…New week, new Grind…
* Just when you thought the confirmation of the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito bout for November 13th was rock-bottom, we learned this weekend that this macabre exhibition will be at a catchweight of 150 lbs….Surprise, surprise.
It just keeps getting better: Two fighters with ONE jr. middleweight fight between them in over six years will be fighting for a jr. middleweight title at a weight that isn’t even the jr. middleweight limit. The only thing that would make this even phonier is if we found out the WBC title belt at stake will be made of chocolate.
* Another factor in this booking is that Margarito is still barred from fighting in the US. While Arum will be looking for a temporary, one-day exemption for Margarito to fight in Nevada, it’s not even guaranteed that Margarito can be added to the agenda for the NSAC’s next scheduled meeting on August 9th.
Also, the question remains how the commission, which chose to table a reinstatement from Margarito weeks earlier, will react to the fact that Arum and Margarito went ahead and signed the Pacquiao bout anyway. If they decide to rule the same way they did last time and insist that Margarito re-apply to California first, Arum will have no choice, but to take the bout to Monterrey, Mexico.
The Monterrey move was always a bit of a bluff, but they will have no choice if Margarito is forced to return to stand before a commission that his people have taken legal action against and have accused of racism.
* Trainer, Teddy Atlas revealed Friday that he was behind Alexander Povetkin’s sudden reluctance to go through with his September 11th title bout against Wladimir Klitschko. According to Atlas, Povetkin simply isn’t ready for Wladimir at this point and he didn’t want to send his fighter into a battle he knew couldn’t be won.
You have to admire Atlas’ decision to lose out on a $208,000 paycheck (10% of Povetkin’s $2.08 million) rather than have his fighter humiliated, but you have to wonder why allowed the purse bid to go through and the press conference to be scheduled before pulling the trigger.
Sam Peter, the IBF’s #2 challenger will take Povetkin’s place. Peter, if you remember, was the last fighter to really give Wlad a run for his money back in 2005. The Nigerian dropped Klitschko three times en route to a unanimous decision loss.
* According to Lem Satterfield of AOL Boxing Fanhouse, Miguel Cotto is not interested in a bout with Andre Berto despite rumors of talks having taken place. Citing inside sources, Cotto is hoping for a bout with the winner of the upcoming Pacquiao-Margarito contest. Both would be rematches and both would be bigger pay days than a Berto fight. Another option is a defense against fellow Top Rank fighter, Vanes Martirosyan. Rumors of Cotto and Mayweather hitting the night club circuit in Puerto Rico appear to be true; Rumors of any sort of bout being signed between the two appear to be way off…
…Coming back to Grind another day…
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