Banished Antonio Margarito Could Make Ring Return in Mexico -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum, told FanHouse he will not be able to return Mexico's Antonio Margarito to the March 13 undercard of a WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title defense by seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines against Joshua Clottey at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.

Suspended for at least a year by the California State Athletic Commission after being dethroned as WBA super world welterweight (147 pounds) king following his ninth-round knockout loss to 38-year-old Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) on Jan. 24 of 2009, Margarito attempted, unsuccessfully, last week to re-apply for a license with the CSAC.

Arum said that while Magarito's application still is under review by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, "It was just taking too long in Texas," adding, "and we couldn't wait any longer."

In the meantime, Arum said that he will "Absolutely" look to return Margarito to action on the undercard of a May 8 card in Aguascalientes, Mex., against Oklahoma City's Carson Jones, the opponent he was originally hopeful of facing in a 155-pound contest on March 13.

"We decided that rather than go to a hearing, which [Texas' Athletic Commission] looked like they were going to require, that we would, when we had more time, go back another day," said Arum. "We want to put Carson Jones back in. We want to propose that he fight in Aguascalientes against Margarito."

During the review, however, the CSAC is unlikely to activate Margarito, meaning he would remain limited, if not effectively banned, from competition in America.

A good example of this is the case of WBA lightweight (135 pounds) champion, Edwin Valero, of Venzuela, who is also promoted by Arum.

Valero (27-0, 27 KOs) has been unable to escape the stigma from brain surgery he received as the result of a 2001 motorcycle accident that caused a blood clot later revealed during an MRI.

Although cleared to fight by a Venezuelan doctor following successful surgery that removed the clot, Valero was placed on indefinite medical suspension by the New York State Athletic and subsequently banned by most athletic associations which supported the NYSAC's move.

Valero then fought 14 opponents over the ensuing six years, in Venezuela, Argentina, Panama, Japan, France and Mexico, before finally being sanctioned to fight in Austin, Texas. There, in April of 2009, Valero earned his current title belt by stopping Antonio Pitalua.

Margarito could be forced to follow a similar route until otherwise notified.

It was prior to their meeting of a year ago that Mosley's trainer, Nazim Richardson, first discovered the fact that the hard-punching Mexican's wrappings on his fists included a plaster-like substance.

Richardson told FanHouse that, upon his inspection, a square-shaped block had slipped out from beneath Margarito's hand tape of his gloves.

The blocks, Richardson believed, had been meant, over the course of the fight, to harden while also molding themselves to the shape of Margarito's fists -- much as a cast does in support of an injured arm, leg or limb.

Richardson had made a similar discovery against Felix Trinidad while working as an assistant trainer for Bernard Hopkins' 2001 fight against the Puerto Rican superstar.

Trinidad was forced to re-wrap his hands, and was subsequently stopped in the 12th round by Hopkins, who handed Trinidad his first career loss. Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo, was similarly forced to re-wrap the fighters' gloves.

But the 31-year-old Margarito (37-6. 27 knockouts) already had stopped Golden Johnson, Kermit Cintron, and, Miguel Cotto, in succession, in one, six, and, 11 rounds, before facing Mosley.

During his July, 2008 loss to Margarito, the 29-year-old Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) was both stopped and beaten for the first time in his career, suffering a broken nose, dripping blood from his face, being knocked down once, taking a knee once, and bleediing from a deep gash over his left eye.

Like Cintron, who was knocked out in five rounds by Margarito in April of 2005, there are many boxing observers who believe that Cotto was not the same following his loss to Margarito even as no one is sure whether or not Margarito was dirty when he faced Cotto.

"That was a very sad night for me. Miguel wasn't crying tears. The tears coming out of Miguel's eyes that night weren't normal. They were tears of blood. You had to see it," Cotto's father, the late, Miguel Cotto Sr., was quoted on HBO's 24/7 documentary.

"Bleeding out of his nose, bleeding out of his ears. You had to see how deep his wounds were," said Miguel Cotto Sr. "It's impossible to explain. I couldn't explain how someone with gloves could do that."

Following his loss to Margarito, Cotto stopped Michael Jennings in five rounds in February of 2009. But Cotto again bled profusely throughout his June, 2009 successful, 12-round title defense against Joshua Clottey, this, following a third-round, accidental clash of heads that re-opened a cavernouse gash over one of his eyes.

Cotto was battered, yet again, during his Nov. 2009 bout with the 31-year-old Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who lifted from Cotto, the WBO's welterweight (147 pounds) belt.

In the 23-year-old Jones (25-7-1, 15 KOs), of Oklahoma City, Margarito would face an opponent who is coming off of a unanimous decision over Eloy Suarez on Jan. 28.

Fighting primarily as a junior middleweight (154 pounds) and middleweight (160 pounds), Jones is riding a streak of 7-0 with one no-decision that includes five knockouts -- all since a 10-round unanimous decision to Jesus Soto Karass on Feb. 6 of 2009.

Jones' most notable victory was December's third-round knockout of Philadelphia's previously unbeaten Tyrone Brunson (21-1-1, 20 KOs) in a Showtime-televised, clash.

Brunson had entered with an incredible 20 knockouts, the first 19 of which he had accomplished in the first round. Brunson was 19-0, all knockouts until August of 2008, when he Antonio Soriano battled him to a six-round draw.

Brunson was the ninth fight of the year for Jones, who floored Brunson with a right-hand, left-hook combination in the third round. When Brunson rose to his feet, Jones nailed him with several unanswered blows before referee James Jen-Kin stopped the fight.

After falling to Soto Karass, Jones scored second-, and fourth-round knockouts of Mike McGuire and Dan Wallace in March, Then, in succession, Jones scored May's 10th-round knockout of Michi Munoz, July's third-round stoppage of Steve Walker in July, battled to a no-decision against Eloy Suarez in August, and won an eight-round, unanimous decision over Jose Adelaydo Gonzalez in October.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

***

Behind Mayweather’s nonsense is a clever plan

Boxing News World

Instead of hyping up his May 1 showdown against Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather Jr used every opportunity he could get these past few days to criticize Pacquiao over the Filipino’s refusal to random blood testing – a controversial negotiation issue that paved the way for the sad demise of the blockbuster Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown.

During the Super Bowl festivities in Miami a few days ago, the Grand Rapids native vigorously criticized Pacquiao for not taking what he called ‘a 25-million dollar drug test’ in a public conversation with Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx.

Again at the same event but this time in an interview with Fox Sports’ Mark Kriegel, the flamboyant boxer said that while he agreed on Pacquiao’s clause to pay 10 million dollar for every pound in excess of the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, the Filipino refused his random blood testing demand.

This same criticism on Pacquiao was again uttered by Mayweather in Dallas during the NBA All-Star Weekend.

It is now clear to me that hyping up the fight with Shane Mosley is not Mayweather’s priority. Money Mayweather’s into something else.

Indeed ballyhoos wouldn't work on a fight that’s a decade overdue. Fiery words had long been spewed. The fire after burning for a very long time has died out. While the ash that's left can still glow brightly, it can never be set ablaze again.

To me, Mayweather’s recent series of attacks at Pacquiao is planned to create more pay-per-view (PPV) buys and bring more fans to MGM Grand Garden on May 1. I’m not talking about Mayweather fans, not Mosley fans either, but Pacquiao fans.

It’s a clever plan.

Although Mayweather is a draw, just like he needed Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton, he still needs a ‘dancing partner’ to be able to get a good PPV number. Unfortunately for him this time, Shane Mosley isn’t a good partner.

Mosley’s fight against mediocre David Estrada in 2005 did only 225K buys. In 2006 against a more popular Mexican-American in Fernando Vargas, he only made an average of 380K buys in two fights. Clearly, Mosley isn’t a draw.

Mayweather (or someone in his camp) is aware of the fact that though his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez generated 1.05M buys, Marquez’s Mexican followers had something to do with this figure. He knows that if he was to exceed 1M buys once more, he’d need Hispanic fans to buy his fight.

And Manny Pacquaio has now plenty of these fans.

Mayweather is now chasing after Pacquiao fans like a sly salesman, trying to sell them the Mosley fight using his clever ‘watch my fight to see me lose’ sales strategy by portraying his usual but effective villain role.

But Mayweather-Mosley fight even without promotional antics will still do very well in PPV buys. It’s just one of those big fights that every boxing fan clamors to watch.

Although Pacquiao fights are very seldom boring and are usually fun to watch, Pacquiao-Clottey fight however, might not do as good as Mayweather-Mosley for two reasons: (1) Clottey is a relatively unknown fighter, and (2) Antonio Margarito is out of ‘The Event’. Humberto Sotto and David Diaz won’t help sell PPV buys; neither will Alfonso Gomez and over the hill Jose Luis Castillo.

So when you hear Mayweather slams Pacquiao over random blood testing or whatever, don't be surprised because the two are still fighting, not in the ring, but for PPV buys. And whoever wins this fight will surely gain a significant edge on the negotiating table before they eventually square off for a real fight in the squared circle.

(Marshall N. B., marx7204@lycos.com)

***

Getting personal: Floyd Mayweather looks for love in all the wrong places -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Once upon a time, I was a toxic bachelor.

I had to get eye surgery, after some wild and wanton years. I asked my opthamologist what caused my condition. In other words, I wanted to know what condition my condition was in.

"It's simple," the doctor said, "you've been looking for love in all the wrong places."

Rim shot, please. Reminds me of titles of my other favorite country western tunes, "I've Got High Friends In Low Places" and the awesome ditty, "I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling."

But I disgress.

Love is in the air today, Valentine's Day, and Cupid has shot flaming arrows capable of inducing passion everywhere. Look out because the romantic cherub is a worse marksman than William Tell.

I stumbled across this "Single Father Seeks Soulmate" ad buried inside the Las Vegas Review Journal and thought I should share it with you:

Male, 32, is so rich it is ridiculous. Superstar athlete whose greatness is acknowledged across the globe, even on an interplanetary basis. Some call me the "Cash Cow" of my particular sport although I make money, money doesn't make me.

Likes: Random blood and urine testing, surprise me; Going to roller skating rink to bully punks who send me text messages saying they want to see me get my butt kicked, dream on, fool; Dancing and prancing on national TV; acting with a wrestling troupe; duck soup and chicken in all forms, I Jones for the chicken and waffles at Roscoe's; Needling opponents about wearing frilly, feminine attire; reading Internet fight scribe Scoop Malinowski; My Dad's awful poetry which turns rhymes into crimes; My Uncle's being able to absorb direct smashes to his forehead with big lamps, leading to my joke that he "is not the brightest bulb in the Mayweather family"; Pretending to despise that Brian Kenny kid at ESPN; Accusing competitors of drug use without any evidence; Segways; Rick Ross; my Maybachs; Mexico and every single Mexican; Sushi rolls good but shoulder rolls better!

Dislikes: Immodest people; Rappers who don't sing up with my Philthy Rich outfit; Paul Spadafora, who once whipped my butt in sparring; Manny Pacquiao; Manny Pacquiao fans, they irritate me like big mosquitoes; Mexican boxers who have urine (their own) on their breath; Antonio Margarito; Paul Williams; Did I mention Manny Pacquiao; Coach Freddie Roach; Bob Arum and all his henchmen; Busboy, the chubby guy in Pacman's corner; Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's errand boy; Idiots who rate Muhammad Ali and Ray Robinson as being of my stature in ring accomplishments.

Dream Date: I am a high dopamine type man, risk-taking, creative, spontaneous and highly sexual. My woman must be all that and a bag of chips. She must also carry a hand mirror so I can admire my reflection at any given time. She must always walk three steps behind me and, if anyone touches my attire she must say: "Who dared touch the hem of his garment?"

Send replies and photos to ilovemoneymay@narcissus.com.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

***

Pinoy Power 3 Updates: Eric Morel gets questionable nod against Gerry Penalosa in WBO eliminator -- Examiner

By Chris Robinson, Examiner.com

Moments ago at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, former champion Eric Morel escaped with a highly questionable split decision over fellow former champ Gerry Penalosa. Despite appearing to land the more effective shots all night, Penalosa came up short on two of the judges’ cards.

The first round saw Morel gain a slight edge as he circled his older foe, looking sharp as he landed the occasional one-two. Penalosa, as has always been the case, pushed forward with little emotion showing on his face.

Penalosa picked things up a bit in the second, landing a nice right hand to Morel’s body. Morel wisely continued to box from a distance, using his length to his advantage. The early ringside buzz on the fight was that it was a pick em’ type of fight that could go in favor of either guy.

Rounds three and four were slow stanzas as neither man could fully take control of the action. If anything Penalosa seemed to slowly be on his way to feeling out Morel, who saw his inactivity drop noticeably as the fight wore on.

The fifth round was Penalosa’s best of the night as he broke through with a crashing left hand that seemed to stun Morel momentarily. Morel was showing excellent coordination but wasn’t able to mount any kind of attack against his San Carlos City foe.

The crowd began to chant for Penalosa in the seventh as it appeared Morel was content to move and box away from danger. Unfortunately the chants died down as the action also came to a standstill.

The eighth was another solid round for Penalosa, who had tagged Morel repeatedly with flush counter shots. Morel was having trouble coping with Penalosa’s southpaw attack and the fight looked to be slipping out of his reach.

Morel seemed to realize that he needed to do something to change the tide of the bout and came out stronger in the ninth. Morel began to turn his focus to the body but his shots didn’t appear to be fazing Penalosa. Later in the round Penalosa landed a clean left-right combination that rocked Morel’s head back.

The championship rounds saw a bloodied Penalosa press with his attack and he seemed to be edging the rounds with his desire and activity. Morel is obviously a student with much craft to his game but he was unwilling to engage enough to make an imprint in the fight.

Still, Morel and his team celebrated upon news that he was the winner of a split decision victory. Upon hearing the decision Penalosa threw his arms in the air and his face told the tale of a man full of much agony, obviously baffled with the call.

Morel will now challenge WBO Bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, who blasted out Ciso Morales in the first round following the Morel-Penalosa scrap.

Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com, www.Twitter.com/CRHarmony, and www.Facebook.com/CRHarmony.

Source: examiner.com

***

No Margarito return on Pacquiao card -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Top Rank has scrapped its plan for disgraced former welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito to make his comeback March 13 as the co-feature on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey pay-per-view undercard at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Last month, Top Rank signed Carson Jones to a contract to face Margarito in a planned 10-round bout at 155 pounds, pending Margarito being licensed in Texas. That fight has been canceled, Jones manager Bobby Dobbs told ESPN.com.

"[Top Rank] said the fight is off. It's dead. I didn't ask exactly why," said Dobbs, who said Top Rank told him not worry about Margarito being licensed when they signed the contract. "I don't know if Texas made a public announcement or just told Top Rank, but Margarito isn't going to get a license and he's not going to fight Carson at this time. I don't care about the specifics of why, I just know he's not fighting.

"We're heartbroken. Carson has been training for five week for the fight and didn't even get any training expenses for it," Dobbs said. "He was trying to get in the best possible shape for a fight that isn't going to happen now."

Although Top Rank did not mention Margarito, it announced on Friday that Humberto Soto and David Diaz would meet for a vacant lightweight belt in the March 13 co-feature.

Top Rank president Todd duBoef said the company had no comment regarding the change in plans or on Margarito.

Before the new fight was announced, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he would put Soto-Diaz on the card "if it looks like we're having problems" with Margarito's license. Arum also said before Soto-Diaz was announced that if Margarito wasn't licensed in Texas, he would likely make his comeback on a May 8 pay-per-view card Top Rank is planning in Mexico, which is under no obligation to recognize punishments handed out by regulators in the United States.

However, if Margarito fights in Mexico while under a revocation in the U.S., it could severely impact his ability to be relicensed in America, because regulators would not look kindly on a fighter who went around a U.S. revocation.

In one of boxing's most significant scandals in recent years, Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) had his license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission last February for attempting to fight Shane Mosley with illegal pads coated in a plaster-like substance that were placed inside his hand wraps.

Mosley trainer Naazim Richardson objected to how Margarito's hands had been wrapped. And when the commission cut off his gloves minutes before he was to walk to the ring for the Jan. 24, 2009 fight, the illegal inserts, which had escaped notice of the commission inspector overseeing the hand-wrapping process, were discovered.

Margarito's hands were re-wrapped and Mosley dominated him before knocking him out in the ninth round to win a welterweight championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

At a hearing a few weeks later, the California commission voted 7-0 to revoke the licenses of Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo. Margarito pleaded ignorance and Capetillo said the illegal pads must have been used by accident, but few believed either explanation.

The vote effectively barred Margarito and Capetillo from boxing in the United States, because commissions honor revocations and suspensions doled out by other jurisdictions. Both were eligible to reapply for licenses after one year, which Margarito did in Texas in advance of the possible March 13 fight.

The Association of Boxing Commissions, a national non-profit organization that represents state and Native American tribal boxing commissions, acknowledged in a Jan. 29 letter to Texas regulator Dickie Cole of the state's combative sports division, which is overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, that Texas was within its rights to license Margarito now that the terms of his revocation has expired.

However, in the letter from ABC president Tim Lueckenhoff, he added that there should be a public hearing regarding Margarito's request for a license in Texas and that the "the ABC Board of Directors also opined that Mr. Margarito should not be licensed at this time due to the seriousness of the violations surrounding the revocation of Mr. Margarito's license by the CSAC."

Margarito could not be reached for comment.

Although Top Rank no longer plans to put Margarito on the Pacquiao-Clottey card, his license application is still pending in Texas, Susan Stanford, the public information office for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, told ESPN.com.

"The status of Mr. Margarito's application is that it is still under review," Stanford said. "That means we are reviewing it to see if it's complete or not, and if we need more information.

"He is revoked in the state of California. We will review the application and the applicable state and federal laws. In this case, the federal law with the Muhammad Ali Act is that all regulating states will honor suspensions and revocations in other regulating states."

Stanford said Texas made no assurances to Top Rank or anyone else that Margarito would be licensed if he applied.

"That was their prerogative to file the application," she said, adding that his past behavior in California would be taken into consideration when his application is reviewed.

Dobbs said Top Rank promised him that if Margarito-Jones didn't happen because of a licensing issue, that it would at least give Jones a spot on the untelevised undercard against another opponent. However, Dobbs said Top Rank is now balking at that promise.

Jones (24-7-1, 15 KOs), who notched an upset third-round knockout victory against previously unbeaten Tyrone Brunson on Dec. 4, was due to make a career-high $50,000 purse to fight Margarito.

"Now, we'll just see what's out there," Dobbs said. "He's in great shape and we have nowhere to go. I'm hoping one of these miracle phone calls come through like happens in boxing and we get something."

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

***

Mayweather's talk proves easy to trash -- San Antonio Express

By John Whisler, San Antonio Express

In announcing the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley matchup, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe said his fighter is “happy to set the precedent for random (drug) testing in order to ensure fair and safe contests for all fighters.”

Later, Mayweather, presumably with a straight face, claimed he's trying to clean up boxing.

“I'm trying to clean up sports, period,” he said.

“Pretty Boy” Floyd, formerly the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, is now an anti-drug crusader.

Who knew?

All this is completely laughable, of course.

Mayweather, whose insistence that Manny Pacquiao submit to random blood tests for PEDs killed their proposed megafight, made the same demands of Mosley during talks for their May 1 bout in Las Vegas.

Mosley accepted the terms and signed the contract, giving Mayweather complete control over the drug testing to be implemented, over and above any testing that is required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

For years, many experts have advocated establishing a federal commission to oversee the sport.

As of today, we have no federal commission. But, apparently, we do have a federal commissioner.

How comforting.

Can't wait for Money May's next move as the nation's new boxing czar.

Mayweather does deserve credit on a couple of fronts. He stepped up and agreed to fight Mosley, who even at 38 is generally considered one of the best welterweights in the world.

And the blood-testing demands Mayweather made of Mosley matched the ones he made of Pacquiao.

But let's not get carried away here. Mayweather's motives weren't altogether pure.

If there's anything we've learned about Mayweather over the years, it's that he's highly sensitive to criticism.

He's been accused of handpicking his opponents throughout his career in order to avoid fighting the best of the best.

And if the blood-testing demands of Mosley were not the same ones he made of Pacquiao, then the Pacquiao demands would ring hollow and appear to be nothing more than a silly ploy to get under the Filipino fighter's skin.

Or worse, it would look like Mayweather was ducking Pacquiao.

So Mayweather and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, have done an excellent job of reading the tea leaves and anticipating public perception.

That's the bottom line and the primary motive behind Mayweather's actions.

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, which also promotes Mosley, lauded his fighters for “paving the way for big money fights to be above reproach, with no possibility of either fighter being dirty.”

Baloney.

Mosley is so desperate for a major payday and a chance to repair his tainted reputation that he agreed to Mayweather's demands.

Mosley, you might recall, admitted to a grand jury that he used PEDs prior to a 2003 victory over De La Hoya.

Mayweather is merely trying to save face after screwing up the Pacquiao negotiations. He simply overreacted to Pacquiao's contract demand for a $10 million penalty for each pound either fighter weighed in over the 147-pound limit.

In September, Mayweather was fined $600,000 for weighing in 2 pounds over the 144-pound limit for the Juan Manuel Marquez fight.

Mayweather should have demanded the clause in the Pacquiao contract be removed. Nothing more. Nothing less.

And then there's this: If Mayweather is so intent on cleaning up sports, why did he wait so long — 40 fights into his career — to launch such a noble crusade?

jwhisler@express-news.net

Source: mysanantonio.com

***

Mark Wahlberg: "My Son Is Obsessed With Boxing" -- Celebrity Baby Scoop

Celebrity Baby Scoop

Growing up as the youngest of nine siblings, Mark Wahlberg says he learned at a young age to stand up for himself. It's a lesson that he's passing on to his oldest son Michael, 4 next month.

The 38-year-old star of The Departed said on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, "My son is obsessed with boxing. I took him to see Manny Pacquiao yesterday at the Wild Card Gym [in Hollywood]. I have a boxing ring at home because I did [the film The Fighter], so I put up a ring in my backyard. As soon as we got home he wanted to go in the ring and just pound the crap out of me. And we did that again today. He puts on the gloves, he tells me to get on my hands and my knees and put my hands behind my back and he just punches me as hard as he can."

Mark admits that he could be in trouble as Michael gets older: "Fun for him, not for me. The kid's starting to hit hard, I had a bit of a headache."

Though he thinks that "it's good that he's learning already to hit and not be hit," Mark does say they had to teach Michael to save his punches for daddy after they got a call from a teacher.

"We've actually had that call once and now he knows that it's only play with daddy, in the ring, and that's it."

Mark and his wife Rhea Durham are also parents to Ella, 6, Brendon, 1, and new baby Grace, 1 month.

Source: celebritybabyscoop.com

Floyd Mayweather still wonders why Manny Pacquiao wouldn't take a '$25 million drug test' -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press

As Floyd Mayweather squeezes in his last pre-training-camp shots at normal life during NBA all-star festivities in Dallas, he allowed for some postmortem parting shots at Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather is right where he expected to be this spring, on the verge of the biggest fight in boxing, although not against Pacquiao. His May 1 showdown against Shane Mosley is the most anticipated event on the sport’s docket, since the most anticipated theoretical one fell apart on a single negotiating point -- drug testing.

In an exclusive interview in the wee hours of Saturday morning, Mayweather made a few things clear about the welterweight showdown that wasn’t, and the one that is.

The Grand Rapids native is excited about a fight more than a decade in the making.

“Shane Mosley is going down in the Hall of Fame,” Mayweather said. “I truly believe that. And I’m proud to say I want to face the best guys. I want to face Hall of Famers. Why not? Those are extras for me. I can hold my head high and say, ‘This is what I’ve done.’”

And to Mosley saying his speed and power can solve the 40-0 riddle, Mayweather offered a yawning response.

“Everybody always says they have a remedy,” he said. “Everybody always says, ‘Oh, I hit hard, I’m fast, I’m strong.’ I only have one thing to say -- they’re not as smart as me.”

There will be ample opportunity to discuss Mayweather-Mosley, which trumped Pacquiao’s March 13 bout against Joshua Clottey.

Until then, the question remains what the future holds for Mayweather-Pacquiao.

And this may be the answer: Even sterner testing than Mayweather agreed to before talks failed, and revamped purses if Pacquiao-Clottey pay-per-view numbers fall well short of Mayweather-Mosley numbers.

Mayweather’s last offer on a fight negotiated to a 50-50 split -- with $25 million each, plus pay-per-view percentages -- was a 14-day window before the fight with no blood testing.

“I gave him a chance, up to 14 days out. But my new terms are all the way up to the fight. They can come get us whenever, all the way up to the fight, random drug test. That’s what it is,” Mayweather said.

And if, as expected, Mayweather-Mosley greatly outperforms Pacquiao-Clottey, 50-50 is history.

“Instead of 20 or 25 (million dollars), he may have to drop to 15, or 17,” Mayweather said. “And you know me, they may have to throw that extra five or 10 on mine, and we can rock and roll. Take it or leave it.”

Mayweather’s emphasis on Olympic-style drug testing was lambasted by those who saw it as dodging Pacquiao.

“What the world was trying to see was the abnormal,” he said. “But the thing is this: I’ve never seen a guy who didn’t want to take a $25 million drug test. If you’re clean, take the drug test.

“In my clause, he told me that if you weigh over 147, I had to pay him $10 million for each pound. I agreed. But he didn’t agree to my terms. And we both would’ve had to take tests. It wasn’t just steered toward him. It was both me and him.”

Pacquiao subsequently sued Mayweather, and others, alleging defamation.

“He can file a lawsuit,” Mayweather said. “I never came out on record and said that he was on nothing. All I’m saying is why don’t you want to take a $25 million drug test?”

Mayweather said he is “absolutely proud” of his stance for random blood and urine testing for all future fights, to which Mosley agreed.

“If it was all about money for me, I would’ve said ‘I don’t care what Manny Pacquiao does, just give me the money, I’ll take it,’ ” he said. “But it’s me taking a stand for something that means something. And it’s for the fighters who are up and coming.

“It’s sort of the same stance Martin Luther King and Malcolm X made, so we could have freedoms, so everybody could tell the world that we’re equal. The only thing I’m saying is that we are equal. So if you’re not on nothing and I’m not on nothing, then let’s go take the test. That’s all I’m saying."

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

Source: mlive.com

Donaire Gets Cakewalk Win Over Undersized Foe Vargas -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

Nonito Donaire looked rock-solid in the main event of the Latin Fury-Pinoy Power PPV card from the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday night. But he was a super flyweight in with a man who battled as a minimumweight/straw-weight boxer, so no one should lose themselves in exultation at the third round stoppage victory for the "Filipino Flash." For those of you unfamiliar with that weight class, that meant Manuel Vargas weighed in at 105 pounds for that September bout against Donnie NIetes. For this scrap, he was 114 pounds, but Vargas may as well have been 100 pounds, dripping wet with flop sweat as he readied himself to surrender to the heavy handed Donaire (115 pounds; 22-1; from General Santos City, Philippines).

The challenger Vargas (age 28; 26-4-1 entering; from Mexico; ex straw-weight champ) took the bout on just three days notice, after Gerson Guerrero failed an eye exam. He was in the gym training for a March 12 bout, against 108 pound champion Rodel Mayol, so he was keen to make more money, and fight on a bigger stage. This was a non-title affair. The official time of the finish was 1:33 of the third. Donaire landed 35 punches of 106 thrown, while Vargas landed just four of 45.

In case anyone out there was fantasizing about a PPV price markdown, what with the switcheroo of foes, let it be said that Guerrero may well not have made it past three himself. His record isn't built on the firmest of foundations...

In the first, the 27-year-old Donaire, whose sole loss came in his second pro outing, showed a height and reach edge, in a big way. There looked to be a two division gap between the men. The latecomer backed up, mostly to his left. When he came forward, he paid; a left hook clanked his head with a minute to go. Donaire is such a calm customer, and he looked to be totally non flustered by anything Vargas showed him. In the second, a right hand buzzed the underdog. Then another. It didn't look like we'd see the sixth, let alone a distance scrap. Vargas' mouth hung open, but he wasn't shy. He'd hurl the occasional overhand right that Donaire evaded with relative ease. In the third, Donaire dropped Vargas with a left-right-left-right-left combo, and he lay on his back, cooked. Ref Joe Cortez counted to ten.

Gerry Penalosa (age 37; from the Phillipines; , a 20 year pro; 54-7-2 entering; two time world champ; 118 pounds) took on Eric Morel (34; born in Puerto Rico; 1996 Olympian; ex fly champ; 117 pounds; 41-2 entering) in a fight for the vacant WBO world bantamweight crown. Morel used his legs to great effect, and came away with a split decision win (115-113 for Morel, 115-113 for Penalosa, 116-112 for Morel), a decision at odds with the announcers working the show. TSS agreed with the 116-112 Duane Ford card for Morel, liking his dialed in pugilism, while as always coming away with mad respect for Penalosa's cajones.

Morel looked the peppier of the two thirtysomethings in the first. He circled left, away from Gerry's left. The Filipino got the right hook to the body untracked in the second. Morel tried to take some steam out with a groinshot. Morel came out with a pile of power shots to start the third, sending a message. But really his legs spoke loudest; his mobility if used properly could give him an edge. Gerry's left eye swelled up by this juncture. In the fourth, Morel moved well but where was the O? It came at the end of the round actually, maybe enough to get the judges' nod. Morel didn't slow down in the fifth, but we wondered if he could stay energized and moving for the duration. In the sixth, the action stopped for a head clash. Gerry's right eye was cut. Then his left eye sprung a leak, again from an accidental head bump. The doc looked at Gerry, and he pronounced him fit to continue.

In round seven, Morel kept on keeping on, getting in, getting off, and getting away. That is, until a minute left, when Gerry landed a combo. The blood from the left eye bothered Gerry's vision in the eighth, but he kept chugging forward. He won the round, as Morel's dancing dropped off. In round nine, Morel was back on message, but Penalosa's body work was sharp. In the 10th, Morel's ring generalship looked to be the difference, if you are the sort who prizes that, even if there wasn't excessive offense to augment it. In the 11th, Morel didn't fade. He kept clear of Gerry's power launches, but was he throwing enough to win the rounds? He was on my card. In the last round, Morel kept on his Segway, maybe too much for what was almost certainly a megatight fight. We'd go to the cards. Steve Farhood had Gerry up big, Al Bernstein a bit less, and Nick Charles also saw Gerry the victor. TSS did not. The stats said: Morel went, while Gerry was.

Champ Fernando Montiel (age 30; from Mexico; three division champ; 118 pounds; 39-2-2 entering) hooked up with Ciso Morales (118 pounds; 14-0 entering; from the Philippines), in a defense of his WBO 118 pound belt. Montiel likes to sweep with the left hook and voila. Morales ate one, to the gut, and went down with a minute left. He hit the deck, laying on his belly, and couldn't beat Robert Byrds' count. On replay, viewers saw that it wasn't a groin shot, but a belt-line crack thrown as Morales jabbed, which felled the kid. He didn't protest a crotchshot, for the record. The time: 2:06 of the first.

Filipino Bernabe Concepcion (age 22; 126 pounds; 29-2-1 coming in) won a UD10 from Puerto Rican Mario Santiago (age 31; 126 pounds; 21-1-1 entering) in the TV opener, and put himself ahead in the JuanMa sweepstakes. The lefty Santiago circled, and used his jab to good effect in the first. Bernie did get off a sharp right with Santiago's back to the ropes two minutes in. Manny Pacquiao sat in the audience, rooting on the fellow Filipino. Bernie got heated in the second, and his right hand touched up the Puerto Rican multiple times. Bernie fired after the bell in the third, showing distaste for a low blow earlier on. Santiago backed up, but it was hard to decipher his strategy in doing so. He didn't counter smartly, make Bernie pay if he got out of position. Why wasn't he using a heigh and reach advantage, his corner wondered. Bernie scored a knockdown off a right at 1:40 of the sixth. Could he finish? Santiago got his head, and his legs looked solid enough to stick around awhile. Santiago indeed got something done with body shots in the ninth. He knew he needed a late surge. That came in the tenth--he forged ahead, and got aggressive, and whaled away. A right uppercut was sharp, and he snapped with both hands. Where was this furor the rest of the way? He gestured at and screamed at Bernie, and won the last round by a wide margin. We'd go to the cards. 98-91, 96-93, 97-92, they said, all for the Filipino. He went 145-387 and Santiago was 149-789, supposedly, but this was a clear case of the stats giving a mistaken impression. So, how will Concepcion fare in a WBO featherweight title crack against JuanMa? He'll be the underdog, let's put it that way. JuanMa will like his lack of volume, his squared up style, his lack of pinpoint accuracy.

SPEEBAG Pacquiao took the mike and talked up his foundation, the Manny Pacquiao Foundation, which is accepting donations to help defray medical costs for the Filipino fighter Z Gorres, who suffered a brain injury in his last bout, against Luis Melendez on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. TSS readers can send money to: The Manny Pacquiao Foundation C/O Top Rank Boxing, 3980 Howard Hughes Blvd Suite 580, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109.

---Afterwards, Donaire said he'd next like to fight Darchinyan next.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Antonio Margarito won't fight in Dallas -- Los Angeles Times

By Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times

The proposed undercard appearance of suspended boxer Antonio Margarito will not take place March 13.

Margarito, former world champion at 147 pounds, had been in line to fight in a semi-main event prior to the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. But Bob Arum of Top Rank, Margarito's promoter, said those plans have now changed. Arum said that Margarito would fight on a card May 8 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He will be the main-event boxer in that one.

Margarito was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission after his upset loss to Shane Mosley at Staples Center in January 2009. Prior to that fight, it was discovered, by Mosley's trainer, that Margarito had a plaster-like substance in his hand wraps under his gloves.

Margarito's suspension allowed him to re-apply for a license for the first time Thursday. But the California commission that suspended him is balking at that, calling his violation severe. Some officials in the sport believe that, despite California's objections, other states may give him a license. In general, a suspension in one state is not lifted for another unless the original state signs off.

"We are tabling everything right now," Arum said. "We want our lawyers to look carefully at the case."

The presumption is that there will be talks with California commission lawyers as well before any further movement takes place.

Margarito, one of the bigger Mexican boxing stars after the retirement of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, is 31 and has a 37-6 record, including 27 knockouts.

Arum said the Dallas undercard spot would be filled by a title match at 135 pounds between Humberto Soto and David Diaz.

Source: latimes.com