Earlier tonight I got off the phone with HBO boxing judge Harold Lederman, who insisted that the proposed Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight is the bout that everybody wants to see. While those words may be true, it appears as though the fight might not come off as soon as we expected, as Freddie Roach has insisted that a March 13th date doesn’t give him enough time to gear his fighter up for a bout of such magnitude.
Speaking recently from Newcastle, England, where he will be guiding his charge Amir Khan in his WBA Jr. Welterweight title defense against Dmitriy Salita this weekend, Roach was adamant about not wanting the Pacquiao-Mayweather clash to take place so soon.
“We’re going to need a twelve round camp for this fight,” Roach recently told Gareth A. Davies of the Daly Telegraph. “We need to look at all the possibilities and work everything out for this fight. The March date would be too early. It had got to be May.”
Roach went on to claim that Pacquiao is unlike any fighter he has worked with and that he is like a machine in that you simply have to wind him up and let him loose. Roach pointed to Pacquiao’s success from 112 to 147 pounds and also called his charge a ‘throwback’.
Those revelations from Roach have surprised some, but when I asked Lederman his thoughts he felt that the world renowned trainer was simply looking out for his fighter’s best interests.
“He knows how much time he needs in the gym with Manny to win the fight,” Lederman told me. “Freddie’s a pretty good trainer and he has proved it over and over again. I really believe that he knows exactly how many weeks he needs. He just needs Manny’s undivided attention for a certain amount of time.”
So far the daily news and rumors regarding the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout have made for interesting banter and you can sense that things are coming to fruition. It remains to be seen whether Roach’s desires will come into play.
Berto opens camp for Mosley bout
Outside of Mayweather-Pacquiao, the other big fight in the Welterweight division goes down on January 30th when Shane Mosley and Andre Berto meet in a unification bout. Pitting Mosley’s experience against Berto’s youth is an intriguing matchup and both fighters have shown themselves to be more than fan friendly with their styles in year’s past.
Just recently it was announced that Berto had opened training camp in his native Winter Haven, Florida. The young titlist will be training at the same location where he got his start in the game, at the Winter Haven PAL gym.
Berto’s trainer Tony Morgan will be joined by Berto’s brother, Cleveland Berto, who will serve as the camp’s strength and conditioning coach. Berto is reportedly working out three times a day and incorporating swimming, and several strength and agility exercises into the routine along with the regular boxing workouts that are essential.
In staging his camp in Winter Haven, Berto has essentially gone back to his roots and it has allowed him to reconnect with his hometown fans, who have had the chance to see him in his pre fight preparation. While some athletes relish the idea of locking themselves away during camp, Berto has taken a different approach by letting the public get an inside look at his training and will be updating his fans with photos and updates on his official website, www.AndreBerto.com.
Paul Williams returns to the ring against Sergio Martinez this Saturday on HBO
When looking back on 2009, one of the most disappointing events was the fact that heavily anticipated showdown between Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams was never able to take place. A staph infection in Pavlik’s left hand prevented the contest from becoming a reality and Williams will now be going to work against very talented Sergio Martinez.
From all reports Williams has claimed that he isn’t disappointed about not being able to show his skills against Pavlik and has instead turned his attention solely towards Martinez, who is no pushover. Pitting the two talented southpaws against each other will likely lead to somewhat of a heated game of chess but Williams is certainly looked at as the favorite going in.
Martinez introduced himself to the American public in October of 2008 with a sensational drubbing of game but overmatched Alex Bunema. In that bout Martinez showed a great variety to his attack and befuddled Bunema with speed, angles, and counterpunching. His following and most recent fight was a twelve round draw against Kermit Cintron this past February that most people watching felt the Argentinean should have won.
Over the years Williams has risen impressively in the game and has a style that is hell to deal with, as he has great length and throws an abundance of accurate shots. Williams could have taken his career to another level with a chance to face Pavlik but he will have to deal with the obstacles in front of him and wait until 2010 to see if that contest ever comes off.
Bradley and Peterson speak before December 12th clash
On December 12th a very meaningful and relevant bout in the 140 pound class will take place when WBO champion Timothy Bradley defends his belt against longtime buddy and undefeated hopeful Lamont Peterson.
Taking place at the Agua Caliente Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, California, Bradley-Peterson showcases two men with very fundamental technical skills and a long history with one another. When pressed with the question of how important it is for him to be known in the game, Bradley was uncharacteristically vocal.
“You can basically look at my resume and see that in less than one year I won two world titles,” the young champion stated. “I’m still young, I’ve fought on the road, like a veteran, and I won on the road. People don’t understand how much pressure there is on a fighter when he fights on the road. I beat Junior Witter on the road to win the world title and didn’t get much credit for that.”
When asked about his competitive spirit and his desires in the game, Bradley let it be known that his heart is very much in the game and that he is willing and able to face anyone and everyone.
“I think it just comes from my love for the sport,” Bradley says of his tenacity. “I just love what I do and I have that competitive nature. I made a promise to my promoter that they line ‘em up and I’m going to knock them all down. I have a great team supporting me and I have a lot of faith in my abilities and myself. ”
Bradley went on to state that fighting on his home turf was no added pressure and proclaimed his desires to face the best fighters in the world. When Peterson took court he was asked what fighting for a world title meant to him and let his emotions out.
“It’s a dream come true,” Peterson claimed. “A lot of times you talk about us being out in the street, a lot of the times it got me through just dreaming of this day of fighting to become a world champion. It’s really an honor and I’m really thankful. It wasn’t just me alone. I dreamed of this day, but there was a lot of people who helped this dream come true, and I have to give thanks to them. Right now, I’m living my dream. I’m just happy about the fight and giving it my all because I know this is it.”
Peterson also spoke of his close relationship to Bradley and the exact style he planned to use in the ring. When asked if he felt the contest would be a war or a tactical affair, Peterson was unsure, but seems to be down for whatever.
“I’m prepared for both because Timothy can box, and I know he can bang. And I know I can box and I know I can bang. It’s hard to say now. What strategy I decide to use in the fight and what he decides to use, I guess that will determine how the fight will play out. But, it could go either way. It could be an all out war or it could be a chess match. I’m ready for either one.”
Randall Bailey returns December 12th on the Malignaggi-Diaz undercard
In his last fight, former Jr. Welterweight champion Randall Bailey was a mere second away from again becoming a champion. Fighting a pitched battle against IBF champion Juan Urango, Bailey would connect with a big right hand in the sixth round that dropped his Columbian foe to the deck. Initially it appeared that Urango wasn’t going to beat the count but he rose right before the ten mark and proceeded to turn the tide of the fight and eventually stop Bailey late in the fight.
It was a heartbreaking loss for Bailey but he has regrouped and will be moving up to the Welterweight division in his next contest, an eight round clash with journeyman Germain Sanders on the undercard of the highly discussed Paulie Malignaggi-Juan Diaz rematch in Chicago, Illinois. Bailey is a hardened veteran in the game and many felt that his shot against Urango was his last opportunity at a world title. If anything, he most likely will bring his punch with him with his move to the 147 pound landscape and his power will always make him dangerous.
