Mosley, Mayweather reach terms

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com


Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to terms for a welterweight super fight, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe said Friday.

Although the contracts are not signed, "all of the deal points have been agreed to," Ellerbe said. "We still have to put pen to paper, but everything is agreed to. It's with the lawyers. Shane is a great fighter, one of the best of his era, and so is Floyd. It's going to be a great fight. It's a fight fans have wanted to see for a long time."

Assuming the paperwork is signed, Mosley will defend his welterweight title against Mayweather on May 1 on HBO PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Ellerbe said that he expected the paperwork to be completed in the next few days with a formal announcement likely next week.

The fight came together after an unexpected turn of events.

First, Mayweather became available for a fight three weeks ago when negotiations with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao disintegrated. They had agreed to all terms for a March 13 fight that loomed as the biggest in boxing -- except for a drug testing protocol.

They had agreed to random urine testing, but Mayweather also wanted random blood testing, even though that is not required under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Pacquiao agreed only to three blood tests, but none within 24 days of the fight, and the third one immediately after the bout.

Mayweather has alluded to Pacquiao using performance-enhancing drugs, even though he has never produced any evidence, and Floyd Mayweather Sr. has outright said he believes Pacquiao uses.

The rancor over the drug testing issue caused the fight to fall apart and Pacquiao moved on. He will defend his version of the 147-pound title against former titlist Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Then Mosley became available two weeks ago. He was scheduled to meet Andre Berto in a title unification bout at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Saturday night. However, Berto, a Haitian-American, withdrew from the bout after eight members of his extended family were killed in the earthquake in Haiti.

Immediately after the cancellation of Mosley-Berto, Mosley and Mayweather -- the former welterweight champ and pound-for-pound king until giving up the mantle during a brief retirement -- began negotiating.

"The negotiations were very cordial and went very smoothly," Ellerbe said.

Mosley has agreed to undergo random blood and urine testing, as has Mayweather, Ellerbe said.

Mosley has admitted to using PEDs and was connected to the BALCO scandal. Although he publicly denied using PEDs for years, Mosley admitted during grand jury testimony, which was later released, that he used designer steroids "the clear" and "the cream" and injected himself with EPO, a blood oxygen enhancer, during the lead-up to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley said he took the steroids unknowingly.

"Floyd only wants to be sure of an even playing field no matter who he fights," Ellerbe said.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, have seemingly been on a collision course since the late 1990s, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion.

Although their careers took different paths, talk of a potential fight heated back up in 2006 after Mosley's two knockouts of Fernando Vargas, but talks never got too serious.

However, Mosley stepped up his call for a fight with Mayweather, 32, last year after Mayweather ended his 18-month retirement. After Mayweather easily beat lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided decision in September, Mosley crashed his post-fight interview in the ring and called him out to his face.

It didn't look like Mosley would get the fight because two months later, Pacquiao knocked out Miguel Cotto and talks began for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Mosley, 38, hasn't fought since last January, when he upset Antonio Margarito to win his title via ninth-round knockout.

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

Mayweather-Mosley announcement imminent

By Kevin Iole
yahoo sports

An announcement of a welterweight fight between unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. and World Boxing Association champion Shane Mosley for May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena is imminent.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said Thursday that “all major deal points have been agreed upon” for the bout that is the biggest that can currently be made in boxing.

Schaefer had been working with Top Rank’s Bob Arum to put together a bout between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in a match that would have pitted the top two fighters in the world.

When that match fell apart over a dispute over a drug testing protocol, Schaefer turned his attention to arranging a Mayweather-Mosley bout. While it doesn’t have quite the cachet of a Mayweather-Pacquiao bout, it still will pit the Nos. 2 and 3 ranked fighters in the most recent Yahoo! Sports ratings.

“I hope to have something to announce in the next few days,” Schaefer said.

Mosley has agreed to the Olympic-style random blood and urine testing that Pacquiao balked at and which eventually scuttled the bout. Mosley admitted in sworn grand jury testimony that he used two designer steroids, “The Cream” and “The Clear,” as well as EPO prior to a 2003 fight with Oscar De La Hoya. He alleges he took the substances unknowingly.

Mosley had been slated to fight World Boxing Council champion Andre Berto on Friday at Mandalay Bay, but that fight was canceled earlier this month. Berto is of Haitian descent and has much family in Haiti and felt he couldn’t properly prepare in the aftermath of the disastrous Jan. 12 earthquake in the island nation.

A news conference to kick off the Mayweather-Mosley fight will likely be held in New York, perhaps as early as next week.

Everything’s Sweeter With Sugar; Why “Mayweather vs Mosley” would be a better fight for boxing

By Michael Mason:
www.BoxingNews24.com

For now, the saliva inducing showdown between Floyd and Manny has been packed back into its box, and placed back on boxing’s dusty shelf of fights that should have been…

But when one door closes, another opens. Instead of having the Mayweather vs Pacquiao bout, boxing fans may have been thrown another, yet slightly smaller bone. Golden Boy Promotions stating that now Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Shane could be in the mix for the near future now that the Berto bout has collapsed.


“Mayweather is interested and so, of course, is Shane. Now it’s a matter of negotiating the right deal structure that makes everyone happy.” Said Richard Schaeffer the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, clearly the fight would not be of the same magnitude as a meet with Pacquiao and that’s because Mayweather acts as an anchor, like a balloon tied to a rock, its much more exciting if you untie it and watch it fly… he will be like that no matter who he fights. Saying that, have you seen a boxer with a defence to match his? Marquez missing over 500 punches in his fight with Mayweather. Pristine counter punching and an enigmatic style nobody has yet managed solve.

Unfortunately that’s not what captivates an audience, people find attack is the best form of defence (completely wrong in boxing) and that’s what gets viewers hearts racing.

Mayweather is an oxymoron, his own worst enemy… his superlative style against people in the ring, that at one point made him the best boxer on the planet; also takes on the role as an incredible anti-climactic style for the spectators.

What could be worse than having Manny and Floyd’s fight dubbed one of the biggest events in boxing history, only to find it was a relatively plain fight, one boxer chasing and the other running. An exciting boxer + a relatively dull boxer = an average fight.

However if Mayweather decides to take on Mosley, and Mosley conquers, well we have quite a different story altogether..

The only welterweight fighters I can see really in with a shout against Mayweather are now Manny and Shane (I hate to say it but I think cotto’s had too many wars) and if Shane can beat Floyd we have a much larger mouth watering prospect knocking on our doors. A super fight that could actually live up to its own hype, two hungry boxers creating a bout that could imprinted into our memories for years… for all the right reasons. Both fought Cotto, and both fights were heads and shoulders above many of Mayweather’s.

Who remembers Oscar v Floyd? Well, it speaks for itself. The fight that would save boxing, was a complete bore from start to finish… and that sometimes more than anything can be damaging to the sport, the best of the best in the ring.. and they end up having a similar effect on the fans as nitrous oxide would… inducing calm to the point you’re drowsy.

On the other hand, if Shane loses we are no worse off than before, Mayweather will be set to collide with Pacquiao later in the year, and atleast then Mosley would have had his well earned shot he’s been waiting for.

Just for now though we have to hope Pacquiao can beat Clottey (another very good fight) and for Mayweather and Mosley to agree on terms… because lets face it, at this time most boxers want their fights to be “Sugar-free”.

Pacquiao-Clottey can break US gate record

BY JUN MEDINA Special Correspondent
www.ManilaTimes.net


The Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey March 13 fight has the golden chance of breaking the record for the biggest attendance in a covered arena in the United States as it has sold more than 20,000 tickets in just four days.

“The public response is just unbelievable,” said Top Rank Promotions spokesman Lee Samuels from Las Vegas. “We are happy to report that since ticket sales started last Saturday [January 23] more than 20,000 tickets have been snapped up by boxing fans.”

Most of the tickets already sold were the expensive ones, Samuels said—those in the $100, $200, $300 up to the most expensive $700 ringside seats.

“We still have thousands of tickets for $50 and up, which are available for families who simply want to have a night of boxing excitement and fun,” Samuels said.

He said the presence of substantial numbers of ethnic Filipinos in Dallas and nearby areas plus the huge Hispanic population who love boxing would boost interest in the fight dubbed as “The Event.”

According to veteran American boxing scribe Michael Marley, the current record is 63,315 paid attendance generated by the Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks rematch at the Louisiana Superdome in 1978.

On September 10, 1993, 58,891 people paid to watch the Julio Cesar Chavez-Pernell Whitaker super fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Quoting Top Rank Chief Executive Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, Marley said more than 24,000 tickets have been sold by Ticketmaster since Saturday.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the new and huge football arena with retractable roof will be configured for 40,000 to 50,000 seats, but that can easily be expanded up to 90,000 seats, depending on demand.

Samuels said they were pleasantly surprised by the early ticket sales results for Pacquiao-Clottey, which he described as a competitive match-up between two of the best welterweights in the world who both come to fight.

If the media interest in the fight is any indication, Samuels said, about 1,000 media men from around the world are expected to cover the fight, the first boxing event in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world. He has speed, superb footwork and explosive power in both hands,” Samuels said. “Josh Clottey is certainly a worthy, dangerous challenger—bigger, stronger and tough—who has never been stopped.”
What makes Clottey dangerous are not only his toughness and size advantage but also his being “hungry for a world title” and the fact that he has a game plan against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

“I expect Clottey to be aggressive throughout the fight because he feels that’s his only chance against Manny,” Samuels said, adding that a big, tough and aggressive fighter like him, who has pop in his punches, could pose a real challenge for Pacquiao.

Ticket sales booming for Manny Pacquiao fight

By Lance Pugmire
Los Angeles Times

More than 20,000 tickets have been sold for Manny Pacquiao's March 13 fight against welterweight Joshua Clottey at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and officials say there could be close to 60,000 in attendance on fight night.

"The first days of sales for boxing events can be about 25% of the total," said Texas boxing publicist Lester Bedford, who's assisting Top Rank and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in the Pacquiao-Clottey fight promotion. "There'll be a heavy Hispanic undercard that has yet to be announced, and that could trigger more sales.

"With the fight being in this new stadium there's no history to predict how a boxing event will do. It could go to 50,000, 60,000."

Jones originally arranged a seating plan to accommodate 40,000, and tickets went on sale Saturday through Ticketmaster.

The undercard could feature the return of former world welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, who had his boxing license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission February 2009 after officials removed plaster-caked inserts inside wraps on both of his hands before being defeated by Shane Mosley last January at Staples Center.

Margarito is planning to apply to get his license restored in Texas next month, and promoter Bob Arum said if Margarito wins the super-welterweight undercard fight against Carson Jones, he'd strongly consider making a Margarito-Pacquiao bout at Dallas Cowboys Stadium later this year.

Bedford said former lightweight world champion Jose Luis Castillo will also appear on the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard.

-- Lance Pugmire

Mosley, Mayweather sides open to bout

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com



Floyd Mayweather is ready to negotiate a fight with welterweight champion Shane Mosley in the wake of Mosley's fight with Andre Berto being canceled, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com on Monday night.

Mosley was due to face Andre Berto in a welterweight title unification match on Jan. 30 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. However, Berto, a Haitian-American who had at least eight members of his family killed in the recent earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation, withdrew from the fight earlier Monday because he was "mentally and physically exhausted" from dealing with the catastrophe and needed to be with his family.

"I know everyone is rushing to make this fight with Mosley, but I want people to know that Floyd feels awful for Berto and his family for what they and their country are going through," Ellerbe said. "That is first and foremost. But if, in fact, Shane Mosley is available, that's the fight that Floyd would love to make. It's no secret that Floyd has been trying to make a fight with Shane for the last 10 years.

"Our condolences go out to Berto and his family because that is the human side of this. Everyone is talking about us making a fight with Mosley, but Floyd wants people to know that his prayers -- all of ours -- are with Berto. But he also wants people to know that he is ready to fight Mosley. That's the fight he wants more than anything. And Floyd has instructed me and Al [Haymon, Mayweather's other adviser] to make the biggest fight possible. We will be talking with [Golden Boy CEO] Richard [Schaefer]. Floyd against Shane is the biggest fight in boxing right now that can be made."

Mayweather had been tentatively scheduled to fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13 before that bout fell apart when the sides would not compromise on the drug testing protocol for the bout. Mayweather insisted on rigorous blood testing, which he would also be subject to, but Pacquiao rejected it.

Instead, Pacquiao took a fight with former welterweight titlist Joshua Clottey, and they will meet on March 13 on pay-per-view at Cowboys Stadium. There is a news conference to formally announce the bout at the stadium on Tuesday followed by another news conference on Wednesday in New York.

Schaefer, who works with Mayweather, had said that Mayweather would fight a different opponent on March 13 in a competing pay-per-view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

However, with Mosley becoming available, attention immediately turned to Mosley-Mayweather, which, aside from Pacquiao-Mayweather or Pacquiao-Mosley, looms as the biggest fight in boxing.

According to Schaefer, he has the MGM Grand Garden Arena on hold for May 1 and May 8. Ellerbe said that time frame is fine with Mayweather for a fight with Mosley.

"Most definitely," Ellerbe said. "Shane is a great fighter and if a deal could be made, Shane would be the toughest fight out there. That fight is tougher than the other fight [Pacquiao-Mayweather]. It's a mega fight if it can be made."

If the bout is finalized, it remains to be seen if Mayweather would insist on the same rigorous drug testing he wanted Pacquiao to undergo. Pacquiao denies he has ever used performance-enhancing drugs even though Mayweather has alluded to him using and Mayweather's father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., has said outright that he believed Pacquiao used PEDs, despite having no evidence. The accusation led Pacquiao to file a defamation suit against the Mayweathers and others, including Schaefer and Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya.

Mosley, however, has admitted to using PEDs and was connected to the BALCO scandal. Although he publicly denied using PEDs for years, Mosley admitted during grand jury testimony, which was later released, that he used designer steroids "the clear" and "the cream" and injected himself with EPO, a blood oxygen enhancer, during the leadup to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, have seemingly been on a collision course for years dating to the late 1990s, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion.

More recently, Mosley repeatedly called Mayweather out before he got involved negotiating the fight with Pacquiao. In fact, Mosley crashed Mayweather's post-fight interview in the ring following his September victory against Juan Manuel Marquez and publicly called him out to his face.

Schaefer said he would try to make the fight.

"That is a super fight, and now my next order of business -- to see if we can put [Mosley-Mayweather] together," he said. "That is what I am going to be doing in the coming hours. The sooner the better if we can get this potential fight done. With Shane now being available and Floyd being available, that's a fight all fight fans and sports fans would embrace. This would be a huge showdown. Shane has wanted that fight for a while. That's what I am going to try to do."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

Berto-Mosley is off

by FightNews.com

Haitian disaster sidelines WBC champ Andre Berto’s Statement: Since the 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday evening, I have been focusing on my family and the Haitian people who are facing an inconceivable battle for survival while still trying to continue to prepare for an opportunity I have dreamt of since childhood. I lost several family members to the earthquake and after two days without word, was relieved to learn that my sister, Naomi and her daughter, Jessica survived, but were left homeless. I have seen the pain in my parents’ eyes as they attempt to understand what has happened to our homeland and recognize a place they once called home.

As a result of this disaster, I am mentally and physically exhausted and therefore I have no choice but to withdraw from my bout on January 30.

Throughout the past six days, I have received an incredible outpouring of support, and I sincerely appreciate everyone’s prayers for the people of Haiti. I hope that everyone will continue to keep the Haitian people in their thoughts and prayers as we work to rebuild this proud nation. The rebuilding of Haiti is not something that will happen overnight, but I am fully dedicated to helping the Haitian people recover from this catastrophic event.

Pacquiao vs Mosley or Berto.

In my opinion Manny Pacquiao should fight the winner of the Shane Mosley - Andre Berto unification bout, going down on January 30th, 2010. Floyd Mayweather has no belt and doesnt even want to fight Manny Pacquiao. Mosley or Berto will both stand and trade with Pacquiao, unlike Mayweather who i think plans to run and dance the whole 12 rounds. Shane Mosley has the WBA belt, and Andre Berto holds the WBC belt. The winner of that fight, can take both belts, and put both on the line against the pound for pound king, and current WBO champion Manny Pacquiao. That would be the real mega fight in my view.