SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA?Tiger Woods has won the US Open in the most dramatic and mesmerizing way.
The Boston Celtics have embarrassed their archrivals, the Los Angeles Lakers en route to a 17th NBA championship.
Now that two topflight sports events are history, the Manny Pacquiao fervor in Filipino-American enclaves?from sea to shining sea?has heated up again.
Pacquiao, meantime, is heating up people under the collar because of his pronouncements for future fights?granting he wrests the WBC lightweight crown from David Diaz at the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on June 28th.
Manny has managed to roil IBF light welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi, who has a scheduled fight with the Manchester Hitman, Ricky Hatton, who Pacquiao is, in turn, eyeing for a bout at 140 pounds?after Diaz.
It has been reported in some boxing dot.coms that Hatton is NOT willing to fight Oscar De La Hoya, now calling him out at 154 lb?but is said to relish a fight with Pacquiao?should the Filipino take the 135 lb belt later this month.
Although he broke his hand while defending his IBF light welterweight title, Malignaggi is convinced he will be ready to hand the Hitman the second KO loss of his career.
?I wouldn?t be surprised if I knocked Ricky Hatton out,? Malignaggi, a.k.a. the Magic Man, told boxingtalk.com.
?I have a cast on at the moment, and I have to go through the healing process, but November is plenty of time away and I?ll be ready for the fight with Hatton.?
Malignaggi then took a verbal swing at Manny Pacquiao who has made his desire to fight Hatton very public.
?Tell Manny to stop disrespecting the Magic Man, stop saying you want to fight Ricky because Ricky is not getting by the Magic Man. If he (Pacquiao) wants to fight a junior welterweight, once I beat Ricky?s ass I will gladly tear his ass up all over the place.?
The Magic Man?s promoter, Lou Di Bella, is also ruffled.
Di Bella told James Slater of Eastsideboxing.com he is annoyed by a report from a Manila daily that suggested Hatton might face Pacquiao in November instead of his boxer.
The promoter informed Slater ?there has been no suggestion of step-aside money for Malignaggi and that Hatton-Malignaggi fight in November is very much on.?
