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 Steve Bien-Aime
The fighters are about to enter the ring. Plenty of Marquez fans in the crowd tonight.
We’ll see how much the weight difference means in a few moments.
Marquez appears very calm getting into the ring.
Mayweather walks to the ring with WWE superstar Triple H. Even in the biggest fight …

www.sportinglife.com
Michael Katsidis outpointed Vicente Escobedo in Las Vegas on Saturday night to take the WBO interim lightweight title.
The all-action Aussie (now 26-2) was simply too strong as he wore down his opponent in the second half of a bruising encounter on the
Mayweather/Marquez undercard at the MGM Grand.
Katsidis had been beaten …

news.smh.com.au
Australia’s Michael Katsidis has won his interim lightweight boxing world title bout at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas.
Katsidis scored a split points decision over American Vicente Escobedo.
Katsidis is now the mandatory challenger to fight World Boxing Organisation lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
Marquez fights former pound for pound champion …

By Andreas Hale and David Hudson at ringside
In a clash for the vacant WBO interim lightweight title, Michael Katsidis (26-2, 21 KOs) pressured Vicente Escobedo (21-2, 13 KOs) for twelve rounds to claim 115-113, 118-110 win on two cards. Escobedo was ahead 116-112 on the third card.
—–
Featherweight Cornelius Lock (19-4-1, …

The majority of fans and media give Pacquiao a better chance to beat Mayweather because your fellow Pinoy has proven himself in the higher weight classes. Marquez has not.

While it’s true that Pacquiao and Marquez were evenly matched in their two fights (I scored both 12-round classics a draw), you have to keep in mind that those fights took place at featherweight and junior lightweight. Since their rematch at 130 pounds, Pacquiao weighed 135, 142 and 138 pounds for his last three fights .

And your boy looked just as sharp (or sharper) fighting at welterweight (vs. De La Hoya) and junior welterweight (vs. Hatton) as he did at the lighter weights. Nobody has ever seen Marquez fight above the lightweight limit, so his effectiveness above 140 pounds is unknown. Most fans and members of the media are skeptical that he will look better at the heavier weight because he struggled in both of his 135-pound bouts. His speed and reflexes appeared slower vs. Joel Casamayor, and he suffered a few rocky moments in his battle with Juan Diaz.

So it’s difficult, even for Marquez fans, to envision a victory over a boxer as smart, fast, and experienced as Mayweather, who has fought at 146 pound or more since late 2005.

Q: On a similar note, Floyd hasn’t fought below the 147 pound limit since he faced Arturo Gatti way back in June of 2005. Is it safe to assume, then, that you do not think he will have any problems with making a lower weight than he has in a long time?

A: No, I don’t. I think he will make the weight good. He’s a very conditioned guy. A lot of guys are now fighting fights where the money is. If it’s a good name match-up with another name, just look at this fight itself, and the fact that you maybe could have Marquez if he can win this fight fighting a (Miguel) Cotto or something, or even look at (Manny) Pacquiao and Cotto. The match-ups right now are being made because of name recognition and people thinking up dream fights, where the weights are just flexible. What I am saying is, some of the guys who are fighting maybe as a welterweight or a junior middleweight sometimes really aren’t that, anyway, and I think Floyd is one of those. Floyd has always been a right 143-144 pounder to me.

Q: Now coming into this fight, should Floyd still be regarded as the pound for pound king in boxing or do you think Manny Pacquiao has rightly surpassed him in that regard?

A: I think Manny has surpassed him. He’s been active. He’s fought top notch guys at their peak and continued it for five years, too, almost which is unbelievable. Where there was questions about Floyd not wanting to fight Margarito at the time, and there was no money he said with Shane Mosley, so he avoided a lot of those real tough fights whereas Manny, whoever they make a match with he just says, “Let’s fight!” I don’t care whether it’s been Barrera, and the fights with Marquez, (Eric) Morales, Ricky Hatton, Oscar (De La Hoya), I mean—he’s earned the right. He is definitely the pound for pound champion as far as I’m concerned, and not just because of activity but the high level of competition he’s continuously fought for five years and performed great in all of those fights.

Hours before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at San Diego’s PETCO Park before the Padres’ baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, reigning Fighter Of The Year, Manny Pacquiao, directed a vocal counter-punch at trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.

“Maybe all of them — they’re using the steroids, and not me,” said Pacquiao, responding to — and hearing for the first time — implications by Floyd Sr. that he might have used steroids.

“You know what? I don’t even know what a steroid is,” said Pacquiao. “I’ve never done that.”

Floyd Mayweather Sr., whose son, Floyd Jr., is an undefeated six-time champion over five weight classes, told Michigan’s Grand Rapids Press “I think they’re pushing Pacquiao too much — even if he’s got ‘roids in his body.”

“If this fight is as good as we hope it will be and the public supports it, as we know they're going to do, then why not have a rematch,” WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto remarked as the ”Fire Power” promotional tour came to an end. Despite his confidence in victory, Cotto is already hinting to his promoter, Bob Arum, that he'd welcome an opportunity for another fight, and more importantly another lucrative purse, with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Smiling from ear to ear, Arum would reply, “You never know. Obviously, if it is a great, great fight with tremendous demand, nothing would please me more than to do a rematch. They could make good money…nothing is stipulated in the contract though.”

Hatton believes he peaked too early for the Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand in May, although he had the measure of Mayweather. Who would win the expected fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao?

“I wouldn’t like to say. The obvious thing to say would be Pacquiao, because he beat me in two rounds. Mayweather is a classy boxer, though. In my training camp for Pacquiao I put my foot on the gas down hard and left my best work in the gym. Maybe a bit overtrained, maybe I peaked too soon.

“I couldn’t have started worse, knocked down twice in the first round. I was winning the second round by until he caught me with that haymaker. With Mayweather it was nip and tuck for about five rounds until he pulled away.

“I think Mayweather would have been a great in any era. I have more respect for Manny, because he’s a gentleman, but I think Floyd might have the edge on him.”

You’ve probably seen black and white photos of the old Yankee Stadium, frozen moments of sports history that speak of another time. Spectators in suits. Lit cigars. A haze of romance under the bright lights. And in some photographs, a boxing ring replaces the infield, two men replace nine. Benny Leonard. Jack Dempsey. Henry Armstrong. Willy Pep. Joe Louis. Sugar Ray Robinson. Rocky Marciano. Muhammad Ali. These boxing icons all showcased their talent at the house that Ruth built. And on these long-ago fight nights, polite pinstripes were absent. Present were two men, torsos exposed, fighting for their reputations and their lives.

On September 10th at the new Yankee Stadium, a fight wasn’t held, but a press conference was. Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao were in New York City hyping their November 14th showdown, which will happen in Las Vegas at the house that MGM built. This mega-fight, between the current pound-for-pound best against one of the toughest, smartest and most resilient fighters in the sport, promises to be a classic. Pacquiao is brutal aggression. Cotto is brutal counter-aggression. It’s a styles-make-fights formula that has fans looking past Marquez/Mayweather.

The usual press conference table, dais in the center, name cards blowing in the Bronx breeze, was set up on the first base side of the field. On the mega-screen in centerfield, clips of past Cotto and Pacquiao fights felt like background noise while the press talked and waited. A whole seating section of fans had come out too, Puerto Rican flags and Yankee caps shouting out allegiances.

Bob Arum entered first, followed by an assortment of suit-and-ties who postured tough despite smooth faces. Then came Freddy Roach and the crowd erupted for one of the premier trainers in the game. Roach was dressed casually, jeans and a green polo shirt, just another press conference to get through before the real work begins.

NEW YORK—”This is going to be my biggest fight. I will train harder than I have ever trained before because Miguel Cotto will be my toughest test as a professional fighter,” boxing champ Manny Pacquiao told the media Thursday, Sept. 10, during the kickoff of the five-city coast-to-coast media tour held at the Yankee Stadium.

This early, promoter Bob Arum is saying that the fight is going to be one for the history books.

“This is epic. This is going to be Manny’s biggest fight ever. Manny is becoming a phenomenon, a folk hero to everyone—Hispanics, Anglos, Filipinos. It is fitting that we are in this ballpark to jumpstart what could very well be the fight of the year, if not of the decade,” Arum told the Asian Journal.

At stake in the fight is Cotto’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title and the first-ever World Boxing Council (WBC) Diamond Belt, which made its debut today at the Yankee Stadium.

By Scott Dryden
Freddie Roach is one of the greatest trainers in the history of boxing. On top of that, he is also one of its biggest personalities and one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. Roach, despite physical ailments, keeps plugging away. He is facing another …

By John Martinez
WBO welterweight champion, Miguel Cotto and the so- called “People’s Champion” Manny Pacquiao are set to square off on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The fight is definitely a must see for fight fans and a must happen for the sport of boxing.
This …

PhilBoxing.com
After announcing their fight at an international public press conference in Yankee Stadium in New York today, Pacquiao and Cotto will proceed on the remainder of the five-city coast-to-coast, two-ocean media tour which will take them to Caguas, Puerto Rico, AT&T Park in San Francisco, Beverly Hills, California, and PETCO …

By Clive Bernath
Regardless of whether you are one of boxing’s top pound for pound superstars or a fledgling prospect taking that all important step up in class, preparation, peace of mind and a harmonious training camp is vital in preserving a fighter’s focus and mindset in the build up to …

By Nick Giongco
IF boxing fans were mesmerized by Manny Pacquiao’s brutal win over Oscar De La Hoya at welterweight, they will be in for a super treat once the Filipino ring icon gets his hands on Ricky Hatton at junior-welterweight.
That’s the belief of Pacquiao’s conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who told …