Ring legend Sugar Ray Leonard talks about life; says SuperFight has to happen -- Examiner

By Edward Castro, Examiner.com

Sugar Ray Leonard won plenty of titles when he ruled boxing.

Today the former five-time world champion is the owner of a few new ones.

“I’m a parent, part-time golfer, husband,” Leonard said. “Those are my titles now.”

Leonard made his debut in the 52nd annual Bob Hope Classic this week, displaying his golf game on four famous golf courses in the city of La Quinta near Palm Springs, CA.

Leonard carried boxing on his shoulders throughout the 1980’s, his victories – even his losses – are considered classic moments in the history of the sweet science.

Leonard, however, has moved on. He no longer allows his fists to call the shots. The Ray Leonard of today is a devoted family man, a local politician, a widely successful motivational speaker, a health and wellness crusader and a soon-to-be novelist.

“I’ve had some good times and some bad times but I say “look at me now,” Leonard said. “I’m in a good place right now.”

Leonard, who met and married his wife Bernadette back in 1993, has been living in the Southern California affluent residential community of Pacific Palisades ever since.

Earlier this month Leonard, 54, was named the 27th Honorary Mayor of Pacific Palisades. He will assume that mantle in June.

“I will smile and make sure there are no more parking tickets,” Leonard joked.

Leonard will replace actor Gavin MacLeod, who has served as honorary mayor for five years.

“There are some real prominent people who have been honorary mayor,” Leonard said. ”It’s a real honor.”

Leonard, however, hasn’t strayed too far away from boxing. He has a lot to say when it comes to the much anticipated bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“Who doesn’t want to see that matchup,” Leonard said. “They are the only guys out there.”

The sport, Leonard said, has plenty of fighters. But it only has two players.

“There are other guys who can fight and are good champions,” Leonard said. “But name wise, they are the players. They have to fight. They should fight.”

There is no doubt both fighters will make millions to step into the ring with each other. But this is the kind of fight that goes beyond the purses.

“This is for bragging rights,”Leonard said. “This is a matchup that makes your palms sweat.”

Leonard said he initially favored Mayweather. Then he leaned toward Pacquiao.

Today, Leonard said it’s anyone’s guess.

“At first I said Mayweather because he had never been hurt. Then he got hurt by Shane Mosley,” Leonard said. “Then I said Pacquiao because he had never been hurt. Then he got hurt by Margarito to the body. Both have been resilient enough to come back. It’s a hard fight to pick.”

What has Leonard excited, however, is the June 2011 release of his official autobiography “The Big Fight.”

“It’s my life story,” Leonard said. “It’s my first official book. There have been others but they were all unauthorized.”

Leonard said fans should be prepared for some gritty details.

“This is the first time I really opened up and been transparent,” Leonard said. “I have had some bad times in my life. I hope it will be more inspirational than shocking.”

Leonard has spent the last few years managing his time as a very successful motivational speaker (he has delivered POWER: Prepare, Overcome and Win Every Round to an international audience) and as an advocate for juvenile diabetes research through his Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation.

In 2009 Leonard, along with Mary Tyler Moore and Nick Jonas, testified in front of congress in an effort to raise awareness for their cause.

“I’ve seen friends and I’ve seen kids who struggle with this disease,” Leonard said. “It’s a brutal disease. “

Leonard’s struggle with retirement is well documented. But he seems to have come to grips with his new life.

That change in his life began with his move out to the West Coast in the early 1990’s, which is the time he met and married Bernadette. The two have two children: Daniel and Camille.

“I came out here, met my wife Bernadette, and started my life over again,” Leonard said. “It’s a wonderful time for me.”

Source: examiner.com

Pacquiao may be destined to same fate as Hagler -- Gulf News

By Ashley Hammond, Gulf News

Berlin: The former undisputed world middleweight champion ‘Marvelous' Marvin Hagler warns Manny Pacquiao is destined to a similar career fate as his, if Floyd Mayweather won't agree to a legacy-cementing showdown with the Filipino fighter.

Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the ongoing three-day Laureus Academy Forum in Berlin — where 17 living sports legends are meeting to review the direction of the foundation, its next awards ceremony and its stable of social projects worldwide — Hagler said, "His [Pacquiao's] legacy will probably be the same as mine in the sense that he waited around for this guy [Mayweather] and he doesn't want to fight."

Like Pacquiao, Hagler was also 32-years-old when in 1987 Sugar Ray Leonard fresh out of retirement like Mayweather, refused to offer Hagler the fight everyone wanted to see.

The only difference was it would have been a re-fight to settle the earlier controversial showdown that saw Leonard steal Hagler's world title with what Hagler still describes as a "pitty-patty", "flashdancy" amateur show.

Leonard landed soft touches for points. Hagler connected fewer, but more crushing blows. Leonard won.

"I hung around for another year hoping Leonard would give me the same opportunity [rematch] I gave him, unfortunately he didn't. He was playing the same kind of game as Mayweather's doing."

In the public eye

In support of Pacquiao, Hagler praised the Filipino Congressman for doing all the right things by staying active, still fighting and remaining in the public's gaze.

But Hagler believes the ‘Pac-man' only has one more fight left and he can't wait around for Mayweather forever.

"I always used to say you got to fight me now at my best [or] else what you going to say afterwards, you beat an old man?"

Hagler suggested Mayweather's just waiting for Pacquiao to lose before he comes out of the woodwork. But with Pacquiao, the best pound for pound fighter on earth still on winning form with a 12- round points defeat of Antonio Magarito this week, it looks increasingly unlikely.

"Something is a little nervous about that fight. I think its more Mayweather if he wanted to fight he could make it happen tomorrow."

Hagler has resigned himself to the fact that "Pacquiao will just wipe it off and say well I offered it to you and you didn't come out. I'm not hanging around in this game too long so ciao."

This would be a strikingly similar retirement to Hagler's, leaving fight fans divided over the subject for decades to come.

"He won't get that big legacy until the fight with Mayweather comes off. But in time that fades away and people tend to forget. Fans remember me as a fighter a true champion. That Leonard fight don't bother me no more," Hagler mused.

Source: gulfnews.com

Pacquiao Talks Margarito, Mayweather, Leonard -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Seven-division titlist and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao vows to use his speed to defeat ex-champion Antonio Margarito on Saturday night, believes that Margarito knew that he once fought with an illegal, plaster-like substance in his gloves, would have loved to face Sugar Ray Leonard in his "ultimate" fight, and still longs to face Floyd Mayweather before the end of his career.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts), who will meet the 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in an HBO pay per view televised clash for the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, made his comments during Monday's live chat with Michael David Smith of FanHouse.

Pacquiao will be after his eighth championship in as many weight classes, as well as his 13th straight victory and his ninth knockout during that run when he faces Margarito, having last suffered defeat against Erik Morales in March of 2005 as a super featherweight (130 pounds).

Since then, however, Pacquiao has stopped Morales in the 10th, and, third rounds, respectively, in separate bouts, and beaten larger, welterweight rivals, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, and, Joshua Clottey, respectively, by knockouts in the eighth and 12th rounds and by 12-round decision.

Pacquiao-Margarito is being contested at a catch weight of 150 pounds, which is exactly what Pacquiao told FanHouse that he weighs right now.

"It's [moving up in weight] difficult, because I'm used to training and losing weight. When you train, you automatically lose weight. But I have to eat around 7,000 calories a day to keep the weight on. I have to get up in the middle of the night and eat eggs just to keep the weight on," said Pacquiao.

"So that's difficult. But then again, it's also nice, because I don't have to lose weight at the weigh in," said Pacquiao. "It's fine for me to fight bigger guys or smaller guys, I'm just looking to fight. I weigh around 150 pounds right now. I do not have to lose any weight on the day of the weigh-in."

Opposing trainer, Robert Garcia, told FanHouse last week that the Mexican-born Margarito already was on schedule after having weighed out at 154 pounds, even as Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said that he expects Margarito to enter the ring weighing 160 or more.

Still, Pacquiao said that he will fight Margarito "The same way I did against De La Hoya, Cotto and other bigger guys I've fought before -- by relying on speed."

"I've developed a strategy in the gym, and hopefully, that strategy will work out. In order to hit me, he [Margarito] has to catch me, and I think my speed will be too much," said Pacquiao, in response to whether or not he was concerned about Margarito's vaunted body punches.

"I think Margarito is a very tough fighter, and I think that he will keep coming and keep coming," said Pacquiao. "He is going to be the biggest fighter I've ever fought, and he's probably got one of the toughest chins, so I'm prepared for a long fight."

Pacquiao denied the highly-reported distractions attributed to his frequently playing pickup basketball games as well as being a newly-elected congressman in his native Sarangani Provice of the Philippines.

The most recent distraction was Pacquiao's breaking camp to make a Las Vegas trip to campaign for senator, Harry Reid, two days prior to Halloween.

"There are some things that are distractions, but those are my responsibilities, and I have to do them. Yesterday, I was relaxing on my day off. I know Margarito was doing promotional things, so maybe he's distracted," said Pacquiao.

"I'm not distracted, I'm focused. I'm going to the gym, training hard," said Pacquiao. "I like to take breaks when I'm not training so that my mind is at ease and not always on the fight."

Pacquiao said that he would "like to fight every five-to-eight months," and that he still hoped for a mega bout with Floyd Mayweather after two, failed negotiations to make the fight.

"For the fans, I hope that it [Mayweather fight] happens. It would be a nice gift to the fans, because without the fans, Manny Pacquiao would not be Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather would not be Floyd Mayweather. I've said everything I can say about it, but Floyd has to agree to fight me," said Pacquiao.

"I'm still waiting for the signature on the contract. It's [Top Rank Promotions' CEO] Bob Arum's decision who I'm going to fight," said Pacquiao. "I just get my training in order and prepare myself. I hope Floyd will fight me, but if not, we have other options that I'm sure Bob can find."

During Sunday's interview with 60 minutes, Pacquiao was quoted as saying that he was the sport's premiere fighter of all time. On Monday, however, Pacquiao backed off of that assertion.

"I don't think I'm the best of all time. I just wanted to be a world champion, and that's my goal. There are lots of great fighters. Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Caesar Chavez -- those are some of the best ever," said Pacquiao, adding that one of his dream bouts would be one opposite Leonard.

"With the speed he [Leonard] had, I think that would be a very good fight," said Pacquiao. "It would be a very good fight, me and him in his prime. That fight would get a lot of pay-per-view buys."

Until being licensed by Texas in August, Margarito had been unable to fight in the United States as a result of a hand-wrapping scandal stemming from his ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley in January of 2009.

Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, discovered a plaster-like substance that was placed in Margarito's gloves by then-trainer Javier Capetillo. The substance was removed and confiscated prior to the fight.

Pacquiao re-asserted his claim that he believed Margarito knew that his gloves were loaded, even as the fighter has denied it. But Pacquiao also said that Margarito should not be banned for life, defending his being able to continue his career.

"I think he [Margarito] knew what he was doing, but he's already been punished enough," said Pacquiao. "I can't say for sure what he did or didn't know, but I'm just a fighter, and I fight."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Like Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao bullies foes before fight -- Examiner.com

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Is Manny Pacquiao a boxing bully with his demands, both quickly acquiesced to by first Miguel Cotto and now Antonio Margarito, for a catch weight requirement to fight the Pinoy Idol?

Now that he's fully installed and acting as the Congressmanny from poverty stricken but scenic Sarangani, you might say that it is legislative privilege for Pacman to extra such weight concessions from opponents.

Or you might analyze it as yet another example of the rich and powerful lording it over the relatively weak and economically deprived.

I see all viewpoints, really, and there is no denying that, as the world's most popular fighter (Floyd Mayweather being the most notorious), Pacquiao and his cohorts are simply exercising the Golden Rule in getting the disgraced Mexican fighter to agree to a 150 pound weight limit.

I should add that is four pounds less than the limit for the vacant WBC super welterweight crown they will be contesting in Las Vegas or Monterrey, Mexico.

It should not be overlooked that, with a weigh in at 4 pm on a Friday and then a bout Saturday night at about 8 pm, “Margocheato” will have ample opportunity to bulk up and figures to enter the ring massively outsizing Pacquiao.

Margarito enjoys a nearly six inch height advantage and has a five inch reach edge over the betting favorite from General Santos City. I figure the Robert Garcia-trained Margarito to go into the ring weighing close to 160 pounds, thus making him a middleweight and a tall, muscular middleweight to boot.

If anyone can smile at Pacy's demands, it would be my old friend Sugar Ray Leonard.

Born Ray Charles Leonard, this American ring hero has already predicted that Pacman will win this bout and added that he like, the rest of us, is savoring a Manny-Floyd confrontation.

But it was Leonard and his cagey lawyer/de facto manager Mike Trainer who wrote the book on using the Golden Rule—meaning he who brings the gold makes the rules—to put foes at various disadvantages.

Classic example of that was when wrestling impresario Vince McMahon Jr. tried his hand at boxing promotion.

“Mr. McMahon” cut a deal with the Leonard camp for a PPV bout at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in one of the many Leonard comeback bouts.

The handpicked opponent was, quite literally, a fair-haired Canadian boy named Donny Lalonde.

Adroitly managed by author-boxing guy Dave Wolf, Lalonde's record was built on bums of all descriptions.

In fact, back when ESPN voice Teddy Atlas trained him, a no hoper foe did not show up for a bout off TV in Kentucky.

Thinking quickly, the wily Wolf substituted a Lalonde pal, who had never had a single amateur or pro bout, as the new opponent. Needless to say, Lalonde was compassionate, stopping his bosom buddy in one round.

It really happened and the proof is in Lalonde's record on Boxrec.

This was Aug. 12, 1986, at the Ashland Armory and Frank "Candy Man" Walters, with zero ring time on his resume, was also outweighed 10 pounds by Lalonde.

Lalonde's pal ring career began and ended with that single round or portion thereof. This was the emergency beginning and end of the Minot, South Dakota, guy's career.

Let's not say this "fight" was fixed, let's be nice and say it was "prearranged."

It wasn't Atlas' idea, he didn't like it but he went along with the program.

Atlas would later split with Wolf and Lalonde and was not in the Winnipeg Bomber's corner or in his pocket (Lalonde earned $5 millon) when he fought superstar Leonard.

A disgruntled Atlas told me, and I quoted him in The New York Post, that manager and fighter phonies and cited their respective coiffures.

At the time, Wolf wore an awful hairpiece while Lalonde was a shimmering blond.

Only Donny's hairdresser knew for sure but you didn't have to be a carpet expert to see that Wolf was wearing a rug.

“One dyes it and the other one buys it,” Atlas chortled.

But I digress as is so customary in this column.

Lalonde seemed to be a perfect patsy for Leonard especially after he won the WBA light heavyweight title by knocking out New Yorker Eddie Davis in Trinidad.

The stage was set for Leonard to add not one but two weight class crowns to his collection.

But Lalonde may not have read the script because he almost ruined the party.

One thing the Leonard camp glossed over was that Lalonde, a fitness and nutrition freak, packed a hure punch which could make you lose your lunch.

I know, I was there at ringisde.

Next: Blond Bomber Lalonde Shocks The World.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Sugar Ray sees Pacquiao victory -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

Boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard predicts an easy win by Manny Pacquiao over Antonio Margarito in their planned November 13 showdown.

“He’ll just overwhelm Margarito,” Leonard told Fanhouse, noting that Pacquiao’s speed and power will be too much for the Mexican to handle. “It’s not a mismatch, but Pacquiao dominates (this fight).”

Leonard is also a multi-division titleholder like the seven-division champion Filipino, having been world champion at welterweight, super-welter, middle, super-middle and light-heavy.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is in the process of finalizing all the details in connection with the fight that will be for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super-welterweight crown.

Not even Pacquiao’s demand that they clash at a catch weight of 150 lbs is an issue, according to Arum, who said Margarito will not oppose it. The super-welter division has a limit of 154 lbs.

The venue remains the only thing that is keeping Arum and Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser Mike Koncz busy these days.

Arum continues to bat for Las Vegas as site, but oil-rich Abu Dhabi is very keen as well. The wealthy Mexican city of Monterrey and Dallas are also in the running to play host to Pacquao’s much-awaited ring return.

Still, Leonard said it is a showdown between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather that tickles his fancy.

“I want to see and the world wants to see Pacquiao-Mayweather, without question,” said the 54-year-old Leonard, who wound up his sterling career with a 36-3-1 card with 25 knockouts.

“Even me, as a fight fan now, would love to see the fight take place and hopefully it comes into fruition pretty soon,” added Leonard, best known for his memorable battles with Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler.

Source: mb.com.ph

Manny Pacquiao Could Fight in Mexico or Middle East -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Over Bob Arum's nearly 44 years in boxing, the 78-year-old Harvard graduate has promoted 26 fights involving Muhammad Ali, helped to orchestrate the the comeback of George Foreman, handled every fight of Marvelous Marvin Hagler's career, and substantial portions of those of Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

So when the Top Rank Promotions' CEO says that he could sell 31-year-old, seven-division Manny Pacquiao to fans virtually anywhere in the world, fans of the Pac-Man might want to start packing their bags.

"Until he was long-retired, Muhammad Ali was never the universally admired figure in this country and around the world like Manny Pacquiao, who is someone different," Arum has said of Pacquiao, who defended his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown in March before a record crowd at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium, and earned a congressional seat in his native Philippines in May.

"With Manny Pacquiao's cross-over appeal, he has become an international superstar. Anybody who is aware of Manny Pacqiao loves him, admires him, and there are no haters," said Arum. "There is no right or left when it comes to Manny Pacquiao. That's made him a more universally revered figure than Muhammad Ali."

So much so that Arum is considering Pacquiao's next fight -- likely on Nov. 13 -- for Monterrey, Mex., or an unidentified country in the Middle East against Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto if a mega bout with Mayweather does not materialize.

"I don't want to start naming the country until we're further along. But it's a Middle Eastern country, and it's not going to be in Dubai. We have a real, live offer from [the country] for them to take a fight with Pacquiao," Arum said "It's fair to say that the other place is Monterrey. That is other live offer on the table."

A winner of 12 straight fights, including eight by knockout, Pacquiao would sell in the Middle East, said Arum.

"There's a tremendous appeal for Manny Pacquiao in the Middle East. All of his fights are shown throughout the Middle East. And there's large numbers of Filipinos who work in the Middle East," said Arum. "All of his fights are shown all over in those countries. Manny's very, very popular and famous over there."

Arum and adviser Michael Koncz said that the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 39 knockouts) has agreed in principle to put his crown on the line against the 33-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), whom he has given until mid-July -- or this coming weekend -- to sign the contract for their November bout.

Margarito still is not licensed to fight in America, this after his boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission following an illegal hand-wrapping scandal in January 2009.

On Friday, Margarito, whose suspension officially ended on Feb. 11, unsuccessfully applied for a license in Nevada, whose state athletic commission ruled that he must re-apply in California and have his case re-tried there before attempting to fight in Las Vegas.

Margarito has filed a lawsuit against the CSAC, whose move is being honored, nationwide, by most state athletic commissions, effectively banning Margarito from fighting in America.

Margarito is coming off of May's 10-round, unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a junior middleweight clash that was fought in Mexico, which licensed him for the bout.

"We expect that, once the fight was definite with Pacquiao and Margarito -- if that's what we're going to do -- is we would go back to the Nevada to see if he can get a license," said Arum, "because all that they did was to table their decision."

Still, Koncz told FanHouse recently that Pacquiao would consider fighting Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), the WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champ, or ex-world titlist Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) outside of the United States if a mega bout can't be made with Mayweather likely in Las Vegas.

"Miguel is interested in a rematch with Manny," Koncz said of Cotto, whom Pacquiao dethroned as WBO welterweight champ by 12th-round knockout in November.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Former Eminem protege disses Manny Pacquiao in lyrics -- Examiner

By Marv Dumon, Examiner.com

Detroit rapper Royce da 5'9", otherwise known as Ryan Montgomery, recently dissed boxing king Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2) on the rapper's just released Bar Exam 3 Mixtape.

In one of his lyrics from the mixtape:

I've got a hustler flow
For $50 mil [million]
I will drink Manny Pacquiao's blood
And watch my muscles grow
You b****!

The lyrics imply Pacquiao's blood contains steroids.

The rapper, known for his earlier association with Grammy Award-winning Eminem, also dissed rising hip hop star Drake in the same song.

Eminem, otherwise known as Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is the best selling recording artist of the decade of the 2000s, having sold over 80 million albums worldwide.

Eminem, who is also from Detroit, took Royce da 5'9" earlier in the decade as a protege, but the latter never broke into mainstream awareness.

Pacquiao has never failed any drug tests, and filed a defamation lawsuit against Golden Boy Promotions and the camp of his main rival Floyd Mayweather, Jr alleging false accusations of performance enhancing drug use.

Pacquiao's spotless medical record, however, have seen recent fighters such as Puerto Rican Kermit Cintron, Britain's Ricky Hatton and David Haye, and Americans Paulie Malignaggi and Nate Campbell as either doubting the Filipino's recent phenomenal ring success and / or calling for more stringent drug tests prior to fights.

Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr (41-0) was recently interviewed by MTV, together with rapper 50 Cent.

Mayweather expressed his concerns over 50 Cent's recent extreme weight loss in which the latter reportedly lost about 56 lbs in nine weeks. The rapper's weight loss was aimed for a role in an upcoming movie "Things Fall Apart" in which 50 Cent plays a cancer-stricken football player.

Additionally, Mayweather disclosed that it is better to execute running routines in the streets as opposed to doing it on a treadmill.

50 Cent went from around 220 lbs to about 160 lbs in a little over two months by going on a strict liquid diet. According to fellow rapper Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent stored and consumed dozens of Icee drinks as food substitute.

Additionally, Mayweather disclosed that it is better to execute running routines in the streets as opposed to doing it on a treadmill.

50 Cent went from around 220 lbs to about 160 lbs in a little over two months by going on a strict liquid diet. According to fellow rapper Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent stored and consumed dozens of Icee drinks as food substitute.

Sugar Ray Leonard visits Montreal

Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard visited Montreal and signed memorabilia for fans. Montreal was the site of Leonard's historic showdown with Panamanian Roberto Duran, which Leonard lost by a 15th round decision. Leonard entered the fight at 27-0 while Duran sported a 71-1 record.

Asked by a reporter what Leonard thought of Floyd Mayweather, Jr, the boxing legend replied "I already knocked out his father."

Source: examiner.com

Ray Leonard: Fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao 'has to happen' -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- Ray Leonard sat ringside last week and watched the second round of appetizers while boxing awaits its richest main course ever: Grand Rapids' Floyd Mayweather against Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

The Hall of Famer fought in the biggest fights of the 1980s and, more than a quarter-century after most of those, finds himself just as eager to see a resolution to the pound-for-pound debate as any workaday fan.

"The fight has to happen," Leonard said. "They both are letting people call them pound-for-pound. They both are considered pound-for-pound right now. They've got to fight each other to prove who's the best, pound-for-pound -- fact.

"It's about the money, because boxing's a business. But also, if you want to be considered one of those guys, you've got to put up. That's a fight that appears to be inevitable at some point in time, hopefully sooner than later."

Leonard, who was here Friday night to serve as keynote speaker for Davenport University's Excellence in Business Gala, accurately predicted that Mayweather would feel out Shane Mosley early in their bout last Saturday, then turn it up as the rounds progressed.

That's exactly what happened after Mayweather got rocked in the second round before sweeping the remainder of the fight for a 12-round unanimous decision, less than two months after Pacquiao won similarly against Joshua Clottey, with both fights occurring because boxing's premier stars failed to reach agreement on drug testing last winter.

Now, with those two fights behind them, the sport's focus again turns to Mayweather-Pacquiao, with absolutely no certainty they can get any closer to an agreement this time.

"Shane had Mayweather out -- I mean big trouble," Leonard said. "And I was more impressed with Mayweather for rebounding in that second round, poising himself and coming back with a vengeance. That's what champions do.

"Both guys, Pacquiao and Mayweather, were quite impressive in their fights, and the anticipation is even greater now, I feel."

Leonard, who was part of one of boxing's most honorable rivalry quartets -- along with Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran -- declined to pick a winner if boxing's biggest megafight materializes.

"It's a toss-up, a pick-'em fight," he said. "Back in my day, maybe I'm a little biased, but it was a pick-'em fight when I fought Hearns -- probably a majority were picking Hearns over me -- or with Hagler, when nobody picked me.

"Those were the type of fights that were highly anticipated. Then, we met, and most of them lived up to the expectations. They were good fights. They were pick-'em fights. That's what boxing needs."

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

Source: mlive.com

Mosley Plans His Legacy and His Efforts to Ruin Everyone Else’s -- New York Times

By Greg Bishop, The New York Times

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — Sugar Shane Mosley sits upstairs in the man cave at his training compound, the one with a massage table in the corner and a hot tub on the deck.

At 38 years old, he is the last of the 1992 Olympians still boxing. Yet Mosley continues to venture inside boxing rings to affirm and enhance the subject for which he cares most deeply: his legacy, as a Sugar, as a boxer, as, he hopes, an all-time great.

“People that follow boxing know that I’m a maniac,” Mosley said. “The ones that don’t say I’m old and slow, I’m this and that. All this stup-id-ness.”

He spit out that last word like a piece of rotten food. Gone was the smile that defines him, replaced with a nervous laugh.

“They look past greatness,” he continued. “I’m a legendary fighter. I’ve been battling for years. Battling. And battling. It doesn’t sit right with me, being on the back end.”

He leaned forward, his body shaking as if on vibrate, his penetrating blue eyes filled with anger, frustration, disbelief.

“I have another idea,” he said, voice rising. “This here is the year of the monkey wrench. Write me off. I’m throwing a wrench in everybody’s plans.”

Mosley (46-5 with 39 knockouts), not Manny Pacquiao, will meet Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0 with 25 knockouts) on Saturday night in a welterweight fight in Las Vegas. He will showcase that misleading smile, a toothy grin framed by a thin mustache.

His trainer, Naazim Richardson, said he believed all great fighters possess deceiving qualities, from Muhammad Ali (unassuming heavyweight) to Oscar De La Hoya (tougher than he looked) to Mayweather himself (trash talk overshadows talent).

“And Shane Mosley is misleading,” Richardson said. “You look at that smile, that little kid smile, looking like he wants to sell you insurance or something. There’s this sweet quality about him. You forget he’s ferocious in the ring.”

Mosley’s father, Jack, implored his son to boast more, reasoning that “the mouth that stays closed never gets fed.” But that has never been Mosley’s style.

He trains here, flanked by his best friend and his 19-year-old son, surrounded by those he calls the Tribe. The main house is downright quaint, with paintings of bald eagles and snowmen figurines and a sign that reads, “Sugar Shane’s Chalet.” On Tuesday nights he heads to the nearby Bowling Barn, where locals grumble about flash photography and Mosley rolls under the tag name SUG.

All this makes for a humble, peaceful existence by boxing standards, but it also fans an internal struggle between who Mosley wants to be and how he wants to be remembered. He desires his place in boxing history and will discuss it when prompted (as for this article), but refuses to campaign actively.

“I’m not going to run my mouth just to run it,” he said. “That’s just talking. When I say something, you know I mean it.”

Mosley first considered his legacy at age 10, when he announced that one day he would become world champion. He never considered another plan.

He met his best friend, Hassan AbdulRahim Jr., in high school in Pomona, Calif., and they drove around in a green Volkswagen Beetle they once rebuilt in mechanics class. Most days ended at a park, with legacy the favorite topic.

Mosley struck his friend as calm, collected and obsessed with a singular pursuit. Boxers love that about him, even now. De La Hoya described Mosley as “the fighter that every fighter loves,” a throwback who sent his trainer pictures of an impromptu sparring session — held on his vacation in Bolivia.

For Mosley, boxing holds oxygen’s importance. If he spends more than a week outside the ring, he feels nasty, caged. He paces hotel rooms, or knocks out push-ups, plays basketball, tennis and soccer, or snowboards, anything to fill the void.

His grandfather remains spry at 91. His father still hits heavy bags at 65. Mosley always exuded the family energy, even in nursery school, when he tooled around on a Big Wheel while his classmates napped.

“I remember when we first started training, and I said, ‘This boxing is going to wear him out,’ ” Jack Mosley said. “Never did. Even to this day, it never does.”

Mosley faced doubts from the beginning, fighting for $1,000 here and there, knocking out all but one of his first 23 opponents. He won his first 38 fights, mostly at lightweight, and compiled a knockout ratio among the highest ever.

He chased the two famed Sugars who came before. Among his prized possessions, Mosley keeps a photograph of himself and Sugar Ray Robinson, often considered the greatest boxer of all. Mosley befriended Sugar Ray Leonard, too.

“I wanted to be like them, to show the difference between real fighters and fake ones,” Mosley said. “That’s the era that I’m from, the era that I fought in, the era that I watched. You fight the best and everything else follows.”

Not exactly. Mosley beat De La Hoya in 2000 and destroyed Antonio Margarito in his last fight, which many had considered a retirement party, in January 2009. Leonard called after the Margarito bout and told Mosley he represented their nickname perfectly.

That win announced Mosley’s return to boxing’s consciousness. But what happened between De La Hoya and Margarito nearly derailed his career.

The first defeat came in 2002, against Vernon Forrest, and over the next five years Mosley lost nearly as often as he won. Each beating came against a bigger fighter, and as recently as two years ago, promoters told his security guard to begin searching for another job.

AbdulRahim said Mosley fights best when happy, and he sees more than coincidence that Mosley’s life and career fell apart at the same time.

Victor Conte, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative founder, accused Mosley of using performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 and recently released portions of Mosley’s court testimony. Mosley said under oath that he unknowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

Mosley is suing Conte for defamation, but while he agreed to Olympic-style blood testing for this bout and mostly shrugged off the subject of steroids, it obviously bothers him. On a recent conference call, he said, “It’s ridiculous that the media wants to make me the poster boy for steroids.”

Beyond that, Mosley endured a brutal and public separation from his wife and business manager (they married in 2002 and are getting a divorce). Friends used the word “toxic” to describe the union.

“He’s in a different place now, a good place,” said LaDainian Tomlinson, a Jets running back and Mosley’s friend. “This is where Shane can cement his legacy forever, as the first person to beat Floyd Mayweather.”

De La Hoya said Mosley could retire ranked among the greatest fighters of his era, but “he does have to beat a Mayweather and beat a Pacquiao to be considered that.” Richardson, his trainer, called this fight the most important of Mosley’s career.

Mosley’s camp remains confident in its preparations, so much so that the first hour of training is off limits, even to HBO’s cameras. Privately, they laugh off the underdog label, with Richardson reminding skeptics that few picked Butler to advance to the N.C.A.A. championship game.

“He wants to remind people who he is,” AbdulRahim said. “He feels like, because of the hype, boxing took this guy from the Philippines and this guy, who wasn’t really much of a champion, to tell you the truth, and placed them in his spot. Shane is the one who should be pushed and hyped and put on this pedestal. He will prove that.”

Should Mosley upset Mayweather, he could aim for a rematch or fight Pacquiao, the Filipino who has won world titles in seven weight divisions. But one day, next year or five years from now, the emphasis on legacy will shift toward Shane Jr., the next fighter in the Mosley line.

They train together here, inside the garage Mosley transformed into a puncher’s paradise. Richardson bestowed the boy with his own nickname: Spice.

“Don’t forget about Little Shane,” Mosley told friends recently. “My baby boy is next.”

With that, Mosley went back inside his gym, where his son needed instruction and his legacy needed polishing. He had typical, understated plans on this recent Tuesday: an evening with the locals, at the big, red bowling barn for league night.

Source: nytimes.com

The Greatest -- The Ledger

By Rick Brown, THE LEDGER

Muhammad Ali called himself "The Greatest."

A panel of four boxing experts assembled by The Ledger disagrees.

Sure, Ali was great. So were Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano. And Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have joined the conversation in recent years.

They had all the tools; they had longevity.

But when asked to put all the tools together and identify the ultimate boxer, The Ledger's panel - including Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein, boxing historian Bert Sugar, boxing publicist Bill Caplan and Winter Haven trainer Tony Morgan - was unanimous.

Sugar Ray Robinson.

"He did more things well than any boxer in history," Bernstein said. "He was fast, powerful, clever and courageous. He had a great jab, great hook, good right hand and threw great combinations. He was also a good, but not perfect defensive fighter."

Robinson was so good, he knocked a guy out while moving backward.

Robinson was an international star as he was just as popular in France, where he lived for a while. In the United States, Robinson was honored with a postal stamp in 1996.

Born May 3, 1921, in Ailey Ga., as Walker Smith Jr., his family moved to New York when he was a teenager. It was in Harlem that he was introduced to boxing.

At 14, Smith wanted to enter a tournament but was told he needed to have an Amateur Athletic Union boxing card. He couldn't do that until he was 16, so he borrowed a friend's card. That friend was Ray Robinson.

As he progressed in the gym, his future coach, George Gainford, said the young boxer's style and fluid motions were "sweet like sugar." Thus, Sugar Ray Robinson was born.


Others would use the nickname "sugar," but Robinson owned it. After knocking out a boxer named Sugar George Costner in 1951, Robinson stood over the fallen fighter and asked, "Who's the real Sugar?"

His amateur record was a perfect 85-0 with 69 knockouts. He won the Golden Gloves featherweight championship in 1939 and the lightweight title in 1940 before turning pro.

For more than two decades, Robinson was the class of the welterweight and middleweight divisions. He had a 91-fight win streak. In his first 131 fights, he had one loss and two draws.

"He was flawless," said Sugar, the historian. "In his only loss to Jake LaMotta, he reversed that three weeks later. He was an unbelievable fighter."

Robinson captured the welterweight title in 1946 and held it until 1951. Later in 1951, he won the middleweight title. He retired in 1952 but came back and won the middleweight title again in 1955. He was the first boxer to win a divisional world championship five times.

In all, Robinson fought for 26 years and finished his career 175-19-6 with two no-decisions. The word "pound-for-pound" fighter was created because of him.

Since his death in 1989, Robinson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1997, Ring magazine named him the best pound-for-pound boxer in history, while in 1999, the Associated Press named him the greatest welterweight and middleweight boxer of the century.

And what do those other great fighters think of all that?

Ali, Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard called Robinson their idol.

Leonard was quoted as saying, "Someone once said there was a comparison between Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Believe me, there's no comparison. Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest."

Source: theledger.com

The five most skilled boxers since 1985 -- 15Rounds

By Colin Linwebber, 15Rounds.com

Unfortunately, very little news of interest has emerged so far this week in the world of boxing.

Considering the relative dearth of recent activity in The Sweet Science, I decided to rank the five most skilled boxers to enter the ring over the course of the past quarter-century.

It is imperative that I emphasize the word “skilled.”

The forthcoming list is not comprised of the most accomplished or decorated pugilists since 1985.

Rather, I ultimately nominated the five fighters below based strictly on their physical gifts and their overall pugilistic capabilities.

1) “Sugar” Ray Leonard - Leonard (36-3-1, 25 KOs), named Fighter of the Decade for the 1980s by Ring Magazine, captured world titles at multiple weight classes.

Leonard managed to defeat legendary fighters Wilfred Benitez (53-8-1, 31 KOs), Thomas Hearns (61-5-1, 48 KOs), Roberto Duran (103-16, 70 KOs) and Marvin Hagler (62-3-2, 52 KOs).

Leonard, the winner of the gold medal as a light welterweight at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, possessed blinding speed and deft agility in the ring.

Furthermore, Leonard was a deceptively powerful puncher who could badly hurt an opponent with one solid shot.

“Leonard was a great fighter,” said promoter Rich Cappiello from Brockton. “But, above all, he was a tremendously gifted athlete.”

“Sugar” Ray, who was rightfully inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997, is the most skilled boxer since Reagan’s second term.

2) Roy Jones, Jr. - Jones (54-6, 40 KOs) has been on a seeming mission for the past seven years to tarnish his once brilliant legacy.

Jones, named Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, has been shellacked by a host of marginal fighters since his career peaked in 2003 when he defeated WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz (44-8-1-1, 30 KOs) by unanimous decision.

Prior to Jones’ descent, he was a chiseled physical specimen with incredible quickness and power.

Many critics claim that Jones never had a defining victory in his career and that he never defeated any elite opponents.

In actuality, Jones was a sensationally talented pugilist who, at his peak, could have beaten any fighter, from any era.

3) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. - Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), the winner of six championships in five separate weight classes, is a very polarizing figure both inside and outside of the ring.

Many onlookers believe that he sidesteps dangerous contenders like Evander Holyfield avoids condoms.

Other Mayweather detractors loathe his defensive-minded mentality.

Nevertheless, despite his litany of faultfinders, Mayweather is a skilled, boxing marvel.

“Pretty Boy,” the winner of the bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, is elusive and speedy and he often makes his adversaries look simply foolish.

Mayweather will never be a universally beloved figure in the sport of boxing.

Still, Mayweather and his incredible talents deserve to be respected and recognized.

4) Mike Tyson - Before he became a cannibalistic, convicted rapist, Tyson (52-6, 46 KOs) was an enormously gifted boxer.

Tyson, the youngest man to ever win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, combined ferocious power, with extraordinarily rapid reflexes and quickness, to become a dominating prizefighter.

Tyson employed a Peek-a-Boo defensive style that enabled him to deftly dodge his adversary’s punches while he awaited his chance to explode offensively.

There is a widespread belief that Tyson won the bulk of his matches by intimidation alone.

Such a perception is unfair and inaccurate.

Before he squandered his talents, Mike Tyson was one of the most phenomenal forces to ever grace the ring.

At his pinnacle, Tyson could have knocked out any fighter ever on a given evening.

5) Manny Pacquiao - Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), the first fighter to capture seven world titles in seven different divisions, is currently rated by Ring Magazine as the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Pacquiao has long been regarded as one of the best boxers in the sport.

However, his recent demolitions of solid scrappers Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) and Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) have elevated his status to a newfound superiority.

“The Fighting Pride of the Philippines” is scheduled to battle Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Another overwhelming performance by Pacquiao in “The Lone Star State” will only further heighten his iconic reputation.

Pacquiao has been blessed with every necessary tool to become an outstanding prizefighter and he has aptly utilized those abilities.

*Needless to say, this article is predicated off of my opinion.

I look forward to the thoughts and feedbacks of my readers.

Source: 15rounds.com

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Pacquiao to test credentials for crossover stardom

by Norm Frauenheim, 29 October 2009, 15rounds.com

Muhammad Ali had it. Ken Norton did not. Sugar Ray Leonard had it. Thomas Hearns did not. Mike Tyson had it. Lennox Lewis did not. Oscar De La Hoya had it. Pernell Whitaker did not. Manny Pacquiao?

The question spikes Pacquiao’s date with Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand with a potent shot of intrigue that turns an already-interesting fight into a potential game-changer for the boxing business.

Can Pacquiao cross over and capture the public imagination in a way that makes the casual fan stop, talk and pay to watch?

Crossover stardom is hard to measure. Like former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when asked about another business in the red-light district, however, I know it when I see it. I’ve seen it in Pacquiao for years, or at least since he climbed through the ropes in 2005 smiling like a kid on a playground swing and then talked referee Joe Cortez out of a mid-round stoppage for a nasty cut in a fight he lost by decision to Erik Morales.

Pacquiao is genuine, vulnerable and dangerous all at once. The mix is as compelling as it is unlikely. The way in which it is expressed can also be as different as Tyson, the looming train wreck, and De La Hoya, the well-appointed luxury suite.

What I’m not sure of, however, is whether Americans care. A wise friend bet me that Home Box Office won’t generate as much pay-per-view income for Pacquiao-Cotto, Filipino-versus-Puerto Rican, as it did on Sept. 19 for Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez, American-versus-Mexican. It was a lousy fight, but the pay-per-view milestone, one million customers, is a big victory for Mayweather, much bigger than his one-sided win over Marquez. My friend’s contention is that Americans want to see American fighters.

Maybe.

Maybe, Mayweather’s pay-per-view triumph says exactly that. If so, then Pacquiao will be more like Pele than a De La Hoya. There is plenty of international kick in that. But Pele, a Brazilian, is as popular in America as soccer is or never has been.

In an internet-connected world turning into a global village, however, I’m betting that Americans have begun to notice Pacquiao. His promoter, Bob Arum, introduced a conference call Wednesday by saying that Pacquiao-Cotto is generating interest he hasn’t detected since Leonard, Hearns, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran put some buzz in to the 1980s. The reason, Arum says, is the emergence of Pacquiao’s crossover appeal to people who measure everything they know of boxing by what they remember about Ali.

“I’m just noticing it now,’’ Arum said a few weeks ago during a visit to Cotto’s training camp in Tampa.

Arum said he was in a fashionable Manhattan restaurant, the Monkey Bar, when a couple of celebrity diners, broadcast journalist Charlie Rose and editor Norman Pearlstine, talked about Pacquiao as though he were an emerging market.

During the conference call, there was talk that Pacquiao is poised to become one of history’s five best. Argue over three or four, but Ali would have to be one of them, in large part because of his larger-than-life role in the culture wars of the 1960s and ‘70s.

“Ali was a proponent of a political position and also became a spokesman for the civil rights movement at the time when it was really emerging,’’ said Arum, a former promoter for the iconic ex-heavyweight champ who Friday at his home in Phoenix celebrates the 35th anniversary Friday of his 1974 victory over George Foreman in Zaire. “Ali had a tremendous political impact, particularly his stance on the Viet Nam War. When he came back to fight, people just idolized him.

“Manny does not have that major political statement because he is not controversial. But he is engaged in politics in the Philippines. Everything that he does is pro-humanity, so he is rather loved in the Philippines, the United States and all over the world. …I have never seen anything like the adulation that he is treated by Filipinos all over the world. That is something that even Ali never even really had.’’

For Arum’s generation and my own, Ali’s politics echo down through the decades. In the ring and out of it, Ali’s timing was perfect, although I will forever blame him for Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s poetry. A bygone era wanted a rebel and it got one in Ali.

In a current era plagued by uncertainty heightened by a troubled economy, Pacquiao, surrounded by worshipping fans when he arrived in Los Angeles from Manila a few days ago, is also a man for his times. He is a lousy interview. He doesn’t say much. But these are noisy days. Everybody seems to have a web site or talk show. It would be easy, if not redundant, to just be another noise maker. While the rest of us talk and write about what we should do, shouldn’t do, won’t do and might do, Pacquiao reassures with action. He looks like somebody who knows what to do. Imagine that.

In the final accounting, however, I’m not sure it will matter. I’ve watched Ali interact with the public at various times and places in Phoenix. Parkinson’s has silenced him. The rhyme, the original rap, is gone. But it doesn’t matter. He never fails to attract a crowd, including kids who think Viet Nam is a neighborhood restaurant that specializes in Asian fusion. They don’t care or don’t know if Ali stood against a controversial war.

They just see somebody who, at 67, is as genuine as he was when he was 27. He can’t hide that.

Neither can Pacquiao.

NOTES, QUOTES

· Kudos to light-heavyweight Chad Dawson for dedicating his Nov. 7 rematch against Glen Johnson in Hartford, Conn., to slain UConn football player Jasper Howard. “One of the things that Chad is behind, as well as all of my fighters, is keeping violence inside the ropes,’’ promoter Gary Saw said Thursday. “We have T-shirts that say that. It’s on the web site. If they want fight or feel violent or whatever, then let them to lace up the gloves. Real men wear gloves.’’

· More Dawson: The 27-year-old might be a star in waiting. Eventually, the plan is for him to be a heavyweight. “He will absolutely be the heavyweight champion,’’ predicted Shaw, who first might have him drop back down to super-middleweight for a shot at the Super Six tournament title if – as expected – retires Taylor withdraws. Dawson’s eligibility for Taylor’s spot hinges on negotiations with HBO, Shaw said.

· And Pacquiao’s regimen includes getting hit with a stick while doing sit-ups. The idea and the stick comes from Thailand, where trainers use it to toughen up their fighters. “It deadens the nerves so you can absorb a punch better,’’ Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. Although Pacquiao has employed and apparently enjoyed the training method for years, Roach concedes he is not altogether comfortable with the tactic. “If somebody is going to hit me with a stick, they better bring a big one,’’ Roach said.

(Source: 15rounds.com)

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David Haye: 'I'm not looking forward to all that matted body hair and sweat'

The Independent, Friday, 30 October 2009

David Haye has wanted to become world heavyweight boxing champion since he was seven years old, living in an 18th-floor council flat in Bermondsey, south-east London. A week tomorrow in Nuremberg, south-east Germany, he finally gets a shot at a version of the title. Standing squarely between the 29-year-old and the realisation of his long-cherished ambition, however, will be the WBA champion, Russian giant Nikolai Valuev, 7ft 2in and 23st of solid, hairy and, according to Haye, not particularly sweet-smelling flesh.

I last interviewed Haye six months ago, when he was due to fight the 6ft 7in Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF, WBO and IBO champion. He had just caused a stir by wearing a T-shirt depicting him triumphantly holding up the severed heads of Wladimir and Wladimir's brother Vitali, the WBC champ. The fight didn't happen because "The Hayemaker" strained his back, so this time, looking anew for headline fodder, he has loudly raised the issue of Valuev's body odour. "All that matted hair and sweat," he says, disdainfully. "People who've fought him before have noticed it, so I'm not looking forward to that too much." He is making rather a habit of offending big blokes from the former Soviet Union.

Haye, a comparatively petit fellow of 6ft 3in and 16st, who was undisputed world cruiserweight champion until he stepped up to heavyweight, has also described Valuev as a "monster" and a "freak show" of a human being. But of course there is method in his manners. "I do and say whatever I can to get under their skin," he says. "The more angry they are on the night, the less they think about their technique." It was a tactic similarly adopted by one of his heroes, Muhammad Ali. Joe Frazier and George Foreman were properly riled by Ali's often boorish taunts and insults which, in the Thriller in Manila and the Rumble in the Jungle, he duly backed up with his fists. Boorishness is all very well, but you have to win. What if Haye fails to win?

"It's not an option," he says. "I know that if I bob when I should weave, duck when I should dive, he'll take me out, so it needs to be a punch-perfect performance. But I know what it's like to lose, and I've vowed never to lose again. I can't allow anything I do to result in a loss. If necessary I'll fight like a dog to beat this guy."

Haye leans forward in his chair, in the Riverside Plaza, a smart London hotel close to his Vauxhall gym, and drops his voice slightly, as if to emphasise the significance of what he is saying.

"There are different ways to victory," he adds, "and if one strategy doesn't work then it will be a case of, 'What's the next strategy?' He's very effective at what he does. He's lost one in 52, he's beat some respected fighters, and they all said he was better than they expected. There are certain people you can't knock out with one shot and he's one of them, but everybody's got a weak point. I know it's not his head, but I'll find it. I will hit him more often than he's ever been hit before. I will work his body, his arms, his neck, anything available. And I will make him look stupid by missing a lot. I will dishearten him. Don't forget he's got no amateur pedigree to feed off. I learnt my craft as an international amateur, and that will help me beat him."

It is a stirring statement of intent, and to be sure, there's much more to heavyweight boxing than size and strength, but all the same, Valuev will enjoy a massive 10-inch superiority in reach. The fight is cutely billed as David v Goliath, but Haye's biblical namesake had a slingshot. And if Valuev does land one of his thunderous right hands, will the Haye chin stand up to it? That is the big question mark the Londoner carries into the ring. He has lost only once in 23 fights, and all but one of those 22 wins have been knockouts. Nobody doubts his own punching power. But can he take a punch?

"I think I can. I was knocked down a few times in the cruiserweight division, but always by someone smaller. You see it in boxing time and again. Manny Pacquiao got knocked out at flyweight, but Ricky Hatton couldn't hurt him [at light welterweight]. The shots that hurt you are the shots you don't see, and the lighter the other guy the faster his shots are. When you see it coming you brace it, block it, ride it, parry it, and those options are increased against heavyweights."

Capitalising on an opponent's weight is a strategy recommended by his father Deron, a panel beater by trade but also a martial arts instructor. And Deron's guidance extended to other, more important aspects of life. "He was the best kind of male role model," says Haye. "He was clean-living, always came straight home after work, very athletic. A lot of kids follow what their old man does, and with him it was all about health and fitness. There were people in my class at school who ended up banged up, shot, killed even. My parents led me away from that side of things, and so did boxing. I wasn't smoking weed or drinking, because it would have hurt my boxing."

He was only two or three, he adds, when his father recognised a precocious ability to throw a punch. "My dad used to say to his pals, 'Let my son punch your hand', and they couldn't believe my power. I've always had a freakish gift of being able to whack things." And people, of course, which came in handy when he was 11 and in his first year at secondary school. "The hardest kid in the school was this lad called Danny Robinson, a few years older than me. He tried to give me some grief and I bashed him up. Then he came over to me in the football cage later that same day, with a couple of his mates, and I did him again." A chuckle. "I saw him again a few years ago and we had a laugh about it."

Still, decking Danny Robinson in the football cage is one thing, decking Nikolai Valuev in the Nuremberg Arena quite another. How carefully has he studied footage of Valuev's 52 fights? "I've looked at some of them, of course. But it's a mistake, and one I've made in the past, to try to figure a fighter out by watching someone else fight him. It's like watching a football team. They do different things when they play your team. I've learnt a lot from watching tapes of Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, and especially Roy Jones Jnr in his prime. He's the biggest inspiration to me, him and Lennox Lewis. Everyone has his own style, but nobody ever fights the same fight twice and Roy Jones was a master at those subtle adjustments, the pivoting of the feet, the head movement..."

As he says, though, that was Jones in his prime. At 40 the once great Floridian is still scrapping on, a shadow of his former self, and Haye abhors the spectacle of a boxer undermining his own legacy. "He could have retired as one of the all-time greats. He would have been in my top three of all time, no question. He went up to heavyweight and beat John Ruiz convincingly, but then he dropped back down to light heavyweight, got knocked out, Calzaghe beat him, and I just don't understand the motivation for carrying on. You've secured your legacy, you've got enough dough, why carry on?"

It is the perplexing, perennial boxing question, and Haye is determined that nobody will ever ask it of him. He says it was his intention even as a boy not to fight beyond the age of 30, and before he turns 31 in October 2011, he will honour his pledge to himself by quitting, as undefeated world heavyweight champion with two or three successful defences to his name, to be followed by a glittering career as a promoter if all goes perfectly to plan. On the other hand, no sport makes a mockery of plans quite like boxing does, and Haye is bright enough to know it, even if he won't admit it.

Can he honestly not envisage, eight or nine months from now, fancying one more pay day? "No," he says flatly. "I'm not a big spender, and anyway, how much money can one person spend? I've got a few cars. There's nothing I want to buy that I haven't got already."

I noticed one of his cars, a sporty Mercedes with a personalised number plate, when I arrived at the Riverside Plaza. In truth, it was hard not to notice, for it was parked somewhat ostentatiously across the entrance. And therein, perhaps, lies the contradictory essence of David Haye. He likes the expensive trappings of sporting success, and likes to show them off, but he doesn't crave any more of them and lives fairly modestly, in Brixton. He wants nothing more than to be heavyweight champion of the world, but he's happy for his reign to be brief. He is a smart, engaging, witty charmer, who can also descend to the level of the playground, as with his "you're ugly, you stink" insults. And he is keenly aware of his own eloquence, yet content in his own company.

This time next week, he tells me, solitude will be key to his preparation. "I try not to talk to many people before a fight because everyone wants to give you an opinion," he says. "I'll send and receive a few texts, but you get silly advice, like 'use your jab'. Oh yeah, I wasn't going to do that, thanks for telling me. Then I'll wake up on the day a bit earlier than usual, because of the adrenalin, and I'll think immediately, 'I'm going to have a tear-up tonight'. It's a strange feeling, because all those niggles and aches you've had, they all seem to disappear on the day. And then I'll just stay as relaxed as possible. I'll listen to Al Green, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, that sort of thing, and use as little mental and physical energy as possible. I'll save all the fast-twitch stuff for the last hour or two."

And what does he expect to dream about the night before the fight? What, indeed, did he dream about last night? "I dreamt about this big, massive, hairy body on the floor, and me standing over it." Funny, I had a feeling he might say that.

David Haye fights Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title on 7 November, live on Sky Box Office (08442 410888)

(This article is originally posted at independent.co.uk)

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Hollywood stars to watch Pacquiao fight

By NICK GIONGCO, October 29, 2009, Manila Bulletin

A galaxy of stars from the world of entertainment and sports will be at ringside when Manny Pacquiao faces Miguel Cotto on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Every Hollywood celebrity who is Manny’s friend will be in the fight,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who heads Top Rank Inc.

Well-known Pacquiao pals are Mark Wahlberg and Mickey Rourke but Arum guarantees there’d still be a lot in attendance.

Aside from showbiz people, the fight will also be graced by big names from baseball and football, making the card a star-studded affair, stressed the seventy-something Arum, who had promoted countless names in the fight game like Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Erik Morales, Floyd Mayweather, and Oscar De La Hoya.

The Cotto fight will be Pacquiao’s 17th on US soil.

All in all, Pacquiao has won 14 bouts in America, lost once (to Morales in their first fight in 2005) and drew once (with the late Agapito Sanchez in 2001).

Pacquiao’s last fight—held last May 2 also at the MGM Grand—was against British Ricky Hatton, who the Filipino flattened in just two rounds.

(This article is originally posted at mb.com.ph)

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Roach claims Pacquiao is one of the greatest ever

28 October 2009, stv.tv

Trainer Freddie Roach is confident his charge Manny Pacquiao can knock out Miguel Cotto on November 14 and in doing so cement his name as one of the greatest in the sports history.

The three-time Trainer of the Year, who correctly predicted Pacquiao would knock out Ricky Hatton within three rounds, reckons his boxer ranks in the top five greatest fighters of all time as he searches for his seventh world title.

“Beating Miguel Cotto for a seventh world title is going to be unbelievable. Manny is a throwback. He’s carrying his power and punch up with him and his speed,” said Roach.

“This is one of the greatest achievements ever because he is surpassing guys like Sugar Ray Leonard. He is in the elite category of the best five fighters of all time in any era.”

Pacquiao is on the verge of making it into the history books with a seventh title in as many divisions.

“It’s a great honour to me and to my country,” said Pac-Man. “That is why I’m very hungry to win this fight because it is the first time in history.”

Standing between Pacquiao and his historic ambitions is Miguel Cotto, but Roach is confident his man can send the Puerto Rican to the canvas.

“[Cotto] is a very good fighter. We are moving into a bigger weight class, but we fought Oscar [de la Hoya] at this weight too. I feel that Manny, the way he’s punching right now, he’s going to knock Cotto out.”

Roach maintained that as Pacquiao’s weight increases, so too does his strength which has convinced the trainer that it will be a short night for the fighter.

“[Pacquiao] is punching so much harder than he ever has. He’s just punching fast and hard and I just think Miguel Cotto’s defence isn’t good enough. He’s hittable and people that Manny can hit, he knocks out.”

(This article is originally posted at sports.stv.tv)

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(Source: YouTube.com)

A Versatile Boxer Is Fighting Poverty

By GREG BISHOP, October 24, 2009, NY Times

Manny Pacquiao, known as PacMan to his followers, is probably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Trained by the esteemed Freddie Roach, Pacquiao, 30, has won world titles in four weight divisions.

But Pacquiao’s interests extend far beyond the ring. In the Philippines, Pacquiao dabbles in acting and music (he has had two platinum albums) and even ran for a congressional seat in 2007. Pacquiao lost the election but said in an interview with The New York Times last month that he planned to run for office again.

In May, Pacquiao knocked off Ricky Hatton, the World Boxing Association welterweight champion, in the second round. He next fights against Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion, on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. GREG BISHOP

Q. What made you decide to run again for political office?

A. I want to help the people who are suffering. I came from a family who lived in poverty in the Philippines, and a lot of people there are very poor.

Q. You turned pro at 16. How much did you make in your first fight?

A. The purse was like 1,000 pesos, or about $20. I was excited. Before, I dreamed about being a good fighter. I was not looking for money when I started.

Q. Why did you begin boxing?

A. I started boxing after I ran away from home, when I was 14 years old, because we were very poor. I was helping my parents to get money, helping them to buy food every day.

Q. What were some of your jobs?

A. I sold doughnuts on the street. I would buy the bread, the flour and sell them to make money.

Q. Do you follow mixed martial arts?

A. I don’t watch it. It’s very different from boxing.

Q. We heard that the Philippines shuts down when you fight, that crime plummets and everybody watches. What is that like?

A. Every fight, millions of Filipinos are hoping for my victory.

Q. Bob Arum, the Top Rank boxing promoter, said you are the welfare system in the Philippines.

A. It’s hard. But that’s why I want to help them. I want to help the people there. And I have the ability to do that.

Q. Which boxers inspired you?

A. Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr. I watched Oscar De La Hoya fight in the Olympics. He won the gold medal there. And I thought, I could do that.

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Manny Pacquiao

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Sports editor meets Sugar Ray

doncasterfreepress.co.uk

SUGAR Ray Leonard fought during a period that was a golden era for boxing. The 70s and 80s saw superstars like Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler earn legendary status as they dominated the boxing scene. But Leonard fought and beat all three men to earn himself the title of the king of the ring. Sports editor PETER CATT went along to interview one of the all time greats on his recent visit to Doncaster. READ MORE

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Sugar Ray Leonard

(Image is from http://www.giantbomb.com/sugar-ray-leonard/72-68684/)

Your favorite boxing writer’s favorite boxers (Part 5)

By BoxingNewsWorld.blogspot.com

Want to know who are the favorite ‘all-time’ boxer and favorite active boxer of your favorite boxing writer? If you do, check this out:

Tom Donelson

“My top picks for fighters: Manny P, Juan Marquez (despite his loss still a great fighter), Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins (simply because he is one of the smartest fighters I have ever seen in the ring).”

“All time best: Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, who could do it all, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas the Hitman Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis (simply because he was one of this generation smarter heavyweights).”

Sugar Ray Robinson

(Above image is at http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/2175/nobody-sweeter-than-sugar-ray-robinson/)

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Writer Tom Donelson writes for BlackAthlete.com and BoxingInLasVegas.com.
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Don Stewart

“Current: Israel Vazquez (I just hope he's not damaged goods, post Marquez).”

“All-Time: Gene Tunney (one of the most underrated champs of all-time; also, possibly the brightest)”

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Don Stewart is a contributing writer for Reading Eagle and Ring Magazine.
***

Stanley Hochman

“I don't have a current favorite boxer because the sport has been diluted by all the extra divisions and all the extra championships....”

“(My) favorite boxer of all time remains Muhammad Ali, the most charismatic athletes I’ve been around in my 50-plus years of writing sports. It is sad that more than 3 years were stolen from his career, but it is a testimonial to his greatness that he came back from the exile to become champion.”

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Stanley Hochman is a Sports Columnist for Philadelphia Daily News.
***

Adam Pollack

“My favorite fighters are guys who come to fight hard and hit hard, and would do well in fights to the finish, like Pacquiao, Pavlik, Mosley, Juan Manuel Lopez.”

“I have seen so many greats that I simply cannot say I have a favorite boxer of all time. But again, I love the action fighters who could win fights to the finish - Louis, Marciano, Ali, Duran, Ray Leonard, and Chavez, amongst others.”

Rocky Marciano

(Above image is at http://www.boxnews.com.ua/en/Boxer/10833/Rocky-Marciano)

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Writer Adam Pollack is a staff writer for Cyberboxingzone.com, a boxing coach, chair of USA Boxing’s Judicial and Rules and Regulations Committees, and a an attorney practicing in Iowa City, Iowa.
***

Santos A. Perez

“(My) favorite active boxer might seem surprising but I have liked and appreciated Glen Johnson because of his perseverance and effort in every fight.”

“An all time boxer who was a favorite of mine is Roberto Duran. Winning world titles from the lightweight to middleweight division made Duran popular with many fans.”

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Santos A. Perez is a Sports Columnist for The Miami Herald.
***

Graham Houston

“Favorite active boxer: I don¹t have one.”

“All time favorite: Sugar Ray Robinson”

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Graham Houston writes for FightWriter.com.
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Ramon Aranda

“(My) favorite active fighter has to be Shane Mosley. He's generally never in a dull fight, has a great personality with the modesty to go with it and if you ask Antonio Margarito, (he) can still take you out.”

“All-time would have to be Julio Cesar Chavez. Watching him is what got me into the sport and his fights were always party events for the family. He was a real treat to watch.”

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Ramon Aranda writes for 411mania.com.
***

Zachary Levin

“Favorite active boxer? Well, James Toney is technically still active, so he would be my favorite. But he is clearly far from what he once was. The version of Toney that I love hasn't been seen in quite some time. But the two current fighters who are really on top of their games and I love to watch are Paul Williams and Manny (Pacquiao).”

“Favorite all time fighter(s)? It's hard to choose one. I loved Hagler, Duran, Hearns, Leonard and Tyson. These are the ones I grew up watching.”

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Zachary Levin is the Editorial Advisor at FightBeat.com. He has written boxing pieces for Boxing Digest, CyberBoxingZone, BoxingTalk, MaxBoxing, and The Sweet Science.
***

John DiSanto

“My favorite active boxer is Manny Pacquiao.”

“My favorite boxer of all time (this is a very difficult question) is Matthew Saad Muhammad.”

Matthew Saad Muhammad

(Above image is at http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/saad-m.htm)

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John DiSanto is the Editor and Webmaster of PhillyBoxingHistory.com
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Greig Murray

“My favorite active boxer is probably U.S. heavyweight Cris Arreola. He probably only won a single round against Vitali Klitschko, but I admire his straight-ahead brawling style, his courage and his willingness to absorb three or four punches in order to land one of his own.”

“My all-time favorite fighter is longtime Canadian heavyweight champion George Chuvalo — widely regarded as having the greatest chin in boxing history. Chuvalo twice went the distance with Muhammad Ali and was never knocked down in 97 professional bouts, between 1956-79.”

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Greig Murray is a Sports Columnist for Edmonton Sun.
***

Marshall N. B.
Boxing Fan

Related Articles:
Your favorite boxing writer’s favorite boxers (Part 4)
Your favorite boxing writer’s favorite boxers (Part 3)
Your favorite boxing writer’s favorite boxers (Part 2)
Your favorite boxing writer’s favorite boxers (Part 1)