Roach sees exciting Pacman-Clottey bout

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach is just as thrilled as everybody who’s looking forward to Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Josh Clottey on March 13 at the Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“I wanted Manny in an action fight and that’s what we got with Clottey,” Roach, the hottest boxing trainer out there today, told the Las Vegas Sun yesterday from Los Angeles.

Clottey, a 33-year-old, 5-foot-8 welterweight from Ghana, must have felt like he won the lottery when he was chosen from among a short list as Pacquiao’s next opponent.

Paulie Malignaggi, Yuri Foreman and Juan Manuel Marquez were in the radar after negotiations for the superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. went up in a ball of fire.

Any fight would have been a good fight for the fans as long as Pacquiao is up on the ring, but in the end, they ended up with Clottey, a stablemate of Pacquiao’s at Top Rank.


It was a decision that thrilled Roach.

“I wanted an action fight, I don’t want Manny in a boring fight. With Paulie it would be a blowout. Let’s face it, he’s not in the same class as Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Yuri Foreman is a good fighter, he’s clever, but he’s boring.”

Roach said the Mayweather fight didn’t happen because the undefeated American “has all the excuses in the world” and just doesn’t want to fight Pacquiao and risk losing that “zero” in his ring record.

Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBeof, flew to Dallas the other day and shared the VIP box with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former President George Bush and his wife, Laura.

Arum is in town to seal the deal that should bring Pacquiao to the $1.2 billion stadium, which could house as many as 100,000 fans when all seats are taken, for the first time in his career.

It’s almost a done deal, everybody’s saying, and soon both fighters will sign the contract, and appear in a press conference on Jan. 18 in Dallas and the following day in New York.

Pacquiao will have to defend his WBO welterweight crown against Clottey, who seven months ago came close to defeating Miguel Cotto, who was eventually knocked out by Pacquiao last November.

Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, said Pacquiao will fly to Los Angeles on Jan. 17 to start training.

Arum is just as thrilled as well as Jones and the ex-President.

“I think that he’s [Bush] going to come to the fight. He said that he ‘loves Pacquiao.’ He ‘loves Pacquiao.’ I was talking to him for like a long time, me and Todd. He was sitting with us in Jerry Jones’ box,” Arum told fanhouse.com.

He said they would set up the stadium for 50,000 fans.

“This place is absolutely awesome, I mean you should see it. The crowd is unbelievable. This is going to be incredible. This stadium, I’m telling you, with this fight, we’re going to pack this place,” said Arum as he enjoyed a Cowboys-Eagles game.

“I’m definitely going to sign for it tomorrow and finalize the deal tomorrow. And on Jan. 18, all of the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleaders are going to be there. This is going to be absolutely huge,” Arum told fanhouse.com.

Source: Abac Cordero  | Philstar.com

Mayweather doomed to ruin his own reputation?

For someone who claims to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather is having a difficult time of it lately. From fighting lightweights to scrapping his biggest payday ever, Floyd has made some bizarre decisions since his return to boxing.

The latest being that rather than strengthening his claim of being the best boxer of his generation, Mayweather is taking another easy fight. His main rival Manny Pacquiao is taking on Joshua Clottey, a top contender who gave Miguel Cotto a run for his money. From there Pacquiao will likely take on any opponent who he can make a lot of money from and have an exciting fight with.

Far from being a fan of boxing in general though Mayweather seemingly fights because he isn't very responsible with the tens of millions of dollars he makes every year. Rumor has it that his return from a brief retirement was in fact caused by the fact that he was running out of money rather than actually wanting to box again.

After losing most of what he's made from boxing, Mayweather needs to fight to keep his lifestyle the way he likes it. After losing millions from robberies, being scammed by an associate and owing the IRS money, Floyd has little other option than to continue to fight. He does have a number of other business ventures including a record label, but none have proved to be much of a success so far.

His latest fight, which seems likely to be against no 33 ranked welterweight Matthew Hatton, is just the latest incarnation of his need for money and desperate attempt to preserve his record. Floyd seemingly feels undersized at welterweight to take on the very best fighters, and instead picks and chooses his fights to suit his style and to give himself an advantage going in. His last three opponents all fit this bill, Juan Manuel Marquez being too small to pose much of a challenge, Ricky Hatton being predictable in his aggressive style and Oscar De La Hoya being past his best.

Taking easy fights are one thing, all boxers do it from time to time, but continuing to be brash about it and claiming to be the greatest boxer who ever lived at the same time is rather insulting to the fans.

If there was no Manny Pacquiao, then Floyd could probably get away with this for much longer, saying he had beaten all the best fighters and having no one who on paper would be the favorite to beat him. In Manny Pacquiao though, Floyd finds his nemesis, someone who seems to have the direct opposite attitude to the sport that he does, and that continues to eclipse him more and more as time goes on.

Floyd and his team tried to discredit Manny through the extra drug testing debacle and the allegations, but it backfired. Instead of the public taking his side as he no doubt envisioned, he has become a pariah to large sections of the press and fans. The latest mark on his reputation is that he uses injectable pain killers illegal in most parts of the world, while at the same time accusing Pacquiao of using illegal drugs himself.

According to the latest reports both fighters are still aiming to fight in March, Manny and Clottey in Texas and Mayweather and his as yet unnamed opponent in Las Vegas. The pay per view figures for each fight will show just how much Mayweather has damaged his credibility with the fans, and how much he needs a fight against Pacquiao to lift himself back to where he once was.

Source: Scott Heritage  | examiner.com

The 10 Best Boxers of the Decade

When separating the best from the rest, especially in boxing, every detail of a fighter’s career matters. More important than the number of wins he chalked up or the number of titles he captured are questions like who he fought and how he performed against his best opponents. Did he ever look vulnerable and how did he respond to adversity?

And when looking at the best of a decade, longevity comes into the discussion. Was the fighter able to maintain a championship pace for nearly all 10 years or just five? Battling the inevitability of getting older, did he somehow manage to improve as a fighter? Did he extend his career beyond the average expiration date or did he never recover from a particular defeat?

Whittling down the details takes time, but this system seemed a fair and accurate way to go about determining just who were the best fighters from this decade:

Setting the time parameters from 2000 to 2009 and looking at each man’s biggest fights, who was the best in the sport the longest?

With that out of the way, it’s time to unveil…

The 10 Best Boxers of the Decade


10. Wladimir Klitschko (Decade Record: 22-2-0)

In the wake of Lennox Lewis’ retirement, Wladimir suffered major setbacks but still emerged from one of the more drab eras in heavyweight history as the most skilled and consistent heavyweight in the world. Klitschko seized two of the belts from the fractured heavyweight crown – the closest anyone has come to unifying and giving boxing its first undisputed heavyweight king since Lewis.

9. Shane Mosley (Decade Record: 13-5-0, 1 NC)

Coming into the new millennium, Shane Mosley was recognized as the best lightweight in the world. He got his first taste of the big time in 2000 with a win over Oscar De La Hoya and never looked back. Never one to back away from a fight, Mosley has taken on the best the sport has to offer.

8. Winky Wright (Decade Record: 12-2-1)

Winky Wright had a hard time breaking out of anonymity in the 90s but he kept at his craft and carved out his own niche at junior middleweight while awaiting his opportunity. When the time arrived, he came up big with wins over Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad before dropping decisions to a bigger Bernard Hopkins and the awkward, high volume puncher Paul Williams.

7. Joe Calzaghe (Decade Record: 19-0-0)

One of only two undefeated fighters on the list, Joe Calzaghe ended his career in 2008 after racking up 21 successful defenses of the super middleweight title. He beat Bernard Hopkins for the light heavyweight crown but a lack of formidable opponents at 168 pounds and a failure to land fights with top light heavyweights like Roy Jones Jr. – who was far past his best when Calzaghe fought him – keep Joe from a higher rating, but his talent is not questioned.

6. Miguel Cotto (Decade Record: 34-2-0)

Unlike the other names on this list, Miguel Cotto’s entire career has taken place in the 2000s. And with only two losses, one against a man much higher up on this list, his career has been a steady one highlighted by hard-fought wins against Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey.

5. Juan Manuel Marquez (Decade Record: 20-3-1)

Incorporating more brawling into his scientific approach to boxing, Marquez won the hearts of the Mexican people by nearly getting the best of Manny Pacquiao on two occasions and coming out on top in wars with Marco Antonio Barrera, Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz.

4. Marco Antonio Barrera (Decade Record: 16-5-0)

Entering the year 2000, Marco Antonio Barrera was considered past his best. But after taking an undefeated Erik Morales to the limit, altering his style from brawler to technician and outclassing an undefeated Prince Naseem Hamed, he never looked better. Barrera went on to win a classic trilogy against Morales.

3. Bernard Hopkins (Decade Record: 14-3-0)

If longevity is the mark of a champion, then Bernard Hopkins is undisputed. Soon to be 44 years old early in 2010, he got his big break by knocking out an undefeated Felix Trinidad in 2001. Hopkins proceeded to record 20 defenses of the middleweight title before his streak was ended with two razor-thin losses to Jermain Taylor. Hopkins then beat linear light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver before losing his second divisional title to Joe Calzaghe.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Decade Record: 18-0-0)

Undefeated in 13 years as a professional, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has proven himself the most complete fighter in the world over the last quarter century. A five-division champion with wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Zab Judah, Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales, Mayweather now aims to cement himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time with a win over Manny Pacquiao this spring.

1. Manny Pacquiao (Decade Record: 23-1-2)

From his breakout performance against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in 2001 to his career-best knockout win over Miguel Cotto last month, Manny Pacquiao improved every time he stepped in the ring. During the decade, he captured titles in seven divisions, four of them linear divisional titles. He defeated three of the names on this list and next has a shot at a fourth when he takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a fight that is estimated to set earnings records.

Others for Consideration

While many more fighters made their mark on boxing over the last decade, not all of them were able to sustain to the same degree that these 10 did. Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales, Kostya Tszyu, Ricky Hatton and Vitali Klitschko all made their case in the 2000s but fell short for various reasons.

De La Hoya participated in more big fights than any fighter before him but suffered five defeats in the decade. Morales competed in classic after classic but failed to rejuvenate his career for the long haul after two losses to rival Barrera. Although he remains the last man to beat Pacquiao, Morales was twice knocked out in rematches and ended his career on a four-loss slide.

140-pound supremacy transitioned from Tszyu’s hands from 2000 to 2005 into Hatton’s hands until 2009, thereby splitting the decade in half and denying either a spot in the list. And though it appeared heavyweight domination was sure to be Vitali’s after coming up short in a brutal battle with Lewis, injuries forced him into a four-year layoff, thereby opening the door for his brother, Wladimir, to climb into the list in his place.

Bowler snares bronze as RP ends AYG stint

Collins Jose of bowling finally struck when he won the bronze medal in the boys’ masters event and gave the Philippines a medal it can cherish and hold as action in the first Asian Youth Games came to a close yesterday.

The 17-year-old Jose, whose ability to hang on was put in question after a fumbling finish in the singles event, delivered against the odds with a total of 3507 pinfalls before a small but jubilant Filipino crowd at the Orchid Country Club.

Basil Low of Singapore took the gold with 3576 pinfalls while Choi Kiung Hwan of Korea won the silver with a 3558. Jose could have landed in the stepladder finals, needing two strikes in his last two rolls, but missing out on the first.

“I lacked the follow-through on that roll. But I was stable today and I was able to get the high scores,” said Collins, seventh in the singles event where caught some attention after a 251 in his first game, only to falter with a 190 on his next.

“I got nervous, too, because it was my first time to play in a match play,” said the student of San Beda and a resident of Imus, Cavite.

Jose’s bronze medal will serve as the highlight of the Philippine participation in this huge event reserved for athletes aged 14 to 17 years. Stephanie Cimatu won the silver in girls’ javelin because there were only two entries in the event.

Dyan Coronacion was sixth in girls’ masters with 3338 pinfalls. The gold went to Singapore’s New Hui Fen (3524), followed by Krishna Darshini, also of Singapore (3502) and Korea’s Sim Ui-Jin (3491).

“We’re very proud of Collins,” said Col. Cesar Binag, chef-de-mission of the RP delegation. He said that in his meetings with the leaders of the sports where the Filipinos competed in, it was only those in bowling who predicted a medal finish.

“They were the only ones who said they could win a medal of any color. And it was tough for Collins to win the bronze because as early as the elims, you can see how tight the competition was,” added the PNP official.

The final batch of the Pinoy athletes who participated in this 43-nation event flies home today, and it includes the bowlers, swimmers and those from beach volleyball. The shooters and basketball players left for home the other day.

Organizers will formally close the AYG with a dinner affair at the Raffles Convention Center.

After more than a week of competition, China ruled with 24 gold, 14 silver and eight bronze medals, followed by South Korea (18-14-14), Thailand (7-5-2), Japan (5-6-4), Singapore (5-3-12), India (5-3-2) and Hong Kong (4-6-4).

Jasmine Alkhaldi, a tall and tanned 16-year-old, gave her best in the girls’ 100-meter freestyle finals but finished eighth and last with her time of 59.04 seconds, barely improving on her qualifying time of 59.53 set the other day at the Singapore Sports School.

Jessie Lacuna was seventh in the boys’ with his 53.07. What’s important, however, is that Alkhaldi and Borja have qualified for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games along with Banjo Borja in the 200-m individual medley.

Dorothy Hong was fifth in the 50m backstroke finals with her time of 31.27 seconds.

Bowling World Cup: Valdez through, Del Rosario crashes out

Paulo Valdez of the Philippines rolled 1281 pinfalls in six games to advance to the next round, but fellow national champion Liza del Rosario crashed out at the start of the 43rd Qubica AMF Bowling World Cup at the Kontinent Bowling Centre here.


Valdez capped his World Cup debut with a 277 in the final game to land 17th, but Del Rosario, a one-time runner-up in the world’s most prestigious and toughest individual kegfest, managed only 1119 and wound up in 38th spot.

Only the top 24 men and 24 women after the opening six-game block advanced to the next round.

Del Rosario’s woeful start was partly due to her failure to get her bowling balls, which were misdirected on her and Valdez’s flight from Manila. By the time the balls arrived, the Filipinos had already completed their first-day games.

Former Asian champion Valdez, who returned to bowling after a two-year layoff, started with a 185-game and followed this with 216, 182, 240 and 181 before winding up with that 277.

Del Rosario’s game crumbled after opening with a 208 as she rolled 170, 191, 167, 191, and 192 pins to round out her performance.

South Korea’s Lee Sun-hee and Australia’s Jason Belmonte showed the way with sizzling scores of 1386 and 1452, respectively.

Dominican Republic’s Aumi Guerra checked in second with 1376, followed by Malta’s Sue Ablea (1342) and Sweden’s Helen Johnsson (1336).

Bill Hoffman, the American who is one of the pre-event favorites, trailed Belmonte in second spot with 1433, followed by Venezuela’s Ildemaro Ruiz (1393), Portugal’s Paulo Lopes (1385), Russia’s Alexey Parshukov (1378), Colombia’s Andres Gomez (1365), United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi (1349), Singapore’s Remy Ong (1333), Israel’s Yahav Rabin (1316), and Scotland’s Mark McQueen (1315).