“We will rebuild and get it back,” said a solemn Aaron Davis, the former Golden Gloves champion from the Bronx who later went on to become a successful professional fighter and welterweight champion. Davis, about a year ago became a partner with owner Dex Pejcinovic a 40-year old business man who one time trained at the same gym.

Then, when Davis and Pejcinovic were at Morris Park, the gym was always busy. But it was never as immaculate, spacious, and busy as they made it over the last year. The Morris Park Boxing Gym became one of the busiest and most popular training spots in the Bronx and New York City for an aspiring pro fighter.

Now all the work and effort that Davis and Pejcinovic put in has been destroyed. Reportedly an electrical problem in the front of the gym caused the fire early Wednesday morning that gutted the entire gym.  Authorities are investigating, and like other fires of this sort there is talk about something more than an electrical fault that has left kids in the community and fighters looking for another gym.

The gym, once owned by prominent Morris Park attorney and now boxing promoter Joe Deguardia has been a cornerstone of the Van Nest community off White Plains Road since 1977.  The trials and tribulations of former pro Luis Resto, accused and later prosecuted for using tainted gloves in a bout came from there.

So was the cat that professional welterweight Frankie Figueroa used to chase in the basement of the gym when he lived there. The name “El Gato” became a mainstay with Figueroa from those days he lived and trained at the Morris Park Boxing Gym, The gym also was a second home for former light heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle.

“Just a bad time of year for this to happen,” said Davis the other day. “It’s sad to see.”  Over 70 fighters, pro and amateur belong to the gym, not counting the many youngsters that Davis and other trainers gave their time to daily.  “We took care of every kid who came in and wanted a chance,” said Davis who is temporality taking as many as he can to John’s Gym located in the Hub at 149^th Street and Third Avenue,

All of the equipment and belongings of the fighters were destroyed in the fire. Davis managed to salvage a few pairs of boxing gloves. The downstairs basement which was renovated with lockers and a weight room were not damaged and there were no injuries reported as the gym was vacant when the fire started around 7am

Said longtime trainer Victor Pena, a Bronx resident who has six fighters entered in the upcoming Golden Gloves Tournament, “It’s a loss for all of us, especially for the kids in the community who made this gym their second home.”

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

Kids at Morris Park Looking for Another Gym After Inferno

As soon as they finished trading jabs, Pacquiao the clear winner in the ring late Saturday night, Mayweather started to make some noise. “Pacquiao does not want to fight me or he would have said so himself,” said Mayweather. His people want ot get the fight done, so does Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach who called for the undefeated Mayweather immediately.

It has been explained to yours truly, from a source at Top Rank, the promoters of Paccquiao that the problem getting this fight together is dealing with Mayweather.  Bob Arum, promoter of Top Rank has a malicious attitude towards Mayweather his former fighter. So the negotiations that reportedly have started are going nowhere.

Mayweather wants more of the money form the purse to pay-per-view revenue. This has a potential to be the mega fight of this new boxing era, and could easily top the revenue of previous PPV fights that Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya have accomplished. It is a fight that will keep boxing in the picture because these are two fighters now that generate that type of interest.

Not since we have seen Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Rey Leonard, the prime fighters of the 1980’s have we seen a fighter like Pacquiao. The Philippine sensation made boxing history Saturday night becoming the first seven-time division champion in the sport and easily dominated Miguel Cotto.

Cotto is now a second thought. What once was talked about, a trilogy between Cotto and Pacquiao, now can become a three- time deal with Pacquiao and Mayweather. Cotto can continue to fight and work his way back into the picture. Possibly a return bout with WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley at Madison Square Garden in June, the place where Cotto reigns and always fights on the eve of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.

But the fight boxing fans and the sport needs is Pacquiao against Mayweather. Arum said the past few days that it will have to happen.  How much each fighter will get has to be determined and where it will take place is another factor before the fighters sign on the dotted line.

The original idea was to stage Cotto again against Pacquiao at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Perhaps Cotto or Pacquiao opposing Mayweather there, however, Arum now has a change of thought because of a tax structure in the state of New York that would hinder the earnings of the fighters, promoters and pay-per-view outfit, most likely HBO Pay-Per-View.

Las Vegas is the most probable option. Promoters get rooms on the house, and the Nevada tax structure is so much easier to work with.  Then there is the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium being discussed as a possible venue for the fight. Unless the New York politicians give in, and their greed and bickering won’t allow it, Pacquiao and Mayweather is not coming to Yankee Stadium.

So where do we stand? Boxing fans want an answer soon because the sport is in need of this mega fight. They are looking at a date in May to get this done.  Reports are Dallas is the lead contender to host the fight. And the Cowboys Stadium has the largest video board for a sports venue that will allow those with the cheaper tickets to attend and see the fight from the upper rafters.

Arum, even with all his past animosity with Mayweather, knows also that the sport needs to stage this fight and is willing to put differences aside.  And though Pacquiao has not commented about an impending meeting with Mayweather, he too knows the significance of this potential fight to be.

After a vacation with family, Pacquiao with a clear mind and rest should be more than ready to make a deal.  Mayweather also needs to meet him half way and also knows differences with Arum will be put aside to get this fight done. It is for the betterment of the sport to make sure that Pacquiao and Mayweather touch gloves soon.

If not, the boxing world puts itself in the same situation. Less interest and fights of minimal value that carry no weight, or do nothing to bring the sport back to respectability. Cotto and Pacquiao gave us some hope that sparked some mainstream media interest again for the sport. Now we need Mayweather and Pacquiao to continue the process.

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

First off, the news came down yesterday that the much awaited Middleweight showdown between Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik and Paul “The Punisher” Williams has been postponed…again. It seems that Pavlik is still feeling the affects of his multiple surgeries to remove a staph infection which has caused him to postpone three fight dates this year (Mora in June, Two with Williams).

The WBC and WBO middleweight champion was trying to fight through the pain and seemed like he was on his way there. However, he cannot close his hand completely and as a result is unable to train properly. His trainer Jack Loew has advised not to go through with the bout.

“He’s trying,” said Loew. “He’s running, he’s trying to shadow box with one hand, hit the speed bag with one hand…I’ve been keeping it secret but I’m not going to fool anyone any longer.”

So what are to make of all this? Paul’s status as the “most avoided boxer in boxing” still holds true and is still without a fight. I know this was a case of bad luck but I am really starting to feel for the Punisher. Am I the only one who is still waiting to see how good Paul really is? We know he has one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world when we saw him best Antonio Margarito, knocked out Carlos Quintana in their rematch in the first round, and totally dismantle Winky Wright. But Williams needs to find a fight soon or else his marketability will be completely vanished.

Now as I write this, there is news coming out of the Williams camp that they want to fight December 5^th no matter what. Dan Goosen promoter for Paul Williams seems has told Boxingscene.com he will be in action on December 5 whomever his opponent may be.

‘Paul is the star and the guy fans love to see, we plan on bringing him back December 5. No ifs, ands or buts. We ain’t waiting on him no more. I don’t know who but we are fighting somebody December 5.

George Peterson, William’s trainer was very skeptical of Pavlik’s injury. Even going as far as to question Pavlik’s integrity:

”If he had the staph infection for this long, he would have been poisoned to death. It’s not his hand it’s his heart that needs to be corrected.”

Ouch, I did not see those comments coming. I will not go quite as far as Peterson but it sure seems that Pavlik has lost some of his appeal. It was only back in early 2008 that Pavlik had the opening to become the top star in American boxing. His first win over Jermain Taylor was one of the best boxing matches of our era and showed how much heart Kelly had that night. He is essentially the King of Youngstown, Ohio and had a loyal and strong following as good as Ricky Hatton. Every fight for Pavlik became a hot ticket because the fans that come out to see him bring a passion that can rival any Mexican boxing fans.

But Pavlik’s appeal took a big hit when he was dominated by future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins in what turned out to be Hopkins best performance of his career. Pavlik not only had his first loss of his career but he lost some of his star power. Even though Bernard told Kelly after the fight that “he could become one of the best middleweights ever”, it didn’t seem to be enough to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

Pavlik would bounce back this past February when he dominated Marco Antonio Rubio in front of his hometown crowd of Youngstown in what was a snooze of a fight. Sure he got back on the winning track but I still was not convinced that he vindicated himself from the embarrassment of the Hopkins fight.

Now with Pavlik’s latest fight postponement, he has slowly phased out as one of American boxing’s biggest star. Sure all of us at 411mania have Kelly in our top 10 pound for pound rankings but his luster has certainly worn off. He is starting to become the Leno Spinks of our generation. That might be over blowing it a little but time will tell for the Ghost.

As for the World Boxing classic, King Arthur Abraham might have put the finishing touches of the highly promising career of Jermain Taylor. Taylor was knocked out in the 12^th round for the second straight fight by an Abraham right that landed right on the sweet spot of the nose. While it was a devastating loss for Taylor both mentally and physically, It was perfect boxing by Abraham, using a left hook to split Taylor’s gloves the slightest bit enough for the right hand to slip through and drill Taylor.

Some have doubted Arthur given his track record but certainly has more believers now after that performance. It is readily evident that the beatings Taylor suffered at the hands of Kelly Pavlik have badly diminished his physical capabilities and it is time for the 2000 bronze medalist to seriously consider hanging up his gloves.

On the flipside, Abraham, 29, an Armenian-German who wowed his hometown supporters with his brilliant performance this past weekend, is a genuine force in the ring and his future in prizefighting is exceedingly bright. Abraham has emerged as the clear favorite in this tournament and right now looks like the best super middleweight in the world.

The second fight of the tournament was a lot more competitative but not without controversy. Froch was able to use his brute strength to successfully counterbalance the superior speed that Dirrell is renowned for and he was able to narrowly prevail in front of his fellow Englishmen. Many felt that Direll deserve to win the decision but I do not think so. Direll did not come to win this fight but actually try to steal it. Direll certainly looked like he won the last three rounds of the fight but before that, just did not do enough to beat. Make no mistake about it, Dirrell is going to do very well in this tournament and will have that chance when we next face off against Abraham.

Except this was a more subtle and different Mayweather from when we last saw him. After knocking out Ricky Hatton in the 10^th round in December of 2007 Mayweather stunned the boxing world and announced his retirement last June. He would surface as a dancing star, do some commercials and went in another ring, opposing “Big Show” at the WWE annual WrestleMania event last April.

But that was then and this is now. Boxing has always needed a superstar with charisma and Mayweather knows that. “Fans have been missing me from the sport,” said Mayweather in a more quiet approach. “Floyd Mayweather and boxing go together,”

The return of Mayweather and him opposing Marquez is billed as a fight of epic proportions. Because Mayweather, along with the recently retired Oscar De La Hoya, a co-promoter of the fight, have been two of the highest paid fighters in the industry the past six years.

That said, it is now official as Mayweather (39-0, 25KO’s) returns and opposes another great champion, Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO’s) the five-time world champion in three weight classes from Mexico City, Mexico. The 12-round fight will be televised on HBO pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday July 18^th.

They will fight at welterweight, a division that Mayweather is known for handling the best, including wins over Hatton and De La Hoya.   And there is a question as to who will have the advantage. Mayweather may be an inch or so taller but Marquez has a bigger fist.

All of that won’t matter come fight time. Both fighters have already secured Hall of Fame status in the sport. They are also marketable. Mayweather, 32-years of age has set boxing pay-per-view records and after beating Hatton was officially known as the best fighter pound-for-pound.

The 25-year old Marquez won 29 of his first 30 pro fights. He is in the category as one of those great Mexican fighters with Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. His second defense of the WBA featherweight title, in 2004 against Manny Pacquiao, may have been his most memorable as he survived three first-round knockdowns and got a draw, a fight that could have gone his way.

But as Marquez says, “This fight is very important for my country and my life.”  The fact he will be fighting for the first time, in all probability as a welterweight, has him preparing to build more muscle mass and gaining for more respect. A probable future opponent could be WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto or Pacquiao again in the same weight class.

“It’s a division I am not accustomed to fighting,” said Marquez. If he stays at welterweight all depends on the outcome against Mayweather. To that, he said, “I always prepare myself mentally and physically”

Mayweather has been training for the past few months in a gym out in Las Vegas. So his return to the ring was inevitable and it was just a matter of time as to when. The opponent was also an easy pick. He wanted Marquez and the Mexican champion was honored to get the call.

“Marquez is a warrior and he represents his country well,” said Mayweather who many say will start to make noise again if indeed he prevails in this return fight.  He picked me because I deserved it,” said Marquez about being the return opponent for Mayweather.

And Marquez says about Mayweather, “He’s a great fighter, a great champion. Once in a while his ego comes out.”  Except that ego was not evident Tuesday afternoon, even when the two fighters posed for photos atop the observation deck of the Empire State Building and with Mayweather also the co-promoter with Mayweather Promotions.

“I’m expecting the best from Floyd Mayweather,” added Marquez. “Even in my mind he never retired.”  The boxing public will agree because over the past year Mayweather stayed in the spotlight and it was a matter of time for the return date to happen.

This was the second stop of a three city tour to announce the fight. Los Angeles on Monday, New York City and then off to London Wednesday They did a five-city tour last year when Pacquiao and De La Hoya were set to clash last December.

That fight had the boxing world in a buzz as Mayweather was out of the picture. Pacquiao was declared the best when he put De La Hoya into retirement. Now Mayweather is back and the question is, can he get by Marquez for a possible encounter with Pacquiao?

Marquez certainly will answer some of those questions soon for himself, the boxing public and all of his fans in Mexico.

e-mail Rich Mancuso at Ring786@aol.com