MANILA, Philippines – Newly crowned World Boxing Association champ Nonito Donaire Jr. has his eyes set on fighting marquee names in the land of the super flyweights.

Donaire arrived in Manila Tuesday morning after winning against the Panamanian Rafael Concepcion via unanimous decision last Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas.

In an ensuing press conference, Donaire hinted at who he wants to challenge next. He said his promoter Bob Arum has spoken about Mexico’s Jorge Arce as next on his list this December.

“I’m willing to fight the best out there. I want to fight Arce first because we are in the same category and weigh 115lbs,” Donaire said. “But I’m looking forward in fighting Fernando Montiel because we have an unfinished business.”

I recently enjoyed a long deserved vacation at a cottage resort in north eastern Ontario where the Trent River and Rice Lake converge. It’s a place where I spent the lion’s share of the weekends and summers of my childhood up through and into my early teens. It’s a place steeped in personal history and having the chance to bring my loved ones up to enjoy that scenic beauty and peacefulness, as well as to have some fun, really brought matters full circle for me in a very tangible way. I’d get up early each morning and bask in the sunlight sitting comfortably on the dock with a steaming cup of coffee, just taking it all in and focusing on nothing in particular. I’d left the stress and worries of my profession behind. Boxing and my duties here at RSR were on hold. It was about having a week of fun, sun, relaxation and good times.

Strangely enough, something that had been occurring to me for several months now kept creeping into my thoughts during those quiet early morning moments. I initially ignored it but by the week’s end I had for the most part finally put it all together, or rather, I allowed myself to acknowledge the feeling I’d had for months, after allowing my thoughts to coalesce. I was no longer actively posting or digesting the thinking of others or the generally accepted consensus. I was using my past experience with this sport and applying it to my opinions and personal convictions. And thus, here we are.

DT – How about Miguel Cotto, on your list?

FM –Sure, but not after the Pacquiao fight. He will lose that fight because he took a beating from Margarito and Clottley. In my book Clottey beat Cotto and if I had been in Clottey’s corner he would have knocked out Cotto. Look for Pacquiao to open up that bad cut he got from Clottey. Cotto just moves straight ahead and that’s the only type fighter that Pacquiao will fight. He can’t fight someone with boxing skills. Morales showed you how to beat him in their first fight; the right hand did the trick.

DT – How do you feel about Shane Mosley?

FM – Yeah on my list but at the bottom. Shane is getting old and my boy or Pacquiao would take him out. Shane is talking up a storm just because he beat Margarito. He won because Margarito didn’t have the bricks in his gloves. Margarito just stupidly stood there and took all that punishment. Shane has some speed left but I still have some bad thoughts about him.

By Rocco Morales
WBO world featherweight champion Steven Luevano (37-1-1, 15 KOs) retained his title by disqualification when WBO #1 contender Bernabe Concepcion (29-2-1, 17 KOs) hit him sfter the bell to end round seven. Concepcion surprisingly applied little pressure allowing Luevano to control the pace and do what he does …

There will most likely never be another Manny Pacquiao. He is at once considered the Filipino version of Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth and the Beatles. Guys like him, as Larry Merchant might say, don’t just grow out of the rice patties. They come along every other generation- if you’re lucky. But it’s not as if the now-legendary ‘Pac Man’ is the first noted boxer from this region, men like Flash Elorde and Pancho Villa were standouts long ago and in more recent times men like Luisito Espinosa and Gerry Penalosa had accomplished careers.

But Pacquiao has more than just starred in the ring, he has spawned a marketplace for boxing in a country that has a population of over 90 million. The likes of Pacquiao may never be seen again, but rest assured that from this point on that there will be a steady stream of world-class fighters that will come from their islands for years to come.

Which is why Top Rank created ‘Pinoy Power’, which has it’s second edition this Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas starring Nonito Donaire, who faces Rafael Concepcion for the Interim WBA super flyweight title.

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao’s conditioning guru Alex Ariza who helped Pacquiao get into the best shape of his career as evidenced in his devastating performances against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton says Miguel Cotto’s conditioning expert Phil Landman “is the real deal.”
Landman …

The highest-ranking of the four newcomers to the list is boxer Manny Pacquiao who earned $40 million over the last year, tied for the sixth most. Pacquiao cemented his claim as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter with convincing knockouts of Oscar De La Hoya in December and Ricky Hatton in May. The two blockbuster fights garnered more than 2 million pay-per-view buys in the U.S. and earned Pac-Man $30 million combined.

Pacquiao’s massive popularity in his native Philippines is why companies like Nike and San Miguel beer have signed him to endorse their products. Pacquiao intends to use that popularity to run for political office when his ring career is over.

Our 20 highest earners have a very international flavor with Pacquiao one of eight non-Americans on the list. Finnish Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen earned $45 million over the past year, tied for second on our list with hoop legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Right behind that trio is global icon David Beckham who earned $42 million playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, while schilling for Adidas ( ADDDY.PK - news - people ), Giorgio Armani and Motorola ( MOT - news - people ).

BoxingScene.com spoke with trainer Freddie Roach about the controversy surrounding Miguel Cotto’s willingness to defend the WBO welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao on November 14. Cotto has publicly refused to defend the title because the Pacquiao fight is being contested at a catch-weight of 145-pounds. If Pacquiao agrees to bump the weight by two-pounds [full welterweight limit of 147], Cotto will put the title on the line.

The WBO has been pushing for Cotto to defend the title. It’s easy for the WBO to push when Cotto has to pay them a six-figure sanctioning fee. Roach is not losing any sleep over Cotto’s refusal to defend the title. He doesn’t see any of this as a big problem. Even if the WBO puts pressure on Cotto, and the title is vacated, Roach is confident the title will be at stake on fight night.

“If [Cotto] gives it up, I think the WBO will make Manny the number one. We’ll pay the sanctioning fee and the title will be on the line. That’s what I think will happen. I haven’t spoken to Manny [about it] but if it was me, I would ask for the title to be on the line. I think regardless of what Cotto says, the title will be on the line,” Roach told BoxingScene.

It has been three months since Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) lost inside two rounds to Manny Pacquiao at the MGM in Las Vegas. Until now, the 30-year-old former IBF, WBA and IBO light welterweight and WBA welterweight champion has been tight lipped about his boxing future and discussion about the devastating loss to Pacquiao in May. He has shunned all media requests for interview and discussion about his boxing future but today in the UK gave his fans some insight into his thoughts about the Pacquiao fight and his future with a full length interview on Sky Sports News. He stated, “There has been so much written about me in recent weeks that has been untrue that I thought it was about time I started doing some interviews and clearing up the issues I am reading about on a daily basis.”

By Benjie Varella
Floyd Mayweather Jr. who wanted to be called the “Money” still talks trash on the current pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Floyd believes that he still is the king in boxing and that Manny Pacquiao is no match for him. The former pound-for-pound king also stressed that he …

eastsideboxing.com
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (July 29, 2009) — There were moments of calm and reflection on what was supposed to be a very festive press conference Wednesday as the principals for Saturday night’s huge World Boxing Organization (WBO) 140-pound title fight passed on thoughts and prayers to the families of Vernon …

By Andrew Harrison
After powering through the monstrous obstacle that was Tony Margarito in January, Sugar Shane naturally assumed that in rekindling his old magic, he’d once again earned himself a seat at the fight game’s top table.
‘I wanna fight the big welterweight mega fights’ Mosley said at the post …

By David Anderson
Ricky Hatton claims he would only fight Amir Khan if he could promote the showdown.
The ‘Hitman’ endured a bitter split from Khan’s promoter Frank Warren four years ago.
And Hatton, who is still pondering his future following his KO by Manny Pacquiao, claims any Battle of Britain with Khan …

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.

Muhammad Ali used to ask a rhetorical question about daring to be great. And what he meant was a boxer has to put everything at risk – his health, his title, and the chance to make the big money. In exchange, by taking on the best competition around, that fighter gains respect. When Ali came out of his three year exile, in his third fight he fought Joe Frazier, taking an enormous beating, almost being knocked out in the eleventh and fifteenth rounds, and losing a decision. But he was finally appreciated as a great fighter because even though he lost, he was game throughout the fight – soon after, Budd Schulberg entitled an Ali biography “Loser and Still Champion.” Ali arguably gained more from that loss than from any win.

And that’s how the pound-for- pound works. Everybody on that list, to a greater or lesser extent has dared to be great and has achieved or approached it – win or lose. That is something the heavyweights should keep in mind. But these days heavyweight champions and contenders both are manufactured by fighting retired ex-contenders and ex-champions and by the wishful thinking of a boxing media anxious for the next great American heavyweight.

By Michael Woods
He is not the sort who when he is not assigned to an event, chooses to steer clear of all things fistic. Larry Merchant didn’t work the Juan Manuel Marquez/Juan Diaz HBO Championship Boxing card in Texas on Saturday, but he did watch that thriller, and the entertaining …

By Dan Rafael
Pardon Oscar De La Hoya if he just doesn’t know what to do. The 10-time titleholder across six weight divisions is really struggling right now.
Should he stay?
Or should he go?
It has been three months since he took the beating of his life, an eighth-round TKO loss to Manny …