By Mitch Abramson, New York Daily News
There was a time when Kelly Pavlik was the omnipresent ambassador of boxing.
After his win against Jermain Taylor in 2007, Pavlik stumped for Hillary Clinton in the Ohio Democratic Primary; he threw out the first pitch for a Cleveland Indians playoff game; Pavlik even spoke to Ohio State before it played Michigan in a college football game.
But in boxing, fortunes can change in a flash, and after Pavlik was dominated by Bernard Hopkins in October of 2008, the public turned on him quickly, according to his longtime manager, Cameron Dunkin.
When Pavlik twice called off a big fight with Paul Williams last year, citing a staph infection on his left hand, the public's reaction was even more unforgiving.
The glamorous public appearances dried up. One Internet report even called Pavlik an "over-hyped white stiff," Dunkin said.
In the face of the criticism, the normally genial Pavlik became withdrawn.
"It hurt him mentally," Dunkin said. "He wasn't happy. He wasn't smiling as much. He thought that people would stand behind him in hard times. He learned how fickle the world can be."
On Saturday, Pavlik (36-1, 32 knockouts) will try to rewrite the narrative surrounding him when he faces the tricky Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 knockouts) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for Pavlik's WBC and WBO middleweight titles. The fight, along with a super middleweight scrap between titlist Lucian Bute and Edison Miranda from Montreal, will be shown on HBO.
"This is an important fight for my career," said Pavlik, who turned 28 on April5. "There's no denying that. The plan is to be dominant. To get back to where I was, I need to look good here."
His promoter Bob Arum spoke at a press conference yesterday of a potential fight for Pavlik at the new Cowboys Stadium, perhaps against Williams, if he wins.
But more than just procuring big fights, Dunkin talked of Pavlik's longing to become the apple of the public's eye once again.
"He misses the attention," Dunkin said. "He wants it back. You can see it in his eyes. He's a hungry fighter. He wants to get it back to how it was before. I think he's dying to get back in the limelight."
Source: nydailynews.com
Thursday 15 April 2010
Pacman won’t win in elections — Roach -- Manila Bulletin
By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin
Freddie Roach has a funny feeling about Manny Pacquiao’s foray into politics.
“I don’t feel he will win the congressional race because they don’t want him to be congressman because they (Filipino voters) feel like we do — they want him to remain a fighter,” said Roach as quoted by boxingscene.
Pacquiao, the world’s No. 1 fighter, is vying for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani province on May 10, 2010 against businessman Roy Chiongbian, who comes from an influential political clan.
Roach even went further in assessing what is on the horizon for his favorite fighter.
“I don’t see Manny Pacquiao retiring any time soon,” said Roach, a statement that runs counter with the Filipino boxer’s hint at retirement in the near future owing to pressure from his wife Jinkee and mother Dionisia.
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is lining up a September or November ring return for Pacquiao possibly against the winner of the May 1 showdown between Floyd Mayweather or Shane Mosley.
Arum is even coming to the country in the final days heading into the elections not only to provide morale support but to discuss the proposed fight late this year.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times is sending Bill Dwyre, its top sports columnist, to General Santos City to cover Pacquiao’s campaign trail.
Dwyre will do just one story for the Times but it will be so huge that it will come out on the paper’s front page on election day.
Aside from Dwyre, also coming over and aching to cover Pacquiao’s sorties are representatives from the major US television networks.
Source: mb.com.ph
Freddie Roach has a funny feeling about Manny Pacquiao’s foray into politics.
“I don’t feel he will win the congressional race because they don’t want him to be congressman because they (Filipino voters) feel like we do — they want him to remain a fighter,” said Roach as quoted by boxingscene.
Pacquiao, the world’s No. 1 fighter, is vying for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani province on May 10, 2010 against businessman Roy Chiongbian, who comes from an influential political clan.
Roach even went further in assessing what is on the horizon for his favorite fighter.
“I don’t see Manny Pacquiao retiring any time soon,” said Roach, a statement that runs counter with the Filipino boxer’s hint at retirement in the near future owing to pressure from his wife Jinkee and mother Dionisia.
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is lining up a September or November ring return for Pacquiao possibly against the winner of the May 1 showdown between Floyd Mayweather or Shane Mosley.
Arum is even coming to the country in the final days heading into the elections not only to provide morale support but to discuss the proposed fight late this year.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times is sending Bill Dwyre, its top sports columnist, to General Santos City to cover Pacquiao’s campaign trail.
Dwyre will do just one story for the Times but it will be so huge that it will come out on the paper’s front page on election day.
Aside from Dwyre, also coming over and aching to cover Pacquiao’s sorties are representatives from the major US television networks.
Source: mb.com.ph
Floyd Mayweather Jr. says Shane Mosley ‘out of character’ for upcoming fight -- Las Vegas Sun
By Brett Okamoto, Las Vegas Sun
In the sport of boxing, a fighter knows to never get sucked into his opponent’s game.
According to Floyd Mayweather Jr., May 1 is still more than two weeks away and Shane Mosley has already made that mistake.
Known as a relatively quiet guy, Mosley has been noticeably more verbal with Mayweather while promoting their welterweight bout next month at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The current WBA champ also felt motivated to get some new body art in anticipation of May 1, all the more evidence to Mayweather that his opponent is not himself as the fight draws closer.
“I think he’s kind of out of character,” Mayweather said. “We all know that’s not the real Shane Mosley. The guy waits until he’s 38 to get tattoos? Come on.”
Mayweather’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., has also seen the transformation in Mosley and attributes it to one thing — fear.
“He’s scared is why he’s talking as much as he is,” Mayweather Sr. said. “Shane is not a person that runs his mouth, but he’s trying to talk the fight into himself. He’s trying to build himself up and be the man that he wants to be when he gets in there.
“He wants to be the man he was when he beat Antonio Margarito. But that’s not going to happen. Because he’s not fighting Antonio Margarito. He’s fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he’s in trouble.”
As entertained as Mayweather has been with Mosley’s attempts to keep up with him verbally, he says he’s expecting a similar outcome when he tries to keep up physically.
In the same confident tone that the boxing world has come to know, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO) stood by his perfect record and didn’t seem to think that Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) or any other fighter, stands a chance at ruining it.
“I don’t think no fighter has a chance of beating me,” Mayweather said. “Floyd Mayweather is a born fighter. It’s not my fault I’m so much better than the guys I’m facing. People want to see fights that are a toe-to-toe battle, but I’m just too smart and intelligent of a fighter.”
Mayweather had an answer for every possible question thrown out regarding his upcoming opponent during Wednesday’s open workout. He even used Mosley to answer a few questions he obviously didn’t like.
As many know, Mayweather was originally set to fight Manny Pacquiao in March before negotiations broke down due to Pacquiao’s unwillingness to undergo Olympic style drug testing.
Since the collapse of that fight, Mayweather has grown increasingly restless with the nonstop questions on a potential fight with Pacquiao in the future.
When asked Wednesday if he thought that fight could still be made, Mayweather responded, "Shane Mosley is a great fighter and that’s why we chose Mosley. Tune in on May 1."
Mayweather Sr. also seemed disinterested on the topic of Pacquiao, but hinted on one thing.
The Filipino boxer filed a defamation lawsuit against the Mayweather camp after negotiations broke down. The suit was based on what Pacquiao said were false accusations the camp made that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Mayweather Sr. said that in all his years involved in the sport, he’s never seen a fighter turn to the courts over pre-fight trash talk.
“Right now, there’s litigation going on with the courts,” Mayweather Sr. said. “There’s really nothing to talk about. He ain't nobody anyway. I’ve never heard of anybody doing something like this in boxing.”
When asked if the lawsuit has been a distraction to him in his preparations for Mosley, Mayweather answered shortly.
“I don’t know what lawsuit you’re talking about,” Mayweather said. “I’m famous. I get lawsuits from people all the time. Next question.”
Another report regarding the addition of a rematch clause in Mayweather’s contract with Mosley has raised the question in some fans of his confidence that he can win the fight.
Under the condition in the contract, Mayweather can demand an immediate rematch should he lose.
Mayweather’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe laughed at the notion that it could affect his fighter’s performance on May 1 and said that a rematch clause is a basic piece of business designed to protect his fighter.
“First off, I want to be very clear and direct on this rematch clause,” Ellerbe said. “It is a piece of business that has nothing to do with the fight. Somehow it’s been misrepresented out there that Floyd wants the rematch and will fight based on the rematch. Floyd knew nothing about it.
“There are many unforeseen circumstances in a fight. You have cuts, no contests, disqualifications. If you don’t have a rematch clause in place, you’re screwed. So it’s just a normal piece of business that we do and have done to protect our guy.”
Regardless of what matters come up outside of the ring before Mayweather fights, he’s proven time and again to be immune to distraction.
Whether or not a pending lawsuit or rematch clause is enough to break the trend is a question that will be answered on May 1.
As one might guess, the Mayweather camp doesn’t seem overly concerned.
“What does Shane Mosley bring to the table?” said Mayweather Sr. “He brings his ass to the table to get the (expletive) whooped out of him. Because that’s what he’s gonna get.”
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.
Source: lasvegassun.com
In the sport of boxing, a fighter knows to never get sucked into his opponent’s game.
According to Floyd Mayweather Jr., May 1 is still more than two weeks away and Shane Mosley has already made that mistake.
Known as a relatively quiet guy, Mosley has been noticeably more verbal with Mayweather while promoting their welterweight bout next month at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The current WBA champ also felt motivated to get some new body art in anticipation of May 1, all the more evidence to Mayweather that his opponent is not himself as the fight draws closer.
“I think he’s kind of out of character,” Mayweather said. “We all know that’s not the real Shane Mosley. The guy waits until he’s 38 to get tattoos? Come on.”
Mayweather’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., has also seen the transformation in Mosley and attributes it to one thing — fear.
“He’s scared is why he’s talking as much as he is,” Mayweather Sr. said. “Shane is not a person that runs his mouth, but he’s trying to talk the fight into himself. He’s trying to build himself up and be the man that he wants to be when he gets in there.
“He wants to be the man he was when he beat Antonio Margarito. But that’s not going to happen. Because he’s not fighting Antonio Margarito. He’s fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he’s in trouble.”
As entertained as Mayweather has been with Mosley’s attempts to keep up with him verbally, he says he’s expecting a similar outcome when he tries to keep up physically.
In the same confident tone that the boxing world has come to know, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO) stood by his perfect record and didn’t seem to think that Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) or any other fighter, stands a chance at ruining it.
“I don’t think no fighter has a chance of beating me,” Mayweather said. “Floyd Mayweather is a born fighter. It’s not my fault I’m so much better than the guys I’m facing. People want to see fights that are a toe-to-toe battle, but I’m just too smart and intelligent of a fighter.”
Mayweather had an answer for every possible question thrown out regarding his upcoming opponent during Wednesday’s open workout. He even used Mosley to answer a few questions he obviously didn’t like.
As many know, Mayweather was originally set to fight Manny Pacquiao in March before negotiations broke down due to Pacquiao’s unwillingness to undergo Olympic style drug testing.
Since the collapse of that fight, Mayweather has grown increasingly restless with the nonstop questions on a potential fight with Pacquiao in the future.
When asked Wednesday if he thought that fight could still be made, Mayweather responded, "Shane Mosley is a great fighter and that’s why we chose Mosley. Tune in on May 1."
Mayweather Sr. also seemed disinterested on the topic of Pacquiao, but hinted on one thing.
The Filipino boxer filed a defamation lawsuit against the Mayweather camp after negotiations broke down. The suit was based on what Pacquiao said were false accusations the camp made that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Mayweather Sr. said that in all his years involved in the sport, he’s never seen a fighter turn to the courts over pre-fight trash talk.
“Right now, there’s litigation going on with the courts,” Mayweather Sr. said. “There’s really nothing to talk about. He ain't nobody anyway. I’ve never heard of anybody doing something like this in boxing.”
When asked if the lawsuit has been a distraction to him in his preparations for Mosley, Mayweather answered shortly.
“I don’t know what lawsuit you’re talking about,” Mayweather said. “I’m famous. I get lawsuits from people all the time. Next question.”
Another report regarding the addition of a rematch clause in Mayweather’s contract with Mosley has raised the question in some fans of his confidence that he can win the fight.
Under the condition in the contract, Mayweather can demand an immediate rematch should he lose.
Mayweather’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe laughed at the notion that it could affect his fighter’s performance on May 1 and said that a rematch clause is a basic piece of business designed to protect his fighter.
“First off, I want to be very clear and direct on this rematch clause,” Ellerbe said. “It is a piece of business that has nothing to do with the fight. Somehow it’s been misrepresented out there that Floyd wants the rematch and will fight based on the rematch. Floyd knew nothing about it.
“There are many unforeseen circumstances in a fight. You have cuts, no contests, disqualifications. If you don’t have a rematch clause in place, you’re screwed. So it’s just a normal piece of business that we do and have done to protect our guy.”
Regardless of what matters come up outside of the ring before Mayweather fights, he’s proven time and again to be immune to distraction.
Whether or not a pending lawsuit or rematch clause is enough to break the trend is a question that will be answered on May 1.
As one might guess, the Mayweather camp doesn’t seem overly concerned.
“What does Shane Mosley bring to the table?” said Mayweather Sr. “He brings his ass to the table to get the (expletive) whooped out of him. Because that’s what he’s gonna get.”
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.
Source: lasvegassun.com
Mayweather may respect Mosley but he shows no worry as fight date approaches -- Los Angeles Times
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Las Vegas
Beyond the perks of massive wealth, national celebrity and his standing as one of the two best boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s 40-0 record provides him the ability to answer tough questions simply.
Mayweather, 33, had a news conference Wednesday as he continued preparing for his welterweight showdown against Shane Mosley May 1 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Mayweather was asked how this stiff challenge was affecting him.
"There's only two game plans people try against me: bum-rush me or try to out-box me," Mayweather said inside his gym inside a string of small businesses a short drive from the Strip. "They can never do either one.
"You guys ask me the same questions, and it's the same result every time."
Mayweather camp insiders acknowledge their fighter is in for perhaps the toughest test of his career, a battle against Mosley, the proud 38-year-old from Pomona who's coming off a January 2009 pummeling of Antonio Margarito. And last September, Mosley stepped into the ring to call out Mayweather after his one-sided decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.
"This guy's bigger than Marquez, was a good amateur like Floyd, has good hand speed and power," Mayweather's trainer and uncle Roger Mayweather said. "I still say [if] we get him in the middle of the ring, we'll get him. There ain't a more skilled fighter in the middle of the ring than my nephew. But Mosley is among the elite my nephew's ever faced," pausing to scratch his goatee and think, "probably the No. 1 guy as far as skill level."
The respect is there. Mayweather's assistant trainer, Nate Jones, tells how Mayweather Jr. got off the plane in Las Vegas a few weeks ago after a Los Angeles news conference, and quickly summoned his friend to drive alongside him as he ran nearly 10 miles.
"He's fighting one of the best fighters out there, and knows he has to be in the shape of his life," Jones said. "He's done it. I predict he's going to knock Mosley out, the way he's hitting and letting his hands go. This is a fight where that can happen."
Such an outcome would be a major boost for Mayweather's reputation. Despite his perfect record, he's often criticized for not truly engaging his opponent and avoiding major tests to his chin as he follows his "hit and not be hit" style.
"He wants to show the world he's the greatest," Jones said. "It took this guy four days to get in shape, and he'll keep training up until about three, four days before the fight. I've told him, ‘Floyd, you're getting scary.' He says, ‘Nate, I gotta beat this [guy].' "
Talking as he shadowboxes and hits the mitts of his uncle in the ring, Mayweather only concedes that he "trains harder every fight. I push myself hard, I know what I need to do.
"I already shut everyone up," he said. "This fight is for me and my family."
Mayweather said of Mosley's power, "Nothing bothers me. I got nothing to worry about. There's a way to beat him. He wants to rush me? He'll get clipped."
He then mocked Mosley, joking that his opponent "punches with his eyes closed," is distracted by divorce proceedings and has acted differently, getting an arm tattoo and "nose job."
"Shane's talented. I'm gifted."
Want to argue? Tough to do against 40-0.
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
Source: latimes.com
Reporting from Las Vegas
Beyond the perks of massive wealth, national celebrity and his standing as one of the two best boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s 40-0 record provides him the ability to answer tough questions simply.
Mayweather, 33, had a news conference Wednesday as he continued preparing for his welterweight showdown against Shane Mosley May 1 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Mayweather was asked how this stiff challenge was affecting him.
"There's only two game plans people try against me: bum-rush me or try to out-box me," Mayweather said inside his gym inside a string of small businesses a short drive from the Strip. "They can never do either one.
"You guys ask me the same questions, and it's the same result every time."
Mayweather camp insiders acknowledge their fighter is in for perhaps the toughest test of his career, a battle against Mosley, the proud 38-year-old from Pomona who's coming off a January 2009 pummeling of Antonio Margarito. And last September, Mosley stepped into the ring to call out Mayweather after his one-sided decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.
"This guy's bigger than Marquez, was a good amateur like Floyd, has good hand speed and power," Mayweather's trainer and uncle Roger Mayweather said. "I still say [if] we get him in the middle of the ring, we'll get him. There ain't a more skilled fighter in the middle of the ring than my nephew. But Mosley is among the elite my nephew's ever faced," pausing to scratch his goatee and think, "probably the No. 1 guy as far as skill level."
The respect is there. Mayweather's assistant trainer, Nate Jones, tells how Mayweather Jr. got off the plane in Las Vegas a few weeks ago after a Los Angeles news conference, and quickly summoned his friend to drive alongside him as he ran nearly 10 miles.
"He's fighting one of the best fighters out there, and knows he has to be in the shape of his life," Jones said. "He's done it. I predict he's going to knock Mosley out, the way he's hitting and letting his hands go. This is a fight where that can happen."
Such an outcome would be a major boost for Mayweather's reputation. Despite his perfect record, he's often criticized for not truly engaging his opponent and avoiding major tests to his chin as he follows his "hit and not be hit" style.
"He wants to show the world he's the greatest," Jones said. "It took this guy four days to get in shape, and he'll keep training up until about three, four days before the fight. I've told him, ‘Floyd, you're getting scary.' He says, ‘Nate, I gotta beat this [guy].' "
Talking as he shadowboxes and hits the mitts of his uncle in the ring, Mayweather only concedes that he "trains harder every fight. I push myself hard, I know what I need to do.
"I already shut everyone up," he said. "This fight is for me and my family."
Mayweather said of Mosley's power, "Nothing bothers me. I got nothing to worry about. There's a way to beat him. He wants to rush me? He'll get clipped."
He then mocked Mosley, joking that his opponent "punches with his eyes closed," is distracted by divorce proceedings and has acted differently, getting an arm tattoo and "nose job."
"Shane's talented. I'm gifted."
Want to argue? Tough to do against 40-0.
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
Source: latimes.com
Mark 'TNT' Tucker Signs With Lou DiBella -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Maryland resident, Mark "TNT" Tucker, a 22-year-old southpaw, USBO light heavyweight (175 pounds) champion with a record of 13-0, with seven knockouts, has signed a promotional agreement with Lou DiBella, the promoter, and Tucker's father, Mark "Spirit Bear" Tucker, confirmed to FanHouse on Wednesday.
The news was first reported by Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com.
"I've been following him for a long time, ever since he once sparred with Jermain Taylor a few years ago. He's a colorful kid. I like the whole, 'TNT' thing. They're nice people, and the kid can fight," said DiBella, who also boasts wBC junior middlweight (154 pounds) champion, Sergio Martinez, and, WBC welterweight (147 pounds) titlist, Andre Berto, among those in his promotional stable.
"His dad's done a pretty good job building him so far, and I think, taking over from here, he's at a good weight. I like him, and I'm really happy about signing him," DiBella said.
"I know that his dad was promoting shows with him in Maryland, and I've had my eye on him for a while," said DiBella. "I saw that he kept on winning, and I spoke to his dad a little bit ago, and I said that I thought I could help advance him. We just completed a deal, and I think he's a good prospect."
Tucker is coming off of December's unanimous, 10-round decision over hard-hitting challenger, George Armenta (13-6, 11 KOs) during which former world champaion, Buddy McGirt, worked his corner.
McGirt, whose past titlists have included the lateArturo Gatti, urged Tucker forward through a grueling battle that he won, 96-94 on the cards of Don Risher and John Gradowski, and 98-92 on that of Gary Camponeschi before a boisterous crowd at the Westminster, MD., Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Agricultural Center.
FanHouse scored the fight for Tucker, 96-95.
Armenta was coming off of August's fourth-round knockout of William Johnson -- his ninth stoppage during a 16-match run of 13-3.
"Mark and I are really excited to be working with Lou DiBella, and we're looking forward to our working relationship. We feel like he's the best promoter in the world right now," said Mark "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "We feel like he looks out for fighters' interest better than anybody else, and we're just really excited."
"TNT" Tucker has been training at The Wild Card Boxing Club for the past two weeks, where the youngster has done some mits work with three-time Trainer Of The Year, Freddie Roach, whose champions include seven-time titlist and WBO welterweight king, Manny Pacquiao, and, WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) champion, Amir Khan.
"Freddie's mitting him up and has helped him," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "He's not working the corner, or anything, but he's really helping him while we're at his gym."
On Wednesday, Tucker sparred with 34-year-old, former super middleweight (168 pounds) champion, Anthony Mundine (38-3, 23 KOs), a winner of 15 straight fights.
"He's training here right now, and he's sparred today with Anthony Mundine. He was in over his head a little bit, and got beat up a little bit," said Roach.
"But Mundine is a world champion, and he's a hard working kid and a southpaw," said Roach. "He's in a tough place right now because all of my guys in his weight are pretty talented guys, but he went six, hard rounds with Mundine and he did well. He just just needs a little more experience."
The 6-foot-1 Tucker, who sports a mohawk and enters the ring to the tune of "A Country Boy Can Survive," has a brilliant story, for promotional purposes.
"I think that he's got a great story. I'm a believer in that. This is the entertainment business, and, ultimately, you have to make people care about you," said DiBella. "The kid already has a local story, and I think when more people hear his story, they're going to care about him."
Before he was a year old, he and his father literally lived in the woods of Eldersberg, Md., for almost two years after their house burned to the ground.
About three years ago, "TNT" Tucker suffered third-degree burns to his left hand -- the same one that has delivered powerful left hooks to flatten opponents -- only to rebound and resurrect his fighting career.
"TNT" Tucker suffered the burns on his hand and arm when he was "about 18," said his father and trainer, "Spirit Bear" Tucker, who is of Native American decent.
The youngster was mixing a cleaning solution for the chrome wheels and stacks of 18-wheeler truck tires on a stove when the mixture -- a combination of polishing wax and paint thinner -- exploded.
"He was cooking it, and it ignited, and he grabbed the handle of the sauce pot and he was running it outside to keep the house from burning down," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker.
"As he was running, the solution spilled onto him and stuck to him like napalm," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "It spilled on the carpet and the house ended up being damaged anyway."
The back of the younger Tucker's hand "was burned all the way to the bone on the top and across the knuckles," said his father. "From the wrist to the elbow, that area peeled up and burned up like fried baloney or fried bacon -- that's exactly what it looked like to me."
The son, whose name has been legally changed to Mark "TNT" Tucker, was treated at Johns' Hopkins' Burn Center in Baltimore for several days, said his father.
"He refused to allow skin grafts and was sent home," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "By the grace of God and the power of prayer, four months later, Mark fought in the nationals, basically with one hand."
Two years later, in February of 2008, the younger Tucker turned pro with a first-round knockout of Walter Edwards -- his first of four consecutive knockouts. Tucker stopped seven of his first eight opponents.
"I've learned from my past experiences that if you want something, that you've got to fight for it and earn it, because nothing in life is easy," Tucker told FanHouse in an earlier interview.
"I draw on those situations sometimes in a tough fight," Tucker said, "during those times when not everything's going your way, and you just have to have the will to win."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Maryland resident, Mark "TNT" Tucker, a 22-year-old southpaw, USBO light heavyweight (175 pounds) champion with a record of 13-0, with seven knockouts, has signed a promotional agreement with Lou DiBella, the promoter, and Tucker's father, Mark "Spirit Bear" Tucker, confirmed to FanHouse on Wednesday.
The news was first reported by Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com.
"I've been following him for a long time, ever since he once sparred with Jermain Taylor a few years ago. He's a colorful kid. I like the whole, 'TNT' thing. They're nice people, and the kid can fight," said DiBella, who also boasts wBC junior middlweight (154 pounds) champion, Sergio Martinez, and, WBC welterweight (147 pounds) titlist, Andre Berto, among those in his promotional stable.
"His dad's done a pretty good job building him so far, and I think, taking over from here, he's at a good weight. I like him, and I'm really happy about signing him," DiBella said.
"I know that his dad was promoting shows with him in Maryland, and I've had my eye on him for a while," said DiBella. "I saw that he kept on winning, and I spoke to his dad a little bit ago, and I said that I thought I could help advance him. We just completed a deal, and I think he's a good prospect."
Tucker is coming off of December's unanimous, 10-round decision over hard-hitting challenger, George Armenta (13-6, 11 KOs) during which former world champaion, Buddy McGirt, worked his corner.
McGirt, whose past titlists have included the lateArturo Gatti, urged Tucker forward through a grueling battle that he won, 96-94 on the cards of Don Risher and John Gradowski, and 98-92 on that of Gary Camponeschi before a boisterous crowd at the Westminster, MD., Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Agricultural Center.
FanHouse scored the fight for Tucker, 96-95.
Armenta was coming off of August's fourth-round knockout of William Johnson -- his ninth stoppage during a 16-match run of 13-3.
"Mark and I are really excited to be working with Lou DiBella, and we're looking forward to our working relationship. We feel like he's the best promoter in the world right now," said Mark "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "We feel like he looks out for fighters' interest better than anybody else, and we're just really excited."
"TNT" Tucker has been training at The Wild Card Boxing Club for the past two weeks, where the youngster has done some mits work with three-time Trainer Of The Year, Freddie Roach, whose champions include seven-time titlist and WBO welterweight king, Manny Pacquiao, and, WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) champion, Amir Khan.
"Freddie's mitting him up and has helped him," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "He's not working the corner, or anything, but he's really helping him while we're at his gym."
On Wednesday, Tucker sparred with 34-year-old, former super middleweight (168 pounds) champion, Anthony Mundine (38-3, 23 KOs), a winner of 15 straight fights.
"He's training here right now, and he's sparred today with Anthony Mundine. He was in over his head a little bit, and got beat up a little bit," said Roach.
"But Mundine is a world champion, and he's a hard working kid and a southpaw," said Roach. "He's in a tough place right now because all of my guys in his weight are pretty talented guys, but he went six, hard rounds with Mundine and he did well. He just just needs a little more experience."
The 6-foot-1 Tucker, who sports a mohawk and enters the ring to the tune of "A Country Boy Can Survive," has a brilliant story, for promotional purposes.
"I think that he's got a great story. I'm a believer in that. This is the entertainment business, and, ultimately, you have to make people care about you," said DiBella. "The kid already has a local story, and I think when more people hear his story, they're going to care about him."
Before he was a year old, he and his father literally lived in the woods of Eldersberg, Md., for almost two years after their house burned to the ground.
About three years ago, "TNT" Tucker suffered third-degree burns to his left hand -- the same one that has delivered powerful left hooks to flatten opponents -- only to rebound and resurrect his fighting career.
"TNT" Tucker suffered the burns on his hand and arm when he was "about 18," said his father and trainer, "Spirit Bear" Tucker, who is of Native American decent.
The youngster was mixing a cleaning solution for the chrome wheels and stacks of 18-wheeler truck tires on a stove when the mixture -- a combination of polishing wax and paint thinner -- exploded.
"He was cooking it, and it ignited, and he grabbed the handle of the sauce pot and he was running it outside to keep the house from burning down," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker.
"As he was running, the solution spilled onto him and stuck to him like napalm," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "It spilled on the carpet and the house ended up being damaged anyway."
The back of the younger Tucker's hand "was burned all the way to the bone on the top and across the knuckles," said his father. "From the wrist to the elbow, that area peeled up and burned up like fried baloney or fried bacon -- that's exactly what it looked like to me."
The son, whose name has been legally changed to Mark "TNT" Tucker, was treated at Johns' Hopkins' Burn Center in Baltimore for several days, said his father.
"He refused to allow skin grafts and was sent home," said "Spirit Bear" Tucker. "By the grace of God and the power of prayer, four months later, Mark fought in the nationals, basically with one hand."
Two years later, in February of 2008, the younger Tucker turned pro with a first-round knockout of Walter Edwards -- his first of four consecutive knockouts. Tucker stopped seven of his first eight opponents.
"I've learned from my past experiences that if you want something, that you've got to fight for it and earn it, because nothing in life is easy," Tucker told FanHouse in an earlier interview.
"I draw on those situations sometimes in a tough fight," Tucker said, "during those times when not everything's going your way, and you just have to have the will to win."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Lucian Bute primed to defend IBF title against power-punching Miranda -- The Canadian Press
By Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL — Lucian Bute feels he's starting to be recognized as one of the world's top boxers, but he will need to knock off power-punching Edison Miranda to keep it going.
The U.S. specialty channel HBO will be in Montreal for the first time Saturday night to show the Bute-Miranda clash at the Bell Centre as a part of a twin bill with a middleweight battle in Atlantic City between U.S. star Kelly Pavlik and Sergio Martinez of Argentina.
It will be Bute's second bout in a row on the channel that is widely considered No. 1 in boxing, and which arranges and broadcasts fights of most of the biggest names in the sport, from Floyd Mayweather to Bernard Hopkins and Manny Pacquiao.
"I hope they keep showing my fights," the super-middleweight from Montreal said Wednesday. "We have to put a on a good show and remain champion.
"It was my dream to be champion and I made it after four years of work. Now I want to be on HBO many times. I want to make it to the boxing hall of fame. I want to retire unbeaten. I want to fight the biggest fighters in the world, the biggest names. Those are my goals. So I still have a lot to prove."
Bute first fought on HBO in November, when he scored a fourth-round TKO before a full house of 16,000 in Quebec City in his rematch with Librado Andrade, the iron-jawed American who had given him a scare with a late knockdown in their first meeting at the Bell Centre in October, 2008.
The southpaw Bute (25-0, 20 knockouts) will defend his International Boxing Federation 168-pound title for the fifth time when he faces Puerto Rico-based Miranda (33-4, 29 KOs), a tough righthander who compensates for limited skill with a thundering punches from both hands.
It was HBO that insisted on Miranda as the opponent for the entertainment value in placing the slick and highly skilled Bute against a power hitter.
"Miranda is a puncher and anything can happen with a puncher," said Bute's trainer, Stephan Larouche. "And they know that if he gets knocked out, he'll get knocked out hard, which is good for TV. He won't quit. He won't put a knee on the floor."
The 29-year-old Miranda has been working for nine months with veteran trainer Joe Goosen, who has coached stars like Shane Mosley and Diego Corrales. The plan is to add some boxing skills to Miranda's power and athleticism, but Larouche is skeptical.
"Once Bute sets up and gets comfortable, Miranda will go back to his old habits because he'll be getting hit left and right and think 'I'd better do something to hurt this guy,"' said Larouche.
"Lucian has a difficult style to fight against. He's like a big Pacquiao. He has a style that isn't conventional. You don't know what side he's going to throw from. You don't know what he's doing with his footwork. He plays distances well."
Miranda has fought many of the best at 160 and 168 pounds, including a 12-round loss to Andre Ward, a pair of losses to Arthur Abraham and a 2007 loss to Pavlik, along with wins over Allan Green and Howard Eastman. In his last fight in October, Miranda knocked out Francisco Sierra (20-3) in the first round.
Bute hopes to dispatch Miranda and then move onto bigger fish. There are reports Hopkins wants to fight him, and that Pavlik may want to move back up to 168 pounds to take him on.
Some felt Bute was slighted when the Showtime channel overlooked him while setting up its Super Six Series between super-middleweights, including Ward, Abraham and others, but his camp now feels he's done better cementing his relationship with HBO.
A Super Six bout between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler in Denmark that was originally to be held on the same night as Bute-Miranda was moved to the following Saturday, perhaps to avoid head-to-head competition for viewers.
"For us not to be in the tournament probably turns out to be the best thing that could happen because HBO chose Lucian as the best 168-pounder," said Jean Bedard, who runs InterBox, Bute's promoter. "They moved Kessler-Froch - that's where you see the power of HBO."
Luis Barragan, director of programming for HBO Sports, said showcasing 30-year-old Bute was a natural.
"He's a sensational fighter and he's also very charismatic," he said. "And he's in that 168-pound class which has a lot of interesting fights in the future."
Barragan sees no problem selling Bute to an American audience even if the six-foot-two fighter is of Romanian origin and, while he has learned to speak fluent French, is still working on his English.
"A lot of our biggest stars don't speak much English," he said. "Manny Pacquiao didn't speak much English and now he's up there in the top three fighters - and personalities - in the world, not just fighters but personalities. Miguel Cotto is another. Eventually their charisma comes through."
Bute and Larouche recently returned from two months of intense training in Florida and feel they are ready.
Bedard expects a crowd of more than 12,000, which is far from a sellout. But he expects much of the revenue to come from pay per view sales. The bout is also to air two weeks later on TSN.
Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
MONTREAL — Lucian Bute feels he's starting to be recognized as one of the world's top boxers, but he will need to knock off power-punching Edison Miranda to keep it going.
The U.S. specialty channel HBO will be in Montreal for the first time Saturday night to show the Bute-Miranda clash at the Bell Centre as a part of a twin bill with a middleweight battle in Atlantic City between U.S. star Kelly Pavlik and Sergio Martinez of Argentina.
It will be Bute's second bout in a row on the channel that is widely considered No. 1 in boxing, and which arranges and broadcasts fights of most of the biggest names in the sport, from Floyd Mayweather to Bernard Hopkins and Manny Pacquiao.
"I hope they keep showing my fights," the super-middleweight from Montreal said Wednesday. "We have to put a on a good show and remain champion.
"It was my dream to be champion and I made it after four years of work. Now I want to be on HBO many times. I want to make it to the boxing hall of fame. I want to retire unbeaten. I want to fight the biggest fighters in the world, the biggest names. Those are my goals. So I still have a lot to prove."
Bute first fought on HBO in November, when he scored a fourth-round TKO before a full house of 16,000 in Quebec City in his rematch with Librado Andrade, the iron-jawed American who had given him a scare with a late knockdown in their first meeting at the Bell Centre in October, 2008.
The southpaw Bute (25-0, 20 knockouts) will defend his International Boxing Federation 168-pound title for the fifth time when he faces Puerto Rico-based Miranda (33-4, 29 KOs), a tough righthander who compensates for limited skill with a thundering punches from both hands.
It was HBO that insisted on Miranda as the opponent for the entertainment value in placing the slick and highly skilled Bute against a power hitter.
"Miranda is a puncher and anything can happen with a puncher," said Bute's trainer, Stephan Larouche. "And they know that if he gets knocked out, he'll get knocked out hard, which is good for TV. He won't quit. He won't put a knee on the floor."
The 29-year-old Miranda has been working for nine months with veteran trainer Joe Goosen, who has coached stars like Shane Mosley and Diego Corrales. The plan is to add some boxing skills to Miranda's power and athleticism, but Larouche is skeptical.
"Once Bute sets up and gets comfortable, Miranda will go back to his old habits because he'll be getting hit left and right and think 'I'd better do something to hurt this guy,"' said Larouche.
"Lucian has a difficult style to fight against. He's like a big Pacquiao. He has a style that isn't conventional. You don't know what side he's going to throw from. You don't know what he's doing with his footwork. He plays distances well."
Miranda has fought many of the best at 160 and 168 pounds, including a 12-round loss to Andre Ward, a pair of losses to Arthur Abraham and a 2007 loss to Pavlik, along with wins over Allan Green and Howard Eastman. In his last fight in October, Miranda knocked out Francisco Sierra (20-3) in the first round.
Bute hopes to dispatch Miranda and then move onto bigger fish. There are reports Hopkins wants to fight him, and that Pavlik may want to move back up to 168 pounds to take him on.
Some felt Bute was slighted when the Showtime channel overlooked him while setting up its Super Six Series between super-middleweights, including Ward, Abraham and others, but his camp now feels he's done better cementing his relationship with HBO.
A Super Six bout between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler in Denmark that was originally to be held on the same night as Bute-Miranda was moved to the following Saturday, perhaps to avoid head-to-head competition for viewers.
"For us not to be in the tournament probably turns out to be the best thing that could happen because HBO chose Lucian as the best 168-pounder," said Jean Bedard, who runs InterBox, Bute's promoter. "They moved Kessler-Froch - that's where you see the power of HBO."
Luis Barragan, director of programming for HBO Sports, said showcasing 30-year-old Bute was a natural.
"He's a sensational fighter and he's also very charismatic," he said. "And he's in that 168-pound class which has a lot of interesting fights in the future."
Barragan sees no problem selling Bute to an American audience even if the six-foot-two fighter is of Romanian origin and, while he has learned to speak fluent French, is still working on his English.
"A lot of our biggest stars don't speak much English," he said. "Manny Pacquiao didn't speak much English and now he's up there in the top three fighters - and personalities - in the world, not just fighters but personalities. Miguel Cotto is another. Eventually their charisma comes through."
Bute and Larouche recently returned from two months of intense training in Florida and feel they are ready.
Bedard expects a crowd of more than 12,000, which is far from a sellout. But he expects much of the revenue to come from pay per view sales. The bout is also to air two weeks later on TSN.
Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
Q&A With Floyd Mayweather Sr.: 'Every Day Is A Blessing' -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
The father-son feud reportedly lasted for seven years, to the point where Floyd Mayweather Sr. once threatened to train Oscar de la Hoya to defeat his talented offspring, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in the ring.
But the 57-year-old Floyd Sr. is now a permanent part of his son's entourage, and, more importantly, says that he can play the proper role of parent, and, even, grand parent to Floyd Jr.'s four children.
Floyd Sr. will also be ringside on May 1 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, when the 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 knockouts) takes on 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in a highly anticipated bout.
Floyd Sr. spent time with FanHouse for this Q&A.
FanHouse: So what would you like to say to the public about your son's life nowadays, given you're back with him?
Floyd Mayweather Sr.: First of all, I would like to say that me and my son are back together. That's a great thing about life. All of the stuff that he's doing for the homeless, and different people, he's definitely a caring person. Everybody has their ups and downs, ends and outs and around abouts.
He's a good kid who is making a mark for himself and a whole lot of other people. Even with the Olympic style drug testing, stopping people from doing some of the things that they're doing with the performance enhancing drugs. Me and my son are father and son again, regardless of whether I'm training him.
I think that everything has been on the straight and narrow and on the positive.
FH: Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn't drink or smoke, does he?
Mayweather Sr.: Let me say this right here: Little Floyd couldn't do what he does if he was doing if he drank or if he smoked. He can't do it. That would be impossible. He don't drink, don't smoke, and I've never seen him do either or. That's one of the biggest things that he's got.
FH: What is your relationship like with your grandchildren?
Mayweather Sr.: Right now I spend as much time as I choose to spend with them. We're still getting to know each other better, but we definitely know each other now. That's not a problem. They can come to my house and do whatever they want to do. I'm just happy to be back with them once again.
FH: I saw on the HBO 24/7 series that you and Floyd Jr.'s mother were dancing together again, has that relationship improved?
Mayweather Sr.: That's Little Floyd's mother, and we were never married. Her name used to be Debra Sinclair, but now, she's married and her name is Debra Orr. I think that everything is better. Little Floyd and my daughter, who is Floyd's half-sister, they all get along.
We mingle and that's nice right there. To be dancing with his mother, that took me back and it took her back as well. That's how we met. We danced all night, nonstop. And we did the same thing that night.
FH: What is Floyd Jr. like as a father?
Mayweather Sr.: He's great with his kids. I'm not only concerned about my kids, I'm concerned about my grand kids too. I love my family, and I'm very family-oriented. I love my family, and I'm crazy about my grand kids. I also take care of my mother and I take care of my family, whoever needs it.
FH: I know that you have Sarcoidosis, how is your health?
Mayweather Sr.: My health is not the greatest, I'll be honest with you, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Nobody knows who is going to be here today and who is going to be gone tomorrow. Every day is a blessing to me. I feel good about myself and what I'm doing.
I feel good about how everything is going with me and my son. My greatest thing is my grand kids. That's what I think about. When I think about life, I'm definitely concerned about taking care of my mother, Bernice, who is 77. I just turned 57 on March 15.
FH: At one point, when you trained Oscar de la Hoya, you said that de la Hoya could beat Floyd Jr., correct?
Mayweather Sr.: I said that de la Hoya could whup him and beat him, but he could beat him with me training him. I said that and I meant that. Trust me, I'm a technician, and I know exactly what it takes to win.
FH: Was that said out of anger, and would you say that now?
Mayweather Sr.: Would I have said that if me and Floyd were on good terms? I doubt very seriously if I would have said that. I don't think that it would have ever come up to the point of me every saying that. I had disagreements with Floyd and said things that maybe I shouldn't have said, and I have said things that I do regret that I did say.
I think that it's the same thing with my son. I don't think that I said any more than what he said, but at the end of the day, I'm the father and he's the son, and somebody has got to be bigger. And right now, I'm being the daddy that I'm supposed to be. One thing about me is I take care of my family, my grand babies.
One of them got a birthday coming up, I'm there and I'm supporting them and I'm giving them the same thing I would give to my mother or anybody else. I'm a family man, and that's what I am. And I'm glad that I'm a family man, because I could have been way out there on the wrong path.
My life has been rough. Real rough. Money is not everything, but you do need money to live, and it's made my life much, much better. And if I have money to make my life better, then it's going to make the lives of those around me and whatever family members are here, better. And I'm going to accommodate them in the best way that I can.
FH: How would you like Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s career to go from here?
Mayweather Sr.: Honestly, after Shane, I don't see no more big challenges out there right now. Not with the name, after Shane Mosley. After he takes care of Shane Mosley, I think that Little Floyd has cleaned up everything, unless he went into a higher weight class.
But size means something, and, again, smarts means something. But he's got to be smart about everything he does in life.
FH: Would Manny Pacquiao be a fight?
Mayweather Sr.: My thing is, if everything was on a straight and narrow, then it would be an ideal fight. Everything would be good. That's all that I've got to say.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
The father-son feud reportedly lasted for seven years, to the point where Floyd Mayweather Sr. once threatened to train Oscar de la Hoya to defeat his talented offspring, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in the ring.
But the 57-year-old Floyd Sr. is now a permanent part of his son's entourage, and, more importantly, says that he can play the proper role of parent, and, even, grand parent to Floyd Jr.'s four children.
Floyd Sr. will also be ringside on May 1 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, when the 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 knockouts) takes on 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in a highly anticipated bout.
Floyd Sr. spent time with FanHouse for this Q&A.
FanHouse: So what would you like to say to the public about your son's life nowadays, given you're back with him?
Floyd Mayweather Sr.: First of all, I would like to say that me and my son are back together. That's a great thing about life. All of the stuff that he's doing for the homeless, and different people, he's definitely a caring person. Everybody has their ups and downs, ends and outs and around abouts.
He's a good kid who is making a mark for himself and a whole lot of other people. Even with the Olympic style drug testing, stopping people from doing some of the things that they're doing with the performance enhancing drugs. Me and my son are father and son again, regardless of whether I'm training him.
I think that everything has been on the straight and narrow and on the positive.
FH: Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn't drink or smoke, does he?
Mayweather Sr.: Let me say this right here: Little Floyd couldn't do what he does if he was doing if he drank or if he smoked. He can't do it. That would be impossible. He don't drink, don't smoke, and I've never seen him do either or. That's one of the biggest things that he's got.
FH: What is your relationship like with your grandchildren?
Mayweather Sr.: Right now I spend as much time as I choose to spend with them. We're still getting to know each other better, but we definitely know each other now. That's not a problem. They can come to my house and do whatever they want to do. I'm just happy to be back with them once again.
FH: I saw on the HBO 24/7 series that you and Floyd Jr.'s mother were dancing together again, has that relationship improved?
Mayweather Sr.: That's Little Floyd's mother, and we were never married. Her name used to be Debra Sinclair, but now, she's married and her name is Debra Orr. I think that everything is better. Little Floyd and my daughter, who is Floyd's half-sister, they all get along.
We mingle and that's nice right there. To be dancing with his mother, that took me back and it took her back as well. That's how we met. We danced all night, nonstop. And we did the same thing that night.
FH: What is Floyd Jr. like as a father?
Mayweather Sr.: He's great with his kids. I'm not only concerned about my kids, I'm concerned about my grand kids too. I love my family, and I'm very family-oriented. I love my family, and I'm crazy about my grand kids. I also take care of my mother and I take care of my family, whoever needs it.
FH: I know that you have Sarcoidosis, how is your health?
Mayweather Sr.: My health is not the greatest, I'll be honest with you, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Nobody knows who is going to be here today and who is going to be gone tomorrow. Every day is a blessing to me. I feel good about myself and what I'm doing.
I feel good about how everything is going with me and my son. My greatest thing is my grand kids. That's what I think about. When I think about life, I'm definitely concerned about taking care of my mother, Bernice, who is 77. I just turned 57 on March 15.
FH: At one point, when you trained Oscar de la Hoya, you said that de la Hoya could beat Floyd Jr., correct?
Mayweather Sr.: I said that de la Hoya could whup him and beat him, but he could beat him with me training him. I said that and I meant that. Trust me, I'm a technician, and I know exactly what it takes to win.
FH: Was that said out of anger, and would you say that now?
Mayweather Sr.: Would I have said that if me and Floyd were on good terms? I doubt very seriously if I would have said that. I don't think that it would have ever come up to the point of me every saying that. I had disagreements with Floyd and said things that maybe I shouldn't have said, and I have said things that I do regret that I did say.
I think that it's the same thing with my son. I don't think that I said any more than what he said, but at the end of the day, I'm the father and he's the son, and somebody has got to be bigger. And right now, I'm being the daddy that I'm supposed to be. One thing about me is I take care of my family, my grand babies.
One of them got a birthday coming up, I'm there and I'm supporting them and I'm giving them the same thing I would give to my mother or anybody else. I'm a family man, and that's what I am. And I'm glad that I'm a family man, because I could have been way out there on the wrong path.
My life has been rough. Real rough. Money is not everything, but you do need money to live, and it's made my life much, much better. And if I have money to make my life better, then it's going to make the lives of those around me and whatever family members are here, better. And I'm going to accommodate them in the best way that I can.
FH: How would you like Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s career to go from here?
Mayweather Sr.: Honestly, after Shane, I don't see no more big challenges out there right now. Not with the name, after Shane Mosley. After he takes care of Shane Mosley, I think that Little Floyd has cleaned up everything, unless he went into a higher weight class.
But size means something, and, again, smarts means something. But he's got to be smart about everything he does in life.
FH: Would Manny Pacquiao be a fight?
Mayweather Sr.: My thing is, if everything was on a straight and narrow, then it would be an ideal fight. Everything would be good. That's all that I've got to say.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Mayweather's got endurance, insurance while Mosley collars tighten -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
It may not be permissible and I may lose my Pacland pass but I have to agree with the Floyd Mayweather camp that getting a return bout clause in the contract for the Shane Mosley bout on May 1 was just a good business practice.
You may think it stinks from a sporting perspective and you may twist it around until you see it as an excuse for Money May to delay or prevent a megabout against Manny Pacquiao but, in my eyes, the explanation of adviser Laughing Lenny Ellerbe that the rematch proviso is merely an “insurance policy” is plausible.
In speaking to the LA Times and scribe Lance Pugmire, Ellerbe claimed that Mayweather did not even know about the rematch clause until after it was agreed to by the Mosley side. I can even buy that because maybe Mayweather' manager, Al Haymon, wanted Mosley's acquiesence on the matter before delivering it on a contractual plate to his fighter.
As Ellerbe pointed out, a rematch clause goes beyond a clean defeat and also covers a head butt, a disqualification loss and other extenuating circumstances which can crop up in big fights.
Now let me swtich over the Mosley camp where it seems to me both the fighter and his esteemed trainer, Naazim Richardson, are both acting a little bit out of their normal profiles.
I know it's just hype but Mosley never predicts fights, especially saying he will win by KO, so his appearance on the George Lopez Show struck me as a case of trying too hard.
Mayweather rarely loses a round, let alone a whole fight so how believable is it that Mosley can possibly win by KO or stoppage?
Which gets me to Brother Naazim.
On Tuesday's Trainers Conference Call, I asked him directly why he told Pugmire that if Mosley could sweep the first five rounds, Mayweather might contemplate quitting, at least mentally, knowing he can fall back on the rematch clause insurance policy.
I was stunned when Richardson said he never uttered those words and I checked by email with Pugmire. With the aura of integrity, The Times has and Pugmire's solid reputation, I could only think Richardson suffered from memory loss or did not want to repeat such an inflammatory supposition over the call.
Pugmire told me, and wrote in his follow up article today, that the trainer did say those very words to his face while they were up at Shane's Big Bear Lake training camp.
Is Richardson's collar getting tight with just 17 days to go? He got a big image boost when he caught Antonio Margarito and his trainer with the funky handwraps and he does a solid job handling Bernard Hopkins but a victory over the undefeated Mayweather would be a gigantic career boost for the tutor from Philadelphia.
Make no mistake, I'm not calling Richardson a liar. Sometimes the inner circle around the big stars get caught up in emotion, that I understand. Been there, done that.
Mosley usually seems like nothing can fluster his equanimity.
Maybe I'm only looking at tea leaves but the Mayweather camp is chilling while fighter and trainer in the opposite corner are showing signs of being extraordinairly uptight.
If Shane or Naazim or both remain uptight, then Mayweather's precious “O” isn't going anywhere.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
It may not be permissible and I may lose my Pacland pass but I have to agree with the Floyd Mayweather camp that getting a return bout clause in the contract for the Shane Mosley bout on May 1 was just a good business practice.
You may think it stinks from a sporting perspective and you may twist it around until you see it as an excuse for Money May to delay or prevent a megabout against Manny Pacquiao but, in my eyes, the explanation of adviser Laughing Lenny Ellerbe that the rematch proviso is merely an “insurance policy” is plausible.
In speaking to the LA Times and scribe Lance Pugmire, Ellerbe claimed that Mayweather did not even know about the rematch clause until after it was agreed to by the Mosley side. I can even buy that because maybe Mayweather' manager, Al Haymon, wanted Mosley's acquiesence on the matter before delivering it on a contractual plate to his fighter.
As Ellerbe pointed out, a rematch clause goes beyond a clean defeat and also covers a head butt, a disqualification loss and other extenuating circumstances which can crop up in big fights.
Now let me swtich over the Mosley camp where it seems to me both the fighter and his esteemed trainer, Naazim Richardson, are both acting a little bit out of their normal profiles.
I know it's just hype but Mosley never predicts fights, especially saying he will win by KO, so his appearance on the George Lopez Show struck me as a case of trying too hard.
Mayweather rarely loses a round, let alone a whole fight so how believable is it that Mosley can possibly win by KO or stoppage?
Which gets me to Brother Naazim.
On Tuesday's Trainers Conference Call, I asked him directly why he told Pugmire that if Mosley could sweep the first five rounds, Mayweather might contemplate quitting, at least mentally, knowing he can fall back on the rematch clause insurance policy.
I was stunned when Richardson said he never uttered those words and I checked by email with Pugmire. With the aura of integrity, The Times has and Pugmire's solid reputation, I could only think Richardson suffered from memory loss or did not want to repeat such an inflammatory supposition over the call.
Pugmire told me, and wrote in his follow up article today, that the trainer did say those very words to his face while they were up at Shane's Big Bear Lake training camp.
Is Richardson's collar getting tight with just 17 days to go? He got a big image boost when he caught Antonio Margarito and his trainer with the funky handwraps and he does a solid job handling Bernard Hopkins but a victory over the undefeated Mayweather would be a gigantic career boost for the tutor from Philadelphia.
Make no mistake, I'm not calling Richardson a liar. Sometimes the inner circle around the big stars get caught up in emotion, that I understand. Been there, done that.
Mosley usually seems like nothing can fluster his equanimity.
Maybe I'm only looking at tea leaves but the Mayweather camp is chilling while fighter and trainer in the opposite corner are showing signs of being extraordinairly uptight.
If Shane or Naazim or both remain uptight, then Mayweather's precious “O” isn't going anywhere.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Tomasz Adamek Mulls 'Tragedy' Against Chris Arreola -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
A week prior to November's 12th-round, knockout of former three-time world champion, Miguel Cotto, WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king,Manny Pacquiao, delivered food as part of disaster relief in his native Manila, Philippines during a murderous typhoon.
Last Saturday, Haitian-American, WBC welterweight titlist, Andre Berto, of Winter Haven, Fla., scored an eighth-round knockout of southpaw former world champion, Carlos Quintana, of Puerto Rico.
Berto did so with a heavy heart in a clash that ended an 11-month ring absence during which eight of Berto's family members were killed in the mid-January earthquake that rocked Haiti, and during which Berto made several trips to provide everything from financial support to burying the dead.
On Saturday, April 24, at Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, Calif., the nearly 6-foot-2, Polish-born former light heavyweight (175 pounds) and cruiser weight (200 pounds) champion, Tomasz Adamek, of Jersey City, will be facing similar adversity when he takes on 6-foot-4, heavyweight contender, Chris Arreola, who, weighed 263 pounds for his last fight and represents the largest man the 33-year-old Adamek has ever fought.
And Adamek (40-1, 27 knockouts) will be doing so while thinking about the 96 passengers and crew who died in Saturday's plane crash in Russia near Smolensk, including Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, and several political, military and religious leaders.
"Team Adamek is dedicating this fight to all of the people who died there and to their families. This was a tragedy which has never, ever happened in the history of the world. We basically lost the president, the First Lady. There's nobody there. It's a big void. How those people will be replaced, I have no idea. Just the outpouring of grief and sympathy," said Adamek, during a conference call that included Arreola on Wednesday.
"Today, just to see the coffin of the president, you have to stay in a line which is about five miles long. This is what is happening right now in Poland," said Adamek, who has won nine straight fights with six knockouts during the run. "This is a great tragedy on a personal and political level. Every Pole is feeling the grief, and every Pole is touched, because we don't know how we're going to rebuild it."
Adamek debuted in boxing's largest division with October's fifth-round knockout of former world heavyweight title contender, Andrew Golota (41-8-1, 33 KOs), whom Adamek dropped in the first, and, fifth rounds, despite being out-weighed, 214-to-256.
In his second heavyweight bout in February, Adamek earned a 12-round, unanimous decision over former U.S. Olympian, Jason Estrada, who out-weighted Adamek, 237-to-220.5.
But the 28-year-old Arreola (28-1, 25 knockouts) weighed a career-high, 263-pounds for his last bout, which was which was December's fourth-round knockout of Brian Minto (34-3, 21 KOs), who was stopped for the first time in his career by Arreola.
Nicknamed, "The Nightmare," Arreola's victory helped him to bounce back from September's 10th-round knockout loss to WBC king, Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) heading into the clash with Adamek, who is dedicating the fight to those who died in the airplane crash.
"I was invited to have breakfast with President Kaczynski [to happen in May,] who died in the accident, and it was supposed to happen just after the fight with Chris," said Adamek, whose match with Golota, a native of Warsaw, Poland, who lives in Chicago, took place in Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland, before a large crowd there.
"I know that the president was as big fan of boxing. A bigger fan than he was of soccer. So this is the one person that I will never ever get to see. I have a very deep faith, and I am strong because of this faith," said Adamek. "I understood what happened, and I am grieving, but I can seperate my personal feelings and draw from my religious experiences and strength to not be distracted before this fight. I am very motivated."
Adamek has not lost a fight since February of 2007, when he was dethroned as WBC, light heavyweight champion via unanimous decision against Chad Dawson.
"The light heavyweight championship was a nightmare, no pun intended. Being that I had to lose 15-and-20 pounds every time, I was basically exhausted all of the time," said Adamek.
"So I couldn't wait to get out of the light heavyweight division and start doing something as a cruiser weight," said Adamek. "And I decided to fight the best at that weight from the beginning. I fought Steve Cunningham, who was the No. 1 boxer and I beat him in my first really tough cruiser weight fight."
Adamek won the IBF cruiser weight belt by split-decision over Steve Cunningham in December of 2008, and defending it twice before facing Golota.
"The Bible said that David won versus Goliath. So the size in the ring will not matter. It never mattered to me. I draw my inspiration from God. I won two titles in two different divisions. Nobody thought I could win those, and I want a third one," said Adamek.
"So in this case, the size of Chris Arreola, whether he's 6-8, 6-9, 6-5, it really makes no difference," said Adamek. "Because you're winning the fight, and this is what I strongly believe, with what's in your heart, and not the size of your body. This is a natural progression for me to be a heavyweight, and I've believed that from the beginning. I realize how tough Chris Arreola is, but the tougher it is, the better I am."
Arreola, however, believes that his size and experience will be too much for Adamek.
"Honestly, I don't think that Adamek's going to come and try to fight me the way that he's fought in the light heavyweight division and in the cruiser weight division. If he didn't come to fight against Estrada, then there's no way that he's going to come and try to fight me, because Estrada can't pop a grape," said Arreola.
"If he comes to fight me, then he's going to get knocked out. Personally, I'm hoping that he comes to fight, but you know I don't expect him to fight the way that he used to fight," said Arreola.
"Do I hope that it's going to be an exciting fight? Yes, on my part, I'm going to give my all to make it an exciting fight," said Arreola. "As far as quickness, I don't care about his quickness. People don't think that I'm quick, so there are some stuff that I might have to show people in this fight."
Arreola caused a stir by saying that he considered Adamek to be a "medicated heavyweight" until later clarifying that he did not mean that Adamek had used steroids to increase his strength and weight.
"I consider Adamek to be a cruiser weight who doesn't have to cut down. To me, he's a medicated heavyweight. As far as him being a full-blown heavyweight, I don't believe that he is. I believe that he's a blown up cruiser weight. After this, he's going to have to go back to cruiser weight. My job in this fight is to show him that he doesn't belong in the heavyweight division," said Arreola.
"Tomasz Adamek was saying that David versus Goliath type of crap, but I just don't care about that. I'm there to fight," said Arreola. "I'm not there to preach the Bible. I don't care. I'm there to fight, and I'm a fighter, and that's what I do. The main thing about this camp is that everything's moving along and everything is a lot easier than it used to be."
Arreola said that he believes that he will have to chase Adamek before cornering him and finishing him.
"Tomasz Adamek is a proven champion, and my respect goes out to him in that sense. But one thing is that I know that he's going to run away from me, and I know that I'm going to have to try to cut the ring off," said Arreola.
"And once I get him against the ropes, I'm going to have to bang away -- bang his arms, bang his body, and do whatever I have to do," said Arreola. "I just think that losing to Vitali Klitschko, that fight should have been mine. I feel like I have a lot to prove. But Tomasz is no Vitali Klitschko. Vitali was big and rangy and he knew how to run, but eventually, I'm going to catch up to him, and then, it's going to be over."
But Adamek said that he will out box Arreola.
"My strategy in a fight is to move around and not get hit," said Adamek. "But believe me, Chris Arreola will get hit."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
A week prior to November's 12th-round, knockout of former three-time world champion, Miguel Cotto, WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king,Manny Pacquiao, delivered food as part of disaster relief in his native Manila, Philippines during a murderous typhoon.
Last Saturday, Haitian-American, WBC welterweight titlist, Andre Berto, of Winter Haven, Fla., scored an eighth-round knockout of southpaw former world champion, Carlos Quintana, of Puerto Rico.
Berto did so with a heavy heart in a clash that ended an 11-month ring absence during which eight of Berto's family members were killed in the mid-January earthquake that rocked Haiti, and during which Berto made several trips to provide everything from financial support to burying the dead.
On Saturday, April 24, at Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, Calif., the nearly 6-foot-2, Polish-born former light heavyweight (175 pounds) and cruiser weight (200 pounds) champion, Tomasz Adamek, of Jersey City, will be facing similar adversity when he takes on 6-foot-4, heavyweight contender, Chris Arreola, who, weighed 263 pounds for his last fight and represents the largest man the 33-year-old Adamek has ever fought.
And Adamek (40-1, 27 knockouts) will be doing so while thinking about the 96 passengers and crew who died in Saturday's plane crash in Russia near Smolensk, including Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, and several political, military and religious leaders.
"Team Adamek is dedicating this fight to all of the people who died there and to their families. This was a tragedy which has never, ever happened in the history of the world. We basically lost the president, the First Lady. There's nobody there. It's a big void. How those people will be replaced, I have no idea. Just the outpouring of grief and sympathy," said Adamek, during a conference call that included Arreola on Wednesday.
"Today, just to see the coffin of the president, you have to stay in a line which is about five miles long. This is what is happening right now in Poland," said Adamek, who has won nine straight fights with six knockouts during the run. "This is a great tragedy on a personal and political level. Every Pole is feeling the grief, and every Pole is touched, because we don't know how we're going to rebuild it."
Adamek debuted in boxing's largest division with October's fifth-round knockout of former world heavyweight title contender, Andrew Golota (41-8-1, 33 KOs), whom Adamek dropped in the first, and, fifth rounds, despite being out-weighed, 214-to-256.
In his second heavyweight bout in February, Adamek earned a 12-round, unanimous decision over former U.S. Olympian, Jason Estrada, who out-weighted Adamek, 237-to-220.5.
But the 28-year-old Arreola (28-1, 25 knockouts) weighed a career-high, 263-pounds for his last bout, which was which was December's fourth-round knockout of Brian Minto (34-3, 21 KOs), who was stopped for the first time in his career by Arreola.
Nicknamed, "The Nightmare," Arreola's victory helped him to bounce back from September's 10th-round knockout loss to WBC king, Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) heading into the clash with Adamek, who is dedicating the fight to those who died in the airplane crash.
"I was invited to have breakfast with President Kaczynski [to happen in May,] who died in the accident, and it was supposed to happen just after the fight with Chris," said Adamek, whose match with Golota, a native of Warsaw, Poland, who lives in Chicago, took place in Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland, before a large crowd there.
"I know that the president was as big fan of boxing. A bigger fan than he was of soccer. So this is the one person that I will never ever get to see. I have a very deep faith, and I am strong because of this faith," said Adamek. "I understood what happened, and I am grieving, but I can seperate my personal feelings and draw from my religious experiences and strength to not be distracted before this fight. I am very motivated."
Adamek has not lost a fight since February of 2007, when he was dethroned as WBC, light heavyweight champion via unanimous decision against Chad Dawson.
"The light heavyweight championship was a nightmare, no pun intended. Being that I had to lose 15-and-20 pounds every time, I was basically exhausted all of the time," said Adamek.
"So I couldn't wait to get out of the light heavyweight division and start doing something as a cruiser weight," said Adamek. "And I decided to fight the best at that weight from the beginning. I fought Steve Cunningham, who was the No. 1 boxer and I beat him in my first really tough cruiser weight fight."
Adamek won the IBF cruiser weight belt by split-decision over Steve Cunningham in December of 2008, and defending it twice before facing Golota.
"The Bible said that David won versus Goliath. So the size in the ring will not matter. It never mattered to me. I draw my inspiration from God. I won two titles in two different divisions. Nobody thought I could win those, and I want a third one," said Adamek.
"So in this case, the size of Chris Arreola, whether he's 6-8, 6-9, 6-5, it really makes no difference," said Adamek. "Because you're winning the fight, and this is what I strongly believe, with what's in your heart, and not the size of your body. This is a natural progression for me to be a heavyweight, and I've believed that from the beginning. I realize how tough Chris Arreola is, but the tougher it is, the better I am."
Arreola, however, believes that his size and experience will be too much for Adamek.
"Honestly, I don't think that Adamek's going to come and try to fight me the way that he's fought in the light heavyweight division and in the cruiser weight division. If he didn't come to fight against Estrada, then there's no way that he's going to come and try to fight me, because Estrada can't pop a grape," said Arreola.
"If he comes to fight me, then he's going to get knocked out. Personally, I'm hoping that he comes to fight, but you know I don't expect him to fight the way that he used to fight," said Arreola.
"Do I hope that it's going to be an exciting fight? Yes, on my part, I'm going to give my all to make it an exciting fight," said Arreola. "As far as quickness, I don't care about his quickness. People don't think that I'm quick, so there are some stuff that I might have to show people in this fight."
Arreola caused a stir by saying that he considered Adamek to be a "medicated heavyweight" until later clarifying that he did not mean that Adamek had used steroids to increase his strength and weight.
"I consider Adamek to be a cruiser weight who doesn't have to cut down. To me, he's a medicated heavyweight. As far as him being a full-blown heavyweight, I don't believe that he is. I believe that he's a blown up cruiser weight. After this, he's going to have to go back to cruiser weight. My job in this fight is to show him that he doesn't belong in the heavyweight division," said Arreola.
"Tomasz Adamek was saying that David versus Goliath type of crap, but I just don't care about that. I'm there to fight," said Arreola. "I'm not there to preach the Bible. I don't care. I'm there to fight, and I'm a fighter, and that's what I do. The main thing about this camp is that everything's moving along and everything is a lot easier than it used to be."
Arreola said that he believes that he will have to chase Adamek before cornering him and finishing him.
"Tomasz Adamek is a proven champion, and my respect goes out to him in that sense. But one thing is that I know that he's going to run away from me, and I know that I'm going to have to try to cut the ring off," said Arreola.
"And once I get him against the ropes, I'm going to have to bang away -- bang his arms, bang his body, and do whatever I have to do," said Arreola. "I just think that losing to Vitali Klitschko, that fight should have been mine. I feel like I have a lot to prove. But Tomasz is no Vitali Klitschko. Vitali was big and rangy and he knew how to run, but eventually, I'm going to catch up to him, and then, it's going to be over."
But Adamek said that he will out box Arreola.
"My strategy in a fight is to move around and not get hit," said Adamek. "But believe me, Chris Arreola will get hit."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Manny Pacquiao chatter banned: He Who Shall Not Be Named -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
I could joke and say I got the “half Filipino treatment” on Tuesday's Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Trainers Media Conference Call.
It wasn't like what Mayweather did to Chino Trindiad and another Pinoy TV type in Los Angeles where he refused to even entertain a single question from the interlopers.
Don't you Pinoys know that is Shane and Floyd, this is as All American baby as hot dogs, apple pie and Sarah Palin.
I was permitted to be on the call, which turned into a real tension convention with Roger “Black Mamba” Mayweather displaying both of his moods (nasty and mean-spirited) and his sniping back and forth with the normally gentlemanly Naazim Richardson.
I was permitted to ask a question of Richardson and Rajah but, when I mentioned Manny Pacquiao's name, Golden Boy CEO Richie Rich Schaefer rushed in to cut me off.
Funny thing was that later on BOTH trainers mentioned Pacman, Richardson in a strictly positive vein (can I use that term with all the bloody drug testing banter?) and Roger in a sharp dig at Mosley's ring history.
In saying that Mayweather is a good and clean athlete, Philadelphia based Richardson said he held the same view of Megamanny. Maybe he heard that Manny is 18-0, something like that on postfight drug testing.
Roger, on the other shifty hand, ripped Mosley through his trainer, saying:
"He (L'il Floyd) is the most skillful fighter in the sport of boxing, hands down...I am not saying that Shane Mosley is not a skilled fighter but...Remember the one thing...Did he fight (Miguel) Cotto?
"OK, then he fought Cotto...did you see what Pacquiao done with Cotto, right...
"Floyd knows how to win, obviously he don't know how to lose."
Body blow by the "Black Mamba" and it reminded me of sitting ringside when Julio Cesar Chavez was whacking his spare ribs while Roger was guarding his own grill. That bout ended with Roger quitting on his stool, thus proving he was no fool.
To his credit, Richardson tried to remain on high ground but clearly he needs some lessons in snake handling at least as far as dealing with this "Black Mamba."
Naaz puts in a little hard work I could see him becoming one of those snake charmers, not to be confused with Rev. Farrakhan's youthful career as calypso music artist known as "The Chamer."
But back to Herr Schaefe...Hey, it's Oscar's dime, their conference call and he is able to do that.
That's no big deal although they may want to set specific limitations on the next media call advisory they send out, like so:
GOLDEN RULES UNABRIDGED, CONFERENCE CALL GROUND RULES:
1.He Who Shall Not Be Mentioned cannot be referenced to in any manner. Hint, his initials are MP, he's the Pound for Pound king of all boxing and he is currently running for Congress from Sarangani.
2.See Rule 1.
3.Anyone violating Rule 1 and 2 shall not be permitted to partake of any of week old coffee or stale popcorn in the Media Center at the MM Grand. Only thing "weaker" than the coffee is the undercard but, then again, Top Rank's supporting bouts haven't been smelling like roses, either.
4.Michael Marley, This Means You, you could stand to throw a few decks chairs off of that Titantic size body.
5.If you need a translator to decipher the secret language of the Black Mamba, you're on your own.
6.If we wanted Pinoy press on the call, we'll send you a special inviation. Oh, you didn't get it, Filpino media types. Must have gone into your spam directory, oops!
7.DO NOT, repeat DO NOT, ask Roger to discuss his pending criminal assault case wherein it is alleged that put infamous “Black Mamba Turns Boa Constrictor” move on a pesky tenant of his who also claims to be a female boxer with the nickname “Guard Your Grill.” Mayweather alleged that this lady is something that rhymes with “champ” and that she smashed his Denzel Washington movie star grill with a hot lamp. It is not true that she shouted the Larry Holmes war cry, "You can't cook with cold grease" while lamp-ooning Rajah.
8.DO NOT EVER, EVER mention that slug Bob Arum or his Bottom Rank outfit, thank you in advance for your professional courtesy. We say the Nevada commission should start random testing on Methusaleh Bob, how's that?
9.Should you hear the mute button buzzing, it's our way of silencing Motormouth Marley who had the temerity to ask Roger, who said his nephew is “great while Mosley is only “good,” in which category he would rank Mr. Pacquiao.
10.We have STRICT RULES, and I mean STRICT RULES, that the name of the world's best fighter (until proven otherwise after Mosley and Mayweather fight seven times) cannot be mentioned on our conference calls, at our media days our in our Media Center. No, make that anywhere “on porperty” at the MG Grand. We have security on alert so don't even THINK about that Pacman.
11.We thank you in advance for your courtesy and concern.
12. Anyone following all our rules to the Golden letter will be invited to our next Prefight Bootlickers Ball at the MGM Grand, we pay the check but you pay the tips, you cheap creeps. Looks like it will be the Food Court that night for Marley, eh?
(Off the record, that Marley guy sure livens up a press party, huh? A semi-deranged provocateur who refuses to ask the penetrating questions such as, can you please compare each fighter's jab...
ZZZZZZ and I don't mean ZZ Top.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
I could joke and say I got the “half Filipino treatment” on Tuesday's Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Trainers Media Conference Call.
It wasn't like what Mayweather did to Chino Trindiad and another Pinoy TV type in Los Angeles where he refused to even entertain a single question from the interlopers.
Don't you Pinoys know that is Shane and Floyd, this is as All American baby as hot dogs, apple pie and Sarah Palin.
I was permitted to be on the call, which turned into a real tension convention with Roger “Black Mamba” Mayweather displaying both of his moods (nasty and mean-spirited) and his sniping back and forth with the normally gentlemanly Naazim Richardson.
I was permitted to ask a question of Richardson and Rajah but, when I mentioned Manny Pacquiao's name, Golden Boy CEO Richie Rich Schaefer rushed in to cut me off.
Funny thing was that later on BOTH trainers mentioned Pacman, Richardson in a strictly positive vein (can I use that term with all the bloody drug testing banter?) and Roger in a sharp dig at Mosley's ring history.
In saying that Mayweather is a good and clean athlete, Philadelphia based Richardson said he held the same view of Megamanny. Maybe he heard that Manny is 18-0, something like that on postfight drug testing.
Roger, on the other shifty hand, ripped Mosley through his trainer, saying:
"He (L'il Floyd) is the most skillful fighter in the sport of boxing, hands down...I am not saying that Shane Mosley is not a skilled fighter but...Remember the one thing...Did he fight (Miguel) Cotto?
"OK, then he fought Cotto...did you see what Pacquiao done with Cotto, right...
"Floyd knows how to win, obviously he don't know how to lose."
Body blow by the "Black Mamba" and it reminded me of sitting ringside when Julio Cesar Chavez was whacking his spare ribs while Roger was guarding his own grill. That bout ended with Roger quitting on his stool, thus proving he was no fool.
To his credit, Richardson tried to remain on high ground but clearly he needs some lessons in snake handling at least as far as dealing with this "Black Mamba."
Naaz puts in a little hard work I could see him becoming one of those snake charmers, not to be confused with Rev. Farrakhan's youthful career as calypso music artist known as "The Chamer."
But back to Herr Schaefe...Hey, it's Oscar's dime, their conference call and he is able to do that.
That's no big deal although they may want to set specific limitations on the next media call advisory they send out, like so:
GOLDEN RULES UNABRIDGED, CONFERENCE CALL GROUND RULES:
1.He Who Shall Not Be Mentioned cannot be referenced to in any manner. Hint, his initials are MP, he's the Pound for Pound king of all boxing and he is currently running for Congress from Sarangani.
2.See Rule 1.
3.Anyone violating Rule 1 and 2 shall not be permitted to partake of any of week old coffee or stale popcorn in the Media Center at the MM Grand. Only thing "weaker" than the coffee is the undercard but, then again, Top Rank's supporting bouts haven't been smelling like roses, either.
4.Michael Marley, This Means You, you could stand to throw a few decks chairs off of that Titantic size body.
5.If you need a translator to decipher the secret language of the Black Mamba, you're on your own.
6.If we wanted Pinoy press on the call, we'll send you a special inviation. Oh, you didn't get it, Filpino media types. Must have gone into your spam directory, oops!
7.DO NOT, repeat DO NOT, ask Roger to discuss his pending criminal assault case wherein it is alleged that put infamous “Black Mamba Turns Boa Constrictor” move on a pesky tenant of his who also claims to be a female boxer with the nickname “Guard Your Grill.” Mayweather alleged that this lady is something that rhymes with “champ” and that she smashed his Denzel Washington movie star grill with a hot lamp. It is not true that she shouted the Larry Holmes war cry, "You can't cook with cold grease" while lamp-ooning Rajah.
8.DO NOT EVER, EVER mention that slug Bob Arum or his Bottom Rank outfit, thank you in advance for your professional courtesy. We say the Nevada commission should start random testing on Methusaleh Bob, how's that?
9.Should you hear the mute button buzzing, it's our way of silencing Motormouth Marley who had the temerity to ask Roger, who said his nephew is “great while Mosley is only “good,” in which category he would rank Mr. Pacquiao.
10.We have STRICT RULES, and I mean STRICT RULES, that the name of the world's best fighter (until proven otherwise after Mosley and Mayweather fight seven times) cannot be mentioned on our conference calls, at our media days our in our Media Center. No, make that anywhere “on porperty” at the MG Grand. We have security on alert so don't even THINK about that Pacman.
11.We thank you in advance for your courtesy and concern.
12. Anyone following all our rules to the Golden letter will be invited to our next Prefight Bootlickers Ball at the MGM Grand, we pay the check but you pay the tips, you cheap creeps. Looks like it will be the Food Court that night for Marley, eh?
(Off the record, that Marley guy sure livens up a press party, huh? A semi-deranged provocateur who refuses to ask the penetrating questions such as, can you please compare each fighter's jab...
ZZZZZZ and I don't mean ZZ Top.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Hatton concedes he is lacking the hunger to fight again -- ESPN
ESPN.co.uk
Ricky Hatton has confessed that he is currently lacking the hunger to make a return to the ring - and that he does not know if the desire will ever come back.
The two-weight world champion announced in January that he intended to have at least one more fight in 2010, but he has failed to agree any bout - prompting reports that he was set to cancel his return.
Hatton, who has not fought since a defeat against Manny Pacquiao last May, has done nothing to dispel those rumours by admitting that he will only re-enter the ring if - and not when - the hunger returns.
"I'd hate to go into a training camp with my heart not fully in it and risk getting beaten by somebody who shouldn't be beating me," Hatton said. "So until that hunger comes back, that fire in the belly - that is when I will make my decision.
"One day I might come in the gym and say 'let's give it a go.' It's only been 10 months since the [Pacquiao] fight - I wouldn't really call that retirement. But, as any fighter will tell you, you have got to have that hunger to carry on with the training."
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has claimed Hatton has been offered the chance to fight Mexican veteran Juan Manuel Marquez, but The Hitman insists that no such proposal has been forthcoming.
"If it's been mentioned, it can only have been mentioned by Golden Boy and it has not been mentioned to me," he said. "I was as shocked as everybody else when I heard it. The fight has not been offered to me, so I don't know what more I can say about it."
Source: espn.co.uk
Ricky Hatton has confessed that he is currently lacking the hunger to make a return to the ring - and that he does not know if the desire will ever come back.
The two-weight world champion announced in January that he intended to have at least one more fight in 2010, but he has failed to agree any bout - prompting reports that he was set to cancel his return.
Hatton, who has not fought since a defeat against Manny Pacquiao last May, has done nothing to dispel those rumours by admitting that he will only re-enter the ring if - and not when - the hunger returns.
"I'd hate to go into a training camp with my heart not fully in it and risk getting beaten by somebody who shouldn't be beating me," Hatton said. "So until that hunger comes back, that fire in the belly - that is when I will make my decision.
"One day I might come in the gym and say 'let's give it a go.' It's only been 10 months since the [Pacquiao] fight - I wouldn't really call that retirement. But, as any fighter will tell you, you have got to have that hunger to carry on with the training."
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has claimed Hatton has been offered the chance to fight Mexican veteran Juan Manuel Marquez, but The Hitman insists that no such proposal has been forthcoming.
"If it's been mentioned, it can only have been mentioned by Golden Boy and it has not been mentioned to me," he said. "I was as shocked as everybody else when I heard it. The fight has not been offered to me, so I don't know what more I can say about it."
Source: espn.co.uk
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