Exclusive: Ariza believes Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather split permanent -- Telegraph

By Gareth Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Alex Ariza, Manny Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach believes the Mayweather-Pacquiao axis could be irretrievably split. Ariza, for the past two and a half years the head strength and conditioning coach at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym, in Hollywood, told Telegraph Sport that the schism between the two sets of promoters has left a bitter taste in the two camps.

The pair – Roach and Ariza – deal with both promoters. Pacquiao is promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. based in Las Vegas; Khan’s future – since he parted with British promoter Frank Warren earlier in the years – is now being overseen by Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, in Los Angeles.

Ariza told me this week that he has genuine, serious doubts that the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, which was expected to generate in the region of $200 million, will ever come to fruition.

“I really don’t think so. I don’t think it will be anything to do with Manny and Mayweather in the end. I think it will come down to the relations between Bob Arum and Golden Boy. Bob Arum was seriously fed up of the messing for this fight – and wanted to get it signed,” he said.

“They don’t want to mess around with Mayweather. I think for him it is a case of whether he humbles himself and raises his position walks into Golden Boy’s offices and just signs the papers. There isn’t anything to say about it. If Mayweather wants the fight he is going to have to bite his tongue and go with whatever is stipulated in the contract.”

“Will Mayweather do that ? I think he won’t. Not once he sees what Manny does against Joshua Clottey. That’s going to instil even more fear into Mayweather.”

One thing is certain. Mayweather, purported to have serious tax debts, needs the fight more than Pacquiao, who has, in is mind, the pressing matter of an election to campaign for in The Philippines.

If boxing’s biggest fight for a generation fails to materialise, between the two top pound for pound fighters of this generation – which seems improbable on deep analysis – the sport will have shot itself in the foot. This fight, which had the world talking about in December, must happen.

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

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Pacquiao’s training hits a high chord -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

With folk music blaring on the background, Manny Pacquiao, the current king of boxing, spoke the language of confidence Thursday moments after another tough day at the Wild Card Boxing Club, his training headquarters for the March 13 clash with Joshua Clottey in Dallas.

“No problem, I feel very good,” Pacquiao told The Bulletin after having his favorite meal at a Thai food restaurant located a few steps from the gym. "Tell our people that there's nothing to worry as I am training hard."

Pacquiao stressed that having little time for a good vacation after beating Miguel Cotto late last year turned out to be a blessing since he is not having a hard time getting back in shape.

“After only two weeks in the gym, I already felt great and I think it was not only because I am coming off a tough fight but I had to immediately report back to training camp,” said Pacquiao, who asked his interviewer to hold the long distance call while he sings the final notes of a song on karaoke.

As soon as he belted out the last note, Pacquiao was on the line again, assuring the man on the other end that there’s nothing to worry about as far as his preparation is concerned.

Pacquiao’s assurance that everything is right on track was echoed by Alex Ariza, the Filipino fighter’s touted conditioning coach.

“Manny is ready to fight this Saturday,” said Ariza, who marveled at the way the 32-year-old pound-for-pound king handled himself with the punch mitts during Wednesday’s workout.

“He did 15 rounds in the mitts without even a sip of water,” narrated Ariza.

Over at Clottey’s training camp in Fort Lauderdale in Florida, the boxingscene website reported that the Ghana slugger is also right on the money.

Clottey has been working out at the Contender’s Gym the last three weeks under the guidance of a new set of trainers since Godwin Dzanie Kotey, his long-time trainer, has yet to be granted a renewal of his US visa.

Despite the drawback, Clottey said he has no other choice but to move on.

“I already know in my head what I am going to do and how I am going to win,” Clottey said.

Source: mb.com.ph

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Sonsona ready for Vázquez Jr. -- FightNews

FightNews.com

Former WBO super flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona of the Philippines (14-0-1, 12 KOs) and trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. work the mitts during a recent training session in Puerto Rico. Sonsona having arrived in Puerto Rico this past Monday is closing in on fight week for his showdown with Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Vázquez Jr. (17-0-1, 14 KOs). The two will square off February 27th at the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez in Bayamón, Puerto Rico for the vacant WBO junior featherweight title. The event titled ‘Making History’ is being presented by PR Best Boxing in association with All Star Boxing, Sampson Boxing LLC, and SGG Promotions. Sonsona spoke with Fightnews in regards to his upcoming bout and Sonsona’s trainer Nonito Donaire joined in on the interview as well.

How have you adapted to the time change in Puerto Rico?

I’m actually still adjusting but my arriving nearly two weeks prior to the fight will be very beneficial to me. I will be fully adjusted prior to fight night.

Moving up from 115 to 122, do you feel more natural at super bantamweight?

Absolutely. Its such a relief to not have to struggle to make weight anymore. I feel at home in the super bantamweight division.

Having been a world champion at age 19 and unbeaten, surely the comparisons to Manny Pacquiao have come out, no?

I truly respect Manny Pacquiao and there will only be one Manny Pacquiao. I’m trying to establish my own name.

Nonito when did you start training Marvin?

My first fight with Marvin was the night he won the world title this past September.

Marvin is only 19 years old. How advanced do you see him at the this stage of his career?

Marvin is very advanced at this stage of his career as evidenced by him already winning a world title. He is very disciplined and works really hard in the gym. His future in boxing is extremely bright.

Marvin what are your thoughts on Vázquez Jr. having seen him fight?

He is a very talented fighter and I’m training extremely hard so that I can be victorious. I will be more than ready come February 27th.

Also featured on the televised card will be unbeaten 6′6 cruiserweight giant Carlos Negron of Puerto Rico (7-0, 5 KOs) vs. Roy Ashworth, Jonathan Oquendo (17-2, 11 KOs) of Puerto Rico vs Mexican Álex Becerra for the WBO Latino junior featherweight title and the debut of twins McJoe and McWilliams Arroyo.

The pay-per-view event will begin at 9pm ET/6pm PT on both cable and satellite. The PPV cost will be $34.95 and available in Puerto Rico, U.S., Canada, Philippines, Central and South America. Tickets can be purchased by calling (787) 792-5000 or online at www.tcpr.com . Tickets are priced at $20, $40, $75, $125, $150 and $300.

Source: fightnews.com

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SHOULD RICKY HATTON CONTINUE TO FIGHT? EXPERTS OPINE

Boxing News World

It was the most brutal knockout of 2009 courtesy of the sport’s current pound for pound king - Manny Pacquiao’s massive left hook that landed squarely on Ricky Hatton’s jaw. A left hook that was so fast, so perfectly timed, and so hard that the Brit was out cold even before he had touched the floor.

The next few minutes after referee Kenny Bayless waved the fight off were frightening. Right there in the middle of the boxing ring, Britain’s face of boxing lied motionless on the canvas, eyelids shut, and body stiff while his worried crew hustled around him trying to bring his senses back. Hatton’s parents Ray and Carol and his fiancée Jennifer Dooley who painfully witnessed the entire event at ringside were visibly distraught, the fiancée most especially.

Thankfully, Hatton’s senses came back a few minutes later and managed to sit on his stool. His face displayed a look of a shocked fighter rather than a beaten one. His dream of beating the best boxers in the world had fallen short twice - the second time more convincing, if not more devastating.

The shocking defeat of Ricky Hatton reverberated swiftly throughout the boxing world. Articles about the little fighter from the Philippines and his captivating one-punch knockout of a guy who had previously never lost as light welterweight populated boxing websites. Along with this news however, were talks about the Manchester, Lancashire native’s possible retirement. A knockout of that fashion almost often has lasting damaging effects on boxer’s health, several boxing experts opined.

“I would suggest he retire… He tried twice, he failed twice. He lost to my son (Floyd Mayweather Jr) and to lose to someone below that (Manny Pacquiao), it's time to leave the ring. He made a good profit. Sometimes you have to go when your prime is still there," said Hatton’s trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr in an interview a couple of days after the fight - a complete reversal to what the cocky trainer had said before the fight, that “Hatton will beat the f**king socks off of Pacquiao”.

But no matter how droll Mayweather Sr sounded, the option of finally hanging up the gloves was not at all senseless for Hatton. Indeed, he had it all. He had the love of his parents, his son, and lovely fiancée. British fans adored him. He had brought boxing back to Britain and paved the way for upcoming stars like Amir Khan and David Haye. Most of all, he had made himself rich and he had nothing else to prove.

But less than a year since he had traded blows with the great Pacquiao, Hatton came out from what he called “a good rest” and officially expressed his desire to fight anew. “I've decided to make a comeback and have another fight this year - probably round about the summertime…I'm going to have one more fight, maybe two more fights - it all depends on the performance of the first fight… I'm not going to have too many more fights. At the minute I'm definitely just going to have one more,” the Brit said.

Perhaps no one is happier about this news than Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya, who surrendered on his stool after eight rounds of terrible beating to the very same fighter who gave Hatton the worst defeat of his boxing career, was one of those very few people who had urged Hatton to fight on. “Ricky’s young, Ricky still has what it takes. He can still have a bright future. Look, I have six losses in my career. Just because you lose, it isn’t the end for you. It’s about how you come back,” De La Hoya once said. Interestingly though, De La Hoya is Hatton’s promoter under the American’s company Golden Boy Promotions.

It’s apparent that Hatton’s intention to lace gloves again is not about money. It’s about pride and legacy. Understandably, no proud boxer would want to go out on a losing note. But none would on a winning streak either.

But then again, the decision is The Hitman’s and no one else’s. It’s his body and he knows pretty well the risk he’ll face. Whether or not he’ll do his legacy a favor, we just have to wait and see.

I asked the opinion of some boxing experts whether or not Hatton should continue to fight. Here’s what they had to say.

Adam Pollack, Cyber Boxing Zone
Completely up to him. I am a modified libertarian and believe that people should have the choice to do with their bodies as they see fit. No one owns you but you. If Hatton continues to fight, I do think he needs better matchmaking advice. If I was managing him, I would be a bit more cautious with whom I put him in there with for a while. He's still an entertaining guy to watch.

Geoff Poundes, Ringside Report
I think Ricky deserves one more big payday before his home fans, and to purge the Pacquiao defeat from his memory. After that I’d like to see him hang ‘em up.

Mark Whicker, Orange County Register
No.

Thomas Hauser, SecondsOut
I think that Ricky Hatton should retire because his best days are behind him.

Amy Green, BoxingInLasVegas
Hatton could continue to fight with serious attempts being made to amend his training and or trainers. And efforts made to see he doesn't let himself go so much as he's rumored to between fights.

Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times
No. I think both Floyd and Pacquiao hurt him. He had his big paydays. He achieved a lot for a guy who wasn't a great fighter and lived on walking forward and having huge guts. Don't get hit anymore. Be around for the grandkids.

Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science
His decision is the only one that matters.

Tony Nobbs, Eastside Boxing
Ricky Hatton should fight again because he still has a lot to offer but he should stay away from punchers at least until he gets his timing and confidence back. I wouldn't fight Juan Manuel Marquez first up.

Matthew Goldstein, Boxing Talk
I would want to see Ricky Hatton fight again but I would be very careful. Even against Juan Lazcano, Hatton was getting rocked. If he even gets wobbled ever again I would call it quits.

Chris Ackerman, Doghouse Boxing
That's up to Ricky and his team. He got whooped by Floyd and starched by Pacquaio... neither of those mean the end of the world and neither do the two combined, in my opinion. They are the only two official losses on his record and he put up a couple wins in between. Why would he retire? He got destroyed by, and went corpse-stiff after, a left hook. Big deal. This isn't a case like Roy Jones Jr. who has shown he is not the same guy in fight after fight. Fight on until it’s obviously dangerous or clear that the sport has passed you by. I think we should let Hatton figure that out for himself and after one or two more fights the answer will come to him.

TP Walker, Eastside Boxing
I think he should continue to fight. I am very reluctant to say a fighter should retire especially when they have the desire to continue. I also think he should either do a better job of staying closer to his fight weight when he isn't boxing and/or possibly abandon 140 and campaign exclusively at 147. There are many good matches that he can make at 147. If you recall he was nearly skeletal for the weigh in against Pac. That's not an excuse but it is an actuality.

Ramon Aranda, 411mania
Ricky should give his fans what they want and have a farewell fight against a beatable opponent. Outside of that, Hatton has no business fighting on anymore. He's showing plenty of signs that he's in decline and the brutal KO at the hands of Pacquiao should have convinced him to hang 'em up. Plus his weight issue is getting out of hand.

Brandon Estrict, Doghouse Boxing
Hatton's got a ton of money and has taken a ton of punishment. I don't think he should fight anymore, but if he feels he has a few more, more power to him.

Tony Penecale Jr, Fight News Unlimited
My biggest concern for Ricky Hatton is how he lets his body get out of shape between fights and then has to work extra hard to get his weight down. Ricky should still be allowed to fight. While his knockout was shockingly brutal, I've seen other fighters (Simon Brown, Roy Jones Jr, Amir Khan, etc) suffer brutal knockouts and come back to compete on a championship level. Before Ricky embarks on a comeback, I would like to see his go through a full battery of neurological tests.

Jim Amato, DM Boxing
If Hatton can maintain 140 lbs. he should continue. I believe he can still be a factor at that weight.

Springs Toledo, The Sweet Science
Hatton would be best advised to fight a beatable, non-banger in the second or third tier and then call it a career in the ring. Someday he'll be old and old fighters deserve the comfort of retiring on a win. But he should not fight anyone who can hurt him, because his chin has become a tea cup.

Ronan Keenan, The Sweet Science
As long as Hatton passes the medicals, I see no reason why he can't fight if he wants to. I don't think any fighter should continue to fight after two bad knockouts, but it's his prerogative.

Don Stewart, Reading Eagle
Yes, but he should plot his comeback carefully and stay at 140 pounds. If moved right, he can work his way into one more significant fight. He's still popular and still can be fun to watch. How many times did Arturo Gatti work his way back after a big loss? He might be done as a pound-for-pound contender, but he can still be an attraction.

Michel Joseph, Boxing Talk
Ricky Hatton should do what he wants to do, and it's not my place to tell him to do what I think he should do. It's pretty clear that his best days are behind him, and in much the same way that it happened to Erik Morales, Hatton's durability, and aggressiveness are fading fast. I don't see the point in continuing - he may win a sanctioning belt possibly, but he's not ever going to be the world's best welterweight or even junior welterweight - Timothy Bradley outboxes him all day at this point. He's made plenty of money, and got a beautiful family (parents, son, and girlfriend), and he's earned the right to be the local legend in the pub for the rest of his life - he's got nothing left to prove. Whatever he decides to do, I wish him health first, and peace of mind second.

Paul H. Burbridge, Eastside Boxing
Ricky Hatton has been a great attraction in boxing and one of my favorite people in the sport. He’s a wonderful person who got the most out of his talent and he’s only been beaten by the absolute best. Having said all that I believe that his life style has definitely caught up with him and he’s now pushing it by continuing to fight. I respect his decision to continue on because he can still beat some credible guys but his chin is now starting to fail him much in the same way that Julio Cesar Chavez’s chin failed him later in his career. Hatton is a practitioner of the hardest style to be successful at and that’s “the bull”. To be the bull you have to take shots and wear your man down by breaking his spirit. It’s a young man’s style and one that does not lend itself to a long shelf life. That’s why you rarely see a fighter of this style successful after the age of 32. I’d like to see Ricky go out on a high note but there are a lot of dangerous fighters in his weight range that would be highly motivated to add his name to their resume so it will take some very careful matchmaking to do that.

Continuing is possible but very dangerous and I’d rather see him give his fans a “thanks for the memories” fight at Wembley against a decent name guy rather than take on one of the young guns like Bradley or Ortiz or even Khan for that matter.

Hatton has had one of the more successful careers and he needs to accept that he has nothing more to prove.

David Greisman, BoxingScene
I say about Ricky Hatton what I said about Jermain Taylor -- he should continue to fight, but not against the highest tier of opponents. Fortunately for Hatton, the top fighters at 140 aren't all dangerous to him, unlike the top fighters at 168 (for Taylor).

Igor Frank, Burbank Times
Ricky Hatton only lost to two best fighters in the world. Despite suffering a devastating knock out at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, he is still young and capable of beating most junior welterweights. There are quite a few very intriguing match ups out there for Ricky Hatton, so if he feels like he can still fight, he should do it.

Charles White, Eastside Boxing
I personally feel that it is up to the fighter to decide when it is time to call it quits. Hatton could still put on a few good fights against the right opponents, and make some more money in the sport for his eventual retirement. But again, it is up to him.

Frank Gonzalez Jr, BraggingRightsCorner
Why not? Being undefeated only means you never fought the toughest fighters. Hatton is exciting to watch and if he still has the desire and the physical tools, why not? He was never an A class fighter but he's a good athletic pressure fighter and since there's no real ranking system that decides who fights who, Ricky's promoter will find some good match ups for him.

(Thanks to the experts for sharing their thoughts. - Marshall N. B., marx7204@lycos.com)

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Why Antonio Margarito Should Have His License Reinstated -- The Sweet Science

By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science

Former welterweight title holder Antonio Margarito has applied for a boxing license in the state of Texas with the hopes of launching his comeback fight on the under-card of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey WBO welterweight title fight being held at the newly opened Cowboys stadium in Dallas. February 12, 2010 marks the first day that Margarito's one year suspension from boxing will be up. Bob Arum, Margarito's promoter, is hoping to land Antonio a fight with the Pacquiao-Clottey winner if he is successful in his comeback bout.

The California State Athletic Commission suspended Margarito's boxing license, along with his trainer Javier Capetillo for one year after it was discovered that his hands had an illegal substance underneath his hand wraps (plaster-like which hardened once inserted) before he was about to enter the ring to defend his WBA welterweight title against Shane Mosley.

Margarito and Capetillo denied that they had any knowledge of the substance to a court, which went over like a lead balloon. Antonio says he didn't know - and let me add that there are some fighters who don't want to know. Margarito has since fired Capetillo. After the Commission made Margarito re-wrap his hands he was systematically taken apart and stopped by Mosley, thus losing his title. Well it's been a year and he has served his suspension and hoping to resume his successful boxing career.

This week Margarito's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli said,

"The most severe discipline possible is revocation for one year, so now that the year is up, he's reapplying. Aside from this incident, Antonio has been an exemplary boxing citizen. He did not even know of these gauze inserts. He was disciplined for hiring this trainer who broke the rules. Antonio has accepted his punishment."

And he's right, Margarito was handed a one year suspension or revocation of his boxing license and now that time has expired. Fighters have returned to the ring after committing such crimes as rape, murder and manslaughter. I had no problem with Ron Lyle and Mike Tyson returning to the ring after they served their time for their indiscretions. Why should Margarito be any different? And on top of that, it's never been proven beyond a doubt that Margarito tried to mickey his hand wraps or gloves in any other fight prior to fighting Shane Mosley.

Margarito isn't afforded the benefit of any of the doubt because it's widely accepted that when people do something illegal or break the law they usually don't get caught the first time they do it. This is something I'm totally on board with. The problem I have with Margarito being banned for life is - there's no absolute proof he's fought with loaded gloves/hands wraps before. And if we know nothing else, it's not like the guy is ever going to try it again.

When he fought Joshua Clottey four fights prior to fighting Miguel Cotto, the fight went 12-rounds and Clottey, who was hit plenty during the fight, didn't look like a gargoyle when it was over. In his next fight he lost his WBO title to Paul Williams via a 12-round unanimous decision. After getting off to a slow start and losing the first six rounds, Margarito came on and worked Williams over to the head and body during five of the last six rounds. Did Williams' face look as if he was mugged after the fight? No.

Two fights later Margarito fought a rematch with Kermit Cintron. Before he stopped Cintron with a body shot in the sixth round he beat Kermit from pillar to post during rounds two through five. And other than having a cut over his eye his face wasn't butchered up a bit. Isn't it reasonable to assume that if Margarito was fighting with loaded gloves that both the faces of Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron's would've been mangled up? But they weren't...

In Margarito's fight with Cotto, Miguel hit him with his best left-hooks to the head and body and Antonio kept plodding forward, forcing the fight. So whether his hand wraps were doctored up or not, it had nothing to do with him taking Cotto's best punches. And Miguel's face was marked up and swollen after he fought Mosley. I realize it was distorted after fighting Margarito, but the same thing is true after his fights versus Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao.

Some observers believe that due to the Margarito fight Cotto's facial tissue became more susceptible to cuts and swelling. If that's the case it started with the Mosley fight, not the one versus Margarito.

In my opinion a fighter altering his hand wraps or gloves is just about one of the most egregious things a professional fighter can do. The consequences can be fatal for the fighter who is on the receiving end of the punches delivered by an opponent with boxing's version of brass knuckles. The evidence and facts look as if Antonio Margarito may have been trying to get away with it at least once. Shame on him and that cloud of suspicion will always be there for the rest of his career. However, he's fulfilled the terms of his punishment and didn't try to circumvent the system by going outside of the states in trying to fight.

Just because the commission missed catching the plaster coating pertaining to Margarito's gloves before the Mosley fight, that doesn't mean that every other commission didn't supervise and sign off on Margarito's hand wraps. Did he get away with it over and over and over again? I doubt that.

No one can say for sure if Margarito fought with an unfair advantage versus Cotto. It's very plausible that he may have. I just can't ban him for life based on plausibility. It's also interesting how neither Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley want him banned for life. If they can live with his one known attempted indiscretion, so can I.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

Source: thesweetscience.com

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BORGES TO MARGARITO: Go To Cali, Show Remorse -- The Sweet Science

By Ron Borges, The Sweet Science

Sometimes you don’t care what the reason really might be. You’re just glad someone in boxing did the right thing.

The sudden decision by Top Rank to pull the plug on its effort to put disgraced former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight March 13 in Dallas smells of a wink-and-a-nod arrangement by which Dickie Cole, head of the Texas Commission, made clear to Arum they were not going to grant Margarito his license back until he squares things with the California Commission that revoked it a year ago after finding an illegal knuckle pad coated with a plaster-like substance hidden under his hand wraps the night of his fight with Shane Mosley.

Technically, Margarito was within his rights to apply for a license in Texas and he did so. The Association of Boxing Commissions made clear to Cole that the state of Texas could license him if it saw fit but urged them not to, because normally a fighter who has had his license revoked for illegal activities returns to that jurisdiction to seek a new license before he fights elsewhere even though he is not compelled to.

Though it is not a requirement considering the dirty circumstances surrounding Margarito’s actions that night it would seem to be the least he could do to try and right a despicable wrong in which he was far from an innocent, although probably not the ringleader.

Margarito served his year-long suspension, choosing not to make good on a threat to fight in Mexico in the interim. Had he done so in the face of California’s revocation of his license to fight in that state, a revocation honored by all other U.S. commissions although not enforceable outside the country, regaining his license to fight anywhere in the United States would have been unlikely. He did not fight however, and so the issue becomes dicey and usually when that happens expediency wins out.

In this case, for whatever reason, it did not and Cole, whose Commission has been criticized in this corner many times and deservedly so, earns a hosanna this time for doing the right thing. He and the state of Texas had an out but chose not to use it and so Margarito’s exile from boxing continues.

The wise choice now for him and for Arum would be to get their egos in check, button their lips for once and go back to California to seek a hearing and a new license there first. That is where Margarito did the crime and since the night he was caught neither he nor Arum has shown one ounce of remorse over the situation. Remorse is long overdue in this case.

It is unlikely Arum had any knowledge of what was going on in Margarito’s locker room that night and bears no responsibility for it. His sins were committed after the fact when he acted after the revocation as if Margarito was the victim. He was not a victim. He, along with trainer Javier Capetillo, were the perpetrators.

Please spare me the notion Arum tried to foist on the public that the poor fighter had no idea a moist knuckle pad under his wraps was out of line. Enough with that nonsense already. If someone corks your bat you know it. Same is true if someone cements your fists.

Most of us are adults here so let’s act like it. If Arum wants to get Margarito (37-6, 27 KO) back in the ring in the United States then take him to California and have him stand in front of a re-licensing hearing with an explanation better than the boxing equivalent of “the dog ate my homework.’’ If he has no explanation than at least apologize. Show some humanity in this often inhumane sport.

The ABC’s letter to Cole urged him not to license Margarito even though legally he could have. Although the Texas commission has made no public comment on what it might do, the fact is Arum has pulled the fighter off the card and the commission has yet to act on Margarito’s application. Those being the facts, it seems reasonable to conclude Cole decided this was a headache his Commission didn’t need and made that clear to Arum, who for one of the few times in his life has been silent on the matter.

Top Rank has suggested it now might put Margarito on a May 8 pay-per-view card in Mexico even though at this time his license to fight in California remains revoked because he has made no effort to have that revocation lifted. If Top Rank goes forward with that idea it will argue the fighter served his one year suspension and has a right to fight again.

What he actually has the right to do is re-apply for a boxing license. There is no “right’’ to fight. So go back to California and exercise your rights and see what happens.

To do anything else is to ask for trouble. One would think Antonio Margarito would understand by now he’s already created enough of that for himself already.

Source: thesweetscience.com

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Edwin Valero: A superstar in the making? -- Eastside Boxing

By Juan 'West Coast' Alvarado, Eastside Boxing

I will almost guarantee you that if you go out to the streets and mention the name Edwin Valero to a hundred people, you will be lucky if 10 of them know who he is. Of course if you ask a hardcore fan who Edwin Valero is, most of them if not all will know who you are talking about.

So some of you might ask who is Edwin Valero?

Whom we are talking about is a left handed fighter (southpaw) who has traveled the world literally in order to apply his craft. Unfortunately, for the fighter in question, the world did not include the United States. In 2003, an abnormality was discovered in his brain which got him a medical suspension in the United States. With a record of 12-0 all by knockouts (in the first round by the way), Valero was forced to take his show on a world tour of sorts. He finally settled in Japan where he went on to record an impressive string of first round knockouts to the tune of 18 in a row..

The first fighter to extend Valero to more than one round was Genaro Trazancos whom for his trouble was quickly dispatched in the second with a vicious body punch. Finally in his first world title shot, he traveled to Panama City, Panama, where he beat and battered Panamanian champion Vicente Mosquera in front of his own crowd for 9 plus rounds until Mosquera's own corner threw in the towel in the tenth round. He went on to defend the title against less than stellar opposition 4 times before moving up to lightweight where on April 4, 2009 he faced Antonio Pitalua for the WBC Lightweight title.

In Pitalua he faced a seasoned veteran with heavy hands and many saw this as a 50-50 fight. Again, Valero proved his doubters wrong by knocking Pitalua out in the second round of that fight. Although Pitalua was down three times in the second round, the fight was virtually over the first time he went down. That first knockdown came from a brutal short right hook that for all intents and purposes took Pitalua's legs and make them into rubber.

Valero defended the title for the first time on December 19, 2009 in Venezuela against another rugged veteran by the name of Hector Velazquez. After 7 rounds, the latter portion which included a severe beating by Valero, Velazquez did not come out for the 8th round.

Amazingly, Valero was back in the ring on February 6th of this year (yes that's less than two months after the Velazquez fight) to defend his title against Antonio DeMarco who was thought of as a really gifted fighter who had the goods to dethrone Valero. Again, Valero did to DeMarco what he had done to just about everyone he has fought up to date. After sustaining a grotesque cut in the forehead and a cut in his right eyelid, Valero went on to administer another beat down and this time the American viewers got to see it because Showtime went to Monterrey, Mexico to broadcast the fight. This time, DeMarco's own corner did not allow him to come out for the tenth round.

Do you see a trend emerging here?

That is in a nutshell Valero's resume so far. However, when you look at Valero fight, you see nothing but raw talent. One can only wonder how good this kid could be if a world class trainer got his hands on him and developed him. However, raw and all, the scary thing is that Valero has been able to amass an impressive record on just said raw power and raw talent. In his last fight, he really quieted a lot of his critics with an impressive display of quickness, boxing and skills never seen before from him. Showtime's own crew of Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein could not deny that what they were looking at was the real deal.

Valero's own dream is to land a fight with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. He is even willing to keep on moving up in weight in order to fight him. Unfortunately, the risk versus reward numbers do not add up to any legitimate fighter with a household name to get in the ring and face this monster. The same goes for pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. Why in the world would he get into the ring at this point in time with someone like Valero who would have as good a chance as anyone to take him down and yet lose risking his status to a virtual unknown at the present time.

It now falls in the hands to Top Rank which promotes Valero to build him up (or at least try) and get him in the ring with the most known fighters in the lightweight division and above. Valero has already stated that he is moving up to 140 pounds where the king of the division Timothy Bradley awaits. This would be a intriguing fight capable of watering the mouths of any fight fan. Bradley is as good as they come and he would present a very stiff test for Valero. I personally would like to see Valero take on someone like Juan Diaz first and get his feet wet at that weight. There really isn't much risk in fighting Diaz since he doesn't carry a heavy punch and whose style suits Valero very well. This would get Valero a fight with someone who has already been on television plenty and it would definitely enhance his name if he were able to win convincingly which I think he would.

If Valero does go on to fight Bradley right away, I am almost 100% sure that Showtime would be all over that fight since they have already had Bradley on their shows more than once. As far as Valero goes, I'm pretty sure Showtime loved what they saw from him in his debut on February 6th. He's a banger, he can box, he can take a shot and he comes at you as a man posessed. As dangerous a fight as this is for Valero, the same goes for Bradley. This is truly for the hardcore fan a dream matchup of two young upcoming fighters.

The verdict is obviously still out on Valero, but I perosnally get very excited every time he fights. The look of hunger in his eyes is apparent and win or lose (which he hasn't yet), this kid is coming to hunt down whoever is in front of him and take his head off.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

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