Friday, February 12, 2010

Pacquiao, Clottey, Mosley, Valero and more!

Pacquiao: Buy Meat, Mayo, Get Manny!

Manny Pacquiao is all over the place now days. Billboards, magazines, tv screens, grocery stores....wait a minute, grocery stores??? Yeah, same thing I said. As if picking meat and good vegetables weren't hard enough, now, suddenly, Pacquiao is part of the equation too, giving fans of other local supermarkets reason to change paths. For a limited amount of time, shoppers who purchase more than $50 worth of groceries will go home with an autographed poster of Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey. For those familiar with Albertson's, you probably know that there's a hand full of places you can go to find a cheaper tab on your favorite fridge friends, but as of now, there's only one place you can get that poster! Albertson's.....here we come!

Pacquiao: 60 Minutes, Cool, 36 Minutes, Very Critical

If the grocery store concept with Pacquiao and Albertson's food chains caught you by surprise, get a load of this! Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum plans to continue his promotion for mass appeal for the famed Filipino, Manny Pacquiao. Not only has he showcased his talent in the supermarket, late night television shows, and magazines, but there's yet another familiar place we can expect to see Pacquiao real soon. Just when you thought we'd seen it all, looks like the latest idea to showcase the Pac-ster is a demographic that we all know and love, and following it may come a little easier than trying to locate an Albertson's in your neighborhood. The new place you can find Pacquiao for one night and one night only.......'60 Minutes', which as most know is an American household staple on Sunday nights. According to news sources out of the Philippines, as well as Examiner writer Michael Marley, Pacquiao is destined for a segment on the show in the near future. At this point, it hasn't been determined whether the show will air before or after the pending Clottey fight, but one thing for sure, 36 minutes of hell (in the ring against Clottey) could very well serve as a cooling period for this warm and fuzzy '60 Minute' introduction to the American household. It'll be interesting to see how these plans pan out if things don't quite go the way some of us expect it should on the night of March 13th.

Mosley Marching For Margarito?

Recently, welterweight Shane Mosley came out and openly endorsed the return to the sport of Antonio Margarito, a man who was only moments away from potentially injuring him with padded gloves that contained illegal effects. Mosley has never been known as one to bare grudges or carry hate, but this move in particular leaves a lot of room to speculate. Not too long ago, Mosley was less-than-happy with the fact that Goldenboy Promotions had failed to land him a marquee payday. The raw emotions behind that once abandoned request opened speculation that Mosley was totally open for a change of address that would allow him to rise above his current status straight to the Top (Rank). Only days after that endorsement by Mosley, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum had some far more than favorable things to say about Mosley. With a Mayweather fight already inked, it's hard to see Mosley trying to go elsewhere, but lets be honest....in this sport....stranger things have happened. Win, lose, or draw, all eyes will be on Mosley and GBP after this Mayweather showdown. Stay tuned.

Edwin Valero: He's No Pacquiao.....(Could He Be Better?)

Ok....We've all heard about the comparisons between Edwin Valero and Manny Pacquiao. Aside from them both being small men who pack a huge punch, I'm inclined to say the comparisons come to a screeching halt. I would never go on record to say that Valero is better than or ready for Pacquiao, but what I will say is that at this stage of his evolution - (27 fights/67 career rounds boxed) - he has shown some very intriguing elements. With a 100% KO ratio, everyone raves about his power first and foremost, but a deeper analysis yields a defensive capability that allows him to slip punches better than most, and in the few times he is hit, his chin seems to be sturdy enough to nullify the odds of the shot actually slowing him down. At this point in his career, Pacquiao had already been KO'd by a few fighters, so we didn't truly know he would become the product we see today. Pavlik and a hand full of other boxers have shown us that an early KO ratio that blows through the charts doesn't always translate into future happiness. With Valero, we don't know where his evolution will take him, but if he is able to land a KO over Bradley, Khan, and/or a few other jr. welters like he has opponents in the past, I think there's only one way to end the comparisons of him and Pacquiao......Let 'em rumble and let the best man win! This showdown may be closer than many think, and Arum is said to be considering a showdown in Pacquiao's very own homeland between the two in early 2011 if both men win. Things that make you go hmmmm!

Pacquiao: Hard On The Outside, Weak On The Inside?

Trainer and favorite boxer John David Jackson recently had a few comments to speak relative to his thoughts on the pending Pacquiao/Clottey showdown. When analyzing the Pac-ster, Jackson wasn't overly critical, but from a trainers perspective, he was very clear in sayin' that Pacquiao - while very strong from the outside - is not at all a good fighter (in his opinion) on the inside. In-fighting probably isn't Pacquiao's greatest strength, but up until now, few seem to have picked up on that miscue. Picking up on it can be a thing of ease for someone with a watchful eye, but the operative question here is "will any of his opponents be strong enough to take advantage of that in the heat of the battle"? Few in the past have been. Clottey is up next to bat. It'll be intriguing to see if his granite-chin and impenetrable defense will lead him to test the waters.

Clottey: Searchin' For Stamina?

Thought we were done with John David Jackson? Not so fast. The low-key, but highly intelligent trainer had another observation to speak on - as it relates to the Pacquiao/Clottey showdown. This time, he set his aim on the other side of the ring. While showing praise to Clottey in many areas, he did manage to open dialogue on a matter that many around the sport have openly discussed. That matter was the perceived stamina problem of Ghana native Joshua Clottey. In watching Clottey up close, I'm not so sure that it's as much stamina as much as it has been a lack of a killer instinct, but against a fighter like Pacquiao, needless to say, he'll need to revamp both elements if he wants a legitimate chance to win. Realizing that this a once-in-a-lifetime affair, I would expect Clottey to bring his A-game, but taking a page of advice from Jackson's book of knowledge certainly won't hurt!

Froch/Kessler: A Good Snake Meets A Great Dane

The Super-Middleweight "Super-6" tournament will soon kick back into high gear, and one of the intriguing matchups on the tab is the pending showdown between Brit Carl Froch and Denmark's favorite son, Mikkel Kessler. Apart, these two men have resume's that speak for themselves. Collectively, the will attempt to take away from those respective resume's when they square off here pretty soon. Neither are favored to win the tournament, but in the case of Kessler, his mettle is as sturdy as they come in the sport. Should be a great one to watch, but as quick as a "snake" can be, I just have this odd feeling that a good snake is no match for a great dane! I like Kessler here. Stay tuned.

Jones/Hopkins: 'Big Head', Little Respect

The promotional leg of the pending Jones/Hopkins rematch has kicked off, and as many would expect with such characters, the buzz lines have run rampant. Despite the various ups and downs in the respective careers of these two men, the ego's are still very much in charge, and from the looks of things, neither man plans to check theirs in at the front door any time soon. Despite the fact that the rematch should have happened years ago, my philosophy is that there's never a bad time for a good fight. That being said, whether many like it or not, the show must move one, and I can't speak for everyone, but this swan song fight is one that I plan to watch from the edge of my seat. No, it isn't two current P4P contenders going head to head, but it is two legends. Despite the fact that these men have ego's, or 'big heads' (as Jones alluded to), doesn't mean that they deserve little respect. Gentlemen, protect yourselves at all times and let the game begin!

Source: 8countnews.com

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