Pacquiao again shows he's a headliner -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

By TIM DAHLBERG, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Manny Pacquiao always was going to get his $20 million. That was part of the deal that lured him to Las Vegas, where wealthy whales and B-list celebrities gathered ringside to watch him beat up yet another pretender to his crown.

On this night his opponent was a reluctant combatant, there seemingly only to get his big payday. But Pacquiao wasn't about to let that ruin his plans for a big evening on the Strip.

He fought poverty, beat Shane Mosley and shared a dais with Paris Hilton. The president of the Philippines called to chat, and then it was off with his massive entourage for a concert at a neighboring casino.

All in a night's work for the little fighter who can.

"People know I'm trying to do my best," Pacquiao said. "I think they're satisfied."

Hard not to be when the most entertaining fighter since Mike Tyson worked as hard inside the ring as he did later in a concert that stretched into the wee hours of the morning. It wasn't Pacquiao's fault that Mosley spent most of Saturday night trying to find a spot between the ropes where Pacquiao couldn't hit him rather than try to put up a good fight.

Hilton seemed happy about it all. The faux celebrity joined Pacquiao and his wife at the postfight news conference to give her analysis of the fight, and the verdict was, well, favorable. "It was a very amazing fight," she said.

Others who might know boxing a bit better probably would disagree, but Pacquiao couldn't do a lot about it. He floored Mosley with a left hook in the third round and spent the rest of the night chasing after him despite a cramp in his left leg that made his opponent even harder to catch.

Much like with Tyson in his prime, though, Pacquiao mostly got a pass for his choice of opponent. Though the 16,412 fans at the sold-out MGM Grand Garden booed in the later rounds, they were booing Mosley, not Pacquiao, for a fight that dragged on for 12 rounds before coming to a predictable end.

Indeed, most fans -- Hilton included -- seemed to be happy just to see Pacquiao in action. That's the lure of the Filipino phenom, who continues to be the sport's biggest draw even while being fed a questionable diet of opponents in recent fights.

Mosley was the latest, a fighter who looked shot in his bout last year with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and looked even worse against Pacquiao.

Once a great fighter, Mosley at the age of 39 lacks the reflexes to compete anymore even if he refuses to recognize it.

"I don't think he tried to win the fight; he just tried to survive," said Freddie Roach, who trains Pacquiao. "When you get to that point in boxing, it's time to call it a day."

Promoter Bob Arum tried to defend his pick of Mosley as Pacquiao's latest victim, saying Pacquiao is so good that no fighter can look good against him.

That's bogus, because other fighters out there not only could give Pacquiao a challenge but conceivably could beat him.

No. 1 at the top of that list, as everyone in boxing knows, is Mayweather, who seems as reluctant to sign for a fight with Pacquiao as Mosley was to put up a fight with him.

But the clamor for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has died down with Mayweather inactive and facing legal problems that could land him in jail, and that fight seems even longer away than it was before.

Next up for Pacquiao likely will be a third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought to a disputed draw with Pacquiao in 2004 and then lost a split decision to him two years later.

But, while that fight is somewhat intriguing, Marquez is basically a lightweight while Pacquiao has grown into a full-blown welterweight who would have a big size advantage.

Pacquiao will make another $20 million regardless of who is in the ring with him. That's big money for any fighter, even if a fight with Mayweather conceivably could double that purse.

Before that happens, though, Pacquiao has stuff to do back home. The biggest sports hero the Philippines has had also is a congressman trying to build a hospital in his province, and the yellow gloves he wore in the fight were, he said, a symbol of the fight to end poverty in his native country.

He might or might not go down as one of the greatest fighters ever. That will be for boxing historians to decide when his career is over.

But as his excellent weekend in Las Vegas showed, he might be the hardest working fighter ever.

Tim Dahlberg is a Las Vegas-based national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or at http://twitter.com/timdahlberg.

Source: lvrj.com

Shane, don't come back! -- New York Post

By George Willis, NY Post

LAS VEGAS -- Sugar Shane Mosley has started his own promotional company and hopes to build it into a viable business in the boxing industry. He should make it his new full-time job after his disappointing performance against Manny Pacquiao Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The last thing anyone envisioned was Mosley, a three-division champion, basically running away from Pacquiao for most of the 12-round welterweight championship. But that's what happened after Pacquiao dropped Mosley with a straight left hand in the third round. Mosley spent the rest of the fight trying not to get clocked again.

"It didn't seem like a big shot when he threw it," Mosley said of the knockdown punch. "But the impact of it was strong."

Mosley barely survived the third round, but made sure he'd survive the rest of the fight, staying in constant retreat with gloves up and seldom engaging the pursuing Pacquiao. Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) complained a blister on the sole of his right foot was a distraction and limited his ability to be aggressive. "I was at a disadvantage," he said.

Mosley's safety-first approach frustrated a sellout crowd of 16,412 as well as Pacquiao, who wanted to earn his $20 million purse.

"The people want to see exchanging punches," Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) said. "They want to see a good fight. That's what I want. But Mosley doesn't want to fight toe-to-toe. He's always running. Every time I want to throw a lot of punches, he goes away.

"I was expecting him to fight with me at least five rounds of the 12 rounds, to fight toe-to-toe with me so we can give a good fight; we can test our power and stamina. But what am I going to do when my opponent doesn't want to fight toe-to-toe? It's not my fault."

Judges awarded Pacquiao 34 of the 36 rounds scored. Mosley, who earned $5 million, won the 10th round on one judge's card and a 10-10 draw on another when he was credited for a knockdown. Replays showed he clearly pushed Pacquiao, who dominated the rest of the round.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said it's time for Mosley to consider retirement.

"I don't think he tried to win the fight," Roach said. "He just tried to survive and when you get to that point in boxing, it's time to call it a day."

Mosley said he'll contemplate his future during a long vacation. He's 0-2-1 over his last three fights, including one-sided defeats to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and now Pacquiao. He looked his age in both fights.

"At 39 I still feel young, but I guess Father Time catches up with you," Mosley said.

Mannymania is only going to build, but just who his next opponent will be is a complicated issue. Top Rank boss Bob Arum said it will be Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah.

Top Rank will be sending a contract proposal today to Marquez, but Golden Boy Promotions has the right of first refusal on Marquez. That means if Golden Boy wants to keep Marquez, it'll have to guarantee him the same money he'd make in a Pacquiao fight against another opponent.

Pacquiao won't fight a Golden Boy fighter until his defamation suit against the company is settled. Pacquiao is suing Golden Boy over comments made suggesting Pacquiao might have used performance-enhancing drugs.

A third fight with Marquez only takes place if he's no longer under contract to Golden Boy Promotions. Otherwise it's Bradley or Judah in November.

Mayweather has been inactive for a year and has two legal cases pending.

Mayweather already indicated he would want a tune-up bout before fighting Pacquiao. So don't look for Pacquiao-Mayweather until 2012 at the earliest.

george.willis@nypost.com

Source: nypost.com

Floyd Mayweather remains logical next foe for Manny Pacquiao; just don't hold your breath -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, Grand Rapids Press

Manny Pacquiao couldn’t stop Shane Mosley because it’s hard to knock out someone who won’t fight.

Still, Pacquiao maintained his place on the pound-for-pound throne, forced some marketplace contemplation at HBO by taking the fight to Showtime’s pay-per-view arm (they may not have the equal subscriber bases, but they reach the same PPV providers), and kept a six-year unbeaten streak intact.

With all that said, a few things of note:

Floyd Mayweather remains the opponent who makes the most sense for Pacquiao -- remember back when people used to worry about who was the most sensible opponent for Mayweather? -- but it’s illogical to expect it this year.

If they haven’t fought by 2013 -- remember when we thought they might have fought twice, even three times by then? -- then it’s probably illogical to expect it, ever.

So if they defy logic yet again, super. You would think a fight almost certain to be the richest in history, between two men fortunate to share the same weight division simultaneously, would be rubber-stamped. Then money, steroid talk, blood testing, blood rivalry, a lawsuit and a lot of ego got in the way.

Mayweather hasn’t fought in 374 days, and counting, with no firm plan to fight, much less a firm fight planned. He panned Pacquiao-Mosley beforehand by urging fans, via Twitter, to watch Lady Gaga on HBO instead, as if they shared demographics.

If Mayweather is still that concerned about boxing, and taking the play away from Pacquiao, he remains the most empowered and best equipped to do something about it.

Mayweather-Pacquiao wouldn’t make or break boxing, which may never be makable again, and certainly isn’t breakable. There are plenty of fights that fight fans want.

There’s only one that sports fans want.

Pacquiao’s most likely next opponent is Juan Manuel Marquez, whom he has faced twice previously, in epic fights at much lighter weights. They fought to a 2004 draw that Marquez dominated after suffering three first-round knockdowns, and a 2008 Pacquiao split decision. Plenty of people argue that Marquez won both.

Those fights were at 126 and 130 pounds. Pacquiao now fights at 147. Marquez has fought heavier than 135 only once, when he weighed 142 and Mayweather routed him for 12 rounds. Mayweather was criticized for making his comeback, after a 21-month layoff, against a much smaller foe. Now, Pacquiao is braced to face the same fighter, at approximately the same weight, three years later.

Maybe that’s why Mayweather criticizes Pacquiao for fighting his pre-tenderized victims -- Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Mosley and perhaps Marquez.

So is there any reason to watch Pacquiao-Marquez III?

Yes, because in the absence of a Mayweather fight, Pacquiao needs a measuring stick to judge himself against ... himself.

A third Marquez fight could indicate how much Pacquiao has improved in the past three years, against someone who offers a familiar template. And if it ends up another survival struggle, at a weight where Marquez didn’t look comfortable last time, then perhaps promoter Bob Arum’s hyperbole that Pacquiao is the best fighter he has ever seen would warrant reconsideration.

That is, unless Marquez is to Pacquiao as Ken Norton was to another Arum-promoted fighter of some note, Muhammad Ali.

Arum never has done a better job than with Pacquiao, who has done his part by winning big and endearing himself to the buying public and adoring countrymen in the Philippines, while the promoter serves up big-name has-beens at the perfect time in their athletic descent.

Arum has encouraged Pacquiao to keep alive the defamation lawsuit against Mayweather and others, related to steroid accusations, as a bargaining chip. And since December 2009, boxing’s biggest promoter has convinced everyone that boxing’s biggest fight has somehow, mysteriously, escaped his arbitrating, negotiating, cajoling, compromising control.

Meantime, Arum has fed Pacquiao three of his own fighters -- Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito -- and free-agent Mosley, all of whom got big paydays for fighting the king of Arum’s Top Rank stable. Arum keeps all the promotional profits while feeding Pacquiao easy-to-make fights against opponents his company knows well, and considers safe. Pacquiao wins and earns. Mayweather sits and tweets.

Barnum and Bailey had nothing on Bob Arum.

Shane Mosley grabbed a payday. Let’s hope it’s his last.

E-mail David Mayo: dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo

Source: mlive.com

Pacquiao clobbers Mosley to retain WBO welterweight title -- China Post

The China Post

LAS VEGAS, Nevada--Philippine master Manny Pacquiao retained the World Boxing Organization welterweight title on Saturday by beating American Shane Mosley to extend his winning streak to 14 bouts.
Pacquiao came out strong in the third round, knocking Mosley down with a straight left hand and then went on to earn a unanimous decision in front of a sellout crowd of 16,000 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The mainly partisan Filipino crowd, clad in yellow to match Pacquiao's gloves, were delighted to see their hero get the decision 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107.

“He felt my power,” Pacquiao, 32, said. “I wanted to fight toe to toe. I did my best to give a good fight.”

Pacquiao, a 10-time world champion in a record eight weight divisions, was making the second defense of his current welterweight crown.

The southpaw from Sarangani, who suffered from leg cramps in the middle rounds, dominated from the opening round as Mosley spent the majority of the fight in full retreat, bringing back memories for Pacquiao of his fight with Joshua Clottey.

Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) was the aggressor, continuing to push forward and trying without success to go for the knockout, especially in the third and 11th and 12th rounds.

After the fight, the multi-talented Pacquiao was scheduled to head across the Las Vegas strip to the Mandalay Bay hotel for a singing engagement with his band at a “Beach Party.

Pacquiao threw 552 punches compared to just 260 for Mosley. The Filipino said his biggest problem was his legs, which started cramping in the middle rounds.

“I told my coach to press my legs because I can't move,” Pacquiao said. “My legs tightened up during the fight. I couldn't move. It is the same thing that happened to me against (Juan Manuel) Marquez. Now it has come back.”

Mosley claimed he would expose Pacquiao's weaknesses but there was no turning back the clock for the 39-year-old four-time world champion, who looked every bit his age.

Pacquiao's knockdown in the third round was just the third time in Mosley's 18-year career that the American challenger has hit the canvas. Mosley's main goal appeared to be simply keeping his record of never being knocked out intact.

“Mosley is not slow,” Pacquiao said. “He's fast and I had to be cautious of his counter-punch.”

Mosley (46-7-1, 27 KOs) managed to succeed in not getting knocked out but was booed loudly, especially in the eighth and ninth rounds.

Referee Kenny Bayless awarded Mosley a suspect knockdown in the 10th round as television replays showed that Pacquiao was throwing a punch off balance, slipped and went down with a little help from Mosley's right hand.

Mosley denied that he is showing his age.

“You can't blame age,” Mosley said. “Manny is an exceptional fighter. He truly is the pound-for-pound king. He has speed and power that I have never felt before.

“He surprised me with that power with the knockdown. That's the most legitimate knockdown on me in a long time.”

Indeed it is the first time Mosley has been knocked down in nine years, since losing to Vernon Forrest in 12 rounds.

Pacquiao earned close to US$15 million while Mosley collected about US$5 million.

With Mosley out of the way, Pacquiao expects to fight next in November, possibly against Marquez.

Pacquiao was supposed to fight Floyd Mayweather last year but the fight fell through in a dispute over drug testing. Pacquiao said Saturday that his legacy is solid with or without a Mayweather fight.

Source: chinapost.com.tw

Pacquiao's boxing foes are fading from the scene -- AFP

By Greg Heakes, AFP

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Manny Pacquiao continues to jackhammer his way through the boxing ranks and his 12-round demolition of Shane Mosley may have sent another of the sport's all-time greats into retirement.

Pacquiao's opponents are dropping like flies as heading into Saturday's fight four of his last five foes have not fought since losing to him, and Mosley could very well likely continue that trend.

"He felt my power and that is why he didn't want to fight toe-to-toe," Pacquiao said. "Every time I wanted to throw a lot of punches he was running away."

The 32-year-old Filipino congressman pummelled challenger Mosley to earn a unanimous decision, defending his World Boxing Organization welterweight title with his 14th straight win.

Mosley's hasty retreat made him look all of his 39 years and Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach urged the American challenger to join the growing list of elite boxers who have disappeared from the scene after losing to Pac-Man.

"He (Mosley) didn't try to win," Roach said. "He just tried to survive and when you get to that point in boxing it is time to call it a day."

Oscar de la Hoya retired after losing to the Pacquiao while Antonio Margarito, Ricky Hatton and Joshua Clottey haven't been seen in the ring since.

Margarito suffered a savage beating at the hands of Pacquiao in November and is still recovering from surgery to repair a fractured right eye socket.

"I was expecting him to fight with me at least five of the 12 rounds so we can test our power," Pacquiao said of Mosley, who lost for just the seventh time in his 18-year career. "But my opponent just ran and ran."

Pacquiao knocked Mosley down in the third round and suffered a knockdown of his own in the 10th. The knockdown of Pacquiao appeared to be Mosley's best moment in the fight but referee Kenny Bayless admitted later he had made a mistake and apologized after the fight, says Roach.

Pacquiao has not lost a fight in six years, leaving many boxing observers to wonder what challenges there are out there for him.

A fight with Floyd Mayweather seems unlikely so the three names being thrown into a hat include Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and Zab Judah.

If something can't be worked out with one of those three, Pacquiao could also engage in a rematch with Miguel Cotto.

"Manny Pacquiao offers them the most opportunity from the standpoint of the biggest monetary factor," said promoter Bob Arum.

With Mosley out of the way, Pacquiao expects to fight next in November and a third showdown with Marquez is the match-up most mentioned.

Said Roach: "Marquez seems to have Manny's number. He is a tough guy and he comes to fight.

"I would like to shut him up because he keeps saying he got robbed. Marquez is still the best challenge out there for us and I think it would sell."

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Source: google.com

Manny Pacquiao, and fight fans, are irked at Shane Mosley's performance Saturday night -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Las Vegas — It takes quite a bit to get Manny Pacquiao upset, but Shane Mosley accomplished the feat Saturday night with his unwillingness to engage in what a million-plus people paid millions of dollars to watch: a fight.

"I expected him toe-to-toe with me for at least five of the 12 rounds," Pacquiao said after cruising to a one-sided, unanimous-decision victory over Mosley at MGM Grand Garden Arena. "I want to give people a good fight."

Instead, Pomona's Mosley (46-7-1) shrunk from the ring courage that made him a three-division world champion and certain boxing Hall of Famer. Now, at a badly slowing 39, he appears a lock for retirement at best or clinging to bouts on a second-tier circuit at worst.

Pacquiao was so miffed after the 12th round, he turned his back to 9-to-1 underdog Mosley rather than shake hands, and walked to his corner. Pacquiao knocked Mosley down in the third round, and hurt him so much in the 11th that Mosley went into full retreat en route to being out-punched, 182-82.

"Will Showtime or HBO use him again?" Pacquiao's similarly bitter trainer Freddie Roach asked about Mosley. "No . . . way. . . . From round one, he never took a step forward at us all night. When fighters don't try to win, it's time to retire."

Mosley, who earned more than $5 million for the appearance, said after the fight he was "not calling it quits" yet, and anticipated the next few months to be spent in "vacation, relaxation, enjoying the fruits of my labor."

Mosley's departure leaves Pacquiao (53-3-2) in line for a likely Nov. 5 bout in Las Vegas against either Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, Palm Springs' Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah, promoter Bob Arum said late Saturday.

World lightweight champion Marquez met with Arum on Saturday morning and rejected a $5-million guarantee.

Arum has promised to "revise" the offer by early next week, and Marquez will then take that proposal to his promoter Golden Boy Promotions, which has the chance to match any offer Marquez receives from an opposing promoter through next year. Golden Boy has hinted at offering Marquez a lucrative late-fall bout against world super-welterweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

Marquez has fought Pacquiao tough twice — a 2004 draw and a 2008 split-decision win by Pacquiao.

"I'd like to shut him up; all the talk he does about how he was robbed," Roach said of Marquez. "It'd be good for boxing. I know how much Manny has improved since that [last] fight."

If the Top Rank offer can be matched by Golden Boy, Arum said he'll pursue two other fighters angling for bouts against Golden Boy's Amir Khan: Bradley and Judah. Bradley is unbeaten and deciding whether he wants to accept a payday not to exceed $1.4 million against world junior-welterweight champion Khan.

Roach told reporters he doesn't find Judah appetizing for anything more than "four rounds," and said it would take a "miracle" to foresee a Pacquiao-Bradley bout.

Pacquiao said he still would take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the unbeaten fighter ever gets over his inactive spell and legal problems, but Mayweather has been off for more than a year now, so he'll likely require a tuneup bout.

"Manny has more punching power. Floyd is more technical, with great defense, speed and a high IQ," said Mosley, who now has lost to both men within a year. "The fight would be interesting."

After Saturday, boxing fans are owed "interesting" at the very least.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimespugmire
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Source: latimes.com

Pacquiao: Mosley didn't put up a fight -- San Antonio Express

By John Whisler, SA Express

LAS VEGAS — By the fourth round Saturday night, it was becoming apparent that Shane Mosley was not in it to win it.

He was passive, defensive and unwilling — or perhaps unable — to pull the trigger on his punches, having tasted Manny Pacquiao's power a round earlier when a straight left sent him careening to the canvas.

Turns out, it was only the beginning of a long evening for Mosley, who lost a lopsided 12-round decision to Pacquiao, boxing's undisputed pound-for-pound king. It was also a long night for the 16,412 fans who packed the MGM Grand Garden Arena hoping to see an entertaining evening of combative sport.

What they got instead was an episode of “Dancing With the Stars.”

From the start of their WBO welterweight title match, Mosley appeared interested only in surviving and protecting his legacy of never having been knocked out.

If that was his intent, he succeeded. But it made for a boring fight.

“I was expecting him to fight toe-to-toe at least five of the 12 rounds so we could test our power, our stamina,” Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) said afterward before heading across the street to Mandalay Bay to perform a concert. “But what could I do if my opponent doesn't want to fight? It's not my fault.”

Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) said blisters on his feet limited his mobility, while Pacquiao noted he suffered from leg cramps as early as the fourth round.

Perhaps that helps to explain Pacquiao's performance, which wasn't up to the standards that had made the congressman from the Philippines the most exciting fighter in the game.

But part of Pacquiao's subpar effort also can be traced to Mosley's reluctance to trade.

The former three-division champion looked every bit like a fighter within sight of his 40th birthday and not the speedy, explosive athlete who beat Oscar De La Hoya twice in thrilling fashion.

“You can't blame age,” Mosley said afterward. “Manny is an exceptional fighter. He has speed and power that I have never felt before.”

Whatever it was that prompted Mosley's dismal performance, the fans didn't seem to care. They booed lustily at various times after sitting through round after round of lackluster action.

But in the 10th, they were roused from their slumber by a sudden and rare sight — Pacquiao landing on the seat of his pants, courtesy of a phantom knockdown when referee Kenny Bayless mistakenly ruled that Mosley dropped Pacquiao despite not throwing a punch.

The judges apparently ignored Bayless' ruling, as none of them scored a 10-8 round for Mosley. One even gave the round to Pacquiao.

The official scorecards read 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107, all for Pacquiao.

The final punch stats further reflect the bout's one-sided nature and Mosley's reluctance to engage.

Pacquiao, who wore yellow gloves as a symbol of solidarity in the fight against poverty in his homeland, landed 182 of 552 punches and 134 of 284 power shots. Mosley landed 82 of 260 punches — half of Pacquiao's output — and a paltry 31 of 61 power shots.

The Pomona, Calif., resident will be in the hall of fame someday. But Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, he clearly wasn't in it to win it.

Source: mysanantonio.com