Floyd Mayweather gets his face on the $1000 bill
Money
Now that Floyd Mayweather has officially signed with Showtime boxing, the fine folks that run the station decided to present the boxer with a cake of a $1000 bill with his face on it.
Fight breaks out at Hector Camacho’s wake
RIP
Former five-time boxing champion Hector “Macho” Camacho was known for being a bit unconventional and outlandish during his fighting days. Apparently his death brought much of the same.
Numerous fights broke out at the wake of the Puerto-Rican boxer Tuesday in Puerto Rico, with the most outrageous happening between Camacho’s late girlfriends and his sisters.
Cynthia Castillo planted a kiss on the mouth of the slain boxer at the viewing and then walked to the area reserved for family, where she claimed her plate of food was upended. She got into an altercation with Gloria Fernandez, who claimed to have been Camacho’s girlfriend for the past 25 years, as well as Camacho’s sisters, Esther and Estrella.
“I am the actual girlfriend of Macho, and those who don’t like it better not bring it,” said Cynthia Castillo, who claimed to be Camacho’s girlfriend at the time of his death, said. “They shouldn’t be going after me. They should be thanking me for being with him at all times.”
“I went to get something to eat because Machito (Hector Camacho Jr.) told me to, and his ex-girlfriend (Fernandez) came up to me and told me that I had to leave,” Castillo said, showing a fresh scratch across her clavicle. “I said no, so they threw my plate of food and attacked me, and I defended myself.”
Camacho died November 24 after suffering a gunshot wound to the face in a shooting outside of a bar in PR. Camacho struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life but was known as a flamboyant and entertaining fighter, registering victories over great Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Roberto Duran. Camacho also faced legends Sugar Ray Leonard and Julio Cesar Chavez, suffering defeats in each fight.
Evander Holyfield Announces Retirement From Boxing
Real This Time
When a man turns 50 it is probably time to take off the gloves or at least that is the way former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is approaching things. Holyfield turns 50 on Friday and is expected to announce his retirement from boxing.
This time it seems to be the “Real Deal” and no faith healer will bring him back from any heart problems.
“The game’s been good to me and I hope I’ve been good to the game,” Holyfield told Sports Illustrated. “I’m 50 years old and I’ve pretty much did everything that I wanted to do in boxing.”
Holyfield is 44-10-2 and while many will remember him for having his ear bitten off by Mike Tyson, he is was one of the most popular heavyweight champions of the past half-century.
His victories include beating Tyson twice along with wins against George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, James Douglas and Larry Holmes.
Floyd Mayweather Bets $3 Million On Michigan
Vegas His Happy He's Put Of Jail
Floyd Mayweather will hope Michigan is hailing the victors in Saturday night’s mammoth matchup with Alabama. The boxer wagered more than $2.9 million in nine different Las Vegas sportsbooks on Michigan beating the 14-point spread against favored Alabama on Saturday night.
The 35-year-old boxer has been known to make big wagers in the past, including winning bets on the Los Angeles Clippers in a regular season game ($1.9 million) and against Tim Tebow’s Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional playoffs ($1 million).
“I’ve won a lot of money on games, I’ve lost a good piece of money on games,” Mayweather said in April.
Floyd Mayweather Jr Counts $1 Million On Jet
Floyd Mayweather Jr. sat on his private jet counting out $1 million dollars while someone filmed it so the the whole world could see.
7 Seven Cameroon Olympic Athletes Disappear
Live Long & Prosper
Seven athletes from the Cameroon Olympic team have allegedly “disappeared,” officials say. The athletes are five boxers, a swimmer and a soccer player are suspected of having absconded so as to be able to “stay in Europe for economic reasons,” Reuters news agency reports.
“What began as rumor has finally turned out to be true. Seven Cameroonian athletes who participated at the 2012 London Olympic Games have disappeared from the Olympic Village,” Team Cameroon mission head David Ojong said in a message sent to the Cameroonian sports ministry.
According to the BBC, Drusille Ngako, a reserve goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team, was the first to abscond. A few days later, swimmer Paul Ekane Edingue had similarly vanished.
Then on Sunday, five Cameroonian boxers who had been eliminated from the games allegedly disappeared from the Olympic village.
Floyd Mayweather Jr To Be Released From Jail
Money Coming Home
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be released from jail in Las Vegas as early as Thursday night, a Las Vegas police spokesman said. The unbeaten world super-welterweight champion, has been jailed inside Clark County Detention Center since June 1 for a 2010 domestic violence crime against the mother of his three children.
He was sentenced to 90 days in jail but was eligible for early release based on good behavior. Jail officials informed Mayweather’s attorney that additional inmates might accelerate the boxer’s release.
Mayweather (43-0, 26 knockouts) had his jail sentence postponed from earlier this year so he could fight Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto, whom Mayweather, 35, defeated by unanimous decision May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
It is unclear whom Mayweather will fight next, or when.
Andre Golota Faces Deportation For Illegal Guns, Impersonating Cop
Homeland Disappointment
Andrew Golota was best known as a heavyweight boxer who might have been a champion if he did not have such a penchant for hitting below the belt.
Now he might become best known as the ex-boxer who was deported for impersonating a police officer and having illegal guns.
Golota, 44, faces deportation to his native Poland for his run-ins with the law. His case is currently in court, his wife, Mariola, told the Chicago Tribune, with a decision expected in September.
Golota, who won a bronze medal for Poland in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was disqualified in two title fights against Riddick Bowe in 1996 for throwing low blows. He was ahead on the scorecards in both fights at the time of his DQs.
Golota, whose last fight was a fifth-round TKO loss to fellow Pole Tomasz Adamek in 2009, was knocked out in the second round by Mike Tyson in 2000, but the result was changed to a no contest after Tyson tested positive for marijuana. He finished his career at 44-8-1 with 33 KOs.
The former fighter’s criminal background check was triggered when he filed paperwork to become an American citizen. Golota, a Northbrook, Ill., resident, is currently a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
“I’m just hopeful that it’s going to turn out OK. It’s kind of out of your hands,” Mariola Golota said. “Andrew paid dearly for whatever he did. You pay once when you plead guilty and then you pay again, and that’s much harsher.”
Golota had two brushes with the law. He pleaded guilty in a 2006 Cook County case involving a dozen firearms found in his home while his firearm owner’s ID card was temporarily revoked. He also pleaded guilty in 2003 to impersonating a police officer, accused of flashing an honorary New Jersey police badge when he was pulled over in the Chicago suburbs.
Mariola Golota called the deportation case “this big, black cloud that’s hanging over our family.” The attorney, a U.S. citizen, said her husband is treated more harshly because of his celebrity.
Mike Tyson Rambles On PTI
When putting Mike Tyson on television it is best to expect the unexpected. When Tyson appeared on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption on Monday for the segment called “Five Good Minutes,” he delivered yet another epic interview.
Cruiserweight Antonio Tarver Tests Positive For Steroid
Where's Congress
Cruiserweight contender and former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver has tested positive for an anabolic steroid for his fight against Lateefe Kayode on June 2.
During a pre-fight urine test, The California State Athletic Commission, which conducted the test, revealed that Tarver tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanalone, which is often used by bodybuilders and athletes as a weight-cutting agent. It is commonly known by the name Masteron.
The CSAC has suspended Tarver, and fined him $2,500. Tarver issued a statement that read:
“I have always been a proponent of a clean sport and an advocate for the most rigorous drug testing in boxing. The positive test results came as a complete surprise to me today. I will be examining every potential cause and ultimately, I am confident that my fans will see that I was not at anytime attempting to gain an unfair or illegal advantage in my performance.”
Tarver, 43, and Kayode fought to a draw on June 2 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Tarver also said in a statement that he would appeal the decision and list everything he ingested before the June 2 fight.
Tarver is also a ringside analyst for Showtime, and was scheduled to work Saturday’s night’s welterweight fight between Victor Ortiz and Josesito Lopez at the Staples Center, however, the network has decided that Tarver will not work.
Tarver is the third major fighter to test positive in the last few months. Light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson tested positive during the leadup to his rematch with Amir Khan, causing that fight to be canceled. And Andre Berto tested positive during training for his rematch with Victor Ortiz. That fight was canceled as well.
Promoter Gary Shaw, who handles Kayode, said that the positive test is another hit the sport cannot afford to take.
“It’s very worrisome where our sport is heading these days with the recent array of fighters testing positive for banned substances,” Shaw said. “With all these fights being canceled its killing the sport and I hope the networks are not going to lose interest. As promoters, we do our best to make sure everyone is abiding by the rules. I’m happy that the commissions are stepping up their stance on catching fighters cheating because the safety of the fighter should always come first.
“It’s unfortunate that in Lateef Kayode’s first major opportunity, he had to fight on what appears to be an unlevel playing field. I have a lot of respect for Antonio Tarver and would be very disappointed to find out that he knowingly took performance enhancing drugs. It is my hope that Tarver requests that the B sample will be tested and will show that Tarver was clean. However if the sample comes back dirty, then the commission should take appropriate action. It was a very close fight as it was ruled a split draw, but now that we have been informed by the California State Athletic Commission about the alleged drug use, I’ll have to talk to Lateef and his management team to see what we’ll do to resolve this matter.”
Shaw wasn’t finished.
“In addition, the horrible scoring by the judges, the excessive use of PED’s, and the inability of promoters working together, is only going to kill this sport,” he continued. “Something needs to be done and major changes need to be made, and the time is now.
“The boxing business is getting worse by the day and we are losing fans by the minute. Boxing has been around longer than any other sport and we must keep the integrity of the game pure.”
WBO Scores Fight For Manny Pacquiao
Conspiracy Theorist Ammo
The WBO completed its review Wednesday of Timothy Bradley’s controversial split-decision victory against Manny Pacquiao with its five-member international judging panel all scoring the fight for Pacquiao, even though the official result will stand.
“My supporters shouldn’t worry. We’re going to get that title.”
Pacquiao told The Associated Press from the Philippines on Thursday that he would prefer a rematch rather than Bradley giving up the WBO welterweight title that he won on a split decision because “people may think I just usurped it.”
Bradley’s victory on June 9 instantly became one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. While judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross both had Bradley winning 115-113, Jerry Roth scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao, who suffered his first defeat since 2005.
WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, whose organization sanctioned the title match, said the five judges scored the fight for Pacquiao, 118-110, 117-111, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 but wouldn’t release the names. Valcarcel also said the WBO has no authority to change the result.
Judge Refuses To Ease Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s Jail Time
No Room With A View?
Floyd Mayweather’s demands that he be released from jail because the poor quality of the food and water has threatened his health were denied by a Las Vegas judge who says he should eat and drink what is being given to him behind bars.
Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa wrote in her late Wednesday decision that water has been made available to Mayweather around the clock and the only reason he isn’t eating properly is because he refuses to eat the provided meals.
Saragosa said Mayweather’s complaints that he is unable to exercise in jail also are invalid because he has been “provided sufficient space and time for physical activity if he so chooses.”
“This court finds, and the defendant admits, there is nothing illegal about the defendant’s sentence in this case,” Saragosa wrote.
A mere 12 days after Mayweather turned himself in to begin his three-month sentence, his legal team filed an emergency motion Monday asking the court to put him under house arrest or move him into the general jail population — something that jail officials had avoided to protect the celebrity fighter. The motion claimed the undefeated champion might never fight again because he was getting out of shape in solitary confinement.
Mayweather lawyer Richard Wright said earlier this week that he was not seeking special treatment for the 35-year-old fighter.
Mayweather pleaded guilty last year to reduced domestic battery charges stemming from an attack on his former girlfriend while two of their children watched. The plea deal allowed him to avoid trial on felony charges that could have gotten Mayweather up to 34 years in prison if he was convicted.
Mayweather was sentenced Dec. 22, but was allowed to remain free long enough to make a Cinco de Mayo weekend fight.
Mayweather’s legal team told the court this week that his personal physician, Dr. Robert Voy, visited the jail Friday and determined that the fighter appeared to have lost muscle tone. Voy estimated Mayweather was consuming fewer than 800 calories a day instead of his usual 3,000 or 4,000 calories. Mayweather also wasn’t drinking enough because he wasn’t allowed bottled water and doesn’t enjoy tap water.
“I am concerned about Floyd withdrawing, developing anger he cannot dissipate through the usual means of dedicated exercise and training,” Voy wrote in an affidavit. “Boxing has been Mr. Mayweather’s life since he was a young man and we need champions of this type to continue to their natural retirement and hopefully their contributions to society thereafter.”
Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich scoffed at the complaints during a court hearing Tuesday.
“It’s jail,” Luzaich told the court. “Where did he think he was going? The Four Seasons?”
Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: Nevada State Boxing Commission
Nevada State Boxing Commission
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to Nevada State Boxing Commission who placed C.J. Ross, Duane Ford on the panel to judge the Manny Pacquaio and Timothy Bradley fight. Ross scored the controversial fight 115-113 and Ford saw it 115-113 in favor of new WBO welterweight champion Bradley. Judge Jerry Roth did see the fight as the rest of the world did and scored it 115-113 in favor of Pacquiao.
WTF: Nevada State Athletic Commission
Big Business
Here is one of the most controversial scorecards in boxing history after C.J. Ross (115-113) and Duane Ford (115-113) gave the fight to Timothy Bradley, the new WBO welterweight champion over Manny Pacquiao. Judge Jerry Roth (115-113) saw it the same way the rest of the world saw it.
Timothy Bradley Manny Pacquiao Rematch Poster Circulated Two Weeks Ago
Ammo
The extremely controversial decision which went to Timothy Bradley after fighting Manny Pacquiao has now surfaced a curious Tweet from two weeks ago in which Bradley sent out photos of a rematch poster to take place later this year.
Nobody gave it any thought when Bradley tweeted out this photo back on May 29th which was a shot of the rematch poster for him and Pacquiao which was already printed up with a date of November 10th, 2012.
Timothy Bradley Fractured Foot In Win Over Manny Pacquiao
Boomerang Feet
Timothy Bradley suffered a fractured left foot in Saturday night’s controversial victory over Manny Pacquiao. Bradley’s manager, Can Dunkin, also said his right ankle is twisted and swollen.
Bradley, who attended the post-fight news conference in a wheelchair, said he heard his left foot snap in the second round. In the fifth, he injured his right foot.
Despite the injuries, Bradley continued and went on to win a highly controversial split decision to claim the WBO welterweight title and end Pacquiao’s seven-year unbeaten run.
“I’ve never been as ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight,” said promoter Bob Arum, who handles both fighters.
Bradley came on strong in the later rounds, winning five of the last six on two scorecards and four on the third. He won 115-113 on the scorecards of judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, while losing on Jerry Roth’s scorecard by the same margin. The Associated Press had Pacquiao winning 117-111.
Ringside punching statistics showed Pacquiao landing 253 punches to 159 for Bradley, who vowed before the fight to take the 147-pound title from Pacquiao. The Compubox statistics showed Pacquiao landing more punches in 10 of the 12 rounds.
World Boxing Champ Johnny Tapia Found Dead
R.I.P.
Johnny Tapia, the five-time boxing champion whose turbulent career was marked by cocaine addiction, alcohol, depression and run-ins with the law, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. He was 45.
Authorities were called to the house at about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, spokesman Robert Gibbs said. The death didn’t appear to be suspicious, he said.
Tapia won five championships in three weight classes, winning the WBA bantamweight title, the IBF and WBO junior bantamweight titles and the IBF featherweight belt.
He was regarded as the consummate underdog by his fans. The more trouble he found outside the ring – including several stints in jail – the more they rallied around him.
In a 1990s-era feud with fellow Albuquerque boxer and former world champion Danny Romero, Tapia’s fans anointed him with the slang Spanish title of “Burque’s Best.”
But his life was also marked by tragedy. He was orphaned at 8, his mother stabbed 26 times with a screwdriver and left to die.
In 2007, he was hospitalized after an apparent cocaine overdose. Several days later, his brother-in-law and his nephew were killed in car accident on their way to Albuquerque to see the ailing boxer.
Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years in the early `90s because of his cocaine addiction. But he knocked out Henry Martinez to win the WBO bantamweight title in 1994, and won four more championships over the next eight years.
He last fought in June, outpointing Mauricio Pastrana in an eight-round decision. He finished with a 59-5-2 record.
Manny Pacquiao Challenges President Obama On Same Sex Marriage
- Tattoo Needles Puncture The Skin Between 50 and 3,000 Times Per Minute
Manny Pacquiao probably won’t fight Floyd Mayweather Jr in his prime but he is ready to take on President Obama.
The boxing champion, who has been outspoken about his religious convictions in recent months, has challenged the president on the issue of same-sex marriage.
In an interview with the National Conservative Examiner, Pacquiao stated his position on the issue:
“God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married, only if they are in love with each other.
“It should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of Old.”
Pacquiao also invoked Old Testament, and recited Leviticus 20:13, saying: “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
In February, Pacquiao announced “I am no longer in the vice business” and that he would no longer engage in cockfighting or gambling.
Last year he also said that, as a member of Congress in the Philippines, he would oppose legislation aimed at making condoms and family planning advice more readily available.
“It’s sinful to use condoms and commit abortion,” Pacquiao said last May.
Manny Pacquiao Served Divorce Papers Before Juan Manuel Marquez Fight
Tattoo Needles Puncture The Skin Between 50 and 3,000 Times Per Minute
Manny Pacquiao’s marriage with his wife Jinkee was on the rocks shortly before his third bout against Juan Manuel Marquez last November 12.
His boxing coach, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao was served divorce papers on the eve of the fight, which was why the boxing superstar struggled against the Mexican counter-puncher.
“All the distractions caught up to Manny in his last fight,” Roach said.
After Pacquiao pulled off a unanimous decision against Marquez, he desperately worked hard to save his marriage.
Roach said Pacquiao decided to give up all his vices, which also entailed closing some of his business ventures.
“He’s given away his cockfighting farm [in the Philippines ], sold his casino and his nightclub,” the boxing trainer said.
Before the renewal, Roach said Pacquaio’s lifestyle involved “girls and everything that goes with it.”
Pacquiao also reportedly spent late nights of gambling and underwent excessive physical wear playing basketball.
“Now, he’s back with his wife, reading the Bible every day, and he’s given up basketball,” the now happy coach said.
Pacquiao is currently training for his WBO welterweight title defense against Timothy Bradley set on June 9.
Floyd Mayweather Says He’s Good Because He’s A Vampire
True Blood
When Floyd Mayweather Jr speaks its almost as entertaining as watching him fight. Talking to David Mayo of mlive.com, the fighter was in rare form talking about his past, present and future.
“…Do I think age is going to play a factor? At this particular time, I can’t say,” comments Mayweather. “Once I go out there and that bell rings, then we’ll have to see.”
That may be because vampires don’t age.
“I smell that blood, I taste it,” Mayweather said after hurting a sparring partner. “I crave that blood. I’m a vampire.”
Later, when another sparring partner challenged him verbally, Mayweather was equal to the task.
“My check looks like your Social Security number,” Mayweather said.
Jim Lampley To Get HBO Fight Game Show
Anything To Get Away From Larry Merchant
Continuing the trend of HBO adding more boxing programming that goes beyond its bouts themselves, Jim Lampley will host HBO’s first boxing studio show.
The show will debut in Saturday, May 12, at midnight EST HBO won’t say how often the show will air, saying only it will “appear periodically.” For now, it’s meant as a stand-alone show rather than being tied to boxing event coverage.
For Lampley, who has had a record 14 Olympic TV assignments, began his network career decades ago by winning a contest to become an original ABC college football sideline and first started with HBO in 1988.
God Tells Manny Pacquiao To Retire
Tattoo Needles Puncture The Skin Between 50 and 3,000 Times Per Minute
Religion is very important to boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. And that could end his career. Pacquiao told a radio station in Manilla that he was told by God in a dream to retire soon. It was that dream earlier this year that convinced the boxer to give up the rest of his remaining vices which he says included gambling and late-night partying.
“I will not stay long in boxing because He said: ‘You have done enough. You have made yourself famous but this is harmful,’ ” Pacquiao told DVMM.
The champion said that religion will not hurt his boxing prowess and that he’ll “do my work inside the ring.” He believes God wants him to use his fame to spread the Christian message.
Pacquiao fights Timothy Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas.
Mike Tyson Would Jail Manny Pacquiao & Floyd Mayweather Until They Fought
Already The King
Mike Tyson can’t understand why Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have never agreed to have the fight the world wants to see. Tyson addressed that failure on WXYT in Detroit, and offered up a solution of sorts, saying:
“Listen if I was president I would throw them in jail if they didn’t fight. I’d have them arrested. You can’t do that but that’s what I would try to do. I’d be like, ‘These guys need to get locked up and find a new profession until they get their heads clear.’ ”
On the topic of Tyson being president, the former champ also readily conceded that, “If I was president of the United States I would have to impeach myself.”
Tyson did beg off on a question about what’s the one thing he’d change about his past.
“Oh no I don’t want anything to change,” Tyson said. “If anything changed and my ego got any bigger and inflamed I’d probably be dead or something so everything turned out the right way. I became humble because this is what I had to learn, if you’re not humble in this world, the world will thrust humbleness upon you.”
As for whether we’ll be seeing him play himself again in a Hangover III movie, Tyson said, “I was told there was one and I would like to participate in it but we will see what happens.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr Wears Cosby Sweater
Jello Pudding Pop
It’s NBA All Star weekend and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr is one of many celebrities in Orlando for the festivities. Mayweather sat court side for the three point and Sprite Slam Dunk contest with his friend and rapper 50 Cent. That however wasn’t what got everyones head to turn, no, it was he decided to show up wearing a Cosby sweater.
It’s actually a Coogi sweater and he’s not the first athlete to wear one but it seems that way since JaMarcus Russell was caught wearing them all the time.
