There’s going to be a fight on March 14, 2010 (Manila Time).  Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will stand at one corner.  The question is, who will stand at the other corner?  Will it be Ghanaian Joshua Clottey  or Floyd Mayweather Jr.?  After weeks of negotiation circus, Top Rank’s Bob Arum finally decided to set the WBO welterweight title fight against Clottey.  The negotiation fizzled out between the two dominant American boxing promotional companies when Mayweather Jr’s camp demanded for a rigorous drug testing procedure –random examination like the Olympics that can be really close to the fight night.  

The boxing commission only requires urine testing but the stringent drug testing will call for random blood and urine sampling prior to and after the proposed fight.  Team Pacquiao couldn’t agree to the blood testing 30 days before the match concerned that this might affect Pacman’s performance.  Pacquiao filed a lawsuit against Mayweather’s camp last month, claiming several members had defamed him by intimating he uses performance-enhancing drugs.

The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight was supposed to be one of boxing’s biggest revenue-generating fights.  There’s still time before March to reopen talks but Arum has closed his doors to Mayweather for March, more especially that he feels Mayweather will start the nonsense media talk again about the testing and regulations.

Pacquiao’s new opponent in Clottey is a strong, aggressive African that beat Zab Judah of the United States for the IBF Welterweight title in August 2008 and lost a split decision to Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto last June.

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Top Rank promoter Bob Arum made a trip to the Philippines to talk to Manny Pacquiao, who broke records of being the only champion with 7 world boxing titles under his belt.  After Pacquiao’s clear welterweight win over Miguel Cotto last November, everyone is slating Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the next in line to face the formidable Filipino boxer.

March 13, 2010 is the date they are eyeing.  This can be the biggest boxing event of next year since people have been anticipating this match-up.  Pacquiao is the top pound-for-pound fighter while Mayweather is currently No.2 –although the No.1 position is not new to Mayweather since he was No.1 before he retired in June 2008.

The public has been clamoring for this fight to happen but according to Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s coach, March 13 is too fast a turnaround.  Remember that Pacquiao suffered a broken eardrum during his duel with Cotto.  Roach wants Pacquiao to be in his best possible shape before he steps again in the ring.  Roach is looking into a May 2010 bout but that will coincide with the election month.  Pacquiao already filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) this week to run for Congress.

Ticket for the live fight is expected to cost around $2,500 (P117,500) while the cheapest seats at around $500 (P25,000).

Will Schaefer and Arum get this deal done and set a fight date before the 2^nd half of next year?  The public will have to wait and see.

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The Pacman still has the hand and foot speed and the left big swing to grab another belt –his seventh world title across several weight classes.  He proves once again that he is the best pound for pound fighter of his time.

The MGM Grand was packed to the roof, with seats all sold-out; the anticipating crowd inside the arena watched one of the best matches of Pacquiao as of late (Pacquiao supposedly got a 13 million dollar purse.  Add the endorsements to that and you have the richest Filipino boxer of all time…). 

Round 1 appeared to be Cotto’s round throwing more punches and with them landing on Pacman’s head and body. 

Round 2 was clearly Pacquiao’s round scoring a knockdown from Cotto.  Cotto showed ferocious counterpunches.  The Pacman was too quick to sustain serious damage.  When Pacquiao unleashed a leftie, Cotto fell to the floor, dazed.  Since then Cotto didn’t look like he was the same fighter that stepped in the ring barely 5 minutes that passed.

Rounds 3-7 were all in Pacquiao’s favor marking another knockdown from Cotto in Round 4.  Everyone held their breath predicting that the bout will end soon with Pacquiao unleashing the deadliest that will bring Cotto down for the third time –and for good.

However, the 29-year old underdog from Puerto Rico didn’t relent so easily.  He got pumped up with his second wind and worked the ring, letting Pacquiao run after him.  He released a few jabs and body shots that connected.  It seems like he was back on his strategy of attacking Pacquiao’s body.

Judging from Pacquiao’s cauliflower ear and minor cuts under his eyes along with some bruises, Cotto did land some heavy shots of his own.  It was definitely a toe-to-toe match than Pacquiao versus Hatton or Dela Hoya.  You definitely got your money’s worth watching the fight.

Despite a puffed and brutally bruised face and spitting blood, Cotto stayed in the game, unyielding, hanging on to every round, surviving.  He earned my respect with his athleticism -I heard he’s also loved like Pacquiao because he’s really a very nice guy outside the ring.  Rounds 9 and 10, he looked hopeful to land a devastating left hook that can knock Pacquiao out.  But Pacquiao just wouldn’t have it –and he also didn’t want the fight to go to scorecards even if it was clearly his arm the referee would raise at the end of the day.  He wanted a knockout that his coach, Freddie Roach predicted.

Referee Kenny Bayless stepped in for the boxer’s safety and waved his hands to put an end to the fight after Cotto received a big left to the head and looked like he couldn’t defend himself intelligently. The end came in the 55-second mark of the final round.

Pacquiao has successfully stripped off Cotto his WBO welterweight belt.  Pacquiao’s speed coupled with throwing many punches from different angles is a firepower that is tough to extinguish -plus the fact that he has the unwavering heart of a champion.

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After a soiree of dialogues and press releases, Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao will face Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto in the ring.  The next Pacquiao event is slated on November 14, 2009 and will be held in Las Vegas.

Both fighters have agreed to meet at a catch weight of 145 pounds, which is two below the welterweight limit and five above the light-welterweight maximum limit.

World Boxing Association welterweight titleholder Shane Mosley has publicly showed in the past several weeks his eagerness to fight the boxing superstar, but promoter Bob Arum who handles affairs for both Pacquiao and Cotto, is more keen on setting a match-up between Pacman and Cotto.  Mosley was even willing to fight at 140 lbs and at only 40% revenue cut.  The 10% give on the purse wasn’t too attractive for Pacquiao’s camp and have decided to close the deal with Cotto’s camp.

Expectedly, the Mayweather Jr. and Marquez fight in September 20 (Manila Time) will also be highly anticipated since this is Mayweather’s comeback after his retirement.  The fight was postponed to September (from May) due to Mayweather’s rib injury sustained during training. 

Both Mayweather and Marquez return to the ring in September, while Pacquiao’s rumored 2^nd to the last fight is set 2 months after.  Boxing fans are eager to see if Mayweather will triumph in that meet to face Pacquiao.

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Is the Pacquiao fight in November against Cotto coming around the bend?  Or are there still talks underway for a Pacquiao versus Mosley meet?  Since it’s taking time for Pacquiao’s camp to negotiate the weight issue with possible Puerto Rican foe Miguel Cotto, Mosley is lurking again trying to outbid Cotto’s camp for the fight.

Shane Mosley is yapping again challenging the best pound for pound Filipino boxer and he agrees recently to go down his weight division and fight Pacquiao in the junior welterweight division at 140 pounds.  Previously, he expressed his willingness to go down to 144 lbs just to get the premium fight.  He wants the opportunity to steal the elusive belt from Pacquiao and was even offering Pacman a 60-40 revenue cut in favor of the latter..

“I thought about my legacy and my history,” said Mosley. “I think that me being willing to fight and the only thing that stands between us is 143 or 144 and we’re going back and forth and he’s playing games with Cotto.”

With his current offer at 140 lbs., Mosley said Pacquiao would surely run out of excuses not to fight him.  He is waiting for Pacquiao to say, “yes, let’s go ahead and do it… and let’s fight”.

“There should be no excuses. There should be no hold ups for Bob Arum or nobody.  I’m the only one stepping up to the plate and willing to do something, willing to fight, willing to give the fans what they want… a great fight,” said the welterweight champ.

Meantime, the Marquez and Mayweather fight is scheduled on September 19 in US and September 20, Manila Time.

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Pacquiao – Cotto Face Off Brewing

Miguel Cotto sealed a recent win against a very tough Joshua Clottey retaining the World Boxing Organization welterweight title.  It was a split decision that closed the deal of a very hard fought battle.  A few expected that it would come to the judges’ decision when Cotto knocked down the former IBF champion Clottey with a firm left at the end of first round but the latter stood up just in time.  Both men exchanged hooks and uppercuts that landed to the body and head.

At the end of Round 3, a head clash between the two boxers opened a gash on Cotton’s left eye that bled continuously throughout the match.  Manny Pacquiao sat ringside with Arum and saw how the bleeding blocked the Puerto Rican’s vision, which left him vulnerable to Clottey’s commanding blows.  Cotto didn’t let the bleeding affect his game and steered a strategy of throwing quick punches and then breaking out of the battlefield before Clottey can counterpunch.  But vision was not the only problem of the match.  During the fifth round, Clottey slipped and hurt a knee.  He winced in pain when the referee urged him to stand.

It was a long and tiring battle for the two but Cotto emerged the victorious as only one judge scored it in favor of Clottey.  The fan went crazy over the Puerto Rican’s win that reminded Pacquiao of Hatton’s tremendous support from the Brits.  Impressed by the amount of fan support Miguel Cotto gathered at Madison Square Garden, Pacquiao gave Bob Arum the green light to arrange a fight between the two stars.  The bout became more likely after Floyd Mayweather Jr. suffered a rib injury that postponed his returning fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.  Pacquiao was targeting Mayweather as his next opponent if the latter wins over Marquez.  Or a third winner takes all bout between the Filipino champ and Marquez can brew if the win were the other way around.

The target date for the Pacquiao-Cotto face-off is November 14, 2009.

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The highly anticipated bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is postponed.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s comeback fight is pushed back because he suffered a rib injury during training last week.  This was supposed to be his return after a year-long interim retirement.  Mayweather officially ended his retirement on May 2 this year when he announced he would fight Marquez.  They were scheduled to fight at a catch-weight of 144 pounds, more than Marquez has ever fought and the lightest weight for Mayweather since 2005.

Mayweather expressed his disappointment over the injury that forced him to postpone the welterweight fight.  He said he was looking forward to getting back in the ring.  The former 5-division champ hasn’t boxed since knocking out Ricky Hatton in December 2007.

Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) said in a statement from his training camp in Mexico that he was also disappointed.  Marquez was reported to receive a minimum $4 million payday for the fight.

Mayweather tried to work through the injury but the extent of the injury proves to be really painful for the welterweight boxer.  If Mayweather recovers from the rib or cartilage injury, a likely date is Sept. 19, which is the weekend of Mexican Independence Day and a weekend where there is traditionally a major fight involving a Mexican boxer. Marquez is regarded as Mexico’s No. 1 active fighter.

Mayweather knows how dangerous of an opponent Marquez is and he wants to make sure he is in the best shape possible come fight day.  It is a big fight awaiting these two.  More so because this fight is supposed to determine who is worthy to meet the current pound for pound champ Manny Pacman Pacquiao in the ring.

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Shane Mosley has been declaring that he wants to face Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in the ring since early this year.

The oldest boxing champ at almost 38 years old recently nabbed a stunning knockout of Antonio Margarito and was quoted to say that he was ready to find the “one with the most money.”  The main issue of the weight was the subject of deliberation.  Freddie Roach challenges Mosley to trim down to 142 pounds.  But Mosley refuses saying that his comfortable weight is within 145.

However, WBA Welterweight Champion said to fightnews.com on Sunday, that he is now ready to take on Pacquiao.

Mosley quoted, “There are conflicting reports from the Pacquiao camp an upcoming fight between me and Manny Pacquiao. I want it to be known that I want to fight Pacquiao and I want to fight him now.”

Mosley’s urges the Pacquiao camp to fight in a catch weight match, which could mean 143 lbs, give and take.  The question is whether or not Mosley’s 147 lb title would be at stake for this match.

Mosley is seven years older than Pacman and a full three inches taller than the reigning pound-for-pound champion.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the returning ex-pound-for-pound king, takes on Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, and should only be considered a Pacquiao opponent for next year.

Mayweather Jr. has not stepped in the same ring as Pacquiao.  On the other hand, Marquez is the formidable opponent that Pacquaio has not achieved a convincing victory yet.  They have met twice but the first match was declared a draw when it should have been Pacquiao’s while the 2^nd match was clearly Marquez but was given to Pacquiao.

Whether the bout is against Mayweather or Marquez, Arum has penciled Oct. 17 as the date of Pacquiao’s next fight.

Pacquiao still has two fights remaining in him before he declares retirement.  He could face Mayweather and/or Marquez and/or Mosley.  All three are have shown interest in challenging the best Filipino boxer there is.  Mosley recently has shown a lot of eagerness.  Mosley claims that he is the best fighter in boxing and he is ready to reclaim the title of number one pound-for-pound fighter.

Manny Pacquiao’s Nike Global TVC

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Three KOs’ a charm.

Pacquiao has really bolstered the path in becoming a boxing legend after knocking out Ricky Hatton.  With consecutive wins and 2 straight wins from bigger guys, Pacquiao has definitely more than put the Philippines in the world map.  He has gained a worldwide respect from boxing critics and fans.  Pacquiao with a record of 49-3-2, 37 knockouts supposedly earned $12 million for the fight, while Hatton (45-2) was paid $8 million.

The pound-for-pound contender Hatton was knocked down twice during the first round.  It quickly quieted a boisterous crowd of 16,262 at the MGM Grand arena, we know how loud the Brits can cheer.  Many of them flew from England to sing and chant Hatton’s praises.  The first knockdown was from a thundering right of Pacman, one that he has developed brilliantly through the help of his trainer Freddie Roach.  Opponents have a hard time reading where Pacquiao will be coming from since he has become an ambidextrous boxer.

Referee Kenny Bayless rushed to Hatton’s side and started counting.  By number 8, Hatton was back on his feet, still startled by the blow.  He tried to buy time.  Pacquiao knocked him out again with 11 seconds left.  Pacman could have gone for the kill before the staggering Hatton lost his footing.  But like a self-assured king of the jungle, he stepped back and circled his prey, knowing that there’s a perfect time to attack the jugular.  He let the 1^st round pass (A collective sigh of relief of advertisers, PPV sellers and buyers and boxing fans can be heard from East to West).

At the start of the 2^nd round, Hatton looked unfazed by the first round.  Hatton was on the offensive, remembering his brawling style.  He became re-energized a bit.  He kept charging at Pacquiao trying to return the favor.  A seasoned athlete, Pacquiao stick to their game plan even with Hatton’s wild advances.  He threw a flurry of punches with precision that left the Hitman helpless.  Pacquiao’s speed left him confused. 

Image Source: Dave Thompson/PA www.guardian.co.uk

Hatton probably thought Manny would target his body and left his head wide open.  He threw a punch to where Manny’s face was supposed to be, only to have his knuckles kiss the wind.  Manny dodged and released a left hook, the moneymaker, and it landed squarely on Hatton’s jaw.  Hatton lay motionless on the canvass.  2:59 of the 2^nd round, the fight was over.

Pacman threw 73 punches in 2 rounds against Hatton’s 18?  The 2 rounds of Pacquiao v. Hatton were more exciting for me than the 9 rounds of Pacquiao v. Dela Hoya.  I saw the aggression from Hatton at the start of the 2^nd round but unfortunately Pacquiao has already sized him up. 

Pacquiao sealed the deal of being the best pound-for-pound boxer Saturday night with this stunning performance.  That left hook that separated Hatton from his senses is a dynamite of a punch and it exploded right at the target area where it’s supposed to hit.  He is not only skillful, he is a smart boxer.  He knows where the weak spots are and targets it.  His increasing speed and accuracy make him an unbeatable title holder.

On the same day Mayweather announced his return to the ring with a July 18 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. 

Do we see a Pacquiao versus Mayweather fight at the end of the year?  How about a Marquez next year?

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