Hallelujah! Why God is great for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao| Kevin Mitchell | Sport | The Guardian Share on Messenger Close God, like everyone else who can get a ticket, is coming to Las Vegas. On 2 May , surrounded by the usual cast of sinners, he will hear his name invoked again in a boxing ring, American sport’s altar to excess. If he wins, Floyd Mayweather Jr will interrupt the TV interviewer (sadly it won’t be Larry Merchant) to, “thank God and my team”. If Manny Pacquiao wins, he will raise his hands to the heavens and give thanks. These are the rituals of the fight game, especially in Vegas, where Godliness is next to the cash machine, and Floyd and Manny will do the tradition proud. The God Thing reached a ludicrous pitch at the MGM Grand in 1996, the night Evander Holyfield, a 6-1 underdog, beat Mike Tyson for the first time.

Both combatants called down the Lord in their cause – Mike was on his third religion, from memory – but Evander, who was being schmoozed by yet another TV evangelist as his considerable fortune was ebbing through his fingers, hit a peak of absurdity afterwards in what YouTube describes as, “the worst interview ever ”. Holyfield’s gratitude was understandable. He claimed God had healed him of the “stiff heart” which forced him to retire two years earlier after he lost to Michael Moorer. Tyson, meanwhile, must have been disappointed that his prayers went unheeded. He was five fights into his comeback – after serving three years for the rape of Desiree Washington – and looked restored to full power, with Islam his post-prison enthusiasm. Clearly, he had not been praying hard enough. The unnerving aspect of this attachment of temporal fortunes to a higher authority is that it is so widespread and entrenched in American culture. A nation that embraces hedonism and the pursuit of Mammon so enthusiastically has no problem calling God an American. It is as if fight fans are signed up for a rolling exhibition of righteousness, happy to acknowledge that the man with the most prayers will get the most points.

Pacquaio and Mayweather are every bit as fervent worshippers as are Holyfield and Tyson – not to mention Pastor George Foreman, Islam’s most famous son, Muhammad Ali , and a whole parade of other saved fighters down the years. For many, religion is a refuge from the anxieties of a business built on humbug. Pacquiao a couple of years ago upset his mother when he abandoned his Catholicism to declare he was born again, a decision partly inspired by what he has described as a very real sighting of Jesus Christ. According to Manny’s trainer, Freddie Roach she was as much worried about the impact of the Congressman’s decision on his electoral chances in the overwhelmingly Catholic Philippines as on his path to the Promised Land. Freddie, a long-lapsed Catholic from Boston, has had a near-perfect working relationship with Pacquaio for 14 years, one in which the Filipino has won world titles of varying worth in eight weight divisions. They respect each other’s beliefs, or lack of them. It seems to work. The fighter says of the trainer: “ The way he lives his life and faces his affliction [Parkinson’s disease] inspires me personally and spiritually. He has been a blessing.

I will always pray for him .” When we spoke recently, Roach said of Pacquaio’s faith: “It’s fine. If it helps him, I’m good with that.” And he reflected on how it had calmed him down after years of wild living. Now Pacquaio has a new friend in Jesus: the out-of-contract NFL star Tim Tebow, whose religious fervour matches his own and who was born in the Philippines in 1985, where his parents worked as Baptist missionaries. Last week Tebow had a three-hour audience with Pacquaio in his Wild Card gym in Hollywood, a rare honour during a typically intense buildup to a major fight. He watched the WBO welterweight champion spar seven rounds then do eight rounds with Roach on the mitts. “It was the first time they had ever met and yet it seemed they had known each other forever the way they immediately embraced each other,” Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said. Dyan Castillejo, who filmed the meeting for the Filipino television network ABS-CBN, told the fighter’s publicists: “After training they had lunch next door until 7pm.

They have so much in common in terms of religious beliefs, philanthropy, being professional athletes and their Filipino backgrounds.” None of which will matter a jot when Mayweather slips Pacquiao’s first charge and counters with a long right – or when Manny backs Floyd into a corner and crashes a left hook on his opponent’s 38-year-old jaw. Because the real limits of their achievement will be determined not upstairs but by their own hard graft. Nevertheless, Floyd and Manny, two poor boys who got rich with the God-given ability to knock people about in a boxing ring, will walk up their own Calvary on the weekend of Cinco de Mayo celebrations and remind us again that they did not arrive here alone, while all around them in the temple of gambling a warm glow will emanate in the hearts of less spiritual wise guys. Hallelujah!

Floyd Mayweather and Justin Bieber Have Each Other's Digits | Bleacher Report Floyd Mayweather and Justin Bieber Have Each Other's Digits By King J , Senior Writer Mar 27, 2012 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories Jeff Gross/Getty Images 5 Comments This morning while most of society was already at work I was still in recovering mode from my one week vacation/spring break in Hawaii. It takes a few days to adjust back to the fast pace reality of L.A. from the extremely slow laid back tropical paradise of Hawaii so I found myself in the shower when one of my female friends downstairs in my living room was screaming about something. I stuck my head out of the shower to find out what was wrong and why the hell she was screaming. She began to say that Justin Bieber has Floyd Mayweather 's digits in his iPhone. I thought to myself, "Wow am I this out of it? Did I just hear her correctly?" So apparently this morning on Access Hollywood host Billy Bush and the Biebs went head to head on who had the bigger name celebrity's phone number in his cell phone.

Bush had the digits of some huge A-list movie stars like Julia Roberts, while Justin had the numbers of several rappers and of course the number one boxer on the planet, Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his phone. Is this surprising? Yes, I would bet most of the boxing world would be shocked to hear that Money May and Biebs have each other's digits in their cell phones. But it is definitely not worth screaming at me while I'm trying to take a shower to go to work. Even though the greater masses these days are not on fire for the sport of boxing as they once were decades and decades ago, there are two current boxers of whom most of the general public know and they are of course Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather, who is American and the true original face of HBO's 24/7, would have the slight edge in fame in the United States, especially for his notorious lavish lifestyle and being friends with several famous rappers and celebrities. Justin Bieber is, on the other hand, an international phenomenon superstar.

Most teenagers and pre-teens all around the world know who Bieber is and his fame/success is quite mysterious for much of it was derived from the word of mouth of social media networks such as YouTube and Twitter. Whether you want to admit it or not, Justin Bieber is the direct result of how powerful the social media age has now become especially since he still is famous and successful worldwide. According to an article in V magazine, Elliot David asks , "Why do you think you’re such an easy target? Is it your age? Your demographic? Your level of success?" Justin responds with a comparison to Floyd Mayweather: Yeah, I mean, when I was coming up, trying to get to where I am now, people were so happy [for me]. They were rooting for me. Now that I’m on top, everyone wants to bring me down. Everyone’s trying to tug at me and take my spot. And that’s how it always is, everyone wants you to be on top, and as soon as you’re there—like Floyd Mayweather, he’s the best boxer in the world. Now he is a champion. Every time he goes to a fight now, people are like, “He’s going to lose this time,” and then he wins.

And the next time they say, “He’s going to lose,” again; “he’s undefeated, he’s getting old, he’s going to fight Ortiz, who’s younger, and he’s going to lose.” Every time he wins. And people aren’t ever going to know that he’s a champ. So what do you guys think? Is it fair for the most famous pop star in the world to compare himself to the number one boxer in the world and vice versa? I'm sure the boxing fans would probably not embrace it if Mayweather shockingly had Justin Bieber riding on one of his Segways through out the Big Boy Mansion on HBO's next 24/7 Mayweather vs. Cotto episode. What if Money May even called himself the Justin Bieber of boxing? How would that float with all of you? But in the end any publicity or endorsement by a huge celebrity is always good for the sport of boxing. I go to all of Mayweather's fights in Las Vegas and I have never seen Justin Bieber sitting ringside. Jay-Z, P. Diddy, yes. If Justin began going to the fights would all his crazy legions of millions of young girls follow him and become fight fans as well?

Judging by how the so called "Beliebers" utterly worship and do whatever Justin tells them to do, I'd argue that yes they would become boxing fans as well. Hey anything to strengthen the popularity of the sport of boxing right? So ask yourself the same contest question: Who is the biggest name in your cell phone? Me being part of the boxing media and living in L.A. as well as working with some other projects in the entertainment industry would mean I would obviously have a few boxers' digits in my phone, also some B-list celebrities and even C-list celebrities...let's keep it real—I even have some D-list celebrities in my phone too. I should probably delete their numbers. King J is the Bleacher Report's Boxing Community Leader and a Featured Columnist. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao: Meet Their Coaches - ABC News ABC News Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao: Meet Their Coaches By Susanna Kim May 1, 2015, 1:32 AM ET 0 Shares WATCH Scoring Tickets for Mayweather, Pacquiao May Be Next to Impossible 0 Shares Email The boxing coaches for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

and Manny Pacquiao have histories that are perhaps more compelling than those of the famous fighters that will face each other on Saturday night. One's a father figure, the other a father -- but their attitudes toward each other are anything but family-like. Freddie Roach, 55, met Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao when he came to the United States from the Philippines in 2001. Pacquiao had already won two titles when he came to Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. "He walked in; I had no idea who he was, I had never heard of him before," Roach told ESPN in 2010. Flash forward to 2015. In the HBO documentary "At Last," Roach describes the moment when he watched Pacquiao play basketball and acknowledged that the 36-year old fighter still views him as a father figure. The evidence? Every time Pacquiao scored a basket, he would look at Roach for approval. Jonathan Moore/Getty Images Boxing trainer Freddie Roach poses for a portrait at Wild Card Boxing Club on Feb. 17, 2015 in Hollywood, California.

Roach suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which he says is most likely due to repeated blows to the head received during his boxing career, according to his club's website. But that hasn't stopped him from training and producing over 20 world champions, including 8-division world champion Pacquiao, as well as actor Mickey Rourke , whom Roach calls a friend. AFP/Getty Images Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines takes his media workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club on April 02, 2014 in Hollywood, Calif. He's also been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and won the World Boxing Council "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2008. He's won the Boxing Writers Association of America's "Trainer of the Year" Eddie Futch Award six times. . @mannypacquiao got a new flag for the gym pic.twitter.com/WcOMSR3Fgh — Freddie Roach (@FreddieRoach) April 17, 2015 Roach doesn't keep his feelings about Mayweather and his trainers, which including the boxer's father and uncle, a secret. These days, the coaches lately seem to engage in more trash-talking than the fighters.

Johnny Nunez/Getty Images Floyd Mayweather, Sr. and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. attend the official Mayweather afterparty at Studio 54 at MGM Grand on May 1, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. "They're not polite people," Roach told "Rolling Stone" of the Mayweathers. "And I'm not, either." Markus Boesch/Getty Images Floyd Mayweather, left, trades blows with Angelo Nunez during a fight at the Grand Olympic Auditorium on Nov. 20, 1997 in Los Angeles, Calif. Floyd Mayweather Sr., 62, who is originally from Mississippi, has fired back at Roach. "Freddie don't want me in my son's corner because he knows he is up against the master. That's why I call him Freddy Roach, the Joke coach," The Star-Ledger reported. Boxing runs in the Mayweather family's blood. Though his father, a former fighter who once lost to Sugar Ray Leonard, trained him from the time he was a boy, the two professionally split 15 years ago. Then Mayweather's uncle, Roger Mayweather, trained the boxer. But things have turned around.

Roger, 54, is now his nephew's junior trainer. Alex Menendez/Getty Images Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. looks on as his son Floyd Mayweather Jr. (not pictured), works out at the Mayweather Boxing Club on April 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nev. Roach said that he once sparred with Mayweather's uncle years ago. "[Roger's] not a nice guy," Roach said. "He'll knock you out and spit on you and stuff. If me and him were in the same room right now, we might fight." Steve Marcus/Reuters Roger Mayweather speaks to reporters at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, Sept. 6, 2011.

0 Shares Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are not the first boxers to duck a fight | Sport | The Guardian The balls of wrath Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are not the first boxers to duck a fight Joseph Henry Coburn’s frustrations in the 19th century show that dodging fights is not a new phenomenon in the slippery world of boxing Monday 22 December 2014 10.42 EST Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.04 EDT Share on Messenger Close We’re not sure exactly what James Whitcomb Riley had in mind with his famous, if it walks, swims and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck, line. While it may have been simply a flippant remark to end a tiresome debate, I like to imagine that the poet’s famous quote was an allegorical double entendre. The word “duck” gains prominence in boxing circles every time Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao take to the airwaves to fire the latest blanks in their phoniest of wars.

They’ve both been at it again recently, excelling in the prize fight equivalent of the Premier League footballer’s lemme-at-him struggle, safe in the knowledge there is a 20-man buffer between the players and absolutely zero chance of the harmless handbags escalating into a physical altercation. I’m not brave enough to risk the ire of either fighter’s fanbase by volunteering an opinion on the Pacman v Money debacle, but I am presumably on safe enough ground to ridicule the charade as just another symptom of a sport whose health has been on the wane for decades, right? Hang around any boxing gym in the land and some grizzled, old-timer will soon testify to that. Doing nothing to disguise his disdain of the mollycoddled modern day fighter, he’ll tell you that, in his day, the best fought the best and the champ took on all-comers, no questions asked. Push him for details and you’ll have the likes of Jack Britton and Ted “Kid” Lewis spat back at you with vengeance. The Hall of Fame welterweights traded leather on 20 separate occasions, totalling an astonishing 224 rounds. In June 1917 alone they fought each other three times.

That was when men were men and a boxer wouldn’t consider ducking if you threw a lit Molotov cocktail at his head. Mayweather and Pacquiao ain’t fit to lace Jimmy McLarnin’s gloves, the old boy will grumble as he shuffles away, already reliving Robinson-LaMotta VI in his mind. It is nice to believe that boxing once thrived in such an environment of clean, honest, proud confrontation but the reality is that boxers have been ducking one another for varying reasons since the ninth Marquess of Queensberry was a mere twinkle in Viscount Drumlanrig’s eye. A quick scan of the boxing annals reveals that, long before the Mayweather-Pacquiao pantomime, or everyone and Guillermo Rigondeaux, or Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis and a London dustbin, fighters have been doing their utmost to avoid particular opponents for centuries. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, the US-based Northern Irishman, Joseph Henry Coburn , was the hottest prospect in boxing.

Famed for his fleetness of foot and a blow like a pistol shot, Coburn started his career at middleweight with a 160-round draw with Edmund “Ned” Price. He quickly outgrew that division, however, and a run of victories at heavyweight soon positioned him as the No1 contender for John C Heenan’s championship. Heenan point-blank refused the fight and so began a series of ducks that drove Coburn halfway around the world in search of meaningful action. The second man to frustrate Coburn was Mike Norton; he simply didn’t show up for their scheduled bout in Brooklyn on the 11 June 1863. Exasperated, Coburn looked back across the Atlantic Ocean and called out the reigning English champion, Tom King. King promptly retired. Next in line was The Swaffham Gypsy, Jem Mace. Mace acted keen but refused to make the trip to the US. Coburn solved that problem by jumping on a ship and crossing the pond himself.

Once back in the motherland, terms were agreed for the bout to take place on 4 October 1864 But, as the date approached, Mace’s early bravado diminished and in demanding that he install his own choice of referee, he managed to dodge Coburn for a full seven years. The fighting Irish were just as likely to be the duckers as the duckees, however. When the limited Paddy Ryan was crowned heavyweight king in 1880, he was determined to hold on to his belt for as long as possible. This effectively meant evading sport’s first global superstar, John L Sullivan, for as long as possible. Ryan was successful for almost two years until Sullivan destroyed him inside 11 minutes in Mississippi City as Jesse James and Oscar Wilde looked on from ringside. And what of the Boston Strong Boy himself? Though it is impossible to question his talent, courage or self-belief, his famous boast that he’d “lick any son of a bitch in the house” carried an unspoken caveat: that son of a bitch could not have a shade of skin darker than his own.

Cue extravagant sidestepping of Australia’s Peter Jackson for the remainder of the 1880s – coincidentally the very decade that James Whitcomb Riley is thought to have penned his celebrated duck line. The situation did not improve any with the dawn of a new century. In fact, the action of ducking was rapidly developing into an art form. After Al McCoy knocked out George Chip on the 7th of April 1914 to become the first southpaw world champion, he did everything but put his belt on the line. While the likes of the aforementioned Britton and Lewis were forced to blatter seven shades out of each other for little more than a love of the game, McCoy fought 45 consecutive non-title bouts until Mike O’Dowd was finally given a shot in November 1917. We could go on but I think the point has been made. Mob involvement, the advent of competing governing bodies and the power of TV networks has undoubtedly exacerbated the problem over the years, but ducking was around centuries before Mayweather and Pacquiao became the most prominent exponents, and I fear it will still be prevalent long after they hang up their gloves for the final time. HBO Boxing: Mayweather vs.

Pacquiao- Face Off with Max Kellerman[Fan Made] - YouTube HBO Boxing: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao- Face Off with Max Kellerman[Fan Made] Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 27, 2015 The mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao seems more imminent than ever before. How would the two react to each other face to face? Here's a portrayal of what may happen in an HBO Face-Off with Max Kellerman. Enjoy, share, and subscribe! Clips Used: Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz Face Off Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley II Face Off All copyright belongs to its respectful owners, HBO. I do not take credit for any clips but use it for inspirational purposes. Category ESPN.com - 12 Days: Mayweather-Pacquiao 12 Days: Mayweather-Pacquiao By Dan Rafael Will Floyd Mayweather Jr.

budge from his demands to make a megafight with Manny Pacquiao? In the spirit of the holidays, ESPN is celebrating the season with our own "12 Days" wish list of the fights we want to see most, regardless of promotional or other entanglements. Keep checking back in the coming days to see new fights revealed, discuss our choices or even suggest some of your own in the comments section or via Twitter using #ESPN12Days. When Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were the best heavyweights in the world, both undefeated and both with a claim to the title, they eventually fought. Because the public demanded it, because each could make his biggest payday and because they dared to be great. It became one of the most storied rivalries in sports history and produced boxing's most famous trilogy. Showdowns between all-time greats do happen, but it's rare when they take place with fighters at the peak of their powers. It happened when Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns met to unify the welterweight title more than 30 years ago, a fight still talked about today.

In more recent years, the one fight that transcended boxing, one that even casual sports fans were interested in, was a showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. It has yet to happen, and its prospects look bleak. Filipino icon Pacquiao is the humble spirit and whirlwind power puncher who has won world titles in a record eight weight divisions, has been named fighter of the year three times and was the 2000's fighter of the decade. Mayweather is the brash, technical wizard who is undefeated and has won world titles in five weight divisions. He also has a fighter of the year award to his credit. For a few years, Pacquiao and Mayweather were regarded as the two best fighters in the world, pound for pound. However they ranked, they were always 1-2 (or 1A and 1B, for that matter) -- and nobody else was seriously in the conversation. And, oh yeah, they were both welterweights and beating many of the same opponents, including big names such as Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto.

As all fight fans know by now, unless you've been on Mars or under a rock, the sides have tried to negotiate the fight multiple times, including, most notably, the first try in late 2009 for an early 2010 fight. In my estimation, it would have generated more than 3 million pay-per-view buys and left the record in the dust. I think the fight would have easily shattered every single boxing revenue record known to mankind. It was a fight the world was begging to see. It was the ultimate showdown between boxing's best, two men with opposite personalities and contrasting styles. The camps had worked out every single issue -- from purse split (50-50) to a date and location -- with one exception. Mayweather demanded that both fighters undergo random drug testing -- blood and urine -- leading up to the fight. At the time, Pacquiao objected to blood testing so close to the bout, and the deal cratered. A second negotiation, one the Mayweather camp still has never admitted even took place (even though Pacquiao's side and HBO, which was involved, said it did), went nowhere.

By this time, Pacquiao was OK with random blood testing (which he underwent for his Nov. 23 fight with Brandon Rios), but Mayweather had other ideas and wanted a lot more than half the money. When he and Pacquiao spoke directly on the telephone about a possible fight, Mayweather offered only a flat fee to Pacquiao rather than a rightful percentage of a promotion that might be worth in excess of $200 million. The rancorous issues between Pacquiao promoter Top Rank and Mayweather adviser Al Haymon and Golden Boy, Mayweather's de facto promoter, were also huge roadblocks to making the fight. While Mayweather has remained on top and is now the clear pound-for-pound king, Pacquiao suffered a pair of losses -- a bogus split decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. and a rough knockout to Marquez in their fourth showdown. Those results cooled excitement for the fight. But after Pacquiao rebounded with such a dominant win against Rios, the fight is on people's minds again. And although it will never, ever be what it should have been -- the two best facing off at their best in 2010 -- it's still the biggest fight boxing has to offer, by far.

But that hasn't made a difference for the past several years and, sadly, doesn't appear to mean anything now, either, as both fighters remain as far apart as ever. Pacquiao is due to fight April 12 and Mayweather on May 3. Neither has formally announced his opponent, but one thing you can take to the bank: They won't be fighting each other. And for all of boxing, that is a shame. Floyd Mayweather Vs. Manny Pacquiao (And Boxing) Explained Will be good in 2015. Feb 21, 2015 Floyd Mayweather Vs Manny Pacquiao (And Boxing) Explained You might have heard that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have signed to fight May 2 in Las Vegas. It could be the year’s biggest sporting event. Here’s the cheat sheet. Who is Floyd Mayweather? Floyd Mayweather during his most recent fight, an easy victory over Marcos Maidana (Stephanie Trapp, Mayweather Productions) Floyd Mayweather, 37, is boxing’s biggest and best paid star, and is widely regarded as the best boxer in the world.

He’s a welterweight (147 lb/66.7 kg), though he sometimes fights in the next division up, junior middleweight (154 lb/69.8 kg). Basically he’s a small regular-sized dude. His record is 47 wins, 26 of them by way of knockout, with no losses and no draws. To say that Mayweather makes a big deal of his undefeated status would be an understatement. Mayweather is not a very likable dude, and has served time in prison for beating up the mother of his children in front of them (just one of a string of domestic violence incidents he’s been involved in). Earlier this month Australia denied him a visa on the grounds of his (lack of) character. Mayweather was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He’s the son of Floyd Mayweather Sr., who was a welterweight contender in the 1970s and ‘80s. Though Floyd Sr. made a lot of money from his boxing career, Floyd Jr. had a rough childhood. Floyd Jr.’s father sold drugs, beat him up and spent time in prison. His mother was a drug addict and he often went hungry.

Mayweather after his controversial loss in the semifinals at the Atlanta Olympics. The young Mayweather was never in any doubt as to what he’d be when he grew up. After compiling an impressive record in amateur boxing (where many boxers learn their craft wearing face protection and larger gloves) and winning a Bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics (the Olympics are only for amateurs), he turned professional in 1996. Like most young prospects, Mayweather started his career by beating a string of no-hopers before moving on to journeymen and eventually contenders. He won his first legitimate, or lineal, title (more on that later) at junior lightweight (130 lb/58.9 kg) and, like most boxers, has moved up in weight as he’s gotten older. Though he’d been an elite boxer for nearly a decade, Mayweather’s career truly took off in 2007 after he defeated Oscar De La Hoya and took his mantle as boxing’s biggest star. He has often been criticised, however, for not fighting the toughest available competition.

Around the time he beat De La Hoya, Mayweather changed his nickname from “Pretty Boy” — a tribute to his unmarked face and gleaming smile — to the less imaginative “Money” — a tribute to the fact that he really likes money. The move was a reflection of a bigger “heel turn”: Mayweather went from being an all-American boy to being a loud, unsportsmanlike dick. A large part of his success can be put down to the fact that people will pay to see him fight in the hope that he’ll lose. And pay they do; Mayweather makes tens of millions per fight. Style-wise, Mayweather is a defensive fighter who relies on his footwork, reflexes and ability to not get hit to win fights. He’s barely even been hurt in his 47 fights, though some say he’s become more vulnerable as he’s aged. Really, it’s strange he’s so popular, because he’s not that exciting to watch. Though Mayweather often calls himself “the best ever” (TBE for short — you can buy a hat if that’s your thing), nobody with any knowledge of boxing history takes that claim seriously. Who is Manny Pacquiao?

Pacquiao working out with his longtime companion and trainer Buboy Fernandez (HBO) Manny Pacquiao, 36, is an unlikely idol who rose from absolute poverty in the Philippines to become one of the best boxers in the world. He’s the sport’s second biggest star (at least in terms of earnings) and a congressman, movie star, TV host and pop singer in his native land. Like Mayweather, Pacquiao fights at welterweight, though he’s naturally a smaller man and often comes in underweight. His record is 57 wins, 38 of them via knockout, five losses, three of them by knockout, and two draws. Pacquiao’s happy-go-lucky attitude, exciting style and improbable rise from obscurity have made him a fan favourite around the world (and a God in his home country). You can probably tell already that there’s an obvious good guy vs. bad guy dynamic in this fight. Pacquiao was born in Kibawe, a town of 35,000 in the southern Philippines. One of six children, Pacquiao left school after grade six to help provide for his family.

After leaving home at 14, he picked up boxing while he was living on the streets of Manila. When he turned professional at 16 (a move which would have obviously been illegal in the USA), Pacquiao stood just 4'11"/149 cm and weighed 98 lb/44.5 kg (seven pounds below the limit of strawweight, boxing’s smallest weight division). Despite a few early losses, the story of Pacquiao’s career has been a barnstorming climb through the weight classes. One of his nicknames is “The Mexecutioner”, a moniker he earned for defeating a string of fearsome Mexican champions at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight in the middle of last decade. Like Mayweather, Pacquiao truly arrived as a star after beating Oscar De La Hoya. Few experts gave him any chance to win against the much larger American in 2008, but Pacquiao dominated, forcing De La Hoya to quit on his stool. “The Golden Boy” never fought again. Pacquiao has a nemesis, though: Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez.

The pair fought four times, with little to split them until Marquez knocked Pacquiao out cold in 2012. Many wondered whether Pacquiao could recover, but he’s recorded three wins since, including a victory over elite welterweight Timothy Bradley. “Pacman” has always been an offensive whirlwind, but since linking up with trainer Freddie Roach in the early 2000s he has been transformed. From being a guy with an with an insanely powerful left hand and not much else, he has become a technical master. A southpaw (or left-hander, for those of you who don’t speak the lingo), Pacquiao darts in and out of range, stinging his opponents with rapid-fire combinations. He’s breathtaking to behold. The two main criticisms of Pacquiao are that he’s “too nice” and “too distracted”. He certainly is nice (the several-hundred strong entourage that survives on his generosity can attest to that). A born-again Christian, Pacquiao has let several recent opponents off the hook when he could have gone for the knockout.

As for the distraction thing; Pacquiao is a congressman, a coach and player in the Filipino basketball league, an honorary Master Sergeant in his country’s army and God only knows what else. Obviously, the guy can multitask. Why is the fight important — is it for a world championship? Mayweather and Pacquiao will fight for various WBC, WBO and WBA “world titles”. Ignore that. World titles don’t matter. So many belts, so little meaning. The World Boxing Council, the World Boxing Organisation, the World Boxing Association and any number of other bodies are for-profit entities that boxers pay to sanction fights. More world titles mean more money for these “alphabet gang” organisations, so there are more than a hundred so-called “champions” split between boxing’s 17 weight divisions. There are real champions, though.

Boxing fans call them the lineal champions — they beat the last lineal champion, who beat the last lineal champion, who beat the last lineal champion, and so on, all the way back to the introduction of the Queensberry Rules (the modern rules of gloved boxing) in the 19th century, or at least back to when there was only one champion in each weight division. There’s an organisation (disclaimer: I’m a member) called the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board that keeps track of the lineal champions and ranks contenders from around the world. The lineal championship is vacant at welterweight, the division Pacquiao and Mayweather fight at, so a fight between the #1 and #2 contenders (you guessed it, Manny and Floyd) will crown a new champion. All that aside, though, the fight is important because it’s between two of the best boxers in the world (some would say the two best boxers in the world). We want to see it, and that makes it important. I heard someone say that the fight is happening five (or seven) years too late, is that true? It depends what you mean. Yes, Mayweather vs.

Pacquiao became the most desirable fight in boxing in late 2008. Yes, it would have been better then because both men were younger and in their prime. Yes, Pacquiao has been knocked out since then and Mayweather may have slowed down. That’s all true… BUT Mayweather and Pacquiao are still the two best welterweights in the world. They’re still two of the best fighters in boxing at any weight. Pacquiao’s lightning fast, two handed assault still makes for an interesting style contrast with Mayweather’s sublime defensive boxing. So if you want to try to impress your friends by being the negative guy, be my guest. I’ll be enjoying it the fight. Why haven’t they fought before now? Mayweather and Pacquiao haven’t fought yet because nobody could make them. Unlike other sports, boxing does without bells and whistles like “a governing body”, “rules” or “basic decency”. Sportswriter Jimmy Cannon famously dubbed it “the red light district of sports”, but really boxing is “the bleak libertarian dystopia of sports”. Even when they want to, the aforementioned sanctioning bodies have little power to compel fighters to fight one another.

In that vacuum, fighters are left to organise the fights between each other. If a boxer doesn’t want to fight another boxer, they don’t have to. If a boxer wants to come out and say that their opponent is on performance enhancing drugs and demand advanced testing (like Mayweather did to Pacquiao in 2009), he can. If a boxer wants to get offended and refuse said testing (like Pacquiao did in response), he can. If a boxer doesn’t like his prospective opponent’s promoter he can just flat out refuse to deal with him (as Mayweather did with Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, for a long time). If a boxer is scared of another boxer, he can make up a bunch of weird excuses or demand an unreasonable share of the proceeds from the fight (as many believe Mayweather has done until now). There were also a bunch of other issues. Because of the lack of central control in boxing, nobody owns the broadcast rights, as is the case in other sports. Promoters (who usually represent a group or “stable” of boxers), negotiate separate arrangements with TV networks. Mayweather has an exclusive deal with Showtime, while Pacquiao fights on rival network HBO.

The split between networks also reflects a split between promoters. While Mayweather says he works for himself, he’s “advised” by evil genius Al Haymon . Haymon doesn’t do business with Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank. It’s all very high school. So why has it finally happened? Only Mayweather, Pacquiao and their advisers know that. Both men have more or less run out of other legitimate opponents, but that’s been the case for a while. The fight represents the most money either man could make, but again, that’s been the case since 2008–2009. Neither man is getting any younger — but then, neither is anyone. Pacquiao and Mayweather meet in Miami, January 27. For whatever reason, late last year Pacquiao began to push very hard for the fight and expressed a willingness to make financial concessions to Mayweather. The big break may have come when the fighters bumped into each other at Miami Heat game in January and later spoke in Mayweather’s hotel room.

According to Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza, that chance meeting (Pacquiao’s planned flight to New York had been delayed) was crucial and “cleared up a lot of doubts in both of their minds.” The TV networks know a good (and profitable) thing when they see one, and will work together on a co-production (they did so once before, for another massive bout, Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson in 2002). Michael Buffer (“let’s get ready to rumble”) and Jimmy Lennon Jr. (“it’s Showtime”) will share ring announcing duties, if you were curious. How much will the fighters make? Mayweather is reportedly guaranteed $120 million and Pacquiao $80 million. That money comes from ticket sales, sponsorships, the multi-million dollar fee paid by the MGM Grand casino to host the fight and the television revenue. They don’t call him “Money” for nothing. Why the discrepancy between the guarantees? Well, in the past more people have bought Mayweather’s fights than Pacquiao’s fights. That makes Mayweather the “A-side”, even though they’re both superstars.

Pacquiao’s team was willing to make that concession, and fair enough I guess, $80 million dollars buys a lot of pork adobo. Both men will likely make more than the amount they’ve been guaranteed, though. We don’t know the specifics of the deal, but both fighters will get a percentage of the amount of money generated by American households buying the fight on pay-per-view (after a certain baseline number of “PPV buys” has been met). It’s likely more than two million people will buy the fight, so we’re talking about a lot of money. Additionally, Mayweather and Pacquiao will earn a percentage of the money the fight generates internationally, plus whatever endorsements they can sort out. Where will the fight take place, where can I watch it and how much will it cost? The fight will take place at the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas, a long-time boxing venue that has been Mayweather’s “home ground” for years (Pacquiao has also fought there a lot). If you want a ticket to see it live: good luck. Few, if any, tickets will be released to the public, and those that are will cost many thousands of dollars.

The rest will go to the fighters’ entourages, celebrities, high rolling gamblers and other non-deserving types. The MGM has been a major boxing venue for decades. Thankfully, the fight will almost certainly be shown in movie theatres both in the casino and around the USA. If actually leaving the house isn't your thing, though, you’ll have to buy the pay-per-view through your cable provider. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but expect to pay close to $100 (yes, one hundred dollars) if you live in the USA. In other countries it may be cheaper; in Australia we’ll likely be looking at $50. If you’re in the Philippines you probably don’t need to worry; it’ll be showing anywhere and everywhere ( Manila’s crime rate plummets when Pacquiao fights). What will the rules of the fight be? If one guy knocks the other guy to the floor and he can’t get up in 10 seconds, that’s a knockout, or KO. If he gets up before the count of 10, that’s a knockdown (and he loses a point — more on scoring later).

A technical knockout, or TKO, covers a whole bunch of other ways a fight could be ended by the referee, the fight doctor or the corner of one of the each fighter. Assuming none of those dramatic things happen, Pacquiao and Mayweather will fight 12 three-minute rounds with a break of one minute between each round before the fight “goes to the scorecards.” Pacquiao flaws Marquez during their second fight. Warning: boxing scoring is confusing as hell. When I first saw a fight and the score was 116–112, I thought that the winner had hit the loser four more times than the loser had hit him. Let me tell you, though, that is not the way it works. Tim Starks has written the clearest explanation of boxing scoring I’ve seen so far: “Fights are scored by what is called the ‘10-point must system,’ where rounds are evaluated by a panel of three judges who make their determination of which boxer got the better of each round.

They make their determination based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, which fighter was in control and, sometimes, defense, although some judges favor some of those criteria more than others.” It’s called the ‘10-point must system’ because the winner of each round gets 10 points, while the loser gets fewer points — usually nine. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has a set of rules that cover the other, more finicky aspects of headpunching. They have a list of approved gloves, for example, and they make sure that all bouts take place in a ring that measures 20 x 20 feet. There are other rules , though boxing is still basically two dudes punching each other in the head. Who will win? Betting shops have Mayweather as a three-to-one favourite, but expect that to narrow before fight night. Really it’s anyone’s guess, but that’s why they fight the fights. (I’m really excited). This boxing caper is interesting, where can I find out more? The boxing blog I write for, The Queensberry Rules , is a good place to start.

We were named one of Time Magazine’s best blogs (on any subject) a few years ago, and we’re quoted fairly regularly in The New Yorker, The Wall St Journal and other publications you might have heard of. We also have a podcast . You can keep up with the larger stories and get fight wrap-ups on ESPN . Bad Left Hook is even better, since it’s updated more regularly, is more in depth and is written with a sense of humour. The Guardian is great for British boxing (I have to say that, I write for them) and so is The Telegraph . I don’t think the Boxingscene website has changed since 1995, but they’re the best site on the web for a pure boxing news hit and they have some great columnists like David Greisman. Grantland does great boxing coverage, often focusing on the weird and funny side of the sport. Gorilla Productions does great promo and highlights videos.The HBO boxing podcast with Eric Raskin and Kieran Mulvaney is quite good if you’re more of an audio fan. Or just hit me up on Twitter and I’ll give you some recommendations. Will be good in 2015. 51 Floyd Mayweather Jr.

To Fight Manny Pacquiao in 2015? : Trending News : TravelersToday Floyd Mayweather Jr. To Fight Manny Pacquiao in 2015? Travelers Today By TravelersToday Staff Reporter Updated: Oct 11, 2014 10:04 AM EDT Text Size: A A A Tags floyd mayweather , floyd mayweather undefeated , Floyd Mayweather Jr. , floyd mayweather sr , floyd mayweather jr. against manny pacquiao , manny pacquiao boxing , floyd mayweather jr. boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. keeps mum on rumors about an upcoming fight against Manny Pacquiao after his father recently announced that the two boxers may possibly face each other on the ring in 2015. Talks about the match of two of the world's most famous boxers still continues despite no confirmations have been yet made. The fight between the two is actually a long wait for their many fans ever since the rumors of it started years back.

It can be recalled that a negotiation about their fight started in December 2009; however, it was never carried out since there were several issues in the agreement that is not favored by one of the parties involved. With the agreement about the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao called off, many fans were dismayed. The said face-off between the two famous boxers is actually expected to be one of the top-grossing fights in history, but it seems to be vague for now. Many also anticipate that if the fight will become possible; then, it will be a huge event especially now that they're already clashing against each other even not in the ring when they started to exchange several controversial tweets. Although both boxers keep mum about their rumored fight, the five-divison world champion's father recently hinted that a fight against Pacquiao will be possible sometime in 2015. According to Mayweather Sr., although his son did not share his plan about fighting the Filipino boxer, he is convinced that it's definitely going to happen. "That fight's definitely gonna happen. It's a fight for the world, man, right there.

It's the biggest fight that has ever been in life, so like I said, man, that fight's gonna happen," Floyd Mayweather Jr.said. Instead of supporting and be happy about his father's statements, Floyd Mayweather Jr. said that his father is totally wrong. He even threatened that he may get a new trainer if his father keeps on bragging about the said fight without even consulting him first. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather and the Top 10 Super-Fights of All Time | Bleacher Report Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather and the Top 10 Super-Fights of All Time Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Ethan Miller/Getty Images 6 Comments Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have engaged in two highly celebrated careers as world championship boxers and the world would like to see them engage each other. Unfortunately, egos and impatience have allowed both sides to walk away from the negotiation table for the time being in favor of lucrative "busy fights" that the disappointed public settle for. But when the public gets what it wants and an epic encounter occurs between two boxing celebrities in a highly anticipated bout, a super-fight is the result.

Super-fights are between two fighters, sometimes in their prime and sometimes not, who have accumulated so much hype or much distinction that the demand to see them collide is unbearable. Many times, these fights can disappoint. But every now and then, they fulfill nearly every lofty expectation held. What will be ranked here is not which super-fights were the best of all time, but super-fights were the biggest and most anticipated fights of their day. The results and whether they disappointed or lived up to expectations will also be discussed. Rematches to highly anticipated bouts will not count as separate entries on this countdown. In this writer's eyes, rematches are just extensions of the hype of the original fight. So without further ado, I give you the 10 Biggest Super-Fights of All Time. July 4 1919, the "Great White Hope" Jesse Willard was set to defend his world heavyweight title against Jack Dempsey, the rising star at the time. Willard's biggest win was against the first Black world champ Jack Johnson four years ago. Dempsey was considerably smaller than the six foot six fighter and was considered the underdog by the general boxing public despite his growing popularity.

Many experts felt Dempsey's superior skills would win the fight including the famous boxing lightweight legend Benny Leonard. In the first round, Dempsey smashed all expectations by knocking Willard down seven times. Dempsey continually punished Willard in an era where referees allowed punishment to continue long past the point where a merciful stoppage should be awarded. Willard was also not allowed to fully stand up. Once Willard's knees and gloves left the canvas, the referee would motion both fighters to box. A still heaving and bent over Willard would get repeatedly knocked down while trying to recover. In modern boxing times with more compassionate refereeing, Willard would have been saved by the ref somewhere between the third and fourth knockdown. Instead, the fight continued until Willard wouldn't come off his stool for the fourth round. Did this fight disappoint the people? The people were shocked. Some were so shocked at such a beating that theories have been brewed and concocted that Dempsey had plaster of Paris in his gloves or rail spikes. Many theories of foul play have been discussed over the years, but Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer believed there was no plaster of Paris.

A new star was officially made in Jack Dempsey at the cost of Jesse Willard, the star of yesteryear. So in a way, you could say Dempsey's bustling fanbase at the time wasn't disappointed. March 17 1990 gave birth to a super-fight between two undefeated world champions. Julio Cesar Chavez was the WBC junior welterweight world champion 68 wins and 55 knockouts. Taylor was the IBF junior welterweight world champion with 24 wins, one draw and 15 knockouts. In a post-Tyson-obsessive world where Tyson-hype had died down following his strange upset loss to Buster Douglas, Chavez benefited and his fight with Taylor erupted in popularity. The fight was big and delivered on the action it promised. Named "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine, the ending would unfortunately overshadow the amazing display of skill. Taylor was up on all the judges' scorecards by Round 12 and set to win and become the first to dethrone Chavez of his perfect record. Chavez scored a knockdown with seconds to go.

Taylor got up to beat the count, but referee Richard Steele said Taylor didn't respond clearly so he waved off the fight with two seconds to go. Were Boxing Fans Disappointed? Chavez had won the fight by two seconds. Fans of Chavez celebrated everywhere. Others, stared with disappointment. To this very day, this decision is a good way to start a divisive debate among boxing buddies. Some believe Taylor should have protected himself better in the last round and others believe the champ should have been given the benefit of the doubt for getting on his feet and not being wobbled. Tweet Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney are both popular undefeated heavyweights in 1982. Holmes is the WBC heavyweight world champion fresh off a knockout of a 39-year-old Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, and Leon Spinks. While Holmes won against Norton by decision, Cooney won by knockout in round one. Don King promoted the fight through racial motivation, citing that there hadn't been a white heavyweight champ in two decades. When the fight began, Holmes established his jab even as Cooney tried to stay busy and disrupt Holmes' smooth flow.

Holmes' left jab eventually wore Cooney out and after a flurry from Holmes, he momentarily sagged against the ropes at the end of round thirteen. Cooney's corner stopped the fight in fear of two more rounds of punishment. Were the people disappointed? No. It was a good show. Holmes remained a world champ and Cooney may have lost but he lost no fans in his trying effort. Tweet Tommy Hearn was a young star that suffered a setback against Sugar Ray Leonard only to bounce back with an amazing second round knockout of the legendary Roberto Duran. Marvin Hagler had been at middleweight (160 lbs) world champion for five years by the time Hearns moved up from light middleweight (154 lbs) to face him in April of 1985. Hagler's victories against Duran and other contenders helped spike his popularity to an amazing peak by 1985. Both Hearns and Hagler were beloved and well known, making their fight highly anticipated especially in the wake of Sugar Ray Leonard's recent retirement. From the first bell, Hearns and Hagler were trading shots. Hagler was hurt by Hearns, but battled back to hurt Hearns by the end of the round.

Hearns was still hurt by the time the second round had begun and he suffered a broken right hand after delivering a shot to Hagler's hard skull that didn't so much as wobble the middleweight champ. After Hagler withstood Hearns' best punch, it was only a matter of time. In the third round, Hagler landed a flurry that sent Hearns against the ropes. Hearns turned to trot away, but got caught with a right that slumped Hearns body onto Hagler and then straight to the canvas. Hearns barely beat the count, but was clearly a zombie on spaghetti legs by the count of ten. The referee waved off the fight, awarding Hagler the third round knockout victory. Did the bout Disappoint? No. Not a bit. In fact, the fight overshot all expectations. The first round is considered to be the greatest opening round in the history of all boxing. The ferocity and the drama that Hearns and Hagler created in that round inspired the entire sports world. The fight, though only three rounds, won Ring Magazine's 1985 "Fight of the Year" award.

Tweet Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad were two undefeated Hispanic warriors so loved by their countries that there was no choice but to make this fight. With Mexico hanging on the shoulders of De La Hoya and Puerto Rico hanging on the shoulders of Trinidad, an international rivalry gave birth to a super-fight in 1999. Though De La Hoya gave a spirited effort with some still to this day claiming he should have won, Trinidad picked up the decision victory. Both fighters made millions and pressed on to each build careers highly worthy of Hall of Fame status. Were their fans disappointed? Mexicans were likely disappointed in the decision, but the fight was an enjoyable one to boxing fans in general. Tweet This was a fight between two undefeated legends at the top of their game. Mike Tyson was an animal with 34 wins and 30 knockouts. He knocked out Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes and the list goes on. Michael Spinks had moved up from light heavyweight to heavyweight to defeat Larry Holmes for his heavyweight title and later beat Holmes in a rematch. Spinks defended his title against a few more opponents including Gerry Cooney. Tyson and Spinks were in a fight with a buildup that would eclipse all other fights up until that time.

June 27, 1988 came and the night was electric. Spinks was set to make a guarantee of 13.5 million dollars. Tyson somewhere in the range of $20 million after revenues were fully calculated, the highest purse ever at the time. Oprah Winfrey, Billy Crystal, Chuck Norris, Donald Trump, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn among other celebrities were there on fight night. Tyson was the slight favorite, but the clash of styles intrigued the boxing world like never before. Spinks was the jabbing "Thinker's Man" and Tyson was the ferocious beast that had trampled through the heavyweight division. In the first round, Tyson had Spinks down. Then Spinks got up to fight back and Tyson landed a two piece with an uppercut that sent Spinks crashing right back down on his back with a look of horror. Tyson had won the biggest fight of his career in 91 seconds. Who was disappointed? Tweet Sugar Ray Leonard was one of the best fighters of the 1980's. Roberto Duran was widely considered possibly the best lightweight of all time in the 1970's.

With Duran's recent move up to welterweight and Leonard's dominance of the division, it was only a matter of time. Fans loved them both and were filled with anticipation out of this world for this fight. In June of 1981, Leonard took the fight to Duran in what was billed as "The Brawl in Montreal". The fight went back and forth, but Leonard's less elusive style used to go against Duran was not a proper fit. Duran hurt and banged the young champ around, winning by unanimous decision. But then Leonard got his rematch five months later in November 1980 in what was billed as, "Revenge in New Orleans". Leonard switched to what he knew best, dancing and boxing around the ring. He outclassed Duran so badly that the young warrior grew frustrated. In his frustration, Duran quit in Round 8. At first, the referee was taken aback and tried to motion Duran to fight once he turned his back, but when Duran wouldn't come back toward the center of the ring, the ref had no choice but to wave the fight off. Leonard had become the first fighter to make Duran actually quit.

It would take nine years before the two would face each other in a third and final match. Both fighters were past their prime by this time, but that didn't mean the anticipation wasn't there. Leonard and Duran filled a Vegas venue in 1989 to finish the eighties out in style. Leonard won by a wide unanimous decision, but both fighters were winners. In the end, Duran made over 17.1 million in guaranteed fight purses from the trilogy while Leonard made an astounding $29 million. This rivalry began a trend of super-fights and a classic, lucrative trilogy that would open and close an era of boxing. Were the Fans Disappointed? No one could be disappointed by their first all-action matchup, but Duran fans were disappointed in his decision to quit during the second match. The third match wasn't acclaimed very much by fans, who saw it as a boring snoozefest with no back-and-forth drama as Leonard was clearly in control. Tweet This is possibly the single most famous matchup of all time. In 1974 in Zaire, Ali vs Foreman.

An undefeated George Foreman was world heavyweight champ and had easily knocked out the two men that gave Ali so much trouble, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. Ali was getting older at age 32 with many suspecting the 25-year-old Foreman to destroy him with commentator Howard Cossell memorably performing a pre-fight eulogy to Ali. On the night of the fight, Ali made the "rope-a-dope" trick famous worldwide. By laying on the ropes and covering up, Ali allowed Foreman to punch himself out while only hitting Ali's arms. As Foreman got progressively tired, Ali got more aggressive and then unleashed on the outwitted opponent in round eight, finishing him by memorable knockout. Was anyone disappointed? Tweet Jack Johnson was a dominating force in early 20th century world boxing and in 1908, he became the world heavyweight champion. There was only one problem: he was the first black world heavyweight champion and White America just wasn't ready. The search for the "Great White Hope" continued for the next few years with Johnson knocking out everyone they threw at him. Then came the call for then undefeated former world champion, James J Jeffries.

Johnson was given his title opportunity against Tommy Burns because Jeffries had retired undefeated so many boxing fans claimed Jeffries was the real champ. Calls came for Johnson to face "the real champ". So in 1910 in a specially built outside ring in Reno, Nevada, 20,000 people witnessed the "Fight of the Century" as it was billed. Jeffries made an ungodly amount of money at the time with a fight purse of $120,000. Johnson earned $65,000. The demand for this event was high. Johnson brutally dispatched of Jeffries in Round 15. After being knocked down twice for the first time in his career in Round 15, Jeffries corner threw in the towel. Was the American public disappointed? Reporters were using new technology at the time to bring round-by-round updates such as the telegraph. So the word got around fast and the nation-wide riots started even faster. As soon as word came out of how bad Jeffries was beaten and outclassed by Johnson, race riots erupted. The film of the fight was banned from being moved across state lines. Blacks that were celebrating were being beaten by angry Whites.

A newfound respect was given by boxing writers to Johnson, who in one fight legitimized his entire heavyweight reign and career to White America. Joe Louis was the undefeated American "Brown Bomber" with 27 wins and 23 knockouts. Max Schmeling was Nazi Germany's golden goose and a symbol of white supremacy. When Louis lost their first highly anticipated bout in 1936 by way of knockout in Round 12, Louis got a call from the president of the United States at the time, FDR (Franklin Roosevelt). FDR are told Louis, "Joe, we need muscles like yours to beat Germany." That was all the motivation Louis needed. With his country behind him, Louis engaged Schmeling in a rematch in 1938 that became one of the greatest revenge stories of all time. Louis knew that if he allowed Schmeling to just jab away at him over time that he would just fade and get knocked out again in the late rounds. So this time, Louis came out aggressive and made every punch count toward putting Schmeling to bed early.

Upon rising from the canvas for the third time in the fight in just the third round Schmeling's corner stopped the fight, awarding Louis the first round knockout victory. Did it live up to the hype? Yes and no. America was ecstatic over the Louis win. Nazi Germany was pissed. Pacquiao vs Mayweather would be a great fight, but egos must be conquered and somebody must give in for everybody to win. The money and the legacy of both fighters would grow enormously from such a match. Floyd Mayweather is a genius with defensive abilities that are rare and likely to never be seen again. Pacquiao is a rabid offensive beast with an attacking prowess likely to not be seen any time soon in another fighter. Both men need each other equally. They are the yin to each other's yang. The history of the sport would be much brighter with Mayweather vs Pacquiao than without the proposed super-fight.

Question: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao famously oppose/opposed each other in?
Answer: Boxing