'Brilliant' Floyd keeps top spot in ESPN P4P ratings

Undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. keeps the top spot in ESPN's pound-for-pound ratings, while his vanquished opponent, Manny Pacquiao, stays at No. 2 despite losing the "Fight of the Century."

Mayweather won the much-ballyhooed, but eventually underwhelming, welterweight showdown against Pacquiao via unanimous decision to hike his record to 48-0.

Pacquiao dropped to 57-6-2 and admitted after the fight that he had injured his shoulder in training camp.

Mayweather's victory all but assured that he will be considered the greatest fighter of his generation, and solidified his grip on the top spot in the pound-for-pound list.

He also remains the No. 1 fighter in ESPN's welterweight rankings.

"The fight was a dud because it lacked any real drama or excitement, but that was mainly because Mayweather was so brilliant that he shut down Pacquiao almost entirely to roll to a crystal-clear unanimous decision," ESPN's Dan Rafael wrote.

"The victory in the legacy fight stamped Mayweeather as the unified welterweight world champion, the true pound-for-pound king, and the greatest fighter of the era he and Pacquiao have dominated for years," he added.

Pacquiao remains second in both the pound-for-pound and welterweight lists.

"Pacquiao got off to a solid start, but then Mayweather took him apart over the second half of the fight to win a unanimous decision in a forgettable fight," Rafael wrote.

Unbeaten junior featherweight Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba stays in No. 3 in the pound-for-pound lists, while middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin climbs one spot to No. 4. Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez dropped one spot to No. 5.

Roman Gonzalez (No. 6), Timothy Bradley (No. 7), Wladmir Klitschko (No. 8) , Sergey Kovalev (No. 9) and Miguel Cotto (No. 10) round out the top 10 of ESPN's pound-for-pound list.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Floyd to earn at least $200M in Pacquiao fight

When all is said and done, Floyd Mayweather Jr. estimated that he stands to earn some $200 million after his "Fight of the Century" against Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.

According to Mayweather, already the highest paid athlete in the world, he was already given a check for $100 million by his team after his fight against Pacquiao, which he won via unanimous decision.

"For my team to hand me a hundred million dollar check in the back is remarkable," Mayweather told reporters in the post-fight press conference.

"This week, in the last four days, I made $25 million before I even got to the fight, and then my team, after the fight, I was guaranteed a hundred million," he added.

"And then, I still got money on the backend, and other money that comes in. So we're looking upwards of $200 million," Mayweather said.

ESPN's boxing writer Dan Rafael confirmed Mayweather's assertion.


"Before leaving arena Floyd came over to me to chat (seriously) and to show me his check. $100M," he tweeted after the event.

Mayweather will earn a greater share of the revenue than Pacquiao, as the two boxers agreed to a 60-40 split.

Inside the ring, the "Fight of the Century" failed to live up to the incredible hype, but is still likely to break all of the sport's revenue records.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao to skip grand arrival ceremony

Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao won’t be attending the grand arrival ceremony for his May 2 super bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The ceremony has been a tradition that kicks off high-profile bouts a week ahead of the event, giving fans a chance to see their favorite boxers while they walk toward the hotel.

But Top Rank Inc. chairman Bob Arum said the eight-division champion will skip the ceremony and will instead arrive in Las Vegas on Monday on a private bus. The Filipino won’t be staying at the MGM Grand, the host hotel, but will billet himself at the Mandalay Bay, which is also an MGM-owned property.

There, said Arum, Pacquiao will meet the press.

"We don't need a show for his arrival and we can do without all the hoopla," Arum told ESPN’s Dan Rafael.

"We'll keep it calm for Manny. We'll get a big room downstairs at Mandalay Bay, and Manny will talk to the press there in an orderly way and in a comfortable environment. I think that's a lot better for Manny and, frankly, it's better for the press. Why does he need a grand arrival when he's not even staying at that place?"

Pacquiao’s rival, Floyd Mayweather Jr., will do his grand arrival as planned.

Arum and the MGM management haven’t been in good terms for years. Further complicating their relationship was the ticket issue that was caused by a misunderstanding over the contract between Top Rank, Mayweather Promotions and MGM Grand.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Roach satisfied after Pacquiao's first day of sparring

Chief trainer Freddie Roach was thrilled with what he saw from Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao after his first day of sparring.

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported that Pacquiao sparred for five rounds on Tuesday at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where he is holding his training camp for his May 2 bout against Floyd Mayweather.

He sparred for two rounds against Finland's Edis Tatli, then three more rounds against Kenneth Sims Jr., a welterweight prospect from Chicago.

"When Manny threw out the first punch, it felt like opening day of Irish spring training," Roach told ESPN.com. "Manny looked so fresh today."

"I'm very happy with what he showed me. You couldn't tell he had been away from the ring since the (Chris) Algieri fight in November. Manny is on fire in the gym," he added.

Pacquiao, for his part, said it felt great "to finally put on the headgear and spar."

"My sparring partners gave me good work today. They were perfect for testing the strategy Freddie and I have developed to beat Floyd Mayweather," said Pacquiao. "I was very happy with my stamina and speed today."

Roach is extraordinarily confident that Pacquiao will be triumphant on May 2, even though the Filipino is considered the underdog against the unbeaten American.

"I am confident May 2 will be celebrated for years to come as St. Manny's Day – the day he drove Mayweather out of boxing," said the trainer.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao's latest win: Shellacking of highest order

To fight analysts, Manny Pacquiao proved how vastly superior he was in terms of experience, punching power and boxing prowess compared to Chris Algieri.

ESPN’s Dan Rafael described Algieri’s whipping as a “shellacking of the highest order” as the Filipino fighter sent the American tumbling to the canvass for a total of six times.

But Rafael considered Pacquiao’s failure to get a knockout win as forgivable considering the beating he dealt on Algieri.

“The 35-year-old southpaw, who is still speedy and offensive-minded, did as he pleased other than get a knockout,” the boxing pundit said in ESPN.com.

Rafael said Algieri’s much-hyped left jab looked meaningless in front of Pacquiao who unloaded a variety of attacks, including the left straight that nearly flattened out the New York fighter in the ninth round.

“It was a shellacking of the highest order as Pacquiao won his third fight in a row (second overall in Macau) since the stunning knockout loss to rival Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth fight in December 2012,” he said.

RingTV’s Doug Fischer, for his part, admitted that he was impressed to see Pacquiao outclass younger and very athletic fighters like Algieri and Tim Bradley.

He said both fighters were undefeated and were already battle-tested before they lost to Pacquiao.

“Bradley and Algieri were athletic, undefeated beltholders (with a combined record of 51-0) who were battle-tested and in their primes when Pacquiao faced them. And at 35, after more than 60 pro bouts and almost 20 years in the game, he handled them. For the record: I’m impressed,” said Fischer.

He said he also stopped scoring the bout after seeing the American tumbling to the canvass numerous times.

“Chris maybe won one round (the fifth), maybe. I stopped scoring fight after the two knockdowns in Round 6. What was the point?” said Fischer.

He added that Pacquiao’s ring generalship showed that he is already at par with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Andre Ward and Vladimir Klitschko.

“The only difference is that Pacquiao doesn’t control a fight by holding on the inside; he does it with his footwork and angles,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

HBO splits up with Golden Boy

MANILA, Philippines – American cable giant HBO is splitting up with Golden Boy Promotions after the promotional firm’s biggest attraction, Floyd Mayweather Jr., signed a multi-year deal with CBS’ Showtime.

ESPN’s Dan Rafael reported that HBO’s relationship with Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy has deteriorated in the past year when the company’s output deal with the cable firm has not been renewed since 2011.

Since 2012, most of Golden Boy’s stars, like as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, have been fighting on Showtime.

The last straw for HBO was Mayweather’s multi-fight contract with CBS’ Showtime, whose sports division chief is headed by former Golden Boy chief counsel Stephen Espinoza.

"In order to achieve our goal of the best fighters in the most compelling matchups we've decided to focus our efforts and resources on those strategic relationships where we better share common goals and business philosophies," HBO sports division president Ken Hershman said.

Golden Boy chief executive officer Richard Schaefer said he was not surprised by HBO’s announcement, noting that he hasn’t spoken with HBO Sports since November last year.

“It is clear that in the aftermath of the biggest names in the sport, Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez, leaving HBO for Showtime that HBO is obviously upset at [Mayweather adviser] Al Haymon and me, and this is their way of getting back at us,” he said.

The Golden Boy executive added that HBO’s move will hurt the cable company’s subscribers.

"I think it's an ill-advised strategy because the only ones that are getting hurt are the HBO subscribers, which were used to seeing the best fighters on HBO. That will obviously no longer be the case. Having said that, I wish HBO well. They're a terrific company, and life goes on. For us, it's business as usual," Schaefer said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com