Like the Big Fights? Thank Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

When Floyd Mayweather, Jr. walked away from the sport of boxing in June of 2008 he did so while at the top of his game. He was the universally recognized number one pound-for-pound boxer on the planet. He was (and still is) undefeated with a record of 39-0, 25 KOs. He had won titles in five separate weight divisions and was number one at the box office. His May 2007 fight against Oscar De La Hoya shattered all of boxing's established pay-per-view records. His bout against Ricky Hatton later that year grossed millions here and in the United Kingdom.

At age 30, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. went out on top as the King of boxing. And now he's ready to return, “...to reclaim my throne” he wrote on his Twitter page yesterday.

In the short time that Mayweather was away, several big fights came together involving Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito. All those fighters engaged in high-profile, money-making fights that allowed them to move up in the pound-for-pound rankings, win titles, and occupy the slots that Floyd once did.

Now that he is 22 days away from facing Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas, Mayweather and his team feel that those fighters should be thanking him for those fights and that it was because of his absence that they were able to flourish.

“When Floyd decided to retire, that is how the other guys came into prominence,” explains Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather's business affairs. “They need to be thanking Floyd because he's the one that made the opportunities for them to make their money. De La Hoya – Pacquiao would never have happened if Floyd didn't retire. The Pacquiao fight would never have happened for Ricky Hatton. But Floyd didn't mind, he was stepping down. But they should be thanking him for giving them the opportunity because he had them all boxed out.”


Would Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao have had their success if Mayweather had still been in the picture?

It's an interesting theory and there may be some truth to it. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with it, but one has to think that if Mayweather hadn't retired, that the boxing landscape would look much different than it does today.

“The press tries to downplay all of what Floyd did,” says Ellerbe. “Some of them are just idiots out there and they want to talk about another guy – another fighter – I don't even want to use his name. But we just deal with the facts and it's not a popularity contest.

“The facts are the revenue. Floyd's the first fighter ever to generate a quarter-billion dollars in revenue in one year. The two fights with De La Hoya and Hatton did that and that has never, ever been done before. In their last two fights they fought the same two opponents. Floyd generated twice as much revenue as the other guy did - and that’s a fact. That’s not me saying it, it’s a fact. HBO will confirm that remark and Mark Taffet (Senior VP Sports Operations & PPV) will confirm that Floyd is the first athlete ever to do that.”

While Mayweather's monetary success is indisputable, there isn't too much one can argue about when it comes to Mayweather's record in the ring, either. A certain segment of hardcore boxing fans often try to argue that Mayweather hasn't fought the toughest available competition. They believe that Mayweather has avoided Margarito, Cotto and Mosley and that he would never fight Paul Williams.

But Ellerbe counters those arguments by reiterating what Floyd told him when he decided to return to the fight game.

“When Floyd told me he was coming back he said, 'I want to fight in the biggest fights out there and we’ll line them up one-by-one and knock 'em down.'”


In his return, Mayweather will meet Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

It would seem certain that in this new world economy, if Mayweather is going to continue making the sort of money he has become accustomed to, that he will have no choice but to face the marquee names that now inhabit the welterweight division. Mayweather has not said what his plans may be after he meets Marquez, but the boxing world is craving for a superfight with Manny Pacquiao.

“There is no timetable,” Ellerbe said, on how long the now 32-year-old Mayweather may continue with his boxing career and who he could face in the future.

But one thing is clear, and that's the fact that the man who now goes by the nickname “Money” is all about the Benjamins. His rumored paycheck for the Marquez fight is a cool $15-million.

“He’s a very successful businessman,” says Ellerbe. “We’ve been able to use boxing as a platform to build his business portfolio to take the Mayweather brand to a whole other level. We’ve gotten the exposure on Dancing with the Stars and the WWE which has expanded his fan base to a whole other level. That's made it possible for him to become a mainstream superstar with more visibility. He’s a global superstar.

“Five thousand fans in England waited outside for ten hours just to get a sight of him. He’s been able to transcend the sport and establish himself. He has a short window of opportunity to be successful and to parlay boxing into being a mainstream superstar. But I feel he has established the business model for boxers of the future, elite fighters, to be in control of their business.”


Being Floyd Mayweather, Jr. means having a license to print money - in this case - his own.

To be in control of his own destiny, Mayweather purchased the remainder of his contract from his former promoter, Bob Arum in 2006. Since then, Ellerbe claims that Mayweather's career took a turn for the better and the $750,000 he paid Arum was the best money they could have ever spent.

“After he bought out his contract from Arum he became his own boss,” says Ellerbe. “In the three fights since he left Arum he has made almost sixty million dollars. He made more in those three fights than he did in his whole career. Floyd’s the only fighter active out there that’s in control of his own business. He gets one-hundred percent of his own money. Promoters and managers are not ripping him off. He’s the first fighter, him and Oscar De La Hoya, ever to do that.”

So now that Mayweather is back in the game, and as long as he gets by Marquez on Sept. 19th, there could be bigger paydays and bigger fights down the line for him against names like Pacquiao, Cotto, Margarito and Mosley.

And in the world according to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. - since all of those same fighters should have thanked him for retiring – his stance would be that they should all now be thanking him for unretiring, too.


August 2009

Who is aXXo?

If you are a movie addict, love to watch in your home and happen to downloads free movies in some torrent sites like minninova, isohunt.com , piratebay, Darksiderg.com ,demmonoid.com and other peeer to peer bittorrent sites, you probably come across this name aXXo. Certainly he was not from here in the philipines where dvd copy is ready available in places like quiapo, manila.

Who is he?

Axxo is the "Internet name" of a person who frequently releases torrent files of digital movies in torrent sites. Usually these movie files fit in a single CD and is of good quality. Very few people know who axxo really is and ant-piracy groups are trying to find him.

In United States, Axxo’s activities are considered illegal since encoding and releasing digital copies of movies is a violation of the copyright act. If caught and convicted, axxo can expect a long jail term in United States.

The reason why axxo is so popular is the high quality of his movie releases. These movies are compressed as DivX videos and the audio is typically AC3 encoded. Since the entire movie size is around 700MB, people prefer to download axxo torrents. The quality of the movie also ensured that the axxo torrent had a large number of seeders active at any time.

The popularity of axxo torrents have also resulted in the release of a large number of bogus torrent files also. It has also been rumoured that anti-piracy groups are using the name "axxo" to release fake torrents and to trap people downloading illegal movie torrents.

His official location and identity is also unknown. Many speculates that he is from Russia, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland or other parts of Europe, but to many he is just a hero of free sharing and torrent download.

aXXo converts commercial DVD movies into approximately 700 MB .avi files which are then used to create a .torrent file that is uploaded to Bittorrent Trackers allowing the movie to be downloaded.^[14] On file sharing websites, aXXo files attract a large following, with over a million users downloading aXXo files each month. The video is encoded according to the MPEG-4 ASPXvid codec. The aXXo postings also carry a .nfo file about the movie and an attached text file that states, in part: "Be aware of bogus sites and lamers, download your aXXo files from aXXo accounts. Enjoy!" standard, compatible with the

Clinton Woods Confident of Regaining Title

Clinton Woods prepared well for his title bout on Friday night against Tavoris Cloud.

Former IBF 175-pound belt-holder Clinton Woods believes Friday will be the day that he regains his light heavyweight title belt. Woods, from Sheffield, England will face Tavoris Cloud for the vacant IBF title.

On Wednesday, Woods appeared fit, confident and relaxed. The veteran, with a record of 42-4-1, 24 KOs lost his title to Antonio Tarver in April 2008. But he feels that the stars are now aligned for him to reclaim his belt.

“I know I'm going to be standing there with the belt in my arms at the end of the night,” said Woods. “I'm very confident and I'm looking forward to Friday night. On Saturday morning I'll be waking up with my wife and all of it will have been worth it. All the sacrifice, all the hard training, all the bad times I've had in boxing, obviously when I lost to Tarver, all of that is going to be behind me. I'm going to wake up champ.”

Woods has had a career where he had to eke out victories and come back from tough losses. He engaged in three close fights with Glen Johnson in which he drew, lost and won. His first title shot came seven years ago against Roy Jones, Jr. and he was outclassed from the beginning before losing in in six one-sided rounds. Woods made four successful title defenses before losing to Tarver and nearly retired after that loss. Now, at age 37, he's decided to give his boxing career one last try.

“This is a great time for me to win back the world title. Everybody knows what happened to me in Tampa [against Tarver] and that wasn't me that night. Everything went wrong for that fight,” explained Woods. “I've come home, back to England, contemplated on retiring. But I've got a new trainer, I've come back and everything feels great, everything has gone good and I'm just ready to go.”


Cloud hopes that he will be re-enacting this scene after his fight against Woods concludes.

Woods will be facing off against Florida native Tavoris Cloud, 28, who is a relative unknown that brings a record of 19-0, 18 KOs into the title fight. Cloud turned pro five years ago and has only boxed 55 rounds in the paid ranks and he has never fought past the 10th round.

“I haven't really seen much of Tavoris,” said Woods. “I've seen a few videos of him. He looks like a very good fighter, exciting, punches hard. But he hasn't been in with many top pedigree fighters. I've been in with a lot of world-class fighters. I know what it's all about and I'm just looking forward to the night.”

The fight will be televised on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Woods believes the fans who see the fight will witness an entertaining affair.

“I think the fans are going to be the ones who enjoy this fight,” said Woods. “Because I don't run, he seriously doesn't run. We're going to be standing in the middle of that ring and we're going to be slugging it out and it's going to be an exciting fight.”

As it currently stands, the oddsmakers have installed Cloud as the significant favorite to win the IBF title.


August 2009

Installing Windows XP on the ASUS Eee PC

As per request, i am reposting an old post regarding installingwindows xp in Asus Eeepc Laptops with low hard disk memory.
Usually Tiny XP installer should be used if the hard drive is 2Gb or below because tiny XP occupied only 500 mb of harddisk space.

Installing Windows XP on the Asus EEE pc using a single USB flash drive.


Please note this tutorial works on all computers not just the Asus EEE PC.


What you'll need:
USB_PREP8 (alternative download)
PeToUSB (alternative download)
Bootsect.exe (alternative download)
Special Note: If you use the program Nlite be sure to keep the manual installation files as the USB_prep8 script relies on these files.

Extract the files in Bootsect.zip
The next step is to extract USB_prep8 and PeToUSB.
Next copy the PeToUSB executable into the USB_prep8 folder.
Inside of the USB_prep8 folder double click the executable named usb_prep8.cmd.

The window that opens will look like this:



Press any key to continue

You next window will look like this:
These settings are preconfigured for you all you need to do now is click start.
Once the format is complete DO NOT close the window just leave everything as it is and open a command prompt from your start menu (type cmd in the search bar or run box depending on your version of windows.).

Inside of the command windows go to the directory you have bootsect.exe saved.
(use the cd directoryname command to switch folders)

Now type "bootsect.exe /nt52 R:" NOTE R: is the drive letter for my USB stick if yours is different you need to change it accordingly. What this part does is write the correct boot sector to your USB stick, this allows your PC to boot from the USB stick without it nothing works.
Please note: When running the bootsect.exe command you cannot have any windows open displaying the content of your USB stick, if you have a window open bootsect.exe will be unable to lock the drive and write the bootsector correctly.

If all went well you should see "Bootcode was successfully updated on all targeted volumes."

Now you can close this command prompt (don't close the usbprep8 one by mistake) and the petousb window.

You window you see now should look like this:

If it doesn't try pressing enter.

Now you need to enter the correct information for numbers 1-3.
Press 1 and then enter. A folder browse window will open for you to browse to the location of you XP setup files (aka your cdrom drive with xp cd in)
Press 2 and enter a letter not currently assigned to a drive on your PC
Press 3 and enter the drive letter of your USB stick
Press 4 to start the process.

The script will ask you if its ok to format drive T:. This is just a temp drive the program creates to cache the windows installation files. Press Y then enter.

Once it's done formating press enter to continue again, you can now see the program copying files to the temp drive it created. Once this is done press enter to continue again.

Next you will see a box pop up asking you to copy the files to USB drive yes/no you want to click yes.

Once the script has completed copy files a popup window asking if you would like to USB drive to be preferred boot drive U: select YES on this window.

Now select yes to unmount the virtual drive.

Ok we are done the hard part, close the usbprep8 window.

Now make sure your EEE pc is configured with USB as the primary boot device.
Insert your USB drive and boot up the EEE.

On the startup menu you have two options, select option number 2 for text mode setup.

From this point on it is just like any other windows XP installation delete/recreate the primary partition on your EEE pc and format it using NTFS. Make sure you delete ALL partitions and recreate a single partition or you will get the hal.dll error message.

Once the text mode portion of setup is complete it will boot into the GUI mode (you can press enter after the reboot if your too excited to wait the 30 seconds)

Once the GUI portion of setup is complete you will again have to boot into GUI mode this will complete the XP installation and you will end up at you XP desktop. It is very important that you DO NOT REMOVE THE USB STICK before this point. Once you can see your start menu it is safe to remove the usb stick and reboot your pc to make sure everything worked.

This method has advantages over all current no cdrom methods of installing XP to the EEE. You do not have to copy setup files in DOS to the SSD and install from there. It gives you access to the recovery console by booting into text mode setup, and it gives you the ability to run repair installations of XP if you have problems later on.

Roach Unconcerned About Training Locale, Cotto

Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao, pictured in the Wild Card Gym, are being forced to go elsewhere, thanks to Uncle Sam and the IRS.

While Manny Pacquiao plays the lead role in a movie currently being filmed in the Philippines, his opponent on Nov. 14th, WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto, has already begun light training in his native Puerto Rico for the fight that is still over 11 weeks away.

Pacquiao won't begin his fight preparations for another few weeks, but exactly where he will do so is still a question that has yet to be answered. Pacquiao typically trains within the friendly confines of Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

However, a complicated Internal Revenue Service rule known as the “substantial presence test” mandates that non-resident aliens can only spend a certain number of days in the United States. If a person exceeds that number of days in a three-year period, they are considered a resident for tax purposes and their income is taxed accordingly. Pacquiao is dangerously close to exceeding the number of days allowed and he can only spend another month in the United States this year – before it would cost him millions in additional income tax.

“The IRS rule says that Manny can only be here in America for another three weeks or so,” said his trainer Freddie Roach, speaking from the Wild Card Gym. “I thought Bob [Arum] might find a way around it. But they tell me they can't, so we're going to have to go someplace else.”

For the past several weeks, where that “someplace else” will be has been the topic of great speculation. In total, Pacquiao is going to have an eight-week long training camp for the Cotto fight.


Miguel Cotto has only lost once, so to see him pictured like this is not unusual.

“The three weeks he's allowed here will be two weeks here at the Wild Card and another week in Las Vegas,” explained Roach. “I'm hearing the Philippines, maybe Vancouver [British Columbia, Canada] maybe Mexico. We'll find someplace, so be it.”

According to Roach, “Manny will have the final say” on the training location. Various reports emanating from the Pacquiao inner circle suggest he may head back to the Philippines after the American press tour for the fight concludes on Sept. 14th. Two cities in the Philippines being mentioned are Baguio and Cebu.

The vagabond nature of the training camp doesn't seem to be bothering Roach much. As usual he is supremely confident that Pacquiao will again be the winner when the dust settles.

“I'm expecting Cotto to be at his best,” said Roach. “But Pacquiao is at the top of his game right now. I'm expecting Cotto to be more resilient than Oscar and Hatton were, so he'll give us a better fight than those two guys did. The biggest thing with Cotto is that he's a strong guy, but Manny's not going to stand in front of him and trade. I feel that we'll be able to expose Cotto. His skills aren't quite where they used to be and we're going to expose him.”


August 2009

Did you know that the Libyan dictor love designer clothes?

Pictures speaks louder than words....

The Vampire Diaries

A debut of a new TV series that fans are now excited to watch “The Vampire Diaries”. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith. The Vampire Diaries is set to premiere on September 10, 2009 8/7 C. Plot: Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), is still adjusting to their new reality. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her grief from the world. Elena and Jeremy are now living with their cool-but-overwhelmed Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning), who is doing her best to be a surrogate parent. Elena manages to find some comfort with her familiar social circle – best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham), frenemy Caroline (Candice Accola), and former boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig), but Jeremy is on a more dangerous path, hanging out with the stoners and using drugs to hide his pain. Jeremy is also trying to figure out why Matt's sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell), is suddenly rejecting him and hanging out with Jeremy's rival, Tyler (Michael Trevino). As the school year begins at Mystic Falls High, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, although Elena is puzzled by Stefan's increasingly bizarre behavior when he appears suddenly at the cemetery where her parents are buried. What she doesn't realize is that Stefan is hiding a dark, deadly secret of his own – the fact that he's a vampire. At a bonfire party the next night, Elena and Stefan are just getting to know each other when chaos erupts after Vicki is attacked and left bleeding from a savage bite to the neck. Fearing that he knows who is responsible for the attack, Stefan returns home and finds his older brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. Damon is also a vampire, and the two brothers have a long and bitter history. Damon ridicules Stefan for rejecting their legacy of violence and brutality, but he understands his brother's obsession with Elena, since she looks exactly like a woman Stefan loved more than a century ago; a woman that Damon tried to make his own. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Don’t forget to watch The Vampire Diaries on its premiere on September 10, 2009 8/7 C.

The Vampire Diaries

A debut of a new TV series that fans are now excited to watch “The Vampire Diaries”. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith. The Vampire Diaries is set to premiere on September 10, 2009 8/7 C. Plot: Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), is still adjusting to their new reality. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her grief from the world. Elena and Jeremy are now living with their cool-but-overwhelmed Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning), who is doing her best to be a surrogate parent. Elena manages to find some comfort with her familiar social circle – best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham), frenemy Caroline (Candice Accola), and former boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig), but Jeremy is on a more dangerous path, hanging out with the stoners and using drugs to hide his pain. Jeremy is also trying to figure out why Matt's sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell), is suddenly rejecting him and hanging out with Jeremy's rival, Tyler (Michael Trevino). As the school year begins at Mystic Falls High, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, although Elena is puzzled by Stefan's increasingly bizarre behavior when he appears suddenly at the cemetery where her parents are buried. What she doesn't realize is that Stefan is hiding a dark, deadly secret of his own – the fact that he's a vampire. At a bonfire party the next night, Elena and Stefan are just getting to know each other when chaos erupts after Vicki is attacked and left bleeding from a savage bite to the neck. Fearing that he knows who is responsible for the attack, Stefan returns home and finds his older brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. Damon is also a vampire, and the two brothers have a long and bitter history. Damon ridicules Stefan for rejecting their legacy of violence and brutality, but he understands his brother's obsession with Elena, since she looks exactly like a woman Stefan loved more than a century ago; a woman that Damon tried to make his own. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Don’t forget to watch The Vampire Diaries on its premiere on September 10, 2009 8/7 C.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

On January 2010, Starz Entertainment is giving us the bloodiest, more violent and boldest show on TV “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”. Based on the historical figure Spartacus and set in ancient Rome, series follows the slave, gladiator and rebel and the gritty action in the gladiator arena. This TV series promised to provide lots of slow-motion blood, lots of violence and let’s just say a little bold TV show. The series would feature as much male nudity as female nudity. During the interview executive producer Rob Tapert said that with so much male nudity, some of the male actors were self-conscious about being less well-endowed than some of their co-stars. "There’s a great deal of nudity, both male and female. And some guys are not as well-endowed as other guys, so we had to create the Kirk Douglas, as it was aptly named, so that certain actors would have a prosthetic that they could wear and feel comfortable. Someone lovingly called it the Kirk Douglas, and the name stuck” said by Tapert. Spartacus: Blood and Sand, starring Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Erin Cummings as Sura, John Hannah as Batiatus, Peter Mensah as Doctore and Manu Bennett as Crixus. Watch out Spartacus: Blood and Sand on January 2010 next year.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

On January 2010, Starz Entertainment is giving us the bloodiest, more violent and boldest show on TV “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”. Based on the historical figure Spartacus and set in ancient Rome, series follows the slave, gladiator and rebel and the gritty action in the gladiator arena. This TV series promised to provide lots of slow-motion blood, lots of violence and let’s just say a little bold TV show. The series would feature as much male nudity as female nudity. During the interview executive producer Rob Tapert said that with so much male nudity, some of the male actors were self-conscious about being less well-endowed than some of their co-stars. "There’s a great deal of nudity, both male and female. And some guys are not as well-endowed as other guys, so we had to create the Kirk Douglas, as it was aptly named, so that certain actors would have a prosthetic that they could wear and feel comfortable. Someone lovingly called it the Kirk Douglas, and the name stuck” said by Tapert. Spartacus: Blood and Sand, starring Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Erin Cummings as Sura, John Hannah as Batiatus, Peter Mensah as Doctore and Manu Bennett as Crixus. Watch out Spartacus: Blood and Sand on January 2010 next year.

Miss Universe 2009 Live on ABS-CBN

This is the third consecutive years that ABS-CBN was chosen by the Miss Universe organization to be its exclusive media partner here in the Philippines to watch Miss Universe 2009 live. About 80 of the finest and most gorgeous women from across the globe will gather in Bahamas to compete for the world's most coveted beauty title of Miss Universe 2009. When the best from all creation come together, it is the most beautiful day in the universe. Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, who hails from Venezuela, she will crown her successor in August during the pageant to be hosted by Billy Bush and Celebrity Apprentice star Claudia. ABS-CBN also aired the 1994 Miss Universe pageant held in Manila, where Miss India Shusmita Sen took home the crown. Who will be crowned the next Miss Universe? Watch it happen in the Miss Universe 2009 pageant live on ABS-CBN on August 24 at 9:30 AM; on August 25, 8 PM on Studio 23; and on August 27, 10 PM on ABS-CBN.

Miss Universe 2009 Live on ABS-CBN

This is the third consecutive years that ABS-CBN was chosen by the Miss Universe organization to be its exclusive media partner here in the Philippines to watch Miss Universe 2009 live. About 80 of the finest and most gorgeous women from across the globe will gather in Bahamas to compete for the world's most coveted beauty title of Miss Universe 2009. When the best from all creation come together, it is the most beautiful day in the universe. Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, who hails from Venezuela, she will crown her successor in August during the pageant to be hosted by Billy Bush and Celebrity Apprentice star Claudia. ABS-CBN also aired the 1994 Miss Universe pageant held in Manila, where Miss India Shusmita Sen took home the crown. Who will be crowned the next Miss Universe? Watch it happen in the Miss Universe 2009 pageant live on ABS-CBN on August 24 at 9:30 AM; on August 25, 8 PM on Studio 23; and on August 27, 10 PM on ABS-CBN.

The Floyd Mayweather, Jr. You Don't Know

After nearly two years away from the sport of boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is preparing to make a triumphant return to the arena that has made him famous and wealthy beyond anything he could have once imagined.

For his last three bouts, Mayweather has earned an astronomical $60 million. But it was not that long ago that “Money” as he is now known, shared a bedroom with half-a-dozen siblings and lived in a house in a tough neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Mich. A house that often times went for days without electrical service.

These days, most know Mayweather for his brash manner, his boastful ways and over-the-top personality. It is a public persona that easily overshadows the increasingly private, father of four who retired from the sport in 2007. Over the past few years he has managed to become one of the most wealthy athletes in the world. He has helped promote the biggest names in the world of hip-hop music (Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige) possesses a fleet of luxury automobiles and he now resides behind the tall gates of a $10 million mansion that he recently had built in Las Vegas.

But there's another side to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. - and it's a side that those who know him best - wish the world would get to know, too.

There is probably no one that is closer to the 32-year-old Mayweather than his most trusted confidant, Leonard Ellerbe. It is Ellerbe that serves as Mayweather's right-hand man, the CEO of Mayweather's burgeoning business empire and the man that, in Ellerbe's words, “takes care of business outside the ring, so that Floyd can take care of business inside it.”

Ellerbe has known Mayweather for a long time, since back in the days when Floyd's uncle, Roger, trained Ellerbe on the finer points of the sweet science. He was introduced to Floyd before there was any “Money” and before the young virtuoso went on to win boxing championships in five weight divisions, blaze to an undefeated record of 39-0, 25 KOs and become universally regarded as the top pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.


Ellerbe (foreground)is never far from Floyd's side. Over the years he has seen Mayweather go through many changes.

So Ellerbe, who is very passionate about all things Mayweather, sometimes becomes disturbed when he reads and hears things about his friend that don't tell the rest of the story.

“He never gets the credit for his philanthropy , he never gets the credit for that,” Ellerbe said via telephone from Las Vegas this week. “There's a perception out there, with him promoting his events, which is just him basically doing his job, and the media gets it mixed-up with who he is as a person. It's a totally false perception that's out there.”

Ellerbe says that, “Floyd has such a big heart” and he wishes more people could see past the wads of rolled up one-hundred dollar bills that stuff Floyd's pockets like the packs on a mule's back and separate Floyd the public entertainer - from Floyd the person.

“My challenge has been to change the perception of him from just this mad man, running wild, throwing money up into the air,” explains Ellerbe. “People need to understand that's just a form of entertainment and that's just him doing his job.”

Ellerbe attempts to drive home the point that the Mayweather most people don't know about, is the man that gives to those that are now in a place where he once was. It's a side of the boxer that few see, few know and that most don't care to learn more about. The side that is glitzy and outlandish and entertaining is the man the public has seen on stints with 'Dancing with the Stars' or on World Wrestling Entertainment. It's the man they have watched on the HBO 24/7 series and the man they have seen throwing money into the air like confetti at a wedding.

But Ellerbe says what he sees everyday is the compassion that Mayweather has for those that are less fortunate or those that are going through a rough time in their lives. It's the Mayweather that has serious thoughts of one-day opening a homeless shelter in Las Vegas and the Mayweather that thinks about the people who live just miles away from him that don't have enough to eat.

“That’s just one example of what a tremendous heart that he has,” says Ellerbe. “When people see him on 24/7, that's just entertainment, that’s not the Floyd Mayweather that I know. He’s a great father, he’s a great humanitarian. God has truly blessed him and Floyd understands what that's all about. He knows that he's been put in a great position, with great responsibility, to be able to help other people.”

Last year, Mayweather donated over a quarter million dollars of his own money in order to prevent the National Golden Gloves amateur boxing championships held in Grand Rapids from being canceled altogether.

“At the Golden Gloves, over 300 kids were able to participate and pursue their dreams of becoming a pro boxer – of going to the next level,” Ellerbe points out. “Floyd's reason for doing that is because he came through that same type of program. He’s a five-time national amateur champ and he understands those are the steps needed to become a pro. He used all of his own money and the kids really had a wonderful time. It was a great event put on in his hometown.”

Last Friday in Las Vegas, a kinder, gentler Mayweather took time from training for his Sept. 19 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez to speak with a group of teenagers from the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth at their safe place drop-in center. A calm Mayweather was received by the teens with a great deal of excitement. For them, it was a once in a lifetime chance to meet a genuine world champ and celebrity and a chance to hear from Mayweather that life can be what they make of it.

The teens, who attend the NPHY life skills program once a week, were touched by Mayweather's message and related to the champ's own struggles in life.

“Today was one of the most inspirational days of my life,” said Breanna Watkins, age 18. “It's not easy to keep your head up and push through the storm, but after today, I realize that no matter how much you struggle, it's possible to make it out on top. I really appreciate that Floyd Mayweather and his team took the time out of their schedules to give us words of encouragement.”


Mayweather took time to meet with a group of teenagers in Las Vegas. It's work such as this that does not always make headlines.

Mayweather employs 23 people in Las Vegas, and a couple of more in other cities. Ellerbe notes that his staff consist of people that are not just African Americans, but people of all colors, creed and ethnic origin. Together they work to increase global recognition of what Ellerbe calls the “Mayweather brand” and they also help him bring his humanitarian ideas to life.

“His vision is he wants to give back in any way that he can to his community,” Ellerbe explains. “So we take it from there and I take it upon myself to do these things and make them happen. We are using boxing as a platform to do things that no boxer, except Oscar De La Hoya, has ever done before. Over a period of time we have worked not only in Grand Rapids to fund sports and youth programs, but we have a number of charity events. We have our annual Thanksgiving food giveaways, we have toy drives at Christmas. These are the kinds of things you don’t hear the press write about.”

Certainly in the past couple of years, the image of Mayweather has begun to change. While there are still times that he can appear to be surly, most notably in recent interviews with Brian Kenny of ESPN, there have been more frequent occasions when he is the picture of gentlemanly manners.

“Floyd has developed a persona and people get the two confused,” explains Ellerbe. “He's the biggest star in all of boxing, but that’s his job. On the other hand, he has a tremendous heart and he's given a number of people a number of opportunities over the past thirteen years. There are people in his inner circle, people that have had some things happen in the past that wouldn’t allow them the chance to work in corporate America. But Floyd is the type of guy that will give people like that an opportunity. He’s given people opportunities that have really messed up their lives in their past. In any other situation, they can't even get a job, but he exposes them to a livelihood that many people never in their lifetime would ever have a chance to be part of. I mean, with him, they get to make a good income and they get to travel all over the world.”


Under the watchful eye of Ellerbe, Mayweather works to soon again be atop boxing's pound-for-pound rankings.

In a world driven by the 24-hour news cycle, a world where sensationalism rules the day, the lines between perception and reality and news and entertainment have become horribly blurred. Ellerbe's mission then, to separate Mayweather the entertainer - from Mayweather the person - would seem like an impossible task. He knows a Floyd Mayweather that few do and it perplexes him to no end that the rest of us can't see what he does.

“His heart is just so big and Floyd never, ever gets the credit for the kinds of things he does,” Ellerbe says. “The mainstream press just wants to talk about the flash and the flamboyance and not how he’s made a difference in so many kids' lives. They don't see a guy who has worked hard his whole life. They don't see a kid who dropped out of high school to pursue his dream to take his family out of poverty and then turned around and has helped so many kids in so many communities.”

And then, as Leonard Ellerbe spoke, he seemed to come to the realization that all the work he is doing down here, the work to change the perception of his best friend, might just be paying off after all. For even if he is able to convince every person that doubts Mayweather's good intentions, there is one that doesn't need to be convinced.

“God understands where Floyd's heart is,” Ellerbe says. “And that's why he continually blesses him.”


August 2009

Rocky Juarez Hopes Fifth Title Shot is the Charm

Rocky Juarez has fought for a world title four times without winning. He gets a fifth chance next month in a rematch with Chris John.

Rocky Juarez will face off against WBA featherweight titlist Chris John on the Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez undercard at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on Sept. 19th. It will be Juarez' fifth try at winning a world title belt and it could be his last if he doesn't win – and Juarez realizes as much.

“This will be my fifth time at a world title,” says Juarez after taking a deep breath. “So far I'm 0-3-1, I know that and I know I'm 29 years old. I consider myself a veteran, but a young veteran when it comes to boxing. I've got to win the title this time, definitely. I don't know if there will be another chance.”

After winning a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics, Juarez turned pro in 2001 and has a record of 28-4-1, 20 KOs. He has had a successful career, but it's been the title fights that have managed to trip him up in one shape, form or fashion. He's lost decisions to Humberto Soto (for a WBC interim title), twice to Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and was held to a draw against Indonesia's John in February.

“I've been blessed, no doubt,” says Juarez. “I've been given these many opportunities and at this point I'm just looking forward to becoming a world champion.”

The rematch was to have taken place at Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 27th, but John was diagnosed with a blood disorder just days before and the fight was pushed back nearly three months. The delay has allowed Juarez additional time to reflect and think about how close he came to finally winning a title and what he can do differently in the rematch.


In an entertaining fight, Juarez battled Chris John to a 12-round draw.

“Well, you know, I've learned a lot of things,” he said. “I've learned from the mistakes that I made in the first fight, but I also learned about the mistakes that Chris John made, too. Obviously I fell short because I didn't lose and I didn't win, but I want to win the world championship. At this point I'm just looking forward to getting in there with him again and fighting a lot harder and giving it a little more.”

Juarez is a fan of the sport and he's happy to be fighting on the “Numero Uno” pay-per-view undercard. Mayweather vs. Marquez promises to be one of the biggest events on the 2009 boxing calendar. When asked what he thought of the main event, he claimed it is a closer fight than many think and he has a unique perspective since he was in the ring for 12 rounds against Marquez.

“Here's th thing in that one: Marquez has been active, but Mayweather is the bigger guy. It's a tough fight to call and I don't like to say, to have to choose, but I'm definitely rooting for Marquez. He's a long time veteran who has earned this shot against Floyd and it's questionable as to whether Marquez is the best pound-for-pound fighter in all of boxing. So, I guess I'm going for Marquez.”


August 2009

Arreola's Trainer Reveals Plan for Vitali Klitschko

WBC heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko and top contender Chris Arreola posed for the cameras last week in Los Angeles.

Trainer Henry Ramirez hints that the strategy for his man, heavyweight contender Chris Arreola, will be to run straight at Vitali Klitschko and make the WBC belt-holder fight from the sound of the first bell. The two will meet in the ring at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 26th.

“When the first bell rings, Chris is going to come out with guns ablaze and he's going to take the fight straight to Klitschko,” said an eager Ramirez, who is very much looking forward to having his man challenge for a heavyweight title belt.

Most industry observers are of the opinion the fight will end in a knockout – for either man – as Klitschko has a record of 37-2, 36 KOs while Arreola has similar big punch credentials with a ledger of 27-0, 24 KOs.

“I'm real excited about this,” said Ramirez. “A lot of people don't think we can do this and a lot of people doubt us, but I think Chris is going to make history.”

Ramirez has been with Arreola since he turned pro six years ago and he's happy that his man is finally getting his chance for a grab at the heavyweight brass ring.

“Chris is going to put on an exciting performance and he's going to come out there and go for it. He wants to put on an exciting fight and he doesn't want to get into a jabbing contest with Klitschko,” said Ramirez. “I'll say that whether he wins or loses that Chris is going to put on an entertaining and exciting fight.”

Ramirez, who likes to use the term, “guns blazing” thinks that the fight will likely come down to who fires the biggest and hardest shots and which man is able to impose his strategy.


In April, Arreola took the fight to perennial contender Jameel McCline and stopped him in four rounds.

“When have you ever seen Chris stand outside?” asks Ramirez. The game plan against Klitschko then will be to get inside and go to work. “I'd like to see Chris use his jab, come inside and close the distance. He's got to close the gap, because if he stands outside he'll be taking the brunt force of everything. He's got to close the distance on this guy.”

The 38-year-old Klitschko, now in the midst of his third stint as a heavyweight titlist, is a heavy betting favorite to dispatch Arreola who hails from Riverside, California. Most believe that his greater experience, higher quality of opposition and his punching power will be more than enough to send Arreola into the hands of defeat. But Ramirez obviously views Arreola's chances through a different prism.

“Look, people say Chris isn't this, Chris isn't that,” explains Ramirez. “People say he's a West Coast hype job, that he's not dedicated, that he's fat. I've heard it all and to be truthful there is some truth to some of that. But the one thing they can't say is that he isn't exciting. I think because he has flaws is what makes him the fighter he is and what makes his fights so exciting. Chris doesn't know how to fight going backwards and he's not a safety first guy and that's why people get so excited to see him. Whatever happens with Chris in the future, win or lose, he's going to be exciting.”


August 2009

Awesome free windows application you can download in 2 seconds

Desktop/Shell Enhancements

Launchy (408Kb) - Hotkeys FTW! Launchy does more than hotkeys, of course, but even if you add a bucketload of plugins it's still under 1Mb.
Open++ (114Kb) - Helps you tweak your context menu six ways from Sunday. Pair it with another app like NirCmd for a nice one-two punch.
ViGlance (198Kb) - Want Windows 7's iconized taskbar in XP or Vista? ViGlance pulls it off in just under 200Kb. It also swaps the start button for the orb (on XP, of course) and does program grouping and pop-up window lists.
VirtuaWin (385Kb) - Most Linux distributions enable multiple virtual desktops by default. Windows doesn't support them out of the box - so you'll need an app like VirtuaWin. It's a good way to keep your workspace organized.
XNeat (797Kb) - No need to bother with separate apps to shuffle your taskbar icons, roll up windows, or add transparency. XNeat does it all in a single, tiny package. Also allows you to hide windows, minimize to tray, create keyboard shortcuts, and a whole lot more.


Encryption

DiskCryptor (740Kb) - One thing TrueCrypt can do that OmZiff can't is encrypt volumes. DiskCryptor can do it, too, and it's well under the 1Mb mark
LockNote (320Kb) - If the only thing you really want to encrypt are some private thoughts and notes, Steganos' GPL LockNote is a good choice.
OmZiff (408Kb) - Protecting sensitive data with encryption is never a bad idea. While OmZiff doesn't have the massive featureset of TrueCrypt, it's one-tenth the size and provides all the essential functions and includes a file shredder and password generator.

File Tools

7-Zip (919Kb) - Sure, 7-zip's main application window is ugly, but who uses it? All the archiving and extracting power you need is just a right-click away.
Everything (334Kb) - A great desktop search tool, Everything indexes your drive contents quicky and supports find-as-you-type. There's a portable version available as well, and it's even smaller.
FastCopy (194Kb) - Both FastCopy and TeraCopy are great, free apps that make copying and moving large amounts of data easier. For me, FastCopy wins because it's free for commercial use, Open Source, and about one quarter the size of TeraCopy.

Fling (230Kb) - Those cheap hard drives make an excellent place to back up and archive your files. Fling not only handles drive-to-drive sync, but it also plays well with FTP servers and USB flash drives. It's one of my favorite discoveries this year.
QDir (439Kb) - If you can get used to the multi-pane crazines, QDir is an awesome tool for manually managing your files and folders.
Space Sniffer (863Kb) - CCleaner does a great job of removing crap from your system, but sometimes you need to dig a little deeper. Space Sniffer helps you locate unwanted space hogs graphically.
Suction (180Kb) - One great way to keep mess to a minimum on your system is to consolidate similar directories - that's exactly what Suction does. It's portable, too!
WinCD Emu (783Kb) - Daemon Tools and Virtual CloneDrive are more well-known programs for mounting ISO images as virtual optical drives in Windows, but WinCD Emu provides almost the same functionality in a smaller package. It handles ISO, IMG, CUE, BIN, and RAW files.


Internet and Networking

Ammyy Admin (548Kb) - While it lacks TeamViewer's speed and bonus features, Ammyy still provides firewall-friendly remote control. There are no ports to open, and if trust is an issue you can run your own Ammyy router (85Kb) instead of using theirs.
GMail Notifier Plus (985Kb) - With kicked-up support for Windows 7's jumplists, this is a useful, sexy helper app for anyone with a GMail account.
Hamachi (989Kb) - Even though it's about 50% bigger than it used to be, Hamachi is still pretty dang small - and very useful. Its zero-config VPN makes remote access to your systems a breeze.
HydraIRC (949Kb) - The installer pushes HydraIRC over 1MB, but the portable version squeaks in under the wire. Features a tabbed interface, skin support, DCC chat and transfers, channel monitoring, and loads more.
iFTP (838Kb) - I love the second line from the developer's site: " I originally wrote i.Ftp to be the first freeware graphical client for BeOS, but someone beat me to it by a few days and well nobody notices who comes 2nd." That might be true, but he still put together a very capable FTP client with SFTP support.
NewsSifter (262Kb) - An intelligent RSS feed reader that analyzes new items based on content and sorts them into categories that you create.
Putty (444Kb) - Classic SSH/terminal client. 'Nuf said.
uTorrent (270Kb) - I've been using uTorrent as long as I've been downloading torrent files. It's got all the features I need in a client (and more) and it's well under the 1Mb mark even if you add the WebUI zip file. Sure, there are other options, but uTorrent takes it easy on my system resources and just gets the job done.
Wakoopa (309Kb) - A fun (and informative) social app, Wakoopa tracks your application usage and lets you see what programs other users are running. It's a great way to discover apps you may not have tried before.


Multimedia

Evil Player (537Kb) - A lightweight, minimal audio player, Evil Player support all the major formats and streams Icecast and Shoutcast (which can be recorded as well).
Fotografix (370Kb) - This little gem has generated quite a bit of buzz since I first wrote it up. It's an excellent lightweight Photoshop alternative, with features like layers, masks, filters, scripts, and editable type. If the developer's site is down, grab the file from Rapidspread.
Greenshot (160Kb) - An open source screen capture tool, Greenshot supports full screen, window, and selection captures, saving to multiple image formats, and annotations. Both a portable version and installer (404Kb) are available.
iDump (197Kb) - Need a free, portable app to backup the contents of an iPod? iDump is a good tool for the job, and it downloads in a flash - even on dial-up.
NCH Express Burn (390Kb) - ImgBurn is my default Windows burning application, but Express Burn sports a lot of the same features and packs them into a much smaller package.
VideoCacheView (65Kb) - It's hard to pick a single NirSoft app to list, because so many of Nir's utilities are under 1Mb and they're all handy. This one scours your browsers' cache files for FLVs and SWFs and allows you to save them for offline viewing.


Office and Productivity

ArsClip (986Kb) - A better clipboard manager with tons of configuration options and features. It's packaged as a zip and totally portable.
CintaNotes (365Kb) - drop it on your Flash drive, and CintaNotes provides an excellent way to collect snippets, links, and any other text data. It supports tagging and search-as-you-type.
Converber (253Kb) - Its unit-conversion super powers are tought to beat. You might not use Converber often, but it's small enough to keep around just in case. KA TypeIn (920Kb) - A fantastic little app that lets you easily create and reuse text snippets. You can get advanced with it as well since it supports variables. Also does autocompletion.
List² (32kb) - You certainly don't need Excel to create very basic spreadsheet-style lists. This app is more than capable, and it takes up about as much space on your drive as the first page of Excel's help file.
TinyPDF (586Kb) - Just north of half a meg, and able to create good quality PDFs from any application via file > print. No longer freeware, but you can grab the last free installer from Freeware Files.
TinySpell (590kb) - Not all our favorite apps include a spellchecker. TinySpell fills the gaps and boasts a 110,00 word dictionary.
WinWorkBar (593Kb) - A productivity-boosting calendar and todo list / GTD application rolled into a sidebar (that can be set to autohide).


Utilities and Maintenance

CCleaner (979Kb) - One of the best file and registry cleanup tools around, and the portable version still still weighs in under 1Mb.
FileHippo Update Checker (154Kb) - FileHippo is a great place to download popular free applications. It's not cluttered with deceptive ads and the site is well-organized. The Updater is a smart way to keep your installers up-to-date.
HijackThis (793Kb) - A must-have for malware cleanup. I don't recommend HJT to casual users, but if you're a DIY-er with a good idea what should and shouldn't be in your registry, it belongs in your toolkit.
Magical Jellybean Keyfinder (367Kb) - Before you reformat your system it's a good idea to back up the product keys for your installed programs. Jellybean is a free, Open Source app that quickly digs up your keys and saves them to a TXT or CSV file.
NirCmd (86Kb) - I tried, but deep down I knew I couldn't get through this list without a second NirSoft app. NirCmd packs a ton of command-line Kung Fu in a single download.
Process Lasso (544Kb) - Gives you better control over the processes running on your system. If you're typically using loads of applications at once, Process Lasso can help keep your system running smoothly. Tweak things manually, or let ProBalance do the work for you.
UltraDefrag (374Kb) - A good defrag tool helps keep your hard drive running like clockwork. Under half a meg and open source, UltraDefrag even comes in 64-bit flavors and there's a micro build (as if 374Kb wasn't small enough already).
Unlocker (252Kb) - I hate trying to delete a file only to have Windows notify me that I can't because the file is in use. Unlocker provides a simple remedy to that problem.

Right Here, Right Now

In happier times, Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy had a championship belt and the boxing world was at his feet.

The great fight writer, Jimmy Cannon, once described boxing as “the red light district of sports.” With that in mind, it can easily be said that Jeff Lacy has seen the best and the worst of that seedy neighborhood.

After a successful amateur career that saw him compete in the 2000 Olympic Games, Lacy burst onto the professional scene eight years ago. He was a darling of the Showtime network as many of his early bouts were telecast on their airwaves. Lacy's style was well-suited to the rigors of the pro game and it seemed he was scoring one highlight-reel knockout after another as he blazed to certain stardom.

And Lacy did meet with much success. After 16 victories he won the vacant IBF super middleweight title in 2004 and by the end of the next year he had already defended that belt four times.

For Jeff Lacy the sky seemed to be the limit. He had appeared on nearly every television network that still broadcast boxing on a regular basis and he even appeared in an ESPN television commercial. It was thought that with the careful guidance of Shelly Finkel, Jim Wilkes and Gary Shaw that Lacy would be the new face of boxing and that he would develop into a crossover star capable of carrying the beleaguered sport of boxing on his thick shoulders.

But it wasn't to be.

In March of 2006, Lacy was matched against the undefeated WBO titlist Joe Calzaghe in Manchester, England. It was a super middleweight clash for the ages as it pitted two undefeated belt-holders in an international unification fight that would answer the burning question of who reigned supreme at 168-pounds.


Lacy suffered in his twelve rounds against Joe Calzaghe. It was the beginning of a fall from which he has yet to fully recover.

For Lacy it turned out to be a disaster from the start. He was battered from pillar to post by the much more experienced, better schooled and supremely confident Welshman.

After the first round, Calzaghe sat on the stool in his corner, looked at his father and trainer Enzo and said of Lacy, “He ain't shit.”

Calzaghe then went out for the next eleven rounds and literally boxed circles around Lacy. He bloodied Lacy, battered his face to the point where it was a swollen mess and then decked him in the twelfth and final round. Calzaghe fired over one thousand punches, destroyed Lacy's aura of invincibility and annexed his world title all in one fell swoop.

Lacy was promptly stamped “damaged goods” and shipped back to the USA a shell-shocked loser unable to come to grips with the reality of what had so quickly happened.

And ever since, Lacy has been struggling to get back.

In subsequent fights he hasn't been the same pugilist he was prior to meeting the “Pride of Wales”. In his first comeback fight his doctor said "He tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder ninety-seven percent from the bone.” Lacy then had to endure a year-long layoff to allow the the career threatening injury to heal after surgery.

Comeback wins in bouts against fringe contenders Peter Manfredo, Jr and Epifanio Mendoza were unimpressive as Lacy appeared shaky and at times very vulnerable. His punches didn't seem to have the same punishing effect anymore and his nickname “Left Hook” no longer seemed appropriate either.


Lacy lands his signature punch against former "The Contender" reality show participant Peter Manfredo, Jr. However, Lacy's win did little to silence the skeptics.

In November 2008 he dropped a lackluster 12-round unanimous decision to former Olympic teammate and one-time middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. Lacy managed a slight rebound in April of this year with a too-close for comfort majority-decision win over Otis Griffin.

But for Jeff Lacy, nothing has been the same since the March night in Manchester when Calzaghe soundly thrashed him. And ever since that night, Lacy has been engaged in a crusade to elevate his status to its former promise. He figures that tomorrow's fight against Roy Jones, Jr., which will take place at the Gulf Coast Arena in Biloxi, Mississippi, will be his chance to get back all that he has lost.

The years and the career have gone by very quickly for Lacy. Now age 32, and with a record of 25-2, 17KOs with 1ND he must show himself and the public that he can defeat the 40-year-old Jones who, earlier this year, was similarly taken to the woodshed by Calzaghe. It was a fight after which many called for Jones to retire.

“You're only as old as you feel and I feel young,” says Lacy of his mindset. “I feel if I had to put a number on it, I feel 23. I feel like, you know, it's just it's mental problems that I've been dealing with. When you're a mental person you deal with things a little bit differently. And now I'm coming around to being able to understand the business of boxing and understanding it a little bit better so I can deal with it. And that's what you've been seeing.”


In a clash of former Olympic teammates, a listless Lacy dropped a 12-round decision to Jermain Taylor.

After the shocking defeat at the hands of Calzaghe, Lacy began to question everything and he viewed most everyone with a very suspicious eye. It's a time that he chooses not to talk about. His personal relationships in boxing were all strained to the breaking point and he trusted no one. He eventually stopped returning telephone calls to all of his long-time confidants. Promoter Gary Shaw was ousted as eventually were managers and advisors Shelly Finkel and Jim Wilkes and even trainer Dan Birmingham.

After scrapping all that he had ever known, Lacy managed to get his affairs into some order. He threatened to retire and said he was retired before he faced Jermain Taylor last year but he later acquiesced. He went through a period of being hooked up with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions before turning to the self promotion route. Then former trainer Roger Bloodworth was brought on board. After years of turmoil. Lacy has righted his floundering ship and says his mission is now a simple one.

“To find out who's the best,” he says. That's the reason we get involved with boxing. That's the reason why we do this.”

Lacy single-handedly managed to get Jones to agree to fight him. He invited Jones to sit ringside at his fight against Griffin and after he was declared the victor he grabbed a microphone and in front of an arena full of people he called out Jones to fight him. Jones explained that “I couldn't say no,” and now the two will face off tomorrow night in a fight that could likely mean curtains for the loser.

“This fight is a very, very interesting match-up between the both of us and for the boxing fans that really want to see this fight,” said Lacy earlier this week. “Roy Jones, I think he made the biggest mistake by taking this fight. I'm very serious and I'm putting it all on the line on Saturday night. I'm getting choked up because I'm serious about it.”


In an effort to drive pay-per-view sales and drum up interest, Roy Jones, Jr. decided to change his outfit - and his persona.

The fight has been named “Hook City” and at pre-fight press conferences Jones has shown up dressed in a Captain Hook costume. Jones, a decent promoter in his own right, said “I was insulted that Jeff Lacy would think he has a better left hook than me. So we gonna' see who Captain Hook really is.”

For Lacy, it's a chance to fight a fellow Floridian on a pay-per-view show that is gaining some hefty coverage in the mainstream press. Jones hails from Pensacola while Lacy calls St. Petersburg home and the fight is expected to perform well in the south where both men have fought many times.

“I always followed Roy Jones. I mean he's a guy that you could grow to love in and outside the ring,” says Lacy of the man that he claims he grew up watching and who he looked up to. “He's a gentleman outside the ring and he goes in there and takes care of business inside the ring. So yeah, how could I not like him?”

But that admiration hasn't stopped Lacy from whittling himself into magnificent physical condition. He has a body that appears as though it was carved from a slab of mahogany and in a show for the press earlier this week he demonstrated he is on weight and is a very muscular 175-pounds. When asked if he thought a knockout win was a possibility for him, he didn't hesitate with an answer.

“There's a chance. I mean, I'm coming to win,” he declared. “I'm coming to win the fight if it's by knockout or if it's by decision. I will be the winner in that fight. I'm in great shape and I'm coming to fight. Roy knows it, everybody else knows it. If you've watched me fight before – I bring it – no matter what. Come Saturday night it's going to be a brawl.”


Lacy hopes to return to form on Saturday night against Jones. Another loss could spell the end for his boxing career.

If Lacy should lose to Jones it's difficult to see a viable future for him. He's already been relegated to fighting off television against top-30 types. He would be viewed as little more than fodder for young guys on the way up and for existing belt-holders looking to bolster their resumes with a name.

“This is a serious fight for me,” says Lacy in an understatement. “I've been taking this fight very seriously. Roy Jones is an eight-time world champion. I'm very up for this fight and that's what it takes for me. It's hard to get up for a fighter that don't really pose a stiff challenge. Roy Jones poses that challenge and that's the reason why I'm in the best shape of my life. On Saturday night I'm in there to knock some heads off and that's what I'm coming to do.”

So for Jeff Lacy, like the lyrics in the Van Halen song “Right Now” - there is no tomorrow. It's right here, right now.


August 2009