Pacquiao vs Margarito | Pacquiao Fight Updates

Pacman is ESPY’s best fighter

Posted on Friday, July 17, 2009 No Comments
Labels: Pacquiao, Pacquiao Award

MANNY Pacquiao added another prestigious award to his ever-growing list of international achievements—the Best Fighter accolade at the 2009 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly awards known as the ESPY.

Pacquiao overcame the challenge from Mixed Martial Arts stars Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva, along with World Boxing Association welterweight champion Shane Mosley, who has been hounding the Pacman to fight him in November, instead of World Boxing Organization champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

GMA News reported that Pacquiao earned the nod of ESPN’s online voters for his sensational

second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton and for pulverizing Oscar de la Hoya in December 2008.

It was also reported that Pacquiao’s knockout of Hatton, who was effectively separated from his senses by a cracking looping left hook, lost out in the Best Play award to the Ben Roethlisberger-to-Santonio Holmes last-minute touchdown, which gave the Pittsburg Steelers a dramatic win in Super Bowl XLIII over Arizona.

In winning the Best Fighter award, Pacquiao joins an elite list of some of the superstars of sport, including Beijing Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, who attended the ESPY with his mother and won the Best Male Athlete and Best Record Breaking Performance award for his eight gold medals; Tiger Woods (Best Golfer), Beijing Olympics sprint king Usain Bolt (Best International Male Athlete) and LeBron James (Best NBA Player), among others.

The awards ceremony, which was held at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, will be telecast over ESPN on Sunday. It was hosted by Samuel Jackson.

Pacquiao had earlier been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world by Time magazine and broke into the Top 10 list of Forbes magazine’s richest athletes in the world.

While the ESPN awards were going on, his adviser Michael Koncz said Pacquiao was “getting his commitments for endorsements and commercials out of the way,” so that when he signs the contract to fight Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in November, he would have eight weeks of undisturbed training.

Among those who attended the awards were former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and the Williams sisters Serena and Venus.

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/

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PACQUIAO RECEIVES 3RD RING BELT

Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 No Comments
Labels: Pacquiao, Pacquiao Award

Orlando, Florida (July 10, 2009) - On the eve of the Agbeko-Darchinyan world title fight, this writer recalled when Nigel Collins, editor-in-chief of The Ring Magazine, visited Manny Pacquiao in his suite and presented the Jr. Welterweight Ring Belt to him, being the current top man in that division. Pacquiao won this Ring Belt in May 2nd from the Englishman Ricky “the Hitman” Hatton. The belt ceremony incident occurred last June 13, 2009 at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan after coordinating with publicist Fred Sternburg and adviser Michael Koncz with lawyer Franklin Gacal during the PacMan’s most recent trip to the big apple. It was one of PacMan’s shinning moments.

In addition to his current status as pound per pound best boxer in the world, Manny Pacquiao is considered the undisputed champion of the 140 lbs. division. There were no sanction fees due for the belt and Ring Champions should lose their title when they are defeated in a fight, retired or moved to a different weight class. The Ring Magazine is esteemed as the “bible of boxing.”

According to Mr. Nigel Collins, a very pleasant boxing guru, this was Pacquiao’s 3rd Ring Championship Belt, which is a truly remarkable achievement.

In March 2004, Mr. Collins traveled to the Philippines to honor Pacquiao The Ring Championship Belt inside the Malacanang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines. Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hosted the event that was attended by many journalists and media personalities. Mr. Collins told us that he rates his trip to Manila as one of the most memorable experiences during his entire career as a boxing writer.

Manny Pacquiao earned the 1st one as a Featherweight when he defeated Marco Antonio “Baby Faced Assassin” Barrera in November of 2003. He earned his 2nd Ring Belt as Jr. Light Weight when he won via split decision, over another Mexican legend, Juan Manual “Dinamita” Marquez in March of 2008.

Mr. Collins told this writer that it was extremely rare for a boxer to earn 3 Ring Belts in 3 different weight divisions. He praised Pacquiao for being ring savvy and stated he was amazed at how much his right hand has improved thru the years despite being a southpaw, now having a devastating right hook, which was responsible for knocking down Ricky Hatton in the first round. Pacquiao delivered a perfectly timed left hook that KO’ed Hatton in the 2 min 59 sec of round two, hence ending the match in a brutal, shocking fashion.

“I am honored to receive the Ring Belt and I will proudly display it whenever I can,” Pacquiao later remarked.

Mr. Collins told Pacquiao, “I came to your “after-party” at the Mandalay Bay Hotel following the Hatton fight hoping to see you sing. Too bad, when I got there, you had already gone.” Pacquiao smiled and told him, “Next time, next time…maybe, you’ll see me sing again.”

http://philboxing.com/

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Manny Pacquiao still atop latest pound-for-pound rankings

Posted on Saturday, June 27, 2009 No Comments
Labels: Pacquiao, Pacquiao Award

The Ring magazine released their latest pound-for-pound rankings this week and it comes as no surprise that Manny Pacquiao is still at the top of their rankings. The magazine is known as the bible of boxing and is considered the ultimate source of boxing information for fighters and fans alike.

The pound for pound rankings have been around for years and are based on the premise that if all fighters were the same weight where would they rank. The current rankings include boxers, sluggers, veterans and two very exciting young fighters making their mark on the boxing scene.

Below are the current rankings as of June 21, 2009. Listed along with each fighter is their record , titles they hold , weeks The Ring have listed them in the top ten and any upcoming fight they may have. Please note that The Ring doesn't pay too much attention to alphabet trinkets. If a boxer has The Ring belt then he is considered the one and only world champion of that division.

1. Manny Pacquiao, Philippines, 49-3-2 (37), is currently The Ring junior welterweight champion after his destruction of former champ Ricky Hatton. Scheduled as now to fight Miguel Cotto on November 14. The Ring has had Pacquiao in their top 10 for an amazing 290 weeks.

2. Juan Manuel Marquez, Mexico, 50-4-1 (37), is The Ring lightweight champion after defeating Joel Casamayor last year. Marquez also holds the WBA and WBO lightweight belts. A July fight with former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather has been rescheduled for September. Has been in the top 10 for 119 weeks.

3. Bernard Hopkins, Philadelphia , Pa., 49-5-1 (32), fights at light heavyweight and still hopes to get a fight with current cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek. As of now he has no fight scheduled. He entered the rankings 159 weeks ago.

4. Shane Mosley, Pomona , Ca., 46-5 (39) , is ranked number one at welterweight after dismantling Antonio Margarito earlier this year. He owns the WBA welterweight title. Mosley was hoping to secure a fight with Pacquiao or Mayweather , but nothing is scheduled. Mosley has been in the top ten for 22 weeks.

5. Israel Vasquez, Mexico, 43-4 (31) , is The Ring world champion at junior featherweight. Vasquez has suffered medical problems after his three wars with Rafael Marquez. He has not fought since last year. He currently has no fight scheduled and has been on the list for 99 weeks.

6. Rafael Marquez, Mexico, 38-5 (34), is the number one ranked junior featherweight. He lost the last two battles against Vasquez , but recently came back with a quick knockout in May. He currently has no fight scheduled. He has been ranked in the top ten for 57 weeks.

7. Nonito Donaire, Philippines, 21-1 (14), is the current IBF flyweight champ. His age and his style make him a fighter that could possibly move up in the rankings in the coming years. He is boxing's biggest kept superstar secret. He has a stay-busy fight scheduled against Hugo Fidel Cazares in August. He has been on the list for eight weeks.

8. Vic Darchinyan, Armenia, 32-1-1 (26), holds the WBA , WBC and IBF junior bantamweight crowns. He has a fight scheduled against tough Joseph Agbeko in July. He is ranked number one at junior bantamweight and has been on the list for 20 weeks.

9. Miguel Cotto, Puerto Rico, 34-1 (27), currently holds the WBO welterweight title and is ranked number two at welterweight. He is coming off a grueling fight against Joshua Clottey and is scheduled to fight Manny Pacquiao in November. He has stayed on the top ten list for 8 weeks.

10. Celestino Caballero, Panama, 32-2 (22), is the WBA and IBF junior featherweight title holder. He is another of boxing's best kept secrets. He currently has no fight scheduled and has been in the top 10 for 22 weeks.

Thanks to The Ring for maintaining and bringing class to the world of boxing. They do not play favorites and have no political agenda. So you can be assured that these rankings are as good as it gets.

http://www.examiner.com

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Pacquiao a Giant amongst Giants in NYC

Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 No Comments
Labels: Pacquiao Award

A kings welcomed awaited the pound for pound champion Manny Pacquiao as he entered Madison Square Garden Saturday night to take in the Miguel Cotto – Joshua Clottey main event. Pacquiao and his wife entered the Garden before the undercard fight of his country mate Rodel Mayol who was challenging Puerto Rican Ivan Calderon for the WBO Mini Flyweight championship. The overwhelming Puerto Rican crowd who started to pack in the Garden was beginning to get pumped up as they anticipated the Calderon and Cotto bouts. Before the crowd could get a chance to cheer their favorites Calderon and Cotto they were treated to the appearance of Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao hand and hand with his wife were escorted by many security guards to their front row seats next to promoter Bob Arum. With the sighting of Pacquiao the Garden crowd went into frenzy, Pacquiao responded back smiling and waving back only to receive another round of accolades meant for royalty. It goes to show you that Pacquiao’s statue not only as a boxer but as a celebrity is starting to peak as well.

Pacquiao who has never fought at Madison Square Garden had to be thinking at that moment the Mecca of Boxing has to be on my list of venues for a career ending fight. Many of the greats have fought in the Mecca of Boxing the likes of Ali, Frazier, Lewis, Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad even the Golden Boy trio of De La Hoya, Hopkins and Mosley have had bouts at the famous Madison Square Garden. Why should Pacquiao be excluded in from demonstrating his abilities on the most historical boxing stage in the world?

When the May 2nd second round smashing left knockout to the head of Hatton was shown on the large screens which surround the overhead of the ring once again the crowd at the Garden again applauded the champ Pacquiao. One can imagine a Pacquiao- Cotto or a Pacquiao- Mosley clash held not in Vegas but were boxing was born Madison Square Garden.

As Pacquiao sat ringside along with the television stars of the Sopranos, actor Liam Nelson, boxing greats named Jones, Wright and Calzaghe and NY Giant Football stars Brandon Jacobs, Justin Tuck and Antonio Pierce it was still Pacquiao who received the loudest and longest cheer, t he hometown New York Giant Football Stars could not even come close. Once again Pacquiao stood tall amongst Giants just like he did with his recent wins over Hatton and De La Hoya.

Pacquiao watched the Cotto- Clottey battle intensely as Bob Arum is contemplating a Cotto- Pacquiao matchup for later this year. Arum who afterwards was quoted as saying “A Pacquiao- Cotto match is a dead even fight”.

Now with the Mayweather- Marquez July 18th bout postponed it appears more and more likely a Pacquiao-Cotto match will happen.

http://www.diamondboxing.com/

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Pacquiao Receives the 'Oscar’ Award of Boxing

Posted on Saturday, June 13, 2009 comments (1)
Labels: Pacquiao Award

Filipino boxing hero and a hero of Asia, Manny Pacquiao, received what amounted to the coveted “Oscar Award” of boxing as “Fighter of the Year” for 2008 from the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America at star-studded dinner in New York Friday (Saturday morning Manila Time.)

It was Pacquiao’s second “Fighter of the Year” award having first won the accolade in 2006. The awards dinner which was carried “Live” by Gofightlive.tv was monitored in Manila by www.insidesports.ph and Viva Sports.

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach won his third “Trainer of the Year” award and paid tribute to Pacquiao for much of his success.

Pacquiao received a standing ovation when he went on stage to receive the award from BWAA president Jack Hirsch who hinted that with Pacquiao’s spectacular 2nd round knockout of Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton last May 2 may put him in contention for a third award for 2009.

In his remarks delivered in near-flawless English and interrupted by resounding applause on occasions, Pacquiao said he flew all the way to New York because he realized the value and prestige of the “Fighter of the Year” award. Pacquiao acknowledged Top Rank promoter Bob Arum for his faith in him, his remarkable trainer Freddie Roach and his wife Jinkee and their children and family for all their support and the support of his countrymen.

Pacquiao reiterated a constant theme that nothing would have been possible without the help of God.

In an interview prior to receiving his award Roach said “it gets better every time and Manny Pacquiao really is the best student in the world and we have a good relationship so I am very honored be around a guy like him and a workhorse like Manny Pacquiao.”

Roach said he wants “two more big fights and then retire. With (Floyd) Mayweather Jr coming up and of course (Miguel) Cotto and (Shane) Mosley and we’ll fight the winner of that down the line” even as he spoke about he himself retiring in the Philippines.

Roach said he saw “no problem whatsoever” in fighting Cotto or Mosley but added “right now I think Mayweather is the better fight for Manny and that’s the fight I want.”

He said Mayweather “is not as strong as Cotto or Shane (Mosley). He is not a big puncher . He’s been off for a long time now. He struggled with (Ricky) Hatton and was behind after six rounds . We destroyed Hatton . He struggled with Oscar De La Hoya and Manny destroyed Oscar so who’s the better fighter?”

Roach said Pacquiao’s “work ethic is amazing and I’m real happy he walked through my door one day.”

BWAA president Jack Hirsch said a lot of luck was involved in pulling off such a great event and commended “the people in the boxing community, the way they rallied together and tonight showed boxing at its absolute finest. Its given a bad image a lot of the time but the people who knock it should be here tonight.”

Hirsch said “this is the academy awards for the sport and everyone wants to be a part of the academy awards. Winning a BWAA award is the greatest award you can win in boxing and take the turnout – Genaro Hernandez from Los Angeles, Manny Pacquiao from the Philippines, Israel Vasquez from Mexico, Joe Calzaghe from Wales, they are coming from all over.”

http://philboxing.com/

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