Mayweather-Marquez LA Press Conference Rundown

Covered the Mayweather-Marquez LA presser in Downtown today. Had a great time so here's the rundown on what went down.

11:38 - Leave my house and head to Target first to pick up some fresh minidv tapes.

11:43 - I'm listening to ESPN radio as they are talking about the Nuggets-Lakers series. Some guy predicts the Lakers win in 5 which even to me seems a little far fetched. In Six sounds more like it!

12:16 - I'm circling the LA Downtown Library where the presser is taking place and I'm trying to find a cheap place to park. The Library parking structure charges a ridiculous rate so after 3 go arounds, I decided to park at this parking lot 2 blocks down for $12.

12:36 - I park and make my way to the restaurant for the media lunch in. On my way I see a bunch of high school kids and they for some reason begin rolling one of their friends down the hill on the sidewalk. LOL

12:42 - My good friend Brian Hardy who does video for Maxboxing arrives and we talk while we wait for them to start letting the media in. I find out Brian is from Kansas and has lived in more cities than I have apartments.

1:04 - They begin letting us in. The set up for the conference is awesome. Its out in the courtyard of the restaurant and a big tv screen is next to the stage playing video promos for the fight. Being surrounded by the tall downtown high rises makes for a beautiful backdrop but its hard to ignore the blistering sun.

1:10 - I find a seat and put down my backpack and the foam finger we received at the door. Its a Tecate foam finger for Marquez which they were also handing out yesterday at the Fan Rally for him. I wanted one yesterday and now I had one. The heat is unbearable so I find refuge by going inside to get some grub.

1:17 - Brian and I get our food and boy does it look good. Its buffet style and I got some fish and steak which turned out to be extremely delicious. Gabe Montoya arrives just as I slice into my steak.

1:25 - Gabe rejoins us with a plate of food and by this time, another aquaintance named Ron has also joined us. We enjoy our lunch and discuss the fight at length among other boxing talk. We are sitting in the courtyard covered by a canopy. I'm dreading having to be in the hot sun once the conference starts at 2.

1:52 - I decide to leave the cool confines of the shade and get my camera ready. The crowd doesn't seem extremely large (still a good turn out) and I'm assuming most fans decided to go to the fan rally yesterday since they didn't want to miss work. I'm already sweating and this thing hasn't even started.

2:08 - The press conference begins and a promo vid of Marquez is shown first. The crowd is pro Marquez as they break into "Marquez! Marquez!" chants and cheer when the narration of the video says Marquez should've got a W for both Pacquiao fights. Marquez is introduced and the crowd receives him with an ovation as he walks out.

Now a promo vid is shown for Money and its actually pretty damn good. He's then introduced and while he got some boos, he also got some cheers. He looks calm and collected as he makes his way to the stage and all partipants take their seats.

2:15-2:50ish - After sponsor Tecate and HBO speak, Roger is introduced and entertains the crowd. When introduced, we are reminded Roger once held the moniker "The Mexican Assassin" and the crowd quicky fires back with chants of "Chavez! Chavez" which is hilarious. He goes back and forth with them in a playful manner and it makes for some good fun. He insists all boxing greats come from the midwest and that is the reason Mayweather will win among other things.

Marquez is then introduced by Oscar (in spanish none the less) and Marquez addresses the crowd in English. I think he's trying to appeal to the english audience and he does a fairly good job. Marquez reminds everyone he does his talking in the ring and is working very hard to make sure he moves up in weight correctly.

Next its time for Mayweather who is much more low key than he was for the presser in Vegas. He makes sure to say he loves and appreciates all the Mexican fans and promises to put on a great show and deliver a victory. When someone in the crowd yells "Pacquiao" Mayweather responds with "yeah, he's a good fighter too".

2:51 - After the face off the fighters are ready to address the media. The faceoff is mild compared to the one in Vegas but it draws cheers from the crowd. Since I was able to interview Marquez yesterday, I can concentrate on Floyd only today. I'm the first in line for an interview but as always, network tv is given priority. 2 big body guards guard the stairs. These guys are insanely huge and I would not want to get them upset.

3:05 - I'm finally let on the stage to interview Floyd but I talk to Leonard Ellerbe first regarding the possibility of seeing Floyd train in Vegas. I get his contact info and then I'm told to get my questions in to Floyd so I excuse myself from him.

As many of you know I'm a HUGE Mayweather fan so this is something I've been waiting for. Mayweather is a great interview and he smiles when I tell him 24/7 is his baby but it soon dissapears when he tells me he's not a villian though he clearly is.

3:15 - I exit the stage and the crowd is going crazy trying to get Floyd's attention. They chant "Money! Money!" as Floyd at times has no choice but to acknowledge them in between interviews as he smiles and nods in approval. I'm still stoked being able to talk to Floyd and then I see my The Ring buddies and they inform me they are waiting on Oscar which is who I'm looking for to get an interview.

3:21 - Oscar comes down and has agreed to give them an interview since, well, he is an owner of the The Ring. I ask if he would grant me an interview to which he nods but I'm still not sold. Luckily once he finishes, other people try to get his attention but he says "Hold on, I promised him an interview so I'm going to do it". I'm pleased and get my interview. I'm killing it today. Oscar reassures me he's fully retired and being able to promote is a good alternative. He also tells me the key to victory for JMM is the jab and JMM knows that and will be giving him plenty of tips. I'm pleased and thank Oscar again for hooking a brotha up.

3:31 - After my interview with Oscar I go back outside and see my boy LBJ (Lil Big Johnny). He's trying to get his stuff signed by Floyd who is now surrounded by print media so I go over and get more coverage. Some good info and Floyd is challenged and asked why a fight with Shane isn't/didn't happen. Floyd states Shane has never been an A side but refuses to say anything negative about Shane aside from that.

The media is told to wrap it up as Floyd is now being bombarded with gloves, posters, magazines and even the prementioned foam fingers to sign. The crowd once again begins a "Money" chant and Floyd gets up and quickly makes his way to the eager fans who have been waiting for him. He signs and signs and tries to get everyone while the other side of the courtyard is still filled with fans waiting for him to make his way to their side. For all the shit people give Floyd, he is truly grateful for his fans and goes out of his way to accomodate them.

I help my boy LBJ's lil sis get a mag and glove signed and I tell Floyd he's still the #1 P4P to which he smiles and says he appreciates that.

3:44 - Floyd now begins making his way across the courtyard to get to the other fans. His PR people call Leonard Ellerbe over and let him know they need to go to ESPN and are already late but Floyd continues to sign stuff for fans. Leonard says just a little more and they'll leave.

3:58 - I see Roger Mayweather talking to some of the crowd and being interviewed. Now Roger is just hands down a fantastic interview. He's crude, blunt and intentionally and unintenitonally funny. When he answer a questions with "I don't give a fuck", you know he's given some great material.

He's annoyed by an interviewer and then I begin asking him questions. Its fun and at times I'm giggling so much the camera jolts. He reassures me there is no love lost between him and his nephew or Floyd Sr. When asked who the best trainer is, he says he is. When reminded his brother has claimed that title he says "I don't give a fuck what he says" LOL

4:15 - Floyd is wrapping it up and I ask Leonard where I can get one of those sick Mayweather Promotions hoodies which Ernie liked. Tells me they will be on sale on the Mayweather website. I remind him I'll be calling him soon and I wait by the exit to get one last view of Floyd who is finishing signing stuff.

4:19 - As the path is clear for Floyd's exit, I make my move and say "Floyd, I'm a huge fan its a great pleasure to finally meet you" and Floyd gives me a handshake and a hug with a pat behind the head. I'm exctatic. Perfect ending to my day.

4:25 - I walk my friend LBJ and his sisters to their car and on my way back I pass the courtyard and Roger is still there giving fans autographs and talking to them. I think he's the last one there as Floyd and company are long gone. I'm wondering if they forgot him or if he has his own ride back.

4:30 - I reach my car and I'm happy with my coverage and experience as I get on the 101 freeway and listen to Jay-z's "I Did It My Way".

The Wildcard Part I

I've been covering Manny Pacquiao for his then upcoming fight with Ricky Hatton and its truly one of the best experiences I've had as a boxing fan. I decided to write down my experiences during and after the Pacquiao-Hatton fight as details tend to be forgotten as time passes. This will be a way to share my experiences with everyone else and most importantly, a way to remind myself of what I saw and how I felt.

Part I will be me covering Manny at the Media Open Workout, the 2nd part will be covering Manny privately with Steve Kim of Maxboxing and the 3rd part will be my experience at the fight.

Part I

I had been to the Wildcard Gym before to cover Manny Pacquiao for his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. In doing so, I became accustomed to the staff, the gym and the craziness that occurs during a media day for such a huge fighter as Manny. As always, I made sure I left my house early and arrived at the gym about and hour to 45 mins before Manny was set to arrive to avoid any problems. As I arrived, there was already media personnel waiting outside; apparently I wasn't that early.

Michael Moorer advised us all that they would clear the gym first before allowing any of us to go inside. As I stood around waiting and seeing fighter after fighter walk down the Wildcard stairs, I also noticed how hectic this parking lot really is. Many of you have seen it on 24/7 and Rob Peterson (Pacquiao's guard and parking lot enforcer) continued to tell people to move their cars and get the hell out of there. It looked like the 405 or 101 freeway @ 5pm.


They started letting people in so I quickly made my way up the stairs only to be stopped at the very top and told we had to wait. A bunch of people were already inside and Gerry Penalosa was sparring for his upcoming fight with Juan Manuel Lopez. It killed me not to be able to go in and film and watch this. Steve Kim, who happens to be very well known at the Wildcard so he has the luxury of being able to walk right in, came to the door and wondered if Manny would show up on time. I broke the news to him that I had overheard someone from Pacquiao's team say he wouldn't be there till about 1:30 (it was only noon) and he wasn't too thrilled to hear that.

Finally we're let in and I immediately go and reserve my spot near the ring where Manny would later be working out. As I do, Gerry is going his last round of sparring and he's throwing some bombs. I then notice Freddie is now being interviewed behind me so I get myself ready to get my 1 on 1. Finally get my turn and get a good interview with him; I'm very pleased with how it went. Asked him about their fight plan, if Manny was going to stay put @ 140, how he felt about Manny not having to fight a Mexican fighter since 2005, etc. Now its time to wait for the man of the hour, Mr. Manny Pacquiao.

Manny strolls in around 1:20 as camera flashes go off non stop and he heads into the small locker room to change. Writers are later let inside the room to get their questions answered and Manny then comes out and gets in the ring. The plan is to go around the ring where everyone is set up with their cameras and give quick interviews. It works very well as it goes quickly and everyone gets a chance to talk to Manny. Now Manny is probably one of the harder people to interview. He doesn't give you much and after a while, there's only so much you can ask him as everyone is asking him the exact same questions. After he handles his media duties, its time to get down to business.

Seeing Manny shadow box and work the mitts with Freddie right in front of me is still mind boggling. I feel privileged to be able to see a future hall of famer and all time great a few feet from me working and mastering his craft. He looks as strong as ever and fast as I can remember. When he lands some hard combinations on Freddie's mitts it sounds like gunshots going off. I have to wonder how hard it is for Freddie to absorb the impact of those punches especially given his condition but he holds up well. At one point Manny goes into a orthodox stance and I'm not sure many notice but I wonder if this is something they'll try during the fight. No breaks are taken as Manny looks like a beast landing crisp hard punches and listening to Freddie's advice. Eventually Freddie calls it quits and Manny urges he wants to go more but Roach shakes his head and takes off his gear.

He heads to the punching bag now and exits the ring. Now, Steve has told me one of the things he loves about Manny even more than sparring is how he works the bag. He said it really shows his balance, quickness and combination punching at its best. And boy was he right. Manny starts off slow and then picks up the pace and intesitiy and he is just going to town on the bag. So much so that a guy standing behind me has no choice but to say "goddamn" as Pacquiao throws blinding combos and moves around it so effortlessly. His time is up and Alex Ariza, his strength and conditioning trainer, gives him a swig of water.

I'm fortunate to get some great footage of Manny's mitt action and the heavybag. The Wildcard gym always feels like an inferno. Hot and muggy and having so many people in there definitely doesn't help matters. After the bag, Manny makes his way to the speed bag where I get some footage and then begin talking with 2 of the guys that work and cover for Ring Magazine. I always run into them at events and press conferences and today was no exception. We start talking about the fight and we're all pretty much in agreement that Manny is going to win. He looks too strong, too fast, too everything. By this time media begins leaving as they've had their fill and got their footage. Manny does some more shadow boxing and clowning around with his team.

My highlight of the day now occurs. I take a seat by the ring a bit exhaused and I see Freddie Roach turn down the radio as he obviously isn't too keen on Manny's choice of music (lol). I smile as I see him do it and he shakes his head letting me know he doesn't really like the music. Then, I ask him when Amir Khan will be in town and to my surprise, Freddie sits right next to me. He tells me Amir will be here in a couple weeks and as he tells me that, Fred Sternburg from Top Rank walks over and gives Freddie a letter to sign. I try not to read it but I glance over it and it turns out its a letter to Floyd Sr letting him know Freddie is the best trainer and its signed "The Best Trainer in the World, Freddie Roach".

Freddie breaks into laughter and tells me they plan to give this letter to Mayweather the next day at Hatton's open workout while the 24/7 cameras catch it. They're also sending him some type of present. Then the producer/director of 24/7 walks over and talks to Freddie about them going to see Mickey Rourke and apparently Rourke told them some interesting and funny stories about Freddie. Freddie talked about one that was pretty hilarious which I won't share here since I got the feeling it wasn't supposed to leave that circle. I felt like a giddy schoolgirl around this time but I knew when it was time to go so I told Freddie thanks for everything and told him I would be in contact regarding Amir Khan. Top notch guy, its no wonder he is loved by many.

I walked out happy and excited and saw a bunch of fans waiting outside waiting for Manny to come out to sign their gloves, posters, etc. I walked to my car remembering when I was the one waiting outside and now I'm actually working for a boxing site and having access to these fighters thanks to my good friend Ernie Gabion. I got in my car and drove past the gym where Manny had already made his way out and had a crowd surrounding him...what a day.

Part II Sneak Peek: I see Manny Pacquiao spar, talk to one of his sparring partner David Rodela (the one who Manny dropped with a body shot on 24/7) and go to the back of the Wildcard with Steve Kim for a 1 on 1 private interview with Manny.