SecondsOut Boxing Bytes: Pacquiao-Cotto, Valuev-Klitschkos, Haye Crash, Hatton’s Comedy, De La Hoya, Naito, Basilio and More

Promoter Bob Arum has November 14, 2009 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, USA pencilled in for a Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto boxing superfight. While it is an intriguing battle in its own right, there are other fights that could have been even more compelling for the Pac-Man to be involved in.

It seems that WBA welterweight world champion Sugar Shane Mosley is yelling out, Hey Bob, down in front! The 37 year-old has accused the Hall of Fame promoter of getting in the way of his own possible fight with Pacquiao and the chance to get back to being pound for pound No.1.

There are two obvious reasons why Arum will be so determined to make Pacquiao-Cotto next. 1. As the promoter of both Pacquiao and Cotto, Arum takes a larger piece of the financial pie than he would if he had to share it with Mosley and Golden Boy Promotions. 2. There is a suggestion from some critics that Cotto is damaged goods after the beating he received from Antonio Margarito last year and his recent bruising battle with Joshua Clottey. Best to make the Pacquiao-Cotto fight now, before someone else gets to Cotto, perhaps?

Just remember, if Arum wants the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, everything will get worked out and it will happen.

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Whoever Manny Pacquiao ends up fighting in November, he will be staying busy in the meantime. The Pac-Man, WWE wrestler Batista and singer Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, will star in the new comedy action movie titled ‘Wapakman’.

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After the way Wladimir Klitschko dismantled Ruslan Chagaev with apparent ease, it seems highly unlikely that the promotional team of Nikolay Valuev will risk the monster heavyweight anytime soon against either of the brothers Klitschko. Now that he has won his court case to by-pass WBC mandatory Oleg Maskaev for the time being, Vitali is most likely to either face American Chris Arreola or Brit David Haye next.

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Speaking of David Haye, he has quickly crashed from a position of power on the main table to being out the back door with the garbage cans! Haye’s rib injury saw him miss out on his dream fight with Wladimir Klitschko. Not only did he lose his title shot and a large pay day, Haye was going to collect £1million from Setanta for facing Klitschko, now he doesn’t even have a TV deal after the collapse of the Setanta network.

There will be a mad dash between established UK promoters, including David Haye’s Hayemaker, Frank Warren’s Sports Network, Frank Maloney Promotions, Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions and Ricky Hatton Promotions, all duelling for the few available television dates allocated for boxing.

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30 year-old Ricky Hatton is still mulling over whether he should fight again. The two most obvious local matches that would interest UK boxing fans are against Amir Khan and Junior Witter. While the former undisputed junior welterweight world champion thinks it over, Hatton will continue his live stage show career.

“I seem to always want to take the tough way,” explained Hatton. “Boxing is the loneliest sport in the world once the bell goes, and being a stand-up comedian can be just as scary. I hope the audience is gentle with me and laughs in the right places!”

An Evening with Ricky Hatton takes place at the Millennium Forum in the UK on Wednesday, 8th July.

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Paul Spadafora is back and has Hall of Fame boxer Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker as his new trainer.

“You can’t let people dictate what you do in the ring,” said Whitaker, explaining his message to Spadafora. “This is his life. I tell him, This is your career. This is your one-stop shop. This is an important fight. It ain’t about the people. It’s about you.”

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Newly inducted Hall of Fame boxer Lennox Lewis recalling his first career knockout loss to Oliver McCall. “I remember thinking why is this guy (referee) stopping the fight? Is he serious? It was the second round. It was one of those flash knockdowns. I got up. I understood it when I saw him and Don King eating at a restaurant that night.”

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Timothy Bradley defends his WBO junior welterweight world title against Nate Campbell on August 1 at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California, USA. “I got something he wants,” said Bradley. “Nate’s like a squirrel trying to get a nut. He’s not getting my nut.”

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Forbes’ The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes
No. 1 Tiger Woods, golf - US$110 million
No. 2 Kobe Bryant (Tie), basketball - US$45 million
No. 2 Michael Jordan (Tie), basketball - US$45 million
No. 2 Kimi Raikkonen (Tie), Formula 1 motor racing - US$45 million
No. 5 David Beckham, football/soccer - US$42 million
No. 6 Manny Pacquiao (Tie), boxing - US$40 million
No. 6 LeBron James (Tie), basketball - US$40 million
No. 6 Phil Mickelson (Tie), golf - US$40 million
No. 9 Valentino Rossi, MotoGP motorcycling- US$35 million
No. 10 Dale Earnhardt Jr, NASCAR - US$34 million
No. 11 Roger Federer (Tie), tennis - US$33 million
No. 11 Shaquille O’Neal (Tie), basketball - US$33 million
No. 13 Oscar De La Hoya (Tie), boxing - US$32 million
No. 13 Lewis Hamilton (Tie), Formula 1 motor racing - US$32 million
No. 13 Alex Rodriguez (Tie), baseball - US$32 million
No. 16 Vijay Singh, golf - US$31 million
No. 17 Kevin Garnett (Tie), basketball - US$30 million
No. 17 Jeff Gordon (Tie), NASCAR - US$30 million
No. 17 Derek Jeter (Tie), baseball - US$30 million
No. 17 Ronaldinho (Tie), football/soccer - US$30 million

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In 1990, Bill Cosby earned US$57.5 million and Michael Jackson US$50, the two highest paid entertainers in the world. That same year, Mike Tyson was the highest paid sportsman in the world, earning US$28.6 million.

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Example No. 47 why boxing is far from finished: 61,000 people attended Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. It was a sell out too! If the German soccer stadium was any bigger, they could have sold a few more tickets.

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Oscar De La Hoya told the Los Angeles Daily News last week that he is comfortable with his decision to retire as a boxer.

“Physically, I can’t compete against the best,” he said. “One side of me says, Maybe you can go and fight these guys that are C- or B-level and you can probably still win. But A-level is where I always want to be. And I just can’t do it anymore. I’m content. I’m satisfied.”

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Want to know the real reason why 46-year-old Evander Holyfield still refuses to retire? Because he can’t afford to. The heavyweight great is on the verge of losing his sprawling 54,000-square-foot, 235-acre, 109 room, 17 bathroom, three kitchen and bowling alley estate in suburban Atlanta, USA. The creditors are on the verge of foreclosing again. A year after the estate was first put on the auction block and saved at the last minute, it will be up for sale again on July 7. The Real Deal has apparently defaulted on a US$10 million loan.

Holyfield claims he will be keeping his home and the financial issues will be resolved before the auction takes place.

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The U.S Senate has urged new President Barack Obama to pardon the late black heavyweight world champion Jack Johnson, who was sent to prison nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman. Johnson, a native of Galveston, became the first black heavyweight world champion in 1908. He was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes.

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Former middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Bernard Hopkins is considering taking a final farewell fight on his 45th birthday. The Executioner has not fought since he dismantled the previously unbeaten Kelly Pavlik on October 18 last year. Hopkins turns 45 on January 15, 2010.

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Music rapper Snoop Dogg is enjoying Electronic Arts’ new boxing video game Fight Night Round 4. “I think the game is the coolest game out right now,” he said.

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Let’s do it again one more time? Negotiations are underway for WBC flyweight world champion Daisuke Naito from Japan to fight former long reigning champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for a fifth time. They first met in April 2002, where Wonjongkam won by 1st round knockout. They rematched in October 2005, with Wonjongkam winning by 7th round technical decision. In July 2007, Naito finally got the better of the Thai, winning by twelve round unanimous points decision. They fought for a fourth time in March 2008, the match ending in a twelve round draw.

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You think there are some weak chins on the current world heavyweight boxing scene, don’t you? Things aren’t much better amongst the big boys of MMA. 48 year-old Ray Mercer, the former WBO boxing world champion, who almost removed the head of Tommy Morrison during a match way back in October 1991, fought former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in an MMA bout in Birmingham, Alabama last week. Mercer knocked Sylvia out in 9 seconds with one well timed right hand.

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Former welterweight and middleweight boxing world champion Carmen Basilio can now add another title to his list of achievements. He finally has his High School diploma in his collection. 82-year-old Basilio was drafted to the armed forces before completing his studies at Canastota High School in upstate New York. Basilio finally received his diploma on Saturday June 27. “It’s another championship day, we’re very happy about it”, Basilio told the local media. Basilio’s career record was 56 wins, 16 losses and 7 draws, with 27 wins by knockout. He defeated the great Sugar Ray Robinson via fifteen round split decision in September 1957. It was The Ring magazine’s ‘Fight of the Year’.

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29 year-old New Jersey Nets NBA forward Bobby Simmons is managing heavyweight Fres Oquendo through his new venture, Simmons Entertainment Marketing LLC. The 6’6’’ tall shooting forward has so far played 413 games in basketball’s toughest league and is building a boxing facility for his boxers in Chicago.

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Record of the Week: 40 year-old Frank Wuestenberghs from Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium has 3 career wins, 66 losses and 1 draw. He has only been stopped fifteen times. Wuestenberghs drew with Mohamed Elabar over four rounds in December 2000. Three weeks later, they fought again, Wuestenberghs winning by four round points decision. Understandably, they were the only two fights of Elabar’s career and he never fought again.