Montreal, Canada (May 18)…Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Jean Pascal made it clear at today’s final press conference in Montreal, Canada that they both want to let their fists do the talking when they meet this Saturday, May 21 at the Bell Center in Montreal in a bout that will be televised live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing® in the United States and on pay-per-view in Canada.  Hopkins spoke first, repeating the statement he made at the final press conference in December prior to his first fight against Pascal.  Pascal then approached the podium and made the same statement.  Both fighters immediately exited the press conference venue, showing they are 100 percent focused on Saturday night’s WBC, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship fight.

Jean Pascal, WBC, WBC Diamond & Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Enjoy the fight.”

Bernard Hopkins, Former Two-Division World Champion

“Enjoy the fight.”

Yvon Michel, President of Groupe Yvon Michel

“We have almost arrived at our destination.  With Dawson vs. Diaconu combined with Pascal vs. Hopkins, this weekend’s event is going to be a huge.

“[The staff at] Golden Boy Promotions are people of their word, people of vision and people of action.  We are very proud to be associated with them.

“We are also happy to be associated with HBO.  The fact that HBO decided to buy this fight shows the high regard they hold for Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins.

“This is the fourth time that HBO has done an event from Canada and the third time on their World Championship boxing series.  The first one was Pascal versus Chad Dawson.

“The table is set.  Seven months ago when Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal met, they were like old pals and now it seems like they are mortal enemies.  They can’t wait to bring their differences into the ring and give it all they have.  It is no longer just about the championship; it is about which fighter is the best and which fighter is going to make history.

“I am kind of sad because I am a big Bernard Hopkins fan.  I am sad because he made a bad decision to take on Jean Pascal again.  It was a genius decision when he answered Jean’s call last year.  It was the right decision, but now he has made the wrong decision.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions

“It is a pleasure to be here in Montreal and return to Canada.  The people in Canada are amazing.  The fans are amazing.

“I did want to do the fight in Los Angeles, where our offices are and where Bernard has a lot of fans, but I was vetoed by Bernard.  He said, ‘I want to beat Pascal in his hometown.’

“This is a historic week.  This is not just history-making for boxing.  It is history-making for sports…period.  Bernard will make history as the oldest athlete in any sport to win a world championship again.

“This is an opportunity we don’t want to miss because we can’t turn back the clock.  You want to be able to say ‘I was there.  I witnessed it.’

“It is a very important moment for all of us.  This victory is not going to just be for Bernard.  It will be for all of us as he shows that we can do whatever we want to do if we live life the way it should be lived.”

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Montreal, Canada (May 16) – When former Two-Division World Champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins enters the ring this Saturday, May 21 to face WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion Jean Pascal at the Bell Centre in Montreal Canada, he will be 46 years, four months and six days old, over a half a year (192 days) older that George Foreman was when he defeated Michael Moorer for the heavyweight championship on November 5, 1994.  A win for Hopkins not only means becoming the Light Heavyweight World Champion again, but it also means he will break Foreman’s longstanding record as the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a major world title.

“This fight is more about history than redemption,” said Hopkins.  ”I want to be known as the modern day Archie Moore.  Moore also went up to Montreal when he was over the age of 40, faced a younger hometown favorite [Yvon Durrelle] and knocked him out.  It means more to me to break the age record and prove that I am representing not just the older fighters, but older athletes in any sport.”

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s fight, Hopkins is already among an elite class of athletes who have made statements in their respective sports well into their forties.  Hopkins’ first victory at the age of 40 came when he defeated Howard Eastman on February 19, 2005.  He followed that with wins over Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik, Enrique Ornelas and Roy Jones Jr.

“This is not just historically significant for boxing,” said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions and Ten-Time World Champion in six weight divisions.  ”This is history making in sports…period.  For Bernard to perform at this level at his age is something to be honored, revered and noted by students of this game and sports fans across the board.  Yes, we have seen great athletes compete into their forties, but for Hopkins to be 46 and competing like this is just incredible.”

“I am going to go out there on Saturday night and fight for all of the old guys out there,” said Hopkins.  ”I am living proof that life isn’t over at 40.  I am leading by example to show that you can continue to do what you love well into your forties.  My motivation is to get in that ring and prove to the young lion that the old lion still rules the jungle.”

NOTABLE ATHLETES OVER THE AGE OF 40*:

·         Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA) – The iconic L.A Laker retired in 1989 at the age of 42 after helping lead his team to back-to-back championships in ’87 and ’88.  At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar was the all-time leader in points scored, games played, minutes played and field goals made.

·         George Blanda (NFL) – An all-time leading NFL scorer, Blanda played until the age of 48 (from the 1940s-1970s). He is still the oldest player to suit up for an NFL game.

·         Brett Favre (NFL) – The 20-year NFL veteran is the first quarterback to have wins against all 32 NFL franchises and the only quarterback to throw for over 70,000 yards.  In the 2009-2010 season, Favre became the first 40-year-old quarterback to win a playoff game when he led the Minnesota Vikings to victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

·         Bob Fitzsimmons (Boxing) – Boxing’s first three-division world champion, Fitzsimmons retired from the sport in 1914 at the age of 51.  He is revered as one of the greatest punchers to ever step into the ring.

·         Gordie Howe (NHL) – The NHL Hall of Famer is the only player to grace the ice into his 50s and to play in six different decades (1940s-1990s).  After stepping away from the NHL at the age of 43, he returned nine years later at the age of 52 to play for the Harford Whalers, scoring 15 goals in the ’79-80 season.

·         Archie Moore (Boxing) – “The Old Mongoose” had one of the longest careers in the history of boxing.  With 219 professional fights and the most knockouts in history (131), he won the light heavyweight world title at the age of 39 and continued to fight until he was 47 years old.

·         Jamie Moyer (MLB) – As part of the 2009 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, Moyer pitched a team-high 16 wins at the age of 45.

·         Jack Nicklaus (PGA) – The most decorated golfer in PGA history, Nicklaus began amassing championship wins in his twenties.  At 40, he won both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.  Nicklaus made history again when he won the Masters at the age of 46 and still holds the record as the oldest Masters champion.

·         Richard Petty (NASCAR) – The winningest driver in NASCAR history, Petty drove in over 2,000 races during his 35-year career, winning the Daytona 500 twice after his 40^th birthday.  He retired in 1984 at the age of 47.

·         Jerry Rice (NFL) – At the age of 40, the Hall of Fame wide receiver scored his two hundredth career touchdown and surpassed Walter Payton to become the NFL’s all-time leader in total yardage.  That same year (2002 NFL season), he helped lead the Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII. Rice’s 48-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of that game made him the first NFL player to score a touchdown in four Super Bowls.

·         Nolan Ryan (MLB) – Ryan threw two no-hitters at the age of 40 and amassed over 1,000 strikeouts in his six seasons after hitting the four-decade mark.  He retired at the age of 46.

·         Willie Shoemaker (Horse Racing) – In 1986, Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby.  He was 54 years old.

·         Dara Torres (Olympic Swimming) – At the age of 41, Torres swam her way to three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.  She is the oldest swimmer in history to be placed on the U.S. Olympic team.

*References: SI.com, Askmen.com and Wikipedia.com

NOTE: If you have not seen HBO’s “Face-Off: Pascal-Hopkins II,” we invite you to do so by clicking on the link below. This five minute version of their face-to-face encounter is not to be missed.

http://www.hbo.com/boxing#/boxing/fights/2011/05-21-jean-pascal-vs-bernard-hopkins-ii/video/face-off.html/

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LOS ANGELES (April 21)

The West Coast seems to be firmly behind Sugar Shane Mosley, while the East Coast seems to back up Floyd Mayweather:

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LAS VEGAS (April 21) – Seven of the MGM MIRAGE properties on The Strip will host closed circuit viewing of the upcoming mega-fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley.  The resorts include MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, Luxor and Circus Circus.  The bout is set to take place on Saturday, May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO-Pay-Per-View® beginning at 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST.

Tickets for the closed circuit telecasts at all venues are priced at $50, not including applicable service charges and handling fees, and go on sale today, Wednesday, April 21 at 10 a.m. PST.  All seats will be general admission and will be available at each individual property’s box office outlets and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino).  To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, or visit www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to 20 per person.

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Los Angeles, CA (April 13)… Sugar Shane Mosley unleashed a less sweet side of his mild-mannered personality on TBS’ “Lopez Tonight” last night as he declared that he will knock out Floyd Mayweather when they meet in the ring May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.

Lopez to Mosley: “Can you knock Floyd out?”

Mosley: “Definitely.”

Lopez: “Will you knock Floyd out?”

Mosley: “I will knock Floyd out.”

Oscar de la Hoya, who appeared with Mosley, was given a pair of blue boxing shoes with the “Lopez Tonight” logo on the soles in hopes Mayweather would wear them in the ring on May 1.  Lopez said, “When he’s down on his back I want to see the ‘Lopez Tonight’ logo at the biggest moment in boxing history when Sugar Shane Mosley knocks out Floyd Mayweather.”

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Floyd Mayweather Sr. has openly accused Manny Pacquiao of using steroids.  Pacquiao has never failed a drug test.

In a statement from the Phillipines Manny Pacquiao said ”Enough is enough.  I have tried to just brush it off as a mere pre-fight ploy but I think they have gone overboard.  I say to Floyd Mayweather Jr. don’t be a coward and face me in the ring, mano-a-mano and shut your big, pretty mouth, so we can show the world who is the true king of the ring.”

Most consider Mayweather’s demand as a direct accusation that Pacquiao has used and is using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.

Pacquiao has decided to file a civil lawsuit against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., and Golden Boy Promotions.  ”I have instructed my promoter, Bob Arum, to help me out in the filing of the case as soon as possible because I have had people coming over to me now asking if I really take performance-enhancing drugs and I have cheated my way into becoming the No. 1 boxer in the world.  I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it.  I have no idea what steroids look like and my fear in God has kept me safe and victorious through all these years.”

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Arum says that Pacquiao is willing to have the same type of random drug testing that has been used in NFL, NBA and other professional sports and that the US Anti-Doping Agency’s methods are questionable.

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A future Hall-Of-Famer, Morales (48-5, 34 KO’s) is known for being part of the biggest fights in the last five years. His trilogies with both Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao will be talked about for decades to come. However, it is his fight tonight against David Diaz that will be the biggest of his career. A victory makes him the only Mexican boxer to ever win a fourth title in as many weight classes. A loss could put an end to a historic career.
Diaz (32-1-1, 17 KO’s) earned the WBC title after knocking out Jose Armando Santa Cruz in the 10th round of their fight back in August of 2006. Diaz was behind on all three of the judges scorecards, but came out aggressive in the 10th round and knocked out Santa Cruz. Even as a champion, Diaz has never fought anyone like Morales and will definitely have his hands full tonight.
Make sure to catch all the action live tonight on HBO PPV at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The under card will pit Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. against unknown Louis Brown.

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Williams, from Augusta, Georgia, used his height, reach and southpaw style as an advantage against the shorter Margarito. After the first four rounds, it looked like Williams was on his way to his 25th knockout. He continued to pressure Margarito in the fifth and sixth rounds, outworking the champ with three and four punch combinations.
Margarito would make it through the sixth and came out strong in the seventh round. With Williams tiring from the high output of punches he had thrown in the first half of the fight, Margarito started to land his punches with accuracy.
The two would go at it in the eight and ninth rounds. After losing the eighth, Williams came back in the ninth landed some efficient punches. His punches didn’t have the snap they had early, but his continuous high output impressed the judges.
By the start of the eleventh round momentum was on Maragrito’s side. Williams punch output seemed to drop and was primarily on the defensive. Margarito would come out strong landing big punch after big punch. A right hook would open a cut above over Williams left eye. Williams would show a lot of resilience, as well as a iron clad chin by surviving the round.
The twelfth and final round would ultimately be the determining round of the fight. Williams came out calm and relaxed as if it was the first round. He used his jab to keep Margarito at bay and dominated with combinations and a slick defense. Margarito seemed to have been gassed out from the eleventh round, unable to land any clean punches against the southpaw.
Had Margarito won the final round, two scorecards would have read 114-114, and the fight would have ended in a draw.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told reporters after the fight that Margarito’s match up with Miguel Cotto was still a possibility. The two have a chance to meet, if a Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto cannot be worked out.
As for Williams, a unification fight with IBF champion Kermit Cintron is a possibility. As reported earlier, Cintron knocked out Walter Dario Matthysse last night in Atlantic City, NJ.

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When was the last time SportsCenter started off their telecast discussing a boxing match? Or when has espn.com had a fight as the main story on its front page? With the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, and Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron’s all-time homerun record all occurring Saturday, boxing was the first story on every sports telecast. These were not fifteen second clips either. They were full segments discussing the outcome of the fight. For non-sports website, gossip websites such as perezhilton.com let fans know that Jennifer Lopez and other celebrities attended the fight. Anybody with a pulse knew that a boxing fight took place Saturday in Las Vegas. The world was watching.
Does this mean that boxing is back? Well, Boxing was never gone to begin with. It’s always been here. It’s on HBO every other week. It’s on SHOWTIME once a month. ESPN shows fights every Wednesday and Friday Night. ESPN Classic introduces new fans to boxing legends and provides fans with big time fights that they’ve never seen before. It’s getting new fans to watch these smaller fights that are key to improving boxing awareness.
Thanks to last night, a casual sports fan may have become the next biggest boxing fan. For all we know thousands and thousands of new boxing fans are on boxing news websites looking up information regarding the fight, giving their opinions in boxing forums, and looking to see when the next fight on HBO is. Last night was not meant to help boxing for one night. It was not meant to let everybody know how great of a fighter Mayweather Jr is. It was to give the Kelly Pavlik’s, the Andre Berto’s, and all the other future stars of boxing the recognition they deserve.
Nobody starts off being a big boxing fan. Just like anything else, they start small and grow into a fanatic over weeks and months. For that new big fan, last night was that small start for somebody.

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