An unprecedented worldwide promotional tour for the much-awaited trilogy between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Legend Juan Manuel Marquez will kickoff in Manila and end in Mexico with the fighters visiting other world capitals in-between.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told the Philippine Daily Inquirer “we are going to do something special by organizing a worldwide tour which will kick off in the last week of August” as a buildup to the fight that will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 12.
Arum said “we are hitting big capitals of the world and we are going to start in Manila and of course end in Mexico.”
Arum also indicated he expects Pacquiao to train for about eight weeks, beginning in mid-September, mainly at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Both Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza have said this is the fight they have wanted all along because they are keen on shutting Marquez’ mouth.
Roach was quoted by boxingscene.com saying “It’s the fight I want. It’s the one we were asking for cause we want to shut them up and to prove they never get robbed. I know Manny Pacquiao has come along in weight and is a much more complete fighter now than he was back then. This is not an easy fight. I’m a little nervous by the fight, yes, but I’d love this fight better than (Floyd) Mayweather Jr.”
Ariza clarified however that wanting to shut Marquez’s mouth “is the motivation but that doesn’t take anything away from my respect for Marquez as a fighter and a true warrior in the ring. I am a fan of his because of the way he fights.”
Ariza said that after watching Marquez’s fights against former champion David Diaz and challenger Michael Katsidis which were both action-packed bouts, “how can you not admire the guy? He comes to fight and not to run.”
Taking an obvious dig at Shane Mosley who kept backpedaling after being dropped by Pacquiao in the third round of their showdown last May 7, the strength and conditioning coach said he didn’t like fighters "who keep saying I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that but when they enter the ring they just run. Marquez is not like that. He will come at you and won’t back off until he goes out on his shield. He’s got balls.”
Ariza said the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy should once again spark a revival of interest after fight fans obvious disappointment over the Mosley fight where the jam-packed MGM Grand heard resounding booing for the first time in a Pacquiao fight although the boos were obviously directed at Mosley.
The first two fights between Pacquiao and Marquez were both close and controversial.By his own a dmission judge Burt Clements cost Pacquiao a victory in their first fight when he scored the first round 10-7 instead of 10-6 as the two other judges did after Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the opening round. Marquez, with the aid of Clements mistake, counter-punched his way and salvaged a draw.
In the second fight Pacquiao dropped Marquez in the third round which made the difference in his earning a controversial split decision victory to grab the WBC lightweight title from Marquez.
Since then Marquez has been urging Pacquiao to give him one more chance, claiming that he won both fights but didn’t get the judges decision. He even flew to Manila in April 2008 to personally try and convince Pacquiao to sign up for a trilogy.
Source: philboxing.com
Friday, May 27, 2011
Teddy Atlast Picks Pacquiao To Win
Everyone in Boxing has opinions. Some opinions are worth reading more than others. One such person who's opinion is cherished by the best of hardcore fans is Teddy Atlas.
In a recent interview (see link provided below), Atlas teams up with Doghouse Boxing's very own to talk about many topics. During the interview, Tyler hit on the subject of Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III.
On behalf of Doghouse Boxing, Tyler asked Atlas to give us his thought on November's upcoming bout, Pacquiao vs. Marquez.
Atlas answered the question with a question, stating: "How old is Marquez?" Atlas then went on to add: "I believe that he will be 38 when and if that fight takes place. Pacquiao is about six years younger and in his prime. Also, Marquez has bulked up in weight only once that I remember and that was in the Mayweather fight where he lost every round. Marquez is the smaller fighter. Also I have mentioned before on ESPN telecasts that I also judge a fighter not so much by age but the number of punches he has taken. Pacquiao has taken very little punishment in the last few years. The only strong area I see for Marquez is that his confidence level would be high because of the fact that he has fought him twice before...this would help his comfort level in that fight. But when it is all said and done, Pacquiao will be the heavy favorite to win the fight."
Source: DoghouseBoxing.com
A Six Pack Of Signing Subplots
Three years ago, on the day after Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II, I wrote a column for ESPN.com entitled “The Pacquiao-Marquez Postfight Six-Pac.” After tense back and forth discussions and negotiations with myself, I have permitted myself to steal intellectual property from me, and so, now that Pacquiao-Marquez III is officially signed, I’ve put together a prefight “six-Pac” of subplots worth discussing. With Pacquiao vs. Marquez the matchup on everybody’s mind, here are six underlying matchups worth watching for in the weeks and months ahead:
1. Size vs. Style
This is what’s at the root of the debate currently taking over the blogosphere/podcast-o-sphere/message-board-o-sphere: Is this a competitive fight or a mismatch? If you’re championing it as a competitive fight (as I am, more or less), you’re basing that on the belief that Marquez has proven his style gives Pacquiao fits, and it’s a style unlike anything Pac-Man has seen since his one-point split decision over JMM in ’08. If you’re decrying it as a mismatch, you’re basing that on the belief that Pacquiao has outgrown Marquez since their last fight and, at a contract weight of 144 pounds, Pacquiao will be at his most effective and “Dinamita” will be at his least effective.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’d rather have seen the fighters agree to meet at 140, a weight I firmly believe Manny can still make (since his team has repeatedly insisted he has to trap several pounds of food in his moustache and goatee just to tip the scales at 145). But to me, it’s more about what Marquez weighs than what Pacquiao weighs. Marquez, regardless of the contract weight, should still train to be about 135 pounds or so—in shape, comfortable, no spare tire like we saw against Floyd Mayweather. The better condition Marquez is in, the quicker he’ll be, and the more he can offset whatever poundage he’s giving away.
This is an unusual situation in that almost nobody is picking Marquez to win, but many of us endorse the fight anyway. Perhaps we’ve just been beaten down by the parade of matches (Josh Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley) for which you couldn’t find anyone at all picking against Pacquiao. But what I see here is an opponent who, at any weight, knows how to time and hit Pacquiao. Yes, it’s possible the size difference will influence each man’s ability to take the other’s punch. It’s possible Pacquiao will blow Marquez out, as he nearly did in their first meeting seven years ago. But whatever the outcome, I want to see Pacquiao face someone with a style that isn’t made to order. Marquez MIGHT give Pacquiao fits again. That’s good enough to get me supporting Pacquiao-Marquez III.
2. HBO vs. Showtime
This will be a fascinating behind-the-scenes battle, and the roles are very different now: Showtime is the incumbent, and the onus is on HBO to blow Bob Arum away with a marketing package that outdoes what Showtime and CBS can do. HBO’s parent company, Time Warner, does not own any of the “big four” free networks. But it owns TNT and TBS, which are the same as a free network to any household that would ever consider ordering a pay-per-view fight. It owns CNN and might be able to promise Arum extra news coverage leading up to the Pacquiao-Marquez fight on that channel. It owns Sports Illustrated, which means HBO might be able to guarantee that Pacquiao goes on the cover the week of the fight.
There’s a lot at stake here; without Pacquiao in the fold and without Mayweather in anybody’s fold, HBO is in danger of going the entire year without a major moneymaker on pay-per-view. Ross Greenburg and company will be bending over backward to please, while Ken Hershman and company will be equally motivated to hold onto the biggest star in the sport and put their competitors in a world of hurt. Pacquiao vs. Marquez MIGHT be a two-way slugfest; HBO vs. Showtime definitely WILL be.
3. Top Rank vs. Golden Boy
Even those who weren’t excited to see Pacquiao-Marquez III consummated expressed delight over Lance Pugmire’s report in the L.A. Times that Arum met face to face with Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions (to politely pry Marquez away from him) and that the meeting ended “in a burst of goodwill, with handshakes.”
Look, Top Rank doesn’t need Golden Boy all that badly right now. But GBP could greatly benefit from matching some of its fighters against Top Rank’s and eventually getting its finger in the Pacquiao pie again. So Schaefer, intelligently, let Marquez go without kicking up much of a fuss. (Well, he kicked up a little fuss initially, but rolled over in the end.) If Top Rank and Golden Boy start working together again, as Arum said he expects they will, it’s a huge victory for both promotional companies and for the fight fans.
And, not to set everyone up for disappointment by being overly optimistic, but if that Mayweather guy ever decides he wants to risk his perfect record against Pacquiao and make $40-million or so to do it, this would be one less obstacle to stand in the way of the fight the world has been demanding for the last two years.
4. Juan Manuel Marquez vs. David Diaz
This is a tough one to wrap my head around. Why exactly would Marquez risk blowing his $5-million (at least) payday with a keep-busy fight against Diaz on July 2? If something goes wrong here, it ends the 18-year reign of Michael Bentt-Tommy Morrison as the go-to example of a tuneup-turned-tragedy. And it’s not impossible for something to go wrong here. Ninety-eight times out of 100, JMM whips Diaz with all the bones removed from his hands and his feet tied together. But one time out of 100, Marquez gets a nasty cut from a clash of heads. And one time out of 100, Diaz catches him with the perfect punch.
For fans of symmetry, perhaps it’s pleasing that the very same tuneup opponent Pacquiao butchered after the second Marquez fight will be presented to Marquez three years later. But for fans of sanity, it’s shocking that Marquez-Diaz could actually happen. There are ways to stay sharp by simulating a fight in the gym while wearing headgear and not taking any chance of suffering an official defeat. But if Marquez vs. Diaz goes forward, it’s a tuneup that the boxing world will be watching nervously and intently.
5. Urine vs. Steroids
These serve as a diversion from some of the serious subplots, and it can’t be denied that we’ll hear plenty about both of these substances entering the fighters’ bodies over the next few months. You can’t build to a Marquez fight anymore without acknowledging that the man likes to get his drinkle on. (Do I get credit for that one on UrbanDictionary.com?) And as we’ve sadly come to learn, every phony story about Pacquiao ’roiding up will create a hurricane of interest and retweeting from his detractors.
Throughout the buildup to Pacquiao-Marquez III, we will see/hear/read about what these fighters are or aren’t putting into their bodies. One will be unimportant and will serve to amuse and entertain. The other will be highly important and will serve to stir up fabricated controversy.
And it’s probably only a matter of time until an unnamed source blogs about how he watched Manny shoot up, then pee into a cup, then Marquez drank the pee and got juiced up himself. Let the reckless tweeting begin.
6. Floyd Mayweather vs. Anybody
The sixth subplot of this six-Pac was supposed to be Timothy Bradley vs. Amir Khan, a fight that, a few days ago, looked like it was poised to come together now that Bradley’s dream of fighting Pacquiao in the fall had been dashed by the Pacquiao-Marquez signing. So I wrote a few staggeringly brilliant paragraphs about this battle for undisputed junior welterweight supremacy. And then Bradley took his reputation for doing damage by using his head to a new level. Instead of relying on his fighter’s instinct and signing for the fight, he found a way to convince himself he has better options. I’m pretty sure he’s wrong, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Instead, the discussion turns to the name that lurks in the background of every Pacquiao fight. The Pacquiao vs. Mayweather talk hasn’t slowed down—at least not among the mainstream observers and general sports show talking heads—and the rumor mill will churn over the next few months as to whether and when Mayweather will fight again. Pacquiao-Marquez III is still almost six months away; will Floyd fight in the interim? In terms of a possible opponent, the name that keeps popping up is Paul Spadafora. (You know, because Pito Cardona isn’t available and Stefano Zoff wants too much money.)
Whether he takes a tuneup, a real fight, or no fight at all, Mayweather’s name will swim about the Pacquiao-Marquez proceedings. It’s a constant subplot.
Maybe the Vegas casinos will even post lines on whether “Money” will fight again this year. If they do, look for Mayweather to place bets on both sides. It seems he hasn’t made his mind up yet, and he’s going to want to be able to show us the winning ticket either way.
Source: thesweetscience.com
1. Size vs. Style
This is what’s at the root of the debate currently taking over the blogosphere/podcast-o-sphere/message-board-o-sphere: Is this a competitive fight or a mismatch? If you’re championing it as a competitive fight (as I am, more or less), you’re basing that on the belief that Marquez has proven his style gives Pacquiao fits, and it’s a style unlike anything Pac-Man has seen since his one-point split decision over JMM in ’08. If you’re decrying it as a mismatch, you’re basing that on the belief that Pacquiao has outgrown Marquez since their last fight and, at a contract weight of 144 pounds, Pacquiao will be at his most effective and “Dinamita” will be at his least effective.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’d rather have seen the fighters agree to meet at 140, a weight I firmly believe Manny can still make (since his team has repeatedly insisted he has to trap several pounds of food in his moustache and goatee just to tip the scales at 145). But to me, it’s more about what Marquez weighs than what Pacquiao weighs. Marquez, regardless of the contract weight, should still train to be about 135 pounds or so—in shape, comfortable, no spare tire like we saw against Floyd Mayweather. The better condition Marquez is in, the quicker he’ll be, and the more he can offset whatever poundage he’s giving away.
This is an unusual situation in that almost nobody is picking Marquez to win, but many of us endorse the fight anyway. Perhaps we’ve just been beaten down by the parade of matches (Josh Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley) for which you couldn’t find anyone at all picking against Pacquiao. But what I see here is an opponent who, at any weight, knows how to time and hit Pacquiao. Yes, it’s possible the size difference will influence each man’s ability to take the other’s punch. It’s possible Pacquiao will blow Marquez out, as he nearly did in their first meeting seven years ago. But whatever the outcome, I want to see Pacquiao face someone with a style that isn’t made to order. Marquez MIGHT give Pacquiao fits again. That’s good enough to get me supporting Pacquiao-Marquez III.
2. HBO vs. Showtime
This will be a fascinating behind-the-scenes battle, and the roles are very different now: Showtime is the incumbent, and the onus is on HBO to blow Bob Arum away with a marketing package that outdoes what Showtime and CBS can do. HBO’s parent company, Time Warner, does not own any of the “big four” free networks. But it owns TNT and TBS, which are the same as a free network to any household that would ever consider ordering a pay-per-view fight. It owns CNN and might be able to promise Arum extra news coverage leading up to the Pacquiao-Marquez fight on that channel. It owns Sports Illustrated, which means HBO might be able to guarantee that Pacquiao goes on the cover the week of the fight.
There’s a lot at stake here; without Pacquiao in the fold and without Mayweather in anybody’s fold, HBO is in danger of going the entire year without a major moneymaker on pay-per-view. Ross Greenburg and company will be bending over backward to please, while Ken Hershman and company will be equally motivated to hold onto the biggest star in the sport and put their competitors in a world of hurt. Pacquiao vs. Marquez MIGHT be a two-way slugfest; HBO vs. Showtime definitely WILL be.
3. Top Rank vs. Golden Boy
Even those who weren’t excited to see Pacquiao-Marquez III consummated expressed delight over Lance Pugmire’s report in the L.A. Times that Arum met face to face with Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions (to politely pry Marquez away from him) and that the meeting ended “in a burst of goodwill, with handshakes.”
Look, Top Rank doesn’t need Golden Boy all that badly right now. But GBP could greatly benefit from matching some of its fighters against Top Rank’s and eventually getting its finger in the Pacquiao pie again. So Schaefer, intelligently, let Marquez go without kicking up much of a fuss. (Well, he kicked up a little fuss initially, but rolled over in the end.) If Top Rank and Golden Boy start working together again, as Arum said he expects they will, it’s a huge victory for both promotional companies and for the fight fans.
And, not to set everyone up for disappointment by being overly optimistic, but if that Mayweather guy ever decides he wants to risk his perfect record against Pacquiao and make $40-million or so to do it, this would be one less obstacle to stand in the way of the fight the world has been demanding for the last two years.
4. Juan Manuel Marquez vs. David Diaz
This is a tough one to wrap my head around. Why exactly would Marquez risk blowing his $5-million (at least) payday with a keep-busy fight against Diaz on July 2? If something goes wrong here, it ends the 18-year reign of Michael Bentt-Tommy Morrison as the go-to example of a tuneup-turned-tragedy. And it’s not impossible for something to go wrong here. Ninety-eight times out of 100, JMM whips Diaz with all the bones removed from his hands and his feet tied together. But one time out of 100, Marquez gets a nasty cut from a clash of heads. And one time out of 100, Diaz catches him with the perfect punch.
For fans of symmetry, perhaps it’s pleasing that the very same tuneup opponent Pacquiao butchered after the second Marquez fight will be presented to Marquez three years later. But for fans of sanity, it’s shocking that Marquez-Diaz could actually happen. There are ways to stay sharp by simulating a fight in the gym while wearing headgear and not taking any chance of suffering an official defeat. But if Marquez vs. Diaz goes forward, it’s a tuneup that the boxing world will be watching nervously and intently.
5. Urine vs. Steroids
These serve as a diversion from some of the serious subplots, and it can’t be denied that we’ll hear plenty about both of these substances entering the fighters’ bodies over the next few months. You can’t build to a Marquez fight anymore without acknowledging that the man likes to get his drinkle on. (Do I get credit for that one on UrbanDictionary.com?) And as we’ve sadly come to learn, every phony story about Pacquiao ’roiding up will create a hurricane of interest and retweeting from his detractors.
Throughout the buildup to Pacquiao-Marquez III, we will see/hear/read about what these fighters are or aren’t putting into their bodies. One will be unimportant and will serve to amuse and entertain. The other will be highly important and will serve to stir up fabricated controversy.
And it’s probably only a matter of time until an unnamed source blogs about how he watched Manny shoot up, then pee into a cup, then Marquez drank the pee and got juiced up himself. Let the reckless tweeting begin.
6. Floyd Mayweather vs. Anybody
The sixth subplot of this six-Pac was supposed to be Timothy Bradley vs. Amir Khan, a fight that, a few days ago, looked like it was poised to come together now that Bradley’s dream of fighting Pacquiao in the fall had been dashed by the Pacquiao-Marquez signing. So I wrote a few staggeringly brilliant paragraphs about this battle for undisputed junior welterweight supremacy. And then Bradley took his reputation for doing damage by using his head to a new level. Instead of relying on his fighter’s instinct and signing for the fight, he found a way to convince himself he has better options. I’m pretty sure he’s wrong, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Instead, the discussion turns to the name that lurks in the background of every Pacquiao fight. The Pacquiao vs. Mayweather talk hasn’t slowed down—at least not among the mainstream observers and general sports show talking heads—and the rumor mill will churn over the next few months as to whether and when Mayweather will fight again. Pacquiao-Marquez III is still almost six months away; will Floyd fight in the interim? In terms of a possible opponent, the name that keeps popping up is Paul Spadafora. (You know, because Pito Cardona isn’t available and Stefano Zoff wants too much money.)
Whether he takes a tuneup, a real fight, or no fight at all, Mayweather’s name will swim about the Pacquiao-Marquez proceedings. It’s a constant subplot.
Maybe the Vegas casinos will even post lines on whether “Money” will fight again this year. If they do, look for Mayweather to place bets on both sides. It seems he hasn’t made his mind up yet, and he’s going to want to be able to show us the winning ticket either way.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Pacquiao to get $20 million to fight 38-year-old Marquez
By Chris Williams: Manny Pacquiao is going to get a nice fat payday against soon to be 38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez in their fight catchweight fight in November. The bout will be held at a 144 pound catchweight with Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title being on the line. The fight is pretty much a done deal right now. Marquez has signed the contract and will be getting $5 million plus an upside of the pay-per-view profits.
As was already reported, Marquez can get a huge $10 million rematch with Pacquiao, plus PPV upside, if he beats him in November. Of course, the chances of that happening are pretty slim given Marquez’s age and the weight that the fight will be taking place at. Marquez already proved in the Mayweather fight that he’s painfully slow above 140, which makes this fight incredibly confusing. But if fans are interested in purchasing the fight on PPV, it’s on them.
It was clear that the Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley fight was going to be a horrible mismatch going into the fight, which is exactly what it turned out to be, but that didn’t keep fans from purchasing the tickets in droves thinking it was going to be a competitive fight. I like Marquez as a fighter, but only as a lightweight and preferably as a featherweight or super featherweight. He’s not the same fighter he once was since moving up to lightweight and is much more hittable, as we saw in his struggle to beat Joel Casamayor and the way he got knocked down by Michael Katsidis.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz is reportedly going to be bringing the contract for Pacquiao to sign for the Marquez fight. Pacquiao will sign it and we’ll see him face Marquez for the third and likely the final time. I can’t see another rematch. But we’re not even sure that Marquez will make it to the fight. He’s got a fight against David Diaz in July and anything can happen in that fight. Marquez may lose and mess up his fight with Pacquiao.
Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised. Marquez is getting old, just like Mosley, and the rematch with Pacquiao is three years too late and at the wrong weight. Everything favors Pacquiao in this fight and nothing favors Marquez. I’d much rather not see another mismatch and would like to see Pacquiao step it up and face a real welterweight like WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz rather than the old and small Marquez. I’d even settle for seeing Pacquiao fight Andre Berto, even though he was recently beaten. Anyone but Marquez.
Source: boxingnews24.com
As was already reported, Marquez can get a huge $10 million rematch with Pacquiao, plus PPV upside, if he beats him in November. Of course, the chances of that happening are pretty slim given Marquez’s age and the weight that the fight will be taking place at. Marquez already proved in the Mayweather fight that he’s painfully slow above 140, which makes this fight incredibly confusing. But if fans are interested in purchasing the fight on PPV, it’s on them.
It was clear that the Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley fight was going to be a horrible mismatch going into the fight, which is exactly what it turned out to be, but that didn’t keep fans from purchasing the tickets in droves thinking it was going to be a competitive fight. I like Marquez as a fighter, but only as a lightweight and preferably as a featherweight or super featherweight. He’s not the same fighter he once was since moving up to lightweight and is much more hittable, as we saw in his struggle to beat Joel Casamayor and the way he got knocked down by Michael Katsidis.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz is reportedly going to be bringing the contract for Pacquiao to sign for the Marquez fight. Pacquiao will sign it and we’ll see him face Marquez for the third and likely the final time. I can’t see another rematch. But we’re not even sure that Marquez will make it to the fight. He’s got a fight against David Diaz in July and anything can happen in that fight. Marquez may lose and mess up his fight with Pacquiao.
Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised. Marquez is getting old, just like Mosley, and the rematch with Pacquiao is three years too late and at the wrong weight. Everything favors Pacquiao in this fight and nothing favors Marquez. I’d much rather not see another mismatch and would like to see Pacquiao step it up and face a real welterweight like WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz rather than the old and small Marquez. I’d even settle for seeing Pacquiao fight Andre Berto, even though he was recently beaten. Anyone but Marquez.
Source: boxingnews24.com
Marquez vows to be in best shape in 3rd fight vs Pacman
MANILA, Philippines – Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez said he will be in tip-top condition when he faces 8-division champion Manny Pacquiao on November 12.
Marquez said he expects a tough battle from the Filipino boxing superstar, whom he has fought twice.
"We need to get well-prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we've ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao," said the Mexican boxer in Boxingscene.com.
Pacquiao, hailed as the “Fighter of the Decade” by the Boxing Writers’ Association of America (BWAA), has agreed to a rubber match against his Mexican rival at the 144-pound catch weight.
“Tuloy na po ‘yun, abangan n’yo (It will push through, watch for it),” Pacquiao had said.
Marquez is seen by most boxing pundits as Pacquiao’s next best fight aside from Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Mexican was able to salvage a controversial draw in their 2004 bout despite being knocked down thrice by the Filipino champion.
In 2008, Marquez battled Pacquiao in a thrilling rematch that saw
the Filipino escape with a split decision.
Marquez admitted that Pacquiao is never an easy fight, which is why he needs to be fully prepared come fight time.
"This is a hard fight, but I know how to defeat him,” he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Marquez said he expects a tough battle from the Filipino boxing superstar, whom he has fought twice.
"We need to get well-prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we've ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao," said the Mexican boxer in Boxingscene.com.
Pacquiao, hailed as the “Fighter of the Decade” by the Boxing Writers’ Association of America (BWAA), has agreed to a rubber match against his Mexican rival at the 144-pound catch weight.
“Tuloy na po ‘yun, abangan n’yo (It will push through, watch for it),” Pacquiao had said.
Marquez is seen by most boxing pundits as Pacquiao’s next best fight aside from Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Mexican was able to salvage a controversial draw in their 2004 bout despite being knocked down thrice by the Filipino champion.
In 2008, Marquez battled Pacquiao in a thrilling rematch that saw
the Filipino escape with a split decision.
Marquez admitted that Pacquiao is never an easy fight, which is why he needs to be fully prepared come fight time.
"This is a hard fight, but I know how to defeat him,” he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Confident Marquez expects tougher 3rd meeting with Pacquiao
Even though Juan Manuel Marquez insists he both won his two previous fights with boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, the ageing but durable Mexican still considers his upcoming third meeting with the Filipino southpaw is a tough fight.
"This is a very hard fight," said Marquez of his scheduled November 12 encounter against his 32-year-old nemesis at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Marquez, who will be 38 by the time the welterweight fight is held, drew his initial encounter with Pacquiao in 2004 despite being knocked down thrice by the Sarangani representative in the opening round.
In their much-awaited 2008 rematch, Marquez was at the losing end of a controversial 12-round split decision.
Twice, the native of Mexico City insisted he was robbed of victory.
But despite of his claim of “winning" both matches, Marquez still give the eight-time world champion a measure of respect, saying he has to be in 'his best ever’ shape to beat the Pacman.
"We need to get well prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we've ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao," he said.
"But I know how to beat him," he added.
To get himself in better shape, Marquez, owner of a 52-5 record with 38 knockouts, will have a tune up fight on July 16 against a still undetermined opponent.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum made it clear that should Marquez lose the scheduled July match, the meeting with Pacquiao will be called off. – JVP, GMA News
Source: gmanews.tv
"This is a very hard fight," said Marquez of his scheduled November 12 encounter against his 32-year-old nemesis at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Marquez, who will be 38 by the time the welterweight fight is held, drew his initial encounter with Pacquiao in 2004 despite being knocked down thrice by the Sarangani representative in the opening round.
In their much-awaited 2008 rematch, Marquez was at the losing end of a controversial 12-round split decision.
Twice, the native of Mexico City insisted he was robbed of victory.
But despite of his claim of “winning" both matches, Marquez still give the eight-time world champion a measure of respect, saying he has to be in 'his best ever’ shape to beat the Pacman.
"We need to get well prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we've ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao," he said.
"But I know how to beat him," he added.
To get himself in better shape, Marquez, owner of a 52-5 record with 38 knockouts, will have a tune up fight on July 16 against a still undetermined opponent.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum made it clear that should Marquez lose the scheduled July match, the meeting with Pacquiao will be called off. – JVP, GMA News
Source: gmanews.tv
Marquez must be at his best vs Manny
MANILA, Philippines - Juan Manuel Marquez insists he has the key to solving the Manny Pacquiao puzzle.
After two close fights – a highly disputable draw in 2004 and a razor-close split decision favoring Pacquiao in 2008 – Marquez is confident of victory this time, when he tangles with his Filipino rival for the third time on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The Mexican, though, is wary of the challenge ahead, vowing to be at his best against Pacquiao – who has gone undefeated in 14 fights for almost six years.
“This is a hard fight, but I know how to defeat him (Pacquiao),” he said in a boxingscene.com report the other day.
“We need to get well-prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we’ve ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao,” he said.
But their two previous fights came at 126 and 130 pounds.
This time, Pacquiao will stake his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown at a catchweight of 144 pounds, three below the limit.
Marquez fought Floyd Mayweather at the same weight in May of 2009, more than two years ago, and the result was a disaster for the Mexican counterpuncher.
He failed to carry his punch, much more his technical skills, over 140 pounds, and this early, some experts think that it’s going to be the same thing against Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has found himself a new home in the welterweight division. He has risen in weight and hasn’t given up anything in terms of power and speed.
Pacquiao has also gotten so used to beating bigger fighters, legitimate welterweights like Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.
Interestingly, Marquez is not the only one who thinks he got Pacquiao’s number.
“I think Marquez might have our number. He can do well with certain styles and he seems to do well with our style. I think we’re bigger and better now. But that’s my good solution, that we’re bigger and better now,” Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s chief trainer, said earlier.
Marquez has signed the fight contract as early as last week. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has yet to ink the deal as he awaits the arrival of his adviser, Michael Koncz, from the US.
Over the last three years, Pacquiao has also beaten the hell out of Oscar dela Hoya, Joshua Clottey and Shane Mosley, boxers whom Marquez may have no chance at all.
Still, Marquez said it can be done, but only if he shows up in November at his best. – With report from Dino Maragay
Source: philstar.com
After two close fights – a highly disputable draw in 2004 and a razor-close split decision favoring Pacquiao in 2008 – Marquez is confident of victory this time, when he tangles with his Filipino rival for the third time on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The Mexican, though, is wary of the challenge ahead, vowing to be at his best against Pacquiao – who has gone undefeated in 14 fights for almost six years.
“This is a hard fight, but I know how to defeat him (Pacquiao),” he said in a boxingscene.com report the other day.
“We need to get well-prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we’ve ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao,” he said.
But their two previous fights came at 126 and 130 pounds.
This time, Pacquiao will stake his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown at a catchweight of 144 pounds, three below the limit.
Marquez fought Floyd Mayweather at the same weight in May of 2009, more than two years ago, and the result was a disaster for the Mexican counterpuncher.
He failed to carry his punch, much more his technical skills, over 140 pounds, and this early, some experts think that it’s going to be the same thing against Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has found himself a new home in the welterweight division. He has risen in weight and hasn’t given up anything in terms of power and speed.
Pacquiao has also gotten so used to beating bigger fighters, legitimate welterweights like Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.
Interestingly, Marquez is not the only one who thinks he got Pacquiao’s number.
“I think Marquez might have our number. He can do well with certain styles and he seems to do well with our style. I think we’re bigger and better now. But that’s my good solution, that we’re bigger and better now,” Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s chief trainer, said earlier.
Marquez has signed the fight contract as early as last week. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has yet to ink the deal as he awaits the arrival of his adviser, Michael Koncz, from the US.
Over the last three years, Pacquiao has also beaten the hell out of Oscar dela Hoya, Joshua Clottey and Shane Mosley, boxers whom Marquez may have no chance at all.
Still, Marquez said it can be done, but only if he shows up in November at his best. – With report from Dino Maragay
Source: philstar.com
Monday, May 23, 2011
Pacquiao confirms 3rd Marquez fight
MANILA, Philippines - Pound-for-pound king and fighting Congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has confirmed that he will battle Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12.
It will be the third meeting between the two fighters.
Their two previous bouts were controversial.
In 2004, Pacquiao settled for a draw in their first fight despite knocking Marquez down in the first round.
Four years later, their second meeting ended in a split decision in favor of Pacquiao.
The third fight will be at a 145-pound catchweight.
Pacquiao said he will start training in September.
“Tuloy na po yun, abangan n’yo,” said the 8-division world champion.
Marquez signed the contract for the fight last May 19.
Pacquiao confirmed the news during a victory party that Governor Luis 'Chavit' Singson gave in his honor on Sunday night.
The Corinthian Gardens Clubhouse was filled with politicians, celebrities and other various VIPs, who all came to celebrate Pacquiao’s victory over Shane Mosley.
“Tradisyon na natin ito, laging may victory party with Gov. Singson,” Pacquiao said.
Among those present were Vice-President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.
“He’s the best fighter that the Philippines has ever produced and the whole country is very proud of him,” said Estrada.
Singson said that he and Estrada may watch Pacquiao-Marquez III together. -- report from Dyan Castillejo, ABSCBN News
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
It will be the third meeting between the two fighters.
Their two previous bouts were controversial.
In 2004, Pacquiao settled for a draw in their first fight despite knocking Marquez down in the first round.
Four years later, their second meeting ended in a split decision in favor of Pacquiao.
The third fight will be at a 145-pound catchweight.
Pacquiao said he will start training in September.
“Tuloy na po yun, abangan n’yo,” said the 8-division world champion.
Marquez signed the contract for the fight last May 19.
Pacquiao confirmed the news during a victory party that Governor Luis 'Chavit' Singson gave in his honor on Sunday night.
The Corinthian Gardens Clubhouse was filled with politicians, celebrities and other various VIPs, who all came to celebrate Pacquiao’s victory over Shane Mosley.
“Tradisyon na natin ito, laging may victory party with Gov. Singson,” Pacquiao said.
Among those present were Vice-President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.
“He’s the best fighter that the Philippines has ever produced and the whole country is very proud of him,” said Estrada.
Singson said that he and Estrada may watch Pacquiao-Marquez III together. -- report from Dyan Castillejo, ABSCBN News
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Sunday, May 22, 2011
HBO - Showtime set to square off to secure Pacquiao vs. Marquez III
After deciding to air Manny Pacquiao's bout against Shane Mosley earlier this month on Showtime instead of industry standard HBO, Top Rank boss Bob Arum sent ripples through the sport.
Many predicted that heads would roll at HBO, who with the continued absence of Floyd Mayweather had essentially lost their biggest attraction.
Some talked of the possibility of boxing returning to network television in the near future, while others wondered about the possibilities of pay per views backed by mainstream network advertising and potentially attracting new fans to the sport.
Undeniably it was a brilliant move by Arum, who in the coming months will receive lucrative offers from both HBO and Showtime for Pacquiao's November clash with Juan Manuel Marquez.
For the time being, and with the pay per view numbers for Pacquiao vs. Mosley being widely reported as between 1.3 and 1.4 million, Showtime would appear to have the edge.
Bob Arum was quoted by BoxingScene's Lem Satterfield as saying:
"Here's what I can say. Whoever offers the best and the most assets to us in publicizing and promoting the fight, my feeling is that we will go with them."
Showtime also have the backing of parent network CBS, who along with television appearances for Pacquiao can offer far greater reach with their advertising, 115 million homes compared to HBO's 28 million.
Clearly then HBO will either have to pay through the nose or partner with a larger network themselves if they hope to attract Arum and Pacquiao back into the fold.
Whether Arum will favor a little extra currency in favor of more actual fans watching if the overall profit is essentially the same however is far from a certainty.
Many however are of the opinion that HBO's loss of Pacquiao was largely their own fault, and that Arum's motivations in moving the fight were more than purely financial.
While once the leading light for boxing, HBO's lack of organization with a long series of ill-advised and puzzling decisions over recent years has seen viewing figures fall dramatically and many promoters lose faith.
Bob Arum and numerous other promoters for example have accused HBO of favoring Al Haymon and Golden Boy fighters.
Mayweather blasts Pacquiao, hints that racism makes people want to see him lose
Seemingly perfectly suitable bouts have been scrapped and opponents rejected for some fighters, while others appear to be able to fight whoever they choose with impunity.
For example Sebastian Zbik was rejected in March as an opponent for middleweight king Sergio Martinez, but then later approved for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
More recently Paul Williams vs. Nobuhiro Ishida was initially approved, then downgraded to a different broadcast, and then cancelled all in the space of a few days.
Double standards and indecisiveness not being admirable qualities for a network that has a great deal of influence on the sport as a whole.
Showtime aren't without faults of their own by any means. One only has to look at the mishandling of the Super Six Boxing Classic to see that they still have much to learn.
Issues with fighters dropping out as well as home decisions have plagued the tournament, as have numerous delays.
They are trying new things however, and seemingly aren't as afraid to learn from their mistakes as HBO seem to be. The Bantamweight tournament dispensed with the round robin concept and only used four participants, big improvement.
Unless HBO can offer Arum something that Showtime can't come close to matching then, the latter would seem the most likely choice to air Pacquiao vs. Marquez.
Arum's perceived mistreatment by HBO in the past coupled with higher pay per view numbers on Showtime will likely count for a lot even if the money is equal. Also with HBO he has constant competition for dates from Golden Boy, while with Showtime, he can essentially rule the roost.
Source: examiner.com
Many predicted that heads would roll at HBO, who with the continued absence of Floyd Mayweather had essentially lost their biggest attraction.
Some talked of the possibility of boxing returning to network television in the near future, while others wondered about the possibilities of pay per views backed by mainstream network advertising and potentially attracting new fans to the sport.
Undeniably it was a brilliant move by Arum, who in the coming months will receive lucrative offers from both HBO and Showtime for Pacquiao's November clash with Juan Manuel Marquez.
For the time being, and with the pay per view numbers for Pacquiao vs. Mosley being widely reported as between 1.3 and 1.4 million, Showtime would appear to have the edge.
Bob Arum was quoted by BoxingScene's Lem Satterfield as saying:
"Here's what I can say. Whoever offers the best and the most assets to us in publicizing and promoting the fight, my feeling is that we will go with them."
Showtime also have the backing of parent network CBS, who along with television appearances for Pacquiao can offer far greater reach with their advertising, 115 million homes compared to HBO's 28 million.
Clearly then HBO will either have to pay through the nose or partner with a larger network themselves if they hope to attract Arum and Pacquiao back into the fold.
Whether Arum will favor a little extra currency in favor of more actual fans watching if the overall profit is essentially the same however is far from a certainty.
Many however are of the opinion that HBO's loss of Pacquiao was largely their own fault, and that Arum's motivations in moving the fight were more than purely financial.
While once the leading light for boxing, HBO's lack of organization with a long series of ill-advised and puzzling decisions over recent years has seen viewing figures fall dramatically and many promoters lose faith.
Bob Arum and numerous other promoters for example have accused HBO of favoring Al Haymon and Golden Boy fighters.
Mayweather blasts Pacquiao, hints that racism makes people want to see him lose
Seemingly perfectly suitable bouts have been scrapped and opponents rejected for some fighters, while others appear to be able to fight whoever they choose with impunity.
For example Sebastian Zbik was rejected in March as an opponent for middleweight king Sergio Martinez, but then later approved for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
More recently Paul Williams vs. Nobuhiro Ishida was initially approved, then downgraded to a different broadcast, and then cancelled all in the space of a few days.
Double standards and indecisiveness not being admirable qualities for a network that has a great deal of influence on the sport as a whole.
Showtime aren't without faults of their own by any means. One only has to look at the mishandling of the Super Six Boxing Classic to see that they still have much to learn.
Issues with fighters dropping out as well as home decisions have plagued the tournament, as have numerous delays.
They are trying new things however, and seemingly aren't as afraid to learn from their mistakes as HBO seem to be. The Bantamweight tournament dispensed with the round robin concept and only used four participants, big improvement.
Unless HBO can offer Arum something that Showtime can't come close to matching then, the latter would seem the most likely choice to air Pacquiao vs. Marquez.
Arum's perceived mistreatment by HBO in the past coupled with higher pay per view numbers on Showtime will likely count for a lot even if the money is equal. Also with HBO he has constant competition for dates from Golden Boy, while with Showtime, he can essentially rule the roost.
Source: examiner.com
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Pacman style suits Marquez
Manila, Philippines - Finally, here comes Juan Manuel Marquez, perhaps the only boxer in this planet that scares Freddie Roach.
The celebrated trainer has the right to feel that way, because Marquez had come close to beating Manny Pacquiao.
Not just once, but twice.
“I’m a little bit scared of that fight,” Roach told www.boxingscene.com at his famous Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Roach was hosting a media workout for his other fighter, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who’s up for a fight, when he talked about Marquez.
The 38-year-old Mexican fought Pacquiao to a controversial draw in 2004, and then came close to winning their anticipated rematch in 2008.
In fact, up to this day, he’s having dreams that he won both fights.
Yesterday, Marquez signed the contract, the most lucrative one he’d put his hands on, for the third fight with Pacquiao, set Nov. 12 in Las Vegas, at a catchweight of 144 pounds.
And it couldn’t be the last fight between the two warriors because there’s a rematch clause, but only if Marquez beats Pacquiao.
The match guarantees Marquez $5 million, and a lot more in the upside. Pacquiao should get no less than $20 million, his norm these days.
With Marquez signing the contract, it’s now Pacquiao’s turn to fill in the blank, maybe in a week or two, so promoter Bob Arum could get the ball rolling.
Roach feels that Marquez may have Pacquiao’s number, as shown in their two previous encounters at 126 and 130 pounds.
“I think Marquez might have our number. He can do well with certain styles and he seems to do well with our style. I think we’re bigger and better now. But that’s my good solution, that we’re bigger and better now.”
Marquez had gone down four times in 24 rounds with Pacquiao, but in both fights he also hurt Pacquiao many times, especially with his right.
Pacquiao’s style seem to suit Marquez so well.
“He just might know how to fight Manny Pacquiao,” Robert Morales wrote yesterday. It makes me think, so now I know I have my work cut out for me. I have to come up with a great game plan for that fight.”
“It’s obviously not an easy fight because, well, I know that he’ll come to fight,” said Roach.
That he can be sure of.
Source: philstar.com
Marquez believers predict a Doomsday for Pacquiao
All signs are go for a third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Their first two fights produced great drama, action and controversy.
While it seems that their third fight will produce another tooth and nail battle, this could be a case of smoke and mirrors. The first two sensational fights were at 126 lbs. and 130 lbs., respectively. Marquez was a force at both weights. Pacquiao was as exciting as he is now. The third fight will be at a catchweight limit of 144 pounds. Pacquiao has carried his speed and power as he went up in weight. The same can't be said of Marquez. He has weighed over 140 lbs. only once in his career. It was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and he clearly wasn’t the same fighter. He was lethargic and sluggish. Fortunately for Marquez, Mayweather doesn't have a killer instinct. He doesn’t go for the knock out. Pacquiao does.
Their first fight was very memorable. Marquez, knocked down three times in the first round by Pacquiao's unrelenting left hands, rallied and forced a draw. Their second fight was so highly competitive that many argue Pacquiao actually lost.
Pacquiao has always had a difficult time with Marquez's technical boxing and savvy counter punching. But that was before Freddie Roach developed Pacquiao’s right hand and footwork. Not only does Marquez have to contend with the extra weight, he has to deal with a more dynamic Pacquiao. Don't get me wrong. It'll be an exciting fight because Marquez will not run away like Shane Mosley or turtle-up like Joshua Clottey. He'll stand and trade shots with Pacquiao. It’s doubtful though that he’ll survive like the first two fights. Pacquiao has a vastly improved offensive repertoire now.
Their third fight could look like their first fight, except Marquez isn’t likely to get up from three knock downs again. Don't be surprised if their rubber match ends in the same manner the third Pacquiao - Erik Morales match did.
Source: 8countnews.com
While it seems that their third fight will produce another tooth and nail battle, this could be a case of smoke and mirrors. The first two sensational fights were at 126 lbs. and 130 lbs., respectively. Marquez was a force at both weights. Pacquiao was as exciting as he is now. The third fight will be at a catchweight limit of 144 pounds. Pacquiao has carried his speed and power as he went up in weight. The same can't be said of Marquez. He has weighed over 140 lbs. only once in his career. It was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and he clearly wasn’t the same fighter. He was lethargic and sluggish. Fortunately for Marquez, Mayweather doesn't have a killer instinct. He doesn’t go for the knock out. Pacquiao does.
Their first fight was very memorable. Marquez, knocked down three times in the first round by Pacquiao's unrelenting left hands, rallied and forced a draw. Their second fight was so highly competitive that many argue Pacquiao actually lost.
Pacquiao has always had a difficult time with Marquez's technical boxing and savvy counter punching. But that was before Freddie Roach developed Pacquiao’s right hand and footwork. Not only does Marquez have to contend with the extra weight, he has to deal with a more dynamic Pacquiao. Don't get me wrong. It'll be an exciting fight because Marquez will not run away like Shane Mosley or turtle-up like Joshua Clottey. He'll stand and trade shots with Pacquiao. It’s doubtful though that he’ll survive like the first two fights. Pacquiao has a vastly improved offensive repertoire now.
Their third fight could look like their first fight, except Marquez isn’t likely to get up from three knock downs again. Don't be surprised if their rubber match ends in the same manner the third Pacquiao - Erik Morales match did.
Source: 8countnews.com
PACQUIAO-MARQUEZ WILL BE A DISASTER
The third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 will be a disaster.
Pacquiao-Marquez could be a defendable matchup even today – at about 135 pounds, Marquez's natural weight. At 144, the catch weight to which the fighters’ agreed, this will be another in a depressing series of mismatches for Pacquiao.
We got a good look at what Marquez looks like as a welterweight, when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 142 pounds in 2009. He couldn’t even begin to cope with Mayweather’s speed and ability.
What will be different against Pacquiao? Nothing. The No. 1 fighter in the world has retained his quickness and power as he has moved up in weight; he clearly has outgrown a rival he fought at 126 and 130 pounds a number of years ago.
The result will resemble Mayweather-Marquez – only worse. Mayweather isn’t offensive minded; Pacquiao is. Marquez is in for the worst beating of his career, perhaps a career-ending beating that will end with a ominous question: Why did we let that happen?
Marquez's best chance to compete would be to disregard the catch weight and fight where he’s at his best, around 135 pounds. He’d probably be outweighed by seven or eight pounds but at least he’d be able to move.
Still, the odds are against him. The future Hall of Famer will be 38 when the fight takes place; clearly, he’s not quite what he was. He struggled at times in his last fight against Michael Katsidis, who is light years behind Pacquiao in ability.
And Pacquiao isn’t the same fighter who struggled with Marquez. The pound-for-pound king has become a much-more complete fighter under Freddie Roach, one who would be better than Marquez even on a level playing field.
Thus, this is a recipe for a fourth consecutive ugly fight involving Pacquiao, whose victories over Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley were ridiculously one sided and minimally entertaining.
Another such fight will further damage a sport that is still reeling from the colossal Pacquiao-Mosley disappointment on May 7, in which the 39-year-old Mosley more or less refused to fight for fear of getting knocked out.
And while Pacquiao’s legacy is secure because of past triumphs, another dud will do some harm to his reputation. I think people are beginning to catch on to the fact that Team Pacquiao isn’t truly concerned about entertaining fans. It's all about money.
Who else could Pacquiao have selected? Any of a number of fighters with the size and speed to at least provide some resistance. Welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz. Timothy Bradley. Kermit Cintron. Even Zab Judah.
Not Marquez. Not at 144 pounds. Not now.
Source: ringtv
Pacquiao-Marquez could be a defendable matchup even today – at about 135 pounds, Marquez's natural weight. At 144, the catch weight to which the fighters’ agreed, this will be another in a depressing series of mismatches for Pacquiao.
We got a good look at what Marquez looks like as a welterweight, when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 142 pounds in 2009. He couldn’t even begin to cope with Mayweather’s speed and ability.
What will be different against Pacquiao? Nothing. The No. 1 fighter in the world has retained his quickness and power as he has moved up in weight; he clearly has outgrown a rival he fought at 126 and 130 pounds a number of years ago.
The result will resemble Mayweather-Marquez – only worse. Mayweather isn’t offensive minded; Pacquiao is. Marquez is in for the worst beating of his career, perhaps a career-ending beating that will end with a ominous question: Why did we let that happen?
Marquez's best chance to compete would be to disregard the catch weight and fight where he’s at his best, around 135 pounds. He’d probably be outweighed by seven or eight pounds but at least he’d be able to move.
Still, the odds are against him. The future Hall of Famer will be 38 when the fight takes place; clearly, he’s not quite what he was. He struggled at times in his last fight against Michael Katsidis, who is light years behind Pacquiao in ability.
And Pacquiao isn’t the same fighter who struggled with Marquez. The pound-for-pound king has become a much-more complete fighter under Freddie Roach, one who would be better than Marquez even on a level playing field.
Thus, this is a recipe for a fourth consecutive ugly fight involving Pacquiao, whose victories over Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley were ridiculously one sided and minimally entertaining.
Another such fight will further damage a sport that is still reeling from the colossal Pacquiao-Mosley disappointment on May 7, in which the 39-year-old Mosley more or less refused to fight for fear of getting knocked out.
And while Pacquiao’s legacy is secure because of past triumphs, another dud will do some harm to his reputation. I think people are beginning to catch on to the fact that Team Pacquiao isn’t truly concerned about entertaining fans. It's all about money.
Who else could Pacquiao have selected? Any of a number of fighters with the size and speed to at least provide some resistance. Welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz. Timothy Bradley. Kermit Cintron. Even Zab Judah.
Not Marquez. Not at 144 pounds. Not now.
Source: ringtv
Roach Admits Fear in Marquez Trilogy
By Robert Morales
Promoters, trainers and the like often dole rhetoric to help sell a fight. It's probably been going on for as long as boxing has existed. It's up to reporters and fans to decide how much is fact, and how much is fiction. But Freddie Roach seems genuinely concerned about the third fight between MannyPacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, tentatively slated to take place Nov. 12 - probably at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Roach, Pacquiao's longtime trainer, on Wednesday played host to a media workout for another of his fighters - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Chavez was typically late, so there was plenty of time for Roach to talk about Pacquiao-Marquez III. The first two fights - in 2004 and 2008 at featherweight and super featherweight - ended in a draw and split-decision victory for Pacquiao, respectively.
"I'm a little bit scared of that fight," Roach said. "I think Marquez might have our number. He can do well with certain styles and he seems to do well with our style.
I think we're bigger and better now, but that's my good solution, that we're bigger and better now."
This third fight would be at a catch-weight of 144 pounds.
"He just might know how to fight Manny Pacquiao," Roach said. "It makes me think, so I know I have my work cut out for me. I have to come up with a great game plan for that fight. It's obviously not an easy fight because, well, I know that he'll come to fight. I would have said that two weeks ago, too, but we were surprised that Shane (Mosley) didn't show up for the first time in his life.
"That was disappointing, but I don't think that will happen with Marquez. I think he's got a lot of balls. He thinks he won the first two fights, he says he got robbed, he wants revenge and he has a good trainer in Nacho (Beristain). They have a good relationship, they seem to work well together."
Indeed, Marquez and his camp did some serious belly-aching after the first two fights, especially after the second one at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The way Marquez complained, one would have thought he dominated Pacquiao.
That, of course, is ridiculous because both fights were very close.
Apparently, Roach is pumped to put any remaining doubts to rest.
"I actually want this fight, I love this fight," he said. "I would love to shut them up."
Just About Done
Pacquiao-Marquez is not 100 percent finalized, but it is close. Marquez has signed, and promoter Bob Arum said Wednesday that Pacquiao could sign as early as Monday. The other thing is that Marquez wants to take a tune-up fight on July 2 against former lightweight champion David Diaz in Mexico City. If Marquez somehow loses that fight, he won't get Pacquiao again.
"I want him to do the best he possibly can against Manny," Arum said of Marquez. "He feels that with the layoff he's had that he needs the other fight, so if he loses that fight, then there's no deal. If he wins that fight, he will have had the benefit of getting the rust off. So it's a win-win situation. I mean, Marquez isn't the only fighter that Manny can fight."
Arum outlined what will happen with the Pacquiao side over the next few days.
"I'm having dinner tonight with Michael Koncz, his adviser," said Arum, chairman of Top Rank Inc.. "I've already talked to Manny before he left to go back to the Philippines, so I know he's pretty much on board. But now we have to go through all of the details, etcetera, etcetera. And I'll do that with Michael tonight and he'll relay it to Manny when he gets back to the Philippines on Monday. And I'm sure that in a normal course, we'll have a signed contract from Manny."
The Future Ahead For Top Rank, Golden Boy
Arum said he had a sit-down with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer on Monday. The two companies have been hating on each other for some time, but their talk paved the way for this third fight to happen. Golden Boy, which has been promoting Marquez, had the right to match any monetary offer made Marquez by Arum or anyone else.
Although Schaefer isn't talking at the moment, Arum said, "Golden Boy was very cooperative and did the right thing. And it cleared the way for me to finish the deal with Marquez without any matching or anything."
Arum said a confidentiality agreement between the parties prevents him from saying exactly what took place in Monday's pow-wow, but he did say it could help get the companies together for future promotions.
"Absolutely, I can say that because we had a mediation," Arum said. "Whatever happened in the mediation is completely confidential. But after the mediation, Schaefer and I shook hands and said that we would - not that we would have to be buddies - but we would try to work together in the future.
But that's all I can say.
I'm not going to say what the mediation was about, who agreed to what."
This is quite a turn-around from what Arum said recently, that if he never does business with Golden Boy again, it would be too soon.
Arum Not Sure About Television For Pacquiao-Marquez
Showtime surprised a lot of people by beating out HBO for the Pacquiao-Mosley telecast. Arum was asked Tuesday if Showtime or HBO would do Pacquiao-Marquez.
"We haven't made any determination," he said. "That'll depend on who, in our estimation, will do the best job in helping us promote the fight."
Arum: All on Mosley
Although most of the blame for the lack of action for Mosley-Pacquiao has been placed on Mosley, some ringside observers thought there were times when Pacquiao could have done more, too. After all, it seemed at timesbthat the fans were booing both fighters - not just Mosley. Arum wasn't buying it.
"I disagree," he said. "If Manny says legs were cramping up, its very, very difficult to engage a guy who won't fight, particularly a guy who knows all the tricks like Mosley. And when Manny did put on the gas after the erroneous knockdown (of Pacquiao in the 10th round), then he was really able to put the pressure and really hurt Mosley."
Did Yawner Hurt Chances for Network Exposure?
Some of the talk between reporters following the Pacquiao-Mosley fight centered on how much the snooze-fest might have hurt boxing's chances at getting back on network television on any kind of regular basis. CBS was involved in a big way in Pacquiao-Mosley. It owns Showtime and aired the Fight Camp 360 episodes along with the cable station.
Arum was asked if he was concerned that the poor showing might have been a turn-off to CBS and perhaps other major networks.
"No, because that is not something that a network executive will focus on, the quality of the fight as it unfolds," Arum said. "That's something that you guys write about and rightly so. It doesn't affect them at all."
Goossen Backs Ward's Performance
Rarely will you see punch stats used in a story written by yours truly because they often don't represent what happened in a fight. But having been at the Andre Ward-Arthur Abraham super middleweight title fight this past Saturday at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., it was not surprising to see the results when the statistics were handed out following Ward's one-sided unanimous decision.
Ward, who won the fight with his left jab, landed a grand total of 71 power punches. That is just a hair under six power punches per round. In round one, he did not throw a power punch. In round three, he threw three and landed one. In round 11, he threw 12 and landed two.
A couple of days before the fight, Ward told this reporter that he wanted to become one of the greatest ever. During the same conversation, he scoffed at the notion that his fights aren't exciting enough. Then, after Saturday's fight he said he wanted to remain champion for as long as possible while taking the the least amount of punishment.
We like Ward. Besides being very talented, his character seems beyond reproach. But this is prize-fighting and it appears he is going to have a difficult time being all he can be unless he gets in some fights where there is some hard-hitting give-and-take going on.
However, his promoter, Dan Goossen, doesn't know what all the fuss is about regarding Ward's less-than-thrilling fights. Goossen said that around the ninth round Saturday, he was engaging someone in conversation and that the theme of the talk was how terrific a fighter Ward has become.
"When I use the phrase 'fighter', it's from the basis of, he fights," Goossen said of Ward. "He's not out there trying not to get hit. He just happens to be that good, that he doesn't get hit that often."
Goossen intimated Ward showed his fighter's mentality during the 12th round when a well-behind Abraham went after Ward and landed a couple of nice left hooks and Ward landed a solid hook of his own.
"If he was concerned about getting hit - everyone knew he was ahead - why would he go out there and fight?" Goossen said. "Because he likes to fight. It was such desperation for Abraham, it was one of the few times he was able to get something on Andre. But that was only caused because Andre was willing to fight."
Goossen correctly pointed out that Abraham fought out his peek-a-boo style much of the fight, which of course always makes it difficult to get through. But Ward rarely threw a left hook to the body, which would have made Abraham bring down his gloves. Ward threw jabs to the body, but they don't carry nearly the devastation a hook does.
Bottom line, most boxing fans don't fall in love with a fighter who gets in the type of fights Ward often is in. Again, six power punches a round just doesn't cut it.
And remember, a power punch means something other than a jab. Of those six power punches every three minutes, none of them hurt Abraham. The only time Abraham was buzzed was by a couple of jabs that rattled his head. But Goossen believes that Ward will turn on the power when he has to.
"He is not looking for a 12-round decision," said Goossen, who said Ward would have stopped Abraham had referee Luis Pabon let them fight inside. "He is looking to stop you. His power will show when he gets fighters who are willing to engage him. Right now they are not. Andre is not willing to allow it. He prevents it from happening with his ability.
"It's nice to hit that home run as much as you can, but sometimes you've got guys who are heroes who are hitting triples all the time, hitting doubles. He is certainly not a singles hitter. He is swinging for the fences. He may not be hitting them out day in and day out, but I guarantee you he is going to get his share of home runs because he's taking big swings out there."
Anyway, if Ward gets past the winner of the Super Six's other semifinal between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson, the best thing Goossen could do is put Ward in with Lucian Bute. Bute is considered right there with Ward as far as super middleweights. An exciting win by Ward over him would stop a lot of the criticism.
Source: boxingscene.com
Promoters, trainers and the like often dole rhetoric to help sell a fight. It's probably been going on for as long as boxing has existed. It's up to reporters and fans to decide how much is fact, and how much is fiction. But Freddie Roach seems genuinely concerned about the third fight between MannyPacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, tentatively slated to take place Nov. 12 - probably at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Roach, Pacquiao's longtime trainer, on Wednesday played host to a media workout for another of his fighters - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Chavez was typically late, so there was plenty of time for Roach to talk about Pacquiao-Marquez III. The first two fights - in 2004 and 2008 at featherweight and super featherweight - ended in a draw and split-decision victory for Pacquiao, respectively.
"I'm a little bit scared of that fight," Roach said. "I think Marquez might have our number. He can do well with certain styles and he seems to do well with our style.
I think we're bigger and better now, but that's my good solution, that we're bigger and better now."
This third fight would be at a catch-weight of 144 pounds.
"He just might know how to fight Manny Pacquiao," Roach said. "It makes me think, so I know I have my work cut out for me. I have to come up with a great game plan for that fight. It's obviously not an easy fight because, well, I know that he'll come to fight. I would have said that two weeks ago, too, but we were surprised that Shane (Mosley) didn't show up for the first time in his life.
"That was disappointing, but I don't think that will happen with Marquez. I think he's got a lot of balls. He thinks he won the first two fights, he says he got robbed, he wants revenge and he has a good trainer in Nacho (Beristain). They have a good relationship, they seem to work well together."
Indeed, Marquez and his camp did some serious belly-aching after the first two fights, especially after the second one at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The way Marquez complained, one would have thought he dominated Pacquiao.
That, of course, is ridiculous because both fights were very close.
Apparently, Roach is pumped to put any remaining doubts to rest.
"I actually want this fight, I love this fight," he said. "I would love to shut them up."
Just About Done
Pacquiao-Marquez is not 100 percent finalized, but it is close. Marquez has signed, and promoter Bob Arum said Wednesday that Pacquiao could sign as early as Monday. The other thing is that Marquez wants to take a tune-up fight on July 2 against former lightweight champion David Diaz in Mexico City. If Marquez somehow loses that fight, he won't get Pacquiao again.
"I want him to do the best he possibly can against Manny," Arum said of Marquez. "He feels that with the layoff he's had that he needs the other fight, so if he loses that fight, then there's no deal. If he wins that fight, he will have had the benefit of getting the rust off. So it's a win-win situation. I mean, Marquez isn't the only fighter that Manny can fight."
Arum outlined what will happen with the Pacquiao side over the next few days.
"I'm having dinner tonight with Michael Koncz, his adviser," said Arum, chairman of Top Rank Inc.. "I've already talked to Manny before he left to go back to the Philippines, so I know he's pretty much on board. But now we have to go through all of the details, etcetera, etcetera. And I'll do that with Michael tonight and he'll relay it to Manny when he gets back to the Philippines on Monday. And I'm sure that in a normal course, we'll have a signed contract from Manny."
The Future Ahead For Top Rank, Golden Boy
Arum said he had a sit-down with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer on Monday. The two companies have been hating on each other for some time, but their talk paved the way for this third fight to happen. Golden Boy, which has been promoting Marquez, had the right to match any monetary offer made Marquez by Arum or anyone else.
Although Schaefer isn't talking at the moment, Arum said, "Golden Boy was very cooperative and did the right thing. And it cleared the way for me to finish the deal with Marquez without any matching or anything."
Arum said a confidentiality agreement between the parties prevents him from saying exactly what took place in Monday's pow-wow, but he did say it could help get the companies together for future promotions.
"Absolutely, I can say that because we had a mediation," Arum said. "Whatever happened in the mediation is completely confidential. But after the mediation, Schaefer and I shook hands and said that we would - not that we would have to be buddies - but we would try to work together in the future.
But that's all I can say.
I'm not going to say what the mediation was about, who agreed to what."
This is quite a turn-around from what Arum said recently, that if he never does business with Golden Boy again, it would be too soon.
Arum Not Sure About Television For Pacquiao-Marquez
Showtime surprised a lot of people by beating out HBO for the Pacquiao-Mosley telecast. Arum was asked Tuesday if Showtime or HBO would do Pacquiao-Marquez.
"We haven't made any determination," he said. "That'll depend on who, in our estimation, will do the best job in helping us promote the fight."
Arum: All on Mosley
Although most of the blame for the lack of action for Mosley-Pacquiao has been placed on Mosley, some ringside observers thought there were times when Pacquiao could have done more, too. After all, it seemed at timesbthat the fans were booing both fighters - not just Mosley. Arum wasn't buying it.
"I disagree," he said. "If Manny says legs were cramping up, its very, very difficult to engage a guy who won't fight, particularly a guy who knows all the tricks like Mosley. And when Manny did put on the gas after the erroneous knockdown (of Pacquiao in the 10th round), then he was really able to put the pressure and really hurt Mosley."
Did Yawner Hurt Chances for Network Exposure?
Some of the talk between reporters following the Pacquiao-Mosley fight centered on how much the snooze-fest might have hurt boxing's chances at getting back on network television on any kind of regular basis. CBS was involved in a big way in Pacquiao-Mosley. It owns Showtime and aired the Fight Camp 360 episodes along with the cable station.
Arum was asked if he was concerned that the poor showing might have been a turn-off to CBS and perhaps other major networks.
"No, because that is not something that a network executive will focus on, the quality of the fight as it unfolds," Arum said. "That's something that you guys write about and rightly so. It doesn't affect them at all."
Goossen Backs Ward's Performance
Rarely will you see punch stats used in a story written by yours truly because they often don't represent what happened in a fight. But having been at the Andre Ward-Arthur Abraham super middleweight title fight this past Saturday at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., it was not surprising to see the results when the statistics were handed out following Ward's one-sided unanimous decision.
Ward, who won the fight with his left jab, landed a grand total of 71 power punches. That is just a hair under six power punches per round. In round one, he did not throw a power punch. In round three, he threw three and landed one. In round 11, he threw 12 and landed two.
A couple of days before the fight, Ward told this reporter that he wanted to become one of the greatest ever. During the same conversation, he scoffed at the notion that his fights aren't exciting enough. Then, after Saturday's fight he said he wanted to remain champion for as long as possible while taking the the least amount of punishment.
We like Ward. Besides being very talented, his character seems beyond reproach. But this is prize-fighting and it appears he is going to have a difficult time being all he can be unless he gets in some fights where there is some hard-hitting give-and-take going on.
However, his promoter, Dan Goossen, doesn't know what all the fuss is about regarding Ward's less-than-thrilling fights. Goossen said that around the ninth round Saturday, he was engaging someone in conversation and that the theme of the talk was how terrific a fighter Ward has become.
"When I use the phrase 'fighter', it's from the basis of, he fights," Goossen said of Ward. "He's not out there trying not to get hit. He just happens to be that good, that he doesn't get hit that often."
Goossen intimated Ward showed his fighter's mentality during the 12th round when a well-behind Abraham went after Ward and landed a couple of nice left hooks and Ward landed a solid hook of his own.
"If he was concerned about getting hit - everyone knew he was ahead - why would he go out there and fight?" Goossen said. "Because he likes to fight. It was such desperation for Abraham, it was one of the few times he was able to get something on Andre. But that was only caused because Andre was willing to fight."
Goossen correctly pointed out that Abraham fought out his peek-a-boo style much of the fight, which of course always makes it difficult to get through. But Ward rarely threw a left hook to the body, which would have made Abraham bring down his gloves. Ward threw jabs to the body, but they don't carry nearly the devastation a hook does.
Bottom line, most boxing fans don't fall in love with a fighter who gets in the type of fights Ward often is in. Again, six power punches a round just doesn't cut it.
And remember, a power punch means something other than a jab. Of those six power punches every three minutes, none of them hurt Abraham. The only time Abraham was buzzed was by a couple of jabs that rattled his head. But Goossen believes that Ward will turn on the power when he has to.
"He is not looking for a 12-round decision," said Goossen, who said Ward would have stopped Abraham had referee Luis Pabon let them fight inside. "He is looking to stop you. His power will show when he gets fighters who are willing to engage him. Right now they are not. Andre is not willing to allow it. He prevents it from happening with his ability.
"It's nice to hit that home run as much as you can, but sometimes you've got guys who are heroes who are hitting triples all the time, hitting doubles. He is certainly not a singles hitter. He is swinging for the fences. He may not be hitting them out day in and day out, but I guarantee you he is going to get his share of home runs because he's taking big swings out there."
Anyway, if Ward gets past the winner of the Super Six's other semifinal between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson, the best thing Goossen could do is put Ward in with Lucian Bute. Bute is considered right there with Ward as far as super middleweights. An exciting win by Ward over him would stop a lot of the criticism.
Source: boxingscene.com
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Marquez, Pacquiao may have third fight
It looks like Juan Manuel Marquez will get his long-awaited third fight with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he made a deal with Marquez on Tuesday in Los Angeles for the lightweight champion to move up in weight to challenge Pacquiao for his welterweight title on Nov. 12.
Arum, however, still needs to make a deal with Pacquiao -- considered a formality -- before the fight is official.
If the fight is finalized, they would meet at a contract weight of 144 pounds, Arum said. Although the weight is three pounds below the welterweight division limit of 147, that isn't an issue.
"Manny has to eat extra meals just to weigh even 145 pounds," Arum said.
Pacquiao regularly weighs below 147 for his fights, and Marquez would be moving up from the 135-pound division. In 2009, in his only other welterweight fight, Marquez lost a lopsided decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who most would like to see Pacquiao face. Most believe it would be the biggest money fight in boxing history, but Mayweather has repeatedly declined the fight.
Barring a gargantuan offer elsewhere, Pacquiao-Marquez Round III will be at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, where Pacquiao-Marquez Round I took place and where Pacquiao scored an easy decision against Shane Mosley on May 7.
With the Pacquiao fight on the line, Arum said Marquez plans to take a tune-up against faded former lightweight titlist David Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) on July 2 in Mexico City. Diaz lost his title to Pacquiao via a lopsided ninth-round knockout in 2008.
Marquez's own promotional company will put the card on, although Arum said Top Rank would help if needed. Arum said Marquez's deal for the Pacquiao bout permitted him an interim fight as long as it takes place by July 17.
"He's going to do that fight, and if he loses, he's out," Arum said.
Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) and Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) have a rich history, battling twice in action-packed fights that ended in controversial decisions.
In 2004, Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round of their featherweight championship fight, but Marquez battled back to claim a draw that many believed he won. In 2008, they met again for the junior lightweight championship, and Pacquiao won a similarly controversial split decision.
"It's the same old story -- styles make fights, and, for some reason, I believe if we fight Marquez 10 times, we will have controversy 10 times because he's figured something out about Manny that no other fighter can do," Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, told ESPN.com. "We've had him down three times, but he's able to adapt and adjust. I think it will be a very close fight again if we decide to pick that fight. The question is, what is Manny's monetary reward?"
Mexico's Marquez, 37, has wanted a third fight with Pacquiao for years and is poised to land it because Golden Boy, his longtime promoter, declined to match Top Rank's offer. Marquez's deal with Golden Boy expired earlier this year, but it retained the right to match any offer through February 2012.
Top Rank and Golden Boy, involved in various lawsuits, are bitter rivals. Their bad blood stems from a legal fight over Pacquiao's promotional contract, which Top Rank now controls.
Arum said Golden Boy declined to match his offer to Marquez on Monday during a face-to-face meeting in Los Angeles that included Arum, Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
While Arum would not go into details of the meeting, a surprise given the rancor between them, he said of Golden Boy, "They said they would cooperate and not try to interfere. They waived any connection with Marquez and said they would not interfere with us contracting the fight. They let us know that we were free to go ahead. Schaefer let us know. We were with him yesterday.
"He told us we could go ahead with Marquez."
"I can't really talk about anything right now based on the advice of my lawyers," Schaefer told ESPN.com in an email.
Golden Boy apparently was unable to come up with an opponent for Marquez that would meet the terms of Top Rank's offer: $5 million in guaranteed money, upside on the pay-per-view profits and a guaranteed $10 million plus pay-per-view upside for a rematch in the event Marquez wins.
Golden Boy had toyed with offering Marquez a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the Mexican sensation who recently won a junior middleweight belt.
Alvarez, who defends his title in June, has fought most of his career at welterweight. However, with Top Rank's offer specifying 144 pounds, there was no way Alvarez could get down that low.
Arum's next hurdle is to close a deal with Pacquiao, which has never been a problem.
"Marquez is definitely the frontrunner we're looking at, but I have not yet sat down with Bob to discuss our financial deal," Koncz said. "Bob and I will do that this week before I leave to go see Manny in the Philippines on Sunday. I'll talk with Bob and see what his offer for Manny's purse is and all the other things involved, and then I will take that to Manny. I have the parameters from Manny, but Bob and I have not yet had a meeting of the minds.
"Bob has one component for the fight, but he needs two. We have not agreed to the fight or the terms, but we are certainly discussing it. We've always been able to come to an agreement."
Pacquiao's next fight will be on pay-per-view, but it remains to be seen if it will go to Showtime or HBO. Showtime produced and distributed Pacquiao-Mosley after Arum took Pacquiao away from HBO, which had done all of Pacquiao's previous major fights. Showtime got the fight because its sister network, CBS -- which is in roughly 115 million homes -- was heavily involved in the marketing and promotion of the event.
"We will listen to both networks and make our decision based on who is contributing the most valuable assets to the promotion," Arum said. "Who is going to give us the best platform to promote the fight will get the fight."
Arum said the fight almost assuredly will be at the MGM Grand, even though there are overseas venues interested in making offers.
"I've been spending my life with these offers from Singapore, Macau, Dubai," Arum said. "As far as I am concerned the only offer to cash in on are the ones from the MGM and Cowboys Stadium [where Pacquiao fought twice in 2010]."
Arum said the MGM Grand originally told him the Grand Garden Arena was only available on Nov. 5 because there were Eagles concerts booked there on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19.
"I told them, 'You knew we wanted Nov. 12,' " Arum said. "They said, no I didn't, whatever, we went back and forth. Anyway, I am good friends with the manager of the Eagles, Irving Azoff. I've know him for years. So I called him up and told him the issue and he called the band. An hour later, he called back and said no problem.
"He said the band wanted to send us a message -- 'Because we so admire Manny Pacquiao, we would be privileged to move our concert to Nov. 5.' We're going to invite the Eagles to the fight."
Arum said Marquez is the only legitimate option he is looking at for Pacquiao. He mentioned Zab Judah and Timothy Bradley Jr., both junior welterweight titleholders, as alternatives to Marquez immediately after Pacquiao beat Mosley, but he said neither are likely.
"Bradley I cannot talk to because he is still under contract to Gary Shaw, even if he is unhappy," Arum said. "His contract allegedly runs out at a certain point soon, but not yet. So I'm not going to go there. I could make a deal with [Main Events promoter] Kathy Duva for a Judah fight in five minutes, but that is not my plan. If [Pacquiao] wants to explore Judah, I'll explore Judah."
Source: espn.go.com
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he made a deal with Marquez on Tuesday in Los Angeles for the lightweight champion to move up in weight to challenge Pacquiao for his welterweight title on Nov. 12.
Arum, however, still needs to make a deal with Pacquiao -- considered a formality -- before the fight is official.
If the fight is finalized, they would meet at a contract weight of 144 pounds, Arum said. Although the weight is three pounds below the welterweight division limit of 147, that isn't an issue.
"Manny has to eat extra meals just to weigh even 145 pounds," Arum said.
Pacquiao regularly weighs below 147 for his fights, and Marquez would be moving up from the 135-pound division. In 2009, in his only other welterweight fight, Marquez lost a lopsided decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who most would like to see Pacquiao face. Most believe it would be the biggest money fight in boxing history, but Mayweather has repeatedly declined the fight.
Barring a gargantuan offer elsewhere, Pacquiao-Marquez Round III will be at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, where Pacquiao-Marquez Round I took place and where Pacquiao scored an easy decision against Shane Mosley on May 7.
With the Pacquiao fight on the line, Arum said Marquez plans to take a tune-up against faded former lightweight titlist David Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) on July 2 in Mexico City. Diaz lost his title to Pacquiao via a lopsided ninth-round knockout in 2008.
Marquez's own promotional company will put the card on, although Arum said Top Rank would help if needed. Arum said Marquez's deal for the Pacquiao bout permitted him an interim fight as long as it takes place by July 17.
"He's going to do that fight, and if he loses, he's out," Arum said.
Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) and Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) have a rich history, battling twice in action-packed fights that ended in controversial decisions.
In 2004, Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round of their featherweight championship fight, but Marquez battled back to claim a draw that many believed he won. In 2008, they met again for the junior lightweight championship, and Pacquiao won a similarly controversial split decision.
"It's the same old story -- styles make fights, and, for some reason, I believe if we fight Marquez 10 times, we will have controversy 10 times because he's figured something out about Manny that no other fighter can do," Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, told ESPN.com. "We've had him down three times, but he's able to adapt and adjust. I think it will be a very close fight again if we decide to pick that fight. The question is, what is Manny's monetary reward?"
Mexico's Marquez, 37, has wanted a third fight with Pacquiao for years and is poised to land it because Golden Boy, his longtime promoter, declined to match Top Rank's offer. Marquez's deal with Golden Boy expired earlier this year, but it retained the right to match any offer through February 2012.
Top Rank and Golden Boy, involved in various lawsuits, are bitter rivals. Their bad blood stems from a legal fight over Pacquiao's promotional contract, which Top Rank now controls.
Arum said Golden Boy declined to match his offer to Marquez on Monday during a face-to-face meeting in Los Angeles that included Arum, Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
While Arum would not go into details of the meeting, a surprise given the rancor between them, he said of Golden Boy, "They said they would cooperate and not try to interfere. They waived any connection with Marquez and said they would not interfere with us contracting the fight. They let us know that we were free to go ahead. Schaefer let us know. We were with him yesterday.
"He told us we could go ahead with Marquez."
"I can't really talk about anything right now based on the advice of my lawyers," Schaefer told ESPN.com in an email.
Golden Boy apparently was unable to come up with an opponent for Marquez that would meet the terms of Top Rank's offer: $5 million in guaranteed money, upside on the pay-per-view profits and a guaranteed $10 million plus pay-per-view upside for a rematch in the event Marquez wins.
Golden Boy had toyed with offering Marquez a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the Mexican sensation who recently won a junior middleweight belt.
Alvarez, who defends his title in June, has fought most of his career at welterweight. However, with Top Rank's offer specifying 144 pounds, there was no way Alvarez could get down that low.
Arum's next hurdle is to close a deal with Pacquiao, which has never been a problem.
"Marquez is definitely the frontrunner we're looking at, but I have not yet sat down with Bob to discuss our financial deal," Koncz said. "Bob and I will do that this week before I leave to go see Manny in the Philippines on Sunday. I'll talk with Bob and see what his offer for Manny's purse is and all the other things involved, and then I will take that to Manny. I have the parameters from Manny, but Bob and I have not yet had a meeting of the minds.
"Bob has one component for the fight, but he needs two. We have not agreed to the fight or the terms, but we are certainly discussing it. We've always been able to come to an agreement."
Pacquiao's next fight will be on pay-per-view, but it remains to be seen if it will go to Showtime or HBO. Showtime produced and distributed Pacquiao-Mosley after Arum took Pacquiao away from HBO, which had done all of Pacquiao's previous major fights. Showtime got the fight because its sister network, CBS -- which is in roughly 115 million homes -- was heavily involved in the marketing and promotion of the event.
"We will listen to both networks and make our decision based on who is contributing the most valuable assets to the promotion," Arum said. "Who is going to give us the best platform to promote the fight will get the fight."
Arum said the fight almost assuredly will be at the MGM Grand, even though there are overseas venues interested in making offers.
"I've been spending my life with these offers from Singapore, Macau, Dubai," Arum said. "As far as I am concerned the only offer to cash in on are the ones from the MGM and Cowboys Stadium [where Pacquiao fought twice in 2010]."
Arum said the MGM Grand originally told him the Grand Garden Arena was only available on Nov. 5 because there were Eagles concerts booked there on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19.
"I told them, 'You knew we wanted Nov. 12,' " Arum said. "They said, no I didn't, whatever, we went back and forth. Anyway, I am good friends with the manager of the Eagles, Irving Azoff. I've know him for years. So I called him up and told him the issue and he called the band. An hour later, he called back and said no problem.
"He said the band wanted to send us a message -- 'Because we so admire Manny Pacquiao, we would be privileged to move our concert to Nov. 5.' We're going to invite the Eagles to the fight."
Arum said Marquez is the only legitimate option he is looking at for Pacquiao. He mentioned Zab Judah and Timothy Bradley Jr., both junior welterweight titleholders, as alternatives to Marquez immediately after Pacquiao beat Mosley, but he said neither are likely.
"Bradley I cannot talk to because he is still under contract to Gary Shaw, even if he is unhappy," Arum said. "His contract allegedly runs out at a certain point soon, but not yet. So I'm not going to go there. I could make a deal with [Main Events promoter] Kathy Duva for a Judah fight in five minutes, but that is not my plan. If [Pacquiao] wants to explore Judah, I'll explore Judah."
Source: espn.go.com
Juan Manuel Marquez is heading toward a third fight with Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao's promoter told The Times Tuesday morning that Juan Manuel Marquez is in the process of signing a contract to fight the Filipino superstar for a third time, Nov. 12 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Bob Arum said the deal for Marquez to take the bout was negotiated Monday with the Mexican fighter's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, who retain the right until March to match the best offer Marquez could receive for a fight. Arum said that after the contract is signed by Marquez, Golden Boy still has to provide its final "approval and consent" for the fight to take place.
Arum, Pacquiao's promoter and chairman of the promotional company Top Rank, told The Times, "We met on various issues. We had to adjust certain things, but I'm not permitted to go into details. They [Golden Boy] have released their objections."
Golden Boy Chief Executive Richard Schaefer, through a company spokeswoman, declined to comment on the situation and said he wouldn't discuss it until next week.
Marquez is meeting with Top Rank President Todd duBoef at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday morning, according to Arum.
Marquez reportedly will fight Pacquiao for at least $5 million at a 144-pound catch weight, likely for Pacquiao's World Boxing Organization welterweight belt.
Marquez has long wanted a third bout with Pacquiao after the pair fought to a 2004 draw, with Pacquiao then claiming a spit decision in 2008.
Source: latimes.com
Friday, May 13, 2011
Must-see trilogy
Must-see trilogy
IT’S only a matter of time before veteran promoter Bob Arum makes the much-awaited announcement of a Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III.
The only hindrance thus far is Golden Boy Promotions’ right to match any offer that is presented to Marquez.
Turning 38 this August, Marquez has been fighting under the GBP banner owned by boxing’s poster boy Oscar De La Hoya the last three years.
Marquez’s deal with GBP ended recently, but De La Hoya’s associates were able to insert a stipulation that gives them a specific right to match the next fight contract that is offered to the Mexican as soon as their partnership expires.
In scrutinizing the proposal that was given to Marquez, it would be foolhardy for De La Hoya to match the offer as no one among his stable can come close to being as profitable as a Pacquiao-Marquez III promotion.
Arum has dangled a $5-million guaranteed purse to Marquez aside from a share of the pay-per-view earnings that has a potential 10-million take home pay if he gets to fight Pacquiao this November.
De La Hoya’s Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer tried selling one of their upcoming fighters, the undefeated Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico.
The 20-year-old Alvarez holds a remarkable 36-0-1 record with 26 knockouts and is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision win over British Matthew Hatton for the vacant World Boxing Council light middleweight crown last March in Anaheim, California.
Marquez and Arum doused called water on that clash with Alvarez by agreeing to a 144-lb catch weight bout with Pacquiao, a weight limit that would be very hard for Alvarez to meet.
Next to be peddled by Golden Boy was the once-hot prospect Victor Ortiz whose name zoomed back to the limelight after his shocking 12-round decision win over previously undefeated world welterweight champion Andre Berto last month in Connecticut.
Ortiz may have an easy time making the catch weight limit, but his surprising 6th-round TKO defeat to Marcos Maidana of Argentina still hounds the Mexican-American prospect.
Even if Marquez agrees to fight Ortiz and Alvarez at the same time, it would be impossible to command a $5-million price tag for the sturdy Mexican to remain a Golden Boy fighter.
GETTING PERSONAL. This is probably the only reason why De La Hoya will decide to match the offer of Arum.
Arum, who was De La Hoya’s promoter for the most part of the Golden Boy’s legendary ring career, has been at odds with his former protégé.
The Harvard-educated promoter though has never allowed his emotions to get in the way that will allow De La Hoya to get one over his former boss.
Since being a promoter, De La Hoya has always been outmaneuvered by Arum when it comes to signing up superstar boxers, the most prominent of whom were Pacquiao and another Filipino Nonito Donaire, Jr.
Based at least on their body language, Arum has shown poise and treats it as nothing personal but a simple business deal.
De La Hoya, meanwhile, has resorted to attacking the personality of Arum every time they engage in a public spat regarding their respective fighters.
And so, the only way to stop a Pacquiao-Marquez III battle is when De La Hoya throws away $5 million that he will never recover in a project that will involve Marquez sans Pacquiao.
KOY’S CLINIC. Easily one of the most amiable coaches in the country today, champion guru Koy Banal will be sharing his expertise in becoming one of the most successful coaches in Philippine basketball.
Banal will be teaming up with the Tarlac Association of Referees and Coaches (TARLAC) in conducting a coaching clinic from May 21 and 22 at the Don Bosco Tech Institute in Tarlac City.
According to Banal, aspiring coaches will be given tips on how to teach their players effective offense and defense drills through live demos.
Inquiries may be sent thru text via mobile numbers 0921 248 3021 or 0923 719 3672.
PINOY PRIDE. Once again, the ingenuity of Filipino engineers will be put to test in this Sunday’s Bosch Cordless Race Championships at the CCP Complex in Pasay City.
Students from eight colleges and universities will be displaying their self-designed race karts that are all powered by Bosch’s cordless lithium-ion power tools.
The schools competing this weekend are Mapua, Rizal Tech University, University of the Philippines, TIP, University of San Carlos, University of Mindanao, Don Bosco-Mandaluyong and Letran College-Calamba.
Source: manilastandardtoday.com
IT’S only a matter of time before veteran promoter Bob Arum makes the much-awaited announcement of a Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III.
The only hindrance thus far is Golden Boy Promotions’ right to match any offer that is presented to Marquez.
Turning 38 this August, Marquez has been fighting under the GBP banner owned by boxing’s poster boy Oscar De La Hoya the last three years.
Marquez’s deal with GBP ended recently, but De La Hoya’s associates were able to insert a stipulation that gives them a specific right to match the next fight contract that is offered to the Mexican as soon as their partnership expires.
In scrutinizing the proposal that was given to Marquez, it would be foolhardy for De La Hoya to match the offer as no one among his stable can come close to being as profitable as a Pacquiao-Marquez III promotion.
Arum has dangled a $5-million guaranteed purse to Marquez aside from a share of the pay-per-view earnings that has a potential 10-million take home pay if he gets to fight Pacquiao this November.
De La Hoya’s Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer tried selling one of their upcoming fighters, the undefeated Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico.
The 20-year-old Alvarez holds a remarkable 36-0-1 record with 26 knockouts and is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision win over British Matthew Hatton for the vacant World Boxing Council light middleweight crown last March in Anaheim, California.
Marquez and Arum doused called water on that clash with Alvarez by agreeing to a 144-lb catch weight bout with Pacquiao, a weight limit that would be very hard for Alvarez to meet.
Next to be peddled by Golden Boy was the once-hot prospect Victor Ortiz whose name zoomed back to the limelight after his shocking 12-round decision win over previously undefeated world welterweight champion Andre Berto last month in Connecticut.
Ortiz may have an easy time making the catch weight limit, but his surprising 6th-round TKO defeat to Marcos Maidana of Argentina still hounds the Mexican-American prospect.
Even if Marquez agrees to fight Ortiz and Alvarez at the same time, it would be impossible to command a $5-million price tag for the sturdy Mexican to remain a Golden Boy fighter.
GETTING PERSONAL. This is probably the only reason why De La Hoya will decide to match the offer of Arum.
Arum, who was De La Hoya’s promoter for the most part of the Golden Boy’s legendary ring career, has been at odds with his former protégé.
The Harvard-educated promoter though has never allowed his emotions to get in the way that will allow De La Hoya to get one over his former boss.
Since being a promoter, De La Hoya has always been outmaneuvered by Arum when it comes to signing up superstar boxers, the most prominent of whom were Pacquiao and another Filipino Nonito Donaire, Jr.
Based at least on their body language, Arum has shown poise and treats it as nothing personal but a simple business deal.
De La Hoya, meanwhile, has resorted to attacking the personality of Arum every time they engage in a public spat regarding their respective fighters.
And so, the only way to stop a Pacquiao-Marquez III battle is when De La Hoya throws away $5 million that he will never recover in a project that will involve Marquez sans Pacquiao.
KOY’S CLINIC. Easily one of the most amiable coaches in the country today, champion guru Koy Banal will be sharing his expertise in becoming one of the most successful coaches in Philippine basketball.
Banal will be teaming up with the Tarlac Association of Referees and Coaches (TARLAC) in conducting a coaching clinic from May 21 and 22 at the Don Bosco Tech Institute in Tarlac City.
According to Banal, aspiring coaches will be given tips on how to teach their players effective offense and defense drills through live demos.
Inquiries may be sent thru text via mobile numbers 0921 248 3021 or 0923 719 3672.
PINOY PRIDE. Once again, the ingenuity of Filipino engineers will be put to test in this Sunday’s Bosch Cordless Race Championships at the CCP Complex in Pasay City.
Students from eight colleges and universities will be displaying their self-designed race karts that are all powered by Bosch’s cordless lithium-ion power tools.
The schools competing this weekend are Mapua, Rizal Tech University, University of the Philippines, TIP, University of San Carlos, University of Mindanao, Don Bosco-Mandaluyong and Letran College-Calamba.
Source: manilastandardtoday.com
Pacquiao vs. Marquez III might not be a big seller with the American public
By Chris Williams: Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is licking his chops at a potential November fight between Pacquiao and lightweight 38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez, feeling that it’s a fight that will be a big sell for the American public. But I’m not so sure that it will be. For one, the casual boxing fan has little clue who Marquez is. He’s mainly known for being the victim in the 2009 fight between Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Although Marquez’s fights have, from time to time, been shown on HBO, he’s not brought in good ratings and he’s not a well known fighter in the U.S. Marquez is also old, small and clearly on the downward slope of his career. In other words, he’s a smaller version of Shane Mosley. He may put in a better fight than Mosley did against Pacquiao, but that’s not saying much because Mosley did zero after being knocked down in the 3rd round by Pacquiao. That’s not Mosley’s fault that he didn’t do anything, because he merely continued to fight the way he had been fighting in his two previous bouts before the Pacquiao bout.
Top Rank promoted the heck out of the Pacquiao-Mosley fight with the Showtime/CBS Fight Camp 360 episodes, and they basically sold the fight to a lot of casual fans who were expecting a great fight. They didn’t get a great fight nor even a good one. And they lost their $55 bucks in the process for this mismatch. Now Arum is going to try and sell another bad bill of goods to the same fans with Pacquiao-Marquez. I think it’s an awful idea and one bound to end with poor numbers in terms of pay per view buys. Those fans obviously aren’t happy with the bad deal that they got and sadly they didn’t know enough about boxing to see that Mosley was no longer his best. They wasted their money on a mismatch that was already a mismatch going into the fight. And now we have another mismatch. Will those fans be interested in seeing Pacquiao face another nearly 40-year-old fighter? I think not.
The guy that Pacquiao should be fighting is someone like Victor Ortiz. Other than Floyd Mayweather Jr., he’s the next best guy in the division. Why go after a little lightweight like Marquez and make him move up in weight to welterweight for a catchweight fight of 144 when you got Ortiz available? If not Ortiz, why not fight Sergio Martinez at 154? Pacquiao already fought Antonio Margarito at junior middleweight, even though Margarito was never a junior middleweight to begin with. I can’t believe Pacquiao won a world title in the Margarito fight. If it was me, I’d never accept a title if I were fighting a non-junior middleweight like Margarito at a catchweight. I still can’t believe Pacquiao got a paper title out of that fight.
Source: boxingnews24.com
Although Marquez’s fights have, from time to time, been shown on HBO, he’s not brought in good ratings and he’s not a well known fighter in the U.S. Marquez is also old, small and clearly on the downward slope of his career. In other words, he’s a smaller version of Shane Mosley. He may put in a better fight than Mosley did against Pacquiao, but that’s not saying much because Mosley did zero after being knocked down in the 3rd round by Pacquiao. That’s not Mosley’s fault that he didn’t do anything, because he merely continued to fight the way he had been fighting in his two previous bouts before the Pacquiao bout.
Top Rank promoted the heck out of the Pacquiao-Mosley fight with the Showtime/CBS Fight Camp 360 episodes, and they basically sold the fight to a lot of casual fans who were expecting a great fight. They didn’t get a great fight nor even a good one. And they lost their $55 bucks in the process for this mismatch. Now Arum is going to try and sell another bad bill of goods to the same fans with Pacquiao-Marquez. I think it’s an awful idea and one bound to end with poor numbers in terms of pay per view buys. Those fans obviously aren’t happy with the bad deal that they got and sadly they didn’t know enough about boxing to see that Mosley was no longer his best. They wasted their money on a mismatch that was already a mismatch going into the fight. And now we have another mismatch. Will those fans be interested in seeing Pacquiao face another nearly 40-year-old fighter? I think not.
The guy that Pacquiao should be fighting is someone like Victor Ortiz. Other than Floyd Mayweather Jr., he’s the next best guy in the division. Why go after a little lightweight like Marquez and make him move up in weight to welterweight for a catchweight fight of 144 when you got Ortiz available? If not Ortiz, why not fight Sergio Martinez at 154? Pacquiao already fought Antonio Margarito at junior middleweight, even though Margarito was never a junior middleweight to begin with. I can’t believe Pacquiao won a world title in the Margarito fight. If it was me, I’d never accept a title if I were fighting a non-junior middleweight like Margarito at a catchweight. I still can’t believe Pacquiao got a paper title out of that fight.
Source: boxingnews24.com
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Schaefer Talks Pacquiao-Marquez Matching, Canelo is Out
By Lem Satterfield
Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, spoke to BoxingScene.com about our recently published report where Juan Manuel Marquez announced that he was accepting Top Rank's revised offer to face Manny Pacquiao in a trilogy bout on November 12 in Las Vegas. The catch-weight of 144-pounds would be in place for Pacquiao-Marquez. Pursuant to their expired promotional agreement with Marquez, Golden Boy has the ability to match Top Rank's offer.
In a prior interview with BoxingScene, Schaefer revealed that he was planning to match Top Rank's offer by presenting Marquez with a lucrative deal to face Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Schaefer said Canelo was willing to meet Marquez at 147. Because of the revised terms, with the catch-weight of 144, it prevents Schaefer from offering Alvarez, who currently competes at 154-pounds.
Schaefer denied published reports that he was planning to match Top Rank's offer with a possible bout against newly crowned WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. At the moment, Marquez has not approached Golden Boy with Top Rank's revised offer. Before entering into any agreement, Marquez must provide Golden Boy with the ability to match the offer.
"That's not true [about matching the Pacquiao deal with Ortiz]. No, I didn't do that. Jeez. All of these people are calling me, and I am saying the same thing. And this time, I want to be very clear. Marquez has not approached us and asked us about any offer which he would want us to match or not. So he has not approached us. I haven't heard from Marquez, and that's the bottom line," Schaefer told BoxingScene.com.
"I have been copied from Bob Arum, a copy has been sent from Bob Arum of an offer that was sent to Marquez, and in there it states 144-pounds. Somebody asked what am I going to do now with Canelo Alvarez, and I said, 'Well, Alvarez can't make 144, but he can make 147. But if the weight is such a big issue for Juan Manuel Marquez, then one guy that I'm going to be thinking about is Victor Ortiz.'"
"I didn't say that I'm going to match it, I said that I'm going to think about it. Because I haven't even received the offer. Once I have received the offer from Marquez and what he is actually suggesting to accept, then I will take a look at it and I will discuss it with my team, and with our attorneys and think about it and then I will get back to Marquez. That's all that I said. Obviously, with them going to 144, that rules out Alvarez, but I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe Ortiz, maybe somebody else. I'm going to have to think about it."
boxingscene.com
Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, spoke to BoxingScene.com about our recently published report where Juan Manuel Marquez announced that he was accepting Top Rank's revised offer to face Manny Pacquiao in a trilogy bout on November 12 in Las Vegas. The catch-weight of 144-pounds would be in place for Pacquiao-Marquez. Pursuant to their expired promotional agreement with Marquez, Golden Boy has the ability to match Top Rank's offer.
In a prior interview with BoxingScene, Schaefer revealed that he was planning to match Top Rank's offer by presenting Marquez with a lucrative deal to face Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Schaefer said Canelo was willing to meet Marquez at 147. Because of the revised terms, with the catch-weight of 144, it prevents Schaefer from offering Alvarez, who currently competes at 154-pounds.
Schaefer denied published reports that he was planning to match Top Rank's offer with a possible bout against newly crowned WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. At the moment, Marquez has not approached Golden Boy with Top Rank's revised offer. Before entering into any agreement, Marquez must provide Golden Boy with the ability to match the offer.
"That's not true [about matching the Pacquiao deal with Ortiz]. No, I didn't do that. Jeez. All of these people are calling me, and I am saying the same thing. And this time, I want to be very clear. Marquez has not approached us and asked us about any offer which he would want us to match or not. So he has not approached us. I haven't heard from Marquez, and that's the bottom line," Schaefer told BoxingScene.com.
"I have been copied from Bob Arum, a copy has been sent from Bob Arum of an offer that was sent to Marquez, and in there it states 144-pounds. Somebody asked what am I going to do now with Canelo Alvarez, and I said, 'Well, Alvarez can't make 144, but he can make 147. But if the weight is such a big issue for Juan Manuel Marquez, then one guy that I'm going to be thinking about is Victor Ortiz.'"
"I didn't say that I'm going to match it, I said that I'm going to think about it. Because I haven't even received the offer. Once I have received the offer from Marquez and what he is actually suggesting to accept, then I will take a look at it and I will discuss it with my team, and with our attorneys and think about it and then I will get back to Marquez. That's all that I said. Obviously, with them going to 144, that rules out Alvarez, but I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe Ortiz, maybe somebody else. I'm going to have to think about it."
boxingscene.com
Marquez accepts terms for Pacquiao fight, Golden Boy to respond
Manny Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said Tuesday that Juan Manuel Marquez has accepted a revised offer to fight Pacquiao in November. The hitch is that Marquez's promoter, Golden Boy, has the opoortunity to match the deal, and its chief executive says he plans to.
Golden Boy Chairman Richard Schaefer told The Times on Tuesday that it's his understanding Marquez has agreed to a Pacquiao fight at a lowered welterweight catch weight of 144 pounds, with $5 million guaranteed in what would be a third meeting between the fighters.
Pacquiao and Marquez battled to a 2004 draw, and Pacquiao won a split-decision in 2008.
Yet, through the end of this year, Golden Boy has the contractual ability to match any financial deal Marquez, the world lightweight champion, is offered. Schaefer said he has a date reserved for a boxing card on Sept. 17 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. One possibility is that Marquez would fight on that date against new world welterweight champion Victor Ortiz of Oxnard.
Ortiz has previously fought at 140 pounds, so he could fight at 144, too, Schaefer said.
Regarding the finances, Schaefer said he was confident Golden Boy could secure a $5-million payday for Marquez, saying, "I'm sure HBO would be on board," in helping to put the bout together.
Schaefer said there's a possibility newly crowned world super-welterweight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez could stage a title defense on the Sept. 17 card.
latimes.com
Monday, May 9, 2011
Manny Pacquiao: A Look Ahead to Pacquiao vs. Marquez
One of the worst kept secrets in boxing is the fact that Top Rank was already in negotiations with Juan Manuel Marquez to fight Manny Pacquiao even before the Pacman climbed into the ring with Sugar Shane Mosley. That's how confident Team Pacquiao was going into last night's fight. They obviously knew what they were doing since Mosley seemed to have no chance in the fight at any point.
So what about the Marquez fight? Here's seven things that we can expect from that bout.
Read more.
Pacquiao seeks to end trilogy vs Marquez
MANILA, Philippines - After soundly defeating Shane Mosley in a lopsided match, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is already setting his sights on his next match in 6 months, most likely against Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez.
Speaking to radio dzMM, Pacquiao said completing a trilogy with Marquez could soon become a reality.
"That is a big possibility. It is being finalized by Bob Arum so that there will be a decision," he told dzMM anchor Noli de Castro.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum earlier said Pacquiao's next match would likely be held in November, and rattled off a list of possible opponents: Marquez, Tim Bradley and Zab Judah.
Marquez previously fought Pacquiao to a draw in May 2004 in the featherweight division. They clashed again in the super featherweight division in 2008, which saw Marquez lose his WBC Super Featherweight champion to Pacquiao via split decision.
Since then, Marquez has frequently called on Pacquiao to fight him again, and end their unfinished business in the ring.
Veteran boxing analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz said a Marquez-Pacquiao match is appealing because their first 2 fights were very close. He, however, added that Marquez should first go up in weight if he hopes to take on the People's Champ.
"Pacquiao is going to be the first congressman to be charged with manslaughter because he's going to kill Marquez," he told radio dzMM, in jest.
Coach Freddie Roach said he also wants Pacquiao to fight Marquez to put an end to the Mexican's complaints.
"Marquez seems to have Manny's number. He is a tough guy and he comes to fight. I would like to shut him up because he keeps saying he got robbed. Marquez is still the best challenge out there for us and I think it would sell," he told Agence-France-Presse
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Speaking to radio dzMM, Pacquiao said completing a trilogy with Marquez could soon become a reality.
"That is a big possibility. It is being finalized by Bob Arum so that there will be a decision," he told dzMM anchor Noli de Castro.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum earlier said Pacquiao's next match would likely be held in November, and rattled off a list of possible opponents: Marquez, Tim Bradley and Zab Judah.
Marquez previously fought Pacquiao to a draw in May 2004 in the featherweight division. They clashed again in the super featherweight division in 2008, which saw Marquez lose his WBC Super Featherweight champion to Pacquiao via split decision.
Since then, Marquez has frequently called on Pacquiao to fight him again, and end their unfinished business in the ring.
Veteran boxing analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz said a Marquez-Pacquiao match is appealing because their first 2 fights were very close. He, however, added that Marquez should first go up in weight if he hopes to take on the People's Champ.
"Pacquiao is going to be the first congressman to be charged with manslaughter because he's going to kill Marquez," he told radio dzMM, in jest.
Coach Freddie Roach said he also wants Pacquiao to fight Marquez to put an end to the Mexican's complaints.
"Marquez seems to have Manny's number. He is a tough guy and he comes to fight. I would like to shut him up because he keeps saying he got robbed. Marquez is still the best challenge out there for us and I think it would sell," he told Agence-France-Presse
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Pacquiao vs Marquez on November 12: Likely Next Stop
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38KOs), should he defeat Shane Mosley on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will likely return on November 12. Top Rank has set aside the November date for Pacquiao's next bout. The probable opponent is Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38KOs), who plans to return to the ring in the month of July against an unknown opponent.
Top Rank has already made an offer to Marquez. He has until mid-May to accept the deal. Pacquiao has told reporters that a trilogy fight with Marquez has an "80% chance" of taking place next.
Tags: Manny Pacquiao , Juan Manuel Marquez , Pacquiao Marquez Trilogy , Pacquiao vs Marquez Trilogy
Source: boxingscene.com
Top Rank has already made an offer to Marquez. He has until mid-May to accept the deal. Pacquiao has told reporters that a trilogy fight with Marquez has an "80% chance" of taking place next.
Tags: Manny Pacquiao , Juan Manuel Marquez , Pacquiao Marquez Trilogy , Pacquiao vs Marquez Trilogy
Source: boxingscene.com
Manny Pacquiao Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 3 Not A Guarantee
For several days we've heard that Top Rank put a $5 million offer on the table for Juan Manuel Marquez to fight Manny Pacquiao for a third time. Knowing that Marquez has talked for some time about how badly he wants the bout it seemed a foregone conclusion that the trilogy would go down in September. But yesterday Bob Arum told the press that Marquez was not happy with the offer and that they would be submitting him a revised offer on Monday.
So who would be next for Pacquiao if it isn't Marquez? Arum says that the next choices would be Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah, both junior welterweights.
I don't know that they could possibly have mentioned two more different options.
Though Judah (41-6, 28 KO) has ran off five straight wins he is still only in the bottom half of the top ten at 140 pounds. What he does provide is a guy with a recognizable name whose history shows that he would be more than willing to be outspoken and play the "bad guy" in the build up to a big fight.
Bradley (27-0, 11 KO) is undefeated in his career and the #1 ranked fighter at 140. But he also is a guy who is a virtual unknown to the public at large. His fight with Devon Alexander, a legitimate and relevant battle drew a crowd to Pontiac, Michigan that could only be described as embarrassing. To be fair, putting on a fight in the Silverdome was a stupid move to begin with but he still isn't exactly a huge draw anywhere else.
Pacquiao would be the one doing the heavy lifting as far as public attention no matter who he fights, but having a solid supporting player is the difference between 700,000 PPV buys and 1.2 million. And after the Mosley fight it's possible that there will be a segment of the audience that isn't going to be in a rush to drop another $50 unless there is some greater motivation, like Judah's trash talk or Manny's history with Marquez.
More than anything else, Pacquiao needs a fight that is going to deliver on the hype. While no fault of his own, the last three opponents have just not been able to force Manny into a compelling fight. Manny's curse is the curse of the dominant, and he needs the right opponent to make the fight he needs.
Source: sbnation.com
So who would be next for Pacquiao if it isn't Marquez? Arum says that the next choices would be Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah, both junior welterweights.
I don't know that they could possibly have mentioned two more different options.
Though Judah (41-6, 28 KO) has ran off five straight wins he is still only in the bottom half of the top ten at 140 pounds. What he does provide is a guy with a recognizable name whose history shows that he would be more than willing to be outspoken and play the "bad guy" in the build up to a big fight.
Bradley (27-0, 11 KO) is undefeated in his career and the #1 ranked fighter at 140. But he also is a guy who is a virtual unknown to the public at large. His fight with Devon Alexander, a legitimate and relevant battle drew a crowd to Pontiac, Michigan that could only be described as embarrassing. To be fair, putting on a fight in the Silverdome was a stupid move to begin with but he still isn't exactly a huge draw anywhere else.
Pacquiao would be the one doing the heavy lifting as far as public attention no matter who he fights, but having a solid supporting player is the difference between 700,000 PPV buys and 1.2 million. And after the Mosley fight it's possible that there will be a segment of the audience that isn't going to be in a rush to drop another $50 unless there is some greater motivation, like Judah's trash talk or Manny's history with Marquez.
More than anything else, Pacquiao needs a fight that is going to deliver on the hype. While no fault of his own, the last three opponents have just not been able to force Manny into a compelling fight. Manny's curse is the curse of the dominant, and he needs the right opponent to make the fight he needs.
Source: sbnation.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
