Pacquiao vs Mosley will be available online

Top Rank announced today that the May 7 Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley world welterweight championship event at the sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will be available live on both pay-per-view television and online. The four-bout pay-per-view card, produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV®, will be available online for $54.95 while boasting interactive features unique to the digital platform through NeuLion’s technology. The enhanced and unique viewing offers a four-shot, multi-angle dynamic player that will allow viewers to interact and feel an enriched experience. The online pay-per-view is exclusive to U.S. viewers. “This pay-per-view offering will complement our current distribution which appeals to sports fans who are engaged in digital platforms on a daily basis. Sports viewing has entered a new frontier and Pacquiao vs. Mosley will be the pioneer for the boxing world,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. The following websites will be offering the Pacquiao vs. Mosley four-bout pay-per-view live stream: www.toprank.tv, www.sports.SHO.com, www.cbs.com and www.sports.yahoo.com. Select cable and satellite TV systems will also be offering the pay-per-view live stream. Viewers should check with their local providers.

Hernandez vs Keb Baas 2?

The possibility exists that the WBC may order a rematch between WBC light flyweight champion Adrian “Confessor” Hernandez and former champion Gilberto Keb Baas. According to WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Hernandez’ victory was legitimate on Saturday in Texcoco, Mexico where the referee Jerry Cantu didn’t allow the still game defending titleholder to continue after round ten. “Given the merit of the highly competitive fight and respect for the former champion, as WBC president I am addressing the members of the Governing Council to put to a vote the granting of a voluntary defense for the new champion Adrian Hernandez, but requiring a deserved rematch against Gilberto Keb in the next fight.”

Former Heavyweight Chris Arreola slimming down

A slimmed down and solid Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola, who is on target to enter the Home Depot Center boxing ring on Saturday night, May 14 in Carson, CA at his lowest weight in four years. “Right now I’m training very hard,” said the former #1-ranked world contender about his upcoming 10-round fight with Nagy Aguilera (16-5, 11 KOs) as the co-featured bout underneath the Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final contest between WBA Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham. “I’m looking more to showing than talking; at least until after the fight,” said the normally ‘sound bite’ machine who ballooned up to a career high of 263 pounds in 2009.

The “re-dedication of Arreola” started when he and his longtime trainer Henry Ramirez trekked down to the Houston, TX training center run by Ronnie Shields to prepare for an ESPN2 main event on January 28, 2011. For the first time in eight fights, Arreola came in under 250-pounds for that bout. And now Arreola is back in Riverside hard at work with Ramirez for his upcoming bout. So what was Arreola’s motivation for re-dedicating himself? “I hate to lose,” he said.

Pacquiao ready to KO Mosley

LOS ANGELES, California – Manny Pacquiao admitted he and his coaching staff composed of trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning adviser Alex Ariza “are not really focused on the knockout” but admitted that “I would be excited about the knockout if it comes”.

“We have prepared ourselves to fight 12 rounds,” said Pacquiao, who packed up for a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada May 2 for his 12-round WBO 147-lb joust with Sugar Shane Mosley on May 7. “We work hard and if it (KO) comes, it comes.”

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) acknowledged that “Mosley moves fast and has great foot speed and power also. He throws a lot of punches and that’s good for us to give the fans a good fight.”

The Filipino celebrity said his championship tussle with Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) will be “a kind of fight that’s better than (Antonio) Margarito”, who was a bit slower despite his reach and height advantage.

Margarito lost to both Mosley (TKO8) and Pacquiao (12 UD) and is the common denominator in analyses of oddsmakers who predicted a bloody brawl between two hard-hitting welterweights on May 7 at the MGM Grand.

Pacquiao took a time out from his training camp in Wild Card Gym over the weekend by promoting his cologne, “MP8 Scent of The Champion”, in a big mall here.

He had also guested at Jimmy Kimmel Show in Hollywood where he promoted his newly released CD album "Sometimes when we touch" and confirmed he personally invited Pres. Barack Obama during his visit to White House last December to watch his fight against Mosley at ringside.

Marquez vs Alvarez says Golden Boy Promotion?

Right now one of the hottest topics in the sport is what direction lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez will take next. Despite having a very financially-rewarding offer on the table to resign with Golden Boy Promotions and possibly land fights with Zab Judah or Robert Guerrero, the Mexico City star seems to be intrigued by the possibility of a third fight with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.

The history between Marquez and Pacquiao is controversial and bitter to an extent, as the two men engaged in a heated split draw in May of 2004 while Pacquiao won a razor-thin split decision nearly four years later. To this day Marquez, despite being dropped three times in the first fight and once in the second, claims that both fights belonged to him and seems to have somewhat of an obsession with his Filipino rival.

Marquez let his promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions pass by foregoing an April meeting with Erik Morales at the Mandalay Bay, making him a free agent in theory, and seems be very serious about an offer from Top Rank of a reported $5 million dollars plus pay-per-view incentives for a third Pacquiao fight.

Some are saying it is a no-brainer that the 37-year old Marquez will opt to side with the Pacquiao fight but Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer claims that it isn't so simple.

"Juan Manuel Marquez knows that prior to him entering into any agreement, he has to come to us and we have the right to match. He has not approached us yet with any such request to match," Schaefer told our friend Rick Reeno at BoxingScene.com.

Golden Boy reportedly has the right to match any offer from Top Rank up until February of 2012 and Schaefer seemed to pull a wild card in suggesting that Guadalajara's Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez may be the man to fill that void.

"[Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Saul Alvarez] would be a very colorful promotion. It sounds like, based on interviews that I've read, both from Juan Manuel and Nacho Beristain, that they are perfectly happy to fight at 147 pounds. Canelo said he would do 147. Canelo is actually going to start working out and training in Big Bear, and he'll have a full nutritional staff and so on. So for Canelo, if he needs to make 147, it's no problem to make 147."

While Schaefer seems like he may be reaching a bit on this one, seeing as though Marquez and Alvarez currently campaign three weight classes away from one another, I wouldn't be surprised to see such an offer thrown out just because of how serious they are in their efforts of retaining Marquez.

The news on this seems to be changing by the day and it's definitely an evolving story. But before anything Pacquiao needs to take care of his business against Shane Mosley this Saturday at the MGM Grand, a fight that is far from a lock despite the lopsided odds.

Mayweather out in Pound for Pound rankings

Floyd Mayweather Jr has been dropped from the pound-for-pound rankings of the prestigious “Bible of Boxing”, Ring Magazine.

The Ring’s rankings continue to have “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao as No. 1 with WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina replacing Mayweather at No. 2 and Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire moving up to No. 3.

Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez who may face Pacquiao in a third fight sometime in November is at No. 4 followed by Thai veteran Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.

Rounding off the top ten are heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, Timothy Bradley, Giovanni Segura , Andre Ward and Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao who is also the reigning WBO welterweight champion is No. 1 in the welterweight divisional rankings with Victor Ortiz at No. 2 and former three-time champion Shane Mosley who faces Pacquiao at the MGM Grand on May 7 at No. 3 and Andre Berto at No. 4.

Ring Magazine editor-in-chief Nigel Collins told the Inquirer some two weeks ago that Mayweather had until May 1, 2011 which marks the one-year anniversary of his fight with Shane Mosley, to sign for a match or be removed from both The Ring’s divisional and pound-for-pound ratings.

Collins said “ If that happens, he won’t be reinstated in either of the ratings until after he fights again.” Collins did what he said Ring would do.l

He said then “ Where Floyd would fit at that point, is difficult to say. A win over low-level or undersized opponents would not earn him as high a spot as he now holds. It would take a clear-cut win over a high quality adversary to accomplish that.”

There were no indications that the undefeated Mayweather planned on fighting anytime soon or even signing for a fight in order to hold on to his pound-for-pound rating.

Collins also indicated that it would also be “difficult to know exactly how the pound-for-pound ratings will look without Mayweather.”

However, he stated that it would be “fairly safe to say that Sergio Martinez (WBC light middleweight champion) who is currently No. 3 on the PFP list and (WBC/WBO bantamweight champion) Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, currently No. 4 would both move up and become No. 2 and No. 3.”

Pointing to the May 7 showdown between Pacquiao and former three-time champion Shane Mosley, Collins said “of course, if Shane Mosley springs an upset in his upcoming fight with Manny Pacquiao, there would be a massive reshuffling.”

The Ring’s editor-in-chief noted that "if Pacquiao prevails (over Mosley) and Mayweather stays inactive, Manny, who is No. 1 at 147 pounds, could capture the vacant Ring welterweight championship by fighting Victor Ortiz, who would advance from No. 3 to No. 2 without Mayweather in the ratings.”

Ortiz captured the WBC crown last April 16 with an impressive twelve round decision over Andre Berto.

Boxing stars pays tribute to the late late Sir Henry Cooper

Tributes are continuing to pour in for the late Sir Henry Cooper, 76, who died yesterday after a prolonged illness. Former three-time world champion Muhammad Ali has revealed his shock at his friends death as he was never told that the former British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion was ill.

"I am at a loss for words over the death of my friend, Henry Cooper," said Ali in a statement on Sunday night.

“I was not aware he was ill. I visited with him two summers ago during a brief visit to Windsor as part of the Equestrian Games being held there.

“He was in good humour and looked quite fit. Henry always had a smile for me; a warm and embracing smile. It was always a pleasure being in Henry's company. I will miss my ole friend. He was a great fighter and a gentleman."

Top Rank boss Bob Arum has also paid tribute to the man, who in 1963, almost became the first man to beat the great Ali.

"Henry was a real gent and that was apparent from first to last when we dealt with him in London when Ali fought there against him for the first time."

"There was something special about him as a personality and of course, he belonged to a different age. He was a gracious man. He carried himself with dignity at all times. Later, he became an elder statesman and was one of the good guys in boxing. He will be sadly missed. I know Ali enjoyed seeing him in Windsor two years ago when Ali visited. A legend has gone. He won't be forgotten.”

On British shores, current world champions David Haye and Amir Khan has expressed their sorrow on the loss of what of the UK’s great characters of the game.

"He was at all the charity dinners and what-not and we'd talk to each other and he'd give me advice and wish me luck, give me his opinion on what he thought I should do and it was always sound advice.

"He'd let you know his opinion - whether you wanted to hear it or not! - and I believe the advice he's given me over the years is working out because I'm now the heavyweight champion of the world."

Amir Khan said: "He had everything. I remember meeting him a few times and he came across very humble, we had a good conversation about my own career.