Freddie Roach and conditioning expert Alex Ariza can’t seem to run out of superlatives to describe how Manny Pacquiao is doing in preparation for his “Fire Power” showdown with World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14.
Pacquiao sparred 12 furious rounds at Roach’s Wild Card Gym on Friday (Manila Time), going five rounds with undefeated 22-year-old light middleweight Shawn Porter (10-0, 8 KOs), four rounds with former sparring partner Rashad Holloway, a welterweight with an 11-1-1, 5 KO record and three rounds with another former sparring partner, super featherweight Raymund Beltran (22-4, 14 KOs).
“When the 10th round came, Freddie just smiled at me and said ‘Look, it’s 10 rounds and Manny is not even breathing hard, despite the rigorous workout,’” said Ariza. “Manny was phenomenal today. We, Freddie and I are both excited about this. He makes us a feel good because that’s the Manny that we know and love to watch.”
Asked what was so spectacular about Pacquiao’s sparring, Ariza replied “he was just on point again. His timing is there. He knows when the punches are coming. He’s slipping, he’s moving and hitting the guy when he wants to hit him. He looked really good.”
Ariza disclosed it wasn’t a closed-door sparring session. “There was a bit of a crowd there, including an HBO TV crew that was reportedly impressed with what they saw. Pacquiao was smiling and felt good about his sparring. Freddie felt good and we are all happy.”
Earlier today, Floyd Mayweather Jr. got into an impromptu and heated debate about his boxing career with rapper R.A. the Rugged Man during an appearance on satellite radio station Shade 45. An avid follower of boxing, R.A., who recently signed a book deal that will be co-authored by Ring Magazine's Doug Fischer, wasted no time in calling out Mayweather's selection of opponents over the past few years and questioning the merits of Floyd's victories.
Boxing fans will no doubt appreciate The Rugged Man's line of questioning as he echoed the sentiments of many of the sport's faithful, lettting Floyd know that although his skills are great, his selection of opposition has left something to be desired. Applying the pressure outside the ropes, no punches were pulled by the Long Island emcee, who wasn't afraid to get loud with Mayweather, putting the flashy and flamboyant undefeated champion in his place. Check out an excerpt of their conversation:
PHASE 1: Going into a big fight like this I always envision an epic battle between two gladiators, blood and guts warriors, grit, sweat, anger, and other adjectives that sound tough and manly! I blog about what an amazing ballsy, kick-butt fight it will be. I talk to whoever will listen to my expectations, scientific analysis, and true gut feelings. This is a great phase to be in.
PHASE 2: Honey roasted Peanuts are set out, Bud Lights are cold, my scorecards are ready, and my girlfriend is patiently waiting until fight night is over(because she’s been listening to me for a month, she knows THIS one is important). I then proceed to suffer through two or three horrid under-card fights, that if I’m lucky are complete mismatches and will at the very least end quickly. If I’m not lucky it’s a Zab Judah mismatch that should have ended early, but he once again doesn’t live up to expectation and drags me through the miserable fight for ten or twelve rounds. This is phase filled with anxiousness and a little aggravation..
PHASE 2.1: The under-cards were terrible, but that’s OK, the main event will be so amazing it will make up for everything! I refill my peanut jar, double check the fridge to make sure I have enough BL’s (because the main event will have me on the edge of my seat for at least ten rounds). I answer a few text messages driving home my prediction, letting everyone on the planet know what an amazing boxing mind I have. THE FIGHT: The main event ends as soon as it starts or is a patty cake match for twelve rounds, where on top of everything the decision is a debacle!(obviously there is the diamond in the rough, but so many do end in disappointment).
by eric dimzon
Immediately after Manny Pacquiao’s spectacular win against a much bigger opponent in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather Sr. accused the Filipino boxer of using steroids.
Manny, obviously caught by surprise by the accusation, immediately told Philippines media that he does not know what steroids are - much less what …
LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao believes the biggest potential fight in boxing will never happen because Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants no part of him.
Pacquiao is training in Hollywood for his meeting with Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, but the pound-for-pound champion spared a moment on Thursday to evaluate his chances of fighting Mayweather, the unbeaten pay-per-view king. Although the matchup almost certainly would be a financial bonanza for both fighters, Pacquiao thinks fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Pacquiao said. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to fight.”
Mayweather has been circumspect about his plans for his next bout, saying only that he has never ducked anybody and would consider any opponent. In his comeback bout from a 21-month layoff, Mayweather demolished Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 in a fight that generated more than 1 million pay-per-view buys.
Mayweather’s advisers claim they haven’t ruled out a bout with Pacquiao, likely among the world’s few fighters who could match the American’s speed. But the Filipino champion has surprisingly strong opinions about why it won’t happen.
“Boxing for him is like a business,” Pacquiao said. “He doesn’t care about the people around him watching. He doesn’t care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is finished and he gets (plenty of) money. … I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer.”
You don’t need to hear Rob Peters bellowing out,” IT’S PACQUIAO TIME!!!’, in mid-day at the Wild Card Boxing Club to figure out that Manny Pacquiao has made his way back to his familiar haunts in Hollywood to finish out his final preparations for his November 14Th date against Miguel Cotto. Hours before he steps through those doors, you see the congested gym in the morning hours replete with various fighters( who hope to get their days work in before the facility is shut down for ’the Pac Man’) and the usual array of on-lookers and stragglers who stick around hoping to catch a glimpse of the Filipino icon.
When Pacquiao arrives in Los Angeles for his fights, parking spots at the Wild Card becomes harder to find than on the streets of New York, clients of the gym line up for occupied heavy bags as if they were waiting for their ham-on-rye at a famous deli( the only thing missing it seems, is that they don’t issue you tickets with a number on it), photographers roam the premises as if they were the paparazzi and you have HBO’s ever-expanding crew and their high priced equipment setting up to cover every step that Pacquiao takes inside the gym. Then there are the various stars, celebrities and VIP’s that drop by to see boxing’s biggest international superstar.
fightnews.com
Manny Pacquiao’s flight will arrive tonight (Saturday) one hour earlier than expected. Philippine Airlines Flight 102 will arrive at 6:55 pm at Los Angeles International Airport. Fight fans are invited to come and welcome Pacman at LAX Terminal 4 upon his arrival for his Novemver 14 showdown with Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao selected Baguio — six hours north of Manila by car — as the site of his training camp because he could do road work in the mountains. But the rains made it nearly impossible to run, so instead, HBO has nice shots of him swimming in an indoor pool while it’s storming outside.
Also, according to reports from the Philippines, Pac Man’s entourage has grown, which always makes things entertaining.
Joining us for lunch was HBO’s Ray Stallone, who said that the ratings for 24/7 continue to rise. “Anytime [Floyd] Mayweather is involved, we see a spike in ratings,” said Stallone. “And it’s going up in the 18 to 35 demographic. That’s so heartening. These are our new fans.”
There are a certain generation of people who are forever hooked on boxing because they watched the “Friday Night Fights,” with their dad in the 1950s. Perhaps 24/7 has the same impact. Greenburg hears from all kinds of individuals who watch the series, including a lot of celebrities. One of them, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, will soon have his own 24/7 experience.
Before he stepped into the ring against Antonio Margarito in July 2008, Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto was undefeated and considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
The then-WBA welterweight champion — who will fight current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas — was a powerful and punishing body-puncher, and his handlers were eying a future mega-fight against undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., if they could coax him out of retirement.
But Cotto fans were stunned as Margarito administered an 11-round beating before Cotto’s corner threw in the towel after Cotto, bloodied and battered, twice took a knee in an attempt to slow the Mexican’s onslaught.
Though he has yet to make up his mind about fighting again or not, it is clear the 10th-round stoppage loss he suffered at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Junior still plays on the mind of Ricky Hatton; far more than the even more devastating and much quicker KO loss he suffered at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in his last fight.
Hatton has yet to make a decision as to whether or not the brutal 2nd-round KO will end his fine and exciting pro career, but he has made it clear that if he were to come back, Floyd Mayweather would be his prime target.
In a new interview with BBC radio, Hatton, now a successful promoter, said he’d need some big motivation to want to return to the ring, and that “Money” is one fighter who would give him that motivation.
When the fight was announced the two combatants were coming off markedly different performances. One frighteningly dominant, the other a test of wills that came down to a scant few points on the judges scorecards. One fighter seemed to be leap-frogging the perilous climb to pound-for-pound supremacy while the other seemed to be finding slippery wet patches as he struggled onward and upward. That their ring accomplishments are in fact comparable became a moot point – one was spectacularly exciting, the other as stoic and measured in his ring approach as his manner.
Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, who will meet in the years biggest and most significant bout on November 14th, have so much more in common than their respective fans and critics would contend. And the level of experience and professionalism both men bring to the ring all but guarantees a fistic display of the highest quality.
Boxing trainer and coach Freddie Roach spoke highly of Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners that include Jose Luis Castillo, the former lightweight champion of the world as Team Pacquiao leaves Saturday to continue training at the Wild Card Gym in L.A.
Pacquiao’s trainer and coach Freddie Roach is happy with Pacquiao’s sparring partners and speaks highly of them as Team Pacquiao prepares to leave for Los Angeles, California for the last leg of the Filipino boxer’s training and physical conditioning.
Among Pacquiao’s sparing partners who gets special attention from Roach because of the inputs that he gives to the Filipino boxer’s quest for being the first boxer to win seven titles in seven weight divisions, is Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico, himself a former light weight champion of the world who also spoke highly of Manny Pacquiao.
Castillo is convinced that nobody in the weight range where Pacquiao and Cotto are fighting is capable of beating Pacquiao based on his experience on the first few sparring sessions with the pound for pound king.
By Robert Morales
The Oscar De La Hoya Sweepstakes are over. The Manny Pacquiao Sweepstakes are off and running.
Fighters would do and say just about anything to get De La Hoya in the ring because they knew a fight with him would bring their biggest payday.
De La Hoya has retired and …
“When I was growing up I used to admire Oscar de la Hoya, he was my hero,” Pacquiao explained.
“I also used to like Roy Jones Jnr and Julio Cesar Chavez but Oscar was my number one.
“I was very honoured to actually fight him, that was a real high point for me because of the amount of respect I had for him.”
Although Hatton had built a reputation as a hurtful puncher, Pacquiao said the now-retired “Golden Boy” possessed the edge in power.
“Hatton was strong but he wasn’t like de la Hoya because Oscar was very heavy-handed,” he said.
“Anyway, at this level when anyone hits you it hurts!”
His easy-going demeanour can make you forget that he is one of the most dangerous unarmed men on the planet. Pacquiao doesn’t talk big but his record speaks for itself.
The Asian superstar believes a big part of his continuing success is down to the input of trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.
“Freddie has helped me a lot,” he explained.
“He has shown me a lot of new things and helped me to develop. He is a great trainer and I think he is the best in the world.”
If Shane Mosley is too tough, then how can this fight, especially considering the weight differential, be billed as anything other than a safe comeback bout? It isn’t as if Marquez is a young man moving up from weight class to weight class. Nor can the fact be ignored that in recent years, Marquez, once thought to be a defensive specialist, has been getting hit more and more and getting into war after war. Against Juan Diaz, Marquez looked to be getting blown out early before rallying in the middle rounds and knocking the younger Diaz out. It was a spectacular fight but one that showed vulnerability in Marquez. Perhaps that above all, is the reason this fight is happening. After all, beating the rival of Manny Pacquiao, who hasn’t shown vulnerability as he has moved up to the welterweight division, is a perfect way of setting up what would truly be a super fight between the current consensus number one pound for pound fighter and Mayweather.
Whatever the case, the fight is on and with it the hype train has left the station. A multi-city, international tour is already underway, tickets have gone on sale and will most likely sell out in hours, and HBO’s reality show 24/7 will be back on in full tilt to follow the fighters up to the first bell.
by Ramon Aranda
In Manchester, England, Amir Khan (20-1, 15 KOs) gained a technical decision over ring legend Marco Antonio Barrera after an accidental butt which occured in the 1st round got worse in the 5th. Scores were 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45 for Amir Khan. Even so, Khan appeared too …
By Gareth A Davies
Down and out last September, the victim of Breidis Prescott’s left hook, Khan skips onwards and upwards from here laying to rest the ghosts of the MEN Arena, Manchester, after stopping his victim in five rounds here in front of a home crowd.The Freddie Roach treatment at …
By Mark Harnell
Just seven months after being halted by Breidis Prescott at the MEN Arena, Amir Khan erased the painful memories of that night with a cuts win over Marco Antonio Barrera.
The Mexican was cut high on the forehead from an accidental clash of heads in the first round, …
by SC
The Sky Sports commentators remarked after Amir Khan’s win over Marco Antonio Barrera, “You can’t take the shine off of this win.”
I respectfully disagree.
Do not get me wrong. Amir Khan was a physical mismatch for Marco Antonio Barrera and he dominated all five rounds of action. He absolutely manhandled …
By Steve Kim
This Saturday afternoon, Marco Antonio Barrera faces Amir Khan at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. In what is a familiar storyline that has been repeated ad nauseam in the business, Barrera is the storied old pro (well past his prime) being brought in to face a …
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer takes over the training of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on Monday when trainer Freddie Roach leaves for Britain to be in the corner of lightweight Amir Khan for his battle with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera at the M.E.N Arena in …
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