[h1]Pacquiao says he can afford to wait[/h1]
ESPN.com news services
MANILA, Philippines -- Manny Pacquiao is still open to fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., but is waiting for the challenge to come from the other side and for promoters to iron out a spat over drug testing.
"I came this far in my boxing career without Mayweather, so I see no need to call him out," Pacquiao told reporters Monday. "He needs me to bolster his career.
"I am open to him fighting me anytime he wants to."
Pacquiao returned to thousands of cheering fans in Manila to celebrate his latest victory over Joshua Clottey in Dallas. He'll now focus on a bid to enter politics, campaigning for a seat in the Philippines' House of Representatives in the May 10 national elections.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerrry Jones has expressed interest in bringing a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight to Cowboys Stadium, which hosted Pacquiao's win over Clottey.
Mayweather's insistence on Olympic-style testing was the primary reason negotiations fell through in January for a megafight against Pacquiao. Mayweather wanted blood tests up to 14 days before the fight, while Pacquiao claims he feels weak after drawing blood and would not agree to testing within 24 days.
The negotiations quickly deteriorated, and Pacquiao signed to fight Clottey while Mayweather turned his attention to welterweight champion Shane Mosley.
Mayweather will face Mosley in Las Vegas on May 1 after both agreed to undergo an unlimited number of unannounced blood and urine tests before and after the fight.
"He should win against Mosley. If not, Mosley and I will fight," Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao is now concentrating on the national elections. His 2007 campaign fell short, but this time Pacquiao said he is better prepared.
"I have prepared for my political plans even before I faced Clottey last week," he said. "I am ready to campaign."
The two-month campaign starts later this week. Apart from running for his own seat in southern Sarangani province, Pacquiao is also campaigning for presidential aspirant Manny Villar, a senator and the richest politician in the country.
Villar raised Pacquiao's hand after welcoming him at a hotel Monday, before the boxer headed for a church service and a courtesy call in the presidential palace.
Asked if he plans to retire from boxing if he wins at the election, the 31-year-old Pacquiao said he was undecided.
"My own mother asked me to stop boxing. We'll talk about it," he said.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Heavyweight
Wladimir Klitschko KO12 Eddie Chambers
Retains unified heavyweight titles |
Records: Klitschko, 54-3, 48 KOs; Chambers, 35-2, 18 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Thank goodness for trainer Emanuel Steward. All fight long he was begging Klitschko, who was utterly dominant and in no danger, between rounds to pick up the pace, to put his punches together and to get rid of the undersized, noncompetitive Chambers. At one point, Steward likened the terrible fight we were seeing to Klitschko's horrendously boring fight against Sultan Ibragimov in 2008, one in which a tiny bit of aggression from Klitschko could have been enough for a knockout. Steward was so frustrated with Klitschko, who, by the way, had won every second of every round, before the beginning of the 12th round that he yelled what all of us who were watching (including the 50,000-plus at the soccer stadium) must have been thinking: "We don't need another bulls--- decision!" Thankfully, Klitschko finally got the message and went out there and put Chambers away for a spectacular knockout with five seconds left in the fight. He creamed him with a left hook that sent Chambers staggering backward into one of the corner pads before he collapsed sideways and came to rest facedown with his body hanging over the bottom ring rope. Referee Geno Rodriguez called it off without a count. He could have counted to 100 because Chambers, who had been punished for the whole fight, was gone.
But what the hell took Klitschko so long? That is what is sooooo frustrating about the best heavyweight in the world. He totally dominates but doesn't thrill, which is what we want from the heavyweight champion. Klitschko, 33, of Ukraine but based in Germany, could have ended this mandatory fight just about anytime he wanted to. As early as the second round, he staggered Philadelphia's Chambers, 27, with a hard right hand. But Klitschko, who won his 12th fight in a row, didn't go after him. Chambers tried to rough Klitschko up, which was kind of funny. It was like watching a mouse try to rough up a lion. He picked Klitschko up during clinches in the first and second round and tried to slam him to the canvas both times. That was pretty much the extent of his offense. He simply had zero ability to get inside Klitschko's long and devastating jab. He talked like he had a great game plan in the buildup to the fight, and maybe he did. But outweighed by 35 pounds and 5-plus inches shorter, Chambers could not implement whatever plan he had in any way. Round after round, Klitschko rocked his head back with jabs and mixed in some heavy rights. Klitschko is so basic in the way he fights -- jab, jab, jab, jab, right hand, repeat -- but with his physical advantages, quick hands, smarts and skills, most opponents simply can't do anything against him.
By the third round, Chambers' left eye was swelling after eating so many jabs. When Chambers' right glove broke in the ninth round, he had a rest while the glove was changed, but that didn't help change the momentum either. Steward, meanwhile, stayed on Klitschko after every round until his words finally got through. It was an exciting ending to Klitschko's eighth defense, but the first 11-plus rounds were dreadful and are exactly why he has been essentially banished by the American TV networks, relegated to bootleg Internet streams or his official Web site's pay-per-view. The way the fight with Chambers went just gave those TV executives more ammunition for why they avoid his fights and those of his brother, fellow heavyweight titleholder Vitali Klitschko. It's not their fault they are so dominant, but they could help their cause significantly with a little aggression, which was exactly the point Steward was trying to make.
Chambers, who deserved the title shot based on recent wins, saw his five-fight winning streak come to a violent end. He hadn't lost since a decision to 2004 Russian Olympic gold medalist Alexander Povetkin in January 2008, a fight that was also in Germany. Povetkin, a long overdue mandatory challenger for one of Klitschko's belts, looms as his next opponent later this year. He may be slightly more competitive than Chambers, but it looks like another Klitschko wipeout.
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Saturday at Düsseldorf, Germany
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Heavyweight
Odlanier Solis TKO4 Carl Drumond
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Records: Solis, 16-0, 12 KOs; Drumond, 26-3, 20 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Solis is one of the more intriguing up-and-coming heavyweights. The 29-year-old won a 2004 Olympic gold medal for Cuba and defected a few years later along with gold medal-winning teammates Yuriorkis Gamboa and Yan Barthelemy before turning pro in 2007. Solis has been on the fast track in the pros, and with all that amateur pedigree, why not? Now that Top Rank is aboard as his co-promoter with Arena-Box, he's moving even more quickly.
In October, he faced his first name opponent in faded former title challenger Monte Barrett and blew him away in two rounds. About a month ago, there was talk that Solis could get a May 29 shot at titleholder Vitali Klitschko, but for a variety of reasons the deal did not work out. So Solis kept his date on "Top Rank Live" and faced off with a solid-enough opponent in Drumond, who had fought well in a technical decision loss against former titlist Ruslan Chagaev and went the distance with fringe contender Derric Rossy in a decision loss in his last two bouts.
Against Solis, however, Drumond, 35, of Costa Rica and living in South Florida, was totally outgunned. The fight was delayed just before the ring walks because of a problem with Drumond's hand wraps. He almost left the arena and didn't fight at all. Finally persuaded to go through with the fight, Drumond hung in there for three rounds while Solis had his way. He banged Drumond and a knockout looked like it was only a matter of time, even though Drumond had not been severely rocked. But Drumond didn't want to wait to wind up on his back. He had enough after three rounds and, just like that, quit on his stool 1 second into the fourth round. It was such an unacceptable quit job that, according to Top Rank, the Florida commission was holding his purse. It was a solid performance for Solis. Despite weighing 268½ pounds and not looking in the greatest shape, Solis has obvious heavy hands and is pretty nimble for a big dude. He put his punches together well and his jab looked nice when he used it. It's just a matter of time until he gets a title opportunity. An eventual title bout against Vitali Klitschko (not Wladimir Klitschko, because he has another mandatory defense to make) later this year is not out of the question, and that would be a fight that HBO probably would be interested in.
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Records: Diaz, 13-0, 8 KOs; Lopez, 15-1, 4 KOs
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Rafael's remark: This was a fun scrap between 22-year-old undefeated prospects. Diaz, from Jersey City, N.J., started very well. He scored a knockdown with 40 seconds left in the first round when he clocked Mexico's Lopez with a counter left hand. A left hook dropped Lopez again in the second round and it looked as though Diaz was going to cruise to a decision or maybe even get the knockout. But Lopez showed a lot of heart to hang in there and you know what? He mounted a nice rally to win several of the later rounds in an entertaining bout. Diaz got the deserved decision based on the two extra points he got for the knockdowns. What the fight showed is that Lopez is worth seeing again despite the defeat and that Diaz, one of our favorite prospects, still has a lot to learn, but there is no rush at his age. Maybe these guys can have a rematch down the road?
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Records: Tapia, 4-0, 3 KOs; Rodriguez, 3-3, 3 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Tapia is yet another Top Rank prospect to keep an eye on. Managed by Pat Lynch, who is best known for guiding the career of the late Arturo Gatti, Tapia is aggressive and awfully fun to watch. The Passaic, N.J., prospect looked in phenomenal condition and took it to Rodriguez. One body shot in the first round apparently broke Rodriguez's protective gear, which wound up falling down one of the legs of his trunks. That is not something we've ever seen in a boxing ring before, but it forced the fight to be delayed while Rodriguez took off his trunks and had the protector taped back together around his waist while Tapia waited in a neutral corner. When the fight resumed, Tapia simply continued pounding him with nice combinations until Rodriguez, 21, of Miami, quit after the second round for his second loss in a row. Tapia will be back in action on April 17, fighting on the undercard of the Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Martinez middleweight championship fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
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Records: Franco, 5-0, 4 KOs; Estrada, 35-13, 24 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Franco is one of several former Cuban amateur stars to defect in recent years. Franco made his way to the United States in 2009 after representing Cuba in the 2004 Olympics. The 28-year-old faced his most experienced pro opponent in Colombia's Estrada, a 35-year-old former world title challenger, and had no issues sweeping all four rounds. Estrada showed a good chin, but dropped his fifth fight in a row and eighth of his last nine.
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Saturday at Key West, Fla.
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Featherweight
Jorge Diaz W8 Alejandro Lopez
Scores: 76-74 (three times)
Junior middleweight
Glen Tapia TKO2 Carlos Rodriguez
Junior lightweight
Luis Franco W4 Walter Estrada
Scores: 40-36 (three times)
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Featherweight
Jhonny Gonzalez KO2 Antonio Davis
Title eliminator |
Records: Gonzalez, 43-7, 37 KOs; Davis, 26-6, 13 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Gonzalez, a former bantamweight titleholder, looked great demolishing Davis. He was all over Davis in the first round and then laid an absolute beating on him in the second round. Gonzalez, 28, of Mexico, cut Davis over the right eye and bloodied his nose while dropping him four times in the second round before referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia called it off without a count after Davis went down hard for the final time. Gonzalez, who won his third consecutive fight since being drilled in three rounds by junior featherweight titlist Toshiaki Nishioka in May 2009 and then moving up to featherweight, moved a step closer to a mandatory title opportunity against Elio Rojas. That has the makings of a very interesting fight. Davis, 37, a former featherweight and two-time junior lightweight title challenger from Atlanta, lost his second in a row and appears just about finished, unable to take a solid shot. His previous loss was a fourth-round knockout against then-junior lightweight titlist Humberto Soto last March.
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Saturday at Cancun, Mexico
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Junior middleweight
Sechew Powell W12 Deandre Latimore
Title eliminator
Scores: 117-111, 116-112, 114-114 |
Records: Powell, 26-2, 15 KOs; Latimore, 20-3, 16 KOs
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Rafael's remark: When Powell and Latimore first met in June 2008, it was supposed to be a tuneup for Powell on his way to a title fight. But a funny thing happened on the way to the title shot -- Latimore stopped him in the seventh round of what had been a competitive fight for the upset on ESPN2. Powell tested positive for marijuana after the fight. The presence of pot in his system certainly couldn't have helped his performance. While Powell, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y., returned from suspension to win two fights in a row, he had been out of action for 15 months before facing Latimore in a title eliminator with a shot at the winner of the Spinks-Cornelius Bundrage title bout at stake. Meanwhile, Latimore, 24, of St. Louis, parlayed the upset over Powell into an April 2009 title shot against Spinks, but lost a split decision. After winning a comeback fight, Latimore and Powell were matched again with a title bout on the line in the "Friday Night Fights" main event. It was a competitive fight. Latimore started well, using his aggressiveness to keep Powell on the defensive. But Powell was able to find his rhythm and use his better technical skills to outbox the bigger-punching Latimore for the majority decision as he avenged his loss. Powell, who opened a cut over Latimore's right eye in the sixth round, probably deserved a unanimous decision, but he's not complaining. Now, he has the title shot he expected to have a couple of years ago. When it will actually happen is up in the air because the Spinks-Bundrage bout, originally scheduled for March 26 on "Friday Night Fights," was called off after promoter Don King defaulted on the purse bid.
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Records: Rodriguez, 14-0, 10 KOs; Armenta, 13-6, 11 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Rodriguez, 24, a native of the Dominican Republic living in Worcester, Mass., was a standout amateur -- he won a 2005 U.S. national title and 2006 National Golden Gloves title --- and now looks like a serious prospect on the rise under promoter Lou DiBella. Getting some national television exposure on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights," Rodriguez impressed. Armenta, 32, of Silver Spring, Md., is normally a durable opponent. He had never been stopped going into the fight and had faced some quality opponents, including future titleholder Yuri Foreman and Sechew Powell. But Rodriguez needed a mere 47 seconds to knock him out with a left hand to the body. It was quick, it was violent and it was impressive. Looking forward to seeing more of Rodriguez.
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Friday at Durant, Okla.
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Super middleweight
Edwin Rodriguez KO1 George Armenta
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Welterweight
Randall Bailey KO1 Jackson Bonsu
Title eliminator |
Records: Bailey, 41-7, 36 KOs; Bonsu, 31-4, 24 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Simply put, Bailey is one of the most dangerous pure punchers in boxing. It's been that way for many years. Even though Bailey, 35, is a bit past his prime, he is one dangerous dude and Bonsu now knows it firsthand after suffering a massive knockout. Bailey, a former junior welterweight titlist from Miami, got a mandatory opportunity to challenge then-140-pound titlist Juan Urango in August and was stopped in the 11th round of a terrific fight. That looked like it might be the end for Bailey, but he elected to fight on. He moved up to welterweight and won a fight in December. That opened the door for Bailey to go to Bonsu's hometown in Belgium for an elimination fight that would put the winner a step closer to a mandatory shot against titleholder Jan Zaveck. Bailey was the underdog against Bonsu, but not for long. Bailey knocked him down twice in the opening round before referee Tony Weeks called it off without a count. The first knockdown was from one of Bailey's awesome fastball right hands. It was surprising that Bonsu even made it to his feet. But moments later, he was down for good as Bailey notched yet another spectacular knockout. He set it up with a booming right hand and followed with a nasty left that made Bonsu look like a rag doll being flopped in half before he fell to the canvas in a knockout of the year candidate. How do you not love Bailey? He can knock anyone out at any moment. Bonsu, 29, dropped to 3-3 in his last six fights, but had never been stopped so brutally or so early.
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Friday at Antwerp, Belgium
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Flyweight
Oscar Ibarra TKO4 Darwin Zamora
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Records: Ibarra, 21-4, 13 KOs; Zamora, 17-4, 15 KOs
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Rafael's remark: In the Telemundo main event, Ibarra, 24, of Mexico, won his seventh bout in a row after losing two straight. He did not have any problems with Zamora, whom he manhandled in a one-sided bout until the referee finally called it off with one second remaining in the fourth round. Zamora, 22, of Nicaragua, has lost two of his last three fights.
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Friday at Mexico City
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