Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Arum: Pacquiao to retire in 2013

By John F. McKenna (McJack): World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) who faces WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KO’s) on November 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is planning to retire in 2013.

Top Rank chairman and CEO Bob Arum confided in a STAR interview that “Pacman” who will turn 33 years old in December will retire at the end of 2013 after running for governor of Sarangani Province. Arum made the disclosure while in Manila. Gov Luis “Chavit” Singson was present during the interview.

Pacquiao, after the completion of the much ballyhooed World Pres Tour for his 3rd fight with “Dinamia” Marquez is now focused entirely on the preparation and training for the Trilogy.

The Harvard educated Top Rank CEO is the shrewdest of businessman and while Manny is undoubtedly planning to retire in the next couple of years Arum by going to the press is surely sending a message to Floyd Mayweather Jr. The message being that if you want to fight Pacquiao in what would be the biggest money fight of all time you’d better do it before it is too late.

While Manny is busy preparing for the Marquez fight, it is clear that he would like to close out his brilliant career with a victory over the undefeated self proclaimed greatest fighter of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Over the past couple of weeks there has been a concerted effort by the Pacquiao camp to apply pressure on Floyd to get the long awaited fight between the two ring giants, nailed down.

Arum also disclosed in the STAR interview that he expects the Pay Per View (PPV) buys for the Pacquiao – Marquez fight to go well over the 1.5 million mark. That would make it the highest PPV event in Pacquiao’s career. Thus far Manny’s fights with De La Hoya, Cotto, Margarito and Mosley have all exceeded one million PPV buys.

Arum made it clear that Manny needs to focus on Marquez at this point before thinking about any potential future fight with Mayweather. Marquez has a style that will always give Pacquiao fits and even though Manny is bigger and stronger when he last faced “Dinamita” in 2008 Arum expects the Trilogy to be a difficult fight.

More than likely Marquez will make an attempt to adapt to the new and improved version of Manny Pacquiao. Only time will tell whether at the age of 38 he is successful.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Kirkland has been cleared by a Federal judge to travel to Mexico to fight Angulo.


Gabriel_Montoya Gabriel Montoya
I'm told James Kirkland has been cleared by a Federal judge to travel to Mexico to fight Angulo. Fight deal still in works. #boxing

 

[heyzel]

Khan slaps Mayweather with counter-offer

ESPN UK
September 11, 2011
Amir Khan wants to see Jessie Vargas fight Marcos Maidana © Getty Images

WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has hit back at Floyd Mayweather Jnr, claiming that he has never heard of Jessie Vargas.

Earlier this week Mayweather said he would only fight Khan if the Brit defeats Vargas, the unbeaten 22-year-old who is under Mayweather's wing.

But while Khan claims he is willing to fight Vargas, he has issued an ultimatum of his own: Vargas must first conquer Marcos Maidana, who Khan beat in 2010.

"Never heard of Jessie Vargas until Floyd Mayweather mentioned that I have to fight him," Khan told boxingscene.com.

"He looks good, yes, but only has 16 fights. He's a prospect and I'm a unified world champion. If Jessie Vargas fights and gets past Marcos Maidana, then I'll fight him. Like Floyd said, you have to earn it."

Khan is expected to fight either Lamont Peterson or Paul McCloskey during December in what will be his final fight in the light-welterweight division.

 

[heyzel]

Arum: Pacquiao reaches Ali's level of popularity

abs-cbnNEWS.com


MANILA, Philippines – The huge turnout of enthusiastic fans in the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez press tour in Mexico has demonstrated the Filipino superstar’s drawing power, said boxing promoter Bob Arum.

Arum said in Examiner.com that Pacquiao’s popularity is now comparable to Muhammad Ali’s, back when the boxing legend was still active.

"It's like Muhammad Ali for Manny now," Arum said. "It's the same thing I saw happen when Ali left America."

"I mean, we expected 8,000 people or so. We could have gotten 3,000 but we got 30,000,” he added.

Pacquiao accompanied Marquez to Mexico City's Plaza ala Revolucion where the Filipino thanked his Latin American fans.

WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, for his part, compared Pacquiao to another boxing legend.

"For me, I see Pacquiao as being as charismatic as Sugar Ray Robinson," said Valcarcel.

He said the Filipino champion won the hearts of fight fans by taking on bigger and stronger opponents.

Pacquiao took on the likes of Oscar dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.

"I think Manny wins people over when they see him fighting and beating such tough guys, such good punchers, as Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Those two guys hit so hard, Manny took some hard shots from both and yet he beat them both," said Valcarcel.

Arum said the turnout in Mexico gave the promotion a huge momentum.

“I think this fight will do huge numbers on pay per view," the veteran boxing promoter said.

The trip is the 4th and last stop of the promotional tour for the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch, following earlier stops in New York, Los Angeles and Manila.

Pacquiao adulation surprises Barrera

Former Pacquiao foe Marco Antonio Barrera, who now works as a boxing promoter, was surprised with the adulation received by the Filipino in Mexico.

"Yes," Barrera said, "I was surprised. I was very surprised at how the Mexican people treated Manny.”

Barrera, nicknamed “Baby Faced Assassin,” said the Mexicans may have been touched by Pacquiao’s down-to-earth attitude.

“He is very charismatic and very humble and they like that," he said.
Other Headlines

Lots of love for Pacquiao in Mexico
Pacquiao-Marquez a clash of styles, says Arum
Floyd: Pacquiao using me to make great paydays
Roach: Pacquiao out to settle grudge vs Marquez

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[ChuckTaylor84]

n who da fuck has khan fought to even get at mayweather? at least ortiz fought berto

 

[naner12]

I hate the "you have to earn it" shit. Guys lace them up against undeserving guys all the time. Plenty of people have gotten paychecks and title shots that their resumes don't justify. Vargas is a legit prospect, who did McCloskey beat for Khan to fight him? Who did Peterson beat for Khan to fight him?

Besides being completely spectacular or having a big time hype machine behind you, the only way to get out there is by fighting and hope you get a crack at a champion. If you're gonna give random people like McCloskey a chance (which I didn't mind that he got one) then don't pull the he has to fight so and so first bullshit.

 

[JLMACN]

^^ I don't mind the you have to earn it shit as much. The truth is a fighter can have a bad day. But if he has bad multiple days then he just aint the fighter he thinks he is.

Ortiz got beat by Maidana. He blames it on a "bad day". He fought his way back to this point, so he has now gained the respect of Floyd to fight Floyd. So, I don't mind the earn it shit. He earned the Floyd fight.

5000

 

[bigface]

Mayweather: If Pacquiao is Tested, I'll Absolutely Fight!

By Keith Idec

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has declined to answered many Manny Pacquiao questions as his welterweight title fight against Victor Ortiz draws near.

But the undefeated five-division champion didn’t hesitate when talk-show host Conan O’Brien asked him about boxing Pacquiao on O’Brien’s TBS show Monday night.

“I have to ask you — it’s my job — before we go,” O’Brien said toward the end of Mayweather’s interview. “Do you think you’ll ever fight Manny Pacquiao? Do you think that’s going to happen?”

“Hopefully,” Mayweather responded. “I mean, you know, if you’re the best you’ve got to take the test. And, you know, I represent the red, white and blue. I represented [the United States], at the ’96 Olympics. I represented this country. And I just want to be fair, be on an even playing field. You know, he’s from another country, and all I ask is for him to take the test.”

O’Brien then asked if Mayweather was referring to testing for performance-enhancing drugs.

“Just random urine and blood tests,” Mayweather said, “which I’m doing for this fight and I do for every fight, just to clean up the sport of boxing.”

“So if he does that,” O’Brien asked, “you would fight him?”

“Absolutely,” Mayweather said.

Many, including the Philippines’ Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs), have speculated that Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) will fight Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) on Saturday night in Las Vegas because Ortiz, like Pacquiao, is a southpaw. Whether Mayweather’s fight against Ortiz amounts to Pacquiao practice remains to be seen, but there’s seemingly more hope today than there was this time last year that the biggest fight that can be made in boxing is a realistic possibility.

Among other things, that would require a Mayweather win Saturday night and a Pacquiao victory over rival Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) in their third fight Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.

Take the test and the fight will be made.

 

[bigface]

^^ I don't mind the you have to earn it shit as much. The truth is a fighter can have a bad day. But if he has bad multiple days then he just aint the fighter he thinks he is.

Ortiz got beat by Maidana. He blames it on a "bad day". He fought his way back to this point, so he has now gained the respect of Floyd to fight Floyd. So, I don't mind the earn it shit. He earned the Floyd fight.

5000

Ortiz earned his fight with Floyd by fighting his heart out against Berto.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I can't even tell which one is jessie vargas looks like he's fighting his twin brother

 

[heyzel]

Arum questions Mayweather’s sanity

By John F. McKenna (McJack): Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who worked with boxing Super Star Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KO’s) for ten years before an acrimonious split in 2006 now questions Floyd’s sanity.

There has never been any love lost between Arum and Mayweather, who even while they were working together had a contentious relationship. Both “Uncle” Bob and “Money” are used to doing things their own way and it was inevitable that sooner or later they would part company.

Floyd will be ending another of his lengthy self imposed exiles when he steps into the ring against WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO’s) on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It will be Floyd’s first fight since he fought Shane Mosley sixteen months ago in May 2010.

Mayweather’s recent behavior has been so irrational that Arum in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports questioned whether Floyd was “losing it.” Arum said that he was “astonished” at some of Mayweather’s recent rants.

“Floyd was never the easiest person to deal with, but he was a different person really to what I see now,” Arum said. “All you have to go on is what you see and hear about him and the way he goes about his life. But it’s very strange. It is completely bizarre some of these things that are going on. The things that are coming out of his mouth and the actions you hear about just don’t make sense. You just have to wonder where it is all coming from.

“You act a certain way and you are going to be judged on it. If you act like you are insane, that is what people are going to think. If you act responsibly and professionally, then people will treat you that way. I guess when you are dealing with Mayweather, you have to stop asking rational questions because maybe we are not dealing with a rational guy anymore. You just have to take it as it is.”

Arum was outraged years ago when Mayweather said he was being paid slave wages. Floyd’s refusal to take on Antonio Margarito was a further point of contention which helped to precipitate the split between Arum and Mayweather.

Floyd is now promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has referred to Mayweather as a marketing genius and a showman who can knows how to make people hate him so that they will pay money to see him lose. Schaefer also said that in private Floyd’s a great guy, who can become the showman at the flick of a switch.

Some of what Schaefer says may be true. But when millions of people see him going into a rant in which he belittles and hurls profanities at his own father it makes one wonder.

 

[dookie1]

So floyd saying that he will fight manny if he takes the test is "crazy" LOL @ Bob!

 

[Tony]

We see who really doesn't want the fight.. as soon as Floyd comes off of vacation, Bob Arum looks for a new excuse (the WADA). Floyd is cornering team Pacquiao.... they're going to have to take the test and fight Floyd. Hopefully Floyd beat Ortiz, then we know Pacquiao is next, not unless Pacquiao goes his usual route by fighting Floyd's leftovers and chooses to take on Victor Ortiz (assuming Floyd beats him first)

I just find it very funny that Floyd, Shane and now Victor don't or didn't have a problem with taking the test.

 

[bigface]

Manny doesn't want to fight Floyd, if he did he would've signed to contact March 2010. Anyone with half a brain can tell Manny is ducking that asswhipping. We have already heard five different excuses about why he can't submit to random testing. Tony, remember a year ago when we were the only two people telling the truth about Manny not agreeing to random testing and not even with a 14-day cut-off. A year later and Manny's still running from testing. It's funny because with all the media and fan backlash Mayweather has never backed down from testing.

 

[MacRyzle]

Arum Confirms That Manny Has Agreed to OSDT.

According to Dan Rafael, Arum told him, "Manny has taken the position that he would agree to unlimited testing. It is a non-f------ issue."

Arum also said, "The testing would have to be done by WADA, which means when Manny trains in the Philippines, whoever they use in Asia to do the testing would do it. When Manny is training in the United States, they would use USADA. WADA gets the agency to supervise the testing in the Philippines. But the point is, it all has to be done under the overall authority of the boxing commission wherever you have the fight."

http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blog/_/name/rafael_dan/id/6967108/will-get-pacquiao-mayweather

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Sounds good to me should be a dead topic until after pac vs jmm

 

[naner12]

^^ I don't mind the you have to earn it shit as much. The truth is a fighter can have a bad day. But if he has bad multiple days then he just aint the fighter he thinks he is.

Ortiz got beat by Maidana. He blames it on a "bad day". He fought his way back to this point, so he has now gained the respect of Floyd to fight Floyd. So, I don't mind the earn it shit. He earned the Floyd fight.

5000

Not really what I meant. Khan said above that Vargas would have to earn the right to fight him, and you either take that position or you don't. You don't take on McCloskey, who was nearly unknown but undefeated and a Euro champ shot then turn around and say another legit prospect has to "earn the right" to lace them up with you when you've fought plenty of people that haven't "earned the right".

I think not even a handful of people are at the level where they can say so and so haven't earned the right to fight them and they usually transcend weight classes, Khan is not that guy, he may be one day but not right now.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I hear that. But wasn't mcclowsky the result of one or two other guys not happening? If I remember right he was to fight Peterson but he turned it down cause of money and Peterson was and I think still is ranked in the top ten so that's how mcclowsky got the fight plus it was in the UK where he has a decent following. If Vargas was ranked top ten then yeah make it happen.

 

[naner12]

McCloskey is popular in his home county, not where Khan fought him. I'm sure people knew of him but it's not like he's someone like Kevin Mitchell with a rabid fan base. They tried to reach to Peterson but McCloskey wasn't a last minute deal scraped together, it was made months in advance, he was the immediate next opponent they went to after Peterson.

I'm not knocking McCloskey getting the fight, I'm a fan of "country" champions getting title fights, from Euro champs to African champs. I'm just saying I don't think Vargas is any less of a fighter now than McCloskey was when he fought him. Not that I think Vargas beats Khan or that he should get it over other people, just the whole "what has do to fight me" thing, I never liked.

 

[heyzel]

rum: " Unlimited random testing is not a f-------- issue

op Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao (and promoted Mayweather for most of his career before an ugly falling out), told me the other day that he sees no reason why it can't happen next.


"Manny has taken the position that he would agree to unlimited testing," Arum said. "It is a non-f------ issue."



But the question of which agency would handle the testing might be. Mayweather currently uses the United States Anti-Doping Agency to handle testing for his fights. He has been randomly tested -- and required his opponents, such as Ortiz and Shane Mosley, to also be randomly tested -- for his recent bouts.



Arum said he and Pacquiao have no issue with USADA testing but maintain that any testing "should be done under the overall umbrella of the state commission" where the proposed fight would take place.


There has been some talk from the Mayweather camp about wanting Pacquiao to train exclusively in the United States so he could be under USADA's jurisdiction. However, Pacquiao lives in the Philippines (where he serves in that country's congress) and usually spends the first half of his training camp there before relocating for the second part of his camp, to trainer Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif.


Arum said the World Anti-Doping Agency, essentially the umbrella agency over USADA, would have to handle Pacquiao's testing in the Philippines.


"The testing would have to be done by WADA, which means when Manny trains in the Philippines, whoever they use in Asia to do the testing would do it," Arum said. "When Manny is training in the United States, they would use USADA. WADA gets the agency to supervise the testing in the Philippines. But the point is, it all has to be done under the overall authority of the boxing commission wherever you have the fight."



Even though Pacquiao is now apparently willing to do the unlimited random testing, Arum still wasn't convinced the fight would happen.


"I'm not optimistic," Arum said. "I think Mayweather will look for a way not to do the fight. I smell the initial drum beat of 'You're not allowed to train in the Philippines' because of [who oversees] the testing. Once Mayweather says that, he can go f--- himself. Then it becomes a major political issue when he says Manny can't train in his home country. Besides, nobody would subject themselves to that type of restriction."