Older, wiser Floyd Mayweather says he's still on top of game ahead of Shane Mosley fight -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press

Older may constitute wiser, though not necessarily more enthusiastic.

Floyd Mayweather turned 33 Wednesday, with a fight against Shane Mosley approaching May 1, for which time has grown short in several applications.

The negotiating period shrank because of Mayweather's failed talks for a Manny Pacquiao fight. Next week's press tour is a mere three cities -- New York, Washington, Los Angeles -- because the blockbuster came together so quickly.

And when formal training begins after that junket, the Grand Rapids native acknowledges that jump-starting motivation presents a self-examination.

Getting to the gym is a chore.

And getting on the treadmill, literally, can feel like being stuck on one figuratively.

"But once I get going, I'm fine," Mayweather said.

It's a feeling anyone a few years on the untrustworthy side of 30 can grasp, including the 38-year-old Mosley.

Mayweather said he will begin camp without any opponent-specific plan, including not hiring the speediest sparring partners for one of few rivals who can challenge his own speed.

"I don't have to bring anybody in special," he said. "Other fighters are like, 'Oh, I'm facing Floyd Mayweather,' but to me, they're just fighters. All of them are the same. They're just fighters. They're all just one-dimensional."

Mayweather said Mosley "is basing the fight on thinking that he's faster and hits harder and is stronger," and counter punches by saying he has faced opponents before who can match or exceed him in those traits.

Zab Judah was at least as fast, in addition to being left-handed, he said. Several opponents were better pure punchers.

At the top of the championship food chain, he said, it takes more.

"It comes down to two things: who's the smarter fighter and who has the best timing?" Mayweather said.

The intelligence doesn't change from 21 -- the age at which Mayweather won his first championship -- to now.

The ability to react upon it can.

Mayweather acknowledges there are subtle signs that he has slipped some, knows what they are and coyly refuses to discuss them. His father, Floyd Sr., said he has seen some tell-tale signs, too.

To date, through 40 professional fights, no one has successfully exploited any such weakness, real or perceived, even as the challenges grew more difficult and the criticisms more pointed.

"If you go back on my career, at one time, Genaro Hernandez was the best junior lightweight in the world," Mayweather said, referring to his first title-fight opponent, in 1998. "Then they said, 'Well, that wasn't the guy to beat, the guy to beat is Angel Manfredy.' Then, I beat Angel Manfredy. And you can keep going on.

"I went to lightweight and beat the best lightweight in the world, Jose Luis Castillo, twice. Then, there were the guys who were undefeated, and somebody had to dethrone them first, so I dethroned them first. Then, there was (Arturo) Gatti, they said he was reborn, and I dominated.

"They build these guys up so high, so high, once I beat them, they say, 'Oh, he really wasn't all that.' Once I beat him, he's not all that. But before I beat him, he was King Kong. So my focus never changes -- do what I do, be happy and stay positive."

All of that notwithstanding, Mosley, if he has a good night, figures to present one of the more difficult challenges of Mayweather's career.

If he doesn't, of course, it will be because the topic du jour -- age -- got him.

And Mayweather will move forward, to the next fight, the next birthday, with the same cocksure attitude, unchanged since the cradle.

"As far as Shane goes, sometimes things look different from the outside than they do once you get into that squared circle," he said. "I'm pretty sure that fighters that you've interviewed, that I've fought, have said he's totally different once you face him. Other fighters ask them, 'Is he really that good?' And they say, 'He's really that good.' "

E-mail David Mayo at dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo

Source: mlive.com

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Jeff Mayweather says Floyd is looking phenomenal in camp, expects people to be shocked on May 1st -- Examiner

By Chris Robinson, Examiner.com

On January 24th of 2009 ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley rejuvenated his hall of fame career with a brutal thrashing of then WBA Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. The victory was dominant and destructive and despite taking place over a year ago that performance is what many of Mosley’s supporters are pointing to when backing up their beliefs that the Pomona fighter will emerge victorious against Floyd Mayweather on May 1st.

While Mosley did show that he has a lot left in his tank, one man who isn’t fully taking the bait is Las Vegas based trainer Jeff Mayweather, who still heavily favors his nephew heading into their showdown at the MGM Grand. Mayweather’s beliefs don’t stem as from his opinion of Mosley as a fighter nearly as much as they do from his first hand analysis of Floyd. Just last week Uncle Jeff was able to catch Floyd in training and came away beyond impressed.

“I had a chance to see him recently,” Jeff says looking back to last Saturday. “He looks great already. He looks phenomenal. Believe me it aint going to be nothing like nobody thinks. All of this talk about Shane beating Margarito, who cares? Margarito is a walking punching bag and Mayweather is almost impossible to hit. You are looking at two totally different situations.”

Elaborating further, Jeff points out that Floyd wasn’t working on anything specifically for the May 1st clash as far as technique is concerned and was instead simply going through his daily motions. Jeff notes that while Floyd still has a long road ahead he already appears to be on point.

“Basically he was just being himself and working out but he was looking very, very sharp and his instinct was there. He looked like he was ready to fight now. He still has a whole lot of work ahead of him but just what I watched it’s kind of like one of those situations where even though he is my nephew I am still amazed when I watch him.”

Amazement is the type of reaction that is rarely seen from Jeff, as he has been know to be honest and harsh when assessing all things concerning the sport. Still, when looking at the talent of his nephew Jeff believes he is simply looking at a special kind of athlete.

“I’ve seen all of these things before, even when he was a kid,” Jeff notes. “But now when I sit back and actually take a look and take myself out of the mode of being his relative, I’m sitting back and watching art. Basically it’s kind of like watching a Bruce Lee or tenth degree Black Belt or somebody who really knows their craft. Now I put myself in the mode of a fan instead of him being my nephew and I’ve had a chance to see what other people have seen.”

Finishing up, Jeff points out that Floyd’s Uncle Roger is in camp with him and seems to also be focusing on the task at hand despite the well documented legal issues surrounding him. All Team Mayweather can do is take things at a pace as May 1st creeps closer and closer.

“Roger is training him. They have to be doing well because they are one of the top teams in boxing. I think he is just taking it day by day. The fight will take place even before any court thing anyways. I think he is safe in that aspect but I’m sure it’s in the back of his mind. He has to deal with it.”

Source: examiner.com

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PACQUIAO EASES UP, CLOTTEY LOOKS RIPPED AND READY -- PhilBoxing

By Ronnie Nathanielsz, PhilBoxing.com

“Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao eased up in his training grind on Wednesday as he returned to the track at the LA High School.

After a hard workout in the morning trainer Freddie Roach asked him to ease up and have a light workout in the Wild Card Gym in preparation for what conditioning expert Alex Ariza said “will be a long sparring session tomorrow (Thursday in LA.)"

Ariza told us that “everything is going really well” and that Wednesday was the first day that Pacquiao “went to the track after the leg injury last weekend and he looks a hundred percent.”

Ariza said that since Pacquiao had a hard day on Tuesday when he sparred ten rounds and then a hard workout on the track, trainer Freddie Roach “talked to him to having a light workout and preparing for a tough sparring session on Thursday” although there was no definite word on who his sparring partners would be.

Last Tuesday Pacquiao went five rounds with undefeated Ghana welterweight Abdulla Amidu (18-0, 17 KO’s) and pushed Roach to allow him to follow up with five rounds against Stevie Forbes.

The conditioning expert who, working alongside Roach has turned Pacquiao into a devastating fighting machine said Pacquiao was “feeling good. Manny is the type that just when his legs feel better he wants to see how far he can push it so we are trying to keep him from doing that.”

But while there are rave reviews about Pacquiao’s preparation coming out of the Wild Card Gym, award-winning photographer Chris Farina of Top Rank who visited the training camp of challenger Joshua Clottey was quoted by Chris Robinson of Examiner.com as saying that Clottey “looked awesome” and that he is “completely ripped and toned.”

Farina said Clottey was “punching his sparring partners around the ring. He was going to knock out one of the guys with thunderous punches. It seems to me that they are almost slowing him down and backing him off because they don’t want him to peak too early.”

Farina told Robinson “this is just my impression . He (Clottey) looks like he’s ready to jump through the building.”

With problems in getting a US visa for his trainer and problems within his training camp Clottey brought in renowned cutman Lenny De Jesus, a Puerto Rican who trains fighters in New Jersey and worked the corner of Pacquiao in his early years with his last assignment being the first encounter with Erik “El Terrible” Morales.

Farina reported that Clottey appeared to be completely primed for his March 13 date on “The Event” at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium and that the former IBF welterweight champion seemed completely at peace with the world.

He said Clottey is “totally at ease, was relaxed and calm. He is a super guy. He’s like Pacquiao. He does basically anything you eant him to do and they are very accommodating type of fighters. There are hardly any egos involved.”

Source: philboxing.com

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Clottey plan: Attack early -- Manila Bulletin

Manila Bulletin

Joshua Clottey is going to fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13 as though a cab would be waiting outside Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

Speaking from his training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Thursday, Clottey said he will wage a war right away in the hope of catching the Filipino boxing icon flat-footed.

“I plan to go right at him. There’s no way he’s chasing me around,” said Clottey, the heavy underdog going into the 12-round World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight.

Guided by New York-based Puerto Rican Lenny De Jesus, who served as Pacquiao’s cutman from 2003 until 2005, the Ghanaian slugger bragged that he has the Filipino all figured out.

“I already know what he’s all about. He’s a great champion. This is a difficult fight. But I am going for the win right away as soon as the bell rings,” added Clottey.

According to Lee Samuels, the award-winning publicist for Top Rank, Clottey is breaking camp in Florida and returning to New York early next week in time for an open media workout at Kingsway Gym on March 4.

“After a couple of days, Team Clottey will depart for Dallas on March 7,” said Samuels.

Clottey has entered the fourth week of training in Florida and is said to be in tremendous shape.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao went 10 rounds during Tuesday’s sparring session at the Wild Card in Hollywood, shrugging off earlier complains of pain in his leg.

Pacquiao will wind up his preparation at the Wild Card on March 8, the day he and his team travel to Dallas on a private plane that Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum will send to Los Angeles to pick up the pound-for-pound king.

Before leaving for Texas, Pacquiao will once again appear on the popular late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live on March 3.

Source: mb.com.ph

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Roach/Ariza: PED accusation at Manny Pacquiao taken as compliment (at first) -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk



Although Freddie Roach has a slightly different view, Alex Ariza, Manny Pacquiao’s head strength and conditioning coach, has insisted the allegations being levelled at Pacquiao, emanating from the Mayweather camp, relating to the smear campaign over PEDs, was not looked on first of all by something negative by the Pacquiao Camp.

Indeed, they saw it as a veiled compliment, at first, towards the intense work they had done to build Pacquiao’s body for his contest with Oscar de la Hoya, a fight in which they knew their man was clearly the smaller of the two. The ballistics analysis they put together created a plan. They didn’t know what they would acheive. But it worked.

“In the beginning, I just thought it [the comments from Mayweather Snr] was a compliment, in a way, because of the work we have done to develop Manny into the fighter he is, but at the end of the day, we know it [the allegations] is not true, ” Ariza told Telegraph Sport.

“It doesn’t hurt us. Fighters are still going to come to Freddie because they want to be trained by him. People are still going to be trained by us, and when they come to the gym, they will see how hard we work there. We know exactly what we put our guys there through.”

Ariza is preparimng Pacquiao for his contest against Joshua Clottey on March 13 in Texas. He explained: “We are following the same format as we did for Miguel Cotto. I sat with Freddie and we felt the training regimen and the diet regimen for Manny against Cotto was dead on correct.”

To keep weight on Pacquiao, he has a protein shake before bed, in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning.

“The weight-speed conditioning was all there, and we feel Joshua Clottey is a similar opponent in that Manny may have to absorb some punishment. Manny said afterwards that he felt in such good condition, he could take Cotto’s punches, and so Manny changed the game plan early in the fight against Cotto, wanting to demoralise him by absorbing his punching power.”

“It might not be exactly the same against Clottey. But the fight against Cotto went so well, Manny was strong for the entire fight, so we did not see any reason for changing anything. The only real difference between this and the Cotto fight is that we started doing a bit more strength training …”

“Manny was 151 lbs at four and a half weeks out, we keep him on a 7000 calories a day diet, and once we get to Dallas, I just have to take a few things away from the diet. We have to keep his intake up. He has to have a protein shake before going to bed, he has one at 3am, and another one first thing in the morning. He has up to six meals a day and six protein shakes a day when in training for a fight. We have to keep weight on him, as he trains so hard. We can’t have his body dropping calories.”

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

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HGH testing could be adopted -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

A British rugby player's blood sample emerged this week as a landmark case, the first positive result for human growth hormone in testing by a national sporting anti-doping agency. The athlete, Terry Newton, confessed to using the banned substance and Wednesday, after being slapped with a two-year ban from the game, publicly apologized for his "grave error in judgment."

Newton's positive test is expected to be followed shortly by others, a source familiar with worldwide doping programs told The Times on Wednesday. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because authorization hasn't been given to speak publicly on the matter.

Yet, as the NFL and Major League Baseball push to institute blood-testing programs to unearth HGH users, how Newton dealt with his positive result is unlikely to be repeated any time soon in the U.S., where the test is not automatically accepted by American athletes -- and their advisors -- as indisputable proof.

"This guy [Newton] just said, 'OK, you caught me,' but a major league baseball player will never do that," said Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) who was briefly imprisoned for distributing performance-enhancing drugs to world-class athletes, including sprinter Marion Jones, boxer Shane Mosley and the personal trainer of baseball slugger Barry Bonds.

"I know the anti-doping authorities are painting this as a big victory, but this doesn't prove the test is reliable and valid," Conte said. "That will only occur in a court of law, after the player, supported by a team of scientists and lawyers, takes his turn."

Nevertheless, authorities such as World Anti-Doping Agency Director General David Howman assessed Newton's positive (secured by the United Kingdom Anti-Doping agency) as a reason for the world's sporting bodies to increase blood testing -- especially out of competition -- to catch those who have "been using this substance with no impunity for a number of years."

The NFL this year told its players union of its interest in testing for HGH.

"Our position is that HGH blood testing has advanced to the point where we are taking steps to incorporate it into our program," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "Blood work is part of our players' annual physical. We do have mandatory blood testing already."

An NFL Players Assn. representative has said "there's no reason" to implement blood testing at this time, but Aiello said a request by the league to do so can be done "between now and training camp," in advance of collective-bargaining sessions, with the opportunity to have testing in place before the 2010 season.

"The argument that there's no longer a valid test no longer holds water," said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of WADA's prohibited list. "There's now a positive, the test is commercially produced. There's no excuses to hide from testing anymore, and the pressure is on all sports leagues to implement blood testing.

"The fact is there's a way to detect HGH now and even if lawyers try to pick apart at it, or people say they didn't take it, we can now find out. This is the wake-up call."

In an e-mail to The Times, NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis wrote, "The NFLPA along with the NFL has supported research to find a suitable test that will detect sustained HGH use. We have and will continue to work with the NFL to build a system that is fair, reliable and maintains the integrity of our game and the health and safety of our players. We believe in, and collectively bargained for, a system that supports the testing of all banned substances. We look forward to discussing the NFL's proposed blood testing program in our next CBA meeting."

A baseball authority has said Commissioner Bud Selig wants to have players blood tested for HGH, with the baseball expected to adopt a blood-testing program for minor league players this year in its effort to root out use of the substance that has been credited for building strength.

Officials with the baseball players' union have said they would consider a validated HGH test. MLB officials expressed hope at a 2008 HGH summit in Beverly Hills that a urine test for HGH had potential. Wadler argues, in the interim, the blood test should be put into effect.

Likely use of the untested substance has made for uneasy assessment of some individual performances.

"There's obviously a little gap that needs to be bridged in the drug testing, and it would go a long way toward closing it if you could find something to detect [HGH]," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Dodgers pitcher George Sherrill said there should be testing for the substance.

"It just guarantees that the playing field's even and no one's cheating," Sherrill said. "I don't know if anybody is or not, but this is a way to guarantee it and make sure the game's clean. They've gotten everything else out of the game -- why not take the last couple of steps?"

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said he doesn't "know where this leads," after a dispute over blood testing led to the cancellation of next month's scheduled Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight in Las Vegas.

"This is a pleasant development and something we'll take great interest in," Kizer said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Times staff writers Mike DiGiovanna and Dylan Hernandez contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

Source: latimes.com

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Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey Profiled in 'Road To Dallas' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

The leadup to the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title defense of seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, against former welterweight king, Joshua Clottey (pictured above), on March 13 will be the focus of Road To Dallas: Pacquiao vs. Clottey, which will premiere on HBO's various channels on March 6.

The 30-minute special will analyze the upcoming bout, which will take place at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex., as Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) looks to earn his 12th straight victory, and his ninth stoppage during time.

Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs), who never has been stopped, will look to end the winning streak of Pacquiao, whom he will face in the Cowboys' $1.2 billion venue, owned by Jerry Jones.

The clash, to be televised on HBO pay-per-view, represent the first boxing match to be held at the stadium, whose domed facility seats 80,000, but is expandable enough so that it can hold up to 111,000.

The venue also has a retractable ceiling that protects against rain, and boasts over 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more.

The setup allows fans the ability to watch the action beyond just the field, as, all, if not most, of the displays will be operating on fight night, according to Jones.

By the time the fighters enter the ring, it will have been nearly five years -- in fact, only six days short of five years -- since the the 31-year-old Pacquiao's last suffered defeat.

For since falling in a unanimous decision to Mexico's Erik Morales in March of 2005, Pacquiao is 11-0, with eight knockouts.

That run includes stoppages of David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and, Miguel Cotto, respectively, in nine, eight, two, and, 12 rounds.

Pacquaio's streak includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006.

It also includes 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as an eighth-round knockout of Jorge Solis, who entered their matchup unbeaten at 33-0-2, with 24 knockouts.

Clottey's three losses have been against former world champs, Cotto, Carlos Baldomir, and, Antonio Margarito, all of which he disputes.

Clottey, a native of Ghana who lives in New York's Bronx, straight up felt that he was ripped off following his split-decision loss to Cotto in June.

Clottey was ahead against Baldomir when he was disqualified for head-butting, and was also in front against Margarito before having to fight the final eight rounds with injuries to both hands.

Thus, Clottey enters his bout with Pacquiao still believing that he is all-but undefeated.

"The Road To Dallas" is available to HBO On Demand 24 hours daily, begining Wednesday, March 10, through Monday, April 12.


HBO airing dates of The Road To Dallas

Saturday, March 6 at 1:00 a.m.

Sunday, March 7 at 10:30 a.m.

Monday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m. and 12:05 a.m.

Tuesday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Friday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

Saturday, March 13 at 11:30 a.m.


HBO2 airing dates of The Road To Dallas

Sunday, March 7 at 11:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 10 at 10:00 p.m.

All times are ET/PT.


Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Should medical insurance of boxers be increased?

Boxing News World

The claim that every boxer understands the danger of his occupation once he enters the ring holds a valid point. However, the supposition that most poor boxer is willing to accept any risk just to put some descent food on the dining table is a point evenly worthy of consideration.

Since most of these poor boxers don’t even have a high-school certificate to brag about, they see the boxing ring not as a dangerous workplace but a welcoming gate towards a better life. The desire of holding big bills in their hands outweighs any fear they may have of getting seriously hurt. (Photo: University of Nevada Las Vegas boxing coach Frank Slaughter (L) and WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (R) of the Philippines with Filipino boxer Z Gorres (C), REUTERS)

The sad fact that these boxers care less about who they will fight, but more about how much money they will get, adds more danger to the already dangerous sport. They are preyed upon by shrewd promoters and matchmakers and usually pitted against top-caliber boxers without remonstration from boxing authorities. As a result, boxing bouts become a show of cruel one-sided beating rather than what it should be - a display of boxer’s fighting skills and talent. This exhibition of unnecessary brutality in the ring often invites serious injuries, or even death.

The news about Filipino boxer Z Gorres badly hurt after his unanimous decision victory against Colombian Luiz Melendez in Las Vegas, Nevada last November was already sad. However, the news about his hospital bill amounting to more than half a million US dollars was way sadder. Only about a tenth of this massive amount ($50,000) is available to him as medical insurance under the Nevada Athletic Commission’s regulations. His family, whom he had intended to offer whatever earnings he could get from boxing to better their lives, will now carry an insurmountable load on their shoulders of paying the remaining enormous amount, on top of an equally difficult task of taking care of a partially paralyzed family member.

Although incidents such as Gorres’s are generally rare the notion of implementing a better medical insurance policy to safeguard the family members of an injured boxer from financial woes should be closely studied. In a sport in which brain injuries are bound to happen, coupled by the fact that hospital bills for such injuries are far from affordable for most people, a better insurance for boxers is not only necessary but just.

BrainAndSpinalCord.org, an internet website that provides reliable information about brain and spinal cord injuries, stated that “an average hospital stay for a moderate Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI (defined as the trauma to the brain caused by an external force impinging upon the head and brain), is over 9 days. TBI patients may need a lengthy stay in a rehabilitation center; some patients may stay for three months. When the injury is severe, the intensive rehabilitation needed may average over $1,000 a day.” Basing from this figure, the $50,000 medical, surgical, and hospital care presently provided for boxers under boxing commissions’ rules clearly needs an urgent review.

Well respected boxing scribe TP Walker of Eastside Boxing generously shared his clever opinion on this issue.

TP Walker: "Increasing insurances for the sport of boxing is an often debated touchy topic. The simple and politically correct thing would be to jump on board anything that protects fighters. They put their lives on the line in the name of sport and entertainment and deserve whatever assurances we can give them. Very few occupations carry with them the level of peril that boxing does. However, every fighter knows the risks of fighting and every fighter accepts those risks when they get into the ring. Amateur boxing gyms are notorious for weeding out those who don't have the mentality and demeanor needed to be a boxer. For every 30-40 people who venture into a boxing gym maybe 1 or 2 remain for an extended period of time. Of those who do remain only a select few have the tools to compete on a substantial level."

"Having said that we must examine it closely. Not every fight card brings with it the hype and grandiose public awareness of Mayweather/Mosely, Pacquiao/Clottey or even Jones Jr./Hopkins. Most don't. On the same night that Pacquiao fights Clottey there are at least 11 other scheduled fight cards throughout the world. None of them command even a tenth of 1% of the purse that Pacquiao/Clottey will generate. This isn't isolated. It is typical to boxing. A $40,000 gate for a local show is celebrated these days."

"So what could potentially happen if extra insurances are added to the sport? One scenario is that the added insurance would have little effect on major fight cards but would impact local fight cards to the point where the bottom line is so impinged that most local promoters would no longer be able to afford to put on boxing shows. When local guys can't afford to put on boxing shows the number of shows obviously decreases. In turn many fighters never get to craft their trade, build their name or prepare themselves for the upper levels of the sport. The sport would be overtly compromised and fall victim to the increased economics. This would set the sport back in my opinion."

"No one, me included, wants to see a fighter injured but every fighter knows the risks of the ring. That's not a comforting statement to an injured fighter but it is accurate. Having said that, my sincerest prayers go out to Gorres and his family in the wake of this unfortunate event."

- Marshall N. B., marx7204@lycos.com

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CLOTTEY CONFIDENT OF VICTORY OVER PACQUIAO, BUT DOES HE HAVE A SHOT? -- FightHype

By Sabrina Montez, FightHype.com

Welterweight Joshua Clottey exudes a confidence that few fighters have in this sport. Anyone that receives an opportunity to get in the ring with the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world might question themselves. Not Clottey. This is his fight to win, not only for himself, but for his native Ghana. If he’s victorious over the highly favored Manny Pacquaio, it would be one of the biggest upsets in recent years.

What does the former welterweight champion really think about Manny Pacquaio? “He is small, but very fast,” stated Clottey, who recently gave me a brief description of his opponent for March 13. He believes he can beat Pacquaio and is determined to prove it. Clottey conducts himself quite differently than Floyd Mayweather Jr. He prefers to refrain from trash talk, but remains optimistic regarding his chances. With an enormous amount of respect for Manny Pacquiao, Clottey is thankful for the opportunity and doesn’t take it lightly.

“I’ll fight anyone. I don’t care who it is,” says Clottey, who has never been afraid of facing top-caliber fighters. The match-up with Pacquiao will be the most challenging of his boxing career. In his opinion, size matters. Before Pacquaio’s fight with Miguel Cotto, Clottey went on record with me that he was leaning towards Pacquaio to win. However, he said, “Cotto is too big and strong for Pacquiao.” Now if Clottey couldn’t get a decision over Cotto, yet Pacquaio defeated Cotto without breaking a sweat, what makes Clottey so confident he can win against Pacquaio?

When Clottey is on point, he can become a serious threat with his tremendous amount of strength and power, while using his big body to his advantage. However, size really doesn’t matter when facing Manny Pacquaio. How many times have we heard people say that Pacquiao is too small for an opponent? Too many to count. And what happens to that opponent? Pacquaio defeats them with ease.

Clottey will hope that his tight guard will block Pacquiao’s punches from coming in. He will simply try to absorb the ones that do get through. Call me a pessimist, but how can you defend against Pacquaio’s blinding combinations? He throws from the strangest angles and it’s impossible to see his punches coming. Pacquiao will not hesitate to capitalize on some of Clottey’s weaknesses. A problem that may occur in this match-up is that Clottey has a tendency to become complacent in fights and doesn’t finish strong in later rounds.

Regardless, Clottey has been training hard in Florida and has a significant chance at winning, but the way Pacquiao has fought as of late, he seems unstoppable.

Source: vegas.fighthype.com

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Hurting power of Pacquiao puts Mayweather in fear of KO -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Joshua Clottey trainer Lenny "The Locksmith" DeJesus does not buy the notion that Floyd Mayweather put the kibosh on fighting Manny Pacquiao because of a disagreement over random blood testing.

DeJesus, 64, a veteran of 75 world championship bouts dating back to the 15 rounds or less era, told me Wednesday he is convinced Mayweather dodged fighting Pacman out of simple fear.

"It's two things with Mayweather," DeJesus said from the Clottey training camp in Fort Lauderdale. "One thing is his precious undefeated record. Floyd doesn't want to lose that. Let me be blunt, I think he rejected a Manny fight because he wants to make sure he stays undefeated and because he's worried that he could get knocked out.

"If not for those worries then, why wouldn't Floyd take the fight and, whatever happens in the fight, he goes to the bank laughing with $40 million?"

DeJesus thinks Mayweather should not worry so much about protecting his unbeaten status.

"Fans don't care about all that. Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Wilfredo Gomez, who I worked with, they all lost but they came back to win. I just think Mayweather had an eerie feeling that Manny Pacquiao could take him out. Like Joe Louis said, you can run but you can't hide and he could run against Manny all night.

"Floyd could be jumping around like a jackal but somewhere in the fight he would feel Manny's power and that's what boxing is all about, hurting power. That's the game of boxing."

DeJesus injected a little humor into the situation.

"I thank three people for Joshua getting this (March 13) bout against Manny," DeJesus said.

"First, I thank Freddie Roach for taking the fight. Second, I thank Manny for taking the fight. Third, I've got to thank Mayweather for not taking the fight."

DeJesus worked six different bouts in Megamanny's corner as a cutman when promoter Murad Muhammad was handling the fighter but then got cut adrift when Shelly Finkel and Gary Shaw moved in on Manny and Murad walked the promotional plank.

"I feel good, I feel confident about this fight," DeJesus said. "I like Freddie Roach, we go back to when he was the bucket boy for Eddie Futch. Freddie hit the jackpot with Manny in a way I never did with one fighter.

"But we'll see in Dallas, at the end of the day, who's done the better job of preparing his fighter, me or Freddie. Joshua didn't have that extra oomph he needed to beat (Miguel) Cotto but I was in a different role then.

"The (training camp) environment wasn't right for that fight but that was then and now is now."

And Fight Night at Cowboys Stadium is inching closer.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

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Making History for Puerto Rican and Filipino Boxing -- 15Rounds

By Alejandro Echevarria, 15Rounds.com

“Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona (14-0-1 12KO’s) and Wilfredo “Papito” Vazquez Jr. (17-0-1 14KO’s) will be looking to make history and add to the brewing rivalry between Puerto Rico and the Phillipines come Saturday night. The two undefeated boxers will square off for the WBO super bantamweight title at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón Puerto Rico.

Sonsona is, along with Ben Villaflor (54-8-7 31KO’s), one of the two youngest ever Filipino world champions having both won their first belts at the age of 19. Unlike Villaflor, whose last fight was fifteen round decision loss against Puerto Rican Samuel Serrano, Sonsona is moving up in weight, two divisions, to look for his second world title. After winning the WBO super flyweight title from Puerto Rican José “Carita” López (39-8-2 32KO’s) last year but having failed to make weight for his first defense against Alejandro Hernández (22-7-2 11KO’s), “Marvelous” skipped the bantamweights altogether and is aiming to become the youngest ever two division Filipino world champion.

Vazquez Jr. on his part is also a young fighter at 25. Not as young in years as his next opponent but the fact that he didn’t have an amateur career helps him look fresher than his age would suggest. Still, it is not age which offers a spot on the history books for “Papito” but his lineage. His father, Wilfredo “The Pride of Puerto Rico” Vazquez is a former three division world champion and one of the island’s most cherished fighters. Winning the world title this Saturday would make them the first ever Puerto Rican father and son duo to win world titles.

Still, more history could, and probably will, be made this Saturday. This is because for several years now, a rivalry has been developing between Puerto Rico and the Philippines in terms of boxing. Manny Pacquiao, by himself, has made sure that Filipino boxers are considered when speaking of any division south of junior middleweight but he may only be the tip of the iceberg.

The biggest match to date is Pacuqiao knocking Cotto out but many other titles have been disputed and many other match-ups have produced great battles. Even though it was mostly one sided, Juan Manuel López and Gerry Peñalosa was an entertaining fight with good action with the WBO super bantamweight title on the line. Recently, Mario Santiago and Bernabe Concepcion gave us a good show on the same card that Eric Morel and Gerry Peñalosa fought for an interim version of the WBO bantamweight title. Sonsona himself showed maturity well beyond his years when he fought tough veteran “Carita” in a very entertaining affair and Rodel Mayol gave Iván Calderón all he could handle for twelve rounds over the course of two title defenses.

Come Saturday night, we will have two young, undefeated fighters fighting for their countries, their place in history and their livelihood. Sonsona, an accomplished amateur boxer, enjoys clear advantages in reach and amateur experience while Vazquez Jr. should be more comfortable at the weight and should come in the heavier man.

At 115lbs. Sonsona had serious power. Only “Carita” López, a man who has never been stopped, went more than five rounds with the Filipino and when they met each other September of last year. López was down on the fourth and never really recovered fron the straight left that put him there. Nonetheless, Sonsona’s failure to make weight for his first defense and the resulting draw may have shed a little bit of light into his incredible power. Enjoying advantages in size over of his previous opponents may have proved very advantageous and he is now jumping, not one, but two divisions and seven pounds north to face a natural super bantamweight.

Sonsona is also a southpaw with good punching technique and decent ring generalship. Yet, he often carries his hands low and keeps his stance wide when looking to counter. This could prove dangerous against Vazquez Jr. who has good power on his hands and can go to the body fairly well. Sonsona’s skinnier frame may be too available for Vazquez Jr. if he can’t keep the Puerto Rican at bay with jabs and straight lefts.

Papito will most likely carry the weight advantage the day of the fight and will have a hometown crowd cheering for every punch he throws. He should also feel more comfortable absorbing punishment and if he can take Sonsona’s firepower for the first half of the fight, has a chance of wearing the Filipino down. It must be noted that Vazquez Jr. has not faced a southpaw the likes of Sonsona and he may find it difficult to adapt his footwork properly.

With both fighters carrying power and motivation into the fight, this should be an exciting bout with a very good chance of ending before the final bell. Sonsona said he will look for the knockout and his own piece of history, Vazquez Jr. says he is looking for the money a victory would put him in position to earn. With WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” López set to defend against Bernabe Concepción this summer, the rivalry between the nations just keeps getting more interesting.

Source: 15rounds.com

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Dr. Magaret Goodman's Top 15 Ways to Improve Boxing -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

A former Nevada State Athletic Commission Medical Advisory Board Chairman and Chief Ringside Physician, Dr. Margaret Goodman has a private practice as a neurologist in Las Vegas, Nev., but worked more than 400 professional bouts as a ringside physician.

FanHouse asked Dr. Goodman to come up with ways she thought the sport could police and improve itself, and this is what she came up with, below:

As a former ringside physician and Medical Advisory Board Chairman for the Nevada State Athletic, Commission, I was part of advancing medical testing of both MMA fighters and boxers that included MRI scans and testing for anabolic steroids.

Unfortunately, time and experience away from my former commission roles and the attention from the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather debacle has demonstrated the profound inadequacies of current testing.

It behooves each of us who cares for the credibility of these sports and our genuine interest in advancing safety, not delay in revamping our current drug-testing system.

I would like to take this opportunity to list some of the ways that drug testing can be expanded and changed:


1. The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and/or the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) should run the drug testing program for boxing and MMA.

2. Complete WADA and USADA approved testing at the weigh-in and right after the fight -- both for blood and urine.

3. Once becoming a licensee, each fighter must always make his whereabouts known to the commission on a regular basis, and must agree to unannounced random testing.

4. Uniformity of testing protocols and prohibited substance lists across the United States that should be made available to every licensee, including fighters, trainers, managers, promoters and officials.

5. Required educational classes for athletes following the weigh-in to discuss prohibited substances and their harmful effects, especially performance enhancing drugs.

6. For all championship bouts, random unannounced blood and urine tests performed at least twice before a bout is held. Non-championship fighters should be randomly chosen.

7. Penalties -- like those implemented by the USADA and WADA -- for athletes who miss testing. These infractions must be posted on the Federal Suspension List which carries and denotes fighter suspensions from competition.

8. Stop the ridiculous protocol of allowing fighters 48 hours to show up for a test once requested. How can that be considered unannounced?

9. I would immediately set up a summit to be overseen by the commission which determines the best way to institute these changes. I would invite all knowledgeable parties, including Don Caitlin, USADA chief Travis Tygart, members of WADA, as well as BALCO founder, Victor Conte.

Mr. Conte is a wealth of knowledge on how athletes are escaping detection, and Caitlin is the director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Lab, which is among the world's largest testing facilities for performance-enhancing drugs..

10. Do not allow the Association of Boxing Commissions and individual commissions to hide behind the notion that PED testing is too costly to entertain. This would improve the credibility of their organization.

11. Each commission must talk to its legislature about ways to help funnel money from tax-generated income to institute and expand testing.

12. I would ask promoters to help pay for drug-testing from a minor portion of ticket sales.

13. Sanctioning bodies should pay a significant portion of drug screens for championship fights.

14. As had been done in some jurisdictions regarding proper training techniques, I would require all trainers to undergo a class on PED's and to pass a test to be licensed.

15. Commissions should work with amateur organizations to educate the fighters on PED's.

This list is only the beginning. Unfortunately, drug use in boxing and MMA has become commonplace. Yet, we are sitting back-- especially as fans.

But we must demand changes, because these endeavors are dangerous to the competitors.

Credibility can be restored, however, if boxing and MMA officials stop hiding under the guise of being niche sports and put the safety of their participants first by dealing directly with drug use.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. threw away 50 million dollars based on a ridiculous hunch -- PhilBoxing

By Dennis 'dSource' Guillermo, PhilBoxing.com

I’m sure you’ve heard it plenty of times before. It started from Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s camp down to Teddy Atlas and now the die-hard Mayweather fans and brownnosers. And the question goes, “Why would Manny Pacquiao throw away 50 million dollars over some blood tests?”

Usually that question is followed by a statement pointing out that if any person would be offered a huge amount of money to do his job and turn it down over some blood tests that there is something wrong with that person. And the prestige goes, “So why won’t Pacquiao just take the tests?”

Order in the court of truth! Judge dSource is now presiding over this case that has been blown out of proportion in the court of public opinion and press manipulation.

Let’s lay down facts shall we.

It’s been several months since Floyd Mayweather Sr., the convicted drug smuggler, former trainer of Money Mayweather, first made his steroids accusations public and yet Team Mayweather has failed to proved any form of tangible proof that would implicate Pacquiao other thank Roger Mayweather’s Philippine history lecture on how bullets used to bounce off Filipino soldiers 500 years ago because they were on a drug called A-Side Meth. And I quote in the exclusive I first published at the Examiner, Roger said “they (the Filipinos soldiers) weren’t even dying.”

Pacquiao has no ties with the people Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were connected with. No history of any failed tests that were administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The same tests and commission that caught fighters like Fernando Vargas riding dirty. I repeat, there’s been no evidence of Pacquiao’s doping, no connections with shady people and nothing except a Roger Mayweather fictional tale. I say fictional because America didn’t even exist 500 years ago so how in the world will they try to invade the Philippines on top of drugs causing bullets to bounce and people not dying? Must be watching too much of that Twilight crap Roger.

But there’s much evidence on the fact that Pacquiao has had a history with blood tests and felt weak afterwards. I have written at length in the past on that topic, you can click this link if you want to read it.

And so the real deal is, Floyd Mayweather Jr. turned his back on 50 million dollars because of an urban legend from Uncle Roger? Okay, let’s incorporate all their other baseless assertions like Pacquiao’s getting bigger and him not getting knocked out by Cotto and saying he is knocking out people since he climbed upwards of 130. Fact is, Pacquiao was knocking people out before he turned 130 and that his overall weight gain in the past 5 years is about 4 pounds. Again you want to read facts about that,

So who turns his back on 50 million dollars based on baseless hunches and made up rules and demands not being given in to? If you were to be paid a lot of money to work at a place where there are baseless rumors about, would you walk away from it? And the prestige: “Why won’s Floyd just fight Pacquiao like he did everybody else?” Again, I got 3 letters for you.. K.. F.. C.

Dennis “dSource” Guillermo is a freelance writer and proud Philboxing contributor. You can e-mail him at hoodartz@yahoo.com and read his clolumn at http://www.examiner.com/x-10947-Filipino-Sports-Examiner and Tagalog blog on http://pinoypower.tumblr.com/. Mabuhay ang mandirigmang Pilipino!

Source: philboxing.com

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Tecate To Offer Rebate To Pacquiao-Clottey Watchers -- The Sweet Science

The Sweet Science

TECATE HELPS SPREAD FERVOR AMONG HISPANICS FOR PACQUIAO VS. CLOTTEY WITH MARKETING PROGRAM

Mexican Cerveza Supports Boxing as Lead Sponsor of First Fight in New Dallas Cowboys Stadium

MONTERREY, N.L. MEXICO (Feb. 24, 2010) – Tecate, cerveza con carácter, demonstrates its commitment to boxing through a regional marketing campaign designed to create buzz and bring adult boxing aficionados closer to the March 13encounter between Filipino WBO Welterweight Champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (50-3, 38 KO’s) and the hard-punching former title holder from Ghana, Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KO’s). The event will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View from the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, beginning at 9p.m. ET/6p.m. PT.

“Once again, we’re thrilled to do our part in ensuring that as many fans as possible can be witness to the excitement of boxing,” said Daniel Cuellar, sponsorship and media director for Tecate in Mexico. “Pacquiao vs. Clottey is more than just a fight, it’s an event; not only because of the anticipation surrounding the match, but because both fighters will showcase their talent, passion, and boldness at this state-of-the-art stadium. We are confident that the various elements of our program will engage adult fans and help to create a true boxing experience for them in the weeks leading up to the event and during the fight itself.”

To give fans at home an opportunity to be a part of the boxing experience, Tecate and Top Rank are offering a $20 mail-in rebate coupon for the HBO PPV event with the purchase of a 12-pack or larger of Tecate or Tecate Light. This offer will be valid in select states across the country, where legal.

As part of its support of “The Event,” Tecate’s multi-tiered program will be visible in more than 8,000 grocery and convenience stores with promotional materials featuring images of Pacquiao and Clottey, as well as fight details. Additionally, the cerveza brand will tailor its radio spots two weeks leading up to the event to help spread enthusiasm among Hispanic adults for the World Welterweight Championship bout.

Source: blog.thesweetscience.com

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Maybe It Would Be Best If Mayweather and Pacquiao Both Lost -- The Sweet Science

By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are the two best fighters active at the present time. And it's true that a fight between them to determine who is the P4P number one guy would be a compelling matchup. We'd all watch it. Okay, we know that.

But does anyone really want to have to spend another six months with their arguments, postponements, mutual backing away from the negotiating table, accusations, and threats to take other fights? I don't.

The problem is that, if Manny Pacquiao beats Joshua Clottey and Floyd Mayweather beats Shane Mosley, there's a good chance that they'll pick up at the bargaining table exactly where they left off this past January. Does anyone doubt that? A fight between them may even become harder to make if they both win their upcoming bouts.

Mayweather, deciding that because a win over Mosley has more credibility than one over Clottey, will assume he's in the superior bargaining position and probably make Pacquiao subject himself to an autopsy. He'll again demand random drug tests (and depending on how Pacquiao looks in the Clottey fight, he may ask for even more stringent testing), and Manny will decline. And we'll be subjected to the same melodrama all over again. It will be six more months of childish name calling, and pushing the rest of the business of boxing to the back burner. Do boxing fans really want to let this nonsense upstage the attention that Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez IV should get? That's what it will do.

It's astonishing that a guy who has never been anything but a credit to the sport, someone about whom there's never been a hint of any misdeed, will now forever fight under a cloud of suspicion instigated by someone whose motives couldn't be more transparent. And the idea that Pacquiao should have to prove that he's innocent only appeases those who think this is a perfect world. I'm really surprised by how many people who should know better are subscribing to the "if he has nothing to hide, why isn't he taking the test" position. Manny Pacquiao, like Floyd Mayweather doesn't owe anyone a thing.

I don't think either Pacquiao or Mayweather is a lock to win their respective next fights. Both are favored, but Manny's fighting a bigger guy who's hard to hurt, and Mayweather is fighting a guy who's better than he is (although admittedly he's fighting him at the right time.) And although there's no question that a Mosley-Clottey fight wouldn't be nearly as interesting or as lucrative as Pacquiao-Mayweather, maybe it'd give everybody else in the business a chance to step back into the limelight. And it would demystify Pacquiao and Mayweather. Would that be such a bad thing?

It's great when there's a lot of debate centered around a fight. And one of the greatest things about boxing is the enthusiasm that attaches to an important fight. But we've had nearly a half year obsession with a fight that hasn't taken place and that isn't scheduled. Mayweather's camp, in my opinion, has clearly gone so far as to plant shills to write and post things all over the Internet. You can spot them a mile away.

Let's put things in perspective. In the amount of time that Pacquiao and Mayweather have talked about fighting each other, Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta would have been in the ring together a half dozen times. I know that times are different, and that a lot of money is on the line now and that it takes a little while to set megafights up. But this fight no longer needs setting up. And the money is there for it; both guys will make a ton of it. And let's face it, Manny and Floyd are less than riveting public speakers. Nobody -- and I mean nobody -- wants to hear them anymore.

They can monopolize boxing all they want when they're talking about their actual fight in an actual ring, not a hypothetical fight in an imaginary ring.

We know that Joshua Clottey and Shane Mosley will fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. And they won't attach a lot of conditions to doing so. Yeah, Clottey's not as interesting a fighter as some of the other guys, but at least he's not hijacking the division. And Shane is never in a bad fight. And hasn't he, through his deeds rather than his words, done enough to earn our loyalty? Like Clottey, he won't hold up the division for ransom either.

Pacquiao, Mayweather, Mosley, and even Clottey are all moving toward the ends of their careers. I've got no problem with talking about their fights when they're actually fighting each other. Hearing endless and pointless talk about who would win if Pacquiao and Mayweather fought, why they haven't fought, or if they're ever going to fight is getting redundant. I no longer care whose fault it was that they didn't fight earlier. It's idiotic that they didn't, regardless of the reason. At some level, I wouldn't mind if one or both of them were upended in their next fight.

It would do boxing a lot of good if we started focusing on Chad Dawson, Timothy Bradley, Paul Williams, Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, John Murray, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, and Roman Gonzalez, all guys who are fighting regularly and making names for themselves. Once we're done crowding the net with speculation about the Manny and Floyd Show, there may finally be some space available for other worthy fighters.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

Source: thesweetscience.com

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