Miguel Cotto to face Antonio Margarito -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, who waged a blistering -- and ultimately controversial -- slugfest in 2008, will meet in a rematch on Dec. 3, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com.

Arum said he has deals with both sides, although the paperwork is not complete. Representatives for both fighters also said that they have accepted the fight and are in the process of finalizing agreements with Arum.

"We're on board and moving forward," Sergio Diaz, Margarito's co-manager said. "We've met with Bob. We want the fight. Cotto wants the fight. We're just finishing everything."

When Arum was in Puerto Rico last week to announce the signing of junior lightweight Luis Cruz to a co-promotional deal between Top Rank and Cotto's promotional company, he met with Gaby Penagaricano, Cotto's attorney.

"In our meeting, we had the opportunity to discuss all aspects of the Cotto-Margarito II deal," Penagaricano said. "Although we no doubt made progress, there are some aspects that will require further discussion (but) Miguel is certainly happy and even looking forward to having the opportunity to avenge his first loss."

The fight, for Cotto's junior middleweight title, will take place either at New York's Madison Square Garden or the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Arum said.

"We need to hammer out the site and we're doing an analysis now of New York and Las Vegas," Arum said. "The costs are so high in New York. The unions will kill you in New York."

Margarito is lucky he is able to fight after suffering a severe injury to his right eye during his lopsided decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in November. In that bout, Margarito suffered a broken orbital bone and also developed a large cataract in the right eye as a result of Pacquiao's repeated blows.

Arum hoped to make the rematch first in July and then in September, but the date was pushed deeper into the year so Margarito, who had surgery to remove the cataract in mid-May, could continue his recovery. The orbital bone has healed, Diaz said.

Diaz said that Margarito was originally told he could continue to box only as long as he didn't have cataract surgery, but that the blurry vision in his right eye would not improve. Diaz said at that point, Margarito strongly considered surgery and retirement.

"(His vision) was pretty bad, really blurry," Diaz said.

But Arum suggested that Margarito visit an eye specialist he had once seen. So Margarito arranged to visit Dr. Alan Crandall in Salt Lake City about two months ago.

"He told us Antonio's problem was very fixable and not a career-ending injury," Diaz said. "Antonio had pretty much accepted the fact that he would have surgery and have to retire. But they did this different kind of surgery that day, a half-hour surgery. They removed the cataract and put in a new lens. His vision is a whole lot better and will continue to get better. We have to do a minor laser surgery in a couple of weeks, but Antonio is going to be fine. He has been released to continue his career."

Like the first fight, the sequel will be on pay-per-view, although the company that will handle the event -- HBO or Showtime -- has not been determined. HBO PPV produced and distributed the first fight (which generated approximately 450,000 buys), but Arum said the network that he makes a deal with for the rights to the Nov. 12 pay-per-view fight between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will also land Cotto-Margarito II.

The first fight was one of the most memorable battles of 2008 and one of best fights in the rich history of the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry.

"Cotto and Margarito can't help but be a terrific fight because of their styles," Arum said. "Margarito knows how to fight only one way, and that is to come straight ahead. Cotto has to be more intelligent this time and have more gas in the tank. I talked to Cotto about that and he said, 'There's one big difference for me in this fight as opposed to the first fight, the smart old guy in my corner.'"

Puerto Rico's Cotto was referring to Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, who has been with him for his past two fights.

In the first fight, Mexico's Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) came on strong in the late rounds to stop Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs) in the 11th round of a bloody battle and take his welterweight belt on July 26, 2008 at the MGM Grand.

Margarito, who has lost two of his three fights since, was given tremendous credit for the victory as he ended Cotto's undefeated run. However, the win was eventually tainted because before his next fight, against Shane Mosley, Margarito was caught in the dressing room trying to wear loaded hand wraps containing illegal pads coated in a plaster-like substance. Mosley eventually knocked Margarito out in the in the ninth round and Margarito subsequently had his license revoked.

Because Margarito had fought Cotto in his previous fight -- and administered significant facial damage to him late in the fight -- many suspected he had gotten away with wearing illegal hand wraps.

Margarito, 33, sat out for 16 months after the license revocation before moving up to junior middleweight. He returned in his native Mexico, where he was welcomed with open arms and won a decision against low-level opponent Robert Garcia.

The hand-wrap scandal continued to swirl around Margarito, who was not licensed to fight in the United States until Texas granted him one for a November bout against Pacquiao. In their fight for a vacant junior middleweight belt, Margarito lost a lopsided decision and suffered the injuries.

Diaz said Margarito was ready for the scrutiny that will accompany a rematch with Cotto and the questions about whether he cheated in the first fight.

"When I was sitting with Bob, we were talking about going to Puerto Rico on the press tour," Diaz said. "Antonio said he was prepared for anything. He said, 'I could go anywhere and people don't like me, but this is the business. I'm a fighter and I have to face people who don't like me. I love Puerto Rico and I have to be prepared for it.' When he told me that, I felt relieved. I've been with him since he was 18 and it bothers me, it hurts me (that many people believe he cheated against Cotto). But Antonio is a strong guy. He knows he didn't do anything wrong, but he also knows he has to answer the questions."

Cotto, 30, moved up to junior middleweight in June 2010 and stopped Yuri Foreman in the ninth round to win a 154-pound title, which he defended March 12 with a 12th-round TKO of former titleholder Ricardo Mayorga.

"I think the rematch will continue from the first fight," Diaz said. "Antonio is really excited about the fight. He knows it will be a war. Antonio knows it will be another exciting fight. Cotto is a tremendous fighter, a four-time world champion. Antonio's a three-time champion. There are a lot of skeptics out there to show that Antonio's win the first time was no fluke.

"If Antonio was questioning himself he wouldn't have taken this fight. A lot of fighters say, 'I beat him once why do I need to do it again?' But Antonio is ready to get back in the ring. The payday is always good and the thought of being retired, I could see in his face when hit him. He was like, 'I'm 32 (at the time) and I have to retire already?' He wasn't taking it good, so when he was told he could continue he said it was a blessing. This fight is a blessing."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Cotto forces Mayorga to quit in 12th -- ESPN

By Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN

LAS VEGAS -- Ricardo Mayorga, true to form, was going nuts.

He stood in the corner of the ring, pointed to the canvas just in front of him and yelled at Miguel Cotto to stand on that spot and trade punches. Cotto paused, waited his time, then moved in, unleashed a flurry, and slipped back out of range. Again, Mayorga erupted. Again, Cotto repeated his move. By the time the sequence was over, Mayorga had three times exhorted his foe to engage him; three times the Puerto Rican champion had answered the challenge on his own terms, had inflicted damage as desired, avoided return fire as required, and ultimately put another round in the bank.

Over the past several years, Cotto has fought a more consistently high level of opposition than perhaps any other fighter; he has, as a consequence, suffered the wear and tear of ring wars, even on those occasions when he has emerged triumphant. With the prospect looming of a summer rematch with Antonio Margarito, one of the two men most responsible for inflicting that wear and tear, he was easily forgiven a relatively soft touch in the interim. But as soft touches go, Mayorga was potentially as hard as they come. Sure, he was faded, years removed from his last significant victory. Granted, he was crude -- in his boxing style as well as in his sometimes boorish mannerisms. But the man could flat out punch, and the unorthodox awkwardness with which he threw his punches made it all the more likely that one or more of those hard punches might find a home.

And certainly, Mayorga had his moments, none more so than in the seventh round, when he threw punch after punch in his trademark fashion, not in combination with each blow setting up the next, but one after the other, winged onward in the hope of success. Enough of them landed that Cotto, for the first time in the fight, began to ship some punishment and exhibit the first true signs of possible vulnerability.

But the exertion appeared to have taken a greater toll on the puncher than the punched. By the next round, Cotto was once more in control, the position in which he found himself for the great majority of his fight. His defense -- right hand held high, head and shoulders shifted just enough to evade the worst of the incoming artillery -- combined with a patiently constructed offense to ensure that Cotto won eight of 11 rounds on all three official scorecards entering the final frame.

Then, just as it appeared the bout would conclude with a wide unanimous decision, a left hook exploded on Mayorga's jaw, its force magnified by the fact that the Nicaraguan, as is his wont, was winding up to throw a big punch himself. Mayorga staggered backward, held out his hands beseechingly, as if unable to comprehend what was happening to him, and then dropped to one knee. The contest was effectively over at that point, although it would take an extra few seconds, a follow-up fusillade and a capitulation adding the icing and securing the victory.

After his defeat to Margarito in 2008, and even more following his loss to Manny Pacquiao the following year, Cotto seemed damaged goods, a man on whom years of hard fights had finally exacted a punitive toll. In two fights since then under the tutelage of trainer Emanuel Steward, Cotto has appeared an altogether stronger, better-rounded boxer. Of course, neither this version of Mayorga, nor Yuri Foreman -- whom Cotto defeated last year and who was himself a loser on Saturday night posed the stiffest of questions. But he answered them convincingly nonetheless, and now another challenge, surely more personal than the others, awaits.

Margarito may not be the man he once was either, following defeats to Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, to say nothing of the sense that his greatest victories may have been aided in less than legal ways. But in July, Cotto will have the opportunity to use him as a measuring stick by which to gauge his progress under Steward, with which to continue his career resurrection, and through which he can achieve a degree of revenge and redemption in the process.

Yet, however much the fire of vengeance may burn within him, Cotto will assuredly approach that challenge as he did on this night: Calmly, unhurriedly, and on his own terms.

Source: espn.go.com

Mayorga insists his fists will do the talking -- USA Today

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

If trash-talking won fights, Ricardo Mayorga might be the greatest boxer of all time.

Mayorga, the sharp-tongued Nicaraguan, has called Miguel Cotto, his opponent Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and Cotto's trainer, highly respected Emanuel Steward, failures and clowns.

Wednesday, during the fight's final news conference, Mayorga said he wanted to thank Bob Arum, Cotto's promoter, "for allowing me to eat his sheep on Saturday night."

Said Steward: "It's a good thing that fights are not won at press conferences because we'd be knocked out of the box."

But Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 KOs) still has to meet Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) in the ring (Showtime pay-per-view, 9 ET), with the Puerto Rican's WBA light middleweight title on the line, and that's where Mayorga has had his troubles.

"I don't care what he (Mayorga) is saying about me," Cotto says. "He's always going to be talking, but as everyone knows, the fight starts when you enter the ring, and that's where I'm going to win the fight — in the ring."

Mayorga has fought only once since being knocked out in the 12th round by Shane Mosley in September 2008, and has had just eight fights in eight years, going 4-4 against a formidable lineup that included Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Cory Spinks and Fernando Vargas.

He says that a bad car accident before his knockout loss to Trinidad in 2004 made him fight through pain most of his last six fights, and he took the last two years off to fully heal.

Mayorga has been known to drink beer and smoke cigarettes while training for fights, but this time he insists he's taking his training seriously.

Al Bernstein, a member of Showtime's broadcast team who spent time in Mayorga's camp in Ocala, Fla., agrees.

"He was only 5 pounds away from making weight," Bernstein said by phone this week. "You could tell he was in good condition. He was serious."

Mayorga has another motive for being in what he calls the best shape of his life — a fight with another of Arum's fighters, the world's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and titlist in a record eight weight classes, Manny Pacquiao.

"This is the fight where I'm going to impose my will so much so that — because I want a fight so bad with Pacquiao — that if I don't beat Cotto by knockout and I happen to beat him by decision, then I don't feel like I'm deserving of a fight with Pacquiao.

"When I knock out Manny Pacquiao, I will become the most famous fighter of all time. That is what I want and am working for."

Mayorga, in a show of disdain for his opponent, plans to weigh in Friday "with a plate of Puerto Rican food to show Miguel I'm in the best shape of my life."

"My immediate goals are to knock out Cotto and then to fight and knock out Pacquiao," he said.

"I'm 37 years old and thinking about retirement. I will move on and let the younger guys have a shot like the older guys did for me when I was coming up."

Cotto, meanwhile, is coming off a string of tough fights, including a brutal beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito more than two years ago, and a bloody 12th-round TKO loss to Pacquiao in November 2009.

Margarito was found to have plastered hand wraps before his next fight against Mosley and was suspended from boxing in the USA.

Last June at Yankee Stadium, Cotto stopped then-WBA champion Yuri Foreman in the ninth round after Foreman injured his knee. It was far from a dominating performance against a fighter who was essentially working with one leg through the last three rounds. Foreman is making his comeback fight vs. Pawel Wolak on the undercard.

Bernstein believes if Mayorga — an unconventional, if not wild, brawler — can lure favored Cotto into a shootout, Mayorga might have a chance to win.

"He might get starched in that instance, too, because Cotto punches, and God knows, Mayorga can be hit," Bernstein says. "But it at least gives Mayorga a real chance of winning and makes it a fan-friendly fight.

"Mayorga really, really is engaged in winning this fight. I think it's going to be four to six rounds of warfare, because Cotto's only fought one fight at 154, and Mayorga is a real 154-pounder. Cotto's a better fighter, but Mayorga is the bigger guy."

Source: usatoday.com

Ricardo Mayorga: Miguel Cotto is "my golden ticket to Manny Pacquiao" -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

LAS VEGAS—In a city whose glistening cathedrals of chance attest to the fact that “the house always wins,” a prospector named Ricardo Mayorga is looking to get lucky.

Mayorga, the loudmouth from Nicaragua who turns age 38 today (Thursday), said on Wednesday that he views his Saturday night PPV opponent, the redoubtable Miguel Cotto, as a lottery ticket. Having tried and failed against superstars named Tito Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya while training sporadically and often unethusiastically, the chatterbox from Managua views this bout as his Last Chance Cafe, his possible Superlotto strike.

“I need to earn a golden ticket. This is my ticket, my golden ticket,” Mayorga said while meeting the media in the bowels of the MGM Grand Garden Arena. “This is my ticket to Manny Pacquiao.

“If I don't knock Cotto out in three or four rounds, I won't get that time, I won't get the opportunity to fight Pacquiao. If I beat him in the late rounds or by decision, then I realize I might not be (deemed) as deserving of the fight against Pacquiao.”

That was in the morning, Mayorga's amusing but seemingly endless spiel about why this is only the fifth out of 37 pro bouts (make that 41 as he claims the official record gyps him out of four victories that are unrecorded) that he has religiously conditioned himself for beforehand.

In the afternoon, Sunshine Boys Reunited, meaning longtime archrivals Bob Arum and Don King barked into any and all available microphones. Taking his cue from Mayorga or vice versa, King was the proverbial broken record going on and on about how his man would smash big betting favorite Cotto, the Pride of Puerto Rico, and then destroy Pacman.

Mayorga was said to have reacted angrily in Los Angeles the other day when a media type stated that he had done nothing “to deserve” a Pacquiao fight.

“Pacquiao knocked out Cotto in the ninth or 10th round, late in the fight,” Mayorga said. “That is why I am going to knock Cotto in four rounds. (Actually, Pacman halted Cotto in the 12th and final round.)

“Then people will know that I am better than Cotto. I'm going to go out and prove that I deserve a shot at Pacquiao. In the first round, I will either knock Cotto down or bust one of his two eyes open.”

Mayorga described Cotto taking a precautionary knee against Mexican Mauler Antonio Margarito as being “very cowardly.

“Me, I don't take a knee, I don't bow out like that. That is just very cowardly.”

Adding to his delusions of grandeur, Mayorga, who was doing some political shilling by wearing a teeshirt supporting Nicraguan President Daniel Ortega, then said “half of Puerto Rico” would rooting for him to beat Cotto back.

“At least half of Puerto Rico will be rooting for me. Lots of people over there, they think that he is very snobby, that he is very stuck up. In LA, he spoke only in English which is very vulgar and disrespectful . He showed a lack of respect to the Spanish (speaking) people.”

All the prefight blather seems to be going in one of Cotto's ears and out the other.

“ I am tranquilo, I am calm,” Cotto said. “I am tranquilo, I am just trying to stay in my proper style.”

Cotto did not even fire back at the “very cowardly” remarks.

“The most important thing other than my family is my health,” Cotto said. “What Mayorga said is just ignorance.”

Mayorga and Cotto trainer Emanuel Steward share the same fight prediction in terms of distance, both saying it will not go past four rounds.

“As Mayorga has gotten older, he has really slowed down. He is fighting more conventionally, he has slowed down on the old, impulsive style. Miguel will catch him with solid left hooks and with solid left jabs. Miguel will catch him while he is swinging with all those wide, wild punches.”

Steward said Cotto and Pacquiao have something in common, besides having had Hall Of Fame careers, a distinction never attributed to the erratic Mayorga.

“We punch through the pads, the others punch to the target and not through it,” the former Kronk Gym guru said.

“Miguel and Pacquiao are the only two fighters around today who are doing that.”

If Cotto punches through early and often, that “golden ticket” for Mayorga will go uncashed.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Mayorga's trash talking hits peak at presser with Cotto -- Examiner

By Paula Duffy, Examiner.com

Ricardo Mayorga is a quote machine and his accusations and predictions about what he will do when he faces Miguel Cotto on Saturday night in Las Vegas are pure genius.

Just when you think it couldn't get better it does. In the case of Mayorga however, the material goes lower on the tone scale of words rather than higher when he gets in a groove.

In Monday's final press conference, held in Los Angeles he hit such a low note I'm not sure he can top himself now. I'm concerned he is peaking too many days away from the fight to take Cotto's WBA Super Welterweight belt. A sampling of his greatest hits:

“All the Puerto Ricans coming to the fight will leave as Ricardo Mayorga fans. The best time of his career was when he fought at 140 (pounds). When he came up to 47 and 54, that’s when he made the mistake.

“Don’t take a knee on me like you did with Margarito. Let me finish punishing you. I come from a country where women give birth to men.

“Take your shirt off just like me and show me your weight."

A vote for any of the above three statements couldn't be a loser but a personal favorite has got to be Mayorga's claim that he's the only man in the ring since women in Nicaragua actually give birth to men. Priceless.

As for Cotto, well, the photos to the left of this column tell you everything you need to know. If you see confidence in his stoic gaze you wouldn't be wrong, but you could also interpret his lack of facial expression as emotionless. Presumably the emotion gets unleashed when the gloves are on. One can only hope.

Mayorga got one in for his promoter of the moment, Don King. He has vowed to put King back on top of Mr. Top Rank himself, Bob Arum when he takes the belt on Saturday night. Nice thought Ricardo, except Arum promotes the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game today and you my friend are no Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is always on Mayorga's brain however, or more precisely, the $ Pacquaio can bring to an opponent. "I want Pacquiao", says Mayorga looking past Cotto.

Don King returned the favor in his comments about Mayorga. "For all you who have little, just a little bit of money, put it all on Mayorga because the odds are in his favor. You will have the chance to be wealthy. Don’t wait till Saturday night. Do it now. Mayorga will win by a knockout. Check it all out on SHOWTIME pay-per-view.” Showtime thanks you Don.

Say what you will about the matchup but the the war of words was all one could have hoped for and more. Will it make the fight more appealing to PPV buyers?

That remains to be seen since as Fight Sports Examiner Rick Rockwell noted, the loss of the Clottey-Green under card match leaves a gaping hole in the lineup. For those who aren't aware, Clottey injured himself while out for a run and pulled out of the match.

Source: examiner.com

Mayorga smoking hot: Others fear Pacquiao but I will knock him out -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Terrible maladies. Terrible melodies. You know the difference.

I'm on Day 3 of a stomach flu which has been hard to stomach but I can diagnose trashtalking champion Ricardo Mayorga as being in the throes of a common affliction among all fighters in his weight category. (No more Jewish penicillin, Nurse Ratchet.)

You thought the 37-year-old's cigarette and cerveza habits were bad. He now has MPO.

MPO is medical shorthand, the acronym for Manny Pacquiao Obsession.

The Nasty Nicaraguan, who fights Pacman victim but still formidable Miguel Cotto 11 days hence at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, made that abundantly clear on Tuesday's media conference to hype the Don King-Bob Arum joint venture card.

First, Mayorga said he considered Cotto only the low hurdle in the Pacquiap path and made this solemn promise.

"This fight with Cotto is a fight that I will win," Mayorga said. "If I win by decision, then I will say I'm not deserving of a fight with Pacquiao. But I will win by KO."

Mayorga had previously predicted the bout won't go four rounds and, on the first portion of the call featuring Cotto, Arum and trainer Emanuel Steward, Steward said he agreed with the Central American brawler. I hate to label him unpredictable because isn't that the very definition of a brawler?

Suffice to say Mayorga thinks the Queensbury Rules are for parcheesi or another board game.

Of course, the "Kronk Goldfather" flipped tricky Ricky's script to forecast a win before the start of the fifth round for his guy, the revived Boricua Banger.

Mayorga didn't care much for that jibe.

"They (Cotto and Steward) are both clowns. They're both failures. After this fight...I will prove that."

I asked the Main Man from Managua what he could possibly bring in the ring to make more viable than anyone else, in particular unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, to stop the Pacquiao Express in its tracks?

"That's what I'm working for, for Pacquiao...No one is unbeatable, only God, only Jesus Christ.

"The rest go into the ring against Pacquiao with fear, very tenative," Mayorga said.

"When I knock out Manny Pacquiao, they will say I am the greatest fighter of all time!"

Cotto's impressive record, starting in February of 2001, is 35-2 with 28 KOs, his only defeats at the powerful hands of Pacman and before that Antonio Margarito.

Mayorga's pro resume is 29-7-1 with 23 KOs. Throw out three early-on career losses and his only defeats came at the hands of legends Felix Trinidad, Oscar de la Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and lesser light Cory Spinks.

MPO is a disease that can be dangerous to your health, sure. But it can also load up your bank account.

In that sense, Mayorga is just another Pacquiao prospector.

Hey, come on. He's two years younger than Old Faithful Shanedog, you know.

Mr. Mosley tries to derail Mr. Pacquiao come May 7.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

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

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Mayorga does not buy into such scandalous rumors.

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

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

Mayorga clearly remains hopeful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Mayorga peppers Cotto with verbal jabs -- Las Vegas Review Journal

By Steve Carp, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Ricardo Mayorga still talks a good game.

The former world welterweight champion, who retired from boxing in 2008 after being knocked out by Shane Mosley, returned to the ring last month and beat Michael Walker. The win led to an opportunity to fight WBA super welterweight champ Miguel Cotto on March 12 at the MGM Grand Garden.

How much Mayorga, 37, has left is debatable. But when it comes to talking trash, he showed this week he's still in his prime.

"That belt you are holding, polish it up for me because I will be taking it on March 12," Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 knockouts) told Cotto on Wednesday as the promotion for their fight began in New York. "I will make a promise here that I will knock you out in four rounds.

"I have been watching all of your fights the past two months. You are punch drunk. You can't take a punch anymore, and I will retire you. Like (Antonio) Margarito after the (Manny) Pacquiao fight, you will be thinking about retiring when I am done with you."

Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) responded: "I am a professional fighter, and I know what my job is. My job is to fight in the ring because nobody wins a fight with their mouth."

Mayorga kept going.

"This is the first time I will fight someone that is as small as a kid," he said. "I think my pants are taller than you."

Countered Cotto, "With those little pants, I beat Shane Mosley. Do you remember him?"

This promises to be one fight where the hype will be entertaining.

■ PACQUIAO ON SHOWTIME? -- Manny Pacquiao's May 7 fight with Mosley might be broadcast on Showtime pay per view instead of HBO, which has televised the majority of Pacquiao's fights in recent years.

ESPN.com reported that multiple sources indicated that Top Rank chairman Bob Arum cut a deal with Showtime, owned by CBS, in the hopes of using that network as a promotional vehicle for Pacquiao's fight. Pacquiao appeared on "60 Minutes," CBS' news magazine show, the week before he defeated Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13.

Arum and other Top Rank officials are not talking. But the company plans to make a major announcement Wednesday regarding the pay-per-view broadcast.

■ WINKY RETURNS -- Golden Boy's first Las Vegas fight card of the year is scheduled for April 9, and plans are being finalized to have two great Mexican champions -- Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales -- meet in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden.

As part of that card, former world junior middleweight champion Winky Wright will face European middleweight champ Matthew Macklin.

"He is still one of the big names in the sport," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said of Wright (51-5-1 25 KOs), who has not won a fight since 2006. "He's a future Hall of Famer who can still drive ratings and fan interest."

Schaefer met with Marquez on Thursday and hopes to finalize the Marquez-Morales main event, which will be televised on pay per view, this week.

"Marquez always wanted the opportunity to face Morales," Schaefer said. "We met with Marquez and made him an offer, and it wasn't quite what he expected. We'll talk again next week and see if we can get a deal done. But one way or the other, we will have a pay-per-view card at the MGM Grand on April 9."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.

Source: lvrj.com

Manny Pacquiao Trainer Freddie Roach Preferred Juan Manuel Márquez Over Shane Mosley -- FOX News

By Wil Cruz, FOX News

There is no shortage of boxers who want to take down the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

But if Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, had his way, the Filipino superstar would be taking on Mexican Juan Manuel Márquez. Instead, Pacquiao is scheduled to fight against Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"No, my first option was Márquez. I think he deserved a third fight, but now everything is left up to negotiations," Roach, who was in Culiacán, Mexico, working with Julio César Chávez Jr. for an upcoming fight, told the Associated Press. "[Promoter] Bob Arum made a better deal with Mosley, and they said Márquez had asked for too much money."

Pacquiao fought Márquez to a draw in 2004 and defeated him in 2008.

Meanwhile, Miguel Cotto, who lost to Pacquiao in 2009, wants another shot, too.

He told the Philippines' publication Manila Bulletin that he'd be better prepared a second time around.

"Well, you know I have a new trainer, Emanuel Steward. I know with all his instruction and boxing knowledge, we would have a better fight and we would win the fight," he said.

Cotto is scheduled to fight Ricardo Mayorga, also at the MGM Grand, for the WBA Super World light middleweight title on March 12.

In Pacquiao's last fight in November, he pounded and humbled Mexican Antonio Margarito.

The fight all boxing fans have been waiting for is between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Both sides have to negotiate a deal, however, and Mayweather's problems outside of the ring haven't helped.

Their stalemate has been felt throughout the sport, blocking worthy fighters, like Argentinean boxer Sergio Martínez, from getting their shot at fighting the best.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Source: latino.foxnews.com

The Protection of Manny Pacquiao & Miguel Cotto: The Bob Arum Agenda -- Ringside Report

By Idris “Drees” Newton, Ringside Report

New year, same old Bob Arum, with Miguel Cotto slated to return to the ring early March, Top Rank is staying true to form and has been shopping possible foes such as Ricardo Mayorga, Vanes Martirosyan and Pawel Wolak; apropos, I’m sure none of you can tell me who they are without first looking them up (no way you can prove me wrong, so just let it go). HBO, whom want no parts of such a “who cares” kind of fight, told Top Rank to keep shopping (I’m paraphrasing of course). I’m sure HBO shares my sentiment when I ask, “Could he possibly think anybody would be interested in seeing any of these guys in the ring with Cotto”, besides of course his largely Puerto Rican following.

This is no surprise to me, Arum is a perpetual “Under matcher”, always making sure to set bouts where his fighters ultimately have the advantage in boxing attributes. Unless, he promotes both fighters and is in a win/win kind of scenario, Arum has a keen eye for making the optimal match for his pocket rather than the best fight for boxing fans i.e. Pacman/Clottey, Pacman/De La Hoya (washed up), Pacman/Hatton (Washed up), Pacman/Margarito and last and maybe the very least (Drum roll please) SHANE MOSLEY!?!? WHAT!?!? If that doesn’t make you want to puke then you should’ve auditioned for “Fear Factor”. Boxing takes a big credibility hit every time Top Rank holds a press conference.

I contend that it is Arum and not “Pacman” (afraid of needles) or “Money” that torpedoed that mega fight. Arum has very negative feelings toward Floyd stemming from a very tumultuous history filled with resentment and feelings of betrayal on the part of Arum and Top Rank caused by Mayweather’s decision to leave the promoter in 2006. While Arum, again trying to make himself more money by pitting Floyd with his then unknown fighter (Antonio Margarito), who would have been an easy victory for “Money” (and a lesser draw, as far as PPV buys, I believe), for a measly eight million, instead of getting the big money fight Floyd wanted against a De La Hoya, or a primed Mosley or a still Dangerous Kostya Tszyu.

Floyd knew then what we are all beginning to realize now, that Bob Arum and Top Rank are not in the business of making good fights they are in the business of acting. Acting as if, Clottey/Pacquiao was a big fight to pack the Cowboys monstrosity of a stadium. Don’t be fooled folks; it was Arums desire to make a deal with Jerry Jones that created that horrible fight with Clottey and the fact that Richard Schaffer of Golden Boy Promotions (Arum’s Arch enemies, and Floyd’s Co-Promoters) had no interest in “Jerry’s World” as a venue. In other words, no Dallas=no fight, not for Golden Boy, not for Floyd, and certainly not for you and I (The Fans). Simple as that, Bob Arum cared more about sticking it to Floyd and Golden Boy as well as getting the first big fight in the “The Terror Dome” (Cowboys Stadium)

Is this what it has come to boxing fans, Cotto/Mayorga?

Really, no other matches to be made, this is what we have to look forward to? No Margorito/Cotto rematch, who are pretty much even now that we all can assume that Tony was by all accounts a cheater back when they met the first time around. They’ve both gotten shellacked by “Pacman” so the only difference would be the level playing field the fight would be contested on. Why not Cotto/Berto, who wouldn’t want to watch all action spectacle? Berto is about due for a real challenge and Berto is just the right kind of fight. That would jolt him into the names of possible Floyd/Manny matchups instantly. We could use a new face, and exciting young and hungry fighter like Berto to make waves in the division. A welterweight Division that has become boring because of Top Rank’s selfish fight hoarding, and obvious disregard for bettering the sport.

Soon it will be official, the end of the welterweight division that is taking a back seat to the junior welterweight division. A junior welterweight division that is pairing its best fighters in great fights, real competition between the best that the weight class has to offer. All the while Top Rank is content with being a cancer to boxing, producing such an ill advised fight. Cotto/Mayorga, why not give us Cotto/Martinez who has expressed interest in a Cotto match up?

Why?

Because Cotto will lose that’s why and Arum’s last name isn’t Dibella as in Lou Dibella who promotes the Middleweight champ. Can we get this fight on a video game, I don’t think they (Top Rank) would let even that happen. “Sorry kid we’re suing you for playing your video game, we haven’t sold you the rights to kick the crap out of our fighter’s likeness”

Martinez/Cotto, would be a huge money maker, and for once a good reason to have a huge fight in a huge stadium. It would actually be competitive, sure Cotto would lose but still, it’s much better than the wipe out Cotto/Mayorga is destined to be. Complete wipe out, there is no doubt in my mind or Top Rank’s for that matter, this fight will be a land slide victory for Bob and all his cronies. What do we fans need to do to see a good fight now that all but one of Top Rank’s fighters has been exposed? Will they ever match their top guys against someone like a Berto or Martinez, a top fighter with skill and desire and not just a name fighter? I for one don’t see it happening.

Where has it left us, with a fight between Miguel Cotto and who else but washed up Ricardo Mayorga who couldn’t cut it in a short run as a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter. Who couldn’t cut it as a boxer back when he was relevant in boxing, rendered useless, a villain in a play to be viewed over and over again always with a new (but old) star looking to re-energize his career (De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley) long gone are the days when you made Vernon Forest look like well, you in so many of your late beat downs.

We all felt sorry for you after a while and maybe you missed the empathy of the crowd, shouts of “Leave him alone” like something out of an 80’s nerd gets the girl movie. But you became a bore long ago and you will be a bore once more when you step in the ring with Cotto to reprise your old role as punching bag. Sure you’ll show your chin early on as you do in an entertaining show of bravado and tough, sure you throw a wild haymaker that might catch Cotto on the top of his head at some point but in the end you will be the same old Mayorga. A Mayorga that does not deserve a title shot with any champion. But that’s what he is getting and that’s what we are getting and we have Bobby boy Arum and Top Rank to thank for this farce of a fight.

Source: ringsidereport.com

Antonio Margarito's surgery successful -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Antonio Margarito underwent successful surgery on his fractured right orbital bone at Methodist Hospital in Dallas on Tuesday, three days after Manny Pacquiao broke his face in a one-sided junior middleweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium.

"The doctor told us everything went perfect, no complications of any kind," co-manager Sergio Diaz said in a statement released by promoter Top Rank. "There is nothing wrong with his right eye. Antonio is such a warrior. The first thing he asked was, 'when can I start running,' and we told him he has to relax for a while."

Indeed, Margarito has been ordered to rest for at least 60 days without any contact.

Margarito will remain in the hospital overnight Tuesday and plans to return to Los Angeles on Wednesday with his team: wife Michel, co-managers Diaz and Francisco Espinoza and trainer Robert Garcia, all of whom have been with him since the fight.

Margarito also needed six stitches in his right cheek and three in his right eyebrow to close cuts.

Margarito, a three-time welterweight titlist, went the distance with Pacquiao but was punished throughout the fight despite outweighing Pacquiao by 17 pounds and having a 6-inch reach advantage and 4¼-inch height advantage.

Pacquiao won easily on all three scorecards -- 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 -- to claim a vacant junior middleweight belt in a record-extending eighth weight division. Pacquiao is also the only fighter in boxing history to win titles in seven weight classes.

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) fractured Margarito's orbital bone in the fourth round, swelling his right eye and badly bruising it.

Pacquiao pounded on Margarito so severely that at one point in the 11th round he looked to referee Laurence Cole and asked him to stop the fight. After the fight, Pacquiao said he carried Margarito in the final round because he did not want to inflict anymore damage to him.

"I fought as hard as I could against a great champion in Manny Pacquiao," Margarito said.

"Can you believe it, he wanted to start running," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. "But he's not going to have any kind of training until at least February. He needs to rest."

Arum said he is not sure yet what kind of fight he will try to make for Margarito when he comes back.

He said he would like to make a rematch between Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) and Miguel Cotto, who waged an epic fight in July 2008. Margarito stopped Cotto in the 11th round of the welterweight title fight. In Margarito's next fight, a ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009, Margarito was discovered to have loaded hand wraps in the dressing room before the fight. There are many who believe that he fought Cotto with loaded gloves because of the significant facial damage he inflicted on him.

"I always imagined Margarito and Cotto being a big fight again, but Cotto may not want to wait that long," Arum said, noting that Cotto probably will return in April, which is before Margarito likely would fight again.

Instead, Cotto, who won a junior middleweight belt in June, could face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in April as long as Chavez defeats Alfonso Gomez in the main event of Top Rank's "In Harm's Way" pay-per-view card from Anaheim, Calif., on Dec. 4.

"Let's see how Chavez looks and if Chavez looks good on Dec. 4, maybe I'll make Cotto and Chavez," Arum said. "[Top Rank matchmaker] Bruce [Trampler] said he doesn't see any reason not to make that fight. So with Margarito, let's assume Cotto fights Chavez. I'll get Tony another fight and maybe he'll fight the Cotto-Chavez winner sometime in the fall."

Arum said he would also be interested in matching Margarito with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who is promoted by Lou DiBella, if Martinez defends his title against Paul Williams in their rematch on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET) in Atlantic City, N.J. HBO will also replay Pacquiao-Margarito on the telecast.

Although Martinez is the middleweight champ and a former junior middleweight titleholder, he suffered his first career defeat in a 2000 welterweight fight when Margarito stopped him in the seventh round.

Arum is awaiting more pay-per-view totals from Pacquiao-Margarito, but based on what has already come in, he said the worst the fight would do is 1.25 million buys.

"We got the numbers from Dish Network and they were very, very good," Arum said. "The Dish Network number is bigger than the number we did for Pacquiao when he fought [Oscar] De La Hoya [in December 2008]. But we don't have the DirecTV number yet. But we have every indication from the cable systems that the numbers are very strong."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Pacquiao staring down another larger foe -- Yahoo Sports

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Only minutes after the greatest performance of Manny Pacquiao’s career to date, after he drubbed Oscar De La Hoya and stopped him following eight one-sided rounds, trainer Freddie Roach was asked about a potential match with Antonio Margarito.

Roach laughed, shook his head and insisted the fight would never happen.

“Too big,” Roach said. “Far too big.”

But in the nearly two years since that night, Pacquiao has plowed through Ricky Hatton (second-round knockout), Miguel Cotto (12th-round technical knockout) and Joshua Clottey (one-sided unanimous decision), on the way earning wide recognition as the finest boxer in the world.

His promoter, Bob Arum, calls Pacquiao the greatest fighter he’s ever seen, including the legendary former heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali.

So, earlier this year, when Arum called Roach and proposed Margarito as Pacquiao’s next opponent, Roach never hesitated in accepting. On Saturday at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao will meet Margarito for the World Boxing Council super welterweight championship in a bout that will attract perhaps 70,000 fans and which has created a worldwide media frenzy.

And Roach, who once worried that the one-time flyweight champion was too small to compete with a big, physical welterweight like Margarito, is now so confident in Pacquiao that he is predicting an eighth-round knockout.

“Manny’s grown so much as a fighter, even since the Oscar fight,” Roach said. “The guy amazes me sometimes, and I see him all the time.”

Pacquiao is a better than 5-1 favorite in Las Vegas sports books to win his 12th consecutive fight and capture a world championship in his eighth weight class. He will concede 4½ inches in height, 6½ inches in reach and perhaps as many as 15 pounds when the bell rings.

And yet, the newly installed congressman from the Sarangani province in the Philippines is completely unfazed by the challenge in front of him. He’ll concede nothing else.

“With our strategy, we are not worried about the size,” Pacquiao said. “I believe I can fight the bigger guys even though I am small compared to them. We always believe in our talent.”

The simple equation in the fight is Pacquiao’s overwhelming advantage in speed compared to Margarito’s massive size advantage. Margarito is a volume puncher who loves to go to the body and a hard body attack is one of the best ways to combat speed. Hit a guy in the rib cage enough and it’s not long before he slows appreciably.

But Clottey, who along with Cotto fought each man, said Margarito should be wary of Pacquiao’s punching power.

“If Margarito uses his head, and if he respects Pacquiao’s power, he has a chance,” Clottey said. “But if he believes he’s so much bigger and stronger than Manny Pacquiao, he could wind up on the floor.”

Cotto, who was knocked down twice by Pacquiao, concurred with Clottey, noting “Manny is a very strong fighter.”

Margarito is notorious for having a strong chin and relentlessly stalking his opponent, but he is extraordinarily slow and throws wide punches. He’ll be vulnerable to Pacquiao’s lightning fast hands unless he doubles his jab, uses it frequently and shortens his other punches.

Margarito is eager to return to the limelight and, more significantly, start collecting paychecks after a long period of inactivity. Other than a May fight against journeyman Roberto Garcia, who is no relation to his trainer, Robert Garcia, Margarito hasn’t fought since Jan. 24, 2009, when an illegal knuckle pad was discovered in his hand wraps before a loss to Shane Mosley.

Arum said Margarito has been through “torture” and “hell” in the last 21 months, as he’s battled to save his boxing career and fought allegations that he’s a cheater.

His former trainer, Javier Capetillo, took blame for the illegal pad in Margarito’s wraps. In an interview with Ringtv.com, Capetillo said he put the illegal pad into Margarito’s wraps because he worried about his fighter’s condition. Arum said Margarito had to lose 35 pounds in the final month before the fight to make the 147-pound welterweight limit.

“I started panicking the week of the fight,” Capetillo told Ring. “I knew we were in deep [expletive], and we couldn’t tell anyone. It was too late to pull out of the fight. But I want to make it clear that I did not plan what happened. Maybe I was feeling the pressure of the fight and not paying attention to what I was doing when I reached into my bag and grabbed the training gauze, but I didn’t do it on purpose.

“I made a mistake. I wasn’t trying to hide anything. I just screwed up, and I did it in front of Mosley’s trainer and the commissioners. I was just under a lot of pressure because I knew we shouldn’t have taken the fight, I knew Tony was in trouble and I knew that I had put him in that position. I wrapped Tony’s hands four times in front of Mosley’s trainer and the commissioners and two representatives from Golden Boy [Promotions] after they found the gauze. I admitted then that I made a mistake. I confessed to the commission after the fight. I took responsibility for my actions and I think I’ve been punished as if Tony had fought with the gauze.”

Margarito has been under enormous pressure and faced near-constant scrutiny since the fight was signed earlier this year. Pacquiao, by contrast, has been relaxed and loose. On Wednesday, after a late-night workout, he went into a hotel ballroom and practiced his singing with his band.

He’s so worried about Margarito’s size and power that he’s planning to do a concert on Tuesday for some customers of a Lake Tahoe, Nev., casino.

“Manny had a slow start to his [training] camp, but he’s exactly where he needs to be right now,” Roach said. “He’s going to knock this guy out.”

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Exclusive Interview With Joshua Clottey - “I’m Going To Work My Way Back Up. I Want To Be A Two-Weight World Champion” -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

Though he had an admittedly bad night against Pound-for-Pound king Manny Pacquiao back in March, former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey says it was primarily down to his being weakened due to making weight. Always huge for the 147-pound limit, the 33-year-old from Ghana is now planning on returning to the ring at 154-pounds, his “natural weight.”

Hoping to stay busy once he returns in the new year, the man with the 35-4(20) record says it’s his dream to become a two-weight world champion.

Very kindly taking the time to speak with me yesterday evening UK time, “The Grand Master” who lives in New York had the following things to say:


James Slater: As always it’s a pleasure to be able to speak with you, Joshua. When can we expect to see you back in the ring? Are there any plans?

Joshua Clottey: I think I will be back in January. My promoters are busy now with this big fight [Pac-Man-Margarito], so I will let them get this out of the way first.


J.S: And will you move up in weight or will you stay at welterweight?

J.C: I will be moving up. I’m going to 154.


J.S: Your welterweight days are over then? You can’t make 147 any more?

J.C: (laughs). No, I can’t make 147 any longer.


J.S: You feel you’ll be so much stronger at 154? You were always a big welterweight anyway.

J.C: Exactly. Making [welter] weight was a real problem for me. I will be able to mix it with the best at 154. I had to move up, to my natural weight.


J.S: Who are the names you’d like at 154?

J.C: Everybody knows I have unfinished business with Miguel Cotto, and with Antonio Margarito. Even if he loses [to Pacquiao] I’d still really like to fight him. And I want Cotto again. Both are good fighters.


J.S: A rematch with Cotto would be very interesting, seeing as how very close the first fight between you was. You feel you can beat him at 154?

J.C: Yes, of course. I know I won the first fight, but they gave it to him. I’m not complaining. Everyone has to know I had big weight problems in the Manny Pacquiao fight. I had to take that fight as it was such a big chance, but I realise I was killing myself making weight. I’ll be more comfortable and effective at 154. It’s not like I don’t want to throw punches; I was just so weak in the fight with Manny Pacquiao. But I will be able to throw lots of punches at my natural weight.


J.S: Will your next fight be in America?

J.C: Yes, of course, that’s where my promoters are. I can’t wait to come back. I’m not making excuses, but a lot happens in boxing - and a lot happened in the Manny Pacquiao fight. I want to thank my supporters, and I know it will be so different at 154. I will do everything I can to become a champion at 154. My dream is to become a two-weight world champion.


J.S: Would a fight with Pacquiao, a rematch, be different at 154?

J.C: It would be different. I’d be fighting at my weight and that would be in my advantage. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I would love to have a rematch.


J.S: You’ve fought both guys: who wins, Pacquiao or Margarito?

J.C: You know, in boxing there comes a time for a fighter when nobody can stop him. If God’s plan is for him to become the best, no-one can stop him. I don’t see Margarito being able to beat Pacquiao unless God has decided that it’s his time to go up again; that after all he’s been through, he knows he made a mistake, and he deserves to be at the top again. Other than that, no, I don’t see any way he can beat Manny Pacquiao.


J.S: Do you see a KO or a points win for Manny?

J.C: He has to respect Manny Pacquiao’s power. Pacquiao can pick a punch, I’m telling you the truth. He can’t think he can jump on Pacquiao just because he’s too big for him. Margarito has no defence, he’s easy to hit. He’ll hit Margarito a lot. If Margarito goes out with a do-or-die approach, he’ll [Pac-Man] hurt him crazy. But if he takes his time, it could be a different story.


J.S: Getting back to you, can we expect a busy year for Joshua Clottey in 2011?

J.C: Of course. I only had two fights this year, because I thought everything with the Pacquiao fight would work out on my side. But I had a different trainer in that fight (Lenny DeJesus worked Clottey’s corner in the March fight, standing in for his regular trainer from Ghana) and lots of things fell through for me. Now I’m looking at working my way back up.


J.S: Well, thanks so much for your time. We look forward to seeing you back in action in the new year.

J.C: Okay, thank you.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Team Margarito continues preparation, Garcia talks aftermath of Cotto victory -- Examiner

By Chris Robinson, Examiner.com

In less than a week’s time Antonio Margarito and his team will find themselves in Dallas, Texas for their November 13th bout with Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium. Despite being a heavy underdog and having dealt with the aftermath of his January 2009 hand wrap scandal, Margarito is extremely focused heading into the bout and the overall vibe in his camp has been very care free.

Earlier today Margarito and his trainer Robert Garcia continued their training for the contest at the coach’s personal facility in Oxnard, California. Garcia insists that the core of the hard work has been complete and by the time they arrive in Texas they will be focusing solely on cutting down Margarito’s weight.

“I’ve been maintaining him right at 158, 156,” Garcia said last week during Margarito’s open media workout in Los Angeles. “Sometimes he gets back up to 159, 160 and around there. The last week or so is when we will cut down.”

Those numbers were fairly peculiar, as Garcia advised me well over a month ago that Margarito was hovering around 159 pounds, but the former world champion obviously feels he has a handle on the situation. On this day Margarito could be seen sporting a sweat suit, which typically is associated with a fighter trying to cut serious pounds, but when looking at Margarito’s physique he certainly didn’t appear weight drained during his workout for the press on Thursday.

When thinking of Margarito’s chances in this bout many people are turning to his July 2008 TKO over Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. In that fight Margarito took over the contest with sheer pressure and nonstop activity, dropping the brave Boricua in twice late in the fight before registering an 11th round stoppage. It was an excellent showcase of breaking an opponent’s will but Garcia feels that benchmark performance was also hindering to Margarito’s career.

“After the Cotto fight he was on top of the world,” Garcia said. “Everywhere he traveled he just had a good time. He was just loving life at that point and he spent too much time out of the gym. When he came back to get ready for the [Mosley] fight, six weeks before the fight he was close to forty pounds overweight. That in itself, to lose forty pounds in six weeks, is not only a bad move but dangerous. He had to lose all that weight and going into that fight he had nothing.”

Source: examiner.com

Andre Berto's Dream Fights: Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

When WBC welterweight (147 pounds) champion Andre Berto of Winterhaven, Fla., makes the fifth defense of his crown against Mexico City's Freddy Hernandez on an HBO televised, Nov. 27 card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the 27-year-old fighter will do so with the purpose of taking his status into the next stratosphere.

With Berto-Hernandez taking place as part of an HBO televised triple-header promoted by Golden Boy Promotions whose main event will feature WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 knockouts) of Mexico opposite WBO interim king Michael Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs) of Australia, the unbeaten titlist is looking to steal the show.

With WBA super bantamweight (122 pounds) king Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KOs) rising to super featherweight (130 pounds) against Jason Litzau (27-2, 21 KOs) also on the show, Berto (26-0, 20 KOs) aims to turn in a performance against Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) that will lure dream match ups such as those opposite WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) king Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), former welterweight and junior middleweight world champion Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs), rising Philadelphia prospect Mike Jones (22-0, 18 KOs), and, WBO junior welterweight (140 pounds) king Tim Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs) or WBO welterweight belt-holder Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs)

But first, Berto will have to take down the 31-year-old Hernandez, who has won 12 straight, six by knockout, since losing a split-decision to Golden Johnson in February of 2005.

Berto is coming off of April's career-defining, eighth-round knockout of Puerto Rican southpaw and former world champion Carlos Quintana, the only man to have ever beaten former three-time titlist Paul Williams (39-1, 27 KOs).

FanHouse: What are your reflections off of your last fight with Carlos Quintana and perhaps where it should have taken your career?

Andre Berto: You know, my last fight with Quintana, you know, it was a pretty exciting fight. You know I went in there with a lot of emotions and a lot of things on my mind dealing with the Haitian disaster and everything. There was a lot of different things going on.

There were a lot of things that had happened in my life, personally. I went in there and tried to handle my business pretty quickly. I didn't want to go in there and stay in there and wait for very long. I ended up tearing my bicep in the second round and that gave me a little bit more motivation to get out of there early.


When you completed the knockout, and you looked at the crowd, and you stepped out of that ring, did you feel as though you had completed a career-defining victory?

You know, I believe that the performance was okay. I came off of about a one year layoff. I was getting in there and I was fighting a crafty veteran in Quintana who had beaten Paul Williams.

Quintana had also given Miguel Cotto a helluva fight. But even with all of that, I don't feel as though it was my best performance at all.


What are your dream fights?

If it could all be worked out, and I'm telling you this because I know that people are always reading about these sort of things on blogs and this and that. They say that I don't want to fight this person or that person, and that I don't want to face the big name guys.

But I'm letting you know now that if it was all up to me, after Freddy Hernandez, if I could line things up for next year then it would be Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and then Manny Pacquiao. If I could get all three of them next year, you know, that would be my route that I would want to go in.

Then, I think that with that, I would be able to be satisfied. That would definitely satisfy myself and that would definitely show where I'm at.


Are you at all frustrated by the fact that you still are not in a major fight with a big name opponent coming off of the win over Carlos Quintana?

I think that coming into the fight game in general that I've always had a lot of great expectations. I don't think that is going to change any time soon, even after I've gone in there and stopped a guy like Carlos Quintana. I think that the critics are still going to speak.

I don't think that they're going to be satisfied until I actually get a chance to go in there and I have an opportunity to go in there and to dominate one of these top opponents. I mean, that's what any young fighter who is in my position would feel great about.

I mean, moving at the pace that I've been moving at, just to have the opportunity to have had the chance to have a career-defining fight against Carlos Quintana. I understand, because I know how the fight game is, that people are hungry for the best to be fighting the best.

I feel that I'm a good young kid, so they want to automatically throw me in there to fight the best. This is how it goes. My expectations are still going to continue to grow and they're not going to be satisfied.

Until I can go in there and continue to stop guys that people don't think that I can stop, then they'll continue to criticize. But that's just the position that I'm in. Realistically, though, I can't be made about that. I think that in the end that it means that I've been doing something right.


What sort of victory do you feel that you need against Freddy Hernandez?

At the end of the day, realistically, the only thing that counts is a victory. Freddy Hernandez has been achieving for his whole career. At the end of the day, the win is all that counts. But my mentality has definitely changed so that I'm a crowd-pleaser.

A lot of fighters don't care about the crowd situation and they just want to get a win. But I'm going to be myself and I believe that's really just going in there and not really looking to go the distance at all.

I'm looking forward to going in there and putting the heat on anybody that I'm in there with. I just want to continue to try to make that noise. There is not a lot of reward on the line against Freddy Hernandez, you know. I don't really stand to gain too much from this win.

But then again, I have a lot of things to prove. So I have to train really hard because these are the types of fights that make me train a little bit harder because there are a lot of higher expectations of me for this type of a fight. Everybody is expecting me to sort of go in there and to blow this kid out of the water.

Then, again, I know that this kid wants a world title, so this is his chance to build his name by knocking me off. So, those are the things that I think about. I don't change anything. This is training like I'm going to fight a Shane Mosley or a Miguel Cotto, so I'm looking forward to going in there and going to work.

I've never seen Freddy Hernandez fight, but I know the basics and what to look for. I know that my speed is going to play a big part, and I've been in camp for about three weeks working on that. I wanted to get in here early and get sharp early and things are coming together fairly quickly.

It's going to be me being a little more aggressive. I'm going to go in there and try to handle my business.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Golden Boy suing Top Rank -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Golden Boy Promotions sued bitter rival promotional powerhouse Top Rank, its chairman, Bob Arum, and chief financial officer David Lopez in federal court Tuesday, accusing them of racketeering and millions of dollars in fraud.

Arum denied the allegations.

The 23-page suit filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada, and obtained by ESPN.com, accuses Arum of a pattern of purposefully trying to hide millions of dollars Top Rank allegedly owes Golden Boy related to money generated from three Manny Pacquiao fights.

Golden Boy, which owns a percentage of Pacquiao's promotional contract, is seeking damages "in the range of $3 million to $5 million, plus attorneys fees," Judd Burstein, the attorney representing Golden Boy, told ESPN.com, adding that because the suit was filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act -- the RICO statute -- damages would be tripled if Golden Boy wins a judgment.

Burstein declined to go into more detail about the suit.

"The complaint speaks for itself and we have no further comment," he said.

When provided details about the suit, Arum, who had not seen it yet, told ESPN.com, "Of course, it's not true. The lawyers will handle it. I can't be bothered with that. ... Our attorneys said it's a desperate act on Golden Boy's part and Top Rank is going to end up getting attorneys fees."

Golden Boy contends that it is owed millions of dollars from Pacquiao's 2008 lightweight title bout against David Diaz, his 2009 welterweight title bout against Miguel Cotto and his March welterweight title defense against Joshua Clottey.

Golden Boy alleges numerous instances in which Top Rank failed to report revenue from the fights and falsely inflated expenses. It also contends it is concerned that Top Rank will use similar accounting for Pacquiao's fight with Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13, which Arum recently began promoting.

On the Diaz bout, for example, the suit claims that upon Arum's direction, Lopez to sent 16 accountings to Golden Boy between August 2008 and July 2010 "which falsely claim that TR received no income from sponsorships even though pictures of the Diaz bout show that Tecate beer, Affliction [a clothing company] and a company known as Smart were featured sponsors."

The suit said that sponsorships from Pacquiao's fight with Hatton generated $630,000 and $870,000 from the Oscar De La Hoya fight, so it is "inconceivable that Tecate, Affliction and Smart did not pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to sponsor the Diaz bout."

The suit claims "none of Lopez's [alleged] acts of fraud would have been committed absent Arum's knowledge, direction and control."

Further, Golden Boy said it does not know whether Top Rank is also "seeking to defraud Pacquiao and his promotional company, M-P Promotions, or whether they are participating in the fraud and are receiving payments based upon the unreported sponsorship income."

Among various accounting issues that Golden Boy alleges in the Cotto fight is that Top Rank purposefully misreported "at least $6 million available to distribute" to Golden Boy and Top Rank by falsely reporting Pacquiao's purse. Golden Boy says it received accountings from the fight saying Pacquiao's purse was $15 million, but that the bout agreement on file with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the fight in Las Vegas, lists Pacquiao's purse as $7.5 million, raising the question of where the other $7.5 million went.

In addition, the suit contends that Top Rank knowingly inflated the costs of the undercard by $800,000 "in an effort to show less profit for the bout, thereby fraudulently reducing the amount of money due to GBP."

There are similar allegations related to the Clottey fight, including more alleged deception on the amount of money generated by sponsorships, which were listed as $66,300, and alleged inflation of travel expenses, sanction fees and training expenses for the fighters, all done in order to reduce the reported profit on the event.

Golden Boy claims the collection of the various accounting issues represent a purposeful "pattern of racketeering activity."

Golden Boy and Top Rank have been at odds for years over Pacquiao, who once signed with both companies virtually simultaneously in late 2006. Pacquiao eventually pledged his loyalty to Top Rank, but the damage was done.

Golden Boy sued Top Rank, with which it was already embroiled in various lawsuits. The bad blood between Arum and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer and De La Hoya, Arum's former fighter, led to a cold war between the companies. They refused to do business with each other, denying fight fans a number of marquee matches between their fighters.

But with the legal fees mounting and unrelenting public pressure, the companies reached a global settlement on their lawsuits in June 2007.

Under the settlement brokered by mediator Daniel Weinstein, a retired federal judge, Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights with Golden Boy due to receive a percentage of Top Rank's profits each time he fought.

The settlement also cleared the way for the companies to make several major fights together. Among them were Pacquiao against Golden Boy fighters Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, De La Hoya and Hatton. Under the settlement, Golden Boy was the lead promoter when Pacquiao faced a Golden Boy fighter, so it was responsible for providing Top Rank with the accounting for each event.

However, when Pacquiao fought Diaz, Cotto and Clottey -- all Top Rank-promoted fighters -- Golden Boy had to rely on Top Rank's accounting for each bout.

Arum said the companies are still bound by Weinstein's order and that Golden Boy should bring any concerns before him.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is a matter for the mediator," Arum said of Weinstein, who tried unsuccessfully to mediate a deal between Top Rank and Golden Boy in January that would have resulted in a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout.

"This is frivolous," Arum said. "We signed an agreement four years ago agreeing to binding arbitration on issues like this. They're going to end up paying us substantial legal fees. You can't bring an action like this if you've agreed to binding arbitration. They could have filed the complaint with Daniel Weinstein. They can't do this in a federal court. It will be thrown out. They filed this complaint because if they had done it in arbitration, it would have been confidential. So this is the way they think they can go around the confidentially provision in the agreement. They know it will be dismissed and they will pay a big price for that.

"Their motivation is to spread this filth in public instead of going to the arbitrator."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.

Source: sports.espn.go.com