Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum felt Manny Pacquiao was overconfident when he entered the ring last Saturday night against Jeff Horn at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, pulled off a shocking upset with a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao to capture the WBO welterweight championship – before a crowd of over 50,000 fans at the venue.
The judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 – with all three backing Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs).
Pacquiao admitted afterwards that he didn’t realize how tough Horn was.
Arum was angered by some of the pre-fight comments that were being made by Pacquiao’s handlers – who were calling Horn a “tuneup” opponent and gave him zero chance of winning.
Arum had warned them over and over that Horn was not a walkover opponent.
“As what happens when you go in overconfident and you know you have the morons in his corner saying that the only way Horn could win the fight is Manny trips his way to the ring. What kind of sh*t is that? I mean I saw the kid fight in New Zealand. I knew he was a competent fighter. I knew it would be a tough fight,” Arum said to News To Go.
Pacquiao intends to exercise a rematch clause. Arum is not going to force the issue on him.
“If Manny wants a rematch, I would do it. But I am not advocating a rematch. That’s up to Manny,” Arum said.
There were many observers who felt the outcome was controversial, with Pacquiao being robbed of a win.
Arum disagrees with the public outcry. He felt the contest was very close and far from a robbery.
“It was a close fight. It could have gone either way. A couple of close rounds, but you can’t argue with the result,” Arum said.
Promoter Bob Arum announced today that the June 27 clash between former two-division world champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. and undefeated WBA super lightweight world champion Jessie Vargas will be for the vacant WBO welterweight championship. That belt was last on the line when Floyd Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao on May 2. After the fight, Mayweather accepted the belt, but it was agreed beforehand that should he win the title would be vacant. Bradley-Vargas takes place under the stars at StubHub Center in Carson, California, and will be televised live on HBO.
Tim Bradley: I think this fight might be a candidate for fight of the year. I’m already calling it right now. A lot of you out there see this fight on paper and you guys are like ‘It’s an easy fight for you Bradley.’ And I’m like ‘Y’all crazy. What do you mean easy fight for Bradley?’ This fight is not easy whatsoever…I call StubHub ‘The War Ground,’ because overtime there’s a fight there, there’s always a war. And I think this fight’s gonna be a war.
Jessie Vargas: Everyone is expecting a great fight. We know that Timothy Bradley and myself always give it our all in the ring. We have the heart of a lion. On June 27th we both have to dig very deep and we’ll see who comes out with the victory.
Bob Arum: Tickets are on sale tomorrow. I don’t know why we’re not waiting for the week of the fight to put them on sale.
No toda las conferencias de prensa tienen una alfombra roja. Floyd Mayweather Jr. y Manny Pacquiao la tuvieron ayer, lo que refleja la magnitud del combate que ambos están por enfrentar.
Mayweather Jr. y Pacquiao se vieron las caras el miércoles en el único frente a frente que tendrán hasta los días previos al mega pleito entre ambos el 2 de mayo en el MGM Grand de Las Vegas, Nevada.
Los campeones del peso welter, considerados como los mejores libras por libra de los últimos tiempos, se encontraron en un atestado Nokia Teather de Los Ángeles, lugar que recibió desde horas tempranas a los cerca de 500 miembros de la prensa que se congregaron para presenciar la histórica presentación.
Una enorme alfombra roja dirigió el camino de los púgiles desde la entrada del teatro hasta el escenario.
El anunciador insignia de HBO, Michael Buffer se encargó de presentar a Pacquiao, un diez veces campeón del mundo y un ocho veces reinante en divisiones diferentes.
Mientras que ‘El Clásico’, Jimmy Lennon Jr., voz principal de los eventos de Showtime, tuvo a su cargo la presentación del invicto, Mayweather.
Ambos púgiles no tardaron en posar frente a frente por cerca de un minuto desplegando una electrificante energía en el icónico recinto del Este estadounidense.
“Gracias a HBO y a Floyd, a Top Rank y a todos por hacer este combate posible. Creo que este es el combate que han estado esperando desde hace cinco años. Estamos bien contentos y trabajaremos lo más duro para éste combate”, dijo Pacquiao.
“Los haremos felices el 2 de mayo. Y lo más importante es que el nombre de Dios sea glorificado. Que la gente, sepa que es Dios, que hace que uno venga de la nada, y logre todo lo que soy hoy”, agregó el filipino que tiene marca de 57-5-2 y 38KO’s.
Fue un encuentro cordial entre ambos equipos. Las únicos que tuvieron un encuentro de ‘egos’ fueron los representantes de las televisoras, Stephen Espinoza (Showtime) y Ken Kershman (HBO), quienes dejaron en claro sus logros en las carreras de ambos peleadores.
“Ha sido un largo camino. Pero aquí estamos ahora”, dijo Mayweather Jr.
“El 2 de mayo, el combate del siglo, será entre los dos mejores peleadores. Creo que no pudimos escoger el mejor momento. Mi equipo buscará el mejor plan tal y como lo hemos hecho en todos mis combates. La acción hace las peleas, yo trabajaré hasta el límite de mis capacidades. Pero una cosa sí sé sobre cualquier deporte, cuando pierdes está en tu mente. Si pierdes una vez, o dos, es en tu mente. Desde el día uno he dicho que seré el ganador y así será”, aseguró Mayweather quien tiene foja de 47-0 y 26KO’s.
Pacquiao y Mayweather acordaron la última semana de febrero firmar el combate del que venían hablando desde el 2009. Floyd tendrá una garantía de $150 millones, mientras que Pacquiao obtendrá $100 millones.
Se espera que el choque genere más de $300 millones y que las ventas de ‘pague por ver’ superen las 3 millones.
Mayweather es campeón welter y súperwelter del Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (CMB), mientras que Pacquiao es titular de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB).
“Primero fue Alí-Frazier, luego Leonard-Durán, Leonard-Hagler. Y ahora es el momento para Mayweather-Pacquiao”, dijo el promotor Bob Arum. “Todo el mundo debe estar interesado en el combate. Senadores, presidentes, artistas, personalidades del deporte. Todo el mundo”, agregó el fundador de Top Rank.
Un total de 150 países podrán tener acceso al combate que será presentado en alianza entre las dos más grandes empresas de televisión, Showtime y HBO.
“Hubo grandes obstáculos. Pero luego de que ellos dos se encontraron, pues ahí fue que supe que el combate podría celebrarse”, comentó Stephen Espinoza, director de Shotime Sports, previo al frente a frente.
Leonard Ellerbe, representante de Mayweather Jr., dijo que los boletos del pleito comenzarán en los $1,500.00 hasta los $7,500.00.
Hace unos días el promotor Bob Arum comentó que todos ellos ya habían sido vendidos.
LONDON – Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao believes his role as challenger in his world title bout with Tim Bradley this weekend will inspire him to victory.
The Filipino superstar has cut a calm and relaxed figure throughout fight week as he looks to avenge his controversial 2012 loss to the Californian Bradley, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
It was the 30-year-old Bradley who wrestled the WBO welterweight championship away from the claws of the eight-weight world champion Pacquiao on that fateful night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
But now, ‘Pacman’ is ready to thrive in his position as the challenger, as he looks to show that he can reach the heights of his illustrious past on his way to winning an unprecedented eleventh world title.
“There are a lot of people who doubt I can fight the same way I fought when I knocked out Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera,” said Pacquiao.
“I want to prove to them that I am the best. I am inspired. I am the challenger. I know I will need to outbox and outspeed Bradley. And that is what I will do. This is the first time I have challenged for a world title that I lost. Do I want it back? You bet I do; and I want it back from Tim Bradley,” he said.
Accusations have been levelled at Pacquiao questioning if he still has the hunger and desire for prizefighting.
The man himself admitted he was too cordial in the initial meeting with Bradley, stating he won’t play the nice guy this time around, with the American needing to lay him out to win.
“The only way Bradley can beat me this time is to knock me out. He cannot outbox me. I will be the aggressor. I will throw a lot of punches at him – more than I threw against [Brandon] Rios – and I will land them,” Pacquiao said.
“Last time I was too nice. This time, I will finish what I start. I want to get back that belt he won off of me. Boxing has always been fun for me. This time the fun is secondary. This is a mission to prove I am the best.
“In my fight against Rios I proved I can still fight at the high level everyone expects from me. I showed I can still control a fight as well as I ever have,” he said.
Juggling his role as a boxer and Congressman back home in the Philippines hasn’t been an easy one for the 35-year-old.
He has seen the progress that Bradley has made over the past two years, overcoming WBO light-welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov and Mexican icon Juan Manuel Marquez, to cement his place amongst the elite in the 147 pound division.
Pacquiao is honest enough to declare he overlooked Bradley the first time, but there will be no chance of that this time around.
“I remember last time believing that I won the first fight against Tim Bradley. I thought I was leading after every round. I thought I won the fight easily. I controlled the fight every round. I had a feeling in training camp that he would run from me once he felt my power and he did after the third or fourth round,” said Pacquiao.
“I was very surprised by the decision. But that’s part of the game. He got the decision and my title. But to be honest, I wasn’t as motivated when I was training for our first fight. I guess I didn’t take him seriously enough,” he said.
“I am impressed with what Bradley has done since our fight. He is a different fighter now since we fought. He has more experience at this level and as a welterweight champion. He fought extremely well against Marquez. I knew Tim would beat him utilizing his speed. But in the end I am still faster than Bradley,” Pacquiao said.
The rematch between the pair kicks-off a mega next couple of months on BoxNation with a host of world title fights including Floyd Mayweather’s ring return against Marcos Maidana on May 3rd, with British star Amir Khan also featuring that night against the skilled Luis Collazo.
Undefeated two-division world champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs), trainer Joel Diaz and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum hosted an international media conference call from Bradley’s Palm Springs training camp on Thursday to discuss Bradley’s eagerly-anticipated April 12 WBO welterweight championship PPV rematch against Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs). This will be Bradley’s third defense of the world title he won from Pacquiao in their previous fight.
Timothy Bradley: I’ve got a lot to prove in this fight. I’ve gotta prove that the first fight wasn’t a fluke. There’s a lot of things that happened in the first fight that weren’t right. This time I’ll be 110% ready.
I gained a lot of experience from my last two appearances on HBO, one in particular against Marquez, who is a great champion and great fighter, legendary, and also the fight of the year against Ruslan Provodnikov. So I’m a different fighter now, a different beast, a different animal and this time around I’m gonna prove it to the fans and everybody. The last time around I got the win but it felt like I lost because I didm’t get any credit from the fans and it’s very important to get the credit from the fans. I definitely gotta win by a wide margin.
Joel Diaz: We don’t really feel the support. Everybody goes to the Wild Card to see Manny Pacquiao train, he’s in great shape, he’s in great preparation… but nobody comes around to Tim Bradley’s gym to see how he’s doing. But in a way I like that because curiosity, it sometimes puts a little bit of fear. Nobody knows how Tim Bradley is training and he’s very ready to come to Vegas and ruin the party for a lot of people again.
Bob Arum: This rematch is special because the previous fight ended in a decision win for Timothy Bradley and a lot of people thought the decision could have gone the other way. That can be debated endlessly, so a rematch gives a definitive answer to who is the better fighter.
NEW YORK — Promoter Bob Arum said Thursday that a deal is almost finalized for a Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch and that an official announcement is imminent.
“We’re very, very close,” Arum said at a news conference in Manhattan for the Mikey Garcia-Juan Carlos Burgos bout Saturday night in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. “The negotiations are getting down to the nitty gritty. We hope we’ll be able to announce it sometime before the end of this week.”
The unbeaten Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs, 1 NC), of Palm Springs, Calif., and rugged Russian Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs) were the two potential opponents Pacquiao was considering facing April 12 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But Bradley beat Provodnikov in one of the most entertaining encounters of 2013, recorded a highly controversial, split-decision win against Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs) in June 2012 and is fresh off a convincing victory over Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KOs), who knocked the Filipino superstar unconscious in his previous fight.
“I think a Bradley-Pacquiao fight now is much more saleable than the Bradley-Pacquiao fight was when it happened, because Bradley has shined his credentials,” said Arum, whose company, Top Rank Inc., promotes Pacquiao and Bradley. “He had an exciting fight with Provodnikov and beat Marquez. We’re dealing with a different Bradley from the relatively unknown guy who fought Pacquiao the first time.”
HBO Pay-Per-View will televise the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch. A multi-city press tour to promote Pacquiao-Bradley II is expected to be scheduled for early next month.
The first fight between Bradley and Pacquiao drew about 900,000 pay-per-view buys. Pacquiao’s last fight, a predictably easy defeat of Brandon Rios on Nov. 23 in Macau, China, and the Bradley-Marquez match Oct. 12 in Las Vegas did less buys combined than Pacquiao-Bradley I.
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
Posted at 01/23/2014 3:56 PM | Updated as of 01/23/2014 3:56 PM
MANILA, Philippines – World Boxing Organization (WBO) president Francisco Valcarcel welcomes a rematch between Filipino champ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and welterweight champion Timothy Bradley Jr.
Bradley won the WBO welterweight belt off Pacquiao when he defeated the Filipino boxer via a contentious split decision in June 2012.
“It’s one of the great battles that can happen this year,” Valcarcel told Boxing Scene of a potential Pacquiao-Bradley rematch.
“The controversy of the first fight makes it very interesting, adding to the fact that they are great fighters, and Bradley is a great champion. Pacquiao needs no introduction,” he added. “It is a fight that cannot be missed.”
According to Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum, the terms of the rematch has yet to be finalized, although they are working with both camps to iron out the details.
Valcarcel believes Bradley is the best option among Pacquiao’s options, which also included Russian brawler Ruslan Provodnikov.
“Among the options that were being considered, this is the most interesting,” said the WBO president. “They had a rematch clause in the contract for his fight and both belong to the same promoter.”
