Tater Tot said:Good way to start the new decade
Even if Manny gets through the Matrix haxorz, Floyd might still rage quit:Speevy said:As long as Manny can stop Floyd from doing that Matrix stuff I'll be happy.
The fight is in doubt after Jones lost to Danny Green last night, as it was a condition of their agreement that he beat Green.VindicatorZ said:EDIT: I also just noticed that Bernard Hopkins vs Roy Jones Jr is schedules for March 13. If that fight does happen, how fucking awsome would it be if it was the undercard for Pacquiao/Mayweather? I have never seen a boxing fight in my life with an actually GOOD undercard. This would rival what UFC does with it's cards where you get usually 4 or 5 really good fights. Especially with UFC 100 where we had 2 megaton fights with GSP vs Thiago Alves and Lesnar vs Mir. I know this will probably not happen, but in reality, Jones vs Hopkins wouldn't even be on PPV anyways. It would make the event that much bigger.
r3d panda said:fight of the decade for sure...
I love betting against Pacquiao since I have lots of Filipino friends (even my girl is flip) that hug his nuts like he's the messiah. I always lose the bet but I'm pretty sure Floyd will punch Pacquiao's mustache off haha
Don't like Pacman since he beats up on my Mexican boxers
Screw you Mexicutioner, you goin down.
btrick said:my money is on mayweather.. but my heart's on manny.
either way, probably the greatest thing to happen in 2010. period.
The reported progress in negotiations to stage a super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are tempered by the fact Pacquiao hasn't yet reviewed contractual details that Mayweather has apparently initially OK'd, Pacquiao's trainer told The Times today.
"Of course," Freddie Roach said in a telephone conversation from Europe, "Manny believes he should get a 60-40 [purse] split too, because he did better in pay-per-view than Mayweather this year. Manny's the bigger draw."
The Times reported Tuesday night that a source familiar with the process who declined to be identified because he's not authorized to speak about the negotiations said there are strong indications that Mayweather has agreed in principle to some contractual details. Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.com reported, respectively, earlier Tuesday that the fight is "is all but set," and that Mayweather had "agreed to terms for the welterweight title bout."
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum departed for the Philippines on Tuesday night for a previously scheduled trip to meet Pacquiao. Arum was not immediately available for comment today.
Roach said his agent, Nick Khan, told him "Arum had a [Mayweather] deal together" when he left the U.S. "That's all I know."
Roach said he remains uncertain if the fight has to be fought March 13 because of Pacquiao's planned run for a congressional seat in the Philippines in May. Arum and HBO, which will televise the bout, if it occurs, on pay-per-view, prefer a May 1 date.
Roach wants the later date too.
"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," said Roach. "Manny has a brokeneardrum" suffered in his Nov. 14 TKO victory over welterweight Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. "I'd like to have more time. I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape."
XiaNaphryz said:
Mayweather is just going to dance away and control the fight with his legs. Pacman's handspeed won't help him if he can't get close.Ninja Scooter said:kinda how I feel. I hope Manny is able to execute his style and gameplan because I think it'd make for the most exciting fight (and to see how Floyd would react) but my head tells me PBF is just too damn good.
Liara T'Soni said:For all the talks of Floyd ducking, it seems that Pac-man is the one being difficult now. After the elections? Man, what if Floyd said he was running for mayor of LA or some shit? People would be all over his ass about this.
Does anyone like Mayweather? The guy is always acting like a huge asshole.harSon said:It's a matter of love and hate, people like Pacquiao and hate Mayweather.
Liara T'Soni said:For all the talks of Floyd ducking, it seems that Pac-man is the one being difficult now. After the elections? Man, what if Floyd said he was running for mayor of LA or some shit? People would be all over his ass about this.
bionic77 said:Does anyone like Mayweather? The guy is always acting like a huge asshole.
Everyone wants to see Pacquiao knock his ass out.
bionic77 said:Does anyone like Mayweather? The guy is always acting like a huge asshole.
Everyone wants to see Pacquiao knock his ass out.
thirty said:I think the Mayweather camp called the Pacman camp's bluff and agreed to a March date. Now Roach is scared and thinking he needs more time. The same Roach that said he only needed 10 weeks now needs more time. I don't think Pac needs more time, it's Roach who needs more time to play mental games with Mayweather, trying to call him out so he can trade with Pac.
He hurt Corrales and dropped him 3x in round 7. Then came back in round 8 and still boxed and did his thing. Didn't overpursue or show discouragement that chico was still there.
He put Corley down with the repeated rights (overhand). But didn't want to overuse them so that Chop could time them and counter.
He hurt Gatti in rounds 4, 5, and 6. Especially what he did in early in round 6. He just skipped back to the corner, knowing the KO would come. Buddy calledit off, though.
He was punishing Zab in the corners and sensed the KO coming. Zab administered the vasectomy, and to Floyd;s credit, he was the only cool head in the house. Came back in round 11 with his gameplan. Contrast that with how aggy that Martinez came out after the Cintron pseudo-KO.
FMJ thought he had Hatton gone at the end of round 8. Was killing Ricky in the corner, and I actually thought the ref was gonna step in. Ricky threw a punch, FM stepped back, and the bell sounded. But he came out in round 9 jabbing to RESET the table. He didn't overcommit or get discouraged.
He caught Marquez with that nice lead left hook in round 2. when marquez got up, floyd went in for the test, but JMM hit Floyd witha two-piece and FM backed off and reset. Again in round 11, he was punishing JMM (which was when Eric was calling for a stoppage). JMM weathered, and Floyd came out patient in round 12.
Manny Pacquiao believes the biggest potential fight in boxing will never happen because Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants no part of him.
Pacquiao is training in Hollywood for his meeting with Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, but the pound-for-pound champion spared a moment Thursday to evaluate his chances of fighting Mayweather, the unbeaten pay-per-view king. Although the matchup almost certainly would be a financial bonanza for both fighters, Pacquiao thinks fans shouldn't hold their breath.
"I don't think it's going to happen," Pacquiao said. "I'm sure he doesn't want to fight."
Mayweather has been circumspect about his plans for his next bout, saying only that he has never ducked anybody and would consider any opponent. In his comeback bout from a 21-month layoff, Mayweather demolished Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 in a fight that generated more than 1 million pay-per-view buys.
Mayweather's advisers claim they haven't ruled out a bout with Pacquiao, likely among the world's few fighters who could match Money's speed. But the Filipino champion has surprisingly strong opinions about why it won't happen.
"Boxing for him is like a business," Pacquiao said. "He doesn't care about the people around him watching. He doesn't care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is finished and he gets [plenty of] money. ... I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer."
If Mayweather and Pacquiao don't make a deal, Sugar Shane Mosley has been outspoken in his desire to fight Mayweather, even calling him out in the ring moments after his victory over Marquez. Mosley is slated to meet welterweight champion Andre Berto in Las Vegas in January.
After arriving in California last Saturday, Pacquiao has been ramping up his training regimen this week while also battling jet lag that forced him to sleep for about 20 hours on Wednesday, wiping out a day of training. Because of tax issues, Pacquiao's camp began in Manila and moved to Hollywood later than trainer Freddie Roach usually prefers.
"I'm not worried about it, because he's always known how to block everything out," Roach said. "If anybody can do it, he can."
Pacquiao looked fairly sharp while sparring 11 rounds Thursday at Roach's Wild Card Gym in front of a small group of spectators including Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest and his father, Ron Sr., both avid boxing fans and Pacquiao admirers.
Pacquiao will spar 12 rounds on Saturday before gradually scaling back in preparation for his trip to Las Vegas to meet Cotto, the once-beaten welterweight champion whose combination of size and strength will be unlike anything the former flyweight champion has faced. Cotto is in camp in Tampa. Fla., before traveling to the West Coast next week.
"I consider this one of the hardest fights in my boxing career," Pacquiao said.
Manny Pacquiao has signed a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing's biggest fight on March 13, a source with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN.com on Friday night.
Mayweather
Pacquiao
Pacquiao and promotor Bob Arum met for two hours Friday to discuss the proposed deal, according to Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz, who told The Associated Press that "Manny has some additional requirements, requests, which Arum didn't think was a problem.
"The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal," Koncz said.
Later Friday it became a done deal, at least on the Pacquiao side, when he signed the paperwork, the source said.
Mayweather had previously agreed to terms with Golden Boy Promotions, his promoter for the HBO PPV fight, but it was unclear if he had signed a contract.
The source also disclosed other aspects of the fight, which will take place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds for Pacquiao's title and match the top two fighters in the world, pound-for-pound.
The camps agreed to a 50-50 split of the money, which could be gargantuan. Many experts expect the fight to eclipse the all-time pay-per-view record for sales, which is the 2.44 million buys generated by Mayweather's 2007 victory against Oscar De La Hoya.
Both fighters will wear 8-ounce gloves but each fighter will be allowed to select the brand of gloves he will wear for the fight.
For promotional purposes, the bout will be referred to as Mayweather-Pacquiao, but Top Rank will receive first billing over Golden Boy throughout the promotion.
However, instead of a full-scale media tour, there will only be a single press conference in New York during the second week of January. With the schedule compressed because of the March 13 date for the fight, rather than May 1, which the promoters and HBO PPV preferred, it didn't leave time for a lengthy media tour.
The fight is going to take place March 13 because Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in the Philippines and the elections are in May, which would have been a conflict between his training and the campaign.
Pacquiao will spend the first half of his training camp in Baguio in the Philippines, where he also trained for the first part of his camp in preparation for his 12th-round knockout victory against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14. For the final few weeks of his training, Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach will relocate to Roach's Wild Card gym in Hollywood, Calif.
The site of the bout has not been finalized. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed interest in bringing the fight to his new stadium as have representatives from the Superdome in New Orleans. Also in the mix is the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which has hosted several Pacquiao and Mayweather bouts. Arum has also received a proposal for a 30,000-seat temporary stadium on the Las Vegas Strip across from the Wynn resort.
Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.
For unspecified reasons, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is out of the running to host the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather super fight, Top Rank's Bob Arum told ESPN.com on Wednesday.
Arum, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who will co-promote the nearly finalized fight, and HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg were supposed to meet with Cowboys officials at the stadium on Wednesday for a tour of the facility and to talk with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about a site fee for the fight.
However, Arum said he received a call from Schaefer on Tuesday night canceling the trip.
"Richard called me last night and said he won't go to Texas," Arum said. "And I told him to call Ross and tell him. And then I called Ross and said, 'You don't want me to go if he's not going. If Jerry Jones offers me money for the fight what is Pacquiao going to do? Go in the ring alone?' Schaefer just said, 'I'm not going to Texas. I'm not going to do the fight in Texas. I'm not going to waste my time.' That's the explanation."
Arum said he asked why and Schaefer's response was, "'The fight is March 13 and there isn't enough time to do a fight at an outdoor stadium.' It's bizarre, but that's what he said. I reminded him [that the stadium has a retractable roof]. He said it doesn't matter. I am not going to theorize. I'm just telling you what happened."
The Cowboys declined to comment when reached by ESPNDallas.com on Wednesday.
Arum, who turned 78 on Tuesday, was having a dinner party for his birthday at his Las Vegas home and was planning to leave at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"I was planning to get up early and then the bombshell happened," Arum said. "Richard called and that's where we are. He may have a real good reason why he wouldn't consider Dallas. The reason he gave me, frankly, makes no sense. Maybe he has another reason that he didn't articulate it to me. But we had airline tickets booked and the three of us planned to rendezvous in Dallas and then go out to the stadium."
Jones is interested in bringing big events to his new stadium -- which could seat as many as 100,000 for a fight -- and landing Pacquiao-Mayweather was one he had in mind.
Greenburg, who was in his office in New York when reached Wednesday, had no comment. The fight will be televised on HBO PPV.
Schaefer wouldn't address the reasons he called off the trip to Texas, telling ESPN.com, "This is a fight our side wants and we are working very hard to finalize it. The next time you hear from us is when we have a signed deal or the negotiations have fallen apart. I want to get a deal done and once a deal is done then we will be available for comments. Until then, there is no comment from our side."
There has been interest from other venues, including the Superdome in New Orleans, although Las Vegas, specifically the MGM Grand, is believed to be the front-runner to host what many believe will be the richest fight in boxing history. The MGM, which has a close relationship with Golden Boy and Top Rank, has hosted several Pacquiao and Mayweather bouts, including their most recent fights -- Mayweather's shutout decision of Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 and Pacquiao's 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.
The Miami Dolphins are also interested in hosting the fight at Land Shark Stadium, going so far as to send out e-mails to their season-ticket holders to gauge their interest in buying tickets for the event.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
this is a megafight that deserves its own thread. the biggest boxing fight in decades and you wanna mix pacman/pbf talk with guys like danny green? no no no, this gets its own thread.BakedPigeon said:You guys do realize we have a pretty active boxing discussion thread right?
Dallas would've been nice, but Vegas always works so well for these fights...so many ways for people to plan, party, and celebrate for the fight weekend in the Vegas strip area for visitors instead of having to extensively travel in a metro area of another city.thirty said:http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/news/story?id=4729058
Looks like the fight will happen in Vegas. Kinda sad that it won't happen in a stadium that seats 100K.
thirty said:this is a megafight that deserves its own thread. the biggest boxing fight in decades and you wanna mix pacman/pbf talk with guys like danny green? no no no, this gets its own thread.