Boxing News Thread
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Arum sees Pacquiao vs. Mayorga as a saleable fight
y Chris Williams: 37-year-old Ricardo Mayorga has a lot riding on his March 12th fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayorga, if he can somehow pull off the upset, he may find himself the winner of the Manny Pacquiao lottery by getting a title shot against him.
Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum likes the idea of putting Pacquiao in with Mayora if he beats Cotto on March 12th. However, Arum is a realist and doubts that Mayorga will be able to beat Cotto.
This is what Arum had to say on the subject in an interview at boxinginsider.com: “If Mayorga happens to beat Cotto, Manny and Mayorga would be a very sellable fight. But I don’t see Mayorga beating Cotto.”
This, of course, would also depend on whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. was available or not. If he Mayweather still can’t fight Pacquiao, then Mayorga may get the call if he can beat Cotto.
y Chris Williams: 37-year-old Ricardo Mayorga has a lot riding on his March 12th fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayorga, if he can somehow pull off the upset, he may find himself the winner of the Manny Pacquiao lottery by getting a title shot against him.
Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum likes the idea of putting Pacquiao in with Mayora if he beats Cotto on March 12th. However, Arum is a realist and doubts that Mayorga will be able to beat Cotto.
This is what Arum had to say on the subject in an interview at boxinginsider.com: “If Mayorga happens to beat Cotto, Manny and Mayorga would be a very sellable fight. But I don’t see Mayorga beating Cotto.”
This, of course, would also depend on whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. was available or not. If he Mayweather still can’t fight Pacquiao, then Mayorga may get the call if he can beat Cotto.
Juanma Could Himself Moving as High as 140-Pounds
By Rey Colon
Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez has confirmed that 2011 will be his last year at 126 pounds and he will move to the junior lightweight division in 2012.
"We have two fights at 126, Orlando Salido and a rematch with Rafael Marquez. And then I hope to go to 130 pounds in 2012. I think I can get to 135, but I'm also looking at 140 pounds, "he said.
Lopez, with a record of 30-0 and 27 knockouts, will return on April 16 to defend his crown against Salido at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon.
"We're at 50% of the preparation. We're just dropping by weight and are 14 pounds away [from the limit]. I'm very happy and we're going to win it round by round and the knockout will come later," he added.
He explained that a unification with Yuriorkis Gamboa could take place later this year or in 2012.
By Rey Colon
Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez has confirmed that 2011 will be his last year at 126 pounds and he will move to the junior lightweight division in 2012.
"We have two fights at 126, Orlando Salido and a rematch with Rafael Marquez. And then I hope to go to 130 pounds in 2012. I think I can get to 135, but I'm also looking at 140 pounds, "he said.
Lopez, with a record of 30-0 and 27 knockouts, will return on April 16 to defend his crown against Salido at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon.
"We're at 50% of the preparation. We're just dropping by weight and are 14 pounds away [from the limit]. I'm very happy and we're going to win it round by round and the knockout will come later," he added.
He explained that a unification with Yuriorkis Gamboa could take place later this year or in 2012.
Khan attacks 'cheat' Bradley
mir Khan has accused light-welterweight rival Timothy Bradley of "cheating" ahead of a potential unification clash later this year.
Khan, who holds the WBA strap, will turn his attention to Bradley if he successfully negotiates a defence against Paul McCloskey on April 16.
Bradley possesses the WBO and WBC titles, having ended Devon Alexander's unbeaten record via a tenth-round technical decision in January.
That bout was prematurely stopped following a clash of heads - and Khan suggests that Bradley has a tendency to employ illegal tactics in the ring.
"Bradley comes in with his head and he's strong at times but I think I've got the skills to beat him," he told boxingfutures.com. "I wouldn't let him get that close to headbutt me, I'm sure he'll try but that's just his style and it's got him so far at the moment.
"I go in there to box and I win that way. Some fighters have to cheat in a way and I think that he's been cheating."
Khan will target a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2012 if he finds a way past Bradley.
mir Khan has accused light-welterweight rival Timothy Bradley of "cheating" ahead of a potential unification clash later this year.
Khan, who holds the WBA strap, will turn his attention to Bradley if he successfully negotiates a defence against Paul McCloskey on April 16.
Bradley possesses the WBO and WBC titles, having ended Devon Alexander's unbeaten record via a tenth-round technical decision in January.
That bout was prematurely stopped following a clash of heads - and Khan suggests that Bradley has a tendency to employ illegal tactics in the ring.
"Bradley comes in with his head and he's strong at times but I think I've got the skills to beat him," he told boxingfutures.com. "I wouldn't let him get that close to headbutt me, I'm sure he'll try but that's just his style and it's got him so far at the moment.
"I go in there to box and I win that way. Some fighters have to cheat in a way and I think that he's been cheating."
Khan will target a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2012 if he finds a way past Bradley.
Klitschko-Haye: Booth Says 'It's Still a Bit Premature'
y Phil Barnett
David Haye's manager has warned there is a long way to go before a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers is signed and sealed, admitting they are "still swimming through the quagmire of boxing negotiations".
It emerged at the weekend that the parties had returned to the negotiating table after talks broke down yet again earlier this year.
Press Association Sport understands discussions are in their infancy at the moment with WBC champion Vitali and IBO/IBF/WBO holder Wladimir - who WBA champion Haye would prefer to face - both possible opponents in the summer.
Haye's trainer and manager Adam Booth said: "It's still a bit premature at the moment, we're still swimming through the quagmire of boxing negotiations."
On Saturday, Booth revealed "by the middle of next week things could have changed quite dramatically" but after repeated failures to nail down a unification fight, it seems Haye's camp are treading cautiously.
It is understood both Ukrainian brothers are possibilities for Haye on July 2 and while Vitali would make more logistical sense, Haye wants Wladimir. Vitali fights Odlanier Solis on March 19 while younger brother Wladimir makes a voluntary defence against Londoner Dereck Chisora on April 30, which leaves him barely two months to recuperate and prepare for that July date.
The Klitschkos' manager Bernd Boente has spoken positively about the situation in recent days but Haye's camp have been more coy, aside from hints dropped on Twitter by the fighter himself.
Boxing politics and one-upmanship at the negotiating table have so far scuppered prospects of the fights being made before Haye's self-imposed retirement in October this year.
However, the Londoner spoke at the weekend of something "potentially being on the horizon" before a more cautious Booth essentially confirmed talks were back on.
Should the fight happen, it looks most likely to be on July 2, with Germany looking favourite to host it and Britain and Las Vegas also possibilities.
Haye is due to defend against mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who has problems getting licensed due to suffering from Hepatitis B, with unbeaten Russian Alexander Povetkin the next highest-ranked opponent.
Haye has also previously questioned Wladimir's suggestion that he could meet Chisora in April and fight again two months later.
But should it pan out that way, it would enable the Englishman to possibly face one brother in the summer and the other in September or October before retiring ahead of his 31st birthday.
y Phil Barnett
David Haye's manager has warned there is a long way to go before a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers is signed and sealed, admitting they are "still swimming through the quagmire of boxing negotiations".
It emerged at the weekend that the parties had returned to the negotiating table after talks broke down yet again earlier this year.
Press Association Sport understands discussions are in their infancy at the moment with WBC champion Vitali and IBO/IBF/WBO holder Wladimir - who WBA champion Haye would prefer to face - both possible opponents in the summer.
Haye's trainer and manager Adam Booth said: "It's still a bit premature at the moment, we're still swimming through the quagmire of boxing negotiations."
On Saturday, Booth revealed "by the middle of next week things could have changed quite dramatically" but after repeated failures to nail down a unification fight, it seems Haye's camp are treading cautiously.
It is understood both Ukrainian brothers are possibilities for Haye on July 2 and while Vitali would make more logistical sense, Haye wants Wladimir. Vitali fights Odlanier Solis on March 19 while younger brother Wladimir makes a voluntary defence against Londoner Dereck Chisora on April 30, which leaves him barely two months to recuperate and prepare for that July date.
The Klitschkos' manager Bernd Boente has spoken positively about the situation in recent days but Haye's camp have been more coy, aside from hints dropped on Twitter by the fighter himself.
Boxing politics and one-upmanship at the negotiating table have so far scuppered prospects of the fights being made before Haye's self-imposed retirement in October this year.
However, the Londoner spoke at the weekend of something "potentially being on the horizon" before a more cautious Booth essentially confirmed talks were back on.
Should the fight happen, it looks most likely to be on July 2, with Germany looking favourite to host it and Britain and Las Vegas also possibilities.
Haye is due to defend against mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who has problems getting licensed due to suffering from Hepatitis B, with unbeaten Russian Alexander Povetkin the next highest-ranked opponent.
Haye has also previously questioned Wladimir's suggestion that he could meet Chisora in April and fight again two months later.
But should it pan out that way, it would enable the Englishman to possibly face one brother in the summer and the other in September or October before retiring ahead of his 31st birthday.
David Haye: Klitschko Talks Back On, They Want The Fight
By Phil Barnett
David Haye is confident of fighting one of the Klitschko brothers this summer after declaring their much-hyped bout was "back on".
The WBA heavyweight champion, who has vowed to retire in October when he turns 31, looked set to end his career without fulfilling his pledge to unify the division when a fight with Wladimir Klitschko fell through after the Ukrainian agreed to take on Dereck Chisora.
But talks between Haye's camp and the two brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, have now resumed, and Haye believes a fight could happen in the summer, possibly in July.
"We are back on. We are trying to make it happen," he told The Sun.
"We went a long while with nothing from their side, then all of a sudden we got a phone call from Klitschko's camp.
"They made contact with us, which I believe now shows they do want this fight to go ahead."
Haye believed earlier this year he had a deal in place to take on Wladimir, before talks collapsed after the announcement of the Chisora fight.
Owing to that, Haye is due to defend against mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who has problems getting licensed due to suffering from Hepatitis B, with unbeaten Russian Alexander Povetkin the next highest-ranked opponent.
Haye has also previously questioned Wladimir's suggestion he could meet Chisora in April and fight again two months later.
But should it pan out that way, it would enable the Englishman to possibly face one brother in the summer and the other in September or October before retiring.
Earlier on Wednesday, Haye's manager and trainer Adam Booth said: "It's still a bit premature at the moment, we're still swimming through the quagmire of boxing negotiations."
By Phil Barnett
David Haye is confident of fighting one of the Klitschko brothers this summer after declaring their much-hyped bout was "back on".
The WBA heavyweight champion, who has vowed to retire in October when he turns 31, looked set to end his career without fulfilling his pledge to unify the division when a fight with Wladimir Klitschko fell through after the Ukrainian agreed to take on Dereck Chisora.
But talks between Haye's camp and the two brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, have now resumed, and Haye believes a fight could happen in the summer, possibly in July.
"We are back on. We are trying to make it happen," he told The Sun.
"We went a long while with nothing from their side, then all of a sudden we got a phone call from Klitschko's camp.
"They made contact with us, which I believe now shows they do want this fight to go ahead."
Haye believed earlier this year he had a deal in place to take on Wladimir, before talks collapsed after the announcement of the Chisora fight.
Owing to that, Haye is due to defend against mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who has problems getting licensed due to suffering from Hepatitis B, with unbeaten Russian Alexander Povetkin the next highest-ranked opponent.
Haye has also previously questioned Wladimir's suggestion he could meet Chisora in April and fight again two months later.
But should it pan out that way, it would enable the Englishman to possibly face one brother in the summer and the other in September or October before retiring.
Earlier on Wednesday, Haye's manager and trainer Adam Booth said: "It's still a bit premature at the moment, we're still swimming through the quagmire of boxing negotiations."
De La Hoya: Mayweather-Pacquiao Happens, Floyd will Win
By Mark Vester
The President of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, expects the mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to take place. Twice the sides have negotiated and twice the negotiations fell through, but De La Hoya feels there is too much money involved for the fight not to happen. Pacquiao comes back on May 7 against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather is dealing with a few legal issues before he resumes his boxing career.
"I believe that fight will take place," De La Hoya said to Reuters. "I believe Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao understand that it has to take place. They are the best fighters out there and I feel they both really want this fight to happen. When the time comes, people will enjoy a tremendous fight because styles make fights."
If Mayweather and Pacquiao lock up, De La Hoya is backing Floyd to win.
"I see Floyd Mayweather winning and I say that not only as an ex-fighter and a promoter but as a student of the game. I really love dissecting styles, studying styles and Mayweather has a style to beat anybody. He calculates his punches and his timing. When he is ready to punch with power, he always connects in the right place. There is a lot of thinking behind the strategy of winning a fight and Mayweather has to be the best at that," De La Hoya said.
By Mark Vester
The President of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, expects the mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to take place. Twice the sides have negotiated and twice the negotiations fell through, but De La Hoya feels there is too much money involved for the fight not to happen. Pacquiao comes back on May 7 against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather is dealing with a few legal issues before he resumes his boxing career.
"I believe that fight will take place," De La Hoya said to Reuters. "I believe Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao understand that it has to take place. They are the best fighters out there and I feel they both really want this fight to happen. When the time comes, people will enjoy a tremendous fight because styles make fights."
If Mayweather and Pacquiao lock up, De La Hoya is backing Floyd to win.
"I see Floyd Mayweather winning and I say that not only as an ex-fighter and a promoter but as a student of the game. I really love dissecting styles, studying styles and Mayweather has a style to beat anybody. He calculates his punches and his timing. When he is ready to punch with power, he always connects in the right place. There is a lot of thinking behind the strategy of winning a fight and Mayweather has to be the best at that," De La Hoya said.
Showtime's Ken Hershman on Securing Pacquiao vs Mosley
By Lem Satterfield
Showtime's Sports general manager, Ken Hershman, spoke to BoxingScene.com last month regarding the network's landing of the May 7 clash featuring eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao in defense of his WBO welterweight belt against Shane Mosley, this, representing the first time that either fighter will be televised on a cable channel other than rival HBO.
Promoted by Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum, the battle between Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) and Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) will benefit from a CBS-Showtime combination and production as a result of CBS being Showtime's parent company.
The major advantage presented by Showtime is the ability of CBS to reach 115 million homes compared to HBO's 28 million homes, and the network's ability to televise a multi-part series on CBS that is equivalent to HBO's 24/7.
Hershman has announced that Pacquiao-Mosley will be the subject of special editions of the network's Fight Camp 360, the four-part documentary series entitled FIGHT CAMP 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley, to begin airing on April 2 and to provide fight fans with unprecedented access into the lives of the fighters.
In addition, Pacquiao-Mosley is among several consecutive fights that Top Rank is televising on Showtime, beginning with last weekend's lightweight clash that featured Brandon Rios (27-0-1, 20 KOs) scoring a 10th-round knockout that dethroned WBA king Miguel Acosta (28-4, 22 KOs), ending the latter's 19-fight winning streak that had included 12 knockouts and stoppages in his previous three bouts.
On March 12 from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Showtime will televise former world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua, against WBA junior middleweight champ Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) of Puerto Rico.
On the Cotto-Mayorga under card will be Yuri Foreman (28-1, eight KOs) of Brooklyn, whom Cotto dethroned by ninth-round knockout in June, against New Jersey resident Pawel Wolak (28-1, 18 KOs) in a junior middleweight clash.
Showtime will also air an April 16 featherweight (126 pounds) bout during which southpaw WBO king Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KOs) takes on ex-IBF titlist Orlando Salido (34-11-2, 22 KOs) from Lopez's native Puerto Rico.
Hershman also said that he will take advantage of a March 19 broadcast featuring southpaw IBF super middleweight belt-holder Lucien Bute (27-0, 22 KOs) of Canada defending his crown against Brian Magee (34-3, 24 KOs) of England.
BoxingScene.com: How ecstatic were you upon landing Manny Pacquiao?
Ken Hershman: I was pretty stoked. That was a pretty exciting moment for us. This is an opportunity to have someone who is not only the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world but much more beyond that.
Manny Pacquiao is also someone who transcends the sport. He is a larger-than-life personality and a great guy. It's just that all of the things came together at once. So I was incredibly stoked as was my team, and our company and that's why you're going to see a lot of commitment.
Everybody is excited and coming up with great ideas. We haven't even begun to roll out how we're going to handle this, but I can tell you already that we're brainstorming new ideas and revolutionary ways to promote boxing and promote these fighters.
BoxingScene.com: Can you share your thoughts on the acquisition of the package of Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley?
Ken Hershman: I think that people are excited about it because anything that broadens the ability of these two great fighters to have their stories to be told and broadens the platform that they can fight on is great for boxing.
But we've been around for a while and we've been doing this for a long time and I think that we can tell these stories better than anybody else.
That's why we created FIGHT CAMP 360 around the Super Six, because we knew that we were going to be living with these fighters for 18 months to two years.
And, you know, we wanted the fans and the people in general to get to know them at a deeper level than they ever had before and to be able to follow them at a deeper level throughout the path of the tournament.
Whether they win, lose, get eliminated, get hurt. Whatever it is, we wanted people to care and to form a connection. I think that we've done a masterful job with that show. I think that that show has been well-received.
I think that it's been compelling and the fans have loved it. We're going to bring that same story telling to this show, Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. We're looking forward to it.
BoxingScene.com: How do you think Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley FIGHT CAMP 360 will be received in the Philippines?
Ken Hershman: How it gets into the Philippines is really Top Rank Promotions' domain, but I think that everybody in this country and the 110 million homes within the CBS will be exposed to Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
They will see what tremendous athletes and personalities that they are and that is a platform that has just never been tapped into. Before, it has been the premieum networks, which is a substantially scaled-down universe.
This is now the time for the mass public to see who these guys are.
BoxingScene.com: What other promotional opportunities are presented by the fact that you have other Top Rank fighters such as Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Lopez being televised on Showtime prior to Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley?
Ken Hershman: Those will absolutely be opportunities to take advantage of. We have a series of events. We had Brandon Rios, we Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga on March 12.
We have Lucian Bute, who is not a Top Rank fighter, but we have him on March 19. And then we have the Super Six in May. We have JuanMa Lopez on April 16. We have the bantamweight tournament on April 23.
The bantamweight tournament is right before Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley, so we have what is basically a schedule which, at least for Showtime boxing, is unrivaled in its history, I think.
Then we also have an amazing number of events on Showtime alone to use in helping to tell the story about this fight.
So we have all of these platforms and these great events leading up to the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight. This represents an amazing time for us and it's just great.
Below is the schedule for FIGHT CAMP 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley.
The series premieres on CBS at 9 a.m. pacific time, and, noon eastern time on April 2.
Below are the premiere dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosely
Episode 1 CBS Saturday, April 2 9 a.m. PT; 12 p.m. ET
Episode 1 SHO Saturday, April 16 10 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 2 SHO Saturday, April 23 10 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 3 CBS Saturday, April 30 8 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 4 SHO Friday, May 6 10 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 4 CBS Saturday, May 7 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
FIGHT CAMP 360°: Pacquiao vs. Mosley will be available on SHOWTIME On Demand with multiple re-airings on SHO Extreme
By Lem Satterfield
Showtime's Sports general manager, Ken Hershman, spoke to BoxingScene.com last month regarding the network's landing of the May 7 clash featuring eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao in defense of his WBO welterweight belt against Shane Mosley, this, representing the first time that either fighter will be televised on a cable channel other than rival HBO.
Promoted by Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum, the battle between Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) and Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) will benefit from a CBS-Showtime combination and production as a result of CBS being Showtime's parent company.
The major advantage presented by Showtime is the ability of CBS to reach 115 million homes compared to HBO's 28 million homes, and the network's ability to televise a multi-part series on CBS that is equivalent to HBO's 24/7.
Hershman has announced that Pacquiao-Mosley will be the subject of special editions of the network's Fight Camp 360, the four-part documentary series entitled FIGHT CAMP 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley, to begin airing on April 2 and to provide fight fans with unprecedented access into the lives of the fighters.
In addition, Pacquiao-Mosley is among several consecutive fights that Top Rank is televising on Showtime, beginning with last weekend's lightweight clash that featured Brandon Rios (27-0-1, 20 KOs) scoring a 10th-round knockout that dethroned WBA king Miguel Acosta (28-4, 22 KOs), ending the latter's 19-fight winning streak that had included 12 knockouts and stoppages in his previous three bouts.
On March 12 from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Showtime will televise former world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua, against WBA junior middleweight champ Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) of Puerto Rico.
On the Cotto-Mayorga under card will be Yuri Foreman (28-1, eight KOs) of Brooklyn, whom Cotto dethroned by ninth-round knockout in June, against New Jersey resident Pawel Wolak (28-1, 18 KOs) in a junior middleweight clash.
Showtime will also air an April 16 featherweight (126 pounds) bout during which southpaw WBO king Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KOs) takes on ex-IBF titlist Orlando Salido (34-11-2, 22 KOs) from Lopez's native Puerto Rico.
Hershman also said that he will take advantage of a March 19 broadcast featuring southpaw IBF super middleweight belt-holder Lucien Bute (27-0, 22 KOs) of Canada defending his crown against Brian Magee (34-3, 24 KOs) of England.
BoxingScene.com: How ecstatic were you upon landing Manny Pacquiao?
Ken Hershman: I was pretty stoked. That was a pretty exciting moment for us. This is an opportunity to have someone who is not only the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world but much more beyond that.
Manny Pacquiao is also someone who transcends the sport. He is a larger-than-life personality and a great guy. It's just that all of the things came together at once. So I was incredibly stoked as was my team, and our company and that's why you're going to see a lot of commitment.
Everybody is excited and coming up with great ideas. We haven't even begun to roll out how we're going to handle this, but I can tell you already that we're brainstorming new ideas and revolutionary ways to promote boxing and promote these fighters.
BoxingScene.com: Can you share your thoughts on the acquisition of the package of Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley?
Ken Hershman: I think that people are excited about it because anything that broadens the ability of these two great fighters to have their stories to be told and broadens the platform that they can fight on is great for boxing.
But we've been around for a while and we've been doing this for a long time and I think that we can tell these stories better than anybody else.
That's why we created FIGHT CAMP 360 around the Super Six, because we knew that we were going to be living with these fighters for 18 months to two years.
And, you know, we wanted the fans and the people in general to get to know them at a deeper level than they ever had before and to be able to follow them at a deeper level throughout the path of the tournament.
Whether they win, lose, get eliminated, get hurt. Whatever it is, we wanted people to care and to form a connection. I think that we've done a masterful job with that show. I think that that show has been well-received.
I think that it's been compelling and the fans have loved it. We're going to bring that same story telling to this show, Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. We're looking forward to it.
BoxingScene.com: How do you think Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley FIGHT CAMP 360 will be received in the Philippines?
Ken Hershman: How it gets into the Philippines is really Top Rank Promotions' domain, but I think that everybody in this country and the 110 million homes within the CBS will be exposed to Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
They will see what tremendous athletes and personalities that they are and that is a platform that has just never been tapped into. Before, it has been the premieum networks, which is a substantially scaled-down universe.
This is now the time for the mass public to see who these guys are.
BoxingScene.com: What other promotional opportunities are presented by the fact that you have other Top Rank fighters such as Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Lopez being televised on Showtime prior to Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley?
Ken Hershman: Those will absolutely be opportunities to take advantage of. We have a series of events. We had Brandon Rios, we Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga on March 12.
We have Lucian Bute, who is not a Top Rank fighter, but we have him on March 19. And then we have the Super Six in May. We have JuanMa Lopez on April 16. We have the bantamweight tournament on April 23.
The bantamweight tournament is right before Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley, so we have what is basically a schedule which, at least for Showtime boxing, is unrivaled in its history, I think.
Then we also have an amazing number of events on Showtime alone to use in helping to tell the story about this fight.
So we have all of these platforms and these great events leading up to the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight. This represents an amazing time for us and it's just great.
Below is the schedule for FIGHT CAMP 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley.
The series premieres on CBS at 9 a.m. pacific time, and, noon eastern time on April 2.
Below are the premiere dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosely
Episode 1 CBS Saturday, April 2 9 a.m. PT; 12 p.m. ET
Episode 1 SHO Saturday, April 16 10 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 2 SHO Saturday, April 23 10 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 3 CBS Saturday, April 30 8 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 4 SHO Friday, May 6 10 p.m. ET/PT
Episode 4 CBS Saturday, May 7 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
FIGHT CAMP 360°: Pacquiao vs. Mosley will be available on SHOWTIME On Demand with multiple re-airings on SHO Extreme
Haye says May 21st fight is cancelled, his next fight is on July 2nd, hopefully again
y Sean McDaniel: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KO’s) revealed that his May 21st title defense has now been canceled and his next fight will instead be on July 2nd, hopefully against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s). Haye also said that he wants to fight WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KO’s) if Haye can beat Wladimir.
Speaking to the BBC Sport, Haye said “I believe we’re close to agreeing. We should know something in the next couple of days. One way or another, I’ll be fighting in July. My fight in May has been canceled. I’m fighting in July. I’m hoping it’s Wladimir Klitschko. Should know soon. It seems like at this stage they’re ready to do it…After this, his brother [Vitali].”
Haye had been thought to be defending his World Boxing Association title against number #1 challenger Ruslan Chagaev on May 21st. Haye didn’t seem all that eager to take that fight for a fight against number #2 challenger if Chagaev didn’t get permission to fight Haye in the UK by the British Boxing Board of Control. The Klitschko fight, whether Wladimir or Vitali, will bring Haye huge money, much more than he would get in his title defense against Chagaev or Povetkin.
It makes sense that Haye is trying to make that fight happen instead. If Haye can beat Wladimir on July 2nd, then Haye says he wants to go ahead and fight his brother Vitali and then retire from boxing. Wladimir, as of now, has a fight scheduled against Dereck Chisora on April 30th. This may change if a fight with Haye gets signed because Wladimir might not want to risk suffering an injury before the Haye bout, which will take place only two months after the Chisora fight.
y Sean McDaniel: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KO’s) revealed that his May 21st title defense has now been canceled and his next fight will instead be on July 2nd, hopefully against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s). Haye also said that he wants to fight WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KO’s) if Haye can beat Wladimir.
Speaking to the BBC Sport, Haye said “I believe we’re close to agreeing. We should know something in the next couple of days. One way or another, I’ll be fighting in July. My fight in May has been canceled. I’m fighting in July. I’m hoping it’s Wladimir Klitschko. Should know soon. It seems like at this stage they’re ready to do it…After this, his brother [Vitali].”
Haye had been thought to be defending his World Boxing Association title against number #1 challenger Ruslan Chagaev on May 21st. Haye didn’t seem all that eager to take that fight for a fight against number #2 challenger if Chagaev didn’t get permission to fight Haye in the UK by the British Boxing Board of Control. The Klitschko fight, whether Wladimir or Vitali, will bring Haye huge money, much more than he would get in his title defense against Chagaev or Povetkin.
It makes sense that Haye is trying to make that fight happen instead. If Haye can beat Wladimir on July 2nd, then Haye says he wants to go ahead and fight his brother Vitali and then retire from boxing. Wladimir, as of now, has a fight scheduled against Dereck Chisora on April 30th. This may change if a fight with Haye gets signed because Wladimir might not want to risk suffering an injury before the Haye bout, which will take place only two months after the Chisora fight.
Naazim Talks Pacquiao, Hopkins, Roach, Mosley, More
By Lem Satterfield
Trainer Naazim Richardson spoke to BoxingScene.com regarding his role in the corner of three-division, five-time champion, Shane Mosley, during his quest to dethrone eight-division king Manny Pacquiao as WBO welterweight titlist on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Richardson also weighed in on Bernard Hopkins' notion that Pacquiao has not faced a top notch African American fighter, in addition to the fact that Pacquiao and Mosley have been associated with performance enhancing drugs in boxing.
Promoted by Top Rank Promotions, the 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) works with five-time Trainer of The Year, Freddie Roach, and will be after his 14th straight win and his ninth stoppage during that run when he meets the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) in a CBS-Showtime pay per view televised match up.
But Richardson is an excellent trainer in his own right, having been the man who helped to orchestrate Mosley's January, 2009, ninth-round knockout that dethroned Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) as WBA welterweight champion by stopping the fighter for the first time in his career.
Richardson also has aided 46-year-old, two-division champion and former undisputed middleweight king Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs), perhaps most notably when Hopkins handed the first loss to former WBC and WBO middleweight king Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) by decision in October of 2008.
In December, Hopkins battled to a disputed draw against WBC light heavyweight belt-holder, Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs), with whom Hopkins has a May 21 rematch.
Former world champion, Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs) once tested positive for stanozozol following his 11th-round knockout loss to Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas in September 2002.
Having been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for nine months and paying a $100,000 fine after the stanozolol turned up in a post-fight urinalysis, Vargas favors Olympic style drug testing, which involves blood and urine, whereas boxing's current protocol involves only testing urine for illegal drugs.
Vargas noted a lucrative bout between Pacquiao and six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) twice reached a negotiations impasse over the notion of Olympic style drug testing, which, for the firt time in the sport's history, was insituted for both fighters prior to Mayweather's unanimous decision over Mosley in May of 2010.
In 2003, Mosley admitted to injecting the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," but says that he did so unknowingly after having been supplied the drugs by BALCO founder Victor Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson.
BoxingScene.com: Does the prospect of facing Freddie Roach in a clash of trainers get your juices flowing?
Nazim Richardson: I've got to be totally honest with you, Lem. That's not a factor for me whatsoever. Manny Pacquiao commands enough attention that I can't be focused on me and Freddie.
Me and Freddie are not fighting. That's two different weight classes any way [Laughs.] You know, Manny demands so much attention that you can't be focused on any sidebars. You can't be focused on anything but Manny.
I'm aware of Freddie Roach and his work and what he's done. I'm a fan of boxing and I'm aware of the level that he's been working on for so many years. But that doesn't have anything to do with me.
This fight, you know, it's about the athletes. It's about me having my guy prepared for that night.
BoxingScene.com: Why is this a good promotion for the sport?
Nazim Richardson: Well, Manny Pacquiao is a monster, and you have to like him if you like boxing, because he's good for boxing. He's absolutely good for boxing.
Manny Pacquiao's to the personality, he has the conduct, and he does the things in the ring that you want to see. So, if you don't like Manny Pacquiao, then you don't like boxing.
I could say the same thing about Shane Mosley. These guys are good for boxing. They're good for the young kids who watch the sport, and they're good for the young kids who are going to be the future of the sport.
I think this is a good platform for them.
BoxingScene.com: Do you expect much to be made of the battle of corners during the promotion of the fight?
Nazim Richardson: I know that some people are going to focus on that, but those things take care of themselves. We go out and we fight the fights.
After that, you know, people in the promotion and people who are more creative than I will go out and put together how it was done and provide their view on what my role has been.
But my thing is that right now, Shane Mosley is in a position to put himself back into a place where he feels that he belongs and into a place where those of us who are close to him feels that he belongs.
That's what he is trying to do and that's what he feels that he has to do.
BoxingScene.com: What is your take on the fact that Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley's names continue to be associated with the subject of performance enhancing drugs and steroid testing?
Nazim Richardson: I don't address those issues. I went through a lot of that when my fighters were amateurs. It's just irritating. It bogs you down.
They can call for drug testing with these two if they want to, but I'm not going to make any accusations about Manny Pacquiao because I don't have any evidence to hold forth on it.
I wouldn't do that to any man. Maybe I don't do it because of the way that I look. When I came up, people would walk up and say, 'He's mean,' and they knew nothing about me.
But I was a big black man with hair on his face and a bald head. So there's a certain stigma to it. I'm not going to demean any man out there who puts on a great performance by attaching that kind of stigma to it.
There's families on the line. I wouldn't say something like that about an athlete unless there is something to base it on.
BoxingScene.com: Do you think that the stigma of having to be drug tested played on Shane Mosley during his performance against Floyd Mayweather?
Nazim Richardson: We didn't have that particular discussion, but an athlete has to do what he has to do to get to where they want to.
Sometimes they have to whistle to get through the graveyard, and you know, everybody is going to find what they need to push them to where they need to be.
But Shane Mosley is not just an excellent athlete, but an outstanding human being.
BoxingScene.com: What is your take on Bernard Hopkins' assertion that Manny Pacquiao has not faced a top notch African American fighter?
Nazim Richardson: Listen, I'm not interested in that myself. The facts speak for themselves. Would you say Lennox Lewis never fought a southpaw?
Well, you go back and you look at the record, and you can find out if he ever fought a southpaw and you can go from there. But I have told you all of this before.
Fighters at the elite level didn't get there by accident. Fighters that reach the elite level didn't stumble across their talent. Fighters that constantly perform didn't stumble across their accomplishments.
BoxingScene.com: Have you spoken to Bernard Hopkins to determine what he means?
Nazim Richardson: The man is a complex individual and he's strategic in all of the things that he does and says. I would have to ask him what he was implying.
I would have to do that because that's an observation that he may see as a particular way to attack from or a platform to build up from.
That's his opinion, and I greatly respect his opinion because of what he has accomplished, but that's still Bernard's opinion.
BoxingScene.com: Do you see any truth to the notion that Manny Pacquiao may have chosen to face Shane Mosley because Mosley has aged and was exposed by Floyd Mayweather?
Nazim Richardson: You have two guys who will fight their hearts out with that gladiator mentality. That's been proven in their history. There is a great deal of history behind both of these athletes.
This is going to be an interesting match up and an entertaining fight. Manny is probably under a little bit more pressure in the sense that people are saying that Shane didn't earn this particular spot that he's in.
People are saying that, for Manny, this should probably be a walk in the park. But there are going to be constant comparisons to this other guy, and I'm not going to say the other guy's name.
But there will be constant comparisons to this and to that.
BoxingScene.com: Do you mean Floyd Mayweather?
Nazim Richardson: Well, let's just say that there's always a bully in the neighborhood, but there's always going to be a guy that he's afraid of.
If he doesn't fight that dude, then somebody else fights that dude, and then, the bully beats that guy. They can say, 'Well, you know what would have happened if I would have fought that dude.'
BoxingScene.com: Do you buy the assertion by Bernard Hopkins that 'When Shane Mosley wins, everybody is going to say that Floyd Mayweather would have beaten Manny.'
Nazim Richardson: Everybody's going to assume, but then, I'll say, 'Let's go back to the records.' When you saw Miguel Cotto beat Shane, and then you saw Antonio Margarito beat Miguel Cotto, then everybody thought Antonio Margarito was going to beat Shane.
But then you saw what happened. Now, you saw Vernon Forrest beat Shane, and you saw Ricardo Mayorga beat Vernon, and then, everybody thought Mayorga was going to beat Shane, but you saw that Shane knocked out Mayorga.
So we've seen it a hundred times in boxing, and we're going to see it more. You're going to see Andre Berto struggle with Juan Urango, and then, you're going to see Devon Alexander go in there and crank Urango out of there.
Not just beat him, but crank him out of there. Does that mean that Devon Alexander can beat Andre Berto automatically? There's a question, but that's why we fight the fights. So, that's just boxing
By Lem Satterfield
Trainer Naazim Richardson spoke to BoxingScene.com regarding his role in the corner of three-division, five-time champion, Shane Mosley, during his quest to dethrone eight-division king Manny Pacquiao as WBO welterweight titlist on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Richardson also weighed in on Bernard Hopkins' notion that Pacquiao has not faced a top notch African American fighter, in addition to the fact that Pacquiao and Mosley have been associated with performance enhancing drugs in boxing.
Promoted by Top Rank Promotions, the 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) works with five-time Trainer of The Year, Freddie Roach, and will be after his 14th straight win and his ninth stoppage during that run when he meets the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) in a CBS-Showtime pay per view televised match up.
But Richardson is an excellent trainer in his own right, having been the man who helped to orchestrate Mosley's January, 2009, ninth-round knockout that dethroned Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) as WBA welterweight champion by stopping the fighter for the first time in his career.
Richardson also has aided 46-year-old, two-division champion and former undisputed middleweight king Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs), perhaps most notably when Hopkins handed the first loss to former WBC and WBO middleweight king Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) by decision in October of 2008.
In December, Hopkins battled to a disputed draw against WBC light heavyweight belt-holder, Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs), with whom Hopkins has a May 21 rematch.
Former world champion, Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs) once tested positive for stanozozol following his 11th-round knockout loss to Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas in September 2002.
Having been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for nine months and paying a $100,000 fine after the stanozolol turned up in a post-fight urinalysis, Vargas favors Olympic style drug testing, which involves blood and urine, whereas boxing's current protocol involves only testing urine for illegal drugs.
Vargas noted a lucrative bout between Pacquiao and six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) twice reached a negotiations impasse over the notion of Olympic style drug testing, which, for the firt time in the sport's history, was insituted for both fighters prior to Mayweather's unanimous decision over Mosley in May of 2010.
In 2003, Mosley admitted to injecting the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," but says that he did so unknowingly after having been supplied the drugs by BALCO founder Victor Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson.
BoxingScene.com: Does the prospect of facing Freddie Roach in a clash of trainers get your juices flowing?
Nazim Richardson: I've got to be totally honest with you, Lem. That's not a factor for me whatsoever. Manny Pacquiao commands enough attention that I can't be focused on me and Freddie.
Me and Freddie are not fighting. That's two different weight classes any way [Laughs.] You know, Manny demands so much attention that you can't be focused on any sidebars. You can't be focused on anything but Manny.
I'm aware of Freddie Roach and his work and what he's done. I'm a fan of boxing and I'm aware of the level that he's been working on for so many years. But that doesn't have anything to do with me.
This fight, you know, it's about the athletes. It's about me having my guy prepared for that night.
BoxingScene.com: Why is this a good promotion for the sport?
Nazim Richardson: Well, Manny Pacquiao is a monster, and you have to like him if you like boxing, because he's good for boxing. He's absolutely good for boxing.
Manny Pacquiao's to the personality, he has the conduct, and he does the things in the ring that you want to see. So, if you don't like Manny Pacquiao, then you don't like boxing.
I could say the same thing about Shane Mosley. These guys are good for boxing. They're good for the young kids who watch the sport, and they're good for the young kids who are going to be the future of the sport.
I think this is a good platform for them.
BoxingScene.com: Do you expect much to be made of the battle of corners during the promotion of the fight?
Nazim Richardson: I know that some people are going to focus on that, but those things take care of themselves. We go out and we fight the fights.
After that, you know, people in the promotion and people who are more creative than I will go out and put together how it was done and provide their view on what my role has been.
But my thing is that right now, Shane Mosley is in a position to put himself back into a place where he feels that he belongs and into a place where those of us who are close to him feels that he belongs.
That's what he is trying to do and that's what he feels that he has to do.
BoxingScene.com: What is your take on the fact that Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley's names continue to be associated with the subject of performance enhancing drugs and steroid testing?
Nazim Richardson: I don't address those issues. I went through a lot of that when my fighters were amateurs. It's just irritating. It bogs you down.
They can call for drug testing with these two if they want to, but I'm not going to make any accusations about Manny Pacquiao because I don't have any evidence to hold forth on it.
I wouldn't do that to any man. Maybe I don't do it because of the way that I look. When I came up, people would walk up and say, 'He's mean,' and they knew nothing about me.
But I was a big black man with hair on his face and a bald head. So there's a certain stigma to it. I'm not going to demean any man out there who puts on a great performance by attaching that kind of stigma to it.
There's families on the line. I wouldn't say something like that about an athlete unless there is something to base it on.
BoxingScene.com: Do you think that the stigma of having to be drug tested played on Shane Mosley during his performance against Floyd Mayweather?
Nazim Richardson: We didn't have that particular discussion, but an athlete has to do what he has to do to get to where they want to.
Sometimes they have to whistle to get through the graveyard, and you know, everybody is going to find what they need to push them to where they need to be.
But Shane Mosley is not just an excellent athlete, but an outstanding human being.
BoxingScene.com: What is your take on Bernard Hopkins' assertion that Manny Pacquiao has not faced a top notch African American fighter?
Nazim Richardson: Listen, I'm not interested in that myself. The facts speak for themselves. Would you say Lennox Lewis never fought a southpaw?
Well, you go back and you look at the record, and you can find out if he ever fought a southpaw and you can go from there. But I have told you all of this before.
Fighters at the elite level didn't get there by accident. Fighters that reach the elite level didn't stumble across their talent. Fighters that constantly perform didn't stumble across their accomplishments.
BoxingScene.com: Have you spoken to Bernard Hopkins to determine what he means?
Nazim Richardson: The man is a complex individual and he's strategic in all of the things that he does and says. I would have to ask him what he was implying.
I would have to do that because that's an observation that he may see as a particular way to attack from or a platform to build up from.
That's his opinion, and I greatly respect his opinion because of what he has accomplished, but that's still Bernard's opinion.
BoxingScene.com: Do you see any truth to the notion that Manny Pacquiao may have chosen to face Shane Mosley because Mosley has aged and was exposed by Floyd Mayweather?
Nazim Richardson: You have two guys who will fight their hearts out with that gladiator mentality. That's been proven in their history. There is a great deal of history behind both of these athletes.
This is going to be an interesting match up and an entertaining fight. Manny is probably under a little bit more pressure in the sense that people are saying that Shane didn't earn this particular spot that he's in.
People are saying that, for Manny, this should probably be a walk in the park. But there are going to be constant comparisons to this other guy, and I'm not going to say the other guy's name.
But there will be constant comparisons to this and to that.
BoxingScene.com: Do you mean Floyd Mayweather?
Nazim Richardson: Well, let's just say that there's always a bully in the neighborhood, but there's always going to be a guy that he's afraid of.
If he doesn't fight that dude, then somebody else fights that dude, and then, the bully beats that guy. They can say, 'Well, you know what would have happened if I would have fought that dude.'
BoxingScene.com: Do you buy the assertion by Bernard Hopkins that 'When Shane Mosley wins, everybody is going to say that Floyd Mayweather would have beaten Manny.'
Nazim Richardson: Everybody's going to assume, but then, I'll say, 'Let's go back to the records.' When you saw Miguel Cotto beat Shane, and then you saw Antonio Margarito beat Miguel Cotto, then everybody thought Antonio Margarito was going to beat Shane.
But then you saw what happened. Now, you saw Vernon Forrest beat Shane, and you saw Ricardo Mayorga beat Vernon, and then, everybody thought Mayorga was going to beat Shane, but you saw that Shane knocked out Mayorga.
So we've seen it a hundred times in boxing, and we're going to see it more. You're going to see Andre Berto struggle with Juan Urango, and then, you're going to see Devon Alexander go in there and crank Urango out of there.
Not just beat him, but crank him out of there. Does that mean that Devon Alexander can beat Andre Berto automatically? There's a question, but that's why we fight the fights. So, that's just boxing
Will Pretty Boy (Floyd Maywether Jnr) self-destruct?
y Babatis Banda: I have keenly read posts on this site for a while. I have also not only posted comments, but written a number of articles too. My attention was captured by some recent comments made by one blogger ‘Foreal’ that there is a tendency for very successful sports persons or personalities to self-destruct at some point. With reference to Floyd Maywhether Jnr, could this be true? He went on to argue that it seemed certain that he would self-destruct, not in the ring though, but outside of it. He seemed to make an argument that this tendency to self-destruct in the case of Floyd was a discipline issue rather than anything else.
It is difficult to say how correct or how wrong this assumption is, or how far it can be generalized. What is true though is that there are a number of successful sports men and women who have self-destructed, but equally, there is a good number that has not. In the case of Floyd, the argument is that he is arguably the most talented boxer of our era while his out of the ring antics have been more than less impressive. This has included a foul mouth, gambling, violence and several incidences that are criminal in nature. In my personal view, he could have already self-destructed if his current problems will lead him to jail. If at all he survives jail, Floyd has the ability of coming back and regaining his top slot in boxing without question. My personal view is that, skill wise, nobody can stand in his way…and not even Manny can, without being schooled in some way…. but again, is the current threat to self-destruct as a result of Manny? It is almost obvious that Floyd is incensed by Manny’s rise to star doom. He is angry with those pundits that have rushed to pile praise and pin accolades on the chest of the Filipino. The two have not been able to square it off in the ring for various reasons that are not only unbelievable, but definitely are driven partly, by two ‘stiff’ egos. I would have loved to think that insecurity could be Floyd’s problem, but again, why did he return from retirement and yet he is financially secure? Is it then, the spirit to self-destruct?…and does it suggest it would be in the ring?
My take is, just like ‘Foreal’ put it, that Floyd is relatively young, very wealthy and above all, a citizen of a country where anything goes. He is likely to fall into bad habits just like a lot of his other peers, but only that he is in the limelight. Few will mind when Floyd engages in trash- talk, after all, he has modeled a successful character as a villain that you either love to hate, or is it hate to love. For the pure boxing fan, he is a maestro second to none. We also need to realize that Floyd is not a ghetto type, he is not a rugs to riches situation, he grew up relatively well to do and privileged. Contrary Manny has a softer approach to life. He grew up in a humble environment were respect is a norm.
I have a strong feeling that, just like Mike Tyson, Floyd will self-destruct, but this destruction has nothing to do with his gifted abilities in the boxing ring because they are sublime.
y Babatis Banda: I have keenly read posts on this site for a while. I have also not only posted comments, but written a number of articles too. My attention was captured by some recent comments made by one blogger ‘Foreal’ that there is a tendency for very successful sports persons or personalities to self-destruct at some point. With reference to Floyd Maywhether Jnr, could this be true? He went on to argue that it seemed certain that he would self-destruct, not in the ring though, but outside of it. He seemed to make an argument that this tendency to self-destruct in the case of Floyd was a discipline issue rather than anything else.
It is difficult to say how correct or how wrong this assumption is, or how far it can be generalized. What is true though is that there are a number of successful sports men and women who have self-destructed, but equally, there is a good number that has not. In the case of Floyd, the argument is that he is arguably the most talented boxer of our era while his out of the ring antics have been more than less impressive. This has included a foul mouth, gambling, violence and several incidences that are criminal in nature. In my personal view, he could have already self-destructed if his current problems will lead him to jail. If at all he survives jail, Floyd has the ability of coming back and regaining his top slot in boxing without question. My personal view is that, skill wise, nobody can stand in his way…and not even Manny can, without being schooled in some way…. but again, is the current threat to self-destruct as a result of Manny? It is almost obvious that Floyd is incensed by Manny’s rise to star doom. He is angry with those pundits that have rushed to pile praise and pin accolades on the chest of the Filipino. The two have not been able to square it off in the ring for various reasons that are not only unbelievable, but definitely are driven partly, by two ‘stiff’ egos. I would have loved to think that insecurity could be Floyd’s problem, but again, why did he return from retirement and yet he is financially secure? Is it then, the spirit to self-destruct?…and does it suggest it would be in the ring?
My take is, just like ‘Foreal’ put it, that Floyd is relatively young, very wealthy and above all, a citizen of a country where anything goes. He is likely to fall into bad habits just like a lot of his other peers, but only that he is in the limelight. Few will mind when Floyd engages in trash- talk, after all, he has modeled a successful character as a villain that you either love to hate, or is it hate to love. For the pure boxing fan, he is a maestro second to none. We also need to realize that Floyd is not a ghetto type, he is not a rugs to riches situation, he grew up relatively well to do and privileged. Contrary Manny has a softer approach to life. He grew up in a humble environment were respect is a norm.
I have a strong feeling that, just like Mike Tyson, Floyd will self-destruct, but this destruction has nothing to do with his gifted abilities in the boxing ring because they are sublime.
Jack Johnson pardon quest renewed
WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers are going another round in their fight to get a posthumous presidential pardon for the world's first black heavyweight champion, who was imprisoned nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.
[+] EnlargeJohnson
Getty ImagesJack Johnson, the world's first black heavyweight champion, held the title between 1908 and 1915.
New York Rep. Peter King and Arizona Sen. John McCain, both Republicans, plan to reintroduce a congressional resolution urging a pardon for boxer Jack Johnson. Another supporter, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said he will talk to President Barack Obama's new chief of staff, William Daley, and Attorney General Eric Holder about the cause.
"It's an injustice that shouldn't fall through the cracks, and it looks like that's exactly what happened here," Rangel said.
Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion a century before Obama was elected the nation's first black president. The boxer's flamboyant lifestyle and his relationships with white women inflamed white sensibilities. Racial resentment boiled over after he defeated a white boxer in the "Fight of the Century" 100 years ago last summer.
Three years later, Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes.
One of Johnson's great-great nieces, Linda Haywood of Chicago, is writing to Obama about the case.
"I think having a letter from a family member will help put a face on our plea," Haywood said. "Many people didn't realize he had nieces and nephews. For years, the rest of my family was so ashamed, no one ever spoke of him because of the stigma attached to him being in prison."
King said he was surprised that Obama didn't act during the last session of Congress, when the House and Senate passed the resolution. But the congressman said he's still optimistic.
"With last year's elections, there seems to be a clear intent by the president to try to be more bipartisan," King said. "Everything is there to correct an historic wrong and also, in a small way but significant way, help to bring the country together now."
The White House declined to discuss the request for Johnson, citing a policy of not commenting on how pardon candidates are chosen. Obama, a former constitutional law professor who once taught a class on racism and the law, has not spoken publicly of the Johnson effort, but the Justice Department has come out against it.
In a letter to King and McCain at the end of 2009, the Justice Department attorney who advises on pardons argued that resources for such requests are best used for those still alive "who can truly benefit" from them. That notwithstanding, he noted, Obama certainly could pardon whomever he wishes.
Rapper Chuck D, a member of the pardon committee organized by King, McCain and documentary film maker Ken Burns, said he feels a presidential pardon is still possible, but unlikely any time soon. "I think President Obama's pardon for something a hundred years ago will be at the tail end of his presidential run," said Chuck D, whose real name is Carlton Ridenhour.
Last year, Obama pardoned nine people convicted of crimes including possessing drugs, counterfeiting and even mutilating coins. None was well-known.
The fact that Johnson wouldn't personally benefit from the pardon is beside the point, argued another one of Johnson's great-great nieces, Constance Hines of Chicago.
"This is about righting a wrong," she said.
But P.S. Ruckman Jr., a political science professor at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill., who writes a blog on pardons, said he agreed with the Justice Department's position. "There are plenty of living persons with real problems who are deserving of clemency," he said.
In their efforts to prosecute Johnson, authorities first targeted Johnson's relationship with Lucille Cameron, who later became his wife, but she refused to cooperate. They then found another white witness, Belle Schreiber, to testify against him. Johnson fled the country after his conviction, but agreed years later to return and serve a 10-month jail sentence.
In his 2005 documentary, "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson," filmmaker Burns explored the case against Johnson and the sentencing judge's admitted desire to "send a message" to black men about relationships with white women. Burns helped to form the Committee to Pardon Jack Johnson, which filed a petition with the Justice Department in 2004. The committee included celebrities such as Samuel L. Jackson and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as lawmakers like Rangel and McCain.
The effort went nowhere during the Bush administration. Burns, McCain and King revived it in 2009, confident that Obama would act on the request -- especially after the resolution passed both houses of Congress for the first time.
The resolution urged that a pardon be issued "to expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States; and in recognition of the athletic and cultural contributions of Jack Johnson to society."
King and McCain also plan to send letters to the Obama administration and name a separate boxing reform bill for Johnson.
"John McCain and I do feel seriously about it," said King, who like McCain has sparred in the ring. "We want to keep the issue alive, and it also may give more momentum to the boxing reform bill."
Johnson won the world championship on Dec. 26, 1908. Police in Australia stopped Johnson's fight against the severely battered Canadian world champion, Tommy Burns, in the 14th-round, leading to a search for a "Great White Hope" who could beat Johnson.
Two years later, Jim Jeffries, the American world titleholder Johnson had tried to fight for years, came out of retirement to challenge Johnson for the championship in a 45-round "Fight of the Century." They squared off on a scorching Independence Day in Reno, Nev., at a stadium that had been quickly constructed for the match. Johnson won, but deadly race riots ensued, as angry whites took out their frustrations on blacks, especially those who had celebrated Johnson's victory.
A July 6, 1910, Los Angeles Times editorial, published two days after the fight, counseled blacks: "Do not point your nose too high. Do not swell your chest too much. Do not boast too loudly. Do not be puffed up ... Remember you have done nothing at all. You are just the same member of society today you were last week."
Johnson held the title until May 5, 1915, when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in the 26th round in Havana, Cuba.
Geoffrey C. Ward, who wrote the screenplay for the documentary as well as the biography by the same title, said he's still hopeful Obama will grant the pardon.
"In recent years, we've been very good about admitting past wrongs," said Ward. "I don't see what harm it does to do this."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers are going another round in their fight to get a posthumous presidential pardon for the world's first black heavyweight champion, who was imprisoned nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.
[+] EnlargeJohnson
Getty ImagesJack Johnson, the world's first black heavyweight champion, held the title between 1908 and 1915.
New York Rep. Peter King and Arizona Sen. John McCain, both Republicans, plan to reintroduce a congressional resolution urging a pardon for boxer Jack Johnson. Another supporter, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said he will talk to President Barack Obama's new chief of staff, William Daley, and Attorney General Eric Holder about the cause.
"It's an injustice that shouldn't fall through the cracks, and it looks like that's exactly what happened here," Rangel said.
Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion a century before Obama was elected the nation's first black president. The boxer's flamboyant lifestyle and his relationships with white women inflamed white sensibilities. Racial resentment boiled over after he defeated a white boxer in the "Fight of the Century" 100 years ago last summer.
Three years later, Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes.
One of Johnson's great-great nieces, Linda Haywood of Chicago, is writing to Obama about the case.
"I think having a letter from a family member will help put a face on our plea," Haywood said. "Many people didn't realize he had nieces and nephews. For years, the rest of my family was so ashamed, no one ever spoke of him because of the stigma attached to him being in prison."
King said he was surprised that Obama didn't act during the last session of Congress, when the House and Senate passed the resolution. But the congressman said he's still optimistic.
"With last year's elections, there seems to be a clear intent by the president to try to be more bipartisan," King said. "Everything is there to correct an historic wrong and also, in a small way but significant way, help to bring the country together now."
The White House declined to discuss the request for Johnson, citing a policy of not commenting on how pardon candidates are chosen. Obama, a former constitutional law professor who once taught a class on racism and the law, has not spoken publicly of the Johnson effort, but the Justice Department has come out against it.
In a letter to King and McCain at the end of 2009, the Justice Department attorney who advises on pardons argued that resources for such requests are best used for those still alive "who can truly benefit" from them. That notwithstanding, he noted, Obama certainly could pardon whomever he wishes.
Rapper Chuck D, a member of the pardon committee organized by King, McCain and documentary film maker Ken Burns, said he feels a presidential pardon is still possible, but unlikely any time soon. "I think President Obama's pardon for something a hundred years ago will be at the tail end of his presidential run," said Chuck D, whose real name is Carlton Ridenhour.
Last year, Obama pardoned nine people convicted of crimes including possessing drugs, counterfeiting and even mutilating coins. None was well-known.
The fact that Johnson wouldn't personally benefit from the pardon is beside the point, argued another one of Johnson's great-great nieces, Constance Hines of Chicago.
"This is about righting a wrong," she said.
But P.S. Ruckman Jr., a political science professor at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill., who writes a blog on pardons, said he agreed with the Justice Department's position. "There are plenty of living persons with real problems who are deserving of clemency," he said.
In their efforts to prosecute Johnson, authorities first targeted Johnson's relationship with Lucille Cameron, who later became his wife, but she refused to cooperate. They then found another white witness, Belle Schreiber, to testify against him. Johnson fled the country after his conviction, but agreed years later to return and serve a 10-month jail sentence.
In his 2005 documentary, "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson," filmmaker Burns explored the case against Johnson and the sentencing judge's admitted desire to "send a message" to black men about relationships with white women. Burns helped to form the Committee to Pardon Jack Johnson, which filed a petition with the Justice Department in 2004. The committee included celebrities such as Samuel L. Jackson and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as lawmakers like Rangel and McCain.
The effort went nowhere during the Bush administration. Burns, McCain and King revived it in 2009, confident that Obama would act on the request -- especially after the resolution passed both houses of Congress for the first time.
The resolution urged that a pardon be issued "to expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States; and in recognition of the athletic and cultural contributions of Jack Johnson to society."
King and McCain also plan to send letters to the Obama administration and name a separate boxing reform bill for Johnson.
"John McCain and I do feel seriously about it," said King, who like McCain has sparred in the ring. "We want to keep the issue alive, and it also may give more momentum to the boxing reform bill."
Johnson won the world championship on Dec. 26, 1908. Police in Australia stopped Johnson's fight against the severely battered Canadian world champion, Tommy Burns, in the 14th-round, leading to a search for a "Great White Hope" who could beat Johnson.
Two years later, Jim Jeffries, the American world titleholder Johnson had tried to fight for years, came out of retirement to challenge Johnson for the championship in a 45-round "Fight of the Century." They squared off on a scorching Independence Day in Reno, Nev., at a stadium that had been quickly constructed for the match. Johnson won, but deadly race riots ensued, as angry whites took out their frustrations on blacks, especially those who had celebrated Johnson's victory.
A July 6, 1910, Los Angeles Times editorial, published two days after the fight, counseled blacks: "Do not point your nose too high. Do not swell your chest too much. Do not boast too loudly. Do not be puffed up ... Remember you have done nothing at all. You are just the same member of society today you were last week."
Johnson held the title until May 5, 1915, when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in the 26th round in Havana, Cuba.
Geoffrey C. Ward, who wrote the screenplay for the documentary as well as the biography by the same title, said he's still hopeful Obama will grant the pardon.
"In recent years, we've been very good about admitting past wrongs," said Ward. "I don't see what harm it does to do this."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Sweet card. Lara is about to be a champ in his 16th fight. Not bad. Alexander is in a pretty risky fight. Matthysse is no joke!
Alexander-Matthysse, Bundrage-Lara HBO Double in Play
By Lem Satterfield
Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, told BoxingScene.com that there is a very good chance that southpaw former WBC junior welterweight king Devon Alexander, of St. Louis, Mo., could soon be matched against Argentinian knockout artist Lucas Matthysse, as part of an HBO televised double-header that would also feature newly crowned IBF titlist Cornelius Bundrage of Detroit defendng his belt against Miami's hard-hitting, unbeaten southpaw Erislandy Lara of Cuba.
"Devon Alexander's promoter, Don King, and I, we had a very good conversation last Friday. We had a very good conversation and we were actually discussing a potential double-header which HBO is interested in. That would be between Devon Alexander and Lucas Matthysse, and then, K9 Bundrage and Erislandy Lara, the Cuban," said Schaefer.
"What I have done is that I've talked to Lucas Matthysse's manager and co-promoter in Argentina, and Lucas is going to accept the fight," said Schaefer. "So it's just a matter now of getting back to Don and working out the details. But based on the conversation that I've had with Lucas and Don, I think that we can get that fight done."
Alexander (21-1, 13 KOs) was dethroned last month as WBC titlist by WBO champion, Tim Bradley (27-0, 11 knockouts), and Mattysse (28-1, 26 KOs) scored eight knockdowns on the way to January's eighth-round stoppage of 36-year-old southpaw, former world titlist DeMarcus Corley (37-16-1, 22 KOs).
In victory over Corley, Matthysse rebounded from November's disputed, 12-round, split-decision loss to southpaw former three-time titlist Zab Judah (40-6, 27 KOs), whom Mattysse floored in the 10th round.
Judah's triupmh was in their IBF eliminator ended a run of four straight knockout wins by Matthysse, who, more than a year go in February, stopped former world titlist Vivian Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs) in the fourth round.
Bundrage (30-4, 18 KOs) is coming off of August's fifth-round knockout that dethroned southpaw Cory Spinks (37-6, 11 KOs) as IBF champion, and Lara (15-0, 10 KOs) is coming off of January's knockout of Delray Raines -- Lara's fourth straight first-round stoppage in as many consecutive knockouts.
Alexander and Bundrage are promoted by Don King.
"With K9 and Lara, I have talked to our co-promoter there and they are interested in that fight," said Schaefer. "They want that fight and Lara wants that fight. I'm going to discuss that further with Don King as well and see if we can get that fight done."
Tags: Devon Alexander , Erislandy Lara , Lucas Matthysse , Cornelius Bundrage , Alexander-Matthysse , Alexander vs Matthysse
Alexander-Matthysse, Bundrage-Lara HBO Double in Play
By Lem Satterfield
Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, told BoxingScene.com that there is a very good chance that southpaw former WBC junior welterweight king Devon Alexander, of St. Louis, Mo., could soon be matched against Argentinian knockout artist Lucas Matthysse, as part of an HBO televised double-header that would also feature newly crowned IBF titlist Cornelius Bundrage of Detroit defendng his belt against Miami's hard-hitting, unbeaten southpaw Erislandy Lara of Cuba.
"Devon Alexander's promoter, Don King, and I, we had a very good conversation last Friday. We had a very good conversation and we were actually discussing a potential double-header which HBO is interested in. That would be between Devon Alexander and Lucas Matthysse, and then, K9 Bundrage and Erislandy Lara, the Cuban," said Schaefer.
"What I have done is that I've talked to Lucas Matthysse's manager and co-promoter in Argentina, and Lucas is going to accept the fight," said Schaefer. "So it's just a matter now of getting back to Don and working out the details. But based on the conversation that I've had with Lucas and Don, I think that we can get that fight done."
Alexander (21-1, 13 KOs) was dethroned last month as WBC titlist by WBO champion, Tim Bradley (27-0, 11 knockouts), and Mattysse (28-1, 26 KOs) scored eight knockdowns on the way to January's eighth-round stoppage of 36-year-old southpaw, former world titlist DeMarcus Corley (37-16-1, 22 KOs).
In victory over Corley, Matthysse rebounded from November's disputed, 12-round, split-decision loss to southpaw former three-time titlist Zab Judah (40-6, 27 KOs), whom Mattysse floored in the 10th round.
Judah's triupmh was in their IBF eliminator ended a run of four straight knockout wins by Matthysse, who, more than a year go in February, stopped former world titlist Vivian Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs) in the fourth round.
Bundrage (30-4, 18 KOs) is coming off of August's fifth-round knockout that dethroned southpaw Cory Spinks (37-6, 11 KOs) as IBF champion, and Lara (15-0, 10 KOs) is coming off of January's knockout of Delray Raines -- Lara's fourth straight first-round stoppage in as many consecutive knockouts.
Alexander and Bundrage are promoted by Don King.
"With K9 and Lara, I have talked to our co-promoter there and they are interested in that fight," said Schaefer. "They want that fight and Lara wants that fight. I'm going to discuss that further with Don King as well and see if we can get that fight done."
Tags: Devon Alexander , Erislandy Lara , Lucas Matthysse , Cornelius Bundrage , Alexander-Matthysse , Alexander vs Matthysse
"Right now, [Manny] Pacquiao is the only thing worth watching in boxing. He's got the whole thing on his shoulders there. He will fight anyone at anytime. You make the match and he'll fight, and that's all you can ask of of any fighter. The other guy he was trying to do the ultimate match with, [Floyd] Mayweather, but Mayweather just scandalized it, trying to say he was taking dope or something instead of fighting him. I don't care if someone was taking coal, oil, gasoline, or diesel, offer me twenty million, I'll fight 'em. He could be drinking fire, swallowing fire, I'd fight him (laughing). Whatever they take, the better"
-George Foreman
-George Foreman
LOL. OK house nigga George still mad because Ali beat his ass and Mayweather reminds him Ali. Let's face facts George Foreman was a hater when he worked on HBO and he still a hater. George and old ass Larry are the two biggest haters in boxing they don't like any flashy black boxer they both hate Roy Jones Jr and Mayweather. I can still remember the man crush George had with DLH. He was the one the main reasons why I started muting boxing matches on HBO because of his hate for black fighters.
