The Ring hails Donaire as world's best 1-punch KO artist

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Reigning WBO super bantamweight champ Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. has been hailed by The Ring Magazine as today’s top one-punch knockout artist in boxing. 


Donaire, a 4-division world champion, topped the list that includes Marcos Maidana, Juan Manuel Lopez, Wladimir Klitschko, and Sergio Martinez.


“Does his best work with a masterful left hook … Has KO’d nine of his last 12 opponents … Is so confident in his punch that he occasionally dabbles as a southpaw, switching his stance during fights … Scored 10 of his 18 career knockouts in the first three rounds,” said The Ring’s Don Stradley.


Donaire is The Ring's No. 4 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.


Stradley pointed out Donaire’s stoppages over Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel as the best examples of The Filipino Flash’s knockout prowess.


Donaire won the IBF flyweight title by knocking out cold then-undefeated Darchinyan in 2007. The victory was awarded by The Ring as 2007 "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year."


In 2011, Donaire won the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles by taking out Montiel in just two rounds. It was awarded as The Ring’s 2011 Knockout of the Year.

The Filipino Flash last fought against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in February when he won the WBO super bantamweight title.


He is planning to climb the featherweight ranks in a year’s time.


Meanwhile, 8-division champion Manny Pacquiao was included in The Ring's honorable mention list.


Pacquiao, The Ring's top pound-for-pound boxer, is more known for his volume punching rather than his one-punch knockout power.


 

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Brian Viloria can't wait to avenge loss

WBO flyweight champion Brian (The Hawaiian Punch) Viloria will wait a little longer before exacting payback on Mexican nemesis Omar Niño Romero as their 12-round title fight has been reset from April 1 to April 21 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn predicted the third bout between the two warriors will be conclusive. “Brian is so hungry to get Niño in the ring,” he said. “We all agreed to afford Niño additional time to deal with his issues.”

Romero was fined close to $12,000 for failing a drug test after battling Viloria to a majority draw in Las Vegas in November 2006. Three months earlier, the Mexican had dethroned Viloria as WBC lightflyweight champion via a unanimous decision, also in Las Vegas. Romero never settled his obligation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

When NSAC executive director Keith Kizer learned of Viloria’s coming defense against Romero, an appeal was made to WBO president Paco Valcarcel to withhold the Mexican’s clearance as challenger until the fine is paid.

Technically, the WBO is not obliged to withhold sanction because it was not involved in the 2006 fight. But it’s holding back because of Kizer’s appeal since the WBO is actively involved in sanctioning fights in Nevada, explained Solar TV CEO Peter Chanliong who is coordinating the event with Mexico’s Zanfer Promotions, Gittelsohn and the WBO.

Gittelsohn said he was assured that Romero will pay the fine. The speculation is the fine will be deducted from his purse by Zanfer. “We’re informed that Niño will pay his delinquent fine to the NSAC and as soon as the payment is acknowledged, the WBO will sanction the fight,” he said. “We agreed to postpone the fight after receiving assurances that the fine will be paid.”

Solar Sports’ Paolo Diaz said preparations for the Ynares show are proceeding smoothly. “We’re not sure if this issue of paying the fine popped up when Niño fought (Rodel) Mayol for the WBC title and won,” he said. “In the undercard, we’re working on the IBF title eliminator between Al Sabaupan and Marvin Quintero and possibly, a defense by WBO Asia Pacific youth superflyweight champion Mark Anthony Geraldo.”

Sabaupan, 23, is ranked No. 4 and Quintero, 25, No. 6 by the IBF in the lightweight division. The top two slots are vacant and John Molina is ranked No. 3. The winner of the Sabaupan-Quintero fight will move up to No. 1. Sabaupan of Sipocot, Camarines Sur, has an 18-0-1 record, with 13 KOs, while Quintero of Tijuana, Mexico, totes a 24-3 mark, with 20 KOs. Geraldo, 20, scored a majority 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Jerwin Ancajas to wrest the WBO Asia Pacific youth crown in Cebu last week and has a 25-4-3 record, including 10 KOs.

Chanliong said because of the postponement, Zanfer may bid to stage the Sabaupan-Quintero fight in Mexico instead. “If Zanfer doesn’t push it for Mexico, we’ll make the fight our main supporting bout,” he said.

Sabaupan and Quintero are both hard-hitting 5-7 southpaws. The bout is expected to finish inside the distance as the fighters are equally heavy-handed. Sabaupan has scored three first round knockouts, including a disposal of Thai Wopichit Twins Gym for the IBF Pan Pacific lightweight title in 2010. Quintero has won his last four outings, all by KO, and his three losses came by KO.

A possible addition to the card is WBA female superbantamweight queen Jackie Nava of Tijuana. Last January, she beat Chanttall Martinez on points for the WBA crown in Tijuana. Nava, 31, has a 26-4-3 record, with 11 KOs, and is daring Fil-Am Ana (The Hurricane) Julaton to a face-off.

“Jackie is tentative,” said Diaz. “Her hand swelled up last week after training. We’ll find out her availability in a few days. We tried to make the fight against Julaton. We’ll try again.” Julaton, 31, recently lost her WBO superbantamweight title to Yesica Marcos in Argentina. If the Nava-Julaton fight can’t be arranged for the April 21 show, it will remain a possibility in a future Manila event.

The plan is for the Viloria-Romero winner to meet the survivor of tomorrow’s WBA flyweight title bout between defending champion Hernan (Tyson) Marquez of Mexico and Filipino challenger Mayol in Sonora. The unification showdown will likely be held in July, maybe in the undercard of a major promotion headlined by Juan Manuel Marquez, said Chanliong.

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Donaire dominates Vazquez, gets his 4th belt

source: http://espn.go.com

SAN ANTONIO -- Nonito Donaire, who has already won titles at flyweight and bantamweight, plus an interim title at junior bantamweight, won yet another piece of hardware.


"The Filipino Flash," despite a damaged left hand that was soaked in blood when his glove was removed after the fight, won a split decision against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. to claim a vacant junior featherweight title on Saturday night at the Alamodome in the co-featured bout on the card headlined by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.'s middleweight title defense against Marco Antonio Rubio.


"Vazquez was tougher than I expected," said Donaire, who thought the hand was broken. "I couldn't find my rhythm and I hurt my hand somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. I could only move it a little bit."


Donaire, making his debut in the 122-pound weight class, looked frustrated at times but took it to Vazquez and certainly did enough to win despite a disagreement among the judges. Levi Martinez and Don Trella both had it 117-110 for Donaire while Ruben Garcia had it 115-112 for Puerto Rico's Vazquez, the son of former three-division titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. ESPN.com also had it for Donaire, 117-110.
Donaire, 29, had a big third round, sending Vazquez reeling into a corner with a combination and then rocking him with several shots while he was pinned in the corner. But Vazquez was able to punch out of the dangerous spot as they engaged in an action-packed sequence that ended when Vazquez threw a wild shot, missed and fell to the mat from his own momentum.


Although Donaire (28-1, 18 KOs) seemed in control, he also seemed to be getting frustrated that he couldn't really do much damage to Vazquez even though he was landing shots.


He was warned for a low blow in the seventh round and was clowning around in the eighth, as if to try to draw Vazquez (21-2-1, 18 KOs) into him.


Donaire finally broke through in the ninth round when he caught Vazquez, 27, with a left uppercut followed by a hard left hand that dropped Vazquez. He was up quickly, however, and Donaire wasn't able to do any more damage in the final 30 seconds of the round.


"When I knocked him down in the ninth round, that was the end of the hand," Donaire said. "I was in agony."


There is a lot of potential business for Donaire at 122 pounds and he intends to deal with it, which means potential fights with Jorge Arce, Toshiaki Nishioka and Guillermo Rigondeaux.


"I'm definitely staying at 122 for awhile," Donaire said. "There are things [trainer] Robert [Garcia] asked me to do that I couldn't do so well, so we will go back to the drawing board."


Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said the next fight for Donaire probably will be Arce, who vacated the title Donaire won to move down and claim one of the bantamweight belts Donaire had relinquished. Arce would move back up to 122 to challenge Donaire.


"Let's see what happens with his hand first," Arum said of Donaire. "That will determine everything, but depending on the timing, we want him to face Arce next."


Vazquez was bidding to regain the title he lost last May to Arce, but he had trouble with Donaire's speed.


"He's real quick," Vazquez said. "He caught me with some good punches. He surprised me by hitting me when I was off-balance. I thought I did pretty well. I was patient, but he is a great fighter."

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Roach has a plan for defeating Floyd

source: abs-cbnnews.com 

Four-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach says he has a good game plan for defeating Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

"I think I have a good plan to beating Mayweather," Roach told WorldBoxingNews.net. 
But he admitted that defeating Mayweather, who has not suffered a loss throughout his career, will be tough.

"He is definitely the most difficult fighter to beat in the world, and I look forward to the challenge of fighting him," Roach said. 

Roach already had a chance to defeat Mayweather once, when he trained Oscar de la Hoya for his bout against Mayweather during their 2007 match.

But Mayweather defeated de la Hoya via split decision.

Tired of Pacquiao-Mayweather?

Roach also said the excitement for a possible superfight between Mayweather and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is already waning.

"In terms of excitement about the fight, it's already peaked and gone away," Roach said. 

He added that boxing fans have gotten tired of the drama surrounding the fight.

Despite this, Roach is confident that he has 2 fighters who are capable of defeating Mayweather – Pacquiao and British boxing prodigy, Amir Khan.

"I think I've got 2 guys that I can beat Mayweather with, and whoever meets him first, I don't care," Roach said. 

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'Super champ' Segura aims to challenge newly-crowned Viloria

source:By Ryan Songalia

While Brian Viloria celebrates winning his third world title, the man he may potentially face next is already counting the days until their showdown.

Viloria (29-3, 16 KO) of Waipahu, Hawaii scored a unanimous decision over Mexico's Julio Cesar Miranda Saturday night in Honolulu to snatch the World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight title.

It was Viloria's third consecutive victory since losing the 108-pound belt to Carlos Tamara via 12th round TKO last January.

Giovanni Segura - the WBO's 108-pound "super champion" - claims that he is the rightful next challenger for the 2000 US Olympian.

"Viloria has to fight the mandatory with me," said the 29-year-old Segura, a native of Altamirano, Guerrero, Mexico now residing in Bell, California.

Segura (28-1-1, 24 KO) holds two knockout wins over future Hall of Famer Ivan Calderon and recently tested the waters at 115 pounds, knocking a journeyman out in the first round last month in a non-title bout.

Segura's manager Richard Mota said that, while there is nothing signed, there is an "understanding" that if Viloria won the fight, Segura will challenge the Filipino-American champion.

"There's no signed contract on the fight yet, but it's mandatory by the WBO," said Mota.

"Since he was the champion at 108 and left the title vacant, he's the mandatory number one challenger. [Zanfer Promotions, which promotes Miranda and Segura] made a deal to give [Viloria] the chance without an optional defense."

Calls and emails to WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, ESQ as well as Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn were not returned by Sunday evening.

Regarding mandatory rankings for champions moving up in weight, the WBO's regulations state: "If requested by a Super Champion, the Championship Committee may designate the Super Champion as the mandatory challenger for the immediate higher or lower division.

In the case of a Super Champion who has lost a fight since receiving Super Champion designation, the Championship Committee may recommend the designation of the Super Champion as the mandatory challenger for the immediate higher or lower division, which may then be designated by a ¾ vote of the Executive Committee."

Mota said that the cut Viloria suffered over his right eye may push a fight between the two back to next year. He said Segura may take a tuneup if Viloria isn't ready by the end of this year, but that he wouldn't allow Viloria to defend the title in the interim.

According to Segura, he helped Viloria train for five of his fights and sparred together for a number of years out of the Azteca Boxing Club in Bell. Included in that fight is is first world title win against Eric Ortiz in 2005.

"We know each other well and he knows how strong I am," said Segura. "If I fight with Viloria, I will knock him out, no doubt."

When asked if he'd be willing to go to Hawaii to fight Viloria, Segura responded, "With pleasure. It's good for me. I'll stay for a vacation." - JVP, GMA News


Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMA News and the Filipino Reporter newspaper in New York City. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com. An archive of his work can be found atwww.ryansongalia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia.

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Marquez vows to be in best shape in 3rd fight vs Pacman

source: abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez said he will be in tip-top condition when he faces 8-division champion Manny Pacquiao on November 12.


Marquez said he expects a tough battle from the Filipino boxing superstar, whom he has fought twice.
"We need to get well-prepared mentally and we need to be in better physical condition than we've ever been in the past so we can beat Pacquiao," said the Mexican boxer in Boxingscene.com.

Pacquiao, hailed as the “Fighter of the Decade” by the Boxing Writers’ Association of America (BWAA), has agreed to a rubber match against his Mexican rival at the 144-pound catch weight.

“Tuloy na po ‘yun, abangan n’yo (It will push through, watch for it),” Pacquiao had said.

Marquez is seen by most boxing pundits as Pacquiao’s next best fight aside from Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Mexican was able to salvage a controversial draw in their 2004 bout despite being knocked down thrice by the Filipino champion.

In 2008, Marquez battled Pacquiao in a thrilling rematch that saw  the Filipino escape with a split decision.
Marquez admitted that Pacquiao is never an easy fight, which is why he needs to be fully prepared come fight time.

"This is a hard fight, but I know how to defeat him,” he said.

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Pacquiao saddened by former rival De La Hoya's current condition

source: RCJ, GMA News

Filipino boxing icon and eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao expressed sadness regarding the present health condition of boxing's Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya.

TMZ first reported the news that De La Hoya entered himself in a California rehabilitation facility, which his close friend and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of his Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer later confirmed.

“After doing an honest evaluation of myself, I recognize that there are certain issues that I need to work on," De La Hoya said in a formal statement.

Pacquiao, who gave De La Hoya the most terrible beating of his boxing career, expressed concern on his former rival.

“Nalulungkot ako sa nangyari sa kanya," said the eight-time world champion during the grand victory party tendered to him by close friend, former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, at the Corinthians Garden Sunday night.

Pacquiao's conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who has been in the strength conditioning business for quite some time now, said the De La Hoya case is just normal for any athletes, especially those who had been at the end of a shameful loss.

“I think it does because you think back on it and probably said, `I should have done things this way. I should have done things differently," said Ariza.

“I'm sure, there was a lot of doubt and questions, being the athlete that he was. I'm sure he is such a competitor."

De La Hoya was a heavy favorite during his 2008 welterweight fight against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While the 1992 Olympic gold medal winner was going down from super-welterweight (154) to welterweight (147), the Filipino southpaw was coming up from 135 pounds (lightweight).

The native of East Los Angeles never got to live up to his billing as the 32-year-old Pacquiao, faster and obviously the stronger fighter, pummeled him from the opening bell onwards.

The beating eventually took its toll on the Golden Boy that before the start of the ninth round, De La Hoya retired on his stool and waved the white flag.

Four months later, De La Hoya announced his retirement in an emotional ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“I think it's one of those things that he is probably questioning himself," Ariza added.
“There are a lot of variables, and I think the competitor in him is always going to be like that."

There was no mention however, if alcohol or substance abuse caused De La Hoya to enter rehabilitation.

The Golden Boy is actually not the first Pacquiao opponent to undergo such process.

Ricky Hatton also had to rehabilitate himself from excessive alcohol in the aftermath of his brutal second round knockout at the hands of the world’s pound-for-pound king in 2009 for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) light-welterweight title.

Hatton, who reportedly bloated to as big as 250 pounds, has not fought since that debacle two years ago. - RCJ, GMA News

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Marquez, Pacquiao may have third fight

source: By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

It looks like Juan Manuel Marquez will get his long-awaited third fight with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he made a deal with Marquez on Tuesday in Los Angeles for the lightweight champion to move up in weight to challenge Pacquiao for his welterweight title on Nov. 12.

Arum, however, still needs to make a deal with Pacquiao -- considered a formality -- before the fight is official.

If the fight is finalized, they would meet at a contract weight of 144 pounds, Arum said. Although the weight is three pounds below the welterweight division limit of 147, that isn't an issue.

"Manny has to eat extra meals just to weigh even 145 pounds," Arum said.

Pacquiao regularly weighs below 147 for his fights, and Marquez would be moving up from the 135-pound division. In 2009, in his only other welterweight fight, Marquez lost a lopsided decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who most would like to see Pacquiao face. Most believe it would be the biggest money fight in boxing history, but Mayweather has repeatedly declined the fight.

Barring a gargantuan offer elsewhere, Pacquiao-Marquez Round III will be at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, where Pacquiao-Marquez Round I took place and where Pacquiao scored an easy decision against Shane Mosley on May 7.

With the Pacquiao fight on the line, Arum said Marquez plans to take a tune-up against faded former lightweight titlist David Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) on July 2 in Mexico City. Diaz lost his title to Pacquiao via a lopsided ninth-round knockout in 2008.

Marquez's own promotional company will put the card on, although Arum said Top Rank would help if needed. Arum said Marquez's deal for the Pacquiao bout permitted him an interim fight as long as it takes place by July 17.

"He's going to do that fight, and if he loses, he's out," Arum said.

Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) and Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) have a rich history, battling twice in action-packed fights that ended in controversial decisions.

In 2004, Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round of their featherweight championship fight, but Marquez battled back to claim a draw that many believed he won. In 2008, they met again for the junior lightweight championship, and Pacquiao won a similarly controversial split decision.

"It's the same old story -- styles make fights, and, for some reason, I believe if we fight Marquez 10 times, we will have controversy 10 times because he's figured something out about Manny that no other fighter can do," Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, told ESPN.com. "We've had him down three times, but he's able to adapt and adjust. I think it will be a very close fight again if we decide to pick that fight. The question is, what is Manny's monetary reward?"

Mexico's Marquez, 37, has wanted a third fight with Pacquiao for years and is poised to land it because Golden Boy, his longtime promoter, declined to match Top Rank's offer. Marquez's deal with Golden Boy expired earlier this year, but it retained the right to match any offer through February 2012.
Top Rank and Golden Boy, involved in various lawsuits, are bitter rivals. Their bad blood stems from a legal fight over Pacquiao's promotional contract, which Top Rank now controls.

Arum said Golden Boy declined to match his offer to Marquez on Monday during a face-to-face meeting in Los Angeles that included Arum, Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
While Arum would not go into details of the meeting, a surprise given the rancor between them, he said of Golden Boy, "They said they would cooperate and not try to interfere. They waived any connection with Marquez and said they would not interfere with us contracting the fight. They let us know that we were free to go ahead. Schaefer let us know. We were with him yesterday.

"He told us we could go ahead with Marquez."

"I can't really talk about anything right now based on the advice of my lawyers," Schaefer told ESPN.com in an email.

Golden Boy apparently was unable to come up  with an opponent for Marquez that would meet the terms of Top Rank's offer: $5 million in guaranteed money, upside on the pay-per-view profits and a guaranteed $10 million plus pay-per-view upside for a rematch in the event Marquez wins.

Golden Boy had toyed with offering Marquez a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the Mexican sensation who recently won a junior middleweight belt.

Alvarez, who defends his title in June, has fought most of his career at welterweight. However, with Top Rank's offer specifying 144 pounds, there was no way Alvarez could get down that low.

Arum's next hurdle is to close a deal with Pacquiao, which has never been a problem.

"Marquez is definitely the frontrunner we're looking at, but I have not yet sat down with Bob to discuss our financial deal," Koncz said. "Bob and I will do that this week before I leave to go see Manny in the Philippines on Sunday. I'll talk with Bob and see what his offer for Manny's purse is and all the other things involved, and then I will take that to Manny. I have the parameters from Manny, but Bob and I have not yet had a meeting of the minds.

"Bob has one component for the fight, but he needs two. We have not agreed to the fight or the terms, but we are certainly discussing it. We've always been able to come to an agreement."

Pacquiao's next fight will be on pay-per-view, but it remains to be seen if it will go to Showtime or HBO. Showtime produced and distributed Pacquiao-Mosley after Arum took Pacquiao away from HBO, which had done all of Pacquiao's previous major fights. Showtime got the fight because its sister network, CBS -- which is in roughly 115 million homes -- was heavily involved in the marketing and promotion of the event.

"We will listen to both networks and make our decision based on who is contributing the most valuable assets to the promotion," Arum said. "Who is going to give us the best platform to promote the fight will get the fight."

Arum said the fight almost assuredly will be at the MGM Grand, even though there are overseas venues interested in making offers.

"I've been spending my life with these offers from Singapore, Macau, Dubai," Arum said. "As far as I am concerned the only offer to cash in on are the ones from the MGM and Cowboys Stadium [where Pacquiao fought twice in 2010]."

Arum said the MGM Grand originally told him the Grand Garden Arena was only available on Nov. 5 because there were Eagles concerts booked there on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19.

"I told them, 'You knew we wanted Nov. 12,' " Arum said. "They said, no I didn't, whatever, we went back and forth. Anyway, I am good friends with the manager of the Eagles, Irving Azoff. I've know him for years. So I called him up and told him the issue and he called the band. An hour later, he called back and said no problem.

"He said the band wanted to send us a message -- 'Because we so admire Manny Pacquiao, we would be privileged to move our concert to Nov. 5.' We're going to invite the Eagles to the fight."

Arum said Marquez is the only legitimate option he is looking at for Pacquiao. He mentioned Zab Judah and Timothy Bradley Jr., both junior welterweight titleholders, as alternatives to Marquez immediately after Pacquiao beat Mosley, but he said neither are likely.

"Bradley I cannot talk to because he is still under contract to Gary Shaw, even if he is unhappy," Arum said.

"His contract allegedly runs out at a certain point soon, but not yet. So I'm not going to go there. I could make a deal with [Main Events promoter] Kathy Duva for a Judah fight in five minutes, but that is not my plan. If [Pacquiao] wants to explore Judah, I'll explore Judah."

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Nonito Donaire will fight his way out of Top Rank contract one way or the other

source: Scott Heritag
 Pittsburgh Fight Sports Examiner

It has now been nearly three months since Nonito Donaire's two round blowout of former WBC/WBO Bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, and despite greatly raising his profile and capturing two titles in the process, his next move remains unclear.

To make matters worse, despite apparently wanting essentially the same thing, Donaire and current promoter Bob Arum don't appear to be on the same page about where they go from here.

In a recent interview with the Manila Bulletin, Top Rank boss Bob Arum claimed that he has had no contact with Donaire and team of late, saying only:

"We're still waiting for him"

Donaire on the other hand has repeatedly said over the last few weeks that he is eager to fight again as soon as possible, stating his intentions in several interviews and even polling fans on his Facebook page over who he should face next.

"Well, I'm anxious to get my next fight date. As I've said before, I'm willing to fight anyone...I just want to fight! Have a great day everyone!"

So if Donaire is eager to fight and Arum is ready to put a fight together, just who is it that's holding things up?


The obvious issue still separating Donaire and Top Rank is the popular Fil-Am's recent attempt to jump ship to rival promotion Golden Boy.

Believing that Top Rank had invalidated his contract with them by not providing him with his contracted three fights per year, Donaire in March announced that he had signed with Golden Boy.

Top Rank quickly contested this stating that because of a medical suspension, Donaire's contract was still valid through 2012. Noted mediator Daniel Weinstein was brought in and sided with Top Rank, ruling that their contract was indeed still valid.


From what either party have said it seems likely then that Donaire is still intent on leaving Top Rank without fighting for them again, presumably by somehow proving breach of contract by Top Rank in the courts, thereby freeing him of all his obligations to them and allowing him to instead fight for Golden Boy.

Arum has said he's waiting for Donaire. Donaire has only said that he wants to fight soon, without mentioning which promoter he intends to be fighting for.

The only problem with this approach for Donaire is that it's far from certain that he will win, and that the whole process could take longer than simply sitting out the remainder of his contract.

Win or lose, a lengthy court battle won't bother Bob Arum. Donaire though, 28 and currently in his prime, doesn't have that kind of time to waste if he ever wants his popularity to match up to his ability.

Aaron Smith, Pitt: "Donaire's career has had so many delays already the last thing he needs is another one"

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Pacquiao comes out clean in Nevada drug tests

source: By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Manila, Philippines - Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is clean.

That’s the message from Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer Sunday after the results of two fight-night urine tests of Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley “came back negative.”

Kizer told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that one urine sample was taken before and another after their bout for the WBO welterweight title on May 7 in Las Vegas, which Pacquiao easily won by unanimous decision.

Kizer said the Filipino superstar has always been tested before and after his fights in Las Vegas, and has never failed a drug test.

The NSAC medical report comes in the wake of a looming court suit over allegations by an anonymous individual in an Internet site that a Filipino sparring partner had revealed that he injected Pacquiao with steroids.

The story was picked up by Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. on their Twitter accounts, prompting Pacquiao’s lawyers to study the possible filing of a court case.

The Internet story was quickly pulled out after Pacquiao reportedly requested the FBI to trace the source.

There was more good news for the Pacquiao camp. The pay-per-view numbers for the Mosley fight generated anywhere between 1.3 million and 1.4 million buys with the final numbers expected later this week.

Pacquiao’s highest PPV numbers was registered against Oscar De La Hoya, who quit on his stool at the end of the eighth round in June 2008. That fight attracted 1.25 million buys.

Top Rank chief Bob Arum earlier predicted that the cross-promotions by the US network CBS of the fight, which was telecast by “Showtime,” would help boost PPV buys.

Gate receipts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena amounted to over $8.8 million with a substantial percentage going to the WBO welterweight champion.

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Arum still waiting for Donaire

source: By NICK GIONGCO

 SAN FRANCISCO — Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is still hopeful that Filipino renegade fighter Nonito Donaire would come to his senses and rekindle his love affair with Top Rank.



"We're still waiting for him," said Arum from his Beverly Hills home, sounding a bit optimistic that Donaire would still fulfill his obligations with Top Rank.


Arum had penciled a May 28 fight for Donaire but the rising world bantamweight king suddenly bolted Top Rank and signed with the Oscar De La Hoya-owned Golden Boy Promotions after alleging that his contract with the Las Vegas-based outfit had already lapsed.


But Arum said his company remains the rightful holder of Donaire's promotional rights owing to an automatic extension of their partnership stemming from the boxer's medical suspension.


Arum had promised Donaire a hefty paycheck of $500,000 for the May fight but was astounded when informed that the heavy-handed Bay Area-based Donaire had hooked up with GBP.


Daniel Weinstein, a renowned retired judge, mediated in the Top Rank-GBP feud and later ruled that Donaire rightfully belongs to Top Rank.


Donaire became a hot property last February when he posted a smashing second-round knockout of Mexican toughie Fernando Montiel in a Top Rank show held in Las Vegas.


Comparisons to pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao could not be avoided following Donaire's brutal stoppage of Montiel that ringsiders were quick to say that he has what it takes to replace Pacquiao when the Pacman finally decides to walk away from the sport.


Donaire, who speaks fluent English, Filipino and Visayan, ranks high in everyone's pound-for-pound list.


Donaire reportedly wants out of Top Rank so he can fight away from the shadows of Pacquiao, who is the apple of Arum's eyes.

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Pacquiao camp mulls legal action vs Mayweather - abscbn

source: by TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Pound-for-pound King Manny Pacquiao is back in the country after his succesful title defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title vs "Sugar" Shane Mosley.
Upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, he addressed the media and once again thanked all his fans for their support as he was able to bring honor to the country once again.

But as the Pacman was en route and airborne on his way home, little did he know that there was controversy brewing again on Twitter, this time coming from Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself.

Yesterday, Mayweather tweeted a link to an obscure boxing news site that had an article claiming that a former sparring partner of Pacquiao, who happend to be Filipino, claimed that he was the one injecting steriods to Manny at the Wild Card Gym, and that it began before the Oscar dela Hoya fight.

The story that Mayweather linked to was on Ringtalk.com

But strangely, that tweet of Mayweather and the content on the link on Ringtalk have both been erased.
Manny belied the allegations, saying he never used steroids, nor has he had a Filipino sparring partner in the US. He added that his lawyers will look into the issue if it can add merit to their ongoing case against the Mayweathers, or warrant a new case all together.

Shane Mosley also got into the picture on Twitter. His followers though got confused with his tweets and thought he believed the article and straight out accused the Pacman of steroid use as well. But Mosley later clarified his stand, and said the "the best man in the ring won that fight."

Pacquiao appreciated the comments of Mosley, and commended him for being an educated gentleman who respects everyone.

Looking ahead to his next pegged fight in November vs Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny recalled his last fight with Marquez was at 130 pounds. While this 3rd fight is set at a catchweight of 144 pounds, he admits it's gonna be different. He even kidded to be the underdog for this one.

But kidding aside, Manny promised to study the last 2 fights of Marquez well, knowing that he is a veteran fighter. But things have changed in the last 3 years since they fought, and that the added weight may have changed his style, too.

As for his work in Congress, the Sarangani congressman is looking forward to the groundbreaking of his hospital in his province.

Jinkee and Manny added that Paris Hitlon told them she was looking forward to visiting them here in the Philippines in the next few months.

After the brief press conference at the airport, the Pacman and his entourage proceede to the New World Hotel to rest and have breakfast before going to Quaipo Church for mass, and then a couresty call to the President at Malacañang.

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Arce Has a Chance against Donaire - 8countnews

source: Jeremiah Yap 

Jorge Arce (57-6-2, 44 KOs) impressed in his fight against Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr Saturday night. It was more entertaining than the sparring session between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. Just two years ago, it was suggested Arce hang his gloves up after losing to Vic Darchinyan and Simphiwe Nongqayi in a span of three fights. Luckily for fight fans, Arce rejuvenated his career and won four of his last five fights before entertaining us yet again against Vasquez. 

So, what's next for "El Travieso?" A rematch with Vic Darchinyan or Vasquez is a possibility. But Darchinyan might be more interested in fighting the winner of the Joseph King Kong Agbeko - Abner Mares fight. And Vasquez will need a fight in between to get some of his confidence back. There's no one else out there to fight Arce. No one else except the WBC and WBO bantamweight champ, Nonito Donaire. 

Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) was caught in a legal mess eerily similar to Pacquiao's case. He signed with Golden Boy Promotions even though he was still under contract with Top Rank. May 28 was supposed to be the date we saw him in the ring again but because of the mess, it was scrapped. On March 29, the arbitrator sided with Top Rank, effectively retaining the right to promote Donaire. 

Before you say that matching Donaire against Arce is a mismatch, let's look at some facts. Up until now everyone matched up against Donaire has been a mismatch. It doesn't matter if Arce is tabbed as his next opponent. At least we know that the fight will be action packed. It’s the perfect time to match Arce and Donaire against each other. I’m pretty sure Bob Arum has already thought of this because he doesn’t want to make the same mistake he did with the Yuriokis Gamboa – Juan Manuel Lopez (non-)fight. 

Arce is a pressure fighter, continuously moving forward and throwing punches. He is an underrated counter puncher. He'll give Donaire a whole new look. Recent opponents have been trying to box Donaire. Fernando Montiel, a great technical fighter, tried to box him and failed miserably. The constant pressure and brawling style of Arce may give Donaire a tough time early on. Rafael Concepcion was the last brawler to fight Donaire and he made Donaire work for the win. With his heart and grit, Arce will not make it easy for Donaire. 

There's also the case of Donaire adding weight to fight Arce at 122. We don't know if he'll carry the weight well. He might come in sluggish and possibly lose some of his knockout power. Without speed and power, Arce’s mauling style may overwhelm the Filipino Flash.

Fight fans would love to see this fight. If Donaire beats Arce at 122, the win will be compared to Pacquiao’s win over David Diaz where he came up in weight to fight for a title. Donaire would also win a title at a heavier weight class if he beats Arce. 

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Underdog Boxing: Mosley and Mayweather are looking for ways to beat Pacquiao

source: By CARLO L. PAMINTUAN

One tried and failed miserably. The other won’t even sign a contract to make the fight.

Shane Mosley got his chance. He got knocked down in the third round, figured that he can’t win, and ran away. Floyd Mayweather won’t even fight. He swerved a match against Manny Pacquiao by accusing him of using performance enhancing drugs and demanding Olympic-style drug testing.

These two fighters were hailed as the saviors of American boxing. These two were regarded as sure-fire hall-of-famers very early in their careers.

In the article “Who is the future of boxing?" which was printed on a 1999 issue of KO Magazine, Ted Bodenrader wrote that “One is a sure-fire hit who’s plotting to smash through all boundaries of boxing. The other is Sugar Shane Mosley."

The author of the article was prophetic. He knew Mayweather was a once-in-a-generation talent. He also knew that Mosley will be a very good fighter but a notch below Mayweather. What he didn’t see coming was the meteoric rise of a fighter from one of the odd corners of the world. Now Mosley and Mayweather find themselves beleaguered. Pacquiao was not a part of the script.

Pacquiao shamed Mosley. He took the fight out of the American’s heart. He punched him so hard in the third round that Mosley allowed himself to be publicly humiliated by running away from a much smaller man for the next nine rounds. Mayweather on the other hand needs all sorts of excuses not to fight Pacquiao. He demanded USDA drug testing because he suspected Pacquiao of using PEDs when it is his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., who started the malicious rumors about Pacquiao was using PEDs.

Now the two American fighters are heading elsewhere to defeat Pacquiao. Mosley could not defeat Pacquiao in the ring while Mayweather does not even want to fight in the ring so they are heading to a different arena. Their aim is to beat Pacquiao in the court of public opinion.

Both Mayweather and Mosley used their Twitter accounts to point to an article written by an unnamed author about an unnamed Filipino fighter who sparred with Pacquiao. I won’t talk about the article because it is obviously made-up and was obviously written by someone who does not know a lot about boxing.

Using his @SugarShaneM account, Mosley tweeted “Pacquiao ex-sparring partner came out a couple days ago stating that he would inject him w steroids - since Ricky fight look that up."

Floyd Mayweather also went on to Twitter and gave out the link to the said article. “Everyone has to read this RIGHT NOW: http://moneyte.am/f9y," he tweeted through his @FloydMayweather account.

Why are these two hell-bent on destroying Pacquiao’s reputation?

Because this is their only chance of winning. They know that if they destroy Pacquiao’s reputation, they will keep theirs intact. If everyone believed that Pacquiao was doping, then Mosley can say that he failed to fight back against him because he was on something and Mayweather will simply say that he refused to face him because he was on PEDs.

In the red corner, you have Pacquiao who does not talk trash, takes on whoever his promoter puts in front of him, and fights his heart out every single time.

In the blue corner, you have two brash Americans who refused to fight Pacquiao, one literally and the other figuratively, who then went to Twitter in an effort to stain Pacquiao’s legacy.

Tell me. Who is the fighter of this generation? -- GMA News

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What Happens When Manny Pacquiao Retires? - ringsidereport

source: By Geno McGahee

Throw out the debate as to who the best pound for pound fighter in the world is. Manny Pacquiao is without debate the biggest draw right now, due in part to his activity, aggressive nature, and powerful punch.




Boxing has adopted Manny as the man of the hour, the Mike Tyson of this generation, the face of the sport, but we don’t have much time left. Expect Manny to retire in the near future, perhaps we saw the last of him when he faced Shane Mosley last Saturday night.

He has had 58 fights and his last three fights have gone 12 rounds each, and the landscape is scattered with the over the hill gang, the unprovens, the too bigs, the too smalls, and those that have been left in rubble by Pacquiao. He has done what every great champion should do. He’s cleaned out the division, removing the former greats that were Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, and dismantling the big names like Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton.

Andre Berto was considered for a shot after the Mosley fight, but he lost to Victor Ortiz, and focus shifts to a third encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez. The first two fights were competitive, with Manny having the winning record of 1-0-1, but others contend that Marquez won both fights clearly. There is room for debate, but Marquez is slowing down and that’s not a good thing when now facing an even stronger Pacquiao. Expect Pacquiao to clearly win.

Let’s say that Pacquiao overcomes Marquez and Floyd Mayweather, JR., is not interested (we can bank on that), where does he go from there? He retires.

What does the retirement mean? What does it do to boxing?

Where the heavyweight division goes, so too does boxing…
We have David Haye taking on Wladimir Klitschko in a unification bout and Vitali Klitschko taking on Tomasz Adamek for another title, and if there is a shake up, not the expected dual Klitschko victories, then we may have life shot back into the sport. At this point, nobody believes that anyone on the scene can compete with the Klitschkos, but Adamek and Haye hope to prove that they can.

Who fills the gap?
Yuriorkis Gamboa, Nonito Donaire, Amir Khan, and Sergio Martinez are names that have excited fans, but none of the group brings the masses like Pacquiao. Donaire would pick up much of the PacFan traffic, but it is yet to be seen if he can fill the large shoes of Pacquiao. The gap seems too big to fill at this time.

The Boxing Writers & Websites
All boxing website owners and writers have seen the popularity of Pacquiao and have used it to push their hits. When looking at some websites, almost 50% of their traffic comes from the Philippines, the home turf of Pacquiao. When the star fades from the boxing world and there is less interest in Manny, where do these sites go? What do they focus on?

In boxing and boxing writing, it’s survival of the fittest and a lot of these boxing publications have been around long before “the PacMan” became the star he is, and they will be around long after he retires and stops being such a hot topic.

The most likely scenario for most of these Pac-Sites is a shift to Nonito Donaire. Donaire is a huge puncher, a likable guy, with some charisma. If he maintains his winning ways, continues to knock people out in style and on American TV, then he could take over the Filipino boxing crowd, and I suspect that this is the most likely of things to happen.

What does Floyd do?
Floyd Mayweather, JR., is retired. He seems to have lost his love of the game and his fighting spirit. There was a time when Floyd wanted desperately to prove himself to the boxing community and did so by taking on dangerous and tough opposition, but then he found a way to make more money with less risk by taking on guys like Arturo Gatti. If he wanted to fight Pacquiao, he would have by now.

Nobody will come up with the 100 million. Nobody will force a needle into Manny’s arm for testing he doesn’t want to take, and there is nobody else outside of Sergio Martinez for Floyd to face, and that is a fight that he probably wouldn’t take either. Floyd will remain on the shelf, perhaps hook up with the WWE again and turn a few easy bucks by taking on a muscle bound pro wrestler.

Get ready…
It’s inevitable and the writing is on the wall. There isn’t much time left for Pacquiao in this boxing world. One fight, maybe two fights left, and the show is over. Pacquiao will retire and all time great and so too will Floyd Mayweather, JR., and the speculation will carry on to our children and our children’s children as to who would have won had the two actually laced up and went at it when they had a chance to.

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Marquez OKs Arum’s offer of Pacquiao fight - bostonherald

source: By Lance Pugmire / Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said Tuesday that lightweight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez has accepted a revised offer to fight Pacquiao in November.
The hitch is that Marquez’s promoter, Golden Boy, has the contractual opportunity to match the deal, and its chief executive says he plans to.

Golden Boy Chairman Richard Schaefer told the Los Angeles Times that it’s his understanding Marquez has agreed to a Pacquiao fight at a lowered welterweight catch weight of 144 pounds, with $5 million guaranteed for Marquez.


If Golden Boy matches Marquez’s purse, it could put him in the ring against another opponent.
Pacquiao and Marquez battled to a 2004 draw, and Pacquiao won a split decision in 2008.

Schaefer said he has an open date booked Sept. 17 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. One possibility is that Marquez could fight that day against welterweight world champion Victor Ortiz of Oxnard.

Ortiz has fought at 140 pounds, so he could fight at 144 too, Schaefer said.

Regarding the finances, Schaefer said he was confident Golden Boy could secure a $5-million payday for Marquez.

Said Schaefer: "I’m sure HBO would be on board" to help finance the bout.

Schaefer said there’s a possibility that super-welterweight world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez could stage a title defense on the Sept. 17 card.

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Should Nonito Donaire take on Jorge Arce next? - boxingnews24

source: By Dallan O’ Donnell

After impressing greatly on the undercard of the Pacquaio-Mosley fight and almost stealing the show from the main event, Jorge Arce has put himself right in the mix to take on boxing’s most promising fighter in Nonito Donaire.


Arce beat the previously unbeaten Wilfredo Vasquez by TKO in the final round to claim the WBO super bantamweight championship to become a two weight world champion, having previously held the WBO super fly-weight title. A fight with Nonito Donaire would be the pinnacle of a long and distinguished career.
Donaire is currently the WBO/WBC bantamweight champion and the hottest property in boxing.

Both fighters have great knockout power with Donaire having knocked out 18 of 26 opponents and Arce having beaten 44 of 57 by knockout so it should be an explosive bout. Both are crowd pleasers and Arce has the typical Mexican warrior mentality constantly on the attack with little or no defence whilst Donaire resembles his idol and fellow countryman Manny Pacquaio, boasting ferocious hand speed and power to boot.

Donaire is the younger man at 28 while Arce is 31 and although this would be the toughest test of his career, he should come through to move on to even bigger things. Hopefully this fight can be made as it would draw a huge crowd and could even be a fight of the year contender if they both come to the ring showing recent form.

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Pacquiao-Marquez Part 3 likely to be fought at 145 lbs - inquirer

source: By Roy Luarca
Philippine Daily Inquirer

HOLLYWOOD—If the final chapter of the bruited Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy pushes true, it would be fought at 145 pounds.

Marquez has made it a personal crusade to exact revenge on the Filipino superstar, but he might not be able to fight Pacquiao at 147.

The Mexican holds court at lightweight (135). The last time he tried to fight at a catch weight of 144, he failed against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who came in two pounds over the contracted limit.

Pacquiao’s last four fights were fought at 147 or over. He had never exceeded 146 during weigh-in, however.

For Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz, the logical weight is 144 to 145.

Pacquiao tipped the scales at 145 Friday, during the weigh-in for his successful defense of the WBO welterweight title Saturday.

The 37-year-old Marquez is the leading candidate to clash with Pacquiao, 32, on Nov. 5, the date chosen by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum to stage the pound-for-pound king’s next fight in Las Vegas.

Also on the list of probable contenders are Timothy Bradley and Zab Judah, according to Arum.
For Roach, however, “the only sensible fight out of the three is Marquez.”

“They have history,” said Roach. “He’s supposed to have Manny’s numbers, which might be true, but I think Manny has really progressed a long way since they fought a long time ago.

“I just want to like this fight just to shut him up and settle the score.”

Marquez held Pacquiao to a controversial draw in 2004 despite being knocked down three times in the first round. Their second bout took place in 2008, with Pacquiao knocking down Marquez in the third and eking out a split decision.

“We’ll talk about it,” said Roach. “[Pacquiao] is weighing at 144 to 145 in his last couple of fights. Anyway, weight won’t be an issue.”

Pacquiao, who hosted a dart tournament in his unit at the gated Palazzo here Monday, has repeatedly expressed interest in fighting Marquez again.

The lure of big money—as much as $5 million plus pay-per-view and closed-circuit sales, according to ring pundits—and his desire for revenge may be enough for Marquez to accept Arum’s terms.
There’s a hitch, though.

Golden Boy Promotions has the right of first refusal over Marquez and unless it refuses to match Top Rank’s offer, the Mexican great can’t fight Pacquiao.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao, his wife Jinkee and his siblings will leave Los Angeles for Manila on Wednesday.

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'Pacquiao-Marquez III more exciting than Pacquiao Mosley' - abscbn

source: abs-cbnnews.com

The bout between Manny Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley last Saturday (Sunday in Manila) has sent analysts looking into a more promising foe for the Filipino boxing superstar.

Topping the list of prospects is Juan Manuel Marquez, who wants a third match with the Fighter of the Decade.

Boxing analyst Ed Tolentino finds the rematch to be more gripping than the lackluster 12-round fight between Pacquiao and Mosley over the weekend.

"'Yung Pacquiao-Marquez, kung aksyon ang hanap niyo, palagay ko dito yun mangagaling sapagkat personalan na eh," Tolentino said.

The chances for a Pacquiao-Marquez match, however, have turned slim due to Pacquiao’s rise to the welterweight division.

The two pugs have faced each other twice in the super featherweight category.

Following the first match in 2004 that ended in a draw, Pacquiao defeated Marquez in 2008 to steal the Mexican’s World Boxing Council super featherweight crown.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is expected to fight in November. Apart from Marquez, the Filipino superstar will likely take on either Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah.

‘Pacman too slow in Mosley match’

Meantime, Tolentino and fellow boxing analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz remain disappointed over the Pacquiao-Mosley match, particularly on Pacquiao’s performance.

Nathanielsz said the Pacman was slower compared to his previous bouts.

"There were things that were lacking. Manny to me seemed a little slow than usual. The speed was not there. He didn't put too many combinations until he got upset with Mosley," the veteran analyst said.

Tolentino echoed the statement, giving the match a rating of 6 to 7.

“Ang problema kasi: Kapag ika'y si Manny Pacquiao, you have raised the barometer. People would expect every time you come in, you raise the bar further," he said. – With a report from TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News

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Kenny Bayless apologized for bad call: Pacquiao - abscbn news

source: David Dizon

Boxing referee Kenny Bayless has apologized to 8-division boxing champ Manny Pacquiao for ruling that Pacquiao's fall in the 10th round of his match with Shane Mosley was a knockdown.

Pacquiao said Bayless went to his corner after the match and admitted that he made a bad call when he ruled Pacquiao's fall as a knockdown.

"After the 12 rounds, he went to my corner and said he made a mistake. He didn't see it. I said it was OK. Part of the game," Pacquiao told radio dzMM anchor Noli de Castro.

The 8-division champ was pummelling Mosley when he slipped and fell to the mat during the 10th round. Bayless immediately ruled the fall as a legitimate knockdown and gave Pacquiao a standing 8-count, infuriating the Pacman.

A replay later showed that Mosley had stepped on Pacquiao's right foot before shoving Pacquiao to the canvass.

During the interview, Pacquiao said he knew he could easily beat Mosley after knocking him down in the 3rd round. He said he got frustrated with Mosley and told him to keep boxing and not turn the match into a running game.

"Mosley said in the prescon after the fight that he really felt my punches because I punched him really hard. He was too scared to open up because he was afraid of being knocked down," he said.

"I added the counterpunch because Mosley wanted a lucky punch to knock me out. I waited for him to punch so I could counter but then he kept running. I was telling him in the ring - sumuntok ka naman (throw some punches)," he added.

He also admitted that he was bothered by a cramp on his left leg, which he blamed on lack of leg exercises. "Tinigil kasi namin yung exercise sa paa kaya nagbalik yun," he said.

While seemingly dissatisfied with his lopsided victory, Pacquiao said he is thankful for once again bringing honor to the Philippines.

He also dismissed plans of retiring anytime soon especially after such an easy fight.

"I can still retire but boxing is my life. The minute I feel lazy about training and I feel my body getting weak, that's when I will retire. But right now, I still feel strong, my moves are still fast, the power is still there and my thirst for training is still there. No need to quit," he said.

President Benigno Aquino III called Pacquiao after the match to congratulate him and even thank him for wearing yellow gloves in the match.

Pacquiao said Paris Hilton also came up to him after the match and said she idolized Manny.

Pacquiao is set to leave for the Philippines on May 12 and will arrive on the 14th. He said he plans to coordinate with Bahay Kalinga and Vice-President Jejomar Binay to provide housing for poor Filipinos.

He also said he will pray for Filipinos in the Bicol region who were affected by the recent storm. "Sa Bicol region sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo, maraming salamat at ipagdadasal ko kayo at titignan ano maitutulong ko," he said.

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