Blame Mayweather for fight fiasco -- My San Antonio

By John Whisler, My San Antonio

Ordinarily, this would be an occasion to celebrate. To pull out the calendar, circle the dates and swell with anticipation.

Manny Pacquiao is fighting Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium. It's a pretty big fight that figures to be an even bigger event. More than 20,000 tickets were sold the first day.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley apparently are hooking up May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It's a fight that would have been better 10 years ago, but one that still carries plenty of intrigue.

The problem is, neither fight is Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Two months ago, the bout that left fans wild with anticipation looked like a done deal.

Money, the usual hurdle during negotiations, was cleared in a single leap.

Both egos — er, fighters — immediately agreed to a 50-50 split of the purse that, counting pay-per-view profits, was projected to be as high as $80 million.

But then a funny thing — even for boxing — happened on the way to the vault.

Mayweather demanded random, Olympic-style blood tests. He agreed to take them, too, but they were aimed at Pacquiao, a seven-division champion and reigning pound-for-pound king Mayweather's camp believes got there by using performance-enhancing drugs.

The two parties never could agree on how many tests or when they should be taken, and the fight imploded like an old warehouse during demolition.

Just when you thought boxing was about to get it right, it got it totally wrong. The sport punched itself in the gut and tumbled face-first to the canvas.

Just like that, the fight was KO'd, infuriating boxing fans everywhere.

The principals involved — fighters, managers and promoters alike — all ought to be taken to the woodshed and thrashed mightily over this debacle.

Who's to blame? There's certainly plenty of it to spread around, but most of it must be laid at the feet of Mayweather.

Pacquiao doesn't come away from this unscathed. By refusing to have blood drawn inside of 24 days before the fight, he looks like he's hiding something.

Pacquiao fears such tests would weaken him, but most medical experts agree the amount of blood drawn even the day before the fight is so small, it would have no effect on the fighter.

But why would Mayweather even bring up the issue in the first place?

Pacquiao has never tested positive for anything, before or after a fight. And Mayweather's logic that Pacquiao's rise from light flyweight to welterweight had to be fueled by steroids is flawed, too.

Pacquiao was only 16 when he began his professional career at 106 pounds. When Mayweather was 16, he was an amateur who weighed — you guessed it — 106 pounds.

Pacquiao's rise is unusual, but it is not unprecedented.

Roberto Duran, for example, was 16 when he made his pro debut at 118 pounds. He went on to win titles at 135, 147, 154 and 160.

It could be that Pacquiao, like Duran, is simply a great fighter, one that only comes along once in a generation.

Pacquiao shouldn't have to subject himself to the blood testing because no state, including Nevada, requires it for boxing. Perhaps they should, but they don't.

Mayweather can't write his own rules.

Larry Merchant, the respected HBO commentator, likened the whole negotiation process to a dominance ritual where each fighter tries to impose his will on the other.

Maybe that's what is at the root of all this nonsense.

In the meantime, we're left with two fights that carry their own intrigue, but in reality amount to little more than consolation prizes.


JOHN WHISLER'S VIEW FROM THE CORNER

Opening flurry:

Blame game

The Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. megafight is dead, at least for now, but the finger pointing shows no signs of letting up.

Who’s to blame?

Here’s a sampling of local opinion:

Joe Morales, boxer: Blames Mayweather — “Pacquiao taking performance-enhancing drugs has never been an issue before. I think Mayweather is worried about his undefeated record.”

Celina Salazar, boxer: Mayweather — “I don’t think Pacquiao takes steroids. Just look at how he trains. Taking a blood test the week of the fight would weaken him.”

Hector Ramos, boxer: Pacquiao — “If Pacquiao’s clean, he should take the tests.”

Tony Ayala Sr., trainer: Mayweather — “I think Mayweather was just trying to find a way out. ”

Adam Lopez, boxer: Pacquiao — “Just look at Pacquiao’s last few fights. He keeps going up in weight yet there is no let-up in volume of punches. That’s not normal.”

‘Jesse’ James Leija, former boxer: Mayweather — “What Pacquiao offered in terms of testing was sufficient. No one ever said anything about steroids until Mayweather brought it up.”

Joe Lopez, trainer: Mayweather — “Mayweather’s trying to make rules like he’s the commissioner. I could see one blood test, but that’s it.”

Skip Wilson, Golden Gloves director: Mayweather — “I think it’s just a smokescreen. Why would Mayweather even bring up the issue?”

Ton Pastran, trainer: Pacquiao — “I think Pacquiao’s hiding something.”

Jesus Chavez, Austin boxer: Mayweather — “Mayweather needs Pacquiao, but Pacquiao doesn’t need Mayweather.”


Straight shots

Morales comeback: Mexican icon Erik Morales (48-6, 34 KOs) has decided to end his 2 1/2-year retirement and return to the ring this spring.

The former three-division champion is scheduled to meet Nicaraguan Jose Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs) on March 27 in Monterrey.

Taylor replaced: Showtime has tapped Allan Green to replace Jermain Taylor in its Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament. Taylor withdrew after losing for the fourth time in five fights, including three by knockout.

Green (29-1, 20 KOs) is set to meet Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) on April 17 in Oakland, Calif.

Foe for Vic: After talks with San Antonio’s Raul Martinez broke down over money, WBC and WBA super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (33-2-1, 27 KOs) has settled on his next opponent.

Darchinyan is scheduled to take on Rodrigo Guerrero (13-1-1, 9 KOs) of Mexico on March 6 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.


Local notebook

Ring needed: Officials are in need of a boxing ring for the newly formed San Antonio Golden Gloves Boxing Club.

Anyone willing to donate a ring or sponsor the purchase of one is asked to contact Skip Wilson, the local Golden Gloves director, at 210-843-6558 or Jim Watson, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio, at (210) 434-4383.

The new program, located at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club, is headed by Robert Lopez.

jwhisler@express-news.net

Source: mysanantonio.com

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Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Shane Mosley is a Decade late and $40 million short -- Examiner

By Rick Rockwell, Examiner.com

The announcement has been made that Mayweather Jr and Shane Mosley will indeed fight on May 1st at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. However, despite the excitement and shock that’s buzzing over the fight, let’s not forget one major story here; this fight is 10 years too late.

Lou Block over at NowBoxing.com just wrote the article “What Can The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Haters Say Now?” I think this is the perfect place to start my article. I can give Mr. Lou Block 3 things that "Mayweather Haters" have to say.


Ducking
Steven Davis of Sacramento, CA “This fight should have happened last century. But Mayweather ducked Mosley for 10 years now.” Steven is absolutely correct. Mayweather has ducked Mosley for the last decade. Mayweather even retired from the sport instead of fighting Mosley. But, hey, don’t just take my word on this. Check out Mosley’s comments from Boxingscene.com:

“These guys are ducking and dodging me. Mayweather, I think, is scared. By avoiding me like they have they are only tearing their own legacy down and bringing their own reputation down.”

Hmm, Mayweather scared? Mayweather avoiding top contenders? Mayweather ruining his own legacy and reputation?

Where have I heard all of this before?


Necessity
Bob Arum and Manny Pacquiao forced Mayweather’s hand. When they signed to fight Clottey it showed that they weren’t going to hide behind politics and delay their careers. Manny went out and found a tough fighter that will add to his impressive boxing resume.

Mayweather’s people were receiving heavy criticism from fans and media over what they will do next. Adam Wayne, Citrus Heights, CA “I’ve been waiting to see how Mayweather would respond to Manny’s decision to fight Clottey. How was he going to spin this with the media and the fans?”

Shane Mosley was the only other big name out there that fans could accept Mayweather fighting. The backlash grew when Mayweather came out of the Pacquiao negotiations looking like the fool. If Mayweather would have picked a lesser opponent then the fans would have rioted and the “Non-ProMayweather” media would have buried him. So, Mosley was a necessity not a choice.


Money
Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions didn’t take this fight because they wanted to. They took this fight because Mosley was the only other big name out there where Mayweather could get a decent payday especially since Mayweather lost out on a rumored $40 million dollar pay day when he destroyed the negotiations with Pacquiao.

“Mayweather keeps saying that he’s only fighting for money now and that he only wants the big fights. Well, here I am.”…Shane Mosley (source: Boxingscene.com)

So, Mayweather didn’t take this fight because he wants to fight top fighters. He took this fight out of necessity for name recognition and money. However, which ever way that Golden Boy Promotions try to spin this fight, its still “A Decade late and $40 million dollars short”.

Source: examiner.com

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. Talks Pacquiao, Steroids, Mosley and Helping Haiti -- Now Boxing

Now Boxing

Floyd Maywaeather Jr. gives an exclusive radio interview to DJ Whoo Kid on Shade 45 sirius satellite radio today Jan. 30. Floyd Mayweather calls in to talk about his recently announced May 1st fight with Sugar Shane Mosley.

During the interview Mayweather talks about the upcoming Superbowl and All-Star games, boxing and performance enhancing drugs, about the Haitian tragedy and why he is giving back to Haiti, How to get tickets for the HBO Mayweather vs. Mosley super fight, and if he was scared to fight Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and avoiding him.

Listen to the audio interview below:



Source: nowboxing.com

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Shane Mosley: 'I'm Ready To Do It, Ready To Go' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

When Shane Mosley (above, right) last entered the ring, a little more than a year ago on Jan. 24, against hard-punching, WBA world super welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Antonio Margarito, his lead-fisted, opponent was not the only thing on his mind.

Mosley was in the midst of the BALCO scandal, in which he has since admitted during leaked grand jury testimony that he had unknowingly used designer steroids before dethroning Oscar De La Hoya as WBA, WBC, and, IBF junior middleweight (154 pounds) titlist in September, 2003.

At the time, Mosley had just dropped down from 154, where he had stopped former world champ, Ricardo Mayorga, in the 12th round of their September, 2008 clash.

Mosley had fired his father, Jack Mosley, as his trainer, having replaced him with Nazim Richardson, known for his work with Bernard Hopkins.

And he was in the midst of a nasty split from his wife, Jin, who was not only the mother of three of his four children, but also, his business manager.

Mosley, nevertheless, channeled all of that angst into a focused and aggressive attack on Margarito, whom he lead by five, seven, and, nine points, respectively, on the three judges' cards before stopping the Mexican fighter for the first time in his career.

"I went to the Margarito fight, and I've never seen him more calm and focused than I saw him on that night," said Judd Burstein, who has been Mosley's attorney for seven years. "It was as if his career had been revitalized."

Now, the 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) is on the verge of his career-best payday, according to Burstein, who confirmed that the three-division, world champion signed his bout contract on Friday for a May 13, megafight opposite 32-year-old five-time world titlist, Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) to take place at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"We're ready to do it. I'm ready to go. I'm happy. It's May 1. It's something that I've wanted, and it's something that the fans will get a great deal of excitement out of. Everybody needs to come out and watch it, because it's history," Mosley told FanHouse's Elie Seckbach during an exclusive interview in Las Vegas on Friday evening moments after signing his bout agreement.

"I just need to do what I do. Floyd has fought a lot of guys who are past their prime. Or he's fought a lot of guys who weren't as fast as him or as big as him. Or he'd just pick and choose," said Mosley. "But this is a fight that I think that he's gotten pushed into because the [Manny] Pacquiao fight fell out. So he got pushed into this fight. He didn't really want it."

The deal was completed on Friday evening with Burstein in Las Vegas.

"Since I was in Las Vegas, and Shane was in Las Vegas yesterday, we were able to do a person-to-person meeting and go through everything," Burstein told FanHouse on Saturday, answering, "Yes," when asked if Mosley was to receive his largest purse ever against Mayweather.

"We had gone back and forth with the Mayweather camp over an extensive period of time just working out the details," said Burstein. "We came to an agreement that the Mayweather camp signed off on and that we found acceptable."

Mosley still is in the midst of legal issues involving Jin and Conte, "but he's more focused on his career than ever," said Burstein, adding that he believed that Mayweather was ready to sign as well.

"I saw [Mayweather's adviser] Leonard Ellerbe [Friday night,] and I told him that Shane had signed. And Leonard said that, 'We've got a deal, and it will be signed very soon,'" said Burstein, referring to Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.

"[Ellerbe] said that Floyd wants the fight, the terms are acceptable, and we're going forward," said Burstein. "He said, there's nothing to be concerned about. The fight's on.'"

Part of the deal requires that both fighters agree to Olympic-style, random blood-testing and urinalysis, something which Mayweather's camp had insisted upon during their failed negotiations for a recent bout against WBO welterweight champion, Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs).

Pacquiao will instead defend his title against Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) of Ghana on March 13 at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington.

"In [Mayweather's] mind, he knows that this is going to be a difficult fight. It's going to be a great fight. I can't wait to sink my teeth into this type of fight. It's going to be good," said Mosley. "That's what it's about. It's boxing. I'm going to go ahead and take it to the next level and take Floyd out."

Mosley has lost twice, respectively, to Vernon Forrest, and, Winky Wright, with a fifth loss being against Miguel Cotto -- all by decision.

Mosley demonstrated perhaps the most heart in his first loss to Forrest, getting up after having been floored twice and nearly stopped in the second round.

"It wasn't just two months ago, but a year ago I've been trying to get a fight. I thought that after the Margarito fight, that I would land one right away. But But they waited me out, waited me out, and I waited until the time was right. Now they have no choice but to come to me," said Mosley, whose contract has a rematch clause if Mayweather loses.

"So after I fight Mayweather a couple of times, then I'll go ahead and fight Manny Pacquiao," said Mosley. "That's just like I told the world it should have been that way in the first place."

Over the course of his career, Mosley has beaten world champions, De La Hoya (twice), Fernando Vargas (twice), Margarito, Mayorga, Jesse James Leija, John John Molina, Phillip Holiday and Luis Collazo.

Of those, Mosley has knocked out Vargas, Mayorga, Margarito, Leija and Molina.

Mosley decisioned Holiday in his 24th fight for the IBF lightweight crown in August of 1997. In April of 1999, Mosley defended that title for last time with an eighth-round knockout of John Brown.

Mosley then skipped over the junior welterweight (140 pounds) division and scored consecutive, 147-pound stoppages over Wilfredo Rivera and Willy Wise, respectively, in 10, and three rounds, before earning a split-decision victory in June of 2000 over De La Hoya for the WBC welterweight belt.

In September of 2003, Mosley dethroned De La Hoya, not long after which he admitted using the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear" -- prior to defeating De La Hoya.

"I've been representing Shane Mosley continuously for seven years. He's a fighter who is a true warrior, one who is very typical of a boxer who is extremely nice in his personal life," said Burstein.

"But when he's got his game face on, you won't find anybody who fights as hard and with as much stamina," said Burstein. "He's already a Hall of Famer, but this is going to be a nice cap to the latter part of his career."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Knockout Nation: Mayweather-Mosley Is On! Haye-Ruiz, Hearns vs. Trinidad Fantasy Clash! -- AllHipHop

By Ismael Abdu Salaam, AllHipHop.com

Mayweather-Mosley Agree to Terms, Mosley Signs First

A mixture of an earthquake and blood testing refusal has brought us to one of the biggest fights in recent memory with Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley agreeing to clash in Las Vegas on May 1.

Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe broke the news yesterday to ESPN that the terms were agreed upon and both parties would be signing shortly, with a fight announcement sometime in the upcoming week from New York City.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, Mosley flew to Las Vegas yesterday (January 29) and signed his end of the deal.

“Floyd tried to fight the guy everyone thought was the best guy available and we couldn’t get that fight done, so we went to the next guy on the list,” Ellerbe explained in a statement. “As I’ve said many times, when Floyd decided to come back to boxing, he did it to be in major events. He’s going to face all of the top welterweights and one by one, knock them all off.”

In addition, Ellerbe denied the rumors that Mayweather had ever considered fights with Matthew Hatton, Paulie Malignaggi, or Nate Campbell, all smaller fighters competing in the 140 pound division. To their end, only Hatton ever claimed that he was contacted by Team Mayweather.

The full terms of the contract have not been disclosed, but death knell of the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations, Olympic style random drug testing, was agreed upon by Mosley in the opening talks. Unlike Pacquiao, Mosley has a documented history of steroid usage stemming from two anabolic steroids he admitted taking in preparation for his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.

Mosley won the bout, and never failed any drug tests. However, he admitted under oath he took the drugs after being required to give federal testimony in the BALCO labs trial.

It’s not Mayweather-Pacquiao, but this fight is the next biggest event and has the possibility of being an even better fight. Mosley is the naturally bigger/stronger man, harder puncher, and still possesses formidable handspeed. Mayweather is the more accurate puncher and better ring general, being able to adjust ring plans several times during the course of a fight.

When I spoke with Mosley last November, he offered the below reason why he would be the man to give Mayweather his first defeat.

“He knows what the fans and public doesn’t know. I’m the only person that can hit him. We have pretty much that same style except I hit harder,” Mosley told Knockout Nation. “I can hit him, the other guys can’t. When I touch him, just like I did to Margarito, he’s going to sleep. Why fight Sugar Shane when I can fight Pacquiao who can’t hit me? Why fight Sugar Shane when I can fight Marquez, Hatton, or Oscar De La Hoya? It’s unfortunate. It’s his last resort. After I retire and am done with boxing then he’ll fight me. If he fights me, that’ll be his first loss.”

“We both match up in speed. Like I said I have more power than him. I’m more aggressive but I can box, too. I can make him try to come at me as well. I have so many different ways of fighting the guy that makes it so appealing. I’m a complete fighter and he’s knows it.”

On Mayweather’s end, he taunted Mosley last September when I caught up with him right before his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Shane Mosley! I would say that Shane Mosley represents the 90’s. Now all of sudden after he got 5 or 6 losses now he talking about “yeah, I want to fight Floyd!” Well your career is almost over and now you want to fight me,” Mayweather said. “They all want to talk about Shane’s last fight [with Antonio Margarito], but he beat De La Hoya twice on steroids. So did he win all those championships? Absolutely not, he was on steroids. Now he talks about wanting to fight everyone out there? Shane, your career is over. You’re almost 40! Give it up, Shane!”

“If that was me doing steroids the media would have crucified me. Ah man, they would have thrown me in the fireplace with gasoline draws on. It’s okay when someone else does it, but it’s always taken to the extreme when anything happens with me.”

Mosley definitely represents the fighter with the best chance to bust up and break down Mayweather. Still, I favor Floyd because I feel he can outthink Mosley down the stretch.

Mosley biggest wins have come from simply outfighting or outbrawling his foes with superior strength and speed (De La Hoya, Vargas, Margarito). When that gear doesn’t work and he’s forced to adjust his approach, he becomes hesitant and can be outpointed (Cotto, Forrest, Wright).

Mosley will have to have the best night of his career, and have 3-4 strategies prepared for when Floyd inevitably switches up. With speed and steady but not reckless pressure, Shane will want to drive Mayweather to the ropes where he can work his powerful left hook to the body and overhand right. Floyd has a great check left hook from the ropes (see Hatton), but even a slower Marquez was able to very sparingly catch Mayweather with the right hand off the ropes.

With a granite chin, Mosley will have to come in knowing he’s going to get clipped badly at times, but still be willing to take a counter to a land a stronger shot of his own. Also, his trainer Nazim Richardson would be wise to get Mosley to tighten up his shots. In 2005, Mayweather claimed Mosley would be easy work because for all his speed Shane still looped his punches, making them easy to see and slip.

All in all, expect an intriguing 12 round chess match with Mosley testing Floyd in ways we haven’t seen in years.

Whoever wins stakes their claim as the best welterweight in the world. Let the hype begin.


David Haye-John Ruiz Set for April

Newly crowned WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (23-1, 21 KOs) will make the first defense of his title on April 3 against veteran John Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 Kos).

Ruiz was named the title’s #1 contender following Haye’s 12 round decision win over Nikolai Valuev last November.

Ruiz, known for his mauling style that’s bedeviled many heavyweights over the last decade, is looking to regain his title at 38 years old.

Haye, the former cruiserweight champion and big puncher at that weight, feels Ruiz has the perfect style to show he’s carried his power up to the heavyweight ranks.

“I will not only beat him but beat him spectacularly and knock him out,” Haye said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to what I do best, throwing my trademark ‘Hayemakers.’ Ruiz is a come-forward fighter so I aim to get at him, break him down, and take him out in good style.”

Ruiz knows Haye will be on the move, and plans to corner the outspoken Brit and make it the tiring, clinch-filled fight that he specializes in.

“David Haye is a quick guy and moves to escape a lot of punches. That’s my main focus, to virtually stay on top of him,” Ruiz said from his Las Vegas training camp. “I will bring the fight to him and make him fight my fight. It has to be close and personal. He loves to move. That’s his main weapon. I have to corner him.”
Ruiz’s last fight was a 7th round TKO over Adnan Serin.

The fight will take place from Manchester’s MEN Arena on April 3.


News and Notes

- Last night (January 29), former Contender star Jesse Brinkley scored a mild upset in outbrawling Curtis Steven on ESPN Friday Night Fights to a unanimous decision. Stevens had vowed to KO Brinkley in the first round, but was dropped in the 6th and staggered several times down the stretch. Brinkley now moves closer to an IBF super-middleweight title shot against Lucian Bute

- Former WBO 130 pound champion Jorge Barrios has been charged with murder for killing a pregnant woman in a car accident last weekend and fleeing the scene. At press time, he’s not entered a plea yet.

- Roger Mayweather has pleaded not guilty to coercion and battery-strangulation charges over an incident last August with a female boxer he trained. The trial is set to begin June 1.

- Top Rank promoter Bob Arum informed media and fans that they can “go f**k themselves,” and Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa would not face each other until 2011 after “cleaning out” the featherweight division.

- Evander Holyfield vs. Francois Brotha has been rescheduled for March 6

- Undefeated WBC 140 champ Devon Alexander (19-0, 12 Kos) and IBF champ Juan Urango (22-2-1, 17 Kos) will unify on March 6.

- Wladimir Klitchsko (53-3, 47 Kos) defends his IBF/WBO titles against Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 Kos) on March 20.


Mythical Matchup of the Week: Tommy Hearns vs. Felix Trinidad

Quick, compile a list of the hardest punchers ever from welterweight through junior middleweight. Odds are Tommy Hearns and Felix Trinidad will be two names very high on that list.

About 20 years apart, both fighters were feared and devastating punchers in those divisions.
It took Trinidad only 3 years following his 1990 debut to pick up the IBF title, with a surgical 2 round beatdown of Maurice Blocker. He strung off 15 title defenses through 1999, winning 13 by knockout. The only 2 who survived were a past prime but cagey Pernell Whitaker, and Oscar De La Hoya.

A stalking puncher, Trinidad regular forced exchanges and discombobulated foes with his heavy left hook.
That power went up to 154 pounds, where he ruined the careers of David Reid and Fernando Vargas in 2000 with career highlight wars that saw both opponents absorb prolonged beatings. Vargas never regained his previous form, and Reid was forced to retire by the following year due to eye problems.

Like Tito, it took Hearns only 3 years to win his first title. He ended Hall Famer Pipino Cuevas’ career as an elite fighter with a crushing 2nd round KO in 1980, picking up the WBA welterweight title.

He made 3 successful defenses before running into another all-time great in Sugar Ray Leonard, losing by TKO14 while ahead on the cards in 1981.

Citing weight issues, he immediately jumped to junior middleweight. Now comfortable, he dominated his bouts there, going 8-0, with 4 KOs. Among his victims were the slick Wilfred Benitez by decision, and possibly the greatest one punch KO of all time over pound for pound legend Roberto Duran.

His run at that weight would propel him to a classic war with Marvin Hagler at middleweight. His skill, frame, and power would allow him to move all the way up to cruiserweight and still win belts well into the 90s.
Against Hearns, Trinidad would have a daunting task in front of him. The Puerto Rican legend was prone to having defensive lapses, suffering multiple knockdowns during his 90’s prime. To win, Trinidad would have to swarm and get under Hearns’ 6-inch reach advantage to hopefully land first in exchanges at mid-range and on the inside.

The problem is that Hearns was so skilled that the only fighters who beat him in his best years had to eat huge bombs and punishment to land their own. Leonard got a detached retina for his efforts and was forced into semi-retirement for walking down down the Hitman after being outboxed early. Hagler, all-time great middleweight, was stung early in the first round and had a fight-threatening cut by before bullying his way to victory. Iran Barkley was battered from pillar to post before landing a home run shot.

Could Trinidad endure that type of fire to take out Hearns?

Felix definitely has the power to KO Tommy, but not the skill or durability. Hearns will drill him with hard jabs and straight rights from the outside. Hearns was a good mover, and would constantly have Trinidad changing directions and preventing him from getting set (like De La Hoya did before gassing late in their 1999 superfight). The hard shots would eventually break Tito’s guard and drop him, or he would get caught trying to lunge in with his left.

In his prime, whenever he was dropped Trinidad got up to viciously stop his opponent. And if a foul was needed (ie. a low blow) to regain control, so be it. However, with Hearns after 2-3 knockdowns Felix Trinidad would be in no condition to get up.

My prediction in this exciting mythical shootout is Tommy Hearns by TKO in 6 rounds over a game Felix Trinidad, who gets saved by his corner.

Your thoughts?

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Ex-Champ Brian Viloria to Make Career Decision After Return to America -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

From his ringside seat at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City, Manila, Philippines, boxing manager Gary Gittelsohn watched with intensity as the partisan crowd cheered on his fighter, IBF flyweight champion Brian Viloria of Hawaii, in defense of his crown against Colombian-born Carlos Tamara of North Bergen, N.J., on Jan. 23.

By the seventh round of their 108-pound clash, the 29-year-old Viloria (pictured at right), having hurt his 26-year-old rival on several occasions, was trying to do what his fans appeared to be asking of him as he pushed for his eighth consecutive victory, his 16th career knockout, and his 27th win against only two losses.

"Brian was dictating a pace in this fight that I had never seen before. And the crowd, which was very much a pro-Brian Viloria crowd in Manila, was urging him to finish the job because he had Tamara seriously hurt many times during the fight," said Gittelsohn.

"It was a torrid pace. If this were an HBO fight, and they had punch stats there, it would be off of the charts," said Gittelsohn. "And at one point in the seventh round, Brian just let it all go to finish Tamara."

The scene was similar to Viloria's performance against Ulises Solis in the Philippines in April of 2009, at the nearby Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

In that fight, Viloria scored a sensational 11th-round knockout of Solis, who had entered their fight with a record of 28-1-2 and 20 KOs, was riding an unbeaten streak of 10-0-1 with seven KOs, and had defended his crown nine times with five KOs.

Like Solis (pictured at far right, with Viloria standing), who had never before been stopped before Viloria finished him with a perfectly-placed right hand, Tamara "was a very tough fight," said Gittlesohn, adding that "Carlos Tamara was a really game, very, very determined, very tough opponent."

But against Tamara, things would end much differently for Viloria.

"Brian was well in control of the fight [with Tamara] for nine rounds, or at least through the end of the first eight rounds. But in the ninth round, it just seemed like he hit a wall," said Gittelsohn.

"It was a hot arena, and it as a quick pace, and certainly all of the earmarks and certainly all of the ingredients for dehydration were there -- especially between two guys who had done everything that they could to make weight for the fight," said Gittelsohn. "And with a pace that was as torrid as this, and especially with this all out effort to close the show, it seems natural that he could have dehydrated. So in the 12th round, I don't know, it just sort of happened."

Although far ahead on the scorecards, an exhausted Viloria faded over the last four rounds, during which the younger fighter seized the moment and turned up the pressure.

By the 12th, Viloria could no longer hold off his opponent, who surged in an effort to win his fourth straight fight, his 15th by knockout, and to improve to 21-4 since losing his WBO crown by unanimous decision to Omar Andres Narvaez in January 2008.

Tamara cornered a badly-fatigued Viloria in the final round and nailed him repeatedly before referee Bruce McTavish stepped in to protect the soon-to-be ex-champion. In the end, Tamara's TKO victory came at one minute, 45 seconds of the 12th round.

Viloria collapsed in his changing room minutes after the bout, and was rushed from the arena in an ambulance to a hospital where he received a brain CAT scan, as well as neck and chest X-rays.

"I'm just happy to be able to report that all of his scans came back normal, as well as all of his bloodwork. It was just a case of severe dehydration, and the bloodwork bore that out. We later learned that Brian was completely dehydrated, which resulted in his collapsing in the dressing room after the fight," said Gittelsohn.

"Had Brian been able simply to even stand up for the 12th round, even after losing the ninth, 10th and 11th round, he would have retained his title," said Gittelsohn. "Because, by any objective measure, he was way ahead on the scorecards."

Gittelsohn said Viloria is "coming back from the Philippines on Sunday [Jan. 31,] and we'll regroup," adding, "after a while, we'll sit down and figure out how to pick up the pieces and where to place them."

Viloria had once considered giving up boxing after his sixth-round knockout of Ruben Contreras in May 2005 left Contreras unconscious and eventually near death.

Like Viloria, Contreras collapsed in the ring. But Contreras had suffered a severe head injury, which led to a blood clot in his brain. Contreras was hospitalized and placed into a medically-induced coma following emergency brain surgery.

Contreras recovered enough to be at ringside for Viloria's next bout -- a first-round knockout of Eric Ortiz in September 2005 that earned Viloria the WBC crown. Before entering the ring against Ortiz, Viloria, nearly in tears, embraced and spoke to Contreras.

Gittelsohn said he thought of Contreras and other fighters, some of whom have died from punishment, when he witnessed Viloria's post-fight peril.

"In the locker room, when he collapsed, I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack. I started sweating, my pulse was racing, and I saw shades of all of these kids that have recently had swelling on the brain," said Gittelsohn, with whom Viloria said he "sat down down," and "needed to really, really think about it and to know whether going on with the sport was the right thing to do" following the Contreras bout.

"I didn't want to lose Brian in the worst way. It was a nightmare of indescribable proportions after the fight with Carlos Tamara, and we were devastated," said Gittelsohn. "At the end of the day, Brian got wonderful medical attention. I love this kid. He's special. And maybe that's a fault of mine. I fall in love with the fighters that I've represented over the years."

Trained by Robert Garcia, a former IBF super featherweight (130 pounds) titlest who went 35-3, with 25 KOs, Viloria's enthusiasm for the sport and the resumption of his career were reinvigorated in the aftermath of Contreras.

"I don't know the answer to how Brian became dehydrated, and that's one of the things I'm going to talk to the doctors about, because we had a perfect camp. But I don't know whether or not his body can naturally make 108 anymore," said Gittelsohn.

"I've seen fighters go for days drying out, but none of that happened with Brian, who made the weight. But Brian has fought at a light weight since the Olympics, when he fought at 106," said Gittelsohn. "So, 10 years later, he's gone from a boy to a man and he's still fighting at 108. I'm not sure that his body can naturally make that weight any longer."

Viloria told Philstar.com that no decision has been made concerning whether or not he will continue his career, but it is one that he will make when he returns to America and consults with Gittelsohn and Garcia.

"Maybe I need to look back and see if I need to move up. Maybe I need to go up to 112 or 115. I was 108 since I was 14, and maybe it's time for me to let my body grow," said Viloria, who has fought 21 times at weights ranging between 110-and-115.5 during his career.

"I don't need to come up with the decision right now. I will sit down with my team and see what the best move is," said Viloria. "I love the sport and I hear a lot saying it's time to retire, but I already told you I would rather die doing what I love than do something that I don't love."

A polished speaker with matinee idol looks, Viloria has done work on some broadcasting of Manny Pacquiao's bouts, and told Philstar.com that he always has wanted to be a reporter who would cover boxing, basketball and football.

"It [the decision] will come to me and I'll know. Maybe when I get to LA that will come," said Viloria. "And when I know what I'll do I will let everybody know. Is the glass half empty or half full? I'd like to look at it as half full."

Gittelsohn said that he "purposely stayed away from the subject" of retirement with Viloria, "But for me to speculate would be just that --it would be speculation."

"I thought, 'First things first,' I wanted to make sure that his health was 100 percent, and that's what I concentrated on. I wanted to make sure that he had my love and support. That's what I left him with when I left the Philippines and I knew that he was okay," said Gittelsohn.

"When Brian gets back here and we can reflect, objectively, on what happened, then, we're going to reach those important career decisions," said Gittelsohn. "The good news is that, medically, if he wanted to resume his career, he could, and there is nothing that happened in that fight that would prevent him from doing it."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Shane Mosley signs contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1 -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Shane Mosley's attorney confirmed to The Times today that the Pomona world welterweight champion has signed a contract to fight unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1, most likely at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Mosley's purse for the 147-pound fight will be his "biggest ever," attorney Judd Burstein said, declining to reveal terms. Mayweather has yet to sign his own deal agreement, but Burstein said he has been assured by the boxer's lead advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, that the signature would come sometime "in the next two days."

It is unclear whether the fight will be for Mosley's World Boxing Assn. welterweight belt, Burstein said.

Mosley, said Burstein, drove himself Friday to the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, where a Burstein-represented fighter had a bout, and signed his deal in a hotel room.

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

The fighters, who each spent the last decade ranked somewhere among the top in the lists of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, have won world titles in eight different weight classes.

The deal was struck with Mosley agreeing to all of Mayweather's stipulations for a stringent drug-testing protocol that will subject him to random blood and urine tests for performance-enhancing drugs all the way to fight night. Burstein said Mosley agreed to the arrangement "as long as Floyd takes the same test at the same time."

Mosley's 2003 decision victory over Oscar De La Hoya was tainted by his acknowledged use of designer steroids "the cream" and "the clear" and energy boosting EPO in the days before the bout. Mosley later explained that he took the substances unknowingly, believing they were legal supplements. He met with BALCO founder Victor Conte before using the substances.

Mayweather's push for drug testing resulted in the scrapped plans for him to fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will now fight Joshua Clottey in a welterweight bout on March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

The 38-year-old Mosley was originally supposed to end a one-year layoff tonight after beating Antonio Margarito by ninth-round TKO last January at Staples Center, but his opponent Andre Berto had to withdraw because of the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, where has family members.

Mosley prodded Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight him last year to no avail, as Mayweather (40-0) accepted a comeback fight that he won handily against the lighter and smaller Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mayweather, earlier this decade, suggested Mosley was dodging him, and after Mayweather's fame was boosted by a 2007 victory over De La Hoya, Mosley has claimed Mayweather was ducking him.

Now, with a Mayweather autograph, the long-awaited bout will happen.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

***

BORGES' SATURDAY SPECIAL: Mayweather 1, Pacquiao 0 -- The Sweet Science

By Ron Borges, The Sweet Science

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is still undefeated.

Manny Pacquiao and Bob Arum may have thought they beat Mayweather at the negotiating table when they walked away from a possible $40 million payday after refusing to random drug testing administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency but Mayweather KOd them both Friday when it was announced he and Shane Mosley would meet May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a welterweight title super fight that dwarfs Pacquiao’s March 13 sparring session with Joshua Clottey.

While Pacquiao will be well paid for appearing at Cowboys Stadium, who cares what he does there unless he’s facing either Mayweather or Mosley? His loyal fan base cares if he straightens his tie but as far as growing either the sport or his own celebrity Arum has failed him completely.

At some point Arum is likely to claim Dallas has the largest Filipino fan base this side of San Francisco but A) the fight won’t be in Dallas and B) who cares? The fight of the first half of 2010 now belongs to Mayweather and Mosley even though there is no question that the fight the world wanted was Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Mosley’s willingness to submit to random blood and urine testing administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which it has been reported was one of the deal points the 38-year-old three-division champion signed off on, only serves to make Pacquiao look worse for rejecting a less stringent testing protocol.

Add to that the fact Mosley is a prior offender who has admitted not only using illegal steroids (the clear and the cream) but also injecting himself with EPO, the blood doping agent, prior to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya and it makes his agreeing to Mayweather’s demands stand out in stark contrast to Pacquiao’s refusal of random blood testing for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) up to the fight’s final days.

Mayweather has always said he would willingly submit to both random urine and blood testing so when he began negotiating with Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) one wondered how he could get himself out of that box he created by allowing the Pacquiao fight to implode. He did it by being what few people are in boxing. He remained consistent in his insistence that he and Mosley be tested openly and far in excess of what the Nevada State Athletic Commission demands.

The NSAC loves to say it is the best commission in the country and it is. The only problem with that statement is it’s a pretty low standard, as Texas will soon prove by allowing convicted glove-loader Antonio Margarito to return to the ring on the same Arum-promoted card Pacquiao headlines without having stood in front of the California Commission that first suspended him after finding illegal knuckle pads covered with what appeared to be a hardening agent before he was to fight Mosley a year ago.

Unlike Margarito, Mosley not only admitted what he had been party to under oath while testifying to a grand jury in the BALCO trial, but has now gone a welcomed step farther and agreed to random blood testing, which is the only way to catch any user of PEDs but an idiot.

For boxing that news itself is welcome but so, too, is the fact Mayweather (40-0, 25) will return to the ring May 1 in a major pay-per-view show that, while not as internationally intriguing as a Pacquiao fight, is the next best thing. Hopefully, it will stop the ludicrous talk that circulated on the internet after Pacquiao’s refusal to agree to what Mosley just did that the breakdown was Mayweather’s fault and an effort to duck Pacquiao.

Some even went so far as to claim Mayweather had never fought anyone, a laughable contention. Mayweather hasn’t ducked anybody and now is fighting a far more formidable opponent than Clottey (35-3, 20 KO). While Mosley remains one of the half dozen pound-for-pound best fighters in the world in the opinion of many boxing experts, Clottey has lost both title fights he’s been in and consistently seemed to be unable to push himself late in a big fight when the scoring is close, as was the case in his loss to Miguel Cotto in his last outing.

There is simply no comparison in either interest or value between Mayweather-Mosley with Pacquiao-Clottey. Although Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will never have his own career complete until he squares off with Pacquiao he won their first negotiating battle Friday by agreeing to face Mosley. He also did what he said he’d do when he returned to boxing last September after a self-imposed 21-month layoff and defeated Juan Manuel Marquez – he didn’t waste his time with a B side opponent like Clottey just because he could. He faced the next best available opponent, although admittedly it took some good fortune because Mosley was only available after Andre Berto was forced to withdraw from their scheduled Jan. 30 welterweight title fight.

Mosley, by the way, deserves immense credit himself not for agreeing to the fight but for agreeing to be party to the first real effort to clean up one of the dirty sides of the sport – the growing use of PEDs in boxing.

So Floyd Mayweather and his chief advisor, Leonard Ellerbee, get the win over Pacquiao and Arum but so too does Shane Mosley, a guy who did the wrong thing once and lied about it for years but stood up this week and agreed to something Manny Pacquiao was afraid to do – prove to the public that he doesn’t cheat.

Source: thesweetscience.com

***

Margarito would need plastered hands and cement shoes to defeat Pacquiao -- Examiner

By Rick Rockwell, Examiner.com

“The Tijuana Tornado” Antonio Margarito has officially stepped into the long line of boxers who think they can beat Manny Pacquiao. Margarito, who’s hoping to victoriously return from a 1 year suspension, recently, commented on how he thinks that he’s the only one who can beat Manny Pacquiao.

In an interview with “The Record”, Margarito made the following comments:

“I hope to earn that chance against Pacquiao to prove that I’m the only one that can beat him”.

Cheater
Should Margarito even be allowed back into boxing? Does he deserve another chance? Margarito tried to reinforce his hand wraps with plaster before his fight against Mosley. He was caught, defeated in the ring, and suspended for a year. Now, I’m not a fan of Shane “Cream and Clear” Mosley but I’m even less a fan of guys who cheat and could potentially kill another man as a result of their cheating. However, it would take more than just plastered hands for Margarito to defeat PacMan. Alan Richards, Sacramento, CA ‘I don’t even think that plastered hands could defeat the world’s top boxer”.

Cement Shoes
Pacquiao’s blazing speed would be too much for Margarito to handle. In addition to the plastered hands, Margarito would need to place cement shoes on Pacquiao in hopes of slowing the PacMan down long enough to hit him with the loaded gloves. Jimmy Gould, Folsom, CA “I’m sure Margarito has already thought about how he can cheat his way to victory over Pacquiao.”

Will the Fight Happen?
Bob Arum recently told Boxingscene.com that he can see Pacquiao fighting Margarito perhaps in the summer at the new stadium built for the New York Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Could this fight actually take place? Does Margarito even deserve a big fight so soon after his return from suspension? I personally don’t think that Margarito deserves a shot at Pacquiao so soon. Make him earn the shot. Give him a few tough fights and see if he’s even a contender.

Another train of thought here is that Arum is using this possible match as a contractual ploy against Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Jr. If this is true, then I love the strategy. Anything that humbles GBP and Mayweather I am down for.

If this fight happens, it would take plastered hands and cement shoes for Margarito to win.

Source: examiner.com

***

Mayweather demands, gets instant rematch proviso from Mosley -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Flomos, meanying Floyd Mayweather addicts, I hate to jolt you out of your on the verge of being formally announced Shane Mosley bout euphoria but your cautious, conservative "Boxing Businessman" hero has done it again.

The apparent reason that an "in house" promotion, now set for May 1 in Las Vegas, took so long to coalesce for the Golden Boys, is Mayweather's insistence on an immediate rematch clause.

Does that sound like a guy who will be in any hurry to fight Manny Pacquiao?

It's one thing to note that your unbeaten idol has waited until Shanedog is a ripe, old age of 38 1/2 before agreeing to fight him.

It's another thing to note that Mosley will have been out of the ring 15 months by the time he and Flomo fight.

But it's another to note, some might say a smart business practice, for Money to demand and get the quick rematch clause.

You can be sure it's a one way option just as you can be sure that this is likely a 65-35 percentage deal (with some possible brass ring incentives as to PPV totals) in Mayweather's favor.

Mayweather, as usual, has stacked the deck. The fight is in his hometown, he has a seven year age advantage and his insurance policy is the instant rematch provision.

Mayweather is cautious in the ring and out.

Guess it's just his cash cow nature.

I guess Mosley is lucky that Mayweather didn't limit him to 15 jabs per round or put in the contract that he has to stand between rounds or something.

What say you, Paclanders and Flomos?

Am I so, so, so, so wrong?

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

***

Shane Mosley gets wish, Mayweather agrees to terms -- Examiner

By Joseph Bourelly, Examiner.com

Since knocking out former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito twelve months ago, reigning WBA titleholder Shane Mosley has been lobbying for a big fight with either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. to reclaim recognition as the best boxer in the world on a pound-for-pound basis.

Evidently, after a year of inactivity, his wish has finally been granted by Floyd Mayweather Jr., as the two elite welterweights have reportedly come to terms for a match on May 1st at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, NV. Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe indicated to ESPN today that while the contracts are not signed yet, all terms have been agreed to by both parties, including drug testing, an issue that sunk a proposed Mayweather – Pacquiao bout in March. Considering Shane Mosley admitted under grand jury testimony that he used performance enhancing drugs back in 2003, his agreement to random urine and blood testing was crucial in coaxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. into the ring.

Although this is not the Pacquiao – Mayweather bout everyone has been demanding, it is clearly the second best option, and quite frankly, the Manny Pacquiao – Joshua Clottey bout which will take place this March in Dallas, TX, isn’t bad either. In fact, fight fans will now be treated to the four best welterweights in the world squaring off against one another. Logically, fans and media will demand the winners of the two bouts face each other to settle the matter of best welterweight in the world.

The Shane Mosley – Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout, like the Manny Pacquiao – Joshua Clottey fight, will be huge in terms of fan interest and generated revenue. Both Mosley and Mayweather have chased each other at different times over the years, but for one reason or another the moon and stars were not in alignment and the two were never ready and willing to fight at the same time. But when Haitian-American Andre Berto bowed out of his match with Shane Mosley which was scheduled for tomorrow night in Las Vegas, attention immediately switched to Floyd Mayweather Jr., given he too was left without an opponent after negotiations with Manny Pacquiao broke down earlier this month.

Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but boxing fans can expect an intriguing and entertaining fight. Considering Shane Mosley, even at the age of thirty-eight, is still widely considered among the best five boxers in the world pound-for-pound, on paper this should be the most challenging bout of Mayweather’s unblemished career. Plain and simple, that is why people should want to see this fight.

Source: examiner.com

***

Pacquiao-Clottey tickets selling briskly despite stiff prices -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

Tickets for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title showdown between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Joshua Clottey of Ghana are selling briskly despite the tickets’ stiff prices.

The top seat tickets cost $700 while other tickets are being peddled for $500, $400, $300, $200, $100, and $50, something Arum believes will entice fight fans to fill the reconfigured (45,000-capacity) Cowboys Stadium on fight night.

As this developed, Clottey downplayed Pacquiao perceived superiority, saying the Filipino champ is just Superman’s alter-ego Clark Kent and not The Man of Steel.

“I know it’s Pacquiao but I don’t like people thinking that Manny is super, that nobody can beat him,” Clottey told the Ghanaian media as he gears up for his March 13 showdown with the Filipino fighter at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Clottey said Pacquiao “is a human being like me,” and that he is going all-out in his ambitious quest to “dethrone him” and “win the (World Boxing Organization welterweight) title for Ghana.”

While Clottey is assured the biggest paycheck of his career, the African banger insists he is facing Pacquiao.

Source: mb.com.ph

***

Joshua Clottey steps up again, this time against the best fighter in the world -- Eastside Boxing

By Mike Cassell, Eastside Boxing

As I stood behind the curtain of the press area in Atlantic City’s historic Boardwalk hall back in 2006, welterweight Joshua Clottey looked absolutely sick following his fight with Antonio Margarito. I noticed his left hand was grossly swollen. “That must really sting” I said to Clottey. He smiled widely; “This?” pointing to visibly damaged hand “This is nothing. What really hurts is that, I know I had him. I know I can beat him.”

His tremendous performance against Antonio Margarito was overshadowed back on December 12th 2006, when Miguel Cotto totally destroyed Carlos Quintana with a devastating body punch in the main event.. But Joshua Clottey 35 – 3 (20KO’s) made a big noise in the hearts and minds of boxing fans everywhere when he stood with a severely injured hand, and banged it out with the seemingly invincible Margarito, who nobody wanted to fight. Often underrated, but never disrespected, Clottey is a true warrior who never says die. Clottey was born in Accra Ghana, in a small village called Bochum. He is member of the Ga tribe. He shares his heritage with fighters like Ike Quartey, Azumah Nelson, Alfred Kotey and D.K. Poison.

The boxers there train on a dirt surfaces in vacant lots that are surrounded by dilapidated, windowless shanties. His rise was slow, but his destination was undeniable. Clottey finally got his day in the sun when he won the vacant IBF welterweight title against Zab Judah. Instead of taking a few easier fights, he went right on to face Miguel Cotto, who he definitely defeated, but was apart of another badly judged fight, in a year of terrible decisions. Although one judge had Clottey ahead 114-113, two judges saw the fight Cotto’s way, with one despicable judge scoring 116 – 111 for Cotto. Again, he was overshadowed by Cotto, but this time because of the heart of the declining warrior. Most watching the fight realized who Top Rank’s other star was.

What makes Clottey’s journey so salient is that he earned every bit of his success. He didn’t talk his way into a world title shot. While Floyd Mayweather Jr justified dodging Margarito and Cotto, Clottey simply stood up to be counted as one of the best welterweights in the world and truly fought them both, toe to toe. He quietly became one of the most rugged fighters in the world, without any prognostication or pandering. As once again, Floyd Mayweather Jr finds another ridiculous reason not to fight the best; Clottey will again get into the ring with one of the best fighters in sport of boxing.

Manny Pacquiao is without a doubt the most complete fighter in the world, and on March 13th in Texas, it will take every ounce of Clottey’s grit to compete with him, much less beat him, but if anybody has the will and determination to take on this monumental task, Clottey definelty does. He is naturally bigger and in his prime. This fight in all reality could be absolutely phenomenal and in many ways be a much more entertaining fight than Pacquiao, Mayweather could ever be. Where boxing has failed in the past, is promoting names, instead of great match ups. This one may seem like a back up bout at first glance, but when you dig a little deeper, it has more teeth and less mouth. In other words, both of these fine pugilists are to rumble. Keep in mind that Pacquiao has had real problems with fearless brawlers like Clottey in the past.

Couple that with the fact that neither Margarito or Cotto could hurt this man, it makes for a very interesting evening. After everything has been said, I think Bob Arum put it best.

“These guys aren’t businessmen, or worried about messing up their pretty faces. They are fighters. That’s what they do.”

Source: eastsideboxing.com

***

Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley Announcement 'Very Close' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

In one corner is 32-year-old challenger Floyd Mayweather Jr., a five-time champion with a spotless record of 40-0, 25 knockouts and has been virtually unhittable, if not untouchable, throughout much of his career.

In the other corner is 38-year-old WBC welterweight (147 pounds) super champion Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), who is ending a nearly 14-month layoff since a Jan. 24, 2009, ninth-round knockout victory over Antonio Margarito.

"You have the best meeting the best, and that's what the public wants to see," said Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, on Friday afternoon. "This is the biggest fight in boxing that can be made right now. This is two great American fighters, and the fans can't wait to see it."

According to Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather promotions, "the negotiations have gone very smoothly," and boxing fans may not have to wait much longer than May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to see Mayweather against Mosley.

"We're very close. Both sides have agreed to the deal points. Now, it's just a matter of the legal-beagle stuff," Ellerbe told FanHouse. "Working with [Golden Boy Promotions' CEO] Richard Schaefer and Team Mosley has been very smooth."

Ellerbe's assertion backs up a statement made by Golden Boy Promotions president, Oscar De La Hoya, on Tuesday during a Los Angeles press conference announcing a Feb. 25, junior welterweight (140 pounds) bout between Victor Ortiz and Hector Alatorre.

De La Hoya expressed confidence on Tuesday that a deal for Mayweather-Mosley was near completion, and Schaefer told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports on Thursday that an announcement of a May 1, welterweight clash between two of the sport's premiere pound-for-pound fighters was "imminent," adding, "I hope to have something to announce in the next few days."

"Shane Mosley is a tremendous fighter who has fought all of the top fighters of his era, and who had a very good amateur background. He went on, as a professional, to win three titles in as many different weight classes, so he's proven that he's been one of the top fighters of his day," said Ellerbe.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mosley's trainer [Nazim Richardson.] He's one of the top trainers in the sport, and he doesn't get the credit that he deserves -- even though he's been one of the top trainers for a number of years," said Ellerbe. "We know that Shane will come in and be well-prepared, but it won't be enough to beat Floyd."

Mayweather's recent negotiations for a proposed March 13 bout with Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) reached an impasse over the latter's refusal to give blood within 24 days of the fight.

Mayweather's camp wanted Pacquiao, who never has tested positive for any banned substance under boxing's urninalysis-based procedures, to adhear to both fighters being randomly blood-tested as close to 14 days of fight time.

The camps' inability to resolve the issue led to the fight's demise, and seven-division champion Pacquiao choosing to defend his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) of Ghana on March 13 at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Meanwhile, Mosley (pictured right) was scheduled to face 26-year-old, WBC champ, Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs), on Jan. 30, before a distraught Berto pulled out of the fight as a result of the death of eight relatives during the recent earthquake in Haiti.

After Mayweather's unanimous decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in September, Mosley jumped into the ring, interrupted Mayweather's post-fight interview with Max Kellerman, and challenged the unbeaten fighter to face him.

In truth, however, it was Mayweather who initially began calling out Mosley 10 years ago, when the Pomona, California resident still was a 35-pound champion, and Mayweather, a 130-pound titlist.

"Floyd's been wanting to fight Shane Mosley since 1999," said Ellerbe, referring to the year when Mayweather still was the WBC's super featherweight king, and Mosley was the IBF's lightweight titlist. "Floyd's been asking for that fight for quite some time."

In April of that year, Mosley defended his IBF lightweight title for the last time with an eighth-round knockout of John Brown.

Mosley then skipped over the junior welterweight (140 pounds) division, jumping in Sept. 1999 right into the welterweight class.

Mosley scored consecutive 147-pound stoppages over Wlfredo Rivera and Willy Wise before earning a split-decision victory over De La Hoya that earned the WBC welterweight crown in June 2000.

In connection with the BALCO scandal of 2003, Mosley admitted during a grand jury testimony that he used the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," prior to defeating De La Hoya for what was the second time in their careers.

It was a win which earned Mosley the WBC and WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) titles in Las Vegas in September of that year.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission's post-fight urinalysis did not detect banned substances in Mosley, who never has tested positive under boxing's current system.

Commission rules, nationwide, call for victorious boxers who susequently test positive to have their wins turned into no- contests. Mosley, however, still is officially credited with defeating De La Hoya.

Mayweather's camp has indicated that anyone he fights, from now until the end of his career, will be subject to random blood and urine testing.

"Unfortunatley, performance enhancing drugs are prevalent in American sports, and we want to champion this effort to change the perception of the way that boxing is looked at. It's unfortunate, but boxing has to catch up to what's going on in 2010. We need to be in a preventative mode as opposed to the other mode," said Ellerbe.

"It's too late once a guy already has fought, and he comes back after a fight and he tests positive for a banned substance. The damage already has been done," said Ellerbe

"Unlike any other sport, boxing is a brutal sport of hand-to-hand combat, where guys are taking a physical beating throughout a fight," said Ellerbe. "One punch could end a guy's career. For the betterment of the sport, health, and safety, boxing needs to be moving in that direction. Floyd's going to be out front championing this effort."

For that reason, Olympic-style drug-testing -- the same random blood-testing Mayweather's camp asked for during the negotiations against Pacquiao -- have been agreed to by Mosley, according to both sides.

De La Hoya told reporters earlier this week that he will advocate boxing commissions to institute tougher drug-testing policies such as those enforced by United States Anti-Doping Agency, which Mayweather's camp initially had asked to execute the procedures for Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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MORALES: De La Hoya all for drug testing, Mosley-Mayweather meeting -- Los Angeles Daily News

By Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News

Oscar De La Hoya sat inside the ESPN Zone at L.A. Live on Tuesday after playing host to a news conference promoting the Feb. 25 junior welterweight fight between Victor Ortiz and Hector Alatorre at Club Nokia.

But reporters surrounding De La Hoya wanted to talk more about the possibility of a May 1 fight between "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. They also wanted to know if De La Hoya believes a fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao might still happen at some point.

When asked about Mosley-Mayweather, De La Hoya's eyes widened.

"That's the super fight that really takes boxing to another level because now you're talking about two All-American fighters who are really going to transcend the sport and take it to another level," said De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions has a working agreement with Mayweather, and promotes Mosley.

Richard Schaefer on Friday morning said Mosley and Mayweather have agreed on all the major points, and that a deal is virtually at hand.

"Negotiations are going very well," said Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy. "We are pretty much getting there. I would hope that early next week we will have some big announcement."

The demand by Mayweather for Olympic-style drug-testing that killed his proposed March 13 fight against Pacquiao would be in play for Mosley-Mayweather.

"I believe Mosley will raise his hand and say, `Take me to the laboratory,"' De La Hoya said. "That's what Mosley's going to do and I'm going to be the first one to applaud him because Mosley has nothing to hide."
Mosley once admitted before a grand jury he unknowingly was on the steroids "the cream" and "the clear" before his second victory over De La Hoya in September 2003. Said Schaefer: "Floyd made it clear a couple of weeks ago or so that going forward, in any one of his fights, he would require Olympic-style drug-testing. And, as Shane said before, it's no issue for him."

Olympic-style testing requires random blood samples and urinalysis that can be taken as close to the day before the fight, as well as directly after. It is something De La Hoya said needs to become the rule for boxing because the sport is a life-and-death proposition.

Currently, the state of Nevada, where most of the bigger fights are held, tests only urine just before and just after a fight, though it does occasionally take out-of-competition urinalysis.

"I think what's going to happen with boxing is, people are now opening their eyes and realizing that, wow, you have two fighters who want to bash their brains in and if one fighter is on something, it can be devastating," De La Hoya said. "It should be mandatory that fighters go through these extensive tests to make sure that they're clean because it's our life up in that ring and we can't risk that."

When Pacquiao and Mayweather couldn't get together on how close to their bout Pacquiao would agree to have blood drawn - Pacquiao does not like to have blood drawn close to a fight - the event was scrapped. De La Hoya is of the mind it's a fight that has to happen eventually.

"Obviously, we tested the waters on how big this fight can be and, will the fight happen? Absolutely. It has to happen, no doubt about it," De La Hoya said. "It's too big not to happen.

"We didn't make it for one single reason and I think we all know what that reason is. But I'm very optimistic that it can be made in the near future because it's not that boxing needs it, it's that boxing wants it."

De La Hoya was reminded Pacquiao has said he will not agree to Olympic-style testing. "I'm sure the public will hopefully make him change his mind, because why would you not want to earn $40 million?" De La Hoya said. "Why would you not want to show the public that these speculations are all nonsense?

"Just go ahead and be the king and the master and say, `Hey, what are you talking about? I'm clean. I'm a clean athlete."'

The "speculations" De La Hoya spoke of were started by Floyd Mayweather Sr., who has strongly suggested Pacquiao uses performance-enhancing drugs. Others in the industry jumped on that bandwagon. Pacquiao has never had a dirty test.

The bottom line, De La Hoya said, is that boxing is no laughing matter. Cheaters in this sport, he said, should be banned for life.

To that end, he said he is "disgusted" Antonio Margarito is going to try to get a license to fight in Texas on the undercard of Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

De La Hoya said Margarito should re-apply in California first because this is the state that revoked his license after he was busted with plaster inserts in his hand wraps prior to his fight with Mosley in January 2009 at Staples Center. That said, the Association of Boxing Commissions allows Margarito to apply for a license in any state one year after it is revoked in another.

"And," said a peeved Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao and Margarito, "that's what he's doing."


Ortiz shows courage in latest victory

It appeared to some Victor Ortiz might have quit in the sixth round of his junior welterweight interim title fight against Marcos Maidana in June at Staples Center. He had just gotten off the canvas after being decked in the sixth for the second time in the fight, his right eye was severely cut and there was a huge mouse under his left eye.

Just before the ringside physician stepped in to check him - the physician advised the referee to stop the fight - it seemed Ortiz wasn't that interested in continuing.

In the post-fight interview in the ring, Ortiz - who floored Maidana three times - said things like, "I was hurt, I'm not going to go out on my back. I'm not going to lay down for anyone. I'm going to stop while I'm ahead, that way I can speak well when I'm older. ... I'm young, but I don't think I deserve to be getting beat up like this, so I have a lot of thinking to do."

Ortiz, of Ventura, might have put the questions some had about his courage to rest when he came back and stopped former contender Antonio Diaz in the sixth round in December in Chicago.

"I wasn't 100 percent pleased with it because I know I still have more that I can work on," Ortiz said Tuesday at a news conference promoting his Feb. 25 fight against Hector Alatorre at Club Nokia at L.A. Live. "But overall performance, I was happy that I did exactly what my corner asked me to do."

Ortiz's manager, Rolando Arellano, was equally stoked.

"It kind of removed all the potential misconceptions that happened last time as to whether he had heart," Arellano said. "You know, `Is this kid shot already? Is he done?"'

Arellano said it was also good for Ortiz to prove to himself he is not gun-shy.

Then again, when a reporter was trying to ask Ortiz what he thinks of those who still wonder about his intestinal fortitude, the question wasn't finished being posed when Ortiz (25-2-1, 20 KOs) answered.

"I'm not here to make anybody happy," said Ortiz, 22. "I can't change anyone's opinion. I just keep on boxing and doing what I like to do. And that's just, you know, come back and work hard."

Alatorre, 28, is 16-8 with five knockouts. Ortiz is fighting him to stay busy until May 1, when he is slated for another big fight under the Golden Boy Promotions banner.

Source: dailynews.com

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Mosley, Mayweather reach terms -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to terms for a welterweight super fight, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe said Friday.

Although the contracts are not signed, "all of the deal points have been agreed to," Ellerbe said. "We still have to put pen to paper, but everything is agreed to. It's with the lawyers. Shane is a great fighter, one of the best of his era, and so is Floyd. It's going to be a great fight. It's a fight fans have wanted to see for a long time."

Assuming the paperwork is signed, Mosley will defend his welterweight title against Mayweather on May 1 on HBO PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Ellerbe said that he expected the paperwork to be completed in the next few days with a formal announcement likely next week.

The fight came together after an unexpected turn of events.

First, Mayweather became available for a fight three weeks ago when negotiations with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao disintegrated. They had agreed to all terms for a March 13 fight that loomed as the biggest in boxing -- except for a drug testing protocol.

They had agreed to random urine testing, but Mayweather also wanted random blood testing, even though that is not required under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Pacquiao agreed only to three blood tests, but none within 24 days of the fight, and the third one immediately after the bout.

Mayweather has alluded to Pacquiao using performance-enhancing drugs, even though he has never produced any evidence, and Floyd Mayweather Sr. has outright said he believes Pacquiao uses.

The rancor over the drug testing issue caused the fight to fall apart and Pacquiao moved on. He will defend his version of the 147-pound title against former titlist Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Then Mosley became available two weeks ago. He was scheduled to meet Andre Berto in a title unification bout at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Saturday night. However, Berto, a Haitian-American, withdrew from the bout after eight members of his extended family were killed in the earthquake in Haiti.

Immediately after the cancellation of Mosley-Berto, Mosley and Mayweather -- the former welterweight champ and pound-for-pound king until giving up the mantle during a brief retirement -- began negotiating.

"The negotiations were very cordial and went very smoothly," Ellerbe said.

Mosley has agreed to undergo random blood and urine testing, as has Mayweather, Ellerbe said.

Mosley has admitted to using PEDs and was connected to the BALCO scandal. Although he publicly denied using PEDs for years, Mosley admitted during grand jury testimony, which was later released, that he used designer steroids "the clear" and "the cream" and injected himself with EPO, a blood oxygen enhancer, during the lead-up to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley said he took the steroids unknowingly.

"Floyd only wants to be sure of an even playing field no matter who he fights," Ellerbe said.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, have seemingly been on a collision course since the late 1990s, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion.

Although their careers took different paths, talk of a potential fight heated back up in 2006 after Mosley's two knockouts of Fernando Vargas, but talks never got too serious.

However, Mosley stepped up his call for a fight with Mayweather, 32, last year after Mayweather ended his 18-month retirement. After Mayweather easily beat lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided decision in September, Mosley crashed his post-fight interview in the ring and called him out to his face.

It didn't look like Mosley would get the fight because two months later, Pacquiao knocked out Miguel Cotto and talks began for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Mosley, 38, hasn't fought since last January, when he upset Antonio Margarito to win his title via ninth-round knockout.

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

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Joshua Clottey disappointed coach can’t get visa -- Ghana Web

By Prince Dornu-Leiku, Ghana Web

Joshua Clottey will not forgive US Embassy officials in Ghana if his trainer does not travel with him to the USA on Tuesday. The Ghanaian boxer is disappointed that despite government intervention and pleas on the urgency and need of the issue, US immigration officials have refused to grant visa to his trainer Godwin Dzanie Kotey. “I am very very disappointed. I am so disappointed because this is the reason why I came down to Ghana and the money I spent to buy plane ticket and time wasted have been useless. It is so disappointing and I don’t even know what to say. Its like Ghana is not regarded because everybody in the world knows that this fight is coming on. I am very disappointed,” an obviously disenchanted Clottey stated in Accra where he has been training with coach Kotey at the Attoh Quarshie Gym.

Clottey, 35-3, 20 KOs, arrived in Ghana just three days after signing paperwork sealing a mega fight with Philipine icon Manny Pacquiao in Dallas on March 13. Clottey flew down home in order to help acquire visa renewals for his trainer and assistant. But the deal to take on the highly-rated Pacquiao has it seems come at a heavy cost to the 32 year old Ghanaian fighter because of US immigration requirements. US officials maintain Kotey will be travelling to Dallas to work when Joshua goes into battle against Pacquiao and therefore has to get the required P-1 visa to make the trip. Apparently the earliest time the P-1 visa can get processed will take two whole months, by which time Clottey should have long fought Manny.

Now the boxer expects US officials to understand the enormity of the situation at hand and use their discretion to issue visas to the trainers, even if for two months. But the US Embassy in Accra remain adamant and have not issued the entry permit even after top officials at the National Sports Council and Sports Ministry got involved on behalf of the boxer. Joshua says Kotey is the trainer in which he has confidence and believe can guide him to victory amid revealing that he has no idea yet who he will chose as trainer when he goes back to America on Tuesday.

“Alloway is the coach I know, he can speak my language to me and make me understand things better. I am disappointed in the US Embassy because now I have to go and do this difficult job with people I don’t know. Now everything is on only me, I have to do it all on my own so I have to be at my best,” Joshua, who even wept when this issue was raised at last Tuesday’s press conference, said. He has been training with his preferred team in Accra and he says he is in terrific shape and ready to face Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight title. “I am in good shape and I am enjoying myself in training and I must say I am very ready for the fight even if its today. But I need my coach there with me, I need him,” added Clottey.

Source: ghanaweb.com

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