Nonito Donaire Seeks Fernando Montiel, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) champion Nonito Donaire, who scored two knockdowns on the way to Saturday's eighth-round knockout of challenger Hernan "Tyson" Marquez, will seek a potential November bout with WBO bantamweight (118 pounds) titlist, Fernando Montiel, followed by one opposite WBO super bantamweight (122 pounds) king, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., his promoter, Bob Arum, said.

Against Marquez, Donaire scored his 24th victory against one loss, and his 16th knockout in Saturday night's Showtime-televised bout at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"We're hoping and we believe that, thanks to Showtime, Nonito's next fight will be for the bantamweight title against the legendary champion Montiel, and we'll be putting that together in the next couple of weeks," said Arum during a post-fight press conference.

"You could see his great skills that he has, and what a tremendous boxer and fighter that he is," said Arum. "Hopefully, if he gets beyond Montiel, then his next goal is to fight Vazquez, the Puerto Rican 122-pound champion. And so, there's a lot of big fights for him in the months and the years ahead."

Nicknamed "The Filipino Flash," the 27-year-old Donaire improved his winning streak to 23 fights with knockouts against eight of his last 10 opponents.

Having had trouble maintaining the 115-pound weight limit, Donaire had vowed that Marquez would be his final bout in that division.

"Nonito has one weakness, and that's that he likes to eat," said Arum. "He's been starving himself fighting at 115. So at least he'll be able to eat a little bit more while he gets ready for his fights."

Donaire would next like a shot at the 31-year-old Montiel (41-2-2, 31 KOs), who has a July 17 clash with Rafael Concepcion (14-4-1, 8 KOs) in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

Montiel is coming off of April's fourth-round knockout over Hozumi Hasegawa, this after having scored February's first-round knockout over Ciso Morales.

The 26-year-old Vazquez, of Bayon, Puerto Rico, is nicknamed, "WV 2." The son of the former world champion by the same name, Vazquez Jr. (19-0-1, 16 KOs) has won four straight fights by knockout, and is riding a 10-fight winning streak that includes eight stoppages.

Vazquez is coming off of a May, 29, 10th-round knockout of previously undefeated Zsolt "Mr. Left hook" Bedak (15-1, five KOs), of Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday night at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, P.R.

In February, Vazquez earned the WBO crown by scoring a fourth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Marvin Sonsona (14-1-1, 12 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, who was being called "The Next Manny Pacquiao."

"Bob, you just made my day when you said Montiel and maybe Vazquez. You know, this is the dream that I've been wanting," said Donaire.

"Everybody in my facebook and my Twitter has been saying, 'when are you going to fight the best out there?' and, 'when are you going to fight guys who are elite?' Thank you for giving me that and opening that door for me."

Donaire said that he fought the first four rounds against Marquez as a southpaw due to an injury to his left leg.

"Like I had mentioned before, I had this injury in my left leg that made me turn and fight as a southpaw. [Trainer] Roberto Garcia and my team decided to turn me southpaw. So this is the first time that I've fought southpaw. I mean, I've always fought as a right-hander," said Donaire.

"This was an experimental fight. I tried to figure him out, but the things that we worked were difficult to use on him because he was very short," said Donaire. "So every time that we tried to duck down, he was right in front of me. It was an experience. And when I said, 'enough is enough,' I turned right-handed and I took him out."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Eastside interviews Paul Briggs

By Tony Nobbs, Eastside Boxing

A surprise announcement was made earlier this year when two time WBC 175 pound title challenger Paul Briggs announced he was returning to the ring – with a shot at friend Danny Green the goal.

Since retiring after a February 2007 decision win over South African journeyman Rupert Van Aswegan, which followed a second majority points defeat to Thomas Adamek in 2006, Briggs has spent his time commentating and training fighters, being one of the house trainers on the Contender Australia series.

To those who watched Briggs (who ended with a 26-3, 18 ko’s record) punched his way through the light heavyweight rankings under the mentorship of Rod Waterhouse, watching the Gold Coaster leave boxing without a world championship belt strapped around his waist was wrong.

ESB caught up with the 34 year old father of two and here’s what he had to say.

Eastside: Paul, firstly, the question everyone is asking. Why come back?

Paul Briggs: I’m a third generation fighter. It’s in my blood. Before fighting Adamek I hadn’t lost in a long time and it was hard to cop. You know, for both those fights I was with new trainers (Jack Mosley and Johnny Lewis) and it was different, trying to adjust to the changes they were trying to make to my style. I wasn’t the same (fighter) but did my best. It really gutted me going out like I did. My son Isiah gave me the okay to fight again. He actually asked me to retire before, so I asked him this time. If he said no I wouldn’t be back.

ESB: Who will you be training under?

PB: Billy Hussein. We have worked together before. He knows what I need to do. I will go to Sydney and he will come up to the Gold Coast for different periods of our training. I have my old pad man Richard Walsh back. Rod (Waterhouse) always encouraged me to be creative, he let me flow with what came to me naturally and I’m getting back to being the creative fighter I had to be coming up, when I was really enjoying boxing. The good thing is I don’t have any expectations. There’s no pressure on me. Right now, I’m just enjoying getting up each day and working as hard as I can.

ESB: Danny Green is the target. If and when a fight between you two happens what can fans expect?

PB: At the very worst an amazing fight. We have sparred together alot, we know each other, I think that with the passion and intensity we both bring it will be a Gatti-Ward type fight for Australia. I think I will be his toughest opponent. I proved my toughness in the Adamek fights. I don’t take too much into him knocking out Roy Jones, because he (Jones) was old. Danny won one of his world titles by beating a guy I’d already beat (Stipe Drews). He won every round but he never dropped the guy. I put him down three times.

ESB: You beat four guys in the top ten before getting a shot at the title. Who do you rate your best win?

PB: Actually, I’d go with Tosca Petridis (in 2000). He was a tough warrior, I knocked him out in a round, in his weight division (cruiserweight). That was the fight that really put other fighters on notice.

ESB: How did you enjoy being involved in The Contender?

PB: I love being in a camp environment and being around those guys watching them work, it reignited my desire to fight. Being in an environment like that for almost three months, where it was boxing, boxing, boxing, day in day out, I thought why not get in there and give it another crack.

ESB: You’ve done a lot of commentary work. How enjoying is that?

PB: I love commentating and look forward to continuing. I believe I have a broad knowledge of boxing and I like to share that with the audience and encourage some of the fighters coming up.

ESB: You have also trained some fighters. How’s that been?

PB: Again, I’ve been able to share what I have learnt from twenty years in fighting (Kick boxing and boxing). Also, I think when you teach, you learn and I’ve picked up a lot of stuff by working with younger guys.

ESB: Finally, Adamek has really kicked since you fought. Has his success inspired you?

PB: You know, we had two great fights. I went over and fought him in his own back yard. Both fights were close, I thought the first was very close and I could have got it. I had him badly hurt. In the second fight I had him down. What he has done since shows what a talent he is and is testament to my ability. Yes, it’s inspired me but there are alot of other things as well.

*Please note this interview was done in March, before the fight was officialy announced.

Promoter: Manny Pacquiao-Paul Williams Should 'Be Made' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Upon hearing Friday's Nevada State Athletic Commission ruling that ex-world champion Antonio Margarito must re-apply for his boxing license in California, promoter Dan Goossen, who handles Paul Williams, called out WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao.

"Well, you heard that Nevada denied Antonio Margarito his license," said Goossen. "So now, the table has been set for Paul Williams to fight Manny Pacquiao."

Goossen believes that Williams (39-1, 27 KOs), a former three-time champion, would be a viable candidate to face Pacquiao in a mega-bout at 17 pounds. A tall, rangy southpaw, Williams has fought at welterweight, junior middleweight (154 pounds) and middleweight (160 pounds).

But Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz and his Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum have indicated that the seven-division titlist still would consider fighting newly-crowned WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champ Miguel Cotto or Margarito in a clash outside of the United States if a mega-bout can't be made with undefeated welterweight (147 pounds) rival Floyd Mayweather.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 39 knockouts) has agreed in principle to the demands of Mayweather's handlers and Golden Boy Promotions to put his WBO belt on the line against Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), having given his unbeaten counterpart until mid-July -- or next weekend -- to sign the contract, Koncz said.

If agreed upon, Mayweather-Pacquiao would likely take place in Las Vegas on the proposed date of Nov. 13, 2010.

In the meantime, Koncz has begun to consider a rematch with Puerto Rico's Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) -- whom Pacquiao dethroned as WBO welterweight champ by 12th-round knockout in November -- or a match-up opposite Mexico's Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs).

Margarito, however, still is not legal to fight in America, this after his boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission following an illegal hand-wrapping scandal in January 2009.

Margarito is coming off of May's 10-round unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a junior middleweight clash that was fought in Mexico, which licensed him for the bout.

The Nevada commission ruled that it won't license Margarito until he first attempts to become validated by the CSAC, which effectively continues his ring exile in most American jurisdictions other than those such as Texas.

"Who else is out there, Miguel Cotto? I'm sure. I mean, Cotto is one fight removed from the one-sided fight that he had with Manny Pacquiao. Eventually, that fight was stopped. Boxing more than ever needs the best to fight the best," said Goossen.

"Let's put it this way, if Bob [Arum] even thought about fighting Pacquiao and Margarito in Mexico, I would think would forever darken Margarito's career and cause Manny Pacquiao problems having to go to fight an unlicensed U.S. fighter -- a fighter who can't get a license in the United States. I think that it goes beyond public relations."

At 160 pounds, Williams has vanquished southpaw Argentinian Sergio Martinez, this, before Martinez scored a unanimous decision that dethroned then WBC and WBO middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik.

In April of 2009, Williams also scored a one-sided decision over former junior middleweight world champion, Winky Wright, this, while they were fighting as middleweights.

HBO President of Sports, Ross Greenburg, is pushing for a Williams-Martinez rematch to go on Oct. 2.

"Listen, Paul is almost 6-foot-3. So I realize that the size difference poses a different threat to Manny Pacquiao. But so did the weight difference that Paul had to endure at 154 and 160 pounds. So, there's no one better, other than Floyd Mayweather, to fight Manny Pacquiao right now than Paul Williams," said Goossen.

"Now you can sit there and do your marketing and P.R. penciling in that Cotto does this and that. Bottom line, he's one fight removed from getting his clock cleaned by Manny Pacquiao," said Goossen. "So, there's only one fight other than Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to be made -- and that's Manny Pacquiao and Paul Williams -- and Paul is ready to go."

In July, 2007, at a time when he was considered the most feared welterweight, Margarito fought Williams, whose welterweight unanimous decision dethroned then-WBO welterweight king, Margarito.

Margarito had already knocked out Martinez in their welterweight match up in February of 2000, and, also also owns an 11th-round stoppage win over Cotto.

Pacquiao, Margarito and Cotto are all promoted by Arum and Top Rank.

"I understand Bob's hesitancy to fight anyone who is not under his own promotional roof, and that he is concerned about Paul Williams because of how mean and how good he is. But we mean for Paul to be in his natural weight division of 147 pounds, and to show supremacy in that division," said Goossen.

"Paul has taken on every challenge that there has been out there," said Goossen. "He's done it at a level where he's given opponents advantages by going up in weights that were not his natural weights. Are you going to tell me that Pacquiao doesn't have that same fighter mentality that Paul has shown?"

Williams' most recent win was May's four-round, junior middleweight class technical decision over former two-time welterweight world titlist, Kermit Cintron, who has battled to a draw with Martinez, and, vanquished present WBO interim junior middleweight king, Alfredo Angulo.

Other big wins for Williams include knockouts of former world champs Sharmba Mitchell, and, Verno Phillips.

The one over Mitchell was in the fourth round in Aug. of 2006 while campaigning as a welterweight.

In November, 2008, Williams scored the eighth-round knockout Phillips for the WBO junior middleweight belt. Phillips was coming off of a victory that dethroned Cory Spinks as IBF junior middleweight champ.

Although Williams suffered his lone defeat against southpaw, Carlos Quintana, in February, 2008, Williams regained his WBO championship, four months later, by stopping Quintana with 15 seconds left in the first round.

"Paul has done it at 154 pounds, he's done it at 160. He did it in the 147 pound division prior to nobody wanting to fight him. But I believe that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are different animals," said Goossen.

"I mean, these fighters have the mentality of taking on anyone that poses a threat inside of the ring and a public one to their reputation," said Goossen. "Because the fans want to know who is the best one is, it's time for our sport and for its managers to learn to satisfy the appetite of our fans."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Tabled license request irks Margarito promoter -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

By STEVE CARP, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Todd duBoef still is puzzled by the actions of the Nevada Athletic Commission in tabling Antonio Margarito's request to be licensed in the state.

The Top Rank president, who promotes the former welterweight world champion, said the four commissioners who voted to table the request in the 4-1 verdict might have misread Margarito's intent.

"He wasn't trying to make an end-run around California," duBoef said. "He has no plans to fight in California, so why would he go there to get a license? It doesn't make sense."

Margarito served a one-year suspension and had his license revoked after hard inserts were found within his hand wraps prior to his entering the ring for his Jan. 24, 2009, fight with Shane Mosley in Los Angeles. His suspension ended Feb. 10.

Margarito is a possible opponent for Manny Pacquiao should Pacquiao's proposed Nov. 13 megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fail to materialize. That fight is being targeted for Las Vegas, either at the MGM Grand Garden or the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I think the commission misunderstood Antonio's motive for appearing before them," duBoef said. "If he was going to fight in California, by all means, he should apply in California. But he's not fighting in California.

"His intention is to fight in Nevada, and that's why we went before the commission (Friday)."

When commissioner Francisco Aguilar asked Margarito during the two hours spent on the agenda item whether he had a fight planned, Margarito said no. DuBoef said he made a mistake in not stepping in at that point and clarifying the situation.

"I probably should have said something," duBoef said. "But the point is, (Margarito) has no intention to fight in California. He intends to fight in Nevada. So why go to California? Where is California's incentive to license Margarito if he's not going to fight there? They don't benefit at all by licensing him, so why would they?"

DuBoef said the plan for Margarito is to see what happens with Pacquiao-Mayweather. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum recently said that if Mayweather doesn't sign to fight Pacquiao by mid-July, Pacquiao will move on and they can revisit making the megafight in 2011. DuBoef said he thinks a decision will come by the end of this week.

If Mayweather passes, Top Rank is ready to make a Pacquiao-Margarito fight at the MGM Grand on Nov. 13. If Mayweather accepts, Margarito could face Miguel Cotto in a rematch of their July 26, 2008, fight at the MGM, which Margarito won. It also was the last time Margarito fought in Nevada.

"If we have something tangible with a signed deal for Margarito to fight in Las Vegas, I can't see Nevada punting again if we go back to them," duBoef said. "The circumstances would be much different, and I'd be hopeful they would give him a license."

■ MARQUEZ-DIAZ OFFICIALS -- The NAC selected Vic Drakulich to referee the July 31 junior welterweight rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz at Mandalay Bay. The judges will be Patricia Morse-Jarman, Jerry Roth and Glenn Trowbridge, all from Las Vegas.

Robert Byrd has been selected to work the WBO middleweight title bout on the card between Daniel Jacobs and Dmitry Pirog. The judges will be Las Vegas' C.J. Ross, Duane Ford and Paul Smith.

■ NEW INSPECTOR -- The commission approved Alex Aragonez as an inspector. Aragonez, 40, works for the Clark County School District as a technical specialist.

■ CLUB SHOWS -- After taking time off to regroup following the April 10 Evander Holyfield-Frans Botha fight at the Thomas & Mack Center, Crown Boxing plans to return to doing club shows at the Mardi Gras Ballroom at The Orleans, beginning Aug. 20. Crown also has an Oct. 22 show planned for The Orleans.

California promoter Roy Englebrecht also is coming back to Nevada, as he plans to host a fight card Oct. 16 at the Silverton Hotel and Casino.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.

Source: lvrj.com

Donaire is the only one who can carry torch after Pacquiao -- PhilBoxing

By Ed C. Tolentino, PhilBoxing.com

While it remains to be seen if Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao will lace on the gloves again, it cannot be denied that the clock is winding down on his illustrious career. Pacquiao has already made the cross-over to the House of Representatives and with each passing day at the hallowed halls of Congress, the seven-time world champion is arguably getting more convinced that he has found life after boxing.

Which begs the 64-peso question: Who will carry the torch for Philippine boxing after Pacquiao?

On Sunday, featherweight Bernabe Concepcion became the latest Pacquiao-wannabe to bite the dust. Looking to shave the lion (WBO featherweight king Juan Manuel Lopez) right inside his den (Puerto Rico), Concepcion ended up looking like a sacrificial lamb. Except for the Hail Mary left that nearly knocked the day lights out of Lopez in the first round, Concepcion did not really have a prayer, much less a solid offensive fight plan, in the fight and was predictably bamboozled.

Early in the card, super bantamweight Eden Sonsona blew a wide lead over Puerto Rican Jonathan Oquendo and ended up getting stopped in nine rounds. Sonsona was more than holding his own until the 5th round, when Oquendo nailed him with a huge blow to the breadbasket. Oquendo kept pounding the body until Sonsona wilted in the ninth round. While it may be argued that Oquendo was benefited by low blows and a referee who appeared to be suffering from some cataract problems, the fact remains that in a fight that was supposed to be a gut check, Sonsona ended up flat on his back.

WBA interim super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire was the only Filipino to emerge from Puerto Rico with his head held high. Donaire methodically dissected Mexican power puncher Hernan “Tyson” Marquez before stopping him for good in the eighth with a solid left.

So clinical was Donaire’s demolition of Marquez that he should be, from hereon, labelled “Doctor Donaire” instead of the “Filipino Flash.”

Skill-wise, Donaire once again showed that he is the only Filipino fighter right now who can carry the torch for Philippine boxing after Pacquiao archives the gloves. Donaire, however, needs to step up to the big leagues. An impending showdown with Fernando Montiel might just give his career back the momentum it lost after his spectacular knockout win over Vic Darchinyan in July 2007.

Outside Donaire, Philippine boxing is littered with prospects who want to be the next Pacquiao overnight.

Pacquiao has generously supported a host of promising Filipino fighters, including Concepcion. Pacquiao cannot do the fighting for them, which means these local prospects of ours must step up to the challenge and prove themselves worthy.

Thus far, only Donaire is moving to that direction.

Source: philboxing.com

Nonito Donaire Stops Hernan Marquez in Eighth Round -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) champion Nonito Donaire dropped his rival with a left hook and left uppercut, respectively, in the fifth and eighth rounds -- the second time for good -- on the way to scoring his 24th victory against one loss, and his 16th knockout against challenger Hernan "Tyson" Marquez in Saturday night's Showtime-televised bout at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Nicknamed "The Filipino Flash," the 27-year-old Donaire fought the first four rounds from a southpaw stance for the first time in his career, but, nevertheless, improved his winning streak to 23 fights with knockouts against eight of his last 10 opponents.

The 21-year-old Marquez, who was coming off of his first loss in March's unanimous decision to Richie Mepranum, slipped to 25-2 with 18 knockouts.

"You know, I wanted some more rounds. I knew that I could figure him out right away if I returned to my regular right-handed style. But I wanted to do my lefty style," said Donaire. "I really practiced for it, and everybody believed in me. I was very confident going in there. But he came out really tough. I couldn't counter him the way that I had done against other guys. So I took some beating, but I think that I needed that."

A Philippines native with long-range goals that include being a four-to-five division champion, the nearly 5-foot-7 Donaire has had trouble remaining at 115 pounds and said that Marquez represented his final fight at that weight.

In fact, from June of 2004 through November of 2005, Donaire fought six times as a bantamweight (118 pounds), going 6-0 with three knockouts.

In his last bout on Feb. 13, Donaire physically dwarfed 29-year-old Manuel Vargas (26-5-1, 11 KOs), whom he flattened in the third round.

A San Leandro, Calif. resident, Donaire constantly draws comparisons to his Filipino countryman, Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), a seven-division titlist and current holder of the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title.

Donaire would next like a shot at 31-year-old, WBO bantamweight (118 pounds) champion Fernando Montiel (41-2-2, 31 KOs), who has a July 17 clash with Rafael Concepcion (14-4-1, 8 KOs) in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

Montiel is coming off of April's fourth-round knockout over Hozumi Hasegawa, this after having scored February's first-round knockout over Ciso Morales.

"As of now, we have Montiel and we have other guys that we can work on fighting and to look ahead to," said Donaire. "This was a learning experience for me tonight."

In the first round, Donaire was troubled by Marquez's right hand early. Nevertheless, Donaire won the round over the latter stages largely with a big right hand.

Marquez, in his first bout under trainer Rudy Perez, had more second-round success out of his own southpaw stance with his right jab and follow-up left hooks. Donaire fought off of the ropes in the third round, landing telling left hooks and left uppercuts, yet again, late in the round.

Donaire went more to the left hooks and left uppercuts early in the fourth, even as he boxed, in retreat. Donaire landed two hard left uppercuts midway through the fourth, also following up with lead left hands and decent right jabs that began to cause swelling and puffiness beneath Marquez's eyes.

Donaire switched back to his right hand stance in the fifth round and enjoyed immediate success, nailing and dropping Marquez with a left hook to the temple. Marquez was up at the count of eight, but took more punishment.

"I definitely like my left hand side. I feel so much more power on my left hand side, but you haven't seen it yet," said Donaire. "It's just a matter of time where you are going to see a Pernell Whitaker or a Marvelous Marvin Hagler with that style. That's what I want to do."

Donaire wobbled Marquez early in the sixth with another left, and, later, a right hand that was followed by a left jab. Sensing that his man was ready to go, Donaire went more frequently with right hands to the head and body which repeatedly backed up Marquez.

Told by his corner not to "let Marquez survive," Donaire absorbed some early, seventh-round combinations before settling in with some nice head and shoulder movement while fighting tall from behind his left jab. Donaire punished Marquez with a left-right-left uppercut series late in the seventh, as well as a right-left-right volley before the bell.

The eighth saw more of Donaire's punishing left jab reaching the swelling face of Marquez, whom he also nailed with straight rights and right uppercuts. A looping right uppercut hurt Marquez, as did an assortment of subsequent right and left hands -- the last of which lifted and dropped Marquez.

Marquez rose, and intended to continue, but Perez signaled for the referee, Roberto Ramirez, to wave an end to the fight.

"I knew that I could make him miss, because he ducks down a lot. And every time that I made him miss, I was going throw an uppercut, and that's what landed every time," said Donaire. "Every time that he missed, he left himself open for an uppercut. And I knew that if I turned to the right hand, that I would get him right away."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Money Talks: The Manny Pacquiao – Floyd Mayweather JR Superfight Complications -- Ringside Report

By Joe Wilson, Ringside Report

Over the past few months professional boxing has delivered some good match- ups. The first half of this year has not been that bad! Even though the biggest fight of the decade fell apart, the sport continued to stride. With the access of HBO Sports, Showtime and ESPN2, boxing is alive and well. There have been some exciting fights on all of these networks.

We enjoy HBO Boxing, HBO Boxing After Dark, Showtime’s Super Six and ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. Some of these events were with the best fighters boxing has to offer, such as; Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez, Andre Berto, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, Joshua Clottey, Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather JR.

These fighters and there were some I didn’t mention here, have already fought in this first half of 2010. The sport is off to a good start. It seemed that most of the match ups went pretty well, even the negotiations.

Why is Floyd Mayweather JR. and Manny Pacquiao fight so complicated?

First of all, these two fighters are special, but human. Sometimes the bigger the demand, the more complicated it gets. The public has made these two special fighters immortals. To add to that, they know how important they are to boxing fans. Right now these two fighters are sitting at the very top of the world in boxing with their promoters strapped to their ankles.

Even though we have enjoyed some good fights this year, it seems the one everybody wants to see is Floyd “Money” Mayweather JR. vs. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. It seems the boxing public do not care what other good match ups are out there and I’m sure there are some. Right now it seems nothing can fill this void, except that fight. Fight fans are like junkies needing a fix when it comes to these guys. These two fighters know the magnitude of this fight and what it’s worth in dollars, which has somewhat made them gods.

They are so big that their promoters have very little power over them. Turn the calendar back five years and these two fighters were known only by boxing fans, now they are both household names. When you think of one, you automatically think of the other. That’s why this fight has to happen. They are forever linked together even if a fight never materializes.

I don’t believe either fighter is afraid of the other. Fighting is what they are trained to do, it’s their job. Some believe the media and all the hype around it is what delaying this match. The promoters and the way they have handled things has made this fight complicated. What happen to the days when a both promoters get the signatures of their fighter, and then put together a contract they both agree on, then make the announcement?

Say what you want about Don King, I must admit, I can’t remember any of the big fights that he promoted in the past (and he’s promoted some big ones); go through this kind of behavior. This is ridiculous! These two fighters are in the position to take part in one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport, and they continue to drag their feet.

Marketing a fight is a good thing, but enough already… This fight doesn’t need anymore marketing. If it was a fruit it would have fallen off the tree already, “it can only get so ripe.” These two fighters are at the very top of their game right now and it would be sad to see this fight fall apart for a second time.

There should be no questions regarding the conditioning of these fighters come fight time, because neither fighter has showed problems in the past. Floyd Mayweather, JR., is undefeated as a boxer. He has beaten everyone who’s stepped in the ring with him. Winning is all he knows. Mayweather JR. is one of the smartest fighters in the ring today. He usually figures his opponent out within the first few rounds.

By the middle rounds, he starts to punish his opponents. It’s like watching something on the Discovery Channel. There are certain animals like the lion for instance. I’ve seen the lion catch its prey and not kill it right away. They seem to enjoy seeing their prey struggle first, before taking it out. Floyd Mayweather, JR., has displayed this type of embodiment in the ring against his opponents.

What makes Manny Pacquiao different from Mayweathers JR’s past opponents?

It is his will to win. He is a southpaw who is more skillful and hits harder than Zab Judah, the last southpaw Mayweather JR. faced. Judah gave Mayweather, JR., problems early in their fight. Manny Pacquiao has improved tremendously over the past few years. He brings everything he has, when he steps in the ring and lately, he’s been beating up elite fighters, left and right.

Fight fans already know if anyone out there who can give Floyd some problems or maybe even his first loss, is none other than Manny Pacquiao. That’s what makes this fight so exciting! Pacquiao has speed and power which keeps most of his opponents on their toes. He brings the fight to his opponents and once he gets into a rhythm he usually takes them out.

The biggest problem I see for Pacquiao, if and when this fight takes place is his defense. Well, some would say a good offense makes up for a bad defense, and in most cases this would be true, but not with Mayweather JR. No one knows how well their offense will work until in the ring with him. He is hard to hit clean. During the Shane Mosley fight back in early May; Mayweather JR. got hit clean in round two, but never hit clean again throughout the whole fight.

He has a way of making adjustments in the ring. If Pacquiao doesn’t move his head while fighting Floyd, he will get beaten badly. Trainer Freddie Roach better put in some serious work regarding the defense and head movement, because Floyd’s hands are lightening fast. He will not let Pacquiao get out a single round without tasting some leather. That’s the type of fighter he’s dealing with in “Money” Mayweather.

This fight can become very ugly going into the later rounds, if it ends up there. Floyd Mayweather JR. lives for big moments when he can shut up his haters. It’s these kinds of fights that he shows up very big, and usually wins by a large margin. As a boxing fan myself, I like both fighters and what they share alike is; they both seem to be great athletes who will put it all on the line to be known as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Tell me what individual would want to live his life 30 to 40 years from now, knowing that he walked away from what could have been the biggest fight in the history of boxing, only because there was a disagreement regarding random drug testing. It’s a given, either way these two names will forever be linked together, so why not give the boxing fans what they want and also pocket one of the biggest paychecks in the history of the sport?

Source: ringsidereport.com

Manny Pacquiao Would Fight Antonio Margarito 'Outside of U.S.' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao would consider fighting WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) king Miguel Cotto or ex-world champion Antonio Margarito in a clash outside of the United States if a mega bout can't be made with undefeated welterweight (147 pounds) rival Floyd Mayweather, the Filipino titlist's adviser, Michael Koncz, told FanHouse on Friday.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 39 knockouts) has agreed in principle to put his WBO welterweight belt on the line against Mayweather, having given his unbeaten counterpart until mid-July -- or next weekend -- to sign the contract, Koncz said.

If agreed upon, Mayweather-Pacquiao would likely take place in Las Vegas on the proposed date of Nov. 13.

In the meantime, Koncz has begun to consider a rematch with Puerto Rico's Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) -- whom Pacquiao dethroned as WBO welterweight champ by 12th-round knockout in November -- or a match up opposite Mexico's Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs).

Margarito, however, still is not legal to fight in America, this after his boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission following an illegal hand-wrapping scandal in January 2009. Margarito is coming off of May's 10-round, unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a junior middleweight clash that was fought in Mexico, which licensed him for the bout.

"As a matter of fact, we are looking at a venue outside of the U.S., and it doesn't make a difference whether it's Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto. It's not Mexico, but until I have a concrete deal in place, I don't want to divulge what country that is," said Koncz.

"But we're waiting on our options with Floyd Mayweather before considering either of those two as opponents," said Koncz. "And we have not made a decision as to whether Manny would be going to fight Cotto or Margarito."

Margarito had been suspended until Feb. 11 by the CSAC after a ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009 dethroned him as WBA champion. Prior to the bout, Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, discovered that the Mexican's fist wrappings included a plaster-like substance that was subsequently removed and confiscated.

On Friday, Margarito (pictured at right) unsuccessfully applied for a license in Nevada, whose state athletic commission ruled that he must re-apply in California before attempting to fight anywhere in the United States.

Margarito testified to the NSAC that he had no knowledge of the wrappings -- instead blaming his trainer, Javier Capetillo, for the illegal substance in his gloves.

"The decision that the commission made on Margarito has a small bearing, obviously, in that it just eliminates Nevada from the picture," Koncz said. "But it doesn't eliminate a possible fight with Manny. If Manny decides to fight Margarito, just because he got denied in Nevada -- that's not going to squash the fight."

Koncz is in Puerto Rico in support of challenger Bernabe Concepcion, who will try to dethrone WBO featherweight (126 pounds) champion Juan Manuel Lopez there on Saturday night. While in Puerto Rico, Koncz said that he met with Cotto on Monday and discussed a potential rematch with Pacquiao.

"In a nutshell, I had a casual dinner with Miguel and Brian, Miguel's translator, who were both there. Some of it was just bull**** talk, and then, the rest was about the question of doing the rematch with Manny. That's the extent of what I want to reveal of our conversation," said Koncz.

"The question was whether Miguel is interested in a rematch with Manny, and the answer from Miguel was 'yes.' The rest of the conversation is private," said Koncz. "We agreed that we wouldn't talk publicly or disclose what else we had talked about."

Asked if he was expecting Mayweather to sign the contract for a bout with Pacquiao, Koncz said, "Read between the lines."

"If we thought that we were going to receive a contract next week, do you think that I would be looking around to see what our options are? Probably not. So we're considering all of our options because, in another week, we don't want to be caught with our pants down," said Koncz.

"If the fight is made with Floyd, and if he signs the contract, then so be it. And if he doesn't sign it, we're not sitting around waiting, as I have said many times," said Koncz. "So we're preparing to move on, looking at our options in the event that we don't receive a contract from Floyd next week."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Margarito rolls snake eyes, do we get stuck with Cotto-Pacquiao rehash? -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

Exalting form over substance, the Nevada State Athletic Commission tabled the boxing license application of Mexican Antonio Maragrito Friday.

President Obama was in Las Vegas but, evidently, is not taking any position on this vital matter. Bam Bam was there to push for Congress to inject more money into “green energy” projects and to hold some fundraisers for Sen. Harry Reid.

The NSAC vote was 4-1 to defer the “Margocheato” request. The commission said that Margarito should go before the Calfornia commission, which handed him a one year boxing ban after he was caught in the dressing room before his loss to Shane Mosley with illegally loaded handwraps.

Margarito promoter Bob Arum has been as stubborn as a mule in steering the fighter, whose suspension time is over in the Golden State, everywhere but California.

There was an aborted application in Texas and now this fumble in Nevada. But note Nevada's deferral of his application was procedural and never got to the merits.

If Margarito goes hat in hand, as I've often suggested to California and gets their nod, you can bet his second appearance in Nevada will be successful.

Let's hope King Floyd Maywweather deigns by July 17 (next Saturday) to fight Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13 or else Arum will reheat and rehash Pacman-Miguel Cotto.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Haye bananas to snub split -- The Sun

By FRANK WARREN, The Sun

AMERICAN TV paymasters HBO have pulled the plug on heavyweight boxing.
They say not enough people are interested in the States.

It is a blow to the division and especially to the Klitschko brothers, who have benefited most from the broadcasters' money.

Yet they will not be on the breadline just yet. Their fights in Germany attract crowds in excess of 60,000, as well as getting massive viewing figures on German TV.

The only way HBO will reverse their decision is if one of the Klitschkos fights David Haye or an American star hits the scene.

At the moment, neither seems likely.

Both Vitali and Wladimir want the Haye fight but it looks like The Haye-maker is stalling. This week he said he would not bow to the brothers' unreasonable financial demands.

It appears the nub of their dispute is how television money should be split.

Haye wants all the British TV revenue and says the Klitschkos can keep all the German cash. But the Klitschkos want 50-50 across the board.

It does not seem a huge stumbling block to me, as that was the deal when Ricky Hatton fought Manny Pacquiao.

The Klitschkos are the bigger draw and Haye, if he wants the fight, should cede some ground.

After all, he has agreed to fight both brothers for less money in the past only to back out.

Haye also has only one of the world titles, with the brothers holding the other three. I don't see where else he is going to get a better offer.

Another problem is that German outfit Sauerland Promotions have a stake in Haye's next two fights, while Golden Boy also say they have the US rights to represent Haye there.

Kalle Sauerland said: "David is keen on fighting one of the Klitschko brothers. But the devil is in the financial details."

So what is Haye's next move? There was talk of a fight with Audley Harrison. But Haye poured cold water on the match by stating he would 'never' share a ring with Harrison because Audley did not deserve the chance.

A lot of people, me included, will agree. The question is, who will be in the opposite corner to Haye in November?

Source: thesun.co.uk