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twitterTalk turns to Manny Pacquiao fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
‘Whole world’ wants to see it, Pacquiao’s trainer says
Steve Marcus
Manny Pacquiao, right, is sent to a neutral corner by referee Kenny Bayless after Miguel Cotto goes down in the fourth round.
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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Pacquiao vs Cotto
Manny Pacquiao captured his unprecedented seventh title in a seventh weight division with a twelfth-round TKO of Miguel Cotto Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
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Las Vegas Sun boxing/MMA writer Brett Okamoto sits down with fellow sports writer Ryan Greene and videographer Christine Killimayer to discuss what they all thought about the history making night for Manny Pacquiao.
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Grandiose pronouncements were uttered about when and where negotiations would begin for a proposed fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing insiders were speculating about the contentiousness and hostility those talks would breed.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, avoided the conjecture.
He was already getting down to the nitty-gritty.
“The whole world wants to see the Mayweather fight,” Roach said after Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in a dominating performance Saturday night at the MGM Grand. “Let’s fight Mayweather.”
The framework has been created for the potential 2010 showdown. In one corner, there’s Pacquiao, the speedy and explosive southpaw with his own particular brand of genius for launching punches from ungodly angles. In the other, there’s Mayweather, the tactical virtuoso and modern-day Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Pep or Pernell Whitaker — depending on who’s making the comparison.
Roach sees it in simpler terms. If Pacquiao-Cotto was speed against power, then Pacquiao-Mayweather is exciting against boring, scintillating against sleep-inducing.
“You’ve got an exciting fighter in my guy against a boring guy in Mayweather,” Roach said. “That’s what we’ll have to do to beat him. Engage him.”
Mayweather Jr. wasn’t around Saturday night, so it was up to Floyd Mayweather Sr., who assisted in his son’s preparations for his most recent fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez, to address the Pacquiao bout.
Big Floyd did not disappoint: Cotto was not “the Cotto of old” Saturday, he said. His son would beat Pacquiao in a breeze, and the fight is hardly worth taking. In fact, a more competitive matchup would pit Floyd Sr. himself, age 57, against Pacquiao.
Informed of his comments, Roach responded with an obscenity.
Ah, Freddie Roach mixing it up with the Mayweather Bunch. This will be the gift that keeps on giving. Abundantly.
•••
Here’s a telling illustration of the complete control Pacquiao exerted over Cotto: With the give-and-take between the two men in the first three rounds, the fight had the makings of a classic. But it turns out Pacquiao, temporarily going rogue against the game plan he and Roach had developed, had made a conscious decision to test the limits of Cotto’s power.
“I wanted to get hit,” Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) said. “When I started controlling the fight, I got aggressive and made more pressure.”
By the middle rounds, Pacquiao was battering Cotto (34-2) with shots he did not see coming.
A dazed Cotto spent much of the seventh and eighth rounds reeling backward in the ring.
Referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight 55 seconds into Round 12. Roach said if he had been running Cotto’s corner, he would have thrown in the towel in the ninth round, during which Cotto was spitting blood.
After earning a title in his seventh weight class, Pacquiao said the welterweight division is as high as he expects to go.
“This is the last weight division I am going to fight,” he said. “I am pretty sure the Filipino fans are very happy for the victory I have given them.”
•••
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, the promoter of the fight, has spoken of a renaissance in boxing’s popularity in recent years and the role Pacquiao has played in it.
Roach, who has trained Pacquiao for eight years, said he doesn’t have the luxury of stepping back and looking at the big picture.
“I’m too caught up in the day-to-day,” Roach said. “I just do what I like to do. I like my job. That’s why I train mixed martial arts guys with no fear. I like training them, too. If you want to be a better fighter, no matter what sport it is, I’ll do it. I think there’s room for all sports and a good fight is a good fight.”
Arum, for his part, warned against reading too much into any theory about a “rebirth” of boxing.
“Don’t be defensive,” he said. “Boxing never left. People realize now what a great sport it is and what enthusiasm there is and always has been for the sport.”
Discussion: 7 comments so far…
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FACT: Mayweather is scared of the Pacman!
We wont see this fight ever!, becouse Mayweather is scared to fight Manny period. Mayweather said "Hatton was the hardest fight he ever had and best boxer he ever faced". then Mayweather saw what Manny did to Hatton, destroyed Hatton, bullied Hatton around the ring like Hatton was a school girl then knocks him completly out cold in the 2nd round sending doctors rushing to the ring to resusatate Hatten and basicly bring him back to life. publicly ebarresed him.
He knows this will be a loss for him and he will take a brutal and embarrassing beating, he is scared of being knocked out cold in an early round and being completly embarrased just like Hatton.
FACT: Mayweather is scared of the Pacman!
You are kidding right? Floyd is not afraid of Manny. At least he told me so lol. On a serious note: there is no excuse for him not to fight Manny. All the talk about the proposed opponent not bringing anything to the table financially is null and void. What Floyd craves is the acceptance from urban America. If he doesn't take this fight, he is done. Period! Both fighters and promoters need to split everything down the middle evenly (50/50). No 65/35, 60/40; 50/50. Heck, by previous estimates, each of them can earn upwards of $50 million. If that isn't enough money, then the hell with both of them.
With 7 title in different division under his name, i hope that Manny think about it seriously.
Since elections is coming real soon in the PHILIPPINES, this is the time to think it seriously to better help his countrymen. At this point of his life FINANCIALLY he is very much stable and did help lots of people. This is now the time for him to think it twice of what his plans. It's really much better for him to retire in boxing as a CHAMPION. Think about him MANNY and people of the PHILIPPINES, lets support Manny of what his plan in his life. GOD BLESS EVERYONE.
Manny should retire as champion now!!! He is going for election in the Philipines and is hugely popular in Manilla. He should stay that way. Pleassse Pleassse do not fight Mayweather. This guy has tooo much talent and is much toooo fast. He is a solid 147 pounder and is very very strong. Manny risks too much by getting in the ring with this guy. He can't beat this fighting machine. Manny please listen to us. Pleeeasssse go back down and forget about Mayweather or Williams. These guys are killers!!!
Retire now!!!!
Pleeeasssse!!!!
Recent Pretty Boy fights have gone to decision (i.e. BORING!!!)
People who find Mayweather's fights boring are not true boxing fans. Better yet, they know little about boxing. You are watching the very essence of boxing when Money May fights. "Hit and don't get hit." The name of the sport is "boxing" not brawling, or standing square exchanging punches. If you want to see brawling and quick KO's watch MMA!!!
There is so much skill involved in detroying your opponent and emerging from the ring unscathed that most novice fans just don't get it. Standing there and punching until you are punch drunk involves little skill. I am not saying Manny does that, however I am saying that if a fighter doesn't loose a few teeth doesn't mean that he is a lesser skilled or talented fighter. If you were evaluating boxer, Floyd would be in the same category as Leonard, Hearns, DeLahoya of old, and Wilfredo Benitez.
Boxing is a talent and skill. In all farness, I would categorize Manny as a fighter and Floyd as a boxer. The mixture of the 2 will be exciting no doubt about it. All of the jarring being done by Freddy Roach saying Floyd is boring, is a tactic and distraction to get Floyd out of his game. Roach himself tried his hand at boxing and wasn't very good at it. Floyd got his pedigree from his father who was pretty good but not as good as his son.
The media should keep the microphone away from Mayweather Sr. as well as Freddy Roach. Both annoy me.