Miguel Cotto Workout (Video)

WBA super welterweight champion Miguel Cotto shows his form as he prepares for his March 12 title defense against former champion Ricardo Mayorga. The bout Cotto vs Mayorga will be seen on SHOWTIME PPV.

Watch Miguel Cotto Workout (Video)

Miguel Cotto Media Day (Photos)

WBA Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, Caguas,Puerto Rico skips rope during media day for his upcoming world title fight against two-division world champion Ricardo Mayorga, Managua, Nicaragua on Saturday, March 12, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cotto vs. Mayorga is promoted by Top Rank, in association with Cotto Promotions, Don King Productions, Tecate and MGM Grand and will be televised on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View.

Miguel Cotto Media Day (Photos)

Tim Bradley Media Day Workout (Video)

Timothy Bradley’s fight week media day work out took place at the famed Kronk Gym on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. When you think Kronk Gym, you think Tommy Hears. Hearns got into the ring, eventually putting the mitts on and worked with Bradley for about 15 minutes, wowing the media and bystanders. He said “I love to take risks. That’s what this fight is all about. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

Alexander vs Bradley in THE SUPER FIGHT,Saturday, January 29, 2011 a the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI

Watch Tim Bradley Media Day Workout Video

Antonio Margarito Open Workout Video

Antonio Margarito held an open media workout in prepration for his upcoming clash with Manny Pacquiao for the highly anticipated November 13 showdown.

Watch Antonio Margarito Open Workout Video

Camp Margarito Exclusive Photos

Antonio Margarito (38-6) of Mexico prepares for the biggest fight of his boxing career against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2).  Images from Team Margarito

Camp Margarito Exclusive Photos

Pacquiao-Margarito 24/7 Episode 1 Recap

Boxing  - One fights for history.  One for redemption. All of us are following their journeys.  HBO’s 24/7 documentary “Pacquiao-Margarito” follows the training leading up to the November 13 showdown between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (51-3-2) of the Philippines and Antonio “Tijuana Tornado” Margarito (38-6) of Mexico for the WBC light middleweight title.

Photos: Pacquiao-Margarito on HBO 24/7

Here is the recap of the first installment of Pacquiao-Margarito 24/7:

1. The series began with the following thought:  “A fighter was once asked what he believed in.  I believe in me.  I have no other choice.” HBO’s crew highlighted Pacquiao’s historic accomplishment of being elected as a congressman in his native Philippines, while simultaneously being an active boxer.  In one clip, the ‘Fighter of the Decade’ said:  “That’s my dream: to help people.  I want to help them because I know what they’re feeling.  I know what is the feeling of being nothing in life.” The statement alludes to the champ’s rise from the slums of General Santos City, where he is from, to becoming perhaps this generation’s greatest fighter.
2. Freddie Roach offered that Pacquiao’s role in congress is often a distraction during fight preparations, and is something that concerns him.  The boxer’s congressional aide, Jeng Gacal, suggested that there was a time when he had to interrupt Manny with a phone call, as the welterweight champ and Roach were working the mitts in Baguio City (where the boxer has trained the past few weeks).
3. HBO re-visited Antonio Margarito’s controversial hand-wraps issue, with the Mexican boxer denying that he knew of the illegal padding prior to his fight with Shane Mosley (46-6-1) in early 2009.  Former trainer Jose Capetillo told the boxer that he (Capetillo) made a mistake of placing another fighter’s pad into Margarito’s hands.  The Mexican – like a cornered, wounded animal that presents danger – said that beating Pacquiao would make people forget about the past.  The viewer is introduced to the classic theme of redemption.  “Beating him will stop the talk . . . . The truth is I’m sorry.  I didn’t think all of it would get to this point . . . . I’ll prove to the whole world that I can win and I’m back.” Roach and Pacquiao opined that they thought that Margarito knew of the padding, with the Filipino boxer adding that the world should give Margarito a chance to restore his boxing career.  Humans make mistakes.  (Here, HBO covers enduring themes such as redemption and forgiveness.  Indirectly and with subtlety, the producers behind 24/7 inject points that resonate with Filipinos and Mexicans who are predominantly Christians.)
4. Pacquiao is fine whether or not the fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr (41-0) happens, and elevated his accomplishments inside the ring over that of his American rival.  Roach walks through a local mall in Baguio and is surrounded by a wave of admirers.
5. The tv crew followed Margarito’s preparations in Oxnard, California, with the boxer being portrayed as a desperate fighter confident of his ring abilities.  To his credit, the boxer appears to be in excellent shape and seems to have supreme focus for the biggest fight of his life.  His team, including trainer Robert Garcia, held a recent fundraiser with many Mexican fans in attendance supporting the ‘Tijuana Tornado’.  Viewers find out that the boxer and his wife, who attends her husband’s training sessions, have been married for 12 years.  (The clip serves as a prelude to the large Hispanic base that will be cheering for Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the bout will take place.)
6. HBO showed the challenge of Pacquiao climbing yet another weight division, this time in an attempt to extend his record and earn an eighth belt in as many weight classes.  Margarito, at 5’11″, is clearly bigger than the smaller, but speedier, ‘Pacman’.  During one of the tapings, Margarito weighed in at 158 lbs with less than a month away before the weigh-in.
7. The crew followed Manny Pacquiao’s numerous commitments both inside and outside of the ring.  Clips were shown of Pacquiao participating in a fund-raising marathon, conducting boxing exercises, attending a congressional session, and spending time with family.
8. The episode ends with Margarito running along a California beach before sunrise.  “I honestly feel better than ever.  I’ve struggled a lot, suffered a lot, battled to get where I am . . . . the truth is I have faith in myself that I can beat him (Pacquiao).”

As a caveat, one must take HBO’s account as well as Bob Arum’s statements, with a grain of salt.  Top Rank and HBO are business entities.  On this note, 24/7 is designed to sell tickets, and therefore, to maximize the revenue of the parties involved.  However, the series offers an insightful look into the struggles and hopes of athletes at the peak of their violent sport.

Margarito represents a big risk to the smaller Pacquiao.  However, casinos peg the Filipino champ as more than a 6-1 favorite to win this fight.   Still, the first episode of this documentary salivates our lust for an exciting and brutal fight.  The classic themes of redemption, as well as, the pursuit of historic achievements remain as enduring as they are meaningful.

The second installment of Pacquiao-Margarito 24/7 comes on Saturday, October 30.

Photos: Pacquiao-Margarito on 24/7

Watch Pacquiao vs. Margarito HBO 24/7 Complete Trailer

Pacquiao vs Margarito on HBO 24/7 (Photos)

Scenes from HBO’s “Pacquiao-Margarito 24/7” series detailing the upcoming boxing showdown. The HBO’s 24/7 documentary featuring Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito started off a few weeks ago with Pacquiao-Margarito face-off with Max Kellerman and some trailer videos. This is the premiere of the promotion documentary for their upcoming super welterweight title bout on the thirteenth of November at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA.

Photos from Pacquiao vs Margarito on HBO 24/7

Pacquiao Leaves for US on October 23

Seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao will be leaving for United States on October 23 to continue his training at the famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Pacquiao will train for one more week at the Shape Up Boxing Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel in Baguio City to complete the first phase of his training.

A Bunch of sports journalists from all over the country are expected to say good luck, God bless or even ask the Filipino ring icon Pacquiao to whip the ass of Mexican Antonio Margarito in Monday’s Media Day in his high-altitude training camp at Baguio.

Pacquiao along with Top Rank Promotion Chief Bob Arum, trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning coach Alex Ariza will be talking and sharing some moments with the national media at 1 p.m.

Arum, who will go back home on Wednesday, went to Baguio Saturday unaware of an impending typhoon (international codename Megi) that is expected to slash through Northern Luzon, including Baguio, on Monday.

Pacquiao is currently in the thick of training in the Philippines’ summer capital that is five-to-six hours from Manila by land for a November 13 showdown against Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Arum, who arrived in Manila on Saturday, also said: “I am very excited to be there and see Manny, the rest of the team and the Filipino boxing fans.”

Manny Pacquiao: I’m training hard for fight

POUND-FOR-POUND king Manny Pacquiao isn’t fooling around and is actually training hard for his WBC super welterweight title fight against Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13.

Ariza ruled out any sparring between Pacquiao and Khan, pointing out that “they are fighting two different guys with different styles.”

Antonio Margarito preparing traps for Pacquiao

Antonio “Tijuana Tornado” Margarito (38-6) of Mexico continues to prepare for the biggest fight of his life against pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (51-3-2) of the Philippines.  Margarito, who stands at 5’11″, has been spending several weeks honing several fight strategies against the much smaller Pacquiao, who stands at 5’6.5″ and who has never weighed in at more than 145 lbs for a bout.

Among several strategies Margarito is perfecting in Oxnard, California:

1. Honing his left jab in order to attempt to keep the faster Pacquiao at bay.  Fellow Tijuana resident and former five-time champion Erik Morales, the last fighter to defeat Pacquiao back in 2005, had recently suggested that the left jab is critical to wearing down the Filipino whirlwind in a recent interview on ESPN Deportes.
2. Margarito has been preparing traps on what he hopes to be an unsuspecting Pacquiao, according to an undisclosed source with access to the Mexican’s camp.  This includes rapidly advancing, often pushing, the Sarangani congressman against the ropes and / or against the corner, followed by immediate combinations.
3. When trainer Robert Garcia moves forward to attack with combinations (mimmicking the assault of the Pinoy pitbull), Margarito telegraphs the attack and immediately steps to his right to counter with combinations to the body.  It appears that, among Margarito’s arsenal on November 13, is a plan to counterpunch Pacquiao to the body, and to do so with combinations.  At the Oxnard gym, Garcia – who faces Margarito using Pacquiao’s southpaw stance – repeatedly mirrored Pacquiao’s aggressive attacks by moving forward with his right foot (just as Manny would), and Margarito exhibited a consistent reaction:  move to the right and land blows to the Filipino’s body.
4. The “Tijuana Tornado,” who threw a CompuBox record 1,675 punches against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey (35-4) in 2006, has been hurling four- and five-punch combinations towards the body when conducting mitt exercises with trainer Robert Garcia.  The body attack was preceded by blows to the head.
5. Finally, Antonio Margarito has been fighting low, advancing and leaning forward, and keeping his guards up as he prepares for the shorter Pacquiao, who possesses a lower center of gravity.

Additionally, Margarito is incorporating cutting tree trunks as part of his training, a regimen memorialized in Sylvester Stallone’s boxing movie “Rocky IV” when the main protagonist, Rocky Balboa, chopped wood and jogged in the snow in the Russian outlands to prepare for the sizeable Ivan Drago.

Manny Pacquiao, who is training in Baguio City, Philippines, is doing about 1,000 abdominal crunches and sit-ups six days a week during the initial phase.  In previous fights, the “Pacman” maxed out at about 1,200 to as much as 1,500 per day closer to the fight.  Additionally, the Filipino congressman is consuming about 7,000 calories a day, spread out over six meals.  Part of the caloric intake includes protein shakes prepared by conditioning coach Alex Ariza.  Under an agreement with Roach, Pacquiao is expected to stop playing basketball the second week of October.

Team Pacquiao plans to leave for Los Angeles on Saturday, October 23, and Top Rank is arranging for two separate media days in the following week.  Pacquiao vs. Margarito will take place on November 13 at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be for the vacant WBC light middleweight title.