ESPN
Matthew Hatton has hit out at his critics by insisting he is fully deserving of a WBC light-middleweight title shot.
The European welterweight champion will fight Saul Alvarez in California on March 5 in a clash that was lifted to world title status after Manny Pacquiao decided to vacate the belt.
The promotion of the bout has been the source of controversy, with Hatton and Alvarez boasting just one fight at light-middleweight between them - when the Brit fought Rob Burton at national level in 2004.
But Hatton, the younger brother of legend Ricky, has rejected accusations that boxing politics have come into play. "I've not been involved in all that and I took the fight before it was for a world title because it's a great opportunity," he said. "My bravery in taking a fight like this at a weight up has been rewarded."
Alvarez promises to present a stiff test to Hatton, having amassed a 36-fight unbeaten record as a pro - despite being just 20 years old.
Source: espn.co.uk
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Arum has starring role in making of Pacquiao-Mosley fight -- Philly Daily News
By Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News
THE BEATLE and the Godfather were very much evident during a four-city media tour earlier this month, hyping a pay-per-view boxing event that the world might consider a consolation prize, but likely will purchase with gusto because more attractive options are not yet available.
The "Beatle" is Manny Pacquiao, the most popular, or at least recognizable, fighter on a global scale since Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali commanded attention that transcended their sport. During stops in Beverly Hills, Calif., Las Vegas, New York and Washington that officially began the drumbeating for his May 7 bout with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Pacquiao modeled a new look, a shaggy, unbarbered noggin that apparently was inspired by the Fab Four's hysteria-inducing first trip to America 47 years earlier.
An aspiring singer who loves karaoke, Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) more closely resembled an Asian Paul McCartney than Ali, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Oscar De La Hoya, iconic fighters to whom he sometimes has been compared. Maybe we should start calling him the Fab Filipino.
And while the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) was on the dais in each city as the designated foil, the most influential player in the behind-the-scenes drama is the "Godfather," otherwise known as Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum.
Make no mistake, what will transpire 2 1/2 months hence is as much or more Arum's baby as Pacquiao's latest superstar turn. What Arum has orchestrated is reminiscent of the closing scenes of the 1972 film classic, in which Michael Corleone ruthlessly and efficiently settles all family business, dispatching the other heads of the five families, getting his revenge and establishing his vision of dynasty.
Oh, sure, the matchup everyone most wants to see, Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KOs), has encountered more delays than the legendarily drawn-out construction of the Blue Route, so much so that fewer and fewer fight fans believe it will ever happen. But for that hardy and vanishing breed known as boxing purists, scraps with Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs), who is 0-1-1 in a pair of closely contested slugfests with Pacquiao, or WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs) probably would have been preferable to the finest fighter of his era thumping Mosley, a future Hall of Famer whose best days are in his rearview mirror.
Although Pacquiao isn't fearful of testing himself against any man wearing padded gloves, and probably could have forced Arum's hand had he insisted on Marquez or Berto, he has ceded near-total control of his ring career to the 79-year-old master manipulator. Like the youngest and most calculating of Vito Corleone's three sons, Arum knows how to protect his primary asset, and has no objection to sticking it to rivals to accomplish that purpose.
What's different about Pacquiao-Mosley is that Arum has brokered a deal by which an over-the-air television network, CBS, has joined with Showtime to sell boxing's hottest property to home viewers at $54.95 a pop. Given that Pacquiao's last five pay-per-view fights - all on HBO - generated total sales of 5.1 million, it's a certainty his pairing with Mosley again will top the million mark, and may even approach 2 million.
The CBS Corp. and Showtime, which is a CBS subsidiary, are co-producing a four-part documentary, "Fight Camp 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley," and ads promoting the fight will be shown via both outlets. That figures to provide a major revenue boost, since CBS - which will air some of the spots during the ratings-heavy NCAA Tournament - is available in 115 million TV homes, to just 16.5 million for Showtime.
"I would want for nothing more than for my legacy to be that I brought boxing back to network television," said Arum, who has championed that cause since over-the-air TV fights began being phased out nearly 3 decades ago.
But Arum's altruistic pronouncements also are in keeping with a personal agenda. A former Department of Justice attorney during the Kennedy administration, Arum can make life as uncomfortable for perceived boxing enemies as his DOJ boss, Robert Kennedy, did for Jimmy Hoffa.
The onetime promoter of De La Hoya and Mayweather, Arum regards each as turncoats who bolted the Top Rank reservation after he had helped make them multimillionaires. Arum believes that HBO has tended to favor De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy Promotions, which might explain why he seems to have taken particular delight in bringing Pacquiao to Showtime, or why Mosley, who left Golden Boy to further his chances of landing the high-paying gig against Pacquiao, was selected instead of the De La Hoya-backed Marquez.
It's a cream pie in the face to HBO Sports executives, one of whom, senior vice president Kery Davis, is said to be under fire for not minding the store a little closer during a period in which the gap between HBO's Hertz and Showtime's Avis narrowed.
"It's a one-fight deal, and we're hopeful we can get back in the Manny Pacquiao business," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said of the new reality in which Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBoef, likely get to call more of the shots so long as "PacMan" remains boxing's must-see performer.
'Swift' salute
Tardy congratulations to the winners of the 15th annual "Salute to Philly Boxers" awards presentation last month at the New Palladium Ballroom.
Danny "Swift'' Garcia (19-0, 13 KOs), the junior welterweight prospect from the Juniata section, was named Philadelphia's Boxer of the Year for 2010, ending the 2-year reign of living legend Bernard Hopkins, a seven-time winner.
Other honorees were Alan Rubenstein, judge; Steve Smoger, referee; Derek "Bozy" Ennis, trainer; Moz Gonzalez and Eddie Woods, managers; Joey Eye, cutman; and Nate "Mr." Miller, "Blast from the Past." Special guests were Willie Torres and Marty Feldman.
Send e-mail to fernanb@phillynews.com.
Source: philly.com
The "Beatle" is Manny Pacquiao, the most popular, or at least recognizable, fighter on a global scale since Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali commanded attention that transcended their sport. During stops in Beverly Hills, Calif., Las Vegas, New York and Washington that officially began the drumbeating for his May 7 bout with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Pacquiao modeled a new look, a shaggy, unbarbered noggin that apparently was inspired by the Fab Four's hysteria-inducing first trip to America 47 years earlier.
An aspiring singer who loves karaoke, Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) more closely resembled an Asian Paul McCartney than Ali, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Oscar De La Hoya, iconic fighters to whom he sometimes has been compared. Maybe we should start calling him the Fab Filipino.
And while the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) was on the dais in each city as the designated foil, the most influential player in the behind-the-scenes drama is the "Godfather," otherwise known as Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum.
Make no mistake, what will transpire 2 1/2 months hence is as much or more Arum's baby as Pacquiao's latest superstar turn. What Arum has orchestrated is reminiscent of the closing scenes of the 1972 film classic, in which Michael Corleone ruthlessly and efficiently settles all family business, dispatching the other heads of the five families, getting his revenge and establishing his vision of dynasty.
Oh, sure, the matchup everyone most wants to see, Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KOs), has encountered more delays than the legendarily drawn-out construction of the Blue Route, so much so that fewer and fewer fight fans believe it will ever happen. But for that hardy and vanishing breed known as boxing purists, scraps with Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs), who is 0-1-1 in a pair of closely contested slugfests with Pacquiao, or WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs) probably would have been preferable to the finest fighter of his era thumping Mosley, a future Hall of Famer whose best days are in his rearview mirror.
Although Pacquiao isn't fearful of testing himself against any man wearing padded gloves, and probably could have forced Arum's hand had he insisted on Marquez or Berto, he has ceded near-total control of his ring career to the 79-year-old master manipulator. Like the youngest and most calculating of Vito Corleone's three sons, Arum knows how to protect his primary asset, and has no objection to sticking it to rivals to accomplish that purpose.
What's different about Pacquiao-Mosley is that Arum has brokered a deal by which an over-the-air television network, CBS, has joined with Showtime to sell boxing's hottest property to home viewers at $54.95 a pop. Given that Pacquiao's last five pay-per-view fights - all on HBO - generated total sales of 5.1 million, it's a certainty his pairing with Mosley again will top the million mark, and may even approach 2 million.
The CBS Corp. and Showtime, which is a CBS subsidiary, are co-producing a four-part documentary, "Fight Camp 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley," and ads promoting the fight will be shown via both outlets. That figures to provide a major revenue boost, since CBS - which will air some of the spots during the ratings-heavy NCAA Tournament - is available in 115 million TV homes, to just 16.5 million for Showtime.
"I would want for nothing more than for my legacy to be that I brought boxing back to network television," said Arum, who has championed that cause since over-the-air TV fights began being phased out nearly 3 decades ago.
But Arum's altruistic pronouncements also are in keeping with a personal agenda. A former Department of Justice attorney during the Kennedy administration, Arum can make life as uncomfortable for perceived boxing enemies as his DOJ boss, Robert Kennedy, did for Jimmy Hoffa.
The onetime promoter of De La Hoya and Mayweather, Arum regards each as turncoats who bolted the Top Rank reservation after he had helped make them multimillionaires. Arum believes that HBO has tended to favor De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy Promotions, which might explain why he seems to have taken particular delight in bringing Pacquiao to Showtime, or why Mosley, who left Golden Boy to further his chances of landing the high-paying gig against Pacquiao, was selected instead of the De La Hoya-backed Marquez.
It's a cream pie in the face to HBO Sports executives, one of whom, senior vice president Kery Davis, is said to be under fire for not minding the store a little closer during a period in which the gap between HBO's Hertz and Showtime's Avis narrowed.
"It's a one-fight deal, and we're hopeful we can get back in the Manny Pacquiao business," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said of the new reality in which Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBoef, likely get to call more of the shots so long as "PacMan" remains boxing's must-see performer.
'Swift' salute
Tardy congratulations to the winners of the 15th annual "Salute to Philly Boxers" awards presentation last month at the New Palladium Ballroom.
Danny "Swift'' Garcia (19-0, 13 KOs), the junior welterweight prospect from the Juniata section, was named Philadelphia's Boxer of the Year for 2010, ending the 2-year reign of living legend Bernard Hopkins, a seven-time winner.
Other honorees were Alan Rubenstein, judge; Steve Smoger, referee; Derek "Bozy" Ennis, trainer; Moz Gonzalez and Eddie Woods, managers; Joey Eye, cutman; and Nate "Mr." Miller, "Blast from the Past." Special guests were Willie Torres and Marty Feldman.
Send e-mail to fernanb@phillynews.com.
Source: philly.com
Antonio Margarito on His Recovery, Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
LAS VEGAS -- Ex-champ Antonio Margarito, who underwent 75 minutes of surgery to repair a fractured right orbital bone suffered during November's HBO pay per view televised unanimous decision loss to Manny Pacquiao, spoke to FanHouse last Friday concerning his recovery and his anticipated return to the ring.
The 32-year-old Margarito (38-7, 27 knockouts) fought Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) for the vacant WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, which Pacquiao has since vacated even as he defends his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title against Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) on May 7 in a Showtime pay per view televised bout that is being promoted by Top Rank Promotions.
Last Friday, Margarito was at the Mandalay Bay Hotel during the weigh in for last Saturday's HBO televised bout featuring WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist, Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 knockouts), of the Philippines, scoring a second-round knockout over WBO and WBC king, Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs), of Mexico, to earn Montiel's belts.
Margarito said that he already is in training for a potential June bout opposite WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), assuming Cotto gets beyond a March 12, Showtime pay per view televised encounter with former world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs).
Margarito dethroned Cotto as WBA welterweight king with an 11th-round knockout in July of 2008.
FanHouse: What is your prognosis of recovery from your injury?
Antonio Margarito: Well, thanks to God, everything has gone well. We have an appointment again next month with the doctors, and they will tell me more.
But so far, things are progressing very well.
FanHouse: What have you been able to do to begin to get into shape once again?
Since January 5, when the doctors cleared me to start working out, that's when I started. The only thing that I'm not doing is sparring. I'm doing everything else.
Running, push ups, sit ups, hitting the bags, and I'm doing that on my own. Sparring is the only thing that I haven't been doing.
When do you expect to be able to begin sparring?
We have an appointment for another examination next month, and, hopefully, by then, the doctor will give me the green light to begin sparring.
Can you clear the air for your fans and the media and the critics concerning whether or not you thought that your fight with Manny Pacquiao should have been stopped as a result of the damage that you were absorbing?
We wanted to finish on our feet. Every minute during the break between rounds, [trainer] Robert Garcia would ask me how I felt. My answer was always, 'I feel great.'
There was no reason to stop the fight. We always knew that one punch could make the difference and maybe turn the tide and the momentum of the fight.
We were looking to land that punch in the fight, but, unfortunately, we were never able to land that momentum-changing punch.
How did that fourth-round punch that opened the cut beneath your right eye affect the course of the fight?
That's what changed the fight. That punch. The uppercut from Manny Pacquiao in the fourth round is what changed the fight. Up until then, I thought we were fighting the right strategy.
We were going to break him down. But that punch changed everything. After that, all that I could see was blurry.
Why weren't you able to capitalize on that sixth-round body shot that hurt Manny Pacquiao?
I tried, but the bell ran. Plus, Manny Pacquiao is just an excellent fighter and he was able to maneuver away from me. I would have kept on trying if we had more time.
But the bell rang, so there was nothing that I could do.
What was said when Manny Pacquiao came to your dressing room after the fight?
Manny just came into the dressing room and gave me a nice hug we told each other that we both put forth a great effort in a great fight and that we should both be very proud.
When do you expect to be back in the ring and when do you want to fight Miguel Cotto?
When I get the green like from the doctor. But I think that Bob Arum is already talking about a rematch against Miguel Cotto. That's a fight that [Top Rank Promotions CEO] Bob Arum already has mentioned.
I would love to have that fight, but we have to get cleared by the doctor.
Do you anticipate taking a tuneup bout or do you want to go straight into a rematch with Miguel Cotto?
It all depends on Bob Arum. If Bob Arum feels that we might benefit from a tuneup and that we have enough time to do a fight in between the Cotto-Mayorga fight and my fight with Cotto, then we can do it.
But if not, then we'll go straight to Miguel Cotto. If it was my choice, then I would go straight into the Miguel Cotto fight. I would love to go right into that fight, probably in June.
What is your relationship with your trainer, Robert Garcia?
I am very happy with him. He's a very good friend and a great trainer.
How long will you continue fighting?
I'm going to allow my body to tell me when enough is enough. I think that if, when I fight Cotto, my body tells me that's enough, then that will be end.
But if I feel strong and I feel healthy during and after the fight, then I will continue fighting. I will continue in this game until my body tells me that that is enough.
When you say, 'Enough,' how do you mean that the state of having had 'Enough' will manifest itself?
Right now, my body responds well to hard training and it responds to all of the things that I do in the gym. The simple fact is, in my last fight, I lost to Manny Pacquiao.
Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter, but it was just another loss. I feel that I'm healthy enough to keep fighting right now, and that I can come back and do it again.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
The 32-year-old Margarito (38-7, 27 knockouts) fought Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) for the vacant WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, which Pacquiao has since vacated even as he defends his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title against Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) on May 7 in a Showtime pay per view televised bout that is being promoted by Top Rank Promotions.
Last Friday, Margarito was at the Mandalay Bay Hotel during the weigh in for last Saturday's HBO televised bout featuring WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist, Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 knockouts), of the Philippines, scoring a second-round knockout over WBO and WBC king, Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs), of Mexico, to earn Montiel's belts.
Margarito said that he already is in training for a potential June bout opposite WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), assuming Cotto gets beyond a March 12, Showtime pay per view televised encounter with former world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs).
Margarito dethroned Cotto as WBA welterweight king with an 11th-round knockout in July of 2008.
FanHouse: What is your prognosis of recovery from your injury?
Antonio Margarito: Well, thanks to God, everything has gone well. We have an appointment again next month with the doctors, and they will tell me more.
But so far, things are progressing very well.
FanHouse: What have you been able to do to begin to get into shape once again?
Since January 5, when the doctors cleared me to start working out, that's when I started. The only thing that I'm not doing is sparring. I'm doing everything else.
Running, push ups, sit ups, hitting the bags, and I'm doing that on my own. Sparring is the only thing that I haven't been doing.
When do you expect to be able to begin sparring?
We have an appointment for another examination next month, and, hopefully, by then, the doctor will give me the green light to begin sparring.
Can you clear the air for your fans and the media and the critics concerning whether or not you thought that your fight with Manny Pacquiao should have been stopped as a result of the damage that you were absorbing?
We wanted to finish on our feet. Every minute during the break between rounds, [trainer] Robert Garcia would ask me how I felt. My answer was always, 'I feel great.'
There was no reason to stop the fight. We always knew that one punch could make the difference and maybe turn the tide and the momentum of the fight.
We were looking to land that punch in the fight, but, unfortunately, we were never able to land that momentum-changing punch.
How did that fourth-round punch that opened the cut beneath your right eye affect the course of the fight?
That's what changed the fight. That punch. The uppercut from Manny Pacquiao in the fourth round is what changed the fight. Up until then, I thought we were fighting the right strategy.
We were going to break him down. But that punch changed everything. After that, all that I could see was blurry.
Why weren't you able to capitalize on that sixth-round body shot that hurt Manny Pacquiao?
I tried, but the bell ran. Plus, Manny Pacquiao is just an excellent fighter and he was able to maneuver away from me. I would have kept on trying if we had more time.
But the bell rang, so there was nothing that I could do.
What was said when Manny Pacquiao came to your dressing room after the fight?
Manny just came into the dressing room and gave me a nice hug we told each other that we both put forth a great effort in a great fight and that we should both be very proud.
When do you expect to be back in the ring and when do you want to fight Miguel Cotto?
When I get the green like from the doctor. But I think that Bob Arum is already talking about a rematch against Miguel Cotto. That's a fight that [Top Rank Promotions CEO] Bob Arum already has mentioned.
I would love to have that fight, but we have to get cleared by the doctor.
Do you anticipate taking a tuneup bout or do you want to go straight into a rematch with Miguel Cotto?
It all depends on Bob Arum. If Bob Arum feels that we might benefit from a tuneup and that we have enough time to do a fight in between the Cotto-Mayorga fight and my fight with Cotto, then we can do it.
But if not, then we'll go straight to Miguel Cotto. If it was my choice, then I would go straight into the Miguel Cotto fight. I would love to go right into that fight, probably in June.
What is your relationship with your trainer, Robert Garcia?
I am very happy with him. He's a very good friend and a great trainer.
How long will you continue fighting?
I'm going to allow my body to tell me when enough is enough. I think that if, when I fight Cotto, my body tells me that's enough, then that will be end.
But if I feel strong and I feel healthy during and after the fight, then I will continue fighting. I will continue in this game until my body tells me that that is enough.
When you say, 'Enough,' how do you mean that the state of having had 'Enough' will manifest itself?
Right now, my body responds well to hard training and it responds to all of the things that I do in the gym. The simple fact is, in my last fight, I lost to Manny Pacquiao.
Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter, but it was just another loss. I feel that I'm healthy enough to keep fighting right now, and that I can come back and do it again.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Donaire punches his way to stardom -- FOX Sports
By Allen Trieu, FOX Sports
“I don’t know about star yet,” Nontio Donaire said.
Where does this put him now? The exact number on the pound-for-pound list is up for debate, but many agree he is right up there with Sergio Martinez, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. In addition to his obvious power, quickness and speed, he also appears to have clairvoyance on his side.
“I was telling everybody second round and I said it,” Donaire said after the fight. “I told you second, right. I told a lot of people second round. It wasn’t to be cocky or anything, it was just to motivate myself.”
After Donaire won the first round, Montiel appeared to be getting a rhythm and was picking up the aggression in the second. Donaire says it was all according to plan.
“That’s why it seemed like I was losing that round, is because I was being attentive,” he said. “Where he was going to be, his movement, his body and where his head was going to be after he punches. When I figured out where exactly where he was going to be, I knew regardless if I close my eyes, he was going to be there as long as my punches were in that direction.”
Donaire calls it the hardest punch he has ever thrown in his life and his most memorable punch to date. That is saying something considering his career full of knockouts, including the fifth-round KO of heavily favored Vic Darchinyan in 2007 which first put him on the map.
To be a star, you cannot just be a great fighter. Donaire has a personality that draws people in. After the fight, he said he won it not just for himself, but for all the kids who had been bullied like him. Who can’t relate to that?
The pieces are here for him to continue his rise. As boxing searches for the next great heavyweight, it is guys like Donaire in the lighter divisions, along with Pacquiao, Mayweather and other rising stars like Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan that are breathing life into the sport.
“I don’t know about the star yet,” Donaire reiterated, “but I definitely believe I belong in that top pound-for-pound and I am the best bantamweight right now and this is just the beginning of it.”
It is indeed just the beginning, as the bantamweight division has several attractive potential opponents. There is also the possibility of moving up weight classes. Another piece to Donaire’s likability is his willingness to fight whoever wants to get in the ring with him.
“What’s next is anybody. “
Source: msn.foxsports.com
“I don’t know about star yet,” Nontio Donaire said.
The 28-year-old Filipino-American
fighter was trying to stay modest after a scintillating second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel to win both the WBO and WBC bantamweight world titles. While Donaire may not want to say it, he propelled himself to stardom with that punch. The boxing community is abuzz over that devastating left hook that sent Montiel to the canvas and fractured his cheek bone.
fighter was trying to stay modest after a scintillating second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel to win both the WBO and WBC bantamweight world titles. While Donaire may not want to say it, he propelled himself to stardom with that punch. The boxing community is abuzz over that devastating left hook that sent Montiel to the canvas and fractured his cheek bone.Where does this put him now? The exact number on the pound-for-pound list is up for debate, but many agree he is right up there with Sergio Martinez, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. In addition to his obvious power, quickness and speed, he also appears to have clairvoyance on his side.“I was telling everybody second round and I said it,” Donaire said after the fight. “I told you second, right. I told a lot of people second round. It wasn’t to be cocky or anything, it was just to motivate myself.”
After Donaire won the first round, Montiel appeared to be getting a rhythm and was picking up the aggression in the second. Donaire says it was all according to plan.
“That’s why it seemed like I was losing that round, is because I was being attentive,” he said. “Where he was going to be, his movement, his body and where his head was going to be after he punches. When I figured out where exactly where he was going to be, I knew regardless if I close my eyes, he was going to be there as long as my punches were in that direction.”
Donaire calls it the hardest punch he has ever thrown in his life and his most memorable punch to date. That is saying something considering his career full of knockouts, including the fifth-round KO of heavily favored Vic Darchinyan in 2007 which first put him on the map.
To be a star, you cannot just be a great fighter. Donaire has a personality that draws people in. After the fight, he said he won it not just for himself, but for all the kids who had been bullied like him. Who can’t relate to that?
The pieces are here for him to continue his rise. As boxing searches for the next great heavyweight, it is guys like Donaire in the lighter divisions, along with Pacquiao, Mayweather and other rising stars like Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan that are breathing life into the sport.
“I don’t know about the star yet,” Donaire reiterated, “but I definitely believe I belong in that top pound-for-pound and I am the best bantamweight right now and this is just the beginning of it.”
It is indeed just the beginning, as the bantamweight division has several attractive potential opponents. There is also the possibility of moving up weight classes. Another piece to Donaire’s likability is his willingness to fight whoever wants to get in the ring with him.
“What’s next is anybody. “
Source: msn.foxsports.com
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