It is being reported that promoter Bob Arum has been given the go ahead for a fight between his star, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Reports are that Mayweather agreed to the fight so Arum will now meet with Pacquiao in the Philippines to get permission to move the fight forward.
The date and site are still to be worked out. New Orleans has joined Dallas and Las Vegas as the front runners for hosting the fight.
The dates being talked about are March 13 or May 1. Pacquiao is said to prefer a March date over a May date. His reasoning is that he wants to campaign in the Philippines for their national elections in May. This is because Manny is running for office during this election year. Freddie Roach believes a March date is still too soon after the Miguel Cotto war.
Reports had surfaced over the last week that the fight could take place next September. Further speculation was that Mayweather may have a tune-up fight in England, possibly against Matthew Hatton.
It was when those rumors were swirling about that Pacquiao seemed destined to fight Yuri Foreman for Foreman's junior middleweight belt.
Mayweather's fight would not of been much more than a true tune-up. While Hatton is tough, the difference in skills is enormous.
Pacquiao would have had a bit of a harder time with Foreman. But most, including Freddie Roach, know that the fight would have been the easiest Manny could have taken against any of the 154 pound belt holders.
And therein lies the danger. The tune-up fight. A fight that takes place when a major fight is still a long way off. It is done to keep the fighter sharp and to keep him in the gym while training. This allows the fighter to stay focused and in shape while awaiting the big showdown.
But for every thousand tune-ups that go as planned, there is always that one that ends up scaring the promoter and trainer to death.
Here are a few examples of tune-ups gone wrong or almost wrong:
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Sturm. De La Hoya was taking on relative unknown Felix Sturm. The fight was to accomplish two goals. One was to win a middleweight belt in Oscar's first fight at 160 pounds. The second was to showcase De La Hoya and the true middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.
Hopkins' and Oscar's fights were co headliners as a prelude to their fight in September. Bernard easily won his fight, but someone forgot to tell De La Hoya he had to do more than show up. De La Hoya looked pudgy and slow. Sturm surprised everyone by peppering Oscar's face with a stiff jab and constantly beating him to the punch.
At the end of the night, the judges gave De La Hoya a gift decision. All three judges had him winning 115-113. It was considered one of the worst decisions of 2004. Hopkins said he could see his million dollar payday against Oscar slipping away as he watched the fight from his dressing room. Now Bernard will go through the same thing thanks to Roy Jones being knocked out in one round during his, you guessed it, tune- up fight.
Zab Judah vs. Carlos Baldomir. Zab Judah was on his way to a superfight against Floyd Mayweather in April of 2006. To stay sharp, he took on tough, but unknown, Calos Baldomir in January. Judah, who is known to be a headcase, once again proved how good he was at losing focus during a big fight. At the end of the prefight instructions Judah hit Baldomir with a shot to Carlos' leg. That appeared to set the stage for Baldomir to outwork Judah and win the biggest fight of his life.
Then Mayweather promoter Bob Arum was quick to point out that the fight would still go on. But Arum and Judah promoter, Don King, were stuck trying to convince the public how great the fight would be. But the public knew that it had lost much of it's luster.
Manny Pacquiao vs Jorge Solis. April 2007. Pacquiao's stock was sky high. He was coming off of his trilogy with Erik Morales, having kayoed Morales in the third round five months earlier. Pacquiao wanted Juan Manuel Marquez, but would eventually fight Marco Antonio Barrera.
Even though Solis was highly ranked, experts picked Manny to end the fight quickly. It may have been a letdown after his Morales wars, but whatever the case, Manny did not come out like Manny. Pacquiao looked as if he were in a sparring session. While he was winning the early rounds, he looked completely flat. One could see Freddie Roach's concern in the corner. Solis' height, reach and head movement seemed to keep Manny off balance.
It was only after a head butt in the sixth round opened up a cut on Pacquiao that Manny fought like Manny. He finally stopped Solis in the eight. Solis' lack of offense seemed to be the only thing that kept Jorge from winning the early rounds and possibly, the fight.
Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas. Everyone already knows this story. Perhaps the biggest upset in sports history. Tyson was a 42 to 1 favorite. Douglas had beaten some good, not great boxers. Tyson was on a six fight knockout streak. His victims had names like Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno and Carl Williams.
It was a classic case of one fighter taking the other too lightly. Douglas went toe to toe with Tyson and even after being down himself, rose up to stop Tyson. What some people were not aware of was that this was suppose to be a tune-up fight for Tyson. He was set to fight former cruiserweight champion, Evander Holyfield in a superfight later that summer. Instead, Holyfield kayoed Douglas to become the new heavyweight champ.
That is the problem with some tune-up fights. Some fighters say they get motivated for everybody they fight, but you can see that that isn't true during the bout. You also take a chance on being cut or outright losing. That is when the tune up becomes a disaster. And no matter what kind of spin the promoter puts on it, you know that the superfight has lost some of it's magic.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
IT’S MARCH 13 OR BUST FOR MANNY
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum arrived in Manila on an early morning Philippine Airlines flight from Las Vegas with one clear message for pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and that is if he doesn’t agree to a Floyd Mayweather Jr fight on March 13, the megabuck super-fight may not happen at all.
Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer who effectively hammered out a deal which began with a luncheon meeting on Monday in Las Vegas are sworn to secrecy until they have a final agreement, there are clear indications that they have basically come to terms.
Arum was expected to meet with Pacquiao sometime late on Thursday since the boxing icon arrived from General Santos and went straight to continue shooting his "Wapakman" movie and didn’t have time to even pass by the hotel to meet Arum who was waiting for him along with Pacquiao’s longtime friend and sometime confidant Rex "Wakee" Salud.
Arum said that he hadn’t set an appointment to meet with Pacquiao although Pacquiao knew that the promoter was arriving on Thursday morning. Arum told us, "obviously if I didn’t believe that this thing could happen I wouldn’t be here. But I haven’t talked to Manny about various things so Manny is the principal. He has to sign off on it."
In an exclusive interview with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports along with ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo at the New World Hotel in Makati, Arum said "it has to be March 13 because of this crazy congressional thing" where the original proposal of a May 1 fight date would not be feasible because of Pacquiao’s bid for a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 10 elections next year.
Arum said "we have everything in place to get it done but we’ve got to start now." Arum indicated "there is no reason why Pacquiao wouldn’t do the fight. He trains in the months of January and February and we are not doing a tour and doing only one press conference in New York at Madison Square Garden." He said Pacquiao can go into training in Baguio City or the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.
Arum said "I am not here to interfere with his political life and March 13 doesn’t." He also made it clear that if Pacquiao "let’s Mayweather off the hook now by not agreeing to the March 13 date because of politics here in this country then we are never going to get him (Mayweather) in the ring. We will give him the excuse to say ‘yeah I’ll fight anybody but look at this Pacquiao."
Arum said "you can make an argument that because he is running for office Manny can’t fight on May 1st but you can’t logically with a straight face make an argument for March 13."
The astute promoter who promoted some of Mayweather’s fights in the past said he doesn’t think Mayweather "has anything to beat him (Pacquiao) with. I think Mayweather is a very, very good defensive fighter and I think that between Freddie (Roach) and Manny they’ll find a key to be able to attack Mayweather and once Manny can attack Mayweather I don’t think Mayweather can take his punches. I look for Manny to knock him out in six or seven rounds."
Arum cautioned against underestimating Mayweather stating that he is a "very, very good fighter. He is probably one of the best defensive fighters that I’ve seen. But I tell you that as far as Manny Pacquiao, he will destroy Mayweather and that’s why I like the fight, my matchmaker Bruce Trampler who is about to enter the Hall of Fame and Freddie Roach like the fight and that’s why Mayweather has been reluctant to do the fight" stressing that it is imperative for Pacquiao to agree.
Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer who effectively hammered out a deal which began with a luncheon meeting on Monday in Las Vegas are sworn to secrecy until they have a final agreement, there are clear indications that they have basically come to terms.
Arum was expected to meet with Pacquiao sometime late on Thursday since the boxing icon arrived from General Santos and went straight to continue shooting his "Wapakman" movie and didn’t have time to even pass by the hotel to meet Arum who was waiting for him along with Pacquiao’s longtime friend and sometime confidant Rex "Wakee" Salud.
Arum said that he hadn’t set an appointment to meet with Pacquiao although Pacquiao knew that the promoter was arriving on Thursday morning. Arum told us, "obviously if I didn’t believe that this thing could happen I wouldn’t be here. But I haven’t talked to Manny about various things so Manny is the principal. He has to sign off on it."
In an exclusive interview with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports along with ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo at the New World Hotel in Makati, Arum said "it has to be March 13 because of this crazy congressional thing" where the original proposal of a May 1 fight date would not be feasible because of Pacquiao’s bid for a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 10 elections next year.
Arum said "we have everything in place to get it done but we’ve got to start now." Arum indicated "there is no reason why Pacquiao wouldn’t do the fight. He trains in the months of January and February and we are not doing a tour and doing only one press conference in New York at Madison Square Garden." He said Pacquiao can go into training in Baguio City or the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.
Arum said "I am not here to interfere with his political life and March 13 doesn’t." He also made it clear that if Pacquiao "let’s Mayweather off the hook now by not agreeing to the March 13 date because of politics here in this country then we are never going to get him (Mayweather) in the ring. We will give him the excuse to say ‘yeah I’ll fight anybody but look at this Pacquiao."
Arum said "you can make an argument that because he is running for office Manny can’t fight on May 1st but you can’t logically with a straight face make an argument for March 13."
The astute promoter who promoted some of Mayweather’s fights in the past said he doesn’t think Mayweather "has anything to beat him (Pacquiao) with. I think Mayweather is a very, very good defensive fighter and I think that between Freddie (Roach) and Manny they’ll find a key to be able to attack Mayweather and once Manny can attack Mayweather I don’t think Mayweather can take his punches. I look for Manny to knock him out in six or seven rounds."
Arum cautioned against underestimating Mayweather stating that he is a "very, very good fighter. He is probably one of the best defensive fighters that I’ve seen. But I tell you that as far as Manny Pacquiao, he will destroy Mayweather and that’s why I like the fight, my matchmaker Bruce Trampler who is about to enter the Hall of Fame and Freddie Roach like the fight and that’s why Mayweather has been reluctant to do the fight" stressing that it is imperative for Pacquiao to agree.
Arum: No final date on Manny megabout
MANILA, Philippines
- As the world awaits his decision regarding his next fight, Manny Pacquiao was busy rushing the final scenes of his upcoming movie “Wapakman” in Manila yesterday.
The greatest boxer in the planet today arrived in Manila from Gen. Santos City at around 1 p.m. but instead of seeing his promoter, Bob Arum, he donned his “Wapakman” costume and faced the cameras.
Arum took a very long flight from Las Vegas and arrived in Manila yesterday morning. But as of presstime he has yet to sit down with his fighter.
Arum is in town to present to Pacquiao the details of his possible fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and if the reigning pound-for-pound champion could do the fight on March 13 or May 1.
The Top Rank president also clarified upon his arrival in Manila that it may be “premature and inaccurate” to say that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on March 13 is already sealed.
He holds a press conference this afternoon with officials of giant TV network ABS-CBN which recently struck a deal with Top Rank Promotions.
There are two dates, March 13 and May 1, being considered for what should be the biggest fight in recent history, but the 2010 national elections in the Philippines, where Pacquiao is eyeing a congressional seat in Sarangani in Mindanao, is standing in the way.
“If Manny fights on March 13, it means he should be training two months before that. He might have a hard time focusing because he’d be thinking about the elections,” said the boxer’s lawyer, Franklin Gacal.
Gacal the other day told The STAR that Pacquiao had already decided to fight Mayweather, or whoever it may be, after the May elections.
“But you know Manny. There could be changes. The last thing he said, however, is that he doesn’t want to fight as soon as March 13 or May 1. As of today, nothing has changed. He wants to focus on the elections,” said Gacal.
Pacquiao, according to his lawyer, might meet Arum late last night or today. Even Gacal has yet to talk to Arum who, according to reports, has struck a deal with the Mayweather camp regarding a fight even if no contract has been signed yet.
Freddie Roach, the Filipino’s chief trainer, is not too cool on a March fight if it’s Mayweather. He said they need more time to prepare if it’s the undefeated American they’re going to face next.
Aside from the elections, Pacquiao’s birthday on Dec. 17, the Christmas holidays, Jinkee Pacquiao’s birthday on the first week of January and a planned family vacation will make it difficult for the boxer to agree on a March 13 fight with Mayweather.
Because if he does, it means he should be in serious training by the second week of January.
“Again, it may be very difficult for Manny to train for Mayweather and thinking of the elections – unless he is running unopposed,” said Gacal.
- As the world awaits his decision regarding his next fight, Manny Pacquiao was busy rushing the final scenes of his upcoming movie “Wapakman” in Manila yesterday.
The greatest boxer in the planet today arrived in Manila from Gen. Santos City at around 1 p.m. but instead of seeing his promoter, Bob Arum, he donned his “Wapakman” costume and faced the cameras.
Arum took a very long flight from Las Vegas and arrived in Manila yesterday morning. But as of presstime he has yet to sit down with his fighter.
Arum is in town to present to Pacquiao the details of his possible fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and if the reigning pound-for-pound champion could do the fight on March 13 or May 1.
The Top Rank president also clarified upon his arrival in Manila that it may be “premature and inaccurate” to say that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on March 13 is already sealed.
He holds a press conference this afternoon with officials of giant TV network ABS-CBN which recently struck a deal with Top Rank Promotions.
There are two dates, March 13 and May 1, being considered for what should be the biggest fight in recent history, but the 2010 national elections in the Philippines, where Pacquiao is eyeing a congressional seat in Sarangani in Mindanao, is standing in the way.
“If Manny fights on March 13, it means he should be training two months before that. He might have a hard time focusing because he’d be thinking about the elections,” said the boxer’s lawyer, Franklin Gacal.
Gacal the other day told The STAR that Pacquiao had already decided to fight Mayweather, or whoever it may be, after the May elections.
“But you know Manny. There could be changes. The last thing he said, however, is that he doesn’t want to fight as soon as March 13 or May 1. As of today, nothing has changed. He wants to focus on the elections,” said Gacal.
Pacquiao, according to his lawyer, might meet Arum late last night or today. Even Gacal has yet to talk to Arum who, according to reports, has struck a deal with the Mayweather camp regarding a fight even if no contract has been signed yet.
Freddie Roach, the Filipino’s chief trainer, is not too cool on a March fight if it’s Mayweather. He said they need more time to prepare if it’s the undefeated American they’re going to face next.
Aside from the elections, Pacquiao’s birthday on Dec. 17, the Christmas holidays, Jinkee Pacquiao’s birthday on the first week of January and a planned family vacation will make it difficult for the boxer to agree on a March 13 fight with Mayweather.
Because if he does, it means he should be in serious training by the second week of January.
“Again, it may be very difficult for Manny to train for Mayweather and thinking of the elections – unless he is running unopposed,” said Gacal.
Roach thumbs down March fight for Pacquiao
Freddie Roach is definitely thrilled with a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. showdown.
But he’s definitely not hot on a possible March 13 face-off between two of boxing’s most popular fighters today.
Roach readily thumbed down the proposed March gig being dangled by Top Rank Promotions’ big boss Bob Arum following a series of negotiations he had with Golden Boy Promotions’ CEO Richard Schaefer, representing Mayweather.
Freddie Roach
"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," said Roach from Europe, where he is currently preparing reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight champion Amir Khan for his Dec. 5 title defense against Dmitriy Salita.
The unbeaten Mayweather had already agreed to the fight contract, which Arum hopes Pacquiao would also approve.
As of posting time, Arum has been waiting for Pacquiao for hours at the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati to discuss about the fight. The Filipino boxing icon was busy completing the final scenes of his action picture Wapakman to be shown on Dec. 25.
Other than Mayweather, who boasts of a 40-0 ring record, with 25 KOs, Roach is also concern about Pacquiao’s physical health, having gone 12 rounds of war with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto just four weeks ago for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title.
Although the Filipino boxing pride scored a late stoppage against the 29-year old Cotto, Pacquiao emerged out of it bearing bruises on both eyes and an injured right ear.
"Manny has a broken (right) eardrum," Roach said. "So I’d like to have more time."
Bob Arum
Arum agreed to book Pacquiao’s mega-bout with Mayweather on March 13 as the seven-time world champion is set to seek public office in the province of Saranggani in the May 10 national elections.
But Roach said the proximity of the fight and the date of election is too close for comfort that he’s not discounting distraction in training camp to come along the way.
For the three-time Trainer of the Year, it would be better if Arum and Schaefer, would be able to put off the fight at a later date, preferably shortly after the elections.
"I’d say he (Pacquiao) rest for a while, enjoy the holidays, run for elections, and Congressman Manny Pacquiao will kick Mayweather’s ass," said Roach.
Stressing the 32-year old Mayweather is a different kind of animal, Roach added Pacquaio should come in for the bout in his best possible shape.
"I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape," he said.
"We need time to get ready for that (fight). We have to come out with a real different style. It’s a whole different ballgame." – GMANews.TV
But he’s definitely not hot on a possible March 13 face-off between two of boxing’s most popular fighters today.
Roach readily thumbed down the proposed March gig being dangled by Top Rank Promotions’ big boss Bob Arum following a series of negotiations he had with Golden Boy Promotions’ CEO Richard Schaefer, representing Mayweather.
Freddie Roach
"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," said Roach from Europe, where he is currently preparing reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight champion Amir Khan for his Dec. 5 title defense against Dmitriy Salita.
The unbeaten Mayweather had already agreed to the fight contract, which Arum hopes Pacquiao would also approve.
As of posting time, Arum has been waiting for Pacquiao for hours at the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati to discuss about the fight. The Filipino boxing icon was busy completing the final scenes of his action picture Wapakman to be shown on Dec. 25.
Other than Mayweather, who boasts of a 40-0 ring record, with 25 KOs, Roach is also concern about Pacquiao’s physical health, having gone 12 rounds of war with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto just four weeks ago for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title.
Although the Filipino boxing pride scored a late stoppage against the 29-year old Cotto, Pacquiao emerged out of it bearing bruises on both eyes and an injured right ear.
"Manny has a broken (right) eardrum," Roach said. "So I’d like to have more time."
Bob Arum
Arum agreed to book Pacquiao’s mega-bout with Mayweather on March 13 as the seven-time world champion is set to seek public office in the province of Saranggani in the May 10 national elections.
But Roach said the proximity of the fight and the date of election is too close for comfort that he’s not discounting distraction in training camp to come along the way.
For the three-time Trainer of the Year, it would be better if Arum and Schaefer, would be able to put off the fight at a later date, preferably shortly after the elections.
"I’d say he (Pacquiao) rest for a while, enjoy the holidays, run for elections, and Congressman Manny Pacquiao will kick Mayweather’s ass," said Roach.
Stressing the 32-year old Mayweather is a different kind of animal, Roach added Pacquaio should come in for the bout in his best possible shape.
"I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape," he said.
"We need time to get ready for that (fight). We have to come out with a real different style. It’s a whole different ballgame." – GMANews.TV
Fate of Pacquiao-Mayweather fight up today
Whether the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather will be realized and when will be known today after the seven-division world champion and promoter Bob Arum would have met.
Arum, Top Rank’s head, arrived in Manila Wednesday morning and was supposed to meet the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter yesterday or last night but as of press time, the two have yet to see each other.
A source close to the Pacman’s camp told Gazette the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight belt-owner was shooting part of his coming movie “Wapakman, ” which he co-star with Krista Ranillo, who is romantically link to him.
“Tuloy-tuloy pa ang shooting ni Manny kasi naghahabol sa oras. Matagal siyang nawala noong training niya kay (Miguel) Cotto kaya hindi pa sila nagkikita,” the source said.
Arum, earlier reports had it, was carrying with him an offer coming from Mayweather himself, which Pacquiao cannot refuse, including a March 13 date and a 50-50 sharing of purse.
Unverified reports coming from the Pacquiao camp said, however, that the Filipino boxing hero wants a 60-40 split.
Mayweather, reports said, has already agreed to a March 13 fight, but, sources within Pacquiao's camp indicate that he may not want to fight until after the May elections where he is seeking a congressional seat in his wife’s Sarangani province.
Arum and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer had originally set the fight March 13 due to the scheduled political exercise in May or wait until September. Prior to Pacquiao announcing his political run earlier this week, May 1 was the proposed date, The Filipino trainer Freddie told the Los Angeles Times.
"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," Roach said. "Manny has a broken [right] eardrum" suffered in the Cotto fight. "I'd like to have more time. I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape."
Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal joined in the fray adding to the already messy situation by telling reporters that it won't happen until middle of 2010, adding that Pacman has no plans to fight until after the May elections.
“As of last night, Manny said he doesn’t want to fight in April or even May. There will be no fight. Maybe it will come after the elections,” said Gacal. “Everything will depend on the developments after the elections. But again, as of last night, the March 13 and May 1 dates for Pacquiao’s next fight were out.”
Some quarters believe though that everything could change once Arum would have sat down with Pacquiao and shows him the numbers for what is considered to be the richest fight in boxing.
Arum, Top Rank’s head, arrived in Manila Wednesday morning and was supposed to meet the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter yesterday or last night but as of press time, the two have yet to see each other.
A source close to the Pacman’s camp told Gazette the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight belt-owner was shooting part of his coming movie “Wapakman, ” which he co-star with Krista Ranillo, who is romantically link to him.
“Tuloy-tuloy pa ang shooting ni Manny kasi naghahabol sa oras. Matagal siyang nawala noong training niya kay (Miguel) Cotto kaya hindi pa sila nagkikita,” the source said.
Arum, earlier reports had it, was carrying with him an offer coming from Mayweather himself, which Pacquiao cannot refuse, including a March 13 date and a 50-50 sharing of purse.
Unverified reports coming from the Pacquiao camp said, however, that the Filipino boxing hero wants a 60-40 split.
Mayweather, reports said, has already agreed to a March 13 fight, but, sources within Pacquiao's camp indicate that he may not want to fight until after the May elections where he is seeking a congressional seat in his wife’s Sarangani province.
Arum and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer had originally set the fight March 13 due to the scheduled political exercise in May or wait until September. Prior to Pacquiao announcing his political run earlier this week, May 1 was the proposed date, The Filipino trainer Freddie told the Los Angeles Times.
"March 13 is too fast a turnaround," Roach said. "Manny has a broken [right] eardrum" suffered in the Cotto fight. "I'd like to have more time. I hope the fight happens, yes, but I want us to be in the best possible shape."
Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal joined in the fray adding to the already messy situation by telling reporters that it won't happen until middle of 2010, adding that Pacman has no plans to fight until after the May elections.
“As of last night, Manny said he doesn’t want to fight in April or even May. There will be no fight. Maybe it will come after the elections,” said Gacal. “Everything will depend on the developments after the elections. But again, as of last night, the March 13 and May 1 dates for Pacquiao’s next fight were out.”
Some quarters believe though that everything could change once Arum would have sat down with Pacquiao and shows him the numbers for what is considered to be the richest fight in boxing.
MGM angles to host possible Mayweather-Pacquiao fight
While Bob Arum talks to Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines about accepting a deal to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., the stage is being set for another battle, one to make sure the fight is in Las Vegas, be it March 13 or May 1.
The MGM Grand Garden, which was thought to be considered too small at 16,200 seats, now might be the favorite to host the fight because the hotel has the capacity to bring in another 15,000 through closed-circuit telecast seats in its convention center and ballrooms.
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Arum has indicated he would like to see the fight in Las Vegas, where he and Mayweather live, and where his Top Rank promotional company is headquartered.
The MGM also has the power of its other properties -- including the $8.5 billion CityCenter, which will be fully operational by the time the fight is held -- to sell another 20,000 to 25,000 closed-circuit seats.
A proposed 30,000-seat temporary stadium on the old Frontier site on the Las Vegas Strip remains a possibility. Political consultant and former Nevada Athletic Commission chairman Sig Rogich said Wednesday that, while the project remains in its exploratory stage, the fight could take place on that site.
"We've had positive feedback from the promoters and the owners of the property," Rogich said, referring to the Elad Group. "But to get it done, it would take 60 to 90 days to build, so we'd have to make a decision in the next few weeks."
The Dallas Cowboys' 80,000 seat stadium and the 72,968-seat Louisiana Superdome remain in play. Executives from Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, which is representing Mayweather in negotiations, are expected to visit both facilities in the next two weeks.
Still, as Rogich points out, neither city has the infrastructure to match Las Vegas.
"They don't have 150,000 hotel rooms," he said. "And they don't have Las Vegas' tradition for hosting championship fights."
The MGM Grand Garden, which was thought to be considered too small at 16,200 seats, now might be the favorite to host the fight because the hotel has the capacity to bring in another 15,000 through closed-circuit telecast seats in its convention center and ballrooms.
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Arum has indicated he would like to see the fight in Las Vegas, where he and Mayweather live, and where his Top Rank promotional company is headquartered.
The MGM also has the power of its other properties -- including the $8.5 billion CityCenter, which will be fully operational by the time the fight is held -- to sell another 20,000 to 25,000 closed-circuit seats.
A proposed 30,000-seat temporary stadium on the old Frontier site on the Las Vegas Strip remains a possibility. Political consultant and former Nevada Athletic Commission chairman Sig Rogich said Wednesday that, while the project remains in its exploratory stage, the fight could take place on that site.
"We've had positive feedback from the promoters and the owners of the property," Rogich said, referring to the Elad Group. "But to get it done, it would take 60 to 90 days to build, so we'd have to make a decision in the next few weeks."
The Dallas Cowboys' 80,000 seat stadium and the 72,968-seat Louisiana Superdome remain in play. Executives from Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, which is representing Mayweather in negotiations, are expected to visit both facilities in the next two weeks.
Still, as Rogich points out, neither city has the infrastructure to match Las Vegas.
"They don't have 150,000 hotel rooms," he said. "And they don't have Las Vegas' tradition for hosting championship fights."
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Mayweather agrees to fight Pacquiao, but under what terms?
Well, a lot have been said about Floyd Mayweather Jr. allegedly agreeing to fight Manny Pacquiao but ironically, nobody is reporting the terms of what "Money" agreed to.
Bob Arum is reportedly on his way to hand deliver the paper work for the Filipino Icon to sign-on to. I see red flags everywhere.
Not to be Mr. Thunder Cloud on this parade but the last time I checked, Mayweather and Arum did not see eye-to-eye. For them to almost instantly agree on something is quite mind-boggling unless of course it's quite the favorable deal for Money May.
Secondly, for Arum to personally fly to the Philippines to sell this contract to Manny to me seems well, like there's a lot of selling needed to be done. Something just sounds off to me. Perhaps they want to catch Pacquiao off guard and put a gun to his head and agree to the fight the world wants to see. Also, Arum might want to personally discuss contingency plans already with Manny knowing the contract at hand might not really stick.
And there's the rumors that Mayweather has been training already for a fight in Britain. This could easily be a bluff to put the pressure on Pacquiao so he can say "Well, I agreed to fight PAcquiao but he didn't want to so I'm moving on to fight someone else." Like I stated, nothing has been disclosed on the terms of the contract Mayweather agreed to. This may very well just be an initial offer and a long winding negotiations process is likely to follow, but with the move, Mayweather strategically put the pressure on Pacquiao and again got him some publicity that he can use for a possible fight in England.
This fight will definitely happen, but as for reports that it's happening in March, well, I won't get my hopes up just yet. If Pacquiao history of contract negotiations is any indication, this is but the beginning of this epic saga. Let the games begin!
Bob Arum is reportedly on his way to hand deliver the paper work for the Filipino Icon to sign-on to. I see red flags everywhere.
Not to be Mr. Thunder Cloud on this parade but the last time I checked, Mayweather and Arum did not see eye-to-eye. For them to almost instantly agree on something is quite mind-boggling unless of course it's quite the favorable deal for Money May.
Secondly, for Arum to personally fly to the Philippines to sell this contract to Manny to me seems well, like there's a lot of selling needed to be done. Something just sounds off to me. Perhaps they want to catch Pacquiao off guard and put a gun to his head and agree to the fight the world wants to see. Also, Arum might want to personally discuss contingency plans already with Manny knowing the contract at hand might not really stick.
And there's the rumors that Mayweather has been training already for a fight in Britain. This could easily be a bluff to put the pressure on Pacquiao so he can say "Well, I agreed to fight PAcquiao but he didn't want to so I'm moving on to fight someone else." Like I stated, nothing has been disclosed on the terms of the contract Mayweather agreed to. This may very well just be an initial offer and a long winding negotiations process is likely to follow, but with the move, Mayweather strategically put the pressure on Pacquiao and again got him some publicity that he can use for a possible fight in England.
This fight will definitely happen, but as for reports that it's happening in March, well, I won't get my hopes up just yet. If Pacquiao history of contract negotiations is any indication, this is but the beginning of this epic saga. Let the games begin!
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