There is an old saying that says if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But we all know that is never the case. Afterall , we are men and we can , in fact , build that better mouse trap. It is that strange curiosity that makes a man believe that he can improve on something that is already pretty darn good. And so it goes , especially in the sports world. Boxing is the biggest culprit. A fighter loses and suddenly he looks for ways to reinvent himself.
But suppose the reason for his eventual downfall was a reinvention. Maybe the start of the fall was years in the making. A subtle hint here. A suggestion there , and now what was once a tank becomes a grenade. Still capable of doing damage. But not quite as much damage.
Somewhere along the line someone made such a suggestion to Ricky Hatton. The thought process must of been that Ricky had good footwork and quick hands. He also throws a good jab so we must convince him that he is a better boxer than brawler.
To get to that point we must go back. The turning point may have been when Hatton beat Kostya Tszyu for the world junior welterweight title. The fight was ugly , filled with clinching and alot of head hunting. While it was a crowning achievement in his career , it wasn’t the Ricky that we had come to love.
As the years passed Hatton continued to focus more on boxing , more on head punches. This was about the time that Hatton seemed to start having difficulty in fights. When he was at his best he was a body punching machine. Duran , McCallum and Chavez came to mind.
It was a thing of beauty. Round after round of a violent body assault that would make the greats proud. He would attack and jab out to give himself better distance to attack the body again. The sight of opponents rolling around the ring in agony still lives vividly in my mind. The sound of the left hook that stopped Jose Luis Castillo stills rings in that arena to this day.
Sometimes suggestions are made. Sometimes for the worst. You don’t try to turn a pitbull into a poodle. You turn him loose and tell him to attack.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a Ricky Hatton fan. His personality is a breath of fresh air. The off the wall joking is something I can definitely relate to , just ask Michelle. But we need the old Ricky back. Would the old Ricky have beat Pacquiao? No , right now Pacquiao is in a world of his own and there is no shame in losing to such a fighter. The Mayweather fight may have been different though. A more sustained body attack may have been the difference in the later rounds.

It is now well known that Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. will be making his much anticipated return to the ring against fellow pound for pound great, Juan Manual Marquez, regardless of the true reasons, for the original delay of his much publicized comeback, whether it may be the official line of a rib injury or due to the speculated lack of ticket sales, one thing we do know for sure is that it is not going to help Mayweathers cause in regards to getting his many critics off his back. The fact he is coming back against a man considered too small for him was bad enough, now that this supposed “mismatch” won’t be taking place earlier than expected, will just add more fuel to the fire. One of the reasons being is, it will almost certainly ensure the controversial Mayweather is not pitted against the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley or even a Miguel Cotto, fighters who Floyd’s critics believe will probably beat him or at the very least proves to be his toughest test to date. While it is disappointing that PBF will not be back in the ring earlier than expected, meaning it will be much longer before he faces up against the “big boys” in the division. I find it difficult to believe this should be used against Mayweather, a man that is arguably the most naturally gifted boxer of his generation, yet one that still faces continued criticism in every decision he makes, it may be going too far to feel sorry for the self-proclaimed “pretty boy” but he sure is up against it. Whether it’s the opponent, the weight, even the referee, any kind of ammunition that can be used against Mayweather Jr. has already been used. The supposed lack of tickets sales is an indication he is not getting the respect someone of his ability is usually accustomed to, only in the sport of boxing can an individual with so much ability be so little appreciated.

>By Mark Vester

It appears that Shane Mosley has officially stopped chasing Manny Pacquiao for a fight. Mosley’s decision means the proposed fight between Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is going to move forward, without distractions, on November 14 in Las Vegas. Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions, told the Los Angeles Times that Mosley ordered him to stop all attempts at making a fight with Pacquiao.

"Shane says he’ll be the last man standing, anyway," Schaefer told The Times. "Shane’s legacy is intact, and it’s not dependent on a Pacquiao yes or no."

Mosley told Schaefer to explore possible fights with WBC champion Andre Berto, and former champions Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams and Joshua Clottey.

Francis T.J. Ochoa
MANILA, Philippines - Antonio Margarito, with a lot of time and no more illegal substances in his hands, says the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight scheduled on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will likely be a replay of another fight held at the same venue …

By Roy Luarca
MANILA, Philippines - It’s no longer feasible this year, but Freddie Roach holds out hope that his prized ward, Manny Pacquiao, will get to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his next outing.
And the three-time Trainer of the Year predicts that the lucrative bout will happen early next year.
“I …

By Alex P. Vidal
SAN FRANCISCO, California – Manny Pacquiao’s victory in the May 2010 congressional election in Mindanao in the Philippines is already “crystal clear” according to a member of his coaching staff, after the powerful Chiongbian family has decided not to field a candidate against him, but his battle …

By Bryan Trafford
A fight with Manny Pacquiao has become boxing’s version of the golden ticket — fame and fortune will come for his next opponent.
Miguel Cotto looks destined to benefit from the Pacquiao bump next. Pacquiao was ringside as Cotto recently won a close split decision over Joshua Clottey. …

By Gabriel Montoya
Saturday night was supposed to be junior welterweight contender Victor Ortiz’ (24-2-1 with 19 KOs) coming out party. Promoted as Golden Boy Promotions’ star of the future, with a large crowd at the Staples Center for which he was the main event and televised on HBO, everything …

By Mark Vester
Citing anonymous sources that are close to Ricky Hatton’s camp, News of The World reports that Hatton is planning to return to the ring in the next few months in his backyard of Manchester. Hatton’s career has been in limbo since last month’s two-round KO loss to Manny Pacquiao. A …

By Dennis Gasgonia
American trainer Freddie Roach said Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao needs to engage world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in an intelligent fight in order to win.
“Cotto’s very strong, we have to fight a very intelligent fight,” said Roach in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
If Top …

By Associated Press
Floyd Mayweather’s return to boxing is back on, although the new date won’t make things any easier for him against hard-hitting Juan Manuel Marquez.
The former pound-for-pound king, who was slated to fight Marquez next month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, issued a statement Friday that said …

By Al Bernstein
While we all wait for the apparently inevitable announcement that Manny Pacquiao will fight Miguel Cotto, I think it’s wise to really sit back and try and put the Pacquiao story in perspective. Our goal here is to come up with some historical perspective that is reasoned. …

bernstein.ibnsports.com

I have taken some time to let the events of May 2 gestate a little. I have rolled them around in my mind and come up with some historical perspective. I now believe this basic fact, IF Manny Pacquiao can beat any one of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, or Miguel Cotto, he will have stamped himself the best fighter EVER at 135 pounds or below. Here is my reasoning. The quartet of Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barerra, Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales produced the greatest series of fights seen at any time in boxing. They occured during a decade’s span in a few weight divisions. This series of fights exceeded even the Hagler, Leonard, Duran, and Hearns combinations of matches. I know, many of you are gasping at that last statement, but it’s true. Pacman and his little crew overall had more classic battles than Hagler and his legendary bunch. And, even though Marquez has a legitimate argument to the contrary because of his two close fights with Pacquiao, Manny narrowly emerged from that pack with the best results and biggest name. And then Manny did something that really seperated him from that group–he moved up in weight and dominated. Now, I fully understand that David Diaz at i35 was only a so-so lightweight champ, and Oscar De La Hoya ended up being a shell of his former self when he fought Pacquiao (although he was a big favorite before the fight). And, I also conceed that Ricky hatton had slipped in recent fights–and many thought he was never a great fighter. But, still, the WAY Pacquiao won over Ricky was impressive.
All of that is why I am not quite ready to totally make Manny a deity–but I am close. If he beats one of the aforementioned fighters he will have proved that no one in history has been able to dominate the smaller weight divisions like him. From 112 all the way to 147 he has performed well. That’s astonishing.

It seems like Shane Mosley is going about trying to get a fight with Manny Pacquiao in the wrong way. First of all, it doesn’t matter how interested Mosley is in fighting Pacquiao or how willing Shane is to come down to whatever handicapping catch weight that Freddie Roach and Pacquiao dream up. The fight won’t be made unless Pacquiao, his trainer Roach and perhaps most of all Manny’s promoter Bob Arum want it to be made.

And by the way things are looking, I don’t see Mosley having a chance in hell of getting a fight with Pacquiao, even if Mosley were to agree to come down to an energy draining 130 to fight Manny. Why is that? Well, probably cause Mosley is way too dangerous for Pacquiao at any weight because of Mosley’s combination of speed, power and excellent chin. This wouldn’t the case of Pacquiao beating up on a shot and weight-drained Oscar De La Hoya or a fragile-chinned Ricky Hatton. Mosley wouldn’t fold easily like those two and Pacquiao would find himself in for the fight of his life.

Since Pacquiao couldn’t really beat Juan Manuel Marquez without a controversial 12 round decision last time out, the chances of Pacquiao beating Mosley would seem about impossible. Pacquiao for obvious reasons hasn’t been eager to get back in the ring with Marquez for a rematch, and has gone after easier pickings with De La Hoya and Hatton. The same holds true now. Miguel Cotto looks to be the man of the hour for Pacquiao and his team.

Why that be? It doesn’t take a genius to see that Cotto looked perfectly awful in his fight with Joshua Clottey, getting beaten up, running a lot of the time and appearing to lose the fight by a close margin. Before the fight with Clottey, Pacquiao and his team were reluctant to fight Cotto, but afterwards their attitude seemed to change overnight.

Cotto is vulnerable, hence the perfect opponent for Pacquiao. Now, it really is sad that Pacquiao would rather go after a fighter like Cotto who is only two fights away from being beaten almost senseless by Antonio Margarito rather than Mosley. But that’s the way things go. It looks like Pacquiao and his team are going after the easy money rather than choosing a much more dangerous opponent like Mosley, who would in all likelihood beat Pacquiao and thus remove any chance of Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the future.

MANILA, Philippines – Shane Mosley said he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao so whoever wins will get to face the winner of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez showdown which was recently postponed and tentatively rescheduled to September.

“Yeah, that is the perfect scenario. That’s the way it is supposed to happen in real boxing,” Mosley, the 38-year-old WBA welterweight champion from California, told fighthype.com as he continued to beg for a fight with Pacquiao.

“Malapit na lumuhod (Soon he’ll be on his knees),” said one of Pacquiao’s advisers, Wakee Salud, of Mosley. The matchmaker from Cebu said everybody is going after the Filipino champion because of the “ton of money” involved.

Mosley has practically swallowed everything in seeking the fight with Pacquiao, announcing that he’s agreeable to a catchweight under 147 lb (the welterweight limit), put his belt on the line, and settle for 40 percent of the earnings.

On the other hand, WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, the choice of Top Rank president Bob Arum as Pacquiao’s next opponent on Nov. 14, is still keeping his cards close to his chest, saying he can only fight Pacquiao at 145 lb.

Arum said Pacquiao has agreed to fight the pride of Puerto Rico at 144 lb, although his trainer, Freddie Roach, said the 28-year-old Cotto should go down to 143 lb because he’s a “dangerous” fighter as compared to what others think.

A fight with Manny Pacquiao has become Boxing’s version of the golden ticket. A guaranteed big payday, HBO 24/7, and ppv are in store for whoever Pacquiao chooses to fight next. Floyd Mayweather Jr, Shane Mosley, and Miguel Cotto have all been rumored as Pacquaio’s next opponent.

Mayweather would seem to be the best option of the three. A former pound for pound champion until he retired, “Money” Mayweather has unretired to face familiar Pacquiao foe Juan Manuel Marquez. A Mayweather rib injury has postponed that bout until September, effectively putting him out of the running for Pacquiao.

Shane Mosley is the next likely option, as he is a former pound for pound champion himself. He is also the current welterweight champion, after his one sided knockout of Antonio Margarito in January. A formidable foe for Pacquaio, he has taken to calling Pacquiao out. Mosley has stated he is willing to come down to 144 lbs. to make the fight happen. He has also personally spoken to Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, about the fight. Although Pacquaio would no doubt be willing to fight Mosley, it seems Bob Arum is not warm to the idea.

This leaves Miguel Cotto, the least likely option, as the frontrunner. Pacquiao was ringside as Cotto won a close split decision over Joshua Clottey. Cotto was cut early in the fight, and looked to survive in the later rounds. Clottey outfoxed Cotto during the middle rounds, but seemed to take his foot off the gas in the final frames. A first round knockdown and late rounds comeback propelled Cotto to victory.

Back in July 2006, I wrote an ESB piece to the effect that Sugar Shane Mosley’s brutal KO of Fernando Vargas in their second outing was evidence that like a perfect storm, everything was coming together……just the right things in the mix and with just the right timing for him to fight Floyd Mayweather. Team Mosley was running on all cylinders and it seemed unlikely for anyone to slow it down. But that was then.

In May 2007, I wrote in a second piece that asserted Mosley-Mayweather was no longer the perfect storm. I said “…While Team Mosley may be aiming in the direction of the man with the heavyweight ego, the effort does not seem as energized as it was a year ago.. For his part, Floyd said, ‘First, I’ll beat Shane and then I’ll beat his boss [De La Hoya].’ Now, it looks like he will have to reverse the order, assuming he does not retire (which is a sound assumption).” I was right in that he beat De La Hoya, but instead of then fighting Mosley, he chilled Ricky Hatton in impressive fashion in December 2008.

While Mosley’s many assets are jeopardized as he gets older, his speed, quickness, hand-eye coordination, movement, and putting punches together were manifest in his demolition job of Antonio Margorito earlier this year when he came in as a 4-1 underdog. It was a super win for Sugar Shane in every sense of the word and propelled him back to the top of the welterweight division.

By P.H. Burbridge
Success for a boxer is measured by the number of options he has. When other high profile fighters and their handlers drop your name almost every time a microphone is shoved in their face then you know you’ve arrived. Well, Manny Pacquiao has arrived! Everyone with in a …

By Ronan Keenan
Three Mercedes and three SUVs, each heaving with burly, steely-eyed personnel make their way through the streets of London. This is not the cavalcade of a president, but a king.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., the returning pound-for-pound monarch of the fight game, adhered to the adage of safety …

By Reylan Loberternos
Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol – In light of recent events involving future matchup prospects for the reigning pound for pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao of the Philippines, a noteworthy topic has noticeably surfaced. Here, we are going to discuss the issue on “catchweight”, a scorching hot issue that has …

Robert Cassidy
It’s the fight Bob Arum wanted, and now it looks like he’ll get it. Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao are reportedly going to fight on Nov. 14. Arum said in an interview with Mike Marley that was, in part, published in the Philippine Star. Arum said that Pac Man …

By Michael David Smith
Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto have tentatively agreed to fight in Las Vegas on November 14, giving the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer a very challenging fight against a highly ranked opponent — and ensuring that we won’t see Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather any time soon.
The Los …

By Frank Lotierzo
This past Saturday two big events unfolded that will more than likely affect the boxing landscape in the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions for the remainder of 2009. The first being the Floyd Mayweather versus Juan Manuel Marquez bout to be fought at a catch-weight limit of 144 …

By FightFan.com Staff
Ivan Calderon: “I want Brian Viloria next. If I don’t get Viloria, we have no problem giving Mayol a rematch. He fought a good fight against me. He’s a worthy challenger and I have no problem getting it on again with him. I need about thirty days …