What an anti- climax. Like your poor marquee fights of the past that didn’t quite live up to the hype (De La Hoya v Trinidad), Mayweather v Pacquiao and the pro-Manny house in Vegas left very disappointed tonight (or this morning here in the UK) when we witnessed a good guy vs bad guy fight where the better boxer – not the better human being – won out.
Undefeated American welterweight and WBA (reg) champion Keith Thurman has spoken to iFLtv in Las Vegas ahead of tonight’s massive showdown to talk about the contest and his own career.
We all know who is calling the shots in this fight. Yet the Network split was the crucial factor in this being one of history’s modern mega fight’s and the division was managed in the professional manner it has been in the past for an such occasion.
Michael Buffer’s silky tones came on the mic to ignite the waiting crowd to the first undercard fight, yet it emerged the officials were initially all tied up with “other fighters”
Marquez, who hasn’t boxed since May of last year when he beat Mike Alvarado said to Kugan Cassius of Pacquiao;
“Manny Pacquiao is a very, very good fighter. He will have prepared very well for this fight. I think the people will want to see (him in) a good fight.”
Floyd Mayweather has promised that there will be no slow start from him when he finally steps between the ropes to face Filipino fighting machine Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night.
Boxing’s P4P #1 has spoken to US basketball show TNT about his gameplan, saying the usually cautious start he adopts to figure out his opponents rhythm is not a part of his plans for this fight. He said;
“I am going to approach it in a very, very aggressive way and go out there and press the attack early.”
“Of course I would love to win by knockout. I am pretty sure he is going to try come at me extremely strong. I am facing one of the best fighters I have faced.”
The big punching American, who has been out of action since winning the title in January against Canada-based Haitian Bermane Stiverne, broke his hand in that fight yet has promised his fans he is now more than ready to return.
“I will be back in the ring June 13th. Back in the state of Alabama, in Birmingham. And that’s my next fight. No opponent has been announced yet – we still gotta lot of ironing out to do – but June 13th I’ll be back.”
The news that dropped earlier that both WBO 160lb mandatory Billy Joe Saunders (21-0, 11ko) and bitter rival, WBA interim champ Chris Eubank Jr (19-1, 14ko) are OFF Frank Warren’s May 9th Wembley show, hasn’t actually come as too much of a surprise to me.
Before today’s news, in the fights they were meant to be in, neither man was really going to set that card alight anyway. Billy Joe, returning from injury still hadn’t a named opponent and Eubank was meant to be making a very routine defence of his own title against unheralded Australian veteran Les Sherrington.
“I’m a Mayweather man” said De Gale;
“It really is hard to bet against Floyd Mayweather. I actually think he’s a boxing genius. I think he’s achieved a whole heap in boxing and I think he probably don’t get enough credit for what he’s achieved.”
Talking about the enormity of this career-defining fight and the pressure on both fighters, “Chunky” said;