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Jul 24, 2005
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Pacquiao vs. Mosley going for $54.99 on Showtime PPV

By Chris Williams: Depending on how you look at the Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley fight, you might think that the going price for this pay-per-view event is a real bargain or a total rip off. I’m kind of leaning towards the latter myself and I’m still hoping for some complimentary price reduction. The fight goes for a hefty $54.99 on Showtime, and that’s not chump change in this economy.


That’s like weeks’ of gas for my car. Somehow, I don’t see Pacquiao-Mosley as being a $54.99 type fight in my book. I see it as one of those nice Showtime fights that aren’t pay-per-view. I guess it’s something about Mosley being almost 40-years-old, and the fact that he hasn’t actually won a fight in two years. I don’t know but maybe I’m overlooking something here.

Should I and boxing fans have to pay $54 for a fight that involves a fighter that hasn’t won in two years and has looked pretty horrible in recent fights? I think Bob Arum would really do boxing fans a service here if he were to reduce the price on this fight to 1/3 of the asking price. Even in that, I’m bending over backwards because I don’t it as anything more than a $5 fight. If you’re going to be asked to pay the full price for a fight, shouldn’t both fighters be at the very top of their game? I see this as a fight between a catch weight champion and a fighter that would be more at home in an old timer’s fight against someone like Oscar De La Hoya or Felix Trinidad.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Marco Antonio Barrera stops Jose Arias in the 2nd round

By Michael Lieberman: Former three division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (67-7, 44 KO’s) made easy work of his 2nd tier opponent on Saturday night, stopping the inexperienced 43-year-old Jose Arias (15-2, 9 KO’s) in the 2nd round of a scheduled 10 round bout at the Coliseo Olimpico de la UG, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Barrera, now 37, knocked Arias down in the 1st and 2nd rounds. The fight was stopped at 2:29 of the 2nd round.


For those who have been accostomed to seeing Barrera fight much of his career at featherweight, super featherweight, super bantamweight and lightweight, it was odd seeing Barrera now fighting at light welterweight. He looked fat for the weight and doesn’t seem to carry the weight nearly as well as he did at the lighter weights. Barrera midsection had visible fat around it, reminding one how Erik Morales has looked since making his comeback in 2010. Barrera is going to have problems against the better fighters at light welterweight because he doesn’t have the size to compete. Barrera is perhaps hoping to get lucky in the same way that Morales has by getting a shot against one of the champions like Amir Khan, Timothy Bradley or soon to be WBA light welterweight champion Marcos Maidana.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Arum Shreds De La Hoya, Schaefer: They are The Worst

By Mark Vester

Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum has went full blast at his promotional rivals, Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. Top Rank and Golden Boy, recognized as the two biggest promotional companies in the United States, have not done business with each other since the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight in 2009. Tensions boiled over when the two sides failed to reach an agreement for a mega-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Arum brought up the incident from 2006 when De La Hoya tried to sign Pacquiao to a promotional contract with a suitcase filled with cash.

"We have been in this business a long time, me since the 1960s," said Arum to the Las Vegas Review Journal. "I have never, ever shanghaied a fighter, given a fighter a suitcase filled with money or offered a fighter a contract in a car just after taking a 16-hour flight. They (Schaefer and De La Hoya) are shadier than the worst people in boxing. And for Oscar to participate in that really shows his true colors. I think [Schaefer is] treacherous. He's not honorable. You can't take his word. At the first opportunity, he'll knife you in the back."

De La Hoya hit back, stating to the paper that his company will not be intimidated by Arum.

"I've known Arum a long time, and he always needs to be in a fight with someone. He's a barker and he's very loud. Everyone knows he tries to intimidate with his bark. But he knows he can't intimidate me or Richard," De La Hoya said.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Pacquiao Responds To Mayweather's Link Twittering

By Chris LaBate

WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has issued a response to Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s recent Twitter posts. For unknown reasons, Mayweather logged on to his personal Twitter account and posted several video links to fights where Pacquiao either lost or struggled. It's being assumed that Mayweather posted the material in some type of effort to bait a response from Pacquiao, or Mayweather simply did it to keep his name involved with Pacquiao's ongoing media tour to promote the May 7 title fight with Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao took the high road and didn't take Mayweather's bait. Instead he wished Mayweather well with his legal problems.

"I really don't know. I don't know what's in [Mayweather's] mind. But, you know, I'm not disappointed or angry with him. I just pray that everything will be okay in his personal problems so he can fight again in the ring and people can see him," Pacquiao said.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Arum wants Pacquiao to fight in November against Mayweather – Boxing News

By Eric Thomas: Promoter Bob Arum is already looking at Manny Pacquiao’s next fight beyond his upcoming bout against Shane Mosley on May 7th. Arum is looking to get Pacquiao back in the ring in November and is targeting Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the number #1 fighter on his list to match Pacquiao up against.


If Mayweather is unavailable, Arum may look to put Pacquiao in with Juan Manuel Marquez again.

Speaking to philstar.com, Arum said this: “Floyd is still our number one priority. We want to find out if he’s available or what his legal status is. Right now I have no idea. If it’s Floyd, then certainly it’s Vegas. But if it’s [Juan Manuel] Marquez, we might go somewhere else. From now on Manny is going to fight at 147. He is the welterweight champion and he will defend that title. Anybody who wants to fight Manny should fight him at 147.”

Arum has already had the opportunity to match Pacquiao up against Mayweather last year, but the negotiations fell apart after Pacquiao failed to agree to have random blood tests for performance enhancing drugs two weeks before the fight, which is what Mayweather was asking for. If there is going to be a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather in November, blood testing will have to be a part of it.

As for the Marquez fight, Arum could put that fight outside of the U.S. in Abu Dhabi, which would allow Arum to maximize profits. Marquez wants the fight with Pacquiao, but it would be a tricky one to put together because Marquez might want a bigger cut than some of Pacquiao’s recent opponents have been asking for.
 

Tony

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Mayweather should be ready about that time.... hopefully he doesn't need a tune up, if he does, then I am just going to give up hope about seeing Mayweather and Pacquiao fight....
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Mosley says doing Mayweather’s hard work by facing Pacquiao

By Chris Williams: Shane Mosley says that he’s doing the hard work of Floyd Mayweather Jr. by facing Manny Pacquiao on May 7th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather is currently unavailable to fight due to a number of legal problems that have him occupied and make it – if he’s convicted – impossible for him to ever fight Pacquiao in the future.


With Mayweather unable to take the fight, Mosley did the hard work himself by approaching Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum recently and made a case for himself to get the May 7th date, despite the fact hat Mosley’s had rotten luck in his last two fights trying to get wins. He was dominated in a 12 round decision loss last year by Mayweather and struggled badly against Sergio Mora last year in September, having to settle for a 12 round draw in a fight that Mosley probably should have lost.

Still, Mosley was selected for Pacquiao to fight over arguably much more qualified fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez, who gave Pacquiao tons of problems in their two prior fights, and WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto. Both of those fighters would be much better choices for Pacquiao compared to Mosley. The Pacquiao-Mosley fight could wind up as one big mismatch if Mosley fights the same way he did against Mayweather and Mora.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said he thought Mosley should have retired after the Mora fight. And yet here Roach is saying how Mosley has a chance in this fight. It’s kind of confusing because you don’t know what to believe when it comes to Roach. Do you believe that he really thinks Mosley has a chance or does he still think Mosley should have retired like he said. Why would Roach want Pacquiao to fight a guy that he believes should have retired after his last fight?
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Haye wants fight with Wladimir, he’ll have to wait until next year

By Dave Lahr: Just as I and WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KO’s) suspected, if Haye wants a fight with IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s), he’s going to have to be willing to wait until 2012 at the earliest to get the fight, if at all. Wladimir was set to fight Haye on July 2nd, but then took a tune-up fight with Dereck Chisora on April 30th.


Haye didn’t believe that Wladimir could make the July 2nd date with a tune-up fight against Chisora occurring only 2 months before that date. Haye wisely said forget it, and pulled out of the July 2nd date. Wladimir continued to say that he would still fight Haye on July 2nd. Now, however, Wladimir is saying something different.

Today, it was learned that Wladimir can’t make the July 2nd date and because of his scheduled fight against contender Tomasz Adamek in September, Wladimir said he would probably not be able to fight Haye in 2011. This wouldn’t be an issue under normal circumstances but Haye is retiring in October and he’s firm on that retirement. He’s not going to change his mind about it, and it looks like Wladimir has decided to dodge the dangerous fight with Haye by taking the needless tune-up against Chisora and then signing on for another fight against Adamek rather than taking the bigger money to face Haye.

What does that tell you when a fighter chooses the much smaller money? I know what it tells me. Wladimir is ducking Haye and Chisora and Adamek were merely the foxhole for Wladimir to hide in while Haye’s retirement date ended the threat of Wladimir being knocked out. This is so sad
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Abraham Says a Win is a Win, Now on To Ward

By Raphael Kyć

Former middleweight king Arthur Abraham (32-2, 26 KOs) is not sweating the ending to Saturday's fight with Stjepan Bozic (24-5-15 KO) in Mulheim, Germany. It was set to be a tune-up to prepare for a May showdown with WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward, which takes place in the semi-finals of the Super Six tournament. Bozic injured his hand in the second round and was unable to contnue. Abraham is going back to camp and is now fully focused on Ward.

"I wanted to prove to fans that I can still box, and my past failures were a thing of the past. Unfortunately, my opponent has suffered a hand injury and could not continue in the fight. Well, I had no influence on that. Now I am only thinking about the clash with Ward," Abraham said.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Wladimir Klitschko: We Won't Retire Without Haye's Belt

By Mark Vester

WBO/IBO/IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, and WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, are not looking to retire until they obtain the WBA title which is currently held by David Haye. For one reason or another, neither Klitschko has been able to get Haye in the ring. In 2009, Haye reached separate agreements with both brothers, and later withdrew from both fights.

“My brother and I have always stated that it is our joint ambition to hold all four major heavyweight belts and create sporting history,” Wladimir explained to SportsVibe. “We have three and David Haye has one, so either he fights one of us, or he retires and we then beat whoever is put up against one of us. What is for certain is that neither Vitali nor I will even think about quitting until we have all four belts.

Wladimir doesn't see himself fighting Haye in 2011. They were close to a deal in January, but the negotiations fell apart when Wladimir signed a deal to fight Dereck Chisora in a keep busy fight in April. Besides Chisora, Wladimir finalized a deal to fight Tomasz Adamek in September. For his part, Haye is threatening to retire from boxing in October, but Wladimir doesn't believe that will happen.

“With Chisora and then possibly Adamek it’s unlikely the fight can take place before the end of the year at the earliest, but I’m not going anywhere and I suspect, even though Haye says he will retire, that he cannot afford to quit boxing before he has fought me," Klitschko said.

“Why do I say that? Because does Haye really believe his legacy will be the Audley Harrison fight? That was the most exciting three rounds of boxing in the history of the sport, wasn’t it? If that’s how Haye wants to bow out then he’ll be betraying his fans and his legacy will be that of a loser if he never fights me.”
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Alexander Povetkin: I am Not a Slave To Klitschko!

By Ruslan Chikov

Undefeated Alexander Povetkin (21-0, 16 KOs), who in September of last year had a deal to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles, believes that the terms of contracts proposed by the Ukrainian and his older brother, Vitali, is unfair to their opponents. According to the 31-year old Russian, the opponents become nearly become slaves to the brothers from Ukraine. Povetkin would like to fight both brothers, if the parties can agree on certain contract issues.

"An important step towards achieving the major goals of my career would be for me to fight with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. We had already discussed the fight with Wladimir, but we wouldn't accept the terms of the contract. Klitschko wants to decide everything for you: the hotel in which I live, where and what to eat, and even what gloves I can wear during the fight. Why? By what right? Am I a slave to the Klitschko brothers? Maybe he even wants to arrange my breakfast menu? Boxing against Klitschko is primarily an event which is organized under him. But the event should also be honest and fair to all," Povetkin said to Arguments and Facts.

haye has been saying the same shit for 2 years now
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Roach Fears For Erik Morales' Health in Maidana Clash

By Rick Reeno

When BoxingScene.com spoke with trainer Freddie Roach about the upcoming junior welterweight fight between Erik Morales and Marcos Maidana, the subject caused an immediate look of concern. During the last six years, Roach has been up against both fighters. As the trainer of Manny Pacquiao, Roach helped the Filipino star beat Morales two out of three times since 2005. And as the trainer of Amir Khan, Roach worked the corner of the British star last December as he beat Maidana in the 2010 Fight of The Year.

Morales (51-6, 35KOs) retired in August of 2007 after losing a decision to David Diaz. He resurfaced in March of 2010 with a victory over Jose Alfaro. Since the comeback, Morales picked up three wins against opponents who are not even in the same solar system as Maidana (29-2, 27KOs) in terms of danger or ability.

Roach agrees.

"I'm really worried about Morales in that fight. Maidana is a young, strong kid and he could fight. I think he's way too much for Morales to fight in a comeback. He'll get knocked out in that fight, I think. A lot of balls [on Morales], but not real smart," Roach told BoxingScene.com.

If Morales was able to accomplish the impossible, and beat Maidana, Roach believes he would easily earn the right to fight any of the top champions at 140-pounds, and that includes Roach's boxer, Amir Khan.

"That would catapult him to a title shot, for sure," Roach said.

Morales-Maidana takes place on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Mike Tyson Excerpts HBO Real Sports Appearance

Tyson. He hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, but Mike Tyson, 44, is still big news. One of the most recognizable sports figures of the last quarter-century, he was labeled the “baddest man on the planet” during his controversial and prolific heavyweight career, forging such a dark persona that Madison Avenue largely shunned him during his 1986-1996 championship run. But after declaring bankruptcy and leaving the ring, Tyson has reinvented himself, finding a niche as a Hollywood actor and taking life one day at a time. Now, with his own cable TV series devoted to his love of pigeons, he’s back on the national stage. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel sits down with “Iron Mike.”

Producer: Nick Dolin.

On his present status:

MIKE TYSON: “What I really am is some schmuck trying to find out all the right answers, you know what I mean. Just trying to get through. I know what not to do more so than what to do.”

TYSON: “I had great moments and I had great lows. I don’t think I accomplished anything besides never having to wait in line for a table or date a hot chick. And when you get 44 years old, you realize all that stuff is nonsense, insignificant shit.”

JON FRANKEL: “When you were going through it, did you enjoy it?”

TYSON: “I was never that guy. Just not that guy. My family are not tough people. I’m just not a tough guy, you know? I’m a decent person, but I’m afraid to be a decent person. Because all my life, a decent person, he’s gonna get the short end of the stick.”

Speaking about one of his most treasured pigeons:

TYSON: “He hasn’t flew in years. I’ve just been breeding him. I’m afraid a hawk or something might get him. I’m so proud. This bird has been around here. He’s been with me since 2002, when he was a baby. When he was first born – The year he was born, I had him. Pure eyes. Pearl eyes. Hard to find a white one with pearl eyes. I love this bird. I love this bird. I know it's goofy, but this is what I love.”

FRANKEL: “No, no. I get it.”

TYSON: “I love birds. Okay? I love f****** pigeons, all right? I love f****** pigeons.”

After a neighborhood bully in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn took one of his pigeons and killed it, Tyson, then 12 years old, threw his first punch. He explains his life following that experience:

FRANKEL: “Was that the first seed for you wanting to be a boxer?”

TYSON: “No. Never even thought about being a boxer. But I wanted to fight everybody all the time. I wanted to be in the neighborhood and be a tough guy so people would stop bullying me, you know? So, no one could ever pick on me. ‘Cause that’s where all this stuff comes from.”

FRANKEL: “Why did you get picked on so much?”

TYSON: “Because I was fat. You know? Because I was fat and I wore glasses.”

FRANKEL: “How fat were you?”

TYSON: “I was fat and obese little kid and I wore glasses. Okay? That’s why, you know? That’s just how people are.”

Following some time in upstate New York with trainer Cus D’Amato, Tyson speaks on how he was tempted to return to the life he had left behind in Brooklyn:

TYSON: “My friend had a drug operation or something going on. I wanted to help him, be involved, because it looked exciting. And then I’m-- I’m never gonna forget what he said. ‘These white people love you. And I wish I had some white people that loved me.’ That blew my mind. Never forgot that when he said that.”

FRANKEL: “That white people love you?”

TYSON: “And he said ‘Man, go back with them, Mike. Don’t stay here with us. Man, you’re gonna get opened up out here man.’ And he’s dead now. They killed him, too. But that’s what made me really just sit down and really concentrate on fighting.”

Speaking to his wild public persona at the height of his heavyweight career:

FRANKEL: “So, when you had moments of acting out, was that planned? Was that to sell tickets?”

TYSON: “I don’t know. I knew it does sell tickets. But at that time, I just wanted to be great. I just thought that all came with being great. But I didn’t understand being all great men-- most of the great men that I read about weren’t all good men. You know what I mean. And second or third phase of my life, I want to try to be a good man, you know what I mean. But yeah, my friend said, ‘You being good-- you being a good man would be harder than you trying to win the heavyweight championship again.’ ”

Reflecting on his boxing career:

FRANKEL: “Do you think boxing was a gift, or a curse?”

TYSON: “I don’t know. Both ways. Maybe I didn’t handle it in the proper perspective and it turned into a curse. But I could have handled it differently. I could have handled it differently.”

Speaking to the infamous ear-biting incident in his rematch with Evander Holyfield in 1997:

FRANKEL: “If you could take back the Holyfield incident, would you?”

TYSON: “You know, thinking now, yeah, I would. You know in that moment, no. Probably a year ago, you asked me, two years ago, I would have said ‘To hell with him.’ You know, that’s how I was programmed to think, you know what I mean? Have no feelings for people.”

FRANKEL: “Do you regret that that’s how a lot of people will always remember you as a boxer?”

TYSON: “People will remember me for being the most ferocious fighter the world has ever seen. And that’s what they’ll remember me for. And all that’s intertwined with me biting his ear as well. So it’s really bizarre but that’s just what it is.”

Comparing the highs and lows of his life:

TYSON: “I remember my drug days better than I remember my fighting days. I have to talk to people that were there, because I don’t remember too much about my boxing days. Either I don’t want to remember them, probably, that’s probably part of it. Some of them-- like, even the good times were really not good. You know. Even the fun times weren't really fun. You know, they just appeared to be fun.”

FRANKEL: “The good times weren’t that good?”

TYSON: “No. Never. No. This is the best time of my life, ever. This is so interesting about my life, that I realize now. It's because at this stage in my life, with so little, I did so much. And at that stage of my life I had so much, I couldn’t even do a little.”