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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Pacquiao-Clottey : Fight Ticket Update

Tickets for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title showdown between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Joshua Clottey of Ghana are selling briskly despite the tickets’ stiff prices.

The top seat tickets cost $700 while other tickets are being peddled for $500, $400, $300, $200, $100, and $50, something Arum believes will entice fight fans to fill the reconfigured (45,000-capacity) Cowboys Stadium on fight night.

As this developed, Clottey downplayed Pacquiao perceived superiority, saying the Filipino champ is just Superman’s alter-ego Clark Kent and not The Man of Steel.

“I know it’s Pacquiao but I don’t like people thinking that Manny is super, that nobody can beat him,” Clottey told the Ghanaian media as he gears up for his March 13 showdown with the Filipino fighter at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Clottey said Pacquiao “is a human being like me,” and that he is going all-out in his ambitious quest to “dethrone him” and “win the (World Boxing Organization welterweight) title for Ghana.”

While Clottey is assured the biggest paycheck of his career, the African banger insists he is facing Pacquiao.

Source : Manila Bulletin

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Bob Arum Very Impressed with Manny

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum showed up at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Wednesday to watch his prized possession Manny Pacquiao train and said later he was “very impressed.”

The pound-for-pound icon went through his usual routine as well as nine rounds on the punch-mitts without a break.

Conditioning coach Alex Ariza told us that Pacquiao started his strength training and noted “he looked a lot stronger than he has been in the past and in some of the  exercises it was nice to see on my part that its like he’s not starting from the beginning.”

He said Pacquiao will begin sparring on Thursday (LA Time) but there was no word on who trainer Freddie Roach had picked to serve as sparring partners.

Ariza said Roach was “trying to put everything in order” which includes strict restrictions on who could remain inside while Pacquiao trains. He said the gym was virtually empty with only a few people from Team Pacquiao including Filipino trainer Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez present.

Ariza informed us that Gerry Penalosa who fights former two-division world champion Eric Morel on the “Pinoy Power III” card at the Las Vegas Hilton on February 13 which will be telecast in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN said Penalosa was “aggressive, active and comes forward and is nice to watch.”

However, Ariza was most impressed by Philippine bantamweight champion Eden Sonsona, the flashy southpaw. He said “he looks really good. He’s strong and I really like him.”

Source : Boxing Scene

Pacquiao is really good and focused in training..

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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-Clottey : Miguel Cotto's Advise to Pacquiao

Puerto Rican fighter Miguel Cotto gave some words of advice to his former foe, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, for his upcoming clash against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.

“Manny will have to be very strict because Clottey has a lot of strength and has good defense,” Cotto told HBO as quoted by FightFan.com.

The Puerto Rican fought both Pacquiao and Clottey, the headliners of “The Event” which will be held at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13.

Cotto relinquished his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title to Pacquiao last November when he lost via a 12th round technical knockout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Prior to his loss, Cotto edged Clottey by split decision at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York City last June.

“It will be a tough fight,” the Puerto Rican added. “I believe the guy who is the best prepared and in the best shape will win the fight.”

Pacquiao has already kicked off his training at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

American trainer Freddie Roach told 8countnews.com that the seven-division champion is in a “pretty good shape” at the onset of his training camp.

Meanwhile, Cotto (34-2, with 27 knockouts) is slated to challenge World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman of Israel on June 12 at the Madison Square Garden.

It will be the first title defense for the undefeated Israeli who has a 28 wins (8 KOs) and 1 no contest.

Source : ABSCBN

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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 versus Margarito is Possible says Bob Arum

Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank told BoxingScene.com that he is considering hosting a Manny Pacquiao fight at the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ in the Summer. Arum mentioned Antonio Margarito as a possible opponent. Margarito is still under suspension for attempting to use loaded handwraps in his fight against Shane Mosley a year ago.

Arum believes Margarito will be reinstated later this week at a California State Athletic Commission hearing.

Speaking at a Madison Square Garden press conference to announce the WBO welterweight title clash between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey, Arum marveled at the Filipino turnout for the initial press conference the day before at Cowboys Stadium, the site of the Pacquiao-Clottey fight on March 13.

He approximates that "1,000" Filipinos were on hand at the kick-off press event on Tuesday. "There are Filipinos are all over the country, not just the West Coast."

Arum says New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is "a very close friend" and is "jokingly pissed that we're in Cowboys Stadium."

"There's no stadium like Cowboys Stadium but they say the new stadium in the Meadowlands is absolutely tremendous so we'd love to do it there," said Arum.

A Summer fight would be feasible as long as no complications arise from Pacquiao's upcoming political campaign. Pacquiao is running for congressman of Sarangani, a Filipino province in his native Mindinao. The election is scheduled for May.

Don't hold your breath for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight however, Arum cautions. He says he isn't very optimistic the fight can be made due to differences between the two parties.

"Mayweather is a bully. That was my message today, you don't bully a Filipino."

Pacquiao says he believes the fight will happen one day and blames Mayweather for the fallout of their proposed matchup.

"Maybe Mayweather don't really want the fight because he had too many reasons to cancel the fight. He makes his own rules that are not in the Nevada Athletic Commission. I think he thinks he's smarter than anybody.

"I think he thought that he's the champion. He has to stay humble and give back to the people that support him. He's too concerned with his record and losing."

Although Pacquiao rejected the 5'11" WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman recently, Arum doesn't believe the size difference with the equally-tall Margarito will be too dramatic given the former welterweight champion's posture.

"He doesn't feel that Margarito presents the same problems as Foreman. Margarito is a tall guy but he crunches over so he's not really that tall. Yuri fights tall."

Boxrec.com has Margarito scheduled for a fight against journeyman Carson Jones on the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard. Calls to Jones' representative Bobby Dobbs were not immediately returned.

New York and New Jersey - particularly Queens and Jersey City - host some of the biggest Filipino communities in the United States. Approximately 60,000 Filipino-Americans take residence in New York City alone.

Meadowlands Stadium is scheduled to open this April and will be the home field for the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets. It has a maximum seating of 82,500, second only in size to the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field.

Source : BoxingScene.com

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