…Starting the day with another Grind…
* Floyd Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, is now speaking up regarding this Pacquiao-Mayweather-Arum mess:
“Here are the facts. Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis and the truth is no negotiations have ever taken place nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying.”
* Sadly and predictably, Bob Arum’s “go-to” source of friendly publicity, Boxingscene, has chosen to side with the Arum camp by pointing out a “Big Hole” in Team Mayweather’s claims that there were no negotiations. Rick Reeno brings up three points in his article, among them was a “no comment” quote from Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer and Oscar De la Hoya’s now-infamous Spanish TV appearance, claiming that a “deal was very close.”
None of what Reeno wrote was particularly convincing, especially the Golden Boy stuff, which Arum, himself, nipped in the bud by saying in his Saturday teleconference that Golden Boy was never a part of any discussions.
This is a particularly sad and transparent attempt by Boxingscene to provide damage control for the guy who gives them half of their “exclusives.” Boxingscene’s “Big Hole” story was more about servicing Arum’s “Big Hole.”
* HBO is pushing for a Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez rematch for October 2nd. Their first bout was a close encounter and a definite Fight of the Year candidate…No word, yet, if Ross Greenburg is doing one of his fabulous “negotiating” jobs on this one, ala the fictitious Pacquiao-Mayweather “negotiations.”
* If Williams-Martinez falls through, HBO is thinking Martinez-Alfredo Angulo.
*Alexander Povetkin left Wladimir Klitschko standing at the altar in the first scheduled presser for their September 11th contest. Povetkin cited a sinus infection as the reason he couldn’t make the trip to the press conference.
I just have a hunch that maybe this is part of a Teddy Atlas mind game. Povetkin’s new trainer, Atlas, has been working on defense, fluidity and, maybe, old school mind games…In any case, it seems to be working since Klitschko was seriously peeved and already talking about the possibility of bringing in the IBF’s #2 challenger, Samuel Peter as a replacement…Dear Lord, no.
…Magno, OUT!
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