Mayweather Wants $20 Million To Come Back
February 26, 2009
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is willing to entertain offers to get back in the ring. The problem is, his idea of an acceptable offer is not in the same ballpark as the offers that are realistic.
It’s kind of a good news/bad news situation for boxing.
Good news that Mayweather is willing to entertain offers to return to the ring.
Bad news that he is so far off on the money issues that seeing him in the ring again is unlikely — until he drops his price.
Mayweather reportedly is looking for a $20 million guarantee to fight either Manny Pacquiao or Shane Mosley, a figure that Top Rank’s Bob Arum said was just unrealistic and out of line.
“Look, Golden Boy went to Mayweather about fighting Shane Mosley and he wanted a $20-million guarantee.”
…
“He is so bleeping way out of line that it is ridiculous. Nobody and no fight, against Manny or anyone else, is going to get him $20-million guarantee.”
…
“Could he work hard and earn $20 million if a fight with Manny did well, yeah, that is possible. But nobody is going to give Mayweather [the chance] to fight Pacquiao, Mosley or Jesus Christ.
“So is it possible that Mayweather will come back? I say yes, but his expectations and aspirations are just too unreasonable.”
Perhaps the problem that Mayweather is having, like Pacquiao had before him, is understanding that skill isn’t what sells. All of the fights that could make that kind of money involve either Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton. With back-to-back fights against them both, Mayweather likely believes that he can earn similar paychecks against anyone.
The fact is, Mayweather was never a big seller prior to the Oscar fight. Pacquiao’s big PPV was against Oscar. Mayweather’s fight with Hatton was huge worldwide.
A fight between Mayweather and Hatton would do huge business, but no one can guarantee it, since neither one has proven they can carry a promotion by themselves. The fight would be a huge hit with boxing fans, and huge in the Philippines, but neither of those means huge money.
If Mayweather were serious about wanting to fight either fighter, he’d be willing to take more money on the back-end and promote the shit out of the fight to guarantee its financial success. But like Arum said, the guarantee of $20 million is unrealistic.
The bottom line in all of this is that yes, Mayweather is willing to comeback — but at what price? Boxing would like to see Floyd Mayweather in the ring again, but if you can’t name his price for Pacquiao — the biggest fight out there — are you ever going to be able to?
Vitali Klitschko Files Complaint Against WBC
February 25, 2009
Vitali Klitschko filed a complaint against the WBC with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, trying to stop the organization from making him make two consecutive mandatory defenses, without the chance to make a voluntary defense.
The WBC has ordered that Oleg Maskaev face the winner of the March 21 bout between Klitschko and Juan Carlos Gomez. Normally, mandatory defenses are separated by a year, so the 120 days is a very short time in boxing-time.
Realistically, the WBC should simply be ashamed that they are making such undeserving fighters the mandatory challengers. Gomez is acceptable as a mandatory, since he has not proven that he doesn’t belong. Maskaev, on the other hand, has proven that.
How do you justify taking a fighter that was knocked out last year by Sam Peter and making him the mandatory. Especially since Maskaev has done nothing of note to erase that loss, and Peter was viciously beaten by Klitschko until he quit. Why would anyone in the world believe that Maskaev would do any better, much less be named a “mandatory” defense. This means that in the WBC’s eyes, Maskaev is the most deserving contender in the entire world to challenge Klitschko.
In a world of corrupt boxing organizations, even the WBO, IBF and WBA must be in awe of the levels that the WBC has reached in the last year. Perhaps WBC President Jose Sulaiman has been spending too much time devoted to his duties as President of the Manny Pacquiao Fan Club, instead of reviewing actually qualifications of the fighters his organization is elevating to mandatory status.
Klitschko filed the complaint hoping to be given an opportunity to make a more lucrative fight in a voluntary defense against a guy like David Haye or Chris Arreola. Considering Maskaev is ranked below both Haye and Arreola in the WBC rankings, this shouldn’t be a problem. But the WBC will never let logic and reason stand in the way of collecting a good sanctioning fee.
Hopefully for boxing Klitschko will win his case and get to fight his choice of fighters. The power grab that the WBC is trying to make in boxing has gone far enough, and until fighters with belts start standing up to them, it will never stop. For the good of boxing, the WBC needs to learn a lesson in humility. I doubt even losing this will make them learn, but it can only help.
Steward Talks Adamek-Banks
February 24, 2009
NEW YORK (Feb. 23, 2009) — SHOWTIME caught up with legendary trainer Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward on Monday for his thoughts on this Friday’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiserweight title fight pitting champion Tomasz Adamek against Steward’s pupil, the undefeated Johnathon Banks in the main event Friday, Feb. 27, on ShoBox: The New Generation (live at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Steward, 64, recently lost one of his best friends and mentors, the renowned Walter Smith, who along with Steward ran the world famous Kronk Gym in Detroit that produced numerous world champions, including eight-time belt holder Thomas Hearns, Hilmer Kenty, Duane Thomas, Milton McCrory and Jimmy Paul. Smith passed away last week at the age of 94.
Steward, who won a national Golden Gloves title at 118 pounds in 1963, is managing the 26-year-old Banks’ career outside of the ring while his nephew Javan “Sugar” Hill is handling the training duties. Banks (20-0, 14 KOs) is the IBF’s No. 8 ranked contender while Adamek (36-1, 24 KOs), of Jersey City, N.J., by way of Poland, will be making the first defense of his IBF title.
SHOWTIME: You are managing Johnathon’s career while your nephew is doing the bulk of the training. Why have you taken a special interest in managing Johnathon at this stage in your career?
STEWARD: “I’m very close to Johnathon and he actually lived with me for about three years until he recently moved out and got his own apartment. He came through our training program and he went through training camp as a teenager with Lennox Lewis and has been Wladimir Klitschko’s main sparring guy for the last four years. Johnathon actually leaves two weeks earlier than I do to get to Klitschko’s fights. That’s how much of a bond they have.”
SHOWTIME: How has Johnathon improved since he’s been working with Klitschko?
STEWARD: “Well he’s been sparring with Wladimir for a long time now and he’s never been hurt by him. That gives you a little bit of confidence. You see all these sparring partners who are physically big guys go in there and spar with Wladimir and they all get beat up so that makes you feel a little bit better. They go over strategies. He has just given Johnathon so much confidence. And it’s good to be around that type of work ethic. Wladimir is the hardest working fighter I’ve ever trained. Johnathon’s also learned some new exercises and training techniques with Wladimir.”
SHOWTIME: You’ve trained so many fighters. Who does Johnathon most remind you of?
STEWARD: “He’s a boxer-puncher. Nothing exceptional you would notice about him. He just gets in there and he’ll box and he’ll punch. But the thing I like about him recently is he is getting very good with his left jab. Wladimir eats meals with Johnathon and spends 24 hours a day with him so they’ve talked a lot about his jab. And Johnathon’s gotten really good at fighting on the inside when he has to which amazed me because he’s about 6-foot-2 and a half. I can’t really think of one fighter he reminds me of.”
SHOWTIME: Have you ever had a cruiserweight champion?
STEWARD: “Leon Spinks fought for the cruiserweight title once but he lost to (Dwight Muhammad) Qawi in Reno, Nev. (in 1986).”
SHOWTIME: With the economic struggles the nation and Detroit are currently experiencing, how important would this win be for a hometown fighter from Detroit like Johnathon?
STEWARD: “He would be the first of the homegrown Kronk kids to win a world title since 1985. I’ve talked to Johnathon about this and he’s using it as a big motivating factor. We’re talking almost 25 years. That’s when we had kids coming out of here like crazy. And Johnathon fits into that group. He knows if he wins this fight on Friday that he will be the guy and that when he goes to the mall there will be people who want to touch him and meet him.”
SHOWTIME: What type of fight do you expect Friday?
STEWARD: “Anytime you fight a guy like Adamek it’s going to be a tough fight. He’s got everyone behind him. It’s really an Adamek show and it will stay that way until the bell rings but then we’ll take over and it will become a Banks’ show then. But up until then it’s all about Adamek and he deserves that. He’s a great fighter with a great personality. We expect a tough and aggressive fight.”
In the 12-round ShoBox co-feature, Giovanni Lorenzo (26-1, 18 KOs), of New York City will be opposed by Dionisio Miranda (19-3-2, 17 KO’s) of Barranquilla, Colombia, in an IBF middleweight elimination bout.
Oscar Diaz Released From Hospital
February 23, 2009
Turning our attention to some great news from the world of boxing, Oscar Diaz was discharged from University Hospital in San Antonio, seven months after falling into a coma after a fight.
Diaz was knocked out in a nationally televised fight with Delvin Rodriguez in July of 2008. He went collapsed prior to the 11th round and fell into a coma. He awoke in September from his coma and had remained at the hospital the entire time.
At 26, his boxing career is over, but there are many people who are thrilled to see that his life will go on.
Diaz’s doctors have said that they are optimistic that one day he will walk and talk again.
De La Hoya Leaning Towards Retirement
February 21, 2009
It was clear by the third round of his fight with Manny Pacquiao that Oscar De La Hoya was done as a fighter, but several months later, Oscar still hasn’t made it official.
After quitting on his stool as a large favorite against Pacquiao, De La Hoya took some time off to figure out what he wanted to do. There are talks of one last going away fight, but now the Golden Boy says he is leaning towards hanging up the gloves for good.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, De La Hoya said he is 60-40 in favor of retiring.
“I’m still confused,” he told the LA Times. “I’m torn between saying, ‘It’s over. ‘Bye. I don’t have it anymore,’ and knowing if I’ll be able to live with that. It’s a tough decision, not easy at all.”
Clearly, there is no way he fights at 147 again, as he attempted to do against Pacquiao. De La Hoya was so drained in that fight that he didn’t gain a single pound between the weigh-in and the fight, a sure sign that he was not physically right for that fight. Fighting at welterweight will never again be an option.
But is it possible for him to fight again at a higher weight? Possible, yes; advisable, not as much.
Sure Oscar could lace them up one more time for a farewell fight so he doesn’t have to live with the taste of the Pacquiao fight in his mouth for the rest of his life. A Cinco de Mayo fight with Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. makes so much sense it’s a miracle it isn’t signed already.
But Oscar has never been the type of fighter to take the easy fight without a bigger goal. Say what you want about his wins, but there is no denying that De La Hoya fought the best. Hopkins, Trinidad, Quartey, Vargas, Pacquiao, Mayweather, Chavez, Mosley, Whitaker, Ruelas, Hernandez…and on and on.
De La Hoya’s BoxRec page is a veritable who’s who of boxing. Some may have a hard time envisioning him fighting someone who is not an elite fighter in his final fight.
Having said that, names sell. Oscar’s true rise to fame and power went through Julio Cesar Chaves, Sr. A fight with the young Chavez trying to avenge his fathers two losses to Oscar is a story that will sell and make a fortune. And really, at the end of the day, that is Oscar’s true legacy. Yes, he fought the best fighters, but he’ll always be remembered for making huge events and unimaginable sums of money.
The dilemma that is haunting De La Hoya now is the question of what beat him on Dec. 6, 2008. Was it that Oscar suddenly got old? Was he bested by a better fighter? Or was he drained from the weight loss?
If he’s old, he has to walk away. If he was beaten by a better fighter, he should walk away, but may have better luck with a lesser opponent. If he was drained, perhaps he’s still an elite fighter at 154.
Are these questions that Oscar can live with for the rest of his life? Most fighters would want to know for sure before walking away. But Oscar can’t just test himself with another Steve Forbes at this point in his career. If he fights again, he has to go all out.
All the more difficult for him must be watching his two business partners, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins both knock off two of the top fighters in the world in the last year. By comparison, Oscar is still young. Having just turned 36, De La Hoya conceivably has a few years left in today’s world of boxing. Realistically though, we saw some of his age show against Pacquiao.
It’s likely true that the weight-shedding that De La Hoya has gone through in the past few years has added some years to his actual age. He probably could still fight at 154, but there isn’t much point to it. He showed he can’t make 147 and still fight, and in his prime, 160 was too high for him. One last fight at 154 is understandable, but perhaps the time has come to just walk away.
Money will never be an issue for De La Hoya, and right now he has a chance to get out sound and healthy. Outside of a fight with Chavez Jr. (who really has earned no such shot), there is no logical fight out there for him, and there is not much for him to gain, other than getting rid of that sour taste.
Having said that, if I’ve learned anything from this sport, it’s that if a boxer says he is 60-40 towards retiring, he will fight again. Hell, even if he says he’s retired, they usually fight again. If Oscar isn’t 100 percent sure that it’s time to go, then I’m 100 percent sure he’ll be back.
As long as he doesn’t hold the sport hostage again when choosing an opponent, I can support him fighting one last farewell bout. Otherwise, I think we’ll all support his decision to walk away from the game.
Marquez vs. Diaz Now for WBA and WBO Belts
February 20, 2009
While Juan Manuel Marquez is the linear lightweight champion, by virtue of his win over Joel Casamayor, his upcoming fight with Juan Diaz was going to be for no sanctioning body belts. Not anymore.
Marquez and Diaz will not only fight for the lineal title, but the WBA and WBO have sanctioned this as a title fight. This was possible due to Nate Campbell losing both titles on the scale prior to his win over Ali Funeka.
Campbell held the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, but all of them became vacant when he beat Funeka. Had Funeka won, he would have taken the belts, but having missed his weight, Campbell was unable to retain the titles. Campbell was the WBA “super champion,” so the Marquez-Diaz fight will be for that title, rather than just “regular champion.”
Marquez is the Ring Magazine lightweight champion, and this fight was accepted by the boxing world as being for the true lightweight championship of the world, but this now gives both fighters an opportunity to move towards true “undisputed champion” status in the lightweight ranks.
To most, this is quite meaningless, but in the long term, this does more good than bad, since it will allow the belts to remain (at least for one fight) with just one fighter who will be regarded as the champion, rather than spread out over two, three or four fighters that are not considered the champion.
Women’s Boxing in Olympics? Real Breasts Only Need Apply
February 18, 2009
The International Amateur Boxing Association unanimously voted to approve women’s boxing for inclusion in the Summer Olympics, starting with the London 2012 games.
The International Olympic Committee will vote on women’s boxing’s inclusion in the Olympics when they meet in October.
Of the 26 sports in the Summer Olympics, boxing is the only federation that does not feature competition from women. In 2004, women’s wrestling was added to the games, leaving boxing alone as the only male-only sport.
In the Winter Olympics, only ski jumping does not include a women’s competition.
AIBA has approved and governed women’s boxing since 1994, establishing its women’s committee a decade ago and holding world championship tournaments and regional events. Those tournaments would serve as Olympic qualifiers if the sport is put on the London program.
In related women’s boxing news, the Amateur Boxing Association of England told a female that she would not be able to compete due to her breast implants.
Sarah Blewden, a 25-year old model, was told that for safety reasons, she could not box with her 32C breast implants.
Dr. Julius Few, director of the Few Institute for plastic surgery in Chicago, said the rule against boxing and implants is “theoretical at best.” He has treated patients for injuries in both horseback riding and skiing and said, implants are “incredibly rugged.”
“In those contact sports, women have taken a fall and landed on their chest and the hit has not been a problem,” he told ABCNews.com. “The risk is greater if someone is in a car accident with a restraining seat belt.”
But, Few cautioned, “Most board certified experts would agree that it’s something that hasn’t been studied and it’s kind of an optional activity, better to err on the side of safety.”
Blewden got the implants in 2003 for her modeling career, but has since taken up amateur boxing. She is fighting for the use of a breast protector, similar to a cup that men wear to protect their testicles.
Doctors have argued that to this day, no breast protectors have been developed that have been deemed effective by medical experts.
More from ABCnews.com:
The problem, according to Attwood, is fat necrosis, which can occur with repeated trauma to the breast. That condition can be dangerous, because it can mimic breast cancer on mammograms and on examination.
If women’s boxing continues to increase in popularity like this (see Olympics above), surely someone will come along with a proper, working, dependable breast protector for women who want to box with augmented breasts. Where there is a demand, there will be a supply.
Klitschko – Haye Talks Suspended
February 17, 2009
According to his personal website, Wladimir Klitschko says that talks have been stopped between his camp and the camp of challenger David Haye.
The struggles that the negotiation has had are now well documented, and Klitschko points to Haye’s lack of professionalism when it comes to negotiating that is holding the fight up.
On the Ukrainian portion of klitschko.com, translated via BoxingScene.com, Klitschko said:
“The main problem is the lack of professionalism on the part of David Haye and his representatives. Haye can’t figure out what he wants. Two weeks ago, negotiations were coming along. But, at this time they have been suspended. If Haye plans to continue [to negotiate] in the same way – it will be two more years before he gets his chance to reach a title fight – if he doesn’t lose. In the event that a fight with the Brit will fall apart, we will fight Chris Arreola or find someone else. This will be determined later.”
Klitschko had said recently that he had an agreement and a date in place with Chris Arreola, should the Haye fight fall through. Considering the Klitschko’s lack of respect towards Haye, I can’t imagine either brother accepting anything less than a great deal to fight him.
Talks between the two camps hit a wall when it was learned that Haye could no longer make the fight happen in one of the large soccer stadiums in the United Kingdom. Citing the poor economy (not to mention poor past ticket sales), Haye offered to move the fight to Klitschko’s choice of venues in Germany.
Once the large gate money that Haye was offering was no longer there, Haye had little to negotiate on. He was not offering a lot of money, he didn’t satisfy a mandatory defense, and he has just six rounds of experience in the heavyweight division.
Haye may be the right opponent at the right time for either Klitschko, but it’s becoming more and more clear that now is not the right time. Let’s hope Klitschko vs. Arreola happens instead now.
Klitschko – Haye Still Not Close to Done
February 16, 2009
The heavyweight showdown between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye appeared on track for a June 20 showdown, but economic issues seem to have derailed the matchup.
The fight was originally planned for June 20 at Stamford Bridge, a soccer stadium in London. Then the rumors out of Europe last week were that the fight would be at the 02 Arena. Unfortunately, no one in the media bothered to check the occupancy, as the 02 is booked for that night and the fight will absolutely not be held at that venue on that night.
Financially and logistically, the fight is still pretty far from being signed.
Klitschko had agreed to fight Haye mainly because of the revenue it could bring in being in a soccer stadium on Haye’s home turf. Now that the venue is in question, Haye doesn’t offer very many reasons why the fight should take place. He’s far from the most deserving contender, and satisfies no mandatory defenses.
Bernd Boente, who manages the Klitschko brothers, told ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael,
“They backed out of the stadium because of the economy and now we have to negotiate everything new. That [stadium] was a huge portion of the deal. Otherwise, Haye is not bringing much to the table.”
While it is clear that Haye makes the most noise with his mouth in the heavyweight division, he has done nothing to earn a shot at the title yet. While many of us would love to see this fight, I would not fault Klitschko for passing on it now and fighting someone more deserving in the meantime. He has a mandatory fight with Alexander Povetkin and may in fact have a “Plan B” fight in place with Chris Arreola if the Haye fight doesn’t go through. Either one of those options is acceptable for Wladimir.
Part of the problem with the Haye fight seems to be the inexperience of Haye’s manager, Adam Booth. Now that the fight is in trouble, Haye’s people are trying to negotiate a deal in which the Klitschko’s promotional company would assume all of the risk (offered enticingly as “taking control of the promotion”), but be rewarded with what they see as just an ordinary opponent.
Haye got himself to the front of the line based on his potential to sell. The idea of fighting in a giant venue and getting a piece of the pay-per-view pie was enough for Wladimir to choose Haye over other, more worthy opponents. Now the stadium deals look to be non-existent, and Haye wants to keep the English television money. This leave Klitschko in a spot where he would be fighting a generic challenger that fills no mandatories, has an average live gate, and Haye would be keeping a solid portion of the TV money. That’s just bad business for Klitschko to take that deal.
Now in order to make the fight happen, Haye has offered to fight in Germany. At this point, Haye clearly would be bringing no more money to the table than anyone else, as Wladimir consistently fights in front of a full house in Germany. But Haye is desperate to make the fight happen and is willing to go anywhere to get his shot at a Klitschko. Haye has also conceded to the Klitschko camp’s demands of rematch clauses that allegedly could have Haye fighting his next three fights in Germany against various Klitschko brothers.
Haye’s manager denies the things that the Klitschko camp has been saying, saying that Haye only wants the UK TV money, and not another penny. This is a bit hard to believe, and if it is true, then Haye’s manager must truly be as inexperienced as has been said. Why on Earth would Haye fight Klitschko for no money, and only get paid on the television back-end?
As Booth described it to Setanta, via BoxingScene.com:
“He’s talking utter nonsense. When you go through the numbers they make about two million (dollars) more than if they were to take the Arreola fight, on the numbers they’ve declared to me.
“When they fight Thompson or Rahman they get a nominal figure from HBO. They get their German money, the ticket sales and everything else. From that money they have to pay Rahman. They take in the same amount of money from HBO, German television and ticket sales for fighting David but on this occasion they don’t have to pay David anything.
“All David’s taking is the value he brings to the table which is the UK TV money. That’s it, because the Klitschkos don’t get any UK TV money. We’re talking a nominal figure, tens of thousands of pounds. You’re talking 50,000 euros or less, that’s all they’re worth in the UK. That’s fine. We’re not taking their value, David’s just keeping his own. I don’t see how anyone could see how that would be unreasonable.”
Clearly, the fight is nowhere near done, as had been reported in weeks past. The fight’s inability to take place at a major venue in London is likely going to be a deal breaker for Klitschko. Without the possibility of fighting in front of a large audience, Haye lacks the ability to distinguish himself from any other generic opponent.
What Haye does have, is the potential to be a huge fight at some point. If Haye’s camp can’t make this fight huge right now, it could be in the interest of both parties to take other opponents now and try this matchup again when the economy allows for it to be a mega-fight.
It’s just a personal opinion, but I have a hunch that this fight gets completely scrapped, and we’ll see new opponents in place for both men by the end of the month. I hope I’m wrong, since this is the fight I want to see, but that’s my gut feeling.
In the meantime, Vitali Klitschko fights this weekend against Juan Carlos Gomez, and a Vitali win puts his name right in the mix for a fight with Haye as well. That will give Haye two fighters to negotiate with, perhaps allowing for a fight to be made more easily.
Campbell Loses Titles on the Scale
February 13, 2009
Nate Campbell failed to make the 135-pound weight limit twice on Friday, losing his IBF and WBO titles on the scale. The fight will be a title fight for challenger Ali Funeka, with both titles on the table for him if he were to win. A Campbell win would mean that both titles are vacant.
Campbell initially weighed in at 138 pounds and was given two hours to lose the three pounds necessary to make the lightweight limit. Campbell returned still weighing 137 1/2 pounds, thus losing the titles.
Funeka weighed 133 1/2 on his first try.
In the undercard bouts, all fighters (eventually) made weight. Sergio Martinez weighed in at 153 1/4 and his opponenet, Kermit Cintron, weighed 154 1/4. Cintron returned 15 minutes later and weighed in at exactly 154.
Alfredo Angulo came in at 153 1/2 and Cosme Rivera was 151 1/2 for their bout.
Campbell ironically had his last fight canceled when Joan Guzman failed to make weight in September.
This marks the fourth time in the last four years that a major lightweight bout was marred by a fighter not making weight.
In October of 2005, Jose Luis Castillo failed to make weight for his much anticipated rematch with Diego Corrales. Castillo won the rematch by knockout, but the fight got a big black eye from the issues at the scales.
Castillo also failed to make weight when they attempted to fight for a third time, leading Corrales to pull out of the bout.
Corrales himself would then go on to miss weight against Joel Casamayor, losing his title on the scale in October of 2006.