Bleacher Report - Articles by Carlo Miguel Narboneta

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Should Agree on 50-50 Purse Split

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:08:35 -0500

If reports are true that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will be worth $150 million, then why should the percentages of sharing an issue?

Is this too much greed on the part of the fighters, handlers, and hangers? I need some time to suck it in.

For superstar fighters, it’s some kind of "ego-istic" that they wanted the bigger share.

It seemed like they have taken the first round of the fight if they get the percentage that they wanted.

They think that they’re the one who are more popular, more superior, fighter of the masses, generates more money, and economically important.

Understanding the situation is simple, actually.

The fighters are missing the point that the larger piece of the pie really doesn’t matter if they can have half of the pie factory for each of them.

It would be bigger than the normal that they usually have.

If the budget is around $30 million, then it’s understandable that each man wants to jockey for position to earn more profit. Who doesn’t want to be settled for the rest of their lives, but $150 million? Come on! That’s plenty of money for even two lifetimes.

Having a 50-50 split on $150 million is way better than having a 60-40 split on $30 million.

Agreeing to fight on equal terms will be the biggest purse for both fighters, and the biggest one in the history of the sport of boxing.

Perhaps the biggest amount that an athlete can be paid for in a day at a major sporting event.

Imagine, $75 million for each fighter? But there’s more…

There’s no doubt that the fight would be a pay-per-view hit.

Assuming, there’ll be three million subscribers at $55 per pop. That’s a whopping $165 million!

That’s $82.5 million for HBO, $41.25 million for the promoters, and an additional $20.6 million more on both fighter's gross.

They could make an incredible $95.6 million! Would you believe that?! No one's gotten paid for a single day with that amount.

When negotiations start for the fight there will be a lot of trash talking from the Mayweather posse and from Pacquiao’s camp, but they have to keep in mind that machismo is inside the ring and not on the negotiating table.

Quit thinking that the superior fighter gets the lion’s share if both fighters can buy their own jungles.

Never mind previous pay-per-view buys in the US, if the whole world will actually watch them.

All the fans want is for this mega event to happen next year while both fighters are still at their peaks.

Strike whilst the iron is hot.

Stating these assumed, or should I say fantastical figures, is like selling something on Home Shopping Network. It gets bigger and bigger! It never ends…

I just hope the ending would be Pacquiao-Mayweather in 2010.

Bob Arum: Floyd Mayweather Afraid to Let the “O” Go!

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:16:31 -0500

Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is scared to fight the greatest Filipino boxer who ever lived, Manny Pacquiao, who could let his “O” go.

Mayweather was the consensus the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world before his retirement.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, has reeled in successive wins with great distinctions against top tier opponents en route to be Floyd’s successor for the top spot.

Mayweather insisted he was the superior fighter, and he said Pacquiao was afraid to face him.

Pacquiao, stepped up to the plate when was asked on KTLA.

According to a report from Palnet-F1.com, Bob Arum said that Mayweather is not prepared to fight Pacquiao psychologically.

Forty fighters tried to beat Mayweather, no one ended triumphant. Diego Coralles (RIP), Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti (RIP), Juan Manuel Marquez, and Oscar Dela Hoya, to name a few, are some of the big name fighters who tried.

40-0-25, is Mayweather’s current record and Arum added that the fighter is afraid to loose that zero in his record.

Allegedly, Floyd has avoided fighting Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto and by facing Pacquiao there’s a big possibility that he can be beaten.

The big question at the moment is: Will he fight Pacquiao or price himself out of the fight?

Now, it’s up to the promoters to lay the cards on the table, convince their respected fighters and proceed with the century’s biggest fight.

Antonio Margarito Was Beaten Before He Entered the Ring Against Shane Mosley

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:44:14 -0500

In everything that we do, we must always be prepared, mentally and physically. Without one of these, we would not be successful in what we want to do unless luck is smiling on us at that moment.

In sports preparation, it is very important before the athletes hit the big lights. In the NBA, NFL, or Major League Baseball to name some, they hold regular practices to prepare for the next game.

Other athletes do change their appearances that others may find intimidating just to gain that mental edge.

As with boxing, preparations may be different but still the result of getting the “win” turns out to be the same. Physical and mental preparations are the key elements to winning.

Boxers go through months of pain before a fight through routine conditioning exercises that sometimes makes the trainee bored and of course sparring. Though some fighters don’t spar a lot as to basketball teams who don’t engage in so much scrimmages during practice.

Trainers device a plan on how to condition the minds and physicals of their fighters before fight time. The two elements go hand-in-hand. If one is missing, the possibility of doom is inevitable.

Would you believe that Antonio Margarito was already derailed emotionally before entering the ring against Mosley?

Mosley's trainer, Nazim Richardson’s discovery of alleged illegal hardened plasters on Margarito’s bandage went straight to his head minutes before they stepped into the ring.

You are not human if you are not affected by that incident.

The said incident in the locker room was an intangible factor in Margarito’s defeat.

Who wouldn’t be affected by that. A fighter being looked up to by fans for being big and strong and might who bulldozes opponents away at will be branded as an alleged cheat with hardened plasters?

Imagine, someone catches LeBron James in the locker room eating some “power spinach” a la Popeye and putting some spring in his shoes. That would make you say “Oooohhh, that’s what make him so strong and jumps so high.”

Antonio’s presumed innocent until proven. But the gold bar that was lost here was R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

With Margarito, the respect that he once had will be clouded with doubt.

Because of so many things going on his mind minutes away before the big fight, directly or indirectly affected his performance that night.

He was blown away even before the first round bell sounded. The mental beating that he had did it for the night.

Mosley put on a hell of a show and credit is due to him. He bullied the bully into submission. He deserved the win. And Richardson deserves the same.

They capitalized on the advantage right from the start. They won the "chess" part of the game and eventually the physical followed.

Hookercut: What Would Phil Jackson Do?

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:09:17 -0500

If Michael Jordan’s 1998 Chicago Bulls championship team were down by 50 points against Stockton and Malone’s Utah Jazz with two minutes left in the third quarter, what would Coach Phil Jackson do?

Phil probably would’ve taken out Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Tony Kukoc and Ron Harper. The starters would be warming the bench as the third unit takes over the basketball court to finish the game for formality’s sake.

It’s a lost ballgame anyway. And it’s not a shame by doing so. It’s part of the strategy.

Phil would do this move in order to preserve his players. There are more games left to be played, immediate or long term.

Why would he expose his best players to freak accidents if it can be avoidable? Injuries are similar to death. If God wants this to happen it’s up to Him. But if there’s a chance that we can avoid it in some little way then the opportunity should be grabbed. Makes sense? At least you tried.

I’m making a point out of last Saturday’s Firepower starring Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. I’ve read reports from various writers that the fight should’ve been stopped earlier than the 12^th round and I totally agree.

The Boricua Bomber was competitive early in the fight. Then he took a flash knockdown in the third and a legit one from a left hookercut (can’t distinguish if it were a hook or an uppercut ) haymaker in the fourth round.

Cotto is a proud fighter. I’ve witnessed so many of his fights. He doesn’t back down from adversity. He may be handicapped in some of his fights but he just wouldn’t quit.

Look at his fight against Ricardo Torres, he was taking so much early in the fight but he refused to go down. He took everything from Ricardo before his body let go and touched the canvas. And yet he still managed to win the fight by an impressive knockout in the 7th.

Fights with Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito are notable ones for he refuses to lose even in adversity. Though he took a knee and quit against Margarito, nobody knows if there were hardened plasters used in that fight. It’s an exception.

Proud fighters will not quit. Cotto is one. Their heart neglects the limitations of the physical for pride and glory. The fighter will just go on. Fighters don't quit.

He deserves to be protected. He has to be protected.

Miguel Cotto did not need to take that much of a beating at the end. If the bout was stopped three rounds earlier, he could’ve saved Cotto roughly around 120 power shots from Pacquiao.

Miguel Cotto still has a good future, but he needs a good and better trainer.

What do you think would Phil Jackson do?

Z Gorres Fights for His Life

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:41:39 -0500

The Philippines is a country proud of its boxing heritage. The country has produced world champions since the early 1900s, with Elorde, Villa, Penalosa, Espinosa, and Pacquiao to name a few.

To become a champion, you have to start from zero.

You can’t fight at a top level on your first few fights. You have to begin from the grass roots to build the foundation for the future.

This is where ALA Boxing comes in. ALA boxing is in Cebu City, an island of the Philippines south of Manila. The group has many fighters in its stable, from beginners to veteran fighters on the development stages of their careers.

From all the boxers in its stable there were three that stood out: Rey Bautista, AJ Banal and Z Gorres.

Of the three aforementioned fighters, in my opinion, Z Gorres is the one who stands out.

Bautista and Banal fight with power, charging forward using the brute strength of their punches to take out opponents.

Z Gorres fights with finesse and strategy. He is a clinical fighter and tactician in other words. He’s got some good footwork and decent speed. He fights using his brain and adapts to the style of his opponent.

He is called “The Dream,” for many people think that his time will come to be included in the list of world champions from the Philippines.

While the country is very excited to see Manny Pacquiao fight Miguel Cotto, Z Gorres fought behind the shadows on the eve of the year’s super fight.

Gorres faced Luis Melendez of Colombia and won via unanimous decision in a 10-round 118lb contest. Gorres was in control the whole fight and on the verge of an easy win until Melendez landed a flush punch that sent Gorres down to the canvass with 10 seconds left in the fight.

He survived the shocker. But instead of celebrating, the ring was blanketed with fear.

On a sudden twist of fate, after the verdict was announced and photographers were about to finish taking pictures, Gorres collapsed in the corner and was taken out on a stretcher.

According to boxingscene.com and philboxing.com, Gorres suffered a subdural hematoma and had to undergo emergency surgery to relieve the swelling of the brain.

Gorres was placed in a medically induced coma and is scheduled to have further tests over the weekend.

Z has done his part to bring pride and honor to his country. He has served his country well.

My prayers are with Z and his family for his immediate recovery.

25 Wins, 25 KOs: As Good As It Gets For Edwin Valero

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:19:18 -0500

If you have 25 fights, 25 wins and 25 KOs you could easily be the hottest fighter that boxing promoters wish to be included in their fight card.

But that’s not the case for Edwin Valero.

He’s got that impressive record but no one cares about him except the hardcore boxing fans.

No thanks to the motorcycle accident that happened to him that resulted in some kind of a blood clot in his brain that had him banned fighting in the US.

The Texas State Athletic Commission recently issued a license for Valero to fight in the Lone Star State and obliged in spring of this year against Antonio Pitalua.

It was the start of something good for El Inca until rumors of US visa problems surfaced in the internet that sidelined him again from fighting in the “Big League.”

With those 25 impressive, abbreviated wins and a two alphabet soup world titles in two weight divisions, he still remains in the shadows of big fighters. He was just relegated as chief sparring partner for big name fighters.

He sparred with Erik Morales for his third bout with Pacquiao, for Marco Antonio Barrera for his second outing with the Pacman and for Oscar Dela Hoya’s preparations for his fight against world’s best fighter which eventually was halted for rumors that he gave the Golden too much of a hard time during sparring.

One move that he could have done at present is to offer himself to Team Cotto as a sparring partner for this weekend’s fight with fire breathing Filipino.

Cotto could have benefited fighting a southpaw with similar height and power as for his super fight this weekend.

Valero can somehow have the good publicity of being involved in another super fight by doing so. He would somehow gauge himself too in sparring with a full pledged, prime weleterweight.

Though, in the shadows, it’s still publicity. Who doesn’t want to be involved in a fight of this magnitude in some way or another?

Gato Figueroa had his share of his spotlight in the course of the event. He sparred for one week with Cotto before he was fired and became a hot topic in the Internet for two weeks. Good publicity.

El Inca could’ve gotten the same. How I wish…

How I wish…it was Valero who fought and defeated Marquez last September so the public would clamor for a Pacquiao- Valero fight.

How I wish…Valero take only a 20 percent cut from the pie just for the big break so he wouldn’t hurt Mega Manny’s ego. If he agrees, the fight can take place next weekend and it’s up to them hurt each other in the ring.

In conclusion, Edwin Valero’s got to fight in the US. That’s where the money is. The public want fighters to win in the US to be bigger.

He may defend his world titles or win another one fighting in Japan, Venezuela or Mexico in the future but unless he fights in the US, he’ll never be a superstar.

Corners Will Win It For Pacquiao and Cotto

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:39:07 -0500

Two great warriors locking horns on Nov. 14, one would wonder who’s going to emerge victorious come fight night?

Both fighters are training really hard and appear on schedule with their conditioning.

The biggest factor could be the teams that help prepare the protagonists for the biggest fight of the year.

All we watch, read, and hear from the media are that both teams are going well as planned, except from the distractions within Team Pacquiao, like the internal feud from his entourage and the 2 typhoons that swept Luzon in a span of a week.

But that is all water under the bridge now.

Assuming everything will be equal, fighters Pacquiao vs Cotto, cutmen Miguel Diaz vs Joe Chavez and conditioning coaches Alex Ariza vs Phil Landman.

The fight’s going to be a toss up.

But there’s a striking factor that we can’t miss on, Freddie Roach vs Joe Santiago.

Roach’s been working Pacquiao’s corner for 8 years and 20 fights. He has worked with multiple world champions like Mike Tyson, James Toney, the Klitschkos, Israel Vasquez, Dela Hoya and Hopkins just to name some.

Imagine the experience that this man has working with these top notch fighters. The guy has never given in to pressure. The guy’s calm and collected during fights, winning or losing.

Joe Santiago is only on his second fight as a head trainer. He assumed the top post on Team Cotto when former trainer and Uncle Evangelista Cotto left the team. His first fight was with Joshua Clottey in summer last year.

He was a sports nutritionist with a PhD in sports science. We still don’t know how he would react in the corner in a fight of this magnitude. It’s only his second and it’s already a superfight.

Being in a Pacquiao fight is way too different from a fight against Clottey. New York watched that fight. This time it’s the world who is watching his every move.

On this scenario you would clearly know who’s got the advantage. Assuming all other factors are equal.

One other thing that caught my attention was the quality and quantity of sparring partners.

For his upcoming fight with Cotto, Pacquiao has sparred with former world champion Jose Luis “El Temible” Castillo, 35 (60-9-1, with 52 KOs), Shawn Porter, 22 (10-0, with 8 KOs), Urbano Antillon, 27 (26-1, with 19 KOs), up and comer Danny Escobar, 20 (3-0, with 3 KOs), Raymundo “Sugar” Beltran, 28 (22-4, with 14 KOs) and Rashad Holloway, 28 (11-1-2, with 5 KOs).

The sparmates are a mix of welterweights, lightweights and a lightmiddleweight. A mix of speed, movement and power. All bases covered.

While Cotto’s sparmates were Welterweight Fred Tukes, 36, has a 7-1-1 record, with only 5 KOs, Lighweight Kenny Abril, 25, has a 9-3-1 record, also with only 5 KOs.

The bright side in his camp was sparmate Francisco "Gato" Figueroa, 31 (20-3-1, with 13 KOs ) who’s quick and throws punches in angles and is a southpaw like Pacquiao was fired after a week in camp and the speculation was he made Cotto look bad.

Team Cotto said that he wasn’t serious enough in training camp. Figueroa later admitted in a boxing website that he tried to fight like Pacquiao that made Miguel frustrated during sparring sessions that resulted for him leaving camp.

Fights are won in the ring by the fighter but preparations and strategy will nail it for the boxer.

That’s what separates good fighters from the best fighter in the world.

Who's the Best Fighter in the World?

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:24:44 -0400

Who’s the best fighter in the world today? Others say Floyd Mayweather Jr and others say Manny Pacquiao.

Well, the answer depends whicht part of the world you’re from.

After watching last night’s 12-round, one-sided fight between Mayweather and reigning lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, with the former winning lopsidedly, you may think that Mayweather’s has the edge over Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s two fights with Marquez were both closely disputed. The first was a spilt draw and the second, a close split decision in favor of the Pacman.

As I’ve said in my previous article, it’s a fight that you hate to see someone lose because of the courage and tenacity of both fighters, but someone has to.

Marquez wasn’t a shade of his old self like were his 24 rounds with Pacquiao, against Pretty Boy Floyd. He was tentative; he was confused with Mayweather’s style and couldn’t find his rhythm. In short, he can’t step on the gas.

His patient counter-punching style was not there either. Instead, he was the one coming forward. Everything was not he had hoped for.

With Mayweather, the 21-month break from boxing was never evident in the fight. He was quick on parrying shots, displayed very nice footwork and a wide variety of head movements, created angles in throwing punches, everything went his way. It was sweet; he was magnificent.

Though Marquez fought hard, there was no way he can get to Floyd.

On the brighter side, he didn’t quit. The two best fighters in the world that he fought can’t knock him out. Though knocked down, he was never counted out. He fought back gallantly but was just not lucky. He’s got the ultimate warrior’s heart. He was prepared to die in the ring.

That’s the courage of Dinamita Marquez.

My pre-fight prediction was Mayweather winning on a unanimous decision but I was hoping that the fight was more competitive. A close unanimous was what I was hoping for. I was hoping that Marquez land clean blows. I was hoping for cuts and swellings on Mayweather’s face. I was dead wrong.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao had three common denominators: Oscar Dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Marquez.

Dela Hoya was beaten by Mayweather by a controversial unanimous decision. Many pundits feel Mayweather lost that fight. Pacquiao retired him at the beginning of the ninth round.

Ricky Hatton was knocked out by Mayweather in 10 rounds though Hatton was competitive in the early rounds of that fight. Pacquiao knocked him out cold in two, with two knockdowns in the first round.

Juan Manuel Marquez had two close fights against Pacquiao. Of the 24 rounds that they have fought, Marquez arguably won the majority of those. Mayweather swept all the 12 rounds of their fight.

Who do you think is better? Take your pick.

Marquez Took the Mayweather Fight with Pacquiao in the Back of His Mind

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:57:55 -0400

After Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barreara were gone, Juan Manuel Marquez is the new pride of Mexico in boxing. He’s a fundamentally sound boxer with under-rated power and speed and courageous heart that never backs down.

He was floored by Manny Pacquiao four times in 24 rounds he still managed to be competitive throughout the fight.

Others say he won both fights. I say, the results were fair. It’s a fight that you hate see someone loosing. It’s a fight that can go either way. It’s a fight that you couldn’t predict that winner until the final bell. It’s a fight worth paying to see but who wants his bet to loose. Though he’s claiming he won both fights. I see that the verdicts were fair enough.

The man they call Dinamita is ready to die every time he steps into the ring as he says. What courage and dedication this warrior has. He will never quit. He’ll stay in shape all year round. He’s not the typical fighter that parties when there’s no training camp. I’ll give him the maximum contract if he were an NBA player.

Though he’s an admirable fighter, my observation was he’s not the ideal sportsman that people can idolize in terms of character. You can admire his work ethics but not his personality.

He refuses to accept defeat. He was bitter with his defeat and draw to Pacquiao and Indonesian Chris John, respectively. He was worse in accepting the loss against his former in their second fight.

Analyzing the events that happened during and after the two fights, he has somehow developed a personal grudge with the Pacman.

He never touches gloves with the guy during fights unlike the Morales, Barrera, Dela Hoya and others. He doesn’t even congratulate the guy after finishing the fight. It was Manny who actually comes up to him after each fight and embraces him with no response from Marquez.

Juan Manuel came to Manila. He was warmly welcomed by the Filipinos but when a live feed on national TV pitted Pacquiao and Marquez together he acted like a spoiled brat crying asking for some candies that he couldn’t have. He showed disrespect to his hosts. It was conduct unbecoming of a champion. It was a disgrace. It was pathetic.

We have never seen classy champions Ali or Dela Hoya or Sugar Ray Leonard or Lennox Lewis act like that after a loss.

Marquez was disrespecting Pacquiao on TV asking for a third fight but the Filipino champ didn’t stoop down to his level and instead just gave him a smile, a classy act from a classy champion.

Now Marquez accepted to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. What’s the theory behind it?

Floyd is the former number one boxer in the world until his hiatus. Now that he’s back, Dinamita wants to prove to the world that he can beat the Pretty Boy. Aside from that, just fighting him gives a swipe to Pacquiao that if he doesn’t want to fight him, he’ll fight the other top guy and beat him. By doing so, he’ll have much more leverage that Pacquiao will come to him, if he beats him.

On Saturday, Sept 19, he’ll lock horns with Mayweather. It’s a fight that he’s considered to loose. But with his work attitude, heart and the guidance of Nacho Beristain, it’s possible that he can win the fight not like how the experts put it.

It’s not going to be an easy fight though. I see competitive one.

Marquez should bring the fight to Floyd. He has to dictate the tempo and I see him mixing up his style of attacking and countering. Though Marquez is the one moving up in weight, I think he has the crisper punches than Mayweather.

I am hoping for a brawl on occasions but I know that it won’t happen for the two protagonists like to fight back pedalling unless someone changes tactics and goes into attack mode.

We’ll be seeing Mayweather winning by a close seven rounds-to-five unanimous decision as Marquez will put up a gallant fight that results in cuts and bruises on Floyd’s pretty face.

Marquez will loose the fight but Mayweather will be the one beaten. Bring Pacquiao-Mayweather and Pacquiao-Marquez III on!

Ricky Hatton's Nightmare

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:17:33 -0400

Can't believe that Ricky Hatton is showboating so much with seven days before the "Battle of East and West."

According to a report from Boxingscene.com, Hatton said "Re-mortgage the house and empty the bank and put it all on me. I'm not getting ahead of myself. It's just the build of my opponent and how I feel. That's what I'm going on. Every day of the week I can beat this guy,"

Too confident Ricky. Just be while you still have the luxury to enjoy it. After 5 rounds you'll have it all gone.

Pacquiao has been stopped a couple of times by body shots and has been knocked out and I don't think there's anything you can do to improve your ribs or chin according to Hatton.

Dead wrong boy! You should've watched Pacquiao's fights the last few years against Morales and Marquez then evaluate his improvements on the way Pac takes hard punches.

Ricky was right that Pacquiao was knocked out twice but that was a million years ago.

Hatton's got some collective amnesia too. He broadcasts Pacquiao's "million years ago knockouts" but forgets that he was the one who got knocked out from a punch in the chin merely 17 months ago.

Anyway, everyone forgets some things at some point in our lives. And I understand Ricky's case because he slammed his head on the turnbuckle and canvass so hard in the Mayweather Jr. fight that he’s excused to have forgotten some things.

All of us are entitled to our own fantasies and there's nothing wrong in dreaming. It stimulates our minds one way or the other.

As per my old article "can't teach an old dog new tricks", Hatton will charge forward-throw two to three punches that eventually miss then clinch. Hatton’s a boring fighter and there's nothing Floyd can do about it.

My prediction will be Pacquiao knocking out Hatton then Joke Roach have his head up high as Joy (Sad) Mayweather has head bowed in shame for disrespecting his counterpart.

Pacquiao, Roach, and the whole Philippines lived happily ever after.

Pacquiao-Hatton: Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:53:35 -0400

To sell a fight, specially a big fight, there has to be some tension between the protagonists to add some sort of drama to the event. One has to be the hero and the other the villain.

The fight between Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton is now shaping up to be a barn burner, in terms of word war at the moment.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. vs Freddie Roach and Ricky Hatton vs Pacquiao,(?) or still vs Freddie Roach.

Freddie Roach has no fear taking on those two guys head on. He may have a the choir-boy looks but never runs out nasty words when engaged in battle.

The verbal war between Mayweather and Roach adds so much color to the event. He often comes to the rescue of his favorite fighter.

Pacquiao has never bad mouthed any of his opponents. He doesn’t talk trash. He lets his fists do the talking come fight night.

He shows respect to his counterparts but not fear, a trait of a noble warrior. In the battlefield he’s as bad as an animal. His performances are unbelievable. You can compare his opponents’ faces to patsies after the fight.

If his fights were a street brawl, you can call the police and charge him with assault with the way he reorders their facial structures. Barrera, Larios, Solis, Morales, Diaz and De la Hoya can borrow anybody’s face just to be patched up even from a dog.

Now Ricky Hatton should watch out. He and his team are making bold statements through the media on how they’ll going to dismantle Pacquiao while Manny keeps his mouth shut. I understand their trying to sell the fight but they should pick the words that they say.

Who knows, Pacman’s just taking all the rage that he needs and pours everything in the ring. Let me rephrase, everybody knows that Pacman pours everything in the ring. Bad news Hatton!

My prediction in this fight is that Pacquiao will defeat Hatton between rounds six and nine. Hatton’s chance of winning is only via knockout via lucky flush punch.

As I have observed during Hatton fights, his “coming forward-two punch combo-clinch” strategy will never be effective against the Filipino. Pacquiao’s too intelligent of a fighter not to know Hatton’s tendencies. And Roach surely knows that too.

They may plot their way of fighting but he’ll just revert to own style. As the saying goes “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Amir Khan Likens Himself to Manny Pacquiao

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:28:58 -0400

It’s ridiculous that Freddie Roach is labeling British rising superstar Amir Khan as his world champion in the making. It’s possible that he becomes one but it’s never going to be a walk in the park as they claim it to be.

Khan may have the potential. He’s the only British representative in the Athens Games claimed silver medal.

He may have the built, the charisma, tools and heart to become a world champion in the near future. He has the hand speed, text book skills and power but his chin is still very much suspect.

I’ve managed to read about Khan in 2006 in an edition of the Ring Magazine. Columns and articles about him is that he’s a superstar in the making because of his unblemished record and star power in the UK.

As I encounter fights and articles, my doubts that his jaw is made of glass became imminent. He’s getting knocked down in fights and even in sparring.

There’s an old saying in boxing that you’re always in the fight if you have punching power. What I say now is that “there’s always the danger of loosing a match if you’re Glass Joe (weak chin, the character in the old video game Punch Out).

Khan was defeated by David Presscott via first round KO. His handlers are making Manny Pacquiao as his inspiration. Pacquiao was knocked down twice in his career but was able to bounce back from both defeats and became the world’s best boxer at present.

The thing about this comparison is that Pacquiao’s KO losses were not because of his inability to take a punch in the head but because of his incapacity to make the weight as realized by his opponents, targeted his body thus resulting in bad losses.

Anyone get hit in the body that’s right on the button, may it be super strong or just an average punch, as long as it hits the target, air’s going to be sucked off from your lungs.

Taking body shots can be worked on though, with proper training and discipline. Muscles can be hardened enough to take punches but not the chin. Having a hard chin is not made. It's in-born.

Khan may survive onslaughts in the future if he avoids those head punches and he needs to start training for this elusive strategy.

He needs to be as slick as Ali and Mayweather to succeed. No brawling. Attack, move then reset should always be his fight plan.

Another way be a champion is to pick the right opponents.

I’m not yet putting my money on Amir Khan even if Coach Roach in his side. Not yet.

Prove me wrong Amir.

The ALA Gym Triumvirate: Philippine Boxers Hurt by Hype

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:42:56 -0400

The Philippines is very proud of the success of Manny Pacquiao in the international boxing scene. Imagine a third world country that has outdated sports program (amateur specifically) produced a boxing icon that will be remembered in the years even generations to come.

The success of this man is somehow the downfall of the upstarts.

Take the ALA boxing triumvirate of Z Gorres, Boom-Boom Bautista, and Bazooka Banal. These three were very good prospects a few years back until their recent fights. Boom-Boom and Bazooka were undefeated and Gorres had only lost once.

The Philippine media shared a big part in their downfall. They were the culprits actually. These three were all over prints and on TV all the time, stating that one of them could be “the next big thing” in Philippine boxing.

They fought headliners here and abroad, they were always being talked about and paraded in their native towns whenever they score a W.

Unconsciously, they were being pressured by the media and their handlers. They haven’t proven anything to deserve this treatment from their people.

They fought in the US but they faced two week replacements, a.k.a. patsies. What can you get from these fighters? They just give our fighters Ws but not the knowledge and toughness that can carry them in the years to come.

It’s an absolute mismatch!

When they were matched up with world class competition, I was not surprised with the results. Gorres vs Montiel, Boom-Boom vs De Leon, and AJ vs Concepcion, though I wanted them to win, there was always doubt in my mind that they can pull it off.

It’s too much media hype for the triumvirate. Maybe if they were treated like ordinary upstart fighters and not as “rockstars” they could have handled the pressure of fighting for our country better.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Filipino handlers are obsessed with Freddie Roach. They want their fighters to train in the Wild Card Gym and it’s getting crowded. With all due respect to Mr. Roach, why not try, McGirt, Goosen, or Mayweather Sr., or House?

Gorres used to be with Buddy McGirt but switched to Roach, Bryan Villoria once hooked up with Joe Goosen. Would you believe that lone Beijing Olympian’s handlers Harry Tanamor considered sending him to the Wild Card to train before the Olympics? Crazy? Addicted to Coach Roach!

Oscar De la Hoya Shows Dedication to Beating Manny Pacquiao

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:59:34 -0400

Bad news for Manny Pacquiao fans!

Aside from the size advantage that Oscar De la Hoya has against Manny Pacquiao, a “stabilizer” has been added to the mix.

Dela Hoya has tapped Beristain as his trainer, instead of Floyd Mayweather Sr., for the Dec. 6 “dream fight” with the Pinoy southpaw to somehow equalize the tactician’s side of the fight.

Nacho knows well how to fight the Filipino.

Beristain was at Marquez’ corner when he fought Pacquiao last March, and the trainer from Mexico City had nice words for the Pinoy champ.

Although he and Marquez has never beaten him, Pacquiao had the toughest time beating Marquez.

In their first match, Marquez rose from three first round knockdowns to salvage a draw and survived another brutal third round of their second match only to loose via close split decision.

Both encounters could’ve gone either ways.

Dela Hoya, said he’s been “analyzing some of the tactics used by Marquez that gave Pacquiao so much trouble.”

The Golden Boy will try to do the same against Pacquiao and hopes that he can fight the way Marquez did.

Despite all this development, I still see Dela Hoya's closed right eye and loosing via close split decision.

For sure, Freedie Roach will be planning something in training camp and will be ready for Oscar and Nacho on fight night.

POWER PACK-QUIAO?

Carlo Miguel Narboneta — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:37:41 -0400

Manny Pacquiao is set to face Multi-Division Champion Oscar De la Hoya on Dec 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The fight will be memorable, although some people say that it’s going to be a mismatch with De la Hoya getting the upper hand in terms of size.

What was Team Pacquiao’s point in accepting this fight dubbed a “mismatch” by the so called “experts” of the pugilistic business? Do they really think that they can score an upset? Can he soundly beat the Golden Boy?

If Pacquiao is in a disadvantage against De la Hoya, how can do the unthinkable? With speed, footwork, strategy or his punching power?

These factors led me to the question of “HOW HARD DOES MANNY PACQUIAO HIT?”

This will take a great part in this match—Oscar is too big for Manny. There has to be some way to neutralize these intangibles in order to win.

I'm putting Pacquiao’s punching power will be in under the microscope. Violent reactions all over the world will surely come my way after this gets published. Manny is a hero in our country, The Philippines.

I need not go to him or Freddie Roach and ask him that question, because he and PAC fans all over the world would suggest I personally see how hard he hits. Of course, on my standards, Pacquiao hits like a cannon ball—but ask that question to boxers that he has already faced and sparred, and you will be amazed by their answers.

My opinion is that he's not really a hard puncher—not to the likes of Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Wilfredo Gomez, Daniel Ponce De Leon, the late great Diego Coralles or Jose Luis Castillo have. And the list goes on…

When did we see him knockout a fighter with just a single punch? Just in the Emmanuel Lucero fight in July 2003 and Fashang 3K Battery in December 2004—both were tune up bouts.

The knockout against Lucero really looked devastating, as all the people who watched, including myself, reacted in amazement as a reed thin young man showed that he packs a power punch.

Lucero was undefeated when he faced the Pinoy. But he is untested, and not a high caliber fighter. To this day, that punch was never repeated by Manny.

He gave Fashan "3K Battery" a beating he won’t forget the rest of his life, his feet went off the canvas as he was hit by Manny’s left uppercut. Afterwards, the ref stopped the fight not bothering to count anymore. But hey! Manny can knock him out even if his left hand tied to his waist! No disrespect to Fashan, but he’s a low caliber fighter.

He knocked Juan Manuel Marquez down three times the first time they faced. But Marquez got back into the fight.

Give Pacquiao the benefit of the doubt that he broke his left hand during the first round barrage. That’s why he couldn’t finish him off.

But the second time they met, Marquez was down once, managed to get up and give him a hell of a fight. Couldn't put him away.

He knocked out Erik Morales, he knocked out Barrera—but not with a single punch. The way I see it, it’s because of the accumulation of punches, his hand speed, footwork, aggression, and ability to put pressure on his opponents—not his overrated punching power alone.

On record, Morales, Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis and David Diaz, admitted that his punch is not that really hard. "They’re not knockout punches." How ironic. All the formentioned fighters were knocked out by Pacquiao, except for Larios.

Morales said that Junior Jones hits harder than Manny and that he was just knocked out because of fatigue in their second fight and with the difficulty to make weight and poor conditioning in the rubber match. He exhausted all the efforts on the scales not in the ring.

He couldn’t even knock out a respectable and superbly conditioned former 122lb champ Oscar Larios when they fought in the Phillippines in July 2006. Larios said that his power is just average. That’s the reason why got up quickly when he was knocked down in the 7^th and 12^th rounds of the fight.

Jorge Solis commented that his wife hits harder than Pacquiao that he was knocked out because of his blinding hand speed that accumulated lots of shots and some power to his head.

David Diaz was heard, in between rounds against Pacquiao, saying that he had no problem with quality of the punches, and admitted that it was the volume that’s making him bananas. He confirmed these statements on print a few days after the fight.

Even Daniel Cervantes, an undefeated lightweight who sparred with him recently in preparation for his fight with Marco Antonio, revealed on Philippine TV that “Pacquiao is strong, but not as what I expected,” he said.

Israel Vasquez, the current undisputed 122lb champ, once expressed desire of moving up in weight someday and fight Pacquiao. He used to be the southpaw’s chief sparring partner years ago, revealed that he can take the best punches of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter.

I’m not against Manny. I’m his number one fan.

He is a rare guy in the pugilistic business, powerful (?), awkward, tremendous hand and foot speed, never say die attitude, a warrior’s heart and he is a southpaw. What more can you ask for?

He’s arguably the greatest southpaw of all time.

I think Freddie Roach should stick to the volume-punch battle plan to beat De la Hoya and quit saying that they can knock him out.

My prediction will be De la Hoya will have a swollen face, semi-closed right eye and Pacquiao winning the fight, minus the KO, on a razor thin split decision. It will have Oscar ask for a rematch and postpone his retirement.