Is Karim Mayfield good enough to win a regional title at 147?

The guy is popular here in the SF Bay Area, but I still have my doubts. Forbes will be a good test tonight on ESPN2 FNF.

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The past two months have been more to Karim Mayfield's liking, as he spent all of April in the world famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood as a sparring partner for the best fighter on the planet, Manny Pacquiao.

“That definitely helped a lot with my inactivity,” the Fillmore native said of his experience. “They kept it competitive, putting a bounty on Manny’s head. They offered us a thousand dollars if we could knock him down, so I was on my A-game since we were both trying to take each other out.”

With countless cameras, roving reporters, and gabby groupies following the Filipino franchise’s every move, Mayfield himself got a taste of “Manny-mania” when he briefly became the target of the Pacquiao paparazzi.

In the middle of camp, an anonymous person posted on the internet that the San Franciscan had been banished from Wild Card for repeatedly headbutting Pacquiao during sparring and opening a gash on the pound-for-pound king’s cheek.

Sure enough, the tip, which immediately had gone viral, proved false when Pacquiao revealed an immaculate face before his May 7 bout against Shane Mosley and subsequently invited the “Hard Hitta” to join him in the ring after his victory.

“They say that any promotion is good promotion, and I actually got more exposure with the rumors,” Mayfield chuckled, taking it in stride. “I did feel vindicated when [Pacquiao’s trainer] Freddie Roach cleared my name.”

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