Boxing Updates: Latest Boxing Event

The verbal war between Pacquiao’s and Cotto’s camps continue. After Cotto said to Roach, that he is unlike Pacquiao’s recent victims and that Pacquiao was in for a war, Roach shot right back by saying that Pacquiao will expose Cotto. Freddie Roach implied that Cotto is no longer the same fighter as before and is still suffering the effects of his loss to Antonio Margarito.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told fighthype.com, “We are not going to stand in front of this guy and trade with him. Manny is a much smarter fighter. Now he is boxing very smartly and we are going to expose Cotto. His skills are not quite where they used to be and we are going to expose him.”

Another issue was whether or not to make the Pacquiao-Cotto bout a title fight. Cotto publicly announced to defend the title only when Pacquiao would agree to move up to 147lbs (full welterweight limit). He refuses to defend the title because it is currently being contested at 145lbs. But WBO has been pressuring Cotto to defend the title, and they will let Cotto pay a huge sanctioning fee if he does not comply. Regardless of what Cotto may say, Roach thinks that the title will be on the line.

If even before their fight, it is already this intense, I can only imagine the level of intensity between Pacquiao and Cotto during the fight. This battle will definitely go down in the history of boxing.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Pacquiao might be training outside the United States, probably in Mexico for most of the time. This is to avoid the 183-day rule of the US Internal Revenue Service. Manny Pacquiao will have to cut down the number of days he spends in the US.

If Arum is already talking about where Pacquiao is going to train, does this mean that the Pacquiao-Cotto fight is really final?

Bob Arum explained, “In 2007, 1/6th of the days spent in the US, 2008 is 1/3rd of the days spent which will be added to 100 percent of the days spent in the US in 2009, and if the total of those three numbers equals or exceeds 183 days then you are taxed on all your revenues from worldwide income.”

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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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