By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
Eight months after Floyd Mayweather Jr. broadsided him with a vile, racist, homophobic attack, Manny Pacquiao had the means, the motive and the opportunity on Tuesday to return the favour.
Just five days before he defends his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt in Saturday’s main event of a pay-per-view card against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pacquiao was sitting with a small group of reporters when, as always occurs in these types of gatherings, someone mentioned Mayweather.
A fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather would be the biggest in boxing history. Mayweather, though, hasn’t fought in a year and has shown no inclination to get into the ring with Pacquiao. The closest he has come to a confrontation with Pacquiao has been through his webcam, when he posted a video on uStream.com in September in which, among other things, he referred to Pacquiao as “a yellow chump” and a “midget.”
Mayweather’s rant on uStream was one of the most galling, offensive things any well-known professional athlete has ever said publicly.
And this came on the heels of Mayweather essentially leading a whisper campaign that alleged Pacquiao is a steroids user.
Pacquiao had every right to be angry at Mayweather and to blast him publicly. Given the chance on Tuesday, however, Pacquiao showed why he is one of the most beloved athletes in the world.
He responded to repeated queries about Mayweather’s prolonged absence from the sport with grace, humility and style. He didn’t take a cheap shot when no one would have blamed him if he had.
“You know what? I don’t want to talk about Floyd Mayweather’s issues, or anything like that,” Pacquiao said. “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t want to talk about someone behind his back. He did his best in boxing. He contributed to the history of boxing. Let’s talk about the fight on Saturday.”
That was it. Simple, honest, classy and sincere. He’s arguably the most revered athlete in the world, and no longer is it just Filipinos who worship him.
He’s rich and famous beyond all measure. He began to box as a teen-ager, when he knew his mother couldn’t afford to pay for his education, so that he could earn money for his family. He spent many nights on the street and would often wonder if he’d make it to the sunrise. He awakened hungry on many an occasion.
But as he began to earn a professional paycheck, he didn’t see it as an opportunity to buy fancy cars and acquire material possessions. He looked around him and saw others who are in worse shape than he was. He was hardly worldly, but it bothered him to see others suffering and he desperately wanted to try to help.
As an adult, he ran for office in the Philippines and was elected as a congressman representing the Sarangani province, but his desire to help his countrymen began long before anyone beyond the shores of the Philippine Islands knew who he was.
“When I started fighting in the ring and began fighting professionally, every day when I saw the poor people sleeping in the street, you know, I kind of began thinking that someday, I hope I could help them, give them food,” he said. “I wanted to help them, but I wasn’t thinking about going into politics then. My dream was that I hoped I could help them and give them food and housing.
“I was 16 years old. I was just thinking and I was imagining how I wished I could help them. I felt what they were feeling, sleeping in the street, because I had been there.”
This was a guy without anything to his name, yet his thought was far beyond himself. Never did he expect to be rich. Never did he expect to be endorsing computers and vegetables and sneakers and cologne. Never did he expect to have won six sanctioning body titles and beaten the linear champion in two other divisions.
It was all beyond comprehension for a guy looking just to survive, to help his family and maybe to have enough left over to help someone even less fortunate than himself.
He’s now one of the richest men in the Philippines and an idol of millions. But should he lose it all, he would be fine.
“If that’s God’s way, I will accept that,” he said simply. “That’s life. For me, my boss, my overall boss, is God.”
The guy who grew up watching tapes on his clunky old Betamax VCR of Julio Cesar Chavez, Roy Jones, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya has moved into the same stratospheric level where his idols once resided. And, as much as he’s accomplished, the future has rarely been brighter. He’s guaranteed a purse of $20 million for Saturday’s fight with Mosley and will get a share of the pay-per-view proceeds. Early indicators are strong and it would hardly be a surprise were the final sales figures to soar well beyond 1.5 million and set a personal career high.
There’s a likely match in the fall with his long-time nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, and it’s not totally out of the question that Mayweather will finally come to his senses and take the fight.
Fight, and defeat, Mayweather and Pacquiao may wind up bigger than anyone ever to step into the ring with the possible exception of Muhammad Ali. But Pacquiao knows that fame is fleeting and success is often short-lived. His boxing career will be over soon and there will be a time when the crowds thin and the ovations die.
His goal, he says, is “to give a good fight and make the people happy.” But he’s well aware that one day the fight will be out of him. He will no longer be able to throw his fists blindingly fast and slip past punches designed to knock him out.
He’s begged his trainer, Freddie Roach, to be honest with him and tell him if he sees him decline.
And when Roach says it, Pacquiao insists he’ll quit. Roach is more than just a trainer to him. He is a friend, a father, a brother, a confidant and Pacquiao trusts him to advise him properly on the hardest decision facing any boxer.
And when that time comes, Pacquiao will leave the game with no regrets, proud of his accomplishments and hopeful he’ll be able to continue to serve others.
“When I decide to retire from boxing, I have to understand that things will pass,” he said. “Time will pass. I’m not young any more. I am happy and satisfied with what I have done in boxing. It’s good that I’m part of the history of boxing and I contributed to the record of boxing.”
He’s contributed mightily to boxing. But he’s contributed far more to the world. And when he’s gone, it’s going to be the simple grace, humility and style with which he’s always carried himself that people will remember.
He and Mayweather are each great boxers. That, however, is where the similarities between them end.
Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Pacquiao sounds like a political heavyweight in last stop before his campaign against Mosley -- 15Rounds
By Norm Frauenheim, 15Rounds.com
Pacquiao, still in campaign mode, said he will wear yellow gloves Saturday night and urged a sellout crowd to also wear yellow. For him and his countrymen, it’s the color of unity. Former Filipino President Corazon Aquino wore yellow. It was the color that identified the opposition that chased ex-Filipino strongman Ferdinand Marcos out of office in 1986.
Now, it’s a look at what Pacquiao might be planning for a whirlwind of a life that is always moving forward and at a furious, fearless pace with more angles than punches. On Wednesday, he even sang the title of his recent release, Sometimes When We Touch, at Dan Hill, who is other half of the duet in the recorded melody. There were no babies to kiss. But give him time. Someday, there may even be some broken campaign promises.
Thus far, there have been none, although Mosley hopes to change that with an upset that would send The Philippines into dark mourning. On the betting board up and down the Strip, that doesn’t look likely.
Late Thursday, Mosley was about a 6 1/2-to-1 underdog. If this were politics, Mosley would be Donald Trump. Comedian Seth Meyers said he was surprised to hear that Trump might runs for President as a Republican. Meyers thought Trump was running as joke. Despite odds that are hard to figure, however, this isn’t politics. Mosley is no joke, not even at late comedian Jack Benny’s forever age, 39
“We’re not talking about an ordinary guy,’’ Mosley trainer Naazim Richardson said in the wise voice that is always accented with common sense.
Richardson argues that Pacquiao hasn’t been hit with the mix of power and experience possessed by Mosley, whose 32-0 record, including 30 knockouts, at 135 pounds makes him one of the great lightweights of all time.
“Put a Shetland Pony in there and when Shane hits it, he’s going to wobble it,’’ Richardson said.
The secret to Pacquiao are the thick legs of a bigger man, if not a Shetland Pony. But that’s another story for another day. What is increasingly evident is some newfound focus in Pacquiao on the immediate challenge. He will always multi-task, as he did Wednesday at the news conference/political campaign that included Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and his wife, Carolyn, who is running for the office her husband is about to vacate.
Unlike some of his recent training camps, this one is not about how or if a distracted Pacquiao might lose. Last November, there were more stories about Pacquiao’s distractions than there were about Antonio Margarito. Pacquiao left Margarito battered and badly injured in taking a one-sided-decision.
The reported distractions never mattered and perhaps Pacquiao knew that they wouldn’t. Margarito just wasn’t fast enough to be a threat. If Pacquiao’s reported attention to training over the last two months is any indication, Mosley is.
“From Day One, he told me this is not an easy fight,’’ said Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who already has said he wants the Filipino idol to be the first to knock out Mosley. “I think this is the best training camp we’ve ever had. Manny is in the best shape he’s ever been in. He has to be. He’s fighting an experienced, crafty guy.’’
Pacquiao said he is as concerned about Mosley as he was about Oscar De La Hoya in 2008.De La Hoya quit after eight rounds against Pacquiao, who exhausted him with relentless energy and a nonstop barrage of punches. De La Hoya never had a chance. Pacquiao’s newfound dedication might mean Mosley won’t have one either. Then again, Mosley beat De La Hoya twice. Unlike Pacquiao, Mosley stopped Margarito.
“Mosley knocked him out …he has that advantage,’’ said Pacquiao, who is smart enough to know that timing dictates that Saturday night’s fight is next and dangerous enough to may be the biggest one he’ll face before he tries to knock out poverty.
Source: 15rounds.com
LAS VEGAS – Filipino Congressman Manny Pacquiao
will never jump up the boxing scale to heavyweight, but he is beginning to sound as if he might try to make a run at that title in the political ring.
will never jump up the boxing scale to heavyweight, but he is beginning to sound as if he might try to make a run at that title in the political ring.A boxing news conference sounded a little bit like a presidential campaign Wednesday when Pacquiao talked about plans to fight poverty with more evident passion than he did about a welterweight fight Saturday night against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand.
“All of my life, I’ve had to fight,’’ said Pacquiao, who has eight titles, all in different weight classes. “As a child, I had to fight for food. But the biggest fight of my life is the end of poverty in my country.’’
Pacquiao, still in campaign mode, said he will wear yellow gloves Saturday night and urged a sellout crowd to also wear yellow. For him and his countrymen, it’s the color of unity. Former Filipino President Corazon Aquino wore yellow. It was the color that identified the opposition that chased ex-Filipino strongman Ferdinand Marcos out of office in 1986.
Now, it’s a look at what Pacquiao might be planning for a whirlwind of a life that is always moving forward and at a furious, fearless pace with more angles than punches. On Wednesday, he even sang the title of his recent release, Sometimes When We Touch, at Dan Hill, who is other half of the duet in the recorded melody. There were no babies to kiss. But give him time. Someday, there may even be some broken campaign promises.
Thus far, there have been none, although Mosley hopes to change that with an upset that would send The Philippines into dark mourning. On the betting board up and down the Strip, that doesn’t look likely.
Late Thursday, Mosley was about a 6 1/2-to-1 underdog. If this were politics, Mosley would be Donald Trump. Comedian Seth Meyers said he was surprised to hear that Trump might runs for President as a Republican. Meyers thought Trump was running as joke. Despite odds that are hard to figure, however, this isn’t politics. Mosley is no joke, not even at late comedian Jack Benny’s forever age, 39
“We’re not talking about an ordinary guy,’’ Mosley trainer Naazim Richardson said in the wise voice that is always accented with common sense.
Richardson argues that Pacquiao hasn’t been hit with the mix of power and experience possessed by Mosley, whose 32-0 record, including 30 knockouts, at 135 pounds makes him one of the great lightweights of all time.
“Put a Shetland Pony in there and when Shane hits it, he’s going to wobble it,’’ Richardson said.
The secret to Pacquiao are the thick legs of a bigger man, if not a Shetland Pony. But that’s another story for another day. What is increasingly evident is some newfound focus in Pacquiao on the immediate challenge. He will always multi-task, as he did Wednesday at the news conference/political campaign that included Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and his wife, Carolyn, who is running for the office her husband is about to vacate.
Unlike some of his recent training camps, this one is not about how or if a distracted Pacquiao might lose. Last November, there were more stories about Pacquiao’s distractions than there were about Antonio Margarito. Pacquiao left Margarito battered and badly injured in taking a one-sided-decision.
The reported distractions never mattered and perhaps Pacquiao knew that they wouldn’t. Margarito just wasn’t fast enough to be a threat. If Pacquiao’s reported attention to training over the last two months is any indication, Mosley is.
“From Day One, he told me this is not an easy fight,’’ said Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who already has said he wants the Filipino idol to be the first to knock out Mosley. “I think this is the best training camp we’ve ever had. Manny is in the best shape he’s ever been in. He has to be. He’s fighting an experienced, crafty guy.’’
Pacquiao said he is as concerned about Mosley as he was about Oscar De La Hoya in 2008.De La Hoya quit after eight rounds against Pacquiao, who exhausted him with relentless energy and a nonstop barrage of punches. De La Hoya never had a chance. Pacquiao’s newfound dedication might mean Mosley won’t have one either. Then again, Mosley beat De La Hoya twice. Unlike Pacquiao, Mosley stopped Margarito.
“Mosley knocked him out …he has that advantage,’’ said Pacquiao, who is smart enough to know that timing dictates that Saturday night’s fight is next and dangerous enough to may be the biggest one he’ll face before he tries to knock out poverty.
Source: 15rounds.com
Packing punch for humanity, Pacquiao now a cultural icon -- USA Today
By Jon Saraceno, USA TODAY
LAS VEGAS — The oddball notion of the world's most ferocious pound-for-pound slugger singing a sticky-sweet 1970s-era love ballad is incongruous at best: C'mon, Manny Pacquiao, the fearless, relentless, punching engine from the Philippines, crooning Sometimes When We Touch?
"The singing thing with Manny is so tender. This guy, such a powerful man in the ring, is unafraid to sing an emotional, sentimental song like Sometimes… " marvels singer-songwriter Dan Hill, who recorded the 1977 smash hit that was re-released last month as a duet with Pacquiao as lead vocal.
Juxtaposed against the sometimes cruel sport of boxing, Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao — "Pac-Man" — is a striking anomaly on today's sporting landscape: He is the grateful megastar with a sense of humanity. The global reach of the diminutive fighter as a champion of giant causes, including addressing poverty, medical and environmental concerns, threatens to outdistance any grand ring achievements.
In the process, Pacquiao has managed to retain an aura of vulnerability while not surrendering his air of invincibility.
Building his brand
Undeniable charm and playful exuberance also have helped catapult Pacquiao into the realm of international icon. Increasingly, he is in demand as a product endorser for major companies, among them Nike and Hewlett-Packard. The eight-time champion has branded a cologne fragrance (MP8) and a "Pacquiao Produce" line of vegetables that might hit supermarket shelves before 2012.
Pacquiao, featured on 60 Minutes in 2010, was named to Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people in 2009.
In February, Pacquiao, newly elected as a Filipino congressman, visited President Obama at the White House and also met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), for whom he campaigned. Demonstrating budding political savvy, he sought Reid's legislative assistance on behalf of a job-creating bill relating to the garment industry in his homeland.
Asked to compare the vagaries of his two occupations, Pacquiao said with a laugh, "There is no cheating in boxing — only in politics."
At 5-6 with a Justin Bieber-like mop-top, the goateed left-hander stands taller than many contemporaries. He appears to be the charismatic antithesis of the preening, often-narcissistic, sometimes-rude modern-day athlete. Pacquiao embraces all — even news media. More than mere boxer, he is a lawmaker, philanthropist, singer, spokesman and bona-fide hero to the masses of his impoverished homeland.
The 32-year-old is by all accounts humble, gracious and self-effacing — a simple, uncomplicated man who loves to sing karaoke. Clearly, the spiritual fighter has uncovered his version of contentment and enlightenment. He and his wife, Jinkee, are the parents of four children.
"I never believed that you had to say bad things about your opponent to make yourself bigger," Pacquiao says in his hotel suite before Saturdays' welterweight title showdown against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. "You can be popular, or be a champion, without trash talking. And you can be a good example for people, especially children."
Not since the halcyon days of Muhammad Ali has a fighter had such positive worldwide impact. Pacquiao has accomplished that minus Ali's bravado, gamesmanship and former status as heavyweight king, and with only a smidgen of controversy. That came on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs.
The boldest public allegation came from his foil, welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr., as the pair negotiated to fight. Thus far, no fight — except in Nevada federal court where Pacquiao in 2009 sued Mayweather, promoter Oscar De La Hoya and others for defamation. Pacquiao claims the allegations were made out of "ill will, spite, malice, revenge and envy." He has never tested positive in a post-fight urinalysis.
Music relieves his stress
Pacquiao's rock-star status has been unaffected. Last year, he earned $32 million in the ring as one of the world's top-grossing athletes. He retains an enormous entourage of family and friends numbering in the hundreds.
"Manny is someone who is genuinely concerned; he relates to people," says his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank. "The last fighter I had who truly was that way was Ali. Manny is generous to a fault, as was Ali. The most endearing quality about (Pacquiao) is his big heart."
Pacquiao refuses to construct a shrine unto himself, even in his own home — where he keeps boxing awards, mementos and memorabilia stashed away. He sings to his children most every night, either back home in the Philippines or at his home in Los Angeles, where he trains at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Hill, who discovered from his "hysterical" wife that the fighter was singing his famous song last year on Jimmy Kimmell Live!, will attend Saturday's fight. Afterward, he and Pacquiao will reprise their uber-love song classic in a post-fight concert at the Mandalay Bay casino.
The fighter once sang Imagine with comedian Will Ferrell on Kimmel's show.
"I love music," Pacquiao says in his soft-spoken manner. "When I listen to music, all the stress is gone. I feel stronger."
Perhaps that is why he always broadly smiles as he enters the arena to face the fear all fighters confront. Sometimes, Roach says, he's a little too nice while applying his trade. The fighter who can carry a tune sometimes carries his opponent, too.
"Look at his last fight — he ends up liking the fighter during the fight," Roach says of Pacquiao's 12-round triumph against Antonio Magarito last November. "Instead of knocking out the guy, he asks him, 'Are you OK?' He didn't feel as if he had to embarrass the guy. I told him he should have knocked him out. He said, 'It's a sport and I didn't have to hurt him; I beat him up enough.'
"What can you say to that? He is the most compassionate fighter I've ever met."
Governing and gambling
His empathy derives from experience and a well-documented childhood: Pacquiao, who often begged for food or money, began fighting at 14 to support his mother and her six children.
"It's hard for us, as North Americans, to really understand what he has gone through and why he is genuine," says Hill, a Canadian. "The poverty is alarming and heart-crushing. I think what he sees (back home) is his de facto family."
Last May, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives from the province of Sarangani.
"When I started fighting professionally (in 1995), every time I saw poor people sleeping in the streets, it made me think that one day I hoped I could help them," he says.
Oftentimes, as he walks the streets, Pacquiao doles out cash.
"He can't shake his past, even if he is earning millions," says Nick Giongco, a reporter for the Manila Bulletin who has known the fighter for more than 15 years. "He knows he came from nothing. He knows what it is like to be poor, to beg for food and money. In the Philippines, you cannot afford to forget your roots."
Pacquiao will wear yellow boxing gloves in the Mosley fight to symbolize "unity and hope to end poverty." His trainer says his biggest concern is that his fighter "just might give it all way. He is that good of a guy," Roach says. "I hope it never happens."
Recipients of Pacquiao's largesse include those also attracted to apparently his biggest vice — gambling. In Bob Simon's 60 Minutes piece last summer, the CBS reporter showed Pacquiao shooting pool — with a $30,000 wager at stake, he said.
Pacquiao is an avid baccarat player and, most recently, has taken up poker.
The fighter's gambling "is a huge topic of conversation," says Abac Cordero of The Philippine Star, though as a congressman Pacquiao is not permitted to play games of chance in government-owed casinos. Then again, he visits the gaming meccas of Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Macau.
"He loses big and wins big, but he knows his limits," Cordero says.
But his devotion to religion seems to know no boundaries. A devout Catholic, Pacquiao has an almost surreal-like serenity that he says has carried him through a sometimes-difficult life.
"I always pray. Without God, we have nothing," he says. "I give him thanks. It's common sense. Without God, we are not here — He created us and the universe. It is very simple."
Source: usatoday.com
LAS VEGAS — The oddball notion of the world's most ferocious pound-for-pound slugger singing a sticky-sweet 1970s-era love ballad is incongruous at best: C'mon, Manny Pacquiao, the fearless, relentless, punching engine from the Philippines, crooning Sometimes When We Touch?
"The singing thing with Manny is so tender. This guy, such a powerful man in the ring, is unafraid to sing an emotional, sentimental song like Sometimes… " marvels singer-songwriter Dan Hill, who recorded the 1977 smash hit that was re-released last month as a duet with Pacquiao as lead vocal.
Juxtaposed against the sometimes cruel sport of boxing, Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao — "Pac-Man" — is a striking anomaly on today's sporting landscape: He is the grateful megastar with a sense of humanity. The global reach of the diminutive fighter as a champion of giant causes, including addressing poverty, medical and environmental concerns, threatens to outdistance any grand ring achievements.
In the process, Pacquiao has managed to retain an aura of vulnerability while not surrendering his air of invincibility.
Building his brand
Undeniable charm and playful exuberance also have helped catapult Pacquiao into the realm of international icon. Increasingly, he is in demand as a product endorser for major companies, among them Nike and Hewlett-Packard. The eight-time champion has branded a cologne fragrance (MP8) and a "Pacquiao Produce" line of vegetables that might hit supermarket shelves before 2012.
Pacquiao, featured on 60 Minutes in 2010, was named to Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people in 2009.
In February, Pacquiao, newly elected as a Filipino congressman, visited President Obama at the White House and also met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), for whom he campaigned. Demonstrating budding political savvy, he sought Reid's legislative assistance on behalf of a job-creating bill relating to the garment industry in his homeland.
Asked to compare the vagaries of his two occupations, Pacquiao said with a laugh, "There is no cheating in boxing — only in politics."
At 5-6 with a Justin Bieber-like mop-top, the goateed left-hander stands taller than many contemporaries. He appears to be the charismatic antithesis of the preening, often-narcissistic, sometimes-rude modern-day athlete. Pacquiao embraces all — even news media. More than mere boxer, he is a lawmaker, philanthropist, singer, spokesman and bona-fide hero to the masses of his impoverished homeland.
The 32-year-old is by all accounts humble, gracious and self-effacing — a simple, uncomplicated man who loves to sing karaoke. Clearly, the spiritual fighter has uncovered his version of contentment and enlightenment. He and his wife, Jinkee, are the parents of four children.
"I never believed that you had to say bad things about your opponent to make yourself bigger," Pacquiao says in his hotel suite before Saturdays' welterweight title showdown against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. "You can be popular, or be a champion, without trash talking. And you can be a good example for people, especially children."
Not since the halcyon days of Muhammad Ali has a fighter had such positive worldwide impact. Pacquiao has accomplished that minus Ali's bravado, gamesmanship and former status as heavyweight king, and with only a smidgen of controversy. That came on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs.
The boldest public allegation came from his foil, welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr., as the pair negotiated to fight. Thus far, no fight — except in Nevada federal court where Pacquiao in 2009 sued Mayweather, promoter Oscar De La Hoya and others for defamation. Pacquiao claims the allegations were made out of "ill will, spite, malice, revenge and envy." He has never tested positive in a post-fight urinalysis.
Music relieves his stress
Pacquiao's rock-star status has been unaffected. Last year, he earned $32 million in the ring as one of the world's top-grossing athletes. He retains an enormous entourage of family and friends numbering in the hundreds.
"Manny is someone who is genuinely concerned; he relates to people," says his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank. "The last fighter I had who truly was that way was Ali. Manny is generous to a fault, as was Ali. The most endearing quality about (Pacquiao) is his big heart."
Pacquiao refuses to construct a shrine unto himself, even in his own home — where he keeps boxing awards, mementos and memorabilia stashed away. He sings to his children most every night, either back home in the Philippines or at his home in Los Angeles, where he trains at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Hill, who discovered from his "hysterical" wife that the fighter was singing his famous song last year on Jimmy Kimmell Live!, will attend Saturday's fight. Afterward, he and Pacquiao will reprise their uber-love song classic in a post-fight concert at the Mandalay Bay casino.
The fighter once sang Imagine with comedian Will Ferrell on Kimmel's show.
"I love music," Pacquiao says in his soft-spoken manner. "When I listen to music, all the stress is gone. I feel stronger."
Perhaps that is why he always broadly smiles as he enters the arena to face the fear all fighters confront. Sometimes, Roach says, he's a little too nice while applying his trade. The fighter who can carry a tune sometimes carries his opponent, too.
"Look at his last fight — he ends up liking the fighter during the fight," Roach says of Pacquiao's 12-round triumph against Antonio Magarito last November. "Instead of knocking out the guy, he asks him, 'Are you OK?' He didn't feel as if he had to embarrass the guy. I told him he should have knocked him out. He said, 'It's a sport and I didn't have to hurt him; I beat him up enough.'
"What can you say to that? He is the most compassionate fighter I've ever met."
Governing and gambling
His empathy derives from experience and a well-documented childhood: Pacquiao, who often begged for food or money, began fighting at 14 to support his mother and her six children.
"It's hard for us, as North Americans, to really understand what he has gone through and why he is genuine," says Hill, a Canadian. "The poverty is alarming and heart-crushing. I think what he sees (back home) is his de facto family."
Last May, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives from the province of Sarangani.
"When I started fighting professionally (in 1995), every time I saw poor people sleeping in the streets, it made me think that one day I hoped I could help them," he says.
Oftentimes, as he walks the streets, Pacquiao doles out cash.
"He can't shake his past, even if he is earning millions," says Nick Giongco, a reporter for the Manila Bulletin who has known the fighter for more than 15 years. "He knows he came from nothing. He knows what it is like to be poor, to beg for food and money. In the Philippines, you cannot afford to forget your roots."
Pacquiao will wear yellow boxing gloves in the Mosley fight to symbolize "unity and hope to end poverty." His trainer says his biggest concern is that his fighter "just might give it all way. He is that good of a guy," Roach says. "I hope it never happens."
Recipients of Pacquiao's largesse include those also attracted to apparently his biggest vice — gambling. In Bob Simon's 60 Minutes piece last summer, the CBS reporter showed Pacquiao shooting pool — with a $30,000 wager at stake, he said.
Pacquiao is an avid baccarat player and, most recently, has taken up poker.
The fighter's gambling "is a huge topic of conversation," says Abac Cordero of The Philippine Star, though as a congressman Pacquiao is not permitted to play games of chance in government-owed casinos. Then again, he visits the gaming meccas of Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Macau.
"He loses big and wins big, but he knows his limits," Cordero says.
But his devotion to religion seems to know no boundaries. A devout Catholic, Pacquiao has an almost surreal-like serenity that he says has carried him through a sometimes-difficult life.
"I always pray. Without God, we have nothing," he says. "I give him thanks. It's common sense. Without God, we are not here — He created us and the universe. It is very simple."
Source: usatoday.com
5 reasons Mosley will beat Pacquiao -- ESPN
By Diego Morilla, ESPNdeportes.com
LAS VEGAS -- Epic is the best way to describe this Saturday's welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) and Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs). As surprising or predictable as the result may be, it is quite unlikely for us to see anything new from these two all-time greats.
Their styles are battle-tested, their strengths and weaknesses are well known, and they have accomplished enough to open their own private Hall of Fames out of the garages of their mansions. With rare exceptions, the fights that they may make after this one will be done, regardless of the outcome of this fight and without it being a determining factor in the ensuing negotiations. This is one of those rare fights in which the worst-case scenario is a fight well above the current average, and in the best possible case it will be an epic and historic performance.
There are several ways this fight can play out. Here are five potential reasons Mosley could win:
1. Size does matter
Mosley was one of the most dominant lightweight champs in recent memory, and his great physique has carried him up to welterweight and beyond without losing steam, speed, mobility or ability to absorb punishment. Regardless of how much he has grown, Pacquiao is a fighter who has seen his best years at and around featherweight, and he is simply stretching himself too thin (or too heavy, in this case) in his search for opponents worthy of his skills and his box-office appeal. If Mosley is able to impose his longer reach and larger frame, he will have an additional advantage to go with his agility and world-class boxing skills.
2. Mosley never quits
He was counted out too many times, as recently (and as wrongly) as in the days prior to his annihilation of Antonio Margarito in his prime. He was handed a one-way ticket to retirement on several occasions, and the fat lady was summoned ringside for the long-awaited curtain call once too many. But the truth is that Mosley fights on as if his career was in its best days, with total disregard for his critics. The recent news that Pacquiao is already planning his next fight (a proposed fight in the fall against Juan Manuel Marquez) could faze anyone else, but Mosley never takes notice of such signs of disrespect toward his chances. Anybody else would have settled for a clear and less risky decision victory against Margarito or Ricardo Mayorga, but Mosley laid it all on the line as if he was the one with something to prove. If he can maintain his intensity against the whirlwind of unpredictable activity that is Pacquiao, he will probably be able to surprise the Filipino great toward the end of a stressful and difficult fight.
3. The future is today
In spite of what we have said earlier, and as laudable as is Mosley's approach toward boxing's adversities, the truth is that a well prepared and trim 39-year-old body is still a 39-year-old body. As the division he fights in gets crowded with younger, faster and tougher contenders, with each fight Mosley gives up energy and youth he will never possess again. Because of his attractive style and his complete devotion to the sport, he has been able to fight the most outstanding fighters of his time. But those opportunities grow more scarce, and his current situation cannot tolerate one more defeat. This fight represents his last chance to achieve the type of economic and professional reward that he deserves, and if he makes good use of this chance he may reach an even greater level of respect from the boxing world.
4. His legacy could use a more solid foundation
One year ago, Mosley was decisively winning the second round of a 12-round fight against boxing's pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Since then, he has fought 22 more rounds that could easily be considered between mediocre and acceptable, preceded by two brilliant performances against Margarito and Mayorga. In sum, Mosley is 2-2-1 in his last five outings. If he wants to leave behind a legacy worthy of his talent, Mosley know he has to weather everything Pacquiao offers him and up the ante on every minute of every round, with the minimum goal of an honorable defeat in mind, and with the ultimate goal of pulling the upset and looking dominant in the process.
5. This is his last shot at true greatness
In this fight, Mosley will manage the rare feat of being one of the very few fighters to face one of the world's best fighters twice in a 12-month span. Last May 1, Mosley faced Mayweather, who was then perceived as boxing's pound-for-pound king. It ended in an honorable but clear defeat for Mosley. Mayweather has not fought since that day. Pacquiao (perceived by many as the second-best in that mythical list during those days, or even a step higher) has now moved to the top spot. In spite of being defeated against a younger and faster fighter that night, Mosley showed flashes of his former self (especially in the fateful second round, in which he had Mayweather on the brink of a knockdown, or perhaps something worse). We do not exaggerate if we say Mosley had the tools to put on a much better performance that night. He still has another chance. In spite of being the underdog, he has the tools to pull off the upset that could bring him back to the top -- and on to true, everlasting greatness.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
LAS VEGAS -- Epic is the best way to describe this Saturday's welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) and Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs). As surprising or predictable as the result may be, it is quite unlikely for us to see anything new from these two all-time greats.
Their styles are battle-tested, their strengths and weaknesses are well known, and they have accomplished enough to open their own private Hall of Fames out of the garages of their mansions. With rare exceptions, the fights that they may make after this one will be done, regardless of the outcome of this fight and without it being a determining factor in the ensuing negotiations. This is one of those rare fights in which the worst-case scenario is a fight well above the current average, and in the best possible case it will be an epic and historic performance.
There are several ways this fight can play out. Here are five potential reasons Mosley could win:
1. Size does matter
Mosley was one of the most dominant lightweight champs in recent memory, and his great physique has carried him up to welterweight and beyond without losing steam, speed, mobility or ability to absorb punishment. Regardless of how much he has grown, Pacquiao is a fighter who has seen his best years at and around featherweight, and he is simply stretching himself too thin (or too heavy, in this case) in his search for opponents worthy of his skills and his box-office appeal. If Mosley is able to impose his longer reach and larger frame, he will have an additional advantage to go with his agility and world-class boxing skills.
2. Mosley never quits
He was counted out too many times, as recently (and as wrongly) as in the days prior to his annihilation of Antonio Margarito in his prime. He was handed a one-way ticket to retirement on several occasions, and the fat lady was summoned ringside for the long-awaited curtain call once too many. But the truth is that Mosley fights on as if his career was in its best days, with total disregard for his critics. The recent news that Pacquiao is already planning his next fight (a proposed fight in the fall against Juan Manuel Marquez) could faze anyone else, but Mosley never takes notice of such signs of disrespect toward his chances. Anybody else would have settled for a clear and less risky decision victory against Margarito or Ricardo Mayorga, but Mosley laid it all on the line as if he was the one with something to prove. If he can maintain his intensity against the whirlwind of unpredictable activity that is Pacquiao, he will probably be able to surprise the Filipino great toward the end of a stressful and difficult fight.
3. The future is today
In spite of what we have said earlier, and as laudable as is Mosley's approach toward boxing's adversities, the truth is that a well prepared and trim 39-year-old body is still a 39-year-old body. As the division he fights in gets crowded with younger, faster and tougher contenders, with each fight Mosley gives up energy and youth he will never possess again. Because of his attractive style and his complete devotion to the sport, he has been able to fight the most outstanding fighters of his time. But those opportunities grow more scarce, and his current situation cannot tolerate one more defeat. This fight represents his last chance to achieve the type of economic and professional reward that he deserves, and if he makes good use of this chance he may reach an even greater level of respect from the boxing world.
4. His legacy could use a more solid foundation
One year ago, Mosley was decisively winning the second round of a 12-round fight against boxing's pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Since then, he has fought 22 more rounds that could easily be considered between mediocre and acceptable, preceded by two brilliant performances against Margarito and Mayorga. In sum, Mosley is 2-2-1 in his last five outings. If he wants to leave behind a legacy worthy of his talent, Mosley know he has to weather everything Pacquiao offers him and up the ante on every minute of every round, with the minimum goal of an honorable defeat in mind, and with the ultimate goal of pulling the upset and looking dominant in the process.
5. This is his last shot at true greatness
In this fight, Mosley will manage the rare feat of being one of the very few fighters to face one of the world's best fighters twice in a 12-month span. Last May 1, Mosley faced Mayweather, who was then perceived as boxing's pound-for-pound king. It ended in an honorable but clear defeat for Mosley. Mayweather has not fought since that day. Pacquiao (perceived by many as the second-best in that mythical list during those days, or even a step higher) has now moved to the top spot. In spite of being defeated against a younger and faster fighter that night, Mosley showed flashes of his former self (especially in the fateful second round, in which he had Mayweather on the brink of a knockdown, or perhaps something worse). We do not exaggerate if we say Mosley had the tools to put on a much better performance that night. He still has another chance. In spite of being the underdog, he has the tools to pull off the upset that could bring him back to the top -- and on to true, everlasting greatness.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Pacquiao wants Mosley seeing yellow stars -- AFP
By Greg Heakes, AFP
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — If Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao
gets his way on Saturday, Shane Mosley will be seeing a blur of yellow at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
"All my life I have had to fight. At first as a child I had to fight just to get something to eat," said Pacquiao. "I believe this world needs new heroes. The biggest fight in my life is not in boxing but it is now to end poverty in my country.
"So this Saturday I will wear yellow gloves as a symbol of unity."
Pacquiao marks his return to Las Vegas for the first time since November 2009 by fighting America Mosley for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title.
Tickets for the scheduled 12-round fight at the Garden Arena sold out five weeks in advance. Millions more are expected to watch the fight from the Philippines and around the world on pay-per-view television.
Pacquiao and the four-time world champion Mosley stood side-by-side and posed for pictures at a news conference in the Hollywood Theater inside the MGM hotel on Wednesday.
They spoke briefly from the podium which also featured trainers, managers and support staff from both camps. Promoter Bob Arum said they are pleased bring Pacquiao back to Las Vegas after staging both of Pacquiao's fights last year at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
"We had two fights in the stadium in Dallas we are happy to be back here in Las Vegas," Arum said. "Las Vegas needs to have these kinds of fights."
The outgoing mayor of Las Vegas Oscar Goodman and Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Hill were also in attendance. Goodman presented both fighters with "good luck mayor gambling chips". The Grammy-award winning Hill has teammed up with aspiring singer Pacquiao who regularly covers Hill's classic 1970's ballad "Sometimes When We Touch".
No doubt Hill will get an invite to Pacquiao's post-fight "Beach Party" at the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel where 'Pac-Man' plans to perform with his band.
Pacquiao warmed up for the occasion by singing a line from the song at Wednesday's news conference.
The announcement of the Beach Party and Pacquiao's planned singing engagement immediately after the title fight drew chuckles from the Mosley camp. But there was no trash talking as the camps kept their distance.
The 39-year-old Mosley, of Los Angeles, may have a 3 1/2 inch height advantage and 7 1/2 inch reach advantage but he gives away seven years in age to the younger and heavily favoured Pacquiao.
Mosley said he doesn't mind being the underdog.
"That's fine. My goal is to get the victory and the win. We can talk about me being the underdog after the fight.
"I can do all the things I used to do five years ago. Don't ask me about 10 years ago because I can't remember back that far," Mosley joked.
Pacquiao said he had enjoyed one of his best training camps ever and is hoping to validate that by do something no other boxer has been able to achieve before: prevent Mosley from going the distance.
Mosley has gone 53 fights in his 18-year career without being knocked out.
The Filipino southpaw said the last time he trained this hard for a fight was 2008 when he fought Oscar de la Hoya and beat him in eight rounds.
"I am 100 percent and I would never underestimate Mosley," Pacquiao said. "He is not old. He moves like a 31-year old and he still has a lot of speed."
Pacquiao has won 13 fights in a row and has not lost in nearly six years. In that span he has dispatched such stars as de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao has also claimed world titles in eight weight classes. He typically divides his time training for a fight between the Philippines and the USA but for this fight they decided to make a change.
So they spent five weeks, instead of three, training in Los Angeles.
"We are ready for this fight," trainer Freddie Roach said. "This has been our best training camp ever and Manny is in the best shape. He has to be because we are fighting one of the most crafty fighters ever in Shane Mosley."
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — If Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao gets his way on Saturday, Shane Mosley will be seeing a blur of yellow at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.The eight-division world champion and Filipino congressman plans to wear yellow boxing gloves in the ring for his world title fight Saturday as a symbol of his struggle to end poverty in his native Philippines.
"All my life I have had to fight. At first as a child I had to fight just to get something to eat," said Pacquiao. "I believe this world needs new heroes. The biggest fight in my life is not in boxing but it is now to end poverty in my country.
"So this Saturday I will wear yellow gloves as a symbol of unity."
Pacquiao marks his return to Las Vegas for the first time since November 2009 by fighting America Mosley for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title.
Tickets for the scheduled 12-round fight at the Garden Arena sold out five weeks in advance. Millions more are expected to watch the fight from the Philippines and around the world on pay-per-view television.
Pacquiao and the four-time world champion Mosley stood side-by-side and posed for pictures at a news conference in the Hollywood Theater inside the MGM hotel on Wednesday.
They spoke briefly from the podium which also featured trainers, managers and support staff from both camps. Promoter Bob Arum said they are pleased bring Pacquiao back to Las Vegas after staging both of Pacquiao's fights last year at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
"We had two fights in the stadium in Dallas we are happy to be back here in Las Vegas," Arum said. "Las Vegas needs to have these kinds of fights."
The outgoing mayor of Las Vegas Oscar Goodman and Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Hill were also in attendance. Goodman presented both fighters with "good luck mayor gambling chips". The Grammy-award winning Hill has teammed up with aspiring singer Pacquiao who regularly covers Hill's classic 1970's ballad "Sometimes When We Touch".
No doubt Hill will get an invite to Pacquiao's post-fight "Beach Party" at the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel where 'Pac-Man' plans to perform with his band.
Pacquiao warmed up for the occasion by singing a line from the song at Wednesday's news conference.
The announcement of the Beach Party and Pacquiao's planned singing engagement immediately after the title fight drew chuckles from the Mosley camp. But there was no trash talking as the camps kept their distance.
The 39-year-old Mosley, of Los Angeles, may have a 3 1/2 inch height advantage and 7 1/2 inch reach advantage but he gives away seven years in age to the younger and heavily favoured Pacquiao.
Mosley said he doesn't mind being the underdog.
"That's fine. My goal is to get the victory and the win. We can talk about me being the underdog after the fight.
"I can do all the things I used to do five years ago. Don't ask me about 10 years ago because I can't remember back that far," Mosley joked.
Pacquiao said he had enjoyed one of his best training camps ever and is hoping to validate that by do something no other boxer has been able to achieve before: prevent Mosley from going the distance.
Mosley has gone 53 fights in his 18-year career without being knocked out.
The Filipino southpaw said the last time he trained this hard for a fight was 2008 when he fought Oscar de la Hoya and beat him in eight rounds.
"I am 100 percent and I would never underestimate Mosley," Pacquiao said. "He is not old. He moves like a 31-year old and he still has a lot of speed."
Pacquiao has won 13 fights in a row and has not lost in nearly six years. In that span he has dispatched such stars as de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao has also claimed world titles in eight weight classes. He typically divides his time training for a fight between the Philippines and the USA but for this fight they decided to make a change.
So they spent five weeks, instead of three, training in Los Angeles.
"We are ready for this fight," trainer Freddie Roach said. "This has been our best training camp ever and Manny is in the best shape. He has to be because we are fighting one of the most crafty fighters ever in Shane Mosley."
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
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