This weeks V8

Manny Pacquiao: Momma Said.......

Recently, talks have turned to the possibility of Manny Pacquiao retiring. Despite getting the victories, his last few fights have seen the fightin' Filipino take a pounding at the hands of much bigger men. When you think about the rigorous feat of taking on these much bigger foes, you would think the physical toll would be the reason why Pacquiao is considering retirement. Well....think again. Seems the humble Filipino is more simply following orders from a person who has given them for all 32 plus years of his life....Mom! Seems Mom has no more desire to see her son step in the squared circle to face anyone....not even Floyd. Pacquiao, on the other hand is said to want a shot at the elusive welterweight before he hangs 'em up for good. Religiously, we're taught to obey our parents or deal with great consequences. If Pacquiao sticks around for a few fights, it'll be interesting to see if these 'consequences' catch up with him. Nothing else has. It's hard to believe they'll have a shot either. Stay tuned.

Big Boxing Weekend: Lots of Action, No Way To See It All

Ok....the average person has 2 televisions in their home, MAYBE 3 if they have a few kids running around. But usually, no matter what, rarely do any of us keep more than two boxes for cable subscription. That being said, can someone answer this one for me? WHY IN THE HELL ARE THERE 4 FIGHT CARDS WITH APPROXIMATELY 5 FIGHTS THAT MOST OF US WANT TO SEE HAPPENING SIMULTANEOUSLY? Live from Detroit, Showtime will present Dirrell versus Abraham. From Las Vegas, HBO presents Maidana/Cayo, and the Funkea/Guzman rematch. Around the same time, although they're not televised in the U.S., some of us fanatics will be dialed in online to stream the return of Mexican Erik Morales to see what he has left in the tank, as well as the Canada card featuring female stunner Ana Julaton around the same time. Head to head competition is great, which is why we all love the sport. But I think I'd much rather see great fighters in the ring together at the same time, rather than apart at the same time. With so many dates on the calendar, my only question to the promoters is WHY?

Eddie Chambers: A Case of MotownPhilly

For those music buffs out there, many may remember the soulful sounds of the musical group Boyz II Men. The record breaking legendary quartet was Philadelphia's offering to the world for rhythm and blues. To date, the once popular group still has a long list of fans and a number of hits to keep them listening, but no question, they're no longer viewed in the light that they once were. Last Saturday, the "city of brotherly love" witnessed what could become the fading of another star, as the purely talented Eddie Chambers was reduced to a somewhat diminished state, forcing him to sing the 'blues' after a rather humbling loss. Similar to Boyz II Men, the talented Chambers plans to come back strong, but in a sport that can be as critical as the music biz itself, one can only wonder what the theme song will be next time? It used to be "Doin Just Fine", now it's "Dear God", but after another loss or setback, both could find themselves humming "End of the Road". My advice....fellas, stay strong, and sing along!

Ana Julaton: Takin' Titles, Makin' History

Every time anyone talks about fighting and the Philippines, it seems Manny Pacquiao is the only name that comes up. No question his run in the sport has been unprecedented, but there's someone else I can think of from the country and in the sport that has accomplished something that even the great Manny Pacquiao hasn't done. That someone is Ana 'Hurricane' Julaton. That unprecedented move....unify a loaded division (super-featherweight) in less than 10 fights. After winning the IBA and WBO straps, the gorgeous but deadly Filipino now finds herself on the brink of capitalizing once again as she gets set to take on veteran Lisa Brown for the WBA strap. Why the Filipino community has failed to recognize her on the same level as Pacquiao is beyond me, but a victory on Saturday night may give them no choice. We see the trend of support broadening. Now that the Filipino community is coming around, the next vision is watching her take over the world. Keep your eyes open.

Dirrell/Abraham: The Time Has Come

There has been a lot of talk between the Dirrell and Abraham camps. Abraham and his camp have come out and basically said there's no way they can lose. Dirrell and his camp have been vocal about having the hometown crowd at their back, citing that as one of the major motivators in landing them a victory. The great thing about boxing is that the camps can talk all day long and so can the actual fighters, but when the bell rings and the mouthpiece is inserted, the talk stops, and the action commences. Due to the injury it's been it seems to have been a long time coming, but in just a few hours, the bell will ring. Once the talk stops, it'll be interesting to see who can actually back it up. Can't wait!

Emanuel Steward Says "No Way" To Haye

Emanuel Steward recently went on a tear, and of all the names in the sport, there was only one that he couldn't seem to say enough. That name was none other than David Haye. In many ways, David Haye has been the best subplot in the heavyweight division, but to agree with Steward, his heavyweight resume still lacks true girth, and considering that he backed out of dates with both Wladimir and Vitali, who's to say he ever will get in the ring with one of these two stallions? It would be nice to see, but maybe we all need to stop looking ahead because Johnny Ruiz didn't come to lay down and Haye must get past this awkward style first. Steward doesn't seem to think the Klitschko fights will ever happen, but Ruiz plans to turn that "No Way" into "No Mas"! If he's successful, perhaps Steward will have been right, but not for the reason he initially thought. Stay tuned.

Mike Tyson's Next Opponent: P.E.T.A.

Mike Tyson is said to be set and ready to begin filming a show on Animal Planet about pigeon racing. Everyone knows the Tyson has been a fan of flocking pigeons since his early days, well before fame, but pet protectors group P.E.T.A. seems to think there's no way you can mix a former headhunter with a flock of pigeons. What's crazy is that there's nothing brutal about the sport, yet adding a once controversial Mike Tyson to the mix seems to make the group think there will be more crime than flying. As an animal lover, I can totally understand the concern, but am I the only one that seems to think these guys need to find something else to do?

Kelly Pavlik: Time To Grow Up?


Despite a recent string of not so stellar performances, Kelly Pavlik has seen himself become very big in the sport. He went from a little known kid form Youngstown to a household name, and suddenly we learn that he may grow even larger. 72ft tall, to be exact, as Bob Arum informed the media recently that fight fans will soon get a chance to see the powerful middleweight on big screen in Cowboys Stadium if all goes well against Sergio Martinez. Arum was honest enough to say that he doesn't think Pavlik could sell the place out by himself, but the agenda is to add a few Mexican attractions along the Chavez jr./Margarito scale to round out the card. I'm not quite sure who Pavlik would fight, but the highly anticipated Williams showdown would sell that place out, with or without the Mexican contingency. Williams is said to be in negotiations with Cintron, but we'll see what happens.


(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vwallace@8countnews.com, YouTube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).