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
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The May 1 event between Mosley and Mayweather will decide if Pacquaio-Mayweather event will come true at last.
Showing posts with label mayweather-mosley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mayweather-mosley. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Hopkins-Jones rematch is a lesson for Pacquiao and Mayweather
by Norman Frauenheim
It is fascinating to listen to Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. They might not belong on a pound-for-pound list these days, but word-for-word they could challenge Charles Barkley. In the interview game, Hopkins and Jones are as good as anybody.
They provided an insightful double-feature a couple of days ago in a conference call about an April 3 fight. Their rematch at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay has generated everything from outrage to concern. The mixed response from media and fans is at least predictable and perhaps inevitable whenever legends closer to Hall of Fame induction than their primes prepare to fight.
A couple of examples:
Jones, as wise as he once was quick, acknowledged he is aware of fears some have for his well-being.
“I take my hat off to them,’’ said Jones, 41, who has been stopped three times in the last six years. “I thank them for being concerned about me, because that’s a great thing.’’
Then, there was Hopkins, funny, controversial and just as wise.
“This is not some clown reality-show where two wrestlers, two boxers, two old entertainers, two old singers square off,’’ said Hopkins, 45, who is favored to avenge a 1993 loss by decision to Jones. “This is the real deal.’’
I suspect the call will prove to be better than the fight.
It also is important for a lesson left unsaid, yet current and perilous if ignored by the best-and brightest in today’s generation. I hope Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., were – are — listening. The Jones-Hopkins rematch should have happened a decade ago. Pacquiao-Mayweather should have happened on March 13.
For each should-have, the circumstances are different. But Jones and Hopkins can’t redo the specifics — an unresolved dispute over money – that led to a breakdown of a rich, relevant rematch that might have led to another.
“I was the undisputed middleweight and he was the undisputed light-heavyweight,’’ Hopkins said. “It would have been great.’’
It could have been one or two for the books.
But Hopkins, Jones and the sport were robbed of that opportunity by financial percentages that today are forgettable, if not petty. The real loss, perhaps, was in a percentage of fans. Nobody remembers the first fight on a dreary night at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. on the undercard of a main event featuring a Riddick Bowe stoppage of Jesse Ferguson.
“I still remember Larry Merchant saying that if the wind wasn’t blowing in the stadium, everybody would have gone to sleep,’’ Hopkins said.
Many of them did during the years when Jones and Hopkins matured into the best of their trade. Nearly 10 years ago, they were the fight the public wanted, yet didn’t get. It would have been a rematch only in name. In fact, it would have been an awakening for a public and media increasingly turned off by boxing.
Since then, the sport has repeatedly attempted to resurrect itself. There are promising signs, but the state of the game returns to the critical list if Pacquiao-Mayweather follows the path of the Hopkins-Jones rematch.
Throughout the conference call Wednesday, I couldn’t help but imagine another call, 10 years from now, with Mayweather and Pacquiao, both forty-something and both trying to sell their first fight in 2020 with awkward explanations about why they didn’t fight in 2010.
The issue has been Mayweather’s demand and Pacquiao rejection of Olympic-style drug testing. In a few months, it might be about money, especially if Mayweather beats Shane Mosley on May 1 in front of a bigger pay-per-view audience than the announced 700,000 for Pacquiao’s victory over Joshua Clottey.
There are projections of three million for Mayweather-Mosley. Even if it is half of that at 1.5 million, Mayweather could return to the bargaining table with an argument that he deserves the lion’s share, instead of the 50-50 which had been agreed upon before talks broke down over random blood tests.
Ten years from now, that and who-knows-what-else could be hard to explain. But the lesson is there, thanks to Hopkins and Jones, whose fight is all about timing. It’s the wrong time for them, but still the right one for Pacquiao and Mayweather.
Source
================================================
I hope that Pacquiao-Mayweather bout will happen at the perfect time which is now. I don't want to wait for years.
It is fascinating to listen to Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. They might not belong on a pound-for-pound list these days, but word-for-word they could challenge Charles Barkley. In the interview game, Hopkins and Jones are as good as anybody.
They provided an insightful double-feature a couple of days ago in a conference call about an April 3 fight. Their rematch at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay has generated everything from outrage to concern. The mixed response from media and fans is at least predictable and perhaps inevitable whenever legends closer to Hall of Fame induction than their primes prepare to fight.
A couple of examples:
Jones, as wise as he once was quick, acknowledged he is aware of fears some have for his well-being.
“I take my hat off to them,’’ said Jones, 41, who has been stopped three times in the last six years. “I thank them for being concerned about me, because that’s a great thing.’’
Then, there was Hopkins, funny, controversial and just as wise.
“This is not some clown reality-show where two wrestlers, two boxers, two old entertainers, two old singers square off,’’ said Hopkins, 45, who is favored to avenge a 1993 loss by decision to Jones. “This is the real deal.’’
I suspect the call will prove to be better than the fight.
It also is important for a lesson left unsaid, yet current and perilous if ignored by the best-and brightest in today’s generation. I hope Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., were – are — listening. The Jones-Hopkins rematch should have happened a decade ago. Pacquiao-Mayweather should have happened on March 13.
For each should-have, the circumstances are different. But Jones and Hopkins can’t redo the specifics — an unresolved dispute over money – that led to a breakdown of a rich, relevant rematch that might have led to another.
“I was the undisputed middleweight and he was the undisputed light-heavyweight,’’ Hopkins said. “It would have been great.’’
It could have been one or two for the books.
But Hopkins, Jones and the sport were robbed of that opportunity by financial percentages that today are forgettable, if not petty. The real loss, perhaps, was in a percentage of fans. Nobody remembers the first fight on a dreary night at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. on the undercard of a main event featuring a Riddick Bowe stoppage of Jesse Ferguson.
“I still remember Larry Merchant saying that if the wind wasn’t blowing in the stadium, everybody would have gone to sleep,’’ Hopkins said.
Many of them did during the years when Jones and Hopkins matured into the best of their trade. Nearly 10 years ago, they were the fight the public wanted, yet didn’t get. It would have been a rematch only in name. In fact, it would have been an awakening for a public and media increasingly turned off by boxing.
Since then, the sport has repeatedly attempted to resurrect itself. There are promising signs, but the state of the game returns to the critical list if Pacquiao-Mayweather follows the path of the Hopkins-Jones rematch.
Throughout the conference call Wednesday, I couldn’t help but imagine another call, 10 years from now, with Mayweather and Pacquiao, both forty-something and both trying to sell their first fight in 2020 with awkward explanations about why they didn’t fight in 2010.
The issue has been Mayweather’s demand and Pacquiao rejection of Olympic-style drug testing. In a few months, it might be about money, especially if Mayweather beats Shane Mosley on May 1 in front of a bigger pay-per-view audience than the announced 700,000 for Pacquiao’s victory over Joshua Clottey.
There are projections of three million for Mayweather-Mosley. Even if it is half of that at 1.5 million, Mayweather could return to the bargaining table with an argument that he deserves the lion’s share, instead of the 50-50 which had been agreed upon before talks broke down over random blood tests.
Ten years from now, that and who-knows-what-else could be hard to explain. But the lesson is there, thanks to Hopkins and Jones, whose fight is all about timing. It’s the wrong time for them, but still the right one for Pacquiao and Mayweather.
Source
================================================
I hope that Pacquiao-Mayweather bout will happen at the perfect time which is now. I don't want to wait for years.
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