Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz to meet on neutral turf

Thursday November 5, 2009 5:44 PM By Marcus Henry

Paulie Malignaggi wanted a rematch and he got it.

Malignaggi (26-3, 5 KOs), who lost a controversal decision unanimous decision to Juan Diaz (35-2, 17 KOs) on August 22, had been lobbying for a rematch, preferably in a neutral city.

The former IBF junior welterweight champ got his wish as Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella came to an agreement today on a time and place.  Malignaggi will face Diaz at the UNC Pavillion in Chicago on Saturday, December 12.

The bout will be televised on HBO's Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15.

"I enjoyed beating Malignaggi the first time and I'm more than willing to do it again," said Diaz. "This time though, I'm looking for the knockout so I don't have to hear his mouth anymore."

Malignaggi, who questioned the integrity of the judges in the first fight, is pleased that he will get a chance to avenge a loss he felt he didn't deserve.

"The public demanded this rematch and I am looking forward to fighting Diaz for the second time," Malignaggi said. "This time I'm going to get the win on my record, not just from the boxing community and the fans."

The co-main event will feature junior welterweights "Vicious" Victor Ortiz (24-2-1, 19 KOs)and Antonio Diaz (46-5-1, 29 KOs).  

 Photo: AP

Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach - no problems

Wednesday November 4, 2009 9:33 PM By Bobby Cassidy

There's been a lot of speculation out there about possible tension between Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach. Pac Man seemed to put that to rest today.

Ed "Phillies Phan" Keenan sent us some quotes from Manny's media appearance today.

"Freddie has been a father to me, a brother to me and an all-time my best friend.  I know he always has my best interest at heart.  And he has always been there for me," said Pacquiao.

So that ends that. But is Pac Man truly focused? We've seen him singing on 24/7 and he's always been talking about politics.

"One of the reasons I am running for office is not just to win, it is to bring attention to issues in the area where I live," the fighter said. "And my celebrity as a candidate helps bring attention to those issues that need attention.  I speak for those who can’t.  Maybe my holding office will help bring more business to the region where I live, which has been neglected."
 

Pac Man doesn't have to be a politician to accomplish that.

Bernard Hopkins won't stop fighting and neither will the Phillies

Wednesday November 4, 2009 11:41 AM By Bobby Cassidy

Philadelphia -- Bernard Hopkins is a Phillies fan. And as a physical specimen, he's a freak of nature. In January, he will be 45, yet he works out with the passion and energy of a 19-year-old.

On Monday, We visited Hopkins at the Joe Hand Gym in North Philly to see if the city's beloved ballclub could rally against the Yankees.

Everyone in Philly was extremely confident going into the World Series. The team and its fans wanted the Yankees. Hopkins had another thought, "Be carefull what you wish for. There's a reason they have all those championships."

But he stayed faithful to the Phightin' Phils. "I'm not giving up on them," he said Monday. "They will take the series back to New York and all hell will break out."

As for being the underdog, Hopkins said that was an identity that all of Philadelphia could relate to. "Rocky may have been just an actor, but we take that to heart, as real stuff."

Hopkins is fighting before his faithfull -- possibly for the last time -- when he meets Enrique Ornelas on Dec. 2 at the Liacouras Center. Then he will fight Roy Jones in February.

Watch this video of Hopkins at the gym. When the World Series is over, we'll be back with another post about B-Hop and more video of him training.

HBO's 24/7 Pacquiao-Cotto, episode two

Sunday November 1, 2009 1:28 AM By Bobby Cassidy

Sorry we're late. Had to watch the World Series. But this was, without a doubt, one of the best 24/7 episodes in the entire series. Good training scenes, a nice dose of tension and complete honesty from all of the participants.

Best Spoken Line, Manny Pacquiao: "I'm enjoying being a celebrity because it's my responsibility to give them a chance to say hi and shake hands or sign autographs for fans." Would be nice if say, just 50 percent of the athletes in major league baseball, adopted the same approach toward fans. They don't live in our world, but Manny does.

Best Spoken Line, Miguel Cotto: "Love between father and son is the most truly love you ever can find." The English wasn't exact, but the message was clear.

Best Spoken Line, Miguel Cotto Sr.: "The problem is that I had to choose between my brother and my son. And you already know which side I chose."

Best Supporting Role: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines. Come on. She's a president. How could we not give it to her. OK. Barack has been on Letterman. Come on 24/7, go out and get him.

Training Days: Sparring scene with Pacquiao and -- we think -- Jose Luis Castillo.

Best Written Line: Peace can at last be found again at elevation, focus rediscovered on the road, desire recalibrated one step at a time.

How cool was the shot of the guy painting Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 on the side of the school bus? How horrific were the shots of the landslides?

Loved ... Gerry Penalosa Gym. He's a two-division champ and veteran of 63 fights. Actually, he should be thinking retirement. He's the younger brother of Dodie Penalosa, the former light flyweight champ of the mid-1980s.

Loved ... The bridge shot in Tampa, for the second week in a row.

Loved ... The golf scene. Miguel swinging lefty? And wonderful shot of three generations of Cottos on the course.

Didn't love ... Manny singing. Please, please Manny stick to boxng. (He can dance though, see the scene at the Wild Card.)

The pool scenes are priceless. Say what you want, but they are having fun. Here's what's also great. OK, Cotto pulls down his buddy's trunks, we expect that. But then Bryan Perez returns the favor and it's no big deal to Cotto. How many elite athletes would allow that? Could have lived with the butt shot, but it again demonstrates the equality in the friendship. Nice to see.

Maybe Alex Ariza is right and maybe he isn't. But he's coming off as the petty party in this fued with Michael Koncz. It's good TV, but how good is it for the fighter?

Don't understand Cotto's (and Mayweather's) reluctance to have the sparring sessions filmed. At this point, they are who they are. Their styles are not going to change that much come fight night. Strategy? It's not like when the bell rings they'll be doing something that no one has ever seen in the last 100 years. Or that Freddie Roach hasn't seen in the last 30. There are no more surprises like say -- the first time Dick Fosbury did the flop at a high jump competition.

Finally, a Yankees jersey -- and cap -- spotted in camp Cotto. Which reminds me, Yankees in six.

Wish we got to know the Cottos sooner.

Next episode, Saturday, Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. The rematch between Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson follows the episode.

>>PHOTOS: Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto Yankee Stadium press conference

>>PHOTOS: Relive Manny Pacquiao's win vs. Oscar De La Hoya

>>PHOTOS: Classic Manny Pacquiao moments (some are graphic)

Is there tension in Manny Pacquiao's camp?

Friday October 30, 2009 11:32 PM By Bobby Cassidy

I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow night's 24/7 episode to find out for sure. But Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach spoke to the media on a conference call this week. Here are some telling quotes from the transcript:

FREDDIE ROACH:  Training camp is going very well.  We had four really good weeks in Baguio.  There were a couple of typhoons that came our way but we didn’t miss a beat.  We had really good sparring then we went back to Manila and it was intense because we had quite a few distractions so we had to break camp early.  Now we are back at the Wild Card and Manny boxed great yesterday and had ten good rounds and he’s about 95% there right now and we are ready to go.

And then ..... 

 FREDDIE ROACH:  There were no disagreements in camp.  I just felt it was urgent that we do get out of there before the typhoon hit.  I was worried about the safety of the sparring partners and Manny and the team and myself.  I was just very concerned that the typhoon was going to come quicker than it did.  Manny was more relaxed about it and I told him that I would be waiting in Manila for him just trying to get him motivated to go.  That night at midnight he got motivated for me to go and he called me and said “let’s go.”  So we left at midnight and went right to Manila. 

 But then ...  

FREDDIE ROACH:  We asked people to stay away.  We closed the gym down.  There were no problems at all.  There were no politicians bothering him trying to get his support.  Those first four weeks were the best that we ever had.  Manny was on fire from day 1.  I thought he was trying to impress me because he knew that Baguio was far away and I wanted to stay closer to Wild Card but when he chose Baguio I thought he was just trying to show me how great it was but he never stopped.  He was on fire the whole month there and we had a great camp.  The weather messed with us a little bit but we ran in the rain.  We went in the pool.  We did what we had to do.  We ran inside sometimes and we had no distractions.  We had a great first month.  The last week in Manila was a little tougher with the politicians trying to make meetings with Manny and pulling him in every direction they could.  Those five days in Manila were not that great but the first four weeks were great.

 And finally ...

FREDDIE ROACH:  The last day of boxing in Manila I was disappointed that he didn’t do that well because his mind was somewhere else.  But he assured me everything would be great when we got to LA and we boxed yesterday and we started playing.  We still had a little bit of jet lag and I didn’t expect a lot from Manny because he looked a little tired in his eyes but he gave me ten great ro\unds yesterday and he’s back on track and he’s very close to being ready for the fight.  We’ll have two more big sparring days then we’ll start tapering off.

A tribute to Arturo Gatti

Friday October 30, 2009 9:54 AM By Bobby Cassidy

Fred Byrnes, a boxing aficionado from Huntington, submitted this poem to the Neutral Corner about Arturo Gatti:

TOO SOON

Warrior who seemingly threw

one thousand punches per round.

Death dared not follow you

whenever you entered the ring

It feared your granite chin

and heart that beat with no quit

It feared the cheers

of your millions of fans

What blood flowed from cut eyes

couldn't stem the explosions

from your gloved artillery,

forcing opponents to fall

before such thunderous invincibility

Sadly, you proved too soon

like all men given life

you were merely mortal

But, why, why are you dead

in a hotel room in Brazil?

Far from Montreal, so

far from Jersey City

Did death sneak in on silent feet

to finally collect the debt

you repeatedly refused to pay?

Let the myth begin

of The Champion who never surrendered

And the bell that sounded

so many victories,

let that bell
 

toll slowly
 

ten times, ten times, ten times plus seven in a hotel room in Brazil... --
Fred Byrnes

Manny Pacquiao: Mayweather doesn't want to fight me

Friday October 30, 2009 12:06 AM By Marcus Henry

Will the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world meet sometime next year?

According to Manny Pacquiao, Floyd "Money" Mayweather doesn't want to fight him. 

"I don't think it's going to happen," Pacquiao told the Associated Press during a training session in Hollywood. "I'm sure he doesn't want to fight."

For Mayweather, money has always been a top priority. While he has always maintained he will fight anybody, the money has to be right. His last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez drew over one million pay-per-view buys.

Considering that he can draw that much attention against a moderate fight star in Marquez, it is logical to assume that Mayweather will hold out for the biggest payday.

Most industry experts believe a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would be one of the highest earning fights ever. This is assuming Pacquiao defeates Miguel Cotto on November 14. Pacquiao is convinced putting on a good show in the ring is secondary to Mayweather.

"Boxing for him is like a business. He doesn't care about the people around him watching," Pacquiao said to the AP. "He doesn't care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is finished and he gets [plenty of] money. ... I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer."

If Mayweather doesn't fight the winner of Pacquiao-Cotto, "Sugar" Shane Mosely could be another option. Mosley, who is set to fight Andre Berto in January, came in the ring after Mayweather's victory over Marquez and called him out.

David Tua, Cedric Kushner re-enter heavyweight mix

Thursday October 29, 2009 5:35 PM By Marcus Henry

With the dearth of heavyweight contenders, everyone and anyone over 200 pounds is trying to get a shot at a title.

David Tua is the latest to throw himself back in the mix. Although Tua has a track record with victories over John Ruiz, Michael Moorer, Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman, his last fight was against little known Shane Cameron in New Zealand.

Tua won by second-round knockout on October 3.

Prior to that the 36-year-old Samoan native hadn't fought since scoring a second-round knockout of Cerrone Fox in September 2007. 

Tua's long layoff notwithstanding, promoter Cedric Kushner is convinced his fighter will get his shot at a heavyweight title.  

“I think David is the top heavyweight contender in the world and most certainly the most exciting," Kushner said.  "All David has to do is stay busy and in 2010 he will get his opportunity to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World”.

Kushner said Tua's next defense will be in New York, Honolulu, San Paulo (Brazil) or Berlin.

Tua echoed Kushner's sentiments. "I really believe that my time has come and I will be the world heavyweight champion in 2010.

Bernard Hopkins rooting for Phillies to beat Yankees in World Series

Tuesday October 27, 2009 3:16 PM By Bobby Cassidy

File this under predictable. Golden Boy sent out a release stating that Philly middleweight Bernard Hopkins is pulling for his beloved Phillies to beat the Yankees in the World Series. In a bit of irony, Hopkins enjoyed the biggest win (over Felix Trinidad) of his career here in New York at the Garden. And some of the Yankees were ringside that night at the Garden..

Here's the release:

Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins knows a thing or two about winning big in Philadelphia.  In his outstanding 21-year professional boxing career, Hopkins has fought 0 times in his hometown and has never lost.  A proud Philadelphian, he will be rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Yankees in the World Series, hoping they bring home their second title in two years. 

"Philadelphia is a fighting city and the Phillies always go for the knockout," Hopkins said.  "It is an exciting time for sports in Philly and I intend to add to that excitement when I bring boxing back to this great city on December 2."

While the Phillies work to bring home a championship, Hopkins is working on his own fighting future as he prepares to face contender Enrique Ornelas at The Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University on December 2, bringing the long standing Philadelphia past time of boxing back to his hometown.

"I have been a Phillies fan my whole life and seeing them in the World Series gives me extra incentive to train hard for my fight, win and make Philly proud too," Hopkins continued.  "The World Series is always a tough fight and I am excited to see what they can do against the hard-hitting Yankees, but I know they have what it takes to come out on top and reign as Champions again."