Mayweather ….Talking more ….Ishhhh??!!!

 

A trumpet blared a fanfare to introduce Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto as fans at the Apollo Theater cheered the start of Tuesday’s news conference to promote their May 5 fight in Las Vegas ….Still, there appeared to be far more interest in the fight that’s not happening – a matchup between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather made clear that whether they meet in the ring is about the money – breaking down the shares in what could be boxing’s richest fight ever.

”Just by speaking to Pacquiao on the phone, I mean, he’s not one of the sharpest knives in the drawer,” Mayweather said. ”He faces Floyd Mayweather, he’s not getting 50-50. Not at all. No one is getting 50-50.”

While Mayweather urged Pacquiao should ”take the test,” a reference to his demand for random drug testing, payout appears to be the real sore point between Mayweather on one side, and Pacquiao and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum on the other. Arum has said testing is not an issue.

”Bob Arum likes to match Top Rank fighters with Top Rank fights. He keeps all the money in house,” Mayweather said.

This dispute has spilled into federal court. Pacquiao sued Mayweather for defamation in December 2009, alleging Mayweather falsely accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao spent 12 hours in Las Vegas last week giving depositions in the case.

”If I offered him $30 million, he should be happy,” Mayweather said. ”If I offered him $30 million and I didn’t give money on the back end, why should I? He’s with Arum right now, and they’re having problems. It’s obvious he must not be getting money on the back end.”

Mayweather says he’s not ducking Pacquiao, who stopped Cotto in the 12th round of their November 2009 fight.

”If I’m scared and I’m a coward, why do you guys want to see me fight?” he said. ”Do I want the Pacquiao fight? Absolutely. But it’s going to be hard to make the fight because Arum is worried about getting money.”

 

Mayweather to fight Cotto May 5th…sigh….

With a blockbuster showdown against Manny Pacquiao ruled out, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will put his undefeated record on the line against Miguel Cotto….”I’m fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5 because Miss Pac Man is ducking me,” said Mayweather in his latest Twitter taunt of the Filipino superstar.

Mayweather agreed months ago to fight May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A judge even postponed his upcoming three-month jail term to allow him to meet the obligation.

Mayweather said he was ready to go toe-to-toe with Pacquiao, but boxing fans were left frustrated as the long-awaited fight once again failed to materialize.

In a press release announcing the upcoming fight, Mayweather said it will be a stern test for him to move up one weight class to face Cotto at 154 pounds.

“Miguel Cotto is a world class fighter who can never be taken for granted and continues to prove he is one of the best in boxing. It will be a challenge for me to compete with him at this weight, but this is the type of test I thrive on and gives me the motivation to train even harder,” said Mayweather.

Earlier, Mayweather appeared in Las Vegas at a hearing of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which granted him a license for the May 5 bout. The license was given on the condition that Mayweather comply with a judge’s order to report to jail June 1, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The 34-year-old was sentenced to 90 days behind bars after pleading guilty to a domestic assault on his ex-girlfriend.

Cotto is nearly two months removed from a dominating 10-round TKO over Antonio Margarito at Madison Square Garden….The 31-year-old Puerto Rican star oozed confidence on his chances to hand Mayweather his first career defeat.

“I am here to fight the biggest names in boxing,” Cotto said in a statement.

“I’ve never ducked anyone or any challenge in front of me. … That is what the sport of boxing is all about; making the fights that the fans want and deserve to see. On May 5, stay tuned, because I will convincingly beat Floyd Mayweather.”

Cotto is 37-2 in his career, with 30 knockouts.

Allegations against Oscar De La Hoya

The model who claims Oscar De La Hoya assaulted her went on the offensive Wednesday, saying the former star boxer “should apologize” and that he “took advantage of me in every way possible.”….In a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse, Angelica Marie Cecora lashed out at De La Hoya prior to a hearing in the civil case.

The Post reported last year that Cecora, 25, claimed the boxer assaulted her during what she described as a kinky, drug-fueled hotel romp last March at The Ritz-Carlton.

Cecora is suing the retired fighter for assault, battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

“He came across as a very genuine person when I met him … but things got out of control,” she said. “He took advantage of me in every way possible.”

Lawyers for De La Hoya, who denies the allegations, were in Manhattan Supreme Court to argue on their motion to have the case dismissed.

But Cecora’s lawyer, Tony Evans, accused the boxer of trying to “cover up” the incident.

Evans was set to argue his own motion before the judge to have the boxer’s lawyer, Judd Burstein, removed from the case because he is a potential witness.

De La Hoya, who turns 39 next week, last fought in Dec. 2008, suffering a TKO loss to Manny Pacquiao. He was 39-6 in his career, winning titles in six weight classes.

90 Days in Jail for “Money May”

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to reduced battery domestic violence and harassment charges before a Las Vegas judge…The 34-year-old Mayweather also was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine.

The plea deal avoids trial on felony allegations that he hit his ex-girlfriend and threatened two of their children during an argument at her home in September 2010.

Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich told Judge Melissa Saragosa that Mayweather has been in trouble before and hasn’t been punished.

”He just continually gets himself into trouble and he is able to get himself out of it as well,” she said. ”Essentially it is because he is who he is and is able to get away with everything.”

“The only thing that’s going to get this man’s attention is incarceration,” the prosecutor said.

Mayweather stood still in a striped olive vest and made no reaction when the judge imposed the sentence. He was told to report to jail on Jan. 6.

Mayweather and his manager, Leonard Ellerbe, declined comment outside the courtroom.

Attorney Karen Winckler had argued that the public would benefit more if Mayweather performs 100 hours of community service with children….Winckler said she wanted to confer with Mayweather before deciding whether to appeal.

The judge said she was swayed by Mayweather’s admission that he hit Harris and twisted her arm, and that two of their children, ages 9 and 10 witnessed the attack.

Saragosa noted that police reported Mayweather threatened to kill or make Harris ”disappear,” and that their 10-year-old son ran from the house and jumped a back gate to fetch security. Mayweather had taken cell phones belonging to Harris and the two boys, she said.

”Punishment is appropriate,” Saragosa said. ”No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence.”

 

Cotto Pounds Margarito

Miguel Cotto battered a one-eyed Antonio Margarito over nine lopsided rounds then won a TKO decision amid confusion in the corner before they came out for the 10th on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto (37-2-0) earned a punishing measure of payback for his loss to Margarito three years ago. With the New York crowd going wild for the Puerto Rican Cotto, he was never seriously threatened and retained his 154-pound title, shuttering Maragarito’s right eye to cause the stoppage….Margarito beat Cotto in July 2008, only to later have his career and reputation tarnished when he used illegal hand wraps before a loss to Shane Mosley. Margarito didn’t box again for more than a year.

He needed surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone following a loss to Manny Pacquiao last year and considered retirement. The New York State Athletic Commission didn’t license Margarito until Nov. 22 after ordering another examination of his eye. Cotto took quick aim on the eye and it was swollen shut in the seventh round.

Cotto believed Margarito also used illegal hand wraps in their first fight and claimed he had the photos to prove it.

Cotto stared down Margarito in his corner after the bout was stopped.

”Just to look at him and taste my victory on him,” Cotto said. ”He means nothing to me. I’m here with all my crowd and all my people. He means nothing to me.”

 

Money May says.. “Sign the Papers”!!!

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has turned the tables on the Mayweather-Pacquiao storyline, challenging those that have called him out for ducking Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather has booked the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for his next fight on May 5, saying he wants to make it against a great opponent. At first, the allusions to Pacquiao had been vague, only saying he wants to fight the “little guy.”

There is no more niceties now. Mayweather has come out with a video directly challenging Pacquiao to “sign the contract” and “stop ducking.”

Mayweather Jr. also called out Pacquiao, saying he’s lost all three fights against Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather appears motivated to challenge Pacquiao after his latest controversial fight with the Mexican boxer.

The more these fights and negotiations endure the more it seems the megafight the boxing world is waiting for is all about Bob Arum and Mayweather Jr.

The recent escalation from Mayweather Jr. comes just weeks after Arum said there would be no fight because Mayweather Jr. is too scared to make it happen.

It seems, through all of this, Pacquiao would be willing to take the blood tests that have delayed previous fights, but after seeing the damage a victory has done for Pacquiao in destroying his public persona, what would a possible loss to Mayweather do not just for Pacquiao’s career but that of Freddie Roach and Arum?

Much like Canelo Alvarez thinking he’s worthy of Mayweather after many fights against inferior opponents, Pacquiao seems to be another fighter believing the praise that comes his way.

Only the fight will prove which fighter is truly the best, and which is a public relations creation, and for now, the ball is in Pacquiao’s court.

 

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Pac-Man Wins…???

Manny

Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez engaged in a scintillating 12-round fight, but the result left a sellout crowd of 16,368 less than satisfied.

Why? Because even though Pacquiao won a majority decision from the three judges, the feeling throughout the arena was that Marquez should have won.

He threw the bigger shots, was the more aggressive fighter and seemed to maintain control of the bout, even if just slightly. Still, judges Glenn Trowbridge (116-112) and Dave Moretti (115-113) favored Pacquiao. Robert Hoyle called it a 114-114 draw.

Marquez, who claimed he was robbed in two earlier meetings with Pacquiao (one a draw, one a loss), left the ring to a chorus of cheers. Pacquiao, standing in the center of the ring, had his post-fight remarks almost drowned out by jeers.

“It was clear to me I won,” Pacquiao said. “I clearly won.”

Well, not so clearly. Although there were wonderful exchanges, you couldn’t help but feel that Marquez threw the more effective combinations, landed the more forceful punches, did the most damage. But it was close.

“This is robbery of the utmost,” said Marquez’s trainer, Nacho Beristain.

Pacquiao-Marquez 3

 

 Part 1

Part 2

 

Smokin Joe Frazier passes….(67)

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion who handed Muhammad Ali his first defeat yet had to live forever in his shadow, died Monday night after a brief final fight with liver cancer. He was 67.

The family issued a release confirming the boxer’s death.

Frazier, who took on Ali in three momentous fights in the 1970s — including the epic “Thrilla in Manilla” — had been under home hospice care after being diagnosed just weeks ago with the cancer that took his life, a family friend said. Until then, Frazier had been doing regular autograph appearances, including one in Las Vegas in September.

Smokin’ Joe was a small yet ferocious fighter who smothered his opponents with punches, including a devastating left hook he used to end many of his fights early. It was the left hook that dropped Ali in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to seal a win in the so-called “Fight of the Century.”

Though he beat Ali in that fight, Frazier lost the final two and for many years was bitter about the role Ali forced him to play as his foil.

Frazier was diagnosed last month with the disease, his personal and business manager said. Leslie Wolff, who has been Frazier’s manager for seven years, said the boxer had been in out and out of the hospital since early October and receiving hospice treatment the last week.

Frazier was the first man to beat Ali, knocking him down and taking a decision in the so-called Fight of the Century in 1971. He would go on to lose two more fights to Ali, including the epic “Thrilla in Manila” bout.

Frazier was bitter for many years about the way Ali treated him then. More recently, he said he had forgiven Ali for repeatedly taunting him.

While the “Fight of the Century” is celebrated in boxing lore, Ali and Frazier put on an even better show in their third fight, held in a sweltering arena in Manila as part of Ali’s world tour of fights in 1975. Nearly blinded by Ali’s punches, Frazier still wanted to go out for the 15th round of the fight but was held back by trainer Eddie Futch in a bout Ali would later say was the closest thing to death he could imagine.

Frazier won the heavyweight title in 1970 by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their fight at Madison Square Garden. Frazier defended it successfully four times before George Foreman knocked him down six times in the first two rounds to take the title from him in 1973….he never regained the Title.

Hopkins still wants to Fight

 

Bernard Hopkins says he will not retire because of an injured shoulder and a controversial call that cost him his WBC light heavyweight championship…. Hopkins was scheduled to have an MRI later Monday on his injured left shoulder.

Hopkins lost the bout to Chad Dawson in bizarre fashion on Saturday night. Referee Pat Russell ruled there was no foul when Dawson dumped Hopkins to the canvas. The belt was awarded to Dawson via TKO and Hopkins dislocated the joint connecting his collarbone and shoulder blade.

Hopkins says he’s going to fight again because, ”I’m still the champion.”

The 46-year-old Hopkins called for instant replay in boxing to help avoid in the future these types of tough calls.