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05-03-2012, 01:48 PM
LAS VEGAS -- Sorry, boxing fans. This is news you don't want to hear.
Enjoy Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday night against Miguel Cotto, if you wish. But understand this: Despite the fervent hope of almost everyone in boxing, Mayweather will not be fighting Manny Pacquiao.
Not later this year. Not ever.
If I wasn't sure of it before, I'm sure of it now. Hard not to be after watching Mayweather as he went into a bizarre rant for the benefit of myself, a few other writers, and his ever present band of sycophants.
This wasn't for HBO's "24/7" cameras, though it was better than anything on the most recent episodes. It had nothing to do with getting people to pony up $69.95 to watch the Cotto fight in their living rooms.
This was pure Mayweather, unvarnished, unplugged, and totally uninhibited.
He won't fight Pacquiao unless he's convinced he doesn't use steroids â something, by the way, that only Mayweather has accused the Filipino of doing. And there will be no convincing Mayweather that he's wrong.
"You all think I'm scared, I'm a coward? Well guess what? I'm a rich, scared coward. I'm a rich coward," Mayweather said. "And if that's the case, why the hell would you want to watch me? I don't want to watch no coward. I don't want to watch nobody who's scared and you all know for a fact I'm not scared. You all know that."
I'll take part of the blame for setting Mayweather off. Sitting next to him Tuesday in a VIP check-in room just off the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel, it seemed like a good time to get his thoughts on his main rival.
My mistake.
Instead of an answer, I got a soliloquy. Instead of a yes or no on Pacquiao, I got a disjointed diatribe on all things Mayweather.
He railed about common sense and hat sizes, doing the right thing and protecting his health. He called Bob Arum a professional liar, and suggested I was in the rival promoter's pocket.
He even questioned my patriotism for some odd reason that only his pals seemed to get.
"So, you're an American, right? I'm an American," he told me. "I was in the Olympics. I represent the red, white and blue. You know what the American writers should say? `Well, why's this guy from another country who comes over here and makes money taking it back to his country?
"Once again, I'm feeding American citizens every day. All I ask is give a little blood, give a little urine. That's a crime?"
Actually, the drug testing shouldn't even be an issue. Arum has already said Pacquiao is willing to take blood and urine tests in the weeks and months leading up to a fight with Mayweather.
But Mayweather seems obsessed with the idea Pacquiao is juicing. He seems to truly believe that Pacquiao has some sort of super human powers other fighters don't.
He's not going to change his mind. And, ultimately, that means no Pacquiao fight.
It is true that Pacquiao has grown noticeably since he first began boxing professionally in 1995 at 106 pounds. He's much more muscular and his body has filled out in the 17 years since then.
However, I reminded Mayweather that he boxed in the 1996 Olympics at 125 pounds, and will be fighting at 154 pounds against Cotto.
"Guess what? It took me years to get to here. Years," he said. "Go back and look at the pictures. First, his head is small. Then, all of a sudden, his head just grew? Come on, man. Stop! Stop this man! Come on, man! This (stuff's) so easy. Ray Charles can see this (stuff). Come on. Come on, now! Come on, man. I told you, it's basic common sense. Look at the pictures and tell me this man's head didn't get bigger? This man probably went from a seven and one-fourth to an eight. In a hat, a fitted hat. And you're going to tell me this (stuff) is all natural? Come on, man. Stop this. I'm going up in weight, but I ain't just walking through no damn fighters."
If that wasn't clear enough, Mayweather shifted into third person mode to press his point.
"Writers are saying, `Floyd is scared,'" he said. "No, Floyd cares about his family. Floyd is smart. At the end of the day, Floyd is smart. My health is important. My health is more important than money. They can take all the money and my health is more important. If they say, `Floyd, you can live a healthy life like you is right now, or you got to walk with a limp, and walk all bent over, but you can have a lot of money for the rest of your life,' I'd say, `Take it all back.'"
Guess we should give the guy a break. He's got a fight that might be tougher than most Saturday night, and he'll barely have time to relax afterward when he's due at the Las Vegas jail to begin serving what's expected to be a two-month sentence for domestic abuse.
Before I set him off he had been in a reflective mood, quietly talking about basically raising himself as a child. He spoke about how the gym was his only refuge, and how he used to put pictures from boxing magazines on his wall and stare at them at night, convinced he would one day be rich and famous, too.
He's both, now. But he's not so sure the fame part is worth it anymore.
"I want to live a normal life. I want to go to the mall by myself, but I know I can't," he said. "I do want to take a walk by myself, but I can't. There's a lot I want to do."
It's hard not to like Mayweather in these moments. Actually, I've always liked the Mayweather I've been around, a guy who is generally thoughtful and upbeat. He contributes some of his considerable fortune to those less fortunate, and he does it mostly without asking for credit. His various arrests show another side, yes, but at the age of 35 he seems to finally be outgrowing the foibles of his youth.
I still like him, even after the rant that ended with a dramatic flourish when he leaned over and offered his hand to me.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03...ref=sports
Enjoy Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday night against Miguel Cotto, if you wish. But understand this: Despite the fervent hope of almost everyone in boxing, Mayweather will not be fighting Manny Pacquiao.
Not later this year. Not ever.
If I wasn't sure of it before, I'm sure of it now. Hard not to be after watching Mayweather as he went into a bizarre rant for the benefit of myself, a few other writers, and his ever present band of sycophants.
This wasn't for HBO's "24/7" cameras, though it was better than anything on the most recent episodes. It had nothing to do with getting people to pony up $69.95 to watch the Cotto fight in their living rooms.
This was pure Mayweather, unvarnished, unplugged, and totally uninhibited.
He won't fight Pacquiao unless he's convinced he doesn't use steroids â something, by the way, that only Mayweather has accused the Filipino of doing. And there will be no convincing Mayweather that he's wrong.
"You all think I'm scared, I'm a coward? Well guess what? I'm a rich, scared coward. I'm a rich coward," Mayweather said. "And if that's the case, why the hell would you want to watch me? I don't want to watch no coward. I don't want to watch nobody who's scared and you all know for a fact I'm not scared. You all know that."
I'll take part of the blame for setting Mayweather off. Sitting next to him Tuesday in a VIP check-in room just off the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel, it seemed like a good time to get his thoughts on his main rival.
My mistake.
Instead of an answer, I got a soliloquy. Instead of a yes or no on Pacquiao, I got a disjointed diatribe on all things Mayweather.
He railed about common sense and hat sizes, doing the right thing and protecting his health. He called Bob Arum a professional liar, and suggested I was in the rival promoter's pocket.
He even questioned my patriotism for some odd reason that only his pals seemed to get.
"So, you're an American, right? I'm an American," he told me. "I was in the Olympics. I represent the red, white and blue. You know what the American writers should say? `Well, why's this guy from another country who comes over here and makes money taking it back to his country?
"Once again, I'm feeding American citizens every day. All I ask is give a little blood, give a little urine. That's a crime?"
Actually, the drug testing shouldn't even be an issue. Arum has already said Pacquiao is willing to take blood and urine tests in the weeks and months leading up to a fight with Mayweather.
But Mayweather seems obsessed with the idea Pacquiao is juicing. He seems to truly believe that Pacquiao has some sort of super human powers other fighters don't.
He's not going to change his mind. And, ultimately, that means no Pacquiao fight.
It is true that Pacquiao has grown noticeably since he first began boxing professionally in 1995 at 106 pounds. He's much more muscular and his body has filled out in the 17 years since then.
However, I reminded Mayweather that he boxed in the 1996 Olympics at 125 pounds, and will be fighting at 154 pounds against Cotto.
"Guess what? It took me years to get to here. Years," he said. "Go back and look at the pictures. First, his head is small. Then, all of a sudden, his head just grew? Come on, man. Stop! Stop this man! Come on, man! This (stuff's) so easy. Ray Charles can see this (stuff). Come on. Come on, now! Come on, man. I told you, it's basic common sense. Look at the pictures and tell me this man's head didn't get bigger? This man probably went from a seven and one-fourth to an eight. In a hat, a fitted hat. And you're going to tell me this (stuff) is all natural? Come on, man. Stop this. I'm going up in weight, but I ain't just walking through no damn fighters."
If that wasn't clear enough, Mayweather shifted into third person mode to press his point.
"Writers are saying, `Floyd is scared,'" he said. "No, Floyd cares about his family. Floyd is smart. At the end of the day, Floyd is smart. My health is important. My health is more important than money. They can take all the money and my health is more important. If they say, `Floyd, you can live a healthy life like you is right now, or you got to walk with a limp, and walk all bent over, but you can have a lot of money for the rest of your life,' I'd say, `Take it all back.'"
Guess we should give the guy a break. He's got a fight that might be tougher than most Saturday night, and he'll barely have time to relax afterward when he's due at the Las Vegas jail to begin serving what's expected to be a two-month sentence for domestic abuse.
Before I set him off he had been in a reflective mood, quietly talking about basically raising himself as a child. He spoke about how the gym was his only refuge, and how he used to put pictures from boxing magazines on his wall and stare at them at night, convinced he would one day be rich and famous, too.
He's both, now. But he's not so sure the fame part is worth it anymore.
"I want to live a normal life. I want to go to the mall by myself, but I know I can't," he said. "I do want to take a walk by myself, but I can't. There's a lot I want to do."
It's hard not to like Mayweather in these moments. Actually, I've always liked the Mayweather I've been around, a guy who is generally thoughtful and upbeat. He contributes some of his considerable fortune to those less fortunate, and he does it mostly without asking for credit. His various arrests show another side, yes, but at the age of 35 he seems to finally be outgrowing the foibles of his youth.
I still like him, even after the rant that ended with a dramatic flourish when he leaned over and offered his hand to me.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03...ref=sports
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05-04-2012, 12:38 PM
He sounds like another Mike Tyson.
05-04-2012, 02:39 PM
zaga_fan Wrote:We all know that Floyd is scared.
No.
Floyd has agreed to do anything for Pacquiao to accept the fight.
Pacquiao won't budge.
05-06-2012, 03:33 AM
Everything besides split the money which is the most ridiculous thing ive ever heard. I can see not wanting to split it with someone like Cotto, but for a super fight with Pac-Man, there is no reason on earth not to split the money. Pac-Man is scared and Mayweather is glad of it. Neither of those guys want to take the fight out of fear of being the one that will lose it.
05-06-2012, 04:24 AM
Mayweather/Cotto was a classic.
....yet Mayweather even tested, still breezed to victory.
Right now...I'd bet the house he'd humiliate Pacquiao.
....yet Mayweather even tested, still breezed to victory.
Right now...I'd bet the house he'd humiliate Pacquiao.
05-06-2012, 10:04 AM
Floyd Mayweather beats Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision
Floyd Mayweather held off Miguel Cotto to take the WBA super welterweight title on Saturday and maintain his undefeated record.
The two fighters went toe-to-toe for several rounds before Mayweather took control and won by a unanimous decision, with two judges scoring 117-111 in his favour and one 118-110.
"I had to fight hard, suck it up. He [was] no pushover," said Mayweather.
The victory extended Mayweather's run to 43-0 with 26 knockouts.
Mayweather was on the offensive from the outset, landing a number of fast right hands and quick jabs.
Cotto, though, was showing a willingness to engage Mayweather in the centre of the ring, bringing him some wins in the middle rounds.
That forced Mayweather to change tactics and he started landing fast right hands from long range.
Did you know?
Cotto has achieved more knockouts in his career than Mayweather (30 from 37 wins and three defeats)
The pair exchanged vicious punches in the 12th round but Mayweather was landing the better shots and his superior hand speed and solid defence began to take its toll on Cotto and in the end it was the American who finished strongest to take victory.
"You're a hell of a champion," Mayweather told Cotto in the ring afterwards. "You're the toughest guy I ever fought.
"He came to fight; he didn't just come to survive. I dug down and fought him back."
Afterwards, Mayweather hinted that he would like to face Manny Pacquiao, his rival for the title of the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, in the ring next.
Mayweather had previously been in discussions to step into the ring with Pacquiao, but those negotiations fell through.
"I tried to make the Pacquiao fight and that didn't work, so I fought Miguel Cotto instead and gave the fans a great fight," he said.
For any fight to happen, though, Mayweather wants Pacquiao to first agree to blood and urine drug testing.
He added: "I want to fight Pacquiao but he has to take the test, and I'll fight him."
Mayweather's next fight will have to wait as he is scheduled to begin a three-month jail sentence on 1 June for misdemeanour domestic violence and harassment charges involving a former girlfriend.
Meanwhile, in the main undercard bout, rising Mexican star Saul Alvarez beat Shane Mosley to retain his WBC WBC light-middleweight title.
The 21-year-old Alvarez defended his title for the fourth consecutive time, winning by unanimous decision as two of the judges scored it 119-109 while the third had it 118-110.
Alvarez's youth and power was too much for the 40-year-old Mosley, who no longer possesses the speed and reflexes he once had.
He certainly gave his all right until the end, ensuring he kept his record of having never been knocked out intact, but he has not won a fight in three years, losing five of his last seven.http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/boxing/17973344
Floyd Mayweather held off Miguel Cotto to take the WBA super welterweight title on Saturday and maintain his undefeated record.
The two fighters went toe-to-toe for several rounds before Mayweather took control and won by a unanimous decision, with two judges scoring 117-111 in his favour and one 118-110.
"I had to fight hard, suck it up. He [was] no pushover," said Mayweather.
The victory extended Mayweather's run to 43-0 with 26 knockouts.
Mayweather was on the offensive from the outset, landing a number of fast right hands and quick jabs.
Cotto, though, was showing a willingness to engage Mayweather in the centre of the ring, bringing him some wins in the middle rounds.
That forced Mayweather to change tactics and he started landing fast right hands from long range.
Did you know?
Cotto has achieved more knockouts in his career than Mayweather (30 from 37 wins and three defeats)
The pair exchanged vicious punches in the 12th round but Mayweather was landing the better shots and his superior hand speed and solid defence began to take its toll on Cotto and in the end it was the American who finished strongest to take victory.
"You're a hell of a champion," Mayweather told Cotto in the ring afterwards. "You're the toughest guy I ever fought.
"He came to fight; he didn't just come to survive. I dug down and fought him back."
Afterwards, Mayweather hinted that he would like to face Manny Pacquiao, his rival for the title of the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, in the ring next.
Mayweather had previously been in discussions to step into the ring with Pacquiao, but those negotiations fell through.
"I tried to make the Pacquiao fight and that didn't work, so I fought Miguel Cotto instead and gave the fans a great fight," he said.
For any fight to happen, though, Mayweather wants Pacquiao to first agree to blood and urine drug testing.
He added: "I want to fight Pacquiao but he has to take the test, and I'll fight him."
Mayweather's next fight will have to wait as he is scheduled to begin a three-month jail sentence on 1 June for misdemeanour domestic violence and harassment charges involving a former girlfriend.
Meanwhile, in the main undercard bout, rising Mexican star Saul Alvarez beat Shane Mosley to retain his WBC WBC light-middleweight title.
The 21-year-old Alvarez defended his title for the fourth consecutive time, winning by unanimous decision as two of the judges scored it 119-109 while the third had it 118-110.
Alvarez's youth and power was too much for the 40-year-old Mosley, who no longer possesses the speed and reflexes he once had.
He certainly gave his all right until the end, ensuring he kept his record of having never been knocked out intact, but he has not won a fight in three years, losing five of his last seven.http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/boxing/17973344
05-06-2012, 10:04 AM
05-06-2012, 10:04 AM
05-06-2012, 10:06 AM
In a fihttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/1173727-floyd-mayweather-beats-miguel-cotto-via-unanimous-decisionght that was as close of a fight as Floyd Mayweather has seen in his 43 fights, Miguel Cotto took Money May the distance but came up short in the end, losing a unanimous decision, 117-111, 117-111 and 118-110, losing his WBA junior welterweight title in the process.
In a fight that saw a lot of up close, in-your-face action, neither fighter landed any real big-time shots, but both landed effective blows that showed on each other's faces.
More than a few rounds could have went either way, but Money May seemed to deflect enough punches to earn the points in the majority of those rounds.
Anyone who watched the fight has to applaud Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs); he gave his all, and it was the best a fighter has looked against Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) in his entire career.
As good as Cotto was, changing up the pace and going from offensive to defensive, Mayweather was always a tad bit better, showing his superior boxing skills.
In all, if Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao don't come to terms, yet again, once Money May fulfills his three-month jail stint beginning on June 1, then a rematch with Cotto would be must-see TV.
Mayweather did have a battle, but he showed he has the grit to tough out a physical fight, making one think that Money May would have no problems taking out Pacquiao in their possible megafight.
In a fight that saw a lot of up close, in-your-face action, neither fighter landed any real big-time shots, but both landed effective blows that showed on each other's faces.
More than a few rounds could have went either way, but Money May seemed to deflect enough punches to earn the points in the majority of those rounds.
Anyone who watched the fight has to applaud Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs); he gave his all, and it was the best a fighter has looked against Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) in his entire career.
As good as Cotto was, changing up the pace and going from offensive to defensive, Mayweather was always a tad bit better, showing his superior boxing skills.
In all, if Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao don't come to terms, yet again, once Money May fulfills his three-month jail stint beginning on June 1, then a rematch with Cotto would be must-see TV.
Mayweather did have a battle, but he showed he has the grit to tough out a physical fight, making one think that Money May would have no problems taking out Pacquiao in their possible megafight.
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