Pacquiao admits need to work on speed -- ABS-CBN News

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao has an additional training regimen as he prepares for his fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito in November.

“The Pacman” is using a rattan stick in a routine which he says is painful but needed for his training.

“Maganda ‘yon para sa mind conditioning. Ginagamit talaga namin bawat laban. Malaking bagay kasi ‘yon, nakakatulong,” the Sarangani province congressman said.

The world-renowned Filipino boxer said he is confident that he already has the stamina and strength although he needs to gain more speed for his upcoming fight.

“Kailangang bawasan yung fly matrix. Medyo mabagal nang konti ‘yung reaksyon ng katawan at mga punches. Last 3 weeks, focus kami sa speed,” he said.

He and Margarito will clash for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight crown on November 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

But it was not just all work and no play for Pacquiao in Baguio City.

Aside from getting ready for the Margarito bout, the champion boxer-congressman is also gearing for a post-fight event.

He said he is also preparing for his upcoming concert in the United States after his fight with Margarito.

After his practice on Saturday, Pacquiao spent time with his fans, singing and playing the organ along with his wife, Jinkee, and friends.

Jinkee and Top Rank Inc. big boss Bob Arum watched Pacquiao’s training session on Saturday.

Arum, who serves as Pacquiao’s promoter, stated that the Filipino boxing icon’s performance was “satisfactory.”

“At this point, you don’t want to turn it all on, you want to save it for the fight,” added Arum. – With reports from ANC and Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Antonio Margarito's odd sponsorship changes Manny Pacquiao's confidence? -- Examiner

By Roz Zurko, Examiner.com

The Junior Middleweight Title fight of Antonio Margarito vs. Manny Pacquiao fight has Pacquiao with the odds to win, but Margarito is so sure that is not true, he bet it all on himself to win, according to the LA Times

In a very bizarre turn of events, the punk rock clothing makers, “Affliction” may just have changed the part that a sponsor plays in the boxing world.

Margarito had “Affliction” as a sponsor before his license was revoked due to the discovery of plaster in his gloves before the Sugar Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in 2009.

“Affliction” dropped Margarito due to “the slow economy.” Margarito went back to the punk rock clothing manufactures and offered them a deal, that they apparently could not refuse. If Margarito wins the fight, he will get a five figure pay day, but if he loses, he gets nothing at all.

Did this turn of events cause Pacquiao and his camp to second guess the “shoe-in” that Pacquiao was thought to have with a win for this fight?

It just might have. Coming on the tail of this bizarre sponsorship announcement of Margarito, Paquiano’s camp is “sparing no expense when it comes to bringing in the big names for Paquaino’s training for this fight,” according to Cappers Mall.

“Paquiano’s camp has decided to bring British WBA welterweight world champion Amir Khan to the Philippines later this week for about three weeks of sparring,” according to Cappers Mall.

If this were not enough, the big names of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Vanes Martirosyan are a few more boxers that Pacquiao will be sparring with getting ready for the day he will join Margarito in the ring.

Did Margarito’s very odd sponsorship deal have Paquiao and his camp second quessing Margarito’s ability to win this fight? Has this strange deal worked in ways that maybe no one thought of such as “psyching out” the opponent, Paquiao?

The Pop culture clothing people, “Affliction,” and the deal they struck up with Margarito, may just have changed the part that a sponsor plays in the world of boxing.

It is almost like a card game bluff, “is he bluffing or is he not” at the poker table. What makes Margarito so sure he will win this fight that he is willing to bet it all on the win? This just may be what the Paquiao camp is asking themselves today.

In turn, their brining in the big names for training may just be their way of not be taking any chances that Margarito knows something about his skill that they don’t.

Connecticut has become a great boxing Mecca with the bouts that have been offered at the Casino's in the Nutmeg State. Before the boxing venues started taking off at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun’s, it was NY or NJ that hosted the closest big name boxing matches. Even thought this match will not take place in Connecticut, the state has had its share of big boxing names grace the ring at the Casinos.

Source: examiner.com

It's Better if Manny Leaves Soon – Arum -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

BAGUIO CITY — As howling winds blew from the outside, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum spoke about wanting his prized fighter, Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, on a plane bound for the US as early as Thursday.

Although Arum did not categorically point to the storm as the reason behind the urgency to leave this mountain resort city, the Top Rank chief has personally seen that Pacquiao is not as sharp as he used to as the countdown nears for the Nov. 13 clash with Antonio Margarito in Dallas.

“If this fight was this Saturday, Margarito would win the fight,” said Arum on Monday afternoon as the training of Pacquiao was made accessible to the media.

Under the original plan, Pacquiao will leave for Manila after training on Friday afternoon then work out for the last time before heading to the US on Saturday night.

Arum said it would be much better if Pacquiao alters his schedule a bitand decide to go down to Manila on Wednesday so they could be on the same flight to the US on Thursday.

Arum has possibly been briefed about Pacquiao’s inconsistency the past few weeks and the 78-year-old New Yorker believes such is extremely dangerous.

“When I watched him last Saturday, I did not see the kind of speed that he would need to beat Margarito,” said Arum, who advised his No. 1 fighter to “focus, train hard and get ready for the fight.”

Getting back to then familiar confines of the Wild Card in Hollywood as soon as possible would work wonders for Pacquiao’s preparation, Arum said.

Trainer Freddie Roach was not as alarmed although he would certainly would love to fly out at the soonest possible time.

“We are now having more good days than bad days,” said Roach, who will try to talk Pacquiao into leaving Thursday instead of Saturday.

Roach said this week and the next would be crucial in getting Pacquiao into shape since there’d be more rounds of hard sparring against mainstays Glen Tapia and Michael Medina.

At the Wild Card, there’d be a couple of other big guys who will lay their hands on Pacquiao, said Roach.

Pacquiao is guaranteed $15 million but stands to earn more than $20 million if the pay-per-view sales turn out to be a huge success, said Arum. Margarito is assured of $3 million, the biggest paycheck of his career.

Source: mb.com.ph

“There is more pressure now on Manny to win.” – Buboy Fernandez -- PhilBoxing

By Rene Bonsubre, Jr., PhilBoxing.com

Baguio City - Manny Pacquaio’s long time assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez said that the seven division world champion’s speed has not diminished despite putting on added weight for his November 13 junior middleweight showdown against Antonio Margarito.

“His speed is still there. But we look at him day to day. We look at things that need to be changed and adjusted.” Fernandez told philboxing Monday morning.

“But there is more pressure on him to win this fight. He is a congressman now.” Fernandez added. He does make a good point. For the first time in Philippine history, an elected official will figure in a major sporting event and wage war inside the ring.

Pacquiao still continued to jog early Monday morning despite the drizzle brought about by Typhoon Juan which is expected to hit Baguio and the boxing icon’s training camp with winds estimated to exceed 200 kph. Pacquiao’s training camp last year for Miguel Cotto was hit by Typhoon Ondoy.

“We spent the night reviewing Margarito’s fights.” Fernandez added. “We have noticed changes in his style of fighting.”

Pacquiao will be going for an unprecedented eighth division world title at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Source: philboxing.com

Floyd Mayweather JR: If not Manny Pacquiao then Who? -- Ringside Report

By Delroy Hill, Ringside Report

Unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s, has seemingly backed himself into a corner, which, for him, may not be a problem at all.

'Pretty Boy Floyd': Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing's "pound-for-pound best," looks good inside and outside the ring.: An article from: EbonyI always thought that when “Money” decided to come out of retirement, it was for one reason, to silence the critics. Over the course of his famed career, Floyd has taken heat for his choice of opponent. Although they are amazed by what he is capable of doing in the ring, many fans feel that he has cherry picked his opposition and never really taken the biggest challenges out there.

After a brief retirement, Floyd came back in a time when there were no real challenges left for him except then WBA World Welterweight Champion Shane Mosley and Filipino phenom Manny Pacquiao.

The stage was being set for a clash between Pacquiao and Mayweather as Manny defeated Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, both roughly 17 months after losses to Floyd. The game of one-ups-manship began with these two fights as Pacquiao stopped both fighters in quicker, more emphatic fashion.

“Money” continued the game by defeating the man who gave Pacquiao fits over the course of two fights, Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided unanimous decision victory last year.

Since then, Pacquiao has scored victories over former WBO Welterweight and WBA World Welterweight Champion and current WBA World Light Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. Mayweather was impressive in his last outing, a dominant, one sided unanimous decision victory over the great Shane Mosley.

Mayweather and Pacquiao have been unable to reach an agreement to fight each other. After two rounds of failed negotiations, Pacquiao has moved on and is scheduled to fight Antonio Margarito on November 13th at Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Although Bob Arum gave Floyd a deadline to sign a contract to fight Pacquiao on November 13th, hard core fans assumed Floyd would take the rest of the year off as he has said his fights come once a year like the Super Bowl. He considers himself the greatest of all time and he does not march to the beat of the fans’ drum. He chooses the path that his career takes, by maximizing his money making ability.

This formula does not always please everyone, but it has worked for the self proclaimed current “cash cow” of the sport.

Now let me say it here. I believe that the super fight between Floyd and Manny will happen some time next year. Floyd made a statement via Ustream, noting that Pacquiao would take the random drug tests that he wants him to take. Team Pacquiao has stated that he will take the tests in order to make the fight happen.

So I don’t see any reason why this fight shouldn’t happen.

If for some reason the fight doesn’t happen, or at least not right away, I think Floyd only has a few options. If he is looking for the best fight to be made from a financial stand point, there is WBA World Light Welterweight Champion Amir Khan or Miguel Cotto.

If he does fight Khan, a fight he would likely win easily, he will be criticized again for fighting a smaller man. A win over Cotto is respectable, but doesn’t do much in the Pound for Pound rankings since Cotto was already beaten badly by Pacquiao.

If Floyd is willing to sacrifice a few million dollars, but gain a multitude of respect he could face middleweight king Sergio Martinez or Paul Williams.

Both fighters are naturally bigger than Floyd and each has their own way of possibly giving Floyd problems. They could also give Mayweather an opportunity to win a title in a sixth weight class. Martinez is an excellent boxer, who uses movement and sharp counter punching. He has enough speed, good defense, and an awkward style that may be tricky for Floyd to figure out.

Williams is very tall and would have a height and reach advantage over Money. He also comes forward, throwing a constant barrage of punches. His work rate alone could be a test for Floyd to deal with. The problem here is, that one of these fighters will have another loss by the time they did meet Mayweather, since they face each other in a rematch on November 20th. That loss would almost certainly rule out the option of fighting Floyd for either fighter.

Bottom line, we all want to see Floyd fight Manny. That’s the best fight that can be made right now and the sport and its fans need it.

But if it can’t be made these are the options Floyd Mayweather has right now. I think he beats all four of the fighters mentioned, including Pacquiao, but we will have to wait and see.

Source: ringsidereport.com

“Pacquiao better step up.” - Arum -- PhilBoxing

By Eddie Alinea, PhilBoxing.com

Top Rank Promotions big boss Bob Arum warned Manny Pacquiao against turning complacent in his training, saying the Filipino seven-division champion is facing a dangerous opponent in Mexican Antonio Margarito.

Arum, who arrived in Manila last Saturday to oversee Pacquiao’s preparations, said he saw how Margarito, whom the Filipino icon faces this coming November 14 for the World Boxing Organization super-welterweight crown, trains, adding he sees danger for the reigning junior welterweight champ.

“He (Pacquiao) better step up his training because this guy (Margarito) poses very, very unique dangers,” Arum told media men upon landing at the airport. “This, plus the fact that Margarito has his advantage in height, weight and reach,”

“He is training extremely hard and I think his new trainer is doing wonders,” he added, in reference to Margarito’s newly-hired handler Robert Garcia.

Despite hearing Pacquiao’s reported insufficient altitude training in Baguio, marked by cancellation of sparring sessions due to injury and sickness and his frequent trips to Manila, Arum expressed confidence in the Filipino’s capacity to make himself in tip-top shape comes fight time.

In the same interview, Arum, likewise, disclosed that tickets are selling like hot cakes and that attendance might break the record set in Pacquiao’s lasst fight at the huge Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

According to Arum, the paid attendance alone promises to dwarf the just over forty one thousand that attended Pacquiao's fight against Joshua Clottey. That fight being a March encounter with the little known Clottey resulting in a unanimous decision win for the newly-el;ected congressman.

Besides Pacquiao’s and Margarito’s popularity among the Texsas boxing populace, he attributed the sales to the drawing power of fighters seeing action in the undercard.

Appearances from fast rising Philly welterweight Mike Jones, Youngstown's former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and amateur star Guillermo Rigondeaux will undoubtedly bolster both the pay per view buy rate as well as the live attendance figures, he predicted.

Arum also said that the fact that the rangy Mexican brawler was campaigning to regain his license to fight in the United States due to the notorious loaded hand wraps incident, and his last fight against that resulted in a devastating loss also serves as added interest among fight fans to see the bout.

Source: philboxing.com

Luring Mayweather : 'Satisfactory' against Margarito suffices for Pacquiao -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Promoter Bob Arum watched Manny Pacquiao spar nine rounds on Saturday in Baguio and he was not bowled over by his cash cow's performance.

“Satisfactory” was Arum's rating of the sparring session with Glen Tapia and Michael Medina. More importantly, Coach Freddie Roach was OK with how Pacman did.

Sparring is the most overrated aspect of a fighter's training. If I replaced the word “sparring” with practice, I think you would get my point.

Pacquiao is not supposed to slugging away with his hired hands in a simulation of what will happen in the ring at Cowboys Stadium on Nov. 13.

Sure, Pacquiao could beat both Tapia and Medina like a pair of drums but for what purpose?

Pacquiao said that they are now going to concentrate on speed and that is how things should be with the fight a little less than four weeks away.

Meanwhile, every day new reports come out of Camp Margarito about how awesome, how sensational Margarito is looking.

Did you expect anything less, anything less than glowing reports?

If people knew and understood that Margarito's best chance is not of winning, but of claiming a moral victory for lasting the 12 round limit, it would not stimulate ticket sales at Jerry Jones football playpen.

There are several reasons why I think this fight won't have the same Dallas area impact as did Pacquiao's debut there March 13 against unwilling participant Joshua Clottey.

They are:

1—Margarito is no Mexican icon, not widely popular south of the border and he never was that popular in the U.S. Barrera, Morales, even Juan Manuel Marquez, those are hugely popular Mexican fighters. It's hard to appeal to the pride of Mexican fight fans when, in your last major fight, you were caught attempting to cheat in the locker room.

2—Pacman's first bout in the stadium was such a novelty that Clottey did not even matter. The second appearance by Pacman does not have the same impact, particularly when he's dragging the disgraced opponent with him.

3—Football and spring football, you know the old line about the two favorite sports in Texas. And now the Texas Rangers are facing the Yankees in the ALCS. If you're a Metroplex resident and sports fan, how do you skip Cowboys home games and the Rangers postseason games in favor of a fight between two foreigners?

But we shall see what we shall see. I expect Arum and Jones to cosmetically pack the stadium in a variety of ways, including those ever popular “Party Passes,” for which you get entry but not a seat.

I think the turnout on Nov. 13 is going to get the same grade as Arum assigned to Manny's practice session.

“Satisfactory” but not sensational.

The only thing that might be sensational is Pacquiao's peformance.

He just might dazzle the slow stepping Margarito and the rest of us.

But I wonder, if Manny looks too good, too sharp, too much like the reigning P4P king, might it just push Floyd Mayweather even farther away from ever accepting the Super Fight?

Come to think of it, Pacman looking “satsifactory” might lure Mayweather into a fight next May.

Being "sensational" might be the final straw in driving reluctant Mayweather deeper into his bunker.

Just win, Manny, just win.

Then you can save the "sensational" for Floyd.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Jeff Mayweather flips digits with Floyd, discusses Pacquiao-Margarito and more -- Examiner

By Chris Robinson, Examiner.com

While it goes without saying that the Mayweathers are an outlandish bunch, lost within the conversation is just how articulate and insightful Uncle Jeff can be when speaking about the boxing world and life in general. The former IBO junior lightweight champion can be found on a daily basis training his core group of fighters in the Las Vegas area and always has something to say when asked for his take on any developments within the sport.

Jeff began working with interim WBA super featherweight champion Celestino Caballero near the end of last year but unfortunately the two men haven’t been able to lure the ideal opponents into the ring that they would like. Caballero has been itching to fight either WBO champion Juan Manuel Lopez or WBA boss Yuriorkis Gamboa for years but he may just have to wait things out, as Top Rank seems set on matching the two champions against one another. Caballero is poised for an HBO showcase against Jason Litzau next month at the MGM Grand, a bout in which he had to move up to the junior lightweight division simply because no other available opportunities were within reach.

I recently talked to Jeff about Caballero’s return to Las Vegas and a slew of other topics. Continue below to read what the modest trainer had to say about next month’s Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito clash, his recent conversations with his nephew Floyd and his take on such fighters as Andre Berto, Paul Williams, Miguel Cotto and others…

Celestino Caballero’s return and his November 27th fight with Jason Litzau…
“I’ve been waiting for him to get back. It’s good to have him back. First of all, I take my hat off to [Litzau] because he stepped up when no one else would. It’s unfortunate that Celestino has to fight outside of his weight class because all of the guys that are there, no one wants to fight him. That in itself speaks volumes of Celestino. I think he’s probably one of the most feared fighters in boxing right now. We have to just keep hoping that something will happen. I think that once the fight with Lopez and Gamboa is over, there is only one person out there to dance with that makes and sense or any money in that division, and that’s Celestino. Even if Bob [Arum] might not want to make the fight, it’s not like Lopez or Gamboa is Manny Pacquiao. They need someone else to dance with. And Celestino would be that option. To prove you are the best in the division you have to go through him.”

Working with middleweight prospect Brandon Gonzales…
“I always look forward to working with Brandon. He’s a very, very solid fighter and I think the sky is the limit for him. I think that also, I would think sometime next year, as long as he keeps busy, he will be ready to challenge for the middleweight championship. I think he’s that good.”

Keeping tabs with Floyd Jr….
“That last time we talked basically was just a matter of me passing him a number of some very powerful attorneys to help him out with his situation. That’s about the last time I’ve seen him. Basically it’s kind of hard to read but at the same time he’s still just being himself. It’s a situation where once you get involved in something like that you just have to wait it out and see what happens.”

Thoughts on Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II…
“I think it’s going to be a very, very good fight. In my honest opinion I thought Sergio Martinez won the first fight. I don’t see Paul Williams doing anything a whole lot different. I cant’ say he can’t make any adjustments, because he did that before with [Carlos] Quintana. He made the right adjustments then. I think that if he boxes like a tall man should then he could win the fight fairly easy. Sergio Martinez is not the greatest defensive fighter, even though he likes to keep his hands down and play mind games. He’s not the greatest defense fighter. He can be hit. It’s a matter of Paul Williams fighting not fighting like a guy who is just in there throwing punches and not caring about what comes back at him. I think it’s going to be a very interesting fight and a very entertaining fight. It’s kind of a toss up but I lean towards Sergio Martinez.”

Favoring Pacquiao over Margarito…
“I don’t see that fight being that interesting. I think Margarito is very overrated and to be honest, who knows how well he really is without these hand wraps. Because that’s the biggest issue when you speak of Margarito. You got to speak of the hand wraps because he got busted. Who is to say that he hasn’t done that prior to the fight he was busted? He’s very slow, very methodical and like I said, no one knows if he is that big of a puncher anyways. I see it being a fairly easy fight. I see Pacquiao being able to get in, get out and get his punches off. Neither one of them has defense and that makes it easier for Pacquiao. He’s easier to hit for Pacquiao and Pacquiao is much faster. I think that’s it’s going to be very lopsided fight.”

Bernard Hopkins’ chances against Jean Pascal…
“I think he will make a good account of himself but I don’t see him winning. I think that Pascal is a guy who is kind of fearless. I think that is what really took the fight from Chad Dawson. He just jumped on him. Kind of like what happened with Danny Jacobs. He wasn’t ready for that guy to just come out there and say ‘You want to fight? Let’s do it.’ I think that’s what happened with Chad and he was never able to regain his composure and take over the fight. I think Bernard is a very smart fighter and he’s going to make the fight a chess match but I think the one thing about this fight that’s going to make it different than all the other fights is that this guy is willing to take chances. He’s going to try to take Bernard’s head off every time he gets. At some point in time Bernard is going to have to step up and fight as well.”

Zab Judah back at junior welterweight…
“I think that, to be honest, 140 is the only place for him to be. He’s been beaten by everybody at 147; there’s no point for him to be there anymore. He’s lost to everyone so he is in the right place, where he should be. He actually has a chance to resurrect his career.”

Not sold on Miguel Cotto…
“I think he’ll be in big fights, only because of who he is. I don’t think he has recovered from the Pacquiao fight. He fought a guy who can’t break and egg and who also had one leg. It’s not like he beat a top echelon fighter; he just beat an opponent. It’s like Meldrick Taylor. After Meldrick Taylor was devastated by Chavez in the second fight he still went on to win another world title at a higher weight division. That’s the same thing with Cotto. Cotto is pretty much damaged goods but he’s not damaged to the point where just anybody is going to walk in there and defeat him. You’re going to have to be a top fighter to beat him. Cotto is far from back from beating Yuri Foreman. When you bring up big names like Pacquiao, Floyd and other names like Martinez, guys like that he will have problems with. Then I think you will see how far he hasn’t come back. You will see that there is still a lot going on with him that needs to be dealt with mentally and I just don’t think he can pull the trigger anymore.”

Andre Berto’s missed opportunities…
“Berto is a hell of a fighter but I think that it’s up to him. If he wants these fights he needs to let it be known. Even on the night when Shane and Floyd were going to fight, they actually brought him on the stage and Michael Buffer kept asking him ‘Do you want the winner? Do you want the winner?’ First they asked him who he thought was going to win and he said Floyd. Then they asked him if he wanted the winner and he never answered it one way or the other. That was his biggest opportunity to say ‘I want the winner of this fight’, whether it was Floyd or whether it was Shane. He didn’t take that initiative. Maybe right now he’s a little content but in order to be the man he’s going to have to beat someone. At some point in time he’s going to have to open up his mouth and get a little out of character in order to make these fights happen.”

Appreciating Juan Manuel Marquez…
“I’ve always been a fan of his. I’ve always been a fan of Marquez. He’s one of the few Mexican fighters that has tremendous boxing skills to me. Don’t get me wrong, his defense can be suspect sometimes, but he’s a warrior. Every fight he is in he is going to give you a thousand percent and you can never knock a guy like that.”

Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Source: examiner.com

WBC champ Klitschko batters Briggs to keep title -- NBC Sports

By Associated Press

HAMBURG, Germany - Vitali Klitschko punished Shannon Briggs for 12 brutal rounds Saturday to retain his WBC heavyweight title with a unanimous decision.

The Ukrainian champion dominated the action but never knocked down the American challenger.

"I am very surprised by how much he took," Klitschko said. "He's got a huge heart."

The judges scored it 120-107, 120-107 and 120-105 for Klitschko, who improved to 41-2. Briggs dropped to 51-6-1.

"I've fought George Foreman, I've fought Lennox Lewis, and Vitali's the best," Briggs said. "He hits harder than Foreman, he's got incredibly fast hands.

"This was my best fight."

Klitschko said Briggs deserved "a lot of respect."

"I could not believe he was still standing after taking so many punches," Klitschko said.

Klitschko used his left jab to set Briggs up for a big right two minutes into the opening round. Then two left hooks found Briggs' chin early in the second round and the Ukrainian landed some more rights, while Briggs unsuccessfully sought to hurt Klitschko with body blows.

Klitschko connected with several combinations in the third, but Briggs also found the target with counter-punches. The champion scored with a good right hook late in the round. He also finished the fourth strongly.

Briggs connected with a couple of good rights in the fifth, his best round, but also had to absorb several hard hits from Klitschko.

Klitschko continued to hit the American repeatedly with left-right combinations in the sixth, and Briggs took heavy punishment over the next few rounds but never went down.

The American was little more than a punching bag by the 10th, with Klitschko seemingly hitting him at will.

Briggs surprised Klitschko with a clean right in the 11th, but Klitschko replied with two big rights that snapped back Briggs' head. But the American only shook his head and stayed up.

Klitschko went for the knockout in the final round but Briggs withstood everything.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: nbcsports.msnbc.com

Vitali Pounds Away At Briggs, Wins Ultra Unanimous Decision -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

He was in way over his head, a decade, at least, past his prime. But no one can say Shannon Briggs simply went to Hamburg to pick up a payday against Vitali Klitschko. No one can repeat now what was whispered by some coming into the WBC title defense on Saturday, that Briggs was there merely to lay down, and pick up some extra moolah to pad his retirement fund.

No, Briggs ate too many long rights on the chin, too many lance-like jabs on his noggin, for anyone to deride his character on this night. The ref or his corner could've stopped the one-sided slaughter on several occasions, but chose not to. So the final bell tolled, and the judges rendered a most evident conclusion: that the 39-year-old Klitschko was the better man, unanimously, by scores of 120-107, 120-107, 120-105.

We've likely seen the last of Briggs, who was working on at least his second last chance. Klitschko's right hand couldn't make the 38-year-old Briggs drop and stay down on the canvas, and as our pal Johnny Bos put forth on Thursday, it looks like his power is a notch or two less than it was before he went on hiatus in 2003.

Vitali rises to 41-2 with the win, and Briggs, who turns 39 on December 4, is 51-6.

Source: thesweetscience.com