Pacquiao vs Margarito | Pacquiao Fight Updates

LAS VEGAS (June 14, 2009) - The highly anticipated July 18 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez has been postponed due to a rib injury sustained by Mayweather while training. The mega-fight was scheduled to take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

"I am extremely disappointed that this fight has to be postponed," said Mayweather. "I was training very hard and looking forward to getting back in the ring on July 18th."

"I was very disappointed to hear the news about the fight being postponed," said Marquez from his training camp in Mexico. "I will remain focused, in shape and ready to fight whenever the fight is rescheduled for."

Information about rescheduling the fight will be made available as soon as possible.



http://philboxing.com/

That is not exactly stop the presses news, a fight promoter telling a whopper.

It’s about as newsworthy as birds flying or fish swimming. It’s them doing what they do best.

“He (Cotto) and Pacman is a dead even fight,” Arum said in the wake of Miguel Cotto’s split decision victory.

Good thing the bossman of Top Rank doesn’t have a wooden nose which grows with each lie or he would have a schnozz which would make Pinocchio’s wooden one look microscopic.

So, as his star client Megamanny, wife Jinkee and their small entourage got ready to board a long Northwest Airlines flight out of New York just after noontime Sunday (returning to Manila via Detroit and then Nagoya), is must be said that the diminished Cotto is exactly what Arum wanted for a Nov. 17 Pacquiao bout.

Cotto displayed diminished capacity at Madison Square Garden Saturday night as he barely escaped the one time “Temple of Boxing” with a split decision victory over “B” level opponent Joshua Clottey.

By making a somewhat furious run from round six onward, Clottey nearly rained on the enthusiasm of the heavily majority Puerto Rican crowd (17,734) in the old arena. The Boricuas have their big annual parade down Fifth Avenue today and a Cotto loss would have been a real mood killer.
As I mentioned previously, this was a Pacman audition for the WBO welterweight champion and he passed it…just barely.

Which is fine with Arum and Team Pacquiao because they weren’t shopping for the most formidable foe for Manny’s final fight of 2009. In other words, neither the more dangerous Floyd Mayweather or Sugar Shane Mosley were ever in the running.

Am I allowed to use the word running, as adjective or noun, when discussing PBF, lol?

No matter what anyone says, Cotto is not the same, ultra confident aggressor he was before he got pounded into submission by Antonio Margarito.

Against Clottey, Cotto looked like a Mayrunner as he continually pranced about the ring.

The sight of Clottey steadily stalking Cotto and of Cotto going sidewards and backwards was informative I am sure.

Cotto, in his diminished state, is made to order for a Pacman thrashing. Cotto may be as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey come November in Vegas but it’s the Pinoy Idol who will make the feathers fly.

Pacquiao is still an elevator headed for the top floor, improving noticeably with each outing, while Cotto’s ride is going down.

I certainly can’t fault the thinking of Arum and Coach Freddie Roach, after having Pacquiao face De La Hoya and then Hatton, as to having Manny in with a marketable Latino foe who is not really scary.

Cotto is simply too slow to contend with the blizzard of punches Pacman will rain upon him.

On the business side, it would be better if he was Mexican but he is not. Cotto, as the crowd for Clottey proved, is still a draw. He won’t drag thousands of Boricuas to Vegas the way Hatton brought the Mancunians there but, more importantly, mixing the Cotto and Pacquiao aggressive styles makes for a fan friendly matchup.

So some will knock Cotto-Pacquiao as a pre-election “breather” for Manny.

Fighters are allowed such bouts. In the NBA, you don’t have to play the Lakers or the Cavaliers every night you know.

For Top Rank, using the depleted Cotto makes great sense as he has threatened to leave the company when his contract expires at the end of December.Getting Cotto hammered by Packy before the term expires leaves Arum in the nice position of being able to opt to throw money to keep Cotto or to let him leave.

While Pacquiao stock keeps rising for the foreseeable future, Cotto’s stock is sliding in the other direction.

Hiring Cotto for November also puts “Money May” exactly where his ex-promoter Arum wants him, in the Big Fight waiting room where his demands of money parity with Pacquiao may lessen as time marches on.

Cotto gets hammered, Mayweather’s motor idles and Pacquiao can go do what he didn’t do in Gensan against Dazzling Darlene, win the election.

It says here that Mayweather will fight the new Congressman from Sarrangani in 2010.

We’ve got to let the Pinoy politics and the Mayweather politics play out.


http://www.examiner.com/

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/

Cotto knocked Clottey down in the first round with a short left to the delight of the predominantly Puerto Rican crowd. Clottey was quickly able to get back up on his feet as the bell sounded.

In the third round, Cotto suffered a cut on his left eye after an inadvertent head butt. Clottey took advantage of the cut somewhat as he tagged it causing blood to drip, compromising Cotto’s vision.

In the fifth round, Cotto showed that he might have a future in mixed martial arts as he seemingly tackled and threw Clottey judo-style towards the turnbuckle. Clottey was given a few minutes to get up and recover but he apparently hurt his left knee in the scuffle.
Cotto said after the fight,

“The cut made the fight more difficult but I could always see,” Cotto said. “I had to box more late in the fight with all the stuff coming out of my eye. I had to keep on fighting. Keep on fighting.”

And fought he did. You got to give the man credit for staying in a fight and putting forth a much better performance compared to the last time he was placed in a similar predicament against Antonio Margarito. Cotto picked his spots while protecting his left eye, throwing timely flurries and controlling the fight with his defense and footwork whenever Clottey decided to engage.

Clottey wasn’t a happy camper however when he heard the results. Clottey stated after the fight, “I didn’t expect this decision. I won this fight. I want a rematch!” As much as I can empathize with Clottey, I’m afraid he did not do enough either to score a victory over the once-beaten defending champion Miguel Cotto who had the crowd pulling for him all night long. The knockdown in the first round proved to be a key in setting the tone for Cotto early in the fight.

Manny Pacquiao was ringside after receiving his BWAA Fighter of the Year award the night before, enjoying the fireworks and possibly scouting his next opponent as well. Pacquiao received a nice ovation from the crowd when he was introduced through the PA system attributing to the vast popularity the Pacman now enjoys as the face of the sport.

Was Cotto’s gutsy performance enough for him to land a mega-fight with Pacquiao? My take on it is yes and no. Cotto does deserve a Pacquaio fight, but if I was a member of Team Pacquiao, I’d be concerned with the running style Cotto implemented towards the later part of his fight against Clottey. Pacquiao prefers to fight boxers who come straight forward and something tells me that if Cotto decided to counter punch with Pacquiao, that he might just have enough power and skill to frustrate the Pacman. The edge would definitely still be with Pacquiao in my book.

With that said though, as a fight fan, I’d rather Pacquiao fight Mayweather if Cotto will only choose to “run around” or “run away” when he fights Pacquiao, but Cotto would probably be a more competitive and exciting fight for Pacquiao if he does engage. Mayweather Jr. is a superb defensive fighter himself and often runs around his opponents as well but I don’t think he has the same offensive power as Miguel Cotto on top of the fact that he’s been away from the sport for quite some time. At the end of the day, the edge Pacquiao has against Mayweather and Cotto is his heart so a fight with either one of them should definitely be Pacquiao's priority.


http://www.examiner.com/

IT LOOKS like pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent will be World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, as Top Rank big boss Bob Arum has mapped out a mega match in November.

Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto, wants both fighters against each other.

“We’re going to have to talk to Cotto’s people. He has a lot of options. I would like for him to fight Manny Pacquiao. That would be a tremendous fight and I hope we can get it done for November,” Arum said in a report posted at FightNews.com, after the Cotto and Clottey world championship clash yesterday.

The 30-year-old Pacquaio flew to the US to watch Cotto’s fight yesterday and to root for his fellow Filipino fighter Rodel Mayol, whom he promotes.

Awards

He also attended the Boxing Writers Association of America awards and received his second “Fighter of the Year” award along with his coach Freddie Roach.

Roach also got his third “Coach of the Year” honors.

Other fighters in the mix as a possible Pacquiao opponent—for his scheduled ring return on Oct. 17—are former pound-for-pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr., Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, World Boxing Council lightweight titlist Edwin Valero and World Boxing Association welterweight king Shane Mosley.


www.sunstar.com.ph

If Floyd Mayweather Jr. insists on getting the lion’s share of the money, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum may opt for Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico as the probable opponent of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.

"Mayweather is taking the position that unless he gets more money, there will never be a fight, that's absurd," Arum told the British press. "Manny is the most sought-after boxer on the planet. If Mayweather persists with this position, a fight will never happen."

Arum said Cotto, who also fights under the Top Rank banner like Pacquiao, appears to be a more viable
foe most especially if he wins against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"If Cotto beats Clottey that's just as big a fight," said Arum, noting that Cotto has a tremendous following
among the Hispanics, making a match-up with Pacquiao as sure box-office hit.

Pacquiao gets to size Cotto up close and personal as the Filipino will be in the Big Apple for the 84th annual Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) awards on the eve of the fight.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said he prefers the brash Mayweather for Pacquiao over the other names being mentioned since he doesn't only commands big money but is the easiest
to defeat compared with Shane Mosley and Cotto.

Roach said Mayweather is "fragile and over-rated" and Pacquiao will surely cut him to ribbons.

Mayweather, however, has a big test to overcome on July 18: Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico.
What if Marquez scores an upset?

"Then, we'll fight him (Marquez)?" said Roach, who plans to convince Pacquiao to wait until the third week of July before making a decision as to who to fight next.

Arum said he will be compelled to move the Oct. 17 fight to Nov. 14 if Pacquiao delays his decision to name his next opponent, something Roach is comfortable with, saying he doesn't mind waiting up to December as long as it is Mayweather.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao left for the US via Northwest Airlines Friday morning to grace the BWAA banquet at the Capitale. Pacquiao, wife Jinkee, Canadian adviser Mike Koncz and lawyer Franklin Gacal boarded the 8:10 a.m. flight to New York with a stopover in Tokyo.

Pacquiao had initially decided to skip the event but changed his mind on the urging of his advisers.

Pacquiao, who knocked out Ricky Hatton of England in his last fight on May 2, could be back in the country by Monday or Tuesday although the Los Angeles Dodgers have booked him to appear for a ceremonial pitch on Wednesday.


http://www.mannypacquiao.ph/

Here’s a thought. Floyd Mayweather Jr. will whup both Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao when he faces the universally recognized number one and two Pound-for-Pound fighters in the world. Floyd is after all the bigger guy against both men and just a couple of years ago fighting either of them would’ve absolutely drawn fevered scrutiny among fight fans. Well that was then, things have changed now and people’s logic has been bent somehow. For that you have to thank Manny Pacquiao.

I guess it is true when they say out of sight, out of mind because just a year after Floyd released a statement announcing his retirement from the sport of boxing, everyone seems to be clamoring for him to fight Manny Pacquiao and there’s people out there who actually think Marquez has a chance of beating him on July 18.

How did the sudden change happen? Well, I guess because Pacquiao beat both De la Hoya and Hatton in a more spectacular fashion than Floyd did, and since Marquez was the last boxer that gave the Pacman fits, all of a sudden got everyone thinking differently- but it is sound rationale? Oh how things can change in a year. You can say Pacquiao kept grinding while Floyd was sleeping.

But what if a lot of people are simply just missing the point? What if Floyd’s role is to simply bring both Pacquiao and Marquez’s ego back to earth and make them realize he is still truly the best boxer in the world- pound for pound? If that does indeed happen, then maybe Pacquiao and Marquez 3 would finally come to reality as both men would surely want a shot at redemption. And if they do end up losing to Mayweather Jr., why not take it out against each other? There is no love lost between the two of them anyway.

I didn’t intend to get too far ahead of myself, but in the event that things pan out the way I just hypothesized, all parties involved win- well almost everyone I guess. (Surely, “Sugar” Shane Mosley would like for things to go down differently) Everyone gets paid more and the fans get the fights they have been clamoring for.

Fight fans, what do you think? Do Pacquiao and Marquez really stand a chance against the bigger and slick “Pretty Boy Floyd”? Comment below and feel free to share your 2 cents.


http://www.examiner.com/

NEW YORK — One thing is all but certain after Saturday's welterweight matchup between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, two of the top three in the 147-pound division.

The winner is unlikely to get a shot at Manny Pacquiao, the sport's hottest property, who is scheduled to pick up Fighter of the Year honors here late Friday from the Boxing Writers Association of America.

"Cotto said he won't fight below 147," says Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and manager who'll be receiving Trainer of the Year honors. "There's only one fighter I'll fight at '47, and that's the easiest fight for Manny Pacquiao — Floyd Mayweather."

Despite not owning a major belt, Pacquiao is the junior welterweight champion (140) by virtue of his second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in May. The Filipino, who was in commute from the Philippines and not available early Friday, has only had one fight at 147. That was an eight-round destruction of Oscar De La Hoya, which sent him into retirement, in December.

Mayweather returns to the ring after a 19-month layoff July 18 against lightweight champion (135) Juan Manuel Marquez on HBO Pay-Per-View. That bout is being billed as a welterweight fight, though it actually will be held at a catchweight of 143 or 144, according to Marquez's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions.

Friday's weigh-in went according to plan. Clottey (35-2, 20 KOs), a native Ghana who lives in the Bronx, weighed in at the welterweight limit of 147. Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs), fighting for the fourth time on the eve of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York, was a pound under.

The Caguas, Puerto Rico, native is 3-0 on these dates but hasn't had a stiff challenge since his 11th-round knockout loss to Antonio Margarito in July. Cotto rebounded with a win four mouths ago against Michael Jennings, but it's unclear how much, if at all, the beating he took from Margarito damaged him.

"I like Cotto, but it's a hard fight though," Roach says. "I really worry about Cotto being a little bit shot off the Margarito beating. Even though he's had one fight since then he didn't look good. It was against a mediocre opponent. He's fighting a real tough guy this time. I think the Margarito fight took something out of him."

Margarito was suspended for a year when it was revealed he tried to use an illegal, plaster-like substance in his handwraps prior to his bout with Shane Mosley in January. Margarito denied cheating against Cotto, but unlike Mosley, Cotto didn't sent a representative from his camp to supervise the wrapping of the Mexican's hands.

Mosley dominated from the start to knock out Margarito in the ninth. Because Cotto has a 2007 victory over Mosley, the true championship for the welterweight division is vacant.

"Clottey is a really good fighter. I lean towards Cotto, maybe because I like him," Roach says. "I don't have any interest in who wins. This fight had no bearing on my fighter."

Pacquiao wants to fight again in November of December, and he'll accept whatever is the best deal from Cotto and Mosley, provided they come down to meet at a catchweight, or Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs).

Even with a win, Clottey isn't on the radar. He came in at 170 pounds for a welterweight bout, after the 24-hour rehydration period following the weigh-in, in a win against Diego Corrales two years ago.

"Manny wants to fight megafights," Roach says.

Before Pacquiao's destruction of Hatton, who had been undefeated at 140 pounds and went 10 rounds with Mayweather in 2007 before being knocked out, a bout with Mayweather wasn't nearly as compelling.

Now, after Pacquiao knocked the Briton cold with a single left hand to the chin, it's the biggest fight that can be made this year.

Roach doesn't see why so much buzz about Mayweather. His fighter was far more impressive and dominant vs. common opponents.

"He struggled with Oscar," he says. "Ricky Hatton was ahead after six rounds. Where's the greatness? I dont see it."


http://www.usatoday.com/

Manny Pacquiao received his award for the BWAA's 2008 Fighter of the Year in New York just moments ago. The BWAA awards is considered as the most prestigious in boxing, and the biggest names of the sport all came out in full force. None however was bigger tonight than the 2008 Fighter of the Year Manny Pacquiao.

I have transcribed Manny's award acceptance speech for those who failed to see the ceremony and not lucky enough to be among the few invited at the dinner. Here's Manny Pacquiao's acceptance speech.

“Pleasant evening to all the guests, my fellow awardees and the esteemed members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. I would like to congratulate the Boxing Writers Association of America for it's 84th annual awards night. Your long existence only proves that there no association more prestigious than the Boxing Writers Association of America. (applause)

You have passed the test of time. It is my great honor and privilege to be chosen as the 2008 Fighter of the Year. It is for this reason that I chose to travel half across the globe to personally receive this award tonight. (cheers and applause)

Choosing me as the fighter of the year in 2006 was the highest accolade in my boxing career. Giving it to me for the second time leaves me with no words to express the joy and how grateful I feel. It would surely pain me not to come accept this prestigious award personally. I want to let you know that it is a privilege to personally receive this award and thank everybody for their trust and confidence you have given me. Deep in my heart I know how the BWAA has supported me in my boxing career. The members have been kind and wonderful to me in the write-ups.

Who I am, not only in America but the whole world is something I owe to you my friends. And for that, I will be forever grateful. (cheers and applause) For honoring me with this prestigious award, I promise the Boxing Writers Association of America that the boxing fans will see a more exciting Manny Pacquiao, every round, every minute, every second I fight on the top of the ring…

I also hope that this award will serve as an example and an inspiration for the young fighters to believe in themselves and keep on dreaming big. Always remember, your dreams will always be inside you. No one can take it away.

Having this award now is really larger than life; having to follow the footprints of the legendary fighters. But I didn’t do it all by myself. I had the help and support of many people. I’d like to take this rare opportunity to thank all of them, especially to our God. Without God I am not here. For all the blessing he gave me, Thank you.

And to my wife and kids: Jinkee, Michael, Jimwell, Princess and Queen Elizabeth and to my family who supported me- advice, encouragement and comfort over the course of this endeavor having more than I can express.

Mr. Bob Arum, my promoter Bob, Thanks for believing in me.

To my trainer Freddie Roach, Congratulations coach for being the trainer of the year. You deserve it!

To the members of Team Pacquiao, it has been a wonderful year for all of us.

To the Filipino nation who continue to inspire me to do my best. To all the boxing fans, to my fellow nominees who are equally great and excellent in their own way. And to all the people and institutions that I forgot to mention who in one way or another contributed a lot to making everything possible for me. Thank you! This is for you!!!"

(Applause)

Check back shortly as I will post more about the awards dinner, my thoughts on some of the things that went down and also transripts of interviews with Freddie Roach and other details about the prestigious awards ceremony.


http://www.examiner.com/

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/