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Jul 24, 2005
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Top Rank wins fight for Nonito Donaire

By Dan Rafael


Top Rank scored a victory Tuesday in its legal battle with rival promoter Golden Boy over the promotional rights to unified bantamweight titleholder Nonito Donaire.

Two weeks ago, Golden Boy signed Donaire to an exclusive multiyear agreement, although Top Rank claimed he was still under contract to Bob Arum's company. On Tuesday, Top Rank announced that arbitrator Daniel Weinstein, a retired judge, had prohibited Golden Boy from promoting Donaire for the duration of Top Rank's exclusive promotional agreement.

According to Top Rank, the ruling paves the way for it to continue promoting Donaire. Top Rank signed Donaire to a three-year promotional agreement in June 2008. The deal, according to Top Rank, also contained a provision for a one-year extension, which it said was exercised last month.

After Donaire scored the biggest win of his career in February, a resounding second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel to collect two 118-pound titles in his HBO debut, Top Rank said it picked up the year extension and began making plans for Donaire's next fight, a proposed May 28 return to HBO against an opponent to be determined. Shortly thereafter Donaire signed with Golden Boy.

Weinstein is very familiar with the ongoing problems between Golden Boy and Top Rank. He oversaw a June 2007 settlement between the companies on a variety of lawsuits, including the one pertaining to the promotional rights of Manny Pacquiao, who was under contract to Top Rank when Golden Boy signed him. Under the settlement, Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights with Golden Boy due a percentage of the revenue from his fights. The companies are embroiled in a recent lawsuit over that revenue.

As part of the settlement Weinstein oversaw, the companies agreed not to poach each other's fighters. So after Golden Boy signed Donaire, Top Rank took its grievance to Weinstein.

"We are pleased with Judge Weinstein's carefully considered decision," Top Rank attorney Daniel Petrocelli said in a statement. "Top Rank hopes it can put the lawyers and legal fight behind it and return to doing what it does best -- promoting the most talented boxers and the most entertaining boxing matches in the world today."

"I do not comment on pending legal action," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com in an email. Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya also declined comment.

Donaire's manager, Cameron Dunkin, could not be reached for comment.

After Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) knocked out Montiel, he claimed he was a free agent. At least two promoters, who wanted to remain anonymous, told ESPN.com that they talked to the Donaire camp, but elected not to make him an offer because they believed that Top Rank's agreement with him was still valid. But Golden Boy decided to sign him.

Donaire, 28, a native of the Philippines living in Northern California, is a former flyweight titleholder and interim junior bantamweight titlist. His knockout of Montiel propelled him into the top five on most pound-for-pound lists.
 
May 13, 2002
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Seattle
www.socialistworld.net
pascal is really dumb because he's trying to link PED's to Hopkins because Nazim Richardson who trains hopkins currently trains Shane Mosley.

Well Richardson only recently started to train Mosley, LONG after Mosley was in the BALCO shit (that actually was in the Oscar de la hoya fights). Richardson was not training Mosley back then.

Further Richardson trained Mosley when Mosley took Olympic style drug testing against Floyd Mayweather, can't get any cleaner than that.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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King Kong Agbeko: 'Pacquiao is an example to all the young ones

On how he feels with his upcoming matchup against Abner Mares:

“You know it’s a good matchup. Abner Mares is a very good kid and he’s a good fighter so I’m looking for a great fight.”

His views on Abner Mares’ close split decision victory over Vic Darchinyan:

“I think he fought well with Vic Darchinyan. It was a close fight. He did his best and he came out as the winner of that fight. Actually on the better side, fighting Vic Darchinyan was very easy. Even though Vic was a very, very tough fighter you can easily tell at the end of the fight that I won that fight.”

His views on Abner Mares as a fighter:

“I think he’s a very good fighter hungry for success. He sees himself as the newest kid on the block and he’s quite confident, and I think he’s good.”

On what he did differently to reverse the outcome of their first fight in his rematch with Yonnhy Perez:

“Yeah after that fight I said this a couple of times. I wasn’t very prepared for the first fight because I got it on short notice. I couldn’t really prepare for that fight so when I was in the ring I felt like I wasn’t very fit for the fight. I lost even though I did my best. The fight was very close, but I lost it. I came back and I had good time to prepare and I proved to the world that I’m the best bantamweight.”

On how he would describe his own fighting style:

“I think I’m a boxer and a fighter. I’m a puncher. I call myself an old school boxer.”

His views when he first discovered the bantamweight tournament:

“Yes it was the return of King Kong. I lost the fight to Yonnhy Perez and I had a chance to fight a rematch with him in this tournament. It was a very good opportunity for me. I was just so happy to be part of the tournament. Thanks to Showtime for putting on this beautiful tournament. I’m just so happy to be a part of it and I guess everything is going smooth for me.”

His views on Nonito Donaire as a fighter in the bantamweight division:

“No disrespect to Nonito Donaire, he’s doing his best but I can’t consider him as the best bantamweight in the world. Right now the winner of myself and Abner Mares is going to be the best bantamweight in the world. Nonito Donaire got a chance to shine and fight for the bantamweight championship. Him and Fernando Montiel didn’t get the offer because they are not that great like we in the top four. I’m not thinking about him. All I’m thinking about is beating Abner Mares and becoming the best bantamweight in the world. If he knows he can prove himself against the best bantamweight champion then he could follow me.”

On whether the win against Vic Darchinyan caused him to overlook Yonnhy Perez in their first fight:

“No, no, no. I fought a very tough fight with William Gonzalez which I won by majority decision. I respect any opponent that I come across. They are tough and they also want to win your belt, so I didn’t disrespect him. I got it short notice and I hadn’t really trained too well. When I got in to the ring I realized I wasn’t prepared to win the fight and that’s why I lost.”

On the story behind how he first started using the “King Kong” moniker:

“King Kong is not my nickname. King Kong is my real name. It’s what my dad named me so it’s not my nickname.”

On why he thinks his father named him ‘King Kong’:

“I don’t really know, but I think it’s a gift from God. I think God made my dad give me that name because he has a plan for me and he has a career for me and that’s why he gave me that name and it determined my career and my future.”

On beating Luis Perez to win his first title:

“Yeah it was a good day for me. You know every boxer’s dream is to become a world champion one day and I got the opportunity to fight Luis Alberto Perez on that date. I knew that I was going to become a champion. It was an opportunity I always prepared for and I never got it. Showtime and Don King Promotions gave me the opportunity to fight Luis Perez on that day and I was very happy because I knew I was going to come out as the winner. So it was a very, very good day for me.”

On why he spent so much time outside the ring after winning the title:

“Yeah it was because I had to fight my challenger who’s name was William Gonzalez and we were having a problem with where the fight was going to be and if it would be on TV and so on. So it made the promotion a little difficult for Don King to promote that fight. I ended up with the fight happening but that was why it took awhile before I came back.”

On what his views were being the underdog going into his fight with Vic Darchinyan:

“Yeah you know, I don’t think there is anybody out there who can beat me if I’m very well prepared. I don’t think any of them will be able to beat me. No disrespect to them, they are very, very good but I think I’m the best right now. Fighting Vic Darchinyan that night I know a lot of people thought I was going to lose that fight because Vic is very gifted, a very good boxer, very tough, and he punches very, very heavy. He wanted to take my belt that night but I knew I was the best bantamweight and none of them would be able to push me.”

Regarding some of his favorite fighters that he enjoys watching today:

“Oh, I love Floyd Mayweather. I love Manny Pacquiao. I like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roy Jones.”

On whether he is disappointed that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have never fought and whether he believes it ever will take place:

“I’ll leave that to the promoters to put that fight together. That’s the fight that the whole world wants to watch and when the time comes they’ll fight. The promoters will do their job and get them in the ring someday.”

His views on Manny Pacquiao’s success as a fighter and what he has done for the sport of boxing:

“I think Manny Pacquiao, and I say a lot, it’s not easy to come out here to America and make it very big right here. He was able to. He came all the way to the top in the world to that elite level. Pacquiao is an example to all the young ones coming.”

On whether he believes Shane Mosley has a chance against Manny Pacquiao:

“Boxing is boxing. You know it’s kind of unpredictable. They are both training to come and win and boxing always comes up with surprises. I believe in Manny. I believe in Sugar Shane. So you can never tell. The ring will decide. When they get into the ring they will have the outcome so when they get into the ring we will know the winner.”

His views on the keys to victory against Abner Mares:

“I have no plan for that. My coach is working on the plans for that fight. I have no plans. The only thing I think I have to do is train hard and be at my best level of fitness because I want to be able to do anything that I want to do. The most important thing is I have to make him pay because he’s a good fighter, but I was here before him so I have to make him pay the price of experience.”

His official prediction for his upcoming fight against Abner Mares:

“I don’t really know. I respect every opponent that I face. It might be the distance, it might be a knockout. I can’t tell right now but the ring will decide but the most important thing is I know I’m coming out and training seriously.”

On what he wants to say to all of his fans out there:

“I want to thank all of my fans for believing in me and for being behind me. Ever since I lost the fight against Yonnhy Perez they were still behind me so I became a champion again. I still need their support and I’m going to win for them against Abner Mares.”
 
Jul 24, 2005
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There’s reason to wait for Gamboa-Lopez

By Kevin Iole,



Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander could have sold 80,000 tickets to their Jan. 29 super lightweight unification fight at the Pontiac Silverdome, engaged in the Fight of the Century and set ratings records on HBO and it would have done nothing to help move a featherweight showdown between Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez closer to reality.

But the fact that the Bradley-Alexander fight was a bomb in virtually every way – in the ring, at the gate and in the ratings – has given promoters a built-in excuse to put off the Gamboa-Lopez fight even further.

Other than perhaps the welterweight fight the world demands, between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and the unbeaten former No. 1, Floyd Mayweather Jr., there is no better fight that can be made in boxing than Gamboa-Lopez.

Juan Manuel Lopez (above) is the man most fans want to see fight Yuriorkis Gamboa. But there is good reason to wait.
(AP)

And though Gamboa and Lopez have nowhere near the name value or marketability of Pacquiao and Mayweather, a fight between them would likely be more enthralling to watch than Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Top Rank, which promotes both Gamboa, the World Boxing Association featherweight champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist, and Lopez, the unbeaten World Boxing Organization featherweight champion, has opted to wait.

Gamboa, 19-0, is a dazzling combination of speed and power who has been one of boxing’s elite fighters since the day he defected from Cuba and turned professional in 2007. He won a world championship less than two years into his career and 10 of his 15 knockouts have come in either the first or second round.

He’s won decisions in his last two fights, but he’s a guy who comes looking for the knockout early and often.

But instead of fighting Lopez, No. 9 in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound rankings, Gamboa will meet Jorge Solis on Saturday in the main event of an HBO-televised doubleheader Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Solis is no stiff; he gave Pacquiao a good fight on April 14, 2007, before being stopped in the eighth round and currently holds the WBA’s interim super featherweight champion, one division above where he’ll meet Gamboa.

Solis, though, is not Lopez, and that’s the issue that bothers boxing fans. But Top Rank has decided to take the slow road, hoping to build Gamboa and Lopez into more recognizable personalities before putting them in against each other.

“When you see Gamboa fight, you see incredible natural ability that is very Roy Jones-esque,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “He has speed and power in both hands that are not seen too often in this sport. What he needs now is the ring experience. We are also working on his marketability. People need to see him fight more often and need to see him out there more often, not just to show the great gifts that he has, but to show them against tough competition.

“That’s how guys get known. Those performances are what will captivate the consumers, fight fans and the media.”

The failure of the Bradley-Alexander fight to live up to its billing, as well as Gamboa’s own indifference, have made it easier for Top Rank to put the potential Gamboa-Lopez slugfest on ice.

Gamboa said on a conference call Thursday that he doesn’t “feel rushed to make that fight” with Lopez.

As a result, duBoef followed the script first laid out by Top Rank chairman Bob Arum about 15 months ago, when he said he was going to let the bout percolate. Given that, while duBoef said he’s thinking about the Gamboa-Lopez fight, he wouldn’t speculate when it might occur.

“I wouldn’t say that (Gamboa-Lopez) is not on the radar,” duBoef said. “I would say that the business models around the two of them are separate and I think there is time to build the fight into a really big fight and the time, both fighters will benefit from … so that we maximize the interest. We saw a recent fight between Alexander and Bradley that was a little early for it to happen. We all talk about when (Oscar) De La Hoya fought (Felix) Trinidad (in 1999), that bout captivated everybody.

“I think there is something in between, to build up the marketability of both fighters, fighting good fights along the way and building up demand. I don’t think we do well with timelines. We do well building businesses around both fighters and when it’s ready to go, it’s ready to go. We have seen them both progress substantially over the past 12 months and their ratings have grown over both premium networks, and we’ve seen interest grow from people in the community. Yuri got a late start and has moved rather quickly to a high level of fighting and he delivered. We have to take into consideration his marketability as he moves up.”

Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said that if Gamboa wins, the company would try to make a bout with Chris John, who, in the zany world of sanctioning body politics, also holds a WBA featherweight belt. That, though, may be even more difficult to get done than a Gamboa-Lopez fight, since John, who is 44-0-2, appears to want to fight more in his native Indonesia and in Asia rather than in the U.S.

DuBoef said it would be difficult to send Gamboa to Indonesia to fight John, given that the company’s top goal is to increase Gamboa’s marketability in the U.S.

As a result, Gamboa and Lopez are going to remain on parallel paths, possibly for more than a year, without fighting each other. Top Rank had put them together in separate bouts on a pay-per-view card from New York in October 2009 with the intention of perhaps building interest in a match in early 2010 between them.

But then, they followed that up by putting them again in separate bouts on the same card on an HBO show from New York in January 2010.

And after that bout, Arum said he owed it to the fighters to delay a match between them in order to maximize their earnings. The more successful they are and the more popular they become, he reasons, the more they’ll ultimately earn when they do meet.

“I want to hear you guys ask me that question (about when they’ll fight) over and over and over,” Arum told Yahoo! Sports at the time. “Because then I know they’re taking care of their business and we’re doing our jobs. They’re terrific young fighters and terrific kids, but this fight is going to be huge one day. If I just threw them in there now, yeah, you’d love it and it would be a great fight, but it wouldn’t do the kind of business it’s going to do a while from now. “Believe me when I tell you, down the road a fight between these two guys is going to be huge. You watch.”

It’s a risk, because an injury could derail the bout forever. Get prepared to wait and beg, though. If the Bradley-Alexander disaster did anything, it convinced Arum to sell no fight before its time.

There’s going to be plenty of talk about Gamboa and Lopez throughout 2011, but sadly, it won’t be about them fighting each other.

We’ve heard this story before. And though the failure to make the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has raised the ire of more than a few customers, it’s also, in an odd sort of way, created more demand for it.

Arum and duBoef are betting the same thing will happen, albeit on a significantly lesser scale, for a potential Gamboa-Lopez fight.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Floyd Mayweather Jr: A 50 million dollar ego or a genuine concern about steroids in

by Brad Cooney



He has no blemishes on his record. He has defeated every fighter ever put in front of him. He's still regarded by some as the number 1 pound for pound fighter in the world. He has swagger, money, star power, and talent. He is none other than Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Mayweather Jr has certainly been in the headlines over the past few years. Some headlines bad , some not so bad. He's demanded that Manny Pacquiao undergo Olympic style blood testing. He will not fight Manny unless the random blood tests happen up until the day of the fight.

There has been confusing accounts of what Manny has agreed to and what he has not agreed to. The most recent agreement that I have heard was that he would take the tests up until 2 days prior to the fight happening.I can say this much.....They Mayweathers are 100 percent convinced that Manny Pacquiao is taking some sort of steroids. The Mayweathers are not the only ones that are making this claim. More and more people are speaking out and they too believe that Pacquiao is on something. Personally speaking, I haven't seen anything that backs up these claims other than the beatings that Pacquiao has put on much bigger opponents. Does that mean that Manny is juicing? No, it doesn't.With that said, many of boxing's insiders such as the fighters themselves, and some of the trainers do believe that Manny must be on something in order to be able to pull off these stunning defeats over much bigger men.

The flip side. Could it be possible that Floyd Mayweather Jr's ego is strong enough to pass on 50 million plus dollars? Does Floyd feel that he will lose if he fights Pacquiao? Does he cherish his undefeated record so much that he's willing to forgo 50 million plus dollars at the risk of a defeat?

The answer is one or the other. The first scenario is that Floyd truly believes that Manny is juicing. He believes it, thus refuses to fight someone who in his mind is cheating. The other scenario is that Floyd knows by studying Pacquiao's fight game that he can't win against him, and he would rather forgo 50 million and keep his undefeated record intact. Is it a 50 million dollar ego or a genuine concern about someone allegedly cheating in boxing?

Recently Manny Pacquiao's team reports that they will go forward with their lawsuit filed against the Mayweathers for slander. In a recent 8CountNews interview with Floyd Mayweather Sr he said, “If there's a lawsuit there ain't going to be no fight.” More and more obstacles keep coming up making this fight seem further and further away. It may go down as the greatest fight of all time that never happened.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Donaire Fiasco with Top Rank More Reason for a National Commission

By Rich Mancuso

Bob Arum celebrated 45 years as a promoter on Tuesday and there was more reason for the Top Rank chief to be smiling. He defeated Golden Boy Promotions in a legal issue over the promotional rights to unified bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire. But it should have never come down to this if there was a national boxing commission.

Differentiating boxing from all of the other mainstream sports is a national governing body. In other words a commissioner that would set the rules, establish principles and prevent promotional wars over who owns what fighter. Donaire, now one of the high profiled stars in the sport two weeks ago signed a multiyear agreement with Golden Boy despite Top Rank claiming he was their property.

Those with knowledge of the situation never felt that arbitrator Daniel Weinsten would rule against Top Rank. Instead, Golden Boy once again came out the loser and thought they had Arum where they wanted him. But it didn’t happen and Donaire will continue to fight for Arum based on the three-year deal he signed in June of 2008.

This is not to say that Arum, Golden Boy or any of the other promoters are right when it comes to contracting fighters. Contracts in boxing over the years have hardly been valid because there is so much politics in the sport. Usually negotiated between a promoter, and if so, a manager, and what happens after that is the perplexing question.

Fighters may be smart in the ring and leave the legal issues of the politics that take place out of the ring to those they trust, many that use their brainwashing to do the talking. The late Diego Corrales always looked at promoters as those who can make or break a fighter He once told this writer that he never had a manager on record and negotiated his promotional rights. That’s because Corrales was one of the few who could do that.

In the case of Donaire it was another obvious ploy by Golden Boy to get at Arum in their continued war with Top Rank. In February, Donaire, in his first HBO televised fight got well deserved attention when he knocked out Fernando Montiel in the second round and became king in the 118-pound division.

Donaire later said he was able to negotiate with another promoter, but in the end Arum scored the victory as Donaire was being positioned for another fight in May. And reportedly Donaire talked to other promoters who would not get into the legal complications of his contract and made the right move by staying away.

But Golden Boy, as has become constant, showed no justice and made their pitch. A plan apparently was in the works. Donaire made news going to Golden Boy, Arum said it was going to be a legal issue and had his close friend Weinstein review the situation. So for now, Donaire is back in the hands of Top Rank and the sport was sparred from a long legal battle with a champion caught in the middle.

Arum said Tuesday about his tenure in the sport, “Our company, has ambitious plans to what we consider a very bright future in the sport of boxing.” That’s all good because when it comes to a fair fight, Arum definitely wins over a contract war and he continues to produce one good boxing card after another.

But Arum this time also had Weinstein, a retired judge, once again in his corner. And though Arum rightfully had a contract with Donaire, having a friend make a decision was not fair play.

However, the war with Golden Boy continues that goes back to 2007 when Weinstein ruled that Manny Pacquiao was property of Top Rank and not Golden Boy. And there is every reason to believe that this promotional feud will continue because Arum and Oscar de la Hoya, the former Arum fighter, have no respect for each other.

Which leads to the ongoing problem and promoters may be their own enemy by not advocating for a national commission. Instead they formed their own structure of unity with a promoters boxing association. There they can show some unity about advocating safety for the fighter. But they will never have unity when it comes to a standard contract as to fighter/promotional agreement.

The Donaire situation for now is over. Though you get the feeling Arum and Golden Boy will continue their war because a national boxing commission is not around to stop them.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Kirkland writes his own redemption tale

By Kevin Iole,AS VEGAS – The crowd of reporters surrounding James Kirkland had thinned and the unbeaten super welterweight contender cast a gaze around the Pound-4-Pound boxing gym.

Cameras and reporters were everywhere. Other fighters were using the exercise equipment or preparing to climb into the ring. Kirkland gazed left, then right, eyeballing the scene. A look of amazement creased his face.

“Hard to believe it,” he said, softly. “Hard to believe.”
James Kirkland is rounding back into shape as he attempts to put the mistakes of his past behind him.
(Getty Images)

He’s marveling at his fortune, at the dramatic upward turn in his life. Less than a year ago, Kirkland sat in an Austin, Texas, jail, his future as a professional boxer as questionable as his surroundings. He hoped he would box again, but he sure didn’t know if he actually would get the chance.
More From Kevin Iole

* Colleagues remember legendary trainer Clancy Mar 31, 2011
* Top Rank wins round in Donaire case Mar 29, 2011

Now, he’s 27-0 with 24 knockouts and is taught by one of the finest coaches in the sport. He’s preparing to face a former world champion with the promise of big-money, high-profile fights sitting tantalizingly close.

Kirkland has come to Las Vegas to find redemption, to salvage a career, to avoid the trouble that seemed to always find and, occasionally, engulf him.

He spent his 27th birthday in this gym, located in a drab strip mall behind a KFC in the shadow of the famed Las Vegas Strip, dutifully preparing for an April 9 bout against Nobuhiro Ishida on an HBO Pay-Per-View card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

To some, it seems odd that Kirkland fled trouble by moving to Vegas, America’s Sin City, but those who think that way haven’t seen where Kirkland is from and lived the zany life he’s led.

Kirkland was convicted of an armed robbery when he was 17 and served two-and-a-half years. Armed robbers aren’t generally warm and cuddly personalities, certainly not the kind you want your daughter to bring home.

After being paroled, as he was building himself into a promising boxer who looked like he might fight his way to a world championship, he violated terms of his probation by purchasing a gun. That landed him in jail for another two years.

One would be right to conclude that’s a person to avoid if that were all there was to the story. But listen to his co-manager, attorney Michael Miller, and the passion with which he speaks about Kirkland, and you get a sense that something is different about this kid.

“There’s nobody I have had (in boxing) who I have enjoyed more than James,” Miller says.

If you care to listen, Miller will tell you there’s much more to James Kirkland than arrest records printed on a sheet of paper could ever say.

“When you look beyond the surface, there is a lot more to the story,” Miller said. “This isn’t to excuse anything, but he’s a kid who never knew his father and his mother was rarely involved in his life. It was really hit and miss with her. He was homeless when he was 14. He didn’t have the same breaks or the same upbringing you and I did. The armed robbery? Do you really want to know what happened? He was trying to get money to buy food. He was in and out of a lot of houses. Different people would take him in and try to help him. He was a wayward kid back when he was 16 years old.”

He’s now a 27-year-old with a promising future and massive earning potential. He’s hired former U.S. Olympic coach Kenny Adams, arguably the sport’s finest teacher, to be his trainer.

Adams discovered a raw, hard-nosed kid with fast hands and the power to knock out a horse. But Kirkland was so aggressive, so intent on ending every bout with the next punch, that he wound up and fired as if he were Andy Roddick in desperate need of an ace, putting extra juice on a serve.

Adams set out to change that approach because Kirkland was often off-balance and out of position after he threw. Less talented fighters would succumb quickly, but Adams has been in the sport for decades and he knows the truly gifted boxers would use that aggressiveness against him.

And, as Adams kept preaching to Kirkland early and often in the gym, he didn’t really need to wind up so much.

“This kid, let me tell you, he can punch so (expletive) hard, he could knock guys out, cold, with a punch that goes just six, eight inches,” Adams said. “When he does the right technique, man, let me tell you, he can knock anybody out at any time.”

Adams joined Kirkland’s team in January, almost immediately after Kirkland’s release from prison. This time, Kirkland had served about two years for violating his probation.

The problem began when he was robbed in his hometown, in East Austin, Texas, and lost about $1,800. He was a high-profile figure who lived on the wrong side of the tracks and it was no secret that he was making big money. That, Miller said, made him a target, so, after being robbed, Kirkland wanted to buy a gun to protect himself.

But, Miller said, Kirkland didn’t want trouble. He wanted to do things the right way. Kirkland knew he was a felon, but wasn’t sure if felony convictions and the baggage they carry go away after time.

He went to a gun show in Austin, where there were Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents. He went to a counter and bought a Glock. He handed the person behind the counter his identification. The person tapped on the keyboard after looking at Kirkland’s ID and completed the sale. Kirkland, Miller said, believed he had complied with the law and purchased the gun legally.

He had not. The person never entered the information into the database. And when ATF agents began to follow him around the gun show, Kirkland became fearful and he ran.

Mistake.

Big, big mistake.

“I said to him, ‘James, you hadn’t done anything wrong. Why did you run and not stop and explain what had happened to the police?’ ” Miller said. “It’s that whole cultural thing, afraid of the cops and believing he was going to be targeted.”

He faced a maximum sentence of 120 months, but U.S. District Judge James Nowlin took pity on him and sentenced him to just 24 months, six of which could be spent in a halfway house.

Kirkland got out in January and immediately left Austin for Las Vegas.

“I just needed to get somewhere where it was just about boxing and nothing else,” Kirkland said. “I have a great opportunity now and I want to take full advantage of it.”

He fought March 5 in Anaheim, Calif., and March 18 in Costa Mesa, Calif., winning by first- and second-round knockouts, respectively. He’ll fight Ishida next week and could move into a title shot by the end of the year.

He’s never followed the sport carefully and has been so immersed in his work with Adams that he’s not even sure who he’s sharing the bill with on April 9. Asked who would win the main event between Erik Morales and Marcos Maidana, Kirkland shrugged.

“I don’t even know who those guys are,” he said, as Maidana sat on the ring apron a few feet away doing interviews.

But he is convinced that, finally, the good times are ahead. The trouble is in his past forever, he vows.

“Oh, for sure, most definitely,” he says. “If there is one thing I can promise you 100 percent, it’s that there are going to be no more mistakes or slipups.”

Things are coming together in the ring. Big fights loom, though he’s not sure who those bouts may be against.

“I don’t watch boxing at all,” Kirkland said, beaming. “I don’t know who is champion. I don’t know who is going to be champion. I have no idea about boxing whatsoever.”

Give him a few more months under Adams and a few more fights, and this much you can be certain of: By the end of the year, Kirkland is going to know one guy who is a future champion.

Because as hard as he hits and as much as he’s improving technically by working with Adams, it might be a bigger upset than VCU over Kansas if Kirkland doesn’t have a title belt around his waist by year’s end.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Hopkins and Pascal has nothing to do about steroids

By Rich Mancuso

Dick Young the late and great New York sports scribe used to always write: “What’s going on here?” And if he were around today a review of the Bernard Hopkins-Jean Pascal press tour in Montreal and New York would certainly be back page headlines.

They fought back on December 18 in Pascal’s backyard of Montreal Canada. According to Hopkins it was a close 12-round contest, a decision he believes that should have been his, but the judges called it a draw. Hopkins, the 46-year old two-division champion petitioned for a return bout set for May 21st at the Bell Centre in Montreal Canada for the WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight championship held by Pascal.

But instead of getting serious about a fight that has minimal interest, unless you consider Hopkins a legend, there was an unexpected steroid allegation leveled at Hopkins from the mouth of Pascal. That happened up in Montreal Monday which resulted in fireworks at the podium.

Round two, in New York City, at Plant Hollywood in Times Square Tuesday afternoon was a different story. It was back to basics and Pascal ate his words by retracting his comments. So who do you believe? Is Hopkins classified in the same book as Sugar Shane Mosley, Evander Holyfield and others about fighters allegedly using body enhancement performing drugs?

There is no definite answer, no proof about the allegations that took everyone by surprise. Hopkins, as much as we sometimes can’t tolerate his mouth, is a talented fighter that continues to get better with age. In that first fight with Pascal it appeared he got stronger in the later rounds and some would say he should have been victorious.

But to put steroids into the picture, even as Barry Bonds stands trial in a much more highly and anticipated story, is a farce. The sport needs positive press and momentum for good fights. This can be a good fight and for sure HBO Championship Boxing will make the steroid issue a subject.

How ironic, it is Hopkins being accused. He has some financial interests with Golden Boy Promotions the same company that mediated on behalf of Floyd Maywather Jr. in attempts to put him in the ring with Manny Pacquiao.

How can we forget that Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy insisted that Pacquiao undergo a procedure of Olympic style drug testing that caused a stir and Bob Arum of Top Rank, Pacquiao’s promoter resisted. That in turn put an end to what have been possibly the highest grossed fight in boxing history.


Photo: Pablo Santiago

“I don’t have a lot to say about what happened yesterday,” said Pascal on Tuesday regarding the allegations he made about Hopkins the day before. Maybe it was all boxing theatre for their promotion, however the comments were not good for the sport.

Pascal would retract more saying, “I never said he took something. I asked a separate question and he didn’t want to respond. May 21 you better be on something because I’m gonna bust your ass.” Now if Pascal was offering an apology so that we could go back to the basics well that was a funny way of putting it.

Hopkins really has nothing left to prove. As he says, “I know what a move like this means to legacy and going forward. It is just another motivation to start over to build my career but a different motivation as I am older now too. For the last fight I was 45. I am now 46 and am trying to break George Foreman’s record, a record he set when he beat Michael Moore for the heavyweight championship of the world.”

That being of course, Foreman becoming the oldest fighter on record to win a major title and Hopkins alludes to this fight not being about money. But at no point did he vouch to take a steroid test. That alone may have been a good move because we can move forward and hope the issue does not resurface in the weeks ahead before the fight.

Steroid accusations will come and go. And indeed if body enhancement drugs were an issue in the sport there would be a call for a Congressional investigation. Unfortunately the sport does not have a national boxing commission like other major sports that have a major ruling body. The local state athletic commissions and governing bodies apparently don’t have the knowledge or financing to implement a strict testing system for steroids.

So Pascal can go back to the basics. And Hopkins can go about his business to continue his legacy. This is a fight that will now draw more interest. Why? Steroids now became an issue.
 
May 13, 2002
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Now this would be an interesting fight

Marquez vs Judah PPV?


Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer met with lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez this week in Mexico in an effort to work out a new promotional agreement.

Marquez's contract recently expired, although Golden Boy says it has the right to match any offer for a year. Marquez wants a third fight with Manny Pacquiao, against whom he has two disputed fights, a loss and draw. But if Marquez stays with Golden Boy, it is unlikely he would get a fall fight with Pacquiao should he beat Shane Mosley on May 7, because Pacquiao is promoted by Golden Boy rival Top Rank.

Schaefer told ESPN.com that the meeting went well and that he offered Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) a multifight contract.

Schaefer said that one of the bouts they discussed, which would kick off a new deal if it is agreed to, was a possible July pay-per-view fight against junior welterweight titlist Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KOs), who has openly campaigned for a fight with Marquez. The Mexico native would move up in weight for the bout if it happened.

"Marquez was interested," Schaefer said. "We're talking about it. We've made him a really good offer. That's all I really want to say. I'm not going to discuss what we talked about related to Pacquiao. That's nonproductive to discuss it in the media."

Schaefer did say that as it relates to a possible Judah fight, he had spoken to his promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events. Schaefer said Duva reiterated their interest in the fight.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Saul Alvarez vs. Ricardo Mayorga in September

By Eric Thomas: If WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO’s) can get by his Ryan Rhodes in June in Alvarez’s first title defense, he could be facing former two time world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KO’s) in September, according to Dan Rafael.

Discussions have been taking place between the 20-year-old Alvarez’s promoters from Golden Boy Promotions and Mayorga’s promoter Don King. Again, the fight would be contingent on Alvarez beating Rhodes on June 18th, which is very likely given Alvarez’s power.

Mayorga looked decent in losing by a 12th round TKO to WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto on March 12th. But more importantly, Mayorga did an excellent job of generating interest in the fight with his comments with the media and his over the top behavior in his press conferences with Cotto.

Mayorga proved that he’s still the best in the business in getting fans interested in a fight, and this is what Alvarez really needs. His fight with Rhodes won’t likely get him much attention in the U.S. because Rhodes is a virtual unknown and anything he says or does to try and gets fans interested in the months to come will still largely be ignored by the casual fans. Rhodes is not even on the map in the United States in terms of notoriety. Alvarez needs a name fighter that can get him attention, but not someone that would have a chance to beat him like Alfredo Angulo or James Kirkland.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Berto: Ortiz is very limited

By Dan Ambrose: WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KO’s) had less than complimentary things to say about his April 16th scheduled opponent light welterweight contender Victor Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KO’s) at Thursday’s teleconference to publicize their fight at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Berto said “The ring is a really cold place and he’s going to find out the truth. This fight is definitely not going the distance. At the end of the day, skills are gonna pay the bills. He can fight, but he’s very limited in a lot of areas.”

The same can be said of Berto. He can fight but he’s limited as was shown in his narrow decision over Luis Collazo. Berto can be beaten, but not by the mediocre opposition that he’s been matched again thus far. If Berto can get by this light welterweight challenge by Ortiz and stay away from Mike Jones, he may be able to hold onto the WBC belt for a long time to come. I don’t see Berto beating Jones or guys like Saul Alvarez. Those guys punch too hard and would likely beat up and knockout Berto.

Berto has made a practice of fighting light welterweights much of the time in his title defenses of his WBC belt and that has earned him a lot of criticism from boxing fans, many of which see Berto as a cherry picker. Never the less, Berto remains confident of his skills and feels that he’s on the right path by fighting the guys that he’s been facing.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Manny Pacquiao – Hey Mayweather, Top This

by Sean Lewis: Filipino idol, and multi-division champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will face the always formidable “Sugar” Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7th. As with any fight with Shane Mosley this promises to be an entertaining fight. Shane will bring his A game and put on a brave, albeit losing, effort. Manny Pacquiao will be, as usual, a wrecking ball of destruction as he attempts to move one step closer to a shot at Floyd Mayweather and the boxing glory that would come with a victory over one of boxing’s best.

With all this being said, Shane Mosley is the perfect opponent for Pacquiao to smoke Mayweather out of hiding. Not too long ago, Mayweather took on Sugar in a mostly one-sided contest that saw Mayweather in trouble in the second round, only to figure Shane out and cruise to a victory. While impressive, I believe that Pacquiao is going to take this opportunity to prove once again why he is the number one pound for pound fighter in the sport. Where Mayweather was hesitant, Manny will be relentless. When Shane drops a bomb on Manny, he will not hold on for dear life, but will return fire. Shane will think he’s fighting six guys in the ring that night as he succumbs to the barrage of punches. Manny will knock him out inside eight rounds.

Unfortunately, Manny believes that Floyd has the same champion’s desire that burns within himself. He thinks that a victory over Mosley will all but guarantee that Floyd will quit his silly posturing and finally make the fight we all want to see. Surely Floyd will hear the public talking about Floyd’s boring victory over Mosley and Pac’s subsequent destruction. This can only play into Floyd’s competitive nature. Floyd will then come out of hiding, and agree to face Pacquiao without any testing beyond what is required by the commission. Boxing fans will then be treated to the long awaited battle between two of boxing’s pound for pound kings. Pacman will win this affair going away, and the question of supremacy will finally be answered. This is what Pac hopes to accomplish against Shane Mosley, but APRIL FOOLS, APRIL FOOLS, APRIL FOOLS……I see Mosley knocking Pac out in round 5
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Oakland boxer Andre Ward sets his sights on perfect Super Six finish

By Jeff Faraudo

ndre Ward's approach to the stretch run of the Super Six World Boxing Classic is as clean and direct as his boxing style:

"Two more fights to change my life," he said.

Ward, 27, will put his World Boxing Association super-middleweight title on the line May 14 at the Home Depot Center in Carson when he fights Germany's Arthur Abraham in the tournament semifinals.

The winner moves on to the event's championship bout next fall. Great Britain's Carl Froch, the World Boxing Council champion, and Jamaica's Glen Johnson face off in the other semifinal May 21 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Ward, the Oakland-based former Olympic champion, will own both major 168-pound titles if he wins twice more. Even then, he understands ultimate satisfaction will have to come from within.

"I can win this and there's still going to be people who have something to say. That's just the reality of life," said Ward, who is 23-0 with 13 knockouts as a pro. "There's always going to be people who say, 'He didn't fight overseas or whatever and that's why he won.' I'm not necessarily out to prove them wrong. If I take care of myself, everything will come out good in the end."

The Super Six tournament began in late fall 2009 and has run into a series of bumps in the road, including the need to twice replace fighters. Ward is 2-0 in the ring in the Super Six but was awarded a forfeit win over Andre Dirrell, who withdrew from the event. As a result, Ward took on
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a non-Super Six assignment Nov. 27, scoring a 12-round unanimous decision over Sakio Bika.

"We wanted to keep sharp. We took the fight for that reason alone," Ward said.

Abraham will be Ward's first Super Six bout in 11 months. He is 32-2 but lost two of his past three fights. He was trailing badly in the 11th round when he was disqualified for punching Dirrell after he had slipped and was sitting on the canvas. Abraham then lost a unanimous decision to Froch in a battle for the vacant WBC title.

"He believes in his power. He's a very hard puncher," Ward said of Abraham. "He's always looking, always waiting "... (thinking), 'If I can just land one.' He's not a consistent fighter. He waits for those (big) shots, and at this level they never happen. In the meantime, you're losing rounds."

Ward suggested that Abraham's two recent defeats may have altered his mind-set, providing another edge.

"Deep down, I know confidence issues don't change overnight. Once you start getting hit again, those things come to the surface," he said. "I want to do my part to hopefully keep him discouraged."
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Arthur Abraham: I will win in a fight against Ward

Super Six World Boxing Classic Semifinalists Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham participated in a press conference to formally announce their May 14 showdown in Carson, U.S. Ward will defend his WBA Super Middleweight title against the European superstar and former world champion to kick off the Semifinals of the groundbreaking tournament.

Abraham, who is in the middle of training for the fight, was not able to attend the press conference from his home base in Berlin, Germany and joined via video conference.

“I’m looking forward to May 14 and having a great fight. I am feeling OK. I was a little sick but I just started training again and I should be fine. We are getting ready for a good fight. The tune up fight didn’t give me as much as I wanted but it was OK. It was good to get back in the ring and get that feeling,” the boxer said.

“You’ll be surprised on May 14. It’s not my style to make big predictions. I want to show you inside the ring. I know Ward is the favourite but that motivates me even more. Over history many favourites have crashed down.”

“I look forward to coming over to the U.S. I will give 120 percent. Together, with the Armenian fans, I will win the title and reach the finals.

“The Armenian fans will motivate me. That makes this fight more special for me. I will not disappoint them. We will win on May 14 and then we’ll win the final,” Abraham said, according to fightnews.com.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Maidana vs. Morales conference call quotes

Before we get to Marcos, I'd like to introduce on the call is Dave Itskowitch, the Chief Operating Officer of Golden Boy Promotions, and also Eric Gomez, who's Vice President, Matchmaker, Golden Boy Promotions, and who will be our interpreter. As most of you know for these calls, please be patient because if we have a reporter asking in Spanish, Eric will be kind enough to translate back to English and then in the opposite for when we have an English speaking reporter asking the question.



I'm going to turn it over to Dave, who will make the introductions for the fighters.



David Itskowitch

Thank you everyone for joining the call today. Sorry, we're running a couple of minutes late. We appreciate your patience. Just a little housekeeping before we introduce Marcos.



As you all know, main event Érik Morales versus Marcos Maidana. The show also has three great fights: Robert Guerrero versus Michael Katsidis for the vacant WBA and WBO interim lightweight world titles; James Kirkland versus Nobuhiro Ishida and Paulie Malignaggi versus José Miguel Cotto. The event is presented by Golden Boy in association with Érik Morales' Box Latino and Universum Box Promotions, with Guerrero-Katsidis being presented in association with Sampson Boxing. I want to thank our sponsors Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, DeWalt Tools, and Tres Generaciones Tequila. Saturday, April 9th MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas tickets still available starting very reasonably priced at $25. If you can't make it to the venue, of course, HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific with a suggested retail price of $44.95.



We've got a great line-up of fight week activities. We just want to touch on them briefly. On Sunday, in Los Angeles, we are going to have a fan rally open to the public with Érik, Marcos, and Oscar De La Hoya at Olvera Street. Tuesday will be grand arrivals in Las Vegas with all four pay-per-view fights, all eight fighters. Wednesday, we will have fighter media workouts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with all eight fights. Thursday, we'll have our final press conference. Friday, we will have our weigh-in, which will be open to the public, as will the grand arrivals on Tuesday.



First fighter that I would like to introduce, he's really developing a name for himself now throughout the boxing world. He's becoming known for his crushing knockout power. He's knocked out 10 opponents in the first round, 22 of his opponents haven't seen the fourth round.



He burst onto the scene in June of 2009 with an upset win over Victor Ortíz to capture the WBA interim world title at Staples Center. He went on to defend that crown three times. Then in his most recent fight on December 11th, he lost a close decision, but showed an amazing amount of heart in battling his way back from a first round knockdown and some dominant rounds early that were won by Khan to close the gap. He almost knocked out Khan in the tenth round of a fight that was named Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.



He's got a record of 29-2 with 27 KOs, from Santa Fe, Argentina, Marcos Maidana.



Marcos Maidana

Hi, my name's Marcos Maidana. I'm currently in Las Vegas getting ready for the fight against Érik Morales. I'm in the last phase of my training. I'm feeling great.



Q

Hi, Marcos. Do you think that the judges for the fight against Khan stole the fight, took it away from you? Is that going to make you try to come up for a knockout?



Marcos Maidana

Well, yes. Obviously, I felt that I won. It was very disappointing, but no, I have a lot of confidence in the commission. I'm very well prepared. It's not going to matter. I think I'm going to win the fight.



Q

Is there a big difference in trainers? Is there a difference between Miguel Diaz and Rudy Perez who's now your trainer for this fight? How do you feel?"



Marcos Maidana

Well, there's a lot of similarity, some differences obviously, but we're just getting to know each other. I'm feeling really good right now. I feel great for the fight.



Q

The fight's about a week and a half away. What is it you're working on? What are you focusing on now?



Marcos Maidana

Well, the main thing is maintaining the weight. I'm sharpening up. I've got to be fast. I've got to be strong. I know that this is a very, very important fight for my career.



Q

Can you ask Marcos-when he first heard that he was about to fight with Morales, what were his first thoughts and was he concerned like so many are about the health of Morales?



Marcos Maidana

No, no, no, not at all. I'm not worried. I was very happy. I was very happy when I got the call for this fight. He's a big name. He's a very big name, well known throughout the world. We all know that he's at the tail end of his career, but it should still be a very, very good fight.



Q

David, did Érik have to undergo any special tests by the Nevada Commission or just the basic ones that everybody else does?



D. Itskowitch

As far as I know, he went through just the basic tests that everyone goes through. Eric Gomez can actually-



E. Gomez

I can elaborate.



D. Itskowitch

-elaborate on this. But, I don't even think he had to go-some fighters, when they're past a certain age or they've fought a certain number of rounds, they have to do what's called comprehensive medicals. I don't believe he even had to do those.



E. Gomez

I'll elaborate a little bit. The rule in Nevada is anybody at the age of 36 or older has to do comprehensive. As you know, Érik Morales is still very young. He's only 33, I think, or 34. I would have to look it up, but he's fine.



He did some tests like maybe three years ago, some MRIs and MRAs. He did those tests about three years ago. They're still good in standing in Nevada because when you do an MRI head test, they're good for about five years, but nevertheless, we had him do additional tests in Mexico. He's been cleared. He's been cleared. He did extensive tests all over his body, and he's passed every test-every test.



In fact, the doctor that looked at him in Mexico City is Dr. Madrazo, who's very well known throughout the world, one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. He's also the guy that's credited for-he's the one that operated on Barrera when he had some sort of growth on his head. It's the same guy. He's well known in Nevada. He did all the tests. He did extensive tests. He was cleared 100%.



Q

Were these recent tests, Eric.



E. Gomez

Yes. They're very recent-very, very recent.



Q

Eric, can you ask Marcos since he made his name in America beating young up and comers just like Victor Ortíz and Victor Cayo, and a young titleholder, Amir Khan. Can you get him to elaborate a little bit about what it means to him to fight somebody who's a bona fide legend and a future hall of famer?



Marcos Maidana

Obviously, it's going to help my career tremendously fighting a legend like Morales, a guy with a big name like Morales. It's another step in my career, to get more notoriety, and a bigger name for myself here in the United States.



Q

Can you ask him if he feels he's going to get more credit for beating an Érik Morales than beating younger, bigger guys? I mean, some people would say-even if he knocks him out in one round, some people would say, "Well, you did what you're supposed to do. Morales is old and he's smaller than you." Can he comment on that perception?



Marcos Maidana

You know what? I'm not sure. I'm not sure about getting credit or not. It's not up to me to say. I just know that it's a very important fight, and I have to win this fight.



Q

Just to be clear, Eric, ask him is it more important for him to fight somebody who's got an established name like Morales in the fight? You know, a young guy who doesn't have a name, like a Victor Cayo or even Ortíz, by comparison.



Marcos Maidana

Well, the important thing for me is to be a good fighter. Érik Morales is a good fighter. He's a good boxer. This is not going to be an easy fight. It's going to be a tough fight. I think that it's very important for me to win this fight.



Q

Eric, would you ask Marcos, I'm curious to know if he has watched or seen any the three comeback fights that Érik has had since he exited his retirement and also if he did, what he thought of those performances.



Marcos Maidana

Well, obviously, yes, I did see the fights. Basically, he looked like a fighter that was retired for two years, but that doesn't take away anything. I'm prepared for the best possible Morales for this fight. I think that he's going to come. I think it's going to be a tough fight. I'm expecting the Morales of old, the Morales when he was in his prime. That's what I'm training for.



Q

Does he think it's at all possible for Érik-I think it was Doug Fischer that mentioned it-that he's older and he's also smaller. He's not very experienced against top opponents in the weight class, that that will play a factor into it. Did he see, based on what he saw in those three fights, have a chance to turn back that clock and have that type of Érik Morales performance that we've seen so many times in his best fights?



Marcos Maidana

I mean, obviously, I talked it over with my new trainer, Rudy Perez, who's very familiar with Morales. We've talked about his speed's not the same, maybe the reflexes are not the same, but I'm still ready. I'm going to be ready for everything because I don't want to let my guard down and basically be ready for the best Morales possible.



Q

You mentioned Rudy Perez. I know in his last fight when he fought Amir in that great fight in December, that his head trainer was Miguel Diaz. I'm wondering what was the reason that he made the change, if he could talk about that for a minute.



Marcos Maidana

Well, I feel that I reached a point with Miguel where I wasn't advancing any more. I think that's what happened to me in the Khan fight. I felt that I needed a change. I might have plateaued with Miguel Diaz. With Rudy, now it's different. That's what I wanted. I just needed something different.



Q

Now, Eric, wasn't he originally, if I'm not mistaken, was supposed to go to train with "Nacho" Beristain in Mexico. I guess there was something at the last minute where there was an issue with Juan Manuel Márquez, and he ended up going for Rudy sort of at the last minute. Could he explain what happened with that, and what was the reason for-if I'm accurate with what I just said. I think I am about that whole Beristain thing. What was up with that?



Marcos Maidana

Yes, you're correct. You're correct. I was there in Mexico. I traveled to Mexico. We had an agreement. I was supposed to train with Beristain. As soon as I touched down in Mexico, Beristain informed us that he wasn't going to be able to work with us. That Marcos pretty much prevented him from working with him. That Marcos made a comment that possibly down the line there could be a fight with Maidana. I think maybe he just got jealous and he didn't want me to train with him.



Q

Then Rudy, he just found Rudy at the last minute, I guess, even though Rudy's obviously been a good trainer for a long time.



Marcos Maidana

Yes.



Q

Was he upset by that? I mean on the surface, it would seem kind of weak that you would have a top fighter travel all the way from Argentina to Mexico without notice ahead of time, take the job and then say at the last minute, "By the way, forget about it. I can't do it," kind of leaving Marcos in a little bit of a tough spot. Was he upset by that whole situation? I mean, it sounds like he was pretty calm about it.



Marcos Maidana

Yes, of course, I was upset. I was very upset. That's something that's very unprofessional. I was upset about it, but at the end of the day there's other trainers. There's other trainers that are at the same level, if not better than Beristain. I think I found that in Rudy Perez. But, yes, I think it would bother anybody.



Q

What do you think about a lot of the comments, a lot of the press people saying that this should be an easy fight for you? What do you think about that?



Marcos Maidana

You know what? It's not for me to say. I train to win. I train to win whether it's fought a hard fight or an easy fight. I'm always training to win. So, it doesn't bother me. It doesn't change me. I just train to win, basically. That's it.



Q

From the three fights you saw, what did you think about the three fights, three comeback fights? Did you see anything in there that suggests that he has the ability to fight like the Érik Morales of old, from five years ago, six years ago? What was it you see? What did you think?



Marcos Maidana

Well, what I saw in those three fights was that he is a fighter that's not in his prime anymore. He's not at his prime any more. I'm in my prime. I think that's going to be the difference. I'm going to win this fight.



Q

Given the fact that a lot of people think this should be an easy fight for him, I wanted to know if he feels any pressure for the fight to end in a knockout in his favor, and I guess a sensational knockout.



Marcos Maidana

No, not at all. No pressure. The same old Maidana's going to come out. You're going to see the same old Maidana from all my other fights. I'm going to come out and I'm going try to win. If a knockout comes, it comes. If it doesn't, I'll go and I'll win by decision. There's no pressure whatsoever.



Q

In his last few fights, even since losing to Kotelnik, he's either hurt or stopped everybody he's fought. Given the fact that he's fought a certain caliber fighter with the exception of maybe DeMarcus Corley, does he expect Érik Morales to be able to stand up to the kind of punishment he was able to administer in those fights?



Marcos Maidana

I'm going to come out throwing punches, guns blazing. If he can withstand it, great. If he can't, then good night.



Q

Eric, I wonder if you could ask Marcos, first of all, if he could just quickly explain what the decision was in staying in Mexico, if it was just simply a matter of not wanting to travel once again. Secondly, if he could just discuss a little bit what it's been like for him training in Mexico in terms of, obviously, the altitude, just the atmosphere in general.



Marcos Maidana

You know what, it was great. It was great. I took advantage of the altitude. It was great. I had a good training camp out there in Mexico, and just recently moved over to Las Vegas. I'm in Las Vegas now to finish up my training and ready for the fight.



Q

Now, the last question is, from going from supposedly going to train with Beristain and now Perez, was there any change of game plan or just any change in general that came about from not going with the original trainer that he was supposed to have with Beristain? Was there any change at all? Or, did he have a kind of game plan in mind that he wanted to follow?



Marcos Maidana

No, obviously, we didn't get that far with Beristain. We didn't talk about strategy, or we didn't talk about any game plan for the fight. So, we didn't even get that far. We sat down with him in Mexico City and he basically told us he couldn't train me. So, we moved on and we went to another trainer.



Q

The question was, "Érik Morales did some interviews in Mexico and he said that there's two things that he had to worry about and protect himself. One of them is rabbit punches. He feels that Marcos Maidana throws rabbit punches. He's looked at videos and that he throws behind the head. He had to make sure that-take care of himself and make sure that doesn't occur. The other thing is the power. Obviously he's a big puncher and he's knocked out a lot of opponents. What do you think about that?"



Marcos Maidana

No obviously, I mean look. I don't try to do that, but look, when I'm up on the ring, anything goes. It's a war. It's a war. I don't do it purposely, but look I might maybe here and there land a couple of punches there. But I'm going out there and I'm giving it my all. So its war and everything goes when it's a war. Yes, I think I do have power and I think that if I hit anybody as hard as I can they're probably not going to be able to take it.



Q

Obviously, coming off the Khan fight it was a difficult fight for you, very close. Do you think that this fight with Érik Morales can be the same? You think it can be just as difficult?



Marcos Maidana

Well obviously for me, I don't underestimate anybody and I think that anything can happen up in that ring, anything can happen. I don't underestimate anybody and I think Morales is capable of giving a good fight. It's my job to win the fight and I'm going to do what I always do. I'm going to come forward and I'm going to be throwing punches. My stamina is going to be the most important thing for me. So I think that if he can withstand what I bring than great.



K. Swanson

Now everybody we do have Érik Morales on the line calling in from Mexico. Dave, do you want to say anything or do we go-Gomez, if you'd like to do the introduction for Morales.



Erik Morales

Good afternoon, good afternoon to everybody. Welcome and thank you for being here on the call. This is going to be a very, very good fight; a very, very important fight in my career probably one of the most important fights. I'm trying to do something that no other Mexican fighter has done win a fourth divisional title and I'm ready. I'm ready for the fight and just waiting to get to Las Vegas.



Q

The question is, "How are you doing Érik? Everybody thinks that Maidana is a favorite. He's getting a lot of support. Everything thinks he's in favor for this fight. What do you think? What are your comments on that?"



Erik Morales

This is a very, very important fight for me and it's even more important that he's a favorite because I think I'm going to win this fight. I think I'm going to win this fight and I know I can win this fight. Everybody has to remember I choose Maidana. I decided to fight with Maidana and it's going to be a war up there, but obviously, I think that my technique is a lot better than his and there's certain rules. There's certain rules in fights and I just hope he follows the rules and there's things that he doesn't do up in the ring that he's not supposed to. But this is going to be a very good fight and I've had a great training camp and I'm right on schedule and feeling great.



Q

Érik, what do you think about this fight? What kind of fight is it going to be and how do you counter a kid who's in his prime? Who's younger than you?



Erik Morales

Look, I don't have to explain myself. I don't have to say who I am. You guys know exactly what I am, who I was, what I'm capable of doing. I have a goal. I have a goal in this fight. Since I came back, I've been training for a year and a half now and I think I'm reaching my peak. I'm reaching my peak and I'm going to be ready for this fight. I made a goal for myself and I've decided I'm going to reach that goal and I've always been able to do that in my career. It's going to be very, very good. I'm feeling great and I know one thing for sure that at the end of the fight I'm going to be declared the winner.



Q

Érik Morales, you said pretty clearly that you choose Maidana to be your opponent and you mentioned his style. But could you tell us more specifically what is it about his style that you think is a perfect match up for you at this point in your career?



Erik Morales

Well, there's a lot of things that I see there that I can exploit. He's a fighter that comes forward. He's a fighter that throws punches. He's going to be right in front of me. But let me ask you something? Let me ask you something? Do you think that he's faster than some of the fighters I faced? Do you think he hits harder than Pacquiao, for instance? Do you think that he's superior, technique wise, than some of the other fighters? I choose him for a reason and I feel that I can win this fight. I feel that I can win this fight.



Q

Is he saying-see what we're thinking is that he didn't think that Marcos was a particularly skillful boxer and I'm talking about his power but just his boxing skills. Is that sort of what attracted him then? Is that what he's saying?



Erik Morales

Yes, you know, yes that's part of it. Yes, but not really. That's not the main thing. I think that it's just styles make fights and I think that his style is very good for my style. I think that that's the most important thing. I think that I can adjust very, very well to his style. I've seen him and I feel very confident that it's the right style for my style."



Then obviously, a little earlier, a little earlier he also said one other thing that nobody's giving him a chance to win and he feels that that's great for him. It's very, very good because if he beats him than you guys should give him all the credit in the world for beating a guy that you guys called "great" or "one of the top fighters in the division" that he wasn't supposed to beat.



Q

There's no question about that. If he wins this fight, this is one of the great comebacks I think in recent years. I didn't mean that to be a question but maybe you could run it by him and see if he thinks of it the same way.



Erik Morales

I think that, for me, in this fight it was very, very important to have a goal, to be motivated. This fight has brought that out; it has brought it out. I'm fighting a guy that's a bigger guy, fights in a higher division, a guy that's in his prime, one of the top fighters in his division. That has motivated me and it's given me a goal. The last few fights I had in my career, I kind of lost myself. I had accomplished so much and I kind of lost myself and I didn't have a goal or any direction, but with this fight, here, I found myself again. I can assure you ... that I'm going to win this fight.



Q

Eric, would you ask "El Terrible" at what point after his retirement following the Davis Díaz fight did he start to seriously think about making another run at it?



Erik Morales

Obviously, after that David Díaz fight, I felt very, very bad-morally, mentally, physically. I was very devastated. It was devastating. That loss was very hard for me. I felt that I wanted to blame people. I felt that someone caused me to lose. I just felt very, very bad. Right there and then after that fight I wanted to come back, but I just didn't have the reason to. I didn't know how to come back. I wasn't sure how to go about it. I was very unhappy, personally with myself. I didn't know what to do.



It finally came down to where I was very, very depressed. I had a personal problem and I started thinking to myself, "What's going to make me happy in life? What do I want to do in life? What is it that makes me happy?" Ultimately, fighting is what makes me happy. I like to fight. I love it. I like the big stage and lights and then fighting. It must have been in October of 2009 when I finally decided I'm going to start training again and I'm going to do it. I haven't stopped since.



Q

So I wonder Eric, and if you could ask him, in the three comeback fights-I've seen all three of those fights and he hasn't looked bad in those fights. He just hasn't looked the way that you remember when Érik was at his best in those fights. So I wonder, how has he felt in those fights and does he feel as each successive fight has gone by that he's knocking a little bit more rust off or does he not feel like he's gotten a lot better? Just, generally, to assess his performances in the three fights he's had, and also I'm curious, how much weight did he have to take off to get down to those weight limits for those matches because he had put on quite a bit of weight after being off for such a long time?



Erik Morales

Yes. I'll get to the basic points. It's very hard. Basically, what he said, he said, "Look, everything was by design. Everything was by design. I had a game plan. I had a goal, certain goals and I reach those goals. For the first fight, yes, I was still a little heavy. I got fought. I got 147 at welterweight. I lost like 25 kilos, which it's almost half-what is it? Like double, almost in pounds, so it's close to 50 pounds. Yes, I didn't feel that good, but little by little, I had a game plan and I started feeling better each time out.



The first fighter I fought was a very tough fighter; a fighter that has a big punch and I fought and that was by design. I wanted to do that. I wanted to see how it felt to get punched again and I passed the test and it was great. The next fight I got a guy that can box a little bit. Everything was moving towards this fight. I think that right now I'm peaking. I'm peaking, even my body feels better. I haven't struggled for weight whatsoever. I'm already on weight and I'm feeling great. My speed's come back now.



You're going to see a different fighter in this fight from those three fights because I feel that everything was by design. We had certain goals. We kept reaching our goal. I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to peak. I'm going to peak in this fight and I feel great.



Q

He mentioned multiple times in the call that it was him that picked Maidana to fight, but my understanding is when this was-and that ultimately he did select Maidana from the available opponents, but originally when the fight, when the card was conceived, it was going to be Érik against Juan Manuel Márquez. Because of Márquez's own contractual issues, he declined the fight and so therefore needed another opponent. So, was he geared up to fight Márquez and then ended up looking to Maidana as an alternative or was Maidana always in his mind and Márquez was just sort of like maybe the bigger fight at the time when it was still being discussed?



Erik Morales

He said, "Well look, there wasn't a specific fighter in mind. I just wanted a big fight, and right now, one of the biggest names is Márquez, obviously. He's had a good run lately and I felt that I can come in and beat him and recoup what I once had, what I once was. I wanted to come in and steal everything that he had done.



Yes, I've also thought of Maidana, but I figured that I would first fight Márquez and then maybe Maidana down the line maybe after Márquez or a couple of fights after Márquez. So, Maidana came in. There were other names that were offered, but I felt Maidana right now is also in that category as Márquez, who's made a good name for himself, has come off some very good wins and I can recoup a little bit of what I had in the past, of who I was, by beating a big name like Maidana.



Q

The question is, "A little while ago Maidana was on the line and he said that, 'Your time has passed. Your time has passed and now it's my time and I'm in my prime right now.' What do you say to that Érik?"



Erik Morales

The answer was, "I've heard the same from a bunch of fighters, possible rivals of mine that say that my time has passed, that I'm not the same fighter anymore, but once that up in the ring with me it's a different thing and they realize that I can still fight. I'm not old. I'm not old at all. Look at my age. I just decided at 30 years old to take a break. Take a break. Let my body rest, my mind rest. I was a little burned out. Now I'm back and I feel fresh and I feel great and I'm going to be ready. Believe me. I'm going to be ready for this fight."



Q

Do you think it's an advantage to you, Érik, that Maidana has been-he's changed trainers. He just recently changed trainers and now he's with Rudy Perez. Do you think it's a benefit for you, Érik?



Erik Morales

Look he's only been with Rudy Perez for a little bit of time. It's only been a few weeks. I don't think that Rudy Perez is going to be able to do what we hadn't been able to do in all these years of fighting. So, it's very clear to me what type of fighter I'm going to face. It's going to be the same old Maidana. I don't think that Rudy Perez can be a miracle worker and change up his style all of the sudden for one fight after working with them for a few weeks.



So you know the only difference with the Mexican trainer could be that his conditioning might be a little better because he trained in Mexico City but I've also heard rumors that he left Mexico City because he couldn't train there. He couldn't train there. He wasn't use to the altitude. He couldn't hang being in Mexico and that's why he had to leave. So, we'll see what's going to happen but I'm expecting the same old Maidana to come out, perfectly clear what to expect.



Q

The question is, "Érik how do you feel about a lot of the question? A lot of the reporters in the U.S. are asking questions and questioning your health. How do you feel about that? What does that make you feel?" The second question was, "Maidana was very clear, he said, 'Look, be ready for a war. Anything goes in a war,' when he was questioned about possible rabbit punches. How do you feel about that?"



Erik Morales

I feel good. I feel calm. I know that I've been in some tough fights, very tough fights. I've been in some wars in the past, but I know, physically, that I'm fine because I take care of myself. I think that the reason that I was in some of those wars was more of a weight issue. I've struggled so much to make weight. I've grown so much. I'm not that little fighter anymore. I've grown and it was very difficult for me to make weight in a lot of those fights. I was forced to fight at a weight division that was not my weight division anymore and that's what caused a lot of problems.



I think that a lot of the questions on my health are coming from ex-promoter Fernando Beltrán. He's the one that's causing all the stir. He's the one that's causing the problems. I think it's a matter of revenge. I think that he wants to get back at me because I'm not with him anymore. He's the one that's bringing it up. He's the one that's made comments in Mexico. He's probably the one that's causing the problems with the commission. I'm fine. I've done all my tests. I've passed everything with flying colors. I know that I'm fine physically and mentally. I feel great and I feel very good for this fight. I'm very, very calm. I know that Beltrán-I know the kind of person he is and I know that he's the one that's causing these problems.



As far as Maidana with rabbit punches and this and that, it's a shame that he does not admit that he has done it in the past because he has done it in the past. He's hit fighters in the back of the head and in places where he's not supposed to. I just hope that he stays clean for this fight and I hope the referee does his job because if he does something that's dirty, I've always been a clean fighter, but if he does something that's dirty than he's going to get some payback.



K. Swanson

Wow, what an unbelievable conference call, that's all I'm going to say. I've been on many. Eric, thank you so much. Espionage, competition, threats, you got it all, April 9th, Maidana, Morales meeting in the middle of the ring. Oh, I can't wait to see this fight. Thank you everybody.