Manny Pacquiao: The Reason He’s Fighting Shane Mosley Instead of Juan Manuel Marquez

Many boxing fans, myself included, would rather see Manny Pacquiao fight anyone but Shane Mosley. No matter how hard Bob Arum tries to selltheir May 7th clash, Sugar Shane doesn’t intrigue many fans, especially after he was dominated by Floyd Mayweather.

If Pacman had to fight another Mayweather leftover, we would have rather seen him take a third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. So why didn’t the two sides get together and make this trilogy a reality? read more from source

Pacquiao, Mosley and the same old blame game

Okay, so it isn’t the fight that boxing fans were hoping for, but Manny Pacquiao will be facing Shane Mosley on May 7, and that’s that.

Everybody knows that Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is the fight that the world wants to see. This fact has been chronicled in 123,432 articles, give or take a few. We all know that everybody gets the point by now, but admittedly, about half of those articles were written by yours truly, and I’m not done yet. read more from source

“When you punch as hard as Mosley you always have a shot” – Lamont Peterson

Peterson on Mosley’s chances against Pacquiao…

“When you punch as hard as Mosley you always have a shot but I think it’s a slim shot. Pacquiao is on top of his game now and he is younger and fresher and he has a lot of energy. I think his style will be hard for Shane to keep up with but Shane always has a puncher’s chance.”

Peterson on Pacquiao’s progressions as a fighter…

“He’s still the same to me. Right now it’s just good matchmaking and that’s making him stand out a little bit more than at 130. I think he’s still the same fighter. His best punch is still the straight left and he’s fighting with a lot of energy and throwing a lot of punches. He’s taking punches well and it’s just the same Pacquiao.” read more from source

Exposing FACTS on Yahoo! writer Iole’s hypocrisy regarding Pacquiao-Mosley

But now Iole is singing a different tune. All of a sudden he is saying Mosley is worse than chopped liver and that it’s a crime for Pacquiao, who is smaller than both Mayweather and Mosley, to choose him as his next opponent. Hold up, I’m confused. So if Mosley is such garbage, then why did you think Mayweather’s win over him was more significant than Pacquiao beating bigger opponents like Joshua Clottey and Miguel Cotto?

Okay, this is when Iole would jump in and point at me as a fan boy (whatever that means). It’s easier and more convenient to hurl insults and call people names than address facts. Yea I’m Filipino and I’m writing positive stories about Pacquiao, but guess what? Who isn’t? Pacquiao earned it. read more from source

I am no Superman’: Pacquiao fires back at his critics

“When I get hit, I pretend I don’t get hurt so as to frustrate my opponent. That’s part of the sacrifice!” — Manny Pacquiao

A lot of people responded to my recent rebuttal towards Yahoo! boxing writer Kevin Iole and his stance regarding the Manny Pacquiao versus Shane Mosley fight. That’s water under the bridge based on the massive reader response and feedback. Iole on his part sent me an apology regarding the rude comments he hurled at me. As a man, I respect and accept another person’s sincere apology as I myself like all the rest of us have our moments and errors in judgment. Life moves on. read more from source

Pacquiao nominated for Laureus

After a year of continuing success in the ring, Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has been nominated for his first Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, following a ballot by the world’s media.

Pacquiao, long regarded as the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer by the Ring magazine, and named Fighter of the Decade‚ for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, has had a record-breaking campaign last year. He took a unanimous decision win over Joshua Clottey for the WBO welterweight championship last March then Pacquiao became the first ever boxer to win world titles in eight different weight divisions when he beat Mexico’s Antonio Margarito in Dallas for the WBC light-middleweight title last November. read more from source

Manny Pacquiao, Arum Desperate for a Win vs. Black Fighter

From the start, the ill-conceived Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight made very little sense.
Well, scratch that. It made sense from the standpoint that it offered the Filipino champion a shot at walking away with a big payday with yet another hand-picked punching bag, while not risking a loss. However, it didn’t make much sense for Pacquiao’s legacy.
After all, what is beating down an aging, ineffective Mosley going to do for Pacquiao’s reputation besides hurt it?
Now, after Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum’s latest comments, it all makes sense. read more from source

Will Manny Paquiao And Nonito Donaire Fight on The Same Card?

On Feb. 19 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, an HBO-televised clash will be promoted by Top Rank Promotions featuring WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 knockouts) of the Philippines and WBO and WBC bantamweight (118 pounds) king Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs) of Mexico.

Top Rank Promotions’ CEO, Bob Arum, considers Donaire to be the No. 2 fighter from the Philippines behind eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), who is also holder of both the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) and junior middleweight (154 pounds) titles. read more from source

Pacquiao heavy favorite vs Mosley

MANILA, Philippines – Just as Bob Arum announced the other day that the fight is on, the oddsmakers started punching the numbers for the May 7 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
To no surprise, the 32-year-old superstar, who flew to Boracay yesterday with his family, came out as the early, heavy favorite.
An online betting station, Sportbet.com, yesterday painted Pacquiao as a -750 favorite, meaning you need to place $750 on him just to win a hundred bucks.
Mosley, the 39-year-old fighter from Pomona, California, stood at +450, meaning every $100 on him wins $450.
Unless he has a time machine, Mosley won’t be able to pull the odds to his favor. It could even get taller in the days leading to the fight.
Arum’s announcement of the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, should also close the book on those for a Pacquiao fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Yesterday, the odds for the superfight between the two pound-for-pound champions were still on.
Mayweather, playing hide-and-seek the past couple of months, was at -145 and Pacquiao at +115 if the fight, twice close to happening, were held today.
But it’s not going to happen. Instead, the world will see Pacquiao vs Mosley.
Pacquiao arrived in Boracay on a private plane from General Santos City. They will spend Christmas at the high-end West Cove Resort owned by his bosom buddy Cris Aquino.
Pacquiao will go scuba-diving, as he had brought his diving instructor along. He and his family will fly back to Manila on Dec. 27, and the following day will leave for another vacation in Japan and Australia until Jan. 8.
Even blindfolded, the oddsmakers can point to Pacquiao as the heavy favorite.
For one, the fighting congressman from Sarangani is the reigning pound-for-pound champion, and is being hailed as the greatest of his era, if not of all time.
He has won his last 13 fights, most of them against taller, bigger, heavier and stronger opponents. His 12-round destruction of Antonio Margarito gave him his eighth world title in as many divisions.
Pacquiao will fight Mosley at 147 lb, and that should be a problem for Mosley because it’s the best fighting weight for the heavy-handed boxer who began his pro career at 106 lb in 1995.
Over his last five fights, Pacquiao crushed Oscar dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey and Margarito, and averaged 1.02 million in pay-per-view sales.
Mosley, on the other hand, will turn 40 in September, old enough he could get tired blowing the candles on his birthday cake.
He has two wins, two losses and a draw in his last five fights, the losses including one against Mayweather last May, and a bad draw against Sergio Mora last September.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com

Shane can win if he gets Manny bleeding

By Dave Lahr: I give 39-year-old Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KO’s) a great chance of beating Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KO’s) in their May 7th fight if he can get Pacquiao bleeding and losing his vital fluids all around the ring at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. If Pacquiao is cut and bleeding, especially around the eyes, he can’t fight worth a lick. Watch Pacquiao’s fight against Erik Morales in 2005, and you’ll notice how Pacquiao became as gentle as a lamb once he suffered cut near his right eye.
He spent rest of the fight touching his cut and trying to turn his head every time Morales would fire one of his big right hands at the cut. I’ve seen Pacquiao in other fights as well where he was cut, and he becomes mortal once his blood flowing. I think that’s the secret to beating Pacquiao. Mosley has got to rough up the Filipino and make work him over. If the blood starts flowing, then he’s got him. Then all Mosley needs to do is keep pouring in punches on the cut and he’ll have Pacquiao running for his left to keep from getting hit. Some fighters just fight terribly once their own blood is flowing like rivers.
Pacquiao is one of them. He doesn’t seem to like it and that’s the key. You have to be kind of masochist to be a good fighter. If you shy away when your nose is broken, your teeth are knocked out or if your cut to ribbons, then you’ll never be any good. This is why I see Mosley as having a great chance of beating Pacquiao. If the blood flows, he’ll win.
Source: www.boxingnews24.com >>>

Pacquiao - Mosley, A Better Match-Up Than Most Believe

 by Kevin Smith

The announcement that Manny Pacquiao's next fight would be against Shane Mosley on May 7th was not a surprise to boxing insiders. Mosley, the former three division champion, was a solid choice from a field of contenders that included Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. The surprise fact with this fight, if it is to come, will be how each of the fighters approaches it— has trained and prepared. Pacquiao is looking to extend his boxing credentials, legacy and growing worldwide fame; Mosley seeks to re-claim his, in what could likely be his swan song to boxing, following his most recent loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Shane Mosley, approaching forty years of age, is still thought to have the speed and strength as well as s bruising body attack and knock-out punch needed to combat the Pac-man’s speed and determination. In fact, Mosley still has the ability to make this an entertaining fight if not significant in the surprise it could hold, at least if he takes this meeting as the “the fight of his career “and not just the final big payday of it. In order to do so, however, Mosley will need to show more conditioning and stamina with Pacquiao than he did last May when he was able to visibly hurt Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the second round but couldn’t put him away before tiring mid-way through the bout.

Mosley could be able to surprise in this fight but will have to condition, train and bring a strategy like the fighter he was at the peak of his career and not the zenith of it. His on and off again performance will have to be “all on” to make this fight with Pacquiao have the shock in it Mosley has at times be able to bring and the fans of both want to see.

Going into the contest, Manny Pacquiao will be the heavily favored one at the MGM Grand when these two meet. But the Pac-man, equally, will have to train physically and mentally to overcome the distractions his success has brought him in order to survive the 'bolt from the blue' Shane Mosley could bring.

Pacquiao trainer, Freddie Roach takes all his fighter’s opponents seriously but knows Mosley has the capability to provide more than just a fight. Mosley, if he finds his inner-strength, can put a stop to Manny’s continued march farther into pugilistic record books. Says Roach, “This is going to be the most difficult fight of the three choices we had because of Mosley’s speed ... a good and dangerous fighter.”

Freddie Roach also undoubtedly thinks about the dangers for his fighter in how Manny and Shane match-up. Mosley with speed and assumed power, as exampled by his knock-out of Margarito, and Pacquiao’s occasional tendency to drop his defense. Although Freddie Roach is greatly credited for training Manny in a display of skills and ability that seem to only be increasing with each fight since Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003; one must wonder if he is training more against a bombshell knock-out than for one.

One surprise that will be noted before the fight will be the lack of the ugly gutter language and verbose verbal attacks that have unfortunately become the norm in boxing. Mosley is known as one of the class-acts in boxing, one of the few along with Manny Pacquiao, who have maintained their dignity and sportsmanship before and after achieving world-class status.

Whatever the outcome, it won’t be a surprise that this Pacquiao-Mosley match-up will be a good fight. “I believe it will be an exciting fight,” Bob Arum, the founder and CEO of Top Rank, told ESPN.com. “Shane knows how to fight and how to deal with the speed. Manny is in for a hellacious fight. I really believe styles make fights.” Arum has it right. It will be better than many are predicting because of the different abilities, styles and possibilities each fighter brings, as well as the unknowns that these factors create.

Mayweather could rise up and regain the top spot

Floyd Mayweather Jr is undefeated, he’s never lost a boxing match. There is however one area where he has had his tail handed to him. The ring of public relations has not been his friend, in fact, he has been knocked out cold. Floyd Mayweather Jr has done everything humanly possible to dig himself a deeper and deeper hole. Everything from refusing to fight Pacquiao, to being arrested by Las Vegas Police.

Can he rise back on top

Manny Pacquiao has taken a completely different road. Pacquiao has done just about everything right throughout the whole Mayweather saga. He’s defeated everyone put in front of him, and his star power is unmatched. With that said, it is not entirely impossible for Floyd Mayweather to rise up from the ashes, and retake the top spot.

So, what does he have to do? The first thing that he has to do is the obvious. He needs to accept a fight with Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather wouldn’t even have to win the fight. He would have to win in order to take the pound for pound title away, but he wouldn’t have to win in order to begin the climb back up.

If Floyd were to accept a fight Vs. Manny Pacquiao there would more than likely be a rematch clause in the contract. This being said, both men would stand to make up to 80 or so million dollars, once it’s all said and done. If Floyd took a fight Vs. Manny and he lost the fight, this would do a few things. Firstly, as long as he doesn’t get blown out he would begin the process of restoring some respect in the boxing world. He would restore a little respect in the Filipino community, but the Filipino community is not the end all be all of the boxing world. Floyd would also restore his respect among his American fan-base.

If Floyd Mayweather takes a fight Vs. Manny Pacquiao and he wins, this immediately launches him back into the thick of things. A Mayweather victory over Pacquiao would energize boxing like nothing else. It would ignite the good guy Vs. bad guy feel like no other. The rematch would generate hype like never before seen in boxing.

Imagine what would happen if Floyd beat Pacquiao twice. Could we see a trilogy? Would Manny accept being defeated by Mayweather, or would he want a trilogy fight? The other combination applies as well. If Pacquiao defeats Mayweather, a rematch would be equally as exciting. The buildup and the hype would make the UFC shake in it’s boots a bit.

Mayweather would have to accept a fight with Manny Pacquiao. It’s the only way he can restore his respect in the sport of boxing. Even if he loses, at least he can retire from the sport and not be criticized for ducking Manny Pacquiao. If he defeats Pacquiao, most of the damage that he has done outside of the ring would be forgotten in 10 years.

Mississippians that I have talked to about this interesting theory agree. I spoke with Raymond Jones, a 70 yr old boxing fan from Wiggins, Mississippi. Mr Jones agrees that Mayweathers ticket out of the garbage can is to accept a fight Vs. Pacquiao, ” Floyd has great boxing skills. He’s above and beyond most every fighter in this sport. He has done so much to damage his reputation, but he can fix it. He needs to fight Manny Pacquiao and just do well against him.”

Jones agrees with this writer that Floyd wouldn’t even have to win in order to regain respect, ” Floyd would just have to fight and not take a whooping. If he fought well and he wins, he is in good shape. If he fights and loses, but does well in defeat, it still will do good for him. If he fights and gets beat up badly, that’s another thing.”

The bottom line is this. Floyd needs to fight Manny Pacquiao in order to establish the least bit of respect in the boxing world. This writer is not talking about outside of the ring. I am only talking about respect being earned inside of the ring. Mayweathers outside of the ring behavior is a different thing. If he wants to work on that aspect of his life, he should probably seek some anger counseling, and keep giving to charities.

Floyd has it within him to climb from the ashes and rise back to the top, but only he can do it. Nobody else can do it.

Source: www.examiner.com

Jeff Mayweather discusses Roger’s trial, Pacquiao-Mosley, drug testing and more

Chris Robinson

November 27th was a difficult night for Jeff Mayweather. Guiding his charge Celestino Caballero into battle against Jason Litzau at the MGM Grand, the trainer watched almost hopelessly as the Panamanian fought out of sync in losing a ten round decision. The fight was looked at as one of 2010’s biggest upsets.

Roger and Floyd Mayweather

Needless to say, things flowed more smoothly this weekend as Mayweather’s New Year got off to a fine start as his pupil Brandon Gonzales, a middleweight prospect out of Sacramento, scored a convincing decision over Lester Gonzalez in Fairfield, California. Mayweather and Gonzales began working with one another last summer and the victory marked their second win as a team.

I reached out to Jeff to get his take on Gonzales’ performance and we ended up talking about much more. Jeff’s brother Roger is awaiting trial later this month for well-documented charges of battery from one of his former female fighters and it is something that is obviously of importance to the younger sibling.

Read on to see what Mayweather had to say about Gonzales, the future of his fighter Celestino Caballero, his thoughts on Roger, Floyd, the May 7th Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight, drug testing in the sport and much more…

Brandon Gonzales’ latest victory…
“Actually I was really happy with his performance because basically, the reason that they came to me was because he wanted to get back to his fundamentals of boxing. That’s what he did. He displayed great boxing skills. He tried to get him out of there but the guy had a granite chin and he came to fight as well. He won the fight very easily and he didn’t take much punishment and that’s what it’s all about. He did a great job of boxing.”

High expectations…
“Basically, Brandon is very focused and in his own mind he already has high expectations and he forced himself to behave like a champion of the world and things of that nature. In my own honest opinion I see a guy who, if he doesn’t become champion of the world, it won’t be because he didn’t work as hard as he possibly could. He’s not doing anything to shortchange himself. He works extremely hard and he’s focused and he’s on a mission. And that’s part of the battle. I foresee him becoming middleweight champion of the world one day.”

Celestino Caballero rumored to get a crack at WBA champion Jonathan Barros…
“The last time I talked to him, that’s what’s on the table that I know of. The guy Jonathan Barros, the kid from Argentina. That’s in the works. I talked to Celestino and he said that he will be back out here near the end of January. So of course he’s very excited and looking forward to getting back in the ring and not necessarily erasing what happened but putting it behind him. So he won’t have to think about it anymore.”

Working with heavyweight contender Samuel Peter…
“Samuel is a tremendous puncher. But he’s out of shape right now and right now the most important thing is to get him in shape. I think that if me and my crew can get him in tip-top condition, with the exception of the Klitschkos, I think he has a chance to beat anyone out there.”

Losing touch with Lil’ Floyd…
“Actually I have really talked to Floyd in quite some time because I haven’t really been over to the gym. Usually when I talk to him it’s when I’m at his gym. I know he’s been doing a lot of traveling. That’s pretty much all I really know. Not too much more than that.”

Thoughts on Roger’s upcoming trial…
“Honestly I think that the case is extremely weak and I think if it wasn’t weak it would have been trialed a long time ago. I think it’s one of those situations where they were waiting for him to try to do something else to actually make their case stronger. So, it’s one of those situations in which anything can happen when you are talking about someone going to trial but I think that the case that is against him is extremely weak and hopefully he will get off.”

Roger’s passion…
“That’s his life. He’s just training people. Me and Roger go to breakfast probably four or five times out of the week. So I’m always talking to him and basically, like always, his passion is in the gym. That’s kind of his medicine. That’s what he wakes up for in the morning is to go to that gym and help fighters become better.”

Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley…
“It’s a very interesting fight. It might not be what everybody thinks. A lot of people think that Manny is just going to walk through Shane. I don’t really see that because Shane has a very good chin and he has good punching power himself. I think the fight will be very, very interesting. I think I would lean towards Manny just because he is on a roll.”

Wishing Shane the best…
“Shane, not so much his performance against Floyd, but his performance against Sergio Mora; that was a horrendous performance. Not just in his case but on both sides. In all honesty, that was the first time I fell asleep on a fight and I was actually trying to watch the fight. It was that boring. Don’t get me wrong, I wish Shane all the best, I do. I’m not necessarily saying I hope Shane beats him but I hope Shane does well. Because outside of when Shane fought my nephew, I’ve been a Shane Mosley fan.”

Floyd’s demands for random drug testing…
“I think what he did is, he did the right thing. Not only for that particular fight, but it should be the standard that should be set for boxing. Especially when you get on that level. Because there are a whole lot of guys that are playing dirty these days.”

Mosley’s rebuttal to Pacquiao…
“Even with this fight being made, with Manny and Shane, Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach demanded that Shane do random testing. Shane said he would do random testing if [Pacquiao] did random testing. All of a sudden, random testing didn’t exist anymore. What’s up with that? They demanded that this guy do it but they didn’t want to do it. That’s crazy. I read that in an article my friend put on Facebook but the issue disappeared once Shane wanted to match their demands.”

Speculation that Mosley looked bad against Floyd because he wasn’t on PEDs…
“That’s a possibility. I’m not saying it’s a high possibility, but it is a possibility. You’ve never seen Mosley get tired that fast. I mean, in the fight with Margarito he was extremely strong from beginning to end. It was like he shot his load against Floyd in the second round. After that there was nothing there. Basically, from that point on, he was in survival mode. I don’t know but that could be a part of it.”

Shane leaving Golden Boy Promotions for the Pacquiao fight…
“I think that at this point in time, in Mosley’s career, it was the only way he could make a big money fight. He’s in the twilight of his career. Now it’s time to basically get as much money as you can then walk away. No matter win, lose, or draw. If he is to pull the upset then it’s even more money for him. So he did the right thing. He did what was necessary to make life better for himself. It was obviously a situation where Oscar just completely twisted him or he jut didn’t cover his tracks because he allowed that to happen to himself.”

Thoughts on Bob Arum…
“I don’t really have anything bad to ever say about Bob. He was good to me when I brought Floyd to him and since that time he still hasn’t done anything to me personally so I don’t have anything bad to say about him. Don’t get me wrong, what he’s doing in terms of boxing is kind of bad for the sport. It’s kind of bad when the only way guys will get a chance to fight one another is if they are under your banner. But I also understand that; he’s a businessman before anything else.”

Great business…
“He’s not so much worried about pleasing the fans or making the best fights. He’s worried about making as much money as he possibly can and also being able to maintain those titles. ‘I don’t care if you win and I don’t care if you lose because at the end of the day I’m still going to have a champion’. In that sense it’s great business. It’s something that Don King would do for years. He would sign maybe all of the guys from the top 15. And that’s why he was able to maintain grasp of the heavyweight titles for so long before the Klitschkos came along. Now Bob Arum is doing it in various weight classes. He’s doing what Don King did for so many years.”

Source: www.examiner.com