More arguing over Pacquiao-Mayweather

The promoter for Floyd Mayweather Jr. told The Times today he wants to make sure Manny Pacquiao understands the difference between the mega-fight happening or not is the matter of Pacquiao submitting to a blood test 10 days later than his camp has already accepted.

"We're still trying to get Mayweather-Pacquiao done for March 13, and we've heard Manny has made claims that the position of Floyd willing to end blood tests 14 days before the fight was never communicated to him," Mayweather promoter Richard Schaefer told The Times.

Pacquiao's representatives say they agreed during a mediation session this week to have the Filipino star submit to a blood test 24 days before the fight, and another immediately after the fight was over.

Originally, Mayweather said he wanted both fighters to be subjected to random blood tests for performance-enhancing drugs all the way until fight night. Pacquiao later declined to take a blood draw less than 30 days before the fight.

"Mayweather wants to split it down the middle to 14 days," Schaefer said. "Isn't that reasonable?"

The question was put to Pacquiao's promoter.

"We had a [mediation] deal based on 24 days, but we said it's all off the table if [Mayweather representatives] get a no from Floyd, and they got a no," Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said. "So the train has left the station. We have moved on. We don't want to talk about Mayweather anymore until the fall."

Arum went as far as saying he's going to match Pacquiao against another welterweight fighter in his company, Joshua Clottey, on March 13 at a venue he wouldn't disclose but is reportedly Thomas and Mack arena in Las Vegas.

Schaefer is urging Mayweather-Pacquiao talks to continue, admitting a deal needs to be struck soon because of training schedules. Schaefer said "the fight is so publicized and being asked for by the public that it doesn't need our usual promotional push."

When told that, however, Arum replied, "He wants talks to continue. Who is he going to be talking to?"

Asked if Pacquiao knows the fight can be saved by agreeing to the 14-day deal, Arum barked, "Are you crazy?" and hung up the phone.

Source: Lance Pugmire  | Los Angeles Times

Floyd Mayweather the one using banned substances?

It has come to light today that Floyd Mayweather has used injectable pain killers such as Xylocaine in the past before fights. The irony being that this drug is illegal in nearly all states, with one notable exception, Nevada.

Perhaps the reason for Golden Boy and Mayweather not wanting to fight in Texas now becomes clear. Obviously if tested there, particularly with the extensive testing he was asking for, Mayweather would test positive for a banned substance. In Nevada, these drugs are legal, and presumably can be used for athletic competition without any legal or financial recourse.

After all the negotiating trouble and accusations about Manny Pacquiao and his supposed steroid use, it appears Mayweather is the one taking widely banned substances.

The reason for Floyd using these drugs is presumably due to the fact that his hands are rather brittle, and he has broken both several times in the past. With a numbing agent to stop his hands hurting he can throw punches more often and without fear of hurting himself as much.

Another question this throws up is whether these drugs are illegal in Olympic style testing. Presumably they will be detected in some form, although whether they are illegal or not surely rests with the Nevada State Athletic Commission rather than anything else. They are the ones after all who make up the lists of what is and isn't allowed in athletic competition in the state. Olympic standards are different to these slightly, although anything extra testing found would surely be inadmissible against Floyd if the NSAC allowed it.

If nothing else, this news breaking again will further damage the already shaky reputation of Mayweather, who has seen his public opinion fall greatly with the drug testing debacle around his possible fight with Manny Pacquiao. whatever Floyd was trying to do there, and surely now it can't have been that he really wanted the testing initially, it has now backfired severely.

Full details about the use of the drug can be found in an old article on Insider Boxing (click here), dredged up from the depths by a Paclander by the name of Maverick65. Now obviously this article is old and was written by someone who doesn't like Mayweather very much by the sounds of it. However if the information is correct then mayweather is probably still doing the same things as he was back then. Brittle hands don't ever get tougher.

Source: Scott Heritage  | examiner.com

Mayweather blasts Pacquiao

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Floyd Mayweather Jr. launched a verbal jab at Filipino WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on Thursday after talks to revive their planned mega-fight collapsed.

“Throughout this whole process I have remained patient, but at this point I am thoroughly disgusted that Pacquiao and his representatives are trying to blame me for the fight not happening when clearly the blame is on them,” Mayweather said in a statement.

“First and foremost, not only do I want to fight Manny Pacquiao, I want to whip his punk ass.”



A World Boxing Organization welterweight title bout slated for March 13 against Mayweather in Las Vegas was expected to be among boxing’s biggest revenue-producing fights.

The bout, widely considered to have matched the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, was called off on Wednesday when Mayweather’s demand for Olympic-style dope testing was rejected by Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s promoters announced on Thursday they will probably name a fresh opponent before the end of the week.

“We expect Manny to fight in March,” a spokesman for Top Rank told Reuters. “We’re working on an opponent for him and we should have something finalized in a day or two.”

Mayweather said he offered a compromise but Pacquiao refused to bend.

“Before the mediation, my team proposed a 14-day, no blood testing window leading up to the fight. But it was rejected,” said Mayweather.

“I am still proposing the 14-day window but he is still unwilling to agree to it, even though this is obviously a fair compromise on my part as I wanted the testing to be up until the fight and he wanted a 30-day cut-off.”

“The truth is he just doesn’t want to take the tests,” he said. “Manny Pacquiao and his team are denying the people a chance to see the biggest fight ever. I know the people will see through their smokescreens and lies.”

“I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight,” he added.

Source: Unknown Author  | Reuters.com

Mayweather camp not giving up on superfight

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer was desperately trying to reignite talks Friday to salvage the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight even as Pacquiao’s chief adviser said the Filipino superstar is “hours away” from signing a contract to fight Joshua Clottey.

Since the start of negotiations for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight began in mid-November, Mayweather demanded random, Olympic-style drug testing administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which would have meant that both fighters were subject to random blood and urine testing up to and including the day before the proposed March 13 fight. Pacquiao rejected the offer, agreeing to unlimited urine tests but demanding that any blood tests be cut off no later than 30 days before the fight.

The sides had quickly agreed on most points in the negotiations and the drug-testing dispute has been the only sticking point in the last month in an attempt to make the bout between the men widely regarded as the top two fighters in the world.

The highly anticipated bout seemed to be going down the drain Friday afternoon as Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz told Yahoo! Sports by telephone from the Philippines that “we’ve moved on and are getting ready to sign a contract to fight Clottey.”

Schaefer, whose company is representing Mayweather in the talks, said Friday he isn’t sure Pacquiao is aware that Mayweather agreed to cut off testing 14 days before the fight and to have it administered by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Bruce Binkow, the chief marketing officer of Golden Boy Promotions, on Dec. 30 offered a 14-day cutoff as a compromise via instant message to Top Rank president Todd duBoef, who replied on Dec. 31 that “14 is no good.”

Schaefer said he believes the fight can be salvaged over the weekend and the first step is making certain that Pacquiao is aware of Mayweather’s 14-day offer. “There are reports [on the Internet] that Manny is not aware of this and we want to make certain that he knows what Floyd has agreed to do,” Schaefer said.

However, Koncz said he was informed of the offer and that he brought it directly to Pacquiao, who would not even consider it. Koncz said Pacquiao was very firm in his decision.

“Bob called and told us about the 14 days and I brought that to Manny and he said, ‘I told you, we’re not agreeing to that,’ and that was pretty much it,” Koncz said.

Schaefer called Mayweather’s offer “a very fair, very reasonable compromise solution” and said Mayweather is still eager to fight Pacquiao on March 13. Both Schaefer and Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe have denied speaking to any potential other opponents, though Mayweather has been linked through numerous published reports with Paulie Malignaggi.

“We’ve focused solely on getting a fight done with Manny Pacquiao and that’s it,” Ellerbe said.

But Arum said he contacted MGM Grand officials about staging a Pacquiao-Clottey fight in its arena on that date and said he was told the MGM was holding it for a Mayweather-Malignaggi fight. Arum said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is sending his private plane to Las Vegas on Saturday to pick up he and duBoef to bring them to Dallas, where they will attend the Cowboys’ playoff game with the Philadelphia Eagles and discuss staging the March 13 bout in Cowboys Stadium.

Schaefer, though, said he hoped he could revive talks over the weekend because he feels a deal is reachable. Arum scoffed at the talk and said no one from Mayweather’s side had contacted anyone from Top Rank on Friday with the idea of reopening talks.

It is too important for the sport, Schaefer said, to exhaust all possibilities before moving on to other options.

“It would be a disservice to boxing to consider any other names when we still have a few days where we could come to a deal,” Schaefer said. “We still do have a few days here and I’m hopeful it won’t take Manny Pacquiao a few days to respond. We’re ready to split this in the middle and other than this, everything else is ready to go.”

Ellerbe said the drug-testing procedure will be a part of every fight Mayweather is involved in for the rest of his career.

That will likely make it impossible to resurrect talks for a fight with Pacquiao in the fall. Koncz said Pacquiao made several major concessions, such as agreeing for the fight to be called “Mayweather-Pacquiao” in the U.S. instead of the other way around, that he won’t make if negotiations are reopened for a fight later in the year.

“Manny would be willing to fight Mayweather, but the tenor of negotiations would be a lot different in the future,” Koncz said. “Manny was very accommodating before, because he wanted to get this fight done and to satisfy the fans, who wanted it very much. Billing is important to Manny, but he gave that up to accommodate Mayweather’s ego because [Manny] wants to go out as the best fighter there ever was and, clearly, Mayweather is one of the best.

“But given what happened, Manny won’t make those concessions if they come back to us.”

Dr. Don H. Catlin, the head of the Los Angeles-based non-profit Anti-Doping Research, Inc., said a 24-day cutoff for blood testing is not sufficient to prevent abuse. One of the concerns with such a long blood-testing cutoff prior to the date of competition would be the potential use of Erythropoietin, or EPO.

But Catlin said that wouldn’t be the only concern if there were a 24-day cutoff imposed.

“If you have a 24-day window that’s free, with no testing, you can take whatever you want and you’re not going to get caught, end of story,” Catlin said. “[Urine testing] does matter, yes, but they’re not going to catch everything by urine testing alone. What you would do is to take Mircera [a type of EPO], which is available and which is not easy to detect in urine and away you go. You need a blood test.”

Arum said he understands that commissions may request additional testing of Pacquiao in the future because of the controversy raised during talks for a Mayweather fight, but he said neither he nor Pacquiao would have an issue with it.

Arum said an athletic commission would treat the fighters properly. Pacquiao believes he’ll be weakened by giving blood too close to an event. And while there is no medical evidence to back his claim, it could harm him psychologically.

“It’s the commission and if you have confidence in the commission, you will agree to abide by whatever they request,” Arum said. “But you know they’ll take the phobia of the fighters, and so forth, into account whenever they order what tests they deem appropriate.”

Source: Kevin Iole  Yahoo! Sports

Team Pacquiao, Arum Slam Mayweather's 14-day Story

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has slammed the latest proposal by Floyd Mayweather Jr asking pound-for-pound king and boxing hero Manny Pacquiao to agree to a blood test, 14 days before their planned March 13 mega fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Arum told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that “after the horses leave the barn and they rejected Manny’s 24 days offer he now comes up with the 14 days which is totally unacceptable” although Mayweather, in a statement on boxingscene.com claimed that “before the mediation my team proposed a 14 day, no blood-testing window leading up to the fight and it was rejected”

However, Team Pacquiao vehemently disputed Mayweather’s claim even as we learned that no such proposal was offered even during the mediation talks let alone before.

Mayweather said he is still proposing the 14-day window but that Pacquiao is still unwilling to agree to it, “even though this is obviously a fair compromise on my part as I wanted the testing to be up until the fight and he wanted a 30-day cut-off. The truth is he just doesn't want to take the tests.”

Here again Team Pacquiao said it was a falsehood since they had agreed to bring forward the cutoff date to 24 from the original 30 for the blood test proposed by the Mayweather camp.

Arum stressed that the Mayweather proposal was made after the mediation efforts of former federal judge Daniel Weinstein had failed to get the two sides to agree on a cutoff date and the blood testing procedure pointing out that “this is not a swap thing among a bunch of kids.”

Arum made it clear that the initial position of Pacquiao was that he would agree to a blood test one day before the kickoff press conference, a second test 30 days before the fight and a third in the dressing room immediately after the fight.

He said “we agreed to go to 24 days before the fight for the blood test but he rejected it and that’s it. It's over.”

Arum feels that since Mayweather has been getting a bad press where the majority are blaming him for the collapse of a fight that millions wanted to happen, he is trying to turn things around but that “it's not working.”

In typical fashion Mayweather in his statement said "First and foremost, not only do I want to fight Manny Pacquiao, I want to whip his punk ass.”

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz branded the Mayweather statement as “both humorous and ludicrous all in one.” Koncz revealed it he had been told by experts that any performance enhancing drugs “will be in your blood 40 days before the fight or the day after the fight. Whatever is there is there for that time period. So what the hell does 14 days have to do with it? Nothing other than to irritate Manny knowing that he has whatever, a fear or a superstition of extracting blood less than 30 days.”

With Arum insisting that the fight is off and blaming Mayweather for the failure of the mediation efforts of retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, Team Pacquiao is moving ahead to schedule a good, competitive fight either on March 13 or 20 in Las Vegas.

The original proposal for Pacquiao to go after an eighth world title against 154 pound champion Yuri Foreman has been turned down by Pacquiao himself simply because Foreman is much taller than him besides being much heavier. Australia’s Michael Katsidis was also ruled out as nothing more than a tune-up fight with no real value and would be hard to market.

Koncz said while a possible trilogy with Juan Manuel Marquez was “thrown into the mix” he had discussed it with Pacquiao Friday morning before they flew to Pacquiao’s hometown of General Santos City and they agreed that “the entertainment value I don’t think is there. Manny has nothing to prove by fighting Marquez because we beat him twice. If he fights him ten times, all ten fights will end in controversy because of the styles of the two fighters for some reason, they happen. There is no entertainment value there. They fought twice and couldn’t beat the 430,000 pay-per-view numbers.”

As for Paulie Malignaggi who has joined the Mayweather chorus in alleging that Pacquiao is on some performance enhancing drug Koncz said “the fans will boo throughout because he will jab and run.”

The top choice subject to Pacquiao’s approval, is Joshua Clottey who many people believe beat Miguel Cotto in their WBO title fight but lost the decision. Koncz told us that he doesn’t wish to emphasize that it's Clottey right now because no decisions have been made although he did admit that Clottey is “a good enough fighter and Manny and I both think he beat Cotto and I think he is marketable. But we have to work on the financial terms” even as he didn’t foresee a problem since Clottey is promoted by Top Rank.

Retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein who spent nine hours on Tuesday with representatives of Pacquiao and Mayweather in an effort to break the impasse over blood testing issued a statement to set the record straight in which he stated: a. Both parties participated in the mediation in good faith. Both parties participated in many hours of negotiation, with a number of proposals issued by each side and carefully considered by the parties and their representatives. b. The Mediator himself did not formulate, recommend or issue a Mediator's Proposal. The Mediator did not make an evaluation or finding that any one of the many proposals considered by the parties was the correct protocol. C. Any attempt to characterize the mediation process as an acceptance or rejection by any of the parties of a mediator's or an arbiter's proposal or of any specific proposal is false and d In the end, the parties could not agree on a testing protocol acceptable to all.

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz  | BoxingScene.com

Mayweather Has a History of Being a 'Coward,' Says Arum

Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank outlined the history of Floyd Mayweather Jr's mental state. A coward's mental state, according to Arum. He says Mayweather will never agree to take a tough fight where he stands any chance of losing. Arum has gone on the warpath after Mayweather walked away from a March 13 showdown with Manny Pacquiao.

After weeks of negotiations and a nine hour mediation on Tuesday, Mayweather refused to accept the terms for a Pacquiao bout. He was unhappy with Pacquiao's proposal of taking random bloods tests until 24-days prior to their fight. Mayweather wanted the random blood tests to take place until a date that was much closer to their fight.

Arum is not surprised the fight fell apart. He says Mayweather's fear of losing is the reason why many of best fights never took place at welterweight. He points out how Mayweather walked away from a very lucrative rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in 2008. De La Hoya gave Mayweather a very tough fight in 2007.

"Floyd Mayweather walked away," Arum said to USA Today. "Our guy was agreeable, Mayweather wasn't. It's not surprising. I always felt that he wasn't going to do the fight. He knows Manny will beat him. Mayweather's never stepped into the ring with a guy he had any question but that he was going to beat."

"That's why there's never been a (Shane) Mosley, there's never been a (Antonio) Margarito, there never was a (Miguel) Cotto, and there's no Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather is a coward. He will never fight anyone that will remotely give him a tough fight. Here's a guy who, the rematch with (Oscar) De La Hoya was a huge fight, it would've made millions and millions, and he walked away from it.. .. I'm not disappointed in the sense that I always knew it was going to be this way."

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

Boxing blows chance at renewed relevance

This was supposed to be the fight that made it all OK. The one that promised to sweep all of boxing’s ills under the carpet. The one where all the nonsense and corruption and hyperbole and alphabet straps and endless politicking was forgotten, because at long, long last, for one blockbuster night, boxing was going to get it right.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao would have been a generational contest, one which for once there could never be enough hype and which would have decided beyond doubt the greatest boxer of modern times.

Its collapse on Wednesday night, following weeks of negotiating hooks and jabs, and even a desperate final round of talks refereed by a former judge, was the end of more than just a fight.

It was the bout boxing craved, the best two pugilists on the planet, a monumental event to compare with anything 2010 had to offer, Winter Olympics, Super Bowl, World Cup, World Series included.

No one is blameless in this sorry saga, not Mayweather nor Pacquiao nor any of their advisors. Egos, pride and self-importance got in the way of something special and exposed so many of boxing’s self-inflicted failings in the process.

Sadly, it is those of us who love this sport, warts and all, despite its challenges and problems and fall from grace in the sporting conscience, who will be most hurt by the demise of the match-up that promised so much.

Perhaps the men who are game to step into the ring in this brutal yet intoxicating profession have no responsibility other than to themselves and their own welfare.

Yet giving something back to boxing would hardly have been such a wrenching sacrifice for Mayweather and Pacquiao, not with $40 million each to sweeten the pot.

Instead, the parties conspired to shoot themselves in the foot. Negotiations quickly turned into open warfare, as much about posturing in the media and swaying public opinion than making any meaningful progress. The issue of drug testing created a rift that no one was willing to compromise on, at least not to any level that could realistically allow them to meet in the middle.

It is not a tragedy for boxing – there is only one morbid situation that qualifies for that description – but it is a travesty, a monumental setback which will pick at the seams of the sport’s credibility.

What a sick irony that for all the avarice that has often consumed boxing, one of its darkest hours arose from the willingness of Mayweather and Pacquiao to walk away from such mind-boggling paychecks.

Accusations will undoubtedly fly backwards and forwards over the coming weeks, yet the fact is that both sides could have done more, if they were as committed to the contest as they claimed. As a result, both men will lose out on more than they realize right now. For each, the fight that should have taken place on March 13 was the definitive chance to cement a legacy of greatness.

Now it is highly feasible that we will never know how good they really are, as they were prepared to discard the chance at a special place in history without as much as a punch thrown. According to his promoter, Bob Arum, Pacquiao is likely to move forwards with a bout against junior middleweight Yuri Foreman, in search of his eighth world title in different divisions.

Mayweather is looking at squaring off with Paulie Malignaggi. If not for the events of the past couple of months, then either fight would have some kind of merit.

As it is, it is virtually impossible to raise any interest. Boxing faces a long and tough battle to drag itself up off the canvas, and it won’t be done by contrived matches such as these.

The sweet science weeps just now, not for what it lost, but for what it might have had.

Source: Martin Rogers  Yahoo! Sports

It's final - megafight a no go

MANILA, Philippines - The superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is dead.

It’s not going to happen on March 13. And it may never happen at all.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, yesterday said he was informed by the mediator, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein of Santa Monica, Wednesday in the United States that the fight is off.

It’s the second time in just a couple of weeks that Arum had announced that the fight, which could have generated more than $100 million in revenues, is off. This time, however, he sounded that it’s off for good.

“The fight’s off, Mayweather never wanted it,” Arum told the Los Angeles Times. He said a few days ago that Mayweather’s demand for random blood-testing in the months, weeks and days to the fight is his way out of it.


“He wants a way out of the fight and he found his way out of the fight,” said Arum, who won’t waste any time sealing a fight between Pacquiao and junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman on March 13 or March 20. Reports said Mayweather may take on Paulie Malignaggi instead.

Pacquiao, who stood to earn as much as $40 million against Mayweather, said he tried everything to get it done, and give the fight fans the fight that could have or should have gone down in boxing as the greatest.

“I want to apologize to my fans all over the world that these unfortunate and unfounded statements have been made against me for taking some type of performance enhancement drugs,” said Pacquiao through his adviser, Mike Koncz. “I was prepared to do whatever the Nevada Commission was going to ask of me in regard to these unfounded allegations of drug use, yet Mayweather’s people continued to push it, so I had to take a stand based on principle not to be bullied.”

Pacquiao’s pointman in LA, Winchell Campos, said the Filipino side tried everything “to get the fight done” but Mayweather’s actions the past couple of weeks showed that “he didn’t want to fight.”

When the talks initially bogged down two days before Christmas, Pacquiao said he felt Mayweather was afraid of him.

“Takot sa akin. Naduduwag (He’s scared of me),” said the reigning pound-for-pound champion, who still stands to earn at least $12 million if he takes on Foreman two months before he runs for a congressional seat (in his hometown in Sarangani) in the May 10 polls.

Now it’s up to the Nevada court to decide on the defamation suit which Pacquiao filed against the Mayweathers and his negotiating team that included Oscar dela Hoya and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy. The case is on.

Mayweather’s demand for an Olympic-style drug-testing by the US Anti-Doping Agency, which could require as many as five blood tests and 12 urine tests, any day and anytime of the day, was too much for Pacquiao.

The Filipino champion had softened on his stand that blood tests only take place this week, 30 days before the fight and immediately after the fight. He said he’s fine with the second test being done 24 days before the fight.

But reports said Mayweather still refused, and not even attempts by his manager, Al Haymon, and Schaefer, could make the undefeated American change his mind even if he knew it would mean the end of the talks.

“Manny wanted the fight. He was agreeable to terms,” Arum added. “I always knew Mayweather would kill it because he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to lose.”

“I am disappointed in the sense this fight will not happen. I’m not surprised,” Arum told the LA Times.

During the Weinstein-led negotiations that took all of nine hours Tuesday, boxingtalk.com said Mayweather was assured by experts “how protected he was” if Pacquiao is blood-tested 24 hours before the fight, or that it would have been enough to prove if the hard-hitting Filipino is into some performance-enhancers.

No word has come out of the Mayweather camp. Koncz, had this to say:

“The proposal that the mediator put forth and recommended the Mayweather camp was very simple: They would be allowed to do the blood-testing within up to 24 days of the fight, and the tests would be supervised, pursuant to the guidelines of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s jurisdiction, and that they [Mayweather’s camp] would give a statement of full apology in regard to comments made about Manny and their false allegations that he had been taking performance enhancing drugs.

“I was informed by Arum about 30 minutes ago that that was flatly refused by the Mayweather people, and that’s a rejection of the recommendation of the arbitrator, so we’re not going to stay around and wait, because we have nothing to negotiate. It’s not all about money to Manny. No. 1, they have made some statements that are very detrimental and that have harmed Manny. Even with a full retraction, I don’t think that the damage can be resolved,” Koncz told fanhouse.com.

“I can say that Manny is going to move on to the next fight in the ring, and we’re going to move on to our fight in court. We are going to press forward vigorously against each of the defendants for their defamatory statements against Mr. Pacquiao,” said LA-based lawyer, Dan Petrocelli, who filed the case on behalf of Pacquiao.

“We are going to take all of their depositions under oath, and we will require them to admit that they have no evidence whatsoever to support any of their statements, and if they do have any evidence, they’re going to be forced to disclose it,” said Petrocelli. “Of course, we know that they don’t have any evidence, so we’re expecting that they will have to admit that they lack any evidence on which to base their statements.”

Source: Abac Cordero  | Philstar.com

Pacquiao to pursue lawsuit vs Mayweather

Fight fans are disappointed that the super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been called off. Pacquiao himself is disappointed, too.

"I am very disappointed that we could not make this fight for the fans,” the 7-time world champion said in statement.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king is also angry at the Mayweather camp and its representative Golden Boy Promotions for spreading accusations against him.

“I am angered because of the false accusations from Golden Boy and the Mayweather camp that I used some type of drugs, and that is why I have instructed our American lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit to clear my name," said Pacquiao.



The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is seen by many as a single bout that could bring back the popularity of boxing as a sport.

Both fighters might have received up to $40 million each in fight revenues had the fight pushed through.

Talks collapse

The fight was called off after the mediation process collapsed due to the Mayweather camp’s refusal to accept Pacquiao’s concession.

During the mediation, Pacquiao’s camp agreed to blood tests 24 days before the fight, which addressed Mayweather's demand that Pacquiao submit himself to a blood test 30 days before the fight.

However, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein rang Top Rank chief Bob Arum after the meeting to inform that the mega-buck fight won’t push through.

"The fight's off, Mayweather never wanted it. Manny wanted the fight. He was agreeable to terms," Arum told LATimes.com.

Pacquiao’s camp said it saw this development happening.

"When the fight was offered, Manny accepted it with no hesitation," Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told ESPN.com. "We're not surprised. We saw this coming once they started this drug bull----. It was a way for them to get out of the fight. I don't think Mayweather expected Manny to accept the challenge so quickly."

More to lose

Arum said the biggest loser in the talk’s collapse was Golden Boy Promotions.

"The guys who should be most disappointed in the fight being off are Schaefer and De La Hoya because they went along with this guy [Mayweather] and ended up with gatz and a big lawsuit," Arum said.

Arum said Golden Boy Promotions, which is headed by boxing great and old Pacquiao foe Oscar de la Hoya, also risks losing its share in the Filipino’s contract.

"There's an arbitration which calls for them to lose any percentage of Manny's promotional contract, something we asked for and had postponed, but now it will go forward," Arum said in ESPN.com.

"We did that two weeks ago before Manny filed his lawsuit. It's binding arbitration. Our request was for Golden Boy to forfeit its interest in Pacquiao's contract based on the fact that they had demeaned Pacquiao with their remarks [alleging he used PEDs] and that it violated the [2007] agreement between Pacquiao, Top Rank and Golden Boy," Arum said.

Source: Author Unknown  | abs-cbnnew.com

'The fight is off': Arum blames Mayweather for failed mediation

Two days of mediation and negotiation hoping to save the proposed March 13 megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr ended Wednesday with no deal, and Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said "The fight is off."

"Floyd Mayweather walked away," Arum said by phone late Wednesday night. "The fight's off. Our guy was agreeable, Mayweather wasn't. The fight's off."

Arum said Pacquiao will now look at fighting undefeated Israeli WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman either March 13 or March 20 in Las Vegas. "We're going to check out all the sites tomorrow," Arum said.

Arum said he couldn't discuss the sticking point in the negotiations with retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein in Los Angeles — which Arum said before the mediation began was the drug testing, as well as a demand for an apology from Mayweather's side for saying that Pacquiao had taken performance-enhancing drugs. But he said, "the fight's off not because of us, not even because of (Mayweather's) people —he was represented by Golden Boy Promotions) — it's because of him personally.

"It's not surprising. I always felt that he wasn't going to do the fight. He knows Manny will beat him. Mayweather's never stepped into the ring with a guy he had any question but that he was going to beat.

"That's why there's never been a (Shane) Mosley, there's never been a (Antonio) Margarito, there never was a (Miguel) Cotto, and there's no Pacquiao.

"Floyd Mayweather is a coward. He will never fight anyone that will remotely give him a tough fight."

Will the fight ever happen?

"No," said Arum. "Here's a guy who, the rematch with (Oscar) De La Hoya was a huge fight, it would've made millions and millions, and he walked away from it.. .. I'm not disappointed in the sense that I always knew it was going to be this way."

Source: Author Unknown  | USA Today

Megafight off; Pacquiao very mad

Manny Pacquiao was disenchanted and enraged when told that Floyd Mayweather Jr. decided to walk away from their March 13 super fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I am very disappointed that we could not make this fight for the fans and I am angered because of the false accusations from Golden Boy and the Mayweather camp that I used some type of drugs and that is why I have instructed our American lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit to clear my name,” said Pacquiao in a statement released shortly after it was announced that the fight is off.

After Pacquiao’s promoter Top Rank and Mayweather’s representatives – Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) – failed to reach an accord during mediation talks on Tuesday, the arbiter, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, gave the two sides until the following day to come to an agreement.

But Mayweather simply did not accept a compromise that would have mandated Pacquiao to be tested for blood 24 days before the fight and immediately after the bout.

Bob Arum was furious, declaring that Mayweather “is scared to death of Pacquiao.”

Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz said “the whole blood testing issue that Mayweather wants from Manny is just a façade to get Mayweather out of this fight.”

“I believe that Floyd did not want to tarnish his perfect record and used this blood testing as an excuse to get out of the fight because he knew Manny would never do it. Floyd being the coward found a way out and he did not care if he tarnished another man’s reputation,” added Koncz.

Mayweather had demanded that Pacquiao undergo Olympic-style (random) drug-testing but the Filipino fighter vehemently rejected the proposal and was later incensed that Mayweather and even GBP officials went to the extent of accusing him of having taken performance-enhancing drugs.

Pacquiao has never failed a drug test in all of his close to 20 fights on American soil.

Had both sides agreed on the terms, Pacquiao and Mayweather would have made $25 million apiece plus a hefty share in the pay-per-view, gate receipts, and closed-circuit viewing.

Now that Mayweather is out of the picture, Arum is eyeing reigning World Boxing Association super-welterweight titlist Yuri Foreman, a Belarus-born Israeli now living in Brooklyn, New York.

If Arum picks Foreman for a March 20 date at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Pacquiao will be gunning for his eighth world title.

While a Foreman fight is a landmark bout for Pacquiao, another fight that looks much more attractive is a third fight with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, a pairing that Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach wants.

Source: Nick Giongco  | Manila Bulletin

Pacquiao vs Mayweather is off: report

The much-awaited March 13 fight between World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is off, ABS-CBN's Dyan Castillejo reported from the US on Thursday.

In an interview over radio dzMM, Castillejo said both sides failed to resolve their differences over random drug testing.

She quoted Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, as saying Pacquiao will still be fighting on March, but it will no longer be against Mayweather.

She said Arum was looking at Israeli Yuri Foreman as Pacquiao's opponent either on March 13 or 20 in Las Vegas.

Castillejo said this would allow Pacquiao to claim an 8th world title. Foreman is the current World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion.

She said that as a 154 lb. fighter, Foreman would be another heavier opponent for Pacquiao.

Citing her interview with Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz, Castillejo said the Pacquiao camp had agreed to blood tests 24 days before the fight, not just random blood tests that the Mayweather camp was asking for.

"But still, the Mayweather camp rejected it. Hindi magkasundo so the fight is off," Castillejo said.

Castillejo said Pacquiao is "very disappointed" that fans will not be able to see him fight Mayweather.

However, Castillejo said Arum is "still looking at other possibilities and will decide over the next few days who the next opponent will be for Pacquiao."

----

Report: Talks for Pacquiao-Floyd megafight fall
gmanews.tv

Last ditch efforts to save the planned March 13 megabout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. bogged down and the much-anticipated gig is likely off, a boxing website reported Thursday.

According to BoxingScene.Com representatives of Pacquiao and Mayweather would not come to a settlement after two days of mediation with retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein in San Diego.

The cause of the talks’ breakdown was the drug-testing procedure. The Mayweather camp insists on an Olympic-style, random testing supervised by the US Anti-Doping Agency while the Pacquiao group wants to do blood and urine testing under a certain period of time and to be handled by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

BoxingScene.Com reported that Pacquiao’s people have offered to agree to the tests 24 days before the fight – from their previous demand of 30 days – which their counterparts from the Mayweather side have rejected.

As it is, the two may likely take on separate rivals in March.

Source: Author Unknown  | abs-cbnnew.com

It's Official: Mayweather-Pacquiao superfight off

The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is off, promoter Bob Arum said Wednesday, as an attempt to mediate a dispute over blood testing failed.

Promoters had reached a tentative deal in December for the world’s top two fighters to meet on March 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

But the fight ran aground over Mayweather’s insistence on Olympic-style drug testing. The sides agreed to mediation this week in Santa Monica, Calif. before retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, but a solution could not be reached and the sides walked away.

Arum said Pacquiao is planning to fight Yuri Foreman, the World Boxing Association super welterweight champion, on either March 13 or March 20 in a bid for yet another world title. Arum said he wants to put that fight in Las Vegas, but said he still has to negotiate a site and will speak to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about holding it in Cowboys Stadium.

Mayweather is expected to pursue a fight for March with former super lightweight champion Paulie Malignaggi.

Source: Kevin Iole  Yahoo! Sports

Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao Talks 'Ongoing'

The proposed megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao still was unclear following Tuesday's nearly nine-hour meeting between the fighters' representatives and a mediator, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein.

Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBoef, were among the first to emerge from the session, which took place at Weinstein's Santa Monica office of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS) and included members of each side's legal representation.

Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, indicated to FanHouse's David Whitley, who was in Santa Monica, that the parties were instructed by Weinstein not to comment.

Later, Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer emerged with others.

"No comment, no comment," said De La Hoya. "By the judge's order, no comment."

A gag order is in place for the participants of the meeting, which began at 9:30 a.m. local time and ended shortly before Arum and duBoef emerged at approximately 6:10 p.m.

One source with knowledge of the talks said, "The negotiations are ongoing."

It is unclear if that means that the parties will return and resume talks on Wednesday.

Pacquiao has filed a defamation of character lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $75,000, contending that the Mayweather camp has damaged his reputation by demanding that both fighters be randomly drug-tested using urinalysis as well as blood work.

The suit, filed on Wednesday, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Schaefer and De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., and the fighter's uncle, Roger Mayweather.

Pacquiao is being represented by the Los Angeles-based law firm, O'Melveny and Myers. An attorney from the firm, Dan Petrocelli, filed the suit on the Pacquiao's behalf. A partner of Petrocelli's was present at the mediation session.

Mayweather's camp, which Pacquiao says has accused him of using steroids, initially wanted the Olympic-style, random blood-testing to be done by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, but has softened its stance on that notion.

Neither Pacquiao nor Mayweather has ever tested positive for any banned substances, but the blood-testing procedure -- random or otherwise -- never has been used to detect illegal drug use in boxing.

Source: Lem Satterfield  | boxing.fanhouse.com

Mediation reports positive

There remains a silver lining despite the continued standoff in the mediation talks aimed at saving the March 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

“At least what we heard was not an announcement saying the fight is off,” said Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal. “Perhaps, they’re still trying to tie up some loose ends.”

Representatives of both fighters – with Bob Arum and stepson Todd DuBoef of Top Rank as Pacquiao’s emissaries and Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) and Mayweather adviser Al Haymon taking the lead for Mayweather – met for nine hours Tuesday before retired federal judge and top mediator Daniel Weinstein in Santa Monica, California.

“We’ve been told not to comment,” Arum told The Bulletin as soon as he stepped out of Weinstein’s office. “There’s a gag order.”


[source]

Weisntein was tapped by both parties in an effort to find a solution to the feud involving Pacquiao’s and Mayweather’s camps over the random blood testing that Mayweather demands for the fight to take place as scheduled at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Apart from the testing issue, there is also the subject of Pacquiao’s defamation lawsuit that the Filipino filed during the holidays against the Mayweathers and GBP and Arum’s decision to rid GBP of its minor promotional rights over his fighter.

Noted publicist Fred Sternburg said the fact that there’s a gag order could be a good sign.

“The longer it is, the better it is. (That) means they’re still working at it,” said Sternburg.

There are reports saying that talks will resume on Wednesday.

Noted boxing scribe Dan Rafael, formerly of USA Today and now with ESPN, said “there’s a lot of stake here aside from the money” the two fighters are getting.

“This fight will crown who is the best fighter of the decade (and) who will be the best fighter in the world today,” said Rafael, a perennial ringsider not only in Pacquiao’s fights but in other marquee matchups as well.

Pacquiao and Mayweather have agreed to a 50-50 split of all the revenues to be generated apart from being guaranteed $25 million each.

They stand to receive as much as $40 million apiece once the pay-per-view and gate receipts, closed-circuit viewing, international broadcast rights and fight merchandise are all computed.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times is running an on-line poll, asking its readers who among four primary figures in the on-going rift – Pacquiao, Mayweather, Arum and Mayweather’s promoters and managers - should be blamed.

The top vote-getter as of noontime Wednesday was Mayweather himself with 5,841 votes (72 percent), while his handlers got 1,537 (19 percent).

Pacquiao just got 550 votes (7 percent) and Arum received a measly 213 (3 percent).

Source: Nick Giongco  | Manila Bulletin

Groups were in mediation for 9 hours

After nine hours in mediation on Tuesday, the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. did not reach a resolution in their effort to overcome their differences in finalizing a super fight between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

If a deal is reached, the welterweight title bout is supposed to take place March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Top Rank's Bob Arum and Todd duBoef, along with their legal team, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, their legal team, and Mayweather manager Al Haymon spent the day with mediator Daniel Weinstein at offices in Santa Monica, Calif., hoping to pave the way for potentially the richest fight in boxing history.

On Monday, Arum said the fighters were supposed to have been available by telephone.

After beginning the process at 9:30 a.m. PT and leaving at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT, no deal had been reached.

"Mediation is still ongoing," one of Top Rank's lawyers told ESPN Deportes' Jaime Mota.

Weinstein has placed a gag order on all parties.

It is unclear if the talks will resume on Wednesday.

When reached on his cell phone, Arum said he had no comment because of the mediator's gag order. DuBoef said the same thing in an e-mail to ESPN.com. Schaefer did not respond to a message.

Weinstein, a retired federal judge, knows the parties well. He mediated a June 2007 settlement when Top Rank and Golden Boy were embroiled in a series of lawsuits, including a brutal battle over ownership of the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had signed contracts with both companies before eventually pledging his loyalty to Top Rank.

Under that agreement, the various lawsuits were dropped and Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights, with Golden Boy receiving a percentage of Top Rank's profits from his bouts.

The agreement worked well for the past two years as the companies co-promoted several major bouts, including Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II, Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera II, Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley.

But the bad blood boiled again during the final stages of negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

They had agreed to everything in the deal except for the method of drug testing for the boxers.

Although the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would oversee the bout, requires only urine testing, Mayweather has insisted on random blood testing. Both sides have already agreed to unlimited random urine testing.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who didn't want any blood testing, agreed to take three blood tests: one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would take place next week if they can make a deal, one random test to be conducted no later than 30 days before the fight and a final test in his dressing room after the fight. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) would be subject to the same testing procedures.

Besides Weinstein trying to mediate a resolution to the drug testing issue, there is also the matter of the defamation lawsuit Pacquiao filed last week in Nevada U.S. District Court against Mayweather Jr., Schaefer, De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.

Pacquiao alleges that they made false and defamatory statements and sullied his reputation by accusing him of taking performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao denies he has ever used PEDs and has never failed a drug test.

At issue is also Golden Boy's continued involvement in Pacquaio's contract. With Golden Boy representing Mayweather and allegedly accusing Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs, Arum believes it has diminished Pacquiao and that Golden Boy should no longer be entitled to share in the money his bouts generate, especially when it also is making money off Mayweather.

If the mediation fails, Arum has repeatedly said he will match Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman, whom he also promotes, on March 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas so Pacquiao could attempt to win a title in a record-extending eighth weight division.

Mayweather could still fight on March 13 at the MGM Grand and potentially face former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi.

Source: Dan Rafael  | ESPN Go

The maneuvering between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is downright kooky

For those of us who long for the days when boxing was the sporting world's crazy uncle, the past few weeks have provided us with a nice hit of nostalgia. Scurrilous allegations, defamation suits and a heavily tattooed man claiming a fear of needles -- Mayweather-Pacquiao isn't Tyson-McNeeley, but it'll do.

Maybe it had to be this way. It's the one fight everyone wants to see, the one fight that could put boxing on the big stage for a solid week in March, and the one fight that could create a Super Bowl-like buzz on a spring Saturday night. So maybe it's fitting that it might not happen over a move straight out of boxing's crazy old days. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is demanding that Manny Pacquiao prove himself innocent of a transgression that only Mayweather and his people are alleging.

This is a tactic worthy of the best disinformation campaigns. You issue a damning proclamation and then stand back and let everyone else deny it. This is what Mayweather's people seem to be doing by asking Pacquiao to submit to random blood testing to prove that he's not using performance-enhancing drugs, whether it be steroids or HGH. And since Pacquiao refuses to consent to anything beyond unlimited urine tests, Mayweather's people can sit back and say, "See? See what we're talking about?"

I know what you're thinking: If Pacquiao doesn't have anything to hide, why doesn't he agree to blood testing? That's become the default position in today's society. Stop at this checkpoint, walk through this machine, hold your arms out for the wand. Not to get too broad here, but we've become so accustomed to proving our innocence in everyday life that we forgot how the system is supposed to work.

This isn't a guy looking to board a plane. This is a guy who is being accused of a crime by the other side, and he's being called upon to prove his innocence despite the complete absence of evidence suggesting guilt.

They cite Pacquiao's ascent through weight classes as circumstantial evidence, but going from a 106-pounder at 16 years old to a 147-pounder at 31 isn't unprecedented. In fact, Mayweather has made a similar run through weight classes starting from his Golden Gloves days. As a 16-year-old in 1993, Mayweather won the national Golden Gloves at 106. The next year, he won at 112; and in '96, he won at 125. Despite the Mayweather camp's insistence on a "level playing field," this isn't similar to a guy hitting 73 homers after never having hit 50.

Clearly, nobody wants to discuss civil liberties; the presumption of guilt is easier and more convenient. Pacquiao's people have cited a dislike of needles as a reason for his refusal to submit to blood testing, and that point has been justifiably mocked by those who cite his obvious like of tattoos. More than needles, it's likely Pacquiao dislikes being singled out, and dislikes being presumed guilty despite never failing a drug test.

This isn't to say that it's totally out of the question that Pacquiao is juicing, or HGHing, or blood-doping, or ingesting something a chemist in the Philippines just realized can make a man's punch mimic a donkey kick. He's got motive (his own legacy) and opportunity (more than enough money), but you could say the same about Mayweather or any other big-time athlete. It's one thing to wonder without proof, another to openly allege without proof.

(Mayweather's people did agree to pay a $10 million fine if he comes in overweight, but that clause came about because he did come in overweight for his last fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez. There is no correlative concerning Pacquiao and performance-enhancing drugs. And that's why Pacquiao filed a defamation suit on Jan. 1.)

There should be a consistent system in place to test boxers -- it's a safety issue as much as anything. And yes, Mayweather is agreeing to the same blood testing his people are demanding of Pacquiao. But I don't blame Pacquiao for rebelling against an arbitrary system that is accompanied by underhanded suggestions that he owes his success to cheating.

Even though most of our innocence has been shredded by the past 15 years of enhancement, there is such a thing as natural greatness. There are people who do things nobody else can do. Both of these guys fit the description.

I've spent time with both men, having been fortunate enough to hang around in both camps as a fly on the wall while reporting profiles for ESPN The Magazine, and their actions in this nutty back-and-forth are perfectly consistent with their personalities.

Mayweather is a gamesman, a master tactician in and out of the ring. He talks a lot and manages to infiltrate the minds of his opponents before they step into the ring. He's all flash and dash, but he studies the game and is fiercely proud of his legacy as an undefeated fighter. He has a reputation for ducking lesser fighters than Pacquiao to retain that distinction. But this fight is so big, and the potential payoff so preposterous, that Mayweather almost has no choice but to take it. That has led some in the Pacquiao camp to conclude that Floyd is using the drug issue as a straw man either to get out of the fight or to use as an excuse if he were to lose.

While I was with him in Las Vegas before his fight with Oscar De La Hoya, in the spring of '07, for no apparent reason Floyd began counting out $100 bills on the apron of a ring at his training camp. Coupled with his ceaseless, caustic banter, it managed to be hilarious and slightly sad at the same time. His almost fetishistic relationship with money -- acquiring it and spending it, reportedly at roughly the same rate -- creates the impression of a shallow man. When it comes to boxing, though, he trains maniacally to preserve his legacy.

Mayweather's sense of his own importance is epic, even amid the false-idol world of the superstar athlete. Among his contingent of helpers was a guy whose only apparent responsibility was to start Mayweather's car so that it was running when he got in.

Pacquiao has a contingent, too -- family members and friends who live with him and rush around to be first to cater to his next need. When he was training for the Ricky Hatton bout last March, I spent a few hours in his Beverly Hills apartment watching people bring in groceries and cook while Manny sat on a couch getting a massage. The competition for relevance among Pacquiao's people is so great that some of them battle to see who can sleep on the floor at the head of his bed.

In other words, they both live in worlds far removed from yours and mine, which makes it difficult to ascertain their thoughts. Even venturing a guess is like taking a trip through an alien world. One thing is for sure: Mayweather is the bigger man and the bigger draw and the bigger personality. He has more to lose than Pacquiao. Much like his fighting style, he is poking and prodding, careful to stay just out of reach. Mayweather has always been the master technician. This time, the ring is optional.

Source: Tim Keown  | ESPN Go

Make or break for megafight today

MANILA, Philippines - The signs that the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. will take place on March 13 are back.

“Neither side is insisting on pre-conditions, and both sides will present their positions in an effort to resolve the dispute,” retired judge Daniel Weinstein, tapped to mediate and stand in between both parties, said in a statement printed by The Los Angeles Times yesterday.

And Weinstein, Lance Pugmire wrote, is “satisfied all parties are negotiating in good faith.”

Weinstein is a master mediator, and finding a solution to the impasse that has threatened to derail what is being billed as the biggest fight of the new century will be his only objective.

He is set to meet Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Todd duBeof, for Pacquiao, and Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, for the American fighter, at his Santa Monica office today.


“I have been asked by representatives of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather to mediate certain disputes that have arisen in connection with the negotiation of a bout between the two fighters,” Weinstein said in a statement.

Weinstein, once voted as the most popular mediator in the Bay Area, said both sides are working on a gag order which they also imposed among themselves when they started negotiating the fight.

Once the meeting is over, Arum and Schaefer could either announce that the fight is officially on or off or that they would need a little more time to get things done.

The whole world is waiting for the match that could generate more than $100 million in revenues and break all existing records in pay-per-view sales, ticket sales, closed-circuit sales, merchandise, among others.

As it is, the weight issue, the venue and the purse have all been resolved, and it’s just the procedure on how the drug testing would go that’s taking all the time.

If the fight is made, it’s highly expected that the case filed by Pacquiao against the Mayweathers, Schaefer and Oscar dela Hoya would be dropped in exchange for a public apology.

Meanwhile, the father of Miguel Cotto passed away Sunday in Puerto Rico, apparently due to heart attack. He was 57.

The Puerto Rican press said Miguel Sr., who was around when his son trained and fought Manny Pacquiao last November in Las Vegas, had suffered from asthma in the past and had needed an oxygen task to help him breath.

Miguel Sr. was reportedly driving his car when he fell ill and stopped to ask for help before collapsing.

Source: Abac Cordero  | Philstar.com

Key talks to save megafight tomorrow

A make-or-break meeting between the representatives of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is scheduled for Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) to try to save the planned March 13 showdown of the two superstar fighters at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein will serve as mediator in the meeting set at his Santa Monica office of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services in Los Angeles, according to a report by Lem Satterfield of boxing.fanhouse.com.

Team Pacquiao will be represented by Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank Promotions, and Top Rank president Todd duBoef, while Team Mayweather will be represented by Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions and possibly Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.

A representative of the law firm O’Melveny and Myers, Daniel Petrocelli, will also attend the meeting.

Petrocelli filed a lawsuit in behalf of Pacquiao on Wednesday, seeking compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character against Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather Jr., his father Floyd Sr. and uncle Roger Mayweather.

The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000 for Pacquiao, who contends that the camp of Mayweather damaged his reputation by insinuating he uses steroids or other illegal drugs to boost his performance.

The Mayweathers began airing their drug-related insinuations and accusations after Pacquiao’s successive demolition of Oscar Diaz at 135 pounds, De La Hoya at 147, Ricky Hatton at 140 and Miguel Cotto at 145.

In 2006, Weinstein successfully mediated a dispute between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions over the rights to promote Pacquiao, who had signed with both groups.

Arum reportedly said that for the negotiations to resume, the Mayweathers must drop their demand for random blood-test demand and issue a public apology to Pacquiao, whose 12th-round stoppage of Cotto gave him a record seventh title in as many weight classes.

Since yielding a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March 2005, Pacquiao is unbeaten in his last 11 fights. He stopped Morales in the 10th and third rounds in subsequent bouts.

If negotiations for Mayweather-Pacquiao fall apart, Arum is considering World Boxing Association junior middleweight (154 lb) champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs) to be the Filipino icon’s next opponent in a fight initially slated for March 20 at The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Source: Roy Luarca  | Philippine Daily Inquirer

Just the way Floyd Jr. is

Manny Pacquiao has practically bested every able fighter in different weights within his range to be the pound-for-pound king today.

Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto—without a doubt, an impressive roster of fight victims that none of us could have imagined a Filipino ever beating, until the Pacman gobbled them all up.

But now his biggest fight is already happening outside the ring, before any ink is left on a contract and any training begins.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his camp have insisted on Olympic-style prefight drug testing to ensure that Pacquiao is clean from Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED). There is a suspicion from the Mayweather end that Pacquiao has achieved his feats because of PEDs.

* * *

It is an unsubstantiated claim at best.

Pacquiao has time and again tested clean when the Nevada boxing commission does its urine tests. But the Mayweather side wants blood testing to detect possible substances that cannot be revealed by routine urine checks.

The stab has irked Pacquiao, forcing him to sue Mayweather and others in a United States court, even as negotiations continue and urine tests are being done to save the fight.

Does all this lead to an exciting fight if it ever pushes through on March 13?

* * *

The fight, in itself, does not need anymore hype. Putting the current pound-for-pound king against the one-time holder of that mythical title is more than enough.

Mayweather likes to needle his opponents as part of his prefight routine. Talking is his way of dealing with the anxiety and excitement of a fight. If you get sucked into his vortex, then you could be ripe for his speed and defensive ploys.

Pacquiao is not a trash talker or a taunter. He may have not encountered a brash, fast-talking foe like Mayweather before but he is not going to lose his cool now or inside the ring.

He wants to shut Mayweather up with his gloves on but will do so with a strategy whipped up together with Freddie Roach.

* * *

It is still the fight everyone wants to see.

Sportswriters around the world want the prefight distractions to stop and see Pacquiao-Mayweather inside the ring.

Filipinos and the Pacman faithful everywhere want to see their idol finally silencing Mayweather.

Pacquiao non-believers want to see how he will fare against the undefeated Mayweather.

Expect one thing though. No matter what the result is, Pretty Boy will probably keep on talking because that’s just the way he is.

Source: Sev Sarmenta  | Philippine Daily Inquirer