LIVESTREAM: Pacquiao-Floyd press conference

Watch the live press conference of 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the two rivals hold a joint press conference at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles at 4:30 a.m. Philippine time.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are expected to formally announce their welterweight world championship unification bout.

The superfight will take place on Saturday, May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Press conference livestream is courtesy of SHOWTIME.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Arum says Pacquiao-Mayweather possible for 2015

MANILA, Philippines – Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum believes the long-awaited showdown between Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. can finally happen in 2015.

The "super fight" between Pacquiao and Mayweather has been discussed time and again, but has never come to fruition due to discord between the two camps.

Arum told The San Francisco Chronicle that the television networks who deal with both fighters – HBO for Pacquiao and Showtime for Mayweather – have discussed the bout.

"Both networks want this fight to happen. All signs seem to point to the fight happening early next year," Arum revealed.

Mayweather fights exclusively on Showtime, with whom he signed a lucrative six-fight deal in 2013. On September 13, he will fight Argentina's Marcos Maidana in what will be the fourth bout in his Showtime contract.

Pacquiao, for his part, fights almost exclusively on HBO and is set to defend his welterweight title on November 22 against American Chris Algieri in Macau.

Arum told the Chronicle that the showdown between Pacquiao and Mayweather has a "sell-by date."

"It has to happen by the first six months of next year," he stressed. "And if it happens, there should be a provision with a different percentage for the rematch, so that the winner is rewarded for winning the fight."

"I would love to see these guys fight twice next year," he added.

Arum has never stopped being optimistic about a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, and even points out that a lot of the issues that has hindered previous rounds of negotiation – including Pacquiao's refusal to undergo drug testing – have now been resolved.

"Now it's up to the fight camps to resolve the deal," said Arum.

Pacquiao has repeatedly said that he is open to fighting Mayweather anytime. His trainer, Hall-of-Famer Freddie Roach, was also quoted in the report as saying that they "have a better shot now" as he believes that Mayweather is "a little shot."

"It's still the biggest fight out there, and there is still a huge audience that wants to see it," Roach also said.

It remains to be seen if Arum's optimism is well-founded, however. Mayweather has already declared that he will not fight Pacquiao as long as the Filipino is promoted by Arum, with whom the American superstar had a bitter falling out early in his boxing career.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sonnen says 'rift' with LeBron over

MANILA – Former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen said NBA superstar LeBron James has already made peace with him and that there’s no more beef between them.

Sonnen, who recently called James a “dork” in Jim Rome’s program in Showtime, said the Miami Heat forward is already “off the hook.”

"LeBron has made it right," MMA Fighting quoted Sonnen as saying.

When pressed to further comment, he said: "That’s between LeBron and me. He did the right thing, and I forgave him."

The UFC fighter earlier claimed that James made rude comments on her fiancée. This, Sonne said, prompted him to launch a public tirade against the basketball star.

"This guy walked up to my fiancee backstage and asks her if there’s a Tic Tac in her blouse or if she was just happy to see him," related Sonnen.

Sonnen is scheduled to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in UFC on FOX 1 on August 17 in Boston.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Little Psy' dances on 'It’s Showtime'

MANILA, Philippines – The boy who danced alongside Psy in the phenomenal “Gangnam Style” video made a guest appearance on the ABS-CBN noontime program “It’s Showtime” on Friday.

Hwang Min Woo, 7, danced to “Gangnam Style” once again, this time with the “It’s Showtime” hosts Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario and Ryan Bang.

After the “Gangnam Style” dance number, Hwang greeted the “It’s Showtime” audience. “Hello, madlang people! Ako po ay si Little Psy, Hwang Min Woo. Thank you! I love you! Oppa Showtime style!”

“It’s Showtime” host Ryan Bang, who is also Korean, translated some of Hwang’s statements. “Sobrang enjoy siya sa Philippines. Sobrang gusto niya dito sa Philippines. Ang dami raw ng mga building, ang taas ng building,” Bang said.

When prodded by hosts and audience members to showcase more of his dancing talent, Hwang performed some Michael Jackson-inspired stunts.

He also had a dance showdown with Navarro, Hilario and Bang.

Twitter was on fire minutes after Hwang’s appearance on “It’s Showtime,”, with “Little Psy” the fifth top trending topic on the microblogging site as of writing.

“Ang cute ni little Psy,” said user Kristina Legaspi.

“Little Psy so cute! Ang galing!” said user Suzane Flores.

source: abs-cbnnews.com