Showing posts with label Bob Arum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Arum. Show all posts
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Donaire Jr, Nishioka ready for Sunday’s fight
MANILA, Philippines — Nonito Donaire Jr. had no problem making the weight in the routine weigh-in Friday (Saturday Morning in Manila) for his bout against Toshiaki Nishioka in California.
Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) tipped in the scales at 121.6 pounds, just a hair lighter than Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs), who came in at 121.8.
The “Filipino Flash” stakes his WBO/IBA superbantamweight crowns against Japan’s Nishioka (Sunday in Manila) before an expected packed crowd at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
Meanwhile, Brandon “Bambam” Rios came in at 140 pounds while “Mile High” Mike Alvardo registered a weight of 139.8 in the weigh-in of the co-feature bout.
Both undefeated, Rios and Alvarado clash for the vacant WBO Latino light welterweight and WBO light welterweight titles on Saturday as a prelude to Donaire-Nishioka fight.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Pacquiao still favored over Marquez
MANILA, Philippines - If Juan Manuel Marquez thinks that
three close fights with Manny Pacquiao could earn him the nod of the oddsmakers
he better think again.
The betting odds for the fourth fight between Pacquiao and
Marquez are out, and the great Filipino boxer is out of the starting gates at
-400.
This means that Pacquiao remains as the favorite in his
never-ending rivalry against Marquez, who was listed initially at +300 in the
fight line provided by American pubicist Fred Sternburg yesterday.
In layman’s terms, you need to put in $400 just to win $100
if you’re for Pacquiao. On the other hand, a wager of $100 wins $300 if you’re
for Marquez.
When they met for the third time, then supposed to be the
last one, last November, Pacquiao started out at -700 but went to as high as
-900 and even higher.
Marquez was at +500 close to the fight, and if you’d base
your thoughts on the odds, the only way the Mexican could win is if Pacquiao
didn’t show up at the MGM Grand.
But Marquez, now 39 and almost six years older than
Pacquiao, proved a lot of people wrong. He gave the world one hell of a fight,
and many thought he won the fight.
Pacquiao and Marquez were in New York yesterday for the
press tour, and by the end of the week they head separate ways, straight to
their respective training quarters.
The next time they will meet is perhaps on the week of the
fight, in cold December in glittery Vegas.
Marquez is once again out to prove these people wrong.
Pacquiao, Marquez look for KOs in 4th rivalry fight
BEVERLY HILLS, California — Three compelling bouts in eight years haven’t resolved the rivalry between Pacquiao and Marquez, so they’re stepping in the ring together for a fourth bout on Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
And this time, they’re both looking for the only decisive ending to any fight: a stone-cold KO.
“I want to erase the doubt of the last three fights,” Pacquiao said. “There’s so many people still asking if I won the fights. I think to myself, ‘Something is wrong. I have to do it again.’ This time, I will train hard to put this fight up in the history of boxing. I want to make this fight short. I want to knock him out.”
Although they’re extending a rivalry to rare lengths in modern boxing, the fighters and promoters believe fans will warm to the matchup when they remember just how good the first three fights were.
Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a draw in 2004, while Pacquiao won by split decision in 2008 and again by majority decision last year. The bouts featured knockdowns, wild momentum swings and fascinating contrasts in technique — but Marquez and many fans still believe he won all three fights, while Pacquiao says he clearly won the last two.
“It’s been an incredible ride,” Top Rank promoter Todd duBoef said. “People ask me whether it’s going to be hard to sell a fourth fight. Did you see the first 36 rounds? There wasn’t a dull moment.”
With a combination of unfinished business and unmatched financial reward, Pacquiao and Marquez both had plenty of incentive to get together again. They have fought at 125, 130 and 144 pounds, and their fourth fight will be a straight welterweight contest at 147.
Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) is coming off his first loss since 2005, a wildly disputed decision to Timothy Bradley. Still stinging from that embarrassment, he says he’s going back to the ferocious, relentless style of fighting that made him an eight-division champion. Pacquiao hasn’t stopped an opponent in more than three years, a once-unthinkable drought for a relentless puncher.
“I want to be the other Manny Pacquiao, like when I was 24, 25 years old,” Pacquiao said. “I want people who watch this fight to be satisfied. I don’t care about a belt. I don’t care about the money. I want the win.”
Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) has tested Pacquiao more than any opponent, with counterpunching skills and comprehensive boxing knowledge that can negate many of Pacquiao’s strengths. But Pacquiao also is a nightmare matchup for Marquez, whose relentlessness hasn’t been enough to overcome Pacquiao’s once-in-a-generation combination of speed and strength.
While Pacquiao has a plan to recapture his best form, Marquez believes the only way to be sure he’ll finally get his hand raised is to stop the Filipino congressman. Marquez swore off the rivalry and nearly retired in frustration immediately after Pacquiao’s victory last fall, but agreed to return after a few months to cool down.
“I won all of the last three fights,” Marquez said. “I would like the referee to raise my hand. Everybody knows I won the fights, and I don’t know what happened with the judges. I have to take it out of the judges’ hands this time.”
Pacquiao won’t train in Baguio, the high-altitude northern Philippines city where he has traditionally started training camp before heading to trainer Freddie Roach’s gym for the final few weeks.
Instead, Pacquiao and Roach will be in Hollywood for their entire training camp, dramatically reducing the number of distractions for the Philippines’ most famous person.
Pacquiao and Marquez will join the short list of rivalries that couldn’t be contained by a mere trilogy, including Sugar Ray Robinson’s six fights with Jake LaMotta and Robinson’s four bouts with Gene Fullmer. More recently, Israel Vazquez’s sensational rivalry with Rafael Marquez, Juan Manuel’s brother, extended to four fights, concluding with Marquez’s third-round stoppage of Vazquez in May 2010.
Pacquiao - Marquez 4 is confirmed
LOS ANGELES - Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao will fight Juan Manuel Marquez for the fourth time on December 8, promoter Bob Arum confirmed on Friday, September 14.
Pacquiao and Mexico's Marquez will embark on a three-city international media tour touting the fight starting on Monday in Beverly Hills, California.
Between them Pacquiao and Marquez have won world titles in 12 weight divisions and they will add another chapter to their intense rivalry when they fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas -- scene of their first and third fights.
Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) was also in negotiations for a rematch against Tim Bradley, who claimed Pacquiao's welterweight world title with a controversial split-decision victory in Las Vegas on June 9.
Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto was also a possible opponent for Pacquiao, but he announced on Twitter last month that he would fight junior middleweight world champion Austin Trout on December 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pacquiao defeated Marquez in a majority decision in November -- a third gut-wrenching result for Marquez against his Filipino foe.
In the build-up to that fight, Marquez had taunted Pacquiao with claims that he was the true winner of their first two clashes -- a 2004 draw and a 2008 rematch that went to Pacquiao by a single point on a single scorecard.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Rage on Manny Pacquiao shocking defeat
LAS VEGAS—The uproar was so loud even Bob Arum was forced to reconsider an earlier announcement of an immediate rematch.
For now, the Hall of Fame promoter is shelving plans for a Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley II on November 10 even if Pacquiao wishes the rematch to push through.
“I want to investigate whether there was any undue influence, whether the (Nevada State Athletic Commission) gave any particular instruction and how they came to the conclusion,” Arum told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports.
Arum’s sudden move for an inquiry runs parallel to the demand of concerned boxing people and the media for a full-blown probe, possibly even a federal investigation.
“There needs to be an independent investigation because it strains credulity that an event everybody saw as one-sided one way, all three judges saw it as close,” Arum added.
Judge Jerry Roth saw the bout, 115-113, for Pacquiao, but it was overturned by similar 115-113 scores for Bradley given by two fellow judges, C.J. Ross and Duane Ford.
There were reports, according to Marv Dumon of Examiner.com, that Bradley bets spiked early Saturday morning, putting back the odds to 4-1 in Pacquiao’s favor.
An Irish bookmaker even refunded its customers who put their money on Pacquiao.
Other betting sites also suffered major losses as Pacquiao was thought to be untouchable, even against an unbeaten American champion like Bradley.
Pacquiao, with his bunch of punches and sudden lunges, took Bradley to education school in the first eight rounds before tapering a bit in the latter part.
To the trained eye and even to ordinary boxing fans, there was no way that Bradley—who showed up in the postfight conference in a wheelchair—could have won, granting that he swept the last four rounds, which he didn’t, even by the questionable scorecards.
As it turned out, Bradley suffered torn ligaments in his left foot and is due for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) on Monday, according to his manager, Cameron Dunkin. Bradley’s right foot swelled because it got twisted.
Mondejar was shocked
Veteran promoter Lito Mondejar said he was so sure of a Pacquiao victory that he left the gym early and headed to his hotel nearby.
Imagine his shock when it was flashed on the TV screen in his room that Bradley had won.
“Pacquiao was the clear winner,” said Mondejar, who handled Pacquiao up to 2006 and was one of the wedding sponsors when Manny married Jinkee.
Now retired and living comfortably at a big farm in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato, Mondejar said that from the start, Pacquiao had been beating opponents who ducked, like Juan Manuel Marquez.
“They’ve been studying Manny and they know it now,” Mondejar said.
Even Bradley, though grateful that he had won, was unsure whether he did enough to hand Pacquiao his first loss in the United States since 2005.
November opponent
Bradley said he would watch the replay of the fight.
Pacquiao took a leap of faith from the ring to the pulpit less than 24 hours after his loss. He appeared as the main guest of the Jesus Is Lord evangelical meeting here and showed promise as a pastor.
The Sarangani representative, who was introduced as a champion’s champion by JIL head Bro. Eddie Villanueva, spoke without any notes, impressing the congregation of over 1,000 people, majority of whom were Filipino immigrants.
Pacquiao, who came with Jinkee in tow, even made a PowerPoint presentation of his Pacman Bible Study being held at his Palazzo unit in Hollywood.
Arum said there would be no rematch unless Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto launched an investigation.
Arum, whose company promotes both fighters, said his feeling that Pacquiao had won a wide decision had not changed a day after Bradley was proclaimed winner.
Arum was adamant the result was a mistake but not the result of any chicanery.
Speaking by telephone to Yahoo! Sports, judge Ford said the criticism was part of the job but said those criticizing the outcome were almost certainly not familiar with the way fights are judged.
“If this were ‘American Idol,’ without a doubt, Manny Pacquiao would have won,” Ford said. “But it was not. I gave an honest opinion. I had Pacquiao up 4-2, I think, at the end of six rounds. I thought he hurt Bradley a couple of times early in the fight. But when the bell rang to end that round, it was over and what happens in one round doesn’t carry over to the next round.
“In the second half of the fight, Pacquiao picked off a lot of punches to the head, but Bradley landed some hard body shots. That hurt Pacquiao. I don’t mean it hurt him in the sense of it physically hurting him, but in terms of scoring and piling up points …”
Conspiracy theory
Arum said that in the Philippines, “the conspiracy theory is that somehow I arranged this to create a rematch, which would give me another big fight until Floyd (Mayweather, who is serving an 87-day jail sentence) is ready to fight.”
Arum said he was getting so much heat that “we’re asking the attorney general of Nevada to conduct an investigation of everybody, to see what the facts are here.”
“You can’t rely on the (Nevada Athletic Commission) to conduct an investigation, because they’ll whitewash it,” he said.
Arum isn’t the only one calling for reform. HBO’s judge, Harold Lederman, and Lou DiBella, a promoter, are also seeking change.
Lederman scored it 119-109 for Pacquiao.
“They’ve had controversies in Nevada, and it’s about time they start bringing in judges from outside for high-profile fights,” he said.
Politics in boxing
DiBella said it was as likely now to see an indefensible decision as it was to see a fair one.
DiBella has railed on the politics of the sport for years: The ranking organizations are involved with judging, he says, and the judges belong to ranking organizations.
“There are no checks and balances on the judges,” DiBella said.
Arum was so angry shortly after the fight that he told reporters the sport was killing itself.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Manny Pacquiao, Tim Bradley post fight Press Conference
Following one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history, Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao, Bob Arum and Freddie Roach took to the podium in Las Vegas to give their thoughts on the welterweight bout.
There were few surprises from Pacquiao and his trainer, Roach, both of whom rightfully thought they were robbed by the judges.
Despite the fact that Pacquiao landed more punches (253-159), more power punches (190-109) and a higher percentage of his power punches (38.5-27.7), the ringside judges scored the fight 115-113, 113-115, 115-113 in favor of Bradley.
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