Local fight fans set to boycott upcoming Pacquiao, and Mayweather bouts

By Steve Galindo III

Word on the street is that local fight fans are going to be channeling their inner Cesar Chavez come March 13. Upset with the recent cancellation of what was to be the mega fight between superstars Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., fight fans are planning to boycott the two fighters’ next bouts which coincidentally is set to take place on the same day.  After weeks, and weeks of negotiations, finger pointing, and more drama than a Mexican Soap Opera we were all led to believe that the fight between boxing’s two best pound-for-pound fighters would take place on March 13, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. When all talks came to a halt last week after a failed mediation in Santa Monica, many fans were left scratching their heads wondering how something so minute as drug testing could jeopardize what was to be the richest fight in boxing history.

The promoters behind it all, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions added more salt to the wound this week when they announced that both Pacquiao, and Mayweather would be fighting on the same night, (March 13) but on separate cards, with Manny Pacquiao taking on Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, and Mayweather taking on an opponent to be determined later. The promoters then announced that both bouts would be shown on pay-per-view- which means that fans will have to shell out roughly around $100 bucks to see both superstars fight in matches in which they will be heavily favored.

Instead of trying to understand it, or make sense of it all, many fans are feeling hoodwinked, bamboozled and in the words of President Obama, the fans are telling promoters “the buck stops with me.” What began as internet chatter has taken to the streets. I’ve spoken with people in the last couple of days, from Prison guards- to auto mechanics, who are all saying no más, and they are planning to participate in the boycott. Some are even going as far as starting up face book pages urging fellow fans not to buy the proposed pay-per-view bouts.

Depending on what side of the fence you are on, you can’t really blame these fans. After all, these are the same people who in spite of the current economical conditions gave so much to the sport last year. They are the same people that showed up in record numbers to see Shane Mosley take on Antonio Margarito at the Staples Center, and the same people that helped Mayweather, and Pacquiao surpass one million pay-per-views.

· Rumor has it that Antonio Margarito will return to face Jr. middleweight Carson Jones on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Clottey bout.

Tijuana’s Burgos headlines ESPN’s Friday Night Fight’s

Juan Carlos Burgos, 23-0 with 16 knockouts, of Tijuana, Mexico, will defend the WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) featherweight title against Juan Carlos Martinez, 15-10-1 with 5 knockouts, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The 22 year-old Burgos is a five-year pro – he made his debut at 16 in Mexico. The young contender was born into boxing – his father was an amateur boxer and his uncle is the former IBF junior flyweight world champion Victor Burgos. Juan Carlos has given consistently impressive performances and climbed in the world rankings – he is currently ranked No. 2 in the world by the WBC and No. 14 by the WBO at 126 pounds Martinez, now 28 years old, is a six-year professional veteran. He is coming off one of his career-best wins in his last fight on September 26, 2009, an upset 10 round unanimous decision against hometown favorite Jose Hernandez (22-4) in Chicago. Martinez is experienced against very good opposition and has gone the distance against WBC interim lightweight world champion Antonio De Marco and former WBC featherweight world champion Guty Espadas. The main event, and other selected fights will be televised live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, their Spanish-Language Network, and ESPN 360.com. 

TOP RANK AND FOX SPORTS EN ESPAÑOL KNOCK OUT COMPETITION WITH NEW BOXING SERIES- “Top Rank Live” Debuts January 16, 2010

Fox Sports en Español and Top Rank announced the launch of an exciting new boxing series – “Top Rank Live.”  The heavy-hitting two-hour broadcast will air live on Fox Sports en Español on Saturdays, three times per month, beginning at 10 p.m. EST.  Adding to the excitement and authenticity of this new series, at least one show per month will originate directly from Mexico.  The series will debut on Saturday, January 16, 2010, live from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas with the 10 Round Welterweight Title fight between Vanes Martirosyan and Kassim Ouma former world champions, world-class contenders, and up-and-coming prospects are scheduled to appear in future shows.