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source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

Newly crowned WBA superwelterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is tightening the noose around his neck, in case he hasn’t noticed, as the man called “Money” continues to accuse Manny Pacquiao of taking performance enhancing drugs despite a live defamation case charging the flamboyant fighter of slander. “All his talk just strengthens Manny’s case against him,” said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach in a recent interview. “If you ask me, if the fight (between Pacquiao and Mayweather) happens, fine, but if it doesn’t, no problem. Down the road, I see Manny fighting once more this year and twice next year. We’re not looking beyond (Tim) Bradley but after June 9, who’s next? A lot of new generation fighters are out there waiting – Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Lamont Peterson. Bob (Arum) is planning to put Brandon Rios in against (Juan Manuel) Marquez with the winner to face Manny. Rios is moving up from lightweight but I think getting him to go to welterweight at 147 may be too much to ask and who wants to see a fourth fight against Marquez? It’ll be the same thing happening all over again, a close fight with Manny winning.”

Mayweather launched a recent tirade on Pacquiao, unmindful of the case filed against him in 2009. In his verbal attack, he admitted a fear of facing Pacquiao, using the PED bogey as an excuse.

“People say ‘we don’t give a **** if he’s taking or not, we just want to see the fight,’” he said. “‘We don’t give a **** about your health and we don’t give a **** about your family.’ I care about my family. They’re going to be there when no one else is there. Health is more important than anything. When my career is over, if I’m hurt because of something that has happened in a fight, I can’t come to you and say, ‘I need money.’ (Pacquiao) was 106 pounds (when he started) and he’s just walking through (Miguel) Cotto. Look at the pictures. His head is small and then all of a sudden, his head just grew? Tell me this man’s head didn’t get bigger. You’re going to tell me this **** is all natural.”

Pacquiao has never tested positive for any illegal substance and there is no basis for Mayweather’s rants. In fact, Pacquiao has agreed to Mayweather’s demands for random blood testing just to make the fight happen even if he was reluctant at the start because of a notion that an extraction may sap his energy if done too close to a fight. When the drug row was settled, Mayweather turned to another issue – the purse split. Mayweather wants Pacquiao to agree to a flat $40 Million purse without a share in the pay-per-view income which is expected to be substantial. Pacquiao has countered with a 50-50 split then revised it to a 45-45 split with the winner to get the balance as a bonus.

The speculation is Mayweather won’t risk blemishing his 43-0 record with Pacquiao still at the peak of his career. HBO Sports president Seth Abraham, quoted by Chris Mannix in Sports Illustrated, said, “He cares more about that zero than he does about the fans’ respect.”

Curiously, it is Mayweather’s family that has a history with drugs and not Pacquiao’s. His father Floyd Sr. was sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking in 1994. His mother and aunt were drug users. Mayweather himself was accused of taking a performance enhancing pain-killer, xylocaine, but has denied it.

Mayweather, 35, said he’ll go on fighting until he’s 37 – that’s two years from now. Pacquiao is waiting in the wings but won’t wait forever because he has other priorities to attend to, in particular his political plans to be of more service to his countrymen. A bigger priority is his closeness to God.

“It’s great that Manny’s reading the Bible, you can’t go wrong with that,” said Roach who was raised a Catholic. “Manny gave me a rubber bracelet to wear when we work out. The bracelet says, ‘God is my Rock, God is my Savior.’ I wear it during our workouts. The Bible reading won’t make him less of a fighter. He does his job in the ring and offers it up to God.”

Roach said Pacquiao will be devastating against Bradley. “Manny will be like he was before,” he continued. “He wants to prove something especially after some people felt he didn’t do well against Marquez in his last fight.”

Pacquiao sued Mayweather, his father, uncle Roger, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar de la Hoya and Richard Schaefer in Las Vegas in 2009, for “irresponsible, reckless, false statements” that he uses PEDs.

“I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring,” said Pacquiao. “These people think it is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. I have tried to just brush it off but I think they have gone overboard.”

by Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

source: Abac Cordero | philstar.com

Josie Gabuco, who loved to spar with her male counterparts at the ABAP Gym, yesterday delivered the country’s first gold medal in AIBA World Women’s Boxing Championships. Gabuco, 25, probably trains harder and longer than anyone else in the national team. She went against all odds to beat hometown bet Xu Shiqi for the light-flyweight (48 kg) gold.

Gabuco started out slow and trailed her Chinese rival after the first three rounds, 2-1, 5-3 and 8-7. But she found her range in the final round to win by the skin of her teeth, 10-9.

The Chinese crowd at the Olympic Sports Center in Qinhuangdao must have been stunned after Gabuco was declared winner and her hands raised after the very tight contest.

It was the first gold medal in the World Women’s Championships for the Philippines, surpassing the silver won by Annie Albania and the bronze by Gabuco in the 2008 edition.

It’s just bad that Gabuco’s victory did not earn her a slot to the coming London Olympics where only the 51 kg, 60 kg and 75 kg divisions will be contested.

Nesthy Petecio hoped to qualify in the 51 kg class after trimming down from 54 kg. But it proved to be too costly for the Filipina who dropped her opening match.

Gabuco has a four-year-old son. But motherhood just can’t stop her from shining inside the ring. She’s also a winner of back-to-back gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.

Heading to the finals, Gabuco defeated some tough rivals from Venezuela, Mongolia, Canada and Russia. Easily, she was considered the underdog against her Chinese opponent.

“We in ABAP are happy for Josie and we salute her,” said Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines president Ricky Vargas in a text message after news of Gabuco’s triumph broke out.

“Her triumph is a testament to hard work, dedication, determination and faith. Josie believed and in turn we believed in her. To have had a part in the making of the first Filipina World Boxing Championships (winner) is a privilege,” he said.

The ABAP leadership, including its chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, knows how to give credit where credit is due. And with the victory, Gabuco stands to receive a hefty cash incentive.

For the SEA Games, ABAP gives away P300,000 for every gold medal. But this is the World Championships, and Gabuco deserves more.

Days before winning the gold in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia, Gabuco’s mother died of cancer. But she went on to win the gold.

Gabuco said she hardly slept on the eve of the finals bout in last year’s SEA Games as she kept on thinking of her mother, whom she had wanted to gift with a house in Puerto Princesa.

But her mother did not live long to see the house or watch her win the gold in Indonesia, and eventually become the first Filipina gold medalist in the World Women’s Boxing Championships.

That her victory is a testament to hard work, dedication, determination and faith is an understatement.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Unbeaten boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. knows he is the underdog in his June 9 bout against Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, but the American fighter insists that he is not concerned. “I like being the underdog. I’ve been the underdog my whole life,” Bradley said during the first episode of the HBO reality series “24/7: The Road to Pacquiao-Bradley.” “I don’t really care what anybody say.”

Bradley will be in for the biggest fight of his life against Pacquiao, who is considered one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world along with Floyd Mayweather Jr., and the unbeaten boxer insists he has what it takes to challenge the Filipino champion.

“My work ethic is a beast. There’s no one that can work harder than me. I will outlast anybody,” Bradley said.

“Pacquiao, he’s a great fighter, but once we get in that ring on June 9th, regardless of all the smiles and all the, you know, the joys, we in there to seek and destroy. That’s it. That’s the only thing on my minds is getting that W, getting that win that night,” he added.

Many have questioned if Bradley truly deserves the bout against Pacquiao, but the unbeaten boxer points to the three world championships he has won and the 18 years of hard work he has put into his career.

“Eighteen years, we been working. So that’s why, when people say, ‘Oh, Bradley don’t deserve this shot,’ it’s like, ‘Dude, I spent 18 years of my life dedicating myself to this boxing game,’” he said.

“I done captured three world championships, you know, to get to this spot. I deserve this shot, you know.”

Bradley adds that he will silence all of his doubters when he steps into the ring against Pacquiao on June 9.

“A lot of people say I don’t hit hard enough, I wasn’t quick enough, I was too short, I was too small for the weight class, you know, you’ll never become world champion… (I’m) a three-time world champion. I’m the No. 1 fighter at 140-pounds,” Bradley said.

“I’m about to be the No. 1 fighter at 147 (pounds) on June 9th. (Pacquiao) is the next to learn. It’s not about the money… It’s about that spot. I want his spot. I want his throne,” he added.

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