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

By Ronnie Nathanielsz, Philippine Daily Inquirer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: sports.inquirer.net

Amir Khan heading towards showdown with Floyd Mayweather -- Guardian

By Kevin Mitchell, guardian.co.uk

There is a groundswell of opinion moving Amir Khan into the tricky arms of Floyd Mayweather, possibly in Las Vegas in July, the second slot reserved for the Bolton fighter next year by his American agents, Golden Boy Promotions.

It is a giant "if", of course, seeing Mayweather is not even certain to be at large after a court appearance next month to answer domestic violence charges.

But, after his extraordinary win over the Argentinian Marcos Maidana at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night to hang on to his WBA light-welterweight title, Khan is the hottest property in boxing outside his friend Manny Pacquiao and the slumbering heavyweights, among them David Haye and the Klitschko brothers.

His trainer, Freddie Roach, says he wants Mayweather after Khan's next fight, which is scheduled for London on 16 April, possibly as a curtain raiser for Haye against Wladimir Klitschko in a heavyweight title unification fight in Las Vegas later that evening. There is much horse-trading to do before the rival promoters get to that stage, though. Khan, meanwhile, is oblivious to the fuss.

The scars of battle do not seem to run deep in his young psyche. Although he was roughed up around his face from the sledgehammer blows the Argentinian rained down on him, the champion later declared no lasting pain from what to the voyeurs present was a fight from hell.

His good friend Naseem Hamed, who had a couple of good wars himself, said he felt guilty about celebrating Khan's win, as he did not want him to suffer like that again. His trainer Freddie Roach admitted he momentarily considered throwing in the towel when Khan reeled like a Saturday night drunk in the 10th round. David Haye, the world heavyweight champion, could hardly believe his little pal came through it.

Alone among everyone who witnessed it, though, the fighter reckoned the day after that he was never in deep trouble, not even in that horrendous 10th session, which is destined to live in the archives as further proof of man's ability to both inflict and suffer extraordinary pain in the name of entertainment and sport.

While visual evidence suggested he was as close to disaster as it is possible to get without being rendered unconscious Khan said the following day over orange juice and fruit salad: "I thought I won the fight convincingly. I was hitting him with the cleaner shots. He was hitting a lot of his own shots on my defence.

"I think the best round he had was the 10th. But, you know what? He hit me with his best shots and he didn't hurt me. Even when he caught me with that first shot in the 10th round, I knew exactly where I was.

"We all know he's got devastating power. Look what he's done to 27 opponents. But I just kept cool. I remember in the early days when I got clipped I used to panic. Not now. I compose myself. I went back to the ropes, with my hands up and I saw what he was doing. He caught me two or three times after that, but he didn't hurt me.

"I knew he was going to slow down, that he only had another few little bursts in him. I knew after that he was going to be tired out, and I would control the round again. The last 20 or 30 seconds of the round my legs were fine and I was fine.

"I spoke to the referee in the changing room beforehand and he said, 'You can stand there taking shots until I think you've taken too many unanswered shots.' But in the 10th round, I felt okay. I didn't once feel I was gone. I think the whole fight will make my reputation in the States, and the 10th round especially. I took shots and I came back."

He's right on the last point. Punters will flock to see more of the same. Whether it is good for his longevity is doubtful - and Roach, surely, will not let it happen again. The warrior surfaced in Khan on Saturday night; he needs to be reintroduced to the cool, clinical boxer if he is to have any hope against the likes of Mayweather.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Mosley vs Pacquiao firming up — insider -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Unless Juan Manuel Marquez suddenly decides to lower his demand or Andre Berto becomes an internet sensation overnight, expect Manny Pacquiao to make his ring return in 2011 against Shane Mosley.

“Looks like it’s Mosley,” said Pacquiao lawyer Jeng Gacal on Monday when asked about the chances of Marquez or Berto being picked over Mosley.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is actually arriving this morning from the US to present to Pacquiao the proposals of the three fighters being eyed as the Filipino’s opponent in a fight penciled for April 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Arum has actually been batting for Mosley over the two since Mosley has outstanding name recall, something that is important in generating pay-per-view sales.

Marquez’s association with Top Rank’s rival Golden Boy Promotions – and the Mexican’s outrageous asking price – have made it almost impossible for Pacquiao and Arum to deal with the Oscar De La Hoya-owned outfit.

Berto is an attractive foe because of his youth and skills but his lack of appeal among casual fans also works against him being picked over the tried and tested Mosley, who remains a livewire foe even at the advanced age of 39.

Still, Pacquiao will try to go over the offer sheets of the three fighters since “he’d be the one fighting,” said Arum, who will joined by wife Lovee and his stepdaughter Dena DuBoef as they join Pacquiao in his 32nd birthday celebration this Friday in General Santos City.

Also planing in this Tuesday with Arum is trainer Freddie Roach and another Top Rank property, bantamweight Nonito Donaire.

Mosley has the inside track since he has given the most reasonable proposal to Arum with the assistance of his new adviser, rap mogul James Prince.

Source: mb.com.ph

Amir Khan wants Floyd Mayweather Jr after proving the chin can take it -- Guardian

By Kevin Mitchell, guardian.co.uk

In surviving three of the most awful minutes of his career en route to retaining the World Boxing Association light-welterweight title, Amir Khan ensured that he will be remembered no longer just for Breidis Prescott but for another South American of frightening power, Marcos Maidana.

Hours after their fight at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night, seasoned and callow observers alike were talking of little else but the 10th of 12 rounds, one that reduced the disappointingly small crowd to a volley of gasps and ensured that Khan can now be sold in the US not just as an amiable stylist with a nice smile and a quaint, rasping accent, but as a crowd‑pleasing cash cow.

He wants no less than Floyd Mayweather Jr – if the American can avoid a prison sentence for domestic violence. But if Mayweather is still at large later in the year, Khan has one great thing going for him: he is not Manny Pacquiao, whom Mayweather has been at pains to handcuff in demands that have so far made a fight between them as hard to arrange as David Haye v Wladimir Klitschko.

This fight and this single round deserved a grander stage than a half-empty cavern that can hold 9,000 fans; those present and those watching at home on HBO and Sky will count themselves fortunate to have witnessed a career‑changing performance by Khan.

It will not take much to sell Khan‑Mayweather on the back of this.

Paradoxically, it was one of Khan's most naive displays. Yet, in that naivety – where the foot-on-pedal rushes of the Argentinian challenger drove him to the ropes, stripping the Briton of his great asset, mobility – Khan found something he knew was there, even if others doubted it: a heart the size of Bolton.

That heart was beating just as strongly the night Colombia's Prescott knocked him out in 54 seconds in Manchester two years ago – his life seems destined to be defined in dramatic cameos – but here, on his Las Vegas debut and after 12 weeks getting ready, he reached a level of fitness that some elite athletes could only dream about. It is what kept him on his shaking legs three rounds short of the finish line as Maidana battered him without reply and with every ounce of his considerable strength.

Remarkably, Khan got through it. Even more remarkably, he found some dregs of strength to trade with Maidana and nearly steal the 11th. Ultimately, though, he had to hang on as his little foe came at him again in the last round; had there been no bell, they'd still be going at it.

There were some ugly exchanges between a couple of members of both camps in the ring afterwards and Maidana almost fled the scene as soon as the scores were announced. Although he still thought he had won, he was decent enough to admit later that it probably was not the most appropriate response to a close fight.

The final judgment was 114-111 twice and 113-112, a fair assessment. I had Khan 115-112 ahead at the end of a contest that swung wildly, mostly Khan's way from rounds one to nine, and in favour of Maidana in a gripping conclusion.

It was almost over in the first round, when Khan cut his man in half with a left to the liver that him doubled up in agony on the canvas. Not many get up from such a shot, but Maidana must be made of a concrete-rubber mix, because he bounced up and got back into it. "I can still feel it now," the Argentinian said an hour after the fight.

He gave up a point in the fifth, when his flying elbow coming out of a clinch caught the referee Joe Cortez, an unfortunate misdemeanour. When Khan controlled the middle of the ring with his jab and free-flowing combinations, Maidana looked pedestrian. But he was not there to impress stylistically and took to charging with no pretence at defence, swinging from either hip.

Khan rippled pleasingly on the eye at the light-welter limit of 10 stones, a pound heavier than his opponent who, with his skinny Mohawk and sharp, dark eyes, resembled a bantam cock. He certainly scraps like one, having stopped 27 of 30 opponents before colliding with the iron will and surprisingly strong chin of the champion. But he had given up enough of the early rounds to be trailing throughout on all cards.

It is easy in these sorts of big fights for the winner to ignore the bad bits. Khan, with the ever-honest Freddie Roach in his corner, did not indulge himself in delusion. He admitted his mistakes: leaving himself exposed on the ropes and walking on to a couple of haymakers a novice could have avoided.

Roach reckoned he "almost lost the fight" by failing to stick to a game plan that had him circling to the right to avoid Maidana's trademark finisher. Less involved parties were less critical.

"I always knew he had the heart," the WBA heayweight champion, David Haye, said. "And, with all the training he's done with Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao, the best fighter on the planet, you could clearly see he's learned how to weather a storm. He knows how to kill the clock. The tricks he didn't know in the Prescott fight, he definitely knows now – and that's why he's still the champion of the world."

Haye also thinks Khan can beat Mayweather. "Mayweather's a boxer. He doesn't really close the range the way Maidana does. The shots Amir was getting hit with tonight are shots that Mayweather doesn't really throw. He is a box-puncher, keeps it long, looks for angles. I believe Amir is as quick as him – and could Mayweather take the onslaught that Amir was taking tonight? I've never seen Mayweather in that position. If that fight does happen, I'm backing Amir all the way."

Before he was led away for a brain scan at a local hospital, Khan managed one final smile though bruised lips to remind us: "What a great fight it was, man."

It was. And, now that he has shaken off his monkey, Khan is perfectly placed to provide plenty more great fights.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Khan wins close decision over Maidana -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

LAS VEGAS -- When junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan elected to face the light-hitting Paulie Malignaggi in May rather than interim titlist Marcos Maidana, his mandatory challenger, there were those who screamed that Khan must somehow be scared to fight the rock-thrower from Argentina.

Well, how do you like Khan now?

Not only did Khan stand in with Maidana in a ferocious and exciting battle, he survived some brutal shots and a near-knockout in the 10th round to retain his 140-pound title on a unanimous decision Saturday night before a small, but boisterous crowd of 4,632 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The kid from England earned his stripes for sure.

"You can tell by his record he's a strong puncher and I took everything he gave me," Khan said proudly.

There have been plenty of questions about Khan's chin. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist at age 17 had been knocked down a few times early in his professional career and then was pounded out in 54 seconds in a stunning upset by Breidis Prescott in 2008.

But Khan made changes in his training habits and hired trainer Freddie Roach. He matured. He focused more.

Now, after surviving hell with Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), he showed he is a true professional and a helluva fighter in winning his sixth bout in a row since the devastating loss.

He was also proud of how his chin held up despite taking some massive shots in defending his belt for the third time.

"I'm sure everyone watching my fights knows I've made mistakes," Khan said in clear reference to the Prescott fight. "But I've worked hard and came back stronger than ever. I'm a different fighter working with Freddie Roach and [strength and conditioning coach] Alex Ariza. I took his best shots and I was still there."

While Khan certainly had the edge in speed and overall skill, Maidana never stopped throwing his bombs. He didn't land all that many of them, but when he did, he made 'em count.

Maidana practically sprinted to Khan at the opening bell. His best way to win was going to make it a war. We all knew that. Clearly, Maidana did too. But Khan was ready.

He stymied Maidana's aggression early and dropped him in that opening round, sinking a left hook to the liver near the end of the round and then unloading a few more shots just before the bell for good measure.

He landed 31 punches to Maidana's five in the opening round. It was 32-5 in the second round.

Khan was in control on the cards as he continued to build his lead. But Maidana's pressure was relentless.

Maidana got a bit overzealous in the fifth round when he threw an elbow at Khan and was docked a point.

But he had made his point and continued to do so -- this was going to be a street fight whether England's Khan liked it or not.

By the sixth, Maidana's shots were beginning to take their toll. He was landing and Khan was retreating with Maidana chasing after him. When Khan -- who turned 24 on Wednesday -- would lay on the ropes, Maidana would attack with punch after punch, even though he couldn't get Khan off his feet.

The extreme pressure from Maidana continued and in the 10th round came Khan's moment of truth. Maidana brutalized him. A right hand badly hurt him and several more shots did even more damage. Khan looked like he was practically out on his feet.

To the shock of most at ringside, Khan managed to stay on his feet despite being in terrible trouble throughout the round.

Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) survived the round and made it through the final two, tough rounds while Maidana let everything he had hang out.

"He's a strong fighter and he hit hard, but my chin was tested," said Khan, who earned $975,000 and will ultimately bank much more based on the revenue generated by the pay-per-view telecast in England. "I'm not taking anything away from him. He's a great champion. But I proved today I've got a chin. I fight with my heart. I'm a boxer. If I go into the ring, I know I'm going to get hit."

In the end, the judges rewarded Khan with a deserved 114-111, 114-111, 113-112 decision. ESPN.com had it a bit wider for Khan, 116-109, but it was a fantastic and competitive fight.

Maidana gave a tremendous effort and thought he deserved the decision.

"I thought I won," said Maidana, who earned a career-high $550,000. "I thought I did enough in the final rounds to win the fight, but they gave it to him."

Khan landed 273 of 603 punches (45 percent), according to CompuBox statistics while Maidana was credited with landing 156 of 767 (20 percent).

Maidana hadn't earned it though. He had given up too many early rounds to the flashy Khan, who advanced to what many view as the semifinals of an unofficial tournament at 140 pounds.

Khan and Maidana, 27, were considered two of the top four fighters in the division heading into the fight. The other two, titleholders Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley Jr., meet to unify belts on Jan. 29 in Pontiac, Mich.

A fight between Khan and the winner of that fight is what many fans -- and HBO, which is bankrolling the unofficial tournament -- want to see.

Khan, however, likely will return to England for his next defense in the spring, but could move on to face the Alexander-Bradley winner later next year.

If he does, Khan certainly gained valuable experience and confidence surviving the hell that Maidana had just put him through.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Amir Khan has his senses scrambled but hangs on in thrilling victory over Marcos Maidana -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, telegraph.co.th

It was heart-racing fare. Amir Khan retained the World Boxing Association light-welterweight by unanimous decision against as tough a man as you could find. Argentine Marcos Maidana has a chin of granite, and a heart so large they should have found him a title for this performance, too. He was gritty, and desperate, at times, but he made the fight. And enhanced his reputation.

It will be nominated as one of the fights of the year. It was by unanimous decision on the judges’ cards, 114-111, 114-111, 113-112.

In reality, in a fight thrilling from first to last, Khan hung on by a finger nail to his title, in a very tough fight. It will have done his reputation wonders in the US. But in a sense it revealed the very best, and the very worst of him.

Within the frame, Khan put Maidana on the floor with a liver shot in the opening round, and it looked over. Maidana then came back ferociously, and although he had a point deducted for an elbow in the fifth round by referee Joe Cortez, battled back into the fight in the middle rounds to bury his way into Khan.

Throughout the contest, Khan’s lightning fists scored in bunches. But Maidana’s moment came in the tenth, Khan caught by a winging right hand halfway through the round. His legs had gone, and he barely knew where he was. Somehow, throwing no punches, he got through the next minute, firing back finally with 24 seconds left in the round. Perhaps he should have taken a knee. Perhaps he wasn’t conscient enough. Perhaps it might have given Maidana

It was the toughest, and most telling round of Khan’s career. He survived it, just as his career survives. His head cleared, he fought back in the eleventh, and moved in the twelfth, but his senses were still slightly scrambled. He needs to gather them again soon, because there is still much work to be done before he is truly to be accepted as elite level. Hell of a fight. Jack Hirsch, President of The Boxing Writers Association of America.

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Khan maximizes potential in ring by learning at Pacquiao's knee, fist -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

By STEVE CARP, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Imagine being a physicist and getting to work in the laboratory alongside Albert Einstein. Or being a budding rock star and jamming with Eric Clapton.

Amir Khan knows that feeling.

The WBA junior welterweight titleholder partially credits his rise to stardom in the past couple of years with his opportunity to train with pound-for-pound boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

"Without question," said Khan, who defends his belt against Marcos Maidana tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center. "It has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'm so grateful to Manny for allowing me into his camp and to learn from him. He has made me a much better fighter."

Khan and Pacquiao met in 2008 when Pacquiao was preparing to fight Oscar De La Hoya. They became instant friends, and Khan has been a regular in Pacquiao's subsequent camps.

Khan (23-1, 17 knockouts) said being a sparring partner for Pacquiao forced him to be at his best or risk getting embarrassed -- or, worse, hurt.

"(Pacquiao) wants to be pushed," Khan said. "When we train together, it's like a competition. We try to bring out the best in each other. That's been so beneficial to me. He's improved my work ethic, and when I'm not around Manny, I still train as if he were there."

Freddie Roach, who trains both fighters, had Khan with Pacquiao during his entire camp leading up to Pacquiao's demolition of Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium. Khan was with Pacquiao in the Philippines and traveled with him to Los Angeles and Texas. According to Roach, they sparred approximately 20 rounds together.

Once Pacquiao took care of Margarito, Roach gave Khan his full attention after they returned to Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. For Khan, it also meant being away from his home in Bolton, England, for the last four months, but he never complained.

"I never felt slighted in the least," Khan said. "I understood the priority was Manny, and I was still being trained by Freddie, so it all worked out well."

Roach said Khan's time with Pacquiao will add up to a big advantage over Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs).

"It's done wonders for Amir's confidence," Roach said. "Mentally, he's fearless. When you're in the ring with the best fighter in the world and holding your own, you're going to be confident.

"There were days where Amir kicked Manny's ass. That was a good thing because it forced Manny to work harder."

Khan said he thought he had the talent to be great, but it took working with Roach and Pacquiao to bring out the best in him.

"I now understand what it means to be professional, whether it's in training or the night of the fight," Khan said. "Everything I do now, the way I live my life, I try to do it the way a champion does."

Khan is competing in a hot division that includes Victor Ortiz and Lamont Peterson, who are on tonight's undercard in a scheduled 10-round bout. The junior welterweight class also includes Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, who are scheduled to square off Jan. 29 in Pontiac, Mich. A victory tonight would set up Khan to face the Bradley-Alexander winner in mid-2011.

"One thing I learned from being around Manny is to not look ahead and take each day as it comes," said Khan, who is making his Las Vegas debut and fighting in the United States for only the second time in his career. "I want to fight the best. But I have to win this fight first."

■ NOTES -- Khan, who turned 24 on Thursday, made the 140-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in. Maidana weighed 139. ... The undercard begins at 2 p.m., and one of the highlights will be Las Vegas lightweight Sharif Bogere, who takes his 17-0 record (11 knockouts) into an eight-round fight against Chris Fernandez. ... Just over 3,000 tickets had been sold as of Friday. ... Because Khan and Maidana refused to wear PunchForce sensors inside the cuffs of their gloves, HBO will not debut the technology tonight as planned. PunchForce shows how hard a fighter is punching during each round.

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

Source: lvrj.com

If Amir Khan puts away Marcos Maidana the doubters will be silenced, writes Barry McGuigan -- Mirror

By Barry McGuigan, mirror.co.uk

AMIR KHAN'S credentials as a prize fighter will be writ large across the Las Vegas skyline in the early hours tomorrow.

All those doubters who believe the Breidis Prescott knockout was definitive will have some explaining to do should Khan put Marcos Maidana away in a manner befitting his gifts.

The argument against Khan is flawed in the sense that the Prescott defeat was explained by an inherent weakness around the whiskers.

Prescott would put a rhino away if it hung its chin out like Khan did that night. Khan lost not because of his delicate bone structure but because he made an elementary mistake.

In the two years that he has been working with Freddie Roach, that kind of schoolboy error has been drilled out of his game.

Boxing is a simple business if you respect the fundamentals.

Roach respects them absolutely. The question he had to answer was this: what do I need to do to improve this kid? The answer was defence, defence, defence.

Roach excels in the company of fighters with speed. He knows its value better than any. Ask Manny Pacquiao, a fighter with three knockout defeats on his card before Roach got hold of him.

Khan's hands and feet are as quick as any in the game. You can't coach that. What you can teach is how not to get hit.

When you step into punching range, or the pocket as they say in the trade, you are vulnerable.

You need to know where your chin, shoulder and feet should be. You keep your chin down, your shoulder high and your hands up.

When Khan throws the jab now his right hand is glued to his cheek. When he throws the right his left hand is locked to his left cheek.

If you miss you must minimise the risks. Make a mistake and you get nailed by a counter. Khan was caught square on and flush by Prescott, who, I would argue, sets up an opponent better than Maidana because he is a genuine combination puncher.

Source: mirror.co.uk

Koscheck brings out St. Pierre’s passion -- Yahoo! Sports

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

MONTREAL – For six months, Georges St. Pierre has wanted to erupt, to lash out, to tell the world how sick and tired he’s been of Josh Koscheck.

If you poke a caged lion with a stick, you always have to be careful the lion doesn’t get free and maul you. You can be sure, as he spent a month-and-a-half in Las Vegas with Koscheck in the summer filming the reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” that there were plenty of times that St. Pierre wanted to maul Koscheck.

Koscheck hadn’t left the Octagon following his victory over Paul Daley at UFC 113 in May when he began the torrent of trash talk about St. Pierre. Then, for six weeks in Las Vegas, he poked and prodded St. Pierre, hoping to get a rise out of him. He’s continued the verbal onslaught ever since.

St. Pierre is a man who values his image nearly above all else. The thought of rolling around on a floor, brawling with Koscheck, is abhorrent to him.

The taunts and pranks didn’t go unnoticed by St. Pierre, who will defend his title against Koscheck on Saturday in front of a UFC-record crowd – expected to top 23,000 – in the main event of UFC 124 at the Bell Centre.

During the show, St. Pierre was, as he always seems to be, calm and in control. He responded with a grin and a shake of his head, largely ignoring Koscheck despite a fire that raged inside of him that told him he ought to shut his foe’s mouth for good.

Finally, on Wednesday at a workout for the media and again on Thursday at the final news conference, St. Pierre opened a window to his soul. He displayed a passion he’s rarely shown publicly before, something contrary to his carefully crafted, gentlemanly image.

As the news conference ended Thursday, St. Pierre was asked about a comment he’d made earlier, in which he said he’d be done with Koscheck after Saturday. St. Pierre won a decision over the former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion at UFC 74 in 2007 in a non-title fight. He pointed out that if he prevails again in Saturday’s title fight, Koscheck figures to be in his rear-view mirror forever. “I’m doing this job, because I want to be the best,” St. Pierre said. “I don’t want to be number two. I want to be number one. I’ve always been like this. And I don’t want to be just number one, I want to be the greatest. That’s my main goal. When I do something, I want to be the best of the best. Now I’m fighting Josh Koscheck and I fought him before. People say, ‘Oh, the pressure is on you. You’re in Montreal.’ It’s true. I’m in Montreal, but I am at my best when I’m fighting in my hometown. But also, if I win against Josh Koscheck, when I beat him, that’s going to be the end of it. It would be two times I beat him.

“If he has the same mentality as me, Josh Koscheck, he’ll have to reconsider his career. If he wants to be the best, after he loses two times to me, it’s going to take a long time again before he goes for the title. Maybe, never again. He’ll have to climb up the ladder a long time. I’m going to beat him on Saturday night and that will be the end of it. I’m not going to talk about him for a long, long time and I’m going to feel very happy.”

He spoke passionately, through clenched teeth, obviously speaking with his heart as much as he was with his mind.

St. Pierre is arguably the UFC’s most popular fighter, so in demand that UFC president Dana White dared to suggest that St. Pierre is more popular in his native country than NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky is merely the greatest player in hockey history and the Canadian Press Athlete of the 20th Century.

White later amended his comment to indicate he meant St. Pierre is more popular on a global basis, but the point was made: People love the guy, and not just in Canada.

He made an appearance in the Philippines and the massive turnout made it seem as if Manny Pacquiao had stopped on the street corner. St. Pierre took calls on an Albuquerque, N.M., radio station on Wednesday and so many people attempted to get through, the telephone lines crashed. He signed autographs at the UFC Fan Expo and people stood in line for hours to get a few seconds of personal time in front of him.

“It’s really incredible, when you think about it, that people were willing to give up the better part of their day to stand in a line for his autograph in order to get about 10 seconds of his time,” his manager, Shari Spencer, said.

Spencer has helped him build his brand and land him endorsements from blue chip companies like Under Armour, Gatorade and Affliction.

The brand is everything to St. Pierre, who said he’s attempted to pattern his behavior after Gretzky. Gretzky is arguably the most dominant athlete in team sports history and he was a great ambassador for hockey from the day he first stepped onto the ice until his last day as coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Similarly, St. Pierre has attempted to maintain an equally wholesome image and avoid some of the unsavory stereotypes that often are associated with the fight game. That’s why he continually bit his tongue when nearly everyone else watching the reality show wanted to see him lose it and haul off and give Koscheck his comeuppance.

“To tell you the truth, there were many times (when Koscheck taunted me) that I had something to say in my head, but because of my brand, because of who I am and because of the way I want to portray myself, I didn’t say anything bad,” St. Pierre said. “But sometimes, I said it to my friends and they were laughing. People don’t know what’s happening in my head. Of course, I’m a good guy on camera, because I take my business very seriously. For me, when I’m in front of the camera, it’s a business. The way I dress and everything, it’s a business, it’s professional.

“I try to portray myself like Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan. Of course, I’m a human being and I have some bad thoughts in my head sometimes. I’m human, I have some bad ideas, but when I’m in front of the camera, it’s business and when it’s business, I think of my business and my brand.”

Koscheck, who seemed tense and disinterested at Wednesday’s media workout, clearly has tried to anger St. Pierre in order to affect the way he fights. St. Pierre, though, was on to the game early and wouldn’t fall for it.

St. Pierre said he’d be disappointed if he won by decision, rather than finishing Koscheck, but said he’s not going to be baited into a slugfest. It’s all about maintaining control in St. Pierre’s world.

“I’m going to fight smart and methodical,” St. Pierre said. “Of course, the crowd’s going to be there and that’s what Koscheck wants. Koscheck wants me to lose my temper. He wants me to fight like an idiot and lose my temper, because that’s how he can beat me. I don’t think skill-wise, he can beat me. In boxing, the guy who is the better boxer, he wants to box. The guy who is not as good as the other guy, he wants to brawl. When you brawl, it’s like flipping a coin. That’s what he wants me to do, to go in there and lose my mind. But that’s exactly what I’m not going to do. “I have a lot of tools in my bag. If he stuffs one takedown or two, I don’t mind that. I can knock him out standing up. I can beat him on the floor. I can do whatever I want.”

Pretty much, that’s true. He’s nearly a deity in Canada, though strangely, he’s more popular outside of his native Quebec because the Francophiles aren’t into fighting as much as the English-speaking population. He’s centered his business interests in the U.S., because it’s where most of the brands he’s going to be affiliated with are located, and because it will leave him a refuge at home in Quebec where he can get away from some of the maddening crowds.

It says something about the character of the man that he’s on display nearly every hour of every day, but he has the control of his emotions and doesn’t crack.

If White was growing fighters in a Petri dish, he couldn’t have grown one to be a better representative of his business than he’s gotten in St. Pierre.

“We’re fortunate not only to have him representing our company, but also to have him as an ambassador for the sport of mixed martial arts,” said Tom Wright, the UFC’s director of Canadian operations. “He’s one of our global icons. Clearly, one of the biggest draws we’ve ever had. Certainly, in this country, when we look at pay-per-view sales, they go along like this and all of a sudden, we see this major blip that comes along when GSP fights. People just love him, not just here but truly, around the world. He’s the kind of guy you want representing your country and the sport. He’s so good, it’s almost like he’s too good to be true.”

St. Pierre waves off comparisons to Gretzky and said he hasn’t accomplished nearly in MMA what Gretzky did in hockey – yet.

So for now, it’s OK to refer to him as the Wayne Gretzky of MMA.

But don’t you get the idea that if St. Pierre keeps this up, someday in the not-too-distant future, some Canadian father will be telling his son about Wayne Gretzky and will refer to him as “The Georges St. Pierre of hockey?” It probably won’t happen. But the fact that it might tells you all you need to know about St. Pierre.

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Amir Khan on Manny Pacquiao, Andre Berto, Sergio Martinez -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan of England appears to have taken the world by storm, this, on the heels of May's 11th-round knockout of former IBF titlist, Paulie Malignaggi, during Khan's American debut at the WaMu Theatre at New York's Madison Square Garden.

A man who turned 24 on Wednesday, Khan takes a mark of 23-1 with 17 knockouts into Saturday night's HBO televised, Golden Boy Promotions clash opposite Argentina's hard-hitting, 27-year-old Marcos Rene Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs).

In a match up that will be contested at the Mandalay Hotel, Maidana represents Khan's debut in Las Vegas, not to mention his second bout on American soil.

Maidana has won four straight fights, including three by knockout, since losing to Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnik (31-4-1, 13 KOs), whom Khan dethroned as WBA belt-holder by unanimous decision in July of 2009.

Khan will earn $975,000, plus some upside to British television revenue compared to the $550,000 that will go to Maidana.

In victory, for Khan, there may be other big fights out there, including the winner of an HBO televised, Jan. 29 match up between 23-year-old southpaw WBC king Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) and WBO champ Tim Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs).



Source: boxing.fanhouse.com