Pacquiao seriously considering $65 million offer to fight Saul Alvarez in Mexico -- Examiner

By Scott Heritage, Examiner

Manny Pacquiao's next opponent after he takes on old rival Juan Manuel Marquez in November might not be a fighter chosen by promoter Bob Arum or by Pacquiao himself. He also might not be someone under the Top Rank banner or in fact b someone that anyone ever expected Pacquiao to take on.

The reason being that according to The Inquirer, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has offered Pacquiao a guaranteed purse of $65 million to fight an opponent of his choosing in Mexico next year.

After Bob Arum claimed in a recent video interview with Elie Seckbach that Floyd Mayweather turned down an offer of $65 million to fight Pacquiao, that time backed by a group from Singapore, he also made a point to mention:

"$65 million obviously is a sum that Manny Pacquiao would accept"

With the news that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is currently in negotiations with Pacquiao and team, this statement may be put to the test, as according to several sources $65m is exactly what he has offered.

Reassuringly, Slim also isn't attempting to coral an uninterested and inactive Floyd Mayweather into proceedings, and instead wants to see Pacquiao take on one of his countrymen, with the frontrunner being Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

Slim for those that haven't heard of him is currently ranked as the world's wealthiest man by Forbes with an estimated net worth of $74 billion. (For perspective Cowboys stadium owner Jerry Jones is worth about $2 billion).

Floyd Mayweather turns down new offer of $65 million to fight Manny Pacquiao

The majority of his wealth today is derived from controlling shares in several telecommunication companies, although he also has interests in raw materials, construction, financial institutions, tobacco companies and even owns a percentage of the New York Times group to name just a few.

If Pacquiao were willing to fight Mayweather for $65 million which no-one contests, then surely an as yet unnamed Mexican opponent for the same money would be an offer too good to refuse.

Realistically Saul Alvarez is seemingly the only contender that most people could name, with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. being far too big and Pacquiao having already fought most of the other well known Mexican fighters in or around his own weight.

Even Alvarez though could prove a difficult opponent for Pacquiao to come to terms with purely because of the size difference between them.

Alvarez currently campaigns at around 150lbs although holds the 154lb WBC world title. At the age of 20 however, Alvarez is still growing and it's likely only a matter of time before he is too big to dip much below the light middleweight limit at all.

Pacquiao on the other hand currently fights as a welterweight and is comfortable at around 144lbs, having fought at a higher limit than this only once, against Antonio Margarito last year. Even then however, Pacquiao came in at 144lbs to Margarito's 150lbs and commented afterwards that the size difference made the fight a lot harder than he had anticipated.

A fight between them then would probably require a catchweight of around 148lbs, although whether Alvarez can still get down to this kind of weight will have to remain to be seen.

Of course both fighters also have other matters to attend to first. Pacquiao completes his trilogy against old rival Juan Manuel Marquez in November, and Alvarez faces the biggest test of his career to date later this month against Ryan Rhodes.

So long as both overcome their forthcoming opponents however, and that Alvarez is interested, there seemingly isn't any reason why Pacquiao wouldn't take the offer presented to him.

Being offered such an amount without Mayweather as the opponent is also proof of how much Pacquiao's star has risen over the last few years, from initially being well known only in fight circles to now being seen on U.S television in mainstream adverts every day by millions of people.

Source: examiner.com

Pacquiao's $65 million offer from billionaire Slim will be explored, Arum says -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner

Breaking News: Manny Pacquiao pal and powerful Filipino politician-businessman Luis “Chavit” Singson said that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has discussed a 2012 bout between Pacman and rising Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to take place in Mexico.

When you see the names of moneymen such as Chavit Singson and Carlos Slim in the same sentence, you’ve got to pay attention, especially when a $65 million guaranteed purse for Pacquiao is prominently mentioned.

And, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum just told me by phone from Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, he certainly will check the story out, first thing Monday morning by speaking to Singson by telephone.

“I saw the story and I don’t take it as gospel but Slim is one of the richest people in the world and Chavit, who I know so well, is a very serious guy,” Arum said. “I will phone Chavit on this.”

Altough Alvarez, only 20 years old, is promotionally tied to Top Rank’s familiar adversary Golden Boy, that shouldn’t be a problem if a one man bank like Mr. Slim is putting up the dinero for both fighters.

“Well,” Arum said, “they are talking about next year. Manny has the key third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez coming up on Nov. 12 and then we can discuss 2012. I don’t know when Manny will want to fight next year, whether we stick to May and November, because that’s up to Manny and his schedule, what he wants to do.

“But these are two serious people so I take it seriously. I know Chavit (governor of the province of Ilocos Sur and former national security adviser under President Gloria Marcapagal Arroyo) as a great guy and Slim happens to be one of the richest men in the world.”

Back in 2007, Slim, who made much of his fortune as an international telecommunications mogul, had a net worth estimated at between 59 billion and 67.8 billion dollars.

Alvarez, whose red hair led to his nickname of “Canelo,” has a huge and growing following in both Mexico and the United States but he would seem to be, at this stage anyway, hardly mature enough to be very competitive against Pacman, the Pound for Pound king of the sport.

Slim is an ardent boxing fan and, working with Don Jose Sulaiman and the WBC, has funded some sorely needed pensions for retired Mexican fighters, including many ex-world champions.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Billionaire Carlos Slim Offers Pacquiao $65 Million to Fight in Mexico with ???? -- Hispanically Speaking News

Hispanically Speaking News

The World’s Richest Man, Mexican Carlos Slim Helu, apparently doesn’t want to limit his power to mining and telecommunications, he apparently now wants to get into the fight business.

Filipino fighting superstar Manny Pacquiao’s confidante, llocos Sur Gov. Gluis “Chavit” Singson has just confirmed that his fighter friend has been guaranteed $65 million by Slim to fight in Mexico.

But who???

Slim’s motives are apparently not financial but altruistic and for the love of Mexico. He wants to give his countrymen what they have been yearning for: a Pacquiao fight on Mexican soil with one of Mexico’s up and coming fighters. Slim would pick the fighter.

Singson said Pacquiao is intrigued by the offer especially the ‘guarantee’ win or lose of the $65 million. It is reported that a likely candidate would be the WBC light middle weight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Pacquiao has fought numerous Mexican and Mexican-American fighters, most notably Oscar De La Hoya, but never in Mexico.

Source: hispanicallyspeakingnews.com

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of Mexican great, beats Sebastian Zbik to win middleweight title -- Washington Post

Washington Post

LOS ANGELES — Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. defeated Sebastian Zbik by majority decision on Saturday night to win the middleweight title, taking a major step toward establishing his own legacy while his famous father looked on.

Two judges scored the fight for Chavez, 115-113 and 116-112, while the third at it a draw.

“My father came to the Wild Card and told me, ‘This is where you win the fight, not down the street at Staples Center,’” Chavez said of the gym of his trainer, Freddie Roach, who also works with Manny Pacquiao. “Work hard, listen to Freddie Roach. This is how you win titles.”

Chavez’s father won his first title in the same town in 1984, when he stopped Mario Martinez to win the WBC junior lightweight title at the Olympic Auditorium.

His 25-year-old son was behind early against Zbik (30-1), who was the quicker fighter and landed more punches early. But Chavez kept coming forward, countering with hard body shots that seemed to slow his German opponent down.

The fighters, apparently believing the fight could go either way, came out firing in the final round. Chavez seemed to outwork his foe to punctuate a solid performance.

“Zbik had a lot of heart,” Roach said. “He came to win, he fought hard. But Junior was in the best condition ever. He simply outlasted Zbik.”

Zbik believed he was ahead on the cards going into the final round.

“I won the first five or six rounds,” he said. “I thought I was far ahead. But I got hit with those body shots and began to get tired. ... My corner told me I had to win the final round and I thought I did. I think the judges gave Chavez all the close rounds.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: washingtonpost.com

65 million reasons why Mayweather is afraid of Manny Pacquiao -- 8CountNews

By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews.com

In a recent video interview with boxing scribe Elie Seckbach, legendary fight promoter Bob Arum informed the world that Floyd Mayweather Jr (as recently as a week ago), turned down 65 million dollars to fight Manny Pacquiao. According to Arum, it was a group from Singapore, legitimate business folks that made the offer.

Mayweather turned down 65 million dollars? Folks let me be clear, if someone offered me 65 million dollars I would personally inject Manny Pacquiao with steroids and fight him with one arm tied behind my back.

Come on, 65 million dollars? Did Mayweather really turn down that kind of money? If this report is true, the whole steroid accusation is just a front, a back door out, basically an excuse to stay away from the guy that's going to whoop your ass in the ring. Floyd can do all the exclusive one on one interviews with his buddy Ben Thompson that he wants, there is no spinning turning down this kind of money.

With this news, I am pretty convinced that this fight will never happen. History will record things and in 50 years when people ask why the fight never happened, people will bring up 65 million reasons why. I agree with Bob Arum on this one. You have one guy that says, "let's fight" and has been active making money in the ring. You have the other guy turning down 65 million to fight, and has been pretty inactive in the ring. You be the judge.

Source: 8countnews.com

Floyd Mayweather Sr. continues PED accusations toward Pacquiao, Floyd Jr. agrees -- Examiner

By Rick Rockwell, Examiner.com

Despite the recent lawsuit settlement between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr. publicly declared that he still believes Pacquiao has taken something illegal. Floyd Sr. gave a few more recent examples of why he thinks this. On Thursday, Floyd Sr. made the following comments to Examiner.com:

" Shane made remarks about how he hit him and how he aint never been hit by nobody like that in all the fights he had. That man disconnected Margarito's eye. You telling me the littlest man in boxing did that? He disconnected his eye and he kept on fighting. Against a little man like that."

It's clear that neither Floyd Sr. or Floyd Jr. care about the defamation suit that Pacquiao filed against them in the beginning of 2010. Floyd Sr., who has been publicly quiet on the Pacquiao topic for the last few months, appears to have saved up all of his opinions for this interview with my esteemed Examiner colleague Chris Robinson.

In late 2009, Floyd Sr. joined his son and brother in attacking Manny Pacquiao during the first round of negotiations between team Mayweather and team Pacquiao. Floyd Jr. began accusing Manny of taking PEDs and demanded that Manny take blood tests. A few days later, Floyd Sr. and Roger began accusing Manny of cheating his way to the top. The public attack went on until Manny filed a defamation suit in 2010. In March 2011, a Nevada judge ruled the Mayweathers were guilty of defamation. The case was continued. Unfortunately, that hasn't stop Floyd Sr. or his son "Money May".

As for Floyd Jr. he continues to publicly accuse Manny as well. Additionally, he just recently released a t-shirt toward Manny titled "Take the Test". Additionally, over the last few months, Floyd has been very vocal about Manny taking PEDs and still demanding Manny to take drug tests.

Source: examiner.com

Floyd Mayweather turns down new offer of $65 million to fight Manny Pacquiao -- Examiner

By Scott Heritage, Examiner.com

The latest in the ongoing saga of pound for pound standouts Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is that the former has allegedly turned down yet another offer to fight the latter.

In a video interview with ESNewsReporting's Ellie Seckbach, Top Rank boss Bob Arum claims that an interested party from Singapore this week offered Mayweather $65 million to fight Pacquiao, which he turned down.

He also goes on to say that Mayweather wants no part of Pacquiao due to the Filipino being a southpaw but that he still hopes to see the fight eventually. (See the full interview here)

Thus far Mayweather has yet to comment on the statement, although he previously denied having turned down an offer of $50 million as Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz claimed last month.

If what Arum says is true, it shows that as unlikely as the fight has become, there are still plenty of interested parties trying to make it happen.

The bad news of course is that if Mayweather is indeed unwilling to fight Pacquiao for $65 million then it's perhaps reasonable to assume that he won't be interested for any amount of money. Whether through fear of losing to Pacquiao or just his fervent dislike of dealing with Arum.

Source: examiner.com

Manny Pacquiao Defeats Oscar De La Hoya in Court, Mayweather Next? -- Bleacher Report

By Alex Kay, Bleacher Report

Manny Pacquiao Knocks Out De La Hoya in Settlement, Continues to Attack Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao is back in the news today because he has supposedly reached a settlement with Oscar de La Hoya and Richard Schaefer on a defamation lawsuit filed back in December 2009.

The suit was based on allegations that those two, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his uncle and father, made against Pacquiao suggesting he uses performance-enhancing drugs.

The Mayweather clan did not reach a settlement, and in fact over the last few weeks has been throwing out more public allegations that Pacquiao is scared to take a drug test and continues to use PEDs.

Two weeks ago Mayweather’s girlfriend, Shantel Jackson, posted a picture to her twitter feed of a ‘Take the Test’ t-shirt obviously aimed at Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been out of boxing since mid-2010 and is facing a litany of separate charges for issues unrelated to his dealings with Pacquiao.

He refuses to step into the ring unless Pacquaio submits to Olympic style drug testing of his blood and urine, which Mayweather has stated he would also undergo. He does so under the banner of his larger crusade, to get a higher standard of drug testing into all of American sports.

While Mayweather’s cause may seem noble, his stance and refusal to negotiate with Pacquiao is depriving boxing fans of one of the most anticipated fights in history.

We can only hope that the two come to terms on a rational agreement sometime in the near future and the two men step into the ring for an unforgettable bout.

Source: bleacherreport.com

Berto's low blow: implies Ortiz used PEDs -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN

When Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto threw down on April 16 in one of the best fights of the year, it excited so many fans. Both went down twice and combined to produce a sixth round for the ages.

Ortiz, who won the decision, earned redemption in the eyes of many who believed he lacked heart after he quit against Marcos Maidana in 2009. Berto, although he lost his welterweight belt, earned more respect in defeat than he had ever garnered in victory because, after years of taking fat HBO checks to fight second-tier opponents, he finally faced a serious one in his prime.

They both proved their mettle, thrilled fans and made us all look forward to their future fights -- including, hopefully, a rematch.

Now, six weeks later, Berto has ruined the glow with a serious case of sour grapes by spouting the popular insult of the day: the insinuation/accusation that there is no way a fighter can be as good as he seemed in the ring, so he must be using performance-enhancing drugs.

That's what Berto shamefully did Wednesday, taking to his Twitter page for a series of remarks about Ortiz and voicing his belief that his performance came by way of less-than-natural means:

• "Let me clear the air now!! You're right there is a reason why Ortiz had so much energy, a reason he could take my heavy shots and keep ticking."

• "[And] there is a reason why he came into the ring 165 pounds. I know people close to him and his camp and I know exactly [what] he was taking."

• "It wasn't Flintstone vitamins!! But it is what it is. I should [have] beat him anyways, but it wasn't me that night. Ortiz wasn't him either, lol."

Want to demean your opponent's performance or deflect from your own? Just toss out the PED notion, facts or proof be damned.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and those around him have been doing it to pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao for the past couple of years without a shred of evidence. Pacquiao has an ongoing lawsuit against them regarding the accusations.

Golden Boy Promotions executives Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya just settled the same lawsuit with Pacquiao on Tuesday -- the day before Berto dumped all over Ortiz.

While promoting his May 21 rematch with Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal heavily insinuated that Hopkins must have been on something when they fought for the first time in December because there was no way a 45-year-old could perform so well against a man who was 29 and in his prime. In a show of childlike emotion, Pascal hollered, "Take the test!" at Hopkins over and over during a media appearance, a reference to taking blood tests to prove he was clean.

Hopkins, who, at age 46, beat Pascal in the rematch, has been considering a lawsuit against him.

And now you have Berto playing the PED card.

Not long after his comments denigrating Ortiz, Berto tweeted, "Never bitter, never sour. Ortiz fought a good fight and got the W. I take my L like a man [and] come back better. I am looking forward [to] the rematch."

Sorry to say that accusing your opponent of using PEDs with no evidence is not taking your loss like a man. It's pathetic.

Ortiz appeared to take the accusations in stride, tweeting, "Berto needs to stop. I'll have to hurt him again. Me, I guess [I'm] not too bad for not having a heart or courage. ;)"

A few hours later, Ortiz added, "Bottom line, I'll take any blood tests necessary and body tissue test to silence anyone."

Berto, inundated with remarks ripping him for his comments, tried to back off with another tweet: "Wow, why does everyone's mind go straight to PEDs. Calm down everyone, I was just talking about Ortiz eating his spinach like Popeye, lol."

Yeah, right. I bet the dog ate his homework, too. Although Ortiz's comments showed he was rolling with Berto's low blows, his manager, Rolando Arellano, was not so easygoing.

"Victor has never in the past or present, and will never in the future, use any performance-enhancement drugs," Arellano told me. "We will take any and all anti-doping tests, if necessary. Victor beat him at 70 percent of his full capacity as a fighter. Andre should focus on his performance and not look for meritless excuses. Out of courtesy, I am asking him to cease and desist [these] intentional, malicious, false and wrongful statements. They are tainting Victor's flawless reputation in the public eye. Failure to do so will result in legal action."

Instead of continuing to make a fool of himself, Berto might want to pay close attention to Arellano's last comment, then think about what just happened with Schaefer and De La Hoya over the Pacquiao accusations.

Source: espn.go.com

Ward forever linked to former champion Gatti following their three epic bouts -- The Canadian Press

By Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press

VAUGHAN, Ont. — Arturo Gatti will forever remain in (Irish) Micky Ward's heart.

The two will forever be linked as a result of their three brutally bloody but epic bouts. But to Ward, his Montreal rival was much more than just another opponent.

The two men became close friends outside the ring, with Gatti asking Ward if he was OK following their third bout as they shared a hospital room.

And Ward says he was devastated at the news of Gatti's death nearly two years ago.

"To this day, I think about him almost every day," Ward said Thursday after serving as the guest drawmaster for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. "I tried to kill him in the ring, not literally kill him but beat him anyway I could and I miss him like a brother.''

Ward, 45, fought 51 times as a professional, compiling a 38-13 record with 27 knockouts. He held eight different world boxing titles and served as the inspiration for the Oscar-winning movie The Fighter.

But the 45-year-old American will forever be known for his legendary bouts with Gatti, the first and third being voted as Ring Magazine's fights of the year for 2002 and '03.

The fights with Gatti were also the most lucrative of Ward's illustrious career. He reportedly earned US$3 million for the trilogy.

"They mean so much," he said. "I made a lot of money from those fights but more than that I made a great friend and we'll go down in history as one of the great trilogies in boxing.

"I was just so fortunate when he was living to be able to fight him and say he was my friend because he was a great person, a great champion and just a great guy.''

Ward and Gatti fought for the first time May 18 2002, with Ward registering a ninth-round knockdown of Gatti en route to a majority decision. Ring Magazine voted the bout as its top one of that year.

Six month later the two met in a rematch, with Gatti earning the hard-fought victory. In the third round, Gatti knocked Ward down, but the Irish-American not only got up but finished the bout.

The third and final fight went May 7, 2003 and again was a roller-coaster affair. Gatti dominated early however was knocked down by Ward in the sixth round.

However, Gatti went on to record the unanimous decision as both fighters again required hospital visits to deal with injuries suffered in the bout. For the second straight year, Ring Magazine named the fight its top one of '03.

"I was lying in a hospital bed and the doctor treating me says, 'There's someone who wants to see you,' and pulls the curtain back and there's Gatti," Ward said. "He looked at me and asked if I was OK.''

So what was it about the two fighters that made them bring out the best in each other?

"I think our styles were just made for each other," Ward said. "I mean he could box, which he showed in the second and third fights.

"I think we were both cut from the same cloth. We'd fight until the end . . . we had a lot in common.''

Ward's career wasn't without its pitfalls.

A three-time Golden Gloves champion in New England, Ward turned pro in 1985 and won his first 14 bouts. But after four straight losses, he left the sport in 1991 and worked paving roads.

It was then that Ward underwent surgery on his right hand — where bone from his pelvis was used to strengthen and fuse bones in the hand. And when his half-brother Dicky Eklund, who was also a former boxer, was released from jail on charges that included drug possession, he convinced Ward to return to the ring.

Ward ultimately did in 1994 and two years later captured the WBU Intercontinental light welterweight title. In 2000, at age 34, Ward claimed the WBU world light welterweight crown with a technical knockout of England's Shea (The Shamrock Express) Neary.

These days boxing has taken a back seat among fight fans with the emergence of the hugely popular UFC and mixed marital arts in general. While Ward believes boxing will never fade away, he does say the sport is in desperate need of a huge bout involving name fighters — like a welterweight mega showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., for example — to reclaim its lustre.

"We need a big fight out there,'' Ward said. "We need a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

"That's the fight that's going to bring the fans back to boxing. Hopefully they can fight and if not, I don't think boxing is going to go anywhere but hopefully they do.''

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source: google.com