Antonio Margarito's odd sponsorship changes Manny Pacquiao's confidence? -- Examiner

By Roz Zurko, Examiner.com

The Junior Middleweight Title fight of Antonio Margarito vs. Manny Pacquiao fight has Pacquiao with the odds to win, but Margarito is so sure that is not true, he bet it all on himself to win, according to the LA Times

In a very bizarre turn of events, the punk rock clothing makers, “Affliction” may just have changed the part that a sponsor plays in the boxing world.

Margarito had “Affliction” as a sponsor before his license was revoked due to the discovery of plaster in his gloves before the Sugar Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in 2009.

“Affliction” dropped Margarito due to “the slow economy.” Margarito went back to the punk rock clothing manufactures and offered them a deal, that they apparently could not refuse. If Margarito wins the fight, he will get a five figure pay day, but if he loses, he gets nothing at all.

Did this turn of events cause Pacquiao and his camp to second guess the “shoe-in” that Pacquiao was thought to have with a win for this fight?

It just might have. Coming on the tail of this bizarre sponsorship announcement of Margarito, Paquiano’s camp is “sparing no expense when it comes to bringing in the big names for Paquaino’s training for this fight,” according to Cappers Mall.

“Paquiano’s camp has decided to bring British WBA welterweight world champion Amir Khan to the Philippines later this week for about three weeks of sparring,” according to Cappers Mall.

If this were not enough, the big names of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Vanes Martirosyan are a few more boxers that Pacquiao will be sparring with getting ready for the day he will join Margarito in the ring.

Did Margarito’s very odd sponsorship deal have Paquiao and his camp second quessing Margarito’s ability to win this fight? Has this strange deal worked in ways that maybe no one thought of such as “psyching out” the opponent, Paquiao?

The Pop culture clothing people, “Affliction,” and the deal they struck up with Margarito, may just have changed the part that a sponsor plays in the world of boxing.

It is almost like a card game bluff, “is he bluffing or is he not” at the poker table. What makes Margarito so sure he will win this fight that he is willing to bet it all on the win? This just may be what the Paquiao camp is asking themselves today.

In turn, their brining in the big names for training may just be their way of not be taking any chances that Margarito knows something about his skill that they don’t.

Connecticut has become a great boxing Mecca with the bouts that have been offered at the Casino's in the Nutmeg State. Before the boxing venues started taking off at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun’s, it was NY or NJ that hosted the closest big name boxing matches. Even thought this match will not take place in Connecticut, the state has had its share of big boxing names grace the ring at the Casinos.

Source: examiner.com

It's Better if Manny Leaves Soon – Arum -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

BAGUIO CITY — As howling winds blew from the outside, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum spoke about wanting his prized fighter, Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, on a plane bound for the US as early as Thursday.

Although Arum did not categorically point to the storm as the reason behind the urgency to leave this mountain resort city, the Top Rank chief has personally seen that Pacquiao is not as sharp as he used to as the countdown nears for the Nov. 13 clash with Antonio Margarito in Dallas.

“If this fight was this Saturday, Margarito would win the fight,” said Arum on Monday afternoon as the training of Pacquiao was made accessible to the media.

Under the original plan, Pacquiao will leave for Manila after training on Friday afternoon then work out for the last time before heading to the US on Saturday night.

Arum said it would be much better if Pacquiao alters his schedule a bitand decide to go down to Manila on Wednesday so they could be on the same flight to the US on Thursday.

Arum has possibly been briefed about Pacquiao’s inconsistency the past few weeks and the 78-year-old New Yorker believes such is extremely dangerous.

“When I watched him last Saturday, I did not see the kind of speed that he would need to beat Margarito,” said Arum, who advised his No. 1 fighter to “focus, train hard and get ready for the fight.”

Getting back to then familiar confines of the Wild Card in Hollywood as soon as possible would work wonders for Pacquiao’s preparation, Arum said.

Trainer Freddie Roach was not as alarmed although he would certainly would love to fly out at the soonest possible time.

“We are now having more good days than bad days,” said Roach, who will try to talk Pacquiao into leaving Thursday instead of Saturday.

Roach said this week and the next would be crucial in getting Pacquiao into shape since there’d be more rounds of hard sparring against mainstays Glen Tapia and Michael Medina.

At the Wild Card, there’d be a couple of other big guys who will lay their hands on Pacquiao, said Roach.

Pacquiao is guaranteed $15 million but stands to earn more than $20 million if the pay-per-view sales turn out to be a huge success, said Arum. Margarito is assured of $3 million, the biggest paycheck of his career.

Source: mb.com.ph

“There is more pressure now on Manny to win.” – Buboy Fernandez -- PhilBoxing

By Rene Bonsubre, Jr., PhilBoxing.com

Baguio City - Manny Pacquaio’s long time assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez said that the seven division world champion’s speed has not diminished despite putting on added weight for his November 13 junior middleweight showdown against Antonio Margarito.

“His speed is still there. But we look at him day to day. We look at things that need to be changed and adjusted.” Fernandez told philboxing Monday morning.

“But there is more pressure on him to win this fight. He is a congressman now.” Fernandez added. He does make a good point. For the first time in Philippine history, an elected official will figure in a major sporting event and wage war inside the ring.

Pacquiao still continued to jog early Monday morning despite the drizzle brought about by Typhoon Juan which is expected to hit Baguio and the boxing icon’s training camp with winds estimated to exceed 200 kph. Pacquiao’s training camp last year for Miguel Cotto was hit by Typhoon Ondoy.

“We spent the night reviewing Margarito’s fights.” Fernandez added. “We have noticed changes in his style of fighting.”

Pacquiao will be going for an unprecedented eighth division world title at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Source: philboxing.com

Floyd Mayweather JR: If not Manny Pacquiao then Who? -- Ringside Report

By Delroy Hill, Ringside Report

Unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s, has seemingly backed himself into a corner, which, for him, may not be a problem at all.

'Pretty Boy Floyd': Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing's "pound-for-pound best," looks good inside and outside the ring.: An article from: EbonyI always thought that when “Money” decided to come out of retirement, it was for one reason, to silence the critics. Over the course of his famed career, Floyd has taken heat for his choice of opponent. Although they are amazed by what he is capable of doing in the ring, many fans feel that he has cherry picked his opposition and never really taken the biggest challenges out there.

After a brief retirement, Floyd came back in a time when there were no real challenges left for him except then WBA World Welterweight Champion Shane Mosley and Filipino phenom Manny Pacquiao.

The stage was being set for a clash between Pacquiao and Mayweather as Manny defeated Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, both roughly 17 months after losses to Floyd. The game of one-ups-manship began with these two fights as Pacquiao stopped both fighters in quicker, more emphatic fashion.

“Money” continued the game by defeating the man who gave Pacquiao fits over the course of two fights, Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided unanimous decision victory last year.

Since then, Pacquiao has scored victories over former WBO Welterweight and WBA World Welterweight Champion and current WBA World Light Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. Mayweather was impressive in his last outing, a dominant, one sided unanimous decision victory over the great Shane Mosley.

Mayweather and Pacquiao have been unable to reach an agreement to fight each other. After two rounds of failed negotiations, Pacquiao has moved on and is scheduled to fight Antonio Margarito on November 13th at Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Although Bob Arum gave Floyd a deadline to sign a contract to fight Pacquiao on November 13th, hard core fans assumed Floyd would take the rest of the year off as he has said his fights come once a year like the Super Bowl. He considers himself the greatest of all time and he does not march to the beat of the fans’ drum. He chooses the path that his career takes, by maximizing his money making ability.

This formula does not always please everyone, but it has worked for the self proclaimed current “cash cow” of the sport.

Now let me say it here. I believe that the super fight between Floyd and Manny will happen some time next year. Floyd made a statement via Ustream, noting that Pacquiao would take the random drug tests that he wants him to take. Team Pacquiao has stated that he will take the tests in order to make the fight happen.

So I don’t see any reason why this fight shouldn’t happen.

If for some reason the fight doesn’t happen, or at least not right away, I think Floyd only has a few options. If he is looking for the best fight to be made from a financial stand point, there is WBA World Light Welterweight Champion Amir Khan or Miguel Cotto.

If he does fight Khan, a fight he would likely win easily, he will be criticized again for fighting a smaller man. A win over Cotto is respectable, but doesn’t do much in the Pound for Pound rankings since Cotto was already beaten badly by Pacquiao.

If Floyd is willing to sacrifice a few million dollars, but gain a multitude of respect he could face middleweight king Sergio Martinez or Paul Williams.

Both fighters are naturally bigger than Floyd and each has their own way of possibly giving Floyd problems. They could also give Mayweather an opportunity to win a title in a sixth weight class. Martinez is an excellent boxer, who uses movement and sharp counter punching. He has enough speed, good defense, and an awkward style that may be tricky for Floyd to figure out.

Williams is very tall and would have a height and reach advantage over Money. He also comes forward, throwing a constant barrage of punches. His work rate alone could be a test for Floyd to deal with. The problem here is, that one of these fighters will have another loss by the time they did meet Mayweather, since they face each other in a rematch on November 20th. That loss would almost certainly rule out the option of fighting Floyd for either fighter.

Bottom line, we all want to see Floyd fight Manny. That’s the best fight that can be made right now and the sport and its fans need it.

But if it can’t be made these are the options Floyd Mayweather has right now. I think he beats all four of the fighters mentioned, including Pacquiao, but we will have to wait and see.

Source: ringsidereport.com

“Pacquiao better step up.” - Arum -- PhilBoxing

By Eddie Alinea, PhilBoxing.com

Top Rank Promotions big boss Bob Arum warned Manny Pacquiao against turning complacent in his training, saying the Filipino seven-division champion is facing a dangerous opponent in Mexican Antonio Margarito.

Arum, who arrived in Manila last Saturday to oversee Pacquiao’s preparations, said he saw how Margarito, whom the Filipino icon faces this coming November 14 for the World Boxing Organization super-welterweight crown, trains, adding he sees danger for the reigning junior welterweight champ.

“He (Pacquiao) better step up his training because this guy (Margarito) poses very, very unique dangers,” Arum told media men upon landing at the airport. “This, plus the fact that Margarito has his advantage in height, weight and reach,”

“He is training extremely hard and I think his new trainer is doing wonders,” he added, in reference to Margarito’s newly-hired handler Robert Garcia.

Despite hearing Pacquiao’s reported insufficient altitude training in Baguio, marked by cancellation of sparring sessions due to injury and sickness and his frequent trips to Manila, Arum expressed confidence in the Filipino’s capacity to make himself in tip-top shape comes fight time.

In the same interview, Arum, likewise, disclosed that tickets are selling like hot cakes and that attendance might break the record set in Pacquiao’s lasst fight at the huge Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

According to Arum, the paid attendance alone promises to dwarf the just over forty one thousand that attended Pacquiao's fight against Joshua Clottey. That fight being a March encounter with the little known Clottey resulting in a unanimous decision win for the newly-el;ected congressman.

Besides Pacquiao’s and Margarito’s popularity among the Texsas boxing populace, he attributed the sales to the drawing power of fighters seeing action in the undercard.

Appearances from fast rising Philly welterweight Mike Jones, Youngstown's former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and amateur star Guillermo Rigondeaux will undoubtedly bolster both the pay per view buy rate as well as the live attendance figures, he predicted.

Arum also said that the fact that the rangy Mexican brawler was campaigning to regain his license to fight in the United States due to the notorious loaded hand wraps incident, and his last fight against that resulted in a devastating loss also serves as added interest among fight fans to see the bout.

Source: philboxing.com