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Jul 24, 2005
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Chris Eubank: Uppercut Is Mayweather's Kryptonite!

By Lee Callan: One of the most articulate, intelligent and deep thinking boxers of his time (or all time, for that matter), Chris "Simply The Best" Eubank, gave his thoughts to me in correspondence through his Twitter profile @Chris_Eubank.

I asked Chris for details of his early progression in America, his opinions on old adversary Nigel "The Dark Destroyer" Benn, why super-fights with Roy Jones Jr. and James "Lights Out" Toney never came off (and what would've happened if they had!), and his thoughts on Floyd "Money" Mayweather, plus much more!

Chris also gives opinion on why "Prince" Naseem Hamed has made no comeback, and, just how to beat Floyd Mayweather!


I was curious to know how Eubank did as an amateur in his days in New York City in the 1980's and what coverage etc he may of had back then, if any...

Chris replied:

"I fought on ABC world sports in the United States in Empire Games and Golden Gloves and I fought in Madison Square Gardens for Spanish Golden Gloves and the main Golden Gloves in the main arena (19k spectators). This was all in the space of one and a half years after I first started sparring. The attention was on me because I was an Englishman but also Michael Bentt because he was an Englishman and Mike Tyson for obvious reasons there.

"It happened exceptionally quickly for me but so many future world champions came through with me in these amateur ranks like Bentt, Riddick Bowe, Jnr Jones, Vince Phillip, Charles Murray and Kevin Kelly who fought Naseem [Hamed] and of course Tyson."


On how good he was in that unpaid stage:

"I would've classed myself as a limited fighter who was a willing gunfighter and who would step in with the top talent they had any time it was offered to me like four- and five- times Golden Gloves champions and light-middles, welters or super-middles; taking a half stone [7lbs] off in a half day or guys with ten pounds [weight] on me. All I wanted in that time was to get out of the South Bronx. That is why I overtrained so much and took every fight I could trying to get lucky.

"I used my professional fight purses on flights to England and unbeaten pro record to get signed up in the United Kingdom."


On whether the much-publicized animosity between himself and UK rival Nigel Benn was real or fabricated:

"How could I dislike Nigel let alone despise him when I didn't even know him to dislike him. [?] It was just the media playing it to increase their readership and viewership. I never once said I even disliked him. I didn't know him. It works like this: I never disliked anyone outside of boxing. So lets say I disliked Dan Sherry for the tactics he used in boxing, as a man outside of the ring nothing to do with boxing I don't mind him. I don't like him, I don't dislike him, I am indifferent

"At the time I disliked [Steve] Collins, but this was in the field of boxing, that's what he created or that's what he wanted. This is how he beat me, mentally if you can make someone dislike you then really you have taken their mind off the subject matter. The subject matter is to box, to box well, I took my mind off of what I was suppose to be doing and put it on to something else which was himself. He made me make it personal and I shouldn't have made it personal, I should have made it objective, which I had done with all the other fights I had won previously.

"These fighters that I have fought I don't mind them because I am no longer a boxer so I am indifferent to them, I don't know them. I don't like them or dislike them because I don't know them, I respect them but I am indifferent to them as personalities because I don't know their personalities."


His first impressions of Benn:

"He tried to intimidate me in Cafe Royal prior to our 1990 fight, with verbal abuse. He always tried to beat his opponents before the fight had even started. I beat him, but he's still the most terrifying man I've come across.

"I watched him come up the ranks in 1987 when everyone said he was some invincible destroyer but I concluded that I would beat him. As awesome a puncher as he undoubtedly was, I had conviction I would win if I ever got the fight."


On why fights with Toney and Jones Jr. never came to fruition (and what would happen if they had!):

"The truth is those fights didn't happen in my prime because I didn't know if I would beat them. Maybe I would've, but I didn't have enough conviction that I would and so the fights didn't happen. In truth, the one thing I feared was not to be carried out but to be made to be second best, to be seen as a lesser man than the other man. That is when I was on the crest of a wave with no defeats.

"When my attitude changed when I made my comeback, I came back for respect and would've fought Roy Jones and James Toney because I had nothing to lose and respect to gain. I had done my winning and needed to take my beatings. They didn't want to know so I got my respect against Joe Calzaghe on little notice and against Carl Thompson two weights up.

"I would've probably lost on points to these men if the fights occurred, being likely highly competitive fights where they would start out as close chess games and evolve into vicious standoffs, I would suspect. May be I would've knocked out Roy Jones, who knows. I had a world class right. I'm too gentleman to suggest so.

"You can never say I dodged these men though, because they were never mandatory contender. If they had been ranked #1 I would've fought them."


On what is the best age for youngsters to begin boxing:

"Quite simply the earlier the better. These are complex skills that take years and years to learn, years to mould and years to add. Naseem Hamed started at age 7 and made 15 defences of the world championship. Audley Harrison started at age 19 and has yet to win the world championship despite being well into his 30s when his boxing career should've ended long ago.

"People who suggest that if you start too young, you get sick off it quicker and that that's what happened to Naseem is nonsensical. Naseem didn't leave boxing because he was sick of it, he just ran in to the fact that it is very hard being on the wrong end of the punches, because he never really was. So sick of it, it's not that you are sick of it, it's whether you have the integrity to see your course through and your course isn't just what they say at the beginning or what they say during it is what they say at the end. You have got to finish like you started, strong whether you are winning or losing.

"I started at age 16, which is late. Before 16 is better."


His best training tip for young fighters:

"Sparring is the best training, the more the better. It couldn't be simpler. The roadwork will build your heart and lung muscles but can't prepare you for the heat of the action in the ring. The bag work is good for resistance but a heavy bag does not hit back at you!

"It's no good training hard and not sparring, and it's no good training hard, sparring hard and partying hard. You musn't drink, smoke or do drugs. In boxing, vice is weakness and lonely is strength."


His favorite fighters of today:

"On the current scene, I follow the careers of Floyd Mayweather Jnr, Amir Khan and David Haye with fascination. I am looking for Mayweather to fight more often, come unstuck and then show whatever mettle he does have. Everyone loses. I am looking for David Haye to come back and set the record straight. And I am looking for Amir Khan to go on to achieve greatness which I believe he can.

"I look forward to the two big fights coming up next, involving Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio."


His predictions of 'pound-for-pound' stars Mayweather and Pacquaio's upcoming fights with Victor Ortiz and Juan Manuel Marquez respectively:

"I would expect them both [Mayweather and Pacquaio] to pick up victories but the law of averages does suggest that the more you win the more likely you are to lose. Mayweather, for instance, is undefeated. He has got to lose at some point, like Ali did, like Hagler did, like we all did."


Eubank's suggestion on how to overcome the Mayweather shoulder roll (!):

"People suggest you need to jab, jab, jab that slippery defensive style Mayweather has, but that is incorrect because he is waiting to catch the jab all night long with his right hand and counter. I would suggest the right uppercut is the punch to utilize against that particular stance that Mayweather likes to use, strategically thinking because it will force Mayweather to actually change the position of his right glove in order to block it and obviously then there is an opportunity to get in a left hook, whereas before the left hook would've been easily blocked of course because the right hand in that stance would be right in the right position to block a left hook.

"So I think right uppercut - left hook - right hand is the punch sequencing. But the thing with Mayweather is he is very sharp, I know for a fact he is petrified of losing because the more fear you have of losing the better your reflexes work, I know that. His reflexes are very sharp. You must be a very sharp shooter and strategic thinker to defeat him, or you must not pose any fear or threat to him in his opinion for his reflexes not to work like they should work."


And finally, his thoughts on the overdue fight we all want to see and whether Pacquaio could upset and end the long unbeaten streak of 'Money May':

"If he thinks strategically and fights strategically with his mind, yes Manny Pacquaio is a sharp shooter and may well be a sharp enough shooter to inflinct a defeat on Mayweather. But I have my doubts, I think Pacquaio is more of a fighter [than a thinker]."
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Mayweather: Pacquiao fights my leftovers

By Chris Williams: Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda – Floyd Mayweather Jr. was in the tell like it is mode during Wednesdays press conference to hype his upcoming fight against WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on September 17th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

However, someone made the mistake of mentioning Manny Pacquiao’s name, and it was if a dam had broke loose in Mayweather’s mouth, as he opened up on Pacquiao with both barrels, giving boxing fans his opinion about the Filipino fighter.

Here are some of the things that Mayweather had to say about Pacquiao’s habit of fighting guys that Mayweather Jr. has just beaten: “As long as he [Pacquiao] can keep fighting Floyd Mayweather’s leftovers, or a fighter that has already been beaten, then the media has to really pay attention to this.”

Mayweather went on to point out how Pacquiao fought Ricky Hatton and Shane Mosley after he had beaten them. And Pacquiao is about to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12th, a fighter that Mayweather easily beat two years ago in a one-sided 12 round decision. Pacquiao did beat Marquez by a 12 round split decision in 2008, but a lot of boxing fans saw that as more of a loss than a win for Pacquiao.

The differences between what Mayweather Jr. did to Marquez and how badly Pacquiao struggled against Marquez seems to suggest that Pacquiao isn’t in the same league as Mayweather Jr. in terms of skills. But I do agree with Mayweather Jr. that Pacquiao seems to be fighting guys that Mayweather Jr. recently beaten, and when he’s not doing that, he’s facing guys that are coming off of a recent loss.

If you look at Pacquiao’s opposition in the past three you get this picture:

Oscar De La Hoya: Two losses out of his last four fights at the time he fought Pacquiao. De La Hoya had been recently beaten by Mayweather a year earlier and without a catch weight handicap.

Ricky Hatton: Mayweather beat Hatton two years earlier by a 10th round TKO. Hatton didn’t look like the same fighter he once was after the Mayweather loss, and was staggered by fringe contender Juan Lazcano in his next fight after the Mayweather loss. Pacquiao defeated Hatton in 2009.

Miguel Cotto: Beaten by Antonio Margarito in an 11th round knockout loss a year before Pacquiao fought him. Cotto didn’t look like the same fighter he once was by the time Pacquiao fought him.

Joshua Clottey: Beaten by Cotto in Clottey’s fight before facing Pacquiao in 2010. Boxing fans wondered why Clottey was given a title shot against Pacquiao when Clottey had lost his last fight.

Antonio Margarito: Was beaten by Shane Mosley in a 9th round stoppage in 2009, and then sat out an entire year after losing his boxing license due to the hand-wrap scandal. Margarito fought a little known fringe contender by the name of Roberto Garcia and then was given a shot against Pacquiao.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Cotto vs. Margarito II moved to HBO PPV

By Chris Williams: The December 3rd rematch between WBA Super World light middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (36-2, 29 KO’s) and Antonio Margarito (28-7, 27 KO’s) will be shown on pay per view by HBO instead of Showtime PPV, according to news from Dan Rafael. For boxing fans, this matters little because it’s still going to be a PPV bout.

However, with it being shown on HBO instead of Showtime, it could mean that potentially more boxing fans will see the fight because HBO is bigger. The rematch is clearly way late in the game right now with Margarito coming off a bad injury to Manny Pacquiao last December.

Margarito suffered a broken right orbital bone in that fight and went through surgery recently to fix the problem. With an injury as bad as that one, it’s surprising that Margarito is being put in a rematch with Cotto at this time. Normally, fighters coming off of serious career threatening injuries like the one Margarito suffered tend to take one or two tune-ups to work their way back into a title fight.

However, Margarito is going straight from a bad beating against Pacquiao into a rematch with Cotto, and boxing fans will be expected to pay to see this? Does seem like a rush job to you? It does to me. I get the impression that this is fight where we have to aging fighters about to go stale and it’s being pushed forward as quick as possible, even though one of them probably shouldn’t be fighting a high level guy like Cotto right now given the injuries Margarito sustained in his last fight.

The Margarito-Cotto fight is the only fight that’s been confirmed for the December 3rd card, but they’re going to have to put an awful lot of quality fights on the undercard for this to be a PPV worthy card. Margarito hasn’t beaten a top level fighter since his win over Cotto in 2008. That’s three years. The only win Margarito has had since then was over some guy named Roberto Garcia in 2010. I think this isn’t a fight that deserves to be on PPV. If Margarito was still fighting well then I could see it, but he’s clearly not.

And Cotto hasn’t had a meaningful fight since he was dominated by Pacquiao two years ago in a 12th round TKO loss in 2009. Cotto’s fights since then have come against the weak punching fellow Top Rank fighter Yuri Foreman and an over-the-hill Ricardo Mayorga. It looks as if Cotto is being spoon fed soft opposition for some reason instead of being matched against tough quality fighters at junior middleweight. I don’t see this as a PPV fight because neither of these guys are beating top level fighters anymore.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Mayweather: Would it be natural if I moved up to heavyweight and was knocking every o

Mayweather: Would it be natural if I moved up to heavyweight and was knocking every one out

By Jason Kim: Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda – Floyd Mayweather Jr. was really dropping hints about Manny Pacquiao on the subject of performance enhancing drugs at Wednesdays press conference to market his fight with Victor Ortiz on September 17th.

With an important fight against the hard hitting Ortiz coming up fast the last person Mayweather should have been talking about is Pacquiao at this point because Ortiz is a dangerous opponent for a rusty fighter like Mayweather to be overlooking.

Mayweather said this about Pacquiao and his increase in size “It’s okay for him to go from 105 to 154 and he gets knockouts and they say, ‘You know what? It’s all natural. But I went from 147 to heavyweight and was knocking out heavyweights, would that be all natural? That’s what you’ve got to ask yourself at the end of the day.”

With a defamation case against Pacquiao still pending, Mayweather really shut clam up on the subject of Pacquiao and his suspicions about him. This isn’t helping Mayweather to be still talking about this, and it’s pointless for him to be tippy-toeing around this subject because he’s not a lawyer and he could end up hurting his case by hinting about these things.

On the one hand it’s flattering that he thinks so much of Pacquiao’s accomplishments that he thinks it’s inhuman but on the other hand it’s not helpful if people are going to suspect Pacquiao for using performance enhancing drugs if he’s clean and has never used drugs to find success in the sport.
 
May 13, 2002
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Floyd needs to pick a story - either pac is fighting your leftovers or he's accomplishing extraordinary things.

Besides pac hasn't knocked anyone out at 147-154. Mosley UD, margarito UD, clottey UD. only guy he stopped was cotto and he didn't knock him out it was a pity stoppage in the 12th. Last person he truly ko'd was Hatton at 140.
 
Feb 3, 2006
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Floyd hasn't changed his story submit to random testing and the fight can be made. He's being saying it for two years now. And yes Manny is fighting his leftovers and getting hyped up for it by his fans.
 
May 13, 2002
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^^I understand the drug testing thing, it's just his latest interview he contradicts himself. First he says pac isn't doing shit but fighting his leftovers, nothing special. Then he says what he's accomplished by going up in weight is highly suspicious, which would mean what pac is doing is something amazing.

The other thing is they both came from 106 pounds when they were 16 years old. Like I've said before the difference was floyd was still in the amateurs while pac had to turn pro because he was dirt poor. They've both gone from 106 pounds and ended up fighting for a 154 pound title.

Oh and just to throw out a history lesson for floyd, Sam Langford fought from welterweight to heavyweight and is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Klitschko manager: Vitali needs to fight David Haye next after Adamek

By Vitali Shaposhnikov: Fritz Sdunek, Vitali Klitschko’s loyal long time trainer and friend, recently gave a German newspaper some of his time, talking about Vitali and his future boxing career.

First of all, both Vitali and Sdunek respect Adamek much more than most fans do, and give him fair credit for his effort and achievements in the ring. "After my brother Wladimir and me, Adamek is the third best heavyweight in the world. He is definitely better than David Haye who is just a world champion in talking," Klitschko said. (http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/b...cle_7931530f-80b6-5b6e-8a92-272459775bcb.html). This is very formidable for the Vitali to say, showing that he would rank Adamek well above all other heavyweight champions and contenders out there right now. Personally, I would have no hesitation in agreeing with that statement. Adamek has certainly shown that he is capable of competing as a heavyweight and is ready for a title fight.

As far as Vitali’s future, Sdunek had the following to say: “He's not getting any younger and his political activity in Ukraine requires a lot of time and energy. If I notice that he no longer has the reflexes, that he's taking more punches than usual, I would say, 'Vitali, stop.' I had to promise him that.”

Here Sdunek gives it to us the way he sees it, expressing his dislike for Vitali’s politics getting in the way of his boxing at times. This of course is fairly understandable, as Sdunek’s only job is to prepare his fighter for the fight, and do it right. Interruptions are a boxing trainer’s splinters, and they all hate it the same (Freddie Roach had expressed this on more than one occasion to Manny Pacquiao and the cameras, once even threatening to leave their training camp in the Philippines).

It’s true, Vitali is not getting any younger, and despite the fact that there are fighters like Bernard Hopkins who are capable of beating time itself as well as the aging process, they are scarce and most athletes are unable to compare. I am happy to see that Vitali and Sdunek made a pact, assuring Vitali’s retirement if he is no longer able to perform the way he should. I believe Sdunek to be a good and honest man, and am confident that he will stand by his promise to Vitali.

But then Sdunek tosses us a double edged sword, praising Vitali for his improvements in boxing, and a tremendous shape that he is in: “(Vitali) has never been so fit. He is mentally and physically so strong, nothing can happen ... Vitali's getting better.” So apparently, despite the fact that Vitali is getting older with politics distracting him from boxing, he is still getting better all the way around; just like fine bourbon.

When discussing Vitali’s future after (if) he beats Adamek this coming Saturday, Sdunek mentioned two potential names, and both would be extremely interesting to watch, as both would ultimately end up on the canvas against Vitali: “After he (Haye) only made an impression against Wladimir with his big mouth, he can prove whether he is a real man against Vitali. Another challenge would be (Nikolai) Valuev, the Russian giant ... It would be interesting to find out whether Vitali can send Valuev to the canvas.”

I am sure many will argue that those are ridiculous choices that would produce dreadfully obvious results, and I agree; still it would be interesting to see if Haye can avoid a finger or toe injury this time, and to see how Vitali does against a physically bigger opponent in Valuev.

Your thoughts? Would you watch those proposed fights?
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Search On For New Morales Foe As Matthysse Pulls Out Of Sept.17th Fight

by James Slater: As fans may have already read, Argentine slugger Walter Matthysse has had to withdraw from his Sep.17th clash with Mexican legend Erik Morales, because of a viral infection. The search is now on for a late replacement for "El Terrible." Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has confirmed that Morales will still fight on the card, and that a suitable opponent is hoped to be announced soon.

It shows you the real warrior mentality Morales has, in how he immediately asked for Marcos Maidana to replace Matthysse. Upon hearing that the Argentine had fallen out of the fight, "El Terrible" had Maidana's name on his mind and his alone. It would, of course, prove to be asking for too much. For although Maidana recently saw a fight of his own fall through (Vs. Robert Guerrero) and needed a replacement of his own, he has found one in little-known Petr Petrov, 29-2-2 (13), who "El Chino" will face in his homeland on Sept 23rd. It is a pity Maidana did not agree to face Morales in a sequel of their terrific April battle.

So just who will Morales face on the upcoming "Star Power" show that will be topped by Floyd Mayweather against Victor Ortiz?

According to Schaefer, in talking to ESPN.com, Britain's Anthony Crolla - a man who was once set for a fight with Morales only to see his big chance pass - may get the fight with the Mexican icon after all.

Whoever can be found at short notice, fans should be pleased that Morales will at least be fighting someone. The 35-year-old could easily have remained idle and waited for another date, but, time not on his side, Erik chose to keep his date.

Crolla is a young, hungry and talented fighter: maybe this pulling out by Matthysse will work in his favour big time? Could "Million Dollar" get the fight he once had in his sights and make the most of it by upsetting Morales?

Schaefer said he hopes to announce Morales' new opponent in the next 24-hours.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Andre Berto: “I’m a fan of Shane Mosley and I still think it would be an entertaining

by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - This week’s 141st edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with the newly crowned IBF welterweight champion of the world Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs) who is coming off a fifth round stoppage victory against Jan Zaveck (31-2, 18 KOs). Berto spoke about his victory and also discussed his future plans. Additionally he shared his views on some upcoming fights including Floyd Mayweather Junior versus Victor Ortiz and Manny Pacquiao squaring off for the third time against Juan Manuel Marquez. Here is a complete transcript from that interview:

JENNA J: Let’s move to our first guest of this week’s show, he’s a returning guest. We’re joined by the new IBF welterweight champion of the world, Andre Berto. How’s everything going today Andre?

ANDRE BERTO:Everything is going pretty good. You know I’m just getting back and just relaxing with the family a little bit.

JENNA: Okay, well you had a pretty damn good fight this past weekend against Jan Zaveck. He was a tough opponent. He gave you a good run. You came up with the title. How do you feel about your performance?

BERTO: You know like I said, I feel my performance was so-so because it was a little bit out of character for me. I could have easily just used my speed and just boxed him. I don’t know. I went in there with a lot of different emotions and I really wanted to try to press the action. I knew he had never been stopped and I wanted to just try to beat him up a little bit, and try to be the first one to try to stop him, and to just show folks I didn’t go anywhere. Pretty much to a point I noticed that his punches couldn’t hurt me, so I just started trying to press him, and walk him backwards, and just keep ringing off combinations.

JENNA: Now he was a tough guy that could take a lot of your shots and he also came back with some good punches. You mentioned he really didn’t hurt you with anything. Is that really true that none of those shots that landed flush on you did anything?

BERTO: No. No, it didn’t really hurt me at all. That’s why I just kept coming forward. Like I said Zaveck’s a tough kid. I could have taken any other type of right and tried to get an easier fight coming back, and that’s pretty much what a lot of fighters do coming off a loss. But I wanted to fight him because I knew he was tough and he was a world champion, and I knew he was going to bring it. I knew he didn’t want to lose so I knew it would be an exciting fight.

JENNA: How does it feel to once again be a champion? You went from being a defending champion, you lost your title, and now you once again have a title belt. How does that make you feel?

BERTO: You know it makes me feel good and it just leads to the fact when you work hard in this sport, you know it’s a tough game. It feels great to I guess go where I’ve come from and to be exposed to taking that loss and going through the motions that I went through, and going through everything I went through, actually. I felt it was more of just a learning process. I’ve learned and now I just used those energies to get back and be a champion, and now I’m sitting as a champion but with a different type of mind frame than I had before.

JENNA: Let’s talk about where you came from in your fight with Victor Ortiz. It was a Fight of the Year candidate. It was very exciting. You guys each traded knockdowns. You had Ortiz down and almost out in the sixth round. Can you talk about that fight and your experience with it, and do you think you brought your best that night?

BERTO: No I don’t think I brought my best that night. During camp there were a lot of situations that we were going through and I had my health situation that I was going through as well. Like I said, I was more disappointed to a point that I didn’t perform to the best of my ability. I knew it was going to be an exciting fight, and it was an exciting fight, but I was more disappointed that I didn’t perform to the best of my ability. I should have gotten him out of there in the sixth round. I should have been using my jab a lot more. I mean there were a lot of different aspects in that fight I could have took over, especially in the sixth round. I just let it slip out of my hands because I pretty much had him out of there that round. Like I said, my body just wouldn’t let me extend the energy that I needed. All in all it was a good fight and it was definitely an attracting fight for the fans.

JENNA: What was the toughest part about losing your title in that fight?

BERTO: I think just like I said, it’s just the aspect of not even just losing. You can be a competitor but if you have somebody who was just better than you, you can take that as a man and keep going, but I just felt like I didn’t perform to the best of my ability and I see some things when I look back. Then at the same time, I’ve always had a little bit of criticism so of course a lot more came after that. I’m hard on myself. I think I’m my biggest critic. A lot of people just look at it and just say, oh he took a loss and he came back strong. But I made a lot of mistakes in that camp and that fight. You know everything happens for a reason. Everybody that knows me knows I’m very, very, very competitive, so of course I took it hard. Like I said everything happens for a reason, so I’m trying to come back strong, I’m trying to sharpen some things up, and come back like I never left.

JENNA: Okay! Well Andre, we’re also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff Ciani.

GEOFFREY CIANI: Hi Andre. Congratulations on the victory and it’s a pleasure to have you back on our show.

BERTO: I appreciate it, my man.

CIANI: Andre, I wanted to ask you, during the fight with Zaveck you threw a lot of nice combos where you went upstairs and downstairs and threw some really good body shots in my opinion. Was this something you specifically worked on for Zaveck or is this something that going forward you want to incorporate more of in your game?

BERTO: Yeah that’s definitely something I want to incorporate more into my game. Yeah, I went back to the basics. Throughout training camp I was watching some old fights like I did in the beginning of my career. I watched Sugar Ray Robinson, watching Medric Taylor, and Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvin Hagler, and I had seen how these guys incorporated everything. They worked up and down, and sometimes in this new generation of ours we just want to headhunt a lot or just do different things, so I just had to go back to the basics. Plus I watched some tapes on Zaveck and we knew he had a tight defense. He brings his arms very close into his stomach when he’s trying to block, so I thought it would be perfect for me to go around his arms and try to hit that body a little bit to just try and bring those arms down.

CIANI: It seemed to me in the first three rounds you were doing a little bit better at midrange and to the outside a little bit, but he was able to crowd you a little more in the fourth and fifth and he was landing some good uppercuts in there. Even though he was doing better in close quarters, it looked to me like you were deliberately choosing to stand in there and you were throwing some uppercuts of your own. Is that what you were doing? Were you trying to stand in there with him during those rounds?

BERTO: Yeah. I just wanted to try and stay in close quarters. My coach saw that I started off pretty fast and wanted me to slow down and pace myself, but then again I saw that he wasn’t really used to the pressure that I was giving him because watching fight tapes, he’s normally the one pressuring guys out. So I just wanted to stay in his face. Even if I wasn’t throwing punches I wanted to be on top of him, I wanted to lay on top of him, and I wanted to just be in his face. Every time he threw an uppercut and touched me then I wanted to return it straight back. I wanted to just be right there in his face. Just through every round, I could see him taking more deep breaths and getting a little bit frustrated and I knew I was in shape to go twelve rounds hard just like that. You know, so I just wanted to try and press him out and just continued to try and bring that pressure to him.

CIANI: A lot of fans on the boxing message boards are saying this was a great, entertaining, exciting fight, and that they would be interested in seeing you and Zaveck do it again. Is that in the cards for you, or do you think you’re going to move in a different direction?

BERTO: You know I believe we’ll see. We’ll see. I mean you know that this fight game is about business. If they can come up with the money to try and make it happen again I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I think we’re going to try and move forward. I think realistically we have a lot of other big names and big fights ahead of us, and I think we’re probably just going to move forward.

CIANI: In January of last year you were scheduled to fight Sugar Shane and of course that fight never came to be. Since that point Shane Mosley’s stock has kind of dropped in the eyes of boxing fans with his one-sided losses to Pacquiao and Mayweather. As a fan myself who was excited to see that fight, is Mosley a direction you would still look or would you look at that as a step backwards?

BERTO: You know I’m not sure at this point. I’m really not, because just like you said, Shane’s last two losses. You know still, like I’m a fan of Shane Mosley and I still think it would be an entertaining fight. It’s just the fact if the public really wants to see it, or even the networks like HBO and Showtime wanting that type of fight just because of Shane’s last two performances. So I’m not sure. We’re going to see as a team what’s out there and then we’ll move forward.

JENNA: Now Andre, I want to get your view on an upcoming fight and it takes place September 17. That’s Victor Ortiz versus Floyd Mayweather Junior. Looking on the outside in, how do you see that match playing out?

BERTO: I think it should be a good fight. I think Floyd has all the tools to outbox Victor and even touch him with a few tough shots and maybe stop him. But I know he needs to be on his game because I know Ortiz is going to come and try to bring the heat, he’s going to bring the pressure, and he’s a lot bigger than a lot of other guys that Floyd has fought. He’s a lot stronger than a lot of the other guys that Floyd has fought and he’s young. He’s energized and he’s definitely going to bring that heat on Floyd, but like I said, Floyd has all the skills and experience to either outbox Victor or even catch him with a good shot and get him out of there. So I think it will be an entertaining fight either way. It’s either going to be an entertaining fight or it’s going to be a mismatch in class and style and Floyd might just outbox him all night.

JENNA: Now do you look at that fight with disappointment thinking that if you had beaten Victor Ortiz that you would be getting this opportunity against Floyd Mayweather Junior?

BERTO: Of course, but like I said you still can’t really say what’s going to be what. You know me and Floyd have the same management team so I don’t even know if that would have happened or not. Then again, when you sit back and look at it of course! You’re looking at somebody that a lot of people and a lot of the public still think that I should have gotten that opportunity a lot earlier. I’m just going t o play my cards right now. Victor Ortiz got the opportunity and he fought a hard tough fight against myself, and he came out with the win. Now he has the opportunity to continue to try and prove himself. He’s either going to go on to do bigger things or this fight will be his last stop.

JENNA: Do you have a preference as to who you would like to see win that fight? Would you prefer to see Victor Ortiz win so you can have a rematch and avenge your only loss, or would you a prefer a superstar big matchup with Floyd Mayweather Junior if you could somehow get the winner?

BERTO: You know it doesn’t matter at all. It really doesn’t matter. I think I would pick either one regardless. I think if they make that matchup between me and Ortiz or me and Floyd, I think it’s going to be a big seller regardless. So like I said I’m going to wish both guys the best, and may the best man win.

CIANI: Now these days it’s still tough to mention Floyd’s name without mentioning Manny Pacquiao’s name, and I’m wondering in the other big fight coming up later this year, do you think Juan Manuel Marquez has any shot against Pacquiao in the third fight or do you think the size difference is too much for him at this weight?

BERTO: Well I think the size difference might be a little bit too much for him. Manny, I mean the last two times they fought they fought at a lower weight, and now Manny is pretty settled and strong at 147. In his first few fights he was trying to get settled, but now he’s looking full. He’s looking strong as an ox. At 147 he’s looking fast, and Marquez is coming up just to try and fight him so I think it might be a different situation, unless Marquez tries to outbox him and tries to do things a little different. I don’t think he can get into a shootout with Pacquiao at all. Like I said, he’s looking too strong and too filled out at 147 right now.

CIANI: Back to your career Andre, great fighters are often defined by how they rebound from losses and adversity, and I’m wondering in your view what’s the most important thing you take out of your loss with Victor Ortiz now that you’ve rebounded and regained a championship?

BERTO: I mean just to stay focused, don’t take anything for granted, and always just work hard and respect your opponent because in the blink of an eye everything could be gone. Everything that you worked for, all the people that you expected to be on your side, in this boxing game things can change overnight. You can either be old news or a bum overnight, or you can become a superstar, so you have to really understand the type of sport that you’re in and you have to sit down and analyze things, and put things in perspective. You just have to go in and work really hard for every fight like it was your last, because it could be.

JENNA: Alright well Andre, I just have a couple of more questions before I let you off the line. People are wondering what’s next for you. They want to know who they’re going to see you in the ring with next. Randall Bailey will be becoming your mandatory soon enough, but do you think you will be fighting someone different than him and do you think you will be able to sneak in another fight before the end of 2011?

BERTO: I’m not sure. It looks like they’re trying to bring me back as soon as possible. They said something about December, but I’m not sure. Most likely it might be more like January or February. I’m not sure who’s going to be next. I know Randall is going to be next on the list as a mandatory, but I’m not sure. My team really has some big fights ahead that’s pretty much lined up for me. Like I said at the end of the day this is a business, so we’ll see what type of moves we can make to fight the bigger fights for the bigger money and that’s the course that we’re going to take. But as of right now I’m not sure at all. I’m definitely not sure.

JENNA: Andre you just turned 28 years old. Do you think we’ve seen the best of Andre Berto or do you think the best is yet to come?

BERTO: The best is definitely yet to come. You know being in the sport as long as I’ve been in it, I got a chance to achieve a lot of my dreams. In the amateurs I went to the Olympics and now becoming a two-time world champion and being able to make millions of dollars doing something I love, but like I said I think the best is yet to come. I think I’m stepping into my physical prime right now, and I just think every day I just want to continue learning something new and doing something new and I think it’s going to be great.

JENNA: Okay well I have one final question. You have a lot of fans and people that went out and saw you fight in Mississippi and saw you win the title. Anything you want to say to them?

BERTO: I want to tell everybody I appreciate the massive amount of love I get from people all over the world, actually. I just want to tell everybody that I appreciate you and I love you. Continue to support me. I have a lot of big things ahead of me.

JENNA: Alright! Well Andre, it’s been a pleasure having you back on the show. I want to congratulate you yet again on winning the IBF welterweight title, and I look forward to seeing more from you.

BERTO: Thank you. I appreciate it.

CIANI: Thank you Andre, best of luck.

BERTO: Thank you. Bye.
 

trips

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^^I understand the drug testing thing, it's just his latest interview he contradicts himself. First he says pac isn't doing shit but fighting his leftovers, nothing special. Then he says what he's accomplished by going up in weight is highly suspicious, which would mean what pac is doing is something amazing.

The other thing is they both came from 106 pounds when they were 16 years old. Like I've said before the difference was floyd was still in the amateurs while pac had to turn pro because he was dirt poor. They've both gone from 106 pounds and ended up fighting for a 154 pound title.

Oh and just to throw out a history lesson for floyd, Sam Langford fought from welterweight to heavyweight and is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.
it took Mayweather 4 years to morph into a 147 pound Welterweight, it took Manny 4 months
 
May 13, 2002
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it took Mayweather 4 years to morph into a 147 pound Welterweight, it took Manny 4 months
Look at his weights though:

vs Morales 11/2006: 129 weigh in / 144 fight night
vs Hatton 05/2009: 138 weigh in / 148 fight night
vs Cotto 11/2009: 142 weigh in / 149.5 fight night
vs Mosley 05/2011: 144 weigh in / 148 fight night

4.5 years after he weighed 144lbs vs Morales he came in against Mosley at 148lbs. That's a 4lbs difference. Or 8lbs for fighting at 152lbs against Margarito. In other words, less than 2lbs growth a year.
 
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Mayweather is making perfect sense to me. He's more mad at the boxing media and fans. The media hypes up all of Manny's accomplishment but at the same time they discredit Mayweather's accomplishment, and Mayweather beats the same fighters first. All the Mayweather haters thought that ODLH, Hatton, Marquez, and Mosley was going to kick Floyd's ass. Then after he beats them and make them look like sparring partners, those same fans start making excuses about why Mayweather won. He's very pissed that the media and the fans have not made any type of push to make Manny submit to random testing. Mayweahter feels disrespected by the boxing public and has a chip on his shoulder it sucks that Ortiz will receive the beating for it. Another thing I'm sick of people acting like Mayweather is so much bigger then Manny they're almost the same damn size. Mayweather is 5'8 147lb with a 72' reach, and Manny is 5'6 1/2 144lb with a 67' reach. So when I hear people talking about Floyd being too big for Hatton or Marquez i laugh because they're all about the same damn size. LoL.. Just another way to discredit Mayweather.
 
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Maidana lets down his fans, refuses to fight rematch against Erik Morales

By Jason Kim: Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KO’s) was given the offer by Golden Boy Promotions to step in and face Erik Morales (51-7, 35 KO’s) for the vacant WBC light welterweight title on Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz card next week on September 17th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Maidana, however, reportedly refused the offer to fight on the prestigious fight card, and will instead be fighting Petr Petrov, a fighter that few boxing fans have ever heard of at the Sosciedad Aleman, Villa Ballester, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In fairness to Maidana, perhaps he had already signed for the Petrov fight and was bound by the fight contract, although he should have put in an escape route in case something better came up like the Morales rematch.

Some boxing fans have reacted negatively towards Maidana’s refusal to fight Morales again, seeing him as afraid of Morales and not wanting to experience the pain and the grueling nature of a fight with “El Terrible.”

Maidana obviously has his reasons for declining the fight, but if it was because of not being in top shape, it’s hard to imagine how Maidana couldn’t have been in tip top shape. After all, he was training very hard up to a week before his previously scheduled August 27th fight with Robert Guerrero.

That fight was cancelled after Guerrero tore up his left rotator cuff while sparring and week before the fight, making it necessary for him to pull out of the bout. it’s been three weeks since the Guerrero fight went down the drain, and Maidana should be still in good enough shape to fight an aging fighter like Morales you would think.

It doesn’t really make any sense to turn down the Morales fight to take on a little known guy like Petrov. If Maidana did this for his fans in Argentina, that’s nice but it seems like a bad career move to turn down a huge fight for another title agiant Morales to instead fight someone that boxing fans have never even heard of. If Maidana’s goal is to try and pressure Amir Khan into fighting him again then he really missed a perfect opportunity to apply some pressure by beating Morales in a rematch and capturing another title. That would have been the ideal thing to do instead of fighting Petrov.

As for Morales, his promoters are still looking for a replacement opponent for him so that he can remain on the Mayweather-Ortiz card. Whoever that fighter is, he’s going to be a lucky one because he’ll be getting a lot of attention and a chance to capture the WBC belt.
 
May 13, 2002
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^^with all do respect floyd brings the criticism to himself. He should only point the finger at the man in the mirror for creating the hate people have towards him. He's even stated he purposely wants people to hate him so they buy the PPV to watch him lose, so it comes with the territory. He created/portrays the bad boy image, naturally the media is going to hate it. Burning hundred dollar bills, dissing every legendary fighter like ray leonard, ray robinson, ali, etc. certainly doesn't help either.


Pac did receive a lot of negative press for fighting mosley though. People were not pleased with the fight.
 
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The 'Money' mayweather image was created because of the lack of respect he was getting from the boxing public. It's funny that once he became the respectful asshole all the money and the big fights started pouring in. When he was the respectful Pretty Boy Floyd knocking out everyone he fought, he couldn't get a big fight or a big pay day. Mayweather is very smart he's using the hate people have for him to sell his fights and cash in big. The hate makes him train harder to stay on top. I don't thing he cares about the criticism about his life, he's more pissed about the media and fans discrediting what he has done in the ring. 41-0 fighting real champions and he can't get no respect.
 
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^^the big money came when he fought Oscar de la hoya. I believe he could have gone another route if he wanted to. I remember the very first 24/7 I believe it was, against Oscar, floyd was talkin about how Sugar Ray leonard and oscar talked to him on a private jet, saying how he could become america's favorite athlete, if he followed the steps of sugar ray leonard. Floyd said fuck that, I do it my way or whatever.

Which is cool and all, and I respect that. Everyone loves to hate a villain right? So he did it his own way.

All I'm saying is when he plays that role, he portrays the imagine of an ignorant asshole, he shouldn't be so sensitive and complain when the media turns on him. Like I said that comes with the territory.

I mean when Bernard Hopkins calls Donovan McNabb a house negro, lol, he knew he would catch heat for it. He didn't complain when ESPN was ripping him for a few days. You do/say outrageous things, accept the heat that comes with it.

At the end of the day he gets respect in regards to his boxing ability. I've never heard anyone say he's not a great fighter. People that hate him are forced to admit that (unless they are just hatin to hate).
 

trips

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The 'Money' mayweather image was created because of the lack of respect he was getting from the boxing public. It's funny that once he became the respectful asshole all the money and the big fights started pouring in. When he was the respectful Pretty Boy Floyd knocking out everyone he fought, he couldn't get a big fight or a big pay day. Mayweather is very smart he's using the hate people have for him to sell his fights and cash in big. The hate makes him train harder to stay on top. I don't thing he cares about the criticism about his life, he's more pissed about the media and fans discrediting what he has done in the ring. 41-0 fighting real champions and he can't get no respect.
props 1000