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 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.

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 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.

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.”

Clottey defeats Pacquiao: With heavy odds against, is reality in favor?

By: Vivek Wallace


On the morning of March 14th when headlines print across the world of boxing and beyond, what will they read?

Listening to most boxing circles, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that the phenomenal Manny Pacquiao will find yet another way to steal the show, but in a sport where anything is possible on any given night, will it really be that simple?

One of the major topics surrounding Manny Pacquiao to date is the issue of performance enhancing substances, yet it's a subplot found within that topic that probably deserves far more attention. For those of us that have followed the sport closely, it's common knowledge that Pacquiao has been a very gifted and talented fighter since well back in his early days, so there's very little reason to question him - as it relates to natural athleticism. But, beyond that, as we peak in that same rear view mirror and analyze a history containing countless wars and bloody battles, a body on the brink of a breakdown can shed light on yet another potential reason as to why this conversation is key..

When you look at the landscape of fighters currently in the sport that have amassed better than 50 fights by the age of 30, suddenly, the portrait becomes very intriguing. Barrera, Morales, and Marquez are three names in particular that fall within this echelon, and without question, we've all seen a great change in their ability to perform at peak levels, as the body became far more paramount than the head which was cruel enough to actually lead them to believe such a feat was possible. In Pacquiao, despite the many wars and the aging body, we continue to see him champion on, seeking new challenges as if his internal clock is permanently broken. For the third fight camp in a row, news has surfaced about injury which reminds us that no matter how super-human he appears, beneath the miraculous exterior, there's a heart that beats like every other man who walks the planet.

Clottey recently reminded us that "Pacquiao is no different than any other man", but for those that chose not to listen, the physical impairments which have suddenly become a mainstay in Pacquiao's pre-fight camps have a voice that can't go unheard.

An arm injury.....a leg injury....now another leg injury....with a ton of questions to follow. And when you follow that trail, the final destination takes an athlete to a place that most would rather not be. Former Major League Baseball slugger Mark McGwire recently went on record to state that his use of performance enhancing substances wasn't to help him hit the ball or perform better, but rather to aid him in recovery from a growing list of injuries. In the case of Pacquiao, there's no such smoking gun and considering that he's innocent until proven guilty, a greater logic says there never will be, but the mere questions surrounding him, paralleled with the frequent injuries truly bring to life a reality that tells us the end is very near.

Exactly how that final script in the career of Manny Pacquiao will be written is beyond any of us, but my money says it won't be from political pressure back at home or a failed drug test abroad. Many seem to lean in the direction of those two theories, but when you look at the physical wear and tear he carries after countless battles and consider the fact that - by his admission - he isn't using those same quick recovery substances that McGwire spoke of, the reality of this matter is truly in favor of his career ending at the hand of a totally unexpected defeat. One which will undoubtedly contain a source with the ability to initiate, explore, and further exploit the same wear and tear we now speak of.

Enter Joshua Clottey. The first bona fide welterweight to face Pacquiao who not only will tip the scales at 147lbs, but subsequently weigh-in unofficially on the night of the fight somewhere in the neighborhood of 170lbs. As if that isn't enough to tip the scales, (no pun intended), Clottey comes equipped with a granite chin and a defense known to pick off more enemy fire than a stealth bomber. The finishing touch in this long list of obstacles for Pacquiao to overcome is the quiet confidence of Clottey. One that speaks loudly, even when his words choose not to.

May not seem like enough attributes to slow the legendary Manny Pacquiao, but as another legendary figure once stated, (famed NBA head coach Pat Riley), "time waits for no man"!

Despite the heavy odds against Clottey, the physical wear and tear along with a unique challenge may very well place reality in his favor. According to trainer Freddie Roach, "this may be the last fight" we see the tandem take part in. As of right now, that sentence contains a particular meaning. Come the night of March 13th, the end analysis could send us all in search of understanding for what could be an unexpected revision, as few other options would exist after a brutal battle, particularly one that ends with a loss for the talented-but-quickly-tiring Filipino.

Clottey defeats Pacquiao........heavy odds remain against it.....but a look at the big picture places this potential reality greatly in favor.

Stay tuned.

Assessing Steve Forbes as Pacquiao's sparring partner

by: Chris Robinson


In a BoxingScene article by Ronnie Nathanielsz it was noted that one of Manny Pacquiao’s chief sparring partners is former Jr. Lightweight champion Steve Forbes. Forbes is helping Pacquiao prepare for his upcoming March 13th bout with Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys stadium and is somewhat surprising of a choice because his style doesn’t completely reflect the Accra, Ghana fighter. While Clottey is a physically imposing bruiser, Forbes is much more of a slick boxer.

What’s slightly ironic is that of all the fighters today who Forbes’ style resembles, it would be that of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who Pacquiao was in discussion to fight originally on the 13th. It’s interesting to wonder how the sparring sessions are unfolding, as Pacquiao’s precise combinations from his unorthodox attack are surely tested against Forbes, who is a pro’s pro.

Trying to get some more insight into Forbes I broke him down as a fighter from a few different perspectives below…

A quick look at Forbes

Forbes is just a few days away from his 33rd birthday and he has compiled a respectable 34-7 record with 10 knockouts during his thirteen plus year career. He fought nine of his first twelve fights in Nevada while going undefeated as Jr. Lightweight and Lightweight contender. Forbes’ first loss was a March 2000 majority decision to former featherweight champion Alejandro Gonzales.

Forbes would bounce back in 2000 with victories over solid fighters in Ernesto Zepeda and David Santos before landing a shot at the vacant IBF title against rugged John Brown in December of 2000. While in reality it seemed as though Brown was starting to come on in the fight, the contest would be stopped when it was revealed that the stout fighter had a ruptured eardrum, as the blood began to pour following a Forbes connection. Despite trailing on two cards, Forbes was awarded the TKO victory after Brown was seen unfit to continue. In the immediate rematch Forbes would leave little doubt, taking a clear decision over Brown.

Forbes suffered an October 2003 loss to Carlos Hernandez and seemed to dip under the radar a bit. A few years would go by without as much noise but Forbes would end up making his presence known on an even grander scale by being a key participant on the second season of The Contender. Along the way Forbes would defeat the likes of Freddy Curiel, Nick Acevado, and Cornelius Bundrage before losing in the finals to Grady Brewer. Forbes’ appearance on the show also showcased his abilities in a new weight class, as his days at 130 pounds were a thing of the past.

In 2007 the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was the host of Forbes’ only two fights that year, as he lost a slightly controversial split decision to Demetrius Hopkins in March before turning the tables to win a split nod against Francisco Bojado seven months later. Forbes was in the public’s eye again in 2008 as he performed respectably but still lost decisions to both Oscar De La Hoya and Andre Berto.

Forbes is currently slated to face Harrison Cuello this March 6th at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. It’s unknown whether or not Forbes can still comfortably make 140 pounds, but either way he will surely have his eyes on the evening’s main event as Jr. Welterweight champions Devon Alexander and Juan Urango clash.

While Forbes may never have crossed the line towards being a star in the sport he has always been a capable fighter with great ring instincts, boxing ability, and a reliable defense. During his run on The Contender Forbes’ personality was also on display for the world to see and he has always come across completely down to earth and modest in his approach.

Mayweather’s view

One man who knows Forbes all too well is Las Vegas based trainer Jeff Mayweather, who trained the Oregon native on and off during key moments in his career. When Jeff was told the news that Forbes has been serving as Pacquiao’s sparring partner he was at first slightly surprised.

“I think Steve is an ideal sparring partner to help Manny get ready for Floyd,” Jeff states. "I really don’t know about Clottey though. It doesn’t seem that his style is at all similar to Clottey’s. Not sure how much he could help. I’m sure he is handling himself well. He may even be holding his own with him. Steve is a professional through and through.”

Mayweather also added that Forbes is a very solid fighter whose only glaring weakness has been a lack of power over the years. When looking back on Forbes’ 2008 campaign, Mayweather feels that his losses to De La Hoy and Berto weren’t about skill as much as they were about size.

“I thought he gave a very good account of himself against Oscar,” Mayweather claims. “He came out with a good game plan but I just think that Oscar was the bigger fighter. I also think that was the case with [Andre] Berto, Steve fought well but he was just the smaller guy in both of those fights.”

In giving his closing comments on his former charge, Mayweather seems to find it ironic that Forbes’ time as a champion was more overlooked than his recent years as a contender. While Forbes often came up short in some of his biggest contests Mayweather takes satisfaction in knowing that he was able to reap some financial rewards in recent times.

“I remember when he was a world champion at one time but he never was able to capitalize on it. That’s the whole point of being a world champion, you want to make some money after that. Luckily Steve was able to land those bigger fights later in his career. I’m very happy for Steve. He’s a good guy and we still keep in touch.”

Pacman don’t need no ’roids, he’s got dynamite!

By Mark Lee
Northwest Asian Weekly


The Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight has now been called off. Pacquiao has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather, his father Floyd Sr., his uncle Roger, and Golden Boy Promotions for allegedly accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The controversy started after Pacquiao knocked out British boxer Ricky Hatton in the second round last year. Hatton was trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. Before the Hatton fight, several British papers reported that Floyd Sr. was going to get fired by Hatton’s camp for problems that included showing up late for training.


Manny Pacquiao

After Hatton was knocked out, Floyd did not try to support his fighter. Instead, he signed autographs, and during the post-fight conference, he blamed Hatton by claiming that he did not follow his instructions about keeping his hands up. He also stated that Hatton should retire.

At some point, after the Hatton fight, Floyd Sr. also claimed that Pacquiao had to be on steroids given how hard he hit Hatton.

Fast forward a few months and a fight is scheduled with Floyd Sr.’s son. The steroid issue was raised again, and after lengthy negotiations, the fight was eventually called off. The Mayweather camp wanted blood tests by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which conducts tests anytime a fight is signed to the fight date. However, the Pacquiao camp refused to provide these samples. They were only willing to allow blood to be taken from Pacquiao at least 30 days before the fight date, as well as immediately after the conclusion of the bout. Freddie Roach, on the other hand, commented that he would allow a blood sample to be taken from Pacquiao at least one week before the fight.

None of the news reports I have seen ever mentioned any solid evidence of steroid use such as witnesses who claimed they supplied steroids to Pacquiao. Floyd Sr. started the whole controversy by insulting Pacquiao and insisting that he had to be on steroids. He has a pattern of obnoxious behavior. For example, before the Hatton fight, he called Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie “the joke” Roach. Pacquiao should not have had to go out of his way to accommodate Mayweather, and it is understandable that he eventually decided to not bother doing business with someone who is disrespectful.

Pacquiao’s physique does not appear to show signs associated with steroid use such as upper body acne. He did bulk up from fighting at 106 pounds when he was 16 to his current 147-pound fighting weight at age 31.

However, people ofen fill out as they get older. Pacquiao’s strength coach, the usually reserved Alex Ariza, felt compelled to defend his fighter to the press and detailed the boxer’s 7,000-calorie diet, approved supplemental intake, and natural physique.

His power comes from the combination of a number of factors. Basically, power is a product of mass times speed. The faster you punch, the harder you hit. But you also need to coordinate your motions so that you get the maximum weight behind the punch.

Pacquiao has a lot of leg strength, which he uses to drive his upper body in transmitting power into his fists.

He has developed the ability to hit from a variety of angles, and he has excellent footwork, which puts him into a position where he can blast through his opponents guard.

There are many factors that give the “Pacman” his winning edge, and steroid use is highly unlikely.

Pacquiao does not like to get his blood drawn shortly before a fight because of his belief that it weakens him.

Some news reports made it sound like taking blood is just a pin prick. I called up a local lab testing service and was told a minimum sample takes at least 3 milliliters. The sample size can vary depending on how the blood test is conducted. In some cases, the blood sample can fill up the whole collection vial and be as much as 8 milliliters. This is quite a bit more than just a drop.

Pacquiao is now scheduled to fight Joshua Clottey, who is from Ghana. Unlike Mayweather, who is more of a tactical defensive boxer, Clottey has a reputation as an aggressive fighter. He also comes across as polite and leaves out the tiresome trash talk you hear from a lot of fighters. At 5’9”, he has a substantial size advantage over Pacquiao. But as we know, that didn’t stop Pacquiao from annihilating Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto.

Will Pacquiao's clean test results finally silence his critics?

by: Rick Rockwell


Keith Kizer of the Nevada Sports Athletic Commission announced a few days ago that Manny Pacquiao’s drug test results came back clean. The test showed negative for performance enhancing drugs including steroids. But the questions remains will Pacquiao’s latest clean drug test silence his critics?


Unfortunately, we now live in a world where you are guilty until proven innocent. It’s also unfortunate that we live in a world where there has been so many athletes caught using performance enhancing drugs. This brings me to my point, it’s unfortunate that if you are a phenomenal athlete and arguably the best, the critics will say you cheat..


Pacquiao has been accused of taking illegal substances without any proof. In fact, his latest drug test shows one more time that he is innocent. Yet, his critics still accuse him. At first they claim that he is taking PEDs.Then, when clean drug tests come back they say that he’s using something that’s undetected by these tests.


His critics will point out that Shane Mosley fooled the tests for years but recently admitted that he took steroids. So, now that someone else has come out and admitted to tricking the system, these critics will automatically accuse Pacquiao of being a mastermind cheater and tricked the system.


To those critics, Pacquiao’s camp agreed to take blood tests, just not at the demanded times from Mayweather’s camp.
"We agreed with the blood test. Pacquiao can have a blood test after the fight. I mean, if he is using steroids those drugs will remain in his system even after the fight,"... Koncz in an interview with GMA News


So the world’s greatest boxer has never tested dirty, and will take a blood test, but the critics still say he’s guilty and he must be cheating. No matter how many tests come back clean, these critics have a lynch mob mentality and won’t stop until they get what they want and that’s to tear down Pacquiao.

Sometimes sports can sadly reflect the state a of humanity.

And what if Pacquiao is `CLEAN`?

By Dezzie Lightbulb


Boxing has always been plagued with `what ifs`. What if Ali and Tyson had met in the ring, each in his prime? What if Cotto`s team had properly checked Margarito`s gloves before their fight? What if such and such a judge had bought himself a new pair of spectacles the day of yet another crazy decision? What if, what if, what if! These questions can never be fully answered. They can haunt us, and remain as cruelly tantalizing after twenty years as they were the first day. The latest `what if` that has stormed the boxing world is `what if Pacquiao has been using PEDs or steroids?` Even longtime, faithful Pacquiao fans must have asked themselves, although probably in the privacy of their most inner selves, what if it`s

true. What if Pacquiao has always been a cheat, his whole boxing career nothing more than a second-rate, shabby sham?


All boxing fans, must have given at least some thought to this question. The press has written what must amount to the equivalent of 100 War and Peaces exploring the possibility of Pacquiao juicing. In this article I wish to explore another, different `what if`. Because we must all by now have some level of doubt as to Pacquiao`s fair play, I think that it is in the interest of a balanced and open-minded view that we have a closer look at the alterative scenario. What if Pacquiao is clean?

Pacquiao in his early days was a very different fighter to the one we see before us today. He was a light, slight southpaw, had a truckload of confidence and self-belief, and a devastating straight left that put an early end to many a boxers` ambitions. Yet his confidence cost him dearly. His two early defeats can be put down to overconfidence. He lost to less talented fighters who caught him unawares as he played `cock of the ring`. While he definitely had talent, his losses underlined his need for more boxing skills, and more importantly, the need for a really good trainer. Both came to him later when he teamed up with Freddie Roach.

Roach took the raw diamond that was Pacquiao, and with all the skills and attention to detail of a master jeweler, shaped him to become the brilliant jewel of a boxer we see today. Pacquiao`s boxing arsenal has been transformed from a `one-shot-wonder` to that of an all-round, great boxer. Today it seems he can do just about anything in the ring. As far as I know there is no drug that can give you skills you don`t have, that is the work of a trainer.

There is a very good reason why Pacquiao and Roach get along so well. At some stage in his career Pacquiao must have admitted to himself that he was simply not a good enough boxer to become a legend. While most boxers would rather die than to have to admit to a shortcoming, Pacquiao obviously did. He knows he needs Roach, and he respects him enough to listen to every word he says. How many times, while watching a fight, have you heard a trainer telling his fighter in the corner between rounds to double up his jab or keep his hands up or some such, only to find that in the following round the obviously good advice has fallen on deaf ears, and the boxer goes right on doing what he should not be doing? More than once or twice I have been pleasantly surprised to hear Roach telling Pacquiao to do something different in the next round, and lo and behold, Pacquiao does exactly what he has been told. The best trainer in the world will achieve nothing with a boxer who won`t listen to him. Roach is as a brilliant trainer as Pacquiao is a trainee.

So, back to the `what ifs`; what if` the reason Pacquiao defeated Hatton had nothing to do with drugs, but was because he learned to use both left and right hooks, neither of which he used in his early years? And `what if` the only PED that Pacquiao has ever used is Mr. Freddie Roach, one of the best Performance Enhancing Dudes in the business? `

Michael Moorer gives us valuable insight into boxing, and particularly into training; “I see these guys that half-ass fight, and some of them down here in training, they half-ass train, and that`s not how I was brought up.” For Moorer training is obviously the key to success in boxing. He goes on to tell us how unbelievably hard Pacquiao trains. “I witnessed him go 26 rounds, nonstop hitting the mitts. That`s phenomenal. He just strives to be the best.” He also tells us of Pacquiao`s work ethic and his will to win, all in the most flattering of terms. Moorer was a world champion and is now a trainer, so his thoughts on the subject definitely carry weight. He has proved himself to be an honest, straight-talking guy with loads of integrity. That`s good enough for me.

So `what if` Moorer is right, and Pacquiao`s success comes from such a high level of hard work, discipline, and dedication, that steroids are simply unnecessary?

In many ways Pacquiao`s hunger for success in not as surprising as it may seem. In Pacquiao we have all the elements of the ultimate fairytale, `rags to riches` story. The lowly street urchin who makes it big in a world he may never even have dreamed of as a child. It is a well known fact that a disproportionate number of self-made success stories find their roots in deprived backgrounds. Could it be that the sting of near starvation once felt will forever haunt and drive a man, and may even drive him to exceptional greatness? Perhaps being born into abject poverty gives the lucky ones who manage to escape a sense of steely, stubborn self-determination that makes them fight every second of their existence to never have to return. Can we conceive that Pacquiao feels that he has a sacred `duty` to pay back for his good fortune by becoming the greatest boxer he can, and then to use his fame and fortune to help his fellow countrymen get a fairer deal than he got as a child? Could that be what has driven him to the top? Why not?

`What if` Pacquiao`s success is a result of an exceptional drive inherited from his background, and not some `two-day-washout` designer drug?

So why did Pacquiao refuse to take the damned tests? Pacquiao knows, the rest of us can only speculate. I feel that it is a combination of things. First and foremost he refused point-blank to get pushed around by Mayweather. Understandable! Secondly he did not want his all important training schedule interrupted by unannounced, invasive blood takes which could have weakened him at a time he needed all his strength. Thirdly he may believe that Mayweather needs this fight more than he does. Mayweather is reportedly close to broke. Even if Pacquiao only makes 10 million dollars from his fight with Clottey, 10 million dollars in Pacquiao`s hands in the Philippians is probably the equivalent of 100 million dollars in Mayweather`s hands in the US. Pacquiao took the best welterweight challenge available for March 13, leaving Mayweather with very little choice of landing himself a convincing match. This could all be part of a plan so that team Pacquiao can dictate terms if, and when negotiations are reopened between the two teams.

To those who claim that Pacquiao`s refusal to take the random blood tests is conclusive proof of his guilt, I ask you, `what if` one or all of the above are the real reasons why Pacquiao refused the tests, not because he is dirty?

It is very easy to understand why so many people have jumped on this `Manny`s a juicer` bandwagon. Our world has evolved into a dark, cynical place. In recent years we have been repeatedly betrayed by our elected leaders who have been serving their own nasty little agendas rather than serving the common good. Some of the Churches we worshiped in have fallen into damnable disgrace. Huge pharmaceutical companies have been caught doing far more harm to people`s heath than good. Soulless corporations bloody-mindedly and shamelessly rape our world. These days nothing more is sacred. Nothing is as it seems. Honesty has become rarer than the finest of gold.

And yet, `what if`, `WHAT IF` for once something was as it should be? `WHAT IF` Manny Pacquiao is simply the best boxer of his generation, no drugs required? Is that really so hard to believe? I hope not, and, call me a helpless romantic if you will, but I actually find it easy to believe the beautiful, magical, amazing story of the skinny little slum-kid who conquered the world.

Blame Enough For Everyone In The Foolish Failure To Deliver Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao

Written by Tim Starks


If you were holding on to the dream that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would fight in March, it's time to let it go. Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey is set for Dallas, and Mayweather's team, after insisting a deal could still be made, is now plotting Mayweather's next move. It’s actually moving from “unmitigated disaster” to “c.f.,” as right now, both fighters are planning to keep the March 13 date, which means dueling pay-per-views.

Everyone has their favorite culprit in the blame game for how each side walked away from an estimated total of $200 million and gave the sport of boxing and its fans the Abner Louima treatment. But I'm of the view that there's plenty of blame to go around. Everyone involved -- Top Rank, Golden Boy, Mayweather and Pacquiao -- is tarnished by this, and deserves deep, lasting scorn for it.


Top Rank

In an angry moment last year, promoter Dan Goossen said the practices of Top Rank boss Bob Arum were partly to blame for the long tailspin boxing had endured. Arum does a lot of things well, but it’s easy to see what Goossen means.

Toward the end, Arum always seemed more interested in prosecuting his personal grudge against Mayweather and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, than anything else. What’s more, I never thought Arum was all that interested in having Pacquiao fight Mayweather. He has a tendency to milk his hottest commodities for years – see Juan Manuel Lopez – by avoiding putting them in risky fights that fans want to see, and I think he wondered whether Mayweather was worth the risk. Those two factors combined to make it so that when the fight hit the rocks over random blood testing, Arum appeared as if he’d rather rant and rave than work out any kinks.

His behavior was, for lack of a better word, hysterical. He kept making strange excuses, like saying Pacquiao was scared of needles, when Pacquiao’s body is covered in tattoos. (I am scared of needles. I have no tattoos.) He seriously misrepresented the other side’s positions on issues, fueling an unproductive war of words in the media and degenerating to name-calling, like saying Mayweather was a “coward.” He blamed the fight’s cancellation on insinuations from Mayweather’s side that Pacquiao was on steroids then turned his attention to making a fight with… Paulie Malignaggi, who’d insinuated that Pacquiao was on steroids. He kept acting like blood testing to detect performance enhancing drugs was a scientific hoax, when the consensus was that urine testing in conjunction with blood testing would catch more things than mere urine testing. And if the message he wanted to send was that cheating is beneath his side, it’s hard to fathom how he reportedly wanted to put Antonio Margarito (license revoked for loaded gloves) and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (likely to be suspended for testing positive for a banned substance) on the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard. For someone with a reputation for a fearsome intellect, none of this was the work of a smart businessman who cares about his customers.

Arum was doing some heroic work earlier this year when he castigated the media, in particular The New York Times, for ignoring boxing. But if the Times called, how would he defend his sport when he had a hand in killing the fight everyone in the world wanted to see more than any other? The Deadspin headline on this picture featuring Jerry Jones with George W. Bush read, “Just Two Horsemen Short Of An Apocalypse,” but in another picture, John Madden was hanging out with the Jones team, and you know who else was there? Arum.

Golden Boy

When Golden Boy started out, they talked a lot about doing things differently than other promoters, but everyone knows by now they’ve taken opportunities to do things the usual way. Their performance at one point during the negotiation in particular bordered on the thuggish.

Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya used his blog on Ring magazine’s website to strongly suggest that Pacquiao was on steroids. Pacquiao’s punches, he said, felt like Shane Mosley’s and Fernando Vargas’, two boxers who without a doubt used actual PEDs against him in fights. Never mind how two-faced this was – early in 2009, De La Hoya insisted Pacquiao’s punches never hurt him, and I didn’t believe it when he said it – but consider how disgusting it is to make a claim like that out of nowhere. Compounding the horribleness is that he added another layer of tarnish to the publication he now owns – the self-described Bible of Boxing, and a publication with airs of integrity – by doing it. Doug Fischer recently defended De La Hoya’s blog to friend of the site Alex, saying that of course De La Hoya is advancing his interests as a promoter on his website, so what’s the big deal (he actually invoked the idea of Dana White writing a column on UFC.com or Oprah Winfrey writing a column in O magazine – I guess Ring doesn’t aspire to anything more than “house organ” any longer, if those publications are his point of comparison)? And, he said, Arum could have a blog on the website if he wanted, too. Except: 1. Arum doesn’t. And if one promoter is frequently offered prominent placement on Ring’s website to attack other promoters’ fighters, how fair is that? and 2. If any mainstream newspaper owner in the United States had a regular and prominent forum for advancing his own private business interests in the pages of his publication, he’d be ruthlessly criticized, and he’d deserve it.

It’s interesting in yet other ways that in that blog entry, De La Hoya invoked Mosley. Mosley is one of his business partners, and I wonder how thrilled he was about being used as a pawn in this debate. More importantly, Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer in 2008 explicitly rejected a proposal that Mosley endure blood testing, arguing that Mosley was clean and state commission regulations would suffice. Why Mosley, a confirmed cheater, shouldn’t have to undergo tests that Pacquiao, for whom there is zero evidence of cheating, would, is hard to fathom. Mosley isn’t the only fighter Golden Boy promotes that the company has thrown under the bus – Golden Boy owns a small promotional interest in Pacquiao, too, and by undermining him and insisting no Golden Boy fighter would deal with Pacquiao without a drug test (I wonder what they’d do for Pacquiao-Mosley?), they’re hurting their bottom line. And for whom? Mayweather? Why? Mayweather has openly stated his desire to crush Golden Boy when he gets his own promotional company up and running, and he’s unreliable in other ways – they went to bat for him, and they came up empty-handed. Schaefer himself comes off as a pretty smart man, unencumbered by the extreme swings of emotion that rule the temperamental Arum, but this all was pretty stupid.

Pacquiao

Because Pacquiao usually is such a “good guy,” many are inclined to wash his hands for him of any guilt in the fight falling through. But Pacquiao is no innocent in this.

I don’t remember the last time Pacquiao didn’t turn into a complete prima donna during fight negotiations. He’s always making demands – catchweights! better purse splits! – and turning into a baby when he doesn’t get his way. This time, when someone made a demand of him – Mayweather wanting random blood testing – his refusal to accept it was the moment the fight became in jeopardy. It must be noted that Pacquiao’s team at first accepted random blood-testing, since trainer Freddie Roach said there would be no problem with Olympic-style drug testing, which by its nature involves random blood withdrawals. The official reason for rejecting the blood tests, so far as I can tell, is that he was “superstitious,” owing to him feeling drained after giving blood two days before a showdown with Erik Morales. OK. But the last offer on the table from the Mayweather side was 14 days, and we know for a fact that Pacquiao had blood withdrawn 24 days before the Hatton fight, and he wasn’t drained then; would 10 days have made that much of a difference? Then, Pacquiao made the fight yet more unlikely when he filed what looks to me like a frivolous defamation lawsuit that I expect to be thrown out in short order, complaining about things like Mayweather saying they have good PEDs in Pacquiao’s home country of the Philippines. So what. Man up. Life’s hard. Sometimes people are going to insult you. They may even insult your country. Get over it and do your job, which is to fight.

There’s been a lot of talk about how non-Filipinos don’t understand this “uniquely Filipino pride” that was at play, and I don’t doubt it was a factor. But while Pacquiao talks about fighting for the people of the Philippines, the fact remains that he allowed his wounded pride at being accused of cheating to take precedence over the $40 million or more he would have gotten from this fight, which would have bought a lot of flood relief for “the people.” And he definitely misjudged the culture of America, where many more people than before look upon him with suspicion because so many excellent U.S. athletes have later been busted for using PEDs. I want to be clear that I have no reason to believe Pacquiao is on any PEDs, nor do I think it’s a good thing for a society to assume someone is guilty for not agreeing to invasive tests. But if Pacquiao was concerned about his reputation, the fact of the matter is that he’s done some harm to himself by not agreeing to blood tests that might have vindicated him. And if it turns out that Pacquiao avoided this fight because he did have something to hide, he ends up the biggest villain of them all.

Mayweather

If I blame anyone above all others, it’s Mayweather. If he hadn’t introduced this blood-testing regime proposal, the fight happens. It was a wholly unreasonable request. Mayweather should know better than anyone that a 16-year-old fighter can rise from 106 pounds to 147 pounds by the time he gets into his 30s and still be great, because like Pacquiao, he did it, too. The only evidence Mayweather had was the suspicion of his shady dad, which isn’t worth a damn. Even if Mayweather truly thinks Pacquiao is on steroids – and Mayweather seems to think lots of people are on steroids now, like Mosley, for whom there also is zero evidence of ongoing PED abuse – I’m not sure what he’s so worried about. He’s said many times he can beat Pacquiao with ease, because Pacquiao sucks, basically. If you can make $40 million easily beating someone, steroids or no, why not just do it?

Ascertaining the true motives of Mayweather in any affair is nigh-impossible. But here’s what I think most likely happened: Mayweather wasn’t all that interested in fighting Pacquiao (I’ll get to why in a second); he posited the drug-testing idea as a win/win for himself; if Pacquiao walked away, he could say once again that he wasn’t the hold-up in making a fight happen – it was the other guy; if Paquiao accepted the fight, he’d come in angry and reckless, and Mayweather will have scored one in the head games department; and if Pacquiao won, even if he tested negative for steroids, there’d be enough of a cloud hanging over Pacquiao that Mayweather would have an excuse for losing; but when it came time to negotiate and either set aside the blood testing and fight or hold firm on his demand, egomania won the day, since Mayweather thinks he’s so very, very important and everyone should bow down to his whims. How cynical a ploy is it to mount a campaign that hinted Pacquiao was a big cheater for any one of those reasons, let alone all of them? Very.

If Mayweather wanted to avoid Pacquiao, it would very much be in character. He clutches at and cradles his undefeated record like Gollum and his ring, thinking, falsely, that his “0” makes him superior to all other fighters. Of course, it’s easier to have a “0” when you avoid challenges. Since 2003, Mayweather hasn’t fought one person who could be considered the best opponent in his division. He inhabited the junior welterweight and welterweight ranks when numerous pound-for-pound top-10 fighters have crossed through them over that time – Kostya Tszyu and Ricky Hatton at 140, Miguel Cotto, Mosley, Margarito and Paul Williams at 147 – and one way or the other, whatever the motives, he found a way not to fight them when they had no trouble whatsoever fighting one another. Now we can add Pacquiao to that list. I’ve called Mayweather a “joke” as a fighter, and I don’t mean his skill level – I mean this kind of repeated refusal to confront the top challenges or some facsimile thereof, as the trial balloons from his team of fighting Saul Alvarez or pug Matthew Hatton next (and, only marginally more defensibly among recent options, Nate Campbell and Paulie Malignaggi) point toward. When Mayweather returned to the sport in 2009 after a brief retirement, I said it was both a blessing and a curse. Right now, it’s looking all curse.

Others

HBO was supposed to put all its might and muscle into forcing Mayweather-Pacquiao, but if it’s had any impact at all, I’ve missed it. I’m guessing the reason why is that Mayweather and Pacquiao never worried that they’d be welcomed openly back into the bosom of the industry giant. It’ll be interesting to see how they come down in the March 13 duel over that date from both sides.

If Arum wanted to prosecute his grudge against Haymon, there have been reports as well that Haymon wanted to needle Arum in all of this. Despite defending Mayweather’s health and safety from marauding steroid addict Pacquiao, he has shown no such sympathy for another of his clients, Andre Berto, in advance of Berto’s May 30 fight against Mosley.

Boxing’s passionate fans make the sport fun, but if the blindest Mayweather fans and blindest Pacquiao fans hadn’t taken the side of their fighter so unconditionally, and instead had put pressure on the pair to fight, maybe both sides wouldn’t have gotten so entrenched. I wish boxing fans counted fewer zealots amongst their ranks. They may have gotten screwed by all this, but they sure helped themselves get screwed.

Pacquiao vs Clottey in Dallas

by: ARLINGTON

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 MANNY PACQUIAO vs. JOSHUA CLOTTEY World Welterweight Championship fight taking place on Saturday, March 13 and broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View. Formal news conferences at Cowboys Stadium and in New York next week will provide details on tickets and the pay-per-view broadcast. Pacquiao vs. Clottey will be promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Dallas Cowboys and MP Promotions. Pacquiao and Clottey boast a combine record of 85-6-2 (59 KOs) -- a winning percentage of 91% and a victory by knockout ratio of nearly 70%.

“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 defending his title against Joshua Clottey is not just a great fight, it’s a great event, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium. We’re going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl..”

Cowboys Stadium will be configured for 40,000 fans for the event.

“Jerry Jones knows exactly how big and important this 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!”

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 undfeated contender Richard Gutierrez and a close decision losse 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).

After the Dust Has Settled – Pacquiao Still in Control

By T.K. Stewart

Right now, boxing fans are feeling like a victim of Ashton Kutcher’s old television show Punk’d.

Since Nov. 14, better known as the night that Manny Pacquiao scored an electrifying 12th- round TKO win over Miguel Cotto, anybody that follows the sport has had their appetite whetted by the mouth watering prospect of seeing a showdown between the world’s two top pound-for-pound boxers – Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But with the negotiations for that fight now having imploded like the demolition of The Sands Casino in Las Vegas, boxing fans are left with nothing more than a cloud of dust as they try to make sense of what it all means and what will be next for both Pacquiao and Mayweather.

By any measure one wishes to use, there is no doubt that Pacquiao and Mayweather are ranked #1 and #2 – in that order.

Pacquiao is the best boxer on the planet and Mayweather is further down behind him – lower on the list in second place.

Never mind that Pacquiao is ranked #1 in the ratings by every reputable boxing publication or Internet boxing Web site in existence and that he has been honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America as the fighter of the year for the past two years in a row.

What is probably more important is that Manny is also #1 at the box office. And in the sport of boxing, better known as the business of boxing, that is his most significant achievement.

It is Pacquiao that draws fans in droves to his live events. For comparison purposes, Pacquiao’s recent bout against Miguel Cotto attracted a standing room only crowd of over 16,000 to the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Less than two months earlier, Mayweather met Juan Manuel Marquez at the same venue and they failed to draw a paid attendance of 13,000 to a relatively subdued affair.

Ticket brokers and scalpers were able to charge upwards of ten thousand dollars for one Pacquiao vs. Cotto ringside ticket. The Mayweather-Marquez fight was lucky to get half that amount for the same seat. The MGM Grand was forced to offer special packages to attract customers to the Mayweather vs. Marquez fight – everything from discounted fight tickets, free meals and free limousine rides to and from McCarran International Airport. On the other hand, Pacquiao vs. Cotto was sold out weeks in advance and the night of the fight brought the city of Las Vegas to a virtual standstill.

Mayweather calls himself "Money" – but it is Pacquiao that attracted more fans this year to Las Vegas. It is also Pacquiao that caused more fans to push the pay-per-view buy buttons on their television remote control. His fight against Cotto earned nearly $14 million more in pay-per-view revenue than Mayweather’s fight against Marquez.

So, since boxing fans will not have the matter settled as to who the best boxer on the planet is with a match-up of skills between Pacquiao and Mayweather – the only other measurable manner available to them is the rankings of the various organizations that keep track of such things - and the latest box office receipts.

Using both of those measuring sticks, it is Pacquiao that easily comes out on top.

Mayweather and his supporters will point to his 2007 fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton as evidence of his supremacy on the pay-per-view front. However, the De La Hoya fight was nearly three years ago. The world was a different place then; money and credit were easy come and easy go. People thought nothing of making a weekend trip to Vegas or dropping a Grant on the pay-per-view. In the world economy of 2009, where funds were sparse, and folks searched for value in their entertainment dollar, they spent more in person and via their TV screens to see Manny Pacquiao.

Promoters spent an astonishing $20 million on marketing costs for the Mayweather vs. Marquez fight. The fight was also broadcast in 170 movie theaters around the country – yet Pacquiao still attracted more fans.

In the day and age of the Internet, any Web-site publisher will tell you that when a Manny Pacquiao news item or feature appears on their site, it is a good day for them in terms of the all important page views. Ask a boxing magazine publisher who sells more copies when Pacquiao or Mayweather appear on their cover and they will tell you that the Pinoy idol is "bank".

Mayweather and his backers will counter with the argument that both of his fights against De La Hoya and Hatton drew more than Pacquiao’s did – but again – we’re talking about numbers going on nearly three years ago.

Boxing would probably best be known as a sport of "What have you done for me lately?"

Using that simple question, it is Pacquiao that is clearly the more personable fighter/celebrity. Devoted fans flock to him, they smile, they pose, they rush to get an autograph or a picture.

Mayweather’s highly publicized open workout at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood in the days before his bout against Marquez barely drew a crowd of 200 people. On the other hand, in the same town, just around the corner and down the street, Pacquiao attracts that many people every single day to watch him simply walk in and out of Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym.

Whether one wishes to blame the non-happening of the Pac-May fight on Pacquiao’s refusal to submit to Mayweather’s demand for the unheard of Olympic style drug testing is their prerogative. However, they should remember that based on the most recent accomplishments it is Manny that is universally regarded as the best boxer on the planet, Manny that is the more popular person with the public and Manny that is the recent box-office champion.

Based on all of that – it is Pacquiao that was clearly in the drivers’ seat of the failed negotiations. It is also Pacquiao that clearly sits atop the boxing world as 2010 gets underway. For Mayweather to lay claim to anything he will have to get in the ring, fight and beat a contender of consequence and perhaps win a title. It will be the only way to turn the tide in his favor.

In the Corners

The latest news is that Pacquiao will likely face the always tough, durable and rugged Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. The Ghanaian is perhaps the toughest and one of the most avoided welterweights in the world. I will say that unless Pacquiao is totally focused he will not beat Clottey, who is a larger man who can take a great punch. Clottey will likely be a middleweight by the time he steps into the ring on fight night and he has a tight defense...Meanwhile, rumors persist that Mayweather will meet the smaller and light punching Paulie Malignaggi - or even worse – Matthew Hatton, the limited younger brother of Ricky. My view is that since Mayweather needs to make a statement of supremacy and gain more leverage in any potential future negotiations for a Pacquiao fight, that he should face the winner of the Jan. 30 Shane Mosley vs. Andre Berto title fight…Nice to see the return of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights as well as the upcoming new series on FOX Sports. Who says boxing is dead?

Mayweather blames bout collapse on Pacquiao

By GREG BEACHAM


Floyd Mayweather Jr. blamed Manny Pacquiao for the collapse of their prospective bout Thursday, claiming the Filipino boxer refuses to accept a reasonable compromise on drug testing concerns.

Mayweather also says he's still ready to sign a deal for the fight, which was slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas before Pacquiao promoter Top Rank declared it dead Wednesday night.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) made his first public comments about the negotiations in a written statement that began with Mayweather saying he's "thoroughly disgusted" by Pacquiao's representatives' attempts to blame him for the collapse of what's likely to be the richest bout in boxing history.

"In my opinion it is Manny Pacquiao and his team who are denying the people a chance to see the biggest fight ever," Mayweather said. "I know the people will see through their smokes screens and lies. I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight."

The sides went to mediation on Tuesday in Santa Monica in an attempt to resolve the drug testing issues that are the only remaining conflicts in the negotiation. Mayweather's demands for frequent blood testing beyond the Nevada Athletic Commission's requirements — and Pacquiao's reluctance to agree to those requests — have derailed the bout.

Mayweather initially demanded repeated blood testing right up to the day of the fight, while Pacquiao asked for a 30-day cutoff before the bout. Mayweather now claims he agreed to a 14-day cutoff compromise before the mediation session began, but Pacquiao still wouldn't accept those terms.

"The truth is he just doesn't want to take the tests," Mayweather said.

Pacquiao has filed a lawsuit alleging Mayweather and most of his representatives, including Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, defamed him by falsely accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum was brutally frank about his former fighter on Wednesday night, telling The Associated Press that Mayweather is "a psychological coward who doesn't want to fight anybody who has a chance of beating him."

After generating stellar pay-per-view revenue from their previous fights, both Pacquiao and Mayweather likely stood to make much more than $25 million apiece from their welterweight bout. Mayweather returned to the ring after a 21-month absence in September with a victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, while Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) pounded Miguel Cotto in November for his 13th straight victory since 2005.

Pacquiao is widely considered boxing's pound-for-pound champion, an unofficial title held by Mayweather before his aborted retirement. Their proposed fight was seen as the biggest moment in boxing since Mayweather's split-decision victory over Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007.

Daniel Weinstein, the retired federal judge who oversaw the mediation, also issued a statement Thursday saying little about the actual discussions.

"In the end, the parties could not agree on a testing protocol acceptable to all," Weinstein's statement read.

Finally, sounds of silence from Floyd Mayweather camp as fight against Manny Pacquiao appears to be off

By Jerry Izenberg/Columnist Emeritus


"Sentence first — verdict afterwards.’’
“Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll

‘‘This is all coming from Floyd Mayweather Sr. Just because he’s a convicted drug dealer doesn’t make him a drug expert.”
Â…Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer

Back when O.J. Simpson filled the television screens of America ad nausea, a woman named Rosa Lopez was making chopped liver out of her own testimony on behalf of Mr. Simpson. So the late Johnny Cochrane tried to untangle the net she was throwing over her own credibility by asking:

‘‘Isn’t it true, Mrs. Lopez, that in your native language ‘yes’ often means ‘no’ and ‘no’ often means ‘yes’?’’

When she answered ‘yes’ nobody knew what the hell she was saying, including Mrs. Lopez. But half the courtroom nodded its collective head.

So where have you gone Rosa Lopez?

Every time Oscar De La Hoya, Richard Schaefer, and assorted Mayweathers speak, write or grunt, a hungry America is in desperate need of a translation. On Tuesday, the high commands of Team Mayweather and Team Pacquiao were sequestered for nine hours with a retired judge named Daniel Weinstein. A source familiar with the negotiations says that some of the time the warring orators were actually in separate rooms.

The issue of course was the Mayweather-De La Hoya-Schaefer Axis inference that Manny Pacquiao is in need of special blood tests to prove he isn’t on some kind of steroid or human growth drug for which he shows no symptoms in the first place. Not that any of them except Floyd Sr. has actually said he is, but on any given day Floyd Sr. will say anything.

But the rest of Floyd Jr.’s Mouseketeers are careful to employ what one day historians will cite as the Tevye Approach. You may recall Tevye as the hero of “Fiddler on the Roof” whose answer to everything was ‘‘I think not ... but on the other hand ...’’ Inference is their daily bread.

Before we parse the actual logic and vocabulary these bafflers use let us pause for a moment to thank Judge Weinstein.

Thank? Hell, that doesn’t begin to say it. Say huzzah, your honor. Say bless you your judgeship.

After all, the judge has done what nobody else could. He has imposed a gag order on this chorus of wounded water buffaloes. And let us give praise for the beautiful sound of their silence Wednesday morning. Wednesday, he even gave us a bonus by putting them on a private conference call.

That silence in itself speaks volumes. Telling fight promoters not to speak is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. But thanks to the judge we now have temporary but blessed silence.

One of the solutions on the table would have both men fighting somebody else in March and then meeting each other in the late summer or autumn. There is too much money at stake not to work this out. After all it was the promoters who started the Great Blood Debate and the last promoter not to believe in the healing power of a fistful of millions hasn’t been born yet and both his potential parents are dead.

What started as what passed for strategy will end up as a busted poker bluff.

Unless there is a drastic change this week, it appears that this fight is off for now. It looks as though Pacquiao will fight Yuri Foreman in Las Vegas in March while Mayweather will fight Paulie Malignaggi in either Vegas or New York that same month. Both fights should be attended by acres of empty seats.

What intrigues me, however, is whether Judge Weinstein will have anything to say about the fact that Golden Boy, which has a small piece of Pacquiao’s contract is attacking the fighter it allegedly represents on behalf of the fighter it wholly represents for this proposed fight.

Unless you have been collecting rare butterfly specimens in the Mato Grosso these past three weeks you damned sure know that the sound and fury from the Mayweather, Sr., Oscar and Mr. Schaefer is over their obsession with the state of Pacquiao’s blood. They have already had three suggestions who should take it and why it should be drawn. If you didn’t know better you’d have to wander whether they are fight promoters or desperately anemic vampires.

Well, beginning with Schaefer, logic has been on the longest lunch break with this group since Judge Crater grabbed his coat and told his secretary ‘‘see you in a few decades — maybe.’’

When Golden Boy (the company) represented Shane Mosley, an ‘‘accidental’’ (he said) steroid user in the Balco scandal for his fight against Zab Judah, it was Mr. Schaefer who babbled:

‘‘Whatever test the Nevada Commission wants Shane will take but we are not going to do other tests (as Judah demanded). Shane is not a cheater and does not need to be treated like one.’’

That was then and this is now.

And ‘‘now’’ (with neither logic nor evidence) he explains his demand for outside blood tests by saying ‘‘I have educated myself since then. I know the difference between blood and urine tests.’’

Congratulations, Richard. Here’s a hint in case you forget. One liquid is red. One is yellow. The man’s thirst for knowledge knows no bounds. With a banker’s arrogance he says he knows more about steroids than most sports writers. He claims they don’t know the difference between blood and urine testing. Funny, most of us have been writing about them for decades while he while he was allegedly ‘‘educating’’ himself.

Meanwhile the actual Golden Boy (fairly tarnished by the beating Pacquiao gave him) exhibits the kind of logic worthy of “Alice in Wonderland.” After Pacquiao made him quit on his stool, he said that Pacquiao really didn’t hit hard, leading you to believe Oscar had been stoned into submission by a barrage of wet marshmallows. Now he suddenly reverses his field and says Pacquiao’s punches felt the same as Mosley and Vargas (both flunkers of steroid tests). As a blogger he is about as good a fighter as he was that night he froze against Pacquiao.

If the fight does not get made for March — and I think it won’t — they could still fight in the late summer or early fall.

Groups were in mediation for 9 hours

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

After nine hours in mediation on Tuesday, the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. did not reach a resolution in their effort to overcome their differences in finalizing a super fight between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

If a deal is reached, the welterweight title bout is supposed to take place March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Top Rank's Bob Arum and Todd duBoef, along with their legal team, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, their legal team, and Mayweather manager Al Haymon spent the day with mediator Daniel Weinstein at offices in Santa Monica, Calif., hoping to pave the way for potentially the richest fight in boxing history.

On Monday, Arum said the fighters were supposed to have been available by telephone.

After beginning the process at 9:30 a.m. PT and leaving at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT, no deal had been reached.

"Mediation is still ongoing," one of Top Rank's lawyers told ESPN Deportes' Jaime Mota.

Weinstein has placed a gag order on all parties.

It is unclear if the talks will resume on Wednesday.

When reached on his cell phone, Arum said he had no comment because of the mediator's gag order. DuBoef said the same thing in an e-mail to ESPN.com. Schaefer did not respond to a message.

Weinstein, a retired federal judge, knows the parties well. He mediated a June 2007 settlement when Top Rank and Golden Boy were embroiled in a series of lawsuits, including a brutal battle over ownership of the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had signed contracts with both companies before eventually pledging his loyalty to Top Rank.

Under that agreement, the various lawsuits were dropped and Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights, with Golden Boy receiving a percentage of Top Rank's profits from his bouts.

The agreement worked well for the past two years as the companies co-promoted several major bouts, including Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II, Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera II, Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley.

But the bad blood boiled again during the final stages of negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

They had agreed to everything in the deal except for the method of drug testing for the boxers.

Although the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would oversee the bout, requires only urine testing, Mayweather has insisted on random blood testing. Both sides have already agreed to unlimited random urine testing.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who didn't want any blood testing, agreed to take three blood tests: one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would take place next week if they can make a deal, one random test to be conducted no later than 30 days before the fight and a final test in his dressing room after the fight. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) would be subject to the same testing procedures.

Besides Weinstein trying to mediate a resolution to the drug testing issue, there is also the matter of the defamation lawsuit Pacquiao filed last week in Nevada U.S. District Court against Mayweather Jr., Schaefer, De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.

Pacquiao alleges that they made false and defamatory statements and sullied his reputation by accusing him of taking performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao denies he has ever used PEDs and has never failed a drug test.

At issue is also Golden Boy's continued involvement in Pacquaio's contract. With Golden Boy representing Mayweather and allegedly accusing Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs, Arum believes it has diminished Pacquiao and that Golden Boy should no longer be entitled to share in the money his bouts generate, especially when it also is making money off Mayweather.

If the mediation fails, Arum has repeatedly said he will match Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman, whom he also promotes, on March 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas so Pacquiao could attempt to win a title in a record-extending eighth weight division.

Mayweather could still fight on March 13 at the MGM Grand and potentially face former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi.

No Mayweather – Pacquiao? No Worries: Other Exciting Fights We Can Watch And Other Matches That Should Be Canned This Year

by: Christian Cruz

Let’s spare ourselves from the disappointment of watching the potential biggest boxing match since Leonard – Hagler transform into a legal fight, with an angry Pacquaio who looks like there’s no stopping him in pursuing a slander case against both the Mayweather camp and Golden Boy Promotion, which is representing Mayweather for this negotiation.

It seems that both Mayweather and Pacquiao are making it difficult to give us the best fight of 2010. As we begin the new year with no sign that the fight will push through, here’s a wish list of other boxing matches we desperately need to see this year.

Paul Williams (38 -1-0) vs Sergio Martinez (44-2-2) II
Though we already know that these guys are competitors who do not hold back in every round, nobody expected their first fight to be that competitive and action-packed. The back and forth battle all throughout the fight, the drama of having to get up from a knockdown to score your own knockdown, and the seemingly controversial decision, the rematch of these boxers is the one fight boxing fans, casual or not, should wait for..

Timothy Bradley (25-0-0) vs Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2)
If the fight with Mayweather falls off, this is one of the two potential Pacquiao fights that we ought to see. Bradley has shown in his last few fights that he has the complete package to be the future face of boxing. Great boxing skills and athleticism, solid chin, and the attitude of a throwback fighter who fights everyone, Bradley presents the best challenge to the reigning P4P best in Pacquaio. Perhaps, it is too early to tell this, but I will say this nonetheless: The match-up could be the most exciting, most explosive fight in the horizon next year. Bar none.

Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2) vs Shane Mosley (46-5-0) / Andre Berto (25-0-0)
Aside from the Bradley fight (I am no longer counting on the Mayweather fight), this is the only fight for Pacquaio that matters. To further cement his legacy in the ATG, and to prove he can rule a division, he needs to fight the winner of this championship match. Berto, like Mayweather, Jr., is a slick, technically-skilled young champion who should give Pacquiao a stylistic nightmare. Mosley, on the other hand, would bring his experience, athleticism, and power to try to out brawl Pacquiao in possibly a FOTY contender.

Yuriorkis Gamboa (16-0-0) vs Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0-0)
Gamboa is one great prospect against a prime and hungry young lion like Lopez; this has the potential to be the next Rafael Marquez – Israel Vasquez trilogy. Both has taken on all the fights they could possibly take, and though there are still some names in their respective divisions they could take, this match-up between two very good boxer-punchers has been the talk of the boxing world for some time now. It has to happen, and it has to happen in 2010.

David Haye (23-1-0) vs Vitali (39-2-0) or Vladimir (53-3-0) Klitschko.
It is about time the talk must be backed up with walk, and if this fight never happens next year, it would be the time for David Haye to just shut his mouth permanently. Let us face it, the heavyweight division right now is all about the Klitscho brothers, and nothing else. It is not about the Arreolas, the Thompsons, the Peters, and especially not about the Ruiz’. So when a fighter goes up to mix in the division, it is because he wants to fight the Klitschos, not someone who was beaten clearly by a weigh-jumping Jones, Jr. eons ago. Next year is the only year for it to happen.

Fights we no longer need to see

Rafael Marquez (38-5-0) vs Israel Vasquez (44-4-0) IV
The trilogy has told us everything we need to know about these two great warriors: heart, skills, power, and determination. No drama and violence can top the three epic, gritty fights Marquez and Vasquez have showed us before. If ever, the talked about plan of a 4th fight could only put their careers and health in jeopardy. The damage they have taken in their last three tussles is enough for them to retire while they are still in good health. They can have an easy payday and fight anyone else, but not each other. They can do these and no one would raise an eyebrow. They deserve it.

Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1) vs Roy Jones, Jr (54-6-0)
Hopefully, the knockout loss of Roy Jones, Jr. to Danny Green at the end of 2009 put an end to this absurd planned rematch. Jones, Jr. should have closed his boxing career in 2005 right after his last knockout loss against Antonio Tarver. Instead, he went on and gathered meaningless victories until he was humiliated for 11 straight rounds by Joe Calzaghe and reminded those of us who forgot that he is no longer a relevant fighter these days. On the other hand, Hopkins, whose his age suggests he should be retiring, is still an elite warrior and should set his eyes against meaningful fights rather than cash in on the skeleton of his tormentor.

Edwin Valero (26-0-0) vs any other bum
The fight with WBC lightweight champ Antonio De Marco (23-1-1) is a good start for the Inca Warrior to prove his power is not just effective against cab drivers and jaywalkers. The world has waited so long for the son of Fischer to showcase his exciting style of play, and any fight with non-contenders and legit bums should be immediately canned off.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (45-0-0) vs Matthew Hatton (37-4-2)
Mayweather, a man whose talent and technical brilliance are comparable to Pernell Whitaker, but whose hunger to pursue challenges seemed to have left him when he went up to the welterweight division, should really be criticized if this fight happens. Fighting against Hatton, whose record still positively masks his lack of talent and skills in the ring, Mayweather’s winning streak has no chance to be broken. Not an ounce I am afraid. There is no way to justify this fight, other than this can give the Pretty Boy an easy payday, which he supposedly did against Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight.

No One Is Leaving This Stage Of Negotiations Looking GOLDEN

By George Kimball

Early in his political career, the young Lyndon Baines Johnson served as a congressional aide to Rep. Richard Kleberg, the wealthy owner of the King Ranch who was elected to seven consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, at least in part because he often ran unopposed.

One year an upstart rival politician we'll call Joe Bob had the temerity to challenge Kleberg in the Democratic primary, resulting in the convocation of the Texas congressman's staff to plot an election strategy. Several ideas were kicked around before Kleberg himself came up with a brainstorm.

"Why don't we start a rumor that he [copulates with] sheep?" proposed the politician.

This was a bit over the top, even for Lyndon Johnson. The future president leapt to his feet and said, incredulously, "But you know Joe Bob don't [copulate with] sheep!"

"Yeah," replied the congressman, "but watch what happens when the son of a bitch has to stand up and deny it!"

******

Events of the past week or two have seen the Floyd Mayweather camp adopt a similar tactic with regard to Manny Pacquiao. But if introducing what would appear to be a red-herring issue -- the debate over drug-testing procedures -- to the negotiating process was intended as a negotiating ploy, it would appear for the moment to have backfired. The idea might have been to force Pacquiao to go on the defensive, but Pac-Man instead responded with his stock in trade, the counterpunch -- in this case the multi-million dollar defamation suit he filed against the Mayweathers, pere et fils,, with the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

In boxing even more than in life, you never say never, but you'd have to say that Pacquiao-Mayweather is a dead issue right now, at least in its March 13 incarnation. Bob Arum says Pacquiao is prepared to move along to another opponent, and Mayweather is supposedly looking at Matthew Hatton in England.

We'll believe that when we see it, for at least three reasons: (1) There would hardly seem to be enough money in that one to make it worth Floyd's time, (2) He's going to have to put so much into preparing a defense to this lawsuit that he mightn't have time to train and (3) He'd get a better workout if he stayed in Vegas and boxed one of Uncle Roger's girl opponents.

*****

Colleagues on this site have already done a good job of dissecting this process. Ron Borges is absolutely correct in noting that in the midst of all the posturing that's gone on, you'd be a fool to accept at face value anything coming out of any of the parties' mouths. And Frank Lotierzo is spot on in noting that if you had absolutely no desire to actually get in the ring with Manny Pacquiao but were still looking to save face, you'd do pretty much exactly what Mayweather has done. Which is to say, talk tough while you get others to run interference with a series of actions seemingly calculated to ensure that the fight doesn't come off.

But left almost unscathed in all of this heretofore has been the convoluted role played by Golden Boy -- by CEO Richard Schaefer, by the company's namesake Oscar the Blogger, GBP's subsidiary enterprise, The Ring, and at least a few of the lap-dogs and lackeys whose favor GPB has cultivated elsewhere in the media.

In late March of 2008, Shane Mosley and Zab Judah appeared at a New York press conference to announce a fight between them in Las Vegas two months later. As it happened, the BALCO trial had gotten underway out in California that week. That day I sat with Judah and his attorney Richard Shinefield as they explained that they intended to ask that both boxers agree to blood testing in the runup to the fight. Citing Mosley's history with BALCO and its products The Cream and The Clear (which Shane claimed Victor Conte had slipped him when he wasn't looking), Shinefield and Zab, noting that Nevada drug tests were limited to urinalysis, proposed that the supplementary tests be administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Want to know what Richard Schaefer's response to that was?

"Whatever tests [the NSAC] wants them to take, we will submit to, but we are not going to do other tests than the Nevada commission requires," said Schaefer. "The fact is, Shane is not a cheater and he does not need to be treated like one."

But the fact is that Mosley had a confirmed history as a cheater. Manny Pacquiao does not. Yet in the absence of a scintilla of evidence or probable cause, less than two years later Schaefer was howling that the very integrity of the sport would be at risk unless Pacquiao submitted to precisely the same sort of testing he had rejected for Mosley.

And you thought it was Arum who was famous for saying "Yeah, but yesterday I was lying. Today I'm telling the truth!"

Schaefer, by the way, defended his 180-degree turnabout by saying he is now better educated on the issue. He couldn't resist aiming a harpoon at the media by adding that many sportswriters "don't know the difference between blood and urine testing."

Don't know how to break this to you, Richard, but sportswriters, who have had to deal with this stuff for the past twenty years, probably know more about drug-testing procedures than any other group you could name.

*****

Now, the reasonable assumption would be that by assuming the role of the point man in this unseemly mess, Schaefer was insulating his boss (De La Hoya) and his fighter (PBF) by keeping their fingerprints off it while he made a fool of himself publicly conducting this snide little campaign.

And yes, Money would have stayed out of the line of fire had not a two-month old, expletive-filled rant in which he described the Philippines as the world's foremost producer of performance-enhancing drugs not exploded on the internet at the most inopportune moment. That the lawsuit was filed less than 24 hours after "Floyd Meets the Rugged Man" overtook the Tiger Watch probably wasn't a coincidence.

(It is interesting that the suit also named Floyd Sr. as a defendant, but not Schaefer or Oscar. If Senior got sued every time he ran his mouth he'd spend even more time in court now than he did in his dope-dealing days. Maybe Freddie Roach insisted that Pacquiao add Senior's name to the Manny-Money suit.)

And we're assuming that this Dan Petrocelli, the lawyer who filed Pacquiao's suit, knows what he's doing, because if there were an even one-zillionth chance that somebody could credibly link Manny to PEDs, then it was a pretty dumb thing to do. You could ask Roger Clemens about that. Clemens' transformation from Hall of Famer-in-waiting to nationwide laughingstock didn't come from the Mitchell Report. It came from his wrongheaded decision to file a lawsuit against Brian McNamee, which in turn threw everything open to the discovery process.

*****

De La Hoya, in the meantime, was playing both sides of the fence. He let Schaefer play Bad Cop as he distanced himself from the negotiating process, but simultaneously was sniping away at Pacquiao from his First Amendment-protected perch as a Ring.com blogger.

"If Pacquiao, the toughest guy on the planet, is afraid of needles and having a few tablespoons of blood drawn from his system, then something is wrong... I'm just saying that now people have to wonder: 'Why doesn't he want to do this?' Why is [blood testing] such a big deal?' wrote Oscar the Blogger. "A lot of eyebrows have been raised. And this is not good."

Ask yourself this: Exactly what caused those eyebrows to be raised, other than the innuendo coming straight from Oscar's company?

Providing De La Hoya with a forum from which to dispense propaganda only begins to illustrate the hopelessly compromised position from which The Ring continues to operate. They might as well give Schaefer a column, too, while they're at it.

Nearly seven months have elapsed since we last visited the Ring/Golden Boy relationship, and at the risk of winding Nigel up, it might be useful here to note that in the midst of last June's discourse, The Ring's editor offered a laundry list of the magazine's covers since the De La Hoya takeover as a demonstration of Golden Boy's restraint.

After listing them, Nigel Collins wrote "that's 28 covers over the course of 21 issues, of which Top Rank had 12 fighters, as opposed to eight for Golden Boy and eight for other promotional entities. Obviously, The Ring has shown no bias to Golden Boy when it comes to magazine covers."

It had never even been suggested that the conflict of interest extended to the magazine playing favorites in choosing its cover subjects, but since Nigel brought it up it is probably worth noting now that of those eight covers given over to "other promotional entities," two were of David Haye, whose promoter was properly listed as "Hayemaker," but who had also signed a promotional deal with Golden Boy in May of 2008. (Just last month GBP issued a release in De La Hoya's name in which it described itself as "Golden Boy Promotions, the United States promoter of World Boxing Association Heavyweight World Champion David Haye.")

And even more to the point, in four other issues Nigel Collins offered in evidence the cover subject was Floyd Mayweather (Independent), although what has transpired with regard to the Pacquiao fight doesn't make Money look very independent at all, does it?

We don't regularly keep track of these things, but in making sure we didn't misquote Oscar's Blog we also came across a representation of the January 2010 issue on The Ring's website. The picture on the cover of the Bible of Boxing is of the Golden Boy himself, and the cover story "De La Hoya: The Retirement Interview."

Pacquiao to Sue Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotions

SARANGANI, PHILIPPINES (Dec. 25)—Saying that his character and person has been questioned, maligned, damaged and tarnished by baseless and false accusations, pound-for-pound boxing king Manny Pacquiao and promoter Top Rank Inc. announced today the filing of a lawsuit within the next few days against the Mayweathers, Floyd Sr. and Jr., et al, and Golden Boy Promotions.

“Enough is enough. These people, Mayweather Sr., Jr., and Golden Boy Promotions, think it is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. I have tried to just brush it off as a mere pre-fight ploy but I think they have gone overboard,” said Pacquiao in Tagalog while celebrating Christmas with his family here..

“I have instructed my promoter, Bob Arum, head of Top Rank Inc., to help me out in the filing of the case as soon as possible because I have had people coming over to me now asking if I really take performance-enhancing drugs and I have cheated my way into becoming the No. 1 boxer in the world,” said Pacquiao.

Libel, slander and defamation suits are being readied against the accused to once and for all clear out Pacquiao’s good name and character.

This week, Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions came out with a press release threatening to put a stop to the projected biggest fight in boxing history between the two top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, by asking too many unrealistic and unprecedented items on the bargaining table, including that of an Olympic-style drug testing.

“I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work, hard work, hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it,” added the Filipino champion who just turned 31 a week ago. “I have no idea what steroids look like and my fear in God has kept me safe and victorious through all these years.”

“Now, I say to Floyd Mayweather Jr., don’t be a coward and face me in the ring, mano-a-mano and shut your big, pretty mouth, so we can show the world who is the true king of the ring,” said Pacquiao, who has been contemplating on filing a case against Mayweather Sr. even before the start of his Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Angel Cotto. “I did not sue because I did not want to get distracted during that time because I was preparing for one of the toughest fights in my career.”

“Pretty Boy Floyd, face me instead on March 13 in Las Vegas and not in some talk show forum or in press releases written for you by people who don’t even know me. Face me in a fight where I get to punch back. You and your cohorts have accused me of using performance-enhancing drugs. Now, I say, the burden of proof should now come from you, not me,” said Pacquiao, the only seven-time, seven-weight division champion in the history of the sport.

Pacquiao said he is not against any form of drug testing mandated by any state athletic sports commission whenever, wherever he fights. He just finds it funny and stupid to change a system that has been set for decades now. Pacquiao undergoes drug testing and other medical examinations before and after every fight over the past 15 years and has never failed any of these tests.

“These people think they are doing the sport a great service. They are not,” added Pacquiao. “To Floyd, despite all these accusations, may your Christmas be merry and I will see you in court, soon, too.”