Pacquiao named for 'Boxer of Decade' award -- Manila Bulletin

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao heads a cast of champions nominated by the World Boxing Council (WBC) for the coveted Boxer of the Decade (2001-2010) award.

Also vying for the award are Americans Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko, Mexican Erik Morales and Thai Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.

Pacquiao was also nominated for the Boxer of the Year award, alongside Argentinian Sergio Martinez and Canadian Jean Pascal.

The WBC, headed by Jose Sulaiman, said the winners of the awards will be announced by the end of the year.

The past ten years have been amazing and memorable for Pacquiao, who fought a total of 19 times on US soil, winning 16 (12 by KOs), drawing twice and losing only once.

Since his electrifying American debut in June 2001, Pacquiao has been in the ring with the crème dela crème of prizefighting, racking up victories over the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

This year alone, Pacquiao chalked up two impressive wins over much bigger men: Joshua Clottey of Ghana and Antonio Margarito of Mexico.

In 2011, Pacquiao is booked to surface possibly against Shane Mosley in a welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas after a year-long absence.

Through the years, Pacquiao has received award from almost every award-giving body.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao, regarded as the current pound-for-pound king, has won the Fighter of the Year award from the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) three times, the same number of times The Ring magazine also named him for the same award.

The BWAA also named Pacquiao The Fighter of the Decade aside from being recognized by sports publications as the world’s premier puncher.

Source: mb.com.ph

INSIDE SPORTS: REFLECTIONS ON PACQUIAO'S 32nd BIRTHDAY -- PhilBoxing

By Ronnie Nathanielsz, PhilBoxing.com

Manny Pacquiao whose incredible achievements in the ring and his humility and remarkable sense of compassion for his vanquished foes plus his concern for the poorest of the poor has made him a crossover star and a quintessential Filipino sports hero, celebrated his 32nd birthday on Friday.

Such a milestone is often a time for reflection when an individual looks back at the year gone by and discovers what he did and what he had failed to do and vows to do things in a better and more organized fashion in the year ahead. Manny Pacquiao can do no less because he has been placed on a pedestal by millions of his countrymen and needs to live up to their faith in him.

With indications that Shane Mosley is next on Manny’s hit list the eminent lawyer and World Boxing Council founding secretary general Rudy Salud has said there is no way Manny can claim he is fighting Mosley for his country and people because there is nothing to be gained from such a fight except monetary rewards unlike if he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. But the fact that he is not fighting Mayweather is clearly not the fault of Pacquiao or Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. There is nobody else to blame but Mayweather himself.

While Salud and many others including ourselves question a fight against Mosley, we have to admit that given the present roster of possible opponents there is nobody outstanding or competitive enough to face off with Pacquiao at 147 pounds which is his chosen weight.

Andre Berto is young and has a reasonably strong right hand but not much else. He would be a comparatively easy fight for Pacquiao. Besides, he is not a draw and no promoter in his right mind – and despite his 79 summers Bob Arum is certainly in his right mind and astute as hell – would put up the guaranteed purse that Manny would want for such a fight because it won’t get the pay-per-view numbers needed to make it a worthwhile business proposition.

We ourselves had wanted Juan Manuel Marquez who battled Pacquiao twice with distinction even though he was dropped four times in the two fights. The reason being we wanted Pacquiao to shut him up once and for all over his claims that he beat Manny twice. This was echoed by Oscar De La Hoya who despite his skill and charisma as a fighter regrettably hasn’t translated his skill in the ring into a meaningful business sense and sadly lacks a proper appreciation of what this sport is all about today.

Marquez who was ripped apart by Mayweather in a welterweight bout where Mayweather came in at 149 and was tolerated by Golden Boy to the huge disadvantage of Marquez, wants twice as much as he received in the Mayweather fight. Here is the spectacle of a badly beaten fighter and someone who drew less than 5,000 fans in his last fight against Michael Katsidis asking for a ridiculously high purse.

In fairness to Arum, he openly admitted that Mosley was the biggest money fight available for Pacquiao at this point and that this is prizefighting which means men fight for a prize which essentially is the business of boxing as it has evolved in this day and age.

While we all enjoy the right to disagree, it is obvious that its Pacquiao’s call and if Arum wishes to give him an advance birthday gift in the form of Shane Mosley and a chance to earn $15-$20 million who are we to begrudge him that right especially if Manny needs the money for his many projects.

Boxing apart, our fervent wish on this auspicious day is for Pacquiao to look around him and to realize that an individual is often judged, sometimes unfairly we might add, by the company he keeps. It is high time that he isolates himself from leeches and miscellaneous characters who are there not because they truly care but only because they can get something out of a generous and kind human being as well as public mileage for themselves.

Manny also needs to look after his finances and invest his earnings wisely because whether he likes it or not his boxing career is winding down and he has far more important challenges to meet in his desire to serve his people. He must learn not to trust just about everybody who pushes a contract in front of him and tells him to sign promising he could earn well by recording songs or engaging in meet and greet gatherings. These often result in troublesome lawsuits that diminish his image and which cost money to defend and get out of.

We have known Manny from the time he was a 16 year old kid carving a name for himself on the weekly boxing show “Blow by Blow” which we produced and often anchored. He impressed us with his indomitable courage, his aggressive fighting style and his charisma. But most of all he touched us deeply when he told his late manager and father-figure Rod Nazario and myself some ten years ago that he wanted to enter public service to help the poor. That was not just the heart of a champion but the soul of a genuinely caring Filipino. God Bless you Manny.

Source: philboxing.com

Golden Boy: Pacquiao-Marquez logical -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Since Manny Pacquiao hammered Antonio Margarito over 12 lopsided rounds on Nov. 13, there has been anticipation regarding who the pound-for-pound king would face in the spring.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has been pushing hard for lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez to get a shot at Pacquiao's welterweight title. Marquez, after all, is highly ranked on the pound-for-pound list -- just a few spots away from top-ranked Pacquiao. Marquez is also Mexico's most significant active fighter and has had two sensational and controversial battles against Pacquiao, who got a draw in their 2004 featherweight championship fight and a split decision win in their 2008 junior lightweight title fight.

Fans have clamored for a third fight since, but Shane Mosley -- who is 0-1-1 in a pair of poor performances against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Mora in his last two fights -- has emerged as the favorite. Mosley is in the midst of a nasty breakup with Golden Boy, leaving the company to negotiate the Pacquiao fight on his own with Top Rank's Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter.

Arum has said that Marquez and welterweight titlist Andre Berto are also on the short list and he has gotten term sheets from both. Arum is in the Philippines this week meeting with Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), who is expected to announce his next opponent on Friday -- his 32nd birthday.

Giving Schaefer more ammunition to push for Marquez was the disclosure Tuesday by Arum that Pacquiao's next fight will take place on May 7 -- the weekend of the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, which traditionally includes a major fight involving a Mexican star.

Golden Boy is already holding that date for a fight card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a likely location of Pacquiao's next fight. But Schaefer said he has no interest in going to battle with Arum over the date.

"We are holding May 7 at the MGM but, of course, if Pacquiao is going to fight, I would step aside and give the date to Pacquiao and switch to April 16 [the original Pacquiao date] for what we were planning on doing," Schaefer said. "I really think if Pacquiao is going to fight May 7, on Cinco de Mayo weekend, you have to do Marquez on the Mexican holiday. Do you know how big that would be? It's a big fight no matter when it would be, but it would be even bigger on the Mexican holiday in Las Vegas."

Schaefer said he has kept an open dialogue with Top Rank president Todd duBoef through e-mails and said he sent him a note Wednesday morning in the hopes that they could come to an agreement for Pacquiao-Marquez, especially because of the date of the fight.

"I told Todd that I thought it was the right thing to do and that Marquez makes more sense on the Mexican holiday," Schaefer said. "I asked Todd to please get back to me with a deal which would be acceptable for Pacquiao and I will get it done. Just tell me what Pacquiao is willing to do and let me go to Marquez with the deal. If Marquez doesn't want it, or doesn't like the deal and turns it down, so be it. But that's the fight the public wants to see and now more so being on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Marquez is the logical choice."

Schaefer has already agreed to let Top Rank buy out Golden Boy on the fight rather than have it be a co-promotion where both sides share in the revenue.

Arum said Tuesday that Marquez's term sheet was being considered but that "the problem with Marquez is the number he wants is so damn high and he hasn't moved off it, and that's preventing the Marquez fight."

Arum, who has a clear preference to make the Mosley fight, claimed that Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) had asked for double what he made to fight Mayweather, which was a guarantee of $3.2 million. Schaefer disputed that.

"That's not correct," he said. "But this deal would be a buyout, so whatever Marquez's side gets has to include Golden Boy. So you can't compare it with what Marquez got paid against Mayweather because we have to get paid too. For the Mayweather fight, we were the promoter. This fight would be Top Rank, so they asked us for a number to buy us out. Hey, if they want to do a percentage deal I'm willing to do that and the guarantee would be much lower.

"So you want to buy me out, there's a number for Marquez and a number for Golden Boy. Or let's do a percentage deal and we'll also take the risk. But either way, I had a nice e-mail exchange with Todd. I told Todd get me what you're willing to do. Just tell me what it takes to get the fight done."

Schaefer said if Marquez does not get the fight -- and he is prepared for that likelihood -- then Marquez would headline the April 16 pay-per-view card. Schaefer said Marquez would defend the lightweight championship against Erik Morales, the former three-division champ (and former Top Rank star) who wants to become the first Mexican fighter to win titles in four weight divisions. A win over Marquez would do the job.

But Morales, who is past his prime, would have to win his fight on Saturday in Tijuana, Mexico, against late replacement Francisco Lorenzo, who took the fight Tuesday when former junior lightweight titlist Jorge Barrios dropped out because he was unable to secure the proper paperwork to travel from Argentina to Mexico for the fight.

"If Marquez doesn't get the fight with Pacquiao, we would consider doing the fight with Morales on April 16 in Las Vegas, although Mexico is interested as well," Schaefer said. "[Mexican network] Televisa talked to us about doing it at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City as part of a big, daylong event."

The Mexican trio of Marquez, Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, along with Pacquiao, dominated the featherweight and junior lightweight divisions for years and they all fought each other with the lone exception being that Marquez and Morales have yet to fight.

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Kizer: Inspectors prevented mayhem after Maidana-Khan scrap -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

From what they're saying about each other, nasty words and invective, I just don't see Manny Pacquiao/Amir Khan strength, conditioning, nutrition guru Alex Ariza inviting cutman/trainer Miguel Diaz over to the Casa Ariza for any holiday protein shakes.

And neither will Diaz beckon Ariza to his home for some good red wine and a Gaucho style steak.

They might not even swap Christmas cards this year.

I'm still laughing after reading that Ariza, who once clocked Pacman agent Michael Koncz with his hands, took this verbal shot at my longtime pal, ther Argentina native and Las Vegas resident Diaz:

"Table for four!"

That reference was to Diaz's past as a waiter or maitre'd in one of the big hotel-casino showroom on the Strip.

I go so far back with Miguel, an amateur singer with an operatic voice, that I remember when he was slinging sandwiches at a small bodega near the long gone Main Street in Las Vegas.

This feud seems striclty a sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me incident and I hope the two honorable and respected principals will now squash the beef.

Ariza is accomplished in what he does and so is Diaz as a trainer, a cutman and, while it's often overlooked, as one of best handwrappers extant.

Good news from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which licenses Diaz and Ariza to work fighters' corners, is that no disciplinary action is contemplated, mainly because no punches were landed after Khan and Marcos Maidana concluded their hard-fought 12 round scrap.

"Credit should go to three of our NSAC inspectors--Alex Aragonez, Alex Ybarra and Andy Montoya--for how they interceded between the two camps and prevented any postfight violence," Keith Kizer, attorney and executive director told me Wednesday.

"This thing could have gotten out of hand but it didn't and the inspectors did their jobs. I'm just sorry if this took anything away from what a great fight Marcos and Amir staged. From what I heard, Ariza went over to congratulate Maidana on his effort and then the words went back and forth," Kizer said.

"I think the fault here lies with the Maidana camp. They were quite emotional. They had six guys in their corner and we disallowed that (the limit on cornermen is four). We don't plan to take any disciplinary action, I don't want to do that but I thought it was heating up so I almost got into the ring which normally I would never do."

One of the more infamous NSAC disciplinary cases involving a second came when Johnny Tapia's brother in law, a fellow named Rob Gutierrez, punched out Top Rank's Todd duBoef after Tapia lost a close decision in a rematch agsinst Paulie Ayala (their first was 199's Fight of the Year) on Oct. 7, 2000.

Tapia had left Top Rank in a bitter breakup.

"This is all your fault," Tapia supposedly said (according to Steve Springer, writing in the LA Times). Tapia then shoved duboef.

Then Gutierrez uncorked a right hand to the promoter's jaw which split his lip

DuBoef hit the deck and Gutierrez left the arena wearing a new bracelet. Stepfather Bob Arum rushed over to see if duBoef was allright and the "Toddster" shook it off.

"Best chin of of any promoter," Top Rank's veteran matchmaker Bruce Trampler said of former prep hockey star duBoef.

Oh, the bracelet?

Over at Central Booking, they're known as handcuffs.

Judges favored Top Rank boxer Paulie Ayala on scores of 115-113 and 116-111 with a dissenting 115-113 vote for the colorful and controversial Tapia.

"We wound up taking away Gutierrez's license and then, about five years ago, he died in a car crash. There was a lot of emotion and bad blood because Tapia had left Top Rank. Todd made a remark to Tapia, the brother in law took offense and Todd got decked."

More accurately, Gutierrez, 36, and Tapia nephew Ben Garcia, only 23, died March 13, 2007,when their car flipped over while going at an excessive speed near Albuquerque. Gutierrez and Garcia were rushing to hospital to see the boxer after he was found unconscious in a motel after what police called a cocaine overdose.

At that time of the seconds license suspension, Kizer was the legal guru for the boxing board and Marc Ratner, now a big wheel over at the UFC, was the executive director.

As Coach Freddie Roach told me Wednesday morning by phone from Manila, "both guys acted like two little kids" in this incident.

The message for Diaz and Ariza, both of whom have real tempers, is clear, time to cool your jets, gents.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Golden Boy locked in May 7 date before Pacquiao, 'Stinko de Mayo' -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Richard Schaefer has publicly vowed not to badmouth the Sugar Shane Mosley-Manny Pacquiao bout even though Mosley abandoned his Golden Boy VP post and is off Oscar's Reservation.

For his part, contentious Bob Arum told me Wednesday morning (Manila time) that he is of a mind to start "playing nice" (my words, not his) with his GBP rivals.

I suggested extending an olive branch, of Peace in the Valley and maybe even a group hug between the Top Rank and GBP camps.

"That suits me just fine," Arum said, adding that most of his blasts against Richie Rich and Oskie have been reactionary.

But now there seems to be another bone of contention between boxing's two biggest promotional outfits.

Arum informed me that the Pacman fight will be shifted at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas from April 16 to May 7 due to the Congressmanny's politcal schedule.

But there's a slight problem in going to 5/7, which is the traditional Cinco de Mayo Vegas boxing date which was often filled by first Julio Cesar Chavez and then by De La Hoya.

While Arum was talking about the day after income taxes are due, the Goldens applied for and got the May 7 date from the Nevada State Athletic Commission to run a show at the same venue featuring rising Mexican star, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, in a junior middleweight main event against the popular TBA.

Is this a bombshell? No. Is this an issue where both sides will retreat to the mattresses again? I don't think so.

Obviously, the money strained MGM Grand knows a Pacquiao main event brings in more cash than does an Alvarez topped (Carrot Topped?) one.

The Mosley-Pacman PPV will be handled by HBO and I'm sure the prime cable network and the hotel-casino can speak to GBP about releasing the date in favor of Pacquiao and Top Rank.

Not to mention the nice financial percentage GBP continues to rank in when anyone fights Pacman. Blocking a Megamanny bout is not in GBP's best interest, either.

That would be the easy solution.

The other way would be for the NSAC to hear a TR application and then award the date to Arum's posse.

I can't see any malice aforethought here. GBP wanted the holiday weekend for "Canelo" and Arum was steadily harping on April 16 for Pacman.

There's a thaw in the TR-GBP relationship and this date conflict should not be a peace-wrecking situation.
Not if they really want to play nice.

Pat Lundvall is the chairperson of the NSAC and works with commissioners "Cisco" Aguilar, "Skip" Avansino Jr., TJ Day and Bill D. Brady

Keith Kizer is the executive director.

TJ Day is not believed to be related to LA Times sports scribe TJ Simers.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Pacquiao could damage reputation by fighting Mosley -- Reuters

By Cheryl Ravelo , Reuters

Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be first pick, Juan Manuel Marquez wouldn’t be a bad choice either but Shane Mosley is certainly not the man the world wants Manny Pacquiao, the undisputed pound-for-pound best boxer on the planet, to fight next.

However, it appears very likely that Pacquiao will announce a May 7 bout with the 39-year-old former welterweight title holder during his birthday celebrations in the Philippines on Friday.

Mosley was booed during his woeful September draw with reality television celebrity Sergio Mora following a unanimous points loss to Mayweather in May.

However, he appears to be first choice for Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who is in the Philippines and has said the choice of opponent will be down to Pacquiao.

Mexican Marquez looked back to his best in defeating Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis this year following a defeat by Mayweather. Marquez’s two previous fights with Pacquiao, a draw and a split decision victory for the Filipino, were nothing short of thrilling and a third fight would be attractive.

Pacquiao’s reputation has gone through the roof following his jolly up the weight divisions. His ability to bring with him the power he had at featherweight to leave opponents at light-middleweight in trouble is phenomenal but he could possibly damage that reputation by taking a fight with Mosley.

What is there to be gained in bashing another inferior opponent for 12 rounds other than a shed load more money to throw in the bank?

Pacquiao outclassed Antonio Margarito to win the vacant WBC light-middleweight title last month, the eighth division in which he has claimed a world title but the Mexican wasn’t worthy of a title shot in his second fight back following a one-year ban for wearing illegal hand wraps.

Before that Pacquiao humiliated Joshua Clottey for 12 rounds, the Ghanaian offering minimal offence and content to survive the contest with both hands covering his face. Was he a worthy opponent having suffered losses to Miguel Cotto, who Pacquiao stopped in the final round, and Margarito?

To be fair to Pacquiao, his first choice has always been Mayweather but the pair have not been able to negotiate terms and the Filipino has been forced to take other fights and while he has been able to showcase his talents in beating the lower class of fighter, it seems the boxing public have had enough.

ESPN’s respected boxing correspondent Dan Rafael posted on Twitter: “Not only don’t my Tweeples (Twitter followers) support a Pacquiao-Mosley fight, they’re venomous in their hatred for it. Does ANYONE want to see it? If so speak”

PHOTO: Supporters of Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao pose for a picture during the unveiling of Pacquiao’s statue at the Manila Bay seafront November 26, 2010. The bronze statue was erected in honour of his achievements in boxing.

Source: blogs.reuters.com

Manny Pacquiao delays next bout to May 7 -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Manny Pacquiao met with his promoter and his business manager Tuesday in what was described as "full, exploratory meeting," and the Filipino superstar boxer is prepared to decide his next opponent by Friday, promoter Bob Arum said.

But that fight will be delayed by nearly a month, it was learned, because of Pacquiao's congressional obligations. The announced April 16 bout will now be held May 7, the weekend of Cinco de Mayo. The site will remain the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The man considered the best pound-for-pound boxer told Arum that his duties as a congressman in the Philippines makes the April date too difficult to fulfill. Pacquiao typically trains for eight weeks before a fight.

As for who he will fight, the talks are ongoing.

Holding a world junior-middleweight belt that is his record eighth weight-class title, Pacquiao is considering bids by Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto, Arum said.

"I know where he's headed, but it's not right for me to divulge yet," Arum said. "Until it's conclusively decided, I'm not going to say anything."

Arum also warned not to read anything into the new date that Marquez would be the choice.

Arum and Pacquiao's business manager, Michael Koncz, have made it no secret that they prefer Pacquiao fight Mosley in the absence of the legally troubled Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The 39-year-old Mosley, currently a world welterweight champion, has generated rich pay-per-views as the B side to bouts featuring Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather. Mosley has looked awful in his two most recent fights, however, a one-sided loss to Mayweather and a sluggish draw against Sergio Mora in September.

World lightweight champion Marquez, meanwhile, has fought Pacquiao to a 2004 draw and 2008 split-decision loss, and he's shined in bouts this year against Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis.

Pacquiao's handlers want to avoid such a tough battle against Marquez with the mega-pay day against Mayweather Jr. still possible pending his legal trouble in Nevada for allegedly striking the mother of his children and threatening his children.

Following dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the Philippines, Arum said he presented information to Pacquiao at the promoter's hotel suite. Pacquiao often says his promoter determines whom he fights.

"I do have a lot of influence based on logic, but Manny has to determine what's logical," Arum said. "He relies heavily on me, but I'm not going to tell him to fight 'X' when he wants to fight 'Y.' "

Arum wouldn't say that's the scenario at play.

What about Mayweather? Is that officially dead?

Arum said he's heard "zero" from the Mayweather camp.

"If Floyd was promotional minded, he'd come here for Manny's birthday party [Friday] and come out of the cake saying he's ready for the fight," Arum said. "That would make a huge statement."

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Disgusted Coach Freddie Roach: Ariza, Diaz acting like two little kids -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Our telephone connection from Manhattan to Manila was not the strongest. On my end, Coach Freddie Roach sounded as though he was speaking into a Dixie cup with string attached to it.

But I did understand one thing that Manny Pacquiao's celebrated trainer said clearly.

Do not look for Roach, age 50, to jump into the heated fray, the war of words between Pacman strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza and longtime cutman-trainer Miguel Diaz.

Diaz, originally from Argentina but a Las Vegan for about 40 years or so, and the much younger Ariza, who is originally from Colombia, got into verbal sparring right after the final bell sounded Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay.

Roach and Ariza were in the corner of main event winner Amir Khan while Diaz was chief second for his countryman, Marcos Maidana, who was rugged and gallant but who was outpointed by the Bolton, UK, resident.

Ariza said that Diaz made a derogatory remark about Maidana, calling him a piece of s--t.

[Diaz] starts coming over and calling me a fraud and a cheat and stuff like that. I don't know where it came from. So I just said, 'Hey, whatever, my fighter won, yours didn't.' Sometimes, you just don't know, you know?" said Ariza.


"It's kind of disappointing because you think, 'This is a sport, and it has nothing really to do with that,'" said Ariza. "But, you know, Miguel is ... sometimes when they get older, and you can see that you're on your way out. This is his last chance to make something. But to call me a fraud, you know, I don't cheat. Everybody knows that."

Diaz's story, as told to LV Examiner Chris Robinson and to both AOL Fan House's Elie Seckbach and Lem "Baltimore Gem" Satterfield, was that it was Ariza who started the verbal venom.

"Alex Ariza is the one who started the whole thing. I went to congratulate Freddie Roach, and from the back of everybody else, and, in front of Freddie, there were a lot of people. And Alex sticks his head out from out of everyone else and says, 'Your fighter is a piece of s**t,'" said Diaz.


"That's exactly what Alex Ariza told me," said Diaz. "And I said, 'You are a f**king fraud that's what you are.' But Alex is the one who started everything with me."


Roach is not keen on playing schoolyard monitor or referee between the two.

"I do not know what done and what was said between them," Roach said from his hotel in Makati.

"I do not know what was said or what was done. All I know is I told them they were both acting like like two little kids. And then I walked away."


Roach and Pacman promoter Bob Arum leave Manila Friday morning to go to General Santos City for Pacquiao's lavish 32nd birthday bash at the Convention center Friday.

Roach is known to have accepted if not recommended shopworn Sugar Shane Mosley as Manny's April 16 or May 7 opponent.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Called 'A Fraud' By Migue Diaz, Alex Ariza Responds, 'I Don't Cheat' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Sometime during the aftermath of Saturday night's HBO televised, unanimous decision by WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) champ Amir Khan over WBA interim titlist Marcos Rene Maidana, Khan's strength coach, Alex Ariza, and Maidana's trainer, Miguel Diaz, engaged in a heated, verbal brawl in the ring.

In victory, Khan rose to 24-1, with 17 knockouts, dropping Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs) with a pair of first-round body shots, and, later, surviving a near-knockout in the 10th round of their Top Rank Promotions-sponsored clash at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.

But after their literal fisticuffs, Khan's assistant trainer to Freddie Roach, Ariza told Elie Seckbach of FanHouse that Diaz, came across the ring and launched into a verbal assault.

"[Diaz] starts coming over and calling me a Fraud and a cheat and stuff like that. I don't know where it came from. So I just said, 'Hey, whatever, my fighter won, yours didn't.' Sometimes, you just don't know, you know?" said Ariza.

"It's kind of disappointing because you think, 'This is a sport, and it has nothing really to do with that,'" said Ariza. "But, you know, Miguel is ... sometimes when they get older, and you can see that you're on your way out. This is his last chance to make something. But to call me a fraud, you know, I don't cheat. Everybody knows that."

But the 72-year-old Diaz claims that Ariza was the first to initiate the negative exchange, this, after Diaz had approached the Khan corner with honorable intentions.

"Alex Ariza is the one who started the whole thing. I went to congratulate Freddie Roach, and from the back of everybody else, and, in front of Freddie, there were a lot of people. And Alex sticks his head out from out of everyone else and says, 'Your fighter is a piece of s**t,'" said Diaz.

"That's exactly what Alex Ariza told me," said Diaz. "And I said, 'You are a f**king fraud that's what you are.' But Alex is the one who started everything with me."

Besides Khan, Ariza and Roach also work with eight-time titlist Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts), owner of the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) and WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belts as well as a winning streak of 13 consecutive fights that includes eight knockouts.

A four-time Trainer of the Year, the 50-year-old Roach also handles junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (28-0, 17 KOs) and junior middleweight and middleweight (160 pounds) prospect Julio Cesar Chavez (40-0-1, 30 KOs) out of his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif.

In December of last year, Pacquiao filed a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character against Floyd Mayweather Jr. that also names Floyd Mayweather Sr., his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, as well as Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and president, respectively, of Golden Boy Promotions, which handled Mayweather's part of the negotiations for a potential March 13 fight between the two.

"[The lawsuit is] based on their [defendant's] false and defamatory statements about Manny Pacquiao," said Pacquiao's attorney, Dan Petrocelli, at the time. "Specifically their publicly stating that Pacquiao was taking steroids or other illegal drugs to enhance his performance -- knowing that there is absolutely no basis for any such assertions."

Not long after Pacquiao's filing, the negotiations for a bout with Mayweather collapsed over an impasse involving drug testing protocol for both fighters.

The sting and resulting stigma of the accusations apparently still resonates with Ariza, who believes that Diaz was unfairly targeting him.

"I train my fighters, and I'm legitimate. I don't give them anything. Anything illegal," said Ariza, who was still fuming long after the fight's conclusion. "If that makes him [Diaz] feel better, and that's his way, I just didn't think that it was an appropriate place to do it after a fight, but, it is what it is."

But Diaz said that he was not accusing Ariza of doing anything illegal.

"Maybe it's in his subconcious or something like that. But at no time did I ever say that he cheats," said Diaz. "I didn't say that he cheats, I said that he's a fraud if he thinks that Manny Pacquiao is what he is because he had anything to do with why Pacquiao is what he is. Pacquiao and Freddie Roach are of everything, with or without Ariza."

During the 10th round, where Maidana's blistering attack nearly had Khan out on his feet, Diaz felt that referee Joe Cortez unfairly favored and protected the champion.

Ariza, however, said that Diaz simply mishandled the situation, failing to direct Maidan through an effective strategy.

"Unfortunatley, sometimes, when a trainer hasn't had the trainer's cap on before, they get a little excited," said Ariza. "Miguel Diaz, just because you throw a towel over your shoulder, it doesn't make you a trainer."

But Diaz has trained former titlists Luis Ramon "Yori Boy" Campas, Stevie Johnston, Cesar Soto, and, Johnny Tapia, briefly, Diego Corrales, among others.

Diaz also has served as a cut man for fighters such as Pacquiao, Mayweather., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Kelly Pavlik, Israel Vazquez, Hasim Rahman, James Toney, Mike McCallum, Jose Luis Castillo, Iran Barkley, Eric Morel, Williams Joppy, Joshua Clottey, Tony Tubbs, and, Christy Martin.

"Unfortunately, Alex Ariza is not a boxing guy. He is one of those guys who talks more about who he is than they really are. Like, I don't go around calling writers and seeking publicity," said Diaz. "I don't need this sort of publicity. Alex Ariza needs publicity. I mean, he talks about himself like he's the greatest thing in the world, and he simply is not."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Boxing experts weigh in on Pacquiao’s ‘retirement’ -- PDI

By Ronnie Nathanielsz, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Two boxing experts are divided on whether pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao should retire or not if Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is unable to negotiate for a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

World Boxing Council founding secretary general Rudy Salud said on Monday that if Pacquiao “cannot get Mayweather, he should retire permanently or be semi-retired in the same manner as Mayweather and come back if Mayweather beckons.”

Salud regarded the planned April 19 fight against Shane Mosley as “meaningless because it’s just a money fight,” adding that with an eighth title in eight divisions, Pacquiao had already “achieved everything.”

But American Rick Stehely, who trained Pacquiao for his first world title fight when he won the WBC flyweight title with an eighth-round knockout of champion Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand, disagreed with Salud.

“If you are waiting for one guy and it may never happen, I think Manny should continue to fight whether he fights Mosley or Juan Manuel Marquez or one of these other guys,” he said.

“I believe that if you are in your prime, don’t back away from a multimillion payday,” Stehely added.

The conflicting stands came on the eve of Arum’s arrival from Las Vegas with his wife, stepdaughter and WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez to attend Pacquiao’s 32nd birthday bash on December 17 in General Santos City.

Salud added that “neither Manny or Arum can claim that he is fighting for our country if he fights Mosley. He might as well concentrate on his task in Congress because there is so much to do.”

Source: sports.inquirer.net