Floyd Mayweather tell Manny Pacquiao, ‘We have to make this fight happen’

On Feb. 3, when Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, complained about the lack of “urgency” shown by Floyd Mayweather’s camp, he referred to a face-to-face meeting the undefeated American held in late January with the Filipino icon in a hotel room. Arum told ESPN, “Manny and [adviser] Michael [Koncz] spent an hour or so with Mayweather in the hotel suite and they read it that, no, Mayweather really wants the fight.”

To judge from a short video Mayweather posted to his Instagram account Sunday, Pacquiao wasn’t just guessing that his counterpart wanted to make the long-awaited fight happen — Mayweather told him so, directly. Here is that video

So are we getting any closer to the fight?

Floyd Mayweather Jr v Manny Pacquiao: $200m blockbuster inches closer

HBO and Showtime have agreed on how they would broadcast a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said on Thursday, leaving only two remaining issues to be settled before the much anticipated 2 May fight can be signed. Arum told The Associated Press the rival networks have come to terms on an announcing team and other details for the pay-per-view blockbuster, and that the major financial points of the fight have been agreed to, including a reported 60-40 split in the purse in Mayweather’s favour. Based on the fight doing a record $200m or more in revenue, Mayweather’s payday could be at least $120m. He also said that talks this week have narrowed the remaining differences between the two camps.

Gennady GGG Golovkin vs. Daniel Geale - Highlights

Gennady Golovkin stops Daniel Geale with monster right hand

3 Rounds is all it took for GGG to stop Daniel Geale on Saturday with a monstrous right hand that's now got the rest of the middleweight division running from Golovkin.. 

Alvarez Vs Mosley - May 5th

Roach shines more light on Floyd-Pacquiao phone call

Floyd Mayweather Jnr expressed concern that he had "nothing" to fall back on post-boxing during a phone call with Manny Pacquiao, according to Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach.

Roach suggests that Mayweather made the remark in order to justify his monetary demands over a proposed super-fight between himself and Pacquiao. According to reports, Mayweather offered Pacquiao a flat $40 million, with all the pay-per-view revenue going the way of the American.

"I want that fight just as badly as you do. Manny spoke to him [Mayweather] on the phone," Roach said, according to fighthype.com. "He said, 'Manny, after boxing, I have nothing and you have everything.'"

The Filipino, who is involved in politics in his homeland, is believed to be willing to surrender 70% of the pay-per-view cash - but no more, which is creating the current impasse.

Irrespective of the wrangling, the bout appears a long way away due to the fact both fighters face difficult assignments in the near future. Pacquiao will meet Timothy Bradley on June 9, a month after Mayweather takes on Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao could face two years in prison over alleged tax discrepancies

Manny Pacquiao faces criminal complaint over tax discrepancies – Boxing News

WBO welterweight champion, Manny Pacquiao is in the loop of a criminal complaint filed by Philippine tax officials for failing to provide documents to prove his tax returns, after being asked several times by investigators. The complaint will now be reviewed by prosecutors to see if it is valid enough to take the matter to courts.

It should be noted here that this is one of the gravest charges any boxer can face. If Manny is found guilty, he can face imprisonment for up to 2 years.

News of the complaint being registered was revealed by Rozil Lozares, regional director of Bureau of Internal Revenue. According to Rozil, the complaint was filed on March 1 following the congressman’s incapability of providing tax return documents. He further added that Manny was given three official notices and a subpoena yet he was unable to provide the documents. He lastly said that Manny was being investigated after discrepancies were found in his 2010’s tax return in relation to his businesses, properties and shares.

Being the world’s 24th richest athlete as ranked by Forbes magazine, Manny Pacquiao is widely known for his widespread businesses. He has gained enormous popularity in the boxing world, and with some smart investments, he is living a dream life filled with luxuries to the utmost.

Manny Pacquiao is scheduled to fight unbeaten Timothy Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this year. He is currently scheduling is training sessions with his Hall of Famer trainer Freddie Roach. The bout between both the top-notch fighters is currently being considered among the best bouts of 2012. After Mayweather vs. Cotto, scheduled for May 5, Manny’s title defence will probably be the second major boxing event of the year.

In addition, his promoter Bob Arum and Freddie Roach are trying their level best to get Manny a shot over undefeated WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather. Manny is close to retirement and so is Mayweather. Both the fighters are at the top of their game and fans of both the sides want them to collide before they retire. In other words, if a fight between both of them happens this year, then 2012 is surely going to be an exciting 12-month phase for boxing fans.

Manny Pacquiao tops list of highest earning Athletes.

The May edition of ESPN Magazine has published its annual review of Sports biggest earners and according to them the world leaders are Baseball’s Alex Rodriguez and Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao who lead the field with earnings of $32m in the last financial year.

Many earned this money with two trips to the ring last year against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito. He topped the list of sports earners without the potential Pacquiao Vs Mayweather fight that would have a guaranteed purse of over $50 million. If the two were to make the fight they would easily top the top earners list with just a single trip to the ring in 1 year.

ESPN base their figures on known annual salaries and prize money and do not take into account endoursements or bonuses so in many cases are only the starting point of what some sportsmen earn.

In the case of North American sports their figures are normally spot on because teams have to declare the basic wags of their individual players, with the team operating with wage cap parameters, and most of the football salaries are in the public domain but in some other sports the figures might be less solid although they make interesting reading nonetheless. There are some notable omissions as well with no data apparently available for athletics so Usain Bolt misses out for once.

Kobe Bryant was the top salared NBA player at $24.800,000 while Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently the world’s best paid footballer at $19.500,000. Rafael Nadal topped the Tennis prizemoney list for 2010 with $10,171,998 and Kim Clijsters headed the WTA 2010 list with $5,035,060



According to the ESPN F1 star Lewis Hamilton is Britain’s top regular salaried earner with $18,473,684 and you suspect Jenson Button wouldnt be far behind although his salary is not given. Great Britain Basketball captain Luol Deng, doing great things for the Chicago Bulls this season, weighs in with $11,355,850. Luke Donald headed the winnings list in Golf worldwide in 2010 with $5,867,601.

England’s Phil Taylor also gets an honourable mention as the top earning darts player in the world in 2010 with $1,044,000 but its amazing what you can earn a living at these days – Renato Nunes cleared a cool $1,594, 527 as the world’s best professional bull rider and a character called Joey Chestnut is alleged to have earned $218,500 in Major League Eating in North America.
One of the ESPN listings is to calculate the top earning sportsmen in over 180 separate countries and then compare that with the GDP of that country, which is a polite was of calculating which athletes from the world’s poorest countrties earn the most.

There are some eye popping results. In Togo the GDP is given at $480 while Emmanuel Adebayor’s annual salary is listed at $11,900,000; Samuel Dalembert of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA earns $12,200,000 a year comes from Hiati where the GDP is $626 but Pacquiao again tops the list earning $32,000,000 for his two fights in 2010 and coming from a nation where the GDP is $1,747

Victor Ortiz Ranked 3rd In Welterweight Division

Welterweight


Last Monday, Victor Ortiz was ranked No. 7 at junior welterweight. This week, he jumps all the way to No. 3 at welterweight after defeating previously third-ranked Andre Berto. Berto slips down to fifth, with Shane Mosley staying at No. 4. Out of the rankings is Joshua Clottey, previously ranked fifth. He has been inactive since March 13.

Ortiz looks like the real deal at 147 pounds. He's thick, strong, and powerful. He maintained his power, and he looked newly determined. It was a return to the old, aggressive Ortiz after some tentative performances following his 2009 loss to Marcos Maidana. That guy is going to get knocked down, is going to get hurt sometimes, and is going to provide exciting fights. But if that newfound grit and resolve is the real deal, he's going to be tough to handle.




Berto now faces adversity for the first time in his career, and what he does next will say plenty about him. He's got a lot to address, and a bounce-back fight shouldn't be unexpected. It's unlikely to be welcome by boxing fans, though, and you have to wonder if HBO is in the market for an easy Berto rebound. I for one would love to see a rematch with Ortiz coming up soon.



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Ortiz vs. Berto: Fight of the Year? - In Pictures

In the wake of Maidana vs. Morales, boxing fans have a new option for the fight of the year discussion – Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto. Trading power shots and knockdowns, the two brought the fans at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut to their feet throughout the evening. I had been telling my friends that if they did not already have HBO, they needed to get it for this fight. True, neither fighter has exceptional name recognition, but what they do possess is exceptional skill, power, speed, and athleticism.

Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KO's) never seemed to earn the fan base one would expect from a world champion with an undefeated record and high knockout percentage. Perhaps some of this was due to his trilogy of somewhat lackluster wins over Juan Urango, Luis Collazo and Steve Forbes. Though going the distance against Urango is no discredit, most thought Berto should have been able to get a stoppage against Forbes, and many felt that Collazo actually out-boxed Berto. Nevertheless, Berto owns some valuable wins over the likes of Carlos Quintana (TKO 8) and Freddy Hernandez (TKO 1) in his last fight in November. Berto is also an experience amateur with multiple National Golden Gloves titles an appearance for Haiti in the 2004 Olympics (his parents are Haitian, though Andre was born in Miami).





Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO's) has also had to work on his fan base after a disastrous loss to Marco Maidana in 2009. Given Maidana’s recent exploits, this loss does not seem so detrimental on the surface; however, the manner in which Ortiz quit the bout after an eighth round knockdown, despite looking as if he could continue and being ahead on the score cards, certainly affected his “street cred.” That loss aside, Ortiz has had a terrific career since being abandoned as a child by his parents in Kansas and taking up boxing at an early age. After winning the 2003 Junior Olympics, Ortiz moved to Oxnard, California in order to train with former champion Roberto Garcia and turned pro at the age of seventeen in 2004. One of Ortiz’s losses was a disqualification after Ortiz knocked his opponent down while the referee had ordered a break. Ortiz possesses wins over former champions “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis (TKO 2), Nate Campbell (UD 10), and Vivian Harris (KO 3). His last bout in December was a ten round majority draw with Lamont Peterson, a fight in which Ortiz had Peterson down twice in round three.

They both came out aggressively, then just over a minute into the round, Ortiz landed an illegal shot behind Berto’s head and Berto went down. He complained about the illegal punch as he got up and the referee called it a slip. As the fight went on, Ortiz came in more confidently. Then they traded power shots and Ortiz landed a hard right hook, sending Berto into a corner. Ortiz kept throwing and after landing an uppercut Berto went down. Berto was up quickly, though clearly concerned. Ortiz charged in like a bull and clobbered Berto with left and right hooks, and landed another great uppercut, though Berto made it through the round.

Ringside commentator Jim Lampley said in the second round, “Berto has a look of concern in his eyes unlike anything we’ve seen during his professional career.” Ortiz was stalking his man, when suddenly Berto caught Ortiz with a hard right counter which knocked Ortiz off balance. Ortiz fell backwards, and he used his glove to keep from falling over. The referee correctly ruled it a knockdown.






Berto landed a serious uppercut in the third and Ortiz responded like a warrior, going on the attack, landing an uppercut of his own and backing Berto into the ropes. Both men exchanged shots until the end of the round. Ortiz backed Berto into the ropes again in the fourth, really hurting Berto with power shots. Berto kept waving him forward. Berto tried to work behind the jab in the sixth, but Ortiz again backed him to the ropes and went to work once he was there.

In the sixth, Berto landed some very hard and accurate rights, and was off to the best start of any round thus far in the fight. With one minute left in the round, Berto landed a beautiful right counter and Ortiz went down. As he got up, Berto went in for the kill, pounding on Ortiz’s head with left hooks and straight rights. Then Ortiz landed a counter right hook and a counter left hook which stunned Berto. Ortiz immediately followed that left with another left hook and Berto hit the canvas!






At the start of the seventh, Jim Lampley said what everyone watching was thinking, “The phrase ‘fight of the year candidate’ is perhaps a bit overused, but…” Both men were trading hard shots, though Berto was obviously looking for the right hand. Ringside commentator Larry Merchant joked, “Does anyone think we’ve seen the last knockdown in the fight?”

The action slowed a bit in rounds eight and nine, with the referee warning Ortiz about punching behind the head. Ortiz then landed a punch behind the head in the tenth and the referee was forced to take a point. Ortiz came on strong, not wanting to suffer a 10-8 round in such a close fight and it made for great action with both men going toe-to-toe at the end of the round.



Ortiz was surprisingly aggressive in the eleventh and Berto’s corner told him he needed a knockout to win before the start of the twelfth and final round. Both men were swinging, though Ortiz’s aggression certainly won him some fans if not the fight. The judges scored the match 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111 (I had it 115-111) all for the new WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Ortiz.

Ortiz has now defeated several former and current world champions and should be given the credit he deserves as a fighter. And as a result of this fight, in overcoming such adversity, Victor Ortiz just took a humongous step towards erasing the image of him as quitter in the minds of fans. If nothing else, his vicious aggression will make him a marketable commodity in the sport of boxing.



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Khan Vs McCloskey - In Pictures

Khan took the bout against the Northern Irishman on points but the unsatisfactory end was in keeping with a fight which had been dogged by problems throughout the build-up.

A row over TV coverage led Khan's stable to fall out with Sky after they wanted to switch the fight from pay-per-view and considerably cut the champion's purse.

The former Olympic silver medallist struggled to come to terms with the awkward style of unbeaten southpaw McCloskey, the 31-year-old European champion, in the early stages.







Khan, though, was still the more attacking fighter and his quick hands were putting him gradually in control when, after an accidental clash of heads, the referee summoned the doctor who ruled a cut above the challenger's left eye was too bad to continue.

That meant the decision went to the judges, who unanimously had Khan ahead.

There was widespread booing from many in the 16,000 MEN Arena crowd, while McCloskey's manager Barry Hearn condemned the decision as "unprofessional" and said he would lodge a complaint with the British Boxing Board of Control.






Khan, however, was unconcerned.

"He was very tricky, his head was low but I caught him with a clean shot in the fifth round and his legs went so any minute he was going to go," he told the BBC.

Khan said he did not want a re-match because he was interested in "bigger things" and hoped his next fight would be against American WBC and WBO champion Tim Bradley.

Andre Berto Vs Victor Ortiz

Here is what Berto had to say in an interview with ESPN


What can you tell us about your training for this fight?
Training has been good. We've had some tremendous sparring. I had some really strong guys come in, and it's been very intense. It's probably been one of the most intense training camps I've had. I am definitely prepared and feeling good, ready to go.

Have you made any adjustments to prepare for Ortiz's southpaw stance?
Definitely. I've fought a few southpaws lately. In fact, three of my last four opponents [Carlos Quintana, Juan Urango and Luis Collazo] have been southpaws, and I've had some great sparring to get ready for this. I'm ready to do it.

Do you think a victory over Ortiz will earn you the recognition you need right now?
Definitely. Victor is a strong, hungry kid that has speed and power, and he has a good chin too. After all the fights that didn't get made, he stepped up to the plate and took our offer. He can punch, I can punch. He's hungry, I'm hungry. He's been in there with [Nate] Campbell and [Marcos] Maidana, so I'm preparing for a tough fight. Ortiz is tough. He's had a few tough fights, so ... he will come in good shape and he is going to come ready to fight. He took a lot of criticism, and he has a lot of doubters, and this is going to be a great opportunity for him to redeem himself, so I'll have to stay focused.

You're right behind the Big Three of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley at 147 pounds. What would it take for you to break into that group? Would a victory over Ortiz do it?
I just need an opportunity. If I just keep doing what I'm doing and I beat Victor Ortiz in a good performance and then I continue to improve my game and I stay unbeaten, and if I continue knocking guys out, then all I will need is an opportunity. If one of those guys wants to fight with me, they know what to do. So I will have to be consistent and just continue winning.

Other than someone in the Big Three, which opponent would bring you the recognition you want?
Right now, I believe Ortiz is that guy, and all that matters is to continue winning in impressive fashion. I'll have bigger fights to come, but right now I believe I have to continue showing my best skills to the boxing public.




How do you respond to criticism that you are overprotected by HBO?
You know, boxing fans are never happy unless you fight the best right now. They can say whatever they want to say, but I will continue proving myself. I fought some of the best competition out there -- guys like David Estrada and Carlos Quintana, who beat Paul Williams, and some fighters of that caliber. But I understand that everybody has great expectations for me, and they want to see me fight the best. And I don't think they'll be satisfied until I am in there with a Shane Mosley or a Mayweather or Pacquiao. And I believe this speaks a lot to the expectations that I generate with my style.

On the flip side of that, how do you feel about what happened after your trip to Haiti? You missed a great opportunity to fight Mosley, yet it seems you never got the proper credit for that act of selflessness.
I believe everything happens for a reason. The opportunity was there, but other things were happening and we had to take a different route. But my opportunity will come back; it's just a matter of continuing doing what I do, and just continue winning.

Some observers seem to think they have your number, that they have your style all figured out. Is there anything new that we're going to see from you in this fight?
A lot of people think that. They see a few things repeated from one fight to the other, and they think they have me figured out and they know how to beat me. And then when they are in front of me and taste my speed and my power, they know they are in a completely different situation. I continue learning different things and I bring them into my fights little by little, showing different new things every time I get in the ring.

How do you see the fight unfolding Saturday night?
I am not sure. We're going to try different things, we're going to see what he brings and what mistakes he makes that we can use in our favor, and go from there. And if the opportunity comes, I will try to knock him out.

Cotto - Margarito rematch delayed.

Miguel Cotto was battered in a fight in which some suspected Antonio Margarito wore loaded wraps.



Although a rematch between junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito has not been negotiated -- Top Rank's Bob Arum has only recently begun to discuss deals with their camps -- it is a fight Arum intends to put together.

Originally, Arum hoped to schedule the pay-per-view fight for July 16. It would likely air on Showtime PPV, which has an option on Cotto's next fight after producing and distributing his 12th-round TKO of Ricardo Mayorga on March 12 on pay-per-view.

However, assuming the fight is made, it will be pushed back until the fall, likely Sept. 17 in Las Vegas, Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com.

The reason for the move: Margarito isn't yet ready to resume sparring in time for a July fight because of the damage he suffered to his eye and cheek during the one-sided beatdown Manny Pacquiao gave him in November.

"It was purely his physical condition for the move. He needs a little more time to heal before he can get in there and spar, so that is what put the July date in jeopardy," Moretti said. "We want to make sure there is no problem when he goes back into camp. [Arum] has spoken to both camps about the promotion, but there is no deal set in stone yet, but it's a fight we're planning."





If the fight goes on Sept. 17 -- the weekend of Mexican Independence Day and a traditional boxing weekend involving Mexican fighters -- it could present a conflict with rival promoter Golden Boy, which has already announced plans to put on an HBO PPV fight from either Staples Center in Los Angeles or the MGM Grand in Las Vegas featuring Mexican junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, should he defeat Ryan Rhodes on June 18.

Margarito, of Mexico, stopped Puerto Rico's Cotto in the 11th round to win a welterweight belt in July 2008, but that victory has been tainted because Margarito was caught trying to fight Shane Mosley in his next bout with loaded hand wraps. Many suspect he also wore loaded wraps against Cotto.

Mosley Looks Past Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Shane Mosley, at 39, thinks he still has a bright future ahead of him.

And it would all begin with a big win against Manny Pacquiao, a fighter who’s probably unbeatable at this point of his career.

Mosley, who turns 40 in September, told On the Ropes radio program that he has what it takes to deal Pacquiao his first loss in six years.

The pride of Pomona in California said he’s got the size, the power, the speed to beat Pacquiao, now considered the greatest of his era, if not of all time.

They lock horns on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and despite the odds stacked heavily against him, Mosley is confident of coming out of the Strip victorious.

Then all the windows will open up for him.

“I have to give it my one hundred percent all, give it everything I got, beat Pacquiao, we can do a rematch, fight Mayweather, and I think that’s pretty much it for me,” Mosley said.

Mayweather, of course, is the undefeated Floyd, who dealt Mosley a lopsided loss just over a year ago.






But to get to Mayweather, Mosley must first beat Pacquiao.

“Then I will go off and I will stop helping these young fighters become world champions and get into another side of the business,” he said.

That’s in case things go on as planned.

Mosley has shown great respect for Pacquiao, and during their press tour last February both fighters treated each other like long lost friends.

But Mosley said Pacquiao has his own flaws, his own weaknesses that he’s about to exploit before an expected sellout crowd at the MGM.

“Pacquiao’s not the hardest person to hit so I’m going to have a pretty good advantage with being able to hit him,” Mosley told the boxing radio show.

“I think with my size it’s going to help me a lot because I’m a lot faster than the guys that he’s fought and my timing is probably a little better than theirs, especially (Antonio) Margarito’s.”

Mosley said if Margarito could hit Pacquiao, and hurt him with good body shots, then why can’t he?

“I have a better chance of hitting him a lot on the button,” Mosley said.

Well, that remains to be seen.

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