Arum: Pacquiao doesn’t need KO to impress

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao need not knock Timothy Bradley out to be impressive Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

All the Filipino ring icon must do is dominate Bradley in the same manner that he demolished Chris Algieri, according to Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

“There’s no need for that (knockout),” said Arum. “If he can stagger Bradley or put him down several times like what he did to Algieri, then that’s impressive.”

If that happens, Arum is ready to begin the long road to convincing Pacquiao to put off his retirement plans or at least consider a comeback next year.

Arum, who initially was adamant that Pacquiao wouldn’t retire after the Bradley fight, started hedging on his belief Friday.

“I can feel that he is really serious about retirement,” Arum told Manila-based sportswriters in an interview at the press center of Pacquiao-Bradley III at MGM Grand Garden.

“There’s no more hunger and he is focused on what he’s going to do for his country and family after leaving boxing.”
“If before he was joking as to who he wants to fight next, he’s not mentioning anything to me now,” added the 84-year-old Arum.

If Pacquiao succeeds against Bradley and Arum can convince the Filipino champion to fight on, the promoter insists the next bout should be against a top-tier opponent like the retired Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez in April next year.

“There’s no ordinary Pacquiao fight if ever, it should be against Mayweather.”

Arum is holding hope that a resounding win by Pacquiao will catch Mayweather’s attention and lure the unbeaten American to come out of retirement.

“A grudge rematch between the most recognizable fighters of their generation should be huge,” said Arum, a Harvard-educated lawyer who’s been involved in boxing for 50 years.

Mayweather-Pacquiao shattered several boxing records, including the pay-per-view buys (4.5 million) and live gate receipts ($72 million), last May 2 and if the second edition did half as well, then Arum would be happy.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Pacquiao, Mayweather had hour-long private meeting— report

MANILA, Philippines — After boxing supernovas Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. chatted at the halftime of an NBA game, the two held a private meeting to discuss the potential megafight on May 2, a report said.

According to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Pacquiao and Mayweather met for an hour-long private meeting inside the Filipino’s private suite in Florida.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told Rafael that the meeting between the two fighters “was very pleasant and very encouraging” and that the Filipino’s camp “give Floyd credit for coming over.”

“That’s the first time they ever sat eye to eye. I’ve met Floyd many times, but he and Manny had never had a chance to meet,” Koncz said.

Pacquiao and Mayweather had a brief chat during Wednesday’s (Manila time) NBA game between the Miami Heat and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks where the two shared phone numbers.

“They talked at halftime, but this was a longer, more serious meeting. You could tell by their body language that this was very positive. It was for a good hour or more,” Koncz said.

He added that the private meeting was a “business meeting” but wasn’t of a tense nature.

“I think that’s because they both have mutual respect for each other.”

Both fighters dabbled on broadcasting issues, which have dampened the talks, as Pacquiao is under contract with Time Warner/HBO while Mayweather is under CBS/Showtime.

The two networks have to reach an agreement on a joint pay-per-view telecast which they only did once in 2002 when then heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis fought against former champ Mike Tyson.

Koncz said that Mayweather told Pacquiao two broadcasting issues.

“I told Floyd I would call [Pacquiao promoter] Bob [Arum of Top Rank] in the morning, and I did that and discussed them with Bob, and he assured us they have been worked out. I took care of it,” Koncz said. “I said to Floyd, and Manny agreed, that if those are the only two broadcasting issues, we would take care of them.”

Rafael said that Koncz declined to divulge into the details of the broadcasting requests.

Koncz added that Mayweather clearly said that he wants the fight to happen and there’s no stopping the two fighters’ desire to duke it out on May 2.

“Floyd said, ‘I want the fight to happen,’ and Manny said he does, too. If the fighters both want the fight to happen, who can stop it? They both said they want it to happen, and we’re still looking to make it happen on May 2,” Koncz said.

He added that a cross-country tour to promote the potential fight is not needed as the brief chat between the two welterweight champions in the sidelines of the American Airlines Arena generated enough buzz that a promotional tour would give.

Rafael also said in his report that the two agreed on a drug testing protocol.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Algieri won’t retreat, will go after Pacquiao

MACAU—Confident he can take the power of Manny Pacquiao’s punches, Chris Algieri vows to go toe-to-toe with the ring icon when they square off for the WBO welterweight crown Sunday at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena here.

“I’m not a back-pedaler,” Algieri said Wednesday night. “At times, I’ll go toe-to-toe with him. I’ll be throwing combinations.”

Algieri’s confidence stems from having survived Ruslan Provodnikov’s heavy blows to win the WBO light welterweight crown in June. The undefeated American even promised an action-packed first round, noting that they’re both in great shape.

“We’re going to go after each other,” said Algieri, who added he won’t bulk up too much for the bout, set at 144 pounds, so he can stay in step with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, meanwhile, said he still believes the fight will not go the distance, saying that his ward can finish off Algieri in six rounds at most.

Roach shut down Pacquiao’s training Thursday, but not after receiving heavy blows from the eight-division champion.

“I’m done. I quit,” Roach told Pacquiao after getting hit by a controlled but stinging three-punch combination to the head and body.

Top Rank chief Bob Arum expects Sunday’s fight to generate about 900,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys based on brisk ticket sales so far.

Arum said 95 percent of the tickets have been sold as of Wednesday. The 82-year-old promoter believes the rest of the tickets for Cotai Arena, which can seat 13,500, will be wiped out before Thursday ends.

Arum is certain Pacquiao-Algieri will eclipse the sales generated when Pacquiao first fought and beat Brandon Rios by unanimous decision in this former Portuguese colony last year.

Pacquiao-Rios drew 13,101 fans and generated 450,000 PPV buys.

Holes in Pacquiao style

Algieri (20-0 with 8 knockouts) also noted that his trainers have thoroughly studied Pacquiao and found “holes in his style.”

On top of the list is Pacquiao’s vulnerability to an overhand right, something Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez loved to exploit. Marquez dealt Pacquiao his biggest loss thus far, a sixth-round knockout in 2012, when the Filipino icon walked into a right straight by the Mexican with a second to go.

Coincidentally, that was the last time Pacquiao hit over a million PPV buys.

NOTES: According to Bob Arum, a group of pastors will sing the Philippine national anthem for the Pacquiao-Algieri showdown. Two lovely women were reportedly barred by chief trainer Freddie Roach from the training facility Thursday. Roach saw them recording the whole training session Wednesday and he suspected them of leaking it to the Algieri camp.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Pacquiao has Algieri next, but Floyd is out there

NEW YORK—Even as Manny Pacquiao prepares for undefeated junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri, the name Floyd Mayweather is never far away.

Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight crown on No. 22 in Macau, the 64th bout of a career that includes titles in eight divisions. None of those has been against the undefeated Mayweather.

Pacquiao told The Associated Press on Friday that a matchup with Mayweather “is the fight fans want in their hearts” and that he is always ready to step into the ring with Mayweather. The Filipino star and congressman could be closer to such a fight because promoter Bob Arum says the two cable TV networks involved, HBO and Showtime, have reached an agreement to make it happen.

Now it’s up to Mayweather to agree, Arum says.

“If that fight happens, fine,” the 35-year-old Pacquiao said. “If not, fine — what I have done in my boxing career already has satisfied me. What I will be disappointed if that does not happen is because that is what the fans want. My concern is the concern of the fans, and the fans want that fight.”

While Arum said positive steps have been taken in the direction of a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, he is leery about Mayweather giving approval. After all, the fight hasn’t happened over a span of about a decade.

“Floyd is scared to lose the zero,” Arum said of Mayweather’s 46-0 record. “Believe me, if he lost the zero, he’d be on the plane (the next day) to make the fight, no question.”

Pacquiao isn’t and won’t think about that potentially huge payday, particularly with an opponent such as Algieri ahead of him. Algieri, from Huntington, New York, is hardly the stereotypical pugilist. He holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition, and aspires to attend medical school. He’s also a terrific boxer with a 20-0 record and eight knockouts.

That is not in the realm of Pacquiao’s 56 wins, 38 by knockouts, and standing as one of the great fighters of his era. But it’s strong enough to impress Pacman.

“He is undefeated and a world champion,” Pacquiao said, adding with a sly smile, “I love to fight undefeated guys. I want them to experience that first (defeat).”

Algieri won his belt in June by beating powerful Ruslan Provodnikov. That was almost a home bout, held in Brooklyn, about one hour’s drive from Algieri’s Long Island hometown.

This one is in Macau, and he can’t wait to show his stuff there, especially against Pacquiao.

“I grew up looking up to other fighters,” the 30-year-old Algieri said, mentioning specifically Oscar De La Hoya — who was stopped by Pacquiao in eight rounds in 2008. ” Manny is a classy champion, a gentleman and a warrior. I kind of walk in those shoes. Professionals who show class as has Manny are a testament to the sport.”

A victory would catapult Algieri to the elite level of the sport. A win for Pacquiao would further distance him from losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Marquez in 2012.

Pacquiao won a decision over Brandon Rios in Macau in 2013, then avenged the loss to Bradley with a unanimous decision last April.

What keeps Pacquiao going in the ring? Considering all of his other ventures, from politics to entrepreneurship to dabbling in basketball — the Philippines’ most popular sport, he said — why note walk away with his health?

“I continue because boxing is my passion,” he said. “You can see it in my face every time I fight. You see I am smiling when I walk into the ring. It’s that excitement.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Top Rank paid for Pacquiao tax

MANILA, Philippines – Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum has assured the Bureau of Internal Revenue that Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s taxes have already paid for in the Internal Revenue Services following the boxer’s tax issues in the country.

“Filipino authorities confirmed that Manny is not required to pay double tax,” Arum said in a statement published in fightnews.com. “If Manny paid United States taxes for fights and endorsement that occurred on U.S. soil, he is not required to pay double taxes in the Philippines.”

This followed after the BIR issued a warrant of “distraint” early this year against the Fighting Congressman after it said he failed to remit taxes amounting to P2.2 billion to the government of his earnings stemming from 2008 and 2009.

According to Arum, Top Rank withheld 30% of Pacquiao’s purses and paid those sums directly to the IRS including the boxer’s fights that happened in the U.S. in 2008 and 2009.

“Top Rank has deposit confirmations for each payment,” said Arum whose promotions company made the payments through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). “Top Rank has done the same for all U.S. endorsements it has facilitated on Manny’s behalf.”

Arum added that the Top Rank has submitted copies of the EFT deposit acknowledgements to the BIR as proof of the payment.

“The BIR received the documents but directed Manny to obtain ‘certified’ documents directly from the IRS itself.”

Arum said that obtaining the copies of the documents from IRS takes a lengthy process, nonetheless, the promoter said that the eight-division world champion made the formal request to the IRS and expects that the documents will be furnished to the BIR “very soon.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

No review of Pacquiao-Bradley despite Arum criticisms, says Nevada State Athletic Commission

In spite of accusations from Top Rank CEO Bob Arum and tweets from UFC president Dana White calling the Nevada State Athletic Commission the "worst" in the U.S., the organization is not expected to discipline or review any of the judges in Saturday's (Sunday, PHL time) split-decision win by Timothy Bradley over Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer told the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire that no such action would be needed, saying, "Every fighter who loses a close fight looks at the judges."

He also conceded however, "I think every judge should strive to get better."

Kizer's comments came on the heels of criticisms from Arum and White after the controversial result kept Bradley's undefeated streak alive, while causing Pacquiao to drop his title.

Arum told Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole that he wanted an investigation to see if someone rigged the outcome of the bout.

"I want to investigate whether there was any undue influence, whether the [Nevada Athletic Commission] gave any particular instruction and how they came to this conclusion," said Arum.

"If this was a subjective view that each of [the judges] honestly held, OK. I would still disagree, but then we're off the hook in terms of there being no conspiracy. But there needs to be an independent investigation because it strains credulity that an event everybody saw as one-sided on way all three judges saw it as close. It strains credulity."

Arum also said he would hold off on a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch until Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto agreed to such a probe.

UFC President Dana White was also unafraid to share his opinion regarding the match, tweeting out to his followers, "Nevada state athletic commission at its finest!!! You've for to be f***ing kidding me!! that is disgusting Nevada state athletic commission!!" and "Worst athletic commission in the country!!!!!!!"

Earlier today, judges Duane Ford and Jerry Roth defended their scores in an interview with Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Ford said that he thought "Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson," and thus scored it 115-113 for Bradley.

Roth, who gave the match to Pacquiao, 115-113, said, "[Despite the last three rounds] I still thought Pacquiao had done enough to win."

The third judge, CJ Ross, declined to comment. She scored it 115-113 for Bradley.

Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Skip Avansino reiterated what co-worker Keith Kizer said when asked if the judges acted inappropriately, saying, "We had three seasoned professionals working and I don't question their determinations.

"I'm not going to second-guess our judges."

Curiously, Arum was hit with a $125,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission back in 1995, due to an attempt to bribe the International Boxing Federation. At the time, it was the highest fine ever issued, Sports Illustrated wrote. - AMD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Pacquiao vows to KO Bradley in rematch

Just moments after swallowing a difficult-to-accept split decision loss to Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao said in a post-fight press conference that he vows to get a knockout in the rematch.

Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight title to Bradley, Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with two judges giving him a 113-115 loss, while one had the reverse, a 115-113 win for the Sarangani congressman.

For Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, that was what he should have done in this fight, saying, "When Manny gave the 11th away, I said, 'Pick it up and finish this guy.' I told him to finish it in the 12th. I like knockouts."

As early as the end of May, Bradley was already prepping for a rematch against Pacquiao, creating mocked up posters and tickets for a November 10 bout (November 11, PHL time).

Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, which handles the promotion of both boxers, had a clause in Pacquiao's contract that should the Filipino ring icon fall, he would get first crack at Bradley again, before the two fighters seek other opponents.

Roach actually said prior to the fight that he thought his charge would go for a knockout, but it was not to be. - AMD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

JuanMa to earn more in fourth showdown

LAS VEGAS – It may not be too hard to lure Juan Manuel Marquez into another fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Bob Arum, boxing’s greatest promoter, said Saturday’s fight was a huge success that setting a fourth fight wouldn’t be as difficult as making the third one.

Arum said gate receipts at the MGM Grand will hit as high as $1.7 million based on the crowd figure of 16,368. There were also 16,000 closed circuit seats sold in the different MGM Properties.

“You can’t do better than a sellout, and that’s music to my ears,” said Arum.

Marquez will get his share in the gates, as well as the pay-per-view sales, and counting his guaranteed purse of $5 million he stands to get as much as $10 million.

“Marquez should be making $9 million to $10 million, and that’s a lot of money. So I will sit down with him,” said the chief of Top Rank Promotions.

Pacquiao was guaranteed $22 million for the fight, and Arum said it may hit $30 million once everything comes in.

Under the fight contract, Marquez will receive a guaranteed purse of $10 million in case a fourth fight between him and Pacquiao happens.

And by announcing his plans to retire, Marquez may have just upped his personal value.

He can easily ask more than what’s stated in the contract just to make a fourth fight happen.

Arum said the pay-per-view numbers for Saturday’s fight are promising as well.

“We are tracking near 1.5 million (hits at $54.99 each),” he said.


Source: philstar.com