By Mark Vester
Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach is predicting a knockout victory for his fighter, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Roach says Pacquiao will be too much for WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. The two collide on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Unlike some of Pacquiao’s other past …

By Steve Kim
In what had become basically a mere formality, it was announced by Top Rank on Monday afternoon that Manny Pacquiao will be facing Miguel Cottoon November 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, at a catch-weight of 145-pounds.
” This is one of the most exciting fights I’ve …

By James Slater
Simply put, it’s the fight all of boxing wants to see - reigning pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao against the man who held the mythical title before him, Floyd Mayweather Junior. And, according to the 39-0(25) master who is currently getting ready to make his return against Mexico’s Juan …

Some boxers – some people, in fact – are tough to like. Floyd Mayweather Jr is one of those people. He is arrogant to a point some way beyond the demands of his business, and his latest pronouncements confirm that if he were ever to get in the ring with Manny Pacquiao, the only people cheering him on would be those connected to him by blood or money.

In a teleconference this week to prop up his ailing comeback fight against Juan Manuel Márquez, the man who changed his nickname from Pretty Boy to Money and has the taxman on his back for $6m (£3.7m) refused to say how he injured his ribs, the alleged reason their July fight was put back to 19 September.

“Believe me,” he said, begging to be believed, “it wasn’t a small guy that done it, but it didn’t even come from sparring. When it happened, I tried to work through it. I was sparring for a while but then it happened again. I said, ‘You know what? I can’t try to be a superhero. I’ve got to take time off and let it heal’. I’d never tell exactly what happened. I just had a rib injury.”

Maybe the boogie man did it. Maybe Neil Armstrong is still on the moon. Maybe someone who talks to himself should look up the word dialogue.

When someone asked Márquez what he thought of Mayweather’s explanation, he followed the script like a willing business partner. “I’m sure that there’s solid evidence,” he said. “There should be some paperwork from the doctor, and I’m sure he presented the paperwork that was needed. I was calm. I’m fine. Things happen for a reason.”

They certainly do. And that reason, if we were to be cynical about a business that is about as transparent as a brick wall, is that more people were buying tickets to the Las Vegas monorail on a slow morning than were interested in their July show. And Mayweather was about as interested in fighting Márquez as those people on the monorail.

The fight that every boxing fan wants to see is Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in the battle of the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. But before we get to see that, we’re going to have to hope Mayweather beats Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19, and Pacquiao wins his tentatively scheduled fight with Miguel Cotto on November 14.

Well, there’s good news for boxing fans: Mayweather thinks that’s going to happen. Mayweather is, of course, always confident in his own abilities, so it’s no surprise that he picks himself to beat Marquez. But he also offered a prediction about how Pacquiao vs. Cotto will go, saying that Cotto no longer appears to be an elite boxer after the beating he took at the hands of Antonio Margarito last summer.

“I think after the Margarito fight, mentally, Cotto is not the same,” Mayweather told ESPN’s Brian Kenny. “You can never say what can happen in the sport of boxing, but I think Pacquiao is a quick starter, and if I had to lean toward a fighter, I would say Pacquiao.”

FORMER two-time world champion Gerry Peñalosa is willing to fight again but he made it clear that he will only entertain an offer if there will be a world title on the line.

The 36-year old resident of Paranaque City in Metro Manila in the Philippines was offered to see action on the planned card of Top Rank and Solar Sports in either Araneta Coliseum or Ynares Center in Antipolo City on August 29, not at Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City as originally planned.

Penalosa (54-7-2, 36 KOs) confirmed in an exclusive interview yesterday that he was told to prepare for a possible bout, and the three possible options include a rematch against Daniel Ponce de Leon (36-7-2, 31 KOs) of Mexico, a clash against his fellow world champ Eric “Hands of Steel” Morel (41-2, 21 KOs) of Puerto Rico or a collision against another popular Mexican, Jorge “Travieso” Arce (52-5-1, 40 KOs).

WBO light flyweight champion Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon (32-0-1, 6 KOs) is anxious to return to the ring and reinforce that he is still the pound-for-pound best light flyweight in boxing. In his last fight with now three-time world title challenger Rodel Mayol (25-3-1, 19 KOs) in June at the Madison Square Garden was halted after six rounds due to a cut suffered by Calderon as a result of an accidental headbutt in round four. The bout then went to the scorecards where one judge had it for Calderon, one had it for Mayol, and one had it even making the result a draw.

Calderon is currently training and in preparation for a possible upcoming fight. He speaks about his last fight, what’s next, and hopes of landing a showdown with IBF junior flyweight champion Brian Viloria down the road.

After having some time to reflect on your fight with Mayol what are your thoughts on the bout?

One thing I can tell you for sure was that the ten month layoff did play a factor. Going into the fight I felt really good and I prepared extremely well, but there is a big difference between sparring and live action. I’m happy I was able to get six rounds of live action in.

In a recent interview conducted by our good friend John Martinez of IronBoxing.com, Roger Mayweather, the Uncle and trainer for Floyd Mayweather Jr., spoke out on many topics. One such topic was Manny Pacquiao.

Roger who never holds back any punches with his assessments of fighters, did not go easy on Pacquiao. Roger gave Martinez his description of the “People’s Champion” Manny Pacquiao.

Roger wasted no time, dissing Pacquiao for not being shit! “Manny Pacquiao ain’t sh*t. The only reason why people are even mentioning Manny’s name is because he whooped De La Hoya’s ass. And how did he do it? He made Oscar drain his own ass in weight and drop that weight. After that, it ain’t like he beat a great motherf*cker in Ricky Hatton. Everyone knows Ricky has no defense or skills.”

Both Marquez and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya backed claims by Mayweather that the American was still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, despite his inactivity in the ring.

“Mayweather is the best,” Marquez said. “He retired undefeated. When I fought Manny I thought I beat him both times.”

De La Hoya, beaten by Mayweather on a split decision in May 2007 and by Pacquiao by a stoppage after eight rounds last December, added: “I’d have to go with Floyd.

“I felt more skill coming out of Mayweather than I did with Pacquiao.

“The winner between Mayweather and Marquez will be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.”

There’s an old saying that “nice guys finish last”, but in WBO Featherweight champion Steven Luevano let’s just say he’s an exception to the rule. He has had close to 300 amateur bouts so you could say he paid his dues before entering the pro ranks in June of 2000. He was the Olympic alternate to Rocky Juarez who I guess you could say is now Luevano’s alternate being the WBO’s #3 contender. In the mean time #1 contender Bernabe Concepcion, 29-1-1 (16) gets his shot August 15th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Luevano got off on the right foot signing with 2008’s Manager of the Year Cameron Dunkin who has had 13 world champions. “Steven is a real hard working blue collar type of guy. He’s a really good person who is very honest and has no ego. He’s very quiet and very, very loyal,” said Dunkin. “He and his wife Marina have been together since they were 16 years old. They have 3 kids together and they are crazy about each other and they love their children to death. They do all kinds of activities with their kids. The one thing I can say about Steven is I wish I could manage 10 more fighters like him,” he added.

I have to say after talking to Luevano over the phone it comes through loud and clear how humble of a person he is. I had the pleasure of seeing him fight for the first time in person in his 4th defense defeating previously unbeaten Australian Billy Dib, 21-1 (11), the WBO Asian Pacific champion, by winning a decision over 12 rounds. “He didn’t seem to be too happy after the fight,” said Luevano. Seems Dib admitted he wasn’t the best fighter “that night” last October in Atlantic City!

The recent conference call for the September 19 bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez was a jab-fest on pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather, coming out of retirement and fighting for the first time since December 2007, gave Manny some praise but quickly began to launch his verbal attack.

"Pacquiao is a good fighter. I don’t take nothing from him," Mayweather said. "He hasn’t done nothing I haven’t done. Where was he when I was dominating in the ’90s? He hasn’t called me out. I’m not hard to find. I ain’t worried about him. With or without him, I’m comfortable. I’m happy. He don’t make me (nothing). I don’t chase opponents. Opponents chase me.

Saturday, September 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the fight dubbed “Number One/Numero Uno” between Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and WBO lightweight titlist, Juan Manuel Marquez will air live on HBO PPV.

One need only listen to the terrible promotional name (“Number One/Numero Uno”) in order to understand that this fight is lacking some serious drama, emotion, and substance.

I’m sorry. I have said it before and will say it again; Mayweather and/or Manny Pacquiao need to fight the well deserving WBA welterweight king, “ Sugar” Shane Mosley.

A fight with Mosley would guarantee the true boxing aficionado and casual fan alike what is so desperately lacking in this upcoming fight between Mayweather and Marquez- substance, drama, excitement, speed, power, and high profile name recognition. What that translates to is dollars. Serious dollars.

I believe that the best fight out there for Mayweather is not a Mexican great named Marquez that is moving two-weight classes north for a day in the sun with Michigan’s boxing phenom, but rather, a speedy, power boxing sage from Pomona, California named Shane Mosley.

By PAT SHEEHAN
RICKY HATTON is plotting a November comeback — with possible opponents already being sounded out by his management team.
The Hitman has not fought since he was battered to a second-round defeat by Manny Pacquiao in May.
He has yet to make an official announcement about his …

By David A. Avila
Once upon a time Floyd Mayweather Jr. ruled the professional world of prizefighting at the top of the rung. But he retired.
The Las Vegas-based fighter, who temporarily departed 20 months ago as the recognized best fighter in the world Pound for Pound, is back again and this …

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 …