West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: knowldge on December 26, 2009, 07:04:33 AM
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By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY
A stoppage already has been scored between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather without a single punch being thrown.
Rather than a spectacular ending to the most anticipated bout of 2010, the knockout occurred through verbal jabs at the negotiation table.
Thursday, Bob Arum of Top Rank which represents Pacquiao, called a halt to the March 13 welterweight megafight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He first said "the fight is off" to USA TODAY on Tuesday night but hoped to still settle the dispute by Thursday.
Instead, Arum said, Pacquiao likely will meet Paulie Malignaggi on that date at a site to be determined on pay-per-view. Malignaggi is promoted by Lou DiBella's DiBella Entertainment, who is expected to respond after the holidays.
Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs), a junior welterweight (140) for most his career, defeated Juan Diaz earlier this month. The Brooklyn native went the distance with Miguel Cotto in a 2006 slugfest and lost to former 140-pound king Ricky Hatton last year. His other loss was a disputed one to Diaz earlier this year.
At issue with Mayweather: Olympic-style drug testing. Pacquiao agreed to three blood tests from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which is above what's required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Mayweather and his representatives with Golden Boy Promotions, however, insisted on random testing.
"It would be reasonable to have some organization to perform all the tests on both fighters. We're not against testing. We just don't want testing right up against the fight," Arum said. "That's crazy. That doesn't make sense. Manny is Filipino. He comes from a different country where you put in writing what you do or won't do."
Pacquiao agreed to blood testing in January, a month before the bout and immediately after. The Nevada commission only analyzes urine.
Although negotiations began well, according to Arum, everything went south fast in what was projected to be the highest grossing fight of all time at the gate and pay-per-view. Both fighters would have earned $25 million each in base salary and a percentage of PPV revenues. The press tour was supposed to begin in early January in New York and Los Angeles.
Arum also said Pacquiao is interested in facing Shane Mosley, also promoted by Golden Boy, if he wins his Jan. 30 bout with Andre Berto. Regardless of belts, a bout with Mosley would be for the undisputed welterweight championship in terms of lineage. Pacquiao won a share of the crown by knocking out Cotto on Nov. 14. Mosley won a share by knocking out Antonio Margarito 11 months ago.
"Manny would absolutely love to fight Mosley," Arum said. "Shane is a super, super young man. We're not going to start all this crazy nonsense with drug testing given Shane's background with that unfortunate incident."
Mosley was linked to Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative after its founder Victor Conte said the former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter knowingly took designer steroids in 2003.
Arum also said Pacquiao is exploring a lawsuit for slander and defamation, something he even considered before the Cotto bout. Floyd Mayweather Sr. suggested soon after Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton on May 2 that he was using illegal substances. Mayweather Sr. trained Hatton and guaranteed victory.
Late Thursday, Pacquiao released a statement about going forward with litigation:
"Enough is enough. These people, Mayweather Sr., Jr., and Golden Boy Promotions, think it is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. I have tried to just brush it off as a mere pre-fight ploy but I think they have gone overboard.
"I have instructed my promoter, Bob Arum, head of Top Rank Inc., to help me out in the filing of the case as soon as possible because I have had people coming over to me now asking if I really take performance-enhancing drugs and I have cheated my way into becoming the No. 1 boxer in the world."
While Arum left the door open for revisiting a bout with Mayweather in the fall, he'll be the chief negotiator. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy who negotiated on Mayweather's behalf, maintained that Arum's bitterness towards Mayweather was the issue and that Arum should've sent another Top Rank official to work out a deal in his place.
Arum, who spoke glowingly of Schaefer as recently as a month ago, responded "he shouldn't be in negotiations either because Manny Pacquiao can't stand him. … I did say good things about him — before he sold his soul to Mayweather."
Arum, who promoted Mayweather for most of his career beginning in 1996 but had an acromonious split, is content with never facing the former welterweight champion if necessary.
"Life goes on. We're not going to let Manny get pushed around by Floyd. Floyd wants to play his games, let him play," Arum said. "This all has to do with Mayweather being Mayweather. He never wanted to fight Manny. He wanted a way out.
"Well, he's got his way out. Goodbye."
Fuck Paulie Malignaggi...I wanna see Mosley vs. Pacquiao
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thats bullshit! Pacquaio will destory Malignaggi...easy pickings!
Hatton made him look very average last year
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lmao at the blame going towards mayweather... clearly pacman has something to hide...
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I knew this was too good to be true.
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but damn if he doesnt want to test....thats shady cuz it makes it seem like hes takin the drugs...so if hes not why not take the tests?
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I could see Pacman gettin extremely disrespected about these accusations and disagreeing to a fight WHILE being completley drug free..
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The fight isn't cancelled. This is just a gimmick to build up hype.
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The fight isn't cancelled. This is just a gimmick to build up hype.
yeah...it seems really stupid to be stubborn about the drug testing, when theres $25MM + PPV revenue on the table.
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Yeah I mean there's no way Mayweather would let his ppl make this fight not happen?
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what if he isnt drug free?
and if he was why wouldnt he want to test to let everyone know he isnt cheatin?
whats there to hide...besides the results that hes sure he isnt cheatin? or lets say injectin? lol
I could see Pacman gettin extremely disrespected about these accusations and disagreeing to a fight WHILE being completley drug free..
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I don't think Pacquiao is dirty. He agreed to like 3 blood tests, including one immediately after the fight. Mayweather is shady for this imo.
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mayweather is just trying to make him jump through hoops and he's probably had enough
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mayweather is just trying to make him jump through hoops and he's probably had enough
exactly.
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DON'T ANY OF YOU GUYS SHIT ON PAULIE MALIGNAGGI!
THAT'S MY BOY FROM BROOKLYN; HIS SHIT TALKIN' INTERVIEWS ARE THE BEST! 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDo2gWegAZA (skip to 1:00 if you actually watch lol).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMw9GsyOHS8
he's a legend. 8)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDo2gWegAZA (skip to 1:00 if you actually watch lol).
LMAO, classic
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The fight isn't cancelled. This is just a gimmick to build up hype.
Exactly. There is too much money to be made on this fight. They just wanna draw in the few people on the fence.
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lol Pacquiao willing to fight against the guy that has called him a steroid user over and over instead of Mayweather Jr who hasn't directly called him one? Hilarious.
The fight is gonna happen, people need to relax. It doesn't look good for Pac though, every athlete that has tried to sue for being accused of cheating has come out to be a cheater lol.
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The latest (at time of writing in this tiresome melodrama) is that Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Mayweather's promotional partners, Golden Boy Promotions, has told ESPN they are no longer insisting on "Olympic-style" testing.
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haha they givin in for the money..lol
The latest (at time of writing in this tiresome melodrama) is that Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Mayweather's promotional partners, Golden Boy Promotions, has told ESPN they are no longer insisting on "Olympic-style" testing.
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as much as i like Mayweather, i truly feel is scared of looking at his next fight and seeing the line; 40-0-1.
not saying he would lose, but the thought that he doesn't have the clear advantage, it just bothers him.
i can see him wanting to get to 45 to 50 and 0, but that zero losses is more important than how many more wins he gets.
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"Legacy isn't how many people you fight, it's who you fight."
Mayweather wants to be known as the greatest fighter, deep down he wants this to be his next fight, he wants to prove something to the world. The payoff ($$$$$$) is gonna keep him focussed in the fight, sad but true.
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they should pay them whats right..50 million and ppv revenues. i wont sleep until floyd can finally achieve his dream of buying everything we can see with the naked eye.
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get em c blue
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By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
Two days of mediation and negotiation hoping to save the proposed March 13 megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr ended Wednesday with no deal, and Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said "The fight is off."
"Floyd Mayweather walked away," Arum said by phone late Wednesday night. "The fight's off. Our guy was agreeable, Mayweather wasn't. The fight's off."
Arum said Pacquiao will now look at fighting undefeated Israeli WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman either March 13 or March 20 in Las Vegas. "We're going to check out all the sites tomorrow," Arum said.
Arum said he couldn't discuss the sticking point in the negotiations with retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein in Los Angeles — which Arum said before the mediation began was the drug testing, as well as a demand for an apology from Mayweather's side for saying that Pacquiao had taken performance-enhancing drugs. But he said, "the fight's off not because of us, not even because of (Mayweather's) people —he was represented by Golden Boy Promotions) — it's because of him personally.
"It's not surprising. I always felt that he wasn't going to do the fight. He knows Manny will beat him. Mayweather's never stepped into the ring with a guy he had any question but that he was going to beat.
"That's why there's never been a (Shane) Mosley, there's never been a (Antonio) Margarito, there never was a (Miguel) Cotto, and there's no Pacquiao.
"Floyd Mayweather is a coward. He will never fight anyone that will remotely give him a tough fight."
Will the fight ever happen?
"No," said Arum. "Here's a guy who, the rematch with (Oscar) De La Hoya was a huge fight, it would've made millions and millions, and he walked away from it.. .. I'm not disappointed in the sense that I always knew it was going to be this way."
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LMAO at people blaming Mayweather at all :D :D
Pacquiao is clearly the pathetic bitch here that has something to hide, Mayweather would destroy him anyway.
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The fight isn't cancelled. This is just a gimmick to build up hype.
I agree