SPORTS UPDATE

Live WBN Scorecard: Prizefighter - Super-flyweights

2011-10-13T01:29:00.000-07:00

Prizefighter - Super-flyweights

Olympia, Liverpool, UK

4x3

Quarter-final 1 Ahmed Broadhurst

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Round 1 9 10

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Round 2 9 10

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Round 3 9 10

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Total: 27 30 Judges: 27-30, 27-30, 28-30

Winner - Don Broadhurst

Quarter-final 2 Robinson Reeve

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Round 1 10 9

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Round 2 10 9

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Round 3 10 9

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Total: 30 27

Judges: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28

Winner - Mike Robinson

Quarter-final 3 Haskins Broadbent

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Round 1 10 9

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Round 2 10 9

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Round 3 10 9

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Total: 30 27

Judges: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Winner - Lee Haskins

Quarter-final 4 Lyon Farrag

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Round 1 9 10

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Round 2 10 9

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Round 3 8 10 (1)

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Total: 27 29

Judges: 27-29, 27-29, 28-29

Winner - Ryan Farrag

Semi-final 1 Broadhurst Robinson

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Round 1 10 9

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Round 2 9 10

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Round 3 9 10

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Total: 28 29

Judges: 29-28, 28-29, 29-28

Winner - Don Broadhurst

Semi-final 2 Haskins Farrag

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Round 1 10 9

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Round 2 10 (1) 8

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Round 3 10 9

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Total: 30 26

Judges: 30-26, 30-26, 30-27

Winner - Lee Haskins

Final Haskins Broadhurst

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Round 1 10 9

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Round 2 10 (2) 7

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Round 3 10 9

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Total: 30 25

Judges: 30-25, 30-25, 30-26

Prizefighter champion - Lee Haskins

Manny Pacquiao looking to stage future bout in Hawaii

2011-10-13T01:21:00.001-07:00

‘Pacman’ set to visit islands after Marquez bout

According to local reports in Hawaii, WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao is considering fighting on the islands in one of his remaining four fights in 2012 or 2013 before he steps away from the sport.

The 32 year-old was slated by Bob Arum in the summer to have five fights left and with his first of those bouts being Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12th in Las Vegas, it leaves the ‘Pacman’ with two fights a year until retirement two years from now.

Hawaii News Now have printed today that Pacquiao may visit the United States’ ‘50th State’ in late November to view some possible venues for a world title bout, provided his can beat the Mexican challenger for the second time in their third meeting next month.

Pacquiao has a loyal following on the islands and is already pencilled in to meet the Mayor and attend a fundraiser at the Hitlon Hawaiian Village if the Filipino legend emerges victorious at the MGM Grand.

The eight-time champion last visited in March 2010 when he partied with fans after the cancellation of The Manny Pacquiao Hawaii Concert Celebration and is now set to return later this year.

David Haye has two months until license runs out

2011-10-12T01:22:00.000-07:00

‘Hayemaker’ has until December to agree Vitali bout

Former two-weight world champion David Haye has less than two months to decide on whether a final fight against WBC champion Vitali Klitschko is worth his while after announcing his intention to the BBBC not to renew his boxing license.

Haye, who turns 31 tomorrow, is licensed to box by the British Board until December this year and would need to extend this license in order to meet Klitschko, 40, in a challenge for the WBC title in February or March next year.

Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente has already stated that a press conference to announce the fight would have to be in place shortly after Vitali’s brother Wladimir defends his collection of belts against former Haye foe Jean-Marc Mormeck on December 10th in Dusseldorf and before Christmas.

That gives Haye just under two months to agree to what is rumoured to be a significantly lower offer than when he lost to Wladimir in the summer as the Londoner has no world title to bargain with and is in need of redemption following the failure to back up his pre-fight words in Hamburg.

Any agreed fight will take place at a football stadium with a roof in Germany and all other possible venues seem to have been ruled out by Sauerland.

Hopkins and De La Hoya preview Dawson clash

2011-10-12T01:20:00.000-07:00

BERNARD HOPKINS, WBC & Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion

"Being 46 and sexy with the body of a 25-year-old? I think that is pretty impressive.

"I can predict I will win this fight. How I win will come out this Saturday night.

"I want the best Chad Dawson on Saturday night.

"He has to come out in character and not be the Dawson that he has been for many of his fights. The name doesn't match the last three or four outcomes. When you have the name 'Bad' and you're not Michael Jackson, you have to be able to own that. They call me 'The Executioner' for a reason.

"I have no problem putting the title on the line. This is what I do.

"I don't know if Dawson is hungry. He says he is.

"The past is the past and tomorrow is unknown. On Saturday night, I want to put another page in the history book of my career.

"If I am still going to compete and be the best in the division, and part of the conversation of the best in boxing, then this fight is the next step.

"Every now and then an athlete comes along and does something different than those before him or her. It takes guts to be different.

"I don't go into camp needing to lose 20-30 pounds. I don't need to get into physical shape. I am a health and wellness guy. This is part of my lifestyle. It is automatic to me to be ready to fight. My engine is always running.

"It takes me a round or two until I know exactly what I have to do in a fight. You can't overstudy a test, so your natural instincts have to be your guide. The great athletes always adjust. I don't care what sport it is, only an elite athlete can do that.

"You have to be strong. It's easy for me to look at adversity and temptation and not even have an urge. It isn't a struggle. That isn't me. That is part of my longevity.

"The difference in this fight is that I am fighting Chad Dawson who has plenty of credentials. He believes he is the guy to beat me. I have to win to prove him wrong. The problem is whether or not he means what he believes.

"I am a pretty good dancer, but if my dance partner steps on my feet, it will make me look bad. If Dawson is ready to dance, then it will be a good fight. It could be the 'Fight of the Year.'

"I am knocking on the door of being the oldest 'Fighter of the Year' ever. I have a chance to seal that deal this Saturday night on pay-per-view.

"I always have a motivation. Something to push me to win and that motivation is to become the oldest 'Fighter of the Year.' It puts pressure on the writers, 90 percent of whom are 40 and up. I want to put a bug in their ear that I am trying to make history on that front.

"I never operate well when I am the favorite in a fight. I like being the underdog. I think that is the reason a lot of people want to watch. I am not surprised I am the underdog.

"This is a new movement in my career. Am I the underdog because of my age or because of my resume? It must be my age, because I know can't be the resume.

"I am 12-1 against southpaws, arugably 13-0 with the Calzaghe fight. I am a right handed fighter which is death to a southpaw.

"I am fighting someone taller than me for the first time in almost 10 years.

"I might have little in my favor, but I will win on Saturday night."

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President of Golden Boy Promotions

"As every fight goes by, I think Hopkins gets better and better and is demonstrating to everyone that he is going to be around a long time.

"Bernard Hopkins has faced them all. He has fought every style, every adversity. Everything they put in front of him, he leaps over. He is our bionic man.

"You have to look up to Hopkins and what he is doing at his age.

"The beauty about Hopkins is that fighters usually have one, maybe two styles. He has a plan C, D and E.

"Hopkins is able to adapt to any style. He is a chameleon in the ring and that is dangerous for any opponent.

"It doesn't surprise me that Hopkins wants to fight the best. He is the best that I faced in my career."

Manny Paquiao breaks camp today, head next to Los Angeles

2011-10-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao left Baguio city his favorite training ground in the Philippines for the final tuning and intense training in the famous Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.

Before he departs Pacquiao spar with former champion Jorge Linares, according to the insider the sparring session is really a war. Pacquiao is known to give his sparring partner free shots and he allowed Linares to hit him while orchestrating his fast footwork and jabs.

Though Pacquiao is happy in his Baguio camp, he did not reach the form he wants to be to be able to win against his fiercest rival Juan Manuel Marquez. Expect Team Pacquiao to speed up Pacquiao’s fighting form in Hollywood.

"Speed and Quickness is the Key"Alex Ariza

2011-10-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

According to the strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, there is no change of strategy for Pacquiao against his fiercest rival Juan Manuel Marquez. Team Pacquiao still investing on speed and quickness on their training regimen in Baguio city. Ariza said that it will carry Pacquiao to victory that he been using to destroy his opponents.

Though Marquez is the smarter fighter, he believed during fight time Pacquiao will overwhelm with blinding speed from weird angles. And would love to Pacquiao to make a statement by stopping Marquez this time.

Is Manny Paquiao a cherry - picker like Floyd?

2011-09-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao has been called many names. Pound-for-pound King. 8-Division Champion. Fighter of the Decade. Cherry-picker? Not really fitting for someone considered by most to be the best fighter of today. But nonetheless, the name has cropped up more than once, especially with his recent choices of aging opponents in Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez. But what is a cherry-picker? Urban Dictionary defines it well: A cherry-picker is one who chooses easy tasks over challenging ones.

So is Pacquiao a cherry-picker? Before we start our analysis, a principle we have to consider is that we have to judge the validity of Manny’s adversaries based on the circumstances before the contract was signed, and NOT on the lopsided outcome. With this in mind, let us begin our analysis to the period when Pacquiao finally became the Pound-for-Pound king. This title was given to him after winning his Lightweight championship match against David Diaz in July, 2008. Why start at this point? It’s because this was the time when he was already expected to take on the best opposition without excuse. His stature demanded it.

For his first two fights as Pound-for-pound best, no one questioned his choice of opponents. Pacquiao had to go up two divisions to fight former champion Oscar De La Hoya who was actually the favorite coming in while everyone wanted to see him face Ricky Hatton, not just because the fight was expected to be ultra-exciting, but also because Hatton was the lineal champion at 140 pounds.

But in 2009, a few questioned the choice of Miguel Cotto as Manny’s next opponent. Some would accuse Pacquiao of ducking Shane Mosley who was the number one welterweight at the time. The contention here, however, is that Cotto beat Shane in their own match. Miguel is also younger, in his prime and has a better record. Although he was beaten by Margarito who was later trounced by Mosley, on paper, both were more or less the same caliber. In the end, the deciding factor on why Cotto was chosen was that Miguel is promoted by Top Rank like Manny and more importantly, he draws more viewers in his fights. The bottom line is: Cotto was not a step-down in level when compared to Mosley. Pacquiao’s choice is justified.

It has to be noted that at this point onwards, Floyd Mayweather is undeniably the best opponent for Pacquiao. But we all know this story. We know the arguments. What I can only say about this in relation to our topic is that Manny has expressed his desire to fight Floyd and the majority believe Mayweather is the one cherry-picking. ‘Nuff said.

With Floyd out of the equation, Pacquiao was left hanging in the early part of 2010. He would eventually choose Joshua Clottey who was ranked fifth. While being number five doesn’t look too impressive, he was actually the best AVAILABLE welterweight at that time. Mosley (# 1) was scheduled to fight Andre Berto (#4) when Manny (#3) was shopping for a challenger. Floyd was #2, so the next best option was Clottey. In truth, it wasn’t such a bad match-up when it was signed. It just felt that way after losing the prospect of a super-fight with Floyd.

Next up was the come-backing Antonio Margarito. He’s freakishly huge, a former champion, and a man hungry for redemption. Compared to all the welterweights and below, Margarito was the most dangerous fight for Manny. The only asterisk in this fight was that it was for a Light Middleweight crown which admittedly, neither Margarito nor Pacquiao deserved a shot at. Still, no one in his right mind would consider this a cherry-pick. Margarito used to be the most avoided fighter in the division. I think he still would be if he fought at welterweight. By the way, did I mention he’s freakishly huge?

With Mayweather still on vacation, Pacquiao was left with 3 opponents to choose from for his first fight in 2011: Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. Among the three, Marquez was perceived by the majority as the most deserving. But in the end, the Pacquiao sweepstakes went to Mosley. The problem with this scenario is that at this point in his career, nobody was considered a major threat to Pacquiao except Floyd. Manny would have been criticized whoever he chose. Besides, the argument then was that, even at his age, Shane could easily beat Marquez while Berto was still unproven, not to mention a virtual unknown to the general public. All three had pros and cons but all of them would have been huge underdogs. So choosing Shane over Marquez and Berto wasn’t as big a deal and it definitely couldn’t be called cherry-picking.

Lastly, Pacquiao would choose Juan Manuel Marquez for his coming fight this November. Some say that it should have been then-WBC welterweight champion, Victor Ortiz but it would again boil down to the same argument as Manny’s previous options. Ortiz was unproven and Marquez was, as I mentioned, the one people wanted before the Mosley fight. Plus, there is a historical significance to this third match after having the first two ending in controversy. So this time, Manny gave in to the fans. It’s just a wonder how people can still insert Victor’s name after clamoring for Marquez just a few months earlier. So despite Marquez’s advanced age, Pacquiao’s choice is legitimate.

While I agree that Manny’s recent opponents have not exactly been stellar, it is only because the best and logical adversary is still putting roadblocks to the fight. In summary, I believe that the Pacman has still taken on the best AVAILABLE challenge since his rise to super-stardom. So no, Manny Pacquiao is NOT a cherry-picker. That title is reserved for someone else.

We are not friends, we are just rivals - Juan Manuel Marquez

2011-09-29T00:53:00.001-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Mexican boxing legend Juan Manuel Marquez has acknowledged the rivalry between him and Filipino ring icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao but said he holds no animosity or hatred towards the current pound-for-pound king.

"After 2 hard fights, there is a rivalry," Marquez told Examiner.com. "But any talk of hate between me and Pacquiao is ridiculous. We are not friends, we are just rivals." Pacquiao and Marquez are fighting for the 3rd time on November 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Their 2 previous fights both ended in controversy: their first bout in 2004 ended in a draw, while their 2008 rematch was a split decision victory for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao knocked down Marquez 3 times in the first round of their 2004 bout, and again in the 3rd round of their 2008 rematch.

But Marquez rallied both times and the fights went the distance.

Despite the close nature of both bouts, Marquez maintained that he and Pacquiao are just rivals and that there is no bad blood between them.

Marquez and Pacquiao, however, have vowed that all questions will be answered on November 12.

Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, are both aiming for a decisive victory this time around, while Marquez is also promising to knock out the Filipino champion.

Early stoppage for Paquiao - Ariza

2011-09-29T00:52:00.000-07:00

BAGUIO CITY—There’s no doubt in conditioning expert Alex Ariza’s mind that Manny Pacquiao is going to knock out Juan Manuel Marquez in the early part of their third showdown on November 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Having supervised the pound-for-pound king’s strength and training exercises, Ariza has seen Pacquiao’s development as a stronger, well-rounded fighter. Ariza now believes Pacquiao will finally be able to finish off Marquez this time. And it will come before the first half of the 12-round fight for Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welterweight crown is over.

“It (knockout) will be earlier than you would think,” Ariza said during Pacquiao’s Monday morning exercises at Teachers’ Camp track oval here.

“[Pacquiao] is more complete now. He has much more speed, power and explosiveness.”
Though Marquez has also evolved into a smarter and more cautious fighter, Ariza thinks it won’t be enough to sway the balance in his favor.

“At the end of the day, that (smartness and cautiousness) will not win you the fight,” he said.
Ariza wasn’t in Pacquiao’s corner when he eked out a split decision over Marquez in their rematch on March 3, 2008.

The Colombian came aboard Team Pacquiao before the Filipino superstar’s demolition of David Diaz in 2009 and has been an integral part of the team since then.