Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Roc-Nation, Andre Ward, Broner, & More!

01/12/201501/12/2015 Vivek Wallace

Jason H. (Brooklyn, NYC): I was very shocked to see your post last week about Mayweather and Pacquiao and the fact that the fight is nearly signed. Considering all that has happened since this fight was first discussed, can you give your thoughts on the road to get here and what you think it will be like once they actually fight?

Vivek W.: The road to get here…..all the drama between the two camps, the lies, the lawsuits, the subsequent bouts…..it’s been a hell of a ride, but truthfully, I don’t know if I’d change any of it. The buildup we’ve just experienced is unlike any we’ll ever experience again. Some say the fight is years too late. I say there’s never a bad time to see a good fight. When you examine things closely, both men have appeared to slow down a bit. That being said, they both remain head and shoulders above practically all of their contemporaries! Styles make fights, and this showdown is no different.

Joseph Parker fights Jason Pettaway in March, confirmed to join Wladimir Klitschko’s camp in April

01/12/2015 Bryce Wilson

Rising heavyweight contender Joseph Parker’s (12-0, 10 KO’s) next fight has been announced for March 5th at Auckland’s Vodafone Events Centre, where he will face American, Jason Pettaway (17-1, 10 KO’s.)

Pettaway has been pegged by Coach Kevin Barry as something of a mover in the ring and someone who won’t remain stationary in front of his powerful protégé. Learning to effectively cut off his opponent’s space is definitely a work-on for Parker and in Pettaway they hope to have found an adversary who will test these abilities.

Khan giving Mayweather 5 days deadline to agree to fight him

01/11/2015 Bill Phanco

Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) is drawing a line in the sand with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) by giving him a hard 5-day deadline for him to make up his mind whether he wants to fight him next or not. If Mayweather doesn’t choose to fight Khan in the next five days, Khan will move on presumably.

Khan didn’t say whether he would change his mind after the 5-day limit, but you can assume that the so-called limit wouldn’t keep Khan from still taking the fight.

Deontay Wilder has a choreographed career, says Stiverne’s manager

01/11/2015 Jeff Sorby

Camille Estephan, the manager for WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), sees #1 WBC challenger Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) as a fighter who has been carefully managed to get him to the point where he’s unbeaten and challenging for the title this Saturday night on January 17th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There’s no denying that the 6’7” Deontay has a record that is filled with weaker opponents. He’s not really faced a solid B level opponent as of yet unless you count Malik Scott, a fighter who crumbled after getting hit with a glancing blow in the 1st round of their fight last year in April.

Khan: Many experts think Mayweather is scared of me

01/11/2015 Bill Phanco

It appears that Amir Khan hasn’t given up on steady pursuit of a career payday fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr despite the signs not looking good that he’ll be getting a fight against the superstar in 2015, if ever. Khan is now saying that he’s hearing from boxing experts that Mayweather is afraid of him.

Whether this is true or not impossible to tell, because it’s nothing more than speculation and guesswork from the so-called experts. What we do know is Mayweather feels that Khan doesn’t bring enough to a fight in terms of his popularity in the U.S, and for that reason he’s dismissing him as a potential opponent for him.

Pacquiao expects Mayweather fight to happen, says announcement coming before end of month

01/11/2015 Rob Smith

In what has to be seen as a positive sign that the negotiations are going well, Manny Pacquiao is saying that he expects to make an announcement about his mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr taking place before the end of January. Pacquiao says he thinks the fight will be taking place.
A lot can still happen between now and before the end of the month, but it’s very good news that Pacquiao is saying that he sees the Mayweather fight taking place.

“We will make an announcement before the end of the month” and added “I think it (the fight” will happen,” Pacquiao said via Philboxing.com.

Mayweather v Pacquiao: Prepare For Disappointment

01/12/201501/11/2015 Mark Klimaszewski

The ongoing saga (or soap opera, depending on who you speak to) of the “will they, won’t they” couple; boxing’s top two 147lbers who have kept the fans and public guessing for way too long now, leaving many completely indifferent to whether the fight will actually happen or not; Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have led us all on a merry dance, and now are allegedly close to confirming a showdown sometime in the first half of 2015.

With the relevance of this fight significantly reduced since its first incarnation was discussed way back in 2009 (hard to believe it’s gone on that long now), most people I speak to now are totally uninterested and pretty much say the same thing: “I’ll believe it when the bell rings”.

Froch not interested in Golovkin or Ward, wants Chavez Jr

01/11/2015 Bill Phanco

If he can’t get his desired fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Las Vegas, IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch says he’ll be hanging up his gloves and going into retirement. He has no interest in taking plan-B backup options of facing Gennady Golovkin or Andre Ward, even though both of those fights would do quite well on British pay-per-view and would likely sell as well as Froch’s recent fights against George Groves.

Froch wants Chavez Jr because he thinks he can beat him, and he likes that Chavez Jr has a large Mexican fan population that follows him.

The Debut of “Throne Boxing” from Roc Nation Sports is an Instant Success

01/12/201501/11/2015 Joe Latti

By: Joe Latti, Brick City Boxing – The stars were out Friday night at Madison Square Garden as Roc Nation Sports kicked off the first edition of their “Throne Boxing” series. The event was televised by Fox Sports 1 and hosted by famous New York radio personalities Angie Martinez and DJ Mustard with Michael Buffer doing the pre-fight introductions. Rapper and New York City native Fabolous put on a performance in the ring before the main event. Some of the guests scattered around ringside included Jay Z, Rihanna, Jake Gyllenhaal, CC Sabathia, Victor Cruz, Winky Wright, Bryant Jennings, Rosie Perez, Paulie Malignaggi, and the newest boxer to the Roc Nation Sports family Andre Ward, who was signed to a deal just hours before the event.

The main event featured Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (25-0, 13 KOs) in a dominant victory by decision over New York fan favorite Tommy Rainone (22-6-1, 4 KOs). The bout started off with light action in the first frame, a round which could have went either way.

Broner rejects $40 million offer for 5 years with Roc Nation Sports

01/11/201501/10/2015 Jeff Sorby

TMZ is reporting that boxing star Adrien Broner has rejected a healthy 5-year, $40 million offer from Roc Nation Sports. Broner felt that the offer was insulting to him because it was for only $8 million per year. Broner figures that he’ll be fighting four times in 2015 alone. Unfortunately, Broner didn’t say what kind of money he’s looking for to sign with them, but you’d have to assume that it’s a lot more than the $40 million that Roc Nation was supposedly offering him to sign.

If Broner isn’t happy with a big offer of $40 million, it would be interesting to see what kind of money that he’s looking for in order to sign a contract of 5 years with various promoters.