So-so workout by Pacquiao

By NICK GIONGCO, October 24, 2009, Manila Bulletin

Manny Pacquiao took his 10-round sparring session lightly on Saturday, prompting trainer Freddie Roach to give an unscheduled “pep talk” during the pound-for-pound king’s final workout in the country leading to the November 14 battle with Miguel Cotto.

“He was just playing around too much,” said Roach. “This is the reason why I don’t like training in Manila because there’s just too much distractions.” “I was telling him not to lose focus,” said Roach.

While things such as Saturday’s incident had happened a few times in the past, Roach still was a tad worried that Pacquiao didn’t do what he had expected him to do to his sparring partners – super-welterweight Shawn Porter and super-lightweight Urbano Antillon – before a sizable crowd at a gym in Mandaluyong owned and operated by ex-world champion Gerry Penalosa.

There were flashes of brilliance of course from Pacquiao, but it wasn’t the kind of thing that Roach wanted to see from somebody who is a few weeks away from the toughest fight of his life.

To remedy the problem, Roach said he will make a major change in the roster of sparring partners.

Porter will be retained but Roach said Raymund Serrano and Ray Beltran will be tapped to work with Pacquiao beginning this Tuesday, the second day of Pacquiao’s training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.

“Manny’s become too friendly with his sparring partners,” said Roach.

Expected to be cut are Antillon, Jose Luis Castillo, and Danny Escobar, who joined Porter in Pacquiao’s Baguio City training camp for several weeks.

Despite the so-so showing, Roach remains upbeat they can get the job done.

“As far as his physical shape is concerned, no problem. I just like him to be mentally tough and focused,” added Roach.

Pacquiao had to fulfill a bevy of commitments right after the workout but he still managed to spend some time with his four kids — Queen Elizabeth, Princess, Jimuel, and Michael — before going to work.

“I will miss them a lot,” said Pacquiao, who was scheduled to take a late Saturday night flight to Los Angeles.

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Pacquiao's sparmates: Urbano Antillon and Shawn Porter (with Porter's father)

(Image is at http://www.filipinoboxing.com/2009/09/intense-sparring-welcomes-manny.html)

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Video: "Welcome back Floyd, come take your pound for pounding"

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:ec674002-9782-4ca7-8177-0e0ed2eec2fd&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videosearch&fg=everyzing" target="_new" title="On the Mark: Pound for Pacquiao">Video: On the Mark: Pound for Pacquiao</a>

(Source: FoxSports.com)

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McCall edges Whitaker

Fightnews.com

In an interesting battle of comebacking heavyweight notables, 44-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall (54-9, 37 KOs) dropped 37-year-old longtime contender Lance Whitaker (34-6-1, 28 KOs) in round one and went on to win a narrow ten round unanimous decision on Saturday night at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Scores were 95-94 on all cards for McCall, who retained his IBA Continental belt.

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Oliver McCall

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Expect a focused Pacquiao amid typhoon turmoil on HBO's 24/7

October 23, PMSF Boxing Examiner, Colin Seymour, Examiner.com

For all the distractions that have plagued Manny Pacquiao’s training camp in the Philippines, you’re likely to find him focused on his Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Cotto as HBO’s “24/7 Pacquaio/Cotto” premieres Saturday. We may well see that Cotto is in greater disarray.

There was talk in early September that promoter Bob Arum and/or trainer Freddie Roach felt Pacquiao didn’t hit the ground running. Then Manny’s financial manager Mike Koncz was nosing around, pissing off Roach and his boys until strength trainer Alex Ariza reportedly smacked Koncz. Pacquiao’s original manager died Sept. 24. And then the persistence of a horrible monsoon season has devastated the country, necessitating Pacquiao’s philanthropy – and empathy, to be sure.

They went to the Philippines, after all, to get away from it all in Baguio, the highlands retreat where Nonito Donaire trained with the Penalosa brothers last winter in collegial bliss that offset his filial turmoil in the lowlands.

Here’s betting the turmoil up in Baguio has grounded Pacquiao. Here’s betting that Manny is perfectly aware that the Cotto fight could get away from him.

We’ll see, as you can always count on HBO to probe journalistically in a fashion that is rapidly disappearing. You can also count on HBO to understand the human impact of the disastrous weather.

As my fellow examiner Dennis dSource Guillermo put it, “Get ready for the most compelling HBO “24/7” episode ever.”

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Pacquiao - Cotto 24/7

(Image is at http://pacquiao-vs-cotto.cebuspace.com/2009/09/30/pacquiao-vs-cotto-hbo-fight-experience/comment-page-1/)

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Hernandez defeats Frias

Fightnews.com

Welterweight Freddy “El Riel” Hernandez (26-1, 18 KOs) outworked Damian “Devo” Frias (16-2, 7 KOs) over ten workmanlike rounds on Friday night at the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, Texas. Hernandez did some good bodywork, but never really opened up. Frias’ best round was the tenth, but it was too little too late. Scores were 98-92 on all cards.

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(Source: YouTube.com)

Video: Pacquiao - Cotto Teasers

(Source: Yahoo! Sports Video)

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Rankings: Pac-man back on top

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

The Yahoo! Sports monthly rankings underwent big changes in October despite the fact that none of the top-ranked fighters were in action.

Manny Pacquiao, who faces Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas in what is expected to be a high-paced bout, supplanted Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the top spot. Mayweather had a one-point edge over Pacquiao in September, but Pacquiao climbed past him by five points in October.

Three fewer voters participated in the voting in October than did in September and that appeared to help Pacquiao. Pacquiao received 13 of the 25 first-place votes from the elite panel of boxing writers, with Mayweather picking up the other first-place 12 votes.

The difference turned out to be that all of those who did not vote for Pacquiao as No. 1 had him as No. 2. However, Mayweather had nine second-place votes, two third-place votes and one fourth.

That dropped him from the top spot and into second place.

Bernard Hopkins, who last fought on Oct. 18, 2008, when he routed Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City, N.J., also tumbled. Though Hopkins hasn’t fought in more than a year, he was ruled eligible to be voted upon since he has a Dec. 2 fight scheduled against Enrique Ornelas.

But some voters expressed disappointment with Hopkins’ choice of a tune-up opponent as well as his planned 2010 fight against Roy Jones Jr. and either dropped him totally from their top 10 or dropped him in the list. READ MORE

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Floyd and Manny

(Image is at http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/9/18/1036080/top-rank-says-theyll-talk)

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Majority of boxing writers say Manny Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound

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Klitschko wary of unbeaten Johnson ahead of WBC heavyweight title bout

Graham Dunbar, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Yahoo! Sports

BERN, Switzerland - Vitali Klitschko thinks that Kevin Johnson has all the makings of a champion, even predicting that the American will eventually win a world title. He just doesn't think it will happen on Dec. 12.

Klitschko will make his third defence this year against the unbeaten Johnson in the Swiss capital of Bern, a major opportunity for a fighter who had planned to be on a small pay-per-view show in New York until learning he'd have the chance to fight for the WBC belt.

"You will be world champion - in the future," Klitschko told Johnson Friday, during a news conference at PostFinance Arena. "I saw your eyes and I know you trust yourself. I trust myself. Let us see who is better."

Asked if the 30-year-old Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs) could defeat him, Klitschko said: "Yes, he can. It will not be easy for me. I am more than sure that it will be a real battle."

Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) stopped Cris Arreola in the 10th round in Los Angeles last month for the American's first loss. The fight was a brutal example of how far Klitschko and his brother Wladimir are above just about every other heavyweight. READ MORE

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Klitschko vs Johnson

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Pavlik recounts summer of misfortune that put middleweight champ's life in peril

Dave Skretta, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Yahoo! Sports

NEW YORK - Kelly Pavlik's life was in peril.

An allergic reaction to medication had caused the middleweight champion's temperature to soar past 40 C, and his heart rate to 150 beats a minute. When he was finally admitted to the hospital, the sweat was pouring off his body, which had turned shades of red and purple.

An infectious diseases specialist at the Cleveland Clinic told his father, Mike Pavlik, that the 27-year-old fighter had better keep fighting. The outlook was grim.

"I'm not a medical man," Mike Pavlik said, "but he was really close to the edge that day."

What began as a small staph infection on the knuckle of his left hand, where Pavlik had received a cortisone injection, had somehow spiralled to this: A strapping young man who makes his living relentlessly pushing his body to the extreme was bedridden, his wife Samantha keeping vigil over him while doctors figured out what went wrong. READ MORE

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Kelly Pavlik

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Video: Pacquiao trains at Luneta before flying to US

(Source: YouTube.com)

Roach’s wants Pacquiao to start aggressively

Cebu Daily News

MANILA — The world's best boxing trainer wants Manny Pacquiao to start aggressively when he battles Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 for the latter’s WBO welterweight belt.

Roach told writers at the SCOOP Forum at the Kamayan Restaurant yesterday that, “Manny needs to start aggressive, strong and fast so that he'll make Cotto remember the beating he got from Antonio Margarito.”

Cotto is a notoriously slow starter and Roach said that there is a window of opportunity in the early minutes to catch him cold. They have prepared for two different Cottos – the boxer and the puncher. But Roach feels Cotto cannot counter like Juan Manuel Marquez and change styles in six weeks. “If he gets hit, he'll fight.”

Roach also said that he has forbiden Pacquiao from playing basketball. “Four weeks before the fight...No basketball,” Roach said.

Team Pacquiao will leave for the US on Saturday and Roach believes it will take 10 days for Pacquiao to adjust to the jet lag. He will be getting two new sparring partners in Los Angeles – Rey Beltran and Rey Serrano. Roach said that Pacquiao has a tendency not to beat up his sparmates once he gets too familiar with them and he gets bored.

Pacquiao is now at 146.5 lbs. and has to drink protein shakes which he hates to keep his weight up. When asked if Pacquiao will sue Floyd Mayweather, Sr because of his statements accusing Manny of steroid use, Roach replied, “We'll let it slide. Who listens to them anyway?” correspondent Rene Bonsubre

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Cotto against Margarito

(Image is at http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119560)

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Video: Golota - Adamek Weigh-in

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Mayweather Ducking Elite Welterweights

BoxingBulletin.net

After his lopsided win over the smaller Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., should be picking on someone his own size. There are many welterweight mainstays calling out his name. For instance, Shane Mosley has been very vocal, even becoming confrontational, on his ill intentions towards Mayweather.

This begs the question: Why would someone, claiming to be the best in the world, back out from legitimate contenders?

Aside from Mosley, there are two other elite fighters who would be perfect for Mayweather inside the ring: Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. For Mosley, Cotto and Pacquiao, one word perfectly describes their status as professional boxers: Elite.

The problem of being an elite boxer, particularly a welterweight, is that Mayweather tends to shy away from you. It is as if he didn’t even hear you call out his name for a fight. Mosley, for instance, has been repeatedly dismissed by Mayweather despite numerous challenges.

It is very unlikely for this self-proclaimed best boxer in the world to duck all these legitimate contenders and ignore their calls for a fight. HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF THE BEST BOXER IN THE WORLD IF YOU WON’T EVEN FACE A GENUINE TEST OF YOUR SKILLS?

Instead of taking the fight with these elite welterweights, Mayweather took on smaller guys . . . guys like Marquez. And the trend doesn’t stop there. A lot of talks have been circulating around the boxing world that a certain red-headed Mexican is within Mayweather’s radar.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer talked to BoxingScene.com:

“There is a young fighter, 19-years-old. All of Mexico is talking about him. And he is filling up 10,000 people in venues in Mexico. He is fighting at 147; he’s undefeated. He’s a red head, a red head Mexican. They call him ‘Canelo,’ cinnamon head – Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. He would like nothing better than to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. You put Saul Alvarez in with Floyd Mayweather and you put it in Aztec Stadium – you sell 100,000 tickets. The guy [Alvarez] on his own sells 10 to 20,000 tickets. Floyd Mayweather is a big event fighter.”

There is no confirmation yet as to whether this fight will push through.

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Mayweather lifts Asiku for Nov. 6 fight

The New Vision

A training stint with boxing icon Floyd Mayweather has boosted Jackson Asiku ahead of his world title fight against Mexico’s Heriberto Ruiz on November 6.

“I’m in great shape. The Mayweather camp in the United States was a real boost to my preparations,” said the Ugandan boxer from his base in Perth, Australia.

Asiku not only trained with Mayweather, but was also at the ringside as the five-time world champion outclassed Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

“It was a great learning experience to be in the presence of such a superstar,” Asiku added.

“I definitely got some tips that will be of great help in the upcoming fight.”

Asiku 25 (13kos) 3-0, will take on the vastly experienced South American in Sydney, Australia . Ruiz has in 42 wins knocked out 24 of his opponents.

The 32-year-old, who has lost eight times, is a former IBF Inter-Continental and WBC FECEMBOX bantamweight champion.

Asiku has been fine-tuning at Harry’s Gym in Perth, Australia, where he is managed by Craig Christian.

The fight comes as a great boost for Asiku, who last year looked on in frustration as two title opportunities failed to materialise.

An IBO title fight against South African Thomas “The Rock” Mashaba failed to take off due to promotion problems.
An even bigger title chance also went to waste. This was after WBA champion Chris John mysteriously backed out of a title defense against Asiku.

Asiku last fought in May when he defeated Australian Junmar Dulog.
He has held the WBO Asia Pacific, Africa Boxing Union, Commonwealth and IBF Australasian featherweight titles.

Asiku, 31, is out to emulate fellow Ugandan world champions Ayub Kalule, Boza Edwards, John “The Beast” Mugabi and Kassim Ouma.

Ouma was the last Ugandan to win a world crown. He grabbed the IBF light middleweight crown after beating American Verno Phillips in 2004. But he lost the title the following year.

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Jackson Asiku

(Image is at http://www.showbiz.com.au/goldengloves/golden_gloves_boxers.html)

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Pacquiao flies to Los Angeles

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10/24/2009

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao leaves for Los Angeles today (Saturday) with trainer Freddie Roach rating the pound-for-pound champion in “90 percent” shape as he hunts for Miguel Cotto’s welterweight crown on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

“Manny is 90 percent now,” Roach told reporters during the Scoop forum on Friday. “We have handled the distractions very well.”

Pacquiao will head to Los Angeles weighing 146.5 pounds, just 1½ lb above the catch weight of the fight with still several training days ahead of him.

“I have to feed Manny five times a day in training camp to keep his weight on purposely,” Roach said. “He has to drink three protein shakes a day. He hates the protein shakes.”

Roach expects Pacquiao to be only 140 lb during the weigh-in and says the boxer could way 148 or 149 lb during the fight—which will be for Cotto’s WBO welterweight belt.

Roach also warned that he’ll call the fight off if Cotto comes in beyond the regular welterweight limit of 147 lb.

“Our limit for Cotto is just 147 lb [if he’s overweight],” Roach said. “There’s no fight if he weighs beyond that. Cotto will be assessed a $1-million penalty for every pound overweight.”

Roach plans to sic Pacquiao on Cotto in the early rounds, noting that the Puerto Rican star is prone to slow starts and has fallen early in the bout several times during his career.

“The thing is I feel that if we go after him and pressure him right away we can get him out of there,” Roach said. “If you see his tapes, he’s been hurt in the first round at least seven times he’s been down a couple of fights.”

Cotto is listed as the underdog in the match, with betting lines listing Pacquiao a -250 favorite and his opponent a +190 underdog. This means that a $100 bet on Cotto can win $190, while to win $100 on Pacquiao, one would have to be $250.

But speaking from Tampa, Florida, Cotto trainer Joe Santiago said that he is confident his ward will pull off the year’s biggest upset.

“When that night comes and he wins, everyone will know that Puerto Rico does have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” said Santiago. “Cotto is the first true welterweight that [Pacquiao] will have fought. He is young and still in his prime so that is what Pacquiao will face.” Francis Ochoa, AFP

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