By Tim Smith, New York Daily News
Just when you thought boxing was about to get it right, and give sports fans the most significant match in the 25 years, it performed down to expectations.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao won't be meeting in a mega fight in Las Vegas on March 13. The fight officially died over the weekend when Pacquiao agreed to fight Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium. Mayweather is reviewing his options. In the greatest testament to how messed up the sport really is both boxers plan to fight in separate matches on Pay Per View on March 13.
How this happened is beyond the comprehension of anyone who hasn't ever spent a significant amount of time around boxings power brokers. The average person rightfully wonders why anyone would walk away from a $40 million pay day just because they don't want to take some random blood tests. That is what Pacquiao did.
You want to blame someone for killing the fight? Blame Pacquiao and his reps. Where else do you place the blame? You can scream that Mayweather didn't want the fight, but there wasn't anything to indicate that.
When Pacquiao and his reps included a potential deal breaking clause that would penalize Mayweather $10 million for every pound he was over the welterweight limit, he agreed to it. End of story. Mayweather was ready to sign the deal.
But Pacquiao became offended with Mayweather's clause that both fighters - and the important word here is "both" - agree to Olympic style drug testing, which included random urine and blood testing.
This was not a last minute clause that Mayweather came up with to try to scuttle the negotiations and get out of the fight. It was included in the initial proposal, as was Pacquiao's $10 million "fat" clause. But we didn't hear anything about this being a problem until Dec. 22 when word got out that the fight was in jeopardy.
Since then Pacquiao has waffled on just why he didn't want to take random blood tests and has even sued Mayweather and his camp for defamation.
In the current climate where every athlete who performs super human feats is under suspicion of being on performance enhancing drugs, the request for Pacquiao to take random drug tests is not so far fetched.
Mark McGwire's admission to using PEDs during his assault on one of the most hallowed records in baseball after years of denials makes Pacquiao's protests about being smeared by people's suspicions ring hollow.
To say that he has never tested positive for PEDs is not enough. Welterweight champion Shane Mosley has never tested positive for steroids in any of the urine tests that were administered by the Nevada and California boxing commissions. But he has admitted before a federal grand jury that he took a designer steroid called "the clear" and also used EPO.
Paquiao's promoter Bob Arum has been trying to bail on the fight for the last two weeks. He has consistently declared the fight dead, even as his stepson, Top Rank President Todd duBoef, was feverishly working with Golden Boy Promotions, the negotiators for Mayweather, to keep it alive. First Arum said he was going to put together a match between Pacquiao and Yuri Foreman, a newly minted 154-pound world champion who is also promoted by Arum.
Then this weekend he closed the deal for Pacquiao to fight welterweight Joshua Clottey, another boxer that he represents, at Cowboys Stadium on the March 13 date that had been set aside for Pacquiao-Mayweather.
This can't have been an easy negotiation for Arum. He was sitting opposite a pair of boxers that he groomed to become two of the biggest cash cows in the sport before they left him to ring up cash registers for themselves. That couldn't have been easy on Arum's ego. But I would hate to think that Arum undermined what was potentially the highest grossing boxing event in the sports history because of his dislike for De La Hoya, owner of Golden Boy Promotions, and Mayweather.
Strange things have happen in boxing, but not much stranger than the collapse of this fight that everyone was clamoring to see. In the end money wasn't enough to save it.
What we're left with is Pacquiao, a Filipino national hero, fighting Clottey, who hails from Brooklyn by way of Accra, Ghana in Africa, fighting deep in the heart of Texas. I could care less. And the sports world will shrug, because they don't know Joshua Clottey from Jacques Cousteau.
Cowboys Stadium would have been the perfect venue for Pacquiao-Mayweather because it is a sports event - the Super Bowl of boxing. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has booked boxing's version of a preseason game in Pacquiao-Clottey.
Too bad, because the time for Pacquiao-Mayweather is right now, not September or December. To use another bad football analogy, by failing to get Pacquiao-Mayweather done boxing has fumbled the ball on the goal line going in. If Pacquiao loses to Clottey, no one will care if he ever fights Mayweather.
Source: nydailynews.com
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Mayweather Fighting On March 13th? Believe It When You See It -- The Sweet Science
By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science
GBP is leaking reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will also be fighting on March 13 of this year - the same night Manny Pacquiao will take on Joshua Clottey. As usual with Mayweather there is no opponent yet named, but you can bet your bottom dollar it'll be a fighter who has no chance whatsoever to beat him and Mayweather will be an overwhelming favorite to win.
It must be tough being Floyd Mayweather so far this year. He's tried to discredit Pacquiao - and what does Manny do? He takes a fight with another opponent who's more dangerous than any opponent Mayweather has ever fought in 14 years as a pro. Maybe this time Floyd is really shoveling dirt onto his own grave? Is he crazy? If he and Pacquiao both fought Slow Joe from Idaho on the same night, Pacquiao's fight would do better PPV numbers.
Who in the hell would pay to see Mayweather fight another no-hope opponent on the same night Pacquiao fights a real fighter? Not only is Pacquiao-Clottey a real fight between two top welterweights, Pacquiao is not a lock to come out victorious. Mayweather, on the other hand will most likely be taking part in nothing more than a high profile exhibition, with the fans coming away knowing nothing more about Floyd the fighter than is already known. That being he looks like Sugar Ray Leonard or Ezzard Charles every time out against B or C level opposition.
What's more is Mayweather will get killed at the gate and will once again be upstaged by Pacquiao in and out of the ring. This will in-turn, provided Pacquiao gets by Clottey, give Manny even more of a stranglehold over the negotiations for a proposed fight between them. Which of course will only make a fight between them that much more difficult to make.
Mayweather's desperate move to prove he's boxing biggest draw looks here to be more like career suicide. After Pacquiao's one sided victory over Miguel Cotto in his last fight, boxing fans would rather watch Pacquiao hit the heavy bag in the gym than watch Mayweather fight. Obviously team Mayweather played the boxing public for the last time when he stacked the deck against Juan Manuel Marquez this past September.
The only fight the boxing public--excluding avid Mayweather fans--wants to see Floyd partake in is against Pacquiao. And it's not hard to assume that the powers that be at Golden Boy Productions are well aware of this too. That's why it's hard to take the rumors that Mayweather will fight another set up on the night of Pacquiao-Clottey seriously until we see Floyd in the ring on the night of March 13, 2010.
Since the night Manny Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of their bout, Mayweather has done everything in his power to unintentionally expose just who he really is. And that's a jealous, insecure man with HOF boxing skills who has a manufactured undefeated record, the type you'd expect from the next hot prospect fighting for a title. When it comes to stepping up and fighting a real opponent, Mayweather goes in a different direction, such as when he was offered to fight Antonio Margarito, only to fight Carlos Baldomir.
If Floyd wants to get some of the props he thinks he deserves he should step up and fight Pacquiao for his title with no gimmicks. With each passing day that goes by and team Mayweather tries to come up with a new trick or gimmick hoping to get over on Pacquiao and the boxing public, he embarrasses himself more. Never in the history of the sweet science has a supposed all-time great resorted to so many childish games and antics trying to rain on the parade of another fighter who he'll be measured against historically. When in reality all he'd have to do is get in the ring with the former flyweight champ and get the better of him for 36 minutes. That's all it would take and then critics like myself could say Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought one great fighter and beat him. And for that he must get his due props.
However, Mayweather lacks the fortitude and gumption that Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Juan Diaz, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Joshua Clottey had before and after they fought Pacquiao. Floyd must literally marvel inside when he thinks that Barrera and Marquez fought Pacquiao twice and Morales was bold enough to do it three times - and he did it when he was well past his prime.
If by chance Mayweather fights the likes of a Matthew Hatton or Paulie Malignaggi on the same night Pacquiao meets Clottey and you are a boxing fan who actually pays to see it, may I kindly suggest shock-therapy?
Source: thesweetscience.com
GBP is leaking reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will also be fighting on March 13 of this year - the same night Manny Pacquiao will take on Joshua Clottey. As usual with Mayweather there is no opponent yet named, but you can bet your bottom dollar it'll be a fighter who has no chance whatsoever to beat him and Mayweather will be an overwhelming favorite to win.
It must be tough being Floyd Mayweather so far this year. He's tried to discredit Pacquiao - and what does Manny do? He takes a fight with another opponent who's more dangerous than any opponent Mayweather has ever fought in 14 years as a pro. Maybe this time Floyd is really shoveling dirt onto his own grave? Is he crazy? If he and Pacquiao both fought Slow Joe from Idaho on the same night, Pacquiao's fight would do better PPV numbers.
Who in the hell would pay to see Mayweather fight another no-hope opponent on the same night Pacquiao fights a real fighter? Not only is Pacquiao-Clottey a real fight between two top welterweights, Pacquiao is not a lock to come out victorious. Mayweather, on the other hand will most likely be taking part in nothing more than a high profile exhibition, with the fans coming away knowing nothing more about Floyd the fighter than is already known. That being he looks like Sugar Ray Leonard or Ezzard Charles every time out against B or C level opposition.
What's more is Mayweather will get killed at the gate and will once again be upstaged by Pacquiao in and out of the ring. This will in-turn, provided Pacquiao gets by Clottey, give Manny even more of a stranglehold over the negotiations for a proposed fight between them. Which of course will only make a fight between them that much more difficult to make.
Mayweather's desperate move to prove he's boxing biggest draw looks here to be more like career suicide. After Pacquiao's one sided victory over Miguel Cotto in his last fight, boxing fans would rather watch Pacquiao hit the heavy bag in the gym than watch Mayweather fight. Obviously team Mayweather played the boxing public for the last time when he stacked the deck against Juan Manuel Marquez this past September.
The only fight the boxing public--excluding avid Mayweather fans--wants to see Floyd partake in is against Pacquiao. And it's not hard to assume that the powers that be at Golden Boy Productions are well aware of this too. That's why it's hard to take the rumors that Mayweather will fight another set up on the night of Pacquiao-Clottey seriously until we see Floyd in the ring on the night of March 13, 2010.
Since the night Manny Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of their bout, Mayweather has done everything in his power to unintentionally expose just who he really is. And that's a jealous, insecure man with HOF boxing skills who has a manufactured undefeated record, the type you'd expect from the next hot prospect fighting for a title. When it comes to stepping up and fighting a real opponent, Mayweather goes in a different direction, such as when he was offered to fight Antonio Margarito, only to fight Carlos Baldomir.
If Floyd wants to get some of the props he thinks he deserves he should step up and fight Pacquiao for his title with no gimmicks. With each passing day that goes by and team Mayweather tries to come up with a new trick or gimmick hoping to get over on Pacquiao and the boxing public, he embarrasses himself more. Never in the history of the sweet science has a supposed all-time great resorted to so many childish games and antics trying to rain on the parade of another fighter who he'll be measured against historically. When in reality all he'd have to do is get in the ring with the former flyweight champ and get the better of him for 36 minutes. That's all it would take and then critics like myself could say Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought one great fighter and beat him. And for that he must get his due props.
However, Mayweather lacks the fortitude and gumption that Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Juan Diaz, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Joshua Clottey had before and after they fought Pacquiao. Floyd must literally marvel inside when he thinks that Barrera and Marquez fought Pacquiao twice and Morales was bold enough to do it three times - and he did it when he was well past his prime.
If by chance Mayweather fights the likes of a Matthew Hatton or Paulie Malignaggi on the same night Pacquiao meets Clottey and you are a boxing fan who actually pays to see it, may I kindly suggest shock-therapy?
Source: thesweetscience.com
Pacquiao-Clottey versus Mayweather-Whoever -- 8CountNews
By Dennis Carreon, 8CountNews.com
Now that the most awaited fight in more than a decade has flat lined and hopefully will be resurrected later this year, the battle shifts to the match-ups and PPV buys as current pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao and former pound for pound main man Floyd Mayweather are still tapped to climb the ring against separate opponents on March 13.
The Pac-Man is close to completing a deal with former title holder and consensus #5 best welterweight Joshua Clottey of Ghana. Top Rank’s Bob Arum and the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones completed a deal to host the WBO welterweight title fight at the impressive Cowboys Stadium. The stadium will be reconfigured to seat 40,000 and expand to as much as the ticket demands dictate. Top Rank is capable of producing PPVs coverage if in case HBO decide on going a different way. HBO is understandably quiet until a definite opponent for Mayweather is named.
Compared to a Pacquiao-Mayweather tiff, it may not be as anticipated but the styles of both fighters will most likely entice more action as Clottey is a hard-hitting constantly attacking brawler and we all know that Pacquiao will always be his usual swirling devilish way.
Clottey is an unquestionable tough challenge for Pacquiao. It can be argued that Clottey could have been undefeated today. His close split decision loss against Miguel Cotto last June may have gone either way. The setback against the possibly “reinforced” Antonio Margarito three years ago might have a different outcome if Clottey didn’t break his hand early in the fight. Then, he was clearly ahead against Carlos Baldomir in 1999 when he was disqualified in the 11th round because of the head clashes.
Clottey had a couple of convincing wins against significant opponents in Zab Judah and the late Diego Corrales. In the Judah fight, Clottey pummeled Zab until the ninth round where Judah, because of a nasty gash over his right eye, complained of vision problems prompting the referee to stop the bout. The referee ruled it was caused by an accidental head clash even though replays clearly show that it was Clottey’s fist that did the damage. Clottey still won the fight through the scorecards but denying him of a knockout win. In the Corrales bout, Clottey totally dominated with an overwhelming lead in the scorecards for a unanimous decision win. That was Corrales’ last fight as he shortly died in a motorcycle accident.
Turned out that the Pacquiao-Clottey fight is not a bad alternative after all. More action and a lot less running anyway. Besides, majority of the reason fans, both casual and hardcore, are eagerly awaiting the Manny-Floyd fight is because of the excitement that Pacquiao brings not the defensive skills that Mayweather supposedly display. With the Clottey fight, fans will not miss out on what is actually expected from the Pac-Man.
As for the Mayweather camp, there have been a lot of names floating around but the opponent remains a mystery. I will not hold my breath on it. Golden Boy’s Richard Schaeffer has not conceded on the March 13 date yet and insisted that MGM still has that date reserved for Mayweather. That will most likely be another major blunder, as if they haven’t learned from the way they handled the negotiations, if they still decide to go against the Pacquiao-Clottey telecast especially if the mystery opponent is Matthew Hatton. A Ricky Hatton rematch does not appeal either. Not even a Tim Bradley or a Nate Campbell will help. Considering that both Bradley and Campbell are undersized and will be forced to move up. Well, what’s new anyway? The always animated Paulie Malignaggi is another reported candidate but is not really a viable and attractive option. Fans clamor for blood not a pillow fight. It will be an easy decision for HBO to take on the Pacquiao-Clottey if any of these names end up opposite Floyd’s corner.
The top welterweights that will merit HBO consideration are not available. Sugar Shane Mosley and Andre Berto will be unifying their titles at the end of the month. Whoever wins, there will not be enough time to get something done against Floyd by March 13. Miguel Cotto is Top Rank so forget that so is Antonio Margarito even if he gets reinstated. Besides, Margarito is slated to be in the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard if he gets his license back. Luis Collazo might not be a bad idea but with Mayweather’s cherry-picking method, the dangerous southpaw is a high risk low reward option.
So who else can Mayweather fight to at least get a decent shot of closing in on projected better PPV numbers of Pacquiao-Clottey if he decides to insist on March 13? The answer is the Punisher. Paul Williams, according to his team, is still capable of getting down to 147 or a catch weight over. This is definitely high risk but there are significant intangible and monetary rewards. Floyd’s ducking image will be put to rest if he gets in there with legitimate elite. Williams is fresh from an arguable fight of the year scrimmage against Sergio Martinez. For as long as a Kelly Pavlik opportunity is unavailable or even so, it will be illogical for Williams to turn down an offer from Mayweather.
Williams will carry a 5-inch height advantage and a wingspan that can batter Floyd. But Floyd’s speed can offset that edge and can chop down the long yet slender Williams. It’s been awhile since Williams fought as a welterweight – June of 2008 when he knocked Carlos Quintana out in the first round in their rematch. If Mayweather pulls this one out; his case to reclaim his mythical pound for pound title will gain some ground (but still not enough), his infamous ducking image maybe forgotten and he can possibly outsell Pacquiao in the PPV war. It is an absolute enormous risk but a legacy changing reward.
He might fail but at least he didn’t avoid a legitimate fighter for a change.
Source: 8countnews.com
Now that the most awaited fight in more than a decade has flat lined and hopefully will be resurrected later this year, the battle shifts to the match-ups and PPV buys as current pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao and former pound for pound main man Floyd Mayweather are still tapped to climb the ring against separate opponents on March 13.
The Pac-Man is close to completing a deal with former title holder and consensus #5 best welterweight Joshua Clottey of Ghana. Top Rank’s Bob Arum and the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones completed a deal to host the WBO welterweight title fight at the impressive Cowboys Stadium. The stadium will be reconfigured to seat 40,000 and expand to as much as the ticket demands dictate. Top Rank is capable of producing PPVs coverage if in case HBO decide on going a different way. HBO is understandably quiet until a definite opponent for Mayweather is named.
Compared to a Pacquiao-Mayweather tiff, it may not be as anticipated but the styles of both fighters will most likely entice more action as Clottey is a hard-hitting constantly attacking brawler and we all know that Pacquiao will always be his usual swirling devilish way.
Clottey is an unquestionable tough challenge for Pacquiao. It can be argued that Clottey could have been undefeated today. His close split decision loss against Miguel Cotto last June may have gone either way. The setback against the possibly “reinforced” Antonio Margarito three years ago might have a different outcome if Clottey didn’t break his hand early in the fight. Then, he was clearly ahead against Carlos Baldomir in 1999 when he was disqualified in the 11th round because of the head clashes.
Clottey had a couple of convincing wins against significant opponents in Zab Judah and the late Diego Corrales. In the Judah fight, Clottey pummeled Zab until the ninth round where Judah, because of a nasty gash over his right eye, complained of vision problems prompting the referee to stop the bout. The referee ruled it was caused by an accidental head clash even though replays clearly show that it was Clottey’s fist that did the damage. Clottey still won the fight through the scorecards but denying him of a knockout win. In the Corrales bout, Clottey totally dominated with an overwhelming lead in the scorecards for a unanimous decision win. That was Corrales’ last fight as he shortly died in a motorcycle accident.
Turned out that the Pacquiao-Clottey fight is not a bad alternative after all. More action and a lot less running anyway. Besides, majority of the reason fans, both casual and hardcore, are eagerly awaiting the Manny-Floyd fight is because of the excitement that Pacquiao brings not the defensive skills that Mayweather supposedly display. With the Clottey fight, fans will not miss out on what is actually expected from the Pac-Man.
As for the Mayweather camp, there have been a lot of names floating around but the opponent remains a mystery. I will not hold my breath on it. Golden Boy’s Richard Schaeffer has not conceded on the March 13 date yet and insisted that MGM still has that date reserved for Mayweather. That will most likely be another major blunder, as if they haven’t learned from the way they handled the negotiations, if they still decide to go against the Pacquiao-Clottey telecast especially if the mystery opponent is Matthew Hatton. A Ricky Hatton rematch does not appeal either. Not even a Tim Bradley or a Nate Campbell will help. Considering that both Bradley and Campbell are undersized and will be forced to move up. Well, what’s new anyway? The always animated Paulie Malignaggi is another reported candidate but is not really a viable and attractive option. Fans clamor for blood not a pillow fight. It will be an easy decision for HBO to take on the Pacquiao-Clottey if any of these names end up opposite Floyd’s corner.
The top welterweights that will merit HBO consideration are not available. Sugar Shane Mosley and Andre Berto will be unifying their titles at the end of the month. Whoever wins, there will not be enough time to get something done against Floyd by March 13. Miguel Cotto is Top Rank so forget that so is Antonio Margarito even if he gets reinstated. Besides, Margarito is slated to be in the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard if he gets his license back. Luis Collazo might not be a bad idea but with Mayweather’s cherry-picking method, the dangerous southpaw is a high risk low reward option.
So who else can Mayweather fight to at least get a decent shot of closing in on projected better PPV numbers of Pacquiao-Clottey if he decides to insist on March 13? The answer is the Punisher. Paul Williams, according to his team, is still capable of getting down to 147 or a catch weight over. This is definitely high risk but there are significant intangible and monetary rewards. Floyd’s ducking image will be put to rest if he gets in there with legitimate elite. Williams is fresh from an arguable fight of the year scrimmage against Sergio Martinez. For as long as a Kelly Pavlik opportunity is unavailable or even so, it will be illogical for Williams to turn down an offer from Mayweather.
Williams will carry a 5-inch height advantage and a wingspan that can batter Floyd. But Floyd’s speed can offset that edge and can chop down the long yet slender Williams. It’s been awhile since Williams fought as a welterweight – June of 2008 when he knocked Carlos Quintana out in the first round in their rematch. If Mayweather pulls this one out; his case to reclaim his mythical pound for pound title will gain some ground (but still not enough), his infamous ducking image maybe forgotten and he can possibly outsell Pacquiao in the PPV war. It is an absolute enormous risk but a legacy changing reward.
He might fail but at least he didn’t avoid a legitimate fighter for a change.
Source: 8countnews.com
Amir Khan-Ricky Hatton: new fuel for fight they said would never happen -- The Guardian
Guardian.co.uk
In the deep heart of winter, with little to write about in the way of actual ring activity, boxing ticks over with rumours – and this has been a vintage January for scuttlebutt and speculation.
The latest conjecture comes from Amir Khan, who tells heraldscotland.com: "I would hate to get to the end of my career and look back at it and not have had the chance to fight Ricky Hatton. I still think Ricky has a bit left in him and I think he also has something he wants to prove to himself after the defeat by Manny Pacquiao."
Against my few better instincts, I can see that happening, mainly because Ricky has encouraged the speculation himself. Watching the big-time shenanigans in America the past month will have done little to ease "the itch" he keeps going on about.
But he's a businessman now, with his own promotional company, and looks every inch the fight-game fat cat, stretching the buttons on his three-piece suit all the way as he sits ringside at his own shows. I wish him all the best.
Khan has to get past the Argentinian knockout artist Marcos Maidana first in a mandatory defence of his light-welter title before he contemplates Hatton.
But, you know what, eight months ago, Khan and Hatton were adamant they would never fight each other. Before he left for Vegas to fight Pacquiao in May, Hatton told me: "Amir Khan is a good friend of mine, but, no, I can't see me fighting him."
Khan went to Vegas to watch Hatton fight and said: "It will never happen. Ricky's my friend. I would rather be in his corner supporting him than across the ring from him."
After Hatton was knocked out, Khan was even more convinced it was a bad idea. But after he knocked out Dmitriy Salita in a round last month, he said he'd now like to fight Ricky. "Business is business," as he put it.
There is more revisionism in boxing than Joe Stalin ever managed in Russia 70 years ago. Believe nothing until you see one guy smiling and the other guy flat on his back.
ARUM-SPEAK
Of course the great revisionist of our time is Bob TWY ("that was yesterday") Arum. While he and Golden Boy Promotions were indulging themselves in the tortuous ego-war over the putative fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, Arum must have issued at least four "the fight is off" ultimatums.
I wonder if the 78-year-old promoter knows there is a poisonous species of flower called Arum maculatum, which variously goes by the name of Wild Arum and Bobbins. "Bobbins", by the way, is Manchester slang for rubbish. Tenuous, granted – but it is January.
For a grown-up, Wild Arum throws a lot of tantrums. Uncle Bob is smiling now, though. The deal for Pacquiao to fight Joshua Clottey in Texas was said to be "98 per cent" done at the weekend and Arum reckons he can drag 50,000 punters into the Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on 13 March.
For Clottey's sake, I hope so. The tough, clever Ghanaian is an honest warrior who should have beaten Miguel Cotto and deserves any good pay day that comes his way. He's certainly more willing to share a ring with Pacquiao than Mayweather is.
While we're on the rumour treadmill, a Las Vegas source tells me: "The word in town is Floyd doesn't want the fight because he's not ready. He's got bad hands and he just doesn't feel right at the moment." That's as sound as any theory I've heard this month.
Teddy Atlas, meanwhile, thinks Clottey is a tougher fight for Pacquiao than Yuri Foreman, the other alternative Arum mentioned, and I agree. Foreman, although heavier at light-middle, can't punch. Pacquiao would walk through him.
By the way, Clottey and Foreman fight for Arum. How cosy is that in these cold, hard times?
As well as better instincts, I also have gambling ones – and I wouldn't yet rule out Pacquiao fighting Mayweather in the autumn, or even in May. It has got to happen, simply because there is $200m on the table. Also, I'm sure Mayweather regrets pushing the little guy so hard in talks over the past weeks: now he's got a lawsuit by Manny to deal with.
Mayweather, who needs money like most people need air, has fewer big-cash options than Pacman. Paulie Malignaggi? Wake me up when it's over. Shane Mosley? Sugar has more reject letters from Floyd than your average bad poet gets from his publisher.
Speaking of correspondence, Atlas, usually well-informed, reckons Pacquiao's people sent Mayweather's people an email in recent weeks enquiring what would happen if Manny took a drugs test and failed it.
It is a story that also turned up in the New York Post recently. But think about it: under what circumstances would Pacquiao even hint he was on drugs – especially to the Mayweathers?
I think someone set you up there, Teddy.
A PROMOTER'S TAKE
Frank Warren, who ought to know, claims in his latest Sun column: "There is a strong rumour one British fighter – and his trainer – have been taking it."
"It" is human growth hormone, the drug de jour, according to the Mayweathers and all the other conspiracy theorists gathered on boxing's grassy knoll.
Frank also claims: "I hear 31 May has been pencilled in for Ricky Hatton's comeback."
Interesting. That's a Monday.
RING THE BELL
Michael Owen had four bouts as a junior – at the prompting of his father, who wanted to "toughen him up". And Wayne Rooney would have made a good boxer, according to his uncle, Richie, who runs Croxteth Amateur Boxing Club, as would his brother, Graham [who, on thin evidence, once claimed to have beaten Khan as a schoolboy].
Like a lot of footballers, Owen and Rooney appreciate the benefits of a tough time in the ring. It sharpens up any athlete mentally and it does their footwork and balance no harm either.
The latest to join the fight club are two cricketers, Ian Bell and Brad Haddin. Bell, who looks like he has been lifted from a kid's cartoon but obviously has discovered his inner steel, says sparring gave him renewed focus – and it has paid a dividend for England in the last two Tests against South Africa.
Haddin, who kept brilliantly for Australia against Pakistan at the SCG last week, trains in the one-time working- class Sydney suburb of Five Dock at a place called the Thump Gym, which is fairly unambiguous.
He came home early from the Ashes series last summer with an injured finger and figured something wasn't quite right. So he traded keepers' gloves for boxing mitts.
"As much as it was disappointing to be on the outer through injury," he tells the Sydney Morning Herald, "missing that three months gave me the rare opportunity to get my body back into shape."
If Haddin takes a catch to win the Ashes back for Australia later this year, blame it on boxing. It gets the rap for everything else.
Source: guardian.co.uk
In the deep heart of winter, with little to write about in the way of actual ring activity, boxing ticks over with rumours – and this has been a vintage January for scuttlebutt and speculation.
The latest conjecture comes from Amir Khan, who tells heraldscotland.com: "I would hate to get to the end of my career and look back at it and not have had the chance to fight Ricky Hatton. I still think Ricky has a bit left in him and I think he also has something he wants to prove to himself after the defeat by Manny Pacquiao."
Against my few better instincts, I can see that happening, mainly because Ricky has encouraged the speculation himself. Watching the big-time shenanigans in America the past month will have done little to ease "the itch" he keeps going on about.
But he's a businessman now, with his own promotional company, and looks every inch the fight-game fat cat, stretching the buttons on his three-piece suit all the way as he sits ringside at his own shows. I wish him all the best.
Khan has to get past the Argentinian knockout artist Marcos Maidana first in a mandatory defence of his light-welter title before he contemplates Hatton.
But, you know what, eight months ago, Khan and Hatton were adamant they would never fight each other. Before he left for Vegas to fight Pacquiao in May, Hatton told me: "Amir Khan is a good friend of mine, but, no, I can't see me fighting him."
Khan went to Vegas to watch Hatton fight and said: "It will never happen. Ricky's my friend. I would rather be in his corner supporting him than across the ring from him."
After Hatton was knocked out, Khan was even more convinced it was a bad idea. But after he knocked out Dmitriy Salita in a round last month, he said he'd now like to fight Ricky. "Business is business," as he put it.
There is more revisionism in boxing than Joe Stalin ever managed in Russia 70 years ago. Believe nothing until you see one guy smiling and the other guy flat on his back.
ARUM-SPEAK
Of course the great revisionist of our time is Bob TWY ("that was yesterday") Arum. While he and Golden Boy Promotions were indulging themselves in the tortuous ego-war over the putative fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, Arum must have issued at least four "the fight is off" ultimatums.
I wonder if the 78-year-old promoter knows there is a poisonous species of flower called Arum maculatum, which variously goes by the name of Wild Arum and Bobbins. "Bobbins", by the way, is Manchester slang for rubbish. Tenuous, granted – but it is January.
For a grown-up, Wild Arum throws a lot of tantrums. Uncle Bob is smiling now, though. The deal for Pacquiao to fight Joshua Clottey in Texas was said to be "98 per cent" done at the weekend and Arum reckons he can drag 50,000 punters into the Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on 13 March.
For Clottey's sake, I hope so. The tough, clever Ghanaian is an honest warrior who should have beaten Miguel Cotto and deserves any good pay day that comes his way. He's certainly more willing to share a ring with Pacquiao than Mayweather is.
While we're on the rumour treadmill, a Las Vegas source tells me: "The word in town is Floyd doesn't want the fight because he's not ready. He's got bad hands and he just doesn't feel right at the moment." That's as sound as any theory I've heard this month.
Teddy Atlas, meanwhile, thinks Clottey is a tougher fight for Pacquiao than Yuri Foreman, the other alternative Arum mentioned, and I agree. Foreman, although heavier at light-middle, can't punch. Pacquiao would walk through him.
By the way, Clottey and Foreman fight for Arum. How cosy is that in these cold, hard times?
As well as better instincts, I also have gambling ones – and I wouldn't yet rule out Pacquiao fighting Mayweather in the autumn, or even in May. It has got to happen, simply because there is $200m on the table. Also, I'm sure Mayweather regrets pushing the little guy so hard in talks over the past weeks: now he's got a lawsuit by Manny to deal with.
Mayweather, who needs money like most people need air, has fewer big-cash options than Pacman. Paulie Malignaggi? Wake me up when it's over. Shane Mosley? Sugar has more reject letters from Floyd than your average bad poet gets from his publisher.
Speaking of correspondence, Atlas, usually well-informed, reckons Pacquiao's people sent Mayweather's people an email in recent weeks enquiring what would happen if Manny took a drugs test and failed it.
It is a story that also turned up in the New York Post recently. But think about it: under what circumstances would Pacquiao even hint he was on drugs – especially to the Mayweathers?
I think someone set you up there, Teddy.
A PROMOTER'S TAKE
Frank Warren, who ought to know, claims in his latest Sun column: "There is a strong rumour one British fighter – and his trainer – have been taking it."
"It" is human growth hormone, the drug de jour, according to the Mayweathers and all the other conspiracy theorists gathered on boxing's grassy knoll.
Frank also claims: "I hear 31 May has been pencilled in for Ricky Hatton's comeback."
Interesting. That's a Monday.
RING THE BELL
Michael Owen had four bouts as a junior – at the prompting of his father, who wanted to "toughen him up". And Wayne Rooney would have made a good boxer, according to his uncle, Richie, who runs Croxteth Amateur Boxing Club, as would his brother, Graham [who, on thin evidence, once claimed to have beaten Khan as a schoolboy].
Like a lot of footballers, Owen and Rooney appreciate the benefits of a tough time in the ring. It sharpens up any athlete mentally and it does their footwork and balance no harm either.
The latest to join the fight club are two cricketers, Ian Bell and Brad Haddin. Bell, who looks like he has been lifted from a kid's cartoon but obviously has discovered his inner steel, says sparring gave him renewed focus – and it has paid a dividend for England in the last two Tests against South Africa.
Haddin, who kept brilliantly for Australia against Pakistan at the SCG last week, trains in the one-time working- class Sydney suburb of Five Dock at a place called the Thump Gym, which is fairly unambiguous.
He came home early from the Ashes series last summer with an injured finger and figured something wasn't quite right. So he traded keepers' gloves for boxing mitts.
"As much as it was disappointing to be on the outer through injury," he tells the Sydney Morning Herald, "missing that three months gave me the rare opportunity to get my body back into shape."
If Haddin takes a catch to win the Ashes back for Australia later this year, blame it on boxing. It gets the rap for everything else.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Mayweather-Pacquiao brings in new tactics, if not fans -- CBS Sports
By Ray Ratto, CBS Sports
They try. Lord, they try hard, and still, the folks trying to drum up a fervor for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout haven't quite hit the right button yet to grab us from our playoff football/Gilbert Arenas/Tiger Woods mindset.
At least we presume that's what's behind the latest development in The Little Fight That Can't -- each man booking a different opponent to fight the same night in competing cable or pay-per-view promotions in an attempt to screw with each other's money.
And it doesn't get any more pointed than that.
Clearly, this is the next attempt for Mayweather and Pacquiao to show (a) each other and (b) the rest of us the level of their dislike and how willing each will be to pound the other's brains in when the fight actually happens.
This was after Mayweather all but accused Pacquiao of being a doper, and Pacquiao suing for defamation, and the two sides wasting an afternoon calling each other names before an arbitrator. All because of a fight they both know will happen some time this year.
We'll give them this much -- it's a novel approach, creative yet spiteful. It comes as close as actually fighting on a Manhattan street corner after a "chance" meeting as you can get without actually doing so. After all, next to putting your fist in another guy's eye, throwing a lawyer at him comes second in our cool and happening new society.
Now, both the Mayweather people (Golden Boy Productions) and the Pacquiao people (Top Rank) will tell you this is on the up-and-up, and maybe to an extent it is. But this being boxing, it also isn't, because for lack of a more complete explanation, it's boxing. This is the fight boxing folks like to say everyone wants, but because it can't make a significant splash outside of boxing enthusiasts, the two sides are employing the bait-and-switch.
Only now, with Pacquiao signed to fight Joshua Clottey at the new Jerry Jones-atorium and Mayweather working on a fight at the MGM Grand against an as-yet-determined foe (rumored to be Paulie Malignaggi), the bait is dominating the switch.
And no, we're not putting much stock in Bob Arum's claim that former President George W. Bush, whom he sat near at the Cowboys-Eagles playoff game, essentially said, "It doesn't matter what Mayweather does. Everyone just wants to see Pacquiao anyway." It's been shown fairly conclusively that GWB didn't exactly have the nation's pulse beat when he had a job, so either his boxing expertise can be questioned, or his quote to Arum can be.
But again, points for creativity, trying to start a new finger-jab between Fox News and MSNBC over who might be the better fighter. Maybe Mayweather now has to seek out Bill Clinton's endorsement, or they can both hire psychics to channel Richard Nixon.
And yet the nation still hasn't reached that desired froth. It's hard to know what's left for the two men to do, save announcing that they've both dated women who dated Tiger.
If this sounds like we believe the two sides have been acting in concert all along in an attempt to make this the new fight of the century, well, again, it is boxing. And even if they have genuine issues with each other, well, it's still boxing, and the best way to drum up a crowd is to make sure the crowd hasn't already been drummed up by someone else.
Therein lies the real problem for Mayweather and Pacquiao. Whether they're just playing chicken with each or with us, their competition is too strong, at least through the Super Bowl. Then there is a window before the questions about when Woods will return to the PGA Tour will dominate the news, made smaller if and when David Stern decides just how to more starkly define the Arenas punishment.
And the Clottey and Maybe-Malignaggi fights will get lost in the shuffle, as they probably should. Golden Boy and Arum are trying to thread a tiny needle here, and whether they've lucked into the most original gimmick or gotten an out-of-work writer to pencil it out for them, it hasn't worked yet.
But I'd give that Nixon angle another go. Maybe you suck in the occult crowd, and while they may not have a lot of purchasing power, they do tend to be shut-ins, and they can be persuaded to make a $60 PPV buy with the right set of inducements.
Ray Ratto is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Source: cbssports.com
They try. Lord, they try hard, and still, the folks trying to drum up a fervor for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout haven't quite hit the right button yet to grab us from our playoff football/Gilbert Arenas/Tiger Woods mindset.
At least we presume that's what's behind the latest development in The Little Fight That Can't -- each man booking a different opponent to fight the same night in competing cable or pay-per-view promotions in an attempt to screw with each other's money.
And it doesn't get any more pointed than that.
Clearly, this is the next attempt for Mayweather and Pacquiao to show (a) each other and (b) the rest of us the level of their dislike and how willing each will be to pound the other's brains in when the fight actually happens.
This was after Mayweather all but accused Pacquiao of being a doper, and Pacquiao suing for defamation, and the two sides wasting an afternoon calling each other names before an arbitrator. All because of a fight they both know will happen some time this year.
We'll give them this much -- it's a novel approach, creative yet spiteful. It comes as close as actually fighting on a Manhattan street corner after a "chance" meeting as you can get without actually doing so. After all, next to putting your fist in another guy's eye, throwing a lawyer at him comes second in our cool and happening new society.
Now, both the Mayweather people (Golden Boy Productions) and the Pacquiao people (Top Rank) will tell you this is on the up-and-up, and maybe to an extent it is. But this being boxing, it also isn't, because for lack of a more complete explanation, it's boxing. This is the fight boxing folks like to say everyone wants, but because it can't make a significant splash outside of boxing enthusiasts, the two sides are employing the bait-and-switch.
Only now, with Pacquiao signed to fight Joshua Clottey at the new Jerry Jones-atorium and Mayweather working on a fight at the MGM Grand against an as-yet-determined foe (rumored to be Paulie Malignaggi), the bait is dominating the switch.
And no, we're not putting much stock in Bob Arum's claim that former President George W. Bush, whom he sat near at the Cowboys-Eagles playoff game, essentially said, "It doesn't matter what Mayweather does. Everyone just wants to see Pacquiao anyway." It's been shown fairly conclusively that GWB didn't exactly have the nation's pulse beat when he had a job, so either his boxing expertise can be questioned, or his quote to Arum can be.
But again, points for creativity, trying to start a new finger-jab between Fox News and MSNBC over who might be the better fighter. Maybe Mayweather now has to seek out Bill Clinton's endorsement, or they can both hire psychics to channel Richard Nixon.
And yet the nation still hasn't reached that desired froth. It's hard to know what's left for the two men to do, save announcing that they've both dated women who dated Tiger.
If this sounds like we believe the two sides have been acting in concert all along in an attempt to make this the new fight of the century, well, again, it is boxing. And even if they have genuine issues with each other, well, it's still boxing, and the best way to drum up a crowd is to make sure the crowd hasn't already been drummed up by someone else.
Therein lies the real problem for Mayweather and Pacquiao. Whether they're just playing chicken with each or with us, their competition is too strong, at least through the Super Bowl. Then there is a window before the questions about when Woods will return to the PGA Tour will dominate the news, made smaller if and when David Stern decides just how to more starkly define the Arenas punishment.
And the Clottey and Maybe-Malignaggi fights will get lost in the shuffle, as they probably should. Golden Boy and Arum are trying to thread a tiny needle here, and whether they've lucked into the most original gimmick or gotten an out-of-work writer to pencil it out for them, it hasn't worked yet.
But I'd give that Nixon angle another go. Maybe you suck in the occult crowd, and while they may not have a lot of purchasing power, they do tend to be shut-ins, and they can be persuaded to make a $60 PPV buy with the right set of inducements.
Ray Ratto is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Source: cbssports.com
Pacquiao 'is boxing’s lone star' -- The National
By Gary Meenaghan, The National
Manny Pacquiao is ready to move on after the collapse of his proposed “superfight”, but the Filipino’s promoter Bob Arum is still throwing thinly-veiled barbs at the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Arum yesterday confirmed that Pacquiao’s March 13 bout with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey would take place at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. But while the announcement laid to rest belief that a match-up between the WBO welterweight champion and Mayweather could still take place this spring, it did not end the ongoing ego war between the two camps.
The deal was finalised after Arum negotiated with Jerry Jones, the owner of American football side the Dallas Cowboys. And the chief executive of Top Rank promotions slipped a slur at the American boxer into his written statement.
“Manny Pacquiao is the lone star of boxing,” said Arum, referencing the nickname of the state of Texas and in doing so dismissing Mayweather’s claims of being the biggest draw in the sport.
“There isn’t a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight. Jerry is going to have no problems selling out Cowboys Stadium on March 13.
“We are ready to roll up our sleeves and promote Manny’s debut as world welterweight champion.”
Pacquiao’s 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto in November added to his reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
The fight with Mayweather fell through after the Filipino objected to drug testing rules.
“Manny Pacquiao is boxing’s No 1 pound-for-pound attraction,” said Jones.
“We’re going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl.”
Source: thenational.ae
Manny Pacquiao is ready to move on after the collapse of his proposed “superfight”, but the Filipino’s promoter Bob Arum is still throwing thinly-veiled barbs at the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Arum yesterday confirmed that Pacquiao’s March 13 bout with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey would take place at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. But while the announcement laid to rest belief that a match-up between the WBO welterweight champion and Mayweather could still take place this spring, it did not end the ongoing ego war between the two camps.
The deal was finalised after Arum negotiated with Jerry Jones, the owner of American football side the Dallas Cowboys. And the chief executive of Top Rank promotions slipped a slur at the American boxer into his written statement.
“Manny Pacquiao is the lone star of boxing,” said Arum, referencing the nickname of the state of Texas and in doing so dismissing Mayweather’s claims of being the biggest draw in the sport.
“There isn’t a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight. Jerry is going to have no problems selling out Cowboys Stadium on March 13.
“We are ready to roll up our sleeves and promote Manny’s debut as world welterweight champion.”
Pacquiao’s 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto in November added to his reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
The fight with Mayweather fell through after the Filipino objected to drug testing rules.
“Manny Pacquiao is boxing’s No 1 pound-for-pound attraction,” said Jones.
“We’re going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl.”
Source: thenational.ae
Pacquiao fears boxing champion Foreman -- The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle
Manny Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is running scared of fighting unbeaten, light-middleweight Yuri Foreman.
After a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr was scrapped, Foreman, Israel’s first world champion, was suggested as the Mexican’s next opponent by promoter Bob Arum.
But Pacquiao’s camp fear that Foreman’s five and a half inch height advantage would make him an awkward opponent.
Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's US business manager said: “Manny’s concerned about Foreman”s height. We'll go through the entire [welterweight and junior welterweight] categories and see what we can come up with."
For Pacquiao, the draw of a match with Foreman, 29, was the chance to win a world title in a record eighth weight class. But that would also require him to go up in weight, to 154 pounds. That could make it difficult for him to cut down again if the multimillion-dollar fight with Mayweather ever materialises.
And unless Pacquiao has a change of mind, Foreman, who stands at 5” 11in, would miss out on his biggest ever payday.
Foreman said: "It's a real honour the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world doesn't want to fight me. Aside from winning the world title, this is the greatest compliment I've received in boxing.
“We would have liked [Pacquiao] but it didn’t work out,” Foreman’s publicist Dovid Efune said. “But we know that everything that God does has a purpose.”
Source: thejc.com
Manny Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is running scared of fighting unbeaten, light-middleweight Yuri Foreman.
After a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr was scrapped, Foreman, Israel’s first world champion, was suggested as the Mexican’s next opponent by promoter Bob Arum.
But Pacquiao’s camp fear that Foreman’s five and a half inch height advantage would make him an awkward opponent.
Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's US business manager said: “Manny’s concerned about Foreman”s height. We'll go through the entire [welterweight and junior welterweight] categories and see what we can come up with."
For Pacquiao, the draw of a match with Foreman, 29, was the chance to win a world title in a record eighth weight class. But that would also require him to go up in weight, to 154 pounds. That could make it difficult for him to cut down again if the multimillion-dollar fight with Mayweather ever materialises.
And unless Pacquiao has a change of mind, Foreman, who stands at 5” 11in, would miss out on his biggest ever payday.
Foreman said: "It's a real honour the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world doesn't want to fight me. Aside from winning the world title, this is the greatest compliment I've received in boxing.
“We would have liked [Pacquiao] but it didn’t work out,” Foreman’s publicist Dovid Efune said. “But we know that everything that God does has a purpose.”
Source: thejc.com
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