De la Hoya: Pacquiao-Mayweather almost a done deal

MANILA, Philippines – Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar de la Hoya spilled the beans on the confidential negotiations for the super showdown between top pound-for-pound fighters Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

In an interview with Spanish broadcasting network Univision, de la Hoya said they are “very close in finalizing the contracts that were once very complicated.”

“I think right now we are very, very close in finalizing the contracts. I can't talk right now in detail about the negotiations but I will say that we are very close,” de la Hoya was quoted by TheBoxingTruth.com.

The negotiations are being done by Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank, Inc. big boss Bob Arum, and Mayweather’s representative, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.

“Up until now, it's been a very difficult negotiation process for various reasons but right now we're very close,” added de la Hoya.
Seven-division world champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao

Pacquiao and Mayweather were supposed to face off last March 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But fight talks collapsed because the boxers disagreed on the drug testing protocol

Pacquiao refused to undergo the Olympic-style drug testing procedure, but reversed his stand as long as the blood test would be conducted 14 days before the fight.

Mayweather, who had been silent since Pacquiao’s agreement to undergo blood testing, then made waves with his pronouncement that he would be taking a break from boxing.

Despite this, Arum said the Pacquiao-Mayweather blockbuster bout was still in the cards.

“The two fighters now realize that this fight must be made. It has to be made because the boxing fans want to see it happen and right now it's the biggest fight that can be made in the world,” continued de la Hoya.

The Mexican-American boxing legend, who suffered his last 2 career losses to Mayweather and Pacquiao, stated: “It's going to be a big, big fight!”

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The Ball Is Back In Mayweather's Court; Manny Says OK To 14 Day Window

By Michael Woods

Never before has boxing had so much in common. Hurdles, here, there and everywhere...

The main hurdle to making the November 13 Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather has seemingly been traversed, as the Congressman from Sarangani province said, hard and fast, that he is open to undergoing random drug testing--via analysis of blood and/or urine--14 days before the fight.

This is according to the Manilla Bulletin, which quoted Pacquaio as saying, “As long as they’re not getting a large amount of blood, I am willing to give out blood as close to two weeks before the fight.”

TSS you'll notice has chosen to use the word "seemingly," since it'll be up to Team Mayweather, led by Al Haymon and Floyd Mayweather, with Richard Schaefer acting as emissary, along with Leonard Ellerbe, during negotiations with Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum, to sign on the testing protocol. In the previous stage of negotiations, held in December and January, Team Mayweather was holding to the stance that they want Pacquiao to be amenable to a blood test as close to two days before any bout. Pacquiao had countered that he feels excessively weakened when blood is taken from him. He said he felt drained when a large quantity was taken for testing before his March 2005 clash with Erik Morales, a UD12 loss. Was the weakness in his head? Or is it a matter of superstition? That explanation for the 2005 loss didn't loom large in the US five years ago, though it did draw press in the Phillipines, and only truly emerged as an issue during the first failed rounds of talks. Pacquiao fans embrace, by and large, his stance on blood loss, while doubters see his fear of blood loss as a masking agent for another motivation to refuse bloodwork too close to a fight. The blood matter can only be asked and answered by Manny and seems destined to be one of those unanswerable deals, where backers and doubters can find no common ground.

Right before the last negotiations dissolved, Team Mayweather said they'd be OK with a drug test 14 days before the fight. Crucially, the Mayweather crew said, the test did not have to be a blood test. Pacquiao wanted to shut the blood testing window at 24 days out from the tussle, though he agreed to have his urine tested, with no limitations. (Though Floyd fans point to the fact that there isn't a fully reliable urine test to detect HGH...) Ten days difference in testing dates seemingly were THE reason why a $100 million clash wasn't going down. Those were the terms in early January; have the goalposts been moved since then? Hard to tell, since this round of dealmaking has been held outside the glare of us keyboard tappers. Top Rank reps were in New York on Wednesday, TR reps said they were not at liberty to disclose the location of Top Rank chief Bob Arum. Might he be holed up somewhere with Schaefer, finalizing terms for a Nov. 13 mega-clash? One could easily surmise that...

source bleacherreport.com

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Mayweather Mosley Undercard Announced

Before Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley heat up the Las Vegas night in their Saturday, May 1 mega-fight, some of the top contenders in boxing today will enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and warm up fans in attendance and those watching at home on the “Who R U Picking: Mayweather vs. Mosley” televised pay-per-view undercard..

In welterweight action, 19-year-old Mexican prodigy Saul “Canelo” Alvarez puts his unbeaten record on the line against veteran contender Jose Miguel Cotto in a 10-round bout, former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and Cornelius Lock will face off in a 10-round featherweight match-up, while Argentinean power puncher Hector David Saldivia takes on Las Vegas native Said Ouali in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Boxing superstar and six-time World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and welterweight mega-star, five-time World Champion and current WBA Welterweight World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley, are set to meet Saturday, May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a spectacular bout which will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The event, promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, Dewalt Tools and StubHub, promises to be a spectacular display of talent and skill with Mayweather and Mosley meeting in a 12-round welterweight battle that is already being compared to other great and historic welterweight match-ups such as Sugar Ray Leonard against Tommy Hearns and Oscar de la Hoya against Felix Trinidad.

Tickets, priced at $1,250, $1,000, $600, $300 and $150 not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Unbeaten in 32 pro fights, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (31-0-1, 23 KOs) has quickly developed a tremendous fan base and is rapidly moving in on a world title shot. With the NABF, WBO Latino, WBC Youth and WBA Fedecentro welterweight title belts already in his trophy case, it’s clear that the Mexican phenom is ready for the big time. Currently ranked fourth in the world by the WBC and WBO, Alvarez must first turn back the challenge of his toughest test to date, Jose Miguel Cotto, before moving closer to his dream of a world title shot.

The brother of boxing superstar Miguel Cotto, Jose Miguel Cotto (31-1-1, 23 KOs) is carving out his own niche in the fight game with an exciting style and a veteran’s savvy. A 1996 Puerto Rican Olympian, the Caguas native is unbeaten in five fights since his hard-fought decision loss to Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz in a 2006 lightweight world title bout. Now fighting at 147 pounds, the 32-year-old feels that now is the time to shine and wants to prove it against Alvarez on May 1.

Known for his knockout power and warrior’s heart, former Junior Featherweight World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (38-2, 32 KOs) has reinvented himself as a featherweight contender and with wins over Marlon “Rata” Aguilar, Roinet Caballero and Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz in his new weight class. A May 1 victory over the crafty Cornelius Lock should put him on a fast track to becoming a two-division world champion.

Winner of three of his last four bouts, including victories over 14-0 Juan Garcia, 27-1 Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez and 16-0-1 Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz, Detroit’s Cornelius Lock (19-4-1, 12 KOs) is rapidly becoming a fighter opposing pugilists definitely don’t want to see across the ring from them on fight night. The 31–year-old southpaw plans on spoiling Daniel Ponce De Leon’s night this May.

Ranked fourth in the world by the WBA, Argentinean warrior Hector David Saldivia (33-1, 26 KOs) has been making waves in the welterweight division for the last two years. Winner of the WBA Fedelatin title, he has defeated the likes of Omar “Tito” Weis, Ricardo Cano, Daudy Bahari and Luis Rodriguez. On May 1, “El Tigre” makes his United States debut against Said Ouali.

A native of Morocco now fighting out of Las Vegas, Said Ouali (26-3, 18 KOs) gets a chance to perform in front of his adopted hometown crowd on May 1 when he takes on Argentina’s Hector David Saldivia. Winner of 12 of his last 13 bouts, this southpaw standout who is ranked number five in the world by the WBA is well aware that he can catapult himself even higher up in the 147-pound rankings with a victory over Saldivia.

The Mayweather vs. Mosley pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $54.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Mosley fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO's fast-moving reality series “24/7 Mayweather/Mosley” returns with an all new episode on Saturday, April 17 at 9:30 pm ET/6:30pm PT. The four-episode series chronicles the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their May 1 pay-per-view showdown. Episode one is available on HBO ON DEMAND.

source eastside boxing

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Mayweather vs Mosley: Face Off

Prior to the upcoming Mayweather vs Mosley boxing fight on May 1,2010, HBO releases its latest video entitled "Face Off", a Mayweather vs Mosley promotional fight video featuring Mayweather and Mosley with Max Kellerman. The video talk about Shane Mosley's career with a different manager and triner and Mayweather obsession on his undefeated record.

Watch the video below for more stories.

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