Floyd Mayweather Jr. says distractions won’t hurt him fight night

Tuesday was the first day of a new month, and it’s unlikely any athlete was happier to see August end than Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Within the last 31 days, Las Vegas police seized two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests from Mayweather’s house in connection with a shooting at a skating rink on Aug. 27, as well as arrested his uncle/trainer, Roger, on a charge of battery-strangulation in the assault of a 25-year-old woman.

During a conference call on Tuesday, Mayweather (39-0, 25 KO) insisted that all that had happened in the month of August was behind him and has not distracted him from training for his upcoming fight with Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO) on Sept. 19.

“My main thing is to focus on the fight on Sept. 19, try to focus on the positive things,” Mayweather said. “The majority of the calls and interviews I’ve had, the only thing they want to know about is the negative things. They never ask me about the families I’ve fed or the different schools I’ve given to.

“We try to focus on the positive things.”

Mayweather turned to a number of examples of stories he says hasn’t made it to the public, including his dedication to underprivileged families in Las Vegas.

According to Mayweather, a great deal of the time off he’s taken from boxing has been devoted to giving back to the community he lives in.

“Just giving back to my American people,” said Mayweather when asked what he’s been doing most since retiring from boxing in 2007. “I’m a giver. I love to help people less fortunate than myself.

“This one time I can remember I went to the worst spots in Las Vegas and bought every kid shoes for Christmas. I went downtown to where people were living under tents, in extremely hot, 110-degree weather, and just gave away lunches. You hear a lot of negative things about Floyd Mayweather Jr., you never hear the positive things.”

Of course besides the negative press on his personal issues, another possible distraction for Mayweather has been the topic of a future fight between himself and Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO), a matchup that the public is clearly dying to see.

When talking about maintaining his unbeaten record on Tuesday, Mayweather included a possible matchup with the Filipino champ in his answer.

“When anyone is facing Floyd Mayweather, there’s no pressure on them because they’ve got nothing to lose,” he said. “If Marquez gets beat 12 rounds or gets knocked out, the fans are still going to love him in his country because they’ll say, ‘You lost to the best.’

“When I face Pacquiao, they’re going to love him in his country because they’ll say, ‘At least you tried. You faced the best; we still love you.’”

When it was pointed out to Mayweather he had inferred that he would eventually face Pacquiao he quickly added, “He’s just one of the names I’m throwing at you.”

Whether or not that super fight happens or not, plenty of preparations are in place to make sure that Mayweather’s fight this month is a financial success.

The event will feature a few different promoting styles fight fans haven’t seen from boxing recently, including implementing roughly 170 movie theaters nationwide to show the fight live.

According to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, targeting younger audiences through broader mediums has also been a focus for this fight.

“The way you promote to a younger audience is you embrace the new media, and Floyd has been instrumental in doing that,” Schaefer said. “We’re using social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

“AT&T will be streaming the weigh-in live to its users. We are embracing the younger audience and exposing the fight in mediums that they use.”

Schaefer also announced that the clothing brand Affliction, widely recognized for its marketing within the mixed martial arts industry, will be designing the official fight shirt of the event.

Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/02/floyd-mayweather-jr-says-distractions-pacquiao-won/

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.: "WHERE WAS THIS GUY PACQUIAO WHEN I WAS DOMINATING"

"Sometimes I sit back and I ask myself questions like where was this guy Pacquiao when I was dominating in the 90's," stated a somewhat defensive Floyd Mayweather Jr. when the subject of Manny Pacquiao's recent victories over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya were brought up during a conference call with the media earlier today. Mayweather had a lot to say regarding those two performances and fired back at critics of his upcoming clash with lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Check out some of the highlights from the conference call.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

"Everything is going great. Like I said, we had a freak accident [rib injury] in the past. The only thing we're trying to do is just move on. That was in the past. I'm a lot better now. I feel strong and I'm ready to fight!"

"You must realize, in the past, of course you know, I was with another promotional company. I don't have to throw no certain names out there, but I was with another promotional company that never took me to that next level. It's not my fault that I wasn't took to the next level in the past. I feel that I've always been a pay-per-view star. I feel that Marquez, he has a good feeling as far as with Mexican background and Mexican people. He has a good following. At this particular time, he's Mexico's number one fighter so, even if the US, I feel he's going to have a lot of support. And of course, you know, me coming back to the sport, I'm looking forward to doing just good numbers. And the main thing, an opportunity to bring excitement back to the sport, you know, bring flash back to the sport and I truly believe that I can do that."

"Basically it's like this, De La Hoya is more comfortable at 154 at a weight that he's comfortable at. Once again, when he fought Pacquiao, basically he was on a diet. He was training to lose weight instead of training to fight. Go back and look at the fight when I fought De La Hoya. They said, 'Oh, he's over the hill.' How is he over the hill if we both are in our 30's?"

"When I fight him, they say I'm over the hill, but once again, he's more stronger and comfortable at a weight he prefers to be at."

"Then we go to Ricky Hatton. I laid the blueprint on how to beat Ricky Hatton and he went out there and fought, that wasn't my daddy's gameplan. Anybody can get caught cold in the first couple of rounds in the sport of boxing. I was told before, once you've been beaten, once you've been knocked out, you have doubt that you can get knocked out again and I think that in the Ricky Hatton fight, he had doubt. He also might have been caught in transition because he was switching styles. I think he went out there with his head straight up in the air and that wasn't...I mean...he can't keep going up and down in weight and he's not taking care of his body like he should and he was getting older."

"Sometimes I sit back and I ask myself questions like where was this guy Pacquiao when I was dominating in the 90's? Once again, you say to yourself, 'Oh, we'd love to see Pacquiao-Mayweather.' But then they don't want to see Mayweather-Marquez. But it's okay for Marquez and Pacquiao to fight. It's okay for Pacquiao to fight every other 120...it's a problem for Marquez to do it and both of these guys are the same size. Actually, Marquez is a little bit bigger than Pacquiao so I don't really understand. As I said before, a lot of the times, people speak on boxing who don't really understand boxing or really know boxing. But once again, when I beat the guy, it wasn't nothing, but when he beat him, 'Oh, it's so unbelievable. We've never seen something so great.' Like I told you before how those HBO commentators is. They commentating and ain't never been in the heat of battle."

"To be honest, my fanbase with children is huge. It's huge. The thing that I think that we're going to have to do is me and Ross Greenburg, after the fight, we're going to have sit down and come up with a new gameplan. Me, Richard, Leonard, Al and Ross are going to have sit down and come up with a whole new gameplan for the sport of boxing; a new promotion plan, you know, where we can show a lot more boxing, not just on ESPN, Showtime or HBO. We're going to get it in on...do this thing all over again and show it on just regular cable TV; show a lot of fights on regular cable TV which will get a lot of young kids back interested."

"I feel the same way as I felt before I left. Actually, I feel a little bit better. I think that the layoff actually helped because I haven't had a break since '87, so I gave my body just a chance to heal...I feel good."

ROGER MAYWEATHER:

"Ali was laid off three years. I mean, Floyd ain't the only guy that's been laid off in boxing. Most of the great guys or great fighters have something in common. They was all laid off anyway. All of them was laid off. Not just him. All of them. All of them that were either good or what they call great, they all had layoffs and they all still had spectacular performances when they fought...Fights are won by skill, that's all there is to it."

Source: http://fighthype.com/pages/content5594.html

Mayweather eyes opportunity to add gloss to his career

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The chance to embellish his unbeaten record will be uppermost in Floyd Mayweather's mind when he takes on Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in their hotly anticipated welterweight fight in Las Vegas this month.

Mayweather has not fought for nearly two years but believes he will be in prime condition when he returns to the ring from retirement for the September 19 clash over 12 rounds at the MGM Grand.

"It's very important for me," American Mayweather said during a conference call on Tuesday of his bid to maintain an unblemished career record of 39-0 with 25 knockouts.

"I am just happy to say that I'm going down as a Hall of Famer and it's extremely important for me to go out there to perform well and dominate.

"I've got to go out there and be smart, be intelligent and listen to my uncle Roger," he added, referring to his coach Roger Mayweather. "If I do that, we will come out 'A' okay."

Mayweather, who has not fought since his 10th round stoppage of Britain's Ricky Hatton in a WBC welterweight title bout in December 2007, felt his opponents always held one advantage.

NO PRESSURE

"When you go out there with an undefeated record, there is no pressure on these fighters because they have nothing to lose," the flamboyant 32-year-old said.

"If Marquez gets beat in 12 rounds or he gets knocked out, they are still going to love him in his country because he had the chance to face the best. They will say: 'You lost but you lost to the best.'

"But in the U.S. it doesn't work like that so we have to work that much harder to stay on top. If I win, it's normal. If a guy gives me a tough fight or even comes close to winning, that's abnormal. Everybody expects me to dominate."

Mayweather, a five-division world champion who is already accepted as one of the greatest boxers of any era, shrugged off suggestions he might be ring-rusty after his 21-month absence.

"I don't think a two-year layoff is going to affect me," he said. "I feel fast and strong and my timing is there. We are in the gym every day and we are looking very sharp.

"I feel the same way as I felt before I left. Actually I feel a little better. I think the break helped because I haven't had a break since '87 so my body had a chance to heal. I feel really good."

Mayweather said he would not underestimate the challenge posed by Marquez, a Mexico City native who has a 50-4-1 record with 37 knockouts.

"He is Mexico's numero uno," he added. continue...

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE58105D20090902

Mayweather-Marquez 24/7: Pt. 1 Reviewed

It was a busy few days for one Money Mayweather. A time at the roller rink, a little resuming his ‘feud’ with the Big Show on Monday Night Raw, and a little bit of camera time for HBO’s infomer…er, documentary series “24/7;” all in a week’s work.

Expanding in tone on HBO’s long tradition of pre-fight featurettes and countdown shows, 24/7 was in part the brainchild of Mayweather prior to his bout with Oscar De La Hoya. With more viewers per show than purchasers of their pay-per-view fight (which set its own buy records), Mayweather-De La Hoya 24/7 was a ratings smash, providing an interesting look at the fighters on their way to a showdown.

The show has struggled somewhat to be as good again. There have been fine moments, but also hints of un-reality. Shadow boxing on top of a casino? Yeah, it just didn’t seem like normal pre-fight ritual. And we all know Ricky Hatton was as nonplussed in real life as portrayed on screen about things like an already late Floyd Mayweather Sr. making a Taco Bell stop on the way to the gym.

Sure.

What golden nuggets will the latest program provide? We began to find out Saturday as the road to the former lineal World Jr. Lightweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight champion Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KO) versus lineal World Lightweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO) got underway.

Presented in High Definition on HBOHD Where Available and reviewed in real time.

Cue narrator Liev Schreiber, better known as the lucky baby daddy to Naomi Watts. King Kong ain’t got nothin’ on Liev! Liev reads some stuff aloud about boxing’s intangible elements before reminding us Mayweather, at the peak of his popularity (some would argue peak of coat tailing the popularity of De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton which is why this fight’s buy rate is being so watched) and dominance, walked away. The time off renewed his resolve (it always does that) and he returns to face the latest in the great tradition of Mexican fistic excellence in Marquez. For emphasis, Marquez says the word “guerreros,” the subtitles as warrior (which is wrong since Marquez said the plural form but whatever).

A montage leads to the words which cue the now-famous theme music because “This is Mayweather-Marquez, 24/7.”

We begin at the roller rink, Liev informing of a father-daughter date for Mayweather. Then we cut to an episode of “The Wire”…wait, wrong HBO show. Omar don’t skate, though he might have dug figure skaters. Anyways, the show briefly touches on a shooting in the rink parking lot on a different night which involved no one getting shot and, allegedly, someone close to Mayweather’s camp. Floyd states he had nothing to do with it and Liev relays Floyd has been announced as not a suspect.

We segue to Camp Mayweather and a look at Floyd’s always impressive mitt work, his hand speed still evident even after over a year and a half officially out of the ring. Mayweather briefly explained some of his reason for the time off. “I been in the sport since November, 1987. When I retired, my body needed a chance to heal…I think I needed to find myself just personally. You know, sometimes you need to step back and just find out who you are as a person.”

Episode one takes a step back with some shots of the initial press tour for Mayweather-Marquez and briefly mentions the training injury to the rib which pushed the bout from July to September 19 before showing Mayweather training with protective gear on his torso. Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger, chimes in with some ever entertaining Roger-isms, reminding viewers “most Spanish fighters are tough,” even though Marquez is not from Spain, and stating that the difference between Floyd and Marquez is “good and great.”

Where he sees his charge is easy to figure.

Floyd reminds the world 39 times he’s been tested and “all 39 came up short.” Technically, 38 people came up short in 39 fights but, hey, it’s time to head south of the border.

We get a focused, mean looking Marquez firing hard training shots to the body and hand mitts and then shots of powerful blows in previous fights against the likes of Juan Diaz and Marco Antonio Barrera. It is the image of the fierce Mexican warrior, no hint of the fact that Marquez has only recently become regularly involved in truly fun fights because, like Mayweather, he is a natural counter puncher.

Move along now…nothing being sold here.

Then, of course, we get clips from the draw and loss which raised Marquez’s profile to its highest versus Manny Pacquiao. He states his case (and he has one for sure) for having won both fights despite being dropped thrice in the first and once in the rematch.

Killing one aspect of what one supposes was ‘drama’ leading to the opening bell, Liev lets everyone know the fight is contracted at 144 lbs., a catchweight within the Welterweight limit, “nine pounds heavier than Marquez has ever weighed in the ring.”

Back to Camp Mayweather, viewers get perhaps the episode’s finest fortune cookie platitude: “When the training gets hard, train harder.” Leaving the gym, the scene transitions to Mayweather, giving his time at a local youth homeless shelter and handing out bag lunches to homeless adults on the streets, commendable with or without cameras.

Back at Casa de Money (lots of money), talk of rumored IRS problems for Floyd is quickly dismissed as Mayweather informs he has a “good relationship” with the tax folk.

Returning to Marquez, Juan Manuel is joined by his little brother, former Bantamweight and Jr. Featherweight king Rafael, in the gym, allowing for a shift to the Marquez families background. The sons of a pro fighter, they grew up poor and in tight spaces as their Dad passed on the family trade. Papa Marquez telling how his sons used to beat the stuffing out of pillows tied to his waist is a nice touch.

Any mention of fathers must include Mayweather’s and a pool table crap game is the setting. Mayweather Sr. channels the best of 70s soul, dropping ‘break up to make up’ and ‘better the second time around’ consecutively. For the sake of both father and son, any viewer can hope this slice of reality TV is truly real. Roger Mayweather speaks for the audience in that regard. A brief aside about Sr. criticizing Roger’s training doesn’t appear to have traction in the gym nor do issues stemming from an outstanding domestic assault charge looming over Roger. It is said Nevada will do nothing to keep Roger out of Floyd Jr.’s corner.

Marquez gets a birthday party, his 36th, and then some insights from trainer Nacho Beristain who adds Marquez may be “numero uno” amongst a stable of World champions over the years which included Ricardo Lopez. It is high praise.

A closing montage and tough talk from both close out week one as the drum line builds to a crescendo and a final Mayweather shot to the mitts.

Cue credits.

Final Thoughts: While the freshness of the Mayweather-De La Hoya version, or sheer energy of the Mayweather-Ricky Hatton build, is missing, this version of 24/7 is a dramatic improvement over the hype shows for De La Hoya-Pacquiao, Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones, or Pacquiao-Hatton. That comes down to Floyd. Love him or hate him, his personality is made for a platform like this. He comes off as a star and authentic human being though any mention or footage from the Raw appearance was sorely missing. Mayweather performed well there and did when involved in Wrestlemania.

Marquez comes across as a solid man but his personality may not be served by this sort of exposure. In the ring, he is a cruel technician; a cerebral assassin. That meticulous nature has made him a winner for years but doesn’t make for particularly compelling documentary viewing. It also doesn’t lend itself to the sort of animus one would want to see in a fight build. The fighters don’t have to talk smack for no reason, but these two seasoned pros come across as just a pair of guys engaging in an athletic contest. The feeling of a looming fight, of a nasty bit of potential bloodletting, wasn’t palpable in episode one.

That makes the start to this latest 24/7 effort okay with room to grow. Grade: B

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com

Source: http://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=21921

Mayweather Jr. scares off the WWE

Floyd Mayweather’s situation with the Las Vegas police has scared off one of his biggest supporters, the WWE. The company formerly known for their “Attitude” and “Controversy” has put as much distance between themselves and Mayweather as possible.

With previous guest hosts, WWE would continue to hype up their appearances throughout the week on other WWE TV programming, WWE.com, and through the proverbial wrestling grapevine. A perfect example of this is Shaq’s appearance on WWE RAW.

Shaq’s appearance dominated WWE.com with multiple videos and articles. WWE put up a poll on the following week’s RAW asking who would win in a match between Shaq and Big Show. There were numerous reports of WWE attempting to get Shaq to return on RAW so he can continue his feud with the Big Show. Shaq’s appearance was also all over WWE TV programming throughout the week and even the mainstream media significantly covered the appearance.

All Mayweather Jr got was a 3 minute video clip and one article on WWE.com, a 10 second video recap of his guest host appearance on this week’s RAW, and a 5 second mentioning for his upcoming fight on this week’s RAW. That’s it. The mainstream media didn’t even care about the appearance because it was so insignificant. This was a man who wrestled at last year’s WrestleMania and his grand return has become nothing more than a Monday Night RAW footnote.

In addition to the lack of post-coverage, you can compare his appearance to other guest appearances and see how poor it was. Every past guest host was on at least the majority of their episode of RAW and had a major impact. Floyd was on WWE RAW for 10 minutes and was a minor part. Freddie Prinze Jr., Jeremy Piven, ZZ Top, and Seth Green were more important to their respective episodes than Mayweather. Next week’s guest host is Bob Barker and I’m willing to bet that an 85 year old man will have more impact than Floyd did.

It’s important to note that the WWE is in a transitional period. They recently announced that their programming will change to a PG content and become more “family friendly”. Mayweather’s police troubles caused shockwaves through the WWE because it endangered this change of image.

Now, WWE doesn’t really care about the “family friendly” part, they are more concerned with the investors and the larger pool of “family friendly” sponsors. Even if you put that aside, what company really wants to be associated with someone who’s having police executing search warrants for firearms and being accused of threatening to shoot someone at a “family friendly” place?

In the end, Floyd only hurt himself by being involved with an incident like this. In his return to boxing, Floyd’s early numbers for ticket sales and PPV buys are a huge concern. He needs all the help he can get to make people care about his fight. Unfortunately for Floyd, he lost a big supporter in the WWE.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-13475-Pro-Wrestling-Examiner~y2009m9d1-Mayweather-Jr-scares-off-the-WWE

411 Boxing Fact or Fiction 09.01.09: Mayweather/Marquez 24/7, Randall Bailey, Super Six World Boxing Classic, More

Has watching HBO 24/7 this past weekend already increased your desire to watch Mayweather vs. Marquez? Is Randall Bailey making a mistake by moving to welterweight? Did you enjoy the movie Tyson? Will instant replay be used at some point during the card at the MGM Grand on September 19th? 411’s Joe Roche and Ramon Aranda discuss these topics and more in the latest edition of 411 Boxing Fact or Fiction!

Alright we're all set for this week's edition of Fact or Fiction. In the red corner to state his case Joe Roche, who pumps out his weekly The Way I See It column. On the opposing end in the blue corner is: me. There will be no referee this week so let's lace 'em up and rumble!

Round 1: Watching HBO 24/7 this past weekend has already increased your desire to watch Mayweather vs. Marquez.

Joe Roche : FICTION - I thought the season premier of 24/7 was a great episode and I got a kick out of seeing Floyd Mayweather Jr. roller skating in his palace. I also thought it was funny when Mayweather told us all that his "shit is paid for, how bout yours?" as if I am supposed to believe that the IRS just puts $6 million dollar liens out against every championship caliber fighter as a precaution. However, when the episode was over I wasn't any more excited about the actual fight – and that may very well be due to the fact that I was already going to watch the fight, and as I've spent a lot of time covering the stories come out of both camps I didn't feel like much substance came out of episode one. I was also a bit let down that Floyd Sr. didn't have any rhymes for us, and HBO glossed over the two huge legal issues hanging over the Mayweather camp. As an aside did anyone else find it interesting that HBO seems to be lining the fight up as a Rich Guy/Poor Guy battle? At the end of the day the show was entertaining but had I been a neutral observer I'm not sure I'd be any more excited to pay $50 to see these two hook up.

Ramon Aranda : FACT - Though I'm looking forward to this one, watching Juan Manuel Marquez dig in and prepare for Floyd amped up my desire to watch this fight. I see Mayweather as the favorite coming in but the more and more I see of Marquez in training, the more I envision him giving Floyd a run for his money. I know he's gotten bulked up a little bit to make weight, but I'm just as interested in seeing if he can improve his handspeed which he knows will be key. Mayweather was up to his usual antics though I found it comical to see him rollerskating. I never knew he possessed those skills. I found it equally funny to see him doing so inside his house as well. Floyd is having fun while Marquez appears to be all business. Let's see how this develops!

Scorecard: 0 for 1


Round 2: You think Randall Bailey is making a mistake by moving to welterweight.

Joe Roche : FACT - I don't think there is a single person who watched Bailey-Urango on Friday Night Fights that thought Bailey looked like his body could hold up at a higher weight class. If anything Bailey looks more like a fighter who would be better off moving down in weight because Urango just looked huge next to Bailey and those KO right's that Bailey spends all night looking for have less effect on bigger guys. Now on the other hand I understand that Bailey is an older fighter, and it's becoming increasingly hard for him to cut weight to make the junior welterweight limit (so lightweight seems out of the question) but I honestly don't see how Bailey will be better off fighting at welterweight. Like I said the problem that Bailey had with Urango wasn't Bailey's strength it was Urango's and if he thinks he'll find guys more likely to be impacted by his crushing right at welterweight I fear he'll be disappointed. I still think Bailey could do some things against non-elite level fighters but I think his best chance at making noise is by sticking it out at junior welterweight.

Ramon Aranda : FACT - I agree with you Joe that Bailey doesn't seem like a good fit for welterweight. For me however, it's not so much that he looked small against the 140-pound Juan Urango but more so because he's moving up to a division that is ridiculously stacked with talent that a guy at this stage of his career would probably want to avoid. I mean, would you favor Bailey to beat guys like Mosley, Cotto, Pacquiao, Berto, Clottey or even Margarito if he returns? Most certainly not as far as I'm concerned. I think the junior welterweight division is a little less competitive and Bailey should stay put.

Scorecard: 1 for 2

Round 3: You view Cotto as a serious threat to Manny Pacquiao.

Joe Roche : FACT - I get that Manny Pacquiao is the P4P king right now but you'd have to be nuts to not think Cotto is a threat. Miguel Cotto is no joke, his 1 loss comes with the Antonio Margarito (asterisk), and his victories over Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Carlos Quintana, Paulie Malignaggi, and Joshua Clottey are legit wins. Cotto is already the bigger fighter so it'll be much easier on his body to make weight then it will be on Manny's. Also Cotto's speed is fantastic for a fighter his size – ask Shane Mosley. Also people keep talking about how Margarito took something away from Cotto and he has never been the same. I remember a very similar statement from people before Paulie Malignaggi looked like the Magic Man against Juan Diaz a few weeks ago. I think you can discount the Clottey fight from a stylistic viewpoint because Cotto was just trying to see through most of the fight, and Michael Jennings isn't exactly a good measuring stick of where a fighter is following a tough loss like the one Cotto suffered to Margarito. I'm not going to say that Cotto is going to beat Pacquiao (not yet at least) but at the very least you have to say that Cotto poses a serious threat to the world's best boxer.

Ramon Aranda : FACT - You have to be naive to think that Cotto won't put up a fight against Manny Pacquiao. He's a legitimate 147 pounder with power in both hands; has a solid chin, impressive handspeed and can box when he feels he needs to. Those thinking Cotto will come in and simply go toe-to-toe don't give him enough credit. I thought Mosley would outbox him when it in fact turned out that it was the "brawler" Cotto who outboxed Mosley. I think Cotto's team can come up with a solid gameplan to take away some of Pacquiao's advantages and remember, it only takes one punch to end the night.


Scorecard: 2 for 3

AND NOW FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS!


Round 4: On September 19, instant replay will be used at some point during the card at the MGM Grand.

Ramon Aranda : FICTION - I say it won't happen only because people will expect it. As the first card (Mayweather vs. Marquez) to be allowed in Nevada to use instant replay, I get the feeling most of us will be waiting for the moment when it will be necessary to use it. Of course, when you're waiting and expecting on something, it usually never happens. It'll probably be first put into play when we're no longer anxious for it. In 2009? Yeah probably, but my senses tell me it won't be used on Sep. 19. Come to think about it, let's hope we don't need to use it that night.

Joe Roche : FICTION - I have made my distaste for instant replay in boxing well known around these parts, but my personal feelings aside I honestly don't expect to see instant replay used on the 19th. I don't think that instant replay is needed on many occasions in boxing, and as a result of that I just think statistically there is very little chance that something will happen that will require instant replay. I am just hopeful that the officials don't sit around with their finger on the proverbial button all night waiting for the first sign of a clash of heads to hit the replay button just so they can use their new toy. I'd hate for instant replay to ruin the flow of what should be a fantastic night of fights.

Scorecard: 3 for 4

Round 5: If there is a knockout win in any of the fights scheduled for the Super Six World Boxing Classic, you expect it to come by from either Abraham, Kessler or Froch.

Ramon Aranda : FACT - This isn't to underestimate any of the US fighters (Ward, Taylor or Dirrell), but I feel that the European fighters have more knockout potential. That's not to say they couldn't win via KO but I more or less envision them taking a decision. Taylor hasn't registered a knockout win since 2005,and while Ward and Dirrell have pretty good knockout percentages, they haven't been as devastating as the ones we've seen from Abraham, Kessler or Froch. Froch meanwhile already owns a knockout win over Taylor while Kessler and Abraham possess heavier hands in my opinion.

Joe Roche : FACT - This one comes down to Abraham. From everything I've seen of the "King" he is going to be stronger at 168 then he ever was at 160. One of the complaints that I've had about Arthur is that he starts slow and seems worried about fading at the end. Much of that has to do with his body being too big for 160 pounds and the difficulty that he has cutting weight, which leads me to believe he is going to be much stronger at 168 and he was already devastatingly strong at 160. I'd look for Abraham to score at least 1 KO victory in this tournament. As for the other guys I honestly haven't even started watching the Kessler tapes that I've come across so I'm not sure how powerful the Viking Warrior really is – but he appears to have KO power and if there is any speed behind those shots guys like Froch and Taylor will be in trouble. I'd also throw out that I would not put it past Dirrell to have a KO victory in this tournament due to his unorthodox style and solid power. The fact that you could justifiably make a case for any of these guys getting a KO (except maybe Taylor) is one of the reasons the Super Six tournament is going to be such a great experience.

Scorecard: 4 for 5

Round 6: You enjoyed the movie "TYSON".

Ramon Aranda : FACT - I absolutely enjoyed this one. I didn't get a chance to check it out while it was at theatres since it had a limited release but I finally had the time to watch it last week after buying it on Blu-ray. Point blank, it was a revealing look at one of the most appealing, and destructive heavyweights in the history of the sport. The fact that Mike didn't seem to hold anything back, along with some exceptional footage that was re-mastered in HD, I'd easily recommend this one to any fan of the sport - regardless if you liked Mike Tyson the man or the fighter.

Joe Roche : FICTION - This is only fiction by default because believe it or not I have yet to see "Tyson." It's not for lack of trying because I actually own the documentary, hell I'm looking at it right now but with all my other commitments I just haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I've heard nothing but good things though so while I answered fiction here I tend to think that it is something I will absolutely love. Tyson is without a doubt one of the most fascinating figures in the history of professional boxing, and while many people call him "dumb" or "slow" he has shown a remarkable appreciation for the history of boxing so I'd love to hear his uncensored thoughts on his own place in the history of the sweet science.

Final Scorecard: 4 for 6

And there you have it as it appears Joe and I don't have a lot to argue about this week. But what about you, the fans? Agree or disagree? Fact or Fiction?

Let us know!

Source: http://www.411mania.com/boxing/columns/114968

Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr Can Lift Boxing Says Sugar Ray Leonard

By Paul Upham: While they have other important fights in front of them before the end of the year, one of the matches boxing fans would most like to see in 2010 is Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Hall of Fame legend Sugar Ray Leonard says that is the sort of fight which can help lift boxing back to where it once stood at the top of mainstream sport.

“Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr is one of those fights which we have not seen in a long time,” Leonard told SecondsOut. “Either guy is capable of beating the other.”

32 year-old Mayweather Jr, the former pound for pound No.1, makes his comeback to boxing after a brief retirement, when he faces dangerous Mexican star Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, USA.

30 year-old Pacquiao, almost universally considered the fighter to have taken over the mantle of the best boxer on the planet upon Mayweather’s retirement, faces WBO welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto on November 14, also at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

If Mayweather Jr and Pacquiao are both victorious in their upcoming matches, it is hoped that negotiations can lead to a super-fight between them in the first half of 2010.

“Pacquiao without question has incredible hand speed,” observed Leonard. “I thought Oscar De La Hoya, even though Oscar was a lot older, could still beat Pacquiao. But Pacquiao is such a fast, perpetual motion machine. Mayweather, wow, this guy has everything. Those two guys, it is whoever gets up on the right side of the bed will win the fight. It is one of those fights which creates interest.”

Leonard, who won six world titles in four weight classes and upset the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler for the undisputed middleweight world title in 1987, says that the best fighting the best is what boxing needs.

“Back in the day, champions fought champions,” he explained. “What’s wrong with boxing today is the fact that champions don’t fight each other. It is a lot of politics and there is a lot of money out there. It is destroying the sport. Boxing will always survive. It struggles, then every now and then the brightest stars surface.”

Source: http://www.secondsout.com/world-boxing-features?ccs=363&cs=102437