Floyd Mayweather Jr. realistic, Conor McGregor laughable at grand arrivals

(C) UFC president Dana White tries to keep Floyd and McGregor apart from each other at the press conference about Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor start their World  press Tour at Staples Center, July 11, 2017. In Los Angeles California. The two will fight August 26th in Las Vegas, NV  live on Showtime PPV at the T-Mobile Center.Photos by Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor are separated by Dana White, president of the UFC, at a Los Angeles news conference in July/Photo by Gene Blevins

 

Once Saturday’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC star Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is over, chances are Mayweather will have dominated like most think he will. It will probably be a very one-sided victory for Mayweather.

That doesn’t mean the combatants aren’t going to talk the talk all the way up to fight night, with an emphasis on saying things that will help drive up the pay-per-view numbers to record-breaking heights.

That was evident this week at the so-called “grand arrivals.”

“McGregor is a tough competitor,” Mayweather said. “He’s undefeated standing up. He’s never lost when striking. I know that I’m in for a tough fight. But there is one thing I do know, this fight is not going the distance. No matter what anyone says, it’s not going the distance.”

While Mayweather’s comments were reasonable, one of McGregor’s was laughable.

“Floyd can talk about whatever he wants to talk about,” he said. “He can talk any kind of trash he wants, because he’s talking to the new God of boxing.”

The fight will be available on Showtime pay-per-view for $89.99, $99.99 for high definition.

 

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Conor McGregor is simply in awe of his three-month-old son, Conor Jr.

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Conor McGregor works out on a heavy bag Friday at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas/Photo by Gene Blevins

 

Conor McGregor has a lot going through his head these days as, in less than two weeks, the UFC star will take on all-time great boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view). His three-month-old son Conor Jr. is also at the forefront of his mind.

“We were comparing pictures, side by side, from when I was that age and we’re like identical,” McGregor said Friday after a Las Vegas workout at the UFC Performance Institute. “I’m like, ‘Yes,’ because he’s going to look exactly like me. He has my name; it’s a legacy. I’m just in awe of my little man.”

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Closed circuit tickets on sale for Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor

Floyd Mayeather Jr. lands a punch on Robert Guerrero during their May 2013 fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas/Associated Press photo by Isaac Brekken

Those who don’t, or can’t, buy tickets to see the Aug. 26 Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor bout in person at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas can purchase tickets to take in the closed-circuit feed at one of many venues around Sin City.

Tickets for the Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor and Excalibur are priced at $150 a piece, not including applicable fees.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster, com or by calling 800-745-3000. Party packages are available at Aria, Bellagio and MGM Grand are available and can be purchased by calling 855-329-2260.

Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) and McGregor – a UFC star – will tangle in a 12-round, junior middleweight boxing match. It will be distributed on Showtime pay-per-view for $89.99, $99.99 for high definition.

 

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Adrien Broner promises ‘exciting’ fight against Adrian Granados in February

Adrien Broner

Adrien Broner/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Adrien Broner of Cincinnati has held world titles in four weight classes. He is currently without a title, however, and he wants to change that.

The first step in that direction will be a bout against former sparring partner Adrian Granados on Feb. 18 at Cintas Center in Cincinnati (on Showtime).

The interested parties hosted a news conference there Tuesday, and the fighters spoke about their knowledge of one another.

“We’ve brought Granados into camp for sparring before, but I’m a much different fighter now,” said Broner, 27. “I know he is, too, and I think it’s going to make an exciting, explosive fight.”

Granados’ credentials pale in comparison to Broner’s. Granados (18-4-2, 12 KOs) has never even fought for a major title, and as recently as September 2015 he boxed on a small club card at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. Yet, Broner believes he can’t afford to overlook him.

“Granados is no pushover,” Broner said. “He’s not an opponent that anybody can just pick up a win (against). I know Adrian Granados will bring out the best in Adrien Broner.”

Promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr. is of a similar mind.

“These are going to be two hungry lions in the ring, and that’s what it’s all about,” Mayweather said.

Granados, 27, intimated he may have a surprise or two in store for Broner (32-2, 24 KOs).

“I’m confident that I’m more determined than any other fighter I’ll face,” said Granados, of Cicero, Ill. “I’ll also have a few tricks up my sleeve on fight night. I haven’t shown everything in my arsenal.

“I was in camp with Adrien Broner when he fought Marcos Maidana, so I know him pretty well. I’ve been compared to Maidana, but everyone has their own style. I’m going to get this win my own way.”

 

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Vasyl Lomachenko realizes what he’s up against in Nicholas Walters

Vasyl Lomachenko, left, of Ukraine, punches Roman Martinez, of Puerto Rico, during the fourth round of a WBO junior lightweight title boxing match Saturday, June 11, 2016, in New York. Lomachenko stopped Martinez in the fifth round. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Vasyl Lomachenko, left, lands a punch to the head of Roman ‘Rocky’ Martinez during the fourth round of their super featherweight title fight in June at Madison Square Garden. Lomachenko won via 5th-round TKO/Associated Press photo by Frank Franklin II

 

As good as Vasyl Lomachenko is, as much as his promoter Bob Arum touts him as the greatest he’s seen since a young Muhammad Ali, Lomachenko knows he is in for a real nasty time of it Saturday when he defends his super featherweight belt against hard-hitting Nicholas Walters. The two will square off at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (on HBO).

“This is a very important bout for me because many boxing experts and many people in boxing rank Walters as the highest-rated fighter in our division,” Lomachenko said. “He is a very hard puncher and a very good boxer and for me it’s a very important thing to me to fight the best and it’s very important for me because everyone says he is a very good fighter.”

As for the Ali comparison, here’s what Arum told reporters during a conference call: “I would like to say this; that Vasyl Lomachenko is technically the best fighter that I have seen since the early Muhammad Ali. There is nobody that I have seen, and there have been a lot of great technical fighters that I have seen – Alexis Arguello was one, Floyd Mayweather certainly, Manny Pacquiao – but there has been nobody with the skills that Vasyl Lomachenko has.”

Lomachenko, of Ukraine, is 6-1 with four knockouts. The two-time Olympic gold-medal winner has also held a major world title in the featherweight division.

Walters, of Jamaica, is 26-0-1 with 21 knockouts.

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Golden Boy’s Eric Gomez says Liam Smith could be Canelo’s toughest test

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Canelo Alvarez shakes out during a workout Wednesday in San Diego/Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy Promotions

 

Golden Boy Promotions vice-president Eric Gomez on Thursday during a conference call said he believes Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) of England will likely be Canelo Alvarez’s toughest test to date when they square off Sept. 17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (on HBO pay-per-view) for Smith’s junior middleweight title. Considering Alvarez has fought the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara and James Kirkland, that’s very difficult to believe.

But of course, with all the negativity surrounding Alvarez and his and Golden Boy’s ducking of middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, it’s not surprising to hear someone connected with the promotion speaking in hyperbolic tones.

Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) himself seemed to go to his own extreme in that regard during a workout Wednesday in San Diego.

“In our training, we have taken a huge focus on the opponent’s fighting style – no matter what size or weight,” said Alvarez, of Mexico. “Analyzing and breaking down the fighter’s approach is what we go after in the ring. Just because Smith isn’t very well known in the U.S. doesn’t diminish how tough he is as an opponent. We expect him to be very powerful, and we are training for that.”

Mayweather handed Alvarez his lone defeat in September 2013. Suffice to say, Smith is no Mayweather. Lara gave Alvarez all he could handle in July 2014, Alvarez just sneaking by with a split-decision victory.

 Gomez pointed out Thursday that Smith is on a streak of eight consecutive knockouts. That’s fine, except that none of those opponents he stopped are terrific fighters. One – Robert Talarek – was 10-8-2. Another – David Romero – was 11-5. Both of those bouts took place in 2015.
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Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller talking a lot of smack about champions

Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller/Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions

 

It appears heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller is trying to take the Floyd Mayweather Jr. path to stardom. Miller talks a lot of trash, and he’s been bashing the heavyweight champions of late.

For example, he said he wants to break Deontay Wilder and “his toothpick legs” in half. Miller refers to Anthony Joshua as “definitely one of the weakest of the heavyweight champs.”

But he does seem to at least have some respect for Tyson Fury, who holds two of the belts.

“I like Tyson Fury,” said Miller, a top 10 contender who Aug. 19 will take on Fred Kassi at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. (on Showtime). “I still want to break his fingers in half, but he is good for the sport of boxing and I feel like me and him for a main event will sell any arena out. He talks a lot of smack and he does back it up, but he is still a jokester and I am real. I will smash him if he tries to step on me in the press conference. I will knock him out, same way I will for everyone else.”

Miller then said something about a potential fight with Fury that was kind of out there.

“A fight between us two will be like Comedy Central on steroids, it would be bananas,” Miller said. “It would sell out kind of like a Mayweather-(Manny) Pacquiao. … I feel like we can capture the heavyweight division and put it back on the map, just because of the way he talks.

“As an American heavyweight, I feel like we have to take over American soil first. I’ll fight anywhere and any time. But on the business side, I have to take over my country first.”

Miller, of Brooklyn, is 17-0-1 with 15 knockouts. Kassi, of New Orleans, is 18-5-1 with 10 knockouts.

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Don’t look now, but Manny Pacquiao is going to fight again in the fall

April 9,2016. Las Vegas NV.  (in Wht/Yell tnks)/Manny Pacquiao  knocks down Timothy Bradley in the 9th round Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden hotel  Manny Pacquiao took the win by unanimous decision for the international  welterweight championship.Photo by Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

Manny Pacquiao connects to the face of Timothy Bradley in their April 9 fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas/Photo by Gene Blevins, L.A. Daily News

 

Moments after he handily defeated Timothy Bradley in their rubber match April 9 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao was asked if he indeed was going to retire like he said he would.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m going to go home and spend time with my family and I want to serve the people.”

Pacquiao, 37, was running for a seat in the Senate in his native Philippines at the time. He won in May, and is now a member. With that out of the way, Pacquiao has decided to make his retirement a short one by fighting at least one more time.

That figures to be either Oct. 29 or Nov. 5 in Las Vegas, his promoter, Bob Arum, said Tuesday. Arum did not seem the least bit surprised that Pacquiao wants to lace up the gloves again.

“I always knew he wanted to fight if the Senate allowed it, and the president of the Senate told him he can fight if it’s after the 15th (of October) because that week they were voting on the budget,” Arum said via telephone Tuesday evening.

Arum was asked about the opponent, and he gave a long list.

Terence Crawford is possible,” said Arum, who is promoting the July 23 junior welterweight title-unification bout between Crawford and Viktor Postol at MGM Grand (on HBO pay-per-view). “Postol, if he wins, is possible. Jessie Vargas is possible, (Danny) Garcia is possible. They’re all possible.”

Even if Crawford or Postol were to insist Pacquiao fight at junior welterweight, that shouldn’t be a problem because Pacquiao is a small welterweight. Vargas and Garcia are both welterweight champions, so either of them work as well.

A venue is not yet secured, and Arum is working on all that now.

Another avenue that could be taken would be a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather, 39, announced his retirement after defeating Andre Berto this past September. But Mayweather could make it 50-0 with another victory over Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs).

Mayweather won a unanimous decision over Pacquiao in a welterweight title-unification bout in May 2015. Afterward, Pacquiao revealed he fought with a torn rotator cuff. Pacquiao had surgery, came back 11 months later and fought very well in winning a rather wide decision over Bradley.

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Love for the sweet science keeps ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley in the ring

APTOPIX Mosley Pacquiao Boxing

“Sugar” Shane Mosley takes a punch from Manny Pacquiao during their May 2011 welterweight title fight in Las Vegas won by Pacquiao/AP file photo by Mark J. Terrill

 

“Sugar” Shane Mosley was laughing, getting a big kick out of how antsy his trainer – all-time great fighter Roberto Duran – is for Saturday. That’s when Mosley will take on David Avanesyan of Russia in the welterweight main event from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. (on CBS Sports Network).

“Yeah, it’s almost like we’re both fighting,” Mosley said. “He’s getting so excited and, not that he’s nervous, but he’s like, ‘Oh, my God,’ you know, like he’s getting ready to fight.”
Mosley said he tells Duran, “You gotta calm down a little bit, Roberto.”

Guys like this don’t calm down. That’s why Duran is one of the best ever. That’s why Mosley, who has won titles in three weight classes, is one of the best of his era and will join Duran in the International Boxing Hall of Fame five years or so after he finally hangs up the gloves.

It seemed Mosley was done when he had to quit after seven rounds against Anthony Mundine in November 2013, no thanks to severe back spasms. But he came back after 21 months off, won two fights against so-so opponents – a washed-up Ricardo Mayorga and journeyman Patrick Lopez – and now he’ll be challenging Avanesyan for his interim world title. Did we mention that Mosley, of Pomoma, is 44?

Yup. Mosley knew he’d fight a long time. Maybe not to 44, but …

“I kind of did,” he said Thursday via telephone. “I wanted to be a great fighter and I loved boxing so much, so I wanted to fight for as long as I could.”

Ego is involved. Mosley admits that.

“For respect,” he said, when asked why he’s still fighting. “I get a lot of respect and I am legendary and all that stuff. It’s because I love the game, I love to fight and I could still do it. I can still beat these guys. And I want to prove that, you know what I mean?”

Avanesyan is just 27, and Mosley believes a win over him would demonstrate he can still beat a young world-class fighter. Interestingly, if Mosley wins Saturday and takes the interim title from Avanesyan, Mosley (49-9-1, 41 KOs) would then be in line to fight the winner of the title fight between champion Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter on June 25 in Brooklyn.

If Porter were to emerge victorious, Mosley said he would not want to fight Porter because Porter “is like a little brother to me.” He would, however, take on Thurman should Thurman retain his belt.

“Yeah, of course I’ll take the fight with Thurman,” Mosley said, in confident tones.
That sounds scary because Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) is very good and hits hard. And he’s just 27.

Mosley would be better off taking on guys his own age, or at least close. He would prefer that. Rematches with Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be fine. A fight with Juan Manuel Marquez would be cool, too.

“I would take Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather and Manny (Pacquiao),” Mosley said; those three are 42, 39 and 37, respectively; Cotto is the baby at 35. “At the time, I think Manny and Floyd are kind of retired, so I would go over to cotto and Marquez if they would like to fight. And, you know, just a few more and then I’ll probably be done.”

Well, maybe. Duran fought until he was 50.

“We both have that same desire,” Mosley said, “that desire to get in there and win.”

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Floyd Mayweather Jr.: ‘I did not commit any violations’ by taking IV

Floyd Mayweather Jr./Photo by Gene Blevins, Hogan Photos

 

A story published Thursday by the Associated Press has Floyd Mayweather Jr. claiming he did nothing wrong by taking an IV solution to re-hydrate following the weigh-in for this past May’s welterweight title fight with Manny Pacquiao, won by Mayweather via unanimous decision at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mayweather reportedly did not receive a formal exemption from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for the IV until weeks after the fight, but USADA admits it knew of the IV before Mayweather took it and that it contained no illegal substances.

“As already confirmed by the USADA statement, I did not commit any violations of the Nevada or USADA drug testing guidelines,” Mayweather said in a statement. “I follow and have always followed the rules of Nevada and USADA, the gold standard of drug testing.
“Let’s not forget that I was the one six years ago who insisted on elevating the level of drug testing for all my fights.  As a result, there is more drug testing and awareness of its importance in the sport of boxing today than ever before. I am very proud to be a clean athlete and will continue to champion the cause.”
The response by Mayweather and USADA came as a result of this story by Thomas Hauser on SB Nation.
Mayweather will take on Andre Berto at MGM Grand on Saturday night in what Mayweather says will be his final fight.
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