Guardian.co.uk
When the anger that had been burning in Manny Pacquiao's perfectly flat and apparently legal belly for three months finally erupted in litigation, Floyd Mayweather Jr was rudely made aware that he has started a fight his lawyers will have to finish.
The little Filipino says he does not want to share a ring with a man he says thinks he is a drugs cheat – so he is suing him. There can't be a problem with that. It is up to Mayweather to back down – or defend himself, a skill he has perfected in the ring to the point of artistry.
It is hardly the sporting contest millions of boxing fans have been waiting for but, in the absence of sanity, it might have to do for the moment. And Pacquiao's lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, says others might be named alongside Mayweather and members of his family and promotional team. This could get ugly. And drawn out.
How did a promotion that seemed to be going so smoothly come to this? If things looks too good to be true in boxing, they usually are. This is a story that suggests something else was always going on in the background.
First, the fighters' respective promoters, after quickly working out a mutually acceptable deal in nearly every respect, indulged themselves in a dangerous and tedious game of brinkmanship for nearly two weeks – at the end of which they have been reminded in the quick issue of a writ in the Nevada Federal Court yesterday that Pacquiao is not just a great fighter but a proud man.
They didn't know that already? He has legal history with Golden Boy Promotions going back to 2006, when he switched to Bob Arum's Top Rank. He was the feistiest deal-maker before agreeing to fight Ricky Hatton in May. Hatton's American promotional partners? Golden Boy. Pacquiao is nobody's doormat.
That he is prepared to defend his reputation so fiercely is not only predictable but the single nugget of integrity in a dispute that again makes professional boxing an international joke.
We have to wait now until supposedly wise men are jerked into compromise by the only language they speak: money. Otherwise, no fight – and that is inconceivable.
Still, there are too many odd twists in this tale. It is a case littered with idiocy and inconsistent moralising.
Since the row began, the Mayweathers have had the unquestioning support of Golden Boy's chief negotiator, Richard Schaefer, in their demand that Pacquiao submit to Olympic-standard random blood tests. Yet Schaefer steadfastly objected to blood tests for the shamed Shane Mosley only two years ago. Overnight, almost, Schaefer has become an avenging angel for the anti-drugs lobby.
Bob Arum, meanwhile, has been even more pro-active in the dispute on behalf of Pacquiao and has generated valuable ink for a fight that has captured an audience beyond boxing's hardcore, albeit for spurious reasons. He has talked tough, then backed down. Schaefer, to a lesser extent, has postured to no convincing effect. But the headlines have grown.
This is, after all, a bout – for Pacquiao's WBO welterweight title but really for the mythical pound-for-pound championship of boxing – that three million TV viewers in America will pay for, and probably half that again in the UK, plus whatever other markets the promoters can ginger up around the world.
Then into this mix is dropped the contentious suggestion that Pacquiao won't take random blood tests because he fears exposure as a drugs cheat. He denies the claim vehemently – and sues.
The numbers on offer for all concerned in the mega-fight of all time are considerable – yet we have been asked to believe that the fighters and their connections are willing to junk the promotion because of an unproven and, until three months ago, unvoiced suspicion about the most marketable boxer in the business.
So, how did they get themselves into such a fix? Here's a scenario that would not have displeased anyone on either side:
Mayweather did not get much of a workout in his comeback with Juan Manuel Marquéz in September, his first fight since stopping Hatton 21 months earlier. So, the theory goes, he was never going to fight Pacquiao on 13 March without a tune-up. He realises he risks his unbeaten record, perhaps even a knockout defeat, if he is not in peak form, so he looks for a way out, a postponement.
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, was never that keen to take on Mayweather in March either, preferring to wait until the summer. He even mentions that Yuri Foreman, the new world light-middlweight champion who can't punch (and is promoted by Arum) might be an easy interim opponent, giving Pacquiao a chance to win his eighth world title at different weights – and upping his cachet in renewed negotiations with Mayweather.
Then Mayweather, for whatever reason, gives everyone "wriggle room" by calling for tests he knows Pacquiao will not agree to. The negotiations, which have been going suspiciously well, unravel and disintegrate.
Fight off. For now.
Pacquiao fights the smaller, less threatening Paulie Malignaggi or Foreman on 13 March... and Mayweather fights Matthew Hatton in the UK. These are mere ticking-over fights that nonetheless will milk the beast of a few more bucks.
The main event is postponed until Saturday, 1 May, nine days before Pacquiao runs for Congress in the Philippines. The fight grosses even more than the $200m (£123m) originally predicted.
Pacquiao beats Mayweather (as Mayweather, deep down, had feared he might). Pacquiao is elected to Congress.
Arum and Schaefer sit down to discuss the rematch, at the MGM Grand or the 100,000-plus-seater Cowboys Stadium in Texas later in the summer. Estimated revenue? $250m.
Stranger things have happened. And Bob Arum, 78 and still kicking, has been involved in quite a few of them.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Thursday 31 December 2009
Say it Ain't So! (But it Looks like Pacquiao-Foreman) -- SecondsOut
By Steve Kim, SecondsOut.com
I guess my New Years resolution for 2010 will be to have fewer lunches at Rafael’s, my favorite Mexican restaurant located on Beverly Blvd. and Wilcox Ave. in Montebello( a few short blocks from my office). Before I started working out at the nearby Bally’s this early afternoon, I was informed that talks between the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather were still on-going and productive.
Hey, perhaps this whole mess could be salvaged after all for March 13Th.
Then hours later as I was consuming my albondigas soup( which is Mexican for ’meatball) this arrived in my email box courtesy of veteran boxing scribe Michael Marley. I was actually informed of this via BBM message:http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m12d30-Manny-Pacquiao-challenges-Yuri-Foreman-March-20
Yeah, it looks like Pacquiao could be facing Yuri Foreman, the current WBA jr. middleweight titlist. Which was news to Golden Boy CEO, Richard Schaefer, who told Maxboxing.com at around 4:15 pm," That’s what I’m hearing, but again, Bruce Binkow and Todd DuBoef are still having conversations. So I’m hearing these things. Supposedly Bob( Arum) mentioned it to Robert Morales and to Dan Rafael, that they are going to go with Yuri Foreman."
So what’s the plan with Mayweather?
"I’m not going to discuss what we’re going to do next," said Schaefer."I have reached out to Bruce and asked him to reach out to Todd. And if this is really the case, if they are walking away from the fight and are going to fight Foreman, if that’s the case, I will have conversations with Team Mayweather on what they want to do next." At this stage, Schaefer didn’t seem to know much more than anybody else."I talked to Bruce Binkow about 15 minutes ago and he is waiting to hear from Todd. They talked earlier today trying to gap that window as it relates to the blood testing, the cut-off date. These conversations were supposedly productive and so that’s all I know."
About a half-hour later, I received a call from Arum, who is wrapping up his vacation in Mexico. He confirmed to Maxboxing regarding Foreman,"That’s the fight we’re working on." Arum will arrive in Las Vegas on Saturday, and at that point he will start to negotiate that bout.
What also angered the veteran promoter was this story by Tim Smith of the New York Daily News:(http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2009/12/25/2009-12-25_a_test_of_ethics.html)
That story included this interesting tidbit from an anonymous source: "According to a source familiar with the talks, Pacquiao’s representatives asked what penalties Pacquiao would face if he tested dirty, and also if a dirty test result could be kept secret so that the integrity of the fight wouldn’t be ruined in the public eye."
Which is odd, given that the whole issue of this extra battery of tests was to show the public that there was an even playing field where both sides were abiding by the laws and regulations of the commission. Arum said of this passage,"It’s totally crazy! What kind of b*llshit is that?!?!"
This was an eventful day as Pacquiao filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the Mayweather’s, Oscar De La Hoya and Schaefer, over the comments that they have made regarding his possible usage of illegal performance enhancing drugs.
When asked if Binkow and DuBoef were still talking, Arum answered,"No, no, no! As far as we’re concerned, we filed the lawsuit and we’re going to go ahead with the Foreman fight. As far as Mayweather, we’re going to fight Foreman and maybe revisit this if they stop acting like assholes in the summer and fall. No use talking further, we’re talked out. We have a fighter who is extremely upset, we’re upset.
"This has been a smear campaign."
( Of course, this could all change by the morning. You never know.)
Source: secondsout.com
I guess my New Years resolution for 2010 will be to have fewer lunches at Rafael’s, my favorite Mexican restaurant located on Beverly Blvd. and Wilcox Ave. in Montebello( a few short blocks from my office). Before I started working out at the nearby Bally’s this early afternoon, I was informed that talks between the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather were still on-going and productive.
Hey, perhaps this whole mess could be salvaged after all for March 13Th.
Then hours later as I was consuming my albondigas soup( which is Mexican for ’meatball) this arrived in my email box courtesy of veteran boxing scribe Michael Marley. I was actually informed of this via BBM message:http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m12d30-Manny-Pacquiao-challenges-Yuri-Foreman-March-20
Yeah, it looks like Pacquiao could be facing Yuri Foreman, the current WBA jr. middleweight titlist. Which was news to Golden Boy CEO, Richard Schaefer, who told Maxboxing.com at around 4:15 pm," That’s what I’m hearing, but again, Bruce Binkow and Todd DuBoef are still having conversations. So I’m hearing these things. Supposedly Bob( Arum) mentioned it to Robert Morales and to Dan Rafael, that they are going to go with Yuri Foreman."
So what’s the plan with Mayweather?
"I’m not going to discuss what we’re going to do next," said Schaefer."I have reached out to Bruce and asked him to reach out to Todd. And if this is really the case, if they are walking away from the fight and are going to fight Foreman, if that’s the case, I will have conversations with Team Mayweather on what they want to do next." At this stage, Schaefer didn’t seem to know much more than anybody else."I talked to Bruce Binkow about 15 minutes ago and he is waiting to hear from Todd. They talked earlier today trying to gap that window as it relates to the blood testing, the cut-off date. These conversations were supposedly productive and so that’s all I know."
About a half-hour later, I received a call from Arum, who is wrapping up his vacation in Mexico. He confirmed to Maxboxing regarding Foreman,"That’s the fight we’re working on." Arum will arrive in Las Vegas on Saturday, and at that point he will start to negotiate that bout.
What also angered the veteran promoter was this story by Tim Smith of the New York Daily News:(http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2009/12/25/2009-12-25_a_test_of_ethics.html)
That story included this interesting tidbit from an anonymous source: "According to a source familiar with the talks, Pacquiao’s representatives asked what penalties Pacquiao would face if he tested dirty, and also if a dirty test result could be kept secret so that the integrity of the fight wouldn’t be ruined in the public eye."
Which is odd, given that the whole issue of this extra battery of tests was to show the public that there was an even playing field where both sides were abiding by the laws and regulations of the commission. Arum said of this passage,"It’s totally crazy! What kind of b*llshit is that?!?!"
This was an eventful day as Pacquiao filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the Mayweather’s, Oscar De La Hoya and Schaefer, over the comments that they have made regarding his possible usage of illegal performance enhancing drugs.
When asked if Binkow and DuBoef were still talking, Arum answered,"No, no, no! As far as we’re concerned, we filed the lawsuit and we’re going to go ahead with the Foreman fight. As far as Mayweather, we’re going to fight Foreman and maybe revisit this if they stop acting like assholes in the summer and fall. No use talking further, we’re talked out. We have a fighter who is extremely upset, we’re upset.
"This has been a smear campaign."
( Of course, this could all change by the morning. You never know.)
Source: secondsout.com
PACQUIAO WANTS NO COMMENTS FROM TEAM PACQUIAO MEMBERS -- PhilBoxing
By Ronnie Nathanielsz, PhilBoxing.com
Pound-for-pound king and the acknowledged “Hero of Asia” Manny Pacquiao wants Team Pacquiao members to refrain from making any comments on the allegations of his using performance-enhancing drugs or the lawsuit filed by crack lawyer Daniel Petrocelli against the Mayweathers, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.
Pacquiao who is known for his humility in the face of adverse comments told us when the accusations about using performance-enhancing drugs first came out that he didn’t wish to dignify such unsubstantiated allegations and give the Mayweathers and Golden Boy the publicity and attention they were looking for.
Never an aggressive or abrasive individual outside the ring, every fighter who has met Pacquiao in the ring in the past such as David Diaz, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and even De La Hoya have commended Pacquiao for his humility and his refusal to put his opponents down or engage in trash talk.
It was only recently when the baseless allegations continued to be repeated in public that he got terribly upset and saying enough is enough directed Arum to ask his lawyers to file a lawsuit.
Now that the lawsuit has been filed Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told us that “some of the statements attributed to Manny in the recent past by media were either inaccurate or misunderstood and from now on Pacquiao has no more comments to make on the allegations or the lawsuit itself and this applies to all members of Team Pacquiao “
Koncz informed www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Pacquiao “has instructed us that any and all questions on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs or steroids and the lawsuit should be directed to Atty. Petrocelli."
Source: philboxing.com
Pound-for-pound king and the acknowledged “Hero of Asia” Manny Pacquiao wants Team Pacquiao members to refrain from making any comments on the allegations of his using performance-enhancing drugs or the lawsuit filed by crack lawyer Daniel Petrocelli against the Mayweathers, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.
Pacquiao who is known for his humility in the face of adverse comments told us when the accusations about using performance-enhancing drugs first came out that he didn’t wish to dignify such unsubstantiated allegations and give the Mayweathers and Golden Boy the publicity and attention they were looking for.
Never an aggressive or abrasive individual outside the ring, every fighter who has met Pacquiao in the ring in the past such as David Diaz, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and even De La Hoya have commended Pacquiao for his humility and his refusal to put his opponents down or engage in trash talk.
It was only recently when the baseless allegations continued to be repeated in public that he got terribly upset and saying enough is enough directed Arum to ask his lawyers to file a lawsuit.
Now that the lawsuit has been filed Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told us that “some of the statements attributed to Manny in the recent past by media were either inaccurate or misunderstood and from now on Pacquiao has no more comments to make on the allegations or the lawsuit itself and this applies to all members of Team Pacquiao “
Koncz informed www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Pacquiao “has instructed us that any and all questions on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs or steroids and the lawsuit should be directed to Atty. Petrocelli."
Source: philboxing.com
Pacquiao goes legal over drugs claims -- CNN
CNN
Manny Pacquiao is aiming to deliver a knockout blow to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the U.S. courts after filing a lawsuit against the American and his connections over claims he used performance-enhancing drugs.
The lawsuit, lodged in the Las Vegas district court on Wednesday, names Mayweather, his father Floyd senior, former boxing star Oscar De La Hoya and fellow Golden Boy Promotions executive Richard Schaefer.
"Calling a professional athlete a cheater is the most serious charge one can make," the lawsuit says, "and in today's world, accusing an athlete of using performance-enhancing drugs -- however baseless and lacking in evidence -- is toxic."
The Filipino fighter, who has won world titles at five different weights, was slated to fight Mayweather on March 13 next year in a money-spinning bout in Las Vegas.
But he was infuriated by the insistence of Mayweather's camp that he undergo Olympic-style pre-fight blood testing and the alleged implication that he had used illegal drugs.
Pacquiao posted a Christmas day message on his personal Web site, saying he would take legal action and has now followed through on the threat.
Top lawyer Daniel Petrocelli is representing him and outlined the substance of their case.
"Manny Pacquiao's achievements come from God-given talent and an indefatigable work ethic -- not steroids," he told gathered reporters.
"He cannot and will not allow others to deliberately misrepresent his years of hard work and tarnish his reputation."
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000 dollars and also cites interviews given in various publications that appeared to question the fairness of Pacquiao's pre-fight preparation.
Mayweather's connections attempted to diffuse the situation in a statement issued earlier this weak on the Golden Boy Promotions Web site.
"Let it be very clear that nobody from Team Mayweather or Golden Boy Promotions is accusing Pacquiao of anything," it read.
"But the reality seems to be that for whatever reason Pacquiao does not want to participate in random blood testing, which has already been deemed a harmless procedure that many current athletes are subjected to prior to and during competition," it added.
Many viewed the war of words between the respective camps as a pre-fight war ploy to boost interest, but the row over dope testing may well have derailed one of the richest fights in boxing history, with huge pay-per-view revenues forecasted.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum was pessimistic about a March showdown between the two fighters.
"This is only my opinion, but I don't see the fight happening now," he was quoted.
Positions are hardening ... Manny's fit to be tied. He's very angry."
Arum was also reported to have opened negotiations with World Boxing Association super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman to fight Pacquiao.
Source: edition.cnn.com
Manny Pacquiao is aiming to deliver a knockout blow to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the U.S. courts after filing a lawsuit against the American and his connections over claims he used performance-enhancing drugs.
The lawsuit, lodged in the Las Vegas district court on Wednesday, names Mayweather, his father Floyd senior, former boxing star Oscar De La Hoya and fellow Golden Boy Promotions executive Richard Schaefer.
"Calling a professional athlete a cheater is the most serious charge one can make," the lawsuit says, "and in today's world, accusing an athlete of using performance-enhancing drugs -- however baseless and lacking in evidence -- is toxic."
The Filipino fighter, who has won world titles at five different weights, was slated to fight Mayweather on March 13 next year in a money-spinning bout in Las Vegas.
But he was infuriated by the insistence of Mayweather's camp that he undergo Olympic-style pre-fight blood testing and the alleged implication that he had used illegal drugs.
Pacquiao posted a Christmas day message on his personal Web site, saying he would take legal action and has now followed through on the threat.
Top lawyer Daniel Petrocelli is representing him and outlined the substance of their case.
"Manny Pacquiao's achievements come from God-given talent and an indefatigable work ethic -- not steroids," he told gathered reporters.
"He cannot and will not allow others to deliberately misrepresent his years of hard work and tarnish his reputation."
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000 dollars and also cites interviews given in various publications that appeared to question the fairness of Pacquiao's pre-fight preparation.
Mayweather's connections attempted to diffuse the situation in a statement issued earlier this weak on the Golden Boy Promotions Web site.
"Let it be very clear that nobody from Team Mayweather or Golden Boy Promotions is accusing Pacquiao of anything," it read.
"But the reality seems to be that for whatever reason Pacquiao does not want to participate in random blood testing, which has already been deemed a harmless procedure that many current athletes are subjected to prior to and during competition," it added.
Many viewed the war of words between the respective camps as a pre-fight war ploy to boost interest, but the row over dope testing may well have derailed one of the richest fights in boxing history, with huge pay-per-view revenues forecasted.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum was pessimistic about a March showdown between the two fighters.
"This is only my opinion, but I don't see the fight happening now," he was quoted.
Positions are hardening ... Manny's fit to be tied. He's very angry."
Arum was also reported to have opened negotiations with World Boxing Association super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman to fight Pacquiao.
Source: edition.cnn.com
Q&A with HBO's Larry Merchant -- USA Today
By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY
If recent history is a guide, especially the last three decades, making big fights takes patience. No one knows that any better than HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant, who has intervened in an effort to help bridge the divide between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Negotiations are at a standstill because Mayweather wants random blood testing — not required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission which only tests urine. Pacquiao has agreed to three blood tests instead. Merchant, who has been with HBO since 1978, recently talked with USA TODAY:
When negotiations came to a sudden halt, after it appeared March 13 in Las Vegas was all but a certainty, what were your thoughts?
I thought it was just some gamesmanship by Mayweather who has a certain talent for mind games with opponents, creating conflict to help promote events. It appears that it has spiraled out of control. I couldn't imagine why. First of all, since he thinks he's going to win the fight and second of all because he's going to make upwards of 30 million or 40 million dollars, how could you take it seriously?
They seem serious about it. Almost as if they were saying Pacquiao can't be this good on his own. Now it's seems like it's a bloodbath. There's no precedent for fighters who have already decided how to divide the money then find issues that would break up a huge event. It's hard to take seriously even if it appears to be serious.
Do you think Golden Boy Promotions' demand for random blood testing is reasonable?
I see no indications that Pacquiao is anything but an exceptional, elite fighter. There are many precedents in boxing of smaller fighters to move up in weight division and be successful later in their careers.
(Golden Boy president) Oscar De La Hoya himself started out as a 130-pound titleholder and wound up fighting middleweights which is 30 pounds north of that. It seems like its some sort of ploy. But if both sides take it seriously and both sides see it as a test of their will. And then you get involved with personal issues, then maybe it's more out of control than anybody could imagine.
Old feuds have gotten into this between Mayweather and (Pacquiao's promoter Bob) Arum and Arum and De La Hoya. I've always looked upon these types of negotiations as a kind of ritual of dominance. 'I can impose my will on you in the negotiations, therefore I can impose my will on you in the fight.'
Pacquiao turned pro at 106 pounds, but he was only 16 years old. Is it that uncommon for a fighter to compete in multiple divisions, especially with all the sport's "junior" divisions?
Henry Armstrong turned pro at 120. He also fought for a middleweight championship. Alexis Arguello was a bantamweight when he started as a 16-year-old but he wound up fighting in the 140s. Ted "Kid" Lewis started as a bantamweight, and after winning the welterweight championship wound up fighting the top light heavyweights in the world. There are guys who are exceptions to the rule. Pacquiao fights in the low '40s. That means he has breakfast and lunch before the weigh-in where most fighters eat lightly, if at all. He's done a few amazing things. It's not like he's going around knocking everybody stiff with one punch. He's a boxer-puncher who has won on his boxing ability and his quickness. He hit De La Hoya with a flurry of 50 or 60 clean punches and never knocked him down. He's not Superman's son. He's just a helluva fighter who has captured the imagination of the fight world and become a kind of international cultural figure who transcends the sport.
What are the chances this fight happens in 2010?
(Bernard) Hopkins and (Roy) Jones were negotiating for a decade it seemed for a rematch from their 1993 fight. But that was about money. I don't think the boxing world grieves over the fact that it didn't get made. There's so much money involved here, even if irrationality triumphs over rationality, I think eventually the fight will get made. If they can't come to terms for a March fight then I think it'll happen at some later date. I think by the end of the holidays cooler heads will come to a compromise.
After Pacquiao knocked out Miguel Cotto, there was a positive energy looking ahead to him facing Mayweather. While this still would be a megafight, the headlines have a more negative tone. Does that matter?
There was a certain momentum that was moving along at a furious pace. The fact of the matter is, everybody except Pacquiao would prefer the fight to happen later now. The March date was picked out because he's running for political office in May (in the Philippines) and didn't want to fight after the middle of March. It would still be a huge event. Could it lose some of its mojo? Who knows. Maybe so. There's a great deal excitement and awareness about the fight right now.
It seems to be a virtual certainty to break all revenue records. The last fight below heavyweight that created this type of interest was the first pay-per-view fight that was (Ray) Leonard and (Thomas) Hearns. That fight was talked about for well over a year before it happened. People couldn't wait for it to happen. They just let it cook for a while and build up momentum. There's a lot of heat that's been built up around this match.
You tried to help out both sides by asking Sen. John McCain to mediate the dispute?
I suggested they should bring in Senator McCain to arbitrate because he's a regular at big fights. He himself was an amateur fighter at Annapolis in the Navy. Everybody agreed except Pacquiao. I can understand Pacquiao's point: Who's Senator McCain? He's an American politician. He's being insulted and accused of wrongdoing because he's so good.
So what's your final verdict on Pacquiao?
If (his trainer) Freddie Roach says he's clean — and he's as straight a shooter as there is in boxing — I believe Freddie Roach.
Source: usatoday.com
If recent history is a guide, especially the last three decades, making big fights takes patience. No one knows that any better than HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant, who has intervened in an effort to help bridge the divide between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Negotiations are at a standstill because Mayweather wants random blood testing — not required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission which only tests urine. Pacquiao has agreed to three blood tests instead. Merchant, who has been with HBO since 1978, recently talked with USA TODAY:
When negotiations came to a sudden halt, after it appeared March 13 in Las Vegas was all but a certainty, what were your thoughts?
I thought it was just some gamesmanship by Mayweather who has a certain talent for mind games with opponents, creating conflict to help promote events. It appears that it has spiraled out of control. I couldn't imagine why. First of all, since he thinks he's going to win the fight and second of all because he's going to make upwards of 30 million or 40 million dollars, how could you take it seriously?
They seem serious about it. Almost as if they were saying Pacquiao can't be this good on his own. Now it's seems like it's a bloodbath. There's no precedent for fighters who have already decided how to divide the money then find issues that would break up a huge event. It's hard to take seriously even if it appears to be serious.
Do you think Golden Boy Promotions' demand for random blood testing is reasonable?
I see no indications that Pacquiao is anything but an exceptional, elite fighter. There are many precedents in boxing of smaller fighters to move up in weight division and be successful later in their careers.
(Golden Boy president) Oscar De La Hoya himself started out as a 130-pound titleholder and wound up fighting middleweights which is 30 pounds north of that. It seems like its some sort of ploy. But if both sides take it seriously and both sides see it as a test of their will. And then you get involved with personal issues, then maybe it's more out of control than anybody could imagine.
Old feuds have gotten into this between Mayweather and (Pacquiao's promoter Bob) Arum and Arum and De La Hoya. I've always looked upon these types of negotiations as a kind of ritual of dominance. 'I can impose my will on you in the negotiations, therefore I can impose my will on you in the fight.'
Pacquiao turned pro at 106 pounds, but he was only 16 years old. Is it that uncommon for a fighter to compete in multiple divisions, especially with all the sport's "junior" divisions?
Henry Armstrong turned pro at 120. He also fought for a middleweight championship. Alexis Arguello was a bantamweight when he started as a 16-year-old but he wound up fighting in the 140s. Ted "Kid" Lewis started as a bantamweight, and after winning the welterweight championship wound up fighting the top light heavyweights in the world. There are guys who are exceptions to the rule. Pacquiao fights in the low '40s. That means he has breakfast and lunch before the weigh-in where most fighters eat lightly, if at all. He's done a few amazing things. It's not like he's going around knocking everybody stiff with one punch. He's a boxer-puncher who has won on his boxing ability and his quickness. He hit De La Hoya with a flurry of 50 or 60 clean punches and never knocked him down. He's not Superman's son. He's just a helluva fighter who has captured the imagination of the fight world and become a kind of international cultural figure who transcends the sport.
What are the chances this fight happens in 2010?
(Bernard) Hopkins and (Roy) Jones were negotiating for a decade it seemed for a rematch from their 1993 fight. But that was about money. I don't think the boxing world grieves over the fact that it didn't get made. There's so much money involved here, even if irrationality triumphs over rationality, I think eventually the fight will get made. If they can't come to terms for a March fight then I think it'll happen at some later date. I think by the end of the holidays cooler heads will come to a compromise.
After Pacquiao knocked out Miguel Cotto, there was a positive energy looking ahead to him facing Mayweather. While this still would be a megafight, the headlines have a more negative tone. Does that matter?
There was a certain momentum that was moving along at a furious pace. The fact of the matter is, everybody except Pacquiao would prefer the fight to happen later now. The March date was picked out because he's running for political office in May (in the Philippines) and didn't want to fight after the middle of March. It would still be a huge event. Could it lose some of its mojo? Who knows. Maybe so. There's a great deal excitement and awareness about the fight right now.
It seems to be a virtual certainty to break all revenue records. The last fight below heavyweight that created this type of interest was the first pay-per-view fight that was (Ray) Leonard and (Thomas) Hearns. That fight was talked about for well over a year before it happened. People couldn't wait for it to happen. They just let it cook for a while and build up momentum. There's a lot of heat that's been built up around this match.
You tried to help out both sides by asking Sen. John McCain to mediate the dispute?
I suggested they should bring in Senator McCain to arbitrate because he's a regular at big fights. He himself was an amateur fighter at Annapolis in the Navy. Everybody agreed except Pacquiao. I can understand Pacquiao's point: Who's Senator McCain? He's an American politician. He's being insulted and accused of wrongdoing because he's so good.
So what's your final verdict on Pacquiao?
If (his trainer) Freddie Roach says he's clean — and he's as straight a shooter as there is in boxing — I believe Freddie Roach.
Source: usatoday.com
Drug row testing the limits of our credulity -- Irish Times
The Irish Times
AMERICA AT LARGE: There are strong suspicions that Floyd Mayweather’s demand that Manny Pacquiao pass a blood test is just a ruse to avoid getting himself beat up, writes GEORGE KIMBALL
I GUESS the first question you might ask yourself is this: would you die unfulfilled if Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather never did fight each other? Didn’t think so.
In fact, in the midst of the charges and countercharges flung about over the past couple of weeks, the one constant has been the assertion from both sides that the failure of the March 13th megafight to come off would somehow lead to the ruination of boxing.
Or, as Mayweather has put it, “When I leave, the sport is dead”. (When Floyd leaves, who could tell? I mean, the guy has had five fights in five years.)
The coffers of the respective promoters, on the other hand, would each be enriched by upwards of €8 million, which does make you wonder why Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer have so enthusiastically carried the water for their pugilists in a very public war of words seemingly designed to torpedo its chances of coming off at all.
Unless that was the goal all along.
Say you’re Mayweather and you’ve spent the past few years watching Pacquiao absolutely pulverise guys like Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. If you’ve absolutely no interest in having the same thing happen to you, but you’d also like to keep your options open, wouldn’t it be clever to say, “Manny Pacquiao? I can’t wait to fight him!”
At the same time, cloaking that proposal in conditions that are bound to be so humiliatingly insulting that their acceptance would create the widespread impression that Manny is Floyd’s bitch would pretty much guarantee that he didn’t have to get in the ring with Pacquiao.
This would be an even cleverer tactic if you could insulate yourself by persuading a third party – say, one who speaks with a Teutonic accent – to deliver the ultimatum.
And as Arum noted this week, who made Mayweather the commissioner of boxing, anyway?
Am I saying here that Pacquiao is squeaky-clean and has never used performance-enhancing drugs? I don’t know that to be a fact, but I do know he has been repeatedly tested over the course of his 55-fight career and has never come up positive for anything. And that presumably includes yesterday morning, when he got up and peed in a bottle in General Santos City in response to a demand for “immediate, out-of-competition urine tests” ordered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
(And in the midst of all this posturing, wasn’t the NSAC doing a bit of that themselves? Since Pacquiao-Mayweather not only has not been signed, but has no official venue,, by leaping into the fray at that particular moment was the Nevada commission trying to eradicate the Cowboys Stadium option by creating the impression that Las Vegas was now fait accompli?)
Here’s something I do know for a fact: unlike Pacquiao, Shane Mosley does have a history of Peds (performance-enhancing drugs). When he tested positive for steroids, Sugar Shane claimed he used the Balco designer drugs “the cream” and “the clear” unknowingly. Right. And the dog ate my homework.
Less than two years ago, at a New York press conference announcing a fight between Zab Judah and Mosley, Judah and his attorney, Michael Shinefield, told me of their intent formally to request both boxers agree to blood tests administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
“It’s an expensive test, but we’re willing to pay for it,” said Shinefield, who noted that Nevada testing procedures were limited to urinalysis.
Here’s what Richard Schaefer had to say that day: “Whatever tests (the NSAC) wants them to take, we will submit to, but we are not going to do other tests than the Nevada commission requires. The fact is, Shane is not a cheater and he does not need to be treated like one.”
That’s the same Richard Schaefer who less than two weeks ago insisted that Pacquiao agree to Olympic-type, random blood testing as a precondition to a Mayweather fight.
Then, just a couple of days ago, Schaefer blamed the media for the widespread confusion over the issue, noting that many sportswriters “don’t know the difference between blood and urine testing”.
It might be a sad commentary on the age in which we live, but, as a class, sportswriters probably know more about drug-testing procedures than any other group you could name – including, and maybe even particularly, athletes themselves.
For the record, Pacquiao did not reject blood testing out of hand. He agreed to have blood drawn at the press conference announcing a Mayweather fight, another one 30 days beforehand and a third in his dressing-room immediately following the bout – but not to unannounced tests he claimed might “weaken” him at a critical stage of his training regimen.
If that timetable doesn’t sound especially random to you, you’re right. Nor did Pacquiao’s other explanations: that he is phobic about needles (this from a guy who is a walking billboard for Filipino tattoo parlours) or that he just doesn’t like to have blood drawn. (“Who does?” asked Mayweather.)
Golden Boy cast further doubt on Pacquiao’s stance when it leaked to some of its favoured media lackeys that HBO’s 24/7 series showed Manny having blood drawn less than two weeks before last May’s fight against Hatton. Turns out the 24/7 episode had been taped several weeks earlier.
So who is telling the truth here? Nobody – although Arum’s supposition that Mayweather never did want the fight should not be lightly dismissed. Both sides now say that Pacquiao- Mayweather will either be signed by this morning or dead altogether, and Arum has already provisionally lined up Paulie Malignaggi as a March 13th Pacquiao opponent should it go up in smoke.
And should they reach a last-minute accord? Well, the rule of thumb in the boxing business is that it takes at least three months to properly promote a pay-per-view event of this magnitude.
That the parties are well inside that limit already would be of scant consequence.
Haven’t they already had your undivided attention for the past two weeks?
“Here’s something I do know for a fact: unlike Pacquiao, Shane Mosley does have a history of Peds (performance-enhancing drugs). When he tested positive for steroids, Sugar Shane claimed he used the Balco designer drugs “the cream” and “the clear” unknowingly. Right. And the dog ate my homework.
Source: irishtimes.com
AMERICA AT LARGE: There are strong suspicions that Floyd Mayweather’s demand that Manny Pacquiao pass a blood test is just a ruse to avoid getting himself beat up, writes GEORGE KIMBALL
I GUESS the first question you might ask yourself is this: would you die unfulfilled if Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather never did fight each other? Didn’t think so.
In fact, in the midst of the charges and countercharges flung about over the past couple of weeks, the one constant has been the assertion from both sides that the failure of the March 13th megafight to come off would somehow lead to the ruination of boxing.
Or, as Mayweather has put it, “When I leave, the sport is dead”. (When Floyd leaves, who could tell? I mean, the guy has had five fights in five years.)
The coffers of the respective promoters, on the other hand, would each be enriched by upwards of €8 million, which does make you wonder why Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer have so enthusiastically carried the water for their pugilists in a very public war of words seemingly designed to torpedo its chances of coming off at all.
Unless that was the goal all along.
Say you’re Mayweather and you’ve spent the past few years watching Pacquiao absolutely pulverise guys like Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. If you’ve absolutely no interest in having the same thing happen to you, but you’d also like to keep your options open, wouldn’t it be clever to say, “Manny Pacquiao? I can’t wait to fight him!”
At the same time, cloaking that proposal in conditions that are bound to be so humiliatingly insulting that their acceptance would create the widespread impression that Manny is Floyd’s bitch would pretty much guarantee that he didn’t have to get in the ring with Pacquiao.
This would be an even cleverer tactic if you could insulate yourself by persuading a third party – say, one who speaks with a Teutonic accent – to deliver the ultimatum.
And as Arum noted this week, who made Mayweather the commissioner of boxing, anyway?
Am I saying here that Pacquiao is squeaky-clean and has never used performance-enhancing drugs? I don’t know that to be a fact, but I do know he has been repeatedly tested over the course of his 55-fight career and has never come up positive for anything. And that presumably includes yesterday morning, when he got up and peed in a bottle in General Santos City in response to a demand for “immediate, out-of-competition urine tests” ordered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
(And in the midst of all this posturing, wasn’t the NSAC doing a bit of that themselves? Since Pacquiao-Mayweather not only has not been signed, but has no official venue,, by leaping into the fray at that particular moment was the Nevada commission trying to eradicate the Cowboys Stadium option by creating the impression that Las Vegas was now fait accompli?)
Here’s something I do know for a fact: unlike Pacquiao, Shane Mosley does have a history of Peds (performance-enhancing drugs). When he tested positive for steroids, Sugar Shane claimed he used the Balco designer drugs “the cream” and “the clear” unknowingly. Right. And the dog ate my homework.
Less than two years ago, at a New York press conference announcing a fight between Zab Judah and Mosley, Judah and his attorney, Michael Shinefield, told me of their intent formally to request both boxers agree to blood tests administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
“It’s an expensive test, but we’re willing to pay for it,” said Shinefield, who noted that Nevada testing procedures were limited to urinalysis.
Here’s what Richard Schaefer had to say that day: “Whatever tests (the NSAC) wants them to take, we will submit to, but we are not going to do other tests than the Nevada commission requires. The fact is, Shane is not a cheater and he does not need to be treated like one.”
That’s the same Richard Schaefer who less than two weeks ago insisted that Pacquiao agree to Olympic-type, random blood testing as a precondition to a Mayweather fight.
Then, just a couple of days ago, Schaefer blamed the media for the widespread confusion over the issue, noting that many sportswriters “don’t know the difference between blood and urine testing”.
It might be a sad commentary on the age in which we live, but, as a class, sportswriters probably know more about drug-testing procedures than any other group you could name – including, and maybe even particularly, athletes themselves.
For the record, Pacquiao did not reject blood testing out of hand. He agreed to have blood drawn at the press conference announcing a Mayweather fight, another one 30 days beforehand and a third in his dressing-room immediately following the bout – but not to unannounced tests he claimed might “weaken” him at a critical stage of his training regimen.
If that timetable doesn’t sound especially random to you, you’re right. Nor did Pacquiao’s other explanations: that he is phobic about needles (this from a guy who is a walking billboard for Filipino tattoo parlours) or that he just doesn’t like to have blood drawn. (“Who does?” asked Mayweather.)
Golden Boy cast further doubt on Pacquiao’s stance when it leaked to some of its favoured media lackeys that HBO’s 24/7 series showed Manny having blood drawn less than two weeks before last May’s fight against Hatton. Turns out the 24/7 episode had been taped several weeks earlier.
So who is telling the truth here? Nobody – although Arum’s supposition that Mayweather never did want the fight should not be lightly dismissed. Both sides now say that Pacquiao- Mayweather will either be signed by this morning or dead altogether, and Arum has already provisionally lined up Paulie Malignaggi as a March 13th Pacquiao opponent should it go up in smoke.
And should they reach a last-minute accord? Well, the rule of thumb in the boxing business is that it takes at least three months to properly promote a pay-per-view event of this magnitude.
That the parties are well inside that limit already would be of scant consequence.
Haven’t they already had your undivided attention for the past two weeks?
“Here’s something I do know for a fact: unlike Pacquiao, Shane Mosley does have a history of Peds (performance-enhancing drugs). When he tested positive for steroids, Sugar Shane claimed he used the Balco designer drugs “the cream” and “the clear” unknowingly. Right. And the dog ate my homework.
Source: irishtimes.com
Pacquiao files suit against Mayweathers -- Miami Herald
By TIM DAHLBERG, The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao upped the ante Wednesday in his standoff with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by filing a lawsuit alleging that Mayweather and others defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.
The suit filed in federal court in Las Vegas further complicates efforts to reach an agreement for a proposed March 13 fight between the two boxers. The fight has been stalled by demands by the Mayweather camp that both fighters submit to random blood and urine tests leading up to the bout.
Pacquiao claimed in the suit that he has never tested positive for any performance-enhancing drugs, but that Mayweather, his father and uncle, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer embarked on a campaign to make people think he used drugs.
"The truth did not stop Mayweather and the others," the suit contends. "That is because they are motivated by ill will, spite, malice, revenge and envy."
Pacquiao's attorney, Dan Petrocelli, said his client could be out millions of dollars if boxing fans believe he used steroids or human growth hormone to win titles in seven weight classes.
"The damage to his reputation and lost business opportunities could be in the tens of millions of dollars," Petrocelli said.
The suit cites various interviews done by the defendants in which they intimated that Pacquiao's strength and power did not all come naturally. Among the interviews cited was an October radio interview in which Mayweather Jr. allegedly said Pacquiao's physique was different "cause we know the Philippines got the best enhancing drugs."
Schaefer said the suit came as no surprise since Pacquiao had threatened it earlier in the week. He said his attorneys would respond to it, even as talks continue for the fight.
"I'm hearing these talks are being productive," Schaefer said. "Hopefully we will know something in the next couple of days."
Mayweather and Pacquiao had been expected to meet in what promises to be the richest fight ever after they reached agreement over everything from the size of their purses to the make of their gloves for the welterweight megafight. But a demand by Mayweather's camp for both fighters to be subjected to Olympic-style blood testing has stood in the way of a final agreement for the bout.
Talks over the last few days have centered on finding agreement on a date to stop blood testing before the fight, since Pacquiao believes that giving blood may weaken him, at least psychologically.
The lawsuit may not stand in the way of an agreement, but it adds to the increasing rancor between the two camps. In the suit, Pacquiao claims that comments by Mayweather, his father, Floyd Sr., and trainer, Roger Mayweather, were part of a defamation campaign against him.
"Mayweather Jr. and the others set out on a course designed to destroy Pacquiao's career, reputation, honor and legacy and jeopardize his ability to earn the highest levels of compensation," the suit contends.
Source: miamiherald.com
LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao upped the ante Wednesday in his standoff with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by filing a lawsuit alleging that Mayweather and others defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.
The suit filed in federal court in Las Vegas further complicates efforts to reach an agreement for a proposed March 13 fight between the two boxers. The fight has been stalled by demands by the Mayweather camp that both fighters submit to random blood and urine tests leading up to the bout.
Pacquiao claimed in the suit that he has never tested positive for any performance-enhancing drugs, but that Mayweather, his father and uncle, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer embarked on a campaign to make people think he used drugs.
"The truth did not stop Mayweather and the others," the suit contends. "That is because they are motivated by ill will, spite, malice, revenge and envy."
Pacquiao's attorney, Dan Petrocelli, said his client could be out millions of dollars if boxing fans believe he used steroids or human growth hormone to win titles in seven weight classes.
"The damage to his reputation and lost business opportunities could be in the tens of millions of dollars," Petrocelli said.
The suit cites various interviews done by the defendants in which they intimated that Pacquiao's strength and power did not all come naturally. Among the interviews cited was an October radio interview in which Mayweather Jr. allegedly said Pacquiao's physique was different "cause we know the Philippines got the best enhancing drugs."
Schaefer said the suit came as no surprise since Pacquiao had threatened it earlier in the week. He said his attorneys would respond to it, even as talks continue for the fight.
"I'm hearing these talks are being productive," Schaefer said. "Hopefully we will know something in the next couple of days."
Mayweather and Pacquiao had been expected to meet in what promises to be the richest fight ever after they reached agreement over everything from the size of their purses to the make of their gloves for the welterweight megafight. But a demand by Mayweather's camp for both fighters to be subjected to Olympic-style blood testing has stood in the way of a final agreement for the bout.
Talks over the last few days have centered on finding agreement on a date to stop blood testing before the fight, since Pacquiao believes that giving blood may weaken him, at least psychologically.
The lawsuit may not stand in the way of an agreement, but it adds to the increasing rancor between the two camps. In the suit, Pacquiao claims that comments by Mayweather, his father, Floyd Sr., and trainer, Roger Mayweather, were part of a defamation campaign against him.
"Mayweather Jr. and the others set out on a course designed to destroy Pacquiao's career, reputation, honor and legacy and jeopardize his ability to earn the highest levels of compensation," the suit contends.
Source: miamiherald.com
Manny Pacquiao challenges Yuri Foreman March 20 -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
I told you that Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum was completely frustrated.
Now the Pacman promoter, unable to get the Floyd Mayweather camp to come off its persistent demand for random blood testing, has turned to his own stable of fighters to select the Pinoy Idol's next ring foe.
As he suggested several times before, Arum is going to match Manny up against newly crowned WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman--he of Belarus, Israel and now Brooklyn. The likely date for the bout is March 20, a week after the projected Mayweather-Pacquiao date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Vegas will be the site for Pacquiao-Foreman as Pacman attempts to make more ring history by winning a world title in a record eighth weight class. When he stopped Miguel Cotto Nov. 14 for two welterweight crowns, Pacquiao recorded his seventh weight class world title bout.
Arum may swtich venues from the MGM to the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
Arum will meet with Foreman's manager, restaurant owner Murray Wilson, on Sunday morning in Las Vegas.
So maybe the "odds and ends" of the deal for the rabbinical student's first title defense will be made over bagels and lox.
Certainly, you could say that Mayweather's misfortune, in killing or deferring a $30 million paynight, is good lox for young Foreman.
Here's one future rabbi who will never go hungry.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
I told you that Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum was completely frustrated.
Now the Pacman promoter, unable to get the Floyd Mayweather camp to come off its persistent demand for random blood testing, has turned to his own stable of fighters to select the Pinoy Idol's next ring foe.
As he suggested several times before, Arum is going to match Manny up against newly crowned WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman--he of Belarus, Israel and now Brooklyn. The likely date for the bout is March 20, a week after the projected Mayweather-Pacquiao date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Vegas will be the site for Pacquiao-Foreman as Pacman attempts to make more ring history by winning a world title in a record eighth weight class. When he stopped Miguel Cotto Nov. 14 for two welterweight crowns, Pacquiao recorded his seventh weight class world title bout.
Arum may swtich venues from the MGM to the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
Arum will meet with Foreman's manager, restaurant owner Murray Wilson, on Sunday morning in Las Vegas.
So maybe the "odds and ends" of the deal for the rabbinical student's first title defense will be made over bagels and lox.
Certainly, you could say that Mayweather's misfortune, in killing or deferring a $30 million paynight, is good lox for young Foreman.
Here's one future rabbi who will never go hungry.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
If Pacquiao-Mayweather Fizzles, Pacquaio-Foreman Might Flourish -- The Sweet Science
By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science
Team Pacquiao couldn't be faulted if they just said to heck with it, money is nice, but this negotiation session to set up Mayweather vs. Pacquiao has been a monstrous pain in the butt. Could you blame them if they said let's come back to the concept when everyone has simmered down, maybe in a couple of months, and in the meantime, set up a bout to keep Manny busy, while Floyd decides how many hurdles he wants to set up to make Manny-Money a go.
If Team Pacquaio decides to table the Mayweather deal for the moment, and hash out blood-urine-hair testing parameters outside of the gaze of the keyboard tappers, then what or who is Plan B? It's looking like 28-0 (8 KOs) WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman as of right now.
The Brighton Bad Boy Mike Marley thinks Pacquaio-Foreman is thisclose to being a done deal for March 20 in Vegas. Team Foreman PR director Dovid Efune counsels us not to book our flights and rooms just yet.
"Team Pacquaio and Team Foreman are talking," Efune told TSS. "But nothing is confirmed. We're all still unsure whether Pacquiao and Mayweather might still be on. We're unsure whether anything is concrete.
"We were told very, very early on by Top Rank that we were likely next in line as an opponent. As opposed to Pacquiao fighting Malignaggi or Tim Bradley, Pacquiao-Foreman would be more exciting. No, it's not a fight like against Cotto, Yuri moves around the ring like a dreidel! And it's one more weight class, another belt for Manny, in the eighth weight class. What would Pacquiao want from Malignaggi? He'd have to drop down in weight for that. Fighting Maliganggi isn't making history, versus Yuri, Manny could be making history."
Team Foreman has eyes wide open on this thing. They realize they could be used as a bargaining chip, to bring Team Mayweather closer to a deal, as the Mayweather crew realizes Manny has leverage to do other things, and make noise, and make money.
"What's wrong with being used as a bargaining chip?" said the affable Efune with a chuckle. "From a professional perspective, compared to where we were a year or two years ago, it's an honor and a privilege to be discussed in terms of fighting Pacquiao."
And if talks with Mayweather crater completely, or there is an agreement to revisit the event after a cool-down period, would the 29-year-old New Yorker Foreman insist that Pacquiao jump through umpteen testing hoops to insure his cleanliness from PEDs?
"That's a good question," Efune said. "I'm not aware that's something being discussed. But the fact that both Pacquiao and Foreman are promoted by Top Rank, I think that would mean making this fight would be easier. I think the Nevada commission's testing regulation have worked until now, have been strong enough. When we were to get down to the nitty gritty, it'll be easier to make Pacquiao-Foreman than Pacquaio-Mayweather because of the closer circle of people involved.'
Source: thesweetscience.com
Team Pacquiao couldn't be faulted if they just said to heck with it, money is nice, but this negotiation session to set up Mayweather vs. Pacquiao has been a monstrous pain in the butt. Could you blame them if they said let's come back to the concept when everyone has simmered down, maybe in a couple of months, and in the meantime, set up a bout to keep Manny busy, while Floyd decides how many hurdles he wants to set up to make Manny-Money a go.
If Team Pacquaio decides to table the Mayweather deal for the moment, and hash out blood-urine-hair testing parameters outside of the gaze of the keyboard tappers, then what or who is Plan B? It's looking like 28-0 (8 KOs) WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman as of right now.
The Brighton Bad Boy Mike Marley thinks Pacquaio-Foreman is thisclose to being a done deal for March 20 in Vegas. Team Foreman PR director Dovid Efune counsels us not to book our flights and rooms just yet.
"Team Pacquaio and Team Foreman are talking," Efune told TSS. "But nothing is confirmed. We're all still unsure whether Pacquiao and Mayweather might still be on. We're unsure whether anything is concrete.
"We were told very, very early on by Top Rank that we were likely next in line as an opponent. As opposed to Pacquiao fighting Malignaggi or Tim Bradley, Pacquiao-Foreman would be more exciting. No, it's not a fight like against Cotto, Yuri moves around the ring like a dreidel! And it's one more weight class, another belt for Manny, in the eighth weight class. What would Pacquiao want from Malignaggi? He'd have to drop down in weight for that. Fighting Maliganggi isn't making history, versus Yuri, Manny could be making history."
Team Foreman has eyes wide open on this thing. They realize they could be used as a bargaining chip, to bring Team Mayweather closer to a deal, as the Mayweather crew realizes Manny has leverage to do other things, and make noise, and make money.
"What's wrong with being used as a bargaining chip?" said the affable Efune with a chuckle. "From a professional perspective, compared to where we were a year or two years ago, it's an honor and a privilege to be discussed in terms of fighting Pacquiao."
And if talks with Mayweather crater completely, or there is an agreement to revisit the event after a cool-down period, would the 29-year-old New Yorker Foreman insist that Pacquiao jump through umpteen testing hoops to insure his cleanliness from PEDs?
"That's a good question," Efune said. "I'm not aware that's something being discussed. But the fact that both Pacquiao and Foreman are promoted by Top Rank, I think that would mean making this fight would be easier. I think the Nevada commission's testing regulation have worked until now, have been strong enough. When we were to get down to the nitty gritty, it'll be easier to make Pacquiao-Foreman than Pacquaio-Mayweather because of the closer circle of people involved.'
Source: thesweetscience.com
Manny Pacquiao Makes Final Statement With Lawsuit Against Floyd Mayweather -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
A lawsuit filed on behalf of Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday seeking compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character names Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather. Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Sr., attorney Daniel Petrocelli told FanHouse, moments ago.
A senior attorney with the Los Angeles-based O'Melveny and Myers law firm, who gained a wrongful death civil conviction against O.J. Simpson in 1997, Petrocelli was reached within an hour of filing the suit.
"We filed a defamation of character lawsuit in the federal court in Las Vegas, Nevada, against the Mayweathers, Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer based on their false and defamatory statements about Manny Pacquiao -- specifically their publicly stating that Pacquiao was taking steroids or other illegal steroids or other illegal drugs to enhance his performance -- knowing that there is absolutely no basis for any such assertions," said Petrocelli.
"We may be naming others as well, and may be adding others who have made comments since the lawsuit was filed. These guys have no right saying what they're saying. It's knowingly false, highly injurious," said Petrocelli. "Manny has an absolutely unblemished reputation, and accomplished extraordinary achievements through hard work and preparation.. He can't sit by and allow people to accuse him of cheating because they can't beat him in the ring."
Schaefer could not be reached for comment.
In what he calls "my last official statement regarding" these matters, Pacquiao, a seven-division world champion, addressed rumors concerning steroid use, his ability to gain weight, and his view of the drug-testing controversy which appears to have scuttled negotiations for his potential WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title defense against Mayweather.
"There seems to be concern from numerous members of the sports industry -- from writers, to reporters, even other athletes, regarding why I am concerned with random blood testing," said Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts).
"As I have stated before I have never used anabolic steroids nor do I even know what they look like. I view using steroids, synthetic growth hormone, or any other illegal or banned substance as cheating.
"I would never cheat this sport that I love. I would never cheat the legacies of the great champions I have been blessed to challenge. I would never do anything to cheat such great champions as Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, all of the Mexican warriors that I have been blessed to go into the ring and do battle with."
Pacquiao and Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) were tentatively slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but promoter, Bob Arum, said that the "filing of a [defamation of character lawsuit] on Wednesday in the federal court in Las Vegas "effectively terminates everything.
"Dan Petrocelli, one of the senior litigating partners, has filed the suit in Las Vegas," said Arum. "So this is serious stuff."
Petrocelli said the suit seeks "compensatory and punitive damages."
"No amount of money is specified," said Petrocelli, "but given the damage that these people have already done, it would be in the tens and tens of millions of dollars."
Potentially the most lucrative matchup in boxing history, the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout was expected to garner a career-best of nearly $40 million for each fighter. But negotiations became increasingly contentious since they began shortly after Pacquiao's 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.
Mayweather's side had demanded that both fighters be randomly tested for drugs using urinalysis and blood work that could be drawn as close to the fight as possible, while Pacquiao had agreed only to random urine tests, contending that he would prefer not to have blood drawn within 30 days of the fight because taking blood from him that close to the competition would weaken him.
"My concern as a fighter is that there should be some limitations and agreements on how much blood they can take from someone prior to a fight. My other concern is how close to the actual fight itself can they take the blood," said Pacquiao. "It is my opinion that taking blood from a person can weaken you. I do not want to be in a weakened state when I enter the ring against any fighter."
Pacquiao was, however, found to have had blood drawn 24 days from his May 2, second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton.
"My concern has never been with someone randomly checking me with regards to blood or urine. I volunteered immediately to have my urine tested anytime someone wanted to -- all the way up to the time I am walking into the ring," said Pacquiao.
"It was later brought to my attention and the attention of my staff that you can not test for synthetic growth hormone through urine; you could only detect synthetic growth hormone through blood tests," said Pacquiao. "Before all of these blood-testing and demands from other people, I had never even heard of synthetic growth hormone. I have never seen it before nor have I ever used it."
The 31-year-old Pacquiao, whose career began at 106 pounds, attributes his ability to carry his power from lower to higher weight classes to the fact that "I eat foods that build muscle," and, "I work out hard."
"I take my training very serious. I train 30 rounds a day to be in the best shape during a fight so I can give the fans the best show I can. I eat very healthy -- like chicken and fish and a lot of rice," said Pacquiao. "In order to make these new heavier weight classes, I have to eat more then I have ever eaten in my life. I actually have to eat five times a day and bigger meals than I have ever eaten before."
Citing "hard feelings," Arum had said that he was prepared to announce New York's newly-crowned, WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs), as the new opponent for Pacquiao.
"This thing [Mayweather fight] is hopeless. We feel that we've been trying, but that this isn't going to happen," said Arum, who also promotes Foreman.
"I think that we're going to end up going with Foreman. Although it's not official yet, that's my position at this time," said Arum. "We're going ahead, I'm going to enjoy the New Year, and then, I'll be back in Las Vegas on Saturday night. By Monday, we'll have everything put together."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
A lawsuit filed on behalf of Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday seeking compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character names Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather. Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Sr., attorney Daniel Petrocelli told FanHouse, moments ago.
A senior attorney with the Los Angeles-based O'Melveny and Myers law firm, who gained a wrongful death civil conviction against O.J. Simpson in 1997, Petrocelli was reached within an hour of filing the suit.
"We filed a defamation of character lawsuit in the federal court in Las Vegas, Nevada, against the Mayweathers, Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer based on their false and defamatory statements about Manny Pacquiao -- specifically their publicly stating that Pacquiao was taking steroids or other illegal steroids or other illegal drugs to enhance his performance -- knowing that there is absolutely no basis for any such assertions," said Petrocelli.
"We may be naming others as well, and may be adding others who have made comments since the lawsuit was filed. These guys have no right saying what they're saying. It's knowingly false, highly injurious," said Petrocelli. "Manny has an absolutely unblemished reputation, and accomplished extraordinary achievements through hard work and preparation.. He can't sit by and allow people to accuse him of cheating because they can't beat him in the ring."
Schaefer could not be reached for comment.
In what he calls "my last official statement regarding" these matters, Pacquiao, a seven-division world champion, addressed rumors concerning steroid use, his ability to gain weight, and his view of the drug-testing controversy which appears to have scuttled negotiations for his potential WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title defense against Mayweather.
"There seems to be concern from numerous members of the sports industry -- from writers, to reporters, even other athletes, regarding why I am concerned with random blood testing," said Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts).
"As I have stated before I have never used anabolic steroids nor do I even know what they look like. I view using steroids, synthetic growth hormone, or any other illegal or banned substance as cheating.
"I would never cheat this sport that I love. I would never cheat the legacies of the great champions I have been blessed to challenge. I would never do anything to cheat such great champions as Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, all of the Mexican warriors that I have been blessed to go into the ring and do battle with."
Pacquiao and Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) were tentatively slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but promoter, Bob Arum, said that the "filing of a [defamation of character lawsuit] on Wednesday in the federal court in Las Vegas "effectively terminates everything.
"Dan Petrocelli, one of the senior litigating partners, has filed the suit in Las Vegas," said Arum. "So this is serious stuff."
Petrocelli said the suit seeks "compensatory and punitive damages."
"No amount of money is specified," said Petrocelli, "but given the damage that these people have already done, it would be in the tens and tens of millions of dollars."
Potentially the most lucrative matchup in boxing history, the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout was expected to garner a career-best of nearly $40 million for each fighter. But negotiations became increasingly contentious since they began shortly after Pacquiao's 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.
Mayweather's side had demanded that both fighters be randomly tested for drugs using urinalysis and blood work that could be drawn as close to the fight as possible, while Pacquiao had agreed only to random urine tests, contending that he would prefer not to have blood drawn within 30 days of the fight because taking blood from him that close to the competition would weaken him.
"My concern as a fighter is that there should be some limitations and agreements on how much blood they can take from someone prior to a fight. My other concern is how close to the actual fight itself can they take the blood," said Pacquiao. "It is my opinion that taking blood from a person can weaken you. I do not want to be in a weakened state when I enter the ring against any fighter."
Pacquiao was, however, found to have had blood drawn 24 days from his May 2, second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton.
"My concern has never been with someone randomly checking me with regards to blood or urine. I volunteered immediately to have my urine tested anytime someone wanted to -- all the way up to the time I am walking into the ring," said Pacquiao.
"It was later brought to my attention and the attention of my staff that you can not test for synthetic growth hormone through urine; you could only detect synthetic growth hormone through blood tests," said Pacquiao. "Before all of these blood-testing and demands from other people, I had never even heard of synthetic growth hormone. I have never seen it before nor have I ever used it."
The 31-year-old Pacquiao, whose career began at 106 pounds, attributes his ability to carry his power from lower to higher weight classes to the fact that "I eat foods that build muscle," and, "I work out hard."
"I take my training very serious. I train 30 rounds a day to be in the best shape during a fight so I can give the fans the best show I can. I eat very healthy -- like chicken and fish and a lot of rice," said Pacquiao. "In order to make these new heavier weight classes, I have to eat more then I have ever eaten in my life. I actually have to eat five times a day and bigger meals than I have ever eaten before."
Citing "hard feelings," Arum had said that he was prepared to announce New York's newly-crowned, WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs), as the new opponent for Pacquiao.
"This thing [Mayweather fight] is hopeless. We feel that we've been trying, but that this isn't going to happen," said Arum, who also promotes Foreman.
"I think that we're going to end up going with Foreman. Although it's not official yet, that's my position at this time," said Arum. "We're going ahead, I'm going to enjoy the New Year, and then, I'll be back in Las Vegas on Saturday night. By Monday, we'll have everything put together."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Floyd Mayweather's adviser: 'Clock is ticking' on negotiations with Manny Pacquiao -- Grand Rapids Press
By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press
Manny Pacquiao’s representatives appeared ready today to pull the plug on a proposed Floyd Mayweather fight March 13, while Mayweather’s camp still held out hope for an 11th-hour resolution.
Neither side moved significantly on the drug-testing issue that has hampered Mayweather-Pacquiao talks, and Pacquiao’s promoter told a newspaper and a Web site early today that he is pursuing other options.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s adviser, said “the time is coming” when both parties will have to head in opposite directions and abandon a Mayweather-Pacquiao proposal now only 2 1/2 months away.
“The clock is ticking,” Ellerbe said today. “It’ll get resolved, one way or another. Either he (Pacquiao) is going to step up to the plate or he isn’t.”
Still, Ellerbe said Mayweather is holding out hope for that resolution to come this week, in time for a fight announcement next week.
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” Ellerbe said.
If the fight is not finalized this week, it indeed will be over, Ellerbe acknowledged, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day theoretically cutting into that work week.
“Holidays mean nothing, you know that,” he said. “We always work holidays.”
It may be over already, though.
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, who is vacationing in Mexico, did not return a telephone message from The Press this afternoon, but told the Los Angeles Times that he anticipates switching focus to negotiations for Pacquiao to fight Yuri Foreman, the World Boxing Association super welterweight title-holder whom he also promotes.
The Times quoted Arum as saying that both camps’ positions “are hardening,” and it may be best to revisit Mayweather-Pacquiao for later next year, although it said he acknowledged a remote possibility that those positions could soften.
Arum told the Times that he had not heard back from the Mayweather camp pertaining the possibility of the Nevada Athletic Commission presiding over drug testing for the fight, as usually occurs with a fight in that state.
Arum also told the Web site Examiner.com that he had not been able to contact Pacquiao in The Philippines regarding the Mayweather camp’s final position and said “this thing ain’t gonna happen. That is for sure."
E-mail David Mayo at dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo
Source: mlive.com
Manny Pacquiao’s representatives appeared ready today to pull the plug on a proposed Floyd Mayweather fight March 13, while Mayweather’s camp still held out hope for an 11th-hour resolution.
Neither side moved significantly on the drug-testing issue that has hampered Mayweather-Pacquiao talks, and Pacquiao’s promoter told a newspaper and a Web site early today that he is pursuing other options.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s adviser, said “the time is coming” when both parties will have to head in opposite directions and abandon a Mayweather-Pacquiao proposal now only 2 1/2 months away.
“The clock is ticking,” Ellerbe said today. “It’ll get resolved, one way or another. Either he (Pacquiao) is going to step up to the plate or he isn’t.”
Still, Ellerbe said Mayweather is holding out hope for that resolution to come this week, in time for a fight announcement next week.
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” Ellerbe said.
If the fight is not finalized this week, it indeed will be over, Ellerbe acknowledged, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day theoretically cutting into that work week.
“Holidays mean nothing, you know that,” he said. “We always work holidays.”
It may be over already, though.
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, who is vacationing in Mexico, did not return a telephone message from The Press this afternoon, but told the Los Angeles Times that he anticipates switching focus to negotiations for Pacquiao to fight Yuri Foreman, the World Boxing Association super welterweight title-holder whom he also promotes.
The Times quoted Arum as saying that both camps’ positions “are hardening,” and it may be best to revisit Mayweather-Pacquiao for later next year, although it said he acknowledged a remote possibility that those positions could soften.
Arum told the Times that he had not heard back from the Mayweather camp pertaining the possibility of the Nevada Athletic Commission presiding over drug testing for the fight, as usually occurs with a fight in that state.
Arum also told the Web site Examiner.com that he had not been able to contact Pacquiao in The Philippines regarding the Mayweather camp’s final position and said “this thing ain’t gonna happen. That is for sure."
E-mail David Mayo at dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo
Source: mlive.com
Pacquiao files defamation lawsuit against Mayweathers and Golden Boy -- Canadian Press
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao upped the ante Wednesday in his standoff with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by filing a lawsuit alleging that Mayweather and others defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.
The suit filed in federal court in Las Vegas further complicates efforts to reach an agreement for a proposed March 13 fight between the two boxers.
The suit asks for damages in excess of $75,000 and names Mayweather, his father, Floyd Sr., and uncle Roger Mayweather as defendants. Also named are Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Shaefer, who operate Golden Boy Promotions and are promoting Mayweather.
The lawsuit comes as last ditch talks are still ongoing to salvage the fight, which has been derailed by demands from Mayweather's camp for random blood testing of the two fighters.
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Source: Google News
LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao upped the ante Wednesday in his standoff with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by filing a lawsuit alleging that Mayweather and others defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.
The suit filed in federal court in Las Vegas further complicates efforts to reach an agreement for a proposed March 13 fight between the two boxers.
The suit asks for damages in excess of $75,000 and names Mayweather, his father, Floyd Sr., and uncle Roger Mayweather as defendants. Also named are Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Shaefer, who operate Golden Boy Promotions and are promoting Mayweather.
The lawsuit comes as last ditch talks are still ongoing to salvage the fight, which has been derailed by demands from Mayweather's camp for random blood testing of the two fighters.
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Source: Google News
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