Friday, December 25, 2009

Report: Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Won't Reach Agreement Before Deadline

The latest chapter in the will-they-or-won't-they saga surrounding the proposed megabout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is swaying far toward the side that says they won't.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told SI.com that the two sides are at an "impasse" and are unlikely to resolve their conflict before the Arum-imposed Thursday deadline.

The issues stem from a disagreement over drug testing. Mayweather wants Olympic-style blood testing, while Pacquiao is unwilling to be randomly tested in days close to the fight. Pacquiao's side said he would agree to be blood tested after the fight, but not in the days leading up to it. Arum said that Pacquiao would be OK with being blood tested three times: in January, 30 days before the fight and then immediately after the fight.

"Floyd, to me, is a coward and he’s always been a coward," Arum told the Grand Rapids Press. "Not a physical coward, but a coward because he’s afraid to face somebody who could beat him. And believe me, Manny Pacquiao could beat him. So he’ll go his way, we’ll go our way, and that’ll be fine."

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, stressed that the testing is desired solely so that the fighters are on a level playing field.

"It's important [to Mayweather] that we have these blood tests," Schaefer told SI.com. "HGH [human growth hormone] cannot be detected in urine tests. New types of EPO are only detectable by blood tests. This is not about embarrassing anybody or Mayweather trying to get out of this fight. If Mayweather wanted out, there were plenty of other chances for him to do it. This is about being fair."

Whether the whole ordeal is simply for promotion or whether the fight really is in serious jeopardy, the boxing world waits with bated breath.

source

Manny Pacquiao Could Become Boxing’s Answer to Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire

WBO World Welterweight champion and IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight titlist Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao was scheduled to fight undefeated “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Predictably, because boxing has historically relished disappointing its fans, the glamorous matchup is now in jeopardy because Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) has refused to comply with Mayweather’s request to undergo Olympic style drug tests both before and after the fight.

“Let’s be very clear on the real issues we differ on. It’s not about being tested,” Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum claimed. “Manny is on board with that since it’s such a major concern of Floyd Mayweather Jr. It’s about who does the testing and the scheduling of the procedures.”

Arum continued to ridiculously defend Pacquiao, who is rated by Ring Magazine as the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

“Manny will submit to as many random urine tests requested,” Arum said.

“Regarding the blood tests, he will subject himself to three tests—one given in January during the week the fight is formally announced, one 30 days from the fight, no later than February 13, and the final one immediately following the fight, in Manny’s locker room.

The major issue related to the testing rests with which independent agency will administer these tests. The United States Anti-Doping Agency cannot do it because they will not amend its procedures to accommodate the blood testing schedule we have outlined. USADA, under its guidelines, would have the right to administer random blood tests as many times as they want up to weigh-in day and that is ludicrous.”

According to a Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, Pacquiao has clearly proved himself to be a juicehead by declining to partake in the Olympics methods for drug testing.

“The reason why they don’t want to do it is because obviously there is something to hide,” Ellerbe said.

“You’re not going to dictate to an organization like the USADA, which has tested the elite athletes of the world, on how their testing is conducted. Arum is talking about their fighters like they are going to have a blood transfusion. We’re talking about a tablespoon of blood. We’re talking about a tablespoon.

This is the same representation of Manny Pacquiao that says he’s superstitious and doesn’t like needles and then you look all over his body and he has tattoos. So, which one is it? If there’s nothing to hide then what is the problem?”

Ellerbe justifiably persisted to question Pacquiao and his entire team for their suspicious behaviors.

“Boxing has an opportunity and a platform with the whole world watching to say we have a clean sport. What better opportunity than with the top two guys in the sport stepping up to make this happen?”

Like a yellow clown pocket reeking of deceit, Arum insanely maintained that one of Pacquiao’s major concerns is the irrational belief that extensive testing would create bad luck.

“You gotta understand,” Arum rambled. “I’m dealing with a Filipino fighter who is superstitious and I have to tell him they (USADA) have the power to come into his dressing room before the fight and take his blood. Any time means any time. They would put nothing in writing as to any schedule.”

Comically, it is apparent that both Arum and Pacquiao do not comprehend that the words “random testing” and “schedule” are not intended to be correlated with each other.

“Pretty Boy’s” father, Floyd Mayweather, Sr. initially suspected that “Pac-Man” abused performance enhancing substances earlier in the year and he stated that he would advise his son to sidestep a fight versus Pacquiao.

“I don’t think little Floyd should fight Pacquiao,” said Mayweather Sr., a flamboyant dresser who is known to don brazenly colorful outfits likely designed for pimps.

“I know Floyd is the best,” continued Mayweather Sr., a convicted cocaine smuggler and trafficker. “But when your opponent uses something illegal, even the best can get hurt.”

“Pretty Boy” has long been criticized for avoiding the most challenging opponents.

But, in this instance, Mayweather, 32, has readily agreed to fight Pacquiao, 31, for an even split of $50 million.

As recently as November, Pacquiao, the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions, publicly doubted that Mayweather would ever scrap him.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Pacquiao said about the enormously lucrative battle with the man www.espn.com ranked No. 48 on their 50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time list. “I am sure he doesn’t want the fight.”

Pacquiao resumed naming the reasons why he believed Mayweather would ultimately cower before their prizefight ever had a chance to occur.

“Boxing for him (Mayweather) is like a business. Mayweather doesn’t care about the people watching. He doesn’t care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is finished and he gets plenty of money. I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer.”

Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alexa Ariza, said that Pacquiao enriched his workouts with whey protein, liver support supplements, and a diet that consisted of consuming 6,500-calories-per-day.

Baseball has long been vilified as the sport that has most suffered from the steroids epidemic.

However, there is no question whatsoever that performance enhancing substances have hindered all fields of athletics.

Therefore, it is safe to presume that boxing has been grievously affected by steroids as well.

Manny Pacquiao does “have a big responsibility as a boxer.”

Manny Pacquiao has accomplished more in the ring than most prizefighters in the history of boxing.

Sadly, if Pacquiao doesn’t permit the drug testing that Mayweather has demanded, he will deservedly be considered boxing’s answer to Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire.

To his legions of fans and to the sport of boxing, Pacquiao has “a big responsibility” to succumb to Mayweather’s requests and ensure that this mega-fight transpires in a tad more than three months.

source

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Drug Testing Puts Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fight In Jeopardy

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao LAS VEGAS -- The proposed megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was thrown into jeopardy Tuesday with a demand by Mayweather's camp that both fighters be subjected to Olympic-type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout.

Mayweather's manager said the fight would not go on if Pacquiao didn't agree to blood testing under standards followed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

"There is no fight without Olympic-style random drug testing," Leonard Ellerbe said.

Mayweather's camp claims it was told Pacquiao would not agree to have his blood tested within 30 days of the fight because of personal superstitions. Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, declined comment about his fighter, who is in his native Philippines.

The fight, which promises to be the richest ever, had widely been expected to be formalized this week, with an official announcement coming on Jan. 6. It was expected to be held at the MGM Grand hotel, with the biggest live gate ever.

But neither fighter has signed formal contracts and there have been disputes between representatives of the two fighters ever since Mayweather's promoter pulled out at the last minute of a trip to Texas, where Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was to make a proposal to host the bout.

But Mayweather's promoter, Richard Schaefer, said all other issues have been agreed upon.

"The good news is we have agreed on all the other points," Schaefer said. "Depending on what Manny Pacquiao decides to do, we either have a fight or we don't have a fight."

Schaefer said he is still hopeful of the fight happening, based on the fact Pacquiao himself has not publicly said he would not accept blood testing.

"I am still hopeful because I really believe this decision didn't come from Manny Pacquiao, it came from somebody else," Schaefer said. "It's up to Manny Pacquiao to prove me right or wrong."

Pacquiao has never failed a post-fight urine test in Nevada, including his last fight when he stopped Miguel Cotto. Mayweather also has passed urine tests in the state after his fights.

Fighters, though, are not routinely tested before bouts for performance-enhancing drugs, and there are no blood tests done for those drugs.

Mayweather's father, Floyd Sr., said after the Cotto fight that he suspected Pacquiao was using performance-enhancing drugs to move up and win titles in so many weight classes. Ellerbe did not make that claim, but said that for a fight of such magnitude, fans deserve to be confident neither fighter is cheating.

"If it's good enough for LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and Lance Armstrong why isn't it good enough for Manny Pacquiao?" Ellerbe asked. "The fans and sports deserve a level playing field."

Travis Tygart, executive director of the USADA, said he had talked to representatives of both fighters about providing testing. Tygart said he welcomed the request as he would for any sport that does not have stringent Olympic-type testing.

"I think every sport that wants to have clean athletes, it's a sign of a step forward to have out-of-competition testing," Tygart said. "It's an essential thing to do if you want to protect the integrity of the sport. Clean athletes want a level playing field."

Tygart noted Olympic athletes are tested often and without notice. He said less than a teaspoon of blood is removed out of an average of 380 teaspoons in the normal human and that it regenerates within an hour of being withdrawn.

Blood tests, he said, can find things urine tests can't, like the use of human growth hormone, synthetic hemoglobin or blood transfusions, all of which "certainly would aid in an endurance-type event."

Ellerbe said he couldn't imagine why Pacquiao wouldn't agree, especially considering both fighters would likely make more than $25 million for the bout.

"Only Manny Pacquiao can answer that question," Ellerbe said. "The ball is in his court."

source

Floyd Mayweather’s Profile

floyd-mayweather-weigh-in
Floyd Mayweather's Profile | read this item

Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather, Jr.
Age: 32
Division: Welterweight
Country: United States

Record: 40 – 0 – 0
KO: 25 (62.5%)
Rounds Boxed: 287 rounds

Height: 5′8″
Reach: 72″

Last five Opponents:
Juan Manuel Marquez – Win by Unanimous Decision
Ricky Hatton – Win by TKO in 10th round
Oscar De La Hoya – Win by Split Decision
Carlos Baldomir – Win by Unanimous Decision
Zab Judah – Win by Unanimous Decision

Real Name: Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Nicknames: Pretty Boy, Money Mayweather

Rated at: Welterweight

Nationality: Flag of the United States.svg American

Birth Date: February 24, 1977 (1977-02-24) (age 32)

Birth Place: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Don’t count Manny out

By Jamie Hooper: I don’t think there has been a fight in the last ten years that has created as much excitement and anticipation as this one. After Christmas and new year are out the way. The pound for pound number one and number two will start training for a fight that could reinvigorate the whole boxing scene. After Floyd Mayweather’s easy win over Juan Manuel Marquez, my initial thoughts where that Mayweather would handle Pacquiao in a similar masterful fashion. As time has gone by, my opinion has started to change. In Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather has a lot to deal with.

Speed, power, aggression and relentless pressure are all things Mayweather has had to cope with before, but not all from the one fighter.

There is also something about the manner of Freddie Roach which suggest that Mayweather is in for a tough fight. Roach is beaming with confidence, and looks energized and cant wait to start working with Manny too create the plan that will give Mayweather his first defeat. Roach has said that he wants to get Manny in the gym early, as his plan for beating mayweather involves a lot of changes to Mannys current style.

Roach has stated that Mayweather’s body is fragile-having had shoulder injuries. Roach has indicated that he will be instructing Manny to attack Mayweathers shoulder, especially when Mayweather shoulder rolls. This, if it works will be one way of taking one of Mayweathers most often used defensive moves away from him.

I am trying to point out here, that this fight wont be a foregone conclusion for Mayweather. I do still believe that mayweather is the favorite for this one. I still see too many defensive flaws in Pacquiao style. Cotto managed to exploit these to some extent by landing solid jabs through the guard. Although to Mannys credit he looked bullet proof to most of Cottos attacks.

This fight will test both fighters and as such will cement the legacy of one of them forever. Pacquiao has already achieved enough to ensure his place in the hall of fame. You could say Mayweather has too. But we all want to see Mayweather being properly tested, and Pacquiao could be the man to do

source

Manny Pacquiao’s Profile

manny-pacquiao-weigh-in
Manny Pacquiao's Profile | read this item

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao
Age: 31
Division: Light welterweight
Country: Philippines

Record: 50 – 3 – 2
KO: 38 (76.0%)
Rounds Boxed: 305 rounds

Height: 5′6 1/2″
Reach: 67″

Last five Opponents:
Miguel Cotto – Win by TKO in 12th round
Ricky Hatton – Win by TKO in 2nd round
Oscar De La Hoya – Win by TKO in 8th round
David Diaz – Win by TKO in 9th round
Juan Manuel Marquez – Win by Split Decision

Real Name: Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao

Nicknames: Pac-Man, The Destroyer, The Mexi-cutioner, The People’s Champion, Pambansang Kamao (National Fist)

Rated at: Light Welterweight

Nationality: Flag of the Philippines Filipino

Birth Date: December 17, 1978 (1978-12-17) (age 31)

Birth Place: Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Latest News & Updates

Let’s Discredit Manny Pacquiao’s Success In Boxing

Published on: 22nd December, 2009

What do the Mayweather family, Paulie Malignaggi, and Kermit Cintron all have in common? All have accused Filipino boxing great and pound for pound king Manny “Pacman” Paquiao of taking some form of Performance Enhancing Drugs(P.E.D’s)

It seems like a common trend in boxing, pick against the Pacman and discredit him if he wins.

When Pacquiao lost to Erik Morales many Pacman haters said Manny was done, he was exposed as being one dimensional by a washed up fighter. But whenPacquiao came back and beat up Morales two times they made excuses.

Those haters also like to bring up the two close fights he had with Juan Manuel Marquez saying Marquez was robbed, even though the truth was Pacquiao was more likely robbed due to a judges scoring error in the first match up and he recieved a draw, and the second fight was very close and could of gone either way.

They say things like Pacquiao fights drained fighters at catchweights, catchweights have been going on for ages in boxing, but they only seemed to have a problem with catchweights whenPacquiao fought his first one against Miguel Cotto at 145 pounds instead of 147 pound welterweight limit.

Juan Manuel Marquez fought a very drained Manny Pacquiao at 130 pounds in their second fight but yet no one mentions that.

People will say Pacman is hyped up and all other types of things to discredit the man. In reality if you are a true boxing fan you would not say these things about Manny, Manny has brought much needed attention to boxing again so why insult a guy who is shining a positive light back on the sport with his exciting fan pleasing style?

When so called boxing fans do this they not only insult Manny Pacquiao, they also insult and discredit the legends he fought by calling them bums, they unknowingly hurt the sport of boxing with their hatred.

Why hate the humble? The reason many of the Pacman haters give is because his fans are annoying. If that is the reason to hate on Pacman that is one of the most ridiculous reasons I ever heard, that is more of an emotional response and is very prejudice, not all Pacman fans are annoying or throw racist and vulgar insults. Those Pac fanatics annoy me as well but it doesn’t take away from my appreciation of the Pacman.

You must realize Manny Pacquiao acts nothing like those rabid Pacquiao fanatics, so why judge Pacquiao on what his fans say or do? Judge Pacman as the person he is, how exciting he fights and for what he has done for boxing in this long slump, those fans do not speak for him.

Pacquiao doesn’t talk trash outside of the ring, he doesn’t need to hype up the fight with smoke and mirrors like Floyd Mayweather Jr. who promises to deliver fireworks but his talking is more exciting than his fights, Pacquiao is a man of few words and he doesn’t need to talk trash to hype a fight he brings the excitement inside the ring where it matters and any true fight fan can appreciate that.

Pacquiao has time and time again expressed his love for the boxing fans and gives them the exciting fight they deserve since they pay their hard earned money to watch him.

How can you hate on that?

By: Erwin Lastimosa

Source: nowboxing.com