Pacquiao picks Mosley over Mayweather

MANILA, Philippines – The world’s best pound-for-pound fighter made a prediction on the outcome of the May 1 fight between Americans Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley.

“I think Mosley will win,” Manny Pacquiao declared on the Krystal Hart Show as quoted by FightFan.com.

Even if he thinks that Mayweather is a "boring" fighter, Pacquiao said that the fight between "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "Sugar Shane" will still be a treat for fight fans.

“I think Mayweather vs. Mosley will be a good fight,” he said.

Pacquiao then went on to give another reason why his scheduled March 13 bout with Mayweather did not push through.

“I’m not concerned about the Money (that would have come in a fight vs. Mayweather). I’m concerned about what I can give in terms of my performance to the people who love boxing. My concern isn’t only with myself, but with the people who buy tickets looking for a good fight,” he said.

“I don’t want to disappoint people with a boring fight. I feel you need to entertain the people who watch your fights.”

Pacquiao, meanwhile, assured a very good fight against Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, whom he will face on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s going to be a good fight because he has a good style. It’s a different kind of style and I want to fight. He’s bigger and he’s taller than Miguel Cotto.”

Pacquiao won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title last November by beating Cotto via technical knockout in Round 12.

Clean fighter

After Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto, talks on the Mayweather-Pacquiao match-up swirled immediately. They were supposed to face off on March 13 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Talks to seal the deal collapsed when the fighters’ camps disagreed on the drug testing protocol.

Mayweather, his father Floyd Sr. and other members of his team even alleged that Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs. The Filipino boxing icon already filed a defamation complaint against them.

“I’m not against blood testing. Just not the day of the fight. I’ve had that happen in the (first) [Erik] Morales fight. I lost that fight and my body felt very weak. I don’t feel I recovered. That is why I don’t want blood testing close to the fight,” explained Pacquiao.

He also mentioned that he is a “very honest person” who prays and believes in God. He said his success in the ring only reflects the hard training he undergoes before every fight.

“I’m a clean fighter who trains very hard. People don’t know how hard I train and the sacrifices I make.”

He even hit back on Mayweather, saying that the American probably did not really want to face the 7-time world champ.

“I don’t think Mayweather wanted the fight. He had too many reasons (that lead) to cancel the fight. I’m not disappointed because I know I’m not the one who didn’t want the fight and I have to defend myself.”

Clottey’s disappointment

Pacquiao, who is training in the United States for his title defense, said he is not underestimating his opponent.

“I didn’t expect I would end up fighting Clottey but I will prepare myself and train hard,” he said.

“Clottey is a strong guy and a good fighter. He’s a former world champion. I am sure we will have a good fight and create a lot of excitement in the ring.”

The Ghanian, on the other hand, is still encountering problems in his fight preparations because his trainer, Godwin Dzanie Kotey better known as Alloway, has not yet secured a US visa.

“I am fine but tell Ghana that they’ve disappointed me by not giving my trainer visa to come here with me,” Clottey said in a GhanaWeb.com article.

“The only thing I can tell you is everything is fine with me and I’m ready to fight [even] if the government can’t help because it’s my life on the line,” added Clottey.

Source : ABS-CBN

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A Pacquiao-Mayweather Fight Deal : Take it or leave it says Mayweather

Here goes Floyd Mayweather again.

The trash-talking former holder of the mythical title of pound-for-pound king went on the offensive over the weekend, expressing his wonder to his hometown paper – the Grand Rapids Press – why Manny Pacquiao would not agree to “a $25 million drug test.”

Still resentful about the collapse of the lucrative bout with Pacquiao, Mayweather said that if their camps revive talks about a matchup in the next few months, the Filipino will have to agree to get less of the money at stake especially if his May 1 fight with Shane Mosley fares better than Pacquiao’s March 13 bout with Joshua Clottey.

“Instead of 20 or 25 (million dollars), he may have to drop to 15 or 17 and you know me, they have to throw that extra 5 or ten on mine and we can rock and roll. Take it or leave it,” said Mayweather.

Pacquiao and Mayweather appeared on their way to agreeing on a deal but Mayweather demanded that Pacquiao undergo random blood testing to level the playing field even though Pacquiao has never failed a drug test ever.

While Mayweather insists that he is not accusing Pacquiao of somebody who uses performance-enhancing drugs, the American fighter sounds off that the current pound-for-pound king is guilty.

“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.”
Mayweather lamented the fact that he had agreed to an unheard-of demand by Pacquiao on the issue of penalties on excess weight.

“In my clause, he told me if you would 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 have had to take tests. It wasn’t just steered toward him. It was both me and him.”

Stung by Mayweather's nasty accusation, Pacquiao has filed a defamation lawsuit against him as well as the Oscar De La Hoya-owned Golden Boy Promotions.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is right on track in his preparation against Clottey even though he took a break when he traveled to Las Vegas to throw his support behind the Filipino fighters who fought there.

Pacquiao told a Manila-based station covering the fight at ringside that he didn’t find it hard to regain his old fiery form because he was coming off a big fight.

Over at Clottey’s training camp in Fort Lauderdale in Florida, the Ghana banger is said to be awesome as well during sparring sessions, his chief handler Vinny Scolpino told ace fight scribe Mike Marley.

“He’s on target, he’s beating the crap out of people in sparring and I would say he is definitely on his A game,” said Scolpino.

Source : Manila Bulletin

I don't think it is proper for Mayweather to demand much from Pacquiao.

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Pacquiao versus Mayweather-Mosley Fight Winner Says Roach

Trainer Freddie Roach says Manny Pacquiao, should he beat Joshua Clottey on March 13, will be more than happy to fight the winner of May's mega-bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley. Roach sees the winner of Mayweather-Mosley as the best candidate for Pacquiao's next fight. Roach told BoxingScene.com that Mayweather should win the fight but it's going to be very tough for him.

"I like Shane. He's a good guy but I think Mayweather will outbox him. I think Mayweather will win that fight but it's a very competitive, good fight and I would like to see that fight," Roach told BoxingScene.

If Mayweather wins, Roach says a fight with Pacquiao will only happen under the rules of the governing commission. They will not agree to Mayweather's demand for unrestricted random drug testing. Pacquiao did tell BoxingScene's Robert Morales that he would consider taking random drug tests if the contract called for the random tests to stop 30-days prior to the fight. Pacquiao would also take a blood test immediately after the fight was over.

Mayweather is more concerned about the testing that takes place inside the 30-day time period. Mayweather has placed the test demands on Mosley, who accepted the terms. Mayweather and Pacquiao were unable to agree on the drug testing terms when they were negotiating for a tentative fight in March. Roach does think Mayweather fight will happen but under the right circumstances.

"When Mayweather loses a little more money gambling and he needs it, I think he'll fight us. I would like to see Pacquiao fight him under the commission rules and the counseling bodies but not under Floyd Mayweather's rules because who the f**k is he? We don't work for him," Roach said.

Mosley will be an easier fight to make because he doesn't care about random drug testing. He will fight Pacquiao with or without a clause that calls for random testing. Roach would love to have Pacquiao take that fight if Shane pulls off the upset.

"Shane would love to fight Manny. If he beats Mayweather...if he wins, we will fight him and that will be a great fight. Shane is a very good fighter and I respect him quite a bit," Roach said.

Source : BoxingScene

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Fighter of the Decade Awarded to Manny Pacquiao

Elation written all over his face Bob Arum, by far the pre-eminent boxing  promoter in the world jetted to Mexico City with the owner of the Dallas Cowboys $1.2 billion state-of-the-art stadium Jerry Jones.

And created further excitement about ‘The Event” on March 13 which pits pound-for-pound icon Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines against Ghana’s tough former champion Joshua Clottey for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title.

The affair was given added prestige with the presence of WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman and his son and WBC secretary general Mauricio Sulaiman as well as well-known Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran and the added glamor of the gorgeous Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

Arum was obviously elated over his prized possession Pacquiao not just being voted as the “Fighter of the Decade” by the prestigious Bowing Writers Association of America but that he whipped his closest rival Floyd Mayweather Jr by a bigger margin than 2-to-1.

BWAA president Jack Hirsh told us earlier that he was looking at an international figure to present the award to Pacquiao and www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports learned that Arum was keen on having former US President George Bush who is apparently a huge Pacquiao fan do the honors.

Reflecting on Pacquiao’s achievements, Boxing Writers Association of America president Jack Hirsch put it best when he said “If there was any doubt that Manny Pacquiao is the biggest star of his sport, it was put to rest by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. By an overwhelming margin, Pacquiao took home not only the BWAA's newly named "Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year" award, but went one better by also winning "Fighter of the Decade" honors. For Pacquiao, it was his third BWAA "Fighter of the Year" award, tying him with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield for the most in the history of the organization.”

According to Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz, the Filipino boxing hero was his usual humble self thanking the boxing writers for the honor bestowed on him which he dedicated to his country and people who have supported him all these years, and promising always to uphold the integrity of the sport and serve as an example to the youth.

Koncz said “everything is going perfectly. Manny did seven rounds of sparring and looked like he never left off from the (Miguel) Cotto fight. He stayed in physical condition by playing a lot of basketball in the Philippines and that helped.”

Respected boxing writer and television reporter James Blears of boxingscene.com reported out of Mexico that Jerry Jones revealed he wants to be right up there in the fray of competition for the chance to hold the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr, should the difficult negotiations ultimately prove fruitful after he finishes with the March 13 sporting extravaganza..
Blears quoted the Dallas Cowboys owner who said “I want to earn that, and want to earn that with boxing and with the fans of boxing. I appreciate what Las Vegas has meant to boxing, and it’s been special. But fights of this stature can be shown when you have four or five times the amount of people and you can get the atmosphere too.”

Jones pointed out that the NFL “as great a game as it is on television, and it was built for television, would be nothing if it didn’t have the pageantry and crowds of the stadium. The crowds and the fan experience that comes your way through television are important to enjoy that game. You and I want to know they’re playing before thousands and thousands of people. Boxing can have that and we can have that at the cowboys stadium!”

Jones explained his pride and love for sports and spoke of his determination to put on the best show with Pacquiao and Clottey and indicated he was determined to make it a resounding success.:
Explaining the about the unsurpassed financial commitment in building the new stadium, Blears quoted Jones as saying “The bottom line- I emptied my bucket to build that stadium. Before they play, I tell the team, empty your bucket today. We have emptied our bucket to have Manny Pacquiao be the first fight in that stadium. We will do everything we can."

“We will take that huge screen that makes him seventy two feet tall, and we’ll hang it thirty feet above their heads. And when they’re in there competing and fighting, every fan in the stadium, will feel as if they’re in there with them!”

The astute Arum, banking on the support of Mexican fans who themselves have embraced Pacquiao despite the fact that he has demolished every Mexican legend, added up an exciting undercard which features Irish hope John Duddy and Salvador Sanchez - the nephew of the late, great world champion who died in a tragic car crash and a enthralling encounter between WBC Welterweight Intercontinental champion Alfonso Gomez and ring legend Jose Luis Castillo who battled Mayweather in two exciting bouts and served as one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners as he prepared for the Cotto fight last November.

Source : TeamPilipinas

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Pacquiao not Angry with Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao is back in town. Boxing is like phases of the moon, and Pacquiao is in the training phase. There will be a fight, all right. But not the one the world wanted, nor Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach.

"I wanted Mayweather bad, real bad," Roach says.

"I'm not angry at Floyd," Pacquiao says. "I just feel disappointed in his allegations."

It is a Monday afternoon at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. The air is stale, the noise often deafening and the entire place decorum-challenged, unless you are into wrinkled 1972 boxing posters. That's as it should be. They train boxers here, not ballerinas.

Pacquiao prepares for a March 13 fight that was to be between him, recently acclaimed fighter of the decade in a vote by the U.S. Boxing Writers, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who would tell you the boxing writers got it wrong. Now, the fight will be between Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.

Once Pacquiao and Mayweather parted ways in the well-documented drug-testing dispute, Mayweather agreed to fight Shane Mosley on May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mosley has signed the contract deal, but as of Monday night, Mayweather had not.

Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, says he expects the Mayweather signature any minute. He also says that Mosley agreed to all the Olympic-style random testing , including blood testing right up to fight time, that Pacquiao had rejected.

There are attempts from all camps to portray this fallback outcome as just fine for boxing, maybe even better.

Roach says Clottey might give fight fans a better show than the tactical, defense-minded Mayweather because "Clottey comes forward and it could become a war." Pacquiao refers to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, where his fight will be held in front of an expected 40,000 people, as "a beautiful place" and the Top Rank camp of Bob Arum characterizes the new venue as an important step in bringing new fans to the sport. Schaefer says that, as great as the 40-0 Mayweather is, Mosley's stunning domination of Antonio Margarito 13 months ago at Staples Center proves how dangerous he is.

Still, the loss of the Pacquiao-Mayweather mega-fight, one that could have put as much as $40 million in each fighter's pocket, hangs in the Wild Card Gym like the smell of body odor.

"In the end," Roach says, "if we had given in on the blood testing, it would have been like giving Mayweather the first round. Why would we do that?

"Manny hates needles. He said that's what cost him the first [Erik] Morales fight [March 2005]. We made a mistake on that one. Nevada has every boxer give blood once a year, and Manny hadn't done that, so we had to do it the night before the fight, just like Mayweather wanted. Manny said it made him weak for three days. Even if they took blood from him 14 days before the fight, that would have meant I lose him on key sparring days 14, 13, and 12 days out."

The Mayweather camp will read that and chuckle. Those theorizing that Pacquiao must use steroids or he would have agreed to the extra drug testing will not be moved.

There is the issue of time running out on Pacquiao's boxing career. He will run for Congress in the Philippines in mid-May. Roach has said he doesn't think Pacquiao can be a marquee boxer and a politician at the same time. Asked about that Monday, Pacquiao says, "Why not?"

There is the issue of how much these next fights could mess things up. Were Clottey to win, might not Pacquiao see that as a perfect time to retreat to politics full time? Were Mosley to win, might that not do the same thing?

"Shane came to the gym twice to ask me to let him fight Manny," Roach says. "I told him no both times, and both times for the same two reasons: First, there isn't enough money there, and second, you're too good a fighter."

There is the issue of Pacquiao's current lawsuit against the Mayweathers for defamation. Pacquiao's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, says that the case is in federal court in Nevada, is moving at full speed and can be in trial by year's end.

But the real issue remains lost money for the boxers and lost opportunity for the sport. For now, Pacquiao-Mayweather has gone away, but probably not forever.

Pacquiao is asked whether he is so angry at Mayweather that he will never be able to bring himself to step into the ring against him.

"No, I can fight him," Pacquiao says. "I'm just not sure he ever really wanted the fight."

Roach is asked whether the fight that didn't happen has now become like a burr in his saddle.

He nods.

Source : TeamPilipinas

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Mosley-Mayweather Fight in May

Manny Pacquiao picked a respectable replacement when negotiations for his March 13 fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. ended because of a disagreement over Olympic-style blood testing.

Mayweather has accepted an even more difficult fight than Pacquiao’s battle against Joshua Clottey. He has agreed to face Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas.

Judd Burstein, Mosley’s attorney, told Yahoo! Sports that Mosley has signed a contract to meet Mayweather in a long-awaited 12-round fight for Mosley’s World Boxing Association welterweight title. Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s adviser, said Mayweather agreed to all contract terms and would soon sign it.

An official press conference to announce the fight is expected to occur next week in New York.

Agreeing to fight Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs, one NC), a three-division champion from Pomona, Calif., means Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) is prepared to silence skeptics by boxing one of the top welterweights in the sport. The five-division champion from Grand Rapids, Mich., has lost the top spot on many mythical pound-for-pound lists to the Philippines’ Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) for regularly facing fighters who’ve moved up from the junior welterweight and lightweight divisions just to fight him.

Mosley widely is viewed as one of the top five pound-for-pound boxers in the world, despite that he is 38. He dominated favored Antonio Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs, one NC) in his last fight, but Mosley hasn’t fought in the 53 weeks since he recorded a ninth-round technical knockout victory over Mexico’s Margarito in Los Angeles.

Mosley was supposed to box undefeated Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) in a welterweight championship unification fight Saturday night in Las Vegas, but Berto withdrew from the bout two weeks ago to concentrate on relief efforts in Haiti. At least eight members of Berto’s family died in the earthquake that devastated that island nation on Jan. 12.

Source : NorthJersey

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Mayweather-Pacquiao : The Ultimate Fight

Mayweather vs Pacquiao will be ultimate fight as clouds hover over Mayweather Mosley fight. Floyd Mayweather is certainly fearful of fighting top world class boxers. This can be summed up following rumors that he is considering calling off the proposed fight with Mosley.

The news has come in the wake of his almost refusal to fight against Manny Pacquiao on one pretext or the other. His camp has made baseless charges against Manny as well that range from drugs to some other nonsense.

In the meantime the Filipino star fighter Manny Pacquiao have nerves of steel. He is a sturdy fighter in the rings. Till now he has won seven titles. And he is still going strong. Those who have fought him hold him in high regards because of his high skills.

But outside the ring, he is a different man. His close friends say he is a bit touchy. That is why he was upset when Floyd Mayweather Sr has accused him of using drugs to enhance his performance.

Reacting to the allegation, he said: "I don't want people thinking that I cheated. I'm an honest fighter."

Besides, he was so furious after this allegation that he pulled out of the much-talked about fight with Mayweather. The later had asked him to go for Olympic-style drug testing three months before the fight. And Manny didn’t agree to it, torpedoing the fight. Not only that, he had threatened to sue Mayweather camp for unleashing a campaign to tarnish his image. Manny has always passed a drug test.

"People now think that we're trying to hide something," said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer. "It hurt him a little bit."

"I'm disappointed that (the Mayweathers) had to say those things, but all that stuff isn't true. I never took anything like he's saying. I just want to show all my fans that I'm clean and I'm not cheating," he told a reporter.

Source : Khabrein

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Pacquiao-Mayweather Fight Will Happen

Speaking at a press conference to promote his upcoming fight with Joshua Clottey, the Filipino said he was innocent of drug-cheating allegations leveled at him by Team Mayweather.

The pair were all set to fight in March before the Mayweather camp insisted on a stringent blood-testing regime, implying Pacquiao's rise through the ranks has not been entirely all his own doing.

Pacquiao filed a lawsuit for defamation but refused to agree to the tests, leaving discussions between the two camps to run dry.

The WBO welterweight champion will now defend the title against Clottey at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, but Pacquiao still has Mayweather on his mind.

"I believe the fight will happen some other time," he said. "It will happen.

"It's not true. He's accusing me. I want to clear my name because I'm a very honest person.

"I'm very disappointed for what he accused me of. I'm clean. I'm not cheating. I'm a very honest fighter.

"I'm still hoping the fight will be pushed through, maybe by summer time. It would be a good fight if it happened."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach agreed with his fighter in admitted the bout was too big not to take place.

"I think it's going to happen," Roach said. "I think it's likely. Maybe Mayweather is up to doing this to get more press, I don't know.

"We're not going to sit around and wait for this guy. Manny was really excited about that fight. Hopefully it will happen some day."

Source : ESPNStar.com

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Pacquiao Afraid of Marquez

WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez claims that he was in shock when he found out from Golden Boy Promotions that Manny Pacquiao passed on their trilogy fight and instead agreed to defend his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

I'm not exactly sure why Marquez would be surprised. He was coming off a one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr., and according to a report from Sports Illustrated - the Mexican champion demanded a 50-50 split on the money. And he followed Mayweather's lead by requesting random Olympic-style drug tests. You would think Marquez was the A-side fighter with those kind of requests. Marquez seems to think that he played a big role in the Mayweather pay-per-view producing a buyrate number of 1-million plus. I agree with Mayweather's opinion that he carried that buyrate number on his back with little help from Marquez. Just because you co-headlined a pay-per-view with Mayweather, it doesn't make you Mayweather.

Marquez on the other hand simply thinks Pacquiao is afraid of him.

"When the fight between Mayweather against Pacquiao fell through, De La Hoya told me that I was the next option [for Pacquiao] and I told him that I was ready to fight once more with him. He told me that he would speak with Bob Arum, but in the end they surprised me with his decision that he preferred to sign another fight, so once again he is afraid me," Marquez told The Record .

Marquez is coming back to action on May 1 in Las Vegas. If he wins, he may return to Las Vegas in September for a major fight. He seems to think a Hatton fight will not happen by May, but leaves September as a possibility for it.

"A lot of boxers want to fight with me, Edwin Valero, Michael Katsidis, Amir Khan, but I have to take a look at all of the options and choose the best one that makes the most boxing sense, and economic sense," Marquez said. 

Source : Boxing Scene


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Is Pacquiao really afraid to face Marquez again? What do you think?

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Pacquiao-Clottey Fight : Presscon Set on January 19

MANILA, Philippines -- The contract is already signed for the pay-per-view fight of Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey, according to Top Rank Promotions.

The March 13 bout, which is called “The Event,” will be airing live worldwide.

The official kick-off for “The Event” Pacquiao vs Clottey will be a press conference on January 19 at the Dallas Stadium.

Lee Samuels of Top Rank said that it will be an epic press conference.

Two levels of the stage were made just for the kickoff. A total of 50 Cowboys cheerleaders will be present to dance for the audience. A special fireworks display is also expected to happen.

Veteran host Michael Buffer will be hosting while Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will be the speaker for the event.

Pacquiao will be flying to New York on a private jet for the second press conference that will take place at the Madison Square Garden on January 20. After that, Pacquiao will head straight to train in Los Angeles, California.

Top Rank added that Pacquiao needs to work and train hard for the bout since Clottey is a fighter who has never been knocked out in any of his matches. Clottey and Pacquiao are both from Top Rank.

Pacquiao’s erstwhile opponent, Floyd Maywether, Jr., is said to be fighting on the same day as the Clottey clash. Rumors say that Mayweather will be fighting Paulie Malignaggi.

No confirmation has been made yet by anyone from Mayweather or Golden Boy Promotions.

If the Mayweather bout does take place in Las Vegas, boxing fans will be divided watching two of the world’s boxing greats. Pay-per-view would know who will be getting more buys.

Leaving on Sunday
Pacquiao will leave on Sunday for the US to attend the official kick off of his fight with Clottey.

According to a report by Philboxing.com will leave together with Michael Koncz, trainer Nonoy Neri, lawyer Jing Gacal and assistant cook Haplas Fernandez.

Before leaving the Filipino boxer will celebrate the birthday of his wife Jinkee at the Paradise Island Beach and Park in Samal Island.

Assistant Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez is now already at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles with chief trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao is expected to make 7 weeks of training at the Wild Card Gym.

Source : abscbn news

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A review : What to Expect on Pacquiao-Clottey and Mayweather-Somebody Fight

Now that we're done with the autopsy  of Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao, it's worth glancing forward to the separate ways each of them are going. These are, after all, the two top fighters in the world, and while I'm still scrunching up my nose in revulsion at both welterweights for not fighting one another, it's big news whomever they fight next instead.

Pacquiao is set to fight Joshua Clottey March 13. Mayweather is set to fight somebody March 13 -- yes, these goofballs are threatening to hold fights on the same day even though it would undercut everyone's pay-per-view buys, once again proving that pride can trump greed in boxing -- and there's a list of people under consideration. How do all these combinations match up?

Pacquiao-Clottey

This isn't a bad fight, on its own. It's a good one, even. I think it's a notch below Pacquiao's last opponent, Miguel Cotto, who I believe would have beaten Clottey more easily than he did last summer if not for a horrible cut that clearly blinded Cotto to Clottey's right hand, his best weapon. It's a good two notches below a hypothetical Shane Mosley fight, and a good three notches below a Mayweather fight, but it's a good fight, a legitimate fight.

If you don't know Clottey, here's the deal: Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. He's good enough to be the #5 ranked welterweight in what is a very top-heavy division, ranking behind Pacquiao, Mayweather, Mosley and Cotto, in that order. In his two most important bouts, against Antonio Margarito and Cotto, he came up just short, losing decisions that could have gone his way with slightly different circumstances. He had hand injuries against Margarito that slowed him after he was pwning Tony early, while Cotto took advantage of his stylistic deficiencies late in the fight to pull out a close decision that some believed Clottey deserved. The good-to-OK things about Clottey include his stellar defense; an iron jaw; passable speed and power; physical strength and size; and sharp, accurate punching, particularly when he counters. The problems include a low work rate; a flat-footedness; and, some might argue, a lack of urgency in the clutch. Unlike some, I don't think he threw away the Cotto fight in the late rounds. I think Cotto moved well enough to prevent Clottey from planting his feet the way he wants to, and countered just enough to force Clottey to go into that defensive shell he goes into when under attack. That's Clottey's style. Unless he changes that style, which he might because he has a new trainer, he's going to be vulnerable to movement and counters.

Clottey's proven good enough to hang with elite welterweights and good enough to beat those below that level pretty definitively, like with the whuppin' he put on Zab Judah. The bad news for Clottey is that Pacquiao just ripped through an elite welterweight, Cotto, like tissue paper. Stylistically, Pacquiao's speed and movement would appear to present the difficulties Cotto did, multiplied by a factor of five. I think Clottey can conceivably beat Pacquiao, especially if he can stick around late in the fight and wear Pacquiao down the way Clottey has shown himself capable of doing, but I don't think it likely. I'll save my fuller preview for the week of the fight itself. I'll say this: It stacks up as a fight that offers a pretty good chance of producing action. Clottey doesn't dance -- he will stand and fight -- and we know what kind of action Pacquiao produces. It'll probably be a better fight from that standpoint than Mayweather-Pacquiao would have been.

From the standpoint of an attraction, Clottey is a nonentity. He's a Ghanian with no ethnic fan base in the United States the grudging respect of many hardcore followers of the sport, but I'm not sure I personally know anyone who would consider Clottey his favorite fighter or even one of his 10 favorite fighters. Just the other week, I was saying Clottey had gotten too big an ego for considering himself an "HBO fighter," but here he is, getting the payday of a lifetime. Some of it has to do with the fact that he shares a promoter with Pacquiao, and that promoter, Bob Arum, prefers to keep things in house when he can.

Could Pacquiao have done better? Junior welterweight Paulie Malignaggi was discussed. He's probably a slightly bigger star than Clottey, but he's nowhere near as good, and also he was part of the "Pacquiao is on 'roids" crowd led by the Mayweather clan. Also, he can be a "stinker," someone who occasionally makes fights look ugly and unexciting. Advantage: Clottey. Yuri Foreman was discussed, and the junior middleweight has a decent Jewish following and an alphabet title belt in what would be an eight division for Pacquiao. But he's got his own "stinker" credentials, and while he's an Arum favorite, Pacquiao's side decided he was too tall, as if that's a good reason not to fight someone. Advantage: Clottey. There was talk of a third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, but Marquez clearly shouldn't be fighting above lightweight and has aged immensely since the Pacquiao-Marquez II. Pacquiao also would have been widely mocked for fighting someone Mayweather had just throttled. Advantage: Clottey.

There are three better names than Clottey outside Mayweather. One of them, Mosley -- the consensus #3 fighter in the world behind Pacquiao and Mayweather -- wasn't an option, since Mosley's tied up Jan. 30 with another welterweight fight against Andre Berto and fighters in this era don't take fights within three months of one another. It's bad timing that put Mosley in this position; he was set to fight Clottey Dec. 5, but HBO asked to bump the fight to closer to Christmas, then changed its mind about that, too. If Mosley had fought in December, he might have been poised for a bigger fight in March, but he couldn't wait around for that possibility after waiting around a whole year for a quality paycheck, which Berto will give him. Another was Timothy Bradley, the #1 junior welterweight in the division where Pacquiao is still lineal champion; Pacquiao's a legit welter, but he could go back down to junior welter if he wanted. Bradley would have produced a great style match-up, with his speed and volume and toughness, and Bradley's gotten credit for being top-10 pound-for-pound from some people; I see no evidence he was ever considered, though, and I can't say I know why. It's arguable whether Bradley is a tougher fight for Pacquiao than Clottey, because of size, but I would say Bradley would have been a slightly better choice. Another was Paul Williams, the #4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world on my list, who would have been available by March, I bet. If Foreman is too tall, Williams is WAY too tall, given that his last fight was at middleweight. He's a bigger star than Clottey, a better fighter than Clottey and a better action fighter than Clottey, but I bet Arum and the whole Pacquiao team probably never even wrote his name down on a list of possible opponents.

Pacquiao's replacement opponent ends up with a grade of about a "B" from me. It's definitely no joke fight, but there were better options -- not that I'm looking to be overly critical given the 2008 and 2009 Pacquiao had, and his overall tendency to face the best available opponent in his division. (And just so I don't have to keep loading things up with caveats -- I'm making all of my remarks with an "given how things have played out" asterisk, since I'm deeply dissatisfied with the state of affairs.)

Of course, the repulsive idea Arum has for the undercard detracts from the overall event; Scott Kraus delved into that on this site here.

Mayweather-Somebody

We'll go one at a time here, talking about people that have been discussed and haven't for Mayweather's next fight after beating Marquez in September, excluding Pacquiao.

Saul Alvarez: Golden Boy actually raised the possibility of Mayweather fighting this very, very, very green 19-year-old welterweight prospect. Everyone had trouble believing it was a real option; many proposed Golden Boy was just trying to get Alvarez' name in the news. I think they were actually considering it. Mayweather fancies himself a globe-trotter, and had spoken of a desire to fight in Mexico. If Alvarez ever was a sincere option, Mayweather should be ashamed of himself, but I doubt he is. It would have been a mismatch, a fight between a man and a child.

Matthew Hatton: Golden Boy recently rejected the notion that Hatton -- Matthew, not Ricky, the significantly lesser talented of the brotherly duo -- ever was in the running. But his name had been reported far and wide for months, going back to the time when Mayweather was daydreaming bout fighting in the U.K., and Hatton doesn't seem like the kind that would just make up and keep repeating lies about being contacted by the Mayweather team. Anyway, this would have been nearly as shameful as Mayweather-Alvarez. At least Alvarez is thought to have potential. Hatton tries, bless his heart, but he's really about a "C" fighter if I'm being kind.

Malignaggi: See above. He and the next three men were recently mentioned by ESPN's Dan Rafael as potential Mayweather opponents, according to Rafael's sources. Malignaggi is just like Mayweather only not anywhere as good, and a fight between them would almost certainly have involved a ton of posing and feinting. Malignaggi and Mayweather can both be exciting when faced with someone who comes straight at them, but neither would do the other that favor. Also, he would be the third straight sub-welterweight for the welterweight Mayweather. But wait, it gets worse.

Nate Campbell: Yeah, that Nate Campbell. You might scoff if you didn't know Mayweather's style; last fight out, Mayweather beat an over-the-hill lightweight, which is what Campbell appears to be at this point in his career. It's hard to imagine why Campbell would even be in the running, other than that he recently signed with Golden Boy. Wait, I need to listen to myself -- that, plus Mayweather's favorite kind of opponent is apparently over-the-hill lightweights.

Bradley: Of the smaller opponents Mayweather could face, Bradley is the most legit. I gave his credentials above. He's about the only one on the list so far whom I'd give a chance to land much of anything on the defensively-gifted Mayweather; Bradley's speed and volume would offer a better chance than Malignaggi's speed alone. It's unclear if he could be stolen away from Showtime for a fight. And unlike Pacquiao, Mayweather wouldn't go down to junior welter for the fight, so Pacquiao-Bradley would have been more legit than Mayweather-Bradley might be if it's made.

Kermit Cintron: What th'! A top-10 level welterweight? Huh? Heck, Cintron even fights sometimes at junior middleweight! Cintron hits extremely hard at 147, he's faster than he looks and his skills have shown some improvement of late, but he's a notch below Clottey and I have a tough time imagining Cintron laying any leather on Mayweather. Still, of opponents discussed, he and Bradley are the top two.

Mosley: If Mayweather wants to make a major statement, he'll abandon the March 13 date and set up an April or May date with Mosley, then beat him. Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer recently said Mayweather was willing to fight Mosley, but he mentioned no time frame, so it was kind of confusing. This all assumes Mosley beats Berto in January, by the way, which is no given. There's a school of thought that Mosley is the most dangerous potential opponent for Mayweather, since Mosley is fast, is stronger than Mayweather and is technically skilled and tough. There are some who think the notion of Mayweather and Pacquiao fighting on the same day is a marketing ploy that looks forward to an eventual Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown, or a way for one side or the other to gain the upper hand by claiming better pay-per-view sales. But Mayweather-Mosley would kill Pacquiao-Clottey in PPV buys, so it's a good fight and a good business move.

Williams: Another way Mayweather could make a major statement is to fight Williams, ever. I tend to lean toward thinking Pacquiao is the fighter with the best chance of beating Mayweather, but the predominant school, at least until Williams struggled in a December win over Sergio Martinez, was that Williams' length, southpaw stance and volume would be the key to unlocking Mayweather's defense.

I have no guess whom Mayweather will end up fighting. If it's Williams or Mosley, I'll be mega-surprised, and maybe even a little excited. If it's Cintron or Bradley, it'll be close to acceptable. If it's Malignaggi or Campbell, it will be hideous. If it's Hatton or Alvarez, we should probably go ahead and lock Mayweather up right now for fraud and attempted murder.

SOURCE

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Pacquiao will Defend his WBO Welterweight Belt at Dallas Cowboy's Stadium

Seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, has agreed in principle to defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) belt against Joshua Clottey of Accra Ghana, on March 13 at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium on Mar, his adviser, Michael Koncz said on Saturday morning.

Pacquiao's Top Rank Promoter, CEO Bob Arum, and Top Rank president, Todd duBoef, Arum's stepson, are flying to Arlington, Texas, on Saturday morning where they expect "to close the deal," after watching the Dallas Cowboys- Philadelphia Eagles NFL playoff game "in the box of" Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, Arum told FanHouse on Friday.

"Clottey's manager [Vinny Scolpino] and his lawyer have signed off, and it's the same with Manny," said Arum, of Clottey, who is expected to fly back and arrive on Monday or Tuesday to his residence in the Bronx from Ghana.

Pacquiao-Clottey will take place instead of what was to be a historically lucrative megabout between 31-year-old Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) and 32-year-old, five-time king, Floyd Mayweather (40-0,25 KOs), that was scheduled for March 13 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand before the negotiations failed over a drug-testing controversy.

"We're 98 percent done negotiating for Manny to fight Joshua Clottey, but there are a couple of issues we're working out on the contract before Manny Pacquiao is ready to sign it," said Koncz, reached in the Philippines, where he is with the fighter.

"When we did Miguel Cotto, we negotiated Cotto in one day, so yes, it's going to be done quickly," said Koncz, referring to Pacquiao's 12th-round TKO of the then-WBO titlist on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"It's just a matter of Manny answering one or two questions," said Koncz. "For all intense and purposes, it's a done deal."

In addition to Clottey, Koncz said that Pacquiao reviewed video of WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs), New York's junior welterweight (140 pounds) star, Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, five KOs), and, WBA junior middleweight king Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs) of New York before settling on Clottey.

"To be honest with you, yesterday, the last time that we spoke, I even suggested to Manny that we even fight Humberto Soto, using the angle of revenge since Soto had knocked out Manny's brother," said Koncz, referring to the WBC super featherweight (130 pounds) champ, soto's June, 2007, seventh-round stoppage of Bobby Pacquiao.

"But Manny was fine with Clottey. He was at ringside and saw Clottey fight in person against Cotto when we were in New York," said Koncz, of Clottey's 12-round, split-decision loss to Cotto in June.

"Quite frankly, Manny and I thought that Cotto had won that fight, and not Cotto," said Koncz. "But we were looking for something in which the styles would make an entertaining fight, and I think that their two styles will make for an entertaining fight."

The three losses for Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) were all to former world champions.

Clottey lead on all three cards in November of 1999, when he was mysteriously disqualified for a low blow -- during a time when the fighters were at a distance -- on the way to an 11th-round, disqualification Carlos Baldomir.

Clottey was ahead after four rounds of his December, 2006 loss over 12 rounds to Antonio Margarito before injuring both hands.

An interesting thing to watch for is whether any of those "couple of issues" Pacquiao and Koncz are "working out on the contract" call for Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) -- known to be a big welterweight who has been troubled, at times, with making weight -- to come in at a catchweight rather than the regular, standard, 147-pound required limit for the weight class.

Mayweather and Pacquiao had agreed to face each other at 147 pounds even, while Oscar De La Hoya and Cotto each fought Pacquiao after having weighed in at 145 pounds. De La Hoya said that dropping the pounds drained him. Cotto's weight was contracted to be 145.

Pacquiao, who stopped De La Hoya in eight rounds, weighed, 142, and, 144, respectively, against De La Hoya and Cotto.

Clottey has weighed more than 147 pounds for bouts 11 times during his career, twice, at 154.

SOURCE

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Pacquiao-Clottey on March 13

Trainer Freddie Roach told ESPN's Brian Kenny that Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) has agreed to defend his WBO welterweight title against former champion Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) on March 13. Clottey will replace Floyd Mayweather Jr. if a deal is finalized. Top Rank had tried to offer a fight with WBA 154-pound champion Yuri Foreman but Pacquiao rejected him as an opponent citing concerns over the size difference. Pacquiao has accepted Clottey as an opponent. The fight will likely head to a Las Vegas venue and land on HBO pay-per-view.

In an earlier report on BoxingScene.com, Clottey advised Ryan Burton that a deal had not been reached and he never received a contract. Clottey is on vacation in his native Ghana but is heading back on an immediate basis to the United States to continue negotiations for the fight.

Source : BoxingScene.com

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Pacquiao has everything to lose and nothing to gain on this fight. What do you think?

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Mayweather Blaming Pacquiao

A day after their fight was declared dead, Floyd Mayweather Jr. said Thursday night that he still wants to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Their tentative March 13 megafight -- which many believe will be the most lucrative fight in boxing history if it happens -- was called off Wednesday night by Top Rank's Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, after mediation failed to resolve their issues over drug testing protocol.

Arum blamed Mayweather for the fight falling apart, but Mayweather came out swinging on Thursday.

"Throughout this whole process I have remained patient but at this point I am thoroughly disgusted that Pacquiao and his representatives are trying to blame me for the fight not happening when clearly the blame is on them," Mayweather said in a statement.

"First and foremost, not only do I want to fight Manny Pacquiao, I want to whip his punk ass."

The final issue in the negotiation was drug testing.

They agreed to unlimited random urine testing, but Mayweather also insisted on random blood testing, even though the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would oversee the bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, requires only urine testing.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) didn't want blood testing but later relented and agreed to three blood tests: one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would have taken place next week, one random test to be conducted no later than 30 days before the fight and a final test in his dressing room after the fight. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) would be subject to the same testing procedures.

When they could not come to an agreement, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Mayweather, turned to a mediator, retired judge Daniel Weinstein, who had successfully mediated a series of disputes between Top Rank and Golden Boy in 2007.

But after nine hours in mediation on Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., and further attempts to come to a resolution on Wednesday failed, the fight was pronounced dead by the Pacquiao camp.

The mediation was largely about coming up with a suitable time frame in which to cut off the testing before the fight. Pacquiao moved off his hard-line stance of no testing inside 30 days from the fight by agreeing to 24 days during mediation.

"We agreed to move the drug testing to 24 days under the supervision of the Nevada commission and Mayweather still wouldn't budge," Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, told ESPN.com from the Philippines on Wednesday night after the fight was declared dead.

The Pacquiao camp blamed Mayweather for his unwillingness to move off his desire for random testing until the fight.

Mayweather disputed that on Thursday.

"Before the mediation, my team proposed a 14-day, no blood testing window leading up to the fight. But it was rejected," Mayweather said. "I am still proposing the 14-day window but he is still unwilling to agree to it, even though this is obviously a fair compromise on my part as I wanted the testing to be up until the fight and he wanted a 30 day cutoff. The truth is he just doesn't want to take the tests.

"In my opinion it is Manny Pacquiao and his team who are denying the people a chance to see the biggest fight ever. I know the people will see through their smoke screens and lies. I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight."

The drug testing became a major issue when Floyd Mayweather Sr., the father of the fighter, made several public remarks accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs without a shred of proof. Mayweather Jr. later made similar remarks about him using PEDs, even though Pacquiao denies it and has never failed a drug test.

The accusations led Pacquiao to file a defamation lawsuit last week in Nevada U.S. District Court against Mayweather Jr., Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy officials Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya.

If the welterweight title bout is to be saved, and go forward on March 13, the camps likely have until Friday or Saturday to work things out and kick off the promotion as planned early next week in New York.

Source : ESPN.com

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Mayweather is a Coward says Bob Arum

Talks over a bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao hit the buffers yesterday when two days of mediation failed, with the Filipino’s promoter branding Mayweather “a coward”.

The boxers, both regarded as all-time greats, had been set to meet in the richest bout in history on March 13 in Las Vegas, until Mayweather’s demands for random blood testing led to a dramatic falling-out and a lawsuit from Pacquiao to Mayweather and his team, claiming defamation.

It had been hoped that mediation with a retired federal judge would bring the sides together, but after two days of wrangling there was no deal.

Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, blamed Mayweather. “Floyd Mayweather walked away,” Arum said. “Our guy was agreeable, Mayweather wasn’t. The fight’s off. I always felt he wasn’t going to do the fight. He knows Manny will beat him.

“Mayweather’s never stepped into the ring with a guy he had any question but that he was going to beat. That’s why there’s never been a [Shane] Mosley, never a [Antonio] Margarito, never was a [Miguel] Cotto and there’s no Pacquiao.

“Floyd Mayweather is a coward. He will never fight anyone that will remotely give him a tough fight.”

Arum’s company, Top Rank, promoted Mayweather, 32, until 2006 and the parting was acrimonious. Likewise, Golden Boy, Mayweather’s representatives, once promoted Pacquiao. A threat to negotiations was always going to be whether such a group of huge egos could work together again.

With Pacquiao, 31, running for Congress in the Philippines in May, it seems that the window for the contest early this year is shut. It could be that the bout is merely put off until the autumn, but nothing is certain.

The Filipino is expected to press ahead with a challenge for Yuri Foreman’s WBA light-middleweight title on March 13 or 20. While Foreman, a New York-based Israeli, appears to be the softest option at light-middleweight, it would give Pacquiao the chance to claim a world title in an eighth weight division.

Mayweather’s options are less glamorous. One that has been mooted is against Matthew Hatton, the younger brother of Ricky, in Britain. But that bout lacks credibility.

Billy Graham, Hatton’s former trainer, scoffed at the possibility. “It would be an embarrassment for Floyd to have that fight,” Graham told boxingscene.com. “It is a wonderful opportunity for Matthew but it wouldn’t be good for boxing, the fans or Floyd Mayweather as it is a mismatch.”

A better option could be to wait until May, when a bout against the winner of Mosley and Andre Berto could be made. Mosley, the WBA welterweight champion, and Berto, the WBC champion, meet in Las Vegas on January 30.

SOURCE : timesonline.co.uk

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What do you think? Is Mayweather really a coward?

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Paulie Malignaggi Hoping to Fight Manny Pacquiao

These past holidays were much happier for Paulie Malignaggi than last year's.

Not that Malignaggi had trouble buying gifts for anyone on his list in 2008. Quite the contrary, as he was coming off the biggest payday of his career against Ricky Hatton. The Brooklynite was full on cash but low on pride.

You just can’t put a price tag on some things.

After being thoroughly outclassed and stopped in 11 rounds by Hatton a day before his 28th birthday, Malignaggi was faced with a number of tough decisions regarding his future as a prizefighter.

"I had made a very good payday with Hatton so I knew if I made the right investments with that money I could go on without fighting," says the former IBF junior welterweight champion Malignaggi, 27-3 (5 KO).

"My mind is in a much better place this year than it was last year. Last year I was wondering if my career was gonna go on and if it was gonna go on would I be an opponent or get to where I want to be. I had a lot of question marks and decisions to make. It was really stressful.

"I have a lot of opportunities on the horizon now."

Malignaggi's poor performance against Hatton left him on the verge of becoming a high-profile gatekeeper. His first major assignment following the Hatton fight saw him head to Juan Diaz's hometown of Houston last summer, conceding a weight limit of 138.5 and a smaller ring.

A large contingency in the media and fans felt his unanimous decision loss that night was an unjust hometown decision. Perhaps galvanized by his strong showing, Malignaggi returned in a rematch last month to take a one-sided points win in Chicago.

Now Malignaggi finds himself in a position to secure big fights in a deep division at 140, with guys like Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan and Devon Alexander getting business done. None of those matchups are bigger than a potential March date with WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao.

Malignaggi finds himself in this position almost by default, after recent weeks of negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and camp failed to produce the biggest fight in modern boxing history - for now.

Ironically, Pacquiao is also looking at another Brooklyn resident, IBF junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman, as a potential opponent. Most favor Foreman, with his belt (giving Pacquiao a chance to win a title in an unprecedented eighth weight class) and common promoter Top Rank, to instead get the call, though Malignaggi remains a strong next option.

Should Malignaggi secure the date, he will undoubtedly receive by far the biggest payday of his career. He will also undoubtedly be a sizable underdog with all betting parlors, considering that Pacquiao holds dominant knockout wins over Hatton and Miguel Cotto, two of Malignaggi's conquerors.

The primary breakdown in negotiations between Pacquiao and Mayweather came amidst a failure to come to agreement on the subject of performance enhancing drug tests. Mayweather's camp insisted that Pacquiao be subjected to "Olympic-style random drug testing" to be conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency a total of five times. Pacquiao's camp rejected the offer, claiming that blood tests too close to a fight would compromise his training.

Pacquiao agreed to take unlimited urine tests and three blood tests, but none within 30 days of the fight. Pacquiao has never tested positive for any banned supplements, a fact that Malignaggi acknowledges.

Regardless, Malignaggi has his suspicions and isn't shy about voicing them.

"I'm really at a loss for words. I think [Pacquiao-Mayweather] should happen and I feel that Manny Pacquiao should take the tests if he's clean. He's making up stories where he doesn't know where his next excuse is coming from next.

"I've had 30 pro fights and none of the blood tests I've taken were ever more than 30 days before. They never test for drugs or steroids because it costs too much money. This will be the first time that a blood test would also test for drugs. In my opinion he may be on something. Maybe - I'm just saying maybe.

"All of a sudden he's coming up with I'm scared of needles but he's got 100 tattoos. These are all things that are being disproven. If you have to reach for excuses and they're lies, don't you think it's a little fishy? He's done this before, why is it all a problem now? If I accomplished as much as Manny I'd want to clear the air right away. Instead he's reacting the opposite way."

Steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs are not total strangers to one another. Both Francois Botha and James Toney lost portions of the heavyweight crown in the urinal. In one of the biggest fights of the last decade, Fernando Vargas tested positive for the banned steroid stanozolol after his 11th round TKO loss to Oscar de la Hoya.

Most provocative however was Max Kellerman's 2007 statement on his ESPN radio show in which he condemned most of the top boxers in the heavyweight division.

"Seven out of the top ten heavyweights are on the juice. Most of the top guys are [juicing]."

This marks the first time however that such accusations have been hurled at a top pound for pound fighter without any smoking gun or suspicious urinalysis reports.

Malignaggi's suspicion stems largely from his ability to rise in weight without losing any of his speed, punching power or ability to absorb punches from larger foes.

"Certain guys go up in weight and have success. They have to make sure they don't get hit so much. No matter what, when you go up in weight the bigger man will hit you harder and the guys who don't have success have trouble taking the bigger man's shots. The ones who were successful moving up in weight were good defensive fighters that managed not to take too many shots.

"Manny Pacquiao has been the exception. He goes up in weight and he gets hit. When you're fighting monster punchers who get the respect of their own weight class and you walk right through them. When I saw that I was just like, 'something's not right with this guy.'

"This situation goes far and beyond the realm of something normal in my opinion. He gets hit, and you just can't get hit by big guys like that and be able to take those kind of shots."

Malignaggi points to the Cotto fight, where on a number of occasions Pacquiao invited the larger Cotto to come in and land his best shots and returned fire to greater effect. The punches never seemed to phase Pacquiao.

It is interesting to note though that in Pacquiao's rapid ascent in weight from 135 to 147 over the course of a year or so, Pacquiao had only been in one damaging fight - the Cotto affair. He was barely touched by David Diaz, Oscar de la Hoya or Hatton in dominant wins. Of the 19 rounds he fought in those three bouts, it's unlikely that he lost any of them.

As to what specifically Malignaggi believes Pacquiao to be using, that is another subject entirely.

"There are steroids out there that help your oxygen levels," Malignaggi says. "They make you a lot more hyper and you can fight at a higher pace. If indeed you are fighting at a faster pace, it's not going to make your chin better but it will make your pace more hyper. A guy who is more hyper is obviously tougher to knock out. Maybe you can take a better shot. All of these are my opinions; none of these are facts. The fact does remain that there are drugs that do that with oxygen levels in the blood and all that."

Malignaggi may be referring to erythropoietin, most commonly known as EPO, which is a glycoprotein hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, which in turn boosts endurance levels.

Malignaggi for his part says that he has never taken any illegal performance enhancers because, "I never felt I was out of my league and needed to do something to compete with people.” He hasn't given much thought to the subject until recently but says he wouldn't be shocked if top boxers in the sport are using something additional to get a boost in their trade.

"I would say they probably are."

Without a contract being drawn up for Pacquiao-Malignaggi nor much for the Filipino star to gain from such a contest, Malignaggi's incendiary talk is probably not doing him any favors.

A call was put in to The Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon seeking comment from Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach. Roach was not taking calls from media at the time.

Of course there is always the convenience factor of making steroid accusations before facing someone. Perhaps it can be a built in excuse if things go wrong. Many look at Mayweather's accusations in that light and it's likely that a larger number of people will see that in Malignaggi's case.

"I think everybody already knows how I feel and people know I'm still going into the fight. I guess people are always going to be suspicious of that just like people were suspicious when I was getting ready to fight Diaz [the first time] and complained about everything in Houston. With Pacquiao, he'd never take these drug tests so we'd never have proof of anything of what I suspect he might be doing."

Still, Malignaggi is outwardly confident as he always is. He doesn't feel steroids, EPO, loaded gloves or any other kind of outside edge would affect the outcome of his second chance at a legacy-defining matchup.

Should it happen, that is.

"Pacquiao shines against guys that are flat-footed and come to kill him. If he fought me he wouldn't be fighting someone coming to kill him, he'd be fighting someone coming to outscore him. Miguel Cotto came to run him over, so did Hatton and the Mexican guys. He's got someone who isn't coming to run him over but who who's coming to outsmart him, outquick him, set him up off of his reckless offense. These are things he hasn't seen that make me confident about getting in the ring with him.

"I never go into a fight thinking I can't win. I'd go into a fight with Manny Pacquiao with a plan to win."

SOURCE : PhilBoxing.com

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Do you think Paulie Malignaggi is a worthy opponent?

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Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr Fight has been called off

Fight fans are disappointed that the super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been called off.

Pacquiao himself is disappointed, too.

"I am very disappointed that we could not make this fight for the fans,” the 7-time world champion said in statement.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king is also angry at the Mayweather camp and its representative Golden Boy Promotions for spreading accusations against him.

“I am angered because of the false accusations from Golden Boy and the Mayweather camp that I used some type of drugs, and that is why I have instructed our American lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit to clear my name," said Pacquiao.

The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is seen by many as a single bout that could bring back the popularity of boxing as a sport.

Both fighters might have received up to $40 million each in fight revenues had the fight pushed through.

Talks collapse

The fight was called off after the mediation process collapsed due to the Mayweather camp’s refusal to accept Pacquiao’s concession.

During the mediation, Pacquiao’s camp agreed to blood tests 24 days before the fight, which addressed Mayweather's demand that Pacquiao submit himself to a blood test 30 days before the fight.

However, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein rang Top Rank chief Bob Arum after the meeting to inform that the mega-buck fight won’t push through.

"The fight's off, Mayweather never wanted it. Manny wanted the fight. He was agreeable to terms," Arum told LATimes.com.

Pacquiao’s camp said it saw this development happening.

"When the fight was offered, Manny accepted it with no hesitation," Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told ESPN.com. "We're not surprised. We saw this coming once they started this drug bull----. It was a way for them to get out of the fight. I don't think Mayweather expected Manny to accept the challenge so quickly."

More to lose
Arum said the biggest loser in the talk’s collapse was Golden Boy Promotions.

"The guys who should be most disappointed in the fight being off are Schaefer and De La Hoya because they went along with this guy [Mayweather] and ended up with gatz and a big lawsuit," Arum said.

Arum said Golden Boy Promotions, which is headed by boxing great and old Pacquiao foe Oscar de la Hoya, also risks losing its share in the Filipino’s contract.

"There's an arbitration which calls for them to lose any percentage of Manny's promotional contract, something we asked for and had postponed, but now it will go forward," Arum said in ESPN.com.

"We did that two weeks ago before Manny filed his lawsuit. It's binding arbitration. Our request was for Golden Boy to forfeit its interest in Pacquiao's contract based on the fact that they had demeaned Pacquiao with their remarks [alleging he used PEDs] and that it violated the [2007] agreement between Pacquiao, Top Rank and Golden Boy," Arum said.

SOURCE

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I'm really disappointed how this went through. This could be the fight of the century. What are your thoughts? Please feel free to put your comments below.

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Who will Manny Pacquiao Fight Next?

There has been a lot of negotiations going on between the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight and I guess the drug test just go way beyond what's expected. So what's next for Manny Pacquiao? Will he still fight this March? 8countnews provided us some scenarios on what will happen to Manny Pacquiao's boxing career this year.

Floyd Mayweather Diet: Lots of 'Greens', More 'Beef'

Recent news hit the airwaves about a melee between Floyd Mayweather jr. and Miami-based rapper Rick Ross. Apparently, the two entourages crossed paths in a Las Vegas night club recently. With so much going on in the negotiations for his mega-fight with Pacquiao, one would think the last thing that Mayweather would have the time to do would be play in a club. We've all adapted to the often misleading ways of Floyd Mayweather, but what I think many of us find hard to swallow is the reasons behind a man this profoundly talented placing himself in the mist of such chaos? Granted, it was a chance encounter, but at the end of the day, there has to be a better way than senseless altercations. Bottom line....even though we live in an era where everybody wants to be known as the 'big cheese', few seem to realize that mixing that 'cheese' with low grade 'beef' gives you little in the end aside from a bad case of gas. And unfortunately it's not the same type (of gas) that they can expect to take them too far, either! Fellas, man up and squash that crap!

Mayweather/Pacquiao: One For The 'Money', Two For The 'Show'

Seems that the snag between Mayweather and Pacquiao won't come loose any time soon. After weeks of going back and forth, it seems the issue of randomized blood testing is in fact the one point of contention that will not change. Manny Pacquiao recently came out and spoke on the troubles that he had in the first Morales fight - as they relate to having to take the blood test. According to Pacquiao, the medical staff required him to take another blood test 2 days before the fight because his medical records were "lost". The main issue here was that Pacquiao had to make a much lower weight, so he was unable to drink the proper level of fluids and eat properly. In this case, such an issue shouldn't be the problem, as his walk around weight of 150 is very close to the weight he'll be fighting at (147lbs); wherein the last time they fought, he had to go from the mid 140's and make a weight of 130lbs. Considering that he has prior knowledge of this test and the fact that he doesn't need to cut his weight as much, such an issue shouldn't be a problem. That being said, we have one (firm commitment) for the money, but we'll need two for the show. Stay tuned.

Pacquiao/Foreman: "Race For The 8th" (World Title)

Immediately following the Pacquiao/Cotto showdown, I was able to corner Freddie Roach off in the media room, and after congratulating him on a job well done, I asked could we expect to see Pacquiao make a race for the unprecedented 8th world title against someone like Yuri Foreman if the Mayweather fight falls through. Roach appeared very open to the option at the time, and as the Mayweather clock runs out, this possibility is looking more and more likely. At this point, there's no mention of a catchweight, which means Pacquiao may go from a 145lb catchweight fight, to facing a full fledged jr. middleweight with better than average boxing skills and like Floyd, an undefeated record. Foreman has never faced anyone of Pacquiao's caliber, but his range, height, and weight advantage on top of those skills could make this an interesting night.

Roy Jones Jr. Makes A Strong Case

Many people initially took the request of Roy Jones Jr. to have his fight with Danny Green reversed as a complete joke. Turns out, maybe it was, but it now appears that he who got the first laugh won't laugh last. Pictures which have recently surfaced of Danny Green in the locker-room after the fight seem to really make you wonder. It's unclear whether a Jones representative was on hand in the locker-room when the actual hand-wrapping took place, but one thing for sure, the wraps on the photo's released are without question 'abnormal' to say the least, (in my opinion). It's hard to believe that the fight would be reversed, but it will be interesting to see what happens when the committee actually sits down to review the findings. I'm no expert, but those hand pads look more like shoulder pads - (big and beyond durable). Stay tuned.

Maidana/Khan: Little Question, Big Test

Veteran trainer Freddie Roach is arguably the best in the business at what he does. We've seen the evolution of Manny Pacquiao, among many others under his tutelage, and recently, that wingspan has sheltered the rising talent of Brit Amir Khan. Although we've seen some great advancement from Khan, what we haven't seen is a test against someone durable enough to handle his power and land with their own. Salita didn't last long enough, but his chin is not that of Maidana's. In the one fight where Khan did test solid power, he left the ring with his sole career defeat. But of course, that was the pre-Roach era. If the proposed showdown goes forward, we'll have finally learn whether or not the evolution is closer to full circle than we've been recently led to believe. Khan is a great kid and a great talent, but as it relates to this potential showdown, there's little question this will be his biggest test yet.

Berto/Mosley: Does Berto Really Have A Chance?

The January 30th showdown between veteran Shane Mosley and rising star Andre Berto has left many with varying thoughts on who will get the job done in the end. Some lean towards the old lion, Mosley. While others think the long layoff and the speedy youth of Berto will be enough to get him the nod. It's hard to fathom a clear victory for Andre Berto against the likes of Mosley, but there are two things that have to be taken into account at all times. For one....Berto will enter the ring with a huge chip on his shoulder, eager to impress the masses out there who feel for what ever reason that he isn't as good as advertised. Secondly.....less than 2 years ago, the same Mosley that ran through the very durable but very hittable Margarito barely got the job done against the chain smoking Ricardo Mayorga. Had he not scored the late KO, some had Mayorga actually defeating him in that fight. So, this could all come down to which Mosley we actually see. Richardson appears to have his attention, but 'Father-time' has been known to surface when some least expect it. Does Berto have a chance? Absolutely.

Valero/DeMarco: Let The Truth Be Known

KO artist Edwin Valero seems to be primed and ready to roll for his showdown with an always 'game' Antonio DeMarco. Most would be hardpressed to name 3 people on Valero's resume, which makes most question his knockout power - as witnessed in him KO'ing every man he's ever faced. This will be more of a test than some know, as DeMarco is a very gutsy fighter who won't come to lie down. Hit or miss, the verdict will be officially in on Valero once the final bell rings. Still a few weeks til D-Day. Stay tuned.

Mayweather/Pacquiao: Pacquiao Promised, Floyd Favored

Filipino fight fans all around the globe are promising a Pacquiao victory, but according to recent polls, the money is on 'money'. Betting lines list Floyd Mayweather jr. as the small favorite over the fightin' Filipino, which really makes you wonder what's really goin' on in the minds of those who put their money where their mouth is. For now, it's an intriguing topic, but with no fight finalized, it's all trivial. Hopefully, that all changes real soon.

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So who do you think Manny Pacquiao will fight this March?

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