Showing posts with label Manny Pacquiao. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manny Pacquiao. Show all posts

Monday, 31 December 2012

Nonito Donaire reveals shock childhood suicide attempt!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Pound-for-pound Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire has revealed a shock childhood suicide attempt in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix.

"I felt like I didn't belong. My family didn't have much. We didn't need an extra mouth to feed," told the 30-year old.

He then went on to explain how he tried to hang himself with a makeshift rope from his bunk at just 10-years old.

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Who is the greatest of this era barring the 'Top 2'?

Nowadays when you ask the question "Who is the greatest boxer of this era?," you only really get two answers... Floyd 'Money' Mayweather and Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao'. For so long these have been the boxers that have been dominating most of the media coverage, debates and most importantly the money in the sport. What I want to know is.. Who would take the top spot if these two guys were around?

Now, this isn't just about who would become pound-for-pound No.1, its also about who would be considered the greatest. And in my opinion to be the greatest you have to be more than just technically skilled. You have to have something special about you. The ability to impact people, change their lives and most importantly let the world know who you are and make people want to watch you fight.

As always when I ask a question like this I want to know what the boxing public think or in Twitter terms the '#BoxingHeads'. So I posted the debate on Twitter and just expected replies regarding mostly the same couple of fighters. But it didn't turn out like that. There was at least twenty to twenty five different boxers mentioned and only a few were mentioned more than once.

Another thing that shocked me was that even up and coming prospects were getting mentioned. Boxers such as Adrien Broner, Kell Brook and even Chris Eubank Jr who has had no more that six fights. Now why I don't agree that these fighters should be considered great already, I took the thought into consideration and realised that these fighters are destined for greatness they're just not there yet.

Of course there were the obvious ones such as Miguel Cotto, Andre Ward and Juan Manuel Marquez (surprisingly nobody actually said the Klitschko's), and yes, these fighters are all great.. But who is the greatest? There was no clear verdict which made me realise one thing:

There is no real cemented definition for great. Greatness means something different to every single person in the world. Everyone has there own perception on who is great, especially in boxing. A sport where everything is debatable.

If I had to chose one fighter from this era to call 'the greatest' it would without a doubt be Floyd Mayweather. But seeing as he is excluded from this argument there is only really one other man out there... Juan Manuel Marquez.

Even at his current age (39-years old) he is still up there as a serious pound-for-pound contender and I think he is the only other fighter out there that you can put in the same bracket as Floyd and Manny.
The one thing I love about the Mexican is that he never fails to provide excitement and entertainment which is why the fans love him so much. I don't think there is anyone out there that can say they're not a fan of Marquez. He's not the stereotypical Mexican that you see powering through taking shots on the chin, he out-boxes and most of the time out-classes his opponents with ease. The guy has been in so many wars over the years but hasn't slowed down at all, he still fights like a fresh mid-twenties boxing technician.

Yep that's it really.. I consider Juan Manuel Marquez as the greatest of fighter of this era (except for Mayweather & Pacquiao). I'm sure there's a lot of you out there that disagree but that's what boxing's all about... OPINIONS! And I suppose every boxer that steps between those ropes are great in their own way.

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Freddie Roach: Pacquiao needs the KO or he'll lose.

Manny Pacquiao (right) & Juan Manuel Marquez (left).

On December 8th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez go head-to-head in the ring for a fourth time.

The results from the three fights have been a draw, a split decision win for Pacquiao and then another win for him, this time by majority decision. However, all three of these fights were very controversial, especially the last two, and a lot of people believe that Marquez deserved to win all three, if not at least two.

This could be seen as an advantage for Marquez heading into their fourth fight as the judges may actually be on his side for once. If a dodgy decision was given to 'Pacman' again then there would be uproar throughout the whole boxing world. Even the Filipino's trainer, Freddie Roach, realises that his fighter may have been a little "lucky" in the previous fights and he believes that Pacquiao will need the knockout if he is to win this fight and prove that he is still up there with the pound-for-pound contenders.

"I've had three chances to come up with the strategy and the style to beat this guy and we haven't done well in any of them and the last one was the worst. Marquez put the muscle on and he kind of landed the power shots in that fight," said Roach. "A lot of people thought we lost that fight... But I need to get Manny to get that killer instinct back. To be pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world, I think we need to knock this guy out. I don't think we'll win a decision regardless of how the fight goes."

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Tuesday, 11 September 2012

Friction between 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather! Relationship no longer the same...

Floyd Mayweather & 50 Cent showing why they are part of 'The Money Team.'
Just recently, there have been heavy rumours that "the most famous friendship in the world" could be coming to an end. If you're wondering who I am referring to as the "most famous friendship in the world," it is rapper 50 Cent and the pound-for-pound boxing king Floyd 'Money' Mayweather.

A few months back, everything was fine. The boxing world was actually buzzing for the two men when Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) announced that he had formed his own boxing promotional company named 'TMT Promotions.' He actually made three world class signings almost straight away in Yuriorkis Gamboa, Andre Dirrell and Billy Dibb. There were also rumours that 50 Cent becoming a promoter had increased the chances of a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Now, you're probably thinking, what the hell could of gone wrong?
Well, whilst Mayweather was serving time in jail for a domestic abuse charge, 50 Cent repeatedly claimed that Mayweather would be part of his promotional company. He even argued with Oscar De La Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions (who have co-promoted Floyd's last six fights) and told him that Golden Boy would no longer be part of any of Mayweather's fights. However, these claims are looking to be untrue at this moment in time, and this also looks to be the reason why there is friction between the two.

50 Cent recently appeared on the Ricky Smiley Morning Show and when asked about the rumours, he acknowledged that things were different between the two.

"Me and Floyd is always gonna be cool," said 50. "Everybody around him is waiting on the next time he feels generous. And I have a lot [of money], so I don't wait for nobody. It's just a space and time. I'll go and do what I have to do. I don't gotta sit around and wait for the next time he feels like giving somebody something."

Monday, 3 September 2012

Pacquia-Marquez IIII looking set for December 8th!

Pacquiao (left) & Marquez (right).

According to Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions a deal has almost been reached for a fourth fight between boxing rivals Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39KO's) and Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38KO's). Now I don't need to go into detail about the controversial history between these two fighters as I'm sure almost every boxing fan across the world will know about the dodgy decisions in the three previous fights involving these two, so let's just go straight on to how the fight actually came about.
 
The fight had been rumoured for a very long time but there were other potential opponents out there for Pacquiao (rematches with Timothy Bradley & Miguel Cotto or the super showdown with Floyd Mayweather). But once again, the fight with Mayweather has been "pushed over to next year" (I wonder if "next year" will ever come), Miguel Cotto is tied up in a fight with Austin Trout and Pacquiao and his team don't want the fight with Timothy Bradley. So seeing as there is nobody else really out there at the moment and everybody believes that Marquez deserves yet another shot at "Pacman", this seems like the most logical fight at this current time.
 
Marquez's promoter Fernando Beltran claims that if the fight does happen, it will take place on December 8th. He also said that the fight is very likely going to happen, but stressed that it is not a certainty.
 
"The only reason that I can't guarantee the fight is [happening] is because there isn't a signed contract from Pacquiao in front of us. Nevertheless, in the next few hours we will have it. I can't say anything more because I am being conservative, but I can say that it is 95 percent done," explained Beltran.

 

Khan looking set to part ways with Roach!


Freddie Roach Amir Khan Amir Khan v Danny Garcia - Press Conference
Khan with trainer Freddie Roach.

Controversial British light-welterweight Amir Khan seems to have finally made a decision on whether or not he will switch to a new trainer for his future fights. The 25-year old is getting tired of having to be second priority to his current trainer Freddie Roach, who also trains Filipino star Manny Pacquiao.

'King' Khan was knocked out in just four rounds in his last fight against Danny Garcia on July 14th. He believes that one of the main reasons he lost this fight was because he was not shown enough attention by his world-class trainer Freddie Roach. Khan's next bout is set for December 15th and he is adamant that he will not let this happen again. Therefore he needs to find a new trainer.

"I'm 25 and not even at my peak yet. I want to make a few changes and am in talks to change trainers at the moment. I am looking at a few names but I don't know if they are available," said Khan in an exclusive interview with the Daily Star.

The Bolton-based star has still not indicated who he is actually most likely to be trained by but at least he has made the decision to move away from Roach. Personally, I think this is the best decision he has ever made. Roach is a world-class trainer, no doubt about it, but Khan is a fighter that needs lots and lots of attention, otherwise he seems to pick up a lot of nasty habits.

One thing you will also notice about Khan from his last few interviews. He is a lot more quiet lately and not spitting out the usual controversial garbage that we are used to hearing from him. Maybe the knockout loss has put him in his place or maybe he has just finally realised that nobody believes half the stuff he says. Anyway, if he continues to act like this, I may end up liking the new Amir Khan!

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Hatton comeback rumours continue to escalate!



The rumours that former two-weight world champion and British fan-favourite Ricky Hatton will return to the ring later this year are forever growing stronger. Numerous sources claim that the 33-year old Mancunian will announce a two-fight comeback in the very near future.

Hatton last fought in 2009 when he was knocked out in just two rounds by Manny Pacquiao and at that time he insisted that he was retired for good. However, he has been back in the gym and training a lot recently. Those close to Hatton claim that he is the best shape he has been in for a very long time.

At first the most likely fight for Hatton was against Paulie Malignaggi in November but his old rival is already scheduled to fight on October 20th against Pablo Cesar Cano. This would mean that Malignaggi would have only a month to prepare for one of the biggest fights of his career. So I think its almost certain that this fight will not happen in November.

However, I do think that if Hatton does make a comeback, he will definitely fight Malignaggi. Whether its his first or second fight, he will end up fighting him. Both men want the fight and it would be an easy bout to sell and make. The most likely outcome is that Hatton will face Malignaggi at the start of 2013 and if he is victorious he will move onto an even bigger challenge. You never know... Maybe even Manny Pacquiao?

Thursday, 9 August 2012

Saturday, 21 July 2012

Calzaghe looking to train Khan...


World class boxing coach Enzo Calzaghe has revealed that he would be more than willing to train former WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan and help rebuild his career.

Khan after his defeat to Danny Garcia.
Khan, 25-years old, suffered a shock knock-out defeat to undefeated WBC champ Danny Garcia last weekend (July 14th) but the Olympic silver medallist claims that his career is far from over. However, he has admitted that some changes need to be made and if his current trainer Freddie Roach cannot commit 100% to training him then he will be looking for another coach.

Enzo Calzaghe, father of super-middleweight ring legend Joe Calzaghe, had his training license reinstated last month after his old one lapsed back in 2009. The 61-year old believes that Khan is a great fighter and just needs the right training.

"My next goal is to talk to Amir Khan and his team," Calzaghe told BBC Sport. "We spoke before, about three years ago. I have always believed Amir is a great fighter, despite what people think. People say he should quit but I don't think he should be quitting. I believe with the right trainer - and my CV speaks for itself - he will be unbeatable."

It's hard to say, but I think this could potentially be a great move for Khan. It's been clear for quite a while now that Khan is never going to reach his full potential whilst Roach is also training Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Roach is a great trainer but just simply doesn't have the time to focus all of his efforts on Khan. 'King' Khan would be Calzaghe's biggest and best fighter so there would be no worries about not getting a lot of focus. If Khan plans to return in December, he is going to have to make a decision soon.

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Ricky Hatton to return to the ring?

Hatton in his fight with Paulie Malignaggi.
There have been tons of rumours circulating that retired British fan favourite Ricky Hatton is looking to make a return to the ring for the first time since 2009. The rumour has not yet been confirmed by Hatton or any of his team but there are a lot of UK media outlets that are stating that this rumour is true.

Hatton, 33-years old, last fought in May of 2009, where he suffered a devastating knock out loss to Manny Pacquiao.

It's fair to say that at this moment in time, Hatton is not in shape. However, according to inside reports, the former two-time world champion has been training a lot lately and has also been shedding a lot of weight. It's  hard to believe that this story is true as there have never been any signs that the Manchester-born man was even considering returning to the ring. At the moment, I'm not actually sure whether I would want to see Mr.Hatton back in the ring. I've enjoyed watching him fight so many times and he does usually bring a lot of excitement for the fans. However, I do not want him to become another one of the ring legends that tarnish their career because they just don't know when to hang up the gloves. I know he's only 33, but he's been inactive for over three years and I just don't think that he will ever be able to make it back to the top. I hope I'm wrong.

What's even more surprising is that the rumours that are circulating also state that Hatton is targeting WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton defeated Malignaggi by an 11th round stoppage prior to his loss to Manny Pacquiao.

Always chatty and willing to talk Malignaggi gave his thoughts on the rumours:

"I'm hearing that Ricky Hatton is interested in a comeback," said the New Yorker. "I'm hearing rumours that I'm the target of that comeback. I've had two rematches in my career and I'm 2-0 in those rematches. In our fight, he did very well. I'd like to think that there are a lot of things that I could have done [better] and I'd like to think that I have made a lot of changes on my team that have really, really brought out the best in me."

"It's a loss that I've had to live with. It's a loss that hindered me and every day I think about the loss and it bothers me. It's unfortunate because I should have done much better, but it was what it was. The rematch is something that interests me. I have nothing but respect for Ricky, his fans and his family. They were nothing but respectful to me during the entire promotion and I expect nothing less in the rematch. I know that he wants to come back and win a title to reclaim old glory but it's my time now and I know that I can beat Ricky Hatton."

Ricky Hatton has not yet made a comment regarding the rumours of a ring return.




Thursday, 28 June 2012

De La Hoya discusses Bradley's future...

WBO champ Timothy 'Dessert Storm' Bradley.
Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya realises that WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has what it takes to become a very big star of the future, and the 39-year old has revealed that there are a lot of potential opponents for him in the Golden Boy stable.

Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La  Hoya.
There's a lot of great fighters in the welterweight division and there's no doubt that 'Dessert Storm' will want to fight every single one of them. De La Hoya has a chequered past with Bradley's promoter Bob Arum but he hopes that this won't affect the chances of any big fights happening.

"There's a lot of options out there, a lot of great fights," said De La Hoya. "The only thing Bob Arum and Top Rank has to do is pick up the phone and call... We have all the fighters, we have all the opponents, we have all the big fights that people want to see. Pick up the phone. I'm sure Bradley wants to fight all of them."

The fighters that De La Hoya is talking about, are the likes of Amir Khan, Paulie Malignaggi and Devon Alexander. Seeing Bradley in the ring with any one of these would be a very interesting match-up for the fans and the fighters.

The 28-year old could continue to fight Top Rank promoted fighters but he would run out of options pretty fast. The only other big name welterweights in Bob Arum's stable are Manny Pacquiao, who Bradley has already fought and beat in a very controversial fight, and Juan Manuel Marquez who his almost reaching 40 and will likely not have many big fights left in him..

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Randall Bailey calls out Floyd Mayweather!


The current IBF welterweight world champion Randall Bailey, who is now 37-years old, is making the most of his time at the top. And he is starting by calling out the pound-for-pound king Floyd 'Money' Mayweather.

Bailey primarily called out Mayweather but he also claimed that he would fight any deserving world title contender at 147lb (welterweight). But, only if the price is right.

"I've been avoided forever," Bailey said, "but now I'm coming off a world title fight win that ended with a punch people are going to be talking about for a long time. If I had a choice, I'd fight Mayweather next. I like the way Floyd's fighting. He's not running around so much to try to win on points. He's giving guys an opportunity to hit him and that's my type of fight."


"I told him (Jones) that I was going to knock him out. In my mind, that was the only way I'd win the fight. I watched a few of his fights that were close, like the (Jesus Soto) Karrass fight, and I was concerned about winning a decision. I knew when I grazed him in the first round that he'd take off like a thief in the night. The kid ran from me a lot and I caught a lot of his punches with my gloves. I waited for him to sit down for a second. I didn't have that much on my punch (straight right) in the 10th round (Jones was decked for the first time as an amateur or pro) because my leg was twisted. In the 11th, he was laying in under his jab so I couldn't hit him with my overhand right. I decided to back up and as we got closer, he kept his chin down to keep away from my overhand right. It was just natural for me to come with my uppercut like I did. That was my best punch ever. It had so much on it that it looked like my fist was in his face. I hit his nose and it felt like meat coming out."


"That punch was similar to the punches he knocked out (Jackson Osei) Bonsu and (Frankie) Figueroa with," Bailey's manager Si Stern noted, "but this was the best punch I've ever seen Randall land. I'm so proud of Randall. He's at the top of his game and a three-time world champion. His one punch produced the 'Knockout of the Year', if not the 'Knockout of the Decade'. We have the world title belt and won't fight on the cheap. We already have a half-million dollar offer to fight overseas, so why would we take a cheap fight? Once Mayweather gets out of jail, he won't find a better opponent to fight than Randall Bailey, who is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. Mayweather-Bailey has the potential to be a classic fight."


"We'll listen to any offers - Malignaggi, Alexander, Berto, Ortiz, even Pacquiao or Bradley - if the price is right. Randall has been avoided like the plague; they've been scared to death because of his one-punch power. We'll only have one or two opportunities for a big fight before his mandatory is due. It would be crazy for him to fight now for short money."


It's unlikely that Bailey will even enter negotiations with Mayweather, but if it does get that far, I'm sure that Mayweather would offer the 37-year old way more less than what Bailey would ask for. To be totally honest with you, I don't think that any of the top fighters at the weight would give Bailey the chance that he actually does deserve. He's just not popular enough to participate in a PPV fight and he isn't on the same level as the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather, Bradley, Ortiz or Berto.


The most likely big pay-days for him would be with either Paulie Malignaggi or Devon Alexander. In my opinion, both of these guys still need to prove themselves and a victory against one of the hardest punchers in the sport would be very good for their careers and reputation.

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Mayweather and Pacquiao announced as the two highest paid athletes in the world!


Who ever said that boxing is no longer a main-stream sport?.. Well, I don't know who said it, but they are definitely wrong. Forbes Magazine has released the list of the world's highest paid athletes from June 2011 through to June 2012, and guess who the top two are? Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao!

'Money' Mayweather made $85 million from his fights with Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto. Although, Pacquiao was second, his earnings were quite a long way off from his "sporting rival." The Filipino earned $56 million from his super showdowns with Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.

The main reason that Mayweather's earnings are so much higher than any other boxer and also any other athlete is that he manages and promotes himself. This means that he collects every he makes from his fights, including tickets revenue, PPV buys and all sponsorships. With most of the other fighters in the sport, they get a considerable amount of money taken from their promoters. Now, I wouldn't advise every fighter to do this as it wouldn't pay off. You can sl*g Mayweather off as much as you want but you cannot deny that he is a very smart man. He takes complete control of his money and makes sure that he is always in charge.

There were only two other boxers on the list, and they were:


  • Wladimir Klitschko - Ranked at No.24 and his total income was $28 million.
  • Miguel Cotto - Ranked at No.75 with a total income of $19 million..
This isn't going to give boxing the extra boost that he needs but it is certainly an eye opener to the people saying our sport is dead. No matter what happens, boxing will always have die-hard fight fans that tune in for every fight.

Monday, 11 June 2012

Bradley fought with a fractured foot and twisted ankle!

Bradley in wheelchair at post-fight press conference.
As you all know, On Saturday (June 9th) Timothy Bradley became the new WBO welterweight champion of the world by winning a controversial split decision over Manny Pacquiao. A lot of fans were very angry about the decision but nobody blamed Tim Bradley. And, to make the achievement even better for 'Dessert Storm' it has been revealed that he fought most of the fight with a fractured foot and twisted ankle.

The 28-year old was taken to hospital after the fight and his manager Cameron Dunkin revealed on Sunday that he had a swollen, twisted right ankle and his left foot was fractured.

Bradley arrived at the post-fight press conference in a wheelchair and explained to the press that he had stepped on referee Robert Byrd's foot in the second round and "felt a pop." If this is true and Bradley really did fight nearly of the bout with these injuries then it is a remarkable achievement. Even to last 12 rounds with 'Pacman' under these circumstances is extraordinary.

"I went back to my corner and said I think I've broken my foot," told Bradley. His trainer Joel Diaz said it up was up to him; he could either quit or carry on in the biggest of his career.

Bradley decided to carry on and the decision obviously paid off. He is now a two-weight world champion and still undefeated in 29 fights. He also has a win over one of the greatest fighters of all time.


Sunday, 10 June 2012

Bradley shocks the world!

Timothy Bradley with the WBO welterweight title.
Timothy 'Dessert Storm' Bradley has shocked the world and become the new WBO welterweight champion of the world. He done this by beating the man that many believe is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, Manny Pacquiao.

There was controversy right from the off. When the fight was scheduled to start, Bradley was bin his changing room, gloved up and ready to go. However, Pacquiao was nowhere to be found. After a quick search, he was found "stretching his calves" on a treadmill with trainer Freddie Roach. Many people believed that there could have been foul play involved but Pacquiao and Roach claim that he genuinely had to relieve some tension from his legs.

So... The ring walk began 15 minutes late and then we finally got to see the fight that we had all been waiting for. The question on everybody's mind was 'Can Bradley walk the walk as well as talk the talk?'

The first round was close and it looked as though both fighters were momentarily stunned at some points. However, from that round till around the seventh, Pacquiao dominated and Bradley looked very tired. But somehow, the man who prides himself on his 'fight to the death' boxing style brought himself back into the fight and clearly won some of the later rounds.

Seeing as the fight had gone to the scorecards, everybody fought that even if it was close, Pacquiao would be given the decision as he is the bigger star and worth a lot more money. How wrong were we?
Bradley was given the result by a split decision with two judges giving it to him by two rounds. We were witnessing the dethroning of the "P4P King" Manny Pacquiao.

A lot of people were shocked the result as they believed that Pacquiao did enough to win the fight. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was really shocked at the decision.

"I thought we won the fight," said Roach. "I thought that was one of the best fights he fought since Cotto. I thought we clearly, clearly won the fight. I think [the judges] had their eyes closed... I didn't see that many close rounds. I like knockouts and when he gave the eleventh round away, I said, "Manny go out there and finish this guy.".. I had it 10 rounds to 2."

Now, it wasn't as wide as the always animated Freddie Roach made out but the fight could have easily been awarded to Manny Pacquiao. But, you cannot take anything away from Mr Timothy Bradley. He fought the right fight and dominated the action towards the end.

Bradley's manager Cameron Dunkin believed that his man deserved to win the fight and he apparently scored it 115-113 to Bradley.

It is very likely now that we will see a rematch between these two men. It was announced before the fight, that if Bradley won then there will be an immediate rematch in November, and both men are more than willing to do it all again. Bradley said that he is fine with the rematch and he will come back even stronger for the next fight. Pacquiao claims that he feels that he "100% won the fight" and he has happy to have a rematch.

Could this be the end of Manny Pacquiao? In the post-fight interview, he looked calm and content. Maybe he is happy with what he has done in his career? Maybe he doesn't feel that he doesn't need to prove himself anymore?

The boxing world has been turned on it's head after this fight. Mayweather-Pacquiao is no longer the most valuable fight out there. Manny Pacquiao can no longer be acclaimed as the 'P4P King.' Timothy Bradley is one of the most valuable fighters in the world from this point on and Mayweather's career has received a boost as many people will now go from seeing Pacquiao as the best fighter in the world and see 'Money' as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Saturday, 9 June 2012

Pacquiao Vs Bradley: Weigh-in results

Pacquiao & Bradleey side-by-side at the weigh-in.
The weigh-in for the superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley took place yesterday and the atmosphere was unbelievable. You could have been fooled into thinking that the fight was taking place right then. Anybody thinking that this fight wasn't attracting as much interest as the usual Pacquiao fights do were given a shock when the doors opened at the MGM Grand for Friday's live weigh-in.
Pacquiao looks away during stare-down.

More than 5,000 enthusiastic fans crammed into the venue to see all of the fighters on the show weigh in. And the fighters didn't disappoint. The face-off between 'Pacman' and 'Desert Storm' was intense! Bradley tried to intimidate Pacquiao and even when the Filipino looked away, he continued stare straight forward. 

Both men looked in fantastic shape and both made the weight (all weights are listed below). Bradley showed off his fantastic physique and a lot of people who had never seen him before were shocked at how incredible he looked.

Weigh-in Results:

Manny Pacquiao 147lb Vs Timothy Bradley 146lb

Jorge Arce 123.5lb Vs Jesus Rojas 123.5lb

Mike Jones 146.5lb Vs Randall Bailey 146lb

Guillermo Rigondeaux 122lb Vs Teon Kennedy 122lb

Thursday, 7 June 2012

Amir Khan predicting Pacquiao to KO Bradley...

Khan at press conference for July 14th fight with Danny Garcia.
Amir Khan prides himself on his knowledge of boxing, and he believes that stable-mate Manny Pacquiao will knockout Timothy Bradley in their superfight on June 9th. At one point last year, it looked as though Khan would be sharing the ring with Bradley but things went wrong and the fight didn't happen.

"I give the fight to Pacquiao by knockout. Maybe mid rounds. Manny will start finding his openings and start hurting him towards the mid rounds and put pressure on him. I don't think Bradley's fought anyone of [Pacquiao's] calibre or as strong as him," explained Khan.

Khan has never really picked against Pacquiao, who he trains with often as they are both trained by Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym. He did say that 'Pacman' should have retired after his fight with Marquez last year but he then backtracked on that and kind of just forgot he even said it.

This seems to be one of the rare cases where somebody is predicting Pacquiao to win easily. Many people believe that Bradley will cause an upset on June 9th. You just need to take one look at Bradley's physique and demeanour in the build up to this fight and you can tell that he is ready for what could be the biggest fight of his career.

Pacquiao Vs Bradley Final Press Conference: Full Coverage

Yesterday (June 6th) Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley met once again for the final press conference for their highly anticipated superfight on June 9th. Both men seemed very relaxed and showcased a calm confidence. 

It was the trainers that were first to step up and talk but the usually animated Joel Diaz and Freddie Roach didn't have much to say. Diaz claimed that Bradley "is 100% ready" and that his fighter is going to cause the "upset of the decade."

Roach said: "It's gonna be great fighting an undefeated, resilient guy." He also explained that Pacquiao may still have some distractions but they have managed to get rid of a lot of them: "We got rid of a lot of distractions. We got some new distractions that are much better." These new distractions are Pacquiao's "spiritual awakening" and bible study instead of his old distractions such as gambling and bizarre night life.

Bob Arum was next to talk on the microphone. He started of with his usual bigging-up of his star fight Manny Pacquiao. Comparing him to Muhammad Ali because of the impact he has had on the sport. But, he also showed a lot of respect to Bradley, which is unusual for Arum.

"I knew he was something special in the ring, but I didn't realise what a wonderful young man he was... If all athletes could be like him, the sport of boxing would really be on the pinnacle of everybody's attention," said Arum.

Both of the fighters were careful and calm with their words but still showed that are very confident going into the fight on Saturday. Bradley said: "Training camp was hell. I've never trained this hard. I'll do whatever it takes to win this fight." He then shook Pacquiao's hand and thanked him for the opportunity. However, 'Dessert Storm' did have one trick to pull. He presented an oversized novelty ticket and poster for a rematch that will happen on November 10th if Bradley wins on Saturday. 

Pacquiao also claimed that he was training harder than ever before for this fight: "I keep pushing, pushing, more rounds. Because I know Bradley is hungry and inspired to train hard... I'm pretty sure that on Saturday we can give a good fight. It will be a good fight. I will fight a good fight."

Below are some pictures from the press conference:

Lay-out for press conference.

Pacquiao shows off diamond ring awarded by Bob Arum.

Bradley presents novelty ticket for rematch.

Bradley shakes Pacquiao's hand.

Pacquiao and Bradley pose for the cameras.




Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Juan Manuel Marquez returns July 21st or 28th...

Juan Manuel Marquez.
It has been confirmed that Mexican light-welterweight Juan Manuel Marquez will not be fighting on July 14thas Top Rank could not find a suitable opponent for the man who is adamant that he wants to fight a southpaw so that he can prepare for a fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Top Rank offered Marquez Zab Judah and Brandon Rios. Either of these would have earned the 38-year old a big amount of money but he simply refused to fight them because they were not a southpaw. When Top Rank finally found a southpaw that was a half decent fighter, the fight was scrapped as Marquez wanted too much money. The light-welterweight champ was in search for a big money fight but Gesta is not a big enough name to draw in the kind of money that he wants.

It has not even been confirmed that Marquez will fight Pacquiao at the end of the year but the Mexican is confident that the bout will happen. In his previous fights with the Filipino he has lost two and drawn one. However, these have all been very controversial decisions and some people believe that Marquez deserved to win all three.

So, it now looks like Marquez will be fighting in Mexico once again for the third time in just four fights. And, it will likely be against a fighter that will not draw in any big money and will probably not prepare him for Manny Pacquiao.

The July 14th show will be replaced by a new card that features Amir Khan Vs Danny Garcia and Seth Mitchell Vs Johnathon Banks.

Thursday, 17 May 2012

Special ring made for Manny Pacquiao...

Manny Pacquiao with WBO title.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has paid tribute to Filipino boxing legend and current welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao by crafting an exclusive diamond ring that is designed specifically for him.

Pacquiao has won world titles in eight different weight divisions and he is considered by some as the greatest fighter in the world today. He is a fan favourite and has one of the most exciting boxing styles ever seen which is why the WBO feel that he deserves to be honoured for his great achievements and success.

WBO president Francisco Valcarcel announced that the ring also comes the "Superchampion" status which will be given to 'Pacman' just before his upcoming fight with Timothy Bradley on June 9th.

"This ring is one of only two in the world," said Valcarcel. "It's a ring specially designed for Pacquiao. This ring is for elite fighters."

The only other person that has been awarded with a diamond ring is boxing great Oscar De La Hoya who had the ring crafted for him in 1995. Many people will say that there are many other fighters in the world that should have also been awarded with a diamond ring (and I agree) but they will not deny that the 33-year old Filipino is deserving of this prestigious award.

Pacquiao won the WBO welterweight title back in 2009 against Miguel Cotto. Since then he has made three defences and will make his fourth against pound-for-pound contender Timothy Bradley on June 9th.