DOB: September 15, 1950 In: Chicago, IL

First Boxing Memory: ”Was watching Sugar Ray Robinson and Wayne ‘Thunder’ Thornton and all those fighters that were on the Friday Night Fights, listening to Don Dunphy do the broadcasts at around nine, ten years old. And watching that with my dad (Sol). He passed away when I was 11 and those memories of watching those fights were very important to me.”

Last Book Read: ”Just read Pac Man by Poole. Just before that I read – can’t remember the title – it was written by Peter Bogdanovich. It’s a compilation of all his biographies of all the famous stars and people in the movie industry and it was really good.”

Favorite Movies: ”Big western fan. Silverado. Tombstone. Red River. Gunfight at OK Corral. I could name 30 westerns. A Big Country is another. This is where I’m gonna fall off the sled with everybody that watches me – Fried Green Tomatoes. One of my top movies of all time. I am hooked on chick flicks. The reason I’m hooked on it is, I have to say, they’re the movies more often where you get dialogue and plot and whatever, because there’s no action, there’s nothing burning. I like action movies too.”

First Job: ”At the newspaper Chicago Today. Worked as a copyboy and got to write some stories for them when I was in college.”

Current Car: ”Pacifica. I have an 11 year old. You need space for things.”

Greatest Sports Moment: ”Oh boy, probably doing the Corrales-Castillo fight. It was the perfect confluence of one of the best fights I’ve ever announced and the show felt extremely good to me.”

Most Painful Moment: ”I’ll tell you a painful moment. I didn’t know it at the time. But a fight where I was badly reviewed and probably justifiably so – the pay per view of Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield. Great fight, very dramatic, I thought I had done a good job on it. But in retrospect, I hadn’t, because I overtalked the event. Way too fired up for it, way too prepared. And it’s the only major fight where I got three or four really bad reviews on. So that was the most painful.”

Funny Boxing Memory: ”The old ESPN days were filled with them. One was we had a blackout in the arena – two or three times – and in those days – it’s not like now – where you have a studio show to go to, you had to fill in. Finally they figured out where to send you. That was crazy. Then there was one I walked off camera accidentally at the close of a show. They went to a different shot over us. This producer didn’t do it. And Sal Marciano was saying good night and I was busy taking myself off and when they came back on camera I was walking off the shot. And Sal said, We’ll be in Atlantic City next week and there’s Al getting a head start [smiles]. So that was pretty funny.”

Strangest Fight: ”Mike ‘The Bounty’ Hunter had three or four that were so odd, so strange, that you can’t even categorize that. Just bizarre. Then, on a bigger level, I thought Fan Man was the weirdest thing I ever saw.”

Favorite Meal: ”That’s a tough one. It would probably have to be pork roast. Chinese is way up there too.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: ”I’m gonna say Fudge Ripple.”

Favorite Boxers To Watch: ”Today – Juan Manuel Lopez. Juan Manuel Marquez – when he’s in the right fight, where his skills can be showcased. Not so much like the Mayweather fight. Like to watch Glen Johnson always, always, always. Love him. I love watching Nonito Donaire because he’s so excellent. And we just saw an example of it against Montiel. There’s so many guys. I’ll probably get in trouble for naming a few only.”

Childhood Dream: ”I wanted to be in the media. And I wanted to do something in sports. I didn’t know it would be so centered on boxing. Even though I’ve done a lot of other sports, I wanted to be doing something in the sports media, always. From the moment I could think of doing something.”

Favorite Sport Outside Boxing: ”Basketball. I love playing it.”

Funniest Boxer Encountered: ”Tom Tomashek. He fought Tommy Morrison. He came out of the audience to take the fight because the opponent couldn’t fight because I think he failed a drug test. Tim went five rounds. The interview after was hysterical. He was a character, very funny. He kept saying, He’s a great man Tommy Morrison. He told me about a loss he had overseas. He said, They tricked me, free drinks on the plane [smiles]. That kind of stuff. Bruce The Mouse Strauss. The former journeyman, he lost on every continent.”

Hobbies/Interests: ”I’m a horse rider.”

People Qualities Most Admired: ”I like them to be nice, nothing replaces that. I just like them to be pleasant and not to create extra drama, because there’s enough of that to go around. Loyalty. Honesty.”

HBO stunned the boxing world here in America when it made the controversial decision to not televise any Klitschko Brother World Heavyweight title fights (not involving Haye or Adamek) because, HBO’s top executive said the twin towers of boxing are “boring”, HBO didn’t want to send production teams to Germany’s time zone, there wasn’t much interest in heavyweight boxing, and sports fans had trouble differentiating each brother from the other.

The maneuver all but makes the richest, most prestigious title in all of sports virtually irrelevant in the United States – which could have a negative trickle-down effect on sports fans’ interest in lighter weight divisions.

One lighter weight class that could help pick up the slack of the HBO revenue stream is the welterweight division which is poised to stage the biggest money fight in boxing history between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The executives at HBO have invested a lot of money in marketing and developing the popularity of Floyd and Pac and – you would think – are very eager and determined to make the fight happen right about now. The primary reason HBO has developed Floyd and Pac-Man to the point of becoming the world-renowned superstars that they are now is to capitalize on the jackpot profits a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would produce.

But if Mayweather were to reject the big plan by refusing to sign the massively lucrative contract in his possession now, what course of action should HBO take? The man that has said so many times that Pacquiao is too one dimensional to beat me, Pacquiao knows he can’t beat me, and that God won’t let me lose to Pacquaio or anyone, would in effect, be biting the hand of HBO that has been so good and kind and generous to him throughout his entire professional career.

HBO has earned the right to collect the big payoff that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would, without any question, generate. But if Mayweather chickens out for the intent to box a series of handpicked exhibitions against the likes of Judah, Campbell, Matt Hatton or Saul Alvarez, would HBO actually find that acceptable?

Those kinds of fights would be even more suspenselessly boring than Mayweather vs. Baldomir or Marquez – and certainly would not be worthy of being televised on the prestigious HBO airwaves where we are accustomed to seeing the best vs. the best. And if anyone thinks a Mayweather exhibition tour against a series of inferior handpicks will make a fraction of the money that the Pacquiao fight would, they need a head examination.

HBO should apply the same, consistent, hardline policy it just hit the Klitschkos with – announce publicly – loud and clear – that HBO will not televise any Mayweather fights unless it involves Manny Pacquiao. Simple as that. Period. End of discussion, as Leonard Ellerbe would say.

Mayweather has no where else to go. Showtime doesn’t have the budget and probably has zero interest in televising a series of mismatch sparring sessions. Cowboys Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium or Dodger Stadium have expressed zero interest to stage an outdoor Mayweather fight against any handpicked opponent. And chances are, our friend Ellerbe was lying through his teeth when he claimed that an entity in Dubai was interested in paying multi-millions to stage a Mayweather fight.

HBO has the power to make things happen, to do what it believes is best for the short and long term interests of the sport. The way the sport is now, HBO is almost bigger than the sport itself, in a way. Where would boxing be without HBO televising and promoting it to the public? The Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight is the event that could explode the sport to a new level of excitement and electricity, back to where it belongs…the glory days of when the best fought the best, like Ali and Frazier, Duran and Leonard, Hagler and Hearns,

With that said, if HBO opts to continue to support, bankroll and reward the career of Floyd Mayweather if he ducks Manny Pacquiao this week, it will be one of the most curious and suspicious business decisions ever made by boxing’s decision makers.

Contact Scoop: mrbiofile@aol.com

Ht: 5-6 Wt: 147

DOB: December 17, 1978 In: Cabangal, Philippines

Age started boxing: 12.

Early boxing memory: My first fight gave me one dollar. I gave the dollar to my mother.

Favorite all-time fighter: Sugar Ray Leonard.

Pre-fight meal: Rice and fish.

Pre-fight superstition: Pray. Just pray. Pray right before I go to fight.

Typical breakfast: Soup and bread.

Toughest part of being a boxer: When you prepare for the fight. When you train hard.

Last book read: Purpose Driven Live by Rick Warren.

Current Car: Which one [smiles?]

Toughest man faced: There’s a lot. But one of them was the (first Erik) Morales fight. The hardest puncher was Oscar De La Hoya.

What supplements do you take: I can’t tell you that [smiles]. I have a sports store in the Philippines.

If you weren’t a boxer, what would you be: I don’t know. It’s hard to say.

Favorite soccer team: Argentina.

Why Argentina: Because they’re good [smiles].

Best boxer in the sport today: I think from the Philippines [laughs].

Boxing inspiration: Like all my fights, I dedicate this fight to my country. I remember as a little boy I ate one meal a day and sometimes slept in the street. I will never forget that and it inspires me to fight hard, stay strong and remember all the people of my country, trying to achieve better for themselves.
Hobbies/Leisure activities: Playing guitar, chess, basketball, singing.

Nicknames: Manny, Pac Man, The Destroyer.

Favorite movies: My movies.

Musical tastes: Folk, rock, love songs.

Favorite TV shows: My TV shows.

First boxing memory: Hearing Mike Tyson lose to Buster Douglas on radio (age 11).

Pre-fight feeling: Nothing, blank.

First job: Construction worker.

First car: Toyota Corolla.

Favorite meal: Steak.

Favorite ice cream flavor: None.

Funny boxing memory: None.

Childhood dreams: To be a famous boxer. And to finish studies.

Greatest boxing moment: “Winning my first championship (WBC Flyweight – TKO 4 Gabriel Mira in April 1999 in Quezon City).

Most painful moment: Losing my first championship belt. (Lost title on scales because he failed to make required weight of 112. Consequently lost by KO 3 the next day to Medgoen Singsurat in September 1999 in Thailand.)

Worst injury: None.

Favorite boxers to watch: Sugar Ray Leonard. Felix Trinidad. Oscar De La Hoya.

Favorite vacation spot: Beaches in the Philippines.

Embarrassing boxing memory: None.

People qualities most admired: Kind-hearted, good-natured, honest.

Photo Credit: Chris Farina.