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MOSLEY IS PACQUIAO’S BEST AVAILABLE CHALLENGE AT WELTERWEIGHT

As Mayweather Continues to Hide Underneath the Skirt of Excuse

Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol – The tumultuous months of waiting are almost over. Filipino boxing sensation Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao weighed in at 145 lbs, while grizzled veteran “Sugar” Shane Mosley of the United States came in at exactly 147 lbs during the official weigh-in for their showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Moments away from the highly anticipated yet largely criticized faceoff between two of the sport’s most identifiable figures, the boxing world still can’t seem to give Mosley the credit or at least the benefit of the doubt that he so deserves. Here’s a guy who has not-so-long-ago traded mitts with the likes of De La Hoya, Vargas, Wright, Forrest, Collazo, Mayorga, Cotto, Mora and Mayweather. If the betting odds are an indication, it is as though fight fans don’t seem to have the slightest idea about Mosley’s amazing portfolio.

Perhaps, we can largely blame Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao of the Philippines for that. After blasting Hatton, De La Hoya, Cotto, and Margarito via very brutal fashion, the Pinoy fighting machine has literally put the old cliché “a good big guy beats the good little guy all the time” to rest or at least on hold while he’s still around. At a relatively advanced age of 39, Mosley will climb the ring as the oldest Pacquiao opponent to date. What comes along with it is also the fact that “Sugar” Shane is arguably the smartest, most experienced, most skillful, most patient, and most dangerous among the long list of Pacquiao’s foes. These traits could easily compensate for the diminishing stamina and waning reflexes brought about by father time. But then again, it becomes much more of a challenge, if not completely insurmountable, when he’s up against the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. What most people fail to realize, however, is the fact that apart from Mayweather, there is no other welterweight who poses more of a challenge for Pacquiao than Mosley does. Without a shadow of doubt, this 39-year-old Mosley can beat any other welterweight around.

Quite understandably, Mosley is years separated from his prime. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is still lingering at his own apex. While Mosley thrives on punching power, experience, durability, and grit, Pacquiao relies heavily on cunning speed, indecipherable stance, heavy hands, and teeming confidence. Size may be a factor, but time and time again, Pacquiao has shown the world that it is not much of a factor after all. Mosley hasn’t been knocked out yet. He has been dropped twice before, but he’s yet to be stopped. Pacquiao could go for it… yet another distinction to collect. Mosley may be as sturdy, as tough, and as durable as a rock… but like we said leading into the Pacquiao-Cotto matchup, incessant droplets of water can break a rock, and Pacquiao’s punches won’t be akin to mere droplets of water because most assuredly, they will definitely inflict pain.

All’s been said and done with leading to this moment of truth. Mosley has a decent shot… and with that being said, expect Pacquiao to finish the job inside 10 pulsating rounds!

Source: PhilBoxing.com

It's showtime: Final prediction for Pacquiao-Mosley (Photos)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - That this WBO welterweight showdown will be full of fireworks is the biggest misconception of this fight. At least early in the bout. [ Article: Mosley to counter-punch Pacquiao ] We base this view after live observations from the boxers' fight camps.

Ladies and gentlemen; damas y caballeros. Between rounds one to four, it will be a cerebral, boring chess match with Shane Mosley (46-6-1) unwilling to engage in a firefight against the fightin' dervish.

Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2), as he has been training and sparring for the past eight weeks, will back up and draw Mosley in (towards him) - getting "Sugar" Shane to be more confident to throw punches. The boxer-politician wants his opponent to open up. (Make your enemy vulnerable, says the art of war.) [ Video: Weigh-in: Pacquiao-Mosley ]

Similar to what Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito did. Move forward, attack, and bully the little 5' 6" guy. But, the Pinoy phenom is only considered the greatest southpaw in boxing history, says ring historian ert Sugar. (That's a problem.)

As in previous clashes, trainer Freddie Roach and the PacMan will use the same formula. Open up their foes. Get them to exchange blows. To get caught up in the enormity of the moment. It may surprise the crowd, because a few times early on, Pacquiao will be against the ropes - ala 'rope-a-dope' Muhammad Ali-style. [ Video: Pacquiao meets rapper Rick Ross ]

However, Mosley will not engage in the early rounds, preferring to box at a distance. Like in a chess match, or even in a card game of poker, he will attempt a few different tricks to trap Manny. Mosley, at 39 years old, have few choices for winning: hard straight rights timed perfectly for a charging Pacquiao; deceptive left hook counters to the Filipino's body; and wide looping left hooks upstairs that wield a lot of power.

Remember, the 5' 9" Mosley has a 74" reach compared to Pacquiao's 67" reach.

And that is how Shane Mosley will lose this fight.

"Sugar" Shane's cautious, conservative approach will cost him points on all three judges. The PacMan will be way ahead on all three official scorecards by the fifth round. [ Photos: Pacquiao-Mosley final press conference ] The desperation will unleash bloody blows from Dante's Inferno.

The bout will become progressively violent in the middle rounds. Here, the pound-for-pound king will display his phenomenal pugilistic abilities and mark his stamp in boxing's all-time lore. [ Photos: Pacquiao trains at Griffith Park ]

The PacMan will stop (devour) Mosley, a future hall-of-famer who has never been KO's in his entire career. [ Photos: Pacquiao and Mosley arrive at MGM Grand ]

Manny Pacquiao is in the best shape of his life. After closely observing his mitt sessions with Roach and his sparring at the Wild Card Gym, the tandem are clearly going after a vicious stoppage of the Pomona-native. That is most evidently clear. [ Article: Pacquiao's strategy for Mosley ]

After witnessing the Filipino's left hand these past few days, often I surmise that it packs enough dynamite to kill a gorilla, kangaroo, buffalo, seal, walrus, or cow when these animals are hit squarely in the head by a prime Pacquiao. [ Photos: Mosley's fight camp at Big Bear ]

Manny Pacquiao will win by knockout in the seventh round, detonating an explosive left upstairs. Shane Mosley fails to stand up and is counted out by referee Kenny Bayless.

Source: Examiner.com

PACQUIAO - 145 LBS, MOSLEY - 147 LBS (PHOTOS)

Manny Pacquiao weighs in lighter than Shane Mosley

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao weighed in just two pounds lighter than American Shane Mosley after the Filipino was welcomed by deafening cheers from his supporters on the eve of Saturday's WBO welterweight title fight.

Pacquiao, 52-3-2 (38 knockouts), tipped the scales at 145 pounds in front of a boisterous crowd of about 6,500 at the MGM Grand Hotel's Garden Arena.

Mosley, 46-6-1 (39 KOs), was weighed first and was right on the 147-pound limit for the scheduled 12-round bout.

The two fighters were all smiles as they posed for the photographers for their pre-fight pictures and they embraced one another once that task was done.

"I am just so excited to be in this fight," Mosley, a 39-year-old veteran who is a three-division world champion, said on the stage. "The whole world is watching. It should be great."

Pacquiao, a 10-times world champion in a record eight weight divisions, is a 6-1 favorite to win but he has taken great pains not to underestimate his American challenger.

"I believe that Shane Mosley is a strong fighter, a good fighter," the 32-year-old Filipino said. "He has trained hard for this fight so I have to train hard and focus on this fight."

Pacquiao and Mosley are renowned for being ideal boxing ambassadors and have refused to indulge in any of the pre-bout trash-talking so common in the sport.

Source: ca.reuters.com

The mad Manny Pacquiao circus will end soon, but sorry Mosley, it will not happen tonight

YOU can’t beat fight night in Las Vegas when Manny Pacquiao is in town.

Floyd Mayweather might beg to differ, but no-one else would argue that the Pac Man is not boxing’s biggest star today.

Pacquiao is more distracted than ever. His political career back home in the Philippines and the millions that hang on his every word make ­preparation for fights ­increasingly awkward.
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So far he seems to be handling the fanfare well enough, but I do wonder if at some point it will all takes its toll.

But not yet, not in the early hours tomorrow.

His opponent Shane Mosley has been a great fighter, as brave as any and with more self-belief than most.

That can lead an older fighter into tricky waters, of course. Mosley is 39.

If you take away the Antonio Margarito fight he has not performed anywhere near championship class in his last five bouts.

Margarito had taken off an awful lot of weight and by all accounts had to crash the pounds.

He was coming into that fight as the scandal of his illegal hand-wraps was circling. He was nowhere near top shape and would be banned a month later.

In Mosley’s previous fight against Ricardo Mayorga he was behind on all cards until he pulled off that amazing punch to finish it in the 12th.

Apart from a point in the second round when he caught and hurt Floyd Mayweather he was utterly schooled.

If Mayweather had not taken his foot off the gas it could have been embarrassing.

And in his last fight against Sergio Mora he earned a draw. Not great, and certainly not the Mosley that we have been hearing about in the build-up to this fight.

And that might be because the Mosley being talked up has gone forever. That does not mean that Pacquiao does not have to be careful early on. That is when Mosley still carries a sting.

He had Mayweather in some trouble. If he were to convert that kind of chance and maybe drop Pacquiao then the whole dynamic of the fight changes.

No fighter is infallible. Juan Manuel Marquez hurt Pacquiao. He has been down in his career. So an early knockdown would not surprise.

If that were to happen it would also change opinions about how Pacquiao might deal with Mayweather were they ever to meet.

To claim the upper hand in the moral argument with Mayweather, Pacquiao will want to win this fight more convincingly, maybe stop Mosley for the first time.

Pacquiao wants to come out of this fight with his reputation as the greatest box-office fighter on the planet enhanced.

Pacquiao’s freshness, his speed and the volume of punches he throws will ­ultimately take Mosley down.

Under Freddie Roach Pacquiao isn’t the ­reckless puncher he was. He is a more strategic destroyer now.

And he has the best feet in boxing. He can shuttle across the ring quicker than any I have ever seen.

This allows him to bring power to the opponent and diffuse it when he is under attack. He is frighteningly fast getting in and out of position.

After four or five rounds Pacquiao will start to bite the canvas with his toes and let his shots go.

That is when life will start to get really tough for Mosley, the point at which he comes to understand what it is to be overwhelmed by the phenomenon that is Manny Pacquiao.

Source: mirror.co.uk

In Pacquiao’s New Marketing Strategy, There Is an Element of Surprise

LAS VEGAS — At its disorganized, fragmented peak, Manny Pacquiao’s endorsement strategy was being handled by anywhere between 30 and 50 friends who claimed to represent him and made hundreds of cold calls, often to the same company. They brokered potential deals for everything, including sexual-enhancement drugs and poker chips, as if playing a giant game of marketing darts.

As Pacquiao ascended to boxing royalty, as his earning power ballooned beyond even his greatest expectations, this lack of a strategy came with real consequences. Pacquiao lost a potential Gatorade endorsement, lost an appearance on an EA Sports video game cover, lost, by conservative estimates, a few million dollars in recent years alone.

Now, Top Rank Boxing, the company that promotes Pacquiao, has taken the unusual step of hiring an expert to consolidate his marketing affairs. Top Rank has little experience in handling the endorsements of its boxers. Lucia McKelvey, its new executive vice president in charge of business development and marketing, had no experience in boxing. Yet both believe unchartered territory is better than the haphazard alternative.

“When you look at Manny’s world, there was no continuity,” McKelvey said. “You name it, they were coming to him and saying, ‘Sign this contract, sign this contract.’ That made no sense.”

McKelvey, 33, is perhaps the most unlikely executive in boxing. She resembles the actress Cameron Diaz (her nickname in the Pacquiao camp). As Pacquiao conducted final preparations for Saturday’s welterweight title fight against Shane Mosley, she prepared an antioxidant shake (gluten-free, soy-free, vegan) for lunch in the media center.

Previously, McKelvey worked at IMG Golf, with its hunter-green floors and country-club atmosphere, a far cry from the sweaty boxing gyms she now inhabits. She left in November 2010, and when she landed at Top Rank, friends, family and colleagues all had the same incredulous reaction: What?!

McKelvey said she saw boxing as “the jungle,” a challenge that matched her organized, obsessive personality, that renewed her energy and purpose. Her charge extends beyond Pacquiao, into the digital and marketing portions of Top Rank’s business, but his endorsements remain an important, if not primary, responsibility.

Pacquiao’s portfolio in North America has never matched his popularity. He ended 2010 as the most searched athlete on Yahoo, ahead of Tiger Woods. In the Philippines, he endorsed McDonald’s and San Miguel beer, among other major partners. Yet while his Davie-Brown Index rating, which measures a celebrity’s influence on consumers, ranks above all current boxers, McKelvey said the deals he had here and the way they were structured were comparable to a lesser-known L.P.G.A. golfer.

The first time McKelvey phoned Gatorade to explain her new position, she was told she was the eighth person who had called in the past year and claimed to represent Pacquiao. That was the problem’s crux. Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, acknowledges Pacquiao’s reputation for following through on endorsement opportunities was hurt in recent years, even as his popularity soared.

“I didn’t feel positioned to say anything,” said Bob Arum, the chairman of Top Rank. “I saw what was happening, and I said to myself, ‘It’s bad.’ But I wasn’t going to tell him until I had a solution.”

In past years, McKelvey estimated Pacquiao’s potential earning power at more than $50 million. While the estimate may seem generous, he actually earned a fraction of that total.

Arum and his son-in-law, Todd DuBoef, the president of Top Rank, said they needed someone who spoke the language of potential sponsors. Someone with contacts at corporations. Someone who could leverage Pacquiao’s popularity to sell companies on their sport beyond one fighter.

“I’m guilty, Bob’s guilty, all of us in boxing are guilty to listening to the rhetoric that corporate America won’t associate itself in boxing,” DuBoef said. “They will, if it’s done right.”

On Wednesday, at Pacquiao’s final news conference, the singer-songwriter Dan Hill sat near the back. He recently recorded seven versions of “Sometimes When We Touch” with Pacquiao, whose concentration he found similar to the singer Celine Dion.

In explaining Pacquiao’s appeal, Hill said: “There’s such a genuineness and humility. You just don’t get that anymore. I honestly really, really love the guy.”

Top Rank hopes to harness such appeal in a more organized manner. On the home page of its Web site, it lists McKelvey as his endorsement contact. In February, it sent letters to specific companies outlining its plans. All deals, McKelvey said, go directly to her and Koncz.

When McKelvey worked at IMG, Woods endorsed products in specific categories: car, credit card, sports drink, watch, electronics. To that end, McKelvey wants to broaden Pacquiao’s relationship with Nike. Nineteen executives from the company are scheduled to attend Saturday’s fight.

Soon, Pacquiao will sign a contract with Hewlett Packard. He has a cologne line. He also recently partnered with State Street Produce, a deal that Koncz hopes, perhaps implausibly, will do for Pacquiao what grills did for George Foreman. Top Rank hopes those deals and more prominent Nike placement will lead more companies to follow suit.

On recent flights, McKelvey said fellow passengers expressed amazement when she told them about her new job. She said: “I represent Manny Pacquiao. I work in boxing. And I am the most unusual suspect.” Ultimately, McKelvey said, she will convince everyone — boxers, promoters, advertisers, skeptics — this experiment can work.

Either way, for the unorthodox executive, in the unusual role, Pacquiao is the test case.

Source: nytimes.com

Bob Arum: Let Mayweather fight Lady Gaga, Pacquiao switches to Jewish Network

LAS VEGAS—Some boxing promoters run the gamut emotionally from A to B. But not almost 80 years old Bob Arum.

When his corporate affairs are running smoothly and look to be highly profitable, Arum is a man of mirth and merriment. When they are not, you can almost see the black cloud over his head.

Going into Friday's Official Weigh In for the Sugar Shane Mosley-Manny Pacquiao welterweight title bout at the MGM Grand Hotel, it's all pleasant Vegas early May weather, warm but not roasting temperatures and blue skies for the mercurial attorney turned fight organizer.

SPECIAL INVITATION TO ALL FOLLOWERS OF THE WHITE GORILLA

I will be at the bar at Diego's Mexican Restaurant 30 minutes after the Official Weigh In on Friday and your first cerveza is on me.

Diego's is just steps away from weigh in and fight site, MGM Grand Garden Arena and near the MGM Grand Food Court.

All boxing fans, even you Mayweather Mafia types, please come to meet, greet and chat with me, the White Gorilla, Michael Marley.

For further details, ring me at 917 853 4484.

For example, when I told him that website Fight Hype, which seems to have an insider relationship with Floyd Mayweather and his model fiance Shantel Ms. Jackson, reported Mayweather as saying he would spurn viewing Mosley-Pacquiao in order to catch singer Lady Gaga on HBO, Arum jumped on the topic.

“See, that is Floyd planning to fight again, that is his next fight...against Lady Gaga,” Arum cracked to the amusement of one table of jaded fight reporters.

Sensing Arum's happy mood, I asked a question I knew he would not answer truthfully. I asked whether he would continue on with Pacquiao on Showtime/CBS or go “back home” to archrival HBO beyond the Mosley match,

“Neither,” Arum said, again cracking wise.

"I got a new deal, I am putting Manny on the Jewish network.”

More laughs all around the table inside the Media Center.

The early PPV TV projections must indeed be rosy.

Maybe they've got Arum going Gaga so to speak.

Source: Examiner.com

Pacquiao Watch: What if Manny loses?

Filipino boxing fans have grown accustomed to seeing Manny Pacquiao win his fights and many see the 2005 loss to Erik Morales as a thing of the distant past.

Yet along with Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley possesses the skill set that could upend Pacquiao’s incredible winning streak.

Pacquiao however is facing a diminishing Mosley on Sunday – a rung or two behind the prime Morales and Marquez when the Filipino boxing icon battled them at the featherweight classes.

But although Mosley has slowed down over the last two years, he is still the fastest and the sturdiest welterweight Manny Pacquiao will ever face. Mosley has never lost a fight in a devastating manner. In fact, he has never been stopped. In all of his six losses, he was totally dominated only by Floyd Mayweather Jr but not before giving him the biggest scare of his life in the second round.

Manny is in the prime of his career and is now the best fighter on the planet. It will take a monumental Pacquiao collapse for Mosley to score the biggest upset in marquee boxing since Buster Douglas, a 40-1 underdog, knocked the senses out of Mike Tyson 21 years ago.

But what if Mosley defies father time and conventional wisdom?

What will be the landscape of boxing if he beats Manny Pacquiao in a decisive manner that leaves no doubt about the final outcome?

If there is anybody who will be happiest in a Pacquaio defeat to Mosley, it would be Mayweather. It will reinforce his self-belief that he is the best fighter out there. It will justify and solidify his refusal to fight Pacquiao.

A Mosley win will throw a wrench in the pound for pound rankings and it will rob Top Rank’s Bob Arum of his biggest cash cow.

It will radically alter Pacquiao’s future boxing career path and start the end of his reign as pound for pound king and eventually dry up the well of fortune for the greatest Filipino boxer ever.

A loss to Mosley will also finally give all anti-Pacquiao forces the opportunity to bash the Filipino boxing icon.

You just can’t imagine the countless stream of diagnosis and prognosis of a post-Pacquiao boxing reign after a decisive Mosley defeat. But you can be sure how fast his coterie and army of sycophants disappear into the oblivion.

It may also spell doom for Pacquiao’s future political ambitions. Those who are egging him to run for president in the Philippines will surely have the biggest disappointment of their lives.

And who will win biggest if Pacquiao loses to Mosley and eventually fades away from the boxing limelight? It will be wife Jinky and Manny’s five (?) kids. They will finally have family.

It will also be his constituents in Sarangani who will finally get to know Pacquiao, their congressman. And Pacquiao himself who will finally realize that there is no more Mt. Everest left to conquer in the world of boxing. For regardless of an unlikely loss to Mosley, Manny’s rightful place in the storied world of boxing has already been etched long before he even considered fighting Mosley.

But a Mosley win may only be a wishful thinking.

Source: asiancorrespondent.com

PACQUIAO – MOSLEY SPECIAL ON PINOY EXTREME, CABLEINK, TELMARC

An enthralling two hour special on the hugely anticipated showdown between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former three-time champion Sugar Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, Manila Time will be telecast over Pinoy Extreme Channel 83 on Destiny Cable at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday as well as Cablelink Channel 33 in Quezon City, Pasig, Paranaque and Las Pinas and also Telmarc Channel 30 in Rizal province.

The special will include highlights of Pacquiao’s and Mosley ‘s battles against common opponents such as Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito in order to give viewers a chance to measure the two fighters performances, comparatively.

It will also include a flashback to Mosley’s winning his first title, the IBF lightweight crown against South Africa’s Philip Holiday and his second loss to southpaw Ronald “Winky” Wright in a rematch.

Special correspondent Jannelle So, host of the daily show “Kababayan” on LA 18 visited the training camps of Mosley and Pacquiao and provided a glimpse into their preparation for Sunday’s battle together with insightful interviews with Pacquiao, Mosley, trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, Mosley’s trainer Naziim Richardson as well as Shane’s father.

Janelle also had a very interesting interview with former NBA superstar Jalen Rose and a fun segment where Filipino assistant trainer Nonoy Neri interviewed Buboy Fernandez.

American trainer Rick Staheli who was Manny’s trainer when he won his first world title, the WBC flyweight belt from Thai hero Chatchai Sasakul also gives his insights into the fight.

The Viva Sports special also includes exclusive footage provided by the leading US broadcast network CBS which will telecast the fight on “Showtime.”

The two hour special sets the stage for what may well turn out to be a classic battle between Pacquiao, the “Fighter of the Decade” and Mosley who at one time in his career was being compared to the all-time great Sugar Ray Robinson and will be the first African-American that Pacquiao will face.

Mosley has indicated he will bring some African-American rhythm to disrupt Pacquiao’s fighting style while Alex Ariza says Manny is fit and strong and ready to wage war if he has to.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacquiao-Mosley: TWO DAYS TO GO

LAS VEGAS, Nevada) -- Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao fights “Sugar” Shane Mosley Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in what could be a celebration of a decade long successful campaign in the United States on the way to becoming the only fighter to be crowned champions in eight weight divisions.

It was 10 summers ago when an obscure Filipino substitute beat Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in just six rounds to emerge the world super-bantamweight champion, his second after ruling, too the flyweight division a few years back.


That 12-round bout was one of the undercards of the Oscar De La Hoya-Javier Castilejo fight held in this same place and arena where Pacquiao and Mosley will try to destroy each other for the Filipino’s 147-pound crown.

That victory, which no one, except the Pacman himself and his team believe would happen, opened the door for what turned one of the most colorful career that saw the nation’s Pambansang Kamao hammered out a string of 13 wins, including one against De La Hoya himself whom he forced into retirement.
Not only that, he, likewise, made himself a congressman representing his wife Jinkee’s province of Sarangani in far south of the country.
Saturday’s date with Mosley will be Pacquiao’s first in this ‘Sin City’ and the MGM Grand, site of his many triumphs since 2009.
Both Pacquiao and Mosley vowed to prevail during the last press conference called for the bout, where the protagonists spoke nothing but admiration and respect for each other.
Pacquiao warned though that his rival is a dangerous opponent though there was no sign of fear in his appearance as he could not help chuckling and laughing when the two adversaries posed for photographers
"There has not been trash talk for this fight, and I am happy for that. It sets a good example for the children who idolize fighters. In my life, this is the best promotion I’d ever been involved in,” Pacquiao said in his statement before hundreds of media men from all over the world.

"I am looking forward to Saturday give a good fight for the fans. I am definitely not taking this fight lightly and I am not underestimating Shane Mosley. Mosley has good hand- and foot-speed and he moves like he is 31 or 32," he said by way of describing what he felts about his rival.

“All my life, I’ve had to fight. As a child I had to fight to eat. Now when I fight, the Filipinos call me a hero. I think the world needs more heroes. My biggest fight is not in boxing. My biggest fight is to end poverty in my country. I will be wearing yellow gloves into the ring on Saturday – as a symbol of unity in the fight against poverty,’’ he remarked betraying his sentiment about his countrymen’s plight.
And he'll do it wearing yellow gloves, because there are fights that are bigger than those taking place in the ring.
"All my life I've had to fight. As a child, I had to fight just to eat," Pacquiao said. "The biggest fight in my life is not in boxing. The biggest fight in my life is how to end poverty in my country."
The duo will wear a pair of yellow gloves to promote unity against poverty aren't just a symbolic gesture. Neither was getting elected to congress in the Philippines.Manny Pacquiao, right, arrives at a news conference, Wednesday, May 4, 2011, in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Shane Mosley on Saturday.

Pacquiao, who looked splendid in his suit, then walked over to the edge of the stage in the showroom at the MGM, leaned over and shook hands with Mosley's father, Jack, and several other friends and family members.

Mosley, not to be outdone, was all praises for his opponent, saying: “Pacquiao is a short welterweight, but he’s not a small welterweight. He’s very powerful. This is like a Mike Tyson fight – we’re heavyweights out there. I’m looking to go out there, take charge and beat Manny Pacquiao."

"I can muster all that energy that I had against Margarito. This type of fight reminds me of when I was able to do a lot of damage in the lightweight division. It’s kind of like going back in time" Mosley, a former three-division kingpin himself, said.
Commenting on his 8-1underdog status the title pretender said: "I don’t know, that’s what the odds makers are saying. That’s fine with me. The main goal is to get the win and then we can talk about being an underdog. I don’t pay attention to that – I’ve been an underdog in a lot of my fights.

SIDELIGHTS:
“Eye of the Tiger,” theme song of Rocky III film starring Sylvester Stallone will be heard when World Boxing Organization kingpin Manny Pacquiao climbs the ring when he stake his crown against “Sugar” Shane Mosley Saxturday at the MGM Grand here.
It was Pacquiao himself who chose the entrance Survivor’s 1982 single, which Stallone also selected after failing to get right to use Queen’s classic “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Mosley, on the other hand, will be going with LL Cool J's classic "Mama Said Knock You Out," according to boxing writer Michael Marley who wrote the tune is one of the great songs in hip-hop history.
Marley also reported that Rick Ross may not be part of Pacquiao's entourage as previously reported.
Manny Pacquiao’s kin looked to have been given their own grand welcome upon their arrival in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 3 (US time) to watch the Filipino superstar’s fight with Shane Mosley on May 7.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s estranged father Rosalio arrived here to watch his son’s title fight. Mang Rosalio, who left his wife Dionisia and his brood of six when Pacquiao was only six years-old, arrived with daughter Isidra and picked up by fleet of luxury vehicles that which included a Rolls Royce with designated chauffeurs that too them to their hotels”
This will be the first time sincer Pacquiao rose to international prominence that Mang Rosalio will be watching his son fight. He, along with Aleng Dionisia, now popularly called ‘Mommy D’ was also at ringside during Pacquaio’s fight with Miguel Cotto two years ago.

Mommy D, who had been egging Pacquiao to retire, opted though to be left behind in Manila. She was at ringside during Pacquiao’s 12-round demotion of Mexican Antonio Margarito November last year.
Reports said she is currently preparing for her grand birthday celebration on May 15 in General Ssantos City ion South Cotabato.

Mang Rosalio, who already has a family, arrived together with Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson, a close friend and avid supporter of the pound-for-pound king.

Reports also said that an open house at Pacquiao’s mansion in Binan, Laguna awaits his neighbors who would like to watch the fight

“Magpapakain kami. Nitong laban [na ito] mag-lechon kami,” a house helper, Analyn Candan, was reported to have said.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Manny Pacquiao Vs. Shane Mosley: Keys To The Fight, Part I

Speed. Almost no matter whom Pacquiao fights, he's going to win this category. Maybe if Floyd Mayweather mans up and faces Pacquiao some day, or if Pacquiao decides to get bold-bordering-on-crazy and moves up to middleweight to face division champion Sergio Martinez, he'll get a challenge. Until then, his hands are too quick, his feet are too quick and probably every other part of him is too quick for any opponent. The quick of his fingernails are probably quicker than everyone else's. It's one of a few standout qualities that make him the special fighter he is.

Mosley himself used to be quicker than everybody else he fought, but it's no longer the case. Going back to 2007, he was out-quicked by Miguel Cotto, who hadn't been known for his speed. Yet even this version of Mosley is still going to be arguably the fastest man Pacquiao has ever fought. Pacquiao fought Cotto recently, but that was a version of Cotto who very well might have been slower physically than he was against Mosley owing to some grueling, career-shortening battles in the interim. Mosley's definitely more nimble of foot than any version of Cotto. It's one thing to be faster than Mosley, but as Mayweather discovered, when you're not used to facing men who are pretty fast overall, it can be a shock. Even Mosley's diminished speed will be an asset here, then, even though he's going to be significantly slower than his opponent. Edge: Pacquiao

Size. For several years now, size has been one of the best hopes of Pacquiao's opponents. Since 2008, he's come into the ring the physically smaller man. Every indicator is that he is a natural junior welterweight, but he was presumed to be smaller than David Diaz in a move up to lightweight and likewise against Ricky Hatton in a move up to junior welterweight. Since moving up to welterweight, though, he has suffered a little for lack of size. He's been slightly less effective due to it, but because of some of his physical gifts and other assets -- speed, power, strength, style, etc. -- size rarely has been decisive in the way his opponents would have liked. You might think you can box him from the outside with a size advantage, but everything about Pacquiao has thus far made that a losing proposition.

Mosley has some of this "size" stuff. Once about as overpowering a lightweight as you'll ever see, he is a full-fledged welterweight who's quite big for the division. He can fight effectively at junior middleweight, although it's not ideal for him. At 5'9" and with a 74" reach, he'll have three inches in height and seven inches in reach on Pacquiao. And it's not just that: Mosley is strong as an ox at welter, as he showed by bullying the seemingly bigger Antonio Margarito in 2009. If Mosley decides to try and implement the same hit-and-hold strategy against Pacquiao that he did against Margarito, this size could come in handy. Edge: Mosley

Power. This one's interesting. In some ways, it's a toss-up. Mosley has flashed one-punch power in spells, such as with his sudden out-of-nowhere 12th round knockout of Ricardo Mayorga in 2008, with his beatdown of a man in Margarito whose primary skill is getting hit and not going down, and against Mayweather in the 2nd round of their fight last year. If Mosley catches you flush, you might not wake up anytime soon.

At welterweight and above, Pacquiao's one-punch power has been a bit less vaunted. He flashed it against Cotto, but his wins over Joshua Clottey and Margarito in 2010 were more prolonged beatings. Maybe he would have knocked out Cotto earlier if he hadn't decided to avoid contact after tasting Pacquiao's power; maybe he would have knocked out Clottey if he had engaged one whit; maybe he would have stopped Margarito with a more compassionate referee; but he didn't obliterate those men the way he did Diaz and Hatton. A key difference between Pacquiao and Mosley is that, in recent fights, Mosley's power exists only in the early rounds. Pacquiao's is around the whole fight. It's a close call, but I'd rather be a guy with really good power all fight long than a guy with really excellent power for only brief spells. Edge: Pacquiao

Chin. These are two men who can take a shot. Oh, they might get wobbled or beat up, but these weebles don't stay down. Long ago, that wasn't the case for Pacquiao. He was stopped twice and last in 1999, but it has zero relevance to today: He was struggling with weight then, and for several years now has been taking shots from bigger men without so much as staggering. A body shot from Margarito hurt him, but prior to that you have to go back to early 2008 to find any occasion in which he was in any trouble. His face has looked like he's gotten his ass kicked in his last three, however -- until you look at the other guy. It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to Mosley's power early, since Pacquiao hasn't faced anyone with Mosley's kind of one-punch power perhaps ever.

Mosley also hasn't been staggered in a while, a longer while than Pacquiao in fact. He got dropped by Vernon Forrest back in 2002, but has always shown a knack for withstanding power punches, maybe too many of them, if you listen to his voice slur here and there. One point of concern here for Mosley is that, against Mayweather, he began shying away from contact late in the bout. Maybe he didn't get staggered, but he clearly was feeling what Mayweather was dishing out. Mayweather hits harder than he's given credit for, but if you gave me a choice of being hit by Mayweather or Pacquiao, I'd take Mayweather. On the balance, both men have shown some dings, but they even out. Edge: Even

Condition. This is kind of a merged category of a boxer's ring wear, age, stamina and related factors. And things don't stack up great here for Mosley. At 39, he's looked his age in his last two fights. Prior to the Mayweather fight, I'd never seen him huffing and puffing. From the 3rd round of their fight on, it's pretty much all he's done, including almost the entire bout against Shane Mosley. He'll tell you it's related to having to chase opponents who thrive on movement, but I don't remember him huffing and puffing at any time prior against boxer-movers. And while his chin has held up, you get the sense it could give at any time, when you consider all the punishment he's taken over the years. As I mentioned earlier this week, Mosley has at times looked old and done before turning in a vintage performance, but that's not the ideal situation.

Pacquiao is 32 and by all measures still in his peak physically. He also has taken a ton of punishment in the ring, but he has not shown himself to be any worse for the wear because of it. Trainer Freddie Roach, who errs on the side of caution with his fighters due to his own ring career leading to his current Parkinson's, said Pacquiao has shown no signs of slowing down. And Pacquiao's stamina is one of the freakiest elements of his game that still is serially underestimated as a vital component of what makes him what he is. This is the clearest category advantage for Pacquiao in the fight, hands down. Edge: Pacquiao

Source: queensberry-rules.com

Exclusive: Watch the Pacquiao vs. Mosley Final Presser!

Watch exclusive video coverage of the final press conference for the May 7 mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley that took place earlier this afternoon at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas!



Source: fightfan.com

5 reasons Mosley will beat Pacquiao

LAS VEGAS -- Epic is the best way to describe this Saturday's welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) and Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs). As surprising or predictable as the result may be, it is quite unlikely for us to see anything new from these two all-time greats.



Their styles are battle-tested, their strengths and weaknesses are well known, and they have accomplished enough to open their own private Hall of Fames out of the garages of their mansions. With rare exceptions, the fights that they may make after this one will be done, regardless of the outcome of this fight and without it being a determining factor in the ensuing negotiations. This is one of those rare fights in which the worst-case scenario is a fight well above the current average, and in the best possible case it will be an epic and historic performance.

There are several ways this fight can play out. Here are five potential reasons Mosley could win:

Size does matter

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Mosley was one of the most dominant lightweight champs in recent memory, and his great physique has carried him up to welterweight and beyond without losing steam, speed, mobility or ability to absorb punishment. Regardless of how much he has grown, Pacquiao is a fighter who has seen his best years at and around featherweight, and he is simply stretching himself too thin (or too heavy, in this case) in his search for opponents worthy of his skills and his box-office appeal. If Mosley is able to impose his longer reach and larger frame, he will have an additional advantage to go with his agility and world-class boxing skills.

Mosley never quits

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He was counted out too many times, as recently (and as wrongly) as in the days prior to his annihilation of Antonio Margarito in his prime. He was handed a one-way ticket to retirement on several occasions, and the fat lady was summoned ringside for the long-awaited curtain call once too many. But the truth is that Mosley fights on as if his career was in its best days, with total disregard for his critics. The recent news that Pacquiao is already planning his next fight (a proposed fight in the fall against Juan Manuel Marquez) could faze anyone else, but Mosley never takes notice of such signs of disrespect toward his chances. Anybody else would have settled for a clear and less risky decision victory against Margarito or Ricardo Mayorga, but Mosley laid it all on the line as if he was the one with something to prove. If he can maintain his intensity against the whirlwind of unpredictable activity that is Pacquiao, he will probably be able to surprise the Filipino great toward the end of a stressful and difficult fight.

The future is today

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In spite of what we have said earlier, and as laudable as is Mosley's approach toward boxing's adversities, the truth is that a well prepared and trim 39-year-old body is still a 39-year-old body. As the division he fights in gets crowded with younger, faster and tougher contenders, with each fight Mosley gives up energy and youth he will never possess again. Because of his attractive style and his complete devotion to the sport, he has been able to fight the most outstanding fighters of his time. But those opportunities grow more scarce, and his current situation cannot tolerate one more defeat. This fight represents his last chance to achieve the type of economic and professional reward that he deserves, and if he makes good use of this chance he may reach an even greater level of respect from the boxing world.

His legacy could use a more solid foundation

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One year ago, Mosley was decisively winning the second round of a 12-round fight against boxing's pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Since then, he has fought 22 more rounds that could easily be considered between mediocre and acceptable, preceded by two brilliant performances against Margarito and Mayorga. In sum, Mosley is 2-2-1 in his last five outings. If he wants to leave behind a legacy worthy of his talent, Mosley know he has to weather everything Pacquiao offers him and up the ante on every minute of every round, with the minimum goal of an honorable defeat in mind, and with the ultimate goal of pulling the upset and looking dominant in the process.

This is his last shot at true greatness

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In this fight, Mosley will manage the rare feat of being one of the very few fighters to face one of the world's best fighters twice in a 12-month span. Last May 1, Mosley faced Mayweather, who was then perceived as boxing's pound-for-pound king. It ended in an honorable but clear defeat for Mosley. Mayweather has not fought since that day. Pacquiao (perceived by many as the second-best in that mythical list during those days, or even a step higher) has now moved to the top spot. In spite of being defeated against a younger and faster fighter that night, Mosley showed flashes of his former self (especially in the fateful second round, in which he had Mayweather on the brink of a knockdown, or perhaps something worse). We do not exaggerate if we say Mosley had the tools to put on a much better performance that night. He still has another chance. In spite of being the underdog, he has the tools to pull off the upset that could bring him back to the top -- and on to true, everlasting greatness.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Mosley leaves Pacquiao as damaged goods for Mayweather, Prince says

LAS VEGAS—He wasn't involved in the recent Royal Wedding but Sugar Shane Mosley's adviser, first name James, is most certainly a Prince.

That's his surname.

A 46 year old rap music mogul from the hardscrabble Fifth Ward of Houston, Prince built a hugely successful label known as Rap A Lot with stars such as Bushwick Bill. In boxing, he has been mainly known as the former adviser for Floyd Mayweather Jr., back when Mayweather was under the promotional aegis of Bob Arum.

These days, Prince had his hands full working with Mosley, ex-light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, super middleweight king Andre Ward and carefully revamping the gone wrong career of onetime hot prospect and Olympic silver medalist Ricardo Williams.

In a transparent attempt to be sly, I suggest that both Mosley and Prince will be beneficiaries Saturday night in the fight against Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao because Prince's former charge, Mayweather, has remained inactive and shown little interest in negotiating a super bout against the hard-hitting Pacman.

Prince smiled and then said, “I guess so...Most definitely, it is a situation that I saw coming and I then went to Shane and then to Bob. We took advanatge of the opportunity.”

I then asked the Texan if he thinks Mayweather-Pacquuiao will eventually be made.

“It can be but, by then, Pacquiao will be damaged goods for Mayweather after Shane beats him up.”

Prince, who launched Rap A Lot back in 1986, said that, when he runs into Mayweather now, “there is a lot of love in the air” and that hard feelings between them had never involved their personal dealings.

(There is a well known boxing anecdote about Prince sending some husky men with baseball bats to collect a debt owed to him by Mayweather years ago but I won't go there in this column. Let's leave it at this, the goons were swinging for the fences and they collected the debt quickly.)

“My beef with Floyd wasn't personal to him, it was other people around him,” Prince said. “There is no problem between us. When Floyd and I meet and we talk, there is a mutual respect between us.”

Prince said that Mayweather's one year layoff will not hinder him when he fights again.

“The guy is an exceptional boxer,” Prince said. “You're not talking about an average fighter at his age sitting out a year. Floyd does that and Floyd can come back without missing a beat.”

So I turned my question a bit, asking if Prince thought Mayweather should sharpen his focus on boxing and not spend time, attention and money on his own music company, on a boxing promotional outfit and his budding interest with buddy and rap superstar Fifty Cent in movies and other projects.

“I think Floyd should do what makes him happy, not what makes other people happy.”

We revisited the “damaged goods” remark and Prince said he really sees the 39 year old Mosley as scoring one of the biggest ring upsets in recent memory.

“I feel good because of the (training) camp we had in Big Bear and the spirits are good.”

I asked the sometimes controversial Prince if there were comparisons between the rough and tumble world of boxing and the machinations so often seen in the fight game.

“Boxing is more unregulated than rap music,” Prince said. “But, in boxing and in rap, you're dealing with the same mentality (of musicians and boxers).”

It would seem natural for the peripatetic Prince to shift from his advisory role and becoming a promoter.

“I feel like I'm in college to become a promoter,” Prince said. “What year am I in? Let's say that I am now a senior.”

Sounds like this Fresh Prince is getting to graduate.

It might accelerate his career change if Mosley can, indeed, shock Pacquiao.

Source: Examiner.com

PHOTO: PACQUIAO, MOSLEY FINAL PRESSCON

May 4, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada -- Superstar Manny Pacquiao and "Sugar" Shane Mosley pose during the final press conference at the MGM Grand for their upcoming World Welterweight mega fight on Saturday, May 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao vs Mosley is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions, Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions,Tecate and MGM Grand. The Pacquiao vs Mosley telecast will be available live on SHOWTIME Pay Per View. -- Photo Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Shane Mosley: “Even Filipinos want me to knock out Manny Pacquiao”

The MGM Grand hotel lobby was alive as the week opened for Mosley v Pacquiao, a comic poster portraying the two men like latter-day superheroes. There is more than a hint of a Bruce Lee look about Manny Pacquiao in the fight billboard. Hair basic cut, parted at the front, chin down, brow lowered, eyes forward. Mosley’s depiction holds your gaze, almost with a sneer. In real life, the real Mosley smiles every five seconds.

This contest was not greeted to universal acclaim by boxing fans when it was first announced, but as the weeks have gone by, so it has gathered momentum. It is now a full-on superfight.

The throng for the Grand Arrival is often a litmus test for the size and momentum of a super-fight. This was as busy as I have ever seen it, and that includes the Hatton hordes, wild and woolly, who came in for his defeats here to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Most of the support is here for the fighting phenomenon from The Philippines, Congressman Manny Pacquiao. Yet ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley has some support himself. He remains, after all, a nailed-down future American Hall of Famer, and three-weight world champion.

Along with Floyd Mayweather (inactive now in the rankings), and Bernard Hopkins, Mosley forms a triumvirate of American boxing legends. It is a long drop beneath the trio to find fighters as well-known or revered, who are active in the United States. Mosley has always been a fan favourite. And globally, at that. He has a grin like a cat who got the milk, and a gentle, suave manner. He is one of boxing few modern gentlemen, who genuinely does his talking inside the ropes, and not outside them. What he says outside, is careful, and considered.

Indeed, as a man’s bearing goes, the two fighters in this weekend’s super-fight at the MGM Grand are not dissimilar. It is Good Guy v Good Guy. Pure boxers. Both God-fearing men, and proud of it.

As a result, there are even Filipinos rooting for Mosley. Unthinkable for many from those islands, but according to Mosley, he has had messages of support from pinoys.

“There’s a lot of fans that are going for me, too, and are rooting for me,” he said with bemusement. “Fans from all around the world, even some Filipino fans, and that’s shocking.” Up close, Mosley spoke with five newsmen yesterday in a private session. Sitting close to him, he came across as mentally at peace. He loves the underdog status, as it has brought the best out of him before when he was perceived as such against Oscar de la Hoya and Antonio Margarito. At his best, Mosley paints pictures with his footwork and fists, truly an artist.

Nor will Mosley underestimate Pacquiao, who is often described as a small welterweight. “I think the misperception is that Manny Pacquiao is a little guy,” Mosley said. “In actuality, he fights at welterweight, he makes his weight and he carries all his weight in his legs. I believe at this point he’s a full-fledged welterweight. He’s done things to build himself up into a welterweight.”

Nor does his trainer, Naazim Richardson, buy the theory. “He’s a full-fledged welterweight. Calling him a small welterweight is like calling David Tua or Mike Tyson a small heavyweight. They’re confusing being small with being short. A fire hydrant is short, but it’s strong as hell. Manny has almost bamboozled the world with this. ‘He’s only 2 inches tall and weighs 32 ounces.’ He says it to you a million times: ‘He’s bigger than me, he’s bigger than me,’ and everyone starts to bite on it.”

When asked what weaknesses Pacquiao may have, Mosley takes some time to answer. “You always see advantages you can have over another fighter. One of my main advantages is my experience, knowing I’ve faced a lot of different styles in my career. I know how to mix my shots up and get the job done. I don’t think he’s been in the ring with guys like that.” On Saturday night, we’ll find out.

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Pacquiao and Mosley Select Entrance Themes for Saturday Fight

Michael Marley of the Examiner reports that theme songs have been chosen for the entrances of Manny Pacquiao and "Sugar" Shane Mosley this Saturday.

Mosley will be going with LL Cool J's classic "Mama Said Knock You Out." If you don't know this song, I don't know what to tell you, but we'll put the tune in after the jump anyway. It's a classic boxing anthem at this point and one of the great songs in hip-hop history, easily in my view the high point of LL's rather overrated career. (I just don't dig the guy the way some people do, even his early stuff.)

Pacquiao will counter with a live -- yes, seriously -- version of another well-worn boxing standard, Survivor's 1982 single and Rocky III theme "Eye of the Tiger." Some of you may not know that the song was commissioned by Sylvester Stallone personally when he failed to get the rights to use Queen's classic "Another One Bites the Dust." Doesn't that seem to be a really wimpy song in retrospect? Can you imagine Rocky III without "Eye of the Tiger"?

Marley also says that Rick Ross may not be part of Pacquiao's entourage as previously reported, in case anyone's still interested in that.


Source: badlefthook.com

Mosley understands his role against Manny Pacquiao, but says he comes to fight

LAS VEGAS — Shane Mosley knew what was coming from the minute he signed to fight Manny Pacquiao. He’s been in enough big fights to understand his role in this one.

What Mosley believes boxing fans don’t understand is he’s got a real shot to pull off an upset over the best boxer in the world.

“It’s going to get very interesting, very quick,” Mosley said.

Oddsmakers in this gambling town don’t agree, making Pacquiao a 6-1 favorite to beat Mosley when they meet Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel. But Pacquiao himself says Mosley may prove to be his most difficult fight since he became a superstar by beating Oscar De La Hoya.

“He’s not an easy opponent,” Pacquiao said at Wednesday’s final pre-fight press conference. “He’s the kind of fighter you can’t underestimate.”

Pacquiao said he has not done that, training eight hard weeks to get into the kind of shape his adoring public has come to expect. He’s expecting the Mosley of his prime, not the fighter who looked very ordinary in a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, followed by a draw with Sergio Mora.

“He moves like he’s 31, 32 years old,” Pacquiao said. “He has hand speed, and he has foot speed.”

Many in boxing think otherwise. They see the 39-year-old Mosley as a shell of the fighter who beat De La Hoya twice and has held titles in three different weight classes.

Mosley rocked Mayweather early only to fade as the rounds went on. He looked old and tired against Mora.

But styles do make fights, and Mosley believes he has the speed and punching power to trade punches with a fighter who likes nothing better than a good brawl in the ring.

That could make for an interesting fight — even if it’s not the fight against Mayweather most boxing fans want to see.

“It’s an opportunity to show people I’m not washed up,” Mosley said. “My legs are good, they’re strong and ready to go. You don’t lose your power. They say you lose your speed, but I haven’t lost my speed either.”

Mosley will earn a minimum $5 million to take on Pacquiao, the boxer-congressman-singer who has become a worldwide phenomenon. He may earn every penny of it if Pacquiao looks like he did in dismantling Antonio Margarito in his last fight in November.

The only knock on Pacquiao — who is guaranteed $20 million — is that he spends too much time doing things that have nothing to do with boxing. That includes an Oval Office meeting with President Barack Obama when Pacquiao was in the United States in February to begin promoting the Mosley fight.

But he’s proven he can manage them well, whether it’s his duties as a congressman or recording his latest music CD.

Pacquiao combined some of those duties at the press conference, with an announcement that he will wear yellow gloves in the ring as a message of hope in fighting hunger in his native Philippines. He also called out songwriter Dan Hill in the audience, whom he teamed up with to recently record and release Hill’s song “Sometimes When We Touch.”

But boxing is his main job, and Pacquiao gave every indication he plans to put on a show in an arena that has been sold out for five weeks. It’s the same arena where he made his U.S. debut 10 years ago as an undercard fighter who took a bout on two weeks’ notice and still won.

“It’s nice to be back here,” said Pacquiao, whose last two fights were at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. “This is an important fight for me and millions of my fans.”

Source: washingtonpost.com

PACQUIAO-MOSLEY IS PACQUIAO'S BIGGEST FIGHT

LAS VEGAS – The Pacquiao vs Sugar Share Mosley fight this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena is not only the biggest fight of the year so far but is also Pacquiao's biggest fight in terms of ticket sales and media coverage, this according to Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels.

“They're all cleaned up,” Samuels, resting at the MGM media center after the jampacked Pacquiao and Mosley grand entrance, told PhilBoxing referring to the tickets for the fight which was already almost sold out during the first three hours when the ticket sales opened last February. “All the seats of the arena are taken,” Samuels said. Aside from the the arena tickets, close circuit tickets are also on sale in hotels around Las Vegas and are selling like hot cakes.

Over at Team Pacquiao, they're in a quandary on how to accommodate all the ticket requests from Pacquiao's ever growing circle of friends and supporters. Many of Pacquiao's loyal Los Angeles-based well-wishers who never missed a Pacquiao fight were deprived of tickets for the fight this time around. Politicians and celebrities who had calendared a May 7 Las Vegas holiday to see the fight and who depended on Pacquiao for tickets may end up canceling their trips or viewing the fight on close circuit while in Las Vegas.

“There are 1,600 people on the list who will be given tickets [for free or otherwise] but we have only 1,000 tickets on hand,” a Pacquiao insider revealed. Normally, Top Rank, the promoter of this fight, will have plenty to spare at crunch time. But this time around even Top Rank has nothing left. I asked Top Rank's Ricardo Jimenez if he has one ticket to spare because a friend of mine had asked to buy one. “Oh, forget it,” was Jimenez quick response who in the past was able to accommodate our requests.

“This is also the biggest media coverage ever for a Pacquiao fight,” Samuels continued. “All the big media guys are here, even those those who don't usually cover boxing are here. We're having a hard time accommodating everyone. We have to reject more than 200 credential applications because there is no more space to accommodate them in the arena. This is even bigger than Pacquiao-De la Hoya fight.”

The promotional success of the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, who had been criticized by many boxing writers from its inception, could be attributed to several factors including introducing Pacquiao's success story into a new audience via CBS TV network, Paquiao's return to Las Vegas after a one and a half year absence where a weekend holiday to the sin city was a sought after affair during a Pacquiao event and Pacquiao's growing number of Mexican fans who want to spend their Cinco de Mayo holidays in Las Vegas. The Vazquez-Arce tussle and a Kelly Pavlik return on the undercard also helped.

The effect of all these factors to the success of the pay-per-view numbers to this event remains to be seen however and is the only the unknown variable in the equation coming to this Saturday's fight. Bob Arum is aiming for a record pay-per-view numbers for Pacquiao this time courtesy of CBS's over a hundred million subscribers. Pacquiao had logged more than a million PPV buys in three of his last four fights. The highest pay-per-view on record was the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight in 2007 at 2.4 million buys.

Asked if the Pacquiao-Mosley pay-per-view will also be successful, Samuels simply said: “I don't know.”

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Mosley still needs to lose weight for Pacquiao fight

LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Pacquiao's opponent "Sugar" Shane Mosley arrived at the MGM Hotel and Casino aboard his own decorated bus.

Mosley said it is indeed an electrifying fight week for both fighters. On Saturday night (Sunday in Manila), he will know if he is up to challenge the 8 world division champion Manny Pacquiao.

“I work very hard, I'm sure Manny worked hard and I'm expecting to have a great fight," he said.

Mosley admitted that he still needs to shed a few pounds before the weigh-in on Friday and meet the required weight for the welterweight division.

“My weight is good right now, I'm around the weight. I just need to cut a couple of pounds, but I'm good, and I'll be good for the weigh-in on Friday," he said.

Meanwhile, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum confirmed that Hollywood and sports superstars and notable personalities, are expected to be in attendance to watch the Pacquiao-Mosley live at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“You cannot believe the number of people coming from Hollywood, the number of big business tycoons who will be in. It will be a star-studded audience," Arum said.

It has been two years since Las Vegas played host to a Pacquiao fight, and with Manny’s fight against Shane Mosley on Saturday night, Las Vegas is expected to be filled with another exciting event that will leave an impression in the world of boxing.

Source: ABS-CBNNews.com

Pacquiao – Mosley: The Prediction

It’s clear Pacquiao owns the more significant categories. Mosley may have a slight edge in ring generalship, but it may not be enough to offset Pacquiao’s overall dominance.

Keys to Victory: PACQUIAO

Freddie Roach’s gameplan is simple, avoid Shane Mosley at all costs and stave off the early onslaught. Team Pacquiao believes, and for good reason, that Mosley will go all out in the opening rounds in trying to score an upset. Then when the time is right, pick Mosley apart with angles and combination punching to possibly score a knockout in the middle to late rounds. Pacquiao must keep the fight at the center of the ring and avoid being caught on the ropes, Mosley is a different type of power puncher and has better knockout power compared to Margarito or Cotto.

Keys to Victory: MOSLEY

I feel sorry for Mosley, he’s a living legend, an ambassador of the sport that we all love so much yet he is counted out so quickly against the Filipino. Aside from the ‘punchers chance’ everyone says he has, Mosley has a much more logical chance of trying to win the fight on points. If he employs a good powerful jab to time Pacquiao whenever he tries to launch an attack, he can frustrate Pacquiao and throw him off his rhythm. Mosley then must use his intelligence and cutoff the ring and try to corner Pacquiao to do some real damage. Both Margarito and Cotto were able to have some success with this and there’s no reason why Shane can’t do the same. If he wins enough rounds just fighting smart, he may be able to keep the fight close and leave it up to the judges. He has a better chance of winning by decision than by knockout.

THE PREDICTION:

This fight, when it was conceived, was frowned upon as a complete mismatch. And frankly, nothing has changed since then. At this point in their respective careers, Pacquiao will simply be too much for Mosley. Pacquiao is faster, stronger and more durable than Mosley at this stage. It’s a mountain that is too steep for Mosley to climb – however, one punch can turn that mountain into a hill.

If everything moves logically, then expect Pacquiao to score a late round TKO or cruise to a Unanimous Decision. Judging by Pacquiao’s last few fights: He went the full twelve with Miguel Cotto (although there was a stoppage); He was never able to seriously hurt Clottey; and Margarito was able to hear the final bell – all points to Pacquiao not being able to have that ‘one-punch’ knockout power that he once had specially in the Welterweight division where fighters are big enough to take his shots. However, speed kills and that’s exactly what he’s used to beat the sport’s elite, even at 147 lbs. Mosley will be a step too slow especially late in the fight. He won’t have the speed or the stamina to thwart Pacquiao’s attacks which get stronger and busier as the fight progresses. Pacquiao will use volume punching to batter and bruise Mosley en route to a late round stoppage (barring the upset of course which has been the story of 2011).

Source: fightcardboxing.net

Arum: Golden Boy, Mayweathers impinged on Pacquiao endorsements

Those who have known him for a long time probably refrain from mentioning elephants around liberal Democrat and onetime Robert F. Kennedy regime Assistant United States Attorney, Bob Arum.

Arum doesn’t party with the pachyderms but he’s been a solid supporter for Democrats such as Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But Arum is elephantine in one way. Like the circus animals, Arum never forgets.

In light of Manny Pacquiao’s mainstream commercial deals, including brand new ones with Hewlett-Packard for their tablet computers and the State Street Produce Company, a purveyor of fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico to American restaurants, Arum remarked about why he’s still angry at promotional rival, Golden Boy.

“That is why,” Arum said, “I will never forgive Golden Boy. This kid with the big smile is getting good, clean endorsement deals. One reason, besides the smile, is he is noncontroversial.

“I can never forgive Golden Boy or the Mayweathers for starting those false rumors about the kid using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). I mean, the kid had never even heard of them before that, coming where he came from.

“Who knows how many deals and endorsements Manny could’ve gotten sooner than this. The answer is some advertisers might have been scared off.

“The answer is we’ll never know.”

Pacquiao sued Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy and the Mayweathers over those public remarks about the Piny Idol using illegal drugs to fuel his sensational peformances. The lawsuit is pending.

Source: Examiner.com

Mosley has a shot so don't count him out

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to make a prediction, it wouldn't be a hard one to make. I predict that Manny Pacquiao will defeat Shane Mosley. With that said, is it possible that Shane Mosley will shock the world and defeat Manny Pacquiao? Sure it is. Why not? Crazier things have happened in sports, no?

Maybe Mosley's last two fights were just bad style match-ups. After all, one of those opponents did happen to be Floyd Mayweather Jr. Last I heard, Floyd was a pretty damn good fighter. Perhaps Mosley has a lot more fuel in the tank than folks are thinking. If so, this fight may just be closer than what most are thinking.

Check out a Podcast with Manny Pacquiao HERE

Shane has shown signs of gassing out in fights as of late. I know this much, if he gasses out against Manny Pacquiao it's going to be a really bad night for him. Manny will not get tired, this much I know. The guy can fight 20 round fights if he wants to. Mosley will have to show up in the best fight shape of his life, and be prepared to go the full 12.

Mosley as most of you know did manage to hurt Floyd Mayweather. It was in the 2nd round when Mosley lit up Floyd with a nasty right hand. If Mosley is able to land the same kind of punch on Pacquiao, it's going to be interesting to see how he handles that. Can Mosley time a punch and catch Manny coming inside? Yes indeed he can. Will he? That's a bigger question.

Everybody knows how good Freddie Roach is at creating game-plans. Everybody knows how good Manny Pacquiao is at executing the game-plan. They will be ready for what Mosley brings into the ring, but with that said, Mosley has power. Pacquiao's defense is not exactly something to write home about. There is a remote possibility that Mosley can pull this off.

Mississippians chimed in with their thoughts over the weekend. I attended the Mississippi Braves AA baseball game (Farm team for the Atlanta Braves) and got some of the fans thoughts on the big May 7th fight. I spoke with Jimmy Cotton, an old school throwback boxing fan. Jimmy believes that Mosley has a shot as well, "Look man, Manny Pacquiao ain't got no defense. He can get hit fairly easily and Mosley intends on doing a lot of hitting. Mosley can do this, he can win."

May 7th is just a few days away. Pacquiao will either put another notch in his belt and chalk up yet one more win, or Mosley will make headlines as defeating one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Source: Examiner.com

Mosley ready for anything

Fightnews spoke Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) trainer Nazim Richardson prior to his departure for Las Vegas, Nevada along with the rest of team Mosley. Mosley will fight Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) this Saturday May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Richardson said he wouldn’t be suprised at all if Pacquiao was looking to outbox Mosley instead of seeking out a slugfest. Should that be the case Richardson says he has Mosley well prepared.

“People should not automatically think that Pacquiao will just come straight at Shane and go toe to toe,” said Richardson. “Honestly I can see Pacquiao using a lot of movement against Shane and I have a gameplan in place for that should he do so. A lot of people don’t understand how hard of a puncher Shane Mosley is. So much so that he changes opponents original strategies once he hits them clean. A prime example was the Mosley-Miguel Cotto fight. Cotto started out aggressive but once he was hit solid he switched to boxing. It would really be impressive if Shane was able to beat Pacquiao by decision. Pacquiao because of his aggressive nature leaves openings where a knockout could present itself but to beat him by decision means you would have to control him for the better part of 12 rounds.”

Source: fightnews.com

Images from L.A.: Manny Pacquiao on his way to Las Vegas for Mosley super fight

Moments ago I spoke with Mitch Carter, the personal bus driver for Manny Pacquiao and countless other Top Rank stars, as he was posted up at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles to check out Manny Pacquiao's final training session inside of the facility. Mitch informed me that he was mere moments away from gathering Pacquiao and his crew and heading out to Las Vegas so that the Filipino champion can settle into the area as his date with Shane Mosley this Saturday inches closer.

On this Monday Pacquiao could be found finishing up the final workout inside of the Wild Card for his fight with Mosley, which is looked at as the biggest event of the year thus far. He spent the past few days inside of a Nike Vault Store in downtown Los Angeles and releasing his new cologne 'MP8 - Scent of a Champion' at a nearby Ron Robinson/Fred Segal store off of Melrose.

By all reports Pacquiao has had a sterling camp thus far, although strength and conditioning expert Alex Ariza showed his concern a few weeks back when I talked to him about Manny's progress, stating that maybe his charge was in danger of peaking too soon. For this bout Pacquiao has been sparring the likes of Shawn Porter, Karim Mayfield, David Rodela, and Raymundo Beltran.

In an interesting note, Beltran will be seeing action near the Vegas area on May 13th when he faces off with Uganda's Sharif 'The Lion' Bogere in Primm, Nevada.

Source: Examiner.com

Sparring mate rooting for Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – A sparring mate of Manny Pacquiao is confident the boxing superstar will prevail over foe “Sugar” Shane Mosley in their match this weekend.

When Shawn Porter was asked on how Pacquiao will edge out Mosley in their welterweight match on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), the trainer just told ABS-CBN News: “I don’t make predictions but you know who I’m rooting for. God bless him and wishing him the best.”

Pacquiao has geared up to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Mosley, Porter said.

He added that the Fighter of the Decade has been training intensely at the Wild Card Gym in California to prepare against the poised Mosley.

“(We’re) just really pushing each other, trying to keeping the excitement up, keeping the intensity up, keeping the energy up. Just trying to make it fun in there,” Porter said.

“I would say right now, right there, if not above where I last trained with him. He's ready for the fight,” he added.

Pacquiao is expected to arrive in Las Vegas, Nevada Monday (Tuesday in Manila). He will take on Mosley at the MGM Grand Arena, located in the city.

Pacquiao reiterated that he is not looking down on the veteran Mosley as an opponent.

“Ngayon talagang 'yung sakripisyo natin matindi. ‘Di ko ina-underestimate si Mosley. ‘Di dapat magkaroon ng kumpiyansa,” he said.

(I’ve really sacrificed a lot for this fight. I am not underestimating Mosley. I am not being overconfident for this match.)

Source: ABS-CBNnews.com