Marquez's trainer warns Mexican off Khan fight -- ESPN

ESPN.co.uk

Juan Manuel Marquez should not fight Amir Khan because the bout would exploit the Mexican, according to Marquez's trainer Nacho Beristain.

Khan has agreed to a match-up against the 36-year-old on May 15 in Las Vegas, a fight that would be the Brit's first in America. However, Beristain believes that Marquez deserves more than a contest that is being billed as a platform on which to parade Khan's talents to a Stateside audience.

Beristain also finds fault in the proposed date, which he says is too soon after Marquez's last fight - a unanimous points defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jnr in September. "They want to match him with Khan but I told [Marquez] that's not a fight to take lightly," he said to La Jornada.

"Khan is very strong and it's not a good fight right now because he's not fully recovered from the Mayweather fight, which was just brutal.

"I think it's better to get another opponent. He should not be exploited again. Juan Manuel deserves to retire like a true champion and not as someone's stepping stone."

Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Khan's promotion company Golden Boy, confirmed to boxingscene.com that negotiations with Marquez are still ongoing despite his apparent reluctance. "Oscar [De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy] is talking to Marquez. I don't have anything positive to report, but I don't have anything negative either," he said.

Schaefer believes that a major obstacle to the fight happening has been removed because both pugilists are promoted by the same company. "We have done big fights before where both fighters were promoted by Golden Boy. We continue to work on [the bout] because it makes a lot of sense."

Source: espn.co.uk

***

Will Edwin Valero-Tim Bradley Happen? Let's Hope So -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Not much time had passed since promoter, Gary Shaw, had watched one of his premiere fighters, Antonio DeMarco, of Mexico, fail to come out for the 10th round of Saturday night's bid to dethrone WBC lightweight (135) champion, Edwin Valero, of Venezuela, when an official from Valero's promoter, Top Rank, approached Shaw with the prospect of pitting Valero against another of his star boxers.

That fighter is 26-year-old WBO junior welterweight (140 pounds) titlist, Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., a slick boxer who is coming off of December's one-sided, 12-round unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KOs) during which Bradley arguably lost only one round.

Like the 28-year-old Valero, who rose to 27-0 with his 27th knockout, and who has stopped 19 of his rivals in the first round -- including the first 18 of his career -- Bradley appears to be relatively unknown, if not, equally avoided by those fearful of skills.

And like the 5-foot-6 Bradley, the 5-6 Valero showcased much more than some thought that he would in his last fight.

Valero demonstrated boxing skills, defense, an ability to move in behind a jab and set up his power shots, as well as the heart to overcome a cut below his right eye on the cheekbone in the first round, along with a deep gash over his right forehead that resulted from a DeMarco (23-2-1, 17 KOs) second-round accidental elbow shot that also caused a laceration on that same eyelid.

Bradley demonstrated unreal punching power -- he staggered the 5-9 Peterson in the first round and floored him in the third -- as well as speed, head-movement, a general wizardy and the ability to take a good shot.

Top Rank CEO, Bob Arum, says that he wants to move Valero up against Bradley, and he got one of his soldiers to tell Shaw so.

"We're going to look to see if we can make him and a Timothy Bradley fight. It would be a great match," Arum told FanHouse on Saturday night. "We've got to see if Edwin can get a Visa to come into the United States, and we can do it in the United States. I think that it's a really interesting fight."

Arum was referring to some issues that have hurt Valero's exposure -- one being an unresolved problem stemming from a DUI last May, after which he was denied a U.S. visa pending the successful completion of an alcohol education program.

The other situation is the stigma from brain surgery Valero received as the result of a 2001 motorcycle accident that caused a blood clot that was later revealed during an MRI.

Valero was cleared to fight by a Venezuelan doctor following successful surgery that removed the clot, but was placed on indefinite medical suspension by the New York State Athletic and subsequently banned by most athletic associations which supported the NYSAC's move.

At first, however, Shaw wasn't so sure about matching Valero with Bradley. Besides, he wasn't really in the mood for too much talking after DeMarco's setback.

"I would have to speak to Tim Bradley's manager, Cameron Dunkin, and Tim himself, but [Top Rank] did come up to me after the fight and asked me if I could do that fight with them," Shaw told FanHouse on Saturday night from Monterrey, Mexico, where Valero faced DeMarco.

"So yes, it's true, we have spoken about it," said Shaw. "But I don't know if Valero can come to the United States. We don't know if we would bring Bradley (pictured at for right, throwing punch) to Mexico. So it's just talk right now."

But by Tuesday, Shaw had fully embraced the idea of a Bradley-Valero, or, Valero-Bradley matchup -- so much so that he pitched the idea back to Arum for a clash on June 5.

"I have made an offer for Bradley to fight Valero on Showtime on the first Saturday in June. And I'm waiting for a call back from Top Rank to see if they want to enter into a negotiation with me," said Shaw.

"Bradley and Valero -- they're both action fighters. One -- Valero -- comes full speed ahead, and the other, Bradley, is a lot more clever. Bradley holds a 140-pound world championship, and is looked upon by everyone as the No. 1 fighter currently in that division," said Shaw.

"I think that it will be a great fight, and I can't wait for them to take it," said Shaw. "They wanted the fight, they called out Bradley, and, probably, shockingly to them, Bradley said, 'Fine, let's get it done.'"

Bradley and Valero have envisioned moving on to bigger and better things, even as they have expressed frustration at being ignored by other, top-notch fighters.

"Manny Pacquiao is my dream fight. But I'm tired of asking for it. All of the true boxing fans would want to see that fight," Valero, nicknamed, "Dynamite," told FanHouse earlier last week. "They can be sure to know that that fight would be explosive and there would surely be a lot of bloodshed."

Nicknamed "The Desert Storm," Bradley's effort against Peterson earned him honors as FanHouse's Most Dominant Performance Of The Year for 2009.

Bradley told FanHouse in December that he would be willing to face seven-division king, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) or five-time titlist, Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs).

"I'd go up to 147 pounds to face any of these guys. And I'm a 140-pounder. I'll do whatever it takes. Even if they tell me that I have to fight this guy and then that guy and that if I beat this guy over here then I have an opportunity," said Bradley. "Just let me know what I need to do to get a fight with [Mayweather.] Just let me know what I need to do. Please let me know."

Although Pacquiao is slated to defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title against Ghana's Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) on March 13, and Mayweather, to challenge WBA welterweight super champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) on May 1, the winner of a Valero-Bradley bout might certainly open their eyes.

At any rate, a fight against one another would offer the winner, and, probably both combatants, more open doors to walk through for more lucrative paydays.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

***

Mosley thrilled to finally have signed fight -- USA Today

By Dave Skretta, AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK — Shane Mosley bopped around the Super Bowl media center last week, chatting with anyone who wanted to listen about his upcoming fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. He seemed positively giddy as he stopped by radio row to talk about the serendipitous opportunity.

And after he departed sunny Miami for frigid New York, the smile still hadn't left his face.

"This is not going to be personal for me, this is going to be fun for me," he said Tuesday over lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. "This is like when I fought Oscar (De La Hoya) the first time. People told me, 'Oh, you're going to be afraid. Are you scared?' No, no, this is what I want.

"It's not going to be personal, I'm not going to be upset," Mosley said. "I'm going to have fun. I'm going to have fun beating Mayweather."

Two of the best 147-pounders in the world will meet May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in what is easily the biggest fight in boxing that doesn't involve a Filipino fighter named Manny.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) is a five-division champion whose flamboyance has made him a crossover star, with interests as diverse as WWE's "Wrestlemania" and "Dancing With the Stars." He's been involved in some of the richest fights in boxing, but is still hounded by critics who claim he's never fought a true welterweight in their prime.

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) is a three-division champion who has pursued Mayweather since the late 1990s, when they were both in lighter divisions. He's faced just about every big name available, from De La Hoya to Antonio Margarito, but has dealt with his own critics after admitting to unknowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

"It won't be the fight of my life, but I just want to make a point that I'm the best fighter," Mosley said. "There's not a welterweight out there who can beat me. I don't just want to talk about, I want to do it."

After years or negotiations and the fight repeatedly falling through, Mosley and Mayweather wound up together in a sort of fortunate accident.

Mayweather was left looking for an opponent after acrimonious negotiations to fight Manny Pacquiao fell through and the pound-for-pound king signed to fight Josh Clottey instead. Mosley was supposed to face Andre Berto in a unification bout on Jan. 30, but Berto withdrew after the earthquake in Haiti killed several family members.

Even though Mayweather took his time signing the contract -- leaving Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions on edge -- everything officially came together last week.

"He was waiting for that opportunity for so long and finally it's here. He couldn't be happier," Schaefer said. "Sometimes with those big fights, when you don't try too hard they happen, and when you try too hard they don't. You just have to let things fall into place."

Another issue that needed to be overcome was the protocol for drug testing, which scuttled the proposed fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style testing and refused to budge off blood tests two weeks before the fight, while Pacquiao claimed he feels weak when he gives blood and refused to do so less than 24 days out.

Mosley readily agreed to blood testing, which is far more extensive than the normal urine tests that are required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

"The people have in their mind that it's Manny Pacquiao, it's Mayweather, and everybody's focusing on that," Mosley said. "I'm coming through the backdoor and I'm going to make sure they know I'm here. This is my era, and I'm not going to let nobody take that from me."

Sure, Pacquiao is considered by many the best fighter in the world regardless of weight. And others believe Mayweather is even better than him. But there is little disputing the resume that Mosley has put together, especially over the past few years.

After dropping a pair of close decisions to Winky Wright, Mosley rattled off five straight wins, beating Fernando Vargas twice and Luis Collazo for an interim belt. After losing another close decision, this time to Miguel Cotto, Mosley stopped Ricardo Mayorga to set up a showdown with feared puncher Antonio Margarito.

Mosley looked nothing like a 39-year-old fighter at Staples Center that night, battering Margarito from post to post before ending the fight in the ninth round.

"Put the guys I fought against the guys he fought and what happens?" Mayweather said, joining in the criticism of Mayweather's opposition. "I fought guys that come into the ring at 172 (pounds), he fought guys that don't even reach the 147-pound limit. I'm fighting guys that are taller and bigger than me in every way, and knocking them out."

Considered one of the most affable fighters in the game, it's little surprise that Mosley has trouble wiping that smile from his face. He stops mid-sentence to sign autographs and take photographs with fans, then gets right back to answer whatever question he was asked.

All the while, he wears a giant grin on his face.

And it's never been bigger.

"He was down there for two days meeting with the media," said HBO Sports vice president Mark Taffett, referring to the Super Bowl festivities in Miami. "He was simply phenomenal. He has the energy of a 20-year-old."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: usatoday.com

***

Peaking Pacquiao might make Clottey look like it's his first rodeo -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

There was a time in his career, back when he got knocked out twice, that some boxing guys regarded Manny Pacquiao as a claimer, a also ran horse.

This was when he wasn't even regarded as, to use Floyd Mayweather's insulting description, an "ordinary" fighter.

You get banged out by Rustico Torrecampo and and Medgoen Lukchaopormasak--two guys whose names read like the charts at your eye doctor's office--and people say mean things.

But Pacman has turned out to be, sticking with the racehorse analogy, a thoroughbred along the lines of the great Seabiscuit.

But never let it be forgotten that the jockey, Boston Freddie Roach, rides his charge like he's Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay or the legendary Willie Shoemaker.

The other day I heard a smat boxing guy say how the importance of trainers is overrated. That begs the question, though, of why there are so few Roach types around in gyms these days.

I applaud Roach for pulling the reins on Megamanny and cutting back his sparring. Roach is spot on in saying Manny does not need 150 rounds of sparring because it's overkill. As Roach noted, Pacman came to this camp in fine fettle because he bounced from the November Cotto bout to this match.

Sparring, not trainers, really is the most overrated and overdone thing in boxing and it's worse when you let a getting older (like Manny at age 31 and after 55 pro bouts) boxer leave his fight in the gymnasium.

Less is more when it comes to sparring and this strategic limitation by Coach Roach will pay dividends come March 13 against Joshua Clottey.

As for Clottey, is he doing any sparring? Or is he still trying to figure out who is going to train him.

The Clottey camp is beginning to look like "F Troop" while Team Pacquiao rolls along, never missing a beat.

Clottey's got heart but some Big Apple trainers, like Delen "Blimp" Parsley and veteran Lennox Blackmoore, told me Monday night at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn they can't see him derailing the Megamanny Express.

"Clottey will get to a certain point and then he will quit," Parsley said.

"I think Clottey will be competitive but not for too long," ex-fighter Blackmoore said.

Not exactly a rousing vote of confidence from his adopted home city, is it?

Maybe a look at Clottey in camp, now that he is in South Florida, will change my mind but I'm beginning to smell a Texas mismatch. Maybe I'm being too harsh but I wonder if the enormity of the event--the 30,000 fans and all that--might emotionally overwhelm "B side" Clottey.

A peaking Pacquiao might make Clottey look like it's his first rodeo if you know what I mean.

Source: examiner.com

***

Forget the Pre-Match Press Knockout, Boxers Now Don Kid Gloves -- Wall Street Journal

By HANNAH KARP, The Wall Street Journal

Bernard Hopkins, the 45-year-old prize fighter better known as the Executioner, has never been known for his self-control at media events. In 2001 he ripped a Puerto Rican flag from his opponent Félix Trinidad's hand and threw it on the floor, sparking a riot as the crowd rushed the stage. Two years ago, boxing regulators slapped him with a $200,000 fine for shoving opponent Winky Wright at a weigh-in and instigating a brawl after Mr. Wright made a jab about putting Mr. Hopkins, the sport's oldest middleweight champion, in a nursing home.

But for Tuesday's New York news conference, to announce his long-awaited rematch against 41-year-old Roy Jones Jr., the boxer participated in a more civilized affair: a presidential-style debate, complete with an official moderator and time limits for every response.

"Good evening—good after—good morning," Mr. Hopkins began in his shaky opening remarks, clad in a suit and tie. But the fighter, who has served five years in prison for strong-arm robbery, was slightly worried that the genteel approach might backfire with his fans. As he said earlier: "If you saw two quarterbacks eating breakfast and going golfing together three days before the Super Bowl, you'd think something was wrong."

Last month, seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and former welterweight champion Joshua Clottey smiled and sung each other's praises in Dallas to trumpet their March 13 fight.

"He's the best guy and I really like him—he's one of my favorite fighters," gushed Mr. Clottey. Mr. Pacquiao promised they'd do their "best to make people happy."

So why has the prefight news conference, once nearly as tense and unpredictable as the match itself, suddenly gone soft?

Veteran promoters say the physical risks and logistical hassles associated with prebout tussles outweigh the extra ticket sales that brawls can spark, and they've switched strategies. Now, instead of cramming six fighters into a tiny hotel room and waiting for sparks to fly, they roll out the red carpets in spacious venues and script the boxers' jokes in hopes of engineering the knockout sound bite.

"When you give fighters a nice stage, they feel better," says sports publicist Kelly Swanson, whose clients include Mr. Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather. Brawls "get momentary attention but the people watching Sports Center might say, 'Oh, that's just boxing again.' "

Before the 1960s, boxing's prefight interviews were just as sleepy as any other sport's. It was Muhammad Ali who turned the news conference into punchy entertainment when he began reciting poems, predicting the length of his fights and burrowing into the minds of his opponents.

Before his first match with Joe Frazier in 1971, Mr. Ali called him "too ugly to be champ"; before the second, they wrestled on an ABC studio set; before the third, he famously chided how it would be a "thriller when I get the gorilla in Manila."

Such animosity outside the ring intensified as other fighters attempted to mimic Mr. Ali's intimidation tactics, albeit less artfully. Larry Holmes jumped off a parked car and lunged at fellow heavyweight Trevor Berbick in 1991 after a news conference, in which he dismissed the idea of fighting Mr. Berbick. Riddick Bowe hit Larry Donald flush in the face twice at their prefight presser in 1994.

Over the past decade, both promoters and fighters began to question whether the sideshows had gone over the top rope. Promoter Gary Shaw got punched in the face when he tried to stop Ross Thompson from lunging at Fernando Vargas at their Las Vegas news conference in 2000. He faced an even bigger nightmare in 2002 when Mike Tyson bit Lennox Lewis on the leg at their Las Vegas conference.

Another reason today's genteel banter is a far cry from the smack-talking of boxing's former glory days is that many fighters take their behavioral cues from the top dogs of the moment.

Mr. Pacquiao, the world's current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, is famously peaceable and running for Congress in the Philippines this May. Light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson brings his 6-year-old son on stage with him at every news conference, while Roy Jones Jr. says he's starting to get used to his opponents calling him the "greatest fighter that ever lived."

Mr. Lewis, now a commentator for HBO, says today's "boring" news conferences may be a result of the decline in the number of stars fighting in the heavyweight division.

"No big tough guy is going to say, 'Oh, my opponent's great and I love him,' " says Mr. Lewis, the former undisputed heavyweight champion who started a scuffle with Hasim Rahman at the news conference before their 2001 fight over a few "misunderstandings" and nearly slipped off the stage in his fancy shoes. (Since then he always wears fighting shoes, "just in case anything happens.")

At the news conference in 2008 to announce his fight against middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, an uncharacteristically polite Mr. Hopkins praised Mr. Pavlik's bright future and remarked on his undefeated status, which he suspects confused and frightened his young opponent as well as his fans.

"They didn't know what the hell I was thinking," says Mr. Hopkins, who easily defeated Mr. Pavlik in 12 rounds.

Mr. Jones Jr. says he's looking forward to squaring off with Mr. Hopkins Wednesday afternoon in another friendly debate.

Still, he plans to take any kind words from Mr. Hopkins with a big grain of salt. "It's nice to hear he thinks so highly of you but you know he's still gonna try to knock your head off."

—Darren Everson contributed to this article.

Write to Hannah Karp at hannah.karp@dowjones.com
Source: online.wsj.com

***

Filipino Prospect Mercito Gesta Coming to San Diego -- 411mania

By Patrick Cassidy, 411mania.com

Will Gesta prove to be the next Filipino super star?

Mercito Gesta (16 - 0 - 1 7 KO's) has built up a strong reputation in his homeland of the Phillipines and is now looking to make his impact stateside as he returns to action on Thursday, Febuary 25th at the Four Points Sheraton in San Diego, Ca. Gesta will be taking journeyman Jaime Orrantia in a bout designed to shake off the ring rust from Gesta's recent inactivity.

"I'm excited. It's been a long time since I fought," the 22-year-old said. "I am ready to do what I have been doing before, get in and get out, but with out under estimating my opponent."

Gesta has not fought since July of last year and is currently in the middle of a knockout streak that he belives will carry over to his fight later in the month. He's currently training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Ca with his trainer Karl Penalosa all the while the Manny Pacquiao circus swirls around him.

"I am doing good, I'm back again with my coach who was back home for vacation," Gesta states. "Sparring is better up here. It's a little crazy with all the people here for Manny but I still get my training."

Regardless of the circus, Gesta is taking his opponent seriously and believes this is the year that he'll shine.

"We want to keep Mercito busy this year. He has been in the gym all this time and he ready to shine," Vince Parra, Gesta's manager stated. "We want three fights this year, with the last one being a title fight at 135 lbs."

Source: 411mania.com

***

Forget Mayweather. How about Valero? -- Eastside Boxing

By Robert Cookson, Eastside Boxing

Edwin Valero did it again, knocking out his 27th consecutive opponent and defending his WBC lightweight title for the second time. It was an impressive performance from the Venezuelan who impressed me with his previously underemployed boxing abilities.

The opponent was a good, solid and tough Antonio DeMarco, who was mercifully rescued by his corner after a systematic nine-round beating. While watching the fight, I couldn’t help be reminded of the Manny Pacquiao of old.. The Pacquiao of a few years ago who was busy and aggressive but some distance from the technically proficient fighter we watch now.

Valero has some of the same traits. He uses his right, from the southpaw stance, mainly as a range finder and is constantly looking to unload his big left.

Pacquiao is, and was, faster but Valero seems to have a more solid look to him. He makes plenty of mistakes, leaving his hands low as he steps into punching range and his lack of head movement are two that might be his undoing, but he does quite a few things well. Valero manages to pressure opponents without throwing punches, through his foot movement and the ever-present threat his power provides. He is also able to step off to the sides and get himself out of the way of trouble quickly. Admittedly, with the latter, he does this through going straight backwards at times but he moves quicker than expected.

There are reports Valero wants to move to 140 pounds, possibly to take on Juan Diaz. Leaving that possible mismatch against a blown-up lightweight, the excitement Valero could bring with him could be immense.

Valero has some problems when it comes to big fights. Chiefly among them is his failure of an MRI scan due to an injury sustained in a motorcycle accident. This has resulted in him being unable to fight in many places across America which has hurt his exposure and, consequently, his value to potential opponents.

However, he has been cleared to box in Texas, a state which hosts Manny Pacquiao - Joshua Clottey in just over a months time.

If Valero can have a fight or two at Light Welterweight and keep his winning streak (maybe even his knockout streak) going then I would like nothing more than to see Pacquiao take on this man as soon as possible.

A match between these two punchers could surely only generate excitement. If it was marketed well it could capture the public’s imagination and become a real monster hit.

Think about the kind of fight it would be, two punchers, fighters, warriors, meeting head-on in the ring, it must surely be a candidate for fight of any year it happens.

Everyone’s disappointed Pacquiao - Mayweather fell through, and it’s a shame it didn’t happen, but, in all honesty, if Floyd won it’d be against yet another fighter who’s seen as the smaller man. If Pacquiao won it’d cement his place as won of the best of his, or maybe even any other, generation. But, lets be honest, if he is one of the best he should be able to get around Valero too...

A side note about the Mayweather - Mosley fight. While this is clearly a very good fight, and one I’m looking forward to seeing, isn’t it just another case of Floyd fighting another fighter who, if he wins, the critics can say he was over-the-hill?

Mosley looked great against a come forward, easy to hit, unloaded Margarito but it mustn’t be forgotten how bad he looked in his fight previous against Mayorga.

Just a thought.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

***

One Last Run for Penalosa -- SecondsOut

By Steve Kim, SecondsOut.com

Back in April, Gerry Penalosa was conclusively defeated by Juan Manuel Lopez in an attempt to win the Puerto Rican’s WBO super bantamweight title. After nine, mostly one-sided rounds, his trainer, Freddie Roach had seen enough. And if it were up to Roach, it would have been the last time Penalosa would have ever fought professionally, in a career that spans 63 fights and began in 1989.

But alas, Penalosa faces Eric Morel this Saturday night at the Las Vegas Hilton for the interim WBO bantamweight title as part of Top Rank’s “Latin Fury/Pinoy Power” pay-per-view card.

"I felt it was the right time for him [to retire]," Roach said this past Saturday afternoon from his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. "Gerry pleaded with me. I gave him one more chance. He said he was going back down to his weight class where he belongs. The Morel fight was put together, I said, ’OK, Gerry, you fight Morel, he’s not a big puncher. If you can beat him, get you a title fight, then that’s it. Win, lose or draw, we’re going to call it a day.’ He said OK."

But Penalosa, 54-7-2 (36), says that retiring after the loss to “JuanMa” never entered his mind. "No, no, no. I love this sport so much," he said after his workout at the Wild Card on Saturday. "I know I’m the king of 118, at bantamweight, so I had to go back. Nobody can beat me at this weight."

What was clearly evident was that he certainly wasn’t going to beat Lopez, who was simply too young, fresh, talented, and ultimately, too big and strong for the Filipino.

"Yeah, he was just too big. The thing is, he was too big for me. 122 is not my weight," he agreed. Penalosa landed some clean counter right hooks, but he simply couldn’t shake the gifted Lopez. "I hit him hard but I don’t think he felt it. So I told myself, ’Oh, he’s too big for me. 122 is not my weight.’"

Roach says, "Gerry’s really not a ’22-pounder and never was.. Size really was the difference in that fight. He just couldn’t hurt that guy and he did hit him some good shots and Gerry’s a pretty good puncher. He was just way too big for him by fight time." After the ninth frame, Roach threw in the towel. He was hopelessly behind on all three scorecards and he didn’t possess the pop to turn the tide, there really was no good reason to continue.

"Personally, I wanted to fight," said Penalosa. "I was waiting for the exact time but I trust Freddie so much. When Freddie said no in the seventh round, I said, ’Gimme one more round, coach.’ In the ninth round, he said, ’Gerry, I’m stopping the fight.’ I told him I respect whatever decision you make.’"

As you see Penalosa work mitts with Roach and hit the heavy bag, you see the consummate, skilled professional he is. Before there was a Manny Pacquiao, there was Penalosa.

"He’s very smart, very clever," Roach says of his old pro. "I asked Manny the other day, ’Who’s a better boxer, you or Gerry?’ He said Gerry is. Gerry is the best boxer from the Philippines, technique-wise. But he’s getting up there in age."

He still looks very good as he does his floor work, but then, everyone looks pretty good when facing air. "I saw him get shook in sparring, one day," said Roach, of a recent session with the Cuban phenom, Guillermo Rigondeaux. "I was a little concerned because I don’t think he’s quite taking the shots he used to. But Rigondeaux can punch, though."

The 37-year old southpaw stylist says he still has the same zeal for the sport he did as a younger practitioner of the sport.

"Yeah, I really love this sport. I love it. Being in the gym, I love it. This is my passion," said Penalosa, who unlike his older brother, will not get into the business of training fighters. "No, I don’t think I have the patience," he says, laughing.

Helping matters in this upcoming fight is that Morel, himself, is 34 years old and not exactly the most aggressive fighter you’ll ever see.

"I don’t think he comes forward. I think he just runs, he’s not that good, compared to Lopez or the one that I fought before [German Meraz]. No way, no way," is Penalosa’s assessment of Morel, 41-2 (21). Old legs are much more effective coming forward than backing up, which may occur against Morel. "I think so, I think that’s what Freddie wants me to do.. That’s what I want to do," he says of being aggressive. "I don’t know if he will run that much. I don’t think people want to see a boring fight. So I expect him to come forward so it’s a good fight."

But regardless, if the man in his corner does not like what he sees on Saturday, he will not hesitate to have a quick hook.

"100-percent," said Roach, "because I won’t let him get hurt and if I don’t see what I want to see out there happening, I will pull him out. Gerry respects me enough that he won’t go somewhere else, he will retire."

THE EVENT

Tickets for the March 13th bout between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey at Dallas Cowboys Stadium are moving well.

According to Bob Arum, "about 30 (thousand tickets) and change," have been sold. He is optimistic that all 45,000 tickets will be sold and, "Certainly over 40,000."

There could be a significant change on that show’s undercard. There is a strong possibility that the return of Antonio Margarito will be pushed back to May 8th.

"Because California has sent a letter to Texas, etc.," explained Arum on Monday afternoon. "It got complicated and we have no time for complication because the fight we’re promoting is Clottey and Pacquiao. So instead we’re going to do an interim lightweight championship [fight] between Humberto Soto and David Diaz."

SUMMER TIME

Arum is hoping to stage a blockbuster summer tripleheader.

"Yuriorkis Gamboa is fighting in Germany on March 27th and then he’s going to fight in the United States on HBO, probably in July against Celestino Caballero. We’d do split sites (with Juan Manuel Lopez) and if everything’s OK, we’d put Valero on that card with a top 140-pound guy."

(In regard to Valero, there is mutual interest in a bout that would pit him with WBO champion, Tim Bradley. Gary Shaw told Maxboxing on Monday that his goal is to make Bradley-Valero for the first Saturday of June on Showtime. Arum told me he’d have no problems matching Valero with “The Desert Storm.” I’ll have a full-length feature on that issue tomorrow.)

WHO DAT FLURRIES

Mercito Gesta, a promising young Filipino fighter I saw last week at the gym, gets back to work on Feb. 25th at the Four Points Sheraton in San Diego. Gesta, is a lightweight with a mark of 16-0-1...I understand that there is quite the bidding war for amateur standout Frankie Gomez, who’s a real aggressive, two-fisted banger...I was told that Telefutura is considering getting back into the boxing business, which would be great. But Univision/Telefutura has lingering money issues to contend with...What did Arum think of Brandon Rios this past weekend? "I thought he was spectacular. I was pleasantly surprised. He fought a real guy and he made it look easy."...Hey, who dat say was going to beat those Saints? Well, I did, actually, as I tabbed the Colts to win the Super Bowl. But Sean Payton was brilliant on the sideline. While the Colts seemingly played not to lose, Payton was more than willing to roll the dice and let it rip. (Jay Johns, that’s for you!!!)...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com... twitter.com/stevemaxboxing…

Source: secondsout.com

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