Sunday, 31 January 2010

Shane Mosley: "I'm going to take Floyd out!"

Shane Mosley Signs Deal To Fight Mayweather Jr.


Shane Mosley's attorney has confirmed that a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jnr has been signed by his client, with Mayweather's signature to come "in the next two days".

Mosley has agreed to fight Mayweather on May 1, with the MGM Grand Garden Arena the likely venue. Attorney Judd Burstein insists he has the word of Mayweather's lead advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, that the fight will happen.

"It's a fight people have wanted to see for a long time, but never happened for whatever reasons," Burstein told the Los Angeles Times. "Now that it's going to happen, Shane is looking forward to doing what he and many of his fans have long thought he would do."

Mosley had initially been scheduled to fight Andre Berto on Saturday night, but his opponent understandably had to withdraw for personal reasons following the Haiti earthquake, where members of his family are located. The bout has now been scrapped for the foreseeable future.

Now Mosley's attentions will turn to Mayweather (40-0), although confirmation is yet to arrive as to whether "Sugar" Shane's WBA welterweight belt will be on the line. However, Burnstein did reveal that Mosley has agreed to Mayweather's stipulations for random drug-testing, which was the reason Manny Pacquiao recently pulled out negotiations with the Mayweather camp.

Both Mosley and Mayweather have accused each other of ducking one another during their careers. This time, it seems nothing stands in the way of the latter putting pen to paper on the bout. (source: espn)

ESPN 30 Years Of Boxing Featuring Sugar Shane Mosley

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Ring Hails Pacquiao As Decade's Best


The Ring magazine has named Manny Pacquiao as the best boxer of the 2000s.

In its March 2010 issue, Pacquiao was listed on top ahead of Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, Juan Manuel Marquez, Winky Wright, Shane Mosley, Marco Antonio Barrera, Rafael Marquez, and Israel Vazquez.

Eric Raskin, The Ring’s contributing editor, wrote that “as far as we’re concerned, Manny Pacquiao is the only choice for number one.”

“In terms of quality of opposition and success across a broad spectrum of weights, nobody else comes close,” wrote Raskin, noting that in the division rankings,
Pacquiao rated No. 2 at super-bantamweight (122 lbs) and feather (126), first at super-feather (130), fourth at super-lightweight (140), and third at welter (147).

The mere fact that Pacquiao was even voted Fighter of the Year thrice (2006, 2008 and 2009) by The Ring and was 23-1-2 in the 00s, is more than enough to name him as the recipient of the accolade.

“And to name anybody else Fighter of the Decade would be unfathomable,” said Raskin.

Pacquiao’s biggest wins during the decade were those over Barrera (twice), Erik Morales (twice), Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao is revving up for a March 13 defense of his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Joshua Clottey of Ghana at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.(source: Nick Giongco/mb.com.ph)

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Pacquiao Interview With Brian Kenny -ESPN

Cotto vs Foreman Set For June 12 @ The Garden


New York City, N.Y. -- (L-R) Three-time world champion Miguel Cotto, five-time world champion Felix Trinidad and WBA Super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Yuri Foreman, the 154-pound World Boxing Association champion, will make his first title defense against Miguel Cotto on June 12 at Madison Square Garden, the promoter Bob Arum said. It will be Cotto’s first fight since his loss to Manny Pacquiao. Foreman (28-0, 8 knockouts) is from Brooklyn and has a large New York City following, as does the Puerto Rican Cotto (34-2, 27 knockouts). (Source: philboxing.com)

Monday, 18 January 2010

Berto Withdraws From Mosley Fight - Mayweather vs Mosley On May 1?


Andre Berto withdrew on Monday from his scheduled fight with Shane Mosley on Jan.30 due to family matters relating to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Berto's birthplace. He lost eight relatives and one of his sisters and family were left homeless. Berto's withdrawal would pave the way for the possible Mayweather-Mosley fight which is rumored to be on May 1st.

Is Mayweather now ready to face Mosley after years of avoiding him? Mayweather's fight with Manny Pacquiao was called off because of steroids issue against Pacquiao but Mosley used to be a steroid user. Is Mayweather a hypocrite if he challenges drug-user Mosley? Let's wait and see. -grsg03/boxlink

Friday, 15 January 2010

I'll Shock The World -Joshua Clottey


Ghana's Joshua Clottey has promised to shock the world by knocking out the world's best pound-for-pound fighter Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao, when the two clash on March 13 in Dallas.

Speaking in an interview with East Side Boxing of the USA, Clottey 35-3 (20) whose last fight was a loss to Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, said he had always dreamt about fighting the best boxer and therefore the fight against Pacman is a dream-come-true.

“Yes, this is the fight I have always wanted. I've always wanted fights like this - against the best fighters in the world,” he told the renowned East Side Boxing.

He explained: “I really want to prove my point in this fight; prove to the whole world that I am the best. I'm so happy to get this fight with the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Clottey, who jetted to the USA on Tuesday to sign for the bout, said he had started some light training, jogging in the morning and in the evening.

On who to spar with since Pacquiao is a southpaw, Clottey said he would think about it later.

“But one thing about me is I know how to handle southpaws easy. Miguel Cotto switched to southpaw in the fight and it was no problem. So I'm not concerned about Pacquiao's stance. I can handle that good.”

He commended Top Rank for arranging the biggest fight of his career. (By Charles Nixon Yeboah)

Mayweather To Face Cintron Next?


According to Michael Marley from the Examiner, Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be facing former International Boxing Federation welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KO’s) next on March 13th.

If this turns out to be the case, this would be a huge departure from the past for the 32-year-old Mayweather, who lately has preferred to fight smaller opponents. At 5’11”, Cintron is three inches taller than Mayweather and has a two inch reach advantage as well.

But even better than that, Cintron is a huge puncher, a lot more powerful than Mayweather or even Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent Joshua Clottey. If Mayweather wants to take away some of the excitement from the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, then Cintron is the right opponent to do that.

I see this as a better fight than the Pacquiao-Clottey bout, because at least Cintron can punch and wouldn’t just be a sitting duck covering up on the ropes all night long like Clottey. Ideally, Mayweather should wait for the Andre Berto vs. Shane Mosley winner to get free and then take that fight. But if Mayweather is determinedto fight on March 13th, then Cintron is a good choice. He’s ranked #2 in the WBC, #2 WBO and #3 in the IBF light middleweight division. Cintron has been stopped twice by Antonio Margarito, most recently in April 2008. In February 2009, Cintron fought to a controversial 12 round majority draw with Sergio Martinez in a fight that Cintron appeared to have been stopped.

I’d rate Cintron as a better opponent than two of Mayweather’s other potential opponents for March, Nate Campbell and Paulie Malignaggi. Cintron is much bigger and stronger than those two, and he punches like a mule. Cintron may not have Mayweather’s blazing hand speed, but if he can catch Mayweather with a big shot, Cintron can end the fight at a moments notice. He not only hits hard, but he’s much improved in terms of boxing skills. Cintron recently defeated top light middleweight prospect Alfredo Angulo, out-boxing Angulo over 12 rounds last year in May. It was a great performance from Cintron, who boxed at times and threw heavy leather at others. Although Cintron has been fighting as a light middleweight recently, he seems more at home as welterweight.

Cintron appears to be the much bigger puncher than Clottey with either hand. Clottey punches well with his left hand, but his right is weak and he has only one knockout in the past five years. That doesn’t say much for Clottey’s power. Clottey’s last knockout was against a fighter by the name of Jose Luis Cruz in 2008. His next knockout win before that was way back in 2004 against a fighter by the name of Christopher Henry.

“There is no bigger fan of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s talent than myself,” said Cintron. “But the whole world wants to see Floyd fight a big, strong welterweight, and that’s where I step in. Everyone knows I can punch and Alfredo Angulo will tell you I can box, too. If Floyd wants to prove he’s a legit welterweight, I’m the guy he needs to fight.” (source: eric thomas/boxingnews24.com)

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Team Pacquiao To Push For Catchweight vs Clottey




MANILA, Philippines – A member of Team Pacquiao revealed their plan to propose a catchweight for the March 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey, after it was earlier reported that trainer Freddie Roach said there will be no catchweight.

“We will push for the 145 [lbs.] catchweight,” Pacquiao’s lawyer, Jeng Gacal, told ABS-CBN’s “Umagang Kay Ganda.”

According to Gacal, the fight deal is sealed, save for the possible catchweight. Pacquiao and Clottey are slated to fight at 147 lbs.

“Ilalakad po natin tulad po sa nangyari sa [Miguel] Cotto fight na 145. Talagang mas malaki ang mga taong ito,” said Gacal, referring to Clottey and Cotto who were naturally bigger fighters than Pacquiao.

Roach, on the other hand, earlier said that the Filipino boxing superstar was comfortable with fighting at 147 lbs.

“It will be at 147. There’s no catchweight,” Roach told FightHype.com. A catchweight describes the weight limit for a fight that does not fall in traditional limits for weight classes.

Pacquiao will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at stake when he faces Ghana’s Clottey, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion, at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Feather in cap

Gacal went on to disclose Pacquiao’s plans for his training camp.

“Sa America po [ang training] ang plano ni Manny. Ngayong Linggo, maaaring lumipad kami patungong America.”

As for the purse split, Gacal stated: “Maganda po ang hatian sapagkat ito’y natural na mas pabor ito kay Manny Pacquiao sapagkat alam naman po natin na ang alas dito ay si Manny Pacquiao.”

The lawyer also commented on Pacquiao’s upcoming debut at the Cowboys Stadium.

“Sa sitwasyon pong ito, talagang yung may-ari ng stadium na si Mr. Jerry Jones, talagang gusto niyang makuha si Manny Pacquiao na mapanood sa kaniyang lugar. Ito po ay ika nga, feather in his cap."

“At maganda naman po ang naging offer ni Mr. Jerry Jones so ito po ay makakabuti rin sa dalawang boxer at para mabago rin ang venue. Medyo lagi nalang sa Vegas,” noted Gacal.

Post-Clottey

The seven-division champion was supposed to fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The much-anticipated bout, however, was called off because the boxers’ camps disagreed on the drug testing protocol.

“Hindi ko alam kung mangyayari pa,” Gacal said of the Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight. “Siguro kung magbabago ang takbo ng pag-iisip ni Floyd ay maaring mangyayari.”

He also mentioned that there are other plans lined up for Pacquiao if ever he wins over his Ghanaian foe.

Meanwhile, Gacal said the Clottey fight will not get in the way of Pacquiao’s political plans of running for the Saragani Province congressional seat in May.

He believes that Pacquiao’s two-month absence from the local scene, as he will be training and fighting in the US, will not affect his political campaign.

“Hindi pa naman puwede mangampanya sapagkat ang pangangampanya ng local officials ay magsisimula sa March 26. Mahaba-haba na rin yung preparasyon ni Manny sa kaniyang pagtakbo. He started almost a year ago.” (source: abs-cbn news)

Sunday, 10 January 2010

Freddie Roach: Focus Now On Clottey, Mega Fight Will Happen Someday


Boxing fans hanging on to the hope that a mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. could still happen on the originally scheduled date of March 13 at the MGM Grand are wasting their time, according to Pacquiao's head trainer, Freddie Roach.

Roach, who has worked with Pacquiao since 2001, said at this point there is no hope that the fight with Mayweather could still work on that date and that his fighter's focus has shifted to Ghanaian fighter Joshua Clottey.

"I don't think there's any hope, the deadline for HBO is past," Roach told the Las Vegas Sun today. "Manny is going to fight Clottey on March 13 and we're just going to move on."

Nearly every detail of the proposed mega-fight between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world had been hammered out except for the method of drug testing.

Negotiations hit a stalemate in December when Mayweather demanded that Pacquiao undergo Olympic-style drug testing that included random blood tests. The Nevada State Athletic Commission traditionally requires fighters to undergo random urine tests, not blood tests.

When Pacquaio refused, both sides attempted a final effort to save the fight last week, meeting with a mediator, retired judge Daniel Weinstein, in Santa Monica, Calif.

When Mayweather again refused to agree to the terms set by the mediator Wednesday night, Roach says the Pacquiao camp knew the fight was dead.

"I definitely thought this fight would happen when Manny beat Miguel (Cotto, in November)," Roach said. "Floyd had made his comeback and looked really good against (Juan Manuel) Marquez. He had a tune-up fight under his belt and he's a talented guy. I was looking forward to the challenge.

"But as we got close to the fight we could see Floyd pulling away. Bottom line is he just doesn't want to fight."

Despite comments made by Mayweather on Thursday that he still wanted to fight Pacquiao, the Filipino's camp immediately went into making other arrangements.

It had been initially rumored when the Mayweather talks began to fall through that Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, was looking at either Paulie Malignaggi or Yuri Foreman as potential opponents for Pacquiao.

Roach said Saturday tha the decision to move to Clottey (35-3, 20 KO) was based on the fact the trainer wants to see his fighter in exciting fights, something he didn't feel would happen against either Malignaggi or Foreman.

"I wanted an action fight, I don't want Manny in a boring fight," Roach said. "With Paulie it would be a blowout. Let's face it, he's not in the same class as Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Yuri Foreman is a good fighter, he's clever, but he's boring.

"I wanted Manny in an action fight and that's what we got with Clottey."

According to Roach, Pacquiao still will arrive at his Los Angeles gym on Monday to begin preparations — the same schedule the fighter was going to follow for the Mayweather fight.

Pacquiao's representatives are expected to meet with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones today about hosting the fight with Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Although Roach says the camp has shifted its focus to Clottey, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KO) remains disappointed that the fight with Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO) was derailed.

"He wants to fight the best fighters out there and Floyd is definitely one of them," Roach said. "I had been studying his style and coming up with a game plan and we were mentally getting ready for that fight. It's disappointing because the whole world wants to see that fight and it would have been good for boxing because boxing needs that.

"But we can't force people to fight each other. He has all the excuses in the world and that's just what it is."

Roach also added that if Pacquiao defeats Clottey, they would look to the winner of a fight between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto as their next opponent. That fight is scheduled for Jan. 30 in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao won't meet Mayweather in the ring March 13, but he might see him in court.

The Filipino filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather and his camp based on allegations they had made that Pacquiao used illegal, performance-enhancing drugs to help him successfully go up in weight classes in recent years.

When asked if the lawsuit was legitimate or more for publicity value, Roach said Pacquiao's anger toward the Mayweather camp is 100 percent real.

"He's really angry about it — the thing is all of a sudden these guys think they are drug experts," Roach said. "My fighter has never tested positive for any illegal substance, not even cough medicine or anything like that. I have trouble giving him vitamins and protein shakes.

"Look at his moods; he's always smiling. Steroids usually don't let you do that. Why can't people just realize he's a good fighter? All the greats — Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard — went up in weight because that's where the competition is. I know that Manny Pacquiao is clean for a fact. I'm with him every day in training camp and I know him very well. He would never do something like that."

While Roach says there's no shot that the mega-fight will still happen in March, he said he does believe Pacquiao and Mayweather will fight eventually.

In addition to a matchup the world wants to see, the fight was expected to be the richest in boxing history, with each fighter making as much as $50 million.

"I do think it will happen eventually," Roach said. "I don't think that either one of them has many other options out there if they want to keep fighting the big fights. And if Mayweather keeps gambling and living the lifestyle he does, he's going to need money again." (source: las vegas sun)

Teddy Atlas: Pacquiao's Camp Asked Mayweather If Positive Drug Test Could Be Kept Secret

Thursday, 7 January 2010

Arum: Pacquiao-Mayweather Fight Is Off -ESPN

The much-anticipated showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, tentatively scheduled for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, has collapsed, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com on Wednesday night.

"The fight's off," Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, said from Las Vegas.

The fight died after a last-ditch attempt at mediation between Top Rank and Golden Boy, which represents Mayweather, failed in an effort to determine the drug-testing protocol.

Pacquiao had agreed to move off his hard-line stance of refusing a blood test inside 30 days before the fight, but Mayweather wouldn't budge off his desire for random testing all the way until the fight, Arum said. Nor would Mayweather agree to a public apology for remarks he made accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, Arum said.

"I am very disappointed that we could not make this fight for the fans and I am angered because of the false accusations from Golden Boy and the Mayweather camp that I used some type of drugs, and that is why I have instructed our American lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit to clear my name," Pacquiao said in a statement.

Arum said Pacquiao would move on and likely fight junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman on March 13 or March 20.

The fight was to have been on HBO PPV, a sure blockbuster many believed would break the all-time pay-per-view record of 2.44 million buys set by Mayweather's 2007 fight with Oscar De La Hoya, who owns Golden Boy Promotions. But Arum said he had informed HBO PPV boss Mark Taffet that the fight was off.

Had the fight done the monster numbers organizers expected, it would have likely generated in the neighborhood of $200 million with the fighters receiving in roughly $40 million apiece.

Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy and the point person for the company on the negotiations, did not return multiple messages.

The sides had negotiated every point of the deal except for the drug testing procedures. The fighters agreed to unlimited random urine testing, but Mayweather insisted on random blood testing as well, even though the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would regulate the fight, requires only urine testing.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) didn't want any blood testing but had agreed to take three blood tests: one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would have taken place next week, one random test to be conducted no later than 30 days before the fight and a final test in his dressing room after the fight. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) would have been subject to the same testing procedures.

When they could not come to an agreement on the drug testing, they enlisted the aid of a mediator, retired judge Daniel Weinstein, who successfully mediated a series of disputes between Top Rank and Golden Boy, which represents Mayweather, in June of 2007. At the center of the problem was ownership of the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had signed contracts with both companies before eventually pledging his loyalty to Top Rank. Under the settlement, Top Rank got Pacquiao's contract with Golden Boy retaining a small percentage.

With lawyers at their side, Top Rank's Arum, company president Todd duBoef, Golden Boy's Schaefer and De La Hoya, along with Mayweather adviser Al Haymon, spent nine hours in mediation on Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif.

The sides struck a deal during the marathon session Tuesday, but it was contingent on getting the fighters to sign off, Arum said.

On Wednesday, they were back in their offices -- Golden Boy in Los Angeles and Top Rank in Las Vegas -- and worked the phones with their clients while still under Weinstein's gag order not to talk to the media.

Arum said Pacquiao agreed to ease his demands on the drug testing window but Mayweather wouldn't.

Arum said Pacquiao agreed to shorten the window for a blood test to 24 days before the fight. In order to receive a Nevada boxing license, Pacquiao took the standard annual blood test 24 days before his May 2009 fight with Ricky Hatton.

"Manny accepted what was on the table and Mayweather rejected it," Arum said. "Haymon and Schaefer tried to convince Floyd all [Tuesday night] and [Wednesday] and he wouldn't agree to it. He didn't want the fight. He never wanted the fight. I always knew the fight wouldn't happen."

The drug testing became a major issue when Floyd Mayweather Sr., the father of the fighter, made several public remarks accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs without a shred of proof. Mayweather Jr. later made similar remarks about him using PEDs, even though Pacquiao denies it and has never failed a drug test.

"When the fight was offered, Manny accepted it with no hesitation," Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told ESPN.com from the Philippines, where he was with Pacquiao. "We're not surprised. We saw this coming once they started this drug bull----. It was a way for them to get out of the fight. I don't think Mayweather expected Manny to accept the challenge so quickly."

The accusations led Pacquiao to file a defamation lawsuit last week in Nevada U.S. District Court against Mayweather Jr., Schaefer, Golden Boy president De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.

"The guys who should be most disappointed in the fight being off are Schaefer and De La Hoya because they went along with this guy [Mayweather] and ended up with gatz and a big lawsuit," Arum said.

Said Koncz: "We agreed to move the drug testing to 24 days under the supervision of the Nevada commission and Mayweather still wouldn't budge. So now what we've done is give up maybe $40 million to take a stand for Manny's principles. We will proceed with the lawsuit in an effort to clear his name and tarnished image. Even if they make a public apology it's not enough. Now they'll have to prove to a judge that Manny is on drugs, which they won't be able to do because he's not. Manny is pissed off because he feels Floyd is a chicken and because he tarnished his reputation. This is about principle. We have nothing to hide."

Golden Boy also risks losing its share in Pacquiao's contract, Arum said.

"There's an arbitration which calls for them to lose any percentage of Manny's promotional contract, something we asked for and had postponed, but now it will go forward," Arum said. "We did that two weeks ago before Manny filed his lawsuit. It's binding arbitration. Our request was for Golden Boy to forfeit its interest in Pacquiao's contract based on the fact that they had demeaned Pacquiao with their remarks [alleging he used PEDs] and that it violated the [2007] agreement between Pacquiao, Top Rank and Golden Boy."

Arum now plans on moving forward with Pacquiao facing Foreman, who won his 154-pound title on the Nov. 14 undercard of Pacquiao's 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto to win a welterweight belt. Pacquiao would move up in weight to try to win a title in his eighth division. Pacquiao already holds the record, having won titles in seven divisions.

Mayweather could also still fight on another date in March, potentially against former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi.

"We're going to talk to the MGM because they're out of a fight," Arum said.

Arum added that the fight could also wind up at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas or perhaps in Dallas, where Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a strong pitch to bring Pacquiao-Mayweather to his new stadium. (Source: Dan Rafael/ESPN.com)

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

Sunday, 3 January 2010

 
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