Schaefer Eyes MGM for Mayweather-Pacquiao, Angers Arum -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was just sitting down to a dinner party with friends on his 78th birthday Tuesday evening when he received a call from Golden Boy Promotions' Chief, Richard Schaefer, that made him none too happy.

Arum, Schaefer and HBO Sports President, Ross Greenburg, were scheduled to leave Wednesday for Arlington, Texas, to meet and tour with The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium owner, Jerry Jones, who was bidding to host the March, 13 megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

But Schaefer, acting on Mayweather's behalf, was calling to scuttle the trip.

"I can't figure it out. Richard Schaefer called me Tuesday night. I was getting ready for a party. And he told me that he wasn't going to Dallas," said Arum, whose party was taking place at his home in Las Vegas. "I said, 'Why?' And he said, 'because I don't want to do the fight in an outdoor stadium.'"

The story was first reported by Michael Marley of Examiner.com out of New York.

Arum said that he tried to explain that the Cowboys' $1.2 million, 100,000 capacity facility has a retractable cieling that protects against rain.

"I told him that's not a problem, because the stadium is not outdoors. There's a roof that closes it up. But he says, '**** it,' I'm not going to Texas," said a frustrated Arum -- this after having flown 15 hours to the Philippines last week to meet with Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts), and his adviser, Michael Koncz, who agreed in principle to the terms of a deal to fight Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs).

"I mean, Jerry Jones made a huge effort to do this fight. He put together these numbers and so forth, and I think that he was going to make a great, great offer. How can you not go and sit with the man?," asked Arum.

"So Ross called Jerry and explained the situation to him," said Arum. "With Schaefer not going to go, what were we going to talk about?"

And, apparently, Schaefer said that venues at The NFL's Atlanta Falcons' Georgia Dome, The New Orleans Superdome, and, even Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center, as well as a 30,000-seat outdoor stadium that is being constructed in Las Vegas are all out of the question?

"Schaefer sent me a new draft of the contract and he says to me that it has to be at the MGM Grand. Why? So, Schaefer is not considering anything. Now you ask yourself why? What's his agenda?" asked Arum.

"All that I'm saying is that you can tell from my voice that I am really ****** off," said Arum. "And I am really embarrassed, and I don't want my fighter to be short--changed."

Arum also said that a $20 million offer from The Staples Center -- site of Israel Vasquez-Rafael Marquez IV -- was not a feasible bid "because California has state income taxes" that the fighters would have to pay, and Nevada does not.

The Staples Center offer was reported by The Los Angeles Times.

When Schaefer was first announced as Mayweather's representative, Arum was optimistic. For together, they had worked out many lucrative bouts in the past.

"I think that they've [Mayweather] indicated that that's [Schaefer] who they want to negotiate with me," said Arum. "And, if that, in fact, turns out to be the case, then the best chance we have of getting the deal done is if Richard Schaefer's on the other side."

Schaefer and Arum have successfully pulled off such matchups as Pacqauiao's fights opposite Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley, Barrera-Erik Morales, De La Hoya-Fernando Vargas, Mosley-Antonio Margrito, and Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik.

"In the last five years, we've done so many big fights together, and in the process, we've developed a mutual respect for each other," said Schaefer at the time.

"So, I think Bob likes to work with us, and we like to work with him," said Schaefer. "Let the people behind the scenes do their job, and hopefully, we are going to be successful putting that together."

Asked if this was the first snafu he has had with Schaefer, Arum said, "Absolutely."

For the record, Mayweather is 6-0, with two knockouts at MGM, while Pacquiao is 3-1-1, with three knockouts.

Mayweather has decisioned Gregorio Vargas, Jose Luis Castillo, De La Hoya, and, Marquez at MGM, and KO'd Diego Corrales and Hatton there.

Pacquiao has stopped De La Hoya, Hatton, and Cotto, at MGM, and drawn with Marquez, and lost to Morales there.

"As far as the venue, Manny and I have no problem with Las Vegas. We get treated very well there by the people that live there, and the hotel accomadations are fabulous," said Koncz.

"We've fought five fights at the MGM, so Manny doesn't have any problem with that," said Koncz. "The venue is no big deal to us. We've fought in Vegas the last what, how many fights? It makes no difference if we're in Vegas or Dallas."

Koncz also continued to deny reports that Pacquiao has signed a contract consenting to the terms, although the Filipino star "certainly has agreed in principle."

"They can report whatever they want, but that's the fact of the matter. I've already addressed that issue," said Koncz. "As far as we're concerned, it's a done deal, and it's only a minor formality to sign a document on our part."

As far as the venue, "I think that that's an internal thing between Arum and Schaefer, and rightfully so," said Koncz. "I heard that Schaefer called late last night and canceled the trip in the morning, which is, perhaps, not the most professional way to do it."

Schaefer has said that he would not comment publicly on anything having to do with the on-going negotiations. But he told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, "This is a fight our side wants and we are working very hard to finalize it."

"The next time you hear from us is when we have a signed deal or the negotiations have fallen apart," said Schaefer. "I want to get a deal done, and once a deal is done, then we will be available for comments. Until then, there is no comment from our side."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Ricky Hatton wants an 'absolute war of a fight' upon return to the ring -- Guardian.co.uk

By Kevin Mitchell, Guardian.co.uk

Ricky Hatton has said that if he returns to the ring, he wants "an absolute war of a fight" – but implies it will be a one-off, against either Oscar De La Hoya or Juan Manuel Márquez.

Hatton arrived in Australia yesterday on a promotional tour and told reporters: "The manner in which I ended my defeat [to Manny Pacquiao in May] is not really the way I would like to bow out. I'd like to bow out like Kostya [Tszyu did against Hatton in 2005] in an absolute war of a fight, a wonderful fight with great sportsmanship."

Hatton's spokesman, Paul Speak, told the Guardian earlier in the week the semi-retired former world champion would announce his plans in February; Hatton told the Sydney media he would decide over the new year.

The 31-year-old said earlier in the week that Amir Khan was not in his plans "at the moment", leaving the door open for a mega-fight between the two later in 2010 – although he seems torn between a big, one-fight comeback and a Khan showdown after a warm-up.

Hatton is in Australia for four days promoting his Cardio Boxing equipment. "There's some great fighters out there," the Sydney Morning Herald reported him as saying. "You've got Anthony Mundine and obviously [Danny] Green has just had that fantastic win against Roy Jones. So you can see the talent that is here in Australia. It just needs that one guy to be a little bit of a superstar and I think it will take off. I think there's a lot of potential in Australian amateur boxing and that's why I'm here."

Source: guardian.co.uk

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Roach: Floyd fight most difficult for Pacquiao -- GMA News

GMA News

Trainer Freddie Roach admitted that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will present the most difficult fight for his prized ward Manny Pacquiao and so he will prepare a tactic meant to lure the highly-defensive American into getting within striking distance of the Pacman’s haymakers.

"It's a difficult fight; it's the most difficult style for us to go against because he (Mayweather) is a runner and a counter puncher," Roach said in an interview with 8Count News.com.

As such, he said it will be imperative for them to adjust their usual fight plans that proved successful against known bangers like Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and even Oscar dela Hoya.

"We will go to camp and we will make some changes, we will set traps for this guy," he told Brad Cooney of 8CountNews.

"This is completely opposite of the Cotto fight, opposite of the Hatton fight and opposite of the De La Hoya fight. We will come up with a new game plan, a 10-week camp, and some changes. We will work on setting traps and taking Floyd's speed away from him," Roach added.

Pacquiao has had some difficulty against counter-punchers, as illustrated by his two close contests with Juan Manuel Marquez.

The Filipino ring icon fought Marquez to a controversial draw despite scoring three knockdowns in the first round of their May 2004 tussle for the WBA and IBF featherweight crowns and nailed a close split decision in their March 2008 rematch for the WBC super featherweight title.

Still, Roach believes it’s offense that will prevail in a showdown between an aggressor and a defensive-minded rival.

"We will get in shape and we will try to make it as exciting as possible. Floyd is not an offensive guy, he's a very defensive fighter, but defense doesn't win fights, offense does. We will excel in those areas and we can match his hand speed," Roach said.

The outspoken trainer described the much-anticipated bout as a battle of the best fighters today.

"It's the best fighting the best right now. People can say what they want (about Mayweather), but he's very good at what he does. He's not an exciting fighter, but he's good at what he does. Let's face it, he's never been beat. We are going to come up with a great game-plan, I know my guy can do it (beat Mayweather)," he said.

According to Roach, Pacquiao will once again train in the Philippines for the first half of his training camp and wind up in Los Angeles, like he did in the build-up for the Cotto bout.

Negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather – touted to make a killing at the pay-per-view buys – have significantly progressed as both ring superstars have agreed in principle to fight on March 13.

Roach said the two parties have also consented on the purse split, the weight to be fought and the size of gloves to be used, although he did not give specifics.

The venue, meanwhile, is still up in the air. - GMANews.TV

Source: gmanews.tv

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8CN Freddie Roach Exclusive! " We signed the contract" -- 8CountNews.com

By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews.com

8CountNews just spoke with Freddie Roach and got an update on the status of the super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Roach informs 8CN that Manny has signed the contract, and they are waiting for Mayweather to sign his. Roach confirms that both fighters have agreed on the purse money, and the glove size. Freddie also confirms that Dallas, Texas is in the running as a possible venue spot for the fight. Don't miss what else Freddie Roach had to say in this exclusive 8CN interview.

8CN - Freddie, thanks for joining us. Can you give us a status update on the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr fight?

FR - Everything looks good. We have agreed on the glove size, and the weight. I talked to Arum, Dallas wants the fight, MGM wants the fight, Yankee Stadium wants the fight, so it's just trying to find out where the venue is. The fight looks good.

8CN - Do you think at this point anything can snag it, or throw this fight off of the tracks?

FR - Well anything is possible with Floyd Mayweather involved, but we signed our contract and that's all I care about. There is nothing that I can do about the other guy. I don't know if they officially signed, but we have.

8CN - Have you heard anything about New Orleans being a possible venue for the fight?

FR - I haven't heard that, but I am sure Bob Arum is looking everywhere possible.

8CN - Talk about the match-up. How does Manny match up against Floyd?

FR - It's a difficult fight, it's the most difficult style for us to go against because he is a runner and a counter puncher. We will go to camp and we will make some changes, we will set traps for this guy. This is completely opposite of the Cotto fight, opposite of the Hatton fight, and opposite from the De La Hoya fight. We will come up with a new game plan, a 10 week camp, and some changes. We will work on setting traps and taking Floyd's speed away from him.

8CN - Many of Mayweather's detractors accuse of him cherry picking his opponents and fighting smaller guys. You are an ex fighter, and the best trainer in the world. How do you answer his critics?

FR - It's the best fighting the best right now. People can say what they want, but he's very good at what he does. He's not an exciting fighter, but he's good at what he does. Let's face it, he's never been beat. We are going to come up with a great game-plan, I know my guy can do it. We will get in shape and we will try to make it as exciting as possible. Floyd is not an offensive guy he's a very defensive fighter, but defense doesn't win fights, offense does. We will excel in those areas, and we can match his hand-speed. Mayweather is very clever, it's a challenge for both men.

8CN - Will you train in PI and in USA again?

FR - Yes one month in PI and one in Los Angeles. I have no problem with that.

8CN - And just to confirm, March 13th is the date?

FR - March 13th is the date, that's not going to change.

Source: 8countnews.com

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Roach: Manny inks deal to fight Mayweather -- philstar.com

By Dino Maragay, philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao has officially signed on to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what could be the biggest and richest fight in boxing history, the Filipino ring icon’s trainer said today.

Speaking to 8CountNews, Freddie Roach confirmed that his ward has indeed placed his signature on the fight contract, adding that the bout will be held on March 13.

“March 13th is the date, that's not going to change,” he told 8CountNews.

The multi-awarded trainer said that with Pacquiao inking the deal, it is now up to Mayweather to complete his end the deal.

“Well anything is possible with Floyd Mayweather involved, but we signed our contract and that's all I care about. There is nothing that I can do about the other guy. I don't know if they officially signed, but we have,” Roach said.

The bespectacled trainer added that among the things that the Pacquiao camp has agreed on were the glove size to be used and the weight class on which the fight would be held. He, however, did not provide further details.

“Everything looks good. We have agreed on the glove size, and the weight. I talked to (Pacquiao’s promoter Bob) Arum, Dallas wants the fight, MGM wants the fight, Yankee Stadium wants the fight, so it's just trying to find out where the venue is. The fight looks good,” Roach said.

And with the fight now closer to being finalized, how does Roach see Pacquiao matching up against Mayweather?

“It's a difficult fight, it's the most difficult style for us to go against because he is a runner and a counter puncher. We will go to camp and we will make some changes, we will set traps for this guy. This is completely opposite of the (Miguel) Cotto fight, opposite of the (Ricky) Hatton fight, and opposite from the (Oscar) De La Hoya fight. We will come up with a new game plan, a 10 week camp, and some changes. We will work on setting traps and taking Floyd's speed away from him,” he explained.

A Pacquiao-Mayweather bout would pit two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in their primes. It is expected to shatter existing pay-per-view records, with both fighters having proven themselves to be mammoth box-office draws.

Source: philstar.com

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Staples Center offers $20 million to host Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight -- Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Staples Center has made a guaranteed $20-million offer to host the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. mega-fight that has been verbally agreed to be fought March 13.

"This is the biggest boxing event ever, and we're prepared to step up in a big way," said Dan Beckerman, AEG's chief financial officer. Beckerman said his pitch to Mayweather promoter Richard Schaefer and Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum is to "activate the entire L.A. Live campus" on fight week.

New J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels would serve as media headquarters, a fan-fest would be staged at Nokia Plaza, a large closed-circuit audience could watch the bout at Nokia Theatre and 20,000 would fill Staples Center, Beckerman said.

"We know there's interest in this fight across the world, but we're very interested and honored to make the most impressive offer possible," Beckerman said. "It's our biggest guarantee ever, and we hope it wins the day. We wanted to push as far and as hard as we could."

Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, which counts AEG as a partner, declined to immediately comment on any site deals. He canceled a planned trip to tour Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday, but declined to explain why, other than repeating he was busy working to finalize the fight deal.

One of the barriers to staging the bout in California, promoters say, are the state taxes required from the boxers -- payments not required in Nevada and Texas.

"That's certainly a factor in the overall economics, and one thing we'd have to overcome," Beckerman said.

Staples has at least won the right to stage another fight of interest, the fourth chapter between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, on May 22, Beckerman said.

The classic trilogy had two fights at AEG's Home Depot Center, with both bouts won by Huntington Park's Vazquez.

"That's a great L.A. fight and the fourth installment appropriately needs to step up to the bigger venue," Beckerman said.

-- Lance Pugmire

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

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The Way I See It: What Could Be -- 411mania.com

By Joe Roche, 411mania.com

This week we're going to delve into what could possibly make Mayweather-Pacquiao even more interesting.

It appears all but certain that on March 13, 2010 Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior will meet at 147 pounds, with a 50/50 split of the purse in what ultimately has the chance to be the single biggest boxing event in decades. The only problem with the proposed Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown may be that the fight is too much of a good thing. There isn't a fight fan in the world who will miss Pacquiao-Mayweather, it won't matter that it'll cost us $65 dollars in HD, or that tickets to the live fight (regardless of where it's held) will be astronomical, because this will be the fight of the millennium (not a huge bragging point in 2010 but still), and no boxing fan will miss out. Which raises what I am calling "the fear" and "the fear" is that all parties involved know they've got a cash cow on their hands with the main event, so us fans who pride ourselves on watching the entire fight card will be left with an underwhelming bunch of prospects, never-was fighters and nobodies killing time before Pacquiao and Mayweather take center stage.

The Way I See It: Promoters love to take advantage of the consumer. This isn't something that is sacred to boxing – it happens throughout all of our society. If someone can charge (and get) a price for something then they're not about to provide that same service for free (or better). It just so happens though that I'm not the "everything else" columnist for 411mania.com I'm a boxing columnist so that's the angle I take on this situation.

One of the worst examples of this problem is the "major" boxing pay per view, and particularly the Manny Pacquiao headlined boxing pay per view. When Pacquioa's last fight was announced against Miguel Cotto everyone knew that the main event was going to be a HUGE draw for boxing fans. The undercard was really an after thought, but for people paying upwards of $65 bucks for the event it'd be nice to have a reason to care about what was happening before midnight on the east coast. Bob Arum, the top dog at Top Rank promised everyone a stacked undercard full of great fights that could all challenge the main event for fight of the night. Edwin Valero and Humberto Soto was floated out there for a long time – a great fight that I think everyone in the boxing community would have loved to see, unfortunately due to visa issues that fight never happened. Did Top Rank replace that highly anticipated fight with another solid fight for the undercard?

Nope.

Instead Bob Arum just went along like nothing happened, gave us the pre-requisite three match undercard and Manny Pacquiao main event, took our money and whistled to the bank. Of course there are a lot of people who don't mind plucking down $65 for a Pacquiao pay per view because hell you get to see Manny Pacquiao, but that's not really the point. The fact is that for $65 you received from Bob Arum, a cut shortened meaningless fight that had the potential to be great, a blown up fighter who didn't care defending his belt against a guy who did all he could to salvage the night, and a completely useless son of a legend who looked completely pedestrian in beating a guy who was only brought to the ring to eat a loss. Not exactly the night of spectacular entertainment that Bob Arum had promised us when the Pacquiao-Cotto ordeal was announced.

Now I don't mean to pick on Bob Arum – hell ever since Don King was promoting Mike Tyson title fights there hasn't been much to speak of in terms of "value" for your dollar. The nights of four or five (meaningful) championship fights on one pay per view card are long gone and I understand that. One of my favorite stories to hear from the older boxing writers at ringside is how they'd go to cover Don King promoted events and knows that the Main Event was scheduled for 11 PM/ET but they'd be at the casino before noon. King would have spreads for all meals for the writers because they'd be at the venue all day covering fights – and meaningful fights wouldn't even make the broadcast because the shows were so packed.

Now much of that had to do with the fact that boxing wasn't available in as many places, to as many people, or on as many networks as it is today. HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Versus, and a boatload of international and internet media companies exist now to broadcast fights so a promoter like Bob Arum doesn't have to use his one or two pay per views per year to showcase his entire roster of talent. Arum does this better then anyone with his Latin Fury and Island Warrior pay per views that can be viewed online or through some cable providers.

Think about the fighters who have appeared on one of those "smaller" Top Rank pay per views in recent months – Juan Manual Lopez, Youriokis Gamboa, John Duddy, Brian Viloria, Nonito Donaire and the list goes on and on, now if you threw all of those guys on the undercard of Pacquiao-Cotto or Pacquiao-Mayweather you'd be talking about one of the most stacked shows imaginable today. But why do that when you can throw a bunch of lesser talents onto the Pacquiao undercard and still charge $65, while the rest of those guys are bringing in thirty bucks a pop for their own minor headline deals.

I realize this column seems to pinpoint Top Rank alone but the fact is they just happen to be the most recent company to receive a hefty payment from yours truly – and on top of that I thought the undercard for Mayweather-Marquez was far superior to that of the Pacquiao-Cotto card so Golden Boy skates on this round (though they're not blameless). Honestly I don't even blame Top Rank – they're a business, and it's the job of Bob Arum and those in the know to make sure that they make as much money as possible. They've figured out a great way to increase their revenue, while keeping all of their fighters busy. Hell I would love for my local promoter Jimmy Burchfield to take a more pro-active approach with his own fights to get his fighters on tape, and on the internet – something that Arum excels at, which only helps his fighters down the road by giving them much needed exposure. Let's face it – if Brian Viloria is going to fight in Hawaii wouldn't you rather pay $30 to watch him then save that thirty bucks and find out what happened on 411mania.com the next day?

But the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is a different can of worms because these two companies could put ZERO effort into an undercard and still charge whatever they want for admission. Honestly if you found out Evander Holyfield – Nicolai Valuev II was happening as the only televised undercard fight on the Pacquiao-Mayweather card would you even flinch when pressing purchase on your TV remote? I didn't think so.

Perhaps I can offer a different view on the tried and true method of giving us one great main event supported by which ever "prospect" happens to be ready for a fight. What if the entire night was turned into a Top Rank v. Golden Boy event? Just let the idea sink in for a second and then we'll proceed…

Ready?

Think about the possibilities if Golden Boy and Top Rank took some of their top talent, threw them in the ring against one another in a tournament format with the winning side getting some sort of trinket/award/monetary payment or something of that effect. You don't think Bob Arum would love being handed a trophy while Oscar De La Hoya stood dejected off to the side? If boxing is driven by ego – then this would open the possibility of the biggest ego trip in boxing history (maybe a slight indulgence). Or perhaps each fighter on the undercard takes a 40/40 split with an extra 10 going to the winning fighter, and the total amount left over going to the winning side – you don't think that would be interesting?

To make a tournament like this somewhat appealing there would have to be four undercard fights with the main event, and just so that the tournament idea doesn't go out the window before the main attraction we make the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight worth three points, that way unless the undercard gets swept by one side or the other both sides still have a chance at the finale. You also have to take into consideration certain fighters not being available for either side – essentially anyone who has fought in the last week or will fight at any point moving forward, we want everyone involved to have a full training camp before being on the undercard here so that eliminates a few guys right off the bat. The other problem is that matching up Golden Boy and Top Rank fighters isn't easy just based on the weight classes that seem to dominate each camp, however I have faith that if there is enough money involved someone like Vivian Harris wouldn't mind moving up a couple pounds to take on Joshua Clottey for the welterweight title on the Pacquiao – Mayweather undercard? How about Robert Guerrero putting on a couple pounds (which he could afford to do) and fighting David Diaz at lightweight?

The possibilities are endless – and it's not out of the question. Hell if the promoters need more incentive would you be willing to pay $70 for a fight card that featured the best of the best that both promotional companies had to offer? I'm giddy about the idea and nobody else has even heard it yet, how excited would you be for "The Fight" between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior being built up by "The Clash" of GBP and Top Rank?

Plus with the brilliance of Top Rank in televising the non-PPV undercard you could even let some of the younger, rawer talent fight on the same card without being a part of the tournament although I have to say that the idea of Matt Korobov and Craig McEwan fighting on the same card does make me a bit excited.

The point is this – why settle for a great main event ONLY, when the possibilities are there to give us an amazing night of boxing that would go down in history as one of the best nights of boxing ever put together? Sure we're all going to pay for Mayweather – Pacquiao, and we're all going to love the fight and there will be parties, gatherings and all the hoopla that the biggest fight possible in boxing today brings with it – but it could be so much more, and that's what I have hope for – that someday we're going to get the most amazing main event, with the best possible undercard all for my paycheck. One is nice, but the other would be amazing.

The Way I See Bullet Points

- So last week (11/27 to be exact) Delvin Rodriguez went to Poland for an IBF welterweight title eliminator with Rafael Jackiewicz and lost a unanimous decision by scores of 116-112, 115-112, and 114-112. According to Joe DeGuardia who promotes Rodriguez the decision was another in a long line of terrible decisions this year. "After watching the fight we believe it is crystal clear that anyone who watches this fight knows who the winner truly is," said DeGuardia. Apparently Star Boxing has sent a tape of the fight to the IBF in the hopes that a rematch will be awarded to Rodriguez who is looking for another date with IBF welterweight champion Issac Hlatshwayo. The interesting thing to note is that this would be the second bad decision for Rodriguez in three fights as his first fight with Hlatshwayo in South Africa was called a draw when most people believed Rodriguez to have won handily (in the rematch Hlatshwayo outperformed Rodriguez – at least on my scorecard). It'll be interesting to see what the IBF does here, and while I don't think it'll be a big ratings grab a Hlatshwayo-Rodriguez III wouldn't be a terrible fight considering few people are lining up to fight the IBF welterweight champion anyways.

- IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green seems hell bent on cleaning out the Legends Division in boxing as he has followed up his first round destruction of Roy Jones Jr. by calling out Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins. Apparently Green left a voicemail for Bernard Hopkins that said "Bernard you've said a lot of things, mate. You're a legend, now let's get it on. Let's do it!" It seems as if Green would want the fight to take place in Australia – which almost completely rules out Hopkins who I can't imagine has any interest in leaving the U.S. to fight anyone. However, it does give Hopkins another fight to toss around while he continues to avoid the only fight that anyone wants to see him in which would be against Chad Dawson.

- From the "Oh My God Shut Up" department comes news that David Haye, the WBA world heavyweight champion is once again attacking the Klitschkos. This time it's Vitali who you may recall signed on for a fight with the "Hayemaker" only to have the former cruiserweight king bow out of the fight to take the much easier (and much less appealing to watch) Nicolai Valuev fight. Haye is now telling everyone that Vitali should forget about voluntary contenders and unify the heavyweight division by fighting Haye. Haye has an obvious gift of gab of course his trash talking this time around is almost too stupid to comprehend. He has gone on record as saying that this weekend's Kevin Johnson – Vitali Klitschko title fight is "one of the most unappealing heavyweight title fights for awhile" which I guess is true if you consider November as awhile because this weekend's title fight is still far more appealing then the horrendous Valuev-Haye fight from early November. Haye says that he wants to "knock out Wladimir and Vitali, and I don't care what order they fall in." Once again an amazing statement from a man who backed out of fights with both of the Klitschko brothers in the last year. Here's hoping that neither of the Klitschko's take the bait this time around and let Haye focus on his matchup with John Ruiz in early 2010.

- I can't be the only one who is very intrigued by Amir Khan after his first round destruction of Dmitry Salita last weekend right? After his loss to Prescott I thought Khan would be all done but every time he gets in the ring now he is more impressive then the last time I saw him. I appreciate that Freddie Roach still insists that his prized pupil Manny Pacquiao is twice as good as Amir Khan, but being two times worse then possibly one of the 10 best boxers of all time still makes you a Top 50 fighter historically right? I mean is it out of the question that Amir Khan (who is still pretty young) can't come to America and make a big splash in the coming years? I think 2010 could be a very big year for Khan who seems to have the type of hand speed that will give absolutely everyone who steps in the ring with him problems.

- Good news for "Hammerin'" Hank Lundy one of my favorite local area fighters (he fights out of Philadelphia) who has signed on with Cameron Dunkin to help manage the unbeaten (16-0-1, 10 KO's) junior welterweights career heading into 2010. Lundy is promoted by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports Inc. and I've had a chance to speak to him on a couple of different occasions, he's a very interesting guy who has a great sense of humor and is supremely confident. He had a real solid 2009 but I anticipate even bigger things from him in 2010.

- One more local item I'm really excited for Jason "Big Six" Estrada who will be taking on Tomasz Adamek at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ February 6, 2010. I know not many people know Estrada, but he was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Boxing team and should prove to be a very good challenge for "Goral." While Adamek is obviously the better boxer, Estrada is a slick heavyweight who has a lot of size, but can also throw about sixty punches a round and has never been off his feet as a professional. I think it should be a really good fight and if I can find a way down to Newark that weekend I hope to be in attendance to see the Providence heavyweight take on the Ring magazine's cruiserweight champion.

The Way I See The Week Ahead

Friday, December 11, 2009
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Title: Jean Pascal's Light Heavyweight Championship
- Jean Pascal (22-1-0, 15 KO's) v. Adrian Diaconu (26-1-0, 15 KO's)

This should be called the – who wants to fight Chad Dawson Bowl because I have a strong feeling that the winner of this bout will be taking on "Bad" Chad in early/mid 2010. The first meeting of these guys should get more hype as Fight of the Year but it happened during a weird time (June), and it happened in Canada, was on Versus, and was the same night as a pretty good Friday Night Fights if I remember correctly. Pascal is coming off a 10th round TKO over Silvio Branco in September while Diaconu has basically just been bidding his time until the rematch. I think Diaconu is in trouble here because I think Pascal is just too good – though the first fight was very close, I'm not sure we'll get the same thing here.

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Location: Chicago, Illinois
TV: HBO
- Juan Diaz (35-2-0, 17 KO's) v. Paulie Malignaggi (26-3-0, 5 KO's)
- Victor Ortiz (23-2-1, 18 KO's) v. Antonio Diaz (46-5-1, 29 KO's)

This should be a decently entertaining evening of fights – and I'm glad that Paulie got the rematch that he wanted, on a neutral court so to speak as he wished. Now the key will be whether or not Malignaggi can put together another good performance against Juan Diaz so that he doesn't come off looking bad – by coming out and getting beat handily. I always fear for guys who get bad decision loses (or draws) who want the return engagement and then lose the second time out. I had Paulie winning the first fight handily, and I know I'm not alone there but Juan Diaz is no slouch and he'll be fighting for his life this weekend because nobody wants to go 0-fer the year.

Saturday December 12, 2009
Location: Bern, Switzerland
TV: HBO (Tape Delayed)
Title: WBC World Heavyweight Championship
- Vitali Klitschko (38-2-0, 37 KO's) v. Kevin Johnson (21-0-0, 8 KO's)

Kevin Johnson is one of the biggest underdogs that I've seen all year heading into this fight. I'm not kidding he's trending in Vegas somewhere around a 10 to 1 underdog, and honestly that's probably not even high enough. Johnson is an interesting heavyweight because he's got good hands, and he moves well – the problem is that he's never fought anyone and he has little power. Vitali Klitschko has fought everyone, has tremendous power and is fighting at the highest level imaginable for a heavyweight. The round prop for this fight is +9.5 and I'd take the under and feel confident heading into Saturday.

Saturday December 12, 2009
Location: Rancho Mirage, California
TV: Showtime (TV PICK OF THE WEEK)
Title: WBO Junior Welterweight Title
- Timothy Bradley (25-0-0, 12 KO's) v. Lamont Peterson (27-0-0, 13 KO's)
- Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1, 26 KO's) v. Tomas Rojas (31-11-2, 22 KO's)

Ladies and gentlemen the best 140 pounder in the world that absolutely nobody is talking about. Bradley's win over Nate Campbell was a bit "contentious" but that had more to do with Campbell then with Bradley. I'm also glad that Bradley didn't go for a rematch with Campbell which wouldn't have done his career any favors. Right now I'd say Bradley is the best 140 pounder in the world (assuming Pacquiao remains at 147) and while I think Lamont Peterson is a VERY real threat to Bradley's perfect record at the end of 12 rounds I think he'll have a unanimous decision under his belt. I'm just throwing this out there to Gary Shaw and whoever else is listening – but Timothy Bradley-Amir Khan is a fight that needs to happen in 2010.

As for the Darchinyan fight it'll be interesting to see how he bounces back after the tough loss to Joseph Agbeko earlier this year. Agbeko bounced back with a Fight of the Year candidate loss on Halloween, and I think Darchinyan will come back very strong here with a pretty convincing win over Tomas Rojas.

Source: 411mania.com

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Promoters of Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight cancel tour of Dallas Cowboys Stadium -- Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The planned tour of Dallas Cowboys Stadium by the promoters of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was scrapped Wednesday.

Mayweather promoter Richard Schaefer declined to comment about why he declined to make the trip to Texas, except to tell The Times, "I'm still in Los Angeles," working to finalize a deal that has been verbally authorized by both fighters.

Stadium owner Jerry Jones is now scheduled to make his pitch to stage the scheduled March 13 megafight by telephone and e-mail, said a source close to the negotiations who was not authorized to discuss the talks publicly.

HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, who was supposed to accompany Schaefer and Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum to Dalllas, declined to comment on the canceled visit. Reached Tuesday, a spokesman for the Cowboys said Jones didn't want to publicly discuss his offer.

It is unclear whether the Schaefer cancellation means Mayweather wants the fight to be in his hometown, Las Vegas, either at the MGM Grand or a possible outdoor venue constructed by hotel magnate Steve Wynn.

A source close to the site talks told The Times that Arum has been contacted by his company's former vice president, Akbar Muhammad, who reported he has a deal to stage the bout in the Congo. Arum is not very interested, the source said.

Representatives of Dubai have also expressed interest in bringing the fight to the economically troubled emirate.

--Lance Pugmire

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

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Don't get nervous, Mayweather's feet (feats) won't fail him on Pacquiao -- Examiner.com

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

I could be right here but I see no need for anyone to take the temperature of Floyd Mayweather’s feet.

I wouldn’t read too much into the sudden cancelation of the Dallas Cowboys stadium tour by Mayweather’s appointed rep, Richie Rich Schaefer.

There’s nothing that ex-banker Schaefer likes more than rubbing elbows with fat cats so I’m sure he was disappointed about not going to hobknob with NFL titan Jerry Jones and/or his son Jerry Jones Jr.

Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum revealed to me that he was “stunned” by a Tuesday night phone call (Arum’s 78th birthday) from Schaefer. He said the Golden Boy executive—harrumph, harrumph and cough, cough—used the flimsy excuse that “Mayweather doesn’t want to fight in an outdoor arena.”

Arum may have spit out his birthday cake but he didn’t say so. He did mention to Schaefer that the Cowboys glitzy new playpen has a huge roof which can be easily closed.

I thought this was a bit distasteful, myself. Why confuse Team Mayweather with facts?

This refusal to even take a whirlwind tour of "Jerry's World" has to be a hammer to some Texas-sized egos. Locals wear teeshirts featuring the new stadium which shout, 'OURS IS BIGGER."

Let’s face it, neither Mayweather nor Pacman suffers if their March 13 mega bout happens on the familiar turf of Clark County, Nevada.

Why do the big fights historically go there? Same answer as the one bank robber Willie Sutton gave when asked why he robbed banks: “Because that’s where the money is!”

Mayweather is a homeboy and he is cozy and comfy in his Big Boy Mansion and in his own boxing gym. They are in the same zip code or an adjacent one to the MGM Grand Arena.

If he can go crosstown and garner a $25 million payday, then why log any air miles?

I’ve written several times that the most level playing field, the square ring, is in Nevada where the most competent officials are.

This super bout belongs in Vegas like Monets belong in art museums.

There will be no hornets nest in agreeing to officials because the Nevada commission will come up with an acceptable panel.

You paranoid types may think that the Texas Tango is a sign of ducking and dodging to come from the Mayweather side.

I don’t but, then again, I always saw Dallas as a site pretender, not a contender.

Maybe if I went to the University of Texas instead of the University of Nevada, I’d have felt differently.

But I don’t think so.

Mayweather’s feet and his past feats won’t fail him now, I say.

Mayweather wants the fight, the challenge, the major moolah.

He just doesn't want to fly to get it.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

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David Haye questions whether Vitali Klitschko has done anything to warrant lofty reputation -- Telegraph.co.uk

By Gareth Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

The younger Klitschko brother, 38, puts his belt on the line against American Kevin Johnson in Switzerland on Saturday.

And Haye, who won the WBA title from Russian giant Nikolay Valuev last month, is keen to topple both brothers before age catches up with them.

"Vitali is nearly 40 years of age now and the clock is ticking," said Haye. "There are probably one million dudes in America called Kevin Johnson, and beating one of them doesn't make you an all-time great heavyweight.

"I want to knock out both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, and I don't care what order they fall in.

"Vitali's greatest performance to date is a loss to Lennox Lewis. That's his most memorable fight and the one result on his record that will be remembered in the history books.

"The Klitschkos don't care about being great fighters, whereas I do."

The Klitschko brothers can barely lace a glove in anger these days without being harangued and stalked by Haye.

While the Londoner's antics before his defeat of the Russian giant Nikolai Valuev lacked substance, there is a greater resonance now that the 29 year-old holds a version of the world title.

Haye, on Wednesday, mocked fellow titleholder Vitali, suggesting the 6ft 8in tall Ukrainian should ditch the voluntary contenders and unify the sport's marquee division by fighting a belt holder.

"I'll be watching the fight, but only because I have an interest in meeting Vitali next year," said Haye.

"As far as the fight itself goes, it's one of the most unappealing heavyweight title fights for a while – and that's saying something.

"They may be big in Switzerland, but so are yodellers, and nobody wants to watch them fight.

"The fact that a title fight between a Ukrainian and an American is being held in Switzerland tells you all you need to know about the appeal of this fight.

"Heavyweight title fights should be huge events, not an afterthought in a country most famous for producing chocolate."

Elsewhere, Floyd Mayweather Jr has dismissed the claims of predicted victory by Manny Pacquiao supporters ahead of their scheduled superfight next year in the United States, announcing on Wednesday that he "will knock out" the Filipino idol when they meet on March 13.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

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Golden Boy CEO pulls out of tour - ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

For unspecified reasons, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is out of the running to host the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather super fight, Top Rank's Bob Arum told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

Arum, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who will co-promote the nearly finalized fight, and HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg were supposed to meet with Cowboys officials at the stadium on Wednesday for a tour of the facility and to talk with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about a site fee for the fight.

However, Arum said he received a call from Schaefer on Tuesday night cancelling the trip.

"Richard called me last night and said he won't go to Texas," Arum said. "And I told him to call Ross and tell him. And then I called Ross and said, 'You don't want me to go if he's not going. If Jerry Jones offers me money for the fight what is Pacquiao going to do? Go in the ring alone?' Schaefer just said, 'I'm not going to Texas. I'm not going to the do the fight in Texas. I'm not going to waste my time.' That's the explanation."

Arum said he asked why and Schaefer's response was, " 'The fight is March 13 and there isn't enough time to do a fight at an outdoor stadium.' It's bizarre, but that's what he said. I reminded him [that the stadium has a retractable roof]. He said it doesn't matter. I am not going to theorize. I'm just telling you what happened."

Arum, who turned 78 on Tuesday, was having a dinner party for his birthday at his Las Vegas home and was planning to leave at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"I was planning to get up early and then the bombshell happened," Arum said. "Richard called and that's where we are. He may have a real good reason why he wouldn't consider Dallas. The reason he gave me, frankly, makes no sense. Maybe he has another reason that he didn't articulate it to me. But we had airline tickets booked and the three of us planned to rendezvous in Dallas and then go out to the stadium."

Jones is interested in bringing big events to his new stadium -- which could seat as many as 100,000 for a fight -- and landing Pacquiao-Mayweather was one he had in mind.

Greenburg, who was in his office in New York when reached Wednesday, had no comment. The fight will be televised on HBO PPV.

Schaefer wouldn't address the reasons he called off the trip to Texas, telling ESPN.com, "This is a fight our side wants and we are working very hard to finalize it. The next time you hear from us is when we have a signed deal or the negotiations have fallen apart. I want to get a deal done and once a deal is done then we will be available for comments. Until then, there is no comment from our side."

There has been interest from other venues, including the Superdome in New Orleans, although Las Vegas, specifically the MGM Grand, is believed to be the front-runner to host what many believe will be the richest fight in boxing history. The MGM, which has a close relationship with Golden Boy and Top Rank, has hosted several Pacquiao and Mayweather bouts, including their most recent fights -- Mayweather's shutout decision of Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 and Pacquiao's 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.

The Miami Dolphins are also interested in hosting the fight at Land Shark Stadium, going so far as to send out e-mails to their season ticket holders to gauge their interest in buying tickets for the event.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

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