Manny Pacquiao Says Conor McGregor Has 'No Chance' vs. Floyd Mayweather
Jun 27, 2017
Floyd Mayweather Jr. exchange punches with Manny Pacquiao during their welterweight unification championship bout, May 2, 2015 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather defeated Pacquiao by unanimous decision. AFP PHOTO / JOHN GURZINKSI (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Manny Pacquiao knows what it's like to lose to Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he thinks that is exactly what's in store for Conor McGregor on August 26.
"McGregor has no chance in this fight," Pac-Man said Monday, per Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. "In fact, it could be very boring."
Pacquiao was far more interested in the September 16 showdown between two boxers and not a boxer and an MMA fighter.
"The real fight and the best fight is [Gennady] Golovkin vs. Canelo [Alvarez]," Pacquiao said. "The best vs. the best. That's the fight I will be watching."
While Pacquiao will be watching that fight, it is the upcoming showdown in Las Vegas between Mayweather and McGregor that could threaten the all-time pay-per-view record of 4.6 million purchases. That record just so happened to be set by the 2015 bout between Pac-Man and Money.
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There will certainly be a spectacle element to McGregor entering the ring for his first professional boxing match against one of the best in the sport's history, but it's not hard to see where Pacquiao is coming from.
The 49-0 Mayweather is known as a defensive fighter who eludes his opponent's best punches and counters with blazing speed and timely jabs. Not even career-long boxers such as Pac-Man can keep up with him, let alone someone who has made his fame in the UFC.
As for Pacquiao, he has his own matchup to worry about before McGregor and Mayweather square off. He will fight the undefeated Jeff Horn Sunday in Australia.
Floyd Mayweather Calls Conor McGregor 'Hell of a Competitor'
Jun 17, 2017
FILE - In this April 29, 2015, file photo, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. smiles during a pre-fight news conference in Las Vegas. Mayweather is being inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in Las Vegas on Friday, June 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
For the first time since Floyd Mayweather Jr. confirmed the Aug. 26 superfight versus Conor McGregor, Money commented on the highly anticipated bout.
As seen in the following video courtesy of Black Sports Online, Mayweather expressed excitement for the upcoming fight while on the red carpet at Wednesday's All Eyez on Me premiere:
"People all around the world demanded this fight, so I had to give the people what they wanted to see," Mayweather said. "They asked for this fight. I was retired, but they wanted me back, and I'm back."
Per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, UFC President Dana White told SportsCenter the bout will take place in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena. Rafael noted it will air on Showtime pay-per-view.
When asked about the negotiations, Mayweather would only say that both sides were pleased with the way things went down: "Both parties are very happy. He's very happy, I'm very happy, and I can't wait."
Mayweather opted not to talk any trash to McGregor despite the fact that he largely built his career with verbal sparring, and he closed by calling the Irishman a "hell of a competitor."
McGregor didn't take long to prod Mayweather after the fight announcement, though, as he tweeted a photo of himself and Floyd Mayweather Sr. with the caption "THE FIGHT IS ON":
The 40-year-old Mayweather has been retired since beating Andre Berto in September 2015 and improving his career record to 49-0.
Despite that, he still has a significant upper hand since McGregor has never had a professional boxing match.
According to OddsShark, Mayweather is a minus-600 (17-100) favorite, while McGregor is a plus-400 (4-1) underdog.
Twitter Reacts to Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Fight Announcement
Jun 14, 2017
FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2016, file photo, Conor McGregor stands on a scale during the weigh-in event for his fight against Eddie Alvarez in UFC 205 mixed martial arts at Madison Square Garden in New York. Floyd Mayweather Jr. says facing UFC star McGregor in a boxing ring
After months of anticipation, a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor is finally happening.
The bout will take place Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
Mayweather confirmed the news on Instagram on Wednesday:
McGregor announced the fight on his Instagram account as well, although he added a jab with a picture of Floyd Mayweather Sr. instead:
While details about the pay-per-view are still to come, Darren Rovell of ESPN noted how much fans would be willing to pay for such a match:
An astounding 42% of nearly 63,000 voters say they'd pay $100 for Mayweather-McGregor.
Justin Hartling of OddsShark broke it down from a betting perspective:
Mayweather vs McGregor line first opened on November 17, five days after UFC 205. Money has been steadily coming in on Conor since. pic.twitter.com/t0nGvuu5NQ
While Nate Diaz poked fun at his familiar nemesis in McGregor:
McGregor has only competed in UFC professionally, and while a lot of his talent comes from his punching ability, the transition to boxing will be a tough one. Taking on one of the best ever to compete in the sport only makes it more difficult, as Mayweather comes in with a 49-0 career record.
In any case, it's been an impressive journey for the Irish star, as noted by Michael Stets of MMA on SiriusXM:
In 4 years, Conor McGregor went from making 8K/8K in first UFC fight to winning 2 titles to getting fight booked vs Floyd Mayweather. Insane
The fight will be difficult to predict, but at the least, it should be entertaining.
Errol Spence Jr. Beats Kell Brook via TKO in 11th Round
May 27, 2017
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Kell Brook and Errol Spence hold a press conference to announce their fight on 27th May 2017 at Bramall lane on March 22, 2017 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)
Errol Spence Jr. (22-0-0, 19 KOs) continued his rise up the welterweight rankings on Saturday, beating IBF world welterweight title holder Kell Brook (36-2-0, 25 KOs) in the latter's hometown of Sheffield, England, after the referee called for the bell in the 11th round.
Late in the fight, Spence began taking control. He knocked Brook down in the 10th round, courtesy of Showtime Boxing:
Brook's left eye began swelling as well. By the 11th round, he could hardly see out of the eye. After rubbing at the eye, he voluntarily took a knee, and the referee called for the bell. Showtime Boxing shared a replay of the fight's conclusion:
The 27-year-old earned his title shot with impressive stoppage wins over Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu in 2016, and he continued his fine run against Brook.
While casual fans will know Brook mostly for his defeat against middleweight star Gennady Golovkin, the 31-year-old has been a major force in the welterweight division for years. He's impressed at every turn, and a lot of rivals have shied away from a bout since he halted Shawn Porter's momentum in 2014.
In the welterweight division, Special K was undefeated prior to Saturday night―defeating him is a major statement from Spence.
The former Olympian has been steadily rising up the ranks, and a big 2016 combined with this win sets him up well for more lucrative fights within the division. Danny Garcia could be looking for a statement bout after his close loss against Keith Thurman, and both would make for amazing opponents from a stylistic point of view.
The future looks bright for The Truth, who has to be talked about as an elite force within the vision at this point.
Miguel Cotto vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai Title Fight Reportedly Agreed to
May 24, 2017
SANTA MONICA, CA - DECEMBER 10: Professional boxer Miguel Cotto attends the 2nd Annual Diamond Ball hosted by Rihanna and The Clara Lionel Foundation at The Barker Hanger on December 10, 2015 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for The Clara Lionel Foundation)
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported on Wednesday that Miguel Cotto and Yoshihiro Kamegai agreed to fight for the vacant WBO light middleweight title on Aug. 24 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
The fight will be live on HBO.
Cotto, 36, hasn't fought since losing to Canelo Alvarez in Nov. 2015. He's 40-5 (33 knockouts) in his career, however, and remains one of the sport's bigger names.
"I'm very excited to be back and showcase a high level fight for the fans," Cotto said in a press release, per BoxingNews24.com. "Kamegai is a great, tough fighter, but I will be ready for him and to capture the world title. I can't wait to start training for this fight and get back in the ring on Aug. 26."
He'll be fighting under the Golden Boy Promotions umbrella after parting ways with Roc Nation Sports. According to Rafael, "The Cotto-Roc Nation Sports separation was amicable but came about because they simply could not agree on the money Cotto should be paid for the fight, a source with knowledge of the situation said."
Kamegai, 34, is 27-3-2 (24 knockouts) for his career.
"I fully understand who I am going to be in the ring against, but Cotto's record and history won't matter once we are toe-to-toe," Kamegai said. "I am looking forward to giving fans the kind of aggressive fight that they have seen from me before and having my arm raised in victory."
Terence Crawford Beats Felix Diaz Via Technical Knockout in 11th Round
May 21, 2017
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 23: WBO junior welterweight champion Terence waits for the start of a round during his unification fight with WBC champion Viktor Postol of Ukraine at MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 23, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crawford won the fight by unanimous decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Terence Crawford is on a mission to unify the belts at junior welterweight, but it's becoming readily apparent he needs to seek out new challenges soon.
The 29-year-old from Nebraska has thoroughly dominated the some of the best the 140-pound division has to offer, the latest exhibition an 11th-round technical knockout win over Felix Diaz at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, his fifth defense of his WBO and WBC world titles.
It was typical of a Crawford fight: a couple of rounds where the Omaha native studies his opponent, throwing out probing (and accurate) jabs to tease out reactions and weak points before honing in and issuing a savage beatdown.
Diaz, a former Olympic gold medalist at junior welterweight, had a few moments of brutal grace, and he connected on some punches that were probably the hardest Crawford has been hit in a couple of years.
However, he absorbed far more damage than he dished out, and his swollen, bloody face was all the evidence anyone needed by the end of the 10th round when his corner refused to let him go out for the next.
In his post-match comments on the HBO broadcast, Crawford named Manny Pacquiao, Julius Indongo and Keith Thurman as boxers he would like to take on.
Indongo might be the likeliest next opponent if the politics of boxing don't get in the way, as the 34-year-old Namibian was in attendance for the fight and has the IBF and IBO junior welterweight belts that Crawford covets, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:
"Well, I never kept track of how many people have ever had held all four titles, but it is one of my goals to say that I am undisputed champion. I watched the [Indongo-Burns] fight and he put on a great performance. He did what he had to do to get the job done. He's tall and rangy and he can box. It would be a good fight."
Indongo certainly got to see the best of Crawford on Saturday night.
Diaz proved his skill and toughness in the first few rounds, tagging Crawford with a couple of very solid hooks that had the champion in retreat. Utilizing a southpaw stance for the duration of the bout, Crawford kept the bout under control with a solid, active jab and by the end of the third round, had the timing down on his power punches.
Saturday Night Boxing's Adam Abramowitz praised Crawford's third round:
The fighting pride of Omaha, Nebraska @budcrawford402 reigns supreme at The Mecca of Boxing. (photo: Scott Levy / MSG Photos) #CrawfordDiazpic.twitter.com/GE6U4Tlek2
Diaz's aggression helped him land some sound blows, but it often led him intro trouble as well. Crawford's unshakeable calm and expert timing allowed him to crack Diaz with several vicious uppercuts, something the Dominican found impossible to match.
NYFights.com's Michael Woods noticed the punishment taking a toll as the fight wore on:
Indeed, Crawford had fewer traps to lay in the later rounds, and had plenty of success firing barrages of shots straight through the gaps in Diaz's defenses.
Crawford might've lulled himself into a false sense of security by the seventh, as Diaz was able to score a counter left hook that had been missing for a few rounds.
Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger felt Diaz might land a couple more of those bombs:
Diaz paid a price for hitting Crawford, as the latter stepped up his aggression and began taunting him mercilessly, sticking his tongue out and making it known he wasn't fazed at all.
The next couple of rounds went in a similar fashion, Crawford alternating deadly accurate power punches with humiliating taunts. Diaz is a solid boxer, but there was nothing in this for him by that late stage and his corner was right to stop the bout early.
The boxing world is open to Crawford, so long as people dare to step in the ring with him. A fight with Pacquiao would bring him worldwide attention win or lose, while a bout against Indongo would make for a nice bit of history if he won and unified the division.
Crawford's talent and skill are undeniable at this point. If he is to truly capitalize on his pugilistic gifts, he is going to need to opponents that put him to the test.
Keith Thurman Undergoes Elbow Surgery, Expected to Miss at Least 6 Months
May 19, 2017
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 04: Undefeated WBA and WBC Welterweight Champion Keith 'One Time' Thurman after defeating Danny 'Swift' Garcia in a split decision at Barclays Center on March 4, 2017 in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City.. (Photo by Douglas DeFelice/Eclipse Sportswire/Getty Images)
Welterweight boxing champion Keith Thurman announced Friday that he will miss six months after undergoing surgery on his right elbow.
According to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, Thurman said the surgery was successful and preached the importance of taking a cautious approach to his return:
"One thing for sure, the doctor doesn't want me to rush back into action. You can't jump back into the race too soon. It might start to feel good after a month or two, but you don't want to rush it. My right elbow's job is to launch punches like a missile. It might feel good, but it might not be able to sustain that. It might cause inflammation to develop, and then you have to wait to let it calm down and feel better. I figure a four-month recovery will be quick. The doctor recommended six months of no action before training. I won't rush it."
The 28-year-old Thurman is 28-0 in his career and is the unified welterweight titleholder after retaining his WBA (Super) welterweight title and winning the WBC welterweight title from Danny Garcia in March.
Per Rafael, Thurman said the elbow injury caused him pain entering the bout against Garcia:
"I had loose bodies in the elbow, similar to what baseball pitchers have. They had to go in and take out the loose bodies and calcium deposits. It was getting in the way of the hinging of the elbow and when I threw a punch. It was causing pain and inflammation. I noticed it before the Danny Garcia fight. There was no way to get rid of it without the surgery. I'm healing and getting the function back so that I can be pain free."
While Thurman expressed hope that he could potentially fight later in 2017, he acknowledged that his next contest may not take place until 2018.
The Ringcurrently ranks Thurman as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, while IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook comes in at No. 2.
Shawn Porter Defeats Andre Berto via Technical Knockout in 9th Round
Apr 22, 2017
Shawn Porter in action against Keith Thurman during their WBA Welterweight title fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, on Saturday, June 25, 2016. Thurman won via decision. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
Shawn Porter and Andre Berto might have been fighting under the bright lights of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night, but the former took the latter boxer to a dark, bloody place.
Porter used relentless pressure, energy and power to chop down Berto in this welterweight bout, winning by a technical knockout in the ninth round.
CBS Sports' Brian Campbell and boxer Sergio Mora summed it up:
The fight featured at least three accidental head clashes, several mid- and between-round checkups from doctors, elbows, brawling on the ropes and a litany of phone-booth power punching.
Porter's ninth round was a picture of brutality. A clash of heads sent Berto crashing into the ropes, and a massive hook soon after sent the 33-year-old back into the ropes again. Porter finished the job with a left hook he raked across Berto's face, finally forcing the referee to put an end to the brawl.
Porter was all class after the bout, apologizing to Berto for the multiple head clashes, per the Showtime broadcast. Keith Thurman came into the ring after the bout, and he and Porter certainly made it sound like a rematch was in the cards, per Showtime Boxing:
Berto's best moments came when he stayed away from the ropes and kept some space for Porter, but he wasn't able to control the fight for long enough stretches to really make inroads against his opponent.
Porter did an excellent job frustrating Berto early on in the fight. He followed up cobra-strike jabs with plenty of clinching and grappling, preventing Berto from sneaking in his powerful counter hooks.
The pugnacious Porter put a ton of pressure on Berto in the second, pummeling away at him on the ropes and then knocking him to the canvas in the final few seconds of the round.
Berto's frustration was readily apparent, from his rabbit punching in the third round to his shakes of the head at the corner between rounds. Boxing journalist Andreas Hale noted Berto might have to do some soul-searching due to fights like this:
Berto is about to have a moment where he has to think about how interested he is in competing in fights like this.
Porter's tenacity might have thrown Berto a lifeline, in that a pair of accidental headbutts opened up gashes over both of his eyes, while another left Berto with a relatively minor scrape. The ugly nature of the fight led to this quip from Bad Left Hook:
Referee Mark Nelson is saying “accidental butts!” more than he’s ever said anything in one night in his life.
After a brief slowdown in the sixth and seventh rounds, Porter went back to his all-out attack mode, again driving Berto to the ropes and bludgeoning him with uppercuts to the body and hooks to the skull.
It was merely the prelude to Porter's dominant ninth round that earned him the victory.
Porter's last bout prior to his beatdown of Berto was a decision loss to Thurman at the Barclays Center in June 2016. That fight was electric but not nearly as messy as the contest on Saturday.
Porter is now a mandatory challenger for Thurman. It would make for another excellent, kinetic fight for the talent-laden welterweight division, one that many boxing fans would welcome without hesitation.
Shawn Porter vs. Andre Berto: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info
Apr 20, 2017
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 20: Shawn Porter stands in the ring before his fight against Adrien Broner at MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 20, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Porter won the fight by unanimous decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Shawn Porter will get another chance to earn a win at what's become a premier venue for boxing slugfests, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, when he takes on Andre Berto on Saturday night on a Premier Boxing Champions card.
The American last fought at Barclays in June 2016, losing a thriller to Keith Thurman by a close unanimous decision. As Ring Magazine's No. 4 fighter in the crowded, talent-laden welterweight division, Porter will be hoping a win over Berto can springboard him back into title contention.
Berto was a winner in his last fight, a fourth-round knockout of Victor Ortiz, which came after his wholly predictable, tedious loss to Floyd Mayweather in the latter's final fight of his career.
At 33 years old, Berto isn't likely to get many more high-profile bouts, especially in the hotly contested welterweight ranks. He will need a win on Saturday to stay relevant.
According to OddsShark, Porter is a 1-6 favorite over Berto. Porter showed in his wild, kinetic fight with Thurman last year that he is not afraid to go toe-to-toe and trade punches.
Berto is a slugger as well and has a much higher knockout rate than Porter, but he hasn't had a high-profile win in quite some time.
His victory over Ortiz did see him get an early knockout win, but Berto was knocked down himself in the second round. It was hardly an auspicious showing against a declining fighter, but that doesn't mean the heavy underdog won't provide some fireworks on Saturday.
Time and again, Berto has drawn fans out of their seats. Sometimes, it's for what he lands. Other times, it's for what he absorbs. Berto's fights, though, are always compelling.
Say this for him: He always keeps your interest. There was the time he fought Robert Guerrero, and inexplicably came out trying to use the shoulder roll, a defensive tactic in which the fighter tucks his chin and protects it with his shoulder.
It's a move Floyd Mayweather has perfected and used to great effect.
But when Berto tried it, he simply was open to getting battered by Guerrero, who repeatedly nailed him with hard, clean, thudding shots.
Berto will have to be careful against Porter, who might not be the best thumper in the welterweight division but is an attack-minded pugilist with the speed to string together punches in bunches.
In facing Thurman and Adrien Broner before him, Porter showed that he has a strong chin (though the latter did knock him down in the 12th round before taking the loss on the cards).
Perhaps knowing he can't leave himself open to big, swinging counterpunches from a Berto who is likely to go for broke in this contest, Porter has said he will take a page out of the Mayweather playbook.
"Well, watching the fight, I definitely admired, as any fight that Floyd Mayweather's in, his boxing ability, but that was something that was very effective against Andre Berto," Porter said, per Sky Sports' Nick Lustig.
"So, we'll definitely pick our spots where we want to box; where we want to use the ring. But at any rate, through the entire fight, we will control the action as well as the ring."
Porter's tactical acumen and speed are two of the main reasons he will be favored in this contest. If he can throw cool water on Berto's attack and control the tempo of the fight, he should be able to get a win.
Per Lustig, Porter said he wants a rematch with Thurman, which is ample motivation that goes beyond simply avenging a loss in front of another rabid Barclays Center crowd. He might have to wait, though, considering Danny Garcia might also be in line for a rematch with Thurman after his decision loss to him earlier this year.
Berto's motivation to get back in title contention might be more immediate, considering he's four years older than Porter and has two more losses on his ledger. He can hardly suffer another defeat now.
According to Bad Left Hook's Scott Christ, Berto said "becoming a three-time world champion is great motivation," and that any fight now is a "potentially career-defining fight."
Make no mistake, Berto will bring his best on Saturday night. "Showtime" Porter is still more likely to get the win, but he will have to work hard to do so.
Floyd Mayweather Rips Current Boxing Stars, Says No One Can Match His Star Power
Apr 18, 2017
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Floyd Mayweather JR speaks during a Frank Warren and Floyd Mayweather JR Press Conference at The Savoy Hotel on March 7, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
After 49 career bouts, Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows what it takes to be a star in the boxing world. According to him, the current class of fighters doesn't have it yet.
The 40-year-old called out younger boxers who are trying to get paid like he was over his career.
"You don't have Floyd Mayweather star power," he recently told FightHype (via World Boxing News). "It takes more than just being a knockout artist. You need to have that swag and an aura. There's different things you need to have to be Floyd Mayweather."
Mayweather retired in 2015 with a 49-0 record. According to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes, the boxer finished 2016 worth $340 million and often topped the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
From his perspective, this was due to a work ethic younger boxers don't have.
"[What] goes on with these fighters in today's time, these fighters want Floyd Mayweather money, but they don't want to put in the Floyd Mayweather work," he said. "For me, it really was blood, sweat and tears. I really, really bust my ass to get to where I got to."
There have been discussions about Mayweather coming out of retirement to face UFC star Conor McGregor, but nothing is official.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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