Pacquiao-Clottey undercard is missing punch

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Between the 27 inches of snow that pummeled Northern Virginia on Saturday and the additional foot that crushed us Wednesday -- not to mention the bitter cold and extreme winds -- there hasn't been much to do but think about boxing even more than I usually do (which is scary).

Nobody around these parts can even leave the house, especially considering that my entire neighborhood was never even plowed out after the Saturday storm.

I grew up in upstate New York, where we were used to terrible winters, but this has been incredible even by those standards. Put it this way: We are Ricky Hatton. The weather is Manny Pacquiao.

So I'm going a little stir-crazy. Everything is closed. The roads are in ruins. The mail has been canceled. My wife has had two snow days (so far). Fortunately, we're stocked with supplies and toilet paper and have not lost power.

Seemed like a good time for this week's random thoughts …

• One of the fights being considered by Top Rank for the March 13 Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey pay-per-view undercard -- now that it looks like the return of Antonio Margarito to face Carson Jones in the co-feature is probably off, because Margarito may not be licensed (good!) -- is Humberto Soto against David Diaz, possibly for a vacant lightweight belt. At the risk of being given the finger again by Top Rank's Bob Arum, the fight is an atrocity. First, I don't think it will be very competitive, considering how badly faded Diaz is. Also, the notion that the WBC possibly would sanction it for a world title is ridiculous, considering that after Pacquiao laid waste to Diaz in June 2008, he has fought just once, a life-and-death majority decision against the totally shot Jesus Chavez six months ago. The entire undercard, as presently constructed, is pathetic, which has become the norm for Arum's major pay-per-views. Here's what you probably will get for your hard-earned money besides the main event: Soto-Diaz, the totally shot Jose Luis Castillo against Alfonso Gomez and John Duddy-Michael Medina. At least there's a silver lining: No Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (suspended) or Yuri Foreman-Daniel Santos.

• I've heard from multiple sources involved in Showtime's Super Six tournament that it's quite likely that the April 17 Group Stage 2 bouts -- Andre Ward defending his super middleweight title against Allan Green in Oakland and Carl Froch defending his title against Mikkel Kessler in Europe -- will be moved to a new date because of some sort of logistical issue involving Kessler-Froch. If that happens, I can't say I'll be disappointed because it means boxing fans will avoid an HBO-Showtime conflict. HBO has its own excellent split-site card planned for that night with middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik due to defend against junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City and super middleweight titleholder Lucian Bute defending his belt against Edison Miranda in Montreal. So if Showtime needs to move to another date, it actually will work out better for fans.

• Like most fight fans, I would love to see Pavlik fight Paul Williams, but it's not happening right now. It's not because Pavlik is afraid to fight him, as some folks like to wrongly suggest. It's math. Williams and his team want a 50-50 deal, and that's not happening, nor should it. So I'm fine with Pavlik-Martinez, which is also a first-class fight. Williams, meanwhile, still has no opponent for his May 8 HBO date. His promoter, Dan Goossen, is talking to promoter Lou DiBella about a junior middleweight fight with Kermit Cintron and has talked to Don King about a welterweight fight with Luis Collazo. Williams and his team say he can still make 147 pounds, and a fight with Collazo at the weight would prove that, but what is the point? I like Collazo as much as anyone, but he has virtually no shot against Williams.

• Been hearing that DiBella proposed a card to HBO of Amir Khan-Paulie Malignaggi and Andre Berto's return against Zab Judah for April 10 at Madison Square Garden, which DiBella has on hold. With an eye on fighting at junior welterweight, Judah turned it down, so DiBella would like to instead match Berto with former titlist Carlos Quintana. The Garden loves the card, I am told. I love it too. However, HBO isn't jumping up and down for the show. For some reason, HBO seems to prefer Berto-Malignaggi. The Khan-Malignaggi fight is still possible, especially with Golden Boy having so many problems putting a Khan-Juan Manuel Marquez fight to bed. But if Golden Boy, Khan's promoter, does Khan-Malignaggi it wants the fight on its card in Las Vegas on May 15. But we all know that if that fight happens, it belongs in New York.

• I had to laugh at this quote from Freddie Roach, when discussing the Pacquiao-Clottey fight: "This is going to be the Super Bowl of boxing." Pacquiao's trainer is dead wrong. The fight is more like the conference championship. The Super Bowl of boxing is Pacquiao, if he wins, fighting the winner of the May 1 Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

• There are some out there who are gullible enough (or just dumb enough) to believe the gibberish being bandied about in cyberspace that HBO concocted a plan under which it agreed to televise the Marcos Maidana-Victor Cayo fight as long as the winner didn't press his mandatory with junior welterweight titlist Khan for the rest of the year. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous in your life? Now, Golden Boy -- with the OK from Khan and interim titlist Maidana -- has a plan under which both men will fight a couple of times to help build the commercial value of their potential fight. That's boxing business as usual. I have no real complaint about that, other than that if they're going to avoid the mandatory fight, the one unwilling to make it immediately ought to be stripped of his piece of the title. But since the reprehensible WBA is not pressing the issue -- shocking, right? -- it is what it is. But to think HBO orchestrated a deal to prevent the fight from happening this year just goes to show you how little some people actually understand the business.

• I want to bid a fond farewell to "Rich Marotta's Neutral Corner," which is leaving the Southern California radio airwaves after more than 11 years. The last edition is Sunday morning, the victim of Marotta's own success. Marotta, a longtime friend and one of the classiest guys in the business, is now the color commentator on the new "Top Rank Live" series. The three cards per month are on Saturday nights, leaving Marotta unable to do the show live on Sunday mornings because of the heavy travel demands. Mailing it in with a taped show, in which he could not discuss the previous night's results, is not Marotta's style, so he has decided to end the show. It was one of the few places on radio in the nation with intelligent boxing discussion and a dependable lineup of interviews with all the sport's top newsmakers. I'm proud to say I was even a guest many times.

• Speaking of "Top Rank Live," the new Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports en Espanol series is off to a great start. I just hope Top Rank keeps it up, because the first few cards have been very good overall, including Vanes Martirosyan-Kassim Ouma, Jorge Arce winning a vacant junior bantamweight title against Angky Angkota and a sensational performance from Brandon Rios in stopping Jorge Teron. We're seeing toss-up action fights on a regular basis, and there are more scheduled. So far, I'm loving it.

• I love the idea of a Tim Bradley-Edwin Valero fight as much as anyone, but I seriously doubt it will happen.

• I dig the proposed Tomasz Adamek-Cristobal Arreola April 24 HBO fight, but I can't figure out why Adamek would want to go to California for the fight -- which is where it's being planned -- when the bigger gate would be in Newark, N.J., where Adamek draws huge crowds. If he could draw more than 10,000 to the Prudential Center for a fight with Jason Estrada last week, imagine the gate he could do with Arreola, who is better known than Estrada but not a proven ticket-seller in So Cal.

• Paging Joel Casamayor.

• I'm sure I speak for all boxing fans when I wish the very best for Casey Guerrero, the seriously ill wife of junior lightweight titlist Robert Guerrero, who understandably withdrew from a March 27 HBO fight with Michael Katsidis to be at his wife's bedside.

• Top Rank signed brothers Lamont and Anthony Peterson with great fanfare in 2008. I scratch my head wondering why in the world Top Rank, which knows how to sell tickets and how to build a fighter in his hometown, has not only never come to Washington, D.C. -- their hometown and a city dying for some top-level boxing -- but never even seriously considered it. It's baffling.

• Happy birthday to my good pal, Larry Merchant. The HBO commentator turned 79 on Thursday. He's the greatest boxing television analyst ever. And before that, he was one of America's foremost sports columnists.

• DVD pick of the week: It's not too often that HBO features little guys -- meaning fighters below junior featherweight -- but when it does, we usually see something pretty interesting. Such was the case when I went back to Feb. 15, 2003, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. That's where two of the best bantamweights of the era, Tim Austin and Rafael Marquez, tangled for the title. Austin had defended the title nine times and was considered a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter. Marquez was the top contender, but known better for being the younger brother of Juan Manuel. The fight turned out to be a good scrap, although Austin seemed in control and was ahead on all three scorecards as they went to the eighth round. But that's when Marquez, blessed with great power for a small guy, took it to Austin and knocked him out for the upset. I remember it well, partly because it happened to be the first fight I watched after getting engaged earlier that day.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Soto-Diaz World Title Fight Added to Pacquiao-Clottey Undercard

PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 12 Feb 2010

ARLINGTON, TX (February 11, 2010) – World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion HUMBERTO “Zorrita” SOTO and former WBC lightweight champion DAVID DIAZ will go mano-a-mano for the vacant WBC lightweight title, headlining the pay-per-view undercard of THE EVENT: PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY, World Welterweight Championship. The Pacquiao vs. Clottey pay-per-view telecast will also feature 10-round rumbles between two-time world champion JOSE LUIS “El Terrible” CASTILLO in a welterweight battle against top-10 contender ALFONSO GOMEZ and “Ireland’s” JOHN DUDDY in a middleweight duel with MICHAEL “Myckol” MEDINA..

These six gladiators have four world titles between them and a combined record of 216-24-8 (146 KOs) – a winning percentage of 87% and a victory by knockout ratio of 68%.


“The pay-per-view undercard is a perfect complement to the main event, capturing the cultural flavor of Texas” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Each matchup will feature a world class fighter from a different region of Mexico or a Hispanic region in the United States. And the fans who watch the fight live at Cowboys Stadium will be treated to seeing SALVADOR SANCHEZ, III, the nephew of the great champion Salvador Sanchez, and undefeated Dallas wunderkind ROBERTO MARROQUIN in separate non-televised undercard bouts.”

Soto (50-7-2, 32 KOs), of Los Mochis, Mexico, captured the vacant WBC super featherweight in December 2008, winning a lopsided unanimous decision over former WBC interim super featherweight champion and top-rated contender Francisco Lorenzo. Soto successfully defended the title three times in 2009, knocking out Antonio Diaz, Benoit Gaudet and Aristides Perez in a nine-month span, all the more impressive considering they had a combined record of 61-5-1 when he fought them. He enters this fight riding a six-fight winning streak, his most recent victory a December 2009 10-round lightweight unanimous decision over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) lightweight champion Jesus Chavez.

Diaz (35-2-1, 17 KOs), of Chicago, is looking to regain the WBC lightweight title he lost to pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao in June 2008. A 1996 U.S. Olympian, Diaz captured the WBC interim lightweight title by knocking out defending champion Jose Armando Santa Cruz in the 10th round of their 2006 rumble. He successfully defend the title against future Hall of Famer Erik Morales in 2007, winning a unanimous decision in one of the year’s most exciting fights and sending the three-division world champion into a three-year ring exile. Diaz, currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBC, won his last fight, a 10-round decision over Jesus Chavez.

Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs), of Sonora, Mexico, is considered one of the most exciting world champions to come out of Mexico over the past 20 years. A two-time WBC lightweight champion, his 2005 world title unification fight with Diego Corrales was not just the Fight of the Year, but considered by many to be the Fight of the Decade and one of the all-time greats. Diaz has claimed victories over many world champions, including Corrales, Joel Casamayor, Stevie Johnston, Cesar Bazan, Julio Diaz, and Jorge Paez. Since moving up to welterweight, Castillo has won five of his last six bouts, all by knockout including all four of his 2009 fights. He is currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBC.

Gomez (21-4-2, 10 KOs), a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, who fights out of Whittier, Calif., is best known for fighting on the inaugural season of NBC’s “The Contender,” where he went 4-1-1, including a victory over world title challenger Peter Manfredo, Jr. He saved his most impressive victories for after “The Contender,” including a seventh-round knockout of two-division world champion Arturo Gatti and a 10-round decision win over world title challenger Ben Tackie. Since unsuccessfully challenging WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in 2008, he has won his last three fights, two by knockout. He is currently world-rated No. 10 by the WBC and the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

Duddy (28-1, 18 KOs), a native of Derry, Ireland who also fights out of New York, has been a Madison Square Garden fan favorite for most of the last decade. Making his Texas debut, the former WBC Continental Americas middleweight champion boasts a record that includes victories over former world champion Yori Boy Campas, former world title challenger Howard Eastman and rugged contenders Matt Vanda and Anthony Bonsante. Duddy is currently world-rated No. 12 by the WBO.

Medina (22-1-2, 17 KOs), of Monterrey, Mexico, will be making his U.S. debut on this card. The Mexican super welterweight champion since 2007, Medina has successfully defended his title four times and is currently world-rated No. 11 by the WBC.

Remaining Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Clottey, priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium box office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Pacquiao vs. Clottey pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com or www.toprank.com.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Meet the man to rival Pacquiao

Thursday 11 February 2010
by Phil Barnett



Boxing comment: Venezuelan boxer and Chavez fan Edwin Valero is arguably more exciting than the Filipino star

Anyone still sulking about the collapse of Manny Pacquiao's blockbuster clash with Floyd Mayweather Jnr might just be about to perk up.

The possibility of a scrap between Pacquiao and Edwin Valero will drag even the most disillusioned fight fan out of the doldrums - a mouth-watering scrap rising from the ashes of the scuppered pound-for-pound play-off with Mayweather.

Valero, arguably the only fighter on the planet more exciting than the revered Filipino, has set his sights on what he rightly claims to be "the fight the world wants to see."

While a clash between pound-for-pound king Pacquiao and predecessor Mayweather must, for the good of boxing, happen at some point in the future, a Pacquiao-Valero tear-up would excite most boxing insiders more than any other fight in the last decade.

With a record of 27 stoppages from 27 fights, Valero is the most exciting and aggressive fighter on the planet. Pacquiao, meanwhile, is the most complete fighter of his generation, having started out at light-flyweight before moving through the divisions and dishing out beatings to everyone put in his way.

While Pacquiao-Mayweather would be an intriguing and necessary clash pitting the world's top two against each other, a fight between the Filipino firebrand and Venezuelan Valero would be pure indulgence for the viewing public.

It promises a blur of furious violence so thrilling that nobody would complain about paying hefty pay-per-view fees for a fight likely to last barely a few rounds.

After dismantling tough challenger Antonio DeMarco to force a retirement after nine rounds last weekend, WBC lightweight champion Valero, who moved up a division last year to capture that belt, revealed his ambition to step up again and compete at light-welterweight.

To do so would be to head tantalisingly close to Pacquiao-infested waters.

And just the suggestion of a fight between the two is prompting many in the sport to get excited.

First, it seems likely Valero will jump in at the deep end by challenging WBO light-welterweight champion Tim Bradley and, should he come through, with Pacquiao meanwhile navigating his way past Joshua Clottey, a meeting between the two will move to the top of the agenda.

"That's the fight the world wants to see," Valero said after impressing against DeMarco.

"I demonstrated once again (against DeMarco) that I am a boxer, that I do side steps and I'm technical. I've never said it, but all my team and the people around me know that I can box.

"It's just that a majority of the fights have been against boxers who have gone out early."

While it seems that promoter Bob Arum, who also promotes Pacquiao, is keen to throw him in against Bradley, Venezuelan Valero is also eyeing hardman Juan Diaz.

"I hope that it can be in Texas against the Baby Bull Diaz so I can prove I have power in this weight category," said Valero.

There, however, is the first of two stumbling blocks. Texas is the only place in the US where Valero can fight, because of an ongoing refusal to license him elsewhere due to an old head injury suffered in a motorcycle crash early in his career.

Unless that changes - and it would be a suspicious coincidence for a change of heart to suddenly occur if such a massive fight was in the offing - the fight cannot be staged in Las Vegas or New York.

The other obstacle in Valero's way is his desire to hold onto his WBC lightweight belt, with the scrapper appealing to the governing body to allow him to move up to 140lbs while retaining his title.

Keen to keep one of their most marketable champions, they may cede to his request, while Pacquiao is fighting Clottey in Dallas anyway, so why not stage a showdown there as well?

Valero's biggest challenge will be surviving such a dangerous tune-up fight, however, be it against Diaz or Bradley.

Wherever their allegiance lies, fans of the sweet science will be rooting for both men to come through and remain on this most tantalising collision course.

Source: morningstaronline.co.uk

The third man in the ring for Pacquiao-Clottey?

by Allan Tolentino

Being a referee is a very tough job. It is in the referees' hands to keep the fights in violent order. The job requires tremendous physical and mental competence, as well as strength of character to come up with quick accurate decisions. We have to understand that sometimes a punch can travel 0.004 seconds, almost invisible to the naked eye, plus add the adrenaline and hoopla of the fights, can make any referee get confused and make a wrong judgment or misjudgment.

All men make mistakes. It happens all the time in all officiating officials of any sport. More so in our sport of boxing, back in the day, celebrity champion boxers were tapped to officiate a fight. This is so to amp up the hype and sell more tickets. And the result can be horrible. If we take a look back at Ali vs. Liston 1, former World Heavyweight champion Jersey Joe Walcott was asked to be the referee in the fight. Although Jersey Joe was a very good champion, he was totally inexperienced as a referee! That's why when Ali got Liston down, he couldn't decide if he'll count, or stop the fight or take Ali to the neutral corner. Pandemonium erupted at that moment and he decided to announce Ali as the new champion. But sometimes even a very experienced referee can make a bad judgment or bad misjudgment just like what happened during the Soto vs. Lorezo 1, when Joe Cortez couldn't decide what to do consulting the Nevada State Athletic Officials on the
ring-side while Lorenzo was on the canvass bleeding profusely, then later on decided to announce Lorenzo as the winner by disqualification. But as the saying goes "Nobody is perfect, even referees make mistakes."

But what about if the referee makes too many bad calls?

When I watched Kelly Pavlik vs. Espino fight, I was appalled on how biased the referee in favor of Kelly Pavlik! I have no doubt that Kelly won that fight, but does the referee needed to blatantly side in favor of Kelly Pavlik? You have to wonder why does the referee pulls Espino away but does not push Pavlik? And at the end of the rounds the referee shoves Espino hard. There was one time when Pavlik was taking some punches from Espino and out of nowhere the referee jumped in the middle and broke off the fighters even if there were no clinch! Watch the video clip in youtube at 3:52 second mark. Hilarious!

Now let's try to take a look at the proposed referee for Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight.

Jim Rex Jaca vs. Juan Manuel Marquez: There was a clash of heads in round 8 that bloodied the face of Juan Manuel Marquez. Referee Cole stopped the fight and called for a time-out. He brought Marquez in a corner and had him checked by the ring-side doctor, and you know what he told Marquez? Watch.

He was asking Marquez if he wants to stop the fight and told him he is ahead on the scorecards! What kind of unbiased referee would say something like that?

Now, let's take a look at Pacquiao vs. Barrera 1

Round 1, how the heck can Referee Cole calls that a knockdown in favor of Barrera when Barrera didn't even threw a punch? Round 6, 12 seconds remaining in the round, two solid upper-cuts landed on Barrera's head that sent him crashing to the canvass. And what did Referee Cole called it? A slip!

And now, Referee Laurence Cole was reportedly the referee for the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight despite of all of these evidence of his bias officiating?

For one, I agree with promoter Gary Shaw when he advocates against these incompetent officials. And what should we do about it? Boycott them!

These incompetent and biased referees and judges, they give boxing a really bad image.

I hope that the powers may be could do something about this.

Source: 8countnews.com

Not a Sure Thing: Joshua Clottey’s Manny Pacquiao Challenge

By Gina L. Caliboso

Just to be clear, I am not going to begin my article with a lot of reasons on why the Manny Pacquiao – Floyd Mayweather, JR., mega fight never happened.

The ugliness of steroids overall is a horrible yet unfortunate reality about today’s modern athlete. Fingerpointing and lecturing aside, I’ll refrain from further comment that the fight negotiations were just – how can I put this?

Ugly?

I’m just saying that there’s a whole year left. I don’t count out the possibility just yet.

For now, Pacquiao definitely looks like he’s gearing up for the fight against Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey, 35-3, 20 KO’s, set for March 13th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. But given some thought about Clottey as an opponent, I’ll argue that he may give Pacquiao some competition.

Some competition meaning that the fight is going to end with a unanimous decision in favor of Pacquiao over 12 rounds. However, Clottey is not and should not be taken lightly because there is never a sure thing for a fighter – even for Pacquiao – once he steps into the ring.

I had to look back at some of Clottey’s previous bouts. And, l always feel that looking at a fighter’s losses are more telling and if whether his post loss matches were better or worse. Clottey’s fight record is a veritable list of who’s who in the current welterweight division. And, unlike Pacquiao, he’s always fought at welterweight so he’s established himself at that weight against some heavy hitters and can definitely take some punishment at the hands of his opponents.

From footage I’ve seen, Clottey fights great inside. He has a good jab-hook combination that if properly executed, rocks his opponents. He goes to the body with left uppercuts, followed by barrages of hooks.

Clottey is definitely at his best when he’s in the middle of the ring. He has a tendency to get cornered and as such, doesn’t work too hard to dominate, especially if he’s against the ropes and in the corner. Once he establishes close in-fighting exchanges, he does not back down at all.

Clottey easily loses points when he fails to be aggressive and works tentatively showing moments of strong fighting and winning by points, but then somehow takes times off in a round or two without establishing his will on his opponent. Clottey’s lackluster ring generalship allows his opponents to win rounds he could have easily won if he weren’t so reluctant to exchange.

Now, I just stated that his ring generalship is a little lackluster, but it’s not lacking too much. This is where I just love to theorize about boxing tactics because I definitely think Clottey has an awareness of the referee. Call it “dirty tactics,” but I think Clottey is very aware of the referee in the ring and what he can possibly do to his opponent depending on what the referee may or might not be seeing. Yes, fight fans, others have said it. Clottey is notorious for the timeliness of his clashing of heads. And, it’s usually his opponents that get the worst of these accidental head butts.

Back in 1999 in his fight against Argentina’s Carlos Baldomir, Clottey scored a DQ. He lost two points for his headbutting of Baldomir in the 10th round and repeated a headbutt again in the 11th resulting in the disqualification. Again, timeliness of the head clash, but in this case, he lost big because he was ahead on the judges’ scorecards at the time the fight was stopped.

Back in June 2009, Clottey faced Miguel Angel Cotto. Clottey had suffered a knockdown in the first round. But later, towards the end of round three, Cotto had suffered a cut above his left eye again by an accidental headbutt. Cotto went on to win the fight by split decision over 12 rounds, but the cut didn’t exactly take one or two stitches. According to reports, the cut took 20 total stitches (14 over and 6 below the eye – ouch!)

In this fight, Clottey definitely gave Cotto a hard time despite the knockdown in the first round, but still didn’t really looked like he could beat Cotto.

Clottey is definitely a different type of opponent for Pacquiao. He has solid talent, has shown definite ability to work and exchange on the inside. But as a slow starter, he cannot afford to be tentative. It’s a big moment and venue for the fighter from Ghana. If Clottey can step up his game and the occasion, he has nothing to lose by any means. Given his history of accidental headbutts, Pacquiao’s southpaw stance makes him even more vulnerable to the possibility of a clash of heads.

Pacquiao must show even more technical ability, combined with his speed and power, to take the fight quickly. However, it’s up to Clottey to make this his fight and not make the fight about his opponent Pacquiao. So, was Clottey the safer choice for Pacquiao? Probably, but maybe, just maybe, Clottey will make this fight about giving some competition to Pacquiao.

Will he win?

I say no, but I don’t see him exactly standing there getting beat up either.

Source: ringsidereport.com

DANNY TREJO PRESENTS PACQUIAO A COPY OF FAMED 'DESPERADO' PHOTO

By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 11 Feb 2010

Hollywood actor Danny Trejo (R) poses with P4P king Manny Pacquiao (C) and trainer Freddie Roach at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood Wednesday. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood television and movie star Danny Trejo came to the Wildcard Gym today (Wednesday, Feb 10) to rub elbows with the famous Filipino spitfire, Manny Pacquiao and give him a souvenir from his huge Hollywood movie hit.

Trejo is one of the pride and joy of the Latino community particularly in the Southern California area.

He is a prolific actor, appearing in many movies and television shows albeit mostly as the “bad guy”.

He was in movies that included big names such as Al Pacino, Nicolas Cage, Robert de Niro, Harrison Ford among others.

Amongst his movie credits are “Dusk Till Dawn”, Machete and “Desperado” where he appeared with Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek.

He is noted for his distinctive appearance. In addition to his heavily lined face and a mustache, he has a large tattoo of a woman in his chest wearing a sombrero.

Trejo presented Pacquiao a copy of his famous photo from “Desperado” where he shows of his many knives under his long jacket.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME PAYS RESPECTS TO PACQUIAO

By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 11 Feb 2010

P4P king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (L) shakes hands with martial arts expert and movie star Jean Claude Van Damme at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood Wednesday afternoon after Van Damme paid a surprise visit to Pacquiao who is deep in training for his fight against Joshua Clottey on March 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.

Feb 11, 2010, LOS ANGELES -- Just before Manny Pacquiao started his afternoon training today a little after 3 PM, we spotted Claude Van Damme walked in to the Wildcard Gym to pay his respects to Pacquiao and visit for a while. Van Damme was escorted to the ringside and introduced to Freddie Roach and Pacquiao by security chief, Rob Peters.

Van Damme is the famous Belgian martial arts artist best known in Hollywood and world over for his martial arts action movies.

His most successful films include Bloodsport in 1988, the Universal Soldier in 1992, Hard Target in 1993 and Timecop in 1994. Van Damme who is a former “Mr. Belgium” is also better known as the “Muscles from Belgium”.

Pacquiao invited Van Damme to Texas to see his fight with Joshua Clottey adding to the array of celebrities that will be flying or driving to Arlington ,Texas to see Pacquiao defend his WBO Welterweight Title against the fame slugger from Ghana, Africa.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacquiao Watch: The fight is on (in Sarangani)

by Edwin Espejo

The Philippine election body (Commission on Elections – Comelec) recently dismissed the petition by the lawyers of Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao to disqualify Roy Chiongbian as candidate for the congressional seat the latter’s elder brother Erwin will be vacating come June 30.

The Pacquiao petition is one of the many ill-advised moves made by Manny’s legal team.

Sarangani was created 18 years ago through a bill sponsored by Roy’s late father James Chiongbian. Except for a three-year vacuum (1998-2001) when Lucile Chiongbian-Solon lost to Juan Domino, the Chiongbians have firmly controlled representation for Sarangani in the Philippine Congress.

Domino, by the way, was disqualified even though he won against Roy’s elder sister for lack of residency.

Roy Chiongbian has been anointed by his family to carry the torch their father left behind. Roy’s mother Priscilla was the first governor of the province and was undefeated for three consecutive terms.

Those should have been strong arguments already against the filing of the disqualification case.

Roy has conceded he was seldom seen in the province for several years. He was the chief executive officer of the vast conglomerate their family owned and thus was assigned to their head offices in Metro Manila.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, is a long time resident of General Santos. He ran and lost in 2007 against outgoing Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio by a wide margin.

Manny transferred his “official residence” in Quezon City not long before that loss.

His close political allies and friends however persuaded him to try his luck in Sarangani, hometown of his wife Jinky Jamora.

Before he left to fight Briton Ricky Hatton early last year, Pacquiao filed his transfer of residency in Kiamba town in Sarangani.

Of course, everybody knew that except for brief periods, and especially when Roy and Manny expressed their desire to run for the lone congressional seat of the province, both were hardly seen in their “adopted” hometowns. (Roy Chiongbian is a registered voter in Kiamba like Manny).

The expected Comelec decision to dismiss Pacquiao’s petition only weakens Manny’s claim that Roy has never been a resident of Kiamba although their family owns a house in Kling village where their plantation is located.

As a consequence, that decision gave Roy a weapon of defense against the expected issue branding him as an “absentee resident.”

Had Pacquiao’s lawyers and political advisers left the situation as it is and was, they still could have put Roy on the defensive sans the petition and Roy would have found himself defending his status as a resident of Sarangani.

Well, water is now under the bridge and Manny will have to slug his way against the combined and formidable machineries of the Chiongbians and re-electionist Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez.

Source: asiancorrespondent.com

Laurence Cole tabbed as Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey referee

Boxing Examiner | Michael Marley

I have learned that Laurence Cole, the veteran referee who resides in Texas and runs an insurance business, has been tabbed by WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel as the referee for the Joshua Clottey-Manny Pacquiao welterweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington on March 13.

I had recently written that Cole, a more than competent referee, would be an obvious choice for the plum assignment.

It was Valcarcel who chose Cole The Younger and not the ref's father Dickie "Old King" Cole, who runs the Texas boxing board.

Laurence just did the WBC lightweight title bout in Monterey, Mexico, between champion Edwin Valero and Antonio DeMarco Saturday night.

Cole also reffed the 2003 bout in San Antonio between Pacman and Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera.

I was speaking with someone today about the burning issue of whether Antonio Margarito will be licensed to fight on the Cowboys Stadium undercard while his California boxer's license is still technically revoked.

"That reminds me," a Texas fight guy said, "of some controversy when they talked of possibly bringing Mike Tyson to our state to fight Lennox Lewis. They asked Dickie and he snapped, "Why the hell not? We ain't got too many choirboys around here."

Tyson a choirboy, funny thought.

Source: Examiner.com

Manny Pacquiao's $20,000 plane ride

International Sports Examiner | Marv Dumon

When I worked in investment banking, we tried to "sell a company" (i.e., partner the client) to a northern-based private equity firm that owned several industrial manufacturing facilities around the U.S.

Given the client's products, operations, markets, and geographic location, it was a perfect fit. Like Pavlov's dogs, we salivated at the fees. The client was seeing green hundred dollar bills in their sleep.

Deal-making - life and humanity - is not always business school science. It is art. The private equity firm was founded (and owned) by a billionaire family - the partner and I spoke to the principal on telephone conference, and his Managing Directors were steaming. They had offered close to $2 million more for the company, than the second highest bidder. But our client, who lived in a rural town, chose the lower offer and partnered with the local group.

A couple of weeks prior, the private equity guys had flown in to the rural town (to inspect the facility) in a private jet. I stepped inside it. It was fancy. They chartered it for the sole purpose of flying in. Bad first impression on a cowboy. If you're going to spend thousands of dollars for simple travel arrangements, instead of spending a few hundred dollars, what will you end up doing to my company which I've built up my entire life? Good question.

Legion Followers

Given the hordes of obsessive fans that follow pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, associates are loaning the Filipino icon with private jets for travel needs. Former Philippine governor Chavit Singson and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum are among two individuals with the means to provide such assistance, and who have done so recently.

In several of Eminem's songs, the rapper discloses the downside of extreme fame. He lamented the inability to perform basic human functions in a bathroom stall without fans asking for an autograph.
Pacquiao's $20,000 Flight

Travel via a private jet becomes the appropriate method in light of the wave of fans attempting to be around Pacquiao. (Hint: Give the man a break, people.) Not bad for a once-aspiring pugilist who used to jog wearing nothing more than worn out slippers in the dirt-patched trails around General Santos City.

Is flying on planes the benchmark practice for today's marketplace athlete? At the all-star level, absolutely. If Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young misses his team's flight back home, he can pull out an American Express credit card and obtain a personally chartered flight, thereby avoiding the airport (and fans) altogether.

There is a time-saving benefit for Manny Pacquiao, an individual who did not want to be driven 30 minutes to a local gym in Arlington, Texas - instead preferring a temporarily constructed one in his hotel building. Saves time. Time is money. But unlikely money, you can never recoup time. It is lost forever, to the Grim Reaper.


A Chartered Life

The chartered flight - on Bob Arum's dime, who ultimately charges his client millions of dollars in promotion-related fees - lets the WBO welterweight champ have uninterrupted moments of peace and quiet. In a taxing physical and mental contest, silence is golden.

There is the risk management element. Security. After Manny's bouts in the U.S., he typically leaves out of LAX (the Los Angeles airport) by way of a Philippine Airlines flight. The media, often a hounding Philippine press, keeps the camera right in front of the Pacman - bright lights, et al, on a plane. (The same questions repeat themselves, like a broken record. Out comes the same answers.)

Ratings equals advertisements. We eat up (and love) their coverage. We propose the Philippine press, and crazed fans, have not read George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior. The bible for personal interactions.

Dozens are simply trying to catch a glimpse or take photos on their cellphone or digital cameras. Many form a circle and try to touch or tug at their idol. A few are looking to monetize the event by thrusting memorabilia at Pacquiao, such as t-shirts, posters, and gloves for a valuable autograph. And just as in a Beatles concert, some just plainly lose their mind and scream at the top of their lungs, followed by sobbing, at the mere sight of Manny. [ Related Resource: 1 (800) THERAPY ]

[ A 2nd Resource: Facebook News on Manny Pacquiao ]
Deductible

Top Rank's cost? Harvard alum Arum - who bills Manny Pacquiao seven figures in professional services - can shell out between $1,000 to $2,500 per hour for aircraft usage (flight and ground time), depending if it is a light or mid-size jet. Ultimately, the Pacman foots the bill. It's the principal's checkbook that feeds the advisors. (Hello.) In the United States, it's a business expense. Tax deductible. Uncle Sam doesn't get to horde as much. (Sarcasm)

Chartered flights' expenses can vary significantly. London to Paris, one-way, can be about $6,000. California to Dallas, Texas - three hours. And return flight - three hours. Six hours plus ground time. Assuming $2,000 per hour, say $14,000. Alright, a $20,000 round trip bill would be much (as an estimate). But you add in the two press tours which took place in Dallas and New York. That's a lot of hours. The cost in growing the appetite for luxuries? Inestimable.

When you teach a behavior, you form a habit. An excessively expensive one. (Arum, what are you doing? We see you.) The question is, from which lenses are these expenses being viewed from? The "cowboy in a rural town"? Or the "private equity big shots"? Or simply the obsessive lenses, too crazed and who are after an autograph - despite being in a bathroom setting. One thing is certain. Manny Pacquiao is running for office in May. There's plenty of poor voters.

No longer a banker, and converted to a lowly writer who must now fight Top Rank for all-access press credentials, I make my trek from Houston to Cowboys Stadium the week of March 13. iPod in tow, with old school Michael Jackson songs blaring on my eardrums, my travel costs round trip will be approximately $70 in gas from a fuel efficient Honda Accord. Plus hotel. Windows down - driving fast - pursuing what you love, life is still good.

Source: Examiner.com

MANNY PACQUIAO's Pain Tolerance TRAINING for CLOTTEY Fight

How Clottey’s training struggles might impact Pacquiao’s future fights

Written by: Scott Heritage on 10th February 2010

Bob Arum has said that Manny Pacquiao is ready to fight already, several weeks out from his March 13th date with Joshua Clottey.

Freddie Roach countered this by saying that he was still a few weeks away in terms of complete preparations, but that he is in good shape already.

At the same time though there are several reports which suggest that Clottey’s training isn’t going so well, mainly because his trainer was denied entrance to the United States.

Visa’s can be denied for all manner of reasons, although are usually a result of either incorrect paperwork or some kind of criminal record or incident when last in the States.

Clottey’s trainers problems aren’t being made public, and in fact the reasons for a Visa being denied are not always even shared fully with the person applying for one, but at this stage it doesn’t look like he will be there for the majority of Clottey’s training.

You might think that this is great news for Pacquiao, and that he should have an even bigger advantage against Clottey than many are already giving him.

In actual fact though this is probably bad news for all concerned because if enough people think that the fight will be one sided, then the pay per view figures could be affected.

As fun as it might be watching a one sided beating due to skill, it isn’t that much fun when one guy is clearly not in shape.

Clottey, who has a tendency for spells of inactivity within fights anyway, needs to be on top of his game against someone like Pacquiao who won’t stop coming so long as he’s conscious.

Normally this wouldn’t be that much of a problem, and a few hundred thousand people buying or not buying is simply an inconvenience and a few million less dollars in the pockets of each fighter.

This time out though Pacquiao will be looking to draw every buyer he can so that future negotiations with Floyd Mayweather are kept on an even footing.

The last time out the drug testing issue was what stopped the fight being made, and the purse split was agreed fairly quickly at 50/50 for each fighter.

As first reported by my Examiner cohort Michael Marley though, this agreement will be blown out of the water unless both Pacquiao and Mayweather do similar numbers in pay per view sales against Clottey and Shane Mosley in the coming months.

IF either fighter sells substantially more than the other, then they will claim to be the bigger star, and no doubt demand a bigger share of the purse than 50%.

As it stands, Mosley is a much bigger star than Clottey to begin with, and Pacquiao isn’t known for hyping fights up with lots of trash talk and attention grabbing. Perhaps not the most genuine means of selling a fight, but it works either way.

That looked to have been equaled out by way of the Cowboys stadium and all the extra media attention that the fight was given because of the venue, although this now might not be enough.

If the casual fans are deciding which pay per view to buy and have a choice between Pacquiao beating a guy who didn’t even train properly and Mayweather finally fighting a top welterweight who has a decent chance of beating him, then a lot of them will buy Floyd rather than Manny.

There are fans of either who will want to watch their guy and fans who will just watch both, but if Mayweather can convince enough of the people that his fight will be more competitive, then he might well win the ratings war.

Top Rank needs to send some of their fleet of lawyers to get Clottey’s trainer into the country quickly, or at least get Joshua’s head on straight and make sure he’s training to give it his all.

Source: fightsportsonline.com

Peaking Pacquiao might make Clottey look like it's his first rodeo

Boxing Examiner | Michael Marley

There was a time in his career, back when he got knocked out twice, that some boxing guys regarded Manny Pacquiao as a claimer, a also ran horse.

This was when he wasn't even regarded as, to use Floyd Mayweather's insuting description, an "ordinary" fighter.

You get banged out by Rustico Torrecampo and and Medgoen Lukchaopormasak--two guys whose names read like the charts at your eye doctor's office--and people say mean things.


But Pacman has turned out to be, sticking with the racehorse analogy, a thoroughbred along the lines of the great Seabiscuit.

But never let it be forgotten that the jockey, Boston Freddie Roach, rides his charge like he's Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay or the legendary Willie Shoemaker.

The other day I heard a smat boxing guy say how the importance of trainers is overrated. That begs the question, though, of why there are so few Roach types around in gyms these days.

I applaud Roach for pulling the reins on Megamanny and cutting back his sparring. Roach is spot on in saying Manny does not need 150 rounds of sparring because it's overkill. As Roach noted, Pacman came to this camp in fine fettle because he bounced from the November Cotto bout to this match.

Sparring, not trainers, really is the most overrated and overdone thing in boxing and it's worse when you let a getting older (like Manny at age 31 and after 55 pro bouts) boxer leave his fight in the gymnasium.

Less is more when it comes to sparring and this strategic limitation by Coach Roach will pay dividends come March 13 against Joshua Clottey.

As for Clottey, is he doing any sparring? Or is he still trying to figure out who is going to train him.

The Clottey camp is beginning to look like "F Troop" while Team Pacquiao rolls along, never missing a beat.

Clottey's got heart but some Big Apple trainers, like Delen "Blimp" Parsley and veteran Lennox Blackmoore, told me Monday night at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn they can't see him derailing the Megamanny Express.

"Clottey will get to a certain point and then he will quit," Parsley said.

"I think Clottey will be competitive but not for too long," ex-fighter Blackmoore said.

Not exactly a rousing vote of confidence from his adopted home city, is it?

Maybe a look at Clottey in camp, now that he is in South Florida, will change my mind but I'm beginning to smell a Texas mismatch. Maybe I'm being too harsh but I wonder if the enormity of the event--the 30,000 fans and all that--might emotionally overwhelm "B side" Clottey.

A peaking Pacquiao might make Clottey look like it's his first rodeo if you know what I mean.

Source: Examiner.com

Pacquiao will destroy Clottey

Mississippi Fight Sports Examiner | Brad Cooney

Same old song and dance? Bigger and stronger against smaller and faster. This combination hasn't proved very successful for Pacquiao's previous opponents. It's been the smaller and faster Manny Pacquiao that has gotten the job done. When you get into the ring against Pacquiao and you are bigger than he is, chances are that you're going to get beat up, thoroughly.

This does not bode well for the big welterweight from Ghana, Africa. Clottey is big and strong, and he has a good chin. Do you know what it means when you have a good chin when you fight Manny Pacquiao? It means you take a beating for a little bit longer than someone with a not so good chin.

Recently I spoke with the legendary Roy Jones Jr, and got his thoughts on Pacquiao vs. Clottey. Jones likes the Pacman in this fight, "I think Pacman outworks Clottey. He's quicker, he's more agile, so I think he outworks Clottey." Roy is usually pretty accurate with his predictions, so we will see how he does with this one.

Next up I spoke with the Assistant Director of the Mississippi Athletic Commission, Patrick Turner. He weighed in with his thoughts on this fight, " I feel like Pacquiao will win this fight, but I would not be surprised if Clottey pulls off the upset of the year. Clottey has fought some extremely talented fighters, and has done well against them. He should not be taken lightly." Turner also points out what makes Pacquiao so dangerous, " Pacquiao always presents problems for his opponents just because of his aggressiveness, and speed."

If history is any indication of what the future may hold, Pacquiao will dominate Clottey with speed, angles, and ultimately he should get him out of there. Clottey is strong enough to get into the deeper rounds, and his chin should carry him for awhile, but at the end of the day Pacquiao's arms will be raised.

Source: Examiner.com

Pacquiao braves the cold to train for Clottey bout

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/08/2010 3:33 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Despite being dubbed the world's pound-for-pound king, three-time Fighter of the Year Manny Pacquiao said he still toils to improve his skills to become an even better fighter.

Pacquiao, a 7-division champion and acknowledged Fighter of the Decade by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), said his training camp in the United States is now entering its final 5 weeks before his scheduled bout with Ghanaian boxer Joshua Clottey.

He said that despite the rain and the cold, he still wakes up early to train and prepare for the match.

“Kahit na ako ang tinitingalang kampeon ng mundo, hindi iyan sapat na dahilan upang ako ay hindi tumakbo sa umaga at mabasa ng ulan,” Pacquiao wrote in his February 7 “Kumbinasyon” column on PhilBoxing.com.

He added: “Sa buhay ng isang boksingero, walang day-off, walang dahilan upang pigilan ang paghahanda sa laban kahit gaano kasungit ang panahon."

The Pacquiao-Clottey clash will be held on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt will be at stake.

Sacrifices

The Filipino boxing sensation went on to talk about the other sacrifices he has been making.

He said that because of the training, he was unable to be with his eldest child, Emmanuel Jr. or Jimuel, on his 9th birthday. He said he just called up his son to wish him a happy birthday and explain why he could not go home.

Pacquiao said time has passed so quickly since he was a struggling boxer trying to establish a name.

“Parang kailan lang, baby pa lang ang aking anak, ngayon ay malaki na at malapit nang magbinata. Parang kailan lang, nagsisimula pa lang ako na gumawa ng pangalan sa ibabaw ng ring at hinarap ko ang lahat ng mga kalabang ipinalaban sa akin ng aking manager at promoter," he said.

“I have sacrificed a lot of blood, sweat, aches and tears before I became Fighter of the Decade. I thank the Lord God for giving these blessings. I will not stop to fight and fight harder so that I can give more joy and excitement in the ring to all of my fans. They are the reasons why I try to become better and better each fight.”

Worthy recipient

He also mentioned that his awards, such as the Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade honors, push him to "fight more and improve more, so I can give more entertainment to all of the boxing fans throughout the world.”

Pacquiao wrote in an earlier “Kumbinasyon” column that he wants to prove that he is worthy of the recent recognitions given by the BWAA.

“Kailangan ko ring patunayan na ako talaga ang karapat-dapat na makakuha ng award na ito sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalabas ng isang panibagong obra-maestra sa ibabaw ng ring. At kailangan kong lumabas na kahanga-hanga.”

He said that proving himself on March 13 will not be as simple because he will be facing a tough opponent: “Marami ang nagsasabing magiging madali lang para sa akin ang laban na ito pero para sa akin, lubhang mapanganib ang sagupaang ito dahil na rin sa taglay na lakas, laki at bilis ni Clottey.”

He added, “Dahil sa mas maliit tayo sa laban, mas magiging mahirap na manalo kontra sana sa mga kalabang kasinlaki natin, gaya ng mga laban sa 135 pounds.” – with a report from PhilBoxing.com

Source: ABS-CBNnews.com

Top Rank Photographer Chris Farina covers Pacquiao and Clottey in camp, can’t wait for March 13th

Las Vegas Boxing Examiner | Chris Robinson

Manny Pacquiao’s WBO Welterweight title bout against Joshua Clottey is a little over a month away and so far there have been varying reports on how each man’s training camp is coming along. Pacquiao is reportedly looking sharp and putting some serious hurt on his sparring partners while other rumors have it that too much of Clottey’s time has been spent focusing on drama outside of the ring for him to be fully focused for a fight of this magnitude.

One man who was able to witness both fighters in camp this past week was Top Rank photographer Chris Farina. Based out of Las Vegas, traveling is a huge part of Farina’s job and his images over the years have served as proof as to the intimate and up close nature of his job. Farina first stopped by the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles this past Monday and was able to witness Pacquiao in rare form.

“Manny looked pretty good,” Farina says reflecting on the Filipino icon. “We’re still a little bit away from the fight but he looks like he is right on his program. He’s right on point and he hasn’t lost a step at all.”

When asked how Pacquiao’s demeanor was heading into yet another pivotal bout, Farina insists that the seven-division champion is relaxed but also tuned in. It also seems that Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach are exactly on the same page in their preparation for the challenge that Clottey presents.

“Once in a while he gets s a little bit crazy and it’s obvious he’s care free,” Farina claims of Pacquiao. “But it seemed to me that he’s very focused and ready to go. He comes right in and goes right to training. He’s all work. Freddie and Manny have their game plan and they are getting it ready to go.”

Over the years Pacquiao’s time inside the Wild Card has been well documented and on many occasions the facility has had to turn people away during Manny’s training. Farina says that the gym regulars have simply adapted to Pacquiao and the impact he has created over time.

“The gym was very busy,” Farina states. “A lot of people work out at that gym and Manny just always comes in and does his thing. People kind of let him do his thing. They work around him and if they have to leave the gym they will leave.”

Later in the week Farina could be found roughly 2800 miles away, tucked inside of John’s Boxing Gym in the Bronx capturing images of Clottey as he prepared for the March 13th contest. Despite reports that Clottey’s head may not be where it ought to be, Farina believes the former champion is on course.

“He was intense but later on he was all smiles too,” Farina says of the Accra, Ghana fighter. “He kind of broke it up with me and he looked like he was very confident. He was in good shape too. He was hitting the mitts and training hard as ever. Both guys looked ready to me.”

Farina has stated in the past that he often remains so focused on his work that he doesn’t allow himself to get caught up in moment during all of the events he attends. While that may be the sign of a true professional, he still admits that being around both men in their respective camps has heightened his expectations for their bout.

“Of course. I’m chomping at the bit and I can’t wait for March 13th. It’s not just another fight; it’s going to be a show. It’s going to be something spectacular and I can’t wait to be in Dallas when it happens.”

Source: Examiner.com

The Replacements Might Spell Disaster for Either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather… Or Both

Published on February 7, 2010 by Reylan Loberternos in Boxing

Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol – When the highly anticipated Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown fell through, most boxing fans and pundits probably thought that anything else would be a huge letdown. I am not about to disagree with them, though… not unless they are thinking that the replacements in Joshua Clottey and Sugar Shane Mosley for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., respectively, are mere pushovers and nothing but keep-busy fights. While the much-ballyhooed clash between the consensus top dogs in the sport still remains incomparable in terms of significance and magnitude, the Pacquiao-Clottey and Mayweather-Mosley encounters are certainly a great way to test the mettles of the sport’s consensus best fighters pound for pound as well.

There are actually three possibilities when all is said and done. The first one, probably the last thing that the promoters would not want to happen, is if both Pacquiao and Mayweather lose their respective matchups. Second would be if one of them loses. The third possibility is if both of them wins, which definitely makes the impending barnburner a whole lot more mouthwatering and outright necessary. Take note that the possibility of draw verdicts weren’t taken into account. After all, a draw could be considered as a loss for either Pacquiao or Mayweather.

But before we jump into the conclusion that the third possibility just might be the most probable outcome, let’s first try to examine the matchups.

We start our discussions with what will perhaps turn out to be the more exciting bout – the Pacquiao-Clottey faceoff. Any contest with the name Manny Pacquiao in it should be assurance enough for a thrilling and exhilarating boxing spectacle. The odds are expected to be stacked against the fire-breathing Pinoy’s opponent in former IBF welterweight champion Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey (35-3-0, 20 KOs). This is no surprise, considering that the fighter out of Ghana, by way of Bronx, New York lost to the same guy who was destroyed by Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) of the Philippines, not to mention that the Filipino is universally considered as the best fighter pound for pound at present. But before you Pacman fanatics get too excited, please allow me to point out a couple of things that might make you think twice about Clottey being just a walk-in-the-park for the Pinoy great.

Make no mistake about it. Joshua Clottey is probably the best and most dangerous Pacquiao opponent to date, among the Pinoy pug’s long list of opponents. The potent combination of size, speed, stamina, skill, power, and chin is certainly a tall order for even a fighter like Pacquiao to overcome. Don’t be fooled by Clottey’s 3 losses. His first loss to Carlos Baldomir, who eventually became a welterweight champion, was due to disqualification with Clottey ahead in all three scorecards at the time of the halt. In his second setback, Clottey was making a good account of himself before sustaining an injured left hand in the fourth canto and was basically fighting one-handed from round 5 onwards against the hard-punching Antonio “Loaded Hands” Margarito. Clottey’s third loss, against Cotto, as we all know, was very much closer than the scorecards would suggest.

Clottey has top-notch defensive skills. Using his gloves and arms to protect himself the way Ronald “Winky” Wright does, the “Grand Master” has always finished fights with more than enough gas in his tank. Of course, Pacquiao is definitely in a league of his own, but Clottey could very well pose a lot of problems for the General Santos native. Clottey boasts a great left hook downstairs and up, often followed by a quick right straight. Team Pacquiao should also take note of Clottey’s tendency to come in with his head first. With their contrasting fighting stance, it is not farfetched that Pacquiao could sustain a cut that might hinder his vision just like he did in his first bout against Morales. We all know what happened to that fight. I don’t see Pacquiao knocking Clottey out in this confrontation… but then again, Pacquiao has made the habit of making surprises and exceeding expectations. He might once again do it this time around.

Now let’s move to the other one – the Mayweather-Mosley snoozefest. Though I believe that this will probably be more significant than Pacquiao-Clottey, I couldn’t help but consider Mayweather’s propensity to run and he might do just that against Mosley, a fighter who has a legitimate shot at getting one of the O’s in Mayweather’s immaculate record. If Mayweather ran against fighters who had no chance of hurting him, how much more against a man who can hurt him… hurt him really bad at that? With those bum hands and xycloccain or whatever they call that banned substance Mayweather has been using to numb his fragile fists, I don’t know what else to expect with this fight other than a marathon.

Source: sportales.com

Will Pacquiao’s dominant sparring sessions transfer over to the Clottey fight?

Sacramento Fight Sports Examiner | Rick Rockwell

If his sparring sessions are any indications, Manny Pacquiao looks scary and dominant. A warning to all potential sparring partners, Pacquiao will hurt you and this should also be a serious concern for Clottey and any future opponent of Pacquiao. Not only is he in great shape, but he is also completely focused. But, will his dominance in the sparring sessions transfer over to the Clottey fight?


Bryan Brooks
Pacquiao’s first sparring partner, Bryan Brooks, took such a beating in 4 rounds of sparring that Freddie Roach said he won’t be bringing him back.


* “[Pacquiao] did really well. He’s already following the game plan. This was a good sparring partner for Shane Mosley but I don’t think I’m going to bring him back… he got hurt a few times. Manny was too much for him. He did whatever he wanted too. He was playing with him a little bit. He likes to play with his audience a little bit.” Source: ABS CBN News


Joseph Benavidez
Joseph is a 2009 National Golden Gloves light-welterweight champion who just turned pro. He’s 17 and stands at 5’11”. He went two rounds with Pacquiao, According to reports, Manny just toyed with him the whole time.

* “He toyed with the guy. He was supposed to be a phenom,”.. Winchell Campos, Philstar.com


Mike Dallas
Dallas is an undefeated light-welterweight with a record of 11-0-1. He’s 23 yrs old and came out of his sparring session with Pacquiao beaten and almost knocked out twice.

* “Dallas was groggy in the second round as Manny was really going after him. While he (Dallas) was a lot slower than Pacquiao, he was coming forward and getting hit and nearly knocked him out” .. ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo


Others
Pacquiao has also beaten up on long-time sparring partner Ray Beltran. Coming in shortly, will be Abdullai Amidu, the welterweight from Ghana who is undefeated in 18 fights with 17 wins coming by way of knockouts.


Shannon Brown Sacramento, CA “Do you think that Pacquiao’s sparring dominance reflects of what he will do to Clottey?” Shannon, yes I do. What this tells me is that Pacquiao is in tremendous shape. He’s mentally and physically focused on beating Clottey. Make no mistake about it, Pacquiao isn’t looking to outpoint Clottey, he’s looking to knock him out.

Nicholas Barnes Rancho Cordova, CA “Should Clottey be scared of how good Pacquiao looks in training?” Clottey should have been concerned in the first place for having to face the best boxer. But, now he should be absolutely terrified because Manny is so dialed in and physically dominant right now. He’s taking good sparring partners and destroying them. He’s toying with them. He’s “firing on all cylinders” which should scare any man especially his opponents. I have absolutely no doubt about it, Pacquiao will dominate Clottey come March 13th.


Let’s close the article with the following quote from Alex Ariza, Pacquiao’s fitness guru:

* “He looked phenomenal today. He looked the best that I’ve probably seen him. His footwork, speed, power was unreal.”… source: Boxingscene.com

Source: Examiner.com

Clottey training not picking up, say reports

Confident Roach declares Pacquiao already in good
By Francis T.J. Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:29:00 02/08/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Online boxing sites are buzzing with rumors that Joshua Clottey has yet to kick off his training for the biggest fight of his career, with several distractions getting in the way of the New York-based Ghanaian.

Two popular writers from Examiner.com reported that Clottey continues to train at half pace because his trainer of choice, Godwin Dzainie Kotey has yet to be granted an American visa and still cannot join the former world champion in training.

Vinny Scolpino, Clottey’s manager, says a statement will be forthcoming during the week.

Clottey will face Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao on March 13 in Arlington, Texas, and while the reigning pound-for-pound champion has been doing runs, hitting the mitts and trading leather with sparring partners, Clottey reportedly has yet to move his training camp.

When the fight was announced, Clottey’s camp had announced they were heading south to leave the cold New York climate so they will have a better training atmosphere.

“He’s training in the Bronx yet he is supposed to shift his camp down to the warmer climes of my old residence, Fort Lauderdale,” boxing expert Michael Marley posted on his blog Sunday.

Some reports have it that Clottey has already changed zip codes but hasn’t gone full steam ahead yet in his training for Pacquiao pending the arrival of his trainer.

Five meals a day

Pacquiao, on the other hand has been relentless at the Wild Card gym, with his weight no longer a cause for concern in his camp.

“[Manny] is already in good shape,” Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said in an interview with Fightnews.com.

Roach added that Pacquiao now even has to eat a lot so as not to lose too much weight during the training period.

“We have to keep the weight up and feed him five meals a day just to keep it up,” said the topnotch trainer.

“He is doing great in sparring and we are studying his game plan as we watch Clottey tapes. He’s not ready to fight yet but we have about four and a half weeks until fight night and he will be ready then.”

Not a word has leaked out of Clottey’s camp, which hasn’t even reacted to Roach’s prediction that Pacquiao will be the first person to knock Clottey out.

Source: sports.inquirer.net

A Bronx Tale: Veteran Joseph Figueroa gives us an insider’s view of the real Joshua Clottey

Las Vegas Boxing Examiner | Chris Robinson

If there was ever anything that came natural to Joseph ‘Trouble’ Figueroa, the sport of boxing was most likely it. Growing up in the Bronx, New York under harsh circumstances seemed to give the Bajan-Puerto Rican a hard edge and despite having many interests and endeavors over the years, boxing has been the one constant in Figueroa’s life.

Figueroa often speaks like an open book when discussing his life and times in the sport and his career has encompassed much. The sixty six fight veteran has squared off with five former world champions, traveled the world over, and has gotten to know some of boxing’s biggest names on an intimate basis. The sweet science is something that has forever molded Figueroa’s life and when reflecting back he admits the sport was something that he was always fond of.

“I can’t remember not liking boxing,” Figueroa says when reflecting back on his early days. “I loved Ali and Ray Leonard. I watched Ray Leonard’s hand speed in the 76’ Olympics and Ali was just Ali, need I say more? I was so hyperactive and fast at everything when I was young. I was a cool kid, but I always could fight. I was never the type to get angry and even at a young age I always stayed in control of my emotions. Hard to do for a kid but the first thing you need to know about fighting is that it’s not personal; you can’t fight mad. I was good at that. So, I was a natural.”

Boxing is the type of sport that will bring out the best in someone due to the hard work and discipline that is required in order to succeed. Coupling that fact with Figueroa’s early days in New York helped to give the low key pugilist an appreciation of not only where he came from, but also the exact role that his area had within the sport.

“I wouldn’t trade growing up in the Bronx for the world,” an appreciative Figueroa boasts. “I got all of life’s lessons right there. I learned about loyalty to family and friends, that was very important. I was tough enough to walk the streets and be respected but never took advantage of the so called weak. As far as boxing there aren’t that many places in the world like New York and the Bronx specifically. First and foremost, if you walked in the gym trying to be tough, you better ‘walk it like you talk it’. I can tell you so many stories about tough guys leaving the gym on a stretcher, in an ambulance, crying, no exaggeration! You never had to search for sparring. You might regret looking for sparring sometimes. The Bronx fight scene was always full of competition.”

Figueroa also recalls vividly how fighters would participate in smokers, also known as illegal and underground amateur fights back in the day. Figueroa claims that Mike Tyson was a regular in these type of bouts and also recalls other Bronx fighters such as Iran Barkley, Aaron Davis, Davey Moore, Dennis Milton, Chris Eubank, and Jake Lamotta all leaving an impression on him. Another fighter who Figueroa has gotten to know on a first hand basis is Accra, Ghana native Joshua Clottey, who challenges Manny Pacquiao this coming March 13th for the WBO Welterweight championship in Dallas, Texas.

The Bronx is full of people from all walks of life and several people from Clottey’s home country relocate to the gritty city upon their arrival to America. In November of 2003, as a once-beaten 26 year old, Clottey would make his professional debut at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in New York, with the Bronx eventually serving as his new stomping grounds. Figueroa has seen many fighters come and go during his day but admits that the West African left an impression upon him immediately.

“Honestly, I remember seeing him and his brother in the Bronx,” Figueroa reflects of Joshua and his brother Emmanuel. “I think they lived somewhere near an apartment I used to have on Morris Avenue. I’d see them running or in the gym. He’d come to the gym sometimes with Ben Tackie and I remember him being a cool dude. He was always with his brother and Tackie and they were genuinely nice guys. Also his training was serious. The guy does not play around in the gym.”

(Click to check out photos of Clottey and Figueroa and their time in the sport )

Figueroa would still cross paths with the rugged fighter on a daily basis at John’s Gym, formerly known as Jerome Gym, where Clottey still trains to this day. When asked about the atmosphere inside of the facility and how Clottey fit in, Figueroa claims the gym wasn’t for the feint of heart.

“Like any other gym in the hood; sweaty, real, and tough,” Figueroa claims. “You get real sparring in places like that. No white collar stuff there. So called tough guys will come in one way, and leave another. You’ll never get easy work in a gym like that. I can name hundreds of guys that have come through that gym. Chris Eubank, Mike Tyson, Juan Laporte, and last year Nate Campbell came through to train there. The list goes on and on. Clottey seemed to be an approachable and nice guy but serious about his work in the gym.”

When elaborating further, Figueroa opens up that Clottey’s work ethic has always been pristine and points out that he takes no shortcuts in training. Most likely due to his upbringing in Africa and the new environment he has adapted to in America, Clottey’s life has always seemed to be hard and his training is a reflection of such.

“First let me say that I don’t know exactly where he lives, but I do know that he does not drive to the gym,” Figueroa points out. “He does not take a cab to the gym. He runs to the gym every day with a backpack on. He trains like a gladiator and then runs back home. I was definitely impressed with his dedication and work ethic. Also, when he spars I never see him try to hurt anyone but he still dominates the sparring session. With the less experience guys, he works good with them, but still gets his work in. Even in between fights you’ll never catch him out of shape.”

While Figueroa is charismatic and outspoken in many regards he is also rough around the edges and can sometimes keep to himself. Combining that temperament with Clottey’s no-nonsense approach in the gym didn’t allow the two fighters to ever connect on a deep level but Figueroa recalls a certain moment when Clottey’s emotions boiled over.

“I can tell you that once he overheard myself and my trainer Billy Giles talking about the fight between him and Zab Judah,” Figueroa says speaking of the August 2008 clash between the two at the Palms in Las Vegas. “He overheard Billy say something about Zab could win ‘if’ – but when Clottey heard that he instantly came over. He was so serious and kept telling us that he would beat Zab. ‘Just watch, I’ll beat him easy’ he would say. Billy tried to explain that he thought Clottey would win but Joshua didn’t want to hear it. He was so focused.”

When discussing Clottey further, Figueroa recalls how close he is with his fellow countryman and former Super Bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko and also feels that Joshua needed to do ‘just a little bit more’ to beat Miguel Cotto this past summer. When asked if he felt that Clottey would go on to have this much success in the sport, Figueroa’s response is resounding.

“Yes because I’ve seen his dedication, fearlessness, good chin, and crazy work ethic in the gym,” Figueroa claims. “What impresses me the most is that he has been in the ring with killers and seems to be unmarked. He has good defense, good hand speed and decent power. He has never turned down a challenge that I know of. I don’t think that you can name one guy that he isn’t willing to fight. That’s rare these days in boxing at a time when guys are babied and take the easy way to a title. He fights anybody, anytime, and always puts on a good performance, even when injured.”

While all of the above may be true, Clottey is going up against something he hasn’t seen before when he meets Pacquiao next month. Despite having an obvious fondness for Clottey from their time together in the gym, Figueroa’s appreciation for Pacquiao has also been apparent in recent conversations. When assessing the matchup he sees a real fight, no matter how you cut it.

“I like Pacquiao as a fighter. I think that they match up pretty evenly. I give the power edge to Pacquiao but they both are well conditioned athletes. Both have incredible chins, both have good handspeed, and neither one has “quit” in them. It is not beyond the realm of comprehension to think that Josh could win this one. If he does win I don’t see a knockout but a hard fought decision, maybe a knockdown or two both ways. I definitely give Josh a real chance against pound for pound king Pacquiao. That says a lot about Josh.”

Source: Examiner.com