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.
With time running out to save a potential March 13 megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the camps are heading to mediation on Tuesday in an effort to work out their differences.
Mediator Daniel Weinstein will preside over the meeting in Santa Monica, Calif. Weinstein, a retired federal judge, also mediated the acrimonious dispute that kept Top Rank, Pacquiao's promoter, and Golden Boy, which represents Mayweather, from doing fights together for almost two years.
"We're going into mediation," Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, told ESPN.com. "This guy was successful resolving our nutty problem before and hopefully he can be successful this time. He's a guy who is a big fight fan and loves the sport, and I found him last time to be a delight to deal with. Everybody did."
In a statement Monday to ESPN.com, Weinstein said the sides accepted the mediation without any conditions.
"After discussions with representatives of all parties I am satisfied that the parties are approaching the mediation in good faith," he said. "Neither side is insisting on pre-conditions to its participation in the mediation, and both sides will present their positions in an effort to resolve the dispute."
At the time of the previous mediation, the companies had several ongoing lawsuits, including the one at the center of the bad blood: ownership of the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had signed contracts with both companies before eventually pledging his loyalty to Top Rank.
When the disputes were settled in June 2007, Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer both credited Weinstein's steady hand for getting them to reach an accord. Under the global settlement, Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights with Golden Boy receiving a percentage of Top Rank's profit from his future bouts.
The hope is that Weinstein can once again help the sides see their way through what has become an increasingly nasty battle in an effort to finalize the bout between welterweight titlist Pacquiao and Mayweather, the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, in a fight many believe will break the pay-per-view record of 2.44 million buys. Mayweather's 2007 fight with Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya set the record.
Weinstein said both sides have agreed not to comment until after they meet with him.
AOL Fanhouse first reported the mediation plans Sunday night.
Top Rank and Golden Boy have agreed on all points on the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight except for one: The protocol for drug testing.
Even though the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would oversee the bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, doesn't require blood testing, Mayweather has insisted on random blood testing. Both sides have already agreed to unlimited random urine testing.
Pacquiao has refused training camp-long random blood testing, agreeing only to three tests, one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would take place in the next week or so if they finalize the fight, 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 would be subject to the same testing procedures.
One issue sure to be discussed in front of the mediator is the impact 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.
In the suit, Pacquiao alleges 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.
If mediation fails, and the fight does not get made, Arum 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 eighth weight division.
Mayweather could still fight on March 13 at the MGM and potentially face former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi.
By Ricardo Lois - A well placed left-hook to the chin by Manny Pacquiao sent Ricky Hatton to the canvas, and kept him there for several minutes - flattened out and looking at the ring lights above.
There was no knock-out more impressive or that will be remembered any more clearly by those who saw it, than the one Pacquiao scored against Hatton on May 2, 2009.
If I can confess here, in this public forum, I watched the Hatton demise at least two dozens times on my Digital Video Recorder immediately following the fight. The crisp left hook was a thing of beauty.
With that one punch, and the ensuing knock-out, Manny Pacquiao earned knock-out of the year for 2009.
By Jonathan Perez - Awards have started pouring in for Manny Pacquiao after his two knockout triumphs against Ricky Hatton (second round) and Miguel Cotto (12th round).
Unmindful of the accusations of steroids use, several US-based sports Web sites named the Filipino boxing icon as the 2009 Boxer of the Year in their year-end boxing awards.
Sports Web sites SportsIllustrated.com, AssociatedContent.com, Boxingtalk.com, Boxingscene.com, FightHype.com – in an online poll – and Boxingtalk.com named Pacquiao as their boxer or fighter of the year for his historic twin wins in 2009.
ESPN.com, the official Web site of an American cable television network that is dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming, then named Pacquiao’s quick second-round demolition of Britain’s Hatton as the knockout of the year.
ESPN.com’s Dan Raphael said Pacquiao remained humble despite of his achievements and even praised the Pinoy ring icon for making his home country proud.
Boxingscene.com, Boxingtalk.com and Fightype.com also made Pacquiao’s second-round win over Hatton as the KO of the Year.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, joined his ward as the top awardee for trainer of the year honors from SI.com and Fightype.com after helping the General Santos City native win a historic seventh world title crown in a different weight division.
SI.com’s Chris Mannix wrote that Pacquiao was an easy choice for the 2009 honor after consecutive KO victories against “two physically stronger opponents" in Hatton in May and Cotto last November.
Mannix added that if the time machine was real he would transport Pacquiao in different periods to see how the reigning pound-for-pound king would fare against the top fighters of the ‘70s, 80s and mid ‘90s.
Jake Emen wrote that although Pacquiao only fought twice last year those two victories were enough to earn him AC.com’s Fighter of the Year.
“He was also widely viewed as the winner in 2008, when he fought three times in three weight classes, won two title belts, and beat the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez and Oscar De La Hoya. Of course he's also the reigning pound for pound champion. Not only that, but he may just be the Fighter of the Decade from 2000-2009," said Emen.
And for the third straight year, Pacquiao was Boxingscene.com’s top fighter.
Winning Cotto’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown earned for him his milestone world title in seven different weight divisions to enter his name in the record books as one of the greatest boxers ever.
He claimed his sixth title, Hatton’s International Boxing Organization (IBO) junior welterweight crown.
Boxingscene.com said Pacquiao’s wins were timely as it helped revive boxing’s status as a major sporting event.
The Pacquiao-Cotto pay-per-view buys tallied 1.25 million or worth more than $80M while ticket sales reached $8,847,550.
Pacquiao’s compatriot, Brian Viloria, also made it to Boxingscene.com’s list as the comeback of the year after the “Hawaiian Punch’s" 12th round KO win over Mexican Ulises Solis while the “Pacman’s" ongoing word ward and legal battle against the Mayweathers – Floyd Jr., Floyd Sr. and Roger – as the event of the year.
By Scott Heritage - The latest from camp Pacquiao seems to suggest that a third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez might be next for Pacquiao. Although nothing official has been confirmed yet, Freddie Roach apparently wants that fight rather than a showdown with Yuri Foreman, the super welterweight champion and favorite to face Manny in March.
Freddie Roach apparently thinks this might be a weight class to far for Manny, who at around 5,6 would be at a big size disadvantage against the rangy Foreman. There were talks of Marquez facing Ricky Hatton in the new year, although he has been chomping at the bit for another fight with Manny for years. Both fights can probably still happen on schedule though, because Hatton will probably need until mid way through next year to get back into decent shape.
The first two fights between Pacquiao and Marquez were both excellent, the first being a draw and the second a controversial decision for Pacquiao. Ever since then Marquez has been looking for another fight against Pacquiao, who he still feels he can beat. Whether he has much left for the wight class hopping Pacquiao of 2010 will remain to be seen, but he would probably come in as a big underdog this time around.
One of the biggest questions and reservations I have about a third fight is what weight it would be fought at. Presumably it would either be light welterweight or welterweight, because Manny would struggle to get much lighter with all the muscle he has put on recently.
The higher the weight goes the easier the fight becomes for Manny, who unlike Marquez is still at his best at either 140lbs or 145lbs. Marquez struggled against Floyd Mayweather at welterweight and never really got much momentum during the fight.
If the fight takes place at anything higher than 130lbs, then expect Pacquiao to dominate from bell to bell, perhaps even getting a stoppage this time around. At 36 Marquez still looks in pretty good shape, but add a big weight gain to his advancing age and he becomes a much diminished fighter.
There is appeal for this fight from many fans despite all this, and it would still be a big seller. If Mayweather can get a million buys for giving an undersized Marques a shellacking, then Pacquiao can surely do the same given the closeness of their first two fights.
The other advantage is that currently Floyd Mayweather can say that he beat Marquez a lot easier than Pacquiao did. Should Manny smash Marquez this time around, which most agree he would, then of course Mayweather has nothing left to crow about.
Of all the common opponents they have faced, only Marquez was beaten more easily by Floyd than Manny (huge weight advantage or not). If Manny reverses this, than Floyd cannot claim to have either beaten better opponents or beaten them more easily either.
Besides that though, the fight doesn't hold much appeal for me. At anything above 135lbs Manny is still a monster who can walk through opponents and blitzkrieg the best fighters in each division. Marquez looks slow and old that far above his natural weight, and certainly doesn't look like a world beater.
If I were on Manny's team I would push for either Malignaggi or Foreman first and if Marquez can get past a decent light welterweight or welterweight like Hatton, then make a trilogy later in the year. If the Mayweather fight comes back around later on in the year though, and the terms can be finalized this time, Manny should drop the idea of Marquez altogether.
By Leo Reyes - A YouTube video of an interview by talk show host Dong Puno some time in 2005 shows Manny Pacquiao telling the ABS-CBN News anchor that blood samples were taken from him two days before his fight with Erik Morales in 2005.
The You Tube video was sent in by a Digital Journal reader Friday which confirms Pacquiao's claim that he feels weak when blood is drawn from his body days before a fight.
The Camp of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. insists that blood be taken at random on Pacquiao and Mayweather days before the highly anticipated Pacquiao-Mayweather fight penciled for March 13. Random sampling, as demanded by the Mayweather camp could mean three days, two days, a day or even an hour before the fight.
Boxing fans do not understand why the Mayweather camp would require such stringent testing which the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) does not require.
It seems the Mayweather camp knew the inside story on the Pacquiao-Morales first in a series of three matches that took place in 2005 where Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision. In the series Pacquiao won the second and third matches. Pacquiao claimed in the YouTube video that he felt very weak a day before the fight and intimated in recent news releases that his loss to Morales may have something to do with the timing of blood sample drawn from his body two days before the fight.
In the ongoing negotiations between the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps where everything, from the fight purse, venue and other minor details have been agreed on, the blood sampling demand remains contentious. Mayweather's negotiators continue to insist on random blood sampling days before the fight.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum objected to the random blood testing demand of the Mayweather Camp but gave in later by proposing a three-stage blood sample collection which will start second week of January when both fighters will meet in California and New York for their promotional tour, the second sampling 30 days before March 13 and the last immediately after the fight.
Still the Mayweather negotiators would not give up with their demand for a random blood sampling, prompting Bob Arum to call off the fight and started negotiating with Paulie Malignaggi and Yuri Foreman to face Pacquiao instead of Mayweather on March 13.
Early on, the Mayweather camp accused Pacquiao of taking performance enhancing drugs for an added strength during his fight with Ricky Hatton of England when the British boxer lost to Pacquiao by KO inside second round in Las Vegas. Floyd Mayweather, Sr. acted as Hatton's coach and trainer during the Pacquiao-Hatton match last May. They also reportedly said that the Philippines is haven for performance enhancing drugs which infuriated Pacquaio as he denied the baseless accusations.
In the light of these developments, Pacquiao decided to file a lawsuit against the Mayweather camp for defamation. The case was filed in Nevada early this week by Pacquiao's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli.
In the meantime, Bob Arum intimated that if the Mayweather camp decides to change its position on the stalled talks, he may try to convince Pacquiao to withdraw the case. Pacquiao fans however opposed Arum's plan and advised Pacquiao to proceed with the case to clear his name.
The Mayweather camp says they are still hopeful a deal can be made within this week despite the lawsuit filed by Pacquiao against them.
By Dennis "dSource" Guillermo - Pardon me, but allow me to spit some wisdom right quick. Sometimes the only difference between a hero and a bum is press coverage. We all know the heroic exploits of CNN's Hero of the Year award winner Efren Penaflorida now but before all the media coverage and hype he received, you probably would've just snubbed him as he walked past you in the streets. But now, the truly admirable guy gets praised and lauded everywhere he goes.
So when Floyd Mayweather Jr. asked the world where Manny Pacquiao was 15 years ago when he was beating up people and being considered as one of the great prospects in the sport, well the answer is, he was grinding just like Floyd. Truth be told, Manny and Floyd are two of the most dedicated and hardest working boxers to ever laced them gloves up and for all its worth, they do deserve to be where they're at in their careers- on top. No need really to discredit the other based on where they came from. Pacquiao did not have the privilege to be under a decent amateur boxing program like Floyd did and if you pitted them against each other 15 years ago, Mayweather definitely would've made quick work of Pacquiao. But that is why he deserves all the credit in the world for working on his craft under the guidance of the great Freddie Roach. Incidentally however, Floyd has six losses as an amateur.
But to say Pacquiao was a nobody back then when Floyd was already the man is simply a matter of geography and logistics man. Floyd enjoyed the luxury and privilege of being in America and having better opportunities and exposure. Just like my case for example: There are many other far more talented Filipino writers out there who are not only better than me but can definitely hang with the Thomas Hausers of pugulistic journalism that just need to be given a chance but because of their situation, you haven't read a word from them yet.
Back in '95, Pacquiao and Mayweather were already beginning to carve a name for themselves in the professional boxing ranks. Actually, Pacquiao turned pro in January of 1995 and amazingly fought 11 pro fights in a year until he first tasted defeated after being dehydrated and not having the proper diet and training due to poverty and his lifestyle back then. But even then, Pacquiao already displayed the speed, punching power and that lethal left of his which is now being considered as the most potent weapon in boxing.
Floyd on the other hand made his pro debut in October of '96 and also impressively went 11-0 in his first year as a pro. Even back then, Floyd already displayed flashes of his brilliance by knocking down Roberto Apodaca with a beautiful liver shot in the first round.
Check out the earliest pro boxing videos caught on tape of these two brilliant fighters who are on a collision course in one of the most anticipated boxing match-ups in history.
Mayweather's debut fight vs. Roberto Apodaca (10/11/96)
Pacquiao's fourth fight vs. Dele Decierto (7/1/95)
By Dennis "dSource" Guillermo - There is a saying that opinions are like anuses, everybody got one and they all stink. Well, Paulie Malignaggi definitely has an opinion about everything under the sun, and you got to give the guy some credit for not holding back regardless if you might think his anus, I mean, his opinion, stinks.Malignaggi is a friend of this column and I have interviewed him in the past. I for one was part of the contingent that called for a rematch between him and Juan Diaz which will be taking place this Saturday at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. With that said, you already know I don't pull any punches and with his recent statements saying he believes Pacquiao is on some form of performance enhancing drugs, one has to wonder his motives. While a guest at The Boxing Truth Radio show, Malignaggi said,
"First and foremost, you talk to body builders they'll tell you themselves, it's very hard to put on 15-17 pounds of body muscle in a year and a half. Let's remember Manny Pacquiao fought at 130 pounds against Juan Manuel Marquez in 08. He fought In November of 09 against Miguel Cotto 15 to 17 pounds heavier. He looked exactly the same out of "rippedness" and "shreddedness", his body did, at 130 pounds. So you're telling me, this guy 6 foot 4, 6 foot 5, body builder telling me that it's impossible to put on that kind of muscle mass in a year and a half naturally,"
"You're telling me this little midget, 5'5 or 5'4, 5'6 the most, put on 15 to 17 in natural weight and his team is going to try and explain it saying he eats 7,000 calories a day and he just burns it. If you eat 7,000 calories a day and you're 5'5, 5'6 my man you are not going to looked ripped, you're gonna look a little bloated."
"Let's look at Manny Pacquiao when he started moving up from 130. He was a very good fighter at 130 and below.When he got hit you can feel it. He was like life and death with Juan Manuel Marquez and he was wobbly a couple of times when Marquez hit him..."
"Ever since that David Diaz fight, I mean is it just me or does this guy seem like he's King Kong since he went up from 130 pounds. And there's no way he was struggling to make 130 because he weighed-in 122 just a few years before that. Let's face it, once you get past 28 years old you're not going anywhere. Let's be realistic here."
"I'm taking facts and I'm putting them together and they don't just make sense to me. I don't have all the facts obviously he's passing the tests (mandatory drug tests before every fight) Let's keep in mind there plenty of things you can do to beat drug tests and there's plenty of drugs and steroids that are not detectable. This guy is hurting guys every time he touches them and HE WASN'T DOING THAT AT THE LIGHTER WEIGHTS."
"At the smaller weights he was very good but he was beatable but now he has gone up in weight and he's not just beating guys and he's crushing world class killers. He's absolutely crushing them!" "He's obviously become a Superman and people say but steroids won't make your chin feel better, yeah, but there's things that can make you feel like you're on speed or something. There's things out there that make you feel like that."
Paulie, Paulie, Paulie... I respect the hell out of you as a boxer but how can you be so ignorantly stupid? I can't help but wonder if it's your bias against Pacquiao due to the fact that he knocked out two of your "daddys" in Cotto and Hatton that's gotten you swirling like a top with your bombastic blabber against him or you are simply trying to gain publicity because anything with Pacquiao attached to it, as we all media types know, will generate a lot of attention.
First and foremost, the facts that Paulie were pointing out are actually hacked. More like selective facts. I mean, before I continue on, I got to wonder, was Paulie simply being sarcastic? Because he did say a lot of flattering things about Pacquiao if you read it that way. And one more thing, why the heck do those who love to hate on Pacquiao have to be the hardest people to understand like Floyd Mayweather Sr? I swear, listening and trying to transcribe Mayweather Sr. is like trying to hear the words from a record playing backwards while Malignaggi talks like he was translating English at the speed of Chinese.
Anyway, going back to the topic at hand, Malignaggi said Pacquiao was not knocking people out at the lower weights. I think someone forgot to mention to Paulie that Ledwaba is still lying on the same canvas from 2001. Here's real facts for you. Since 2001, Pacquiao has either knocked down or knocked out every single opponent he has faced except for Agapito Sanchez (if you saw that fight, you would know why. Sanchez tagged Pacquiao with low blows, head butts and should have been disqualified). Give me a name that Pacquiao fought whom he did not introduce to the mat? Oscar Dela Hoya might be one, but he quit, which to me really is a lot more devastating. I wonder how those facts escaped Paulie.
Second, Pacquiao's two losses in his career were due to being weight-drained. His first loss actually was a low blow, but that's not the point. When someone talks about facts, he must seek them out first. And fact is, Pacquiao himself was saying before the Marquez fight that it would be his last campaign at 130. Pacquiao was naturally getting bigger as he aged. The thing is with Pacquiao however, ever since he stepped foot in US soil, one thing was said about him by people who witnessed him train. From sparring partners, to fans, to writers, all the way to Freddie Roach and Bob Arum themselves. Pacquiao trains like nobody else they've seen their entire lives. Pacquiao is a hard worker.
"There's no fighter in the world that trains harder than Manny Pacquiao." -- Freddie Roach
So onto Paulie's theory that it's impossible for a "midget" like Manny to gain 15 pounds of muscle mass in a year and a half. Okay, first of all, as I stated, Pacquiao was struggling to make 130 and was dehydrated at the weigh-ins against Marquez in March of 08. There were reports at the weigh-ins that Pacquiao was very cranky and that Roach said Manny was having a hard time making that weight and they would move up in weight after that fight.
Enter Alex Ariza. Roach hired Ariza together with nutritionist Teri Tom to help Pacquiao eat better, and to serve as his strength and conditioning coach. Pacquiao never really had scientific guidance in his regimen in the past, thus the addition of the new scientific training and diet really opened up new doors for Manny. Just ask any NBA player like LeBron or Kobe, these new advancements do give you an edge but it comes with hard work, discipline and dedication, not cheating.
Here's what Ariza and Teri said in an article published by Philstar.com in response to accusatins of steroid use and their top client,
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer except to say that some guys are more genetically gifted than others,” said Tom who was recruited by Pacquiao’s conditioning coach Alex Ariza to join the training team. “I’ve seen over 900 clients in my nutrition practice – that’s a lot of bodies. I know that guys who’ve thought their whole lives that they’re hard gainers often find out that if we pinpoint exactly how much protein and calories they need, and if we monitor and adapt over time, their genetic potential far exceeds their expectations. Obviously, Manny has incredible genetic gifts. Our job is to bring the most out of those gifts.”
Regarding Mayweather Sr., Ariza said he could only expect crazy comments from someone who didn’t even finish high school.
“We use supplements, not steroids,” said Ariza. “Someone who never finished high school, like Mayweather, wouldn’t understand the difference and that’s why they make dumb comments.”
Asked how much longer Pacquiao could fight at a high level given his age, Tom said “while he just keeps getting stronger and faster, a couple of more fights and he’ll probably move on to politics.”
Tom called Pacquiao’s rise from flyweight to possibly the welterweight champion “an incredible run.”
I can go on forever with this, but since I've already said much about this baseless accusation, one has to realize this. After losing to Erik Morales, Pacquiao and Roach worked tirelessly to improve. Pacquiao had his excuses, as most people do, but at the end of the day, he said what he had to say once and went on and did work. Any competitor hates losing. Real winners however, do what it takes to prevent it from happening again. And talking, just as Malignaggi has done throughout his career, blaming anybody from his trainer, promoter to politics as the reason for him being a second-class fighter, well that's a loser's commodity.
Perhaps Paulie said it best when he said in his closing statement about Pacquiao,
"At the end of the day there's just little bit too much out there and I have a hard time digesting it."
By Dyan Castillejo - Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao opened a souvenier shop offering branded "Team Pacquiao" items in Manila on Tuesday.
Pacquiao, along with his wife Jinkee and his entourage, were greeted by swarms of fans at the Robinson's Mall in Ermita, where the "Team Pacquiao" shop was opened.
The shop sells Manny Pacquiao t-shirts (including Nike branded tees), jackets, boxing gloves, shorts, shoes and trinkets that were reportedly handpicked by Jinkee Pacquiao.
The store's opening came barely 2 months after the Pacquiaos opened a "Team Pacquiao" souvenier shop at the Robinson's Place Mall in General Santos City (GenSan), which is Manny's hometown.
The store also offers a selection of signature Manny Pacquiao clothes and accessories.
Each store carries a distinct "Team Pacquiao" logo on the storefront with a scrawled signature bearing the words "By: Manny Pacquiao" below.
Business acumen
This is not the Pacquiao couple's only foray into business, as the pair have opened a boutique and a chain of coffee shops in GenSan.
Jinkee opened her boutique in August this year called "Jinkee's Fashion World" at the JMP Building along Osmeña Street in GenSan.
The high-class boutique, which has a large framed picture of Jinkee near the store counter, sells earrings, blouses, designer printed bags, watches, hair accessories and wallets.
The glass-paneled, green-walled boutique also carries Manny Pacquiao merchandise like jackets, round-necked t-shirts, and ceramic mugs or plastic tumblers with the trademark "Nike Pacquiao Identity Crest" bearing the boxer's initials.
The Pacquiao couple also opened franchises of BluGre Coffee, Davao's leading specialty coffee shop chain, in GenSan.
One of the coffee shops was opened at the JMP Building and another at the Robinson's Place Mall.
Aside from tending to their blossoming businesses, the Pacquiao couple are also busy preparing for Manny Pacquiao's birthday celebration on December 17.
By Ted Gambordella - Here is some great news for all real boxing fans and especially for fans of the Mighty Manny Pacquiao. It is being reported that Pacman will get more than the 50/50 split as originally reported for his fight vs Floyd Mayweather. Here is what boxing.fanhouse.com reports,
Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, will give his fighter a larger guaranteed purse than originally agreed upon, and Arum has been contacted by the Atlanta Falcons' Georgia Dome regarding the potential for being a site for the bout.
The Filipino icon's adviser, Michael Koncz, told FanHouse on Monday that Arum has sweetened the deal for Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts),
"Arum presented a package to us, and we did some minor modifications to it. One of the points that we brought up was the guaranteed purse," said Koncz, referring to their interaction during a two-hour meeting involving Pacquiao, Arum and himself, late last week.
"Bob came to us with an offer, we countered it, and we got what we requested," said Koncz. "That [purse] was the major one, and there were some minor issues -- not so much revolving around money, but with other aspects of the fight."
Although there are reports that the combatants agreed to a 50-50 split, and that Pacquiao, at least, was originally guaranteed $20 million -- plus their shares of any upside to the pay per view revenue -- Koncz said that a gag order is in place for both sides and that, under the circumstances, it would be inappropriate to address any numbers.
There are also reports that Mayweather has been guaranteed at least $20 million, that his name will lead the promotion as "Mayweather-Pacquiao," and that the revenue could push each side's earnings toward the $45 million mark.
"The only ones who know the figures are Manny, myself, Bob Arum, [Golden Boy Promotions'] Richad Schaefer and Floyd Mayweather. So there are other figures floating around out there that may or not be accurate," said Koncz, referring to Schaefer, who is representing Mayweather's side.
"In relation to any figures, I will not substantiate them," said Koncz. "There are gag orders in place, and I don't think that it's appropriate that any deals or negotiations should be negotiated in the press."
This is great news for real boxing fans and it is fair, because Manny is the "reason for the season" and will soon be beating Mayweather's butt.
By Dennis "dSource" Guillermo - Don't worry about Manny and politics because he won't quit until he wins it. He's gonna do whatever it takes and he never really succumbed to logic. That's why he's where he's at and we're all just marvelling at him. For certain special types of people, the sky is simply the limit. So instead of questioning him, why not emulate him? Instead of "nut-hugging" go out and do something and be the best you can be in whatever it is you feel destined- and never let anybody stop you. Because at the end of the day, it's your life, you can't blame anybody and regret because you did things different.. because you listened to them. do as you please.
If you don't see the point in it, don't wonder like Stevie Wonder, because less than a decade ago, nobody saw his arrival as the next big thing in boxing either. For Pacquiao's legacy as one of the greatest pugilists ever is safe. His name as a first-ballot Hall of Fame has been signed, sealed, delivered. Not even Floyd Mayweather Jr. or a pack of his most determined doubters can alter his place in the sport's history. So if he wants to be the next President of the Philippines, I advise you to let Manny be Manny. He deserves the benefit of the doubt. Nobody is perfect, but only losers keep yapping and contentrating about negative things.
To draw some inspiration from The United States' Declaration of Independence where this line written.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Pursue your happiness. Don't be another one of life's bystanders and watch your life go by, spending criticizing other people's mistakes and life choices. If anything, let Pacquiao's accomplishments be a blueprint for your own success story.
Writer's Note: Allow me to rebut Ambassador Gusi's tirade against Pacquiao in the latest Gusi Peace Prize ceremony, true philanthropy and humanitarianism does not need an "award". And respect is not gained and earned through climbing up a podium in a banquet receiving a token for your efforts amidst the applause of the privileged invitees of such a "distinguished" gathering. If I were part of the names being commended for attending the said Peace Prize ceremony, how appreciated can I really feel by being acknowledged for my Peace efforts as a footnote in an angry tirade aimed to boycott a Filipino by another Filipino in a ceremony in the Philippines? I do not question Gusi's efforts, I do question however his judgment with the way he handled this matter given what he stands for.
Manny Pacquiao likely will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13 after agreeing to a proposal from promoter Bob Arum on Friday.
Arum presented "what he thought was the best proposal he can bring" during a two-hour breakfast meeting with Pacquiao in Manila, said Michael Koncz, an adviser of the Philippine boxing idol.
"Manny has some additional requirements, requests, which Arum didn't think was a problem," Koncz said. "The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal."
He said the contract still needs "fine-tuning," declining to elaborate.
"We all believe that it will be done," Koncz said.
In an interview with GMA television, Pacquiao said, "March 13 is OK."
"The difference between Floyd and others I have fought is that Floyd makes a lot of trash talk that should not be imitated by young people," he said.
Arum could not be reached for comment.
If the deal is completed, the bout would be contested at 147 pounds for the welterweight title, a source told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.
Koncz, who is in charge of Pacquiao's boxing promotion company in Nevada, said Pacquiao is "very comfortable" with the date.
Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in May 2010 elections and official campaigning won't start before April.
If the bout goes ahead, it will match two men regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighters.
Boxing fans have been looking forward to a superfight between Pacquiao and the undefeated Mayweather after the Filipino champion defeated Miguel Cotto last month.
The March 13 date comes four months after the Cotto fight -- a shorter period of time than the six months after Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton. But Koncz said it will be enough time for Pacquiao to get back in shape.
"Nobody knows his body better than Manny," he said. "If Manny feels that that's plenty of time to rest and recover, then you know, he has to do what he feels is right."
He said Pacquiao "cannot train for more than seven weeks."
If the fight is agreed upon, there likely would be a Jan. 11 news conference in New York to announce it. The bout could be the richest ever, assuming pay-per-view projections are accurate.
Representatives of the Superdome in New Orleans and the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas have expressed interest in hosting the fight, as has the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas, where the fighters have had their biggest fights. There is also a proposal for a 30,000-seat temporary stadium on the Las Vegas Strip across from the Wynn resort.
Oddsmakers are already taking bets on the fight, with most making Mayweather a slight favorite.
By Gareth A Davies - Freddie Roach, in Newcastle, England, where he is overseeing Amir Khan’s WBA 140lb title defence against Dmitriy Salita here on Saturday night, insists that his Filipino dynamo “is a machine” but revealed at the head to head news conference that he would rather see Manny Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather in May than March 2010.
“We’re going to need a 12-week camp for Mayweather, because we need to look at all the possibilities and work everything out for this fight,” Roach told me. “The March date would be too early. It has got to be May.”
As to Pacquiao being “a machine”, Roach said: “I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of great fighters. From day 1 until now everything we’ve worked on has come into play. He’s a dangerous guy at this point in his life. He’s a machine. You wind him up, and let him go. He’s different. How many guys can go from 112lbs to 147lbs and still be competitive. He’s a throwback. Guys like him come once in a lifetime.”
By Michel Marley - As you read this, a soon-to-turn-age-78-year-old named Robert Arum is piling up the frequent flyer miles from Las Vegas to Manila.
The Top Rank Top Dog isn’t going to the Philippines to discuss Sarangani local politics with Manny Pacquiao.
And he's not traveling through all those time zones and across the International Date Line to extend sympathy because Sports Illustrated tabbed Yankees superstar Derek Jeter as Sportsman of the Year over the more deserving National Fist.
He’s going to see his star client with a firm deal in hand for Pacman to face undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13 in a Las vegas mega bout.
Forget the smokescreens about Pacman fighting junior middleweight champ and rabbinical student Yuri Foreman. And ditto for the one about Mayweather going to Manchester to beat up Matthew Hatton or, as we like to refer to him, Matty Hatty.
Arum has what he feels is a fair and viable deal in hand and he will present same to Pacman for a thumbs up or a thumbs down
If Pacquiao is amenable, septuagenarian Arum might even seal the big deal before his Dec. 8 bithday and well before Dec. 17, when Megamanny turns age 31.
They used to say, “Don’t trust anyone over 30” back in the New Age, Woodstock Generation but promoter and fighter have come to trust each other as they have piled up millions of dollars in tandem in recent Pacquiao bouts, victories all for the Pinoy Idol.
It’s an easy guess that, at least publicly, the revenue split will be said to be 50-50 and I feel that is fair to both sides. Mayweather is unbeaten, he is an American fighting in his homeland and he used to occupy the Pound For Pound throne which now belongs to Pacman.
The working date is March 13 and, again, I totally discount Texas Stadium.
What happens in Vegas won’t stay there when casino operators work together to land this whopper, this once in a generation mega fight.
When Vegas steps up, it will be, “Fumble, Jerry Jones, fumble Cowboys!”
Fight fans won’t have to beware the Ides of March, instead they will embrace it for the Biggest fight That Can Possibly Be Made is coming to fruition.
What say you, Megamanny?
The money is right, the legacy is there for the taking.
In this case, I hope Pacquiao does like Jim Carrey in that movie.
I hope Pacquiao is a “Yes Man.”
Arum lands in Manila bearing an offer, Manny, that you can’t refuse.
Fight fans are disappointed that the super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been called off.
The fight was called off after the mediation process collapsed due to the Mayweather camp’s refusal to accept Pacquiao’s concession.
Arum said the biggest loser in the talk’s collapse was Golden Boy Promotions.
