By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
Just after New Year, and up to the days before Manny Pacquiao used Joshua Clottey like a wooden heavy bag, in a prize fighting ring dwarfed in the vast cavernous city stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Freddie Roach spoke to me more than once, impressing on me the fact that lightning-fisted Pacquiao would face Shane Mosley if he had to.
But in his heart of hearts, Roach knew that he could not back Mosley to beat Mayweather. This week he has delivered his counsel. Mayweather on points. The reason ? Styles. “Mosley likes guys coming at him, that’s why he looked so good against [Antonio] Margarito, but it is not the same story when he fights counter-punchers.”
“Manny wanted to face Margarito after he beat Oscar De La Hoya. Margarito suited Mosley down to his bootlaces. Mayweather won’t do that. Mayweather will bide his time, and he’ll be quicker than Mosley.”
“Mayweather is a brilliant boxer, but he’s not a crowd pleaser. It may not be a great fight.” Roach admits that he wants Mayweather to look at his peak – as he did in his last outing against Juan Manuel Marquez, although he was around 20lbs heavier – and believes the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, will be made.
Compromises, of course, will have to be reached. “Manny wants the fight. The drug testing issue is there, but we’ll come to an agreement. I’d like Manny to fight Mayweather next, if Mayweather wins, and then retire after that fight. It would be the greatest test for Manny, and he would have to fight the perfect fight. I think Manny has nowhere to go after that, and I’m just pleased he has lots of interests and businesses outside the sport.”
Deep down, several times when I have spoken to Roach about Mayweather-Pacquiao, there is the sense from him that it is almost a step too far for Pacquiao, given the natural differences in size, and yet he wants to stretch his charge of 9 years with every sinew to get the most from him. And Mayweather as opponent might just do that. I know behind the scenes that Pacquiao is genuinely angry with the Mayweathers and how they have couched certain claims against him. Angry enough to want to turn that energy spiteful in a ring.
However, if Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t happen, Roach can foresee two more fights for Pacquiao, potentially involving Juan Manuel Marquez, or Antonio Margarito. For the next two weeks, however, Pacquiao has other things on his mind: like being elected as the congressional representative in Sarangani Province, Mindanao, the birthplace of his wife Jinkee, and the residence of his in-laws.
In the next two weeks, over the space of ten days between May 1 and May 10 the paths of Pacquiao and Mayweather may become inextricably linked, or forever frozen and divided. For millions of sports fan around the world, the hope is that the two masterful ring exponents will meet in a ring in the US, and herald the fight of this generation.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Senin, 26 April 2010
A match for Manny Pacquiao? I'm even better than Muhammad Ali, boasts Floyd Mayweather -- Daily Mail
By JEFF POWELL, DailyMail.co.ukFloyd Mayweather Jnr is not only the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today - better even than Manny Pacquiao - but he is the greatest boxer ever, greater even than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Who says so?
Why, Floyd Mayweather Jnr himself. That's who.
Money, not Modesty, is Mayweather's ring moniker and there is no sign of faux humility when he evaluates his own place in the spectrum of all-time pugilists.'Ali was a great fighter,' he acknowledges, 'but I'm better. Robinson was a great fighter, but I'm better.'
So much for the two legends who monopolise most of the discussions when connoisseurs of the hardest game wrangle over who is the all-time lord of the ring.
As for Pacquiao, who has supplanted Mayweather in most assessments of the mythical pound-for-pound champion of the moment, apparently he cannot even be certain of a future place in boxing's Hall of Fame.
Nor, for that matter, can the man he faces in Las Vegas this coming Saturday night.
Sugar Shane Mosley - the interim opponent prior to Mayweather-Pacquiao, if that blockbuster ever happens - is damned thus with faint praise: 'He's a solid middleweight.'
So dismissive is Mayweather of Mosley's standing as reigning WBA world welterweight champion that he is not bothering to compete for that belt when they enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden arena.
Money is his nickname and he is refusing to part with that small portion of his fortune which he would have had to pay the World Boxing Association to sanction this as a title fight.
'Why should I bother with a belt?' he asks. 'Just beating Mosley will be enough to enhance my legacy.'
Actually, it would have done more for his reputation had these two fought a few years ago, when the now 38-year-old Mosley was in his prime.
Although not enough to dissuade most of us from the opinion that Mr Ali is The Greatest, and probably always will be.
That belief is unruffled by Mayweather's dismissive suggestion that Ali and Robinson are only defied because they took part in 'hundreds of fights'.
He is right to assert that the advent of pay-per-view television - with the networks needing months to sell each product to their subscribers - has played its part in reducing the number of bouts demanded of the modern-day boxer.
But while that is not his fault - and even though he regrets that the regulations now prevent him proving himself a throwback to the 15-round warriors of yore - does his 40-fight unbeaten record really stand comparison with the near-100 contests won by Julio Cesar Chavez before his first loss?
One hallmark of a great champion is his ability to come back from defeat but with Mayweather boxing so infrequently - and tending to select older (Mosley) or smaller (Marquez) opponents when he does so, we may never get the chance to judge him in that context.
Not unless he meets Pacquiao - yes, smaller, but equipped with the power to unhinge larger men - and that fight still seems as remote as it did the moment Mayweather threw a sudden demand for blood-testing into the negotiations.
So greater than Ali? Dream on.
Froch threatens to quit Super Six as promoter denies Abraham agreement
The agony for Carl Froch deepened on Monday when German promoter Wilfried Sauerland categorically denied shaking hands on a deal for the Nottingham Cobra's decisive super-middleweight clash with Arthur Abraham to take place in England.
The Super Six series to unify the world championship - the WBC version of which Froch lost to Mikkel Kessler in Saturday's epic battle in Denmark - provides for a mix of home and away matches in the three fights required of each contestant in the group stage.
Froch, having won at home to Andre Dirrell and lost away to Kessler, has been counting on home advantage against Abraham. Now Sauerland, who promotes both Kessler and Abraham, is pressing for either a neutral venue or Berlin for Abraham, a Germany-domiciled Armenian.
Mick Hennessy, Froch's promoter, claims they had a gentleman's agreement for the fight to take place in Nottingham, saying: 'There were witnesses.'
Sauerland says: 'There is nothing in the contract to that effect, nor was there any verbal deal or handshake. The only stipulation is that it happens in Europe, with the best financial situation taking preference.
'Arthur has already had to travel all the way to California to fight Andre Ward, while Froch had a private jet for his short trip to Denmark. A reasonable compromise would be a neutral venue, otherwise we should go for the most rewarding venue.'
Froch has threatened to pull out of the Super Six if he is forced to travel again, although he is unlikely to withdraw as he is on at least a million pounds per fight in the series.
Both he and Abraham need a win to be certain of qualifying for the even more lucrative semi-finals. Froch, having lost his unbeaten record as well as his WBC belt to Kessler by a unanimous points decision, is wary of being on the wrong end of a home-town verdict against Abraham, who is hugely popular in his adoptive Germany.
The negotiations, which will include America's Showtime television network who are bankrolling the tournament, now threaten to be as aggressive as the fight.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Bob Arum: Bombastic Burstein has lost his mind on Mosley, Pacquiao cases -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
"The cases that I've really focused on are the cases against Richard and Oscar, because we're working together on this. I don't think that Jesus Christ could come down off of the cross and win Manny's case against Richard and Oscar." -- GOLDEN BOY LAWYER JUDD BURSTEIN, speaking to Lem "The Gem" Satterfield on AOL Fan House.
No stranger to bombastic declarations himself, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum seems to be more bemused than angered by the heavy verbal artillery coming out of the nonstop mouth of Burstein.
Burstein went on to label Pacman's lawsuit against the Golden Boys as "shockingly stupid" and added that the pair only rendered First Amendment protected opinions about the Pinoy Idol using illegal drugs. To hear Burstein tell it, Manny is burning money with a frivolous case.
"Look, he said a dog could win the defamation for his client, Shane Mosley, against (BALCO figure) Victor Conte and then he said Jesus Christ could not win the defamation case for Manny. So I guess it's better to have your defamation case anagolized to Jesus Christ than to some dog.
"I think this guy, Burstein, has really lost his mind," the Top Rank honcho said from his Las Vegas headquarters. "Those statements and his threatening treatment of that (New York Daily News) reporter is not indicative of a lawyer's type of conduct or behavior."
Arum once had New York based Burstein representing him on a matter way back when the attorney was working for prominent legal eagle Jay Goldberg. Goldberg as long been a stalwart of the criminal defense bar and, on the civil side, been the advocate for the likes of mogul Donald Trump.
"I have no idea what Burstein is thinking when he says these things. Our lawyer handling Manny's case, Daniel Petrocelli, says let Burstein keep spouting off. It will be dealt with in court where it should be properly handled.
"It looks to me that Conte has a complete defense to Mosley's defamation action and that is the truth. Now, if Burstein felt he had such a strong case there, why wouldn't he say something like, 'It's a difficult case but we expect to win, we feel confident.' Instead, he says a dog could win the case, Why spout off like that?
"I just can't figure Burstein out here. I mean, if you really are bullish on your case, then why say a dog could win it?"
Conte, meanwhile told Mark Vester at Boxingscene. com that he thinks Burstein is merely trying to burn a hole in Mosley's deep pockets, saying:
"It seems to me that Judd Burstein needs to listen to his own advise that he is offering to Manny Pacquiao. It's my opinion that Shane Mosley's defamation case against me cannot be won by him and that Burstein has already made Shane look terrible. It's also my opinion that Burstein's primary concern is to keep his meter running at $1,000 an hour for legal fees and continue to fill his pockets with Shane Mosley's money," Conte said to BoxingScene.com.
Turning to other topics, Arum said he is getting extremely positive reports on Pacman's Congressional campaign in Saragani Province.
"I'm hearing now that Manny is the favorite. I know they are using (wife) Jinkee in a very, very good way. This time, unlike last time (when Pacquiao lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio in General Santos City), the Pacquiao team is very optimistic.
"I think that, last time, they were very disorganized and now they are well organized."
Regarding what happens with Floyd Mayweather-Mosley on May 1, Arum said the rematch clause only applies if 9-2 betting underdog Mosley springs a huge upset.
"Who gives a spit what Mayweather does?" Arum barked. "We will see what happens but we've got Antonio Margarito returning May 8 in Mexico and we expect 22,000 fans. It is selling very well. We will have a sellout crowd down there.
"If Manny wins the election and now I'm thinking he will, then he won't fight again until November."
I asked Arum to comment on Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez's remarks that "enemies of the Bolivarian revolution" in that country, including some in the media, wanted to destroy Top Rank's lightweight champion Edwin Valero and may have driven him to killing his wife and then committing suicide. To be fair, Chavez also mentioned Valero's out of control drug and alcohol habits.
"Figuring out what Hugo Chavez says and why he says it like trying to figure out Burstein's comments, really. It's the same thing."
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
"The cases that I've really focused on are the cases against Richard and Oscar, because we're working together on this. I don't think that Jesus Christ could come down off of the cross and win Manny's case against Richard and Oscar." -- GOLDEN BOY LAWYER JUDD BURSTEIN, speaking to Lem "The Gem" Satterfield on AOL Fan House.
No stranger to bombastic declarations himself, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum seems to be more bemused than angered by the heavy verbal artillery coming out of the nonstop mouth of Burstein.
Burstein went on to label Pacman's lawsuit against the Golden Boys as "shockingly stupid" and added that the pair only rendered First Amendment protected opinions about the Pinoy Idol using illegal drugs. To hear Burstein tell it, Manny is burning money with a frivolous case.
"Look, he said a dog could win the defamation for his client, Shane Mosley, against (BALCO figure) Victor Conte and then he said Jesus Christ could not win the defamation case for Manny. So I guess it's better to have your defamation case anagolized to Jesus Christ than to some dog.
"I think this guy, Burstein, has really lost his mind," the Top Rank honcho said from his Las Vegas headquarters. "Those statements and his threatening treatment of that (New York Daily News) reporter is not indicative of a lawyer's type of conduct or behavior."
Arum once had New York based Burstein representing him on a matter way back when the attorney was working for prominent legal eagle Jay Goldberg. Goldberg as long been a stalwart of the criminal defense bar and, on the civil side, been the advocate for the likes of mogul Donald Trump.
"I have no idea what Burstein is thinking when he says these things. Our lawyer handling Manny's case, Daniel Petrocelli, says let Burstein keep spouting off. It will be dealt with in court where it should be properly handled.
"It looks to me that Conte has a complete defense to Mosley's defamation action and that is the truth. Now, if Burstein felt he had such a strong case there, why wouldn't he say something like, 'It's a difficult case but we expect to win, we feel confident.' Instead, he says a dog could win the case, Why spout off like that?
"I just can't figure Burstein out here. I mean, if you really are bullish on your case, then why say a dog could win it?"
Conte, meanwhile told Mark Vester at Boxingscene. com that he thinks Burstein is merely trying to burn a hole in Mosley's deep pockets, saying:
"It seems to me that Judd Burstein needs to listen to his own advise that he is offering to Manny Pacquiao. It's my opinion that Shane Mosley's defamation case against me cannot be won by him and that Burstein has already made Shane look terrible. It's also my opinion that Burstein's primary concern is to keep his meter running at $1,000 an hour for legal fees and continue to fill his pockets with Shane Mosley's money," Conte said to BoxingScene.com.
Turning to other topics, Arum said he is getting extremely positive reports on Pacman's Congressional campaign in Saragani Province.
"I'm hearing now that Manny is the favorite. I know they are using (wife) Jinkee in a very, very good way. This time, unlike last time (when Pacquiao lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio in General Santos City), the Pacquiao team is very optimistic.
"I think that, last time, they were very disorganized and now they are well organized."
Regarding what happens with Floyd Mayweather-Mosley on May 1, Arum said the rematch clause only applies if 9-2 betting underdog Mosley springs a huge upset.
"Who gives a spit what Mayweather does?" Arum barked. "We will see what happens but we've got Antonio Margarito returning May 8 in Mexico and we expect 22,000 fans. It is selling very well. We will have a sellout crowd down there.
"If Manny wins the election and now I'm thinking he will, then he won't fight again until November."
I asked Arum to comment on Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez's remarks that "enemies of the Bolivarian revolution" in that country, including some in the media, wanted to destroy Top Rank's lightweight champion Edwin Valero and may have driven him to killing his wife and then committing suicide. To be fair, Chavez also mentioned Valero's out of control drug and alcohol habits.
"Figuring out what Hugo Chavez says and why he says it like trying to figure out Burstein's comments, really. It's the same thing."
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Boxer Pacquiao runs for office in Philippines -- Washington Post
By OLIVER TEVES, The Associated Press
SAN MIGUEL, Philippines -- The pounding beat of "Eye of the Tiger" from "Rocky III" blasted from speakers as Manny Pacquiao's black Hummer pulled up at an open-air basketball court on a recent humid evening.
The world welterweight boxing champion, seeking a seat in the Philippine Congress, waved to hundreds of cheering fans as he emerged from the vehicle in jeans and a blue vest bearing the name of his political party, the People's Champ Movement.
His earlier life as a poor laborer and baker only a memory, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer and one of the wealthiest men in his impoverished homeland is now trying to translate his enormous appeal into votes in the May 10 election.
"I don't want to be just your boxing idol," he told the crowd from a makeshift stage on the back of a truck. "I also want be your idol in public service."
If successful, Pacquiao would join many other Filipino celebrities and former athletes who have won seats in Congress in the past two decades, a departure from the past when the legislature used to be the exclusive domain of powerful landed dynasties and old clans.
Some celebrity candidates have been the butt of jokes for their inability to craft complex policies and engage in debates. Movie star Joseph Estrada, a college dropout, was ridiculed after winning the presidency in 1998 and forced out over corruption allegations in 2001. He is back as a long-shot candidate for president.
Pacquiao, who lost a congressional race in 2007, faces an uphill battle against an opponent from an entrenched political family, said political analyst Ramon Casiple. Voters today look for a record of service and don' vote on popularity alone, he added.
The 31-year-old boxer known to his fans as "Pacman," the holder of seven world boxing titles, has added to his fame - and riches - since then.
He made at least $12 million in his latest win over Joshua Clottey in March, after pocketing $30 million for beating Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 and Ricky Hatton in 2009, according to Forbes magazine, which lists him as one of the world's richest athletes.
Pacquiao also has a side career as a singer, and his smiling face adorns ads for dandruff shampoo, food products and Nike shoes.
"I could just sit back and relax and not have anything to do with politics. I could just travel around and enjoy my life with my family," Pacquiao told the crowd in San Miguel, a remote corn-farming village in Sarangani province in the southern Philippines. "But I came from a very poor family, and I cannot turn my back on the poor."
He spoke of how he slept on cardboard in the street as a child. When there wasn't enough money for rice, his family ate coconuts and bananas. He dropped out of school to earn money and focus on boxing and passed a high school equivalency test only in 2007.
The boxing champ said he knows poverty all too well, so he can relate to the populace in a country where a third of the people live on $1 a day and 3,000 Filipinos daily leave for jobs abroad.
He describes his platform as "very simple, very basic" - giving small boats to fishermen and financial support to neighborhood stores so people can build livelihoods, plus offering free education and medicine and medical care to the poor.
"The reason why so many people are poor is that politicians think of nothing except how to recover the money they spent during the elections," he said.
His opponent, Roy Chiongbian, questions whether Pacquiao has the experience to be a lawmaker.
"If a person looks at him as a world boxing champion, then I don't have any problem," he told The Associated Press. "But if a person looks at him as a politician, then I do have a problem."
Chiongbian, 61, hails from a politically powerful and wealthy family. His father authored the 1992 law that created Sarangani province and became its first congressman. His mother served as governor and his nephew is the current vice governor.
He wants to succeed his elder brother, Erwin, who is stepping down after nine years because of term limits.
Chiongbian said he and Pacquiao have similar programs, but he is banking on his family's track record, citing a well-paved highway linking all seven provincial towns.
He has the vote of 34-year-old fisherman Munib Tan. "This guy is knowledgeable," he said. "Pacquiao is only good at boxing."
But Reynaldo Junas, a 46-year-old motorcycle taxi driver and charcoal trader, wants to give Pacquiao a chance. "Let us try someone who has not yet been in power," he said. "If he doesn't perform, he won't get re-elected."
Win or lose, Pacquiao would not comment on a return to the ring.
Negotiations for a proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart early this year amid a dispute over drug-testing, and Pacquiao said that his mother, Dionisia, wants him to quit.
"We haven't talked about that - maybe after the election," he said, then added with a chuckle, "Mommy D. will decide that."
Source: washingtonpost.com
SAN MIGUEL, Philippines -- The pounding beat of "Eye of the Tiger" from "Rocky III" blasted from speakers as Manny Pacquiao's black Hummer pulled up at an open-air basketball court on a recent humid evening.
The world welterweight boxing champion, seeking a seat in the Philippine Congress, waved to hundreds of cheering fans as he emerged from the vehicle in jeans and a blue vest bearing the name of his political party, the People's Champ Movement.
His earlier life as a poor laborer and baker only a memory, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer and one of the wealthiest men in his impoverished homeland is now trying to translate his enormous appeal into votes in the May 10 election.
"I don't want to be just your boxing idol," he told the crowd from a makeshift stage on the back of a truck. "I also want be your idol in public service."
If successful, Pacquiao would join many other Filipino celebrities and former athletes who have won seats in Congress in the past two decades, a departure from the past when the legislature used to be the exclusive domain of powerful landed dynasties and old clans.
Some celebrity candidates have been the butt of jokes for their inability to craft complex policies and engage in debates. Movie star Joseph Estrada, a college dropout, was ridiculed after winning the presidency in 1998 and forced out over corruption allegations in 2001. He is back as a long-shot candidate for president.
Pacquiao, who lost a congressional race in 2007, faces an uphill battle against an opponent from an entrenched political family, said political analyst Ramon Casiple. Voters today look for a record of service and don' vote on popularity alone, he added.
The 31-year-old boxer known to his fans as "Pacman," the holder of seven world boxing titles, has added to his fame - and riches - since then.
He made at least $12 million in his latest win over Joshua Clottey in March, after pocketing $30 million for beating Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 and Ricky Hatton in 2009, according to Forbes magazine, which lists him as one of the world's richest athletes.
Pacquiao also has a side career as a singer, and his smiling face adorns ads for dandruff shampoo, food products and Nike shoes.
"I could just sit back and relax and not have anything to do with politics. I could just travel around and enjoy my life with my family," Pacquiao told the crowd in San Miguel, a remote corn-farming village in Sarangani province in the southern Philippines. "But I came from a very poor family, and I cannot turn my back on the poor."
He spoke of how he slept on cardboard in the street as a child. When there wasn't enough money for rice, his family ate coconuts and bananas. He dropped out of school to earn money and focus on boxing and passed a high school equivalency test only in 2007.
The boxing champ said he knows poverty all too well, so he can relate to the populace in a country where a third of the people live on $1 a day and 3,000 Filipinos daily leave for jobs abroad.
He describes his platform as "very simple, very basic" - giving small boats to fishermen and financial support to neighborhood stores so people can build livelihoods, plus offering free education and medicine and medical care to the poor.
"The reason why so many people are poor is that politicians think of nothing except how to recover the money they spent during the elections," he said.
His opponent, Roy Chiongbian, questions whether Pacquiao has the experience to be a lawmaker.
"If a person looks at him as a world boxing champion, then I don't have any problem," he told The Associated Press. "But if a person looks at him as a politician, then I do have a problem."
Chiongbian, 61, hails from a politically powerful and wealthy family. His father authored the 1992 law that created Sarangani province and became its first congressman. His mother served as governor and his nephew is the current vice governor.
He wants to succeed his elder brother, Erwin, who is stepping down after nine years because of term limits.
Chiongbian said he and Pacquiao have similar programs, but he is banking on his family's track record, citing a well-paved highway linking all seven provincial towns.
He has the vote of 34-year-old fisherman Munib Tan. "This guy is knowledgeable," he said. "Pacquiao is only good at boxing."
But Reynaldo Junas, a 46-year-old motorcycle taxi driver and charcoal trader, wants to give Pacquiao a chance. "Let us try someone who has not yet been in power," he said. "If he doesn't perform, he won't get re-elected."
Win or lose, Pacquiao would not comment on a return to the ring.
Negotiations for a proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart early this year amid a dispute over drug-testing, and Pacquiao said that his mother, Dionisia, wants him to quit.
"We haven't talked about that - maybe after the election," he said, then added with a chuckle, "Mommy D. will decide that."
Source: washingtonpost.com
Former champion John Ruiz retires from boxing -- Yahoo! News
By The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS – Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.
The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.
Ruiz was knocked down four times in a loss to David Haye this month. He hit the canvas twice in the first round, and his trainer ended the fight in the ninth.
Ruiz defeated three world champions — Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker. He fought in 12 championship bouts and became the first Latino heavyweight champion.
He plans to move his family from Las Vegas to his home in the Boston area and open a boxing gym in the city.
Source: news.yahoo.com
LAS VEGAS – Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.
The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.
Ruiz was knocked down four times in a loss to David Haye this month. He hit the canvas twice in the first round, and his trainer ended the fight in the ninth.
Ruiz defeated three world champions — Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker. He fought in 12 championship bouts and became the first Latino heavyweight champion.
He plans to move his family from Las Vegas to his home in the Boston area and open a boxing gym in the city.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Amir Khan Already Talking Retirement, Says He'll Be Gone By Age 28 - But Not Before Having His Share Of Big Fights -- Eastside Boxing
By James Slater, Eastside Boxing
Ask some fighters, or fight experts, and they will tell you that as soon as a boxer starts to even talk openly about retiring, he is already halfway towards quitting the ring. Fans of Amir Khan, the reigning WBA light-welterweight champion, had better hope this is not true in the case of the 23-year-old..
Yet while Khan is only 23 and a mere 23 fights into his pro career, he has been talking already about how and when he plans to quit the ring. Speaking with popular British newspaper The News of The World yesterday, Khan said he will call it a day at the age of 28, in the year 2015. However, the former Olympian also made it clear how he wants to take on the best fighters his 140-pound weight class has to offer before he's through - and that, according to the Bolton man, means fights against Floyud Mayweather Junior and Manny Pacquiao.
"In the next four years I will have all my big fights, so in five years time I will be gone," Khan said to the paper. "When I hit my peak I will be fighting men like Floyd Mayweather Junior and Manny Pacquiao. They will be my last few fights. There are so many big fights in my division, but my body will tell me when to call it a day."
Khan, who faces the slick Paulie Malignaggi on May 15th, in what will be his U.S debut and second defence of his WBA 140-pound belt, may well be out of luck if he really believes he will be facing either Mayweather or Pacquiao in 2014 or 2015. Mayweather, still unbeaten at 40-0, is 33 years-old now, and will almost certainly be retired himself long before 2014. While Pacquiao, who has ambitions, as we know, of a political nature, is currently aged 31 and will also surely be retired and in The Hall of Fame long before Khan hits his peak.
It's strange that Khan is even talking about when he will call it a day, because, despite his not inconsiderable accomplishments, he has not made his mark on the world scene quite yet, nor has he convinced the critics he is the real deal. Shouldn't Khan be focused on proving how good he is instead of mapping out his retirement plan? Then again, fellow Brit and WBA heavyweight champ David Haye has also made it clear how he has made up his mind about when he will retire; so maybe modern day fighters are simply better equipped than their predecessors when it comes to planning their later years.
Still, Khan should certainly be worrying more about Malignaggi and less about his exit from the sport. For if "King Khan" is looking past "The Magic Man" and if he loses as a result, his exit from the upper echelons of the sport could come much sooner than he thinks!
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Ask some fighters, or fight experts, and they will tell you that as soon as a boxer starts to even talk openly about retiring, he is already halfway towards quitting the ring. Fans of Amir Khan, the reigning WBA light-welterweight champion, had better hope this is not true in the case of the 23-year-old..
Yet while Khan is only 23 and a mere 23 fights into his pro career, he has been talking already about how and when he plans to quit the ring. Speaking with popular British newspaper The News of The World yesterday, Khan said he will call it a day at the age of 28, in the year 2015. However, the former Olympian also made it clear how he wants to take on the best fighters his 140-pound weight class has to offer before he's through - and that, according to the Bolton man, means fights against Floyud Mayweather Junior and Manny Pacquiao.
"In the next four years I will have all my big fights, so in five years time I will be gone," Khan said to the paper. "When I hit my peak I will be fighting men like Floyd Mayweather Junior and Manny Pacquiao. They will be my last few fights. There are so many big fights in my division, but my body will tell me when to call it a day."
Khan, who faces the slick Paulie Malignaggi on May 15th, in what will be his U.S debut and second defence of his WBA 140-pound belt, may well be out of luck if he really believes he will be facing either Mayweather or Pacquiao in 2014 or 2015. Mayweather, still unbeaten at 40-0, is 33 years-old now, and will almost certainly be retired himself long before 2014. While Pacquiao, who has ambitions, as we know, of a political nature, is currently aged 31 and will also surely be retired and in The Hall of Fame long before Khan hits his peak.
It's strange that Khan is even talking about when he will call it a day, because, despite his not inconsiderable accomplishments, he has not made his mark on the world scene quite yet, nor has he convinced the critics he is the real deal. Shouldn't Khan be focused on proving how good he is instead of mapping out his retirement plan? Then again, fellow Brit and WBA heavyweight champ David Haye has also made it clear how he has made up his mind about when he will retire; so maybe modern day fighters are simply better equipped than their predecessors when it comes to planning their later years.
Still, Khan should certainly be worrying more about Malignaggi and less about his exit from the sport. For if "King Khan" is looking past "The Magic Man" and if he loses as a result, his exit from the upper echelons of the sport could come much sooner than he thinks!
Source: eastsideboxing.com
No Khan Do: Amir wants Pacquiao, Mayweather -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
Maybe I botched the story line here.
Maybe I got it all wrong because I thought it was Ricky Hatton who was going into standup comedy and not Amir Khan.
But, right now, it's Khan who is making with the jokes.
Both Coach Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao must be having a good heehaw, meaning a right old guffaw along the lines of a kneeslapper, concerning the "future book" as dreamed up by young Khan.
Speaking with the bravado and impetousness of youth, Kid Khan has proclaimed that he will retire from the ring within five years and that, on the tail end of his enriching career, he will fight "guys like Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr."
Keep in mind Kid Khan will only turn age 24 in December, 10 days before Pacman turns 32.
I think the key words, the important phrase, here is "guys like..."
Five years from now would make Money May Shane Mosley's current age, which is 38, and I would dollars to boxes of balut that Mayweather is not fighting then unless it's an ongoing altercation with the Infernal Internal Revnue Service which makes him do so.
At his current clip, though, Mayweather's tax and other debts should be retired before he hangs up the gloves and moves on to become a fulltime shamster in pro wrestling, Roller Derby or the rap music demimonde.
As for Pacman, who in their right mind thinks he will be scrapping for dollars at age 36?
At some point, his Ayling Dionesia's maternal voice or that of Good Wife Jinkee will lay down the law and Megamanny will become a fulltime promoter or politician/promoter and real estate magnate.
Notice I said magnate and not maggot, my friends.
Perhaps Khan needs a sitdown session with the foggy crystal ball of the damn alluring Madam Auring on the prognostication table between he and the Pinay forecaster.
Chances are he fights neither Pacman nor Flighty Floydster.
But you have to like his stated goals, much like the novice mountain climber who cites the Matterhorn or Kilaminjaro as heighs he wants to reach.
No doubt Khan-Pacman would be a big moolah match.
But what about the plight of Roach and conditioning guru Alex Ariza.
This is a bit more complex than when stablemates Jimmy Ellis and Muhammad Ali threw down in the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Houston Astrodome.
Ali's team stayed intact for that intramural scrum except that chief strategist Angelo Dundee, trainer for both but also Elllis' manager, abandoned Muhammad for that one bout. You might say Dundee beat Dundee that night (I was there along with a hatless Bery Sugar) as Ali did not strain in stopping his hometown (Louisville) crony.
Dundee shed his "Jimmy Ellis" sweater and was back in both their corners for successive bouts against the outside world.
Roach and, to a lesser extent Ariza, cannot switch teams so freely.
I don't think either man would do that even with a script in place.
Now if Khan goes out and hires a new trainer and a new conditioning coach, the wheels might be greased for such a showdown in the ring.
The Khan who figures to beat Yo Paulie Malignaggi May 15 is no real threat to Mayweather or Pacman if we keep our analysis in the "now" rather than in future years.
At 31 and 33, they are Prime Time Players looking down on lesser lights.
So let's admire the 23 year old Khan's mighty ambitions and laugh up our sleeves.
If nothing else, his declaration makes it clear he does not feel threatened in the least by Malignaggi.
Khan wants to chop down the Redwoods, the biggest trees, and thinks he will trample Malignaggi like a slight and insignificant bush.
I guess he figures he will outdo how countryman Ricky Hatton handled the Brooklyn boxer.
Continued success keeps Khan in the Pacquiao-Mayweather orbit, sure.
But he's a tiny star compared to their interplanetary status.
That's why he qualified himself. That's why he referred to "guys like..."
Smart thinking, kid, smart thinking.
Khan wants fights against Mayweather AND Pacquiao.
People in Hell want ice water also.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Maybe I botched the story line here.
Maybe I got it all wrong because I thought it was Ricky Hatton who was going into standup comedy and not Amir Khan.
But, right now, it's Khan who is making with the jokes.
Both Coach Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao must be having a good heehaw, meaning a right old guffaw along the lines of a kneeslapper, concerning the "future book" as dreamed up by young Khan.
Speaking with the bravado and impetousness of youth, Kid Khan has proclaimed that he will retire from the ring within five years and that, on the tail end of his enriching career, he will fight "guys like Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr."
Keep in mind Kid Khan will only turn age 24 in December, 10 days before Pacman turns 32.
I think the key words, the important phrase, here is "guys like..."
Five years from now would make Money May Shane Mosley's current age, which is 38, and I would dollars to boxes of balut that Mayweather is not fighting then unless it's an ongoing altercation with the Infernal Internal Revnue Service which makes him do so.
At his current clip, though, Mayweather's tax and other debts should be retired before he hangs up the gloves and moves on to become a fulltime shamster in pro wrestling, Roller Derby or the rap music demimonde.
As for Pacman, who in their right mind thinks he will be scrapping for dollars at age 36?
At some point, his Ayling Dionesia's maternal voice or that of Good Wife Jinkee will lay down the law and Megamanny will become a fulltime promoter or politician/promoter and real estate magnate.
Notice I said magnate and not maggot, my friends.
Perhaps Khan needs a sitdown session with the foggy crystal ball of the damn alluring Madam Auring on the prognostication table between he and the Pinay forecaster.
Chances are he fights neither Pacman nor Flighty Floydster.
But you have to like his stated goals, much like the novice mountain climber who cites the Matterhorn or Kilaminjaro as heighs he wants to reach.
No doubt Khan-Pacman would be a big moolah match.
But what about the plight of Roach and conditioning guru Alex Ariza.
This is a bit more complex than when stablemates Jimmy Ellis and Muhammad Ali threw down in the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Houston Astrodome.
Ali's team stayed intact for that intramural scrum except that chief strategist Angelo Dundee, trainer for both but also Elllis' manager, abandoned Muhammad for that one bout. You might say Dundee beat Dundee that night (I was there along with a hatless Bery Sugar) as Ali did not strain in stopping his hometown (Louisville) crony.
Dundee shed his "Jimmy Ellis" sweater and was back in both their corners for successive bouts against the outside world.
Roach and, to a lesser extent Ariza, cannot switch teams so freely.
I don't think either man would do that even with a script in place.
Now if Khan goes out and hires a new trainer and a new conditioning coach, the wheels might be greased for such a showdown in the ring.
The Khan who figures to beat Yo Paulie Malignaggi May 15 is no real threat to Mayweather or Pacman if we keep our analysis in the "now" rather than in future years.
At 31 and 33, they are Prime Time Players looking down on lesser lights.
So let's admire the 23 year old Khan's mighty ambitions and laugh up our sleeves.
If nothing else, his declaration makes it clear he does not feel threatened in the least by Malignaggi.
Khan wants to chop down the Redwoods, the biggest trees, and thinks he will trample Malignaggi like a slight and insignificant bush.
I guess he figures he will outdo how countryman Ricky Hatton handled the Brooklyn boxer.
Continued success keeps Khan in the Pacquiao-Mayweather orbit, sure.
But he's a tiny star compared to their interplanetary status.
That's why he qualified himself. That's why he referred to "guys like..."
Smart thinking, kid, smart thinking.
Khan wants fights against Mayweather AND Pacquiao.
People in Hell want ice water also.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
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