'El turista' Pacquiao wants to settle P4P issue -- GMA News

GMANews.TV

Even in vacation, Manny Pacquiao has Floyd Mayweather Jr. in mind.

Arriving in his first ever visit to Mexico, the newly-elected congressman of the province of Sarangani once again expressed his desire to meet the flamboyant American inside the ring and settle once and for all who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the planet today.

The 31-year-old boxing superstar has made known his intention to fight Floyd Jr. on Nov. 13, unmindful about the recent statement made by Mayweather that he’s taking a year or a couple of years off from boxing.

Pacquiao said he’s leaving it all up to his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, to make the fight the whole world wants to see take place.

"He (Arum) will do everything to ensure that the (Mayweather) fight is done," said Pacquiao in a brief press conference organized for him by Nayarit state Gov. Ney Gonzales in Mexico.

Accompanied by wife Jinkee and his kids, Jemuel, Michael and Mary Divine Princess, the seven division world champion arrived in Mexico for a three-day vacation before returning to the country and assume his function as a rookie member of the House of Representatives.

He just came from New York and attended the 85th banquet dinner of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) where he was honored as its 2009 Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade.

Pacquiao's Mexico visit was through the invitation of Zanfer Promotions under Fernando Beltran, who has managed Mexican champions in the past such as Jose Luis Castillo, Ulises Solis and Eric Ortiz.

Despite being the tormentors of beloved Mexican warriors, from Eric Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera to Juan Manuel Marquez, Beltran said Pacquiao has been embraced by Mexicans and enjoys an enormous number of followers.

And to show how he appreciates the hospitality and warm welcome his family had received, Pacquiao showed up wearing the green jersey of the Mexican national team to the FIFA World Cup.

He said that he would be cheering for the Mexicans since Mexico is "like my second country."

"The Mexican fans have always supported me in my great battles and the least that I can do is thank them and support Mexico (in the World Cup)," said the Filipino ring idol.

He also asked for the Mexicans’ support for his fight with Mayweather to be finally made.

"For me, I have no problem, whatsoever. We will be ready to fight in November," said Pacquiao. – JVP, GMANews.TV

Source: GMANews.TV

Haye to campaign for random drug-testing -- ESPN

ESPN staff

WBA heavyweight champion David Haye has lent his support to Floyd Mayweather Jnr's calls for mandatory Olympic-style random drug-testing in boxing.

Negotiations for a much-anticipated clash between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao broke down earlier this year when the camps could not reach an agreement over when to take blood samples pre-fight.

Now Haye's trainer Adam Booth insists that his man wants to use his lofty stature in boxing to help to clean up the sport, having previously been the subject of some suspicion when he moved up a division.

"He feels he wants to use his position to campaign against drug use in the sport," Booth said.

"People created rumours about David using substances when he moved up from cruiserweight to heavyweight, but he would never do that."

Meanwhile, according to reports in the Telegraph, the opponent for Haye's next fight - scheduled to take place in October - will be announced at some point this month.

The 29-year-old is thought to be locked in talks with the Klitschkos and Audley Harrison, who vacated the European heavyweight title on Tuesday.

"I'm told by my promoters [Matchroom] that both Haye and the Klitschko brothers have expressed an interest in facing me when I return after rehab," Harrison said. "If it's either Klitschko brother, the task will be hard, but that's how I want it."

Source: espn.co.uk

Manny in Mexico -- FightNews

FightNews.com

The seven-time world Champion, Manny Pacquiao was received this afternoon by Ney González, the governor of the state of Nayarit, in a ceremony also attended by Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran. Pacquiao, who is enjoying a pleasant holiday with his family, said he’s happy to be in Mexico for the first time and appreciates the hospitality the Mexican people have had for him and his family. Manny will return home this week to get ready to assume his post as a congressman in his native Philippines.

Pacquiao also said he wants the fight against Floyd Mayweather in November and everything is in the hands of his promoter Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank. “Mr. Arum is my promoter and will endeavor to ensure that the fight is done. I have no problems whatsoever if Arum says we will be ready to fight in November.”

Wearing the jersey of the Mexican soccer team, Pacquiao said he is rooting for Mecixo in the World Cup competition that starts this Friday. “Mexico is like my second country. The Mexican fans have always supported me in my great fights and the least I can do is thank them and support the Mexico team,” he said.

Source: fightnews.com

The Retirement of Floyd Mayweather JR & Wladimir Klitschko – Alexander Povetkin Set for September 11th -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report

Wladimir Klitschko Set for September 11th

RSR got word from a reliable source that WBO/IBO/IBF Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir Klitschko, 54-3, 48 KO’s, after failing to make a bout with WBA Champion, David Haye, will take on mandatory challenger, the Teddy Atlas trained Alexander Povetkin, 19-0, 14 KO’s, in Germany, on September 11th. This has been reported as a done deal. Stay tuned to RSR for further developments regarding this title fight.

Floyd Mayweather Retiring

There have been the persistent rumors that pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather, JR., is hanging up the gloves again. Most point to a ploy by Team Mayweather to force the hand of Manny Pacquiao into agreeing to their stipulations and with good reason. With the biggest fight in the history of boxing, money-wise, on the line, I doubt that Floyd “Money” Mayweather would walk away from it.

It’s a great fight for Floyd too. Pacquiao is one of the most dangerous and talented fighters in the game, but it’s hard to imagine him penetrating through the Mayweather defense to do enough damage to stop him. Floyd’s easy win over Shane Mosley proved that he can be the aggressor and still maintain his defense. Some point to the second round when he was rocked as evidence that Pacquiao would stop him, but what it showed was a positive for Floyd. He came right back in the third round and took complete control of the fight.

Pacquiao can be controlled, if you have a fighter talented enough and focused enough to do it. Juan Manuel Marquez showed what a good boxer with focus could do, and Mayweather is ten times the fighter that Marquez is. Erik Morales in his first fight with Manny used his boxing ability to steer clear of trouble and take the decision win. Mayweather is the most focused fighter in the game, doesn’t get hit often, and has underrated power. With Manny’s entrance into Filipino politics, he may not be as focused as he would need to be for the fight of his career.

Pacquiao losing is not a certainty by any means. I believe that he is the long shot to win, but Mayweather had issues with DeMarcus Corley and Zab Judah, two quick southpaws. Judah actually dropped him (uncredited), which should give Manny fans hope for the upset win.

I think you can throw these rumors about his retirement into the trash. There is no way that a boxer so fixated on lining his pockets would walk away from the biggest payday in boxing history. The thought may be to make the public wait even longer, build the demand, and then announce. This announcement also keeps the fight alive in the news, and I, along with many other journalists, are now talking about it, building this fight even more.

There won’t be a stadium big enough to fit all the people for Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, JR.

The Return of Miguel Cotto

Yankee Stadium was an outstanding location for a fight. I would love to see this happen more often. Even if the fight is mediocre, the stadium, the feel, the look of the place can make it enjoyable. This was the case of Miguel Cotto’s return to the title picture with his stoppage of now former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion, Yuri Foreman.

At one time, Cotto was the big thing in boxing, the number one challenger for the pound for pound title held by Floyd Mayweather, JR. That all changed when he stepped into the ring with the “Hands of Plaster” Antonio Margarito, and took a vicious beating, leading to a late round stoppage. It came out later that Margarito was throwing literal bricks against his opponents and the Cotto psyche never seemed to recover.

Cotto eked by Joshua Clottey, leading to an opportunity against the current big thing, Manny Pacquiao. It was another devastating TKO loss, but to Cotto’s credit, he regrouped and found the right guy to face in Yuri Foreman.

The problem that Foreman faced going in was his lack of punching power. The way to beat Cotto is to survive and come on in the middle rounds because he is not a 12 round fighter. He crumbles late in fights and Foreman had zero chance to stop Cotto. It was creative matchmaking. Foreman was undefeated, 28-0, 8 KO’s at the time, and came off an impressive win over Daniel Santos, but his inability to punch with the authority to keep Cotto in line cost him dearly. Alfonso Gomez had the same issue with Cotto. You cannot beat him if you don’t pack a big punch, unless you are of the skill of Pernell Whitaker or Floyd Mayweather, JR.

There are options for Cotto at 154. Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron would probably jump at the chance. Perhaps a rematch with Margarito, this time without the plaster of Paris in his hand wraps. He is still a marketable opponent and might be an option for Mayweather, JR., if Pacquiao doesn’t materialize. Cotto, even at this stage of his career, is better than 90% of the active fighters, but he just cannot handle the upper echelon.

Source: ringsidereport.com