By Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News
Boxing has always had some difficulty getting the best to fight the best. Sometimes rival promoters get in the way. More recently, one fighter refusing special drug testing requested by another prevented a fight from happening.
Freddie Roach came up with something new this week. The Hall of Fame trainer was asked what he thought about the possibility of Amir Khan taking on pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in the near future.
Keep in mind that Pacquiao said before his most recent fight against "Sugar" Shane Mosley in May that he wanted three more fights before retiring to concentrate on his political career in his native Philippines.
Pacquiao is fighting Juan Manuel Marquez a third time on Nov. 12.
The boxing world is hopeful that Pacquiao would then take on Floyd Mayweather Jr., but since previous negotiations have failed because of differences over drug testing, there is no guarantee that would happen.
The only other fight out there that would seem to carry enormous appeal for Pacquiao would be against fast-rising star Khan, who is coming off a fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah this past Saturday in a junior welterweight title unification bout in Las Vegas.
With Pacquiao's worldwide appeal and Khan having the strong support of the United Kingdom, this would be a huge promotion and more than likely a terrific fight that Khan would actually have a chance of winning.
Alas, Roach says it will never take place. Why? "They are not going to fight each other," Roach said Tuesday morning via telephone. "I'm not going to let that happen because I train both fighters. They are both my fighters and they are like sons to me. How can I let both my sons fight?"
Roach said he wouldn't even know which corner to work.
"It is too much drama to let that happen," he said. "They both have too much respect for me to let that happen. They are like my kids. I've been with Manny for 10 years and I've been with Amir for three years. We have a great relationship. Why would I ruin that relationship?"
Khan is employed by Golden Boy Promotions. Richard Schaefer, its CEO, spoke diplomatically when asked about Roach's edict that would rob fans of a potential super fight.
"I can appreciate how close Freddie is to both and how both of the fighters are close to Freddie," Schaefer said Tuesday afternoon. "It would put Amir in a terrible situation, it would put Pacquiao in a terrible situation.
"So why push that if there are so many other attractive options out there for either one of those fighters?"
Schaefer said that Khan will fight again in December, and that there are plenty of opponents for him. He could fight comebacking Erik Morales, or perhaps the winner of the Aug. 27 fight between Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero and Marcos Maidana.
Khan now holds two belts - WBA and IBF - and he could next fight either Lamont Peterson or Victor Cayo, who Friday night squared off in an IBF title elimination fight in Las Vegas.
Timothy Bradley, who held the other two major belts at junior welterweight until he was stripped of one of them Thursday, is another possibility. Bradley has already turned down Khan once, and he has promotional problems and is currently being sued by co-promoters Gary Shaw and Ken Thompson, who claim they have one more fight with him.
But Khan has been talking a lot of trash about Bradley, saying he's scared to fight him. Bradley has been listening, and he lashed out at Khan during a telephone interview Wednesday.
"Every fighter who is trying to get a fight with me pops off at the mouth," Bradley said. "And then when we get in the ring they get smashed in the face. I'm not afraid of him. If you are a true Bradley fan, you know I'm not afraid of any man.
"He just needs to go enjoy his victory and leave my name out his mouth."
Bradley said as soon as his litigation is over, he will be happy to do something about Khan's mouth.
Khan would vacate the junior welterweight division after the December fight and move up to welterweight early next year, Schaefer said. One possibility there sounds good.
"I think Mayweather and Amir Khan is as interesting (as Khan-Pacquiao), as exciting, or Amir against the winner of Mayweather-(Victor) Ortiz because Ortiz might pull it off (in their fight Sept. 17)," Schaefer said.
Indeed, Khan against either Mayweather, Ortiz or Bradley would be very nice. But Khan against Pacquiao would be way better because there would be more money involved, it would have incredibly wide appeal and it would have the chance to be one of the most exciting fights in years.
We respect Roach a great deal. But him being the trainer for both Pacquiao and Khan is not even close to being a good enough reason for them not to fight. Roach needs to figure this out, for the fans and for the good of the sport.
Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, is vacationing in Europe and could not be reached for comment. But even the powerful Arum might not be able to do anything about this, as it is well-known that Pacquiao and Roach approve Pacquiao's opponents.
Bummer.
Source: dailynews.com
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Is Mayweather Jr. Correct in Fear of Steroid Use? -- 8CountNews
By Keith Terceira, 8CountNews.com
The reason that Floyd Mayweather Jr.(41-0, 25ko) is calling for random testing as a condition for his fight with Pound for Pound Champion Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38ko) is honestly, only known to “Money” himself.
If we take it as an honest assessment of the concern at its face value then we need to examine the use and effects of steroids.
What the honest and truthful effects of steroid use are as applied to boxing versus the other known usages in sports like baseball, football, and weightlifting are not as highly documented?
As applied to baseball we all know the effects that it caused on baseball records and how it improved performance in all areas of the sport from batting, pitching, and on fielding ability. We also are aware through testimony in the Barry bonds trial that the side effects were notable if we take the testimony as truthful. Similar problems were testified to by dozens of athletes of varying sports, including Lyle Alzado who first came out and told of the dangers of HGH.
Bonds was accused of having symptoms of “Roid Rage” by his former mistress which included side effects that were apparent on his body like skin blemishes, enlarged skull, as well various behavior issues. His lack of ability to have a steady professional working relationship with the media, often having outbursts at reporters and team mates should have been a warning sign.
Manny Pacquiao’s behavior in his high profile careers outside of the ring, working in the Philippine government, his charitable works around his province, his music, and his endorsement deals, contradicts the known side effects of someone who is a user of PED’s.
Anabolic steroid users can expect after even moderate prolonged use to become aggressive, suspicious, quarrelsome, and impulsive. Even the initial use can produce irritability, anger, and agitation.
The discontinued use of all corticosteroids, have the tendency to produce withdrawal symptoms, depression is one of the largest, and users miss the elation and positive psychological effects induced by the drugs.
Stoppage produces listlessness, apathy, loss of appetite, libido and self-esteem, feelings of anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, and mood swings. Withdrawal symptoms alone would be counterproductive to a boxer having to compete in the ring shortly after using steroids. These side effects would not be conducive to a successful career over long periods of time. Unless the boxer shut himself from the world during use there would be displays of these side-effects.
Short term use of HGH (human growth hormone) even in an AAS cycle produces water retention, minor joint pain and swelling in the joints. Even the short term large doses of HGH produce irritability and aggression.
If we look for issues of acting out or bad behavior of both Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. we do not see the antisocial behavior associated with steroidal use coming from Manny. On the contrary we see just the opposite, a likeable, steady, friendly, and charitable young man whose public persona is undamaged by bad behavior and inconsistency.
Steroid use is linked to extreme mood swings, impulsiveness, depression, paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions and impaired judgment.
Erratic and dangerous behavior such as domestic violence are well documented and have long been associated with steroidal use in athletes, yet we do not see reports of this type of action associated with Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao.
The only thing that people point to that lead to suspicions of steroid use is the ability of Manny Pacquiao to adjust his weight over the fifteen year period of his career.
As a young 17 year old fighter weight was at 108 but we need as Americans to look at the socio-economic situation that Manny Pacquiao came from, the nutrition available to him at the time, and the training he was afforded early in his career.
To put on 40 pounds over the period of 15 years of better nutrition, weight- training and conditioning, and domestic environmental changes is not unknown or unlikely.
It happens on a daily basis in America when people immigrate to this country after suffering in third world nations, it happens across America when inner city and rural impoverished children get the benefits of consistent well rounded meals, medical care, and the removal of stress from their lives. It happens on the back roads and on the main streets of the world when money, food, and proper care are available.
It apparently happens in Boxing when success is achieved!
Source: 8countnews.com
The reason that Floyd Mayweather Jr.(41-0, 25ko) is calling for random testing as a condition for his fight with Pound for Pound Champion Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38ko) is honestly, only known to “Money” himself.
If we take it as an honest assessment of the concern at its face value then we need to examine the use and effects of steroids.
What the honest and truthful effects of steroid use are as applied to boxing versus the other known usages in sports like baseball, football, and weightlifting are not as highly documented?
As applied to baseball we all know the effects that it caused on baseball records and how it improved performance in all areas of the sport from batting, pitching, and on fielding ability. We also are aware through testimony in the Barry bonds trial that the side effects were notable if we take the testimony as truthful. Similar problems were testified to by dozens of athletes of varying sports, including Lyle Alzado who first came out and told of the dangers of HGH. Bonds was accused of having symptoms of “Roid Rage” by his former mistress which included side effects that were apparent on his body like skin blemishes, enlarged skull, as well various behavior issues. His lack of ability to have a steady professional working relationship with the media, often having outbursts at reporters and team mates should have been a warning sign.
Manny Pacquiao’s behavior in his high profile careers outside of the ring, working in the Philippine government, his charitable works around his province, his music, and his endorsement deals, contradicts the known side effects of someone who is a user of PED’s.
Anabolic steroid users can expect after even moderate prolonged use to become aggressive, suspicious, quarrelsome, and impulsive. Even the initial use can produce irritability, anger, and agitation.
The discontinued use of all corticosteroids, have the tendency to produce withdrawal symptoms, depression is one of the largest, and users miss the elation and positive psychological effects induced by the drugs.
Stoppage produces listlessness, apathy, loss of appetite, libido and self-esteem, feelings of anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, and mood swings. Withdrawal symptoms alone would be counterproductive to a boxer having to compete in the ring shortly after using steroids. These side effects would not be conducive to a successful career over long periods of time. Unless the boxer shut himself from the world during use there would be displays of these side-effects.
Short term use of HGH (human growth hormone) even in an AAS cycle produces water retention, minor joint pain and swelling in the joints. Even the short term large doses of HGH produce irritability and aggression.
If we look for issues of acting out or bad behavior of both Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. we do not see the antisocial behavior associated with steroidal use coming from Manny. On the contrary we see just the opposite, a likeable, steady, friendly, and charitable young man whose public persona is undamaged by bad behavior and inconsistency.
Steroid use is linked to extreme mood swings, impulsiveness, depression, paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions and impaired judgment.
Erratic and dangerous behavior such as domestic violence are well documented and have long been associated with steroidal use in athletes, yet we do not see reports of this type of action associated with Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao.
The only thing that people point to that lead to suspicions of steroid use is the ability of Manny Pacquiao to adjust his weight over the fifteen year period of his career.
As a young 17 year old fighter weight was at 108 but we need as Americans to look at the socio-economic situation that Manny Pacquiao came from, the nutrition available to him at the time, and the training he was afforded early in his career.
To put on 40 pounds over the period of 15 years of better nutrition, weight- training and conditioning, and domestic environmental changes is not unknown or unlikely.
It happens on a daily basis in America when people immigrate to this country after suffering in third world nations, it happens across America when inner city and rural impoverished children get the benefits of consistent well rounded meals, medical care, and the removal of stress from their lives. It happens on the back roads and on the main streets of the world when money, food, and proper care are available.
It apparently happens in Boxing when success is achieved!
Source: 8countnews.com
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Amir Khan stops Zab Judah in fifth -- Los Angeles Times
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Las Vegas— Zab Judah might have disputed the ending, but there was no decrying the harsh lessons that the younger champion Amir Khan delivered his older Brooklyn opponent Saturday.
Khan picked apart Judah in the fifth round, and landed another stiff right to the face that caused the 33-year-old Judah to bend downward. Seeing another hole, Khan threw a hard right uppercut that struck Judah on the top half of the belt.
Judah sank to the canvas, referee Vic Drakulich told him to get up and began counting toward a knockout — six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
At the 2:47 mark of the fifth, Khan had won.
Judah was able to spring up then, only in argument mode.
"It was a low blow," Judah said afterward. "I was trying to get myself together and that was self-defense. [The punch] lifted my belt."
The complaint was in vain. It was a legal blow.
The 24-year-old British Khan improved to 26-1 with his 18th knockout, and the 33-year-old Judah (41-7) handed over his International Boxing Federation junior-welterweight belt to Khan's collection, which includes a World Boxing Assn. belt.
Khan outpunched Judah 284-115 and landed more than triple the punches (61-20). He bloodied Judah's lip in the second round, continued landing blows to the face in the third and expertly followed several jabs with a hard right to Judah's mug in the fourth.
"I knew he was getting hurt," Khan said afterward. "He kept moving away and ducking. I kept hitting him right in the face, and the shot that knocked him out was right on the belt. … It was only a matter of time."
Perhaps in early 2012, Khan will be able to fight Coachella Valley's Timothy Bradley for all four major titles.
"If Bradley didn't want to fight him before, he doesn't want to fight him now," Khan promoter Richard Schaefer said after the bout, listing the Aug. 27 Robert Guerrero-Marcos Maidana winner or Erik Morales as other possible December foes for Khan.
The unbeaten Bradley, nicknamed "Desert Storm," declined the match earlier this year as he negotiates a split with his promoters and he told The Times in a Saturday night telephone interview that he anticipates a 2012 Khan bout after a tuneup fight in the fall.
"He's not ready for 'The Storm,' I'm not impressed," Bradley said. "I know all the comments that are coming about this Khan performance, but I'm not stressing. … No way possible he can be No. 1 [at 140 pounds]. When we do get in the ring, everyone will see who the best in the world is."
What Khan showed Saturday before the ending was another advanced level under the guidance of Hollywood's famed trainer Freddie Roach, who also counts Manny Pacquiao in his stable.
Khan's precision against Judah showed the Roach effect, and what the Brit ensured Saturday is that the payday with Bradley will be richer than the $1 million-plus he collected in the softer touch versus Judah.
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
twitter.com/latimespugmire
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times
Source: latimes.com
Reporting from Las Vegas— Zab Judah might have disputed the ending, but there was no decrying the harsh lessons that the younger champion Amir Khan delivered his older Brooklyn opponent Saturday.
Khan picked apart Judah in the fifth round, and landed another stiff right to the face that caused the 33-year-old Judah to bend downward. Seeing another hole, Khan threw a hard right uppercut that struck Judah on the top half of the belt.
Judah sank to the canvas, referee Vic Drakulich told him to get up and began counting toward a knockout — six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
At the 2:47 mark of the fifth, Khan had won.
Judah was able to spring up then, only in argument mode.
"It was a low blow," Judah said afterward. "I was trying to get myself together and that was self-defense. [The punch] lifted my belt."
The complaint was in vain. It was a legal blow.
The 24-year-old British Khan improved to 26-1 with his 18th knockout, and the 33-year-old Judah (41-7) handed over his International Boxing Federation junior-welterweight belt to Khan's collection, which includes a World Boxing Assn. belt.
Khan outpunched Judah 284-115 and landed more than triple the punches (61-20). He bloodied Judah's lip in the second round, continued landing blows to the face in the third and expertly followed several jabs with a hard right to Judah's mug in the fourth.
"I knew he was getting hurt," Khan said afterward. "He kept moving away and ducking. I kept hitting him right in the face, and the shot that knocked him out was right on the belt. … It was only a matter of time."
Perhaps in early 2012, Khan will be able to fight Coachella Valley's Timothy Bradley for all four major titles.
"If Bradley didn't want to fight him before, he doesn't want to fight him now," Khan promoter Richard Schaefer said after the bout, listing the Aug. 27 Robert Guerrero-Marcos Maidana winner or Erik Morales as other possible December foes for Khan.
The unbeaten Bradley, nicknamed "Desert Storm," declined the match earlier this year as he negotiates a split with his promoters and he told The Times in a Saturday night telephone interview that he anticipates a 2012 Khan bout after a tuneup fight in the fall.
"He's not ready for 'The Storm,' I'm not impressed," Bradley said. "I know all the comments that are coming about this Khan performance, but I'm not stressing. … No way possible he can be No. 1 [at 140 pounds]. When we do get in the ring, everyone will see who the best in the world is."
What Khan showed Saturday before the ending was another advanced level under the guidance of Hollywood's famed trainer Freddie Roach, who also counts Manny Pacquiao in his stable.
Khan's precision against Judah showed the Roach effect, and what the Brit ensured Saturday is that the payday with Bradley will be richer than the $1 million-plus he collected in the softer touch versus Judah.
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
twitter.com/latimespugmire
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times
Source: latimes.com
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Floyd Mayweather Jr: 'I would love to fight Amir Khan at Wembley' -- The Guardian
By Kevin Mitchell, guardian.co.uk
Floyd Mayweather Jr talks like he boxes, slipping questions with the practised ease of someone for whom evasion is as easy as breathing. He is the Natural.
However, dropping his guard, he says he would fight Amir Khan – in London next year – if the WBA light-welterweight champion beats the IBF title-holder, Zab Judah, at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.
"I would love to come and fight at Wembley," he says. But he sidesteps all questions about Khan's friend and training partner, Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather does not reach out to boxing; boxing comes to Mayweather – or, at least, that is his perspective.
Jab away at him, however, and a few light bruises appear on an ego more fragile than he would like to admit. In the course of 25 minutes – while one of the hired helps wraps his hands in preparation for pad-work with his uncle, Roger – the finest pure boxer since Sugar Ray Leonard raises his voice just once, and even then briefly.
"How can I not be rated No1 if I haven't been beaten?" he asks, incredulous at the suggestion that he needs to seal his standing in boxing history by fighting Pacquiao, regarded by good judges as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and a champion in eight weight divisions – instead of Victor Ortiz, whom Mayweather meets in Las Vegas when he returns to the ring, on 17 September, after an absence of 16 months.
"I am not worried about the Pacquiao thing at all. I can do whatever I want in this sport. Floyd Mayweather is in the sport to give great performances. And I must be happy myself before I can make anyone else happy.
"The British fans would love to see me fight Amir Khan and I'm pretty sure the Filipino fans would want to see me fight Pacquiao. The American fans would love to see me fight anybody."
This is a narrow reading of the wishes of boxing fans, wherever they are from. The one fight boxing wants and needs is Mayweather-Pacquiao. There is no other contest that appeals more or is as capable of reaching out to an audience beyond the hardcore – and, while Mayweather pretends he is not bothered (because he is the centre of his own universe), he wants the fight too.
Roger, who is also Floyd's trainer, wants the fight, although he has done his best to scupper it by suggesting Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs – something the Filipino denies – an accusation he this week threw at Khan, who shares Pacquiao's conditioner, Alex Ariza, and trainer, Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao this week denied he was going through his considerable fortune, confirming that he is worth $26m (£16m), even though he has earned much more than that in his career. A fight with Mayweather would probably bring each of them upward of $50m, although Pacquiao is reluctant to submit to Olympic-standard drugs tests to convince Mayweather he is clean.
"If the tables were turned and I didn't want to take the test," Mayweather said, "people would be saying Floyd Mayweather is doing something. No wonder he won all these fights. All I'm saying is a fighter doesn't all of a sudden become a good fighter at the age of 25. Do you guys think that Floyd Mayweather could just move to heavyweight and all of a sudden compete with the Klitschko brothers? Absolutely not."
Mayweather was not tempted to pick the winner of Khan's fight against Judah. "It will all come down to who wants it more, who is the smarter fighter and who has the better chin. I fought Zab Judah at 147 pounds. Both are explosive fighters. It's a good fight to watch.
"Amir Khan came here and trained in the boxing gym with my uncle Roger a few times. He's a good young fighter. We're in the fight game so every fighter wants to fight Floyd Mayweather. But he must get past the obstacles put in front of him first. Then we'll go from there."
He would not be drawn on his uncle's evidence-free claims about Khan. "It's not my place to comment on what Roger said about Amir Khan and steroids. All I will say is that if you are facing Floyd Mayweather, you got to take the test." Neither will he budge from the view that he is the biggest draw in boxing, and it is true he has posted several impressive pay-per-view numbers.
"Everywhere I go, I will make a good payday. But we got to choose the right opponent and the right time and the right venue. You guys got some great venues. I could fill a soccer stadium over there.
"I like fighters who come to fight. Amir Khan is a young champion. I take my hat off to him. It's a difficult challenge [against Judah]. It will not be easy for either man.
"Every fight I look at as all the same, just another fight. I'm not worried about nothing. You say Victor Ortiz, you say Amir Khan, no matter what name you say, it's just another fighter to Floyd Mayweather."
Mayweather's look-at-me, third-person posturing is not unusual in boxing. It is what sustains nearly all its participants, and arrogance is part of what makes Mayweather a great fighter. He says he fears nobody, that no opponent has ever stretched him to his full potential, and he is right.
He tries to be polite, but it is plain he does not consider Khan capable of it, either. "Have I used my A-game yet? Absolutely not. I have not had to really bite down and say: 'Damn, this is a tough fight.' When I go into a fight it is just another guy. If somebody hits me with a good shot, I go back to the corner and they say: 'It was a good shot but don't worry about it.'"
Mayweather shifts uneasily when asked about the domestic violence charges he has yet to face in court. "We just try to be positive and hope for the best. Once you show me some real photos of someone being battered or beaten, then we just say OK. But I am already in a contact sport, which is boxing, so someone says they got touched in an unlikely manner and people automatically say Floyd Mayweather is guilty. Guys have got to say OK, we seen Mayweather when he fought Zab Judah and when a melee broke out, what did he do? I went back to my corner and conducted myself like a true gentleman."
Mayweather, who is 34 and who has retired twice, says he will box for at least another three years. "I need more titles and more money," he says.
He has had enough questions. With friends and neighbourhood gawpers gathered to pay homage, Mayweather climbs into the ring and goes through his dazzling repertoire of combinations, a ritual so familiar to him and his uncle that each punch finds the moving target as if connected by string.
As we leave, his white Rolls Royce parked outside the gym in a part of Las Vegas some way from the glitter of the Strip is a loud statement by the fighter who is comfortable with the most appropriate nickname in boxing: "Money."
Source: guardian.co.uk
Floyd Mayweather Jr talks like he boxes, slipping questions with the practised ease of someone for whom evasion is as easy as breathing. He is the Natural.
However, dropping his guard, he says he would fight Amir Khan – in London next year – if the WBA light-welterweight champion beats the IBF title-holder, Zab Judah, at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.
"I would love to come and fight at Wembley," he says. But he sidesteps all questions about Khan's friend and training partner, Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather does not reach out to boxing; boxing comes to Mayweather – or, at least, that is his perspective.
Jab away at him, however, and a few light bruises appear on an ego more fragile than he would like to admit. In the course of 25 minutes – while one of the hired helps wraps his hands in preparation for pad-work with his uncle, Roger – the finest pure boxer since Sugar Ray Leonard raises his voice just once, and even then briefly.
"How can I not be rated No1 if I haven't been beaten?" he asks, incredulous at the suggestion that he needs to seal his standing in boxing history by fighting Pacquiao, regarded by good judges as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and a champion in eight weight divisions – instead of Victor Ortiz, whom Mayweather meets in Las Vegas when he returns to the ring, on 17 September, after an absence of 16 months.
"I am not worried about the Pacquiao thing at all. I can do whatever I want in this sport. Floyd Mayweather is in the sport to give great performances. And I must be happy myself before I can make anyone else happy.
"The British fans would love to see me fight Amir Khan and I'm pretty sure the Filipino fans would want to see me fight Pacquiao. The American fans would love to see me fight anybody."
This is a narrow reading of the wishes of boxing fans, wherever they are from. The one fight boxing wants and needs is Mayweather-Pacquiao. There is no other contest that appeals more or is as capable of reaching out to an audience beyond the hardcore – and, while Mayweather pretends he is not bothered (because he is the centre of his own universe), he wants the fight too.
Roger, who is also Floyd's trainer, wants the fight, although he has done his best to scupper it by suggesting Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs – something the Filipino denies – an accusation he this week threw at Khan, who shares Pacquiao's conditioner, Alex Ariza, and trainer, Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao this week denied he was going through his considerable fortune, confirming that he is worth $26m (£16m), even though he has earned much more than that in his career. A fight with Mayweather would probably bring each of them upward of $50m, although Pacquiao is reluctant to submit to Olympic-standard drugs tests to convince Mayweather he is clean.
"If the tables were turned and I didn't want to take the test," Mayweather said, "people would be saying Floyd Mayweather is doing something. No wonder he won all these fights. All I'm saying is a fighter doesn't all of a sudden become a good fighter at the age of 25. Do you guys think that Floyd Mayweather could just move to heavyweight and all of a sudden compete with the Klitschko brothers? Absolutely not."
Mayweather was not tempted to pick the winner of Khan's fight against Judah. "It will all come down to who wants it more, who is the smarter fighter and who has the better chin. I fought Zab Judah at 147 pounds. Both are explosive fighters. It's a good fight to watch.
"Amir Khan came here and trained in the boxing gym with my uncle Roger a few times. He's a good young fighter. We're in the fight game so every fighter wants to fight Floyd Mayweather. But he must get past the obstacles put in front of him first. Then we'll go from there."
He would not be drawn on his uncle's evidence-free claims about Khan. "It's not my place to comment on what Roger said about Amir Khan and steroids. All I will say is that if you are facing Floyd Mayweather, you got to take the test." Neither will he budge from the view that he is the biggest draw in boxing, and it is true he has posted several impressive pay-per-view numbers.
"Everywhere I go, I will make a good payday. But we got to choose the right opponent and the right time and the right venue. You guys got some great venues. I could fill a soccer stadium over there.
"I like fighters who come to fight. Amir Khan is a young champion. I take my hat off to him. It's a difficult challenge [against Judah]. It will not be easy for either man.
"Every fight I look at as all the same, just another fight. I'm not worried about nothing. You say Victor Ortiz, you say Amir Khan, no matter what name you say, it's just another fighter to Floyd Mayweather."
Mayweather's look-at-me, third-person posturing is not unusual in boxing. It is what sustains nearly all its participants, and arrogance is part of what makes Mayweather a great fighter. He says he fears nobody, that no opponent has ever stretched him to his full potential, and he is right.
He tries to be polite, but it is plain he does not consider Khan capable of it, either. "Have I used my A-game yet? Absolutely not. I have not had to really bite down and say: 'Damn, this is a tough fight.' When I go into a fight it is just another guy. If somebody hits me with a good shot, I go back to the corner and they say: 'It was a good shot but don't worry about it.'"
Mayweather shifts uneasily when asked about the domestic violence charges he has yet to face in court. "We just try to be positive and hope for the best. Once you show me some real photos of someone being battered or beaten, then we just say OK. But I am already in a contact sport, which is boxing, so someone says they got touched in an unlikely manner and people automatically say Floyd Mayweather is guilty. Guys have got to say OK, we seen Mayweather when he fought Zab Judah and when a melee broke out, what did he do? I went back to my corner and conducted myself like a true gentleman."
Mayweather, who is 34 and who has retired twice, says he will box for at least another three years. "I need more titles and more money," he says.
He has had enough questions. With friends and neighbourhood gawpers gathered to pay homage, Mayweather climbs into the ring and goes through his dazzling repertoire of combinations, a ritual so familiar to him and his uncle that each punch finds the moving target as if connected by string.
As we leave, his white Rolls Royce parked outside the gym in a part of Las Vegas some way from the glitter of the Strip is a loud statement by the fighter who is comfortable with the most appropriate nickname in boxing: "Money."
Source: guardian.co.uk
Dana White: ‘Floyd Mayweather is what’s wrong with boxing’ -- NBC Sports
By Rick Chandler, NBC Sports
First you should know that Dana White and Floyd Mayweather have a history together. White spent a good portion of his childhood in Las Vegas, and began a professional training career there. And he’s argued with Mayweather in the past about boxing vs. mixed martial arts, at one point challenging Mayweather to get into the UFC ring with one of his fighters, which Mayweather did not accept.
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Then on Wednesday White appeared on WFAN in New York to discuss the possibility of MAA coming to New York (don’t hold your breath), and the conversation came around to Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. White:
I’m a huge, huge Manny Pacquiao fan. He is boxing right now. Floyd Mayweather, and Floyd and I go way back and I told Floyd to his face too, Floyd is one of the big problems with boxing. Holding out, not taking this fight with Manny Pacquiao, and doing what he’s doing. I think Manny Pacquiao is boxing. Everything about him is positive and I love the guy.”
Here’s some background: In 2007, Mayweather was quoted in a Yahoo Sports story saying that the UFC was inferior to boxing. “UFC’s champions can’t handle boxing. That’s why they are in UFC.”
White was not amused:
“I used to talk like Floyd Mayweather when I was involved in boxing. I talked just like him, until I educated myself about this sport. These guys are amazing athletes, Floyd Mayweather is one of the best boxers ever, (and) Sean Sherk will whoop his ass in under two minutes. Any day that Mayweather wants to put his money and his ass where his mouth is, I’m ready. If he wants to step up, let’s do it. I’m willing to put together a fight for Sean Sherk and Floyd Mayweather with numbers that would make sense for Floyd. And I guarantee you he would not accept it. Floyd Mayweather would never fight in the UFC because he would get his head ripped off.”
Source: offthebench.nbcsports.com
First you should know that Dana White and Floyd Mayweather have a history together. White spent a good portion of his childhood in Las Vegas, and began a professional training career there. And he’s argued with Mayweather in the past about boxing vs. mixed martial arts, at one point challenging Mayweather to get into the UFC ring with one of his fighters, which Mayweather did not accept.
Then on Wednesday White appeared on WFAN in New York to discuss the possibility of MAA coming to New York (don’t hold your breath), and the conversation came around to Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. White:I’m a huge, huge Manny Pacquiao fan. He is boxing right now. Floyd Mayweather, and Floyd and I go way back and I told Floyd to his face too, Floyd is one of the big problems with boxing. Holding out, not taking this fight with Manny Pacquiao, and doing what he’s doing. I think Manny Pacquiao is boxing. Everything about him is positive and I love the guy.”
Here’s some background: In 2007, Mayweather was quoted in a Yahoo Sports story saying that the UFC was inferior to boxing. “UFC’s champions can’t handle boxing. That’s why they are in UFC.”
White was not amused:
“I used to talk like Floyd Mayweather when I was involved in boxing. I talked just like him, until I educated myself about this sport. These guys are amazing athletes, Floyd Mayweather is one of the best boxers ever, (and) Sean Sherk will whoop his ass in under two minutes. Any day that Mayweather wants to put his money and his ass where his mouth is, I’m ready. If he wants to step up, let’s do it. I’m willing to put together a fight for Sean Sherk and Floyd Mayweather with numbers that would make sense for Floyd. And I guarantee you he would not accept it. Floyd Mayweather would never fight in the UFC because he would get his head ripped off.”
Source: offthebench.nbcsports.com
Friday, 22 July 2011
Pacquiao denies losing millions -- ABS CBN News
abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines – Boxing superstar and Sarangani congressman Manny Pacquiao denied that he has been losing money amid reports on the internet that his net worth is merely $26 million.
Despite reportedly earning $20 million from his recent fight against Shane Mosley, Pacquiao’s latest net worth is just over $26 million, noted the The Boxing Tribune.
The author of the report, Paul Magno, said: "Pacquiao is still a very wealthy man and will likely remain one for the rest of his life, but it’s worth noting that some people, somewhere are enjoying the money that, rightfully, belongs to him."
The $26-million figure is based on Pacquiao’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), which showed that his total net worth as of December 31, 2010 is P1.134 billion or around $26 million.
Pacquiao, however, laughed off reports that he's losing money.
“Ah, talaga? Kaya pala nakabili ako ng bahay sa Forbes. (Oh, really? So that's why I was able to buy a house in Forbes.)," Pacquiao said, referring to the P388-million mansion he purchased in Forbes Park in Makati City.
Based on Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) figures, Pacquiao earned $3 million against Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2008; $3 million against David Diaz in June 2008; $6.6 million against Oscar de la Hoya in December 2008; $7.4 million against Ricky Hatton in May 2009; and, $7.5 million against Miguel Cotto in November 2009.
He also received an estimated $12 million for his fight against Joshua Clottey in 2010; $20 million against Antonio Margarito in 2010; and, $20 million against Mosley in 2011.
Revamped business team
The report about his "shockingly" $26 million net worth fueled speculations on the recent changes in Pacquiao's business team.
In a press release from Pacquiao’s official website, www.mp8.ph, it was announced that Pacquiao had hired the firm of VisionQwest Resource Group, Inc. and VisionQwest Accountancy Group from Los Angeles to handle the accounting, personal and business tax, audits and examinations and contract reviews.
The press release also noted that VisionQwest reports directly to Pacquiao, and that the firm is examining all of the boxer’s contracts from 2005 onwards.
With the hiring of VisionQwest, Canadian business adviser Michael Koncz will no longer be responsible for the handling of Pacquiao’s business dealings.
Pacquiao, however, denied firing Koncz.
"Darating si Michael Koncz tomorrow morning. Dala niya yung kontrata nung fight namin ni Marquez, para matigil na yung issues na I fired Michael Koncz," he said.
Pacquiao gives away 3-hectares of land
Meanwhile, Pacquiao took part in giving away lands to the homeless in Sarangani province.
The 8-division champion gave away 3 hectares of his property in coordination with Habitat for Humanity.
"Sumali ako sa Habitat for Humanity dahil naniniwala akong marami silang matutulungan at marami akong matutulungan sa Sarangani province na magkaroon ng bahay (I joined Habitat for Humanity because they will help me provide homes to my constituents in Sarangani province)," said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao was honored as “Habitat Hero Ambassador” for his gesture.
"Binili ko yung lupa at binigay ko sa mga tao para magkaroon sila ng sariling bahay... sariling pera ko ang ibinili ko roon, kasi kung gobyerno pa 'yun, marami pang proseso," he said.
(I bought the property and gave it away... I used my own money because it would require some processing if we rely on the government). -- With a report from Karen Davila, ABS-CBN News
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
MANILA, Philippines – Boxing superstar and Sarangani congressman Manny Pacquiao denied that he has been losing money amid reports on the internet that his net worth is merely $26 million.
Despite reportedly earning $20 million from his recent fight against Shane Mosley, Pacquiao’s latest net worth is just over $26 million, noted the The Boxing Tribune.
The author of the report, Paul Magno, said: "Pacquiao is still a very wealthy man and will likely remain one for the rest of his life, but it’s worth noting that some people, somewhere are enjoying the money that, rightfully, belongs to him."
The $26-million figure is based on Pacquiao’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), which showed that his total net worth as of December 31, 2010 is P1.134 billion or around $26 million.
Pacquiao, however, laughed off reports that he's losing money.
“Ah, talaga? Kaya pala nakabili ako ng bahay sa Forbes. (Oh, really? So that's why I was able to buy a house in Forbes.)," Pacquiao said, referring to the P388-million mansion he purchased in Forbes Park in Makati City.
Based on Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) figures, Pacquiao earned $3 million against Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2008; $3 million against David Diaz in June 2008; $6.6 million against Oscar de la Hoya in December 2008; $7.4 million against Ricky Hatton in May 2009; and, $7.5 million against Miguel Cotto in November 2009.
He also received an estimated $12 million for his fight against Joshua Clottey in 2010; $20 million against Antonio Margarito in 2010; and, $20 million against Mosley in 2011.
Revamped business team
The report about his "shockingly" $26 million net worth fueled speculations on the recent changes in Pacquiao's business team.
In a press release from Pacquiao’s official website, www.mp8.ph, it was announced that Pacquiao had hired the firm of VisionQwest Resource Group, Inc. and VisionQwest Accountancy Group from Los Angeles to handle the accounting, personal and business tax, audits and examinations and contract reviews.
The press release also noted that VisionQwest reports directly to Pacquiao, and that the firm is examining all of the boxer’s contracts from 2005 onwards.
With the hiring of VisionQwest, Canadian business adviser Michael Koncz will no longer be responsible for the handling of Pacquiao’s business dealings.
Pacquiao, however, denied firing Koncz.
"Darating si Michael Koncz tomorrow morning. Dala niya yung kontrata nung fight namin ni Marquez, para matigil na yung issues na I fired Michael Koncz," he said.
Pacquiao gives away 3-hectares of land
Meanwhile, Pacquiao took part in giving away lands to the homeless in Sarangani province.
The 8-division champion gave away 3 hectares of his property in coordination with Habitat for Humanity.
"Sumali ako sa Habitat for Humanity dahil naniniwala akong marami silang matutulungan at marami akong matutulungan sa Sarangani province na magkaroon ng bahay (I joined Habitat for Humanity because they will help me provide homes to my constituents in Sarangani province)," said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao was honored as “Habitat Hero Ambassador” for his gesture.
"Binili ko yung lupa at binigay ko sa mga tao para magkaroon sila ng sariling bahay... sariling pera ko ang ibinili ko roon, kasi kung gobyerno pa 'yun, marami pang proseso," he said.
(I bought the property and gave it away... I used my own money because it would require some processing if we rely on the government). -- With a report from Karen Davila, ABS-CBN News
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Boxing Report: Pacquiao's net worth just $26M -- Fox Sports
By Paul Magno, The Boxing Tribune
According to an official document issued by the House of Representatives in the Philippines, current WBO welterweight champ, Manny Pacquiao has a net worth of approximately 1.134 billion PHP (Philippine Pesos), which comes out to just over 26 million in American Dollars. (The document takes into account all assets up to Jan. 1, 2011.)
Net worth is calculated by taking a person’s total assets, then subtracting their liabilities. The figure quoted above takes into consideration all Pacquiao assets, including real estate and pay from TV and radio performances, public appearances, album sales, licensing, local and international endorsements as well as the money earned from his fights.
Generating approximately $384 million in revenue from his PPV events prior to last May’s Shane Mosley bout, alone, the shockingly low net worth tells the tale of a fighter either quickly going through his money or in desperate need of an independent accounting firm to deal with some pressing business issues.
Enter, VisionQwest Resource Group, Inc., an agency specializing in contract issues and tax concerns.
As reported in a press release Wednesday, Pacquiao has retained the services of VisionQwest to handle all business dealing as well as review “all contracts from 2005 and going forward.”
Team Pacquiao is currently being reviewed and the management team streamlined in order to create a more effective business unit. In the press release, the Los Angeles-based firm also announced that they had “retained the services of a strong boxing business professional who has a solid background in fighter management and negotiations” who will be involved in all future contract reviews.
Tales of fighters and money woes are, sadly, as much a part of boxing’s history as devastating knockouts and shocking upsets, but these things are never nice to hear.
Pacquiao is still a very wealthy man and will likely remain one for the rest of his life, but it’s worth noting that some people, somewhere are enjoying the money that, rightfully, belongs to him.
Source: msn.foxsports.com
According to an official document issued by the House of Representatives in the Philippines, current WBO welterweight champ, Manny Pacquiao has a net worth of approximately 1.134 billion PHP (Philippine Pesos), which comes out to just over 26 million in American Dollars. (The document takes into account all assets up to Jan. 1, 2011.)
Net worth is calculated by taking a person’s total assets, then subtracting their liabilities. The figure quoted above takes into consideration all Pacquiao assets, including real estate and pay from TV and radio performances, public appearances, album sales, licensing, local and international endorsements as well as the money earned from his fights.Generating approximately $384 million in revenue from his PPV events prior to last May’s Shane Mosley bout, alone, the shockingly low net worth tells the tale of a fighter either quickly going through his money or in desperate need of an independent accounting firm to deal with some pressing business issues.
Enter, VisionQwest Resource Group, Inc., an agency specializing in contract issues and tax concerns.
As reported in a press release Wednesday, Pacquiao has retained the services of VisionQwest to handle all business dealing as well as review “all contracts from 2005 and going forward.”
Team Pacquiao is currently being reviewed and the management team streamlined in order to create a more effective business unit. In the press release, the Los Angeles-based firm also announced that they had “retained the services of a strong boxing business professional who has a solid background in fighter management and negotiations” who will be involved in all future contract reviews.
Tales of fighters and money woes are, sadly, as much a part of boxing’s history as devastating knockouts and shocking upsets, but these things are never nice to hear.
Pacquiao is still a very wealthy man and will likely remain one for the rest of his life, but it’s worth noting that some people, somewhere are enjoying the money that, rightfully, belongs to him.
Source: msn.foxsports.com
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Manny Pacquiao under IRS tax audit for 2006-2007; bean counter Lodge is mum -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
Time to trot out the old jokes about accountants who keep two, sometimes three sets of financial books?
Or, to rehash the Muhammad Ali line about either lawyers or accountants when he said he had the Jewish ones keep an eye on the black ones and vice versa?
Not really, as VisionQwest, which is headed by Michael Lodge and is seemingly flexing its bean counter muscles in the business (including boxing) spheres of Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao is a respected international accounting firm which is based in Los Angeles but also has offices and operations in the Philippines.
A Los Angeles source/FOP (Friend of Pacquiao) tells me that VisionQwest is currently handling a heavy Internal Revenue tax audit of Pacquiao concerning the tax years 2006 to 2007.
(Please note, it is quite common for wealthy athletes and entertainers, like other high income individuals, to get audited by the federal government.)
I reached out to Lodge to see if he cares to enlighten Paclanders about changes which will be made as to Team Pacquiao, including the reported “axing” of longtime Pacman right hand aide Michael Koncz, but Lodge demurred, as seen below:
“Michael,
Thank you for your e-mail. However, we are under a client confidentiality agreement and we are not allowed to discuss client matters with the media. However, we will make statements from time to time based on a joint understanding with our client when any changes will be made.
We look forward to you continued support and coverage of Manny Pacquiao and thank you for respecting our confidentiality agreement.
Advertisement
Regards,
Michael L. Lodge
President & CEO”
It’s Lodge’s outfit which reportedly has hired Jose Castillo, formerly associated with world champions Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Edwin Valero, to “review” future Pacman boxing deals.
Well, since I’m lacking any pungent punch line here, let me try this.
Guess who brought VisionQwest in to work on Pacquiao’s financial books in both the US and his homeland?
You got it, the very same Mr. Koncz who denies he’s been canned but who might find his all encompassing Pacman job description changed when he arrives in Manila Thursday morning.
An inflamed source told me Wednesday night that Koncz will hold a one on one sitdown with the eight-time world champion hours after he lands in Manila.
My FOP/LA source says the so-called "press release" announcing a Team Pacquiao shakeup, including the demotion or removal of Koncz, was penned by MP.8 website operator and ex-convict Timothy James Sladeck.
Sladeck has been openly at war with Koncz for several years.
Pacquiao owns a percentage of MP.8, the so-called "official" site for the charismatic fighter, and his lawyer Franklin "Jeng" Gacal also has a financial interest in it.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Time to trot out the old jokes about accountants who keep two, sometimes three sets of financial books?
Or, to rehash the Muhammad Ali line about either lawyers or accountants when he said he had the Jewish ones keep an eye on the black ones and vice versa?
Not really, as VisionQwest, which is headed by Michael Lodge and is seemingly flexing its bean counter muscles in the business (including boxing) spheres of Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao is a respected international accounting firm which is based in Los Angeles but also has offices and operations in the Philippines.A Los Angeles source/FOP (Friend of Pacquiao) tells me that VisionQwest is currently handling a heavy Internal Revenue tax audit of Pacquiao concerning the tax years 2006 to 2007.
(Please note, it is quite common for wealthy athletes and entertainers, like other high income individuals, to get audited by the federal government.)
I reached out to Lodge to see if he cares to enlighten Paclanders about changes which will be made as to Team Pacquiao, including the reported “axing” of longtime Pacman right hand aide Michael Koncz, but Lodge demurred, as seen below:
“Michael,
Thank you for your e-mail. However, we are under a client confidentiality agreement and we are not allowed to discuss client matters with the media. However, we will make statements from time to time based on a joint understanding with our client when any changes will be made.
We look forward to you continued support and coverage of Manny Pacquiao and thank you for respecting our confidentiality agreement.
Advertisement
Regards,
Michael L. Lodge
President & CEO”
It’s Lodge’s outfit which reportedly has hired Jose Castillo, formerly associated with world champions Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Edwin Valero, to “review” future Pacman boxing deals.
Well, since I’m lacking any pungent punch line here, let me try this.
Guess who brought VisionQwest in to work on Pacquiao’s financial books in both the US and his homeland?
You got it, the very same Mr. Koncz who denies he’s been canned but who might find his all encompassing Pacman job description changed when he arrives in Manila Thursday morning.
An inflamed source told me Wednesday night that Koncz will hold a one on one sitdown with the eight-time world champion hours after he lands in Manila.
My FOP/LA source says the so-called "press release" announcing a Team Pacquiao shakeup, including the demotion or removal of Koncz, was penned by MP.8 website operator and ex-convict Timothy James Sladeck.
Sladeck has been openly at war with Koncz for several years.
Pacquiao owns a percentage of MP.8, the so-called "official" site for the charismatic fighter, and his lawyer Franklin "Jeng" Gacal also has a financial interest in it.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Floyd’s inferno: Don King believes that Mayweather Jr. needs a little guidance -- Examiner
By Chris Robinson, Examiner
Surrounded by myself, Yahoo! columnist Kevin Iole, and BoxingScene.com boss Rick Reeno, King was advised that Mayweather had recently been spotted in Atlanta, Georgia as he made headlines by setting a $100 bill on fire inside of a nightclub. That act from Floyd is one in a long line of many that have drawn him some kind of public ire, one of the reasons he constantly finds himself as one of the sport's most talked-about figures.
Upon hearing the news King was surprisingly out of words, very much a rarity, and simply mumbled that he is going to have to talk to the multi-division superstar. Still, he wasn’t shy on dishing out compliments to the come backing fighter, who is currently lined up with a September 17th date against WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz inside the MGM Grand.
“Mayweather is the best fighter in the world, I say that unhesitatingly,” stated King. “I have a great deal of love and respect for [Manny] Pacquiao and everyone else that is out there fighting. I think that Pacquiao’s presence has made such a major difference. But Mayweather is my man.”
A Mayweather fight will always create a special kind of buzz but the fact remains that Floyd has been relatively inactive in recent times, having only fought twice since reemerging from an attempted retirement after his December 2007 fight with Ricky Hatton. That reason alone, says King, could spell trouble for the 34-year old down the road.
“But if you don’t practice your trade, I don’t care how good you are, something is going to fall between the cracks. If you are going to be a great pianist you have to work day after day, month after month, for one concert on one day. You’ve got to practice your trade and he wasn’t practicing his trade and I’m glad to see him back into the fray developing himself and fighting again,” King quipped.
King made headlines last July when he was spotted hanging with Mayweather near his cozy confines in South Florida, as the undefeated star updated his throngs of Twitter followers with pictures of the two men together. Grinning ear to ear, King and Floyd could be seen enjoying lobster, flashing money, and most likely talking some kind of business with one another, a fact all the more interesting because just weeks earlier Mayweather had seen a second round of reported negotiations for a potential fight with Pacquiao again fall through.
And what exactly did King get to know about Floyd from their time alone with one another?
“He’s a very stand up guy, but you’ve got to know what he’s standing up for," King continued. "He’s a guy that stands up and he takes the criticisms of his actions. He needs a little guidance, a little help. You what I mean? He is a guy who will stand up for his convictions. Once he makes up his mind and if you help him to make it up on the right thing, you couldn’t get a better guy than Mayweather.”
As our time came to a close I threw one last question King's way as I asked if he felt that Mayweather was in some way intimidated or even jealous of all the attention that Pacquiao had gotten in recent years, specifically dating back to his December 2008 battering of Oscar De La Hoya as he began an improbable trek against bigger, dangerous foes. Not so, says King, who fully believes that Mayweather's future lies in his own two fists and that it is up to him what road he will end up taking.
“Well, all artists want to be up there in the light. That’s what they do. But I don’t think he is because he could have corrected that. Jealousy is when you are inhibited or you are restrained from doing it. He didn’t have to do anything but say ‘Yes’. It was his own self-confinement, his own self-discipline. I don’t think it’s jealousy. I think he just needs some guidance that he can rely and depend on. Because everyone he relies on, all of them sell him out.”
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
Source: examiner.com
During a recent visit to Las Vegas, legendary promoter Don King
could be found inside of the Hard Rock Hotel at a press conference stirring up interest for next month’s Joseph Agbeko-Abner Mares bantamweight title clash. Still going strong after forty-plus years connected to the sport, King was talkative as always and also turned his attention to other subplots and headlines in boxing, including the latest with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
could be found inside of the Hard Rock Hotel at a press conference stirring up interest for next month’s Joseph Agbeko-Abner Mares bantamweight title clash. Still going strong after forty-plus years connected to the sport, King was talkative as always and also turned his attention to other subplots and headlines in boxing, including the latest with Floyd Mayweather Jr.Surrounded by myself, Yahoo! columnist Kevin Iole, and BoxingScene.com boss Rick Reeno, King was advised that Mayweather had recently been spotted in Atlanta, Georgia as he made headlines by setting a $100 bill on fire inside of a nightclub. That act from Floyd is one in a long line of many that have drawn him some kind of public ire, one of the reasons he constantly finds himself as one of the sport's most talked-about figures.Upon hearing the news King was surprisingly out of words, very much a rarity, and simply mumbled that he is going to have to talk to the multi-division superstar. Still, he wasn’t shy on dishing out compliments to the come backing fighter, who is currently lined up with a September 17th date against WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz inside the MGM Grand.
“Mayweather is the best fighter in the world, I say that unhesitatingly,” stated King. “I have a great deal of love and respect for [Manny] Pacquiao and everyone else that is out there fighting. I think that Pacquiao’s presence has made such a major difference. But Mayweather is my man.”
A Mayweather fight will always create a special kind of buzz but the fact remains that Floyd has been relatively inactive in recent times, having only fought twice since reemerging from an attempted retirement after his December 2007 fight with Ricky Hatton. That reason alone, says King, could spell trouble for the 34-year old down the road.
“But if you don’t practice your trade, I don’t care how good you are, something is going to fall between the cracks. If you are going to be a great pianist you have to work day after day, month after month, for one concert on one day. You’ve got to practice your trade and he wasn’t practicing his trade and I’m glad to see him back into the fray developing himself and fighting again,” King quipped.
King made headlines last July when he was spotted hanging with Mayweather near his cozy confines in South Florida, as the undefeated star updated his throngs of Twitter followers with pictures of the two men together. Grinning ear to ear, King and Floyd could be seen enjoying lobster, flashing money, and most likely talking some kind of business with one another, a fact all the more interesting because just weeks earlier Mayweather had seen a second round of reported negotiations for a potential fight with Pacquiao again fall through.
And what exactly did King get to know about Floyd from their time alone with one another?
“He’s a very stand up guy, but you’ve got to know what he’s standing up for," King continued. "He’s a guy that stands up and he takes the criticisms of his actions. He needs a little guidance, a little help. You what I mean? He is a guy who will stand up for his convictions. Once he makes up his mind and if you help him to make it up on the right thing, you couldn’t get a better guy than Mayweather.”
As our time came to a close I threw one last question King's way as I asked if he felt that Mayweather was in some way intimidated or even jealous of all the attention that Pacquiao had gotten in recent years, specifically dating back to his December 2008 battering of Oscar De La Hoya as he began an improbable trek against bigger, dangerous foes. Not so, says King, who fully believes that Mayweather's future lies in his own two fists and that it is up to him what road he will end up taking.
“Well, all artists want to be up there in the light. That’s what they do. But I don’t think he is because he could have corrected that. Jealousy is when you are inhibited or you are restrained from doing it. He didn’t have to do anything but say ‘Yes’. It was his own self-confinement, his own self-discipline. I don’t think it’s jealousy. I think he just needs some guidance that he can rely and depend on. Because everyone he relies on, all of them sell him out.”
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
Source: examiner.com
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
PACQUIAO DENIES HE FIRED KONCZ -- PhilBoxing
By Ronnie Nathanielsz, PhilBoxing.com
In a wide-ranging, light-hearted conversation filled with hearty laughter at his MP Towers office in Manila in the presence of lawyer Jeng Gacal and Team Pacquiao member Eric Pineda, Pacquiao told the Daily Inquirer the report that he fired Koncz “is not true.”
When the Inquirer contacted Koncz last week inquiring about a story peddled by a Pacquiao team member that he had been replaced by a lady identified as Stephanny Domingo, Koncz said it was not true and that he had spoken to Manny and would return soon from the US. He claimed that "these intrigues happen when I am away.”
Pacquiao clarified that Domingo was appointed as a personal assistant to handle his appointments and similar matters and that Koncz “is coming back next week. That is what he told me the last time I spoke to him.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is vacationing in the south of France and works closely with Koncz on Pacquiao's fights told the Inquirer that Koncz doesn't work for Top Rank but is an asset in resolving issues related to Pacquiao's fights. He said he had advised Koncz whom he described as being loyal to Manny and someone who looked after his interests to return to Manila immediately.
Pacquiao said he would like to ensure that bickering and intrigues within his camp are eradicated adding “I want them to be happy and to laugh.”
Turning serious Pacquiao said he watched the one round knockout of Likar Ramos by Juan Manuel Marquez whom he fights in a much-awaited trilogy on November 12 said “I know what his strengths are and I know what his strategy is. He’s got nothing different, nothing new.”
In contrast Pacquiao said “I am different now compared to the last time we fought. He has to train hard and of course I will also train hard so we can give fans a good fight.”
The “Fighter of the Decade” who has won eight world titles in eight different weight divisions said he plans to start his training in the Philippines “for the first month and the last month in the US” at the Wild Card Gym of trainer Freddie Roach.
He disclosed that Marquez is scheduled to arrive in Manila on September 3 to kickoff the media tour at the Luneta Grandstand of the Rizal Park followed by a press conference.
Pacquiao at the same time commended newly crowned WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria saying “he did his best to win the fight and showed us a good fight.However, he seemed to tire out in the last few rounds which meant he was short on stamina. But he did well in that fight. He needs to practice in making boxing easier that what we think.”
He said that while boxing “is so hard and so difficult, there is a way to make that easier. When you have a fight you have to study the style of your opponent and when you train you apply the strategy you are going to use against your opponent while training in the gym.”
Source: philboxing.com
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao
has denied the widely circulated story that he had fired adviser Michael Koncz.
has denied the widely circulated story that he had fired adviser Michael Koncz. In a wide-ranging, light-hearted conversation filled with hearty laughter at his MP Towers office in Manila in the presence of lawyer Jeng Gacal and Team Pacquiao member Eric Pineda, Pacquiao told the Daily Inquirer the report that he fired Koncz “is not true.” Then, in a light vein he pointed at lawyer Gacal and with a hearty laugh in which the others joined said “only Jeng Gacal made up that story.” Pacquiao quickly retracted saying “no, that’s not true. I’m just kidding.”
When the Inquirer contacted Koncz last week inquiring about a story peddled by a Pacquiao team member that he had been replaced by a lady identified as Stephanny Domingo, Koncz said it was not true and that he had spoken to Manny and would return soon from the US. He claimed that "these intrigues happen when I am away.”
Pacquiao clarified that Domingo was appointed as a personal assistant to handle his appointments and similar matters and that Koncz “is coming back next week. That is what he told me the last time I spoke to him.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is vacationing in the south of France and works closely with Koncz on Pacquiao's fights told the Inquirer that Koncz doesn't work for Top Rank but is an asset in resolving issues related to Pacquiao's fights. He said he had advised Koncz whom he described as being loyal to Manny and someone who looked after his interests to return to Manila immediately.
Pacquiao said he would like to ensure that bickering and intrigues within his camp are eradicated adding “I want them to be happy and to laugh.”
Turning serious Pacquiao said he watched the one round knockout of Likar Ramos by Juan Manuel Marquez whom he fights in a much-awaited trilogy on November 12 said “I know what his strengths are and I know what his strategy is. He’s got nothing different, nothing new.”
In contrast Pacquiao said “I am different now compared to the last time we fought. He has to train hard and of course I will also train hard so we can give fans a good fight.”
The “Fighter of the Decade” who has won eight world titles in eight different weight divisions said he plans to start his training in the Philippines “for the first month and the last month in the US” at the Wild Card Gym of trainer Freddie Roach.
He disclosed that Marquez is scheduled to arrive in Manila on September 3 to kickoff the media tour at the Luneta Grandstand of the Rizal Park followed by a press conference.
Pacquiao at the same time commended newly crowned WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria saying “he did his best to win the fight and showed us a good fight.However, he seemed to tire out in the last few rounds which meant he was short on stamina. But he did well in that fight. He needs to practice in making boxing easier that what we think.”
He said that while boxing “is so hard and so difficult, there is a way to make that easier. When you have a fight you have to study the style of your opponent and when you train you apply the strategy you are going to use against your opponent while training in the gym.”
Source: philboxing.com
Roger Mayweather Says Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao Both on Steroids -- Bad Left Hook
By Scott Christ, BadLeftHook.com
"The only reason Amir Khan has become the fighter he is, is because he’s got those steroids in his ass too. The same thing Pacquiao’s got in him. I know because those motherf***ers told me," Roger retorted.
Bold accusations but to know Roger you shouldn’t be surprised. Pressing him for more details on who exactly was dishing out the info to him, he claims to have gotten close to a few members from Team Pacquiao.
"Motherf***ers from Pacquiao’s camp, that’s who. I talk to them dudes all the time."
I will say two things for the millionth time each:
1.Roger Mayweather says a lot of things.
2.No, it wouldn't shock me. Sorry if that offends you, but no it wouldn't shock me.
Besides sharing trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao and Khan both share conditioning coach Alex Ariza. That is not to say I think there's anything going on, but if you're going to accuse Pacquiao, as Roger has done many times over, then I guess you might as well accuse Khan, too. Same team. Be consistent, I guess.
Mayweather also favors Zab Judah to beat Khan on Saturday, and says there are no hard feelings between he and the Judah camp, with whom he brawled during Zab's fight against Floyd Jr in 2006.
Source: badlefthook.com
It's kind of like Roger Mayweather, who is currently part of a defamation suit with Manny Pacquiao on the other side, never learns. In an interview with Chris Robinson of the Examiner, Mayweather again claimed that Pacquiao is "on steriods
," and threw Amir Khan into the claim, too:
," and threw Amir Khan into the claim, too:"The only reason Amir Khan has become the fighter he is, is because he’s got those steroids in his ass too. The same thing Pacquiao’s got in him. I know because those motherf***ers told me," Roger retorted.Bold accusations but to know Roger you shouldn’t be surprised. Pressing him for more details on who exactly was dishing out the info to him, he claims to have gotten close to a few members from Team Pacquiao.
"Motherf***ers from Pacquiao’s camp, that’s who. I talk to them dudes all the time."
I will say two things for the millionth time each:
1.Roger Mayweather says a lot of things.
2.No, it wouldn't shock me. Sorry if that offends you, but no it wouldn't shock me.
Besides sharing trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao and Khan both share conditioning coach Alex Ariza. That is not to say I think there's anything going on, but if you're going to accuse Pacquiao, as Roger has done many times over, then I guess you might as well accuse Khan, too. Same team. Be consistent, I guess.
Mayweather also favors Zab Judah to beat Khan on Saturday, and says there are no hard feelings between he and the Judah camp, with whom he brawled during Zab's fight against Floyd Jr in 2006.
Source: badlefthook.com
AMIR KHAN: I'M MORE OF A MANNY THAN ZAB JUDAH IS -- UK Express
By John Dillon, Express.co.ukAMIR KHAN believes his experiences learning from the great Manny Pacquiao will give him the speed, power and the critical knowledge of southpaw opposition to end Zab Judah’s comeback.
Amid the acrimonious build-up to the light-welterweight world-title bout in Las Vegas on Saturday, Amir Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach has claimed that his fighter is hitting harder than ever.
It is the result of some intense workouts with sparring partners drafted in to mimic the style of 33-year-old Judah, who is a lefty. And also of Khan’s past work with the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, the southpaw Filipino Pacquiao.Roach has also instigated a new physical conditioning regime which has included gruelling sessions running in sand along with work in the pool, now that Khan has finally learned to swim.
Khan, 24, puts the WBA belt he has defended four times in the past two years on the line against Judah, the IBF champion, at the Mandalay Bay resort on The Strip.
“Zab is up there with the best fighters I’ve faced,” said Khan. “He’s a five-time world champion and a two-weight world champion. He has that southpaw style, which is very awkward. But I don’t think he will be able to take the pressure of my speed and power.
“We were lucky to be sparring with Manny Pacquiao in previous camps. He’s probably the most powerful southpaw and that was a great help for me. We’ve also been watching on tape a few things that Zab does and where he makes mistakes, so I know exactly what his style is like.”
Both fighters took part in official arrival ceremonies at the venue hotel yesterday, although Judah is refusing to speak directly to the British media following a row with the Khan camp over TV revenues from the UK. Judah has won five world titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions. He first won the IBF belt 11 years ago and claimed it back when he stopped Kaizer Mabuza in the seventh round in March.
Roach, however, who guides the careers of Khan and Pacquiao at his Wild Card gym in Hollywood, believes the Englishman is in shape to deliver a repeat of his victory over Argentinian Marcos Maidana last December, which was voted Fight of the Year by American boxing writers.
Roach said: “I will have to buy a new body bag for protection against his punches. Amir is really hurting me, digging me in the ribs – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Khan has been reunited with conditioner Alex Ariza after a brief break-up and has also been joined by two of his gym-mates, Rau’shee Warren and Raynell Williams, in the pool.
Roach said: “When the sparring partners went swimming with Amir, one swallowed so much water he sunk like a rock and the other one just sunk.
“But they both came back from the session saying they were going to learn to swim as well as Amir can – and he has only just started. It’s the same in the gym. They tried to do his programme but could not believe anyone could get through so much work.”
Khan v Judah will be broadcast live on Primetime pay-per-view, channel 480 on Sky, for £14.95.
Source: express.co.uk
Khan hits back at Mayweather drug 'nonsense' after attack by Floyd's uncle -- Daily Mail
By Jeff Powell, DailyMail.co.uk
Amir Khan has hit back angrily at allegations that he has used steroids to boost his climb through boxing’s weight divisions.
The uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jnr, who Khan hopes to meet in a mega-fight next year, has linked Britain’s world light-welterweight champion to the family’s claims that Manny Pacquiao’s ascent to become the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet has been achieved by drug abuse.Roger Mayweather voiced suspicions because Khan is in the same stable as Pacquiao under master trainer Freddie Roach.
Khan, 24, said: ‘I’ve consistently proved that I am a clean fighter. This is nonsense. I’ve been tested repeatedly in my career, before and after fights, at home and my base in Los Angeles.
Don’t forget that I came through the Olympics (in 2004) where testing is very thorough. I’ve never refused the test, even though I could have done so when I received an unannounced knock on the door a month after my last fight against Paul McCloskey.’
Khan was so upset that he passed on concerns heard in America about Mayweather himself. He said: ‘It’s not for me to say but quite a few people over here wondered if Floyd was on something when he fought Oscar De La Hoya because he suddenly looked so much bigger.’
Khan is here for a world title unification fight with American Zab Judah on Saturday, and trainer Roach also ridiculed the allegations.
Roach said: ‘I would question Roger Mayweather’s education about steroids, first of all. This is nothing more than hearsay. I can promise you that none of my fighters, Amir and Manny included, have ever been to the drugs chemist.’
While the world is gagging to see Mayweather fight Pacquiao, differences between the two have opened up the possibility of Khan getting his shot at the boastful American next year. But first he must deal with Judah, 33, a fellow world-title holder.
And Roach believes his fighters have a good chance if a bout with Mayweather does take place: ‘We are not looking beyond Judah but I am in the position of having two boxers who are capable of beating Mayweather.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Advisor talks to Pacquiao, insists he isn't fired -- Ring
By Lem Satterfield, The Ring
After speaking with eight-division titleholder Manny Pacquiao moments ago, Michael Koncz, the fighter's adviser, dismissed a widely reported rumor in the Filipino press that Pacquiao had fired him.
"I called Manny and told him that the media is calling me and bombarding me with questions about my being fired,” Koncz told RingTV.com. “I told him that 'I want your permission to respond to them by saying that I personally spoke to you a few minutes ago and that the accusations and stories on the internet are totally untrue, and that I still work for you.’
"And he said, 'Yes, of course.' It was a very short conversation that took about a minute.”
Koncz, a partner in Pacquiao's MP Promotions, has been labeled by some of Pacquiao's own camp members as being a "crook."
But Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, called Koncz "an honest guy."
"Michael is very valuable and he's a guy who looks out for Manny 100 percent. My feelings about Michael are that he's got Manny's best interest at heart," Arum said. "Michael accounts for every nickel, and he chases us to make sure that every nickel is paid.
"Does he have the best personality to handle a lot of situations? No. But he's an honest guy. That's what Manny needs more than anything else -- an honest representative."
In February, as part of a press tour promotion Pacquiao's May 7 fight against Shane Mosley, Koncz sat across from Pacquiao and the fighter's wife, Jinkee, during a train ride from New York to Washington, D.C..
That leg of the tour had followed a New York press conference at Chelsea Pier No. 61, the third stop in a four-city tour.
Pointing at Koncz, Pacquiao said, "Michael Koncz is trustworthy," and "honest," adding that he considered Koncz to be his personal confidant as well as his personal assistant.
"What irritates me more is that I've worked very hard to gain Manny's trust and respect. But more importantly than that, with people making false stories and accusations on my behalf, what bothers me the most is that insults Manny's intelligence," Koncz said.
"If I was the bad guy doing all of these things that people are alleging, then why would Manny keep me around? Manny is a very intelligent man, and he knows for himself who is doing what for him and who is not doing it."
In July of 2010, the aftermath of a second-round knockout by then-WBO featherweight titleholder Juan Manuel Lopez of Filipino Bernabe Concepcion got ugly for Koncz.
Koncz was blasted by members of the Filipino media who believed he had been responsible for pushing Concepcion into a fight that was beyond his ability to win.
In additon, Koncz has been accused of trying to get rid of Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza, Pacquiao’s longtime trainer and fitness coach.
"I'm sure that I can speculate as to who the source is, and I'm sure that my speculation would be accurate, but, you know, the bottom line is that I do not care about the people who do this. My obligation and my loyalties are to Manny Pacquiao, and that's what I demonstrate," Koncz said.
"Manny has promised me that when and if there is a day where he feels that he cannot trust me, or doesn't need me, he will come to me personally and tell me that. If that happens, then we will shake hands and say, 'OK, goodbye.' It's very simple. But this is not the first time people have tried to put wedges between Manny and I when I'm apart from him."
And Koncz knows that it probably will not be the last.
Source: ringtv.craveonline.com
After speaking with eight-division titleholder Manny Pacquiao moments ago, Michael Koncz, the fighter's adviser, dismissed a widely reported rumor in the Filipino press that Pacquiao had fired him.
"I called Manny and told him that the media is calling me and bombarding me with questions about my being fired,” Koncz told RingTV.com. “I told him that 'I want your permission to respond to them by saying that I personally spoke to you a few minutes ago and that the accusations and stories on the internet are totally untrue, and that I still work for you.’
"And he said, 'Yes, of course.' It was a very short conversation that took about a minute.”Koncz, a partner in Pacquiao's MP Promotions, has been labeled by some of Pacquiao's own camp members as being a "crook."
But Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, called Koncz "an honest guy."
"Michael is very valuable and he's a guy who looks out for Manny 100 percent. My feelings about Michael are that he's got Manny's best interest at heart," Arum said. "Michael accounts for every nickel, and he chases us to make sure that every nickel is paid.
"Does he have the best personality to handle a lot of situations? No. But he's an honest guy. That's what Manny needs more than anything else -- an honest representative."
In February, as part of a press tour promotion Pacquiao's May 7 fight against Shane Mosley, Koncz sat across from Pacquiao and the fighter's wife, Jinkee, during a train ride from New York to Washington, D.C..
That leg of the tour had followed a New York press conference at Chelsea Pier No. 61, the third stop in a four-city tour.
Pointing at Koncz, Pacquiao said, "Michael Koncz is trustworthy," and "honest," adding that he considered Koncz to be his personal confidant as well as his personal assistant.
"What irritates me more is that I've worked very hard to gain Manny's trust and respect. But more importantly than that, with people making false stories and accusations on my behalf, what bothers me the most is that insults Manny's intelligence," Koncz said.
"If I was the bad guy doing all of these things that people are alleging, then why would Manny keep me around? Manny is a very intelligent man, and he knows for himself who is doing what for him and who is not doing it."
In July of 2010, the aftermath of a second-round knockout by then-WBO featherweight titleholder Juan Manuel Lopez of Filipino Bernabe Concepcion got ugly for Koncz.
Koncz was blasted by members of the Filipino media who believed he had been responsible for pushing Concepcion into a fight that was beyond his ability to win.
In additon, Koncz has been accused of trying to get rid of Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza, Pacquiao’s longtime trainer and fitness coach.
"I'm sure that I can speculate as to who the source is, and I'm sure that my speculation would be accurate, but, you know, the bottom line is that I do not care about the people who do this. My obligation and my loyalties are to Manny Pacquiao, and that's what I demonstrate," Koncz said.
"Manny has promised me that when and if there is a day where he feels that he cannot trust me, or doesn't need me, he will come to me personally and tell me that. If that happens, then we will shake hands and say, 'OK, goodbye.' It's very simple. But this is not the first time people have tried to put wedges between Manny and I when I'm apart from him."
And Koncz knows that it probably will not be the last.
Source: ringtv.craveonline.com
Manny Pacquiao Will Lose: Juan Manuel Marquez Eyes Upset -- Ringside Report
By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report
A booming right hand sent Likar Ramos down and out in just 1 minute and 47 seconds of the first round. Ramos, a huge underdog going into the fight, hoped to spoil the mega fight between Marquez and Manny Pacquiao in November, but those hopes were crushed shortly in Mexico by the skilled warrior.
Marquez, 53-5-1, 39 KO’s, has come the closest to beating the Manny Pacquiao, 53-3-2, 38 KO’s, in recent times, losing a split decision in their rematch in 2008, and fought him to a draw in their first encounter. He wears a shirt that says that he is the man that beat Pacquiao on two occasions and hopes to use his skill to control the Filipino storm that will be hitting him in November.
At 37, Marquez is not at the top of his game any longer and seems to be a few steps slower then he used to be, but he has made up for his diminishing reflexes with his amazing skill and ability to control the fight. His inability to avoid some punches makes him more vulnerable to Pacquiao, but Manny isn’t the fighter he was either, slowing down several steps in recent fights. He’s more powerful than ever, but he isn’t the same. What this means is that we are in for some fun in November.
Manny has been feasting on bigger men in recent times like Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, and Shane Mosley, and that may hurt him going into this fight as he gears to face a naturally smaller man. Many are pointing to the performance that Marquez gave against Floyd Mayweather, JR., as evidence that he has no chance to defeat Manny, but styles make fights, and there was no way that Marquez could beat a much bigger counter puncher, especially when he is forced to be the aggressor, which he is not. He’s a counter puncher himself and Pacquiao’s aggression is going to bring out the best in Marquez. He will be able to use his style to compete, but can he defeat Pacquiao?
The first two fights were incredibly close, but there is no indication from those two outings that Marquez can do anything other than to fight Manny evenly to the final bell. He fought a game of survival, waiting for Manny to make a mistake and land his shots. He has done this but he has never put Pacquiao in a position where he was close to being stopped. Marquez’s attack against Manny is controlled. He fights enough to keep Manny at bay, but will he risk it all to try to beat and batter Pacquiao into submission?
In November, if Manny is to lose, Marquez must bring more fire to this fight and must push the issue when he lands his shots. Pacquiao’s plan is going to be to squash the smaller man, and this will give Marquez the opportunity to shine or be blown out. We’ll find out in November.
Source: ringsidereport.com
A booming right hand sent Likar Ramos down and out in just 1 minute and 47 seconds of the first round. Ramos, a huge underdog going into the fight, hoped to spoil the mega fight between Marquez and Manny Pacquiao in November, but those hopes were crushed shortly in Mexico by the skilled warrior.
Marquez, 53-5-1, 39 KO’s, has come the closest to beating the Manny Pacquiao, 53-3-2, 38 KO’s, in recent times, losing a split decision in their rematch in 2008, and fought him to a draw in their first encounter. He wears a shirt that says that he is the man that beat Pacquiao on two occasions and hopes to use his skill to control the Filipino storm that will be hitting him in November.At 37, Marquez is not at the top of his game any longer and seems to be a few steps slower then he used to be, but he has made up for his diminishing reflexes with his amazing skill and ability to control the fight. His inability to avoid some punches makes him more vulnerable to Pacquiao, but Manny isn’t the fighter he was either, slowing down several steps in recent fights. He’s more powerful than ever, but he isn’t the same. What this means is that we are in for some fun in November.Manny has been feasting on bigger men in recent times like Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, and Shane Mosley, and that may hurt him going into this fight as he gears to face a naturally smaller man. Many are pointing to the performance that Marquez gave against Floyd Mayweather, JR., as evidence that he has no chance to defeat Manny, but styles make fights, and there was no way that Marquez could beat a much bigger counter puncher, especially when he is forced to be the aggressor, which he is not. He’s a counter puncher himself and Pacquiao’s aggression is going to bring out the best in Marquez. He will be able to use his style to compete, but can he defeat Pacquiao?
The first two fights were incredibly close, but there is no indication from those two outings that Marquez can do anything other than to fight Manny evenly to the final bell. He fought a game of survival, waiting for Manny to make a mistake and land his shots. He has done this but he has never put Pacquiao in a position where he was close to being stopped. Marquez’s attack against Manny is controlled. He fights enough to keep Manny at bay, but will he risk it all to try to beat and batter Pacquiao into submission?
In November, if Manny is to lose, Marquez must bring more fire to this fight and must push the issue when he lands his shots. Pacquiao’s plan is going to be to squash the smaller man, and this will give Marquez the opportunity to shine or be blown out. We’ll find out in November.
Source: ringsidereport.com
Juan Manuel Marquez: Pushing Pacquiao! -- Eastside Boxing
By P.H. Burbridge, Eastside Boxing
The goal of every professional fighter is to attain status. To achieve a certain level of respectability not only amongst your contemporaries but amongst fight fans. Juan Manuel Marquez has done that. His career has seen him reach stunning heights as well as suffer major set backs but through it all he has remained committed to his profession. At 37 years of age he is in no man’s land for professional fighters. It’s an age that very few active boxers ever see and even fewer actually retain any semblance of the skill that made them relevant in the first place.
Marquez is one of the exceptions. He has outlasted his contemporaries and is still considered one of the elite of the day. “Dinamita’s” staying power is reflective of a man who is dedicated to his craft and who pushes the limits of his body and his soul. He is also the one guy who stylistically matches up very well against the reigning P4P King, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and for that reason he’s been granted an opportunity 3 years after their last meeting to once again try and push Pacquiao!
The question is does Marquez have enough left at this stage to apply his technical advantages or will he simply be out worked or even possibly knocked out…? There are a whole lot of people dismissing this match up but I’m not comfortable being one of them considering the history between these two. Its true that Manny is younger, stronger and faster which is a bad combination but Pacquiao also held those very same advantages in their first two meetings. Some how, some way Marquez was able to will himself to perform at a level that others could not and in doing so established in the minds of many that he may just be Manny Pacquiao’s kryptonite. Everyone has that one guy who for whatever reason whether it be timing, distance or execution simply gives him hell every time out. It’s a weird boxing phenomenon that plays out every generation. No matter how many times Ali fought Norton he would always struggle with him. Well, many people believe that Marquez is THAT guy to Pacquiao.
In this case, obviously Marquez is considerably older in fighter years than in their previous bouts back in 2004 & 2008. He’s also lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr in clear and decisive fashion as well as engaged in two wars against Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis. Is there enough wear and tear on his aged body to make this an easy fight for Manny…? Yes and no! On November 12th, Juan Manuel Marquez will be 38 years old when he finally steps back into the ring with Manny Pacquiao but with him comes the mind set of a fighter who honestly believes that he’s the superior technician who has already beaten Pacquiao…Twice! Whether you believe that or not Marquez seems to and for a fighter that’s a very valuable asset. There are some positive aspects to point to if you’re inclined to be optimistic about Marquez’s chances. The Pacquiao - Mosley fight oddly enough gives Marquez reason to believe that he can neutralize at least to a certain extent Manny’s offensive fire power by employing angles and using lateral movement. Sure, it sounds easy in theory but it’s a little more difficult to apply when you’re using 38 year old equipment. Shane fought in a very defensive minded manner after being knocked down by Manny in the 3rd round but was able to survive by stepping side to side and turning Pacquiao. That tactic was the same used by Marquez in their two previous meetings the difference being that he was actually able to land many counter shots as well. Marquez is used to people attacking him and has nearly perfected the style of using his opponent’s aggression against them. He’ll attempt to do the same thing here.
The difference lies in Manny Pacquiao’s recent increase in size and strength. In their previous 2 fights it never appeared to me that Manny was too strong for JMM or in other words, Marquez was able to absorb some tremendous shots and still continue. It’s not clear whether he can do that now considering the manner in which Pacquiao has moved up especially when you consider the results of his fights against bigger stronger foes like Cotto and Margarito. Manny is a fighter who has not only carried his power up but appears to have increased it. That is not the norm so Marquez may be entering into a bit of the unknown here. IF, and trust me there is no bigger “IF” Marquez can deal with Manny’s power then this will be a very difficult fight for Pacquiao. It sounds strange considering the run that he’s been on but in boxing terms Juan Manuel Marquez is superior to every single one of Manny’s recent opponents including Miguel Cotto. We’re not talking strictly boxing IQ here we’re also talking physically and mentally superior. The one thing he doesn’t have is the size but Marquez is still capable of maintaining a world class light weight pace in terms of his punch out put as well as his stamina. This combined with the fact that Manny has been facing bigger, SLOWER and less technically proficient fighters of late could tip the balance somewhat in Marquez’s favor making this closer in reality then it would appear to be on paper.
My sense is that Manny will not look as fast as he has against the likes of Margarito or Mosley because he’ll be fighting a quick handed lightweight in Marquez. Now, this doesn’t mean the results will be any different.
I’m not willing to say that this is a fight Marquez will win because you have to favor Pacquiao but I ‘am willing to say that I wouldn’t be surprised if Manny’s stature is somewhat diminished when all is said and done. The longer Marquez is in there with Pacquiao the more interesting it will be. JMM will land shots and to a certain extent re-expose technical flaws in Manny that many have forgotten about due to all his recent success. Remember that Manny has been fighting opponents who were tailor made for his style and who were also affected by certain contractual terms that won’t be an issue for Marquez. Part of the reason Marquez has had to wait to get this rubber match was the nature of the challenge which Freddie Roach correctly determined was serious enough to delay this fight by opting to take on name fighters whose style’s played more into Manny’s hands. Financially, it was the right thing to do and you can’t argue with their success however if you review Pacquiao’s recent opponents none of them were P4P entrants or had been on a winning streak. Marquez is the exception and although he failed against Mayweather I don’t think you can paint him with that brush just from a stylistic perspective. Marquez is a counter puncher first and foremost and he ran into the quintessential counter puncher with other worldly defensive talent. His opportunities to counter were so limited that it was doubtful that he could have any success which is what we expected and exactly what took place. Plus he was taken advantage of by Mayweather in terms of the weight agreement. The circumstances surrounding that fight pretty much all negatively impacted the Marquez side.
That’s not the case with the upcoming fight with Manny.
Pacquiao will offer him many opportunities to counter and will be there to be hit. Obviously, by the same token Pacquiao’s power is a HUGE issue for Marquez because if he’s expecting it to be on the same scale as in their previous two bouts then I think he’s in for a rude awakening.
Now, more than ever I think there is a good possibility that Manny knocks JMM out.
There’s a good chance that the age combined with Manny’s increase in strength will be too much for JMM and we’ll get the fight that most anticipate.
But, one thing we’ve learned is that Marquez knows how to fight Pacquiao and aside from Mayweather if anyone is capable of pushing him to the limit it’s probably him!
(Please feel free to contact P.H. Burbridge via email at PHBboxing@gmail.com with any comments or feedback.)
Source: eastsideboxing.com
The goal of every professional fighter is to attain status. To achieve a certain level of respectability not only amongst your contemporaries but amongst fight fans. Juan Manuel Marquez has done that. His career has seen him reach stunning heights as well as suffer major set backs but through it all he has remained committed to his profession. At 37 years of age he is in no man’s land for professional fighters. It’s an age that very few active boxers ever see and even fewer actually retain any semblance of the skill that made them relevant in the first place.
Marquez is one of the exceptions. He has outlasted his contemporaries and is still considered one of the elite of the day. “Dinamita’s” staying power is reflective of a man who is dedicated to his craft and who pushes the limits of his body and his soul. He is also the one guy who stylistically matches up very well against the reigning P4P King, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and for that reason he’s been granted an opportunity 3 years after their last meeting to once again try and push Pacquiao!The question is does Marquez have enough left at this stage to apply his technical advantages or will he simply be out worked or even possibly knocked out…? There are a whole lot of people dismissing this match up but I’m not comfortable being one of them considering the history between these two. Its true that Manny is younger, stronger and faster which is a bad combination but Pacquiao also held those very same advantages in their first two meetings. Some how, some way Marquez was able to will himself to perform at a level that others could not and in doing so established in the minds of many that he may just be Manny Pacquiao’s kryptonite. Everyone has that one guy who for whatever reason whether it be timing, distance or execution simply gives him hell every time out. It’s a weird boxing phenomenon that plays out every generation. No matter how many times Ali fought Norton he would always struggle with him. Well, many people believe that Marquez is THAT guy to Pacquiao.
In this case, obviously Marquez is considerably older in fighter years than in their previous bouts back in 2004 & 2008. He’s also lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr in clear and decisive fashion as well as engaged in two wars against Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis. Is there enough wear and tear on his aged body to make this an easy fight for Manny…? Yes and no! On November 12th, Juan Manuel Marquez will be 38 years old when he finally steps back into the ring with Manny Pacquiao but with him comes the mind set of a fighter who honestly believes that he’s the superior technician who has already beaten Pacquiao…Twice! Whether you believe that or not Marquez seems to and for a fighter that’s a very valuable asset. There are some positive aspects to point to if you’re inclined to be optimistic about Marquez’s chances. The Pacquiao - Mosley fight oddly enough gives Marquez reason to believe that he can neutralize at least to a certain extent Manny’s offensive fire power by employing angles and using lateral movement. Sure, it sounds easy in theory but it’s a little more difficult to apply when you’re using 38 year old equipment. Shane fought in a very defensive minded manner after being knocked down by Manny in the 3rd round but was able to survive by stepping side to side and turning Pacquiao. That tactic was the same used by Marquez in their two previous meetings the difference being that he was actually able to land many counter shots as well. Marquez is used to people attacking him and has nearly perfected the style of using his opponent’s aggression against them. He’ll attempt to do the same thing here.
The difference lies in Manny Pacquiao’s recent increase in size and strength. In their previous 2 fights it never appeared to me that Manny was too strong for JMM or in other words, Marquez was able to absorb some tremendous shots and still continue. It’s not clear whether he can do that now considering the manner in which Pacquiao has moved up especially when you consider the results of his fights against bigger stronger foes like Cotto and Margarito. Manny is a fighter who has not only carried his power up but appears to have increased it. That is not the norm so Marquez may be entering into a bit of the unknown here. IF, and trust me there is no bigger “IF” Marquez can deal with Manny’s power then this will be a very difficult fight for Pacquiao. It sounds strange considering the run that he’s been on but in boxing terms Juan Manuel Marquez is superior to every single one of Manny’s recent opponents including Miguel Cotto. We’re not talking strictly boxing IQ here we’re also talking physically and mentally superior. The one thing he doesn’t have is the size but Marquez is still capable of maintaining a world class light weight pace in terms of his punch out put as well as his stamina. This combined with the fact that Manny has been facing bigger, SLOWER and less technically proficient fighters of late could tip the balance somewhat in Marquez’s favor making this closer in reality then it would appear to be on paper.
My sense is that Manny will not look as fast as he has against the likes of Margarito or Mosley because he’ll be fighting a quick handed lightweight in Marquez. Now, this doesn’t mean the results will be any different.
I’m not willing to say that this is a fight Marquez will win because you have to favor Pacquiao but I ‘am willing to say that I wouldn’t be surprised if Manny’s stature is somewhat diminished when all is said and done. The longer Marquez is in there with Pacquiao the more interesting it will be. JMM will land shots and to a certain extent re-expose technical flaws in Manny that many have forgotten about due to all his recent success. Remember that Manny has been fighting opponents who were tailor made for his style and who were also affected by certain contractual terms that won’t be an issue for Marquez. Part of the reason Marquez has had to wait to get this rubber match was the nature of the challenge which Freddie Roach correctly determined was serious enough to delay this fight by opting to take on name fighters whose style’s played more into Manny’s hands. Financially, it was the right thing to do and you can’t argue with their success however if you review Pacquiao’s recent opponents none of them were P4P entrants or had been on a winning streak. Marquez is the exception and although he failed against Mayweather I don’t think you can paint him with that brush just from a stylistic perspective. Marquez is a counter puncher first and foremost and he ran into the quintessential counter puncher with other worldly defensive talent. His opportunities to counter were so limited that it was doubtful that he could have any success which is what we expected and exactly what took place. Plus he was taken advantage of by Mayweather in terms of the weight agreement. The circumstances surrounding that fight pretty much all negatively impacted the Marquez side.
That’s not the case with the upcoming fight with Manny.
Pacquiao will offer him many opportunities to counter and will be there to be hit. Obviously, by the same token Pacquiao’s power is a HUGE issue for Marquez because if he’s expecting it to be on the same scale as in their previous two bouts then I think he’s in for a rude awakening.
Now, more than ever I think there is a good possibility that Manny knocks JMM out.
There’s a good chance that the age combined with Manny’s increase in strength will be too much for JMM and we’ll get the fight that most anticipate.
But, one thing we’ve learned is that Marquez knows how to fight Pacquiao and aside from Mayweather if anyone is capable of pushing him to the limit it’s probably him!
(Please feel free to contact P.H. Burbridge via email at PHBboxing@gmail.com with any comments or feedback.)
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Monday, 18 July 2011
President of HBO Sports Leaving After 33 Years -- New York Times
By RICHARD SANDOMIR, The New York Times
Ross Greenburg, who has run HBO Sports since 2000, is leaving the network after 33 years, saying he is fatigued by his work on its boxing business.
He said he was not renewing his contract and was not being dismissed.
“I’ve accomplished everything I hoped for,” he said in a telephone interview.
He denied reports that he was fired for losing Manny Pacquiao, one of HBO’s strongest pay-per-view stars, to Showtime for his fight on May 7 against Shane Mosley.
“That’s a silly rationale,” he said. “That added to my angst, but one fight doesn’t determine whether I stayed or didn’t stay.
“I lived through the loss of Chavez and Tyson,” he said, referring to Julio Cesar Chavez and Mike Tyson, and he added, “I’ve been through a lot of wearing negotiations.”
He said that he was not renewing his contract, which was expiring soon, and that he had been thinking of leaving HBO for the last three months.
Richard Plepler, the co-president of HBO, and Michael Lombardo, the president of HBO programming, said in a statement that Greenburg “helped redefine the sports programming genre and set an extraordinary standard of excellence in the industry.”
Greenburg, 56, became the executive producer of HBO Sports in 1985 and followed Seth Abraham as its president 11 years ago. Greenburg created the “Real Sports,” “24/7” and “Hard Knocks” series, and he oversaw production of dozens of documentaries.
His last deal for HBO was a collaboration with Major League Baseball Productions on a documentary about Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit, to be shown soon.
Greenburg has won 51 Sports Emmys and 8 Peabody Awards.
“That’s who I am,” he said, referring to programming other than boxing matches. “I create programming that makes people laugh and cry.”
Greenburg said that the toll of dealing with promoters and managers made him want to leave. One promoter in particular, Bob Arum, has criticized HBO and Greenburg, saying they exert too much control over boxing and do not make the most competitive matchups.
Arum’s displeasure with HBO led Pacquiao, whom he promotes, to fight on Showtime Pay-Per-View, which got a marketing assist from CBS’s heavy promotion. “The problem HBO Sports got into,” Arum said in May, “is they became defenders of the status quo.”
The bout generated a reported 1.3 million to 1.4 million pay-per-view purchases.
Greenburg would not discuss Arum or his criticism.
“I love the sport; I grew up in it,” Greenburg said. “We made the sport relevant when people thought it was dying.” He cited HBO’s productions of Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya’s bouts as having helped to breathe life into boxing.
He said that the speculation that HBO’s loss of Pacquiao, a huge pay-per-view attraction, would cause his firing demonstrated that “the boxing media can be really mean-spirited and they look for items to bury people.”
Source: nytimes.com
Ross Greenburg, who has run HBO Sports since 2000, is leaving the network after 33 years, saying he is fatigued by his work on its boxing business.
He said he was not renewing his contract and was not being dismissed.
“I’ve accomplished everything I hoped for,” he said in a telephone interview.
He denied reports that he was fired for losing Manny Pacquiao, one of HBO’s strongest pay-per-view stars, to Showtime for his fight on May 7 against Shane Mosley.
“That’s a silly rationale,” he said. “That added to my angst, but one fight doesn’t determine whether I stayed or didn’t stay. He said that he was not renewing his contract, which was expiring soon, and that he had been thinking of leaving HBO for the last three months.
Richard Plepler, the co-president of HBO, and Michael Lombardo, the president of HBO programming, said in a statement that Greenburg “helped redefine the sports programming genre and set an extraordinary standard of excellence in the industry.”
Greenburg, 56, became the executive producer of HBO Sports in 1985 and followed Seth Abraham as its president 11 years ago. Greenburg created the “Real Sports,” “24/7” and “Hard Knocks” series, and he oversaw production of dozens of documentaries.
His last deal for HBO was a collaboration with Major League Baseball Productions on a documentary about Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit, to be shown soon.
Greenburg has won 51 Sports Emmys and 8 Peabody Awards.
“That’s who I am,” he said, referring to programming other than boxing matches. “I create programming that makes people laugh and cry.”
Greenburg said that the toll of dealing with promoters and managers made him want to leave. One promoter in particular, Bob Arum, has criticized HBO and Greenburg, saying they exert too much control over boxing and do not make the most competitive matchups.
Arum’s displeasure with HBO led Pacquiao, whom he promotes, to fight on Showtime Pay-Per-View, which got a marketing assist from CBS’s heavy promotion. “The problem HBO Sports got into,” Arum said in May, “is they became defenders of the status quo.”
The bout generated a reported 1.3 million to 1.4 million pay-per-view purchases.
Greenburg would not discuss Arum or his criticism.
“I love the sport; I grew up in it,” Greenburg said. “We made the sport relevant when people thought it was dying.” He cited HBO’s productions of Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya’s bouts as having helped to breathe life into boxing.
He said that the speculation that HBO’s loss of Pacquiao, a huge pay-per-view attraction, would cause his firing demonstrated that “the boxing media can be really mean-spirited and they look for items to bury people.”
Source: nytimes.com
Marquez unloads Mexican dynamite, calls for war with Pacquiao Nov. 12 -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
One minute, 47 seconds of the first round.
Promoter Bob Arum could not have scripted it better as Juan Manuel Marquez, age 37 but still a dangerous counterpuncher, used one countering right hand to blast out Colombian southpaw Likar Ramos (now 24-4) in the opening round of their scheduled 10 round junior welterweight bout in Cancun.
Now it's on to the big bonanza, the third bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Ma, on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.
This KO 1 certainly lights match to the promotion for the trilogy bout.
"Dinamita" Marquez extended his Hall of Fame pro record to 53-5-1 and notched his 39th knockout.
"I happened to get a great punch on him and he couldn't take it, sometimes that is the way fights go," Marquez said.
"I will prepare well for Pacquiao and I want him to do that also. We can give the fans a war. (Floyd) Mayweather is so defensive a fighter...but with Pacquiao, it's going to be a war," Marquez said.
Marquez weighed 138 pounds for this bout.
Los Hermanos Marquez, Juan Manuel and Rafael, topped a festive boxing show Saturday night at the Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Juan Ma fought the main event against Likar Ramos in what was scripted as strictly a tuneup, and hopefully not a tuneout, for the third bout between Juan Ma and Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao.
With a guaranteed $5 million payday for the trilogy bout against Pacman, the 37 year old Juan Ma took the calculated risk against southpaw Ramos to prep for lefthanded Manny.
A treat on the undercard was the showing of the son of former great world champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez fighting another boxer with the same last name.
Familia Marquez got the fistic evening at the bullring in Cancun off to a good start as Rafael “Raffa” Marquez, still fighting at age 36, had his way from start to finish in a “stay busy” bout against Eduard Becceril.
Becceril, now 12-8-2, was just a glorified sparring partner against Raffa, who improved his pro ring record to 40-6 with 36 knockouts.
Marquez played with Becceril, who had great former world champ Lupe Pintor working his corner, for the first three rounds and then floored him in the fourth with a sweet left hook.
A round later, Becceril landed some decent punches of his own. But he was still taking a bunch of head punches.
But, suddenly, the great Senor Pintor in Becceril’s corner halted the mismatch.
Marquez may never attain another world title but he’s still a viable top echelon featherweight contender. The fact that Raffa is still competing after he split those four ring wars against archrival Israel Vazauez is just short of amazing.
Last November, Raffa was stopped after eight full rounds by Puerto Rico’s wunderkind, Juan Manuel Lopez.
Becceril lost his first two pro bouts and then reeled off 13 successive victories. He was, however, 2-4 in his six prior bouts.
Source: examiner.com
One minute, 47 seconds of the first round.
Promoter Bob Arum could not have scripted it better as Juan Manuel Marquez, age 37 but still a dangerous counterpuncher, used one countering right hand to blast out Colombian southpaw Likar Ramos (now 24-4) in the opening round of their scheduled 10 round junior welterweight bout in Cancun.
Now it's on to the big bonanza, the third bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Ma, on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.
This KO 1 certainly lights match to the promotion for the trilogy bout."Dinamita" Marquez extended his Hall of Fame pro record to 53-5-1 and notched his 39th knockout.
"I happened to get a great punch on him and he couldn't take it, sometimes that is the way fights go," Marquez said.
"I will prepare well for Pacquiao and I want him to do that also. We can give the fans a war. (Floyd) Mayweather is so defensive a fighter...but with Pacquiao, it's going to be a war," Marquez said.
Marquez weighed 138 pounds for this bout.
Los Hermanos Marquez, Juan Manuel and Rafael, topped a festive boxing show Saturday night at the Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Juan Ma fought the main event against Likar Ramos in what was scripted as strictly a tuneup, and hopefully not a tuneout, for the third bout between Juan Ma and Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao.
With a guaranteed $5 million payday for the trilogy bout against Pacman, the 37 year old Juan Ma took the calculated risk against southpaw Ramos to prep for lefthanded Manny.
A treat on the undercard was the showing of the son of former great world champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez fighting another boxer with the same last name.
Familia Marquez got the fistic evening at the bullring in Cancun off to a good start as Rafael “Raffa” Marquez, still fighting at age 36, had his way from start to finish in a “stay busy” bout against Eduard Becceril.
Becceril, now 12-8-2, was just a glorified sparring partner against Raffa, who improved his pro ring record to 40-6 with 36 knockouts.
Marquez played with Becceril, who had great former world champ Lupe Pintor working his corner, for the first three rounds and then floored him in the fourth with a sweet left hook.
A round later, Becceril landed some decent punches of his own. But he was still taking a bunch of head punches.
But, suddenly, the great Senor Pintor in Becceril’s corner halted the mismatch.
Marquez may never attain another world title but he’s still a viable top echelon featherweight contender. The fact that Raffa is still competing after he split those four ring wars against archrival Israel Vazauez is just short of amazing.
Last November, Raffa was stopped after eight full rounds by Puerto Rico’s wunderkind, Juan Manuel Lopez.
Becceril lost his first two pro bouts and then reeled off 13 successive victories. He was, however, 2-4 in his six prior bouts.
Source: examiner.com
The punch was great the acting was better -- 8CountNews
By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews.com
The boxing world has been on a moral roller coaster ride for the past few weeks and last night's fight in Mexico did nothing to stop the ride. Recently up in New Jersey a trio of judges were given pink slips by the NJ Commissioner for incompetence. Cuban star Erislandy Lara as a result of, let's face it folks, piss poor judging, was robbed of a brilliant victory over the former world champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams.
This past Friday night the sport bounced back and we all witnessed a thrilling classic war between Polish bruiser Pawel Wolak and Danbury CT' Delvin Rodriguez. The two fighters went to battle and provided the fans with action packed, back and forth action from the beginning bell to the ending bell. After the fight, ESPN's Teddy Atlas thanked both men for doing the sport proud.
Ramos sprawled himself out on the floor, eyes squeezed shut, arms laid out wide. The fans can decide on this one. It is what it is and so now we go forward and get ready for Marquez Vs. Pacquiao.
There are some promoters throughout the land that would not pay a fighter for taking a dive. Did Ramos take a dive last night? That's certainly the buzz this morning as both fans and scribes would really like to know. And so the ride continues, and all we as boxing fans can hope for is that the next stop will be similar to what Rodriguez and Wolak did on Friday night.
Source: 8countnews.com
The boxing world has been on a moral roller coaster ride for the past few weeks and last night's fight in Mexico did nothing to stop the ride. Recently up in New Jersey a trio of judges were given pink slips by the NJ Commissioner for incompetence. Cuban star Erislandy Lara as a result of, let's face it folks, piss poor judging, was robbed of a brilliant victory over the former world champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams.
This past Friday night the sport bounced back and we all witnessed a thrilling classic war between Polish bruiser Pawel Wolak and Danbury CT' Delvin Rodriguez. The two fighters went to battle and provided the fans with action packed, back and forth action from the beginning bell to the ending bell. After the fight, ESPN's Teddy Atlas thanked both men for doing the sport proud.Last night in Mexico the legendary Juan Manuel Marquez entered the ring for his so called tune up fight Vs. Likar Ramos. When the bell rang for the 1st round both fighters circled a bit and a few punches were exchanged, none of which really mattered. Marquez circled and threw a straight right hand that did indeed land right on the chin of Ramos. It was a good clean punch, but the acting afterward was better. Ramos fell backward and braced himself for the fall. He braced himself for the fall and once on the floor he then decided to go to sleep? Looked a little suspect to this writer.
Ramos sprawled himself out on the floor, eyes squeezed shut, arms laid out wide. The fans can decide on this one. It is what it is and so now we go forward and get ready for Marquez Vs. Pacquiao.
There are some promoters throughout the land that would not pay a fighter for taking a dive. Did Ramos take a dive last night? That's certainly the buzz this morning as both fans and scribes would really like to know. And so the ride continues, and all we as boxing fans can hope for is that the next stop will be similar to what Rodriguez and Wolak did on Friday night.
Source: 8countnews.com
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Marquez knocks out Ramos in first round -- Fox Sports
Fox Sports
Ramos hit the canvas and stayed there for several moments before getting back on his feet.
On the undercard, Rafael Marquez (40-6, 36 KOs) dominated the overmatched Eduardo Becerril (12-8-2, 4 KOs), dropping him in the fourth round and eventually forcing Becerril’s corner to stop the contest between the fifth and sixth.
Marquez is now in line for an Oct. 1 title bout against WBC junior featherweight champ, Toshiaki Nishioka.
Roman “El Chocolatito” Gonzalez (29-0, 24 KOs) battered and bloodied Omar Salado (22-4-2, 13 KOs) en route to a TKO victory for the the reigning WBA junior flyweight champion. Salado was knocked down three times in the contest.
Source: msn.foxsports.com
Juan Manuel Marquez’s (53-5-1, 39 KOs) Nov. 12 date with Manny Pacquiao is safe as Mexico City’s future Hall of Famer stopped Colombian Likar Ramos (24-4, 18 KOs) with one straight right hand at 1:02 in the first round.
is safe as Mexico City’s future Hall of Famer stopped Colombian Likar Ramos (24-4, 18 KOs) with one straight right hand at 1:02 in the first round.Ramos hit the canvas and stayed there for several moments before getting back on his feet.Marquez now moves on to his third contest with the Filipino phenom Pacquiao.
On the undercard, Rafael Marquez (40-6, 36 KOs) dominated the overmatched Eduardo Becerril (12-8-2, 4 KOs), dropping him in the fourth round and eventually forcing Becerril’s corner to stop the contest between the fifth and sixth.
Marquez is now in line for an Oct. 1 title bout against WBC junior featherweight champ, Toshiaki Nishioka.
Roman “El Chocolatito” Gonzalez (29-0, 24 KOs) battered and bloodied Omar Salado (22-4-2, 13 KOs) en route to a TKO victory for the the reigning WBA junior flyweight champion. Salado was knocked down three times in the contest.
Source: msn.foxsports.com
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Wild Card helps GSP grow in spades -- ESPN
By Josh Gross, ESPN.com
HOLLYWOOD -- Freddie Roach, the estimable boxing trainer, has staked out a place behind the front desk of his jam-packed Wild Card Boxing Club where he can survey the lay of the land. Monthly membership dues, coming in at a reasonable $50 a pop, are in need of collection, so the fact that Roach's boxing cathedral is cramped quarters on a Monday should sit well with him. Yet the 51-year-old coach appears anxious, and quietly suggests it would be better if this sweatbox situated above a laundromat wasn't as busy as it is.
Roach wants to work distraction-free with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre
, who is in town for the ESPYs ceremony and will spend three days working with the Hall of Fame trainer. The gym's populace, a gender-neutral potpourri, recognized the mixed martial artist's arrival, though that did little to distract from the syncopated percussion of the place. The ring, ring, ring of round timers stop for no one, and almost immediately upon greeting St. Pierre, Roach twines the 30-year-old Canadian's weapons of choice with tape and gauze.
Outside of the man who trains Manny Pacquiao, St. Pierre was the biggest star in the room, and over the next hour patrons took their turn sizing up the UFC champion's skills and presence. Wild Card is not a joint to feel star struck in, even if that means ignoring St. Pierre sweating it up near a large black-and-white portrait of himself hung alongside images of Roach and his prized Filipino pupil. Still, there were several moments during the hour when people gathered and watched. Some are even reprimanded for taking photos and shooting video inside the gym -- a big-time no-no.
The UFC champ looked muscular and confirmed to Roach that he's currently walking around at 190 pounds. It took a couple of turns on the pads before St. Pierre (22-2) pumped out his jab the way he wanted. Soon enough, though, Roach had him unloading combinations and thinking about what it would take to evade Nick Diaz's straight-ahead style.
"He has success with that if you let him," Roach said of Diaz, who is regarded among MMA's best boxers. "But there's definitely ways to take that away from him."
"He's very good at teaching people to hit and not getting hit," St. Pierre said of Roach. "You can fight with less damage and create damage on your opponent.
"When I come to learn some stuff I have an empty cup. I don't come here try to prove to people that I know stuff. I come here and I'm ready to learn. In an environment with Freddie Roach, the best coach with the best boxers, I'm a very humble guy when I'm here.
Time spent in Southern California is time well spent for GSP, who picks things up there that he feels aren't taught anywhere else.
"He's [Roach] a very clever guy. He has a system that he bases his techniques on. He has a protocol that he follows. It's very interesting. I never learned boxing like this."
Because of Diaz's frame and style -- he's a long, southpaw, volume puncher -- Roach expects an expanded role as St. Pierre prepares for the Oct. 29 fight. Ideally Roach said he wants to spend 10 straight days "working on technique and making sure everything is exact." Since he started working with mixed martial artists a few years ago, Roach claims to have refined the way he teaches boxing to account for differences between the two sports.
The key, he surmised, is distance.
"Georges is learning distance right now," Roach said. "He's got much more power in his shots because he's looser. Georges was very tight when he came to me because he's very strong and was a little bit on the slow side, I would say. But now his speed is picking up quite a bit because he's a lot looser and fluid with punches. He's more natural. That's coming. It's not perfected yet, but it's getting better all the time.
Whatever I can do to help Georges I will because I like guys who want more knowledge. That's what he does. He absorbs it and it works."
The way in which St. Pierre learns, Roach said, reminds him of Pacquiao.
"They're the type of guys if you show 'em a move once, tomorrow they'll have that perfected because they go home and practice that in the mirror," the trainer said. "I laugh sometimes because I know I might show it one time, I'll leave it alone one time, then bring it back after a while just to see if it's remembered.
"It's the discipline a world champion has to have. That's the difference between good fighters and great fighters."
Josh Gross covers MMA for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoshGrossESPN.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
HOLLYWOOD -- Freddie Roach, the estimable boxing trainer, has staked out a place behind the front desk of his jam-packed Wild Card Boxing Club where he can survey the lay of the land. Monthly membership dues, coming in at a reasonable $50 a pop, are in need of collection, so the fact that Roach's boxing cathedral is cramped quarters on a Monday should sit well with him. Yet the 51-year-old coach appears anxious, and quietly suggests it would be better if this sweatbox situated above a laundromat wasn't as busy as it is.
Roach wants to work distraction-free with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who is in town for the ESPYs ceremony and will spend three days working with the Hall of Fame trainer. The gym's populace, a gender-neutral potpourri, recognized the mixed martial artist's arrival, though that did little to distract from the syncopated percussion of the place. The ring, ring, ring of round timers stop for no one, and almost immediately upon greeting St. Pierre, Roach twines the 30-year-old Canadian's weapons of choice with tape and gauze.Outside of the man who trains Manny Pacquiao, St. Pierre was the biggest star in the room, and over the next hour patrons took their turn sizing up the UFC champion's skills and presence. Wild Card is not a joint to feel star struck in, even if that means ignoring St. Pierre sweating it up near a large black-and-white portrait of himself hung alongside images of Roach and his prized Filipino pupil. Still, there were several moments during the hour when people gathered and watched. Some are even reprimanded for taking photos and shooting video inside the gym -- a big-time no-no.
The UFC champ looked muscular and confirmed to Roach that he's currently walking around at 190 pounds. It took a couple of turns on the pads before St. Pierre (22-2) pumped out his jab the way he wanted. Soon enough, though, Roach had him unloading combinations and thinking about what it would take to evade Nick Diaz's straight-ahead style.
"He has success with that if you let him," Roach said of Diaz, who is regarded among MMA's best boxers. "But there's definitely ways to take that away from him."
"He's very good at teaching people to hit and not getting hit," St. Pierre said of Roach. "You can fight with less damage and create damage on your opponent.
"When I come to learn some stuff I have an empty cup. I don't come here try to prove to people that I know stuff. I come here and I'm ready to learn. In an environment with Freddie Roach, the best coach with the best boxers, I'm a very humble guy when I'm here.
Time spent in Southern California is time well spent for GSP, who picks things up there that he feels aren't taught anywhere else.
"He's [Roach] a very clever guy. He has a system that he bases his techniques on. He has a protocol that he follows. It's very interesting. I never learned boxing like this."
Because of Diaz's frame and style -- he's a long, southpaw, volume puncher -- Roach expects an expanded role as St. Pierre prepares for the Oct. 29 fight. Ideally Roach said he wants to spend 10 straight days "working on technique and making sure everything is exact." Since he started working with mixed martial artists a few years ago, Roach claims to have refined the way he teaches boxing to account for differences between the two sports.
The key, he surmised, is distance.
"Georges is learning distance right now," Roach said. "He's got much more power in his shots because he's looser. Georges was very tight when he came to me because he's very strong and was a little bit on the slow side, I would say. But now his speed is picking up quite a bit because he's a lot looser and fluid with punches. He's more natural. That's coming. It's not perfected yet, but it's getting better all the time.
Whatever I can do to help Georges I will because I like guys who want more knowledge. That's what he does. He absorbs it and it works."
The way in which St. Pierre learns, Roach said, reminds him of Pacquiao.
"They're the type of guys if you show 'em a move once, tomorrow they'll have that perfected because they go home and practice that in the mirror," the trainer said. "I laugh sometimes because I know I might show it one time, I'll leave it alone one time, then bring it back after a while just to see if it's remembered.
"It's the discipline a world champion has to have. That's the difference between good fighters and great fighters."
Josh Gross covers MMA for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoshGrossESPN.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
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