Pacquiao vs Margarito | Pacquiao Fight Updates

After Miguel Cotto's narrow split-decision victory over Joshua Clottey this past Saturday, pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao licked his chops as he told promoter Bob Arum, "get me Cotto on November 14!" During a recent interview, Arum revealed, "There's no question he wants the fight. And he told me to put the fight together." With those instructions, he immediately began ironing out details of the purse split and the weight at which the Filipinno and Puerto Ricans icons would meet. Golden Boy Promotions, however, quickly took exception to the proposed bout, stating their case that Shane Mosley, widely regarded as the top welterweight in the division, should be next in line as Pacquiao's opponent.

"Cotto has a deep cut; Shane's ready to go. 'Sugar' Shane Mosley is the best fighter in that division. He can punch more, he has more speed. Shane really wants this fight and is willing to make concessions. This is the fight people want," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer quickly pointed out. Bernard Hopkins, a partner with Golden Boy, would echo those sentiments about Mosley in a separate interview, stating, "Sugar Shane Mosley, who is coming off a big win, that should have catapulted him upwards. Everybody knows he could fight and everybody knows his legacy is there, but when you're not supposed to win and you win impressively, you should become the man to beat."

Both Schaefer and Hopkins are quick to point to Mosley's last fight, a dominant and impressive victory over Antonio Margarito, who holds a victory of his own over Miguel Cotto. What they fail to mention, however, is that just two bouts prior to that, Mosley himself lost a narrow unanimous decision to Cotto. As the brass at Golden Boy Promotions do their best to get Mosley the fight, Arum seems unconcerned with their comments that allude to Pacquiao avoiding their fighter. In fact, he offers nothing but praise for Mosley as Arum readily admits that, although he's an option, he's simply the second choice for Pacquiao, who's clearly in the driver's seat as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. "Shane's a terrific fighter, but for now, he's the second choice. If we can't put together a Pacquiao-Cotto fight, we'll reach out to Shane," Arum would tell Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.

Despite what Golden Boy Promotions may think, it looks like Miguel Cotto will indeed be tapped as Manny Pacquiao's next opponent assuming all goes well in negotiations. Although Pacquiao was originally penciled in for an October 17th date, November 14th is now the new tentative date, which should give Cotto plenty of time to heal from the cut that he suffered in his bout with Clottey. "I hope to put it together this week, to get an agreement on terms," Arum stated. Seeing as how a clash with Pacquiao will earn Miguel Cotto a career high payday, it shouldn't be difficult for Arum to seal the deal and an official announcement should be coming soon.

Now that Mayweather's bout with Marquez has been postponed, it looks like Mosley may be left without a dance partner for the remainder of the year. Don't be surprised if he decides to spend his free time with a different type of dance partner as he patiently waits on the sideline for a big money fight to come his way. I hear Dancing With The Stars is looking for some new contestants...call me crazy, but it wouldn't be the first (or the second) time that we saw a boxer on the show.



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Pacquiao agreed to split the proceeds from his last fight with Ricky Hatton 50-50, but his camp are insistent they will not do so again.

Mayweather for his part, insists that it is him who should be paid more if he meets Pacquiao.

Pacman's promoter Arum - who had an acrimonious falling out with Mayweather when the Grand Rapids fighter left Top Rank - insists that unless he moves from this stance a fight will never happen.

"Mayweather is taking the position that unless he gets more money, there will never be a fight - that's absurd," Arum said on Setanta Sports News.

"Manny is the most sought-after boxer on the planet.

"If Mayweather persists with this position, a fight will never happen."

A more realistic fight in the short-term would seem to be Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto, should he beat Joshua Clottey live on Setanta Sports 2 at 2am on Sunday morning (BST).

Arum, who also promotes Cotto, believes this fight would have as much appeal.

"If Cotto beats Clottey that's just as big a fight," Arum added.


http://www.mannypacquiao.ph/

The Los Angeles Dodgers will welcome the world's leading boxer Manny Pacquiao on June 17 when the Filipino icon will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the 7:10 p.m. game against Oakland. Pacquiao most recently accomplished a two-round defeat of Ricky Hatton.

Pacquiao's visit to Dodger Stadium is the first outreach event to the Filipino community and will launch sales for the Dodgers' upcoming Filipino Heritage Night on August 18. On select nights throughout the season, the Dodgers will honor fans from all over the world and the Los Angeles community in special sections that will celebrate culture through food and a commemorative limited edition "Dodgertown, Philippines" t-shirt. Group tickets are $35 and individual seats are $45. Filipino Heritage Night will be held on August 18 when the Dodgers play against St. Louis at 7:10 p.m. Full details can be found at www.dodgers.com/sitinmytown.

Group tickets for Pacquiao's first pitch night can be purchased at www.dodgers.com/philippines or by calling 323-223-1433. The boxer maintains a residence in Los Angeles and $1 of every ticket sold using the promo code PACMAN will benefit the Manny Pacquiao Foundation created by the boxer to give back to the underprivileged men, women, and children of his native Philippines.

Right-handed pitcher Bobby Chouinard is the only MLB player born in the Philippines. The reliever was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 5th round of the 1990 MLB amateur draft and made his Major League debut with the Oakland Athletics on May 26, 1996. While Chouinard is the only player born in the Philippines, three other players of Filipino heritage have played in the Major Leagues: Bobby Balcena (1956 Cincinnati Reds), Benny Agbayani (1998-2001 New York Mets, 2002 Colorado Rockies, 2002 Boston Red Sox), and Chris Aguila (2004-2006 Florida Marlins, 2008 New York Mets). Two other Pacific Islanders have played in the Major Leagues: John Hatting from Guam (2006 Toronto Blue Jays) and Tom Mastny from Indonesia (2006-2008 Cleveland Indians).

The Dodgers will provide Free Parking in the general lots at Dodger Stadium for the three-game series June 16-18 versus the Oakland Athletics. Gates open at 5:10 p.m. and game times are 7:10 p.m. Fans will be able to enter all Dodger Stadium gates, where the $15 parking fee will be waived for entrance into the general lots.


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