Mayweather-Marquez 24/7 premieres August 29 on HBO

HBO's Emmy-Award-winning all-access reality series 24/7 returns to HBO with an all new edition as “Mayweather/Marquez 24/7″ premieres Saturday, August 29 at 10:15 pm ET/PT. Check your local listings for channel number. Mayweather-Marquez 24/7 Air date schedule here.

Source: http://www.nowboxing.com/2009/08/29/mayweather-marquez-247-premieres-august-29-on-hbo/

Juan Manuel Marquez Exclusive Interview From Mexico City Training Camp

With a little over two weeks left before the anticipated Welterweight clash between 5 time world champion and current Lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez and former pound for pound Champ "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather also know as "Money", we sat down in Mexico City at the well known Gym Romanza with Juan Manuel for an exclusive interview.

Cesar: Hello Juan Manuel, thanks for taking the time to sit down and talk with us.

JM: Sure it's no problem.

Cesar: First off, how's your training going here in Mexico City?

JM: It's going really well and I feel very strong. We've been at it for 5-6 weeks now and I honestly feel we are at the best we can be.

Cesar: Do you think the change of the fight date affected you or your training?

JM: No, not at all. When we found out of the cancelation we stopped and I rested for about 15 days and then we started up again and went at it full strength. We are peaking right now but we want to be careful that we don't over train. We are only sparring every other day, so come fight night we are hungry and ready to fight.

Cesar: Are you working on anything in particular when going against Mayweather?

JM: Yes, definitely! We are working a lot of defense, learning Mayweather's technique and actions and how to cut the ring off and limit his movement while at the same time working on throwing combinations while on the inside. These are all fundamentals that can help us come fight night.

Cesar: Have you brought in any special sparring partners to prepare?

JM: We brought in a guy from Cuba named Robert Norris and others from Monterey and Panama who are very fast and have Mayweather's similar style of coming in with his shoulder high and rolling to the right looking for counters. These are two tactics that have made him very affective and we are trying are best to be prepared for the style he brings to the ring.

Cesar: You've heard the rumors that you are too small for Mayweather and the increase in weight will play the big factor in this fight, what do you think about this?

JM: Well people can think what they want and everyone is always going to have an opinion. We feel we have been working very hard and we are very happy on how strong we feel and how successfully we've gained the weight. Not just to be heavier but we have gained the weight through proper muscle growth. So we are very confident come fight night and come fight night people will see this.

Cesar: What would like all the Diamond Boxing readers and boxing fans that are anticipating this fight to know?

JM: First off, I would like to say hello to all the Boxing fans in general and to my fans who are routing for me in this fight. This is going to be a great fight and I give you all the thanks for your support for the upcoming September 15th fight which is also Mexico's independence day. I know we will all be there together and god willing all be happy after the win.

Cesar: Well Juan Manuel, We know you are busy with your preparations so you can do your best and give your fans everything you got. So on behalf of myself and Diamond Boxing we thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck on September 15th.

JM: It's been my pleasure and thank you.

Source: http://diamondboxing.com/newsstory.php?list=9394

Mayweather-Marquez puts boxing back in theaters

Boxing is coming back to the big screen.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s eagerly anticipated showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 will be showcased live in about 170 theaters nationwide, promoters announced Monday. The fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will also air on HBO pay-per-view.

Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said he'd been considering theater feeds for several years, ever since a trip to the movies with his kids. Unaware that live boxing has a long history on the big screen, Shaefer's children asked him whether it was possible today.

"I always try to see ways we can expand the message in the sport of boxing and increase the distribution," Shaefer said during a conference call.

"Actually," he added, "my kids said, 'Wouldn't it be great?'"

Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs), considered one of the sport's pound-for-pound kings, will be fighting for the first time since ending a brief retirement. The flamboyant six-time world champion will be taking on a five-time champion in Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs), headlining a stacked card that includes two other title fights.

All of the televised undercard fights will also be shown in theaters.

The decision is part of a comprehensive marketing thrust that includes 30-second previews, much like film trailers, shown on about 1,500 screens before the start of movies for the next several weeks. Tickets for the actual fight are expected to be about $15.

"We're truly excited to be once again working on a great promotional team with Golden Boy, and this is truly going to be a record-breaking event," said Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions. "Richard has this great mindset where he thinks so big."

The first fight to be publicly shown in theaters was Eric Boon against Arthur Danaher on Feb. 23, 1939, in London. The format gained popularity in the 1950s, after Joe Louis defeated Lee Savold in a fight beamed to thousands from Madison Square Garden, and a young Muhammad Ali earned a tremendous following around the country during the 1960s.

His epic fight against Joe Frazier in March 1971 at the Garden was seen worldwide.

The rise of pay-per-view coincided with the demise of boxing on the big screen, as fans began to watch high-profile fights from the comfort of home. Among the last fights widely shown in theaters was Ray Leonard's infamous "no mas" victory over Roberto Duran in November 1980.

"I really think the younger audience, the fans that go to a theater on Saturday night, they don't want to stay at home," Shaefer said. "I think this is going to open up the sport of boxing to a new and younger audience."

Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom, the company that is helping bring the fight to the theaters, said he wasn't sure what to expect in terms of attendance. He did say that if the event is a success, there could be additional megafights shown in theaters.

"We are clearly expecting this to be tremendously successful," Diamond said. "Certainly other promoters are welcome to contact us, but at this time our main focus is to make sure this fight is as successful as it can be."

HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg believes that the promotion _ particularly the 30-second previews during what is traditionally a heavy moviegoing season _ will outweigh any potential loss in pay-per-view sales.

He also thinks the majority of fans will still choose to watch the fight at home.

"There's a limited audience that wants that communal feeling for an old-fashioned, closed-circuit broadcast," Greenburg told The Associated Press.

"I think the marketing effort in those theaters for the next eight weeks, six weeks, will definitely add significant awareness, and that's really important."

Source: http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/08/29/ap/sports/boxing/box_mayweather_marquez_theaters.txt

FREDDIE ROACH: "I HEAR MAYWEATHER IS NOT LOOKING THAT GREAT"

"They've already given up on the PPV audience. They know it's not going to sell. Someone's going to take a bath in that fight," stated world-class trainer Freddie Roach as he shared his thoughts on the upcoming September 19 Mayweather vs. Marquez clash and the recent announcement that the event would be shown in movie theaters across the country. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, along with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, made the "major announcement" during a media conference call earlier this week.

Unimpressed with the move, Roach is even less impressed with the matchup between the two fighters. "The styles just don't matchup. Style make fights. People know the sytles of both by nature are counterpunchers," Roach stated. "Marquez has changed his style somewhat; he's more offensive, but still, his best fight is as a counterpuncher. That's why he did so well against Pacquiao because Manny is so aggressive and he's used to attacking so much that his counterpunching style is great for that. When he doesn't have a guy that comes to him, he's not as effective," he added.

Regardless, Roach is still adamant about his desire for Manny Pacquiao to face Mayweather next after his anticipated November 14 clash with Miguel Cotto. If what Roach says about Mayweather is true, it's understandable why he's eager to face the undefeated fighter. "I hear Mayweather is not looking that great," he stated, alluding to the fact that Mayweather has been looking a little rusty in training. On top of that, Mayweather is now dealing with a number of issues outside the ring. "I hear he got in a gun battle somewhere along the lines; his car was abandoned. They say he wasn't involved, but the police did search his house so they think there's some involvement obviously. It's a little chaotic right now," Roach added.

No matter the outcome of the September 19 showdown, Roach is certain that the winner will be Manny Pacquiao's next opponent. "I like Mayweather and I like Marquez and I wish them both the best. I hope the fight turns out really well for them, but I would definitely want the winner," Roach reiterated. While a third fight with Marquez is intriguing, it's the Mayweather fight that everyone is eager to see. Given that all parties are interested in the bout, it looks like the only things standing in the way of making it happen are Juan Manuel Marquez and egos.

Source: http://fighthype.com/pages/content5570.html

Odds Are 08.29.09: Mayweather/Marquez

As go Vegas odds, so goes public opinion. So what do the high rollers in Vegas say about Mayweather/Marquez?

Everything in Vegas can be worked out to two things: numbers and dollars. Sports, particularly boxing, doesn't fail in this either. Most big fights, and even some of the smaller ones out here, give those looking to make a quick buck a chance to test their knowledge of the fight game and to test their luck as well. And usually as the odds swing, so swings public opinion of the fight. "Odds Are" that every other week, we'll check out what the odds are saying about different fights here in Las Vegas, and if they on track or way off.

For September 19th's bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez, the Odds Are:

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino (Las Vegas Strip)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. -400
Juan Manuel Marquez +330

Round Proposition Bet -- Based on 11 1/2 rounds
Will Go +110
Won't Go -130


BodogSports (online)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. -350
Juan Manuel Marquez +275

For those who have never bet in a Las Vegas sportsbook, odds are best understood by bets of $100. Odds beginning with a minus (-) indicate a favorite, and winning bets will consist of mostly wagered money. Odds beginning with a plus (+) indicate an underdog, and winning bets will consist of mostly prize money. For example, using the Mandalay Bay numbers, a winning $100 bet on Juan Manuel Marquez will win a prize of $330 dollars. Therefore, the bettor would walk away with $430 (the original $100 plus the $330 prize money). Conversely, a bet on Floyd Mayweather would require a $400 bet to win $100; a $100 bet would only earn a prize of $25 (the bettor would then walk away with $125).

Although common perception is that Floyd's the favorite, momentum is building for Marquez. People are starting to put their fingers on attributes he has that tell people IF it's going to happen, it's going to happen this way or that way. So as the fight gets closer, don't be surprised if the odds shrink closer too. Over 3 to 1 odds on Marquez is not a bad value bet, and may be worth your time.

In addition, Mandalay Bay is offering a rounds proposition bet. For this bet to pay, the line is 1 minute and 31 seconds into the eleventh round. I'm surprised that the favorite is in the Won't Go. Marquez has a chin, and he's been in many a war. I don't see Floyd delivering anywhere near that kind of punishment. Try making a small bet on the Will Go, because I think this fight will see the cards.

HBO Boxing: Mayweather vs. Marquez: Fight Preview (Video)

Preview one of the most anticipated match-ups of the year. Undefeated Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring against 5 time world champion Juan Manuel Marquez on Sat., Sept. 19, Live on HBO Pay-Per-View.



Source: http://www.nowboxing.com/2009/08/26/hbo-boxing-mayweather-vs-marquez-fight-preview-video/

Mayweather Will Have More Than Marquez On His Mind

The upcoming Mayweather-Marquez catch-weight fight is getting a little more interesting. And all due credit for that has to be given to Floyd Mayweather. Forget about how you great you think he is or isn't as a fighter, Mayweather must be given his props for the way he's navigated his career since turning pro in October of 1996.

Mayweather gets to call the shots more so than anyone in boxing right now with the exception of Manny Pacquiao. I like Mayweather a lot as a fighter and think more highly of him than some may think. However, he's not a fighter I'll remember after he retires. When I think of an all-time great fighter/boxer, the name Floyd Mayweather isn't remotely close to the top of the list of fighters who I recall or think of.

However, when I think of fighters who were brilliantly managed he's at the top of the list. Even more so than Mike Tyson. In fairness to Floyd, Mike was a heavyweight and had dynamite in both hands along with combining speed and accuracy. Tyson was the best promoted fighter in boxing history, but he was also managed by two guys, Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton, who were terrific at manipulating the boxing media. And they were aided by the fact that even the most novice boxing observer only had to watch Tyson fight once to see he was not just another heavyweight who could punch, something that made promoting and selling him much easier than Mayweather.

Mayweather is a fighter that you have to see fight a few times to appreciate some of the little subtle things he does in the ring that are calculated and thought out. More than that, he's basically managed himself and learned exceedingly fast just how the business of boxing works outside the ring. This led to him taking a more active role than most other upper-tier fighters have in how their career progressed and moved along. It may have not always made for the best fights from a spectator vantage point, but it's served him well and the risk/reward factor just about always worked to his advantage.

Some fighters are born with the "it" factor when it comes to charisma and fan appeal. Muhammad Ali was an irresistible presence and a huge draw whether he was a bad guy in the sixties or a good guy during the seventies. Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya were perceived as good guys and both loved playing that up. Floyd doesn't have natural charisma. He comes off badly and is hard to tolerate when assuming the role as the bad guy, and he's dull and boring when playing the good guy role. That's why he's really gone out of his way to pump up the PPV sales for his upcoming fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather got where he is on the backs of bigger ticket sellers, and now he's fooled people into believing that he's a ticket seller.

Only this time it's all on him because he has purposely gone out of his way to make it about him. In Mayweather's three highest profile bouts against Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, his opponent had the bigger following and was considered the bigger draw. Both Gatti and De La Hoya earned a bigger purse than Mayweather when they fought, and in De La Hoya's case it was slightly more than twice as much as Mayweather.

In his upcoming fight with Marquez, Mayweather is clearly the star and draw. That said, Marquez is/was a great fighter with a huge Hispanic following. And as Floyd himself has said repeatedly, "(B)lacks and Hispanics" dominate boxing. If fighting Marquez weren't enough to keep Mayweather occupied, a few weeks ago he dared UFC head Dana White to schedule UFC 103 the same night he fights Marquez. And to the shock of no one, White did just that.

Mayweather has gone out of his way in taking shots at MMA and acting as if it's irrelevant, even though it's not. The fact of the matter is Mayweather for the first time in his career has to carry the promotion and must do it on a night that runs in direct competition with another combat sport. Most believe that Mayweather will beat Marquez, but odds are it won't be a terrific fight, simply because of Floyd's size advantage coupled with his mindset and style. The intrigue of Mayweather fighting Marquez isn't whether or not he'll win, it's more the case of gauging how much he has left and how he matches up with Manny Pacquiao for a Super-Fight hopefully sometime next year.

Ever since he's announced his comeback, Mayweather has proclaimed he's the top draw in boxing. Obviously, he's concerned about living up to that and if for some reason UFC 103 has a better buy rate than his fight with Marquez, he'll never be able to live it down. That's the reason for his appearance on the WWE's "Monday Night RAW." Along with that the Mayweather-Marquez fight will be available at a discounted price in some movie theaters across the country, something that hasn't happened since the second fight between Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard back in November of 1980. That was a time when that was the only way to see a big fight live without attending it in person.

You better believe Mayweather will have more than just Juan Manuel Marquez on his mind the night of September 19th 2009. He not only has to beat Marquez somewhat convincingly in the ring, he also has to beat UFC 103 at the gate. One fight will tell us where he's at as a fighter, the other will inform us just how big of a PPV star Floyd Mayweather really is. If he's able to pull this one off, in spite of all of the obvious marketing distractions with the fight, he really has shown incredible savvy.

And because of that, Mayweather-Marquez is a little more interesting.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

Source: http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/7140/mayweather-more-than-marquez-his-mind/

News JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ & TRAINER "NACHO" BERISTAIN MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Oscar de la Hoya: We are here to once again introduce to you to Mayweather vs. Marquez "Number One/ Numero Uno," which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and is in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions. We have a great line up of sponsors and I want to thank the sponsors for making themselves available in promoting this fight--Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, Quaker State, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines, where every single sponsor - and this is unheard of - is doing activations all over the country and making sure people are aware of the fight, getting people excited about the fight and therefore we are going to witness the biggest event of this year in the sport of boxing. Thanks to the participants and thanks to the great sponsors. The fight is Saturday, September 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and live on pay-per-view. And again we at Golden Boy, are very proud to announce that we will be showing this fight in more than 170 movie theaters across the country which is unheard of in the sport of boxing, but that goes to show you that the interest, the creative mind that we have among our teams with Mayweather and Marquez and Golden Boy, that we really can promote an event and make it the biggest possible in our sport. Tickets are priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300, $150 and can be purchased at mgmgrand.com or ticketmaster.com. We are once again honored and proud to be partnering with HBO, and 24/7 will be premiering Saturday, August 29 10:15 pm ET/PT. And now I am going to introduce you to the trainer of Marquez, and that is the Hall of Fame trainer who also trained Marquez's brother Rafael Marquez and that is the Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain.

Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain: I would like to send a special hello and best wishes to everybody. All the boxing fans around the world--not just California, not just Nevada, but everywhere because this is a fight that the whole world's been waiting for. So I'd like to send all the best to everybody.

Oscar de la Hoya: I would now like to introduce to you - he's the number two pound-for-pound on the list. He's the number one Mexican fighter in the world. People would even consider him the number one fighter pound-for-pound in the world. He has a record of 54 with 37 KOs, he is trained and managed by Nacho Beristain he has had a great 15-year career. Former WBA/WBO Featherweight World Champion, he also had a great tremendous amateur career with Golden Glove win under his belt. His first fight against Manny Pacquiao on May 8, 2004 ended in a draw and the second fight against Manny Pacquiao on March 15, 2008, he lost in a highly controversial split decision. He was the first to stop Casamayor in September 2008. And most recently, he stopped Juan Diaz in the ninth round for the WBO/WBA 135 pound title fight in February of 2009. Without any further ado I would love to introduce to you the champ from Mexico City, Mexico, Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez.

Juan Manuel Marquez: First of all thank you very much I'm very, very happy to be here and I want to thank all the fans for all the support they're giving me. We're very, happy with the way training is going and the preparation, it's gone very well. And I send all the best to all the fans around the world. Thank you.

Q: Juan, I have two quick questions and first it's with the utmost respect that I ask what is your strategy for beating someone who is naturally bigger, faster and younger? And secondly has it been hard to retain your speed while you put on weight?

Juan Manuel Marquez: Well the strategy is that you have use to counter the speed, the youth and the bigger fighters is the strategy that I've always used in my fights...a lot of intelligence and a lot of the skill is what has brought me to where I'm at today. And to answer the second question, we've maintained work and speed at the same time. When I finish sparring sessions with the bigger gloves, I take them off and I put on the lighter gloves to work on speed. So throughout camp that I've worked on speed so that we have that when it comes to fight night.

Q: Juan Manuel, you mentioned your intelligence and using that as an advantage, but I also want to know if you believe Mayweather's lay off is something that you can exploit in any way?

Juan Manuel Marquez: No, that's not even in my mind. We're not working or training for Mayweather that's been out of the ring or that can be less fast, not as fast or without the distance. I'm training for the best Mayweather there is. And that's what we're working hard to achieve, working on the speed, working on the strategy inside the ring. We're looking forward to facing the best Mayweather.

Q: Oscar, this fight on paper, when you look at these two fighters, Juan Manuel obviously is one of the best fighters in the world pound-for-pound, but there seems to be prevailing thought that he's too small for Floyd. And do you think people are looking past his overall accomplishments and what is it that you can do as a promoter to convince people more that this is a very competitive fight?

Oscar de la Hoya: Well we're coming into a new era in boxing where weight doesn't matter anymore. It's all about who wants to fight, who has the better skill, who really wants it. I think in past fights including mine with Manny Pacquiao, it doesn't matter how big you are. It doesn't matter how small you are. It matters how much you want it because inside the ring, if you fight until the end you're going to win the fight. And one thing about Juan Manuel Marquez, I mean I was with him in the press conference with Mayweather and he's not that much bigger. And so I think it's going to be a huge advantage for Marquez going up a few pounds and Mayweather having to come down just the way it was with Pacquiao and myself, and I feel that people know that Mayweather is in for one tough fight on September 19. Marquez will have the whole nation of Mexico behind him because it will be the Mexican Independence weekend and that is a lot of pressure on Mayweather because he has to perform. He has been away for almost two years and Mayweather has to perform so I think it's going to be one tremendous fight where you can never ever count out the smaller guy.

Q: Juan Manuel, how do you imagine the fight? How do you plan on stopping him and - or how do you plan on stopping his speed?

Juan Manuel Marquez: It's going to be a very difficult fight, I am going to come in with a lot of speed like I have always done and that makes it very difficult. And to the second question, you've got to come in and bob and weave and bend and make him miss and then counter him and wait for the right moments and pick your shots.

Q: With less than a month to go for the fight, how is the preparation and how are you feeling?

Juan Manuel Marquez: Very good. The preparation has gone very, very well. There have been no injuries and come September 19 we're going to be ready.

Q: Do you think this fight with Mayweather is going to be much more difficult than your fights with Pacquiao?

Juan Manuel Marquez: Yes, definitely, I do believe so. He's a counter puncher, he's very fast and elusive and also a very defensive fighter so that will make it much more difficult.

Q: Sunday was your birthday. How did you celebrate it?

Juan Manuel Marquez: I celebrated with my family, but I am very concentrated right now, I'm totally focused on the fight. And I just spent some time with my family which is very important. But right now my focus is on the fight.

Q: Nacho, I'm not sure this is accurate, but a Filipino Web site quotes you saying that you are concerned about Juan Manuel's speed in light of him building up in bulk. Is that true? And either way is that a concern? Or has his speed declined at all because of the bulk?

Nacho Beristain: No, there's always concern when you're bulking up in weight and working and training that you're going to lose a little bit of speed. But no, on the contrary I'm very happy to say that Juan at this point in training has been acquiring much more speed than in fights in the past. Everything's come together. So, we're looking very, very good. I'm very happy to how things are coming along. And we'll see on September 19.

Q: One last follow-up for Juan, is there any way to quantify how much weight you've gained either in pounds or kilos or are you not clear on how much you've gained in terms of bulk?

Juan Manuel Marquez: With the postponement of the fight it was originally scheduled for July and then moved over to September. It actually helped us to continue working on building muscle. Right now I'm approximately about 65 kilos. And I'm very happy. I mean its all muscle and I feel good. I feel strong.

Q: The promotion for this fight is very, very big. In fact, Oscar it seems even bigger than some of your fights. I know that this fight will be shown in movie theaters in the US. Where will it be shown in Mexico?

Oscar de la Hoya: Yes, you have two great fighters, the best fighters, in boxing today. And not only the best fighters in boxing, but the best fighters that the fans want to see.

And you're right, that this fight is being promoted bigger than a lot of my fights. We're going to be showing it in 170 theaters across the country, but also in Mexico with Televisa.

Q: Oscar, as a promoter of this fight, can you visualize and can you see maybe down the line the winner of Marquez and Mayweather fighting the winner of Pacquiao-Cotto?

Oscar de la Hoya: Right now let's concentrate on this fight. And obviously if Marquez wins this fight he becomes one of the biggest fighters in Mexico along the lines of Julio Cesar Chavez. But after this fight we will sit down and go over everything. There's a lot of fights out there for him. And let's concentrate on this fight at the moment.

Q: Yes. The other day at WWE Monday Night Raw, one of the wrestlers predicted that Juan Manuel was going to knock out Mayweather. So, the question is, Juan, do you expect or are you going out there for the knockout?

Juan Manuel Marquez: We don't like to predict. We don't like to say we're going to knock them out or win by decision. We're just going to go in there and work very hard.

We've been working four or five months for this fight, looking forward to it. And we're going to work hard. We're going to push them. We're going to go in there. And if the knockout comes great.

Q: How are you taking all this pressure being the defender of Mexican fighters and fighting for your country, fighting against the great defensive fighter like Mayweather, the bigger fighter? How are you taking all this pressure? And how are you able to stand it?

Juan Manuel Marquez: On the contrary - I don't see it as pressure. I see it as motivation. I just work hard and I appreciate everything that's been done and to the level that it's been done by my promoters. And I understand the magnitude of this fight. What I do is in training, I separate it. I do my work in the gym. I train really hard. I get ready. I'm focused for the fight. And in my mind I separate. I know what's in the gym and what's out. And on September 19 I'm going to be 100% focused.

Q: Mayweather has said at your best, Juan Manuel, you will never reach what Mayweather once had. Now that he's coming back - he may not have exactly what he had back then, but that - that you will never reach him at his best speed or strength. And how do you feel about Oscar saying that you're number two on the pound-for-pound list?

Juan Manuel Marquez: I'm glad he's thinking that way. On September 19 we will find out.

I'm going to work hard. Like I said in the past he's a greater fighter. He's the best fighter. But we will see what Juan Manuel is able to achieve in his eyes. And as far as Oscar, I'm very honored that he considers me in the top of the world. But I want to make it clear that it is on some pound-for-pound list that they have me as number two. In our eyes, Oscar's eyes and many experts' eyes, Mayweather is number one pound-for-pound. And that is why the title of the fight is "Number One/ Numero Uno".

Q: Nacho, how did the postponement of the fight effect training?

Nacho Beristain: We've been in this game a very long time. We have the experience in boxing. It's something that happens. What today is red tomorrow can be green, and then we know and we work around that. It actually helped Juan Manuel. We took advantage of it because the more time he was able to work on strengthening and gear towards our goal. And our goal is to come out with the victory on September 19.

Q: Hey this is for Mr. Beristain, if you could just talk a little bit about how Juan Manuel's boxing has improved over the last few years? How he has developed as a fighter?

Nacho Beristain: Well, Juan Manuel, ever since he was a youngster, and I can go back to knowing him almost as a young child, he showed attributes of being a great fighter and what he's become. And obviously through the years he's matured in and out of the ring. He's learned his craft very well. The only thing that sometimes concerns me is that, he sometimes gets a little bit tired of the routine. But I do believe that Juan Manuel can become the first Mexican born fighter to win titles in four divisions. And I haven't talked to him lately about it, but I hope that the itch of accomplishing that will keep him motivated and focused to continue on trying to reach this before he retires.

Q: Yes, this question is for Juan. How does it feel making this kind of money? Did you ever imagine that you'd be making this kind of money for a fight and how does it affect you in your preparation?

Juan Manuel Marquez: No. That's never in your mind as far as you're going fight-per-fight. Obviously it's a good thing, but I think it just reflects on the sacrifice and the hard work is being paid off. And as far as the postponement of the fight, it actually helped so that we could achieve more time - with more time to get to where we want to go so we're 100% and not worrying about any type of over training as well.

Q: My second question is about ten years ago both you and Floyd fought on the same card. In fact that day I think you lost yout first fight ever against Freddie Norwood and did you ever imagine you'd be fighting Floyd Mayweather, now and for this - what's at stake?

Juan Manuel Marquez: No, like I said, you never know what lies ahead. And yes you're right; we fought on the same card. I was a co-main event in 1999 to his - he was the main event. At that time, no it wasn't in my mind that we could fight.

But now here it is on September 19. It's an honor and I'm very motivated and very happy to be fighting one of the best fighters out there.

Q: Oscar, as a promoter, there's been so much talk about weight in this fight. Do you feel that fight fans today care about the title belt or are they more concerned about the individual matchups? And as someone who promotes boxing, what do you try to do now? Look for the best matchup such as this fight, or do you care about the weight divisions anymore?

Oscar de la Hoya: The matchup is what matters most. The fans do not care about what title is at stake. The fans don't even know about what title is at stake because there's too many. And we at Golden Boy wanted to make sure we put on the best fights possible for the fans. When you have Juan Manuel Marquez against Floyd Mayweather and the whole card from top to bottom, being an excellent one, this goes to show you that the fans just want to see great fights. People are asking for great fights and it's about time that a promoter comes along and gives you great fights. So when you have two fighters going up for a title, it doesn't mean anything anymore. What matters most is that to give the fight fans the best fight possible. And that's how boxing is going to progress. That's how boxing is going to stay alive and well the way it is now because you're watching the best fighting the best.

Q: Thank you and I have one question please for Juan. Do you find the television show 24\7 to be a distraction to you or do you find it to be an interesting to your work out as you prepare for this fight?

Juan Manual Marquez: No I am very happy to have them here. As the Mexican media has told me and all my friends the press, I am the very first Mexican to be on the 24\7 and to me that's a huge honor. And I treat it like they are not here when it comes time to training. I train like they're not there but I'm really, really honored to be the first Mexican on a 24\7.

Q: This question is for Juan Manual Marquez or for Nacho Beristain I was wondering if you could shed some light on your sparring sessions? Maybe tell us a little bit about who you have sparred with, how big the sparring partners are or if they are all fast and defensive minded boxers?

Nacho Beristain: We have a couple of sparring partners that have been sacrificing and working really hard to help Juan. Alejandro Barrera who is a Mexican fighter, has been working with Juan and he's been very happy with the work.

We also have a young Panamanian fighter, who's very, very fast and showing Juan a lot of the difficulties, boxing defensive wise that we expect to see on fight night and today we're going to confirm a young fighter out of Venezuela that is leaving Mexicali on his way back and will stop in Mexico to see if he can help Juan. I am hoping it's Jorge Linares, not his brother because he might be too big for this point in training which we are looking for a lot of the speed now with faster fighters.

Q: Okay, the question is for Nacho, Juan Manuel and Oscar, it's been passed by Nevada Boxing Commission that the instant replay can now be used for the fight and this could become the first big fight that it will be used. What benefit and how can it help the status of boxing and maybe in this fight?

Nacho Beristain: It's a great opportunity to sort of stop a little bit of some bad calls from the judges or bad decisions, for instance if it would have been used in the fight with Juan and Manny Pacquiao it could have been a different outcome.

Everybody in the world saw Juan Manuel win. And it would help, because it leaves a sour taste when you have stuff like that happen. So hopefully this is a great opportunity to prevent that a little bit.

Oscar de la Hoya: Not only that, but the instant replay can show if it was an illegal blow, a head butt, if the cut was caused by a punch, or an elbow and it could benefit the outcome. It could benefit the fighter and change the outcome.

Kelly Swanson: As an update, Floyd Mayweather will have his national conference call with his trainers next Tuesday, September 1 followed by his media day on Wednesday, Sept. 2 in Las Vegas. Juan Manuel will also be holding his media day in Mexico City on that day as well and then we lead into fight week and everybody will receive a fight week schedule. In the coming weeks we also have several press releases that we are sending out with some other updates so we look forward to your continued coverage and we'd like to thank Juan and Nacho for being with us today and Rob Diaz for his help with the translation.

# # #

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, Quaker State, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The 12-round bout will take place Saturday, Sept. 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored.

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO's Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series "24/7" returns to HBO® with an all new edition as "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" premieres Saturday, August 29 at 10:15 pm ET/PT. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their September 19 pay-per-view showdown.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-26806.html

Cotto a tough nut to crack, says Roach

Freddie Roach doesn’t want Manny Pacquiao to have the illusion that Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto is just going to roll over and die on November 14.

While most ringsiders see Cotto as being slow-footed and easy-to-hit, Roach sees something that makes him truly a livewire opponent.

Roach said people may have forgotten that Cotto holds a huge win over one of boxing’s toughest and trickiest fighters in Shane Mosley, who, like Pacquiao is quick on his feet and punches in bunches.

“Cotto beat Mosley,” said Roach, sounding a bit puzzled over claims being peddled that Pacquiao would have an easy time disposing of Cotto when they square off at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Cotto bested Mosley when they fought in November 2007.

“This is going to be Manny’s toughest fight,” said Roach, who wants to set up training camp in Toluca, Mexico, to ensure that Pacquiao stays focused in the runup to Cotto.

The fight will be at 145 lbs and Cotto’s coveted World Boxing Organization welterweight crown will be on the line.

Despite an apparent slide in Cotto’s performance the past year, Roach remains a believer that Cotto still has a lot of championship juice left in his tank.

Cotto has started training in Puerto Rico under the strict supervision of head trainer Joe Santiago and strength coach Phil Landman.

Pacquiao hasn’t started his as the Filipino is still busy fulfilling all his showbiz commitments and is scheduled to report to the gym in mid-September which will officially kick off his eight-week training camp.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/218132/cotto-a-tough-nut-crack-says-roach

Lawyers, Guns and Money Mayweather

It’s hard to say what, if anything, is going to come of the skating-rink shooting that happened in Las Vegas this past Sunday night, but it definitely seems like a precarious situation for Floyd Mayweather, one that became ever more so when it was revealed last night that police had seized two guns, two bulletproof vests and ammunition in their search of Floyd’s Las Vegas home and two of his cars.

According to reports, Floyd was at the skating rink on Sunday night with two associates, one who is named Jackie Ray Jones and one who goes by the handle “O.C.” Floyd, evidently got into an argument with a 24-year-old man, Quincey Williams, and Williams claims that Floyd threatened him. Less than an hour later, when Williams and a friend, Damein Bland, were leaving the skating rink, Williams’s BMW was peppered with gunfire. No one was hit.

In a story at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bland claims that as he was leaving the rink, he saw Floyd and his two cohorts standing in the parking lot next to Floyd’s Rolls Royce. He says that he saw O.C. reach towards his groin area, and soon after heard gunshots. When he looked in the direction of the Rolls, he saw O.C. pointing a gun and shooting at them.

The Las Vegas police have stated that the boxer is not a suspect in the case and that they are currently seeking the man known as O.C in connection with the shooting. For his part, Mayweather claims that he does not know any such person and knows nothing about the incident.

You wonder, though, how long he’ll be able to go with that story when one of the two victims is positive ID-ing him as being at the scene of the crime standing right next to the shooter. Does this case have the potential to interfere with the Mayweather/Marquez bout on September 19? Time will tell. I certainly suspect that we haven’t heard the last of it.

Source: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/31851/lawyers,_guns_and_money_mayweather_

Mayweather Jr. 'I want to be a Pro-Wrestler'

After his WWE appearance, Floyd Mayweather Jr. says he wants to be a pro-wrestler. Floyd wants to crossover from Boxing to Pro-Wrestling. “I wanna move out of boxing and into Pro-Wrestling”..
Floyd has been a huge pro-wrestling fan since he was a kid. He says that it was “a dream come true” to work with the WWE.

He also says that the WWE brings him closer to his own kids because they remind Floyd of himself when he was a kid watching wrestlers like Jake Roberst, Junkyard Dog, Andre the Giant, and Hulk Hogan.

Floyd talks about how he is one of the best when it’s “lights, camera, action”..

Floyd finishes the interview by saying that he looks forward to being in a WWE ring soon and that he will become a WWE Superstar.

Analysis

You can look at these comments one of two ways.

A) Floyd is sincere and really wants to join the WWE to become a pro-wrestler
….. Or….
B) Floyd is just saying this to get pro-wrestling fans to like him, follow him, and buy his PPVs.


Either way, Floyd’s career is winding down in boxing. His drawing power has declined and there is really only one fighter left for him to face and that is Manny Pacquiao. It’s been well documented that Floyd’s upcoming fight has struggled in sales. His recent appearance on WWE really didn’t help him because he got into police trouble the morning of his the appearance. The WWE limited his exposure because of these troubles.

So, with the lights fading on Boxing perhaps Pro-Wrestling might just be the best forum for Mayweather JR to stay in the spotlight and make his “Money”…

Source: WWE.com
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-13475-Pro-Wrestling-Examiner~y2009m8d28-Mayweather-Jr-I-want-to-be-a-ProWrestler

FLOYD MAYWEATHER: "MANNY KNOWS HE COULDN'T BEAT ME IN A MILLION YEARS"

"Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not ducking him or anybody. This guy has never, ever come out of his mouth that he wants to fight me. He has a boss and I'm my own boss. So, in order to make that happen, he has to go through his boss. His boss knows what time of day it is...Manny knows he couldn't beat me in a million years and his boss knows that too," stated undefeated multi-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. as he spoke to fans during an online chat on ESPN.com earlier today. Despite the fact that he hasn't faced an opponent since December 2007, Mayweather insists that come September 19th, he'll be returning as still the best fighter in the world and he's eager to prove it to the nonbelievers. Check out what else he had to say to the fans.

On his return to the ring...

"I left as thebest fighter in the world and I'm returning as the best fighter in the world. Come Sept. 19, those nonbelievers I will remind them on who the boss is."

"I'm feeling good. The time off after I initially got injured allowed my body to heal. And come Sept. 19, I'm looking to be the best Floyd Mayweather the fans have seen to date."

"With me being the face of boxing, I'm just looking to go out there and give the fans an exciting performance and continue to bring more fans to the sport."

"I'm itching, itching to get back in the ring. I can't wait."

"I truly miss the sport and I miss all of you guys."

"I guarantee to the fans that this will be truly an exciting fight. I'm going to do whatever it takes to give my best performance to date."

"Until someone can shut me up, I'm going to continue to have the confidence in myself that no one can beat me."

On Juan Manuel Marquez and their upcoming fight...

"Well, Marquez is a tremendous fighter. What he brings to the table, he has a ton of experience. He's been one of the best fighters in the world for a number of years."

"Come Sept. 19, I will expose him just as I have done with my other 39 opponents."

"I know this fight isn't going to be easy because nothing is easy about Marquez."

"Most definitely my Uncle Roger is my trainer and he will be in my corner."

"I truly feel as though he beat Pacquiao in both of those fights, he just wasn't given the nod."

"I have a special treat for the fans, come Sept. 19."

"It doesn't matter what Oscar says, he can't get in there and fight for Marquez. And Marquez has been around for a long time and he's a great technician. He knows how to fight and knows how to win. Come Sept. 19, he's stepping up and he's never seen what's about to happen to him."

"I just want to say to all the fans to tune in Sept. 19 to truly a great fight. My best performance to date."

On Manny Pacquiao...

"Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not ducking him or anybody. This guy has never, ever come out of his mouth that he wants to fight me. He has a boss and I'm my own boss. So, in order to make that happen, he has to go through his boss. His boss knows what time of day it is. Besides, my focus is what's in front of me. What happens with other fighters, they tend to focus on things that could potentially happen in the future, instead of what's in front of him. My sole focus is on Marquez. Manny knows he couldn't beat me in a million years and his boss knows that too."

On Shane Mosley...

"He had his opportunity in Nov. '06 to fight me for twice as much money he's ever made in his career. He chose to take a family vacation and have some dental work done. Shane Mosley is calling my name out just like the rest of these fighters because what I represent is the biggest payday for any fighter out there. I'm not mad at them for doing that. That's what they're supposed to do. Shane Mosley knows what time of day it is. He had the chance to fight me and he turned it down. WHo knows what the future holds, but he's just looking to make some money. He knows he can't beat me."

Source: http://fighthype.com/pages/content5561.html

MAYWEATHER'S FISTS AREN'T THE ONLY LOADED WEAPONS HE CARRIES

According to AP reports, although Floyd Mayweather Jr. has not been named as a suspect in a shooting that took place at a Las Vegas skating rink this past Sunday, police did seize two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests after searching his home and vehicles on Monday.

Quincey Williams, an alleged victim in the shooting, recently informed police that Mayweather verbally threatened him just minutes before he was shot at. Allegedly, Mayweather and two other men confronted Williams about a text message he received a month ago. In that text message, Williams apparently informed Mayweather that he was hoping he would lose his upcoming September 19th clash with Juan Manuel Marquez. According to Williams and a second victim, Damein Bland, after the confrontation, one of the men that was with with Mayweather, reportedly pulled out a gun and began firing at them as they drove off in Mayweather Rolls-Royce.

Police have maintained that Mayweather is not a suspect. They're currently searching for a man by the name of "O.C." who said to be an associate of Mayweather. While says he has no association with anyone that goes by the name of "O.C." and has cooperated fully with the police during their investigation. According to the warrant, one of the guns that the police seized, a Smith & Wesson, still had a cartridge in its chamber. It looks like Mayweather's fists aren't the only loaded weapons that he carries around.

Source: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content5562.html

Floyd Mayweather Jr is "Money" for WWE's ratings

The ratings are in, and despite the negative reviews, The Floyd Mayweather Jr episode of Monday Night RAW scored extremely high according to WWE standards.
Mayweather’s appearance was the second highest rating since WWE started the “guest host” storyline. It came in barely behind Shaquille O’Neal’s appearance.

In fact, Mayweather’s appearance ranks in the top 5 of WWE ratings for the entire year of 2009.

Here’s a list of the ratings for WWE’s “Guest Hosts”:

(1) Shaquille O'Neal (7/27) - 3.95
(2) Floyd Mayweather (8/24) - 3.93
(3) Batista (6/29) - 3.87
(4) Sgt. Slaughter (8/10) - 3.80
(5) Freddy Prinze, Jr. (8/17) - 3.79
(6) Ted DiBiase, Sr. (7/6) - 3.61
(7) Seth Green (7/13) - 3.55
(8) Piven & Dr. Ken (8/3) - 3.55
(9) ZZ Top (7/20) - 3.53

Here’s the top 10 WWE RAW ratings for the year
1. June 22: 4.5 (Donald Trump appearance)
2. February 16: 4.1
3. February 23: 4.1
4. July 27: 3.95 (Shaq appearance)
5. August 24: 3.93 (Mayweather appearance)
6. January 19: 3.9
7. April 6: 3.9
8. June 29: 3.87 (First week for RAW guest host)
9. March 2: 3.8
10. March 9: 3.7

WWE has to be happy about these numbers especially with the police trouble Floyd Mayweather was in the day of his appearance. In addition to Floyd’s police troubles, WWE put on one of the worse episodes of RAW in the last few months.

I can picture Vince sitting in his office laughing at the world because he just sold a Popsicle to an Eskimo. (No offense intended to Eskimos)

Floyd might not do great numbers for his fight but he did for the WWE.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-13475-Pro-Wrestling-Examiner~y2009m8d26-Floyd-Mayweather-Jr-is-Money-for-WWEs-ratings

Michael Marley refuses to speak with Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather is either afraid of my piercing questions or too busy thugging out at the roller skating rink in Las Vegas to bother.

It took almost three weeks but I finally I got an answer from a Mayweather flack as to whether I could get a brief, 10 minute one on one telephone interview with boxing’s self-proclaimed Cash Cow.

I begged, I pleaded, I cajoled, I said this means more to me than life itself.

My begging went for naught.

The answer was no, hell no and don’t even think about it according to the Office of Flackery.

I was, it should be noted, invited to be on a group sex, er, I mean a donkey show media conference call with Money Must Pay next week.

I had to turn that opportunity down as experience has taught me that the operator never opens up my line to ask one of my laser like questions.

But that’s not the worst part of those calls. The ugliest aspect is that they always let ESPN’s Dan Rafael ask the first 47 questions, most of which include self references such as, “Floyd, when you and I were roller skating the other night and the ammo from OC’s gun had not even been loaded, did you think that 24 year old would rat you all out to the 5-0?”

I like Danny Boy but he is in love with the sound of his own voice.

I consider this another personal career achievement. I am putting this on my Wall Of Honor right alongside my credential rejection from the Ricky Hatton camp for the Pacman fight.

That Ricky, he wants to be a standup comic. He’ll have to get off the floor first. There is no such thing as a laydown comedian, you see.

At least Pacquiao still talks to me occasionally…I think.

It’s a shame because I was going to only ask boxing questions.

Nothing about the IRS.

Nothing about the midget rassler Hornswoggle.

Nothing about Unca Rajah's Black Mamba choke holds.

Nothing about how the hunt for the burglars of his megamansion is going. I do hear the lead investigator on this was OJ Simpson but I hear he's a little tied up now.

Now the heavy artillery has to come out.

I be thugging now.

Is you ready for that?

The real story is this, Michael Marley refuses to speak to Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Yeah, that’s the ticket.

I am going to be a real grown up on this matter.

Take your group grope conference call and put it where not even the Vegas sun shines.

I was in boxing before Floyd Mayweather Jr. and I'll be here when he's gone.

That goes double for some people around him who will be back working at the car wash when he's done fighting.

Look in the mirror, suckers.

I told you guys I wouldn't take this personally.

I'm so proud of myself for my professional demeanor.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m8d26-Michael-Marley-refuses-to-speak-with-Floyd-Mayweather

Notes from the Housecat: Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins and more

I can't wait for Nov.14 because of Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto!
* Like my Uncle Ed says, "A good cheesecake doesn't need a fruit topping.". So let's do this fight without the belts! I'm thinking Cotto makes it look close early, but Pacquiao overwhelms him and blows him out eventually.
* I have turned against the September 19 Mayweather - Marquez promotion because promoters have add the often - disgraced Zab Judah to the televised card. See my column on this very subject dated Monday.
* I don't pay attention on TV or on line when those punch stats starts rolling. If you tell me they draw in new viewers, fine. However ratings continue to fall the last two decades and their accuracy and how they are interpreted just can't be accurate. It's a gimmick!

Boxing is not a statistical sport. You have fighters that can rattle off four and five punch combinations in one second and be countered by the same and if you miss just one punch, well, it's 20%. Probing punches count as much a a serious offensive jab. There is just two much of a human element involved that accuracy of these statistics are impossible.

* Nobody should be holding their head high after Saturday nights Diaz - Malignaggi fight in Houston. Even Malignaggi has to admit he took the big payday and knew what he thought was going to happen. If he can show me in writing all the promises he said he recieved from the Texas commission in advance, well, I would send them to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY.

Others are saying Paulie didn't speak to Texas but to Golden Boy, who said they would pass it along.

* DirecTV, citing poor ratings, may give the boot to the Versus Channel, Ratings continue to be poor but Versus is requesting even more money in latest negotiations. Could happen by mid September. This would not affect Versus being on cable channels though.

* Is anybody else getting tired of all the exposure Bernard Hopkins is getting? He's overexposed and doesn't have much of interest to say anyway. I don't get the appeal. Less is more, Bernard.
* Former two-time world champion Paulie Ayala of Fort Worth, Texas is about ready to throw his hat in the ring as a promoter. I'm expecting an official announcement very soon. I don't know what his plans are, but if character and integrity have anything to do with it, Paulie and wife Leti have a fighter's chance at succeeding in this brutal business. Unfortuneately, they don't.
* Why do we need vacant and / or interim titles to be filled if there is a current champion?

Only a severe injury that ties a champion up for more than six months is an acceptable reason for either a vacant or interim title. Under six months, you have to put the title on ice and respect the champions injury.

If the answer is that the current champion has said he is either going to retire or vacate and move up or down in weight to challenge for another title, we should just mandate the top two available challengers to fight and wait it out until the champion steps down. The above steps eliminate more than half of these bogus titles.

* Too many Mickey Mouse titles out there confuses the public and leads to lots of
trickeration. And, to add insult to injury, these contenders sometime time can't
make the weight anyway and they fight at a catch weight. Now there is a universal
title for catchweight fights.
* Only if a champion is severely hurt or announces he's moving up in weight and voluntarily vacates the title should an interim title fight of the top available contenders be sanctioned. Otherwise it's just for the money. The claim that the top contenders will bolt for other titles if their opportunity is delayed is possible but a crock as a reason.
* Vacant and interim titles, along with catch weight fights, emeritus titles, too many sanctioning groups and lousy writers and media coverage might ruin this sport one day.
* An injured shoulder has failed to heal sufficiently and the December heavyweight bout between champion Wladimir Klitschko and American challenger Eddie Chambers has been pushed to spring 2010. Chambers weighing options of a tune up fight.
* Dr. Elias Cordoba, Jr, 92, passed away at his home in Panama City Panama. Dr. Cordoba was a two -time WBA President and was named Honorary President for Life.

# 154 lbs. Danny Jacobs had a few rough patches but overall was impressive over useful Ishe Smith Saturday night. Jacobs has a little Donald Curry / Late Vernon Forrest thing going on which I like.
# I have an exclusive two - part interview with controversial international boxing agent / matchmaker Don Majeski coming up later in the week. Majeski gives thorough, in-depth answers to questions that affect boxing fans.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-11372-Dallas-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m8d26-Notes-from-the-Housecat-Manny-Pacquiao-Bernard-Hopkins-and-more

Interview with Arthur Mercante Jr.: On Pacquiao-Cotto, Mayweather-Marquez, Freddie Roach, Diaz-Malignaggi and tons more!

The son of Hall of Fame Boxing Referee, Arthur Mercante is also working on a Hall of Fame Resume. Considered by many to be the best referee in boxing, Arthur Mercante Jr. recently worked the controversial epic battle between Joshua Clottey and Miguel Cotto.

David Tyler – Mr. Mercante earlier today we spoke briefly. Have you had a moment to check out the website?

Arthur Mercante Jr. – No Sir. I just arrived at home but I will later tonight.

DT – Please don’t call me sir……..

AMJ – I can’t help it. That’s the way I was raised.

DT – So was I, but you can call me David.

AMJ – Then you can call me Arthur.

DT – Great, first I would like to tell you how impressed I was with your work during the Clottey/ Cotto fight.

AMJ – Thank you very much.

DT – I believe it was the sixth or seventh round when Clottey got tangled up with Cotto and seem reluctant to continue.

AMJ – No, I believe it was the fifth round and what happened was a cameraman stuck his camera into the ring and I tripped over the camera. That was when Clottey was hovering over Cotto and I realized later when I had watched the replay. I saw that Cotto flipped him to the canvas and Clottey was complaining about his ankle. He didn’t want to continue anymore. That’s when I said you’re a champion, let’s get up and walk it off and fight like a champion.

DT – So after reviewing the fight you felt like Cotto threw him down?

AMJ – Yeah, the replay shows that Clottey was hanging on him and Cotto wanted him off so he threw him off and Clottey tripped over his feet.

DT – What if Clottey couldn’t have continued?

AMJ – As you heard the announcers say it probably would have gone to the scorecards. When I give these guys instructions before the fight I tell them I want a good clean fight and I won’t take points away unless it’s necessary. I didn’t feel it was necessary to take a point for this incident.

DT – And the last round when Cotto hit him behind the head?

AMJ – I didn’t feel it was necessary to take a point away even in that last round Clottey was holding his wrist and Cotto accidentally hit him in the back of the head. It wasn’t intentional. I had warned them both about low blows and hits in the back of the head but nothing happened that I felt a point needed to be taken away.

DT – Arthur, you’re one of the top referees in the game. Are you licensed in Las Vegas?

AMJ – No but they can call a referee in from out of state if they feel it’s necessary. I do travel and work fights in Europe.

DT – Since you are not licensed in Nevada, maybe you could give us your opinion on the two mega fights; Mayweather/ Marquez and Cotto/Pacquiao?

AMJ – Mayweather of course has had that long layoff and Marquez is a tough kid. I think Mayweather is too much. Too fast, too quick, he will be tough for Marquez. It should go the distance unless it’s stopped on cuts. That should be a very good fight.

DT – Pacquiao/ Cotto?

AMJ – Same thing, Cotto is a tough kid but I think he is taking this fight too soon after the bad cut suffered from the Clottey fight. That fight was mid July and I just don’t know if Cotto’s cut has had time to heal. Pacquiao is very fast and accurate with his punches I just believe that Cotto has not had enough time to heal from the Clottely fight.

DT – Your pick to win?

AMJ – I don’t want to pick a winner because it could come back to haunt me. I might get the call to work one of these fights as a referee or a judge and by picking a winner I would have already compromised myself.

DT – Certainly.

AMJ – All those years my Father refereed fights and he was never asked to referee in Las Vegas. He was later asked to judge fights in Las Vegas because he was seen as impartial. You know for the first Ali / Frazier fight he got the call the day before the fight. The primary reason is that he had not spoken out or gave his opinion on how the fight would go. These are just some of the lessons I learned from my Father.

DT – Sir, how is your Father?

AMJ – He is doing alright, he has been going through some rough times with dementia but he getting around.

DT – He must have been proud of you after the Cotto/ Clottey fight?

AMJ – Yes, I wanted him to go with me but because of the dementia issues he would have a tough time at Madison Square Garden. He went to my brother’s house and watched it. He calls the first thing the next morning because he critiques all my work even to this day. He told me that he only wanted to tell me one thing, I’m thinking oh boy what did I do wrong, but he said, that was the best fight you ever referred! As much as he is proud of me, I’m even prouder of my Father and his achievements in our sport.

DT – That fight would not have been the epic battle it turned out to be if you were not the referee. Have you heard similar statements?

AMJ – Yes I have and I am very grateful to everyone for saying those kind things. You know, I came home late and my wife had recorded the fight. I immediately began to watch and noticed that the HBO crew was also tossing kudos my way. Jim Lampley said we all know the kind of referee that Arthur Mercante is; he won’t take points unless it’s absolutely necessary to get control of the fight. To me that was great praise. If I had stepped in there and took a point away it could have affected the whole fight.

DT – Yep, most referees would have let Clottey quit……….

AMJ – That’s the same thing I did with Zab Judah during his fight with Cotto. Cotto just tapped Zab on the back of the head and Judah wanted a point taken away. I said Zab, come on, quit the acting and fight. Finally he gets back into the fight. Having boxed myself I can tell when a fighter is really hurt and when he is just playing the referee.

DT – Maybe that’s why Judah and Clottey haven’t reached the top level of boxing?

AMJ – Yeah, Zab is a real trippy guy, you know what I mean, he likes to hang out and party. I’m working for Madison Square Garden and that’s where I was today. We were getting the place ready for Britney Spears. I see all these local fighters that hang out there, even Zab was there a few days before the Cotto fight and I said to him what are you doing here you have a major fight coming up soon? He said Ah don’t worry about it I’m training real hard. You think how hard Cotto works out and he is home with his family sleeping and you’re at a concert having a good time.

DT – Things have changed…..

AMJ – Muhammad Ali used to take his entire group and go out in the woods or up in the mountains and train. There was a reason for that; they could get mentally and physically prepared for their opponent. Nobody’s like that anymore, they are like Clottey and Judah, they like the limelight, the publicity, the press conferences, and that’s not the old school of thought.

DT – How do you feel about the health of boxing today?

AMJ – I didn’t get to see the recent HBO fight and I will probably watch it tonight. David, did you watch the fight?

DT – Yes and I did think that Malignaggi won the fight.

AMJ - Ok here’s the problem, I go to work and all the guys say your sport is crooked and I ask what they mean. They say Arthur this kid Malignaggi fought his heart out, beat the heck out of this kid Diaz, and flat got robbed. When I find out more details the fight was in Texas in the hometown of Diaz. One judge even had it 118-110 for Diaz and of course he is a hometown judge. Malignaggi should have not fought in the hometown of Diaz. Ok you say Malignaggi is from New York so we can’t fight there but why the hometown of Diaz? Why not Las Vegas or Atlantic City? I don’t know the particulars of the fight but it should have been on neutral ground. Fans see these bad decisions and immediately think the fight was fixed.

DT – Is there a solution?

AMJ – I was in a similar situation with Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield in 1999. Lewis beat Holyfield outright but two of the three judges gave the fight to Holyfield and that’s how it became a draw. They ask me, Arthur what would you have done in this situation? I say look gentlemen, I am second generation, and my Father judged some of the greatest fights in the world as a referee and you all know that. Maybe what we could do is put the referee back into the scoring of a fight and if you run into a situation like this fight in Texas, you then toss out the 118-110 score and ask the referee how do you score the fight? But many say that the referee has too much to do today and should not be scoring fights. I was watching a fight the other night that my Father did with Hurricane Carter in the sixties. The two judges had it split, one for Carter and one for his opponent. In those days they then went to the referee’s scorecard for the determining factor. Even today when a fight results in a draw they could then ask the referee how he scored the fight and he would be the determining factor. This is just one example but there are other ways the sport could improve.

DT – I see your point with the referee scoring the fight. What other improvements?

AMJ – Was the Diaz/ Malignaggi fight a title fight?

DT – Yes.

AMJ – Then why in the world would a sanctioning body allow hometown judges? If that fight was back here in New York they would have insisted on out of town judges. If not here in America then bring in judges from Europe. We did that for the Holyfield/ Lewis fight and the only judge to have it right was the judge from South Africa.

DT – Arthur, I wanted to ask you about the Super Middleweight showdown sponsored by Showtime Boxing?

AMJ – I have heard about it and I know the six boxers in the tournament. The fight I really want to see is that kid from Germany, Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor, that will be a good fight but I believe that Taylor is overrated. He has not looked good in recent fights like the two Pavlik fights and the Carl Froch fight. I believe that Abraham is the kid that fought an entire fight with a broken jaw and still won the fight. This kid has a lot of heart and has been through some tough fights so no question he is probably the favorite going into this tournament.

DT – I agree and I might add that Ring Magazine did not have Arthur Abraham in their P4P top ten. Talk about a sham!!!!

AMJ – (Laughing) David, be careful and don’t raise your blood pressure. But seriously, he does deserve to be in the top ten fighters. I have heard that he trains like an animal. I watch these 24/7 events on television and it is incredible how hard some of these fighters train.

DT- Yes it is, I have known Freddie Roach for over 10 years and have had the privilege of watching Manny Pacquiao work out and he is also a training freak.

AMJ – I have met Freddie Roach. The next time you see him tell him I said hello. He is one of the great guys in boxing. He is honest, straight forward, sincere, calls it like it is, none better in boxing. He has had enormous success despite the fact that he suffers from Parkinson’s. Freddie is a true example of a great boxing trainer and a great person that overcomes handicaps by working his tail off. We need more people with his kind of character around boxing.

DT – What can I say, you are correct. Let me ask your opinion of Margarito beating Cotto with concrete in his gloves?

AMJ – As a referee…did you see the HBO special Assault in the Ring?

DT – Yes.

AMJ – See I believe that anyone that purposely tries to alter their gloves or hand wraps or whatever should be banned for life. Panama Lewis, the trainer, got banned for life but not the fighter. Both the trainer and the fighter should be banned for life. There is certainly criminal intent when you go into the ring with altered gloves. That’s also another case for the referee or at least a state official watching everything that goes on in the dressing rooms. Especially when the hands are being wrapped and the gloves put on. I look for changes in those areas by state officials.

DT – Your thoughts on using performance enhancing drugs?

AMJ – I’m 50 years old and I visit the gym regularly. I tell the kids that you don’t need things like steroids in your body. These kids that are using them are killing themselves just for the opportunity to make a buck now. They don’t think about the future effects on their physical well being down the road.

DT – Let’s relate that to boxing. How do you feel about Shane Mosley using steroids?

AMJ - I of course don’t like it but he hasn’t been fined or suspended. You could ask that question in any sport and what about all those baseball players that we now know use steroids but nothing has happened to them. We look at the baseball players getting all the media glamour and then you have guys like Derick Jeter who go out and perform every day without using these drugs. I can just say that I hope the testing gets better and these athletes are caught and proper discipline is handed out. There are too many variables right now in the drug testing. I would like to see the athletes taught at a very early age about the dangers of steroid abuse and the damage they can do to their bodies in the long run.

DT – Sir…. Arthur, I won’t take anymore of your time, I know you are at home with your family. God Bless you and your family including your Dad. Thank you for being so kind to me.

AMJ – David, no problem, God bless you too and when you get to New York stop by the Garden and see me. I would really like to me you. Take care and we will talk again sometime.

Readers: Did you like this one? Please e-mail me at dtyler53@cox.net. Who else can we track down and interview? Thanks for reading and visiting this website. I answer all e-mails so please let me know your thoughts.

Source: http://www.doghouseboxing.com/DHB/Tyler082609.htm

Contrary to Beristain, Juan Manuel Marquez thinks he's ready for Floyd

In a Tuesday conference call that included his trainer Nacho Beristain and promoter Oscar de la Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez said he felt very ready for his September 19th bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., a bit of a contrast to the bulk and speed concerns that Beristain recently expressed.

Marquez said come Sept. 19, he’ll use attributes that have lifted him to that 50-4 mark, including hand speed and ring smarts. He’s been taking off his heavy sparring gloves, he said, and lacing up lighter gloves to keep his hand speed alive.

JMM isn’t banking on Floyd being rusty, seeing as the Michigan fighter, aged 32, last gloved up in December 2007, against Ricky Hatton. "I’m training for the best Mayweather, and looking forward to the best Mayweather," JMM said.

You know what? Forget a bit of a contrast; this is a stark contrast. Apparently his speed is fine. So someone's jiving. Or Nacho just didn't want to bring it up again on the conference call, I guess.

Marquez would be very wise to expect and train for the best Mayweather, because he won't be able to beat Floyd if he's ready for anything less. The fight is a physical mismatch in a lot of ways, and even with the layoff, I doubt Floyd will be so rusty that he won't have the skills left to slip and counter Marquez to death. Mayweather is a different type of fighter than anyone Marquez has ever beaten. JMM is headed to the Hall of Fame, and rightly so, but let's look at his best wins: Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor, Marco Antonio Barrera (Barrera's last good performance, and a much closer fight than it was scored), and then guys like Robbie Peden, Derrick Gainer, Rocky Juarez, Orlando Salido, etc.

None of them fight like Mayweather. Yes, he's faced Manny Pacquiao twice and had his arguments both times (I feel he won the second fight by a point), but even Manny isn't Floyd. I'm not saying he's better or worse than Pacquiao, but Mayweather is just a completely different specimen. He's his generations best practitioner of the pure art of boxing, save perhaps for Ivan Calderon. Marquez, like everyone, is going to have a lot of difficulty with that.

In typical Marquez fashion, though, he isn't boasting, bragging or making big picks:

"I don’t like to predict," JMM said. "If the kayo comes, great. I’m going to push him."

I have no doubt he'll leave it all in the ring on September 19.

Perhaps most interesting from the call overall is Oscar de la Hoya's (in his own typical fashion) saying whatever pleases the most people at that time:

Not surprisingly, since a title isn’t up for grabs, De La Hoya said that fans care mostly about the matchups, and since there are so many titles out there, can’t keep track of who has one anyway. “The fans don’t care what title is at stake,” he said. He congratulated Golden Boy for loading up the Sept. 19 card, and said it was high time a promoter has done this. “That’s how boxing will progress…the best fighting the best.”

Oh really, Oscar? Is this your first mega-card as a promoter? I guess it was high time to load up Mayweather-Marquez, just not so much when Oscar was grabbing money on top of the card.

Source: http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/8/25/1002435/contrary-to-beristain-juan-manuel

MONEY MAY, GREEN WITH ENVY

A month from now, the apathetically anticipated boxing match between Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be a reality.


Or is it?

Most boxing fans, pundits and talking heads have pretty much ignored and stayed away from discussing or being enthusiastic about this inappropriately titled boxing match; Number One-Numero Uno. Of course, it is the right description, if we are talking about whiners and not about the best pound for pound boxers.

Lil’ Floyd is so befuddled by the obvious lack of excitement about his fight while Pacquaio-Cotto’s Firepower is creating an incredible degree of anticipation even beyond the boxing world, that he is doing his arrogant best just to get some semblance of attention. He has injected the race card. He sparred with ESPN and anybody else who disagree with him. He has essentially proclaimed himself as boxing god to anybody who would listen. Sadly for him, nobody seemed to be really listening. His bloated ego is hurting enormously for the apparent snub.

It must be heart wrenching for Lil’ Floyd to accept that the only time he gets somebody to listen is when he talks about Pacquaio. During the Numero Uno-Number One press conferences, Pacquaio is mentioned so many times, one would think Pacquiao is the main protagonist. Poor Juan Manuel Marquez, he has become practically invisible during these promos.

For the past year, Freddie Roach has been pretending to be Carmac the Magnificent, accurately predicting that the great Oscar De La Hoya would succumb to Pacquaio in eight rounds and boldly sticking his neck out that Hatton would go down in three. OK, he was wrong. Hatton was sent to dreamland at the end of two. But are we going to be picky?

In one of his interviews, he thinks that the Numero Uno-Number One bout may end up canceled.

Mr. Freddie Roach may be on target once again. There are writings on the wall that point to an outright cancellation. Although Lil” Floyd is trying very hard to be at his obnoxious best and hype up the fight including falsely claiming he grew up in a ghetto and a guest appearance at WWE, still nobody seems to be interested. A potential criminal case involving one of Floyd’s employees in a shooting incident could also pose a problem.

Tickets have been on sale for more than 2 months now but sales remain as cold as the Alaskan Tundra, while Firepower almost sold out in less than 2 days.

Interestingly, there are reports that the 5,000 rooms at the MGM Hotel are all booked during the November 14 weekend, while there are plenty of rooms available during the weekend of September 19. What a contrast!

Juan Ma and Floyd fans, if you are out there, worry no more. The fight will go on.

Although maintaining a positive façade, massive jolt of reality has caught up with Lil Floyd and Golden Boy CEO. Mr. Schaefer. They finally recognized that Lil’ Floyd cannot draw boxing fans on his own. It is well known that Juan Ma cannot even get the Mexicans excited, so he is not even in the equation. Although it was a bitter pill to swallow, Junior is clever enough to make financial concessions to pack the under card with good and exciting fighters who on their own merits can be main event headliners.

Whiners: Numero Uno – Number One will be saved from box office disaster not by Juan Ma, not by Lil Floyd but by first-rate and marketable boxers fighting in the under card. It is well known that Katsidis, Chris John, Rocky Juarez, and Zab Judah have enough name recognition and fan base that Sept 19 will not end up a catastrophic failure. However, knowing that the mere addition of a good undercard, not seen in many years, may not be enough to attract a lot of paying fans, Schaefer is resorting to smart corporate sponsorship to drive up more revenue to help offset the projected substantial losses.

Regardless, Numero Uno-Number One will be a box office and PPV disappointment. 200,000 PPV buys will be an overly generous estimate. Golden Boy will be lucky to fill the arena with enough warm bodies even with tickets selling under face value.

What would this mean for Manny Pacquaio?

After successfully prevailing over Cotto in a thrilling and action packed fight with a blockbuster box office receipts and decent PPV numbers that would be in the vicinity of 700,000, he will definitely be in the driver’s seat in any future negotiations with Money May or Juan Ma.

Although a Manny vs. Money fight will generate obscene payday for both fighters, a Manny-Juan Ma bout would not be far behind. Either man Manny fights, the Filipino Pound for Pound King would not only win in the ring but also would amass a financial windfall.

Lil Floyd must really be crying inside seeing Pacquaio having the upper hand and getting all the attention.

Money May is simply too green with envy.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-26740.html

Fox Sports Net To Air Mayweather vs Marquez Preview Show

LOS ANGELES, California (August 25, 2009) - In anticipation of the upcoming showdown between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Juan Manual "Dinamita" Marquez on September 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, fans will have an unprecedented 'first look' opportunity to watch "Countdown to Mayweather vs. Marquez" a special behind the scenes 'making of' fight preview show that will begin airing nationally on Fox Sports Net (FSN) affiliates (check your local listings) starting Wednesday, August 26 and running through Friday, September 11.

"The interest by FSN to distribute the preview show is another indication of the magnitude of this event marking the return of Floyd Mayweather," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "This fight will set a new record for interest by outside entities and corporate sponsors to help bring the event to the consumer through their committed resources and activation."

The show gives an in-depth look at the comeback and return of Mayweather, the most widely recognized name in boxing who returns September 19 after a nearly two year long retirement, as well as footage of Juan Manual Marquez, considered the number two pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, training in his native Mexico for what is surely the most important fight of his career. In addition, the 30-minute show provides background footage of the makings of a multi-million dollar promotional campaign including the initial press conference, the commercial shoot, the international media tour (NY, LA and London), and most importantly, in-ring action footage and comments from the fighters, as well as a host of boxing personalities with their comments on the outcome of the fight.

"I think what the audience will see is a very original and interesting behind-the-scenes look at the making of a fight and its intricacies," said Leigh Simons, who wrote, produced and directed the preview show. "We appreciate FSN's recognition of our work and our ability to take the exclusive access we are granted and deliver a plethora of viewpoints of a big-time promotion, including engaging the fighters in honest conversation about their pending match."

FSN is the nation's leading provider of local sports. Through its 19 owned-and-operated regional networks, FSN serves as the TV home to more than half of all MLB, NHL, and NBA teams. FSN produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 2,400 in high definition, making FSN the most prolific producers of HD Sports programming in the country. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football.

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Quaker State, AT&T, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The explosive evening of boxing will take place Saturday, Sept. 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and live on HBO Pay-Per-View ®.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-26737.html