Floyd turns down $65M to fight Manny

A MUCH-awaited super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t happen anytime soon as the 34-year-old African-American superstar once again turned down a hefty offer of $65 million to face the pound-for-pound king.

“I’m an optimist, and I always felt that they’d eventually fight. At this point, I really feel that they’d never fight,” Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum told ABS-CBN. “As recently as this week, people from Singapore offered Mayweather $65 million to fight Manny Pacquiao and he turned it down.”

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Arum said Mayweather Jr. has priced himself too high and has given so many ridiculous demands but even with the huge amount of money offered to him, he still passed on it.

“Sixty-five million is obviously a sum Manny Pacquiao would accept. So what does that tell you? It tells you he (Mayweather) doesn’t want to fight Manny Pacquiao,” said the veteran American promoter who runs Top Rank.

In initial negotiation for Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. mega fight, both fighters couldn’t come to terms because of the Olympic-style drug testing demanded by Mayweather Jr.

“He doesn’t want to fight Manny. He’s smart not to fight Manny because, truth be told, everyone who knows boxing know that Manny will beat him,” said Arum.

Pacquiao is slated to face Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, while Mayweather has been on hiatus for over a year after defeating Shane Mosley in 2010.

“One thing about Floyd: Floyd knows boxing, and Floyd knows style. That’s why Floyd was always reticent about fighting a southpaw. And a southpaw like Manny Pacquiao, he wants no part of because even if he protects himself from his left, he’s going to bang him with his right hand.”

Manny Pacquiao Vs Juan Manuel Marquez III: Settling the Score

Fresh off his confident victory over Shane Mosley, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is truly at the height of his boxing career. I’ll take it a step further and point out that Pacquiao is the top boxer in the world in the welterweight division. But as we saw this past weekend, and should he decide to put on another 40 pounds, he may think about Bernard “Executioner” Hopkins. This is highly unlikely. But I mention the Hopkins victory because just as Pacquiao is running out of opponents. Boxing will still have some excitement.

But for now, the question remains: Who will stand up and fight Pacquiao? I won’t mention, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR., because I’m tired and I have a deadline. I’ll bring up another fighter that would once and for all settle things, so to speak. Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez…the fighter who gave Pacquiao such a hard time and that lost one bout and had a draw against the now dominant Filipino champ.

As Pacquiao still mulls over the possibility of retirement over his many other responsibilities as Filipino Congressman and even singer, there still remains a conflict of perspective.

According to some Pacnuts that always find their way to our website, and I love their passion dearly for the beloved Pacquiao, even they would have to look at the fights between the two a little more objectively. I’d even ask them to take a moment and conclude just how Pacquiao and Marquez would match up now.

First, Pacquiao is definitely a far different fighter.

He is much improved technically and given his last bout against Mosley when he claimed a bit of tightness in his legs, he came away with the victory and continued to produce. He uses his jab much more consistently to set up combinations and he still relies rather heavily on getting inside to execute a power hook. Pacquiao has definitely learned to fight punching up as his opponents have been taller.

Keeping this in mind, fighting Marquez may be challenging, but not much of a challenge. In their last meeting in March 2008, if you can recall Marquez’s look after his bout with Pacquiao…mentally he found himself beaten, a little worn out, and left with a tad bit of self-doubt of how much more he needed to do in order to beat Pacquiao. The bout ended with a split decision loss for Marquez.

After his loss to Pacquiao in 2008, Marquez did not allow the loss to completely affect any following performance. Later in the year, Marquez fought against Joel Casamayor that ended in an 11th round TKO.

In 2009, he started off the year against Juan Diaz and defeated him with a 9th round TKO. But we all remember the other opponent later that year. Marquez agreed to fight Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR., and lost, rather badly.

Following his loss to Mayweather, JR, Marquez fought against Juan Diaz again and earned the 12 round unanimous decision. Finally, in his last bout in 2010, Marquez defeated Michael Katsidis, in a 9th round TKO even when he was knocked down in the 3rd round. One thing about Marquez, he may start off a little bit slower in his fights, even getting dropped, but he shakes it off so quickly that he becomes a better fighter as the bout continues.

Now, upcoming in November this year, Marquez will have an opportunity to determine if whether he is the fighter to stop the Filipino champion. It’s an unsettled score for Marquez. And, after some time to heal, Marquez can really put his words into action. He believes he defeated Pacquiao in the split decision bout and even the bout that ended in a draw. It’s a take 3 for Marquez. But give credit to Marquez in his bout against Mayweather, JR. He actually got an opportunity to fight Mayweather, JR.

It’s clear that both Marquez and Pacquiao have reached different stages in their respective careers. Pacquiao, 32, is literally at the top of the welterweight division. The bout in November will be for the WBO Welterweight belt with a catch weight at 144 lbs.

Against Mayweather, JR., Marquez weighed in at 144 lbs as Pacquiao remains successful at 145 lbs. It’s an even matchup to a degree, but there is also a sense of urgency for Marquez to prove to himself he has what it takes to defeat Pacquiao.

As a warm-up, Marquez will first fight in July against David Diaz for the WBA World Lightweight and WBO Lightweight titles. So, RSR fans, let the buildup begin. Stay tuned.

Marquez Replies To Roach, Says Diaz Bout is Necessary ‎

WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez has given his reply to a recent comment that was made by Freddie Roach, the trainer of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. Roach is tired of Marquez claiming highway robbery in the two previous meetings with Pacquiao. He wants his boxer to "shut the mouth" of Marquez for good. Marquez doesn't care what Roach thinks, he believes the judges robbed him of a win in the first fight, which went to a twelve round draw, and the second, which Pacquiao won with a close points twelve round split decision.

"I think that Freddie Roach has his own point of view, and that's his hobby, but the best judges out there are the people [who watched the fights]," Marquez said.

A few people have tried to get Marquez to back away from fighting former champion David Diaz on July 16 in Mexico. Marquez wants the fight to prepare and stay sharp for the trilogy fight with Pacquiao on November 12 in Las Vegas. As BoxingScene.com reported several weeks ago, Diaz is holding up the agreement by requesting a lot of money to take the fight.

"I want the fight with Diaz. He is left-handed, very strong, and all of that would serve me well for my fight with Pacquiao in November. The problem we have.....Diaz is asking for a lot of money to sign the contract," said Marquez.
Tags: Manny Pacquiao , Juan Manuel Marquez , David Diaz , Freddie Roach , Pacquiao Marquez Trilogy , Pacquiao vs Marquez Trilogy , Marquez vs Diaz , Marquez-Diaz

Juan Manuel Marquez: I learned from Floyd loss

Once shown on television drinking his own urine during training, Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez will shift to medical science for his third showdown against Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, told Examiner.com on Wednesday that he’ll bulk up once again, just like he did against Floyd Mayweather Jr., but this time it will be done under doctor’s supervision.

“I will come in at a higher weight than normal,” said Marquez, who’ll be chasing Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight crown at a catch weight of 144 pounds on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas. “But I will have doctors monitoring my progress.” The 37-year-old Marquez learned during his lopsided unanimous decision loss to Mayweather on Sept. 19, 2009, that he isn’t that mobile when he weighed in at 142 pounds.

In their first encounter in 2004, Marquez recovered from three first-round knockdowns to forge a draw with the pound-for-pound king. When they fought again in 2008 at 130 pounds, Marquez again fell in the third round and it proved to be the pivotal factor in Pacquiao’s split decision win.

A worldwide promotional tour for the bout will kick off in Manila in August, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told the Inquirer yesterday. The worldwide tour will end in Mexico after hitting big capitals of the world. Arum also indicated that he expects Pacquiao to train for about eight weeks, beginning in mid-September

Who will Cover Pacquiao vs Marquez 3 Fight

Most of major fight of the 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao was covered by HBO, but recently Bob Arum picks Showtime to cover the fight of Manny Pacquiao vs Sugar Shane Mosley last May 7 in MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada. Now Pacquiao has another fight whicj will happen on November 12, 2011 against Mexican fighter Juan

Manuel Marquez. This will be a fascinating behind-the-scenes battle, and the roles are very different now: Showtime is the incumbent, and the onus is on HBO to blow Bob Arum away with a marketing package that outdoes what Showtime and CBS can do. HBO’s parent company, Time Warner, does not own any of the “big four” free networks. But it owns TNT and TBS, which are the same as a free network to any household that would ever consider ordering a pay-per-view fight. It owns CNN and might be able to promise Arum extra news coverage leading up to the Pacquiao vs Marquez 3 fight on that channel. It owns Sports Illustrated, which means HBO might be able to guarantee that Pacquiao goes on the cover the week of the fight. There’s a lot at stake here; without Pacquiao in the fold and without Mayweather in anybody’s fold, HBO is in danger of going the entire year without a major moneymaker on pay-per-view. Ross Greenburg and company will be bending over backward to please, while Ken Hershman and company will be equally motivated to hold onto the biggest star in the sport and put their competitors in a world of hurt. Pacquiao vs Marquez 3 might be a two-way slugfest; HBO vs. Showtime definitely will be.

Pacquiao vs. Marquez – The Trilogy

The fight that many people were clamoring for when Manny Pacquio squared off with “Sugar” Shane Mosley is finally going to take place. Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2-1, 38 KO’s) will be fighting Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KO’s) on November 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. One of the worst kept secrets in boxing was that Top Rank was negotiating with Marquez even before Pacquiao’s May 7 bout with Mosley.

The questions and criticism of Pacquiao, however continues unabated. In some cases the criticism of Pacquiao is coming from the very people who were critical of him for taking on Mosley rather than Marquez. This will be the third fight between Pacquiao and Marquez, the first taking place in May of 2004, which was a draw. In the 2nd fight almost four years later in March 2008, Pacquiao edged Marquez by a split decision. There are many boxing fans who feel that Marquez won both of those encounters. In their first fight Pacquiao weighed 125 lbs while in the 2nd fight he came in at 130 lbs. Pacquiao, in addition to packing on some muscle has added significantly to his technique, working with his legendary trainer Freddie Roach. Earlier in Manny’s career he did not use his right hand effectively. That has all changed with his training and dedication to becoming the best fighter he can be. The punch that Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton with was a right hand. He is a much more explosive fighter since he included the right hand to his repertoire. As good as Marquez is, Pacquiao is not the same fighter he was in their previous matchups.

The beef with Pacquiao now is that there will be a catch weight with Marquez having to come up to 144 lbs for his fight with Pacquial to take place. This of course has Manny’s critics fuming who really don’t like him anyway and criticize him for everything he does. Let’s face it, “Pacman” has added a lot of muscle since he first fought Marquez at 125 lbs and then at 130 pounds. As champion Pacquiao has the advantage of being able to dictate some of the terms for the fight to take place. Critics of Manny point out that when Marquez has moved up in weight in past fights he was slow and did not appear to be as sharp as he is at lighter weights.

HBO commentator Larry Merchant was quoted as saying “I think Manny needs to fight good opponents to show himself at his best.” Merchant went on to say that winning lopsided decisions against opponents who are intimidated like Mosley was, will not interest the casual fan. Merchant added that he thinks Marquez will give Pacquiao a tough fight.

At this point Marquez is the fight that will sell. Boxing promoters exert tremendous influence over who fighters face. Even fighters who have the stature of Manny Pacquiao listen to who promotes their fights, especially when they will reportedly be walking away from the fight with twenty million dollars. Marquez will earn an estimated five million dollars. It is therefore understandable that “Pacman” and Roach listen to Bob Arum.

Again there are critics saying they will pay no attention to this fight. We have heard that before. Once Uncle Bob works his magic and does what he does best, including putting together the promotional tours and all the hype that goes with the promotion of a big fight, fans will undoubtedly come out again in droves to see this fight, or pay to see it on PPV.

Marquez will give it his all and in all probability make a good showing. He will not back pedal after being stung by Pacquiao. Most likely Pacquiao will put forth an impressive performance in an effort to make right what many boxing fans saw as a less than stellar performance against Mosley. Pacquiao should win this fight convincingly, once and for silencing Marquez.

Andre Berto Vs Victor Ortiz

Here is what Berto had to say in an interview with ESPN


What can you tell us about your training for this fight?
Training has been good. We've had some tremendous sparring. I had some really strong guys come in, and it's been very intense. It's probably been one of the most intense training camps I've had. I am definitely prepared and feeling good, ready to go.

Have you made any adjustments to prepare for Ortiz's southpaw stance?
Definitely. I've fought a few southpaws lately. In fact, three of my last four opponents [Carlos Quintana, Juan Urango and Luis Collazo] have been southpaws, and I've had some great sparring to get ready for this. I'm ready to do it.

Do you think a victory over Ortiz will earn you the recognition you need right now?
Definitely. Victor is a strong, hungry kid that has speed and power, and he has a good chin too. After all the fights that didn't get made, he stepped up to the plate and took our offer. He can punch, I can punch. He's hungry, I'm hungry. He's been in there with [Nate] Campbell and [Marcos] Maidana, so I'm preparing for a tough fight. Ortiz is tough. He's had a few tough fights, so ... he will come in good shape and he is going to come ready to fight. He took a lot of criticism, and he has a lot of doubters, and this is going to be a great opportunity for him to redeem himself, so I'll have to stay focused.

You're right behind the Big Three of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley at 147 pounds. What would it take for you to break into that group? Would a victory over Ortiz do it?
I just need an opportunity. If I just keep doing what I'm doing and I beat Victor Ortiz in a good performance and then I continue to improve my game and I stay unbeaten, and if I continue knocking guys out, then all I will need is an opportunity. If one of those guys wants to fight with me, they know what to do. So I will have to be consistent and just continue winning.

Other than someone in the Big Three, which opponent would bring you the recognition you want?
Right now, I believe Ortiz is that guy, and all that matters is to continue winning in impressive fashion. I'll have bigger fights to come, but right now I believe I have to continue showing my best skills to the boxing public.




How do you respond to criticism that you are overprotected by HBO?
You know, boxing fans are never happy unless you fight the best right now. They can say whatever they want to say, but I will continue proving myself. I fought some of the best competition out there -- guys like David Estrada and Carlos Quintana, who beat Paul Williams, and some fighters of that caliber. But I understand that everybody has great expectations for me, and they want to see me fight the best. And I don't think they'll be satisfied until I am in there with a Shane Mosley or a Mayweather or Pacquiao. And I believe this speaks a lot to the expectations that I generate with my style.

On the flip side of that, how do you feel about what happened after your trip to Haiti? You missed a great opportunity to fight Mosley, yet it seems you never got the proper credit for that act of selflessness.
I believe everything happens for a reason. The opportunity was there, but other things were happening and we had to take a different route. But my opportunity will come back; it's just a matter of continuing doing what I do, and just continue winning.

Some observers seem to think they have your number, that they have your style all figured out. Is there anything new that we're going to see from you in this fight?
A lot of people think that. They see a few things repeated from one fight to the other, and they think they have me figured out and they know how to beat me. And then when they are in front of me and taste my speed and my power, they know they are in a completely different situation. I continue learning different things and I bring them into my fights little by little, showing different new things every time I get in the ring.

How do you see the fight unfolding Saturday night?
I am not sure. We're going to try different things, we're going to see what he brings and what mistakes he makes that we can use in our favor, and go from there. And if the opportunity comes, I will try to knock him out.