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It seems that the tension between the camps of the two very popular boxers, at present, is about to blow up into proportions any time soon.

Miguel Cotto said to Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, to be ready to go to battle. Cotto wants to tell Roach that he will not give Manny Pacquiao an easy fight, on the 14th of November at the M.G.M. Grand in Las Vegas. He emphasized that he does not like to be treated as if he was like Pacquiao’s most recent victims, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. He explained that he is still at his prime, unlike Oscar De La Hoya, and that he is not overrated like Ricky Hatton.

In addition to that, Cotto said that he would only agree to put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title on the line against Manny Pacquiao, if Pacquiao is willing to make the fight at 147lbs. and not on the agreed catch-weight. Cotto said that Pacquiao would have to fight as a true welterweight if he wants the title.

“If Pacquiao wants that the fight be for the title, it will have to be in 147 pounds. I won the title at the welterweight division and that is 147 pounds,” Cotto said in the report by Manila Bulletin.

However if the WBO should insist in making the Pacquiao-Cotto super fight a title match at 145lbs., Cotto would oblige without any resistance to surrender the title. The OMB (WBO) has the authority to dismiss Cotto as the current welterweight champion.

Pacquiao is seeking to push the November 14 bout to a title match. If he wins that fight he will become a seven-division champion. Pacquiao is the former WBC flyweight champion, IBF super bantamweight champion, WBC super featherweight champion, WBC lightweight champion and is currently the IBO junior welterweight champion. But, Pacquiao is seriously considering retirement, because he wants to go into politics and probably because of his old age (wear and tear).

Just when we thought that Pacquiao-Cotto was already a done deal, here we are with the realization that there are still a lot of things to negotiate.

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Another chilling tragedy clouds the sport of boxing. Vernon Forrest (41-3, 29KOs), the former welterweight and light middleweight champion was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta police Sgt. Lisa Keyes reported earlier in an e-mail Sunday that Forrest was shot several times in the back late Saturday night on a street just southwest of downtown. Keyes said there were no suspects.

Furthermore, according to the police investigation, Vernon Forrest was putting air in the tires of his Jaguar around 11 in the evening at a gas station when a man approached asking for money. Vernon had his wallet out and the guy snatched his wallet and started running away. There were at least two suspects involved in the crime.

The boxer had a gun and chased after the suspects. “The victim and suspect became involved in a brief foot chase,” said Lt. Meadows. “At some point, gunfire was exchanged between the two of them. The victim was shot at least once in the head.” The boxer was shot 7 to 8 times by at least two semi-automatic weapons. Medical examiner Michele Stauffenberg of Fulton County, confirmed that the case was a homicide and the autopsy showed that Forest died from multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and the thigh.

Vernon turned professional not long after the Barcelona Olympics. He then gained stardom when he had given Shane Mosely his first defeat to capture the WBC title. He had earned the 2002 fighter of the Year award from the Ring Magazine and the Good Guy award in 2003 from the Boxing Writer’s Association of America.

This is indeed a very tragic death that had affected the closely-knit boxing industry.

“He was one of the most gracious and charitable fighters in boxing and he will be missed by the entire boxing community,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said. “Maybe Vernon’s lasting legacy will be for Americans everywhere to rise up and end this kind of senseless violence.”

Vernon Forrest had helped launch the Destiny’s Child group homes in Atlanta, to provide homes for the mentally disabled. He was definitely a humanitarian who had his principles focused on the fairness of life.

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Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37KOs) is confident that he will be able to win against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (39, 25KOs) in their fight at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas on September 19.

Marquez is bigger and stronger as he put on more weight and working on his technique. He definitely hits harder now than he ever did before. Reports suggest that the five-time Mexican World champion is concentrating on body work. It is quite obvious that he intends to target Mayweather’s body, specifically his injured rib.

“I know where he’s been hurt and I’m going for it,” Marquez stated. “He is vulnerable now and I will take advantage of his weakness with a body attack that emphasizes two things-the right and the left.”

Mayweather had problems in facing body punchers. When he had faced Jose Castillo in their first fight out of two, many people felt that Mayweather should have lost. Mayweather won twice against Jose Luis Castillo, but it was obvious that he had a really hard time. Anyone could say that Mayweather has a weakness in taking body shots. And, Mayweather also seem to be less youthful now than two years before, because of this, Mayweather seemed to have also lost a little speed.

Marquez is focusing on strengthening his legs, arms and shoulders, and building up endurance by training in the mountains, 13,500 feet up. He has been running hills and lifting heavy rocks as part of his training.

“The mountain is a magic place and gives me the freedom to visualize the night of the fight and how I am going to beat him,” Marquez said.

Mayweather will probably use his sharp and accurate punches to win points and probably to make Marquez bleed. If Marquez will start to fight wildly, Mayweather will just probably try to avoid the clash by blocking and dodging. But knowing both fighters as incredible counter-punchers, I feel that both fighters will just try to keep their composure and wait for the right timing to throw their power shots.

Whoever wins this fight will have a chance to face Manny Pacquiao. If Mayweather wins, there could be a Pacquiao-Mayweather, otherwise there might be a Pacquiao-Marquez 3. Either of those possibilities will still be considered a mega fight.

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Finally, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions officially confirms, July 20, 2009, that the Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto fight is sealed. The super-fight is scheduled this November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at a catch-weight of 145 pounds. This is the result of what has been a really interesting negotiation between both camps.

The legitamcy of the match-up, the purse split, and the amount of interest it generates are just some of the issues that slowed down the development of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. Sugar Shane Mosley and along other fighters in the ‘Pacquiao Derby’ complicated things when they called out for a fight against Manny Pacquiao. But, Cotto is the number one contender for Manny Pacquiao. Both fighters were eager to face each other, making the negotiations relatively simple after Pacquiao agreed to the 145-pound weight limit insisted upon by Cotto’s trainer.

“With Manny, you don’t tell him who to fight,” Arum said. “He tells you who he wants to fight. He’s not afraid of anything. There’s a lot of easier guys he could fight, but he doesn’t want that. He wants the best, and that’s Miguel.”

This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges that the pound-for-pound fighter will be facing. Miguel is a highly ranked and a very skilled opponent. Miguel Cotto had beaten Joshua Clottey of Ghana via a split decision, suffering a serious cut on an accidental head butt during their fight. But his performance during that fight was not that bad. He still proves to be a grave threat to Manny Pacquiao.

Everybody knows the kind of speed that Manny Pacquiao has and it might still be his advantage against Miguel Cotto, who is clearly slower compared to the former. But Miguel Cotto is very skilled, a good body puncher and has a high knockout percentage. Technically, either fighters have any advantage, as of this moment, against the other going into this fight.

However, we are still plagued with so many questions. Will Cotto be able to handle his weight drop to 145 lbs.? Will Pacquiao be able to handle the punches of the biggest and strongest man he has ever faced? Will Cotto be able to keep up with Manny Pacquiao’s speed? Who will emerge victorious?

Tickets for the Pacquiao-Cotto super-fight will go in sale this coming August.

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Amir Khan (21-1, 15KOs), 2004 Olympic silver medalist, proved to the whole world that he can bring superfights in the Junior Welterweight boxing division after easily defeating Andreas Kotelnik (31-3-1, 13KOs). Amir Khan took out Kotelnik by a 12-round unanimous decision, acquiring Kotelnik’s WBA light welterweight title at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester.

During the fight, Amir Khan had shown his huge improvement under his new trainer Freddie Roach. Amir Khan definitely improved his speed over Kotelnik, which gave him control of the pace of the fight. Khan started aggressively, but Kotelnik gave a strong late outburst. Generally, Khan dominated Kotelnik in terms of power and speed, but mostly in terms of power. In addition to that, Khan was more defensive in his fighting style. His habit of exposing his chin was lessened as he would tuck his chin and move around to keep out of Kotelnik’s punching range.

Unfortunately, Kotelnik became very complacent, giving Khan the chance to find his groove. He should have given his best from the start. In boxing, you can’t allow your opponent to establish his rhythm, or else you will be in great danger.

Another thing that I had noticed was, it seemed that Andreas Kotelnik lacked power during that fight, since Kotelnik’s punches after round six did not seem to have any effect on Khan. He needed a punch that could upset Khan’s rhythm and style, but he was never able to find that punch.

Kotelnik had difficulty with Khan’s speed, making it hard for him to quickly shift from defense to offense and vice versa. But he still did a good job of not getting too overwhelmed by Khan. Andreas Kotelnik should be given credit for not giving up so easily.

The judges’ scores were 120-108, 118-111, and 118-111.

Khan-Hatton

After defeating Andreas Kotelnik, Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach says that his fighter could be looking at a possible fight with another British boxer, Ricky Hatton. However, promoter Frank Warren had advised Ricky Hatton to retire and avoid the showdown with the current WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan.

Frank Warren was Ricky Hatton’s former promoter, but they split and Warren is now Amir Khan’s current promoter.

Ricky Hatton is still in the hospital for some unknown reason and there is still no telling if Ricky Hatton would insist on challenging Amir Khan for a super fight.

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Former British boxing champion Ricky Hatton, 30 years old, remains in the hospital in Manchester with a suspected stomach virus. He was admitted early Tuesday to Tameside General Hospital when he had complained about severe stomach cramps and chest pains.

Some fans had thought that Ricky Hatton have caught the dreaded swine flu, but doctors had already ruled swine flu out. The doctors also initially believed that the former IBF junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton was suffering from a bad case of food poisoning. However, tests are still being conducted to further validate their diagnosis.

“He suffered sever stomach cramps and was in absolute agony. It was thought at first he had swine flu but it seems he had caught some kind of gastric bug,” Ray Hatton explained.

His agent Paul Speak said: “He is still waiting for the results, but he could be allowed home on Friday.”

Ricky Hatton’s father, Ray Hatton, was told by the doctors that his son might have had the virus for a while now but was not able to realize it.

Ricky Hatton should keep watch of his lifestyle from now on, because his body is also his money machine. If Hatton loses his health, he will also lose income. He should take care of his body and be more careful of what he eats, because he is not getting any younger. And just maybe, he is applying to much pressure to his body.

Right now, there is a possibility that Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KO’s) will be returning to the ring this November to face the unbeaten WBA welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko (29-0, 20 KO’s). But to me, Senchenko is not the best choice for him to fight. Ricky Hatton could be in big trouble against him, since Senchenko has the winning momentum on his side. In addition to that, Senchenko is a really skilled boxer.

Amir Khan is also one of his potential opponents, however he has to win against Andreas Kotelnik this Saturday night to be able to get a receptive fight with Hatton.

Hopefully, Ricky Hatton will get well soon and get his desired comeback fight.

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Promoter Frank Warren and his organization feels that pranksters are trying to undermine the Amir Khan versus Andreas Kotelnik bout. Many of the posters in Manchester, England, that advertised the upcoming fight between Khan and Kotelnik were reported to be vandalized. On the said posters were large yellow ‘Cancelled’ stickers purposefully attached.

The poster contained very important information about the upcoming fight, such as the fight date and ticket details.

Just recently, there had been numerous rumors that scattered around the internet, sabotaging the anticipated bout. Rumors that reported of Kotelnik getting a hand injury and that he was going to be replaced by John Murray had spread throughout the online boxing community. But Kotelnik’s promoter said that his fighter is in good health, indicating that the rumors were not true.

The reason for such an attack against the Khan-Kotelnik bout is still unknown. It is also not known whether it is a direct attack against either Amir Khan or Andreas Kotelnik. Whoever is responsible seems to be very determined to hinder the fight from materializing.

I have to say that the people who did this are rather selfish to try to keep other people from enjoying boxing.

It is probably out of jealousy that some people could go so far to damage other people. Amir Khan had some very convincing sold out fights in his career, and most likely others are envious of him. He is probably disliked because he had reached such a status without facing not too many well-matched opponents since he had turned professional. But, Khan can use this to his advantage. This could also mean that there will be people who will be buying tickets to see him get beaten. Hence, he would still have high ticket sales. It could very well increase the ticket sales instead of undermining it.

Amir Khan and Andreas Kotelnik should not let themselves be bothered by such things anymore. Instead, they should just focus on how to get a win from each other. Both fighters should know by now that they can’t please everybody. They will always have fans and as well as enemies.

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Sugar Shane Mosley finally gave up on chasing the Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao for a mega fight.

The recognized welterweight champion Shane Mosley reportedly ordered his promoter Golden Boy Promotions to stop negotiating for the fight with Manny Pacquiao. He then told his promoter to look for other opponents for him. Andre Berto, Paul Williams, Joshua Clottey or Kermit Cintron are the fighters in his current wish list. Mosley must have figured that it would be futile for him to pursue a fight with Pacquiao when almost everything is pointing to a Pacquiao-Cotto match.

“Shane says he will be the last man standing, anyway,” Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, told The Los Angeles Times. “Shane’s legacy is intact, and it is not dependent on a Pacquiao yes or no.”

Meanwhile, Mosley’s trainer Naazim Richardson, also expressed his desire for Mosley to eventually face Pacquiao. Naazim sees this as an opportunity to figure out Pacquiao’s fighting style.

Naazim Richardson complimented Manny Pacquiao, saying that Pacquiao is actually a bigger fighter physically than most people think. He added that other guys often underestimate Pacquiao, thinking that he is a small man. “Cotto keeps saying he’s the bigger man, but that’s going to be his downfall because if they make him suck down to 142-143 lbs., then his strength becomes his weakness because he is the bigger man and that is a lot of weight for him to cut,” he added.

Naazim Richardson had trained Mosley for his fight against the Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito last January. Mosley won the fight as an underdog knocking out the Margarito in the ninth round. Besides Mosley, Naazim had also worked at the corner of the light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins.

Hopefully, before Pacquiao retires from boxing, Mosley would be able to get a fight with him, but for now, he should chose his next opponent wisely. Kermit Cintron is his safest opponent. He might even have a chance against Andre Berto. But if I were Mosley, I would go for Paul Williams, especially if he can get up to $3 million out of the bout.

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Freddie Roach is confident that Amir Khan (20-1, 15 KOs) will win against the Ukrainian Andreas Kotelnik (31-2, 13 KO’s) in July 18, and that this win will open up an opportunity for a Khan-Hatton showdown. Roach thinks that the fight will receive great feedback in the UK, since both fighters are fairly popular there.

“… I think it would be a huge fight, here in the United Kingdom you would sell a lot of tickets and make a lot of money, so why not?” Roach explained. “I think it would be a huge great fight. I think it could happen soon to be honest with you.”

This fight may be able to bring a lot of money for both Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton. However, it still depends on the result of the Khan-Kotelnik bout. If Amir Khan loses to the Ukranian light welterweight champion, which most critics think is very likely to happen, then people might lose interest in a Khan-Hatton fight. In addition to that, Hatton seems to be interested in the WBA title, and if Khan cannot win the title, then Hatton might look for other bouts somewhere else.

Roach told Sky Sports News that Hatton might not be able to resist a possible bout with Khan once Khan has the WBA title around his waist.

Ricky Hatton, needs a huge win right now, to give him a boost and put his career back on track, after being dismantled by a second round knockout from Manny Pacquiao, past May 2.

Khan is a perfect target for Hatton, because of several reasons. First, Khan is very popular, and a fight with Khan can generate more ticket sales. Second, Khan has a weak chin, if Hatton can take advantage of Khan’s vulnerability then there is a good chance of him winning without having his own chin tested.

This could be Hatton’s chance to reacquire his glory and honor as a boxer. He is already 30 years old and could be past his prime, but he wants to prove his critics otherwise.

Both fighters will have to face their fears of being knocked out by their opponents.

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The anticipated showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez has been rescheduled for September 19 at MGM Grand, in Las Vegas. HBO Sports’ revolutionary “24/7″ reality franchise will premiere “Mayweather-Marquez HBO 24/7″ on Saturday, August 29 (10:15 – 10:45 pm ET/PT). This HBO series will let us step into the lives of both fighters before they step into the ring.

“Mayweather-Marquez 24/7″ will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access, along with in-depth interviews, as both fighters prepare for the fight of their life. Juan Manuel Marquez, unlike Mayweather who is already making his third “24/7″ appearance, is making his HBO reality series debut.

However, from the response that I have read and have been receiving, Mayweather-Marquez probably would not make it big in the box office. There could be many spectators but not enough to call it as such as a “Mega Fight”. People are under the global recession and are wise enough to spend their hard earned cash on something that is more worthy of watching. We all know that Mayweather and Marquez are both good counterpunchers, but to watch two counterpunchers playing safe inside the ring could become very unexciting.

I think that HBO is at it again. They are trying to commercialize and sensationalize the fight so that they could get higher viewer ratings. You can expect them to generate drama for both fighters. But I cannot blame them for that, because it is their job to promote their shows. However, I will no longer let myself be fooled by this kind of marketing strategy. I would rather spend what little amount of money I have on something more stimulating or necessary.

The fact that Mayweather chose to fight a lightweight instead of a welterweight is already a big public turnoff. He could have chosen to fight Mosley, Cotto, Williams or some other welterweight. This just proves how careful Mayweather is in picking his fights.

Nevertheless, I will still be watching the fight. Hopefully, Juan Manuel Marquez beats Floyd Mayweather, Jr., upsetting and humiliating Mayweather. And then I could say that I got my money’s worth. This could probably cause so much hype in the boxing world.

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