Stellar fighters lined up as Pacquiao’s sparmates

By Salven Lagumbay

When superstar Manny Pacquiao plunges into deep training for his monumental showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr, expect him to once again win the battle of sparmates as a stellar line up of fighters are being put into consideration in Baguio City and Los Angeles.

Pacquiao, who is slated to begin training in the second week of January in the country's summer capital, is expected to benefit from a 'dream team' of champions who will be tapped to spar with the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.

World renowned trainer Freddie Roach, who has guided Pacquiao's career with wins over the biggest names in boxing in this generation, will be recruiting quick-fisted and skillful fighters to assist the Filipino icon in his first WBO welterweight defense.

WBA junior welterweight Amir Khan, coming off an impressive title defense over Dmitri Salita, is already a sure sparring partner, and already branded by Roach as the Pacman's chief sparmate for the fight. Another big name being put in consideration is Andre Berto if he doesn't get cut or injured in his January duel with Shane Mosley.

According to Philboxing.com, Roach would also love to have WBC junior welteweight champion Timothy Bradley on the sparring partner list.

“Other than Amir Khan as Pacquiao’s main sparring partner, I like to include Timothy Bradley in my list,” Roach was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the WBO president is expected to personally award Pacquiao the new belt he won over Miguel Cotto.

Sources from Puerto Rico have said that Valcarcel is slated to meet with Pacquiao in one of the media appearances in the United States, where the WBO top honcho will award the belt to Pacquiao.

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Politics Doesn’t Need Manny Pacquiao But Boxing Does

By Erwin Lastimosa

Rumors have it that Manny Pacquiao is thinking about retiring after his upcoming super fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13th. I have no problem with Manny retiring, after all he’s had a long and storied career and if he beats Mayweather Jr. he can retire on top.

I honestly believe Manny has a good heart and is a one of a kind fighter and human being. In my opinion he should not divulge in Filipino politics. In politics your opponent will try to run a disgusting smear campaign against you to ruin your image. Many poorer Filipinos do not have access to computers and if they read something in the paper or see it on the news they will automatically believe what they see. In Politics the people can love you one moment and hate you the next because of smear campaigns from the opposition.

Manny Pacquiao seems to be mislead by his advisers and those politicos who have their own agenda. Manny Pacquiao is more important than any politician, he is an international icon he doesn’t need to be a congressman to help the people, look at Muhammad Ali he was the peoples champion and he did more to touch lives and influence people without running for office.

Manny has brought an entire country together when he fights and if he gets involved with politics now he is dipping his hand into something he is not familiar with.

Many politicians are trying to use Pacquiao’s fame and global name to garner them a vote or some media attention towards their campaign.

Manny Pacquiao is a man of the people unlike other Filipino celebrities he doesn’t come off with this fake, snobby personality. The sad reality is some of those celebrities and politicians who are rubbing elbows with him are the same people who would arrogantly look down upon him if he was not the most famous Filipino in the world.

Pacquiao needs better advisers not some “YES” men who are there just to collect a check but people who really will guide Manny in the right direction.

He can do more for the people and the sport by being an Ambassador for boxing. Many people around the globe can relate to his story not just the poor Filipinos who were born on the same dirty streets he once roamed as a young child but every walk of life that aspired to be something from nothing and dreamed of the impossible.

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Pacquiao: I had a talk with God

By Edwin Fernandez
Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY—This is something that the Mexicans Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, the American Oscar De La Hoya, the Briton Ricky Hatton and the Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto—proud warriors who have fallen before Manny Pacquiao’s fists—could not have prepared or trained for.

For the first time, the Philippines’ most famous athlete and the world’s pound-for-pound boxing king has revealed the secret of his success: He had a conversation with God who promised him “strength and power.”

“In my 31 years here on earth, God appeared to me once and told me to have unconditional faith in Him,” the seven-time ring champion said in the vernacular before 1,500 guests during his birthday bash on Thursday night at the KCC Convention Center here.

“That is true,” Pacquiao—named “Boxer of the Decade” by Reuters news agency Monday—quickly added after the audience burst with applause.

“I was not yet very popular and world champion when our God appeared to me and assured me of strength and power,” he said.

Pacquiao gave no hint about where or when the apparition occurred.

Like a politician

As Pacquiao spoke, the audience sat quietly. Their excitement picked up when he told them of the secret behind his ring exploits.

He said: “This is the first time I reveal this ... although I was asked many times what are the secrets that made me very popular and world champion.”

Sounding more like a politician than a prizefighter who lets his fists do the talking for him, Pacquiao asked the crowd: “Would you like to know where I get my strength and power?”

The crowd yelled, “Yes,” then fell silent to catch every word he was saying.

He said God told him: “Just trust me, I will not leave you, I will not abandon you.”

Win or lose

Every time Pacquiao said that he drew his strength from God, the audience responded by saying, “Amen.”

He said this was why in every fight he fought, he would kneel and pray in his corner—to seek Divine Guidance.

“Win or lose, I will pray at the corner to thank God for all the blessings” he said.

“What about you, did you count your blessings?” he asked the crowd. “Remember to thank God for all that He has done. He will give you your needs.”

With the help of his catering partner, Pacquiao fed some 2,000 street children while holding a concert at the mall. He performed with singer-composer Lito Camo, entertaining his local and international guests.

In an expression of gratitude, he also held raffle draws, the smallest prize being grocery items and the grand prize a car.

Dionisia, Pacquiao’s mother, said she was very proud of her son, noting that, despite his worldwide fame and the fortune he had earned in boxing, he “still remembers God as his creator, protector and inspiration.”

Dionisia does her number

“My son is very humble, he was like that while he was young, I am very proud of you, Manny,” Dionisia told her son.

“Thank you, ma,” he responded.

Dionisia performed a dance number despite what she said were her aching feet as a result of wearing high-heeled shoes.

Pacquiao said he had other secrets that helped bring him to where he was and this would be read in a book he was writing, which would be released once he retires.

Another accolade

As if the honors he has reaped were not enough, Pacquiao Monday won another title: Reuters named him Boxer of the Decade.

The accolade might have had Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s name written all over it after he stepped out of the ring at the end of 2007 with a 40-0 record and five titles in five different weight classes.

Instead, it went to the Filipino southpaw so popular that he is now running for the congressional seat of Sarangani province in Mindanao in the May elections—under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.

Two Mannys

Sen. Manny Villar, NP standard-bearer, on Monday said the entry of Pacquiao into the party emphasized its campaign slant that focuses on success through hard work.

“We have very similar backgrounds,” Villar said.

“We both struggled and succeeded... This is the start of a long partnership,” Villar said at a political party meeting held in Mandaluyong City. With reports from Cathy Yamsuan and Reuters

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Drug-testing row leaves bad blood between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr camps

The season of goodwill was not evident last night as the biggest bout in history threatened to implode.

Manny Pacquiao’s meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr had seemed set for the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on March 13, until a disagreement over drug testing raised tensions between the camps. Yesterday, Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said the bout was “dead”. But with a potential $80 million (about £50 million) purse it is hard to believe that things will not be sorted out.

Negotiations were supposed to be confidential, but a press release was circulated late on Tuesday night from Mayweather’s team, saying that the bout would be in jeopardy unless Pacquiao agreed to drug testing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which meant blood tests.

Soon after Pacquiao demolished Miguel Cotto last month, Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr, shared his belief that the Filipino’s incredible move up the weight divisions had been with the aid of unfair methods, despite a complete lack of evidence to back this up.

Pacquiao said he would have a blood test after the bout and 30 days before the bout, but would agree only to urine tests in the weeks leading up to the bout, as outlined by Nevada State rules. Yesterday, no one in Pacquiao’s team was backing down, saying that a blood test before the bout could weaken their man. “As far as I’m concerned, the fight is off,” Arum said.

Arum is Mayweather’s former promoter and there is no love lost between the pair. He was in favour of the bout being held at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, where six times as many fans would have been able to watch, only for Mayweather to insist on Las Vegas, where he lives.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said that the drug testing is a front for Mayweather. “There is no reason to think my fighter is dirty,” Roach told the website 8CountNews. “We have passed every test ever given to us.”

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Blood remains issue for Pacquiao-Mayweather

By TIM DAHLBERG


LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao has always been willing to spill blood to win a fight. He's not nearly as eager to give blood to get a fight.

The fate of Pacquiao's planned March 13 megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. hangs in the balance. Both sides traded jabs Wednesday over Mayweather's insistence that the two submit to Olympic-style drug testing amid indications that both were open to a possible compromise.

With time running short, though, Pacquiao's promoter said he's not willing to negotiate much longer to make the fight.

"I think it's over tomorrow and we're going to another opponent if there is no agreement," promoter Bob Arum said. "It looks to me like they want a way out of the fight. Mayweather doesn't want to take a chance of losing."

A day after Mayweather's camp threatened to scuttle the fight unless the boxers were subject to random blood tests, Arum said his fighter would agree to just three blood tests. One would be done in January during the week the fight is formally announced, a second would be done no later than 30 days before the fight, and a final test would be done in the locker room afterward.

Arum also said the tests should be done by companies used by major sports leagues, like Major League Baseball and the NFL, something that so far is a major sticking point in the talks. Mayweather's camp wants the tests done by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which operates under much stricter rules that include random blood tests.

Arum accused Mayweather of trying to play mind games with Pacquiao, saying that the Filipino sensation has never failed urine tests for performance-enhancing substances.

"They want to put it in Manny's head that they can come in any time and take blood," Arum said. "Manny believes taking blood will weaken him. This is absolutely outrageous. Who does Floyd Mayweather think he is, the commissioner of boxing?"

Mayweather's promoter, Richard Schaefer, said he was willing to try and reach a consensus between the two sides. He cited comments by Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, that Pacquiao would agree to blood tests up to five days before the fight as possible middle ground.

"If we could agree to a 3-day cutoff I would try to sell that to my side," Schaefer said. "If Arum wants to walk away then he is going to be the one responsible for this fight falling apart."

Roach told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that he would not allow Pacquiao to be tested the day before the fight, but would agree to giving blood if there was a cutoff date.

"If they give me a 5-day window or something like that I have no problem with it," Roach said. "When they've drawn blood from Manny in the past he feels weaker for three or four days. It may be mental, but it's there."

The standoff over drug testing is the only issue still in the way of a fight that could be the richest ever. The two fighters earlier agreed to take equal purses, and earlier this week Mayweather's camp agreed to pay Pacquiao $10 million for each pound or fraction of a pound if the fighter does not make the 147-pound welterweight limit.

If the fight is held, it will be at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. But with the magnitude of the fight's promotion and the need for the fighters to set up training schedules, there isn't a lot of time left to reach an agreement.

The demand by Mayweather for the USADA to administer an Olympic-style testing program for the two fighters beginning with the contract signing goes far beyond any testing done by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Boxers have their urine tested before and after fights and occasionally in training, but there are no blood tests for things like human growth hormone that can't be detected in urine.

Schaefer, who with former boxer Oscar De La Hoya runs Golden Boy Promotions, said that if Mayweather was trying to get out of the fight he would have walked when Pacquiao's camp demanded the $10 million weight clause in the contract. He said he didn't think 8 to 12 urine tests and 3 to 5 blood tests before a fight was unreasonable.

"Manny Pacquiao probably thinks it's going to be some nurse with a big needle sucking out a gallon of blood and leaving him lying on the floor for a week," Schaefer said.

Nothing could be further from the truth, said USADA executive director Travis Tygart, who promised that any testing his agency did would not affect the outcome of the fight.

"What we do and have been doing in no way impacts any athlete's ability to compete," Tygart said.

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Floyd Mayweather's Adviser Wonders What Manny Pacquiao Has to Hide3

By Lem Satterfield


"Why?"

That's the question Floyd Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, has for Manny Pacquiao.

As in, why won't the seven-division world boxing champion from the Philippines allow his blood to be randomly tested for performance enhancing drugs by the United States Anti-Doping Agency before taking the ring on March 13 against Mayweather?

If it is not called off due to the negotiations impasse related to the drug-testing issue, Mayweather-Pacquiao is slated for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, whose Nevada State Athletic Commission requires bloodwork to be submitted before issuing year-long licenses to fighters.

The NSAC tests urine for performance enhancing drugs, usually after a fight, but does not require blood testing for illegal drugs.

NSAC chairman Keith Kizer said Pacquiao's urine tests have always been clean, adding, "I don't have any reason to believe" that Pacquiao is on steroids.

It had appeared that Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) and Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) were in agreement in principle with all of the fight deal's negotiation parameters, including a 50-50 financial split, competition at the 147-pound limit, eight-ounce gloves, and an Olympic-style random drug test at the request of Mayweather's camp.

But recently, Pacquiao, believing that giving blood so close to fight time would weaken him, has told his handlers that he would supply blood only 30 days out or beyond from the fight or directly after the fight, according to his promoter, Bob Arum.

"We're not going to be harassed into taking blood tests the day of the fight, or, even the week of the fight," said Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz.

"I'm not accusing Manny Pacquiao of anything. However, if he doesn't have anything to hide, then what is the problem?" asked Ellerbe, adding that Pacquiao's refusal to adhere to USADA standards is "a deal-breaker."

"If Pacquiao is representing that he is superstitious of needles," said Ellerbe, "then how does he have tatoos all over his body?"

Travis Tygart, chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. But his organization is the one contracted to execute the blood-testing procedure.

"The USADA is the gold standard for administering this type of testing, and neither Top Rank, Mayweather Promotions, nor Golden Boy Promotions will determine when and how often the USADA will be conducting their tests," said Ellerbe. "That's the whole objective of doing random-testing. You don't get a chance to prepare."

Tygart told the Los Angeles Times recently that blood screening can allow testers to detect use of "a number of potent performance-enhancers not detectable in urine."

But Arum told FanHouse that even the methods used by professional baseball, basketball and football would be preferable than the spot-check blood-testing procedures he sees with USADA.

"The conventional thinking by most groups involved in the Olympics is that you can do everything with urine analysis. That's the way it's done in football, that's the way it's done in basketball, that's the way it's done in baseball," said Arum. "And Mayweather, in order to disconcert Pacquiao, can't turn things on its head. I won't allow it."

Tygart said, however, that Pacquiao's request to be tested only 30 days and beyond was "unacceptable to any effective anti-doping program," adding, "with a [30-day] window like that, you could dope to the gills and get away with it."

"Testing will not interfere with the competition," said Tygart. "It's unreasonable to believe that it would."

Pacquiao has fought in Las Vegas 11 times, including his past six bouts -- decisions over Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, and knockouts over David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

The NSAC does require blood testing for AIDS and other blood-related diseases. Urine tests are screened for performance enhancing drugs, alcohol and marijuana, Kizer said.

"Talking to the experts, they are very confident in the drug-testing that we do. And if they weren't, we'd change it. But we're confident in how we do drug-testing, and we'll continue to do it that way," said Kizer. "That being said, if a fighter or fighters want to do additional drug-testing, more power to them. We have no problem with that."

Pacquiao weighed 134, 142, 138, and, 144, respectively, against Diaz, De La Hoya, Hatton, and, Cotto, scoring knockouts in nine, eight, two, and, 12 rounds.

Pacquiao's ability to carry power into all of those bouts has raised questions in the eyes of Mayweather's camp, and his father, Floyd Sr., in particular.

Arum has said that the fight is off, and that he has begun to look for other opponents for Pacquiao.

Asked if he believed that the fight will still occur, Ellerbe said, "I do believe that it can still happen."

"I believe that Pacquiao, being who he is, that he'll step up and take the test," said Ellerbe. "These are the two best fighters in the sport, and entire world is watching. We have a chance to show, with two of its best athletes, that boxing is a clean sport."

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Pacquiao, Cory Aquino top local Yahoo searches

abs-cbnNEWS.com


MANILA, Philippines - Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, former president Corazon Aquino, actress Maricar Reyes and the late rap artist Francis Magalona were among the most searched persons on Yahoo Philippines this year.

According to Yahoo Philippines' 2009 Year in Review, Pacquiao continued to cement his reputation as the most popular athlete in the country after topping the list of most searched topics for Yahoo Philippines this year. Pacquiao made history this year by winning his seventh world title after defeating Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto last November.

Pacquiao is followed closely by the late president Aquino who died last August 1 after a year-long battle with colon cancer. Aquino's funeral march lasted 10 hours and was witnessed by millions of Filipinos who mourned the death of the freedom icon. Pacquiao and Aquino hold the distinction of being among the few Filipinos to grace the cover of the Asian edition of Time magazine.

King of Pinoy Rap Francis M also dominated local Yahoo searches after he succumbed to leukemia last March. He placed number 3 on the Yahoo Philippines overall search terms in 2009.

Filipinos also turned to Yahoo to search for news about tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana),which struck the country last September. Other search terms that made it to the top 10 list are Dionisia Pacquiao (5), Shalani Soledad (6), Eraserheads (7), University Athletic Association of the Philippines (8), Mar and Korina (9) and Philippine Basketball Association (10).

In Yahoo’s celebrity search rankings, actress Maricar Reyes beat out more established stars such as Angel Locsin and Kris Aquino to become the most searched celebrity in 2009. Reyes' profile shot up after a series of sex videos between her and celebrity doctor Hayden Kho were leaked onto the Internet.

The top celebrity searches in the Philippines are:
1. Maricar Reyes
2. Angel Locsin
3. Sandara Park
4. Pamela Bianca Manalo
5. Kris Aquino
6. Marian Rivera
7. Michael Jackson
8. Coco Martin
9. Anne Curtis
10. Judy Ann Santos

In a market where mobile penetration is more than 68%, Filipinos are definitely spending a lot more time searching and surfing the Internet on the mobile. The top mobile searches for Philippines include:
1. NBA
2. Katrina Halili
3. Manny Pacquiao
4. Marian Rivera
5. Hayden Kho
6. Francis Magalona
7. Citigroup
8. Michael Jackson
9. Cory Aquino
10. PBA

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Manny Pacquiao lives up to "Mexicutioner" name with La Bamba performance

By Craig Newmanon


While promoter Bob Arum continues to work with Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines to come to terms on the heavily anticipated bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., it seems the pound-for-pound most feared man in boxing is passing his time in stride.

Pacquiao has earned a reputation as the man where Mexican fighters go to die. As his dominance has grown, he's bested Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Mexican-Americans Oscar de la Hoya and Chicago's own David Diaz. If that weren't enough, now he takes on Richie Valens with this karaoke take on "La Bamba," caught at TMZ.

Of course, the seven-time champion and Filipino national hero hasn't just been singing as the Mayweather booking develops. He's also in the midst of his second run for Congress. filed his candidacy to represent the southern province of Sarangani under his own People's Champ Movement, the local Commission on Elections office said. He'll run against Roy Chiongbian, brother of the incumbent who due to term limits can't seek re-election.

In a country that literally shuts down when Pacquiao fights, it's a wonder he lost the first time.

And about Pacquiao-Mayweather? March 13 is the date everyone's circling after Roy Jones' stunning loss in Australia to Danny Green as the Vegas date is now open.

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Paulie Malignaggi and the Pacquiao Steroids Nonsense

By Steve Lewis


Junior welterweight contender Paulie Malignaggi, who has an upcoming rematch against Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz this coming Saturday in Chicago, IL, has made some noise again all over the internet over his “speculation” and “opinion” that WBO Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao is under the influence of performance enhancing drugs, despite numerous reports that Pacquiao had tested negative after his Nov. 14 bout with Miguel Cotto.

During an interview on the Boxing Truth Radio with Ricardo Lois and John Chavez, Malignaggi stated, after being asked about Manny Pacquiao:

“Look at what Manny is doing. He is absolutely crushing world-class killers. And here he is, this little midget.”

“He gets a broken eardrum and yet, he is walking around afterwards like he was dodging spitballs. There are things (drugs?) out there than can do that.”

“You’re hiding under a rock if you can’t see what I am talking about. This is a guy who was life and death with Juan Manuel Marquez at 120 pounds and now, he’s got 15 to 17 pounds of muscle on him. Look at how short he is. He didn’t get taller, did he?”

Now, I am not a chemist or a biologist, but I have seen and heard of the various symptoms and side effects of someone who is on steroids or performance enhancing drugs. Does Pacquiao fir the profile? Here are the typical signs:

* Unusually greasy hair or oily skin (Pacquiao does not appear to be any more greasy or oilier than Malignaggi).

* Acne breakouts in the shoulder and back area (even watching on HD, I don’t recall seeing any on Pacquiao).

* Hair loss or receding hairline (if anything, Pacquiao’s hair seems to be getting wilder and bushier).

* Increased thickness and length of body hair (other than Pacquiao’s scraggly beard, I don’t see much body hair on him).

* Abnormally excessive development of the breast tissue (Pacquiao’s never really been noted for his pecs, but rather for his massive calves and those shark-like gills underneath his chest).

* Increased aggression or irritability (other than in the squared circle, Pacquiao is as nice as they come, signing autographs for hours, etc. He’s not exactly noted as being a “snarler.” He smiles, waving at the crowd when he marches into the ring, for crying out loud.)

* Disrespectful or abusive behavior (Pacquiao never trash talks and always remains diplomatic, even towards his opponents).

* Extreme mood swings (Pacquiao is known to be a happy-go-lucky kind of guy).

* Almost cartoonish muscle growth (Pacquiao has never been considered a “big” guy. The guy is cut like hell, but he does not have a crazy bodybuilder-type physique. In his climb from 126 to 130 to meet Erik Morales, Pacquiao was the seen as the “smaller” man. In his climb from 130 to 135 against David Diaz, Pacquiao was the “smaller” man. In his climb to 140 to meet Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao was the “smaller” man. In his climb to 145 to meet Cotto, Pacquiao was the “smaller” man).

* Unusual increase in the size of the head – literally, not figuratively (money & fame will do that, but look at Major League Baseball’s Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. Their noggins literally got bigger. Barry Bonds’ hat size reportedly increased by 4 sizes! Pacquiao’s head appears to be the same).

* Uncharacteristic increase of power/stamina (Pacquiao has always been noted as a puncher with “pop.” He was not some feather-fist who developed power out of nowhere, like Bret Boone of Major League Baseball, who became a homerun hitter out of nowhere. When Pacquiao started out as a jr. flyweight pro, Pacquiao ended his fights with a KO or TKO within 5 rounds or less in 15 of his first 25+ fights. He knocked down the Mexican triumvirate of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez at least 11 times, maybe more if not for ropes holding them up or the bell saving them. Numerous sparring partners have reportedly been sent home packing, with birds still flying around their heads. The guy obviously does not get called a “Tropical Storm” or a “Typhoon” because of all the wind that he blows).

So none of these common warning signs seem to be applicable to Pacquiao. This is a guy, after all, who is even hesitant to take an Advil, let alone, steroids.

It’s a silly accusation. Steroids or not, a perfectly placed punch to a precise spot on the chin will still knock you down, if not out! And Malignaggi’s suggestion that Pacquiao must be on something to withstand the pain of power shots and a busted eardrum is ridiculous! Someone would have to be on PCP or something similar to walk through major punishment.

Seriously, if Pacquiao was on PCP, he would not be prancing into the ring with an ear-to-ear grin, waving at fans, looking like a kid in a toy store. He would be fidgeting around, contorting his facial muscles like he’s about to jack someone.

Does Pacquiao look like he’s on some kind of uppers? The guy is too cool under pressure and laid back to be on any kind of uppers. Some people will have to realize that sometimes, it’s all about hard work and discipline. And for even a select few, it’s a matter of having a God-given gift or ability.

Let’s hope this issue is finally laid to rest, but with the upcoming superfight with the Mayweathers, it probably will not.

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My son's too much for Pacquiao: Mayweather Sr.

abs-cbnNEWS.com


MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather, Sr. has always chosen Manny Pacquiao’s opponents to prevail over the pound-for-pound king, but the Filipino boxing icon always proved him wrong.

Not this time, though. Floyd Sr. predicted that his son, the undefeated Floyd Jr., will outpunch Pacquiao.

“Pacquiao could never beat something that came out of me,” Floyd Sr. told FightHype.com.

The outspoken trainer said Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto would get the better of Pacquiao, but the seven-division world champion conquered them instead.

Floyd Sr. was the trainer of Hatton for his fight against Pacquiao.

“With Pacquiao, it’s not even going to be a figuring out process. Pacquiao is terrible, man. The man don’t move his damn head, he jumps straight in,” commented the elder Mayweather.

“Lil Floyd hasn’t taken any damage in the fight game and Pacquiao knows he is fighting a different animal; ain’t going to take no damage,” he added.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) and Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) are slated to clash on March 13 in the battle between the world’s top ranked pound-for-pound fighters. It was reported that a press conference on January 11 will officially announce the fight and its details.

Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title will reportedly be at stake. It was also reported that both fighters agreed to a 50-50 purse split.

Pacman shrugs off Floyd Sr.'s comments

Pacquiao, meanwhile, refused to get himself dragged into a "war of words" with the Mayweathers.

That's just not his style, said the reigning pound-for-pound king ang current World Boxing Organization welterweight champ.

"I don't wanna say trash talks.... tahimik lang ako siguro," Pacquiao said during the official opening of his memorabilia shop in Manila.

In fact, Pacquiao has nothing but good words for Floyd Jr.

"Mabilis at malakas din [si Mayweather], siyempre dati siyang Number 1 pound-for-pound," said the Filipino boxing star.

When asked about his choice of site where the fight should be held, Pacquiao said he would still pick Las Vegas.

"Kahit saan, basta Las Vegas," he said.

His wife Jinkee is concerned about her husband's choice of fight date with Floyd Jr. Both camps have reportedly agreed to have the fight staged on March 13, which is just three months away.

"Parang nakakatakot kasi maaga pa so mas-okay siguro kung May," said Jinkee.

She, however, said it is still Pacquiao who has the final say regarding such matters.

"Sabi niya siya ng nakaka-alam sa sarili niya," said Jinkee.

Khan as sparring mate

Pacquiao’s trainer, meanwhile, talked about his plans for his ward’s upcoming training.

Freddie Roach said he wants World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan to be Pacquiao’s sparring mate in his training camp for the Mayweather bout.

“Amir's speed is good for Manny, and Amir is the only guy who can keep up with Manny in the gym. When they train, they are like machines,” Roach told The Daily Mirror.

Khan, who is also coached by Roach, sparred with Pacquiao before the Filipino boxing great took on de la Hoya and Hatton.

Moreover, Roach said he wants Khan to fight in the Pacquiao-Mayweather undercard. “Amir would be ready by March, no problem, for another world title defense.”

Khan recently defended his WBA title against Dmitriy Salita by technical knockout in Round 1.

“There are a lot of big names for him now, here in Britain, and in the States. [Juan Manuel] Marquez is one, while [Jose Luis] Castillo is making a comeback and has told me he wants to fight Amir,” Roach continued. “The only guy I don't want him to fight is Manny.”

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Khan to be sparring partner for Pacquiao

By Jason Kim


World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan will reportedly be one of the sparring partners for World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao for his March 13th bout against unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. This is a plus for the 23-year-old Khan, because he’ll have the chance to get some valuable sparring in with Pacquiao and possibly lean some things in the process.

This may be Khan’s last chance to pick up things from Pacquiao, as there is talk of the Mayweather fight being the last fight of Pacquiao’s career. If that is indeed the case, then there won’t likely be anymore future sparring sessions between Khan and Pacquiao. It may even be rare that the two fighters see each other, because Pacquiao lives in the Philippines and likely won’t be taking too many trips to the U.S.

Khan defeated Dmitriy Salita by a 1st round knockout last Saturday night in England. It was an excellent performance by Khan, who wants to move his operations to the United States where he hopes to become a big star. Khan hasn’t mentioned an opponent for his next fight, but there’s talk of him fighting Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Ricky Hatton.

Of the three, Castillo probably is the most likely to get the opportunity. Khan could fight on the undercard of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on the 13th of March, in which case the sparring with Pacquiao will serve Khan well for his own training. Although if Khan fights the 35-year-old Castillo, the sparring with Pacquiao won’t be one in which Khan is facing a similar fighter to Castillo.

While Khan wants to become a star in the boxing world, it will be difficult for him to do that unless he’s put in with some good fighters who can still fight. As of yet, Khan’s management team appear to be bringing him along slowly and haven’t put him in with dangerous fighters like Edwin Valero, Timothy Bradley, Marcos Maidana, Kendall Holt and Victor Ortiz.

There’s time for that in the future, but Khan won’t likely become a big star until he’s fighting other big named fighters that are in their prime like the aforementioned boxers. Khan has a victory over 35-year-old Marco Antonio Barrera, but the win, a 5th round technical decision, wasn’t as impressive as it could have been because the fight was stopped early because of a cut on the forehead of Barrera.

If Khan faces Castillo, it would add another a big name to Khan’s resume, albeit another old one. In the end, trainer Freddie Roach and Khan’s promoter Frank Warren will select who Khan will fight next. It probably won’t be a dangerous opponent given that this will be Khan’s voluntary defense and they’ll likely want Khan a chance to look good in front of a large world wide audience. Castillo would give Khan an opponent with a name that might interest fans more than, say, a fight with a younger fighter with more ability.

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Manny Pacquiao fight with Floyd Mayweather Jnr likely to be most lucrative in history

by Gareth A Davies

The super-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jnr has the feel of an event on the scale of Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier or, in terms of boxing styles, Sugar Ray Leonard v Marvin Hagler.

The event, which is scheduled for March 13 next year in Las Vegas or Dallas, will also be the most important boxing event for 25 years.

The super-fight would almost certainly break the existing record of 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, which is held by Mayweather for his fight against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.

That match, between Mayweather, then the pound-for-pound king, and De La Hoya, the sport's most popular fighter, eclipsed the buy mark of 1.99 million, set by the 1997 Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson heavyweight championship 'ear-bite' rematch, and the revenue record of $112 million, set by the 2002 Lennox Lewis-Tyson heavyweight title fight.

Mayweather against De La Hoya made $120 million in pay-per-view revenue. Overall, with gate receipts, Pacquiao-Mayweather could creep up to the $200 million mark.

Promoter Bob Arum, of Top Rank, left Manila on Sunday, after a three-day visit in which he relayed an offer from Mayweather. Both fighters are guaranteed $25 million, before their shares in pay per view revenue.

The fight could easily gross $100 million which, if it catches fire in the mainstream, could rise to $150 million. Arum insists the boxers' signatures "are a formality", but it is not so. The venue is yet to be decided, but at least the weight is set at 147lb, and at welterweight, that suits Mayweather.

The fight pitches Pacquiao, boxing's star of the moment, against Mayweather, the bad boy unbeaten incumbent, who has permitted the rise of Pacquiao into the same stratosphere after a 21-month absence from prize fighting.

Under trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao has progressed from brawler to fighting machine. Pacquiao has gone from a world champion at 112lb to beating the best at 147lb, maintaining his speed and power.

Mayweather, who at 32 is two years older than Pacquiao, is still unbeaten, and is the most gifted fighter of this generation, but the templates are also set. In one corner, the cocky, brash bad boy, played by Mayweather, opposite the humble man from the shanty town in the Philippines in Pacquiao.

It is on a par with the biggest fights in history – an unbeaten future Hall of Famer, who is in the line of accession of the great slick American boxers, following Sugar Ray Leonard and Pernell Whitaker, against a Filipino idol with political ambitions. Pacquiao's rags to riches tale could even elevate him from pauper to the President of a nation. It was the fight of a generation. And it had to be made.

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Amir Khan lined up for Manny Pacquiao - Floyd Mayweather Las Vegas supershow

By David Anderson


Amir Khan could make his long-awaited US debut on the same bill as Manny Pacquiao's superfight with Floyd Mayweather.

That showdown between the world's two best fighters has been marked down for March 13 in Las Vegas and Freddie Roach wants Khan to appear with his pal Pacman.

Khan's profile Stateside has gone up another notch following his sensational 76-second demolition of New Yorker Dmitriy Salita in the first defence of his WBA light-welterweight crown and Roach feels he is ready to conquer America.

"I would love for Amir to fight on the undercard of Manny's next fight," said Roach, who wants Khan to spar with Pacquiao for the Mayweather showdown.

"Amir would be ready by March, no problem, for another world title defence.

"There are a lot of big names for him now, here in Britain, and in the States. Marquez is one, while (Jose Luis) Castillo is making a comeback and has told me he wants to fight Amir.

"The only guy I don't want him to fight is Manny and I want him to spar with him before Mayweather.

"Amir's speed is good for Manny and Amir is the only guy who can keep up with Manny in the gym. When they train, they are like machines."

Roach missed Khan's first knockdown of Salita inside 10 seconds because he was climbing down the steps to his seat in the corner and even he was stunned by his protege's speed and power.

Khan flattened the previously unbeaten Salita with a lightning leftright hook combination and then forced the WBA's No.1 challenger to take an eight count under another flurry of punches before finishing him off with a left hook. Roach is delighted with Khan's progress under his tutelage at his Wild Card gym in Los Angeles and believes he can win world titles all the way up to middleweight.

"I think he has the potential to become a superstar and win multi-titles for sure," said the American trainer, who has produced 26 world champions.

"He has the body to go up to 147lbs, even 160lbs in the long-term. He has the size to go up to middleweight, he's still growing. The key thing is to take the speed and power up with you and a lot of guys can't do that as they move up the weights."

Khan, who is 23 tomorrow, was thrilled by his win, but was more concerned about getting his confiscated mobile phone back from Roach. "I've sent a message out and most fighters will think twice about fighting me," he said. "I haven't hit my peak. I've a long way to go and I can only get better.

"Next year some time I want to go to the States and I'll sit down and see what's out there.

"But for now, I just want my phone back. My whole world revolves around my phone, but Freddie's had it for the last 10 days because he wanted me to stay focused in camp."

Promoter Frank Warren was blown away by Khan's devastating display and claims he can succeed where Naseem Hamed, who was at ringside at Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena, failed by fulfilling his potential.

As brilliant as Naz was when he reigned as world featherweight king, Warren felt he didn't achieve everything he could have in boxing because he lost his focus.

"He can be better than Naz," said Warren. "At one stage of his career, Naz was the best fighter I have been involved with.

"Naz beat everybody there was to beat in that division and during that time, he was the best featherweight on the planet - then things happened.

"He didn't dedicate himself like he should have. The difference with Amir is that he is dedicated. He can go and do what Naz should have done."

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Pacquiao - Mayweather

by Anthony L. Cuaycong


Manny Pacquiao obviously doesn’t think much of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. After all, it took him a mere two hours to accede to the terms and conditions Top Rank honcho Bob Arum negotiated with Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer for their upcoming welterweight bout. Never mind that the March 13, 2010 date for the set-to is a mere three months away, and never mind that he will be squaring off at 147 pounds, the heaviest in his career.

Not that Pacquiao doesn’t have reason to feel optimistic. On the contrary, his emphatic victory over Miguel Cotto last month for an unprecedented seventh belt in as many weight classes has had pundits tagging him as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the annals of the sport. And when juxtaposed with equally convincing performances against Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya, his latest outing underscores his unique capacity to bring his speed and power with him through his climb up the weight ladder.

Still, Pacquiao should be wary of treading the fine line between confidence and cockiness. As he readies himself for the biggest contest of his career, the last thing he should do is be goaded into mistakes by Mayweather’s obnoxious personality. He may have no love lost for the American, but he would do well to respect the latter’s punching power.

Under the circumstances, it’s no surprise that oddsmakers have tagged Pacquiao a slight underdog. The good news is that it eases the pressure on the People’s Champ, albeit just slightly. All the same, he doesn’t appear to be intimidated by his opponent or by the enormity of the task at hand; he evidently knows where he stands, and he should be all right for as long as he keeps his feet on the ground.

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People's champ: Manny Pacquiao

By David McNeill


He's the best boxer in a generation, and so popular Filipino guerrillas call a truce while he's in the ring. But can he be a winner politically too?

Even for a sport as famous for its hucksterism as its athletic skills, it was brave talk. Shortly before trading punches with Manny Pacquiao in the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel in May, Ricky Hatton attempted an ill-advised verbal KO.


The man known to millions as Pac-Man was a one-dimensional boxer, said the Pride of Hyde, unvarying and "there to be hit". "He's never met a man as fiery, ferocious or rough as me, and certainly not as big and strong," Hatton said.

As usual, Pacquiao let his fists do the talking, with a typically clinical six-minute demolition that clinched him the world light-welterweight title and helped cement his reputation as the finest boxer on the planet. A blur of crunching punches and lean, oiled power, he landed four times as many blows as Hatton, flooring him twice in round one, then knocking him out in the second round. Hatton was sent to hospital, and into a career crossroads. For the Filipino it was another day at work: "I'm just a fighter, doing my job," he said afterwards.

That typically low-key assessment vastly underestimates his lethal skills – and his status at home. Last month's destruction of Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto made Pacquiao the only fighter in history to win seven titles in seven different weight divisions, and again brought his native country grinding to a halt. Crime in the Philippines plummets every time the diminutive (5ft 6.5in) boxer steps into the ring as hoods and cops huddle around TV sets, briefly united in their love for a national hero. The Philippine government, which once put him on a postage stamp, even claimed that years-long fighting between its army and Islamic rebels in the troubled south of the country stopped during the Cotto bout.

Credited with helping to resurrect a sport that had become mired in corruption and a labyrinth of competing governing bodies, Pacquiao is one those rare sportsmen, like Tiger Woods and Muhammad Ali, who transcends their profession and seems to hover in a stratosphere above other mere mortals. Now 30, he knows that rock-star popularity won't last forever, so he is re-launching a political career that could either bring him down to earth with a bump, or fulfil his promise to help the ordinary Filipinos who made him rich. Some believe he could go all the way to the presidency.

It's a long way from his humble beginnings on the southern island of Mindanao, where Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao was born into a typically poor Filipino family in 1978. When aged 8 he wrapped towels round his hands as if they were boxing gloves, and at 12 he happened past a television screen showing James "Buster" Douglas defeat Mike Tyson. It led him to dream. Yet the family were so poor they slept on cardboard boxes. His biographers say he ran barefoot in the hard-scrabble city of General Santos selling flowers and doughnuts until the age of 14, when he left home after his drunken, farmhand father Rosalio cooked and ate a stray dog his son had brought home.

It was also the fear of being a burden on his mother Dionisia (who hoped he would be a priest) that caused him to stow away on a boat bound for Manila, 500 miles away, where he trained in a city gym and sold ice water and doughnuts (again). He sent home whatever he earned, to help feed his five siblings. He wrote regularly to his mother, explaining that, like it did for so many poor kids, boxing offered him salvation – and an outlet for the ferocity that lurks beneath his deceptive geniality. He worked as a labourer, and fought in the illegal underground scene, where several fighters died, including friends of his. He practised using a cardboard box stuffed with discarded clothes. Two years after leaving home, and weighing a puny 106 pounds, Pacquiao won his first professional bout.

Hampered by raw, sometimes erratic performances and fluctuating weight (he has fought at everywhere from 7st 8lb to 10st 7lb), his career was not all plain sailing. After settling at 112 pounds, he won his first World Boxing Council flyweight title, then lost it in a third-round knockout. Ten pounds heavier and fighting as a super bantamweight, he took the IBF world title from South African boxer Lehlohonolo "hands of stone" Ledwaba in 2001, starting him on the road to national superstardom.

With trainer Freddie Roach by his side at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Pacquiao honed his skills, perfecting a steely left hand that has helped earn him titles in flyweight, super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight and welterweight divisions. Those who know him say that after 14 years of professional boxing, he remains the same, slightly puzzling dichotomy: when not fighting, he is modest and easy-going, a regular church-goer and devout Catholic who rarely engages in the "dissing" of opponents so typical of the sport. Unleashed inside the ring he turns almost feral, dishing out savage punishment that is sometimes difficult to watch – one ringside commentator said Miguel Cotto's face was like "raw hamburger" after 12 rounds with the Filipino.

Like all great boxing narratives – real and fictional – success has brought the one-time barefoot street hawker wealth he once dared only dream about. He shares a huge, gaudy mansion in General Santos City on the island of Mindanao with his wife Jinkee (who met Pacquiao while selling make-up in a shopping mall), four children and a sprawling team of minders, servants, security guards and hangers-on. The commercial property he owns includes cafés, a convenience store and a souvenir shop that sells all things Manny, from dolls to DVDs.

He is a personal friend of President Gloria Arroyo (who knows the value of being photographed with him) and has met world leaders and Hollywood superstars, including Sylvester Stallone, who reportedly wants to make a movie about his life. Time magazine recently called him one of the world's 100 most influential people. As his fame grows, the purses have grown richer – the Cotto fight earned him a reported $22m before tax. Forbes magazine this year said he is the world's sixth highest-paid athlete.

After stints as an unsuccessful soap actor and even a pop star, there seems nowhere left for him to go except into politics. Few doubt his personal appeal or charisma: in one of the poorest countries in Asia, politicians and the media have lined up to praise Pacquiao for restoring some semblance of national pride. His demigod status is partly a warped reflection of the miserable lives endured by so many of his countrymen, 4,000 of whom went to the airports every day last year – about nine million Filipinos are forced to live abroad as nurses, cleaners, construction workers and prostitutes (and around 10 per cent of the national GDP comes in remittances from émigrés). But it is also a function of his generosity: he is known to spend tens of thousands of dollars entertaining guests. Ahead of a recent fight, he distributed $800,000 in tickets to friends. President Arroyo calls him "an inspiration to Filipinos around the world", a winner who returned home to share his good fortune.

Pacquiao often nods in the direction of the wretched lives he left behind. "I fight for the people," he said this year. "I want to please them and give them hope. I'm fighting for my country." But his wealth and celebrity has opened up a huge gap with the vast bulk of ordinary Filipinos, a third of whom struggle below the official poverty line of $3 a day for a family of five. Icon status or no, few observers think he has any chance of denting in the country's enormous problems unless he goes to war with its endemic corruption, and the handful of wealthy families that block reform or the redistribution of wealth.

Undaunted by a failed political bid two years ago, Pacquiao this week registered his candidacy for Senate elections, pulling up at the election office of Alabel town on Mindanao island with a convoy of supporters and 20 vehicles to register his own People's Champ Movement. As if to emphasise the corruption and political sclerosis that blights his homeland, his fellow candidates included former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, whose husband Ferdinand murdered opponents, imposed martial law and pilfered billions before fleeing to exile in 1986. Once a pariah, the 80-year-old matriarch is again the head of a political dynasty.

Pacquiao's friends say he is motivated less by personal ambition than a mixture of genuine concern and guilt for the people he has left behind. Above all, he knows that every boxer needs a second act. To remind him, he only has to look at skid row a few miles from his General Santos mansion, where another former world boxing champ who rose from the slums, Rolando Navarrete, now lives in embittered poverty. Trainer Roach says Pacquiao has perhaps two fights left in him, including the long-promised match-up with Floyd Mayweather Jr, likely to be one of the richest fights in history. "I would love to see Manny knock this guy out and then retire," Roach said last month. "There's no place to go after that."

If his senate bid is successful, he will then trade the ring for the infinitely more complicated world of politics. Only time will tell if he tackles it with the same ferocity he now reserves for his gloved opponents.

A life in brief

Born: Kibawe, Bukidnon province, Mindanao, December 17, 1978.

Early life: Grew up on the streets of General Santos City with five siblings. Ran away to Manila aged 14, where he worked as a labourer.

Career: Made professional debut in 1995. In June 2001, he stepped in at the last minute in an IBF super-bantamweight fight in Las Vegas, winning by TKO. Met coach Freddie Roach as a result in the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Beat Marco Antonio Barrera in Texas in 2003 in featherweight division. Proceeded to win world titles in seven weight categories, most recently against welterweight Miguel Cotto. Ran for a congressional seat in 2007 but was defeated.

He says: "I want to please them and give them hope. I'm fighting for my country"

They say: "He'll throw a combination at you. You'll think he's done, but then he'll keep pounding you. And there's not a dense hardness to his punch. It just jumps on you. It explodes" – coach Freddie Roach

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WWE superstar Batista on the upcoming Pacquiao-Mayweather dream match: "I think Manny's gonna kill him!"

Rommel R. Llanes


World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Dave "The Animal" Batista, recently paid the country a visit to shoot a TV ad for the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) energy drink, Xplode.

PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was among the press invited to a press conference held for the 6-foot-6-inches tall, 290-pound pro-wrestler and the latest energy drink to hit the market. The imposing Batista warmly greeted everyone and gamely answered the questions thrown at him by the press with Showbiz Central host Mo Twister hosting.

Among the questions answered by the five-time pro-wrestling heavyweight champion was about the movie he's supposed to do with current World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao.

"There were talks about it," he said. "I would love to. I'm a big fan of Manny. I really consider him as a friend. Although I have not spent a whole lot of time with him, but I was fortunate enough to walk him to the ring and sit with him a little bit and talk to him. He's a great guy, and I would love to do a movie with him."

Batista said his hectic WWE schedule, however, is among the things keeping him from doing a movie with the Filipino boxing champ. Batista was part of Manny's ring entourage during the latter's title fight with Brit boxer Ricky Hatton last May 2009 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.

Batista (David Michael Bautista Jr. in real life) also told the press of what he thinks Manny would do to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the former Pound-for-Pound King and latest challenge for the Pacman. Talks have been going on between the two boxer's camps for either a March or September 2010 match.

"I think Manny's gonna kill him!" the sports-entertainment star said. "And I believe that. And even if I wasn't a fan, just watching him [Manny] in the ring is just so impressive. He's in a different league."

Batista also admitted he gets into arguments with fellow wrestlers Rey Mysterio Jr. and Triple H because of their boxing favorites. Being Mexican, Rey always roots for the Mexican boxers, while Triple H is a close friend of Pretty Boy Floyd.

"Oh, we argue all the time!" Batista said while laughing about his arguments with Rey and Triple H. "He [Triple H] is kinda tight with Floyd Mayweather, so there's a constant argument with us. But at the end of the day, he knows that I'm right."

Batista also gave his thoughts on Pacquiao's entering politics.

"If he feels strongly about something, I'm sure there's a reason why he's running, I'm sure there's something that triggered him into wanting to run for Congress. So more power to him."

PROUD TO BE PINOY. Edwin Tutanes, general manager of URC Beverage II Division, said Batista epitomizes the image Xplode wants to project. "And as we all know, Dave has Filipino roots, and Xplode is a Filipino product. And we saw the match and we felt that it could be a good match to have Xplode and Dave Batista as our endorser."

Aside from his being half-Pinoy and now, his endorsement of a Filipino product, the part-Greek, part-Filipino wrestling superstar have also been practicing the Filipino martial art kali.

"I do a style developed by Ray Dionaldo, it's Filipino Combat Systems. It's really a knife and empty hands system, kali. They don't do escrima or arnis. I've been doing it for almost four years. I trained under a guro [instructor] named Moreese Crump. A guro under Ray Dionaldo."

Dave is also proud of the work ethic he inherited from his grandfather Alfonso Bautista. He wasn't really sure where Grandpa Alfonso really hailed from. All he knows about his grandfather is that he came somewhere from the south of the Philippines and went to the States with practically nothing.

"So he had to work really hard to earn a living. He always had like three or four jobs. He was the hardest working person I knew. And when he passed away, a lot of people came to his funeral and talked to me about him. And they said, I knew your grandfather 'cause he was my barber, or he was my taxi driver. He always had these odd jobs, three or four jobs, 'cause he was such a hardworker," Batista proudly said about his grandfather.

And despite his big size, display of great strength and ferocity in the wrestling ring, Big Dave admitted he is only scared of one person—his mother, Donna Ray Bautista.

"She can talk harshly to me, you know... Well, it's probably, more of respect rather than fear. You know, it's one of those things that no matter how old you get, if you still love and respect your mom, you always kinda back down from your mom," Dave laughingly said about another of his Pinoy traits.

Also big on Batista is respect for women, another Filipino trait he is also proud of. When asked if he has met someone here whom he finds attractive, the wrestling superstar mentioned a meeting he had with a really beautiful woman who turned out to be a famous actress during his last visit in the Philippines. Asked for the name of the actress, Dave said he'd rather not mention her name.

"I had no idea she was an actress. The first time I saw her, I was like, 'God, she's so beautiful!' And we had this conversation, it was in a nightclub I went to, and she was just awesome. It was only through one of my bodyguards, Lorenzo, that I learned that she's a popular actress here. I really had no idea," the popular WWE wrestler said.

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Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach sued for assault

More issues around Manny Pacquiao's camp as the feared Filipino continues to weigh the Floyd Mayweather bout being kicked around possibly for March 13. Pacman's trainer, Freddie Roach, has been sued for assault and battery and infliction of emotional distress.

In a report on TMZ, the incident apparently occurred between Roach and boxing writer Alex Vidal:


According to a lawsuit just filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Freddie Roach became enraged at Wildcard Gym Boxing Club in L.A., after coming face-to-face with Alex Vidal -- a boxing writer who penned a story titled, "Sick Roach Misses Conception's Last Workout (oddly unavailable online)."

Roach -- who suffers from Parkinson's disease -- allegedly challenged Vidal, claiming "he was not sick and that he only went to a clinic." Vidal says he apologized and said he was merely quoting a statement from boxer Bernabe Conception's manager.

Roach allegedly went on a tirade, pushing Vidal "roughly" in the left shoulder, and yelled, "The next time you write about it, I will kill you."

Vidal is suing for the ever popular "unspecified damages.

Now, if we could just get to that fight in the ring.

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Pacquiao match topped ratings in November

by JEFFREY O. VALISNO


News shows led weekday TV ratings

After being shut out in the national ratings race for weekends in October, GMA Network topped the national weekend ratings list last month thanks to boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

The network’s Nov. 15 telecast of the welterweight title bout between Pacquiao and Puerto Rican pugilist Miguel Cotto was the most watched weekend program last month, with almost half of surveyed TV viewers nationwide tuning in to the fight.

The delayed broadcast of the 12-round fight that saw Mr. Pacquiao winning his seventh world boxing title scored a national audience rating of 45.2%.

The primer shown by GMA Network on the same day before the delayed broadcast of the boxing match received a national audience rating 28.1%, ending up fourth in the Top 10 list of most watched weekend programs last month.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.’s nightly primetime newscast TV Patrol World remained the most watched weekday program nationwide for the second straight month as of last November, as viewers tune in to the news in run-up for the filing of certificates of candidacies for next year’s elections.

Based on the national urban TV audience measurement (NUTAM) survey conducted by media research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) from Nov. 1 to 30, TV Patrol World posted an average monthly national household rating of 34.8%.

Its rival newscast, 24 Oras by GMA Network, Inc., also improved its national audience share to settle at eighth place with a rating of 25.1% last month, from a rating of 23.5% in October.

Candidates had from Nov. 20 up until midnight on Dec. 1 to file their certificates of candidacies for the May 2010 national polls.

Weekend viewing

ABS-CBN’s Saturday fantasy series Agimat: Alamat ni Ramon Revilla finished November with an audience rating of 33% to settle for second place among shows aired during weekends, followed by the Saturday edition of ABS-CBN’s newscast, TV Patrol World with 30.3%.

The rest of the Top 10 weekend programs all came from ABS-CBN. In fifth place was the musical game show The Singing Bee with 27.1%, followed by the longest-running drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya with 26.9%.

The Sunday evening news-magazine program Rated K: Handa na Ba Kayo? scored an average rating of 26.7% last month to finish seventh, followed by the musical talk show Sharon with 25.2%, and the Saturday afternoon public affairs program Failon Ngayon with 23.8%.

Rounding out the Top 10 list of most watched weekend programs nationwide was the children’s gag show Goin’ Bulilit with an average national household rating of 23%.

End of run

Former top weekday program, ABS-CBN’s nightly drama series May Bukas Pa, ended in second place among weekday programs nationwide, with an average national household rating of 34.5%, followed by ABS-CBN’s teenage drama series Katorse, with 30.1%

In fourth place was the Filipino version of the Korean drama series Lovers in Paris. The ABS-CBN show scored an average monthly rating of 29.2%. The program, which stars Piolo Pascual and KC Concepcion is set to end its 10-week run this Friday.

The nightly fantasy series Darna remained the most watched GMA Network TV program nationwide, scoring an average rating of 28.4% last month to settle at fifth place. It was followed by ABS-CBN’s drama series Dahil May Isang Ikaw, with 27.2%.

GMA Network’s adaptation of the popular Korean drama series Stairway to Heaven ended November in seventh place, with a rating of 26.4%. The show, featuring young stars Dingdong Dantes and Rhian Ramos, will have its final episode this Friday, after airing for the past three months.

In ninth and 10th places are two ABS-CBN shows: the reality series Pinoy Big Brother Double Up with a rating of 23.2%; and the noontime show Wowowee with 21.9%.

Doubts on ratings

TNS started setting up its TV audience measurement panel at the start of 2007. It has been releasing ratings data to TV networks and advertising agencies since September 2007.

TNS first officially released its national TV audience measurement data last February. TNS bases its survey results on a panel of 1,370 representative households from the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) and its suburbs (called Mega Manila), North Luzon, Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

GMA Network reiterated its doubts over the national ratings results being released by TNS. The network ceased subscribing to the ratings reports since early this year. GMA instead relies on the ratings data provided by market research firm AGB Nielsen Philippines.

AGB Nielsen Philippines is a subsidiary of AGB Nielsen Media Research, which is a joint venture formed by the Audits of Great Britain (AGB) Group, and the Television Audience Measurement (TAM) business of The Nielsen Company in March 2005.

AGB Nielsen Philippines has been providing TAM data for Philippine broadcasters and advertisers since 1992 as Nielsen Media Research and from 1999 as AGB Philippines.

In October 2006, AGB Nielsen established the country’s first national TAM panel called the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM).

More than a year later, ABS-CBN filed a civil case against AGB Nielsen in December 2007 after the Lopez-led media giant allegedly discovered tampering in the ratings in Bacolod. However, a Quezon City regional trial court junked the case in January 2008, saying that it was prematurely filed.

GMA Network said that AGB Nielsen Philippines and TNS Media Research generated different TV ratings results for the TV stations during the third quarter of the year.

"In primetime, TNS data showed ABS-CBN’s programs leading by 9 to 10 points ratings over GMA’s. Audience share of ABS-CBN’s primetime block were at 50 to 51 points according to TNS," GMA Network said in a statement furnished to BusinessWorld.

"But according to AGB Nielsen’s NUTAM, ABS-CBN’s primetime shows had an average rating of 27.8%, up by only 5.8% over GMA’s. ABS-CBN’s audience share based on AGB was only at 44.6%, lower than the 50% to 51% share recorded by TNS," the Gozon-led network said.

GMA Network asserted that while national TV ratings are dominated by ABS-CBN, viewers in urban Luzon and Mega Manila remain loyal to the Kapuso channel.

"In Urban Luzon, which accounts for 77% of the total urban TV population in the country, GMA posted a 1.5-point lead over competition with an average channel rating of 16.2% versus ABS-CBN’s 14.7% according to AGB Nielsen. GMA also posted a 3.5-percentage point lead in audience share with an average of 38.5% versus ABS-CBN’s 35% during the third quarter," GMA Network said.

The network added that it has booked 10 spots in AGB Nielsen’s list of overall top 20 programs in Urban Luzon for October, with Darna leading all programs in the roster with an average rating of 31.1%.

"In viewer-rich Mega Manila, which accounts for 49% of total TV households, GMA outperformed the competition with an average channel rating of 17.5%, up by 3.5 percentage points over ABS-CBN’s 14% according to AGB. GMA had an average audience share of 40%, 8 percentage points higher than competition’s 32%," GMA Network said.

GMA Network claimed that it secured 12 spots in the AGB Nielsen’s list of overall top 20 programs in Mega Manila, with Darna, 24 Oras, and Stairway to Heaven as the top three TV shows on the list.

Source

Why Floyd Mayweather Will Beat Manny Pacquiao

by Alan Thomson


For several months now, ever since the realistic possibility of a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight had begun to loom, I’ve been sifting my brain to try to determine who I thought would win.

And for the majority of that time, the winner has seemed about as clear to me as what may have transpired between Tiger Woods, the fire hydrant, his wife, and the golf club at 2:25 am that November morning in Orlando.

But take heart my fellow boxing fans, for I have, at long last, projected a winner. And Floyd be thy name.

While I am quite aware that somewhere on the order of ninety-two million Filipinos and a respectably large segment of Western society will disagree with me, they will not change my mind.

Few fighters in pugilistic history have gone on more of a roll than the one on which Manny Pacquiao now finds himself. He has been annihilating some of the best boxers in the world.

He made Oscar De la Hoya look like a fraternity pledge going through a hazing. And what he did to Ricky Hatton was plain obscene. It should have been televised on Cinemax during the wee hours of the morning in place of the softcore porn which normally airs there.

After a competitive first five rounds, which also happened to include two knockdowns by Manny, he found his rhythm and proceeded to tyrannize Miguel Cotto, adding a couple of complimentary new tatts to the face of his heavily tattooed adversary in the process.

Mayweather’s ascent to the top of the pound-for-pound charts was not nearly as abrupt or dazzling as was the Pac Man’s. After a virtuoso performance against undefeated Diego Corrales in 2001, a fight that many experts had picked Corrales to prevail in, he simply kept winning. And he did so almost always quite convincingly against a healthy sized collection of high quality opponents.

He really hasn’t been in a tightly contested fight since facing Jose Luis Castillo twice in 2002. His win over De la Hoya was by split decision, but there are few, if any, people outside of East L.A. who felt that Oscar won.

Floyd started out slowly, surveying his opponent while taking little risk, as Floyd tends to do, and slowly dialed up the thermostat, counterpunching and potshotting Oscar into abandoning his strategy along with his WBC belt.

And most recently, little Floyd masterfully dominated Juan Manual Marquez, a fighter whom Pacquiao had monumental issues dealing with in two bouts, which resulted in a draw followed by a disputed win.

Looking at the common opponents of Money and the Pac Man, the aforementioned De la Hoya and Marquez, it is difficult to get any insight into predicting a winner. The common opponents theory is known, even by casual fans of the sport, to have little relevance in determining fight outcomes.

The saying that “styles make fights”, although old and worn, is probably the truest axiom in the business. This is precisely why I’m picking Floyd to win the fight. Not only does he have the style known to give Manny fits, but also the speed and ring savvy to execute it like no other.

Attempting to beat Pacquiao by standing and boxing with him, as De la Hoya and Cotto aspired to do, is about as promising as the hope that the Browns will be playing the Rams in the upcoming Super Bowl. He’s just too quick and capable of throwing powerful shots from unusual angles.

Trying to pressure and brawl with him is about as smart a bet as Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian making it to their golden anniversary. Ask Ricky Hatton, assuming that he has regained any memory of the fight, his nationality, or his name after the epic smackdown the Pac Man laid on him.

What type of style does it take to deal with the Filipino superstar? That of a sharpshooting counter-puncher. This is the style of Juan Manuel Marquez, whom many feel beat Pacquiao in their last fight. It is also the style of Mr. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. And no one is better or quicker at it than he.

Pacquiao’s M.O. is to attack. And he does so in a very skillful and slick manner, using in-and-out as well as side-to-side movement while throwing sharp, fast punches at times from nearly inconceivable angles.

Even a fighter with the appalling quickness and defensive skills as Mayweather would have difficulty attempting to trade hands with Pacquiao. But Floyd doesn’t trade. Never has.

His game is to use his prodigious foot speed to stay out of harm’s way, spot openings, and fire lightning-quick, accurate, and precisely timed shots and then move away again until he recognizes the next opportunity.

Marquez found quite a few of those opportunities. Floyd will find more. There exists a gaping difference in speed and defensive ability between Floyd and Marquez, as exhibited during their recent fight.

One could argue that Manny has improved since his last fight with Marquez nearly two years ago. I don’t disagree. Were they to fight for a third time, Pacquiao would be an ample favorite and deservedly so. Even so, for the first five rounds of their fight, Cotto got to Manny. And he got to him often.

Mayweather, a faster and more skilled fighter with a proven style for making life difficult for Pacquiao, is going to get to him more often and for a longer stretch of the fight.

But in order to pull this off, Floyd will have to remain vigilant and on the move for the entire fight.

He will sometimes allow his opponents to get close to him and then depend on his considerable defensive skills to evade their punches at close range. He will relax to the point that the opponent will cross midfield, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to let them into the red zone, let alone the end zone.

I don’t see this working effectively against Manny. His hands are too quick, and he punches at such befuddling angles. If you let the Pac Man cross midfield, he’s got the skills to make it into the end zone.

But Floyd has always been prepared for his opponents. I have yet to see him gassed or unable to maintain his distance for the full 12 rounds. And when he has been determined to make a statement, he has tended to do so emphatically.

Considering the skill of Pacquiao, I don’t see an emphatic win for Mayweather. I’m predicting a victory by close decision in a fight that will have its share of shifting tides and in which Floyd will get hit far more than he ever has in any of his previous fights.

Ultimately, I see Floyd’s movement, timing and hand speed overcoming Manny’s quick-handed, sharp punching attacking style.

We may never find out what happened that early morning between Tiger Woods, the fire hydrant, his wife, and the golf club. But come fight night, the real pound-for-pound king will be revealed.

Either way, we’re going to see two all-time greats fighting while still in their respective primes. This is something that happens, on average, less than once a decade, my friends. It doesn’t get any better than this.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr backs himself to beat Manny Pacquiao despite gambling losses

By Ron Lewis


Most people would struggle to know what to do with the amount of money that Floyd Mayweather Jr is set to make from his bout with Manny Pacquiao, although the man himself does not seem to have trouble spending it.

Mayweather, whose hobbies include throwing piles of cash into crowds in nightclubs, has also revealed himself as a big gambler. The American, 32, who calls himself “Money”, is understood to rake in a guaranteed $20 million purse (about £12.3 million) for the contest, which is expected to be on March 13. This is before they start counting the pay-per-view cash, which could comfortably more than double his earnings.

But the five-weight world champion likes a bet, particularly on American football and basketball, often driving after training from his home in Las Vegas to casinos on The Strip to place his bets in cash.

When he appeared on television this week, he revealed the enormous scale of his wagers. “I lost big this weekend, lost huge,” Mayweather said on Joe Buck Live on HBO. “Two weeks ago I won like a million [dollars], that was across a week of games, Monday night, Sunday and Thursday. I didn’t lose a million but I lost a couple of hundred thousand.”

He added that he lost the money on the New England Patriots, who were defeated by the Miami Dolphins, and then on Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, who scraped a win against the Washington Redskins. “Then I tried to get some get back and lost some more money on Brett Favre [of the Minnesota Vikings].” he said.

The undefeated world champion loves to flaunt his wealth, often showing off his enormous home and fleet of expensive cars to camera crews, while happily boasting of the huge price tags that came with the jewellery he wears.

He seldom leaves his house without tens of thousands of dollars of gambling money on him, which is usually carried by a member of his entourage, and he recently made a video — available on YouTube — that shows him counting out $1 million in cash from a bedside cabinet and putting it in a bag.

The bout with Pacquiao is expected to be formally announced on Monday, followed by a press conference in New York on January 6. No venue has been agreed, but Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer, of the joint promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy respectively, are considering Cowboys Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, the American football team, in Arlington, Texas. The stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000 and a retractable roof, was opened in May this year and cost $1.3 billion to build.

An alternative venue is the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, where both have had their recent bouts, although its capacity is under 20,000. Other possibilities include the Georgia Dome, in Atlanta, and the Superdome, in New Orleans, where Muhammad Ali became world heavyweight champion for the third time in 1978 by beating Leon Spinks.

Arum, though, has discounted the possibility of holding the contest outdoors in March, even in Las Vegas.

Mayweather has no doubts about the result of the bout, saying that he would knock out Pacquiao, the 30-year-old Filipino who beat Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title last month to continue a remarkable move up the weight division. Pacquiao’s first world title was at flyweight and he now claims titles in seven weight divisions.

“Pacquiao’s a good fighter, but I’ve been around a long time and I’ve dominated boxing for around 15 years now,” Mayweather said. “No one has defeated me yet so we’ll have to see.

“The thing is, I don’t want the fans to be really shocked by what will happen when we do happen to meet up because it’s not going to be anything new — he’s been knocked out before and he’s taken losses. I’ll be victorious, you can believe it.”

Although there is said to be a strict confidentiality clause, various details of the discussions have leaked out, including that the two will box in 8oz gloves and that although Pacquiao’s title will be on the line, Mayweather negotiated to have his name listed first on the posters.

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Mouthy Malignaggi: 'Midget' Pacquiao is phony Superman

by Michael Marley


I think I finally figured it out and I can't blame the Brooklyn Hustler Yo Paulie Malignaggi.

On Sunday night, while pumping his Saturday night HBO rematch against Juan Diaz in Chicago, the scrapper from Brooklyn by way of Italy, resumed his verbal attack on the accomplishments of Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao.

Malignaggi was a featured guest on "The Boxing Truth Podcast" with co-hosts John Chavez and Ricardo Lois.

You've heard it before, you will no doubt hear it again whether Malignaggi wins, loses or draws against Diaz.

Oh, what did I deduce?

That Malignaggi is just continuing to conduct a spitball at a battleship assault on Megmanny in the slim hopes of someday landing a multimillion dollar paynight him.

Malignaggi's theme--which he freely admits is based solely on "my opinion and speculation"--remains that Pacquiao is cheating by using some sort of illegal substance(s) that make him almost impervious to pain inside the ring.

"Look at what Manny is doing," Malignaggi said. "He is absolutely crushing world class killers. And here he is, this little midget.

"He gets a broken eardrum and yet he is walking around afterwards like he was dodging spitballs. There are things (drugs) out there that can do that."

Malignaggi claimed that he is not a Pacman hater nor is he simply jealous of Manny's ring riches.

"Youre hiding under a rock if you can't see what I am talking about. This is a guy who was life and death with Juan Manuel Marquez at 120 pounds and now he's got 15 to 17 pounds of muscle on him. Look at how short he is, he didn't get taller, did he?

"It's not about hating Manny or being jealous," Malignaggi said. "I think other fighters use performance enhancing drugs. I don't mean diuretics because

those are used to make weight, not to enhance your peformance. I'd say the bigger men (heavyweights) are doing it because they are not worried about making weight."

Say one thing about Malignaggi. He speaks his mind whether you like him or loathe him.

The Brooklyn Hustler is a quote machine.

He is just tugging on Superman's cape, no more and no less.

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Manny Pacquiao: Worldwide phenomenon

By Babe Romualdez


It’s unbelievable how popular and well known Manny Pacquiao has become all over the world. Even in the deepest recesses of the United States like a small town in Tennessee or somewhere in the Northwest like Boise, Idaho, his name draws instant recognition — no need to explain who or what he is.

In New York City, just the mere mention of Manny Pacquiao can light up the face of a taxi driver and make him go on and on about this Filipino boxer who chopped down to size such great fighters like the Golden Boy and the Hitman. I was simply amazed at the knowledge this guy had — he even knew the name of Pacquiao’s mother, Aling Dionisia. So much so that when I reached my destination and offered him a tip, he refused because he was just so happy to know that I was a Filipino. So much goodwill in such a short time.

Manny is definitely the first Filipino-Asian boxer to land on the cover of Time magazine — which only goes to show that he has become a global figure, generating so much interest and curiosity. As promoter Bob Arum remarked, the Time magazine cover underscores how phenomenal Pacquiao has become all over the world.

As the article pointed out, everybody wants Pacquiao. Global brands want him as endorser and baseball teams want him to throw the ceremonial pitch to attract wider audiences. In fact, he is becoming a “sexy symbol” of sorts, with the ESPN magazine showing his naked torso in its Body issue. People just can’t get enough of him. At the Jimmy Kimmel show, the audience was so delighted when Pacman gamely — and bravely — belted out a song accompanied by a live band. Others would have balked, but not Manny — revealing how confident and comfortable he has become before foreign audiences.

Naturally, with his fame also comes a lot of money — unbelievable amounts of money he has amassed since 2001 when the world first took notice of him — a last minute replacement who wrested the IBF Super bantamweight championship from Lehlo Ledwaba via a TKO. He is the first Filipino sports player to achieve billionaire status, a no mean feat considering that more often than not, boxers squander their earnings and end up dirt poor like what happened to Rolando Navarette. As Time magazine neatly sums it up, Manny Pacquiao’s rise to fame and fortune has gone “from zero to hero.”

Certainly, his rags-to-riches story continues to fascinate and inspire many Filipinos, especially young boys who dream of becoming like their idol who earns millions of dollars in every fight. During his bout with Ricky Hatton last May, the guaranteed purse was $12 million, and I am told the fight today with Puerto Rican champion Miguel Cotto has a guaranteed purse of $18 million.

Yet more than the money, what is also at stake today is a shot at making landmark history — because a win by the Filipino champion will firmly entrench him in the annals of world boxing as the only fighter to ever win world titles in seven weight categories. This is a much anticipated fight which virtually the whole world is waiting for, underscoring to a great extent the phenomenal popularity of this son from Mindanao.

Cotto may be the current WBO welterweight champion, but bettors place him as the underdog at +270 while Pacquiao is the odds-on favorite at 350. Can you imagine, no less than US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton herself has made a fearless forecast at the forum held the other day at the UST. As she said, “Of course the Pacman is going to win; is there any doubt about it?”

The goodwill that Pacquiao has generated especially in the US is simply phenomenal, with Americans chanting his name whenever they see him — outside the gym, on a makeshift arena at MGM Grand as he does the obligatory rounds — everywhere. People find him very charismatic, exuding such a pleasant aura every time he flashes that boyish, almost shy grin. As a matter of fact, an American associate of mine described him as one of the few boxers with a handsome face.

Perhaps, loyal fans see an aura of childlike innocence in their idol, which is why many of them resist the idea of Manny entering the blighted world of Philippine politics. Because of him, the world has come to know of the indomitable spirit of the Filipino, of his perseverance despite great odds, never giving up even when the face of despair and poverty stares him right on the face. It is no exaggeration to say that Manny Pacquiao is one of the reasons why Filipinos can afford to stand tall, proud and dignified before anyone today.

I certainly hope he can put the incredible goodwill he has generated to good use even after he retires by being a global Ambassador of Goodwill instead of wasting time being a Congressman. Manny has carved for himself an unparalleled niche in boxing — but politics in this country is an entirely different sport — one that can easily destroy a person not only financially but even character-wise.

Whatever the outcome of this fight may be, there is no doubt that Manny Pacquiao has already become the most well-known Filipino ever, one that we can all be proud of. He must not allow anything — certainly not politics — to destroy what he has achieved with his sweat and brawn.

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Dallas Stadium Likely out for Pacquiao-Mayweather

By TIM DAHLBERG


Promoters of Pacquiao-Mayweather cancel Cowboys Stadium visit for fight

Promoters of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight abruptly canceled a trip to Dallas on Wednesday, dealing a possibly fatal blow to the chances of Jerry Jones landing the bout for Cowboys Stadium.

The trip was canceled at the last minute because Mayweather's promoter apparently decided he didn't want the fight at the new stadium. The move leaves the MGM Grand hotel arena in Las Vegas as the heavy favorite to host the March 13 fight.

Co-promoter Bob Arum — who got the news at his 78th birthday party Tuesday night — was upset by the trip being canceled because Jones had rearranged his schedule so he could give the promoters a tour of the $1.2 billion stadium and present a proposal to host the bout.

"I'm just embarrassed, really embarrassed," Arum told The Associated Press. "The man (Jones) changed his whole schedule for this and you certainly want to listen to the man."

Arum said he was blindsided by Mayweather's promoter, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who was to join him in Dallas along with HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. He said Schaefer called him and told him he wasn't going to go to Dallas because he didn't want the fight there.

"There was no point in me going then," Arum said. "My guy can't go into the ring and just take bows. He needs an opponent."

Arum said Schaefer told him that he didn't want to stage the fight in an outdoor stadium, and that there wasn't enough time to set up the stadium for the bout.

"I told him it wasn't an outdoor stadium, that it had a retractable roof," Arum said. "That didn't seem to matter."

The abrupt cancellation was the first problem between the two promoters, who earlier had quickly come to agreement on the date of the fight and the purses for their respective fighters. Things were going so smoothly that they were looking for sites for a Jan. 6 press conference in New York City to formally announce the bout.

Schaefer could not immediately be reached for comment. He and Arum earlier agreed not to publicly speak about the negotiations until all arrangements for the fight were complete.

Arum said he planned to talk to Schaefer again Thursday and that he didn't believe the fight was in any jeopardy. Though both fighters have reportedly agreed to terms, neither of them have signed contracts.

Jones said last week he hoped to bid for the fight for his stadium in Arlington, Texas, and representatives of the Superdome in New Orleans were also interested. The gate for the fight could be the richest ever in boxing, perhaps exceeding the $20 million mark before even starting to count pay-per-view sales.

A Staples Center official told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that the arena has made a $20 million offer to host the fight, but the offer would likely have to be higher than any MGM Grand offer because California imposes state taxes that the fighters would have to pay, and Nevada doesn't.

The MGM Grand is also considered a favorite because that's where both Mayweather and Pacquiao have fought their biggest fights. Mayweather lives in Las Vegas, and has always been partial to fighting in the city.

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Pacquiao opens novelty shop in Manila

abs-cbnNEWS.com


MANILA, Philippines - Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao opened a souvenier shop offering branded "Team Pacquiao" items in Manila on Tuesday.

Pacquiao, along with his wife Jinkee and his entourage, were greeted by swarms of fans at the Robinson's Mall in Ermita, where the "Team Pacquiao" shop was opened.

The shop sells Manny Pacquiao t-shirts (including Nike branded tees), jackets, boxing gloves, shorts, shoes and trinkets that were reportedly handpicked by Jinkee Pacquiao.

The store's opening came barely 2 months after the Pacquiaos opened a "Team Pacquiao" souvenier shop at the Robinson's Place Mall in General Santos City (GenSan), which is Manny's hometown.

The store also offers a selection of signature Manny Pacquiao clothes and accessories.

Each store carries a distinct "Team Pacquiao" logo on the storefront with a scrawled signature bearing the words "By: Manny Pacquiao" below.

Business acumen

This is not the Pacquiao couple's only foray into business, as the pair have opened a boutique and a chain of coffee shops in GenSan. (Read about Manny Pacquiao's many investments here)

Jinkee opened her boutique in August this year called "Jinkee's Fashion World" at the JMP Building along Osmeña Street in GenSan.

The high-class boutique, which has a large framed picture of Jinkee near the store counter, sells earrings, blouses, designer printed bags, watches, hair accessories and wallets.

The glass-paneled, green-walled boutique also carries Manny Pacquiao merchandise like jackets, round-necked t-shirts, and ceramic mugs or plastic tumblers with the trademark "Nike Pacquiao Identity Crest" bearing the boxer's initials.

The Pacquiao couple also opened franchises of BluGre Coffee, Davao's leading specialty coffee shop chain, in GenSan.

One of the coffee shops was opened at the JMP Building and another at the Robinson's Place Mall.

Aside from tending to their blossoming businesses, the Pacquiao couple are also busy preparing for Manny Pacquiao's birthday celebration on December 17.

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Mayweather on duel with Pacquiao: Easy fight

GMANews.TV

Despite Manny Pacquiao’s masterful destruction of a supposedly stronger and bigger Miguel Cotto, comebacking Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is still unimpressed.

In fact, Mayweather believes that if ever his megabuck battle for the mythical pound-for-pound throne with Pacquiao materializes, it will be an “easy fight" for him.

"All I can say is he's a fighter like I'm a fighter. I don't see no versatility in Manny Pacquiao, I just see a good fighter, a good puncher, but one-dimensional," Mayweather said, as quoted by The Telegraph.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao has taken the mantle as the world’s top P4P fighter ever since Mayweather retired in 2008, validating his status with spectacular triumphs over A-listers like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto. With his 12th round TKO of Cotto, the Pacman has also earned the distinction of being the first fighter to win a world title in a seventh weight division.

The unbeaten Mayweather has un-retired this year, thoroughly beating an undersized Juan Manuel Marquez in a welterweight clash last September.

With the two superstars disposing of their respective rivals, the boxing world is all eager to see an ultimate showdown between the reigning P4P king, Pacquiao, and the current No. 2 in the Ring Magazine list, Mayweather.

This early, Golden Boy Promotions, which co-promoted the Mayweather-Marquez showdown, is reportedly ready to step in as middleman to negotiate with Pacquiao’s promoter Top Rank.

However, the blockbuster card may encounter major stumbling blocks in terms of share of the purse and PPV (both fighters wanting the lion’s share) and weight (Pacquiao possibly wanting a catch weight of 145 lbs and Mayweather preferring the regular welterweight ceiling of 147 lbs.)

If, in the end, the two camps come to terms, Mayweather boasted he would come out victorious like he did in all his previous fights.

"Can Manny Pacquiao beat me? No, absolutely no. Easy win, easy fight," the 32-year-old fighter said.

This fight, he added, won’t be as exciting, knowing the outcome from the onset.

"If I beat Manny Pacquiao they'll say, 'You're supposed to beat him, you're the bigger man. You supposed to knock him out'. When I beat him, people won't be surprised because he's been beaten before. He's been knocked out twice before," Mayweather said.

“The world will go wild if Floyd Mayweather gets beat, that's what the world is looking to see. They're trying to make a fighter to beat me. I'm a fighter that's never been beaten. I don't get any respect in the sport of boxing," he added.

Pacquiao at this point, though, won’t commit on his next fight, preferring to leave it all up to his promoter, Bob Arum.