Here's a second round of links to whet your appetite hours before the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley match. Check out the first batch of links.



TMZ.com: “Manny Pacquiao made a beeline for beef and chicken today after his weigh-in ... Filipino style, of course. Manny -- who is scheduled to beat Sugar Shane Mosley tomorrow in Las Vegas -- weighed in at 145 lbs ... 2 lbs under the welterweight limit. Immediately after getting off the scale, Manny followed his tradition and ate a big meal prepared by his long-time personal chef. And what, you ask, does a champ eat -- grilled beef, boiled chicken, rice, fruit and Filipino chicken broth soup.”

Peter Owen Nelson, ESPN: “To combat Mosley, Pacquiao and Roach have devised a new weapon: ‘Bruce Lee’ (in honor of Pacquiao's idol, of whom a portrait hangs in his Los Angeles home bearing both his likeness and Pacquiao's own in a single canvas and for whom, more recently, Pacquiao modeled his hairstyle). Bruce Lee is a five-punch combination: jab, straight left, hook, left to the body while going under the opponent's hook, angled body shot. Asked what purpose the first left to the body serves, Roach said, ‘Just to mess with Shane.’”

Ron Borges, Boston Herald: “Freddie Roach is the best trainer in boxing and so he knows things can happen unexpectedly once bells start ringing, especially if they are ringing inside the head of his fighter. Even a fighter as gifted as Manny Pacquiao can be put in a position where he hears the sound of wind chimes in the middle of a soldout arena, which is where he will be when he defends his WBO welterweight title from the challenge of Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight.”

Scott Christ, Bad Left Hook: “When folks say that Mosley, now 39, might have one more great night in his aged fighter’s heart, I can’t help but think that two years ago, we already saw his one great final night. But I also can’t help the gnawing feeling that maybe they’re right. Maybe he has yet another one. A fighter with Mosley’s guts, courage, cast iron chin and one-punch power always has a chance. Even against the very, very best like Manny Pacquiao. If the fight goes as many expect, though, he might be the third star that Pacquiao retires since 2008, following Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton (and maybe Antonio Margarito, actually).”

Greg Bishop, New York Times: “Promoters prone to hyperbole have billed Saturday as a transformative event, perhaps boxing’s first step back toward terrestrial television. Such impact remains possible, but unlikely. The most immediate gauge will be the buy rate. Hardcore boxing fans will purchase Pacquiao-Mosley. Whether CBS, with its wide reach of 115 million homes in the United States, will attract more casual viewers, at $54.99 a pop, will be examined closely. The magic number: roughly one million buys, according to promoters and network executives. The consensus: slightly above one million would leave room for interpretation; below that would be considered failure; at 1.4 or 1.5 million, boxing’s landscape, the way major fights are promoted and distributed, could change for good.”

Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times: “Pacquiao has been unmistakably affected by his work as a congressman in the Philippines, where he has undertaken projects such as typhoon relief, constructing a hospital and improving literacy efforts to assist his countrymen suffering through third-world conditions. You don't intensify a lust for blood doing those things. Pacquiao's platform as the most gifted boxer in the world gives him unprecedented power to promote the causes closest to his heart. His time meeting with the masses on the campaign trail in the Philippines has made him more comfortable than ever in asserting his voice.”

Steve Bunce, The Guardian: “The sharing of wealth is called balato and since his congressional victory it has become a lot more serious. The people of Sarangani do not have a hospital so Pacquiao went to see President Benigno Aquino III. ‘The sick had to travel for hospital care,’ said Pacquiao. ‘I promised a hospital and they will get a hospital.’ Pacquiao sat with Aquino and was given $5m to start the build. The ground will be broken in a ceremony when he returns after the Mosley fight. Aquino had pushed through legislation that guaranteed Pacquiao and his family military protection long before the new congressman sat with him and asked for a favour that he simply could not refuse.”

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated: “Pacquiao is a strong advocate for the Save Our Industries Act, a bill that was introduced to the U.S. Congress in 2009 that would permit Filipino apparel makers to import and use American textiles in the manufacture of certain garments, which they could then export to the U.S. tax free. The passage of this bill would allow the Philippines to compete with China and create more than 200,000 new jobs. Pacquiao's status in boxing has opened doors for him to lobby for the bill. In February, he met with President Barack Obama. Later, he had a 30-minute meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and recruited him to support his efforts.”

Ryan Ventura, Lowkick.com: “Will MMA ever have a star one day as big or bigger than Manny Pacquiao? Here are some names that I believe could be our sport's biggest star.”