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Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Manager Tells Dana White to Mind His Own Business “He needs to shut the [expletive] up and mind his own business, stay in his own lane and keep on taking advantage of the UFC fighters, while underpaying them,” Ellerbe told Yahoo! Sports after learning of White's rant. “If he keeps on running his mouth, we may decide to give a free seminar to all of the UFC fighters on how the pay-per-view revenue should be distributed. This is typical Dana, who is always prone to ignorant outbursts. He should be the last person to try to judge someone else.” Ellerbe’s diatribe was in response to White’s earlier claim that Mayweather, a five-division titlist, was racist for his Feb. 13 tweet aimed at Jeremy Lin, which suggested that the only reason the New York Knicks point guard was receiving all the accolades for his recent performances was due to his Asian heritage. It was “Money May’s” belief that African-American players in the NBA haven’t had the same encomiums bestowed upon them akin to what Lin is experiencing at this moment in time. In addition, White lambasted the WBC welterweight champion for comments he made towards eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao back in 2010. “[…] As soon as we come off vacation, we're going to cook that little yellow chump,” Mayweather said. Furthermore, White blamed Mayweather as one of the reasons why the super-fight with Pacquiao hasn’t of yet gotten off the ground. Though, once White got wind of Ellerbe’s retort, he sent a text to Ellerbe via Yahoo! Sports. “Just for the record, shut the [expletive] up [because] I wasn't talking to you," White said by text. "I was talking to Floyd. We're doing something amazing. We're building a sport while you guys are destroying one.” For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com But for a fight that holds little drama, Pacquiao isn't going after Bradley like he did with Juan Manuel Marquez in November. He's basically pleading for us to watch their fight. Pacquiao said at the press conference on Tuesday, via FightNews.com: “Please watch the upcoming fight June 9. It will be a good fight. Bradley is a good fighter and there will be a lot of action in the ring. Don’t miss it." Please? The word "please" can be seen as being polite and humble. I see it as desperation. After negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr. broke down once again in January, and after his last two fights, Pacquiao is grasping at straws. He's one of the greats of this generation, but his career is sliding. He insists he'll fight Mayweather for a 50-50 split, but that fight wouldn't likely be until at least 2013, if at all. Pacquiao is 33 years old now. He's been far from dominant against his last two opponents, Shane Mosley and Marquez, and many believe Marquez should have actually won in November. With Bradley, Pacquiao has a fighter he knows he can beat. Despite Bradley's undefeated record, he's simply not in the same class as Pacquiao. What's worse is that I could actually see Pacquiao struggling given his last two performances. So what we're left with is neither a knockout nor an overwhelming performance from either of the two boxers. Pacquiao moves on fighting inferior opponents, and Bradley realizes he's not in Pacquiao's class. Whoop-dee-doo. Let's face it: The only reason this fight has any kind of buzz is because Pacquiao is in it. I don't blame Pacquiao for begging people to watch this fight. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s constant beleaguering of other athletes has caught the attention of UFC President Dana White. The head of the UFC fired back at the WBC welterweight boxing champion in a recent episode of Fuel TV's UFC Tonight. "First of all, what he said I think is racist. He's made a couple of racist comments, and yes Floyd, you're racist with the stuff that you said," White proclaimed, while pointing directly into the camera. Mayweather has taken heat lately for his racy remarks on Twitter about Asian basketball star Jeremy Lin. A point guard for the New York Knicks, Lin has captured Tim Tebow-like drama in the world of professional basketball, which has recently been dubbed "Linsanity." "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise. Other countries get to support/cheer their athletes and everything is fine." "As soon as I support Black athletes, I get criticized." "Wow, what a country." "I'm speaking my mind on behalf of other NBA players. They are programmed to be politically correct and will be penalized if they speak up." White doesn't see "Linsanity" as some phenomenon overlooking black athletes. He believes the craze revolves around the fact that Lin is an Asian American succeeding in the NBA, which is certainly a rare sight throughout the history of the sport. "Jeremy Lin gets all this credit because he's an Asian player in the NBA that African Americans never get? Yeah, he's getting all this praise because he's an Asian guy playing in the NBA," said White. "And you say that African Americans don't get it? Really, Kobe Bryant doesn't get any praise? Michael Jordan never got any praise? The list goes on and on. "Not only can he compete and make it in the NBA, the guy is tearing it up and breaking records you knucklehead." White didn't stop there. He also addressed an old video Mayweather posted of himself going on a rather offensive rant about WBO welterweight boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. "You said Manny Pacquiao should go make some sushi somewhere. Sushi is from Japan. He's from the Philippines, dummy," said White. "Don't worry about what all these other guys are doing. You shoot your big mouth off on Twitter. What you should worry about is getting in there and making the fight that all the boxing fans want to see. Get in there and fight Manny Pacquiao. "You don't deserve more of the purse. If there was ever a fight in history that should be split 50-50, it's the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Shut up, both of you split the money up and put on the fight that everybody, including me, wants to see." Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com The UFC president called Floyd Mayweather out in a big way on Tuesday evening. He called him a racist and told him he should take a 50/50 purse with Manny Pacquiao to ensure the super fight that we all want to see will happen. Here, take a look for yourself. Not surprisingly, Mayweather's camp quickly responded. Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's manager, had the following comments (via Kevin Iole of Yahoo!): "He needs to shut the [expletive] up and mind his own business, stay in his own lane and keep on taking advantage of the UFC fighters, while underpaying them," Ellerbe told Yahoo! Sports after learning of White's rant. "If he keeps on running his mouth, we may decide to give a free seminar to all of the UFC fighters on how the pay-per-view revenue should be distributed. This is typical Dana, who is always prone to ignorant outbursts. He should be the last person to try to judge someone else." It should be noted that Ellerbe didn't really address the racism accusations. And honestly, his response didn't really do anything to make me think that White's proposal of a 50/50 purse split was anything other than totally logical and fair. Ellerbe tried to change the conversation by attacking White rather than addressing his claims, which is a classic tactical move but did little to take the sting off White's comments, at least in my opinion. My favorite part was when he said "we may decide to give a free seminar to all of the UFC fighters on how the pay-per-view revenue should be distributed." Yeah, like Mayweather and his camp would ever do anything for free. Of course, White wasn't finished. He quickly responding to Ellerbe's remarks: "Just for the record, shut the [expletive] up [because] I wasn't talking to you," White said by text. "I was talking to Floyd. We're doing something amazing. We're building a sport while you guys are destroying one. " That's it, folks—that's the knockout blow. If I was scoring this bout over three rounds, I'm giving White the first two rounds with a third-round knockout. Hey, at least we get to see Floyd Mayweather involved in a fight we're actually entertained by for once. Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets have the perfect amount of foam on the top. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Cleverly is looking to get his career back on track with this fight. Despite holding on to a 23-0 record, he has failed to impress in recent bouts. His opponents have been lacking in talent, and he is struggling to get past them. Karpency is looking to make a name for himself in the most high-profile bout of his career. He is not seen as a significant threat, but anyone can land that one big shot to pull off an upset. Where: Motorpoint Arena in Wales, England When: Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10:00 p.m. EST Watch: EPIX Channel Cleverly's Keys to Victory Use his punching skills to overwhelm Karpency and defend himself. Cleverly is still trying to rebound after a number of lackluster performances, including his last fight against Tony Bellow in October. His best skills are stamina and his ability to throw a lot of punches, so he will have to use them in order to frustrate Karpency. One thing that could be a problem for him is the lack of defense. Most of the time, fighters with great power will try to go all-in early. Cleverly will do that, except he has almost no power. He has to be able to keep his hands up to avoid eating hard shots. Karpency's Keys to Victory Take advantage of Cleverly's lack of defense to stun him early While Karpency is not being given much of a chance in this fight simply because he isn't a well-known boxer, he is not going to be a pushover against Cleverly. This will be the biggest moment of Karpency's career, and he wants to have a good showing in hostile territory. He can make a statement with a big victory, but this will be the greatest test he has had. If he can come in strong with effective jabs and then land one big punch, he can knock Cleverly to the ground and take advantage of this fight early. What They Are Saying Nathan Cleverly knows that he is the heavy favorite coming into this fight. He knows that no one really knows Tommy Karpency, outside of the hardest of hardcore boxing fans. That doesn't mean he isn't doing his best to sell the fight to himself and the fans. From Sky Sports: It would be absolutely stupid and naive to underestimate any opponent in boxing, especially in a world title fight. It would be recipe for disaster. A lot of people have written Tommy off, but they're not the ones who are stepping into the ring. When you face another trained fighter, you must be on your game, especially at this level. I've prepared even better than I have for any other fight. Tommy's got nothing to lose and can give it everything knowing there's a big prize at the end of the line. It's my ambition to remain unbeaten and prevent that from happening. I want to enjoy the performance and put on a good display of boxing. It could go the distance and the most important thing is that physically and mentally I'm prepared to go 12 rounds. Prediction While Cleverly is not the most technically sound fighter, he is superior to Karpency in virtually every way. Cleverly wins via unanimous decision. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Say what you want about Dana White as a business man, but this is a guy who has never attempted to hold back his emotions. He may be ruthless, but he is real. When White doesn’t like something, everyone around him knows it, and that’s how he gets things changed. That’s where this UFC Presidential Address and the shoot on Floyd Mayweather idea comes from. The first thing out of the UFC presidents mouth this time is the accusation that boxing champion Mayweather is racist for both his words about New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin and fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao. While the latter is understandable because of their business relationship, Mayweather’s words on Lin rang hollow. And White called him on it. While White acknowledges that it is unique to see an Asian guy in the NBA, he states that the credit he gets is well deserved. He also stated that if African-American players aren’t getting credit, he needs to stand back and show Floyd the praise dumped on the Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. There aren’t too many times when I can say that I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the outspoken UFC president, but this is definitely one of those situations. Lin is popular because this is out of the norm for the NBA. There is no denying that part of the intrigue is his ethnicity, but most fans sit back and just watch Lin play some of the best basketball this season. After telling Mayweather he was racist for suggesting that Pac-Man go make some sushi, White launches into a tirade about how the undefeated champion needs to focus on in-ring tasks and get this super fight underway. White hit the nail on the head on what I feel is the most important part of this video—talking about the money. The reports are now that Mayweather does not want to split the revenue from this fight 50-50, which is the reason it is being held up. This all adds up to Mayweather just running his mouth to look better. White isn’t always right when he calls people out, but bravo, sir, for calling out a man who needs to be called out as the sham he is. Fraud Mayweather. I like that better. Check back for more on Mixed Martial Arts as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s UFC Page to get your fill of all things UFC/MMA. For more on MMA/UFC, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com UFC president, Dana White launched a verbal assault on undefeated welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Tuesday, on Fuel TV's UFC Tonight. White sounded off on racial remarks made by Mayweather and also gave his two cents on the possible mega-fight between Money May and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather's racist remarks on New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin got White going, and he didn't pull any punches while go at Money May. ...Floyd, you're racist with the stuff that you've said. First of all, Jeremy Lin gets all of this credit because he's an Asian player in the NBA that African-Americans never get? Yeah. He's getting all this praise because he's an Asian guy playing in the NBA. You say that African-Americans don't get it? Really, Kobe Bryant doesn't get any praise? Michael Jordan never got any praise? The list goes on and on of the guys who completely get praised for being great NBA basketball players. White also went into what he though of Mayweather holding up a possible mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao for wanting a bigger share than a even 50/50 split. Get in there and fight Manny Pacquiao. You don't deserve more of the purse. If ever there were a fight in history that should be split 50/50, it's the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Shut up. Both of you split the money up and put on the fight that everybody, including me, wants to see. Yes, in the middle of bashing one of boxing's biggest draws, White also let the world know that even he wants to see Mayweather and Pacquiao square off in the ring, a surprising move seeing how the UFC competes directly with the sport of boxing for viewership. Mayweather's manager Leonard Ellerbe caught wind of White's comments aimed towards Money May and sounded off on his own to Yahoo! Sports. He needs to shut the [expletive] up and mind his own business, stay in his own lane and keep on taking advantage of the UFC fighters, while underpaying them. Ellerbe has a valid argument there, as the UFC is known for underpaying its fighters compared to boxing, even as the UFC overtakes boxing popularity-wise. According to MMA Manefesto, UFC's top earning fighter of all-time is Chuck Lidell, coming in at $4.32 million in career earnings. Top earning boxers can make five times that money in a single bout, as Mayweather and Pacquiao make around $20 million per fight. White, not to be outdone, then replied to Ellerbe via text message to Yahoo! Sports. "Just for the record, shut the [expletive] up [because] I wasn't talking to you," White said by text to Yahoo! Sports. "I was talking to Floyd. We're doing something amazing. We're building a sport while you guys are destroying one." Most experts feel that if the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao mega-fight never takes place, that boxing's already declining popularity will take an even bigger hit, sending the sport towards a very uncertain future. Both White and Ellerbe made valid points, but I don't think either of the two should be sounding off on one another's sport, as each sport is different and have their own share of problems with in each other. One of the most shocking things about this whole situation is that Mayweather himself has been quiet and not involved in the trash talk at all. Sure, White made some convincing comments, but when it comes down to it, he really has no business going off on Mayweather like that, as he is just a boxing fan like you and I. In the end, both the UFC and the sport of boxing will be better off if the top guys in each of the sports focused their energy into bettering both of the products at hand instead of trying to bad-mouth and cast a shadow on one another. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com That's why I, for one, am excited for my next trip to Las Vegas, so I can score tickets to see "Iron Mike" spill his guts in a one-man show on the Strip. According to Vegas DeLuxe, Tyson will take his talents to Sin City for a "confessions" show, in which he shares his tumultuous life story with the audience while accompanied by photos and video clips of his most infamous moments. Nothing will be off-limits, from his ill-fated marriage to actress Robin Givens and the genesis of his ear-biting strategy against Evander Holyfield to his time in prison and the impetus for his infamous facial tattoo. Who better to tell that twisting tale than the former heavyweight champion of the world himself? Perhaps he'll have some words of wisdom to offer Dereck Chisora and David Haye, who came to blows at a press conference following the former's loss to Vitali Klitschko this past weekend. Maybe (just maybe) he'll call for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to just do the darn thing already. Or, quite possibly, he'll do what Charlie Sheen did—that is, parlay his celebrity infamy into an awkwardly interactive circus while making full use of his GED-level vocabulary. Whatever the case may be, I wouldn't recommend waiting around to buy tickets once they hit the box office. They figure to go faster than $300 million through Tyson's pockets. Which is to say, faster than you ever thought possible. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com And that means the whole night is just another black eye for the sport of boxing that has become all too accustomed to disasters. No matter what boxing does, it does not seem capable of getting out of its way. There is just one setback after another. In case you haven't seen it yet, here is the infamous post-fight brawl shabbily disguised as a press conference. What an ugly mess that scene was. David Haye and Dereck Chisora couldn't keep their mouths shut, and their bravado ended in punches being thrown and lives being threatened. And it all upstaged what should have been a good night for boxing. The bout between Klitschko and Chisora was hard fought and clean, and it went the distance. It was the most competitive title fight in recent memory. Had it not been for the ensuing melee, tweets like this would have been the overriding feeling surrounding this night. Instead, the foolish behaviors of Chisora and Haye have stolen the spotlight. Now, observers are flooded with the thoughts of out of control thugs unable to control their childish impulses. And instead of tweets and thoughts being echoed about a great night of boxing, we are all flooded with loathsome reports like this. This is a sport teetering on the edge of being viewed as a joke, and this night will only further cement that. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com The days when Manny Pacquiao was the clear-cut good guy with most boxing fans over villain Floyd Mayweather Jr. are over. After a meager showing against Juan Manuel Marquez, and then failing to solidify a fight with Money May, something that was equally on Mayweather, Pacquiao is losing his legendary luster. This is a boxer that could do no wrong and will instead see his fight against Timothy Bradley get far more negative press than any of his other fights, and rightfully so. On Tuesday, Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley kicked off their promotional tour for the June 9th bout that will no doubt need some shine put to it. Normally, anything Pacquiao touches turns to gold and that just isn't the case any more. Boxing fans have become far too jaded with the sport, and that Pacquiao is no longer immune to such a sentiment. Pacquiao is being pulled by his love of his people, politics and a music career. Somewhere in the mix, boxing remains as something that he may not want or need to do much longer. USA Today caught up with the boxer and he stated where his heart rests at the moment. Maybe, but I'm not saying (Bradley) is the last fight. Maybe I can fight one more. I don't know. It hardly sounds like a boxer that is hungry to prove he has what it takes to defeat Floyd Mayweather. Perhaps it is classic boxing posturing, so fans will think the Bradley fight is the last chance to see Mayweather live. Maybe Pac-Man realizes he has lost a step or two, which would certainly make sense considering Mayweather has finally stated he is ready for such an epic matchup. Pacquiao should get a heroes send off into retirement, but instead will get flooded with questions on his journey to fight a boxer that is not Floyd Mayweather. There is still hope for that matchup, but both boxer's ages guarantee the best of that duo has long since left us. This will be one hell of a sell to get us back on board with Pacquiao, and a fight he says is worth our time. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Just to recap, before a title fight against Vitali Klitschko on Feb. 18, Chisora slapped his opponent across the face and barraged him with insults, then proceeded to be pummeled 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109 in the bout itself. Then, after the fight, he got into a heated exchange with pundit and former champion boxer David Haye, which led to blows. Afterward, he issued this lackluster apology: Whilst my behaviour was inexcusable, there were many things that went on behind the scenes that ultimately caused my frustrations to boil over, however this is of course no excuse. I cannot go into the specific details at the moment as quite rightly the British Boxing Board of Control will be investigating this matter and also the altercation that took place between David Haye and myself where I was struck by a bottle. Despite all of this, the bottom line is, I have let my family, my team and worst of all the sport I love down. I acknowledge that my actions were totally unprofessional, with or without provocation. Now, with a cool head and the benefit of hindsight, my actions at the weekend were regrettable to say the least and I am deeply embarrassed at the scenes reported in the media. To sum it up, Chisora contends that he was provoked into behaving the way he did, but wasn't strong enough to resist—all in all, a weak attempt at taking accountability for his foolishness. This person is supposed to be a professional, and when he fails to display the professionalism expected of him, he thinks people are going to take pity on him because something happened "behind the scenes" to set him off? Nice try. Plenty of people go to work upset, annoyed and irritated, and they still get their jobs done. Does that mean they can slap their bosses, even if they are "provoked" by harmless verbal jabs? Chisora received plenty of press for his pre- and post-fight antics, none of which, of course, had anything to do with the match itself. He's kind of like Courtney Robertson on this season of The Bachelor: They both know they can't possibly get any press for anything related to the task at hand—winning—so they settle for antagonistic low blows that, if nothing else, make headlines. Chisora's lame apology will do nothing to assure the British Boxing Board of Control that he is in any way justified for inciting either of these two incidents. He's already been fined, but that's not enough. A suspension is in order. And Chisora can look on the bright side. A suspension, after all, will keep his name in the headlines just a little bit longer. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Although he clearly won the fight via unanimous decision, Klitschko believes his wounded pride and Chisora needing to be taught a lesson merit a second showdown with “Del Boy.” “[...] my ego, something deep inside, tells me quite clearly that I still need to give this man real punishment,” he told Tuesday's edition of Die Welt newspaper. “I want to knock him out in the ring. This account is still open,” he said. The Ukrainian’s reasons for a rematch mostly stem from the shenanigans at the weigh-in, when he was slapped by Chisora, as well as the incident where he spat water in the face of his brother Wladimir minutes prior to the bout commencing. However, that’s just the half of it. Before the fight I still thought that how he was presenting himself, how he behaved, was a show. But then I realized he wasn't acting. He must be crazy. When I think about all he's done ... then he threatens to shoot someone, to kill. How can you be like that as a person? Unbelievable. I cannot believe it. Everything I had to do with him seems like a nightmare. In addition, the 40-year-old was less than impressed with the post-fight brawl between Chisora and David Haye. “I saw everything from the podium. I thought I was in the wrong film,'' Klitschko said. ''You can't behave like this, neither in a sporting way nor as a person. It was below the bottom drawer.” The aforementioned fracas was a result of Chisora verbally attacking Haye before leaving his seat at the presser platform to confront the former two-division titlist. What ensued was a violent confrontation between both fighters, an action that resulted in Haye’s trainer, Adam Booth, sustaining a cut on his forehead which was attributed to a bottle being used in the scuffle. Furthermore, he believes the £50,000 fine handed down by the WBC for the slap he received from Chisora pales into significance compared to his actions, and as consequence, he deems it necessary that any other punishment “has to really hurt." Though Chisora was fined by the WBC (World Boxing Council) for his assault on Klitschko, he still faces an anxious wait regarding the BBBoC’s (British Boxing Board of Control) intentions of imposing a lifetime ban from boxing for his post-fight infractions. For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com The 33-year-old is an eight-time division champion and has racked up a 54-2 record with 38 KOs. He is as untouchable as you can be in this brutal sport. But even the untouchable can be touched in boxing. In his last two bouts against Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez, he has finished the match with a huge cut over his right eye. In November against Marquez, an accidental headbutt opened up a gash that ended up being an inch and a half long. It was the main concern with trainers between rounds and it looked pretty awful after the fight. Tim Bradley is next in line to try and take out the champ and will be going up in weight class to do so. He recently made comments that make it sound like he’s ready to take full advantage of what he calls a “weakness” (via New York Times): He can be beat. I just need to get in there and follow my game plan. I know his weaknesses, his favorite combinations. In my mind, I'm definitely going to win. I'll take it to this guy. Look, Marquez had Pacquiao's number, and Marquez is 38 and past his prime. I'm younger, stronger and faster than Marquez. He doesn’t come out and say what exactly this so-called weakness is, but it’s pretty easy to read between the lines. Blurring the vision of Pacman would be an incredible advantage for Bradley now that he seems to tire earlier and his punches aren’t as sharp. Watching Pacquiao-Marquez live, I thought there was no doubt Marquez won. He was getting countered to death before a strong flurry of wild punches in the end bailed him out. Pacman can be beat and focusing on his eye is the way to go. Bradley has incredibly quick hands and is five years younger. This fight is going to be a much closer than most people think. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Yeah, he's wrong about that. Here's what he had to say, however, in an interview with RingTV.com: [Pacquiao's] been in the ring with some great fighters, but what I bring to the table, man, at this time, is youthfulness. I'm only 28, and he's 33 years old. I bring that to the event, as well as my skill and my speed and my footspeed as well. So at every level, I feel that I can compete with this guy. That's what I bring to the table, and it's going to be a different fight than what you're used to seeing Pacquiao fight. He's right in one regard: He is younger than Pacquiao. He may have a little more pep in his step than the older Pacquiao, he may be a little fresher—that's a fair enough point. But I'm not so sure that will play in his favor, especially given that in the same RingTV.com interview, he said he was willing to trade punches with Pac-Man. I think that stylistically, you have two guys who are going to be willing to get into exchanges with one another. Like, in the past, I have fought some guys who were not necessarily willing to exchange with me. Once I hit them in the face, they pretty much stayed away from the exchanges. But you've got two guys who like to think about offense first and defense second. That doesn't seem like the smartest strategy in my book, even if that is Bradley's style. You could make the argument that Pacquiao is one of the hardest hitters in boxing history, and I'm not so sure that trying to slug it out with him is the way to approach this fight. That seems like strategic suicide to me. Bradley's youth isn't going to matter one bit if he tries to trade blows with Pac-Man and gets caught on the chin one too many times. That's a pretty quick way to take all of the pep out of your step. Sure, a smart defensive strategy and effective and powerful counter-punching could potentially prompt a Bradley upset. But relying on his youth to win exchanges? That's a recipe for disaster. And another victim to add to Pacquiao's legacy. Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets have the perfect amount of foam at the top. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com What happened after the match was insane, epic and will have folks actually talking about heavyweight boxing again. Chisora went absolutely ballistic in Munich on David Haye, a fellow Brit and former champion boxer himself. According to The AFP, Chisora left his table at the post-fight press conference to go physically attack Haye, who was at the bout as a pundit. The two got into a heated exchange that led to blows and extremely violent language. At one point, Chisora said he wanted to “shoot” Haye and was acting completely crazy. This type of drama seriously may be the only way to get people to pay attention to heavyweight boxing anymore. There are no more Mike Tysons or Muhammad Alis that grab the world's attention and are truly a joy to watch combat other elite fighters. We have the Klitschko brothers, who refuse to fight one another, and that is arguably the extent of skilled heavyweights that are currently active. Most of the boxing chatter revolves around Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, two great fighters, albeit another pair of guys in the same weight class who refuse to get into the ring against one another. When Chisora went off during his presser, it actually got some people to notice heavyweight boxing again, and speculation of a possible Chisora-Haye match—between the ropes this time—is growing. This will have people tuned in, as they want to see who will actually win in a fair match, not a bare-knuckle brawl at some post-fight presser. They also will want to see what the hype is all about. Expect that to happen in the near future if Chisora doesn’t get a ban for his antics, and perhaps some new fans will tune in to see “Round 2” of this battle. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com The undefeated Broner has won 18 of his 22 career fights via knockout. He has ended his last two bouts before the fourth round. Perez also boasts a perfect record at 23-0. He is much more methodical in his fights, preferring to slowly rip his opponents apart before finishing them off. While he enters this fight as the underdog, he can more than hold his own against Broner. Where: Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri When: Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10:00 p.m. EDT Watch: HBO Live Streaming: HBO GO Broner's Keys to Victory Use his speed and power to overwhelm Perez. Broner fights with reckless abandon, choosing to close on his opponents fast and keep them from ever getting into a rhythm. It is hard to argue with the results so far, but he will have to be careful against Perez. He needs to be a bit more methodical before going in to end it. Perez's Keys to Victory Use Broner's aggressive nature against him and make this a long fight. The best thing that Perez has going for him is his ability to let fights come to him. He is more than happy to let his opponent do something that costs him the fight. Broner is going to try to attack him early, so it is best for Perez if he lets the champion punch himself out early. That will give him a huge advantage in the later rounds. What They're Saying Perez knows that Broner lives and dies on his speed, which is something that he has worked diligently to prepare for in training. He told Luis Sandoval of Boxing Scene that he is not going to be intimidated by anything the champion throws his way on Saturday night. "I'll just be prepared and have my experience come in. I've fought and sparred a lot of fast guys. I've sparred Mike Dallas Jr. I've fought Dannie Williams. So I've worked with a lot of fast guys. I'm prepared for whatever Adrien Broner is going to bring. Like I said, he is the champ so I got to respect him." ... "I don’t think he’s underestimating me, I think he’s scared s***less. I haven’t tried to fight him back or talk s*** back to him. We’ve come face to face a lot, I kept my mouth shut and looked him straight in his eyes and there was no eye contact. So I think he’s scared but he would never admit it." Prediction Broner is a big favorite coming into this fight, but Perez is getting slighted because he doesn't win as sexy as Broner does. Saturday night is going to be all about upsets. Perez wins via unanimous decision Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Will they or won't they? That is the question dogging Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao as they continue to avoid fighting each other. On February 20, Pacquiao told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole that Mayweather's offer of $40 million, but no Pay-Per-View money was unacceptable. Probably because he doesn't want the fight to happen. He offered a deal he knew Pacquiao wouldn't accept, and now, he gets to sit back and make it look like he tried and his opponent wouldn't meet him halfway—and the term "halfway" is being used loosely here. As this back-and-forth continues to rage, the only thing these guys are doing is making themselves look petty, like they're running from a challenge. How could you respect A-Rod if he refused to even take a swing against Justin Verlander? Or, how could you respect Bill Compton if he just sat back and let Eric Northman take everything that he wanted without a fight? Both of them should just move on so the public can do the same, before it becomes blatantly obvious that both of them are just running scared. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Both fighters embarrassed themselves and deserve to be banned from boxing for life. According to the Daily Telegraph, the German Boxing Federation wants both British fighters banned from the sport for life. The Daily Telegraph understands that the German Boxing Federation (BDB) is pursuing a lifelong ban for both British fighters and has contacted the British Boxing Board of Control requesting that Chisora’s licence be revoked. Given Chisora's previous issues with the law, there's absolutely no reason to allow him to fight at any level of boxing again. His actions, and those of Haye, have no place in the sport. They allow people to look at boxing in a negative light, which hurts the sport. If boxing allows Chisora and Haye to continue to fight, the sport will look terrible because it will have allowed people who have had troubles with the law escape their mistakes with little consequence. Boxing must look at this situation and determine that these two fighters aren't worth the trouble. Taking the risk that either won't have any more troubles like brawling or anything else with the law isn't worth it for boxing. The BBBC will be handling the situation this week and will ask Chisora for the full story. Chisora will appear before British boxing's governing body on a misconduct charge Wednesday but the BBBC cannot take action against Haye because the Londoner retired last year after a defeat to Klitschko's younger brother, Wladimir. Haye has since decided he wants to return to the ring to fight Vitali Klitschko but would need to apply to the BBBC for a license. Since he has already retired, Haye should not be given a license if he ever wants to return to the ring. His actions in the brawl with Chisora were not acceptable, and since he's already left the sport as a fighter, there's no reason to let him come back following this incident. Both fighters made fools of themselves in this brawl; the proper consequences must be taken. Chisora and Haye need to be banned for life. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com Chisora should be some credit for taking Klitschko the distance since few fighters have ever done so, but Klitschko was never in any real danger of losing the fight. He took the bout 118-110, 118-110, 119-109, meaning Chisora didn't do enough to impress the judges. If Vitali can win that easily with one arm, then there is something fundamentally wrong with the division. For the past several years Vitali and his brother, Wladimir Klitschko, have dominated the division. The brothers are tall, powerful and have strong chins, so it's easy to see why they have been successful. Another reason for their extended run on top, though, is that they haven't had any legitimate challengers. Because of his brash attitude and crazy antics, Chisora was passed off as a dangerous opponent for Klitschko. As evidenced by his 15-3 career record, though, Chisora isn't a great fighter and never really stood a chance against the division's dominant boxer. Seeing as Klitschko has already defeated every major contender in the division, inferior fighters are starting to get pushed into bouts they have no realistic shot at winning. If Chisora is truly considered somebody who can compete with Klitschko, then Vitali might be able to fight and win until he's 50 years old. The heavyweight division was always a spectacle in previous years because there were big personalities, compelling rivalries and talent throughout. Now you have a few guys with personality like Chisora, but aside from the Klitschkos there is little talent, and there are no rivalries in existence to get the casual boxing fan interested. Every other division has exciting fights and unpredictability, but whenever Vitali Klitschko fights somebody, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that he's going to come out on top. The heavyweights need to do something huge in order to become relevant again, but it's probably going to take a major infusion of talent. On fight that could help save the division is a Klitschko vs. Klitschko unification bout, but every indication is that the brothers would never fight each other. Failing that, there are no up-and-coming fighters to pose a threat to either Klitschko, so until they retire the heavyweight division is doomed to remain stagnant. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com According to USA Today, Pacquiao mentioned that his recent re-devotion to his Catholic faith may end his boxing career after he takes on Timothy Bradley on June 9. Not having his entire focus on his fight with Bradley could end with Pacman losing for the first time since 2005. Pacquiao told USA Today by phone Monday: "Maybe, but I'm not saying (Bradley) is the last fight. Maybe I can fight one more. I don't know." Although it seems like he might be leaving open at least one more fight after Bradley, presumably for the long-awaited showdown with Mayweather, it seems his heart is in another place. If Pacquiao does decide to leave the sport he loves due to his religious beliefs, no one can blame him, as one's dedication to faith should not be questioned—for some, there is nothing more important than faith. With Pacquiao giving up all of his activities that conflict with his religious beliefs, including his ownership of a casino, abstaining from alcohol and even giving up his massive cockfighting fleet, Pacman's declaration that it may be all she wrote has to be taken seriously. With Pacquiao telling Yahoo! Sports that he'll fight Mayweather for the right payday—namely a 50/50 split including pay-per-view revenue—we can only hope Pacquiao will fight one more fight, which could be the Holy Grail of boxing matches of the last 20 years. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com |
