By Gabriel Montoya

Good Monday, fight fans. We have takes on the Mayweather/Marquez, Rocky Juarez, a potential Shane Mosley/Mayweather showdown and more. Plus, Montoya’s Weekend Fight Pick Results. Enjoy.
EASY WORK
Well Gabe,
That was pretty easy work, it looked like Floyd was sparring. In the fight I saw size did not …

By Dave “Large” Larzelere
We are fickle people, us boxing heads, and now, having worshipped at the altar of Manny Pacquiao for most of the year, we find ourselves in a place that few anticipated. I certainly did not. I went into the Mayweather/Marquez fight confident that Floyd would win …

By Randall Parker
BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES - While doing his road work in Baguio City, north of Manila, Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao heard yells from well-wishers, “You can easily beat Cotto!”
After seeing him in his first workout, Freddy Roach was very impressed with “Pac Man’s” form. Roach stated, “He was …

It’s no mystery among avid boxing circles and fans alike that since Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s recent return to the fight scene and his subsequent defeat of Juan Manuel Marquez that the fight that everyone wants to see is Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao. With this said, it seems only fair to back off a little and pause somewhat before we all jump the gun on our next criticisms of Mayweather (which we all know are coming), no matter how he performs in the proposed bout if it even happens.

I say this because no matter who Mayweather fights he gets criticized. They’re smaller opponents, or he hand picks who he fights. Or the theory of how he ducks everyone and refuses to fight true challenges. Typically the people making these statements have never fought, let alone attempted to train as hard and diligently as Floyd Mayweather Jr. has during his career because if they had then they wouldn’t let such garbage leak from their mouths on a routine basis. Say what you must and continue to pick him apart, but it is your disdain for the man and his skills and talent in the ring that make you despise him, not the caliber of his opposition. That is just a smoke screen and excuse to hide the true underlying reasoning for not giving the man his props.

abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA – Freddie Roach got down to business immediately after arriving in the “City of Pines” on Tuesday with strength trainer Alex Ariza.
Roach and Ariza wasted no time in getting Manny Pacquiao ready for his fight against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las …

Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao began his training camp feeling upbeat about their stay here in Baguio City, the Philippines “Summer Capital” located approximately 250 kilometers north of Manila. Pacquiao did six rounds of punch mitts, three rounds of shadow boxing and some more time hitting the speed ball and skipping rope witnessed by a rather controlled observers composed mostly of local media and Manila-based networks. The training, held at the Shape-Up Gym located inside the Cooyeesan Hotel along Naguillan Road lasted for a little over two hours.

Pacquiao and Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez later on admitted that regaining their timing and stamina will be a concern in the next few days.

“Its normal for him to be a bit sluggish but his power and speed is still there,” said Fernandez.

Pacquiao is preparing for his 12-round world welterweight title fight against defending champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By Frank Lotierzo
Maybe if Miguel Cotto wasn’t making a small fortune for his upcoming fight with Manny Pacquiao, he might try and pull a Floyd Mayweather and come in two pounds over the contracted weight. The problem is he can’t take a chance on possibly imploding a fight he’s …

cityam.com
BRITISH former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton has given his biggest hint yet that he will return to the ring.
The Manchester-born fight has been considering retirement since his savage second-round knockout defeat to six-weight title-holder Manny Pacquiao in May.
Hatton is currently working as a promoter for his own company, …

Las Vegas - Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says it will take some time to negotiate a best-seller fight between reigning world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Arum told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Pacquiao wanted one more fight after his “Fire Power” showdown against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in their showdown at the MGM Grand here in Las Vegas on November 14 before the May 2010 elections where he plans to run for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani.

“I’m hoping that the best will fight the best. That’s what the sport of boxing needs. I’m the number one welterweight champion right now. Nobody can dispute that. I’m the type who wants to fight everybody. I’m tired of people thinking Floyd’s the best, or Pacquiao’s the best.

“Floyd has a big ego. If you want to be the best, if you want to be considered the best, you can’t just say, oh I’m the best and have the crowd say oh yeah sure Floyd you’re the best. You have to get in there and prove it. He knows that, he knows it in his heart, that he has to come in the ring and fight me to be the best. Now when he actually does that, that’s the difference. Maybe he’s trying to wait until I’m 40 years old, I don’t know.”

“There’s enough money in the pot for everybody to make this fight. I want the fans to know who the real champion is. I’m the real champion. I’m the pound-for-pound best.”

“We’d match equally in speed. I have more power than him. I’m more aggressive, I want to fight, he wants to box a little more. He can definitely fight, he’s a great fighter. I like his style, I like what he does. He’s very sharp, fast, he has all the abilities. It’s the making of the next Sugar Ray Leonard/Tommy Hearns type of fight. This is the type of fight this is. This is what the fans, what the world wants to see. This is the fight that will save boxing.”

Mayweather selected Marquez as his comeback opponent because he knew the Mexican star couldn’t give him a fight, not two weight classes above his natural weight.

Fighters always weigh risk against reward; that’s part of the business. However, without any risk -– which was the case more or less on Saturday –- a fight isn’t compelling. This is why there was relatively little buzz about this promotion and why the promoters had trouble selling tickets. Knowledgeable boxing fans knew this wasn’t a good matchup.

Mayweather could give his reputation a boost by fighting Manny Pacquiao, assuming Pacquiao beats Cotto on Nov. 14. Pacquiao might not do much better than Marquez did but the perception would be that he can, which would create excitement.

And those who push him to accept meaningful challenges would get off his back if chooses to fight the man who confronted him in the ring after the final bell Saturday night, Shane Mosley, one of the few fighters who can match him in speed and boxing ability.

By Paula Duffy
If you want to believe that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has thrown the gauntlet down for the king in waiting, Manny Pacquiao you certainly can.
A masterful, dominating 12-round boxing performance on Saturday night in Las Vegas against Juan Manuel Marquez would be your evidence.
But Mayweather hand-picked his opponent, a …

Juan Marquez was also interviewed after the fight and his main concern was the size and speed of Mayweather which he could not address. He commented that a couple of fights more in the welterweight division, he would have done better. Marquez fought with honor for his countrymen, part of that honor is he was able to fight the whole fight and Mayweather could not KO him if his life counted on it.

So there you have it folks, this was a classic Mayweather and lives up to its billing that Floyd jr is better than ever when it comes to cherry picking his opponents. And now since Mayweather is in the middleweights, he’s on Manny Pacquaio’s uncharted weight category which makes the fight negotiations between the two boxers difficult than ever without a reasonable catch weight that Mayweather can strictly follow.

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.”