Simon Cowell wants X Factor to be more successful than American Idol

Simon Cowell wants the US X Factor to be more successful American Idol.

The music mogul—who quit as a judge on American Idol to kick start the new version of the pop star search show—will "die trying" to be the most watched program, and he is confident The X Factor will become the best series of its kind.

He told TMZ.com: "You don't compete for the silver or the bronze, you may not get the gold, but you die trying. It's definitely going to be better than the other shows."

Simon's departure from American Idol led to a revamp of the judges with Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joining Randy Jackson on the panel, and he claims he isn't impressed by them.

He added: "It's not my cup of tea."

Nicole Scherzinger was initially named as a host of the U.S. show alongside Steve Jones, but she eventually replaced British pop star Cheryl Cole on the judges panel after just four auditions, something the Pussycat Dolls member recently admitted she cried about.

She said: "It's an honor. I'm not going to lie, I cried when Simon told me."

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Roach bring Jorge Linares as sparring partner in Baguio

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach will turn up the heat in cold Baguio City as the dazzling duo reunited Tuesday for the start of the buildup for the fast-approaching Nov. 12 trilogy with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Arriving from Los Angeles early Tuesday, Roach hopped on a van that brought him to Baguio City, site of the first phase of Pacquiao’s training camp.

Roach brought along Venezuelan Jorge Linares, who will serve as Pacquiao’s sparring partner, as well as boxing agent Billy Keane, a close friend of the Hall of Fame trainer.

Knowing that Roach’s arrival means serious business, Pacquiao woke up early and tagged along his team to Burnham Park, where a large crowd watched him do his roadwork and light exercises.

Pacquiao arrived in the City of Pines from his home in Brentville in Laguna late Sunday night, determined to put closure on the never-ending debate about his rivalry with Marquez.

“This fight will put an end to all the questions,” said Pacquiao, who has been slighted by repeated claims that he was the recipient of favorable decisions in his two fights with Marquez.

The first Pacquiao vs Marquez fight happened in 2004, and the bout ended on a 12-round draw. The rematch took place in 2008 with Pacquiao declared winner via a split decision, a decision that Marquez said should have gone his way.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said those claims are unfounded.

“In 2004, I was promoting Marquez and Pacquiao was with another promoter,” said Arum, head of Top Rank, currently boxing’s premier promotional outfit.

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Paquiao officially begins training in Baguio

MANILA, Philippines—The hard grind begins today as Manny Pacquiao officially begins training for his showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Having seen and getting disappointed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s controversial fourth round knockout of Victor Ortiz on Sunday, Pacquiao said he wants a clear victory over Marquez in their third meeting since 2004.

Varied reactions came after Mayweather knocked out Ortiz with a left hook and right straight just when referee Joe Cortez had presumably called the fight to resume.

Renowned promoter Bob Arum, like many fight fans, told BoxingScene.com that Mayweather’s behavior was unsportsmanlike and inexcusable.

But some sportswriters and columnists justified Mayweather’s actions, saying it was Ortiz’s fault that he dropped his guard and allowed his opponent to exploit the situation.

Filipino promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud, a close associate of Pacquiao, offered a novel view of the knockout that became a hot topic in boxing forums.

Salud believes Ortiz was in a position to beat the count by referee Joe Cortez but chose not to, hoping that Mayweather would get disqualified for hitting during the break.

Pacquiao, who’s also eyeing a megabuck bout with Mayweather, left his home in Biñan, Laguna, Monday for Baguio City, where he’ll toil for three weeks under the watchful eyes of Freddie Roach.

The Hall of Fame trainer was scheduled to arrive early this morning from Los Angeles and then proceed directly to the Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza, base camp of Team Pacquiao in Baguio.

Unlike Pacquiao’s previous camps, the pound-for-pound king will no longer start from scratch, having undergone sporadic light training three weeks back.

Filipino assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri supervised Pacquiao’s early workouts, while conditioning expert Alex Ariza started to do his chore last week.

Aside from jogging, Pacquiao has done gym work at Planet Jupiter in Makati and at the MP Tower, which he owns, in Sampaloc, Manila.

As a result, Pacquiao told Philboxing.com on Friday that he’s shaken off the rust and has regained “the feeling of what it is again to be on top of the ring.”

Pacquiao said he’s somewhat recovered his speed, strength and punching power and is ready to plunge into serious training.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Victor Ortiz: Character Inside the Ring and a Fight Town's Legacy

There is an age old adage in boxing that goes something like this, "You are never so naked as when you are standing in the ring". It's not the physical nakedness they are referring to, it's the character of a man (or a women) that's exposed. Your courage and heart and sense of fair play, and your ability or inability to handle pressure, or the propensity to cheat when frustrated, or a lack of character when it's time to face your actions when caught. You are never so naked a when you are standing in the ring. Ask Victor Ortiz, he got caught completely naked last night.

I'm no fan of Floyd Mayweather Jr, never have been and most likely, never will be. What I am is a fan of the sport of boxing. As difficult as that can be at times, especially when someone like Mayweather is involved, I do try my absolute best to put aside my own personal bias and dislikes and focus just on the fighter and the fights. It's not always easy. Saturday night's fight between Mayweather and Victor Ortiz is a good example. Coming into this fight I wanted Ortiz to put the trash talking Mayweather in his place. I wasn't 100% sure he could but I was rooting for him to pull it off. The other reason I was rooting for Ortiz was that I wanted to see the guy redeem himself. I was hoping he would prove once and for all, that his blatant quitting in the Marcos Maidana fight was an anomaly, just something that happened, a one time quirky act. I thought that Ortiz understood what true character was, and that he was going to work like hell to prove himself. Maybe position himself along side some of the great fighters of the past.

Us guys from the West Coast and the L.A. fight scene are a proud bunch. We love our fighters and their exploits passionately. We have as rich a history in the sport as any town in the country, or the world too for that matter. We cherish and defend that history. The fighters that were either born here or came here to live and fight, range from the completely mediocre to the legendary. They trained at the Main Street Gym, the Teamsters Gym, the Hoover Street Gym and Canto Robledo's backyard gym. The names of these fighters stand with the best from anywhere in the world when it comes to courage, heart and fair play and they include fighters such as Manny Ortiz, Gil Cadilli, Kenny Teran, Art Aragon, Enrique Bolanos,Lauro Salas, Denny Moyer, Mando Ramos, Hedgeman Lewis, Randy Shields, Mando Muniz, Bobby Chacon, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Rick Farris, , the Fighting Irish Brothers Jerry and Mike Quarry, Frankie Baltazar, Tony Baltazar, and more recently, Sugar Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya. I couldn't begin to list them all.

Guys like Ruben Olivares, Chucho Castillo, Jesus Pimental came north from Mexico to lay it on the line at the Olympic Auditorium and the Forum because they knew L.A. was a fight town like no other and appreciated a fighter worth his salt. Art Hafey headed south from Canada to Southern California, to jump into the midst of what has come to be known as the "West Coast Featherweight Wars". The West Coast has been a hot bed of boxing for decades and L.A. has been the epicenter of it all. We don't care what nationality you are, what color you are or what your religion is. If you can fight and are willing, and can take it as good as you can give, than you are our kind of fighter. it's as simple as that. We'll be with you all the way.

Then along comes Victor Ortiz, wanting to stand tall with all the rest. Quit against Maidana and was given a second chance at a career. Positioned himself with one of the two pound for pound best fighters in the world, and was making a fight of it. Mayweather began picking up some steam and the fighter who has ironically come to be known as "Vicious" began to crumble. Ortiz had Mayweather against the ropes and was actually landing some good shots, when for reasons known only to him, he decided to take the low road with a headbutt so obviously intentionally a blind man would have had no trouble seeing it. Anomaly? No, lack of character, lack of true courage, a complete lack of fair play.

Am I being too harsh here? I don't think so. Given that Ortiz had a shot at redemption and spit in our eyes in the process, I think he's getting off easy. The crowd at the Staples Center, judging by the boos for Mayweather seem to be excusing Ortiz' behavior. Mayweather did what any sane fighter would and should do when facing a man who has already shown himself to be a cheater. I would lay some pretty good money that many of the same people that think Floyd sucker punched Ortiz, were jumping for joy a few years back when, Marco Antonio Barrera, like Mayweather, took matters into his own hands and grabbed Nassem Hamed in a half nelson and rammed him face first into the ring post. I don't recall ever hearing of one fan that thought Barrera was in the wrong. Neither was Floyd Mayweather in the wrong. But for the headbutt there would have been no controversy or knockout, at least not that particular knockout.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Victor Ortiz Fight Video

MATCHUP:

Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. vs Victor “Vicious” Ortiz

EVENT:

Star Power: Mayweather vs Ortiz

DATE:

September 17, 2011

TIME:

9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT

VENUE:

MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

FIGHT DETAILS:

Former “number one” pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced on twitter that after a 16-month layoff from boxing, he will be fighting Victor Ortiz.

Ortiz puts his WBC Welterweight Championship title on the line. He won the title from Andre Berto last April 16, 2011 in a fight regarded as a Fight of the Year Contender.

FIGHT RESULT:

Floyd Mayweather defeated Victor Ortiz via a controversial finish in which a left hook and a straight right hand put Ortiz out for the count of 10 at 2:59 of the fourth.

It happened right after Ortiz gave Mayweather a head-butt from which a point was deducted from Ortiz.

NOTES:

At the post-fight ring interview, Floyd Mayweather launched into a furious tirade at legendary television analyst Larry Merchant prompting the 80-year-old broadcaster to say,

“I wish I was 50 years younger. I would have kicked your ass.”

FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR. VS VICTOR ORTIZ FIGHT VIDEO:

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Timothy Bradley is likely to be in Paquiao - Marquez undercard!

Dan Rafael reports that Top Rank is hoping to get Timothy Bradley under their promotional banner in time to schedule him for the November 12 Pacquiao vs Marquez undercard. Currently, Bradley is still tied up in legal matters with Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing.

If they reach an agreement -- which I expect, even though multiple sources involved have told me they are still quite a bit apart on the amount of money the promoters would receive to walk away -- Bradley is headed for Top Rank. Top Rank's plan is for Bradley to return Nov. 12 on the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez HBO PPV undercard. Obviously, Top Rank would be prepping Bradley for a possible shot at Pacquiao if a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather doesn't come off.

Bradley (27-0, 11 KO) hasn't fought since defeating Devon Alexander in January. He was set to fight Amir Khan on July 23, but pulled out of the fight with his promotional contract set to expire, not wanting to take such a big and difficult fight just before he was set to test the waters of free agency.

The 28-year-old Bradley could, indeed, be a 2012 opponent for Pacquiao, as Manny (like Floyd Mayweather Jr) is beginning to run low on potential opponents. Thus far, he's been only a TV attraction, and despite his success in the ring, has not picked up a fanbase, and even struggles to draw fans in his home region. Top Rank may have to invest a little time and money in getting him some more fans, and at this point, to rebuild his reputation. No matter how logical Bradley's decision to pass on the Khan fight may have been, he took hits in the media and with fans, and to be fair did himself few favors when he spoke on the subject.

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I want him to be at his best - Manny Paquiao

IF you know your boxing, you would agree that the March 2008 battle between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez was one of the best judged fights in the history of the sport.
For the record, judges Duane Ford and Tom Miller scored it 115-112 and 114-113, respectively, for Pacquiao, while Jerry Roth had it 115-112 for Marquez.

Most, if not all boxing experts agree the Marquez-Pacquiao II was a tightly-fought 12-round contest.

Even the fighters themselves agree it was a tough bout for both of them.

It’s understandable that Marquez keeps on claiming he won the second bout. Actually, he kept on saying he won even their initial bout back in 2004.

But to say he was robbed of a win is unfair to the sport in general, which accomplished some sort of a feat by having three judges score the Marquez-Pacquiao rematch the way it should be tallied.

MILLION BUYS. From the looks of it, the Pacquiao versus Marquez fight this November will easily get millions of pay-per-view Buys.

Last weekend, the four-city worldwide tour ended in Mexico with thousands of Mexicans attending the final stop. The tour started in Manila.

American promoter Bob Arum and Mexican boxing icon Marco Antonio Barrera were in awe as they never saw such huge crowd gather in the city for a boxing event.

Arum said aside from the close verdicts that decided their first two bouts, the styles of Pacquiao and Marquez is what makes this fight the most anticipated bout of the year.

Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Marquez on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This will be the third meeting between the two multi-division champions. Their first fight ended in a draw in 2004, while their rematch saw Pacquiao escaping with a split decision win in 2008.

BEST EVER. Pacquiao is hoping to meet the same Marquez that gave him a tough time in their two battles the last five years.

Though relatively old in the sport of boxing, the 38-year-old Marquez remains as the only fighter, who came close to beating Pacquiao.

“I want him to be at his best because If I beat him, I don’t want to hear people telling me he is already old or past his prime,” Pacquiao told newsmen in a round-table discussion during their stop in New York.

In 2004, Marquez came back from three knockdowns in the first round to settle for a draw in their featherweight encounter.

Four years later, Pacquiao decked Marquez in the third round to escape with a close, but split 12-round verdict in their superfeatherweight encounter.

For their third fight, Pacquiao said he will be adding two more weeks from his usual eight-week training that will commence in Baguio this month.

GAG ORDER. Will someone tell Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to just focus on his upcoming fight and leave Pacquiao alone?

For the nth time, Mayweather is putting the blame on Pacquiao on why their much talked about face-off remains uncertain.

Recently, Mayweather told mediamen that former opponent Shane Mosley has told him to force Pacquiao to take the test before he agrees to a fight.

Mosley reportedly claimed he has never been hit by a punch that is as strong as Pacquiao’s punches.

In his last fight, Mosley lost a one-sided decision to Pacquiao last May in Las Vegas.

Currently, Mayweather is busy promoting his welterweight battle against Mexican-American Victor Ortiz this Sunday (Manila Time).

Reporters, however, kept on pestering Mayweather with questions involving Pacquiao.

On the other hand, Pacquiao has insisted he has agreed to the testing protocol of Mayweather, but feels the American is just finding ways to avoid the match.

At the moment, Pacquiao prefers to focus on his Nov. 12 clash opposite bitter Mexicam rival Juan Manuel Marquez.

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