Mayweather Won’t Be Rushed Into Fight
Floyd Mayweather Jr
The long-anticipated showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao appears unlikely to take place this year as negotiations between the two camps are at an apparent standstill.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank, had set a July 17 deadline for exclusive talks and, with nothing agreed, can now explore other potential opponents – namely Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito - for the Filipino’s next fight on November 13.
The rivals, widely regarded as the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, almost came to an agreement earlier this year but the deal collapsed because Pacquiao was reticent about blood testing close to the fight.
Instead, Pacquiao routed Joshua Clotteybefore about 50,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium in March, while Mayweather Jr easily defeated Shane Mosley in May to remain unbeaten in 41 contests.
“I’m not interested in rushing to do anything,
“Mayweather Jr told the Associated Press on July 18 in Miami, where he was coaching a charity basketball game.
He added: “I’m not really thinking about boxing right now.
“I’m just relaxing. I fought about 60 days ago, so I’m just enjoying myself, enjoying life, enjoying my family and enjoying my vacation.”
Top Rank’s Bob Arum, although not having spoken directly to the fighter, believes Mayweather Jr might be reluctant to take on Pacquiao this year because of the legal woes of Roger Mayweather, his uncle and long-time trainer.
Roger Mayweather will go on trial in Las Vegas in August on assault charges stemming from an altercation with a female boxer last year.
Courtesy of Skysports
Mayweather-Pacquiao Anticipated Fight
Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather jnr. and Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao.
The super fight that everyone wants to see happen, from hardcore boxing fans to the general sports fan, will hopefully take place before the end of this year.
The fight everyone is talking about is the one between Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather jnr. and Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao.
Hopefully the disagreements over the drug testing protocol to be followed for the fight will be resolved. Mayweather demanded that Pacquiao be tested according to the United States Anti-Doping Association (USADA) rules, and not the medical testing procedures undertaken by state athletic commissions, which usually only include urine tests and rarely any blood testing.
Floyd’s father even accused Manny of using performance-enhancing drugs, such as erypoietin (epo), and anabolic steroids.
Pacquiao never tested positive for any illegal drug, just like Mayweather. The Mayweather camp may have been referring to Pacquiao successfully moving up in weight from flyweight to welterweight and maintaining, even increasing his punching power.
Of course, Mayweather demanded that both he and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley take the blood and urine tests at any random time, before their big fight, which Mosley agreed to. It was not an unfair request for the Mayweather camp to make, as Mosley tested positive in 2002 for taking advanced anabolic steroids prior to his bout with Oscar De La Hoya.
Awaited Superfight
The main sticking point to the Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight not being made in March 2010 was because Pacquiao did not want blood tests done on him less than 21 days before the fight. Mayweather’s camp asked for a 14-day cutoff time for blood and urine tests prior to the fight. It is sincerely hoped that Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather Promotions, and Top Rank Inc. will come to an agreement on the testing issue.
Mayweather’s recent impressive victory over Mosley via a unanimous points decision victory has only increased the demand for Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight.
Some may have criticized Mosley’s performance saying that he was tired by the third round or that he aged badly in the ring, showing his 38 years of age and the 15-month layoff since his last fight. However, even though Mosley stunned and momentarily hurt Mayweather with two big right hands in the second round, Floyd weathered the storm and recovered very quickly to dominate rounds 3 to 12.
Mayweather showed he can take a hard punch, and it can be argued that Mosley punches at least as hard as Pacquiao, if not harder. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, has said that Mayweather looked slower and fought flatfooted for most of the fight because he cannot move around the way he used to. This could be a very flawed perception as Mayweather said he chose to fight Mosley rather ran box and circle the ring keeping on his toes as in his many previous bouts.
Regarding Pacquiao’s recent impressive victory over Ghanaian Joshua Clottey, his opponent certainly did not look like he wanted to fight, content with being defensive and surviving the 12 rounds distance. It was certainly not a fight worthy of a main event at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium where about 51 000 people watched the fight.
Regarding common opponents; namely Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Juan Manuel Marquez, it can be said that Pacquiao has the edge because he disposed of De La Hoya and Hatton more impressively and in less rounds than Mayweather did. However, when De La Hoya fought Mayweather, he had more of his fighting prime left, and was not as weight drained and weakened as when he fought Pacquiao. Also, when Hatton fought Mayweather, he was undefeated and in better shape. By the time Hatton fought Pacquiao, he had already absorbed a beating in the Mayweather fight and another one against Juan Laszcano.
Against Marquez, Manny fought him twice and won two highly controversial decisions, Although he knocked down Marquez 3 times in the first fight and once in the rematch, most observers though Marquez won at least one of those fights. Mayweather returned after over two years out of boxing to easily outbox Marquez and pitch a shutout victory. He also knocked down Marquez once.
Their hand speed is about the same, with both being very quick. Pacquiao definitely has the edge in work rate over Mayweather as he averages around 100 punches a round. Manny also has an advantage in punching power, although Floyd can certainly punch with reasonable power that can hurt any welterweight.
Defense
Mayweather has a sizeable advantage and has no equal in this aspect in professional boxing.
Both fighters certainly know how to punch from different angles. Mayweather, is of course undefeated, but many will say he lost the first fight to Jose Luis Castillo, and perhaps, also to De La Hoya.
Pacquiao has lost three times, but two defeats were early on in his career and his last defeat, against Erik Morales, he avenged twice by knocking out Morales in two subsequent fights.
Both have exceptional trainers in Roger Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle, and Freddie Roach, three-time trainer of the year winner and master tactician.
Grading
Mayweather Pacquiao
Power B A
Defense A+ B
Chin A B+
Boxing Skills A+ A
Stamina A+ A+
Quality
Of Opposition A A+
It should be a great fight which should really be scheduled for 15 rounds like in the past, not 12 rounds, which seems too short a time for both to show who is the best over the real championship distance.
Let’s hope they can come to an agreement on the drug testing, and get the fight made that every boxing fan wants to see. I would give a slight edge to Mayweather to outbox Pacquiao, but anything can happen.
Hopefully the winner fights a bigger man in either Paul Williams or Sergio Martinez, but for now, Mayweather vs Pacquaio is the fight to determine who is the best boxer in the world pound for pound.
By Darren Wong
Pacquiao Counts Votes But Rival Counts Money
Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley.
Manny Pacquiao was counting votes on Tuesday in the province of Sarangani, as he awaited official confirmation of being elected as a single seat Congressman in the Lower House of Congress in The Philippines, while his arch-rival, Floyd Mayweather, was counting his money in Las Vegas.
And after his contest with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand ten days’ ago, Mayweather is swimming in the bucks.
“There’s a reason they call him Money Mayweather,” Mayweather’s manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said. “He’s winding up making $40 million (R300 million) for his night’s work.”
Mayweather learnt that the unofficial tally of pay-per-view buys on Home Box Office showed that 1.4 million people had paid to watch him dominate Mosley, after coming back from being caught and hurt in the second round of a fight which lasted the championship distance.
Ellerbe indicated Mayweather’s payday would be almost double the $22.5 million he was guaranteed as his basic purse for the fight.
Mayweather was also brilliant on the night, and in many observers’ books, earned back the mythical pound-for-pound belt. I would concur with that.
If the numbers are accurate, it would mean that Mayweather has been in the two richest non-heavyweight pay-per-view fights in history. In 2007, his contest with Oscar De La Hoya reached 2.25 million pay per view buys.
What the figures add up to is that it gives Mayweather pay-per-view bragging rights over Pacquiao and perhaps an upper hand when their representatives and promoters sit down in the coming weeks to negotiate the superfight all boxing fans really want to see this year.
It is expected that the earliest the contest could take place would be November 17, given that Pacquiao will be ensconced working for the Government in his native country.
The ballot box is showing the boxer with a commanding lead over his political rival Roy Chongbian. Once it is confirmed, the boxer’s already busy life will become even more hectic.
Freddie Roach, his trainer, said that he was not concerned. “Manny will still have the desire to box. He knows what got him to where he is.
He has a burning ambition to improve things in his country for poor people. I expect this election success to spur him on to greater things in the ring.”
Was he concerned that Pacquiao could now be distracted ? “I don’t think so. It makes me excited because we are now going to have Congressman Pacquiao knock out Floyd Mayweather,” said Roach.
Courtesy of The Telegraph
Mosley And Mayweather Faceoff
Shane Mosley addresses the media during a training session
Mosley and Mayweather will finally collide in the ring in May.
Shane Mosley (38) and Floyd Mayweather (33) – two of the planet’s top pound for pound boxers – will clash on 1 May in Las Vegas, in one of the most anticipated matchups ever.
“It’s a fight the world wants to see,” Mosley recently told reporters. He also touted the fight as the biggest of his illustrious career.
“Pretty Boy” Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) seemed set on a course to face Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines in the ring, and Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) admitted his concerns about both fighters completely avoiding him. But when negotiations between Mayweather and Pacquiao fell through, Mosley stepped in to replace the Filipino.
“I thought they would be able to fight each other and retire,” said Mosley. “But this is the fight that had to happen. This is a fight of destiny,” he said of his upcoming clash.
For “Sugar” Shane Mosley, there is less on the line in this bout. His career is winding down, and a loss to Mayweather wouldn’t tarnish his record too badly. Conversely, Mayweather has plenty to lose. Victory would mean he remains in contention for the “best fighter of his generation” mantle; however, a loss would lend credence to speculation that Mayweather has avoided top competition throughout his career. Defeat at the hands of Mosley would also remove the 0 from Mayweather’s record.
“No disrespect, but I really don’t think he’s been in there with a fighter like me,” Mosley said in a previous interview with boxing.fanhouse.com. “I believe that when I beat Floyd, I will send him into retirement. May 1 will be Mayweather’s first loss.”
Former IBF lightweight champion Mosley has exclusively fought at welterweight or higher since he relinquished his lightweight belt in 1999. On the other hand, Mayweather has only fought at welterweight five times. Mayweather is renowned for his quickness however, but Mosley is not ready to concede he’ll be the faster man in the ring.
“This is a competitive sport,” he said. “This is our legacy. It’s a challenge that I’m ready to take. I’m ready to go into the history books as the guy who beat Floyd Mayweather, the guy who beat everybody out there, the last man standing.”
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