(April 16, 2020) — This Saturday, April 18, will be a day of classic boxing on ESPN when the network airs 11 consecutive hours of the sweet science starting at 12 noon ET. This special presentation will showcase some of the greatest bouts of all time, including the epic trilogy between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali-Frazier I has never been aired before on ESPN platforms and has not aired on U.S. television in nearly 30 years (August 1991). 

In addition to the linear telecast, Ali-Frazier I will become available on ESPN+ beginning Saturday, joining the other two fights in the Ali-Frazier trilogy. Exclusively available to ESPN+ subscribers, it marks the first time ever that all three of the historic fights are available together on demand.

ESPN’s 11-hour Saturday programming initiative will begin at noon ET with Ali-Foreman and culminate with the Ali-Frazier trilogy, running from 7 p.m. to 11p.m. ET.   

The full lineup is as follows:

Ali-George Foreman (12:00 PM ET): Ali was a 4-to-1 underdog against Foreman, who entered the fight at 40-0 with 37 KOs and two title defenses under his belt. Dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the fight became iconic after Ali employed the “rope-a-dope” tactic to tire out and ultimately stop Foreman in eight rounds.

Evander Holyfield-Foreman (1:00 PM ET): Holyfield knocked out Douglas to win the heavyweight title and chose Foreman, 42 years old and four years into his comeback, for his first world title defense. Holyfield won a unanimous decision, but Foreman pushed the younger man for 12 rounds. “The Battle of the Ages” was a heavyweight title showdown for the ages.

Oscar De la Hoya-Julio Cesar Chavez I (2:00 PM ET): De La Hoya, the then-unbeaten Mexican-American superstar, was seeking a world title in a third weight class against the beloved Chavez, who entered the bout with a 97-1-1 record. Chavez lost his super lightweight world title in four lopsided rounds, as a severe cut and a busted nose caused by De La Hoya punches forced the ringside doctor to stop the fight.

De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad (3:00 PM ET): Trinidad and De La Hoya were a combined 66-0 entering the welterweight title unification bout, which at the time was the most lucrative non-heavyweight contest in boxing history. Trinidad came on strong in the later rounds to eke out a controversial majority decision, a verdict that still sparks heated debate among fans. 

Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns (4:00 PM ET): Quite simply, one of the greatest fights in boxing history. Round 1 is perhaps the greatest round in boxing history, and in less than three rounds of brutality, Hagler and Hearns cemented their status as legends of the sport. Hagler made 12 defenses of the middleweight world title, while Hearns won world titles in five weight divisions over a nearly 30-year career.

Mike Tyson-Trevor Berbick (4:30 PM ET): The beginning of a legend. Tyson knocked out Berbick in two rounds to become the youngest man (20 years old) to win a heavyweight world title.

Tyson-Larry Holmes (5:00 PM ET): In a matchup of youth versus experience, Tyson needed only four rounds to knock out Holmes, who entered the fight having not fought in nearly two years. Holmes held the world heavyweight title from 1978-1985, made 20 successful title defenses and is considered to be among the greatest heavyweights who ever lived.

Tyson-Michael Spinks (5:30 PM ET): Tyson earned lineal heavyweight champion status with his 91-second destruction over Spinks, who first defeated Larry Holmes in 1985 to win the recognized heavyweight title. Spinks edged Holmes in their 1986 rematch and defended the lineal title twice more over the next two-plus years before running into Tyson.

Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay 1 (6:00 PM ET): On Feb. 25, 1964, the unthinkable happened when Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, entered the ring as a clear underdog to face heavyweight world champion Sonny Liston. Clay claimed the victory after Liston, one of the most intimidating fighters ever, quit on his stool, after the 6^th round.

Ali-Frazier Trilogy (7:00 – 11:00 PM ET): In their first battle, since then known as “Fight of the Century” on March 8, 1971, Ali and Frazier were both undefeated gold medalists with legitimate claims to the heavyweight title in a nation torn apart from Vietnam when they stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden. A vintage Frazier leaping left hook planted Ali on the canvas in the 15^th round, as he closed the show in style to win a unanimous decision. Ali and Frazier met again three years later in 1974, with Ali avenging his loss in a hotly contested rematch that cemented the fierce rivalry.

“Thrilla in Manila,” their third and final fight, turned out to be the most brutal fight of Ali’s and Frazier’s careers. Ali and Frazier split their first two matchups, and the two went to war. After 14 rounds, Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, stopped the fight. Neither man was ever the same, and the greatest rivalry in boxing history had reached its conclusion.  

ESPN+ also features a library of hundreds of the most important fights in boxing history, as well as recent Top Rank on ESPN fight cards for replay, all streaming on demand. The historic fights on ESPN+ include legendary heavyweight showdowns like Ali vs. Frazier III, Ali vs. George Foreman, Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, Tyson vs. Holmes, Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney, Max Baer vs. James J. Braddock, Ali vs. Sonny Liston I & II, Wilder vs. Fury II and many more.  

ESPN Boxing Schedule (All Times Eastern)

This Tuesday, April 7, will be a night of heavyweight legends on ESPN2 when the network airs a special programming lineup featuring classic heavyweight fights. The seven-hour encore presentation will showcase some of the greatest heavyweight bouts of all time, including Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III, Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield vs George Foreman.

The action will begin at 7 p.m. ET with back-to-back presentations of three of Ali’s most memorable battles – Ali vs Foreman, Ali-Frazier III and Ali vs Leon Spinks II.  

At 10:30 p.m. ET, fans will be treated to a special replay of four legendary Tyson bouts, including Tyson vs Trevor Berbick, Tyson vs Larry Holmes, Tyson vs Michael Spinks and Tyson vs Douglas.   

The action will conclude at 1 a.m. ET with the 1991 thriller between Holyfield and Foreman.  

Ali-Foreman: Ali was a 4-to-1 underdog against Foreman, who entered the fight at 40-0 with 37 KOs and two title defenses under his belt. The historic fight, dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle,” became iconic after Ali employed the “rope-a-dope” tactic to tire out and ultimately stop Foreman in eight rounds.  

Ali-Frazier III: Ali had defended his title three times since upsetting Foreman, and the “Thrilla in Manila” turned out to be the most brutal fight of Ali’s career. Ali and Frazier split their first two matchups, and the two went to war outdoors under the sweltering Manila sun. After 14 rounds, Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, stopped the fight. Neither man was ever the same, and the greatest rivalry in boxing history had reached its conclusion.  

Ali-Spinks II: Seven months after being upset by the 1976 Olympic gold medalist, Ali got revenge, won a 15-round unanimous decision and became the first man to win the heavyweight world title three times.  

Tyson-Berbick: The beginning of a legend. Tyson knocked out Berbick in two rounds to become the youngest man (20 years old) to win a heavyweight world title.  

Tyson-Holmes: In a matchup of youth versus experience, Tyson needed only four rounds to knock out Holmes, who entered the fight having not fought in nearly two years. Holmes held the world heavyweight title from 1978-1985, made 20 successful title defenses and is considered to be among the greatest heavyweights who ever lived.  

Tyson-Spinks: Tyson earned lineal heavyweight champion status with his 91-second destruction over Spinks, who first defeated Larry Holmes in 1985 to win the recognized heavyweight title. Spinks edged Holmes in their 1986 rematch and defended the lineal title twice more over the next two-plus years before running into Tyson.  

Tyson-Douglas: Perhaps the greatest upset in boxing history, Douglas, a 42-to-1 underdog, knocked out Tyson in 10 rounds at the Tokyo Dome. Tyson had made nine title defenses before Douglas shocked the world.  

Holyfield-Foreman: Holyfield knocked out Douglas to win the heavyweight title and chose Foreman, 42 years old and four years into his comeback, for his first world title defense. Holyfield won a unanimous decision, but Foreman pushed the younger man for 12 rounds. “The Battle of the Ages” was a heavyweight title showdown for the ages.  

ESPN+ also features a library of hundreds of the greatest fights in boxing history streaming on demand, as well as more recent Top Rank on ESPN fight cards for replay. Among them are legendary heavyweight showdowns like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Ali vs. George Foreman, Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes, Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney, Max Baer vs. James J. Braddock, Ali vs. Sonny Liston I & II, Fury-Wilder II and many more.  

HEAVYWEIGHT boxing legend George Foreman insists Daniel Dubois is the future of the heavyweight division.

The former world champion and one of the most feared punchers in boxing history has been wowed by the devastating power of Dubois.

Big George cannot wait to see how British boxing’s latest KO King Dubois (11-0, 10KOs) gets on in Saturday’s (July 13) vacant British heavyweight title clash against slickster Nathan Gorman (16-0, 11KOs) at London’s o2 Arena.

Foreman has been following Daniel’s career from his Texan home and gave him ‘The Punching Preacher’s’ seal of approval, roaring: “I can’t see many opponents standing up to him for many rounds.

“It is obvious that Daniel Dubois will walk the trail of fame that only true heavyweights punchers can travel to.”

Foreman first won the world heavyweight title against Joe Frazier in 1973 and reclaimed it almost 21 years later in 1994 when he knocked out Michael Moorer and at the age of 45 became the oldest ever world heavyweight champion.

And of course, he took part in the most famous boxing match in history, ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ when he was defeated by Muhammad Ali in 1974.

Foreman lending his support is a boost for Londoner Dubois ahead of what is one of the most intriguing domestic heavyweight title clashes for years.

Recent polls among fight fans have seen a surge in support for Nantwich’s Gorman to beat the young Londoner.

It is a fight not to be missed either in person or live on BT Sport this weekend.

Tickets for ‘Heavy Duty’ featuring Daniel Dubois v Nathan Gorman for the vacant British Heavyweight Title, plus Olympic silver medallist Joe Joyce v Bryant Jennings are on sale now. The show also features British Middleweight champion Liam Williams who clashes against France’s former European champion Karim Achour for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight crown. Super-flyweight sensation Sunny Edwards meets Mexican Hiram Gallardo for the vacant IBF super-flyweight title. WBO super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp risks his crown against Jordan McCorry. Returning after an impressive debut is Kent bantamweight Dennis McCann. Hamza Sheeraz, Mark Chamberlain, Jake Pettitt,, Mickey Burke Jr and Florian Marku add to an exciting line up and tickets are available via AXS.com, Eventim and Ticketmaster and are priced as below:

£300 – Hospitality
£200 – Floor
£150 – Floor
£100 – Tier/Floor
£75 – Floor/Tier
£50 – Tier
£40 – Tied

George Foreman on how his relationship with Ali evolved:

“It was the last of the ’70’s, I believe 1978, Muhammad Ali, I do not know how he got my number because he avoided me, he didn’t want to give me a title rematch. He called and complimented me for about 20 minutes then he said ‘George, would you do me a favor’, he knew I liked him, I said, ‘certainly.’ He said, ‘Please come back and beat Ken Norton and fight him for me. They are going to strip me of my title and I can’t beat him George you can. He’s afraid of you. I’ll let you use my training camp and everything but please come back and beat him for me.’

“That day forward we became the best of friends and we starting talking on the telephone. He’d call me, I would try to run him down wherever he be. We had these religious conversations. His children became good friends with my children. That is where the love affair began –right there at the end of the ’70’s.”

On losing to Muhammad Ali in 1974 – “The Rumble in the Jungle” and did Foreman beat the count?:

“The count was short. My trainer told me to get up. When I got up the fight was over. I thought I beaten the count myself but everybody jumped into the ring I said, ‘It must be over’ and I had no questions about that. And you know for good reasons I am glad I didn’t beat the count because he surely would have put it on me then.”

LONDON (8 JUNE) Unbeaten heavyweight star Hughie Lewis Fury believes a potential rumble with IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua would bear a striking similarity to the night Muhammad Ali bemused and broke George Foreman in Zaire in 1974.

Twenty-one-year-old Fury, set for a tune-up bout on July 9 in Manchester, is currently recovering from illness, but, once back to full fitness, has his sights set on returning Joshua’s IBF title to the Fury family.

“I think when Joshua steps up to a higher level he’ll come undone,” says Hughie. “Joshua knows he can hit, he knows he’s one-dimensional and his team know all he needs is a stationary target, guys who can’t move. That’s why he looks good. That’s why he gets his knockouts. But put him in there with anybody who knows how to jab, move and actually box and I think he’ll look clueless very, very quickly.

“Let’s go back to the time when Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman. Everyone said Foreman was going to destroy Ali. They didn’t give Ali a chance. But look what movement did to power that night. After a few rounds, Ali took control and made Foreman look clueless. You can’t hit what you can’t see.

“I’m not saying I’m Ali, and I’m not saying Joshua is Foreman, but I think the same thing would happen to Joshua if he fought me. He’d be left hitting thin air and would get frustrated and exhausted.”

Though Fury, 20-0 (10 KOs), is happy to grab any of the available heavyweight titles, when he’s good and ready, he seems particularly irked by the way Joshua claimed his current belt.

“Joshua’s got very good management and he’s on a good rise,” says Hughie. “But I don’t class him as a world champion. He hasn’t fought anyone. He was gifted a belt. He didn’t win it. Tyson (Fury, cousin) had the belt taken off him and then Charles Martin won it because some guy (Vyacheslav Glazkov) got injured. The whole situation was a disgrace. It seems like anybody can get a belt these days.

“Charles Martin came over here, as a so-called world champion, took a shot, sat down and was smiling as he was counted out. That’s no world champion. Even if you’re no good, you at least put up a fight and give it a go. Put your heart and soul into it. At least then you have a bit of respect for the guy. But for him to go out the way he did was pathetic.”

The passing of Muhammad Ali on Friday night in Scottsdale, Arizona served as yet another reminder that they don’t make them quite like they used to. And Fury, a fan of Ali since he was a child, admits most of what he knows was taught to him by the The Greatest.

“He was an inspiration to us all,” he says. “I’ve always looked up to and admired Ali, especially in his fight with Foreman. That has always been one of my favourite fights to watch.

“That’s my style; movement and speed kills power. You don’t need to be the biggest puncher in the world. Even Muhammad Ali said that. You need to be clever and you need to be fast. I know I’m not a huge puncher, but I’m quicker and have more ring intelligence than these other heavyweights. It’s what is going to get me to the top.”

*** For tickets to REPEAT OR REVENGE: Fury vs. Klitschko 2, please visit eventim.co.uk or call 0844 847 8000 ***

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NEW YORK (March 2, 2016) – SHOWTIME Sports rolls out its third installment of a year-long salute commemorating 30 years of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING in March with “Legends’’.

This month will be highlighted by legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Felix Trinidad, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez and George Foreman. Seven of the most unforgettable and important fights from these legends – some of which have seldom been re-aired since their live presentation – are available now on the network’s on demand platforms and will air will air on “Throwback Thursdays” in March at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

The Thursday, March 10 presentation of Marvin Hagler vs. John Mugabi airs exactly 30 years after the final win of Hagler’s Hall of Fame career on March 10, 1986. Hagler vs. Mugabi was the first main event to ever air on SHOWTIME®.

The classic fights, which are also are available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s standalone streaming service, will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer.

Below is the schedule of SHO EXTREME premieres for the month of March:
Tomorrow, Thursday, March 3: Terry Norris vs. Sugar Ray Leonard
Thursday, March 10: Marvin Hagler vs. John Mugabi
Thursday, March 17: Felix Trinidad vs. David Reid
Thursday, March 24: Ricardo Lopez vs. Rosendo Alvarez II
Thursday, March 31: Iran Barkley vs. Thomas Hearns I, George Foreman vs. Gerry Cooney (10:15 p.m. ET/PT), Gerald McClellan vs. Julian Jackson I (10:30 p.m. ET/PT)

New York, NY (February 17, 2016) – MSG Networks (NYSE: MSGN) continues the special 20-part television event “The Garden’s Defining Moments” presented by SAP with “Marciano defeats Louis.” “The Garden’s Defining Moments: Marciano defeats Louis,” narrated by Ben Stiller, premieres Thursday, February 18 at 11:00 pm on MSG Network, following MSG’s telecast of Rangers \ Maple Leafs. Interview subjects include Mike Tyson, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., Ed O’Neil, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and more.

Marciano, a young undefeated fighter from Brockton, Massachusetts stepped into Madison Square Garden’s famed ring to take on the “Brown Bomber” for the heavyweight championship of the world in a fight that would go down as one of the most memorable moments in Garden history. Louis was a fading star, and Marciano represented the future of the heavyweight division. Marciano landed a left hook followed by an overhand right in the 8th round that sent Louis crumbling through the ropes and brought the fight to a dramatic end. Marciano wept in Louis’ dressing room after the fight; he had just knocked out his hero.

Quotes:

Mike Tyson on Joe Louis:
“Joe Louis took super stardom to another level. He was really the first super star fighter besides Jack Dempsey. He was one of the first African-American guys that could be marketed nationwide and everyone loved him.”

Mike Tyson on Madison Square Garden:
“You know when you had fought at Madison Square Garden you had made it. You had to be an exciting fighter, it was just like show business you wanted the people to say ‘when am I going to see that fighter again?’”

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini on Joe Louis:
“A lot of guys didn’t want to fight him, they kept the title away from him as much as they could. Finally they couldn’t deny him and they had to give him a shot against James Braddock.”

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini on Rocky Marciano after the fight:
“Many people have said that Rocky had cried after. He was crying in the ring and was crying in his dressing room and he cried that night. Because he knocked out his idol, Joe Louis, but again that is part of the boxing game.”

Sugar Ray Leonard on Madison Square Garden:
“When a fighter gets a chance, an opportunity, to fight at Madison Square Garden people know that you are on a journey. They know that you are the hot prospect, a contender, and maybe one day, a champ.”

George Foreman on Rocky Marciano:
“With Marciano, you’d get ready, the bell would ring and the punches would not stop until the bell would ring.”

Joe Louis Barrow Jr. (Son of Joe Louis) on Joe Louis:
“The fact that he defended his title some twenty-five times and held the title for twelve years was a mark of Joe Louis.”

Joe Louis Barrow Jr. on the fight:
“It was his final fight for sure, but it was the ending of a career in such a way that was sad.”

About MSG Networks Inc.
MSG Networks Inc. is an industry leader with two award-winning regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network (MSG) and MSG+, as well as the live streaming and video on demand platform, MSG GO. The networks are home to nine professional sports teams, delivering live games of the New York Knicks; New York Rangers; New York Liberty; New York Islanders; New Jersey Devils; Buffalo Sabres; Major League Soccer’s Red Bulls and the Westchester Knicks, and exclusive non-game coverage of the New York Giants. Each year, the networks collectively telecast approximately 700 live sporting events – which also include college football and college basketball from top conferences – along with a full schedule of critically-acclaimed original programming. The gold standard for regional broadcasting, MSG Networks has won 129 New York Emmy Awards over the past eight years. More information is available at www.msgnetworks.com.

By Norm Frauenheim

Six days after George Foreman’s birthday, four days after Joe Frazier’s birthday and the day before Muhammad Ali’s birthday, the heavyweight division will attempt another rebirth Saturday in Brooklyn with Deontay Wilder in a title defense on a Showtime-televised card that includes a bout for a vacant version of another acronym-sanctioned championship.

Birthdays or astrology or coincidence might suggest that January is a promising time for the heavyweights. But the only chart that matters is the ongoing one that says the division has been receding faster than a glacier.

It hasn’t exactly vanished. Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs), who defends his WBC title against mostly-unknown Spzilka (20-1, 15 KOs), shows promise with great athleticism and intriguing power. There are moments when he looks like a big version of Thomas Hearns.

He figures to beat Spizlka, an unknown Pole who has even less experience than he does. Spizlka decided to take up boxing on the urge of a promoter who saw him in soccer brawl outside of a Polish nightclub in 2008.

Nevertheless, Wilder’s relative inexperience leaves skepticism, impossible to dismiss. Despite an Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, he’s a newcomer. The 30-year-old Wilder didn’t start boxing until he was 20.

It makes you wonder how he would do against Russian Alexander Povetkin (a 2004 gold medalist at the Athens Olympics) or Luis Ortiz, who learned his way around the ring in Cuba’s amateur system. Povetkin and Ortiz were schooled in the game’s subtleties at an age when skill becomes instinct.

The unbeaten Wilder likes to say that potential rivals have to enter “the athletic department.’’ Fair enough. He’s stronger and more agile than most. But instinct is critical, especially in the face of heavyweight power that can stop a fight within fractions of a single second. It’s there when a big shot short-circuits the ability to think. We’ve yet to see whether Wilder can react in that brief, yet critical moment of adversity.

Yet, Wilder still appears to be the one heavyweight who can restore attention on the division in an era about to unfold – ready or not — in the wake of Tyson Fury’s November upset of Wladimir Klitschko.

Klitschko’s heavyweight reign, almost a decade long, was a run of reliability. Predictability, too. But it eliminated a critical element. There were no rivalries. There was only Klitschko.

Rivalry creates interest. Draws an audience, too. That’s the great lesson of Ali, Frazier and Foreman, each also an Olympic gold medalist. Ali turns 74 on Sunday. Foreman was 67 on Jan. 10. The late Frazier would have been 72 on Jan. 12. Their birthdays are worth celebrating. They represent chapters in a time still unequaled.

Ali-Frazier became a historical reference point for every rivalry in and out of sports since their trilogy (1971, 1974 and 1975). Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the NBA’s Ali-Frazier. The Yankees and Red Sox were baseball’s Ali-Frazier. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were tennis’ Ali-Frazier.

By its very nature, rivalries come easy in boxing. It’s the one-on-one drama, which in part was re-created by Magic and Bird. During the Ali era, there was more than one, mostly because of his charisma, salesmanship, brinkmanship and mouth. The Floyd Mayweather model rules today’s business. To wit: The most money for the smallest risk.

It enriched Mayweather, yet left longtime fans and new customers frustrated. The public demand got whipped up into a lotto-like froth for Mayweather-Pacquiao. But Mayweather’s fight was a dud. The rivalry, past its prime, was a figment of social media’s imagination.

But Ali’s rivalries were real because of his willingness to take repeated risks. During the last couple of decades, film and song have memorialized Ali’s 1974 victory over Foreman in Zaire. Over time, that one fight has gained as much historical significance as Ali-Frazier.

Can it ever happen again? Doubtful. But mid-January is as good a time to try as any.

Yesterday (April 28), two-time World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman was on CBS Sports Radio’s “The Doug Gottlieb Show” with host Doug Gottlieb, where he talked about the Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight on Saturday, May 2nd in Las Vegas. Below are some highlights from the interview:

On the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather Fight:
Talking honestly about what he thinks about “The Fight of the Century”, Foreman said: “This is major… boxing deserves something like this… I’m just happy the fight is happening, and it’s happening right now. Because everyone will get a chance to see what they wanted to see. If it had happened five years ago, there would have been some too young to enjoy [and] some old enough to say, ‘Hey, there was better days.’ But now everyone’s hungry for the matchup of the century. [These are] evenly matched fighters. It’s a fan’s fight, and it should be. It’s big.”

Foreman continued later on in the interview: “That’s true… [Mayweather’s] got everything to lose. But boxing was invented for the underdog – for the smaller guy who doesn’t have a chance – to come up with a way to beat the bigger, stronger guy. That’s why I give it to Pacquiao. The sport was invented… for the lesser.”

On Advice He would Give Pacquiao:
Gottlieb asked what advice Foreman would give to Pacquiao for this match: “Hey, just win this round,” Foreman said. “Every time you come back to the corner, you sit down on the stool, wave the towel over him and don’t say anything. The bell rings, go get him again. Do the same thing you did the first round all the way through the sixth or seventh round, and you’ll win.”

Full audio from the interview can be found here.

Mark Taffet Welcome everybody. Thanks for joining us this afternoon for the HBO “Mayweather/Pacquiao: Legends Speak” Conference Call. We have our special guest today, one of the all-time great legends and Hall of Famer, George Forman.

George has been in more super fights than many of us frankly have actually attended or watched. He has mega fight credentials like no one in history. Back on October 30 of 1974, the world stopped and watched as George Foreman had his epic fight against Mohammed Ali from Zaire and I am particularly proud to say that George fought Evander Holyfield in HBO pay-per-view’s very first fight back on April 19, 1991, and it was a night that all of us will never forget.

I can’t think of someone who might shed more genuine insight and perspective into what type of preparations Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are going through as they get ready for the May 2 mega fight and George was gracious enough to sit on a roundtable panel a few weeks ago that we conducted for a really, really special show appearing Saturday night called, “Mayweather/Pacquiao The Legends Speak.”

That panel included George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins, and Lennox Lewis who participated respectively in the Foreman Ali fight in Zaire. Hopkins trended that fight at Madison Square Garden for the middleweight championship right after 9/11 and Lennox Lewis’ fight against Mike Tyson from Memphis in 2002. They will be joined by Max Kellerman as a moderator on that panel and we will also have on that show the five men who fought both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. That’s Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, and Shane Mosley.

So now with no further adieu, I want to remind you that that show “Mayweather/Pacquiao The Legends Speak” is going to air Saturday night immediately following our big heavyweight championship showdown from Madison Square Garden with Wladimir Klitschko taking on Bryant Jennings which starts at 10pm ET on HBO. We’ve only got George for a short time so we’re going to let him take over from here and speak a little and take questions from you. So let’s get started.

George, do you have anything to say? You want to just keep a little bit of an overview of what it’s like being you and going through the history we talked about?

George Foreman: Yes. It’s really good and I was really happy to be part of the panel to kind of describe because it brought back old memories I thought I had put to rest especially with the big fight of Mohammed Ali, George Foreman in Zaire and what it felt to be the one guy who knows what it’s all about to be undefeated and fight for the championship of the world for a guy who has been defeated more than once. I had that perspective and know what it feels not only to be in that position but to be knocked off that pedestal, not only lose the title, but to win with the (unintelligible).

I’ve been a fighter who’s been defeated. So with the panel, I will ask questions like that and how do I feel it’s going to go. The bigger puncher or the better boxer. I had all kind of thoughts on that and I was able to express swiftly with the HBO show coming up. So if you guys would like to ask any questions on how I feel about it…

Question: Hi. Thank you for putting me on the call. It’s quite a pleasure to talk to George Foreman. I have a couple of questions for the champ. Hello George.

George Foreman: Yes sir.

Question: Assuming Wladimir Klitschko beats Brian Jennings, and I think it’s the prevailing belief that he will, regarding Klitschko in his place in boxing history George, is he overrated, is he underrated? How should American fans in media think of his place in heavyweight championship history? They seem confused.

George Foreman: Confused is what it’s all about. Klitschko has had a good career. A lot of his fights have been out of the country as though he hasn’t even been invited into the real heavyweight picture in the United States. He’s a good fighter. You can’t talk about him unless you can beat him and it doesn’t seem that there’s anyone around who can truly beat him. The guy is good enough to be heavyweight champ of the world. No one can take that away from him unless you beat him. That’s all I can say. Words can’t dethrone him.

Question: George, why do you think Americans have lost interest in heavyweight boxing in the heavyweight championship? I mean, things are clearly not how they were when men like you, Ali, Fraser and the rest of those icons were active. What’s happened?

George Foreman: No. I mean, it’s like a vacuum cleaner for outer space. We are looking for heavyweights. We are searching everywhere. Looking under beds and under the rocks. Looking for great heavyweights. There just aren’t any around and if there were, we could take over but for some reason everybody’s got the glamour of all the other sports. Basketball, football, baseball has taken over but boxing will be back. Heavyweights will come on the scene and you won’t have to worry about who is heavyweight champ of the world. His name will ring loud but it will be an American.

Question: What do you think about Shannon Briggs still sticking around fighting, sticking around boxing, particularly at that advanced age, his social media campaign against Wladimir Klitschko? Real life – it seems like he’s stalking him in real life. Can he be the George Foreman of his time? He certainly claims to be. Can he regain the title?

George Foreman: I don’t think he was very good when he was real good and now he’s not very good. I guess you can read that but it’s nice to have an American heavyweight we can talk about. I can tell you that so let it be.

Question: Right and George, just one other thing. What do you recall about a possible Mike Tyson fight that might have taken place with you and Mike Tyson back in 1991 what? I think that was when the window was most open. The fight didn’t happen. Why?

George Foreman: In that strange because some things evidently are not meant to happen. To punchers meeting in the middle of the ring, neither one is looking to retreat or backpedal, that would’ve been one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time. Great heavyweight. I mean, no jabbing, hiding out of the way, coming to us, I wish it had happened for boxing sake, but glad it didn’t happen for my own safety.

Question: Hey George Foreman. Pleasure to be on the line with you. Appreciate you taking the time my friend. My question is very direct. Who is going to win May 2, Mayweather or Pacquiao and how?

George Foreman: I picked Pacquiao to win six rounds and I think the seventh round will be even. Mayweather comes only but because he starts slow, it’s going to be too late. If you’re looking for some good judging, this fight will be one by one round over by Pacquiao on point.

Question: Maybe by – maybe by a single round. So the judges are going to screw it up. Is that right George?

George Foreman: If we’ve got good judges this time, it’s go Pacquiao – Mayweather starts off early kind of looking for his timing and this guy actually – Pacquiao will pop shot him and get ahead on points and he’ll stay ahead. He’ll slow down later on and Mayweather will take on the more aggression but he doesn’t have a right hand. He’ll hurt his right hand. He can’t get a knock-out. So he’ll just have to cruise on in and win or lose the fight just by a couple of points.

Question: Alright. A couple of points and you expect it to be a good fight, or a great fight, or will it not be able to exceed expectations?

George Foreman: I think for those who really are pure, the laws of boxing, it’s going to be a fantastic, amazing boxing match. One that is going to live up to all the hype. It really will.

Question: Will live up to all the hype. Excellent and last one sir. We tried to build our narratives as writers. A lot of people are trying to portray this is good versus evil. Mayweather likes to brag about his money a lot, show big stacks of bills and in a world in which there so much poverty, a lot of people find that to be repulsive. I’m wondering do we writers make too much of that trying to build up the good versus evil narrative or is there actually something to that?

George Foreman: There’s never been a great fight without the writers taking on and finding an identity for it. That’s probably what has happened boxing. Writers are not writing about us big boys anymore and I tell you right, however you feel, take something, find it, and use it because American needs something to read about. Not to see on television, but to read about. Let the writers take over.

Question: Let the writing take over.

George Foreman: Yes.

Question: Excellent. I’m saying that to the masses and all the social classes. I appreciate it George. Be well.

George Foreman: The only thing that Mayweather has going for him, and I’m going to tell you, he’s an American.

George Foreman: He’s got that going for him and nobody can take that from him.

Question: You kind of touched on it earlier. The division, in particular, has become very international. Klitschko hasn’t really fought in the US. I think maybe a big part of it has been the breakup of the Soviet Union and allowing all of these Russian fighters to be in a division that might not have participated before. I guess my question is do you think this internationalization, for lack of a better word of the sport, is a positive for boxing even if it’s become less popular in the United States

George Foreman: Yes. It’s the best thing that ever happened to boxing. All of the international guys that come in, all the talent from around the world, it helped boxing to make it great and everybody’s going to be on the edge of their seat watching the outcome of this fight because of the international flavor. It’s great for boxing and wherever hunger is, you’re going to have the best fighters. There seem to be more hungry guys from Russia

Question: I’m just wondering how often you have had a chance to see Jennings fight and what’s your assessment of his skills and his advantages?

George Foreman: Don’t know much about them. Wish I knew more about him but it’s going to really take someone special to dethrone Klitschko. It’s just – the guy is tall and believe me, a lot of people don’t understand that he’s the product of America. Emanuel Stewart teamed up with him and taught him how to stay on the jab and let him study it this guy is not really what you call an international fighter. He has cloned the American style. He’s got it.

Question: Hey George. It’s such a pleasure talking to you. Big fan. Connected to the Mayweather and Pacquiao a little bit earlier. What does a counter puncher, a pure counter puncher like Mayweather have to do against a busy puncher like Pacquiao to win?

George Foreman: The story of a counterpunch is that they are not going to do anything until you do something. It’s like, throw your punch. He said, wait because I’m waiting for him to throw his first. That’s why with a counter puncher against Pacquiao, you’re going to have to throw hard shots because you’ve got to get him dizzy and go for the finished two or three times and that’s what Mayweather is going to have to do. He can’t wait and hit later on. He’s going to have to throw combination and seek – you’re not going to get a knockout that easy but try anyway early on to stay ahead on point.

Question: We’ve seen Mayweather in the past often quite up and raise his shoulder up and use that defense and then kind of perform surgery on his opponents and pick them apart in later rounds. Do you think that can possibly work against Pacquiao and all his movement?

George Foreman: Well, he can only raise his shoulders and use that counter punching if somebody is attacking. Pacquiao is really a pop shot artist. He jabs you, moves to the side, sticks his head in, throws a punch from different angles. It’s hard to really get a counterpunch in or it’s not that easy on the guys he’s been facing. Mayweather is by far a defense of genius but believe me, to win these rounds, you’re going to have to become an offensive technician.

Question: Good afternoon George. I just have one question. You feel that too many comparisons are being made for the super fight of Mayweather versus Pacquiao to where their places in history instead of on the merits of the fight itself?

George Foreman: I think it’s a wonderful thing. We really like the idea to resurrect those old guys from the past. Keep it going. Keep comparing. I mean, comparing us. I mean, the families of Sugar Ray Robinson, the families of Joe Lewis or whoever. All these names are thrown out there and it gives us a chance to live again. I think the comparisons are good although this is a great fight by itself

Question: Hey George. Thanks for having us. Really quick – just sort of the premise of this call. I wanted to ask you what it’s like to be a fighter in a fight of this magnitude and you’ve been in that with Ali in Zaire and this is the biggest fight of the century. As a fighter, what is it like to be involved in this for these guys do you think?

George Foreman: This is probably for both Pacquiao and Mayweather the most lonely hours they’ve ever had in their life because you can train, you can have 1,000 people around you, but there’s no one truly to talk this over with. You’ve got to spend a lot of time within yourself. I remember that so much in those big fights how lonely it was because there is a conversation that can be discussed. No one can – you can only talk it over with you, inside you, and the bigger the fight is, the greater that conversation in the greater you have to go inside of yourself. It’s lonely. It’s more than lonely.

Question: Hey George. Hopping back in queue. I wanted to get your take on Floyd Mayweather not backing off of what he said a couple of days ago. He said, yes, he’s the greatest of all time. He’s the best ever. He said, Ali, yes he was great but he only did it in one weight class. I wanted to get your take on that. What are your thoughts?

George Foreman: Mayweather – and this fight, everything that he says amounts to be like one of those guys in church saying, ‘amen, amen,’ and the more he says it, the more you want to ‘amen’ him and become friends with him. Maybe he will loan you a couple of bucks.

The guy is that good. Even if you don’t like him, he’s good enough for you. I mean, you’ve got to be very good to have someone dislike you.

Mohammed Ali, George Foreman, we’ve had our day. I mean, look, we can’t do anything to help the future of boxing matches. Mayweather can. We’ve got to cheer for him. If that’s what he needs to do his talk, great.

Question: Hello George. You talked in an earlier question about the loneliness factor. I’d like to talk about something similar which is the pressure that the two fighters must be feeling. How did you deal with the pressure of the eyes of the world upon you and how do you think Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao are doing dealing with the pressures upon them right now?

George Foreman: I think Pacquiao has a little better because he’s already picked as the underdog. There’s not a whole lot of pressure on him but once you ever get into a boxing match of this nature and you’ve never lost before, you wake up in the morning, your heart is beating, you go to bed with a fast beat. You’re nervous. There’s so much pressure on Mayweather. More pressure probably than any athlete around right now because he’s undefeated so to speak.

Question: How devastating do you think a loss would be to Mayweather at this point in his career?

George Foreman: Once you’re – I was in that position when I lost to Mohammed Ali. It wasn’t like I lost the title. You lose your perspective of who you are as a human being. This could really knock him out that’s why I don’t think there can easily be a rematch if Mayweather loses because you have to go out into the mountains somewhere, the hills somewhere, to try to find himself all over again. This could devastate him as a boxer, not as a man, but as a boxer, this could devastate him, a loss.

Question: So I guess the potential for a rematch would be, in your eyes, not likely if Mayweather lost. Would you see a rematch if Pacquiao was the loser?

George Foreman: Mayweather is still in the driver seat. It wouldn’t change things much. That’s why it’s very important that Pacquiao takes advantage of this being the underdog. Here are, a great fighter like he is, and underdog. All he has to do is be himself and win that fight through every round, one after another, and if he doesn’t, then he’s going to put on a good show because that’s all he knows. So he went to matter what.

George Foreman: Guys, make sure you have a lot of fun. Remember boxing is in its heyday all over again. I’m happy. I’m just so happy for boxing

George Foreman: Thank you.

By Norm Frauenheim

Drivers pass the Lonnie and Muhammad Ali Pavilion Center near downtown Phoenix all the time. It’s just another building at an intersection full of people en route to and from work, school and the mundane. But on Thursday it was something different.

If you looked up and saw the name that overlooks the traffic from its location at the northeast corner of a busy neighborhood, you were taken back to a day 40 years ago. Call it an intersection of time and place. A crossroads with history.

The anniversary of Ali’s eighth-round stoppage of George Foreman on Oct. 30, 1974 in Zaire has been recalled by those who were there and those who weren’t. My favorite is a column from columnist Jerry Izenberg, who was there.
http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/10/forty_years_ago_muhammad_ali_shocked_george_foreman_and_the_world_in_the_rumble_in_the_jungle_and_i.html

Reading Izenberg made me wish that I had been. Instead, I saw it as rookie sportswriter on closed-circuit in Jacksonville, Fla.
It was captivating then. It still is. It has stayed with us. It is an enduring piece of the public imagination, recalled vividly by those who were there and remembered by those of of us who saw it in black-and-white on tiny screens in dilapidated arenas. I’m not sure that anything in High-Def will ever be remembered the way Ali-Foreman is.

Floyd Mayweather Jr, has made a claim on being The Best Ever with his TBE caps and T-shirts. But will anybody recall his rematch victory over Marcos Maidana 40 years from now? Didn’t think so.

Forty years later, Ali and Foreman are a current lesson in what TBE really means. They were fearless, or at least courageous enough to fight despite countless reasons to be afraid of each other. They were willing to do it on the other side of the world in a locale as unpredictable, potentially volatile and exotic as any. It was a universe away from the MGM Grand, which in hindsight makes it that much more profound.

There was a price and a reward, but it not in the way it might have looked in the immediate aftermath of a right-hand lead that Ali landed in a stoppage heard-round-the-world.

For Ali, the victory ensured him of being the global icon he is today. As you drive past his name on the Pavilion that houses The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center four decades later, however, you wonder whether the punches he absorbed from one of history’s most powerful heavyweights in in so-called “rope-a-doe” tactic contributed to his condition.

Doctors never link the punches to his Parkinson’s. Yet in the public imagination, the collective mind’s eye, that link is always there. I still remember a moment with the late Joe Frazier. He was in Indianapolis during the 1996 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials for a lunch that the USOC threw to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his 1971 unanimous decision over Ali at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A film of that fight was playing in the corner of the ballroom. I asked Frazier about Ali’s condition.

“You see that left hand?’’ Frazier said as he pointed at the screen just as his potent left crashed into Ali’s face. “That’s why he is the way he is.’’

It was harsh. It was cruel. It was honest. It was 180-proof, an undiluted mix of what boxing has often been called: Life in a shot glass.

Ali, whose speech has been robbed by the terrible disease, has never complained about what the sport might have done to him. It was something he chose to do. The risk was known then. Today’s medical technology has told us more about the dangers that come with concussions. But even forty years ago, fighters knew they were walking straight into the jaws of potential harm. Ailing fighters have always been there, broken-down evidence of what can happen.

But Ali has used his condition and celebrity to further research into the disease that knocks down anybody it strikes. He and his wife, Lonnie, have devoted their time and energy to battling Parkinson’s at The Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. He appears at spring-training games or Suns game while staying at his winter home in Phoenix. People gawk at his condition. They talk. But he’s there, as fearless now as he was 40 years ago.

Then, there’s Foreman. The loser 40-years ago has undergone an amazing transformation. In Zaire, he was as intimidating and scary as Mike Tyson once was.

A favorite story comes from Bill Caplan, Foreman’s longtime friend and the best publicist anybody could ever have. Ali arrived in Zaire as the good guy. He was staying at a string of viilas along a river that Zaire President Joseph Mobutu had built for himself.

Foreman played the opposite role. He was the bad guy, which was exemplified by a German Shepherd that reminded people of the dogs they feared when they were under Belgian rule. He had reservations at a Spartan-like military post.

“A stockade with barb-wired fences, guards and everything else,’’ Caplan said.

Caplan recalls that one day Foreman decided to pay promoter Don King a visit at the InterContinental Hotel. But King wasn’t in an ordinary room. When Foreman knocked on the door, he discovered King was in the Presidential Suite.

“George told Don, ‘You’re moving out and I’m moving in,’ “ Caplan said.

King didn’t argue.

He even got rooms at the InterContinental for Foreman’s entourage of 21 people.

Few argued with Foreman in those days. Few argue with him today, but for a different reason. The onetime bad guy has become as likable as anybody. A senior citizen, he’s become the genial grandfather everybody wants to be around. His hamburger grill made him a lot richer than any fight purse ever did. Younger generations remember him more for the grill than they do for heavyweight titles.

In the end, he’s thankful for the chance to have fought Ali, whom he calls a legend bigger than boxing. His loss to Ali put him on the path to who he is today. Ali’s victory turned him into an icon, yet at a steep price

For Ali and Foreman, that day 40 years ago was a personal intersection. Personal, too, for a lot of us who are reminded of it every time we travel through it.

Brent Bowers, the long-time chief sparring partner and cornerman for the great George Foreman, says he has helped Houston heavyweight Skipp “Strictly Business” Scott find the true potential of his punching power.

Scott (16-1, 10 KOs) will be looking to exert his newly improved power when he faces Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington (11-0, 8 KOs) in the 10-round co-main event on Thursday, April 3, when Golden Boy Live! presents “Night Of The Heavyweights,” a tripleheader of heavyweight action on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes, from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

In the 10-round main event, unbeaten Cuban Luis Ortiz will take on long-time top contender and world-title challenger Monte Barrett and, in the televised opener, 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale will face veteran Nagy Aguilera.

Tickets for Night Of The Heavyweights, priced at $25, $35 and $45, are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

The towering Scott, who stands a massive 6′ 8″ has put together a Texas “Dream Team” of trainers for his big showcase, including Bowers, who spent many years learning from Foreman, one of the heaviest punchers in boxing history.

“The one problem he (Scott) was doing offensively was he didn’t have the proper snap in his shots,” said Bowers. “He was relying on his strength too much. We were really able to improve his power by getting him to put that snap in his punches and start twisting his leg properly. Even with the guys I’ve been in the ring with and worked with, I would still say Skipp Scott is a very hard-punching heavyweight.”

Bowers, who has sparred over 500 rounds with “Big George”, in addition to working with several other world-class heavyweights over the past 29 years, says he tweaked Scott’s defense as well.

“I noticed he was keeping his right hand in front of his face, instead of to the side, so we got him to stop doing that. His defense is much improved as well. He’s going to be a vastly improved and much more powerful version of himself on fight night. People will be surprised, most of all his opponent.”

Bowers says the fight with Washington will be the true test of Scott’s ability to utilize what he’s been shown. “He’s very good. He’s got the ability and he can become a champion. After this fight, we’ll know exactly where he’s at. This is his time to show everyone what he’s made of.”

On fight night, Scott’s corner will be manned by legendary Hall-of-Fame Trainer Jessie Reid and well-respected Houston boxing staple, Aaron Navarro.

“Night Of The Heavyweights” is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and O’Reilly Auto Parts. The Fantasy Springs Event Center doors open at 4:00 p.m. PT and the first fight starts at 5:00 p.m. PT. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

The Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is located at 84-245 Indio Springs Drive in Indio, California. For more information on Brent Bowers, please visit apboxing.com. For more information on Skipp Scott, please visit Keeppunching.com.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 14, 2014) — Former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR., his opponent, Top-Five contender and tough Texan BRYAN VERA,Houston’s former World Lightweight Champion JUAN DIAZ, Hall of Fame Promoter BOB ARUM, Zanfer Promotions’FERNANDO BELTRAN, two-time heavyweight champion GEORGE FOREMAN and ARTHUR PELULLO,President of Banner Promotions, will host a news conference announcing the eagerly-awaited rematch — Chávez Jr. vs. Vera II — This Thursday! January 16, in the Alamodome (Stadium Floor – South end.) Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. CT with the news conference beginning at 2:00 p.m. CT.

The press conference will be open to the public.

Media may park in Lot A, located at the South side of the Alamodome, and enter through the tunnel entrance at the arena’s South side near the back loading dock.

Chávez (47-1-1, 32 KOs), of Culiacán, México, making his 2014 debut in his first fight in San Antonio in over two years, and Vera (23-7, 14 KOs), of Austin, TX, will go mano a mano again in a super middleweight bout that both combatants vow will settle the score from their controversial September 28, 2013 fistic debate which was won by Chávez Jr. Chávez Jr. vs. Vera II will be televised live from the Alamodome, Saturday, March 1 on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and 2013 Prospect of the Year, VASYL LOMACHENKO (1-0, 1 KO), in only his second professional bout, challenging World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion ORLANDO SALIDO (40-12-2, 28 KOs), of México. Diaz (38-4, 19 KOs) will continue his comeback bid in the featured bout on the non-televised undercard.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Banner Promotions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, tickets to Chávez vs. Vera II go on sale This Friday! January 17, at Noon CT. Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25 (plus applicable taxes and fees), can be purchased at the Alamodome box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.banner-promotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo,facebook.com/banner-promotions or facebook.com/hboboxing , and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/bannerboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.

LAS VEGAS, NEV (November 18, 2013) — Boxing’s royalty will be in Las Vegas this week talking about the historic 12-round welterweight showdown between Fighter of the Decade MANNY PACQUIAO and former world champion BRANDON RIOS. Broadcasting throughout the day Live from the Palazzo Waterfall Atrium inside The Palazzo Las Vegas — sister property of the The Venetian Macao, the resort site hosting Pacquiao vs. Rios — Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22, 13 national and regional radio shows will be interviewing a boxing’s Who’s Who — in-person, including Hall of Famers George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Pacquiao rivals Marco Antonio Barrera and Timothy Bradley, Rios’ professional nemesis Mike Alvarado, and former world champion Ray Mancini.

The appearance schedule is as follows:

Thursday, November 21
· Timothy Bradley, undefeated two-division world champion who dethroned Pacquiao last year to claim his WBO welterweight title. Claimed his first world title in England, dethroning WBC super lightweight champion and hometown favorite Junior Witter.
· Marco Antonio Barrera, former three-division world champion who fought the majority of his fights outside his native Mexico, including two fights with Pacquiao.
· Mike Alvarado, the former WBO jr. lightweight champion who is 1-1 against Rios.

Friday, November 22
· George Foreman, former two-time heavyweight champion. Fought all his world title fights outside the U.S. during his first title reign.
· Sugar Ray Leonard, former five-division world champion who had one fight outside the U.S. — against Roberto Duran in Montreal — where he lost a unanimous decision — and his welterweight title to Duran.
· Roberto Duran, former four-division world champion who fought the majority of his major fights outside his native Panama.
· Ray Mancini, former lightweight champion who fought outside the U.S. once, in Italy, winning a narrow decision to retain his title.

“While the fight takes place in China, we want U.S. fight fans to be treated to the same real time experience they enjoy for all pay-per-view mega-fights,” said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View. “With the star-studded group of fighters, the breadth of the radio stations broadcasting live, and the television and print interviews which emanate from Las Vegas, we will be able to provide a constant flow of news, information and entertainment which U.S. boxing fans can engage on their time. Additionally, the press conference and weigh-in from Macau will take place live at times which are convenient for the U.S. audience; and of course the live fight telecast on Saturday night November 23rd will take place at the usual time of 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.”

The seven boxing superstars will be discussing their experiences — the victories and the losses — when they fought on foreign soil as well as their analysis of the upcoming Pacquiao-Rios battle. Both Barrera and Bradley have first-hand knowledge of what Rios should expect from Pacquiao and what Rios will need to do to have his hand raised in victory in just five days. The same is true for Alvarado, who has tangled with Rios in two Fights of the Year. .

Promoted by Top Rank® and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, Warner Bros. Pictures “Grudge Match,” and Eva Airlines, Pacquiao vs. Rios will take place Saturday, November 23, at The Venetian® Macao’s CotaiArena™. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

For Pacquiao, this marks the pound-for-pound box office monarch’s first fight outside the U.S. since his 12-round super featherweight unanimous decision victory over former world champion Oscar Larios in 2006, which took place in the Philippines. Rios, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters, has only fought outside the U.S. twice, in México, winning a 10-round split decision over Ricardo Dominguez and knocking out Daniel Valenzuela in the second round in 2008 and 2009, respectively. .

HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured 17 Sports Emmy® Awards, is providing an all-access pass to Pacquiao vs. Rios. The final episode of “24/7: Pacquiao/Rios” debuts Thursday, Nov. 21 (10:00 p.m.), just two days before the welterweight showdown.

The Venetian and The Palazzo will be the only resorts in Las Vegas to offer the live closed-circuit broadcast of Pacquiao vs. Rios. The bout will be available for viewing inside The Venetian Ballroom and at Lagasse’s Stadium. Doors open at 5 p.m., undercard fights begin at 6 p.m. Tickets for The Venetian Ballroom are $50. Food and beverage minimums apply for Lagasse’s Stadium. Tickets: 702-414-9000.

Las Vegas residents will still be able to order the live HBO Pay-per-View telecast in their homes.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, and twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacRios to join the conversation on Twitter.

BOB ARUM: Welcome to the new global age, where fights take place around the world and promotions kick in as if we were still in Las Vegas. On Thursday and Friday we will have Radio Row broadcasting live from the Palazzo Waterfall Atrium inside The Palazzo Las Vegas resort. Thirteen national and regional radio shows are participating and we’ll have a whole host of great fighters from the past – guys who made this sport what it is today and as popular as it is today. George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Ray Mancini, Marco Antonio Barrera; and the stars of today — Tim Bradley and Mike Alvarado — in-person being interviewed on their views on Pacquiao vs. Rios and talking about their experiences fighting outside their own countries. The world is becoming a very, very small place. This event in Macao is making a huge impact in Asia and around the world. I thank all of the participants on today’s call, A lot of them have fought abroad throughout their career and you can ask them about their experience fighting in multiple time zones from where they trained.

Tim, what can Brandon Rios expect from Manny when he gets in the ring?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: First of all, he should expect to see Manny Pacquiao being very quick and very elusive and lots of feints in this fight. Manny Pacquiao dropped a lot of feints on me and it kept me off balance as far as shots. He is very difficult to hit at times too because he is always angling out. He’s coming in, he’s out, he’s angling out to the right or to the left. That’s what Brandon Rios should expect. He shouldn’t expect Pacquiao to come right at him. He is going to have to expect a lot of angles in this fight. Rios, if he is going to have a chance to beat Pacquiao he is going to have to close the distance. He is going to have to get close, stay close and punch. Pacquiao has a tendency to stay on the ropes with his hands high and stay in position to allow opponents to punch him at times and that will work in Rios’ favor. Rios likes to bring the pressure and throw uppercuts and body shots and I think that’s how he’s going to be effective in this fight. If he’s out too far, he’s doomed. If he can close the distance, he’ll be OK. And expect Pacquiao to come right back too … he has to have really good defense after he punches. And if he does that, he’ll be successful but if he allows Pacquiao to move on him and find angles … Manny has power in both hands, he can hurt you. I know Rios can take a punch but this is not Mike Alvarado – he is facing Manny Pacquiao who has speed and power.

George, you won your first title out of the country and defended it out of the country – what should Rios expect since he is making the long trip?

GEORGE FOREMAN: It’s going to be rough and that’s all there is to it because you can say to yourself ‘I am accustomed to it’ but you can be there for a month. I have been there for two weeks – it’s just not going to help you. You wake up at the wrong times. You eat at the wrong times. Pacquiao, because he lives in that area, boy it’s probably going to be a shut out if he is on his game at all.

Fighting in the morning – can you get over that – after being used to fighting in the evening?

GEORGE FOREMAN: It’s a challenge because like I said, it’s a thing you can’t control. It’s your body. Forget about the mental showdown. It’s a physical showdown. You really have to pick the fight out of the guy at 8 in the morning – it’s just not going to be the same.

Ray, Rios will be attacking and Pacquiao is coming off the knockout – do you think that will affect him?

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: What Brandon Rios needs to do is not let Pacquiao forget about what took place in his last fight. Rios has to jump right on top of Pacquiao, because what happens is when you get knocked out in the fashion that Pacquiao was knocked out, it becomes like an Achilles heel. But if there is anyone that could block that out, Pacquiao is definitely the guy to do that. This fight depends on whose game plan, who dominates the other, takes control early in the fight.

Roberto, when you fought Ray Leonard, Ray was a huge star and very popular. Rios is now fighting a huge star that is very popular with the people. How does that play in the fight?

ROBERTO DURAN: First of all, the stars live in the sky. On Earth, everyone is an equal. Yes, Manny Pacquiao is a well-known star and he is not finished by any means. He is embarrassed by the Marquez loss and he feels that he needs to redeem himself. Brandon Rios needs to be very careful because I once was knocked out and I came back and won the title so by no means can you count Manny Pacquiao out – he is a very dangerous fighter. Brandon Rios needs to be intelligent in the ring, protect himself at all times because he doesn’t know where these hits are coming from. Manny Pacquiao is not finished in my eyes and I still believe he is one of the world’s most dangerous fighters in the world. I just give some advice to Brandon Rios – go in and attack and don’t be afraid and don’t hesitate because he can win if he fights intelligently. Manny Pacquiao is still a very dangerous fighter.

Do you feel the fighters will have a difficult time getting acclimated?

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: Getting acclimated is one of the biggest obstacles along with facing Manny Pacquiao. In fact, Roberto Duran really described it and put things in perspective about what he said about this fight. Pacquiao is not finished even though he was knocked out in a viscous manner. If there was anyone that has the ability to come back, both physically and psychologically, it’s Manny Pacquiao. So Rios, having to become acclimated to being there, even though he is there now, it does take time. It’s an intriguing fight.

ROBERTO DURAN: I don’t think he’s going to have any problems as long as he is not extremely overweight and having to worry about losing a lot of pounds. I think Brandon will be just fine as long as he gets there in time. I have never been out that way so I can’t really say how it is but I think he will be just fine acclimating to the time zone.

BOB ARUM: Manny’s problem is not the weight in the sense that he has to eat five meals a day. A couple of weeks ago when I was in General Santos City he was down to 143 pounds – 4 pounds below the weight. Brandon has been used to fighting at 140 now he is fighting at 147 so he has no problem with the weight. So at least for this fight we don’t have to worry about the guys being overweight when they hit the scales.

Could you each make a prediction on the fight?

GEORGE FOREMAN: I think it’s going to be a 12-round decision and I give Pacquiao the hometown decision. How about a home-region decision.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: I think Pacquiao will win although I give Rios a shot, a big shot. It’s not going to be an easy fight. I’m picking Manny because he is Manny Pacquiao.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I’ve got Manny Pacquiao by a mid to late round KO. Eight rounds.

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA: I think it is a complicated fight for both of them. You have Brandon Rios who comes straightforward and will apply the pressure on Manny. Then you have Manny who moves around the ring very well and picks and chooses his spots and comes at different angles and is a very strong fighter with a lot of speed. It’s just going to be a tough fight for both of them.

How do you think Manny can deal with the distractions of the typhoon?

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: I want to offer my condolences first and foremost, and my prayers, to the victims of that horrible disaster. But Manny is a fighter and a warrior. He can – he will have to – block out everything and have tunnel vision going into the ring against Brandon Rios. I say intriguing because it’s a big question mark over that ring. Who goes into the ring that night with the mindset of winning and not thinking about other things.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I have had some things in the past during training camp, but Manny has a job to do and he needs to take care of his job first. Then after that he can go back and take care of everything else he needs to.

GEORGE FOREMAN: Just before I fought Michael Moorer there was a big tragic flood right here in the Houston area and I had to wade through waist-deep water to rescue my family. There were many deaths. But when it came time to put on the boxing trunks – it all disappeared.

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA: Distractions play a big deal and in many Pacquiao’s situation, say if you train 100%, distractions could take away 40% of the training of all the work that you put in. Manny has to concentrate on one thing and that’s boxing. He does have responsibilities with the typhoon and everything, which makes it harder, but he can’t separate himself from being a boxer. If he tries to be a politician and a boxer at the same time, he’s going to be in trouble. In Brandon, he is facing the toughest and the most important fight of his life. That’s the type of fighter Manny is going up against, so I just say that Manny better be 100% focused as a boxer for this fight.

Freddie Roach said Pacquiao should retire if he loses, what do you think?

GEORGE FOREMAN: I think the hardest thing for any boxer is to retire. It takes a phenomenon really (laughter). You almost have to pull him [a fighter] out of there. We don’t like to retire. I don’t think that’s going to be in his mind and even if it was it will disappear quickly.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: It’s the hardest thing, like George said. After a loss, you try to fix that. You try to repair that. As a fighter, you go back. You go back time and time again. Even if you win, because that win becomes seductive – you go back. I wish both guys the very best.

Did you think about retiring after your first fight against Roberto Duran in Montreal?

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: I contemplated it, naturally, because of the physical fight. It was so physical and it just didn’t feel good. I went home and went on vacation and cleared my head and came back. It all depends on how you lose that last fight. That plays a significant role in your decision-making.

Do you think Pacquiao will fight Mayweather if he wins?

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: Pacquiao-Rios, that’s what is important to Manny Pacquiao right now.

What do you remember with your first fight with Pacquiao?

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA: What I do remember is fighting a guy I knew nothing about and a very explosive fighter. What I remember about other than losing the fight was he really beat me with the body shots. He was an extremely quick fighter that I was not prepared for. More than anything, Manny Pacquiao gained a lot of respect from the fans by beating me. Other than that, he continued his success – and by beating bigger guys. He threw logic out the door because everyone thought that a guy in a smaller weight would never beat a heavier guy. Manny Pacquiao has made himself a star and gave smaller fighters the idea that ‘hey, I can make it in the bigger weights.’ That’s the type of fighter that Manny Pacquiao is.

Bob, of all the international events you promoted, which one stands out the most?

BOB ARUM: The one that sticks out and is most comparable because it takes place in the same time zone is the Thrilla in Manila when Muhammad Ali faced off against Joe Frazier. That fight took place the same time that the Pacquiao-Rios fight will take place – around Noon Manila time. It was one of the greatest fights I have ever seen in my life. These guys went at it and Eddie Futch wouldn’t let Joe Frazier come out for the 15th round and Muhammad won the fight. What I remember most was going outside the Coliseum after the fight was over – we had just seen this unbelievable fight and the sun was the brightest that I have ever seen it and it was almost as if everyone was blinded by the daylight and it was one of the most memorable experiences I ever had in my life. It’s now almost 50 years from that date and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

What do you think Rios’ biggest concern should be?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I think the biggest concern should be that left hand of Pacquiao. Pacquiao has a huge left hand. He feints a lot and tries to lure you in. He will probably let Rios get off first. And he’s going to make him pay for every mistake he does. Rios has a tendency to lunge in so he better be careful because the left hand is definitely coming over the top so he better be aware of it. I told my manager Cameron Dunkin to let him know to stay away from that left hand.

Do you think Manny can overcome that knockout?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Absolutely – you saw me in my last fight and I overcame a brutal fight with Ruslan Provodnikov – I took a lot of punishment in that fight and suffered a concussion. I bounced back and I fought smart. I got hit with some shots in that fight and I was OK. The big thing is styles – styles make fights. We all know that and Rios definitely has a style that suits Manny Pacquiao – he comes forward and he’s face-first. He doesn’t care about defense. He gets his with big shots. But what Rios has to understand is that he never took a shot from Manny Pacquiao, who throws them with either hand. I’m telling you, I’ve been in the ring with this guy and what’s special about him is that he throws combinations and every shot is a death blow. Every shot is hard. Rios is going to have to be on his P’s and Q’s. Rios is a big puncher and I know he comes to fight but I think he’s a tad too slow for Pacquiao and I don’t think he has the power in his punch either, so…

What do you think about staying on your diet when you go overseas?

GEORGE FOREMAN: When I went to fight everything was cooked in the same fashion that as I received it when I was home. Maybe a little better so that won’t mean anything. Just like home but maybe a little better. When I went to Macao, the food was great. It was great.

BOB ARUM: George was over in Macao a couple of times and the food at the Macao was first class. It’s mostly western. Steakhouses, buffets all western food. I don’t think the food will be a problem for Rios and certainly not for Manny. I know Rios had a chef with him and I know Manny will have a chef with him. They both have suites that have kitchens so they can prepare their own food.

Ray did you bring your own chef?

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: Well yes, I brought my mom and dad. Home cooked meals and never a problem.

Marco, you had to move your training camp for your first fight with Pacquiao – did it affect your training?

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA: First I would like to say I am not making any excuses – Manny Pacquiao beat me clearly. Because of the distractions, I probably trained a total of 20 days for that fight. The first distraction was there was a fire in Big Bear and we had to evacuate training camp. Then after that I had to get evaluated – get my head checked by my surgeon in Houston – and that delayed some of the training camp as well. There were distractions but it just goes to show that you have to stay focused and how much distractions will really affect the outcome of a fight.

Tell us about your China fight…

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA: What I remember most about that fight was asking myself, ‘do I stay in boxing or retire?’ I remember that there were a lot of boxing fans in China and they treated me really well. There are a lot of fans out there and Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios will both see that. The Pacquiao-Rios fight will be very entertaining for the fans. Two great fighters clashing.

In closing…

BOB ARUM: I want to thank all the fighters for being on the call. I leave for Macao tomorrow. I am looking forward to this event. It has world-wide significance and I hope that everyone enjoys Saturday night November 23rd because they are going to see a great show.

GEORGE FOREMAN: I look forward to a great fight. Both guys know this is a showdown for their career. I am going to make certain that everyone I know sees it because it’s going to be a great fight. I was distracted, that’s why I lost [in Zaire.]

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA: I know it’s going to be a great fight – an explosive fight. A fight of styles and styles make fights. It is going to be a brand new type of public out there that is going to enjoy a great show. Americans and Mexicans, to them I say, do not miss this fight – it is the fight you want to see.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: I just want to tell Bob that I want to be there next time.

BOB ARUM: We are going to continue to do big shows in Las Vegas but this is a new market in Macao and China and so we’ll be back on an number of occasions. Mark your calendar Ray, February 22nd is going to be the next big show at The Venetian Macao.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: I am marking it down right now. I feel that Pacquiao is going to surprise the majority, even being knocked out the way he was it could be over, but it’s all about the mind. Pacquiao has incredible mind and confidence and conditioning. Rios is not just coming in to play – it’s going to be an incredible fight.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I came into the Pacquiao fight in the best shape of my life. I trained extremely hard for that fight. I remember it being around the 4th round – I was exhausted – after four rounds! I am in the best shape of my life and I am exhausted. Pacquiao drops so many feints on you and he keeps you so tense – he hits hard with both hands – you always have to be alert and it drains you as a fighter. With that being said I hope that Rios is ready for that because Pacquiao will make it seem like he’s coming in and he’s not. I think it’s going to be explosive and Bob Arum is giving the fight fans another great fight and another great promotion and for all the fans in China – I wish it was on U.S. soil – enjoy this great show that Top Rank is putting on and I can’t wait to see this fight – it is going to be exciting.

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Promoted by Top Rank® and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, Warner Bros. Pictures “Grudge Match,” and Eva Airlines, Pacquiao vs. Rios will take place Saturday, November 23, at The Venetian® Macao’s CotaiArena™. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

For Pacquiao, this marks the pound-for-pound box office monarch’s first fight outside the U.S. since his 12-round super featherweight unanimous decision victory over former world champion Oscar Larios in 2006, which took place in the Philippines. Rios, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters, has only fought outside the U.S. twice, in México, winning a 10-round split decision over Ricardo Dominguez and knocking out Daniel Valenzuela in the second round in 2008 and 2009, respectively. .

HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured 17 Sports Emmy® Awards, is providing an all-access pass to Pacquiao vs. Rios. Episodes two and three of “24/7 Pacquiao/Rios” premiere in prime time this Saturday, Nov. 16 (9:30 p.m.) and next Thursday, Nov. 21 (10:00 p.m.), just two days before the welterweight showdown.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, and twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacRios to join the conversation on Twitter.