Mayweather-Hatton II, Marquez-Pacquiao III would sell

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest News from examiner.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

Like all pundits, this pugilistic pundit’s specialty is snap judgments.

The endless “deadline” pressure of the Internet makes for even more rapid dispensing of verdicts and opinions.

I make mistakes like any pundit. And I must admit my first reaction to Ricky Hatton’s suggestion that he fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. a second time and Freddie Roach’s trial balloon for a third Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez bout were both wrong...

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Cotto hits back at Roach; Pacquiao flies to LA tonight

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest News from philstar.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach will do anything for his fighter, and that includes throwing the opponent off.

Miguel Cotto, however, isn’t buying any of his statements.

“I have never seen a fighter win with the talking of his trainer,” Cotto, who’s just 20 days away from a fight with Manny Pacquiao, told Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia yesterday.

“So, I want to tell Freddie Roach, Miguel Cotto and his team do not care. The important thing here is that I’m not going to see Freddie Roach’s face in the ring. I will be there with Manny Pacquiao,” Cotto added.

Roach is playing mind games with Cotto the way he’d played them with Pacquiao’s most recent opponents.

He did it with Juan Manuel Marquez by trading harsh words with his counterpart, Nacho Beristain, with Oscar dela Hoya through his famous “can’t-pull-the-trigger” battlecry, and with Ricky Hatton when he told Pacquiao he’d be...

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Rankings: Pac-man back on top

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest News from sports.yahoo.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

The Yahoo! Sports monthly rankings underwent big changes in October despite the fact that none of the top-ranked fighters were in action.

Manny Pacquiao, who faces Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas in what is expected to be a high-paced bout, supplanted Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the top spot. Mayweather had a one-point edge over Pacquiao in September, but Pacquiao climbed past him by five points in October.

Three fewer voters participated in the voting in October than did in September and that appeared to help Pacquiao. Pacquiao received 13 of the 25 first-place votes from the elite panel of boxing writers, with Mayweather picking up the other first-place 12 votes.

The difference turned out to be that all of those who did not vote for Pacquiao as No. 1 had him as No. 2. However, Mayweather had nine second-place votes, two third-place votes and one fourth...

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PACQUIAO'S TRAINING BOOSTS UP BUSINESS AT MALL

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from philboxing.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

Mandaluyong City -- Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao's training at the Penalosa Boxing Gym located at the 2nd floor of the Marketplace Mall here has made the already well-populated area even livelier and added more business to the mall which caters to the lower-income bracket of the city's residents.

The mall is located in Kalentong, a street named after a general who fought for Philippine independence against the Spaniards at the turn of the century, one of the busiest wet market area in Metro Manila. Pacquiao has trained here since Monday after the team left Baguio ealier than scheduled for fear of another round of heavy rains due to another typhoon approaching the northern summer capital.

"It's fun! A lot of people come here everyday to get a glimpse of Manny," Esther Garcia, the mall's administrator said. "But sometimes it's difficult because a lot of people, from the media and elsewhere, try to force their...

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Expect a focused Pacquiao amid typhoon turmoil on HBO’s “24/7”

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from examiner.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

For all the distractions that have plagued Manny Pacquiao’s training camp in the Philippines, you’re likely to find him focused on his Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Cotto as HBO’s “24/7 Pacquaio/Cotto” premieres Saturday. We may well see that Cotto is in greater disarray.

There was talk in early September that promoter Bob Arum and/or trainer Freddie Roach felt Pacquiao didn’t hit the ground running. Then Manny’s financial manager Mike Koncz was nosing around, pissing off Roach and his boys until strength trainer Alex Ariza reportedly smacked Koncz. Pacquiao’s original manager died Sept. 24. And then the persistence of a horrible monsoon season has devastated the country, necessitating Pacquiao’s philanthropy – and empathy, to be sure...

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Examiner's prediction for Pac vs Cotto: the winner is . . .

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from examiner.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

The moment is arriving, and it is time to make a prediction for the November 14 mega-fight. After countless hours of research, analysis, and pre-fight observations, we reach a conclusion. To quote an ancient Chinese proverb, "the journey is the reward." In the Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight, I predicted a wide unanimous decision for Floyd. This one has a far different outcome.

The Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto will be an extravagant event - but the night will end in an anti-climactic conclusion to the war. And the army of an archipelago will march victorious under the Arc de Triumph.

Cotto, he is one of the most courageous welterweights of this generation - a brave warrior who never backs down. He insists on meeting a challenge. Unfortunately, that ring adversity comes in its maximum form straight from the sport's summit. Pacquiao is not just the pound-for-pound lion king, he is also an all-time great. One who is gunning for a historical seventh title in an incredible seventh weight class. HBO's 24 / 7, the marketing gurus, will cast its magic dust and successfully convince millions of viewers that this is not an overrated fighter (Cotto) whose best days are in the past. The series will effect a mass delusion, resulting in greater pay-per-view dollars. On Saturday's fight night, Cotto will undergo a nightmare, a humiliating and embarassing defeat at the hands of a humble monster...

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“START AGGRESIVE, STRONG, FAST” - ROACH

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from philboxing.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

Manila - The world's best boxing trainer pound for pound Freddie Roach was a guest at the Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines (SCOOP) Forum held at the Kamayan Restaurant in Manila Friday morning.

Roach emphasized the importance of Manny Pacquiao starting aggressively in the opening round against WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto. “Manny needs to start aggressive, strong and fast so that he'll make Cotto remember the beating he got from Antonio Margarito.”

Cotto is a notoriously slow starter and Roach said that there is a window of opportunity in the early minutes to catch him cold. They have prepared for two different Cottos – the boxer and the puncher. But Roach feels Cotto cannot counter like Juan Manuel Marquez and change styles in six weeks. “If he gets hit, he'll fight.”...

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GATO SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT COTTO AND HIS DISMISSAL FROM CAMP

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from fighthype.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

There's always two sides to a story. After learning of Miguel Cotto's recent statements regarding his dismissal from training camp, jr. welterweight contender Frankie "Gato" Figueroa wanted to set the record straight about events leading up to his removal. Having served as Cotto's sparring partner...

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Cotto vs. Pacquiao worth $54.95?

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from examiner.com Sat, 24 Oct 2009

Obviously if you watch it with your gang and everyone chips in it makes a difference and it's a lot more fun. If you go to a sports bar or gentleman's club you're in for $10 if you shop it right.

But I'm not talking about that. The fighters deserve to get paid. I'm talking about the fact that the prices have clearly gone over the $50 mark now with some normalcy.

How high will they eventually go? Which fighters can demand it?

But this fight? Even Top Rank is even quite proud of its Latin Fury cards. Latin Fury is at $39.95, sure Cotto vs. Pacquiao if worth just $15 more, and Pacquiao only fights...

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Pacquiao's treat: Henson's trick or Rivera's threat

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest New from philboxing.com Sat, Oct 2009

San Leandro, California: I've tried just about every hat in my life-long involvement in boxing -- starry-eyed fight fan when I was young, eager spectator of semi-inebriated Filipino writers during lively libations, and lately as manager, cornerman, aspiring writer and photographer.

Never would I have imagined being the "Third Man In the Ring" as RP journalism heavyweights Joaquin Henson and Hermie Rivera lock horns inside their literary squared circle.

My father is never one to back down in a verbal tussle nor run away from rabid dogs.

I still remember him late 1970's kicking one "Asong Ulol" (shielding me from harm) enroute to a hospital to visit an interesting fellow named Bing Bong (surname Crisologo)...

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