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source: abs-cbnnews.com

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will lose a boxing match in 2012 for the first time in seven years, a boxing analyst from Sports Illustrated predicted.

Pacquiao has not lost a bout since his unanimous decision setback to Erik Morales in 2005, but Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix is predicting that Pacquiao will lose to Juan Manuel Marquez this year.

“The two rivals have seen their careers become as intertwined as Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,” Mannix said of Pacquiao and Marquez.

“In 36 rounds, only one–Pacquiao’s 3-knockdown first round in the first fight–has truly been decisive,” he added.

Mannix said that since a mega-fight against undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not be possible until June, a fourth fight with Marquez “is the only natural option.”

“And in another back-and-forth battle (likely fought in front of 50,000-plus fans at Cowboys Stadium) Marquez will finally get the win that has eluded him,” Mannnix predicted.

Pacquiao and Marquez have fought three times, with all three bouts resulting in controversial decisions. The latest installment, held last November 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, saw Pacquiao eke out a majority decision victory despite struggling against Marquez all night.

Mannix is also predicting that the most highly anticipated fight in boxing, Pacquiao vs Mayweather, will not happen in 2012.

“Mayweather’s recently handed down jail sentence likely ruins any chance of making Mayweather-Pacquiao in the first half of the year,” Mannix said. “If Pacquiao loses (against Marquez), there will undoubtedly be a fifth fight between the two, pushing any matchup with Mayweather into 2013.”

Exciting fight for Donaire

Mannix also predicted that Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire will meet Cuban boxer Yuri Gamboa in an exciting match-up later in 2012.

“Gamboa and Donaire are both explosive talents that always look for the knockout,” he said.

Donaire will make his debut at the junior featherweight division in February 2012 against Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., while Gamboa will move to the super featherweight division in March.

Although the two boxers fight in different weight divisions, Mannix expects that they will meet later in 2012.

“The lack of quality opponents for either will lead to matchup between the two Top Rank-promoted fighters by the end of the year,” he said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Five-time Trainer of the Year and Hall-of-Famer Freddie Roach promised that his prized ward, Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, will remain an active fighter.

This, after a potential May 5 mega-fight with undefeated American fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. was scuttled when Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days in jail following a guilty plea to a 2010 domestic violence charge.

“We’re not going to wait for him,” Roach told Boxing Scene regarding Mayweather’s jail sentence. “We’re going to fight.”

Roach has already received a list of four potential Pacquiao opponents from Top Rank boss Bob Arum: Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley Jr. and Lamont Peterson.

A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has long been considered to be the most lucrative bout in boxing, with the potential to break all records for live gate attendance and pay-per-view buys.

But various issues over the years have prevented the mega-fight from happening, including Mayweather’s demands of random blood and urine testing and Pacquiao’s subsequent defamation case filed against Mayweather.

The two camps started negotiating again late in 2011, but Mayweather’s looming incarceration has put a stop to discussions. The undefeated fighter gets out of jail on April 2012, leaving him little time to be ready for a May 5 fight date.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

World light-welterweight champion Lamont Peterson said he is ready for a boxing match against Filipino boxing icon and pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

“If I get that call (to fight Pacquiao), I’ll be ready to go,” Peterson said in an interview with RingTV.

Peterson put his name in the list of potential Pacquiao opponents after a 12-round split decision victory against British boxer Amir Khan, one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners.

Peterson won the WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts in that bout.

“It’s a dream that you dream of growing up. You want to fight the best… You get into the sport to fight the best. And Manny Pacquiao is definitely one of the best,” Peterson said.

He added that he is “anxious to see how my style matches up with his (Pacquiao’s).”

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said he wants to see his prized pupil go up against Peterson, especially if the much awaited mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not push through.

“I think Lamont Peterson is a great opponent for Manny Pacquiao,” Roach said.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s advisor, Michael Koncz, has officially named Peterson as one of the fighters that he will propose to Top Rank boss Bob Arum as Pacquiao’s next opponent.

“I’m aware of the options that we have… Lamont Peterson is another option also,” Koncz said, but he added that he has not discussed the topic with Pacquiao.

If the fight with Pacquiao does not push through, Peterson may also opt to give Khan a rematch sometime in 2012.

But the Washington D.C. native believes he is already prepared to fight Pacquiao, even as he acknowledged that it will not be an easy bout.

“There are no easy fights in boxing. Not at this level,” he said.

The rest is here:
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