Pacquiao could make life very difficult for Mayweather, says Hatton

Ricky Hatton, one of the five common opponents of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, said that he’s giving the American the slight edge in the fight but also admitted that the Filipino slugger could “make life very difficult for him.” “Manny is a great fighter but when you look at the trouble he had with the counter-punching style of Juan Manuel Marquez, he could be in serious trouble with Floyd Mayweather,” said Hatton in an interview with Tom Gray of RingTV. “With that said, Manny will take a lot of heart from how Marcos Maidana was able to test Floyd and compete with him. For that reason, I give Manny a great shot in the fight because Mayweather has slowed down a touch.” Hatton lost to Mayweather back in 2007 via technical knockout in the tenth round. He then lost via a devastating second round knockout versus Pacquiao. Aside from Hatton, Maywether and Pacquiao both fought Marquez, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, and Oscar De La Hoya.

LeBron James pushes David Blatt aside to argue call in Cavs' loss to Suns

LeBron James made his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup on Tuesday after missing two weeks with left knee pain and a strained back. His overall form after the longest layoff of his professional career looked to be a matter of some debate in the early going — on the plus side, sweet dunk; on the minus side, not-so-sweet transition defense — but his facilitating game sure seemed to be on point. Don't believe me? Just ask Cavaliers head coach David Blatt, who found himself on the receiving end of James' assistance in moving away from the referees so that he didn't get a technical foul while complaining about an offensive foul call on James during the second quarter

Because of the nature of LeBron's action, though — literally pushing the first-year Cavs coach back toward the bench — and the context in which it comes, with Cleveland scuffling along, and folks' memories stretching back to that time that James bumped Erik Spoelstra in the midst of some early-season struggles during his first year with the Miami Heat, LeBron's physical suggestion that his coach take a load off raised more than a few eyebrows on Tuesday night.

Floyd has everything to, says Holyfield

As the world awaits the outcome of the negotiations to make a Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight, four-time world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield believes Mayweather has everything to lose and Pacquiao has everything to gain in the super showdown.

“Floyd is the one who has everything to lose because he doesn’t want to lose. When you’ve already lost, what difference does it make? But Floyd wants to be undefeated (for his career). Now it comes down to if he’s going to risk it all for this one (fight),” Holyfield told the Atlanta Black Star.

Mayweather is very protective of his 47-0 record and ringsiders share the opinion that the 37-year-old US puncher is not scared of facing Pacquiao but afraid of seeing his immaculate slate get tainted.

It is for this reason that negotiations have apparently stalled even after Pacquiao has agreed to give in to Mayweather’s demands, something that has compelled the Filipino’s camp to entertain thoughts about reviving its fallback option.

Despite claims by Pacquiao that an official announcement is due anytime soon, the unbeaten Mayweather has opted to remain silent even though he expressed his desire to meet Pacquiao during a US primetime television interview last December.

Lately, however, Mayweather has been tight-lipped and noticeably quiet even on social media and the Internet, two of his favorite vehicles in getting his message relayed.

In case a Mayweather fight goes down the drain, Top Rank is setting up the 36-year-old Pacquiao for a ring return sometime in April.

Jackson: Now it's up to me to build the Knicks the right way

Phil Jackson offered a mea culpa for the New York Knicks' awful first half of the season but said he's doing what's best for the franchise's future.

Days after trading away two of the team's best players and getting little in return, Jackson asked fans not to blame coach Derek Fisher because what's shaping up as the worst season in franchise history is his responsibility.

The Knicks fell to an NBA-worst 5-35 with their 110-82 loss to Charlotte to extend the longest single-season skid in team history to 15 games.

''In anticipating that we were going to be better, that we were giving hope to our fans that maybe there was a possible playoff opportunity here, that goes on me,'' Jackson said.

Pacquiao, Mayweather agree on fight venue

The camps of WBC champion Floyd Mayweather (47-0-0) and WBO champion Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2) got through one hurdle for the highly-anticipated mega-fight as they both agreed that it would be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas.

“We’re making progress,” a boxing authority involved in the talks told the Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire on Friday.

In Pacquiao’s last fight at the MGM, Top Rank Promotions boss Bob Arum lashed out at the venue for their lack of support. Arum blasted the arena’s management as they had promotional materials for the fight between Mayweather and Carlos Maidana even though it was already the weekend of the rematch between Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley.

However, this is apparently water under the bridge now as the two camps moved on to other parts of the fight contract.

A highly contested issue is the purse and Pugmire’s source added that Mayweather wants a 60-40 split in his favor and that Pacquiao’s side has expressed willingness to be the B-side.

The drug testing, fight date, and the deal between Showtime and HBO also need to be addressed before the fight could be finally signed but the source added that this could be done in the next seven to ten days.

Pacquiao’s camp confirms Mayweather negotiations are ongoing

In an interview Ring Magazine’s Lem Satterfield, Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz confirmed that there are indeed negotiations for a mega-fight between the eight-division and current WBO welterweight champion versus the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter and WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather.

“We’re still in negotiations with Floyd’s group through Top Rank. I spoke to Manny this morning. I gave Manny what is perceived to be a counter offer from the Mayweather people,” said Koncz.

“We discussed it and now I’ve given instruction to Bob to counter their counter. We’ve been going back and forth. Bob has been negotiating with the powers that be on Floyd’s side for the past couple of weeks. There’s been offers and counter offers, and a couple of days ago Bob called me and gave me allegedly where Floyd’s side is, and I discussed that with Manny two hours ago.”

Immediately after defending his title against Chris Algieri in Macau back in November, Pacquiao called out Mayweather. The undefeated American finally replied in an interview saying that he wants to fight Pacquiao on May 2.

“Now I’ve given Bob our response to that. I’m never overly optimistic until the contract is signed, but the good thing is that we’re still going back and forth,” Koncz ended

Mourinho: I called Balotelli for a meeting... he went to the Formula 1!

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that Mario Balotelli once skipped a meeting with him at Inter to attend a Formula 1 event. The Portuguese worked with the striker, now at Liverpool, during his time in charge of Inter, and though the Italian was unpredictable, he has fond memories of his “funny problems” in trying to control his mercurial charge.

Mourinho has previously said that he could write a book about his dealings with Balotelli and told BT Sport that it would be “a funny book, a good book!”

“[Balotelli was a] nice kid, in my time, needed support, needed the older players to support him because it’s not good when that educational relationship is just between the manager and the player,” he said in an interview to be broadcast on Christmas Day.

"I always think that it’s important that the people surrounding help the manager in that process.

"We had funny problems. I told him to be at 2pm in my office for a meeting and, when I called him, he’d gone to the Formula 1 qualification on the Saturday for the race on Sunday.

"He said: ‘Meetings in your office I can have every day but to see the Formula 1 is only once a year in Italy’. This is a funny situation. A couple of days later I had to laugh.”

Peyton Manning was named to his NFL-best 14th Pro Bowl to lead a league-best nine Denver Broncos players into the annual all-star game, the NFL announced.

The superstar quarterback, who won a Super Bowl title with Indianapolis, lost in last February's title game against Seattle but hopes to lift the Broncos back to the championship spectacle in next month's NFL playoffs.

Two of Manning's favorite targets, receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas, also were named to the preliminary Pro Bowl lineup. Hall of Fame receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin will serve as alumni captains for the January 25 matchup in suburban Phoenix at the same stadium where the Super Bowl will be staged a week later.

Players will be divided into teams in a draft format by the captains as was done for the first time last year in place of the old format between players from American Conference clubs playing those from the National Conference.

Jacksonville, Minnesota, Tennessee and the New York Giants did not have a player named but could have talent added to rosters as injuries and playoff success force other players to drop out.

Players from Super Bowl squads do not take part in the Pro Bowl. Among those not selected to the Pro Bowl were new York Giants rookie receiver Odell Beckham, whose spectacular one-handed touchdown grab along the sideline became the season's most talked-about play, and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who sparked his team to its first Super Bowl crown last February.

New England quarterback Tom Brady was named to his 10th Pro Bowl and was among five Patriots selected. Other quarterbacks chosen include Tony Romo of Dallas, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger. Romo's Cowboys had six players named to the Pro Bowl talent pool, second only to Denver. The game, traditionally played in Hawaii, will be played at a site beyond Aloha Stadium for only the second time since 1980, and the first since 2010. The game will return to Honolulu in 2016.

Last January, Jerry Rice's team took a 22-21 triumph over one guided by fellow Hall of Famer receiver Deion Sanders.

Kevin Durant: The Choice of the Millennial Generation

In mid-August, the numbers—$225 million! $300 million! $350 million!—began trickling out.

Kevin Durant, the NBA’s reigning MVP and no worse than the second-best basketball player on the planet, was looking around, maybe seeking a better fit, possibly in search of a new sole.

Suddenly, shoe company free agency became mainstream news.

Could Under Armour—the Baltimore-based upstart founded in 1996 on $15,000 but now with $3 billion in revenue expected in 2014—actually poach Durant from Nike, the behemoth in Beaverton, Oregon, with anticipated revenue of $30 billion for 2015?

Not this time. The Oklahoma City forward stuck with Nike, announcing the news on Twitter and ending what might have been a major coup for an ascending brand. Under Armour’s high-stakes courtship and Nike’s ensuing reaction underscored Durant’s perch among the ranks of sport’s most marketable stars—a game-changer.

“He would have given UA instant credibility,” said Matt Powell, vice president of industry analysis for Sports and Leisure Trends at The NPD Group, via email. “And every brand needs credibility—that’s why they pay elite athletes to wear their products. Signing KD would have helped UA gain traction in the basketball market.”

Indeed. According to Powell’s estimates, Nike and its Jordan subsidiary comprise 95 percent of all U.S. basketball sales, with UA currently at less than 1 percent.

So, even as Nike seemingly prints cash—and with megastar LeBron James already on board and established as the company’s top endorsee—was re-upping with Durant a matter of playing “keep-away” from a surging competitor or simply continuing to appreciate and maintain an existing relationship?

“KD’s been a Nike athlete since he entered the league and we’re proud to have a relationship with one of the most dynamic players in the game,” Nike spokesperson Brian Strong wrote in an email. “He possesses exceptional on-court talent, a strong off-court personality and the ability to connect with and inspire the athletes that we exist to serve, including the youth.”

The last three words in that statement are likely the key.

The Heat is on as LeBron returns to Miami

LeBron James plays in Miami for the first time since leaving the Heat for Cleveland when the Cavaliers visit Thursday to highlight five Christmas holiday NBA clashes being televised globally. The schedule opens with Washington at New York followed by Oklahoma City at defending NBA champion San Antonio before the latest episode in James' city-switching saga plays out in Miami, where he led the Heat to the past four NBA Finals and brought the city two NBA crowns. Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose, two injury-prone stars, could be the focus when the Los Angeles Lakers visit Chicago in the penultimate contest, with the Golden State Warriors, who have the best record in the NBA, visiting the Los Angeles Clippers in the final game of the 67th NBA Christmas calendar. James spurned his home-region Cavaliers for the Heat in 2010 but after winning his long-sought after first NBA titles with Miami, he returned to Cleveland vowing to bring the city a major sports title, something not seen there since the NFL's Cleveland Browns in 1964. "The schedule came out after I had decided to come back. The NBA knew something," James said. "They knew that I was going to go home or stay in Miami, so they knew I would have to play my home team or my old teammates." James, who ranks second in NBA scoring with 25.2 points a game and fifth in assists with 7.8 a contest, has sparked the Cavaliers to a 16-10 record, fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Martin Skrtel reveals full extent of head wound on Instagram after Liverpool hero's clash with Olivier Giroud's boot

Martin Skrtel has revealed the extent of the wound on the top of his head after he was caught by Olivier Giroud's boot during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday. Skrtel was the hero at Anfield as he salvaged a 2-2 draw for the Reds in stoppage time with a powerful header from Adam Lallana's ball into the box. But earlier the Slovakia defender had needed six minutes of treatment on the pitch after feeling the full force of Giroud's boot.

Bale: Real Madrid have shown we're the best team in the world

Gareth Bale hailed Real Madrid as the best team on the planet after the Welshman's goal helped them to seal Club World Cup glory against San Lorenzo in Marrakech.

Bale struck in the second half to double Madrid's lead after Sergio Ramos had opened the scoring against the reigning South American champions.

It crowned an incredible year for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who helped themselves to four titles in all - the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and now the Club World Cup

"For us it's a massive tournament to win and to show we're the best team in the world is amazing," Bale told Goal.

"It's been a great year all round. Winning the Champions League, winning the Super Cup, winning the Copa del Rey and now this ... it's been a great year and hopefully there's more to come."

Los Blancos are on course to reign supreme in La Liga this season, currently holding a one-point advantage over Barcelona, having played one game fewer.

They are also favourites to win the Champions League when the competition resumes in February, with Schalke lying in wait in the last 16.

"We need to keep concentrating on each and every game and hopefully we'll achieve what we know we can," Bale added.

Kobe Bryant may take time off after another subpar outing in Lakers loss

"I don't have much of a choice if the body is feeling the way it's feeling right now," Bryant said. "You got to be smart. You got to make sure you get enough return on your investment. With the amount of work that I do and put into my body and to get my body ready, for it to be sore as it is right now, sometimes you do have to consider sitting down.

Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott said he would talk to Bryant about taking off one or two games or lowering his minutes after he looked fatigued while struggling in a 108-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Bryant missed 22 of 30 shots from the field and had nine turnovers in nearly 38 minutes against the Kings. The Lakers next play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday before going on the road to play the Chicago Bulls on Christmas and the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Bryant said he was uncertain what games were best for him to take off.

"You got to look at the body," Bryant said. "You make the call tomorrow and see how my body feels and go from there." When asked if Bryant's offensive struggles were due to fatigue or being aggressive offensively, Scott said: "That's fatigue. I think that goes hand in hand. I'm going to think about it tonight and sit down with Kobe tomorrow and we'll talk about it. We'll come up with a solution and try to figure out the next few games and what we want to do."

Bryant is averaging 24.6 points on 37.7 shooting from the field in 35.2 minutes per game this season. The NBA's third all-time leading scorer hasn't shot under 40 percent in his previous 18 seasons. Bryant has played in all 27 games this season after being limited to a career-low six games last season due to knee and Achilles injuries.

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The term coward has been thrown Floyd Mayweather’s way alluding to the thinking that he does not want to fight Manny Pacquiao. In a recent interview with Ben Thompson of FightHype, Mayweather cleared up that he does not mind being called a coward.

“I laugh about it because I say, you know, I don't mind being a rich coward,” Mayweather said.

Pacquiao called out Mayweather after defending his WBO welterweight championship against Chris Algieri. Mayweather responded weeks later saying he's willing to fight on May 2.

In the same interview, Mayweather again threw shots at Pacquiao’s financial situation, which the undefeated American claims is forcing the eight-division world champion to chase the mega-fight.

“We all know he has financial problems. He has problems with those capital letters, which is the IRS. It's crazy that people has been misled,” he said.

“Look at his pay-per-view numbers and look at my pay-per-view numbers,” Mayweather added. “I got people that used to work in Pacquiao camp that now works for my camp. So I know the truth about his checks and I know the truth about other things that I'm not going to speak on.”

Still, Mayweather claims he’ll give Pacquiao a shot at taking staining his immaculate record.

“I think the time is right, the time is now," he said about Mayweather-Pacquiao finally happening.

Former NBA center Milicic loses kickboxing debut

Former NBA center Darko Milicic, a 7-foot Serb who spent 10 years with various teams after being the second overall pick in the 2003 draft behind LeBron James, has lost his first kickboxing fight. The 29-year-old Milicic sustained a bloody cut on his left leg in the first round of an exhibition match Thursday night against Serbian fighter Radovan Radojcic. The World Kickboxing Association bout had to be stopped in the second round on doctor's orders.

"The next time, it will be better," Milicic said. "I'm invincible."

The Detroit Pistons bypassed Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to take Milicic with the second pick in 2003. The team then went on to win the 2004 NBA title. Milicic, who has been without an NBA contract for two years, also played for Orlando, Memphis, New York, Minnesota and Boston during his time in the league.

Fighters are raring to go for ONE FC: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS after successfully making weight

On 19 December, ONE FC is set to connect with history in a gigantic step in its campaign to lead the Asian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) scene. The biggest MMA promotion in Asia will hold ONE FC: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS – its first fight event in China. All fighters sucessfully made weight and are ready for an action-packed night at the National Olympic Sports Center in Beijing.

Indian boxer banned 1 year for refusing medal

The Indian female boxer who refused to accept her bronze medal at the Asian Games was banned for one year. World governing body AIBA backdated the ban on Sarita Devi to the day of the incident, Oct. 1, Boxing India said on Wednesday. It was a lighter-than-expected penalty, given that AIBA president CK Wu told The Associated Press last month the boxer would be "heavily punished."

Boxing India president Sandeep Jajodia said it worked hard for Devi. "There was apprehension that Sarita would be banned for life, but BI continuously worked to get relief for Sarita, trying to impress on AIBA that she is a disciplined boxer," Jajodia said. Devi, suspended since the incident, was also fined 1,000 Swiss francs ($1,040), and India's Cuban coach B.I. Fernandez was banned for two years.

Devi was angered by the judging in her semifinal loss in the 60-kilogram division, and showed her displeasure at the medal ceremony, refusing to let the medal be placed around her neck, and handing it the South Korean who beat her. Park Ji-na left it on the podium. Devi apologized, and the India delegation said her action was not premeditated.

Devi missed the women's world championships last month, but will be eligible to return in time to try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Three high-profile mixed martial arts fighters filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing the UFC of illegally monopolizing power in the industry by eliminating its competition. Former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry, along with Cung Le, who is still under contract with the UFC, also accuse the Zuffa-owned company of "artificially suppressing fighters' " earnings with their contracts and practices.

The civil suit alleges that the UFC has violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by illegally scheming to create a non-competitive marketplace that restricts the earning capabilities of fighters, as well as coercing fighters to relinquish rights to their names and likenesses. The plaintiffs seek injunctive relief and damages, and the suit claims to represent a class of current and former UFC fighters in similar situations as Le, Quarry and Fitch.

"This lawsuit is about fairness," Quarry told reporters during a press conference in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday. "It's about a fair market value for the athletes. … It's time for those things to change. We deserve to be out in a free market place." Zuffa is primarily owned by billionaires Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, along with UFC president Dana White.

The UFC has had a stranglehold on MMA for the majority of the 21st century, and Zuffa has either bought up or driven out several other viable promotions. The suit references past statements made by White and other UFC officials comparing the promotion and its practices to that of the NFL and NBA, but makes a distinction in regards to those leagues' ability to foster an open market by creating a bidding war among individual teams.

The lawsuit alleges that the UFC has maintained control of more than 90 percent of the revenue derived from live MMA bouts nationwide. It also maintains that the UFC has allegedly retaliated against fighters who have worked with or who have announced intentions to work with rival promoters.

“UFC’s threats are taken seriously by fighters because they know that a UFC ban will substantially diminish, if not end, their ability to earn a living at their chosen profession,” said plaintiffs’ co-counsel Joseph Saveri of Saveri Law Firm, Inc. “These MMA professionals deserve the right to take back their careers.”

Warriors' 16-game win streak stopped by Grizzlies

A big boost from the very deep Memphis bench put a stop to the Golden State Warriors' 16-game winning streak. With all backups on the floor, Vince Carter and the Grizzlies scored 20 straight points to start the second quarter and went on to beat Golden State 105-98 on Tuesday night.

"They punched us in the mouth to start the second quarter, and that was the difference in the game," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. Carter scored 11 of his season-high 16 points during the decisive run. Marc Gasol scored 24 points and Zach Randolph had 17 points and 10 rebounds as Memphis earned its fifth straight win.

Mike Conley had 17 points and reserve Jon Leuer added 11 for the Grizzlies. Memphis trailed 30-24 before holding the Warriors scoreless for the first five minutes of the second period.

"They deserve all the credit for what they did," Gasol said of the bench. "They came in, and I thought defensively they did an amazing job playing from one side of the floor helping the other side ... Young guy Vince made some tough shots."

The Warriors came in with the NBA's best record at 21-2 and longest winning streak in franchise history. They lost for the first time since Nov. 11 against the Spurs, also the last team to beat Memphis. This was the first time in NBA history in which both teams had 19 or more wins in the first 24 games — the Grizzlies improved to 20-4.