Hi 22C° Low 8C° | 
Pendock Uncorked
8 hours, 46 minutes ago
The Wheel Deal
1 day, 5 hours ago
GabiVille
6 days, 9 hours ago
The Wanderer
1 week, 1 day agoView all Times LIVE Blogs
Manny Pacquiao is the greatest boxer of all time, says promoter Bob Arum, who has worked with legends like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Muhammad Ali.
Arum, who has also worked with Floyd Mayweather, believes that Pacquiao dominates with both fists in a way nobody else has.
Imagine if, just before the 2010 soccer World Cup final, Spain and Holland decided not to play.
Can you even think of a scenario in which the two teams simply walk away, each claiming bragging rights as world champs without actually settling the matter on the pitch?
The idea seems too ludicrous to comprehend, but that is exactly the situation facing boxing if Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather fail to slug it out.
Manny Pacquiao was simply fantastic the way he demolished Antonio Margarito on Saturday. (CLICK HERETO READ THE REPORTS)
Not only did he dominate the Mexican, but he also took his shots.
But now it’s time for Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather to oblige the boxing world – Pacman versus Pretty Boy.
I have my doubts the fight will come off, but that is surely the only bout that boxing fans truly want to see. David Haye against the Klitschko’s?
Not really. It’s all happening at welterweight.
Come on, Mayweather. Come on, Pacquiao. Forget about the contractual details over doping tests – do your jobs and fight!
Good news for Manny Pacquiao fans – the Filipino fighter has checked out of hospital saying he’s fine.
Let’s hope so.
Now all he needs to do is agree to a fight with Floyd Mayweather.
Manny Pacquiao has been hospitalised because of a “mild ulcer”.
Every boxing fan will hope it’s not serious, but there are likely to be questions about the cause.
Is it stress-related as a result of his new political career? Or over negotiations for a possible fight against Floyd Mayweather?
The irony is, according to a book on trivia I read recently, ulcers aren’t caused by stress, but by a bacteria (I’m not a doctor, so don’t quote me).
Whatever the reason, hopefully it’s not going to be a factor should he finally agree to a fight against Pretty Boy.
At last, a welterweight fight to look forward to.
Sugar Shane Mosley will face Floyd Mayweather jnr on May 1 in a bout that will surely attract more world attention (outside the Philippines, that is) than Manny Pacquiao versus Joshua Clottey on March 13.
Mosley-Mayweather has been talked about for a long while and it’s about time it got signed.
But I do wonder about the drug-testing requirements. Did Mayweather again insist on following the Wada rules, or not?
It’s an intriguing match-up although I reckon Mayweather has the edge (having said that, I’m not writing Mosley off). I don’t expect it to be an all-action thriller, but it’ll be scientific, perhaps like watching Stephen Hawking against Albert Einstein, if you know what I mean.
The mediator in the failed arbitration for the proposed bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather jnr has issued a statement in reaction to incorrect reports about the mediation. According to Golden Boy Promotions, these were made by the Pacquiao camp.
Anyway, here is the statement by retired judge Daniel Weinstein:
“1. Various articles have appeared in the press purporting to characterize the substance and outcome of the Mayweather-Pacquiao mediation and the negotiations between the parties. Many of the reports are incorrect.
“2. The mediation was a confidential proceeding. Any comments to the press or public by participants in the mediation purporting to report the substance or details of the mediation are violations of the strict confidentiality to which the parties and their representatives agreed and which they authorized the Mediator to enforce.
“3. The parties and their representatives authorized that, if misinformation was disclosed to the press by either side, the Mediator would correct any erroneous information.
“The Mediator corrects the erroneous reports to the press as follows:
“a. Both parties participated in the mediation in good faith. Both parties participated in many hours of negotiation, with a number of proposals issued by each side and carefully considered by the parties and their representatives.
“b. The Mediator himself did not formulate, recommend or issue a Mediator’s Proposal. The Mediator did not make an evaluation or finding that any one of the many proposals considered by the parties was the correct protocol.
“c. Any attempt to characterize the mediation process as an acceptance or rejection by any of the parties of a mediator’s or an arbiter’s proposal or of any specific proposal is false.
“d. In the end, the parties could not agree on a testing protocol acceptable to all.”
So the Manny Pacquiao v Floyd Mayweather jnr bout is off.
The stumbling block has been Mayweather’s insistence to adhere to the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s methods of testing. Usada is one of many national anti-doping agencies who are members of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), who lead the fight against drugs in sport.
Wada requires that athletes submit urine and blood samples before and after their events – and the tests can be conducted randomly. The blood can reveal use of certain performance-enhancing drugs not detectable in urine samples. Furthermore, blood samples allow for testers to create what they call a biological passport for all athletes, thereby allowing them to detect illegal drug use with more ease.
The blood samples and also be stored for several years and retested with new methods in the future, which could allow them to find a substance that may be currently undetectable.
Every Olympic athlete must give their consent to submit both urine and blood samples if they want to compete at the Games (as well as many other international and national events). The 15 athletes who represented the Philippines at the 2008 Beijing Olympics would have been subjected to the same rules (Philippines is also a member of Wada, by the way). As a matter of interest, Pacquiao was the flagbearer for the team, although he didn’t compete there and therefore wouldn’t have undergone any of the tests.
The importance of random testing is that it allows testers to get to the athletes out of competition, which is when drug cheats are more likely to be using illegal substances. There is no reason why Pacquiao should be exempt from the rule of random testing.
Pacman, the only boxer to have won world titles at seven weights, has complained that submitting a blood sample before the fight would weaken him.
One has to assume that Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt would have given blood samples before some of his record-breaking feats of the past two years. He certainly didn’t complain about being weakened. The same is true of many other world sporting heroes, including Michael Phelps and Roger Federer. Admittedly, Lance Armstrong had a little whinge about the timing of the testing during last year’s Tour de France, but he got on with the job.
As it happens, I spoke to an anti-doping doctor before the Beijing Olympics asking him if taking blood would weaken an athlete, and he replied that it wouldn’t because the sample was too small (a few millilitres, apparently).
And if Pacman is going to be weakened by giving the blood sample, then so too will Mayweather!
I have also seen reports stating that Pacquiao is superstitious about giving blood too close before a fight. Tough luck – these are the rules to combat drug cheating, and it’s far more important to fight dopers than it is to uphold one boxer’s personal belief.
I can’t see any logical reason for Pacman’s refusal to use Usada, except that professional boxing is one sport that is not a signatory to Wada (apart from countries signing up, sporting federations are also individual members of Wada). If the various organisations that litter professional boxing were all signatories, Pacman wouldn’t have a choice.
Wada demands a two-year ban for testing positive for steroids, but boxers like James Toney and Roy Jones jnr have escaped with relative wrist-slaps for steroid infringements. So far, no professional boxer I know of has ever been suspended for two years for such an offence.
Quite honestly, I applaud Mayweather for demanding Usada supervision (because it’s time for professional boxing to enter the 21st century), and I blame Pacquiao for scuppering the fight.
The sad thing is that I believe Pacquiao would have won the fight.
This is potentially the biggest bout of all time and boxing fans deserve it. Pacquiao should not have the right to wreck it.
Moruti Mthalane poses with the IBF flyweight belt after beating Mexico's Julio Cesar Miranda in Johannesburg on Friday night
CELEBRITY Steve Hofmeyr was at ringside to watch Moruti Mthalane win the vacant IBF flyweight crown in Johannesburg on Friday night. But the boxer he really came to see – alleged hitman Mikey Schultz – was knocked out in one round.
Fighting for a peripheral continental title, Schultz went into this bout at the Wembley indoor arena against Zimbabwe’s Tineyi Maridzo looking to win his first ever belt as a professional boxer and stretch his unbeaten record.
But after just more than a minute Maridzo threw a right cross and Schultz ducked into it, catching the blow on the side of his head.
The shot switched his lights off instantly; he toppled onto the floor and didn’t move again until the referee was more than midway through the count.
Schultz, who is believed to be involved in the killing of mining magnate Brett Kebble, tried hard to stand up, but when he lifted his hands off the canvas he lost his balance and careened into the ropes. The fight lasted just 87 seconds.
Schultz’s wife, a few seats away from Hofmeyr, burst into tears and was comforted by friends and family.
The action didn’t end there, however. Walking back to his dressing room Schultz was loudly booed by a black fan who, as a result, was set upon by a Schultz supporter. Another white onlooker was heard to swear at the black fan and shouting at him to “go back to Soweto”.
Security guards and police ended the scuffle fairly quickly, although only after the Schultz fan had thrown several punches, most of which seemed to miss.
The night belonged to Mthalane who easily outboxed Mexican Julio Cesar Miranda to become South Africa’s third reigning IBF titleholder, alongside junior-bantamweight Simphiwe Nonqayi and welterweight Isaac Hlatshwayo, who defends against Germany-based Jan Zavac at the same venue on December 11.
The last time this nation boasted three or more “bona fide” world champions you’d have to go back to the mid-1990s when Vuyani Bungu (junior-featherweight), Mbulelo Botile (bantamweight) and Phillip Holiday (lightweight) ruled supreme.
For a brief stint in 1996 Sugarboy Malinga joined them as WBC super-middleweight king, while Baby Jake Matlala held the WBO junior-flyweight belt.
Matlala was the first SA fighter to bid for IBF flyweight crown, back in 1991, but he was stopped by Dave McAuley. Mzukisi Sikali tried in 2005 but quit against Vic Darchinyan.
Mthalane challenged Nonito Donaire for the same belt last year, but lost on a cut. On Friday night he made no mistake as he jabbed Miranda into oblivion.
The Mexican was simply unable to avoid his left-hand lead; he may as well have had a sign printed on his face saying: “Hit here!”
Mthalane threw leather at Miranda’s head all night, and appeared to rock him frequently throughout the 12 rounds, although one sensed that the Mexican was playing possum in the hope of enticing the South African to drop his guard.
He struggled to get past Mthalane’s tight defence, although in the eighth round he landed a right hand that forced his opponent to hold.
Mthalane landed some peach right hands of his own too, but he could have won this fight with his left alone.
Two judges scored it for Mthalane 118-111 and the third 117-111. Mthalane improved his record to 24-2, while Miranda dropped to 30-5-1.
On the undercard, SA bantamweight champion Klaas Mboyane outmuscled Cleutus Mbhele for 12 rounds while Zolani Tete blew Tanzanian Anthony Matthias out in one round.
Jeffrey Mathebula stopped Rashid Ally, also of Tanzania, in the fourth round.
The only successful foreign boxer on the bill was Maridzo, who was so chuffed with his victory over Schultz that you might have thought he’d won the world title by knocking out Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao with one punch.
His record now reads eight wins and four losses; Schultz dropped to 16-1-2.
Manny Pacquiao will easily beat Floyd Mayweather jnr when – or if – they fight.
At least that’s what this poll shows (see below). Exactly 80% of respondents are tipping Pacman to beat Pretty Boy, with 64% even predicting the Filipino superstar to win inside the distance.
Only 18% think Mayweather will emerge victorious, of whom just 6% are tipping a stoppage triumph for the American.
Mayweather fans will undoubtedly poo-poo the poll results, but keep in mind that for the Pacquiao v Miguel Cotto showdown, 91% of 8,656 respondents polled had picked Pacquiao to win. An incredible 84% chose him to win by stoppage – I thought they were being optimistic, but they turned out to be absolutely correct.
Of course, democracy doesn’t always mean the right choice because once again. I reckon it would be a close fight.
[poll id="11"]
