Manny Pacquiao VS. Shane Mosley

WBC PRESIDENT HURT BY PACQUIAO’S DECISION TO FIGHT MOSLEY

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 07:31:00 +0000

World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman has indicated he is personally hurt by the decision of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao to defend his WBO welterweight title against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand on May 7.

The WBC president learned that the fight had been finalized on the same day that the premier world professional boxing organization named Pacquiao as its “Fighter of the Decade.”

Sulaiman told the Inquirer in an overseas telephone conversation from his home in Mexico that Pacquiao and his people “were fooling around with the WBC and the others. ”

While Sulaiman stressed “He (Pacquiao) is a hero and I like him very much he is not paying any respect to the WBC and myself at all. He has never mentioned anything favorable to the WBC.”

Sulaiman said that “at this time of his life he doesn’t care about anything, he only cares about making money I guess.”

The WBC president said that if Pacquiao doesn’t “respect the WBC rules then we have to do something about it” although he admitted “it would make us very unpopular.”

Sulaiman blasted the choice of Mosley saying “he is completely over the hill. He looked very, very bad and very slow in his last fight against a bum (Sergio Mora)” even as he joined a chorus of growing numbers who have condemned the fight and claimed that Pacquiao is only in it for the money.

WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud earlier said that while Pacquiao had a right to make money after all he has given the country, he “cannot claim that he is fighting Mosley for the country and people. He is fighting for the money.”

-philboxing.com

MOSLEY PREDICTS A KNOCKOUT EITHER WAY

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 07:25:00 +0000

Shane Mosley has told Filipino fight fans that in his clash with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7 “somebody is going to get knocked out.

Mosley, in an exclusive interview with Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN Sports told Filipino fight fans it will be a great fight because “styles make fights. He (Pacquiao) is an exciting fighter and I’m an exciting fighter. With the way we both fight
somebody’s going to get knocked out. That’s the beauty of the whole thing. People will come to see a good match.”

Mosley said “I respect Manny the way he fights and as a person and I know he does the same for me. I guess it will be cordial. We‘re both warriors and have that hunger to win and that’s what’s going to make this fight so great.”

Mosley conceded that Pacquiao who has won eight world titles in eight different weight divisions “is a tough fighter. A lot have tried and couldn’t. Styles make fights and hopefully my style will be able to beat his style. Its up to me to prove that I can do what I believe I can do.”

The 39 year old Mosley who is coming off a lackluster draw against Sergio Mora after losing badly to Floyd Mayweather Jr said he would train at Big Bear maybe for six weeks before the fight.

Despite his age, Mosley contended in his conversation with Castillejo “I have pretty good speed and power as well. I think that’s what going to make a good fight. We both have speed and power and are action packed fighters. He’s a boxer puncher, I’m a boxer puncher and I’m going to be coming forward.”

Mosley who broke away from his partnership with Golden Boy Promotions in order to make the fight which will give him his biggest payday said he and Pacquiao “both pretty much have the same style going back n forth.It’s going to be a test of mind and see who can win the war.”

He said he expects a war because “That’s the way Pacquiao fights. I’m exciting he’s exciting. It’s going to be the fight of the year for 2011.I’m going to go with what Pacquiao said. He thinks I can pull the trigger so lets keep it at that.”

Mosley told the ABS-CBN reporter “I need to go in right now and place some bets…some pretty good odds.” At last report Mosley was a 9-1 underdog.”

Asked whether the Pacquiao fight would be his last Mosley replied “Definitely not. I’m going to be fighting more but this is the fight that I need to prove to myself and prove to the people that I’m still one of the best.”Mosley praised Pacquiao and said he was “Impressed with his ability to go up in weight and be so successful. He is committed to fight 100 percent in the ring. A true warrior. His mindset is to win and be the best he can be. It’s the mark of a true champion.”

-philboxing.com

Pacquiao named WBC's Fighter of the Decade

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 07:34:00 +0000

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao was voted by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as its Fighter of the Decade (2001-2010), WBC’s long time chief Jose Sulaiman announced from the governing body’s headquarters in Mexico City.

Pacquiao beat out Oscar De La Hoya and a few other marquee names for the coveted award.

Although Pacquiao held numerous titles in other sanctioning bodies during the last 10 years, the 32-year old Filipino pound-for-pound king also won several championships under the WBC banner.

Pacquiao briefly held the WBC super-featherweight and lightweight titles and just recently annexed the super-welterweight title to his growing collection after also winning titles at flyweight (WBC), super-bantam (International Boxing Federation), feather (The Ring magazine), super-lightweight (International Boxing Organization) and welter (World Boxing Organization).

The WBC Fighter of the Decade award will only add more luster to Pacquiao’s already proud name, having been given the same accolade by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring magazine for the same feat.

Pacquiao is currently out of the country with his family and is slated to return to the ring on May 7 against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

A huge favorite against Mosley, Pacquiao plans to embark on an eight-week training camp for what he has described as “a very tough fight” considering Mosley’s durability and vast experience.

Trainer Freddie Roach said he is willing to camp out in Baguio City once again for four weeks and spend the next four at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.

-mb.com.ph

No rest for Mayweather until he fights Pacquiao

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 06:09:00 +0000

As if Floyd Mayweather isn't having enough of a rough time of it lately, it now appears that even a peaceful shopping trip surrounded by his entourage and team of enormous bodyguards is beyond him.

Out and about on New Year's day Mayweather faced chants of "Pacquiao, Pacquiao!" from several fans, and even taunts about his height, something he not so long ago mocked Pacquiao for.

Keeping his composure and going about his business, Mayweather didn't outwardly seem to be that bothered, but judging from his recent outbursts, from his profanity laced racial tirade on Ustream to his recent berating of a security guard outside his mansion with little provocation, the lack of respect he gets from fans is getting to him.

Mayweather likes to think himself an untouchable figure to both opponents in the ring and the growing number of fans opposed to either his antics or lack of activity. Indeed one of his favorite comebacks to interviewers who ask about the people who want to see him lose is usually something along the lines of not caring what people say so long as they are all talking about him.

But paradoxically often he seems to crave the adulation heaped upon his rivals and seems to believe rightly or wrongly that he should be celebrated for his past achievements instead of being harangued for his recent underachieving.

The chanting might only have been down to a few Pacquiao fans on this occasion, but in all honesty, there aren't many places Floyd could go even in the United States without at least one or two these days, and until he addresses his future plans this is probably what Mayweather can look forward to whenever he goes out in public.

Should he announce either his next fight, retirement, or intention to fight Pacquiao after the Filipino takes on Shane Mosley, the fans would probably give him a break. If not at the very least he would have a riposte, something to counteract the accusations of him ducking the best competition and protecting his perfect 41-0 record.

The fact that Pacquiao is once again taking on a former opponent of his that he beat easily should be all the motivation he needs to start firing off quotes to the media and laying the groundwork for a fight later this year, and would have been just a few years ago.

Equally, if he were to take on and beat Pacquiao as the bookmakers still favor he would, even those repulsed by his mercurial personality would respect his skills and never question his mettle again. Likewise few would begrudge him a few easy paydays to end his career should he take on Pacquiao win or lose.

Of course, even if he does want to fight Pacquiao at some point, for the time being Mayweather can't really fight anyone. With a court case pending over alleged domestic abuse and ludicrous incidents happening almost by the week, Mayweather might eventually find himself unable to ever fight again.

Until he addresses some of the questions surrounding him though, fans chanting the name of his biggest rival to him is to be expected, as are the regular appearances in TMZ reports and brushes with the Las Vegas police department.

Tim George, Pitt: "Not surprising he does all this stupid stuff when he gets abuse from fans whenever he leaves the house. if he just took the fight it would stop, and most experts think he would win anyway"

Franz Peterson, Las Vegas: "Floyd only bullies people if they're alone, he's known for it around here. He wouldn't do anything in public because he can't outnumber people"

-examiner.com

Winky Wright Weighs In on Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:36:00 +0000

Eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, has three opponents in common with three-division, five-time titlist, Shane Mosley, the man against whom he will defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown in a Top Rank Promotions event on May 7 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in an HBO pay per view televised bout.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) is coming off of a Nov. 13, unanimous decision victory over ex-titlist Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium that was not only his 13th straight win with eight knockouts during that run, but which earned the Filipino super star the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.

The 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) has scored a January 2009, ninth-round knockout over Margarito, this, after having been unanimously decisioned in July of 2007 in his failed bid to earn the WBA welterweight crown from Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), whom Pacquiao dethroned as WBO 147-pound king by 12th-round stoppage in November of 2009.

Pacquiao also debuted as a welterweight with a December, 2008, eighth-round knockout of Oscar De La Hoya, whom Mosley decisioned for WBC welterweight belt in June of 2000, and, yet again, in September of 2003 to add the WBC's junior middleweight title to the WBA 154-pound crown that he already owned.

But it is former world champion Winky Wright, a man who has twice beaten Mosley, who may hold the secret to defeating Pacquiao's upcoming rival.

Wright told BoxingScene.com that his consecutive wins over Mosley in March and November of 2004 were the result of using his jab, advantage in power and plenty of pressure to negate Mosley over the course of their 154-pound bouts.

"I took the speed away because he's real fast. I had to take the speed away. With that jab we took that speed away. Once we took that speed away and slowed it down, we just used our size. We were stronger than him and we stayed on him. We constantly beat him down. Beat him, beat him, beat him," said Wright, who believes that Mosley is capable of defeating Pacquiao.

"Pacquiao is destroying everybody right now. But Shane is a live fighter. Shane has speed, he has power. But the thing is, does he want it?" said Wright. "Does he have heart to go in there and fight and try to win? Because he's going to have to dig down and fight because this guy is going to be coming at him. We'll see."

Mosley's not looked good in his past two fights, May's Golden Boy Promotions, lopsided, 12-round unanimous decision loss to six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), and, September's split-decision draw with ex-champion, Sergio Mora (21-1-1, six KOs) that was contested at 154 pounds.

-boxing.fanhouse.com

Pacquiao - Mosley, A Better Match-Up Than Most Believe

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:50:00 +0000

by Kevin Smith
Boxscore News - Texas
January 2, 2011

The announcement that Manny Pacquiao's next fight would be against Shane Mosley on May 7th was not a surprise to boxing insiders. Mosley, the former three division champion, was a solid choice from a field of contenders that included Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. The surprise fact with this fight, if it is to come, will be how each of the fighters approaches it— has trained and prepared. Pacquiao is looking to extend his boxing credentials, legacy and growing worldwide fame; Mosley seeks to re-claim his, in what could likely be his swan song to boxing, following his most recent loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Shane Mosley, approaching forty years of age, is still thought to have the speed and strength as well as s bruising body attack and knock-out punch needed to combat the Pac-man’s speed and determination. In fact, Mosley still has the ability to make this an entertaining fight if not significant in the surprise it could hold, at least if he takes this meeting as the “the fight of his career “and not just the final big payday of it. In order to do so, however, Mosley will need to show more conditioning and stamina with Pacquiao than he did last May when he was able to visibly hurt Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the second round but couldn’t put him away before tiring mid-way through the bout.

Mosley could be able to surprise in this fight but will have to condition, train and bring a strategy like the fighter he was at the peak of his career and not the zenith of it. His on and off again performance will have to be “all on” to make this fight with Pacquiao have the shock in it Mosley has at times be able to bring and the fans of both want to see.

Going into the contest, Manny Pacquiao will be the heavily favored one at the MGM Grand when these two meet. But the Pac-man, equally, will have to train physically and mentally to overcome the distractions his success has brought him in order to survive the 'bolt from the blue' Shane Mosley could bring.

Pacquiao trainer, Freddie Roach takes all his fighter’s opponents seriously but knows Mosley has the capability to provide more than just a fight. Mosley, if he finds his inner-strength, can put a stop to Manny’s continued march farther into pugilistic record books. Says Roach, “This is going to be the most difficult fight of the three choices we had because of Mosley’s speed ... a good and dangerous fighter.”

Freddie Roach also undoubtedly thinks about the dangers for his fighter in how Manny and Shane match-up. Mosley with speed and assumed power, as exampled by his knock-out of Margarito, and Pacquiao’s occasional tendency to drop his defense. Although Freddie Roach is greatly credited for training Manny in a display of skills and ability that seem to only be increasing with each fight since Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003; one must wonder if he is training more against a bombshell knock-out than for one.

One surprise that will be noted before the fight will be the lack of the ugly gutter language and verbose verbal attacks that have unfortunately become the norm in boxing. Mosley is known as one of the class-acts in boxing, one of the few along with Manny Pacquiao, who have maintained their dignity and sportsmanship before and after achieving world-class status.

Whatever the outcome, it won’t be a surprise that this Pacquiao-Mosley match-up will be a good fight. “I believe it will be an exciting fight,” Bob Arum, the founder and CEO of Top Rank, told ESPN.com. “Shane knows how to fight and how to deal with the speed. Manny is in for a hellacious fight. I really believe styles make fights.” Arum has it right. It will be better than many are predicting because of the different abilities, styles and possibilities each fighter brings, as well as the unknowns that these factors create.

-boxscorenews.com

LINDER'S LOOK PACQUIAO-MOSLEY

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:37:00 +0000

By Doveed Linder

Going into 2011, the biggest gripe in the boxing world seems to be the match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. After all, Pacquiao is at the top of his game and many consider him to be unbeatable. And Mosley is coming off of two of the worst performances of his career (against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Sergio Mora). Since Pacquiao is currently the pound-for-pound king, the boxing public wants to see him against a fresh opponent who presents a worthy challenge. But in my opinion, given the circumstances in the welterweight division where Pacquiao resides, Mosley is a logical choice for Pacquiao’s next fight.

Other than Shane Mosley, Pacquiao’s best options included Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. Many in the boxing world believe that Marquez defeated Pacquiao in their first two encounters. And since he has returned to his winning ways with victories over Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, some believe that he was the most deserving of a shot at Pacquiao. In my opinion, the scoring of the two fights between Pacquiao and Marquez was fair and accurate (the first fight was ruled a draw, while the second fight was a split decision victory in Pacquiao’s favor). Pacquiao and Marquez had a great rivalry at the 126 and 130 pound weight classes. But at this point in time, Pacquiao fights at 147 and Marquez fights at 135. Even if they were to meet at 140, I believe the extra weight would slow Marquez down considerably (as was demonstrated when he weighed in at 142 for his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.). And to put things into perspective, victories over Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis don’t prove that Marquez is once again at the top of his game. Diaz was coming off of two poor performances against Paullie Malignaggi. And Katsidis, himself, was thoroughly out-boxed by Diaz back in 2008. In my opinion, Marquez still has enough fire to win a few fights. But if he were to face Pacquiao at 140 or above at this stage of his career, he would get knocked out.

As for Andre Berto, in my opinion, he has done nothing that warrants a shot at Pacquiao. The only thing he has going for him is the fact that he is an undefeated champion. His toughest opponent to date was Luis Collazo, who he struggled against. It seems the plan for Team Berto is to keep their fighter undefeated by taking on low risk opponents and to hold out for a big money fight. There has been no gradual progression that one often sees when an up-and-comer is built up to a major event. Recently, Kermit Cintron called out Berto here on Boxingtalk.com. And to me, that’s exactly the kind of fight Berto needs at this stage of his career. In order to prove that he belongs in the same ring with fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., he needs to face and defeat some of the top guys in his division.

Another possibility that boxing fans considered for Manny Pacquiao was Sergio Martinez. It seemed like a realistic idea considering they both have fought at 154 pounds. But Pacquiao’s recent “title affair” at 154 against Antonio Margarito was a gimmick. It was fought at a catchweight of 150 pounds against a former welterweight in Margarito who was coming off of a sub par performance which occurred right after a long layoff, which occurred right after a knockout loss. Pacquiao is not a 154-pounder and there is no way his handlers will put him in with a legitimate junior middleweight who is at the top of his game.

So this leaves Shane Mosley. I’m not particularly crazy about this match-up. But I do feel that Mosley poses a greater threat than some of Pacquiao’s previous opponents (Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, and Miguel Cotto). He hits hard, he has fast hands, and he’s durable. At this point in his career, some nights Mosley is on and some nights he’s not. Against Ricardo Mayorga, he looked faded. But in his next fight against Antonio Margarito, he looked fairly spectacular. But when he faced Floyd Mayweather, Jr., he looked like he was completely shot. Some might say that was due to the long layoff after the Margarito fight and some might say it was due to the technical skills of Mayweather.

I believe that Mosley will be very motivated for this fight and that he will be in great shape like he always is. Early on, he could be a problem for Pacquiao and he might even hurt him. Pacquiao-Mosley is an interesting clash of styles, but I don’t see styles coming into play down the stretch. I see Mosley running out of gas after the first 4 or 5 rounds and Pacquiao’s work rate completely taking over. Given the toughness that Mosley has shown throughout his career, it’s hard to see him getting stopped. But against Mayweather, Mosley looked as if he had completely given up on himself. The fire just wasn’t there and he was no longer protecting himself. And if he reaches that point against a busy fighter like Pacquiao, he might just fold under the accumulation of punches.

If Mosley is somehow able to pull it together for one night and bring his best, he stands a chance of winning. However, I don’t expect him to be more than slightly better than he was against Mayweather. But Mosley has had a great career and he has proven himself against some of the top welterweights in the world. And since Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has removed himself from the equation and with Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto as the only other options, I believe that Shane Mosley is the best choice for Team Pacquiao.

A Look At Bradley-Alexander

The Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander fight is the perfect way to start off the New Year. We have two young, undefeated fighters who are out to prove that they are among the best in the world. The winner of this fight will more than likely crack the top 10 of the pound-for-pound lists and make a strong case for a future match-up with Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, Jr. On paper, it’s a very close fight. But I give a significant edge to Timothy Bradley. In general, I see Bradley as the more complete fighter with the ability to make adjustments.

Devon Alexander has a tremendous work ethic, his conditioning in impeccable, and he is a tough proposition for anyone he faces. But I believe he lacks creativity. If you see one round from Alexander, you’ve seen it all. And his fight against Andriy Kotelnik is a perfect example of that. One can make the argument that the Kotelnik fight was Alexander’s first major event that he headlined in front of his hometown of St. Louis, and that the promotion of the fight proved to be distracting. Not to mention his friend and boxing idol, Cory Spinks, was knocked out by Cornelius Bundrage shortly before he fought. But the problem I have with this argument is that Alexander looked the same as he always has in every fight. The only difference was that he was in there with a better opponent.

I am originally from St. Louis and I have been a fan of Devon Alexander’s since he turned professional. And as a fan, I hope he prevails. But to offer an unbiased appraisal of this fight, I see the action being competitive early on with Timothy Bradley turning the tide about halfway through and going on to win a convincing unanimous decision.

A Word About “The Fighter" : If you haven’t seen “The Fighter” yet, be sure to check it out this week! In my opinion, this is one of the best boxing movies of all time. It’s not as exquisite as “Raging Bull” and it won’t inspire generations to come like “Rocky”, but it is a fine piece of work that could possibly turn movie-goers into boxing fans. When I first heard that the story of Micky Ward was being made into a movie, my initial thought was that Hollywood would find a way to screw it up. But as it turns out, this is one of the best films of 2010, and it is sure to be nominated for a handful of Academy Awards, particularly for Best Actor for both Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale who are brilliant in the roles of Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund.

-boxingtalk

Manny, money, Mosley and Marquez

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000

One day, Shane Mosley is not a viable opponent for Manny Pacquiao. The next, he is the best possible challenger for the eight-time world champion. Suddenly, all the machinery is in motion, and we’re moved along with it like a heavy flood of lahar through Central Luzon. We want to see Pacquiao fight, and because he’s wiped everybody out in so many weight classes, we care increasingly less who the opponent is. We’re hungry for the next cliffhanger in the telenovela.

Mosley, who will turn 40 this September, has been vocal about his desire to face Pacquiao. And considering that Floyd Mayweather has his own external problems to deal with and may face incarceration, the only other reasonable name out there, whether they will acknowledge it or not, is Juan Manuel Marquez. Bob Arum has done a great job of making it appear that it won’t be a good fight, and many of us are prone to believe him. But Marquez is the closest thing to a tough match-up there is, based on records after his last fight with Pacquiao.

Mosley has an impressive record of 46 wins, 6 losses and a draw, but has only fought four times in the last three years: once in 2008, once in 2009, and twice in 2010. In 2008, it took Sugar Shane twelve rounds to knock out Ricardo Mayorga for the vacant WBA inter-continental light middleweight belt. Prior to that, he lost a close 12-round unanimous decision to Miguel Cotto.

After the Mayorga bout, Mosley went down in weight to challenge Antonio Margarito for the WBA welterweight diadem, winning by TKO in the ninth round against the tall and skinny Mexican. Mosley led all the way on the scorecards. Then there was that lackluster performance against Mayweather, wherein Mosley lost by a lopsided unanimous decision. Mosley was ahead in the first three rounds, then went downhill from there. Mayweather was actually criticized for taking the fight, when he could have had Pacquiao, Cotto or Margarito, among others.

Mosley followed that defeat up with a sloppy split draw over an overweight and undefeated Sergio Mora. Mora came into the weigh-in at 157 pounds, and was ordered to give one-fifth of his purse to Mosley. By all accounts, it was a dull fight unworthy of a champion with the crowd actually booing by the third round. Granted Mosley should have won that fight if not for the disagreement among the judges, but it was far from entertaining.

The fact of the matter is, Mosley has won as much as he has lost since 2007. Does all this make him an appetizing fight for a Manny Pacquiao, or does it really matter? Do we just want to see Pacquiao in the ring again, regardless? I wouldn’t mind seeing Pacquiao fight Mosley. But would it excite me? Not really.

Now let’s look at Marquez.

After the split decision loss to Pacquiao (owing to a greatly-timed knockdown by Pacman in the third round), the Mexican has won four of his last five fights against quality opposition. First, he moved up in weight, and in his debut as a lightweight, carved up the intimidating Joel Casamayor. The Cuban was dreaded in lightweight circles, having compiled a record of 36 wins, only two losses and one draw at that point. Covering the fight for The Filipino Channel, this writer saw Marquez hardly hurt throughout, and hitting Casamayor with uncanny precision. Casamayor’s face was a bloody mess at the end of the match. Take note that “El Cepillo” had won his last five fights right before meeting Marquez, three of those wins coming by way of knockout, including a 10th-round demolition of Michael Katsidis.

Next, Dinamita faced off against Juan Diaz for the vacant WBA and WBO world lightweight crowns. It was a very close contest as evidenced by the scorecards, until Marquez finished off the former champion in the ninth round. So in his first two bouts in a higher division, Marquez had impressive wins against former world champions.

His next contest was the farce against Floyd Mayweather. Rather than meet Marquez on equal terms, Pretty Boy Floyd came in over the stipulated weight, paid the fine, and bullied Marquez. Mayweather just built a huge lead and was never threatened. But what was most impressive was that Mayweather could not knock Marquez out, though he did send him to the canvas in the second round. This was followed by a rematch with Diaz. After an even first four rounds, JMM had to work doubly hard to hammer out a close unanimous decision to keep his belts, with a swollen right eye as the price he had to pay.

Lastly, Katsidis came knocking in November, hoping to annex the WBA, WBO and The Ring Magazine belts Dinamita owned. The Greek-Australian brawler, who fought in Cebu two years ago, did his Ricky Hatton rampaging bull routine, but this didn’t faze the champion, who also fought furiously in the opening rounds. For a while, it looked like Katsidis’ plan would work, as he knocked Marquez down in the third. But Marquez also turned up the heat, and the fight was marked by many staggering exchanges, until ultimatey, Katsidis could take no more. Referee Kanny Bayless stepped in to stop the carnage.

Comparing what Mosley and Marquez have accomplished the past few years, it’s clear that a third Marquez fight would be a more exciting option for Pacquiao. There is no way it would be boring at all, as what has been presumed. But then again, fight fans aren’t in control of the negotiations. On another note, I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep Pacquiao fighting until the next elections in 2013, just to make sure he gets a higher office. Everybody’s got to make a living, I suppose.

-philstar.com

Manny Pacquiao THE GOAT or one of the GOAT?

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 10:16:00 +0000

He has won 8 world titles in as many weight divisions. He's beaten legends, and future hall of fame fighters. He's has put the sport of boxing on his back and he's become a boxing household name. What else does Manny Pacquiao need to do in order to get the title of "greatest of all time?"

There are a few names that merit the title of ONE of the greatest of all time, but who is THE greatest of all time. Some say that former heavyweight world champion Muhammad Ali is the greatest of all time. Is he though?

When you look at the numbers it should be a no brainer for Manny Pacquiao. 8 world titles in 8 weight divisions is a very strong argument. Pacquiao has done more than just win titles. He's put an entire nation on his back and he's given the Philippines hope, and something to be very proud of.

There hasn't been anyone in boxing since Mike Tyson that has come along and ignited the sport like Manny Pacquiao has. So why are some boxing experts reluctant to recognize him as the greatest fighter of all time?

Great fighters have lived in different times. Perhaps that's the reason? Is it fair to call someone the greatest of all time when they were born in a different era than another potential GOAT fighter? Well maybe, but I know this much, Pacquiao is the greatest fighter of this era by far.

Mississippians that I have spoken to about this have mixed feelings. I spoke with Justin Manning of Jackson, MS who happens to be a big Manny Pacquiao fan. Manning makes a strong argument for Pacquiao, "Nobody will ever come along and win 8 world titles in 8 weight divisions. Come on get real, Pacquiao is the greatest that ever lived, period!"

I posed the same question to James Lindsey of Canton, Mississippi. Lindsey leans more toward the ONE of the greatest of all time title, "He's definitely one of the greatest, but it's tough to title him THE greatest when other great fighters have fought in different times." Lindsey goes on to say, " Pacquiao has definitely carved his way into the hall of fame, and will go down as one of the greatest that has ever lived."

History will tell the story, and the boxing historians will debate it for years to come. Pacquiao has certainly made his mark, and depending on the person you talk to, he's either the greatest, or one of the greatest that has ever put the gloves on.

-examiner.com

Mosley: 'I'm not as slow as Margarito'

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 09:08:00 +0000

Shane Mosley said he also has in his arsenal what Manny Pacquiao has in his: Speed and power.

Four months before they square off in May at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mosley told the LA Daily News that the scheduled 12-round welterweight title fight is “more of a scary fight for Pacquiao because I can hit and I do have speed.”

“I say my punching power is always going to give me a chance,” the 39-year-old Mosley, a heavy underdog, told fight scribe Robert Morales. “The last time I checked, I have pretty good speed. I’m not quite as slow as (Antonio) Margarito and I think I hit a little harder than Margarito.”

Mosley, who halted Margarito in nine rounds in January 2009, something Pacquiao failed to do as the Filipino only won by lopsided decision late last year, claimed he won’t find it difficult to land something on lvezPacquiao.

“If Margarito can hit Pacquiao, I can hit Pacquiao,” said Mosley, who beat out Mexican counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez for the opportunity to collide with the world’s pound-for-pound king.

Fight fans raised a howl as soon as Top Rank chief Bob Arum announced just before Christmas that Pacquiao and Mosley, who will be four months shy off his 40th birthday by fight night, are going to get it on.

But Arum also told the Daily News why it was a lot wiser to tap Mosley instead of Marquez, who even at 37 years old, remains an elite fighter to this day.

“As good a fighter as Juan Manuel Marquez is, they are in two different weight classes. I saw both of the first fights they had and the bigger, stronger Pacquiao now would annihilate Marquez,” Arum said.

The first time they fought was at featherweight (126 lbs) in May 2004 and the rematch was at super-feather (130) in March 2008.

Marquez was badly outclassed by Floyd Mayweather in his lone outing at welterweight and has opted to return to lightweight (135 lbs) where he feels more comfortable campaigning and his power and movement more suited to.

Arum said Pacquiao has adapted so much to the welter ranks that Marquez would simply melt away against Pacquiao at 147 lbs.

-mb.com.ph

IF PACQUIAO-MOSLEY IS BAD, MARQUEZ-MORALES IS WORSE

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 07:07:00 +0000

As soon as the Pacquiao-Mosley fight was announced, many postings immediately started to pop-out calling it among others, a “terrible fight”. Pacquiao they said is fighting an old washed-out fighter who is well past his prime. In fact, even the guys that set the odds don’t see it as a close contest. They are calling it a 9-1 fight in favor of Pacquiao.

Well now that Marquez seem poised to duke it out with Eric Morales in April 2011, where are all those who lambasted Pacquiao for his choice of opponent?

These people put Pacquiao in the cooker soon as the announcement was made but would not touch Marquez’ choice of opponent as quickly.

Double standards?

From this writer’s point of view, the Marquez-Morales fight is far worse than the one involving Pacquiao and Mosley. The Marquez nut-huggers that accused Pacquiao of just out to make money on an “easy fight” must now be eating crow. After all, what do you think is the Marquez-Morales fight all about?

Morales last fought a decent fight in April of year 2007. The fight was against David Diaz and he lost via a unanimous decision. Yes, the same Diaz who got sent to the deck by Manny Pacquiao and later asked the scribes in the post fight presscon if anyone “got the number of the truck that run him down”. Pacquiao then fought as a lightweight.

After three years of absence, Morales staged a come back after losing 4 fights in a row, two against Pacquiao and one each against Raheem and Diaz and won non-descript fights against people like Jose Alfaro, Willie Limond, and Francisco Lorenzo.

No disrespect to those three, but none of those guys can come close to what Mosley have achieved that made him a worthy opponent for Pacquiao, his last two fights not-withstanding.

In fact, Morales’ last two fights (against Limond and Lorenzo) were so unremarkable that WBC had to create a special “Silver Belt” just to give the fights some sort of credibility and attract the attention of the fans. The promoters knew it too. That is why they held the fights in Mexico and not in the US. They may have surmised that Morales will no longer pull in enough US-based crowds thus its far better to have it in Mexico.

I say that if Pacquiao is guilty of “just out to make money with Mosley”, Marquez is guilty as well with a fight with a washed –out Morales. Perhaps even more so.

And, a fight with Morales is not exactly what Marquez needs to advance his challenge to Manny Pacquiao.

Truth be told, if Marquez really wanted to show the world that he is a worthy challenger to Manny Pacquiao and merits a second look after Pacquiao’s fight with Mosley, he should have picked Andre Berto or at the very least wait for the winner between Bradley and Alexander.

A victory over Berto, Bradley or Alexander, who are in their prime, would have added a tremendous boast on Marquez’ challenge against Pacquiao in 2011 particularly if he scores a compelling win over any of the three. Those guys are amongst the top guys in the 140-145 division.

But a fight with Morales? It’s nothing but a possible added “retirement fund” for both Marquez and Morales.

Sadly however, it may not generate enough to give both men a nice retirement. Marquez as we all know does not draw big. In his last fight with Michael Katsidis he drew less than 5000. And, who would like to see an old Eric Morales who is already “round in the middle” and visibly bogged down by the many wars he has gone through.

A Marquez-Morales fight has no attraction other than generating a subtle interest among Mexican fans wishing to see Morales win his fourth world title in as many divisions, something no Mexican has ever achieved.

A Marquez-Morales may not attract HBO enough for them to make it a PPV, that is if they would even pick up the fight.

Even if Marquez decisively beats Morales, it would mean nothing to his chances to get a mega bucks fight against Pacquiao anytime soon.

-philboxing.com

The year ahead for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 06:44:00 +0000

Manny Pacquio and Floyd Mayweather are undeniably still the biggest names in boxing today, irrespective of the fact that one has only a few fights left before retirement to a life of politics and that the other might never fight again due to his out of ring temper. But after a year that saw Mayweather fight just once, and Pacquiao begin to run out of opponents that share the Top Rank promotional banner, the year ahead looks less certain.

Before he can even consider his next fight, Mayweather first needs to deal with his legal problems and address the possibility of choosing a new trainer should his uncle Roger Mayweather soon be out of the picture. Upcoming court dates for both could conceivably mean that Floyd never fights again, or that he could be ready if not necessarily willing to fight again in a couple of months time.

At the very earliest then, Mayweather may take to the ring in the summer, if underneath it all he still feels the inclination to fight again at all that is. Who he might fight though is still a mystery to seemingly all but Floyd himself, who has not yet even mentioned any potential opponents other than during his anti-Pacquiao rant several months ago.

Amir Khan is one fighter who has been mentioning fighting Mayweather in a year or two, and while Golden Boy seem keen on the idea Khan has other fish to fry first. Presumably unifying the light welterweight division and winning a belt at full welterweight would both be advisable moves for Khan before he takes on someone of Mayweather's caliber, meaning that a meeting in 2011 looks unlikely.

Should he decide to fight again in a few month's time though, there are options out there for Mayweather. Probably the most difficult option, and the one opponent other than Manny Pacquiao that could win back the respect of a lot of the fans and scribes his recent behaviour turned away would be Sergio Martinez, which would also give Mayweather a strong claim to the pound for pound throne once more.

Martinez is the option other than Pacquiao that the fans want, but he isn't the only option. With his drawing power and reputation within the sport as one of the best boxers of his generation, Mayweather can more or less pick and choose who he wants to fight, and even with a third tier opponent would probably achieve good pay per view numbers. The potential danger to his legacy being that he chooses to take easy big money fights instead of the fights that the public want to see.

For Pacquiao, the question is who rather than if he will fight this year, and part of that question was answered with Bob Arum's holiday announcement that Pacquiao will meet former Mayweather opponent Shane Mosley in April.

The worst case scenario for Pacquiao then is that he takes what are regarded as two or three easy fights in the coming year. Not easy in the sense that the opponents are unknowns or that they aren't at or near the top of their relative divisions, but for someone regarded as highly as Pacquiao, the expectations are different from those placed on the average fighter.

Fights against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito both drew widespread criticism last year, and from early impressions the Mosley fight isn't a popular one either. Of course, given Pacquiao's exciting style his fights are always going to sell well, but should Mayweather return and take on two or three top opponents in succession the Filipino's ranking and standing in the sport could eventually suffer.

While the likes of Sergio Martinez, Paul Williams, Devon Alexander, Tim Bradley or Andre Berto might make for more interesting and competitive opponents for Pacquiao though, none are household names to the same extent that his Top Rank stablemates are. Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley might be past their respective primes, but their name recognition alone means that fights against Pacquiao will generate big money for all parties.

So for that reason alone it looks unlikely that Pacquiao will be taking on anything but Top Rank affiliated fighters for the foreseeable future. According to comments from Bob Arum, Shane Mosley in April followed by a rematch with the winner of Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito in the late summer are the current plans. Beyond this Juan Manuel Marquez might be in with a shot, although that probably depends largely on who else Top Rank can find to take on Pacquiao between now and then.

Of course there is always a chance, albeit by the looks of things a remote one, that Pacquiao and Mayweather will fight each other sometime later this year. The second half of Pacquiao's calender is currently blank as far as opponents go, and Mayweather for the time being probably has little planned other than staying out of jail.

Eduardo Silva, Pitt: "If Floyd beats Martinez he's the p4p best again, no one Pac's been fighting is close to Martinez"
Michael Salvador, Manila: "Floyd don't want Manny and he never will, he's still scared of losing his 0"

-examiner.com

Contortionist Bob Arum does backflips, cartwheels on Sugar Shane Mosley

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 06:26:00 +0000

It's no coincidence that through 43 years, Bob Arum has stood on the top of the boxing promotional totem pole, much of that with his archrival Don King being the other grand poobah.

Let's face it, Arum is a greater contortionist than the Indian Rubber Man and Mary Lou Retton combined.

The 79 year old may not practice “trickeration” like DK has but Arum put the “v” in versatile and the “f” in flexibility.

Flash back to the day after Sugar Shane Mosley struggled to eke out a draw against Sergio Mora.

Here's what Arum told me on Sept. 19:

“What I've read is not very supportive to make any Mosley-Pacquiao bout. Look, he’s going to be 40 and he’s in the lighter weights where speed is so important. He’s on a show with guys (example, 20-year-old Saul Canelo Alvarez) old enough to be his son.

“I read them saying Mosley was huffing and puffing for air in the fourth or fifth round,” stated Arum. “To me, that is the real tipoff for an aging fighter. Even Big George Foreman did that in his 40s but he always had that big, big punch like in the (Michael) Moorer fight.”

“It’s like Hopkins, he still knows how to fight but who wants to pay to see him now? His fights are not very scintillating. What you see with Hopkins we’re beginning to see with Mosley.”

Anyone reading these Arum comments would not have bet on Mosley turning up as Manny Pacquiao's first opponent of 2011.

Anyone, that is, except those who know how Discount Bob operates and how he loves to get a big name opponent, and certainly Mosley remains that, for a wholsesale rather than a retail price.

In rapping Mosley, he was just kicking the tires like a prospective automobile buyer does.

Besides, it was generally thought that Mosley wore Golden (Boy) handcuffs.

But then Mosley did some gymnastics, extricating himself from Golden Boy, and the spry and nimble Arum began doing cartwheels of joy.

Arum's timing of the less than formal announcement, which was only a surprise to some cavemen in Lower Slobbovia, that Pacquiao will fight faded glory Mosley May 7 was exquisitely timed for the Christmas break when the Top Rank honcho knew most concerned citizens would not be paying attention.

Arum confirmed the done deal to the Associated Press on Dec. 21, a day on which the janitor at the wire service office probably answered the phone.

It was a variation on the old, tried and true, public relations scheme used by politicians, priests, potentates and other poobahs forever.

When you've got bad news, negative news, let it seep out on a Friday afternoon, preferably the start of a three day weekend so that the nasty reaction will be muted and, most likely, over and done with come the start of the next business day.

Now, with Pacman-Mosley a done deal, some scribes are still hot and bothered and/or surprised how “official quotes” from the lips of Manny and the clarion call of trainer Freddie Roach have become all about what a dangerous foe the doddering Mosley is.

Conditioning guru Alex Ariza, who verbally panned Mosley as unqualified, suddenly got lockjaw.

Knowing that his Golden Boy pals rarely have a civil word about Arum and vice-versa, Mosley and new adviser James Prince jumped the Golden fence quick, fast and in a hurry. Why the Goldens held no paper, no contract, on their vice president from Pomona has never been explained.

Prince must have explained to Mosley that the terms “free” and “agent” combined amounted to a high occupancy vehicle lane pass for Shane to drive himself into Arum's waiting arms.

My advice to the critics, and I feel your pugilistic pain, is to lay back and enjoy it.

Let's keep this in perspective as it is business as usual in the Toy Department, of which boxing is a savage subset.

It's not like a church being blown up by faceless cowards in Egypt or street children in Rio de Janeiro, Angeles City or parts of the United States who go to bed hungry every night.

This is a venture, this fight, designed for your amusement and for the promoter's profit.

Consider it a Pacman triple play, instead of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, we've got runaway bride Clottey, the diminished and rusty as an old gate Margaito and, in the merry month of May, Mosley in a likely swan song.

Swans don't bite, do they? Neither did Joshing Joshua or Tone Loc.

The more kicks Arum gets now, the more he will enjoy playing the Savior of Boxing role when Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao is put together, at long last, for November.

If, as is expected, Mayweather ducks a jail stint, he will sign up for Pacman in the fall.

And then, some of those kicking Uncle Roberto's backside, will be looking to kiss it in Macy's window.

As for the Goldens, their new mission is to sprinkle fairy dust around about what a scintillating matchup Juan Manuel Marquez and another faded glory named Erik Morales.

There's been a huge public demand for that stirring matchup, at least in the Erik Morales household.

And the merry go round just keeps on spinning.

Or, to use an aquatic metaphor, what is that Arum is doing in the paranha tank?

Looks like the backstroke to me, sir.

Either that or the Mosley crawl.

-examiner.com

Mayweather never came around, Pacquiao the best fighter in the world

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 06:25:00 +0000

By: Albert Alvarez

For over 2 years now, the boxing world and even those that don’t follow the sport closely have been craving to see the #1 and #2 best pound for pound fighters in the sport go head to head against one another. To those bent on time with little patience, the over all feeling is to just drop all talks because the fight may never happen.

Wasted breath on a evaporated thought is what many are saying today. Do I want to see the fight happen? Of course I do, I mean who really doesn’t want to see the two best in the sport do battle to see who in fact really is the best in the world. But for the time being we await for May 7 and occupy our attention to Pacquiao vs. Mosley.

After Mosley fought Sergio Mora, no one in their right mind thought that Mosley would ever be in position to be in a big fight ever again. No one except Mosley of course. Mosley knew the steps he needed to take to land the biggest fight out there which forced him to think outside the box. Mosley cut a sharp corner and made a few enemies but at the end of his move, Mosley hit the powerball.

If I am in contact with Mayweather Jr., I do exactly what Mosley has done and treat this as a business move. Do not mention the fight, just step to Floyd and sell it to him as a sales pitch. It is very true that Floyd has the mighty Al Haymon as his manager, but sometimes it takes more than someone who is well connected to get the job done. All the contacts in Haymon’s army don’t have enough strength to build the bridge to get us from here to there.

One must tell Floyd that like it or not, Manny Pacquiao will remain the best fighter in the world today unless you decide to get up and do something about it. Yes, Floyd you may call yourself ”Money” but it is Pacquiao who holds the straw that stirs the drink. Manny Pacquiao is the king of the boxing world, so if you feel different go ahead and step up and knock him off. You must ask yourself this, how are you going to shine while sitting on Pacquiao’s sun?

-diamondboxing

Manny Pacquiao Better Not Pity Shane Mosley in the Ring

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 05:25:00 +0000

Manny Pacquiao is a fighter. He is ferocious and tenacious in the boxing ring, he throws thousands of punches all with bad intentions, but he seems to have gotten soft lately.

No longer is he the hungry and ferocious fighter from the mean streets who wouldn’t stop punching until his opponent was out cold or on the canvas no matter how much he hurt them, the Pacquiao you see today is a more civilized one in fact he is a politician now.

Maybe Manny has grown accustom to the finer things in life and doesn’t have the hunger he once had as a poor Filipino teen.

For those of us who witnessed the Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight on November 13 in Dallas Cowboy stadium what we saw was a man who showed pity and was merciful to his already beaten down opponent. Pacquiao carried the fight and kept looking at the referee to stop the fight. That type of compassion and pity Manny showed in the ring was not a good move by him.

The reason it isn’t good to ease up on an opponent like Margarito is because a bigger man will always have that punchers chance especially if he is a warrior who will die in the ring like Margarito. If a fighter doesn’t want to quit that is up to his corner, doctor or referee to stop the fight, the opponent is not the one to make that call.

Freddie Roach keeps telling Manny that he can’t be Mr. Nice Guy with his opponent and it’s his duty to put them out once the opponent is wounded. Roach knows that a fighter is dangerous up to the last round as long as he can still walk and throw punches.

I worry that Manny might show pity on Shane Mosley and could pay the price against a crafty, sneaky veteran like Mosley. Shane Mosley is almost 40 years old but he is still dangerous, actually, he is more dangerous than Andre Berto and Juan Manuel Marquez because Shane has nothing to lose and he is out to prove everyone wrong, that is the most dangerous type of opponent — the one that is counted out.

If Pacquiao shows mercy on Mosley and tries to carry him because he doesn’t want to knock him out cold, he might get caught off guard by Shane. Mosley will not show the same type of pity, he will take advantage of that gracious gesture and go in to take Manny’s head off with a sneaky power punch the same way he knocked Ricardo Mayorga out in the final part of the 12th and last round of their fight.

For Manny he must remember it is not his job to show pity in the ring, he is there to win and at all costs possible. If he doesn’t want to inflict lasting damage on Mosley then the moment he hurts him he must blast him out and not back away and show pity like he did against Margarito. Manny must not stop until Mosley is on the floor or the fight gets stopped by the corner or referee, because I guarantee Mosley will not show pity on the Pac-Man if he had him hurt.

Mosley wanted to kill Antonio Margarito when they fought he never showed an ounce of mercy on a already wounded Margarito. Mosley knows only to be a nice guy outside the ring but merciless inside the boxing ring. If you look at the two fights and compare Shane Mosley vs. Margarito and Pacquiao vs. Margarito you can see the difference. Mosley was throwing everything with bad intentions to really inflict brutal damage on a wounded Margarito not showing any pity, but Pacquiao would hurt Margarito a lot in the fight and then he would back away instead of capitalizing on it.

My advice to Manny Pacquiao would be: Keep the politics outside of the ring and fight to the finish inside the ring because Shane Mosley isn’t someone you can take lightly or show mercy on in the ring.

-bayanihantayo

The Steroid Debate: Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 05:11:00 +0000

During 2010, the issue of steroids became a hot topic in boxing.

For the second time, a lucrative bout between six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts) and eight-division king, Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), holder of the WBO welterweight and WBC junior middleweight belts, reached a negotiations impasse over the issue.

To test or not to test. That was the general debate.

For the first time in the sport's history, Mayweather and five-time champion, Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) were subject to Olympic style drug testing of both blood and urine by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) prior to Mayweather's unanimous decision victory in May. Prior to that, only urine had been examined in boxing.

Reportedly a past user of the painkilling medicine, Xylocaine, to numb his hands, Mayweather was defended by his adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, who insisted that the fighter no longer used the substance and that his problem had been remedied by hand-wrapping guru, Rafael Garcia.

Former Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor, Margaret Goodman (pictured below, at right), advocates that blood testing, though expensive, is feasible for boxing and included it among her15 ways to improve the sport.

If it meant enforcing stricter guidelines for boxing, USADA executive chief, Travis Tygart, told FanHouse that he would embrace the opportunity to work with BALCO founder, Victor Conte(pictured below, at left), whom Tygart once referred to as, "The Evil Chemist."

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 Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson.

Although Mosley recently dropped what had been an ongoing defamation suit against Conte, Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer, still is named in a suit by Pacquiao which seeks compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character.

The lawsuit also names Mayweather, Golden Boy Promotions president, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and Mayweather's uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, for their alleged accusations of steroid use by Pacquiao.

Acting on behalf of Schaefer against Pacquiao, and, Mosley against Conte, attorney Judd Bursteinraised eyebrows when he said, "I don't think that Jesus Christ could come down off of the cross and win Manny's case against Richard and Oscar," and, "I've already said that my dog could win that case [against Conte] for Shane."

Conte countered that Mosley's story "doesn't pass the smell test," adding "I call this the Marion Jones case with boxing gloves."

In separate posts that appeared on BoxingScene.com and FanHouse, WBA junior middleweight (140 pounds) junior welterweight king Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) publicly defended himself and Pacquiao against notions that they have been supplied performance enhancing drugs (PED's) by strength trainer Alex Ariza.

Although he no longer continues to do so, former IBF junior welterweight (140 pounds) king Paulie Malignaggi (28-4, six KOs) once espoused his belief that Pacquiao has used PED's. Pacquiao is scheduled to pursue his 14th straight win and his ninth knockout during that run in an HBO pay per view televised, Top Rank Promotions WBO welterweight title bout opposite Mosley on May 7.

Below are the some of the most quotable assertions dealing with boxing and steroids culled from the FanHouse archives.

Manny Pacquiao's statement regarding blood testing:
There seems to be concern from numerous members of the sports industry -- from writers to reporters, even other athletes, regarding why I am concerned with random blood testing.

As I have stated before, I have never used anabolic steroids nor do I even know what they look like. I view using steroids, synthetic growth hormone, or any other illegal or banned substance as cheating.

I would never cheat this sport that I love. I would never cheat the legacies of the great champions I have been blessed to challenge.

I would never do anything to cheat such great champions as Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, all of the Mexican warriors that I have been blessed to go into the ring and do battle with.

My concern as a fighter is that there should be some limitations and agreements on how much blood they can take from someone prior to a fight.

My other concern is how close to the actual fight itself can they take the blood. It is my opinion that taking blood from a person can weaken you.

I do not want to be in a weakened state when I enter the ring against any fighter. My concern has never been with someone randomly checking me with regards to blood or urine.

I volunteered immediately to have my urine tested anytime someone wanted to -- all the way up to the time I am walking into the ring.

It was later brought to my attention and the attention of my staff that you can not test for synthetic growth hormone through urine; you could only detect synthetic growth hormone through blood tests.

Before all of these blood-testing and demands from other people, I had never even heard of synthetic growth hormone. I have never seen it before nor have I ever used it.

Paulie Malignaggi (pictured below, at far right) on Manny Pacquiao:
It's a joke. The biggest criticism is, 'Oh, people know about Manny Pacquiao, but he never failed a drug test.' What drug test didn't he fail?

That is the lamest, sorriest drug test that you can give in any pro sports, is the one that they give in boxing. It's a bulls***-a**ed drug test that any little high schooler could pass.
There's so many ways to beat that test. It's a f***ing joke, man. And then, the people say, 'Oh, there should be no criticism, because, mind you, he's never failed a drug test.'

That doesn't prove anything. Anybody can beat that drug test. When he passes the tough drug test, the one that's meant to catch you, then I'll give him some credit.

But guess what man? If he passes that drug test, you're not going to see him looking like [he does.] That's a big difference in the whole thing.

If he's forced to take that drug test, and it makes a major difference in Manny Pacquiao's career performances, and he would drastically drop off in value.

People can say what they want, but one thing that Floyd Mayweather's got to be given credit for is that he forced Shane Mosley to take that drug test.

And then, Floyd Mayweather went and signed the contract to fight him. But all the people that said, 'Oh, you know what? Floyd never would have fought Manny Pacquiao anyway.'

And, 'If he [Pacquiao,] would have agreed to the drug test, Floyd would have come up with something else.' No he wouldn't have.

He wanted to make sure that he wasn't fighting a cheater. He made Shane Mosley agree to the test, Shane Mosley agreed to the test, and guess what?

We have Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley on May 1. Manny Pacquiao is in a position where you can make so much money, that some guys are going to fight him anyway.

Joshua Clottey is going to fight him anyway because he's never made that kind of money before. And if they had offered me the fight, honestly, I probably would have fought him anyway.

Because I had never made that kind of money before. But that doesn't make it right. Not if you want to even the playing field.

When you even the playing field, Manny Pacquiao doesn't even belong in the welterweight division. And you would see that if the drug tests were legitimate.

Because he would be totally out of his class fighting welterweights. Manny Pacquiao is a guy who belongs nowhere near the welterweight division. With this guy, it's so blatantly obvious, I have to say something.

Amir Khan (above, center) defends himself and Pacquiao:
It is hurtful. I am drug-tested and have never tested positive because I am so clean. I don't even drink. I would never, ever take a banned substance.

I would never cheat in sport. Why would I want to cheat in sport or take drugs? I am too scared to take something like that because I train so hard and my body is so fit.

I have been hit by Manny Pacquiao's best shot and not gone down. I have seen his speed and power and still think he is a normal, clean fighter who is not on drugs.

Manny is wary of any drugs and dislikes injections of any kind. We were in a car a few months ago in the Philippines -- me, him and [strength trainer] Alex Ariza.

I said 'Manny, when will you fight Floyd Mayweather?' He said, 'He don't want to fight me.' I joked, 'Get off them drugs then,' and he replied, 'Amir, I will never take a drug in my life.

But when Mayweather is demanding I take tests every day, it is mental and I'm not ready for that.'

Shane Mosley on Mayweather's insistence on drug testing:
What's weird to me is that everybody on his whole team, all of his security guards, they look like they're on steroids. They all look like they're on 'roids, and I don't understand it.

I mean, why does he [Mayweather] keep saying, 'Steroids, steroids, steroids.' And, you know, I notice that Floyd always shaves his head, all of the time. His head is shaved.

His head is starting to look a little bigger. You know? Maybe, I mean, he has all of these people around him that's on steroids, maybe he dibbles and dabbles a little bit.

The guy that keeps talking. You know, the guys that usually talk about it all of the time, 'Oh, steroids, steroids, steroids, oh, oh.' They're usually the ones on it.

-FanHouse

Should Mosley and Pacquiao both be subjected to random blood testing?

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Personally I don't think Manny Pacquiao is using any form of PED's, but why not just take the test to shut everybody up? I suggest that both Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley undergo random blood testing for their fight. Why not? Perhaps by doing so it can set a new standard in boxing.

Floyd Mayweather Sr in just about every interview that I have conducted with him in one way or another accuses Pacquiao of using steroids. What would he have to say for himself if Manny takes random blood tests for his fight Vs. Mosley and comes back clean all the way through?

If Pacquiao tests clean throughout his camp leading up to his fight against Mosley, what would big Floyd have to say this time? If Manny would just go ahead and do blood testing right up to fight day he would pull off the ultimate knockout. He would give the Mayweathers NOTHING to harp about.

Mosley and Pacquiao should both just do the blood testing and pave the way for a more fair and cleaner sport of boxing. Again, I do not think Pacquiao ever juiced, but he in my opinion should set the standard once again as he has already done in so many other areas, and just take the tests.

We all know the Mosley story and PEDs and Falco, so he should take the test as well. Both guys could set a new standard for the sport.

Mississippians that I have talked to about the blood testing issue are mostly in favor of blood testing for boxers. Most of the fans in Mississippi that I have talked to do not believe that Pacquiao ever did anything illegal, but they do feel as if he should just go ahead and blood test randomly up until the day of the fight. This would just shut everyone up, and it would give Pacquiao's detractors less to gripe and moan about.

In a recent interview that I did with Floyd Mayweather Sr, he once again accuses Pacquiao of juicing, and even suggests in a round about way that Amir Khan may be juicing as well.

At the end of the day the boxing fans just want to know that all of the athletes in the sport are not doing anything illegal. They want to know that the fighters are not juicing, and that the fights are fair.

Pacquiao is the greatest thing that has happened to boxing in decades. He is the face of the sport, so if he agrees to blood testing, random blood testing, he sets a new standard, and he shuts up his detractors.

-examiner.com

'Manny never complains'

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000

MANILA, Philippines - When Manny Pacquiao nearly sank to his knees after taking two vicious left hooks to the side of the body in the sixth round of his fight against Antonio Margarito in Arlington, Texas, last November, trainer Freddie Roach wasn’t worried.

“I didn’t ask him about it, if he was hurt or what,” related Roach in a recent interview, referring to his corner conversation with Pacquiao in between the sixth and seventh rounds. “He never complains. I saw him sink a little bit after taking those shots. But he got away easily. Manny did everything we trained for in camp. Did he do anything wrong? Maybe, he should’ve gotten off the ropes a little more.”

Roach said Pacquiao tries to show something new in every fight. Against Margarito, he employed a trick he introduced in the Oscar de la Hoya bout. He poked a long left to the face or body, whichever was open, stepping away to his right and his opponent’s left. It was a counter reaction to a left jab. The move worked like a charm, catching both De la Hoya and Margarito repeatedly. The execution had to be precisely timed. After ducking a left jab, Pacquiao struck back quickly with a left straight sliding out laterally to his right. Neither De la Hoya nor Margarito could hit back with a right because by the time they uncorked, Pacquiao was a distance away.

The sixth round was where Pacquiao felt Margarito’s power. Two judges Oren Schellenberger and Glen Crocker gave Margarito a 10-9 advantage in that round. The other judge Juergen Langos still awarded it to Pacquiao – the former German fighter, in fact, scored a shutout for the Filipino, 120-108.

Daniel Herbert, reporting for Boxing News (Nov. 18), said “he (Pacquiao) conceded he was hurt by a body shot in round six but whenever Antonio landed – and he mostly connected with only one blow at a time – the Filipino whirlwind slammed back with volleys of four and five punches to regain the initiative.”

For the record, Pacquiao threw 1,069 punches to Margarito’s 817 in the 12-round contest for the vacant WBC superwelterweight crown. Pacquiao landed 474, eighth on the all-time list in title fights, while Margarito connected on 229. Margarito had the edge in jabs landed, 94-of-505, to Pacquiao’s 63-of-356, but that was because the Filipino icon concentrated on power shots where he went 411-of-713 to Margarito’s 135-of-312.

Herbert noted that “on the rare occasions Margarito did cut down Pacquiao’s room (as in the sixth round), the Filipino had the presence of mind to go out of there sharpish.” He added, “in and out, side to side, Pacquiao moved and landed solid punches with either hand throughout 36 minutes that were one-sided but always fascinating.”

While a reality TV docu-series is now in the works to chronicle Roach’s life, a book is also undergoing final touches for release in May. The book is entitled “The Wild Card – Hard Fought Lessons from a Life in the Ring” authored by Roach with HBO Sports 24/7 writer Peter Nelson. The 320-page hardcover edition will be available on amazon.com and bookstores. A blurb on the book said it is “an inspiring and amusing autobiography of boxing’s greatest trainer, an ex-pug living with Parkinson’s, the most popular white man in the Philippines, a formidable street fighter and a millionaire who slept for years in a makeshift apartment within his Los Angeles gym, Wild Card.”

Nelson accompanied Roach to Donetsk, Ukraine, last August when he worked the corner of WBA welterweight champion Viacheslav Senchenko in a fight against Venezuelan challenger Charlie Jose Navarro. Senchenko retained the title via a unanimous 12-round decision to improve his record to 31-0, with 20 KOs. Roach was paid $10,000 a week to train Senchenko for six weeks and 10 percent of the Ukrainian’s purse.

While Roach’s biggest payday as a fighter was anywhere between $7,500 and $13,000, he now earns a tidy sum training world champions like Pacquiao, Senchenko and Amir Khan. Roach has gone a long way from when he worked to the bone bundling bales of hay in his uncle’s Canada farmhouse to prepare for his pro debut in 1978.

Roach, 50, is a celebrity in his own right and he’s earned every bit of recognition from media and the fans.
-philstar.com

Pacquiao enjoying family time in Japan — Koncz

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 08:56:00 +0000

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao is having the time of his life with his wife and kids while on vacation in Japan, the Filipino fighter’s Canadian adviser intimated on Saturday.

“Manny’s not even talking about boxing,” said Mike Koncz, who is with Pacquiao in Japan since Dec. 27. “He is enjoying his time with his loved ones.”

Although Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum has confirmed that Pacquiao will be facing Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Koncz said “Manny hasn’t signed the contract.”

“He is on vacation so the fight contract will remain in my briefcase until after we get back to Manila,” said Koncz.

The next stop for the Pacquiaos will be Australia and Koncz said they’ll be back in the country “on the tenth (of January).”

Although Pacquiao hasn’t affixed his signature above the dotted line, he will do so soon since there are only a few minor things that will have to be ironed out.

In fact, Arum already has a timetable in place.

Arum said a short promotional tour will take place in four key US cities sometime in February and the cities that have been mentioned are New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and even Washington, D.C. as the 79-year-old Top Rank chief is aiming to get Pacquiao with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

Since becoming big in boxing and assuming the new role of a politician, it has become very hard for Pacquiao to have his privacy with his family and Koncz said the trip they’re on has been the best that has happened family-wise for the 32-year-old fighting congressman from Sarangani.

-manilabulletin

Naazim Richardson: Pacquiao vs. Mosley is an all gladiator type of fight!

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:40:00 +0000

By: Albert Alvarez

Brother Naazim first of all let me start this off by saying that you guys beat the brakes off of Jean Pascal, so congrats on that. I realize the final tally being read wasn’t the outcome you were shooting for, but indeed was a masterpiece. Your thoughts on the Hopkins/Pascal fight?

NR- Thank you I appreciate, WE appreciate the fact that you and so many others were able to see and appreciate the work that we put on in that fight. Pascal is a strong fighter and all that but you can’t pull the same card trick on a man that has been around the block a few times.

After the 2 knockdowns especially, did you then feel that the only way out of Quebec with the straps would be for the eXecutioner to go out there and knock out Pascal?

NR- You got to understand that we were outsiders going into a very loud building. We were the visitors so knowing that he had the home court advantage we knew what we were up against from the start. After the first 3 rounds, X remained cool because X and I both knew that there were still 9 more rounds to be fought.

Exactly, I believe I gave Pascal the first 3 rounds and one other one, but from round 4-12, Hopkins put on a boxing lesson. In fact I recently saw the fight again while listening to Don’t sweat the technique, and it went perfect with the fight because Bernard’s technique was a thing of beauty.

NR- Great song by the way, good choice. There was even a time between rounds where I made it a point to tell X that we didn’t come all the way up here to come to the scorecards. X didn’t stop Pascal but X did put on a masterful performance. Pascal deep down knows what went down and I’m sure it aint sitting down with him well.

You now got Steve Cunningham next on deck in January against Licina right?

NR- Yes that fight gonna take place on the 22nd. Steve is looking good as he always does and he will take care of business. We got a little less than a month to go so everything is looking good.

Then in May you will have Mosley on deck against the beast that is Pacquiao. Your thoughts on that clash?

NR- Like I told you before, Pacquiao/Mosley is going to be a clash between 2 gladiators. People and writers out there can say oh well Mosley looked horrible in his last fight against Mora. Well Mora is no Manny Pacquiao, Mora did not want any part of Shane so Mora was out there not really fighting. Pacquiao on the other hand is a born fighter so he is gonna come to fight. Why? Because that’s what he does. Shane is also a fighter so it’s going to be a real fight.

Seems that the majority wanted Berto in there against the Pac-Man, but to me and nothing against Berto but that fight between Pacquiao and Berto is a 5 or 6 round fight. I feel Berto is not ready for a superstar like Pacquiao. Your take?

NR- Look man, Berto is a talented kid but I also agree with you that right now Pacquiao is too much for him to handle. He may not be ready to collide with one of the elites. And if Berto feels like he is ready for the elite, then Floyd is right there waiting for him. Go on and get yourself some. Berto is a good kid and you and I have talked about his fights in the amateurs against your boy Jesus Gonzalez, I was lucky enough to have seen all 4 of their entertaining fights. I even saw when Berto beat Timothy Bradley.

Berto beat Bradley? How was that fight?

NR- It was a fun lil scrap, but you see Berto is a bigger guy than Tim. Berto is a wrestler so he knows how to cut weight. But like I said, I wish Berto the very best but like I said if he wants to collide against an elite, Floyd is right there. Cotto may also be there as well.

Alright Naaz, I will let you go since I know how busy you are. But before I let you go, I want to add that Shane needs to take pointers from Hopkins because Hopkins is the king at fighting southpaws. I also want to add that I can not wait to check out the strategies that Freddie Roach and yourself will put into play for your fighters come fight camp and fight night. 2 masterminds on opposite corners. Thanks for your time.

NR- Bernard gonna definitely give Shane some wise words of advise. And I am also looking forward to challenging Roach. I’m up for the challenge. We have a lot of respect for Pacquiao and Roach, but at the end of the day we gotta do what we gotta do. Alright brother thanks for the call.

-diamondboxing

Floyd Mayweather JR Vs Manny Pacquiao: Still an Option

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:34:00 +0000

By Gina L. Caliboso

If you look at Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR’s Facebook page, there’s usually one standard pic of him standing next to piles of cash after winning a bet, or perhaps showing his courtside/ringside seats, or even a vacay pic of himself on a yacht. Take away all the cash, take away all the pics of his beautiful self, and take away the picture of the yacht.

There is, however, one constant portrayal of Mayweather these days. And, it usually involves some sort of criminal activity. It’s sad really, but as my Managing Editor Geno McGahee points out, Mayweather, with the media help and hype of TMZ, has been portrayed as the consummate bad boy. His name equates with the criminal. But underneath it all and as I’ve always said, Mayweather needs to fight and he needs to fight soon.

So, let’s take a moment away from the name calling and criminal behavior. Let’s really take a close look at the options for Mayweather as the boxer and well, the retired boxer.

Yes, boxing fans, I said it. But it’s not laced with anything malicious. Mayweather has retired once before in his career. This is all a recollection for me. He’s been on Dancing with the Stars. He’s had a stint on WWE or something? In 2009, after his 2 years off, Mayweather came back and he agreed to fight against Mexican champ Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather defeated Marquez in a 12 round UD. He didn’t knock Marquez out, but did get a knockdown in the 2nd round. It’s not a bad option for Mayweather to consider retirement AGAIN – and a comeback. He’s done it before and given that fighters always seek re-invention in one form or another, it’s a possibility he can consider.

As his Facebook shows he likes to gamble, watch sports, spend time with his kids, and it seems, according to TMZ, other criminal type activities, Mayweather should maybe develop a reality television series or two. He could develop a “Meet the Mayweathers” series or even something similar to “The Contender.”

I personally wouldn’t watch the “Meet the Mayweathers” show, but would tune in to the “The Contender.” Think about it, he can have a boxing tournament similar to the “The Ultimate Fighter” where one boxer emerges to fight against “Money” Mayweather himself with the stakes being he’d give his portion of his winnings to the fighter. Both fighters of the tournament would get signed by Mayweather Promotions and have their training expenses reimbursed by Mayweather. Stranger things have happened in boxing. Look at the Curse of the Super Six Middleweight tournament. Look at the results of the Bantamweight tournament (Darchinyan loses?).

Boxing fans are getting amped by mixing up the boxing format.

Again, in all seriousness, I still find myself interested in Mayweather as a fighter. With Mayweather’s media portrayal as the bad boy of boxing, anyone fighting against him will be placed as the good boxer. It’s a contrast in personality, attitude, and boxing style. So, if Mayweather decides that retirement and reality television show development are NOT definitive options, he has some potential opponents. Yes, Pacquiao is on the list.

Hero to Haiti Andre Berto would be a competitive match for Mayweather. As the current WBC Welterweight titleholder, Berto, boxer turned humanitarian, returned to the ring on November 27 and defeated Freddy Hernandez, with a 1st round TKO. Berto connected solidly and Hernandez never found his legs. It was the fifth title defense for Berto and a rather convincing title defense that the time away from the ring didn’t affect him at all. Berto is a shorter, but stronger fighter with definite power.

As I checked rankings in the welterweight division, I actually do like the look of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez who currently ranks #4 behind Berto. In 2010, Alvarez’s started his year with a bout at welterweight against Brian Camechis and he defeated him with a 3rd round KO for NABF Welterweight title. Following this one welterweight bout, Canelo went on to fight four more times – all at light middleweight. In May, he fought against Jose Miguel Cotto and defeated him with a 9th round TKO. Two months later, he fought against Luciano Leonel Cuello and earned a 6th round win with a TKO and also became the WBC Silver Light Middleweight titleholder.

In his first defense in September, he defeated Carlos Baldomir with a 6th round KO. Finally, Canelo successfully defended his title for a second time and ended his 2010 fight year with a 12 round UD over Lovemore N’Dou. On first observation, Canelo takes his time getting started in the early rounds, but as he settles down, manages to connect with some great combinations. But he’s still a relatively young fighter at 20.

Need I even mention the final opponent possibility? Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. The two just need to fight one another. Enough said, I think. Well, a closing thought sort of. Should the fight happen? Yes. There is great appeal here – a great buildup of suspense. Good money. No losers here. Now, enough said.

However, I will give credit to Mayweather. Although having a Facebook page showing the excess of success, Money Mayweather still manages to draw us in. Mayweather is a boxer and his antics outside of the ring really amounts to just boredom. In the ring, Mayweather has shown flashes of brilliance and a boxer’s confidence. There is simply so much more he should be doing with his talent and final stage of his career. Mayweather says that he still trains and in his episodes of 24/7, he does not allow his sparring sessions to be filmed which I always found intriguing. And, a little mystery never hurt anyone.

If this is the case, Mayweather is doing exactly what he does because he can. No matter what, boxing fans and haters alike will continue to watch what he does, tune in, hate him, criticize, judge and maybe even cheer for him. But I’m hoping it won’t be because of a reality TV show, I’d just as soon see him in the ring and have people take notice for what got him notoriety in the first place – his boxing.

-ringsidereport

Mosley Trainer Sees Upset Win

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:25:00 +0000

MANILA, Philippines — Just when you are about to count Shane Mosley out, the California-bred fighter always comes up with a huge performance, something his outspoken trainer believes will happen when the California-bred fighter faces Manny Pacquiao on May 7 in Las Vegas.

“I think the Pacquiao fight with Shane will give him a chance to do what he has done several times before,” Naazim Richardson told examiner.com.

Richardson stressed that Mosley has the uncanny ability to bounce back when people begin thinking he is about to assume the role of a cannon fodder.

“You’ve seen Shane lose to Vernon Forrest. (Ricardo) Mayorga slashed Vernon Forrest. Then Shane smashed Mayorga. You’ve seen Shane lose to (Miguel) Cotto. (Antonio) Margarito slashed Cotto. Then Shane smashed Margarito,” Richardson pointed out.

Describing Pacquiao as “a beast,” Richardson said the styles of the two combatants promise fight fans a treat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The scheduled 12-round welterweight title match will be a “barnburner,” said Richardson, who plans to bring Mosley to Big Bear, California, a training facility 7,000 feet above sea level.

Richardson is positive that after the fight, those who have criticized Mosley for being down-the-hill and too old would eat their words.

Actually, Richardson doesn’t want them to eat crow and is just looking forward to saying four little words to their detractors: “I told you so.”

-manilabulletin

Pacquiao in CNN's Top 20 stories of 2010 list

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 03:40:00 +0000

Manny Pacquiao continues to reap international recognition, with CNNGo.com, CNN’s Asian travel guide website, including his congressional win in last May’s Philippine presidential elections among the 20 stories that changed our world in 2010.

Pacquiao placed 19th in a list that included the India cricket scandal, the Hong Kong tourists killed in the Manila bus tragedy, the Commonwealth Games failure in New Delhi, Korea military hostilities, and the almost year-long Red Shirts protest in Thailand.

"The fighter of the last decade could be the politician of the next," it said in the story.

Pacquiao, in his second run at public office, knocked out Roy Chiongbian, the candidate that the powerful Chiongbian political clan chose to match up against the Filipino boxing legend for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani province in the May 2010 elections.

Pacquiao began his congressional duties in June, but requested for a two-month-long leave to train for his fight against Antonio Margarito last November.

The eight-division world champion also topped SportsIllustrated.com’s top boxing stories of 2010.

"Already boxing's most exciting fighter, Pacquiao became a global phenomeon in 2010, penetrating the American sporting mainstream like no Asian-born athlete in history," wrote Bryan Armen Graham.

Graham said that aside from winning nearly half of boxing’s 17 weight divisions, Pacquiao was also featured in 60 Minutes almost a year after being included in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.

Pacquiao also earned the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) 2009 Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade awards, and scored dominating victories against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito this year.

For winning the 154-pound World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight strap, Pacquiao became the first boxer ever to win eight world titles in eight different weight classes.

His other titles are 112 lbs (WBC flyweight), 122 (International Boxing Federation junior featherweight); 126 (The Ring featherweight), 130 (WBC super featherweight), 135 (WBC lightweight), 140 (The Ring junior welterweight) and 147 (WBO welterweight).

He is scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against former three-time world champion Shane Mosley on May 7.

– Jon Perez, KY, GMANews.TV

Pacquiao heavy favorite vs Mosley in May fight

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 03:38:00 +0000

It didn’t come as a surprise that Manny Pacquiao emerged the heavy favorite to whip Sugar Shane Mosley in their May 7 face-off at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A fighter many believe is way past his prime, Mosley will turn 40 on September 7 or four months after facing Pacquiao in the ring. He is also coming off two unimpressive bouts, against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (a unanimous decision loss), and Sergio Mora (a draw).

No wonder, odds readily tilted on Pacquiao’s side with still a few days left before 2010 ends.

The 32-year-old Filipino boxing champion has been initially installed a 4-1 pick by sports bookies in the U.S., with one online bookie even making Pacquiao a -900 odds, as reported by the Examiner.

5Dimes Sportsbook pegged Pacquiao a 7-4 favorite, meaning a $700 bet on the Filipino southpaw would only yield $100, while a $100 bet on Mosley would earn you $450.

In contrast to Mosley, Pacquiao had been impressive in his previous fights, such as against bigger opponents like Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito in 2010.

The boxing superstar dominated Clottey in their March outing at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas, scoring a unanimous decision to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt.

Then he brutalized the 5-foot-11 Margarito the full 12 rounds at the same Texas stadium on his way to winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior middleweight crown, for his eighth world title belt.

But Mosley, who is the only man in history who had beaten the great Oscar De La Hoya twice, is undeterred with his underdog tag. “They think I’m the easier fight, that’s fine with me."

“Pacquiao’s a fighter like me; he comes forward. I promise you, I’ll hit him on the chin. His defense is not that good. The guys who come at me, I knock out," added Mosley.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said promotion for the bout will officially kick off in February with a three-city press tour.

The Hall of Fame promoter said Pacquiao and Mosley are set to promote the fight in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, where he hopes to get an audience with President Barack Obama through the help of Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, the Las Vegas Senator whom Pacquiao helped in his reelection campaign in the last election.

And since Mosley will be coming from San Francisco, Arum said the official press conference of the fight is likely to be held in the same city within the Bay Area.

– JVP, KY, GMANews.TV

Phenomenal 2010 for P4P King Pacquiao

noreply@blogger.com (JH) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 03:37:00 +0000

It has been a phenomenal year for Manny Pacquiao, with the reigning pound-for-pound fighter of the world showing no signs of slowing down.

The past year, Pacquiao won two fights against two of the toughest boxers in their respective weight divisions, while at the same time earning citations left and right.

The award given by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) served as the highlight of his 15-year professional career.

Pacquiao was named as the 2009 Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade by the BWAA, an award that earned him true international recognition, cementing his place alongside boxing legends Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson.

He dominated Joshua Clottey in their 12-round World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title fight in March, winning by unanimous decision, then battered the bigger Antonio Margarito in November to claim the World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight belt.

The WBC super welterweight crown is the eighth won by Pacquiao in the same number of weight classes, becoming the first boxer ever to reach that milestone.

He won his first world title at 112 lbs (WBC flyweight), then won seven more in the following weight divisions: 122, International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior featherweight; 126, The Ring featherweight; 130, WBC super featherweight; 135, WBC lightweight; 140, The Ring junior welterweight; 147, WBO welterweight; and 154, WBC super welterweight.

Aside from being a world-class champion boxer, Pacquiao is now making a name as a lawmaker after being elected as the representative of the lone district of Sarangani province in the 15th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines.

His numerous accomplishments in 2010 landed him a spot in the Top 10 sports stories in
The Atlantic.com, a US-based media company.

Pacquiao was also included in the Top 50 boxers by Bleacher Report, a website that publishes original and entertaining sports editorial content.

Winning eight world titles while registering stoppage victories over boxing greats Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya in the process were the reasons why Pacquiao was included in the list.

Pacquiao's ring return is scheduled on May 7, when he defends his WBO welterweight title against former three-time world champion Shane Mosley.

– Jon Perez, KY, GMANews.TV