Mega Fight No More?

MANILA, Philippines - Hopes of salvaging the megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are slim after American promoter Bob Arum’s”final counter offer” was quickly turned down by Mayweather’s chief adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, and negotiator, Richard Schaefer.

Arum, main man of Top Rank, had given the Mayweather camp until Monday (today in Manila) to decide on his final proposal that both parties let the Nevada State Athletic Commission to make the final decision on the blood tests issue.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Arum suggested that both sides explain to the NSAC why their “preferred (blood) testing system” should be used or followed, and let the Nevada body make the final decision.

Mayweather wanted an Olympic-style blood testing to be supervised by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Under the set-up, both fighters should agree to as many as five blood and 12 urine tests - randomly.

Freddie Roach said it’s so random that that USADA can knock on your doors in the middle of the night to get blood or urine samples, in the weeks, days or just hours before the fight, and shortly afterwards.

Pacquiao’s camp said there’s no need for such, and has agreed to three blood tests (one on the first week of January, then 30 days before the match and another after the match, but was again unacceptable to Mayweather.

Arum made the offer of letting the NSAC to decide. And if the Mayweathers disagree, the Top Rank president said he could seal a Pacquiao fight with Paulie Malignaggi on March 13 “within an hour.”

Arum may find himself making the phone call when he wakes up Monday morning while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after Ellerbe and Schaefer literally thumbed down the final counter offer from Top Rank.

“Random is random. We are all intelligent people and we know what random testing is. That is what we want and it has not changed,” said Ellerbe.

“It does not make sense for this to become a commission matter. This is a contractual matter. The commission did not decide the weights or the purse split or how the foreign television rights would be sold.

“If this is Bob’s final ultimatum, then that’s what it is. That is his decision if he wants to take that position. I very much hope this fight can be made, but the reason it is at a standstill is because of the way they have handled things,” Schaefer said.

Pacquiao is vacationing with his family in Gen. Santos City and his adviser, Mike Koncz, said the 31-year-old superstar doesn’t want to make any further comment on the matter.

The other day, Schaefer said Mayweather can do away with the USADA, and it’s just a matter of both camps agreeing on the dates of the blood tests just to make sure that they’re still effective.

But that was the other day.

“We are prepared to have this handled in a way that is not us deciding or them deciding,” said Arum. “The commission meets on Jan. 19. Mayweather’s people can say why they believe additional testing above what we agreed to as necessary and we can give our viewpoint.

“Let the commission decide. If they come away and decide Manny needs to be blood tested every single [expletive] day, then we will go with that. This is the way to go to give this thing legitimacy. I hope they [Team Mayweather] see reason.” - By Abac Cordero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com) source

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It is sad to know that this fight will not push through, this is the fight I have been waiting for a long time. I'm still hoping that this fight is going to happen.
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The Biggest Fight Not Going To Happen?

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I believe that Manny Pacquiao is not taking any kind of performance-enhancing drugs, he is training very hard on every fight and there's no reason for him to take such kind of drugs. I've never seen any boxer training as hard as Manny Pacquiao.
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Negotiations to finalize a lucrative boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. took another bizarre twist Friday as Pacquiao threatened libel lawsuits and the chief executive officer of Golden Boy Promotions was accused of telling a Filipino journalist that Pacquiao is using performance-enhancing drugs.

Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said Friday that reporter Ronnie Nathanielsz of the Manila Standard told him that in September, Nathanielsz was in the Golden Boy offices in Los Angeles when Richard Schaefer accused Pacquiao of using PEDs.

Schaefer, whose company is representing Mayweather in a fight expected to be the largest-grossing in history, recalls meeting Nathanielsz in his downtown Los Angeles office but denied the allegations.


Nathanielsz, whose newspaper has not reported the alleged conversation, declined via email to comment.

Talks to finalize the bout between the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world hit a snag on Tuesday when Mayweather issued a statement demanding “Olympic-style drug testing” administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Top Rank, on behalf of Pacquiao, declined and the sides have exchanged bitter words since.

On Friday, Arum said he spoke on the telephone late Thursday with Winchell Campos, a Pacquiao publicist. Arum said Campos told him Pacquiao planned to file a lawsuit against Mayweather, Mayweather Sr., Golden Boy Promotions and Schaefer for allegations Pacquiao says they made without evidence that he is on performance-enhancing drugs.

Arum said he tried to talk Campos out of issuing a statement from Pacquiao announcing plans for the suit. But Arum said Campos then put Pacquiao on the telephone and that Pacquiao was as angry as he has ever heard him.

“Manny is usually this mild-mannered guy, but he was unbelievably angry,” Arum said. “I never heard him like that. He told me to make it stop. This was a different Manny than I’d ever heard. When I hung up, I said, ‘What the hell was that about?’ ”

When he spoke to Nathanielsz by telephone 30 minutes later, Arum said Nathanielsz recounted a meeting in Schaefer’s downtown Los Angeles office in the buildup to the Sept. 19 fight in Las Vegas between Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez in which he alleged that Schaefer told him Pacquiao was using performance-enhancing drugs.

Arum, who flew to Mexico on Friday for a week-long vacation, said Nathanielsz’s comments clarified things for him. He said he had been puzzled by Mayweather Sr.’s public allegations against Pacquiao, but said they began to make sense after speaking with Nathanielsz.

“Ronnie said he came over early for the [Mayweather-Marquez] fight and he met with Schaefer,” Arum said. “He said they met for a half hour and that Schaefer went on and on and on that Manny is a cheater and that Manny uses steroids and that Manny was on performance-enhancing drugs.

“Ronnie asked him, ‘Why would you take this attitude with this young man?’ Ronnie told me he thinks Schaefer is pissed off that Manny chose us over Golden Boy, though Schaefer is happy to take the money.”

Pacquiao signed promotional contracts with both Golden Boy and Top Rank in 2006. Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya met Pacquiao at Los Angeles International Airport and gave him a suitcase filled with $250,000 in cash, which Pacquiao later was forced to return, as an inducement to sign.

Lawsuits were filed and the matter was eventually settled in arbitration by retired judge Daniel Weinstein. Weinstein ruled Pacquiao would be promoted by Top Rank, but that Golden Boy is entitled to a percentage of profits in perpetuity from all Pacquiao fights as long as Top Rank had Pacquiao under contract.

Arum said he has asked his attorneys to have the arbitration reopened and have Golden Boy eliminated since Schaefer’s actions were not in the fighter’s best interests.

Schaefer said Nathanielsz has had a good relationship with Golden Boy, particularly with its matchmaker, Eric Gomez. Schaefer admitted he hosted Nathanielsz in his office, but denied he made any accusations about Pacquiao and performance-enhancing drugs.

“I would never accuse anybody of anything and those who know me know that’s just not the way I am,” Schaefer said Friday. “I would never go and allege anybody is doing anything, so that is absolutely not true that I would have said to anybody that Manny is cheating. I didn’t.

“We have a pretty good relationship with Ronnie. I think Eric does. He came to see our offices, but there was no accusation of cheating. And in this process, over the last few days or weeks, not once did you hear me say, to you or to anyone else, that I am accusing Manny of taking anything or doing anything illegal.”

Schaefer also questioned why, if Nathanielsz had such information, that he had not reported it.

Mayweather Sr. began inferring that he suspected Pacquiao was on steroids or some other performance-enhancing substance in September, not long after Nathanielsz visited the Golden Boy offices.

After Pacquiao’s victory over Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, Mayweather Sr. suggested to Yahoo! Sports reporter Martin Rogers that Pacquiao’s improvements were not natural.

“You know there is something going on with him,” Mayweather Sr. told Rogers. “If I was Floyd I wouldn’t fight him because of that. It just don’t add up. Take a look at them old pictures, man. That’s a different dude. And he got knocked out when he was 30 pounds lighter, but now he can stand there and take Cotto’s best shots? Come on.”

Arum reiterated Friday that Pacquiao is clean and said the fight can be salvaged if Mayweather backs off his insistence that testing be administered by USADA. USADA’s procedures demand random testing up to and including the day of competition.

Pacquiao has an aversion to giving blood close to an event, both Arum and his adviser, Michael Koncz, have said, believing it weakens him. Arum said Pacquiao would submit to testing if it were done under the auspices of the Nevada Athletic Commission.

“They’re corrupted in this thing; they’re complicit,” Arum said of USADA. “Both sides here know the people involved in the Nevada Athletic Commission. It can handle the testing and we can work out a protocol that will prove Manny is not on anything and that won’t interfere with the fight.”

Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions and the fighter’s closest friend, refused to say Friday whether his side would accept testing done by any group other than USADA, as it has demanded.

Ellerbe said he and Mayweather adviser Al Haymon came up with the idea to require the testing, not Mayweather Jr., as a way to protect their fighter.

“We’re waiting to see if Manny Pacquiao is going to do the Olympic-style drug testing,” Ellerbe said. “The bottom line is that neither Top Rank, nor Manny’s camp, nor Mayweather Promotions or Golden Boy Promotions are going to dictate how the blood and urine testing is conducted.

“I understand this could be the biggest fight in the history of the sport, but all money ain’t good money. You can’t put a price tag on anything when it comes to a man’s livelihood. The fighters are the only ones stepping up, putting their lives on the line. It’s the fighters who are putting their lives on the line, not me, not Top Rank, not Golden Boy, not Al Haymon. Our responsibility here is to protect the interests of our guy and that’s what we’re doing.”

In his statement in which he threatened to sue, Pacquiao denies taking steroids and said he didn’t sue Mayweather Sr. earlier because he didn’t want to create distractions during his preparations for Cotto.

“I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work, hard work, hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it,” Pacquiao said in his statement. “I have no idea what steroids look like and my fear in God has kept me safe and victorious through all these years.

“Now, I say to Floyd Mayweather Jr., don’t be a coward and face me in the ring, mano-a-mano and shut your big, pretty mouth, so we can show the world who is the true king of the ring.”

Arum said he plans to continue parallel negotiations with Lou DiBella, who promotes Paulie Malignaggi, and plans to resume those talks on Monday for a Pacquiao-Malignaggi fight on March 13.

Malignaggi has suggested Pacquiao may have taken performance-enhancing drugs and Arum said Pacquiao would agree to some type of testing administered by a regulatory agency like the Nevada Athletic Commission to quell those fears.

Manny Pacquiao Gives Filipinos Reason To Cheer

It may only be games, but nothing in culture can galvanize a nation the way a world championship can. And it just so happens, in the months ahead there will be nearly a surfeit of sports nationalism.

It's only weeks now before the Winter Olympics and then, come June, the soccer World Cup, which is by far the most passionate international competition of all.

Yet in 2010, there is one little athlete who can mean more to his country — and to his sport — than all the skaters and skiers and soccer teams in the world.

The man is a boxer, Manny Pacquiao; his country, the Philippines. And what he signifies to his people everywhere is perhaps unmatched in sports history.

Lennox Lewis, the thoughtful former heavyweight champion, has even said that Pacquiao's "grip" on his country "is similar to Nelson Mandela's influence in South Africa."

The Philippines, of course, is an impoverished island nation, which has led to a diaspora of its people. In fact, Filipinos make up one of the largest groups of immigrants in the United States — and they've shown well what they can do with the main chance. Filipinos here are better educated and wealthier than the American population at large.

But Pacquiao is so special to all ethnic Filipinos, rich or poor, in the islands or abroad, because his country has never before produced any champion that it could hold high before the world. No Filipino has ever won a single Olympic gold medal.

Pacquiao is so beloved that when he ran for Congress in the Philippines a couple of years ago, he was soundly beaten largely because, as the adored national icon, his fans voted against him to keep him out of office so he wouldn't dilute his attention to the ring.

He's an extraordinary boxer, the first ever to hold seven world titles, for he began fighting at a tiny 106 pounds and now, incredibly, holds the welterweight crown at 147.

Already, there are those experts debating whether he is the greatest fighter ever — better than Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali — better at his craft than anyone who ever has laced on a pair of gloves. And at a time when boxing has descended so in popularity, Pacquiao has come to mean almost as much to his sport as to his country-people.

He's as exciting in the ring as he is talented. When Pacquiao fights the undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the dream bout that appears to be set — probably on March 13 — it will almost surely produce the largest gate in the history of the sport.

Should he win over Mayweather, himself previously acclaimed the best pound-for-pound fighter, Pacquiao's place in the boxing pantheon will be sealed. But already, he has taken this brutal sport and distilled from its blood and guts the pretty pride that Filipinos never shared before.

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Win or lose we will always be proud of Manny Pacquiao, He has given us hope and pride of being a Filipino. I just pray that nothing bad will happen between the two fighters. For now lets just wait and see until March 13,2010 who will be the best pound for pound fighter in world. Good luck to both fighters.
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Happy Birhday Manny

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MANNY 'PACMAN' PACQUIAO
GOD BLESS ALWAYS
MORE BLESSINGS

Roach says Mayweather won't do Texas Two Step with Pacquiao

Coach Freddie Roach missed Manny Pacquiao’s Thursday 31st birthday bash in General Santos.

The highly esteemed trainer of the Pinoy Idol thus broke a Pacman birthday attendance streak of three years, including Dec. 17, 2008, when he was honored to share his table with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But Megamanny can’t get mad about Roach’s absence. The Boston Irishman was at BB King’s cozy nightclub in Times Square doing what he does best, riding another talented fighter on to victory, in this case the flashy Cuban supper bantamweight Gilberto Rigondeaux.

The 2000 and 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist nearly KO’d rugged Ghanaian Lante Addy (now 6-5-1) fighting out of Baltimore in the first round but had to settle for a wide, eight round decision in Lou DiBella’s year-end “Broadway Boxing” show. Rigondeaux, who is a work in progress, improved to 4-0 and did notch not a knockout for the first time as a professional.

Rignondeaux paid homage to Roach and Pacman after his bout.

“Freddie is the greatest trainer in the world and Manny is the greatest fighter in the world…so whatever my Professor says.”

As Muhammad Ali liked to say, Rigondeaux is not “as dumb as he looks.”

I walked the frosty streets of Times Square as Roach marched back to his hotel and saw a sign of his public recognition.

As we waited for a traffic light to change on one block, a Puerto Rican family of five or six people buzzed when they saw Manny’s mentor.

“Great fight,” one of the men in the group said, “great fight.”

AP Photo

The reference naturally was to Pacman’s Nov. 14 win over Boricua Bomber Miguel Cotto.

I quizzed Roach about several topics as follows:

WHERE THE MARCH 13 FLOYD MAYWEATHER-PACMAN LOLLAPALOOZA WILL TAKE PLACE: “No way Mayweather is going to Texas. It is a Vegas fight the way I see it. Texas has had some bad decisions but Nevada has also. I just don’t Mayweather will go to Texas. We really don’t care where it is. I like Texas because that’s where we beat Barrera.”

WHY IT’S THE TOUGHEST FIGHT MANNY AND FLOYD HAVE EVER HAD: “We will train a month in Bagiuo, then to my gym in Los Angeles, then to Las Vegas. I want to get Manny into camp as early as possible. They’ve got a Jan. 8 New York press conference so maybe we’re in camp right after that. Mayweather doesn’t come aggressive like the last three guys we fought so we’ve got to do different things. We’ve got to set some traps for Mayweather and we will.”

ON HIS DISLIKE FOR ROGER MAYWEATHER: “The guy is just a gashole. He badmouths my trainer, Mr. Futch, a guy who is dead and can’t defend himself. I don’t go for that. He’s mean, different than Floyd Mayweather Sr. who is just harmless.”

ON ANY CHANCE OF MAYWEATHER DODGING MANNY: “I can’t see that because where else can he get this kind of money? Nowhere but from fighting Manny. They’re splitting the PPV money 50-50 so that tells you something.”

ON MAYWEATHER GETTING INTO MANNY’S HEAD: “No way. Manny wouldn’t take him serious. We had one opponent who was talking big and I wanted to snap at him but Manny told me, ‘Freddie, be a gentleman, I will take care of it.’”

ON DIBELLA TALKING UP A PAULIE MALIGNAGGI-AMIR KHAN BOUT IN NEW YORK: “I think we’d take that fight. I was on an airplane so I didn’t see Paulie beat Juan Diaz the other night on HBO.”

ON HOW MANNY WINS OVER FLOYD: “Manny can win a decision over Mayweather. They don’t think so but I know so.”

I wished Roach a festive holiday and a Mayweather New Year and we parted ways.


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Happy Happy birthday to you Manny, more blessings for you and your family. God bless always. Cheers
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Pacquiao vs. Mayweather - Who Will Win

By Jason Haynes: So finally, the fight the world has been waiting for, Pacquiao vs Mayweather, is to be negotiated and signed….or is it so? There have been rumours of Mayweather demanding 60-65 %, Pacquaio saying that the fight will never happen because he doesn’t think Mayweather wants to fight.

The fight will happen on March 13th and even though I feel that a fight of this magnitude should be in Dallas in front of 100,00, it will be at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

But who wins?

Cases can be made for both Mayweather and Pacquiao and I will make a case for both listing their pros and cons, starting with Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquiao Pros:

Speed: Manny’s hand speed and foot speed is noted the world over and he has the ability to throw 4,5,6 punch combinations in any round.

Power: Manny bludgeoned De La Hoya to make him retire in Roberto Duran “No mas” fashion, people attributed this to Oscar being weight drained, unfortunately so did Ricky Hatton who, in the second round of his match-up with Manny felt the full force of the pac-mans power. Still the critics tried to detract from this saying that Hatton was shot and that Manny would struggle to do the same against a live welterweight. I feel that Manny addressed this against Cotto. Cotto took a Margarito style beating from Pacquiao ( without loaded gloves!).

Chin: I feel that Manny’s chin has improved as he’s risen in weight. He seemed to struggle against Marquez in 2 epic fights, in a way that he hasn’t since against guys heavier ( Diaz, De La Hoya, Hatton, Cotto).

This I believe, is because he had to drain himself down to 130lbs whilst being a man who walks around at around 145/150lbs. Against Marquez, Pacquiao’s weight on the HBO unofficial scale come fight night was 144lbs. Boiling down to make weight and re-hydrating, as everybody knows causes the brain to shrink, thus increasing the chance of a KO due to the rattle effect when punched at the point of the Jaw. Fighting at a higher weight lessens the chance of brain shrinkage before fights and it’s been reported that Pacquiao eats as much rice and salmon steaks as he likes now without having to worry about making weight.

Technical skills: Manny has improved drastically since moving up in weight. He no longer relies on the Jab straight left combination that he used to great effect in his earlier fights. He throws more to the body, has developed a fantastic right hook and also shows a feint. He has better head movement and doesn’t lunge in as much as he did previously. He throws his punches from unorthodox angles whilst retaining that devastating power.

Fitness: Manny has shown repeatedly that he can fight for 3 mins of a round for the full 12. Against Cotto, Manny threw 780 punches landing 336.

Manny Pacquiao Cons:

After thorough analysis, I don’t see Manny having many obvious weaknesses. He is susceptible to a good stiff Jab as shown by Marquez and Cotto in the early rounds and sometimes can be caught lunging in. This has improved markedly in his last few fights but he still can be caught when launching an attack. He was hit and hurt fleetingly against Hatton in the second round before the devastating knockout but hit nonetheless whilst throwing a right/left combination.

Floyd Mayweather Pros:

Speed: Mayweather’s hand and foot speed is also impressive and although he hasn’t shown a willingness to throw combinations in every round he effectively throws rapid fire Jabs and right hand counters, sometimes right hand leads. He can attack with blurring hand speed, developed on the pads and taught to him by Mayweather SR, to body and head as shown in the Arturo Gatti fight(R.I.P) and moves effortlessly in to position to do so. His foot speed allows him to fight on the back foot and land counters against forward thinking fighters.

Defence: Mayweather has a defence akin to Pernell Whitaker or a Prime Roy Jones or Bernard Hopkins. His shoulder roll is fantastic and when on the ropes he combines that with the high held hands around the ears. His counter punching, speed of foot also makes him very elusive.

Chin: Mayweather hasn’t had to show whether his Jaw is in the Evander Holyfield league as his defence is second to none but when he has been caught he hasn’t looked on the verge of being KO’d. He appeared to be more off balance in the first round against Hatton(Hatton caught Mayweather with a straight Jab) then shaken.

Technical Skills: Mayweather’s greatest skill is how he gets the distance between him and his opponent just right. He utilises the Jab and shows a feint drawing the opponent onto his counter right. His defence appears to be his offence, fighting from the back foot almost leaning back to the side to lessen the target for his opponent. He has great timing, and commands the centre of the ring without really engaging. He has shown himself to be a master of the sweet science.

Floyd Mayweather Cons: Mayweather avoids pressure and doesn’t like to engage in a slugfest, which as he’s shown isn’t really a con, but against De La Hoya was behind until Oscar stopped using the Jab and gassed out in the later rounds. Zab Judah also had great success with his fast hands until the latter rounds.

I feel that the winner of the fight will be the fighter who can better utilise his pros against the other’s cons i.e if Pacquiao can pressurize Mayweather, attack from the unorthadox angles throwing 4/5/6 punch combinations and take Mayweather out of his comfort zone then Pacquiao wins by decision or Late stoppage. If Floyd can get the centre of the ring, use his reach advantage, dictate the pace of the fight, pot shot and counter Pacquiao, then I see Mayweather winning a unanimous decision.

My prediction?

Pacquiao throws too many punches and sets to much of a fast pace for Floyd who looks for the counter right down the pipe but doesn’t have the power to deter Manny from launching wave upon wave of attacks. Floyd

In my opinion won’t be able to withstand the typhoon that is Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao by decision. source

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I picked Manny Pacquiao won by KO in 6th. round

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Megafight Crumbling?

Megafight Crumbling: Floyd Mayweather JR Threatens Pull Out of Manny Pacquiao Showdown
By Geno McGahee-December 16, 2009

In boxing, absolutely nothing is certain. Fights are signed, sealed, and then never get delivered. In the biggest fight in the past ten years, certain obstacles have to be overcome. Egos are colliding, arguments about money and billing arise, and both believe that they have a bigger stake in the matter and should be given preferential treatment.

According to a source very close to the situation, Floyd Mayweather, JR., has threatened to pull out of the March showdown with Manny Pacquiao over a weight issue. Apparently the weight of the meeting has been established, but the wiggle room that Floyd allegedly wants is being contested by Team Pacquiao. In his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd came in heavy and paid for it financially, but others contend that Marquez paid for it in the ring, losing badly. Pacquiao does not want to face a fighter a division or so heavier than he is and has rightfully protested.

With the Manny Pacquiao bout in limbo, other options have been mentioned but these appear to be negotiation tactics. Reportedly, Mayweather’s camp has suggested that an in between bout would take place in March against a much lesser foe, perhaps a Yuri Foreman or Matthew Hatton and after that, should Pacquiao not accept the terms, a bout with the winner of the Shane Mosley – Andre Berto fight could be in the wings.

Although other options have been mentioned, expect this fight to stay on course and occur. There is far too much money involved and they have agreed on the most important specifics…the cash divide. Now we are in the bickering stage of the negotiations and expect more and more little things blown out of proportion and turned into big deals.

Manny Pacquiao has cleaned up boxing, removing Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Miguel Cotto from the big picture. There is no other fight for Floyd at this time and there is not many more options for Pacquiao either.

Pacquiao, should the fight with Floyd fall through, could fight Joshua Clottey, Zab Judah, the winner of Berto-Mosley, or move up again and challenge a guy like Yuri Foreman, a light hitter that gets hit too much…a perfect opponent for Manny should he attempt to go up in weight again, but NOBODY wants to see any of these alternatives. The boxing fans want this fight and when they want something this badly, the promoters will jump through all necessary hoops to make it possible.

When Muhammad Ali and George Foreman seemed like an impossible match up to make, Don King found a way. He lied, manipulated, and stroked the egos of both men, made them both feel like they were getting preferential treatment, when it was an equal deal. That is the mentality that should and will go into this promotion as both men are dealt with and both egos are soothed.

Floyd Mayweather, JR’s reported behavior may also have to due with nerves as he goes into the biggest challenge of his career and frustration may also be a factor. For years, nobody could share the spotlight with Floyd as he stood atop the pound for pound list. He would go into fights with popular fighters, but nobody realistically saw a chance that he would lose.

With Manny entering the picture, we have a real force that adjusts to every situation and finds a way to win, knocking out men that are talented and durable, and sending a statement to Floyd…one that he has received.

The day that Pacquiao took on and destroyed Ricky Hatton, Floyd Mayweather held a press conference announcing his return to boxing and his upcoming contest with Marquez. Part of it was positioning himself in line to take on Pacquiao, but part of it was also anger that people could actually think that the Filipino destroyer could actually defeat him.

Once this latest obstacle is ironed out and both parties are appeased, we will see this bout take place and we should see a modern day Pernell Whitaker – Julio Cesar Chavez sort of bout with the same amount of “experts” splitting down the middle. The fan bases of both men will fill the arena and they may not be able to find a place large enough to fit all of the fans that desperately want to see this bout.

This is why this fight is going to take place…despite the latest news of Floyd pulling out. Boxing is about dollars and sense and Floyd has always treated the sport like a business. He realized that he would get comparable money to take on Carlos Baldomir vice Antonio Margarito. The public didn’t have faith in Margarito at that time and accepted Baldomir just the same. There will be a huge backlash from the public if Floyd takes on anyone other than Pacquiao at this time, and when you look at the persona that he has created for himself, regardless of what the facts may be, the people will believe that he is ducking this challenge.

Floyd has made himself the villain and there are those that desperately want to see him lose for his continual disrespect of his opponents and selective matchmaking at times. No other fighter is as threatening as Pacquiao and no fighter is more popular at this time. This fight has to happen and it will. So don’t panic yet people. This issue should be resolved rather quickly. Stay tuned to RSR for the continued breaking news of the building of this super fight. source

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Pacquiao should not be threatened by the tactics of Mayweather camp. He has proven himself as the best pound for pound fighter in the world. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. is really confident that he can beat Manny Pacquiao then I think a weight should not be
an issue for him as long as it falls within the mandatory rules of boxing.

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The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Story

Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. (born Floyd Sinclair on February 24, 1977), is an American professional boxer. He is the son of Floyd Mayweather, Sr., a former welterweight boxing contender.

From July 18, 2005 through June 2, 2008 he was rated by The Ring magazine as the number-one pound for pound boxer in the world. Mayweather has won six world boxing championships in five different weight classes; he is the former WBC welterweight champion, a title he vacated upon his retirement. He was named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year in 1998 and 2007. He is currently ranked number 2 pound for pound fighter.

Mayweather is undefeated with 40 wins including 25 by knockout.

Amateur career

Before Mayweather had a successful amateur career of 84-6. He won national Golden Gloves championships in 1993 (at 106 lb), 1994 (at 114 lb), and 1996 (at 125 lb).He was given the nickname "Pretty Boy" by his amateur teammates because he had relatively few scars, a result of the defensive techniques that his father (Floyd Mayweather, Sr.) and uncle (Roger Mayweather) had taught him. In his orthodox defensive stance, Mayweather—much like James Toney—often utilizes the 'shoulder roll'. The shoulder roll is an old-school boxing technique in which the right hand is held normally or slightly higher than normal, the left hand is down around the midsection, and the lead shoulder is raised high on the cheek in order to cover the chin and block punches. The right hand (from orthodox stance) is used as it normally would be to block punches coming from the other side, such as left hooks. From this stance, Mayweather blocks, slips, and deflects most of his opponents' punches, even when cornered, by twisting left and right to the rhythm of their punches.

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mayweather won a bronze medal by reaching the semi-finals of the featherweight (57 kg) division's 31-boxer tournament. In the opening round, Mayweather led 10-1 on points over Bakhtiyar Tileganov of Kazakhstan before he won by round 2 referee stoppage. In the second round, Mayweather outpointed Artur Gevorgyan of Armenia 16-3. In the quarterfinals, Mayweather survived a late rally by Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba to win 12-11. In his semifinal bout against the eventual silver medalist, Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, Mayweather lost by a controversial decision that the U.S. team officially protested. Many who saw the bout, including the referee (who mistakenly raised Mayweather's hand when the decision was read), believed that Mayweather had won.

Professional career - Super Featherweight

Mayweather fought his first professional bout on October 11, 1996 against fellow newcomer Roberto Apodaca who was knocked out in round 2. Mayweather's trainer at the time was his uncle, Roger Mayweather, because Floyd Mayweather, Sr. was still imprisoned after having been convicted of illegal drug trafficking in 1993. Mayweather, Sr. took over as Mayweather, Jr.'s trainer when he was released from prison (after Mayweather, Jr.'s fourteenth fight—a second-round knockout of Sam Girard). From 1996 to early 1998, Mayweather won most of his fights by knockout or TKO.

In 1999, Mayweather won his first world title, the WBC junior lightweight (130 lb) championship, when the corner of Genaro Hernandez stopped the fight after round 8. Hernandez had never been defeated at the weight class. From there, Mayweather defended his title with performances against contenders such as Angel Manfredy and Carlos Gerena.

Before he fought against former WBC featherweight champion Gregorio Vargas in early 2000, Mayweather fired his father as his manager and replaced him with James Prince. A few months after the fight, the rift between the father and son became wide enough that Mayweather, Jr. fired Mayweather, Sr. as his trainer as well. Roger Mayweather returned to his role as Mayweather, Jr.'s trainer in his next bout—a non-title fight against Emanuel Burton. In an interview in 2004, Mayweather, Jr. said that he loves Mayweather, Sr. as his father but feels that he has better chemistry with Roger, and his father had put too much pressure on him to be perfect.

Mayweather's biggest fight as a junior lightweight was on January 20, 2001, against Diego Corrales. At the time, neither fighter had been defeated or knocked down. In the bout, Mayweather won every round and knocked down Corrales five times (three times in round 7 and twice in round 10). After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' cornermen climbed onto the apron and stopped the fight, thereby establishing Mayweather as one of the claimants to boxing's mythical pound-for-pound title. At the time of the stoppage, Mayweather was way ahead on the scorecards, leading by the official tallies of 89-79, 90-79, and 90-78.

In Mayweather's next bout, on May 26, 2001, future IBF champion Carlos "Famoso" Hernández knocked down Mayweather for the first time. Mayweather entered the bout with injured hands. When Mayweather hit Hernández with a left hook in round 6, the pain caused Mayweather to drop his left hand to the canvas, and the referee called it a knockdown. Nonetheless, Mayweather won the fight by unanimous decision. In the award-winning documentary film More Than Famous, Hernández's bout against Mayweather was prominently featured.

Mayweather's last fight in the junior lightweight division was against future junior lightweight and lightweight champion Jesús Chávez. It was Mayweather's eighth defense of the WBC junior lightweight title, which he had held for more than three years. He won when Chávez's corner stopped the fight after round 9. Mayweather had such difficulty making weight for this fight that he did not eat for four days before the weigh-in.
Lightweight

In 2002, Mayweather moved up to the lightweight (135 lb) division. Mayweather fought only four bouts at this weight, but they were all world championship fights. Mayweather won two bouts for the WBC and The Ring lightweight belts against José Luis Castillo. In their first bout, Castillo had success when he cut off the ring and used his strength to wear down Mayweather. But it was not enough to make up for his slow start in the fight. Still, many analysts and fans feel that Mayweather should have lost the fight, but he won by unanimous decision. In the rematch, Mayweather used his quick footwork and combinations to coast to another unanimous decision victory, this time with no controversy. The smaller Mayweather was outweighed by Castillo on the night of the fight, as Castillo weighed 147 and Mayweather weighed 138.

On April 19, 2003, Mayweather dominated the Dominican Victoriano Sosa and won by unanimous decision. Mayweather's next fight (on November 1, 2003) was in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He fought against the promising South African knockout specialist Phillip Ndou, whose record was 31-1 with 30 KOs. Uncharacteristically, Mayweather was offensively oriented from the beginning of the fight. Round 5 was one of 2003's most action-packed. In the middle of the round, Mayweather landed a barrage of powerful punches. Ndou endured and threw wild punches that forced Mayweather into the ropes, but Mayweather demonstrated his rhythmic defensive technique and let Ndou wear himself out further. In round 6, Ndou wobbled and was pushed down. In round 7, a combination of three straight right hands knocked down Ndou and caused a TKO, when N'Dou's trainers - Nick Durandt and Tommy Brooks - contemplated throwing in the towel. However, the ref stopped the fight as Ndou did not move forward (as part of a test to ensure he was okay from the knockdown).
Junior Welterweight

Mayweather then moved up to the junior welterweight (140 lb) division. His first fight in this division was against southpaw DeMarcus Corley. Mayweather used his speed to win the early rounds. In the first minute of round 4, Corley landed a solid left hand and drove Mayweather into the ropes, but Mayweather recovered and fought back ferociously. After that round, Mayweather mostly controlled Corley. Mayweather knocked down Corley in rounds 8 and 10, but Corley was able to continue until the end. Mayweather won by unanimous decision. The fight was Mayweather's only one in 2004.

On January 22, 2005, Mayweather fought against Henry Bruseles of Puerto Rico in a WBC junior welterweight title eliminator bout. Mayweather easily outclassed Bruseles throughout the first seven rounds. In round 8, Mayweather knocked down Bruseles twice, and the fight was stopped.

The win over Bruseles made Mayweather the mandatory challenger for Arturo Gatti's WBC Super Lightweight Championship. Before the fight, Mayweather was supremely confident. He described Gatti with terms such as "a C+ fighter", "a fake", and "a blown-up club fighter." The pay-per-view fight occurred on June 25, 2005 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the fans heavily supported Gatti. Near the end of round 1, Mayweather pushed Gatti's head down in close and the referee instructed the fighters to "Stop punching." Gatti broke and left himself vulnerable while Mayweather either deliberately or indeliberately disobeyed the referee's command and continued to land punches. Gatti turned to the referee to complain and Mayweather capitalised, sending Gatti to the canvas with more shots for what was scored a knockdown, despite Gatti's complaints. Throughout the next five rounds, the much faster Mayweather landed with nearly every big shot against Gatti, who had no offense with which he could return fire. Gatti's corner stopped the fight after round 6—giving Mayweather his third world title. It was one of the most one-sided and most impressive contests in boxing history. In the post-fight interview, Mayweather praised Gatti and claimed that his pre-fight comments "were just to sell tickets." Among many boxing experts, Mayweather's one-sided dominance over Gatti solidified his position as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Compubox had Mayweather outlanding Gatti by a total of 168 to 41.

One month after the Gatti fight, Mayweather went to trial for a domestic violence charge. He faced a minimum of one year in prison if he was convicted. Mayweather had been accused of violence against his former girlfriend, Josie Harris. Harris had claimed that Mayweather had punched and kicked her during an argument in Mayweather's Bentley, outside a Las Vegas nightclub in 2003. During the trial, however, Harris admitted that she had lied on the initial police report and testified that Mayweather never hit her. The jury acquitted Mayweather.
Welterweight

On November 19, 2005, Mayweather fought a non-title bout at 147 lb (67 kg) against welterweight Sharmba Mitchell. In round 3, Mayweather knocked down Mitchell with a straight right hand to the head. In round 6, another straight right hand—this one to Mitchell's body—dropped Mitchell again and ended the fight.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Zab Judah

On April 8, 2006, Mayweather defeated Zab Judah for the IBF and vacant IBO world welterweight titles by unanimous decision. Beforehand, the fight had been jeopardized after Judah lost the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine welterweight titles to Carlos Manuel Baldomir on January 7, 2006, but Mayweather's and Judah's camps reworked the contract and decided that the fight would go on. In the fight, Mayweather stayed calm during Judah's aggressive early rounds. Mayweather began to dominate Judah in round 5, and Judah eventually bled. Near the conclusion of the tenth round, Judah hit Mayweather with a left hand that was clearly below the belt and followed up with a right-handed rabbit punch. After referee Richard Steele called time with five seconds remaining in the round, Roger Mayweather entered the ring and approached Judah, but Steele restrained him. Judah's father and trainer, Yoel Judah, entered the ring as well. Floyd remained in the neutral corner while both Yoel and Zab scuffled with Roger (and others who had entered the ring) until police and security managed to restore order. Roger was thrown out, but the fight continued and went the scheduled 12 rounds. Mayweather won by the official scores of 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109. Compubox statistics showed Mayweather as landing 188 punches to 82 for Judah.

Five days after the fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission decided not to overturn the result of the bout, but Roger Mayweather was fined US$200,000 and suspended for one year. The suspension entails that Roger can train Mayweather, Jr. in the gym but cannot work the corner during fights. On April 17, 2006, the IBF ordered a rematch between Mayweather and Judah, but the NSAC suspended Judah for one year on May 8, 2006. Mayweather vacated the IBF title on June 20, 2006.

Mayweather rejected an offer of US$8 million to fight Antonio Margarito and split with promoter Bob Arum. Oscar De la Hoya, however, postponed his decision until 2007, leaving Mayweather in the awkward position of choosing his next opponent.Mayweather considered moving up in weight again to fight junior middleweight champion Cory Spinks, but because of negative publicity and Spinks' impending mandatory defense of his title, he finally decided to face WBC and The Ring welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir on November 4, 2006 in Las Vegas.

Mayweather would ultimately defeat Baldomir by unanimous decision for both titles. Ringside punch statistics showed Mayweather landing 199 of 458 punches, while Baldomir landed just 79 of 670. Mayweather earned $8 million for the fight, while Baldomir was paid $1.6 million. Both were career highs in earnings for each fighter at the time.

During the fight, Baldomir chased Mayweather sluggishly, unable to land any meaningful shots but trying to remain the busier fighter, while Mayweather picked away with sharp jabs and hooks, even managing to cut Baldomir over his left eye in the first round. This pattern continued throughout the fight. The defensive-minded Mayweather put on what many witnesses and Mayweather himself called a "boxing clinic" to take Baldomir's WBC and Ring welterweight titles in a lopsided 12 round decision. Two judges had Mayweather winning all 12 rounds, with the other giving all but two rounds to Mayweather. After the fight Mayweather called out for a fight with Oscar De la Hoya.

Super welterweight - Fight with Dela Hoya

Mayweather's next match was the long-anticipated superfight against six-division champion and current WBC Super Welterweight titleholder Oscar De La Hoya on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya's belt was on the line, which required Mayweather to move up in weight from 147 pounds to 154.

Despite De La Hoya's insistence that money was not a factor, the Mayweather-De La Hoya bout set the record for most PPV buys for a boxing match with 2.7 million households, shattering the record of 1.95 million for Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson II. Around $120 million in revenue was generated by the PPV, which set another record. With the percentages factored in, Oscar De La Hoya ended up earning $58 million for the bout, the highest purse ever for a fighter. The previous record was $35 million, held by Tyson and Holyfield. Floyd Mayweather earned about $25 million for the fight.

At one time, Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Mayweather, Jr.'s father, was in talks to train Oscar De La Hoya and be in his corner during the fight but he decided to train with Freddie Roach.

Mayweather won by split decision in 12 rounds, capturing the World Boxing Council (WBC) title though most saw the fight as being fairly one-sided on his behalf.
Return to Welterweight - Fight with Ricky Hatton

Mayweather decided to relinquish his WBC junior middleweight championship[31] and kept his WBC welterweight championship. On July 28, 2007, it was announced that Mayweather would come out of his short retirement to fight light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton which was promoted by Oscar De La Hoya's promotion company Golden Boy Promotions and Floyd Mayweather's "Mayweather Promotions." The bout was labelled "Undefeated" and took place on December 8, 2007, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, in a fight which was the biggest welterweight showdown of two undefeated fighters since Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad met in their 1999 superfight. In the build up to their fight, Mayweather claimed that he was the greatest boxer ever, saying: "I respect what Robinson and Ali did for the sport. But I am the greatest, and this is my time."

Mayweather controlled the fight from the start and knocked Hatton out in the 10th round to retain the welterweight championship. Hatton suffered a cut over his right eye in round three from the punches of Mayweather, and it seemed that it was at this point that his pace and movement began to slow. In round six Hatton lost a point for punching the back of Floyd's head as he was caught draped on the ropes. Mayweather had a huge eighth round, landing a number of clean, effective power shots.

In the 10th round Hatton was caught with a check left hook thrown from Mayweather's hip, fell forward head first into the turnbuckle and hit the deck.

Hatton managed to make it to his feet, but was clearly dazed. Two more big lefts in a flurry put Ricky down again and Cortez stopped it at 1:35 of round 10.

After the fight, Mayweather said that Hatton was one of the toughest fighters he had ever fought, that he just kept coming and coming, and that he wants to promote fights, with Hatton being his first client. Mayweather announced a two-year layoff from boxing to concentrate on his promotional company.

On March 18, 2009, it was reported that Mayweather was "ready to dance again" according to a source from within the Mayweather camp. Announcing his return to the ring seemed to be somewhat of a formality at this point, as even his estranged father, current trainer of Ricky Hatton, Floyd Mayweather Sr. stated, "He's gonna fight again."

Mayweather Jr. vs. Márquez

On May 2, 2009, it was confirmed that Mayweather was coming out of a 21-month retirement to fight lightweight champion Juan Manuel Márquez at a catchweight of 144 lbs. on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV. The fight was postponed due to a rib injury Mayweather received during training. HBO's reality series 24/7 was also postponed to start on August 29. Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 turned out to be one of the best shows of the series. The fight took place on September 19, 2009 in conjunction with Mexican Independence Day, traditionally a big boxing weekend. During the official weigh in for their 144 lb bout, Mayweather failed to meet the required limit by weighing in at 146 lbs, two pounds heavier than Marquez. He was subsequently fined as a result. However it was later revealed that the contract was changed so that Mayweather could make weight within the welterweight limit of 140-147 lbs as long as Marquez received a large guaranteed sum of money.Mayweather won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds in one of the most statistically lop sided fights between 2 world class opponents. Marquez only managed to land 12% of his total 583 punches while Mayweather landed 59% of 490 total punches. This fight marks only the fifth time in boxing history that a non-heavyweight fight sold more than 1 million pay-per-views, with the official HBO numbers coming in at over 1 million buys equalling a total of approximately $52 million. Four of those fights all featured Oscar De La Hoya as the main event, making this fight the one of two events where a non-heavyweight fight sold over 1 million PPVs without Oscar De La Hoya. The other fight was seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto which sold 1.25 million PPVs.

Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao has reportedly agreed to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13, 2010, for a split of $50 million up front, at a United States venue yet to be decided.

Manny Pacquiao Story

The Story of Manny Pacquiao begins in General Santos City, Philippines. He was born on December 17th, 1978. I can't begin telling the story of Manny Pacquiao without examining the hard life of Manny Pacquiao. He was born into devastating poverty and was forced to work at a very young age after his father left the family for another woman.

Manny Pacquiao worked in the hardcore streets of General Santos City selling breads and other bakery goods. Those same streets helped in the development of the tough and relentless individual we see in the ring today. Also known as Pacman do to the way he gobbles up his rivals in the ring, Manny began fighting for a few dollars in the streets. These fights were brutal but soon Manny Pacquiao gained a reputation for being a very tough fighter, and showing incredible grit and determination when fighting opponents that were much larger than him. Even at a young age Manny displayed the speed and left handed power that has made him one of the most exciting boxers of his era.

Manny Pacquiao's mother however was not a fan. She was very religious and had hoped her son would join the priesthood. Manny's popularity increased around the city and people began taking notice of this scrawny kid with a hammer for a left hand. Without permission Manny set off to Manila to pursue his career with hopes of becoming a star in order to help his mother and family.

The story of Manny Pacquiao was still far from a fairy tale. His time in Manila was not easy. He trained for hours and had to work just as hard to earn a living. Manny worked in construction and also in the gym where he trained doing odd jobs which included janitor. Manny was undeterred and reeled of an eleven fight winning streak before tasting defeat for the very first time in 1996 vs Rustico Torrecampo who knocked Manny Pacquiao out. This was a devastating loss for Manny. The life of Manny Pacquiao could have taken a different turn after this period. He considered quitting boxing and going back home. The thoughts of going back as a failure and to continued and never ending poverty re-ignited Pacman to fight again.

He set off on another winning streak and defeated the WBC flyweight champion Chatchai Sasakul in 1998. Finally Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao had reached one of his goals and it seemed his career was about to take off. He successfully defended his crown in the very next fight but his stint as flyweight champion was short lived as he got knocked out by Medgoen Singsurat in his second title defense. Another set back in the story of Manny Pacquiao. Disappointed but undaunted Manny continued training in hopes of another big fight and opportunity.

Manny received that opportunity in June of 2001 when he faced IBF Bantamweight Champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Manny fought and impressive fight, knocking out the tough champion in the sixth round. Winning the IBF belt in Las Vegas in such impressive fashion opened a lot of doors for Manny Pacquiao in the United States which is undeniably the largest boxing market in the world. Manny Pacquiao defended his title until 2003 when he gave it up and moved to a higher weight class which included the likes of Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, three Mexican legends. He avenged a loss versus Morales and beat him in the third match which sent the great Morales into retirement. He fought and destroyed Barrera and then faced Juan Manuel Marquez in a truly exciting bout. Marques was dropped three times in the first round and fought valiantly to get a draw. In the rematch Pacquiao was awarded what many considered a controversial win.

WBC Lightweight title

On June 28, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Pacquiao defeated David Díaz via ninth round knockout, to become the WBC World lightweight champion. With the victory, Pacquiao became the only Filipino and Asian boxer to win five world titles in five different weight classes, and also became the first Filipino fighter to ever win a world title at lightweight.During the fight, which Pacquiao dominated, Díaz was cut badly on his right eye in the fourth round. After the bout, Díaz acknowledged Pacquiao's superior hand speed, stating: "It was his speed. It was all his speed. I could see the punches perfectly, but he was just too fast."

Bob Arum reported that the fight had made 12.5 million dollars (250,000 pay-per-view subscriptions at $49.95 each),[citation needed] earning Díaz his best payday of 850,000 dollars, whilst Pacquiao earned at least 3 million dollars. Official records revealed an attendance of 8,362 (out of a maximum capacity of 12,000).

Holding both the WBC super featherweight and lightweight titles following the win, Pacquiao decided to vacate his super featherweight title in July 2008.

Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya

On December 6, 2008, Pacquiao faced Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight called "The Dream Match". Pacquiao dominated the fight for eight rounds, forcing De La Hoya's corner to throw in the towel before the start of the ninth round, awarding Pacquiao the win via technical knockout.

Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before the stoppage, with two judges scoring the fight at 80-71 and one scoring it at 79-72.[36] Moreover, Pacquiao landed 224 out of 585 punches, whilst De La Hoya landed only 83 out of 402 punches. After the bout, trainer Freddie Roach stated: "We knew we had him after the first round. He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot." The fight would be De La Hoya's last, as he announced his retirement from boxing shortly after.

Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, the bout was scheduled as a twelve round, non-title fight contested at the 147 pound welterweight limit. Although Pacquiao went into the fight widely recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world, some boxing pundits had speculated that 147 pounds could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya.

Pacquiao received 15 to 30 million dollars (share of the pay-per-view), plus a guaranteed amount. Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale. Moreover, the total gate revenue for the fight was said to be nearly 17 million dollars, making it the second largest gate revenue in boxing history.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton

On May 2, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton to claim the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight titles (as well as the lineal light welterweight title), at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "The Battle of the East and West".

The fight was originally placed in jeopardy due to disputes with both camps over the fight purse money. Eventually, the money issue was settled and the fight went on as scheduled. HBO aired the contest.

Pacquiao started the fight strong, knocking down a sluggish Hatton twice in the first round. A somewhat shaken Hatton beat the count, only to be saved by the bell seconds later. In the second round Hatton seemed to have recovered, as he stalked Pacquiao for most of the round. However, with less than ten seconds remaining in the second round, Hatton was knocked out cold by a sharp left hook, prompting the referee to award Pacquiao the win by knockout (at 2:59 of the round).

Pacquiao vs. Cotto (My Birthday)

On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto via technical knockout in the twelfth round, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "Firepower".

With this victory, Pacquiao took the WBO World welterweight title, to become the first fighter in boxing history to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. After the fight, promoter Bob Arum stated: "Pacquiao is the greatest boxer I've ever seen, and I've seen them all, including Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard."

The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched boxing event of 2009. Pacquiao earned around 22 million dollars for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around 12 million dollars. Pacquiao–Cotto also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather

Pacquiao has reportedly agreed to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13, 2010, for a split of $50 million up front, at a United States venue yet to be decided.

Pacquiao and his family

Pacquiao and his family currently resides in his home town General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines. he is married to Jinkee Pacquiao, and they have four children. Pacquiao received only an elementary school education. Recently, he took a high school equivalency exam, which he passed, and enrolled for a college degree at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University.He is also a military reservist with the rank of sergeant major.

The Only Strategy for Defeating Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Hi again to all boxing fans, I want to share a very interesting article I found while surfing the net. It analyzes a possible strategy that can be used to defeat Floyd Mayweather Jr. I hope that Coach Freddie and Manny Pacquiao should come up with a great fight plan to defeat Floyd Mayweather Jr.; enjoy reading folks"

Intro: There is one singular strategy that has never been employed against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Using it would leverage the element of surprise - which is a critical variable in war.

It is a tactic that has been successfully used before, and a technique that plays to Floyd's weaknesses. We believe that this plan will also be employed by Freddie Roach to play to Mayweather's massive ego. We find historical examples of this warplan, including a technique that Hannibal used against several ancient Roman generals which wreaked havoc around the Italian Peninsula over 2,000 years ago.

Secondly, we continue an analysis of four boxers who (temporarily) outfought Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Undoubtedly, "Money" will be the most prolific defensive and counter-punching opponent both Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach will ever face in their hall of fame careers. That Mayweather is an early slight betting favorite in this fight is the correct initial position from the gambling marketplace.

Do not be distracted by all the name-calling and trash-talking. That is mere noise. The movers and shakers of the world dig beneath the surface. A saying in investment banking: "(Believe) half of what you see, none of what you hear." [ >> Fighter of the Year Award: Manny Pacquiao ] source

Career Record - Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Philippines Manny Pacquiao 2010-03-13 WBO Welterweight title on the line

Win Mexico Juan Manuel Marquez Decision (unan.) 12 2009-09-19 Las Vegas, NV

Win United Kingdom Ricky Hatton TKO 10 , 2:35 2007-12-08 Las Vegas, NV Retained Ring & WBC Welterweight titles.

Win United States Oscar De La Hoya Decision (split) 12 2007-05-05 Las Vegas, NV Won WBC Super Welterweight title.

Win Argentina Carlos Baldomir Decision (unan.) 12 2006-11-04 Las Vegas, NV Retained IBO and won IBA and WBC
Welterweight titles.

Win United States Zab Judah Decision (unan.) 12 2006-04-08 Las Vegas, NV Won IBF and vacant IBO Welterweight titles.
Mayweather vacated the IBF title on June 20.

Win United States Sharmba Mitchell TKO 6 (12), 2:06 2005-11-19 Portland, OR

Win Canada Arturo Gatti TKO 6 (12), 3:00 2005-06-25 Atlantic City, NJ Won WBC Super Lightweight title, which
Mayweather later vacated in order to move up
to Welterweight.

Win Puerto Rico Henry Bruseles TKO 8 (12), 2:55 2005-01-22 Miami, FL

Win United States DeMarcus Corley Decision (unan.) 12 2004-05-22 Atlantic City, NJ
Win South Africa Phillip Ndou TKO 7 (12), 1:08 2003-11-01 Grand Rapids, MI Retained WBC Lightweight title, which
Mayweather later vacated in order to move up
to Light Welterweight.

Win Dominican Republic Victoriano Sosa Decision (unan.) 12 2003-04-19 Fresno, CA Retained WBC Lightweight title.
Win Mexico José Luis Castillo Decision (unan.) 12 2002-12-07 Las Vegas, NV Retained WBC Lightweight title.

Win Mexico José Luis Castillo Decision (unan.) 12 2002-04-20 Las Vegas, NV Won WBC Lightweight title.

Win Mexico Jesús Chávez TKO 9 (12), 3:00 2001-11-10 San Francisco, CA Retained WBC Super Featherweight title,
which Mayweather later vacated in order to
move up to Lightweight.

Win United States Carlos Hernández Decision (unan.) 12 2001-05-26 Grand Rapids MI Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win United States Diego Corrales TKO 10 (12), 2:19 2001-01-20 Las Vegas, NV Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win United States Emanuel Augustus TKO 9 (10), 1:09 2000-10-21 Detroit, MI

Win Mexico Gregorio Vargas Decision (unan.) 12 2000-03-18 Las Vegas, NV Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win Puerto Rico Carlos Gerena TKO 7 (12) 1999-09-11 Las Vegas, NV Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win Uganda Justin Juuko KO 9 (12), 1:20 1999-05-22 Las Vegas, NV Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win Argentina Carlos Rios Decision (unan.) 12 1999-02-17 Grand Rapids MI Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win United States Angel Manfredy TKO 2 (12), 2:47 1998-12-19 Miami, FL Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win United States Genaro Hernandez TKO 8 (12) 1998-10-03 Las Vegas, NV Won WBC Super Featherweight title.

Win Canada Tony Pep Decision (unan.) 10 1998-06-14 Atlantic City, NJ

Win Argentina Gustavo Cuello Decision (unan.) 10 1998-04-18 Los Angeles, CA

Win Dominican Republic Miguel Melo TKO 3 (10) 1998-03-23 Mashantucket, CT

Win United States Sam Girard TKO 2 (10) 1998-02-28 Atlantic City, NJ

Win Puerto Rico Hector Arroyo TKO 5 (10), 1:21 1998-01-09 Biloxi, MS

Win United States Angelo Nuñez TKO 3 (8), 2:52 1997-11-20 Los Angeles, CA

Win Mexico Felipe Garcia KO 6 (8), 2:56 1997-10-14 Boise, ID

Win United States Louie Leija TKO 2 (10), 2:33 1997-09-06 El Paso, TX

Win Mexico Jesús Chávez TKO 5 (6) 1997-07-12 Biloxi, MS

Win United States Larry O'Shields Decision (unan.) 6 1997-06-14 San Antonio, TX

Win United States Tony Duran TKO 1 (6), 1:12 1997-05-09 Las Vegas, NV

Win United States Bobby Giepert TKO 1 (6), 1:31 1997-04-12 Las Vegas, NV

Win United States Kino Rodriguez TKO 1 (6), 1:44 1997-03-12 Grand Rapids MI

Win United States Edgar Ayala TKO 2 (4), 1:39 1997-02-01 Chula Vista, CA

Win United States Jerry Cooper TKO 1 (4), 1:39 1997-01-18 Las Vegas, NV

Win United States Reggie Sanders Decision (unan.) 4 1996-11-30 Albuquerque, NM

Win Mexico Roberto Apodaca TKO 2 (4), 0:37 1996-10-11 Las Vegas, NV

Career Record - Manny Pacquiao

1995
01-22 -- Edmund Enting Ignacio, Mindoro Occidental, Philippines, W 4
03-18 -- Pinoy Montejo, Mindoro Occidental, Philippines, W 4
05-01 -- Rocky Palma, Cavite, Philippines, W 6
07-01 -- Dele Decierto, Mandaluyong, Philippines, TKO 2
08-03 -- Flash Simbajon, Mandaluyong, Philippines, W 6
09-16 -- Arman Rocil, Mandaluyong, Philippines, KO 3
10-07 -- Lolito Laroa, Makati, Philippines, W 8
10-21 -- Renato Mendones, Puerto Princesa, Philippines, TKO 2
11-11 -- Rodulfo Fernandez, Mandaluyong, Philippines, TKO 3
12-09 -- Rolando Tuyugon, Manila, Philippines, W 10

1996
01-13 -- Lito Torrejos, Paranaque City, Philippines, TKO 5
02-09 -- Rustico Torrecampo, Mandaluyong, Philippines, KO by 3
04-27 -- Marlon Carillo, Manila, Philippines, W 10
05-20 -- Jun Medina, Manila, Philippines, TKO 4
06-15 -- Bert Batiller, General Santos City, Philippines, TKO 4
07-27 -- Ippo Gala, Mandaluyong, Philippines, TKO 2
12-28 -- Sung-Yul Lee, Muntinlupa, Philippines, TKO 2

1997
03-08 -- Michael Luna, Muntinlupa, Philippines, KO 1
04-24 -- Wook-Ki Lee, Makati, Philippines, KO 1
05-30 -- Ariel Austria, Almendras, Philippines, TKO 6
06-26 -- Chokchai Chockvivat, Mandaluyong, Philippines, KO 5
09-13 -- Melvin Magramo, Cebu, Philippines, W 10
12-06 -- Panomdej Or Yuthanakorn, South Cotabato, Philippines, KO 1

1998
05-18 -- Shin Terao, Tokyo, Japan, TKO 1
12-04 -- Chartchai Sasakul, Bangkok, Thailand, TKO 8
(Won WBC Flyweight Title)

1999
02-20 -- Todd Makelin, Kidapawan, Philippines, TKO 3
04-24 -- Gabriel Mira, Quezon City, Philippines, KO 4
(Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
09-17 -- Medgoen Singsurat, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, KO by 3
(Pacquiao failed to make weight, lost WBC Flyweight title)
12-18 -- Reynante Jamili, Manila, Philippines, TKO 2

2000
03-04 -- Arnel Barotillo, Manila, Philippines, KO 4
06-28 -- Seung-Kon Chae, Manila, Philippines, TKO 1
10-14 -- Nedal Hussein, Antipolo City, Philippines, TKO 10

2001
02-24 -- Tetsutora Senrima, Manila, Philippines, TKO 5
04-28 -- Wethya Sakmuangklang, Kidapawan City, Philippines, TKO 6
06-23 -- Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, Las Vegas, NV, TKO 6
(Won IBF Super Bantamweight Title)
11-10 -- Agapito Sánchez, San Francisco, CA, Tech Draw 6
(For WBO Super Bantamweight Title)
(Retained IBF Super Bantamweight Title)

2002
06-08 -- Jorge Eliecer Julio, Memphis, TN, TKO 2
(Retained IBF Super Bantamweight Title)
10-26 -- Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym, Davao City, Philippines, KO 1
(Retained IBF Super Bantamweight Title)

2003
03-15 -- Serikzhan Yeshmangbetov, Manila, Philippines, TKO 5
07-26 -- Emmanuel Lucero, Los Angeles, CA, TKO 3
(Retained IBF Super Bantamweight Title)
11-15 -- Marco Antonio Barrera, San Antonio, TX, TKO 11

2004
05-08 -- Juan Manuel Marquez, Las Vegas, NV, D 12
(For WBC Featherweight Title)
(For IBF Featherweight Title)
12-11 -- Fahsan (3K Battery) Por Thawatchai, Rizal, Philippines, TKO 4

2005
03-19 -- Erik Morales, Las Vegas, NV, L 12
09-10 -- Hector Velazquez, Los Angeles, CA, TKO 6

2006
01-21 -- Erik Morales, Las Vegas, NV, TKO 10
07-02 -- Oscar Larios, Manila, Philippines, W 12
11-18 -- Erik Morales, Las Vegas, NV, KO 3

2007
04-14 -- Jorge Solis, San Antonio, TX, KO 8
10-06 -- Marco Antonio Barrera, Las Vegas, NV, W 12

2008
03-15 -- Juan Manuel Marquez, Las Vegas, NV, W 12
(Won WBC Super Featherweight Title)
06-28 -- David Diaz, Las Vegas, NV, TKO 9
(Won WBC Lightweight Title)
12-06 -- Oscar De La Hoya, Las Vegas, NV, TKO 8

2009
05-02 -- Ricky Hatton, Las Vegas, NV, KO 2
11-14 -- Miguel Cotto, Las Vegas, NV, TKO 12

Manny Pacquiao Birth Date: December 17, 1978

Floyd Camp Wants Drug Tests

By NICK GIONGCO
December 13, 2009, 4:01pm

The camp of Floyd Mayweather will make sure Manny Pacquiao — and even the American fighter himself — undergo an Olympic-style drug testing to make sure both fighters are “clean” when they collide on March 13, 2010.

Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe told the Grand Rapids Press over the weekend that the random drug test would be done in the weeks leading up to the fight and that he and another adviser, Al Haymon, said they acted without the consent of Mayweather.

“Al and I made sure this will be implemented. It is going to be done,” said Ellerbe.

“It’s not a one-way thing, it’s both fighters who are subject to testing. And this is not Floyd saying this.

This is me and Al. This is one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport and the fans deserve it to be fair.”

Ellerbe denied that the decision to mandate that Pacquiao be tested extensively was based on suspicions that the Filipino has been using performance-enhancing drugs the last few fights as he has been looking sensational as if he is not going up in weight each fight.

“Floyd’s got nothing to do with this. It’s our job to protect him and give him the best chance to be successful.

Inside the ring, he’s got that. He’ll have no problem with Pacquiao, none whatsoever. Our job is to take care of things outside the ring.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which holds office in Montreal, Canada, is the main agency that administers such tests but Ellerbe did not say whether another group will do the job.

“With the standard commission testing, they only test for specific things. The Olympic-style testing tests for everything. The commission testing is nowhere near as sophisticated,” added Ellerbe.

Pacquiao’s camp found the move to tap an anti-doping agency “amusing.”

“We’ve got nothing to hide so if that’s what they want, no problem,” said Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz. source

***
I think this is a Psychological war of Mr. Mayweather, Pacquiao should not be intimidated by this kind of tactics, he should be more focus now on training and prove that he is the best fighter ever live.

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

Floyd Mayweather Sr. knows nothing but a trash talk. But when Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton in less than two rounds the odler Mayweather had suddenly disappeared. I will not be surprise if his son whom he says is too much for Pacquiao will suffer the same fate that of Hatton when they clash on March 13,2010.

Here's the latest news from ABS-CBN about Floyd Mayweather Sr.'s trash talk about Manny Pacquiao.


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.”

– With reports from Percy Crawford of FightHype.com, David Anderson of The Daily Mirror (Mirror.co.uk) and Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN News

Manny Pacquiao’s one advantage Floyd Mayweather can’t counter

Manny Pacquiao is quicker and stronger than Mayweather. This is the biggest advantage of Pacman over Mayweather who knows only to hit and run.

When Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. meet next March, they will be fairly evenly matched in most aspects of boxing. Sure both have their strengths and weaknesses, but on paper they will be a close match.

The one thing that only one of them has however is Freddie Roach, widely regarded as the best trainer in the world at the moment. His game plans have turned what would have been difficult fights for Pacquiao into quick victories.

Roach was successful long before he ever met Manny Pacquiao though, he has racked up 20 world champions under his tutelage as well as moving into the world of mixed martial arts and training several fighters there also. Everyone from former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski to up and coming British Welterweight talent Amir Khan have come to Roach in the past to improve various aspects of their boxing, and he rarely disappoints.

Arguably Roach is also the trainer who has come closest to beating Floyd Mayweather so far, having trained Oscar De La Hoya in his split decision loss against ‘Money’ in 2007. Following a similar game plan as De La Hoya alone Pacquiao has an excellent chance of being the first man to beat Mayweather Jr. although Roach will likely come up with an even better one this time around.

Manny also relies on Roach and his training during fights more than Mayweather does with his trainers, following game plans to the letter and trusting that Roach knows better than he does. Many boxers, Mayweather included, prefer to test things out for themselves, and will often deviate from tactics that they don’t like, even if their trainers are disagreeing

Can the Mayweather clan match wits with Roach? (AP Photo)On the other side of the ring Floyd Mayweather Jr. will probably have either his father or uncle. The reason for the uncertainty is due to his uncle having pending charges against him at the moment, although he will probably still be the trainer come March.

Roger Mayweather is undoubtedly a good trainer, although his nephew is the kind of fighter who likely trains himself for the most part. One of the biggest strengths of Floyd Jr. is that he has great ring awareness, and will often change tactics on the fly during a round, where most other boxers would have to wait and be told what to do by their corners at the end. The fact that Pacquiao is this type of boxer could well mean that if Floyd adapts after each round, Pacquiao will struggle to counteract him. Of course coming up with different game plans for each round is far from easy, particularly against someone like Pacquiao who has so few holes in his game.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. is not the same as Roach in the coaching department, witnessed from the Ricky Hatton debacle. Hatton was left without much of a hope after Sr. failed to plug a huge hole in his defense, and Hatton himself said that he had no idea what to do after the complicated plan that Mayweather had told him wasn’t working out.

Bob Arum Arrived in the Phils for Final Talks

In three months time, two of the most exciting boxers of the century are going to create a history in boxing. Manny "Pacman Pacquiao" vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is now finally set on March 13,2010. So mark your calendars folks and fasten your seat belts. Below is the latest news from Los Angeles Times with Arums arrival in the Philippines.




By Lance Pugmire

Promoter Bob Arum arrived in the Philippines and expected to start face-to-face talks Wednesday with Manny Pacquiao to try to reach terms for a mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Despite reports Tuesday that Mayweather agreed to terms and that a Pacquiao fight was virtually set, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach cautioned Wednesday that that idea was premature because the Filipino star hadn't reviewed any contract terms.

Roach, in a telephone conversation from England, said, "Manny believes he should get a 60-40 [purse] split too, because he did better in pay-per-view than Mayweather this year. Manny's the bigger draw."

Roach is referring to the 1.25 million pay-per-view buys for Pacquiao's 12th-round technical knockout of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14, compared to the 1 million buys for Mayweather's fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in September. Yet Mayweather's December 2007 bout against Ricky Hatton generated more pay-per-view sales than Pacquiao-Hatton in May.

"I'm obviously over here to talk to Manny," Arum said from the Philippines. "At this point, I've got to find out what my fighter wants to do."

By being there, Arum may avoid the drawn-out theatrics that occurred when Pacquiao handlers complicated the negotiations before his Hatton fight. Arum and Roach were kept at arm's length, and several Arum proposals and Hatton offers were met with delayed counterproposals that nearly led Hatton to walk.

Alone, Arum boarded a flight to Manila, where he was to meet with Pacquiao and his business advisors.

"Bob will sit there and walk everybody through it, so Manny has a full grasp of the situation," Arum's lead matchmaker, Bruce Trampler, said. "He has to respect the culture. Everybody will have eaten and had their libations, and then Bob will start talking turkey."

Roach said his agent, Nick Khan, told him "Arum had a [Mayweather] deal together" when he left the U.S.

This could be a game of leverage too. Mayweather's camp may want to appear more receptive to a deal, casting Pacquiao as the one holding up the welterweight super-bout for more money.

Arum revealed only that he has negotiated with Mayweather's designated promoter, Richard Schaefer. Schaefer declined to comment.

Arum and Roach both said they are uncertain whether a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout has to be fought by March 13 because of Pacquiao's planned run for a congressional seat in the Philippines in May. HBO, which will televise the bout on pay-per-view if it occurs, instructed promoters to make the fight on whatever date is possible.

Roach prefers a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout on May 1.

"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," Roach said. "Manny has a broken [right] eardrum" suffered in the Cotto fight. "I'd like to have more time. I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape."

Sports book directors in Las Vegas are already posting odds on the unsigned fight. Jay Kornegay of the Las Vegas Hilton has opened the fight as a pick-'em after two other books split by making Mayweather or Pacquiao nearly 2-1 favorites.

"I love Pacquiao, but people forget how good Mayweather is: He never gets touched and rarely looks like he breaks a sweat," Kornegay said. A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight "is obviously a huge event, and doing it right before [college basketball's] March Madness would be a great time."

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimespugmire

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather JR agree to fight in March 2010

This is it, the fight the world has been waiting for finally comes to reality. I always believe that Manny Pacquiao will become the greatest boxer of all time.

The teams are currently working out the specifics but have tentatively agreed to a showdown early next year, which shouldn’t be a surprise to any boxing fan.

What other fight does either man have that the boxing public would want? Floyd Mayweather, JR., could take on the winner of Shane Mosley-Andre Berto, but it will not attract the masses and will not settle the score. The people are divided and even the biggest fans of each fighter are not certain of who will come out victorious.

There are arguments to be made on each side. You have Floyd’s defensive genius, timing, underrated power, and ability to adapt versus Manny’s speed, crushing power, timing, and ability to adapt. Both men have found ways to win and have not suffered defeats, ever, in Floyd’s case, and hardly ever in Manny’s. The losses to Pacquiao, outside of the decision defeat to Erik Morales (which was avenged twice by knockout), were early on in his career and cannot be considered when going into this showdown.

Even when you point to the defeat at the hands of Erik Morales, you have to admit that Pacquiao is a much better fighter now then he was at that point. He is more developed and more dangerous. His confidence is through the roof after his three straight knockout wins over popular and established warriors: Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto.

Floyd needs this fight with Manny more than the other way around. There have been several instances throughout the career where Floyd took the easier money and elected not to face off against an opponent the people hoped he would. Antonio “Hands of Plaster” Margarito comes to mind. You cannot fault him for being a great businessman, but there is some sketchiness when you analyze the opponents he chose and when he chose to fight them.

Even his last opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez, was a safe and smart choice for his return. Marquez nearly beat Manny Pacquiao on two occasions, and since Floyd is always under the threat of the Filipino, he perhaps thought a dominant win over Marquez would silence the people. It hasn’t. Marquez had nearly zero chance of upsetting Floyd due to his size and style. Marquez had to be the aggressor, which is something that he is not comfortable doing and his weaknesses in that department were exploited quite nicely by Mayweather.

Mayweather made a point in that fight that he did better against Marquez, but the same can be said about Manny and his performances against De La Hoya and Hatton. He destroyed them both as Floyd struggled at times. What does all this mean?

Nothing.

Styles make fights and the style match up between Manny and Floyd seems perfect on paper. You have the aggressive and quick Pacquiao, trying to find a way in and you have Floyd, trying to counterpunch the quickest fighter he has ever faced. Considering that Zab Judah beat him to the punch on several occasions bodes well for Pacquiao, but Floyd is a better boxer than Marquez and has a lot more savvy…this is why this bout is so intriguing. Enjoy the fight, but don’t put too much money on it. It looks like a pick’em to me.

There are so many things that can be examined going into this fight and they will be. Because the fans are cut down the middle, both siding with their fighter to win the bout, and both citing reasons, publications will turn over every stone to try to predict an outcome.

What is promising for Pacquiao’s fans is his ability to put punches together in combinations and from different angles. Floyd loves fighting guys like Arturo Gatti and Carlos Baldomir, men that throw one or two punches at a time and they come at a snail’s pace. Pacquiao is a speed demon and it is debatable if Floyd can dodge them all. It is possible that Floyd’s counters won’t be fast enough and that he will be hit while trying to hit return fire.

A weak chin can be put to rest too. Manny Pacquiao took shots from a very strong and powerful Miguel Cotto and didn’t flinch. He won’t drop on one punch from Mayweather, but Mayweather doesn’t just throw one punch either. He will launch in with that left hook, which is a punch that Manny is open for. Unfortunately for the Pacman, that is Floyd’s best punch and if it lands, it could send him into a series of punches by “Money Mayweather.”

The best piece of evidence supporting the Floyd fans and their contention that he will win is the Miguel Cotto fight. It is Manny’s most recent outing and although he won it in spectacular and dominating fashion, there is something in there that should be pointed out.

In the first round, Cotto controlled Manny and easily won the round. He used his jab and a tight defense to keep the bout under control, but he did little after that. Did Manny adjust that well or did Cotto lose focus? Floyd never loses focus and if he gets control, he will be able to maintain it much better than Cotto.

A toss up. A “pick’em.” Whatever way you cut it, this is the bout that the public wants to see. The two very best in the sport going head to head in their primes. I, like all of you cannot wait and am happy to say with some confidence that it is close to be delivered.

A March showdown between Floyd and Manny will begin 2010 with a bang. The biggest fight in probably 10 years of boxing will take place for all the pound for pound marbles. The momentum is with Pacquiao, but he has never faced a puzzle like Mayweather. This is the type of fight that you would hope would reinstate the 15 round limit. It is a classic showdown, much like Thomas Hearns – Sugar Ray Leonard and should be treated as such.