By Krista Angela M. Montealegre
Filipino fans, boxing experts and even superstar Manny Pacquiao are urging Gerry Peñalosa to retire, but the boxer nicknamed “Fearless” will not hang his gloves just yet.
After the younger Juan Manuel Lopez handed him what could be the worst beating of his 20-year career for …

Despite recent reports that he's only interested in facing Floyd Mayweather Jr., it appears Manny Pacquiao will play the waiting game before dismissing all other options for his next fight. Although his next bout is already set for October 17th, he has yet to decide who will be the lucky winner of the PacMan Sweeptakes and it looks like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and others are all still in the running. Of course, that being said, it should already be clear who the winner will be.

These talks have been heating up for a while and confirmation of the reports lead many to wonder how much longer will the current pound-for-pound champ stay in the drivers seat?

A Mosley/Pacquiao fight would be the best fight to be made for the simple fact that Floyd will make it a strategical showdown, and Cotto would add an element of intrigue, but Mosley and Manny are two fighters that fight every second of every round and would be in an all out war from bell one to bell rung! Definitely a fitting way to put it because I don’t see that fight going the distance.

With many options already on the table, there seems to be yet another now that has spoken loud and clear, making it even easier considering that he’s the only of the three willing to go down to 143lbs.

Usually in boxing, common sense comes to the fore in the end, when all parties concerned realise that the fight has to happen due to the sheer size of the event and of the money to be made from it. Let’s hope this turns out to be the case with Pacquiao-Mayweather just as it was with Hatton-Pacquiao - another fight that looked to be off for a while due to disagreements over the monetary share the two fighters were to be paid. In the end, both sides came to their senses, but in an interview today with The Philippine Star, Arum made it clear Mayweather and his team will have to make a big concession if the fight we all want to see is actually made.

“You can tell Floyd Mayweather that Bob Arum says he’s delusional,” Arum said. “Floyd is not the attraction. Manny is the attraction. Floyd’s got no idea what he’s talking about. Floyd must be hallucinating when he said he wants the bigger purse and wouldn’t agree to a 50/50 split. Even a 50/50 split with Floyd Mayweather is nonsense.”

Manny Pacquiao is planning to be ringside in London on June 27 to cheer o his training partner Amir Khan when he challenges for the WBA light-welterweight title. Khan is presently training with Freddie Roach in Hollywood, but says Pacquiao, who knocked out Ricky Hatton last month, has said that he want to see Khan take on Andreas Kotelnik.

“Manny is back in the Philippines at the moment, but he’s said that he would like to come to the fight, and we’ll look after him,” Khan said. “It will be good to have him there.”

Miguel Cotto insists he will have too much for Joshua Clottey on June 13, a fight that will be shown live on Setanta Sports.

To watch this fight plus, of course, the hotly-anticipated David Haye-Wladimir Klitschko bout the following week, sign up to Setanta by clicking here.

Cotto has been linked with massive fights against Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather but in the Ghanaian he faces a tough opponent.

The two-weight champion is confident as long as he is on his game, there is no chance of Clottey leaving Madison Square Garden with the WBO welterweight title though.

“I feel that Manny Pacquiao’s big enough and should be strong enough for me and him to have a good fight,” said the 37-year-old, 5-foot-9 Mosley, a former world junior middleweight champion.

“Pacquiao was the only one that said yes, he would actually fight me, and I commend him for that. That’s how tough fighters should do.”

Mosley said he won’t be like the now-retired De La Hoya, who dodged criticisms about a supposed mismatch on his favor prior to his fight with Pacquiao in December last year in Las Vegas.

“The pound-for-pound guy is Pacquiao, so that’s my number one choice,” said Mosley. “I think about the future and accomplish my goal. My goal is to be the pound-for-pound No.1 fighter.”

By Robert Cassidy
To this corner, Manny Pacquiao is in the driver’s seat. He’s on top, he should dictate terms. He is wildly popular at home and in the States. If he fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Sugar Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto, it’s big business.
Let’s try to make some sense …

“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."