Pacquiao retains crown in tight third battle with Marquez

‘Pacman’ now 2-0-1 against Mexican rival

Manny Pacquiao remains the WBO welterweight champion in an edgy trilogy bout with world lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight that could have gone either way.

The 32 year-old looked out of sorts for the first few rounds as Marquez, 38, frustrated the Filipino with his backfoot tactics and countered the champion supremely to gain the upper hand in the first half of the fight.

Pacquiao came on strong in the second half after taking a tongue lashing from trainer Freddie Roach who told him in no uncertain terms that he was losing the fight and his title.

‘Dinamita’ continued to limit the eight-time champion to only a handful of shots landing per round and could have easily won the fight by anything from two to four rounds.

As it was, Pacquiao was given a majority decision in the end to jeers from the crowd 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113 to retain his 147lb belt for the third time in his two-year reign.

A forlorn Marquez walked disgusted from the ring after the decision and avoided an after-fight interview with HBO in the ring feeling that he had been wronged by the result for the third time.

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Bradley fails to impress against 40 year-old Casamayor

‘Desert Storm’ takes out faded champion

WBO light-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley retained his title with a routine win over a lacklustre Joel Casamayor at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas by stopping the 40 year-old in eight rounds.

The 28 year-old took every round from the Cuban scoring two knockdowns in the process to improve to 28-0 and hopefully move on to bigger future challenges after a safe first fight under new promoters Top Rank.

Rival Amir Khan was ringside for the bout in his commentating role for UK pay-per-view broadcasters Primetime and seemed unimpressed with Bradley’s opponent, who didn’t offer much resistance to the champion.

Bradley and Khan could meet each other if the Briton comes through his next WBA and IBF title defence against Lamont Peterson in December, with the former Olympic silver medallist admitting that he wants to pursue a bout between the two next year.

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Jermain Taylor rescheduled to return on December 10

‘Bad Intentions’ back down to middleweight

Former world middleweight king Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KO’s) returns to his old weight after a disastrous spell at 168lbs on December 10th in his home town of Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 33 year-old had originally planned to make his comeback following a two-year semi-retirement in August but after concerns about his weight, the former Super-Six participant was forced to postpone and convince the boxing board otherwise.

‘Bad Intentions’ is now pencilled in to fight at the Verizon Arena against an as yet un-named opponent at 160lbs and hopes to rebuild his reputation after a series of bad performances led to concerns about his health.

Taylor has had brain problems in the past but was given the green light to resume his career after extensive tests and with all four of his losses coming in his last five contests, the former champion has a lot to prove to his doubters.

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Roach: Pacquiao vs Khan? Never say never, we’re running out of opponents

Trainer thinks bout unlikely but won’t rule it out fully

Top trainer Freddie Roach is insistent that he would never totally rule out a possible fight between gym-mates and world champions Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan but does concede that a bout could be hard to make.

Roach, 51, is currently working with Pacquiao for his upcoming trilogy fight with Juan Manuel Marquez and as speculation continues to mount about a mega-fight between his two protégé’s, the coach refused to dismiss a fight entirely.

“My two fighters are really friendly with each other” stated Roach to the Philippine Star.

“I don’t think they’ll ever fight but the thing is we’re running out of opponents and you can never say never in this game.”

Khan, 24, is back in the ring in December in his final bout at 140lbs and will then move up to 32 year-old Pacquiao’s current division at welterweight, where the Filipino legend holds the WBO title.

The Bolton fighter will then fight in his native UK, possibly against Matthew Hatton in March before the WBA and IBF light-welterweight title-holder can then attempt to lure Floyd Mayweather into the ring in the latter part of 2012.

Pacquiao is also constantly linked to a bout with Mayweather although it is thought that Khan is the more likely of the two to meet ‘Money’ in a 2012 money-spinning title clash.

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Rugby Star Jonah Lomu forced to quit boxing dream

Illness forces the ‘Big Man’ to cancel fight plans

Rugby Union superstar Jonah Lomu has been forced to cancel an upcoming charity boxing match after his kidney condition worsened in the run up to his December bout at the ‘Fight for Life’ event.

The 36 year-old, who was diagnosed with a kidney disorder in 1995 and forced to undergo a life-saving operation in 2004, had always dreamed of being a boxer but has now had to give up a fight career on doctors’ advice.

The New Zealander’s punishing training regime is thought to have contributed to a two-week stay in hospital for the former All Black in September and Lomu has now decided against continuing with the contest.

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Freddie Roach dismisses Tim Bradley bout for Manny Pacquiao

Trainer says 140lb champion hasn’t earned the right

Timothy Bradley’s hopes of gaining a money-spinning match-up with welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao have been scoffed at by the Filipino fighter’s trainer Freddie Roach, who believes that the American isn’t well known enough to warrant a potential bout.

Roach is deep in preparations with the WBO 147lb belt holder for his upcoming third fight with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and says Bradley needs to get his own house in order before looking at a bout with the eight-time champion.

“I think he’s involved in a lawsuit with two promoters,” Roach told the Philippine Star.

“Besides, he’s got to earn the fight with Manny. Bradley’s not well known. It’s premature to even consider him fighting Manny.”

Bradley, 28, is pencilled in to fight Cuban Joel Casamayor on the undercard of Pacquiao v Marquez III at the MGM Grand next month and is expected to move up to 147lbs in 2012 along with Pacquiao stablemate and fellow light-welterweight champion Amir Khan.

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Donaire takes every round from Narvaez in final fight at 118lbs

Filipino fails to ‘Flash’ at the MSG Theater

WBC and WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire inflicted the first defeat on two-weight world champion Omar Narvaez last night in what turned out to be one of the Filipino’s less dazzling performances as he found it tough to penetrate the Argentinian’s tight defence.

The 28 year-old, who moves up to 122lbs for his next bout, looked for angles constantly in a vain attempt to stop the rugged super-flyweight champion but eventually took a landslide points win on all three cards.

The action heated up in the tenth as Donaire reacted to the boos from the lack of action but the contest reverted straight back in the eleventh to the almost 5,000 capacity crowd’s dismay.

The ‘Filipino Flash’ had hoped to wow the crowd in his last fight at the weight after eight months out of the ring but had to settle for a 120-108 score on all the cards as Narvaez seemed intent with taking Donaire the distance.

“I don’t know what’s going on in his head,” stated Donaire. “He didn’t want to fight.

“As great as he is in Argentina, he decided to shut down.”

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Mikey Garcia impressive as he stops JC Martinez in four

Featherweight now 27-0 with 23rd stoppage

California’s Mikey Garcia proved his credentials once again with a fourth round stoppage victory over Juan Carlos Martinez at the MSG-WaMu Theater in New York.

The 23 year-old, who has an 85% knockout rate, looked in control for the whole of the fight and apart from a swelling under the left eye, was never in any discomfort against the Mexican.

Garcia spent the first two rounds softening ‘El Pez’ up before dropping him with two sweet left hooks right at the end of the round and sense a finish before the bell saved Martinez.

In the fourth, with his eye worsening, Garcia stepped up his attacks and put Martinez down twice before the referee stepped in to save the 29 year-old from further punishment.

Garcia now has 27 wins under his belt and is looking at a world title in 2012, with talks of a potential challenge against IBF champion Billy Dib in the next few months.

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Alvarez v Cintron to form triple-header with Broner and Russell Jr.

‘Canelo’ puts his title on the line for a third time

Saul Alvarez will tackle former welterweight world champion Kermit Cintron on November 26th in what will now be broadcast as an HBO triple-header from Cincinnati, Ohio and the WBC light-middleweight title holder’s native Mexico.

The 21 year-old, who fights for the fourth time this year, amazingly participates in his 40th career bout in six years as a professional, without loss and is expected to finalize a venue in the coming days.

Cintron (33-4-1, 28 KO’s) will participate in his sixth world title fight after a spell as IBF 147lb champion between 2006 and 2008 when he eventually lost to Antonio Margarito, who had also beaten him three years previously in his first world title bout.

The contest will link up with the double feature from Cincinnati on the night as undefeated super-featherweight Adrien Broner challenges for his first world title against an opponent yet to be confirmed, but rumoured to be Vicente Rodriguez of Argentina.

The 21 year-old, who has a perfect 21-fight record with 17 knockouts, will attempt to gain the WBO title vacated by Ricky Burns, who has moved up to lightweight to fight Michael Katsidis on November 5th in London.

In chief support, is Maryland native Gary Russell Jr. who looks to move to 19-0 against an un-named foe at featherweight.

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Mundine takes unanimous decision win over Alvarez

‘The Man’ claims interim WBA title

Anthony Mundine overcame Mexican Rigoberto Alvarez at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in New South Wales, Australia today with a unanimous points victory that was conclusive on two out of three cards to claim the interim WBA light-middleweight strap.

The 36 year-old was awarded the bout 117-111 on two of the judges’ cards and 114-113 on the third, to improve his record to 43-4, 25 KO’s and put himself in line to face American WBA champion Austin Trout in 2012.

Alvarez, 33, falls to his second consecutive interim title loss after suffering the fate to Trout in February and will now have to re-think his next career move as he drops to 27-4,20 KO’s.

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Ashley Theophane's take on Cleverly v Bellew and James DeGale

This weekend saw a night full of quality fights as James DeGale picked up the European Super Middleweight title in a very close fight that could have gone either way.

James demonstrated that he has heart as well as talent. He really must not be allowed to end up like former Olympic and World champion, David Reid, who was fast tracked and eventually badly burnt out within a few years of reaching the top.

There is no substitute for experience, no matter how good the ‘raw talent’.

James can be a World champion, but from where I sit, he really needs to be a little patient and gain the necessary experience. He desperately wants to fight for a World title by the London Olympics in 2012, but I feel he needs to wait a little longer maybe until 2013. Carl Froch, Andre Ward and Lucien Bute are quite a bit above him at this point in his career, but he can get there. Patience is the key.

The much awaited and angry local British affair for the WBO 175lb World championship saw Nathan Cleverly beat Tony Bellew in a war of attrition, nutrition and conditioning. Bellew has come down from being an amateur heavyweight and a professional cruiserweight, and has looked less than ‘honed’.

Bellew started boxing nicely and winning rounds but as he got tired, Cleverly’s better conditioning and experience took over, and saw him win by the smallest of margins (despite the insultingly wide margins by two judges).

Tony had talked a lot and loudly in the build-up to the fight and he certainly backed up his boasts, despite not winning. He clearly demonstrated that he is a talented fighter and with three ABA championships behind him he has the same quality amateur pedigree as Joe Calzaghe.

He will come again.

Nathan Cleverly was also very good, but perhaps not quite ready for the world’s best just yet. Bernard Hopkins, Chad Dawson, Jean Pascal and Tavois Cloud are the four top fighters in the division. Nathan is Europe’s best, but he has a way to go before he is in the league of the world’s best.

Frank Warren is very shrewd and not keen on risking his champions unnecessarily stateside, so I will be very surprised if Nathan fights any of the top four fighters in the near future.

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Crolla: Until I hear something different, Limond is next

British champion ready to defend in Scotland

After weeks of speculation about British lightweight champion Anthony Crolla securing a potential WBC title challenge against 140lb champion Erik Morales in December, the Mancunian has now confirmed that he will travel to Scotland next month and face mandatory challenger Willie Limond.

The 24 year-old, who fought an eight-rounder in Las Vegas last month after a bout with Morales fell through, had once again been linked for a fight against the Mexican legend in Tijuana but will now step up preparations to meet the Scot on his home soil after the world title fight failed to materialize for a second time.

"There are plenty of rumours out there but I have been told I am fighting at Ravenscraig next month,” Crolla told The Daily Record.

"If that is not approved it will be at Bellahouston but the fact is I am defending in Scotland in November and haven't heard anything else that tells me I won't be fighting Willie.

"I have to train really hard and be professional because I know if I don't take this fight seriously and start thinking about something else then I will be a goner."

Limond, 32, has himself shared the ring with Morales after managing six rounds with ‘El Terrible’ in September 2009 and has only fought once since, a six-round victory over journeyman Arek Malek.

The Glaswegian’s credentials grant him respect though as a former British, European and Commonwealth super-featherweight champion.

Limond also a brief spell as WBU belt holder at 135lbs in 2009 and has gone eight rounds with Amir Khan and Alex Arthur in his only other defeats in his 37 contests.

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Mares v Agbeko II, Moreno v Darchinyan paired on December 3

In a highly anticipated rematch of one of the year's most talked about and exciting fights, unbeaten rising star Abner Mares will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Bantamweight Championship titles against the boxer he dethroned, former two-time IBF 118-pound champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko, in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING onSaturday, Dec. 3, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at Honda Center in Anaheim,Calif.

In the co-featured world championship bout, Anselmo "Chemito" Moreno will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Bantamweight Super Championship against Two-Division World Champion Vic "The Raging Bull'' Darchinyan.

Tickets for Mares vs. Agbeko II, priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com and via charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets will be available for sale at the Honda Center Box Office beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. PT.

Mares (22-0-1, 13 KO's) scored a hotly disputed 12-round majority decision over Agbeko (28-3, 22 KO's), to win the SHOWTIME Bantamweight Tournament and IBF title last Aug. 13 in Las Vegas.

The summer slugfest featured many two-way exchanges with numerous swings in momentum. Mares and Agbeko combined to throw 1,394 punches in the first fight. The fast-starting Mares connected on 318 of 732, while Agbeko landed on 231 of 662 and notably came on strong in the later rounds. Each fighter landed his share of big blows.

Their brave performances, however, were overshadowed by referee Russell Mora, who warned Mares several times for low blows throughout the fight yet never deducted a point. In the 11th round, the referee called a knockdown when Agbeko took a knee following a punch that appeared below the beltline.

When the final bell rang and the scores were totaled, Mares scored a majority decision victory by the scores of 115-111 twice and 113-113, however the controversy surrounding the fight was such that the IBF ordered an immediate rematch less than 24 hours after Team Agbeko had filed an official protest in the days following the fight.

Golden Boy Promotions' first homegrown world titlist, Mares showed no hesitation in giving Agbeko the rematch as he said he would immediately following their first fight. Mares said he relishes the opportunity to show that he is deserving of the championship he won this summer.

"I'm looking forward to December 3rd to clear the record and show that I deserve to be a world champion," said Mares. "I beat him the first time and I'll beat him again, but this time it will be easier. I'm going to make a statement in this fight."

Despite the Aug. 13 outcome, Agbeko's confidence has not wavered.

"As I said after our first fight, Abner Mares did not win my world title, the referee gave it to him," said Agbeko. "This is not to say Mares cannot win. His undefeated record shows he has boxing abilities. His challenge now is to prove he can beat me in a fair fight. The world and a new referee will be watching this young man to see if he can keep his gloves above the beltline. In a fair fight, I know I will prevail."

Mares, who turns 26 on Nov. 28, will be fighting for the fourth consecutive time on SHOWTIME; Agbeko, 32, will be appearing on the network for a fifth time in a row.

Moreno (31-1-1, 11 KO's), 26, of Panama City, Panama, will fight for the first time since he signed with Golden Boy Promotions last August. He will be making his United States and SHOWTIME debuts against Darchinyan (37-3-1, 27 KOs), 35, a Sydney, Australia-based Armenian who has appeared 13 times on the network.

Unbeaten since losing in his eighth professional fight in 2002, the 5-foot-8 Moreno captured the WBA title in May 2008 and was upgraded by that organization to Super Champion in November 2010. He's made a total of eight title defenses, including an eighth-round TKO over former World Champion Lorenzo Parra in his lone start this year on June 17 in Panama. All but six of Moreno's 33 professional fights took place in his homeland.

The aggressive-minded, crowd-pleasing Darchinyan, a former world champion at 112 and 115 pounds, is the current International Boxing Organization (IBO) 118-pound titleholder.

Darchinyan regained the IBO belt last April 23 with an impressive fifth-round technical decision over Yonnhy Perez on SHOWTIME. On Sept. 12, Darchinyan retained the strap by pitching a near-shutout in a lopsided 12-round decision over Evans Mbamba in Armenia.

The doubleheader is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions and is sponsored by Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. A full undercard will be announced shortly.

Steve Albert (blow-by-blow), Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver (analysts) will call the action with Jim Gray reporting from ringside. The executive producer is David Dinkins Jr. with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

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Nonito Donaire opens his gym doors to the media

World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire has had a well-attended workout at the legendary Gleason's Gym in Manhattan, New York which was attended by the media as well as members of the West Point women’s boxing team.

Donaire makes his New York debut at the WaMu Theater at famed Madison Square Garden when he defends his title against undefeated two-division world champion Omar Andres “The Hurricane” Narvaez of Argentina on October 23 Manila Time in a fight to be telecast “live” by ABS-CBN over its pre-eminent Channel 2.

Donaire said a knockout win over Narvaez would be most satisfying even as Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told us recently that a possible title fight against WBO super bantamweight champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce was a possibility early next year with a title shot at WBC champion Toshiaki Nisioka likely to take place in May or June.

Donaire who won the IBF/IBO flyweight championship with a sensational 5th round KO of Vic Darchinyan and then captured the WBA super flyweight interim title with wins over Rafael Concepcion and an 8th round TKO of Mexico’s Hernan Marquez won a third title when he smashed veteran WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel in less than two rounds last February at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino.

The classy Filipino fighter wants to follow in the path of Pacquiao who has won eight world titles in eight different weight divisions. Although he realistically aims for five or six titles going all the way up to lightweight, Donaire has made it clear he wishes to establish his own legacy as a fighter.

One of the admirers of Donaire as a fighter is American trainer Rick Stahely who trained Pacquiao when he won his first title - the WBC flyweight crown with a sensational 8th round knockout of Thai hero Chatchai Sasakul.

Stahely believes Donaire is capable of winning world titles in five or six weight divisions.

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WBN Video: Kimbo Slice 2nd pro fight Knockout (with results)

Electrifying heavyweight Kimbo Slice, aka Kevin Ferguson, needed only 1:52 to register a phenomenal knockout of Tay Bledsoe in tonight’s main event on the “Rumble In The Heartland” card, presented by Gary Shaw Productions and Legacy Communications, at Heartland Events Center in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Slice (2-0, 2 KOs), who is co-promoted by Gary Shaw and Tony Holden, continued to show improvement in the ring with world-class trainer John David Jackson in his corner. The former Internet combat fighting sensation came out fast and ended the night with a powerful, one-punch overhand right, stopping Bledsoe who remained motionless for several minutes. Slice’s first pro fight lasted only 17 seconds.

Washington D.C. heavyweight Maurice Byarm scored three knockdowns in the opening round, finishing veteran Clinton Boldrige in the first round (1:14) to remainunbeaten, while middleweight Abel Perry (16-5, 7 KOs) battled his way to a unanimous decision victory against Patrick Thompson (17-17-1, 7 KOs).

Full Results:

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Kevin“Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (2-0, 2 KOs), Coral Springs, FL WKO1 (1:52) Tay Bledsoe (2-4, 2 KOs), Omaha, NE

Maurice Byarm (13-0-1, 9 KOs), Washington D.C. WTKO1 (1:14) Clinton Boldridge (9-17-1, 7 KOs), St. Joseph, MO.

SUPERMIDDLEWEIGHTS

Sean Wilson (6-6, 1 KO), Cambridge, NE WDEC4 Reuben Rodriguez (3-7, 0 KOs), Kearney, NY

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Abel Perry (16-5, 7 KOs), Colorado Springs, CO WDEC8 Patrick Thompson (17-17-1, 7 KOs), Lincoln, NE

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Brandon“Pit Bull” Quintana (4-7, 3 KOs), Kearney, NE WTKO2 ( ) Sook Suyajuck (2-7-1, 2 KOs), Kansas City, MO.

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Chad Dawson becomes WBC champion with foul move

Rematch on the cards after Hopkins ruled out injured

Bernard Hopkins’ first defence of the WBC light-heavyweight title descended into farce at The Staples Center in Los Angeles after challenger Chad Dawson, 29, picked up the elder champion in the second round causing him to fall awkwardly onto the ring apron and damage his shoulder.

The incident followed a cagey opening round and amazingly referee Pat Russell failed to rule what looked like a wrestling move a foul. After much deliberation and confusion, the bout was called a technical knockout and Dawson picked up the green belt to the amazement of the Californian crowd.

46 year-old Hopkins looked stunned as the decision was read out and called for a rematch with the new champion who announced that he would now target Jean Pascal to avenge his only loss.

“Of course he was faking it,” stated Dawson. “He fell on his back, how did he hurt his shoulder?”

“I want Pascal. He’ll be 47 by the time of a rematch so no, I don’t want to fight him again.”

Hopkins then blamed the referee for not calling the foul but was still confused how he could lose his title without being hit by a punch.

“It should have been a no contest,” said Hopkins angrily. “If they want me out of boxing this is the way to do it.”

“Bad” Chad improves to 31-1 whilst Hopkins drops his sixth loss in 61 contests and seemingly has nowhere to go without a rematch.

One possibility could be a WBO challenge against the other winner on the night Nathan Cleverly, with Frank Warren keen on bringing ‘The Executioner’ over to the UK.

The main event certainly lived up to it's name 'Believe it or not!'

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Adele leads American Music Awards nominations

Adele leads the nominations for the 2011 American Music Awards with four nods.

The "Someone Like You" hitmaker—who recently was forced to cancel her American tour due to illness—will compete in the categories Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and Favorite Album for 21.

Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, and Rihanna received three nominations; and Lil Wayne, Taylor, Katy, and Gaga will all compete with Adele in the Artist of the Year category.

Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Jason Aldean, Kanye West, and LMFAO have all been nominated in two categories as have Nicki Minaj and Pitbull, who announced the nominees today (October 11).

The 39th annual American Music Awards will be held November 20 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.



Full list of American Music Awards nominations:



Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Female Artist
Adele
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga



Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Bruno Mars
Pitbull



Pop or Rock Music: Favorite Band, Duo or Group
LMFAO
Maroon 5
OneRepublic



Pop or Rock Album
Adele - 21
Rihanna - Loud
Lady Gaga - Born This Way



Rap/Hip-Hop Music: Favorite Artist
Lil Wayne
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West



Rap/Hip-Hop Album
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV
The Throne - Watch the Throne
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday



Soul/R&B Music: Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher



Soul/R&B Music: Favorite Female Artist
Rihanna
Beyoncé
Kelly Rowland



Soul/R&B Album
Chris Brown - F.A.M.E.
Rihanna - Loud
Beyoncé - 4



Alternative Rock Music: Favorite Artist
Foo Fighters
Black Keys
Mumford & Sons



Adult Contemporary Music: Favorite Artist
Adele
Bruno Mars
Katy Perry



Latin Music: Favorite Artist
Pitbull
Enrique Iglesias
Jennifer Lopez



Country Music: Favorite Female Artist
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift

Country Music: Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton



Country Music: Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
The Band Perry



Country Music: Favorite Album
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Taylor Swift - Speak Now
The Band Perry - The Band Perry



Artist of the Year
Adele
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry
Lil Wayne
Taylor Swift

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Beyonce Knowles confirms her baby is due in February 2012

Beyonce Knowles's baby is due in February 2012.

The "Love On Top" singer publicly announced she and husband Jay-Z are expecting their first child together at the MTV Video Music Awards in August, and has now revealed exactly when the baby will be born and spoken of how "blessed" she feels.

Speaking on Australia's Sunday Night, she said: "My husband and I have been together for 10 years—all of my 20s—and I just feel like it's time and I'm very grateful that God has blessed me with the biggest gift any human being can have.

"I think because I've accomplished a lot of things for myself and I really know who I am, I didn't rush into anything.

"If it's any time, right now is the time, and I'm so happy."

Beyonce has previously revealed how difficult it was to keep her pregnancy a secret and conceal her baby bump, adding she is now "proud" to show it off to the world.

She explained: "I am having so much fun, it has been the most fun time now that it has been announced.

"It was really difficult to conceal. But now I can be proud and excited about it, I'm having so much fun shopping—it's great!"

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Jennifer Hudson opens her own weight loss center

Jennifer Hudson has opened her own weight loss center.

The singer/actress—who has shed over 80 lbs. and five dress sizes following the birth of her first son David in August 2009—launched the Weight Watchers Jennifer Hudson Center today (American time, 27.09.11) in her native Chicago.

Jennifer—who became the face of Weight Watchers last year—said: "I never thought I would make it to have my own center. I'm so honored to be here and see this day."

A portion of the facility's profits will go to children's charity, the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, which was set up by Jennifer in memory of her late nephew, Julian King.

The seven-year old's body was found in a car just three days after her mother, Darnell, and brother, Jason, were shot dead at the family's Chicago home in October 2008.

Jennifer is extremely proud of her weight loss but recently claimed she was unaware she was overweight until she moved to Hollywood.

She said: "I didn't even know I was considered plus-sized until I came to Hollywood. I thought I was the perfect size!

"[One day] an interviewer asked, 'How does it feel to be plus-sized in Hollywood?' I looked around, like, 'Who is she talking to? Oh, me? I'm plus-sized?'

"In the neighborhood I'm from in Chicago, a 16 is normal. But in Hollywood, everyone looks exactly the same, so I stood out."

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Is Manny Paquiao a cherry - picker like Floyd?

Manny Pacquiao has been called many names. Pound-for-pound King. 8-Division Champion. Fighter of the Decade. Cherry-picker? Not really fitting for someone considered by most to be the best fighter of today. But nonetheless, the name has cropped up more than once, especially with his recent choices of aging opponents in Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez.

But what is a cherry-picker? Urban Dictionary defines it well: A cherry-picker is one who chooses easy tasks over challenging ones.

So is Pacquiao a cherry-picker? Before we start our analysis, a principle we have to consider is that we have to judge the validity of Manny’s adversaries based on the circumstances before the contract was signed, and NOT on the lopsided outcome. With this in mind, let us begin our analysis to the period when Pacquiao finally became the Pound-for-Pound king. This title was given to him after winning his Lightweight championship match against David Diaz in July, 2008. Why start at this point? It’s because this was the time when he was already expected to take on the best opposition without excuse. His stature demanded it.

For his first two fights as Pound-for-pound best, no one questioned his choice of opponents. Pacquiao had to go up two divisions to fight former champion Oscar De La Hoya who was actually the favorite coming in while everyone wanted to see him face Ricky Hatton, not just because the fight was expected to be ultra-exciting, but also because Hatton was the lineal champion at 140 pounds.

But in 2009, a few questioned the choice of Miguel Cotto as Manny’s next opponent. Some would accuse Pacquiao of ducking Shane Mosley who was the number one welterweight at the time. The contention here, however, is that Cotto beat Shane in their own match. Miguel is also younger, in his prime and has a better record. Although he was beaten by Margarito who was later trounced by Mosley, on paper, both were more or less the same caliber. In the end, the deciding factor on why Cotto was chosen was that Miguel is promoted by Top Rank like Manny and more importantly, he draws more viewers in his fights. The bottom line is: Cotto was not a step-down in level when compared to Mosley. Pacquiao’s choice is justified.

It has to be noted that at this point onwards, Floyd Mayweather is undeniably the best opponent for Pacquiao. But we all know this story. We know the arguments. What I can only say about this in relation to our topic is that Manny has expressed his desire to fight Floyd and the majority believe Mayweather is the one cherry-picking. ‘Nuff said.

With Floyd out of the equation, Pacquiao was left hanging in the early part of 2010. He would eventually choose Joshua Clottey who was ranked fifth. While being number five doesn’t look too impressive, he was actually the best AVAILABLE welterweight at that time. Mosley (# 1) was scheduled to fight Andre Berto (#4) when Manny (#3) was shopping for a challenger. Floyd was #2, so the next best option was Clottey. In truth, it wasn’t such a bad match-up when it was signed. It just felt that way after losing the prospect of a super-fight with Floyd.

Next up was the come-backing Antonio Margarito. He’s freakishly huge, a former champion, and a man hungry for redemption. Compared to all the welterweights and below, Margarito was the most dangerous fight for Manny. The only asterisk in this fight was that it was for a Light Middleweight crown which admittedly, neither Margarito nor Pacquiao deserved a shot at. Still, no one in his right mind would consider this a cherry-pick. Margarito used to be the most avoided fighter in the division. I think he still would be if he fought at welterweight. By the way, did I mention he’s freakishly huge?

With Mayweather still on vacation, Pacquiao was left with 3 opponents to choose from for his first fight in 2011: Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. Among the three, Marquez was perceived by the majority as the most deserving. But in the end, the Pacquiao sweepstakes went to Mosley. The problem with this scenario is that at this point in his career, nobody was considered a major threat to Pacquiao except Floyd. Manny would have been criticized whoever he chose. Besides, the argument then was that, even at his age, Shane could easily beat Marquez while Berto was still unproven, not to mention a virtual unknown to the general public. All three had pros and cons but all of them would have been huge underdogs. So choosing Shane over Marquez and Berto wasn’t as big a deal and it definitely couldn’t be called cherry-picking.

Lastly, Pacquiao would choose Juan Manuel Marquez for his coming fight this November. Some say that it should have been then-WBC welterweight champion, Victor Ortiz but it would again boil down to the same argument as Manny’s previous options. Ortiz was unproven and Marquez was, as I mentioned, the one people wanted before the Mosley fight. Plus, there is a historical significance to this third match after having the first two ending in controversy. So this time, Manny gave in to the fans. It’s just a wonder how people can still insert Victor’s name after clamoring for Marquez just a few months earlier. So despite Marquez’s advanced age, Pacquiao’s choice is legitimate.

While I agree that Manny’s recent opponents have not exactly been stellar, it is only because the best and logical adversary is still putting roadblocks to the fight. In summary, I believe that the Pacman has still taken on the best AVAILABLE challenge since his rise to super-stardom. So no, Manny Pacquiao is NOT a cherry-picker. That title is reserved for someone else.

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