Manny Pacquiao Timeline 2

Clink link to watch the videos of Manny Pacquiao's fights.

2012-December-08
Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 4

2013-November-24
Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios for the vacant WBO International Welterweight Title.

2014-April-12
Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley 2 for the WBO Welterweight Title

2014-Novermber-23
Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri for the WBO Welterweight Title





2015-May-02
Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Manny Pacquiao is the defending WBO Welterweight Champion. He will fight for Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring Welterweight Titles.










Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao: Boxing fans pick $1m emerald belt for winner of historic fight to wear

Manny Pacquiao Timeline

Manny Pacquiao timeline in Video. Click the links to view the youtube videos. Enjoy!

1998-December-04
Manny Pacquiao vs. Chatchai Sasakul for the Lineal & WBC Flyweight title
Tonsuk College Ground, Phutthamonthon

1999-September-17
Manny Pacquiao vs. Medgoen Singsurat for the Lineal Flyweight title Pakpanag Metropolitan Stadium, Nakhon Si Thammarat

 

2001-June-23
Manny Pacquiao vs. Lehlohonolo Ledwaba for the IBF Super Bantamweight title MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2003-November-15
Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera for the Lineal & The Ring Featherweight titles Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

2004-May-08
Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 1 for WBA (Super) and IBF Featherweight titles MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2005-March-19
Manny Pacquiao vs. Érik Morales 1 for vacant WBC International & IBA Super Featherweight titles MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2006-January-21
Manny Pacquiao vs. Érik Morales 2 Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada for the WBC International Super Featherweight title & WBC Super Featherweight Title Eliminator

2006-November-18
Manny Pacquiao vs. Érik Morales 3 for the WBC International Super Featherweight title Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

2008-March-15
Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez 1 for the WBC & vacant The Ring Super Featherweight titles Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada

2008-March-15
Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez 2 for the WBC & vacant The Ring Super Featherweight titles. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada

2008-June-28
Manny Pacquiao vs. David Díaz for the WBC Lightweight title Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada

2008-December-06
Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya a non-title welterweight bout MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2009-May-02
Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton for The Ring & IBO Light Welterweight titles MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2009-November-14
Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Ángel Cotto for the WBO Welterweight title. Fight at 145-pound catch weight. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2010-November-13
Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight title. Fight at 150-pound catch weight. Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

2011-May-07
Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley for the WBO Welterweight title.
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2011-November-12
Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez 3 for the WBO Welterweight title. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

2012-June-09
Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley for the WBO Welterweight title MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Manny Pacquiao 4th in Most Influential Athlete Poll by Forbes Magazine

Nielsen and E-Poll surveyed over 1,100 adults about dozens of well-known athletes to measure their likeability and whether they're considered "influential,” an important quality for marketers. The term, among 40 characteristics that respondents could choose from (others: leader, approachable, handsome), can mean slightly different things to different people. As Master notes, some may see an athlete as influential in his sport, while others see him as crossing over and being influential in society at large. Tebow is a perfect example: His clean living and public religious values make him a role model for many, even if they render him polarizing in some quarters. Candidates were limited to pro athletes who are currently active and who score at least 20 percent "awareness” with the general public.

1. Jimmie Johnson (Influential: 25 percent) 2. Tim Tebow (Influential: 24 percent) 3. Peyton Manning (Influential: 21 percent) 4. Manny Pacquiao (Influential: 20 percent) 5. Tom Brady (Influential: 19 percent)

A True Boxing Expert At Last!

I mentioned in this blog before about the self-proclaimed boxing expert who does nothing but predicted Manny Pacquiao will either get beaten to pulp, knocked out early, or be totally dominated by his opponents like Dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton and the latest Miguel Cotto. If you actually have read his previous articles, it would seem that Pacquiao would not even have the slightest chance of winning. And all he rants is the greatness of Juan Manuel Marquez (althought I consider him one of the greatest Mexican fighters) and the fight that he feels won by the latter in their last two fights. I resigned to the fact that the boxing site boxingnews24.com is just harboring clowns like Manuel Perez aka Liam Santiago who doesn't even deserve a score of F in grade school English class. Actually I still visit the site and read the clown's articles just for laughs. A guilty pleasure I admit and have been a part of my daily read. What can I say? My strange source of humor article. I don't discourage boxing fans from visiting their site and in fact I encourage you to read the articles there for there are still true boxing experts who can churn out an articles and analysis worthy of HBO or CNN news. I posted the article of Steve Lewis a contributor of boxingnews24.com and I can say that this is one of the most well researched and unbiased article relating to Manny Pacquiao. Read below and see what I mean.

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By Steve Lewis: Previously, I had written about the common post-Pacquiao fight phenomenon called “Monday Morning Quarterbacking.” There is also another sister effect to Monday Morning Quarterbacking. It has been part of our landscape since time immemorial. It is what is referred to by the newer generation as “player hating,” which is often defined as the disliking, resenting, or disapproving of a person due to his/her success or coveted assets. The term “player hater” is often associated with those who are jealous or envious of someone else’s achievements. Whether it is a frivolous and unsubstantiated claim of steroid use, or claims that Manny Pacquiao drains out opponents, or that he avoids fighters of a particular nationality, or that he plain lacks the skills of a true pugilist, people who make such criticisms often have an agenda. And one will be hard-pressed to be objective and unbiased when there is an agenda dictating how they view and perceive things.

It is often baffling why such a nice, humble, yet exciting fighter like Manny Pacquiao would be a target of player haters. He does not have the same self-aggrandizing pomp and brash personality of a Floyd Mayweather, nor the verbal antics of a Ricardo Mayorga, but for some reason, Pacquiao is an easy target. For the fan base of other fighters out there, it is perhaps the product of their disdain for Pacquiao’s rabid fan base and fanatical following, rather than due to Pacquiao himself. Now every major fighter has their legion of followers, but be that as it may, that is no reason to hate on the man himself. One needs to separate the “idol” from the “idolaters.” Those are two separate entities. But for other fighters, trainers, or promoters who player hate, theirs is due to something much more concrete: the pursuit of the almighty buck! Now money is not the only thing. Reputations and one’s place in the sports landscape and hierarchy factor in.

Nate Campbell: It has already been well documented that Nate Campbell had always desired a match against Pacquiao. Join the long list of those wanting to strike it rich in the Pacquiao sweepstakes. What differentiates Campbell as a Pacquiao player hater from all other would-be challengers is that Campbell does not primarily focus on his own attributes as a challenger, but rather downplays and belittles Pacquiao’s attributes as an opponent instead. It’s a classic “I-don’t-want-you-to-focus-on-my-shortcomings-so-let-me-deflect-the-attention-elsewhere” routine.

Others like Edwin Valero will not say, “Pacquiao sucks.” But rather Valero makes a case for himself by citing his punching power as a possible factor in defeating Pacquiao. The same with Shane Mosley. He does not demean Pacquiao in trying to land a match against him, but rather cites to his size, speed and championship experience to prove his worth.

So Nate Campbell’s grandstanding does not get taken seriously, particularly with the irresponsible use of the race card and claims that Pacquiao does not fight people at their own weight. Well, guess what? Pacquiao does not fight at his own weight either! Who knows what weight class he really belongs in? Is he a junior welter or a welterweight? Or is he just a bulked up lightweight? We’re not sure! So these justifications by Campbell is without much merit. Ivan Calderon can balloon all the way up to cruiserweight and challenge Vitali Klitschko at a catch-weight at the cruiserweight limit, and if Calderon pummels Klitschko to a bloody pulp, Campbell would probably say that Calderon did not beat Klitschko at his natural weight (heavyweight), rather than marvel at the fact that a way smaller guy went up in weight and beat a bigger man. That is what is referred to as a “lack of perspective.” And as a side note, as I see this constantly out there, 147 pounds is the welterweight MAXIMUM LIMIT. It does not mean that you have to weigh in at 147 to be a welterweight! All that is required for one to be a welterweight is to weight above 140 pounds, and no more than 147. So many people cannot grasp this concept of a weight ceiling. 147 is max, not a minimum. If the argument was “Allow a welterweight to max out at the limit if he wants to,” then fine. But get the concepts straight. And arguments about weight drain are overly exaggerated anyway. If Miguel Cotto were asked to fight at lightweight or even at jr. welter, then yes. There may be some merit there. But remember, Pacquiao did not have to do anything for Cotto. Pacquiao could have easily said, “Hey, Miguel. Want in on the Pacquiao sweepstakes? You come down to my division at 140.” But he didn’t. Instead, Pacquiao decided that he would be the one to climb up to welterweight, with the concession that Cotto come in one pound under what he previously came in at (which was 146 for the Joshua Clottey fight). Was that an unreasonable request? It was probably unnecessary, but was it unreasonable? If that extra one pound was make-or-break for Cotto, then that’s an indication of bigger problems. As I have said in football, if you can’t get a 1st down on 4th and inches, you probably don’t deserve to win anyway. Paulie Malignaggi: Another example of a fighter who is proven wrong one too many times, and has to find a reason as to why he gets debunked constantly. Malignaggi predicted a Pacquiao loss in both the Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto fight. Both predictions missed their mark. But to rationalize and justify his gross miscalculation, he implicitly attributes it to something sinister instead: steroids (and then cowers behind a disclaimer that he’ll “leave it at that”). And you can lump in the Mayweathers among this group. How could they be so wrong in their assessment of Pacquiao? “Well, it must be something like steroids because I can’t possibly be that off, can I?”

It should be noted that Malignaggi lost to both Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton. And for him to witness the spectacular dismantling of those two by Pacquiao leaves Malignaggi in quandary, because where does that put him in relation to Pacquiao? Afraid perhaps to realize that Pacquiao is light years ahead of him, it is easier to dismiss it by alleging steroid use as a way to explain the unpalatable (which the Nevada State Athletic Commission has already confirmed that Pacquiao is clean). Malignaggi goes the extra mile in belittling the NSAC’s testing procedures, stating how it’s easy to beat the tests. Now that’s really grasping for straws. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. All other boxers who still think that Pacquiao’s achievements are not all that special: let us see you do better. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the current top-10 super featherweight or lightweight division who can legitimately beat Miguel Cotto, even at a 145 lb catch-weight. Find me a flyweight champion or contender who you think has a legitimate shot at a world welterweight title a decade down the line. Just last calendar year, 2008, Pacquiao was fighting in the super featherweight division before his ascent up the ranks. So it’s not like Pacquiao has had much time to settle above 130. In 2009, he captures the WBO welterweight title. Can Humberto Soto or Robert Guerrero take out Cotto at 145 lbs? How about Juan Manuel Marquez? We saw how ineffective he was above 140. Or how about Nate Campbell himself? The same guy who has twice lost to Robbie Peden, fell short against Isaac Hlatswayo, lost to Francisco Lorenzo, and battled Edelmiro Martinez to a draw in 2003 (so he can’t say he was a skinny teenager back then). In other words, only a rare specimen like Pacquiao can do what he achieved. The guy debuted as a straw-weight and is now a welterweight champion, for goodness sake. And he didn’t squeak points-wins against De La Hoya, Hatton, and Cotto either. He knocked those guys around and scored TKO wins against all three! And it’s too bad that a good number of people lack the perspective to appreciate such a feat. Of course, some have to in order to protect their claim as the better fighter (Mayweather), or for strictly financial reasons (Campbell), or simply because they can’t explain and accept that someone could be that good (Malignaggi). Then there are those, who, in today’s age of pseudo journalists/internet bloggers, just like to stir up the pot and see people become hot and bothered (S & P?). But such is the business. As they often retort, “Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.”

Several major American cities want Pacquiao-Mayweather

James Carville is attempting to make a play that would bring Pacquiao-Mayweather to New Orleans. Several American cities want the fight.

The fight has barely started any negotiation at all and is mostly still in the press, but Bob Arum of Top Rank is fielding offer upon offer from major American cities that want to host a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Las Vegas

Go back a few days and read Brick's breakdown of why this fight needs to be in Las Vegas. Also recognize that the reasons listed point to this fight almost sure landing in Vegas. I'd say it's 95% that Sin City hosts Pacquiao-Mayweather. It's the most likely, most logical, and most profitable. Arum is also said to be working with a group willing to build a 30,000-seat outdoor stadium on the Vegas Strip:

Perhaps it's fitting that Las Vegas officials and casino magnate Steve Wynn have already contacted Arum about staging Pacquiao-Mayweather on the Strip. One possibility would be to build a temporary, 30,000-seat outdoor arena on a vacant lot at the old Frontier, where there would be room for corporate hospitality tents and a Super Bowl-like atmosphere.

New York or New Jersey

Yankee Stadium, Citi Field (home of the Mets) and Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (home of the NFL's Giants and Jets), have all been in contact. None are happening, and Arum explains why to FOX Sports:

"There's no conceivable way the fight can take place in New York City because of the tax structure."

In short, 15% of the purses would go to municipal, state and other taxes if the fight were in New York, and the Jersey taxes aren't much lighter. There is absolutely no way you convince Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao that this makes sense for them, because it doesn't make sense.

Los Angeles

The Staples Center has been in touch, reportedly. Pacquiao-Mayweather would surely obliterate the arena records set by Margarito-Mosley this past January, but they simply may not be able to afford it. In fact, it's beyond unlikely that they could outbid the casino folks in Vegas.

Dallas

Pacquiao hadn't even fought Miguel Cotto before this rumor started. The extravagant Cowboys Stadium could hold about 100,000 for boxing, and Texans have turned out in recent times, at least for Juan Diaz fights in Houston. Given that Pacquiao-Mayweather blurs most all fan lines, the fight could do very, very well, and would easily break Texas' record for live gate (which is Marquez-Diaz, by the way). But in the end, would they really make enough money? It'd be tough. But I still say you cannot count out Jerry Jones' desire for attention for himself, the Cowboys, Dallas and that damned mall stadium of his. Jerry might get reckless with the money just to have a trophy case sort of setup out in one of the halls of the stadium with lots of photos of himself standing too close to Mayweather and/or Pacquiao.

Texas also doesn't have those fight taxes.

New Orleans

James Carville -- yes, that James Carville -- is talking with Arum about bringing Pacquiao-Mayweather to The Big Easy, and sees it as a chance for poetry in violence:

"There is an incredible narrative here," Carville said. "This fight could signal a rebirth for boxing and the city of New Orleans. We could have one together."

The Superdome (home of the Saints) hosted the Leon Spinks-Muhammad Ali rematch in 1978, and capacity for that fight was 65,000. Officials say it would be about 70,000 now. Carville is speaking with the Louisiana Governor's office about getting the tax waived to try and help New Orleans' case. The Superdome was also the host for the "No Mas" Leonard-Duran fight. There's plenty of boxing history in New Orleans, but I don't think the juice is there to beat Vegas.

By the way, I went ahead and set up a coverage page to keep all of the Pacquiao-Mayweather talk together while we await what appears to be the inevitable, which is a fight made for May 1, 2010. If the date changes, I'll change the date. If it winds up not happening, the page goes away. But it's there for those interested.

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This is how big this fight is and the repercussion to the boxing industry if this boxing fight does not materialize. After the manhandling Miguel Cotto in 12 rounds, the crowds chanted "We want Floyd" [Mayweather]. And I am sure promoters will move both heaven and earth to make this boxing fight a reality. This is the fight all boxing fans are waiting for. But it's hard to imagine at first that Manny Pacquiao who started fighting professionally at 106 lbs. will now be defending his Welterweight Championship belt at 147 lbs. It does defies the laws of Physics, I may seconded other boxing writer's thoughts. Now that Pacquiao mentioned in an interview that he will fight Mayweather, let us hear the other camp and I hope he [Mayweather] will make the purse split an excuse to duck or avoid Manny Pacquiao. The boxing fans are waiting. Manny Pacquiao always guarantees that he will make the boxing fan's money worth it by letting them watch a fight like no other.

Raul B. Romilla

Boxing Fanatico

Watch Manny Pacquiao Miguel Cotto Fight Free Online

Hello to all boxing fanatico or fanatics!

Do you want to watch Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto fight free online? Check out the sites below.

http://www.justin .tv/

http://www.unlitv.net/

You can also download here Sopcast client and you can create your account before you log in or just log in as anonymous. Then find the channel that features Pacquiao Cotto bout.

Download Sopcast Client


So those who don't have PPV channels, try the links above. I watched Pacquiao vs Dela Hoya on Justin TV and Mayweather vs. Marquez on Sopcast and its great watching it live.

With Justin TV, you can also join the chat while watching the bout.

Tomorrow, I get to watch the fight live on a big screen in a mall aptly named Victory Central Mall. Hopefully, Manny Pacquiao ends up victorious in that bout. Let us all enjoy this historic and possibly record breaking fight.

Raul B. Romilla
Boxing Fanatico

Pacquiao's Fame Continues to Grow as he readies for Cotto

Yeah that's right. If Manny Pacquiao wins this one, which I consider to be one of the most important fight of his life, his star will outshine other boxing greats and he will reach another milestone in his already successful boxing career. So how successful and popular Pacquiao is in the United States?

Doug Fischer of The Ring Magazine elaborates on this. Click on the link below.

The Ring Blog: Pacquiao's Fame Continues to Grow as he readies for Cotto

Watch Manny Pacquiao's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on YouTube.

Raul B. Romilla
Boxing Fanatico

Boxing Predictions: Two Strikes for Pacquiao Basher and Counting

Strike 2! One more strike and you're out! It's good he's not into baseball else he'll end up packing once he gets the third strike.

If there is a so called sportswriter who depends too much on prejudice and not allowing proper reason to make a justified prediction on a boxing result there is one person that I know of. I rarely talk about these sports scribes but I have to mention this on my blog because I can't really understand how this person thinks or analyze boxers in an upcoming bout. It seems pure hatred which could have clouded his already poor opinion.

In the field of sports-writing, a journalist should not be biased to one or prejudice another that would affect ones good sense of judgment. One writer should look at a fighter's strengths and weaknesses and assess the possibility of a win by either fighter, not one sided result as predicted by this so called boxing expert. His one sided predictions are all for the opponents of Pacquiao and he truly believes that he'll get a good beating from his opponents.

To make my point clear, I'll be posting his three fearless predictions and you be the judge. I will not mention a name (yet) and just read below a portion of his columns and see what I mean.



PREDICTION NO. 1 DECEMBER 5, 2008: ON PACQUIAO VS. DELA HOYA
Though Pacquiao has a reputation for hurting people in the super featherweight division, his punches won’t have nearly the same effect against De La Hoya, whom has been fighting as a light middleweight for the past seven years and is accustomed to taking punches from much bigger fighters than the 130 pound Pacquiao. It’s all well and good that Pacquiao will be coming into the fight at roughly the same weight as De La Hoya, but the added weight that Pacquiao put on won’t translate to him hitting any harder than he ever did as a super featherweight. In truth, he’ll probably punch a lot less harder than he did previously and will still be the equivalent of a super featherweight fighting a light middleweight. Pacquiao, without being able to reach the taller De La Hoya, will be totally neutralized, and totally helpless to stop him from controlling the fight from the outside. Pacquiao, 29, has never fought anyone close to being as big and as skilled as De La Hoya, with, perhaps, the closest thing coming to him being 5'8? Erik Morales, who gave Pacquiao fits in their first fight, beating the Filipino star by a 12-round decision.

PREDICTION NO.2: PACQUIAO VS HATTON May 2, 2009 Hatton Wins Weigh-in Stare Down, Pacquiao Looks Scared "Pacquiao couldn’t handle the stare down, started smiling sheepishly and reached out to shake Hatton’s hands, as if surrendering to the more powerful fighter. Hatton was having none of it, and continued to look straight at Pacquiao, eyes not blinking and looking like a stone cold punching machine. Hatton was not smiling and looked like he wanted to tear Pacquiao’s head off with a punch. Pacquiao, cringing a little, put his hands up by his ribs as if were expect Hatton to lay into his body with a huge punch at any second. I felt sorry for Pacquiao at that moment because he looked like he was literally melting away in front of a large sun. I wasn’t entirely sure who was going to win tonight’s fight until I saw the weigh-in, and now I’m positively certain that Hatton will be knocking Pacquiao out before long. I’m just wondering how Pacquiao is going to perform? I just don’t like the way he looked out there, like he wanted to find a hole to hide his head or something. Sheesh! Well, I just hope that Pacquiao makes it interesting for a little while at least and doesn’t stink up the joint by folding too quickly. Hatton is the much stronger fighter, and this will be a huge step up in class for Pacquiao. He really has nothing to compare to what he’ll be facing tonight against Hatton. "

PREDICTION No. 3: PACQUIAO VS COTTO NOVEMBER 4, 2009 I want to give Pacquiao more of a chance in this fight, but I just can’t see him winning against Cotto. The main reason is the size factor. Pacquiao looks far too small to compete against a natural welterweight like Cotto, and I suspect he’s going to get beaten to a royal pulp by Cotto. If Pacquiao wanted to prove that he was the real deal in the welterweight division, and thus earn his number #1 ranking in the World Boxing Organization, then he should have faced at a minimum Shane Mosley, Margarito, Andre Berto, Floyd Mayweather or Paul Williams. I know the welterweight division is one of the sorriest in all of boxing, but you can’t go fighting a shot De La Hoya and a shop worn light welterweight Hatton and be considered the top dog. Pacquiao needed to face better fighters – read: fighters in their prime – instead of Hatton and De La Hoya. And Pacquiao’s speed won’t matter one little bit. Speed is power, but when you have someone as small as Pacquiao, you need more than speed to win; You need size, and that’s something that Pacquiao is in short supply if in this fight. I’m right about this and you’ll agree with me later. I know boxing fans like Pacquiao because he’s the new flavor of the month, but when they see him against Cotto they’ll realize that the emperor has no clothes. Pacquiao is like fools gold. He looks good on paper, but when you put him in against Cotto, Pacquiao is going to look as bad as he did against Shawn Porter in the HBO Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 episode.
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To sum up his boxing analysis:

Before the fight with Dela Hoya, this writer thinks Pacquiao is too small and his punches would be ineffective on the bigger guy. Against Hatton, Pacquiao is even too scared to look straight to Hatton's eyes and that he will end up getting knocked out by the British Bomber. And now against Cotto, he is telling us that he fought guys who are past their prime and not really quality fighters. He mentioned names like Shane Mosley, Margarito, Andre Berto, Floyd Mayweather and Paul Williams. He never even menttioned Miguel Cotto. Which I would think that Miguel Cotto is not a member of his list of elite fighters. But he believes Cotto will give Pacquiao a really nasty beating.

But I must admire this guy for he writes his column and predicts fights fearlessly before the actual fight and you got to have really tough nuts to muster that courage to write such daring forecasts. And the hell he'll be receiving in his inbox once he's wrong and how to excuse himself on doing so.

Now let us wait and see what happens on November 14. You may want to know who wrote the above boxing predictions?

Raul B. Romilla

boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

Malacanang Palace dissuades lawmakers from watching Pacquiao bout

11/04/2009 | 01:17 PM

While admitting that Malacañang is powerless to stop them, a Palace official on Wednesday sought to dissuade lawmakers from going to Las Vegas to watch boxing icon Manny Pacquiao mix it up with Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto.

Deputy presidential spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo reminded lawmakers of their job to tackle pending bills when Congress resumes session on Nov. 9 – one week before Pacquiao’s anticipated fight against the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion on Nov. 14, Saturday (Nov. 15, Sunday Manila time).

“Kung tutuusin di tayo dapat makialam sa decision lalo kung personal na pera ang kanilang gagastusin at walang kinalaman sa pondo ng bayan (The Palace should not be interfering in the affairs of Congress, especially if the lawmakers will spend their own money)," Fajardo said in an interview on dzXL radio.

"Kaya lang may pending bills... Ang moral support maraming paraan di kailangan tayo mismo nandoon para panoorin ang laban niya (But there are pending bills...We can show Pacquiao our moral support even if we don’t go there personally)," she added.

Reminding that the country is still reeling from the effects of Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng, Fajardo said lawmakers’ presence at their respective districts will do wonders for their campaign if they are planning to seek reelection in May 2010.

“I think it will be pogi points for them kung mas makita sila sa distrito at mas maraming papadala sa kababayan, that would be more than enough for them to campaign instead of going to Las Vegas (I think being at their districts will earn them more brownie points if they plan to campaign next year, instead of going to Las Vegas)," she said.

Lawmakers had earlier been criticized for flying abroad in big numbers to watch Pacquiao's boxing matches, their absence sometimes causing problems in coming up with a quorum during session.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles, an avid Pacquiao supporter, said he is not aware how many congressmen will be flying to Las Vegas this time. But Nograles assured that the lawmakers will not be using taxpayers' money for their trips.

“They are on their own, spending personal money and using regular Philippine passports," he said in a text message to GMANews.TV.

The House leader said he himself will be going to the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. "Never missed his fight and am part of the team especially because he comes from Mindanao and has residence in my district in Davao," he said.

House committee on ethics chair and Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona said his committee cannot investigate those who go abroad without a fellow House member lodging a complaint against those who went to Las Vegas.

Complaints lodged by non-members of the House of Representatives will have to be “verified" before the ethics panel can act on them, he added.

“Di namin pwede gawin motu propio. Kung walang complaint di kami pwede mag-action. Kailangan ng complaint (We cannot act on our own. We need
a formal complaint to initiate an investigation)," he said in a separate interview on dzXL.

Minority solons voice suspicion

For his part, minority leader Rep. Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan City) said it was sad that many lawmakers insist on going to Las Vegas to watch Pacquiao’s bout.

“Nakakalungkot yan. Unang una, halal sila ng bayan para magtrabaho, di para manood ng boxing match sa Las Vegas pa... Araw-araw natin
dinadaanan ito paulit-ulit. Ilang laban na si Pacquiao (It is getting sad. They are elected to work on lawmaking, not to watch Pacquiao’s bouts, let alone the bouts in Las Vegas. And how many bouts has Pacquiao had abroad)?" Zamora said in another interview.

He also said the trip of administration solons – including House Speaker Prospero Nograles – fuels suspicions Malacañang wants the P1.414-trillion budget for 2009 reenacted.

This way, he said the entire budget can be treated as a giant pork barrel for Malacañang.

“Kami iniisip namin talagang plano nila huwag magkaroon ng reenacted budget, gusto nila lahat na poder mapunta sa presidente gusto nila reenacted budget, in effect transforming the budget into a pork barrel fund (We are prompted to think the administration wants the 2009 budget reenacted, so it will become a giant pork barrel fund for the administration)," he said.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he had received information that lawmakers going to watch Pacquiao's bout were a financial burden on the boxing champ.

"Pag may boxing si Pacquiao ginagastusan niya ang member ng Kongreso. Dapat ma-check ito (When Pacquiao has a bout abroad he shoulders part of the expenses of some lawmakers. This must be looked into)," Pimentel said in another interview on dzXL. – With a report from Jam Sisante, GMANews.TV

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Who will keep these government officials from watching Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto bout? It will take tremendous political will to be able to stop these elected/appointed officials from going. That is one virtue sorely lacking in the Philippine government and not only in the highest positions but also to the lowliest position as well. 

If they (government officials) are going to use their personal money in watching the Philippine boxing idol live, I don't see a problem in that. But, if they knowingly take even a centavo from the people's money to be entertained by the best pound for pound fighter, it's another story. 

Another concern is that, they are trying to ride on Pacquiao's popularity to bolster their chances in the coming elections. Do these guys know Philippine's other boxing champs or the most promising fighters worthy of a championship bout. I guess they never even watched even on TV or youtube the likes of Donnie Nietes, Marvin Sonsona, Z Gorres, or Boom Boom Bautista. I just hope those officials who are diehard fan of Pacquiao would do something to improve the welfare of professional boxers and help them achieve what Manny Pacquiao has achieved. How much do Philippine professional boxers receive in every skull bashing bout?

Does anybody know whether Luisito Espinosa ever received the amount of $130,349 which should be his purse in his featherweight title defense against Carlos Rios?

With regards to bills that need to be passed, my position is that Manny Pacquiao fights an average of twice a year and if it includes the government officials R&R, that would total to about 10 days and we have more than 300 days to do that. So what are these people doing during those days? If they are really keen on passing these bills to a law, every working day with or without Pacquiao fight is the best day to do it. I see some hint of grandstanding in rebuking these officials watching the bout. 

Raul B. Romilla

boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

 

Cotto 'won't leave anything to chance' against Pacquiao

A picture of Manny Pacquiao is seen at the ring as Miguel Cotto (left) trains at the Pound4Pound Gym in Los Angeles, on November 3. Cotto will carry the hopes of his native Puerto Rico on his shoulders in November 14 mega-fight against Pacquiao.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - – Miguel Cotto's handlers say they will carefully scrutinize the gloves and hand wraps of Manny Pacquiao before their World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight in Las Vegas.

Miguel Cotto Sr said Tuesday they blundered by not inspecting Antonio Margarito's gloves prior to Cotto's lone career loss in July of last year and vow never to let it happen again.

"We only commit the same error once," said Cotto Sr. "We will never make that mistake again."

The increased vigilance comes after Margarito was caught using "loaded wraps" in his following fight against Shane Mosley in January.

Unlike Cotto, Mosley's trainers entered Margarito's dressing room prior to the fight. There they noticed that a damp hard white powder had been placed in between the rows of wrapping and tape before Margarito put his gloves on for the fight.

It has never been proven that Margarito cheated by using a plaster of Paris type substance for the Cotto fight but suspicions are strong, especially in Cotto's camp and that's the reason for the stepped up inspections of opponents' gloves and wraps.

Cotto, of Puerto Rico, senses he has the public support on this one.

"A loss is a loss. Nobody knows for sure if he uses it with me, or not, just Margarito and his team," said Cotto, after a 90 minute workout at the Pound4Pound Gym in Beverly Hills Tuesday. "But it makes me feel better (about the loss). Boxing fans are knowledgeable. They are the judges."

A classic boxer in the true sense of the word, Cotto is 34-1 with 27 knockouts.

Cotto bristled Tuesday at suggestions by Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach that the first loss is one of the toughest for a previously unbeaten fighter to recover from.

Cotto denied that the loss to Margarito had any negative effect on his confidence in the ring.

"Why don't you ask Manny that question because he has had three losses I have just one," Cotto said.

"My commitment is with myself. In my last fight (Joshua Clottey) I could have stopped the fight (cuts) but I decided to stay in the ring because of my commitment to myself and my family."

"Sometimes when you lose you win. Since Margarito great things have come to my career.

"Where is Margarito right now and where is Miguel Cotto?"

Said Cotto Sr, "We have worked a lot with his mind and staying focused. Mentally he is a strong guy."

Roach is predicting that the November 14 fight at the MGM hotel and casino won't go the distance and that the favoured Pacquiao will knock Cotto out capture his seventh title in seven different weight classes.

"This is the problem," Cotto said. "Freddie Roach is not the guy who is going to climb into the ring. If he prepares Manny for just nine rounds then he has three more rounds.

"He (Roach) can say whatever he wants. One day he says the first round and the next day he says round seven. I'm preparing for 12 rounds and nobody is going to know what will happen until the night of the 14th."

Cotto said he is focusing on this 145-pound bout and doesn't listen to talk about Pacquiao (49-3-2, 27 KOs) possibly fighting Floyd Mayweather in a mega title fight if he beats Cotto.

"He can fight Mayweather as many times as he wants after I beat him," Cotto said.

Cotto respects Pacquiao for the way he has come from modest roots in the Philippines to become a world class boxer who is revered by Filipinos at home and abroad.

"He has earned everything he has," Cotto said. "Manny looked good against Oscar De La Hoya and (Ricky) Hatton. But I'm not Oscar or Hatton. Manny chose the right time to fight Oscar."

Cotto is looking forward to wrapping up training camp, heading to Las Vegas next week and says this is the biggest fight of his life.

"It is the most important fight of my career, but we'll have to see on the 14th if he is the toughest guy I have fought in my career," Cotto said.

-----

It is just fair for each camp to scrutinize each others wraps and gloves before the fight just to make sure everything is leveled come game time. Discovery of Antonio Margarito's loaded handwraps put into question Miguel Cotto's only loss in his entire career. Just in time for Shane Mosley but too late for Cotto. Just the same, Cotto's camp is wiser now and they can be certain that their prized fighter would be protected from such unfair disadvantage in the future.

Cotto still considers that loss a loss though but he's now less bitter about it. The coming fight will show how the two prepared for the fight and will answer questions whether Cotto retained his ferociousness and confidence or whether Pacquiao will be the first boxer to win 7 world titles.

Then the medical tests. I guess Manny Pacquiao should also make copies of his test results and shove it to Floyd Mayweather Senior's throat who months ago has been claiming based on his observation that Pacquiao could have been using steroids which makes him relentless inside the ring. I love seeing people especially the likes of Floyd Sr. wrong.

Raul B. Romilla

boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

Pacquiao Foe Miguel Cotto To Hold Media Workout

11/03/2009 | 07:36 PM

HOLLYWOOD – World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto gets to show how ready he is for his Nov. 14 showdown against Manny Pacquiao by holding a media workout in this district of movies and stars Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).

The 28-year old Puerto Rican is arriving here from Las Vegas, Nevada where he had already been staying as early as the other day.

WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico

Cotto is scheduled to work out at the Pound4Pound gym in La Cienega Boulevard in El Segundo, California, where an open forum will first be held before the champion does his thing in the ring along with trainer Joe Santiago.

The Caguas, Puerto Rico native already broke camp in Tampa, Florida last week and arrived in Las Vegas the other day, two weeks before his highly-anticipated Nov. 14 showdown with the Filipino boxing superstar.

Reports coming from Las Vegas had it that Cotto appeared drained as he try to meet the 145-pound catch weight agreed upon for the welterweight bout dubbed “Firepower" promoted by Top Rank.

Under the fight contract, Cotto is bound to pay $1 million for every pound excess of the agreed catch weight. This will be the first time the Puerto Rican will be fighting below the welterweight limit (147 pounds) since 2006.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, holds his own public workout the following day (Wednesday, Thursday in Manila) at the Wild Card gym here, where he is in his final phase of an eight-week training that began at the Shape-Up gym in Baguio City, Philippines.

As Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) does his media workout, the 30-year old Filipino ring idol (49-3, 37 KOs) will be sparring with regular sparmates Shawn Porter, Rey Beltran and Rashad Holloway also at the famed sweatshop owned by trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao has already sparred close to 130 rounds and is expected to complete their target of 150 by the time his team departs for Las Vegas Monday next week.

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Miguel is a welterweight with a lot of power and fast hands. Miguel has to make his fight. I don’t think Pacquiao will exchange punches with Cotto, who will win by either decision or knockout.

– Carlos Quintana

---

Despite being a 2-1 underdog, two world champions are predicting a big win for Cotto.

Compatriots Juan Manuel Lopez and Carlos Quintana have it on record that the Puerto Rican native will be able to pull off an upset.

“Miguel has all the tools to beat Pacquiao," said Lopez, the reigning WBO super-bantamweight champion, in an interview by Primera Hora, a Puerto Rico-based newspaper.

The undefeated champion, however, stressed that should Cotto gets tired the way he did in his last fight against Joshua Clottey during their WBO championship at the Madison Square Garden, he can be in for a big trouble.

“In his last fight, Cotto was a bit tired in the end, and because Manny throws a lot of punches, that could make him tired. And if that happens, he will have problems," said Lopez.

But Quintana, whom Cotto beat via a fifth round technical knockout in a 2007 title fight, believes the champion’s strength will be too much to offset Pacquiao’s speed.

“Miguel is a welterweight with a lot of power and fast hands. Miguel has to make his fight. I don’t think Pacquiao will exchange punches with Cotto, who will win by either decision or knockout," he said. – GMANews.TV


We will all be surprised by how to two fighters start fighting in the ring. Unlike Floyd Mayweather whose boxing style rarely changes and quite predictable, Manny Pacquiao's style still baffles both boxing fans and his opponents alike. We still have to see much of Manny Pacquiao because his last bout is too short to make thorough analysis of Pacman's style. He hardly broke a sweat and I think his sparring partners gave the pound for pound king more trouble than Ricky Hatton. I believe this fight will show the mettle of Manny Pacquiao and who he really is and will be the gauge of future opponents of Pacquiao when its their turn to face the Philippine boxing idol.

Raul B. Romilla
boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

Floyd Mayweather Finally Loses

By Frank Lotierzo

40-0. A perfect track record of big-buy pay per views. Flawless manipulation of the public, the media, and damn near everyone else he’s ever encountered.

And then Floyd Mayweather managed to get taken down by a New York emcee named R.A. the Rugged Man, who outthought, outmaneuvered, and outslugged Money from the opening bell until it was all over. If I’d been Floyd’s cornerman, I’d have pulled the plug after the first few rounds. There’s no way he should have taken that kind of beating.

Mayweather was a surprise phone-in guest of the R.A, the Rugged Man’s Sirius Eminem’s Shade 45 Show. After a moment of feeling each other out, exchanging pleasantries, the normally cautious Mayweather walked right into a sucker punch that nailed him squarely on the chin, a mistake he's seldom made in the ring as a fighter.

“So Floyd, when you gonna fight somebody your own size in the top two?”

Maybe like a lot of fighters who get caught cold, Mayweather never recovered from the punch he didn’t see. Not to mention R.A. was Floyd's equal when it came to speed and thinking on your feet.

As it turned out, R.A. came armed with information - lots of it. This wasn’t some boxing-ignorant radio personality trying to drum up a little controversy. His criticism was pointed and entirely valid. Everything he threw at Mayweather is what many fight aficionados have thought about saying to him had they been presented the opportunity to. Mayweather’s response revealed a lot about how he thinks, how surprisingly easy it is to unsettle him, and the lengths he’ll go to in order to justify why he’s been avoiding certain fighters.

Here’s how he answered the question above.

“It’s not up to me. Boxing don’t work like that.” This comes from a guy who is always quick to point out that nobody tells him what to do, that he fights who, when, and where he wants, and that he’s not stuck in service to any promoter.

After explaining how Bob Arum doesn’t want either Miguel Angel Cotto or Manny Pacquiao to fight him, Floyd begins bragging about his decision win over Carlos Baldomir. Could anyone envision Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto trying to suggest how they're greater than Sugar Ray Robinson by highlighting they beat Carlos Baldomir?

“Oh man, Baldomir with eleven losses? How about this: why didn’t you fight Margarito when you were offered eight million dollars?”

And the guy who compared himself favorably to Sugar Ray Robinson begins hemming and hawing, arguing with a man he doesn’t know in an attempt to justify himself. He begins lying.

“Why would I fight Margarito for eight million when I could get twelve million fighting for the title?”

“Who’d you get twelve million for fighting? I don’t believe you.”

R.A. the Rugged Man is right about that. It wasn’t that he was simply trying to trash Mayweather. As a boxing fan, he was willing —even eager— to concede that Floyd was a great fighter. That was his point: he felt that Mayweather was squandering his legacy.

Floyd tries to suggest that neither Cotto nor Pacquiao is calling him out, but the Rugged Man cuts him off by saying that everybody wants to fight him. He mentions Shane Mosley, then adds that Paul Williams would “smack your ass.”

Floyd’s response is that people are “praying for his downfall.”

No dice. The Rugged Man points out that he was a big fan of Floyd’s. He cites the Diego Corrales fight as an example of what Mayweather could be at his best.

Things go downhill. Mayweather boasts about the miracle of coming back from a two year layoff. It’s pointed out that the layoff wasn't two years and was against a 36 year old featherweight. Floyd screams, “I’m in my 30s!”

He talks about Mosley’s past steroid use as a reason for not fighting him. At every turn, he shows weakness.

I’d always assumed that Floyd Mayweather talked the way he did because he’s a businessman first and foremost. And I thought that, at some level, he really believed he was the great fighter he presented himself to be. Coming from a fighting family and having lived his entire life in a boxing ring, I figured that he was completely secure about fighting anyone, and that it didn’t bother him when detractors challenged him on his legacy.

I was wrong. Floyd Mayweather knows he’s ducking Mosley, Williams, Margarito, and Cotto. It’s not about money. He wants money, but he’s heard the whispers and he’s worried that, once defeated, he will have irreparably tarnished his reputation. He’s made his name on being undefeated, and he’ll do anything necessary to stay undefeated, even if it includes embarrassing himself.

Floyd Mayweather has shown very few exploitable weaknesses in the ring. He’s fought a lot of good fighters, and he’s remained unbeaten. But he got knocked out by a radio deejay. And, in allowing himself to enter into a desperate argument in public, he showed a character chink in his armor that any future opponent may be able to take advantage of.

No other all-time great had to beg for accolades like Mayweather has. Can you imagine Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, or Bernard Hopkins arguing with a radio deejay about their legacy and all-time great status?

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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I do hope Floyd Mayweather finally loses inside the boxing ring.

Not that I'm a hater of Mayweather, but what is really ticks me off is that his mouth is faster than his mitts and it won't matter to me as long as there's sense in what's he's saying. All I hear from him since his return from his retirement are bull . . . . He's not ducking this fighter, he's the best and the number one pound for pound boxer and his numbers shows his popularity as the best fighter and the biggest draw. Ho-hum. There are his followers who believed him and and there's even a site where he was rated number one pound for pound by just defeating Juan Manuel Marquez. In his absence, Pacquiao has been pummeling opponents left and right and after his return bout against Marquez he instantly became number one in his list. Haha!

To Mayweather, why not just sell and not box anymore so you can keep your record blemish free. It's easy money and it would keep others from hitting your beautiful face. I don't care about your boxing style if it keeps you winning. But fight the legitimate contenders of your league and not someone who'll go up two divisions in your weight. The one you fought is not Pacquiao although he may be one of the greatest Mexican fighters, he's not Manny Pacquiao. Prove us wrong Mr. Money Mayweather.

I hope Manny Pacquiao wins and if he does that, I'm sure Mayweather will be stalking Pacquiao everywhere he goes and even bringing a contract and shoving it in front of his face just to let Mayweather fight him. Familiar scenario?

Raul B. Romilla

boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

Team Pacquiao 'not desperate' for Mayweather

by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA – Even as Manny Pacquiao is set to fight Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas, talks about his possible showdown with erstwhile pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr. are still going around and gaining the spotlight.

If it pushes through, fans and critics alike said the Pacquiao-Mayweather clash will surely be a blockbuster fight.

But Pacquiao, for his part, told the LATimes.com and Associated Press that the mega fight might not happen because for Mayweather, it is all about the money.

“You know obviously I’ve had minor discussions,” Canadian Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, revealed to abs-cbnNEWS.com. “Manny's focused on this fight. We have a number of options for the next fight.”

Koncz said that their options include Shane Mosley and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. “It’s not just Mayweather,” he reminded.

“Do we wanna do Mayweather? Of course we wanna do Mayweather,” stated Koncz. “But we won’t be railroaded and pushed around, bullied around.”

“I think the economics of the fight has to be right for us to agree,” he continued. “Do we need Mayweather? We don’t need Mayweather. If Manny gets past Cotto in great fashion, I don’t believe it makes a difference who he fights next.”

Great for fans

The Canadian adviser said if Manny wins on November 14, his popularity would surge just like what happened when he overpowered Oscar de la Hoya in 2008 and Ricky Hatton in May.

“We'd love to make the Mayweather fight. I think it will be a great fight for the fans. I think the fans want to see it. But again we're not desperate for it,” he declared.

“We’ve had open line communications with their people over the last year so they know what terms we're looking for… We’re not gonna chase Mayweather, absolutely not.”

Mayweather, who came out of retirement in May, won over Juan Manuel Marquez, in September by unanimous decision.

“They know where we’re at and I know where they’re at so hopefully we’d come to a place where we can all agree,” said Koncz.

Pound-for-pound

Meanwhile, Pacquiao was asked about claims made by critics saying that Mayweather deserves to be the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer.

“Nagkaroon naman ng botohan. Lahat ako pa rin ang pinili. Pero sabi ko nga sa kanila okay lang kahit i-claim pa niya na siya ang [pound-for-pound king], walang problema sa akin,” Pacquiao told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

The Filipino boxing superstar (49-3-2, with 37 KOs) is No. 1 in the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound ratings while Mayweather (40-0, with 25 KOs) is No. 2.

“Alam naman ng tao, alam ng lahat kung ano ang na-achieve ko sa boxing, nagawa ko sa boxing,” said Pacquiao, who is gunning for his 7th world title. He said he hopes to make history by becoming the first boxer to win 7 titles in 7 different weight divisions.

“Sila na mag-compare. Ayoko namang buhatin ang sarili kong upuan. Okay na ako na ganito lang ako, simple lang,” he added.

Koncz, meantime, said he thinks WBO welterweight champion Cotto is better than the undefeated Mayweather.

“You know on paper at least I think Cotto has fought a lot more compelling fights than Mayweather. Mayweather seems to handpick his opponents while Cotto will fight anybody and everybody,” he said.

“So to me I feel Cotto is the much stronger fighter than Mayweather,” noted Koncz. -- Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com

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The Money man Mayweather always thinks he's the biggest boxing draw and the boxing industry lives and dies with him.

If I am to choose which fight I'm willing to pay to watch, hands down it's Manny Pacquiao's fight. Boxing experts once joked that when you watch Floyd Mayweather's bouts, you can sleep in between rounds and just wake up upon announcement of the judges decision.

Well in Manny Pacquiao's case, you can't do that for anything will happen and if you blink, you might not see that perfect punch that kayoed boxing's best. Let us thank the wonders of technology for we have instant replays that we can watch it over and over again.

Back to Mayweather, I don't seem to catch the reasons why he fought little man Manuel Marquez instead of opponents of his built and class. Yes, I do believe Marquez is a great champion and yes, he did give Manny Pacquiao the fits during their two fights. But it doesn't mean he's the best opponent for him and he'll earn the boxing fan's respect in defeating this guy. The fight was greeted by sneer by most fight fans.

In Oscar De La Hoya's fight "The Dream Match" with Manny Pacquiao, he talked about the need to win by knockout, claiming it would be a disaster if he didn’t. To cement his (Dela Hoya) legacy, a convincing knockout must be witnessed by people and not by judges scorecards.

Mayweather simply won one knockdown and a unanimous decision to Juan Manuel Marquez.

Big deal.

Raul B. Romilla

boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

Dundee Not Betting on a Pacquiao win vs Cotto

For the third time, legendary trainer Angelo Dundee is keeping off his bet on Manny Pacquiao in his Nov. 14 title showdown with Miguel Cotto.

Despite being proven wrong twice before by the Filipino boxing champion, the 88-year-old Dundee thinks reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title holder Cotto has got what it takes to pull off a stunning upset.

Filipino ring superstar Manny Pacquiao and Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto. Top Rank photo

Hall of Fame trainer Dundee visited Cotto's training camp recently in Tampa, Florida, and was convinced the Puerto Rican champion can beat Pacquiao based on what he had seen.

“If I had to pick anybody in the world to fight Pacquiao, it would be Cotto," Dundee, who recently moved in from Miami to Tampa, told Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, whom he chanced upon at Cotto’s Florida training camp.

“Cotto has the best chance of anybody to beat him (Pacquiao) because of his physical power and strong left hook."

Despite being a revered boxing personality involved in the “sweet science" for more than six decades now, Dundee has never got it right in Pacquiao’s last two fights.

The long-retired trainer helped prepare superstar Oscar De La Hoya when he fought the "Pacman" a year ago in a mega-fight that ended with boxing’s "Golden Boy" quitting on his stool just before the ninth round of their "Dream Match" showdown.

The bout proved to be De La Hoya’s last as he retired shortly after.

And only last summer, Dundee also picked two-time junior middleweight champion Ricky Hatton to beat the hell out of Pacquiao. The opposite happened as the 30-year-old General Santos City native knocked the lights out of the boxer from Manchester and scored a swift, second round technical knockout.

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If I had to pick anybody in the world to fight Pacquiao, it would be Cotto. Cotto has the best chance of anybody to beat him (Pacquiao) because of his physical power and strong left hook.

– Legendary trainer Angelo Dundee

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As the man who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto, Arum wouldn’t come out in public as to who he thinks will win the much-anticipated slugfest at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

But having seen the two fighters sweat it out in training camps, the veteran boxing promoter, undoubtedly, is a lot impressed with Pacquiao’s work ethic.

“I think, in general, both guys looked very, very good," he said.

“Cotto looked strong. He’s Cotto. He works hard for two hours, He does all his sparring. He’s in tremendous shape," said Arum of the 28-year-old champion from Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Yet for Arum, Pacquiao does more than that.

“I know Cotto works hard, but in contrast to the other guy (Pacquiao), it looks like he’s taking a vacation," said the 77-year-old promoter. - GMANews.TV


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I can't blame him (Dundee) for his comments. His reasons dictates that the bigger fighter (Cotto) has the biggest advantages in winning this megabuck event between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. Although oddsmakers favored Pacquiao in this fight, seeing a smaller man challenging a bigger man tells boxing fans that this is not a walk in the park for the pound for pound king. It always means that the bigger and heavier man packs the biggest punch and the possibility of knocking out Pacquiao is not far from the equation. Statistically and physiologically, Cotto is ahead in numbers.

But then, Pacquiao is different. I can still recall a joke saying that Manny Pacquiao is a heavyweight disguised as a lightweight. This speaks of his dynamite fists that either bloodied faces or simply puts bigger boxers lying in the canvas. Of course what is strength without accuracy and Pacquiao reiterates the importance of accurately hitting his opponents is as important as having firepower in each hands.

My bet is Manny Pacquiao winning his 7th world title this coming November 2009 and the manner of winning the fight? I simply don't care as long as he wins the bout.

Raul B. Romilla
boxingfanatico.blogspot.com

WHO IS DONNIE NIETES?

Donnie Nietes is a Filipino professional boxer and the current WBO minimumweight champion.

His nickname "Ahas" which is Tagalog for "snake" comes from the way he approaches the ring with a python around him, a personal pet of his.[1] His cousin, Gerson Nietes, is also a boxer.[2]

Originally a utility man who worked at the Antonio Lopez Aldeguer (ALA) boxing gym, Nietes took up boxing after being encouraged by the practitioners whom he socialized with. He turned professional in 2003 and became a national champion one year later.[3]

Nietes fought a then undefeated Pornsawarn Kratingdaenggym of Thailand for the vacant WBO title on September 30, 2007 in Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel, Cebu City, Philippines. Although Nietes floored Kratingdaenggym in the fourth round, the Thai boxer managed to go up to the final bell. The bout ended in a unanimous decision in favor of Nietes.

For three times, Nietes has been pitted against a fighter to whom he was supposed to defend his title, but all plans have been aborted for undisclosed reasons. Because of these, he was at risk of being stripped as the WBO rules state that a champion has to defend his title within a year.[4] After 11 months of inactivity, he finally defended his crown, against Eddy Castro (12-3-1) on August 30, 2008. Nietes (23-1-3, with 14 knockouts) won the fight by technical knockout at 2:49 mark of the second round.[5][6]

Nietes defended his title for the second time by scoring a unanimous decision victory over Erik Ramirez on February 28, 2009. En route to the win, Nietes sent Ramirez to the canvass four times in separate rounds.

In his third defense, Nietes battled interim champion Manuel Vargas on September 12, 2009. Nietes won the bout by split decision. - WIKIPEDIA



Q & A with Donnie Nietes

Since Manny Pacquiao emerged from just another fighter looking to make a living, to a multi weight world champion and on to Bona fide Superstar. Boxing has taken an upsurge in The Philippines. One such fighter to take advantage of this is WBO Strawweight world champion Donnie Nietes 24-1-3(14). He won the title in September 2007 when he outpointed then unbeaten Pornsawan Porpramook. He was then kept from defending his title for a variety of reasons before he re-emerged the following August showing no ring rust when he demolished Eddy Castro in two. This past February Nietes made his second defence, this time on the road in Mexico where he turned back the valiant attempt of Erik Ramirez on points. Next up will be another trip to Mexico when he will fight Manuel Vargas on 5 September on the undercard of Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr & Jason LeHoullier. Not bad for a guy who used to be a gym hand and only got into Boxing when he was encouraged to by the other guys in and around the gym.

Hello Donnie, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright - Firstly I believe you have an upcoming fight with your Interim champion Manuel Vargas on 5 September in Mexico. What can you tell us about the fight and what do you know about Vargas?

Donnie Nietes - Yes the fight will be in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico on September 5, 2009 against Manuel Vargas. We have been training for three months now in preparation for this fight, this fight is very important for me. I know Vargas is a good fighter and strong. But I believe I will win this fight .

Anson Wainwright - Can you tell us about your team your manager, trainer, promoter and where you train?

Donnie Nietes - My manager is Mr. Michael Aldeguer. My chief trainer is Edmund Villamor and I am promoted by ALA Promotions. I train at the ALA Gym in Cebu, Philippines.

Anson Wainwright - Back in the early part of this decade Manny Pacquiao made a name for himself and is now a national idol, do you feel he has opened the way for fighters like yourself in the Philippines?

Donnie Nietes - Manny Pacquiao not only encourage more Filipinos to take up boxing as a livelihood but open the way for Filipino fighters to have more opportunities to fight abroad, particularly in the States.

Anson Wainwright - Are you comfortable at 105 or do you see yourself staying at Strawweight?

Donnie Nietes - Yes I am comfortable at 105 lbs. But I have set my eyes at 108. I have no intention to stay at the Strawweight.

Anson Wainwright - What are your goals at Strawweight?

Donnie Nietes - My goal at Strawweight is simply to make successful defences. What I want is to go up and win another title at 108 lbs.

Anson Wainwright - You fight in Boxing’s smallest weight class, what do you think of the other top fighters there? WBC Sithsamerchai, WBA Gonzalez & IBF Garcia?

Donnie Nietes - As a champion, I always have my respects on them as I also want them to respect me. However, I honestly believe I can beat them.

Anson Wainwright - What can you tell us about your life from when you were growing up and how it took you into Boxing?

Donnie Nietes - Just like an ordinary Filipino kid during my primary years in school my friends and I plays boxing during lunch time and from then on I learn to love boxing. I move to Cebu and worked as a janitor of ALA Gym. After everyone does their training I tried to do the same thing eventually got the courage to fight professionally.

Anson Wainwright - The ALA gym in The Philippines is well known, could you tell us about the gym, what other fighters fight out of there and are there any young fighters who you think could become the next big thing in the Philippines?

Donnie Nietes - Yes –ALA Gym is well-known all-over the world because it has world-class fighters. It has produced world champions like Gerry Penalosa, Joma Gamboa, Malcolm Tuñacao and myself. It has also many good fighters who are world rated with the likes of Z Gorres, AJ Banal, Boom Boom Bautista, Milan Melindo, Michael Domingo, Mark Melligen and a few more others

Anson Wainwright - Who is your Boxing hero?

Donnie Nietes - Of course, Manny Pacquiao is my boxing hero.

Anson Wainwright - What do you like to do when your not fighting?

Donnie Nietes - Vacation in my province.

Anson Wainwright - Do you have a message for any of the other Strawweight world champion’s?

Donnie Nietes - Hope someday we will fight each other.

Best wishes and good luck in your upcoming defence.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

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Manny Pacquiao's successful boxing career paved the way to other Filipino boxing fighters making it easier for them to earn championship fights compared to years before Pacquiao era. I can confidently say that Pacquiao's era is the Golden Age of Boxing for the Philippines. During Pacquiao's reign, a lot of Filipino boxing champs emerged. There's Brian Viloria, Gerry Penalosa, Donnie Nietes, Nonito Donaire and the latest addition to the list is the boxing boy wonder Marvelous Marvin Sonsona. There are still a number of Filipino fighters itching to earn a championship fight and prove their mettle. Ray "Boom Boom" Bautista is one worthy contender and I hope he gets another chance a crack at a Championship bout.

With the support of the government to boxing not just the current champions but also those aspiring fighters, I am 100% sure the Philippines can produce a dozen more champs in the caliber of Manny Pacquiao. They should support Philippine professional boxing like giving proper benefits to licensed professional fighters and health care plan. I hope this Golden Age of Boxing of the Philippines continues.



Raul B. Romilla
boxingfanatico.blogspot.com