Hopkins: Pacquiao Would Lose to a Black Fighter

Manny Pacquiao doesn't want to fight black fighters. This is according to former middleweight world champion, Bernard Hopkins.

Fanhouse.com reports Hopkins making some jarring statements concerning Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and the potential of the two fighters going toe-to-toe.

Why would Pacquiao lose to Mayweather?

"Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao beacause the styles that African-American fighters, and I mean black fighters from the streets or inner cities, would be successful."

Why does he feel that way?

"Maybe I'm biased because I'm black, but I think that's what is said at people's homes and around the dinner table among black boxing fans and fighters."

Really?

"Most of them won't say it [in public] because they're not being real and they don't have the balls to say it."

Isn't that, like, a little racist?

"Listen, this isn't a racial thing, but then again maybe it is. (The) style embedded in most of us black fighters, that style could be a problem to any other style of fighting."

Anything else you'd like to add, B-Hop? How exactly would Mayweather beat Pacquiao? Be as vague and cliche as possible.

"I think (Mayweather) would pot-shot Pacquiao and bust him up in between the four-to-five punches that Pacquiao throws and then set him up later down the line."

The race card has rarely been played so sloppily, but then again, what do we expect from a 45-year old boxer who spent five years in prison?

I'm one of the people who believes Mayweather would indeed beat Pacquiao if the two ever fought, but for none of the reasons stated by Hopkins.

Yes, I'm black. Yes, I have balls.

If you read between the lines, these comments were most likely made to stir up some interest for "The Executioner's" Dec. 18 bout against Jean Pascal on Showtime. And we may be the ultimate suckers for giving this "analysis" any run. However, when a former champion, and somewhat eloquent speaker comes forward with such a harsh criticism involving two of the biggest names in the sport, its kind of hard to pay it no mind.

Video: Manny Pacquiao's "Punch Out"

Remember that old Nintendo game "Mike Tyson's Punch Out"? Well here is a funny video I was put up on that features 8-weight class champion Manny Pacquiao as a character against some of the fighter from the game:



Shoutout to G (@CILII_blog) for sending this over to me. The video looks like it was originally posted a year ago before Manny's dismantling of Miguel Cotto, and with Pacquiao battering Antonio Margarito why not post if for you all to enjoy. Boxing fans everywhere are waiting for a super fight between Pacquiao and the undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr. but who knows if it will ever come to fruition. We can only hope so...

-ALR (a_ramsey on twitter)

Manny Pac-Man Pacquiao Outclasses Antonio Margarito

In boxing news, Manny Pacquiao took Antonio Margarito to the proverbial woodshed as he won a unanimous decision at Cowboy's Stadium. Long story short, Pac's speed was too much for Margarito to handle. Margarito is a tough customer, evident by the 401 punches he took to the face, and has that warrior spirit. At the end of the day though, Pacquiao is upper echelon of boxing and really only rivals one other...

In that respect, people have mixed reviews on whether Floyd Mayweather Jr is afraid to fight Manny Pacquiao in what would be this boxing era's super-fight. The answer is NO. People have to realize that Floyd Money is an entertainment genius. The payday just doubled if this fight was indeed next. Yes, I am not blind to the fact that there are two hold ups for this fight to take place.

The first being the Olympic style drug testing that Money wants in an effort to "clean up the sport". It's believed that the boxing commission does not test for HGH in it's steroid testing and Pac has jumped from Flyweight to Welterweight, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of a 40 lb weight difference. Also safety wise, if there was some funny business in the Pac camp, getting hit in the head is a little different from hitting a baseball farther. Just saying...

The second is the perfect 0 on in the L column of Floyd's record. I can understand not wanting to blemish that, but I don't think he will. They say styles make fights and these two have exactly what it takes to make this fight exciting. Pac is quick, tough and precise with his punches. Floyd is quick, tough and precise with his punches. Floyd has the defensive advantage, while Pac has the advantage in making punches come from anywhere. I think what would give Floyd the decision is the defense, since he can turn misses into counter punches. I'm getting chills just thinking about it...

Anyway, good showing last night from Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, but boxing needs Floyd and Manny to get this done!!!

- @lostherod is the Twitter handle

Antonio Margarito Crosses The Line

Boxer Antonio Margarito, who is preparing for a HBO PPV super welterweight title match with Manny Paquiao, has taken trash talk a little too far. Video has surfaced of Margarito mocking Pac-man's trainer Freddie Roach who suffers from Parkinson's Disease. Here's the video:



Very classless move by the Margarito camp, which is still under scrutiny from his bout with Shane Mosley where he lost his boxing license for loaded gloves. Obviously peeved about the incident, Roach is now predicting a quick end to the match and I don't blame him one bit. “Don’t be surprised if this fight ends in the first round," Roach said during the prefight press conference Wednesday.

Trash talking is common game in any big boxing match and can add a little more buzz and drama to the fight, as has been displayed by the brash Floyd Mayweather Jr. prior to basically all of his matches. But mocking a disease is taking it too far. There is nothing comical about poking fun at Roach's condition.

If you will be tuning into the fight, which takes place Saturday November 13th, be prepared for some fireworks in the ring. But I wouldn't be against the Pac-man in this one.

-ALR

Kelly Pavlik Pulls Out Of Nov. 13 Fight

Per this story over at ESPN, former WBO and WBC middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik has withdrawn from his fight against Brian Vera on Nov. 13th, which is on the under card for the Manny Pacquiao/Antonio Margarito HBO PPV headliner. Pavlik is withdrawing due to a rib injury sustained during training.

Pavlik (28) is known for his tough, workman-like style of boxing and was a fan favorite until losing both of his belts to Sergio Martinez back in April of this year. No word on who will replace him on the under card. Hope Pavlik has a speedy recovery as his fights are action packed and pretty enjoyable to watch.

-ALR

Quick'ems Hitter'ems

It's been a minute since I've posted and there has been a lot going on in the sports world, so here are a few things that have been on my mind these past couple weeks... Enjoy good readers

MLB
In baseball there are a few good story lines going into Major League Baseball's Playoffs, but the one thing that has really had me perplexed was the situation going on with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have been the team that noone wants, and it stinks. The McCourts are involved in divorce court to find out who is going to have custody of the team. It seems in this case a big piece of evidence was how the lawyer that drew up the papers that separate the proprieties owned by the McCourts, went back and changed some of the verbiage after the documents were signed and notarized. Big Dummy (Fred Sanford voice)... I'm not sure of the official outcome, but it looked like Jaime McCourt was going to get custody from Frank McCourt. I hope Frank gets weekends and maybe Thanksgiving at his house...

On top of that Joe Torre gave the Dodgers the deuces (say bye bye...)

NBA
The season is upon us and it is a joyous occasion. I must say, I love NBATV because they gave us insight into training camps. As much as I didn't want to, I couldn't help but watch Miami Heat training camp. Those dudes, led by Lebron James, were intense in camp.

*Editorial Note... That will be the last time I mention his name, he will now be referred to as 6*

Anyway, the vocal and on court leadership of 6 will prove to have a big affect on the Miami Heat this season. It was evident in the preseason game against the Pistons. 6 looked energized and he looked like he was definitely going to live up to his twanksta statements. He still needs to get a jumper, but it looks like he will get himself to a place where Mr Wade can get him over the top. Chris Bosh is going to benefit the most as he will be able to score efficiently. I would not be surprised if he has a game going 12-12 from the field, 8 of those buckets being dunks.

Matchup wise they will have problems against the top teams in the league. I honestly don't see them winning a series against the Celtics to even make it to see the Lakers in the finals. The difference will be Shaq clogging the middle, and since 6 can't shoot, there will be a repeat of last season. I can go on about this in length, but I will save it for the NBA Preview.

Oh and John Wall is a beast and will be Rookie of the Year...

NFL
The hot news worth noting is Randy Moss returning to the Minnesota Vikings. I actually think this is a good move for the Vikes. One of my favorite Florida Gators, Percy Harvin, will get much space to operate out of the slot. I know the trade won't cure his injuries, but damn, we all have to know that his season will improve. It also helps the Ageless Wonder because when he gets in trouble he can close his eyes launch the ball down field and there is an 80-20 chance Moss will score.

NCAAF
I am not a Boise St fan, eventho most of their recruits come from the LA area, shame on me. Boise St plays a good brand of football and they do everything they are supposed to do. I just can't get passed their schedule and how weak their conference is. Part of me wants to see them play for a BCS Championship only because I want to see them get waxed by an Ohio St or an Alabama so we can put an end to all this cupcake schedule should make it talk. Bitter...

Boxing
The much hyped Super Six Middleweight Tournament has been a bust. The first round was good, but after Jermaine Taylor got KO'd he quit. Allan Green wasn't good enough to stand in for Taylor as he got outclassed by Andre Ward. Mikkel Kessler sighted injury, but inside circles says he quit. Glen Johnson, another Ageless Wonder, is joining the tournament but noone cares. Last and sadly, Andre Dirrell is out of the tournament with neural issues. Dirrell is very talented and this blogger wishes him the best of luck in his recovery.

I hope Paul Williams v Sergio Martinez puts a nice end of the year stamp on what was been a crazy boxing calendar year.

- @lostherod is back

Ricky Hatton - Champ Turned Cokehead??

Just saw this story over on bossip.com. Looks like former boxing champ Ricky Hatton is doing his best Vincent Chase impression and went on a crazy coke binge. I guess the hangover from Floyd Mayweather Jr. knocking him out wasn't enough. It's also rumored that his license as a boxing promoter may be in jeopardy.

All jokes aside, I hope Hatton pulls it together. I'm sure all of England is pulling for their one-time favorite boxing golden boy.

-ALR

Money Mayweather Responds...

Floyd "Money" Mayweather takes to UStream to talk about Manny Pacquiao, fighting him and otherwise. It's Floyd being Floyd, so if you watch be prepared for that explicit real... Yea buddy

- @lostherod

Boxing Buzz

Antonio Margarito (pictured right) has been denied his boxing license in the great state of California by a 5-1 majority vote. The banned license stems from illegal hand wraps being discovered before a fight against Shane Mosely at Staples Center in 2009. As you probably know, Margarito suffered a KO loss that night, unlike the in 2008 when Margarito beat on Miguel Cotto with the hand wraps in place (allegedly). What makes this story relevant is, Mr Margarito is slated to face P4P #2 ranked Manny Pacquiao for a Junior Middleweight Title on November 13th of this year at Cowboys Stadium. The state of Texas was not willing to grant Margarito a boxing license, unless California re-instated him first. So what is the boxing world to do for a fight that was not going to do huge PPV numbers anyway...

1) Texas grants a license anyway and sets a bad precedent for the alleged cheats

2) Pacquiao gets another Bob Arum stabled opponent, maybe Cotto again

3) The fight gets moved to the only place Margartito can fight, Mexico.

All options are viable, but they all leave a queezy ripple in the guts of fight fans the world over. It brings up issues like, the politics of fighting within the same promotion that seems to be becoming the norm. The dud match ups us fans get, I know for damn sure I'm not paying $59.99 to watch Margarito get totally outclassed. Even to a degree, the huge gap in talent from a division that is actually stacked. Another case of getting more questions than answers...

In my humble opinion, I think Margarito should be replaced by Andre Berto or Shane Mosely, since P4P #1 isn't going to get it in anytime soon. Pacquiao would have to move back to Welterweight, but I think the PPV numbers would be much better and the fight itself might be entertaining. To close, I hope Margarito gets banned, can only fight in Mexico and gets beat up by Juan Manuel Marquez.

(In the distant background I hear...) "Bitter... Bitter party of one... Your table is los available..."

- @lostherod

Quick Hitters

- Jean Pascal (Light Heavyweight #2 rank) defeated Light Heavyweight Kingpin Chad Dawson by 11th round unanimous technical decision over the weekend. Damn good fight to watch, as Pascal was bringing the fight to Dawson. The fight ended due to bad cut over Dawson's eye from an accidental headbutt. It looked like Dawson was actually about to finish Pascal off prior to the clash of heads, but doctor stepped in and said nope. My only issue with "Bad" Chad is when you clearly have the man fearing you, why wouldn't you keep punching? I don't get the logic of throwing the good combos, then stop and stare...

- Preseason football is in full effect and it's quite exciting to have another sport to watch. On Tebow watch, he didn't look horrible and he clearly has much to work on. I don't think the throwing motion matters as much because he can get the pass off. He needs to work on staring down receivers and making quicker decisions. He'll find away to make it work in the NFL...

- Jimmy Clauson is going to take Matt Moore's job in Carolina, only a matter of time...

- I remember having a conversation with a USC alum last year about Matt Cassell. He told me Cassell was a product of the SC system and would be an outstanding QB no matter where he is. I scoff at you good sir, cause Mr. Cassell is clearly a product of the New England system where he could just sit back and hit open receivers. I'm not saying he is bad, I am saying he is not worth the mega contract he signed with the KC Chiefs...

- I like the idea of TO getting the majority of the looks from Carson Palmer in preseason, he needs the reps to help get this paper offense legit... Also Jordan Shipley should take the slot for the Bengals...

That's it that's all...

-@lostherod

Weekend Thing

Tons of sports activity this past weekend; from Championship boxing matches, intense MLB pennant races, a slew of NFL pre-season games & a few professional athlete run-in's with the law to boot. We'll get deeper into most of the stories in later posts, but here's a brief run down of the weekend's top happenings:

MLB: There was a big showdown this weekend between the SF Giants and SD Padres, two teams that are only seperated by a couple of games for the NL West crown. After SF pitcher Jonathan Sanchez declared the Giants would sweep the Padres and take first place, they promptly went out and dropped 2 of three games. Go figure.

NFL: Unless you've been under a rock or in a coma, you have heard about Tim Tebow's debut this weekend against the Bengals. He looked decent, took a couple of big hits and also rushed for a TD late in the game. I think he should be moved ahead of Brady Quinn as the No. 2 QB. His throwing motion is still a little sluggish, but I think more game action will help his development. He's clearly the future in Denver. Other NFL news; Peyton Manning played like, well Peyton Manning, another tough break for Stafon Johnson & RBs dropping like flies in Buffalo.

Other Headlines:

Udonis Haslem gets arrested for Marijuana possesion

Indiana Pacers rookie Lance Stephenson shoves GF down a flight of stairs (story courtesy of Black Sports Online)

Phenom Strasburg calls out 1st Overall pick Bryce Harper

Off-road race crash in California kills 8 spectators

Kobe in the studio w/ Kanye??

Enjoy; check back for more as the day progresses.

-ALR

Boxing v MMA - The Weekend 8/9/201

For the fight folk out there, there was great action over the weekend in both boxing and the UFC. I most definitely thought the main event cards were setup to be quick disposals for the favored fighters involved, WRONG!!!

In boxing, 140lb title holder Devon Alexander (21-0) kept his titles and unbeaten record intact with a unanimous decision over Andriy Kotelnik (31-4-1). What was supposed to be a fight where Alexander could display his speed and superior boxing ability to setup a fight with Timothy Bradley (overrated in my opinion) or Amir Kahn, turned into a back and forth affair in which Kotelnik was giving Alexander all he can handle. Kotelnik is a former belt holder, so it's not surprising that Kotelnik was able to hold is own. It's more how it happened that made the fight great. The slower Kotelnik just stayed around the pocket and when Alexander lunged in for the jab/straight/hook combos, he was left with some bruising shots for his trouble. It came down to the busier boxer vs the make your shot count fighter. All 3 judges scored the bout 116-112, and unofficial score legend Harold Ledderman had it 117-111. In the post fight interview, Alexander held up a shirt that said, "Bradley U Next". Bad grammar aside, Timothy Bradley should be next for Devon Alexander, which should turn out to be quite good style wise. I think Alexander would win based on the precision of punches. Devon has straight controlled shots, where Bradley throws looping shots, but that is a discussion for another time.

If anyone cares, Tavoris Cloud took a decision over Jedi war vet Glen Johnson. This should setup a fight with Light Heavyweight kingpin Chad Dawson, assuming he beats Jean Pascal next week. The Light Heavyweight division is becoming a snoozer, but I will keep the updates coming, someone has to...

The UFC main event between Middleweight Champ and P4P best Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Sonnen has been trash talking for months, saying he was going to bring it to Silva like no other... He is going to be the one to retire Silva... He damn near did just that. I didn't actually get to see the fight, but correspondent Los Santiago Especero, relayed that Sonnen was giving Silva quite the beat down. From what I read, that seemed to be the case. Of course, Anderson was giving out a beating of his own, but if you were scoring at home, you'd have to give Sonnen a round or 2. There were knee buckling strikes to the face, wrestling take downs with more face pounding and devastating kicks being thrown and landed by both fighters. In the end Anderson Silva didn't let the judges have any say in the matter, since he made Sonnen submit in the 5th round. On the whole, helluva fight, one I wish I could have seen.

Looks like the UFC gets the nod this time, due to the submission win for Anderson Silva. That's 2-0 for the UFC, by my count, but I think boxing will come back strong. Chad Dawson should put on a better show than Randy Couture v James Toney.

- @lostherod

Boxing v MMA The Weekend

When it comes to watching boxing and mixed martial arts, I'd take boxing all day. This past weekend was a sad, yet notable, exception...

In the boxing world, Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz took to the ring in what turned out to be a lopsided affair that was nothing close to the epic bout that earned them fight of the year honors for 2009. Marquez (51-5-1) outpointed Diaz (35-4) for the easy unanimous decision. Quite disappointing when you consider the back and forth action of the first fight which resulted in a 9th round ko by Marquez. It seems Marquez is lobbying for a 3rd fight with Pacquiao, as one could argue Marquez actually was robbed in one of the decisions. I think the fight should happen since Pacquiao is gonna beat Antonio Margarito pretty decisively. Why not let the real Mexican warrior be the first to take down the mighty Pacquiao.

Over in the UFC, Jon "Bones" Jones (11-1) made his case to be added to the list of top light heavyweight contenders after he ran through Vladimr Matyushenko. The transitions into the eventual fight ending hammer elbows was exciting to watch in an eye popping 1:12 into the 1st round. Don't be surprised if Jones is ruling the Light Heavyweight division one day, this guy's talent and potential is ridiculous.

Again, I would take boxing over mma any day of the week, but there are a few fighters in mma who would get the nod. Anderson Silva who is going to beat the dog you know what out Chanel Sonnen this weekend, BJ Penn, and now Jon Jones. Let's go boxing, you've got a good fighter in Devon Alexander fighting this weekend, but if Anderson puts on the show I think he will, boxing may be in trouble again this weekend...

- @lostherod

The Fight Boxing Needs

We all know Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao need to go ahead and just sign for the fight and make all of us boxing folk excited again. So what's the hold up...

Is Floyd or Manny ducking the other? Hell no...

Is Floyd Jr throwing his boxing public the dueces (pic) for a couple years? Possible since we all know Money isn't gonna be punked into a deadline...

Is the lure of $50-$55 million each not enough? Could be something there if you think about the build up if this fight happens in the next year or two. All the trash talk between camps, a possible undercard with Freddie Roach v Floyd Sr, which personally I would pay top dollar for...

Clearly we have more questions than answers, but I tell you what us fans of the sport are left with. A megadud between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Maragrito for a Junior Middleweight Title. Pacquiao going for an 8th title in as many weight classes, amazing feet. Why isn't he fighting anyone that's actually in that division again? Then there's Margarito, a boxer who can't even fight in the states, well yet anyway, and got pummeled by a top 5 welterweight in Shane Mosley. Who wants to guess whats gonna happen when in the ring with the 2nd best P4P? I'll wait...

Camp Floyd... Camp Manny... Get it together the sport needs the best to fight the best

- lostherod

It's a celebration!!

We're live. Expect many great posts, plum full of biased, educated (and sometimes uneducated) opinions from people who watch sports for all the right reasons. Enjoy!