NEW YORK — Manny Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach wanted the exact same thing that boxing fans everywhere wanted: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

They got Antonio Margarito instead.

Pacquiao and Roach said Wednesday that they agreed to every demand put forward by Mayweather for what could have been the richest fight in boxing history. But the former pound-for-pound king chose not to accept the fight, leaving Pacquiao to look elsewhere for a fall opponent.

He’ll face Margarito, the former welterweight champ, on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

“I don’t need him, he needs me,” Pacquiao said of Mayweather, during a stop Wednesday in New York to promote his upcoming fight. “Compare my achievements in boxing to his achievements.” (continue reading…)

Tiger Woods took his first and second interviews since Thanksgiving night ‘09, when he crashed his car at his estate, effectively beginning perhaps the worst cycle of events he’d ever imagined for himself personally.

Woods and his team restricted the interviewers from ESPN and the Golf Channel to five minutes apiece, but did not place any limits on the nature of questioning.

The Stanford grad appeared to be remorseful for his actions and determined to overcome the obstacles as they’d presented themselves. However, the time, or lack thereof, robbed anyone that was watching the opportunity to find some sort of understanding.

FULL INTERVIEW INSIDE

By now you know all the hoopla surrounding the biggest fight since Ali/Frazier and if you don’t, you’re dwellng in some Comcast deprived cave.

Over the weekend, well on Friday, the subject Mayweather/Pacquiao came up and ESPN host, Brian Kenny reran a clip that aired earlier in the day. In it, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach offered that his fighter is against taking the blood tests because he “just doesn’t feel right for a few days.”

Roach also suggested that Mayweather is scared, as others have, to fight Pacquiao and that’s the reason why he’s attempting to alter the Nevada Boxing Commission’s rules for this particular bout.

The interest in the following clip, comes when boxing guru Teddy Atlas enters the fray. He allows that the casual observer on the streets of New York (or any city in America) is wondering aloud why Pacquiao would walk away from a $30 million payday.

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ESPN is anxiously anticipating their 30th year anniversary and are doing so with a series entitled “30 for 30.” The documentary style series pairs the most magnetic sports figures with film directors that share common grounds with them. In Ice Cube’s case, he will chart the history of his beloved Oakland Raiders.

30 other filmmakers including Boyz N Da Hood’s John Singleton (Marion Jones) and Hoop Dreams‘ Steve James (Allen Iverson) will take the Director’s chair for ESPN in what promises to be a fulfilling tribute.

“30 for 30″ is slated to begin on October 6th.