See this news about the Pacquiao-Clottey match....
There are two significant reasons why Top Rank's Bob Arum will be in New York next week. One will be to oversee a press conference on Wednesday to promote the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey welterweight title fight, which will take place on March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The other is for the final promotional push for next Saturday's outstanding HBO "Boxing After Dark" card at the Madison Square Garden Theater.
That card, which I can't wait for, features a pair of featherweight title bouts as Steven Luevano defends against junior featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez and the electrifying Yuriorkis Gamboa defends his sliver of the title against rugged Rogers Mtagwa.
That's a lot of business for one week, but apparently not enough for Arum.
He will also start the unofficial media blitz for another fight he intends to make for June. That fight would see newly crowned junior middleweight titleholder Yuri Foreman, the New York-based, Belarus native who is studying to become a rabbi, defending against former welterweight beltholder Miguel Cotto, who lost his title via 12th-round knockout to Pacquiao in November on the same card on which Foreman beat Daniel Santos to win his title.
"You will see Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 23," Arum told me the other day. "The reason they will both be there is to start the promotion for their fight in June. Miguel wants to fight Foreman. Yuri wants a big fight. Yuri will have the Jewish fans behind him. And we already know what a big attraction Miguel is in New York and how much the Puerto Rican fans support him."
The bout would take place at the Garden on June 12, the eve of the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Top Rank has made that weekend a regular fight date for Cotto for the past few years.
Arum said Cotto, who is still mourning the recent death of his father, asked to come to the Jan. 23 show and is interested in moving up in weight to challenge Foreman.
Foreman, too, is interested in the fight. He had been in the running to land the March fight with Pacquiao after the fight with Floyd Mayweather (I'm still not over that) fell apart. But Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, put the kibosh on the match over concern about Pacquiao again moving up in weight and facing the much taller Foreman.
So if Foreman couldn't get Pacquiao, he'll certainly take Cotto, according to manager Murray "Shpipples" Wilson.
Arum admits he hasn't yet talked to either camp about money, but he plans to next week in New York.
Arum also said he is unsure if he would present the fight on pay-per-view or try to make a deal with HBO. But either way, he intends to make the fight.
"That's why I am going to show them together in New York, to get this thing rolling," Arum said. "They both want the fight. It would be so big in New York."
If Lopez beats Luevano, Arum said he'd like to put him on the June 12 undercard. Arum's plan has been to eventually match Lopez and Gamboa, if they are both victorious, but not right away.
"We're saving that for later in the year if they both win," Arum said.
more from here http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4828800&name=rafael_dan
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Pacquiao is Fighter of the Year
Without a doubt, Manny's the fighter of the year for 2009, see this great article from ESPN:
If you are surprised by the pick for 2009 ESPN.com fighter of the year, well, you haven't paid attention to boxing for the past 12 months.
It's Manny Pacquiao, the biggest no-brainer selection since, well, 2008, when Pacquiao was also the obvious pick.
In fact, the pound-for-pound king and icon of the Philippines has claimed fighter of the year honors in three of the past four years, as he concluded yet another tremendous campaign in 2009.
In 2008, Pacquiao raced up the scale, winning titles at junior lightweight, with his tight decision against Juan Manuel Marquez, and at lightweight, with his battering of titleholder David Diaz, before going to welterweight and pounding Oscar De La Hoya into retirement.
Pacquiao's 2009 was just as impressive as he continued to electrify fans by winning both of his fights by dominant knockout. With decisive victories against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, both coming at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao added championships in two more weight classes to give him titles in a record seven divisions -- flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight.
It was also the year in which Pacquiao, already on the fringe of all-time great status, put his name firmly into the discussion. Greatest southpaw. Greatest Asian fighter. Clear top 25 fighter of all-time.
His promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, calls him "the greatest fighter I've ever seen" in more than 40 years in the business. He compares Pacquiao's star power -- and fighting prowess -- to Muhammad Ali's, whom Arum also promoted.
Rafael's Fighters of the Year
Year Fighter
2009 Manny Pacquiao
2008 Manny Pacquiao
2007 Floyd Mayweather Jr.
2006 Manny Pacquiao
2005 Ricky Hatton
2004 Glen Johnson
2003 James Toney
2002 Vernon Forrest
2001 Bernard Hopkins
2000 Felix Trinidad
Trainer Freddie Roach, who has been with Pacquiao since 2001, believes he could be in line for more fighter of the year nods, perhaps again in 2010 if the tentative March 13 summit meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes off and Pacquiao wins.
"The scary thing is we still have not seen the best of Manny Pacquiao," Roach said after the knockout of Cotto. "I have never trained an athlete like Manny, who after more than 50 fights is still willing to learn new techniques and is able to apply them. One of the reasons Manny is so hard to fight is because you never see the same Manny two times in a row. He always has a new style making him totally unpredictable and impossible to anticipate. Plus his conditioning is supreme to anyone in the sport. He is an athletic phenomenon.
"I get a lot of credit for his success, but it's Manny who does the work in the gym and does the fighting in the ring. He's incredible. His last five fights have been at four different weight divisions. He goes up in weight. He goes down in weight. He fights the best in each division."
After the stunningly easy upset win against De La Hoya to end 2008, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) dropped to junior welterweight in May to face Hatton, the champion who had never been beaten at 140 pounds.
Pacquiao ruthlessly took care of him in short order, blasting him out in two rounds with one of the most spectacular knockouts in recent memory. That gave Pacquiao a title in a sixth division, including a record fourth lineal championship.
That set the stage for the year's biggest fight as Pacquiao, who turned 31 on Dec. 17, moved back up to welterweight to challenge Cotto for his belt. Cotto was the biggest and strongest man Pacquiao had ever faced. While the bout began competitively, the tide turned to Pacquiao after a few rounds. From there, it was a landslide as Pacquiao stormed to a bloody, 12th-round knockout to win yet another title in a fight that also was the year's biggest commercial success as it generated 1.25 million pay-per-view buys.
Pacquiao's reaction to all the hoopla was typical: Humble and with his country on his mind.
"Nothing personal, just doing my job," Pacquiao said after the Cotto fight. "One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. It's an awesome power and a big responsibility. This fight was about history. People will remember that the first man to win world titles in seven different weight divisions was a Filipino."
see more from espn here http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=4774025
If you are surprised by the pick for 2009 ESPN.com fighter of the year, well, you haven't paid attention to boxing for the past 12 months.
It's Manny Pacquiao, the biggest no-brainer selection since, well, 2008, when Pacquiao was also the obvious pick.
In fact, the pound-for-pound king and icon of the Philippines has claimed fighter of the year honors in three of the past four years, as he concluded yet another tremendous campaign in 2009.
In 2008, Pacquiao raced up the scale, winning titles at junior lightweight, with his tight decision against Juan Manuel Marquez, and at lightweight, with his battering of titleholder David Diaz, before going to welterweight and pounding Oscar De La Hoya into retirement.
Pacquiao's 2009 was just as impressive as he continued to electrify fans by winning both of his fights by dominant knockout. With decisive victories against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, both coming at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao added championships in two more weight classes to give him titles in a record seven divisions -- flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight.
It was also the year in which Pacquiao, already on the fringe of all-time great status, put his name firmly into the discussion. Greatest southpaw. Greatest Asian fighter. Clear top 25 fighter of all-time.
His promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, calls him "the greatest fighter I've ever seen" in more than 40 years in the business. He compares Pacquiao's star power -- and fighting prowess -- to Muhammad Ali's, whom Arum also promoted.
Rafael's Fighters of the Year
Year Fighter
2009 Manny Pacquiao
2008 Manny Pacquiao
2007 Floyd Mayweather Jr.
2006 Manny Pacquiao
2005 Ricky Hatton
2004 Glen Johnson
2003 James Toney
2002 Vernon Forrest
2001 Bernard Hopkins
2000 Felix Trinidad
Trainer Freddie Roach, who has been with Pacquiao since 2001, believes he could be in line for more fighter of the year nods, perhaps again in 2010 if the tentative March 13 summit meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes off and Pacquiao wins.
"The scary thing is we still have not seen the best of Manny Pacquiao," Roach said after the knockout of Cotto. "I have never trained an athlete like Manny, who after more than 50 fights is still willing to learn new techniques and is able to apply them. One of the reasons Manny is so hard to fight is because you never see the same Manny two times in a row. He always has a new style making him totally unpredictable and impossible to anticipate. Plus his conditioning is supreme to anyone in the sport. He is an athletic phenomenon.
"I get a lot of credit for his success, but it's Manny who does the work in the gym and does the fighting in the ring. He's incredible. His last five fights have been at four different weight divisions. He goes up in weight. He goes down in weight. He fights the best in each division."
After the stunningly easy upset win against De La Hoya to end 2008, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) dropped to junior welterweight in May to face Hatton, the champion who had never been beaten at 140 pounds.
Pacquiao ruthlessly took care of him in short order, blasting him out in two rounds with one of the most spectacular knockouts in recent memory. That gave Pacquiao a title in a sixth division, including a record fourth lineal championship.
That set the stage for the year's biggest fight as Pacquiao, who turned 31 on Dec. 17, moved back up to welterweight to challenge Cotto for his belt. Cotto was the biggest and strongest man Pacquiao had ever faced. While the bout began competitively, the tide turned to Pacquiao after a few rounds. From there, it was a landslide as Pacquiao stormed to a bloody, 12th-round knockout to win yet another title in a fight that also was the year's biggest commercial success as it generated 1.25 million pay-per-view buys.
Pacquiao's reaction to all the hoopla was typical: Humble and with his country on his mind.
"Nothing personal, just doing my job," Pacquiao said after the Cotto fight. "One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. It's an awesome power and a big responsibility. This fight was about history. People will remember that the first man to win world titles in seven different weight divisions was a Filipino."
see more from espn here http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=4774025
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Bob Arum unveils 'final counteroffer' for Mayweather-Pacquiao bout
See this news about Bob Arum's counteroffer to push through with the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.
Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao's promoter, on Sunday unveiled what he said was his "final counteroffer" to get an agreement between his boxer and tentative opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a March 13 bout that could be the most lucrative in the sport's history.
Arum said he wants an agreement with Mayweather and his promoter, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, by today or he'll "finish negotiations" for a Pacquiao replacement fight against Paulie Malignaggi.
Arum's offer is for each fighter to submit to unlimited random urinalysis, and to let the Nevada State Athletic Commission determine at its Jan. 19 meeting whether additional blood testing is required beyond Pacquiao's current agreement to allow his blood to be tested 30 days before the bout and immediately after its conclusion.
"We will allow Golden Boy to present experts to the commission to explain why additional testing is required, and we'll explain our position," Arum said. "Then we'll let the Nevada commission decide."
The fight would take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas if it were to occur.
He added that striking an agreement on this point would allow the fighters to sign contracts -- both are expected to receive a guaranteed $25 million with pay-per-view upside -- and begin promoting the fight early next month before the commission decides the matter.
Schaefer was not immediately available for comment.
Mayweather and his camp have proposed allowing the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to monitor blood tests. The head of that agency said Pacquiao's resistance to take a blood test closer than 30 days from the fight was not acceptable for effective anti-doping procedures.
see more from here http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire28-2009dec28,0,405787.story
Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao's promoter, on Sunday unveiled what he said was his "final counteroffer" to get an agreement between his boxer and tentative opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a March 13 bout that could be the most lucrative in the sport's history.
Arum said he wants an agreement with Mayweather and his promoter, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, by today or he'll "finish negotiations" for a Pacquiao replacement fight against Paulie Malignaggi.
Arum's offer is for each fighter to submit to unlimited random urinalysis, and to let the Nevada State Athletic Commission determine at its Jan. 19 meeting whether additional blood testing is required beyond Pacquiao's current agreement to allow his blood to be tested 30 days before the bout and immediately after its conclusion.
"We will allow Golden Boy to present experts to the commission to explain why additional testing is required, and we'll explain our position," Arum said. "Then we'll let the Nevada commission decide."
The fight would take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas if it were to occur.
He added that striking an agreement on this point would allow the fighters to sign contracts -- both are expected to receive a guaranteed $25 million with pay-per-view upside -- and begin promoting the fight early next month before the commission decides the matter.
Schaefer was not immediately available for comment.
Mayweather and his camp have proposed allowing the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to monitor blood tests. The head of that agency said Pacquiao's resistance to take a blood test closer than 30 days from the fight was not acceptable for effective anti-doping procedures.
see more from here http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire28-2009dec28,0,405787.story
Friday, January 1, 2010
Manny Pacquiao in 2009: A Short Glance
See this article recapping pacman's 2009 fights. Read on from Kenneth Ragpala's story:
As the year winds down to its last days, let us take a look back at the road Manny Pacquiao took en route in this year towards his much anticipated career-defining fight (and perhaps his last) opposite former Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather.
May 2, 2009 – Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (140lbs)
In his second bout above 135, Pacquiao easily dismantled the top dog of the junior welterweight division. Coming off an impressive win against boxing legend and future Hall of Famer Oscar dela Hoya (who retired shortly after their fight), many predicted Pacquiao to be on the losing end in this bout, saying that he is going up against an elite fighter in the division where he is still untested.
Pacquiao proved his doubters wrong when he decked Hatton twice in the first round and completely sent him to dreamland in the next, wringing from the Manchester-native the IBO junior welterweight and Ring light welterweight titles.
Memorable quotes
“Same move every time.” – Ricky Hatton
“I am the greatest trainer of all time. Not this time, not that time, but of all time.” –Floyd Mayweather, Sr.
November 13, 2009 – Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (147lbs)
In a fight billed as Firepower, both men literally let their hands ablaze and pummeled each other with everything they got in the first four rounds. That is until Cotto got knocked down in the third and the fourth stanzas by sneaky punches coming from weird angles.
Significant number of analysts and boxing figures, including Emmanuel Steward, Paulie Malignaggi, and Roger Mayweather, said Pacquiao will be chomping more than he could chew here. A true welter, Cotto is known as a power puncher. His shots do have some pop as he managed to bust Pacquiao’s eardrum.
However, it was Pacquiao who prevailed in this fight, forcing Cotto to retreat rather than engage the smaller man. Using his speed and superior boxing skills, Pacquiao dominated the Puerto Rican for majority of the fight, Battered and bruised, Cotto was handed his defeat after referee Kenny Bayless called a halt to the bout 55 seconds into the final round, giving Pacquiao the WBO welterweight championship.
In the process, Pacquiao became the first and only boxer to win seven titles in seven different weight classes.
Memorable quotes
“I don’t know where his punches are coming from.” – Miguel Cotto
“We want Floyd!” – MGM audience
Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto has finally forced the young Mayweather in a position where he can’t refuse to face the Filipino. With their match still in the oven, fight fans can only hope and pray that we get a fight we have been wanting for so long.
more from here: http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/ARTICLE/2143/2009-12-15.html
As the year winds down to its last days, let us take a look back at the road Manny Pacquiao took en route in this year towards his much anticipated career-defining fight (and perhaps his last) opposite former Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather.
May 2, 2009 – Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (140lbs)
In his second bout above 135, Pacquiao easily dismantled the top dog of the junior welterweight division. Coming off an impressive win against boxing legend and future Hall of Famer Oscar dela Hoya (who retired shortly after their fight), many predicted Pacquiao to be on the losing end in this bout, saying that he is going up against an elite fighter in the division where he is still untested.
Pacquiao proved his doubters wrong when he decked Hatton twice in the first round and completely sent him to dreamland in the next, wringing from the Manchester-native the IBO junior welterweight and Ring light welterweight titles.
Memorable quotes
“Same move every time.” – Ricky Hatton
“I am the greatest trainer of all time. Not this time, not that time, but of all time.” –Floyd Mayweather, Sr.
November 13, 2009 – Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (147lbs)
In a fight billed as Firepower, both men literally let their hands ablaze and pummeled each other with everything they got in the first four rounds. That is until Cotto got knocked down in the third and the fourth stanzas by sneaky punches coming from weird angles.
Significant number of analysts and boxing figures, including Emmanuel Steward, Paulie Malignaggi, and Roger Mayweather, said Pacquiao will be chomping more than he could chew here. A true welter, Cotto is known as a power puncher. His shots do have some pop as he managed to bust Pacquiao’s eardrum.
However, it was Pacquiao who prevailed in this fight, forcing Cotto to retreat rather than engage the smaller man. Using his speed and superior boxing skills, Pacquiao dominated the Puerto Rican for majority of the fight, Battered and bruised, Cotto was handed his defeat after referee Kenny Bayless called a halt to the bout 55 seconds into the final round, giving Pacquiao the WBO welterweight championship.
In the process, Pacquiao became the first and only boxer to win seven titles in seven different weight classes.
Memorable quotes
“I don’t know where his punches are coming from.” – Miguel Cotto
“We want Floyd!” – MGM audience
Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto has finally forced the young Mayweather in a position where he can’t refuse to face the Filipino. With their match still in the oven, fight fans can only hope and pray that we get a fight we have been wanting for so long.
more from here: http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/ARTICLE/2143/2009-12-15.html
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