V8: Pacquiao/Mayweather, Jones, Hopkins, Julaton, and more!

Mayweather/Pacquiao: Biggest Obstacle?...Politics:

As expected, Mayweather/Pacquiao negotiations have uncovered very key issues that have prevented progress in making what could become the biggest fight in the history of the sport. The oddity here is that of all the things many predicted to become problems, (money, weight, etc.), it's actually a totally separate issue. Politics. Apparently, Pacquiao is dead set in his pursuit of public office and has no plans to deviate from that agenda. Freddie Roach initially stated that he would "need more time to prepare Pacquiao for Mayweather's style", then it was stated by Pacquiao confidant, Gacal, that regardless, the match won't take place until late 2010 at the soonest. So, with the world awaiting a final conclusion, it appears, (for now anyway), that perhaps this once thought to be breezy negotiation period is in fact still a work-in-progress.....again. Developments change from day to day, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Felix Sturm Targets The 'Master' (Freddie Roach)

German fighter Felix Sturm has openly stated that he would love to join forces with Freddie Roach. After seeing the development of Pacquiao, and how Roach was able to take a talented fighter and make him an all-time great, as well as an American phenom, Sturm is ready to roll the dice on his own American escapade. Many know Sturm as the man who lost a very disputed decision to Oscar De La Hoya as he prepared for a showdown with Bernard Hopkins. With that loss well behind him, Sturm has continued his winning ways and may be the perfect pupil for Roach. This would be a very intriguing tandem to watch, if in fact it does happen the way it appears it can.

'Winky' Wright Sets Target....Pavlik The Bullseye?

'Winky' Wright's fast track back to relevancy has suffered yet another setback, as his scheduled showdown was recently canceled.. The crafty southpaw has come out publicly and stated that he won't be fighting now until after the New Year at the earliest. The man who leads his list of potential dancin' partners? None other than the 'Ghost', himself. Truth is, Kelly Pavlik has been a shell of his former self after the dismantling at the hands of Bernard Hopkins, but even for a defensive wiz like Wright, such a long inactivity period could make all the difference necessary to earn him (Pavlik) a one-way ticket back to relativity. Neither man is what they once were, but agreeing to face-off would surely show us which one comes closer. Hopefully, at some point the fight gets done!

Pacquiao To Race For Unprecedented 8th (World Title/Weight Division)

Moments after Pacquiao's historical victory over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, I sat down with Freddie Roach and about 2 other journalist and asked him was there a possibility that we could see Pacquiao move up to a catchweight of 151 lbs and set out for an unprecedented 8th World Title against a jr. middleweight champ? Roach's response was that he doesn't even know who the champs are in that division, but he'd consider it if the deal was right. Well, didn't take too long for Team Pacquiao to figure it out. After informing him that Yuri Foreman (who happened to be on the Pacquiao/Cotto undercard) would be a good target, it seems that the possibility has suddenly grown legs and even taken precedence over a potential Mayweather showdown. As of now, the Mayweather fight is still being hashed out, but Roach has gone on record and made it very clear that he will entertain such a match if all else fails. The options in front of Pacquiao suddenly all have historical implications. Lets wait and see which one he cashes in on.

Jones/Hopkins.....(Not Again)!

Despite Roy Jones jnr.'s 1st rd pummeling at the hands of Australian Danny Green, it appears the fix is in to have a once highly anticipated rematch between Jones and Hopkins move forward any how. Nothing is firm or solidified yet, but Hopkins has recently stated his case, saying that "Jones was still in the fight" at the time of the stoppage, and that "that's why he won't be fighting overseas", because here in the U.S., the ref allowed Jones to continue to fight despite a nasty cut against Calzaghe, yet overseas, the curtains seem to be pulled a bit quicker, for whatever reason. There may have been some validity to Hopkins' statement, but there's none to the possibility of this fight moving forward, as it is now clear that Jones probably needs to hang 'em up more now than ever. Legendary he is, but hopefully, dumb he isn't. There's nothing left to prove...as he has beaten Hopkins once already!

Ana Julaton: History or Her-Story?

Fil-Am phenom Ana Julaton has shown us that Pacquiao isn't the only Filipino who can make a splash in the sport of boxing. As great as Pacquiao's accomplishments in the sport have been, no one can deny the greatness behind becoming a world champion in only 7 professional fights.. What's even more bizarre is that Julaton is now only days away from attempting to become a 2-time world champion, by unifying two of the super-bantamweight straps. Unreal, unbelievable, and unprecedented, there's no question that Julaton has found a way to etch her own name in the history books. Pacquiao is without doubt the king of the land, but no king can rule without a queen. So here she is! What an amazing story!

The Legacy of Roy Jones Jnr.: To Be or Not To Be?

Many have looked at the recent history of Roy Jones Jr. and forgotten exactly how great Roy really was. It's pretty funny how more than a decade of dominance can suddenly go down the tube after a few off nights. No one can take away the efforts of Tarver, Green, and Johnson in their KO performances over Jones, but to quote the Pensacola, Florida native, "yall musta forgot"? Without a need to elaborate much more on this topic, the reality is that Jones has given this sport more great performances and glimpses of great talent than any one of us could have ever asked for. The 12-punch combinations, the speed, the power, the showmanship....there's no way that any laptop toting boxing scribe can rightfully take his greatness away. Regardless of what happens from here, based on pure talent alone, this legacy is sealed, never to be reopened! Case closed!

Lucian Bute: The Best Super-Middleweight in the World?

Lucian Bute recently proved to his many critics that he does in fact have the ability to overcome obstacles by making adjustments. Months ago, Librado Andrade made him look ordinary. The second time these two men linked up, Bute walked away looking extraordinary. With Bute's solid performance at his back and many other notable opponents before him, the question remains of exactly how well would Bute stack up against some of the other greats in today's Super-6 Tournament? Ward, Abraham, Kessler, etc. Things would have been quite intriguing had Bute made that group, but considering that he didn't perhaps we'll never know. For whatever it's worth, much credit is given to Bute for his recent victory, but lets make one thing clear....Andrade is nowhere near the talent of the others in the tournament. I can't say for sure how well Bute would do, but to say he's the best Super-Middleweight in the world? That's a huge stretch! At least at this point!

(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, YouTube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).