First Round: “FIRE POWER” – Pacquiao vs Cotto at Yankee Stadium

Manny Pacquiao (L) at the dais accompanied by his trainer Freddie Roach, lawyer Jeng Gacal and adviser Michael Koncz during the presscon at Yankee Stadium yesterday. (Photo credit/ Dr. Allan Recto)

Manhattan, New York City (9-11-09) – At the impressive and majestic 1.5 billion dollar, state of the art NY Yankee Stadium, serving as venue, Top Rank announced the world welterweight championship fight of current pound per pound king Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao, and Puerto Rico’s pride and three time world champion Miguel Cotto. Their mega fight titled “Firepower” will have the newly minted WBC Diamond championship belt as an exclusive award and Pacquiao will challenge for the WBO welterweight championship belt of Miguel Cotto, at 145 lbs.

It was the first round of a series of “Fire Power” Media Tour with schedule seen below.

This match-up has generated a lot of interest among boxing fans worldwide, that will take place on Saturday, November 14, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas to be shown, live on HBO Pay-Per-View and telecast in the Philippines thru Solar Sports in cooperation with GMA.

Team Pacquiao arrived in New York City at 1:30 pm, Sept. 9th, via John F Kennedy International Airport, aboard Cathay Pacific from Manila with stopover in Hong Kong. They were then taken to Manhattan’s Upper East Side. After a relaxing night playing Beatles’ songs in the grand piano at his classy hotel suite in Midtown Manhattan, Manny Pacquiao awoke at seven in the morning yesterday ready to start his day with a morning jog accompanied by his Team at Central Park, a National Historic Landmark in the heart of New York City, after doing stretching exercises. Pacquiao prepared well for a long day busy ahead, making every New York minute count.

Team Pacquiao (L-R Roger Fernandez, Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao, Michael Koncz; behind is ringside physician Dr. Allan Recto and publicist Winchell Campos) strolling in front of Loews Regency Hotel in New York City after jogging in Central Park. (Photo taken by Jovy Halog/ MP Promotions)

At around 11 a.m., Team Pacquiao was picked up by two elegant chauffeur driven SUVs at the lobby of the Loews Regency Hotel in Park Avenue, where Manny took a few moments to accept brief interviews from the media, among them the NY Times.

After a 30 minute drive from the hotel, Team Pacquiao joined by Coach Freddie Roach, Atty. Jeng Gacal, Mike Koncz, Roger Fernandez, Jovi Halog, Winchell Campos, this writer, Manila Bulletin’s Nick Giongco and Philippine Star’s Abac Cordero were ushered inside Yankee Stadium thru Gate 2 guided by security and coordinator Fred Sternburg.

In a room filled with baseball legends photographs hanging in its wall, Pacquiao talked about his baseball experiences, stating that he used to play during his elementary days in school. While simulating a pitch, he remarked, “I was a left hand pitcher. I had so much fun.”

Prior to the start of the event, this writer scouted the Yankee Stadium. It was indeed a spectacular place to visit. This boxing writer could imagine what it would have felt inside with a crowd of 52,325 in its maximum capacity. The turnout was amazing according to ace publicist Fred Sternburg, including the fans. Boxing fans were seated right in front of first base, some with Philippine flags and wearing Pacquiao T-shirts, but mostly filled with Puerto Ricans chanting – “Cotto, Cotto, Cotto!”

At the holding area, Miguel Cotto was sitting calmly, surrounded by Team members – his father Miguel Cotto, Sr., conditioning coach Phil Lander, his lawyer Gabriel Penagaricano, Jr. with their Top Rank coordinator, publicist Ricardo Jimenez.

This writer approached a dear friend in the crowd. “We are very excited in WBC because it is the first time ever that a true Diamond Belt is put as a trophy for the winner of this fight, “ commented Mauricio Sulaiman. The WBC Executive Secretary revealed to me. “We are very proud of both Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. It is going to be a great fight and we are honored to be involved in it.” After actually seeing and touching the WBC Diamond championship belt, this writer was convinced it was indeed a brand new, special, elite edition crown jewel.

Bob Arum opened the press conference tracing the historic events at the Yankee Stadium. He introduced both Teams and special guests attending the event who made brief remarks. World famous and three-time trainer of the year Coach Freddie Roach assured everyone, “I’m getting Manny ready to win the toughest fight of his life. Miguel is strong and I respect him. We have a lot of work to do, but come November 14, Manny Pacquiao will be ready.”

When it was Manny Pacquiao’s turn to speak, he addressed the crowd in Tagalog and English. “I will do my best to give everyone a good fight on November 14,” he declared. “Sa lahat ng mga kababayan ko – Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. Lalaban ako hangang sa huling patak ng aking dugo para sa inyo.” (Translated – “To all my countrymen - Long live the Philippines. I will stand up to fight up to the last drop of my blood for all of you.”) He assured the Filipinos and his fans that he will again train very hard. He respects Miguel Cotto as a fighter and as a person. “He is a nice guy,” he added.

When Top Rank’s boss, Bob Arum, presented Pacquiao, he referred to him as the best fighter in the world who previously stopped different world champions like David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and most recently Britain’s superstar Ricky Hatton, to which Miguel Cotto reacted, “I am not De La Hoya nor Hatton, I am Miguel Angel Cotto,” he forcefully mentioned for which the Latino crowd cheered wildly. He guaranteed everybody, “I will do my best against Manny!”

Notable Predictions:

This writer was able to speak with Boxing historian Bert Sugar. He considered Pacquiao as the best Left Handed fighter in the world and the greatest Asian fighter of all times who is gunning for his 7th world title. If he wins this fight, Bert Sugar predicted cheerfully, “It puts him down in boxing history as one of the all time greatest fighter in my list. I see this fight to end by stoppage, by Pacquiao, of course!,” Bert Sugar disclosed. He thinks that the longer the fight goes, the better it will be for Pacquiao who to him is a fighter that defies explanation, winning his major world title as flyweight.

He considers the welterweight division loaded with the best talents and currently the best division stating all the best of the best are there mentioning - Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Sugar Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey and even Antonio Margarito, aside from the two protagonists.

What makes this fight exciting to him is that two of the best are fighting in the best division. He remembers and considers the fight of Haggler-Hearns the best fight he has ever been LIVE in person. “The first 8 minute was total war,” he told this writer and expressed amusement.

Joshua Clottey who fought Cotto in June 13, 2009 but lost by split decision commented to this writer about the upcoming fight of Cotto-Pacquiao, “This is going to be a tough fight. I think this is going to be a 50-50, an even match. Cotto’s defense when he fought me was not that good but I don’t know what it will be when he fights Manny who is a southpaw and very smart.” He finally stated his opinion of the outcome, “To me in a decision, Pacquiao is gonna win but in a knockout, Cotto is going to win!”
Paulie Malignaggi declared to this writer, “I lean towards Miguel Cotto because he is naturally the stronger and bigger man. I fought Miguel and although he is not that fast, he could time you. He could hit you in between combinations. When asked which punch hurt him the most, he answered, “His biggest punch comes from his left hand. His jabs are hard too.”

Finally, when this writer had a chance conversation with Bob Arum, he calmly said, “It’s going to be a great fight, an all action fight, very, very competitive. At this point in time, I don’t know who’s going to win the fight. When asked how the fight would end, Bob Arum confessed, “I think there’s going to be a knockout, but by whom, I don’t know!”

otes: After the first round of their “Fire Power” Media Tour in Yankee Stadium, Manny Pacquiao and company proceeded to the HBO Studios for more interviews and photo shoots, around 3: 30 pm. It was a thrill to witness when HBO commentator Max Kellerman made Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao sit down facing each other while he conducted his interview. That was very interesting and should be seen in the HBO 24/7 series. The next stop was ESPN sports for some pictorials and again a brief interview at 7:30 pm. Before retiring to the hotel, Pacquiao was treated at the Nike Store in SoHo, receiving many gifts from NIKE including shoes, bags and shirts. It was fashion night in the jam-packed store however Team Pacquiao was taken to the VIP room. Fans who recognized Pacquiao were ecstatic to see him and they cheered excitedly. Team Pacquiao returned exhausted but pleased at their luxury hotel around 10:15 pm.

"FIRE POWER" MEDIA TOUR

Sept. 10 - Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Sept. 12 - Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Sept. 13 - AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
Giants vs. Dodgers
Sept. 14 - Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California
Sept. 15 - PETCO Park, San Diego, California *
Padres vs. Diamondbacks
*(Pacquiao Only)

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-27262.html

Pacquiao-Cotto "Firepower": Official Media Stop After SF Giants-LA Dodgers Sunday, September 13th

SAN FRANCISCO -- As MLB's NL "Wild Card" race heats up, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will present their battle plans after the baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and division leader Los Angeles Dodgers this Sept. 13th, Sunday.

Pound-for-Pound King Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, Philippines and three-time world champion Miguel Cotto, Puerto Rico will meet the sports fans atop the Giants dugout serving verbal aperitif/appetizer for their upcoming WBO welterweight championship bout.

Top Rank, in association with MGM Grand and Tecate, presents "FirePower" on Saturday, November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be available live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

AT&T Park's offering is free and open to the public.

Just bring your FHN2 voucher to the stadium following the Giants vs. Dodgers game on Sunday, September 13th, for entrance to the special seating section.

Filipino Heritage Night II ticketholders will get the opportunity for special lower box seating.

Please line up along the Port Walk next to the Lefty O'Doul Gate for entrance following the game.

For tickets, information and directions visit SFGiants.com

Note: Special thanks to Giants front office aces Ms. Kasey Colvin and Mr. Jim Moorehead for their help. This from the tireless staff at Philboxing.com.

Top photo: Pacquiao, during the last promo tour in San Francisco with the Hatton fight. Photo by Emmanuel Rivera.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-27259.html

Cotto- Pacquiao it's just getting started fight fan

I have a good feeling that this is just the tip of something big. With both fighters clad in Yankee pinstripes and beautiful New York as the back drop, the press conference kick-off sent waves of potent reminders that the November 14th clash will be a highlighted date in both men’s careers. Heck, some might even go as far as to underline it. Even as Floyd Mayweather Jr’s September 19th match-up with Juan Manuel Marquez looms just around the corner, we still cannot over-salivate for the Top Rank card dubbed “Firepower”.

While UFC’s main man, Dana White, battles all members of the “Number One/Numero Uno” card (from Mayweather to De la Hoya to Marquez), Bob Arum and his event stars are seemingly staying away from all the drama and bad blood. Although their own fight date is occupied by the UFC’s other big showdown, UFC 105: Penn vs. Sanchez, Arum and co aren’t paying too much attention to the rival presentation. Besides, I do believe that Pac-Cotto would do some serious damage if White is really looking to question boxing’s best card of the year. Even while dueling with Mayweather-Marquez, the UFC needs to know that they are also going head to head with the large and loyal Mexican fanbase on one of the worst weekends possible; Mexican Independence day is September 16th, and Marquez is undoubtedly the best Mexican fighter today.

Miguel Cotto made it clear that he wasn’t taking anything lightly in preparation for his upcoming showdown with the number one fighter in the world. He also made it known that he isn’t the one-dimensional fighter that Ricky Hatton was, and he sure isn’t the aging Golden Boy either.

While gauging and respecting the power factor that the Pacman name accompanies, Cotto states, “I am not De la Hoya or Hatton… the punch he hit Hatton with would’ve dropped Mike Tyson.”

And then prideful Puerto Rican went on to reiterate the fact that he is a smarter man inside the squared circle as well.

“He won’t find me that easily. My mind is my best weapon.”

Amidst the early Cotto training camp, Manny Pacquiao wraps up his tv sitcoms and commercials, while nonchalantly discussing his political future in the 2010 year. In reply to Pacquiao’s statement that he “can do both”, Roach vehemently shot back a quick, “No he can’t.”

This is just one, or three, of the many sidetracks that could potentially derail the Pac-man express. Not only has there been louder than normal whispers about the turbulence within Pacquiao’s camp, the idea that his self-proclaimed best friend and trainer didn’t hear from him while going through bereavement for his brother is not good. Or in other words, my best friend wouldn’t do that to me.

‘09’ isn’t just the number on Pacquiao and Cotto’s Yankee jerseys, it is also the year in which boxing is taking competition to another level. We’ve all been waiting for the best to fight the best and I get the feeling that we will see the year end as promising as ever. I also believe that with the bigger cards, the dollar signs will speak for themselves so I’m sure that not too many people, including Mayweather and Arum, are going to stand in the way of that.

The Pac-man shares his thoughts on a potential match-up with fellow p4p contender Money Mayweather.

“We’re going to wait to see who wins… It’s possible. If that fight happens, it will be a big, big fight.”

But Freddie Roach may want something else entirely—a third meeting with Marquez—which we would also be extremely interested in as well.

“I want one more shot. I want Manny to beat him so they will stop whining about the other fights and just shut up.”

Roach might want a third meeting with Marquez to seal the deal once and for all but if ‘money’ issues were non-existent, would there be different rumblings? The great trainer states that he believes if Mayweather wins, his ego will go to an all-time high which will make breaking a financial deal almost impossible. And the opposition’s corner might not be his only concern.

While addressing the possibility of facing Mayweather, Roach attests that, “Mayweather will want a lot of money... but Manny will not fight for less than Mayweather, he is pretty stubborn too.”

Yankee Stadium is just the beginning, with 1000 fans tuning in on a school day, I wonder how the environment will be when the tour gets to Puerto Rico. It’s as if Arum and company are laying the ground work for something big in the Big Apple. And remember, the last time a championship fight took place in the Bronx was in 1976 when Muhammad Ali decisioned Ken Norton, and the promoter then was, you guessed it, Bob Arum.

Next stop: Puerto Rico, then onto San Francisco, Los Angeles, and then San Diego.

Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

September 19th, 2009.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto

November 14th, 2009.

Source: http://www.diamondboxing.com/newsstory.php?list=9548

MANNY PACQUIAO: "THE SIZE IS NOT A BIG DIFFERENCE"

After meeting face-to-face for the first time and having an opportunity to size himself up, pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao does not think that Miguel Cotto will have any size advantage when the two fighters meet on November 14. "I think that the size is not a big difference. He's just a little bit bigger than me," he stated as he spoke to the media in attendance during yesterday's press conference at Yankee Stadium.

Just last year, Pacquiao fought at super featherweight (130 pounds) and lightweight (135 pounds) before closing out the year by defeating Oscar De La Hoya at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. He then started this year off with a bang by destroying Ricky Hatton at jr. welterweight (140 pounds). Next he takes on WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, who spent the majority of his career as a jr. welterweight before moving up to welterweight himself nearly three years ago. Both fighters are set to face each other at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, but as the two stood next to each other, one could hardly notice any difference in size.

"It doesn't matter, the size. What we need to do is train hard and see who is the best in the ring. Miguel Cotto is also a good fighter and he's a champion. I'm just a challenger here for his belt, WBO, so I need to work hard for this fight in training," Pacquiao added, unfazed with any talk about a size advantage. Looking at both fighters, Pacquiao may be correct in his assessment as Cotto did not appear to be that much bigger. Of course, that being said, if there's not that big of a difference in size between the two, what's the point of fighting at a catch-weight to begin with?

Source: http://fighthype.com/pages/content5661.html

Interview with World Boxing Hall of Fame Trainer Freddie Roach

Freddie Roach is one of the greatest trainers in the history of boxing. On top of that, he is also one of its biggest personalities and one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. Roach, despite physical ailments, keeps plugging away. He is facing another grueling training camp as star pupil and best pound for pound fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao prepares for a big challenge in the form of Miguel Cotto. On a personal note, every time I speak with Freddie I feel inspired and motivated. No matter his circumstance, Freddie is always the same. Please visit ProBoxing-fans.com for more information on each of the boxing matches Freddie discusses.

SD- How are things going Freddie?

FR- Good. Big schedule coming up with a lot of traveling. It’s what I like though.

SD- What are your thoughts on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Juan Manuel Marquez match up?

FR- Really, who cares. I think it is going to be a boring fight. It’s a matchup of two counter punchers by nature. Marquez is going to have to take the lead. Marquez is more effective normally in the counter punching mode. I do think it is going to go all 12 rounds with a decision. I don’t see any action.

SD- I don’t know if you are watching HBO’s 24/7, I’ll assume you haven’t. Marquez is drinking his own urine. Have you ever heard of that in training?

FR- It’s a waste system and the body gets rid of it. How can that be good for you. I don’t care how much fucking pee he drinks he is not going to win.

SD- Everyone is clamoring for a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. matchup. But first things first, you have your work cut out for you with a very formidable foe in Miguel Cotto. What challenges does Miguel present for Manny?

FR- Well you know his size and strength are a problem. He is very big. He nullified Shane Mosley’s speed. He is a very intelligent fighter. Anyone that says this is an easy fight is a fool. This is the hardest fight of our life. I believe that 100%. I don’t think we can win by knock out this time. I think we will win via a decision. This guy is a game, tough guy. He has already been in camp for three weeks. If he wins this fight everything bad that has happened in his career goes away. This is the fight of his life. Anyone that expects anything different would be a fool.

SD- Cotto is known for his tough chin. Do you think this is the best chin Manny has faced?

FR- Yes, 100% yes.

SD- When do you start camp?

FR- The press tour starts tomorrow (September 10th), camp starts on the 20th.

SD- You had Michael Moore with you in the last camp. Is he still with you?

FR- Michael Moore is no longer here. It just didn’t work out.

SD- How is your health?

FR- I’m doing OK. My brother passed away last week. It’s been a little difficult but I’m doing fine.

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SD- I’m interested in your opinion of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva?

FR- He is a talented guy. I worked with him a couple of times. He told me he was pretty good at MMA but sucked at boxing. He was very humble. He is one of those guys in the gym that only gives 30-40% because he knows what he is capable of. He boxed a couple of times in my gym. He didn’t hurt anyone and no one hurt him of course. When I saw the way he fought Forrest Griffin, the way he measured him; his boxing skills are a lot better than people give him credit for. I don’t know if he could beat Roy Jones or not but I tell you he would give him a run. He is a great fighter, he knows distance and he is very intelligent.

SD- In the world of MMA, Silva’s hand speed and head movement are incredible. How do you think they measure up to the elite boxers?

FR- He is right there with the top guys. When he comes over and boxes with the top guys he does very well. He is really fluid. There are a couple of things he needs to work on. He likes to lay on the ropes a little bit and gets up a little too high. He reminds me of James Toney when he is on the ropes. We were working on that. He is easy to work with and has a great work ethic. He is a great fighter all around.

SD- Boxing is far from dead as some big fights are on the way. What are your thoughts on the Heavyweight Title fight between Chris Arreola vs. Vitali Klitschko?

FR- I favor Klitschko but Arreola has a chance because he is tough. Arreola has no quit in him and he will make it tough but I think Klitschko has too much size for him. Vitali Klitschko knows how to use his size and stays out of trouble. I think Vitali will out box him but it should be a pretty exciting fight.

SD- Arreola is a bull. He can take a punch.

FR- Yeah, he is a very tough guy. This is a big step up for him. I would have like to see him step up more gradually. He is going from fighting a C fighter to an A fighter, it might be too much for him. I wish him the best though. He comes to my gym and watches Pacquiao workout.

SD- Getting the cart ahead of the horse, what are your thoughts on the dream matchup of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao providing both win their next bouts?

FR- Obviously they both have to win their fights for that to happen, which I think they both will. I don’t believe Floyd will ever fight Manny Pacquiao. They tried to negotiate with him and he won’t even negotiate. If Edwin Valero remains undefeated we will probably go that route. We are not going to sit around and wait on anyone. There is no way we are taking a 50/50 split with Floyd. We are the draw, not him. Manny is the top pound for pound fighter in the world. Floyd has an ego that is huge and wants all the money but Manny has one too. I don’t think negotiations will ever happen. It is a fight the whole world wants and I want to see it myself but Mayweather is not realistic when he is negotiating.

SD- I think if they matched up it would be the biggest pay-per-view in the history of boxing. Would you agree with that?

FR- 100%, it would blow everything away. Everywhere I go other countries you name it that is all they talk about; when are you going to fight Mayweather?

SD- Thanks Freddie and good luck.

FR- Thank you very much.

Source: http://www.profighting-fans.com/articles/freddie-roach-interview_091009.html

Manny Pacquiao 'to use every drop of blood' in Miguel Cotto fight

The two men launched the media tour for their super-fight at the Yankees Stadium in New York. Pacquiao will return to training with Freddie Roach after a four-month lay off in which, latterly, he has been accused of disinterest in the ring.

Come the time to step into the gym, his head will be shorn of hair, his diet will be strict, his training regime rigid. This exceptional athlete may have many burgeoning interests outside the ring, businesses, an acting career and a potentially life-changing political career, and yet there seems to be little change in the man with a record of 49-3-2 (37 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines.

He remains an icon in his own country, having won six world titles in as many different weight divisions ranging from 112 to 140 pounds. He looked in good shape yesterday.

His performance in 2008 was described as historic, and “Henry Armstrongesque,” when he triumphed by winning world titles at 130 and 135 pounds with victories over Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz, respectively, and knocking out and retiring Oscar De La Hoya at 147 pounds to finish the triple-header.

This year, he picked up where he left off - winning another world title in a new weight division - dealing defending junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton a one-punch second-round knockout on May 2. It was the first time Hatton had ever lost at 140lbs.

Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, who has only ever lost one fight – to Antonio Margarito who was found to have illegal hand wraps in their contest - has sold more tickets to Madison Square Garden in this millennium than any other fighter.

Cotto reminded all those listening yesterday: “I’m not De La Hoya; I’m not Hatton. I’m Miguel Cotto. Everybody knows what I am capable of doing, and I will train my hardest to give you the best possible fight on the night.”

Cotto has also held a world title every year since 2004. Puerto Rico’s most exciting fighter, Cotto held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight crown from 2004-2006, successfully defended it six times before vacating it to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title at the end of 2006, a title he held for nearly as long.

He won his second welterweight title in February this year, knocking out Britain’s Michael Jennings in the fifth round at Madison Square Garden to become the WBO welterweight champion. Notable scalps on Cotto’s belt include former world champions Sugar Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey, Paulie Malignaggi, and Demarcus Corley.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/6175107/Manny-Pacquiao-to-use-every-drop-of-blood-in-Miguel-Cotto-fight.html

THE SILENT RAGE: PACQUIAO DROPPED HIS "BOMBSHELL" EVEN BEFORE 9/11

LOS ANGELES, California - September 11, 2009 is about to unfold. And it's just about 12 o'clock midnight. But, no midnight cry is heard from any avenues, at least from where I write this article. Oh, yes, just about a few minutes ago I turned on my television set for the first time in the last six months. And there upon on Channel 59 flashed the scenes of the day of infamy of the United States of America that rather changed the landscape of the purported advancement and prestige of the security agencies of this greatest land of the earth.

But forget all about the face of evil - referring to such eventful moments - that people saw on such cold-blooded slaughter of thousands, in broad daylight, right on our TV sets. Such evil had already transcended all cultures, all traditions, all epochs, and finally, for many, the objective nature of morality, when that day of infamy hit home as never before.

To almost all of us, the interplay of such unkind force into this land of freedom and opportunity was unanticipated nor was it bound for its predictability. It was inexcusable. But, to the privileged intelligences of prophetic revelation, as evidenced from the writings of Ellen G. White, an American Prophetess, and from the unknown few as well, it was made known in their own "mental flashes of divine inspiration", so to speak, or vision and disposal of foresights, as alleged by the formidable scholars of prophecies, namely: Mark Finley, Samuelle Bacchioci and John Carter.

I thought of all the tragedies that came out of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., there was one distinctive development, specifically in the sport of boxing. For many boxing aficionados and fans, it sounded the death knell in the ring of madness might continue to be felt all throughout its market segment: The traumatic pain from 9/11 had gone deep into the core of emptiness.

But, not necessarily so. A vacuum-filling for pleasure must exist.

And something came up but in an inversely similar, yet odd, entertaining and even intriguing phenomenon. One such intriguing event indeed took place, however less dramatic and did not consume life at all.

In a less cosmic proportion, Manny Pacquiao dropped his own whirlwind "bombshell", about two months before the commanding blasts of 9/11 stroke the hearts of men and women and children.

Paradoxically, as for him, his own "bombshell" became the "gospel" to the disillusioned, discouraged and disenchanted hearts of the Philippines. In fact, Pacquiao's victories became good news to the downtrodden and to the oppressed.

Only after two weeks of notice, the sweeping charisma and boxing skills of Manny Pacquiao, bearing 121 lbs at 5'5" probably at such time, hit home in this foreign land called "America", yes, in the land of milk and honey terrorizing the super-bantamweight division and thereafter all the way up to the welterweight. It was essentially obvious that the trail he created manifested the rising culture of Pacmania and the revival of the boxing world, specifically in the lower division, not to undercut his victories over David Diaz, Marco Antonio Barrera, Eric Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and etc..

Pacquiao enthralled the boxing enthusiasts and shocked both the skeptics and the agnostics.

Ironically, the first victim was not an American, not even from Latin America. It was Lehlohonolo Ledwaba of South Africa, of which Manny Pacquiao was brought in as replacement of Enrique Sanchez, to fight against the IBF Super-bantamweight titlist at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

From the opening round and onward, Pacquiao fought his way up on a full scale attack in an electrifying, non-stop fashion, dropping Ledwaba in round 2 from a short left to the right upper quadrant of the body, railroading his opponent - in fact - from round 1 through 6 with feisty moments and dropping him again by a straight left to the chin with 2:27 left in round 6.

But, still, Ledwaba, "the master boxer", chose to continue the fight which brought him on again to take a finishing right hook from Pacquiao which slid on his chin only to explode to his right chest, dropping him again to the canvas with 2:05 left in round 6, and thus the stoppage by TKO.

It was an event before the 9/11 that signaled the tectonic shift in boxing, a schizophrenic haste that brought increasing attractions in the little men's division as Pacquiao seized the limelight as the new IBF Super Bantamweight Champion.

And the same limelight that Pacquiao beheld himself in glory landed on the pages of the newsprints and more so spelled out through the lips of self-glorified prophets of boxing, tuning up with praise-building phrases "swarming like bees around a cider mill" - and thus birth of the world of Pacmania.

Sidebar Response: Pacmanian World of Moral Depravity in Question Affecting this Writer

At which time of 2001, I was still working for Asian Journal Publications as an Advertising Executive here in Los Angeles, in fact since 1994, and at the same time writing press releases for clients, ghostwriting for a few lawyers and two medical doctors for their respective columns in different publications. But, my passion for writing compelled me to write about boxing as prompted by the inspiration of Pacquiao's first debut in the U.S. against Ledwaba. Thus, I had my first article about Pacquiao published in June of 2001 in the Asian Journal and Tribune-U.S.A. (Thanks to Manny Pacquiao's awesome entry to the U.S. which brought many in real time viewing of boxing.)

But, thereafter, I wrote articles about Pacquiao as a distant observer. Even as of this writing, I still write far from the reach of Pacquiao's circle of friends as I am pragmatically an outsider. Contrary to the prevailing inconceivable thoughts, boxing fans and aficionados thought that I have direct access to Pacquiao and his circle here in Los Angeles, to which, of course, I offer no consolation nor redemption for my own sake, and I must say: I have not.

Consider this: One must not dare to tag me as a numskull, corrupt associate, contrary to two e-mails which I received yesterday. Here are the excerpts:

1. "You must be one of those who pocketed some of Pacman's unknown treasures."

2. "Are you one of those who gets cash out of Manny Pacquiao's bank accounts."

As a matter of professionalism, I responded the senders of these two messages in a Christian way. But, the accusers never responded my e-mails. I was hoping to read more of their advances.

Son, I must let the public know this : Despite the roughness of my impoverished hands, they are not in the state of depravity. I only earn my dollars by pen and by paper of hardwork. I nevertheless must say it clear: I have not stolen nor received a single cent from Manny Pacquiao, even as a result of my writing about him. I am practically a stranger to him, even though I am a 100% Cebuano-speaking Pinoy and a descent of Mindanao, in fact. I had spoken to Pacquiao on a personal level only thrice: first, when he first arrived in the Los Angeles in 2001 along with friends in the media, if I am not mistaken, at the original Point-Point Restaurant on Wilshire; second, when my wife's family gave a welcome party to Pacquiao, along with his wife and kids, in 2004 at 308 South Westmoreland Avenue in Los Angeles; and third, when I spoke to him briefly and took photographs of him inside the Thai restaurant by Wild Card Gym during the height of his training for the" Battle of the East and West". Other than these three distinctive occasions, I am just a mere observer and a writer of my own right.

Again, I am fairly unknown to Manny Pacquiao on a personal level. I know very well his banker, Vilma Rodriguez of Wells Fargo, who is my wife's first cousin-in-law. But, I never took advantage of such potential bridge. The only link I have with him is my own pen and paper, my personal computer sets and my thoughts of inspiration.

Yes, I have nothing to say about Pacman's circle. I can only state facts for my own supposition and nothing else!

Meanwhile, the world of Pacmania should remain untouched. And there should be nothing wrong with it.

It's just the system of Pacman's grace allows its spell to exist.

And it's just Pacquiao is such a gracious man and a forgiving one.

But as to my case, conversely, I rather run the race and beat the heart of my own than wallow in the quagmire of moral depravity.

To which, of course, I rest my case before 9/11 and thereafter.

And mind you, it's just a "bombshell" of testing one's personal faith in the world of Pacmania.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-27228.html

I am not De La Hoya, Cotto says

BRONX, New York — Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto hardly spoke ill at each other Thursday afternoon that one would have thought they were band members about to embark on a worldwide tour when they took the dais for a press conference at the Yankee Stadium.

There was so much respect between Pacquiao, the pride and joy of the Philippines, and Cotto, the shining glory of Puerto Rico, that reporters barely had enough words to write on their notepads after the momentous affair.

Pacquiao, regarded today as boxing’s best pound-for-pound, described his 28-year-old opponent as “strong and big” and somebody not to be messed around with.

Even Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, who had been very vocal and blunt about the 30-year-old Pacquiao when he fought Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, was tight-lipped when asked about the possibility of another devastating Pacquiao win. He instead focused on the plus points of Cotto rather than his own fighter’s attributes.

Cotto also talked along that same line although he managed to sneak in some harsh words towards the end of his conversation with reporters.

“He’s facing Miguel Cotto who knows how to move inside the ring. I am not Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton,” said Cotto.

“I am going to train the hardest I have ever had in my career (for this fight with Pacquiao),” added Cotto.

It was amusing that the only abrasive remark spoken happened when Cotto’s father Miguel Sr., was given the chance to say a few words during the formal introductions.

And talk tough Cotto Sr. did.

“Since we have started working, we urge Mr. Roach to do the same with his fighter because we don’t want any excuses (after the fight). No excuses,” who sat beside his son.

Cotto Sr. was obviously referring to the fact that Pacquiao has yet to enter training camp while his son has already been working out the last five weeks.

Actually, Pacquiao’s preparations for Cotto took a giant step early Thursday when the southpaw braved the icy winds and jogged around Central Park, just a couple of blocks away from his suite at the Lowes Regency on Park Ave.

Meanwhile, the traveling circus shifts to Puerto Rico at noontime on Saturday when Pacquiao and Caguas host a press conference at the Centro de Bellas Artes in Cotto’s hometown of Caguas.

To prepare for that event, the respective camps of Pacquiao and Cotto as well as the promotional team from Top Rank are scheduled to head to Newark Airport in neighboring New Jersey on Friday to catch the 7 pm Continental Airlines flight to San Juan.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/220152/i-am-not-de-la-hoya-cotto-says

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum comes to Yankee Stadium to announce Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto fight

A day after Derek Jeter tied Lou Gehrig as the Yanks' all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium, boxing promoter Bob Arum stood on the same field hoping to add his own stamp on the Bombers' new digs in the Bronx.

Arum of Top Rank Boxing held a press conference along the first base line in front of the Yankees dugout to announce the 12-round welterweight match between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14. It was the first stop on a five-city promotional tour to help sell the match, which will be broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View.

You might ask why Arum would come to Yankee Stadium to announce a Las Vegas fight. He is hoping to land Cotto or Pacquiao at the Stadium in the future.

Arum put the last fight at the old Yankee Stadium - a heavyweight title match between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton on Sept. 28, 1976.

"I'd love to be the first one to hold a major boxing show at the new Yankee Stadium," said Arum.

Yankees COO Lonn Trost joined Arum at the press conference and pointed to the Floyd Mayweather, Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez fight on Sept. 19.

"There will be a winner between Mayweather and Marquez and there will be a winner between Cotto and Pacquiao," he said. "And those winners will fight each other. Where better than Yankee Stadium to have that fight?"

The Yankees have been looking for different events to hold at the new stadium. So far they have booked some college football games. But boxing would put the new Yankee Stadium in touch with the rich sporting history of the old place. However, don't expect anything like the Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight in 1938 that drew 70,000 at the new place anytime soon.

The environment for boxing is a lot different today than it was even back in 1976 for Ali-Norton. There are no heavyweight champions with the cache of Ali.

In recent times, big fights have ended up in Las Vegas because casinos offered promoters huge site fees, not to mention free rooms and meals, to host fights. With teams building new stadiums and needing entertainment to keep the places filled when there are no games, they have turned to boxing.

About 500 showed up for the press conference at the Stadium Thursday. Arum said he was pleased with the turnout. He thinks it is a good indicator of the excitement that a real fight between top caliber boxers would bring to Yankee Stadium.

While Cotto-Pacquiao is the premier boxing match of 2009 and is a mega event for Las Vegas, it certainly isn't the kind of broad appeal fight that will bring 40,000 people to Yankee Stadium.

Arum has been trying to build Pacquiao into a superstar in the mold of Oscar De La Hoya. It helped that Pacquiao successfully fought his way through three weight classes (130, 135 and 147 pounds) in eight months last year, stopped De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton on KOs, and currently is No.1 on the mythical Pound-for-Pound list.

As for Mayweather, the former Pound-for-Pound king, he ends a nearly two-year long retirement to fight Marquez in a week. And it looks like he is on a collision course with Pacquiao or Cotto.

Mayweather-Pacquiao is the only fight that will hold the interest of the general fan worth putting in Yankee Stadium. But a fight of that magnitude will generate a lot of competitive bids from Las Vegas and maybe even Madison Square Garden.

Sounds like a win-win for Arum.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2009/09/11/2009-09-11_top_rank_promoter_bob_arum_cant_lose_in_vegas_or_bronx.html

No Drinking Of Strange Yellow Substances At Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK --- The megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto is more than two months away, so even though it was advertised as a "press conference," we had no anticipation that Thursday's affair at Yankee Stadium would produce anything that might be construed as newsworthy.

Rather, we found ourselves drawn to the House that George Built (with a little help from New York taxpayers) out of curiosity over the timing of the event.

Promoter Bob Arum has shown himself to be a pretty shrewd marketing guy over he years, so you had to wonder why he'd be kicking off a five-city press tour (one that includes three major league ballparks) literally days before Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez take to the ring in this fall's other big pay-per-view extravaganza.

We don't know about you, but we've found it difficult to get all that excited about Mayweather-Marquez. The whole idea seems so cynically contrived -- a guy who hasn't fought in 21 months against an opponent who's fighting almost ten pounds above anything he's ever weighed before -- that it strikes us as barely one step removed from Oscar vs. Shaq. And ABC didn't ask anybody to pay $50 a pop to watch Oscar vs. Shaq.

Cotto-Pacquiao, on the other hand, is a real fight, for a bona fide title, and while we've watched Manny slay way too many giants to go picking against him, neither would we be shocked by a Cotto win.

Judging from the early returns, the public seems to agree. This is not to say Mayweather-Marquez is going to lay a big fat egg, but neither does it appear destined to become the box-office smash its promoters anticipated when they put it together. That's why you can barely turn on your television set of late without being subjected to a 24/7 bombardment of 24/7 and 24/7 reruns. The only surprise is that Golden Boy hasn't roped Court TV into the process by getting them to run weekly installments of Mayweather Family arraignments.

So you had to wonder why Arum, knowing that he had the whip hand, would stir things up by dispatching Pacquiao and Cotto around the country now, unleashing a process that could only call attention to the Sept. 19 fight by initiating comparisons. When you have the superior product, after all, isn't the more sensible approach to simply ignore the competition?

Then, of course, there was the added fact that this was another one of those "public" press conferences, a media event in which the media is literally the last consideration. Not only did the publicists pull out all the stops in an effort to produce a backdrop of screaming, fist-pumping fans by inviting them to occupy, for free, what are normally $350 seats, but irresponsibly encouraged New York Public School pupils to skip classes for the day to do join the throng.

You might say Top Rank looked as if they were trying to out-Golden Boy Golden Boy with this one, but the truth of the matter is that Oscar De La Hoya -- the guy who pioneered "public" press conferences at the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty -- learned this stuff at the feet of the master. Arum invented these things back when he was the promoter and the Golden Boy was a fighter, and the announcement of each new De La Hoya fight could routinely expect to draw hundreds and sometimes thousands of shrieking teenage girls, some of whom could be counted upon to shower the shyly grinning Oscar with their freshly-removed undergarments.

These demonstrations were supposed to convey the impression that De La Hoya's popularity transcended the sport itself, but the schtick did appear to have been stage-managed. Boxing writers never actually caught Top Rank publicists in the act of handing out training bras back in those days, but the alleged spontaneity of the lingerie-tossing was none too convincing.

Arum, of course, had promoted the last boxing event to take place at the old Yankee Stadium -- the 1976 third fight between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton -- and makes no secret of his desire to be the guy who promotes the first in the new incarnation. (Pacquiao-Mayweather I, anyone?)

But one couldn't help wondering about the wisdom of throwing the gates open and inviting partisans of both fighters to jointly occupy seats above the first base line, not to mention announcing the event with a press release headline;

YANKEE STADIUM TO LAUNCH PACQUIAO-COTTO MEDIA TOUR!

FANS URGED TO PLAY HOOKEY AND ATTEND

FREE PUBLIC PRESS CONFERENCE


The first paragraph also included the notation "Truant Officers will be banned."

Hadn't these people ever seen the literacy figures for New York schools? (And, judging from their correspondence, some boxing fans seem particularly afflicted.)

Bob Arum seemed genuinely surprised that Thursday's gathering had been touted with a "skip school" message.

"It said what?" asked he incredulous promoter.

Assured that the announcement specifically included the "play hookey" line, Arum shook his head.

"They shouldn't have done that," he muttered.

And as it turned out, the promoter himself questioned the wisdom of taking Pacquiao and Cotto on the road this week. He'd have preferred to wait until after Mayweather and Marquez have concluded their business.

"The problem is," explained Arum, "there's a limit to how long we can keep Pacquiao in the country on his present visa, so that forced us to do the tour now."

Cotto and Pacquiao were trotted out in matching Yankee pinstripes, and each had been assigned a jersey numbered 09 -- close, but not precisely matching Roger Maris' retired number 9.

Judging from the response of the crowd at the Stadium Thursday, the truants appeared to be equally divided in their loyalties. That will not be the case on the second stop on the "Fire Power" tour, which takes place Saturday at the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas in Cotto's home town.

From there it's on to AT&T Park in San Francisco (Monday), Beverly Hills (Tuesday) and San Diego's PETCO Park on Wednesday. (By the purest of coincidences, Mayweather and Marquez are also scheduled to be in L.A. this weekend.)

When the World Boxing Council announced the establishment of its "Diamond Belt" this past summer, it was immediately and widely assumed that the title was being created to confer some sort of legitimacy on Mayweather-Pacquiao, but in what must be considered a major coup, the WBC then revealed that its first diamond belt would go the "Fire Power" winner, even though Los Bandidos already have a welterweight champion, and Cotto-Pacquiao is a WBO title fight.

Transportation of the bling was entrusted to the WBC's Prince Regent, Mauricio Sulaiman, who personally brought it to New York for Thursday's show-and-tell session at Yankee Stadium. Although it is similar in design to the traditional WBC green plastic belt, the plaque fronting the super-version is made of 18-carat gold, and contains "598 diamonds, 196 emeralds, six rubies, and 150 Swarovski semi-precious stones."

hat's how many it had when it left Mexico City, anyway.

Source: http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/7177/drinking-strange-yellow-substances-yankee-stadium/

Pacquiao-Cotto fight scheduled for November

From New York

They cheered Manny at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

No, not the guy with the dreadlocks and the Boston Red Sox legacy. Never that Manny. Not here.

No, this was Manny Pacquiao, and the day was about boxing, not baseball.

On Nov. 14, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the fast-moving career of the Filipino hero will make another stop with a battle against the dangerous welterweight Miguel Cotto. Thursday marked the first of a five-stop media tour -- New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego -- and Yankee Stadium made a nice backdrop.

The old Yankee Stadium, still standing across the way but soon to yield to the wrecking ball and become a park, was home to many great fights over the years. One speaker reminded the crowd that Joe Louis' fight versus Max Schmeling once drew 70,000 people there.

On Thursday, they let the public in for free and perhaps 800 showed up. One of the Yankees officials was prattling on about how Yankee Stadium was the home of this and that. From the crowd came the response: "And the home of the overpriced ticket."

It is boxing and this is New York. You expect chaos and get it.

Even though the Cotto-Pacquiao fight is two months away, the gathering served as a reminder of some good stuff ahead for boxing fans.

It starts Saturday night with Andre Ward, former Olympic gold medalist who is undefeated as a pro, in a tune-up fight at Pechanga in Temecula. On the same Showtime telecast, but coming from Denmark, will be a tuneup fight involving WBA super-middleweight champ Mikkel Kessler. Then, on Nov. 21 in Oakland, Ward and Kessler will meet.

More prominent than that will be consecutive-weekend super-fights, starting with Floyd Mayweather versus Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand on Sept. 19 and the much-anticipated Vitali Klitschko-Chris Arreola heavyweight battle at Staples Center on Sept. 26. Sometime before the end of the year, the once-postponed Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams matchup, probably in Atlantic City, N.J., should be back on the calendar.

But the biggie is Cotto-Pacquiao.

Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Promotions handles both fighters and who served in his usual role of master of ceremonies for this media gathering, called Cotto-Pacquiao "the best fight of the year and maybe of the decade."

He will stand by that until his next promotion, which he will call, "the best fight of the year and maybe of the decade."

Cotto-Pacquiao and Mayweather-Marquez are conceptually joined at the hip.

Mayweather retired as boxing's pound-for-pound poster boy two years ago. Pacquiao took over that mythical crown by beating the legendary Oscar De La Hoya and the tough Brit, Ricky Hatton, while Mayweather went to nightclubs in Las Vegas and claimed he was retired for good. That, of course, was nonsense. The only retired boxers are those who can't get any more fights.

Now, the outcome of Mayweather-Marquez is being watched closely, especially by Pacquiao, who is careful about what he says but who acknowledged Thursday that "Pacquiao-Mayweather would be huge."

The waters are always muddied in boxing.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who was introduced by Arum as "the world's greatest trainer" and who may have lived up to that honor in Pacquiao's last few fights, said he'd rather see Marquez win and have Manny take a shot at him again. Pacquiao and Marquez fought twice, and Pacquiao came away with a draw and a split-decision win.

"I want one more shot," Roach said. "I want Manny to beat him so they will stop whining about the other fights and just shut up."

Mayweather is the favorite to beat Marquez -- "he's too big," Pacquiao said of Mayweather. But Roach said that even with a convincing victory by Mayweather, Pacquiao-Mayweather might be a hard fight to make.

"Mayweather's got a big ego and will want a lot of money," Roach said. "But Manny's not going to fight for less than Mayweather, and he's pretty stubborn. Plus, Arum and Al Haymon [Mayweather's promoter] hate each other."

In boxing, of course, hate is always trumped by money, so expect to start hearing more and more about Mayweather-Pacquiao. Then there's the issue of how long Pacquiao, 30, will keep fighting. He is committed to running for election to the Philippines Congress on May 11 and if he wins, says the careers can coexist.

"I can do both," Pacquiao said.

Roach heard that and said, "He can't do both."

Nearby, Cotto, who had listened during the formal news conference to all the praise for Pacquiao's convincing defeats of De La Hoya and Hatton and had responded by saying, "I'm not De La Hoya or Hatton," showed he knew what he was about to face.

"The punch he hit Hatton with," Cotto said, "would have taken down Mike Tyson. He won't find me that easy. My mind is my best weapon."

Some question how much Cotto has left after the beating he took at the (cemented?) hands of Antonio Margarito in July 2008. That fight ended with the previously unbeaten Cotto on one knee, badly beaten, and his corner throwing in the towel. Six months later Margarito was found with plaster of Paris in his hand wraps before Shane Mosley took him apart at Staples. And some fear that the beating Cotto suffered was even more severe than it looked.

When he learned of the plaster of Paris, Cotto was angry on several fronts, including that Margarito was also an Arum fighter. But Arum doesn't check hand wraps and Cotto eventually stayed on.

Now, the chatter over the permutations begins. Pacquiao-Mayweather? Pacquiao-Marquez? Mayweather-Cotto?

Pacquiao-Klitschko? (Just kidding.)

Whatever happens, it will be controversial, maybe nasty, probably a bit unethical and always greedy.

It's boxing. That's the fun.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dwyre11-2009sep11,0,6567202.column

Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto "FirePower" in NYC

PACQUIAO-COTTO: MOST EXCITING FIGHT IN 40 YEARS

After announcing their fight at an international public press conference in Yankee Stadium in New York today, Pacquiao and Cotto will proceed on the remainder of the five-city coast-to-coast, two-ocean media tour which will take them to Caguas, Puerto Rico, AT&T Park in San Francisco, Beverly Hills, California, and PETCO Park in San Diego.

"I will train harder than I have ever trained before because Miguel Cotto will be my toughest test as a professional fighter," said Pacquiao. "I know Miguel Cotto is an excellent fighter and a great world champion.

"He is strong and smart and that is a dangerous combination for anyone who challenges him. But like every fight, I will not enter the ring alone. My countrymen don't just give me their support. They also give me their strength, their pride and their love. That is why I must give my all. I fight to win and to give honor to the Philippines."

"He has fought a lot of tough fighters but never one like me," said Cotto. "The world will know who the best is when we meet in the ring"

"This fight will be the most exciting and memorable event that Top Rank has promoted in 40 years. I am certain it will take its place as an exciting and action-packed classic such as Hagler vs. Hearns and Ali vs. Frazier III. On November 14, Pacquiao vs. Cotto will join that list of boxing classics."

"This is a superior matchup between two of the best fighters in the world," said Ross Greenburg, President, HBO Sports. "Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto are two unique personalities, and because of that, we are looking forward to presenting another installment of our popular '24/7' series."

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, has won six world titles in as many different weight divisions ranging from 112 to 140 pounds. His performance in 2008 was described as "Henry Armstrongesque," winning world titles at 130 and 135 pounds with victories over Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz, respectively, and knocking out and retiring Oscar De La Hoya at 147 pounds to finish the trifecta. This year, he picked up where he left off last year – winning another world title in a new weight division -- dealing defending junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton a one-punch second-round knockout on May 2.

Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has sold more tickets to Madison Square Garden in this millennium than any other fighter. He has held a world title every year since 2004. Puerto Rico's most exciting fighter, Cotto held the WBO junior welterweight crown from 2004-2006, successfully defending it six times before vacating it to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title at the end of 2006, a title he held for nearly as long. He won his second welterweight title in February this year, knocking out Michael Jennings in the fifth round at Madison Square Garden to become the WBO welterweight champion. Notable scalps on Cotto's belt include Sugar Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey, Paulie Malignaggi, and Demarcus Corley.

The Pacquiao vs. Cotto pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $54.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com or www.toprank.com.

* * *

Boxing's No. 1 pound-for-pound king and the reigning Fighter of the Year, MANNY "PacMan" PACQUIAO, and the pride of Puerto Rico and three-time world champion, MIGUEL COTTO, will be loaded for bear when they rumble in the mega-event of the year – FIRE POWER: PACQUIAO vs. COTTO – for Cotto's World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title and the first-ever World Boxing Council (WBC) Diamond Belt. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MGM Grand and Tecate, FIRE POWER: PACQUIAO vs. COTTO will take place Saturday, November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Pacquiao and Cotto boast nine world titles in seven different weight divisions between them and a combined professional record of 83-4-2 (64 KOs) – a winning percentage of 93% and a victory by knockout ratio of 77%.

Remaining tickets are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges. Ticket sales at $1,000, $750, $500 and $300 are limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Top photo: "YANKEE STADIUM LAUNCHES FIREPOWER" -- Five-time world champion pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao(R),General Santos,Philippines and three-time world champion and the pride of Puerto Rico Miguel Cotto(L), Caguas, Puerto Rico kickoff their cross-country, five-city national media tour by posing at a public press conference at Yankee Stadium Thursday to promote their upcoming "FIREPOWER" World Welterweight championship fight. Pacquiao vs Cotto is promoted by Top Rank, in association with MGM Grand and Tecate, will take place, Saturday,November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be available live on HBO Pay Per View. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-27201.html

Fight at the park: Yankee Stadium may host boxing

NEW YORK — Manny Pacquiao stood face-to-face with Miguel Cotto on a makeshift stage set up along the first base line, the wind whipping off the facade of the new Yankee Stadium and sending a chill through thousands of partisan fans.

If only two of the best fighters in the world had gloves strapped on.

Pacquiao, considered the pound-for-pound best, and welterweight champion Cotto were there merely to announce their Nov. 14 fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It's a hotly anticipated ticket, and certain to lure a sellout crowd to the desert destination known in the boxing world as "Fight Town."

Yet their presence Thursday was reminiscent of the days when New York City held that mantle, when major boxing events were common at Madison Square Garden and the old Yankee Stadium.

While there are still sporadic attractions at the Garden, most of the punches thrown in the Bronx the last three decades came from irascible former Yankees manager Billy Martin. All could be changing, promoters and team officials said, alluding to the possibility of major fights at the new, $1.5 billion stadium next year.

"We have a history of bringing big fights to the Yankee Stadium," said promoter Bob Arum, who put on Muhammad Ali's bout against Ken Norton on Sept. 28, 1976, a fight remembered more for the chaos caused by a police strike than anything else.

"It's something we'd like to do again."

Arum had approached the Yankees several times over the past 30 years about staging another event at the stadium, but George Steinbrenner and club brass were tepid about erecting a ring and seating on the immaculate infield grass.

With the new leadership of Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, and better means of protecting the field, Arum is hopeful that a fight will come off at the ballpark next year.

"I think one of the reasons we had the press conference here is a precursor for a big, big event," Arum told The Associated Press. "Certainly a big fight is going to happen next year, and it's going to happen at Yankee Stadium."

The obvious megafight would pit the winner of Pacquiao-Cotto against the winner of next weekend's showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez — an idea that even appealed to Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost.

"There'll be a winner of this fight and a winner of the Mayweather fight," Trost said. "Where better to hold that fight than Yankee Stadium?"

Trost declined to say whether there have been negotiations about holding a fight in the "House that Jeter Built," but the Yankees are eager to bring revenue-producing events beyond baseball to the stadium. Already, several college football games are scheduled for the next few years, including Notre Dame vs. Army in November 2010.

Arum said it's unlikely that the Mayweather-Marquez and Pacquiao-Cotto winners would face each other, but it's possible that Cotto could cede his traditional spot at Madison Square Garden on the even of the Puerto Rican Day parade to up-and-coming star Juan Manuel Lopez. That would free Cotto, who has a huge following in the Bronx, to headline in the ballpark.

"We're going to get one here at Yankee Stadium," said Melvina Lathan, the head of the New York State Athletic Commission. "We've got to come back and revisit Yankee Stadium."

Great fights have been held in ballparks for decades, including some of the seminal moments for a sport that treasures its history.

Yankee Stadium, of course, is where Ray Robinson collapsed in the heat against Joey Maxim, and where Carmen Basilio shocked the world by beating Sugar himself. Joe Louis not only knocked out Max Schmeling under the twinkling lights, but struck a blow against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany when he dropped the Black Uhlan of the Rhine in the first round.

Other ballparks have showcased big fights, from Louis winning the heavyweight title against James Braddock at Chicago's Comisky Park, to epic battles at the Polo Grounds, Griffth Stadium, Ebbets Field and Fenway Park.

Some see those days as a bygone era, a moment in time that can never be replicated. Arum sees an opportunity to return boxing to the forefront of the American psyche, in one of its most hallowed sporting grounds.

"Yankee Stadium had a great tradition of boxing," he said, "and hopefully with the new Yankee Stadium, we'll start a new tradition."

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iNxOTN36JB1bzv_7k1oOuGjlm_0QD9AKMUFG0

Indianapolis Fight Sports Examiner Add to favorites Examiner Bio As Jeter ties Gehrig's hits record, Pacquiao and Cotto bring their hits to Yankee St

On the dawn of Derek Jeter tying the Iron Horse Lou Gehrig's 2,271 hits record, two of boxing's biggest names graced Yankees stadium today to bring in their own brand of hits.

Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto kicked off their promotional press tour at the Yankees stadium in from of throngs of Filipino and Puerto Rican fans who came out to see their idols.

Both fighters were sporting Yankees jerseys as they smiled and took pictures with the press and fans alike.

One striking revelation from today's press conference was the size of both fighters. Much has been said about the weight and size disparity between Pacquiao and Cotto but it almost appeared as if they looked identical in stature.

I don't know if it's the preliminary training Cotto has been doing and/or and the absence of such for Pacquiao that made them appear to be closer in size to each other today but rest assured, Cotto isn't all that much bigger compared to Pacquiao.

Check out more of the pictures from the press conference in a slideshow I attached below.



Source: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m9d10-As-Jeter-ties-Gehrig-Pacquiao-and-Cotto-bring-the-hiys-to-Yankee-Stadium

UMPISAHAN NA ANG PAGHAHANDA

Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat mga ginigiliw kong tagasubaybay, kaibigan at tagahanga. Nawa ay nasa mabuti kayong kalagayan saan mang panig ng mundo kayo naroroon.

Habang binabasa nyo ang kolum na ito, malamang ay nasa himpapawid na ako at aking mga kasama sa Team Pacquiao at ilang kaibigan sa media patungong New York upang umpisahan ang pagpo-promote ng laban namin ni Miguel Angel Cotto ng Puerto Rico.

Mula September 9 hanggang September 15, lilipad kami sa limang pangunahing siyudad sa America at sa Puerto Rico upang imbitahan ang lahat ng mga fans at supporters ng boxing na manood ng laban namin ni Cotto. Alam kong labis nang sinusubaybayan ang bawat galaw ng kani-kaniyang kampo kahit hindi pa kami pormal na nagkakaharap ni Cotto sa pangunahing press conference ng taon.

Nakatakda akong lumapag sa New York sa September 9 upang makipagkita sa mga opisyal ng HBO at mag-tape ng mga gagamiting promotional materials para sa laban at sa susunod na araw, maghaharap kami ni Cotto sa makasaysayang Yankee Stadium sa New York upang doon umpisahan ang press tour namin. Mula sa linggong ito, uumpisahan ko na ang pag-eensayo na sa tingin ko ay eksakto lamang para makuha ko ang pinakamainam na kondisyon ng pangangatawan, pag-iisip at ispiritwal na lakas para sa November 14.

Alam kong tanyag si Cotto sa Puerto Rico at ngayon ko pa lang makikita kung gaano kalaki ang suporta nila sa kanilang sariling bayani. Noong nanood ako sa laban ni Cotto sa New York, nakita ko at nadama ang init ng pagtanggap ng mga fans, kahit na sila ay mga kababayan ni Cotto.

Inaasahan kong ganoon din ang pagtanggap nila sa akin sa Puerto Rico.

Mula sa Puerto Rico, lilipad kami patungong kanluran, sa San Francisco, at sa pagkatapos ng San Francisco Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers game sa AT&T Park ng Giants, inaasahang maraming mga fans ang manonood ng aming media tour dahil alam ko, maraming mga Pilipino ang nakatira sa Bay Area. Sa lugar na ito ako nag-umpisa ng aking career sa boxing sa America, mga siyam na taon na ang nakakalipas.

Tutungo kami sa Los Angeles sa kinabukasan at doon sa Beverly Hills Hotel sa Beverly Hills, tatapusin naming dalawa ang media tour. Dahil sa nag-umpisa na ng training si Cotto, babalik na ulit siya sa Puerto Rico habang ako naman ay tutungo sa San Diego upang mag-pitch ng bola sa Petco Park ng San Diego Padres sa kanilang laban kontra sa Arizona Diamondbacks.

Dahil na rin sa mga batas ng pagbubuwis ng America, hindi ako makakapag-training sa Los Angeles gaya ng dati kaya naman babalik ako sa Pilipinas pagkatapos ng media tour na ito upang mag-training sa Baguio. Babalik ako sa Los Angeles mga tatlong linggo bago ang laban para kumpletuhin ang mithiin nating talunin si Cotto, ang kampeon ng mga welterweight at magwagi ulit sa ibabaw ng ring.

Hanggang sa Muling Kumbinasyon. God bless us all.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/columns.php?aid=1130&id=27195