayweather, along with WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and three division champion Shane Mosley, are in the running to fight Pacquiao in May.
Discussions have already taken place between Top Rank, promoter of Pacquiao, and individuals representing Berto and Mosley. Mayweather has yet to respond to Top Rank's request for the name of the appropriate party who will handle the negotiations on his behalf.
"No, I don't [think Mayweather will fight him]. Fear is an incredible influence. If you're really afraid of something, it doesn't matter how much money I offer you - you're not going to do it...it doesn't matter," Ariza told BoxingScene.com
By Ernest Gabion
Alex Ariza, the strength and conditioning coach of Manny Pacquiao, seems pretty sure that a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will never happen. He told BoxingScene.com that Mayweather is too afraid of being beaten to accept the fight. Mayweather, along with WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and three division champion Shane Mosley, are in the running to fight Pacquiao in May.
Discussions have already taken place between Top Rank, promoter of Pacquiao, and individuals representing Berto and Mosley. Mayweather has yet to respond to Top Rank's request for the name of the appropriate party who will handle the negotiations on his behalf.
"No, I don't [think Mayweather will fight him]. Fear is an incredible influence. If you're really afraid of something, it doesn't matter how much money I offer you - you're not going to do it...it doesn't matter," Ariza told BoxingScene.com
Bradley-Alexander: Tempers Begin To Rise Over Venue
By Lem Satterfield
Trainer and manager Kevin Cunningham, who handles WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander, is starting to get upset with the way his fighter's upcoming unification with Timothy Bradley is playing out. The fight, scheduled for January 29, appeared to have a set venue, with the 12,000-seat Chafetz Arena on the St. Louis University campus in Alexander's hometown of St. Louis playing host.
Alexander's promoter Don King had advised local papers that a deal was reached with the venue, but Bradley's promoter, Gary Shaw, says St. Louis is no longer an option. According to Shaw, Atlanta, Ga., and, Detroit, Mich., are now in play. Cunningham said the bout agreements were signed in September and he's very frustrated with the promoters not securing a venue in the last couple of weeks.
"Devon and myself are growing increasingly frustrated over this. This coming weekend, we'll be eight weeks out from the date of one of the biggest fights in the sport of boxing, and we have no site or venue. This is the biggest fight at this point in Devon's career, and there are serious ramifications for the winner of this fight," said Cunningham.
Shaw wants Cunningham to focus more of his energy on training, and less on the actual promotion.
"We are working on a site that will benefit the entire promotion," said Shaw. "In the meantime, Kevin Cunningham should spend more time working in the gym with his fighter and less time acting like or pretending to be the promoter. All that he's doing is hurting his fighter."
Cunningham fired some parting shots at the Bradley camp, claiming they are terrified of facing Alexander in St. Louis.
"The Bradley camp is balking at coming to St. Louis, but how can a fighter like Tim Bradley, who can't draw flies to s**t, have the power to dictate where this fight is going?" said Cunningham. "The bottom line is that if Tim Bradley is that f**king scared of Devon Alexander, then why doesn't he just man up and say so, and we can move on to something else."
By Lem Satterfield
Trainer and manager Kevin Cunningham, who handles WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander, is starting to get upset with the way his fighter's upcoming unification with Timothy Bradley is playing out. The fight, scheduled for January 29, appeared to have a set venue, with the 12,000-seat Chafetz Arena on the St. Louis University campus in Alexander's hometown of St. Louis playing host.
Alexander's promoter Don King had advised local papers that a deal was reached with the venue, but Bradley's promoter, Gary Shaw, says St. Louis is no longer an option. According to Shaw, Atlanta, Ga., and, Detroit, Mich., are now in play. Cunningham said the bout agreements were signed in September and he's very frustrated with the promoters not securing a venue in the last couple of weeks.
"Devon and myself are growing increasingly frustrated over this. This coming weekend, we'll be eight weeks out from the date of one of the biggest fights in the sport of boxing, and we have no site or venue. This is the biggest fight at this point in Devon's career, and there are serious ramifications for the winner of this fight," said Cunningham.
Shaw wants Cunningham to focus more of his energy on training, and less on the actual promotion.
"We are working on a site that will benefit the entire promotion," said Shaw. "In the meantime, Kevin Cunningham should spend more time working in the gym with his fighter and less time acting like or pretending to be the promoter. All that he's doing is hurting his fighter."
Cunningham fired some parting shots at the Bradley camp, claiming they are terrified of facing Alexander in St. Louis.
"The Bradley camp is balking at coming to St. Louis, but how can a fighter like Tim Bradley, who can't draw flies to s**t, have the power to dictate where this fight is going?" said Cunningham. "The bottom line is that if Tim Bradley is that f**king scared of Devon Alexander, then why doesn't he just man up and say so, and we can move on to something else."