Is Marquez ready for Pacquiao?

This past Saturday, July 16, 2011, Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1) knocked out Likar Ramos (24-4-0) in the first round of their bout in Cancun, Mexico. After Marquez’s victory, many articles and forums were buzzing about his victory, proposing that Marquez is ready for Pacquiao.

While many fans may see a victory over Ramos as a statement that Marquez is serious about giving team Pacquiao a run for their money, I am standing on the other side of the fence when regarding this topic. The fight and the result, show nothing of substance about Marquez’s improvement or intention.

Ramos was never supposed to be a statement making opponent. Sure his record is decent when looking exclusively at the numbers, but when it comes to competition, he is a blank canvas for such a tremendous name as Marquez. A first round knockout makes this fight even less demonstrative for Marquez, as his stamina and ability to be further challenged along the fight is left absent.

At 144lbs, Marquez should feel pretty comfortable, with minimal if any at all loss of speed or power. Same goes for Pacquiao, despite the fact that he will have to drop a few pounds for this bout.

Is Marquez ready for Pacquiao? I am hoping that he is not only ready, but is mentally prepared for a loss. Since their earlier fights, Pacquiao has improved in all aspect of his performance, and Freddie Roach, being a master strategist, has probably uncovered all there is to uncover in Marquez. Maybe I am being a bit pessimistic, but pessimism and realism sometimes go hand in hand.

I am a huge “Dinamita” fan, and will be cheering for him come November 12, 2011, when he steps inside the ring to face Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2) for the third time in Las Vegas, NV. Having said that, I try to be rational when it comes to discussing matter as such, as there is only one person you can fool when being one sided; yourself.

Source: diamondboxing.com

Team Marquez discusses sparring partners for Pacquiao fight

Four months away from their third fight with Manny Pacquiao, and Team Juan Manuel Marquez is looking to put together their sparring partners for the lightweight champion.

From his Romanza Gym in Mexico City, Hall of Fame trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain discussed Marquez's preparations for the November showdown.

A key member of the sparring team could be Antonio Fernandez, a featherweight from Panaman.

"We are going to try and bring over Fernandez," said Beristain. "I hope he is in good conditions, because he likes to drink at times. The truth is he helped us a lot in preparing for the previous two fights with Manny Pacquiao."
Though earlier comments from Beristain pointed to a belief that this fight might be easier than the other two for Marquez, the legendary trainer has changed his thoughts.

"He has to improve much, much more," said Beristain. "More than anything Juan needs to get back the speed he had a few years back, and be flexible enough to dodge Pacquiao's punches."

As for Marquez, he is enjoying a vacation with his family before returning to Mexico City to being the hard road to Manny Pacquiao.

Source: Examiner.com

Pacquiao Watch: Marquez fooling himself

If Juan Manuel Marquez thinks his one-round demolition of unknown Likar Ramos will boost his stock and confidence when he fights nemesis Manny Pacquiao in November, he is dead wrong.

If it was a tune-up fight for the aging Mexican warrior, Marquez got shortchanged. Or, maybe the other way around. The people who watched him were certainly at the shorter end of the bargain.

Marquez, in his prime, was one of the best pure boxing technicians ever, combining hand speed and power to compensate for his lack of lateral movements.

He is one of the puzzles that Pacquiao had difficulties piecing together. They have fought twice before – both ending in close if not controversial fashion. Otherwise this third and, heavens forbid, last meeting would not be necessary at all.

They last fought in 2008 for Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title which was won by Pacquiao via split decision. Thirteen fights between them later; they still are a hot commodity. Not because they really needed this trilogy but rather because Pacquiao has ran out of marquee challengers. Oh, there is one out there but he walks like a duck and quacks like a duck in ducking the Filipino boxing idol who is now a legend even before his time.

While Marquez continues to be a force in the lightweight division, father time is catching up with him. It will only be a matter of time until the likes of Brandon Rios and Robert Guerrero get his number. Even Jorge Linares could give him fits. Losing big time to any one of them before he gets a third fight with Pacquiao is not an option. He’d rather lose one last time against Pacquiao and collect his retirement pay than suffer the ignominy of losing to some upstarts.

Anybody who went down four times against an opponent will have that baggage deep inside him especially when those came when Pacquiao was mightily waging his own war against the scales. Just review the weigh-in photos in the two previous fights and you can see who looks more emaciated than a zombie. Juxtapose them when Pacquiao fought the likes of Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley.

As coach Freddie Roach often says, he likes it when Manny is smiling at the scales.

Not only has Manny grown big and is comfortably settled with his current weight, he has morphed into a complete boxer. All the while, he has not missed his speed a bit. Nobody in the welterweight division can match his speed and agility at present, throw in Floyd Mayweather Jr if you want.

Marquez likes to think this third Pacquiao fight is his one last shot at glory.

Many think this is one for the sunset.

Marquez is fooling himself if he thinks he can still connect with those rapid counters on a consistent basis. If a severely dehydrated lightweight Pacquiao can knock him down four times, there is no question a comfortable welterweight can finally put him to sleep for good the next time around.

Marquez can fool himself no end.

He cannot fool us.

Source: asiancorrespondent.com

Juan Manuel Marquez scores quick KO, keeps November date with Manny Pacquiao

Live from the Plaza De Toros in Cancun, Mexico this past Saturday night, as well as courtesy of Top Rank TV’s live stream web cast, it was with the assistance of Likar Ramos 24-4 (18 KO’s) of Barranquilla, Colombia who would hang his chin in the air for the precision prone Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez 53-5-1 (39 KO’s) of Mexico City, Mexico that allowed Marquez to zero in with an all powerful 1-2 combination, as the bout would end abruptly at 1:47 of the very first round with Ramos hitting the canvass out cold. Laying flat on his back for perhaps over 5 minutes while medical personnel would attend to him, Ramos would later recover to ponder the devastation inflicted upon him by the future Hall of Famer Marquez.

In a bout where the possibility existed that Marquez could have came out on the losing end, putting his November 12th meeting with pound-for pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in jeopardy, and along with it a $5 million dollar payday, everything went as well as could be expected, as Marquez took no chances and made quick work of his opponent, who’s only two fights outside of his native Colombia both resulted in knockout losses courtesy of Mexican pugilists. Once at the hands of Jorje Solis for the WBA interim super featherweight title, and now once more against multi division champion and current Ring Magazine lightweight kingpin “Dinamita” Marquez.

In looking to stay sharp as well as get in some rounds against a southpaw in preparation for his third meeting with Pacquiao, it is questionable whether team Marquez got what they wanted from this fight in terms of rounds or strategical execution in facing a left hander, as Juan Manuel would barley break a sweat. No doubt Marquez will end up putting in much more work against lefties at the Romanza gym in Mexico City where he trains under the watchful eye of recently inducted Hall of Fame trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, as “Dinamita” continue’s on in preparation for his upcoming bout against the Filipino superstar. Regarding his fight with Pacquiao, Marquez would draw comparisons to his facing Floyd Mayweather with that of his showdown with Manny by saying, “Mayweather is a great defensive fighter, and 1 or 2 punches wins him the round. With me and Manny Pacquiao, it’s going to be a war.”

Some may consider this fight something to build on and somewhat of a confidence booster for Marquez, but the reality seems to be that this was a play it safe type of fight in the selection of Ramos. And very well it should have been, as with the date already set to meet Manny in November for the WBO welterweight title, who would want anything to go wrong. After an impressive performance against Michael Katsidis in November of last year, and after giving Pacquiao all he could handle in their two previous bouts, the first of which resulted in a draw that many observers, including myself, would have Marquez coming back to pull out the victory, and the second a close split decision loss to Pacquiao, “Dinamita” has earned the right to fight Manny one more time as he nears the end of a brilliant career. Perhaps a mentally satisfying win against Ramos, but to get it done against Manny Pacquiao, who has improved markedly since his last meeting with Marquez in March of 2008, he is going to have to put in some real work, as this most recent fight in no way has physically furthered Marquez cause toward scoring that seemingly elusive victory against the “Pacman.” In a message to Manny after the fight, Marquez would say, “I just want him to prepare well because I’m going to be prepared so we can give the fans a great fight.” And fight fans should expect no less as Manny’s last real test was against Marquez, after Pacquiao has seemingly fought several opponents who’s flaws have contributed in one way or another to the Filipino’s recent string of victories.

Rafael Marquez outclasses set up opponent

On the undercard of the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Likar Ramos fight, Juan Manuel’younger brother Rafel Marquez 40-6 (36 KO’s), would gain the stoppage over light hitting Eduardo Becerril 12-8-2 (4 KO’s), who’s corner wouldn’t allow Becerril to come out for round 6 after being knocked down in round 4, and then subsequently overwhelmed with hard accurate shots from Rafael in the fifth round. Marquez simply had the upper hand over his outclassed opponent who possessed no deterrent force on his punches to keep the highly skilled Rafael off of him.

After losing a fight to Juan Manuel Lopez for the WBO featherweight title in November of last year, a fight where he had Lopez out on his feet for a time, a shoulder injury would perhaps prevent him from becoming a champion once more in a bout where he wasn’t nearly 100%. With this tune up type fight, Marquez looks to get back on track in hopes of attaining a title shot at perhaps Akifumi Shimoda, or Toshiaki Nishioka at junior featherweight, or even a previously rumored fight with featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa. As in the case of his brother Juan Manuel, his recent victory over Becerril doesn’t begin to approach the level of preparation necessary to take on the likes of the previously mentioned fighters. With that said, Rafael has his work cut out for him.

Source: diamondboxing.com

Marquez: Pacquiao, you're next

MANILA, Philippines - Juan Manuel Marquez yesterday called on Manny Pacquiao to train hard for their Nov. 12 showdown in Las Vegas.

“I just wanted to tell him to prepare himself,” said Marquez after knocking out Likar Ramos right in the first round yesterday.

The non-title fight that took place in Cancun was supposed to serve as a tuneup for Marquez in preparation for Pacquiao.

But it hardly served its purpose because Ramos, a southpaw from Colombia, was knocked out cold after taking a big right from Marquez.

Ramos stayed longer down on the canvas than the one minute and 47 seconds that he was up on his feet.

They should have lined up two opponents for Marquez if only they knew that Ramos would go down that easy.

Still, Marquez said the early knockout was a result of a very good punch.

“I was hoping it would have lasted longer but sometimes that’s how it goes,” Marquez told www.philboxing.com .

“I happened to get a great punch on him and he couldn’t take it, sometimes that is the way fights go,” Michael Marley of The Examiner wrote.

“I will prepare well for Pacquiao and I want him to do that also. We can give the fans a war. (Floyd) Mayweather is so defensive a fighter...but with Pacquiao, it’s going to be a war.”

Marquez weighed in 138 pounds against Ramos, but will have to put on a little more weight in his third clash with Pacquiao, the reigning WBO weltwerweight champion.

Marquez wanted to send a message to Pacquiao that he’s ready for war. But it was unlikely though that Pacquiao caught his fight live on television.

Pacquiao partied hard the night before, gracing the grand birthday bash of Jake Joson, the boxer’s close friend, at Opus of the Resorts World.

Pacquiao arrived at the party close to midnight and was joined in his corner by former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and a few other close friends.

Source: philstar.com

Marquez unloads Mexican dynamite, calls for war with Pacquiao Nov. 12

One minute, 47 seconds of the first round.

Promoter Bob Arum could not have scripted it better as Juan Manuel Marquez, age 37 but still a dangerous counterpuncher, used one countering right hand to blast out Colombian southpaw Likar Ramos (now 24-4) in the opening round of their scheduled 10 round junior welterweight bout in Cancun.

Now it's on to the big bonanza, the third bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Ma, on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.

This KO 1 certainly lights match to the promotion for the trilogy bout.

"Dinamita" Marquez extended his Hall of Fame pro record to 53-5-1 and notched his 39th knockout.

"I happened to get a great punch on him and he couldn't take it, sometimes that is the way fights go," Marquez said.

"I will prepare well for Pacquiao and I want him to do that also. We can give the fans a war. (Floyd) Mayweather is so defensive a fighter...but with Pacquiao, it's going to be a war," Marquez said.

Marquez weighed 138 pounds for this bout.

Los Hermanos Marquez, Juan Manuel and Rafael, topped a festive boxing show Saturday night at the Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Juan Ma fought the main event against Likar Ramos in what was scripted as strictly a tuneup, and hopefully not a tuneout, for the third bout between Juan Ma and Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao.

With a guaranteed $5 million payday for the trilogy bout against Pacman, the 37 year old Juan Ma took the calculated risk against southpaw Ramos to prep for lefthanded Manny.
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A treat on the undercard was the showing of the son of former great world champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez fighting another boxer with the same last name.

Familia Marquez got the fistic evening at the bullring in Cancun off to a good start as Rafael “Raffa” Marquez, still fighting at age 36, had his way from start to finish in a “stay busy” bout against Eduard Becceril.

Becceril, now 12-8-2, was just a glorified sparring partner against Raffa, who improved his pro ring record to 40-6 with 36 knockouts.

Marquez played with Becceril, who had great former world champ Lupe Pintor working his corner, for the first three rounds and then floored him in the fourth with a sweet left hook.

A round later, Becceril landed some decent punches of his own. But he was still taking a bunch of head punches.

But, suddenly, the great Senor Pintor in Becceril’s corner halted the mismatch.

Marquez may never attain another world title but he’s still a viable top echelon featherweight contender. The fact that Raffa is still competing after he split those four ring wars against archrival Israel Vazauez is just short of amazing.

Last November, Raffa was stopped after eight full rounds by Puerto Rico’s wunderkind, Juan Manuel Lopez.

Becceril lost his first two pro bouts and then reeled off 13 successive victories. He was, however, 2-4 in his six prior bouts.

Source: Examiner.com

Juan Manuel Marquez sends violent message to Pacquiao

With approximately one minute left in his tune-up fight against Likar Ramos, lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez sent a violent message to arch-rival Manny Pacquiao.

Delivering a violent straight right-hand, Marquez disposed of Ramos - sending him to the canvas for a knock-out that kept the Colombian motionless for several minutes.

One punch, that will remind Manny Pacquiao that Marquez, though never having defeated the Filipino in two previous bouts, must be respected. In their first two meetings Marquez survived 24 rounds of hell in route to a split-decision defeat and draw.
Of course, Likar is not to be confused with Pacquiao - the pound for pound king of boxing, but I am sure Marquez's powerful display caught Manny's eye.

Pacquiao and Marquez will lock horns for a third time on November 12, 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Source: Examiner.com

Tune up over for Marquez, now on to Pacquiao

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico - In a boxing ring built in a bullring in this resort city of Mexico, Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico City 52-5-1 (38KOs) knocks out Colombian lightweight Likar Ramos 24-3 (18 KOs) in the 1st round of a non title match. A straight right hand from Marquez puts Ramos to sleep just minutes from the opening bell. Ramos went down hard to the canvas after catching the punch and was down on it for a long time. The medical staff at ringside rushed to the fallen Ramos as Marquez and his team celebrated the quick victory. Ramos was conscious a few moments after the knock out and was up on his feet afterwards. The time of the stoppage was 1:47.

This match is acknowledged as a "tune up fight" for Marquez who has a scheduled November 12 fight with former two time opponent and current WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao.Their first fight in 2004 was a split draw and that was followed with a split decision win for Pacquiao in 2008. Marquez has long been vocal of him wanting a third fight with the present pound for pound king in Pacquiao. Pacquiao has since moved on three divisions up from his last fight with Marquez and now holds the WBO welterweight belt. Marquez climbed up one division up to lightweight and is the WBA and WBO belt holder of that division. The fight in November is for Pacquiao's belt. It has a contractual weight of 144 pounds. Hence tonight's fight against a heavier opponent in Ramos who weighed 140 lbs on yesterday's weigh in. The match was held at the Plaza de Toros, a bullfighting arena in this popular tourist destination

After the fight, Marquez verbalized that he is ready for Pacquiao in November and wished that this fight with Ramos would have lasted a little longer." I wanted this fight to prepare for Pacquiao, I was hoping it would have lasted longer but sometimes that's how it goes." said Marquez in the post-fight interview which was streamed live and free by Top Rank Boxing in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. He also told Pacquiao to get ready to face him in November. "I just wanted to tell him (Pacquiao) to prepare himself and I want to give the fans a great fight." he remarked. The fight with Pacquiao is to be held at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

IS J.M. MARQUEZ A MUCH NEEDED CHALLENGE OR MORE OF THE SAME?

San Mateo, CA—Although the ink has not yet been laid on paper, Manny Pacquiao’s November 12, 2011, opponent is scheduled to be Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao is coming off a dominant, but not as impressive as many expected, victory of Shane Mosley last May. Marquez has not fought since November 27, 2010, when he stopped lightweight challenger, Michael Katsidis, in nine rounds.

In terms of the marketing and the appeal of the fight, this matchup is by far the best matchup for Pacquiao—other than Floyd Mayweather Jr. Pacquiao and Marquez have fought twice in the past (2004 and 2008), and both of those fights were candidates for fight of the year. In fact, it took extraordinary bouts (Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera III in 2004 and Rafael Marquez-Israel Vasquez III) to usurp fight of the year honors from both Pacquiao-Marquez bouts. Both fights were extremely close and boxing fans have still debate who should have won both fights. The first fight in 2004 ended in a draw after Pacquiao scored 3 first round knockdown. The second fight was a one-point win for Pacquiao due to Pacquiao dropping Marquez in the 3rd round.

The fight is very much personal to both Marquez and Pacquiao. Any fan that walks up to Marquez and asks him about Pacquiao will get the same response—that Marquez beat Pacquiao twice. During the post-fight press conference for the second fight, Marquez and team described the decision as another black eye to the sport of boxing, which sent Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, into a verbal tirade where he said “what Nacho (Beristain) says is crap!” That did not go over very well by Team Marquez, who walked out on the press conference immediately after Arum’s comments. (view the confrontation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSRw_k19q90&feature=youtu.be).

The rivalry continued in the Philippines, where Gerry Penalosa had a fight in 2008, and both Marquez and Pacquiao were in attendance. In Philippine National T.V., Marquez confronted Pacquiao and challenged him to a third fight. Pacquiao was already scheduled to take on David Diaz later that year. At the time, Manny did not appreciate Marquez’s public challenge and felt disrespect not for the challenge, but for Marquez not respecting the decision made by the judges in a close fight. If you ask Pacquiao for a straight answer on his thoughts of Marquez, he’d tell you that Marquez has pissed him off on more than one occasion—maybe more so than Mayweather.

Pacquiao moved on to score historic wins over De La Hoya, Hatton, Cotto, and Margarito. Marquez moved on to dominate the lightweight division—with the exception of a loss to Mayweather at Welterweight in 2009.

Fast forward to today, Marquez is pretty much in the same position he was after he lost to Pacquiao in 2008—the lightweight champion. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is now a full fledge Welterweight and out of opponents. Marquez is the last man standing at this point as an opponent that could challenge Pacquiao. Other possible Pacquiao opponents like Tim Bradley, Amir Kahn, Victor Ortiz, and Robert Guerrero are either already scheduled in fights later this year or is still a couple fights away from becoming possible opponents..

Which brings us to the ultimate question—how dangerous is Marquez going to be coming into this rubber match. Will Marquez be the Marquez of 2008 that gave Pacquiao the toughest fight of his career? Or will Marquez be like Pacquiao’s last three opponents Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, and Shane Mosley—over-matched with no chance to win?

Sportsbooks are of the opinion that Marquez has very little chance. Pacquiao has been listed early as high as an 8-1 favorite over Marquez. This is likely based on Marquez’s horrible performance at 147 pounds against Mayweather. Marquez’s added weight caused him to not only be slow in the ring, but also react slowly and not be as sharp as he was at lightweight. Marquez has not been the most active fighter as well because he has only fought twice since the Mayweather fight. He was unable to stop Juan Diaz in a rematch of a first fight where Marquez knocked out Diaz. In his last fight, Marquez was dropped and hurt badly in a victory over Michael Katsidis, a fringe contender at best.

On the other spectrum, Marquez may just have Manny’s number and knows how to be effective against Pacquiao. Despite the weight, the age, and Pacquiao’s improvement as a fighter, Marquez will always have the style to give Pacquiao hell in the ring. Marquez has proved it in the ring against Pacquiao before where he was one point away from winning both of the fights. Marquez is also a better fighter than Mosley, Clottey, and Margarito. Marquez has a better resume and has accomplished more than those other fighters. Marquez can even argue that he is the best fighter Pacquiao has fought since he fought Pacquiao back in 2008.

At this point either argument may end up being 100% correct by the time November 12, 2011, rolls along. One thing for sure, the bout will draw massive interest and will be generate millions of dollars. Whether that translates to a competitive fight in the ring, no one knows at this point. However, we may get a initial glimpse of what Marquez has left above 135lbs on July 16, 2011, when he makes his 140lbs debut against journeyman fighter, Likar Ramos.

The bout is intended to be a tune-up and it is highly unlikely Marquez will struggle against Ramos. During the weigh-in, Marquez weighed in at 138 pounds. The Pacquiao-Marquez bout is scheduled to be at a catch-weight of 144 pounds. Marquez made the mistake of weighing in at 142 pounds against Mayweather when Marquez jumped from 135lbs to 142lbs. It will be interesting to see how Marquez looks at 138lbs and whether Marquez intends to weigh-in at 138lbs against Pacquiao, who will have no problems making 144lbs.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

A whole bunch of crap

Fistic sensation.

Adored by millions of boxing fans worldwide.
Pound for pound ultimate superstar.
Manny Pacquiao the fighter.

Money, power, sex---he's got it all---save for the best achievable ring plaudit that's missing in his trophy room--- Floyd Mayweather Junior's scalp.

The Sarangani Idol has done what's needed since getting out of the PH version of the ghetto. Those who try boxing for a living as almost everyone know aren't usually the moneyed class and by that yardstick Manny surely qualifies.

He's been blessed since getting into the rough and tumble world of pro-fighting.

Now his legion of followers want a resolution of the impasse plaguing his awaited fight date with the Money Mayweather that's been in limbo for over two years already.

Latest word emanating from Mayweather's team that the stalled match could happen has surfaced following Floyd's admission that he's ready for Manny anytime a deal is made.

Enter Leonard Ellerbie, chief executive officer of the Mayweather promotions who tells FightHype's Ben Thompson that all roads lead to Floyd if one talks of Manny facing the unbeaten Mayweather possibly in 2012.

"Floyd makes his own decisions whereas Manny I gather makes his after consulting with his dictators," Ellerbie teased.

First thing first though. Mayweather has an unfinished business with Victor Ortiz on September 17 while Pacquiao concludes a third bout with Juan Marquez on November 12 at the MGM Grand Arena where fans will savor once more a classic display of Manny's power punching and JuanMa's smart counter-punching.

Sacrifice and teamwork, key elements in concluding a deal as huge as the Pac/May fistic treat is lacking in Team Pacquiao's camp, charged Ellerbie who is blaming Michael Koncz, an underling who's been imposing himself even without an authority on the re-installed talks.

"Koncz knows nothing when it comes to boxing---he is one whole bunch of crap," adds Ellerbie.

Ouuch! Is a libel charge from the self styled chairman of the bored of the great unwashed of Alberta, Canada being mulled for filing against one named Leonard Ellerbie?

Stay Tuned.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Roach bares training plans for Pacquiao

If Manny Pacquiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach will have his way, the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion should start preparing for his for his defense of his 147-pound crown against Juan Manuel Marquez as early as the first week of September.

Roach, in an overseas telephone talk with Malaya Business Insight, said he has drawn a nine week training program in the Philippines and in Los Angeles, California to build Pacquiao up for his third fight with the Mexican legend to complete the their trilogy on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.

The nine-week preparation is a week longer than what the pound-for-pound king and eight-division world champion has undergone in his previous fights. Another deviation from the usual run up is that, in this fight, only three weeks will be spent in the Philippines, most-likely in Baguio City and six weeks at the Wild Card Gym, which he owns, in downtown Hollywood.
Against Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Sugar Shane Mosley, Pacquiao had pitched training camp in an equal four-week ratio each in the Philippines and the U.S.

"Three weeks in The Philippines and six weeks here at Wild Card, “ Roach told this writer. "It's a better split than last time. Here in Wild Card is where the focus comes in.”
The move, obviously, is meant to separate the Pacman from the distractions he experienced in his most recent fights when his duties and responsibilities as an elected Congressman of Sarangani Province, to a certain extent, obstructed his training.

“Manny’s previous two fights against Marquez were both close and this time, I want him to concentrate more to ensure that at the end of the trilogy, Manny will again emerge as winner, convincingly that is,” the four-time “Trainer of the Year” honoree reasoned out.

“Not that I’m worried about Manny losing this time or that he’s missed his training. I can’t see any reason why Marquez can beat Manny. Likewise, Manny has shown so many times how serious he’s been in training, virtually killing himself in the process ” Roach clarified though.

“But, as always, I believe there’s no substitute for a better preparations. I don’t want to see him killing himself again in training. He’s not getting any younger,” he explained “ Boxing is one sport where you cannot say really what would happen. A big upset is not totally discounted in this game where the better prepared fighters always prevail over the complacent ones.”

“The main reason why Manny consented into fighting Marquez for the third time is prove to all and sundry that he really is the better fighter between them and that’s what we will be proving comes fight time,” he stressed.

The first time the two fought in 2004, Pacquiao only managed a draw despite dropping Marques thrice in the opening round. Four years later, the Filipino hero only settled for a split decision win after sending the Mexican to the canvas in the third round.

Since then, Pacquiao won all his fights climbing from lightweight to super-lightweight to welterweight to superwelterweight, while Marquez remained in the 130 to 135-pound limit before meeting and losing to undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the only time he climbed into the ring above his normal weights.

Claiming he won in both fights, Marquez kept pursuing Pacquiao to meet him for the third time the next three years even going to Manila once to no avail until Top Rank’s Bob Arum agreed having obtained permission from rival Golden Boy promotions of Oscar DeLa Hoya, which owns Marquez fight rights and only after several attempts to pit Pacquiao and Mayweather in what is believed to be the richest and biggest fight in the history of boxing failed to materialize.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacquiao agrees to blood testing - Now what Floyd?

Honestly? When I wrote my article on 8CountNews.com calling for Manny Pacquiao to take the test, I took a lot of heat from the fans (Pacquiao's) most of which were guilty of knee jerk reactions. The context of my article was merely to force Floyd's hand so that he would have one less card to play with in regards to his decision to avoid Manny Pacquiao. Read that article HERE

A few weeks after I wrote that article, it appears as if Manny has indeed agreed to the random blood testing. With that said, now all attention turns to Floyd, and now we wait. The only other card that Floyd can play IF it's true that he truly does not want to fight Manny, is by pricing himself out of the fight. So, if by chance news breaks saying that Floyd is demanding some ridiculous amount of money like 100 million to fight, then it's quite obvious that he does not want to fight.

Pacquiao at this point has nothing else to do except sign a contract. He's now agreed to everything asked of him by the Mayweather's. It's put up or shut up time for Floyd and the boxing fans are waiting.

In the meantime Floyd is gearing up for Victor Ortiz and Manny is gearing up for Juan Manuel Marquez. Training camp for Manny will fire up sometime in September probably, and according to my sources the first part of camp will again be in the Philippines. Pacquiao should be back in Los Angeles at Wild Card in October.

Mayweather Vs. Ortiz could be a good scrap, but I sincerely believe that Floyd will be a bit too much for the younger Vic. Pacquiao Vs. Marquez will be a decent scrap. Marquez has already proved that he can hang with Manny, it's just a matter of can he STILL hang with Manny? Pacquiao is a completely different monster than what JMM saw last time he fought him.

Mississippians that I have spoken to in recent days believe that since Manny has agreed to blood testing, Mayweather needs to put up or shut up. I spoke with Chuck Priore of Mendenhall, MS a big Pacquiao fan. Chuck pulled no punches with his thoughts, " Floyd, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. You're good at rubbing your money in our faces, so now sign and fight Manny and show you aren't scared to fight." I also spoke to Jill Peyton, a Floyd Mayweather Jr fan from Biloxi, MS. Jill chimed in as well, " Floyd doesn't have anything to prove to anyone. He's undefeated, and he doesn't need Pacquiao. I guarantee he isn't afraid of fighting Manny Pacquiao."

It's crunch time Floyd.

Source: Examiner.com

Pacquiao a Tough Salamabitch - Rios

HOT POTATO via Home Depot, CARSON, California - Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios did not hesitate to issue challenge Saturday night to prominent fighters in the lightweight division and even bolsters the weight on his promoter Top Rank Robert "Bob'Arum to see to it whoever the latter wants him to fight. This developed during the post-fight press conference for Rios-Antillon boxing event.

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"If I beat the toughest salamabitch at 140, then, if Arum thinks I can fight Pacquiao since Pacquiao is a tough salamabitch, I'll be ready to fight him." said Rios, 25, who is a good marketing persona to keep boxing alive in the Latino community, at least at this early stage of his career.

Rios remains undefeated of 28 professional fights with one draw.

"Rios is the kind of guy who can match the power and intensity of Manny Pacquiao," said Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters.

Rios also mentioned his choices to fight the tough ones at 140, like Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana and other tough "salamabitches" - all under Golden Boy Promotions. And, "if Golden Boy Promotions finds no issues with Top Rank to make these fights happen, then here I am ... I'm ready," said Rios.

Meanwhile, a potential fight for Rios might just be against whoever wins between Maidana and Robert Guerrero on August 27 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. Like Maidana, Guerrero is being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Rios has shown potential to move up anytime. His fight with Antillon was fought at 135. "It's up to Arum to promote me; he is the man right there," Rios asserted.

Source: associatedcontent.com

Pacquiao seeks Lim’s help in promoting fight vs Marquez

FILIPINO boxing hero and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao has sought the assistance of Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim for the promotional tour of his forthcoming fight with Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Pacquiao said he invited Lim to a dinner where they exchanged pleasantries and discussed the details of the said tour.

Also present in the dinner-meeting held at the Century Park Hotel was Wilson Tieng, president and executive director of Solar Films, Incorporated who, it was learned, also arranged for the said get-together on the boxer’s behalf. Tieng has also been responsible for bringing Pacquiao’s fights to local screens live via telecast.

The meeting outside of City Hall and stripped of formalities was the first between Lim and Pacquiao.

It was learned that should plans push through, the promotional tour of Pacquiao will kick off at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta.

Lim said Pacquiao merely asked for support in terms of traffic arrangements and security preparations in the area where the event will be held.

The mayor readily assured Pacquiao of every possible assistance from the city and its resources, saying “we are more than willing to be of help in any way we can.”

On the other hand, Pacquiao thanked Lim for accepting the dinner invitation and responding positively to his request in connection with his promo tour.

Lim, meanwhile, expressed confidence that Pacquiao will again overcome Marquez as he has done before, after the meeting that took about two hours.

The said tour is aimed at drumming up support and interest for the said fight, the third between Pacquiao and Marquez.

During the bout slated to be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Pacquiao will be defending his World Boxing Organization welterweight title.

Source: journal.com.ph

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Sweet Poetic Science

Boxing

Pacquiao Mayweather

Ultimate Pugilistic Supremacy

Olympic Style Drug Testing

Moronic

* * * * * * *

Good versus evil; Offense versus defense.

Pacquiao rocks his Nikes to rock and scramble his adversaries,

Mayweather dances on his Reeboks to rock his opponents' psyches- like a lullaby to sleep.

You get frustrated, tired of it, sequentially submit.

One is a crowd pleaser, the other more like a teaser,

Except for the connoisseurs- or those who pretend to be such.

A hero of the masses, a people's champion whose plight is to bring honor to his country;

A villain, anti-hero, who patronizes his riches and a master of self promotion.

Pacquiao is every much offensive as Mayweather is defensive.

Mayweather is very much offensive as Pacquiao is unabrasive.

One is reflective and deflects all glory to his faith, while the other battles his demons and wonders further greatness if he was born another race.

The braggart versus the humble warrior.

Humility versus embracing and yearning for celebrity.

So much difference yet in ways the same.

And you can start by recognizing their status as the clear cut cream of the crop simply on top of the game.

As one is being chased by all, the other gives chase. Two egos battling for a bigger piece of the pie, longing to be considered as the one true great.

Boxing has been lingering in mediocrity for quite some time now.

Promoters have done quite a job selling us fights and selling us hype.

This one however needs no selling.

This one is the reason the gods created boxing.

Don't take it from us, we deserve to see greatness.

Just like how our ancestors and aging boxing scribes tell us of Frazier and Ali of Golden times,

This is our chance to have something to tell our children that back in our time, we truly witnessed a spectacle of that special kind.

For once, let it not be about the fighters. Let it not be about the sport and the money to be made by it's promoters.

"Boxing", YOU owe us this much for sticking with you when many have said you've been dead for a long time.

If not now, when? Let this not be a tragedy of greed like Jones and Hopkins.

To put it succinctly, make Pacquiao vs. Mayweather happen.

Source: Examiner.com

Freddie Roach Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Casual Talk via HOLLYWOOD, California - If recent statement of Freddie Roach, trainer of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, were to be taken in the context of building a better marketing concept, then he must have
perceived the wrong notion of his protégé's supreme relevance in the current world of boxing.

According to an article published Monday (Philippines) by ABS-CBN, Roach said, "We want that fight badly. We agreed to everything he asked for the least (sic) time... and nothing happened." He was referring to the purported fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr.

But, Pacquiao says, "I am okay even without a Mayweather fight. I have done enough in boxing."

And for Roach, he wants Pacquiao-Mayweather fight "badly". Hm...it sounds like Roach "ain't too proud to beg" at all! Sure, the same adverb serves as a modifier implying that Mayweather, Jr. really has the upperhand in the negotiation, at least that's what surfaces from the subsconscious mind of one of the most well-known boxing trainers in the world who was voted Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009, under the grace of Pacquiao's starpower.

Too much begging by Team Pacquiao puts Pacquiao in the position of an underdog.

And did Pacquiao really agreed to what Mayweather, Jr. demanded other than the financial aspect of the fight deal?

Mayweather, Jr. insists, "First and foremost, not only do I want to fight Manny Pacquiao, I want to whip his punk ass."

The final issue of their last negotiation early of last year was drug testing.

Source: associatedcontent.com

LAS VEGAS MUSEUM DEDICATED TO PACQUIAO

By Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN North America Bureau

LAS VEGAS- A new museum dedicated to boxing was opened at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino showcasing art dedicated to the inspiring career of Manny Pacquiao.

The “Fight Museum” also features memorabilia items that carves into the history of boxing and mix martial arts.

Paintings of Pacquiao and his famous bouts over his career were created by artist Richard Slone.

“What inspires me is trying to capture his greatness like the action of the fight the struggle of the fight all that before the fights, so it’s kind of my vision the upcoming fights, “said Slone.

Slone also said that he will start working on the Pacquiao-Marquez piece.

A glass case containing a pair of Swarovski crystal-studded boxing gloves, bearing Pacman’s name and the Philippine flag, is the main attraction of the fight museum.

its price- $15,000

The Pacquiao-Marquez rematch will take place in November, but the fight museum is already gearing up for another sell-out week for fans who will take home with them a piece of the Pinoy boxing super champ.

Source: balitangamerica.tv

Mendoza: Pacquiao beer mates and date with Marquez

THOSE five beer drinkers must have felt it was the drinking session of a lifetime.

Why, because they had for a beer mate Manny Pacquiao as all six of them were official guests of San Miguel Beer Brewery president Roberto N. Huang.

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If one drinks beer alone, either that dude is a loner or plain nuts--or wishes to drown away some wounds too difficult perhaps to lick.

Surely, those five drinkers beating over 6,000 hopefuls to be with Pacquiao had the time of their lives at the Executive Dining Room of San Miguel Corp. head office along San Miguel Ave. in Mandaluyong.

They were Reynald Pandan of Sasa in Davao City, Jay Punzalan (Quezon City), Joel Gabo (Puerto Princesa), Art dela Cruz (Manila) and Mark Glodoviza (Navotas), who topped the nationwide “Wala Kang Katulad” SMB promo to be with Pacquiao.

They fired away questions at Pacquiao. The one that stood out was, “What round will you knock Marquez out?”

Pacman replied, also in Tagalog: “If you were me, what round would you pick?”

“Between the fifth and eighth rounds,” was the answer.

Pacquiao just smiled. By tradition, he does not make predictions.

And, speaking of the Pacquiao-Marquez fight on Nov. 13 (Philippine Time) in Las Vegas, the “instant replay” rule will be in effect as approved by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Meaning, if a fight suddenly ends due to “a foul or a stoppage” arising possibly from either an illegal or accidental blow, the instant TV replay can guide the referee in making a decision.

If the referee sees in the TV replay an illegal blow as intentional, the boxer at fault may lose by disqualification. An accidental blow would decide the fight’s outcome through the scorecards.

This second trilogy for Pacquiao (he beat Erik Morales, 2-1, in 2005-‘06 – 2 successive KOs after a points loss in Fight One) is being seen as a classic this early.

Yes, Pacquiao is favored to defeat Marquez, but he must win convincingly this time after he merely extracted a split decision victory in 2008 following a draw in their first bout in 2004.

Already, the five-month wait is killing both Jon Hernandez and Valentin Dakuykoy.

Source: sunstar.com.ph

LOS ANGELES, MAYWEATHER STRONGHOLD, ACCORDING TO HIS FANS

Ricardo Lois, who infamously declared, “after Oscar hurts Manny with a left hook to the brain, Pacquiao will be doing the crack head dance” and also fondly referred to by Michael Marley as the journalist Frankenstein he created, is on a Pacquiao bashing spree again.

Even after Pacquiao’s annihilation of the Golden Boy and all his succeeding opponents, Mr. Lois has consistently minimized the pound for pound king’s ring achievements.

Sure, he has written some positive articles about the fighting congressman from the Philippines but those articles were littered with “buts” and qualifying statements. He seems to simply be unable to give credit where credit is due.

He should be writing for Fighthype.com instead.

If I am not mistaken, Michael Marley told me he is a Los Angeles school teacher. I hope he is not sharing his fallacious logic to impressionable school children.

Headline: Los Angeles Likes Mayweather –Ortiz Over Pacquiao-Marquez.

Quote: “During a public press conference for Mayweather - Ortiz last Wednesday night at the L.A. Live complex, I asked approximatley (sic) 100 fans at the event which did they perfer: (sic) Mayweather's move, or Pacquiao third fight with Marquez.
Apparently, Los Angeles is a Mayweather strong hold, with 68 of those polled gave the nod to his fight with Ortiz.”

A grade school tyke with common sense and half a brain would not even conclude to consider extrapolating a Mayweather-Ortiz crowd to represent Los Angeles.

Obviously, it is a no-brainer that other than journalists (or so called ones, like me), everybody in the press conference is either a Mayweather or an Ortiz supporter. What actually is amazing is that, according to Mr. Lois poll, 32 out of the 100 picked Pacquiao-Marquez.

It is like NBC’s Brian Williams polling the crowd at a Democratic Convention who they like, Barack Obama or Sarah Palin and incredibly 32% favored Palin.

Absurd, but even in his own party, Mayweather cannot escape the ghost of Pacquiao.

Ironic that, Mayweather-Ortiz, two Americans fighting in their homeland USA, is sharing the limelight in their own media blitz with Pacquiao-Marquez, two foreigners from far away land,
Another quote: “If you ask Hall of Fame trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain who won the first two battles between Manny Pacquiao and his fighter, Juan Manuel Marquez - the straight shooting Mexican will pull no strings”.

"We fought 24 hard rounds with a man who has been made into a mythical figure," said Beristain. "After both fights, I feel my fighter beat Pacquiao, but the politics of boxing took over”.

If you asked my beautiful and wonderful wife, Maria, a certified Hall of Fame person, who is the better writer between Ricardo Lois and Greg Penilla, the straight shooting Filipina, will pull no strings (or should it be pull no punches?).

“After reading and reviewing articles written the past 24 months by both,” said Maria, “I feel my writer beat Lois, but the politics of sporswriting took over”.

However, if you ask Mr. Lois’ mother, Lois is vastly superior to Penilla.

One simply needs to ask the right person to get the desired answer.

Source: PhilBoxing.com