By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press
LAS VEGAS -- For $3,000 a week, Steve Forbes agreed to help an old friend, Floyd Mayweather, prepare for the big fight, the going rate for a historically elite boxer to hire an ex-champion for a month’s worth of sparring.
The problematic point is that after a few times sparring with anyone, Mayweather figures them out.
So Forbes had a standard solution: He went to Mayweather’s father after every session and sought advice.
Forbes obviously isn’t a Mayweather, nor is he from Grand Rapids.
He has bountiful ties to both.
All three of the retired fighting Mayweathers -- Floyd Sr., Roger and Jeff -- have trained Forbes at different times in the former International Boxing Federation super featherweight champion’s career.
And during a trip home a few years ago to Portland, Ore., Forbes met a Grand Rapids woman named Valerie Smulders in a boxing class. Steve and Valerie Forbes have been married five years, have two young children together and live in Pontiac.
Although his sparring work here is done as training camp tapers towards the immediacy of an impending fight weekend, Forbes’ focus remains helping however he can for Saturday’s Mayweather-Shane Mosley showdown.
No one knows Mayweather’s fighting condition more intimately than his two primary sparring partners, the speedy, shifty Forbes, and the bigger, stronger middleweight Ishe Smith.
Last time they sparred, in 1998, Mayweather was 21 and preparing for his first world championship defense. Forbes had eight professional fights.
Almost 12 years later, Forbes said he sees noticeable differences.
“He’s actually been taking a lot of risks in this training camp, as far as really opening up his punch count and throwing a lot more punches and combinations,” he said. “It is different. Even back then, making his first defense, he was so happy to be champion, and he would throw a lot of punches back then -- but he’s throwing a lot more now. And that’s a big, big plus.”
Forbes, 33, is no workaday sparring partner. He is near the end of a once-prominent career, but at this time two years ago, he wasn’t the sparring partner for the big Cinco de Mayo fight. He was the main-eventer.
Against extreme odds favoring Oscar De La Hoya, Forbes acquitted himself well in a 12-round decision loss.
The Mayweathers’ involvement in that fight was pronounced. De La Hoya was tuning up for an anticipated rematch with Floyd Mayweather that never happened. Floyd Mayweather ordered Roger Mayweather not to work with Forbes for that very reason. Jeff Mayweather trained Forbes instead. And Floyd Mayweather Sr., after refusing to work against his son a year earlier, was back in De La Hoya’s corner.
Forbes got the fight because he had a good resume, including reaching the final of “The Contender” reality show in 2006, and because he was deemed as a minimal risk. The De La Hoya loss was part of Forbes’ current 2-5 skid -- he is 34-8 overall -- but the lessons he learned from the Mayweathers served him well.
“I was given no chance,” Forbes said. “And I thought ‘He’ll see, once we get in there, all that goes out the window.’ Yeah, I was undersized and I was a big underdog but it all helped me, because I knew, learning from those guys all those years, it was going to benefit me.”
When Forbes got involved in the first edition of “The Contender,” his wife reviewed the contracts.
Valerie Forbes was visiting friends in Portland when she met her future husband. The Northview High School graduate has an anthropology degree from the University of Michigan but, as she became more involved in the contractual aspects of that negotiation, decided to try her hand at law.
So as one career draws to a close, another begins: Valerie Forbes will graduate from Cooley Law School in August.
Steve Forbes may not be the centerpiece of this Cinco de Mayo boxing weekend, yet he played a key role, and predicted a victory by the “really good, really sharp” Mayweather.
“He’s always in good condition but he looks like he turned it up a whole, whole lot,” he said. “He’s been going for hours training. I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole life."
E-mail David Mayo: dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo
Source: mlive.com
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Victor Conte: 'I Call This The Marion Jones Case With Boxing Gloves' -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
BALCO
ounder, Victor Conte, 59, is being sued for defamation of character and libel by 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), who will meet 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) in Saturday's HBO pay per view-televised clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
FanHouse: Can you name any other athletes whom you helped to obtain steroids in the past who have, since then, denied they knowingly took them?
Let me put it into context for you. Marion Jones claims to have taken a lie detector test and to have passed it. She was convicted and sent to prison. Track coach, Trevor Graham, also in the BALCO case, claims to have taken a lie detector test and passed. He was convicted of lying and spent a year in an ankle bracelet under house arrest.
So this lie detector stuff, it carries no weight whatsoever. And it wouldn't surprise me if Shane Mosley's results are bogus.
What is the structure of your new company, and how does it differ from BALCO in the way that it services athletes?
You've got to understand that I've had this product line and this business, well, actually, two businesses -- BALCO, which provided drug-testing, and then, SNAC, which provided nutritional supplements. So SNAC has been in existence since 1988, and I founded BALCO in 1984.
The newer company is called SNAC, and that acronym stands for Scientific Nutrition For Advanced Conditioning, and our website is SNAC.com. And we supply perfectly legal sports nutritional products and nutritional supplements.
Based upon a huge, data base that we have for testing blood samples of many, many world class athletes, over 250 NFL players, lots of professional baseball players, many athletes from track and field, other sports, and based upon their depletions and defiencies that we've found in athletes, I've developed a system of these products.
Due to the negative attention from BALCO, did it take some convincing for you to gain the respect from some of the SNAC athletes with whom you are working?
Let me say this: I work with a lot of athletes, currently. Some of them are okay with that being public knowledge, and others are not because of the stigma what would be attached. So, if their comfort level is there, then I don't have issues talking about it.
But if there is some sort of a problem, or stigma there, and they choose to keep that between the two of us, then I'm certainly willing to honor that and to do that.
What is your relationship with heavyweight contender, Eddie Chambers, in relation to SNAC?
My relationship with Eddie Chambers is ongoing and it's still very good.
Wasn't there at least one other prominent boxer you worked with in regard to SNAC?
Well, there was Andre Ward, but I'm no longer working with Andre.
Do you remember what it was like and can you describe what happened when BALCO was raided?
That was on September 3, 2003. There was a 26-member SWAT Team that was armed with assault rifles, and there was also a helicopter. And all of them were wearing flak jackets, and it was a raid just like on television when there is a bank holdup.
And they came in there, and it was crazy. Unmarked cars pulled up. There were five or six of them, and there were some 26 agents who piled out and who came crashing through the front door. Then, this helicopter was just a matter of, you know, five or six feet right above the front door on the roof.
And it was rattling the glass above the front door so much that one of them broke. It was a very, scary experience and something that I would not wish upon anyone.
What can you tell the public is the difference between the Victor Conte who founded and operated BALCO and the Victor Conte who is speaking us now as, sort of, a crusader against what you once stood for?
I'm now a part of the anti-doping movement. I'm trying to help those at WADA [The World Anti-Doping Agency,] and, USADA [The United States Anti-Doping Agency] to develop more effective anti-doping policies and procedures. And that's what I'm doing now, and I'm very outspoken about it.
The difference is that here is what people fail to realize, and that's that from 1984, which is when I founded BALCO, and until the year 2000 -- so, for 16 years -- I did things the right way. The only thing that I did was to do comprehensive blood and urine testing of athletes, and to develop individualized nutrition programs for them.
And I worked with many, many elite athletes. There was the entire Super Bowl-winning team of the Denver Broncos, that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997, and, '98. The entire Miami Dolphin team, the Seattle Super Sonics for two seasons, in '92-'93, and, '93-94, and many, many world class athletes for 16 years.
So, for those 16 years, I did everything the right way. But it got to a point, for me -- and this doesn't make it right, because it was certainly wrong, and it was certainly a mistake -- but I had gotten to a point where I thought differently.
I had gotten to a point when I realized that Olympic officials and those that control major league football and baseball were enabling, harboring, and, promoting this culture of drug use in sport. And I made the bad decision to join that culture. It was a huge mistake, and I wish now that I had never done it.
That point was in 2000, and, of course, I did that for the years 2000, 2001, 2002, and, 2003. So, for four years, I was about helping athletes to circumvent these testing policies. Once BALCO was raided, I realized how I had been reckless, and that I had put many others at risk.
Who are these 'Others' you are referring to?
That includes my family members. They didn't cheat. They didn't break the rules. Yet, they were punished severely too. And not only did the athletes who were involved with me -- who were a part of this conspiracy to cheat -- not only did they get harmed, but, also, their families and friends were also harmed.
Even after Marion Jones had sued me for $25 million, and I saw her once she was convicted, and had gotten a six month prison sentence, I saw her out on the court's front steps.
There were many, many journalists who called me and asked me if I had felt vindicated because I had been telling the truth, and she had obviously been lying. But I didn't feel any sense of vindication whatsoever.
What I saw, and what I continue to often see, many years later, Marion Jones' mother standing there on those front steps, and her family. I now realize that, 'You know what? Marion Jones made a mistake, but every one of those around her are in great pain, and experiencing tremendous suffering.'
And that's what I have not thought through before I made the mistake of joining that culture back in 2000. I would never, ever do that again, because I didn't understand at the time. I thought, 'You know, I'm a big boy, I understand there are risks attached to what I'm doing, and if this takes a bad turn, then I will accept the consequences.'
Even if it meant going to prison?
I went to a minimum security prison camp in Taft, Calif., which is West of Bakersfield, which is about 100 miles North of Los Angeles. I was there for four months. And, well, you what I didnt' understand was that there are other people who didn't break the law who would be harmed.
And you don't understand what damage can really be done until you're in prison, and your family comes to visit you, and you look into their eyes, and you see them crying. You see the pain and the suffering and you know that you're the one who caused it.
That's the worst punishment that I think that you can experience. And that's when I began to realize how reckless it was for me to do the things that I did. And if I would have known that, I would have never made that decision to take that road down the slippery slope.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
BALCO
ounder, Victor Conte, 59, is being sued for defamation of character and libel by 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), who will meet 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) in Saturday's HBO pay per view-televised clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.Mosley claims that he unknowingly took the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," in 2003, having received them from Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson. Mosley and his attorney, Judd Burstein, have conflicting assertions to Conte concerning the truth about what transpired.
Conte spoke to FanHouse during this, the second of a two-part Q&A.
FanHouse: Can you name any other athletes whom you helped to obtain steroids in the past who have, since then, denied they knowingly took them?
Victor Conte
: Of course. I call this the Marion Jones case with boxing gloves. I believe that Marion Jones also committed fraud when she filed her defamation case. I believe that the lie detector test that Judd Burstein claims that he has, I don't believe that those are valid results.
: Of course. I call this the Marion Jones case with boxing gloves. I believe that Marion Jones also committed fraud when she filed her defamation case. I believe that the lie detector test that Judd Burstein claims that he has, I don't believe that those are valid results. Let me put it into context for you. Marion Jones claims to have taken a lie detector test and to have passed it. She was convicted and sent to prison. Track coach, Trevor Graham, also in the BALCO case, claims to have taken a lie detector test and passed. He was convicted of lying and spent a year in an ankle bracelet under house arrest.So this lie detector stuff, it carries no weight whatsoever. And it wouldn't surprise me if Shane Mosley's results are bogus.
What is the structure of your new company, and how does it differ from BALCO in the way that it services athletes?
You've got to understand that I've had this product line and this business, well, actually, two businesses -- BALCO, which provided drug-testing, and then, SNAC, which provided nutritional supplements. So SNAC has been in existence since 1988, and I founded BALCO in 1984.
The newer company is called SNAC, and that acronym stands for Scientific Nutrition For Advanced Conditioning, and our website is SNAC.com. And we supply perfectly legal sports nutritional products and nutritional supplements.
Based upon a huge, data base that we have for testing blood samples of many, many world class athletes, over 250 NFL players, lots of professional baseball players, many athletes from track and field, other sports, and based upon their depletions and defiencies that we've found in athletes, I've developed a system of these products.
Due to the negative attention from BALCO, did it take some convincing for you to gain the respect from some of the SNAC athletes with whom you are working?
Let me say this: I work with a lot of athletes, currently. Some of them are okay with that being public knowledge, and others are not because of the stigma what would be attached. So, if their comfort level is there, then I don't have issues talking about it.
But if there is some sort of a problem, or stigma there, and they choose to keep that between the two of us, then I'm certainly willing to honor that and to do that.
What is your relationship with heavyweight contender, Eddie Chambers, in relation to SNAC?
My relationship with Eddie Chambers is ongoing and it's still very good.
Wasn't there at least one other prominent boxer you worked with in regard to SNAC?
Well, there was Andre Ward, but I'm no longer working with Andre.
Do you remember what it was like and can you describe what happened when BALCO was raided?
That was on September 3, 2003. There was a 26-member SWAT Team that was armed with assault rifles, and there was also a helicopter. And all of them were wearing flak jackets, and it was a raid just like on television when there is a bank holdup.
And they came in there, and it was crazy. Unmarked cars pulled up. There were five or six of them, and there were some 26 agents who piled out and who came crashing through the front door. Then, this helicopter was just a matter of, you know, five or six feet right above the front door on the roof.
And it was rattling the glass above the front door so much that one of them broke. It was a very, scary experience and something that I would not wish upon anyone.
What can you tell the public is the difference between the Victor Conte who founded and operated BALCO and the Victor Conte who is speaking us now as, sort of, a crusader against what you once stood for?
I'm now a part of the anti-doping movement. I'm trying to help those at WADA [The World Anti-Doping Agency,] and, USADA [The United States Anti-Doping Agency] to develop more effective anti-doping policies and procedures. And that's what I'm doing now, and I'm very outspoken about it.
The difference is that here is what people fail to realize, and that's that from 1984, which is when I founded BALCO, and until the year 2000 -- so, for 16 years -- I did things the right way. The only thing that I did was to do comprehensive blood and urine testing of athletes, and to develop individualized nutrition programs for them.
And I worked with many, many elite athletes. There was the entire Super Bowl-winning team of the Denver Broncos, that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997, and, '98. The entire Miami Dolphin team, the Seattle Super Sonics for two seasons, in '92-'93, and, '93-94, and many, many world class athletes for 16 years.
So, for those 16 years, I did everything the right way. But it got to a point, for me -- and this doesn't make it right, because it was certainly wrong, and it was certainly a mistake -- but I had gotten to a point where I thought differently.
I had gotten to a point when I realized that Olympic officials and those that control major league football and baseball were enabling, harboring, and, promoting this culture of drug use in sport. And I made the bad decision to join that culture. It was a huge mistake, and I wish now that I had never done it.
That point was in 2000, and, of course, I did that for the years 2000, 2001, 2002, and, 2003. So, for four years, I was about helping athletes to circumvent these testing policies. Once BALCO was raided, I realized how I had been reckless, and that I had put many others at risk.
Who are these 'Others' you are referring to?
That includes my family members. They didn't cheat. They didn't break the rules. Yet, they were punished severely too. And not only did the athletes who were involved with me -- who were a part of this conspiracy to cheat -- not only did they get harmed, but, also, their families and friends were also harmed.
Even after Marion Jones had sued me for $25 million, and I saw her once she was convicted, and had gotten a six month prison sentence, I saw her out on the court's front steps.
There were many, many journalists who called me and asked me if I had felt vindicated because I had been telling the truth, and she had obviously been lying. But I didn't feel any sense of vindication whatsoever.
What I saw, and what I continue to often see, many years later, Marion Jones' mother standing there on those front steps, and her family. I now realize that, 'You know what? Marion Jones made a mistake, but every one of those around her are in great pain, and experiencing tremendous suffering.'
And that's what I have not thought through before I made the mistake of joining that culture back in 2000. I would never, ever do that again, because I didn't understand at the time. I thought, 'You know, I'm a big boy, I understand there are risks attached to what I'm doing, and if this takes a bad turn, then I will accept the consequences.'
Even if it meant going to prison?
I went to a minimum security prison camp in Taft, Calif., which is West of Bakersfield, which is about 100 miles North of Los Angeles. I was there for four months. And, well, you what I didnt' understand was that there are other people who didn't break the law who would be harmed.
And you don't understand what damage can really be done until you're in prison, and your family comes to visit you, and you look into their eyes, and you see them crying. You see the pain and the suffering and you know that you're the one who caused it.
That's the worst punishment that I think that you can experience. And that's when I began to realize how reckless it was for me to do the things that I did. And if I would have known that, I would have never made that decision to take that road down the slippery slope.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Khan on a mean streak! -- Manchester Evening News
By James Robson, Manchester Evening News
Amir Khan has vowed to do a better job on Paulie Malignaggi than even Ricky Hatton.
The WBA light-welterweight champion is convinced he will end the career of the brash New Yorker when he makes his US debut next month.
Khan takes on Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden on May 15.
He insists he will announce himself to American fight fans with a comprehensive victory over the last man to be beaten by Hatton.
He said: "Malignaggi can sell a fight. He talks a lot and I need someone like that to get me a name in America.
"A lot of people want to see him get beat. No one has done a proper job on him so I want to be the first person to do a proper job on him.
"He'll be hanging up his gloves after this fight."
Hatton stopped Malignaggi in the 11th round when the two met in 2008.
But with Khan hoping to see his profile soar Stateside, he intends to use his first fight in America as an opportunity to prove he can live up to the lofty praise heaped on him by master trainer, Freddie Roach.
Roach believes the Bolton star is destined to succeed Manny Pacquiao as the No1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
"Ricky stopped him in the 11th, but I want to finish him off cleanly so there are no excuses," said Khan. "I want him to come out and say I beat him fair and square."
There is huge excitement about Khan's potential within boxing - particularly after the enormous strides he's made under Roach.
Bouncing back from his stunning first round knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott in 2008, he has turned himself into a world-class fighter.
His own first-round demolition of Dmitriy Salita last December showed just how devastating a puncher he has become.
But he remains relatively unknown in America, which is why Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy promotions are so desperate to give him the perfect introduction to US audiences.
Malignaggi is seen as an ideal opponent, given his motormouth reputation. Khan has been desperate to take his talents overseas and hopes his date at the Garden will see him emulate Prince Naseem Hamed, who made his name in America with victory there over Kevin Kelley.
"Naseem went to New York when he fought for the first time in America and he became a big attraction," said Khan. "I hope I can go the same way as Naz.
"I hope the fans are excited to see me. I want it to be perfect."
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Amir Khan has vowed to do a better job on Paulie Malignaggi than even Ricky Hatton.
The WBA light-welterweight champion is convinced he will end the career of the brash New Yorker when he makes his US debut next month.
Khan takes on Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden on May 15.
He insists he will announce himself to American fight fans with a comprehensive victory over the last man to be beaten by Hatton.
He said: "Malignaggi can sell a fight. He talks a lot and I need someone like that to get me a name in America.
"A lot of people want to see him get beat. No one has done a proper job on him so I want to be the first person to do a proper job on him.
"He'll be hanging up his gloves after this fight."
Hatton stopped Malignaggi in the 11th round when the two met in 2008.
But with Khan hoping to see his profile soar Stateside, he intends to use his first fight in America as an opportunity to prove he can live up to the lofty praise heaped on him by master trainer, Freddie Roach.
Roach believes the Bolton star is destined to succeed Manny Pacquiao as the No1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
"Ricky stopped him in the 11th, but I want to finish him off cleanly so there are no excuses," said Khan. "I want him to come out and say I beat him fair and square."
There is huge excitement about Khan's potential within boxing - particularly after the enormous strides he's made under Roach.
Bouncing back from his stunning first round knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott in 2008, he has turned himself into a world-class fighter.
His own first-round demolition of Dmitriy Salita last December showed just how devastating a puncher he has become.
But he remains relatively unknown in America, which is why Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy promotions are so desperate to give him the perfect introduction to US audiences.
Malignaggi is seen as an ideal opponent, given his motormouth reputation. Khan has been desperate to take his talents overseas and hopes his date at the Garden will see him emulate Prince Naseem Hamed, who made his name in America with victory there over Kevin Kelley.
"Naseem went to New York when he fought for the first time in America and he became a big attraction," said Khan. "I hope I can go the same way as Naz.
"I hope the fans are excited to see me. I want it to be perfect."
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Pacman linked to ambush try on Sarangani mayor -- Manila Bulletin
By BEN O. TESIORNA, Manila Bulletin
ALABEL, SARANGANI – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is set to look into the possible involvement of boxing champ Manny Pacquiao in the attempted ambush on the mayor of the Glan town Sunday evening.
This, after rumors surfaced that one of the two vehicles seized by the authorities from the five arrested suspects are registered under the name of Pacquiao's wife, Jinky. Several campaign stickers of Pacquiao were also recovered from the vans.
But Pacquiao, standard bearer of People’s Champ Movement, said the attempt to link him to the assassination try on Glan town mayor Enrique Yap Jr. was politically-motivated aimed at tainting his candidacy which has been gaining on his rival businessman Roy Chiongbian.
The two Toyota vans with plate numbers RBR 709 and MDM 577 were seized by the authorities from the suspects who allegedly attempted to ambush Yap.
Also taken from the suspects were an Armalite rifle and a .45 caliber pistol.
“These unfounded charges against me came out as a result of the recent survey which showed my candidacy was faring well against my opponent,” Pacquiao said.
Glan Mayor Yap’s vehicle was reportedly blocked by three vehicles in Barangay Pangyan around 10:58 p.m. of April 25. Yap, however, overtook the suspects’ vehicles and immediately called for police assistance.
The police rushed to the area and accosted the suspects who are now incarcerated at the Glan Police precinct. The suspects were identified as Freddie Mendez, Ronald Elorde, Alfredo Macabacyao, Jimmy Mier, and Renante Bangkas.
Mayor Yap’s wife is running for mayor under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD. His wife’s rival for the position is Sarangani board member Tata Yap who happens to be the brother of the mayor and is running under the People’s Champ Party of Pacquiao who is seeking the congressional seat of the province.
Senior Supt. Restito Gatera, provincial police director, said they will first check with the Land Transportation Office to determine who owns the two vans used by the suspects. He said that from there they will determine if there is enough evidence to invite Pacquiao for questioning.
Local television reports here showed Pacquiao denying involvement on the attempted ambush on Mayor Yap. Pacquiao did not discount the possibility though that they own the vans but explained that it could be one of their many vans in their transportation business which is being managed by Jinky.
The van bearing plate number MDM-577 was reportedly traced to Jinky Pacquiao. Pacquiao said he will investigate the presence of the van in the scene.
At the moment, Gatera said, they will be filing violation of the Omnibus Election Code for possession of illegal firearms during election period against the suspects. He did not discount the possibility of filing charges as well against the owners of the vans used by the suspects if they are found to have participation as well on the ambush plot against Mayor Yap.
Meanwhile, authorities are not discounting the possibility that the attempted ambush on Mayor Yap could also be related with the bomb explosion that narrowly hit the convoy of Sarangani Gov. Migs Dominguez Monday noon.
It was learned that Dominguez’s convoy came from Glan to check on his party mate Mayor Yap and was returning to General Santos City when the bomb placed inside a motorcycle exploded at the Lun Masla Bridge in Malapatan town just as the convoy was passing.
Governor Dominguez was said to have been shaken by the explosion but was unhurt.
The bomb was composed of a 105mm howitzer projectile with a blasting cap, an electronic box and a short-range handheld radio that served as the triggering device.
Based on the initial visual analysis by the explosive ordnance division team “there could have been a low order detonation that is why the projectile did not explode.”
Authorities said it was only the blasting cap that exploded and the 105mm projectile was simply ejected by the blast thus causing much less damage. Had the main projectile exploded, experts said, the vehicles of Dominguez’s convoy could have been severely damaged. (With a report from Joseph Jubelag)
Source: mb.com.ph
ALABEL, SARANGANI – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is set to look into the possible involvement of boxing champ Manny Pacquiao in the attempted ambush on the mayor of the Glan town Sunday evening.
This, after rumors surfaced that one of the two vehicles seized by the authorities from the five arrested suspects are registered under the name of Pacquiao's wife, Jinky. Several campaign stickers of Pacquiao were also recovered from the vans.
But Pacquiao, standard bearer of People’s Champ Movement, said the attempt to link him to the assassination try on Glan town mayor Enrique Yap Jr. was politically-motivated aimed at tainting his candidacy which has been gaining on his rival businessman Roy Chiongbian.
The two Toyota vans with plate numbers RBR 709 and MDM 577 were seized by the authorities from the suspects who allegedly attempted to ambush Yap.
Also taken from the suspects were an Armalite rifle and a .45 caliber pistol.
“These unfounded charges against me came out as a result of the recent survey which showed my candidacy was faring well against my opponent,” Pacquiao said.
Glan Mayor Yap’s vehicle was reportedly blocked by three vehicles in Barangay Pangyan around 10:58 p.m. of April 25. Yap, however, overtook the suspects’ vehicles and immediately called for police assistance.
The police rushed to the area and accosted the suspects who are now incarcerated at the Glan Police precinct. The suspects were identified as Freddie Mendez, Ronald Elorde, Alfredo Macabacyao, Jimmy Mier, and Renante Bangkas.
Mayor Yap’s wife is running for mayor under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD. His wife’s rival for the position is Sarangani board member Tata Yap who happens to be the brother of the mayor and is running under the People’s Champ Party of Pacquiao who is seeking the congressional seat of the province.
Senior Supt. Restito Gatera, provincial police director, said they will first check with the Land Transportation Office to determine who owns the two vans used by the suspects. He said that from there they will determine if there is enough evidence to invite Pacquiao for questioning.
Local television reports here showed Pacquiao denying involvement on the attempted ambush on Mayor Yap. Pacquiao did not discount the possibility though that they own the vans but explained that it could be one of their many vans in their transportation business which is being managed by Jinky.
The van bearing plate number MDM-577 was reportedly traced to Jinky Pacquiao. Pacquiao said he will investigate the presence of the van in the scene.
At the moment, Gatera said, they will be filing violation of the Omnibus Election Code for possession of illegal firearms during election period against the suspects. He did not discount the possibility of filing charges as well against the owners of the vans used by the suspects if they are found to have participation as well on the ambush plot against Mayor Yap.
Meanwhile, authorities are not discounting the possibility that the attempted ambush on Mayor Yap could also be related with the bomb explosion that narrowly hit the convoy of Sarangani Gov. Migs Dominguez Monday noon.
It was learned that Dominguez’s convoy came from Glan to check on his party mate Mayor Yap and was returning to General Santos City when the bomb placed inside a motorcycle exploded at the Lun Masla Bridge in Malapatan town just as the convoy was passing.
Governor Dominguez was said to have been shaken by the explosion but was unhurt.
The bomb was composed of a 105mm howitzer projectile with a blasting cap, an electronic box and a short-range handheld radio that served as the triggering device.
Based on the initial visual analysis by the explosive ordnance division team “there could have been a low order detonation that is why the projectile did not explode.”
Authorities said it was only the blasting cap that exploded and the 105mm projectile was simply ejected by the blast thus causing much less damage. Had the main projectile exploded, experts said, the vehicles of Dominguez’s convoy could have been severely damaged. (With a report from Joseph Jubelag)
Source: mb.com.ph
Hands-on approach helps Mayweather -- Las Vegas Review-Journal
By STEVE CARP, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Floyd Mayweather Jr. despises Bob Arum.
But the Top Rank chairman had a hand in prolonging the six-time world champion's boxing career.
It was Arum who 10 years ago, when Mayweather was with Top Rank, united the undefeated welterweight and veteran cornerman Rafael Garcia, whose constant maintenance has helped restore Mayweather's once-brittle hands.
"He's the best," said Mayweather, who fights Shane Mosley on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden. "He has a lot of experience.
"But it's not just the hands. It's the face. It's the body. He has such an extensive knowledge of boxing. I trust Rafael completely. No one else touches my hands but Raf."
Garcia, 81, said the problem with Mayweather's hands was simple to correct.
"His hands were wrapped too tight," he said. "The blood wasn't circulating through his hands, so he had pain. I merely loosened the wraps a little and he was fine."
Actually, Garcia did much more. He massaged Mayweather's hands before wrapping them, making sure the blood was flowing into the ligaments and tendons. He used an oil -- a secret formula from his native Mexico, Garcia claims -- to soften and relax them.
Garcia's techniques helped the 33-year-old Mayweather regain confidence in his hands.
The turning point, Garcia said, was Mayweather's 2001 fight against Diego Corrales.
"He hit Corrales on the head several times, big punches," Garcia said. "Afterward, no pain. Floyd hasn't had any problems since."
The Mosley camp claims that Mayweather's handlers have used lidocaine to aid his hands -- boxers may legally use the painkiller in Nevada but only under a doctor's supervision.
Mayweather and his camp denied using the substance.
"I don't know what the (expletive) lidocaine is," Mayweather said.
"I can tell you, without hesitation, we have never shot Floyd's hands up with anything," Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said. "He has never used lidocaine -- or anything else for that matter."
Mayweather said Garcia is all the help his hands need.
Garcia will take about 10 minutes to prepare Mayweather's hands on a typical day, the cornerman said. On fight night, Garcia said, he'll take as long as 20 minutes to wrap his fighter's hands.
"Everything has to be perfect," he said. "I want Floyd to feel confident with his hands, so I take extra time to make sure."
Garcia, who has worked with legendary fighters such as Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello in his 50-plus years as a cornerman, said his hand- wrapping style incorporates parts of other trainers' routines that he has cherry-picked over the decades.
"The main thing is to protect the fighter's hands," Garcia said. "Not so that they can punch harder."
In addition to Mayweather, Garcia works with light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson and featherweight champ Yuriorkis Gamboa. But Mayweather remains his priority.
"Floyd knows I'm always there for him," he said. "When he decides to quit boxing for good, maybe I'll quit too."
■ NOTES -- Both Mayweather and Mosley will have their official public "arrivals" today in the MGM Grand lobby, with Mosley making his entrance at 2 p.m. and Mayweather at 2:30. ... Friday's weigh-in at the Grand Garden arena is open to the public with both fighters expected on the scales at 2:30 p.m.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
Source: lvrj.com
Floyd Mayweather Jr. despises Bob Arum.
But the Top Rank chairman had a hand in prolonging the six-time world champion's boxing career.
It was Arum who 10 years ago, when Mayweather was with Top Rank, united the undefeated welterweight and veteran cornerman Rafael Garcia, whose constant maintenance has helped restore Mayweather's once-brittle hands.
"He's the best," said Mayweather, who fights Shane Mosley on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden. "He has a lot of experience.
"But it's not just the hands. It's the face. It's the body. He has such an extensive knowledge of boxing. I trust Rafael completely. No one else touches my hands but Raf."
Garcia, 81, said the problem with Mayweather's hands was simple to correct.
"His hands were wrapped too tight," he said. "The blood wasn't circulating through his hands, so he had pain. I merely loosened the wraps a little and he was fine."
Actually, Garcia did much more. He massaged Mayweather's hands before wrapping them, making sure the blood was flowing into the ligaments and tendons. He used an oil -- a secret formula from his native Mexico, Garcia claims -- to soften and relax them.
Garcia's techniques helped the 33-year-old Mayweather regain confidence in his hands.
The turning point, Garcia said, was Mayweather's 2001 fight against Diego Corrales.
"He hit Corrales on the head several times, big punches," Garcia said. "Afterward, no pain. Floyd hasn't had any problems since."
The Mosley camp claims that Mayweather's handlers have used lidocaine to aid his hands -- boxers may legally use the painkiller in Nevada but only under a doctor's supervision.
Mayweather and his camp denied using the substance.
"I don't know what the (expletive) lidocaine is," Mayweather said.
"I can tell you, without hesitation, we have never shot Floyd's hands up with anything," Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said. "He has never used lidocaine -- or anything else for that matter."
Mayweather said Garcia is all the help his hands need.
Garcia will take about 10 minutes to prepare Mayweather's hands on a typical day, the cornerman said. On fight night, Garcia said, he'll take as long as 20 minutes to wrap his fighter's hands.
"Everything has to be perfect," he said. "I want Floyd to feel confident with his hands, so I take extra time to make sure."
Garcia, who has worked with legendary fighters such as Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello in his 50-plus years as a cornerman, said his hand- wrapping style incorporates parts of other trainers' routines that he has cherry-picked over the decades.
"The main thing is to protect the fighter's hands," Garcia said. "Not so that they can punch harder."
In addition to Mayweather, Garcia works with light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson and featherweight champ Yuriorkis Gamboa. But Mayweather remains his priority.
"Floyd knows I'm always there for him," he said. "When he decides to quit boxing for good, maybe I'll quit too."
■ NOTES -- Both Mayweather and Mosley will have their official public "arrivals" today in the MGM Grand lobby, with Mosley making his entrance at 2 p.m. and Mayweather at 2:30. ... Friday's weigh-in at the Grand Garden arena is open to the public with both fighters expected on the scales at 2:30 p.m.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
Source: lvrj.com
Emanuel Steward expects Floyd Mayweather fight to be tight -- Detroit Free Press
FREE PRESS STAFF
Kronk Gym icon Emanuel Steward will be at ringside Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as part of the HBO boxing team calling the Floyd (Pretty Boy) Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) versus Sugar Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) welterweight clash. The fight can be seen on HBO pay-per-view beginning at 9 p.m.
Steward knows Mayweather, the six-time world champion from Grand Rapids, and his family well, having hosted him at his training camp in California. Though Mayweather, 33, is expected to have too much speed and stamina for the WBA super welterweight king Mosley, 38, Steward believes the fight will go down to the wire. He spoke to Free Press boxing writer Mike Brudenell on Monday from Florida on the year's most talked about fight to date.
Q: Where does this fight rank in recent times?
A: This shapes up as a great bout -- better than Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya or Mayweather and De La Hoya, or Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez. Mosley will test Mayweather, get him out of his comfort zone. At 38, Mosley is still an exceptional human being. There's something special about him. He'll bring out the best in Mayweather.
Q: What are the keys to Mosley winning the fight?
A: Shane now has a trainer in Naazim Richardson who can instill the energy and spiritual force in him to raise his performance. Mosley also has an unbelievable desire to win this fight. He can't fast-talk Floyd, but he has a burning desire to whip Mayweather's behind.
Q: How does Mayweather win?
A: Floyd will pick his spots -- keep the fight outside. He'll counterpunch and fight a technical bout. He has superior speed and movement.
Q: Is this fight the biggest test of Mayweather's career?
A: Yes. The intensity of this fight will be more than Floyd has ever faced. This is definitely his biggest test. Mosley is just big enough to attack him.
Q: Mosley's wife, Jin, filed for divorce in 2009. He has a new trainer. How is Mosley's mental state right now?
A: I think there are a lot of burdens off of him. I think he is on a high. I think Mosley is very focused on this fight.
Q: What about you?
A: You bet I'm excited. I had a lunch meeting a few weeks ago with the HBO boxing crew -- Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Harold Lederman. They thought Mosley an 8-1 shot. I said, I think you guys are crazy -- this isn't any runaway fight.
Q: Who wins?
A: It's hard to call. I believe it's a dead-even fight. ... The officiating will be the key: Mayweather, possibly, by decision.
Source: freep.com
Kronk Gym icon Emanuel Steward will be at ringside Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as part of the HBO boxing team calling the Floyd (Pretty Boy) Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) versus Sugar Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) welterweight clash. The fight can be seen on HBO pay-per-view beginning at 9 p.m.
Steward knows Mayweather, the six-time world champion from Grand Rapids, and his family well, having hosted him at his training camp in California. Though Mayweather, 33, is expected to have too much speed and stamina for the WBA super welterweight king Mosley, 38, Steward believes the fight will go down to the wire. He spoke to Free Press boxing writer Mike Brudenell on Monday from Florida on the year's most talked about fight to date.
Q: Where does this fight rank in recent times?
A: This shapes up as a great bout -- better than Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya or Mayweather and De La Hoya, or Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez. Mosley will test Mayweather, get him out of his comfort zone. At 38, Mosley is still an exceptional human being. There's something special about him. He'll bring out the best in Mayweather.
Q: What are the keys to Mosley winning the fight?
A: Shane now has a trainer in Naazim Richardson who can instill the energy and spiritual force in him to raise his performance. Mosley also has an unbelievable desire to win this fight. He can't fast-talk Floyd, but he has a burning desire to whip Mayweather's behind.
Q: How does Mayweather win?
A: Floyd will pick his spots -- keep the fight outside. He'll counterpunch and fight a technical bout. He has superior speed and movement.
Q: Is this fight the biggest test of Mayweather's career?
A: Yes. The intensity of this fight will be more than Floyd has ever faced. This is definitely his biggest test. Mosley is just big enough to attack him.
Q: Mosley's wife, Jin, filed for divorce in 2009. He has a new trainer. How is Mosley's mental state right now?
A: I think there are a lot of burdens off of him. I think he is on a high. I think Mosley is very focused on this fight.
Q: What about you?
A: You bet I'm excited. I had a lunch meeting a few weeks ago with the HBO boxing crew -- Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Harold Lederman. They thought Mosley an 8-1 shot. I said, I think you guys are crazy -- this isn't any runaway fight.
Q: Who wins?
A: It's hard to call. I believe it's a dead-even fight. ... The officiating will be the key: Mayweather, possibly, by decision.
Source: freep.com
High & Inside: The People's Champ -- Philadelphia Daily News
By Tom Mahon, Philadelphia Daily News
MANNY PACQUIAO ALREADY holds seven world boxing titles. Now, he wants to hold political office.
The 31-year-old boxer is running for a seat in the Philippines Congress as a member of his own party, the People's Champ Movement.
"I don't want to be just your boxing idol," he told a crowd in San Miguel recently. "I also want be your idol in public service."
Pacquiao, who has said his family was very poor when he was growing up, is now a millionaire many times over. In March, he made more than $12 million in a win over Joshua Clottey. In 2008, he took home a cool $30 million for defeating Oscar De La Hoya.
"I could just sit back and relax and not have anything to do with politics. I could just travel around and enjoy my life with my family," Pacquiao said. "But I came from a very poor family, and I cannot turn my back on the poor."
One-third of the population lives on $1 a day. But, Pacquiao, who lost a congressional election in 2007, isn't making any grand promises.
Instead, he's taking a practical approach.
For example, he has said that if he wins the May 10 election, he will fight to have the government provide financing for neighborhood businesses.
"The reason why so many people are poor is that politicians think of nothing except how to recover the money they spent during the elections," he said.
Hmmm. Politicians in the Philippines sound a lot like those in the United States.
Let the Tiger mania begin
Last week, Tiger Woods agreed to play in the AT & T National, which will be held from July 1-4 a Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.
On Sunday, someone placed an ad on Craigslist offering to rent their house for the week of the tournament. According to the post, which cautions that only serious offers will be considered, the home backs up to the course and is a "modern three bedroom, 2.5 bath but does NOT have central air conditioning."
No central air? Sounds like a HOT deal to us.
Send e-mail to highandinside@phillynews.com
Source: philly.com
MANNY PACQUIAO ALREADY holds seven world boxing titles. Now, he wants to hold political office.
The 31-year-old boxer is running for a seat in the Philippines Congress as a member of his own party, the People's Champ Movement.
"I don't want to be just your boxing idol," he told a crowd in San Miguel recently. "I also want be your idol in public service."
Pacquiao, who has said his family was very poor when he was growing up, is now a millionaire many times over. In March, he made more than $12 million in a win over Joshua Clottey. In 2008, he took home a cool $30 million for defeating Oscar De La Hoya.
"I could just sit back and relax and not have anything to do with politics. I could just travel around and enjoy my life with my family," Pacquiao said. "But I came from a very poor family, and I cannot turn my back on the poor."
One-third of the population lives on $1 a day. But, Pacquiao, who lost a congressional election in 2007, isn't making any grand promises.
Instead, he's taking a practical approach.
For example, he has said that if he wins the May 10 election, he will fight to have the government provide financing for neighborhood businesses.
"The reason why so many people are poor is that politicians think of nothing except how to recover the money they spent during the elections," he said.
Hmmm. Politicians in the Philippines sound a lot like those in the United States.
Let the Tiger mania begin
Last week, Tiger Woods agreed to play in the AT & T National, which will be held from July 1-4 a Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.
On Sunday, someone placed an ad on Craigslist offering to rent their house for the week of the tournament. According to the post, which cautions that only serious offers will be considered, the home backs up to the course and is a "modern three bedroom, 2.5 bath but does NOT have central air conditioning."
No central air? Sounds like a HOT deal to us.
Send e-mail to highandinside@phillynews.com
Source: philly.com
Exclusive Interview: MANNY PACQUIAO -- BoxingTalk
By G. Leon, BoxingTalk.com
Pacman to switch to Orthodox?
GL: Congrats on your recent win over Joshua Clottey. Can you tell us what you think about your peformance?
"Thank you very much and I want to wish all the readers of BoxingTalk a good day. Regarding that fight against Clottey, most fans were upset of not seeing a knockout like in most of my fights. Boxing fans become used to seeing knockouts in most of my fights. Of course, Clottey chose to play defense most of the way and I give him credit for that. I believe he could have had better chances if he chose to fight toe-to-toe.
GL: Are you upset that Clottey didn't try harder to make it an exciting fight?
MP: Yes, I am a little upset that the fans did not get what they wanted to see because my "dancing partner" didn't want to dance.
GL: Who do you think will win the Mayweather-Mosley fight?
MP: I think Mosley has a great chance of winning. I expect him and his team to come up with different plans to fight Mayweather who I think will run all night.
GL: Do you think Floyd Mayweather will ever agree to fight you?
MP: We have seen him make excuses and accusations when I agreed to fight him, even going too far by destroying my reputation and even foolishly try to become his own Boxing Commission. I believe he will continue to demand outrageous and stupid ideas, should he beat Mosley, only to mess me up and not actually fight me. I still think he is scared of me.
GL: How does a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight play out? Do you knock him out?
MP: Mayweather still has to beat Mosley if he wants to fight me. In all my fights, I never predict the outcome. If a knockout presents itself, I will take it but I think, should Mayweather ever challenge me, it will be a fight between the greatest offense against the best defense in the sport of boxing.
GL: Tell us about your upcoming political campaign. How do you compare preaparing for a boxing opponent to a political opponent?
MP: If only all boxing fans can vote, then I think I will have no hard time winning. My fight for a Congress seat in the Philippines is very much harder than training for a fight but I will continue to fight for the people who love me and believe in me and that makes me focused.
GL: Why do you think Mayweather is requesting such rigorous drug-testing? Do you think your performances against De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto have intimidated him?
MP: Mayweather and his kin thought they could push and intimidate everyone they choose to and by doing so, gain instant advantage even before the first real punch gets thrown. I just think he and his team are scared of me and are very jealous of my achievements because I have surpassed him.
GL: How much longer do you plan on boxing? What would you like to accomplish as a boxer before you retire?
MP: I will continue to fight as long as I think I am capable and healthy to give the fans what they like. I think I am still good for three more fights. Before I retire, I would like to leave a legacy and be known as the man who changed the face of boxing.
GL: Early in your career you were a one handed fighter. Everybody knew your left hand was dynamite, but since you've added the right hand to your weapons you have become unstoppable. At what point do you feel you became a more dangerous two handed fighter?
MP: Over the past three years, master Freddie Roach has been working on that right hook and lately, we have been playing on the idea of fighting orthodox. I think we are students of this art and we are still learning and growing in every fight.
GL: Which fight was more difficult for you, the Marquez fights or the first fight with Erik Morales? And why?
MP: Both were difficult because Marquez's style is difficult. When I fought Morales the first time, we had problems with my promoter and manager and yes, they even "lost" my lab results that I had to give blood and do eye tests days before the fight.
GL: I appreciate your time, is there anything you'd like to say in closing to the Boxingtalk readers?
MP: Thank you very much, Greg. I wish all readers of Boxingtalk to continue to support the sport and that we continue to respect each other as persons.
Send questions and comments to: boxingtalkg@yahoo.com
Source: boxingtalk.com
Pacman to switch to Orthodox?
GL: Congrats on your recent win over Joshua Clottey. Can you tell us what you think about your peformance?
"Thank you very much and I want to wish all the readers of BoxingTalk a good day. Regarding that fight against Clottey, most fans were upset of not seeing a knockout like in most of my fights. Boxing fans become used to seeing knockouts in most of my fights. Of course, Clottey chose to play defense most of the way and I give him credit for that. I believe he could have had better chances if he chose to fight toe-to-toe.
GL: Are you upset that Clottey didn't try harder to make it an exciting fight?
MP: Yes, I am a little upset that the fans did not get what they wanted to see because my "dancing partner" didn't want to dance.
GL: Who do you think will win the Mayweather-Mosley fight?
MP: I think Mosley has a great chance of winning. I expect him and his team to come up with different plans to fight Mayweather who I think will run all night.
GL: Do you think Floyd Mayweather will ever agree to fight you?
MP: We have seen him make excuses and accusations when I agreed to fight him, even going too far by destroying my reputation and even foolishly try to become his own Boxing Commission. I believe he will continue to demand outrageous and stupid ideas, should he beat Mosley, only to mess me up and not actually fight me. I still think he is scared of me.
GL: How does a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight play out? Do you knock him out?
MP: Mayweather still has to beat Mosley if he wants to fight me. In all my fights, I never predict the outcome. If a knockout presents itself, I will take it but I think, should Mayweather ever challenge me, it will be a fight between the greatest offense against the best defense in the sport of boxing.
GL: Tell us about your upcoming political campaign. How do you compare preaparing for a boxing opponent to a political opponent?
MP: If only all boxing fans can vote, then I think I will have no hard time winning. My fight for a Congress seat in the Philippines is very much harder than training for a fight but I will continue to fight for the people who love me and believe in me and that makes me focused.
GL: Why do you think Mayweather is requesting such rigorous drug-testing? Do you think your performances against De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto have intimidated him?
MP: Mayweather and his kin thought they could push and intimidate everyone they choose to and by doing so, gain instant advantage even before the first real punch gets thrown. I just think he and his team are scared of me and are very jealous of my achievements because I have surpassed him.
GL: How much longer do you plan on boxing? What would you like to accomplish as a boxer before you retire?
MP: I will continue to fight as long as I think I am capable and healthy to give the fans what they like. I think I am still good for three more fights. Before I retire, I would like to leave a legacy and be known as the man who changed the face of boxing.
GL: Early in your career you were a one handed fighter. Everybody knew your left hand was dynamite, but since you've added the right hand to your weapons you have become unstoppable. At what point do you feel you became a more dangerous two handed fighter?
MP: Over the past three years, master Freddie Roach has been working on that right hook and lately, we have been playing on the idea of fighting orthodox. I think we are students of this art and we are still learning and growing in every fight.
GL: Which fight was more difficult for you, the Marquez fights or the first fight with Erik Morales? And why?
MP: Both were difficult because Marquez's style is difficult. When I fought Morales the first time, we had problems with my promoter and manager and yes, they even "lost" my lab results that I had to give blood and do eye tests days before the fight.
GL: I appreciate your time, is there anything you'd like to say in closing to the Boxingtalk readers?
MP: Thank you very much, Greg. I wish all readers of Boxingtalk to continue to support the sport and that we continue to respect each other as persons.
Send questions and comments to: boxingtalkg@yahoo.com
Source: boxingtalk.com
Evander Holyfield Q 'n' A-Part II -- The Sweet Science
By Zhenyu Li, The Sweet Science
I was privileged to sit down quietly with the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world and talk for half an hour with no interruption during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Although this interview was conducted over a year ago, it spoke a mouthful for the newly-crowned WBF champion, and the material has never been published elsewhere, only on TheSweetScience.com.
Part II
In the first episode of this interview, Holyfield talked with me about his seemingly endless inspiration, his take on the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao and how he was influenced by the world-renowned Chinese Kung Fu master Bruce Lee. In the second chapter, the legend continued his "China Journey" by sharing with us his unique perspective on the oriental nation, his untold stories in between and his colorful bond with this exotic ancient nation.
Zhenyu Li: You've been to China, to be more specific, Beijing several times. What's your impression about this country and the city?
Holyfield: You know, when I came here for the first time, I was SO impressed, from the country being Communist to what people have said and stuff like that. When I got here, everybody looked so peaceful, everything looked good -- the infrastructures, the highways, the hospitality of the people I met. And I was like, Wow, I think this is a different kind of world.
I was thinking that, back in our country, the things that you hear when you talk about Communism are about controlling you and how you don't have rights. But when I got here, the majority of people I saw were having a good time, so I'm going to judge by what I've seen. The fact is that everything I saw was good.
Zhenyu Li: You just said in the car ride over that you love China. Why?
Holyfield: You know, I respect this country, because all the things it went through all these years, the country didn't quit.
It's amazing that this country has been in working for so many years. If you look back in history, everything comes from China. Even when I was a kid, China, China, China, everything that I got, came from China, and all of a sudden, you realized that, you know, oh, shoot, everything with good quality comes from China, people love to get thing from China, because it's cheaper and with quality.
Like this, when I came here, I'd like to ask for some CDs. It's better than America at home! I came back and I brought two cases of so much stuff. Man! I could make a living by coming to China, taking something from China and selling them at home!
That's because the quality is good. People do great quality work and stuff like that. And that's the most important thing.
In America, people kinda take me for granted, for that, I am the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world, but people in America like Muhammad Ali, they almost don't like me to break his record, they like the sport of boxing to stay in the same way.
But when I came here, first thing, people talked about me. I'd never lived in a world that had ever done this. You know, I was thrilled about the hospitality of the Chinese people.
In fact, I am so thrilled that I went home and told my kids about it. I said, look, we all should take Chinese classes. I told my kids that you gotta learn to celebrate the people who celebrate you. And I said: "Because they know me and know about me and my future. You know what, these people celebrated me; we need to learn their language." So my kids, they took Chinese (classes).
Zhenyu Li: Are there any stories worth mentioning in regard to you and China?
Holyfield: I am not supposed to offend you or make fun of you. But in America, there're not a lot of Chinese people. When I grew up, I only had one Chinese person around, a Chinese girl, you know. She looked different from everybody else. But I just think she's pretty, wow, I think she's beautiful, you know, she's different.
When I came in 2000, with a friend, he was seven years older than me. When we got here, and the Chinese people were laughing at him, because of his eyes. There's a girl who kept doing like this (making a posture). Then I said to him, be honest and be truthful to me, when you were a kid, did you mess with Chinese people? He said yeah; I said that you never thought you'd be in China, he went like, wow, man, that happened!
Everybody in life got to reap what he sow. So, if you treat people bad, you'll get treated bad; what ever you do, it circles back around. We are minorities at some point wherever we go. You go to school, you are minority; you go to work, you are minority. You got to ask yourself, why did you be treated bad, perhaps in a given place you go, you may be trapped around with somebody that make you look different.
With me, I was always around with a lot of people. I came from a poor neighborhood, but because my mother brought me up right, I get along well with the people around me. I became a humble man because my mother always went against showing people up, and I was always quiet and I was always embarrassed. But being embarrassed allows me to, when I go around people, I make sure to treat people fair all the time, and not to discriminate, because I know how they feel.
You cannot take the skin color or race, and say it's better than another. You know, if you give them the flexible and proper structure, then chances are they can be very productive people.
Unlike China, America is a place where you can be born poor and get rich. If you have the capability, America won't stop you from being what you want to be. They may tell you what you cannot (do), but they won't stop you from being the very best you could be.
Zhenyu Li: It seems that you do know something about China, are attached to it, to a degree, and traveled several times to this ancient country. So what's the purpose of your trip this time?
Holyfield: Actually, I came down here to choose some fighters. I got a promotion company. I want to start my promotion club. So I look into of all the fighters and stuff. Hope it can give me 10 to 12 fighters, someone who can become the champion in four years.
I haven't seen anybody yet, but I talked with a person in the Shaolin Temple, he said they didn't start a boxing program, but they had Kung Fu, and they want the Holyfield boxing thing.
You know, the strongest amateur boxers the world has ever had are always in Cuba, because they were trained in a certain program. And the Chinese kids here do what the Cubans do, you know, great supervision and all that. All these little kids have been trained in such a strict program. So, if they learn boxing, after four years, they'll be able to win four or five gold medals, because these kids are very structured. This is what they've been doing and they do it in a different method (in comparison with the American prospects).
Cubans do it; they eat well and their family is ok. And all of a sudden, they give it up, because they do it not because they love to, but because they have to. So every time they make money, because of somebody else, they lose concentration. But for the people here, they train and do it for a proper reason. And if people who do the things for the proper reason, they'll stay longer. I am a good example. I do boxing for a good reason, I love boxing; I've been boxing for 37 years. I didn't break up with anything. It's because I do the thing for the right reason, not for the ego, you know; you do it because you love it, that's it, you don't do it for other motives. I didn't get into boxing for money. I got into boxing because I realized I found something I love and could do well too.
When I was a kid, I liked to do physical things, you know, like, look how fast he run, or, hey, he's tough, stuff like that. That inspired me. But when I was in the classroom, I was always mad because I couldn't compete (with the other students). They were a lot better than me. My mother told me that wherever you go, there's always somebody who know something you don't know, and you'll know something that they don't know either. So that's the trade off of life. You can do this really well, and I can do this really well.
For example, if you do a good story, it'll make you look good, and make me look good too. Everybody plays his part. I came over here and I saw, wow, all the people love me. I can't speak Chinese good enough to do anything, but I can have somebody who can speak both Chinese and English do it for me. I got to find somebody who understands them better than I do. We can be partners. Life is about communication. No one person is able to do everything.
Of course, if I get a lot of attention, there'll be a lot of people who get envious and jealous, but it can be balanced through (classification and cooperation). This is what the life is all about. It's not about the ego. To make no one get envious and jealous, you got to let everybody play his part. If everybody is the best in his part, no one will get jealous and envious, (and there will be) enough money for everybody.
Putting the final stroke on The Real Deal's "China Journey" of the TSS Exclusive: One On One With Evander Holyfield series in Part III, the ring legend reveals his training regimen, what he took from the legendary Chinese Shaolin training program, and his take on the connection between Kung Fu and boxing.
Source: thesweetscience.com
I was privileged to sit down quietly with the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world and talk for half an hour with no interruption during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Although this interview was conducted over a year ago, it spoke a mouthful for the newly-crowned WBF champion, and the material has never been published elsewhere, only on TheSweetScience.com.
Part II
In the first episode of this interview, Holyfield talked with me about his seemingly endless inspiration, his take on the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao and how he was influenced by the world-renowned Chinese Kung Fu master Bruce Lee. In the second chapter, the legend continued his "China Journey" by sharing with us his unique perspective on the oriental nation, his untold stories in between and his colorful bond with this exotic ancient nation.
Zhenyu Li: You've been to China, to be more specific, Beijing several times. What's your impression about this country and the city?
Holyfield: You know, when I came here for the first time, I was SO impressed, from the country being Communist to what people have said and stuff like that. When I got here, everybody looked so peaceful, everything looked good -- the infrastructures, the highways, the hospitality of the people I met. And I was like, Wow, I think this is a different kind of world.
I was thinking that, back in our country, the things that you hear when you talk about Communism are about controlling you and how you don't have rights. But when I got here, the majority of people I saw were having a good time, so I'm going to judge by what I've seen. The fact is that everything I saw was good.
Zhenyu Li: You just said in the car ride over that you love China. Why?
Holyfield: You know, I respect this country, because all the things it went through all these years, the country didn't quit.
It's amazing that this country has been in working for so many years. If you look back in history, everything comes from China. Even when I was a kid, China, China, China, everything that I got, came from China, and all of a sudden, you realized that, you know, oh, shoot, everything with good quality comes from China, people love to get thing from China, because it's cheaper and with quality.
Like this, when I came here, I'd like to ask for some CDs. It's better than America at home! I came back and I brought two cases of so much stuff. Man! I could make a living by coming to China, taking something from China and selling them at home!
That's because the quality is good. People do great quality work and stuff like that. And that's the most important thing.
In America, people kinda take me for granted, for that, I am the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world, but people in America like Muhammad Ali, they almost don't like me to break his record, they like the sport of boxing to stay in the same way.
But when I came here, first thing, people talked about me. I'd never lived in a world that had ever done this. You know, I was thrilled about the hospitality of the Chinese people.
In fact, I am so thrilled that I went home and told my kids about it. I said, look, we all should take Chinese classes. I told my kids that you gotta learn to celebrate the people who celebrate you. And I said: "Because they know me and know about me and my future. You know what, these people celebrated me; we need to learn their language." So my kids, they took Chinese (classes).
Zhenyu Li: Are there any stories worth mentioning in regard to you and China?
Holyfield: I am not supposed to offend you or make fun of you. But in America, there're not a lot of Chinese people. When I grew up, I only had one Chinese person around, a Chinese girl, you know. She looked different from everybody else. But I just think she's pretty, wow, I think she's beautiful, you know, she's different.
When I came in 2000, with a friend, he was seven years older than me. When we got here, and the Chinese people were laughing at him, because of his eyes. There's a girl who kept doing like this (making a posture). Then I said to him, be honest and be truthful to me, when you were a kid, did you mess with Chinese people? He said yeah; I said that you never thought you'd be in China, he went like, wow, man, that happened!
Everybody in life got to reap what he sow. So, if you treat people bad, you'll get treated bad; what ever you do, it circles back around. We are minorities at some point wherever we go. You go to school, you are minority; you go to work, you are minority. You got to ask yourself, why did you be treated bad, perhaps in a given place you go, you may be trapped around with somebody that make you look different.
With me, I was always around with a lot of people. I came from a poor neighborhood, but because my mother brought me up right, I get along well with the people around me. I became a humble man because my mother always went against showing people up, and I was always quiet and I was always embarrassed. But being embarrassed allows me to, when I go around people, I make sure to treat people fair all the time, and not to discriminate, because I know how they feel.
You cannot take the skin color or race, and say it's better than another. You know, if you give them the flexible and proper structure, then chances are they can be very productive people.
Unlike China, America is a place where you can be born poor and get rich. If you have the capability, America won't stop you from being what you want to be. They may tell you what you cannot (do), but they won't stop you from being the very best you could be.
Zhenyu Li: It seems that you do know something about China, are attached to it, to a degree, and traveled several times to this ancient country. So what's the purpose of your trip this time?
Holyfield: Actually, I came down here to choose some fighters. I got a promotion company. I want to start my promotion club. So I look into of all the fighters and stuff. Hope it can give me 10 to 12 fighters, someone who can become the champion in four years.
I haven't seen anybody yet, but I talked with a person in the Shaolin Temple, he said they didn't start a boxing program, but they had Kung Fu, and they want the Holyfield boxing thing.
You know, the strongest amateur boxers the world has ever had are always in Cuba, because they were trained in a certain program. And the Chinese kids here do what the Cubans do, you know, great supervision and all that. All these little kids have been trained in such a strict program. So, if they learn boxing, after four years, they'll be able to win four or five gold medals, because these kids are very structured. This is what they've been doing and they do it in a different method (in comparison with the American prospects).
Cubans do it; they eat well and their family is ok. And all of a sudden, they give it up, because they do it not because they love to, but because they have to. So every time they make money, because of somebody else, they lose concentration. But for the people here, they train and do it for a proper reason. And if people who do the things for the proper reason, they'll stay longer. I am a good example. I do boxing for a good reason, I love boxing; I've been boxing for 37 years. I didn't break up with anything. It's because I do the thing for the right reason, not for the ego, you know; you do it because you love it, that's it, you don't do it for other motives. I didn't get into boxing for money. I got into boxing because I realized I found something I love and could do well too.
When I was a kid, I liked to do physical things, you know, like, look how fast he run, or, hey, he's tough, stuff like that. That inspired me. But when I was in the classroom, I was always mad because I couldn't compete (with the other students). They were a lot better than me. My mother told me that wherever you go, there's always somebody who know something you don't know, and you'll know something that they don't know either. So that's the trade off of life. You can do this really well, and I can do this really well.
For example, if you do a good story, it'll make you look good, and make me look good too. Everybody plays his part. I came over here and I saw, wow, all the people love me. I can't speak Chinese good enough to do anything, but I can have somebody who can speak both Chinese and English do it for me. I got to find somebody who understands them better than I do. We can be partners. Life is about communication. No one person is able to do everything.
Of course, if I get a lot of attention, there'll be a lot of people who get envious and jealous, but it can be balanced through (classification and cooperation). This is what the life is all about. It's not about the ego. To make no one get envious and jealous, you got to let everybody play his part. If everybody is the best in his part, no one will get jealous and envious, (and there will be) enough money for everybody.
Putting the final stroke on The Real Deal's "China Journey" of the TSS Exclusive: One On One With Evander Holyfield series in Part III, the ring legend reveals his training regimen, what he took from the legendary Chinese Shaolin training program, and his take on the connection between Kung Fu and boxing.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Mayweather-Mosley fight could set pay-per-view mark -- USA Today
By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
Oscar De La Hoya might be the king of boxing pay-per-view, but Floyd Mayweather lives up to his nickname, "Money," by virtue of being the sport's all-time leader in average revenue generated per PPV fight.
In six PPV fights, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) has generated 5.5 million buys and $292 million in revenue, which averages out to about $48.6 million a fight, nearly $12 million more a fight than De La Hoya averaged in 19 PPV fights.
"It feels good to be the pay-per-view king as I have always believed in myself, and obviously a lot of other people do, too," Mayweather said Monday. "They keep coming back for more, and I am glad to give them what they want. I always try to entertain the fans, whether it's in the ring or with the things I say and do."
Mayweather's welterweight mega-fight Saturday against "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-5-0, 39 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET) is expected to threaten the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million buys set in Mayweather's fight with De La Hoya in December 2007.
Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president for pay-per-view, said Monday that Mayweather's popularity is twofold.
"Floyd has definitely crossed over from boxing to sports and now to entertainment," Taffet says. "He casts a wide net right now, well into the entertainment arena in attracting fans of all ages and ethnicities.
"In addition, Floyd's appeal as an entertainer comes at the same time that we are seeing an unprecedented explosion of digital and social media. It's the confluence of those two factors … taking Floyd to new heights."
Mayweather's two highest PPV fights were against Hispanic fighters: De La Hoya and last year vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, which had 1,060,000 buys.
Saturday's fight features two African-American fighters. Such a matchup had its greatest success in the heavyweight era of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Taffet says Mayweather is leading a resurgence in the American boxing market.
"One of the main reasons that Mayweather-De La Hoya did a million buys more than De La Hoya's second-biggest fight ever was because of the buys that came out of the large urban centers of America," Taffet said. "Mayweather-Mosley is a classic showdown between two American superstars who collectively have appeared nearly 50 times on HBO during the past 15 years. American fans know these two men well. And they've been anticipating this matchup."
Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said Monday that this fight is important because it's a fight between two Americans.
"You haven't seen a fight of this magnitude (between two American fighters) in a number of years," Ellerbe said. "It's a fight the fans have wanted to see for quite some time.
"To Floyd's credit, he has been groomed from Day 1 to be a superstar. What separates him from any other fighter out there is that he does it his way. He's willing to jump out there and take the risks that no other fighter has done in a number of years. If he talks about something, he goes out and does it."
HBO's hit reality series, 24/7: Mayweather-Mosley, has reached a demographic that has been hard to reach for boxing.
"Specifically, younger males across all ethnic lines," Taffet said. "24/7 is the most successful show in the last 10 years of not only reaching new fans but connecting them intimately to the athletes."
Ellerbe says the image you see of "Money" Mayweather on 24/7 is a character.
"That doesn't depict who Floyd Mayweather is," Ellerbe said. "Floyd is just promoting his fights. He's just doing his job."
Ellerbe thinks the PPV record will fall Saturday. Will the fight live up to the hype?
"That's one thing you don't have to worry about," Ellerbe said. "Shane Mosley is going to come to fight. And we know Floyd is going to come to fight."
Ruiz hangs up gloves:
Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.
The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday that he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.
Source: usatoday.com
Oscar De La Hoya might be the king of boxing pay-per-view, but Floyd Mayweather lives up to his nickname, "Money," by virtue of being the sport's all-time leader in average revenue generated per PPV fight.
In six PPV fights, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) has generated 5.5 million buys and $292 million in revenue, which averages out to about $48.6 million a fight, nearly $12 million more a fight than De La Hoya averaged in 19 PPV fights.
"It feels good to be the pay-per-view king as I have always believed in myself, and obviously a lot of other people do, too," Mayweather said Monday. "They keep coming back for more, and I am glad to give them what they want. I always try to entertain the fans, whether it's in the ring or with the things I say and do."
Mayweather's welterweight mega-fight Saturday against "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-5-0, 39 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET) is expected to threaten the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million buys set in Mayweather's fight with De La Hoya in December 2007.
Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president for pay-per-view, said Monday that Mayweather's popularity is twofold.
"Floyd has definitely crossed over from boxing to sports and now to entertainment," Taffet says. "He casts a wide net right now, well into the entertainment arena in attracting fans of all ages and ethnicities.
"In addition, Floyd's appeal as an entertainer comes at the same time that we are seeing an unprecedented explosion of digital and social media. It's the confluence of those two factors … taking Floyd to new heights."
Mayweather's two highest PPV fights were against Hispanic fighters: De La Hoya and last year vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, which had 1,060,000 buys.
Saturday's fight features two African-American fighters. Such a matchup had its greatest success in the heavyweight era of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Taffet says Mayweather is leading a resurgence in the American boxing market.
"One of the main reasons that Mayweather-De La Hoya did a million buys more than De La Hoya's second-biggest fight ever was because of the buys that came out of the large urban centers of America," Taffet said. "Mayweather-Mosley is a classic showdown between two American superstars who collectively have appeared nearly 50 times on HBO during the past 15 years. American fans know these two men well. And they've been anticipating this matchup."
Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said Monday that this fight is important because it's a fight between two Americans.
"You haven't seen a fight of this magnitude (between two American fighters) in a number of years," Ellerbe said. "It's a fight the fans have wanted to see for quite some time.
"To Floyd's credit, he has been groomed from Day 1 to be a superstar. What separates him from any other fighter out there is that he does it his way. He's willing to jump out there and take the risks that no other fighter has done in a number of years. If he talks about something, he goes out and does it."
HBO's hit reality series, 24/7: Mayweather-Mosley, has reached a demographic that has been hard to reach for boxing.
"Specifically, younger males across all ethnic lines," Taffet said. "24/7 is the most successful show in the last 10 years of not only reaching new fans but connecting them intimately to the athletes."
Ellerbe says the image you see of "Money" Mayweather on 24/7 is a character.
"That doesn't depict who Floyd Mayweather is," Ellerbe said. "Floyd is just promoting his fights. He's just doing his job."
Ellerbe thinks the PPV record will fall Saturday. Will the fight live up to the hype?
"That's one thing you don't have to worry about," Ellerbe said. "Shane Mosley is going to come to fight. And we know Floyd is going to come to fight."
Ruiz hangs up gloves:
Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.
The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday that he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.
Source: usatoday.com
Victor Conte: Shane Mosley's Story 'Doesn't Pass The Smell Test' -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
BALCO founder, Victor Conte, 59, has had a lot to say recently during the lead up to Saturday's HBO pay per view-televised clash between 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), and 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) that is scheduled for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mosley, in 2003, admitted that he injected the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," but says that he did so unknowingly after having been supplied the drugs by Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson.
Mosley's attorney, Judd Burstein, did not comment directly on his client's defamation or character and libel case against Conte during two recent interviews with FanHouse, but Burstein and Conte have engaged in a battle of YouTube video postings meant to illustrate their contradicting points of contention.
Conte spoke to FanHouse during this, the first of a two-part Q&A.
FanHouse: Do you have any responses, initially, to anything that has been addressed, publicly, concerning your case in relation to Shane Mosley vs. Floyd Mayweather or during the promotion leading up to their fight?
Victor Conte: One of the things that I wanted to focus on here is that it's my opinion that there were fraudulent representations made by Shane Mosley in his declaration that was filed together with his lawsuit against me, and that both Judd Burstein and Shane Mosley knew that the statements were not true.
Basically, what Shane has tried to claim is that 'I didn't know what the hell it was,' and all of this other stuff, and that he thought that it was vitamins, and that he was duped, and that he was mislead, and he was hood-winked, and all of this. That's what he's basically represented to the courts.
Where, you know, I know that Shane Mosley knew what he was taking, and we spent three and a half hours together that day, and he has tried, repeatedly, to throw Daryl Hudson under the bus. But I can tell you that 80 percent of the questions that day came from Shane Mosley and not Daryl Hudson.
Shane did the overwhelming majority of the talking that day.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by that?
Well, for Shane Mosley to act like, 'Well, I was just along for the ride,' and that Daryl's the one that wanted to do it, I don't believe that to be true at all.
What is your version of what happened?
So, here is what I say is what is happening. I don't think that Mosley and Burnstein believed that that the federal grand jury transcript of 2003 would ever see the light of day. So when they filed that lawsuit in 2008, and he made his new declaration, I believe that that was their position and their belief.
As it turns out, however, after he had made all of these statements in his declaration during the filing of the lawsuit -- which was not true in my opinion -- that once the government had released his grand jury transcript, there were contradictions between his declaration and what he had said when he testified to before the grand jury.
Therefore, Shane had a choice when he came to be deposed in New York in Judd Burstein's office, whether he would go and be congruent with what he said in the declaration, or whether he was going to go and be congruent with what he told the grand jury? And I can tell you that, initially, he tried to lie in his deposition.
But once my attorney took pages of his grand jury transcript and put them on the table in front of him, and entered them into the written case on the record, then he had to decide, well, was he going to be congruent with the declaration, or was he going to be congruent with what he had told the grand jury?
And then, he admitted that what he told the grand jury was, in fact true, and that he did, knowingly, use EPO, and that he was informed that day that he did so -- the day that he first injected the EPO and administered 'the clear,' and, 'the cream.' Shane admitted that he had asked a lot of questions.
He admitted that I had answered the questions, that he knew the benefits of what he was taking, that he knew that it was dangerous, he knew that if your blood got thick that it could possibly clot and that that could kill you, and that he had been told all of this.
So what exactly is your assertion about the difference between what Shane told the grand jury and what he said, initially, when he filed the lawsuit?
Well, in his declaration he said that he was told that everything was healthy to take, etc.
So you've got a huge contradiction. So here is the thing that has to be put into context: His declaration was made under oath by penalty of perjury. His grand jury testimony was under oath, so that's subject to penalty of perjury. His deposition was under oath.
So what is congruent is his grand jury testimony and his video testimony, and what is not congruent is his declaration that was filed together with the lawsuit. What that means is that this case is based upon fraud. In my opinion, it's an out-and-out abuse of the judicial system. The purpose was to put a muzzle on me as he lied to the court.
Is it true that Shane only met you once or twice prior to injecting the steroids?
Okay, he had only met me once, and that was the day that he took the EPO, and used 'the clear,' at my office. And he used it, that day, right in front of me. And here's another thing to keep in mind, and that is that there were two other eyewitness in the room.
The other two who were present were Daryl Hudson, Shane's own trainer, and James Valente, who was BALCO's vice president at the time. It wasn't just me and Shane. It was me, Shane, Daryl, and Jim all in the room.
What exactly happened to the time of the injection?
I told him what it was, I told him what the benefits were, and I told him what the dangers were. He said that he wanted to do it, so we plotted out a calendar and put together this whole program really that covered six weeks. That was done that day, right in front of me and the two witnesses.
And your assertion, at that point, is that Shane knew, unequivocally, that what he was taking was illegal?
That's right, that very day. Well, listen, let's talk about this issue of "Was it illegal?" Let me put that into context for you, so that you understand ...
Yes, please do.
In 1998, there was something called, 'The Festina Affair.' And what happened was that nine cyclists were busted at the border in Belgium. And they found EPO. They had EPO in their car, okay? In their cars. It was illegal, and they took them all to jail. They were all banned from competing in the Tour de France in 1998.
So when EPO hit the news, television, as well as all print media, as well as all news outlets fell in line. It was, 'EPO is illegal,' and is banned, 'Nine cyclists go to jail,' and are not allowed to compete at Tour de France. Okay? Later, that same year, in 1998, another cyclist died from using EPO.
So, from that day, from 1998 until 2010, every article that has appeared in public and every segment that has appeared on television or in video or on the internet has been that EPO is illegal, it is banned, prohibited, it is dangerous, and can kill you.
So for him to know full well that it is EPO, and to look at the bottle, and inject it, have the notation of 'E' on all of the calendars of his program, and to come back and to say, 'Well, I didn't know,' I'm sorry, but that just doesn't fly.
Concerning the YouTube video that you first posted of Shane Mosley's deposition, was that edited to favor your assertions or not?
Let me put it into context. I was deposed for two full days, so you've got probably 15 hours worth of video tape. Do you think that anybody is interested in watching 15 hours of video? And 80 percent of [Burstein's] questions were about Barry Bonds and had nothing to do with Shane Mosley.
Okay, 80 percent. Shane Mosley was deposed for one day, so maybe there is six or seven hours of Shane Mosley's video taped deposition. So, did I edit this where there were 'Yes,' and, 'No' answers where it would be very clear? That's what I did.
I took certain questions where Shane gave clear answers, and did I edit those and select those? Yes I did. I believe that those represent Shane Mosley making an admission of knowingly using EPO. Do I believe that the world deserves to hear the truth come out of the mouth of Shane Mosley? Yes I do.
In summary, what, in your opinion, Victor, is not being heard by the public about Shane's case?
Here is what I believe are the basics here, okay? Shane came to me to get performance enhancing drugs, I did not go to him. Okay? He claims that he thought that he was taking vitamins. Well, let me explain something to you: 'the clear,' and, 'the cream' are in clear, plastic containers.
There are no labels whatsoever on them. Didn't he find it strange that a guy would be giving you something that has no label? Vitamins that you buy in the store, they all have labels. Yet, what you're taking has no label? Then he tries to lie and to say, 'Well, I thought that it was flaxseed oil.'
But then, the prosecutor asked Shane, 'Well, listen, we've had, you know, 30 athletes come in here and testify that they were told that if anybody ever found this, that a cover story would be that it was flaxseed oil, but that they really knew that it was something else.'
So, the prosecutor asked, 'Shane, were you told that this as a cover story? Or were you really told that this was flaxseed oil?' Or did you know that this was something else. And he said, that 'I was told that I could use flaxseed oil, but I knew that it was something else.'
Well if you know that it's not flaxseed oil, and it has no label on it, you didn't question what it was before you took it? That just doesn't pass the smell test.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
BALCO founder, Victor Conte, 59, has had a lot to say recently during the lead up to Saturday's HBO pay per view-televised clash between 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), and 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) that is scheduled for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mosley, in 2003, admitted that he injected the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," but says that he did so unknowingly after having been supplied the drugs by Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson.
Mosley's attorney, Judd Burstein, did not comment directly on his client's defamation or character and libel case against Conte during two recent interviews with FanHouse, but Burstein and Conte have engaged in a battle of YouTube video postings meant to illustrate their contradicting points of contention.
Conte spoke to FanHouse during this, the first of a two-part Q&A.
FanHouse: Do you have any responses, initially, to anything that has been addressed, publicly, concerning your case in relation to Shane Mosley vs. Floyd Mayweather or during the promotion leading up to their fight?
Victor Conte: One of the things that I wanted to focus on here is that it's my opinion that there were fraudulent representations made by Shane Mosley in his declaration that was filed together with his lawsuit against me, and that both Judd Burstein and Shane Mosley knew that the statements were not true.
Basically, what Shane has tried to claim is that 'I didn't know what the hell it was,' and all of this other stuff, and that he thought that it was vitamins, and that he was duped, and that he was mislead, and he was hood-winked, and all of this. That's what he's basically represented to the courts.
Where, you know, I know that Shane Mosley knew what he was taking, and we spent three and a half hours together that day, and he has tried, repeatedly, to throw Daryl Hudson under the bus. But I can tell you that 80 percent of the questions that day came from Shane Mosley and not Daryl Hudson.
Shane did the overwhelming majority of the talking that day.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by that?
Well, for Shane Mosley to act like, 'Well, I was just along for the ride,' and that Daryl's the one that wanted to do it, I don't believe that to be true at all.
What is your version of what happened?
So, here is what I say is what is happening. I don't think that Mosley and Burnstein believed that that the federal grand jury transcript of 2003 would ever see the light of day. So when they filed that lawsuit in 2008, and he made his new declaration, I believe that that was their position and their belief.
As it turns out, however, after he had made all of these statements in his declaration during the filing of the lawsuit -- which was not true in my opinion -- that once the government had released his grand jury transcript, there were contradictions between his declaration and what he had said when he testified to before the grand jury.
Therefore, Shane had a choice when he came to be deposed in New York in Judd Burstein's office, whether he would go and be congruent with what he said in the declaration, or whether he was going to go and be congruent with what he told the grand jury? And I can tell you that, initially, he tried to lie in his deposition.
But once my attorney took pages of his grand jury transcript and put them on the table in front of him, and entered them into the written case on the record, then he had to decide, well, was he going to be congruent with the declaration, or was he going to be congruent with what he had told the grand jury?
And then, he admitted that what he told the grand jury was, in fact true, and that he did, knowingly, use EPO, and that he was informed that day that he did so -- the day that he first injected the EPO and administered 'the clear,' and, 'the cream.' Shane admitted that he had asked a lot of questions.
He admitted that I had answered the questions, that he knew the benefits of what he was taking, that he knew that it was dangerous, he knew that if your blood got thick that it could possibly clot and that that could kill you, and that he had been told all of this.
So what exactly is your assertion about the difference between what Shane told the grand jury and what he said, initially, when he filed the lawsuit?
Well, in his declaration he said that he was told that everything was healthy to take, etc.
So you've got a huge contradiction. So here is the thing that has to be put into context: His declaration was made under oath by penalty of perjury. His grand jury testimony was under oath, so that's subject to penalty of perjury. His deposition was under oath.
So what is congruent is his grand jury testimony and his video testimony, and what is not congruent is his declaration that was filed together with the lawsuit. What that means is that this case is based upon fraud. In my opinion, it's an out-and-out abuse of the judicial system. The purpose was to put a muzzle on me as he lied to the court.
Is it true that Shane only met you once or twice prior to injecting the steroids?
Okay, he had only met me once, and that was the day that he took the EPO, and used 'the clear,' at my office. And he used it, that day, right in front of me. And here's another thing to keep in mind, and that is that there were two other eyewitness in the room.
The other two who were present were Daryl Hudson, Shane's own trainer, and James Valente, who was BALCO's vice president at the time. It wasn't just me and Shane. It was me, Shane, Daryl, and Jim all in the room.
What exactly happened to the time of the injection?
I told him what it was, I told him what the benefits were, and I told him what the dangers were. He said that he wanted to do it, so we plotted out a calendar and put together this whole program really that covered six weeks. That was done that day, right in front of me and the two witnesses.
And your assertion, at that point, is that Shane knew, unequivocally, that what he was taking was illegal?
That's right, that very day. Well, listen, let's talk about this issue of "Was it illegal?" Let me put that into context for you, so that you understand ...
Yes, please do.
In 1998, there was something called, 'The Festina Affair.' And what happened was that nine cyclists were busted at the border in Belgium. And they found EPO. They had EPO in their car, okay? In their cars. It was illegal, and they took them all to jail. They were all banned from competing in the Tour de France in 1998.
So when EPO hit the news, television, as well as all print media, as well as all news outlets fell in line. It was, 'EPO is illegal,' and is banned, 'Nine cyclists go to jail,' and are not allowed to compete at Tour de France. Okay? Later, that same year, in 1998, another cyclist died from using EPO.
So, from that day, from 1998 until 2010, every article that has appeared in public and every segment that has appeared on television or in video or on the internet has been that EPO is illegal, it is banned, prohibited, it is dangerous, and can kill you.
So for him to know full well that it is EPO, and to look at the bottle, and inject it, have the notation of 'E' on all of the calendars of his program, and to come back and to say, 'Well, I didn't know,' I'm sorry, but that just doesn't fly.
Concerning the YouTube video that you first posted of Shane Mosley's deposition, was that edited to favor your assertions or not?
Let me put it into context. I was deposed for two full days, so you've got probably 15 hours worth of video tape. Do you think that anybody is interested in watching 15 hours of video? And 80 percent of [Burstein's] questions were about Barry Bonds and had nothing to do with Shane Mosley.
Okay, 80 percent. Shane Mosley was deposed for one day, so maybe there is six or seven hours of Shane Mosley's video taped deposition. So, did I edit this where there were 'Yes,' and, 'No' answers where it would be very clear? That's what I did.
I took certain questions where Shane gave clear answers, and did I edit those and select those? Yes I did. I believe that those represent Shane Mosley making an admission of knowingly using EPO. Do I believe that the world deserves to hear the truth come out of the mouth of Shane Mosley? Yes I do.
In summary, what, in your opinion, Victor, is not being heard by the public about Shane's case?
Here is what I believe are the basics here, okay? Shane came to me to get performance enhancing drugs, I did not go to him. Okay? He claims that he thought that he was taking vitamins. Well, let me explain something to you: 'the clear,' and, 'the cream' are in clear, plastic containers.
There are no labels whatsoever on them. Didn't he find it strange that a guy would be giving you something that has no label? Vitamins that you buy in the store, they all have labels. Yet, what you're taking has no label? Then he tries to lie and to say, 'Well, I thought that it was flaxseed oil.'
But then, the prosecutor asked Shane, 'Well, listen, we've had, you know, 30 athletes come in here and testify that they were told that if anybody ever found this, that a cover story would be that it was flaxseed oil, but that they really knew that it was something else.'
So, the prosecutor asked, 'Shane, were you told that this as a cover story? Or were you really told that this was flaxseed oil?' Or did you know that this was something else. And he said, that 'I was told that I could use flaxseed oil, but I knew that it was something else.'
Well if you know that it's not flaxseed oil, and it has no label on it, you didn't question what it was before you took it? That just doesn't pass the smell test.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Mosley keeps clear head amid chaos -- Yahoo! Sports
By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
LAS VEGAS – Hardly a day goes by in which Shane Mosley’s current nemesis, Victor Conte, doesn’t release some piece of derogatory information to the media.
Though he passed the post-fight drug test administered to him after that fight by the Nevada Athletic Commission, Mosley later admitted to a federal grand jury that he had used EPO as well as the steroids that became known as “The Cream” and “The Clear.”
Mosley said Conte duped him and Conte insists Mosley knew full well what he was doing. Mosley has sued Conte for defamation of character.
As Mosley has prepared for his fight on Saturday with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, one of the biggest and most lucrative bouts in boxing history, Conte has flooded the media with information suggesting that Mosley was fully aware of what he was given in 2003.
Dealing with that mess is more than a full-time job, but it’s hardly Mosley’s only task these days.
He’s in the midst of a divorce from his wife, Jin, which could get extraordinarily nasty.
He’s been taunted, poked and prodded by just about every member of the Mayweather family, and his personal life has been put under the microscope by the media like few fighters since Mike Tyson.
In the midst of all of it, he has to prepare for the most significant bout of his life against arguably the most dominant fighter of his generation.
It would be a recipe for disaster for anyone except Shane Mosley.
Just days before the most anticipated bout of the year, Mosley is the epitome of calm.
If he loses, it won’t be because he was distracted by business dealings outside the ring.
“You have to understand the craziness that was going on around him in the days before his [Jan. 24, 2009] fight with [Antonio] Margarito,” said Judd Burstein, Mosley’s long-time lawyer and close friend. “What’s going on around him now is like a day at the spa compared to what was happening then.”
He had separated from his high-profile wife, who had taken over control of his career, in 2008. Jin Mosley is not the retiring type, as numerous boxing writers who ran afoul of her during her marriage to Shane would attest.
Fighters often speak of having to focus, but it was hard for Mosley to do that given the battles he was fighting with his wife.
“Anything Mayweather says is nothing compared to the things she said to me,” Mosley told the Los Angeles Times.
Mosley, though, put on one of the best performances of his career against Margarito, winning virtually every round before stopping Margarito in the ninth.
He’s one of those guys who lets pretty much everything slide off his back. Not too much affects him. His father said his easy-going nature comes naturally, and that it has aided in his boxing career by letting him focus all of his energies on the task at hand.
The entire Mayweather clan has taunted him mercilessly. Floyd Jr. has made fun of how Jin has controlled Shane’s career. He has taunted Mosley about what he says is a nose job and about Mosley’s new hairstyle.
Burstein said it’s pointless for Mayweather to continue because Mosley hears little of it and pays attention to none of it.
Jack Mosley advises his son to fire back occasionally, but concedes that it’s only for effect.
“You can respond to it because you don’t want something to go unanswered, like the president,” Jack Mosley said. “They advised him not to let stuff go unanswered, and so you’ve got to answer every charge, but you can do it in such a way where it’s classy. You don’t have to be derogatory and stuff like that.”
Mosley has never been one to concern himself too much with anything but boxing and preparing to box. The business deals haven’t gotten much of his interest or attention, though Burstein said that’s changed in recent times.
There’s no doubt, though, that Mosley would rather strap on his head gear, pull on his gloves and spar 12 rounds than sit in a board room discussing a business venture or face a pack of media with questions about his upcoming fight.
The ring has always been a refuge and it’s the one place where he goes where none of life’s problems can touch him. In that way, he’s very much like Mayweather.
“It’s something that’s been a part of me for as long as I can remember, just about,” Mosley said. “It’s what I love. It’s what I’ve always loved.”
In nearly every fight he’s fought, Mosley has been faster and, in all but a handful, he’s been stronger.
He’s a Hall of Famer on the day he’s eligible, even if he never wins again. And though he’s not the physical specimen at 38 that he was at 28 when he defeated De La Hoya and began his ascent to superstardom, he still believes deeply in his ability.
“He’s a great fighter, but I’m the best,” Mosley says proudly.
He has a lot of detractors. Mayweather is five years younger, perceived to be faster and better defensively.
Freddie Roach, who trains pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and is a four-time trainer of the year, is among the many who expect Mayweather to prevail.
Mayweather’s style isn’t a good match for Mosley, Roach said, and the 38-year-old gunslinger isn’t the same as he once was.
“Everybody talks about how Shane fought Margarito, but that was the perfect opponent and perfect execution,” Roach said. “Shane grew up in Los Angeles and he has always loved it when he fought a Mexican fighter and the guy attacked him and came after him. He was always at his best in fights like that.
“He’s had trouble with boxers and guys with speed. … I’m sure his age will show a bit in this fight, because that’s something we can’t get away from. We slow down when we get older. I give Shane a small chance of winning, but I think Mayweather will put on a very good, maybe a dominant performance.”
Mosley takes all of the comments in stride. He never berates one for having an opinion and he never lets an opinion change his belief in himself.
Burstein spent much of the day with him Saturday in Los Angeles and found him to be in a great state mentally, though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
“I was really pleased to see that he has exactly the same equanimity and clear head now that he had right before the Margarito fight,” Burstein said. “He’s completely calm. One of the things we’ve talked about is making sure this is a calm week. He said to me, ‘This is often the week fighters lose fights, by letting all the craziness and excitement get to them.’ He realizes it and he hasn’t been bothered one bit.
“All the Conte stuff, the divorce, Mayweather, none of it has had an impact on him at all. He’s as calm and as ready to fight as I have ever seen him.”
It’s about putting things in perspective, Mosley said. Mayweather likes to try and play mind games with his opponents, often with great success.
They’re successful because the opponents take them personally and wind up fighting with anger instead of fighting with their heads.
Few fighters have a more courageous spirit than Mosley, but he’s never fought on anger and he’s not about to now. He manages to laugh off just about all the barbs that the Mayweather clan has tossed his way because he believes it’s just an attempt to get him off his game.
He’s more fueled by making history, by defeating a man many believed couldn’t be beaten.
“It’s nothing personal,” Mosley said. “I know for me, it’s all business. This is business and this is a competitive sport. This is our legacy on who’s the best fighter. It’s a challenge. So it’s a challenge that I’m ready to take and I’m ready to go into the history books as being the guy to beat Floyd Mayweather and the guy that beats everybody out there, the last man standing. I’m into that.”
The fire has been what has helped turn him into a Hall of Fame fighter.
But his ability to turn off the distractions hasn’t hurt, either.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
LAS VEGAS – Hardly a day goes by in which Shane Mosley’s current nemesis, Victor Conte, doesn’t release some piece of derogatory information to the media.
Conte is the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and in 2003, he provided Mosley with two anabolic steroids as well as erythropoietin (EPO)
as Mosley was preparing for a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.
as Mosley was preparing for a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.Though he passed the post-fight drug test administered to him after that fight by the Nevada Athletic Commission, Mosley later admitted to a federal grand jury that he had used EPO as well as the steroids that became known as “The Cream” and “The Clear.”Mosley said Conte duped him and Conte insists Mosley knew full well what he was doing. Mosley has sued Conte for defamation of character.
As Mosley has prepared for his fight on Saturday with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, one of the biggest and most lucrative bouts in boxing history, Conte has flooded the media with information suggesting that Mosley was fully aware of what he was given in 2003.
Dealing with that mess is more than a full-time job, but it’s hardly Mosley’s only task these days.
He’s in the midst of a divorce from his wife, Jin, which could get extraordinarily nasty.
He’s been taunted, poked and prodded by just about every member of the Mayweather family, and his personal life has been put under the microscope by the media like few fighters since Mike Tyson.
In the midst of all of it, he has to prepare for the most significant bout of his life against arguably the most dominant fighter of his generation.
It would be a recipe for disaster for anyone except Shane Mosley.
Just days before the most anticipated bout of the year, Mosley is the epitome of calm.
If he loses, it won’t be because he was distracted by business dealings outside the ring.
“You have to understand the craziness that was going on around him in the days before his [Jan. 24, 2009] fight with [Antonio] Margarito,” said Judd Burstein, Mosley’s long-time lawyer and close friend. “What’s going on around him now is like a day at the spa compared to what was happening then.”
He had separated from his high-profile wife, who had taken over control of his career, in 2008. Jin Mosley is not the retiring type, as numerous boxing writers who ran afoul of her during her marriage to Shane would attest.
Fighters often speak of having to focus, but it was hard for Mosley to do that given the battles he was fighting with his wife.
“Anything Mayweather says is nothing compared to the things she said to me,” Mosley told the Los Angeles Times.
Mosley, though, put on one of the best performances of his career against Margarito, winning virtually every round before stopping Margarito in the ninth.
He’s one of those guys who lets pretty much everything slide off his back. Not too much affects him. His father said his easy-going nature comes naturally, and that it has aided in his boxing career by letting him focus all of his energies on the task at hand.
The entire Mayweather clan has taunted him mercilessly. Floyd Jr. has made fun of how Jin has controlled Shane’s career. He has taunted Mosley about what he says is a nose job and about Mosley’s new hairstyle.
Burstein said it’s pointless for Mayweather to continue because Mosley hears little of it and pays attention to none of it.
Jack Mosley advises his son to fire back occasionally, but concedes that it’s only for effect.
“You can respond to it because you don’t want something to go unanswered, like the president,” Jack Mosley said. “They advised him not to let stuff go unanswered, and so you’ve got to answer every charge, but you can do it in such a way where it’s classy. You don’t have to be derogatory and stuff like that.”
Mosley has never been one to concern himself too much with anything but boxing and preparing to box. The business deals haven’t gotten much of his interest or attention, though Burstein said that’s changed in recent times.
There’s no doubt, though, that Mosley would rather strap on his head gear, pull on his gloves and spar 12 rounds than sit in a board room discussing a business venture or face a pack of media with questions about his upcoming fight.
The ring has always been a refuge and it’s the one place where he goes where none of life’s problems can touch him. In that way, he’s very much like Mayweather.
“It’s something that’s been a part of me for as long as I can remember, just about,” Mosley said. “It’s what I love. It’s what I’ve always loved.”
In nearly every fight he’s fought, Mosley has been faster and, in all but a handful, he’s been stronger.
He’s a Hall of Famer on the day he’s eligible, even if he never wins again. And though he’s not the physical specimen at 38 that he was at 28 when he defeated De La Hoya and began his ascent to superstardom, he still believes deeply in his ability.
“He’s a great fighter, but I’m the best,” Mosley says proudly.
He has a lot of detractors. Mayweather is five years younger, perceived to be faster and better defensively.
Freddie Roach, who trains pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and is a four-time trainer of the year, is among the many who expect Mayweather to prevail.
Mayweather’s style isn’t a good match for Mosley, Roach said, and the 38-year-old gunslinger isn’t the same as he once was.
“Everybody talks about how Shane fought Margarito, but that was the perfect opponent and perfect execution,” Roach said. “Shane grew up in Los Angeles and he has always loved it when he fought a Mexican fighter and the guy attacked him and came after him. He was always at his best in fights like that.
“He’s had trouble with boxers and guys with speed. … I’m sure his age will show a bit in this fight, because that’s something we can’t get away from. We slow down when we get older. I give Shane a small chance of winning, but I think Mayweather will put on a very good, maybe a dominant performance.”
Mosley takes all of the comments in stride. He never berates one for having an opinion and he never lets an opinion change his belief in himself.
Burstein spent much of the day with him Saturday in Los Angeles and found him to be in a great state mentally, though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
“I was really pleased to see that he has exactly the same equanimity and clear head now that he had right before the Margarito fight,” Burstein said. “He’s completely calm. One of the things we’ve talked about is making sure this is a calm week. He said to me, ‘This is often the week fighters lose fights, by letting all the craziness and excitement get to them.’ He realizes it and he hasn’t been bothered one bit.
“All the Conte stuff, the divorce, Mayweather, none of it has had an impact on him at all. He’s as calm and as ready to fight as I have ever seen him.”
It’s about putting things in perspective, Mosley said. Mayweather likes to try and play mind games with his opponents, often with great success.
They’re successful because the opponents take them personally and wind up fighting with anger instead of fighting with their heads.
Few fighters have a more courageous spirit than Mosley, but he’s never fought on anger and he’s not about to now. He manages to laugh off just about all the barbs that the Mayweather clan has tossed his way because he believes it’s just an attempt to get him off his game.
He’s more fueled by making history, by defeating a man many believed couldn’t be beaten.
“It’s nothing personal,” Mosley said. “I know for me, it’s all business. This is business and this is a competitive sport. This is our legacy on who’s the best fighter. It’s a challenge. So it’s a challenge that I’m ready to take and I’m ready to go into the history books as being the guy to beat Floyd Mayweather and the guy that beats everybody out there, the last man standing. I’m into that.”
The fire has been what has helped turn him into a Hall of Fame fighter.
But his ability to turn off the distractions hasn’t hurt, either.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
Roach: Style counsel says Mayweather beats Mosley -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
Just after New Year, and up to the days before Manny Pacquiao used Joshua Clottey like a wooden heavy bag, in a prize fighting ring dwarfed in the vast cavernous city stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Freddie Roach spoke to me more than once, impressing on me the fact that lightning-fisted Pacquiao would face Shane Mosley if he had to.
But in his heart of hearts, Roach knew that he could not back Mosley to beat Mayweather. This week he has delivered his counsel. Mayweather on points. The reason ? Styles. “Mosley likes guys coming at him, that’s why he looked so good against [Antonio] Margarito, but it is not the same story when he fights counter-punchers.”
“Manny wanted to face Margarito after he beat Oscar De La Hoya. Margarito suited Mosley down to his bootlaces. Mayweather won’t do that. Mayweather will bide his time, and he’ll be quicker than Mosley.”
“Mayweather is a brilliant boxer, but he’s not a crowd pleaser. It may not be a great fight.” Roach admits that he wants Mayweather to look at his peak – as he did in his last outing against Juan Manuel Marquez, although he was around 20lbs heavier – and believes the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, will be made.
Compromises, of course, will have to be reached. “Manny wants the fight. The drug testing issue is there, but we’ll come to an agreement. I’d like Manny to fight Mayweather next, if Mayweather wins, and then retire after that fight. It would be the greatest test for Manny, and he would have to fight the perfect fight. I think Manny has nowhere to go after that, and I’m just pleased he has lots of interests and businesses outside the sport.”
Deep down, several times when I have spoken to Roach about Mayweather-Pacquiao, there is the sense from him that it is almost a step too far for Pacquiao, given the natural differences in size, and yet he wants to stretch his charge of 9 years with every sinew to get the most from him. And Mayweather as opponent might just do that. I know behind the scenes that Pacquiao is genuinely angry with the Mayweathers and how they have couched certain claims against him. Angry enough to want to turn that energy spiteful in a ring.
However, if Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t happen, Roach can foresee two more fights for Pacquiao, potentially involving Juan Manuel Marquez, or Antonio Margarito. For the next two weeks, however, Pacquiao has other things on his mind: like being elected as the congressional representative in Sarangani Province, Mindanao, the birthplace of his wife Jinkee, and the residence of his in-laws.
In the next two weeks, over the space of ten days between May 1 and May 10 the paths of Pacquiao and Mayweather may become inextricably linked, or forever frozen and divided. For millions of sports fan around the world, the hope is that the two masterful ring exponents will meet in a ring in the US, and herald the fight of this generation.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Just after New Year, and up to the days before Manny Pacquiao used Joshua Clottey like a wooden heavy bag, in a prize fighting ring dwarfed in the vast cavernous city stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Freddie Roach spoke to me more than once, impressing on me the fact that lightning-fisted Pacquiao would face Shane Mosley if he had to.
But in his heart of hearts, Roach knew that he could not back Mosley to beat Mayweather. This week he has delivered his counsel. Mayweather on points. The reason ? Styles. “Mosley likes guys coming at him, that’s why he looked so good against [Antonio] Margarito, but it is not the same story when he fights counter-punchers.”
“Manny wanted to face Margarito after he beat Oscar De La Hoya. Margarito suited Mosley down to his bootlaces. Mayweather won’t do that. Mayweather will bide his time, and he’ll be quicker than Mosley.”
“Mayweather is a brilliant boxer, but he’s not a crowd pleaser. It may not be a great fight.” Roach admits that he wants Mayweather to look at his peak – as he did in his last outing against Juan Manuel Marquez, although he was around 20lbs heavier – and believes the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, will be made.
Compromises, of course, will have to be reached. “Manny wants the fight. The drug testing issue is there, but we’ll come to an agreement. I’d like Manny to fight Mayweather next, if Mayweather wins, and then retire after that fight. It would be the greatest test for Manny, and he would have to fight the perfect fight. I think Manny has nowhere to go after that, and I’m just pleased he has lots of interests and businesses outside the sport.”
Deep down, several times when I have spoken to Roach about Mayweather-Pacquiao, there is the sense from him that it is almost a step too far for Pacquiao, given the natural differences in size, and yet he wants to stretch his charge of 9 years with every sinew to get the most from him. And Mayweather as opponent might just do that. I know behind the scenes that Pacquiao is genuinely angry with the Mayweathers and how they have couched certain claims against him. Angry enough to want to turn that energy spiteful in a ring.
However, if Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t happen, Roach can foresee two more fights for Pacquiao, potentially involving Juan Manuel Marquez, or Antonio Margarito. For the next two weeks, however, Pacquiao has other things on his mind: like being elected as the congressional representative in Sarangani Province, Mindanao, the birthplace of his wife Jinkee, and the residence of his in-laws.
In the next two weeks, over the space of ten days between May 1 and May 10 the paths of Pacquiao and Mayweather may become inextricably linked, or forever frozen and divided. For millions of sports fan around the world, the hope is that the two masterful ring exponents will meet in a ring in the US, and herald the fight of this generation.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
A match for Manny Pacquiao? I'm even better than Muhammad Ali, boasts Floyd Mayweather -- Daily Mail
By JEFF POWELL, DailyMail.co.ukFloyd Mayweather Jnr is not only the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today - better even than Manny Pacquiao - but he is the greatest boxer ever, greater even than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Who says so?
Why, Floyd Mayweather Jnr himself. That's who.
Money, not Modesty, is Mayweather's ring moniker and there is no sign of faux humility when he evaluates his own place in the spectrum of all-time pugilists.'Ali was a great fighter,' he acknowledges, 'but I'm better. Robinson was a great fighter, but I'm better.'
So much for the two legends who monopolise most of the discussions when connoisseurs of the hardest game wrangle over who is the all-time lord of the ring.
As for Pacquiao, who has supplanted Mayweather in most assessments of the mythical pound-for-pound champion of the moment, apparently he cannot even be certain of a future place in boxing's Hall of Fame.
Nor, for that matter, can the man he faces in Las Vegas this coming Saturday night.
Sugar Shane Mosley - the interim opponent prior to Mayweather-Pacquiao, if that blockbuster ever happens - is damned thus with faint praise: 'He's a solid middleweight.'
So dismissive is Mayweather of Mosley's standing as reigning WBA world welterweight champion that he is not bothering to compete for that belt when they enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden arena.
Money is his nickname and he is refusing to part with that small portion of his fortune which he would have had to pay the World Boxing Association to sanction this as a title fight.
'Why should I bother with a belt?' he asks. 'Just beating Mosley will be enough to enhance my legacy.'
Actually, it would have done more for his reputation had these two fought a few years ago, when the now 38-year-old Mosley was in his prime.
Although not enough to dissuade most of us from the opinion that Mr Ali is The Greatest, and probably always will be.
That belief is unruffled by Mayweather's dismissive suggestion that Ali and Robinson are only defied because they took part in 'hundreds of fights'.
He is right to assert that the advent of pay-per-view television - with the networks needing months to sell each product to their subscribers - has played its part in reducing the number of bouts demanded of the modern-day boxer.
But while that is not his fault - and even though he regrets that the regulations now prevent him proving himself a throwback to the 15-round warriors of yore - does his 40-fight unbeaten record really stand comparison with the near-100 contests won by Julio Cesar Chavez before his first loss?
One hallmark of a great champion is his ability to come back from defeat but with Mayweather boxing so infrequently - and tending to select older (Mosley) or smaller (Marquez) opponents when he does so, we may never get the chance to judge him in that context.
Not unless he meets Pacquiao - yes, smaller, but equipped with the power to unhinge larger men - and that fight still seems as remote as it did the moment Mayweather threw a sudden demand for blood-testing into the negotiations.
So greater than Ali? Dream on.
Froch threatens to quit Super Six as promoter denies Abraham agreement
The agony for Carl Froch deepened on Monday when German promoter Wilfried Sauerland categorically denied shaking hands on a deal for the Nottingham Cobra's decisive super-middleweight clash with Arthur Abraham to take place in England.
The Super Six series to unify the world championship - the WBC version of which Froch lost to Mikkel Kessler in Saturday's epic battle in Denmark - provides for a mix of home and away matches in the three fights required of each contestant in the group stage.
Froch, having won at home to Andre Dirrell and lost away to Kessler, has been counting on home advantage against Abraham. Now Sauerland, who promotes both Kessler and Abraham, is pressing for either a neutral venue or Berlin for Abraham, a Germany-domiciled Armenian.
Mick Hennessy, Froch's promoter, claims they had a gentleman's agreement for the fight to take place in Nottingham, saying: 'There were witnesses.'
Sauerland says: 'There is nothing in the contract to that effect, nor was there any verbal deal or handshake. The only stipulation is that it happens in Europe, with the best financial situation taking preference.
'Arthur has already had to travel all the way to California to fight Andre Ward, while Froch had a private jet for his short trip to Denmark. A reasonable compromise would be a neutral venue, otherwise we should go for the most rewarding venue.'
Froch has threatened to pull out of the Super Six if he is forced to travel again, although he is unlikely to withdraw as he is on at least a million pounds per fight in the series.
Both he and Abraham need a win to be certain of qualifying for the even more lucrative semi-finals. Froch, having lost his unbeaten record as well as his WBC belt to Kessler by a unanimous points decision, is wary of being on the wrong end of a home-town verdict against Abraham, who is hugely popular in his adoptive Germany.
The negotiations, which will include America's Showtime television network who are bankrolling the tournament, now threaten to be as aggressive as the fight.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Bob Arum: Bombastic Burstein has lost his mind on Mosley, Pacquiao cases -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
"The cases that I've really focused on are the cases against Richard and Oscar, because we're working together on this. I don't think that Jesus Christ could come down off of the cross and win Manny's case against Richard and Oscar." -- GOLDEN BOY LAWYER JUDD BURSTEIN, speaking to Lem "The Gem" Satterfield on AOL Fan House.
No stranger to bombastic declarations himself, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum seems to be more bemused than angered by the heavy verbal artillery coming out of the nonstop mouth of Burstein.
Burstein went on to label Pacman's lawsuit against the Golden Boys as "shockingly stupid" and added that the pair only rendered First Amendment protected opinions about the Pinoy Idol using illegal drugs. To hear Burstein tell it, Manny is burning money with a frivolous case.
"Look, he said a dog could win the defamation for his client, Shane Mosley, against (BALCO figure) Victor Conte and then he said Jesus Christ could not win the defamation case for Manny. So I guess it's better to have your defamation case anagolized to Jesus Christ than to some dog.
"I think this guy, Burstein, has really lost his mind," the Top Rank honcho said from his Las Vegas headquarters. "Those statements and his threatening treatment of that (New York Daily News) reporter is not indicative of a lawyer's type of conduct or behavior."
Arum once had New York based Burstein representing him on a matter way back when the attorney was working for prominent legal eagle Jay Goldberg. Goldberg as long been a stalwart of the criminal defense bar and, on the civil side, been the advocate for the likes of mogul Donald Trump.
"I have no idea what Burstein is thinking when he says these things. Our lawyer handling Manny's case, Daniel Petrocelli, says let Burstein keep spouting off. It will be dealt with in court where it should be properly handled.
"It looks to me that Conte has a complete defense to Mosley's defamation action and that is the truth. Now, if Burstein felt he had such a strong case there, why wouldn't he say something like, 'It's a difficult case but we expect to win, we feel confident.' Instead, he says a dog could win the case, Why spout off like that?
"I just can't figure Burstein out here. I mean, if you really are bullish on your case, then why say a dog could win it?"
Conte, meanwhile told Mark Vester at Boxingscene. com that he thinks Burstein is merely trying to burn a hole in Mosley's deep pockets, saying:
"It seems to me that Judd Burstein needs to listen to his own advise that he is offering to Manny Pacquiao. It's my opinion that Shane Mosley's defamation case against me cannot be won by him and that Burstein has already made Shane look terrible. It's also my opinion that Burstein's primary concern is to keep his meter running at $1,000 an hour for legal fees and continue to fill his pockets with Shane Mosley's money," Conte said to BoxingScene.com.
Turning to other topics, Arum said he is getting extremely positive reports on Pacman's Congressional campaign in Saragani Province.
"I'm hearing now that Manny is the favorite. I know they are using (wife) Jinkee in a very, very good way. This time, unlike last time (when Pacquiao lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio in General Santos City), the Pacquiao team is very optimistic.
"I think that, last time, they were very disorganized and now they are well organized."
Regarding what happens with Floyd Mayweather-Mosley on May 1, Arum said the rematch clause only applies if 9-2 betting underdog Mosley springs a huge upset.
"Who gives a spit what Mayweather does?" Arum barked. "We will see what happens but we've got Antonio Margarito returning May 8 in Mexico and we expect 22,000 fans. It is selling very well. We will have a sellout crowd down there.
"If Manny wins the election and now I'm thinking he will, then he won't fight again until November."
I asked Arum to comment on Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez's remarks that "enemies of the Bolivarian revolution" in that country, including some in the media, wanted to destroy Top Rank's lightweight champion Edwin Valero and may have driven him to killing his wife and then committing suicide. To be fair, Chavez also mentioned Valero's out of control drug and alcohol habits.
"Figuring out what Hugo Chavez says and why he says it like trying to figure out Burstein's comments, really. It's the same thing."
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
"The cases that I've really focused on are the cases against Richard and Oscar, because we're working together on this. I don't think that Jesus Christ could come down off of the cross and win Manny's case against Richard and Oscar." -- GOLDEN BOY LAWYER JUDD BURSTEIN, speaking to Lem "The Gem" Satterfield on AOL Fan House.
No stranger to bombastic declarations himself, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum seems to be more bemused than angered by the heavy verbal artillery coming out of the nonstop mouth of Burstein.
Burstein went on to label Pacman's lawsuit against the Golden Boys as "shockingly stupid" and added that the pair only rendered First Amendment protected opinions about the Pinoy Idol using illegal drugs. To hear Burstein tell it, Manny is burning money with a frivolous case.
"Look, he said a dog could win the defamation for his client, Shane Mosley, against (BALCO figure) Victor Conte and then he said Jesus Christ could not win the defamation case for Manny. So I guess it's better to have your defamation case anagolized to Jesus Christ than to some dog.
"I think this guy, Burstein, has really lost his mind," the Top Rank honcho said from his Las Vegas headquarters. "Those statements and his threatening treatment of that (New York Daily News) reporter is not indicative of a lawyer's type of conduct or behavior."
Arum once had New York based Burstein representing him on a matter way back when the attorney was working for prominent legal eagle Jay Goldberg. Goldberg as long been a stalwart of the criminal defense bar and, on the civil side, been the advocate for the likes of mogul Donald Trump.
"I have no idea what Burstein is thinking when he says these things. Our lawyer handling Manny's case, Daniel Petrocelli, says let Burstein keep spouting off. It will be dealt with in court where it should be properly handled.
"It looks to me that Conte has a complete defense to Mosley's defamation action and that is the truth. Now, if Burstein felt he had such a strong case there, why wouldn't he say something like, 'It's a difficult case but we expect to win, we feel confident.' Instead, he says a dog could win the case, Why spout off like that?
"I just can't figure Burstein out here. I mean, if you really are bullish on your case, then why say a dog could win it?"
Conte, meanwhile told Mark Vester at Boxingscene. com that he thinks Burstein is merely trying to burn a hole in Mosley's deep pockets, saying:
"It seems to me that Judd Burstein needs to listen to his own advise that he is offering to Manny Pacquiao. It's my opinion that Shane Mosley's defamation case against me cannot be won by him and that Burstein has already made Shane look terrible. It's also my opinion that Burstein's primary concern is to keep his meter running at $1,000 an hour for legal fees and continue to fill his pockets with Shane Mosley's money," Conte said to BoxingScene.com.
Turning to other topics, Arum said he is getting extremely positive reports on Pacman's Congressional campaign in Saragani Province.
"I'm hearing now that Manny is the favorite. I know they are using (wife) Jinkee in a very, very good way. This time, unlike last time (when Pacquiao lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio in General Santos City), the Pacquiao team is very optimistic.
"I think that, last time, they were very disorganized and now they are well organized."
Regarding what happens with Floyd Mayweather-Mosley on May 1, Arum said the rematch clause only applies if 9-2 betting underdog Mosley springs a huge upset.
"Who gives a spit what Mayweather does?" Arum barked. "We will see what happens but we've got Antonio Margarito returning May 8 in Mexico and we expect 22,000 fans. It is selling very well. We will have a sellout crowd down there.
"If Manny wins the election and now I'm thinking he will, then he won't fight again until November."
I asked Arum to comment on Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez's remarks that "enemies of the Bolivarian revolution" in that country, including some in the media, wanted to destroy Top Rank's lightweight champion Edwin Valero and may have driven him to killing his wife and then committing suicide. To be fair, Chavez also mentioned Valero's out of control drug and alcohol habits.
"Figuring out what Hugo Chavez says and why he says it like trying to figure out Burstein's comments, really. It's the same thing."
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Boxer Pacquiao runs for office in Philippines -- Washington Post
By OLIVER TEVES, The Associated Press
SAN MIGUEL, Philippines -- The pounding beat of "Eye of the Tiger" from "Rocky III" blasted from speakers as Manny Pacquiao's black Hummer pulled up at an open-air basketball court on a recent humid evening.
The world welterweight boxing champion, seeking a seat in the Philippine Congress, waved to hundreds of cheering fans as he emerged from the vehicle in jeans and a blue vest bearing the name of his political party, the People's Champ Movement.
His earlier life as a poor laborer and baker only a memory, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer and one of the wealthiest men in his impoverished homeland is now trying to translate his enormous appeal into votes in the May 10 election.
"I don't want to be just your boxing idol," he told the crowd from a makeshift stage on the back of a truck. "I also want be your idol in public service."
If successful, Pacquiao would join many other Filipino celebrities and former athletes who have won seats in Congress in the past two decades, a departure from the past when the legislature used to be the exclusive domain of powerful landed dynasties and old clans.
Some celebrity candidates have been the butt of jokes for their inability to craft complex policies and engage in debates. Movie star Joseph Estrada, a college dropout, was ridiculed after winning the presidency in 1998 and forced out over corruption allegations in 2001. He is back as a long-shot candidate for president.
Pacquiao, who lost a congressional race in 2007, faces an uphill battle against an opponent from an entrenched political family, said political analyst Ramon Casiple. Voters today look for a record of service and don' vote on popularity alone, he added.
The 31-year-old boxer known to his fans as "Pacman," the holder of seven world boxing titles, has added to his fame - and riches - since then.
He made at least $12 million in his latest win over Joshua Clottey in March, after pocketing $30 million for beating Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 and Ricky Hatton in 2009, according to Forbes magazine, which lists him as one of the world's richest athletes.
Pacquiao also has a side career as a singer, and his smiling face adorns ads for dandruff shampoo, food products and Nike shoes.
"I could just sit back and relax and not have anything to do with politics. I could just travel around and enjoy my life with my family," Pacquiao told the crowd in San Miguel, a remote corn-farming village in Sarangani province in the southern Philippines. "But I came from a very poor family, and I cannot turn my back on the poor."
He spoke of how he slept on cardboard in the street as a child. When there wasn't enough money for rice, his family ate coconuts and bananas. He dropped out of school to earn money and focus on boxing and passed a high school equivalency test only in 2007.
The boxing champ said he knows poverty all too well, so he can relate to the populace in a country where a third of the people live on $1 a day and 3,000 Filipinos daily leave for jobs abroad.
He describes his platform as "very simple, very basic" - giving small boats to fishermen and financial support to neighborhood stores so people can build livelihoods, plus offering free education and medicine and medical care to the poor.
"The reason why so many people are poor is that politicians think of nothing except how to recover the money they spent during the elections," he said.
His opponent, Roy Chiongbian, questions whether Pacquiao has the experience to be a lawmaker.
"If a person looks at him as a world boxing champion, then I don't have any problem," he told The Associated Press. "But if a person looks at him as a politician, then I do have a problem."
Chiongbian, 61, hails from a politically powerful and wealthy family. His father authored the 1992 law that created Sarangani province and became its first congressman. His mother served as governor and his nephew is the current vice governor.
He wants to succeed his elder brother, Erwin, who is stepping down after nine years because of term limits.
Chiongbian said he and Pacquiao have similar programs, but he is banking on his family's track record, citing a well-paved highway linking all seven provincial towns.
He has the vote of 34-year-old fisherman Munib Tan. "This guy is knowledgeable," he said. "Pacquiao is only good at boxing."
But Reynaldo Junas, a 46-year-old motorcycle taxi driver and charcoal trader, wants to give Pacquiao a chance. "Let us try someone who has not yet been in power," he said. "If he doesn't perform, he won't get re-elected."
Win or lose, Pacquiao would not comment on a return to the ring.
Negotiations for a proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart early this year amid a dispute over drug-testing, and Pacquiao said that his mother, Dionisia, wants him to quit.
"We haven't talked about that - maybe after the election," he said, then added with a chuckle, "Mommy D. will decide that."
Source: washingtonpost.com
SAN MIGUEL, Philippines -- The pounding beat of "Eye of the Tiger" from "Rocky III" blasted from speakers as Manny Pacquiao's black Hummer pulled up at an open-air basketball court on a recent humid evening.
The world welterweight boxing champion, seeking a seat in the Philippine Congress, waved to hundreds of cheering fans as he emerged from the vehicle in jeans and a blue vest bearing the name of his political party, the People's Champ Movement.
His earlier life as a poor laborer and baker only a memory, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer and one of the wealthiest men in his impoverished homeland is now trying to translate his enormous appeal into votes in the May 10 election.
"I don't want to be just your boxing idol," he told the crowd from a makeshift stage on the back of a truck. "I also want be your idol in public service."
If successful, Pacquiao would join many other Filipino celebrities and former athletes who have won seats in Congress in the past two decades, a departure from the past when the legislature used to be the exclusive domain of powerful landed dynasties and old clans.
Some celebrity candidates have been the butt of jokes for their inability to craft complex policies and engage in debates. Movie star Joseph Estrada, a college dropout, was ridiculed after winning the presidency in 1998 and forced out over corruption allegations in 2001. He is back as a long-shot candidate for president.
Pacquiao, who lost a congressional race in 2007, faces an uphill battle against an opponent from an entrenched political family, said political analyst Ramon Casiple. Voters today look for a record of service and don' vote on popularity alone, he added.
The 31-year-old boxer known to his fans as "Pacman," the holder of seven world boxing titles, has added to his fame - and riches - since then.
He made at least $12 million in his latest win over Joshua Clottey in March, after pocketing $30 million for beating Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 and Ricky Hatton in 2009, according to Forbes magazine, which lists him as one of the world's richest athletes.
Pacquiao also has a side career as a singer, and his smiling face adorns ads for dandruff shampoo, food products and Nike shoes.
"I could just sit back and relax and not have anything to do with politics. I could just travel around and enjoy my life with my family," Pacquiao told the crowd in San Miguel, a remote corn-farming village in Sarangani province in the southern Philippines. "But I came from a very poor family, and I cannot turn my back on the poor."
He spoke of how he slept on cardboard in the street as a child. When there wasn't enough money for rice, his family ate coconuts and bananas. He dropped out of school to earn money and focus on boxing and passed a high school equivalency test only in 2007.
The boxing champ said he knows poverty all too well, so he can relate to the populace in a country where a third of the people live on $1 a day and 3,000 Filipinos daily leave for jobs abroad.
He describes his platform as "very simple, very basic" - giving small boats to fishermen and financial support to neighborhood stores so people can build livelihoods, plus offering free education and medicine and medical care to the poor.
"The reason why so many people are poor is that politicians think of nothing except how to recover the money they spent during the elections," he said.
His opponent, Roy Chiongbian, questions whether Pacquiao has the experience to be a lawmaker.
"If a person looks at him as a world boxing champion, then I don't have any problem," he told The Associated Press. "But if a person looks at him as a politician, then I do have a problem."
Chiongbian, 61, hails from a politically powerful and wealthy family. His father authored the 1992 law that created Sarangani province and became its first congressman. His mother served as governor and his nephew is the current vice governor.
He wants to succeed his elder brother, Erwin, who is stepping down after nine years because of term limits.
Chiongbian said he and Pacquiao have similar programs, but he is banking on his family's track record, citing a well-paved highway linking all seven provincial towns.
He has the vote of 34-year-old fisherman Munib Tan. "This guy is knowledgeable," he said. "Pacquiao is only good at boxing."
But Reynaldo Junas, a 46-year-old motorcycle taxi driver and charcoal trader, wants to give Pacquiao a chance. "Let us try someone who has not yet been in power," he said. "If he doesn't perform, he won't get re-elected."
Win or lose, Pacquiao would not comment on a return to the ring.
Negotiations for a proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart early this year amid a dispute over drug-testing, and Pacquiao said that his mother, Dionisia, wants him to quit.
"We haven't talked about that - maybe after the election," he said, then added with a chuckle, "Mommy D. will decide that."
Source: washingtonpost.com
Former champion John Ruiz retires from boxing -- Yahoo! News
By The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS – Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.
The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.
Ruiz was knocked down four times in a loss to David Haye this month. He hit the canvas twice in the first round, and his trainer ended the fight in the ninth.
Ruiz defeated three world champions — Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker. He fought in 12 championship bouts and became the first Latino heavyweight champion.
He plans to move his family from Las Vegas to his home in the Boston area and open a boxing gym in the city.
Source: news.yahoo.com
LAS VEGAS – Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.
The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.
Ruiz was knocked down four times in a loss to David Haye this month. He hit the canvas twice in the first round, and his trainer ended the fight in the ninth.
Ruiz defeated three world champions — Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker. He fought in 12 championship bouts and became the first Latino heavyweight champion.
He plans to move his family from Las Vegas to his home in the Boston area and open a boxing gym in the city.
Source: news.yahoo.com
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