Manny Pacquiao To Put A Ring Around The 'Mosley'?

Manny Pacquiao To Put A Ring Around The 'Mosley'?:

Team Pacquiao has gone back and forth with Miguel Cotto over the specific terms to be granted for the scheduled November 14th showdown between the two, but the point of contention that no one seems to have an answer for is the weight issue. Team Pacquiao is steadfast on the 142/143lb range, while Team Cotto won't budge from the 145lb limit. With neither side willing to budge on the issue, Team Pacquiao is apparently open to budging in another way, of sorts. Unfortunately for Cotto, is 'budge' will be a swift move from one opponent to the next, as their seems to be an underground rumbling about Shane Mosley slipping back into the mix. Mosley has already agreed to take the fight at 143lbs and even conceded to accept the smaller purse. What else could a (pac)man possibly ask for? Cotto struggled mightily at 140lbs, so for him this may be a wise decision, but his indecisiveness may teach him quickly that 'weight' always seems to break the wagon. The clock is running out for Team Cotto. It'll be pretty interesting to see who ends up getting the nod.

Arturo Gatti: Gone, But Not Forgotten...

For the second time in nearly as many weeks, the sport of boxing has lost a classic warrior. The lost of a loved one on any level is a tough time, but the details surrounding the death of Arturo Gatti is disturbing as possible. HBO will do a tribute to Gatti on July 17th by consecutively airing the trilogy between he and Micky Ward, which will go down as perhaps one of, (if not thee), greatest trilogy of all time. The senseless nature of this act is deeply disturbing, but perhaps shines light on the unfortunate times we now live in. In the early 80's, Marvin Gaye looked around and asked the world "What's going on"? Nearly 30 years later, and that million dollar question still has no answer. This highly questionable murder proved that theory once again.

Mayweather to Pacquiao: Be Careful What You Wish For.....

Floyd Mayweather jr. had fallen off the map for a minute after his recent injury, but it didn't take long for him to land back in the thick of things. With the Cotto negotiations stalling over weight issues and Mosley finding his way to the center of the controversy, Mayweather recently stated that "if Pacquiao wants to fight me, all he's got to do is say it". While speaking to the Grand Rapids Press, Mayweather also stated that he'd be willing to pay Marquez a little "step aside money" if the opportunity presented itself. I don't know if it helps that Mayweather has been so on-again-off-again since returning to face Marquez, but for the record, I think the fans of the sport would support a Mayweather/Pacquiao fight far more than any, so the pressures to come to terms would be far greater than we currently see in the Pacquiao/Cotto talks where the public has basically taken the "Just get it done" role. For Margarito and the countless others who called Mayweather out, it never seemed to work, but Pacquiao brings money and fan demand to the table, so for him, an open invitation could very well seal the deal. So, if I could be the ring leader in brokering this deal.....Pacquiao, please...repeat after me...

Miguel Cotto: 5's The Magic Number...Or Is It?

Puerto Rican phenom Miguel Cotto was recently celebrated in his native city, Caguas, Puerto Rico, at the Caguas Four Points Sheraton Hotel and Casino. To honor the ring warrior, a "Cotto Chip" with a $5 value (which actually bares his photo) was revealed to the public. Despite the humbling loss to Margarito and a very suspect victory against Joshua Clottey, the seed of progress continues to produce a harvest in the direction of Miguel. With so many accolades in his rear view and so much talent on his side, the true bearer of fruits remains one that he may never actually receive. That ultimate gift being a shot at the sports P4P king, Manny Pacquiao who (as mentioned earlier) is rumored to be seeking other options. Having knocked out more opponents out in the 5th round over his 8 year career than any other round, it would seem like the number itself is worthy to be celebrated by Cotto. That is until considering the circulation of a new rumor that would bring that lucky 5 streak to an end. According to two close sources, Cotto has been given what's now down to 5 days to accept an offer from Pacquiao, or as of Monday, July 20th, the focus will shift to one of two other men...Neither which hail from the island of Puerto Rico. The opportunity is in his hands. Hopefully two wins isn't the only streak that Cotto plans to keep alive.

Kelly Pavlik: No-Go, No-Show(Time)

Middleweight phenom Kelly Pavlik recently responded to rumors circulating around his decision to stay out of the Showtime created Super-Six Tournament, which will pair arguably the top six super-middleweights in the world. Abraham, Kessler, Ward, Froch, Taylor, and Dirrell will all wage war against one another to settle the score, and despite being only a few pounds away, Pavlik is very clear on his position for not choosing to be a part of it. His decision wasn't based on fear, and it wasn't based on politics. Well, then again, maybe it was. In the words of Pavlik, his decision to stay out of the tournament is because "it isn't on HBO". In the words of Pavlik, Cotto, Mayweather, Mosley, Pacquiao...they all fight on HBO...so why fight on another network for "peanuts"? That theory sounds great until you realize that unlike Pavlik, hardcore fight fans will watch whatever network choose to simply air a great fight! I'm pretty cautious abou throwing around the "S" word (scared) when talking about a fighter I view as a warrior, but no doubt, this decision will have many talking, particulary considering that his favorite network (HBO) just offered a humorously low $2M for the rights to broadcast a fight between he and Germany's Felix Sturm. I'm no math genius, but somehow, this doesn't really add up!

Darchinyan: A Monkey On His Back?

A week ago, few around the boxing world knew of Joseph King Kong Agbeko. Fast forward a little bit, and suddenly, we have a few reasons to remember it. In a stunning performance, Agbeko did everything necessary to defeat a very credible contender in Vic Darchinyan, and the fact that he was able to do so has many speaking about Darchinyan in ways that hadn't before. Many fight fans in attendance viewed his performance as subpar and more than enough reason to speculate about where he truly stands in the sport today? His power is above average, but his inability to slip a punch or deal with a fighter fast enough to sneak a few leaves him highly suspect. Perhaps the move up in weight wasn't the greatest for him, but with Nonito Donaire and company within super-flyweight striking distance, it's obvious the waters won't be very safe for too long. Hope Darchinyan's ready to swim, as this will clearly be an upstream battle.

Super-Six Tournament: Will The Best Man Win?

The Showtime created Super-Six Tournament is comprised of some absolute studs. Kessler, Froch, Taylor, Dirrell, Ward, and Abraham will each vie for the number one spot in an old-school, last-man-standing type tournament. ESPN's Dan Rafael stated that the tournament should be a success because "everyone loves tournaments". The collegiate level basketball "Final 64", which eventually phases down to a "Sweet 16", "Elite 8", and then a "Final Four" sheds great light on this. Problem is, there are other variables which turn this somewhat basic tournament into a pool of questions, perhaps even a hazy aftermath. The specifics aren't quite as complex as they look, but if someone other than the man who demonstrates his ability the best comes out on top, this dice roll could fizzle from sugar to s*** in a very short amount of time. Whatever the outcome, it should be a dandy to watch!

Did Showtime Give Lucian The Bute?

IBF Super-Middleweight champ, Lucian Bute is the only major name in the division to not take part in the Super-Six Tournament. Like Pavlik, there are many reasons as to why Bute isn't part of the equation, but when it all comes down, the reasons rendered are little more than excuses designed to point the blame at sources who probably ultimately have very little do with the reasons at hand. Some sources have Showtime pointing the finger at the Bute camp for not liking the matchmaking. Bute's camp has been very adamant in saying that they never received such a proposal. It's a bit hard to tell what's what when everyone is busy talking at the same time, but when the smoke clears, it'll be interesting to learn the truth, because as it stands, there seems to be a veil of don't-ask-don't-tell covering the matter, and somebody needs to seriously be called out after an ommission of such a high level player in the division.


(Contact Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com, Facebook, and Myspace).