Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Shane Mosley on May. 7 in an HBO pay-per-view fight from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Mosley told FanHouse Tuesday evening.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) also holds the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, but that is not on the line, according to Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) and Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum .

"It's done. I'm fighting Many Pacquiao on May 7," said the 39-year-old Mosley.

"We came to an agreement today, in fact, just a few minutes ago. Bob Arum, James Prince and I," said Mosley. "We sat down, and we came to an agreement. The only thing that I have to do now is to sign it. Bob Arum is writing it all up right now."

Mosley was the main subject of conversation as the next opponent for the WBO welterweight champ during last week's meetings between Pacquiao, Arum and Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz. It produced a counter proposal that had been presented to Mosley's adviser James Princefor approval, Koncz told FanHouse on Tuesday.

Mosley was chosen over 37-year-old WBO and WBA lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs) and 27-year-old WBC welterweight belt-holder Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs), Mosley said.

Mosley also confirmed that his purse, up front, stands to be around $5 million against Pacquiao. But with incentives, Mosley could wind up earning a career-high amount, surpassing the previous career-best of $7 million that he pocketed after his unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) back in May, who received a non-heavyweight record guarantee of $22.5 million.

"That's still accurate. We came to an agreement with everything involved, including the financial end of it," Mosley said of the numbers pertaining to his purse.

"We're looking to start a promotional campaign probably in early to mid-February, so there will be a press tour," said Mosley. "But the main thing is that I got the fight on May 7, and me and Bob and James Prince, we're all in agreement on everything. I think that I can go in and sign it in about two days or so. But the bottom line is that it's done."

Reached in the Philippines, Koncz told FanHouse that he had not yet heard from Arum, and that Pacquiao still needed to approve of the contract even though Mosley's side was in agreement.

"The contracts haven't been signed, but it's real close," said Prince. "I think that that is something that will happen some time tomorrow."

Arum had told FanHouse that Marquez's asking price for a third bout was too high, with Koncz saying that Golden Boy Promotions had "overpriced" the Mexican, three-division champion.

According to a source with knowledge of Marquez's demands, the Mexican, three-division champion has asked for a $5 million guarantee, while making $5 per pay-per-view buy above 500,000, for $8.5 million total if the fight generated 1.2 million buys.

Pacquiao is coming off of a Nov. 13 unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito that earned him the WBC's junior middleweight belt, his eighth crown in as many different weight classes, and, also, his 13th straight win with eight knockouts during that span.

Pacquiao's last loss was by a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005. During his run, Pacquiao's eight stoppages included four consecutively. That spree comprised those againstDavid Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, respectively, in nine, eight, two rounds, and, 12 rounds.

Pacquaio's winning streak also includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006. The run also includes 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as an eighth-round knockout of Jorge Solis, who entered their matchup unbeaten at 33-0-2, with 24 knockouts.

Pacquiao-Margarito, and, Pacquiao-Cotto were contested at catch weights favoring the smaller man, meaning that neither fighter can weigh more than that. Pacquiao weighed in at 144, and, 144.5 pounds, respectively, for both Cotto and Margarito, whose catch weights were 145, and, 150.

Still, Margarito had out-weighed Pacquiao, 165-to-148, by the time the fighters entered the ring.

Prince said that the notion of a catch weight "wasn't in the conversation" during the negotiations, emphasizing that "the fight is going to be at an even 147 pounds."

A former IBF lightweight champion, Mosley has fought at welterweight or higher exclusively since relinquishing his lightweight belt in 1999, including seven bouts at junior middleweight (154 pounds), and one other at 148 pounds -- an April, 2005 decision over David Estrada.

At junior middleweight, Mosley has twice stopped former world champion, Fernando Vargas, knocked out former world titlist, Ricardo Mayorga, and earned his second win over former world champ, De La Hoya -- the latter for the WBC and WBA crowns in September of 2003.

Mosley, who also dispatched of De La Hoya by split-decision in June of 200 for the WBC welterweight crown, also twice lost to former world titlist Winky Wright at 154 pounds, and was decisioned by Cotto in November of 2007 during a failed bid to earn the WBA welterweight belt.

Mosley ended a nearly 16 month ring absence against Mayweather, whom Mosley staggered yet couldn't finish in the second round. Mayweather followed a January, 2009, ninth-round knockout victory which dethroned Margarito as WBA super world welterweight champion.

Mosley is coming off September's junior middleweight, split-decision draw with ex-world champion,Sergio Mora (21-1-1, six KOs), at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Asked if he thought that Pacquiao's selection of him had anything to do with his age or a perception of deteriorating skills, Mosley said, "Maybe."

"People will do what they do to get their advantage. People thought that I was too old and at a disadvantage and past my prime against Antonio Margarito, and look what happened there. They felt like they had the upper hand, but it was up to me to prove that they didn't," said Mosley.

"When I fought Mayorga, they thought that I was past my prime and that I was going to go in there and get destroyed. But when we got into the ring, it didn't happen. But that's what the fight game is all about," said Mosley. "Nobody really knows what's going to happen."

To that end, Mosley watched last Saturday's Showtime televised, WBC light heavyweight (175 pounds) bout with interest, as 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs) -- who turns 46 in January and was looking to become the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world title -- appeared to have successfully negated knockdowns in the first and third rounds to defeat 28-year-old Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) before Pascal's partisan fans at the Pepsi Colesium in Quebec City, Canada.

"They thought that Bernard Hopkins was over the hill, but he got in there and did a job on Jean Pascal. Jean Pascal called him out, thinking that it was the right time to get Bernard Hopkins, but it turned out that that was not true. I'm definitely encouraged by that," said Mosley.

"I figured that Bernard would win, and, I figured that he would win by knockout because of his experience and because of the type of person that he is," said Mosley. "I knew that he would work hard to win the fight. But, you know, I'm sure that's why Pascal picked him out because he thought he was older. That may be the way that Pacquiao' feels, but that's not the way that I feel."

Does Mosley believe, as Hopkins said after the Pascal fight, that he needs to score a knockout to defeat Pacquiao?

"I can probably win a decision, but I will most likely be looking to knock Manny Pacquiao out. I know that his defense is not as good as Floyd Mayweather's, and I know that Pacquiao's mentality is going to be that he will try to knock me out," said Mosley.

"So the thing is that I think he is going to try to come in there and knock me out, and I know that I'm going to go in there trying to knock him out," said Mosley. "So that's why I think that it's going to be a great fight because we're both guys who like to get in there and fight."

Convinced Juan Manuel Marquez won’t be fighting Manny Pacquiao next, Freddie Roach is now leaning on Sugar Shane Mosley to be the Filipino boxing star’s opponent in his ring return on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I pick Mosley myself,” said Roach while waiting for his afternoon flight aboard the private plane of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson that will take him back to Manila after attending the birthday celebration of Pacquiao over the weekend.

Roach has been vocal about his choice for a third fight with Marquez, whom he wants Pacquiao to shut up after claiming that he twice beat the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter in two closely-fought wars in the last six years.

For the record, the 32-year-old Pacquiao settled for a controversial draw against his long-time Mexican rival in their first fight in 2004, and then scored a highly-contentious split decision in their rematch four years later.

Although a clamor for a third fight has been repeatedly made, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum believes the bout isn’t saleable both in terms of gate attendance and pay-per-view sales.

Besides, Marquez is reportedly asking for a hefty $5 million fight purse and a share in the pay-per-view sales if and when he faces Pacquiao again.

“He already priced himself out of the negotiations,” revealed Roach. “That’s a polite way of saying he doesn’t want to fight us.

“And he’s too small. He wants the fight at 140, but I said no. We want it at 147.”

In a separate interview with Arum earlier, the Top Rank big boss said he’s set for a meeting with Mosley and his representative, James Prince, once he returns to his Las Vegas office this week.

The veteran promoter also said Top Rank president Todd deBoef is scheduled to sit down within the week with Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Golden Boy Promotions which represents Marquez.

But Roach claims it all boils down now between Mosley and reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Andre Berto, whom Arum, meanwhile, said is already out of the picture.

“Of course, the choice is Manny's, not mine,” said the four-time Trainer of the Year.

Although he’s favoring Mosley, Roach thinks the three-time world champion is going to be a tough opponent for his most popular ward.

“Mosley is a tough fighter. He’s got experience and a good puncher, too,” Roach, 50, stressed.

“But Manny and Bob will have to work that out and whoever they get, I’m going to get Manny ready for him.”

[Kelly Dwyer| Yahoo! Sports] The Orlando Magic entered this season as championship contenders. Two months into 2010-11, however, they've been revealed as an inconsistent team with an above-average offense that often deserts them, and a defense that has stumbled in the two seasons since it helped lead them to the 2009 NBA Finals. On pace for a disappointing 53 wins, the Magic have decided to make some major, major changes.

[Yahoo! Sports] Kevin Martin scored 22 points and Shane Battier added 11 of his 17 in the final three minutes to lift the Houston Rockets to a 109-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

The loss is the fourth in a row for the Lakers, who were led by Kobe Bryant’s 27 points.

The Lakers led by three before Battier made consecutive 3-pointers to put Houston on top 100-97 with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Bryant made a pair of free throws before Battier hit a jump shot that caused the Lakers’ star to slump his shoulders and shake his head. Los Angeles was then called for a shot clock violation and Bryant missed a 3-pointer on the next trip down the court.

Battier was fouled by Derek Fisher on a 3-point attempt with 41.9 seconds remaining and hit all three free throws to make it 105-99. Houston made four free throws in the last few seconds to secure the win.

[ANTONIO GONZALEZ, Associated Press] ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—First came “The Decision.” Then the expectations. Now the pressure is on the Miami Heat more than ever.

Even from the White House.

Dwight Howard had 24 points and 18 rebounds, J.J. Redick scored 20 points and the Orlando Magic beat Miami 104-95 on Wednesday night to hand the Heat’s All-Star trio its first three-game losing streak.

The slower-than-expected start for the Heat has resonated all the way to Washington, where President Barack Obama said before the game in an interview with ABC that it “takes some time for the team to come together.”

Nobody could have imagined it would take this long.

[sports.inquirer.net] GUANGZHOU, CHINA—Power punchers Annie Albania and Rey Saludar assured themselves of at least a silver medal and a cash windfall with a pair of blistering performances Wednesday in the boxing semifinals of the 16th Asian Games at the Foshan Gymnasium.

The unforgiving Albania viciously pummeled Japanese foe Aya Shinmoto, 16-1, in the women’s under-51 kg class to set up a clash with the favored hometown bet Ren Cancan, who plodded to a workmanlike 11-7 conquest of Indian world champion Mary Kom Hmangte.

GUANGZHOU, China -- On another bleak day for the Philippines in nearly all fronts, GMs Wesley So and Eugene Torre put the smile back on the Filipinos’ faces in the 16th Asian Games here Monday.

So, undoubtedly the brightest Filipino chess player to emerge in recent years, outwitted GM Pentala Harikrishna in their keenly-watched board one showdown to lead the Filipinos to a morale-boosting 2.5-1.5 upset win over second seed India in the fifth round of the chess competitions at the Guangzhou Chess Institute.

Torre, the most recognizable figure in local chess since becoming Asia’s first-ever GM in 1974, capped the Filipinos’ big day when he defeated GM B. Adhiban on board four.

GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr. also did his part by drawing with GM Krishnan Sasikiran in board two.

Only GM John Paul Gomez, the hero in the Philippines’ 2.5-1.5 triumph over Kazakhstan last Sunday, did not count as he lost to GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly in board three.

The smashing win propelled the sixth-seeded Filipinos to solo second place behind top seed China with eight points on four wins and one loss in the tough, nine-round competition which attracted 25 countries.

China trounced Iran, 3-1, behind the victories of GMs Bu Xiangzhi and Zhou Jianchao over GM Homayoon Toufighi and IM Ashgar Golizadeh in the lower boards

The Chinese, who are widely favored to sweep the gold medals in both the men’s and women’s divisions, have now beaten all their five opponents, including the Filipinos in the third round.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president/chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay had kind words for the Filipino chessers.

“They (Filipinos) are really making all of us proud right now,” said Pichay, who congratulated the team through delegation head/coach Willie Abalos.

“The players are performing to expectations even against our traditionally-strong Asian rivals. I like our chances now even with still four rounds left,” added Pichay.

NCFP secretary-general and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino also congratulated the team, and urged them to continue to do well and bring honors to the country.

The Filipinos’ sixth-round opponent is former Russian republic Uzbekistan, which drew with Kazakhstan, 2.-2.

The Uzbeks are bannered by GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Anton Filippov.

Kasimdzhanov bagged the individual gold medal in the rapid chess competitions with six wins and three draws.

Overall, So, Antonio and Torre have three points apiece, while Gomez had two.

So and Torre had two wins and two draws apiece, while Antonio had one win and four draws.

Gomez, the only other player to see action in all five rounds so far, had one win, two draws and two losses.

GM Darwin Laylo had 1-1 win-loss record.

No.10 seed Kyrgyzstan shocked fourth seed Vietnam, 3.5-.5 to grab solo third place with seven points.

Unheralded Algis Shukuraliev shocked GM Le Quang Liem, Nurdin Samakov stunned GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Nasyr Akylbelkov toppled GM Cao Sang for Kyrgyzstan’s three victories.

IM Nguyen Huyn Minh Huy averted a shutout when he escaped with a draw against FM Semetey Tologontegin in board four.

In other fifth-round results, Qatar edged Bangladesh, 2.5-1.5; Iraq stopped Mongolia, 2.5-1.5; Korea nipped Maldives, 2.5-1.5; and Yemen outclassed Jordan, 3.5-.5.

India, Qatar and Uzbekistan now share fourth to sixth places with six points.

Standings after five rounds:

10 points -- China
8 -- Philippines
7 -- Kyrgyzstan
6 -- India, Qatar, Uzbekistan
5 -- Iran, Vietnam, Kazakhstan,  Iraq
4 -- Bangladesh, Mongolia, Korea
3 -- Maldives
2 -- Yemen
1 -- Jordan, Lebanon

Congratulations to Congressman Manny Pacquiao for winning his eight world boxing title after decisively beating Antonio Margarito. Give credit to Antonio Margarito for standing his ground and lasting 12 rounds despite the systematic onslaught by Manny Pacquiao.

Click HERE for Pacquiao-Margarito Picture Gallery

Credit also goes to Freddie Roach. Now I understand the 'flaw' he was talking about. Antonio Margarito prepared his mind and body. He even showed it off during the official weigh-in and people started to doubt if Manny Pacquiao could beat the bigger and strong Antonio Margarito.

Except, when fight time came, Manny Pacquiao disregarded going after the body and instead followed Freddie Roach's strategy to go after the 'flaw.' Antonio Margarito failed to protect his face and he paid the price terribly. Round after round, Manny Pacquiao systematically pounded Antonio Margarito's face 'til all he could see were blurry punches striking from every angle. The once smiling and proud face promptly disappeared.

Apology accepted.

With that, Freddie Roach said he’s moving forward and concentrating on the big fight at hand between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.

Margarito, his trainer Robert Garcia and upcoming Brandon Rios, who is fighting in the undercard, had earlier extended their sincere apology to Roach, whose Parkinson’s disease was the subject of their mockery caught in a video posted on the internet by FanHouse.com. a few weeks ago (scroll down for the video clip).

“I was mad, but now I am not,” admitted Roach, who was personally reached by Garcia over the phone to say his piece on the controversy. “Robert seemed to be really sincere in what he said to me this morning on the phone, so I accepted his apology.”

Margarito and Rios were both repentant during the undercard press conference Thursday at the Gaylord Texan Hotel here, where the 32-year-old Mexican was not really part of the proceedings.

“I want you to know I would never make fun of Freddie Roach or anyone with that disease,” said Pacquiao’s opponent, stressing even someone in his family has Parkinson’s disease. “If he really wants an apology, I have no problem with that because I know I’m not laughing at his disease. I can look him straight in the eyes and tell him….`I’m not laughing at you. I respect you.’”

Added Rios, “I take responsibility for what I did. I’m man about it. It was wrong and I’m sorry.”

The gentleman that he is, Roach said he’s putting the incident behind him now, although admitting he didn’t sleep well the night before and had to double his medicine intake for his disease.

“I would shake (Margarito’s) hand to end this. I think they realize what they did was maybe a little bit too much, they went overboard,” he added.

“Let’s just move on with the fight now,” said Roach, who said he extended Garcia the best of luck for this weekend’s bout.

Apparently, Roach predicted Margarito was going down in eight. It's now down to three. Yeah Right! Apology accepted.

[Dennis Principe | fightnews.com] Freddie Roach and Robert Garcia have started to provide the verbal fireworks that is sure to prop up whatever is left of the opportunities to promote this weekend’s much-anticipated bout between their respective wards Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. During separate interviews with this writer, both Roach and Garcia sounded livid when told about a brewing duel between the prominent trainers.

It all started when Garcia, in a previous internet report made a claim of having a 2-0 edge in his head-to-head clash with Roach.

Garcia said he scored his first win when his American ward Steven Luevano won by disqualification over Roach’s Filipino pupil Bernabe Concepcion last August 2009 in Las Vegas.

The second win, Garcia asserted, was when he first handled Margarito in the Mexican’s return from a much-publicized suspension opposite Wild Card Gym-trained Roberto Garcia staged May of this year in Mexico.

Roach meanwhile refuted his rival’s claim by first stating that he never trained Garcia for the Margarito fight.

“I wasn’t in his corner. He trained at my gym, that’s all. He is Eric Brown‘s fighter” said Roach.

Roach then went ballistics when asked for his comment on Garcia’s 2-0 tally.

“Tell him to go (expletive) himself because I’m bringing my ace this time. What’s this childish? Like ‘Oh I beat one of your fighters before’.. What does that do with this fight?” said an irked Roach.

Roach also belittled Concepcion’s defeat where the Filipino got disqualified for punching Luevano after the bell sounded ending the seventh round that illegally knocked the then world champion out.

“But whose fighter ended up being knocked out?“ said Roach.

In an apparent retort, Garcia lambasted Roach’s insistence that he had nothing to do with Garcia’s fight against Margarito.

“Now he’s trying to change the story but I remember clearly when Freddie Roach made some comments to the press saying Roberto Garcia hitting so hard and he was going to knock out Margarito. To say that, obviously he was training Roberto Garcia,” said Garcia.

Garcia went on with his critical remark on Roach.

“He didn’t want to go to Mexico because he knew he was going to lose. He didn’t want to look bad inside the ring that night,” said Garcia. “For Freddie not to show up was a disrespect to Roberto Garcia who deserves to have Freddie Roach in his corner. If my fighter lose a fight, I take responsibility even if I don‘t show up in his corner.”

Meantime, Pacquiao and Margarito made their final public workout yesterday at the Gaylord Texan Hotel where they did several rounds of mitts, jump rope and shadow boxing in front of an appreciative crowd.

Fight promoter Bob Arum addressed the crowd by stating one of his few more remaining sales pitches, and that is to sell the hugely underdog Margarito as a livewire opponent for Pacquiao.

“Manny will overwhelm him early on with his speed and the question can Manny maintain that speed over the 12 rounds because this guy doesn’t wear down, Margarito, and he throws a lot of punches and that’s going to tell the story”, said Arum.

Today protagonists and their entourage will hold their final press conference that will be open to the public at the East End Zone Platform of the fight’s stadium.

Though their 12-round bout is for the vacant World Boxing Council 154lb crown, Margarito and Pacquiao agreed to a catch weight of 150lbs with a penalty of $500,000 for every excess pound during the official weigh-in set the day before fight night.

[Pacquiao Versus] It's no secret that Manny Pacquiao's best formula for beating his opponents has been his speed. His opponents from Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, David Diaz, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and others all attest it was Manny Pacquiao's speed that conquered them.

And it is with this speed that Manny Pacquiao will defeat the bigger and stronger Antonio Margarito for his record eigth world title next Saturday at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“Yung speed pa rin ang magdadala,” said Manny Pacquiao following a rigorous two-and-a-half hour of training at the Wild Card gym with trainor Freddie Roach.

“We can use that easily. If there’s speed, there’s nothing to worry about,” Manny Pacquiao added. “I know he (Antonio Margarito) has the advantage in reach, but we will use our advantage in speed.”

More than a half-century after moving to San Francisco, the Giants are taking the World Series trophy to the city by the Bay for the first time.

Edgar Renteria broke a scoreless duel with a three-run homer in the seventh inning and San Francisco beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 in a tense Game 5 on Monday, taking the best-of-seven series 4-1. [Read the full article here...]

[The Ring] Antonio Margarito viciously pounded a body pad held by his trainer 10, 20, 30 times, making a sickening thud with each punch that echoed in the Fortune Gym and caused everyone gathered around the ring on media day to wince. Obviously they imagined the pad to be the stomach of Manny Pacquiao, his opponent on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

Margarito seems to be ready for the most-important fight of his career and his chance at redemption, both mentally and physically.

The congenial Mexican, disgraced and then suspended when he was caught with illegal knuckle pads in his gloves last year, trains with a sense of unusual urgency because he knows how fortunate he is to have this opportunity. The fact he is prepared physically is to be expected; that’s been his modus operandi and a big part of his success.

“I think if the fight were this Saturday, I could make weight,” he said through a translator on Thursday.

The hand-wrap scandal has been well-documented.

Margarito was busted as he was preparing to step into the ring to face Shane Mosley in January of last year and then took a brutal beating. Not a good night. And what followed was worse: California revoked his license in February, which kept him out of boxing for more than 15 months.

The proud warrior, a three-time welterweight titleholder, said he remained optimistic throughout his exile but had to wonder whether he’d ever receive the opportunity to regain what he lost.

Now that he has that chance, he clearly is energized by it. He has almost always trained ridiculously hard, wearing his opponents down as much with his physical conditioning as his relentless punches.

He seems to have ratcheted up a notch for this fight, though. Everything he does, he does with the passion of a young, hungry fighter even though he’s 32 years old and his best years are mostly likely behind him. Clearly, he’s inspired.

“A lot of people never gave up on me,” he said in a soft, but firm voice to about dozen reporters in a small locker room at the gym. “This is for them, all the people who believed in me, the people who had confidence in me and never gave me their back. …

“Without a doubt, it’s been tough, really tough. This is a great opportunity for me. And I’m going to take full advantage of it. That’s what I have to do.”

Those who have seen him shirtless during workouts at trainer Robert Garcia’s gym in Oxnard have marveled at his physique. Put simply: The man is ripped, a sign that he has trained diligently.

One knowledgeable observer who has followed most of Margarito’s career said he was stunned when he saw Margarito for the first time, saying wide-eyed at the memory: “I’ve never seen him look like this. He looked SO big. I couldn’t believe it.”

Margarito wasn’t such a physical specimen in his last important fight, the devastating loss to Mosley at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The fighter and his handlers say he let himself go amid the celebration after his spectacular knockout victory over Miguel Cotto in July of 2008, his last meaningful victory. They say he weighed around 185 pounds (38 pounds over the welterweight limit) six weeks before the Mosley fight.

The entire training camp, they said, was spent in a desperate attempt to make weight. The result was a depleted fighter on fight night, one ripe for such a beating.

Margarito apparently has learned his lesson. Garcia said Margarito weighed around 160 pounds on the first day of this training camp and has maintained that weight – give or take a few pounds – throughout. He is able to eat well and hydrate properly.

The fighters have agreed to fight at a catch weight of 150 pounds.

“Ten pounds is not a problem,” Garcia said 16 days before the fight. “We haven’t even focused on losing weight at all. He’ll have about six pounds to lose the day before the weigh-in. We’ll cut down on water and that’s it.”

Some wonder whether Margarito is working too hard.

Garcia said his protégé will have sparred for seven weeks (and around 170 rounds) to compensate for any ring rust, a few weeks more than he would normally spar. Margarito has fought only once in 22 months, outpointing journeyman Roberto Garcia in May in his comeback fight.

Margarito seems to love the work. “I have to stop him or he’ll just keep going,” Garcia said with a laugh. And the fighter said his conditioning is more important than the one edge everyone gives him going into this fight: His size and strength.

“I always look at conditioning,” he said. “The preparation makes the difference. You have to be ready to fight. Everything else comes second. That’s why I’m so confident I’m going to win, because I’ve prepared myself.”

Still, the question remains: Will he leave anything in the gym?

“That’s always a concern,” said Sergio Diaz, Margarito’s co-manager for 14 years. “We’re watching him and Robert’s watching him, though. We communicate. ‘How are you feeling? Are you tired?’ If he’s tired, OK, we have a lighter workout. And we make sure he takes breaks.

“He’s working hard, for sure, but we’re watching him. I think things are going perfectly. You won’t hear that he left anything in the gym.”

Indeed, if Margarito loses to Pacquiao, it probably won’t be because he was ill-prepared.

Garcia, a former titleholder himself who will be working his second fight with Margarito, is giddy over what he sees in his fighter. He exudes the same positive energy as his fighter, who is overflowing with it.

The trainer knows this is a monumental challenge, describing Pacquiao as the “best fighter in the world.” He also has a very good feeling.

“I think he’s better than he’s ever been mentally,” Garcia said. "Tony says, ‘I tell you guys, this is the best I’ve ever felt.’ He feels so confident. Not a day goes by that we’re driving together to the gym in the morning that he doesn’t say, ‘Robert, I have no doubt this fight is ours. Everything we’re doing is perfect.’

“He’s enjoying training, enjoying running in the mornings, enjoying every part of training camp more than ever before.”

Second chances will do that.

Antonio Margarito open media training gallery

[Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports] With one swing, Mitch Moreland propelled the Texas Rangers back into the World Series, his rocket to right field clearing the fence in an eye blink and producing three early runs that stood up in a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Fans everywhere but Texas and parts of Mississippi responded with one question.

Mitch who?

Meet Mitchell Austin Moreland, product of tiny Amory, Miss., rookie first baseman with all of 145 regular-season at-bats, and now the latest unlikely Series hero. In Game 3 on Saturday night he batted ninth, the last whistle stop before the bench.

Moreland, 25, was glad to be there. He wouldn’t even be in the big leagues, let alone the World Series, had the Rangers not traded premier first base prospect Justin Smoak to the Seattle Mariners for pitching ace Cliff Lee at midseason. Texas figured the spot could be filled by in-house power prospect Chris Davis or by veteran Jorge Cantu, who was acquired in a trade about the same time Smoak departed. After all, this is the same franchise that survived trading away first basemen Adrian Gonzalez and Mark Teixeira.

But the left-handed hitting Moreland, a quiet, resolute type who had methodically climbed the minor league ladder since being drafted in the 17th round out of Mississippi State in 2007, kept plugging away as Davis faltered and Cantu disappointed. By the time the postseason came around, manager Ron Washington was sold. Moreland was his guy, and by Saturday night, he was even his guy against left-handed Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez, whom lefty hitters managed only a .181 average against this season.

“I’m just trying to take care of what I can do and stick with my game plan,” Moreland said. “I felt like if I did that, I’d be in the right spot at the right time.”

Sure enough, Moreland stepped to the plate with two out and two on in the second inning. Sanchez had just walked Bengie Molina, showing the utmost respect to the clutch-hitting catcher who had spent the last several years with the Giants.

Moreland, the rookie nobody knew, now this was a batter Sanchez felt he could challenge.

The count went to 2-2 and Sanchez threw a slider. Moreland fouled it away. Another slider. Another foul. A changeup. Foul. Another changeup. A fourth consecutive foul ball. Finally Sanchez gave in, throwing a fastball, and Moreland crushed it. The Rangers led 3-0 and The Ballpark at Arlington went crazy.

“I knew I had a runner in scoring position and he was going to pitch me tough,” Moreland said. “I fouled off the off-speed stuff then got a fastball down and in and was able to put a good swing on it.”
Manager Ron Washington has been pleased with Moreland's progress with the Rangers.
(Getty Images)

After two one-sided losses at San Francisco, Texas needed a reason to believe. Moreland provided it. Josh Hamilton homered in the fifth to extend the lead to 4-0 and provide enough of a cushion to withstand late homers by the Giants’ Cody Ross and Andres Torres.

“Mitch is stubborn,” Hamilton said. “He’s not going to let anybody beat him. He’s got that competitive attitude.”

The blast gave the Rangers a sorely needed lead. The collective sense of relief among the 52,419 – the largest crowd ever at The Ballpark – was palpable. And Moreland’s teammates settled in.

Colby Lewis pitched brilliantly for Texas over 7 2/3 innings. Darren O’Day retired Buster Posey with a runner on base to end the eighth and 22-year-old closer Neftali Feliz retired the side in order in the ninth.

The Rangers were back in business, still trailing in the series, 2-1, but looking at two more games at home. And leading the way with a .341 postseason batting average is Moreland.

“Mitch Moreland has certainly established himself as a major league player,” Washington said. “He’s a battler, and when he gets his pitch he usually doesn’t miss it. He gave us breathing room.”

Even though he’s no longer a mystery man, Moreland won’t be bumped up from the ninth spot. “With our lineup, he’s sitting right where he needs to be,” Washington said.

No complaints from Moreland. He’s content batting deep in the heart of the Texas batting order.

“My job is to grind out at-bats, see some pitches and try to get on base a few times,” he said. Moreland paused and grinned. Maybe he remembered he’s a rookie. Maybe he realized a little Mississippi anonymity goes a long way this time of year. “Hey, I’m in the lineup!”

[Yahoo! Sports] Together, they crashed into the shores of Biscayne Bay like a tsunami, the way that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade believed basketball would unfold night after night. They thrust themselves out of the laser lights and hazy smoke with lob dunks and long 3-pointers, a destruction so devastating that it reduced a championship contender to rubble.



Out of Pat Riley’s bold imagination, out of the most relentless hysteria and hype the sport’s ever seen, here it was on opening night at American Airlines Arena. The sluggishness had worked itself out on the trip to Boston and Philadelphia, and suddenly polish met the possibilities. There was sheer devastation of the Orlando Magic, one standing ovation after another. It was a frightening night for the NBA, a testimony to the Heat’s willingness – even eagerness – to transform their foremost ferocity onto the defensive end. All shuffling feet and slight of hands disrupting everything for the Magic, feeding a frenzy of a 96-70 victory.

“This is what we envisioned,” James said later, and the validation of that vision had come so far from a Monday night loss to the Boston Celtics. So far, so fast. “We heard everything Orlando had to say about us in the offseason. There’s only so many words to be said.

“At this point, the ball has to be thrown up.”

The ball went up, and all hell broke loose. James and Wade are impossible to slow in the open floor, and when they’re hitting 3-pointers resistance is futile. This is the show that the sport so desperately wanted, the old Showtime Lakers living and breathing under the watch of old man Riles. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are getting older, playing slower, and the Heat promise to be the NBA’s TV eye candy, the can’t-miss villains vanquishing with speed and style and snarl.

The hate seeps out of the pores of Orlando and Miami, just as it does between the Heat and Celtics. The NBA did something no one would’ve ever imagined in this sporting nation: It’s opening week has gone punch for punch with the World Series on the basis of buzz and intrigue, with ratings at historic highs and video streams on the league’s website increasing more than 200 percent.

Still, David Stern had come to Miami to spread thick his labor gloom and doom, to push his prognostications of imminent financial ruin for owners. After CBS Sports revealed Stern had been floating the possible contraction of teams, he eagerly confirmed this phony scenario and needlessly muddied up a historic opening week of the season.

The self-made issues of his problem franchises never go away. Stern says he’s enlisted an outside law firm to investigate the findings of the Yahoo! Sports report on alleged illegal New York Knicks workouts. Around the league, more than a dozen NBA executives told Yahoo! Sports prior to publication that they had known about Kansas sophomore Brandon Rush(notes) injuring his knee in a secret predraft workout in the days and weeks after it happened in late May 2007.

The fact this inquiry is getting farmed out makes sense, because the NBA’s vice president of basketball operations, Stu Jackson, has ties to the Knicks scout at the center of the investigation.

As the Vancouver Grizzlies general manager in the mid-1990s, Jackson gave Rodney Heard his first job in the NBA, and they have stayed friends.

Whatever the verdict, Stern has been blessed with the diversion of a brilliant start to the season. Here were James and Wade rising out of the shores of Biscayne Bay, out of the wild imagination and ingenuity of Pat Riley, out of a long, loud summer. James is right: Eventually the talk stops and the ball goes up into the air. It finally happened here, and James and Wade responded with something to take away your breath, to take away championship hopes in NBA cities across North America.

Miami 96, Orlando 70. This never happens to the Magic, but make no mistake: The Heat are on a tour to deliver humiliation. They don’t want to win, but destroy. Here come LeBron James and Dwyane Wade down the floor together, devastating when they’re running right, when the talk stops and this breathless talent takes the ball.

San Francisco pitcher Matt Cain baffled baseball’s top batters for 7 2/3 shutout innings and the Giants moved closer to their first World Series title in 56 years by routing Texas 9-0 on Thursday.

Cain, a 26-year-old American right-hander, showed no sign of jitters in his first taste of baseball’s biggest stage, extending his streak of playoff innings without allowing an earned run to 21 1/3 by humbling the Rangers.

Edgar Renteria smacked a solo home run and added a two-run single as part of a seven-run eighth inning for San Francisco that ensured the Giants a 2-0 edge in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final.

The World Series now shifts to Texas, with the Rangers hosting game three in suburban Dallas on Saturday. Only once in the past 25 years has a team failed to win the crown after capturing the first two games.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good situation but we’re going into their ballpark where they will feel more comfortable,” Cain said. “We have to take the good approaches we’ve had the fist two games down to Texas with us.”

The Giants seek their first World Series title since 1954, four years before the club moved from New York. The Rangers seek the first World Series crown in their 50-season history after having not won a playoff series until this month.

“There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played. We certainly don’t feel like we’re defeated,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

“We’re certainly confident when we get back to Texas we can turn this thing around.

“The clubhouse is still upbeat. We’re still confident that we can get it done. We’ve just got to get on back to Texas and do that.”

Cain scattered four hits while walking two and striking out two, tossing 66 strikes in his 102 pitches in becoming only the fourth pitcher to allow no earned runs in his first three playoff starts, just the second since 1921.

“He commanded the fastball on both sides of the plate,” Giants catcher Buster Posey said of Cain. “He executed his pitches. He threw them where he wanted. He was aggressive and was able to get some quick outs early.”

The Rangers, who led Major League Baseball this season with a .276 batting average, were no match for Cain, who has kept opposing batters to a 1-for-15 showing with runners in scoring position in the playoffs.

“He has probably been the most consistent pitcher really from day one. He’s such a bulldog out there,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

“You look at what he’s done here in post-season, it’s impressive how he’s pitched.”

Texas leadoff hitter Elvis Andrus and clean-up hitter Nelson Cruz each saw a 12-game playoff hit streak wiped out as Cain improved to 12-0 when the Giants produced at least three runs in support.

“I really tried to make sure that I made every pitch count,” Cain said. “That has been my main focus.”

Renteria, a 35-year-old Colombian shortstop who won a World Series crown with Florida in 1997, smacked his homer in the fifth inning to open the scoring after Cain and Texas southpaw C.J. Wilson had dominated the early innings.

After hitting only 4-for-22 in the playoffs previously, Renteria belted a one-out homer over the left-field fence to put the Giants ahead.

In the sixth, Michael Young and Josh Hamilton hit back-to-back singles for Texas and advanced on a wild pitch from Cain, but Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler each hit pop fly outs to end the threat with Texas still scoreless.

Kinsler also barely missed a homer in the fifth when he smashed a ball off the top of the centerfield wall that bounced back onto the field.

“I don’t think we’ve caught any breaks yet,” Washington said.

Wilson allowed only three Giants hits but exited with a blister on his left little finger after walking Cody Ross to start the seventh. Ross advanced on an Aubrey Huff ground out and scored on Juan Uribe’s single for a 2-0 Giants lead.

San Francisco turned the game into a rout in the eighth by humiliating the Texas bullpen, tagging Rangers relief pitchers for seven runs off four hits and four walks, all coming when Texas needed only one out to end the inning.

[Inquirer Sports] Juan Uribe smacked a three-run home run to spark a six-run fifth inning and the San Francisco Giants outslugged Texas 11-7 on Wednesday to capture the opening game of the 106th World Series.

Uribe's blast helped the Giants seize command of Major League Baseball's best-of-seven final, which has gone to winners of the opener in 11 of the past 13 years, a good omen for the hosts in this matchup of title-starved squads.

The Giants seek their first World Series title since 1954, four years before the club moved from New York. The Rangers seek the first World Series crown in their 50-season history after having not won a playoff series until this month.

Texas southpaw pitcher Cliff Lee, one victory shy of matching a record with his seventh triumphant playoff start in a row, instead suffered his first career post-season defeat, allowing seven runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

San Francisco right-hander Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner as best pitcher making his first playoff run, allowed four runs on eight hits but the long-haired hurler baffled baseball's top batting lineup at times.

The Giants broke open a 2-2 game in the fifth, a spurt that began when Andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez smacked back-to-back doubles. Sanchez's was his third in three tries and the last of five doubles surrendered by Lee.

Sanchez scored from second on a two-out single by Cody Ross and Pat Burrell, who had walked, scored from second on an Aubrey Huff single, prompting Texas to replace Lee with sidearm reliever Darren O'Day.

Dominican slugger Uribe smashed the third offering from O'Day into the left-field stands to stretch San Francisco's lead to 8-2.

Lincecum completed a run of retiring 13 of 14 batters with two strikeouts in the sixth but then walked Ian Kinsler and Bengie Molina, a catcher traded from the Giants to Texas at mid-season, doubled to left to score Kinsler.

The Rangers pulled within 8-4 on back-to-back singles by Mitch Moreland and David Murphy to end Lincecum's night but Santiago Casilla entered and struck out Elvis Andrus to end the threat.

Texas boasted the top batting lineup in Major League Baseball with a .276 average but San Francisco countered with a pitching staff that led the majors with a 3.36 earned-run average.

The Giants padded their lead in the eighth when Travis Ishikawa doubled to score Edgar Renteria and then scored himself on a single by Sanchez, who crossed the plate with San Francisco's final run on a Nate Schierholtz single.

An error and two walks by Giants relief pitchers allowed Texas to load the bases in the ninth, but San Francisco's bearded closing ace Brian Wilson entered.

Although three more Texas runs crossed the plate, Wilson obtained the final two outs to end a slugfest that saw both teams combine for 25 hits and six errors on what had been expected to be a night for stellar pitching.

Texas leadoff hitter Andrus opened the game with a single to left, advanced when Michael Young walked and took third base on Josh Hamilton's ground out.

Dominican slugger Vladimir Guerrero then smacked the ball off Lincecum's left leg for an infield single that scored Andrus and sent Young to third.

Wilson Cruz followed by chopping a ground ball to Lincecum, who had a chance to catch Young in a rundown but instead was content to force him back to third, leaving the bases loaded.

Lincecum escaped unharmed, however, by inducing an inning-ending double play ground ball from Kinsler.

Texas stretched the lead to 2-0 in the second when Molina singled to right, reached third on a double by Lee and scored on an Andrus sacrifice fly.

Lee's shock double was the first extra-base hit by an American League pitcher in a World Series since 1997. Pitchers in AL games are replaced by designated hitters.

The Giants answered in the third when Renteria reached on an error, advanced when Torres was hit in the left elbow by a Lee pitch and scored on a Sanchez double. Torres scored the equalizer on a single by Buster Posey.

[Yahoo! Sports] For one night, losing LeBron didn’t hurt so bad.

After nearly four months of emptiness, anger and worry, the Cleveland Cavaliers returned to the floor and realized they can still win.

Maybe they’re going to be OK after all.

Playing their first game in seven years without LeBron James(notes), the Cavaliers stunned the Boston Celtics 95-87 in their season opener Wednesday night, a win that gave heartbroken Cleveland fans reason to believe that life will be fine minus the two-time MVP.

“This was for the city,” forward Antawn Jamison(notes) said. “It was for the fans to let them know the Cavs will survive and this is a place where you can still watch good basketball. And most of all, you can watch a team that wins.”

J.J. Hickson(notes) scored 21 points, Daniel Gibson(notes) added 16—all in the second half—and the Cavaliers made several big, clutch plays in the closing minutes to hold off the Celtics, who defeated James and the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

Rajon Rondo(notes) scored 18, Paul Pierce(notes) 13, Ray Allen(notes) 12 and Kevin Garnett(notes) had 15 rebounds for Boston, which led by 11 points in the third quarter but shot only 6 of 16 and was outscored 27-14 in the fourth.

“We took them a little bit too lightly,” said Shaquille O’Neal(notes), who spent last season with Cleveland.

Gibson, who missed his first eight shots, made four free throws in the final 17.2 seconds for Cleveland, dealt a devastating blow in July when James announced he was leaving as a free agent. The loss rocked a city that hasn’t celebrated a pro sports championship since 1964 and triggered predictions the Cavaliers would slide back among the NBA’s bottom dwellers.

Not just yet.

“Guys in this locker room believe,” said Jamison, who joined the Cavs last season thinking he could win a title with James. “We’ve been listening to what people are predicting for us. We’re going to let our game do the talking. It’s probably going to take a month or so for people to realize, ‘Hey, this is a team that can win and compete for the playoffs.”’

As the final seconds ticked off, Cleveland fans jumped for joy, owner Dan Gilbert pumped his fist and hugged those sitting near him, first-year coach Byron Scott smiled and confetti fell from the ceiling of Quicken Loans Arena like it did so many times while James was around.

All night, the Q quaked.

“It felt like Game 7 of the finals,” said Cavs guard Ramon Sessions(notes), who scored 14 and started in place of injured Mo Williams(notes). “I’ve never been to the finals, but that was the type of atmosphere here.”

With the score tied 86-all, Cleveland’s Anthony Parker(notes) drilled a 3-pointer with one tick left on the 24-second shot clock. Boston got a tip-in from Glen Davis(notes), and during a timeout, the officials reviewed Parker’s shot and determined it was in fact a 3.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers disagreed, shaking his head and saying “No way.” Rivers didn’t think Parker got the shot off in time, and it did appear to take him several seconds to gather himself and shoot.

“That was the longest second in NBA history,” Rivers cracked. “I wasn’t going to argue. Somebody didn’t push that button quick enough.”

Scott wasn’t complaining.

“We’re at home,” he joked. “It’s supposed to be a long second.”

The Cavs played without Williams, still working his way back from a groin injury before camp training camp opened.

Things have changed dramatically since the teams met in the playoffs last season. James is with Miami; former Cavs coach Mike Brown is looking for work after being fired; O’Neal and Delonte West(notes) swapped wine-and-gold jerseys for green-and-white ones, and Scott returned to coaching after a spin as a TV analyst.

There wasn’t a trace of James inside an arena he helped put on the NBA’s map. Earlier in the day on a building outside, a giant black-and-white banner depicting Cleveland’s skyline was hung in the exact spot where James’ iconic image once towered.

No. 23 is gone, but hardly forgotten. He’ll be back on Dec. 2, and Cleveland is waiting.

While walking around the city, Rivers received congratulatory handshakes from Cavs fans who thanked him for beating James.

“I got lots of them,” Rivers said, laughing. “I thought it was pretty funny.”

Afterward, Rivers felt even more love.

“We’re the most popular team in Cleveland right now, beating Miami and losing to the Cavs,” said Rivers, who praised the Cavs. “That’s what the Cleveland fans want to see. This is blue-collar town. This team will fit them very well.”

Before the game, Gilbert said he did not regret criticizing James in the hours after the superstar announced he was leaving as a free agent. Gilbert sent a scathing letter to Cleveland fans, calling James “narcissistic” and “cowardly.” Later that night, James told The Associated Press that he felt James quit on the Cavs in Game 5 last season against the Celtics.

Gilbert didn’t back off from any of his remarks, and believes the Cavs remain a playoff team without James.

“Not a lot of teams have the quality of Antawn Jamison and Daniel Gibson coming off the bench,” he said. “When you think of it in that sense, and having the kind of quality coach we have, anything can happen.”

It already has.

Notes: The Miami Heat won 97-87 against the Philadelphia Sixers
October 27, 2010 Scores:

New Jersey Nets 101 Detroit Pistons 98
New York Knicks 98 Toronto Raptors 93
Miami Heat 97 Philadelphia Sixers 87
Cleveland Cavaliers 95 Boston Celtics 87
Oklahoma Thunders 106 Chicago Bulls 95
Sacramento Kings 117 Minnesota Timberwolves 116
Atlanta Hawks 119 Memphis Grizzlies 104
New Orleans Hornets 95 Milwaukee Bucks 91
San Antonio Spurs 122 Indiana Pacers 109
Dallas Mavericks 101 Charlotte Bobcats 86
Denver Nuggets 110 Utah Jazz 88
Portland Blazers 98 Los Angeles Clippers 88
Golden State Warriors 132 Houston Rockets 128

Last night was the first home game of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers and before the game the Lakers raised their championship banner and got their new championship rings.

The Lakers went to celebrity jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills for the second-straight year to do the rings, which features each individual player's face but not only that, each ring has a piece of the ball from the historic Game 7 battle against the Boston Celtics.

Not only that, but the box that holds the ring has a rotating platform that holds the ring above LED lights. As you can see from the ring and the description, money was not an issue with these rings. In fact, these might be the most extravagant rings in the history of professional sports. It feels like the Lakers and the New York Yankees just try to outdo one another each time they win a championship.