Margarito, not Mayweather

The possibilities of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight may be getting slimmer and slimmer as time goes by despite of the hopes of the many that there will be a time that this dubbed mega-fight will take place in reality not just in our imaginations. The chances of the mega-fight is so thin especially now that Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao was elected a sit in the Philippine Congress. Also, the chance became thinner this time that Pacquiao will be facing another great boxer on the 13th of November this year, but that boxer's name is not Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Antonio Margarito!

Yes, Antonio Margarito! The Mexican boxer who had defeated other great fighters as well. He was famous even before the illegal plaster hand-wraps issue stirred the world of boxing.

Margarito is one tough-great boxer!

What made me say that? Well, not only that he had won titles in the welterweight division but he had also fought boxers in class. Kermit Cintron, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Angel Cotto, Paul Williams and Shane Mosley; big names right?

So why Antonio Margarito? What made Top Rank's Bob Arum pick him?

Well, Arum received no response from Mayweather's camp for a contract signing that would put Pacquiao-Mayweather in the ring for good so he [Arum] had made a choice between Margarito and Miguel Cotto; later picked Antonio. Arum claimed that, though Cotto would be a good competitive opponent for Pacman, a Margarito match for the pound-for-pound king is more lucrative. Well, indeed; the fight would also be explosive and exciting for Margarito could consider this as a big break for his boxing career; he will be on top of his game to prove that he can defeat the Pacman.

This better be good.

Pacquiao in 2010 Forbes Celebrity 100; Ranked Higher than Hollywood Superstars

note: This is a re-post from ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – Seven-division world champion and Sarangani Province Rep. Manny Pacquiao jumped two notches in the 2010 Forbes Celebrity 100, the ranking of the richest and most powerful celebrities and personalities in the world.

From No. 57 in 2009, Pacquiao improved to No. 55 in the annual list compiled by the US-based business magazine, Forbes Magazine.

He is ranked higher than Hollywood superstars Tom Cruise (No. 56), Adam Sandler (No. 57), George Clooney (No. 58), Leonardo DiCaprio (No. 71), Robert Downey, Jr. (No. 73) and Julia Roberts (No. 77).

The annual survey ranks the celebrities according to their estimated earnings between June 2009 and June 2010, and adds a fame component made up of press mentions, Internet presence and magazine cover stories.

According to Forbes.com, the Filipino boxing icon earned the No. 55 ranking after earning $42 million in the past year. He ranked 47th in the list according to pay rank; 52nd in TV, radio and press mentions; and 60th in social media mentions.

He earned $35 million for his 2 fights against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.

“While still regarded by many as the best boxer in the sport right now, Pac-Man is also busy outside the ring,” Pacquiao’s entry in the list read.

The magazine said Pacquiao spent an estimated $7 million on his successful campaign to represent Sarangani province in Congress.

Pacquiao is expected to earn more millions if his much-awaited fight with American Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Forbes Celebrity 100’s No. 31, will happen.

Mayweather had a pay of $65 million, earning $25 million in his fight against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and $40 million in his bout versus compatriot Shane Mosley.

Lone Filipino athlete

The boxing superstar is the lone Filipino athlete in the Forbes Celebrity 100, which was topped by Oprah Winfrey.

Filipino-American musician Allan Pineda Lindo, better known as apl.de.ap, also made it to the list as a member of the Black Eyed Peas (No. 16).

Pacquiao even ranked higher than tennis superstars Serena Williams (No. 61), Maria Sharapova (No. 81) and Venus Williams (No. 83), baseball’s Derek Jeter (No. 64), cyclist Lance Armstrong (No. 65), and auto racing driver Danica Patrick (No. 96).

Aside from Mayweather, the athletes who had higher rankings than Pacquiao in the 2010 Forbes Celebrity 100 were Tiger Woods (No. 5), Kobe Bryant (No. 14), Michael Jordan (No. 20), LeBron James (No. 28), Roger Federer (No. 29), David Beckham (No. 36), Phil Mickelson (No. 45), Cristiano Ronaldo (No. 48), Alex Rodriguez (No. 49) and Shaquille O'Neal (No. 52).

Last year, Pacquiao debuted in Forbes Magazine’s “The World's Highest-Paid Athletes” list at No. 6 with $40 million. He was tied with James and Mickelson.

Shane Mosley: Last Fights

"Sugar" Shane Mosley was born on September 7, 1971 and is from Pomona, California. So far he had collected world titles in three weight divisions. He is currently the WBA Super World welterweight champion. Below are some of his last fights:

Mosley vs. MargaritoShane Mosley regained the WBA Welterweight "Super" championship from Antonio Margarito on January 24, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Mosley came in to the fight as a 4-1 underdog with the bookies after Margarito had spectacularly stopped Miguel Cotto 6 months earlier. Prior to the bout nobody gave Mosley a chance of prevailing - everybody believing that Margarito was too strong and that Mosley was too old.

Mosley eventually TKO'd Margarito in the ninth round, after appearing to win every round up until then, in a massive upset. Sugar Shane utterly dominated Margarito, using his superior hand speed, pinpoint accuracy and countless huge right hands to the jaw, to wear Margarito down and stop him—something that many seasoned boxing observers thought was nigh-on impossible. After knocking him down with a series of heavy overhand rights at the end of the eighth round, Margarito was unable to avoid punches during a heavy barrage from Mosley early on in the ninth, forcing the referee to step in as Margarito slumped to the canvas a second time. Margarito had never previously been stopped. It was a sensational win for Sugar Shane and propelled him back to the top of the tree in the welterweight division.

Mosley vs. MayorgaShane Mosley destroyed Ricardo Mayorga with one second left in the 12th round of their junior middleweight bout, Mosley led by one point on judge Nelson Vasquez's scorecard and five on Tony Crebs' entering the 12th round. Mayorga had a one point lead on judge Pat Russell's card. The Associated Press had "Sugar" Shane Mosley ahead by three points entering the 12th. Mosley eventually won by KO.

Mosley vs. Cotto
Shane Mosley and undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto met on Nov. 10, 2007, at Madison Square Garden in an exciting fight. Cotto beat Mosley in a close, though unanimous decision. Soon after that match, Mosley was scheduled to face Zab Judah in a Welterweight bout in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 31. Due to an arm injury suffered by Judah, the fight was canceled.


Undefeated Lightweight Champion
Sugar Shane started his pro career in 1993, By 2000 he had fought 34 times amassing a 34–0 (32) record, beating undefeated Phillip Holiday to win the IBF Lightweight title. He made 9 title defenses with all inside the distance, but never unified belts. Mosley relinquished his lighweight title to move up 2 divisions, facing the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya for his welterweight title. Mosley had defeated De La Hoya twice; on June 17, 2000 and on September 13, 2003 in particular.

Manny Pacquiao: Last 5 Fights (part 2)

This is the follow-up for Manny Pacquiao: Last 5 Fights (part 1) where the Pacman had defeated Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz, and Oscar De La Hoya... so read on.

The Battle of the East and West|How Hatton Went Down

On May 2, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton to claim the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight titles (as well as the lineal light welterweight title), at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "The Battle of the East and West".

The fight was originally placed in jeopardy due to disputes with both camps over the fight purse money. Eventually, the money issue was settled and the fight went on as scheduled. HBO aired the contest.

Pacquiao started the fight strong, knocking down a sluggish Hatton twice in the first round. A somewhat shaken Hatton beat the count, only to be saved by the bell seconds later. In the second round Hatton seemed to have recovered, as he stalked Pacquiao for most of the round. However, with less than ten seconds remaining in the second round, Hatton was knocked out cold by a sharp left hook, prompting the referee to award Pacquiao the win by knockout (at 2:59 of the round).


Fire Power|Record-breaking 7 Titles

On November 14, 2009, Manny Pacquiao defeated former WBO welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto, by technical knockout in the twelfth round, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "Firepower". The fight was sanctioned as a world title fight in the welterweight division, where the weight limit is 147 pounds, however Cotto's camp agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 pounds to accommodate Pacquiao's smaller physique. Cotto's camp also conceded the larger share of the purse to Pacquiao, who received a 65% share of pay-per-view buys, compared to Cotto's 35% share.

In the opening round Cotto appeared to have the edge, as he connected with solid jabs and managed to pin Pacquiao against the ropes. However, Pacquiao later admitted that he had allowed this to happen, as he wanted to test Cotto's power. From the second round onwards Pacquiao picked up the pace, knocking Cotto down in the third and fourth round, and going on to dominate the later rounds. After a heavily one-sided ninth round in favor of Pacquiao, wherein Cotto received significant punishment, many people thought that Cotto's corner should have stopped the fight. Cotto's wife even left the arena. However, Cotto decided to continue the fight, but could not evade Pacquiao's onslaught, prompting the referee to stop the fight fifty-five seconds into the twelfth round.

With this victory, Pacquiao took the WBO welterweight title, his seventh world championship, and became the first boxer in history to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. After the fight, promoter Bob Arum stated that: "Pacquiao is the greatest boxer I've ever seen, and I've seen them all, including Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard."

The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue (preliminary figures), making it the most watched boxing match of 2009.



Credits to Wikipedia