Manny Pacquiao has brought attention to boxing yet again, but this time, I’m not sure it’s the way he intended. He recently made headlines with his opinion on President Barrack Obama’s support of gay marriage.

It was this Examiner story that either incorrectly attributed the bible verse Leviticus 20:13 to Pacquaio, or just seemed to attribute it to him based on how it was written.

The author, Granville Ampong, wrote a detailed story that Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum discounted because it wasn’t written by an actual boxing journalist. The paragraph that Ampong is getting heat for is below:

Pacquiao’s directive for Obama calls societies to fear God and not to promote sin, inclusive of same-sex marriage and cohabitation, notwithstanding what Leviticus 20:13 has been pointing all along: “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”

Pacquiao has denied the quote, telling the AP that he didn’t say it and Mr. Ampong followed up in a second post that he added the verse, not Pacquiao.

Pacquiao also tried to restate his view, talking to Mario Lopez on Extra.
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Pacquiao is in quite the jovial mood.

O’Kane adds Prizefighter title to Commonwealth gold

I said going into this one that the Prizefighter format was made for guys like Eamonn O’Kane – a fighter of ability, but one who needs to be fast tracked. What I didn’t mention however was the pressure he was under to deliver. No opportunity comes without risk, and for a celebrated prospect like O’Kane, there was massive risk involved. At 30 years old and still only a handful of pro fights, he simply couldn’t afford any slip ups. For his career to push on forward, he had to come through this and he did.
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I didn’t post about the UFC on Fox 3 show last night because I didn’t get to watch it until today. It was a fun show, but more of a hardcore MMA fan kind of show. All four fights were entertaining and hopefully, the show made Nate Diaz into a bigger star before a more casual audience. I’ve always enjoyed Nate more so than his brother Nick. I’ve been around both guys with other media before and Nate is simply more likable. Nick is really guarded and untrusting while Nate seems like he understands how to play the game better.

More thoughts from this weekend:

- I wrote about Floyd Mayweather and what might be next for him after his jail stint for Popblerd. After writing about that last night, I think Canelo Alvarez might be next because of Oscar De La Hoya’s comments that he thinks he’s ready. But I’m not so sure about Mayweather fighting above 147. Duan agrees, but thinks it might’ve just been a good night for Cotto.

Duan said:

Floyd showed a great range of skills and an ability to adapt and fight in different styles. I don’t think that weight suits him still and I think he should steer clear of it in future. Although part of the reason he didn’t look as good at times was because Cotto was boxing so well.

- In fact, I’d love to see Miguel Cotto face Canelo next. That’d be a great fight.

- Kevin Iole thinks Mayweather’s next fight should be against Andre Ward. What? I like Kevin a lot, but man, I’d steer clear of Andre. He’s way too big.

- I was disappointed that Canelo didn’t put away Shane, but as one of the guys I follow on Twitter mentioned, he probably didn’t want to put someone away who once and may still have some stock in Golden Boy, or a future boss even. And Shane was all heart last night.

- Back to the UFC, I think it’s fine for Nate to wait to fight the winner of Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar later in the year. Though, a fight between he and Anthony Pettis could be tremendous. Both guys deserve their shot.

- This UFC on Fox 3 show looks to have done a pretty bad rating. But that’s not unexpected based on the card.

- I really hope Josh Koscheck’s eye isn’t going to continue giving him problems. While I don’t think he beat Johny Hendricks, it was a competitive fight and I’d hate to see him have to retire because of his eye.

- I’m not really feeling the next UFC heavyweights show. The main event was once must-see, but with Frank Mir replacing Alistair Overeem, it’s now not so much.

If you want a quick analysis of the fight, Duan wrote a good preview to the fight earlier today.

Yesterday, Mayweather was an 8-1 favorite. I’m not sure what the line is right now.

Walking down the ring with Floyd is Triple H and Justin Bieber. Only Floyd.

Let’s just say that Cotto’s posse has more ushers than bodyguards.

R1
Cotto threw the most big shots, but didn’t land any of them and Mayweather outlanded him by jabbing. Mayweather’s round, but no one was in any sort of trouble. Just feeling each other out.

R2
Pretty good round. Cotto was able to trap Mayweather against the ropes and land some leather. But Floyd outlanded him on counter shots with his back against the ropes. Cotto’s right hand is telegraphed. Floyd’s landing his right hand too.

R3
Cotto gets his first round. Mayweather stood right in front of him, either thinking Cotto can’t hit him, or that he can’t hurt him. He kind of gave away the round. Cotto hit him with jabs and nice rights.
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How much does Shane Mosley have left? Probably not a lot. But is he slick enough to make Canelo look badly? Mosley has had issues pulling the trigger of late, and if that’s still the case, he’s going to be eating some left hooks tonight. I don’t want to see Sugar go out on his back, but it could happen. I hope for a good showing for both guys.

Shane Mosley vs. Canelo Alvarez

R1
Not much action in the first. Alvarez didn’t throw a punch for the first 30 seconds. Mosley threw a lot of jabs. I’d give the round to Canelo as he started to hook to the body and landed the only real heavy shots.

R2
Strong round as both guys were throwing heavier shots. Canelo started to open up with hooks and uppercuts, but Mosley looked strong too. He’s letting his right hand go.

R3
Not a good round at all for Mosley. Canelo outlanded him at least 3-1. Mosley looks slow and tired already and he didn’t let his hands go at all. Their heads clashed at one point which opened Canelo up.
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