Watch Jones vs Hopkins II Boxing Fight Live

source: eastsideboxing


New York City (February 9) –Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Roy “The Terminator” Jones stayed true to their reputations as two of the most outspoken boxers in the history of the sport as they announced The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones II, which will take place April 3 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be broadcast live on pay-per-view. The debate style format of the press conference was the perfect setting for these two living legends to prove why their nearly two-decade long rivalry is stronger than ever. Below please find a sampling of their bold statements, setting the stage for what will surely be a great night for boxing and a hotly contested fight.

BERNARD HOPKINS

“To not watch this fight would be a disservice because we will be making history.

“Roy Jones Jr. had nothing to do with my legacy and career up until now, but I will be the final chapter [of his]. We probably would have been here earlier if he would have taken the fight when we were debating through the media.

“My statement is simple. This fight is very important to me because it is personal. We have 17 plus years of on and off history. I want to show the world that when our legacy is put together and analyzed, this fight will be the reason. So to me, not only am I a better fighter today, I will prove my legacy on April 3. I have a lot of incentive to win. I have waited 10 plus years to come to this debate.

“Everyone has it in their spirit to get somebody back. Whether it is justified or unjustified. This fight is redemption in a lot of ways - to finish him once and for all.

“I can’t speak for Roy, but my name is ‘The Executioner.’ I execute. I am going for his head.

“He (Jones) won that fight. I have watched that tape a million times. What Roy has to understand is that I got better. I have a resume to show that I have gotten better. That is the difference between then and now. Come April 3, Roy Jones Jr is going to realize that his worst nightmare has come true.

“It is important to get the knockout. There is a financial incentive. I want to finally close a chapter personally. This is a 17 year rivalry.

“I am going to kick his ass.”


ROY JONES

“Now, ‘Big Head’ (Hopkins) has got to get it in his mind. We both went on to do good things in this sport. Mine was great early. His was great late. The facts won’t change I am still going to beat him.

“I only hit with one hand last time. I’ve got two hands now. With two hands, I’m going to beat the hell out of this old man.

“I never have dodged ‘Big Head’, and I never will. That is why this fight is so important to me.

“We are long time rivals. We waited a long time to fight again. We went our separate ways. I haven’t had a rival as long as I have had ‘Big Head’ sitting around.

“This is like putting on an old pair of pants that still fit after a bunch of years. They probably look better on me now too.

“Have you ever seen somebody run from somebody who he has already whooped? Does that even make sense? Duh!

“I have been trying to fight the bastard for five years. I know Bernard Hopkins. I know him very well. I have never taken anything lightly [and given him reason] to say he hopes I am ready.

“I don’t duck and dodge anyone. I was the test he had to pass to get out of high school. He didn’t pass that test. Now he wants to retake the test!

“Like I said I am still me. I can care less about how much better he has gotten. My job is to knock him out on April 3 and that is what I am going to do.”

Watch David Haye vs John Ruiz Boxing Fight Live

by James Slater


It's official: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye will make the first defence of his title against mandatory challenger and former champ John Ruiz in Manchester, UK on April 3rd. Haye was at a press conference in Manchester earlier today to formally announce the bout. The venue will be The MEN Arena in the city, and Haye is very happy to be fighting there in April.

"It's been ten years since the heavyweight championship has been fought in Britain," Haye said today. "Everyone knows I had to go to Germany to take the [WBA] title from Nikolai Valuev. Now it's time to showcase my skills again in front of the great British public. I'm delighted to have the fight at The MEN Arena. I've been there on many nights to watch Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, even Mike Tyson, and the atmosphere was always tremendous."

As excited as "The Hayemaker" is about the upcoming match, it's known how a good number of fans are not quite as thrilled at the thought of Haye-Ruiz.. Ruiz, though tough and capable, has been involved in a number of pretty awful-to-watch fights in his time, very much making him "public enemy number-one" in the eyes of some fight fans. Will the April clash also be a stinker? Of course, Haye has no choice but to face "The Quiet Man," as he would lose his title otherwise, but fans may well stay away in droves when fight night comes - we will have to wait and see.

Haye has promised to get the job done in exciting fashion, saying he plans to take Ruiz out "in style." But saying it is far easier than doing it, as all Ruiz' opponents bar David Tua, over fifteen years ago, are only too aware. Haye certainly has no easy first defence.

But as tricky as the fight may be, this does not necessarily mean the fight will be fan-friendly. Still, Sky Sports are hoping the fans will be intrigued by the fight, as they are going to make the bout a pay-per-view attraction on Sky Box Office. Is such a fight really worth a fee of approx £15.00 (around $30.00) though?

Haye managed big numbers last time out, when the British public were enthralled by the very idea of him tackling a man so much bigger and taller than him in Valuev. I'm not sure the Ruiz fight will prove so irresistible, however.

Hopefully, though, in the interest of excitement, Haye will win in April, and then make good his promise to tackle one of the two Klitschko brothers later in the year. That fight would have NO trouble getting the fans to shell out their hard earned cash!

Watch David Tua vs Friday Ahunanya Boxing FIght Live

by James Slater


Two exciting punchers will collide in New Zealand on March 27th, in David Tua and Friday "The 13th" Ahunanya. For quite a while the 38-year-old Nigerian with the 24-5-3(13) record has wanted a fight with the 37-year-old Tua, 50-3-1(43) and now he has what he wants. Currently training hard and wanting no distractions (Friday even cut short the following interview so as to get back to work, so hugely motivated is he for the big fight), Ahunanya who now lives in Las Vegas, is confident he will win in March. Going even further than that, Friday has been predicting a KO win over the never-stopped "Tuaman."

Very kindly giving me a few minutes of his time yesterday afternoon (U.S time) the man who has wins over Shane Cameron and Alonzo Butler, and who has been in with names such as Alexander Povetkin, Sergey Lyakhovich and Sultan Ibragimov, had the following answers to my questions:



James Slater: I know you've wanted a fight with David Tua for a long time; now you have it, are you motivated like never before for a fight?

Friday Ahunanya: Oh, absolutely. I'm ready to go. I will come prepared for the fight and I will make the most of this opportunity.

J.S: Who will you be sparring with for Tua?

F.A: We're just getting ready, and I will begin sparring in a couple of weeks. I don't know who I will be working with, but I trust my manager, Luis [Tapia] to get the right guys for me.

J.S: You have said a number of times how you plan on plan on becoming the first to KO David Tua. When the fight starts, do you expect the both of you to go right at one another?

F.A: If I go right at him, that will be the fight that suits him. I have my strategy, and I plan to wear him down later in the fight and capitalise on his mistakes as he does grow tired.

J.S: Are you worried at all about how you have not fought since June of 2008? Are you worried about ring-rust?

F.A: No, not at all. Rust is all in the mind. I'm in the gym and that is the purpose of sparring, to get rind of any rust you may have. There's no doubt, I will be ready for Tua on March the 27th.

J.S: Why have you always wanted to fight Tua? Is it because you always felt you had the style to beat him?

F.A: No, it is what it is. I always want to fight the best, because if you can take the best - if you can beat the best - you know that you are the best yourself. You only know that if you can beat the best, and I will consider myself one of the best if I beat David Tua. I feel really humbled to have been given this opportunity. I will make the most of it, too.

(at this point, Friday wanted to get back into his current day of training. So Luis Tapia, Friday's manger, came in to answer questions)

J.S: Is Friday at all nervous for this fight, or is he merely motivated?

L.T: Trust me, Friday will beat Tua on March 27th! He's not nervous at all. He's really motivated and I wish this fight was tomorrow (laughs) - I really do. Friday is ready for him right now!

J.S: And assuming Friday does beat Tua, what then?

L.T: I have spoken to both of the Klitschko brothers, and Friday would fight either one. Other than those two, there are not too many big name heavyweights to fight - this is a money-earning business after all. I want my fighter to earn as much money as he can. I don't really think David Haye wants to fight anybody, not Friday anyway - but we will win this [Vs. Tua] and then see. This win will put us in a good position.

J.S: What would you say Friday's best punch is?

L.T: Believe it or not, but Friday's best punch is his left hook; just like Tua. But the difference is, Friday doesn't just walk in with his punches and try to get you to the ropes and knock you out - like Tua does. Friday likes to box, and he also has a good uppercut. He's been training to be more aggressive now, and I tell you, if Tua thinks he will win this fight in one-round, he is dreaming! That will never happen. It's been good talking to you, but now I must go and help Friday get ready. Thank you.

J.S: It's been a pleasure speaking with you and Friday. The last thing I wanted was to interfere with your fighter's training.

L.T: It's okay. Call us closer to the fight.

Pacquiao: I don’t need Mayweather

By Dennis Principe


In what is so far his strongest message against bitter rival Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao said he considers his legacy in boxing as already cemented that he sees no need to fight the undefeated American boxer. Pacquiao made this declaration in a mini-press conference held during his courtesy call to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Malacanang Palace moments after the pound-for-pound king arrived in the country Monday morning. “Our records will show I have beaten far better fighters compared to Mayweather. I’ve stated before that I am willing to fight him if that’s what the fans want to see. But if the fight doesn’t happen, I’m fine with it,” said Pacquiao.


Late last year talks about a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout went full steam until a stringent demand by the undefeated American that they both undergo Olympic-style blood testing messed up what would have been one of the sport’s most anticipated match-ups.


Mayweather has made countless allegations that Pacquiao used Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PED) to increase the chances of the seven-time world champion against bigger foes in moving up in weight from a skinny light flyweight all the way up to the welterweight division.


“He needs me more than I need him. If he wants the fight then let’s do it. I’m clean because I get my strength through hardwork and my faith in God,” said Pacquiao.


Mayweather is out to prove his point both in boxing skills and his aim of establishing new standard in drug testing when he battles fellow American Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas.


For their 12-round battle, Mayweather and Mosley have agreed to a no-advance-notice urine and blood testing to be conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).


“I pick Mosley to win that fight because he can throw a lot of punches compared to Mayweather who’s a very defensive boxer. Defense can’t win fights especially against a fighter like Mosley who relies on speed,” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao meanwhile has indicated his willingness to hang-up his gloves especially now that his already illustrious mother Dionisia is more vocal than ever in earnestly seeing his son retire for good.


“That’s something that I am seriously considering because I’m sure you do not want to see me end up being a beaten man, right? I know I can still compete but it’s better to retire while I’m still healthy and enjoy my success with our countrymen,” said Pacquiao.


Pacquiao, a congressional candidate in the coming May elections, recently defended World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown via a 12-round decision winover Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in front of 51,000 paying fans last March 14 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Watch Abraham vs Dirrell Boxing Fight

source: eastsideboxing


LAS VEGAS (February 19, 2010)—Super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell injured his back earlier this week while sparring in Las Vegas, preventing him from training for his upcoming Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight showdown with Arthur Abraham. Dirrell’s injury has forced the fight to be rescheduled for Saturday, March 27, to be televised live on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

“Andre saw a specialist and he is going to be ready to fight on March 27,” said Gary Shaw, Dirrell’s promoter. “I know Andre is deeply disappointed about rescheduling but he IS determined to resume training for the super middleweight division’s most compelling fight..”

Abraham’s promoter Kalle Sauerland said: “The most important thing is that Andre gets healthy. Arthur is ready to get in the ring with him and win the next three points in the tournament – no matter when and where. We look forward to March 27 and the next spectacular victory of King Arthur.”

Abraham, who has been training in the United States since February 8, said, “Of course I was disappointed when I first heard of the postponement, but I am happy to take on Dirrell on March 27. I want him to be in top shape so that he has no excuses once I am done with him. This is the Super Six World Boxing Classic, the best fighting against the best, so I can understand that he does not want to face me when he is not at 100 percent.

“My training has gone very well thus far,” continued Abraham. “I am in great shape and I will defend my tournament lead against him.”

Watch Erik Morales vs Jose Alfaro Boxing Fight

source: eastsideboxing


HOBOKEN, N.J. (Feb. 11, 2010) – Integrated Sports Media, North America’s undisputed leader pay-per-view distribution of major boxing events, is teaming-up with KO Entertainment to bring American fans the ring return of Mexican great Erik “El Terrible” Morales, who headlines the March 27th “The Champion Returns” pay-per-view event live from Monterrey, Mexico. “We’re excited to bring U.S. boxing fans the return of Erik Morales, one of boxing’s all-time greats, and the last man to defeat Manny Pacquaio,” Integrated Sports Media president Doug Jacobs said. “He is a living legend who has beaten many, many world champions. The entire card is stacked from top to bottom with world champions, top contenders, and hot prospects..”

“The Champion Returns,” presented by KO Entertainment, is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV and DISH Network, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

Three-division world champion Morales (48-6, 34 KOs), who hasn’t fought since Aug. 4, 2007, faces former WBA lightweight titlist Jose “Jicaras” Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs), fighting out of Nicaragua, in the 12-round main event for the WBC Intercontinental welterweight crown.

One of the most revered Mexican fighters of all-time, Morales’ list of victims over the years reads like a Who’s Who list: Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Pauli Ayala, Wayne McCullough, Junior Jones, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, Guty Espada, Jr. (twice), Daniel Zaragoza and Kevin Kelly. Alfaro has defeated world champions Prawet Singwancha and DeMarcus Corley.

Fighting in the 12-round co-feature is another Mexican great, 2-time former world super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares (38-6-2, 17 KOs), presently rated No. 5 by the WBA and No. 14 by the IBF, against an opponent to be determined.

Two of the “baddest” strawweights in the world go at it in another 12-rounder, unbeaten WBA champion Roman “Chocolalito” Gonzalez (25-0, 21 KOs), representing Nicaragua, and world rated Mexican contender Juan “Churritos” Hernandez (15-1, 12 KOs).

Also slated to fight on this explosive card is the best kept secret in the heavyweight division, El Paso’s undefeated NABA title-holder David “Nino” Rodriguez (32-0, 30 KOs), in a Special Heavyweight Attraction.

Watch Klitschko vs Chambers Boxing Fight

source: eastsideboxing


IBF-, WBO- and IBO World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and his opponent Eddie Chambers met at ESPRIT arena Düsseldorf, where their fight will take place on March 20, for a press conference, yesterday, January 28.


Klitschko: ”This is a great arena and the idea of more than 50.000 spectator gives me additional motivation. After a break of 7 months I am really looking forward to stepping back into the ring. Chambers is a very strong and quick opponent; therefore he is the number 1 in the WBO ranking. But for me, there is no doubt that I will win the fight and keep my belts.”


Chambers: ” Sure, Klitschko is the favorite. But I will surprise him and shock the boxing world when I take his titles to the US on March 20.”


For the second time Klitschko will be fighting in a soccer stadium. The ESPRIT arena Düsseldorf, homefield of Fortuna Düsseldorf, will have a capacity of 51.000 seats on fight night. In his last fight, Champion Klitschko beat Ruslan Chagaev at Schalke Arena in front of 61.000 spectators in June 2009. Tickets for the highly anticipated fight are available at www.eventim.de or via phone +49-1805-570070. Price start at 20 Euro. VIP packages cost 350 Euro or 600 Euro..

Watch Pacman-Clottey Boxing Fight Replay

Pound for Pound King Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO) successfully defended his WBO Welterweight Championship with a dominant twelve round decision victory over former IBF Welterweight Champion Joshua “Grandmaster” Clottey (35-4-0, 20 KO) of Accra, Ghana in front of a massive crowd of 50,994 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The scores were 120-108, 119-109, and 119-109 all in favor of Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s work rate proved too much for Clottey for twelve rounds. Pacquiao landed 246 of 1,231 punches compared to Clottey’s 108 of 399, according to CompuBox.

Pacquiao took advantage of Clottey’s defensive style by ripping the Ghanaian with hard shots to the body. His sustained attack and blazing hand speed against Clottey was his key to this victory.

Clottey was on the defensive for twelve rounds by just keeping his guard high. His best round of the fight was the 6th round wherein caught Pacquiao with good counters to head and body. However, he never really got it going after that and was backed up by Pacquiao all throughout the rest of the fight.

The win over Clottey could probably set-up a match with the winner of the May 1st bout between undefeated boxing star Floyd Mayweather, Jr and WBA Welterweight Champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley later this year.

Watch Pacquiao vs Clottey Boxing Fight Live

ARLINGTON, TX (January 19, 2010) – The stars will fight, big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas!

Jerry Jones and Bob Arum, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and chairman of Top Rank, respectively, announced today that Cowboys Stadium would be the site of THE EVENT: MANNY PACQUIAO vs. JOSHUA CLOTTEY World Welterweight Championship. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Dallas Cowboys and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Clottey will take place, Saturday, March 13 and will be produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

This marks one of the biggest world title fights to be held in a major U.S. sports stadium since the Muhammad Ali – Ken Norton World Heavyweight Championship in Yankee Stadium in 1976, also promoted by Top Rank.

Pacquiao and Clottey boast a combined record of 85-6-2 (59 KOs) -- a winning percentage of 91% and a victory by knockout ratio of nearly 70%..

Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Clottey go on sale This Saturday! January 23 at 10 a.m. CT. Priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, tickets can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium box office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“I have wanted to bring a major boxing event to North Texas for many years, so why not bring in the biggest and the best?” asked Jones. “Manny Pacquiao is boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound attraction and the world champion. Manny’s title defense against Joshua Clottey is not just a great fight, it is THE EVENT, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium. We’re going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl. This will be the fight to remember.”

Cowboys Stadium will be configured for over 40,000 fans for THE EVENT with elevated floor seating similar to NBA games.

“Jerry Jones knows exactly how big and important THE EVENT is, which is why it was so easy to put this deal together,” said Arum. “As a lifelong Giants fan I had to receive special dispensation from Steve Tisch, the Giants’ Chairman and Executive Vice President, to bring this event to Cowboys Stadium and he blessed the deal. If Jerry could sell me on Cowboys Stadium and the North Texas market, you know he is going to have no problems selling out Cowboys Stadium on March 13. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and promote Manny’s debut as World Welterweight Champion. Manny Pacquiao is the Lone Star of boxing. There isn’t a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight! Like Yankee Stadium, when it hosted so many great world title fights, including Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali, I feel a new era in boxing is about to begin at Cowboys Stadium.”

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, will be defending the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title he earned in his last fight, produced by a 12th round knockout of three-time world champion Miguel Cotto. Pacquiao’s victory made him the first man to win seven titles in as many different weight divisions, with his last three world championships coming by way of knockout. The consensus Fighter of the Year for the third time in the past four years, Pacquiao’s resume features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Lopez and Cotto. His knockout victories over Cotto and Hatton made him the 2009 pay-per-view king, exceeding two million buys combined.

Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs), a native of Accra, Ghana, now fighting out of Bronx, NY, captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title in 2008 by trouncing three-time world champion Zab Judah. His career has been a highlight reel of thrills featuring victories over two-division world champion Diego Corrales and undefeated contender Richard Gutierrez and a close decision loss to world champion Antonio Margarito. In his last fight, Clottey lost a controversial split decision to defending WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden. Clottey is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBO and No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA).

Pacquiao vs. Clottey Final Press Conference Photos and Videos

by: eastsideboxing


DALLAS, TEXAS, March 10, 2010 – Surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, seven-time world champion and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (L) and challenger Joshua Clottey (R) pose during the final press conference Wednesday for their upcoming World Welterweight championship on Saturday, March 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on HBO Pay-Per-View..

Can Joshua Clottey Find a Way to Beat Manny Pacquiao?

by: Ben Cohen
The Final Bell


The upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey promises to be exciting. Why?

Because Manny Pacquiao is fighting.

The dynamic Filipino could be in the ring with a miniature version of John Ruiz (the most boring fighter in recent history) and it would still make for compelling viewing. Pacquiao’s relentless aggression, speed, power and movement are enough to crack most defensive fighter’s shells, and his ability to knock an opponent out with one punch guarantees an action packed bout.

And in his fight with Joshua Clottey we can probably expect even more.

The teak-tough Ghanaian is not afraid to mix it up and has good power, particularly with his left hand. Despite being somewhat defensively minded, Clottey can switch to outright aggression instantaneously, and has a very keen sense of territory in the ring. Clottey likes to intimidate his opponents physically, and his frame is abnormally dense for 147lbs. Clottey could easily compete at 154lbs and be just as effective, and he will be the biggest, strongest fighter Pacquiao has ever faced.

Stylistically speaking, Clottey has perhaps one of the better ones for facing the Pac Man. He has no problems with south paws (see his performance over Zab Judah), and loves to go toe to toe with aggressive fighters (see his bout with Antonio Margarito). Clottey throws very fast lead right hands that bother southpaws, and his left hook and left uppercut are feared weapons in the division. Clottey also jabs southpaws very well, a very difficult thing to do, particularly against elite level fighters.

Pacquiao has ironed out most of his technical flaws and presents a very difficult challenge for any fighter in the sport. His jab and right hook are now just as potent as his lethal left, and his lateral movement has improved almost beyond recognition. Pacquiao doesn’t just move in and out like he used to, he side steps, pivots and turns as well as any of the greats. But Pacquiao is often a victim of his own extraordinary fighting heart and tends to go toe to toe when he doesn’t have to, and can sometimes get caught while unloading his power shots. Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto both caught Pacquiao with well timed hooks and uppercuts while Pacquiao steamed in with his trademark aggression.

If Clottey can keep Pacquiao on the end of his jab and fire out consistent lead right hands, he may be able to control the action for good parts of the bout. Clottey may also find success if he bulls Pacquiao to the ropes and unleashes his uppercuts and hooks. He must be careful to stop him from ducking and swiveling out (a trick Pacquiao has learned extremely well over the years), but Clottey’s wide frame and unusual physical strength will give him a better chance than most.

It is hard to see Clottey effectively catching Pacquiao between punches because the African fighter tends to cover up while his opponents are punching and wait for his turn to start his own offense.

And this is why Clottey probably doesn’t have what it takes to dethrone the pound for pound king.

While Clottey may be able to control the pace for portions of the bout, Pacquiao’s incredible speed and movement will force Clottey into his shell. When he does that, Pacquiao will begin to step around and attack Clottey’s body to bring his hands down. Pacquiao’s unorthodox punches will begin to find their target, and Clottey will either have to blend offensive punching with his defense, or lose more rounds than he wins. Freddy Roach will insist that Pacquiao doesn’t stand infront of Clottey for too long, and by the time the Filipino is done punching, Clottey will be swiping at thin air.

Fighters who have mastered the art of counter punching have a chance of beating Pacquiao, and as it stands, only Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley operate at a high enough level to make it work (and maybe Juan Manuel Marquez at a much lower weight). Miguel Cotto fought on even terms for three rounds with the Pac Man due to his effective counter punching, but his chin wasn’t good enough to keep him competitive throughout. Clottey’s chin is world class, but his counter punching isn’t, and for those reasons he won’t be the pick this Saturday.

It is difficult to see Pacquiao scoring a knockout over Clottey, but it might start to look pretty bad for the Ghanaian in the later rounds as Pacquiao’s speed and rhythm take over.

My prediction: Pacquiao via unanimous decision.

Pacquiao confident speed can trump Clottey's size

by: (Reuters)


Filipino ring king Manny Pacquiao said his lightning fast speed will be enough to nullify Joshua Clottey's size advantage when the two meet in Dallas on Saturday.

Sports

"My quickness will be the key, my speed," the seven-time world champion told Reuters as he prepared for a public workout in front of a throng of fans.

However, the WBO welterweight champion is not taking his Ghanaian opponent lightly.

"You cannot underestimate Joshua Clottey," he said. "He's a good fighter, and he's bigger than me, and I have to be very focused in the fight."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach acknowledges that former IBF title holder Clottey, a natural welterweight, has a size advantage over the champion, who began his career forty pounds lighter.

"But I don't think size wins fights," he said. "I think skill does. He may be a little stronger than Manny on the inside, he might hit a little harder, but I think our speed will nullify that."

Roach said he has been watching footage of Clottey's fights, and has identified a few key habits that he and his fighter intend to exploit.

"He'll wait for you to throw a combination and then, when you've stopped, he'll throw back. So if you stand in front of him, you're an idiot," he said. "We're not going to do that. He's not going to be able to find us.

"Sometimes he uses his head," Roach said of Clottey, 35-3 (20 KOs), whose first defeat came when he was disqualified for headbutts.

"If you fall into the pocket with him, his best punch is an uppercut and his second best punch is a headbutt. So we're not going to go in there. We're going to fight him at distance."

A crowd of several hundred watched Pacquiao's workout, a turnout that a beaming Pacquiao, 50-3-2 (38 KOs), described as 'amazing'.

The fight will be the first to be held at Cowboys Stadium, with 45,000 spectators expected to attend, and the Filipino said he was looking forward to the opportunity to show his skills in front of such a large audience at a new venue.

"I'm very excited to fight in Cowboys Stadium, especially because this is the first fight there," said Pacquiao. "It's an honor to fight in Dallas. I can't wait until Saturday. This is for the fans. This is my chance to show them what I can do."

Pacquiao and Mayweather: One Bout Away from the Big One?

By Gary Andrew Poole


It is 7:13 a.m. in Los Angeles and Manny Pacquiao, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer, is jogging on a public high school track. There are palm trees in the distance, and the low hum of traffic on I-10 is starting to turn into a low roar as the Filipino boxer, clad in a red tracksuit, dashes around the dirt oval despite a painful shin splint. A handful of early-arriving students hang on the chain-link fence surrounding the track and watch him do his work. The Pac-Man is preparing for his March 13 fight against Joshua Clottey, a dangerous but relatively unknown welterweight from Ghana. The $49.95 pay-per-view fight is billed as "The Event" but could easily be called "The Letdown."

Just three months ago, boxing was preparing for its version of the Super Bowl. Fresh from his mega-fight win over Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao had begun negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr., a brash welterweight whom non-sports fans know best from his appearance on Dancing with the Stars. The proposed battle was being compared to some of the greatest matchups in boxing history. Even people who had given up on boxing or hadn't really thought about it much were talking about the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, which would probably earn each boxer $40 million, the most lucrative match ever.

But negotiations became so acrimonious that they descended to the level of bad soap opera. Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style random blood testing, which Pacquiao refused, saying that drug-testing rules should be decided by boxing commissions, not individual fighters. Though suspicions were raised that Pacquiao was on some sort of performance-enhancing drug, the Filipino boxer — who has won an unprecedented seven belts in seven weight classes, putting on 40 lb. throughout his career — has never tested positive for banned drugs. He says he is willing to submit to random urine testing.

Pacquiao's camp says the boxer refused the blood testing because he is superstitious and doesn't want to give blood so close to fight time. He was blood-tested a couple of days before his fight with Erik Morales, and lost. "It made me weak," says Pacquiao, who is suing Mayweather for sullying his reputation. There is speculation in some boxing gyms that Mayweather knew about Pacquiao's aversion to pre-fight blood testing and used it as a tactic to duck him. But Mayweather insists that he simply wants to reform the sport's drug policies. "I am taking a stand," he says, adding, "I should get to choose who I want to fight." But by allowing the negotiations to collapse, Pacquiao and Mayweather quickly became defined as the boxers who wouldn't fight each other. "I think Floyd is scared of Manny," says Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer. "I think the public is disgusted by the controversy, but they still want the fight to happen."

To fill the vacuum and assuage dissatisfaction, each boxer decided to take on formidable interim opponents. Pacquiao will fight Clottey, and Mayweather will battle "Sugar" Shane Mosley on May 1. The hope is that if Pacquiao and Mayweather both win their respective fights, they will work out their differences and fight in the fall. "My nails are going to be bitten down to the bone waiting until May 2," says Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, which is hoping to televise the Pacquiao-Mayweather spectacle.

Manny Pacquiao Vs. Joshua Clottey: How Good Is Clottey, Anyway?

Written by Tim Starks


So continues our marathon coverage of one of the biggest fights of 2010, Manny Pacquiao versus Joshua Clottey on March 13, culminating in a live blog on fight night. Previously: Why and how Pacquiao-Clottey matters. Next: Keys to the fight.

Everyone knows Manny Pacquiao. Not everyone knows Joshua Clottey, the man Pacquiao is fighting Saturday.

Clottey (above left against Miguel Cotto, photo by Howard Schatz) has a very good reputation, for the most part. Some boxing writers consider him one of the 20 best boxers of today, and he's one of the top men in the welterweight division, clearly. He caught some flack for his showing at the end of the fight against Cotto, but there are a lot of people who thought he got robbed in that bout. And it wasn't that long ago that there was a highly viable theory that Clottey was underrated, the best fighter in the division not to be recognized as one of the best.

Yet the more I look at Clottey, the less convinced I am. I'd had that thought prior to Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach saying the same thing in the "Road to Dallas" documentary that aired Saturday (I swear! Ask the people I hung out with Saturday night, away from the television, when the documentary was airing). But that Roach said it made me feel confident about it, too. I think Clottey has become overrated.

This requires a bit of a preface, a disclaimer. I think Clottey's a really good boxer. I think he's a dangerous fighter for Pacquiao to take on, by virtue of his size and style. But when I look at his record and his review the video, I see a fighter who's a full notch below the best of the best.

Consider:

The best win of Clottey's career is probably his 2008 9th round technical decision over Zab Judah. Now, Judah's a talent. But Judah hadn't had a win over a non-journeyman since 2005, when he knocked out Cory Spinks. Judah was ranked in the top 10 of the division at the time, but there were a lot of smart people who think he didn't deserve to be. He'd been beaten by Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Carlos Baldomir from 2005 to 2008. He was competitive in all of them, but Judah's downward slide was clearly in full force. And you know what? It was a close fight, Clottey-Judah, even under the circumstances. Two judges gave Clottey the fight by a mere point.

The second best win of his career is over... well, there's a big drop off from the win over Judah. Is it Diego Corrales, who was moving up two divisions and had the look of damaged goods? Is it Shamone Alvarez, a decent welterweight but nobody who ever really much sniffed the top 10 of the division?

You can point to the almost-wins over Cotto and Antonio Margarito, but those only go so far. Clottey couldn't beat Cotto with one of the worst handful of cuts I've ever seen a boxer persevere through. Against Margarito, Clottey was doing well early before claiming hand injuries and slowing down. Clottey was ahead on the scorecards against Baldomir before being disqualified.

I'm doing something here that is reminiscent of the kind of thing I hate in boxing -- systematically diminishing a fighter's accomplishments. Honestly, you can do it with any fighter. But I'm doing it here despite fundamentally liking Clottey, and thinking he's good. It's only, as I said, that I think he's a notch lower than some of the best guys.

Cotto knocked out Judah, and Floyd Mayweather beat Judah more easily than did Clottey. Margarito and Pacquiao both knocked out Cotto. There's nobody on my pound-for-pound list whose best win is over Judah, and I don't think there ever will be. Almost-wins count for something, but only if the boxer has a proven record of beating top competition on the scorecards or via knockout.

That's steering us toward the root of where Clottey's problems lie. His style, as I mentioned, is difficult, and he's a dangerous opponent. His excellent defense, good counterpunching and rock-solid chin have made him a handful for the elite boxers he's faced. Yet they also are part and parcel about why he hasn't exactly excelled on the top, top level.

There's a feeling out there that I've long argued against that Clottey allowed Cotto to win in the late rounds, that he somehow took his foot off the gas. In actuality, as I see it, Cotto just exploited the flaws in Clottey's style in those late rounds. Clottey does good work behind his high guard, cutting off the ring and firing counters. But that style often requires Clottey to set his feet, wait for his opponent to punch, then return fire. Cotto, in the final couple rounds against Clottey, took advantage of that by moving and initiating contact and forcing Clottey to cover up, then moving again, preventing Clottey from planting. Clottey didn't know what to do, so he did what he always does, which is more of the same. He didn't give the fight away any more than any other fight he'd ever been in. His style did, with a little help from Cotto.

Judah, a less fundamentally sound boxer than Cotto, also exploited Clottey's style. Merely by punching at Clottey, he outworked him and won rounds. Clottey's style is economical to a fault. He doesn't take a lot of chances, thinking defense-first the way he does, and if you can hit him and get out of the way, you can have a lot of success against him. If Judah's footwork was better, and if he wasn't in the midst of a career slide, and if he wasn't inclined toward finding a way to lose despite his talent, maybe he wins that fight.

That's another issue with Clottey: He kind of finds ways to lose or get taken out of his game, rather than fighting through it all. There's a little bit of bitch in Clottey, at least compared to the top-notch guts of some fighters. I don't doubt his hand injuries against Margarito, but any number of fighters routinely injure their hands and fight through it, from Mayweather to fighters who lacked Clottey's talent, like Arturo Gatti. In the Judah fight, he winced and hammed it up when Judah landed a low blow. He spent about a half hour recovering from Cotto's body slam. I don't know if the disqualification against Baldomir was justified or not, but there's a trend here, no?

What I'm trying to establish is that while I think Clottey's a legit foe for Pacquiao, that he's definitely worth of being top-5 at welter, that his style presents unique problems to his foes and that he's good enough to hang with the best of the best... the best of the best he ain't. Or, at least, he hasn't proven himself to be in his career so far, owing to a variety of defects in his game and a dearth of wins against said best-of-the-best.

It doesn't mean that Pacquiao beating him will be insignificant or anything like it -- it's be another huge win in a historic career. It doesn't mean he can't or won't win against Pacquiao; sometimes, non-super fighters beat super fighters by virtue of the dynamic between those two fighters, and sometimes non-super fighters become super fighters with one key win.

Clottey Too Strong?

By: Alex McMillan


Saturday night sees the next chapter unfold in what has become the gladiatorial career of Manny Pacquiao. Proudly and justifiably held as boxing’s poster boy, the sport seems in more need of his services right now than vice versa. Thankfully for the fight game and its needy, often disappointed fans Manny’s still here. Still accepting the bigger fights and the bigger challenges.

David Diaz was a stepping stone. I never for one moment doubted the Filipino’s ability to take what little he’d offer and come back with substantially more. That the American went 9 rounds is testament to his resolve. Manny couldn’t have hit him harder with a baseball bat.

Against Cotto there were doubts. It was clearly a fight in which Pacman would do well; Cotto likes to box but can’t seem to avoid fighting when in with a fighter. Manny’s feet would be quicker, it was generally accepted he hit harder, and Miguel had wilted before coming apart as the rounds wore on against the heavy-handed, anything but fleet-footed Antonio Margarito. This was the key consideration of the Cotto Paquiao matchup; how much had the Puerto Rican learned? However we may judge the David Diaz’s of this world, Cotto is an accomplished, genuinely world class performer. Though he’d been drawn into the odd crazy round or two (the Demarcus Corley fight springs instantly to mind) Cotto had shown his true colours in classy wins over the legendary Shane Mosley and once-possibly-future-legendary Zab Judah. At the time I thought Mosley was washed up. I still had hopes for Judah. It’s a funny sport to call at times..

Cotto had also impressed against the previously undefeated Urkal, Quintana and Torres. He was the real deal, no doubt. And Pacman blew him away. It was stunning. In July ’08 I was thrilled for Margarito. He was Rocky; he was everyone watching not ardently behind Miguel. For five or six minutes he walked through all the patience and pain of the previous 8 or 9 rounds and looked unstoppable. He was a boxing legend that night. He was boxing. Last November as the Puerto Rican clung on through the dying rounds and Manny just refused to stop taking him apart I could barely watch.

How quickly things change, and how difficult they are to call. Floyd Mayweather, though unquestionable legend himself, once again proved that he is definitely not boxing. He may be poster boy for half the sports and image rights agents who can clamour for his attention, but walking through 8 rounds of hurt to clutch all of our imaginations as he battles the odds in the dying rounds he is not. Would he fight Manny? Certainly. But the money, locations, gloves, ropes and anything else he could think of had to be his.

Mayweather’s loss. Our gain. Saturday night will be all about 2 great fighters fighting for greatness. For Clottey, it’s a deserved chance for recognition on the biggest of stages. For Pacman, it’s just more fun. More fans, more lightning combinations, more singing. And we’ll miss him when he’s gone.

To fully appreciate the legacy he’ll eventually leave it’s necessary to bear in mind he’s fighting thousands of miles from home. Though the U.S. is fairly unchallenged as boxing’s big time venue (hoards of supporters of the likes of Hatton and Calzaghe in recent years cementing the point) it’s possible to underestimate the challenge faced by a fighter making such a move. When red-hot Juan Manuel Marquez dropped a hotly disputed decision to Chris John in Jakarta 2004 most observers were quick to dismiss the loss, citing hometown decision making as the most likely issue, yet when the Rocky Juarez scored an unquestionably generous draw 5 years later in Texas most tried to justify the decision as John’s own shortcoming, slowing down in the latter rounds. While it’s never prudent to isolate individual fights as comparisons, the challenges faced in fighting halfway round the world are nothing short of substantial. Both in and out of the ring. Fortunately, Manny’s had nothing to complain about. He’s had high’s and lows, fought an incredible round first time out with Marquez then learned a great lesson through the conclusion of the fight. But these days Manny doesn’t do decisions. These days he doesn’t take the chance.

He’s stronger, faster and more resolved than the electrifying but somewhat erratic pugilist who burst onto the scene with a breathtaking derailment of a then peak Barerra in 2003. So far he’s lost nothing of his speed and his power seems to increase naturally with his weight. So why should Clottey succeed where Cotto was found so wanting?

It’s an old cliché, but styles make fights. Records do not throw punches. If they did the Ghanaian would have came unstuck against the too-fast Judah. He didn’t. He’d have been out of depth against the world class Cotto. He certainly wasn’t. The Margarito loss raises eyebrows on the Clottey record, but that was nearly 4 years ago now. And Tony can fight, unquestionably. What seems to be of greatest interest here is the comparisons that can be drawn – though shouldn’t be – between Clottey’s fight with Cotto and Pacquiao’s. Wouldn’t life be great if it was as easy to assess an upcoming fight as that? Pacman’ll walk through him, right?

For Joshua Clottey, this is the culmination of a life spent building to this moment. It’s a payday but I don’t think that’s really the point. He’s a tough man, a hard fighter. He wants a piece of what Manny’s been getting. Loath though I am to bet against the Filipino, I think he’ll get it. I anticipate the same electric atmosphere, free foot movement and creative combinations from Manny, but I also see the Ghanaian getting on top of him at times and fighting the kind of fight Ricky Hatton hoped to conjure. In doing so I believe Clottey will present a stronger challenge than Manny’s been faced with so far. I see this as an exceptionally close call and I don’t see a stoppage. Saturday night might just raise a few more of those eyebrows picking future fights based on records.

Either way, Manny wins. Were he to lose and bow out only the sport and its fans would suffer. If he wins, if he scales more phenomenal heights and simply marches through everything Clottey offers? Then what? Perhaps well see ‘Money’ Mayweather travel halfway across the globe for modern day thriller in Manilla? Whatever happens come Saturday, however hard this game is to predict, I think we’re all safe betting Floyd just won’t take the chance.

Clottey Working His Butt Off For 'A Miracle'

Source: boxing.fanhouse


A native of Ghana who is preparing for a March 13 challenge for the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown held by seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 knockouts) of the Bronx, N.Y., spoke to FanHouse recently from his sleeping quarters near his training facility at Fort Lauderdale's Contender Gym in Florida.

This is the third of four diaries for Clottey that will appear regularly on FanHouse as the 32-year-old Clottey enters the most lucrative and biggest fight of his career, one that will be aired live on HBO pay per view.

ad things just kept happening to one of boxing's good guys.

The initial thing was Joshua Clottey's first major fight against future world champion, Carlos Baldomir, in November of 10 years ago, when he was disqualified for head-butting in the 11th-round of a matchup he needed only to stay on his feet to win.

Clottey, to this day, believes he was the victim of foul play against Baldomir, but he never thought that it would be the story of his career.

"That was a very, very, big frustration for me. We were dealing with two promoters. Frank Maloney, he was the one who had the money. The other promoter, Panos Eliadis, loved us African guys. Too much for Maloney's tastes, in seemed like.

So Maloney was jealous because we always surprised him by winning. He didn't like that," said Clottey, who is 32.

"The day of the fight, I went to the bathroom, and I saw Maloney, and Baldomir's managers and trainers talking. Then and there, I thought to myself, 'Something bad's going to happen,'" said Clottey. "I think they did something to the referee, because he was all over me. You know, everything that I'd do, he warned me too much. It was painful to me."

Next up was his December, 2006 loss to Antonio Margarito, during which he led early before his two, injured hands betrayed him over the course of a unanimous decision loss and his bid to win the vacant WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title.

"I had planned out a good gameplan for Margarito, and it was working so perfectly. You could see the surprise in the place and in his face when I was winning, because nobody knew me. They didn't know me as a big fish. They were like,

'Wow,' where is this guy from?" recalled Clottey.

"But the first hand, my left, one, just went out on me. The knuckle in my left hand was experiencing a sharp pain," said Clottey. "And then I started to throw the right hand, and I was really trying to throw, but the pain was just too much in that one also."

Clottey rebounded, however, earning the IBF crown over southpaw, former world champion, Zab Judah via ninth-round technical decision stoppage in August of 2008.

Clottey was then informed that he would get a break against WBO king, Miguel Cotto, but the IBF would force him to give up the belt if he took the challenge rather than facing an organization mandatory.

With Cotto being his largest, career pay day, and a shot at seemingly endless possibilities in victory, Clottey bit the bullet and bagged the IBF crown.

Then, Clottey lost June's disputed, split-decision to Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), against whom he suffered a flash knockdown from a first-round left hook.

"After the fight with Cotto, I was shocked, and I was so, so, so sad. Because I felt like what they did to me was something," said Clottey. "I thought that I won the fight, and that they just took the fight away from me. I was really tired of these things happening to me in championship fights."

But it only got worse after the fight, when Clottey split with trainer, Kwame Assante, over money.

"On Sunday or Monday, I was having a discussion with the trainer [Assante,] and he just came out and started talking and telling me things [about paying him] that I don't even know anything about," said Clottey. "It's great in that he's the trainer, and that he's going to make so much money. But now, it's not going to go to him, because of his selfishness. Now, he's gone."

Adding to the problems, however, was the fact that two successive opportunities -- one against WBA welterweight super champion, Shane Mosley, and another opposite former titlist, Carlos Quintana -- fell through.

"You know, about that, there was yet another very big frustration. But I kept thinking to myself, 'One thing about life is that good things always come to good people,'" said Clottey.

"All of those fights that we talked about where they said I lost, and the fights that fell through, I figured that it had to end sometime. You never know what is going to happen," said Clottey.

"When they called off the fights, I just kept on training, and was continuing to think about the next option," said Clottey. "I'm patient, I'm very respectful to everybody, I'm very nice to everybody. I push myself. So, you know, I thought, 'Good things happen to good people."

This time, Clottey was right.

For in early January, things began to look up for a dejected Clottey, who received an offer from Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum, to face seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, for anotther chance to earn the WBO crown.

More than that, the 31-year-old Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) represented the largest career payday for Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs), who arrived from his Ghana in New York in mid-January and informed FanHouse that he had signed the contract for the fight an hour earlier.

Nicknamed, "The Grand Master," Clottey's purse will surpass $1 million for the first time, with an upside to the pay-per-view.

But there still would be hurdles for Clottey, who was in need of a new trainer.

Clottey thought that for sure that he had had the perfect one in Godwin Nii Dzanie Kotey, a legendary father figure to his fighters who had worked with Clottey's countryman and former welterweight star, Ike Quartey.

But Clottey would receive yet another blow when Kotey was denied a work Visa to the U.S.

"That was very disappointing," said Clottey, who wept openly about the decision, "because I have my trainer in Ghana, and he doesn't get a Visa to come, that was unexpected."

Manager, Vinnie Scolpino, suggested Lenny DeJesus, who had worked as Clottey's cut man and an assistant to Assante during Clottey's loss to Cotto.

They had known of each other from John's Gym in the Bronx, where Clottey has trained, and DeJesus, worked with other fighters.

"That's why I chose Lenny. The training is going fine, because it's easy with me to connect with anybody. Lenny, he's a nice person. He talks to me. Lenny talks to me about boxing. Whenever your manager or your trainer feels for you, it's good. It's not like they just want money," said Clottey.

"Lenny's the guy who in it for me. So I love it that he's there for me, because I can go into the ring and fight. I'm okay with him, I'm nice with him," said Clottey.

"Lenny can tell me things like, 'Go into the ring, go to his body.' If I go to the body, and it doesn't work, I have to change my whole plan in the ring," said Clottey. "So sometimes, the trainers talk, and they work good the way they're talking, they become heroes."

Clottey said that he and DeJesus are on the same page.

"Everything is fine with me and Lenny," said Clottey. "We're nice, we're cool. I'm so happy with him."

And since he first received the call from Top Rank offering the bout with Pacquiao, Clottey has been looking for, and, finding positive signs.

The first one, said Clottey, is the fact that Pacquiao did not request a catchweight of 145 pounds, something that is a big help since Clottey has fought several times at weights higher than 147.

"They never talked about me moving to a catchweight. We're fighting at the welterwelterweight limit, so it's like, a miracle," said Clottey, who can concentrate more on technique than simply wearing himself down cutting weight.

"But you can't just be there and pray to God, 'Oh, God, I want money to buy food and eat,' and God will come from heaven and give you money," said Clottey. "No, have got to continue to work your a** off and go to work. So I know that I'm going to go there and that I'm going to be in a fight."

In Pacquiao, Clottey is facing a man who simply seems to have forgotten how to lose, and whose focus is unflappable.

He is running for congress, has made a movie, been the focus of features in major, crossover magazines, and even delivered food to his native Filipinos during a typhoon -- a move that briefly interrupted his training only days prior, but, nevertheless, did not affect his performance in his 12th-round knockout of that dethroned Puerto Rico's Cotto as WBO champ.

Pacquiao has been named Fighter Of The Year for the past three, and was recently honored as The Fighter Of The Decade, owing largely to an 11-0 record that includes eight knockouts since a March, 2005 loss to Erik Morales at super featherweight (130 pounds).

Pacquiao is in his 22nd, consecutive bout under Freddie Roach, who has been named a Four-Time Trainer Of The Year, and under whom Pacquiao is is 18-1-2, with 15 knockouts since June of 2001.

But for Clottey, there are just too many things that are positive for the Grand Master not to believe that this is not part of the grand, master plan.

"I never expected for me to be fighting on pay per view this early, and I never expected to be fighting with Manny Pacquiao this early, and I never expected to be fighting in March this early in the year," said Clottey.

"And you know one thing, I don't like any thing being around me when I'm training. That's the only thing I think about is the training. Nothing makes me happier now than thinking about the training and the fight, and believe me, I've trained so, so, so, so hard," said Clottey.

"When I'm in the gym, that's the time I fight more. My mind has always told me that "Everything is going to be fine,' and it might not work out the way that I want it to," said Clottey. "But I never expected to be in such a huge fight like this, which is the biggest pay day of the year. It's like a miracle, like something is being worked out. It's like a miracle, something is coming, and I'm so happy."

Mayweather spits in journalists' faces, tell them it's raining

Boxing Examiner
Michael Marley


"I don't really have time to read the secondary sites. I know that Floyd Mayweather gave interviews. And I don't want to get involved in a back and forth with Bob Arum," said Schaefer. "I have nothing else to say about it."

Everytime I try to stand tall, to defend the Forces Of Evil when I think they might not be wrong, they kick me in the teeth.

That's Golden Boy's Richie Rich Schaefer, on the defensive about L'il Floyd completely dissing some Filipino journalists and refusing to even speak to them at the Thursday Mayweather-Mosley press tour shindig in Los Angeles.

Schaefer, in speaking to Lem Satterfield at AOL Fanhouse, is basically spitting in all our faces and then telling us it is raining.

Let's parse this brusque and supremely arrogant response from Oscar de la Hoya henchman:

1. Schaefer has no time for “secondary sites,” does that mean Examiner.com and does that mean all the Pinoy sites including that of huge TV network GMA (whose Chino Trinidad was among those brushed off by the petulant Mayweather? Pray tell what Schaefer has to do that is more important than taking the pulse of the boxing public as reflected on any and all sites? In other words, Richie Rich is too busy to survey what his paying customers are reading and thinking about? Bottom line, he could care less.

Manny Pacquiao helps Coach Freddie Roach celebrate his 50th birthday (Pete Susens Photo)

2. .Imagine if Mayweather and his minions had rejected ALL Mexican journalists, the shock, the horror, the weeping and gnashing of the Goldens. All RRS cares about is his solid information that the mercurial Mayweather granted SOME interviews. Ignoring journalists from the Philippines...well, who cares? RRS is a busy, busy executive who doesn't want to dirty his hands to probe this disturbing incident.

(See Paula Duffy's column in which Mayweather flack Kelly Swanson, respected boxing veteran who got her start working with Riddick Bowe and his mercurial promoter Rock Newman, contends that Mayweather refused to discuss Pacquiao or drug testing with ANYBODY Thursday in Los Angeles.)

3 RRS doesn't want to play verbal volleyball with Arum on this isssue because he knows Arum is in the right, not always, but is in the right but this time. On this issue, he is absolutely correct. Having just spent five successive days at Manny Pacquiao's Wild Card workouts, I did not see a journalist of any nationality, race, creed or religion (“No Buddhists or Mormons Allowed”), even those miserable wretches from the “secondary sites” were freely admitted and even on days besides the Media/Open Workout designated day. Basically, what I saw at Pacquiao Central was free, untramelled access for ALL boxing journalists. No questions, no subject was deemed taboo.

4. Schaefer dismisses the whole topic as in it's worthy of my important time and energy, he is such a puffed up important guy, you see. So what if a few guys from a Third World nation got no time from Mayweather, who really cares?

Schaefer is right about one thing, now it's time to let this issue go. Someone said the Pinoy journalists were late for the presser and that's why they were brushed pff by Mayweather. He couldn't spare a few minutes for guys who flew all the way from Manila to get to LA?

5 .But you Filipinos, whether you are journalists or just their readers or viewers, are on notice.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn't think you matter. He doesn't think refusing to speak to a respected, fair and balanced guy like Trinidad, someone who has millions upon millions of viewers, is any major deal.

Maybe you should not forget this public slight.

Maybe you can return the favor to him and to Golden Boy.

It might be impertinent of me to ask but when will Oscar The Grouch speak out, give his take on the situation?

My guess would be May, June or July...when Oscar hears about it!

By then, Oscar may have perused even the secondary sites, lol.

For Mayweather, for his hired, Golden hands, this is strictly a secondary issue.

It's not an issue of racism, or of discrimination, it's just thoughtless conduct borne of arrogance.

Second class treatment for second class journalists.

I mean, they're Filipinos, not Americans, right?

How important could they possibly be?

PACQUIAO IN GREAT SHAPE, NO PROBLEM WITH HIS LEG

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com


Filipino boxing icon and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao no longer has any problems with his left leg that bothered him some weeks ago and looked in great shape when he sparred six rounds at the Wild Card Gym on Saturday.


Conditioning expert Alex Ariza said trainer Freddie Roach had problems holding Pacquiao back even though he will be allowed to spar on a non-sparring day which is Monday, before the entourage flies out to Dallas aboard a chartered jet.

Ariza told us that he was particularly happy because Pacquiao’s “footwork was great and Freddie was very, very pleased with his footwork. Today he (Pacquiao) focused on footwork in moving and lateral movements and was doing just what he was supposed to do and me, I’m so happy because I asked him about the leg and the leg is a hundred percent now.”

Pacquiao sparred six rounds with Abdullai Amidu, the undefeated Ghana fighter with 17 knockouts in 18 wins and longtime sparring partner David Rodela, the super featherweight who helped him prepare for the rematch with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera and whose quickness and hand-speed are his assets.

Ariza said that before they leave for Dallas, they would taper off and “slow down a little bit” although Pacquiao will spar a few rounds on Monday after taking Sunday off .

The conditioning guru who together with Roach who refined Pacquiao’s fighting style helped add explosive power to Pacquiao. He has since Ariza joined the team scored devastating victories ovr David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

Meantime, the Texas Boxing Commission has picked former US Army boxer and a native of Puerto Rico, Rafael Ramos to be the referee in the Pacquiao-Clottey fight on Sunday (Manila Time) which will be telecast in the Philippines by Solar Sports.

Ramos was referee in the 2009 "Fight of the Year" between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz and also officiated in a couple of world title fights in Japan.

Ramos has refereed fights in Texas for over 20 years and was chosen over another Texas favorite Laurence Cole who handled the first Pacquiao fight against Marco Antonio Barrera at the Alamadome in San Antonio in November 2003 in which Pacquiao annihilated the Mexican legend in eleven rounds.

It was Cole who ruled that a slip by Pacquiao was a knockdown and a clear knockdown by Pacquiao a slip.

John Whisler of San Antonio Sports reported that the 53 year old Ramos was not the first choice as the WBO whose welterweight title held by Pacquiao is on the line, wanted Cole. However, Whisler reports that the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation which oversees boxing in Texas is said to over-ruled the WBO and assigned Ramos as the third man in the ring.

Internationally respected referee Bruce NcTavish of New Zealand who makes his home in the Philippines told Ramos was "a good choice."

Even in Las Vegas, the Nevada State Athletic Commission exercises its jurisdiction and assigns the officials often incurring the displeasure of world organizations such as the World Boxing Council.

However, the NSAC has come under some criticism for its failure to assert its position on the issue of random blood tests demanded by Floyd Mayweather Jr which torpedoed a mega-fight with Pacquiao. The "Fighter of the Decade" agreed to blood tests 24 days before the fight and immediately after the fight but Mayweather insisted on 14 days before, resulting in negotiations falling apart.

When we asked executive director Keith Kizer whether the NSAC will supervise or have anything to do with the random blood tests of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Shane Mosley who will clash on May 1 at the MGM Grand, Kizer replied “we will review the results.”

Watch Pacquiao vs Clottey Boxing Fight Live

Source: Eastsideboxing


ARLINGTON, TX (January 19, 2010) – The stars will fight, big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas!

Jerry Jones and Bob Arum, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and chairman of Top Rank, respectively, announced today that Cowboys Stadium would be the site of THE EVENT: MANNY PACQUIAO vs. JOSHUA CLOTTEY World Welterweight Championship. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Dallas Cowboys and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Clottey will take place, Saturday, March 13 and will be produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

This marks one of the biggest world title fights to be held in a major U.S. sports stadium since the Muhammad Ali – Ken Norton World Heavyweight Championship in Yankee Stadium in 1976, also promoted by Top Rank.

Pacquiao and Clottey boast a combined record of 85-6-2 (59 KOs) -- a winning percentage of 91% and a victory by knockout ratio of nearly 70%..

Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Clottey go on sale This Saturday! January 23 at 10 a.m. CT. Priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, tickets can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium box office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“I have wanted to bring a major boxing event to North Texas for many years, so why not bring in the biggest and the best?” asked Jones. “Manny Pacquiao is boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound attraction and the world champion. Manny’s title defense against Joshua Clottey is not just a great fight, it is THE EVENT, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium. We’re going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl. This will be the fight to remember.”

Cowboys Stadium will be configured for over 40,000 fans for THE EVENT with elevated floor seating similar to NBA games.

“Jerry Jones knows exactly how big and important THE EVENT is, which is why it was so easy to put this deal together,” said Arum. “As a lifelong Giants fan I had to receive special dispensation from Steve Tisch, the Giants’ Chairman and Executive Vice President, to bring this event to Cowboys Stadium and he blessed the deal. If Jerry could sell me on Cowboys Stadium and the North Texas market, you know he is going to have no problems selling out Cowboys Stadium on March 13. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and promote Manny’s debut as World Welterweight Champion. Manny Pacquiao is the Lone Star of boxing. There isn’t a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight! Like Yankee Stadium, when it hosted so many great world title fights, including Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali, I feel a new era in boxing is about to begin at Cowboys Stadium.”

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, will be defending the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title he earned in his last fight, produced by a 12th round knockout of three-time world champion Miguel Cotto. Pacquiao’s victory made him the first man to win seven titles in as many different weight divisions, with his last three world championships coming by way of knockout. The consensus Fighter of the Year for the third time in the past four years, Pacquiao’s resume features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Lopez and Cotto. His knockout victories over Cotto and Hatton made him the 2009 pay-per-view king, exceeding two million buys combined.

Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs), a native of Accra, Ghana, now fighting out of Bronx, NY, captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title in 2008 by trouncing three-time world champion Zab Judah. His career has been a highlight reel of thrills featuring victories over two-division world champion Diego Corrales and undefeated contender Richard Gutierrez and a close decision loss to world champion Antonio Margarito. In his last fight, Clottey lost a controversial split decision to defending WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden. Clottey is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBO and No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA).

About Cowboys Stadium
Cowboys Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world's largest HDTV video board, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features
of the stadium include a capacity of up to 100,000, over 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year round. In addition to being the new home of theDallas Cowboys, the stadium will host the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 NCAA men's basketball Final Four as well as high school and college football, concerts and special events. For more
information, go to http://stadium.dallascowboys.com.