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Mayweather-Pacquiao Not Likely, Fewer Care
Manny was 147, Marquez 143 at the Friday weigh-in. (Chris Farina-Top Rank)
LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao sat on a sofa surrounded by a gaggle of sportswriters earlier this week and for perhaps the longest period of time in years The Name did not come up.
Pacquiao talked at length about the long and winding road he has walked with Juan Manuel Marquez, one that will lead them both into the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday night for the fourth time with the differences between them yet to be convincingly ironed out.
He talked of a religious rebirth, of past transgressions, of Marquez’ possible use of performance enhancing drugs and the rumors swirling around them both in that regard, of the need for Marquez to change the counter punching style that has so confounded Pacquiao and the hope that this time the bout will end in a knockout, not another disputed decision.
Through all of this The Name never came up. Finally, Associated Press columnist Tim Dahlberg could take it no longer. He uttered it.
“Is this the longest you’ve gone (at a press briefing) without the name Floyd Mayweather coming up?’’ he asked.
Pacquiao laughed, nodding his head in affirmation. It wasn’t a nervous laugh but it should have been because underneath the question was a disturbing fact: nobody really cares any more if the two of them fight or not.
If eventually they do, the fight will still do big business. It may become the biggest pay-per-view sale in boxing history and would pack the house in Las Vegas or, if the two fighters are really smart, someplace like Cowboys Stadium in Texas where there are many more seats than on The Strip and no state income tax or unions to run up costs.
But if it does happen, which remains a long shot, it will also be like stale bread: something you’ll eat if you’re starving but the taste for it will be gone.
“That’s not going to happen,” growled Pacquiao’s ever truculent promoter, Bob Arum, this week, when asked about the possibility of the two finally squaring off in what was once seen as a future of boxing type of fight.
“Al Haymon (Mayweather’s manager) is just dangling Mayweather,” meaning Haymon is using Mayweather’s celebrity to drive business in the way Arum and Don King often did in the past with their top attractions.
In the midst of Pacquiao-Marquez IV week, Mayweather’s long-time advisor and confidante, Leonard Ellerbee, let it be known that the long absent Mayweather will return to the ring May 4, 2013, Cinco de Mayo weekend. He added that for the first time in several years Mayweather intends to box twice in 2013, leaving an unexpressed hint that the second fight could possibly be a September showdown with the man everyone once wanted to see him fight so badly but all that pronouncement really did was guarantee for fight fans at least one and possibly two weekends next year when it will be forced to choose between a Mayweather fight and one promoted by Arum because both Arum and Golden Boy Promotions, who still represent Mayweather in such matters for a fee, have contractual obligations to advertisers to stage shows on the two biggest Mexican holiday weekends of the year.
This has created conflict in the past, including earlier this year when the two sides resorted to schoolyard name calling and petulant arguments over who had what date first and who reserved what arena before the other and which one told cable operators they wanted to go on a certain date.
What this led to is what it has led to in the past: the fans got screwed. Welcome to big-time sports in the 21st Century.
Mayweather’s return to boxing will be welcomed to be sure because any event he is involved with becomes a big one. He has not fought since last May, forgoing a second fight after serving a brief jail sentence on domestic violence changes following that fight, instead spending his public time fighting with his former BBF, 50 Cent.
Fifty and he were supposed to partner in a new promotional company, an expansion of what both once called their family-like relationship. Well, it ended up being the Family Feud, the two splitting after Mayweather came out of jail.
Now Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) not only has his own promotional company headlined by power punching Cuban exile Yuriokis Gamboa but a partnership with Arum, whom Mayweather hates with the kind of rage reserved normally only for someone who kills your dog or hurts your kids.
After bout of Twitter warfare between them over Mayweather’s reluctance to invest any of his own money in this joint promotional venture, they split. Fifty, who made his mark as a rapper but made his money out of an investment stake he held in Vitaminwater that was sold to Coca-Cola in 2007 for a reported number in the billions, not the millions, claims he still “loves him like a brother.’’
Perhaps so but sometimes brothers fight harder than others even when the possibility exists that had Mayweather relented and agreed to fight Pacquiao in Dubai a year ago, there might have been a $180 million pot to split.
Of course, it would have involved the sticky fingers of Arum, which Mayweather simply could not abide and so boxing stumbles along without its version of the Super Bowl.
As for Mayweather, according to Fifty: “He’s in the cycle that a lot of big fighters go through: get the money, spend the money and then fight again for some more money.”
Yet he and Pacquiao are in another cycle familiar to boxers, one that has thus far gone beneath the radar. To put it simply, both are slipping. At 36 and boxing infrequently, Mayweather has become a more flat-footed, less elusive target while Pacquiao hasn’t knocked anyone out since 2009.
Although he clearly beat Tim Bradley in his last outing even though the decision went the other way, Pacquiao did not do the kind of damage he used to and the fight before that he got a win he didn’t deserve over Marquez, who controlled the fight all night.
As for Mayweather, all one has to do is look back at his last performance. It was a struggle for him like never before to defeat Miguel Cotto. One fight later, Cotto was slapped silly by a kid named Austin Trout. Why didn’t Mayweather do that? Because he no longer can.
What this means is if Pacquiao-Mayweather ever does happen, which grows more unlikely by the day, it will be a fight between two shadows of what each once was. That might actually make it a more competitive and enjoyable match but it won’t reflect the best of either of them.
What seemed telling in all this was Mayweather’s ex-best bud claiming the theory that Mayweather would not face Pacquiao because he feared a loss on his record had some truth behind them.
“It’s all confidence when it comes to Floyd and his confidence wouldn’t be there,” said Fifty. “He kind of hand picks who he fights instead of taking the tough fights.”
That isn’t what he was saying when they were sharing private jets and gambling debts but so it goes in boxing. Friends come and friends go. So does the money, the absence of the latter usually being directly related to the disappearance of the former.
Regardless of that, Floyd Mayweather is apparently back in boxing on 2013 but not likely in a shared space with Manny Pacquiao. What he doesn’t know yet and Pacquiao is only beginning to realize this week is that not many people really care that much anymore if they ever do.
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Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
PHOENIX – Saturday was a busy night on the global boxing scene, and it’s quite likely that the howling attendees in Phoenix’s Footprint Center witnessed the finest overall card of the international schedule. The many Mexican flags on display in the packed, scaled down arena signaled the event’s theme.
Co-main events featured rematches that arose from a pair of prior crowd-pleasing slugfests. Each of tonight’s headlining bouts ended at the halfway point, but that was their only similarity.
Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, now 39-2-1 (32), defended his WBO Junior Lightweight belt with a dramatic stoppage of more-than-willing Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24). The 29-year-old champion spoke of retirement wishes, but after dominating a blazing battle in which he scored three knockdowns, his only focus was relaxing during the holidays then getting back to what sounded like long-term business.
“Valdez was extremely tough in this fight,” said Navarrete. “I knew I had to push him back and I did. You are now witnessing the second phase of my career and you can expect great things from me in 2025.”
“I don’t really know about the future,” said the crestfallen, 33-year-old Valdez. “No excuses. He did what he wanted to and I couldn’t.”
Navarrete, a three-division titlist, came up one scorecard short of a fourth belt in his previous fight last May, a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk. This was Navarrete’s fourth Arizona appearance so he was cheered like a homeboy, but Valdez was definitely the crowd favorite, evident from the cheers that erupted as both fighters were shown arriving in glistening, low rider automobiles.
Both men came out throwing huge shots, but it was Navarrete who scored a flash knockdown in the first round, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. There was fierce action in every frame, with Navarrete getting the best of most of it, but even when he was in trouble Valdez roared back and brought the crowd to their feet. He got dropped again at the very end of round four, and Navarrete sent his mouthpiece into orbit the round after that.
When Navarrette drove Valdez into the ropes during round six it looked like referee Raul Caiz, Jr was about to intervene, but before he could decide, Navarrete finished matters himself with a perfect left to the ribs that crumpled Valdez into a KO at 2:42.
“He talked about getting ready to retire soon so I told him we had to fight again right now,” said Valdez prior to the rematch. There were numerous “be careful what you wish for” type predictions of doom and he entered the ring at around a two to one underdog, understanding the contest’s make or break stakes. “Boxing penalizes you if you have a lot of losses,” observed Valdez. “It’s not like other sports where you can lose and do better next season. In boxing, most people don’t want to see you again after a couple of losses.”
What Valdez might decide remains to be seen, but even in defeat he proved to be a warrior worth watching.
Co-Feature
After their epic, razor-close encounter almost exactly a year ago, it was obvious Rafael Espinoza, and fellow 30-year-old Robeisy Ramirez should meet again for the WBO featherweight title belt Espinoza earned by an upset majority decision. Espinoza turned the trick again this time around, inside the distance, but it was more anti-climactic than anything like toe-to-toe.
The 6’1” Espinoza, now 26-0 (22), was the aggressor from the opening frame, but 5’6” Ramirez, 14-3 (9) employed his short stature well to stay out of immediate danger and countered to the body for a slight edge. The Cuban challenger avoided much of their previous firefight and initially controlled the tempo. The crowd jeered him for staying away but it was an effective strategy, at least at first.
Espinoza connected much better in the fifth round and looked fresher as Ramirez’s face rapidly reddened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere in round six, Ramirez took a punch then raised a glove in surrender. Whatever the reason, even looking at Ramirez’s swollen right eye, it looked like a “No Mas” moment. Replays showed a straight right to the eye socket, but that didn’t stop the crowd from hooting their disgust after ref Chris Flores signaled the end at 0:12.
***
Richard Torrez, Jr, now 12-0 (11), displayed his Olympic silver medal pedigree in a heavyweight bout against Issac Munoz, 18-2-1 (15). Torrez, 236.6, found his punching range quickly with southpaw leads as Munoz, 252, tried to stand his ground but looked hurt by early body work that forced him into the ropes. He was gasping for breath as Torrez peppered him in the second, and Munoz went back to his corner on unsteady legs.
Munoz’s team should have thought about saving him for another day in the third as he ate big shots. Luckily, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. was wiser and had seen enough, waving it off for a TKO at 0:59.
“I don’t train for the opponent,” reflected Torrez, who isn’t far from true contender status. “Every time I train, I train for a world championship fight.”
***
Super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado, 139.9, improved to 22-0 (16), and took another step into the world title picture against Jackson Marinez, now 22-4 (10), 139.2.
On paper this junior welterweight matchup appeared fairly even, and Marinez managed to keep it that way for almost half the scheduled ten rounds against a solid prospect but Delgado kept upping the ante until Marinez was out of chips. The assembled swarm was whistling for more action after three tentative opening frames, as Delgado loaded up but couldn’t put much offense together.
That changed in the 4th when Delgado connected with solid crosses. In the fifth, a fine combination dropped Marinez into a delayed knockdown and a wicked follow-up right to the guts finished the wobbly Marinez, who had nothing to be ashamed of, off in the arms of ref Wes Melton. Official TKO time was 2:13.
In a matter of concurrent programming, Saturday also held a lot of highly publicized college football and basketball games which likely detracted from the larger mainstream audience and media coverage this fight card deserved. That’s a shame but you can’t fault boxing, Top Rank, or any of the fighters for that because, once again, they all came through big time in Phoenix.
Photos credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A change of champions took place as Richardson Hitchins rallied from a lethargic start to wrest the IBF super lightweight title from Australia’s Liam Paro by split decision on Saturday in Puerto Rico at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
Brooklyn has another world champion.
“I’m just happy to be a world champion,” Hitchins said.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) proved that his style of fighting could prevail over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) who had previously knocked off another Puerto Rican champion, Subriel Matias.
Both fighters expected a different kind of encounter as Paro immediately started the fight with constant pressure and short, precise combinations. Hitchins had expected a different attack and seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.
“I couldn’t get my timing,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put the pressure on me.”
Soon Hitchins ramped up his attack.
After Paro had jumped ahead with a constant strategic attack, Hitchins slipped into second gear behind a sharp right counter that found the target repeatedly.
Things began to swing in the Brooklyn fighter’s favor.
Those long arms came in handy for Hitchins who snapped off deadeye rights through Paro’s guard repeatedly. Soon the southpaw Aussie’s eye began to show signs of damage.
But Paro never quit.
Aside from using quick counters, Paro began firing lead lefts and the occasional right hook and uppercut. But seldom did he target the body. Slowly, the rounds began mounting in favor of the Brooklyn fighter.
Perhaps the best blow of the fight took place in the ninth round as Hitchins connected flush with a one-two combination. Though stunned, Paro trudged forward looking to immediately counter.
He mostly failed.
Still, Paro knew the rounds were not one-sided and he could close the distance. The Aussie fighter did well in the 11th and 12th round but could not land a significant blow. After 12 rounds one judge saw Paro the winner 117-11, while two others saw Hitchins the winner 116-112 for the new IBF titlist.
“He’s a hell of a boxer,” said Paro who loses the title in his first defense. “It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”
Other Bouts
A battle between Puerto Rican featherweights saw Henry Lebron (20-0) out-battle Christopher Diaz-Velez by decision after 10 action-packed rounds.
In a lightweight fight Agustin Quintana (21-2-1) gave Marc Castro (13-1) his first loss to win by split decision after 10 rounds.
Welterweight Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1) defeated Jalil Hackett (9-1) by split decision after 10 rounds.
Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom
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A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Top Rank promoted a 10-fight card tonight at the NBA arena in Phoenix. The undercard included welterweight standout Giovani Santillan and a bevy of young prospects.
Based on his showing tonight, Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez is a prospect on the cusp of being a contender. A high-octane fighter with ring smarts that bely his tender age, the 22-year-old Gonzalez pitched a near 8-round shutout over Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez, advancing his record to 12-0 (7). Although Gonzalez was forced to go the distance after five straight wins by stoppage, Perez, an Argentine who had never been stopped and was better than his 12-6-1 record, had a granite chin.
LA junior bantamweight Steven Navarro improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Gabriel Bernardi (7-2). Navarro had Bernardi, a Puerto Rican, on the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz Jr waived it off.
In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Giovani Santillan improved to 33-1 (18 KOs) at the expense of Fredrick Lawson who retired on his stool after only one round. It was a nice confidence-booster for Santillan who took a lot of punishment in his last fight vs. Brian Norman Jr, a fight that Santillan was expected to win. However, tonight’s win should come with an asterisk as Lawson, a Chicago-based Ghanaian, is damaged goods and ought not be permitted to fight again, notwithstanding his 30-6 record. (All six of his losses, including the last three, came inside the distance.)
In a welterweight contest slated for six rounds, 19-year-old SoCal prospect Art Berrera Jr advanced to 7-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round TKO over Juan Carlos Campos (4-2) who fights out of Sioux City, Iowa. Referee Wes Melton lost his balance as he stepped in to stop the one-sided affair with a nano-second remaining in round two and went flying into the ropes, but was seemingly unhurt.
In a major surprise, Cesar Morales, a former Mexican national amateur champion, lost his pro debut to unheralded Kevin Mosquera, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian. A flash knockdown in the opening minute of final round factored into the result. The judges had it 39-36 and 38-37 for Mosquera (3-0-1) and 38-38.
The night did not start well for Morales’ trainer Robert Garcia who had five fighters in action tonight.
In the lid-lifter, 21-year-old Las Vegas lightweight DJ Zamora, a protege of the late Roger Mayweather, improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Argentine import Roman Ruben Reynoso (22-6-2). Zamora put Reynoso on the canvas in the opening round with a left to the solar plexus and knocked him down in the second round with a counter left to the chin. Reynoso made it to his feet, but had no beef when the fight was waived off. The official time was 1:56 of round two.
Bouts involving former Olympians Lindolfo Delgado and Richard Torres Jr plus two compelling world title rematches round out the 10-fight card. TSS correspondent Phil Woolever is ringside. Check back later for his post-fight reports.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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