Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:20 am EST
The stalemate between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is getting really old for everybody involved and most onlookers. The sides reached an impasse on Wednesday and fans reacted with an explosion of outrage. You got Floyd or Manny? Who's the jerk?
Mayweather came out swinging last night saying he's tired of being bashed:
"In my opinion it is Manny Pacquiao and his team who are denying the people a chance to see the biggest fight ever," Mayweather said. "I know the people will see through their smokes screens and lies. I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight."
No one has explained why Mayweather is usurping the power of the Nevada State Athletic Commission but Floyd continues to push for blood testing in the final month before the fight:
Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:40 pm EST

Are we bound for a huge year in boxing or the same frustration we're feeling today because of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. cancellation? The BBC listed its most desired fights for 2010. The top three include:
3)Paul Williams vs Kelly Pavlik: Should have happened late last year, but due to hand injuries suffered by the Ghost, the fight could not go ahead. Fortunately for boxing fans, Pavliks replacement was more than adequate. Martinez vs Williams was arguably the best fight of 2009, Williams vs Pavlik could eaisly secure that accolade in 2010.
This should be a difficult fight to make. They were close in December before Williams came down with a serious illness. Dan Goosen and Top Rank Promotion shouldn't have any big issues making this work.
2)Bernard Hopkins vs Chad Dawson: Dawson may not be box office draw just yet, but a showdown with B-Hop would secure him a place at the forefront of American boxing. Obviously the way Hopkins schooled Pavlik, another fighter who had a chance to capture the headlines, this would not be straight forward for the softly spoken light heavyweight.
Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:15 am EST
It happened again. Even after nine hours of discussion with a mediator in the middle of
it, the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather is off for now and is probably
hold until the fourth quarter of 2010. How can boxing blow a chance at fight that would pay the fighters a minimum of $60 million combined? Longtime columnist and boxing writer Jerry Izenberg seems to lay the blame at the feet of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Golden Boy Promotions.
Golden Boy seems to have completely reversed its course on the importance of blood testing:
When Golden Boy (the company) represented Shane Mosley, an "accidental" (he said) steroid user in the Balco scandal for his fight against Zab Judah, it was Mr. Schaefer who babbled: "Whatever test the Nevada Commission wants Shane will take but we are not going to do other tests (as Judah demanded). Shane is not a cheater and does not need to be treated like one."
What happened? What's the difference between Mosley and Pacquiao?
And "now" (with neither logic nor evidence) [Schaefer] explains his demand for outside blood tests by saying "I have educated myself since then. I know the difference between blood and urine tests."
Izenberg went on to rip Schaefer further:
With a banker’s arrogance he says he knows more about steroids than most sports writers. He claims they don’t know the difference between blood and urine testing. Funny, most of us have been writing about them for decades while he while he was allegedly "educating" himself.
Izenberg writes that it could be Yuri Foreman v. Pacquiao while Mayweather could fight Paulie Malignaggi in March.
Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:35 pm EST

It's come to this. After weeks wrangling over to expand drug testing for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight, the sides will sit down in front of a mediator on Tuesday in Santa Monica, Ca. The mediator is retired federal judge, Daniel Weinstein. He's worked on boxing schisms in the past including helping to make the Marco Antonio Barrera fight against Pacquiao in 2007. In another ridiculous scenario, he settled a beef between Arum and Oscar De La Hoya over possession of DLH's Olympic Gold medal.
Arum, Top Rank president Todd DuBoef along with representatives from Golden Boy Promotions are expected to attend the summit.
Mayweather is asking for Olympic-style drug trust. Pacquiao is reluctant to submit to blood tests within 30 days of the fight and has filed a defamation lawsuit against several members of Golden Boy for suggesting that he's using performance enhancing drugs. Filed by his lawyer Daniel Petrocelli, Pacman is asking for $75,000 in punitive and compensatory damages.
Mayweather's manager Leonard Ellerbe suggested this is all for the fans:
"From Day One, I've never accused Manny Pacquiao of anything," Ellerbe told AOL FanHouse. "All that I've said from Day One is that we want to ensure that there is a level playing field because this is what the fans deserve. We've done everything on our part to try to make this fight come to fruition. Now, the other side just has to check their egos at the door and make a deal and give the fans what they deserve."
The clock is ticking on the proposed Mar. 13 fight date for Pacman and Mayweather in Las Vegas. Time is of the essence especially with regards to all the prefight promotion which will include an expansive media tour around the country.
Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:05 pm EST
Don't ever say promoter Gary Shaw is cutthroat. So what if Bernard Hopkins is avoiding Shaw's guy Chad Dawson at all costs. Hopkins won his fight last night against Enrique Ornelas but Roy Jones blew it in Australia, so now there's little hope of that coveted rematch ever happening unless Shaw steps into save the day. The big guy has a heart as he showed in this letter he faxed to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.
The holiday wish is a beautiful touch in a letter soaking wet with sarcasm. As was the mispelling of Ornelas' last name.
It's hard to believe Hopkins wasted his time last night for just $200,000 and now has no fight big fight on the horizon anywhere in the 160-175 pound range unless he calls out Dawson.
Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:45 am EST
It looks like the biggest details have been sewn up in the negotiations to get Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. into the ring. March 13 is the most likely date and now the venue is the big question. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, Yankee Stadium and The Superdome in New Orleans are all being mentioned. The other idea floated was to erect a temporary 30,000 seat stadium in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. That idea may be impossible now with the March date because of weather risks. This talk is intriguing but not based much in fact. Bob Arum made it clear what the biggest stumbling block is as far as a location is, the state tax man.
During the Miguel Cotto-Pacquiao postfight, Arum lectured a reporter on what states like New York would do to the Filipino's purse. He pointed out that upwards of 45 percent would be withheld when you add in city, state and federal taxes. Arum wants Pacquiao to fight in more tax-friendly states like Nevada, Texas or Florida where there is no state income tax. It would nice for boxing to hold the fight in front of 30,000-50,000 fans but Mayweather will be a big factor. As a Las Vegas resident, he's got to favor a fight at the MGM.
Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:25 am EST

Bernard Hopkins essentially shutout Enrique Ornelas in what should've been a triumphant return to his hometown. But it's hard to believe that BHop really reveled in the victory after his big rematch against Roy Jones Jr. was ruined earlier in the day by Danny Green. Green upset Jones in Australia via first round knockout. There is absolutely no interest, need or way to sell Jones-Hopkins II, so now the 44-year old former middleweight champ has turned to BIGGER goals. That's right, now that someone under 245 pounds holds one of the heavyweight crowns, Hopkins is talking about moving from 175 pounds to a fight with the big boys:
"It was great to be in there after 14 months,'' Hopkins told Bernard Fernandez from the Philadelphia Daily News. "I don't think I looked so bad. I looked like the same fighter I've always been, even though I'm 44 years old. All along my energy level was fantastic. I'm going to be the heavyweight champion in 2010.''
Sounds crazy right? After essentially wasting his time in front of 6,662 fans in Philly, Hopkins wants to defy logic again by challenging WBA heavyweight champ David Haye. Haye is 6-foot-3 and fought at 217 when he took the title from Nikolay Valuev but he was fighting at 198 less than 21 months ago. Can he do it? Don't ever rule out Hopkins.
Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:35 am EST
The steady downfall of the once great Roy Jones Jr. has been tragic to watch. He's been stubborn in thinking he still has the same defensive instincts, and now he's cost himself a big paycheck and a little more of his legacy. Golden Boy Promotions, Jones and Bernard Hopkins thought they could get Jones one more big pay day out of the former light heavyweight king but Danny Green was having nothing of it. In what was supposed to be a tune-up fight for a BHop-Jones fight in March, Jones was destroyed in Sydney, Australia. Green nailed him with a right to the temple and the 40-year-old never recovered. The ending for Jones (54-6, 40 KOs) came at 2:02 of the first in what appeared to be a half empty Acer Arena. Jones was fighting at a higher weight, 179.5 pounds, against the IBO's cruiserweight titleist, Green (28-3, 25 KOs).
Taking out a future Hall of Famer with world titles in four different weight classes had Green in awe:
Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:55 am EST

Bernard Hopkins is already going down as one of the greatest fighters of his era for both effectiveness and durability. He's still fighting at a high level at 44-years-old but it's not because he needs the money. Being a frugal dude, he's fine. He simply loves the game in and out of the ring. Hopkins is getting damn good at his craft out of the ring as part of Golden Boy Promotions. The native-Philadelphian has hit the promotional trail hard to make sure Temple's hoops area, the Liacouris Center is full of fight fans tomorrow night as he takes on Enrique Ornelas (29-5) in a tune-up bout with hopes of setting up an early 2010 fight against Roy Jones Jr.
The Philly Inquirer points out that Hopkins has been like the mayor:
He did a ticket giveaway at center court at a 76ers game and posed with Dave Schultz when "The Hammer" was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Last Wednesday, he gave away 500 turkeys at a police station in North Philadelphia. He has been on TV and radio everywhere, like a real home-team athlete - even punched Danny Bonaduce on the air.
A tune-up fight for a guy like Hopkins seems ridiculous but it's a nice way to get back in the groove after 13 months off and even better a treat for his hometown fans. Hopkins' fight is on nationwide on Versus, as long as you don't have DirectTV while Jones Jr. takes a little bigger risk traveling half way across the world to face a more formidable opponent in Danny Green in Sydney, Australia.
Sun Nov 29, 2009 5:11 pm EST
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo
Yahoo! Sports' decade in review takes to the ring for a series of boxing-related top-fives. Last up is the top five stories of the 2000s. Whatever your opinion on the issues which engulfed the sport, these are the storylines that generated the greatest controversy and speculation over the past decade.
5. Margarito's illegal hand-wraps
Antonio Margarito headed into his Staples Center matchup with Shane Mosley as one of boxing's favorite sons; an iron-chinned superstar beloved for his bravery and competitive fire.
But the events of January 24, 2009, and their aftermath have turned Margarito into a boxing pariah. Margarito's hand wraps were found to have on them calcium and sulfur, which would have hardened into a Plaster of Paris-like substance.
Eagle-eyed Mosley corner man Nazim Richardson spotted the unusual nature of Margarito's wraps in the locker room prefight and immediately alerted officials. With new wraps, Margarito was smashed up by Mosley before being stopped in the ninth round.
The California State Athletic Commission handed down bans a month later - a ludicrously brief one-year suspension for both Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo.
4. Diego Corrales dies in a motorcycle crash
Corrales was one of boxing's most colorful characters, a man who lived and fought at full speed.
His spectacular wars with Jose Luis Castillo cemented his popularity, but he was unable to handle the resulting fame and battled constantly with personal problems.
Many friends said afterward it had been inevitable that Corrales' tumultuous life - he had served 14-months in prison for abusing his pregnant girlfriend - would end in tragedy.
Despite limited motorcycle experience, Corrales insisted on riding down a busy residential street in Las Vegas on the second anniversary of his classic victory over Castillo. His blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit, Corrales collided with the back of a vehicle and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
3. The continued fall of Mike Tyson
Tyson's life and career had already plummeted downhill in the 1990s, but a new decade didn't bring any better fortune for the former undisputed heavyweight champ.
Iron Mike has become an increasingly forlorn figure, with most of the millions he earned during his career having been squandered away.
The early part of the decade offered an opportunity for him to scale the heights of the heavyweight division once more, but he was demolished by Lennox Lewis in eight rounds and followed up with shocking defeats to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride before, mercifully, hanging up his gloves.
2. The FBI raids Top Rank's offices
Has boxing ever seemed sicker than when federal agents stormed into Top Rank's Las Vegas HQ in the first week of January 2004 and seized computers, contracts and financial documents?
The most salacious part of the investigation was that Oscar De La Hoya's rematch with Shane Mosley had been "fixed," and the fight game winced from this latest controversy as Bob Arum's company came under scrutiny.
More ugly details filtered out, that the investigation was part of an ongoing probe into organized crime, rumors of fixing, tampered medical records and deep-rooted corruption.
The investigation eventually was dropped in 2006 with no charges filed, but it was an episode that took boxing to the top of the news bulletins for all the wrong reasons.
1. Top Rank/Golden Boy lawsuit over Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao was on his way to becoming the world's most exciting fighter in 2006, and promotional giants Top Rank and Golden Boy both wanted a slice of the action.
Bob Arum claimed he had Pacquiao signed to a contract, but Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy also insisted he had him tied to a deal after handing over a satchel of cash during an airport meeting.
The two parties went head-to-head in an acrimonious courtroom battle that was eventually settled when the judge warned Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer that neither may like the final judgment.
The upshot is that Arum continues to promote Pacquiao, while Golden Boy also receives a sizeable cut every time he fights.
Honorable mentions: Despite lacking a definitive incident like these other stories, there were a couple of issues that were a constant theme during the 2000s.
• What happened to the heavyweights? The decline of the heavyweight division has been lamented for much of the decade. Lennox Lewis' retirement left a void, while Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson both faded from the world scene. Instead, a generation of big Russian and Ukrainian fighters came to the fore, led by the Klitschkos, Vitali and Waldimir, but none were really able to capture the public imagination.
• Boxing v MMA The emergence of mixed martial arts and the UFC has presented boxing with some significant challenges. MMA's deep undercards for pay-per-view events and the relative lack of bluster surrounding its fighters won over some supporters who had previously gravitated towards boxing. However, the huge PPV numbers generated in recent times by fighters such as Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather suggests boxing is not ready to roll over just yet.
Posted Feb 6 2010
Posted Feb 6 2010
Pacquiao on Mayweather, Clottey
Posted Jan 20 2010