Floyd Mayweather, Jr. speaks abou his future, jail time and Manny Pacquiao

After his release from jail, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has so far managed to maintain a low profile when it comes to his career and personal life. Except for a few interviews here and there, Mayweather has been quiet on all fronts; no mean feat for a person who historically craves the limelight and a magnet of controversy both in his words and actions.

In one of the interviews he did for FightHype, a sober Floyd Mayweather, Jr. opened up his mind and bared some of his plans. He spoke about his personality ("It's about having personality, you know. You gotta be outspoken and have personality. It's not really the bad guy. I enjoy entertaining. That's what it's about, giving the fans excitement and entertainment. Some pay to see me win, some pay to see me lose, but they all pay."), his relationship with his rapper buddy 50 Cent ("everything that he touch turns to gold"), his promotions company, his time in a Las Vegas prison, and of course, Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. gave us a glimpse of his life in jail which included his distrust of the food that was being served, "I was surviving off commissary. I didn't eat the food at all...I don't like it and I didn't trust it" and the activities that he did to keep himself in good physical shape, like ridiculously pushing himself to do push-ups -- from a few hundreds to a thousand push-ups or more per day -- "I started doing 436 pushups a day. Then I went from 436 to 872. Then I went to 1308, so I was doing like 1300 pushups a day."

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. also divulged that he also found time to read while incarcerated, "I was doing a lot of reading from the fans, and just reading different books, different magazines." It would have been interesting to know what kind of books and magazines Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has found a liking to, except that the interviewer did not pursue the topic.

But the most telling part of the interview was the one regarding his views and positions on fighting Manny Pacquiao. His ambivalence on the topic was palpable as he tried to explain his reasons, as well as reiterating his uncompromising stand on his demands.

"I don't have any hate towards Manny Pacquiao, you know. I respect him, but I'm just saying, it's not a crime. I'm also saying I'ma do random blood and urine testing, you know, just so I can be in a clean sport. That's all I'm asking."

"Actually, we don't do the same type of numbers, so how can we split? We don't draw the same type of money."

"It's kind of hard. I mean, Arum wants money, but the thing is, it's about putting the fighters in a good position. It's about Pacquiao and Mayweather. It's about putting both fighters in a good position, and of course I'm going to put myself in a good position."

"I can't really say why he won't do the random blood and urine tests...at this particular time, I don't know if he wants to do it or not."

These pronouncements are nothing but empty rhetorics though, since we have all heard this before. These pronouncements are nothing but a sad refrain from a fighter who is showing ambivalence in fighting the one person who could test his will and limits as a prizefighter. There is no question that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is one of the greatest fighters of his era and is actually favored to beat Manny Pacquiao if ever they face each other in the ring, but until the day happens we will never really know the answer.

Obviously, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is putting the blame on Bob Arum for the failed negotiations of the megafight. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is still adamant that he will call the shots when it comes to the purse split as well as the percentage of the pay-per-view revenue. And lastly, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. makes it appear that Manny Pacquiao is still against random blood testing. (For the record, Manny Pacquiao has gone on record on numerous occasions that there is no more problem on his part with the blood testing issue -- random, Olympic or otherwise.)

And Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has this to say as a parting shot, "The only thing I can continue to do is, if I do fight again, I'll fight whoever they put in front of me."

It would have been great for boxing if only Floyd Mayweather, Jr. would be true to his pronouncements, but based on his track record, we will all need to take everything that he says with a grain of salt.

Manny Pacquiao at the crossroads

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao can't seem to find his head these days. Even prior to his controversial loss to Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao's focus regarding his boxing career was already being questioned by many observers. As if his duties and responsibilities as an elected representative in the Philippine Congress were not enough, his newly-found religious fervor now also has to compete with the time that he has to spend in the ring.

As of this writing, Top Rank and Manny Pacquiao cannot seem to agree on the timeframe of his return to the ring as well as on his preferred opponent if ever he decides to fight again this year. This uncertainty coupled with his actions and behaviors in the past is another obvious sign that shows his heart is no longer 100% into his boxing career.

But one thing is certain, whether Manny Pacquiao decides to fight on November 10 or on a later date in December, the list of familiar opponents being touted does not excite even his die-hard fans more so the casual ones.

Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, and Juan Manuel Marquez are all good fighters in their own right, but to many fans they are not the fights that they want to see, especially at this stage of Manny Pacquiao's career. But we also cannot deny the reality that Manny Pacquiao has very little options left except against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But since Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is enjoying an extended sabbatical from boxing after his stint in prison and trying his darndest best to evade the Pacquiao question, the boxing powers that be have given us just three choices to pick on who will be Manny Pacquiao's next dancing partner if and when he decides to fight.

In this writer's opinion, Miguel Cotto should not even be in the equation, especially after the brutal beating that the Pacman inflicted on him. There is no drama nor the element of surprise here as the fight was conclusive and one-sided. The loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., even though the Boricua fighter gave a good account of himself, further disqualifies him in many boxing observers' minds.

Timothy Bradley, despite all his pronouncements lately, just does not cut it out. The boxing world knows who won the fight that night in Las Vegas, except the boxing judges who robbed Manny Pacquiao of his belt and gave it to Bradley, despite Bradley doing almost nothing to improve his stock in the fight. The dole-out was just inconceivable even to the eyes of the casual boxing fans who probably don't know the difference between a right hook and a bare-handed slap. No boxing fan in his right mind would want to undergo the experience of watching a snoozefest the second time around.

That leaves us with Manny Pacquiao's perennial nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. The Mexican is probably the only fighter who was able to solve the Pacquiao puzzle and was not intimidated by the Filipino's mystique in the ring. Their trilogy was very competitive albeit controversial as both camps and their supporters believed in their hearts that their own fighter was the rightful winner regardless of the result of the fight.
Juan Manuel Marquez provides danger and a challenge to Manny Pacquiao. The Mexican fighter is like a bad nightmare that never goes away. Manny Pacquiao needs to put a stop to Juan Manuel Marquez's emphatic claims regarding their past fights.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao should choose Juan Manuel Marquez from the list in order for him to put an end to the lingering doubts of the skeptics regarding his close victories over the Mexican legend. Manny Pacquiao needs to stamp his class and put Marquez away decisively and for good.

But before he puts his name on the dotted line, Manny Pacquiao should try to look inside himself and find out whether he still has the fire and desire to continue fighting. Otherwise, it is time to walk away from the fight game.

Manny Pacquiao Climbing Back Into The Ring With Status As Boxing Megastar At Stake

By Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes Staff

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have dominated the boxing scene for the past five years, as they sucked up most of the attention and the money in the sport. Their recent fights almost always draw at least one million pay-per-view buyers, and they were the two highest-paid athletes in the world between June 2011 and June 2012, with earnings of $62 million and $85 million, respectively.

Audiences gravitate to their fights because of their charismatic personalities and ring dominance. Mayweather is undefeated in his pro career and Pacquiao recently had a seven-year, 15 fight winning streak.

But everything changed in June, when Pacquiao lost a controversial split decision to Timothy Bradley. Some ringside observers had Bradley winning only one round in the 12-round bout, yet a loss is a loss. The Bradley loss came on the heels of Pacquiao’s November, 2011 decision over Juan Manuel Marquez, where many fight fans thought Marquez was robbed of the win.

Pacquiao has settled on November 10 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for his next bout, according to The Ring. His opponent is still to be determined with the leading contenders being Bradley, Marquez for a fourth time or Miguel Cotto, who lost to Mayweather in May. Pacquiao is in line for another payday in the $25 million range. Yet, all three of the top candidates have the potential to defeat Pacquiao, which could permanently end Pacquiao’s place as a mega superstar in boxing that can draw a massive PPV audience no matter the opponent.

The Pacquiao-Bradley fight drew slightly more than 900,000 PPV buyers, which was the lowest total of Pacquiao’s last four fights. Mayweather continues to draw huge audiences no matter who is in the other corner. His past six fights have averaged 1.4 million PPV buys, which is a threshold only one Pacquiao fight has reached.

Oscar De La Hoya remained a PPV draw at the end of his career despite alternating wins and losses for his final seven bouts, but he required popular foes like Pacquiao and Mayweather to draw significant PPV numbers. The De La Hoya-Mayweather bout remains the best-selling PPV fight ever with 2.4 million buyers.
A loss in November would also severely take away from the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight that sports fans crave. They have been the undisputed best pound-for-pound fighters in recent years. The two fighters and their camps have sparred outside the ring for more than three years over drug testing, the purse split, timing and everything else under the sun. The fight has the potential to generate a record-breaking $250 million in revenue.

There are glimmers of hope for the megafight according to Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, who spoke to the BoxingScene.com on his way back from visiting Pacquiao in the Philippines this week.

Arum was confident that the issue of a revenue split which proved to be one of the stumbling blocks in the past could be resolved. Arum said “I know how to handle that with the Mayweather people and do the best deal possible and then get back to Manny.”
The entry of Mayweather’s close friend and associate Curtis Jackson, popularly known as 50 Cent, into the promotional business, has been a plus according to Arum who told us “he appears to me to be a real businessman with no agenda like some of the other guys so I think we can get a deal done.”

via Arum Eyes Mayweather vs. Pacquiao For April 2013 Date.

The second Arum quote is a dig at Top Rank rival Golden Boy Promotions, founded by De La Hoya, which has worked with Mayweather in recent fights. Arum might be confident he can cut a deal for a Mayweather fight, but he needs Pacquiao to take care of business in November for the bout to be a massively anticipated event that spits out millions for all involved.
-

Pacquiao files bill creating pro boxing body

By Paolo Romero
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - World boxing idol and Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao has proposed the creation of a Philippine Boxing Commission (PBC) to provide and implement all necessary welfare incentives and benefits for professional boxers.

In filing House Bill 6409, Pacquiao, said the agency’s main objective is to focus on professional boxing and steer the skills and talents of young and promising boxers in the proper direction.

“Our country has produced world class boxing legends like the great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, and recently the likes of Nonito Donaire Jr., Donnie Nietes, Brian Villoria and the Velasco brothers,” Pacquiao said.
“Some boxers go into retirement deprived of any kind of financial assistance or access to medical care. Most often, we hear many of our boxing heroes who had brought honor and prestige to our country retire without pension benefits,” he said.

“Boxers risk life and limb to excel in this sport. Some meet their untimely death during fights due to lack of safety and emergency medical services. It is about time that we give due attention and consideration to this sport and especially to our professional boxing champions,” he added.

The fighting congressman said the measure seeks to provide for a comprehensive health care benefits, alternative livelihood program, a system of life insurance, reliable death benefits, and other benefits for all boxers who competed and won in international boxing events.

Under the bill, all professional boxers shall be enrolled in the National Health Insurance Program (PhilHealth) to enable them to receive and avail themselves of an adequate package of personal health services including, but not limited to, in-patient hospital care, out-patient care, emergency and transfer services, and other supplementary health benefits. The cost of premium contribution and monthly contribution shall be shouldered by the agency.

Likewise, the agency shall establish an alternative livelihood training program and referral system for retired or injured international boxing champions.

The bill also provides for lump sum death benefit of P50,000 to cover funeral services and other expenses of a boxer.

Furthermore, a lifetime retirement pension of P15,000 monthly shall be accorded to professional boxers who won in any world title duly sanctioned by recognized international sporting organizations and bodies.

PACQUIAO IN WATER TUBING ADVENTURE IN SARANGANI

MAITUM, Sarangani (August 5, 2012) – Congressman Manny Pacquiao takes the 1.6-kilometer whitewater tubing challenge again Saturday, August 4, this time for a TV show. The world boxing icon had tried the adventure in Pangi River before which is a popular tourism destination among locals and foreigners seeking pure adventure with nature. For more news and updates, please visit the Province of Sarangani . (Arnelito Ramirez/MAITUM INFORMATION OFFICE)

Congressman Manny Pacquiao greets his constituents upon his arrival in barangay New La Union Saturday, August 4, for a village consultation, whitewater tubing ride and TV shoot. For more news and updates, please visit the Province of Sarangani . (Beth N. Ramos/MAITUM INFORMATION OFFICE)