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Pacquiao's PPV numbers add to megafight momentum

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:58:14 +0100

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao proved he can be a box office hit. Now it's up to Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to see what they can do together.

Pacquiao's big win over Miguel Cotto on Saturday was the biggest boxing show of the year, selling 1.25 million pay-per-view buys to best the 1.05 million sold by Mayweather for his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez in September. The television gross was $70 million, meaning both fighters will pocket millions of dollars more than their guaranteed purses.

The strong numbers not only point to a resurgence in interest in boxing, but add to the momentum for a possible fight next year between Pacquiao and Mayweather that could be the richest ever in the sport.

"They have to deliver," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg told The Associated Press. "The American public wants that fight."

Promoters for both fighters have already said they plan to begin negotiations soon for the bout, which would likely take place in early May. Las Vegas casinos have the inside track on landing the megafight, though there has also been talk of holding it at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, or even at Yankee Stadium.

One thing is certain: There is too much money at stake for either fighter to not make the fight happen.

"The two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in the same weight class in the prime of their careers," Greenburg said. "It just doesn't get any better than that."

Promoter Bob Arum agreed.

"The way I look at it now, boxing is really on a roll," Arum said. "We would be idiots now to slow the momentum and the only way we can keep the momentum is to make this fight."

Arum, who represents Pacquiao, is expected to begin talks as early as next week with Richard Schaefer, who heads Golden Boy Promotions and will represent Mayweather in the negotiations. Though each fighter believes he should get a bigger percentage of the purse, the total revenues will be so high — that a 50-50 split may not be all that difficult to achieve.

Arum said Pacquiao will end up making some $22 million for his 12th round stoppage of Cotto, while Cotto will end up with around $12 million. That is far higher than either fighter was guaranteed because, as is the case with most big fights, they worked for a percentage of the total sales.

The Pacquiao-Cotto fight also did well at the live box office, with 15,470 tickets sold for a gate of $8.84 million at the MGM Grand hotel.

The potential of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is so big that Arum said casino magnate Steve Wynn had already spoken to him about constructing a 30,000-seat outdoor arena on what is now a vacant lot across from his two resorts to host the bout, with other casinos joining in as partners. Outdoor arenas were a staple of the big fights in Las Vegas in the 1980s, beginning with the Muhammad Ali-Larry Holmes fight at Caesars Palace.

"A lot of people are interested," Arum said. "The problem with having it in the East, though, is that the taxes are so big that the fighters would have to give up millions in extra taxes."

Greenburg said the numbers for Pacquiao-Cotto gave HBO its first back-to-back pay-per-view fights that sold more than 1 million homes since 1999, when Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield and Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad did the same thing. The biggest pay-per-view ever was the 2007 fight with De La Hoya and Mayweather that got 2.4 million buys.

Greenburg credited the recent strong sales to a new willingness by promoters to match their best fighters, and to the new — and younger — fans drawn to the sport by the success of the network's "24/7" reality shows in the weeks before the fights.

There would be no lack of material for a Pacquiao-Mayweather show, which would match a Filipino hero with a colorful cast surrounding him against a fighter with a dysfunctional family who has played the role of villain in his biggest fights.

"There's just so much drama and subplots for this," Greenburg said.

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HBO is owned by Time Warner Inc.

Promoter Bob Arum wants Pacquiao-Mayweather fight

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:50:54 +0100

NEW YORK (AP) — Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Manny Pacquiao.

A fight too big not to happen.

Bob Arum of Pacquiao promoter Top Rank said Thursday he's ready to negotiate a showdown between the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, even suggesting potential locations and acknowledging that his Filipino star is willing to fight at 147 pounds.

Arum is waiting to hear from Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer, who is acting as an intermediary between Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions, two companies with an acrimonious relationship. Schaefer has assisted Mayweather's team on his most recent fights.

"I have to have discussions with our side, and when the time is right, I will be talking to Bob," Schaefer told The Associated Press. "That will probably take place face to face, and I intend that to happen very shortly."

Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, left no doubt that Mayweather is ready to get in the ring with the man who many believe replaced him atop the pound-for-pound list.

"Floyd has made it perfectly clear to Team Mayweather and the rest of the world that he wants to give the fans what they want, and that's Mayweather versus Pacquiao," Ellerbe said.

It would be the biggest event in the sport since the days of Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns, when marquee fights were held under the stars in the outdoor arena at Caesar's Palace.

Perhaps it's fitting that Las Vegas officials and casino magnate Steve Wynn have already contacted Arum about staging Pacquiao-Mayweather on the Strip. One possibility would be to build a temporary, 30,000-seat outdoor arena on a vacant lot at the old Frontier, where there would be room for corporate hospitality tents and a Super Bowl-like atmosphere.

Another possibility is the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium. Team owner Jerry Jones has expressed interest in holding major events at his $1.2 billion palace.

Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost has said he'd like to see a fight at the new Yankee Stadium, across the street from the building where many of the sports' greatest battles were waged. The problem is that New York would tax a significant percentage of the revenue, especially for a fight that could generate up to $80 million in purses.

The notion that so many venues are vying for a fight that has yet to be made demonstrates how much attention the sport is receiving. Mayweather is coming off a victory over Juan Manuel Marquez that sold more than 1 million pay-per-views, and Pacquiao's stoppage of welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on Saturday night is expected to surpass 1.2 million.

"It's not so much that I give a damn whether this fight happens — I don't — and for me it's not the greatest experience doing a promotion with Floyd Mayweather," Arum said. "But not to do this fight would slow down the momentum of boxing."

Mainstream sponsors like Pepsi and Subway have shown interest in Pacquiao-Mayweather, one more sign the sport is returning to the popularity level it enjoyed in the early 1980s.

Pacquiao recently made the cover of Time magazine in Asia and is easily the most widely recognized figure in the Philippines, while Mayweather has a magnetic personality that has been showcased everywhere from the WWE to commercials with Bill Kurtis for AT&T.

One of the two has won Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year the past three years.

"It has to happen. The stars are aligned and both fighters want it," said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. "If it doesn't, it would be devastating to the sport."

Mayweather issued a statement Monday in which he said, "If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight me, all he has to do is step up to the plate and say it himself."

"The world is much more intrigued by the thought of someone fighting me who can beat me," Mayweather added. "Manny Pacquiao's people have done a good job of creating an image of him to be this unbelievable fighter and now the so-called guy to beat me."

Already, the bluster has begun.

Arum promised that "my guy will make (Mayweather) fight, and once he fights, my guy will knock him out," while Ellerbe made it perfectly clear how he sees the fight shaking out.

"At the end of the day, we already know that Floyd is the best fighter in all of boxing, and if we're able to make a deal, he'll just be proving it to the world," Ellerbe said. "Nothing has changed. Pacquiao will be no different."

Pacquiao stops Cotto to win 7th title

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:38:09 +0100

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao's speed and power were way too much for Miguel Cotto's heart.

Pacquiao put on yet another dominating performance Saturday night, knocking down Cotto twice and turning his face into a bloody mess before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.

The Filipino star used his blazing speed and power from both hands to win his seventh title in seven weight classes and cement his stature as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cotto took such a beating that his face was a river of red from the fury of Pacquiao's punches but he refused to quit even as his corner tried to throw in the towel after the 11th round.

The fight was billed as a 145-pound classic, and in the early rounds it didn't disappoint. The two went after each other with a vengeance and Cotto more than held his own as they traded punches in the center of the ring.

Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand early in the third round, but he wasn't badly hurt and came back to finish the round strong. But after Pacquiao put Cotto on the canvas with a big left hand as Cotto was advancing forward late in the fourth round, the Puerto Rican was never the same again.

"Our plan was not to hurry but to take our time," Pacquiao said. "It was a hard fight tonight and I needed time to test his power."

Cotto fought gamely but in the later rounds he was just trying to survive as blood flowed down his face and Pacquiao kept coming after him relentlessly. It looked as if his corner was trying to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto went back out to take even more punishment before a final flurry along the ropes prompted referee Kenny Bayless to call the fight to an end.

Cotto's face was swollen, blood was flowing from his nose and his cuts, and he simply couldn't stop Pacquiao from bouncing inside and throwing both hands at will.

"I didn't know from where the punches were coming," Cotto said. "Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought."

Pacquiao, coming off of spectacular wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, added another one against Cotto, who had lost only once and held the WBO version of the welterweight title. Pacquiao did it in trademark fashion, throwing punches in flurries and from all angles until Cotto began to slow down and then pursuing him relentlessly until the fight finally ended.

The fight will likely set up an even bigger fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., and many in the soldout crowd at the MGM Grand arena began chanting "We want Floyd! We want Floyd" after the fight ended.

"I want to see him fight Mayweather," trainer Freddie Roach said.

Mayweather may have second thoughts after Pacquiao did what no fighter has done before and win a belt in a seventh weight class. More impressive, though, is how he has fought, dismantling opponents despite moving up consistently from 106 pounds to the 144 he weighed for the fight.

The welterweight ranks will be the last ones Pacquiao conquers, though. He said he will not move up any more in weight.

"This is the last weight division for me," Pacquiao said. "It's history for me and more importantly a Filipino did it.

He was so dominant in the later rounds that Cotto was fighting backward most of the way, simply trying to survive. Pacquiao was credited with landing almost twice as many punches — 336-172 — as Cotto.

Pacquiao earned a minimum $13 million, while Cotto got $7 million

Pacquiao was favored, largely off his last two performances in which he forced De La Hoya to quit on his stool and then knocked out Hatton with a huge left hook in the second round. Some in boxing, including Roach, thought Cotto had been slowed by his devastating loss last year to Antonio Margarito and would be further slowed by having to come in 2 pounds lower than his normal weight.

Pacquiao's task is to concentrate on fight

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:42:59 +0100

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao spent long, hard weeks getting ready for one of the biggest nights of his life. Hundreds of hours sparring in sweltering gyms, nearly as many on morning runs through deserted streets.

Not to mention all those nights rehearsing with the band.

Many in boxing think Miguel Cotto will be Pacquiao's toughest challenge when they meet Saturday night in a highly anticipated 145-pound fight. But after trading punches he has to please another kind of crowd when he takes the stage to sing with his band later that night down the Las Vegas Strip.

His trainer would rather he concentrate on the immediate task at hand. But Freddie Roach understands by now that Pacquiao can't keep still in the ring or out.

"I'm against the concert, of course," Roach said. "But he does a lot of stuff. He's multitasking all the time."

The stuff includes everything from helping victims of the recent typhoon in his native Philippines to starring in an action movie called "Wapakman." The father of four — who named one of his daughters Queen Elizabeth — has so many things going on all the time that even his ever expanding entourage has trouble keeping track.

None of it matters, though, if he doesn't take care of business Saturday night when he again carries the weight of a nation on his shoulders in the latest in a string of fights that have made him wildly popular far beyond his home country.

Pacquiao expects it to be his first knockout performance of the night.

"For me boxing is a kind of entertainment," Pacquiao said. "You have to entertain people. You have to earn their trust."

Pacquiao has done just that in his last two fights, giving Oscar De La Hoya such a beating that he retired and dropping Ricky Hatton with one huge punch. He's gone from being a top-tier fighter to being widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and beating Cotto would give him an unprecedented seventh title in as many weight classes.

It also would set up a bout with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. in one of the biggest fights in boxing history. That's assuming, of course, that Pacquiao can focus on his most important duty of the night.

"I set aside everything that can distract my mind," Pacquiao said. "This is the important fight of my life. To win seven titles means 20 or 30 years ago you won't forget my name. Manny Pacquiao will still be there."

Though the fight will be for a piece of the welterweight title, it is being held at 145 pounds at the insistence of Pacquiao's camp because Cotto is a natural 147-pounder and Pacquiao has fought only once above 140 pounds. The scheduled 12-rounder at sold-out MGM Grand arena will be shown on pay-per-view.

The fight has the potential to be one of the most entertaining of recent big bouts, if only because Pacquiao fights in a frenetic style and Cotto loves nothing better than to move forward while throwing a relentless swarm of punches. But there are still questions about Pacquiao's chin against a bigger fighter as well as how much Cotto has recovered from the beating he took last year at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

Oddsmakers make Pacquiao a 2½-1 favorite partly because the betting public is going by his last two performances and partly because he seems to have accomplished the hardest task in boxing — bringing both his speed punch with him as he moved up in weight in a pro career that began at 105 pounds.

"We believe we have an advantage in speed and in power, too," Pacquiao said. "My speed is still there and if you have speed you can create power."

Hatton found that out when he was on the receiving end of Pacquiao's left hook, his best punch. But Roach has helped Pacquiao develop a decent right hand in the last few years, too, so opponents can no longer look for just one punch.

The fight plan is simple for Pacquiao: Take command early and don't give Cotto a chance to build his confidence.

"If we let him win the first few rounds he'll begin to think he can fight with Manny," Roach said. "My job is not to let that happen."

Cotto's left hook is his best weapon, too, and until Margarito — with the possible help of some suspect hand wraps — stopped him in the 11th round last year, Cotto was a rising star himself. Cotto struggled in his last fight to win a bloody split decision over Joshua Clottey and Roach, for one, believes he has slowed and is no longer the same fighter he once was.

Cotto will make just half of Pacquiao's $13 million guarantee for this fight. He will also have to deal with having a new and untested trainer in his corner and the possibility that his cut against Clottey will be reopened in this fight. The crowd also figures to be against him.

"It's just a fight," Cotto said. "I'm not mad that people want me to win this fight or not. If he thinks he is going to win seven titles in seven weight divisions now, he has picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent. If he thinks he is going to win the seventh title against Miguel Cotto, he is very wrong."

Tyson faces jail if scuffle is deemed a violation

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:54:44 +0100

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who was arrested in a scuffle with a photographer, could be sent to jail if he's found to have violated probation from a 2007 drug case, officials said Thursday.

The 43-year-old former heavyweight champion and a photographer, Tony Echeverria, made citizens' arrests of each other following a confrontation at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport.

Each man claimed the other struck him, police said.

Airport police were called, and the men were taken away for booking on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. They were fingerprinted and photographed, then released without bail, Sgt. Jim Holcomb said.

The city attorney will decide whether to file criminal charges.

Tyson is on probation after pleading guilty in Arizona to cocaine possession and driving under the influence. He spent 24 hours in jail there.

Zach Dal Pra, deputy chief of the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department, said his office is still trying to get in touch with Los Angeles authorities to figure out exactly what transpired during the airport incident.

"Did Mr. Tyson's actions constitute a violation of probation here? If so, we'll start court proceedings," he said. "Right now, we're still in that investigative mode."

Tyson could face jail time if a court finds that he violated his probation, Dal Pra said.

Tyson had stopped at LAX while traveling from Europe to Las Vegas when several photographers began snapping pictures of him near a ticket counter, Holcomb said.

Echeverria, 50, who described himself as a freelance photographer, told police that Tyson struck him once. The photographer fell to the ground and was treated for a cut to his forehead at a hospital.

Tyson's spokeswoman, Tammy Brook, said the boxer was traveling with his wife and 10-month-old child when he was attacked by an overly aggressive paparazzo. She said Echeverria repeatedly refused to comply with orders from airport personnel to leave the family alone and at one point collided with the baby's stroller.

"Mike acted in self defense as a father protecting his child," Brook said.

Echeverria's camera was booked as evidence, and police were checking if there was any surveillance video of the incident.

Tyson was cooperative as he waited in a holding cell at the airport police station, Holcomb said. Echeverria was treated at a hospital while Tyson continued his trip, Holcomb said.

Holcomb said both men were released without any restrictions and were free to go wherever they wanted.

Paparazzi often camp out at Los Angeles' largest airport to get shots of celebrities in transit.

Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever in 1986 when he won his title as a 20-year-old. But his life since then has been marred by accusations of domestic violence, rape and cocaine use.

Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992 and served three years in prison. He was disqualified from a 1997 heavyweight title fight when he bit off part of Evander Holyfield's right ear, and in 1999 he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland.

In 2003, Tyson filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

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AP writer Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Tyson faces jail if scuffle is deemed a violation

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:28:40 +0100

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mike Tyson's run-in with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport could send him to jail if he violated probation from a drug case in Arizona.

A probation official from Maricopa County, Ariz., said Thursday that his office will start court proceedings if it's determined Tyson violated parole.

The former heavyweight champ and photographer Tony Echeverria both claim they were struck during a Wednesday altercation. The photographer was treated for a cut forehead.

The two were booked by airport police on suspicion of misdemeanor battery and released. The city attorney will decide whether to file charges.

Tyson is on probation after pleading guilty to cocaine possession and driving under the influence in Arizona two years ago.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson and a photographer are being investigated for misdemeanor battery after an airport scuffle that injured the paparazzo, police said Thursday.

Tyson and Tony Echeverria, 50, made citizens' arrests of each other after a confrontation at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport, airport police Sgt. Jim Holcomb.

Police were called and they were fingerprinted and photographed, then released without bail, Holcomb said. The city attorney will decide whether to file criminal charges.

Echeverria, who described himself as a freelance photographer, told police that Tyson struck him once. The photographer fell to the ground and was treated for a cut to his forehead at a hospital.

Tyson had stopped at LAX while traveling from Europe to Las Vegas when several photographers began snapping him near a ticket counter, Holcomb said.

Tyson's spokeswoman Tammy Brook said the boxer was traveling with his wife and 10-month-old child when he was attacked by an overly aggressive paparazzo.

"Mike acted in self defense as a father protecting his child," she said.

Echeverria's camera was booked as evidence and police also were checking if there was any surveillance video of the incident.

Tyson was cooperative as he waited in a holding cell at the airport police station, Holcomb said. Echevarria was treated at a hospital while Tyson continued his trip, Holcomb said.

Holcomb said both men were released without any restrictions and free to go wherever they want.

Paparazzi often camp out at Los Angeles' largest airport to get shots of celebrities in transit.

Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever in 1986 when he won his title as a 20-year-old. But his life since then has been marred by accusations of domestic violence, rape and cocaine use.

In 2003, Tyson filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. He served 24 hours in an Arizona jail in 2007 after pleading guilty to cocaine possession and driving under the influence.