Nostradamus - Interview with Freddie Roach Pt. II (Roach on Pacquiao vs Mayweather and More!)

This is a continuation of an interview with boxing’s legendary trainer (See link at bottom for Part One), Freddie Roach that took place in the WildCard gym, Hollywood, California, July 23 and 24. Previously, Freddie had predicted the results of upcoming fights and gave us his P4P picks. Not afraid of looking around the corner, Freddie dissects a possible 2010 super mega fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the P4P champ, Manny Pacquiao.

David T. - Fred you have already predicted that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and your Ninja, Manny Pacquiao would win their next fights. Would you like to discuss a possible Mayweather/ Pacquiao super-mega fight?

Freddie Roach – Dave, everywhere I go that’s all that I am asked, when will Manny fight Mayweather?

DT – Kayo?

FR – Easily. He presents no problem for Manny. He is too small and fragile for Manny. He doesn’t have the skills to hurt my fighter. Manny will break him apart before he knocks him out.

DT – What exactly do you mean by “break him apart.”

FR – The key to beating Mayweather is literally beat him up. You take what you can get. He is elusive but he can’t move his body. He is very quick with head movement. You break his body down, he has bad hands, bad ribs, bad knee and he’s had rotator cuff surgery. This is not a guess it’s the facts, period.

DT – He has won all of his fights and maybe the best two wins were against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton…..

FR – Dave, hold it there for a moment. I question that ….I think below 140 lbs. he was great and anything above that has been problems. Let’s face it, the De La Hoya fight was at least a draw. Mayweather looked very sluggish. Same with Hatton at 147 lbs. After six rounds Ricky was ahead and then Mayweather took over and won the fight.

DT – The point being?

FR – Look what Manny did to both De La Hoya and Hatton. His victories looked very easy. Mayweather struggled and Manny blitzed through both opponents. You can’t say either fighter was over the hill or a shot fighter. These were the same two opponents that gave Mayweather fits especially early in the fight. Marquez is a very clever opponent that will give Mayweather a tussle. Even though I pick Mayweather to win the fight, it would not surprise me if Marquez won. After all, Mayweather has been off for two years.

DT – So Manny will apply pressure and never let up?

FR – Now you’re beginning to see what will happen in the fight. That’s exactly why Mayweather will be, an easier opponent than Cotto or Mosley or even Marquez. Manny will be applying pressure from the beginning and never let up. He will use both hands and he is certainly the faster fighter. The difference will come in the middle of the fight. Manny is continuing to throw shots from all angles and Mayweather will feel the Kayo.

DT – How did you turn Manny into the best fighter in the sport today?

FR – With a ton of hard work. He now has lots of confidence and by that I mean he is not afraid to stand “toe to toe” without backing out of an exchange. Hard to believe but he now hits just as hard with the right hand as he does with his left hand.

DT – Any weaknesses on Manny’s part?

FR – Not really. He used to rely solely on the left but he will not revert back to his old habits.

DT – If you were Mayweather’s trainer, what advice would you give Floyd against Pacman?

FR – Don’t take this fight! Even though this is the fight that all boxing fans want to see, it would not surprise me to see Mayweather fight Mosley instead of Manny. Why fight a guy you can’t possibly beat?

DT – Anything else?

FR – Manny will be here next week. We can talk then. I would like to say one more thing about the “Pay for View” fights.

DT- Go ahead.

FR – I would like to thank all the fans who support boxing by paying their hard earned cash to purchase these fights. We are all aware that we live in tough economic times and boxing is just one of many venues out there vying for the fans to spend money. Also, I and the crew at WildCard have received a lot of positive feedback from the fans. I would like to thank them for their kind words of support.

Thank you Freddie for giving us such an insightful interview. Good luck with Manny and Amir in their upcoming fights.

Why is Freddie Roach not in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY? (Please e-mail me your thoughts! - E-mail link below.)

share on: facebook

Sponge Bob Arum corrects worst career gaffe on Pacquiao

"I am filipino and I need to see Manny Pacquiao fight in Vegas for he is my generation's Flash Elorde, Elvis, The Beatles, King Rameses II, Genghis Khan, maybe even Seabiscuit."--MANNY PACQUIAO'S ARDENT FAN, FRANCIS V, WHO LIVES IN CALIFORNIA AND WHO DREAMS OF ATTENDING PACMAN VS. COTTO.


I can’t remember when savvy Bob Arum so badly misjudged a boxing situation.

This one goes down as the worst gaffe of his legendary career.

“Nobody cares in the US” about the WBO welterweight title being on the line Nov. 14 when Manny Pacquaio fights Miguel Cotto.

Then came the immediate worldwide backlash, including 17, 489 names who joined my protest here at Examiner.com.

Arum was getting ripped all over the place and our Indianapolis based scribe, Dennis Guillermo, chimed in with his thoughts on the matter.

Now, the always flexible, always versatile, promoter has folded up like a $5 umbrella in a windstorm.

Now, according to Arum, the title being on the line and Pacquiao having a chance to make history by being the first fighter to win seven weight division world titles.

Now Arum is schmoozing and not cursing WBO leader Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel.

And, in speaking to Filipino scribe Ronnie Nathanielsz, both Arum and Valcarcel have shifted the onus to champion Cotto.

Folks, there is no way out for the Boricua Bomber. Not when Arum has even gone so far as to publicly proclaim that he will pay the sanctioning fees, $150,000 each, for both fighters.

The only exit for Cotto would be for him to resign the title and you know he’s not going to do that. That would be like an admission that he can’t beat Pacman.

Common sense has prevailed.

I hope Arum, turning 78 in December, has learned something about Pinoys as exemplified by the massive, loyal fan base that Pacquiao enjoys.


Paco Valacacel photo, Notifight.com.They are not docile. They are not chumps who pay their money and demand nothing.

Arum found this out the hard way.

Arum disregarded their feelings and disrespected their amazing support of Manny and of Arum’s Top Rank Promotions.

In four decades, I can’t recall Arum ever misreading something so completely.

His remarks were the height of arrogance.

But, give him credit now.

Arum was wrong, you Pacman fans made that loud and clear immediately, and Arum has taken corrective action.

It will be a snowy July day in steamy Las Vegas before Arum ever blows off the Pinoy fight fans again.

Arum cares because you care.

You threatened to lessen Sponge Bob’s bottom line and he knew it.

But, in this case the why doesn’t matter as much as the what does.

Pacquiao versus Cotto is on and the Puerto Rican will bring that belt into the ring with him.

Then it’s up to Pacquiao to take possession

share on: facebook

Pacquiao 2-1 pick in November fight vs Cotto

Odds had installed Filipino Manny Pacquiao as a 2-1 favorite in his scheduled 12-round November 14 face off with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Now, even the surveys appear leaning on a Pacman win four months from now.

In an online poll conducted by ESPN boxing, at least 54 percent of the 38,011 people who voted see the 12-round fight ending in a knockout victory for the 30-year old General Santos City native.

People surveyed were asked the question ‘How will the Miguel Cotto/Manny Pacquiao match up be decided?’

Pacquiao being unbeaten the last four years and his impressive showing against former world champions David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton may have a lot to do with the high number of votes going for a KO win by the current world top pound-for-pound fighter.

His bout with the 28-year old Cotto also marks just the second time the Pacman is fighting above 140 pounds, the first being his December 6 showdown with De La Hoya which ended in a brutal eight round technical KO win.

In contrast, 21 percent believe Cotto will deliver a KO victory against the Filipino ring icon.

The Puerto Rican, reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, is coming off an unimpressive 12-round split decision victory against Joshua Clottey of Ghana at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

Even those who see the fight going the distance, Pacquiao still registered the higher percentage at 16 percent compared to the eight earned by Cotto.

Only one percent voted that the bout will end in a decision. – GMANews.TV
share on: facebook

Miguel Cotto's deal: No golf, Oscars, lobsters, Pacquaio rematch

Miguel “I’m No Angel” Cotto has a new promotional contract with his Uncle Bob Arum, formerly known as the Parsimonious Promoter until he flip flopped and decided to pay WBO sanction fees for Cotto and Manny Pacquiao,

Arum has done more gymnastics lately than Mary Lou Retton, contorting himself on the Nov. 14 title bout issue.

But the promoter overcame his reach impediment and his alligator arms and will go into his own pocket to pay the WBO fees.

I’ve learned exclusively (no one else cares, right Bob?) that there are some neat wrinkles in Cotto’s new deal including:

1. NO GOLF CLAUSE. As fallout from his totally coincidental golf round with rival Oscar de la Hoya, Cotto is not permitted to play golf, watch golf or to even eat a sand wedge at a golf course. This ban extends to miniature golf and to hitting the plastic balls into the clown’s mouth. Cotto cannot even mention the names of Tiger Woods or Ernie Els.

2. NO MALIGNING THE CRIMINAL HABITS OF ANTONIO MARGOCHEATO. While Harper Valley Hypocrite Arum demands a lifetime boxing ban for caught cheating trainer Panama Lewis, he seeks justice tempered with mercy for his Mexican clinet and Cotto victor, Antonio Margarito. Under his new TR deal,
Cotto can only say kind and wonderful things about the Plaster of Paris handwraps cheater. One suggestion was this, “Margarito has done more for the great Mexican people than Pancho Villa ever did.”


3. HANDWRAPPING IN WELL LIT ROOMS ONLY. Since Arum will throw Cotto in, after Pacquiao is done with him, into a revenge rematch against Tone Loc, it is specified that Antonio cannot come to the arena after having his cement handwraps put in place in a dark alley next to the Chicago Club in Tijuana. His wraps must be put on in a totally floodlit room with 10 SWAT cops and their Uzis carefully trained a few feet away from the surely nervous hand wrapper. This special place will be called “The Honesty Room” but has no connection to the CD of the same name by great singer Dar Williams. (Attention: Lucinda “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road“ Williams, I love you just as much as I do Dar!)

4. OSCAR BAN EXTENDS TO TELEVISION. Cotto promises in the contract that he will never use the expression “but Oscar says” in conversation, especially in media interviews. This ban on anything related to Oscar extends to the Academy Awards which Cotto promises not to attend or to even watch on TV. Cotto can only make reference to the movie honors by calling the famed awards “those little statuettes.”

5. OSCAR BAN EXTENDS TO EATING. I can now "re veal" that Cotto is not permitted to order Veal Oscar from any menu.

6. NO REMATCH CLAUSE WITH PACMAN. Even though he will put up a fearsome fight, Cotto knows Arum is using him for Pacman cannon fodder and thus has insisted on a No Rematch clause. There was no mention of any other claws, including those from lobsters or stone crabs. In the same vein, Cotto is prohibited from ever referring to the smaller Pacquiao as “that little shrimp from GenSan.”

Arum is investing heavily in shrimp distribution companies in Packy’s hometown although the highly religious promoter will steer clear of crustaceans as he considers them “treyf” meaning trash and cockroaches of the sea. “Lobsters are not kosher, they are losers,” Arum said. “I can’t sanction or stomach lobsters. I thought they were born red but it turns out they only get that way after a killer steam bath. Same thing happen to me. At my age, my skin has more wrinkles than Kim Kardashian’s backside. I’m so glad Reggie Bush finally dumped her! Now Matt Stolow, Dallas bachelor of the moment, has a real shot at being her next beau and I don’t mean Bo Belinsky.”



share on: facebook

Team Pacquiao Made a Weighty Mistake With Cotto - Boxing News

I’m excited about the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight on November 14 and out of all the possible matchups to be made between Pacquiao, Mayweather, and Mosley, this one has the greatest potential to produce the magical fireworks of a legendary prize fight and will be well worth your pay-per-view dollars. 

That being said, Team-Pacquiao made a big mistake and after all the verbal sparring between Arum and Pacquiao’s representatives and the countless meetings that took place across the world’s different time zones, Manny Pacquiao’s advisors failed him and came away with a horrible deal that will negatively impact the final stages of his career. 

Now the financial split has yet to be announced and even though finances are always the priority, a good manager knows that sometimes the logistics surrounding a fight can change a fighter’s career more pervasively than a purse split.

When Sugar Ray Leonard challenged Marvin Hagler in 1987, poor Marvin thought that his team had controlled the negotiations because the Marvelous one received the lion’s share of the purse split, but Leonard’s brain-trust didn’t care about the money and put more emphasis on the fight’s particulars, “Hagler gave us everything we wanted, he was just worried about the money, but we didn’t care about the money, we wanted to win the fight, so we gave him the money and he gave us everything else,” commented Leonard’s career advisor, the astute Mike Trainer. 

And because Team Leonard made some financial concessions to Hagler, he got to decide on the size of the ring and the bout was sanctioned for twelve rounds instead of 15-rounds, which were still being sanctioned at the time, but were in the process of being phased out.

It’s pretty obvious that team Cotto followed a strategy similar to Mike Trainer’s and probably left some money on the table in order to put Miguel In a better position to win the fight.

So instead of haggling over an extra half-million or so, they conceded to Team Pacquiao’s financial terms and held steadfast in their demand that the bout take place at 145 pounds. 

Now I know boxing fans are thinking, “What’s the big deal, it’s just a couple of pounds,” but that’s just not the case. 

Most fans have never had to make weight for a sporting contest and don’t realize how difficult it is for a fighter to make weight.  The whole process is a tolling and debilitating experience and in this instance, those two pounds are going to make a huge difference. 

Cotto had a lot of trouble making the 140 pound limit and was visibly weakened throughout his entire campaign as the WBO 140 pound champion and regularly complained about the physical toll it took on his body and was dropped and almost stopped by Ricardo Torres and almost taken out by the ordinary DeMarcus Corley in front of his hometown fans.

Since moving up to 147 pounds in the fall of 2006 his ability to recuperate and absorb punishment has increased substantially.

Just look how his equilibrium withstood  all those shots from Antonio Margarito, a huge welterweight who may have had cement in his gloves and compare that to how Cotto was shaken up by a couple of punches from the light hitting DeMarcus Corley and it’s obvious that making the junior-welterweight limit weakened Cotto.

It’s because the process of having to lose six to twelve pounds two or three days before a weigh-in is so debilitating. 

Now you may think cutting weight is scientific in its methodology, but unfortunately the process of cutting weight is barbaric and has to do more with basic arithmetic than the scientific method.

Most of the weight is water-weight and fighters know all the little tricks of the weight-loss-trade. 

For instance, fighters know that after a good night’s sleep you generally weigh in one pound less in the morning.  They also know that you can shed two to three pounds of water weight during a hard work out.

Just for those of you who aren’t aware of the rigors of making weight let me go over a scenario that occurs regularly before almost every fight card in the world. 

Let’s say a fighter has to weigh in at 140 pounds on Friday at noon and its Thursday morning and they weigh 146.  They can work out at the gym and have a little bit of water.  144.  Then they can go home, rest, hopefully use the bathroom, sleep, and wake up in the morning. 142 ½. Then Friday before the weigh in they can work out and maybe use the sauna and weigh 140 pounds for less than an hour and make the contracted weight. 

Just try to fathom that experience for a moment and ponder the thought of having to complete two professional level workouts with very little water and hardly any food intake over a twenty-four hour period.

Now that scenario is something closer to what a mid to high level amateur experiences, some of the professionals have to make some insane sacrifices to make weight. Imagine having to go through that experience for three, four, or even five days before a fight. 

The simple fact of the matter is that making weight is tough and besides getting hit, it may be the most difficult thing a fighter has to deal with. 

Guys like Jake LaMotta and James Toney always had more problems with the scales than their opponents.  Henry Ramirez, who had over fifty amateur fights and trains a stable of fighters which includes Chris Arreola, is well aware of the problems fighters encounter at the scales and commented, “Everybody’s body is different and everybody cuts weight differently, but it’s a trying experience. I know a lot of fighters are so dehydrated that they dream about drinking the water when they are in the shower in the days leading up to a fight!”

Now Cotto moved up 147 pound in the fall of 2006 and will probably never fight at 154 pounds, he’s just too short and probably doesn’t have the length necessary to compete at the elite level in the higher weight classes. 

He’s a welterweight plain and simple and now he has to drop two extra pounds to fight the Pac-man. 

Now if Cotto were really struggling to make 147 I would say those two pounds would make a difference and that losing those extra 32 ounces would negatively impact his overall strength, but he makes the welterweight limit relatively easily, I mean he’s not like Felix Trinidad at welterweight or James Toney at Middleweight, and the two pounds shouldn’t have a negative impact on his physical state and that’s a bad thing for Manny Pacquiao.

>145 pounds is only two pounds below the welterweight limit. So those two pounds that were subtracted aren’t going to make much of the difference, but the four pounds had the bout been contracted at 143 pounds would have made huge difference because they would have sufficiently weakened Miguel, just like it did when he was fighting at 140 because even though it would have been three pounds north of the junior-welterweight limit, Cotto has been fighting at welterweight for the past three years and his body has matured and developed.  As a result the drop to 143 pounds in November may have even been more debilitating than making 140 had been because he’s bigger now.

I know people are going to say I’m a Pacquiao hater, that I wrote the article about Pacquiao avoiding black fighters, but I’m not and readily admit that I have underestimated the Philippine juggernaut a couple of times.

First I believed and predicted that De La Hoya was going to destroy him and then even though I picked Manny to win the fight with Rick Hatton, I never envisioned him taking the Hitman out in such a dramatic fashion so early in the bout.

Still this bout is different.  Pacquiao is fighting a prize fighter in his twenties who has clearly established himself as one of the three best welterweights in the world with wins over Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, and Joshua Clottey.  And the boxing fraternity has put too much stock in his wins over De La Hoya and Hatton. 

De La Hoya was completely zapped after eating kangaroo meat and coming in at a weight he hadn’t been at in eleven years and Ricky Hatton just got caught by a fast southpaw. 

People think Pacquiao’s destruction of Hatton validated his win over Oscar, but it may have been an aberration, just a fast southpaw catching an orthodox fight, kind of like how Michael Nunn knocked out Sumbu Kalambay in 1989 in one round.

The thing is Manny Pacquiao is human.  He’s only had three fights above 130 pounds and now he is facing an elite welterweight in his twenties and only received a two pound weight concession.

Oscar De La Hoya made more concessions than Cotto and he was the sport’s pre-Madonna and was in his thirties and still agreed to drop to a weight he hadn’t fought at since Bill Clinton was President. 

Yes Cotto has looked vulnerable the past year with the shady win over Clottey and the loss to Margarito, but those guys are huge welterweights.  Clottey probably walks around at 180 pounds, we saw how he easily outmuscled Zab Judah and Diego Corrales and Margarito is such a big welterweight that he would be a good sized 154 pounder. That’s the point.  Those guys were bigger and stronger than Cotto and were able to back Miguel up and he doesn’t know how to fight going backwards. 

He’s just not adept at doing the boxing thing and looks like a fish out of water when he tries to box and use lateral movement, kind of like how Tommy Morrison looked when fought George Foreman. 
The simple fact of the matter is that Miguel Cotto is one dimensional.  He’s an offensive force and goes through guys like a hot knife through butter.  Besides Tyson, Chavez, and maybe Kelly Pavlik, I can’t recall too many guys that put that kind of pressure on, especially when it becomes apparent that he is the stronger fighter, which occurred when he bulldozed through Carlos Quintana and Alfonso Gomez.I know Manny Pacquiao is way better than those aforementioned fighters but he still is not going to be able to back Cotto up and that’s how you beat Miguel. 
If Pacquiao’s team of advisors had actually been capable managers, and not blow-smoke-up-your ass hanger-ons they would have demanded that Cotto reduced to 143 pounds. Those two extra-pounds would have meant at least an extra-day or two of drying out because the lower you go, the harder it gets to lose the water weight, which would have weakened him just little bit more and slowed him down just a tad bit which would have made him more susceptible to Pacquiao’s counters and power. 
Besides what was Cotto going to do?  Fight a rematch with Margarito or Clottey, two huge welterweights that already gave him hell and don’t bring the kind of recognition and financial compensation that a fight with Pacquiao brings.

Pacquiao’s advisors had all of the leverage and failed to make an agreement that would have leveled the playing field between Miguel and Manny. Even Freddie Roach is aware of the strength disparity between the two and that’s why throughout the early part of the negotiations he was unwavering in his desire for the bout to take place at 143 pounds.
People might think two pounds can’t make a difference, but those seven pounds Cotto added after moving up to welterweight sure did and unfortunately for Manny Pacquiao he’s the one that’s going to have to deal with the impropriety of the contract in November.
Notes:Favorite Quote: Shortly before the rubber-match with Mickey Ward, HBO awarded Gatti with a multi-fight contract and Executive Kerry Davis had this to say about Arturo, “There have been plenty of setbacks, sure, but the one thing that’s been consistent is that he’s always been exciting.  HBO is an entertainment company.  That’s really what we are and Arturo Gatti is pound for pound the most exciting fighter in the sport.” Rest in peace Arturo you are a true warrior in every sense of the word.
Everybody talks about the Ward fights, but the Wilson Rodriguez fight was awesome too as was the first fight with Ivan Robinson, and his fight with Gabe Ruelas.Dan Rafael mentioned a hypothetical bout between Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti and concluded that he wasn’t sure who would have won it and not to disparage Gatti, but I think in terms of skills, Corrales was in another class and would have beaten him.

After reports surfaced that Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya bumped into each other on a Golf Course in Puerto Rico, do you think Cotto had to sign an extension of his promotional agreement with Top Tank in order to land the super-bout with Pacquiao?I’m picking David Haye to beat Valuev.  Hey if you can’t dominate Holyfield at his age, you are going to have problems with a young, talented, and motivated challenger.  And I don’t think Haye is going to pull out of this fight because he probably realizes that this maybe the only heavyweight title fight out there that he actually has a chance of winning.

Manny Pacquiao is a legend and has to be considered one of the twenty or twenty-five greatest fighters to ever lace up a pair of gloves.  And if he can beat Cotto, I’ll put him in the top twelve! Seriously how many guys have fought and made their presence felt in so many of the eight traditional weight classes? Not too many.  Brent Matteo Alderson, a graduate of UCLA, has been part of the staff at BoxingScene.com since 2004. Alderson's published work has appeared in publications such as Ring Magazine, KO, World Boxing, Boxing 2008, and Latin Boxing Magazine. Alderson has also been featured on the ESPN Classic television program “Who’s Number One?”
share on: facebook

Bahamas and US training for Pacquiao

Freddie Roach, always cool and calm, was uncharacteristically frantic over the phone on Tuesday.

“If you get to talk with Manny, please tell him to give me a call,” Roach said as he was about to call it a day at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. (Roach’s message has been forwarded to Pacquiao).

Roach was jumpy after receiving word about a vital decision concerning Pacquiao’s training camp for the Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Cotto.

Owing to tax issues, Pacquiao has to spend a reduced number of days on American soil, Top Rank head Bob Arum told The Bulletin on Tuesday.

“It’s an IRS (Internal Revenue Service) regulation,” said Arum, about the Substantial Presence Test, defined as a calculation that determines the resident or non-resident status of a foreign national for tax purposes in the US.

Because Pacquiao will exceed the number of allowable days present in the US if he follows the original schedule of setting up training camp in Los Angeles eight weeks before the fight, Arum had to find a remedy.

And here’s what he suggested: “He’s going to set up training camp in the Bahamas for several weeks then head to Los Angeles three weeks before the fight and the last week will be spent in Las Vegas.”

Roach said he has to get in touch with Pacquiao at the soonest possible time because it’s being arranged that he fly to the Bahamas this weekend for an assessment not only of their prospective place but their temporary residence as well.

“I have to set up training camp there so I got to talk to him,” said Roach.

share on: facebook

Does Bob Arum consider Pacquiao fans irrelevant?

Without the WBO belt, Pacquiao-Cotto's Nov. 14 bout will flop.

Mark my words, if Bob Arum insists on staging a beltless Pacquiao-Cotto bout on November 14, the returns will be significantly less than he expects it to be and burn him a lot more than the $150,000 sanctioning fees the WBO demands for him to pay for the bout to have Cotto's title on the line.

See it's not really about the luster of the WBO belt. We all know the value of ABC belts in boxing have depreciated similar to houses all across the US but the fact is, Pacquiao is on the verge of making history.

Besides, haven't we been here before? Wasn't it just a few months ago when Pacquiao's value was being underestimated during discussions about the purse-split between him and Ricky Hatton? At the time Arum was also quoted expressing his disappointment with Pacquiao asking for more than a 50/50 split when he could've very well fought for his ward. We all know what happened in that one and after his destruction of Hatton and how he made the proud Brit look like a bum sparring partner, one has to wonder how Hatton was even paid remotely anywhere close to 50 percent of the pot against Pacquiao. Okay I get it, The Hitman has a huge buying fan base, but the theme is increasingly disturbing as to how Pacquiao's fan base, arguably the most active followers of the sport today, is being taken forgranted once again.

After all, without great fighters that always provide great fights, nobody will buy Pay-Per-Views anyway. Manny Pacquiao by far is the best in the business of doing that right now. Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have suckered people in the past into buying his fights next to more popular dance partners like De la Hoya and Hatton, but a lot of those same fans know better now to stay away from purchasing his fights because of his boring style. There's a reason why nobody is really talking about Mayweather-Marquez right now.

It's a slap on Pacquiao's face and his fans to say that nobody cares that he wins a seventh divisional crown, something nobody else in history has ever done. Perhaps Arum is banking on Pacquiao's newfound non-Filipino related US boxing fanbase to pull thru in terms of buying the fight card because I'm guaranteein you right now, Filipinos from all around the world will not purchase this fight if they continue to belittle their significance in the grand scheme of things.

So nobody cares in the US cares about Pacquiao making history? You can either interpret that as saying America simply wants to see Pacquiao fight Cotto regardless of what's at stake or that Bob Arum considers Pacquiao's fans in the US as "nobodies". Truth be told, all you have to do is have Michael Marley forward you a copy of the 18 thousand names and signatures he received in a span of 24 hours expressing their desire for Pacquiao and Cotto's fight on November 14 to be for all the marbles.

It's not even about weight. Two pounds under 147 is acceptable and is a far-cry from the 143 Pacquiao said to have wanted. Even Floyd Mayweather's trainer Roger Mayweather gave props to Pacquiao saying he has "some major balls" to have the audacity and move up to challenge Cotto. For one, his nephew never even bothered take that challenge and opted to fight the smaller Juan Manuel Maruez instead.

Perhaps Arum’s master plan is percolating as we speak. Maybe this is a publicity stunt as some people say it is, but one thing's for sure, if Arum wants this fight to exceed expectations in terms of PPV sales, he needs to throw Cotto's belt in the mix which isn't such a bad promotional tool either. The people have spoken, and I do not condone ripping these fights off and watching them for free on online stream sites but I know how these things go. Filipinos know how to use their technology and fight back when they are being pinned against the wall and signs are pointing towards a boycott of Pacquiao-Cotto if they don't feel like they will get what they and their idol deserve. The ball is in your court Bob. Make the right move!
share on: facebook