So begins our marathon coverage of one of the biggest fights of 2010, Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley. Now: the meaning of Mayweather-Mosley. Next: Mosley's pivotal weapon. Floyd Mayweather has never fought anyone as good as Shane Mosley in his whole life. Shane Mosley has never fought anyone as good as Floyd Mayweather in his whole life. They comprise two of the world's three best fighters and two of the world's three best welterweights, and are two of the 10 best boxers of the last decade, with Mayweather arguably the sport's biggest star and Mosley one of the few boxing names recognizable outside the hardcore boxing fan base. Who could ask for anything more than what we'll get Saturday, May 1, when those two men fight? We've been waiting for it for more than a decade, and now it's mere days away. As it happens, everything good about Mayweather-Mosley has a significant "but" attached to it. Some of those "buts" are lesser than others, and all in all I could hardly be more thrilled by this fight. I'm even flying to Vegas to watch it in person. Yet it's worth sorting through what makes Mayweather-Mosley special, and what makes it something less than the sum of its parts. Mayweather-Mosley is a tremendously meaningful match-up. The knock on Mayweather's astounding career, justifiably, is that he hasn't always fought the best opponents he could. He's only fought two men who were in the pound-for-pound top-10, but one of them was two weight classes smaller (Juan Manuel Marquez) and the other was one weight class smaller (Ricky Hatton). From 2002 and before, he repeatedly fought either the #1 or #2 man in his division, including the likes of Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. He hasn't done it once since. Mosley's always sought out the top challenges, repeatedly taking on pound-for-pound types, ranging from Oscar De La Hoya in 2001 to Antonio Margarito in 2009. It's why he's ranked so highly on pound-for-pound lists right now -- he's #3 behind Mayweather at #2 and Manny Pacquiao at #1. Mayweather's current high ranking is based more on his otherworldly talent. It hardly gets better than the #2 man taking on the #3 man, which applies both to the world of boxing as a whole and the welterweight division where Mosley is #2 and Mayweather is #3. We're talking about world-class fighter vs. world-class fighter to the nth degree here, because it's not just about what they're ranked now -- Mayweather and Mosley built up a decade of achievement from 2000 to 2009 that ranks them among the best of the last 10 years. BUT: It is no Mayweather-Pacquiao. Maybe it seems like nitpicking, but I don't think it is. Mosley against Mayweather or Pacquiao is only the second-best match-up in the sport. The best is Mayweather-Pacquiao, and lest you've forgotten, we were right on the verge of getting it around the beginning of the new year before negotiations fell apart over drug testing regimens. Mayweather-Mosley is probably the biggest fight since 2007, when Mayweather fought De La Hoya. Mayweather-Pacquiao is the biggest fight in 20+ years, a once in a lifetime kind of bout. It's still hard not to be let down by being robbed of that, and I know I'm not alone. It's a shame that it diminishes what is otherwise an exceptional event, but it isn't happening in a void. It's a consolation prize, albeit an excellent one. Mayweather-Mosley has been more than a decade in the making. For what feels like forever, Mayweather and Mosley crossed paths, never meeting. Sometimes, it was Mayweather who chased Mosley. Other times, it was Mosley who chased Mayweather. It usually depended on who was the bigger star at the time, and sometimes it had to do with the two men inhabiting different weight classes. There hardly would have been a bad time to do it, though, with everyone pretty much agreeing that Mayweather-Mosley was a good fight from the moment the idea was first discussed until the moment it was made. It took Mayweather-Pacquiao falling through, as well as Mayweather-Andre Berto falling through, for us to finally get our wish. BUT: It is coming later than it should have. Mosley is 38, and has been out of the ring since January of 2009. Mayweather is still in his prime, while Mosley is past it. There's not much argument that the fight is somewhat diminished by that. My feeling, though, is that it's not diminished much. If we've learned nothing from Mosley's ageless performance against Margarito or any number of performances by light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins on the other side of 40, it's that age isn't the disqualifier it used to be. Certainly, you can point to the favorable match-up Margarito presented Mosley, but let's not forget that Mosley was a 3-1 underdog in that fight and while Mosley was a popular upset pick in some quarters, nobody envisioned him destroying Margarito so violently. Make no mistake: Mosley is -- or was, at last appearance -- a vital fighter, although not the fighter he was earlier in his career. Mayweather-Mosley gives us a nice black hat/white hat clash. If you want to know why so many people dislike Mayweather and root against him, you could do no worse than watching his antics on Mayweather/Mosley 24/7, the HBO series that documents the build-up to the fight. Mayweather has called Mosley all kinds of names, like "stupid motherfucker"; he's talked about Mosley in a personal way, criticizing his relationship with his father and for getting a nose job (to which I say: I doubt it, because if he did he should ask for a refund); he says he fights only for money, which doesn't go over well in an age of spoiled athletes who appear to care about their paycheck more than making fans happy or giving their all. Meanwhile, Mosley placidly ignores it all, focusing on the fight and saying what he fights for is to prove he's the best. Mayweather has his fans, people who relish his bad guy routine. But Mosley is beloved by many of the most hardcore boxing fans, because he's all we want: A class act who only wants to fight the top opponents. BUT: Mosley is not all good. I've always had trouble fully rooting for Mosley because of his confirmed performance-enhancing drug usage. The cover story for that was that he took them unwittingly, and hasn't taken them since, but that first excuse was always suspect, and recently released footage from a court hearing on the matter suggests that Mosley knew he was taking EPO all along. Also, Mosley dipped into classlessness recently by wondering whether Mayweather was gay based on his attacks on Mosley's appearance. Ultimately, for many boxing fans, this fight is a match-up between a jackass and a steroid user. For fans that lack a clear connection to either man, the fight offers less of an emotional impact in the good vs. evil clash that sells the biggest bouts. Mayweather-Mosley repudiates alphabet sanctioning organizations and embraces strong drug testing. For decades, the WBAs and WBCs of the world have been a cancer on the sport, offering belts willy-nilly, stripping them willy-nilly and showing no regard for the meaning of the word "champion," which means "first place."Mayweather's refusal to pay a sanctioning fee to fight for Mosley's alphabet belt is the highest-profile repudiation of those sanctioning organizations in as long as I can remember, and it strikes a nice blow against the viability of those organizations. Likewise, steroids are a potential future pox upon the sport. Mayweather has insisted on stricter testing for Mosley and says he'll do the same for all future opponents. Although the correlation isn't perfectly clear, it's probably no coincidence that we've seen a wider embrace of stricter testing since Mayweather first demanded it from Pacquiao. BUT: The motives for doing so are unclear. Mayweather says he isn't interested in the WBA belt because all he cares about is "legacy" and "cash." At least he acknowledges that he cares somewhat about his legacy. I still think there's value in being the champion of the division, but only via the championship policy of Ring magazine. I also still strongly suspect that the drug testing idea Mayweather introduced for the Pacquiao fight was a psychological ploy of some kind, not some desire by Mayweather to "clean up" boxing. So be it. Whatever Mayweather's motives, it's not necessarily a bad thing that Mayweather isn't fighting for a trinket, and that there's a stronger drug testing regimen in place for this fight than others. It's only a bad thing if it keeps Mayweather-Pacquiao from ever happening. Ask yourself: Would you rather have blood testing widely in boxing, or Mayweather-Pacquiao? If those are my only two options, I would take Mayweather-Pacquiao, noting that Pacquiao has never tested positive for PEDs and that there's zero zero zero evidence otherwise that he has. Mayweather-Mosley is a blockbuster fight. I expect Mayweather-Mosley to equal or surpass the pay-per-view buys for every fight since the record-setting 2.4 million purchases of De La Hoya-Mayweather. It is the most significant fight between Americans since then. It is the most significant fight between black fighters since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson. It's a fight that really could bring out a lot of fans, hardcore and casual, to the point that lead promoter Golden Boy expects it to break the record set by De La Hoya-Mayweather. A rising tide lifts all boats, and when boxing matches are doing outrageous numbers in the United States, it's confirmation that boxing still is a force to be reckoned with despite being left for dead by the mainstream media until the last year or so. BUT: Some of the high expectations could hurt the perception. If Golden Boy had estimated Mayweather-Mosley would do 1.5 million buys, it would be credible. If it had estimated it would do 2 million, it would still be in the range of credible. But as the high pre-fight estimates by Top Rank of how well Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey would do showed, lower-than-expected numbers can lead people to call pretty good numbers a disappointment. (Strangely, if the numbers are better than expected, Mayweather-Mosley could be the final nail in the coffin of Mayweather-Pacquiao because the purse split would be harder to settle; Mayweather wouldn't take 50-50 if his last fight did so much better than Pacquiao's last fight, right?) I don't think any of these "buts" should much limit our enthusiasm for this fight, though. We all have wanted Mayweather to take challenges that are equal to his talents, from those who hate him to those who defend him, and at long last he has. Mosley has long deserved a fight like this, and now he's got it. When the best fight the best, it is always a good thing -- and Mayweather-Mosley is nothing if not that. Author: Tim Stracks Source: queensberry-rules.com
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Floyd Mayweather Vs. Shane Mosley Is Boxing At Its Finest, BUT...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pacquiao is a Clean Fighter
According to the website; Philboxing.com and with the article written by Dr. Allan recto that Manny Pacquaio was proved that he is a drug free boxing. The test results was shown by the Medical Review Officer where were negative. Dr. Oscar Molina also confirmed that Manny Pacquiao is undeniably a clean fighter and he is not using any steroids or illegal drugs. It was right after the event where in Manny Pacquiao had just won and retained the WBO welterweight world champion at the Dalas Cowboys Stadium Arlington, Texas, a urine sample was taken from him by a certified ringside physician from the Texas Boxing.
Two of Texas Combative Sports Division ringside physicians, Dr. Wayne Lee of San Antonio, Texas and Dr. Manuel Gonzalez from Laredo, Texas, showed up to monitor and collect the urine specimen of Manny Pacquiao for testing purposes Immediately after the fight, at the Team Pacquiao’s dressing room. The Pacquiao is looking to be a bit exhauseted and dehydrated, which he was elated Unanimous Decision win over number one welterweight contender Joshua Clottey. After he drank a couple of bottled water, the exceptional seven title holder in seven divisions Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao contest announced, “I’m ready anytime, anywhere!” Manny Pacquiao was certainly referring to any drug testing or urine collection. Then Manny Pacquiao accompanied by a commission physician, went inside the restroom to do what was expected of him and came out with a half-filled specimen bottle of fresh, amber-colored urine.
The Urine sample was properly labeled by the Texas ringside physicians and followed by a proper chain of protection protocol. The urine specimen was tested without delay for any illegal drugs. Pacquiao’s urine sample was negative for drugs such as Amphetamines, Marijuana, Opiates, etc. The result was officially noted and then deputized to Pacquiao, the Texas Boxing Commissioner Dicky Cole and later on to the WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel by the WBO Supervisor, who was present during the urine drug screen. “The initial Urine Drug Test was negative,” affirmed the WBO Supervisor to the boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao who nodded to confirm, as he was busy preparing for the post-fight press conference.
Later on the Team Pacquiao members, particularly Michael Koncz was notified by the Texas Boxing Commission ringside physician that the rest of the urine sample would be sent to a special laboratory for steroid confirmation. According to the writer; “the turn around time for test results would be a few weeks. Steroid Confirm Urine Test screens for commonly abused anabolic steroid agents using the latest technique of Liquid Chromatograph Tandem Mass Spectrometry, the most sensitive and sophisticated technology available. This test enables ringside physicians, sports trainers, boxing or athletic commissions, etc. to test athletes who they suspect may be abusing anabolic steroids, which are known to increase muscle mass and physical strength.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission had arranged neatly the random drug-testing in which it will suppose to be performed by the canceled fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in late December 2009. It was conformed with the World Anti- Doping Agency’s guidelines, and those test results showed Pacquiao was negative for performance enhancing as well as illegal drugs or steroids.
Should Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. should get past Shane Mosley on May 1st next week, a potential mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao is a definite possibility. All I'm saying, if you're a clean athlete, take your test. That's all I'm saying. That's all I've got to say. If you're a clean athlete, take the test! Show the world, you know what, I'm a natural. Take the test, that's all I say. Let them come get you at any time and take the test." He said during the most recent conference call in Las Vegas, Mayweather, Jr. said, “
The accusation for Pacquiao was truly groundless. Pacquiao was lately being tested but still he has never been positive for steroids or any illegal drugs. During HBO’s “Road to Dallas” TV special leading to the fight between Pacquiao and Clottey last March 13th at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Manny Pacquiao clearly denied that he was using any drugs or steroid. Pacquiao just said, “I’m a very clean fighter. I even don’t know what steroid is. I don’t have an idea of what it is. For me, hard work and faith to God is what gives my energy everyday.”
Lately, the coach of Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach said in that HBO 24/7 series episode, “There’s no validation in that accusation because he’s never been tested positive. He’s been tested in every title fight and has passed every time. Just because he went from 106 lbs. to 147 lbs., does that mean he is on steroids?” Roach questioned, “Floyd Mayweather, Jr. went from 106 to 154 lbs., does that mean he is on steroids too? That’s bull---t!”
A civil lawsuit versus Floyd, Jr., Sr. and Roger Mayweather, the Mayweather Promotions as well as Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaeffer, demanding trial by jury was filed by Pacquiao in December 30, 2009. Until now, it has not been resolved and the case is still pending.
Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza was interviewed yesterday at the Wild Card Boxing Club and they told this writer, “I’m not surprised that Manny Pacquiao tested negative again, Doc. He is a clean fighter! Manny is the pinnacle of an athlete that other fighters should emulate. He doesn’t berate his opponents. He is very respectful and professional.” Ariza then added with a melancholic voice, “It is sad that people say things that cast a shadow on his accomplishments. Manny has never tested positive for PED (perfomance enhancing drugs) or steroids.”
Shane Mosley says he's ready to unleash a mountain of trouble on Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Before a fight, Shane Mosley's ritual is to lock himself away from the world in his Big Bear Lake training compound.
"You have to drive all the way up here to have something to say and then I have to agree to let you in," Mosley said recently at Big Bear. "I'm up here because boxing is a mental game."
The WBA welterweight champion on Saturday faces his stiffest challenge yet in taking on unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas.
Mosley is 38 and hasn't fought since a stirring technical-knockout win over Antonio Margarito in January 2009, and oddsmakers peg Mayweather as a 9-2 favorite. Mosley ignores it all.
"The boxing game is right here," Mosley said, pointing to his right temple. "Getting ready for a fight means going to war. This is the hurt business. I can't accept a thought like, ‘This might be my last fight,' or ‘I'm getting old.' "
Before the Margarito fight, Mosley heard the same concerns. He and trainer Naazim Richardson kept saying, "Don't de-fang the monster after we beat him." Then, Mosley pounded Margarito until the fight was stopped in the ninth round.
"Shutting down naysayers, I love that," Mosley said. "That's why Margarito got what he did. This is why I chose boxing. It's a one-on-one sport, and I've always believed no one can beat me one on one when I do the right things."
Mayweather, 33, "is a great fighter," Mosley added. "I'm the best in the world."
Why is Mosley so confident? One reason is Richardson, who has often formulated strategies to beat foes who appeared unstoppable. The trainer orchestrated Bernard Hopkins' upset of then-unbeaten middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in 2008. And he devised Mosley's game plan against Margarito. Richardson also spotted the plaster-of-Paris inserts confiscated from Margarito's hand wraps before their bout.
"I'm very confident," Richardson said. "Shane prepares like a gladiator going to war. . . . I feel if we present the very best Shane Mosley, we win the [Mayweather] fight."
Richardson's main concern for Mosley is ring rust. After beating Margarito, Mosley hoped to quickly fight Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. It didn't happen. So Mosley accepted a title unification bout against Andre Berto scheduled for January. But Berto backed out over concerns about his family in Haiti after the devastating earthquake there.
Around then, the Mayweather-Pacquiao mega-fight collapsed after Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style drug tests. So Mosley stepped into the void and accepted the strict drug-testing procedures to fight Mayweather, years after Mosley's own involvement with performance-enhancing drugs.
Mosley, before his rematch win over Oscar De La Hoya in 2003, worked with Victor Conte, founder of the infamous steroid-distributing Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO). Conte and Mosley's ex-trainer Darryl Hudson say the fighter took designer steroids and the oxygen-boosting drug EPO. Mosley said he believed he was injecting legal vitamins, and taking EPO. Conte has publicly called Mosley a liar and Mosley has sued for defamation.
For the Mayweather bout, Mosley has followed the drug testing conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. "I have to write an e-mail telling [testers] if I want to go somewhere," Mosley said.
"I actually think this is working to my favor. . . . [Mayweather] likes to go out to clubs until 2, 3 in the morning. I'm not sure he wants USADA there. Me? You know where I'm at. I'm here in Big Bear."
Indeed, Mosley is a gym rat who plays basketball and snowboards outside training and religiously works out.
"I don't care about how fast [Mayweather] is or how good his defense is," Mosley said. "I'm a boxer, a puncher. I can move. I can knock you out with both hands."
Those close to Mosley say he has the same mind-set going into this fight that he did before his first win over De La Hoya in 2000.
Soon after that breakthrough victory, Mosley fell in love with a woman he married, Jin, and they had three children. She also served as his business manager. But the burden of that pairing took a toll. The two are getting divorced. Friends of the boxer say the marriage became a toxic situation that visibly distracted Mosley and, under California's community property laws, he faces a costly divorce.
"Anything Mayweather says is nothing compared to the things she said to me," Mosley said of his wife. The pair separated in 2008.
"Look at the timeline," Mosley said, referring to his marriage. "When I was losing. When I was ready to retire. When people said I was washed up. . . ."
Mosley said more about his wife but didn't want it to be published, so he reached into a reporter's notebook, tore out a page and tossed it in a trash can.
"Now, I feel great," Mosley said. "I'm ready to fight."
Attempts to reach Jin Mosley for comment were unsuccessful.
The divorce "is like a huge cloud has been lifted," said Mosley's attorney Judd Burstein. "In the Margarito fight, you saw his freedom from the craziness."
Richardson, Mosley's trainer, also feels confident about the Mayweather fight.
"I have a guy who's about not taking prisoners, who wants to leave his opponents lying on the battlefield," Richardson said.
"So now I'm telling everyone I know Mayweather is the best of all time. Better than Ali. Better than Frazier. The best that God has ever molded. But if he's the greatest of all time and we knock him on his back, what's that make Shane?"
Floyd Mayweather Is 'Money' in PPV
Episode III of HBO's 24/7 series begins with Floyd Mayweather chiding his upcoming rival, Shane Mosley, for "thinking about the fight" when "I'm thinking about the check."
Later, Mayweather brandishes a thick, wad of cash, holding it to his nose and saying, "That smells so good."
"Every fighter often goes into it to fight Floyd Mayweather, no matter what happens, if you notice," said Mayweather, during a conference call with reporters last week.
"I mean with Oscar de la Hoya, he got his biggest pay day fighting Floyd Mayweather. Shane Mosley is getting his biggest payday with Floyd Mayweather and the list goes on and on."
The numbers back up Mayweather's assertions.
In six pay-per-view fights, the 33-year-old Mayweather ranks No. 2 all-time in pay-per-view revenue at $292 million, with a total of 5.5 million buys.
De la Hoya's pay-per-view totals: 19 pay-per-view fights; 14.1 million pay-per-view buys; $697 million pay-per-view revenue.
But Mayweather's average revenue per pay-per-view fight -- which totals over $48 million -- is the highest of all-time.
"Floyd has been a prolific pay-per-view performer," said Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president of pay-per-view. "There's a reason he is called Money Mayweather."
In his past three victories over de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and,Juan Manuel Marquez, Mayweather has produced a record 2.4 million, 920,000, and, 1.06 million buys, respectively.On May 1, Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) will meet the 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in a bout that Golden Boy Promotions' CEO Richard Schaefer believes could surpass Mayweather-de la Hoya's numbers.
"The general public is embracing this fight for what it is, truly one of the greatest all-time showdowns between two of the greatest athletes of our time," Schaefer said during Thursday's Mayweather conference call. "I am convinced that we are on track to break the all-time pay-per-view record."
When it has come to pay-per-view attractions in boxing, Mayweather and a good opponent have been the common denominators.
Mosley certainly fits the description of a quality challenge, said Taffet.
"Mayweather-Mosley is a true pay-per-view megafight," said Taffet. "Its a classic All-American showdown between two superstars who between them have fought on HBO nearly 50 times over the past 15 years."
There is one thing, however, that Mayweather isn't spending his money on, and that's the sanctioning fee for the WBA.
"At this level, for Floyd, it's not about belts," said adviser Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "It's about fighting to, like [Mayweather] has said, improve his legacy, and, also, it's about the money."
Manny Pacquiao can do to Floyd Mayweather what Shane Mosley won't
Handicapping the Sugar Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Jr. is child's play, really. A kid lurching around the sandbox could figure that the smart play is to bet the younger, much faster guy. If you can't score, if you can't punch the ball over the goal line, then you won't be lighting up the scorecard. Mosley will score no touchdowns against the mercury like swift feet and rolling shoulders of Mayweather next Saturday night in Lost Wages. The way I see it, albeit in a blurry manner having just survived the wet and wild New Orleans Jazzfest, Mosley won't even be kicking any field goals. Instead, he will be swinging and swatting like a man deep in the woods who forgot to cover himself with mosquito repellent. Bookies make Mayweather a big 9-2 betting favorite. Such a line is not posted for anyone's amusement. I know I'm mixing metaphors here the way they mix Ramos Gin Fizzes and Sazeracs in the adult playground that is New Orleans (not to mention the slushy but jest right frozen dacquiris) but I'm not going to slip and fall as the big fight runup picks up the pace. I refuse to drink the Mosley Kool Aid. I remain steadfast in stating the only Man-ny on the planet who has the will, the skill and the unorthodox offense to beat Mayweather is a guy slightly younger than he is. In fact, Pacquiao is the only Man-ny on the planet who can either outpoint or KO whirling dervish and Scarlet Pimpernel combination Mayweather. Pacquiao can cripple the shoulder roll, make those come to a sudden stop. Pacquiao can hurt Mayweather. Pacquiao may make Mayweather quit, wave the white flag. Pacquiao even has the firepower to knock Mayweather into the same location that Messrs. de la Hoya and Hatton went, into permanent retirement. We may add that as a boxing category, alongside KTFO, getting KIPR or Knocked Into Permanent Retirement. I've no axe to grind against Mosley or for Mayweather, you know that. In the League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Mosley belongs. He's also a Hall Of Fame stature fighter and his career speaks for itself. The BALCO steroid escapades are a minor blemish on his siny resume, really. But Mayweather waited until Mosley was 38 and a step or two slower than he was in younger years. Stepping to and slamming the mainly immobile Antonio Margarito was a big achievement but now he is fighting Margo's polar opposite. Mayweather will win this fight going away and I mean that literally. He will always be going away from Mosley and away from danger. The frustration level will be extremely high from the first round to the last round. A 12 frame shutout is a genuine possibility. Again, I like and respect Mosley. Away from the ring, he's fired managers, promoters, trainers, cutmen and had a divorce. But Mosley has handled such breakups, including canning his own father twice, in a discreet and take the high road manner. That counts for something in measuring Mosley the man. But Mosley the fighter at this point? His chances are slim and none and slim is out of town. Slim was last seen at the airport or the Amtrak railroad station, one or the other. Mayweather's dipping and dancing will be too much for Mosley to handle. You think Mosley can win? You must be that optimistic guy who entered a Mini-Cooper in the Indianapolis 500. Have a nice crash. Author: Micheal Marley Source: examiner.com
A kindergarten student might know, to draw on college and pro football parlance, that a merely good offense will not beat a nonpareil defense.
I know you.
