Pinoy Meets World

MANILA, Philippines – “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have reportedly agreed to terms to fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title, according to a report by ESPN.com.

“Shane has signed. I sat with him [Friday] and we went through every provision of the contract and he signed,” Mosley’s attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN.com. “He is excited to move forward with the bout.”

The fight is set on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mayweather, who has yet to sign the contract, has reportedly expressed his intent to fight Mosley, according to Ellerbe.  Read more... (128 words, estimated 31 secs reading time)

MANILA, Philippines – They’re selling like hotcakes and Manny Pacquiao hasn’t placed his orders yet.

Tickets to the March 13 fight between the Filipino pound-for-pound champion and challenger Josh Clottey are out, and with still 50 days left before the big day, promoters might be forced to have a few thousands more printed.

According to ESPN.com, more than 20,000 tickets were sold in the first three hours of sales Saturday. Because of the size of the venue, tickets prices were slashed more than half of what they used to be for Pacquiao fights.  Read more... (226 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)

Freddie Roach could meet a boxer for the first time, shake his hand, peer into his eyes, and see the future.

In Manny Pacquiao, the renowned trainer saw the makings of a world champion, a glittering gem from an uncut, unpolished stone.

But something else escaped Roach’s ring clairvoyance: A crowning beyond the alphabet titles nobody foresaw.

“I didn’t see this coming,” said Roach, recalling the first time he worked the mitts with the boxing icon early in 2001 at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. “I never thought he’ll be this great.”  Read more... (267 words, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

TORONTO (Reuters) – WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao will put his title on the line against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in March after talks for a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fizzled out this week, the Filipino’s promoter said on Friday.

The planned fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. broke down when negotiations between the two sides hit a snag over the American’s demand for a rigorous dope testing procedure.

Pacquiao’s new opponent beat Zab Judah of the United States for the IBF Welterweight title in August 2008 and lost a split decision to Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto last June.  Read more... (216 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

It’s official that the much-anticipated welterweight bout between Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t push through after promoters failed to reach an agreement ( http://ph.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100107/tsp-ouksp-uk-boxing-pacquiao-e0767c7_1.html ).

The bout would have been the richest in boxing history and would have guaranteed each fighter at least USD25 million, not including sales from pay-per-view that can bring their earnings to USD40 million each.

A sports blog mentioned that Floyd Mayweather’s blood-test request is ridiculous, but Manny Pacquiao’s legacy will be hurt if he walks away from the fight ( http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=Atn1P3Jeunqd7Ri9qZBC7_6UxLYF?slug=dw-mayweatherpacquiao122309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns ). Do you think Pacquiao’s legacy as the best pound-for-pound boxer will be hurt because the fight with Mayweather will not push through? Share your thoughts now.  Read more... (122 words, estimated 29 secs reading time)

A ringside seat to the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather super fight next year will amount to the annual income of a minimum wage earner.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum told the Bulletin Sunday that a premium seat in the March 13, 2010 welterweight title fight will cost $2,500 (P117,500), while the cheapest will be sold at $500, assuming the fight is held at the 17,000-seat MGM Grand.

If the fight is held, say, at the 80,000-capacity Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the price of the seat would remain the same, while the inexpensive seat will be sold lower than $500.  Read more... (147 words, estimated 35 secs reading time)

Freddie Roach is definitely thrilled with a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. showdown.

But he’s definitely not hot on a possible March 13 face-off between two of boxing’s most popular fighters today.

Roach readily thumbed down the proposed March gig being dangled by Top Rank Promotions’ big boss Bob Arum following a series of negotiations he had with Golden Boy Promotions’ CEO Richard Schaefer, representing Mayweather.

“March 13 is too fast a turnaround,” said Roach from Europe, where he is currently preparing reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight champion Amir Khan for his Dec. 5 title defense against Dmitriy Salita.  Read more... (240 words, estimated 58 secs reading time)