Pacquiao Training For Clottey

The training camp of pound-for-pound boxing hero Manny Pacquiao opens on today at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and according to conditioning expert Alex Ariza that’s when Pacquiao sets aside the fun and games and begins to train relentlessly. Ariza told us that Pacquiao was in a jovial mood when they exchanged text messages while Pacquiao was returning to Lops Angeles from a highly successful media event at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Ariza said he texted Pacquiao asking him when he wants to start running and “Manny responded, in March,” which gave Ariza the impression that the super star of boxing was relaxed before he starts his training grind for the showdown with tough Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys stadium on March 13. Pacquiao, as always, has kept physically fit despite a hectic schedule f shooting political advertisements, playing pool and handling commercial endorsements and business deals, by playing basketball on a regular basis although trainer Freddie Roach essentially frowns on this. The New York press conference with Clottey, Roach and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum also had a bevy of attractive Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders in attendance, clearly underscoring the determination of Dallas Cowboys stadium owner Jerry Jones to make “The Event” a resounding success. While Pacquiao’s focus is on the Clottey fight, the prospect of a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr later this year, possibly in September or November, still lingers in the background although the initial effort to arrange a fight that the fans have been longing for, collapsed on a cut-off date for random drug testing. Although Pacquiao told the media he was focused on his training and the Clottey fight and asked them to “forget about Mayweather,” the undefeated former pound-for-pound champion, Pacquiao went on to claim that Mayweather was “making alibis to cancel the fight and doesn’t want to fight because he’s scared to lose.” Underscoring his amiable nature which Clottey reciprocated, Pacquiao referred to the bigger former world champion as “a nice guy” and noted that he’s got size and “is tough and can take a punch. He can stand and fight toe-to-toe and I don’t want to underestimate him.” While Pacquiao is set to begin training on Friday, Clottey has been training for the past two weeks and like most Pacquiao opponents has gotten a head-start on the champion whose WBO welterweight title will be on the line. Meantime Ariza informed us that three Filipino fighters who will be seeing action on the Top Rank “Pinoy Power III” card at the Las Vegas Hilton on February 13 are training at the Wild Card gym. The fighters are veteran, former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa who battles another former two division world champion Eric Morel in a WBO bantamweight title eliminator, world-rated Bernabe Concepcion who faces tough Mario Santiago. Also working out at Wild Card under Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez is promising Philippine bantamweight champion Eden Sonsona who is being handled by Pacquiao and his adviser Michael Koncz. Koncz said he has plans of putting Sonsona on a Top Rank fight card in Mexico which will be co-promoted by Fernando Beltran before hopefully getting him a world title shot should he win impressively. Although Bob Arum told us he has one slot vacant for a Filipino fighter on the Pacquiao-Clottey card, there’s no world on whether Sonsona would be the one to fill up the slot although Koncz indicated it is highly unlikely.

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Andre Berto to Withdraw from His Fight

The strain of dealing with the Haitian earthquake forced Andre Berto to withdraw from his fight next week with Shane Mosley. The move could open up a bout between Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather has been looking for an opponent since his March 13 fight with Manny Pacquiao fell apart. Berto and Mosley were to meet Jan. 30 in Las Vegas for Berto’s World Boxing Council welterweight title. But Berto, who represented Haiti in the 2004 Olympics, said he could not train properly for the fight in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the country.

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Pacquiao, Mayweather

It's bad enough that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. aren't fighting each other on March 13, after both sides detonated boxing's version of a nuclear bomb and destroyed the biggest fight in the sport over a disagreement on the drug-testing procedures for the bout. Now they -- and we -- are stuck with meaningless alternatives. Shame on everyone involved. Shame, shame, shame. The sport and its fans be damned, they said. This wasn't just the destruction of any old fight. It was one of the biggest fights in history being pulled out from under millions of fans who were ready and willing -- excited, even -- to shell out hard-earned money while in the depths of a recession, just to see the two best fighters in the world throw down. It was a fight that would have made boxing relevant again in the mainstream, even if briefly, and a great opportunity for the sport to capitalize on its great momentum of the past few years. But that came to a grinding halt because of pettiness, ego and insanity on both sides. After more than a month of holding the boxing world hostage while bickering over drug testing, they failed miserably. It is easily the most disappointing turn of events that I have covered in 10 years on this crazy beat. And now it gets even worse: In the wreckage of the dead fight, the geniuses/babies at Top Rank (Pacquiao's promoter) and Golden Boy (which represents Mayweather) are again giving the finger to boxing fans by planning fights for their stars on the same day in competing pay-per-views. They've already wounded boxing, so why not just jam the knife in a bit deeper right? Competing pay-per-views is just dumb, but Top Rank's Bob Arum -- who deserves a lot of the blame for Pacquiao-Mayweather going down in flames -- and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer are just stubborn and arrogant enough to do it, no matter what damage it inflicts. So Pacquiao is headed for Dallas Cowboys Stadium to defend his welterweight belt against Joshua Clottey. If you can get past the Mayweather fight not happening (which I haven't yet), Pacquiao-Clottey is not a bad match, although it pales in comparison to a Mayweather bout. But it says something when the most interesting aspect of the bout is the stadium in which it will take place. In fact, if you take a look at the poll that has been running on the ESPN.com boxing page for the last couple of days, it asks simply: "Will you watch the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium?" The results are stunning. With more than 49,000 votes in early Wednesday evening (and still counting), it was 69-31 against watching the fight. If you examine the breakdown of the state-by-state vote, every state had voted in the majority against watching the fight except Hawaii, which has a large Filipino population. That is just anecdotal evidence, of course, as it is not a scientific poll. But it's pretty clear that the sports public is extremely angry that Pacquiao and Mayweather are not fighting each other. The backlash against any other fight is enormous and deserved, something the promoters just do not understand yet, although they will when both pay-per-views tank miserably. Mayweather, meanwhile, plans to fight the same night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and seems headed for a match with either Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell. Both are good fighters, but neither bout is remotely compelling and beating either means nothing for Mayweather. They are both horrible mismatches. Let me repeat that, just in case you didn't get it the first time: They are both horrible mismatches. Even as non-pay-per-views, Mayweather against either opponent stinks. For a $50 fee to watch, it's grotesque. If you think the ESPN.com poll numbers are bad for Pacquiao-Clottey, the numbers for a Mayweather-Malignaggi/Campbell poll should be much, much worse. Why? Because yet again, Mayweather, who claims to be the greatest fighter ever, would be facing a much smaller man with virtually zero chance to win. There's a shock. That's what Mayweather has systematically done since arriving at welterweight in 2005 -- duck the best opponents. At least Pacquiao has consistently challenged himself by facing bigger men. In Clottey, Pacquiao will be facing a man who poses some danger. What it boils down to is this: Instead of fans clamoring to spend $60 for Pacquiao-Mayweather, they are stuck with two far lesser fights on the same night with a pay-per-view tab that will run $100 or so if they want to see both men in action. Hopefully, enough folks will reject both, which ought to teach both camps a lesson. Only in boxing could those who are the de facto caretakers of the sport take a glorious event and dump all over it. What these guys needed more than mediator Daniel Weinstein's last-ditch effort to help them see their way through the drug-testing issue was group therapy. One of the interesting elements in this depressing situation is how HBO will handle it. For the last several years, HBO PPV has handled Pacquiao and Mayweather fights. Now, it's faced with the cold reality of making a decision on which fighter and promoter it will support. Top Rank is prepared to go it alone with Pacquiao-Clottey, but it would like HBO's support. Golden Boy has been dependent and enabled by HBO since its birth. I know it's a rough situation because HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg ain't talkin' and he's ordered his staff not to talk either. They've got some serious decisions to make inside the ivory tower. Greenburg doesn't want to alienate either fighter or promoter. Nor does he want to alienate Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (who is paying a roughly $6 million site fee to bring Pacquiao to his stadium), especially since Greenburg was the one who championed Pacquiao-Mayweather being held at Cowboys Stadium in the first place. So what's going to happen? Pacquiao is going to fight Clottey because he wants to get in a bout before his campaign for political office in the Philippines get rolling. (Side note: Would you really want Pacquiao, a guy who once signed a contract with Top Rank and then accepted a bag full of cash from Golden Boy to also sign with that company, representing you in government? But I digress.) Mayweather, who has no real opponent to fight on March 13, continues with plans to fight on that date, although he ought to wait until June and fight Shane Mosley (assuming Mosley beats Andre Berto on Jan. 30). I don't know for sure what will happen other than, no matter what happens, there will be no winners.

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Pacquaio Will Face a naturally bigger fighter

HE WILL FACE a naturally bigger fighter again and, this time, Manny Pacquiao will be plunging into his latest challenge without the benefit of a catch weight. And despite the testy challenge expected from last-minute replacement Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao has started out a 3-1 favorite for the March 13 bout in one of the biggest venues that has ever hosted a boxing match. Pacquiao squares off with Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after the collapse of talks to hold boxing’s so-called “Fight of the Century” pitting Pacquiao and undefeated American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. due to a disagreement on drug-testing protocols. Examiner.com reported that betting lines will open with Pacquiao the prohibitive favorite. Bettors need to wager $300 to win $100 on Pacquiao. Clottey will start at plus-270, meaning a $100 bet on the ex-world champion will earn $270. Trainer Freddie Roach remains confident of a victory for Pacquiao, who captured the WBO welterweight crown via a 12-round TKO of Miguel Cotto at a 145 lb catch weight. “Manny’s comfortable at [147 lb],” Roach declared in a report posted by Fighthype.com. “When Manny’s eating the day of the weigh-in... he’s happy and that’s when he performs at his best.” “He’ll come into the fight 144 to 145 and he’ll go into the ring at 148 or 149 at most,” added the trainer. “And that’s his best fighting weight.” Roach had earlier predicted that Pacquiao will become the first fighter to knock Clottey out, although Top Rank chief Bob Arum warned that Clottey will be a tough challenge. “Well, Clottey is a dangerous opponent. Miguel Cotto was a dangerous opponent. If they’re not dangerous opponents, who the hell wants to lay out hard-earned money to buy the pay-per-view?” Arum told Examiner.com.

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Pacquiao-Mayweather Bout: Mayweather Still Want Fight

While Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s camp believes his prospective bout with Manny Pacquiao can be saved, Pacquiao’s promoter says he’s moving on. After six weeks of contentious negotiations failed to produce a compromise on Mayweather’s insistence on stringent drug testing for the bout, Pacquiao has made plans to fight welterweight Joshua Clottey in mid-March, Top Rank boss Bob Arum told The Associated Press on Friday. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who works with Mayweather, isn’t ready to give up. He’s worried Top Rank hasn’t told Pacquiao that the potential richest fight in boxing history could be saved if the Filipino star would agree to take a blood test for performance-enhancing drugs 14 days before the proposed March 13 bout — just 10 days later than Pacquiao already agreed. "I am hopeful that this fight can still happen," Schaefer told the AP. "No matter what, Floyd Mayweather will fight at the MGM Grand (in Las Vegas) on March 13. I hope the man across that ring will be Manny Pacquiao." Schaefer was angered when Arum came out of the camps’ mediation hearing Tuesday blaming Mayweather for the fight’s collapse, saying Mayweather wouldn’t agree to a final blood test 24 days before the bout. Schaefer claims Top Rank turned down a compromise of 14 days on New Year’s Eve, but he isn’t sure whether Pacquiao — who’s at home in the Philippines — was involved in that decision. Both fighters stand to make much more than $25 million apiece from the much-anticipated bout.

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Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey Match

The proposed Pacquiao-Clottey boxing match will most likely take place at the new Cowboys Stadium in Texas on March 13, the same day set for the botched Pacquiao-Mayweather match in Las Vegas Nevada. The upcoming boxing match between Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao and former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey of Ghana will most likely take place at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. According to Pacquio's adviser, Michael Koncz, the Pacquiao-Clottey match will still happen on March 13, the same date set for the botched Pacquiao-Mayweather match. Koncz said Pacquiao will leave January 17 to begin his training in the US for the March 13 fight with Clottey. The popular Filipino boxer will train at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach.

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Pacquiao, Mayweather camps mum after mediation hearing on megafight

Representatives for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. wrapped up a lengthy mediation session Tuesday night with no word on any progress on the drug-testing issues endangering the boxers' prospective March 13 bout. Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum and Mayweather's promotional team all said they had been told to make no public comments after their meeting in Santa Monica. The mediation finished nearly nine hours after it began in front of Daniel Weinstein, a retired federal judge. Arum's Top Rank and Mayweather's representatives at Golden Boy Promotions agreed to the mediation in an effort to resolve their dispute over the methods and frequency of drug testing for the bout, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas if a compromise is reached. Although both fighters have agreed to extensive urine testing, Mayweather has demanded random blood testing as well. Pacquiao has balked at unlimited blood testing, instead proposing two blood tests before the fight and another immediately afterward. Pacquiao also complicated the negotiations by filing a lawsuit last week alleging Mayweather and most of his camp's key players defamed him by falsely accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

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