Manny Pacquiao Defeats Oscar De La Hoya in Court, Mayweather Next? -- Bleacher Report

By Alex Kay, Bleacher Report

Manny Pacquiao Knocks Out De La Hoya in Settlement, Continues to Attack Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao is back in the news today because he has supposedly reached a settlement with Oscar de La Hoya and Richard Schaefer on a defamation lawsuit filed back in December 2009.

The suit was based on allegations that those two, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his uncle and father, made against Pacquiao suggesting he uses performance-enhancing drugs.

The Mayweather clan did not reach a settlement, and in fact over the last few weeks has been throwing out more public allegations that Pacquiao is scared to take a drug test and continues to use PEDs.

Two weeks ago Mayweather’s girlfriend, Shantel Jackson, posted a picture to her twitter feed of a ‘Take the Test’ t-shirt obviously aimed at Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been out of boxing since mid-2010 and is facing a litany of separate charges for issues unrelated to his dealings with Pacquiao.

He refuses to step into the ring unless Pacquaio submits to Olympic style drug testing of his blood and urine, which Mayweather has stated he would also undergo. He does so under the banner of his larger crusade, to get a higher standard of drug testing into all of American sports.

While Mayweather’s cause may seem noble, his stance and refusal to negotiate with Pacquiao is depriving boxing fans of one of the most anticipated fights in history.

We can only hope that the two come to terms on a rational agreement sometime in the near future and the two men step into the ring for an unforgettable bout.

Source: bleacherreport.com

Berto's low blow: implies Ortiz used PEDs -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN

When Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto threw down on April 16 in one of the best fights of the year, it excited so many fans. Both went down twice and combined to produce a sixth round for the ages.

Ortiz, who won the decision, earned redemption in the eyes of many who believed he lacked heart after he quit against Marcos Maidana in 2009. Berto, although he lost his welterweight belt, earned more respect in defeat than he had ever garnered in victory because, after years of taking fat HBO checks to fight second-tier opponents, he finally faced a serious one in his prime.

They both proved their mettle, thrilled fans and made us all look forward to their future fights -- including, hopefully, a rematch.

Now, six weeks later, Berto has ruined the glow with a serious case of sour grapes by spouting the popular insult of the day: the insinuation/accusation that there is no way a fighter can be as good as he seemed in the ring, so he must be using performance-enhancing drugs.

That's what Berto shamefully did Wednesday, taking to his Twitter page for a series of remarks about Ortiz and voicing his belief that his performance came by way of less-than-natural means:

• "Let me clear the air now!! You're right there is a reason why Ortiz had so much energy, a reason he could take my heavy shots and keep ticking."

• "[And] there is a reason why he came into the ring 165 pounds. I know people close to him and his camp and I know exactly [what] he was taking."

• "It wasn't Flintstone vitamins!! But it is what it is. I should [have] beat him anyways, but it wasn't me that night. Ortiz wasn't him either, lol."

Want to demean your opponent's performance or deflect from your own? Just toss out the PED notion, facts or proof be damned.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and those around him have been doing it to pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao for the past couple of years without a shred of evidence. Pacquiao has an ongoing lawsuit against them regarding the accusations.

Golden Boy Promotions executives Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya just settled the same lawsuit with Pacquiao on Tuesday -- the day before Berto dumped all over Ortiz.

While promoting his May 21 rematch with Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal heavily insinuated that Hopkins must have been on something when they fought for the first time in December because there was no way a 45-year-old could perform so well against a man who was 29 and in his prime. In a show of childlike emotion, Pascal hollered, "Take the test!" at Hopkins over and over during a media appearance, a reference to taking blood tests to prove he was clean.

Hopkins, who, at age 46, beat Pascal in the rematch, has been considering a lawsuit against him.

And now you have Berto playing the PED card.

Not long after his comments denigrating Ortiz, Berto tweeted, "Never bitter, never sour. Ortiz fought a good fight and got the W. I take my L like a man [and] come back better. I am looking forward [to] the rematch."

Sorry to say that accusing your opponent of using PEDs with no evidence is not taking your loss like a man. It's pathetic.

Ortiz appeared to take the accusations in stride, tweeting, "Berto needs to stop. I'll have to hurt him again. Me, I guess [I'm] not too bad for not having a heart or courage. ;)"

A few hours later, Ortiz added, "Bottom line, I'll take any blood tests necessary and body tissue test to silence anyone."

Berto, inundated with remarks ripping him for his comments, tried to back off with another tweet: "Wow, why does everyone's mind go straight to PEDs. Calm down everyone, I was just talking about Ortiz eating his spinach like Popeye, lol."

Yeah, right. I bet the dog ate his homework, too. Although Ortiz's comments showed he was rolling with Berto's low blows, his manager, Rolando Arellano, was not so easygoing.

"Victor has never in the past or present, and will never in the future, use any performance-enhancement drugs," Arellano told me. "We will take any and all anti-doping tests, if necessary. Victor beat him at 70 percent of his full capacity as a fighter. Andre should focus on his performance and not look for meritless excuses. Out of courtesy, I am asking him to cease and desist [these] intentional, malicious, false and wrongful statements. They are tainting Victor's flawless reputation in the public eye. Failure to do so will result in legal action."

Instead of continuing to make a fool of himself, Berto might want to pay close attention to Arellano's last comment, then think about what just happened with Schaefer and De La Hoya over the Pacquiao accusations.

Source: espn.go.com

Ward forever linked to former champion Gatti following their three epic bouts -- The Canadian Press

By Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press

VAUGHAN, Ont. — Arturo Gatti will forever remain in (Irish) Micky Ward's heart.

The two will forever be linked as a result of their three brutally bloody but epic bouts. But to Ward, his Montreal rival was much more than just another opponent.

The two men became close friends outside the ring, with Gatti asking Ward if he was OK following their third bout as they shared a hospital room.

And Ward says he was devastated at the news of Gatti's death nearly two years ago.

"To this day, I think about him almost every day," Ward said Thursday after serving as the guest drawmaster for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. "I tried to kill him in the ring, not literally kill him but beat him anyway I could and I miss him like a brother.''

Ward, 45, fought 51 times as a professional, compiling a 38-13 record with 27 knockouts. He held eight different world boxing titles and served as the inspiration for the Oscar-winning movie The Fighter.

But the 45-year-old American will forever be known for his legendary bouts with Gatti, the first and third being voted as Ring Magazine's fights of the year for 2002 and '03.

The fights with Gatti were also the most lucrative of Ward's illustrious career. He reportedly earned US$3 million for the trilogy.

"They mean so much," he said. "I made a lot of money from those fights but more than that I made a great friend and we'll go down in history as one of the great trilogies in boxing.

"I was just so fortunate when he was living to be able to fight him and say he was my friend because he was a great person, a great champion and just a great guy.''

Ward and Gatti fought for the first time May 18 2002, with Ward registering a ninth-round knockdown of Gatti en route to a majority decision. Ring Magazine voted the bout as its top one of that year.

Six month later the two met in a rematch, with Gatti earning the hard-fought victory. In the third round, Gatti knocked Ward down, but the Irish-American not only got up but finished the bout.

The third and final fight went May 7, 2003 and again was a roller-coaster affair. Gatti dominated early however was knocked down by Ward in the sixth round.

However, Gatti went on to record the unanimous decision as both fighters again required hospital visits to deal with injuries suffered in the bout. For the second straight year, Ring Magazine named the fight its top one of '03.

"I was lying in a hospital bed and the doctor treating me says, 'There's someone who wants to see you,' and pulls the curtain back and there's Gatti," Ward said. "He looked at me and asked if I was OK.''

So what was it about the two fighters that made them bring out the best in each other?

"I think our styles were just made for each other," Ward said. "I mean he could box, which he showed in the second and third fights.

"I think we were both cut from the same cloth. We'd fight until the end . . . we had a lot in common.''

Ward's career wasn't without its pitfalls.

A three-time Golden Gloves champion in New England, Ward turned pro in 1985 and won his first 14 bouts. But after four straight losses, he left the sport in 1991 and worked paving roads.

It was then that Ward underwent surgery on his right hand — where bone from his pelvis was used to strengthen and fuse bones in the hand. And when his half-brother Dicky Eklund, who was also a former boxer, was released from jail on charges that included drug possession, he convinced Ward to return to the ring.

Ward ultimately did in 1994 and two years later captured the WBU Intercontinental light welterweight title. In 2000, at age 34, Ward claimed the WBU world light welterweight crown with a technical knockout of England's Shea (The Shamrock Express) Neary.

These days boxing has taken a back seat among fight fans with the emergence of the hugely popular UFC and mixed marital arts in general. While Ward believes boxing will never fade away, he does say the sport is in desperate need of a huge bout involving name fighters — like a welterweight mega showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., for example — to reclaim its lustre.

"We need a big fight out there,'' Ward said. "We need a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

"That's the fight that's going to bring the fans back to boxing. Hopefully they can fight and if not, I don't think boxing is going to go anywhere but hopefully they do.''

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source: google.com