“I want it to be known that I want to fight Pacquiao and I want to fight him now,” Mosley said. “I’m willing to meet at a catch weight to make that happen. I know this is what [Pacquiao trainer] Freddie Roach wants as well, as he has previously stated this to press. I am the best fighter in boxing and I am ready to reclaim the title of No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.”
Mosley didn’t make it clear how low he would be willing to drop, but you have to figure he would need to make at least 144 pounds. Mosley weighed 146 for a few welterweight fights, but hasn’t been lower than that since 1999, when he made his last lightweight title defense at 135 pounds.
If you ask me, I’d love to see Mosley get Mayweather. I’ve wanted to see that fight since back in the day, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion in the late 1990s. But I also really want to see Pacquiao-Mayweather, which is easily the biggest fight boxing has to offer. It would match the pound-for-pound king (Pacquiao) against the guy who gave it up by retiring but never lost it in the ring (Mayweather). I hope that fight happens and that Mosley is waiting for the winner.
“I want it to be known that I want to fight Pacquiao and I want to fight him now,” Mosley told the AFP. “I’m willing to meet at a catch weight to make that happen.
“I know this is what Freddie Roach wants as well. I am the best fighter in boxing and I am ready to reclaim the title of No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.”
Roach has said the weight could be 143 or 144 pounds. Mosley, 37, has not fought below 146 since 1999 and has fought as high as 154.
“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.”
Pacquiao’s mentor Freddie Roach has stated several times that the de la Hoya fight at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds was a one-time excursion and that henceforth Pacquiao will be fighting at the junior-welterweight limit of 140 pounds. Roach also said that if any of the fighters residing at welterweight and above wants to tango with Pacquiao then they must boil down to 142 lbs. for the fight to happen. There are many who decry this demand as Pacquiao just trying to get an unfair advantage. On closer examination, however, this is just an attempt by Roach to level the playing field for Pacquiao on the premise that making weight would weaken Mosley and Cotto a bit. Though Pacquiao fought de la Hoya at 147 lbs. he weighed in for that fight at an official weight of 142 lbs. which was the highest weigh-in weight of his career. For his fight with Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao weighed in at 138 lbs. So the contention that Pacquiao should fight Mosley and Cotto at the welterweight limit of 147 since he fought de la Hoya at 147 holds no water. For the record, Pacquiao has never fought as a welterweight his whole career. His highest official weight was 142 lbs., which is closer to junior welterweight than welterweight.
On the other hand, Mosley and Cotto are too big for Pacquiao. While Pacquiao’s highest fighting weight was 148 ½ lbs. Cotto and Mosley balloon to more than 160 lbs. come fight night. Cotto is 5’7” and has been fighting as a welterweight since December 2006 while Mosley is 5’9” and has a reach of 74 inches and has been fighting as a welterweight and Junior middleweight since September 1999.
Miguel Cotto had a conference call with reporters today. And while it was just Miguel Cotto on the call, the presence of Manny Pacquiao was a constant. Reporters asked Cotto in a variety of ways whether or not he would fight Pacquiao. Cotto wasn’t biting, continually stating he is focused on his next opponent, Joshua Clottey. (Which is not an easy fight, by the way.)
If it should happen, a Pacquiao-Cotto fight would be a fantastic action fight, while Mayweather Jr., the man most people expect Pac Man to fight next, generally engages in dull fights.
All Cotto would say about Pacquiao, when asked about the Hatton fight, was this: “It was a very strong moment for Pacquiao.”
“Floyd, quit running. Stop running. Stop saying that, oh, you know, I’m not a pay-per-view attraction, or this or that,” Mosley said in a recent television interview. “I’ve been fighting longer than you. I’ve been making money longer than you. That’s probably why you’re coming back to the sport right now is because you need money, you lost your money, now you had to come back and get some more money.
“We can make money together, alright? So let’s do it,” he added.
Mayweather has said he will fight all top opponents during his return.
Pacquiao told them that Thai boxers are as talented as their Filipino counterparts and said he planned to recruit Thai boxers to join his MP Promotions which currently handles some talented Filipino fighters who get the breaks in the US because of Pacquiao.
Thai reporters teased Pacquiao by requesting him to sing while he had a hearty laugh when asked whether he could lend the Thai government some money to tide over its budgetary problems.
Pacquiao reportedly made a lasting impression on the Thai media who said he was “cheerful and smiling throughout” the press conference.
In an airport conversation with us, Pacquiao said he was grateful to the Thai Prime Minister and the other officials in Thailand as well as the media "for a great reception."
A lot of names have surfaced, itching to have a date with Pacquiao inside the squared circle. Probably the matchups that are likely to happen are bouts with welterweight champions Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley. Pacquiao´s trainer Freddie Roach has already expressed their camp´s desire to fight either guy at a catch weight between 143 and 144.
There are other boxers who want a shot at Pacquiao but as for the time being, these two are the ones that make sense. The reason is that both fighters hold welterweight belts and a win over either one of them will give Pacquiao his sixth (or seventh) division championship, tying or possibly surpassing Oscar Dela Hoya´s record of six division championships. For Cotto and Mosley, a win against Pacquiao will raise their status to higher heights.
Popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao wants to fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr. if he wins over Juan Manuel Marquez in their fight scheduled for July 18th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao thinks that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will emerge as winner over Juan Manuel Marquez in their July 18th fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather has a lot of advantages. He is faster than Marquez and should be able to win, he said.
The good news is Pacquiao’s next fight is currently pencilled in for October 17th, most likely in Las Vegas. And hopefully this time, as much as we enjoy seeing spectacular knockouts, the action will last a little longer!
Reading the various chatter on the net, there are four or five names being spoken of as possibilities for Pacquiao’s October foe. There’s the winner of the July 18th clash between the returning Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez, there’s “Sugar” Shane Mosley, there’s Julio Cesar Chavez Junior, and, as an outside chance, seeing as how Pacquiao has said he has no real interest in facing him, there is Miguel Cotto. Either fight, begging the pardon of Chavez Junior, would be as good as can be expected in the quality match-up stakes.
Of course, there is the possibility Pacquiao will opt to take on another fighter entirely, but there’s a reasonable chance the 30-year-old, now all-time great, will face one of the names listed above. We all know who we WANT it to be - the Mayweather-Marquez winner. But that doesn’t mean it will happen. Not yet, anyway. if “Money” does as expected and wins on July 18th, he and Pacquiao will surely meet down the road, but it may not be until next year some time.
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao has received a hero’s welcome in the Thai capital of Bangkok during a whirlwind trip.
Veteran Bangkok Post columnist Edward Tangarajah told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports the reception Pacquiao received was amazing. He said the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound king met …
Few cases in point: Michael Spinks spiraled from being a World Champion all the way down to baby-sitting his brother during weekend visitations in just one fight with Tyson. Who can forget Ken North eating a series of Gerry Cooney head-shots while relaxing on the bottom rope before becoming relegated to spectator status? Although Joe Frazier did fight once more (to a draw) after Big George Foreman nearly decapitated him in the 5th round of their Kingston, Jamaica match for the WBC and WBA titles, he should’ve remained at home after the hammering. The list goes on ….
Bottom line is this - sometimes- not always - but sometimes when hard-hitting bangers get put in their tracks with a single shot to the head, it means their time is up. Something usually weakens in their mannerism, their arsenal, their game. Fighters have huge egos and there is nothing more real-life than a one-punch-knockout to send a strong warrior plummeting down to earth with us mere mortals.
MANILA, Philippines – The fight remains a dream showdown for now but trainer Freddie Roach already has an idea how his ward Manny Pacquiao will approach and break down Floyd Mayweather Jr if ever they climb the ring together.
“Floyd’s shoulder roll wouldn’t work against Manny,” Roach said when he guested recently on ESPN. “If he wants to lay on the rope, we’d love that. Manny will go to his body and Floyd will be broken down.”
Clamor for a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather bout remains high as ring aficionados want to see who will prevail in a battle between two pound-for-pound top guns.
Pacquiao has been the consensus P4P king since the unbeaten Mayweather retired a year and a half ago. Early this month, Mayweather announced his return to boxing, facing Pacquiao’s old rival Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 and claiming he’s still the No. 1 fighter in the planet and the sport’s top draw.
>"In the last five years, you would look at the results and say Marquez. He has fought better fighters, Pacquiao twice, Diaz. Who in the hell is Carlos Baldomir? Zab Judah? Past his prime Oscar and only wins by one point?
"I think Mayweather’s hand speed is faster but he only throws one punch at a time. Marquez throws punches in the proverbial bunches. I think that’s going to be an interesting factor to see if Floyd can deal with it. He can’t put himself on the ropes like he did with Hatton. He knew he could just counter him in between.
"Mayweather’s gotta come down to 144, is it easier to come up or go down? Oscar drained himself against Pacquiao, Antonio Tarver couldn’t make it coming after Rocky. It gets tough and he has no body fat so where does it come from? It comes from muscle. When you have a lot of imponderables, you have a great fight."
He knows he is looking to restore the reputation of a fighting nation that has given birth to the likes of Salvador Sanchez, Ricardo Lopez, Carlos Zarate, Julio Cesar Chavez and more recently, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
“It’s a great responsibility for me, because Mexican people love boxing and they will all be watching this fight,” he told skysports.com.
“They are very excited, so it’s a great opportunity for me and for all the Mexicans - around the world - supporting me. And all the people watching me.”
It is a thought that does not faze the 35-year-old three-weight world champion in the slightest.
The most avoided boxer in the world, Paul Williams, looks to have left the welterweight division for good. Unable to secure paydays at 147, Williams is not campaigning at 154 and 160. The only other currently rated top 10 welterweights in the world by Ring Magazine are Isaac Hlatsway from South Africa and Vyacheslav Senchenko from the Ukraine. Those guys maybe talented fighters, but they wouldn’t exactly be big paydays for Mosley and neither of them actually deserve a title shot at this point in their careers.
So Shane Mosley will just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully, things will just sort themselves out soon, because one of the best welterweights in the world and arguably the top dog at 147 should not be left out in the cold in what appears to be the deepest division in the sport. Let’s hope we see Shane in a big fight again soon, because boxing is better when its best stars are in the ring.
Mosley was dismissed as a future opponent because he has “five losses” and is “not a pay-per-view attraction,” according to Mayweather.
Mayweather’s disrespect was enough to make the normally affable and reserved Mosley fire back.
“Floyd’s delusional,” Mosley said from his home in La Verne, California on Friday. “He talks about his pay-per-view numbers but everyone knows that it was Ricky (Hatton) and Oscar (De La Hoya) who brought in the fans and sold those pay-per-view buys. Before he fought De La Hoya his numbers were so disappointing HBO didn’t want him to fight on pay-per-view anymore.
“The fights with Oscar and Ricky, and the 24/7’s he did on HBO before those fights, got his name out there but I don’t think it made him more popular with boxing fans. I don’t think he’ll ever be as popular as he thinks he is until he really fights the best.”
Early in his career, when he campaigned in the 130- and 135-pound divisions, Mayweather did fight the best. He beat the likes of Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, and Jose Luis Castillo displaying once-in-a-lifetime talent and athletic gifts that were on par with Mosley’s abilities at lightweight.
Somewhere during his transition from lightweight to junior welterweight and welterweight in the middle part of the decade, Mayweather’s focus shifted from proving his potential greatness to protecting his undefeated record and making as much money as possible.
It can be argued that it worked out for him, as he made a small fortune fighting Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in 2007, but it’s a damn shame.
Imagine the welterweight round robin that could have taken place over the last four years if Mayweather shared Mosley’s mettle.
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.
After the Mayweather-Marquez fight scheduled for July 18th, boxing fans from around the world are looking forward to the ultimate fight of the year. That would be the Pacquiao-Mayweather match and that would happen only if Mayweather wins over Marquez
Boxing fans predict that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will win against popular Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez in their upcoming fight scheduled for July 18th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If this prediction turns out right, the much anticipated fight between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will most likely happen before the end of the year.
Is Edwin Valero a contender? That is definitely a yes. Beating Pitalua proved that , but the elite of the division could shatter his dreams. Him and his fans are calling out Pacquiao. This is probably a call he wants to hang up on before it goes through. One reason this fight wont happen is because Valero is not a name here in America. He has just been cleared to fight in certain states following a head injury several years ago. That means he can’t fill Manny’s wallet the way some other boxers can. The second reason is that Valero is just not ready for Pacquiao right now. Until he improves his defense Valero would be an easy target. His fans would say that he could go toe to toe with Manny , that would be an easy fight to call…Pacquiao winning by ko in 1.
As of now Edwin Valero is definitely a contender for a lightweight belt , but until he fights more of the big names he will be considered a pretender to the pound for pound throne.
In an interesting interview conducted by Sky Sports with Ricky Hatton’s assistant trainer, Lee Beard believes Mayweather Sr. will still be part of team Hatton. There has been plenty of speculation that after suffering a second round knock-out to Manny Pacquiao, that Hatton would drop his head trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Beard tells SkySports that should Hatton return to the ring, he believes Hatton will keep Mayweather Sr. as his trainer. “Yes I think he (Ricky) would bring Floyd Sr back,” Beard told skysports.com. “I don’t see why he shouldn’t do,”stated Beard.
Beard added: “I don’t think Ricky needs to return to be honest with you but there’s no reason why Floyd couldn’t be in charge as the head trainer again.”.
The Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez hype show rolled into London yesterday, and as usual 32-year-old “Money” Mayweather had plenty to say. Speaking primarily about two fighters, in Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton - the former being a potential rival for the future, the latter being a conquered foe - Mayweather had some interesting stuff to say.
Floyd knows only too well the majority of fans worldwide want him to meet up with the man who took over his spot at the top of the pound-for-pound pile, and the 39-0(25) master said yesterday that if and when he and the Filipino superstar do meet he will beat him.
“If the Pacquiao fight presents itself after this one [Vs. Marquez], then I’ll lay the blueprint on how to beat him,” Mayweather said yesterday.. “Pacquiao’s a good fighter but he can be got. He was knocked out twice before and I’m a slick, smart boxer. I would tie him up. There’s a science to this game and I could adapt to any style. Pacquiao was out-boxed by Erik Morales.”
Pacquiao may well have been stopped twice before, but on both occasions the southpaw was still very much a work in progress and fighting in a much lower weight class. Mayweather is right when he says “Pac-Man” was out-boxed by Morales, though. Clearly that fight makes the unbeaten great believe he can do the same thing to Manny. It would be an entirely different fight though. Let’s hope we do get to see it. At least Mayweather is talking about the possibility.
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