Pacquiao-Margarito fight not coming to Las Vegas -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

By STEVE CARP, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Manny Pacquiao's next fight will not be in Las Vegas after all.

Citing an inability to get Antonio Margarito licensed in Nevada in a timely fashion, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum decided Friday to withdraw his request to have Margarito apply for a boxing license on the Aug. 9 agenda of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Arum was hoping to have Pacquiao face Margarito on Nov. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden.

The fight now appears headed to Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

But first, Margarito will appear before the California State Athletic Commission at a special hearing on Aug. 18 in an attempt to work things out with that state after it revoked his license and suspended him for one year after hard inserts were found inside his hand wraps prior to his Jan. 24, 2009 fight with Shane Mosley in Los Angeles.

When Margarito appeared before the NAC on July 9, his request for a license was tabled by a 4-1 vote, with chairperson Pat Lundvall the lone dissenting vote.

Those who voted to table the request told Margarito to go back to California, where his suspension had expired on Feb. 10, and take care of business there. Then he would be welcome to return to Nevada to seek a license.

"Because time is running out, we can't wait for Nevada to make a decision so we have to think about moving the fight elsewhere," Arum, who promotes both fighters, said Friday. "The commission, other than Pat, have other views. We decided we can't engage them in trying to change their views, so we're taking it elsewhere."

After talking to Arum and learning of his decision, NAC executive director Keith Kizer sent an e-mail to the commissioners indicating Arum's intentions.

"He said he didn't want to wait," Kizer said. "That's his call. Obviously, you have to have both fighters licensed to fight here and I don't know that the commission would have put (Margarito) on the (Aug. 9) agenda."

Lundvall said: "I'm very disappointed that the state of Nevada didn't have the opportunity to bring a fight of this magnitude and this caliber to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is where this fight should have been held."

Economically, the loss of Pacquiao-Margarito will be a missed opportunity for the city, which thrives on these kind of big events that bring in high-rollers as well as fight fans from around the world. Millions of dollars in potential gaming and nongaming revenue will not be realized with the loss of the fight.

MGM officials would not comment on Arum's decision to move the fight from Las Vegas.

The likely place for the fight to land is Cowboys Stadium. The facility, which played host to Pacquiao's most recent fight on March 13 when he soundly defeated Joshua Clottey in front of more 50,000 fans, is available. The Cowboys play at the New York Giants on Nov. 14, the day after the fight.

Arum said Cowboys Stadium is in the mix and he has talked to owner Jerry Jones. However, he also said other venues have expressed interest.

"New York wants it. New Jersey wants it. Seattle wants it," Arum said. "But let's see what happens in California first."

According to Arum, the Association of Boxing Commissions will announce on Aug. 19, the day after Margarito's California hearing, whether other states can move forward and license him.

"It's a unique situation," Kizer said. "Obviously, the incident in California was a very serious one and the commission treated it as such. And if and when Mr. Margarito comes before the (NAC) again, I'm sure it will be a very serious hearing and they'll have to make a decision as to what to do.

"What happened in California was horrible, regardless of who was to blame for it -- whether it's one guy, two guys, or more than both guys -- it's a horrible situation. That's why he got the stiffest penalty possible by the California commission. This isn't something that's going to go away. This is going to haunt him the rest of his career -- as it should. Whether he can meet his burden is a different story."

However, Kizer said he understood Arum's position.

"Some of these big fights take months and months of preparation and promotion to happen, especially with a fighter who hasn't won a fight of significance in nearly two years," Kizer said, referring to Margarito. "I think most promoters, if not all promoters, would say their No. 1 choice is Las Vegas. We've certainly seen that over the last 20 years. But sometimes things don't go their way and they have to go to Plan B or Plan C."

Arum said he has plans to hold a fight card on Dec. 4 that would feature Miguel Cotto facing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the main event. He would like to have that fight in Las Vegas but he said he has not made an offer to MGM officials.

"We don't have (Pacquiao-Margarito) for Nevada, so we have to think about another fight," Arum said.

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

Source: lvrj.com

Floyd Mayweather and promotional company face lawsuit of almost $62,000 for rental property -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press

Floyd Mayweather and his promotional company have been sued for almost $62,000 in a lawsuit alleging they did not pay rent for a building space that housed Mayweather Promotions in Las Vegas.

The promotional company formally was evicted this week, although Mayweather’s adviser said it already had relocated primary operations to a different location.

The breach-of-contract lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Las Vegas District Court by TDF Investments and names the boxing star and his promotional company as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, Mayweather Promotions signed a three-year lease for the space in July 2008, at rent of almost $10,800 monthly.

Ross Goodman, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of TDF Investments, on Friday said Mayweather Promotions met its rent obligations for more then a year “then just stopped paying” in February.

Mayweather’s attorney, Jeffrey Morse, said the dispute is a “typical landlord-tenant dispute” and that Mayweather Promotions quit paying rent and relocated operations because the property was unkempt.

“Floyd rented the space from the gentleman, the landlord, and was displeased about how the property was handled,” Morse said. “Floyd thought it was substandard. In order for Floyd to owe rent, the landlord must maintain the property in an acceptable standard, and that did not happen.

“It was Floyd’s decision to rent, and if the rent was due, Floyd would pay.”

Goodman countered that Mayweather did not respond to multiple communications from the landlord seeking back payment and never voiced concerns about the property’s upkeep.

He said the building is in “excellent condition” and that items belonging to Mayweather Promotions and still on site when the eviction was executed by the constable’s office were returned by the landlord.

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser, said Mayweather Promotions already had relocated its office before the action.

Mayweather, a Grand Rapids native, faces a much more substantive lawsuit in federal court in Las Vegas, where his archrival Manny Pacquiao has sued him and several members of Team Mayweather for alleged defamation of character.

That lawsuit relates to allegations that Mayweather and others close to him wrongly accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.

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

Source: mlive.com

No way to sugarcoat this: Mayweather fears Pacquiao -- CBS Sports

By Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com

He is possibly the best pure athlete today. Yet, despite his great physical prowess, he looks scared. He looks like a frightened man.

Floyd Mayweather usually appears gorged with bravado and his perpetually functioning ego can power a thousand cities, but these days his courage could seemingly fit neatly into a pair of a girl's dancing slippers as he continues to dodge Manny Pacquiao.

There's no other way to say this. Mayweather has a chance, directly in front of him, to make grand history. He can shut up doubters, display true mastery and etch his place into boxing lore by staging one of the great sporting events of all time. Instead of running to this opportunity, he's scurrying away from it.

Over the last several days I've had conversations with various people within boxing and no one understands why Mayweather is avoiding Pacquiao. His tactics outside the ring are as dumbfounding as they are in it.

What many in boxing believe is that Mayweather is nervous about Pacquiao and Mayweather is also enjoying his fame a little too much.

Mayweather is becoming Strayweather, a fighter more concerned about the arid glitter of celebrity than fighting the best possible opponent. He's a ship at sea and doesn't seem to care that there are numerous ports in sight.

The closest thing to a pseudo-defense of Mayweather I'm hearing is that ducking Pacquiao is part of an elaborate plan by Mayweather to increase interest -- and subsequently the money -- surrounding the fight. That, of course, would not be atypical Mayweather behavior. No one plays the media and boxing public for bigger dupes than him.

Yet the overall opinion in boxing seems to be Mayweather's concern is Pacquiao's smart brutality is an even match for his skilled quickness.

Who are we to say that a man who fights for a living is, well, afraid to fight? But Mayweather is leaving even his most strident supporters speechless with his recent game of running.

The irony is I think Mayweather would win and it wouldn't be as close as some believe. Mayweather's hand speed is still daunting and though Pacquiao is a solid boxer, he's mostly a slugger. Pacquiao is red-fanged but Mayweather would out-technique him. Apparently, I have more faith in Mayweather than Mayweather does.

Mayweather's refusal to fight Pacquiao runs contrary to everything we know about professional athletes. Imagine the New Orleans Saints getting to the Super Bowl but refusing to play Indianapolis because they feared the Colts? Or Kobe Bryant not wanting to beat LeBron James? Or Mary Ann thinking she wasn't prettier than Ginger?

What Mayweather is doing remains one of the most unusual stories in sports today. It trumps Pitino, T.O. and almost all other summer silliness because we're seeing an elite athlete refuse to be great.

Most in boxing thought we'd have a fight set by now, particularly after Pacquiao reportedly agreed to more stringent performance enhancing drug testing. There have been charges and counter charges about who is ducking who, but it's clear now that Mayweather is the one doing the running.

Pacquiao has moved on and will fight someone else in the fall while Strayweather runs in the opposite direction.

Many of history's great fighters didn't duck other greats or if they did, they didn't for long. Sugar Ray Robinson had 200 fights, sometimes with numerous fights in one year. Mayweather is proving more the exception to this rule.

Mayweather is also proving to be something I never thought I'd see.

Scared.

Source: cbssports.com

Margarito camp starts fight preparation -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

The moment Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum made the announcement that Manny Pacquiao's next fight will be against Antonio Margarito, the Mexican’s trainer, Robert Garcia, immediately gathered all of the Filipino icon’s fights on video.

"Since I learned about the fight I’ve been watching Manny Pacquiao’s fights, from when he got knocked out in the beginning of his career, to his loss against (Erik) Morales (in March 2005) and all the other fights were he beat everybody else," Garcia told the leading boxing website fightnews.

"We’ve been studying all those fights and I think we’ll come in with a great plan and a great strategy to beat him," said Garcia, whose former clients include ex-world champion Brian Viloria.

Pacquiao and Margarito will slug it out for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super-welterweight title on November 13 at a venue that will soon be determined, according to Arum.

Vying to host the much-awaited return of Pacquiao are Las Vegas, Dallas, Monterrey in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Arum said he would know by next week which city will secure the rights to stage the bout.

Oil-rich Abu Dhabi is said to be very keen in getting the fight and is going all-out in pleasing Pacquiao's ultra-luxurious taste.

As Arum tries his best to get the best deal out of the interested parties, Garcia is making himself busy coming up with the blueprint for Pacquiao's downfall.

Source: mb.com.ph

Pacquiao sister wanted for illegal gambling racket -- AFP

AFP

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines — Philippine police said Friday that a sister of boxing hero Manny Pacquiao was involved in running an illegal gambling racket, after detaining 25 people in a raid on her home.

A police vice squad detained the 25 and seized evidence, including gambling materials and cash, in Thursday's raid on the home of Pacquiao's elder sister, Isidra Paglinawan, said local police chief inspector Leo Sua.

Pacquiao, the seven-time world champion elected to a seat in the Philippine parliament this year, personally watched as police searched the house in the southern port city of General Santos, but vowed not to interfere.

A lower court in General Santos ordered the raid as part of a crackdown on an illegal numbers game known as "masiao", but Paglinawan, 34, was not at home, Sua told reporters.

He said the detained people were bet collectors for the illegal racket, in which bettors place wagers on the last two digits of the winning ticket of the Philippine lottery.

Police seized 33,000 pesos (about 721 dollars) in suspected bets, said Sua, who led the raid. He said police would ask state prosecutors to file illegal gambling charges in court against Paglinawan and the 25 other suspects.

Sua said police were searching for Paglinawan.

Pacquiao told reporters Friday he was attending his father's birthday party when police raided Paglinawan's house next door.

He said he would ask the police to investigate whether his sister was indeed a "masiao" operator.

"I will not interfere. Let the law take its course," boxing's "pound-for-pound" king said.

Betting in an illegal numbers game or allowing one's property to be used for such a game is punishable by up to six years in prison.

Working for an illegal gambling operation, or actually running it, carries jail terms of between eight and 20 years.

The well-appointed houses of Pacquiao's parents and five siblings are tourist attractions in the otherwise depressed General Santos district of San Isidro, where Pacquiao grew up in poverty.

The sister sought by police and her husband have no known permanent jobs.

However it is well known in the neighbourhood that Pacquiao, now one of the world's richest sportsmen, gave his relatives the houses and large amounts of seed money to start their own businesses.

His winnings from boxing as well as his commercial endorsements last year made Pacquiao the world's sixth-highest paid athlete, with earnings of 40 million dollars, according to Forbes magazine.

During the election campaign in May, aides of Pacquiao's rival for the local parliamentary seat alleged that the boxer's family were "masiao" operators.

Pacquiao publicly denied the allegations during the campaign.

Pacquiao is expected to fight Mexico's Antonio Margarito for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight championship on November 13.

He had wanted to fight undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Junior in what would have been boxing's richest ever draw, but protracted negotiations appeared to have fallen through.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Source: google.com

The Manny Pacquiao – Floyd Mayweather JR Meltdown: Where the Fault Lies -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report

I think it’s safe to say that the boxing world is about as disappointed as it can be at this moment. The fight that everyone wanted has fallen through. Bob Arum was quick to note a missed deadline for Floyd Mayweather, JR., to agree to a fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao, while Team Mayweather contended that there was never even a negotiation taking place. RSR can confirm that there was, and now the picture may be coming clear.

Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s, has had the reputation of being a businessman first, and a fighter second. When tests would arise that may challenge his unblemished record, he has often bowed out, citing different reasons. When Antonio Margarito was in line for a shot at Mayweather, JR., he declined, stating that it was not a marketable fight. Kostya Tszyu showed interest that was never reciprocated. Mayweather, much like he does in the ring, picks his spots, and there is no real reason at this point why he cannot fight Pacquiao…at least on the surface.

Manny Pacquiao, 51-3-2, 38 KO’s, has appeared to be a fighter first, businessman secondly, although most would contend that he lost the number of Juan Manuel Marquez when he nearly beat him on two occasions. There was no need to tempt fate again. He has made a name for himself as a fearless brawler, that enjoys being in fights. He is quick and has great timing, and is just the opponent to test the impregnable defense of Mayweather, JR. The people want this fight. They want the fight more than any other fight in boxing over the last ten years, but it’s not happening. Let’s explore the reasons.

Roger Mayweather

The last thing that you want to do when you are going into the biggest fight of you life is to switch trainers. It has been evident time and time again that there is an adjustment period when fighters move from trainer to trainer because all are different and you can see a fighter do different things depending on what they are being taught. Roger Mayweather, the trainer of Floyd Mayweather, JR., is in quite a bit of trouble after beating up a woman and choking her out. He will hopefully be locked up for a while, but what’s good for humanity may not be good for boxing. Without Roger, this fight will not proceed and this is, I’m assuming, the big reason why this fight is not happening.

Sabotage

The sly Bob Arum may not have clean hands here. Pacquiao may have five more fights in him before he calls it a day and should he fight Floyd, he would most likely lose, and his marketability may plummet because of it. If he should fight some recognizable names in fights that he should easily win, it might make that much more money over the course of time.

Despite the objections of Luis Resto returning to the ring, Bob Arum had no problem bringing back Antonio Margarito, a fighter of similar offense. He had loaded gloves. He knew he had loaded gloves and he and his trainer were loading them for some time. Prior to the discovery, Margarito went on a spree of destruction, plowing over the opposition with the bricks he had on his hands, but when he went into a fight without the Plaster of Paris on his hands, he was dominated and left in a heap by an old Shane Mosley. The fact is: Margarito + plaster in gloves = top fighter. Margarito – plaster in gloves = mediocrity.

The positive thing that has come out of Margarito’s bad ways has been his appeal as a bad boy of boxing and Arum knows that he can sell him as an opponent for Pacquiao and people may actually think it’s a competitive fight. Even if they didn’t, Mike Tyson sold fights just on the “I wonder what he’s going to do,” factor. Margarito may have that same appeal.

On November 13th, we will see Margarito in the ring with Pacquiao and we will see the “PacMan” pummel him into early submission, and Arum will laugh all the way to the bank. This bird is in the hand is better than the two in the bush. Arum’s interest may have been in this route then the shot at Floyd, where he could lose his cash cow.

Better Safe than Sorry

There is a widespread contention by the Pacnuts that Floyd Mayweather, JR., is afraid to fight Manny Pacquiao. They would probably say the same thing about Wladimir Klitschko…but you have to take what blind groupie fans say with a grain of salt. I have seen articles by “writers,” which just about anyone can be a writer that has a laptop and an email address, jumping on this contention as well. You have to cut through the garbage here and draw your own conclusions and amazingly, they may not be that far off the mark.

When you look at the career of Mayweather, it is very impressive, but when he established himself as the man to beat, he began to play it safer then he did throughout his early career. The fight with Pacquiao would be his toughest, on paper, since his fight with Diego Corrales in 2001. He has beaten a lot of good fighters, but few were in their prime when they eventually met.

Boxing is a business and sometimes not doing what the public wants is better in the long run, but with the money on the table for this fight, it’s hard to imagine Floyd not wanting it, unless he has some trepidation. The two fights where Floyd was hurt were against Zab Judah and DeMarcus Corley, both southpaws. Pacquiao is a more complete fighter than either Judah or Corley and would not stop punching. Floyd had issues with Jose Luis Castillo. There may be some major concern about fighting Pacquiao from Floyd, and it may not be worth the gamble when he could fight anyone else and make great money in the process.

A big problem, really, is that Floyd has nothing to prove. When he fought Corrales, he was an unknown to most of boxing and he needed to put together some signature wins to establish himself. Now he is known worldwide and win or lose to Pacquiao, they have a spot reserved for him at the Hall of Fame. He is always working on his own terms and will not be dictated to, no matter how much the fans are begging for the fight.

One More Power Play

When the fight was all but set, Floyd Mayweather, JR., demanded specific steroid testing for Pacquiao, which was quickly refused and just as quickly, the fight fell apart. Time passed, and they sat down again to speak and that was ironed out, but once again, the fight evaporated and Floyd went on vacation. Is this a power play by Money Mayweather?

There is no question that both men are a draw, but PPV buys proves that Floyd is the “Money” going into this fight. He knows that the fans want to see him tested and know that no other fighter can do it but Pacquiao. He also probably realizes that Margarito or a Miguel Cotto rematch would not put a blemish on the record of his future foe and therefore, they are not a threat to him. He can come back at any time and say: “I agree to fight” and it will be on for the 13th of November.

Floyd is the master of mental warfare and this could be another example of it. It’s hard to imagine it is, but it’s certainly a possibility. We will find out in the near future because the fans are feeling shunned and are losing interest. They are refusing to salivate over food they will never get.

Who’s to Blame

The blame has to fall, at this point, on Floyd Mayweather, JR. If he wanted the fight, he would have the fight and it would be based mostly on his terms. Pacquiao, by all indications wants the fight. He wants to be the undisputed best in boxing but he has to beat Floyd in order to be that. I’m interested to see what happens with Roger Mayweather. Should he come out of his legal troubles in decent shape and ready to train, will the fight be on? I believe that this is the biggest obstacle and once it’s out of the way, let’s hope that we have the mega fight that we all want.

Source: ringsidereport.com

Antonio Margarito applies to California for reinstated boxing license -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Disciplined boxer Antonio Margarito on Wednesday filed an application to have his license to fight reinstated by the California State Athletic Commission, more than 17 months since it was revoked when officials confiscated "loaded" hand wraps from the Tijuana fighter before his failed world welterweight title defense at Staples Center in January 2009.

Margarito's promoter, Bob Arum, told The Times, "We've asked for this to be heard on an expedited basis," before the commission's next scheduled meeting Sept. 20 in Los Angeles.

Margarito has agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao Nov. 13 at a site yet to be determined. Arum doesn't want Margarito to fight Pacquiaio in California, but when the promoter sought to have Margarito re-licensed in Nevada earlier this month, commissioners there ruled to table their decision until Margarito first attempted to have his appeal heard where the license was originally stripped.

A Pacquiao-Margarito bout would challenge the May Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley bout to emerge as the most lucrative fight of the year, and Arum said he feels obligated to give his home state Nevada a shot at landing the bout.

However, the promoter said Wednesday that "a half dozen states have said they will grant us a license without a decision by California," not including Nevada. The favorites among other U.S. destinations are believed to be Texas, where Pacquiao drew a crowd of 51,000 for a March bout against lesser-known Joshua Clottey, and Atlantic City, N.J., which would cater to the big gamblers who've descended upon Las Vegas in Pacquiao's prior fights there.

Margarito, who returned to fighting in May in a bout in Mexico, has since fired his suspended trainer, Javier Capetillo, who claimed at the February 2009 California commission meeting that plaster-coated pads ended up inside Margarito's hand wraps accidentally, and that the former two-time world welterweight champion had no knowledge of wrongdoing.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Mayweather exposed as chicken -- Yahoo! Sports

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg released a four-paragraph, five-sentence statement Monday which cast doubt upon the veracity of Floyd Mayweather Jr.; Mayweather’s best friend, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe; Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and which forever eliminated any doubt about Mayweather’s intention: He’s ducking Manny Pacquiao.

There can be no other rational explanation.

Welcome to “Mayweather in Wonderland,” where they try to convince you that up is down, the grass is blue and the sky is green. Never mind that Mayweather has tarnished, perhaps forever, his legacy as one of the best boxers of all time. Given his disinclination to fight Pacquiao, it’s hard to regard him as the best fighter of his own time.

Mayweather was nowhere to be found on Monday, still on vacation, apparently oblivious to the millions of boxing fans desperate to hear a word about his intentions. If Mayweather cared about his legacy, if he cared about the sport that has made him rich and famous, he wouldn’t have been invisible the last few weeks while allowing Ellerbe to spew a lot of mumbo jumbo.

Mayweather and his cronies attempted to insinuate that Top Rank chairman Bob Arum was being deceitful when he said he’d been negotiating for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight with Greenburg serving as the middle man. Greenburg and Arum have not had the strongest of relationships, while Greenburg has an extraordinarily cozy relationship with Golden Boy. If Arum were lying, their frequently contentious history together suggests that Greenburg would have called him on it immediately.

Greenburg, though, clearly sided with Arum, when he said, in part, “I had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2nd … “

That’s what Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, has steadfastly claimed for weeks. On June 30, Arum told Yahoo! Sports that “all issues were resolved” and that the only outstanding matter was whether Mayweather wanted to fight in 2010 or 2011. Arum then set a July 16, 11:59 p.m. deadline on Mayweather to accept the deal. On a conference call in the early morning hours of July 17, Arum announced the deadline had passed without word from Mayweather and that he was pursuing a fight for Pacquiao with either Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto.

Ellerbe, though, released a statement on July 19 that was the beginning of the end for Team Mayweather’s credibility. Ellerbe disputed that talks had even taken place. “Here are the facts,” the statement read. “Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis and the truth is no negotiations have ever taken place nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying.”

That led many in the media to quickly assail Arum’s credibility and for Schaefer and De La Hoya to issue self-righteous comments backing Ellerbe and denying negotiations had ever taken place.

And they would have won this silly game had it ended there and had Greenburg not entered the fray. Arum insisted he was telling the truth, but few seemed to believe him. They didn’t, that is, until Greenburg released his brief, simple, but truly remarkable statement.

In it, he said, “Fights like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao are significant because of these fighters’ ability to connect with sports fans around the world. It’s unfortunate that it won’t happen in 2010. I had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2nd, carefully trying to put the fight together. Hopefully, someday this fight will happen. Sports fans deserve it.”

Here’s what sports fans deserve: They deserve better than to waste their hard-earned money on “Money,” who acts as if he’s invented the sport. Mayweather’s a brilliant talent who never seems to let one forget it, who behaves as if he should be able to dictate terms and others should gratefully accept it because he said so.

Let him play in his fantasy world. Boxing doesn’t need him. And, truth be told, he’s wrong about his value.

Mayweather has sold more pay-per-views against common opponents than Pacquiao and his gates for those fights have been bigger. But Pacquiao’s Nov. 14 bout with Cotto at the MGM had a far greater economic impact upon the city of Las Vegas than either of Mayweather’s and the Nevada Gaming Control Board attributed casinos’ best performance in 22 months in November 2009 to the presence of the Pacquiao-Cotto bout and the high-rolling Asian gamblers who spent loads of money.

Despite apparently being caught red-handed when Greenburg released his statement, Ellerbe’s only response on the record was, “I hear his statement and I stand by my statement.” But he then attempted to insinuate that comments Mayweather made at a June 2 Make-a-Wish event in Las Vegas should have been taken by the media that he never planned to fight Pacquiao this year.

“At this particular time, Floyd Mayweather is taking probably a year off, a couple of years off from the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said at the charity event. “I don’t really know what the future holds for Floyd Mayweather at this particular time, but I’ll probably take a couple of years off.”

Saying one “probably” is going to take a year off is a lot different than releasing a statement or holding a media conference and announcing one’s retirement. Yet, Ellerbe attempted to intimate that Mayweather’s statement to sports director Chris Maathuis of KLAS-TV in his gym at a charity event was a definitive announcement.

What muddied the waters even more was De La Hoya apparently lying to Univision on June 11. In a televised Spanish-language interview, De La Hoya said of a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, “I think right now we are very, very close in finalizing the contracts. I can’t talk right now in detail about the negotiations but I will say that we are very close.”

The comments caused quite a stir when they were made, but Schaefer dismissed them. He insisted De La Hoya had been misquoted. But when those pesky reporters actually went and had Spanish experts translate the recording, it turned out that De La Hoya wasn’t misquoted.

So the Golden Boy tried a different tactic on Monday. He told Robert Morales of BoxingScene.com, “I think I said it because I get the question so many times that, obviously, I was fed up and tired of it and I just said like, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s gonna get made.’ ”

Essentially, De La Hoya on Monday admitted to lying on June 11, though it’s uncertain how his June 11 comments would have helped end the questioning he wanted to avoid. Given that he said a deal was close, that would only seem to make the scrutiny greater, no lesser. Had he said there were no talks – which he’s now insisting is the truth – and that the fight was not going to happen, no one would have had reason to keep asking him.

No one is going to ask any more. How can anyone support someone with Mayweather’s arrogance, who cares so little about the fans who made him rich beyond his wildest dreams that he won’t even consider the fight they want more than any other?

Mayweather has run from his biggest challenge. The fans, even those who have ardently supported him through the years, will surely remember that. And the next time he dares to compare himself to one of boxing’s all-time greats, such as Sugar Ray Robinson or Sugar Ray Leonard, they’ll scoff.

He can’t hold a candle to either.

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Mundine demands pre-bout drug-testing of opponents -- Sydney Morning Herald

By BRAD WALTER, The Sydney Morning Herald

ANTHONY MUNDINE has followed the lead of Floyd Mayweather jnr, the pound-for-pound superstar he eventually wants to fight, by insisting on Olympics-style drugs testing for his WBA junior middleweight world title eliminator bout against Ryan Waters.

Mundine, who hopes the fight against the WBA's No.7-ranked junior middleweight can propel him to a shot at Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito, intends to demand all future opponents undergo three blood tests for drugs before their bouts.

''I want to set a precedent in boxing here and clean up the sport,'' Mundine said. ''I just feel that in the past there have been some fighters who have had some enhancement. I am not going to name names but I feel that they couldn't take the punishment and respond the way they did. I just feel that some guys will go to any lengths to beat me and if that is by taking drugs and enhancing their bodies illegally, then they will do that, because that is how much it means to them.''

Mayweather sparked controversy earlier this year. His refusal to back down on his demands that Manny Pacquiao undergo three blood tests before their bout resulted in one of the most eagerly awaited fights in boxing history not going ahead.

Mundine said that Waters had agreed to the stringent drug-testing and his next scheduled opponent, The Contender Australia champion Garth Wood, would do the same.

''I want to be drugs-tested,'' Mundine said. ''I've never been Olympic-style drugs-tested except when I fought in Germany, but I want both blood tests and urine tests. I don't want them on steroids, I don't want them on stanozolol, I don't want them on EPO [erythropoietin]. I want them to be even, I want them to be just like me. I work hard.''

Waters, who is also rated No.5 in the WBO's junior middleweight rankings, has been unbeaten since June 2006 and views the bout with Mundine as his opportunity to secure a world title fight.

''In this half of the world [the southern hemisphere] I am the strongest light middleweight getting around and I will show everyone that on September 15,'' Waters said.

Mundine said the fight was a stepping stone to a fourth world title in a third weight division. ''Ryan is world-rated by two sanctioning bodies, he is No.7 in the WBA and I am No.2, so we've got two boxers ranked in the top 10 in the world fighting an eliminator to be the next in line for a shot at the world title,'' he said.

The main preliminary bout will pit Australia's top-rated heavyweight, Alex Leapai, against Britain's Danny Williams, who famously scored a fourth-round knockout of Mike Tyson in 2004.

Source: smh.com.au

"Super Welterweight Title Fight" Super Disappointment -- Miami Herald

By Lyle Fitzsimmons, Sports Network

Maybe it's the travel lag...and/or my general grumpiness.

Because after a seven-day stretch that's included more than 2,000 road miles over four states and two time zones - not to mention a pair of multi-hour plane rides, stays in three hotels and what seemed like 100 hours of convention events - I'm a little short on patience.

So when I began making notes to create this week's column in the lobby of yet another lodging establishment in lovely Macon, Ga. - free wireless coverage at La Quinta Inns & Suites rocks, by the way - I was already on the prowl for someone to tear into.

With that as an objective, boxing rarely disappoints.

And this time around, it's the same-old chorus on a brand-new song.

Much as he did this time last year with news he'd face Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight championship, Filipino phenomenon Manny Pacquiao is commandeering headlines this week with the choice of his next title-fight opponent - Antonio Margarito.

According to multiple reports, Pacquiao will meet the disgraced former 147- pound kingpin on Nov. 13 in either Nevada or Mexico, pending Margarito's eventual status in Las Vegas after would-be locker room shenanigans with Shane Mosley 18 months ago.

The debate on whether Margarito should fight at all is still a lively one.

And because no one outside of he and his closest teammates really knows what happened in the back rooms at Staples Center a year ago January, I'll defer to the judgment of the Nevada commission to make a correct call after examining the evidence.

If they say he deserves a license, let him fight here.

If not, let him slink back to Mexico and do it on home turf.

Makes no difference to me. And the show goes on regardless.

Rather, my beef lies with the other machinations Bob Arum and Co. are poised to employ while billing Pacquiao-Margarito a "WBC super welterweight championship" fight.

The fact Arum created any scenario in which the reigning WBO welterweight champion meets a man two fights from elite status ensures a lead SportsCenter placement come mid-November.

The best at 147 is chasing history against a man considered dominant not long ago.

That without question is a good thing.

But like last year when it aimed for Cotto's crown, Team Pacquiao is mandating a dubious catch-weight provision to have the men fight well below the established limit for the division - four pounds, to be exact - which has long been 154 pounds.

Then a reigning welterweight champion, Cotto was contracted to defend at 145.

In competing for a super welter title, Margarito is now being held to 150.

And 12 months later...the taste it leaves is no less bitter.

Especially considering the revived frenzy the bout creates to tag Pacquiao a throwback and label his recent weight-rising dominance superior to Henry Armstrong in the 30s and 40s.

Only a fool would contend that Manny's not great.

In fact, it takes far less than a genius - whether "Pactard" or "Flomo" - to see he's an all-timer bound for deservedly special treatment at Canastota.

But no matter how many belts he adds, wrong remains wrong.

And if you don't agree, simply take a closer look.

Even if nothing had preceded it at lower weights, Pacquiao's climb to elite status at 130 pounds with his win over Juan Manuel Marquez - albeit a close and controversial one - was evidence enough to prove legitimate pound-for- pound prowess.

Since then, though, it's sometimes gotten a little murky.

While recounting breathless history, remember the title climb to 135 pounds was not made against an incumbent three-belt champ who'd beaten the previous No. 1, but with a more favorable match in David Diaz - then only the WBC claimant - as heavy bag of choice.

A brutal shellacking of Oscar De La Hoya six months later was impressive and rightfully earned Manny kudos. Lest I forget, I chose De La Hoya by easy KO going in and never dreamed an upset would have approached the destruction Pacquiao unleashed.

But the Golden Boy's imprudent weight loss - 145 pounds?!? - casts at least some shadow.

And an oft-unmentioned reality is Oscar's seven-year absence from the division hardly makes any conqueror - even a streaking Pacquiao - an Armstrong-like claimant to the throne.

Had De La Hoya lost to Steve Forbes at 147 a fight earlier, no one would have called the former "Contender" participant the division's new terror. But because he's the "it" guy, anything Manny touches - even a guy whose last win at 147 came in 2001 - turns to gold.

At 140, no plausible denial applies to Pacquiao's blitz of Ricky Hatton, whom he clearly defeated to establish himself as the new top man.

But the subsequent slight rise to meet Cotto at stand-in weight re-opens a can of worms similar to the one following the match with a shrunken Oscar.

And let's not even mention Josh Clottey, shall we?

For those unaware, history shows "Homicide Hank" used no such loopholes.

When he won the featherweight title in 1937, his foe weighed 126. When he copped the welterweight title in 1938, he conceded several pounds and won double-digit rounds on all cards. And when he took the lightweight title just three months later, he weighed 134.

"Fighter of the Decade" laurels notwithstanding, Pac's not approached those feats.

It's not even close.

But it is pretty simple.

If Manny wants to weigh 150 pounds while attempting to claim another title, so be it.

And if Margarito chooses to slim down in competing against him, that's fine, too.

But fudging established rules to orchestrate big events is wrong. And it removes any legitimacy existent when comparing Pacquiao's laudable exploits to Armstrong's legendary ones.

I understand his cash cow status allows leverage and I understand Margarito is free to walk, but it'd sure be nice to hear purists break sweats on tirades over title-bout replicas like they do while likening flimsy imitations to true multi-division trailblazers of decades past.

As for the fight itself, Margarito's got no chance. Plaster or no plaster.

Pacquiao in 8.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This week's title-fight schedule:

SATURDAY IBF junior bantamweight title - Tepic, Mexico Simphiwe Nongqayi (champion) vs. Alberto Rosas (No. 1 contender) Nongqayi (16-0-1, 6 KO): Second title defense; Third fight in Mexico (2-0, 0 KO) Rosas (31-5, 25 KO): First title fight; Six wins in 11 fights after 25-0 start Fitzbitz says: "The South African is hardly a dominant champion, but he'll be good enough here." Nongqayi by decision

WBA/WBO lightweight title - Las Vegas, Nev. Juan Manuel Marquez (WBA/WBO champion) vs. Juan Diaz (No. 8 WBA/No. 3 WBO contender) Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KO): First WBA/WBO title defenses; Stopped Diaz in nine rounds in 2009 Diaz (35-3, 17 KO): Twelfth title fight (9-2, 4 KO); Former IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champion at 135 Fitzbitz says: "Marquez was better last time. He's better this time. Similar result." Marquez by decision

Vacant WBO middleweight title - Las Vegas, Nev. Daniel Jacobs (No. 1 contender) vs. Dmitry Pirog (No. 2 contender) Jacobs (20-0, 17 KO): First title fight; Two fights at or below middleweight limit (2-0, 1 KO) Pirog (16-0, 13 KO): First title fight; First fight in North America Fitzbitz says: "They say Jacobs is the real deal. I'll believe for now until proven wrong." Jacobs by decision

Last week's picks: 1-1 Overall picks record: 210-73 (74.2 percent)

Lyle Fitzsimmons is a veteran sports columnist who's written professionally since 1988 and covered boxing since 1995. His work is published in print and posted online for clients in North America and Europe. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/fitzbitz.

Source: miamiherald.com