By Ryan Arguelles, BoxingInsider.com
Tim Smith, the sports columnist of The New York Daily News was a no-show at the Pacquiao-Clottey press conference this week in New York at Madison Square Garden.
Filipino mediamen and press are looking for a chance to get an answer from Tim Smith about his article on Dec.25, 2009 where he wrote that he has a source familiar to the talks that a Pacquiao representative asked what penalties Pacquiao would face if he tested dirty and also if dirty results could be kept secret so that the integrity of the sport wouldn’t be ruined in the public eye.
Reporters are also eager to get some answers from Tim Smith about where did he get his information that Manny Pacquiao is afraid of needles. There is no interview where Manny Pacquiao said that he is afraid of needles except from the press release coming from the Golden Boy Promotion, where they put words in the mouth of Manny Pacquiao.
A number of Filipino press, including myself, were looking around if there was a visibility of the noted columnist of The New York Daily News since the press conference is in his backyard and he writes for one of the biggest newspapers in New York City and the United States. Instead, Tim Smith was nowhere to be found within the surroundings of the WAMU Theatre where the press conference took place.
Tim Smith, until now, has not produced facts even with the request and challenge coming from Manny Pacquiao himself in his own Kumbinasyon column titled, “Innocent Until Proven Guilty” posted at Philippine Boxing.com. Together with Teddy Atlas and ESPN, Tim Smith was issued a challenge coming from the number one pound-for-pound champion in the world – to show facts about a certain representative from within the Pacquiao camp, to show facts before you write something false.
That Wednesday afternoon at the Pacquiao-Clottey press conference was the chance for a respected journalist and columnist like Tim Smith to actually gather his facts and evidence and SHOW IT, because Manny Pacquiao came to visit his home territory in New York City. Manny Pacquiao was ready to face the facts.
Tim Smith backed down. Tim Smith didn’t show up for this kind of conference to obtain facts from Pacquiao himself, instead he relied on a source for his facts. And what I can’t fathom on this is that Smith writes for a major newspaper in New York that has a large readership in the tri-state area. New York readers deserve to be told the story with the truth accompanied by facts.
Does Tim Smith underestimate Manny Pacquiao because he came from Philippines and Pacquiao is not an American, so that’s why he can write things in his article without facts? Does Tim Smith have the superior ego because he is a New York sports columnist and that he can write without basis and facts to a person who is not American like Manny Pacquiao? Are you trying to bully a Filipino like what the Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotion is trying to do to Manny Pacquiao? These are the words from Bob Arum in his introduction of Manny Pacquiao. Are you a bully Tim Smith?
Manny Pacquiao refused to be bullied as Bob Arum suggested, “Filipinos refused to be bullied by the Japanese Occupation Forces in World War II”. We also refused to be bullied by a writer like you Tim Smith, who does not present facts.
He knows writing against an individual is accepted as long as you present your facts, what is not proper conduct from a writer is when you do write against a person without presenting real facts because you happen to write for the Dailly News newpaper in New York.
Tim Smith could have all the excuses by not attending the press conference, such as he is on vacation, he has an important meeting, he has to interview a Jets player, he is attending another more important press conference, his dog is sick, it’s too cold to go out, he’s not feeling well on that day, he had a doctor’s appointment. Whatever it is, he should be right there in that press conference, studiously and objectively taking notes from Manny Pacquiao if he still believes in the real value of journalism. FACTS are required in a career of proper journalism – not relying on some source that never existed or some fraudulent source that came from the Mayweather camp.
By not coming to the press conference of the Pacquaio-Clottey fight, Tim Smith ducked and avoided to see Manny Pacquaio eye to eye, because he is guilty of fabrication, like Bob Arum stated. Because if Tim Smith is not guilty of fabrication, then he could have and should have shown Manny Pacquiao and the fight fans across the globe, his source and the facts that are related to it. Tim Smith has failed to do so.
Source: boxinginsider.com
Friday 22 January 2010
Wild Card saddles up for Pacquiao training -- Manila Bulletin
By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin
LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao was given the green light Thursday by trainer Freddie Roach to spend what was supposed to be his first day of training with his friends after the two arrived here close to midnight from a two-city promotional tour in Dallas and New York for the March 13 fight with Joshua Clottey.
“See you on Friday, Manny,” Roach told his prized pupil late Wednesday night at a private hangar near LAX International, fresh from a six-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey that made a brief refueling stop in Denver.
“Just take the day off. Rest,” said Roach.
Pacquiao had wanted to show up at the Wild Card in Hollywood on Thursday as originally planned but because of their late arrival back from the tiring tour, the Filipino had no choice but to skip training.
“Okay, coach, I will do that,” said Pacquiao, who was joined in the press tour by Canadian adviser Mike Koncz, lawyer Franklin Gacal and training assistant Roger Fernandez.
At the Wild Card on Vine Street, security chief Rob Peters was already on hand to enforce rules, knowing that Pacquiao would start his workout but he will have to wait for another day.
When Pacquiao goes to the gym Friday, nobody will be allowed in except of course for members of Pacquiao’s team from 12 noon until 4 p.m. until March 8.
Despite missing one day, Team Pacquiao is not worried.
Conditioning coach Alex Ariza said there is still enough time to whip Pacquiao into his old fiery form, stressing that he is the most hardworking athlete he has seen.
“We’re still okay and you know Manny, when he starts training it would be impossible to tell him to stop,” said Ariza, who has the major role of making sure Pacquiao reaches peak form in time for the 12-round welterweight clash set at the Cowboys Stadium.
Since Pacquiao and Clottey are slugging it out at the welter limit of 147 lbs, Ariza said Pacquiao will tip the scales exactly at 147 but will not allow him to bloat.
“He’ll weigh 149 lbs by the time he enters the ring.”
Source: mb.com.ph
***
LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao was given the green light Thursday by trainer Freddie Roach to spend what was supposed to be his first day of training with his friends after the two arrived here close to midnight from a two-city promotional tour in Dallas and New York for the March 13 fight with Joshua Clottey.
“See you on Friday, Manny,” Roach told his prized pupil late Wednesday night at a private hangar near LAX International, fresh from a six-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey that made a brief refueling stop in Denver.
“Just take the day off. Rest,” said Roach.
Pacquiao had wanted to show up at the Wild Card in Hollywood on Thursday as originally planned but because of their late arrival back from the tiring tour, the Filipino had no choice but to skip training.
“Okay, coach, I will do that,” said Pacquiao, who was joined in the press tour by Canadian adviser Mike Koncz, lawyer Franklin Gacal and training assistant Roger Fernandez.
At the Wild Card on Vine Street, security chief Rob Peters was already on hand to enforce rules, knowing that Pacquiao would start his workout but he will have to wait for another day.
When Pacquiao goes to the gym Friday, nobody will be allowed in except of course for members of Pacquiao’s team from 12 noon until 4 p.m. until March 8.
Despite missing one day, Team Pacquiao is not worried.
Conditioning coach Alex Ariza said there is still enough time to whip Pacquiao into his old fiery form, stressing that he is the most hardworking athlete he has seen.
“We’re still okay and you know Manny, when he starts training it would be impossible to tell him to stop,” said Ariza, who has the major role of making sure Pacquiao reaches peak form in time for the 12-round welterweight clash set at the Cowboys Stadium.
Since Pacquiao and Clottey are slugging it out at the welter limit of 147 lbs, Ariza said Pacquiao will tip the scales exactly at 147 but will not allow him to bloat.
“He’ll weigh 149 lbs by the time he enters the ring.”
Source: mb.com.ph
***
Boxer Brian Viloria is poised for another run at the top -- Los Angeles Times
By Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times
The 29-year-old is another world champion from the Philippines but unlike Manny Pacquiao, he's experienced the down side of the sport.
Ask Brian Viloria how his boxing career has gone and he's likely to mumble something about Death Valley and Mt. Everest.
He has been a world champion twice, the first time for a year, starting in September 2005, and now, starting last April. In between was the pits, known in boxing as the Alameda Swap Meet in South L.A.
The facts:
* Viloria is 29, the International Boxing Federation champion at 108 pounds, and will defend his title in Manila Saturday night against Carlos Tamara. He was an amateur world champion in 2000, when he fought in the Sydney Olympics for the U.S. at 106 pounds.
* He lived in the Philippines, moved to Hawaii at age 6, went to college at Northern Michigan University. He didn't feel his toes for three years.
* Northern Michigan's program for Olympic boxing hopefuls got Viloria to Sydney as a medal favorite, where he lost to eventual gold medalist Brahim Asloum of France, 6-4. Viloria landed dozens of body punches, and none were recorded by judges.
* For awhile, Viloria was trained by Freddie Roach, before Roach got busy with a guy named Pacquiao.
* Viloria can walk the streets of L.A. without eliciting a second look. In the Philippines, he needs the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line.
At first, Viloria's career moved in one direction. Pushed gently by his manager, L.A. lawyer Gary Gittleson, he was at 16-0 when he fought at Staples Center on May 28, 2005. Midway through the fight, he caught Ruben Contreras with a vicious uppercut.
"I remember the blood from his nose," Viloria says. "It was thick, and it wouldn't stop."
The eight-rounder was ended after the sixth and Contreras collapsed in his corner. He was rushed to the hospital with swelling on his brain and there was a chance he wouldn't live. Viloria was devastated.
"I almost quit," he says.
Contreras recovered and was at Staples a little more than three months later for Viloria's first title shot -- a 108-pound WBC event against Eric Ortiz. On the way into the ring, Viloria spotted Contreras, stopped and hugged him. Then he knocked out Ortiz in the last second of the first round.
Viloria was WBC champion. Staples Center was half empty. The main event, featuring Manny Pacquiao, would be later. Sad fact: A 108-pound boxer is as celebrated as a football long-snapper.
Because Pacquiao, the toast of the Philippines, was fighting, Philippine TV network Solar Entertainment telecast the entire card back home. When Viloria was identified as a former resident, born of Filipino parents, and then won a world title, Filipinos were ecstatic.
Viloria and Gittleson had no idea.
"I got a call from the TV network the next day," Gittleson says. "They invited Brian and me back to the Philippines."
Within a week, they were flying first class, greeted like visiting royalty at the airport, and whisked off to lunch with the mayor of Manila. Thousands lined the streets for a parade as Viloria stood through the roof of a limousine and held his championship belt high.
He dined with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in the royal dining room of the Philippine palace, the equivalent of our White House.
"It was nuts," Gittleson says.
It had only just begun.
A phone call came from the governor of Ilocos Sur, the province of Viloria's childhood, where his grandfather still lived. The powerful governor was Luis Singson, know as Chavit. He would become memorable a year or so later when, sitting at the head table as part of the Pacquiao contingent at a Las Vegas pre-fight news conference, promoter Bob Arum, having no clue, introduced him as "Governor What's-His-Name."
Chavit, who wanted Viloria to come home, flew to Manila and picked up Gittleson and Viloria. Onboard one of Chavit's private planes, Gittleson asked about Chavit's background. Chavit handed him a biography.
Gittleson got to the part about assassination attempts on Chavit, and to the one where they tried to shoot down Chavit's plane.
"We are 20,000 feet up. I think I stopped breathing," Gittleson says. "I asked him about it. He laughed and said they had only knocked out one engine."
Chavit lifted his shirt to reveal massive scars from gunshot wounds. He told Gittleson that his enemies had opened fire while he was dancing at a street festival.
"But I survived," Gittleson says Chavit told him, "because I was dancing with a fat lady" who took the brunt of the bullets.
They stayed and were housed in Chavit's compound, which included a wild animal preserve.
"There were tigers in a covered pit right next to the room," Gittleson says. "I called my wife about 3 in the morning and told her I couldn't sleep because I could hear them chewing bones."
Gittleson returned to Manila the next day. Viloria went to visit his grandfather, who died the day after he left. Viloria flew back to Manila on another Chavit plane, which carried a Bengal tiger in a cage in the back.
A year later, the star of the Filipino motorcade lost his title to Omar Nino Romero in Las Vegas, failed to get it back in the rematch, and lost again to Edgar Sosa. By January 2008, Viloria was depressed and pondering quitting.
His Death Valley was a fight Jan. 4, 2008, in a parking lot at the Alameda Swap Meet.
It rained that night, a hard downpour that blew sideways. A small gathering of ringside reporters huddled over computers to protect them from the elements. The ring canopy, covered with lights and TV electrical equipment, swayed in the wind. The sportswriters worried more about electrocution than deadlines.
Viloria's dressing room was in a tent on the other side of the parking lot. Not wanting to get his shoes wet and slip during the fight, he had his handlers carry him across the lot. It had been 23 months since he won a fight. He took an eight-round decision, against a boxer he should have dispatched in eight seconds.
It is seven fights later now. Saturday's Manila match represents another world title defense for Viloria, this one for the IBF. He won that with a rousing 11th-round knockout of heavily favored Ulises Solis last April 19, before 14,000 in the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, site of the Ali-Frazier "Thrilla in Manila."
His opponent Saturday, Tamara, is a Colombian Olympian. The 12,000-seat Cuneta Astrodome in Manila is sold out.
Viloria is back on Mt. Everest. For now.
bill.dwyre@latimes.com
Source: latimes.com
The 29-year-old is another world champion from the Philippines but unlike Manny Pacquiao, he's experienced the down side of the sport.
Ask Brian Viloria how his boxing career has gone and he's likely to mumble something about Death Valley and Mt. Everest.
He has been a world champion twice, the first time for a year, starting in September 2005, and now, starting last April. In between was the pits, known in boxing as the Alameda Swap Meet in South L.A.
The facts:
* Viloria is 29, the International Boxing Federation champion at 108 pounds, and will defend his title in Manila Saturday night against Carlos Tamara. He was an amateur world champion in 2000, when he fought in the Sydney Olympics for the U.S. at 106 pounds.
* He lived in the Philippines, moved to Hawaii at age 6, went to college at Northern Michigan University. He didn't feel his toes for three years.
* Northern Michigan's program for Olympic boxing hopefuls got Viloria to Sydney as a medal favorite, where he lost to eventual gold medalist Brahim Asloum of France, 6-4. Viloria landed dozens of body punches, and none were recorded by judges.
* For awhile, Viloria was trained by Freddie Roach, before Roach got busy with a guy named Pacquiao.
* Viloria can walk the streets of L.A. without eliciting a second look. In the Philippines, he needs the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line.
At first, Viloria's career moved in one direction. Pushed gently by his manager, L.A. lawyer Gary Gittleson, he was at 16-0 when he fought at Staples Center on May 28, 2005. Midway through the fight, he caught Ruben Contreras with a vicious uppercut.
"I remember the blood from his nose," Viloria says. "It was thick, and it wouldn't stop."
The eight-rounder was ended after the sixth and Contreras collapsed in his corner. He was rushed to the hospital with swelling on his brain and there was a chance he wouldn't live. Viloria was devastated.
"I almost quit," he says.
Contreras recovered and was at Staples a little more than three months later for Viloria's first title shot -- a 108-pound WBC event against Eric Ortiz. On the way into the ring, Viloria spotted Contreras, stopped and hugged him. Then he knocked out Ortiz in the last second of the first round.
Viloria was WBC champion. Staples Center was half empty. The main event, featuring Manny Pacquiao, would be later. Sad fact: A 108-pound boxer is as celebrated as a football long-snapper.
Because Pacquiao, the toast of the Philippines, was fighting, Philippine TV network Solar Entertainment telecast the entire card back home. When Viloria was identified as a former resident, born of Filipino parents, and then won a world title, Filipinos were ecstatic.
Viloria and Gittleson had no idea.
"I got a call from the TV network the next day," Gittleson says. "They invited Brian and me back to the Philippines."
Within a week, they were flying first class, greeted like visiting royalty at the airport, and whisked off to lunch with the mayor of Manila. Thousands lined the streets for a parade as Viloria stood through the roof of a limousine and held his championship belt high.
He dined with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in the royal dining room of the Philippine palace, the equivalent of our White House.
"It was nuts," Gittleson says.
It had only just begun.
A phone call came from the governor of Ilocos Sur, the province of Viloria's childhood, where his grandfather still lived. The powerful governor was Luis Singson, know as Chavit. He would become memorable a year or so later when, sitting at the head table as part of the Pacquiao contingent at a Las Vegas pre-fight news conference, promoter Bob Arum, having no clue, introduced him as "Governor What's-His-Name."
Chavit, who wanted Viloria to come home, flew to Manila and picked up Gittleson and Viloria. Onboard one of Chavit's private planes, Gittleson asked about Chavit's background. Chavit handed him a biography.
Gittleson got to the part about assassination attempts on Chavit, and to the one where they tried to shoot down Chavit's plane.
"We are 20,000 feet up. I think I stopped breathing," Gittleson says. "I asked him about it. He laughed and said they had only knocked out one engine."
Chavit lifted his shirt to reveal massive scars from gunshot wounds. He told Gittleson that his enemies had opened fire while he was dancing at a street festival.
"But I survived," Gittleson says Chavit told him, "because I was dancing with a fat lady" who took the brunt of the bullets.
They stayed and were housed in Chavit's compound, which included a wild animal preserve.
"There were tigers in a covered pit right next to the room," Gittleson says. "I called my wife about 3 in the morning and told her I couldn't sleep because I could hear them chewing bones."
Gittleson returned to Manila the next day. Viloria went to visit his grandfather, who died the day after he left. Viloria flew back to Manila on another Chavit plane, which carried a Bengal tiger in a cage in the back.
A year later, the star of the Filipino motorcade lost his title to Omar Nino Romero in Las Vegas, failed to get it back in the rematch, and lost again to Edgar Sosa. By January 2008, Viloria was depressed and pondering quitting.
His Death Valley was a fight Jan. 4, 2008, in a parking lot at the Alameda Swap Meet.
It rained that night, a hard downpour that blew sideways. A small gathering of ringside reporters huddled over computers to protect them from the elements. The ring canopy, covered with lights and TV electrical equipment, swayed in the wind. The sportswriters worried more about electrocution than deadlines.
Viloria's dressing room was in a tent on the other side of the parking lot. Not wanting to get his shoes wet and slip during the fight, he had his handlers carry him across the lot. It had been 23 months since he won a fight. He took an eight-round decision, against a boxer he should have dispatched in eight seconds.
It is seven fights later now. Saturday's Manila match represents another world title defense for Viloria, this one for the IBF. He won that with a rousing 11th-round knockout of heavily favored Ulises Solis last April 19, before 14,000 in the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, site of the Ali-Frazier "Thrilla in Manila."
His opponent Saturday, Tamara, is a Colombian Olympian. The 12,000-seat Cuneta Astrodome in Manila is sold out.
Viloria is back on Mt. Everest. For now.
bill.dwyre@latimes.com
Source: latimes.com
The Ring Video: Pacquiao-Clottey NYC presser
Boxing News World
Watch the highlights of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey press conference that took place in New York City.
http://www.ringtv.com/video/pacquiao_roach_clottey_interviews/
***
Watch the highlights of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey press conference that took place in New York City.
http://www.ringtv.com/video/pacquiao_roach_clottey_interviews/
***
The Ring Video: Pacquiao, Roach, Clottey interviews
Boxing News World
Watch Manny Pacquiao discusses Floyd Mayweather, PEDs, and retirement with the media in NYC. Freddie Roach and Joshua Clottey are also interviewed.
http://www.ringtv.com/video/pacquiao_roach_clottey_interviews/
***
Watch Manny Pacquiao discusses Floyd Mayweather, PEDs, and retirement with the media in NYC. Freddie Roach and Joshua Clottey are also interviewed.
http://www.ringtv.com/video/pacquiao_roach_clottey_interviews/
***
Mayweather-Mosley talks proceeding 'like a breath of fresh air' -- Los Angeles Times
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times
The preliminary talks for a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley fight in May are going far smoother than Mayweather's ultimately scrapped negotiation earlier this year with Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather's advisor told The Times today.
"It's like a breath of fresh air, and I'm sure you understand what I'm referring to," Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe said.
Team Mayweather is in talks with a Mosley negotiating team that includes the Pomona fighter's attorney and business partner, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. Schaefer represented Mayweather in the failed Pacquiao talks. The welterweight fight between wolrld-champion Mosley and unbeaten Mayweather is being negotiated to occur either May 1 or May 8 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
"Things are going very smoothly," Ellerbe said. "It's a mega, mega-fight, and we're happy that we're going to be able to give the boxing fans what they want to see."
If there's one obvious elephant in the room it's how Mayweather is going to handle his push for drug testing after his push to have Pacquiao subjected to random blood tests up until 14 days before the fight caused talks to crash. Pacquiao, who'll now fight Joshua Clottey March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, would only agree to accept a blood draw 24 days before a bout.
Mosley has admitted he used the banned designer steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear" before his 2003 super-fight victory over Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley says he unknowingly used the drugs, as well as energy boosting EPO, which is a banned substance in international sporting events.
"Floyd has made it clear that any man who steps into the ring against him must agree to random blood and urine tests," Ellerbe said.
Ellerbe declined to say if that stance was proving problematic in the Mosley talks, or who would preside over such testing. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will subject the fighters to random prefight urine tests.
Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com
***
The preliminary talks for a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley fight in May are going far smoother than Mayweather's ultimately scrapped negotiation earlier this year with Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather's advisor told The Times today.
"It's like a breath of fresh air, and I'm sure you understand what I'm referring to," Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe said.
Team Mayweather is in talks with a Mosley negotiating team that includes the Pomona fighter's attorney and business partner, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. Schaefer represented Mayweather in the failed Pacquiao talks. The welterweight fight between wolrld-champion Mosley and unbeaten Mayweather is being negotiated to occur either May 1 or May 8 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
"Things are going very smoothly," Ellerbe said. "It's a mega, mega-fight, and we're happy that we're going to be able to give the boxing fans what they want to see."
If there's one obvious elephant in the room it's how Mayweather is going to handle his push for drug testing after his push to have Pacquiao subjected to random blood tests up until 14 days before the fight caused talks to crash. Pacquiao, who'll now fight Joshua Clottey March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, would only agree to accept a blood draw 24 days before a bout.
Mosley has admitted he used the banned designer steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear" before his 2003 super-fight victory over Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley says he unknowingly used the drugs, as well as energy boosting EPO, which is a banned substance in international sporting events.
"Floyd has made it clear that any man who steps into the ring against him must agree to random blood and urine tests," Ellerbe said.
Ellerbe declined to say if that stance was proving problematic in the Mosley talks, or who would preside over such testing. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will subject the fighters to random prefight urine tests.
Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com
***
The Spit Bucket: Opening up the mailbag to readers with opinions on Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones and MMA's supposed superiority to boxing -- Grand Rapids Press
By Mike Samuels, The Grand Rapids Press
Due to the amount of e-mail cluttering my inbox after a couple recent columns I’ve penned, I’ve decided to open up the floodgates (... I may regret it, I know) and dish out a mid-week mailbag. I played around with the idea a few years back and the fan outpour was pretty stellar, to my surprise. So I’ll try it again – hopefully every couple of weeks or so. If my inbox shrinks because nobody can stomach reading my stuff, then I’ll consider it a bust (although, not quite this bad) and move forward with a deflated ego in tact ... somewhat. Let the games begin.
(Note: Some of the e-mails I received weren’t exactly written with an excellence in grammar as a top priority. I apologize if they’re difficult to read.)
I heard Nate Campbell is the front runner for a fight with Floyd Mayweather. What do u think of this matchup if it does happen? – Craig.
Originally that was the thought, Craig. However, with Andre Berto pulling out of his scheduled January 30 bout with Shane Mosley due to the earthquakes that struck Haiti this past week, it has been widely speculated that Mayweather will face off against Mosley as early as May 1. I wish I could tell you this is a guarantee, but nobody really knows in boxing. Mayweather is always talking about how Mosley ducked and dodged him as a lightweight (which is hardly true, in my opinion) and Mosley was reportedly to fight Mayweather after dispatching of Fernando Vargas a few years back, only to tell the public he needed a vacation and then complaining of a tooth ache.
Let’s hope it happens. Because Nate Campbell as an opponent is a complete waste of time for boxing fans. The Mayweather camp might as well call up Henry Bruseles and try their luck at promoting a rematch to their embarrassing HBO televised bout in 2005.
That story on the Huge Show’s Bill Simonson was nothing but the truth! I have told people for a long time that Billy has no business blogging or doing radio. He’s a clown! I’m glad you put him in his place. – Steven Grant, Royal Oak, MI.
Thanks Steve. Look, I’ve got nothing against Simonson – I’ve actually listened to him regularly since about 2004. But what I can’t tolerate is a guy using the MLive forum to bash a sport I love with no real insight to provide even the most casual fans. I’ll still listen to Huge on occasion and may even attend a few watch parties. I doubt my piece will faze him (have you read the comments MLiver’s have left him in the past? Scary stuff). Heck, maybe he’ll start watching some of the fighters I listed in my article and begin to gain a real appreciation for the sport. I won’t hold my breath, though.
There’s no way money Mayweather fights Shane. Pigs will fly first, money doesn’t know what it’s like to fight a welterweight and when he does he will get knocked and u know it. – James
I’m actually pretty confident the fight will happen, James. Both Mosley and Mayweather work closely with Golden Boy Promotions and in an interview with Greg Leon at Boxingtalk, Mosley pretty much agreed to be tested for steroids any which way the Mayweather camp requested and as many times as necessary. Boxing fans always see the glass half empty and probably with good reason. So while I’m glad Mayweather would finally be fighting a legit welterweight with Hall-of-Fame credentials in Mosley, I think that the fight could turn in to a lose-lose situation for the Grand Rapids native.
With the Berto fight being scrapped and no make-up opponent in sight for Mosley, by the time he faces Mayweather (assuming in the Spring) he will have been out of action for 16 months and at 38 years of age, one has to wonder what the reaction will be if Mayweather makes him look less than stellar between the ropes. All things aside, Shane Mosley is always a tough fight for anyone.
R u on Manny’s payroll or sumthin? – Croid
I wish I could say yes. I certainly would be living a hell of a lot more comfortably and probably going to some pretty sweet parties with the Filipino nation. Unfortunately, I’m just a struggling looking-for-work freelance writer with a full-time job. But if things change I’ll be sure to let you know. Until then I’m going to continue to give my opinion – right or wrong – and I’m sure you’ll continue to disagree.
I noticed you pull a lot of information from different boxing sites around the net. What are your favourites and which ones do you think are the best out there? I’m trying to find some different sites to check out from time to time. Charles Fitzgerald II
I have to rely on other sites, as I only have a few personal sources that I tap from time to time. However, the sites I often get information from vary as much as the Michigan weather. Personally I’ve been a big fan of Maxboxing (despite Steve Kim’s extreme bias towards Floyd Mayweather and man crush on Antonio Margartio) and RingTV. Other credible sites like Secondsout and Boxingscene are good reads, too. If you’re looking for strictly information – press releases, interviews and breaking news – the best out there are Fightnews and Boxingtalk. You can always do a ‘Google search’ on boxing and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with what comes to your attention.
Boxing will be better without Floyd. Bottom line and truth, all day long. – Tim
I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say it would be better. After all, Mayweather has been one of the best fighters over the last decade and while he couldn’t sell his skills to the pay-per-view audience or general audience at that time during the beginning of his career, he’s surprisingly turned the media’s hate on him into quite a profitable business. If you can fight a lightweight on pay-per-view and over a million tune in to see such a mismatch, well then son, you must be doing something right.
Boxing will go on, though, after Floyd retires. The same way it survived the demise of Ray Robinson, Ali, Tyson and most recently Oscar De la Hoya. I don’t know if the sport has a cross-over star on the horizon but it’s definitely got a few stars in the making. Like a good meal, they make just take a little seasoning and marinating before igniting the sport the same way guys of the past have done.
MMA is better than boxing for a NUMBER of reasons man. Boxing is going to charge us pay per view money to see Pacquaio fight Clottey and then charge us even more money to watch two old timers (Hopkins-Jones) fight after Roy just got schooled by an unknown white guy!! This is why MMA rules the fight world. – Shane
Boxing went away from the pay-per-view trend in 2009 to the surprise of everyone, but it seems like they will fall victim to the scheme of pay-per-punch in 2010, which is really a sad reality that fight fans have lived for since the days of Don King’s super card (and hey, at least those cards were stacked with good fights). I have to cover the sport’s biggest fights so unfortunately that means I will have to sit through Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins – who are fighting ten years too late to satisfy their greed along with their pocket books – but luckily a bunch of friends will help contribute to the pay-per-view price. I’m just a boxing junkie, so I would probably find a way to watch the fight even if I didn’t have to write. Most people though, would be better served just skipping it and spending it on something else – hey, perhaps one of those MMA pay-per-views?
I’m not here to criticize MMA/UFC because I prefer boxing. I watch both and I’m sick and tired of the same old arguments about MMA fighters kicking the crap out of boxers who step in the octagon and how much greater the damn sport is. There are pros and cons to each sport – boxing has a lot of cons, I’ll be the first to admit it. Chances are your job has flaws, your girlfriend has flaws and your mother-in-law definitely has flaws. Do you quit your job or dump your girlfriend or divorce your wife? Probably not. (OK, it’s probably smart to divorce your wife with a crazy mother-in-law). You just focus on the good and hope that someday things change for the better. Boxing will probably never get it exactly right, but some of the way is better than nothing, right?
Source: blog.mlive.com
Due to the amount of e-mail cluttering my inbox after a couple recent columns I’ve penned, I’ve decided to open up the floodgates (... I may regret it, I know) and dish out a mid-week mailbag. I played around with the idea a few years back and the fan outpour was pretty stellar, to my surprise. So I’ll try it again – hopefully every couple of weeks or so. If my inbox shrinks because nobody can stomach reading my stuff, then I’ll consider it a bust (although, not quite this bad) and move forward with a deflated ego in tact ... somewhat. Let the games begin.
(Note: Some of the e-mails I received weren’t exactly written with an excellence in grammar as a top priority. I apologize if they’re difficult to read.)
I heard Nate Campbell is the front runner for a fight with Floyd Mayweather. What do u think of this matchup if it does happen? – Craig.
Originally that was the thought, Craig. However, with Andre Berto pulling out of his scheduled January 30 bout with Shane Mosley due to the earthquakes that struck Haiti this past week, it has been widely speculated that Mayweather will face off against Mosley as early as May 1. I wish I could tell you this is a guarantee, but nobody really knows in boxing. Mayweather is always talking about how Mosley ducked and dodged him as a lightweight (which is hardly true, in my opinion) and Mosley was reportedly to fight Mayweather after dispatching of Fernando Vargas a few years back, only to tell the public he needed a vacation and then complaining of a tooth ache.
Let’s hope it happens. Because Nate Campbell as an opponent is a complete waste of time for boxing fans. The Mayweather camp might as well call up Henry Bruseles and try their luck at promoting a rematch to their embarrassing HBO televised bout in 2005.
That story on the Huge Show’s Bill Simonson was nothing but the truth! I have told people for a long time that Billy has no business blogging or doing radio. He’s a clown! I’m glad you put him in his place. – Steven Grant, Royal Oak, MI.
Thanks Steve. Look, I’ve got nothing against Simonson – I’ve actually listened to him regularly since about 2004. But what I can’t tolerate is a guy using the MLive forum to bash a sport I love with no real insight to provide even the most casual fans. I’ll still listen to Huge on occasion and may even attend a few watch parties. I doubt my piece will faze him (have you read the comments MLiver’s have left him in the past? Scary stuff). Heck, maybe he’ll start watching some of the fighters I listed in my article and begin to gain a real appreciation for the sport. I won’t hold my breath, though.
There’s no way money Mayweather fights Shane. Pigs will fly first, money doesn’t know what it’s like to fight a welterweight and when he does he will get knocked and u know it. – James
I’m actually pretty confident the fight will happen, James. Both Mosley and Mayweather work closely with Golden Boy Promotions and in an interview with Greg Leon at Boxingtalk, Mosley pretty much agreed to be tested for steroids any which way the Mayweather camp requested and as many times as necessary. Boxing fans always see the glass half empty and probably with good reason. So while I’m glad Mayweather would finally be fighting a legit welterweight with Hall-of-Fame credentials in Mosley, I think that the fight could turn in to a lose-lose situation for the Grand Rapids native.
With the Berto fight being scrapped and no make-up opponent in sight for Mosley, by the time he faces Mayweather (assuming in the Spring) he will have been out of action for 16 months and at 38 years of age, one has to wonder what the reaction will be if Mayweather makes him look less than stellar between the ropes. All things aside, Shane Mosley is always a tough fight for anyone.
R u on Manny’s payroll or sumthin? – Croid
I wish I could say yes. I certainly would be living a hell of a lot more comfortably and probably going to some pretty sweet parties with the Filipino nation. Unfortunately, I’m just a struggling looking-for-work freelance writer with a full-time job. But if things change I’ll be sure to let you know. Until then I’m going to continue to give my opinion – right or wrong – and I’m sure you’ll continue to disagree.
I noticed you pull a lot of information from different boxing sites around the net. What are your favourites and which ones do you think are the best out there? I’m trying to find some different sites to check out from time to time. Charles Fitzgerald II
I have to rely on other sites, as I only have a few personal sources that I tap from time to time. However, the sites I often get information from vary as much as the Michigan weather. Personally I’ve been a big fan of Maxboxing (despite Steve Kim’s extreme bias towards Floyd Mayweather and man crush on Antonio Margartio) and RingTV. Other credible sites like Secondsout and Boxingscene are good reads, too. If you’re looking for strictly information – press releases, interviews and breaking news – the best out there are Fightnews and Boxingtalk. You can always do a ‘Google search’ on boxing and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with what comes to your attention.
Boxing will be better without Floyd. Bottom line and truth, all day long. – Tim
I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say it would be better. After all, Mayweather has been one of the best fighters over the last decade and while he couldn’t sell his skills to the pay-per-view audience or general audience at that time during the beginning of his career, he’s surprisingly turned the media’s hate on him into quite a profitable business. If you can fight a lightweight on pay-per-view and over a million tune in to see such a mismatch, well then son, you must be doing something right.
Boxing will go on, though, after Floyd retires. The same way it survived the demise of Ray Robinson, Ali, Tyson and most recently Oscar De la Hoya. I don’t know if the sport has a cross-over star on the horizon but it’s definitely got a few stars in the making. Like a good meal, they make just take a little seasoning and marinating before igniting the sport the same way guys of the past have done.
MMA is better than boxing for a NUMBER of reasons man. Boxing is going to charge us pay per view money to see Pacquaio fight Clottey and then charge us even more money to watch two old timers (Hopkins-Jones) fight after Roy just got schooled by an unknown white guy!! This is why MMA rules the fight world. – Shane
Boxing went away from the pay-per-view trend in 2009 to the surprise of everyone, but it seems like they will fall victim to the scheme of pay-per-punch in 2010, which is really a sad reality that fight fans have lived for since the days of Don King’s super card (and hey, at least those cards were stacked with good fights). I have to cover the sport’s biggest fights so unfortunately that means I will have to sit through Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins – who are fighting ten years too late to satisfy their greed along with their pocket books – but luckily a bunch of friends will help contribute to the pay-per-view price. I’m just a boxing junkie, so I would probably find a way to watch the fight even if I didn’t have to write. Most people though, would be better served just skipping it and spending it on something else – hey, perhaps one of those MMA pay-per-views?
I’m not here to criticize MMA/UFC because I prefer boxing. I watch both and I’m sick and tired of the same old arguments about MMA fighters kicking the crap out of boxers who step in the octagon and how much greater the damn sport is. There are pros and cons to each sport – boxing has a lot of cons, I’ll be the first to admit it. Chances are your job has flaws, your girlfriend has flaws and your mother-in-law definitely has flaws. Do you quit your job or dump your girlfriend or divorce your wife? Probably not. (OK, it’s probably smart to divorce your wife with a crazy mother-in-law). You just focus on the good and hope that someday things change for the better. Boxing will probably never get it exactly right, but some of the way is better than nothing, right?
Source: blog.mlive.com
They'd All Have To Be Morons To Not Let This Happen -- The Sweet Science
By Ron Borges, The Sweet Science
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may, if he wants it, have the last laugh yet.
After losing out on a potential $40 million payday that the entire sports world was looking forward to by insisting Manny Pacquiao prove he has regular and not high-test in his tank, negotiations continue for a possible May fight with Shane Mosley, who is the B side to a Mayweather-Pacquiao A side.
For the moment, Pacquiao has landed on high ground, but his March 13 fight at Cowboys Stadium with Joshua Clottey pales in interest and income when compared to a potential Mayweather-Mosley fight, if it happens. As the absurd Mayweather-Mosley negotiations made clear however, the men who run boxing could screw up Mardi Gras, so how much hope fans can hold out for such a fight should be minimal until contracts are signed and fighters are in training, because hope is wasted on these guys.
Richard Schaefer, the affable CEO of Golden Boy Promotions (who sort of represents both Mayweather and Mosley), said when the negotiations began with Pacquiao something he probably regrets but that proved to be painfully true.
“We’d all have to be morons to not let this happen,’’ Schaefer said at a time when it appeared they weren’t and it would. It didn’t and they are but I digress, although only slightly.
The problem with making Mosley-Mayweather is how does Mayweather get around the same issue of performance enhancing drugs that he raised in demanding he and Pacquiao submit to random blood testing right up to the fight?
Billy Martin once got himself in hot water when he said of Reggie Jackson and Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner, “They were made for each other. One’s a born liar and the other’s convicted.’’ Well, Mosley has already been “convicted’’ by his own grand jury testimony in the BALCO case as a steroid and EPO user and, well, with Manny we now have to have our suspicions unless we really believe a guy with about 20 tattoos is so afraid of needles and blood loss he’d rather lose $40 million than submit to a common medical practice at an inconvenient moment or two.
There has been no public talk yet that Mayweather is insisting Mosley, who it is now clear needled up before his first fight with Oscar De La Hoya which he won with a burst of energy in the final two rounds, agree to random testing. But how could he not demand it after making it such a public issue with Pacquiao?
As for Schaefer, how could he argue against it with Mosley, his client, when he was so adamant about Pacquiao submitting to it even though he had never tested positive for PEDs nor been outted by his own testimony in front of a Federal grand jury?
These may or may not be dilemmas they have to contend with depending on the position Mayweather takes. The fact is Nevada, where the fight likely would be staged, is a state that claims to have rigorous testing when in fact it does not. Unless you have a prior they have never tested a fighter for PEDs with random blood testing and admit it. Meanwhile, former BALCO owner Victor Conte has said if faced with the Nevada athletic commission requirements he wouldn’t even bother to look at what was on their banned list because none of his clients would ever test positive under their protocols.
In other words, he’d be a bank robber with keys to the back door of the bank and the code to crack the vault.
So even though Mayweather’s close friend and confidante, Leonard Ellerbee, has said Mayweather would like to make the fight now that Andre Berto was forced to pull out of his Jan. 30 showdown with Mosley after losing family members and friends in the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the PED issue will hover over it. Will Mayweather insist as forcefully that someone who has admitted using them agree to random testing as he did of someone who has admitted no such thing nor ever been caught?
If he does, will Mosley submit to such testing to get a fight he has chased for some years now? Worse, if he doesn’t agree does it heighten suspicions about his recent ring successes and call further into question his legacy?
It makes for an interesting debate because if Mosley and Mayweather were to agree to random blood testing for PEDs where Pacquiao refused it would uplift them and their sport at a time when sports in general continues to be battered and buffeted by the growing links between so many of today’s top athletes and the use of steroids, HGH, EPO and God knows what else they’ve cooked up in labs around the world.
That is especially true for Mosley, who could make a real mea culpa for what he did before the first De La Hoya fight if he stepped forward and said simply, “I’m clean but I also understand the skepticism that exists around sports today. I will agree to a reasonable random testing proposal, reasonable being some sort of guarantee that no one shows up in the final few hours before the fight to draw my blood. I will also submit to an immediate post-fight blood test.’’
If Shane Mosley did that and Mayweather agreed to the same procedure boxing would suddenly have elevated itself above the tainted playing fields in baseball, football, the Olympic Games and in every other sport where the participants have begun to resemble statues chiseled out of marble rather than human beings.
It would also put the pressure squarely back on Pacquiao to answer the question that anyone who’s honest about it had when his fight with Mayweather fell apart: ‘Why won’t you just take the tests?’
If that leads to an early May showdown between Mayweather and Mosley it would give both of them the last laugh and the most money short of facing Pacquiao. Mosley would have gotten the fight he’s been chasing for some time after years ago refusing to give such a fight to a young Mayweather years ago. He would also have gone a long way toward cleaning up his reputation in the wake of his involvement in the BALCO scandal.
As for Floyd Mayweather, he would end up with the biggest fight left in boxing after he and Pacquiao made the worst fears of Richard Schaefer come true.
“We’d all have to be morons to not let this happen,’’ Schaefer said months ago. He could say it again if Mayweather-Mosley doesn’t happen either.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may, if he wants it, have the last laugh yet.
After losing out on a potential $40 million payday that the entire sports world was looking forward to by insisting Manny Pacquiao prove he has regular and not high-test in his tank, negotiations continue for a possible May fight with Shane Mosley, who is the B side to a Mayweather-Pacquiao A side.
For the moment, Pacquiao has landed on high ground, but his March 13 fight at Cowboys Stadium with Joshua Clottey pales in interest and income when compared to a potential Mayweather-Mosley fight, if it happens. As the absurd Mayweather-Mosley negotiations made clear however, the men who run boxing could screw up Mardi Gras, so how much hope fans can hold out for such a fight should be minimal until contracts are signed and fighters are in training, because hope is wasted on these guys.
Richard Schaefer, the affable CEO of Golden Boy Promotions (who sort of represents both Mayweather and Mosley), said when the negotiations began with Pacquiao something he probably regrets but that proved to be painfully true.
“We’d all have to be morons to not let this happen,’’ Schaefer said at a time when it appeared they weren’t and it would. It didn’t and they are but I digress, although only slightly.
The problem with making Mosley-Mayweather is how does Mayweather get around the same issue of performance enhancing drugs that he raised in demanding he and Pacquiao submit to random blood testing right up to the fight?
Billy Martin once got himself in hot water when he said of Reggie Jackson and Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner, “They were made for each other. One’s a born liar and the other’s convicted.’’ Well, Mosley has already been “convicted’’ by his own grand jury testimony in the BALCO case as a steroid and EPO user and, well, with Manny we now have to have our suspicions unless we really believe a guy with about 20 tattoos is so afraid of needles and blood loss he’d rather lose $40 million than submit to a common medical practice at an inconvenient moment or two.
There has been no public talk yet that Mayweather is insisting Mosley, who it is now clear needled up before his first fight with Oscar De La Hoya which he won with a burst of energy in the final two rounds, agree to random testing. But how could he not demand it after making it such a public issue with Pacquiao?
As for Schaefer, how could he argue against it with Mosley, his client, when he was so adamant about Pacquiao submitting to it even though he had never tested positive for PEDs nor been outted by his own testimony in front of a Federal grand jury?
These may or may not be dilemmas they have to contend with depending on the position Mayweather takes. The fact is Nevada, where the fight likely would be staged, is a state that claims to have rigorous testing when in fact it does not. Unless you have a prior they have never tested a fighter for PEDs with random blood testing and admit it. Meanwhile, former BALCO owner Victor Conte has said if faced with the Nevada athletic commission requirements he wouldn’t even bother to look at what was on their banned list because none of his clients would ever test positive under their protocols.
In other words, he’d be a bank robber with keys to the back door of the bank and the code to crack the vault.
So even though Mayweather’s close friend and confidante, Leonard Ellerbee, has said Mayweather would like to make the fight now that Andre Berto was forced to pull out of his Jan. 30 showdown with Mosley after losing family members and friends in the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the PED issue will hover over it. Will Mayweather insist as forcefully that someone who has admitted using them agree to random testing as he did of someone who has admitted no such thing nor ever been caught?
If he does, will Mosley submit to such testing to get a fight he has chased for some years now? Worse, if he doesn’t agree does it heighten suspicions about his recent ring successes and call further into question his legacy?
It makes for an interesting debate because if Mosley and Mayweather were to agree to random blood testing for PEDs where Pacquiao refused it would uplift them and their sport at a time when sports in general continues to be battered and buffeted by the growing links between so many of today’s top athletes and the use of steroids, HGH, EPO and God knows what else they’ve cooked up in labs around the world.
That is especially true for Mosley, who could make a real mea culpa for what he did before the first De La Hoya fight if he stepped forward and said simply, “I’m clean but I also understand the skepticism that exists around sports today. I will agree to a reasonable random testing proposal, reasonable being some sort of guarantee that no one shows up in the final few hours before the fight to draw my blood. I will also submit to an immediate post-fight blood test.’’
If Shane Mosley did that and Mayweather agreed to the same procedure boxing would suddenly have elevated itself above the tainted playing fields in baseball, football, the Olympic Games and in every other sport where the participants have begun to resemble statues chiseled out of marble rather than human beings.
It would also put the pressure squarely back on Pacquiao to answer the question that anyone who’s honest about it had when his fight with Mayweather fell apart: ‘Why won’t you just take the tests?’
If that leads to an early May showdown between Mayweather and Mosley it would give both of them the last laugh and the most money short of facing Pacquiao. Mosley would have gotten the fight he’s been chasing for some time after years ago refusing to give such a fight to a young Mayweather years ago. He would also have gone a long way toward cleaning up his reputation in the wake of his involvement in the BALCO scandal.
As for Floyd Mayweather, he would end up with the biggest fight left in boxing after he and Pacquiao made the worst fears of Richard Schaefer come true.
“We’d all have to be morons to not let this happen,’’ Schaefer said months ago. He could say it again if Mayweather-Mosley doesn’t happen either.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Food and drink, Filipino style, at Subo -- Star Tribune
By TOM HORGEN, Star Tribune
"Pork candy" as bar food? A cocktail named after Manny Pacquiao? One of downtown's newest restaurants carves out its own nightlife niche.
As I sat at the bar, drinking out of a coconut, I thought to myself: The Twin Cities could use more places like this.
Wait, that makes it sound like I want more bars that serve cocktails in coconuts. While I found this tropical drink amusing, it was the entire vibe of the new bar and restaurant that had me smitten.
Subo opened quietly in early December in the old Hell's Kitchen space, half a block off the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.
Even with its foodie inclinations (Asian tapas) and a complete re-imagining of the space, Subo hasn't necessarily garnered the tidal wave of attention that it deserves. The ownership team includes New York-tested chef Neil Guillen and well known Twin Cities businessman Jim Hays, plus a behind-the-scenes Kieran Folliard, who is helping Subo get established while overseeing his own Irish pub empire.
The concept
Subo is a Filipino word that means "to feed." Guillen, who previously worked at the Kuma Inn in New York, said Hays (a Kuma Inn customer) persuaded him to move to Minneapolis to run a restaurant inspired by his Filipino heritage.
With its railcar-narrow layout, small-plate menu and burgeoning bar scene, Subo could be on its way to becoming an Asian version of Barrio.
While Guillen's focus is on the kitchen, where he crafts traditional Filipino dishes as well as Southeast Asian favorites (the menu features a lot of seafood), he and general manager Johann Galera have made no secret of their nightlife aspirations. The front lounge is nearly twice the size of the dining room.
What's to like
More than the original Hell's Kitchen, Subo has maximized the vintage mystique of the 103-year-old Handicraft Guild Building. After gutting the interior, Guillen and company discovered cobblestone-like flooring under old carpet and plate glass windows behind wallboard.
Source: startribune.com
"Pork candy" as bar food? A cocktail named after Manny Pacquiao? One of downtown's newest restaurants carves out its own nightlife niche.
As I sat at the bar, drinking out of a coconut, I thought to myself: The Twin Cities could use more places like this.
Wait, that makes it sound like I want more bars that serve cocktails in coconuts. While I found this tropical drink amusing, it was the entire vibe of the new bar and restaurant that had me smitten.
Subo opened quietly in early December in the old Hell's Kitchen space, half a block off the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.
Even with its foodie inclinations (Asian tapas) and a complete re-imagining of the space, Subo hasn't necessarily garnered the tidal wave of attention that it deserves. The ownership team includes New York-tested chef Neil Guillen and well known Twin Cities businessman Jim Hays, plus a behind-the-scenes Kieran Folliard, who is helping Subo get established while overseeing his own Irish pub empire.
The concept
Subo is a Filipino word that means "to feed." Guillen, who previously worked at the Kuma Inn in New York, said Hays (a Kuma Inn customer) persuaded him to move to Minneapolis to run a restaurant inspired by his Filipino heritage.
With its railcar-narrow layout, small-plate menu and burgeoning bar scene, Subo could be on its way to becoming an Asian version of Barrio.
While Guillen's focus is on the kitchen, where he crafts traditional Filipino dishes as well as Southeast Asian favorites (the menu features a lot of seafood), he and general manager Johann Galera have made no secret of their nightlife aspirations. The front lounge is nearly twice the size of the dining room.
What's to like
More than the original Hell's Kitchen, Subo has maximized the vintage mystique of the 103-year-old Handicraft Guild Building. After gutting the interior, Guillen and company discovered cobblestone-like flooring under old carpet and plate glass windows behind wallboard.
Source: startribune.com
Antonio Margarito set to return on Manny Pacquiao undercard -- Financial News USA
Financial News USA
Trying to put the controversy of his illegally wrapped hands in his bout with Sugar Shane Mosley behind him, Antonio Margarito could be making his comeback as soon as March 13th. There is a catch though, this will only fly if the Texas state athletic commission will grant him a license to fight. Margarito, in the wake of plaster like substance being found on his wraps was suspended from boxing for one year. Bob Arum, Top Rank Boxing's promoter, told ESPN.com that indicators are good that the Texas state athletic commission will grant the disgraced Mexican fighter a license. If this happens, Margarito will be on the under card of the Pacquaio/Clottey PPV fight at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
A opponent has been anounced as well. Arum told sources that Carson Jones will be stepping up to fight the former welterweight champion. The agreement will be for the fight to be ten rounds and take place at a weight no higher than 155lbs.
Source: financialnewsusa.com
Trying to put the controversy of his illegally wrapped hands in his bout with Sugar Shane Mosley behind him, Antonio Margarito could be making his comeback as soon as March 13th. There is a catch though, this will only fly if the Texas state athletic commission will grant him a license to fight. Margarito, in the wake of plaster like substance being found on his wraps was suspended from boxing for one year. Bob Arum, Top Rank Boxing's promoter, told ESPN.com that indicators are good that the Texas state athletic commission will grant the disgraced Mexican fighter a license. If this happens, Margarito will be on the under card of the Pacquaio/Clottey PPV fight at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
A opponent has been anounced as well. Arum told sources that Carson Jones will be stepping up to fight the former welterweight champion. The agreement will be for the fight to be ten rounds and take place at a weight no higher than 155lbs.
Source: financialnewsusa.com
Clottey’s coach refused US visa -- Eastside Boxing
By Prince Dornu-Leiku, Eastside Boxing
Godwin Dzanie Kotey AKA Alloway, the trainer of WBO welterweight title challenger Joshua Clottey and his assistant Daniel Clottey have been refused a visa renewal by the US Embassy in Accra. The coach and assistant’s respective previous visas expired at the end of November last year, but attempts to renew it in order to make it to the US on time for preparations by the boxer towards the March 13 world title fight against Manny Pacquiao has been met with resistance by US authorities in Ghana.
According to the two after they went to the US Embassy last Wednesday to apply for the visa renewal, Kotey the trainer was only given a paper stating that the visa has been temporarily withheld and he will get a call later, but Clottey the assistant trainer was flatly refused. This, the two say does no good to the preparations of Joshua Clottey as he prepares for the do or die showdown with the Philippine’s Manny Pacquiao. “We are very disappointed because we need to train. Now Joshua is all alone in the US and even if he is training, there is no supervision,” Coach Kotey stated..
A boxer needs four others to work with in his corner when preparing for and during the fight itself, which are the chief cornerman who is automatically the trainer, his assistant, the cutman and the bucketman. Mr. Godwin Kotey has therefore appealed to Ghanaian boxing authorities and promoters for the March 13 big fight to intervene in order for the US Embassy to issue the visas to the trainer and his assistant to make the journey.
Joshua Clottey who only last Tuesday concluded paperwork in the US on the fight is expected to return to Ghana tomorrow in order to personally facilitate the visa application for the trainers. “You need time to prepare in boxing. Even the day Joshua was notified for the fight was already too short for a fight of such magnitude. He needs at least four months to prepare for a big fight like this,” a very frustrated Godwin Kotey said.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
***
Godwin Dzanie Kotey AKA Alloway, the trainer of WBO welterweight title challenger Joshua Clottey and his assistant Daniel Clottey have been refused a visa renewal by the US Embassy in Accra. The coach and assistant’s respective previous visas expired at the end of November last year, but attempts to renew it in order to make it to the US on time for preparations by the boxer towards the March 13 world title fight against Manny Pacquiao has been met with resistance by US authorities in Ghana.
According to the two after they went to the US Embassy last Wednesday to apply for the visa renewal, Kotey the trainer was only given a paper stating that the visa has been temporarily withheld and he will get a call later, but Clottey the assistant trainer was flatly refused. This, the two say does no good to the preparations of Joshua Clottey as he prepares for the do or die showdown with the Philippine’s Manny Pacquiao. “We are very disappointed because we need to train. Now Joshua is all alone in the US and even if he is training, there is no supervision,” Coach Kotey stated..
A boxer needs four others to work with in his corner when preparing for and during the fight itself, which are the chief cornerman who is automatically the trainer, his assistant, the cutman and the bucketman. Mr. Godwin Kotey has therefore appealed to Ghanaian boxing authorities and promoters for the March 13 big fight to intervene in order for the US Embassy to issue the visas to the trainer and his assistant to make the journey.
Joshua Clottey who only last Tuesday concluded paperwork in the US on the fight is expected to return to Ghana tomorrow in order to personally facilitate the visa application for the trainers. “You need time to prepare in boxing. Even the day Joshua was notified for the fight was already too short for a fight of such magnitude. He needs at least four months to prepare for a big fight like this,” a very frustrated Godwin Kotey said.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
***
Pacquiao sets sights on Mayweather bout - CNN
CNN
Manny Pacquiao has not given up on fighting Floyd Mayweather later this year, despite talks breaking down on a big-money contest in March.
World welterweight champion Pacquiao will now fight Ghana's Joshua Clottey in Dallas on March 13, following a breakdown in talks with Mayweather's camp ause of a row over blood and urine testing, but the Filipino is still hopeful that a deal can be agreed for the fight to take place this summer.
Talking to reporters in the run-up to the Clottey contest, Pacquiao admitted: "It will happen. I'm still hoping a fight with Mayweather will be pushed through, maybe by summer time.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said on Sunday that he also believed a fight at some point against Mayweather had not been totally ruled out. "There's always later in the year and next year, it's up to Mayweather."
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with CNN, Pacquiao revealed: "If Floyd wants that fight to happen then I think let the commission who implements the rules, not him, make the rules for the fight.
"Floyd is just a fighter. We're both fighters so he doesn't need to make the rules like that.
"But I am satisfied with my career now because of what I have done in boxing. I'm not the one who turned down the fight. Floyd Mayweather, he's the one that doesn't want the fight.
Despite still wanting to fight Mayweather, Pacquiao has also revealed that the American's recent drug-testing demands have cast him in a bad light.
He added: "I want to clear my name because I'm a very honest person. I'm very disappointed for what he accused me of. I'm clean. I'm not cheating. I'm a very honest fighter."
Source: edition.cnn.com
Manny Pacquiao has not given up on fighting Floyd Mayweather later this year, despite talks breaking down on a big-money contest in March.
World welterweight champion Pacquiao will now fight Ghana's Joshua Clottey in Dallas on March 13, following a breakdown in talks with Mayweather's camp ause of a row over blood and urine testing, but the Filipino is still hopeful that a deal can be agreed for the fight to take place this summer.
Talking to reporters in the run-up to the Clottey contest, Pacquiao admitted: "It will happen. I'm still hoping a fight with Mayweather will be pushed through, maybe by summer time.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said on Sunday that he also believed a fight at some point against Mayweather had not been totally ruled out. "There's always later in the year and next year, it's up to Mayweather."
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with CNN, Pacquiao revealed: "If Floyd wants that fight to happen then I think let the commission who implements the rules, not him, make the rules for the fight.
"Floyd is just a fighter. We're both fighters so he doesn't need to make the rules like that.
"But I am satisfied with my career now because of what I have done in boxing. I'm not the one who turned down the fight. Floyd Mayweather, he's the one that doesn't want the fight.
Despite still wanting to fight Mayweather, Pacquiao has also revealed that the American's recent drug-testing demands have cast him in a bad light.
He added: "I want to clear my name because I'm a very honest person. I'm very disappointed for what he accused me of. I'm clean. I'm not cheating. I'm a very honest fighter."
Source: edition.cnn.com
Even An Old Mosley Is Better Than Any Fighter Mayweather's Fought -- The Sweet Science
By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science
As was stated here shortly after Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Juan Manuel Marguez, Mosley-Mayweather just might be realized. That's great news and despite Shane being more rusty than Floyd, their names together make for a super-fight worthy of the monumental attention it will garner.
The history of Mosley 46-5 (39) and Mayweather 40-0 (25) and how they've conducted their careers is an open book to most boxing observers. Most know that Mosley will jump at the chance to share a ring with Mayweather. The only question is will Mayweather agree to the fight without making any ridiculous demands at the negotiating table to hold up the fight?
For the sake of argument purposes I'm going to assume that Floyd will take the fight and not try to gain a monumental advantage via any pre-fight conditions. Of course it will be said that Mayweather is only taking the fight because Mosley will be nearing his 39th birthday and will have been out of the ring almost 18 months by the time the fight comes off, an argument I won't dismiss. However, other than Floyd fighting Pacquiao, Mosley is the next best fight for him to take.
It will be said by Floyd's fans that even if he beats Mosley he won't get his due because it's an older Shane that he fought. Well, isn't that the truth? Who's fault is it that Mayweather has waited so long to actually fight Mosley? Obviously Mayweather is much closer to his prime than Mosley is his. Until Mosley convincingly beat Antonio Margarito a year ago he was viewed as a fighter on the decline. Suddenly after Margarito he's the Mosley of 2000. Wrong. However, his new trainer Nazeem Richardson looks to have given Shane an infusion and he fought one of the more complete fights of his career versus Margarito.
The fact is Mayweather is at a point where it's almost impossible for him to silence his critics such as myself. Even if he beat Pacquiao and Mosley in his next two fights, he will have scored his best wins over a former flyweight champ and a welterweight who first won the title a full decade ago. That aside, a win over Pacquiao and Mosley would add to Floyd's legacy and his standing historically would be in better stead than had he never fought them.
That said, there is one thing that everyone is missing if Mayweather does in fact fight Mosley sometime before the end of this summer. And that is Mosley at almost 39 is still a much more formidable opponent than any other fighter Mayweather has fought in his 40 pro-bout career.
All one has to do is look at Floyd's record and it's easy to conclude that even an old Mosley is a much harder go than the Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton that Mayweather fought circa 2006-07. Unless Shane ages before our eyes the night he fights Floyd, he's a better boxer and puncher and is physically stronger and mentally tougher than all of the before mentioned fighters. And Mayweather very well could have something to do with Mosley aging before our eyes.
If Mosley-Mayweather or Mayweather-Mosley comes off, Mayweather has to be thought of as being the favorite. From a style vantage-point Floyd holds the advantage, especially against a Mosley who's lost some speed and doesn't have the same legs he did when he was of his vintage form. Both Mayweather and Mosley are counter-punchers and like to bring their opponent to them. The fighter who is forced to change their role in the fight will be the one who is at the disadvantage. And that will be Mosley.
Once Mosley squares off with Floyd, Shane will be forced to fight as the attacker and puncher. That isn't him at his best and works to Mayweather's advantage. Floyd's quicker hands will allow him to time Mosley and break off the exchanges when he wants to. Mosley will have to somehow find a way to work inside and assert his physical strength over Mayweather, something that shouldn't be a herculean task for even a 39 year old Mosley.
Prime-vs-prime I'd go with Mosley in a heartbeat. However, in 2010 I'd take Mayweather to win a decision with him having to escape a few rough patches along the way. One thing Mosley has going for him now: Nazeem Richardson is a good fight strategist, and a guy who knows how to talk to fighters, something the 30 year old Mosley wouldn't have had.
Forget about the fact that if the fight happens Mayweather won't be meeting Mosley at his best, Shane is still better and more of a threat to beat Mayweather than any other fighter Floyd has ever been in the ring with.
I'm not sure a decision win over Mosley propels Mayweather that much higher historically, but it has to be considered his signature win. And any fighter who beats Mosley must get his props. So if Mayweather wins - no, he's still not Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns or Roberto Duran, but he closes the gap that now exist.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
Source: thesweetscience.com
As was stated here shortly after Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Juan Manuel Marguez, Mosley-Mayweather just might be realized. That's great news and despite Shane being more rusty than Floyd, their names together make for a super-fight worthy of the monumental attention it will garner.
The history of Mosley 46-5 (39) and Mayweather 40-0 (25) and how they've conducted their careers is an open book to most boxing observers. Most know that Mosley will jump at the chance to share a ring with Mayweather. The only question is will Mayweather agree to the fight without making any ridiculous demands at the negotiating table to hold up the fight?
For the sake of argument purposes I'm going to assume that Floyd will take the fight and not try to gain a monumental advantage via any pre-fight conditions. Of course it will be said that Mayweather is only taking the fight because Mosley will be nearing his 39th birthday and will have been out of the ring almost 18 months by the time the fight comes off, an argument I won't dismiss. However, other than Floyd fighting Pacquiao, Mosley is the next best fight for him to take.
It will be said by Floyd's fans that even if he beats Mosley he won't get his due because it's an older Shane that he fought. Well, isn't that the truth? Who's fault is it that Mayweather has waited so long to actually fight Mosley? Obviously Mayweather is much closer to his prime than Mosley is his. Until Mosley convincingly beat Antonio Margarito a year ago he was viewed as a fighter on the decline. Suddenly after Margarito he's the Mosley of 2000. Wrong. However, his new trainer Nazeem Richardson looks to have given Shane an infusion and he fought one of the more complete fights of his career versus Margarito.
The fact is Mayweather is at a point where it's almost impossible for him to silence his critics such as myself. Even if he beat Pacquiao and Mosley in his next two fights, he will have scored his best wins over a former flyweight champ and a welterweight who first won the title a full decade ago. That aside, a win over Pacquiao and Mosley would add to Floyd's legacy and his standing historically would be in better stead than had he never fought them.
That said, there is one thing that everyone is missing if Mayweather does in fact fight Mosley sometime before the end of this summer. And that is Mosley at almost 39 is still a much more formidable opponent than any other fighter Mayweather has fought in his 40 pro-bout career.
All one has to do is look at Floyd's record and it's easy to conclude that even an old Mosley is a much harder go than the Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton that Mayweather fought circa 2006-07. Unless Shane ages before our eyes the night he fights Floyd, he's a better boxer and puncher and is physically stronger and mentally tougher than all of the before mentioned fighters. And Mayweather very well could have something to do with Mosley aging before our eyes.
If Mosley-Mayweather or Mayweather-Mosley comes off, Mayweather has to be thought of as being the favorite. From a style vantage-point Floyd holds the advantage, especially against a Mosley who's lost some speed and doesn't have the same legs he did when he was of his vintage form. Both Mayweather and Mosley are counter-punchers and like to bring their opponent to them. The fighter who is forced to change their role in the fight will be the one who is at the disadvantage. And that will be Mosley.
Once Mosley squares off with Floyd, Shane will be forced to fight as the attacker and puncher. That isn't him at his best and works to Mayweather's advantage. Floyd's quicker hands will allow him to time Mosley and break off the exchanges when he wants to. Mosley will have to somehow find a way to work inside and assert his physical strength over Mayweather, something that shouldn't be a herculean task for even a 39 year old Mosley.
Prime-vs-prime I'd go with Mosley in a heartbeat. However, in 2010 I'd take Mayweather to win a decision with him having to escape a few rough patches along the way. One thing Mosley has going for him now: Nazeem Richardson is a good fight strategist, and a guy who knows how to talk to fighters, something the 30 year old Mosley wouldn't have had.
Forget about the fact that if the fight happens Mayweather won't be meeting Mosley at his best, Shane is still better and more of a threat to beat Mayweather than any other fighter Floyd has ever been in the ring with.
I'm not sure a decision win over Mosley propels Mayweather that much higher historically, but it has to be considered his signature win. And any fighter who beats Mosley must get his props. So if Mayweather wins - no, he's still not Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns or Roberto Duran, but he closes the gap that now exist.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
Source: thesweetscience.com
Pacquiao No. 1 in star cutman's list -- Philippine Star
By Joaquin Henson, The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - Veteran cutman Ruben Gomez, who has worked the corners of at least 70 champions in over 300 world title bouts in 30 years in boxing, said the other day Manny Pacquiao is by far the best fighter he’s ever been involved with.
Gomez, 59, is in town to serve as cutman for Brian Viloria in the IBF lightflyweight titleholder’s second defense against Colombian challenger Carlos Tamara at the Cuneta Astrodome tomorrow.
Through the years, Gomez has seen champions come and go but he said none comes close to Pacquiao’s ability to shine in and out of the ring. Among the stars whom Gomez has worked with were Roberto Duran, James Toney, Diego Corrales, Robert Guerrero, Fernando Montiel, Paul Williams, Hilario Zapata, Rosendo Alvarez and Frankie Liles.
“What Manny has done is unheard of in boxing history,” said Gomez referring to the Filipino icon’s feat of capturing seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. “Right now, he’s in the driver’s seat. He’s the man. It doesn’t matter whom he fights – Floyd Mayweather or Joshua Clottey. Fans come out to watch him.” Gomez, who was in Pacquiao’s corner the night he wrested the IBF superbantamweight crown on a sixth round stoppage of Lehlo Ledwaba in Las Vegas in 2001, said there’s no doubt in his mind that Mayweather is scared of the WBO welterweight champion.
“Mayweather just doesn’t want to fight Manny, that’s all,” said Gomez. “That talk of taking steroids is crazy. You can’t let a fighter dictate the rules on drug-testing.
It’s none of his business. The state athletic commission doesn’t bend the rules for anybody. Mayweather stood to earn $25 million for the fight so there’s no other reason why he backed out. It’s certainly not the money.”
Gomez worked Pacquiao’s corner until he was replaced by Lenny de Jesus who was later changed by Joe Chavez then Miguel Diaz.
“Manny thought he was being short-changed and often asked me about what he should be earning from his fights but I never told him anything since I had nothing to do with the business side,” said Gomez. “But I was accused of messing with his mind. Then, before the (Emmanuel) Lucero fight in 2003, I was suspected of being in cahoots with medical examiners when Manny tested positive for hepatitis. It was so unfair. I knew all along the test results were faulty because I was with Manny and Brian when they drew blood and we all thought the handling was very unprofessional. The day before the fight, they took blood from Manny again and he tested negative.”
But all that is behind Gomez now.
“Boxing isn’t my living so I don’t need the aggravation,” said Gomez. “I was born in Los Angeles, brought to Mexico before I was one year old, went back to LA when I was 16, finished only up to second year of college then at 26, became self-sufficient dealing in real estate. I’m lucky I own several buildings and I do boxing because I love it.”
Gomez arrived here with his wife Maria Pompeya last week. They have two children – Eddie, 39, is a Harvard University anthropologist and Ruby, 33, works at the New York University.
“My idol growing up was Duran,” said Gomez, a kendo-karate practitioner. “I used to watch him train and fight. I became friends with his managers Carlos Zeleta and Luis Spada who was also a trainer and cutman. I took an interest in being a cutman and learned from Spada and Curo Dosman. Eventually, I started to work corners and I took care of 80 percent of Latino fighters in the US. In 1986, I went to Manila for the first time with Zapata who fought Dodie Boy Peñalosa.”
Gomez said aside from being a cutman, he also co-managed several champions but has solely managed the affairs of only one titlist, John David Jackson who campaigned in 1984-99, held the world middleweight and lightmiddleweight titles, fought Bernard Hopkins and finished with a record of 36-4, including 20 KOs.
Gomez said the worst cut he ever handled was when Liles suffered a bad gash that left his eyelid hanging out in the fourth round yet went the distance to win a decision in 12.
“Of all the fights I’ve worked, the most emotional was when Brain knocked out Ulises Solis in the 11th round to win the IBF title in Manila last year,” said Gomez. “I cried like a baby. It was such an unforgettable moment. Brian came back from the depths to win and that was really special.”
Gomez said he’s never had trouble with Viloria because he doesn’t cut easily. But he doesn’t take any chances and in every fight, he’s armed with his “magic potion” of coagulants like adrenaline 1/1000, avitine and thrombine – substances approved for use by regulatory boxing authorities.
Gomez said Viloria’s re-emergence makes him tough to beat on Saturday.
“Tamara’s very capable,” said Gomez. “He’s got a good resume. But Brian has a gift. He’s ready. He’s now more experienced, more mature. You can’t believe how popular Brian is, even in Mexico. When he fought there two years ago, in the undercard of a Jorge Arce fight, he was mobbed by fans. That was before he fought Solis so you can imagine how much more popular he is now after beating Solis and defending against (Jesus) Iribe. He’s refocused himself. I can see it in his eyes. The old Brian is back.”
Source: philstar.com
***
MANILA, Philippines - Veteran cutman Ruben Gomez, who has worked the corners of at least 70 champions in over 300 world title bouts in 30 years in boxing, said the other day Manny Pacquiao is by far the best fighter he’s ever been involved with.
Gomez, 59, is in town to serve as cutman for Brian Viloria in the IBF lightflyweight titleholder’s second defense against Colombian challenger Carlos Tamara at the Cuneta Astrodome tomorrow.
Through the years, Gomez has seen champions come and go but he said none comes close to Pacquiao’s ability to shine in and out of the ring. Among the stars whom Gomez has worked with were Roberto Duran, James Toney, Diego Corrales, Robert Guerrero, Fernando Montiel, Paul Williams, Hilario Zapata, Rosendo Alvarez and Frankie Liles.
“What Manny has done is unheard of in boxing history,” said Gomez referring to the Filipino icon’s feat of capturing seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. “Right now, he’s in the driver’s seat. He’s the man. It doesn’t matter whom he fights – Floyd Mayweather or Joshua Clottey. Fans come out to watch him.” Gomez, who was in Pacquiao’s corner the night he wrested the IBF superbantamweight crown on a sixth round stoppage of Lehlo Ledwaba in Las Vegas in 2001, said there’s no doubt in his mind that Mayweather is scared of the WBO welterweight champion.
“Mayweather just doesn’t want to fight Manny, that’s all,” said Gomez. “That talk of taking steroids is crazy. You can’t let a fighter dictate the rules on drug-testing.
It’s none of his business. The state athletic commission doesn’t bend the rules for anybody. Mayweather stood to earn $25 million for the fight so there’s no other reason why he backed out. It’s certainly not the money.”
Gomez worked Pacquiao’s corner until he was replaced by Lenny de Jesus who was later changed by Joe Chavez then Miguel Diaz.
“Manny thought he was being short-changed and often asked me about what he should be earning from his fights but I never told him anything since I had nothing to do with the business side,” said Gomez. “But I was accused of messing with his mind. Then, before the (Emmanuel) Lucero fight in 2003, I was suspected of being in cahoots with medical examiners when Manny tested positive for hepatitis. It was so unfair. I knew all along the test results were faulty because I was with Manny and Brian when they drew blood and we all thought the handling was very unprofessional. The day before the fight, they took blood from Manny again and he tested negative.”
But all that is behind Gomez now.
“Boxing isn’t my living so I don’t need the aggravation,” said Gomez. “I was born in Los Angeles, brought to Mexico before I was one year old, went back to LA when I was 16, finished only up to second year of college then at 26, became self-sufficient dealing in real estate. I’m lucky I own several buildings and I do boxing because I love it.”
Gomez arrived here with his wife Maria Pompeya last week. They have two children – Eddie, 39, is a Harvard University anthropologist and Ruby, 33, works at the New York University.
“My idol growing up was Duran,” said Gomez, a kendo-karate practitioner. “I used to watch him train and fight. I became friends with his managers Carlos Zeleta and Luis Spada who was also a trainer and cutman. I took an interest in being a cutman and learned from Spada and Curo Dosman. Eventually, I started to work corners and I took care of 80 percent of Latino fighters in the US. In 1986, I went to Manila for the first time with Zapata who fought Dodie Boy Peñalosa.”
Gomez said aside from being a cutman, he also co-managed several champions but has solely managed the affairs of only one titlist, John David Jackson who campaigned in 1984-99, held the world middleweight and lightmiddleweight titles, fought Bernard Hopkins and finished with a record of 36-4, including 20 KOs.
Gomez said the worst cut he ever handled was when Liles suffered a bad gash that left his eyelid hanging out in the fourth round yet went the distance to win a decision in 12.
“Of all the fights I’ve worked, the most emotional was when Brain knocked out Ulises Solis in the 11th round to win the IBF title in Manila last year,” said Gomez. “I cried like a baby. It was such an unforgettable moment. Brian came back from the depths to win and that was really special.”
Gomez said he’s never had trouble with Viloria because he doesn’t cut easily. But he doesn’t take any chances and in every fight, he’s armed with his “magic potion” of coagulants like adrenaline 1/1000, avitine and thrombine – substances approved for use by regulatory boxing authorities.
Gomez said Viloria’s re-emergence makes him tough to beat on Saturday.
“Tamara’s very capable,” said Gomez. “He’s got a good resume. But Brian has a gift. He’s ready. He’s now more experienced, more mature. You can’t believe how popular Brian is, even in Mexico. When he fought there two years ago, in the undercard of a Jorge Arce fight, he was mobbed by fans. That was before he fought Solis so you can imagine how much more popular he is now after beating Solis and defending against (Jesus) Iribe. He’s refocused himself. I can see it in his eyes. The old Brian is back.”
Source: philstar.com
***
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