By Norm Frauenheim-

Oscar De La Hoya often talks about Canelo Alvarez as though he is looking at himself, or maybe at what he had hoped for himself. In the reflection, there are huge aspirations. Maybe some illusions, too. A mirror can bend reality into some funny shapes. Tricks lurk behind the blind spots for anybody susceptible to a feint. Yet, the truth always appears, which is what De La Hoya is about to discover in a critical test of Canelo’s right to be the heir-apparent in a domain long ruled by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

Erislandy Lara, who has quick feet and sneaky power, is in the way and dangerous enough to make Canelo’s potential look like false advertising.

For Canelo, the stakes have never been higher than they will be Saturday night at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand in a Showtime pay-per-view bout crisscrossed by plots and subplots. Here’s just one: It’s a fight that could be critical to De La Hoya’s business, Golden Boy Promotions. His company is fighting for relevancy in the wake Richard Schaefer’s resignation as CEO and questions about whether fighters presumed to be with Golden Boy are in fact tied to Al Haymon. Lara is a Haymon fighter. Lara’s tie to Haymon might have been an interesting footnote and nothing more if not for the De La Hoya-Schaefer split. Now, however, it’s a key element that has spawned further plots and garden-variety conspiracy theories. To wit: Was Schaefer setting De La Hoya up for a fall by putting Canelo into the most dangerous fight possible?

Believe what you want about how and why Canelo agreed to face Lara in a junior-middleweight fight perilous to him and De La Hoya. It’s no secret that Canelo is Golden Boy’s most valuable commodity. His drawing power was evident in the record revenues produced in his pay-per-view loss to Mayweather in September. His one-sided loss to Mayweather was predicted and has been written off as a learning experience. Fair enough. But his Pied Piper-like ability to attract fans, especially in his native Mexico, has heightened the fight’s urgency and probably the anxiety for anybody invested in him.

Can he win? Yeah, definitely.

Can he lose? Yeah definitely.

But this isn’t just another pick ’em fight. The potential consequences make this one extraordinary.

De La Hoya’s brilliant career included at least a couple of bouts that confirmed his stardom and propelled him to the big money that he would later collect. Two come to mind.

There was Pernell Whitaker in 1997, five years after De La Hoya’s Olympic gold in Barcelona. At 23-0, De La Hoya had an unblemished record and unmarked face. But he had yet to prove whether he was more than a pretty face. Whitaker represented a critical test. He was 40-1-1 and thought to be the best defensive tactician of his generation. De La Hoya won, claiming a unanimous decision — 116-110 on two cards and 115-111 on the third. But the scoring was ripped, especially by East Coast media which argued that the bout was at least a draw. Many screamed from their ringside seats that Whitaker, of Philadelphia, had been robbed.

Then, there was Ike Quartey in 1999. Quartey, strong and skilled, was 34-0-1 and thought to be the world’s most dangerous welterweight. De La Hoya had won six more times since Whitaker. He was unbeaten, yet still unproven. There were questions about whether he could take much punishment. He could, he did, getting up from a fourth-round knockdown while flooring Quartey twice, once in the sixth and again in the 12th. But the bout was not without controversy. De La Hoya won a split decision, 116-112 and 116-113 on two cards. The third had it for Quartey, 115-114. But disagreement on the cards subsided, allowing De La Hoya to move on, up and into the biggest star of his generation.

Both fights were at Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas, a city where De La Hoya was popular enough to be called the house fighter. It’s a label that Canelo has today.

From this corner, the guess is that Canelo-Lara will resemble De La Hoya-Quartey more than De La Hoya-Whitaker. Canelo’s strength is power. Lara has enough of it to also do some damage. Knockdowns appear inevitable, perhaps decisive in a bout that could be controversial. However, Lara could rely on his quick feet and left-handed style with Whitaker-like defense, although that strategy might backfire just as it did for Whitaker 17 years ago.

From his ringside seat Saturday night, De La Hoya might remember Quartey and Whitaker. He might look at Canelo and recall two difficult victories that were so important to his own career. He might see something else, too. It could look a lot like his future.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Erislandy Lara, a Cuban defector, calls himself The American Dream. Nothing new about the nickname.

David Reid, a junior-middleweight from Philadelphia, got the same name after winning an improbable gold with a 1996 Olympic knockout of a heavily-favored Cuban at the Atlanta Games. His dream ended quickly and sadly. Reid, who won a WBA title in only his tenth fight, was finished as a pro after 19 bouts (17-2, 7 KOs) in 2001, because of a detached retina and drooping eyelid that led to fears his vision was in jeopardy.

Henry Cejudo, a wrestler from Phoenix and a U.S.-born son of illegal immigrants, was The American Dream in 2008 when he won gold on Beijing’s Olympic mats in a moment as compelling as Michael Phelps’ record-setting eighth gold in the pool.

Different dreams.

Different stories.

It’s hard to know where the Lara edition of The Dream is headed, mostly because his July 12 showdown against Canelo Alvarez at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand in a Showtime pay-per-view bout is tough to pick. Styles make fights and Lara appears to have an edge in that proven category. He possesses the quick footwork and counter-punching precision that Floyd Mayweather Jr. employed in a dominant decision that left Canelo looking bewildered and overmatched last September. However, bouts of inconsistency on Lara’s resume are impossible to ignore. He drew with Carlos Molina in a bout many thought he lost during a 2011 that included a controversial loss by majority decision to Paul Williams. Yet, Lara was more impressive in beating Austin Trout than was Canelo, who escaped from that one with a decision in April, 2013.

More recent and perhaps more problematic was Lara’s 10th-round TKO over Alfredo Angulo in June, 2013. Angulo knocked down Lara twice, first in the fourth round and again in the ninth. In March, Canelo was never in any serious trouble in stopping Angulo, also in the 10th.

Lara survived Angulo’s one-dimensional power. But Canelo is at his best with combinations, which means a follow-up that Angulo couldn’t really deliver. Lara got up twice from one-punch power. But two-fisted power? It’s one question among many in an intriguing match between fighters closer to the prime than the twilight. Golden Boy Promotions is calling it Honor & Glory. Don’t be surprise if there’s Controversy, too. There’s a 155-pound catch-weight, which means Lara’s 154-pound title, the WBA’s interim version, won’t be at stake. The catch-weight clause appears to be an invitation to miss weight altogether. Canelo has played the scale game before. In 2011, he failed to make a 150-pound catch weight for Matthew Hatton, weighing in at 151.8. Against Angulo, the weight was re-negotiated when Canelo realized he couldn’t make the junior-middle limit. It was re-set at 155.

“Canelo can’t make the weight, so he refused to fight for the title,” Lara said through manager and translator Luis DeCubas, Jr., Wednesday during a conference call. “It’s very disrespectful and my motivation to beat him has increased because of it.”

It appears Lara has managed to annoy Canelo at news conferences and through social media. He interrupted Canelo’s post-fight celebration of his victory over Angulo. At the news conference, he taunted Canelo, demanding that fight him. He has called Canelo “a baby.” Much of it sounds orchestrated. Lara is not the free-wheeling trash-talker that fellow Guantanamo native and Cuban defector Joel Casamayor was. Casamayor used every obscenity and probably introduced a few new ones to the book of expletives. Lara appears to be more distant and calculating. Nonetheless, he’s not afraid of controversy. He kept the pot stirring Wednesday with the conference call’s best comeback. He was asked if he owes Canelo a thank-you for the opportunity in a bout that could be career-maker.

“I don’t owe him nothing other than left hands,” he said through DeCubas. “I forced this fight. It wasn’t because Canelo wanted to take this fight. I’ve been after this fight for two years.”

There’s arrogance in that comment.

Fearlessness, too.

Lara already has encountered plenty to fear. His journey from Cuba isn’t unique. Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig traveled it in his own way. Lara in another. No matter what the path, peril is there. For Lara, it started in Brazil. He and Cuban teammate Guillermo Rigondeaux tried to defect before the 2007 Pan-American Games. They were caught by Brazilian authorities, who sent them back to Cuba. An angry Fidel Castro banned both from boxing. In 2008, Lara escaped Cuba and fled to Mexico on a boat. Then, he headed to Germany. He made his pro debut in Ankara, Turkey, fought once in Germany and then headed for America. But his Dream sometimes looked unattainable. In 2009, he was not granted a license to fight in Tucson. The Arizona State Boxing Commission said he was not able to get a work visa, then mandated in a state which was about to be embroiled in the 2010 immigration controversy over the SB 1070 legislation.

But he endured. Lara fought through the setbacks, came back from each in a way that could have prepared him for
Canelo. There’s no Dream without comebacks. Against Canelo, Lara might have to pull off another one.

By Norm Frauneheim-

It’s a season of declining expectations. Miguel Cotto’s dramatic victory over Sergio Martinez represents the third straight time that pay-per-view numbers for a major fight were disappointing. Once might be an aberration. Twice is cause for concern. But three straight? That’s a trend.

The reported number for HBO”s PPV-telecast of Cotto-Martinez on June 7 was 350,000. The projection was 460,000 to 500,000. That follows reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s decision on May 3 over Marcos Maidana fell short of the one-million mark, an expectation built into the Money May nickname. Mayweather has generated more than one million in six fights — Oscar De La Hoya (2.4), Canelo Alvarez (2.2), Cotto (1.5), Shane Mosley (1.4) Victor Ortiz (1.25) and Juan Manuel Marquez (1.06). Against Maidana, the buy-rate was reported to be about 900,000, although Showtime has not announced a number.

The first domino to fall was Manny Pacquiao’s rematch victory over Timothy Bradley on April 12. The HBO telecast did between 750,000 and and 800,000 according to various media sources. Like Mayweather, Pacquiao failed to meet the million milestone that the Filipino has often surpassed. His PPV average was 1.079 million for seven fights between his victory over Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6, 2008 and his majority-decision over Marquez on Nov. 12, 2011 in their second rematch.

The 2014 decline has been blamed on a lot of things, all reasonable. There have been too many pay-per-view shows for ho-hum fights, Top Rank’s Bob Arum told ESPN. There was too much competition for eyeballs on the Cotto-Martinez weekend, when the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers played for the Stanley Cup and the Triple Crown was at stake in the Belmont, Martinez promoter Lou DiBella said.

Yes and yes.

But the conversation ignores a very big fly in the troublesome ointment.

Sliding numbers are further confirmation that the promotional feud has taken a toll. It appears that the bitter divide between Golden Boy and Top Rank has begun to heal because of De La Hoya’s initiative. He reached out to Arum and promised to renew a working relationship with ex-Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer’s sworn enemy. The move was gutsy, yet risky. It led to immediate turbulence at Golden Boy, the company he founded in 2002. Schaefer resigned. Chief Operating Officer Bruce Binkow soon followed. But it’s hard to know what will happen, long-term.

What the PPV numbers say, however, is that the so-called cross-over crowd, the casual boxing fan, has moved on. It’s safe to say that the cross-over fan isn’t interested in the blow-by-blow coverage of insults exchanged by feuding personalities. Nasty divorces, done over and over again, are tired events. Good fights aren’t. The best of the good just hasn’t happened because of a feud that might be healing, but isn’t resolved.

The guess here is that a key clue to Golden Boy’s future will be revealed this fall. On October 13, a lawsuit filed by All-Star Boxing against Golden Boy involving Canelo is scheduled to go to trial in Florida’s Dade County. The allegation is that Golden Boy signed Canelo when he was still under contract to All-Star.

If it was business as usual, the lawsuit might come and go like so many others have. But these are unusual times, even for a sport that has seen it all. The October trial looms as critical. Canelo is the biggest draw in Mexico, boxing’s biggest market. Retaining his promotional rights would appear to be a cornerstone to Golden Boy’s viability. Whatever happens in that Miami courtroom, it’ll have lasting impact throughout.

Until October, however, the business is in limbo. There are some very good fights, the biggest of which is Canelo-versus-Erislandy Lara on July 12 in a Showtime pay-pew-view fight at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. But will the cross-over fan watch? The first half of 2014 says no.

That cross-over demographic is critical. It’s what turns a good fight into a blockbuster and what makes Mayweather worth the potential $250 million that Showtime invested in him. Thus far, however, that crowd isn’t there anymore.

For now, the NHL, or horse racing, or the World Cup, or a movie looks as if it’s a better investment than pay-per-view boxing. Winning back that fan is the biggest fight, but doing it is a challenge complicated by a sport that has yet to repair itself.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Much has been attached to the Golden Boy Promotions card Saturday night at the SubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Too much.

It’s there mostly because of hope that it represents an initial step beyond the balkanization of a business full of feuding promoters, who get bigger headlines than the fighters do these days. It’s also there because an Al Haymon-represented featherweight, Gary Russell Jr., is fighting Top Rank’s Vasyl Lomachenko in an undercard bout that figures to overshadow the main event, Robert Guerrero-Yoshihiro Kamegai.

“Honestly, it’s a big honor to break the cycle of the Al Haymon and Bob Arum Top Rank and Golden Boy dissent,” Russell said during a conference call. “I think you have these great fighters you know on both sides of the fence that the fans would love to see.”

Against Lomachenko, Russell sees a chance to tear down that fence.

“I think it’s a big breakthrough for me and Lomachenko to be able to be one of the first to actually do it, and hopefully this will open the door for a lot of the other fights that the fans would want to see take place.”

I hope Russell is right. But I’m not optimistic that Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr., or even Sergey Kovalev-Adonis Stevenson, is any closer because of a Russell-Lomachenko bout that was put together before Richard Schaefer quit his post as Oscar De La Hoya’s CEO. There are still too many unanswered questions. To wit: Who will De La Hoya hire to run Golden Boy’s day-to-day operations? More troubling is continuing uncertainty over who is contracted to Golden Boy and who to Haymon.

Not even Guerrero’s contract status is clear. He tried to split with Golden Boy in January. He was asked about it Tuesday during a conference call and again during a media day.

“It’s … you know, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” said Guerrero, who is back for the first tine since a one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May, 2013. “I leave that stuff to my management and take care of my business in the ring.”

Instead of opening bell, most of the sport is waiting for an opening argument. That can’t be good for business.

Still, Russell and Lomachenko might put on a show that could embarrass the feuding promoters. A great fight would provide a glimpse at what could be if promotional egos and/or greed stay out of the way. There’s a chance that could happen.

Russell-Loamchenko has elements of a potential classic. Both are storied amateurs. Russell was a prodigy. He won a national Golden Gloves title when he was 16. Lomachenko was a legendary Olympian, a two-time gold medalist (2008 and 2012) for the Ukraine. At 24-0-1, Russell has pro experience. Yet in a curious switch, there are more questions about him than there are about Lomachenko (1-1), who got ahead of himself in his apprenticeship against Orlando Salido in only his second pro bout. Salido has been called a gatekeeper for a reason. He’ll throw the gate at you if he has to. Salido came in overweight and then he roughed up Lomachenko and his Olympic pedigree in winning a split decision. Some say that Russell’s fast hands move at a rate unseen since Meldrick Taylor. Yet, there are doubts about the quality of his opposition. He has never faced anybody with Salido’s willingness to win at any cost.

“Gary Russell is much faster than me” Lomachenko said during his media day. “He’s a very quick, speedy fighter, and I won’t know until we get into the ring how I plan to deal with it. But we’ll find out soon enough. I fought really fast guys in the amateurs. But those were only three-round fights, so I didn’t have time to try and figure out the style of who I was fighting.

“…I got good experience from my two professional fights. I came on the last half of my first fight so I think my stamina and conditioning is good. But every fight is different, so we’ll have to see.”

A great fight might not change the business. Not in the short term anyway. But it’d be nice to see what could be different.

By Norm Frauenheim

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s top spot on the Forbes’ latest edition of the world’s highest-paid athletes is a counter to the tired argument from the know-nothing crowd that continues to say boxing is dead. It’s also an inconvenient truth for main-stream media. Newspaper editors will probably ignore it. They’re too busy pushing their own agenda, trying to bury the business while killing their own.

Mayweather’s $105 million over the last twelve months is 42 percent of the $250 million Jeff Bezos paid for The Washington Post last year. The newspaper game is a lot closer to its own obit than boxing has ever been.

I’m happy to use Mayweather’s top spot on the popular Forbes list in any argument with former newspaper colleagues who parrot the boxing-is-dead cliche. As a Phoenix resident in a city with a big Mexican-American population and historically a top-10 pay-per-view market, I run into fight fans, now former newspaper subscribers, who are so angry at the absence of coverage that they won’t even wrap a fish in local newsprint anymore. Scoring a point in a debate with no end in sight, however, isn’t exactly an endorsement of the business model represented by Mayweather, who is No. 1 on the magazine’s annual list for the second time in the last three years.

Mayweather’s wages — $1,458,333.33-a-minute for 24 rounds in decisions over Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana — are the result of a Showtime deal that guarantees him most of the spoils. It’s not winner-take-all. Just almost all. Canelo, a Forbes newcomer at No. 66 with $21 million, walked away from his loss to Mayweather in September with $12 million. For him, it was a career-high and a reflection of his popularity in Mexico. But his purse was $61 million less than Mayweather’s final take, $73 million, for a bout that grossed a reported record of $200 million.

The difference was big enough to rank seventh on the Forbes list, just behind golfer Tiger Woods’ $61.2 million and tennis star Roger Federer’s $56.2 million. Couldn’t some of the difference have gone to emerging fighters on the undercard or in the gym? Bottom line, it’s about sustainability. If one fighter sweeps most of the chips off the table, I’m not sure it’s there.

Canelo wound up with about 16.4 percent of what Mayweather got. Canelo got plenty, enough to make him wealthy. Who wouldn’t line up for a chance at that kind of money? Dumb question. Mayweather, himself, says fighters lobby
for a shot at what he calls the “Mayweather sweepstakes.”

Maidana agreed to a guarantee of $1.5 million, also a career-high for the welterweight from Argentina. Mayweather’s minimum was $32 million. In negotiations, Maidana got about 4.7 percent of Mayweather’s payday. Try that one with a New York cabbie. Say, your fare is 20 bucks. Toss the driver a 94-cent gratuity and duck. That’s no sweepstakes. It’s a lousy tip.

Mayweather does it, because he can. That makes him a good businessman. But is it good for the business he dominates? That’s an altogether different question, which begs for an answer or least an investment that will ensure a future instead of another obit.

By Norm Frauenheim–

Oscar De La Hoya’s induction to the International Boxing Hall of Fame Sunday a few days after the tumult of Richard Schaefer’s resignation as the CEO of his company, Golden Boy Promotions, could be mere coincidence. Could be something else, too. Friendship is the biggest feint of all in a balkanized business defined by shifting alliances and suspicion more abundant than loyalty. The timing of Schaefer’s resignation is just another suspect. Couldn’t it have been scheduled for, say, next Monday? Couldn’t it have been put off until De La Hoya was allowed to enjoy a short afternoon in honor of his long ring career? It’s not as if Schaefer’s departure was a surprise.

Bad timing? Bad manners? Or all of the above? Pick your poison, but it’s awkward, first and foremost. It’s a symptom of real rancor within the messy divide that split De La Hoya and the able executive, who turned his company into a promotional power. It’s also a further sign of what’s next and it’s not pretty. Nasty lawsuits loom. Lawyers figure to collect bigger purses than the fighters. Can it be avoided? Yeah, maybe. But there’s been a certain sense of inevitability about this whole affair. Only a fool would have predicted there’d be no Schaefer-De La Hoya divorce.

It’s hard to know where it goes once the first legal brief gets filed. That’s because De La Hoya has yet to know what’s left of his company. He issued a short statement Wednesday night.

“Golden Boy Promotions is moving ahead on all fronts,” De La Hoya said. “We look forward to continuing and expanding our key position in the boxing world and to providing the public with the very best the sport has to offer.”

Translation: Get back to me after I can figure out who is under contract and who isn’t. That could take a while. In the end, only a court might be able to decide.

Other than junior-middleweight star Canelo Alvarez and former featherweight champion Abner Mares, it’s simply not clear who has a contract with Golden Boy and who has one with Al Haymon. Emerging light-heavyweight Adonis Stevenson thanked Haymon and called him his “manager” after a Showtime-televised victory over Andrzej Fonfara a few weeks ago. Yet, Haymon isn’t licensed as a manager or promoter in any boxing jurisdiction. As far as anybody knows, he only has driver’s license

During a news conference before Floyd Mayweather Jr, Haymon’s celebrity client, beat Marcos Maidana on May 3 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand , De La Hoya said that he didn’t know who he had under contract.

He doesn’t know because of a wrinkle that only threatens to make the mess a lot messier. While still the Golden Boy CEO, Schaefer was quoted by Yahoo as saying that some fighters were under contract to Golden Boy and some weren’t. The lingering question is why and when Schaefer allowed them to sign with Haymon while fighting under the Golden Boy banner. Did the fighters seemingly aligned with Golden Boy sign with Haymon while De La Hoya was in rehab? Whether Schaefer fulfilled his fiduciary responsibility to Golden Boy is beginning to look like another issue only a court can decide.

Meanwhile, there’s widespread speculation that Schaefer will eventually join Haymon in a formal alliance with Mayweather in a re-constituted rival to Bob Arum’s Top Rank and a further impediment to the chances of Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao ever happening.

“I’m in the fight of my life,” the 41-year-old De La Hoya said a month ago.

It’s a fight that will demand the resiliency, resourcefulness and energy he displayed in two victories over Julio Cesar Chavez, again against Ike Quartey and then Fernando Vargas.

He figures to get help from Arum, who is 82 and still fighting because of the very battles that have exhausted so many others, yet energize him. De La Hoya renewed his relationship with Arum, his original promoter. The move further angered Schaefer, who has vowed to never again work with a tireless personality who has given new meaning, if not life, to the term octogenarian.

At some point, it’s inevitable that Arum and De La Hoya will again do business. That could renew chances of Canelo in a fight against the Arum-promoted Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a bout that was such a hot possibility among Mexican fans a few years ago. The weight difference might be an issue. Nevertheless, Gennady Golovkin, a small middleweight, was close to an agreement for a fight with Chavez Jr. The bout fell apart because of a squabble between Chavez and Arum over a contract extension. It had noting to do with weight. If Golovkin can fight Chavez, so can Canelo, who is growing out of the 154-pound division.

An intriguing, perhaps promising byproduct of the De La Hoya-Schaefer split is similar talk about fights that had been dismissed for the last couple of years because of the Golden Boy-Top Rank feud. Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach is talking about Danny Garcia as a possibility for the Filipino superstar. It still has to be determined whether Garcia is under contact to Golden Boy or Haymon. But at least there’s talk where there was none among disaffected fans weary of a feud that has shut so many doors.

It’s a beginning.

Still, theres no way to know if and when it will ever end.

For now, we can only be certain that Schaefer won’t introduce De La Hoya for his Hall of Fame induction.

By Norm Frauenheim

London’s Wembley Stadium will be the stage Saturday for what figures to be a terrific rematch in the second edition of Carl Froch-versus-George Groves and an even better lesson for what ails the business in North America.

It’s pretty simple, obvious enough to be embarrassing. Give the fans what they want. From New York to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, that market fundamental has been lost, or perhaps ignored for all the tired reasons that have been reported ad nauseam for the last few years.

It’s an era that should be remembered for Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. and maybe a rematch or two. Instead, it’s marked by the deadly Top Rank-Golden Boy feud that denied customers what they have wanted the most.

The Wembley crowd is expected to be 80,000, a UK record, for a fight between two very good super-middleweights. Yet, neither Froch nor Groves will ever be Mayweather and Pacquaio, who were and perhaps still are the best of their generation. If Froch and Groves can draw 80,000 to an arena for a grudge match-turned-spectacle, imagine what Mayweather could have done, or perhaps can still do.

Froch-Groves is essentially a UK story full of tension between the two and controversy about a debatable stoppage that allowed Froch to win a ninth-round TKO last November in Manchester. But their rematch is also a snapshot look at what could have – should have – been. The world has wanted Pacquaio-Mayweather.

The good news in Froch-Groves is that it is a sure sign business can thrive if it’s done right, which simply means that the customers are always more important than promotional egos. After all, Froch could have walked away, or hid behind some marketing spin or manufactured social polls in an attempt to fight somebody else. But that would have been running away from what the market demands. That would have been stupid. Froch isn’t. A record crowd is about to thank him.

The bad news, at least in North America, is in declining television numbers for major bouts over the last few months. HBO’s pay-per-view buy rate for Pacquiao’s rematch victory over Timothy Bradley on April 12 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand was reported to have been between 750,000 and 800,000. Solid, yet short of the million milestone. As of Thursday, there was still no official word on Showtime’s PPV buy rate for Mayweather’s majority decision over Marcos Maidana on May 3, also at the MGM Grand. Fair or not, a slow count means Showtime is no rush to report disappointing numbers, which have been speculated to be about 900,000, also short of the million marker.

Numbers can be twisted into equations that serve just about any agenda. But the last two from Pacquiao and Mayweather point to the same result: Exasperation at no Mayweather-Pacquiao is beginning to add up to fewer customers.

A further red flag was raised Saturday in light-heavyweight Adonis Stevenson’s surprisingly difficult decision over Andrzej Fonfara in a non-PPV bout in Montreal. In his first fight since jumping from HBO to Showtime in late March after signing with advisor Al Haymon, the Stevenson-featured card drew an average audience of 672,000, according to Nielsen. The rating peaked at 800,000 for Stevenson-Fonfara.

Stevenson’s last fight on HBO — a sixth-round stoppage of Tony Bellew in November – drew a reported audience of 1.3 million, also for a non-PPV bout. Some difference was expected, because HBO has a bigger universe (29 million) than Showtime (23 million). But even at the 800,000 peak for the victory over Fonfara, the audience for Stevenson was down by half-a-million.

Forget the marketing spin, which will try to explain away the decline. Like the latest returns from Pacquiao and Mayweather, the Stevenson numbers are rooted in what the customers have been denied. Before Stevenson jumped to Showtime and Haymon, there was momentum for a Stevenson-Sergey Kovalev fight.

Kovalev-Stevenson wasn’t Pacquiao-Mayweather, but it was a good alternative for fans weary of not getting the fights they wanted the most. Just when it looked as if the bout would happen late this year, Stevenson walked away from the blockbuster. A lot of customers joined him.

Many more will walk away from a lot more if feuding promoters don’t pay attention to Froch and Groves to a London primer in basic business sense.

By Norm Frauenheim–

Sergio Martinez probably won’t ever invite Miguel Cotto to a backyard barbecue. Martinez talks as if he just doesn’t like Cotto. Evident tension between the two is an entertaining sidelight to their intriguing fight on June 7 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

But their middleweight bout is interesting, hard to pick, mostly because it’s really it’s a question of who has the most left at the end of long, Hall of Fame careers.

Martinez looked like an aging NBA player the last time he climbed through the ropes and limped across the canvas on bad knees. The promise is that those knees are healthy and he’s as mobile as ever. Until opening bell, however, it’s fair to wonder how they’ll hold up the first time Martinez pivots to throw a punch or avoid one. It’s also safe to assume that Cotto will test them as early as possible with some lateral movement.

Meanwhile, there’s more scar tissue around Cotto’s eyes than there is on Martinez’ knees. Martinez is bound to test it with a precise jab that could re-open old wounds in an attempt to fulfill his prediction of a stoppage before the ninth round.

Does it matter if they don’t like each other? Not at all. Cotto has always proceeded as if he doesn’t care one whit about whether he’s liked. He’s quiet and disciplined, a man with more ring skill than social skill. He only asks for respect, and that’s something he has throughout a business known more for shifting feuds than real friendship. Cotto repeatedly says he just wants to do his job. With a unique consistency, he has.

During a conference call Thursday, Cotto was asked about Martinez’s annoyance at various issues, including a 159-pound catch weight. Predictably perhaps, Cotto seemed to dismiss the question, saying Martinez should speak to his management if he’s unhappy. Cotto, it seems, was not going to be drawn into a diversionary debate that could disrupt his attention on the task at hand. It was vintage Cotto, always pragmatic and never fooled by a feint.

“If he’s training for only seven or eight rounds, he’s in trouble,’’ Cotto said in a simple counter to Martinez’ promise to score a stoppage within nine.

Cotto also would not let himself be diverted by talk of a legacy, especially in his island home, Puerto Rico. A victory over Martinez would make him the first Puerto Rican to win a title in forth weight class. But he would not rank himself among Puerto Rican legends, including Felix Trinidad and Wilfredo Gomez.

“It’s a personal achievement and a personal matter that I want to win,’’ said Cotto, who will be at middleweight for the first time. “So I’m working toward that. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to be better than Gomez or better than Trinidad or better than the great champions that Puerto Rico has had. But for myself, for Miguel, this will be the biggest accomplishment of my career.’’

The tension between Cotto and Martinez is reported to be rooted in a chance encounter at an ESPN Deportes studio a few years ago. Cotto apparently ignored Martinez, who took it as sign of disrespect. Apocryphal or not, it has set the stage for an element of controversy. That’s never a bad thing to have in HBO’s run-up to a pay-per-view fight. Some personal drama is just another way to sell a fight that Top Rank’s Todd duBoef says has the potential to be the biggest fight that doesn’t include a Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Cotto trainer Freddie Roach made a few comments that were rooted in the reported issues that divide the two fighters. Roach talked about Martinez making excuses, although the Argentine hasn’t questioned the condition of his knees. The media have.

“I don’t want to hear after the fight that his knees hurt,’’ Roach said.

Roach talked about Cotto attacking Martinez’ with body punches. Although smaller, Roach said the 5-foot-7 Cotto is stronger than the 5-10 Martinez.

Martinez, Roach said, “might be bigger, but he’s not better.’’

In test of what’s left, he’ll only have to be good enough.

By Norm Frauenheim–

Boxing returns to a place Saturday that helped re-define the business in a way that allowed it to move beyond the Sugar Ray Leonard generation and into an era without the heavyweight division as its flagship.

Welcome back to The Forum.

It also was nicknamed the House of Upsets, which might mean trouble for favored Juan Manuel Marquez against Mike Alvarado if contractors didn’t remove that legacy in the $35-million remake of the old arena near LAX.

It’s a good fight, but Top Rank’s return to the building is more intriguing for historical significance and perhaps coincidence.

“This is going to be a great night and a fight that is really important for boxing,’’ said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who during a conference call also said The Forum was “a venue that helped make boxing as popular as it is today.’’

Note that Arum did not say boxing was as popular as it was the last time it was there. Nobody would. Or could. Arum promoted Muhammad Ali, the most legendary name of all, in a decision over Ken Norton at The Forum in a Sept. 10, 1973 bout that drew 12,417 customers for a live gate of $476,750, a California record that stood for 27 years.
“That was what? Forty-one years ago,’’ Arum joked. “Oh my, I was a thin, young handsome guy. Now, I’m an old fat guy.’’

But the memories are as keen as ever for Arum, who at 82 finds himself confronted by decisions about where to go and what to do. Maybe the answers are in China or with boxers from Kazakhstan, Russia and The Ukraine. It’s hard to know. But it’s becoming abundantly clear that change is on the horizon.

The Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. era is near its end. HBO’s pay-per-view numbers for Pacquiao’s rematch victory over Timothy Bradley on April 12 were reported to be between 750,000 and 800,000, down from the 890,000 for their first fight in 2012.

As of Thursday, there was still no news on Showtime’s PPV number for Mayweather’s difficult decision over Marcos Maidana on May 3. However, there were indications that it might not reach the one-million mark, a Mayweather standard.

Barring a Mayweather-Maidana surprise, the numbers, although still strong, are short of expectations. No matter how you add them up, it’s impossible to subtract public exasperation at never getting Mayweather-Pacquiao. Consequences have come home to roost.

If there’s any good news, it’s in boxing’s proven resiliency. The Forum is a symbol of that. From 1968 through 1999, the Forum was an entry point for Mexican and Mexican-American fighters. A fight in The Forum was a good introduction to the American market. With them, there were fans. Ruben Olivares and Carlos Zarate drew bigger crowds than Ali.

Olivares’ fifth-round knockout of Australian Lionel Rose in a 1969 rematch drew 18,408, The Forum’s biggest boxing crowd ever. In 1970, Olivares won a decision over Chuchu Castillo in front of 18,141. In 1977, Carlos Zarate scored a fourth-round stoppage of Alphonso Zarate in front of 13,971. They were little guys, bantamweights.

They got smaller and in the nick of time. Heavyweight Mike Tyson was in prison for rape and Leonard’s career was all but finished in the wake of a loss to Terry Norris when Michael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez met at The Forum. They were 108 pounds in a division sometimes called light-flyweight, a redundancy if there ever was one. But their impact at the box-office was big.

A crowd of 10,333 showed up on Feb, 19, 1994 for a Forum rematch of their 2003 Fight of the Year, won by Carbajal, who got up twice to score a seventh-round stoppage at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Gonzalez, who made his name at The Forum after beginning his career at home in Mexico City, won a debatable split decision in the second of three fights between the two. But the real history in their first rematch was in the purse.

Arum paid Carbajal $1 million, which then made him the lightest ever to collect the milestone purse. Carbajal’s victory in the first bout had given him leverage in negotiations. To get the $1 million, however, Arum told him he had to fight Gonzalez at what was then called The Great Western Forum. On the scorecards, Carbajal, who also lost the third fight a narrow decision in Don King-promoted bout in Mexico City, might have paid for that move.

“Michael fought Gonzalez in his living room and then fought him in his kitchen,’’ said ex-Forum broadcaster and fighter Ruben Castillo, who called his friend’s second loss “The Great Western Rip-off.”

At The Forum, however, Arum confirmed what had been evident for many years. There was a new market for fights at weights that promoters had always ignored. There was a new way to do business at a time when one was badly needed. Arum is back in a place he knows and a time he recognizes.

By Norm Frauenheim–

There are losers aplenty in the wake of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Gennady Golovkin possibility headed to never-never land, right there alongside the Manny Paquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fantasy. There are the fans, of course. But there’s nothing new about that. Their hopes are always first to take a beating.

They’ll be back.

But you have to wonder whether Chavez Jr. ever will.

An intriguing Chavez-Golovkin fight, which had been scheduled for July 19 at the old Forum in Inglewood, Calif., is off the board because of failed negotiations between Chavez and Top Rank.

Depending on the source, Chavez Jr. said no to a contract extension that Top Rank said it wanted as insurance if the fight failed to make money. According to Yahoo, Chavez manager Billy Keane said Top Rank’s offer for just the Golovkin fight was for 70 percent less than what it offered for a two-fight extension. According to Ringtv.com, Top Rank’s Bob Arum said Chavez Jr. could have made $12 million for two fights in the event of a loss to Golovkin and $17 million if he beat him.

Follow the money, and Chavez Jr doesn’t look good from either side of the table. Fair or not, public perception figures to interpret the failed negotiations as a way for Chavez Jr. to sidestep a fight he couldn’t win against the most feared fighter in the game. Chavez Jr. needed an escape clause and Top Rank gave him one with that two-fight option.

It’s a move that is bound to make Chavez Jr. look bad in the eyes of Mexican fans. Canelo Alvarez readily stepped up and asked for a fight against Erislandy Lara on July 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. More hype is attached to Golovkin than Lara, but Lara is every bit as dangerous as the middleweight from Kazakhstan. Canelo never looked for a way out against the slickly-skilled Cuban, who presents some of the same challenges that Mayweather did in his one-sided victory over the red-headed Mexican last September.

But the perception will be that Chavez looked for an escape and found one. After all, he always has. At almost every turn, there has been an excuse – a way out. Chavez was allowed to train whenever and wherever he wanted before his loss to Sergio Martinez, which was followed by a positive test for marijuana. He said he couldn’t make weight for Bryan Vera. Then, he was allowed to weigh whatever he wanted before winning a controversial decision over Vera in Carson, Calif. At the end of the buffet table, there was no end to the enablers, including Top Rank.

But even Top Rank appears to have lost its patience with the 28-year-old Chavez. The two-fight option includes an unspoken option to walk away. The guess is that Top Rank won’t shed any tears if he does. Arum went public with his exasperation before Chavez Jr. won a rematch over Vera in San Antonio. By then, it was becoming loud and clear that there was a growing disconnect between Julio Jr. and Mexican fans. Only the name connects the son to his legendary dad. There were boos in Carson, Calif., for the first Vera fight. There was a smaller crowd than expected, about 7,300, at San Antonio’s Alamodome for the rematch.

Even the best trainers of the day opted not to work with him. Freddie Roach left him after the loss to Martinez. Robert Garcia chose not to work with him before the Vera rematch. A year from now, Chavez Jr. might regret turning down Top Rank’s option. It’s beginning to look as if he doesn’t have many left.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – It was supposed to be easy. It wasn’t.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. got the victory that oddsmakers, pundits and just about everybody not from Argentina thought he would. But it was less than dominant. At times, it was just ugly. Marcos Maidana made sure of it in an exhausting, carpet-bomb style of punching that pushed Mayweather onto the ropes and even through the ropes.

There were few moments, it seemed, when Mayweather wasn’t on the ropes, literally and figuratively. Mayweather got the decision. But there was a qualifier. It wasn’t unanimous. It was a majority decision, meaning it fell one judge short of Mayweather’s predicted dominance.

It was a draw, 114-114, on Michael Pernick’s scorecard. Burt Reynolds had it 117-111 and Dave Mortetti 116-112, each for Mayweather. The draw on Pernick’s card opens the door for a debate about just how good the unbeaten Mayweather was in winning his 46th fight and the third in a rich Showtime contract worth a potential $250 million.

“I’d describe this as a tough, competitive fight,’’ said Mayweather (46-0, 25 KOs), who collected at least $32 million. “Normally, I like to box, but I couldn’t.’’

He couldn’t because of the inexhaustible Maidana, who walked forward in a dogged pursuit of the mythical pound-for-pound champion.

After it was all over, Maidana walked and talked like the winner. In some ways, he even looked the winner. He was unmarked, unlike Mayweather, who was left with a cut above his right eye.

“He never hurt me with a punch,’’ said Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs), who was guaranteed $1.5 million. “I thought I won the fight.’’

Maidana seemed to fight as if he were angry. Perhaps, he was, especially after a glove controversy that wasn’t settled until early Saturday. Maidana was not allowed to wear custom-made gloves that bore Argentina’s blue and white colors. The Mayweather camp objected to them, arguing they lacked the requisite padding along the knuckles.

“He doesn’t fight like a man,’’ Maidana said in Spanish translated into English for the MGM Grand’s crowd, which included a lot of jeering fans from Argentina.

Mayweather escaped with the decision by scoring with precise punches in the later rounds. From the seven through the 12th, Maidana couldn’t quite sustain the pace he had at the beginning. That left him open for counter shots and an effective uppercut. Still, Maidana had enough energy to bull-rush Mayweather in the 11th, pushing him half way through the middle ropes.

Mayweather sustained a cut above his right eye late in the fourth.

“I couldn’t see out of the eye for two rounds,’’ Mayweather said.

A left hook from Maidana appeared to cause the wound, although Maidana’s furious pace made it hard to tell exactly what landed. At times, it looked as if Maidana was trying to land just about everything, all at once.

Maidana wasted no time. In the first, the Maidana whirlwind began, dropping shots from countless angles and at a machinegun rate. Everything was a target. Mayweather’s head and hips. Even Mayweather’s left shoulder was under a sustained assault. Mayweather rolls the shoulder in what is his best-known defensive tactic. Early on, however, the roll was rare, if there at all. There was no time to initiate, much less complete the trademark roll. Mayweather was too busy ducking and leaning back on the ropes.

Mayweather didn’t eliminate the possibility of a rematch. Maidana talked as if he deserved one.

“I’m not scared of him,’’ Maidana said. “Why not do the rematch?’’

It might be in the cards.

Amir Khan restores credibility with tactical decision over Collazo

Amir Khan added pounds to his body and hope to his future.

Kahn restored some lost credibility with a poised, tactical decision over Luis Collazo in a welterweight bout Saturday night before the main event featuring Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand.

There will always be doubts about Khan’s notoriously fragile chin. Against the rugged Collazo, however, the former junior-welterweight seemed to fight as though he knew he couldn’t leave it exposed. For the most part, he used his quick feet to stay a step away from Collazo.

Byt the 10th round, his superior athleticism just proved to be too much for Collazo. He knocked down Collazo twice in the round. The first knockdown came at the end of a left uppercut as short as it was beautiful.

For Khan, the inescapable question revolved around what was next. Mayweather? Mayweather had bypassed Khan for Maidana.

“Absolutely,’’ Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) said when asked if he wanted to be next in the Mayweather sweepstakes. “Absolutely.’’

In the fourth, Khan’s hand speed exercised some Mayweather-like superiority with a short right hand that knocked Collazo off-balance and onto the seat of his trunks. Seconds later, Khan staggered him. But the tough Collazo (35-6, 18 KOs) is nothing if not resilient. That’s the story of his long career.

The knockdown seemed to embolden him. He stubbornly moved forward in an evident attempt to draw Khan into a brawl. Khan instinctively moved away, almost as if he knew he couldn’t win the kind of street fight Collazo wanted.

But the stubborn Collazo kept moving forward and kept taunting Khan in the late seconds of each successive round. It was if he was trying to wear down Khan, wear off the slick veneer on the Brit’s versatile skill set. In the eighth, it looked as if Collazo might succeed. He was penalized a point for a low blow. For a fleeting moment, Khan looked fatigued. Collazo staggered him with a right. Khan held on and was penalized a point for holding Collazo’s head.

Broner Big Winner on Cards, Big Loser with Fans
Adrien Broner talks about boos as though they were terms of endearment.

He says he loves to hear them.

He must have been happy Saturday night. Boos filled the MGM Grand Garden Arena for how he won and how he talked about it after scoring a unanimous decision over Carlos Molina, a Mexican-American from Norwalk, Calif.

“I’m the Can Man,’’ Broner (28-1, 22 KOs) told Showtime broadcaster Jim Gray at the center of the ring. “I just beat the bleep out of a Mexi-Can.’’

On a night billed as a celebration of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo holiday, the patrons were angry enough at the slur to collectively kick Broner’s can. They couldn’t. Neither could the resolute Molina (17-2-1, 7 KOs). But somebody else will if Broner continues to fight with more showmanship than skill.

He mocked Molina in the late rounds, he looked at the crowd in almost every round and threw Molina onto the canvas with a wrestling hold in the third round. There wasn’t much time left for punches and, sure, enough he didn’t throw many. He mixed in just enough to collect a points’ victory in a junior-welterweight bout, his first since Marcos Maidana embarrassed him in December.

“It was a sparring session on national television,’’ said Broner, who showed he can insult pay-per-view customers too

Too Much Love for Periban
J’Leon Love’s story is about learning how to survive. Out of the ring. And in it.

It was a lesson Love (18-0, 10 KOs) put to good use against Marco Antonio Periban (20-2-1, 13 Kos) in the first fight of the pay-per-view portion of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana card. Love, a Mayweather-promoted super-middleweight, survived the fifth round.

A straight right from Periban turned Love’s head violently from one side to the other and eventually put him on the canvas. Periban, of Mexico City, fell back and down in the wild round, apparently from over-exerting himself in an attempt to finish Love. But Love would not go away. First, he regained his equilibrium and then the momentum with careful and precise shots from several angles and enough abundance to win a 10-round unanimous decision.

OFF TV: The non-televised portion of the card was consistent, if not exactly perfect. It went six-for-six. Six fights, six stoppages. The sixth came from Las Vegas cruiserweight Andrew Tabiti, who scored a fourth-round TKO of John Shipman (3-2, 2 KOs) of Amarillo, Tex.

Las Vegas super-middleweight Ronald Gavril (9-0, 7 KOs) remained unbeaten with a fourth-round TKO of Tyrell Hendrix (10-4-2, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles.

British middleweight Anthony Ogogo (6-0, 2 KOs) kept the KO streak going. He scored the card’s fourth straight stoppage, finishing Jonuel Tapia (8-5-1, 5 KOs) of Brooklyn, NY, in the third round.

Ashley Theopane (35-6-1, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas employed speed and precision to overcome a bigger Angino Perez (15-5, 13 KOs) for a fourth-round stoppage of the Miami welterweight. Theopane finished the bout with a succession of punches that drove Perez into the ropes.

Lanell Bellows (7-1-1, 6 KOs), a Las Vegas super-middleweight, scored two knockdowns en route to a second-round stoppage of Thomas Gifford (2-2-1, 1 KO), an Arkansas fighter who went down in the second round as though he had been hit by runaway truck.

More than three hours before Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast began, junior-welterweights Ladarius Miller of Memphis and Richard Colas opened the show. Their punches echoed throughout the empty arena. The biggest echo came from Miller (2-0, 1 KO), who scored a third-round TKO of Colas (11-3, 1 KO).

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy Promotions, said he is fighting for his company and that he doesn’t want to fire his CEO, Richard Schaefer.

“Look, nobody is going to dismiss Richard,’’ De La Hoya said Saturday during a news conference before the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana fight at the MGM Grand. “I don’t want him to leave.’’

But De La Hoya could not be certain that he won’t. He was asked whether the relationship could be healed.

“I don’t know,’’ he said.

De La Hoya conceded that he had alternate plans if he and Schaefer are unable to end a feud that has disrupted their business.

“I have a Plan B, C and D,’’ said De La Hoya, who hired Schaefer, a former Swiss banker to run the promotional company that is named for him. “I found Richard from the banking world to help me out. I can do that again.’’

The De La Hoya-Schaefer feud is marked by disagreement over whether to have any sort of relationship with rival Bob Arum, De La Hoya’s primary promoter throughout his Hall of Fame career. Schaefer has vowed to never do business with Arum again. De La Hoya visited Arum Thursday at the Top Rank promoter’s home in Los Angeles.

De La Hoya said he only wanted “to bury the hatchet” with Arum. He said no business was discussed. However, De La Hoya did not rule out the possibility that business might be discussed if there is another meeting with Arum.

Another issue involves questions about how many fighters are under contract to Mayweather advisor Al Haymon instead of Golden Boy Promotions. Schaefer has developed a close working relationship with Haymon and Mayweather. Schaefer has said that some fighters have contracts with Haymon and not Golden Boy.

“I don’t have the number,’’ De La Hoya said.

De La Hoya said he hoped to talk to Schaefer about the issues that divide them

“Like Richard said, here are a few things we are not agreeing on,’’ he said. “But it’s nothing that can’t be worked out.’’

“I said what I had to say and I stand by those statements,’’ Schaefer said. “Whatever the future holds, hopefully, we can have this resolved within the next couple of weeks.”

It is believed that De La Hoya reached out to Arum as part of his rehab from substance abuse. De La Hoya went into rehab last September before Mayweather’s victory over Canelo Alvarez.

“Bottom line, I was not well,’’ De La Hoya said. I got caught up in stuff. I was down and out. I really was. Right now, I want to be the real Golden Boy. This company is named Golden Boy for a reason. This is the fight of my life right now. I can win. I know I can.’’

By Norm Fraienheim–

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. complained about the lack of padding at the knuckles of Marcos Maidana’s gloves in a controversy that erupted Friday after the weigh-in for their pay-per-view welterweight fight at the MGM Grand.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission ruled that Maidana could not wear the gloves, which were custom made for him by Everlast, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said Friday night.

After the Commission’s ruling, negotiations between the respective camps were underway for the kind of gloves that each fighter would wear. Schaefer said the controversy would not put the fight in jeopardy. Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe was quoted as saying there would be no fight if Maidana were allowed to wear the specially-made gloves, which included horsehair for padding and were done in the blue-and-white colors of his home country, Argentina.

“I am absolutely confident that everything will be worked out,’’ Schaefer said. “There will be a fight.’’

Both camps had agreed to wear eight-ounce gloves. However, Mayweather’s management, including Ellerbe and attorney John Hornewer, objected to Maidana’s gloves, complaining that most of padding was at the wrist and not at the knuckles.

“It was like there was one ounce at the knuckles and seven ounces at the wrist,’’ said Elvis Grant, who makes the Grant model that Mayweather plans to wear.

Grant attended the rules meeting. He said Mayweather tried on the Maidana pair that the Argentine planned to wear.

“Floyd said there was no way he’d fight that guy with those gloves on,’’ Grant said.

Maidana is known for his power. With 31 knockouts in 35 fights, he has one of the best KO ratios in boxing.

The glove controversy was just one of many in a week full of them during the build-up for Mayweather-Maidana.

At a weigh-in that sounded like a rap concert, the only excess pounds came from booming speakers loud enough to simulate a small earthquake. The building shook. The scale rocked. The noise was heavy. Only the fighters weren’t.

Both Mayweather and Maidana came in under the 147-pound limit. Mayweather looked bigger and might be much bigger at opening bell, but at 146 pounds he was lighter on the official scale than Maidana, who was at 146-½ for his sixth fight at welterweight.

Mayweather, who had Atlanta rapper 2Chainz in his entourage, appeared calm and confident as ever, despite controversy throughout the week before his third fight in a Showtime contract for a possible six bouts and a potential $250 million.

The week started with Mayweather defending Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, whom he called “a nice guy” despite Sterling’s racist comments that resulted in the NBA banning him for life. The controversy continued Thursday when Mayweather posted allegations on his Facebook account that his former fiance, Shantel Jackson, aborted their twins because he is pro-life. The post, taken down later in the day, included a photo of what he said was her sonogram.

Showtime broadcaster Jim Gray asked Mayweather about “distractions” after the pound-for-pound champion stepped off the scale.

“Pressure, I love it,’’ said Mayweather, who also promised to do what he does best.

There doesn’t appear to be much pressure on Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) in the bout itself. Odds, which have been as high as 11-to-1, have made him the overwhelming favorite since the fight was announced.

If there’s pressure, it’s in how he wins. At different times and in different words, Mayweather has been close to promising his best performance ever. He has said that doesn’t necessarily mean a stoppage. But fans are interpreting it that way. Consider this: The odds are 6-to-5 for Mayweather by KO. A lot of bettors are putting their money on the 10th-round, which would coincide with Mayweather’s 2007 TKO of Ricky Hatton, who — like Maidana – was a natural 140-pounder fighting as a welterweight. Mayweather by KO in the 10th opened at 12-to-1. Late in the week, it had been bet down to 8-to-1.

Predictably, Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) has said he is not bothered by the overwhelming odds. What else is he going to say?

“I know he’s going to be much bigger, but because of my style I know I can beat him,’’ said Maidana, who possesses one of the best knockout ratios in boxing, yet could not stop Adrien Broner, a former lightweight, in his upset of him in December.

In some ways, Maidana’s slim chance at a monumental upset is reflected in the wealth gap that separates the two purses. Mayweather’s guarantee is $32 million, according to a contract filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Maidana’s guarantee is $1.5 million, according to the Nevada commission. Maidana is expected to get a percentage of Argentina’s television revenue. Nevertheless, Maidana’s guarantee is a fraction of what Mayweather will pocket no matter what the pay-per-view does.

Form the odds to the respective paychecks, it all adds up to Mayweather, unless — and perhaps only if — Maidana gets lucky. In this city of longshots, he might. But the best bet is that his chances at luck are better with a pair of dice at a Vegas’ table than in the ring against Mayweather.

De La Hoya, Arum meet
According to various reports, Oscar De La Hoya met Thursday with Bob Arum at Arum’s home in Los Angeles in an attempt to end the Golden Boy Promotions-Top Rank feud.

“Our relationship is now totally repaired, whether we do any specific business, we will have a friendly relationship between Todd (DuBoef) and I on our side and Oscar,’’ said Arum, De La Hoya’s primary promoter during his Hall of Fame career “We’ll have a collegial relationship.

“It was a very emotional meeting. We hugged each other. Oscar meant a lot to me, and I meant a lot to him. We had a helluva ride together. It was the right thing to do.”

Arum said the meeting lasted about two-and-a-half hours.

“We had lunch,’’ he said. “It was at our vacation house in Los Angeles. There was a good tenor to our conversation. Todd and I met with Oscar, and reminisced about old times. We talked about how it was crazy that we were at odds. We buried the hatchet, and it as a very productive meeting. We never talked any specific business, ever.”

De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy, has been feuding with his CEO, Richard Schaefer, who has vowed to never to do business with Arum again. Golden Boy has been working as associate promoter for the Mayweather-Maidana fight.

However, De La Hoya has not attended any of the news conferences. He also was not at Friday’s weigh-in.

Also on the scale
Both Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KOs) and Luis Collazo were at the mandatory, 147-pounds, for their key welterweight fight on the televised card. Khan hopes for an impressive victory that will keep him in line for a shot at Mayweather, perhaps later in the year.

Adrien Broner (27-1, 22 KOs) was at 140 pounds and Carlos Molina at 138 ½ for their junior-welterweight bout. There were boos for Broner, who was happy to hear them. “Keep on booing me,’’ said Broner, who is coming off his loss to Maidana. “I’m going to keep on doing my thing.’’

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. complained about the lack of padding at the knuckles of Marcos Maidana’s gloves in a controversy that erupted Friday after the weigh-in for their pay-per-view welterweight fight at the MGM Grand.

There are two pairs in question. Both are in light blue, the national color for Argentina, Maidana’s home country.

Mayweather’s corner did not argue with the brand, Everlast. But Mayweather’s management, including advisor Leonard Ellerbe and attorney John Hornewer, demanded during a rules meeting that the Nevada State Athletic Commission prohibit Maidana from wearing either pair. Maidana walked out of the meeting. There was still no resolution to controversy late Friday.

Maidana is known for his power. With 31 knockouts in 35 fights, he has one of the best KO ratios in boxing. Mayweather wears Grant-made gloves.

The glove controversy was just one of many in a week full of them during the build-up for Mayweather-Maidana.

At a weigh-in that sounded like a rap concert, the only excess pounds came from booming speakers loud enough to simulate a small earthquake. The building shook. The scale rocked. The noise was heavy. Only the fighters weren’t.

Both Mayweather and Maidana came in under the 147-pound limit. Mayweather looked bigger and might be much bigger at opening bell, but at 146 pounds he was lighter on the official scale than Maidana, who was at 146-½ for his sixth fight at welterweight.

Mayweather, who had Atlanta rapper 2Chainz in his entourage, appeared calm and confident as ever, despite controversy throughout the week before his third fight in a Showtime contract for a possible six bouts and a potential $250 million.

The week started with Mayweather defending Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, whom he called “a nice guy” despite Sterling’s racist comments that resulted in the NBA banning him for life. The controversy continued Thursday when Mayweather posted allegations on his Facebook account that his former fiance, Shantel Jackson, aborted their twins because he is pro-life. The post, taken down later in the day, included a photo of what he said was her sonogram.

Showtime broadcaster Jim Gray asked Mayweather about “distractions” after the pound-for-pound champion stepped off the scale.

“Pressure, I love it,’’ said Mayweather, who also promised to do what he does best.

There doesn’t appear to be much pressure on Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) in the bout itself. Odds, which have been as high as 11-to-1, have made him the overwhelming favorite since the fight was announced.

If there’s pressure, it’s in how he wins. At different times and in different words, Mayweather has been close to promising his best performance ever. He has said that doesn’t necessarily mean a stoppage. But fans are interpreting it that way. Consider this: The odds are 6-to-5 for Mayweather by KO. A lot of bettors are putting their money on the 10th-round, which would coincide with Mayweather’s 2007 TKO of Ricky Hatton, who — like Maidana – was a natural 140-pounder fighting as a welterweight. Mayweather by KO in the 10th opened at 12-to-1. Late in the week, it had been bet down to 8-to-1.

Predictably, Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) has said he is not bothered by the overwhelming odds. What else is he going to say?

“I know he’s going to be much bigger, but because of my style I know I can beat him,’’ said Maidana, who possesses one of the best knockout ratios in boxing, yet could not stop Adrien Broner, a former lightweight, in his upset of him in December.

In some ways, Maidana’s slim chance at a monumental upset is reflected in the wealth gap that separates the two purses. Mayweather’s guarantee is $32 million, according to a contract filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Maidana’s guarantee is $1.5 million, according to the Nevada commission. Maidana is expected to get a percentage of Argentina’s television revenue. Nevertheless, Maidana’s guarantee is a fraction of what Mayweather will pocket no matter what the pay-per-view does.

Form the odds to the respective paychecks, it all adds up to Mayweather, unless — and perhaps only if — Maidana gets lucky. In this city of longshots, he might. But the best bet is that his chances at luck are better with a pair of dice at a Vegas’ table than in the ring against Mayweather.

De La Hoya, Arum meet
According to various reports, Oscar De La Hoya met Thursday with Bob Arum at Arum’s home in Los Angeles in an attempt to end the Golden Boy Promotions-Top Rank feud.

“Our relationship is now totally repaired, whether we do any specific business, we will have a friendly relationship between Todd (DuBoef) and I on our side and Oscar,’’ said Arum, De La Hoya’s primary promoter during his Hall of Fame career “We’ll have a collegial relationship.

“It was a very emotional meeting. We hugged each other. Oscar meant a lot to me, and I meant a lot to him. We had a helluva ride together. It was the right thing to do.”

Arum said the meeting lasted about two-and-a-half hours.

“We had lunch,’’ he said. “It was at our vacation house in Los Angeles. There was a good tenor to our conversation. Todd and I met with Oscar, and reminisced about old times. We talked about how it was crazy that we were at odds. We buried the hatchet, and it as a very productive meeting. We never talked any specific business, ever.”

De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy, has been feuding with his CEO, Richard Schaefer, who has vowed to never to do business with Arum again. Golden Boy has been working as associate promoter for the Mayweather-Maidana fight.

However, De La Hoya has not attended any of the news conferences. He also was not at Friday’s weigh-in.

Also on the scale
Both Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KOs) and Luis Collazo were at the mandatory, 147-pounds, for their key welterweight fight on the televised card. Khan hopes for an impressive victory that will keep him in line for a shot at Mayweather, perhaps later in the year.

Adrien Broner (27-1, 22 KOs) was at 140 pounds and Carlos Molina at 138 ½ for their junior-welterweight bout. There were boos for Broner, who was happy to hear them. “Keep on booing me,’’ said Broner, who is coming off his loss to Maidana. “I’m going to keep on doing my thing.’’

By Norm Frauenheim–

LAS VEGAS – The Golden Boy Promotions divide between CEO Richard Schaefer and founder Oscar De La Hoya appeared to widen Thursday with comments from Bernard Hopkins, who supports Schaefer’s vow to never to do business with Bob Arum despite De La Hoya’s attempt at renewing a working relationship with the Top Rank promoter.

“We don’t need Bob Arum,’’ Hopkins said after a news conference for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana undercard Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Hopkins, a Golden Boy vice-president, had a lot more to say. When does he not? But he was careful not to comment on whether there was a chance at healing the De La Hoya-Schaefer rift. He said he has a commercial interest in the company’s future. But he said he wouldn’t talk about their reported differences.

“When I was training for Beibut Shumenov, I’d hear this and I’d hear that,’’ said Hopkins, who won another piece of the light-heavyweight title with a unanimous decision over Shumenov a couple of weeks ago. “I’m not going to comment about things I don’t know about because that makes things worse.’’

But the argument about Arum is no rumor. De La Hoya is on record about wanting to resume business with his former promoter. There’s even talk that he approached Arum with a proposal for a Canelo Alvarez fight against the Arum-promoted Manny Pacquiao. De La Hoya’s attempt to make peace with Arum has been a step in the healing process since his release from rehab.

But Schaefer is also on record about Arum. Business between the two is over, said Schaefer, whose alliance with Mayweather and his advisor, Al Haymon, appears stronger than ever. Forget business. There’s a sense that the Schaefer and Arum couldn’t even be civil to each other.

“There is so much on and off with Top Rank that Richard Schaefer has had with Arum that the relationship will never be patched up,’’ Hopkins said. “Not in this lifetime, I don’t think. It’s not just the name-calling. If it was just the name-calling, I think they could get back together. It’s the lawsuits. Then, it’s ‘we agree,’ and then ‘don’t agree.’ It’s the emotional roller coaster, again and again. I just think it’s become a worn-out soap opera.’’

If the respective positions have hardened on Arum, any chance at peace between Schaefer and De La Hoya are dim and getting dimmer. De La Hoya has not commented on the situation since the week-long build-up for Mayweather-Maidana began on Tuesday. His absence was notable at news conferences Wednesday and again Thursday.

No Golden Boy-Top Rank alliance, of course, means the most-talked-about fight of the last four years will never happen. No real news there. Pacquiao-Mayweather will go the way of Riddick Bowe-Lennox Lewis. Trouble is, the lost opportunity will take a lot of fans with it.

“We blew that opportunity,’’ Hopkins said. “We lost what would have been the Super Bowl of boxing. It’s like not having Ali-Frazier. The moment was there three, four years ago. But I think people have gotten past it.’’

For Hopkins, it was another way of saying it’s time to move on. It’s beginning to look as if Schaefer and De La Hoya will do exactly that.

Mayweather post stirs up controversy
Mayweather created a predictable buzz early Thursday by alleging that his former fiance, Shantel Jackson, aborted their two twins because he is pro-life.

Mayweather posted what he said was a photo of her sonogram on his Facebook account with this message: “The real reason me and Shantel Christine Jackson @missjackson broke up was because she got a abortion, and I’m totally against killing babies. She killed our twin babies.#ShantelJackson#FloydMayweather#TheMoneyTeam#TMT.

The post was taken down later in the day, apparently because of the furor it caused..

Notes: If Amir Khan beats Luis Collazo Saturday night, there’s talk that Khan will get a September shot at Mayweather, a one-sided favorite over Maidana. But Khan said he could not fight in a mid-September bout that coincides with a celebration Mexican Independence (Sept. 16) because of the Muslim observance of Ramadan. Khan is a practicing Muslim. …Adrien Broner took the podium Thursday and said that he was a changed man before his fight with Carlos Molina, his first bout since losing to Maidana in in December. “I’m humble, I don’t trash talk no more,’’ the bearded Broner said. Then, the real Broner appeared. “Get the hell out of here,’’ he said after a pause. “…At the end of the day, we’ve got to get back to business.’’ Yeah, the trash-talking business.

By Norm Frauenheim–

LAS VEGAS – Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza called Floyd Mayweather Jr. “a show” and Mayweather proved him right throughout a news conference Wednesday with only praise for Marcos Maidana, a rip at promotional rival Bob Arum, a surprising hint that the end of his career might be near, a promise to be better than ever Saturday night and even a further defense of disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

Mayweather did it all.

Well, almost all.

Mayweather didn’t indulge in anything that even remotely sounded like the trash-talk that identified for so many years.

It’s not as if he didn’t get the opportunity. Maidana concluded his part of the news conference with a closing shot that included an f-bomb for emphasis.

“I don’t give a bleep about him,’’ Maidana said through a translator.

There was no response in kind from Mayweather.

“Lately, Maidana has been making a lot of noise,’’ said Mayweather, who has a $32 million guarantee for Saturday night’s pay-per-view bout. “He’s one of the best fighters. But I am the best.’’

Hard to argue with that. Maidana is a double-digit dog, according to betting odds. Maidana was in a tuxedo Wednesday that made him look like a game-show host. He was all dressed up. But with the odds against him at 11-1 and climbing, he’s got nowhere to go. A lucky shot could land, but Mayweather is known to gamble only on the casino floor.

“He should have knocked out Adrien Broner, a lightweight,’’ Mayweather said of Maidana’s unanimous decision in December over Broner, who was at welterweight for only the second time. “But he didn’t.’’

If there’s going to be a knockout, Mayweather continues to suggest that he’ll be the one to score it.

During the news conference, Mayweather told the audience to be prepared for perhaps his best ever. He even introduced a new acronym. He was wearing a cap with the trademark TMT, The Money Team, when he introduced TBE, The Best Ever.

“I promise you, this will be different than the fight you saw against Canelo (Alvarez)”, said Mayweather, who scored a dominant decision over the red-headed Mexican last September in the second fight of a Showtime deal for a possible six bouts and a potential $250 million.

After the news conference, he was asked if he planned to stop Maidana in what would be his first stoppage since a controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in 2011. Mayweather hesitated before he answered.

“Looking to win, looking to win very, very impressively,’’ he said.

Mayweather also dangled the possibility that he might retire. With odds indicating a mismatch, perhaps he has to. If the bout is a foregone conclusion, his future isn’t. At least, that’s what he said.

“I really don’t know,’’ Mayweather said when asked whether there would be a fight after Maidana.

Mayweather’s last fight would be history, said advisor Leonard Ellerbe, who knows that the possibility of some history is always a good sales pitch.

The real history for Mayweather appears to be Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record. If Mayweather (45-0) beats Maidana, he’s three fights from tying that one and four from eclipsing it. He’s unbeaten, he said, because nobody can solve the challenging puzzle he represents at opening bell.

“Still wondering who’s gonna solve the May-Vinci Code,’’ said the pound-for-pound champion, who envisions himself as one day being seen as boxing version of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Mayweather also took a predictable shot at Arum, the Top Rank promoter who was enraged at the MGM Grand’s signage before Manny Pacquiao’s unanimous decision over Timothy Bradley in an April 12 rematch. Advertising for Mayweather-Maidana was everywhere.

“You hear people say bad things about this hotel,’’ Mayweather said after associate promoter Richard Schaefer took his turn at ripping Arum. “But their run is coming to an end.’’

Mayweather also would not join in on the condemnation of Sterling, the Clippers owner who was fined $2.5 million and banned Tuesday by the NBA for life after TMZ aired audio of his racist comments. Mayweather was a Sterling guest at several games.

“I don’t have nothing negative to say about the guy,” Mayweather said Tuesday. “He’s always treated me with the utmost respect. He has always invited me to games, always. And he always says, ‘Floyd, I want you to sit right next to me and my wife.’ ”

Mayweather repeated that sentiment Wednesday.

“He’s a nice guy,’’ Mayweather said. “He never said anything racist to me. If he did what they said he did, it’s up to God to forgive him.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said repeatedly during the promotional push to his May 3 bout with Marcos Maidana that nobody has ever seen him at his best.

He said it again Tuesday during his media day at his Las Vegas gym. He introduced the idea on March 8 during a
round-table session with reporters before Canelo Alvarez’ victory over Alfredo Angulo at the MGM Grand.

“I still haven’t been able to move my ‘A’ game up,” Mayweather said then. “I’ve beaten fighters with a ‘C’ game, probably a ‘D’ game. I’ve never had to do it with an ‘A’ game.”

The suggestion is that Mayweather’s best-ever in an 18-year, unbeaten career will be on display against Maidana. There’s salesmanship attached to that. Mayweather, advisor Leonard Ellerbe and associate Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions have been effusive in their praise of Maidana. They have to be. Betting odds against the Argentine have ranged between 7-to-1 to 11-to-1. Showtime’s pay-per-view price tag is approaching sticker shock. At $64.99 to $74.99 for the PPV telecast, they have to assure a reluctant public that the Argentine has a real chance, despite overwhelming odds that say otherwise.

But there’s something else too. The best Mayweather ever would seem to be Mayweather by knockout. During the round table, Mayweather wouldn’t go that far. He knows not too. If he had, he would be left with the task of having to explain why there was no stoppage. It’s the very problem still confronting Manny Pacquiao after a rematch victory on April 12 over Timothy Bradley by decision following weeks of promising a knockout.

When asked in March whether Mayweather’s ‘A’ game meant a knockout, he quickly countered, saying:

“No, no, just winning.”

The KO prediction comes with a real downside if it doesn’t happen. But there’s plenty of upside if Mayweather does what he hasn’t promised. Can he stop Maidana? The one-sided odds say, yes, hell yes. Mayweather’s history of picking opponents indicates he believes there’s a real shot at a stoppage, too. First, it would fulfill some of the unspoken promise Showtime had in him when it signed the welterweight to a contract for a possible six fights and worth a potential $250 million. Then, it would end a knockout drought. Mayweather has won three straight by decision over Miguel Cotto, Robert Guerrero and Canelo since a stoppage of Victor Ortiz in 2011. But the fourth-round Ortiz stoppage was clouded by controversy over the way it happened. Ortiz was looking at the referee when the KO blow landed.

Mayweather hasn’t had a clean stoppage since a 10th-round TKO of Ricky Hatton in 2007. Maidana’s power makes him a lot more dangerous than Hatton. Maidana has been knocking out 81.58 percent of his opponents. Hatton’s KO ratio was only 66.67 percent. Still, there are similarities. Like Hatton, Maidana has spent more of his career at light-welterweight then welter. Maidana’s height is listed at 5-feet-7. Hatton was 5-7 1/2.

In a national conference call Wednesday, there were a few Mayweather comments that hinted at the KO possibility.

“We must realize that I am the bigger guy,” Mayweather said. “I walk around at 150, and I don’t go no higher than 152. I’m naturally the bigger guy because I’ve been at 147 for almost 10 years now. So I’m naturally the bigger guy.”

Big enough apparently to go toe-toe with Maidana.

“I’m not going to do a lot of moving,” Mayweather said. “I’m going to come straight ahead and do what I have t

The what sounds a lot like a KO.

PHX Homecoming
Referee Tony Weeks, who will work the Mayweather-Maidana fight, will return to Phoenix Saturday night for an Iron Boy Promotions’ card at Celebrity Theatre. Weeks, who started his career in Arizona, is schooled to work a Phoenix card that includes junior-middleweight Siju Shabazz (3-1, 3KO) in his co-main event bout against Rollin Williams (23-16-2 8KO). Shabazz was an Olympic alternate in 2008. Opening bell is scheduled for 6 p.m.

By Norm Frauenheim

During a noisy week when the shouting got louder and the insults grew more insulting, there was a moment of relief that seemed to say a crazy game hasn’t changed at all.

Marcos Maidana was answering questions last Saturday during a polite news conference at a restaurant on the floor of the MGM Grand’s casino in Las Vegas when an uninvited voice screamed:

“Please, just kick Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s ass.”

The plea from the party-crasher begged a question. What did Maidana think of that?

Maidana didn’t seem to know what to say. Trainer Robert Garcia, conditioning coach Alex Ariza and everybody else around the Argentine welterweight already has said the expected. Maidana’s punching power gives him the proverbial chance. His unorthodox style will confuse Mayweather. His whirlwind pace of a promised 100 to 120 punches-a-round will confront Mayweather with a challenge he has yet to encounter. There was an answer for every question, a slice of pizza for every attendee. Even Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, dropped by, ready to counter any doubts about a bout that has put Maidana at the wrong end of 7-1 odds. Ellerbe was also prepared to dismiss rival promoter Bob Arum’s condemnation of the May 3 fight and and rant at the MGM Grand’s preponderance of advertising for the bout on the very day of Top Rank’s promotion of Manny Pacquiao’s unanimous decision over Timothy Bradley in the same arena.

“Maidana’s a tremendous fighter, and that’s what we’re preparing for,” said Ellerbe, who called Arum a liar Wednesday during a conference call. “We know that we’re in a fight. “This guy, right here, he’s the real deal. Everybody else is taking this lightly. But Floyd’s busting his ass, day-in and day-out. That’s because he knows what this guy is bringing to the table. He’s young. He’s hungry. He knows that he’s in the fight of his life.”

Ellerbe also said during the news conference that Mayweather-Maidana was the big event. Then, he called Pacquiao-Bradley a good fight. But Ellerbe’s tone said something else. To wit: Pacquiao-Bradley amounted to small change when compared to what Ellerbe expects from Mayweather-Madiana. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the live gate for Pacquiao-Bradley was $7,865,100. For Mayweather-Madand, Ellerbe and associate Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions are saying the live gate will be at least $14 million.

Why the difference? Why nearly twice as much ticket revenue for a 7-to-1 fight over a fight that was nearly a toss-up? Odds favored Pacquiao to win the Bradley rematch by fewer than 2-to-1. The reason was summed up in the simple plea from a guy nobody invited or knew. In the Bradley-Pacquiao fight, there was no villain. Fans and media liked both fighters. There were cheers for Pacquiao and polite applause for Bradley. It would have been okay if it had ended in a draw. Two good guys make for a fight without a compelling, perhaps necessary edge of drama. But fights are about emotions and polarization. The more extreme, the bigger the gate.

Mayweather has toned down the trash talk by a decibel or two. But the bad-guy role still belongs to him. There’s money in being a villain, especially an unbeaten one. It’s the unbeaten side of that well-rehearsed routine allows him to pick Maidana or anybody else he wants to fight. The idea is to make sure that fans think that the designated opponent has a chance, no matter how small.

That’s why people buy lottery tickets, play slot machines and throw dice. It’s probably why that guys as in a Las Vegas casino in the first place. Maidana might not be the smart bet. But it’s the emotional way to wager and Mayweather was won that one every time in a style and with a method in a business the sounds different, yet isn’t. One crazy guy said it all.

LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t everything Manny Pacquiao promised. But it was enough, more than enough to put his Filipino presidential ambitions on hold.

Pacquiao’s boxing career and his place in the pound-for-pound debate stayed very much alive with a unanimous decision Saturday night over Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand.

A piece of the welterweight title lost in a controversial split decision in 2012 is back in Pacquiao’s possession with the victory over Bradley.

This time, there was no argument. The judges were unanimous. Glenn Trowbridge scored it, 118-110. Michael Pernick and Craig Metcalf had it 116-112 each, all for Pacquiao. There was unanimity on both sides of the ropes.

There was no argument from Bradley, who congratulated Pacquiao in the center of the ring after the scores were announced.

“No excuses, no excuse at all,’’ Bradley said at the post-fight news conference while reporters waited for Pacquiao to appear after getting stitched up for a cut above an eye.

Pacquiao had promised, or perhaps expected, to win by knockout. His trainer, Freddie Roach, predicted one. The compassionate Pacquaio would not answer the opening bell, Roach said. But the KO prophesy was never fulfilled.

“I tried,’’ Pacquiao (56-6-2, 38 KOs) said in the middle of the ring. “I really wanted that knockout.’’

Against the tough Bradley, a knockout was too much to expect. Bradley (31-1, 12 KOs) lost for the first time. Yet, he still has never been stopped.

For Pacquiao, the victory was a step in growing older. Some of his quickness has vanished like grains of sand in an hourglass. But time has turned him into more of a thinking fighter.

“His punches were harder in the first fight than they were this time,’’ Bradley said. “The difference this time was his experience.’’

Pacquiao adjusted in the face of wild, awkward shots from Bradley

“That’s when I knew I had to go down the middle,’’ said Pacquiao, who will collect a $20-million guarantee for his 12 rounds of work in regaining the World Boxing Organization’s title.

After opening the fight with a lot of side-to-side movement, he walked into a head-rocking punch from Bradley in the fourth. It was a sure sign that it was time for an adjustment.

Even without the key adjustment, Bradley’s chances at a victory that would have validated his split decision nearly two years ago might have been eliminated in the first round. After the first three minutes, Bradley told trainer Joel Diaz that he thought he sustained an injury to his right hamstring. For Bradley, it must have felt like déjà vu all over again. On his June 9, 2012 decision over Pacquiao he suffered injuries to both feet. There was no update about the severity of the injury during the post-fight news conference. Bradley didn’t want to talk about it.

“This sort of thing happens in big fights,’’ Diaz said. “But our plan was to dominate Manny. With something like that happening so early in the fight, we just couldn’t do that.’’

No argument about that either.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – It’s a fight without a villain. Timothy Bradley tried to play the role Friday at the weigh-in for his rematch with Manny Pacquiao. He arrived on stage wearing black and to pounding rap. His eyes were hidden by sunglasses. His headphones were an appropriate red. But only the Devil wears Prada. There’s no costume to hide the good guy in Bradley.

He beckoned the crowd to boo with friendly gestures. The Pacquiao partisans among the estimated 4,500 tried comply, but their booing had a hollow ring. There was none of the genuine passion you heard when Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought Oscar De La Hoya or when fought Mike Tyson fought just about anybody. Take off the sunglasses, remove the headphones, and there’s that Bradley smile. It even made Pacquiao grin when both engaged in the ritual face-off for the cameras.

Bradley promised Pacquao that he would knock him knock out. But Pacquiao said nothing. He just smiled back at his business partner. Their sequel Saturday night at MGM Grand is scripted to include violence, perhaps more controversy and maybe even a knockout. But at this moment they were what they have always been and will be: Friends.

If styles make fights, dignity makes this one.

“He’s ready,” Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs) said of the look in Pacquiao’s eyes after he tipped the scales at 145.5 pounds, half-a-pound heavier than the Filipino Congressman. “He’s fierce, he looked ready and determined for the fight.”

In other words, Bradley, who is guaranteed $6 million, liked what he saw. He and his trainer, Joel Diaz, have called themselves Pacquiao fans. In part, that means they hope to encounter the best possible Pacquiao. Friends, after all, don’t disappoint.

Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), whose guarantee is $20 million, was reminded of Bradley’s promise to score a stoppage that would eliminate any repeat of the controversy that engulfed Bradley after he won by a split-decision in June 2012.

“Well, he’ll have to prove it in the ring,” said Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs), who hasn’t scored a knockout in seven straight fights. “That’s where he’s going to have to try to knock me out. But I’m prepared for that. A lot of people tell me that they’re going to knock me out, but it’s another thing to do it.

“‘He said ‘Let’s do this, let’s do this’ and I said, ‘Okay.’ I have to finish business in the ring this time. I’m happy to be back in Las Vegas again. I have peace of mind. No worries. There will just be rest, prayer and belief.”

And after it’s all over, a likely friend.

That sounds like a pretty good decision no matter what the scorecards say.

LUNCH WITH COTTO: Miguel Cotto, who has been training alongside Manny Pacquiao this week in Las Vegas, met the media Friday at the MGM Grand to talk about his June 7 middleweight clash with Sergio Martinez at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Cotto’s trademark poise and understated confidence was there, as always. Roach, he said, has re-energized him and helped correct some bad habits he picked up over his long career. He also wasn’t worried that Martinez might target some facial scars in an attempt to open up some old wounds.

“I’m a boxer,’’ Cotto said. “I’ve bled before. I’ve found out the way to work with the bleeding on my face in the fight. If that happens on June 7, I’m going to be able to work with it again and beat him.’’

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

By Norm Frauenheim–

LAS VEGAS – A compassionate Manny Pacquiao can’t win. That’s the popular theory, anyway. Pacquiao Freddie Roach introduced it. Media and fans have been repeating it ever since. But compassion is also the reason Pacquiao is still fighting. That’s Timothy Bradley trainer Joel Diaz’s theory.

“A lot of people need him,’’ Diaz said.

Diaz said Thursday that Pacquiao would already be retired if it weren’t for the people who work for him.

“A lot of people would be out of jobs if he left the ring,’’ Diaz said during a roundtable session with reporters before the Bradley-Pacquiao rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand. “Pacquiao has a corporation behind him. He’s done a lot for boxing. I’m a big Pacquiao fan. He’s a great guy.’’

But he also happens to be a guy Diaz is plotting to eliminate, along with a lot of paychecks.

“Everything has a beginning,’’ Diaz said. “Everything has an ending. Manny is getting old, that’s all.’’

Diaz’ theory is an intriguing one, mostly because of Pacquiao’s political instinct and reputation for generosity. As a politician, the Filipino Congressman is in the business of pleasing all of the people all of the time. It’s no coincidence .perhaps, that as a fighter he often says the same thing. He wants to please the people, he says, with an exciting fight. From Roach’s perspective, that means only one thing: A knockout. Fans want knockouts and that’s the result Roach has been predicting.

“In training, Manny threw a combination and said: ‘That’s what I’m going to finish him with,’ ‘’ said Roach, who hasn’t seen Pacquiao win by stoppage since a 12th-round TKO of Miguel Cotto on November 14, 2009. “I was so happy to finally hear it from his mouth and not mine.’’

But a knockout of Bradley is not a simple task. In fact, it would unprecedented. It hasn’t happened in Bradley’s unbeaten career. Sure, maybe the scorecards were wrong in Bradley’s split decision over Pacquiao in 2012. Sure, maybe the decision should have gone to Pacquiao. Even if it had, Pacquiao would not have shown he could knock out Bradley, who was hobbled by injuries to both feet. At closing bell, Bradley was still standing. He was only in a wheelchair at the post-fight news conference.

If Roach is to be believed, the challenge confronting Pacquiao in the sequel is to do what couldn’t be done the first time. Eliminate the compassion. Leave it in the spit bucket. But can he?

If Diaz is to be believed, the Filipino can’t. If he could have, Pacquiao would have eliminated the payroll and quit the game altogether. But he didn’t, or perhaps couldn’t, because compassion is a very stubborn dilemma.

MGM Controversy, Part II: According to ESPN, Richard Sturm, president of entertainment and sports for MGM Resorts International, issued a statement Wednesday night, responding to promoter Bob Arum’s condemnation of the MGM’s signage for the May 3 Marcos Maidana-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

“I was truly shocked by Bob’s comments at (Wednesday’s) press conference and honestly disappointed,” Sturm said in the statement reported by ESPN. “MGM Grand hosted a fight March 8 and has three additional fight events scheduled now through Memorial Day weekend. We always do everything possible to properly promote the events throughout our resorts and over the decades have promoted many, many sporting events with enormous success.”

MGM Resorts International Resorts President Bill Hornbuckle said: “Apparently Bob’s definitions of respect and class are different than ours.”

By Norm Frauenheim–

LAS VEGAS – A rematch Saturday marked mostly by polite exchanges between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley suddenly got a shot of some old-school trash talk from promoter Bob Arum, who is angry at the MGM Grand for selling Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana on May 3 with advertising throughout the casino.

A Mayweather mural, estimated to be 20 stories tall, soars up the side of the MGM Grand and overlooks the busy intersection at Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard, The Strip. For nearly every Pacquiao-Bradley poster on the sides of slot machines, there’s one of Mayweather-Maidana staring back at it. Outside the door to the media’s workroom, a Mayweather-Maidana ad hangs from the ceiling, above a Pacquiao-Bradley poster.

By the time the 82-year-old Arum arrived at the formal news conference Wednesday, he had seen enough, especially of Mayweather looking down at him.

Arum began the news conference by introducing Richard Sturm, MGM President of Entertainment & Sports as “the president of hanging posters for the wrong fight.’’

The media asked for a response from Sturm following the news conference. Several hours later, none was forthcoming.

Meanwhile, Arum was just getting warmed up during a one-man stand-up that included a vague reference to Frankie Carbo, a 1950’s gangster who owned a piece of Sonny Liston.

“I know that at the Venetian, they wouldn’t make a mistake like this,’’ said Arum, who is friends with Sheldon Adelson, who owns the Venetian in Vegas and Macao, China’s gambling mecca and fledgling boxing market. “They would know what fight they have scheduled over the next three or four days.

“They wouldn’t have a 12-to-1 fight being advertised all over the building that’s going to take place three weeks from next Saturday. But that’s why one company makes a billion dollars a quarter and the other hustles to pay its debt. So there it is.”

Arum’s bitter feud with Mayweather is hardly a secret. It too was evident in a discussion that Arum had with Bradley while still on stage and not far from the microphone.

“Why don’t you ask the guy whose picture is all over the building? When is he going to fight somebody real?’’ Arum said in a booming voice that really didn’t need any electronic amplification.

Bradley replied: “I’ll let you ask him that.’’

As it turned out, Bradley might have been the only one who had anything nice to say about the MGM.

“I’ve never been in a hotel room with stairs,’’ Bradley said of his suite. “You need an elevator in there.’’

An elevator decorated with a Mayweather-Maidana poster, of course.

By Norm Frauenheim–

A couple days after 40-year-old New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter began a long goodbye to baseball with the first stop in a farewell tour, 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins talked during a conference call Thursday about a new beginning in the cruelest game of all. Jeter got golf clubs, cowboy boots and a Stetson as big as the old Astrodome before a game in Houston. That’s a lot better than a punch in the face, which is about the only thing Hopkins can be sure of getting on April 19 in a fight with light-heavyweight Beibut Shumenov, who was a four-and-a-half-year-old kid in Kazakhstan when Hopkins lost his pro debut in October 1988.

Hopkins has been fighting for so long that it’s getting hard to remember what boxing was like before him. Indeed, the youngest generation of fans and fighters have never known the sport without Hopkins, who has been around since Ronald Reagan and at this rate might still be fighting after Barack Obama moves out of the White House. Truth is, there are some in his own generation who would be happy to see him retire. They’d even buy him the boots, Stetson and clubs if he would.

But Hopkins fights on, in part out of familiar defiance, in part for an ongoing pursuit of history and, mostly, because he can.

There’s a compelling argument that Hopkins continues to fight at the highest level because of a shallow pool of world-class talent. There are fewer good Americans than ever. But an arrival of tough and talented fighters from Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan and other locales have turned that shrinking pool into dangerous waters. At light-heavyweight, there’s Haitian-turned-Canadian Adonis Stevenson and Russian Sergey Kovalev. They were supposed to fight each other in a bout that was near the top of the fans’ wish list. But Kovalev-Stevenson wound up in the trash, right next to Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr., when Stevenson signed with Al Haymon and moved across the street, from HBO to Showtime. Only the promotional feuds are older than Hopkins.

But there are plenty of reasons to think fans will continue to watch Kovalev and Stevenson, even if they don’t fight each other. To wit: The audience for Kovalev’s seventh-round stoppage Saturday of Cedric Agnew exceeded one million, according to HBO. In an HBO doubleheader on November 30, 1.305 million watched Stevenson beat Tony Bellew and 1.254 million saw Kovalev beat Ismayl Sillah.

Kovalev or Stevenson? Stevenson or Kovalev? Doesn’t matter. For Hopkins, they are just different sides of the same coin. Against either, the likely expectation is that Hopkins would finally encounter his own mortality. That, of course, was the expectation in 2008 against Kelly Pavlik, now retired and never the same after Hopkins did what few thought he could. No wonder Hopkins sounded so confident Thursday. The same circumstances are on the horizon.

“Been there, done that,” said Hopkins, who sounded as if he were anxious to be there and do it once more.

Stevenson’s move to Showtime for a May 24 bout with Andrzei Fonfara sets up a showdown with Hopkins if he beats Shumenov, a 30-year-old fighter who is hard to judge mostly because of a small sample. Shumenov, who reportedly had more than 100 amateur bouts, has only answered a professional bell 15 times for a 14-1 record with nine KOs.

“It’s bad to think beyond April 19 and Beibut Shumneov, but the Stevenson fight is going to be mentioned,” said Hopkins, who will be able to put an AARP card next to his Costco card when he turns 50 next year on January 15. “It’s out there. It’s been out there since Stevenson came on board to eventually unify titles.”

There was no hint of a farewell in anything Hopkins said. He wouldn’t know how to say goodbye to a threat anyway. He’ll let younger guys do that.

By Norm Frauenheim
Just when Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr., most of the NFL, NBA and major-league baseball have us convinced that disrespect is an athlete’s best friend, along comes Timothy Bradley with a different take and some real friends because of it.

“I don’t feel I’m disrespected at all, honestly,” Bradley said.

It was an astonishing comment, straight out of the man-bites-dog variety, especially from Bradley, who wondered if there was anything resembling respect in a world overrun by social-media vigilantes with no accountability and armed with 140 characters to express anger at his controversial decision over Manny Pacquiao.

Disrespect isn’t just another cliche when it comes in the form of death threats.

Bradley heard them, battled them and exorcised them in a personal journey through what he called “a bad place.” He whipped them and Ruslan Provodnikov in a blood, sweat and tears drama that was the 2013 Fight of the Year. He had “a look of anger in him” against Provodnikov, Bradley trainer Joel Diaz said of reckless tactics that earned him a unanimous decision at the price of a concussion. He followed up with a patient, poised split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez. The disrespect was left behind in a passage that has transformed Bradley into a fighter who sounds more confident, self-assured and perhaps wiser than ever.

Convenient excuses and that tired pursuit of motivation from imagined slights just aren’t there in Bradley’s clear sense of who he is and what he must do to beat Pacquiao on April 12 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand in a rematch of his split decision over the Filipino icon on June 9, 2012.

“It’s all about staying on TV, showing my craft,” Bradley said Thursday during a conference call. “It’s about fighting. That’s what it’s all about. Staying on TV, fighting the best fighters out there and beating them. That’s it. I came up the hard way. I came through the back door.”

Over time Bradley said, fans have gotten to know him and the way he works at his craft.

“I think now fans and people are beginning to gravitate toward me,” said Bradley, who is convinced he can beat Pacquiao with a decision that will leave no doubt on the cards or among those in the social-media mob who attacked him as if he were responsible for scores turned in by judges C.J. Ross and Duane Ford. “Before, they didn’t know me. They didn’t know me before Pacquiao. And after the controversy, they really didn’t. Like I had something to do with anything. I didn’t have anything to do with anything. I’m not a judge. I always did my job. But it’s hard to make people realize that. At the end of the day, all I’ve got to do is to continue to win. Then, they’ll have no choice.”

No choice, but to respect him.

By Norm Frauenheim

It’s not everyday that Bob Dylan just drops by. But there he was last week at the Wild Card Gym to see Manny Pacquiao. The singer, song-writer, poet and Sixties’ icon posed for photos with the fighter, Congressman, singer and Filipino icon. It was an intriguing meeting, in part because both are as enigmatic as they are likable. No telling what they said to each other, if anything at all. I have no idea whether Dylan is a fight fan. The guess here is that he likes fighters and their compelling stories, yet isn’t sure what to think about their brutal craft.

We have only his lyrics, and they are full of an ambivalence about boxing. Dylan is best known for Hurricane, the popular song about ex-middleweight contender Rubin Carter, who was convicted in 1967 for a triple homicide, re-convicted in a 1976 trial and released in 1985 after the conviction was overturned. Dylan’s powerful lyrics about a wrongful arrest and conviction have long been disputed. But the song’s influence on the controversial case never has. It turned Carter into a cause célèbre.

Before Hurricane, Dylan wrote Who Killed Davey Moore?

Moore, a featherweight champion, died after a 1963 loss to Cuban defector Sugar Ramos at Dodger Stadium. The lyrics are a pointed examination of the circumstances, attitudes and business that are part and parcel of a sport where death is always a risk.

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an’ what’s the reason for?

“Not me,” says the boxing writer
Pounding print on his old typewriter
Sayin’, “Boxing ain’t to blame
There’s just as much danger in a football game”
Sayin’, “Fist-fighting is here to stay
It’s just the old American way
It wasn’t me that made him fall
No, you can’t blame me at all”

Laptops have replaced typewriters at ringside, but there’s still no answer for the question in Dylan’s refrain. I couldn’t help but think about the uncomfortable lyrics as I read about his visit and looked at photos of the poet and the Pac Man. Pacquiao is in camp, trying to regain his “killer instinct” for a rematch on April 12 with Timothy Bradley at Las Vegas MGM Grand.

“We are training for big game in this fight,” Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said in a press release Tuesday, just a few days after Dylan’s visit. “Manny knows he is going to have to hunt Bradley down and close the show this time. The first fight with Bradley was so easy for Manny that after six rounds he just took it easy on him. Not this time. Our Mantra is ‘Close the show. No Mercy.’ ”

For the last few years, Roach has worked hard to re-instill aggressiveness that Pacquiao had in his astonishing emergence to international stardom. Somewhere along the way and for some reason, he lost his finishing touch, or perhaps his will to deliver it. Since becoming more religious, Pacquiao hasn’t scored a stoppage since a 12th-round TKO of Miguel Cotto in November, 2009. He appeared to back off against Antonio Margarito in winning a decision in 2010. In his last fight — a November comeback from the 2012 KO he suffered against Juan Manuel Marquez, he appeared to do the same against Brandon Rios.

Against Bradley, the stage is set with plenty of motivation for Pacquiao. It’s a rematch of Pacquiao’s controversial loss, a split decision, on scorecards condemned by nearly everybody who witnessed the 2012 fight. In the rematch, Pacquiao can correct the mistake, can take back what was stolen from him. But Bradley appears more confident than ever, especially after a gritty stand in a decision over Ruslan Povodnikov and then a poised decision over Marquez. Even he has asked whether that “killer instinct” is still part of the Pacquiao persona.

“For Bradley to say ‘Manny doesn’t have the hunger anymore and it’s never coming back’ and ‘Manny no longer has his killer instinct,’ that tells me that Bradley is still suffering from the concussion Provodnikov laid on him,” Roach said in the press release.

Dylan had another way of saying it at the end of his haunting song.

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an’ what’s the reason for?

“Not me,” says the man whose fists
Laid him low in a cloud of mist
Who came here from Cuba’s door
Where boxing ain’t allowed no more
“I hit him, yes, it’s true
But that’s what I am paid to do
Don’t say ‘murder,’ don’t say ‘kill’
It was destiny, it was God’s will”

It sounds like something Pacquiao might say.

By Norm Frauenheim

Danny Garcia might be the only fighter not trying to elbow his way toward the front of the line that leads to the big paycheck that comes with a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Garcia wouldn’t turn down the opportunity. Too many numbers after the dollar sign to do that. But he’s not going to launch a social-media campaign in a noisy attempt to get himself on Mayweather’s short list. Yeah, all that money can buy a lot. But there’s a sense that Garcia is investing in something that can’t always be bought.

“At the end of the day, I’m working on my own legacy,’’ he said.

Legacy-building is a gamble. It’s also long-term, which can require patience when confronted by the temptation to cash in as quickly as possible. Garcia is in the Mayweather mix whether he wants to be or not. Media speculation, twitter and the blogosphere have put him there. So has he, of course. But he hasn’t talked his way into consideration.

The junior-welterweight’s unbeaten record (27-0, 16 KOs) including upsets of Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse, says it all. It’s a resume tough to ignore and perhaps wise to avoid. He wasn’t a finalist in Mayweather’s last deliberations, which led to him pound-for-pound kind picking Marcos Maidana over Khan for May 3.

But the Garcia name was there, maybe as an alternate or a future possibility for a spot on Mayweather’s Showtime dance card. It’s difficult, if not hazardous, to guess what might be next for Mayweather, anyway. The latest example of that is explosive allegations in a TMZ story about Mayweather’s role in a beat-down of two people, whom he suspected of stealing jewelry. The story is short on sources. But TMZ is often right.

Whether the story unravels or leads to further trouble with law enforcement for Mayweather, it’s a warning for any fighter who hooks his hopes on to the Mayweather bandwagon.

Garcia hasn’t.

“If a Mayweather fight came along, I’d fight him,’’ Garcia said. “I’d fight anybody. But don’t expect me to call him out or anything. That’s just not me. I’m just trying to stay in my own lane.

“Whoever they put in front of me, I guess that’s who gets beat up that day.’’

On Saturday, that somebody appears to be Mauricio Herrera (20-3, 7 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. In part, the Showtime-televised bout is a way for Garcia to introduce himself to his roots. He’s fighting in Puerto Rico, the boyhood home for his outspoken dad and trainer, Angel. Although unknown, Herrera has shown he can be dangerous. He beat Ruslan Provodnikov in 2011. Garcia only has to look in the mirror to know the price of overlooking anyone. He was overlooked by Khan and Matthysse. He promises that he won’t commit the same mistake. Besides, a loss might damage his chances at ever facing Mayweather.

“As a fighter, I deserve to fight him more than anybody,’’ he said. “But there’s a plan to all of this.’’

Garcia’s plan. About that, there’s little doubt.

LAS VEGAS – Canelo Alvarez got the victory. Got the boos, too

Alvarez won the fight, but failed to win back many of his disaffected fans with a 10th-round technical knockout of Alfredo Angulo Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Canelo’s first fight since a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September was supposed to restore his popularity among Mexican fans, many of whom weren’t sure what to think of him after he had looked so ordinary in such a one-sided defeat.

If an arena full of boos was any indication, some of their ambivalence turned into anger Saturday night.

Fans were as frustrated as Angulo at referee Tony Weeks’ stoppage at 47 seconds of the 10th. Both of Angulo’s eyes were swollen and surrounded by darkening bruises when Weeks stepped in and said no more. Angulo complained loudly. He screamed that he should have been allowed to fight on.

“The ref was wrong,’’ Angulo said.

No, he wasn’t, Canelo said.

“The referee is the marshall,’’ Canelo (43-1-1, 31 KOs). “He stopped the fight, because he knew what was going on. I was still doing my job, working my jab. Sure, I was a little tired. But I was ready to fight on. I could have gone 10 more rounds if I had to.’’

Canelo led on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Judge Craig Metcalfe had it 89-82. So did Dave Moretti. On Jerry Roth’s card, it was 88-83.

Going into the fight, there was lot of talk about whether Angulo’s scarred face could withstand sustained punishment. A grotesque welt above one eye result in him losing a 10th-round TKO to Erislandy Lara, whom he knocked down twice.

Sure enough, signs that injury would again stop Angulo were there early against Canelo. In the second round, swelling began to appear above Angulo’s right eye, which Canelo quickly targeted with a jab that landed repeatedly and with a baseball bat’s deadly impact.

Late in the third and again in the fourth, the stubborn Angulo’s persistence began to pay off with occasional bursts that seemed to stun Canelo. For a fleeting moment late in the fourth, there was a look of doubt in Canelo’s eyes. Maybe, he was suffering from the fatigue that has been one of his habitual weaknesses. Or, maybe, he was just surprised to see the sight of Angulo (22-4, 18 KOs) persistently moving forward and straight at him.

Canelo backpedaled in the fifth and again in the sixth. Angulo always followed. No matter what Canelo threw at him, or how much he busted up the right eye and then the left, there was Angulo moving forward and willing to endure more punishment. In the eighth, the crowd went wild when the junior-middleweights, fighting at an official weight of 155 pounds, stood and traded. By the ninth, it was evident Angulo would be there until the end. No matter what Canelo threw at him, there he was, like the incoming tide.

Finally, Weeks did what Canelo couldn’t.

He stopped it, sparing Angulo from further punishment and maybe much more. In time, Angulo might be able to see that and be thankful that he can see at all.

Rest of Pay-Per-View Card

Los Angeles super-bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 16 KOs) was methodical and efficient, yet short of sensational, defending his acronym-sanctioned version of the title with a unanimous decision over Mexican Cristian Mijares (48-8-2, 22 KOs), who absorbed a variety of body shots and left Santa Cruz with a bloodied right eye from a fourth-round head butt.

Jorge Linares (36-3, 23 KOs), a Venezuelan living and training in Japan, kept himself in the mix for a shot at a lightweight title with superior speed and punishing blows for a unanimous decision over Nihito Arakawa (24-4-1, 16 KOs), a 135-pound Japanese fighter who endured and had a few moments, yet never a real chance.

The Alvarez family got off to a rough start on the card’s first pay-per-view bout. Canelo’s brother, lightweight Ricardo Alvarez (23-3-3, 13 KOs), suffered two knockdowns in losing a unanimous decision to fellow Mexican Sergio Thompson (29-3, 26 KOs), who took the fight on short notice. A Thompson left in the second sent Alvarez falling into the ropes. If not for the ropes, Alvarez would have fallen into a ringside seat. That was the first knockdown and a sign of things to come. A clean right in the eight floored Alvarez for the second time.

Pre-TV

Junior-lightweight Jerry Belmontes (19-3, 5 KOs) scored a one-sided decision over Australian Will Tomlinson (21-1-1, 12 KOs), who suffered a bloody gash over his right eye in seventh-round head butt; Mexico City junior-lightweight Francisco Vargas (19-0-1, 13 KOs) survived a spirited challenge for a unanimous, 10-round decision over Puerto Rican Abner Cotto (17-2, 8 KOs); former Olympian Joseph Diaz (9-0, 7 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif., cautiously, for four rounds before scoring a fifth-round super-bantamweight TKO of Puerto Rican Jovany Fuentes (5-4, 4 KOs); junior-welterweight Keandre Gibson (9-0-1, 4 KOs) landed a succession of punches that seemed to render Mexican Antonio Wong (11-8—1, 6 KOs) unconscious before he hit the canvas in a fourth-round stoppage; Australian light-heavy Steve Lovett (7-0, 6 KOs) stayed unbeaten with a second-round stoppage of Mexican Francisco Molina (2-3, 2 KOs).

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. was an hour late Saturday for his own news conference. But a crowd stuck around, waiting for him to arrive anyway. It just goes to show that Mayweather can draw a crowd even if he’s fighting nobody.

Marcos Maidana is next on Mayweather’s rich Showtime card, May 3 in a pay-per-view bout at the MGM Grand. Maidana didn’t make it to the first formal news conference since he was picked to fight Mayweather instead of Amir Khan. Maidana stayed at home in Argentina to be with his pregnant wife.

“He did the right thing,’’ said Mayweather, who apologized for being late and blamed it on a late night at the
tables in the MGM Grand’s casino. “He’s supposed to stand by his wife.’’

Maidana’s understandable absence didn’t matter much anyway. It’s the Mayweather brand that accounts for the biggest numbers in boxing these days. The HBO audience for his victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007 is still the pay-per-record. His victory on Showtime over Canelo Alvarez in September set the revenue record.

“They used it to call it pay-per-view,’’ Mayweather said in a video promo for a fight dubbed The Moment. “Now, it’s May-per-view.’’

Some early odds indicate that Maidana will go the way of Robert Guerrero and Canelo, who was getting ready to fight Alfredo Angulo while Mayweather was holding court. Some off-shore odds-makers have favored the unbeaten Mayweather by as much as 10-1. That’s the kind of chance a nobody gets. Yet, Maidana’s heavy-handed power and his December upset of Adrien Broner, a Mayweather wannabe and friend, moved him to the head of the line, or least ahead of Khan.

“Marcos Maidana is young, strong, a great competitor and one I can’t overlook, because anything can happen,’’ Mayweather said, his promotional mouthpiece firmly in place.

By now, it’s no secret that Mayweather picks and carefully choose who he fights. Maidana was the choice in many social media polls. In his own poll, Khan was the choice. But he picked Maidana anyway. The decision, he said, was based mostly on each fighter’s last four fights. Maidana had earned his way onto the ticket; Khan had not.

But it’s clear that polls didn’t make the choice. Only Mayweather did. And does

“I’ve earned my stripes,’’ said Mayweather, who said he began sparring last week. “I earned the right to pick and choose who I fight.’’

Nobody at the MGM Grand had any complaints about that prerogative Saturday. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Mayweather’s promotional partner, said 14,700 tickets were gone within hours after they went on sale at 10 a.m. (PST). According to Schaefer, the early rush amounts to a live gate of more than $12 million. Tickets were still for sale. A crowd of about 16,000 for a gate of about $16 million is expected.

“Nobody is forced to watch,’’ Mayweather said.

But they do.

By Norm Frauenheim

Canelo Alvarez hears the question more often than he saw Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s shoulder roll, roll and roll on a long, one-sided night nearly six months ago. Defeat is a lesson, says Alvarez, who really can’t say anything else about his first pro loss. If it’s not a lesson, it’s a problem. Simple as that.

Multiple-options are nice, but Alvarez doesn’t have that luxury Saturday night against Alfredo Angulo in his first bout since suffering his first loss in a September wipeout administered by Mayweather.

Win, and he leaves the ring with proof that the lesson was learned and his identity intact. Lose, and he leaves with damage to his career and agonizing self-doubt about whether he was ever the fighter who had been hyped as perhaps the brightest prospect in a new generation.

It’s not complicated. It’s just dangerous.

“This will be a savage, savage affair,” Angulo trainer Virgil Hunter said Thursday during the formal news conference at Las Vegas MGM Grand.

Hunter’s prediction probably helps boost the pay-per-view sales for the Showtime bout from the same Grand Garden Arena where Canelo lost a decision to Mayweather. Savagery, or even the promise of it, sells. It’s hard to to judge whether the always cool Canelo is buying into all the talk about a knock-down, blood-and-guts encounter between Mexican warriors. Angulo is known for his well-advertised power. He knocked down Erislandy Lara twice, Yet, he suffered a grotesque welt above one eye in losing a 10th-round TKO to Lara because of a couple of other things well-advertised:

Angulo gets hits often. His scarred face bloodies and bruises easily.

The 23-year-old Canelo (42-1, 30 KOs), seemingly wise beyond his years, must know that and even more. At the news conference, he talked about how styles make fights as if to say that, yeah, watch this one, because it will provide the violence so often promised. But Angulo’s style also seems to be perfect for Canelo’s skill-set. He couldn’t find Mayweather. But Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs) figures to be there, stubbornly moving forward and providing a willing target for Canelo’s arsenal of well-executed combinations. There’s a hedge, however. There’s growing sentiment that Angulo might have a chance after all, because of lingering questions about Canelo’s endurance. He seems to tire in later rounds. The task for Angulo is to take him beyond the sixth. Perhaps, Angulo has learned how to do that in sparring with the Hunter-trained Andre Ward and Amir Khan.

“There seems to a shift going on,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said about a tide of second opinion that suddenly favors Angulo.

A patient, cautious Angulo in the early going could lead to a more tactical fight and not the one promised in the Toe-To-Toe advertising. Hunter, in a somewhat ominous tone, made it sound as if a wild, chaotic fight is the only possibility. He talked almost as if he feared for each fighter.

“I don’t think both men will walk out the same,” said Hunter, who during Thursday news conference also said: “It’s been taken out of my hands.”

Hunter sounded nervous. Perhaps, he knows that Angulo will have a hard time resisting the temptation to slug it out early, especially in the first pay-per-view fight of his career. The junior-middleweight also will be making his debut at the MGM Grand.

Canelo has been there. Has lost there.

Maybe, learned there too.

Angulo will be the first test of whether in fact he has.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s biggest challenge on May 3 won’t come from Marcos Maidana. Not even Maidana’s heavy-handed power has much of a chance at knocking Mayweather off his pound-for-pound perch.

But Mayweather’s promotional skill faces a real test as he reaches what could be the halfway point of a Showtime deal for a possible six fights and a potential $250 million. Maidana-Mayweather looks to be a tough sell, especially at a pay-per-view price for the Showtime telecast that figures to be $60, or $70 for high definition.

Mayweather’s biggest rivals will be in a busy PPV market during the next few months. There’s Canelo Alvarez-Alfredo Angulo on Showtime PPV on March 8. On April 12, Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley engage in a PPV rematch offered by Home Box Office. After Mayweather-Maidana, there’s Miguel Cotto-Sergio Martinez on June 7, also an HBO pay-per-view bout.

To watch all four in high-def, it’ll cost $280. That’s not much if you’re in Mayweather’s income bracket. For the average fan, however, that’s a lot of groceries.

Mayweather’s marketing team will invest time and ad money into saying that Maidana is dangerous. He is – he was – in beating Adrien Broner in a December upset that shoved Amir Khan to the back of the line and earned Maidana the big payday that comes with a shot at Mayweather.

But some of the early betting odds indicate that the public will need a lot of convincing. Mayweather could be a 10-1 favorite. Translation: The bookies are saying that the betting public thinks that Maidana has no chance. Compare that to Pacquiao-Bradley in a sequel of Bradley’s hugely controversial decision over the Filipino Congressman in June, 2012. Pacquiao is a slight favorite.

Odds are, Pacquiao-Bradley is the better buy.

There’s a theory, often offered by Showtime, that people will watch Mayweather no matter who he fights. OK, Mayweather possesses singular speed and skill. But this isn’t Olympic figure skating. It’s a fight. If there isn’t much doubt, there isn’t much drama.

Maidana is a tough sell for at least two reasons:

· Khan, whose reputation has taken the biggest beating in the polling and guessing game over who Mayweather would anoint as his next foe, beat Maidana in what was the 2010 Fight of the Year.

· Maidana lost a one-sided decision to Devon Alexander in 2012. On only one of three scorecards did Maidana win a single round. He was shut out on two cards. The 10-round loss to the quick Alexander could serve as a preview to what might happen to Maidana against Mayweather, who has lost some foot speed but still had enough to confound Robert Guerrero and Canelo. Maidana has one thing in common with Guerrero and Canelo. He’s flat-footed, which represents two more reasons to think he has virtually no chance on May 3.

Mayweather, whose career has generated a reported 12.8 million PPV customers for about $800 million in gross revenue, is averaging 1.5 million PPV buys over his last eight bouts, according to reports from the networks and television media.

It’ll be harder to maintain that average than it will to stay unbeaten.