MANILA, Philippines – American trainer Freddie Roach and his prized fighter, Filipino 7-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, failed to agree on who they think will win on May 1 when “Sugar” Shane Mosley takes on Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr.
According to Joaquin Henson of The Philippine Star, Roach predicted that Mayweather (40-0, with 25 KOs) will remain undefeated as he will beat Mosley by decision.
“Shane’s my friend and I hope he wins but he has trouble with speed and movement and likes guys to come to him so it’s going to be difficult,” Roach said in a guest column on London’s Boxing News as quoted in The Philippine Star article.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has been saying that Mosley would prevail over Mayweather.
“I’m for Shane Mosley,” the pound-for-pound king said in an article by Abac Cordero of The Philippine Star.
“He must do the right preparation. If he does, then he has a very good chance against Mayweather,” he said of the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion who has 46 wins (with 39 KOs), 5 losses and 1 no contest.
FightFan.com earlier reported that Pacquiao said on the Krystal Hart Show that he thinks Mosley will win.
“I think Mayweather vs. Mosley will be a good fight,” he said ahead of his March 13 bout against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.
Pacquiao, who was originally slated to fight the undefeated Mayweather, defeated Clottey via unanimous decision at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt.
Mosley, for his part, vowed to crush Mayweather, adding that their fight will be better than the lopsided Pacquiao-Clottey clash.
'The better Mayweather'
Negotiations for the Pacquiao vs Mayweather blockbuster match crumbled after the former refused to give in to the latter’s demand for Olympic-style blood testing.
Pacquiao even filed a defamation complaint against Mayweather, his father Floyd Sr., uncle Roger, and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar dela Hoya and Richard Schaefer after they alleged that he was taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
Roach reacted, “I get upset that some people can’t accept that Manny’s just a great fighter.”
The American trainer, for his part, said that Floyd Jr. has been respectful of him: “I like Floyd as a person ...out of the Mayweathers, he’s one of the better ones.”
But he noted that he will not allow Floyd Jr. to dictate his terms for the fight.
“I let him use my gym when he was doing ‘Dancing With The Stars’ before the Ricky Hatton fight and I’ve known him since he was a little kid. He’s not a bad guy. But the only way the fight with Manny is going to happen is we go by the commission drug-testing rules,” said Roach.
He also wished for “Pretty Boy Floyd” to stop making his own demands because “Floyd doesn’t realize that he’s killing his own sport.”
– With a report from The Philippine Star
as of 04/05/2010 10:34 PM
Source
==================
Whether Mosley or Mayweather, I know this will excites the boxing fans knowing that it is Pacquiao who's also fighting either one of them.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The End of Manny Pacquiao: Why Floyd Mayweather JR Wins
April 9th, 2010
By Joe Wilson
The famous welterweight division is playing on all six strings these days. This division is packed with talent. It seems the most exciting fights in professional boxing camps out right here. Andre Berto, Carlos Quintana, Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Luis Carlos Abregu both undefeated, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito whose now fighting for boxing privileges are all part of the group.
These welterweights mentioned above are considered good fighters in this division. However, there are three names I have not mentioned yet; because these three are running so far ahead of the pack you can’t even see their dust. And…when it comes to star power, these guys are the true faces of the welterweight division. Think Hollywood’s A-list.
They are Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR., Sugar Shane Mosley and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
Any permutation of these three names, against each other guarantees a mega fight. It’s been said, the biggest match up of these three welterweights is; Floyd Mayweather JR. versus Manny Pacquiao. This fight becomes a super mega fight. It’s also said this match up will break all records when it comes to attendance and PPV buys. The day this match up becomes a reality, history will be made.
Mayweather JR. and Pacquiao have already transcended the sport of boxing. These guys are now known all over the world. Thanks to Bob Arum, not long ago, the Top Rank Boxing promoter released a premature statement saying, “these two fighters have signed a contact agreement to fight.” The “deal is done” was the headlines of all boxing news.
Shortly afterwards, a statement hit boxing news, that no contract agreement had been finalized between these two fighters. One week fight fans all over the world were making preparations for the biggest fight in history, and then would soon have their bubble burst all in one day. Back to square one with fight negotiations. What seemed to be really close turned out to be miles away.
The demands from both camps took a life of their own. What was intended to be a fight in the ring turned out to be a “war of words” throughout the media. Random drug test, ten million dollars for every pound over the welterweight limit, “I’m suing,” all echoed around the news. It was a real fiasco. The ugly face of boxing surfaced like no other time before.
But even at the height of all that garbage, some remained optimistic about this fight. We all thought that after a week are so, the dust would settle and these two camps would pull themselves together; take out there calculators, do some simple math and quickly come to their senses. So far that hasn’t happened.
Let’s talk about these two fighters and what they bring. Manny Pacquiao has become an icon in boxing. Today, his name is common in America. He is known as a “Hero” in his country. His courage along with his humble appearance has made him likeable amongst people from all over. He gives 100 percent every time he steps in the ring.
Floyd Mayweather, JR., on the other hand is totally opposite when it comes to character. He is well known for bragging, loud mouth, gangster attitude and showing off. Mayweather is seen as the “villain” in the public eye. But when it comes to fighting he knows how to win. Anyone who has placed a bet against him throughout his career walked away sad. Mayweather has never lost a fight!
His skills in the ring, are probably the best in the history of boxing. They call it the “sweet science” of boxing. Mayweather has a way of making his opponents miss, and then he counters with the blink of an eye. His hand speed is like lightening fast. After his opponent miss, before they can get back in place, he has already struck. It’s amazing to see an athlete with that kind of accuracy and speed.
Manny Pacquiao has been very impressive with his wins over some of boxing elite. He has made some fighters quit before finishing the bout. He has taken some of his opponents out by devastating knockout. The only thing is… he has never been is the ring with someone as crafty and skillful as Floyd Mayweather. That will be the difference in this fight. Think green energy!
If you watch any of Mayweather fights, even before he was on the two year layoff. In his corner between rounds he gets very little advice from his trainer, Roger Mayweather. Floyd makes adjustments in the ring. He figures out his competition within the early rounds. He is one of the smartest fighters I’ve seen when it comes to doing this.
You can’t teach a fighter to do that! This is something he’s born with; it’s called a “gift.” Roger Mayweather invested his boxing knowledge in Floyd many years ago. Floyd grew up in the boxing gym. His father Floyd, SR., and Uncle Roger were both professional boxers. Boxing is all Floyd knows and he’s damn good at it!
This “in the ring gift” he has will allow him to defeat Manny Pacquiao. There is no blueprint on how to beat Mayweather. His conditioning has never been in question. He out thinks his competition in the ring. He will figure out Pacquiao within a few rounds and take over the fight.
Trainer Freddie Roach will have no answers. Pacquiao will get through Mayweather’s defense at times, but Floyd will make him pay tremendously. Unlike Joshua Clottey who fought from a shell the entire fight; Mayweather would never do that. His counter punching skills are way too good for that. Not to mention his ego…
Pacquiao will not look like the same fighter after about six rounds. He will become frustrated with Mayweather’s style of hit and not get hit technique. He will get close enough to counter punch Pacquiao with ease. Mayweather will win this fight by unanimous decision, if and when this fight takes place. This fight will not be the toughest fight of Mayweather’s career. Not even close.
The toughest fight for Mayweather will be his upcoming fight against Sugar Shane Mosley. This match up may come in second place according to dollars made, but the two fighter’s styles could make this fight very exciting. We all know they don’t like each other and Mosley always goes for the knockout.
Manny Pacquiao will get to sit back and watch how this May 1st event unfolds, and then decide who he wants next. Either way you slice it, the most money that can be generated in boxing today, is between these three fighters. Fight fans are waiting.
Source
============
The May 1 event between Mosley and Mayweather will decide if Pacquaio-Mayweather event will come true at last.
By Joe Wilson
The famous welterweight division is playing on all six strings these days. This division is packed with talent. It seems the most exciting fights in professional boxing camps out right here. Andre Berto, Carlos Quintana, Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Luis Carlos Abregu both undefeated, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito whose now fighting for boxing privileges are all part of the group.
These welterweights mentioned above are considered good fighters in this division. However, there are three names I have not mentioned yet; because these three are running so far ahead of the pack you can’t even see their dust. And…when it comes to star power, these guys are the true faces of the welterweight division. Think Hollywood’s A-list.
They are Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR., Sugar Shane Mosley and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
Any permutation of these three names, against each other guarantees a mega fight. It’s been said, the biggest match up of these three welterweights is; Floyd Mayweather JR. versus Manny Pacquiao. This fight becomes a super mega fight. It’s also said this match up will break all records when it comes to attendance and PPV buys. The day this match up becomes a reality, history will be made.
Mayweather JR. and Pacquiao have already transcended the sport of boxing. These guys are now known all over the world. Thanks to Bob Arum, not long ago, the Top Rank Boxing promoter released a premature statement saying, “these two fighters have signed a contact agreement to fight.” The “deal is done” was the headlines of all boxing news.
Shortly afterwards, a statement hit boxing news, that no contract agreement had been finalized between these two fighters. One week fight fans all over the world were making preparations for the biggest fight in history, and then would soon have their bubble burst all in one day. Back to square one with fight negotiations. What seemed to be really close turned out to be miles away.
The demands from both camps took a life of their own. What was intended to be a fight in the ring turned out to be a “war of words” throughout the media. Random drug test, ten million dollars for every pound over the welterweight limit, “I’m suing,” all echoed around the news. It was a real fiasco. The ugly face of boxing surfaced like no other time before.
But even at the height of all that garbage, some remained optimistic about this fight. We all thought that after a week are so, the dust would settle and these two camps would pull themselves together; take out there calculators, do some simple math and quickly come to their senses. So far that hasn’t happened.
Let’s talk about these two fighters and what they bring. Manny Pacquiao has become an icon in boxing. Today, his name is common in America. He is known as a “Hero” in his country. His courage along with his humble appearance has made him likeable amongst people from all over. He gives 100 percent every time he steps in the ring.
Floyd Mayweather, JR., on the other hand is totally opposite when it comes to character. He is well known for bragging, loud mouth, gangster attitude and showing off. Mayweather is seen as the “villain” in the public eye. But when it comes to fighting he knows how to win. Anyone who has placed a bet against him throughout his career walked away sad. Mayweather has never lost a fight!
His skills in the ring, are probably the best in the history of boxing. They call it the “sweet science” of boxing. Mayweather has a way of making his opponents miss, and then he counters with the blink of an eye. His hand speed is like lightening fast. After his opponent miss, before they can get back in place, he has already struck. It’s amazing to see an athlete with that kind of accuracy and speed.
Manny Pacquiao has been very impressive with his wins over some of boxing elite. He has made some fighters quit before finishing the bout. He has taken some of his opponents out by devastating knockout. The only thing is… he has never been is the ring with someone as crafty and skillful as Floyd Mayweather. That will be the difference in this fight. Think green energy!
If you watch any of Mayweather fights, even before he was on the two year layoff. In his corner between rounds he gets very little advice from his trainer, Roger Mayweather. Floyd makes adjustments in the ring. He figures out his competition within the early rounds. He is one of the smartest fighters I’ve seen when it comes to doing this.
You can’t teach a fighter to do that! This is something he’s born with; it’s called a “gift.” Roger Mayweather invested his boxing knowledge in Floyd many years ago. Floyd grew up in the boxing gym. His father Floyd, SR., and Uncle Roger were both professional boxers. Boxing is all Floyd knows and he’s damn good at it!
This “in the ring gift” he has will allow him to defeat Manny Pacquiao. There is no blueprint on how to beat Mayweather. His conditioning has never been in question. He out thinks his competition in the ring. He will figure out Pacquiao within a few rounds and take over the fight.
Trainer Freddie Roach will have no answers. Pacquiao will get through Mayweather’s defense at times, but Floyd will make him pay tremendously. Unlike Joshua Clottey who fought from a shell the entire fight; Mayweather would never do that. His counter punching skills are way too good for that. Not to mention his ego…
Pacquiao will not look like the same fighter after about six rounds. He will become frustrated with Mayweather’s style of hit and not get hit technique. He will get close enough to counter punch Pacquiao with ease. Mayweather will win this fight by unanimous decision, if and when this fight takes place. This fight will not be the toughest fight of Mayweather’s career. Not even close.
The toughest fight for Mayweather will be his upcoming fight against Sugar Shane Mosley. This match up may come in second place according to dollars made, but the two fighter’s styles could make this fight very exciting. We all know they don’t like each other and Mosley always goes for the knockout.
Manny Pacquiao will get to sit back and watch how this May 1st event unfolds, and then decide who he wants next. Either way you slice it, the most money that can be generated in boxing today, is between these three fighters. Fight fans are waiting.
Source
============
The May 1 event between Mosley and Mayweather will decide if Pacquaio-Mayweather event will come true at last.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
From the Mayweathers to Adam Carolla, Too Much Racism in Boxing toward Filipinos
Over the last few months, there has been a disturbing trend in Boxing that is absolutely unacceptable. The trend is one of racial comments and discriminating remarks toward Manny Pacquiao and Filipinos as a whole. From the Mayweathers to Adam Carolla, Boxing has been littered with hate filled ignorance. Let’s examine further.
Adam Carolla
Just recently, American comedian and television host Adam Carolla made some horrible comments about Manny Pacquiao and Filipinos as a whole. Some say Carolla made these comments to try and be funny. Others say that he made them out of desperation to draw attention. I say he made these comments out of ignorance and should be held accountable for his actions. A public apology is necessary from Carolla.
Floyd Mayweather Jr
Floyd Mayweather Jr has also made some racial comments over the last few moths. Now, they may not be as vulgar as Carolla’s comments but they are just as discriminating and just as unnecessary.
“We got athletes that live in our own country that lie to the American citizens about taking certain enhancement drugs. Now, Manny Pacquiao is not even from this country and don’t even live in this country so imagine what he will tell the American people.” Floyd Mayweather Jr
“I’m happy for him. He’s a black American, and I’m a black American. I rooted him on. I wanted to see him win.” FMJ, HBO Face-Off with Max Kellerman
In addition to his comments, Floyd also discriminated against Filipino reporters during the opening press tour for Mayweather vs. Mosley. Here were Bob Arum’s comments on the situation:
"I don't care about all of this sh**. All that I care about right now is that at a press conference in my country, that people from another country were treated so horribly," said Arum, "and were descriminated against. That's what makes my blood boil, and thats's what makes me angry." Arum, Fanhouse
Floyd Sr and Roger Mayweather
Floyd Sr and Roger Mayweather have been relentless in their attacks on Manny Pacquiao. They call him a cheater and say he’s taking PEDs. But they also go on and on saying that Pacquiao is taking A-side Meth which Filipino soldiers used to take.
These comments are based on pure ignorance and have no merit. There’s no proof for any of these accusations, yet these two Mayweathers refuse to stop their hate speech.
Conclusion
Andrea Carrington Sacramento, CA “Why is there all of this racism in Boxing toward Manny and his country?”
I attribute a lot of these comments to ignorance, jealousy and hatred. But, whatever the reason, there’s no room in Boxing or in life for racism. I’m thoroughly disgusted with this mentality. People like Carolla and the Mayweathers should be held accountable for their actions and their comments. Carolla deserves to have a defamation law suit filed against him just like the Mayweathers.
As much as I despise these comments, it’s important not to respond to racism and hatred with racism and hatred. Demanding accountability and expressing disgust is one thing but expressing frustration with hatred is just as bad. Maturity is crucial when responding to racism.
=============
Let us judged Manny Pacquiao through his ring performance as a professional boxer. Let the fists of Pacquaio and Mayweather do the talking.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Tommy Hearns' Money Troubles a Stark Warning for Mayweather and Pacquiao
April 3, 2:12 AM
Pittsburgh Fight Sports ExaminerScott Heritage
Another of boxing's all too frequent sad stories has been making the rounds recently. Tommy Hearns is being forced to auction most of his possessions in order to pay off tax debts.
Hearns is not the first, and he certainly won't be the last either. Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson shared the same fate, as did Hasim Rahman, Antonio Tarver and many other greats throughout the years.
The two biggest stars in boxing today are undeniably Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and although they are polar opposites in personality and style in the ring, there are some things they share in common.
Both have lavish lifestyles and earn millions, both are adored by millions of fans across the globe, and both are tipped by many to someday be flat broke.
Floyd 'money' Mayweather is known for his expensive tastes, and regularly flashes his cash around. His biggest problem seems to be that like most boxers, he has little or no sense with his money.
Case in point several years ago he was robbed of much of his 'bling' at the time, and thieves made off with over $7 million worth.
Now unless you are the Queen of England, keeping that kind of money tied up in jewelry isn't a good idea, and she has a private regiment of soldiers to guard hers.
The rumor in many boxing circles was that Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring after his brief retirement because he was running low on funds. His out of the ring business ventures (such as his Philthy rich records label) are something of a mixed bag in terms of success, but don't make enough to sustain Mayweather's lifestyle. Check out Michael Marley's report on Floyd's latest trouble with one of his talents.
Mayweather was also reportedly taken in by a con man shortly after his retirement, who is said to have fleeced him of most of his wealth and left him unable to pay his taxes in 2007. As expected the IRS came knocking, as well as several others who were owed money and Mayweather was forced back into the ring to pay them.
He does seem to be lessening his constant bragging about how much money he has of late, and has allegedly switched to using fake $100 bills to 'make it rain' when he goes out for a quiet drink at his local bar. Most of his money troubles can seemingly be linked to being taken in by the con man, who sources only name as Willie, which of course can happen to anyone.
How long it will take for Mayweather to blow the money he's making at the moment is anyone's guess. He might even start to invest his money wisely or cut back on his spending so that he can retire in the near future.
Knowing what happens to most ex-pugilists with too much money and not enough financial sense though, the odds.
Manny Pacquiao if anything has the completely opposite problem to his rival Mayweather. Rather than spending his money in a vain attempt to impress people as Floyd seems to, Pacquiao tends to give away lots of his money to any and every cause he can find. There is even a joke circulating that there is a welfare state in the Philippines, and he goes by the name of Manny Pacquiao.
The Philippines as a much lower cost of living than the United States of course, and Pacquiao would really have to be spending his money very recklessly to run out. Stranger things have happened though, and Pacquiao recently broke Muhammed Ali's record for the biggest entourage following him to his fights.
Flying over a hundred people around and very often paying them a wage as well isn't cheap, and there is concern from many fans that some of the people that surround Pacquiao are taking advantage of him.
In the old days his childhood friend Buboy Fernandez was a one man team who made sure that Pacquiao had everything he needed for his fights, training and everything else. These days there is a separate man who takes care of each individual task, and is often paid very well for it.
Added to this is the burden of his political aspirations and campaigning, which cost him millions of dollars last time around with nothing to show for it. His chances of winning this time are reportedly said to be slim as well.
Outside the ring Pacquiao has several businesses dotted around his homeland, and most are said to do well. How well things will go should Pacquiao become unpopular if he gets elected though is another question.
Pacquiao does have the advantage of having the right people keeping track of his money, and many of the bogus or dubious requests for assistance are turned away. Generosity has been the downfall of many people in the past however, and Pacquiao, if he isn't careful, could well follow suit.
Source
============
The lavish lifestyle of Pacquiao and Mayweather is for me just fair for them, 'cause they work for it. They must just be smart enough so don't run out of it. We can never tell what will happen.
Pittsburgh Fight Sports ExaminerScott Heritage 
Another of boxing's all too frequent sad stories has been making the rounds recently. Tommy Hearns is being forced to auction most of his possessions in order to pay off tax debts.
Hearns is not the first, and he certainly won't be the last either. Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson shared the same fate, as did Hasim Rahman, Antonio Tarver and many other greats throughout the years.
The two biggest stars in boxing today are undeniably Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and although they are polar opposites in personality and style in the ring, there are some things they share in common.
Both have lavish lifestyles and earn millions, both are adored by millions of fans across the globe, and both are tipped by many to someday be flat broke.
Floyd 'money' Mayweather is known for his expensive tastes, and regularly flashes his cash around. His biggest problem seems to be that like most boxers, he has little or no sense with his money.
Case in point several years ago he was robbed of much of his 'bling' at the time, and thieves made off with over $7 million worth.
Now unless you are the Queen of England, keeping that kind of money tied up in jewelry isn't a good idea, and she has a private regiment of soldiers to guard hers.
The rumor in many boxing circles was that Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring after his brief retirement because he was running low on funds. His out of the ring business ventures (such as his Philthy rich records label) are something of a mixed bag in terms of success, but don't make enough to sustain Mayweather's lifestyle. Check out Michael Marley's report on Floyd's latest trouble with one of his talents.
Mayweather was also reportedly taken in by a con man shortly after his retirement, who is said to have fleeced him of most of his wealth and left him unable to pay his taxes in 2007. As expected the IRS came knocking, as well as several others who were owed money and Mayweather was forced back into the ring to pay them.
He does seem to be lessening his constant bragging about how much money he has of late, and has allegedly switched to using fake $100 bills to 'make it rain' when he goes out for a quiet drink at his local bar. Most of his money troubles can seemingly be linked to being taken in by the con man, who sources only name as Willie, which of course can happen to anyone.
How long it will take for Mayweather to blow the money he's making at the moment is anyone's guess. He might even start to invest his money wisely or cut back on his spending so that he can retire in the near future.
Knowing what happens to most ex-pugilists with too much money and not enough financial sense though, the odds.
Manny Pacquiao if anything has the completely opposite problem to his rival Mayweather. Rather than spending his money in a vain attempt to impress people as Floyd seems to, Pacquiao tends to give away lots of his money to any and every cause he can find. There is even a joke circulating that there is a welfare state in the Philippines, and he goes by the name of Manny Pacquiao.
The Philippines as a much lower cost of living than the United States of course, and Pacquiao would really have to be spending his money very recklessly to run out. Stranger things have happened though, and Pacquiao recently broke Muhammed Ali's record for the biggest entourage following him to his fights.
Flying over a hundred people around and very often paying them a wage as well isn't cheap, and there is concern from many fans that some of the people that surround Pacquiao are taking advantage of him.
In the old days his childhood friend Buboy Fernandez was a one man team who made sure that Pacquiao had everything he needed for his fights, training and everything else. These days there is a separate man who takes care of each individual task, and is often paid very well for it.
Added to this is the burden of his political aspirations and campaigning, which cost him millions of dollars last time around with nothing to show for it. His chances of winning this time are reportedly said to be slim as well.
Outside the ring Pacquiao has several businesses dotted around his homeland, and most are said to do well. How well things will go should Pacquiao become unpopular if he gets elected though is another question.
Pacquiao does have the advantage of having the right people keeping track of his money, and many of the bogus or dubious requests for assistance are turned away. Generosity has been the downfall of many people in the past however, and Pacquiao, if he isn't careful, could well follow suit.
Source
============
The lavish lifestyle of Pacquiao and Mayweather is for me just fair for them, 'cause they work for it. They must just be smart enough so don't run out of it. We can never tell what will happen.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Manny Pacquiao Still The Biggest Bet at Sportsbook.com
Remarkably, boxer Manny Pacquiao is still the top bet at Sportsbook.com. More action has been taken on Pacquiao then any other single bet offered this week including on Tiger Woods to win the 2010 Masters.
This is despite the fact that Pacquiao is not slated to actually fight anybody. The odds are being offered on Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and that fight is yet to be confirmed. Bets are "action" only if the two fighters meet before December 31, 2010.
The sparring match outside the ring continues and has been ongoing ever since Pacquiao refused to submit to Mayweather's Olympics style drug testing.
"Floyd's scared of my guy," said Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach. "I let him use my gym when he was doing ‘Dancing With The Stars' before the Ricky Hatton fight and I've known him since he was a little kid. He's not a bad guy. But the only way the fight with Manny is going to happen is we go by the commission drug-testing rules."
He also expressed doubt that a Pacquiao - Mayweather fight would ever see the time of day.
Sportsbook.com is the largest online sportsbook in terms of number of customers in the world. In business since 1997. Claim your 10 percent signup cash bonus here Always mention bonus code: GAMBLING911
Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
Source
====================
I'm not surprised that Pacquaio get the biggest bet, just look at his latest performances.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Relitigating, Part 2: Manny Pacquiao Vs. Joshua Clottey Pay-Per-View Numbers
There have been a couple subjects that generated heated debate in this space in the last week, to the point that I believe they require a bit of relitigating. First up was the philosophy of boxing undercards. Now: analyzing the pay-per-view buys for Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey.
Let me start by saying that in my original post, I think people might have misunderstood my overall point. As I said then, the 700,000 buys for Pacquiao-Clottey count as a "grand success" for any boxing pay-per-view. But, by the standard of what we've come to expect from Pacquiao, what kind of numbers boxing has been doing lately and what it meant for a possible Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao fight I think it was a bit of a letdown at the same time. These two things are not incompatible. I think I explained both the good and ill of the numbers fairly well, so I'll largely let those arguments stand.
I am bothered slightly that a pair of boxing writers I like -- Scott Christ and Dan Rafael -- treated it like pure heresy that anyone could hold any opinion other than theirs. I don't assume they were talking about me, but Rafael's response to anyone who considered the numbers disappointing was that they were "insane," and Christ acted like anyone who thought that was someone who simply was incapable of rational discussion. For what it's worth, I think both their views about the numbers being a pure success were fair. I don't disagree with them all that much, in reality. My goal was to present a few counterpoints that I thought people were neglecting, while simultaneously acknowledging the reality that 700,000 is an impressive figure.
With that, I'll respond to some of the substance of remarks made here and elsewhere, and make a few additional points myself.
The numbers were strong for a recession. This is a point I admit I didn't take into account. So if you brought that up, thanks for doing so. In that context, the numbers are somewhat more impressive. That said...
The economic environment was somewhat offset by fewer PPVs these days and boxing's stronger overall position. Back when I was flipping out about the good numbers for Manny Pacquiao's 2009 PPVs and the numbers done by Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez, someone -- I think it was friend of the site roheblius -- made the strong point that the numbers were helped by boxing cutting down on its PPV schedule. I agreed then, and I re-make that point now, because I failed to do so in my original post. And I refer back to my post on this point: Boxing is in so much better shape these days, that 700,000 sounds a touch low by recent standards. ESPN, Good Morning America, The Washington Post -- everyone was covering this fight, and if you go back to 2008, none of those programs would have touched this fight with a million-foot pole. And they did it because boxing is more mainstream now than it was in 2008 and in many previous years, which is ultimately good news (something Christ and I agree on). Which means more casual fans tuning in, something I'll get to a little later.
Keep in mind: These were two non-Americans doing these numbers. Some people objected to me comparing Pacquiao's numbers against Clottey to Oscar De La Hoya's, or Mayweather's, or Mayweather's potential numbers with Shane Mosley, since all of those gents were American and neither Pacquiao nor Clottey hail from the U.S. of A. My answer to that is that Pacquiao already has proven he can be a pay-per-view draw despite not being American. I'm not going to count that as a handicap against him anymore. That handicap is gone. And Ricky Hatton wasn't American, and Miguel Cotto was Puerto Rican, and Pacquiao did better numbers with them than against Clottey. I understand why those fights did better numbers, but don't pretend that a lack of U.S. citizenship for Pacquiao and Clottey necessarily means he does lower numbers, because Pacquiao has proven he has overcome that factor.
There was no "24/7" preview series. That would have boosted the numbers, for sure. But HBO passed on it. Consider the reason: It probably would have been boring. Clottey isn't some amazing charismatic personality, and Pacquiao's personality has its limits, too. This is part and parcel of why the card's numbers weren't as high as they could be. These things cannot be separated. Pacquiao's marketing assets are thus: Good guy, interesting story, exciting fighter, fights the best. That sells tickets, obviously, since 51,000 people came to see Pacquiao-Clottey, and it moves PPV numbers, because 700,000 is a good number. But it means there are limits. If he doesn't fight the best, the numbers go down. If HBO prefers to do a 24/7 show for something else (which I'm about to touch upon) that they think will be more dramatic, then you can't really lean too much on "Pacquiao-Clottey would have done better with a '24/7' show." Pacquiao-Clottey isn't the kind of fight that would get a "24/7" show from the start. Mayweather-Clottey is, because of the next point.
There was no trash-talking or gimmicks for Pacquiao-Clottey the way there would be for a Mayweather bout, which explains why the numbers were/will be lower than X Mayweather fight were/will be. This relates back to the previous point. Mayweather moves PPV numbers in part because of his gimmick. He plays the jackass and he generates controversy and heat to his cards. It makes HBO want to put him in 24/7 shows. If you're saying Pacquiao's fight sold less because he didn't trash talk as much... well, that's on him. His stardom is contingent in part on being a good guy, and saying "you can't compare Pacquiao to Mayweather because Mayweather's a trash talker" is ignoring the fundamental appeal of both men. What's more, I don't remember any trash talking in any Pacquiao fight of late, from either man, and all those fights did much better than Pacquiao-Clottey. So why is it a factor all a sudden?
Pacquiao did better against Clottey than Mayweather did against the likes of Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir. I reject this entirely. This doesn't come close to being an argument where each side of the analogy matches up. Mayweather fought Judah and Baldomir before he became a big star in 2007 following the Oscar De La Hoya bout. You can mark what kind of numbers Mayweather did pre-De La Hoya and post-De La Hoya, and it's worlds different. You can make the same kind of marker with De La Hoya for Pacquiao, too. If you want to compare how Pacquiao and Mayweather have done against one another, comparing pre-De La Hoya Mayweather to post-De La Hoya Pacquiao tells you nothing whatsoever.
There was a short window, two months, for promoting the fight. I'm sure this had some impact, and I failed to mention it in my original post. And it's a legitimate excuse for why Pacquiao-Clottey may have done worse numbers than otherwise. (In this formulation of the argument, a legitimate excuse translates to "it did well under the circumstances.") It's not like some of these other things where the excuses given are excuses that never were an issue before, or are excuses that the ignore the fundamental nature of Pacquiao's appeal and such. That said, I don't know quite how much impact it had. Does that much more important promotion get done in three months that doesn't get done in two? To Top Rank's credit, they got a lot of good promotional value out of having the fight at Cowboys Stadium at all, and there were the news conferences announcing the fight, and there was quite a publicity blitz in the first week. I think this is hard to quantify, but I grant it was a factor.
This fight reached casual fans. Rafael made this point. I don't doubt it. But it reached a lot less of them than Pacquiao did in previous fights. I'm not sure what the real significant value of point of this is, although it is somewhat useful. We already know Pacquiao reaches casual fans. I guess we now know he does even with less desirable match-ups, albeit to a significantly lesser degree, but that's a fairly secondary measure of a successful PPV in my opinion.
There was no fallout from Mayweather-Pacquiao not happening. Christ made this point. I do doubt it. Some of the people leaving comments on his own site said they refused to buy Pacquiao-Clottey out of protest for Mayweather-Pacquiao falling through. Unless he thinks they were all liars, or people who went back on their word, I don't see why he wouldn't acknowledge that those comments were representative at least some percentage of people were turned off of Pacquiao-Clottey because Mayweather-Pacquiao didn't happen.
But one needn't take the word of boxing fans vowing this or that. Top Rank's Bob Arum said himself that there was fallout from the demise of Mayweather-Pacquiao. Per Time magazine:
"To be frank, we had to overcome disappointment," he says. "People were looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight."
I know Arum is tricky and one shouldn't put too much stock in what he says, but tell me why Arum says there is fallout from Mayweather-Pacquiao's demise if it isn't the case. I've tried to think of a reason, and I can't think of one.
The bad undercard didn't have anything to do with the numbers. I addressed this in Part 1. Short version: I think it did, at least in some small measure, because people I know and lots of people elsewhere said they wouldn't buy the fight because of the undercard, and there had to be more people like them who didn't happen to mention it in at a boxing website.
People expected better. This is my argument. When expectations aren't met, that's one definition of a "letdown." Arum expected more -- he thought Pacquiao-Clottey would do 1 million. Christ expected more -- he said he thought it would do in the 800,000-900,000 range, and that he wouldn't be surprised if it reached 1 million. than the Earlier in fight week, I expected more -- I thought it could be in the range of 900,000, but as the week went on and I saw the buzz was not there like it had been for other fights, I downgraded my expectations, and I still overestimated. There were people who were more accurate in their predictions (like SK), but the final number fell short for many of us.
Source
==========
I don't think people want to see another fight with Clottey. I just loved seeing Pacquiao and Mayweather bout.
Let me start by saying that in my original post, I think people might have misunderstood my overall point. As I said then, the 700,000 buys for Pacquiao-Clottey count as a "grand success" for any boxing pay-per-view. But, by the standard of what we've come to expect from Pacquiao, what kind of numbers boxing has been doing lately and what it meant for a possible Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao fight I think it was a bit of a letdown at the same time. These two things are not incompatible. I think I explained both the good and ill of the numbers fairly well, so I'll largely let those arguments stand.
I am bothered slightly that a pair of boxing writers I like -- Scott Christ and Dan Rafael -- treated it like pure heresy that anyone could hold any opinion other than theirs. I don't assume they were talking about me, but Rafael's response to anyone who considered the numbers disappointing was that they were "insane," and Christ acted like anyone who thought that was someone who simply was incapable of rational discussion. For what it's worth, I think both their views about the numbers being a pure success were fair. I don't disagree with them all that much, in reality. My goal was to present a few counterpoints that I thought people were neglecting, while simultaneously acknowledging the reality that 700,000 is an impressive figure.
With that, I'll respond to some of the substance of remarks made here and elsewhere, and make a few additional points myself.
The numbers were strong for a recession. This is a point I admit I didn't take into account. So if you brought that up, thanks for doing so. In that context, the numbers are somewhat more impressive. That said...
The economic environment was somewhat offset by fewer PPVs these days and boxing's stronger overall position. Back when I was flipping out about the good numbers for Manny Pacquiao's 2009 PPVs and the numbers done by Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez, someone -- I think it was friend of the site roheblius -- made the strong point that the numbers were helped by boxing cutting down on its PPV schedule. I agreed then, and I re-make that point now, because I failed to do so in my original post. And I refer back to my post on this point: Boxing is in so much better shape these days, that 700,000 sounds a touch low by recent standards. ESPN, Good Morning America, The Washington Post -- everyone was covering this fight, and if you go back to 2008, none of those programs would have touched this fight with a million-foot pole. And they did it because boxing is more mainstream now than it was in 2008 and in many previous years, which is ultimately good news (something Christ and I agree on). Which means more casual fans tuning in, something I'll get to a little later.
Keep in mind: These were two non-Americans doing these numbers. Some people objected to me comparing Pacquiao's numbers against Clottey to Oscar De La Hoya's, or Mayweather's, or Mayweather's potential numbers with Shane Mosley, since all of those gents were American and neither Pacquiao nor Clottey hail from the U.S. of A. My answer to that is that Pacquiao already has proven he can be a pay-per-view draw despite not being American. I'm not going to count that as a handicap against him anymore. That handicap is gone. And Ricky Hatton wasn't American, and Miguel Cotto was Puerto Rican, and Pacquiao did better numbers with them than against Clottey. I understand why those fights did better numbers, but don't pretend that a lack of U.S. citizenship for Pacquiao and Clottey necessarily means he does lower numbers, because Pacquiao has proven he has overcome that factor.
There was no "24/7" preview series. That would have boosted the numbers, for sure. But HBO passed on it. Consider the reason: It probably would have been boring. Clottey isn't some amazing charismatic personality, and Pacquiao's personality has its limits, too. This is part and parcel of why the card's numbers weren't as high as they could be. These things cannot be separated. Pacquiao's marketing assets are thus: Good guy, interesting story, exciting fighter, fights the best. That sells tickets, obviously, since 51,000 people came to see Pacquiao-Clottey, and it moves PPV numbers, because 700,000 is a good number. But it means there are limits. If he doesn't fight the best, the numbers go down. If HBO prefers to do a 24/7 show for something else (which I'm about to touch upon) that they think will be more dramatic, then you can't really lean too much on "Pacquiao-Clottey would have done better with a '24/7' show." Pacquiao-Clottey isn't the kind of fight that would get a "24/7" show from the start. Mayweather-Clottey is, because of the next point.
There was no trash-talking or gimmicks for Pacquiao-Clottey the way there would be for a Mayweather bout, which explains why the numbers were/will be lower than X Mayweather fight were/will be. This relates back to the previous point. Mayweather moves PPV numbers in part because of his gimmick. He plays the jackass and he generates controversy and heat to his cards. It makes HBO want to put him in 24/7 shows. If you're saying Pacquiao's fight sold less because he didn't trash talk as much... well, that's on him. His stardom is contingent in part on being a good guy, and saying "you can't compare Pacquiao to Mayweather because Mayweather's a trash talker" is ignoring the fundamental appeal of both men. What's more, I don't remember any trash talking in any Pacquiao fight of late, from either man, and all those fights did much better than Pacquiao-Clottey. So why is it a factor all a sudden?
Pacquiao did better against Clottey than Mayweather did against the likes of Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir. I reject this entirely. This doesn't come close to being an argument where each side of the analogy matches up. Mayweather fought Judah and Baldomir before he became a big star in 2007 following the Oscar De La Hoya bout. You can mark what kind of numbers Mayweather did pre-De La Hoya and post-De La Hoya, and it's worlds different. You can make the same kind of marker with De La Hoya for Pacquiao, too. If you want to compare how Pacquiao and Mayweather have done against one another, comparing pre-De La Hoya Mayweather to post-De La Hoya Pacquiao tells you nothing whatsoever.
There was a short window, two months, for promoting the fight. I'm sure this had some impact, and I failed to mention it in my original post. And it's a legitimate excuse for why Pacquiao-Clottey may have done worse numbers than otherwise. (In this formulation of the argument, a legitimate excuse translates to "it did well under the circumstances.") It's not like some of these other things where the excuses given are excuses that never were an issue before, or are excuses that the ignore the fundamental nature of Pacquiao's appeal and such. That said, I don't know quite how much impact it had. Does that much more important promotion get done in three months that doesn't get done in two? To Top Rank's credit, they got a lot of good promotional value out of having the fight at Cowboys Stadium at all, and there were the news conferences announcing the fight, and there was quite a publicity blitz in the first week. I think this is hard to quantify, but I grant it was a factor.
This fight reached casual fans. Rafael made this point. I don't doubt it. But it reached a lot less of them than Pacquiao did in previous fights. I'm not sure what the real significant value of point of this is, although it is somewhat useful. We already know Pacquiao reaches casual fans. I guess we now know he does even with less desirable match-ups, albeit to a significantly lesser degree, but that's a fairly secondary measure of a successful PPV in my opinion.
There was no fallout from Mayweather-Pacquiao not happening. Christ made this point. I do doubt it. Some of the people leaving comments on his own site said they refused to buy Pacquiao-Clottey out of protest for Mayweather-Pacquiao falling through. Unless he thinks they were all liars, or people who went back on their word, I don't see why he wouldn't acknowledge that those comments were representative at least some percentage of people were turned off of Pacquiao-Clottey because Mayweather-Pacquiao didn't happen.
But one needn't take the word of boxing fans vowing this or that. Top Rank's Bob Arum said himself that there was fallout from the demise of Mayweather-Pacquiao. Per Time magazine:
"To be frank, we had to overcome disappointment," he says. "People were looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight."
I know Arum is tricky and one shouldn't put too much stock in what he says, but tell me why Arum says there is fallout from Mayweather-Pacquiao's demise if it isn't the case. I've tried to think of a reason, and I can't think of one.
The bad undercard didn't have anything to do with the numbers. I addressed this in Part 1. Short version: I think it did, at least in some small measure, because people I know and lots of people elsewhere said they wouldn't buy the fight because of the undercard, and there had to be more people like them who didn't happen to mention it in at a boxing website.
People expected better. This is my argument. When expectations aren't met, that's one definition of a "letdown." Arum expected more -- he thought Pacquiao-Clottey would do 1 million. Christ expected more -- he said he thought it would do in the 800,000-900,000 range, and that he wouldn't be surprised if it reached 1 million. than the Earlier in fight week, I expected more -- I thought it could be in the range of 900,000, but as the week went on and I saw the buzz was not there like it had been for other fights, I downgraded my expectations, and I still overestimated. There were people who were more accurate in their predictions (like SK), but the final number fell short for many of us.
Source
==========
I don't think people want to see another fight with Clottey. I just loved seeing Pacquiao and Mayweather bout.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Manny Pacquiao: Floyd Mayweather 'needs me to bolster his career'
MANILA (AP) — Manny Pacquiao is still open to fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., but is waiting for the challenge to come from the other side and for promoters to iron out a spat over drug testing.
"I came this far in my boxing career without Mayweather, so I see no need to call him out," Pacquiao told reporters Monday. "He needs me to bolster his career.
"I am open to him fighting me anytime he wants to."
Pacquiao returned to thousands of cheering fans in Manila to celebrate his latest victory over Joshua Clottey in Dallas. He'll now focus on a bid to enter politics, campaigning for a seat in the Philippines' House of
Representatives in the May 10 national elections.
Mayweather's insistence on Olympic-style testing was the primary reason negotiations fell through in January for a megafight against Pacquiao. Mayweather wanted blood tests up to 14 days before the fight, while Pacquiao claims he feels weak after drawing blood and would not agree to testing within 24 days.
The negotiations quickly deteriorated, and Pacquiao signed to fight Clottey while Mayweather turned his attention to welterweight champion Shane Mosley.
Mayweather will face Mosley in Las Vegas on May 1 after both agreed to undergo an unlimited number of unannounced blood and urine tests before and after the fight.
"He should win against Mosley. If not, Mosley and I will fight," Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao is now concentrating on the national elections. His 2007 campaign fell short, but this time Pacquiao said he is better prepared.
"I have prepared for my political plans even before I faced Clottey last week," he said. "I am ready to campaign."
The two-month campaign starts later this week. Apart from running for his own seat in southern Sarangani province, Pacquiao is also campaigning for presidential aspirant Manny Villar, a senator and the richest politician in the country.
Villar raised Pacquiao's hand after welcoming him at a hotel Monday, before the boxer headed for a church service and a courtesy call in the presidential palace.
Asked if he plans to retire from boxing if he wins at the election, the 31-year-old Pacquiao said he was undecided.
"My own mother asked me to stop boxing. We'll talk about it," he said.
==================
I hope like any boxing fans in the world to see Pacquiao-Maywether clash in the ringside before Manny stops boxing even though he has nothing to prove.
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