Reuters
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao should fight Floyd Mayweather Jr and then hang up his gloves because there are no other legitimate contenders, according to the Filipino fighter's trainer.
Talks for a March megafight with the undefeated Mayweather fell apart this year so Pacquiao agreed to fight lesser-known Joshua Clottey of Ghana on Saturday in Dallas, which may be the champion's penultimate fight.
"There's no more challenges out there," said Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach, who trained 26 other world champions including Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson.
"I would like to see him go out on top and not be one of those cases where he stays around too long. I know it's an addictive sport, but what better way to go out than on top?"
Pacquiao, 50-3-2 (38 KOs), and Mayweather seemed certain to clash this Saturday in Las Vegas when Pacquiao beat Miguel Cotto for the WBO belt in November.
But negotiations collapsed over Mayweather's insistence that Pacquiao submit to random blood tests, so Pacquiao turned to Clottey and Mayweather scheduled a fight with Shane Mosley.
"If Mayweather doesn't come to the table, then who else is there?" he asked rhetorically. "I know there's some fights out there, but will you guys really be interested and will the general public want to buy it?"
A Mayweather bout would mark the 23rd time Roach has worked in Pacquiao's corner since their relationship began in 2001.
Pacquiao had already won a world title by then -- the WBC flyweight crown -- and within weeks of training with Roach had added the IBF super bantamweight belt. He and Roach won five more titles and are one of boxing's most successful tandems.
Even so, the trainer wants to protect his fighter and is adamant that he will urge Pacquiao to hang up the gloves.
Roach understands the dangers of staying in the sport too long as he suffers symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the result of his own boxing career.
"People ask me: 'He's the guy you've made the most money from, why would you want him to quit?'," said Roach.
"We've done well with each other and I'd rather see him quit than continue after a Mayweather fight. I just don't see any point in going any further."
Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Tuesday 16 March 2010
One-dimensional Pacman bores Mayweather Jr -- GMA News
GMANews.TV
Floyd Mayweather Jr. belittled Manny Pacquiao’s dominant win over Joshua Clottey over the weekend, stressing the 12-round title fight was boring and exposed the Philippine pride as a one dimensional fighter.
"I think Pacquiao got exposed in that fight for being one-dimensional. You can have all the offense ability in the world, but with no defense, you’re not going to last long against a good counter puncher such as myself," he said in an interview.
To prove his point, he said a defensive fighter like Clottey who threw punches by a spurt, had Pacquiao all busted up by the end of the match, obviously referring to the small bruise the Filipino had just under his right eye.
"When was the last time you’ve seen my face all messed up like that?" asked Mayweather, who was once known as "Pretty Boy" Floyd but changed his nickname to "Money" Mayweather. "That’s the difference between an amateur and a true pound-for-pound boxer."
In pulling off a unanimous decision against Clottey – the first time in the last two years a Pacquiao fight went the distance – the deadly southpaw from General Santos City scored a shutout on one of the judge’s scorecard, while the two others had him winning in all except for a single round.
Mayweather said boxing fans won’t be seeing such a lackluster bout involving him, especially his coming May 1 showdown against "Sugar" Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight belt.
"At least when you watch Floyd Mayweather Jr., you know you’ll be seeing non-stop action for 30 minutes straight," said the one-time Olympic bronze medalist.
Pacquiao and Mayweather were already penciled to meet each other on the ring, until a disagreement on the drug testing procedure to be administered on both fighters shot down boxing’s projected biggest and richest fight of all time.
The collapse of the fight led the Filipino ring icon to take on Clottey instead, a showdown that lacks the excitement and drama of a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, but attracted a big crowd of 50,994 nonetheless at the $1.2 billion stadium owned by billionaire and Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones.
Mayweather frowned upon the figures, reminding people that he still holds the record number of the top pay-per-view fight of all-time.
"Let’s not forget who generated a revenue of $2.5 million dollars in one fight alone," asked Mayweather, whose 2007 bout with Oscar De La Hoya is still considered the biggest boxing money maker ever as far as pay-per-view sales are concerned.
"The only reason why he's popular is because he's an ethnic minority and from the Philippines, so it's something special. If he was from Africa he would be just another boxer."
Source: gmanews.tv
Floyd Mayweather Jr. belittled Manny Pacquiao’s dominant win over Joshua Clottey over the weekend, stressing the 12-round title fight was boring and exposed the Philippine pride as a one dimensional fighter.
"I think Pacquiao got exposed in that fight for being one-dimensional. You can have all the offense ability in the world, but with no defense, you’re not going to last long against a good counter puncher such as myself," he said in an interview.
To prove his point, he said a defensive fighter like Clottey who threw punches by a spurt, had Pacquiao all busted up by the end of the match, obviously referring to the small bruise the Filipino had just under his right eye.
"When was the last time you’ve seen my face all messed up like that?" asked Mayweather, who was once known as "Pretty Boy" Floyd but changed his nickname to "Money" Mayweather. "That’s the difference between an amateur and a true pound-for-pound boxer."
In pulling off a unanimous decision against Clottey – the first time in the last two years a Pacquiao fight went the distance – the deadly southpaw from General Santos City scored a shutout on one of the judge’s scorecard, while the two others had him winning in all except for a single round.
Mayweather said boxing fans won’t be seeing such a lackluster bout involving him, especially his coming May 1 showdown against "Sugar" Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight belt.
"At least when you watch Floyd Mayweather Jr., you know you’ll be seeing non-stop action for 30 minutes straight," said the one-time Olympic bronze medalist.
Pacquiao and Mayweather were already penciled to meet each other on the ring, until a disagreement on the drug testing procedure to be administered on both fighters shot down boxing’s projected biggest and richest fight of all time.
The collapse of the fight led the Filipino ring icon to take on Clottey instead, a showdown that lacks the excitement and drama of a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, but attracted a big crowd of 50,994 nonetheless at the $1.2 billion stadium owned by billionaire and Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones.
Mayweather frowned upon the figures, reminding people that he still holds the record number of the top pay-per-view fight of all-time.
"Let’s not forget who generated a revenue of $2.5 million dollars in one fight alone," asked Mayweather, whose 2007 bout with Oscar De La Hoya is still considered the biggest boxing money maker ever as far as pay-per-view sales are concerned.
"The only reason why he's popular is because he's an ethnic minority and from the Philippines, so it's something special. If he was from Africa he would be just another boxer."
Source: gmanews.tv
What Did Test-O-Phobic Pacquiao Prove by Beating Joshua Clottey? -- Bragging Rights Corner
By Elisa Harrison, BraggingRightsCorner.com
Monday morning has rolled around, and the time has come to jot down my comments and feelings regarding the latest shameful chapter in the sport of boxing, known to some as a high profile match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.
Filipino fans will hate this article, others may too, and that's perfectly fine.... I understand what it's like to be fanatical about a particular athlete or an actor, a politician, etc., so I can see how the passion for Manny Pacquiao gets in the way of the reality of it all. However, to me it's not about being a boxer's fan, it's about being a fan of boxing.
It remains a puzzle to me how a man can walk away from at least 40 million dollars because of a certain style blood test. We have read and/or heard many excuses from this boxer's camp and to me, they've all been exactly that, excuses, and bad ones at that.
A man who sports mad tats is NOT afraid of needles. A fighter who is clean does NOT fear testing, be it the Olympic style testing or whichever type of testing is mandatory according to a particular boxing commission's rules. A proud man does NOT walk away from an opponent who supposedly -according to his fans and camp- would lose to him if their fight was ever made. It just does NOT make sense, and like judge Judy often says, "if it doesn't make sense, it simply isn't true." A smart woman that judge Judy, somewhat overbearing but definitely wise and smart....
As if all of the above wasn't bad enough, when struck by the attack of test-o-phobia that kept Pacquiao from meeting Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the man who has beaten all the men who have stood in front of him, Manny Pacquiao picks Joshua Clottey as his opponent. I am willing to bet that there is still a rank odor at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The choice couldn't have been more comfortable for Pacquiao, after all Clottey is slow as molasses and not a fighter at the top echelon of the sport. He may be a good B fighter, but he is not now, nor has he ever been an A guy. It's as simple as that.
So, what did Pacquiao prove by beating Clottey? In my humble opinion, he didn't prove anything of a positive nature. The night went according to script. Clottey wasn't really worthy of this opportunity, and perhaps should be paid according to the effort he put forth. This was NOT the fight that the boxing world wanted to see, nor the fight that could have resolved who is who, and what is what in the sport of boxing. Who, as in who is the P4P ruler, and what, as in what would the Olympic style testing would have revealed about Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
I want to give Floyd Jr. some props. I believe he has set the bar at a level no one else in the sport has even thought of doing, and this is definitely a good thing. Every other major sport has stringent testing; stiff penalties and fines when rules are violated; capable and honorable officials, (for the most part), and even when rotten apples find their way into the pot, they usually get caught and are dealt with in the appropriate manner. Boxing doesn't seem willing or capable of cleaning its own house, to separate the honest men from the crooks, to deliver a clean product to its fans. Long live MMA some may say!
I wonder what would baseball fans would say if whenever the NY Yankees played, the American League was to appoint George Steinbrenner's son as chief umpire at home plate? It's called nepotism and it would never happen. However, similar scenarios happen in our sport. We have a high profile case of nepotism in the state of Texas, where Lawrence Cole Sr. is in charge of the Commission and Cole Jr. referees most of the Commission's high profile fights. It is bad enough that nepotism seems acceptable to those in charge of the game, but to add insult to injury, Cole Jr. is one of the worst referees in the business. How can this be considered up to standard? Why is it accepted?
Last but not least, I would like to express respect for Shane Mosley, who at some point in his career used steroids, (reference Balco Lab scandal), but had no trouble accepting Mayweather's request for the most serious drug testing available. Win or lose, Mosley is already a winner in my book.
I chuckle at the thought that perhaps -and this would be fabulous- ten or twenty years down the road, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not be remembered for his flashiness, his superior boxing skills or the difficult family issues he has been a part of throughout most of his career. It just may be that "Money" Mayweather's legacy will be forcing the sport of boxing to take a closer look at -and act upon- cheaters and cowards. Yes, cowards, that's what I said. Any athlete who has to use illegal substances to have an edge on the opposition, can't be considered anything short of a cheat and/or a coward.
It is my closing thought that on the main event of a card scheduled for Saturday, May 1st, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, there won't be a loser, regardless of whose arm is raised at the end of the bout.
Source: braggingrightscorner.com
Monday morning has rolled around, and the time has come to jot down my comments and feelings regarding the latest shameful chapter in the sport of boxing, known to some as a high profile match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.
Filipino fans will hate this article, others may too, and that's perfectly fine.... I understand what it's like to be fanatical about a particular athlete or an actor, a politician, etc., so I can see how the passion for Manny Pacquiao gets in the way of the reality of it all. However, to me it's not about being a boxer's fan, it's about being a fan of boxing.
It remains a puzzle to me how a man can walk away from at least 40 million dollars because of a certain style blood test. We have read and/or heard many excuses from this boxer's camp and to me, they've all been exactly that, excuses, and bad ones at that.
A man who sports mad tats is NOT afraid of needles. A fighter who is clean does NOT fear testing, be it the Olympic style testing or whichever type of testing is mandatory according to a particular boxing commission's rules. A proud man does NOT walk away from an opponent who supposedly -according to his fans and camp- would lose to him if their fight was ever made. It just does NOT make sense, and like judge Judy often says, "if it doesn't make sense, it simply isn't true." A smart woman that judge Judy, somewhat overbearing but definitely wise and smart....
As if all of the above wasn't bad enough, when struck by the attack of test-o-phobia that kept Pacquiao from meeting Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the man who has beaten all the men who have stood in front of him, Manny Pacquiao picks Joshua Clottey as his opponent. I am willing to bet that there is still a rank odor at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The choice couldn't have been more comfortable for Pacquiao, after all Clottey is slow as molasses and not a fighter at the top echelon of the sport. He may be a good B fighter, but he is not now, nor has he ever been an A guy. It's as simple as that.
So, what did Pacquiao prove by beating Clottey? In my humble opinion, he didn't prove anything of a positive nature. The night went according to script. Clottey wasn't really worthy of this opportunity, and perhaps should be paid according to the effort he put forth. This was NOT the fight that the boxing world wanted to see, nor the fight that could have resolved who is who, and what is what in the sport of boxing. Who, as in who is the P4P ruler, and what, as in what would the Olympic style testing would have revealed about Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
I want to give Floyd Jr. some props. I believe he has set the bar at a level no one else in the sport has even thought of doing, and this is definitely a good thing. Every other major sport has stringent testing; stiff penalties and fines when rules are violated; capable and honorable officials, (for the most part), and even when rotten apples find their way into the pot, they usually get caught and are dealt with in the appropriate manner. Boxing doesn't seem willing or capable of cleaning its own house, to separate the honest men from the crooks, to deliver a clean product to its fans. Long live MMA some may say!
I wonder what would baseball fans would say if whenever the NY Yankees played, the American League was to appoint George Steinbrenner's son as chief umpire at home plate? It's called nepotism and it would never happen. However, similar scenarios happen in our sport. We have a high profile case of nepotism in the state of Texas, where Lawrence Cole Sr. is in charge of the Commission and Cole Jr. referees most of the Commission's high profile fights. It is bad enough that nepotism seems acceptable to those in charge of the game, but to add insult to injury, Cole Jr. is one of the worst referees in the business. How can this be considered up to standard? Why is it accepted?
Last but not least, I would like to express respect for Shane Mosley, who at some point in his career used steroids, (reference Balco Lab scandal), but had no trouble accepting Mayweather's request for the most serious drug testing available. Win or lose, Mosley is already a winner in my book.
I chuckle at the thought that perhaps -and this would be fabulous- ten or twenty years down the road, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not be remembered for his flashiness, his superior boxing skills or the difficult family issues he has been a part of throughout most of his career. It just may be that "Money" Mayweather's legacy will be forcing the sport of boxing to take a closer look at -and act upon- cheaters and cowards. Yes, cowards, that's what I said. Any athlete who has to use illegal substances to have an edge on the opposition, can't be considered anything short of a cheat and/or a coward.
It is my closing thought that on the main event of a card scheduled for Saturday, May 1st, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, there won't be a loser, regardless of whose arm is raised at the end of the bout.
Source: braggingrightscorner.com
Manny Pacquiao Focusing on 'More Serious' Congressional Fight -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Having surpassed the 50-victories milestone with Saturday night's one-sided, unanimous, 12-round decision over Joshua Clottey in defense of his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex., seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao (pictured above, at right, against Clottey), of the Philippines said "now it is time for a more serious fight for me."
The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts), who won virtually every round on his match up with the 32-year-old Clottey (35-4, 20 KOs), will return to the Philippines to begin campaigning on March 26 for the May 10 congressional elections.
"The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been underserved for too long. I want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my people have suffered because I have too," said Pacquiao, whose father abandoned him at an early age.
"That is how I grew up, and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty, I am compelled to be a public servant for them," said Pacquiao, a man of deeply religious faith who obtained only an elementary education, passed his high school equivalency exam, and earned a college degree at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, whose motto is "All to Jesus through Mary."
"If my being in public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province, and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured," Pacquiao said, "I am only too happy to serve."
A native of Kiamba, in the Sarangani Province of the Philippines who has become an iconic symbol to his nation, Pacquiao likely earned a guaranteed $12 million against Clottey, which will increase when his share of the pay per view numbers are calculated at the end of this week.
Pacquiao has also become a cross-over star in America, where, he has graced the cover of the Asian edition of Time Magazine, and has been featured in the American version of Time Magazine, as well as The New York Times, The LA Times, GQ Magazine, and ESPN's Body Issue.
Pacquiao also was twice a hit while singing during seperate guest appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, appeared on Good Morning America the morning of his bout with Clottey, and is being profiled for a fall appearance on 60 minutes.
"One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines," said Pacquiao, who earned his biggest career payday -- a guaranteed $13 million, plus upside to the pay preview -- by knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 12th round on Nov. 14 to earn his present WBO crown.
"The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love," said Pacquiao. "Running for congress is a way for me to repay them."
Against Clottey on Saturday night, Pacquiao threw four times as many punches (1,231 to 399) as his opponent, out-landing him, 246-to-108. Pacquiao threw 549 jabs to 162 for Clottey, who out-landed the champion in that category, 26-to-14.
Pacquiao connected on 232 of 682 power-punches compared to 82 of 237 for Clottey, improving to 12-0, with eight knockouts since his last loss in March of 2005, and rising to 19-1-2 with 15 KOs under Four-time Trainer Of The Year, Freddie Roach.
"Nothing personal, just doing my job. I thank [Cowboys' owner,] Jerry Jones, for giving me the opportunity to headline the first boxing event in Cowboys Stadium. He was a magnificent host," said Pacquiao. "And the people of Arlington, Dallas and Ft.Worth, Texas were wonderful. I will never forget my time there, and I hope they do me the honor of inviting me back."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Having surpassed the 50-victories milestone with Saturday night's one-sided, unanimous, 12-round decision over Joshua Clottey in defense of his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex., seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao (pictured above, at right, against Clottey), of the Philippines said "now it is time for a more serious fight for me."
The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts), who won virtually every round on his match up with the 32-year-old Clottey (35-4, 20 KOs), will return to the Philippines to begin campaigning on March 26 for the May 10 congressional elections.
"The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been underserved for too long. I want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my people have suffered because I have too," said Pacquiao, whose father abandoned him at an early age.
"That is how I grew up, and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty, I am compelled to be a public servant for them," said Pacquiao, a man of deeply religious faith who obtained only an elementary education, passed his high school equivalency exam, and earned a college degree at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, whose motto is "All to Jesus through Mary."
"If my being in public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province, and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured," Pacquiao said, "I am only too happy to serve."
A native of Kiamba, in the Sarangani Province of the Philippines who has become an iconic symbol to his nation, Pacquiao likely earned a guaranteed $12 million against Clottey, which will increase when his share of the pay per view numbers are calculated at the end of this week.
Pacquiao has also become a cross-over star in America, where, he has graced the cover of the Asian edition of Time Magazine, and has been featured in the American version of Time Magazine, as well as The New York Times, The LA Times, GQ Magazine, and ESPN's Body Issue.
Pacquiao also was twice a hit while singing during seperate guest appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, appeared on Good Morning America the morning of his bout with Clottey, and is being profiled for a fall appearance on 60 minutes.
"One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines," said Pacquiao, who earned his biggest career payday -- a guaranteed $13 million, plus upside to the pay preview -- by knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 12th round on Nov. 14 to earn his present WBO crown.
"The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love," said Pacquiao. "Running for congress is a way for me to repay them."
Against Clottey on Saturday night, Pacquiao threw four times as many punches (1,231 to 399) as his opponent, out-landing him, 246-to-108. Pacquiao threw 549 jabs to 162 for Clottey, who out-landed the champion in that category, 26-to-14.
Pacquiao connected on 232 of 682 power-punches compared to 82 of 237 for Clottey, improving to 12-0, with eight knockouts since his last loss in March of 2005, and rising to 19-1-2 with 15 KOs under Four-time Trainer Of The Year, Freddie Roach.
"Nothing personal, just doing my job. I thank [Cowboys' owner,] Jerry Jones, for giving me the opportunity to headline the first boxing event in Cowboys Stadium. He was a magnificent host," said Pacquiao. "And the people of Arlington, Dallas and Ft.Worth, Texas were wonderful. I will never forget my time there, and I hope they do me the honor of inviting me back."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Pacquiao Made Clottey Submit: The Stoppage Wasn't Necessary -- The Sweet Science
By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science
On a night when the HBO broadcast crew of Max Kellerman, Emanuel Steward and especially Jim Lampley were even harder to stomach than usual, the network’s marquee fighter, Manny Pacquiao, bailed them out. He fought the most complete fight of his career, and cemented his claim as boxing’s pound for pound best fighter. This past weekend WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao outclassed Joshua Clottey like he's never been outclassed before in his long career.
For 12-rounds Pacquiao took whatever Clottey gave him and then some. Clottey, who had to weigh as much as a full fledged middleweight on fight night, didn’t benefit in any way from his advantage in size, and had no answer for anything Pacquiao did strategically. As it was said here before the fight, Clottey was in a Catch-22 fighting Pacquiao, simply because anything he tried to do, Manny had an answer for. Manny was faster and better outside, while picking his spots in trying to lure Clottey's hands down. When he chose to push the action, he was just too fast and sharp for his befuddled opponent.
It’s well established that Clottey always stays tight defensively, waits out his opponent’s aggression, and then looks to counter with one or two hard shots after his opponent unloads. And that's what he basically tried to do for 12-rounds Saturday night. For that reason Pacquiao wasn't afforded the chance to get the stoppage win, although he never gave up on looking for a way to get Clottey out of there. But sometimes it's even more impressive and conclusive when a fighter doesn't even have to knock the opponent out, once the opponent submits and can no longer even fathom trying to win.
And that's what happened to Joshua Clottey on March 13th. After sharing the ring with the champion for a few rounds, Clottey realized that he just wasn't good enough, and instead of getting embarrassed, he fought just hard enough to stabilize the fight and not leave himself vulnerable to getting humiliated. Within three or four rounds, Clottey was so intimidated that he had reservations about opening up at all. Even when Manny stood in front of him and gave him his body in an attempt to coax him into an error, Clottey still refused to commit because he was so leery and in awe of the return. Every time he’d venture a single punch, Pacquiao would answer back with half dozen or more dizzyingly fast shots to the ribs. There was simply no way for Clottey to deal with the speed and unpredictability of Pacquiao’s flurries. Additionally, almost everything Manny threw was hard. If there was ever a doubt as to whether Pacquiao had the power to hurt a big, strong welterweight, those doubts have been silenced. I don’t care whether or not Manny Pacquiao is a full-fledged welterweight; he punches as hard as anyone in the division.
Clottey’s refusal to cut loose except when it was 100% safe, with absolutely no chance to get caught, was the utmost compliment he could have paid Pacquiao. He recognized that he was in with his superior, and he didn’t want to get slaughtered. I'm sure Clottey's passive style is getting him killed in the media as of this moment, and to a large degree it should. But that's not the story. Instead of ripping Clottey like a lot of tough guy fans, broadcasters and writers will feast on doing, I'm marveling at how good Pacquiao must've been while he was in front of Clottey for 12-rounds. So much so that he broke the guy's will. And please... that stuff about Clottey never finishing is old news. He was never dominated like he was by Pacquiao. He’d be the first to admit it.
There's not one welterweight on the planet who could've reduced Clottey into just being happy to get through the fight like he was against Pacquiao. Granted, everybody would be lauding Clottey to the nth degree if he had gone for broke and tried to get Pacquiao out thus setting himself up to get taken out. But on this night, the performance was even more impressive than getting the knockout. Knockouts happen all the time in professional boxing, however, how many times have we seen a fighter get to his opponent who was considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the division before the fight, so much mentally and physically and to the point he was too awed to fight and try to win the title and set himself up for the rest of his life.
When all was said and done, Clottey's actions said, "Pacquiao, you don't have to knock me out, I know I can't beat you nor will I try." If there's another active welterweight who could've defeated and shut down Clottey so easily, out-boxing and out-punching him so completely and thoroughly, I don't know of him.
What I do know is, he's not fighting on May 1st 2010.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
Source: thesweetscience.com
On a night when the HBO broadcast crew of Max Kellerman, Emanuel Steward and especially Jim Lampley were even harder to stomach than usual, the network’s marquee fighter, Manny Pacquiao, bailed them out. He fought the most complete fight of his career, and cemented his claim as boxing’s pound for pound best fighter. This past weekend WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao outclassed Joshua Clottey like he's never been outclassed before in his long career.
For 12-rounds Pacquiao took whatever Clottey gave him and then some. Clottey, who had to weigh as much as a full fledged middleweight on fight night, didn’t benefit in any way from his advantage in size, and had no answer for anything Pacquiao did strategically. As it was said here before the fight, Clottey was in a Catch-22 fighting Pacquiao, simply because anything he tried to do, Manny had an answer for. Manny was faster and better outside, while picking his spots in trying to lure Clottey's hands down. When he chose to push the action, he was just too fast and sharp for his befuddled opponent.
It’s well established that Clottey always stays tight defensively, waits out his opponent’s aggression, and then looks to counter with one or two hard shots after his opponent unloads. And that's what he basically tried to do for 12-rounds Saturday night. For that reason Pacquiao wasn't afforded the chance to get the stoppage win, although he never gave up on looking for a way to get Clottey out of there. But sometimes it's even more impressive and conclusive when a fighter doesn't even have to knock the opponent out, once the opponent submits and can no longer even fathom trying to win.
And that's what happened to Joshua Clottey on March 13th. After sharing the ring with the champion for a few rounds, Clottey realized that he just wasn't good enough, and instead of getting embarrassed, he fought just hard enough to stabilize the fight and not leave himself vulnerable to getting humiliated. Within three or four rounds, Clottey was so intimidated that he had reservations about opening up at all. Even when Manny stood in front of him and gave him his body in an attempt to coax him into an error, Clottey still refused to commit because he was so leery and in awe of the return. Every time he’d venture a single punch, Pacquiao would answer back with half dozen or more dizzyingly fast shots to the ribs. There was simply no way for Clottey to deal with the speed and unpredictability of Pacquiao’s flurries. Additionally, almost everything Manny threw was hard. If there was ever a doubt as to whether Pacquiao had the power to hurt a big, strong welterweight, those doubts have been silenced. I don’t care whether or not Manny Pacquiao is a full-fledged welterweight; he punches as hard as anyone in the division.
Clottey’s refusal to cut loose except when it was 100% safe, with absolutely no chance to get caught, was the utmost compliment he could have paid Pacquiao. He recognized that he was in with his superior, and he didn’t want to get slaughtered. I'm sure Clottey's passive style is getting him killed in the media as of this moment, and to a large degree it should. But that's not the story. Instead of ripping Clottey like a lot of tough guy fans, broadcasters and writers will feast on doing, I'm marveling at how good Pacquiao must've been while he was in front of Clottey for 12-rounds. So much so that he broke the guy's will. And please... that stuff about Clottey never finishing is old news. He was never dominated like he was by Pacquiao. He’d be the first to admit it.
There's not one welterweight on the planet who could've reduced Clottey into just being happy to get through the fight like he was against Pacquiao. Granted, everybody would be lauding Clottey to the nth degree if he had gone for broke and tried to get Pacquiao out thus setting himself up to get taken out. But on this night, the performance was even more impressive than getting the knockout. Knockouts happen all the time in professional boxing, however, how many times have we seen a fighter get to his opponent who was considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the division before the fight, so much mentally and physically and to the point he was too awed to fight and try to win the title and set himself up for the rest of his life.
When all was said and done, Clottey's actions said, "Pacquiao, you don't have to knock me out, I know I can't beat you nor will I try." If there's another active welterweight who could've defeated and shut down Clottey so easily, out-boxing and out-punching him so completely and thoroughly, I don't know of him.
What I do know is, he's not fighting on May 1st 2010.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
Source: thesweetscience.com
Manny Pacquiao: Compelled to be a public servant -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
Manny Pacquiao now takes on an altogether different fight. For a seat in the lower house of congress in The Philippines. The election is on May 10. It is a noble act for boxing’s leading purveyor of the noble art. To many in the West, it is unthinkable that a sportsman can or could perform such a feat in the sometime murky world of politics.Would David Beckham ever do the same ? Could Tiger Woods – before his indiscretions – have contemplated such a move ?
But trying stopping ‘Pacman’. There are those who believe Pacquiao is entering much heavier waters than a boxing ring. There are even those who believe he is simply putting his life on the line.
Bob Arum, his promoter, is convinced that the next time he introduces Pacquiao on a boxing dais, it will be as ‘The Honourable Manny Pacquiao’.
Pacquiao has not taken long after his defeat (at times, suffocatingly frustrating) of tough guy African Joshua Clottey to spell out that he wants Floyd Mayweather next, but perhaps more importantly, wants an altogether different role. Boxing will be forgotten now for two months. Nor, indeed, is he to overtly use his celebratory rally in The Philippines to celebrate his recent victory, as a political tool. I’m told that is forbidden in his homeland.
The National Fist did put out a public statement, however. “But now it is time for a more serious fight for me and that is my campaign for congress. The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been under-served for too long. I want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my people have suffered because I have too. That is how I grew up and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty I am compelled to be a public servant for them. If my being in public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured, I am only too happy to serve.”
“One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honour to the Philippines. The Filipino people don’t just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. Running for congress is a way for me to repay them.”
The boy who came from the shanty is now the sixth richest athlete in the world. He is wanted to endorse beer, ice cream, ibuprofen, and enjoys, with the world’s other leading sponrtsmen, the sponsorship of Nike.
He enjoys great wealth – and has accrued assets. Gasoline stations, coffee shops, a boxing-promotion company, a gym, a basketball team, a grocery store and a rooster farm. His home in General Santos is a compound, guarded 24/7. Outside there, those afflicted by poverty will already have started forming an orderly queue. They will each be given bags with rice and sardines inside, and £3.
Last year, Pacquiao earned $40 million. Much is given away by this one man welfare state. It goes to indivuduals, hospitals and schools. But is all this enough to gain the votes of the people?
Pacquiao lost his first bid for congress in the town where he grew up, General Santos City, in 2007, to Darlene Antonino-Custodio. He lost by a large margin. A large unanimous decision in boxing terms.
On May 10, Pacquiao will run for congress in Sarangani Province, where his wife, Jinkee, grew up as a child. The family of his opponent, shipping magnate Roy Chiongbian, have been the political mayordomos for years. Pacquiao is the No 1 boxer in the world. But his fight is just beginning…
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Manny Pacquiao now takes on an altogether different fight. For a seat in the lower house of congress in The Philippines. The election is on May 10. It is a noble act for boxing’s leading purveyor of the noble art. To many in the West, it is unthinkable that a sportsman can or could perform such a feat in the sometime murky world of politics.Would David Beckham ever do the same ? Could Tiger Woods – before his indiscretions – have contemplated such a move ?
But trying stopping ‘Pacman’. There are those who believe Pacquiao is entering much heavier waters than a boxing ring. There are even those who believe he is simply putting his life on the line.
Bob Arum, his promoter, is convinced that the next time he introduces Pacquiao on a boxing dais, it will be as ‘The Honourable Manny Pacquiao’.
Pacquiao has not taken long after his defeat (at times, suffocatingly frustrating) of tough guy African Joshua Clottey to spell out that he wants Floyd Mayweather next, but perhaps more importantly, wants an altogether different role. Boxing will be forgotten now for two months. Nor, indeed, is he to overtly use his celebratory rally in The Philippines to celebrate his recent victory, as a political tool. I’m told that is forbidden in his homeland.
The National Fist did put out a public statement, however. “But now it is time for a more serious fight for me and that is my campaign for congress. The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been under-served for too long. I want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my people have suffered because I have too. That is how I grew up and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty I am compelled to be a public servant for them. If my being in public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured, I am only too happy to serve.”
“One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honour to the Philippines. The Filipino people don’t just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. Running for congress is a way for me to repay them.”
The boy who came from the shanty is now the sixth richest athlete in the world. He is wanted to endorse beer, ice cream, ibuprofen, and enjoys, with the world’s other leading sponrtsmen, the sponsorship of Nike.
He enjoys great wealth – and has accrued assets. Gasoline stations, coffee shops, a boxing-promotion company, a gym, a basketball team, a grocery store and a rooster farm. His home in General Santos is a compound, guarded 24/7. Outside there, those afflicted by poverty will already have started forming an orderly queue. They will each be given bags with rice and sardines inside, and £3.
Last year, Pacquiao earned $40 million. Much is given away by this one man welfare state. It goes to indivuduals, hospitals and schools. But is all this enough to gain the votes of the people?
Pacquiao lost his first bid for congress in the town where he grew up, General Santos City, in 2007, to Darlene Antonino-Custodio. He lost by a large margin. A large unanimous decision in boxing terms.
On May 10, Pacquiao will run for congress in Sarangani Province, where his wife, Jinkee, grew up as a child. The family of his opponent, shipping magnate Roy Chiongbian, have been the political mayordomos for years. Pacquiao is the No 1 boxer in the world. But his fight is just beginning…
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Freddie Roach refused chance to train 'washed up' Ricky Hatton -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
Roach claimed Hatton requested his services as a trainer late last year, but the American, feted for his work with world pound-for-pound No 1 Manny Pacquiao and 27 world champions, refused.
Roach said he was uneasy about taking on the role. "I've just asked one of my fighters Gerry Penalosa, to retire. You can't lie to your fighters. When I was over in England last December with Amir, Ricky Hatton wanted me to work with him, and wondered if we could get together.
"If he wanted to fight Amir Khan, that's one thing. But I couldn't train Ricky. I said I think he should retire. He's washed up."
Roach was referring to the knockout Hatton suffered at the hands of Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas, in May 2009.
"If he continues fighting, he's [Ricky] going to jeopardise his health. I would not want to be a part of that," said Roach, who has Parkinson's Syndrome himself.
"If he decides to fight Amir Khan, that's up to him. He's been a multi-world champion, he'll go down in history for some of his great victories, and the thousands of British fans who followed him to America, he's been there and done it, and he doesn't need to do it any more."
Roach added: "I like Ricky Hatton. He is one of boxing's good guys. But this is a hard, hard sport to quit when you have been at the top. But as a trainer, you've got to tell fighters the truth."
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Roach claimed Hatton requested his services as a trainer late last year, but the American, feted for his work with world pound-for-pound No 1 Manny Pacquiao and 27 world champions, refused.
Roach said he was uneasy about taking on the role. "I've just asked one of my fighters Gerry Penalosa, to retire. You can't lie to your fighters. When I was over in England last December with Amir, Ricky Hatton wanted me to work with him, and wondered if we could get together.
"If he wanted to fight Amir Khan, that's one thing. But I couldn't train Ricky. I said I think he should retire. He's washed up."
Roach was referring to the knockout Hatton suffered at the hands of Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas, in May 2009.
"If he continues fighting, he's [Ricky] going to jeopardise his health. I would not want to be a part of that," said Roach, who has Parkinson's Syndrome himself.
"If he decides to fight Amir Khan, that's up to him. He's been a multi-world champion, he'll go down in history for some of his great victories, and the thousands of British fans who followed him to America, he's been there and done it, and he doesn't need to do it any more."
Roach added: "I like Ricky Hatton. He is one of boxing's good guys. But this is a hard, hard sport to quit when you have been at the top. But as a trainer, you've got to tell fighters the truth."
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Ward puts off defense due to ailing knee -- ESPN
By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
Super middleweight titleholder Andre Ward's surgically repaired right knee has been giving him problems, forcing him to postpone his first defense against Allan Green and causing major friction between their promoters.
The fight, part of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament, had been scheduled for April 24 in Ward's hometown of Oakland.
"I want this fight in the worst way, and am very excited about it. I have been having recurring problems with my right knee," Ward said. "I went to camp and tried for a week and half to two weeks, and I can't run like I'm supposed to. I want Allan Green to get an Andre Ward that's 100 percent, just like I want an Allan Green that is 100 percent."
Ward said his physician, Dr. Warren King, who is also the orthopedic surgeon for the Oakland Raiders, is recommending four to six weeks of rehab and rest.
Ward said the issue was that he pushed himself too hard at the start of his training camp.
"The issue is that I came out of the blocks too fast in training camp with my running," Ward said. "I was supposed to gradually build up and I went beyond what my trainer, Virgil Hunter, wanted me to do. I believe that's where all of the problems started. This has been a good lesson for me to listen to my coach in the future because he always warns me not to come out of the blocks of training camp too fast but because I'm so motivated about this fight. I came out too fast, too early."
Dan Goossen, Ward's promoter, said Ward was scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.
"It's not where Andre can't walk or do any other training," Goossen said. "He just has to do some rehabilitation on his knee, but the doctor says he should be fine. It's the same knee he had surgery on last year. I don't know if injured is the right definition of the problem. I guess it's been inflamed and swollen, maybe because Andre believed it was healed and he didn't keep up his rehabilitation on the knee. His doctor wants him to do that religiously."
Ward-Green was supposed to be the second half of a split-site Super Six doubleheader on April 24. The other bout, England's Carl Froch defending his belt against Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, will still take place in Herning, Denmark, and be televised on Showtime in the United States on same-day tape delay.
The postponement of Ward-Green is just the latest setback for a Super Six tournament slowly losing steam.
First, Jermain Taylor, who was badly knocked out by Arthur Abraham in a Group Stage 1 match in October, withdrew from the tournament last month and was replaced by Green (29-1, 20 KOs). The second-round match between Abraham and Andre Dirrell has been postponed twice. It was supposed to take place in January, then moved to March 6 before being moved back again to March 27 because of Dirrell's bad back.
The April 24 doubleheader was originally scheduled for April 17 before being moved back one week without explanation by Showtime.
In an upset, Ward (21-0, 13 KOs), the only Olympic boxing gold medalist for the United States at the 2004 Athens Games, dominated Kessler en route to an 11th-round technical decision in November to win a 168-pound title in their Super Six Group Stage 1 bout.
"Dr. King doesn't see anything that should hinder me beyond this point or in future fights," Ward said. "I look forward to getting back in the ring at 100 percent and defending my WBA title in the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic. I apologize to [Showtime boxing chief] Ken Hershman, Showtime and all of the participants in the Super Six for any inconvenience this may cause."
The postponement has been a major inconvenience to Green and his promoter, Lou DiBella, who lashed out about the situation.
He was upset that he had to hear about the postponement from Hershman instead of Goossen and said he believed Goossen intended to sink the fight.
"I haven't had the decency of a phone call or an e-mail from Goossen," DiBella said. "No communication.
"I'm angrier than I have ever been. I don't like people who behave dishonorably."
DiBella also said he was not so sure Ward-Green would ever happen.
"Do I have faith this fight happens? No. Is it a lock I am going to Oakland any longer? Absolutely not. And the fact that this guy didn't call me or text me to let me know the fight was off, I don't think there is another promoter in the business that wouldn't have given me that courtesy.
"I am not questioning the integrity of Andre Ward but I know that my co-promoter didn't have his [expletive] together and he seemed to be delaying. He had problems closing deals with everyone around him for this fight.
"Goossen made a comment to me last week when we were haggling over the site deal, and he said, and I quote, 'I don't give a [expletive] if this fight happens April 24 or not.' Apparently, in that one case he was telling the truth."
Said Goossen, "I spoke to Ken Hershman and he said he would get back to me. There was not going to be any word until I heard from Ken. I had no problem telling Lou. Andre's knee is swollen. He can't run. As soon as we found out, we picked up the phone and called the network and they asked us to wait for a call back. In the interim someone from Showtime called Lou. There was no intent there."
DiBella, however, has been skeptical that the fight would take place for the past several days.
He and Goossen have had issues for weeks hammering out a final site deal for the bout. Although Goossen had Oakland's Oracle Arena, site of Ward-Kessler, on hold for Ward-Green, he and DiBella had still not closed their deal yet because they hadn't agreed to the money.
"'I know he hasn't had a deal with me on a site and I know that he hasn't closed with his own fighter yet," DiBella said. "I knew he hadn't closed with the venue, had not contracted with the venue and only had a hold on it. By a week ago there was no alternative but to go to Oakland because the fight was so close. Over $10,000 or $15,000 he hadn't closed the deal with me, but my end of the deal was so bad, I wasn't willing to go any lower."
DiBella said he heard from several industry sources over the past few days while he was in Dallas at the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight that Goossen was going to call off the fight.
"I had more than one person say that if the fight happens at all, it is not happening April 24 and that Goossen doesn't really want Ward in the tournament any longer and that I should do myself a favor don't make plans for April 24. Don't book hotels, don't book flights."
DiBella said he suspected one of the reasons was because Goossen has an HBO card the same night, which is headlined by heavyweight Cristobal Arreola facing Tomasz Adamek in Ontario, Calif., and he was struggling with handling both promotions at once and determining where to be on fight night.
Goossen said that DiBella's characterization was incorrect.
"That would be someone saying a lot of stuff that has no merit," Goossen said. "I'm very disappointed because we had two major events that night where we had it timed perfectly."
Since the two main events were not scheduled to start at the same time, Goossen said he had timed it out so he could be ringside in Oakland for Ward's fight before leaving immediately on a private jet for Ontario.
"The problem with our business is exactly what Lou just did -- someone thinking and saying the worst before they know the situation," Goossen said.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Super middleweight titleholder Andre Ward's surgically repaired right knee has been giving him problems, forcing him to postpone his first defense against Allan Green and causing major friction between their promoters.
The fight, part of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament, had been scheduled for April 24 in Ward's hometown of Oakland.
"I want this fight in the worst way, and am very excited about it. I have been having recurring problems with my right knee," Ward said. "I went to camp and tried for a week and half to two weeks, and I can't run like I'm supposed to. I want Allan Green to get an Andre Ward that's 100 percent, just like I want an Allan Green that is 100 percent."
Ward said his physician, Dr. Warren King, who is also the orthopedic surgeon for the Oakland Raiders, is recommending four to six weeks of rehab and rest.
Ward said the issue was that he pushed himself too hard at the start of his training camp.
"The issue is that I came out of the blocks too fast in training camp with my running," Ward said. "I was supposed to gradually build up and I went beyond what my trainer, Virgil Hunter, wanted me to do. I believe that's where all of the problems started. This has been a good lesson for me to listen to my coach in the future because he always warns me not to come out of the blocks of training camp too fast but because I'm so motivated about this fight. I came out too fast, too early."
Dan Goossen, Ward's promoter, said Ward was scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.
"It's not where Andre can't walk or do any other training," Goossen said. "He just has to do some rehabilitation on his knee, but the doctor says he should be fine. It's the same knee he had surgery on last year. I don't know if injured is the right definition of the problem. I guess it's been inflamed and swollen, maybe because Andre believed it was healed and he didn't keep up his rehabilitation on the knee. His doctor wants him to do that religiously."
Ward-Green was supposed to be the second half of a split-site Super Six doubleheader on April 24. The other bout, England's Carl Froch defending his belt against Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, will still take place in Herning, Denmark, and be televised on Showtime in the United States on same-day tape delay.
The postponement of Ward-Green is just the latest setback for a Super Six tournament slowly losing steam.
First, Jermain Taylor, who was badly knocked out by Arthur Abraham in a Group Stage 1 match in October, withdrew from the tournament last month and was replaced by Green (29-1, 20 KOs). The second-round match between Abraham and Andre Dirrell has been postponed twice. It was supposed to take place in January, then moved to March 6 before being moved back again to March 27 because of Dirrell's bad back.
The April 24 doubleheader was originally scheduled for April 17 before being moved back one week without explanation by Showtime.
In an upset, Ward (21-0, 13 KOs), the only Olympic boxing gold medalist for the United States at the 2004 Athens Games, dominated Kessler en route to an 11th-round technical decision in November to win a 168-pound title in their Super Six Group Stage 1 bout.
"Dr. King doesn't see anything that should hinder me beyond this point or in future fights," Ward said. "I look forward to getting back in the ring at 100 percent and defending my WBA title in the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic. I apologize to [Showtime boxing chief] Ken Hershman, Showtime and all of the participants in the Super Six for any inconvenience this may cause."
The postponement has been a major inconvenience to Green and his promoter, Lou DiBella, who lashed out about the situation.
He was upset that he had to hear about the postponement from Hershman instead of Goossen and said he believed Goossen intended to sink the fight.
"I haven't had the decency of a phone call or an e-mail from Goossen," DiBella said. "No communication.
"I'm angrier than I have ever been. I don't like people who behave dishonorably."
DiBella also said he was not so sure Ward-Green would ever happen.
"Do I have faith this fight happens? No. Is it a lock I am going to Oakland any longer? Absolutely not. And the fact that this guy didn't call me or text me to let me know the fight was off, I don't think there is another promoter in the business that wouldn't have given me that courtesy.
"I am not questioning the integrity of Andre Ward but I know that my co-promoter didn't have his [expletive] together and he seemed to be delaying. He had problems closing deals with everyone around him for this fight.
"Goossen made a comment to me last week when we were haggling over the site deal, and he said, and I quote, 'I don't give a [expletive] if this fight happens April 24 or not.' Apparently, in that one case he was telling the truth."
Said Goossen, "I spoke to Ken Hershman and he said he would get back to me. There was not going to be any word until I heard from Ken. I had no problem telling Lou. Andre's knee is swollen. He can't run. As soon as we found out, we picked up the phone and called the network and they asked us to wait for a call back. In the interim someone from Showtime called Lou. There was no intent there."
DiBella, however, has been skeptical that the fight would take place for the past several days.
He and Goossen have had issues for weeks hammering out a final site deal for the bout. Although Goossen had Oakland's Oracle Arena, site of Ward-Kessler, on hold for Ward-Green, he and DiBella had still not closed their deal yet because they hadn't agreed to the money.
"'I know he hasn't had a deal with me on a site and I know that he hasn't closed with his own fighter yet," DiBella said. "I knew he hadn't closed with the venue, had not contracted with the venue and only had a hold on it. By a week ago there was no alternative but to go to Oakland because the fight was so close. Over $10,000 or $15,000 he hadn't closed the deal with me, but my end of the deal was so bad, I wasn't willing to go any lower."
DiBella said he heard from several industry sources over the past few days while he was in Dallas at the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight that Goossen was going to call off the fight.
"I had more than one person say that if the fight happens at all, it is not happening April 24 and that Goossen doesn't really want Ward in the tournament any longer and that I should do myself a favor don't make plans for April 24. Don't book hotels, don't book flights."
DiBella said he suspected one of the reasons was because Goossen has an HBO card the same night, which is headlined by heavyweight Cristobal Arreola facing Tomasz Adamek in Ontario, Calif., and he was struggling with handling both promotions at once and determining where to be on fight night.
Goossen said that DiBella's characterization was incorrect.
"That would be someone saying a lot of stuff that has no merit," Goossen said. "I'm very disappointed because we had two major events that night where we had it timed perfectly."
Since the two main events were not scheduled to start at the same time, Goossen said he had timed it out so he could be ringside in Oakland for Ward's fight before leaving immediately on a private jet for Ontario.
"The problem with our business is exactly what Lou just did -- someone thinking and saying the worst before they know the situation," Goossen said.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
THE KIMBALL CHRONICLES: Roach Wonders If Mole Infiltrated Wild Card -- The Sweet Science
By George Kimball, The Sweet Science
ARLINGTON, Texas --- The unquestioned star of Saturday night’s show was neither Manny Pacquiao nor Joshua Clottey, but Cowboys Stadium. The combination of the exotic space-age venue and an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 51,000 combined to produce an atmosphere unmatched in the present millennium.
Had Saturday night’s bout occurred at a more conventional venue and before, say, an audience one-third the size of the party crowd that showed up in Dallas, what you’d mostly be hearing today is “what a stinking fight!” (Editor Note: Fights! LOL)
Pacquiao might have sold out Cowboys Stadium, successfully defended his WBO welterweight title, reaffirmed his position as the world’s top boxer, and, once it was over, called out Floyd Mayweather Jr., but he didn’t bring the same explosiveness to this one that has characterized his recent matches -- and he never did make Joshua Clottey cry ‘Uncle.’
Clottey, for his part, was a frustrating opponent, turning his forearms into a steel cage so formidable that if Pacquiao was in any danger at all, it was of damaging his hands as he banged them incessantly against the Ghanaian’s defenses. And while Clottey (now 35-3) became the first Pacquiao foe in two years to finish on his feet, and the only man alive weighing more than 130 pounds to have gone the distance with the world’s top boxer, in the end what he had to show for his efforts was his second straight loss.
Pacquiao’s flurries had the patrons in the cheap seats swooning in delight, and on those occasions Clottey turned from his Star Wars-like defensive shield to offer even a semblance of retaliation elicited similar squeals of approval. But Clottey was the bigger and, presumably stronger boxer. He was supposed to play the tough guy.
‘Sure, he had great defense,” said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, “but you can’t win a fight with defense alone. In fact, I don’t think we lost a round.”
Roach’s counterpart in the Clottey corner, Lenny DeJesus, pretty much agreed with that assessment, as did one of the scoring judges, Duane Ford of Nevada. Two other judges gave Clottey a round apiece.
“I was pleading along with the whole corner for Joshua to start throwing punches,” said DeJesus.
“It was not an easy fight. In fact, it was a hard fight,” said Pacquiao. “He’s very strong, and you could tell he was trying to land his big shot.”
Actually, it wasn’t clear from the conduct of the bout that Clottey was at all interested in laying the heavy lumber to Pacquiao. He seemed much more concerned with minimizing the damage to himself, which, when you’re getting hit three times for every one you land, is probably not a bad idea.
* * *
Did a mole tunnel his way into Pacquiao’s preparations at the Wild Card Gym? Roach is wondering himself. After an exhaustive study of Clottey’s past performances, the trainer had incorporated an innovation into Pacquiao’s game plan.
“I knew our best chance of knocking Clottey out would be to catch him when he’s throwing a punch,” said Roach. “But Clottey doesn’t like to punch while you’re throwing one. “The plan was that Manny would throw a one-two and then step backward as if he were trying to get out. We knew that would bring Clottey in, and the instant Manny saw him start to throw his jab he was supposed to catch him with a hook on top of it.”
“But when I step back out, what if he doesn’t come in?” wondered Pacquiao.
“He will,” said Roach. The trainer, in fact, was relying heavily on the tactic when he confidently predicted that his man would knock Clottey out.
“The key is that Manny can’t be too effective with the first combination, because you didn’t want to discourage Clottey from doing what he was bound to do next,” he explained.” It’s just to bait the hook. The problem was we had Manny try it about ten times during the fight, and not once did Clottey try to move in and throw the jab. They (Clottey and his corner) say they don’t watch tape, but they must have watched something, because they were onto our plan. I dunno. We had a Ghanaian sparring partner (Abdullai Amidu) in this camp. Maybe that’s the answer.”
Or maybe the answer is that Roach has become victim of his own success. In a gym as teeming with bodies as the Wild Card has become these day’s it’s hard to know who everybody is -- and harder still to keep secrets.
Oh, yes. About that “Thunderclap” -- a/k/a “Pop Goes the Weasel” -- Pacquiao effected in the fourth round, drawing a stern admonition from referee Rafael Ramos when he slammed his fists against both of Clottey’s ears at once. Roach chalks that one up to, well, a case of Manny being Manny.
“He does it in a gym all the time,” said Roach. “I don’t think there’s been a guy he ever sparred with he didn’t try it on, and Steve Forbes, in this camp, was the first guy who’d even retaliated. When he talked about doing it in a fight I warned him ‘Manny, don’t even think about it, because they’ll take a point away if you do.’”
“No they won’t,” replied Pacquiao. “The first time I do it they’ll just warn me.”
In gym sparring, or in amateur bouts, the technique can be downright dangerous, since catching an opponent wearing tight-fitting headgear on both ear-holes at once could easily rupture an eardrum, “but I frankly don’t understand why it should be illegal in a professional fight,” said Roach. “I’ve asked a bunch of people and never gotten a good answer. Think about it: all you’re doing is throwing two punches at the same time. I can’t think of any rule that says you can’t do that.”
It takes 20 minutes to open the retractable roof at Cowboys Stadium. Presumably Jerry Jones was just showing off when he sent word to start winching the roof open with two rounds left in the main event, and it had peeled back to reveal the nighttime sky by the time the crowd was headed out the door. If Jones had done it an hour earlier, Pacquiao-Clottey would have topped Oscar De La Hoya-Patrick Charpentier as the largest gathering ever to watch an outdoor event in Texas.
Source: thesweetscience.com
ARLINGTON, Texas --- The unquestioned star of Saturday night’s show was neither Manny Pacquiao nor Joshua Clottey, but Cowboys Stadium. The combination of the exotic space-age venue and an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 51,000 combined to produce an atmosphere unmatched in the present millennium.
Had Saturday night’s bout occurred at a more conventional venue and before, say, an audience one-third the size of the party crowd that showed up in Dallas, what you’d mostly be hearing today is “what a stinking fight!” (Editor Note: Fights! LOL)
Pacquiao might have sold out Cowboys Stadium, successfully defended his WBO welterweight title, reaffirmed his position as the world’s top boxer, and, once it was over, called out Floyd Mayweather Jr., but he didn’t bring the same explosiveness to this one that has characterized his recent matches -- and he never did make Joshua Clottey cry ‘Uncle.’
Clottey, for his part, was a frustrating opponent, turning his forearms into a steel cage so formidable that if Pacquiao was in any danger at all, it was of damaging his hands as he banged them incessantly against the Ghanaian’s defenses. And while Clottey (now 35-3) became the first Pacquiao foe in two years to finish on his feet, and the only man alive weighing more than 130 pounds to have gone the distance with the world’s top boxer, in the end what he had to show for his efforts was his second straight loss.
Pacquiao’s flurries had the patrons in the cheap seats swooning in delight, and on those occasions Clottey turned from his Star Wars-like defensive shield to offer even a semblance of retaliation elicited similar squeals of approval. But Clottey was the bigger and, presumably stronger boxer. He was supposed to play the tough guy.
‘Sure, he had great defense,” said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, “but you can’t win a fight with defense alone. In fact, I don’t think we lost a round.”
Roach’s counterpart in the Clottey corner, Lenny DeJesus, pretty much agreed with that assessment, as did one of the scoring judges, Duane Ford of Nevada. Two other judges gave Clottey a round apiece.
“I was pleading along with the whole corner for Joshua to start throwing punches,” said DeJesus.
“It was not an easy fight. In fact, it was a hard fight,” said Pacquiao. “He’s very strong, and you could tell he was trying to land his big shot.”
Actually, it wasn’t clear from the conduct of the bout that Clottey was at all interested in laying the heavy lumber to Pacquiao. He seemed much more concerned with minimizing the damage to himself, which, when you’re getting hit three times for every one you land, is probably not a bad idea.
* * *
Did a mole tunnel his way into Pacquiao’s preparations at the Wild Card Gym? Roach is wondering himself. After an exhaustive study of Clottey’s past performances, the trainer had incorporated an innovation into Pacquiao’s game plan.
“I knew our best chance of knocking Clottey out would be to catch him when he’s throwing a punch,” said Roach. “But Clottey doesn’t like to punch while you’re throwing one. “The plan was that Manny would throw a one-two and then step backward as if he were trying to get out. We knew that would bring Clottey in, and the instant Manny saw him start to throw his jab he was supposed to catch him with a hook on top of it.”
“But when I step back out, what if he doesn’t come in?” wondered Pacquiao.
“He will,” said Roach. The trainer, in fact, was relying heavily on the tactic when he confidently predicted that his man would knock Clottey out.
“The key is that Manny can’t be too effective with the first combination, because you didn’t want to discourage Clottey from doing what he was bound to do next,” he explained.” It’s just to bait the hook. The problem was we had Manny try it about ten times during the fight, and not once did Clottey try to move in and throw the jab. They (Clottey and his corner) say they don’t watch tape, but they must have watched something, because they were onto our plan. I dunno. We had a Ghanaian sparring partner (Abdullai Amidu) in this camp. Maybe that’s the answer.”
Or maybe the answer is that Roach has become victim of his own success. In a gym as teeming with bodies as the Wild Card has become these day’s it’s hard to know who everybody is -- and harder still to keep secrets.
Oh, yes. About that “Thunderclap” -- a/k/a “Pop Goes the Weasel” -- Pacquiao effected in the fourth round, drawing a stern admonition from referee Rafael Ramos when he slammed his fists against both of Clottey’s ears at once. Roach chalks that one up to, well, a case of Manny being Manny.
“He does it in a gym all the time,” said Roach. “I don’t think there’s been a guy he ever sparred with he didn’t try it on, and Steve Forbes, in this camp, was the first guy who’d even retaliated. When he talked about doing it in a fight I warned him ‘Manny, don’t even think about it, because they’ll take a point away if you do.’”
“No they won’t,” replied Pacquiao. “The first time I do it they’ll just warn me.”
In gym sparring, or in amateur bouts, the technique can be downright dangerous, since catching an opponent wearing tight-fitting headgear on both ear-holes at once could easily rupture an eardrum, “but I frankly don’t understand why it should be illegal in a professional fight,” said Roach. “I’ve asked a bunch of people and never gotten a good answer. Think about it: all you’re doing is throwing two punches at the same time. I can’t think of any rule that says you can’t do that.”
It takes 20 minutes to open the retractable roof at Cowboys Stadium. Presumably Jerry Jones was just showing off when he sent word to start winching the roof open with two rounds left in the main event, and it had peeled back to reveal the nighttime sky by the time the crowd was headed out the door. If Jones had done it an hour earlier, Pacquiao-Clottey would have topped Oscar De La Hoya-Patrick Charpentier as the largest gathering ever to watch an outdoor event in Texas.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Don't hold breath for Manny-Money after unwatchable Clottey fight -- Sports Illustrated
By Chris Mannix, SI.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The venue, the crowd, the atmosphere, all of it met -- and in some cases, exceeded -- expectations. Boxing should absolutely return to Texas, where the third-largest crowd in U.S. boxing history (50,994) packed Cowboys Stadium to see Manny Pacquiao successfully defend his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey on Saturday. Only next time, it should come with a better fight.
The unwatchable nature of Pacquiao-Clottey -- and it was, for the most part, at a Gigli-level of unwatchable -- had little to do with Pacquiao and everything to do with Clottey. Pacquiao did what Pacquiao does. He threw punches in bunches -- 1,231 to be exact. He chopped at Clottey's midsection like the ex-welterweight champ was a redwood and bombarded him with power shots from a variety of angles.
Clottey, in turn, did what Clottey does. He turned his forearms into a flesh-and-bone shield and his gloves into modified headgear that absorbed virtually everything Pacquiao threw at him. Of Pacquiao's 549 jabs, only 3 percent -- 3 percent -- found the mark. Clottey made a prophet out of most ringside reporters and did what Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, suspected when he learned that Clottey had chosen the cushier Everlast gloves ("Those gloves suck," Roach said) over the more puncher-friendly Reyes brand.
"I'm disappointed [in Clottey]," Roach said. "He's fighting for the title and he fought like he didn't want to win it."
Of course he didn't want to win. He had already won. The Clottey camp declared victory the day it signed the contract that guaranteed it a reported $1.25 million with a cut of the pay-per-view money after the buys hit 300,000. Fighting Pacquiao wasn't about winning; it was about not getting hurt doing it.
It was, of course, all too predictable. And it was a fight Bob Arum, one of boxing's driving forces who counts both Pacquiao and Clottey in his stable, should have seen coming from a country mile.
Now the attention turns back to Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather, a fight the sport desperately needs but one that almost seems predestined never to occur. The two sides couldn't come to an agreement in January when neither fighter would budge over the issue of blood testing (Mayweather wanted it; Pacquiao did not). Since then Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer have engaged in a bitter war of words that has threatened to freeze the sport. "F--- Golden Boy" was one of Arum's most notable phrases last week. And Schaefer told SI.com on Sunday that if "Arum brings the same arrogance to the table this time, he should go ahead and make Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito."
See, it's not just about blood testing anymore. Certainly it remains a central issue -- Arum says he will not negotiate it at all in any future talks and Schaefer insists that Mayweather will not agree to any fight without it -- but there will be others. The crash and burn of Pacquiao-Clottey (HBO's replay of the fight next Saturday isn't exactly must-see TV) and the probable success of Mayweather's upcoming fight with Shane Mosley means Mayweather, should he get past Mosley, won't be quick to accept a 50-50 split. And Pacquiao's camp has long insisted it won't settle for a dime less than that, not when Pacquiao can collect $12.5 million checks (his guarantee for the Clottey fight) for fighting fringe contenders.
Where does that leave the world's best? Sinking in a puddle of mediocrity. As Arum paraded around the disgraced welterweight Margarito like a returning hero -- instead of the lowly criminal he is for attempting to Luis Resto Mosley (and probably succeeding against Miguel Cotto) -- speculation was rampant that Arum was building toward a Pacquiao-Margarito fight later this year. Arum continues to ram Yuri Foreman's name down reporters throats and his chummy relationship with Lou DiBella -- with whom he will co-promote Kelly Pavlik's upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez -- opens the door for fringe matchups with Andre Berto, Kermit Cintron and Carlos Quintana.
Decent fights? Sure. The fights boxing needs? Not even close.
Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
The unwatchable nature of Pacquiao-Clottey -- and it was, for the most part, at a Gigli-level of unwatchable -- had little to do with Pacquiao and everything to do with Clottey. Pacquiao did what Pacquiao does. He threw punches in bunches -- 1,231 to be exact. He chopped at Clottey's midsection like the ex-welterweight champ was a redwood and bombarded him with power shots from a variety of angles.
Clottey, in turn, did what Clottey does. He turned his forearms into a flesh-and-bone shield and his gloves into modified headgear that absorbed virtually everything Pacquiao threw at him. Of Pacquiao's 549 jabs, only 3 percent -- 3 percent -- found the mark. Clottey made a prophet out of most ringside reporters and did what Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, suspected when he learned that Clottey had chosen the cushier Everlast gloves ("Those gloves suck," Roach said) over the more puncher-friendly Reyes brand.
"I'm disappointed [in Clottey]," Roach said. "He's fighting for the title and he fought like he didn't want to win it."
Of course he didn't want to win. He had already won. The Clottey camp declared victory the day it signed the contract that guaranteed it a reported $1.25 million with a cut of the pay-per-view money after the buys hit 300,000. Fighting Pacquiao wasn't about winning; it was about not getting hurt doing it.
It was, of course, all too predictable. And it was a fight Bob Arum, one of boxing's driving forces who counts both Pacquiao and Clottey in his stable, should have seen coming from a country mile.
Now the attention turns back to Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather, a fight the sport desperately needs but one that almost seems predestined never to occur. The two sides couldn't come to an agreement in January when neither fighter would budge over the issue of blood testing (Mayweather wanted it; Pacquiao did not). Since then Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer have engaged in a bitter war of words that has threatened to freeze the sport. "F--- Golden Boy" was one of Arum's most notable phrases last week. And Schaefer told SI.com on Sunday that if "Arum brings the same arrogance to the table this time, he should go ahead and make Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito."
See, it's not just about blood testing anymore. Certainly it remains a central issue -- Arum says he will not negotiate it at all in any future talks and Schaefer insists that Mayweather will not agree to any fight without it -- but there will be others. The crash and burn of Pacquiao-Clottey (HBO's replay of the fight next Saturday isn't exactly must-see TV) and the probable success of Mayweather's upcoming fight with Shane Mosley means Mayweather, should he get past Mosley, won't be quick to accept a 50-50 split. And Pacquiao's camp has long insisted it won't settle for a dime less than that, not when Pacquiao can collect $12.5 million checks (his guarantee for the Clottey fight) for fighting fringe contenders.
Where does that leave the world's best? Sinking in a puddle of mediocrity. As Arum paraded around the disgraced welterweight Margarito like a returning hero -- instead of the lowly criminal he is for attempting to Luis Resto Mosley (and probably succeeding against Miguel Cotto) -- speculation was rampant that Arum was building toward a Pacquiao-Margarito fight later this year. Arum continues to ram Yuri Foreman's name down reporters throats and his chummy relationship with Lou DiBella -- with whom he will co-promote Kelly Pavlik's upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez -- opens the door for fringe matchups with Andre Berto, Kermit Cintron and Carlos Quintana.
Decent fights? Sure. The fights boxing needs? Not even close.
Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
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