UFC champ GSP trains with Pacquiao -- ABS-CBN News

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Visiting Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Georges St.-Pierre (GSP) shared a training gym with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king Manny Pacquiao on Friday.

St.-Pierre, who is in Manila for a 3-day UFC tour, got his wish to finally meet and train with Pacquiao, who is currently in the thick of preparations for his boxing match against Mexico's Antonio Margarito.

The UFC champion from Canada immediately greeted Pacquiao in Filipino when they met in the Elorde Gym locker room. "Kamusta ka, kamusta ka (How are you, how are you)?" said St.-Pierre.

Pacquiao warmly welcomed and thanked St.-Pierre.

"Thank you for your support and being a fan," said the 7-division boxing champion.

"I look forward to watch your next fight," St.-Pierre replied. "Hopefully, one day you'll take on [Floyd] Mayweather and knock him out."

St.-Pierre, who has Freddie Roach as boxing coach, said he is an avid Pacquiao fan.

The Canadian keenly observed the Filipino hitting the mitts for 10 full rounds. He later took his turn in receiving instructions from Roach.

"He's the fastest guy I've ever seen in my life," St.-Pierre said of Pacquiao's skills. "Amazing."

The MMA fighter also cited Roach for improving his boxing skills. Boxing is one of the martial arts disciplines in MMA.

“He’s [Roach] so technical. If I follow what he says regarding boxing’s perspective, there is no way I’m gonna lose a fight,” said St.-Pierre.

“One thing about him [GSP] is, when I teach him something, he really goes and practices it over and over,” said Roach.

The Canadian will be joining Pacquiao’s camp until the latter leaves over the weekend for Baguio City where he will continue his training.

The boxing champion will be spending 3 weeks in Baguio, the "City of Pines," for the more aggressive phase of his training.

Pacquiao is preparing for his November 13 fight against Margarito.

St.-Pierre will have an MMA fight on December 11 against welterweight challenger Josh Koscheck.

St.-Pierre’s 3-day tour in Manila will conclude with a meet-and-greet with local MMA fans on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia, where he will conduct an open training. -- With a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

UFC star credits Roach for success -- Manila Bulletin

By KARLO SACAMOS, Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — There’s no denying that Freddie Roach has been a big factor to Manny Pacquiao’s enormous success atop the ring.

But it seems that Pacquiao is not the only one who has greatly benefited from the four-time Trainer of the Year’s tutelage.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight titlist Georges St. Pierre can attest to Roach’s vast boxing knowledge, saying it was the American trainer himself who made him a more complete mixed martial artist.

“Freddie has taught me a lot. Before I met him, I thought I knew boxing. But he brought me back to school. He’s just so technical,” St. Pierre said during his UFC promotion press conference at the ABS-CBN compound.

St. Pierre, who is in the country until Sunday, said he is planning to meet up with the renowned tactician to prepare him for his upcoming fight against Josh Koscheck in December. He has been under Roach’s watchful eyes since last year.

“I plan to train with him in the country because I know he’s training with Manny Pacquiao for his fight right now,” said the 29-year-old Canadian, who, apart from his boxing skill, is adept at Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, and muay thai.

“Since I have trained with him, I’ve been more accurate, been able to hit harder. He has really made a difference with my boxing training. And if I just follow what he tells me, I think I can’t be beaten in terms of boxing,” added St. Pierre, who is on a seven-fight winning streak.

St. Pierre has only been defeated twice in 22 career fights. He successfully defended his title for the fourth time against Dan Hardy in a unanimous decision last March 27.

Like Pacquiao, St. Pierre is regarded as the pound-for-pound king of his sport. And he believes his boxing counterpart is the best at his sport right now.

“Pacquiao is untouchable right now,” St. Pierre said.

He even said that if the fight between the Saranggani province solon and Floyd Mayweather pushes through, the former would win.

“I think Pacquiao will win, Mayweather has a lot to lose, but fans would love to see that fight,” he added.

Source: mb.com.ph

Floyd Mayweather tells friends he's still eager to fight Manny Pacquiao -- Examiner

By Scott Heritage, Examiner.com

Since being arrested on a grand larceny charge last week, and several days later being charged with four felonies and four misdemeanors, Floyd Mayweather has understandably been keeping a low profile.

Apparently though, despite the fact that he is doing his level best to stay out of the limelight for the time being, Mayweather is still eager to get back into the ring and take on Manny Pacquiao at some point.

In a series of tweets earlier today, rap mogul turned Mayweather press secretary Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson said:

Floyd just called and woke my ass up I'm still half sleep. That's my boy anybody want to do something to him get me first.

Floyd told me i ain't gonna beat him I'm a knock that mother fu***r out. For what they been saying about me. Hahaha he gonna kill pac man

Pacquiao gonna get his ass beat and his retarded ass trainer freddie roach know that. you like to gamble,like to lose bet agents floyd.

One pressing question that Mr. Cent doesn't address is why Floyd is waking him up to talk about Manny Pacquiao when he surely has bigger concerns right now. Such as his upcoming court case in November, beating 8 counts in said court case, and staying out of prison.

It is also worth noting that Mayweather's apparent anger over what is being said about him doesn't include Pacquiao himself, who remained composed and polite as always even in light of Floyd's racially offensive home video.

Further, much of what has been written about Mayweather lately is all of his own making. Airing a tirade of abuse with racial overtones and then being arrested for allegedly attacking the mother of three of his children isn't something many are going to be able to put a positive spin on.

Even his most ardent supporters in fact have struggled to rationalize his latest behaviour, much of which can usually be put down to him playing up his villain role, but lately seems to have become more and more erratic.

That isn't to mention that Mayweather has a usually very active twitter account of his own, and if needs be surrounded by a team of high priced lawyers, should be able to type out the requisite few lines to the same effect as what he said to 50 Cent without incriminating himself or offending anyone in the process.

Of course, about half of what Mayweather says never tends to come to anything anyway. His recent mentioning of fighting in Dubai for example seems to have petered out, as did his talk of wanting to build his legacy after announcing that he would be taking a second long layoff during his prime years. So whether this means he will actually be taking any steps towards making the fight happen in the near future is far from certain.

Of the local fight fans I've spoken to recently, most now seem to be of the opinion that Mayweather is more concerned with either making as much money as he can, or preserving his unbeaten record than taking on the likes of Pacquiao. But it wasn't always this way, in the past Mayweather was much better thought of than he is after his recent actions. But perhaps if he now feels people are beginning to doubt him he will be spurred into getting back into the ring and making the fight against Pacquiao happen.

Source: examiner.com

Troubled Hatton losing boxing license -- CNN

CNN

Former world champion Ricky Hatton has had his boxing license revoked after damaging revelations about his personal life.

The British Boxing Board of Control took action against the 31-year-old for "bringing the sport into disrepute."

They ruled his "current physical condition is such that the Board decided to withdraw his boxer's licence."

Hatton admitted he was suffering from depression and a drink problem after a tabloid newspaper published video footage of the boxer allegedly using cocaine.

Hatton, a former world light-welterweight champion, last fought in a May 2009 showdown with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, being knocked out in the second round.

Hatton, who had massive following for his all-action style, was also beaten in another money-spinning bout in Nevada by Floyd Mayweather Junior.

After the revelations in the News of the World, the British board called a hearing on Wednesday and issued their judgment Thursday.

Hatton was also fined £20,000 pounds ($31,388) and had his manager license revoked, but they will allow him to continue as a promoter.

The board said they were allowing Hatton to continue in this role because of the effect on "innocent persons" who were employed by his organization, including other professional boxers.

Source: edition.cnn.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the Forbes 400? Maybe Someday -- Forbes

By Michael K. Ozanian, Forbes.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not short on hubris. Sit ringside in his Las Vegas gym, ask him what it was like to meet President Obama. "You should ask him what it was like to meet me," he says. Ask about his fights, you get this: "When Floyd Mayweather fights it's the Super Bowl. I move the economy." Ask about his business: "God has blessed me to be recession-proof."

If only the American consumer were so confident. But Mayweather, 33, has his reasons. He is the best pound-for-pound fighter of his generation (with six world championships in five weight divisions), undefeated (41--0) and the biggest draw in boxing. Through his 14-year career he's earned an estimated $200 million from purses and pay-per-view revenue (boxing is his only significant source of income).

The biggest reason Mayweather's exuberance is hardly irrational: He promotes his own fights and reaps the rewards of ownership, retaining millions of dollars more per bout than he would otherwise. Long term he plans to turn this capital into a sports-and-entertainment powerhouse with equity stakes in teams, live event promotions, as well as film and television. If it works, he's got a chance--a long-shot chance, to be sure--to end up on The Forbes 400. "If I knew at the beginning of my career what I know now," he says, "I would probably already be a billionaire."

Far-fetched? Maybe. But Mayweather has yet to peak as a boxer or a businessman. He plans to fight for five more years, and FORBES estimates he racked up $65 million in earnings during the past 12 months, second among all athletes (Tiger Woods earned $100 million). Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has offered to guarantee $25 million if Mayweather fights WBO World Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao at his new stadium (the two sides have yet to agree on terms for drug testing). "Mayweather is the only fighter for which I would put up that kind of money," says Jones. With PPV revenue, experts say, a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight could gross a record $250 million. Mayweather's take? In excess of $50 million, since he need not pay a promoter the traditional 25% cut. If his career trajectory continues, he'll soon surpass onetime rival Oscar De La Hoya's $300 million in lifetime earnings from boxing. Not a bad nest egg for retirement--if he hangs on to it.

Given the sport's history of fighters who raked in millions and ended up broke (Mike Tyson comes to mind), Mayweather is hardly a sure thing. A recent arrest amid domestic violence accusations and an expletive-filled rant on YouTube are less-than-textbook additions to his résumé. Still, since forming Mayweather Promotions in 2007 the champ is proving a savvy dealmaker. Stints on Dancing with the Stars and WrestleMania increased his exposure--and marketing value--helping attract big-name sponsors like AT&T ( T - news - people ), Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools, Quaker State, StubHub and Southwest Airlines ( LUV - news - people ) to his fights.

He understood the potential of reality television before any other athlete. In 2007 HBO aired 24/7, a four-episode series that went inside the lives and preparations of Mayweather and De La Hoya before their WBC super welterweight title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that May (Mayweather won a split decision). It was a huge (for cable) hit, turning the fight into the most lucrative in boxing history, with a live gate of $19 million and a record 2.4 million household PPV buys, which generated $120 million. Since then HBO has replicated the 24/7 series with eight other fights and another featuring Nascar champion Jimmie Johnson. "Mayweather is a marketing genius," says Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya's boxing company.

The mainstream fame means even lower-wattage opponents can generate lucrative fights for Mayweather. His victory over Shane Mosley this May was the second-highest-rated nonheavyweight pay-per-view bout in history, selling 1.4 million views with $78 million in revenue. Mayweather also got $22.5 million in prize money and netted $40 million in total from the fight.

Yet Mayweather, who grew up poor in Grand Rapids, Mich., sees boxing as the start of something bigger. Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, says Mayweather is a hungry business student. They've talked at length about investing together, including a possible stake in the Mavs or a baseball team. "I don't think people realize just how focused he is on being more successful outside the ring than he is inside," he says.

The biggest lesson Mayweather has learned: "All money is not good money," he says. "I get people every day where someone is offering me $100 million for a deal. If Nike ( NKE - news - people ) were to come to me right now and offer me a five-year deal for $100 million, I'd say no thank you. Give me 1% or 2% ownership."

Source: forbes.com