Cramps prevent Pacquiao from scoring KO -- Sydney Morning Herald

By Greg Heakes, AFP

LAS VEGAS: Philippine boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, who hasn't lost a fight in six years, said the only thing preventing him from knocking out Shane Mosley was a cramp in his legs.

Pacquiao successfully defended his World Boxing Organization welterweight title for a second time, winning by a unanimous decision after 12 rounds in front of a sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Saturday.

Pacman floored Mosley in round three -- the challenger's first knockdown for nine years -- but quickly felt a twinge in his left leg.

"After the first knockdown I felt I had him and I got him and that I could finish him," Pacquiao said. "But the next round I have a problem with my left foot it is tight.

"I told my coach to press my legs because they are too tight."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said his fighter had problems with cramping before but usually in training sessions and not in the middle of bouts.

They have tried different remedies including stretching and other exercises but nothing worked against Mosley.

Despite the pain 32-year-old Pacquiao put on an impressive performance Saturday, dominating from start to finish.

The only blot on an otherwise convincing display was a knockdown awarded to Mosely in the 10th round, a decision the referee later apologised to Pacquiao for.

Mosley claimed he would expose Pacquiao's weaknesses but there was no turning back the clock for the 39-year-old former world champion, who looked every bit his age Saturday.

Mosley's main goal appeared simply to survive the onslaught launched by the Philippine icon and to keep his record of never being knocked out intact.

The challenger maintained that record but was booed loudly for his negative tactics, especially in the eighth and ninth rounds.

Even Pacquiao gave him the cold shoulder in the ring after the final bell and then questioned Mosley's game plan at the post-fight news conference.

"I was expecting him to fight with me for at least five of the 12 rounds so we can test each other's power," Pacquiao said. "I did my best to try and give a good fight. What can I do? It is not my fault."

AFP

Manny Pacquiao turns 'Sugar' sour -- LA Daily News

Los Angeles Daily News

Mosley is no match for welterweight champ, who dominates on way to decision.

LAS VEGAS - One of Manny Pacquiao's ever-present goals is to make fans happy when they watch one of his fights. He has done that by providing incredible action nearly every time he steps into the ring.

But his welterweight world title defense against "Sugar" Shane Mosley on Saturday resembled more of a glorified sparring session.

They touched gloves before rounds, and after. They did that with the slightest bumping of heads. Very friendly stuff.

Never have so many boos been doled out at a Pacquiao fight. Since most of the 16,412 at MGM Grand were rooting for Pacquiao, that's saying a lot.

Pacquiao did drop Mosley in the third round with a right-left combination, and Mosley got credit for a knockdown that was obviously a push in the 10th.

But it was the only two times the fans had a chance to really go bonkers, although the Pacquiao faithful did go a bit wild when an angry Pacquiao went after Mosley after the bogus knockdown in the 10th.

It all added up to a rather unpleasing fight, but Pacquiao did retain his championship with a unanimous decision. He won by scores of 120-107, 120-108 and 119-108.

Pacquiao followers did cheer when the decision was announced, but not all that heartily.

Afterward came the excuses.

"I got a blood blister on my right foot in the sixth round," Mosley said.

Pacquiao did him one better.

"My leg tightened up," said Pacquiao, who is now 54-3-2. "It was the same thing that happened against (Juan Manuel) Marquez (in one of their two fights). I couldn't move because my leg got tight. They tried massaging it between rounds. It's a problem I've been having."

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao came back after the fourth round and told him about the condition of his leg.

"He had no leverage to move after that," Roach said. "It was a very gutty performance in my mind because of the problem with his leg."

Bottom line is, the times when the respective fighters threw more than one or two punches in a sequence were few and far between. Aside from the excuses for the dull nature of the fight, the fighters discussed the specifics.

"I just fought the best fighter in the world," said Mosley, who will be 40 in September and looked it; he had a bump on the right side of his face. "I've never been hit like that before. He has exceptional power, power that I have never been hit with before."

Mosley (46-7-1) also said Pacquiao is the fastest fighter he has ever faced.

When asked why he didn't take more chances, Mosley intimated it was out or respect for Pacquiao.

"I wasn't going to take those kinds of risks," he said. "I was looking to land my shot."

Mosley said his age had nothing to do with anything that happened.

"I don't blame my age," he said. "Manny is exceptional. He is so fast and powerful. He is cut from the same cloth that I am, so I had to box today."

Naazim Richardson, Mosley's trainer, said that his fighter just "started too late."

Mosley said he didn't know if he would retire.

"I don't even want to think about that right now," he said.

Pacquiao wasn't thrilled about what transpired Saturday, either.

"I did not expect this result," he said.

Pacquiao, 32, was asked if he still would like to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Their two camps have twice negotiated for a fight, with nothing coming of either discussion.

"If I could fight him, it would be a great fight," he said. "I leave that to my promoter. If it never happens, I won't lose a minute's sleep over it. I want to fight Mayweather because the people want it."

Pacquiao was involved in a fender-bender a few hours before the fight, as his car tapped bumpers with another in the pound-for-pound champion's caravan.

Pacquiao wasn't hurt in the minor car accident Saturday on the way back to the MGM Grand from the nearby Mandalay Bay casino, where he attended Mass, according to The Associated Press.

Pacquiao's publicist Fred Sternburg told the AP that a security car lightly tapped the back bumper of Pacquiao's car at a stoplight. Nobody was injured, and no police report was filed.

On the undercard, Jorge Arce of Mexico stopped super bantamweight world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. at 55 seconds of the 12th and final round to win the belt.

In his first fight in nearly 13months because of two alcohol rehabilitation stints, former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (37-2) appeared rusty and tired easily during his 10-round super middleweight fight against Alfonso Lopez (21-1). Pavlik won a majority decision, however, making his return somewhat successful.

One judge, Adalaide Byrd, scored it 95-95. Dick Houck and C.J. Ross gave it to Pavlik by respective scores of 98-92 and 92-91.

Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield stopped Brian Nielsen on a technical knockout in the 10th round in Copenhagen, Denmark. ... Daniel Geale (25-1) took the International Boxing Federation middleweight title from Sebastian Sylvester (34-4-1), winning a split decision in Neubrandenburg, Germany.

Associated Press contributed

(57-6-2, 44 KOs) (20-1-1) Also ...

Source: dailynews.com

Pacquiao takes unanimous decision over Mosley -- Los Angeles Times

LA Times

Las Vegas, NV — Manny Pacquiao remained unbeaten in six years and toppled another likely Hall of Famer with a unanimous 12-round decision over non-violent 39-year-old challenger Shane Mosley in the Saturday night main event of a star-studded card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Both fighters were knocked down in the fight, Mosley from a crunching straight left hand in the third round and Pacquiao after he missed with a right hand and was pushed to the floor in the 10th.

Referee Kenny Bayless initially hesitated to rule it a knockdown, but ultimately gave a mandatory 8-count to an obviously irritated Pacquiao.

It was the third knockdown suffered by Mosley in his career and the fifth against Pacquiao.

"I think he felt my power. He's a smart fighter," Pacquiao said. "I wanted to go toe to toe, but he has good defense and I had some pain in my legs, so it was hard to move forward as much."

Mosley has never been knocked out. He spent much of the final three-quarters of the bout on the defensive, drawing intermittent boos from a reported crowd of more than 16,000.

Pacquiao continually pressed the action, moving forward from a southpaw stance with flicking right jabs and occasionally stinging straight lefts that caused moderate swelling on Mosley�s face.

He outpunched Mosley, 552-260, and outlanded him by a 182-82 count.

The win, which improved the Filipino to 53-3-2 in a pro career that began in 1995, came by scores of 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107.

Sports Network scored it 118-109.

"I don't care who my next opponent is. I'd be satisfied with what I've done in boxing," Pacquiao said, answering a query about his desire to fight enigmatic pound-for-pound elitist Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I want the fight because the people want it."

Pacquiao has won 14 straight fights since a unanimous decision loss to Erik Morales at 130 pounds in March 2005, also at the MGM Grand.

"I was in there with the best tonight," said Mosley, now winless in three fights (0-2-1) since defeating Antonio Margarito in January 2009.

"He surprised me with his punching power. That was the most legitimate knockdown I've had against me in a long time, and I said to myself, 'Wow, this guy's really got some power.'"

The defeat of Mosley was Pacquiao's second successful defense of the WBO welterweight title he won via 12th-round stoppage from Miguel Cotto in November 2009.

Mosley, a former champion at 135, 147 and 154 pounds, fell to 46-7-1. He sidestepped immediate post-fight questions about retirement, refusing to blame the loss on advanced age.

"I thought I did a pretty good job," he said. "I can still get in there with young guys and do what I do. This guy is amazing."

* * *

On the undercard: Mexican veteran Jorge Arce won his third weight-class championship with a dramatic 12th-round stoppage of incumbent Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in a WBO junior featherweight title bout.

Vazquez, who scored the lone knockdown with a counter left hand in the fourth, tired badly in the late going and was pinned against the ropes for a lengthy flurry before his corner - led by his father, three-time champion Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. - threw in the towel at the 55-second mark of the final round.

Arce, a former champion at 112 and 115 pounds, was leading 107-102 on one scorecard at the time of the stoppage while the final two cards were even at 104-104.

He is 57-6-2 and scored his 44th knockout while improving to 12-4 in championship fights.

Vazquez, who'd won his belt 15 months ago and defended twice, fell to 20-1-1.

Sports Network had Vazquez ahead, 105-103, at the time of the stoppage.

* * *

Comebacking ex-champion Kelly Pavlik returned after 13 months on the shelf with a combative 10-round decision over previously unbeaten Texan Alfonso Lopez in a super middleweight bout.

Pavlik, who recently completed a stint in rehab for alcohol dependence, won two scorecards with counts of 98-92 and 99-91 to override a 95-95 result on the final card.

A title-holder at 160 pounds from 2007-2010 before losing his belts to Sergio Martinez, he is 37-2.

Lopez is 21-1.

Sports Network scored it 96-94 for Pavlik.

* * *

Junior welterweight Mike Alvarado won the vacant WBC Continental Americas championship and moved to 30-0 overall when opponent Ray Narh quit on his stool at the end of three rounds of the scheduled 10-rounder. Narh is 25-2.

* * *

Former 108-pound world champion Rodel Mayol scored a majority decision over Javier Gallo in 10-round junior bantamweight bout, winning two scores of 98-92 to overrule a third card that read 95-95. Mayol improved to 28-5-2 while Gallo is now 17-4-1.

* * *

French-Canadian junior welterweight Pier Olivier Cote is 16-0 with 11 KOs as a pro after his fourth-round TKO of Aris Ambriz in a scheduled eight-rounder. Ambriz dropped to 15-2-1.

* * *

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Karl Dargan won his ninth straight with a unanimous six-round decision over Randy Arrellin, earning the verdict by scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55. Arrellin is 8-5.

* * *

Eighteen-year-old knockout artist Jose Benavidez improved to 11-0 and scored his 10th stoppage with a fifth-round TKO of James Hope in a junior welterweight bout scheduled for six. Hope fell to 6-8-1.

Source: latimes.com

Pacquiao’s best, even when not at his best -- Yahoo! Sports

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

LAS VEGAS – This is how good Manny Pacquiao has become: His legs were cramping, he wasn’t on top of his game and he still nearly shut out Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao, who was once dismissed as a small fighter, knocked Mosley down hard in the third round and sent the one-time pound-for-pound king scurrying around the ring for most of the rest of the fight, unwilling to engage.

It was far from a scintillating performance and the crowd booed frequently in the second half of the fight. Pacquiao, though, has improved to such a degree that even when he has an off night, he blows guys out. Pacquiao won by scores of 120-107, 120-108 and 119-108 on Saturday before a sellout crowd of 16,412 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Pacquiao wasn’t thrilled that Mosley didn’t stand and engage. That left him with cramped legs trying to chase Mosley and resulted in the rare less-than-entertaining Pacquiao bout.

“I’ll tell you the truth: I was expecting him to fight with me at least five rounds of the 12 rounds toe-to-toe with me so that we could test our power, our stamina,” Pacquiao said before heading across the street to Mandalay Bay to perform a concert. “But what could I do if my opponent doesn’t want to fight toe-to-toe? It’s not my fault.

“I’m happy, because I know I won the fight. But I said my first concern is the satisfaction of the people. I want the people to be satisfied with my performance and to leave happy.”

No one who was expecting a great fight could have been happy, whether they bought tickets or plunked down the money for the pay-per-view. It was a low-drama, low-action match and the outcome wasn’t in doubt over the final 10 rounds.

Mosley, who said after the fight that “this could be it” for his superlative career, said he was shocked by Pacquiao’s punching power. He said before the fight that he wasn’t fighting a small guy and Pacquiao’s power proved that.

But Pacquiao throws with such little effort that it often doesn’t seem like it’s a dangerous blow until it lands.

“Manny Pacquiao has the type of power I had to watch out for,” Mosley said. “Usually, I can go in there and punch with guys, but it seemed like he had something a little different. I had to watch out.

“There were different punches that he threw that didn’t seem to be hard, but the impact definitely was hard. I really had to watch out for those particular shots he threw. Like I said, Manny is a great fighter and he threw some great punches.”

Mosley’s plan was to work off the angles and try to counter Pacquiao, but Mosley was unable to get off. He looked like a fighter within sight of his 40th birthday and didn’t have the speed and explosiveness that was such a big part of his game earlier in his career.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said Mosley also didn’t appear to have the desire for combat that he displayed for most of his career.

“I don’t think he tried to win the fight,” Roach said. “He just tried to survive. When you get to that point in boxing, it’s time to call it a day.”

Pacquiao is so good that he’s lapped the field a second time and is almost making his fights anticlimactic. Top Rank’s Bob Arum said he will submit a new offer to the management team of lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Golden Boy has the right to match the offer and if Golden Boy matches, it would pit Marquez against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

If Golden Boy does that, Arum said he’d offer a Pacquiao bout, tentatively slated for Nov. 12 in Las Vegas, to one of two super lightweight champions, Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah. But as great as they are, it’s hard to imagine either being able to do much against this fighting machine.

Arum, though, isn’t afraid that he’ll lose pay-per-view sales even though Pacquiao’s fights have become predictably one-sided.

“People will pay to see Manny Pacquiao,” Arum said. “Because he is not dull. He is the aggressor. He is an entertaining fighter. I believe most people who saw the fight bought it not with the expectation that Shane Mosley would win. They bought the Margarito fight, not because they thought Margarito would win, but because they wanted to be entertained by Manny Pacquiao.”

Even Pacquiao had difficulty being entertaining given the circumstances on Saturday. Mosley was given a knockdown in the 10th when he hurled Pacquiao to the canvas. Referee Kenny Bayless ruled it a knockdown in favor of Mosley, but later apologized to Pacquiao for it.

Pacquiao was angered by it and he went hard after Mosley looking for the finish.

“I got a little angry,” Pacquiao said.

It’s too bad that he didn’t get angry earlier. He spent much of the night touching gloves with Mosley in a display of sportsmanship that didn’t do much for those who were looking for action.

Even when he’s not firing on all cylinders, Pacquiao is far better than the rest of the field. There aren’t a lot of guys around his weight who he could fight, particularly if Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to be more interested in watching Lady Gaga than he is in boxing.

Arum said he wouldn’t rule out a bout with middleweight champ Sergio Martinez, though he is wary of it because by fight time, Martinez might weigh nearly 30 pounds more.

“I still think Manny would beat him, but it’s not fair to ask him to give up that much weight,” Arum said.

It’s also not fair, though, to ask mere mortals to get into the ring with Pacquiao. If Mayweather doesn’t take the challenge – and he’s showing no inclination he wants to do so – we might be in for a long string of these one-sided routs.

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Fight Camp 360 - Pacquiao vs Mosley - Episode 4

Boxing News World

Manny Is 145, Mosley 147--No Surprise At The Scale -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

No surprises at the scale ahead of Saturday's Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley clash in Las Vegas. Manny was light, at 145 pounds, while Mosley looked in fine fighting trim, at 147 on the dot during the Friday afternoon session.

The weigh in was held in the MGM's arena, and about 8,000 fight fans jammed in.

Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik was 170 pounds, while Alfonso Lopez was 169 pounds ahead of Pavlik's debut at super middle, which comes after his stint getting ahold of his drinking problem. WBO junior featherweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez and Jorge Arce were both 122 pounds.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Mosley hopes to pack a punch -- Los Angeles Daily News

By Robert Morales, LA Daily News

Although Manny Pacquiao has become a better all-around boxer over the years, he is a whirlwind of action in the ring and never has shied away from engaging anyone in a slug fest.

From the sound of it, Pacquiao has that in mind for tonight when he defends his welterweight world title against "Sugar" Shane Mosley at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view).

"I'm excited for this fight because Mosley can throw a lot of punches and he wants to fight toe-to-toe," said Pacquiao, 32, of the Philippines.

That has been the theme for this promotion. Even though Mosley, 39, is coming off a one-sided defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and a lackluster draw to Sergio Mora, the thinking has been Mosley would fare much better against a fellow attacker like Pacquiao rather than crafty fighters such as Mayweather and Mora.

Pacquiao isn't afraid to take chances. His trainer, Freddie Roach, said he'll take plenty tonight.

"When you like to exchange and you like to throw punches, you put yourself in harm's way," Roach said. "That's why Manny is the most exciting fighter in the world. I can't take that away from him. He's always liked to throw combinations, and when you let your hands go you leave yourself open.

"We're going into this fight and we're going to throw a lot of combinations, and Shane is going to come back and it's going to be an exciting fight."

No risk, no reward, as the saying goes. Mosley may be seven years Pacquiao's senior, but he always has lived up to that credo.

"I think that people see my power and they know I will bring an exciting fight," said Mosley, who is 46-6-1 with 39 knockouts. "And also the fans choose to see knockouts. They want to see someone who has some power. They want to see a fight where there is risk being taken.

"For this fight it's very risky for someone like Manny Pacquiao to fight someone like myself. People want to see what's going to happen. Is Manny going to get knocked out? Or is Manny going to knock Shane out?"

Mosley has not been stopped inside the distance. Pacquiao has.

Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, suggested Pacquiao's way of doing business could change once he feels Mosley's power.

"Shane Mosley is quick to say this guy is a gladiator and this guy is going to fight me," Richardson said. "But it doesn't matter. I have to prepare Shane Mosley for a defensive fighter with every man he faces because if Shane hits you solid, you're going on the defensive.

"I don't care how much of a gladiator or how tough you were before. When Shane tags you, you'll be a defensive fighter."

Richardson is not taking anything for granted.

"Pacquiao offers opportunities because he's a gladiator," Richardson said. "He offers those opportunities, but he may limit those opportunities in dealing with Shane. There is still a strategy involved with every gladiator.

"I don't believe that even Pacquiao will stand there and fight with Shane. As aggressive as he has been with those other guys, I mean, you can't stay aggressive with Shane. Pacquiao is capable of doing other things and I, for one, believe that he's going to do other things."

Speed could turn out to be an interesting element. Both fighters have a lot, but Mosley's speed could work more to his advantage. That's what he thinks, anyway.

He used Pacquiao's victory over Antonio Margarito in November as proof. Pacquiao won by eight, 10 and 12 points, but he suffered a lot of punishment.

"I look at different fights and I see in the Margarito fight that Margarito landed the most punches ever on Manny Pacquiao," Mosley said. "So if Margarito is fast enough to land punches on Manny Pacquiao, then I know I am fast enough to land punches on Manny Pacquiao."

Mosley will be trying to work the ring in a way that would reduce the number of punches Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) unleashes.

"It's all the angles and the way you move and how you turn to where you make him not throw as many punches," Mosley said.

No problem, Pacquiao said.

"We studied hard for this training camp and we applied different techniques and different styles in the ring," he said. "We're ready to fight and I can adjust right away in the ring to whatever style it is."

The way these two fight, this could be a real barnburner, one that could be decided in the first half. The thinking is Mosley has to get to Pacquiao early to have a chance because Mosley probably will tire and Pacquiao won't.

"The first five rounds of this fight are very critical," Roach said. "The way we go about attacking Shane is going to have a lot of thought behind it. If you just walk into Shane and attack him, you just walk into the fire. He'll counterpunch the hell out of you and he has knockout power."

About 6,500 attended Friday's weigh-in. Mosley came in at the 147-pound limit. Pacquiao weighed 145.

Source: dailynews.com

Dan Hill and Manny Pacquiao connect -- Metro Canada

By NEIL DAVIDSON, The Canadian Press

Syrup meets steel might be the simple tag line, but it wouldn't do justice to the unlikely partnership of Canadian singer Dan Hill and boxing star Manny Pacquiao.

As Pacquiao prepares to take on Shane Mosley on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Hill has found himself in his musical corner.

Thanks to the ballad "Sometimes When We Touch," the 56-year-old Hill and 32-year-old Pacquiao have become singing partners and firm friends.

In Hill's words, they've connected.

The boxing champion and Filipino congressman is also a crooner and Hill's 1977 hit remains his favourite. Hill was stunned in November 2009 to see Pacquiao sing his song on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

The two camps eventually touched base and the singer and boxer found themselves in a Hollywood studio last October.

Their new version of the song will be out in Canada in various forms at the end of the month — it's been released in many countries already.

There are a half-dozen versions of the song, including dance remakes and a reworking by Toronto producer Boi-1da, a four-minute video of Hill and Pacquiao singing and a half-hour DVD documenting how they got together.

As the spotlight has swung on Pacquiao (52-3-2) in the leadup to his fight, the eight-time world champion has been bringing up Hill and their song.

This week he even started singing in at the pre-fight news conference, with Hill in the audience.

"And then I sang it back at him," Hill said with a giggle.

Media converged on the singer like sharks to chum. There will doubtless be more on hand when the two do a post-fight rendition of "Sometimes When We Touch" at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.

Hill, who has been around the musical block a few times, credits journalist-friend Stephen Brunt for the phrasing when he calls it "the most strange and wonderful experience I've ever had in the music business."

He says he's enjoying the ride, but not taking it too seriously.

But he likes the Pacquiao version of his song.

"Because of its hyper-emotionality, you have to be really careful of how you sing it," Hill explained. "If you over-sing it, it's just going to sound like a four-minute soap opera.

"And so what I like about the way Manny sings it is he under-sings it. He doesn't over-sing it. To me pop singing is all about believability. Do you believe what the singer is singing? Is it striking a chord of honesty? And I believe when Manny's singing that song, he totally believes everything that he sang. He sings it earnestly ... and with almost an innocence and a conviction that I find really moving."

Hill says he has grown to respect and admire Pacquiao, marvelling at someone who took up boxing at age 14 to feed his family.

Now a congressman back home in the Philippines, Pacquiao is fighting hunger for his countrymen.

"What I feel is happening with Manny is now he looks at his country as his family and he feels like he has to take care of his country, which is his family. So I think in his mind now he's doing the same thing now as he was doing at 14."

Hill also is amazed at how Pacquiao can focus, noting that the boxer was able to separate himself from the large entourage in the studio when they recorded the song.

"Manny's looking at me and there's no one else in the room," Hill said admiringly. "He is hyper-focused just as he is as a boxer."

Hill knows his signature song — written at 19 to impress a woman who apparently wanted a smorgasbord of men rather than a diet of just Hill (she eventually left him to go south with a pro football player) — evokes a wide range of emotions.

But that aside, he says the song — co-written with Barry Mann —"opened me up to the world.

"It opened me up to write for Celine Dion, it opened me up to write for George Benson, it opened me up to write for Britney Spears, for Backstreet Boys, for Reba McEntire, for Alan Jackson.

"As you know in any business, especially the music business, it's hard to get inside, (it's) very exclusive. That song was my ticket. It opened all the doors for me."

Added Hill: "I could write hit songs until the cows come home and no one's ever going to think of anything except 'Sometimes When We Touch.' But that doesn't bother me, because I know that I can write books, I can write articles, I can write songs.

"That's just the way it is. I'm never going to have another hit that big because I'm going to be 57 in June and there aren't too many 57-year-olds banging out hit songs, muscling out Justin Bieber on the pop charts."

Hill says the song has had five million plays in North America since its 1977 release. A normal hit gets a million plays in the U.S., he says.

He estimates there have been "thousands not hundreds" of covers.

"The song is a phenomenon unto itself, it's an industry unto itself," he said matter-of-factly. "A day doesn't go by that someone doesn't want to use it in a new movie — like 'Tropic Thunder' where it was used — or in a commercial or in a TV show — it's been used on 'The Simpsons,' it's been used on 'That 70's Show — it is just a force unto itself.

"I don't feel like it's mine anymore. It's just this other thing."

And now it's part of Manny's thing.

He's not the first boxer to like it. (Smokin') Joe Frazier recorded a version because he liked the line: "I'm just another writer, still trapped within my truth, a hesitant prize fighter, still trapped within my youth."

"A lot of boxers have cut that song," Hill said.

But Pacquiao fell in love with the song, not the line.

Others who have covered "Sometimes When We Touch" include Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Tammy Wynette, Lynne Anderson, Donny Osmond, Rodney Crowell and Roseanne Cash.

Hill, who is doing his own show Friday night at the Boulder Station Hotel and Casino in Vegas, says he won't be at Saturday's boxing card even though he has two "perfect" tickets.

"Although I know he's a brilliant boxer, I really feel like he's my friend. And I don't think too many of us would like to see our friends in a boxing match."

For Hill, it's just another wondrous stop on his musical journey.

"I have met the most extraordinary, brilliant ... and yet it seems like the more brilliant they are, the more humble they are."

After Vegas, Hill returns to Toronto for a May 14 show at Koerner Hall. The Bluebird North Toronto All-Star Concert also features Jane Siberry, Suzie McNeil, Melanie Doane and Marc Jordan.

Source: metronews.ca

Manny Pacquiao a Fan of Jon Jones, BJ Penn and Bruce Lee -- 5thRound

By Tom Ngo, 5thRound.com

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre starred in the biggest mixed martial arts show to ever hit North America this past weekend. This Saturday, it will be Manny Pacquiao’s turn to take center stage and entertain fight fans.

So why is an MMA news website writing about ‘the other’ combat sport, you ask? Well, it appears Pacquiao is finally starting to become a fan of badass barefoot action.

Although he and St-Pierre have shared gym time while training under Freddie Roach’s watchful eye, Pacquiao mentioned future UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn and current UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones as his two favorite mixed martial artists.

“Pac-Man” has appreciated Penn’s ability as a lighter weight fighter to successfully hop divisions to capture titles, while he agrees with the rest of the world that there is something a little bit more special about the man they call “Bones.”

“I love his athleticism and the way he conducts himself,” Pacquiao told 5thRound of Jones.

Pacquiao also expressed great admiration for Bruce Lee. UFC president Dana White has long-considered him as “The Godfather of MMA” because Lee was preaching the importance of learning multiple disciplines long before the UFC became a gleam in Rorion Gracie’s eyes.

Shane Mosley challenges Pacquiao for his WBO welterweight belt tomorrow night inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Don’t forget to check out their official MySpace pages (Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley) for exclusive content leading up to Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast. The social media giant is also offering up “Manny Pacquiao Myspace Hijack,” where fans can learn more about Pacquiao’s favorite music, movies and interests.

Fanboys can also enter for a chance to win a pair of signed gloves from the Pac-Man himself.

Source: 5thround.com

Manny Pacquiao never forgets -- Boston Herald

By Ron Borges, Boston Herald

LAS VEGAS — At a time when many athletes seem to run from the very idea of being a role model, Manny Pacquiao fights for those who can’t.

Tomorrow night, the most popular fighter in the world will wear yellow gloves when he enters the ring at the MGM Grand to face Shane Mosley, not because someone paid him to, but because he hopes some kid will eat because he did. Although he has become a fistic and financial phenomenon who will earn a guaranteed $20 million for facing Mosley, Pacquiao has not forgotten the most basic of things. He has not forgotten what it felt like to be a boy alone in the streets with an empty stomach and nothing to fill it but a jug of water and a dream.

“All my life, I’ve had to fight,” the reigning WBO welterweight champion said before what is potentially the biggest pay-per-view event of his career. “As a child I had to fight just to eat. Now when I fight, the Filipinos call me a hero. I think the world needs more heroes.

“I believe the biggest fight of my life is not in boxing. The biggest fight in my life is how to end poverty in my country. I will be wearing yellow gloves into the ring as a symbol of unity in the fight against poverty.”

Pacquiao grew up scavenging in the streets of first General Santos City and later Manila, a boy who left home on a boat because he knew his mother could no longer afford to feed all the mouths in her household. He came to Manila to work with his hands, but his hands were blessed with the kind of concussive power that can render someone unconscious or at least willing to sacrifice their dignity and concede defeat rather than eat those fists any longer. Even when his stomach was empty, his hands were loaded.

Now 32, Pacquiao has won world championships in six weight classes from flyweight to junior middleweight, although his promoters claim he is a seven-time champion by adding the featherweight title to his resume even though he never won a sanctioned championship at 126 pounds and certainly doesn’t need it to enhance his reputation.

Although it carries with it no sanction, Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KO) is also considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a mythical title signifying nothing but people’s opinion yet something fighters respect mightily for it means if all things were equal — which they seldom are in boxing or in life — he would be the most dangerous man in the world.

For most of us, that would be more than enough titles, but for Pacquiao boxing has only been the beginning. He is now a singer with a new single out, stars in a popular Filipino TV show, is a pitch man for everything from perfume to laptops and, most importantly, was elected a congressman in the Philippines last year, a title he takes as seriously as the one he is set to defend.

With success like this has come riches beyond any dreams Pacquiao had during long nights when his stomach growled, but they did not arrive unencumbered. They came with long tentacles, ones that might envelop some men but seem only to hold Pacquiao in a light and loving embrace.

“People, they are always expecting a lot from me,” Pacquiao admits. “There’s pressure, but I can handle that. I started from nothing and now I have something. So I give.”

When Pacquiao fights, his country stops. Police in Manila claim even crime takes a holiday the night of a Pacquiao fight. He is mobbed wherever he goes, but is not bothered by this. It is simply the life God has given him.

“Manny thrives on chaos,” says his publicist, Fred Sternberg, “maybe because he causes it. He isn’t the result of it.”

Pacquiao understands why this is so and feels the weight of it, a nation’s self-esteem riding on his slight shoulders. But he runs from none of its responsibilities. Instead, he puts on yellow gloves to remind those watching that hungry people are out there still. People who need help from a fighter but also from everyone whose belly is full.

The kind of grinding poverty Manny Pacquiao once knew was not erased by the erasure of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos or his own elevation, either as a fighter or a politician, and so he fights on for himself and for a people he believes have become his responsibility.

“When I started fighting professionally, every time I saw poor people sleeping in the streets, it made me think that one day I hoped I could help them,” Pacquiao said.

“It will make my heart happy to see yellow colors in the crowd. It will be a beautiful and special thing for everyone to unite in this way, with boxing, and hope and charity. It will be like everyone is supporting a team.”

Source: bostonherald.com