Ricardo Mayorga cuddles up to Manny Pacquiao: 'I think he's great and clean' -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

To borrow one of Muhammad Ali's most often used wisecracks, Ricardo Mayorga is not as dumb as he looks.

While the uncouth loudmouth from Nicaragua has been badmouthing fine gentleman and March 12 Showtime PPV opponent Miguel Cotto day and night, Mayorga had nothing but high praise for Manny Pacquiao as he visited New York along with co-promoters Don King and Bob Arum last week.

"I have no interest in fighting Floyd Mayweather," the 37 year old Mayorga told me in a relatively quiet corner of BB King's after he had lambasted Cotto on the dais. "I have no interest because he runs away from all his opponents so the fight would stink, the people wouldn't like it."

"I don't care what some people about Pacquiao, I think he is a great fighter. He's like me, he tries to entertain the fans, he is aggressive and he makes good fights."

Mayorga, who was stopped dramatically at the 2:59 mark of the final round by Pacman's May 7 foe Sugar Shane Mosley, takes a 29-7-1, 23 KOs record into his next bout and figures to be a prohibitive underdog against the younger (age 30) Cotto. Cotto's pro mark is 35-2 with 28 KOs.

Mayorga is not deaf, he's heard the persistent whispers and the back alley allegations that Pacquiao's ring achievements may be tainted by illegal drug use, chemical enhancements such as EPO and the like.

But Mayorga does not buy into such scandalous rumors.

"I don't think Pacquiao is using any drugs. I think it's all natural, all his results come from his great training, his conditioning. I think he is a clean athlete."

What with his handler, King, working with archrrival Arum at least on thisne show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mayorga thinks a victory over the Puerto Rican banger would certainly propel him into a Pacman fight along with a huge payday.
With his gift of gab and overall threatrical flair, maybe even a spirited showing against the sliding Cotto can get him a ticket for the Pacman Lottery.

Mayorga clearly remains hopeful.

And he is smart enough not to trash Manny even while trashing all others.

"It would be a great fight, me against Pacquiao," Mayorga said. "I wouldn't have look for him and he wouldn't have to search for me.

"He'd be right in front of me and I'd be right in front of him."

Mayorga might have to drop his overstated smoking and drinking habits to get svelte, to slim down to 147 pounds but if the money is right, you know he would do it.

In the ring, mixing it up with Megamanny, could he worse than Clottey and Margarito? Methinks no way, Don Jose.

Going back to the frantic finish between Mayorga and Mosley, the scoring was close on two of three scorecards, with one judge having Mosley ahead 105-104 and a second favoring Mosley by the same margin.

HBO judge Harold Lederman saw it wider entering the 12th with a 107-102 tally so I guess the Punching Pharmacist and two of the judges were watching different fights but Mosley made it all academic, dropping Mayorga twice for the KO.

With his 38th birthday looming, Mayorga is a pragmatist away from the microphone.

A Pacquiao fight would make for a nice going into retirement nest egg.

I told you, there is a method to the Mayorga madness.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Floyd Mayweather Will Be Back In Court In March, Still Insists He Will Fight Pacquiao -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

Floyd Mayweather Junior continues to make the news; mostly outside of the boxing ring. Minutes ago, news broke of how the 33-year-old superstar was in attendance at Las Vegas Justice Court - there because of the eight misdemeanour and felony charges that stem from his alleged dispute with girlfriend and mother of two of his three children, Josie Harris in September.

Mayweather’s attorney today asked for a continuance of the case, and the judge agreed, resetting the trial for March 10th..

From a purely boxing standpoint, it now looks unlikely that Mayweather will be in any condition to fight again in the early to middle part of this year, if at all in 2010. With all the legal issues on his mind (Mayweather, according to The Las Vegas Sun, will be back in court for the misdemeanour battery charge involving a Las Vegas security guard, in February), the last thing “Money” is calling an important issue is improving on his 41-0 fight record.

However, somewhat ironically, Mayweather did release a video statement over the weekend, on his Ustream account. The short message Floyd released makes it clear he does have Pac-Man on his mind still - even though he has nothing good to say about the Pound-for-Pound king.

“I’m never gonna let my fans down,” Floyd said. “That’s the reason I’m 41-0. Don’t worry, we’re gonna beat Poochiao’s ass. Stop asking the same question. ‘When are you gonna fight Poochiao?’ I’m gonna fight the Pac-Man - when he’s off the power pellets.”

As fans can see, Mayweather - who will turn 34 a month before his next appearance in court happens - remains as boisterous as ever when it comes to the Filipino legend. But will Floyd ever face Manny, what with all the legal issues he has on his plate? And as to “Money’s” statement about fighting Pacquiao, “when he’s off the power pellets (steroids)” - that issue alone remains one of the most contentious in current boxing.

For as long as Mayweather accuses Pacquiao of taking illegal substances, and for as long as Pac-Man refuses to adhere to the tests Floyd insists he take to as to prove his innocence, we will not see the mega-fight we all want to see.

Pac-Man has recently said he will continue to fight until 2012/13. But will Mayweather have ironed out his legal troubles AND agreed to the pre-fight tests Pacquiao has himself agreed to take by then?

Would a betting man place any serious money on ever seeing the “Dream Fight” take place?

Source: eastsideboxing.com

The Brits are coming... not that Ring magazine would know it: Haye, Khan and Froch fail to hit the heights in top 100 list -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, DailyMail.co.uk

Even the Bible of the noble art - Ring magazine - can be a little slow catching on to the rising challenge from the Brits. Either that or the Americans are a mite reluctant to acknowledge the threat posed by our prizefighters.

At the onset of the new Blood Season - as the title of many books about Mike Tyson so graphically describes the annual fistic calendar - Ring has published its traditional list of the world's top 100 boxers.

Be ready to scour the small print in search of our boys.

No rational judge would deny for a moment that the No 1 ranking deservedly goes to that phenomenal Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Jnr, of course, will object to his nemesis as the world's greatest pound-for-pound fighter being rated one place above him but Pacquiao's supremacy is something the Money Man will have to live with unless and until he girds himself to climb into the same ring as the PacMan.

From the British perspective, however, perhaps it is Mayweather's place as the solitary American in Ring's top five which holds back recognition for the UK's finest.

The decline in US boxng - especially the loss of their historic hold on the heavyweight crown which they used to cherish as the symbol of American manhood - is the source not only of regret but of an element of resentment of the foreign fighter.

That is at its most marked when it comes to the long-standing rivalry with the old country.

If there is another explanation why Amir Khan, who is counted outside the top 25, is one of only a bare-knuckle handful of British boxers in this list, it would be interesting to hear what it might be.

Khan is only two fights away from potentially unifying the world light-welterweight championship, perhaps only one more bout from a mega-fight against Mayweather.

His American master-trainer, Freddie Roach, believes him to be the impending successor to stablemate Pacquiao. Yet he comes in at a grudging 27th.

There can be no real argument with a top five, in order, of Pacquiao, Mayweather, late-exploding middleweight champ Sergio Martinez, Mexico legend Juan Manuel Marquez and the next Phillipine sensation, Nonito Donaire. But Khan down at 27?

Two places below the pride of Bolton comes Carl Froch, whose succession of five brilliant fights against the world's outstanding super-middleweights is also deserving of at least a place in the top 20.

As for David Haye, who just happens to be the WBA heavyweight champion, he is six places outside the top 50. Yet his rival world title holders Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko - who seem in no hurry to take on London's speed merchant - rank eighth and twelfth respectively.
Even Tomasz Adamek, the former cruiser champion who is unproven at heavyweight but is bulking up to face Wladimir in his native Poland in September, is 49th. But then Adamek fights out of America.

After Khan, Froch and Haye, it is necessary to plumb the depths to find the last three token Brits.
Ryan Rhodes ranks 82nd and Nathan Cleverly 86th while Ricky Burns, Scotland's world super-featherweight champion no less, only just scrapes in at 97th.

Give them the chance and Britain's big six - along with such rising stars as James DeGale, Kell Brook, George Groves, Dereck Chisora and David Price to name but a few - will rewrite the Ring in 2011.

Source: dailymail.co.uk