The Latest Boxing News
“Don’t get nervous. I’m the one fighting, so relax”
“Anytime I am the underdog, I like that. It means my killer instinct and my focus is fully there. This is the moment I believe that he will experience his first loss.”
After the frenzied arrival at the Mandalay Bay, Kugan Cassius of iFLtv caught up with Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum and asked him what had prompted the two arrivals of the fighters at separate hotels. He said;
“I don’t know why they had him staying in that type of hotel…the treatment, I feel that it wasn’t right…it just wasn’t right…financially, I don’t think Top Rank treated him right for this fight,” stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who spoke to select members of the media ahead of his upcoming clash this Saturday with Manny Pacquiao..
(Photo credit: Will Hart/HBO)The countdown to Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao continued today as both fighters held individual Grand Arrivals with Mayweather arriving at MGM Grand and Pacquiao at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
In a long-awaited collision of boxing superstars taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday, May 2, undefeated pound for pound king and 11-time world champion Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) meets eight-division world champion and Filipino legend Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) in a welterweight world championship unification bout in the main event of a three-fight pay-per-view telecast co-produced and co-distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and SHOWTIME PPV® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT.
“I feel no changes in my body…I think the changes are more experience now than 5 years ago…the speed and power, there’s no changes,” stated 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, who talked about how he’s changed in the 5 years since a showdown with undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather has been discussed.
HBO ratings released today continue to confirm the success of his performance as the average number of viewers watching the telecast was 1,637,000, while peaking at 1,742,000, the top performing bout on premium or basic cable this year and the most watched HBO World Championship Boxing event since June 2012.
The ever divisive Adrien Broner (30-1, 22ko) has spoken to FightHype.com after a trip to the Mayweather gym to visit his friend and mentor Floyd in sparring.
Broner, who at his worst is a bare-faced Floyd imitator, has said Mayweather is sharp and very focused ahead of Saturday’s fight;
“It’s tunnel vision now. You can tell there’s only one thing on his mind.”
British WBA super-middleweight boss Carl Froch (33-2, 24ko) has this lunchtime (tue) spoken to Sky Sports News and become the latest in a long-line of fighters to wade in with a pick for Saturday night, offering his own tactical insight into what each man must do and also into whether or not his career has wound down to a natural conclusion.
Froch, a year removed from his stadium rematch with George Groves at Wembley, is certainly a fighter used to a big occasion. (Albeit not as big as this!)
Clichés like “key to victory” and strategic game-planning referring to the coaches’ insights and observations are a vital part of the mental preparation and the “psyche” of any pugilist. However even the most elaborate game plan is just a hypothesis, an intention that lasts until the first big shot is landed. In the late rounds when incremental damage piles up boxers fight on habit and instinct with rare moments of ingenuity and little regard of the initial game plan. They are creatures of habit like everyone and rarely act out of character especially under pressure. Hence the importance of style – an amalgam of habits and steady boxing skills replenished and honed over the years. Here is a review and comparison of the combatants’ fundamentals before the clash of epic financial proportions and yet-to-be-seen technical value.
Manny Pacquiao’s long time promoter and Floyd Mayweather’s friend, (only joking about the last part) Bob Arum, has spoken to Sky Sports ahead of Saturday’s super fight to offer his thoughts on Floyd’s recent statements about being better that Ali and Ray Robinson and his fighter’s chance’s.
The Top Rank chief, who has been at the helm of the organisation for almost 50 years said of Mayweather’s recent claims;
“Floyd Mayweather is an excellent, excellent fighter. He’s a great technician but to compare himself to Muhammad Ali, or Ray Robinson or Ray Leonard is a joke.”
It only takes a few minutes of highlight footage to distinguish the scientist from the artist. In the parlance of the sweet science, one corner envisions the confrontation in a series of highly choreographed tactical moves embodied by perhaps one of the most gifted technicians in boxing. In the other corner however, is an unpredictable beast that manages to keep even the most seasoned of boxing experts in awe and have them constantly guessing of what comes next. The result of these contrasting styles is an unpredictable and exciting melange of fists and fury over the stretch of twelve rounds.