By George!

By George!

Arum, Jones Add Sizzle To Boxing

March 12, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

ARLINGTON-Bob Arum is a die-hard New York Football Giants fan, but that hasn't kept him from becoming BFF with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a fledgling partnership that should add some much-needed... Read on

Their maiden venture will be Saturday night's WBO welterweight championship fight between champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and challenger Joshua Clottey, the Bronx-based former champion from Ghana. A crowd of about 45,000 is expected for the first boxing event at Cowboys Stadium, Jones' new $1.2 billion facility that is fast becoming the crown jewel of sports. No doubt many of the pay-per-view buys ($49.95) will be made just to see what boxing looks like under the gigantic video screen.

"I have not in (the) many, many years since the Astrodome opened had a situation where the venue plays as big a role as the fighters in selling the event," Arum said.

Judging by how chummy Arum and Jones have become it won't be the last fight the two put together. Arum calls Jones "the world's greatest promoter," who is able to "drink everybody under the table." Jones called Arum "a good horse," and added, "It's our intention to bring a lot of big (boxing) matches to Cowboys Stadium."

Of course, business relationships can sour in an instant in boxing, but Arum might have found a golden goose to give him leverage when negotiating major bouts. No longer is Las Vegas the automatic venue. Jones has deep pockets, too, and Arum is open to doing more shows outside Nevada. Top Rank will stage a middleweight championship fight between Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto on June 5 at the new Yankee Stadium and the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn is already being targeted for boxing when construction is completed in 2012.

"I love Las Vegas. I live in Las Vegas," Arum said. "But you cannot be a major sport if all of your big events are in one city. The Super Bowl wouldn't be as important or as big if it were held in the same city every year."

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has to be rethinking his decision last December to cancel a trip to meet with Jones and discuss the possibility of holding the proposed bout between Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao. At the time, Schaefer said something about remaining loyal to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Jones said he wanted a Mayweather-Pacquiao bout "worse than my next breath," but didn't take the snub personally. "I'm glad I went through it because it allowed me to be really ready and on go when Bob suggested that we do the Pacquiao fight here with Clottey," Jones said.

Still, it's not unreasonable to speculate Arum has been bad-mouthing Golden Boy to Jones, blaming Oscar De La Hoya and Schaefer for the canceled trip to Texas in December and the collapse of the Mayweather-Pacquiao talks.

Meanwhile, Jones and Arum are going all out to make sure "The Event" will be just that. Jones has invited all former and present Cowboys players and coaches to attend, while Arum will parade the top stars in his boxing stable, including Kelly Pavlik, Juan Manuel Lopez and Cotto. With the Golden Boy promoted bout between Mayweather and Shane Mosley set for May 1 in Las Vegas, the fight outside the fight will be which event is the better show. Jones wouldn't mind scoring an early KO. "I'm getting short on time and we all are in terms of the years," he said, "and I want to create some action while I'm still in the ring."

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Pacquiao says Mayweather didn't want megafight

February 26, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

Manny Pacquiao says Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn't ready to face him this spring and their disagreement over blood-testing procedures was just a smokescreen to get out of the proposed welterweight championship mega bout.
	 
"What I believe is Floyd Mayweather is not ready for this time to fight with me," Pacquiao said during a conference call Friday. "That's why he made some reason to cancel the fight.
	 
"I feel bad, I feel disappointment because he's accusing me of drugs or whatever and trying to ruin my name in boxing. People know that I always pray to God and (believe in) hard work."
	 
Pacquiao and Mayweather had been negotiating on a March 13 bout in Las Vegas that might have been the richest in boxing history. But they reached an impasse over blood-testing procedures, with Mayweather wanting random Olympic-style testing by an independent agency. Pacquiao agreed to undergo three tests, including 21 days before the bout and the night of the bout, or have the Nevada Athletic Commission decide on a procedure.
	 
When a compromise couldn't be reached, Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, matched Pacquiao against former welterweight champion Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.
	 
"I didn't want to take a blood test right before the fight," Pacquiao said. "I want to have proper focus. It's a big disadvantage for me to take a blood test just before the fight."

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Tiger Woods Needs To Show Human Side

February 19, 2010 , ι

Tiger Woods can restore his image and reclaim many of fans if he would just quit screwing around, literally and figuratively. Woods will make his first public statement today since revelations of... Read on

Tiger Woods can restore his image and reclaim many of fans if he would just quit screwing around, literally and figuratively.

Woods will make his first public statement today since revelations of repeated infidelity ruined his image, caused him millions in endorsement income and prompted an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour. Throw in a stint at a sex rehab clinic, a calendar made of all his mistresses and allegations that he impregnated a porn star and there's serious damage to repair.

But instead of meeting the media and public head-on, Woods is trying to conduct business as usual by controlling the arena where he'll make his first public appearance in three months. His statement will be made in the clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass in front of a select group of wire service and golf reporters, who won't be allowed to ask any questions.

That means we'll hear only what Woods wants us to hear. That's standard operating procedure for the way he has handled things throughout his career. What Woods should realize is things have changed now. He's no longer the Teflon star of sports that can get away with brushing off fans, throwing tantrums on the golf course and acting like the slightest inquiry is an invasion of his privacy. Woods doesn't get that pass any longer.

His agent Mark Steinberg said today's statement is supposed to begin the "process for making amends," a step that's being supported by the PGA Tour even though Woods is overshadowing the Accenture Match Play event in Arizona. That's how much the PGA Tour has missed its meal ticket.

Woods will likely announce when he'll return to the PGA Tour with the WGC CA Championship at Doral March 11-14 a likely venue. The Masters, the year's first major championship, is set for April 8-11 at Augusta. Woods, who has won 14 major championships, is probably hoping the media scrutiny surrounding his return will have died down by then.

That could be wishful thinking because he won't really start making "amends" until he truly humbles himself by facing the questions and the cameras and speaking from the heart.

Those who say Woods owes the media and public no explanation are wrong. He positioned himself as a role model not just to sports fans, but to children like those who attend his Learning Center. I'm sure they have their own questions.

Woods has a chance to be a real role model now, a human one and not the machine he has displayed throughout his career. We don't need the sordid details of infidelity or a confirmation of how many women there were or even how things went down in his home on Nov. 27. But we need to know where Tiger Woods is as a man. Does he think others can learn from his mistakes? Does he even care? Is golf as important to him as it once was? How have his values changed? What has he learned about himself? Can he be a better player if he becomes a better person? Is he making changes about how he treats the public or acts on the course? Will his inner circle change? Will his wife travel with him more on tour? Does he feel he owes his fellow Tour pros an apology? What would be his message to kids who idolize him as a golfer and as a person?

Maybe Woods will touch on some of these subjects today, but his words won't seem sincere because they will be scripted. Regardless of what happens, he has to understand things have changed now. He needs to show he's human after all.

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Andre Berto's Journal: A Fighter Fights For Haiti

February 18, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

Following the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti, World Champion Andre Berto (Winter Haven, Fla.) and his older brother, Cleveland, traveled to Port Au Prince, Haiti, to assist in the relief efforts. The Berto brothers teamed up with Project Medishare Chief, Dr. Barth Green, to assist with the much needed medical assistance on the ground. The journal below details the emotions that Berto felt from the time he first learned of the earthquake while in training camp for his title unification fight with Shane Mosley through his trip to Haiti.
	 
Since returning home, Berto has continued to work on the relief efforts from the United States, including the creation of the Berto Dynasty Foundation. In addition he has developed partnerships with Everlast, which launched a signature Andre Berto Haiti Relief t-shirt and Westmark School in Encino, California. Berto and the school have developed a long-term collaboration to adopt a school in Haiti together.
	 
Andre Berto’s Journal - A Fighter's Fight:
	 
At 5:58 p.m., on January 12, I got the call. I was just returning from the gym, preparing for the biggest fight of my career against Sugar Shane Mosley. I was informed that the island of Haiti was rocked by a massive 7.0 earthquake. I am confused and concerned, but night falls with no idea of how serious the damage is, so all we can do is wait. The morning sun rises and reveals the powerful strength of Mother Nature - thousands of people dead on the streets, people being pulled from the rubble and buildings that were smashed to the ground. As I sat watching CNN, a chilling sensation ran down my spine. I felt the mourning of a nation, a people that I call my own.
	 
Later that night I got a visit from my parents. They walked through my door with the look of exhaustion and worry. I see the pain in my mother and father’s eyes as they try to understand why? A country so beautiful, a nation they call home and hold dear to their hearts; a land that could only withstand so much misery and strife. My mother looks up to the ceiling, her eyes moist with tears looking and asking for answers from above. All I could do was hold her. We stayed up all night trying to call family in Haiti, particularly my older sister Naomi, but with no success.
	 
After three days we finally got word, but it was tragic. My uncle and seven other members of his household were all found dead. They were battered by the concrete blocks that once held their home. But with darkness comes light; my sister Naomi and my niece Jessica were alive. They were walking to a friend’s house at the time of the earthquake when their home collapsed. So for now they wander the streets with the rest of the homeless looking for shelter and food. Walking the streets at night they hear the screams and cries of men, women, and children still under the rubble.
	 
January 30th was supposed to be the biggest fight of my career - the type of fight that every young fighter dreams about against a living legend. With the fight only a few weeks away, I tried my best to stay focused on the task at hand. Stay on the same grueling routine I've endured for the past eight weeks of training camp. But at this point with every mile I run and every punch I throw, I can't help but think of my reality. I go to the bathroom to wash my face and help clear my mind. I pause as the water drips from my chin. I look up to my reflection only to see the eyes of Toussaint L’Ouverture and the face of Jean-Jacques Dessalines – the great Haitian revolutionary leaders that freed the country in 1804. Spirits that now cry for her children's help. They say the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands during times of challenge and controversy. I had to decide to cancel a dream fight in Las Vegas, but now I have a much bigger cause to fight for in Haiti.
	 
With help from Project Medishare and Dr. Barth Green, my brother Cleveland and I were on a plane to Haiti; a flight I spent in heavy thought. Images of the schools and orphanages we once brought aide to a few months ago race through my head. Now they are gone. Sitting back thinking within myself, I am mentally prepared for what I’m going to see. The graphic images on TV made it look like hell on earth and in an hour or so; we're going to be right in the trenches.
	 
When the plane lands and the door is open, it seems like I've walked into a nightmare. The Caribbean sky is still filled with the smoke and dust from the rubble. Army trucks are everywhere, big jumbo planes are bringing in cargo aide and supplies. Helicopters are passing overhead; it feels like I walked into a war zone. We made the ride over to the Project Medishare hospital, which was the biggest tent hospital on the ground. As I’m walking into the tent hospital, I stop and made eye contact w/ my brother Cleveland. At that point we made it clear that whatever was behind those doors we had to be ready.
	 
As the doors slowly opened, I walked in and just stood watching hundreds of patients fighting for their lives. I dropped my bag and went straight to work helping the doctors any way I could. I witnessed hundreds of kids covered in bandages, crying for parents that they'll never see again, and asking to go back to a home that is no more.
	 
When I walk through the aisle, a little girl grabbed my pant leg, and I stopped and looked at her. She had a smile that could light up the darkest day, corn rows in her head, and a little necklace with an angel on it. I asked her what her name was, and she said Measha. I told her she was beautiful, and she responded "Thank You" (in Creole). Then she asked me if I could fix her leg because it has been hurting. She pulled the blanket back and her leg had been amputated. I looked in her eyes with emotions leaking from my heart and couldn't believe how much strength this little girl had. As I looked around the room there were hundreds of patients that wanted that same comfort. On the other side of the tent, I see a handful of doctors rushing over to a patient who just went into cardiac arrest. I walk over to see this wonderful team of doctors try to bring this man back to life but with no success. The doctors shook their heads in disappointment. They pick him up and walk him out, another life lost. I am overwhelmed. I cannot begin to understand why God allows these things to happen. I don’t try to understand. I just have faith.
	 
As hours pass and the day ends it is clear that everyone is physically and emotionally drained. It’s 2 a.m., and we leave the hospital and go to the house that we're staying. I lay down on the cot sleep knowing there are others buried and pleading for help. I can see their faces in my dreams and hear their cries.
	 
The days ahead we spent some time driving through the streets of Port Au Prince, I see building after building crushed to the ground. The city air is congested with the smell of dead on the streets and still under the rubble. We see tent fields filled with thousands of people that have lost everything but are still doing what they can to survive. Western Union lines wrap around street corners as people get money from their loved ones in the States. There are long lines of Haitian women with big pots stirring and cooking their hearts out and distributing food throughout the tent camps. I made a stop at the Presidential Palace. They were hundreds of people outside the gates just looking to see how such a massive building with so much history could be crushed so easily.
	 
Back at the Medishare hospital a truck pulled up with a father and his daughter. His daughter was unconscious. I picked her up and carried her into the hospital. When I laid her down, she opens her eyes and I tell her it’s going to be okay. I didn't think anything was wrong with her. There were no cuts or bruises. But not five minutes later, she falls into cardiac arrest. Doctors rip her shirt open and start CPR. The father starts to yell and cry. I grab him and tell him to relax and he tells me she is all he has because everyone else is dead. The doctors revived her three times before she passed. Her father grips my shirt in pain and sorrow and falls to his knees. Wow…… It’s hard to imagine a parent losing their child and actually witnessing her death. I assisted some workers in placing the young girl in a body bag.
	 
Another day and another life lost, but many were saved. It felt good to see doctors and volunteers from all around the world helping with Haiti's efforts. Within all the pain and hurt I've seen so much strength.
	 
On random late nights, I walk around the hospital camp outside and hear lovely sounds of old Haitian spirituals of faith coming through the hospital tents. My heart fills with joy and pride knowing that the strength of the Haitian history still shows proudly today. Throughout all the suffering Haiti has been through over the years, these are the people of 1804, the first free black republic.

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Foreman could fight Cotto at Yankee Stadium

February 16, 2010 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Jewish boxing champion Yuri Foreman hopes to defend his title at Yankee Stadium in June — unless a bar mitzvah gets in the way.The 154-pound champion would fight former welterweight... Read on

NEW YORK — Jewish boxing champion Yuri Foreman hopes to defend his title at Yankee Stadium in June — unless a bar mitzvah gets in the way.
	 
The 154-pound champion would fight former welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto on June 5 at the ballpark in the Bronx, promoter Bob Arum told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Arum has been hoping to bring a fight to Yankee Stadium for years.
	 
"The Yankees want to make a deal, we know we can make a deal, they're just working through a problem at Yankee Stadium," Arum said. "But you wouldn't believe it if I told you."
	 
He's not kidding.
	 
"They've leased out some lounges for this bar mitzvah and part of the deal was for a half hour or so, they could use the big screen in center field to show pictures and all that sort of stuff," Arum said, laughing. "Obviously you can't do that if there's fights going on."
	 
Ramping up the irony, Foreman is studying to become a rabbi.
	 
Arum said he's hopeful that something can be worked out, perhaps by giving the families holding the bar mitzvah credentials for the fight. If the conflict can't be resolved, Foreman would defend his WBA junior middleweight belt on June 12 at Madison Square Garden — the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade in New York City.
	 
Top Rank president Todd duBoef has said that he has the arena, where Cotto has fought some of his most thrilling bouts, on hold for that date.
	 
Either way, the fight on a midsummer Saturday night creates another logistical problem. The Jewish sabbath does not officially end until sundown.

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Q&A with Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions

February 15, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, was in Manhattan recently to promote the April 3 rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. Here are his thoughts on that fight and other topics of interest.
	 
Q: Why did you decide to go ahead with Hopkins-Jones II even though Roy Jones was stopped on a TKO in the first round last December against Danny Green.
	 
A: They're the two elder statesmen of the sport. They're two legends. They're two of the most recognized fighters of the last 20 years. At this point to finally settle the score on April 1, I'm happy for them, I'm excited for them, and I’m honestly excited about seeing the fight."
	 
Q: Bernard seemed to be especially determined to salvage the fight. Why?
	 
A: He was really looking forward to that fight. It was something that was always in his mind. It wasn't about Roy winning his last fight or losing his last fight. It was an event; an event that those two guys had in the back of their minds for so long. As they come toward the end of their career, they said let's get it on before it's too late.
	 
Q: HBO is helping with the distribution of the fight, but not actually doing the PPV or utilizing their announcers for the fight. Why did they decline to get more fully involved?
	 
A: They decided that they're not going to do a replay of the fight. So we structured the deal where they're not going to have any financial incentives. It's a deal structured, which we like and we just felt that's the way we wanted to do it."
	 
Q: So Golden Boy will be doing the PPV?
	 
A: Yes. I'm going to do my best to make the promotion as big as we can, putting the Golden Boy pay-per-view machinery and sponsorship behind it because at this point (the fighters) deserve it.
	 
Q: Was random or Olympic-style blood testing ever mentioned during the negotiations for Hopkins –Jones II?
	 
A: It never came up. If Bernard would have come up with that I would have taken it to Roy. When you're a promoter you have to look out for what your fighter wants. I respect (Bob) Arum in that regard in that he looked out for what Manny (Pacquiao) wants. Manny didn't want it. Whether Arum believes in it or not is a different story. I do believe the time is here to introduce blood testing to the sport of boxing, but it's not up to me. I'm not the commissioner. If a fighter asks for specific contractual deal terms as far as blood testing or the size of the ring or the gloves, they basically become contractual deal points. I stick my neck out and try to get it done."
	 
Q: Do you feel the failed negotiations for a Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao left both fighters scarred by a public split thinking either one is afraid to fight or the other is a cheat?
	 
A: Each guy had strong beliefs for doing it or not doing it. It's too bad the fight didn't happen. But the world goes on. The fact we were able to put together Mayweather-Mosley I think everybody agrees with me that Mosley is a far more dangerous opponent than Pacquiao is. I think those people who called Mayweather a coward are going to have to eat those words because Mayweather fighting Mosley isn't the act of a coward."
	 
Q: You negotiated for Mayweather for the Pacquiao fight, but Mosley is a Golden Boy partner. What was your role in those negotiations?
	 
A: I played neutral. Shane Mosley is a Golden Boy fighter and a Golden Boy partner. Of course, my heart is with Shane and hope he's going to be able to pull it off. But I have great respect for Floyd. We work well together, and I like the guy, too. So what I tried to do is in the time of need for the fight fan is to basically deliver a big fight. I really put my heart and soul into finding a way to get this fight done."
	 
Q: There were unconfirmed rumors Andre Berto took step-aside money to pull out of his Jan. 30 fights with Shane Mosley so Mosley would be free for a Mayweather fight. Is that true?
	 
A: Absolutely 100-percent not true. There was no reason for that fight not to happen and afterwards Mayweather could have fought the winner. For Golden Boy it was a financial blow because we could have made money off the fight. We would have made money of Mayweather Pacquiao, too, but that didn't happen either, so it was like one blow after the other. It wasn't good. The Mayweather-Mosley fight was only made after January 30, so there was no reason to pay anybody step aside money."
	 
Q: What are the prospects of the winner of the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight on March 13 fighting the winner of Mayweather Mosley?
	 
A: I don't want to think about it. I think everybody has to enjoy what we have now, and what we have in Mayweather and Mosley is a great, great fight. It's a pick 'em fight. We should all take a step back and stop talking about Mayweather and Pacquiao. Let's focus on this. Who knows? Maybe down the road that other fight is going to happen. Maybe it won't. The fact is boxing goes on.

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Mosley Ready To Have 'Fun' With Floyd

February 03, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

Sugar Shane Mosley was giddy as a third-grader tonight when I spoke to him on the telephone about his now official May 1 bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. "I've got me a tune-up (fight) for Pacquiao," Mosley chuckled.
	 
Mosley was joking, I think, calling his bout with Mayweather a tune-up, but clearly he's happy to have the mega-bout he has long sought finally signed. "Now it's time for business," Mosley said. "Now we have fun. I want to show the world I'm the best fighter."
	 
Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) put his signature on the contract for the pay-per-view bout today, something Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) says Mayweather had to do after failing to land a fight with Manny Pacquiao. "Where else could he go unless he didn't want to fight," Mosley said. "Who else can he make money from?"
	 
Mayweather-Pacquiao fell apart because the two couldn't come to terms on blood testing procedures. Mosley has agreed to undergo random Olympic-style blood testing for his fight with Mayweather, hoping it will put to rest any lingering suspicions after his name was connected to the BALCO steroid scandal.
	 
"It was very easy to agree to," Mosley said. "It was a no brainer. I said, 'Let's do it.' I've read an article about once a juicer always a juicer. But that's not me. My genes are very strong. If anything right now, I'm getting stronger and stronger. I'm knocking people out. What's the excuse for that? "
	 
Mosley, 38, hasn't fought since January 2009 when he won the WBA welterweight title with a ninth-round TKO of Antonio Margarito at the Staples Center. He was scheduled to fight Andre Berto last weekend in Las Vegas. But Berto, the son of Haitian immigrants, dropped out of the fight citing physical and emotional exhaustion from dealing with the earthquake in Haiti.
	 
"I wasn't really disappointed," Mosley said of the cancellation. "I like Berto. He had problems in Haiti with his family. That's kind of difficult to overcome. You can't get over that. It's hard to deal with. I'm actually happy it didn't happen now."

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Pacquiao Named Fighter Of Year

February 01, 2010 , ι By George Willis

Manny Pacquiao has been voted the 2009 Sugar Ray Robinson Award for Fighter of the Year. It is the third time Pacquiao has been recognized as the Fighter of the Year, tying him with Muhammad Ali and... Read on

Pacquiao, who won the award in 2006 and 2008, won by a wide margin over nominees Andre Ward, Paul Williams, Arthur Abraham and Vitali Klitschko. Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) fought twice this year, capturing a second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton on May 2 and on Nov. 14 he earned a 12-round TKO over Miguel Cotto to win the WBO welterweight title. He is scheduled to defend that crown on March 13 against Bronx-based Joshua Clottey of Ghana at Cowboys Stadium.

Pacquiao was also voted Fighter of the Decade (2000-2009) ahead of Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Marco Antonio Barrera.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, was voted a record fourth Trainer of the Year Award named after his mentor Eddie Futch. Marquez's ninth-round knockout of Juan Diaz was voted the Fight of the Year.

These and other awards will be given at the 85th annual BWAA awards dinner scheduled for June 11 in Manhattan.

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Berto cancels Mosley bout due to earthquake

January 18, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

Citing mental and physical exhaustion from concern about family members devastated by the earthquake in Haiti, Andre Berto has pulled out of his welterweight unification bout with Shane Mosley set for Jan. 30 in Las Vegas.
	 
Berto lost several family members in the earthquake, but learned recently his 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," Berto said in a statement released Monday. "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 Jan. 30."
	 
Berto, the WBC welterweight champion, was set to face Mosley, the WBA welterweight belt-holder, at the Mandalay Bay in the year's first mega-bout. Now Mosley might seek a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. later in the spring.
	 
Mayweather had been negotiating a bout with Manny Pacquiao for March 13, but talks reached an impasse over blood-testing procedures. Pacquiao will defend the WBO welterweight title March 13 against Joshua Clottey of Ghana at Texas Stadium.
	 
There was talk of Mayweather also fighting on March 13, but it appears he'll wait until later in the spring. Berto, who lives in Winterhaven, Fla., will now focus totally on his family and devastated homeland.
	 
"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," Berto said. "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."

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Mayweather-Pacquiao fight dead

January 07, 2010 , ι By GEORGE WILLIS

Thanks for nothing. That's going to be the universal response from the boxing community after talks for a proposed bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ended Wednesday night without an agreement.
	 
Daniel Weinstein, a retired federal judge, tried to mediate an impasse over drug-testing during two days of talks in Santa Monica, Calif., but the Mayweather camp rejected Pacquiao's final offer to agree to a blood test no later than 24 days before the proposed March 13 bout.
	 
A source close to the negotiations said, "No deal" was reached after the two sides spent most of Wednesday reviewing their latest proposals. Reports are Pacquiao will pursue a bout with WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman of Brooklyn in March, and Mayweather will seek a bout with former junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi of Brooklyn.
	 
The fighters’ representatives apparently thought they had a compromise after the mediation. The promoters were widely expected to formally announce the bout Wednesday — but subsequent discussions with Mayweather during the day led Top Rank to declare the fight canceled.
	 
Promoter Bob Arum was left fuming by Mayweather, who fought for Top Rank for several years.
	 
“I’ve been saying this for years: He’s a psychological coward who doesn’t want to fight anybody who has a chance of beating him,” Arum said. “He walked away from a rematch with Oscar (De La Hoya) that would have paid him a fortune because De La Hoya held him close in the first fight (in May 2007).”
	 
With AP

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GEORGE WILLIS A columnist for the Post since 1997, George Willis has covered World Championship Boxing, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Masters, the Ryder Cup and the Super Bowl. The Baseball Hall of Fame voter is a graduate of New Mexico State University. Columnist Archives

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