Las Vegas - Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says it will take some time to negotiate a best-seller fight between reigning world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Arum told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Pacquiao wanted one more fight after his “Fire Power” showdown against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in their showdown at the MGM Grand here in Las Vegas on November 14 before the May 2010 elections where he plans to run for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani.
Arum said “I guess he wants to fight before and after” but that Mayweather will “want a lot of money but I don’t think we can do a Mayweather fight in that short a period of time.” However, Arum indicated it will all boil down to negotiations.
Arum stressed that while Mayweather “could look past the Juan Manuel Marquez fight Manny can’t look past Cotto.” He explained that the Puerto Rican star had lost only once to a guy (Antonio Margarito) who they think had his gloves loaded and he was beating him until towards the end.” The Top Rank promoter wasn’t too concerned about Pacquiao’s training camp in Baguio City once Roach arrived in the Philippines along with conditioning guru Alex Ariza.
He said “the biggest advantage that Manny has in the fight is Freddie Roach. Miguel has no equivalent although his trainer is a nice guy – Joe Santiago. But he has a great conditioner, a real pro. But Manny has Freddie to work with him on strategy . People don’t give him the credit he should get but he’s a tremendous strategist. He can analyze an opponent and figure things out.”
Prior to leaving for Manila, Roach told us that the catch-weight of 145 was no problem . He said “one pound here two pounds there are not going to win or lose the fight. I’m happy with it (145) and Manny has no problem with it. The thing is by fight time he’ll weigh 160, we’ll be about 149 which is Manny’s best fighting weight and if they think he (Cotto) is the stronger guy he has something coming . They said Oscar (de la Hoya) was stronger, they said Ricky Hatton was stronger and now they Cotto is stronger. I got the better puncher. If he wants to fight, we’ll fight.”
Arum also disclosed that he was very impressed with light welterweight Mark Jason Melligen who had even impressed Floyd Mayweather Jr as well as Z “The Dream” Gorres and would put them on a Top Rank card scheduled for November 13 at Mandalay Bay. Melligen will fight tough Mexican Mike Rosales while matchmaker Bruce Trampler was working on an opponent for Gorres.
At the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25KOs) won an easy twelve round unanimous decision over Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5, 37KOs). Mayweather was too big, too strong, too fast and too good. The scores were 118-109, 120-107 and 119-108.
A very tactical first round saw Mayweather use the jab and landing quick lefts. Not much offense from Marquez. Mayweather picked up the pace in the second. He landed a good right and Mayweather would come back later with a left that sent Marquez down. Mayweather pecked away on Marquez until the bell. The third saw Floyd landing good lefts off the jab. Marquez unable to get off with his shots. Mayweather worked him over in the fourth. Other than a good right hand, Marquez could not land much more. Marquez started to take more chances in the fifth round. He was unable to land many of the punches.
Mayweather began to let his hands go in the sixth, battering Marquez with fast punches. Mayweather continued the pattern in rounds seven and eight, landing his fast punches over and over. Mayweather would taunt Marquez to throw punches. During round nine, Marquez finally stood his ground and tried trading punches with the bigger Mayweather. He couldn't muster up enough pop to make a dent on Floyd. The same result in round ten, with Mayweather overwhelming Marquez with speed and accurate punches. Mayweather started to pick up the pace again in the eleventh, landing almost at will and trying to knock Marquez out. Mayweather dominated the twelfth, landing his punches at will once again. He took it easy in the final round but still battered Marquez around the ring with ease.
HQ FIGHT VIDEO REPLAY POSTED ON BOXING-CORE.COM. CLICK THE LINKS BELOW.
BoxingScene was advised that Floyd Mayweather Jr. knew ahead of time that he would not be able to make the agreed upon catch-weight of 144-pounds for his Saturday fight with Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
I hear Marquez may have received additional money in the realm of $500,000 but that has yet to be confirmed. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer did confirm the fight was contracted for 144-pounds and there will penalties that Mayweather will have to deal with. Marquez weighed 142-pounds and Mayweather was 146.
Manny Pacquiao has begun training for his “Fire Power” showdown with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand on November 14 paying scant attention to the wild accusations by Floyd Mayweather Sr that the Filipino boxing hero had taken steroids and other power-enhancing supplements.
Mayweather Sr claimed that the devastating left hook that knocked the senses out of IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman ” Hatton last May was the result of the power Pacquiao gained from the use of drugs even though the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director Keith Kizer cleared Pacquiao saying he had been tested before and after his past fights and was clean.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said Pacquiao appreciated the statement of Kizer in an exclusive interview with the BoxingScene, ABS-CBN and Standard Today team in Las Vegas and indicated Mayweather Sr’s TV interviews would strengthen the case Pacquiao may decide to file against the trainer for his baseless accusations that were defamatory.
Koncz said Pacquiso went jogging in the morning and was scheduled to workout at the “In This Corner” gym of his former business manager Rod Nazario in Sucat, Paranaque. He said Pacquiao would travel to Baguio City on Sunday where he will set up training camp for some four weeks with trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning guru Alex Ariza scheduled to arrive from Los Angeles over the next couple of days.
Filipino trainer Restituto “Buboy” Ferrnandez is already in Baguio City setting up the training camp. In a recent interview with BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Pacquiao disclosed that he had been training despite his hectic schedule and often took time out to play basketball. Even when he was in San Frasncisco last Sunday on a promotional tour stop Pacquiao found time for as game of basketball at a local high school gym.
Meantime, Mayweather Sr spoke about Pacquiao’s fight against Cotto saying “if Pacman stays on the right places which is his (Cotto’s) eye right now and Manny stay there hr’s gonna be alright, but if not he‘s got a big chance of losing.”
Asked to elaborate, Mayweather Sr said Cotto “is a much bigger man, stronger man and even though he fought a bad fight in his last fight (against Joshuas Clottey) I still think he is a better fighter technically, all around.”
Las Vegas - Renowned boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar predicts that pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao’s “Fire Power” showdown with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on November 14 will result in “an easy win for Pacquiao.”
Speaking to BoxingScene.com, ABS-CBN and Standard Today after the Floyd Mayweather Jr - Juan Manuel Marquez press conference at the Hollywood Theatre of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Bert Sugar jokingly said “first of all Cotto will start bleeding somewhere between ’o say and can you see’ (lines from the US national anthem).”
In a more serious vein Bert Sugar conceded that Cotto though “is tough and is bigger but Pacquiao has been fighting bigger men every time he stepped into the ring and by the third or fourth round if Cotto hasn’t made an impression watch him stepping backwards, and that’s Pacquiao’s fight.” However, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach in an interview in the Los Angeles promotional tour press conference said he isn’t taking anything away from Cotto and told us he plans to have Pacquiao train for three weeks at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles after the initial phase of preparation in the Philippines summer capital of Baguio City.
Roach described Cotto as being “solid, strong and a great fighter and Manny will have to fight s great fight to win.”
The three-time winner of the “Trainer of the Year” award predicted that Pacquiao “will win by a twelve round decision but if a knockout comes it will be a big bonus because this guy has only been stopped once in his life and that was questionable (against Antonio Margarito). Cotto is a very resilient tough guy . He’s got his whole country behind him like Manny does and people that tell me that its an easy fight are fools.”
Roach pointed out that Cotto is a world champion and its not an easy fight. Asked how he planned to overcome the size and power of Cotto, Roach said "will work on the strategy in training. I won't tell you, we'll show you."
Security tightened for Pacquiao practice in Baguio gym
Police tightened security at a gymnasium in Baguio City where Filipino boxing champ Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao will train in preparation for his bout with Miguel Cotto this November.
Radio dzRH reported that city police have secured the gym at Teachers' Camp so that Pacquiao will not be distracted by people who want to watch him train.
Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. appealed to city residents to cooperate with the security measures so Pacquiao can concentrate on his training.
Pacquiao is due to face Cotto on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
His last ring victory was on May 3, when he knocked out Ricky Hatton.
Cotto, a native of Puerto Rico, is the present World Boxing Organization welterweight champion.
Earlier Pacquaio assured his supporters that he would be 100-percent prepared for his November fight, amid concerns that he is not taking his training seriously. - GMANews.TV
Police were stationed at the training camp of Manny Pacquiao. The tight security were an effort to ward off onlookers from distracting Pacquiao.
The Baguio City Mayor appealed to city residents and outsiders alike not to distract Pacquiao at Teacher's Camp so that he can concentrate on his training for his upcoming bout with Miguel Cotto.
A former professional boxer, Freddie Roach has not fought competitively since retiring in October 1986.
But during an exclusive interview with FanHouse from Los Angeles on Tuesday, the 2009 Trainer of The Year seemed as if he was ready to lace up the gloves and go after rival trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. Hearing for the first time that Mayweather Sr. has implied that steroid use had contributed to the rise in weight of Manny Pacquiao, his No. 1 fighter and boxing's 2009 Fighter of the Year, Roach, fired back, among other things, "Where in the hell did that come from?"
Lem Satterfield: What were the reasons you and Manny fell out of touch recently?
Freddie Roach: We had a little trouble getting in touch with him a couple of weeks ago because he was in the Phillipines and before he came to America, so we didn't really communicate that much. But I was trying to find out where and when he wanted to begin training. When he came to New York, we worked it out in five minutes and it was fine. We're going to do four weeks in Baguio [Phillipines] and the last four weeks at the Wild Card Gym and then we'll be fine.
Satterfield: Where is Bagiuo in relation to Manilla, and why train there?
Roach: Baguio is about five hours above Manilla -- at the highest point of the Philippines -- at 5,000 feet above sea level. The Olympic training center for the Philippines -- that's where it is. We've never trained there before. It's a little bit cooler, it's more of a tourist type of place, and it's not overcrowded like Manilla. It will be a lot quieter than the normal camp.
Satterfield: Does Manny deserve to be pound-for-pound best?
Roach: Yeah, I think that Manny is the pound-for-pound best. He's really demolished his last three opponents. I think that he deserves to be pound-for-pound. I don't think that anyone really comes close to their domination of Oscar de La Hoya.
Everyone says that Oscar is old now, but before the fight, they said that Pacquiao was going to lose. They said that Ricky Hatton was stronger than him. Ricky Hatton was dead even after six rounds with Floyd and Manny got him out of there in two. So I don't believe that there is any other choice out there other than Manny for pound-for-pound best.
Satterfield: Do you believe that Oscar De La Hoya physically drained for his fight with Manny?
Roach: Oscar was drained by the guy who was supposed to teach him how to fight. All of those excuses don't mean [expletive] at the end of the day. It's the bottom line, which is that it's either a 'W' or a loss. The record books are going to say that for life. All of those excuses aren't going to cut it -- Oscar was old, Oscar was this, Oscar was that. But before the fight, Oscar was great.
Satterfield: Does it validate you, personally, as a trainer, that Floyd Sr. was in the corner for Hatton fight when Pacquiao -- your guy -- won?
Roach: It means that I have a better fighter. I hate to lose, and I love to win. I do everything possible to get my guys prepared to win. It was very satisfying to win. But comparing trainers, I don't know. I think that Manny Pacquiao is the better fighter, and that's why we won.
Satterfield: Did you hear that Floyd Sr. implied to the Michigan's Grand Rapids Press -- Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s home newspaper -- that Manny Pacquiao has been on steroids?
Roach: Well [chuckles], we have taken him a couple of times to be tested, and we haven't tested positive yet. I think he's wrong, but all Manny's on is white rice.
Satterfield: Why do you believe that Floyd Sr. would say something like that?
Roach: Steroids? Where in the hell did that come from? You know, these guys, they had to come up with a reason why they lost. They lost because [Floyd Sr.] sucks as a trainer and I had the better fighter.
Satterfield: How are you preparing for a Miguel Cotto -- a big, strong guy, whose punch output was incredible against Joshua Clottey?
Roach: Miguel Cotto had a good fight against Joshua Clottey. He's obviously better. That was a great win over Clottey, who is a tough guy. He showed some signs of wear and tear from the Margarito fight, but I look at it more like it's as if he got himself back into the groove of things, which is why he is training camp early. He's gotten his confidence back and he's taking this fight against Manny very seriously.
Satterfield: Will any part of your strategy be to make Miguel Cotto remember what it was like to be in those wars with Antonio Margarito and Clottey, as if he's in the 13th round, or, even, the 25th round?
Roach: Of course. We're definitely going to try to do that. The thing is, though, I'm expecting Miguel Cotto to be better in this fight. So I'm watching more tapes of the old Cotto, when he beat Zab Judah, the southpaw, and when he beat Shane Moseley.
I'm watching the Clottey fight a little bit, but I expect Migel Cotto to be back to his best because I believe that the Clottey fight gave him a lot more confidence. Is Cotto totally back yet? Is his confidence 100 percent back yet? That's hard to say.
But I know that beating Clottey had to help him. I think that he's definitely heading in the right direction. So we're preparing as if he'll be back to the way that he was against Judah and Mosley.
WBO junior flyweight champion, Calderon (36-0-1, 6ko’s) will face philipine Rodel Mayol (25-3-1, 19ko’s) in a rematch of the June 13th fight, that ended in a technical draw because of a accidental headbutt that caused a hurto n Calderon’s head.
While, Martinez (22-0-1, 13 ko’s) will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against mexica Michael Lozada (35-5-1, 24 ko’s). Martinez won his title on March 13 when he knocked out britain Nicky Cook.
MANILA, Philippines—I have no doubts that to millions of OFWs everywhere, world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is a source of great pride. He is acclaimed as the best boxer pound for pound in the whole world.
All of us Filipinos are now hoping and praying that he will once again triumph on November 14, 2009 when he faces Miguel Coto for the world welterweight title.
In his last celebrated match with Ricky Hatton, he brought untold glory to the Philippines. And he did it with such humility and grace. Furthermore, he gave the millions of people all over the world who witnessed the fight an outstanding example of how he takes his Catholic faith seriously, throwing away any human respect by praying openly (especially in a country where displaying a crucifix publicly is declared illegal in some states).
Finally, as an economist, I can say that his victory in the ring could not have come at a better time. He did much to boost the optimism of his countrymen, counteracting the worldwide gloom brought about by the global recession. He might not have been aware of it but the high spirits of Filipinos could have added a few decimal points to the growth of our GDP this year since an optimistic mood usually contributes to higher consumption, all other things being equal. His possible victory over Coto could even make a 5 percent growth of GDP possible in 2010.
I am, however, very concerned about the advice Manny is getting from some people who may not necessarily be thinking of his welfare but of their own selfish interests. I am referring to his considering to run again for another political position.
Let us all join forces in giving him unsolicited advice. Manny, please avoid politics like the plague. You can do much more good for your country by devoting all your energies and resources to training some promising young Filipino boxers so that they can reap all the medals possible in boxing during the next Olympics in London in 2012. You have proved that Filipinos can be world class in boxing. With your leadership and guidance, the Philippines can be a world power in boxing in very much the same way that a small and poor country like Ethiopia has produced champions in track and field.
Just think of how a good number of young Filipinos are following your footsteps. Recently, Marvin Sonsona won the superflyweight championship. Then there are Donny Nietes, who is the minimum weight king; Nonito Donaire, superflyweight champ; and Brian Viloria, who bagged the lightflyweight prize. There must be many young Filipino teenagers who are still amateur boxers whom you can take under your wings and prepare them to win Olympic medals in 2012.
I have talked to my colleagues at the Makati Business Club and they are ready to mobilize support for you if you decide to be the boxing czar of the Philippines. I am sure your friend Manny Pangilinan will also be more than happy to help in your efforts to prepare Filipino boxers to win medals in the Olympics of 2012. There is no other person better situated and qualified than you to help our country finally stop the very long drought that we have suffered in the world Olympics. Without underestimating your leadership qualities that can be tapped in a political post, what we economists call the "opportunity cost" of your unique talents in boxing is too high to be wasted in what could be a mediocre post in local politics. There are others who can do that job. There is only one Manny Pacquiao who can bring more boxing glory to the Philippines.
Pushing our luck further in giving you unsolicited advice, let us also suggest that instead of getting involved in local politics in your region of Southern Cotabato you may want to support through your foundation some worthy NGOs that are contributing to the eradication of poverty. Among others, there is the Business Resource Center of the Notre Dame University of General Santos. It is one of the few local think tanks in the whole Philippines that are helping both government officials and private entrepreneurs to formulate realistic development plans for the good of the region. It conducts research on the economic situation in Southern Cotabato and identifies investment prospects for entrepreneurs. The BRC can help you identify development programs that you may want to support for the welfare of the entire region of Southern Cotabato.
You may also identify projects of Gawad Kalinga that has devised the most efficient approach to providing housing for the poor in the context of a holistic approach to community development. Then there are training programs for industrial workers as well as farmers that have been successful in other regions that you may want to have replicated in Southern Cotabato. In this search for effective models for poverty eradication, BRC can also help you identify the right partners. In short, I am asking you to act like a Bill Gates who uses a great part of his wealth to address the needs of the underprivileged in many parts of the world. Your world could be General Santos City and the surrounding areas.
If after eight years of producing world-class boxers for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics while acting as a local version of Bill Gates, you still aspire to enter politics, then you will be in a better position to convince the voters to elect you for a high national office, even as President, after you turn forty in 2019. By then, you would have brought more glory to the Philippines and would have acquired much knowledge about the requirements of development. But for now, we sincerely believe that entering politics can do you more harm than good. The email address of Manny Pacquiao is mannypacquiao@abante-tonite.com.
For comments, my email address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.
MANILA -- For IBF junior flyweight champion Brian Viloria, there would be only one Manny Pacquiao.
“To be honest, the way I see it… there’s nobody in this history that’s going to be the next Manny Pacquiao. Manny’s one in a million,” said Viloria, who had just defended his title from Mexico’s Jesus Iribe on Aug. 29.
He said Pacquiao is a phenomenon very much similar to boxing greats Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
“Manny Pacquiao’s at the same category… The way that he’s garnered the imaginations of the people worldwide not just in the Philippines, that’s enormous… for us, that’s a high standard to reach,” said Viloria.
This is why the Filipino-American boxer thinks it is “unfair” to compare up-and-coming boxers to Pacquiao.
“All that we could do is to work hard and what we’re able to do and to set our own standards on simply to reach that. I’m not going to be the next Manny Pacquiao,” he said.
Pacquiao has won several world titles, which include the WBC lightweight, WBC super featherweight, IBF super bantamweight, and WBC flyweight crowns.
He is also the reigning IBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion and is rated by the Ring Magazine as the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
“Maybe down the line we could make our own names and there will be guys who will want to be like us,” said Viloria. “Nobody can be the next Michael Jordan but it’s really nice to be Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.”
Pacquiao’s next fight will be against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on November 14.
Pacman leaving for US
Pacquiao, meanwhile, leaves for the US on Wednesday for a five-city publicity tour for his showdown against Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The promo tour will start Sept. 10 with a press conference at the Yankee Stadium in New York. It will be open to the public.
The entourage, which includes Team Pacman official Mike Koncz, lawyer Franklin Gacal and probably trainer Buboy Fernandez, will proceed to Puerto Rico, then to San Francisco, Los Angeles before capping it in San Diego.
“After this tour, we’ll start training for eight weeks,” said Pacquiao in Filipino. “We will study Cotto’s style and technique.”
Cotto, however, will not be around in the final stop of the tour in San Diego since he will go straight to his training camp in Tampa, Florida.
The 30-year-old world pound-for-pound king, on the other hand, is expected to start training in Baguio upon his return from the US with Fernandez assuring the facilities in the City of Pines are suited for Pacquiao’s training camp. With a report from the Philippine Star
courtesy of gma news CHICAGO - Former world lightweight champion David Diaz has become a firm believer in Manny Pacquiao ever since the Filipino ring icon took away his 135-lb belt via a ninth-round TKO last year.
And now that “Pac Man" is proceeding with his plans to conquer the heavier weights, particularly the welterweight division in his upcoming “Firepower" duel with tough Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, Diaz sees yet another Pacquiao triumph.
“Manny is beating the best of the best," Diaz said during a recent press conference in Chicago, admiring how Pacquiao dismantled two marquee rivals after him, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. "He’s doing unbelievable things, He is awesome. My hat’s off to him, a great fighter, a great person."
David Diaz, left, with Jesus Chavez during a recent press conference for their Sept. 26 duel at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. – Joseph G. Lariosa
But the 33-year-old Diaz said it won’t be totally a walk-in-the-park for the 30-year-old Pacquiao given Cotto’s “patience."
“(In the end,) Manny will outbox him (Cotto) and beat him in the later rounds. (There’s going be) no KOs (though)," he predicted.
Diaz is making a comeback after a year off following his loss to Pacquiao. On Sept. 26, Diaz is battling two-time world champion Jesus “El matador" Chavez of Mexico in the “Warriors Collide/Windy City Fight Night 6" card set at the UIC Pavilion in his native Chicago.
While Diaz (34-2-1) can predict the outcome of the Pacquiao-Cotto showdown, he declined to make a projection on his duel with Chavez (44-5-0), who previously held the WBC super featherweight and IBF lightweight belts. – Joseph G. Lariosa, GMANews.TV
Manny Pacquiao drools at the prospect of winning not just one but two world titles if he beats Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto in their “Firepower" showdown on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.
Cotto’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweighttitle would be on the line in the bout set at a catchweight of 145-lbs (two lbs under the regular welterweight limit) and to make the stakes even higher, the World Boxing Council announced it would stake the new WBC Diamond Belt, too. The twin titles would help Pacquiao realize his goal to win an unprecedented world crown in a seventh weight division after conquests at flyweight (WBC), super-bantamweight (International Boxing Federation), featherweight (Ring Magazine), super-featherweight (WBC), lightweight (WBC), and light welterweight (International Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine).
“Dahil ang WBC ay isa sa pinaka-prestihiyosong world governing boxing body gaya ng WBO, isang malaking pagkakataon ito upang makamit nating lahat muli ang isa sa mga pinakamadalang at pinakamataas na parangal sa sport na ito," Pacquiao wrote in his Kumbinasyon column for Abante on Sunday.
“Kung tayo ay papalarin, ito na ang ikapitong titulo sa ikapitong weight class, at malalampasan na natin ang record ni Oscar Dela Hoya na may anim," the “Pacman" added.
De La Hoya, whom Pacquiao stunned via a nine-round TKO last December 2008, had won titles at super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight.
According to WBC president Jose Sulaiman, the WBC Diamond Belt was created as an “honorary championship exclusively for fights between elite fighters such as Pacquiao and Cotto." The belt is handcrafted by an artisan in Mexico City with 18 carat gold fusion and has about 800 diamonds, emeralds and rubies, as well as 150 Swarovsky semiprecious stones.
“Kung papalarin mang maging kampeon ng WBO at WBC, isusuot ko ang korona at ang mga sinturon at bibigyan ng pagpapahalaga ang mga ito gaya ng ibang mga sinturon na aking nakamit sa loob ng aking career," Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound king, promised.
Pacquiao is currently completing his non-boxing commitments, including his movie Wapakman and new sitcom for GMA Network, Show Me Da Manny, before getting down to serious business at the gym by next month.
It was hardly a welcome return to the super flyweight division, but in the end, recently vacated flyweight titlist Nonito Donaire found a way to turn back the challenge of Panamaniam trialhorse Rafael Concepcion. Overcoming an injured hand and a considerable weight difference, Donaire emerged with a clear decision win in the main event at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Donaire came in at the super flyweight limit of 115 lb; Concepcion was considerably over at 119.5 lb, resulting in a 20% forfeiture of his $65,000 payday.
As expected, Donaire gained control very early in the fight. Precision punching is always the key to his success, though it was effective body shots that seemed to get the best of the fleshy Concepcion in the opening round.
Despite his early success, the advice from Donaire’s corner was to offer more jabs. It wasn’t immediately evident in the second, as Donaire was more comfortable fighting at a measured pace, allowing for left hooks and right hands to land upstairs.
He should’ve listened to his corner, because his night never got any easier.
Concepcion charged forward late in the round, landing two right hands along the ropes that momentarily hurt Donaire, as did a left hook a few moments later. Donaire recovered well, though to the tune of being the first round he’s lost all year. A sense of urgency was sensed on both sides. Donaire showed visible swelling on his right cheek, while Concepcion was forced to contend with a cut over his left eye. Their accelerated willingness to make something happen in a hurry resulted in a sloppy third round, with neither fighter landing much of anything, and certainly not any punches of note.
Donaire settled down in the fourth, reverting back to old form, which hardly meant good news for his challenger. The jab finally surfaced, but his most effective punch was his right hand, which landed in succession late in the round. Donaire was a little too overzealous, though, leaving himself open for a counter left hook that made for a nice exchange down the stretch.
The fifth round proved to be a source of frustration for Donaire, including a slip to the canvas (though not ruled a knockdown), and a clash of heads late in the round. The Filipino boxer-puncher didn’t fare much better in the sixth, a round in which he tried to work the jab but found himself circling the ring as Concepcion played the role of aggressor.
Action picked up in the seventh. Concepcion continued to come forward, to the point of bullying Donaire in the early portions of the round. Things turned around midway through when Donaire stopped moving and finally planted his feet and threw back.
It was enough to create space between Donaire and his opponent, and also enough to remain in control throughout the eighth round, in which he effectively employed his jab.
Momentum threatened to shift in the ninth, with Concepcion offering his own jab for the first time in the fight. Donaire absolved any fears of an upset brewing with a straight right and left hook, but offered far too much movement to effectively follow up.
As the fight crept into double digit rounds, it became clear that “Win today, look good the next time” was now the mantra in Donaire’s corner. There existed genuine concern in the crowd, but hardly the rabid atmosphere that has become the centerpiece of Top Rank’s recent independent pay-per-view shows.
That part was due to Donaire’s turning a fight into a boxing match, a lot of it having to do with his inability to genuinely hurt his bigger foe. He tried to do something about it towards round’s end, targeting the cut above Concepcion’s left eye and also connecting with a left uppercut to end the frame.
In came the championship rounds, which saw both fighters trading right hands at center ring but with Donaire getting the much better of the exchanges. A left hook and a right hand late in the round lifted the spirits of the Filipino crowd, but a counter right by Concepcion forced Donaire to curb his attack and instead fight in reverse.
“We’re the champions” was the translated advice to come out of Donaire’s corner prior to the 12th, as clear an indicator as any that they wanted their fighter to stay out of harm’s way.
He seemed to fight with the advice clearly in mind, though a brief scare came when he was sent to the canvas early in the round. Referee Vic Drakulich correctly ruled the sequence a slip, at which point Donaire shifted his weight to his shoulders and flipped up off of his back and onto his feet.
It proved to be the most thrilling sequence of an aggressive but sloppy final round. Both fighters tried to impose their will, but often fell short of their intended target. A long right hand late in the round snapped back the head of Concepcion, who tried to answer but caught nothing but air.
Scores of 117-111, 115-113, 116-112 gave Donaire his 21st consecutive win, as he advances to 22-1 (14KO) overall. The win was his third since joining the Top Rank stable last year. It certainly wasn’t his easiest or most impressive feat to date, though he offered a legitimate alibi at the end of the night.
“The five pounds he had on me – if he had to make 115, he’d have been down early. He ended up messing up my hand. I always say with my punches that I’ll either break his face or I’ll break my hands. In this fight, he broke my hand.”
Whenever he’s able to return, Donaire made it clear that he wants an upgrade in competition.
“I want to fight the great Mexican fighters – Fernando Montiel, Jorge Arce. Those guys are my friends, and I want to test myself against those top guys.”
To the surprise of most, he already received a test from the determined but ultimately overmatched Concepcion. The Panamanian falls to 13-4-1 (KO) with the loss, though was hardly impressed with his most recent conqueror.
“I expected a fight, a real Filipino fight, not a runner. I knew he was a great technician; I just wish he showed more of a warrior’s heart and that we would’ve exchanged a lot more.”
Donaire expected an opponent who would make the slightest effort to make the contracted weight, so everything balances out in the end.
The win gives the Filipino a title belt of sorts, though the true measure of his dominance is still built on his flyweight reign. He came into this fight having made three successful defenses of the title he violently extracted from Vic Darchinyan two years ago, a win that remains far and way his most notable to date.
Perhaps the most complete performance of his career came in his last fight, a one-sided fourth round stoppage of Raul Martinez in Manila, Philippines this past April. After the fight, Donaire expressed difficulties in continuing to make the flyweight limit, prompting the rise in weight.
Filipino boxing hero and world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao says he would be “very happy” to fight for the World Boxing Council’s newly-minted “Diamond Belt” and “appreciates the offer” which was made by WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz spoke to Sulaiman early Friday after the WBC confirmed what Sulaiman told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports earlier this week about the WBC plan to institute the “Diamond Belt” for elite fighters at catch-weights.
Koncz who was with Pacquiao when we called said Pacquiao was “pleased and honored” to fight for the “Diamond Belt” since he has been a longtime WBC champion in different weight divisions and has proudly worn the WBC belt in the past.
Koncz said he would meet with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum next week in the US and inform him that Pacquiao wishes to fight WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto for the WBC “Diamond Belt.”
Koncz and Sulaiman had a telephone conversation after which Sulaiman told us that he had “a very nice conversation” and that he was “very, very happy and I will wait for Arum to call me.”
Sulaiman told us early this week from his home in Mexico that he believes the WBC had a significant role in the “projection of Manny (Pacquiao) from a simple champion to a very popular, famous and great champion that he is today.” He also mentioned the fact that he “always thought Manny was “a good friend of mine, proud and happy to be a WBC champion.”
Sulaiman said the WBC Board of Governors had voted unanimously to implement the “Diamond Belt” concept which they said will help promoters and television networks “looking f or highly interesting and passionate battles for the benefit of boxing fans around the world.” In a press statement the WBC said “it believes this belt will play a very important role in modern boxing as the fights between elite boxers c alled ‘catch weight’ fights have not been a complete success due to the fact that nothing is at stake.”
Under the proposal the WBC wants promotions to “render homage to the two greatest fighters of such division who will be showcased in the battle for the belt.” Sulaiman told us the belt will use the same design as the famous WBC green and gold belt but the material will include 18 karat gold fusion and will be encrusted with 598 diamonds, 196 emeralds, 6 rubies and 150 other semi-precious stones.
The WBO had earlier demanded that both Pacquiao and Cotto pay the organization $150,000 each in order for their catch-weight showdown to be sanctioned as a world title fight which provided an opening for both fighters, Arum and the WBC itself to try and work out an agreement to fight for the “Diamond Belt” without paying such a huge sanction fee which would amount to almost P7.5 million for each fighter.
Author: Admin
| Posted at: Saturday, August 08, 2009 |
Filed Under: Boxing News,
Fire Fighter
|
According to WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, and his father Miguel Cotto Sr, WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel has become too involved in the title controversy with the November 14 bout with Manny Pacquiao. Notwithstanding a recent published report by one careless hack who erroneously attributed the comments to Pacquiao in an effort to instigate a legal situation, it was "Paco" Valcarcel who said the Pacquiao-Cotto bout was a welterweight contest because it was taking place at 145-pounds.
"If the fight is at 147-pounds, that is the limit. If he weights more than that, then you are at junior middleweight. But with one or two pounds less, you are still inside the limit," Paco told El Nuevo Dia. "We (the WBO) have the responsibility... that if a fight is going to be inside the welterweight limit, then it has to be for the title."
The Cotto clan does agree with Paco’s position. They view Paco as a good businessman who is trying to grab a sanctioning fee of $150,000. Since Paco was not involved in the negotiations, Cotto says the WBO president should not involve himself in the dispute.
"If he requires me to, I will gladly give him a letter of resignation. I do not have any problems with that. But in the rough draft of the contracts, the fight was not for the title. That was what we agreed on,” said Cotto to El Nuevo Dia. "For my previous fight. I weighed 146 pounds, but the contract stipulated 147 pounds and the fight was for the WBO title. For this fight the [contract] said 145 pounds and the title was not on the line.”
Top Rank president Bob Arum has already gone on the record and said that he would personally cover the sanctioning fee for both parties out of his own pocket. Arum has told several reporters that Pacquiao-Cotto will have the WBO title at stake.
Brian “The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria is confident that his more than two months of training would be enough to withstand the attacks of dangerous Jesus “Azul" Iribe of Mexico on August 29 (August 30 in Manila) at the Blaisdell Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“I have trained for this fight like it is going to its full route," said Viloria, a Filipino-American boxer who grew up in Hawaii, in a phone patch interview on Tuesday from Oxnard, California.
“My preparation is for a hard 12-round fight," added Viloria to reporters gathered at the penthouse of the Solar Century building in Makati City.
This will be the first time that Viloria, 28, will be fighting in Hawaii since 2003 and the first time that he defends his International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title against the Culiacan, Sinaloa-native Iribe. Viloria, who donned the US colors during the 2000 Olympics, said he has matured since losing his first world title in 2005 adding that preparation for a fight is more important than the fight itself.
“Before I took my fights for granted and because of that I took preparations lightly," said Viloria. “Now I prepare for my fight like it will be my last, I prepare myself physically and mentally."
Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn said that Hawaii boxing fans are excited about the fight.
“The venue is an 8,000-seater and we are confident that Viloria can fill it," said Gittelsohn, also in a phone patch interview from Los Angeles.
Viloria, the 1999 US Boxer of the Year, won the IBF crown last April 19 by knocking down Iribe's compatriot Mexican Uliseses Solis with a powerful right to the jaw in the 11th round at the Big Dome.
It was in 2005 that Viloria came into the Filipino consciousness by winning the WBC light flyweight title by knocking down Eric Ortiz. He defended the title once for his 19th straight win against Jose Antonio Aguirre in 2006 until Mexican Omar Nino Romero dethroned him in the same year.
Viloria also failed to regain the title in a rematch on November 18, 2006 at Las Vegas, Nevada. Ironically, Romero was stripped of the title because of doping.
In order to revitalize a sagging career, Viloria decided to fight Edgar Sosa for the vacant WBC crown but failed in his title bid.
Despite the lost, Viloria pushed on and even moved up to the super flyweight division and started training under former champion, Roberto Garcia, at La Colonia Gym in Oxnard, California.
In his debut in the division, the Hawaiian Punch scored a unanimous decision versus Jose Garcia Bernal (26-11-1) at the Alameda Swap Meet in Los Angeles, California on January 5, 2008.
Viloria posted four more wins against Cesar Lopez (unanimous decision), Fred Heberto Valdez (3rd round KO), Juan Javier Lagos (UD) and Benjamin Garcia (2nd round KO).
After that Viloria went down to junior flyweight and defeated Solis. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV
Author: Admin
| Posted at: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 |
Filed Under: Boxing News,
Fire Fighter
|
WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is taking no chances. With several months to go before his November 14 bout with Manny Pacquiao, the Puerto Rican champion has already begun training for the fight. Cotto returned to the gym on Monday and did five rounds on the heavy bag, 40 minutes of running and several stretching exercises. He wants to hit the gym two to three times per week until August 24, when he plans to start training full time for the fight with Manny. He doesn't want stamina to become an issue in the late rounds.
"I've done other things, but I've yet to return to the gym. The idea is to go two to three times a week until Phil Landman (his conditioning coach) arrives in Puerto Rico on August 22 and then I'll begin to train full-time on the 24th," Cotto told Primera Hora.
Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, told the paper that his fighter's training began early because the opponent is considered the best in the sport.
"We want to go to work slowly and get the most out of the following three months to achieve a high level of preparation," said Santiago. "We want to avoid the history of previous fights, like the one with Antonio Margarito. We do not want to arrive feeling tired on the day of the fight and therefore we will moderate the workload."
