Mayweather's Advisor Says Pacquiao is a "Coward"
One of Mayweather's advisors, Leonard Ellerbe, gave his reasoning on why he thinks Pacquiao won't fight Mayweather.
"In my opinion, you have three cowards -- Bob Arum, (Pacquiao trainer) Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao. Now we all know the truth once and for all why this fight hasn't been made. It should be clear to everyone that they don't care what the fans want, especially when Floyd is ready, willing and able to fight Manny Pacquiao now. Floyd said if this isn't clear, he doesn't know what is."
Ellerbe added that this was an obvious "perfect opportunity" for both boxers and something that fans have been waiting on for years.
Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, commented on the potential of a fight between the two, saying "If we decide we want to do a rematch with Marquez, there is no reason to sit down with Mayweather. If we want to explore a Mayweather fight, we will sit down with them. But I'm not going to sit down with them just because it's a good show."
Pacquiao wants Marquez again before facing Mayweather, Arum says
Manny Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said Monday the Filipino superstar would prefer his next bout to be a fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez rather than a super-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao, the promoter said, feels that his controversial, majority decision over Marquez on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas "did not have the finish he wanted," and justifies a fourth fight between the combatants.
Pacquiao, 32, and Marquez, 38, previously fought to a draw in 2004 and a split decision won by Pacquiao in 2008.
Marquez said he was so frustated by the judging of his impressive showing Saturday that he was pondering retirement.
Arum doesn't believe Marquez will retire with the promise of more riches in addition to his payout from Saturday's fight, which could reach $10 million based on estimates of a large pay-per-view audience.
As for Mayweather, Arum said it's his understanding that the unbeaten world welterweight champion has secured the MGM Grand for a early May date.
So Arum said he would stage Pacquiao-Marquez IV in April or June, either at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas or a specially constructed outdoor venue paid for by "the other casinos" in Las Vegas.
"Like we did in the old days, at Caesars Palace," Arum said. "Awesome."
For his fight, Mayweather would select from a field likely to include Amir Khan, Andre Berto, Sergio Martinez, Robert Guerrero or the unbeaten Tim Bradley.
Pacquiao vs Marquez: The Post-Fight Report Card
MANNY PACQUIAO
First of all, let me point out I thought Manny won the fight, seven rounds to five. I won't make an argument here for the decision, because I know I'm not going to persuade anyone who thinks otherwise. But Manny did what he had to do for the "W," realizing he could not outbox Marquez nor hurt him consistently enough to finish him, and relying instead on outworking his older rival and playing the role of the aggressor.
Having said that, I feel Manny clearly overtrained for this fight. In previous camps, we all heard about how he was mailing it in until the last two weeks at the Wildcard, and then he would turn it on and by fight night would be a lean, hungry thoroughbred just chomping at the bit to run. In comparison, the lead-up to this fight indicated that Manny was peaking way too early, with Alex Ariza saying on the second episode of 24/7 that "he wished the fight were tomorrow," a full eighteen days before fight night. That comment raised a serious red flag in my mind, and it was borne out last night when Manny looked drained entering the ring, unhealthily sweating, and during the fight, when he was constantly beaten to the punch by a man over whom he had all the physical advantages. But Manny won, so he passes this most difficult of tests. I don't think anyone can say with a serious face-Skip Bayless, are you listening?-that Floyd is scared of fighting Manny. That concept has always been ridiculous to me, and now looks even moreso. Grade: B-
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ
Marquez elevated his legacy with his performance, proving that he should be considered not just a Hall of Fame-level fighter, but perhaps deserves mention among the all-time greats, at least the Mexican ones. If you don't think he belongs with Chavez, Morales, and Barrera now, then you never will. But in my mind, he's proven that he's a very special, very serious fighter that embodies the height of professionalism both in and out of the ring. No one adapts better mid-fight than Marquez -- not Floyd Mayweather, not Sugar Ray Leonard. In addition to the Pacquiao fights, consider his wins against Casamayor, Barrera, Juan Diaz, and Katsidis. Marquez had trouble early in every one of those fights, and he was able to make adjustments such that he had the upper hand by the end. But do I want to see a fourth fight against Pacquiao? No. Grade: A
MIKE ALVARADO
The last few major PPV undercards have all produced at least one hellacious war (Vazquez-Arce on Pacquiao-Mosley, Morales-Cano on Mayweather-Ortiz, and Linares-DeMarco on Hopkins-Dawson) and last night was no exception, with Alvarado and Prescott engaging in an engrossing slugfest that was all Prescott early on, and all Alvarado late. I think many boxing fans considered Alvarado a product of Top Rank hype given his uninspiring competition and sordid background entering the contest, but he proved all his doubters wrong, showing tremendous courage in the face of a physically superior opponent who was punching ferociously in the first half of the fight, weathering the storm and eventually turning the tables when Prescott's stamina failed him, taking the Colombian to "uppercut city," as Max Kellerman put it. That's a place Prescott won't ever want to revisit, as he ended the fight out on his feet, in the arms of Jay Nady. Alvarado deserves a title shot, and Bradley-Alvarado seems like the obvious fight to make. Or maybe Rios-Alvarado. Grade: A+
BREIDIS PRESCOTT
For the same reasons Angulo failed last week, Prescott failed last night. He gassed himself trying to KO Alvarado, even when it was apparent that Alvarado wasn't going to go that easily. Then he engaged in a phonebooth war despite having most of his success jabbing and throwing rights from range. Finally, when he was hurt, he clearly had no idea how to grab and slow down the fight. It's back to the drawing board for Prescott, who has now lost to Miguel Vazquez, Alvarado, Kevin Mitchell, and Paul McCloskey. The KO win against Amir Khan recedes even further into the past. Grade: D
TIM BRADLEY
He got an easy assignment and he did what he was supposed to do. The assignment was crappy and proved nothing, but you can't blame the student for the quality of the test. Bradley looked fresh and powerful next to Casamayor, but Casamyor looked only a little better than James Toney did against Denis Lebedev, an old man who had no business being in a professional prize ring at the top level anymore. Grade: B+
JOEL CASAMAYOR
I admit I have been a fan of "El Cepillo" for a long time now, since his wars with Diego Corrales, Acelino Freitas and Jose Luis Castillo way back when. I made a bundle on his "upset" of Michael Katsidis a few years ago, which was probably his last legitimate victory. He looked decent losing his lineal lightweight crown to Marquez in 2008. Since then, his performances have ranged from desultory to just plain awful. Last night was no exception. It was like the worst moments of B-Hop-Jones II all rolled into one performance. He grabbed whenever there was a chance he was going to be hit, used his head as often as his once great straight left, and hit low with obvious malicious intent. Hang ‘em up, Cepillo. You were once a proud champion and that is how I will remember you. Grade: F
Pacquiao Vs. Marquez Fight Drama Almost Guarantees Another Rematch: Fan Take
Fans got their money's worth
There was talk before the fight that it might be a disappointing event, a waste of fan's money. Well, it's fair to say that regardless of how anyone feels about the decision, they can't say it wasn't a fight without action or fight drama.
The majority decision handed down after 12 rounds of almost unrelenting action angered the crowd, not to mention Marquez. He stormed off the ring after hearing the decision and said he might retire. That's talk coming out of anger which would likely fade if a great rematch offer was out there.
When the decision was announced, the boos ringing through the MGM Grand echoed the sentiments of many of us watching from outside of Las Vegas. A collective shock from Marquez and his fans, a sigh of relief from Pacquiao and his, and a feeling of wanting more from almost everyone.
The only question is when
The normal run of three matches that make up a boxing trilogy kind of goes out the window when not one of the three is decisive. When the first is a draw, like the 2004 Pacquiao vs. Marquez that started it all, a big win is called for. Of course, that didn't happen in 2008 with the split decision, and it certainly didn't happen in 2011.
The question of who is the better fighter remains open, except for maybe in the minds of the most fanatic of Pacquiao's supporters. It's an incredible opportunity for boxing to capitalize on the turn of events and plan another big rematch.
There's too much money for that not to happen, unless Marquez really means it about retiring. No one could blame him if he did, and he could go out looking like a challenger who never got his due but gave his all. It's not like he hasn't made enough money.
I wouldn't bet on that, however. I'm confident we will see a rematch. When will be the big question. It can't be three years, not when Marquez is already 38 years old. Sometime in 2012 is probably the only option fans will be happy with.
Jeff Musall has been a boxing fan since watching the Thrilla in Manila with his dad. He enjoys a good fight with drama and action, and looks forward to the potential rematch.
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)