After pulling the upset on Roy Jones Jr., Danny Green was a national hero in Australia. He produced another quick stoppage in his next fight but hero wasn't the word being thrown around in July. Make it heel. Many blamed Green for the 29 second laugher against Paul Briggs. Anyone who'd paid big money to watch Briggs quit, on what still doesn't look like a real punch, had to be infuriated. That fight was moved from Sydney to Perth when the commission Australia's biggest city refused to sanction the bout because Briggs hadn't fought in over three years. There was also the strange coincidence of heavy betting on an early knockout. Check it out for yourself. Is that a knockout punch? 

As he was being showered by booes, Green went off after the fight. Now he's trying to make it up by taking on a big challenge in moving up to cruiserweight to face American B.J. Flores Nov. 17 in Perth.

"It has been a tough few months, but I’m focused on the future now and knocking out BJ Flores," Green said. "He is a tough fighter at the top of his game, but I have a point to prove and it’s going to take more than BJ Flores to stop me."

Green (30-3, 27 KOs) has never fought above light heavyweight. You can see the difference in bulk by looking at the press conference staredown. Flores is 6-foot-2 with an 80-inch reach. He's raised his spector a bit with regular appearances on ESPN's Friday Night Fights but Flores (24-0-1, 15 KOs) is in need of a big win too.  

"With his size, speed and his power, it’s definitely going to be a big test, I’ve never faced anyone inside a boxing ring that big," said Green. "The most difficult thing about this is not his size, it's his speed coupled with his power and size, not only is he a big unit, he's a fast slick unit."

Because of contractual issues, Flores hasn't fought in 14 months. 

Warning the (video - NSFW) is loaded with foul language.  

"I'm on vacation for about a year, about a year," Mayweather said. "As soon as we come off vacation, we're going to cook that little yellow chump. We ain't worried about that. So they ain't gotta worry about me fighting the midget. Once I kick the midget ass, I don't want you all to jump on my [expletive]. So you all better get on the bandwagon now. ... Once I stomp the midget, I'll make that mother[expletive] make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice."

Mayweather also talks about taking "Poochiao" to a teppanyaki restaurant and "cutting him up to cook with some cats and dogs."

Then "Money" gets on to his favorite topic, how much cash he makes for his fights and other endeavors.

"We know Pacquiao made $6 million in his last fight and Floyd Mayweather made $65 million in his last fight. Three losses, two draws. Ohhh, hell no, this is America baby. We built on winning. Step your game up, [expletive].  That mother[expletive] Pacquiao, he can't speak no English. He never seen a contract he didn't like. Mother[expletive] signed with two companies [Top Rank and Golden Boy]. Look it up. And then this mother[expletive] signed with Nike only got 70 Gs. How stupid can a mother[expletive] be? Reebok gave me a million dollars for three weeks. I wore Reebok [expletive] for a week for a million dollars."

The 5-foot-8 Mayweather also rips on the Pacquiao's size (5-6) and accuses him of using performance enhancing drugs.

"This mother[expletive]'s name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets."

Mayweather closes by saying he'll fight Pacquiao when he gets off the "power pellets".

There is no commissioner of boxing and no state athletic commission is going to penalize Mayweather for this childish and hateful speech. Maybe Top Rank Promotions and Pacquiao should just pass on any future Mayweather fight and see if "Money" can find someone else to fight. Can you name an opponent beyond Pacquiao where Mayweather will get $25 million?

Quotes via Gawker

It was a big day for Top Rank Promotions and Antonio Margarito. The stone-handed fighter from Tijuana was all smiles. After 17 months without a U.S. license, he's back in the states with the ability to fight and his promoter rewarded him by giving him a megafight against Manny Pacquiao.

Margarito was first suspended by Calfornia in February 2009 for loading his hand wraps with a plaster-like material. He tried to get his license re-instated in Nevada. That state's athletic commission told him to buzz off and so did California in August. Margarito went to Texas for a license and got it in three days.

He'll make millions fighting one of the top two boxers in the world, but not everyone thinks the whole deal is kosher. And some, like Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, say it's not just "Marga-cheato" that angers him. It takes two to tango and Pacman could've said no to this fight, but he didn't. 

Sports by Brooks found this gem on Floyd Mayweather's Twitter. That's right, it's Floyd teaching young boys the lessons of life. For all we know, Mayweather may have $2 billion stashed away in a Swiss bank account, but he seems to plow through money in less than responsible fashion. SBB put together this humorous list of bullet points that might have been on Floyd's curriculum. 

Floyd Mayweather life skill #1: Ensure your personal safety by carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash around in a suitcase and Tweeting that fact to hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers.

Floyd Mayweather life skill #2: Ensure a stable financial future by investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in weekly sports wagers. (Dude absolutely slays the E-Trade baby on ROI.)

Check out the rest of the list as Mayweather bribes potential Twitter followers with diamond watches. He's also posted contractual offers, and brags about how much he makes each year. 

We know Floyd Mayweather has money. If he's not telling how rich he is every five minutes then he's sending out pictures holding cash or throwing it into the crowd at a club. He likes money so much that he made it his nickname. But does he have the guts to put his money where his mouth is? We'll find out soon if Mayweather elects to take part in the Las Vegas' biggest football handicapping contest. According to Matt Youmans from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Money" may be willing to test himself against the best: 

Rumors are circulating that Mayweather plans to enter the new $100,000-entry fee Cantor High Stakes Football Contest at the M Resort.

Steve Fezzik, who's developed a reputation as one of the sharpest high-stakes sports bettors in Las Vegas, says Mayweather better think twice before he chooses to swim with the sharks.

"You've got to really know what you're doing," said Fezzik, who would "strongly discourage" square bettors from entering sharp contests.

Fezzik knows what he's talking about it. He's a real bettor. He may do occasional radio spots and appear in the local papers from time to time, but he's not one of these sham artists trying to sell picks. Fezzik has taken part in numerous contests and public handicapping competitions where his picks were tracked. That includes the last two Las Vegas Hilton NFL Supercontests (with a $1,500 entry). 

Fezzik (LVASports.com) won the SuperContest in consecutive years, a feat never before achieved. He topped a field of 328 contestants in 2009 and a field of 350 in 2008. A three-peat is obviously unlikely.

If Mayweather enters the $100,000 M contest his chances of winning are next to nothing. 

"It's really hard to win these things," said Fezzik, who posted a 53-29-3 record against the spread last year. "There's a lot of luck involved. I hear people saying, 'Fezzik is the best contest player, but he's not the best handicapper.' I would agree with that. I always feel Billy Walters is the best betting guy in the world."

Mayweather fancies himself as a huge sports fan and a very good sports bettor. During a past HBO "24/7", Mayweather bragged about putting down five-figure bets on single sporting events. And it's not unusual on any given night to see Mayweather hanging out at local sports books in Las Vegas. We'll see if he's willing to lose 100k and have his picks sliced and diced each week by armchair quarterbacks. 

Tip via Ben Maller

Denied reinstatement last week by the California State Athletic Commission, Margarito got the go-ahead in Texas, paving the way for his Nov. 13 fight against Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

"I want to thank the state of Texas for granting me a boxing license which enables me to continue my passion for the sport of boxing in the United States," Margarito said in a statement released after the decision. "I have dedicated my life to giving the fans of the sport entertainment and excitement. On November 13, this great opportunity will ultimately be fulfilled when I battle Manny Pacquiao." 

The promoter for the upcoming fight and both fighters, Bob Arum and Top Rank Promotions, is thrilled. From AOL Fanhouse:

"This is absolutely great. For my point of view, it's been a situation where I just thought that Antonio Margarito was really treated unfairly and that Antonio Margarito had no knowledge of this, and that they were piling on to him, particularly after his license was revoked," said [...] Arum.

"And then, to deny him a license again, I thought that that was just horrible. A boxer has a certain number of years during which he can perform, and they really took it all away from him," said Arum. "I just really feel good for him."

Margarito was raked over the coals during the five-plus hour hearing in
California. Texas didn't seem to have the same concerns as the Golden State did.

"After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules," William Kuntz, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said in a statement.

Margarito has been without a U.S. license for 17 months. After a lengthy investigation into an illegal hard material that was discovered in Margarito's wraps on both hands before he entered the ring against Shane Mosley on Jan. 24, 2009, California revoked Margarito's license on Feb. 11, 2009. Margarito was suspended for a year. Back in June, he also tried for a license in Nevada, where the state athletic commission elected to table his request. 

The Super Six was accomplishing what previously seemed impossible. Showtime's tournament put together six of the best fighters from a weight division and was having them decide things in the ring in a tournament-style format. A big success so far now the tournament is facing extinction because of injuries. Jermain Taylor bowed out after his first fight and now Mikkel Kessler is out due to an eye injury. Showtime has some big decisions to make.

Kessler, who is suffering from he what called weakness of the superior olbique muscle of his left eye, was scheduled to fight Taylor's replacement Allan Green.

"(Pulling out of the tournament) is the most disappointing moment of my boxing career," said Kessler. "The eye problem has bothered me since the beginning of the Super Six ... it has become unbearable. I have consulted leading experts and they have advised me to take a break [nine months] from boxing so that the problem can heal."

Green was entering this final first round matchup with zero points in the tourney after getting smoked by Andre Ward. The L.A. Times is quoting sources close to the situation as saying the tournament may just dump Green and move straight to the semifinals. 

Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell are scheduled to fight on Sept. 25 but the site hasn't been determined. Meanwhile, Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham are slated for Oct. 2 in Monaco. Clearly some of the momentum has been lost. The move to make these fights the semifinals is most prudent. Even better, how about putting the fights as a doubleheader in the same venue? Now the issue could be Ward and Dirrell. They've been fighting over the site. You can flush the tourney down the toilet if there's any sort of extended stalemate with that fight. 

Carl Froch loses out big time. In the last round of fights, Kessler handed him the first loss of his career.

"I was hoping to have gotten the rematch with Kessler trough the format of the Super Six but health must come first, and having eye problems in the past, I can only sympathise with Kessler's current situation an wish him well," said Froch.

He was hoping to avenge the defeat and regain his WBC super middleweight belt 

"There is talk of my fight (against Abraham) now being for the vacant WBC title," said Froch. "Whilst I appreciate being afforded the oportunity to regain the prestigious belt, I wanted to win it back from Mikkel himself. In an ideal world, he hangs onto it and we rumble against when he's good and ready."

Let's hope Showtime can manage this speedbump correctly. These are four of the top six fighters in the weight class. Boxing could really use three more big, competitive fights to close out 2010. 

Antonio Margarito and his band of merry men will hit Texas next in the boxer's search for a locale that'll allow him to fight Manny Pacquiao in the United States. California, the state that initially revoked Margarito's license on Feb. 11, 2009, turned down the boxer's request for a new license by a count of 5-1. The California State Athletic Commission grilled Margarito and his representatives for five-plus hours.

Illegal hard material was discovered in Margarito's wraps on both hands before he entered the ring against Shane Mosley on Jan. 24, 2009. California suspended Margarito for a year and revoked his license.

Through a translator, Margarito again stated that he had no idea that his former trainer Javier Capetillo had loaded the hand wraps with a plaster-like substance. From the Associated Press:

"I am here to make an apology not only to the commission, but to the entire world for not knowing what was in those wrappings," said Margarito. [...] "I think that anything that is placed in the wrap that isn't legal is cheating, and is an unfair advantage.

"All I'm saying is I did not know what was in these wraps. I'm being completely honest with all of you and with all the boxing people."

The commissioners seemed most upset that Margarito wasn't in control of his career or simply didn't care.

"The best-case scenario is that Mr. Margarito didn't know that this was being done to his gloves, but should have known," Commissioner Eugene Hernandez said. "The worst-case scenario is that he didn't know and he didn't want to know."

The boxer oftentimes seemed unprepared to state his case and defend himself against the verbal barrage. From AOL Fanhouse:

CSAC attorney Karen Chappelle contended that Margarito had not proven his rehabilitation and remorse, saying "a boxer like Mr. Margarito makes a living with his fists" and "knows what is in the wrappings that go on his fists."

Margarito's lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, came away thinking the denial was all political, and for appearance purposes, the CSAC took a strong stance.

"We thought the evidence was indisputable that Tony deserved to have a license granted today," Petrocelli told USA Today Wednesday. [...] "I'm afraid that largely for symbolic reasons, he's being asked to sit out another year."

Aside from the central point of the illegal hand wraps discovered before his loss to  Mosley, the commission also pressed Margarito on how quickly he had separated himself from Capetillo. Margarito is now with trainer Robert Garcia.

The CSAC also harped on the fact that Margarito had trained in Oxnard, Calif., for a fight in Mexico without a permit. According to California law, professional fighters must have a permit to even train anywhere in the state. That news threw Team Margarito for a loop. CSAC commissioner John Frierson, who placed the only vote of support for Margarito, pointed out to Chappelle that the sparring rule was extremely obscure saying only "10 boxers" were likely aware of the law. 

Margarito has a fight scheduled against Pacquiao on Nov. 13. Top Rank Promotions initially wanted the fight to take place in Nevada. Team Margarito was denied the opportunity to simply present its case when it sat down in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission in July. The NSAC voted 4-1 to deny the request and stated it was California business.

So that makes it two states, with two of the most respected athletic commissions in the country, that have now passed on granting Margarito a license. What's next? Bob Arum said Margarito has already applied for a license in Texas and sounded confident he'd be granted one. His lawyer agreed. From USA Today:

"I can't see any other commission not finding Tony totally worthy of a license, whether it's Texas, Nevada or any other state," said Petrocelli.

Maybe Floyd Mayweather has reached a breaking point in trying to get a deal done with Bob Arum for a Manny Pacquiao fight. Who's fault is it? It could be that Arum simply can't work with the folks at Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya. So who'll save the day? Believe it or not, Mayweather may be looking toward Don King to salvage the efforts for the mega-fight.

Mayweather was hanging with King a few weeks back at dinner and with cash in hand. He also made an appearance in St. Louis over the weekend, hanging with DK at the Devon Alexander-Andreas Kotelnik fight.

Yahoo! Sports' boxing writer Kevin Iole examines the possiblity that the 79-year-old King could get himself back in the mix as a major promoter.

King told Dan Rafael from ESPN.com that it's time for Mayweather to realize there's a racial element affecting his image.

King said he would make Floyd, "a people's champion and be able to create and generate more money than he's ever had before with dignity, pride and stature. Like it is now, he's being degraded, vilified, accusations, you know. Some of it goes for the hype, but when it gets to the substance of the man, the substance is not there. And they don't understand because they can't communicate with him because Floyd speaks Ghetto-ese and they don't understand because it's hieroglyphics."

Schaefer responded, criticizing the ghetto-ese talk: 

"I mean, if I were Floyd Mayweather, I would frankly feel embarrassed. Floyd Mayweather has become a Madison Avenue darling who commands the respect from Fortune 100 companies. Now, he's got Don King out there talking about ghetto-ese."

Schaefer can believe whatever he wants. King has something that's attracting interest from Mayweather and we may soon see a deal that puts the old promoter back on the map. 

The former heavyweight champ talked about his drug habit, which was still an issue as he prepped for his hilarious cameo in the 2009 blockbuster "The Hangover."

"I was doing that to supply my drug habit. I’m sorry I’m coming at you guys like this," said Tyson (2:30 mark). "I said, ‘Wow, this is going to be really good. We’re going to sell this stuff on 42nd street on bootleg and make a lot of money.’"

The interview also had plenty of light moments. Tyson has slimmed down from well over 300 pounds to 215. He joked about the perils of being overweight.

"It was hard to wipe my butt," said Tyson. "I was sweating like some kind of guy from a moon project or something. It was crazy. All the clothes you see me with now are clothes that I had 15, 20 years ago."

ESPNRadio1100 host Paul Howard asked if Tyson had man-boobs and back fat (0:01 mark).

"Oh man, the back fat! The back fat is when it’s so bad, your ass looks like a board. It’s like boom. The back and ass is one. It’s not like the back goes down and the butt protrudes. No. It’s just straight down. And then girls were telling me I looked great. It had to have been a money deal. It had to be," laughed Tyson.

In this portion of the interview, he even gave commentary on Mel Gibson's recent phone calls to his former girlfriend.

After that, there are plenty of options. Oscar De La Hoya got the juices flowing with talk of a 140-pound tournament but Richard Schaefer quickly shot that down during the postfight. Michael Katsidis was at the presser as well and politely called out Marquez. There's also some big fights in house at Golden Boy against guys like Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz and Marcos Maidana.

According to Yahoo! Sports' boxing expert Kevin Iole, 140's best, Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, may be on the outside looking in.

It was bizarre and uncalled for, but it shouldn't shock anyone familiar with the politics of boxing. Dmitry Pirog pulled off a huge upset via what might be boxing's 2010 knockout of the year. Less than five minutes after the young Russian laid out Golden Boy Promotions' golden child, Danny Jacobs, it was the loser who was on camera on HBO and not Pirog. What the heck happened?

Pirog showed up at the press conference with his crew of Russians, including an excellent interpreter, and appeared to have a nice personality with plenty to say.

HBO didn't feel like he was worthy of three minutes immediately after the fight?

Instead, Jim Lampley went immediately into "repair Jacobs' image mode" by providing excuses for the loss and saying all young prospects hit speedbumps along the way. Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole called it reprehensible and says once again HBO came off as a mouthpiece for Golden Boy.

The situation also put Jacobs in a terrible position. Jacobs was asked if the recent death of his grandmother was a big distraction leading up to the fight. He was lucky the feed to the crowd was barely audible otherwise he may have been booed by the 8,383 in attendance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Jacobs even felt compelled to send out a Tweet a few hours after the fight. He must've heard it came off like he was making excuses for the loss.

Iole said HBO's obligation is to the viewer not Golden Boy. 

Pirog got his props during the postfight press conference. He and his crew made several comments. Oscar De La Hoya even joked that the original plan was to celebrate the night by drinking tequila, now everyone would down some vodka in honor of the Russian's huge victory. 

It was Marquez's first trip back to the squared circle after his defeat against one of the world's best in Floyd Mayweather in Sept. of 2009. His class was clear from the get-go against a very game Diaz. Diaz (35-4, 18 KOs) made some nice adjustments and bruised up Marquez's right eye but he could never land the fight changing shot.

Meanwhile, Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) landed some heavy uppercuts with the left hand. The best came in the fourth. With 1:55 left in the round, Marquez had Diaz wobbled and landed a few more big shots. He couldn't put him away but it changed Diaz's attacking approach for the next few rounds. 

Marquez outlanded Diaz 288-155 and landed at a high rate of 43 percent. Diaz took a ton of heavy shots absorbing 168-of-348 (48 percent) power punches.

Marquez, 36, said just after the fight that he wants Pacquiao more than anyone he'd have to defend his belts against in the lightweight division.

"The trilogy with Pacquiao is what I want," said Marquez. "It's what everyone wants to see. It's good for all the fight fans. The Mexicans, the Filipinos all want to see it. I'll be ready to fight in November, so hopefully Pacquiao will take the fight."

Apparently, Marquez hasn't been following the news very closely. Pacman is booked to fight Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 with the site TBA. Top Rank Promotions and Pacquiao have repeatedly said there's no interest in fighting Marquez for a third time. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told Yahoo! Sports he doesn't think there's any chance Marquez gets that third fight. 

Taking part in a tournament, similar to Showtime's Super Six, at 140 pounds could also be of interest to Marquez and more importantly his promoter Golden Boy. Well, that depends on who you speak to. Oscar De La Hoya told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole on Thursday that the promotion thinks the tournament is a great idea. Following the Marquez win, Schaefer was very down on the concept making it sound more likely that the champ could meet Amir Khan at 140 pounds.

The result was an improvement for Diaz over the first fight between the lightweights back in February of 2009. Or was it? Diaz got stopped via TKO in the ninth but going into the round that fight was also 1-1-1 on the judges scorecards. Tonight, he tried to box more and nearly got shutout. He survived but really never threatened Marquez this time.

Diaz is only 26 but he's now lost 4-of-6 fights. He's also going to school with an eye towards a law degree and will take the LSAT's in the fall. When pressed on his future, Diaz wouldn't commit one way or the other. 

LAS VEGAS _ Danny Jacobs got a rude awakening tonight against another unbeaten prospect in Dmitry Pirog. Pirog looked physically bigger from the outset and delivered with more power throughout. He nearly put down the unbeaten Jacobs at the start of the second and then did it for good late in the fifth round. Pirog landed a huge right on the button that put Jacobs on his back. The former Golden Gloves champ and one of Golden Boy Promotions' brightest young stars could barely lift his head off the canvas. Referee Robert Byrd stopped it immediately at the 0:57 mark of the fifth round. Pirog takes the vacant WBO middleweight strap.

Pirog (17-0, 14 KOs) won over the crowd early by walking through Jacobs' big shots. Jacobs had his moments, especially when he switched to a southpaw stance but Pirog was undaunted.

Update: Judges had it 3-1 for Jacobs on the scorecards entering the fifth. Compubox numbers might have backed that up with Jacobs holding a 73-43 advantage in punches landed. But the heavier shots throughout came from Pirog.  

Jacobs (20-1, 17 KOs) entered the fight as a huge minus-270 favorite but the beginning of the second round changed the tone of the fight. He got blasted by a right and twice dropped into a deep crouch. How his rear-end didn''t touch the canvas is still a mystery. He was in survival mode for the remainder of the second.

HBO immediately let Jacobs off the hook during the postfight interview. Jacobs with Jim Lampley, talked about having a rough time with the recent death of his grandmother. Lampley suggested it was an off night because of the prefight distractions. It looked here like distracted or not, Pirog is rough matchup for Jacobs. 

CASAMAYOR LOOKS SHOT AGAINST GUERRERO

Joel Casamayor looks the part of the fight but he's nowhere near the guy who dominated the 130-pound ranks just seven years ago. The 39-year-old has a rough time letting his hands go and got blasted by Robert Guerrero a dozen or so rights over 10 rounds. Guerrero, 27, picked up a unanimous decision win, 98-89, 98-89 and 97-90.

The win didn't come without a late scare for Guerrero, who got floored with 1:15 left in the fight. Casamayor (37-5-1, 22 KOs) landed a straight right that dropped Guerrero to his hands and knees. "The Ghost" sprung to his feet and avoided anything big the rest of the way. 

Casamayor, a former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champ. was floored in the second by a big Guerrero right hand. He was also docked a point early in the round for holding and rough-housing. 

Casamayor landed just 51 punches over 10 rounds. Guerrero (27-1-1, 18 KOs) wasn't much better with only 88 connects but he was slightly more accurate. Compubox picked up on the fact that Casamayor did a solid job of blocking many of the Guerrero attempts. 

The power was restored around 10:05 p.m. ET.

Next up is Robert Guerrero and Joel Casamayor. 

Update: HBO officials said power was officially lost for 17 minutes. 

Update II: The band playing is named Envy. It's a Las Vegas act that plays at places like Sunset Station. Oscar De La Hoya said live bands may become a regular part of Golden Boy shows in the future. They saved the night tonight during the down period between fights. 

Juarez (28-7-1, 20 KOs) only has one win in the last three years and is just 3-5-1 since the middle of 2005. Linares jumped out quickly using that jab to slow Juarez's rythym. Up 3-1 in the fight, Linares really put the pressure on Juarez when he landed a big left with less than 15 seconds left in the fifth. Juarez backed up but lost his footing and stumbled to the mat. The knockdown and 10-8 round put Juarez hopelessly behind in the fight. He tried to get more offensive over the next four rounds but Linares got on his horse and picked his shots.

Juarez was only able to land 83 punches the entire fight at a clip of just 18 percent. That included a pathetic 30-of-164 jabs. Linares landed 36 percent of his punches and in total, landed 110 more. 

Juarez's best punch of the fight came on a big right with 20 seconds left in the ninth. Linares was hurt and danced a little but escaped the round. Rocky had spirited start to the final round but that only lasted a minute as Linares cruised home for the win. 

Here are the early results from the undercard:

In an IBF super middleweight eliminator, Contender Season 3 winner Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) was disqualified in the first round of his bout with Jean Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16 KOs). Bika knocked down Mendy early in the fight, but while Mendy was still on one knee Bika knocked him out cold with an uppercut. Unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Frankie Gomez (5-0, 5 KOs) needed just 2:14 to destroy Ronald Peterson (2-3, 2 KOs).

Unbeaten heavyweight Seth Mitchell (18-0-1, 12 KOs) destroyed Derek Bryant (20-6-1, 17 KOs) in 1:45 in the 1st round. The former Michigan State linebacker dominated from the start and annihilated Bryant with a barrage left hooks to the body before several left uppercuts forced the bout to be called to a halt.

Unbeaten super middleweight prospect George Groves (10-0, 8 KOs) defeated Alfredo Contreras (11-8-1, 5 KOs) via 6th round TKO (:48). Although Contreras was competitive, he was losing a one sided fight. Contreras wasn’t knocked down but referee Russell Mora had seen enough after Groves landed a hard two punch combination.

Lightweight Juan Manuel Montiel (6-3-1, 1 KO) dropped Mike Peralta (4-6, 1 KO) in round one, but had to go the full six for a 58-55, 58-55, 60-53 unanimous decision.

You can close the book on the Nevada versus Antonio Margarito drama. Top Rank's Bob Arum said because of the proposed Nov. 13 fight date against Manny Pacquiao, he can't jerk around waiting for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to hear Margarito's case on the fighter's license. It appears four of the five NSAC commisioners were ready to vote no on the one-fight license so Arum pulled the plug on the request for a license in Nevada and possibility of fight being held in the desert.

"Because time is running out, we can't wait for Nevada to make a decision, so we have to think about moving the fight elsewhere," Arum saying no to the Aug. 9 NSAC hearing.

Margarito appeared in front of the NSAC on July 9 and his license request was tabled by a 4-1 vote with only Pat Lundvall in support of hearing Margarito's case.

"The commission, other than Pat, have other views. We decided we can't engage them in trying to change their views, so we're taking (the fight) elsewhere," Arum said.

Lundvall sounds she had the big picture in mind. Las Vegas has a struggling economy and a mega-fight during one of the slowest months of the year is needed badly. 

Lundvall said: "I'm very disappointed that the state of Nevada didn't have the opportunity to bring a fight of this magnitude and this caliber to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is where this fight should have been held."

Now Dallas tops the list with Atlantic City as a backup. It was initially thought the decision would be left to the commission in Texas but now California, the state that originally handed down the one-year suspension for Margarito's illegal hand wraps, is going to hear Margarito's case in a special hearing on Aug. 18. Arum said a decision will be rendered the next day.

Their first fight was an absolute brawl on Juan Diaz's home turf. This time around Juan Manuel Marquez has the fight on neutral ground but is hoping Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) sticks with his straight-ahead style. If he does, both fighters could take a beating Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. From NorthJersey.com:

"I think this fight is going to be better than the first one," Marquez said, "because Juan Diaz is a great fighter and a great warrior, and I am, too.”

Diaz's trainer Ronnie Shields agrees:

"This is going to be a great fight. [...] When you have styles like Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez, you have one of the best fights you have ever seen in your life."

Are both fighters the same guys they were back in February of 2009?

Marquez has fought since September when he was blistered by Floyd Mayweather. At 36, has he finally begun to head downhill? Diaz, 26, needs to show improvement. His style makes for great fights but he's way too easy to hit.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole broke down the fight and expects a longer fight this time. He says Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) won't be the same guy after taking so many hard shots against Mayweather. Iole also worries about Marquez going from the mid-140s to 135.

We also discuss the health of boxing in Las Vegas. Fights have struggled to sell out for the last few years in Sin City. Golden Boy Promotions is making an effort to alter price and value on these cards. The cheapest ticket is $50 and that's a pretty solid seat at the cozy Mandalay Bay Events Center. They've also delivered a solid undercard.

New Era has released it's Muhammed Ali cap. The hat is called "Capture the Flag" commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Ali's gold-medal victory on September 5, 1960 at the Summer Olympics in Rome.

There's only 144 hats total worldwide. They'll be available at New Era stores in New York, Toronto, Atlanta, London, Buffalo, Berlin and Birmingham, U.K. You can also find it online at neweracap.com/ali for $125.

The company worked with Ali to create the hat, where a portion of the sale of each one will go the Muhammed Ali Center in Louisville. 

Showtime achieved what appeared to be impossible when it threw together the Super Six Tournament for 168 pounders. It's been a huge success and HBO wants part of the action. But can the network get things done with Golden Boy Promotions driving the bus? That's to be decided.

Gary Shaw has his doubts. He represents Timothy Bradley, the favorite in a proposed tournament.

"I was up at HBO this week, unbeknownst to anybody," Shaw told ESPN.com back in mid-June. "I offered to do 140-pound tournament with Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, and if Marquez beats [Juan] Diaz [on July 31], he could be in the tournament as well."

"I said if you want to add more interest to it, give $500,000 to the winner of the tournament strictly for the fighter, not for the manager, not for the team, not for the promoter. The bonus check right to the fighter. And, they liked my ideas. The problem is, Amir Khan, obviously doesn't like the idea and I would assume Golden Boy doesn't like the idea too. But we would do it and Devon Alexander would do it."

Oscar De La Hoya spoke with Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and denied that Golden Boy is holding out Khan. 

"Amir has stated he's willing to fight anybody," De La Hoya answered when asked if he was trying to protect Khan. "Especially Juan (Manuel Marquez), especially Devon (Alexander), especially Bradley. Anybody! Amir Khan is here in Las Vegas and we're going to discuss what his next moves are and then we'll take it from there."

But since Golden Boy has so many fighters at 140, they might want the field expanded to six or eight. DLH said he hasn't spoken to HBO's Ross Greenburg about the topic but he's looking forward to. 

"It would be wonderful to hold some kind of tournament. Some kind of elimination. Because boxing needs it, boxing wants it," said De La Hoya. "And we now know, thanks to Showtime, that the Super Six works."

If the tournament expanded, who are the other candidates? Victor Ortiz and Marcos Maidana would have to be considered as well.  

"If this fight does not wind up in Las Vegas, I don't want anyone to say that it was because of Bob Arum," he told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "I live in this town and I know how much this city needs that event, but it looks like (the NSAC) is digging its heels in on this."

Iole says the favorite is now Cowboys Stadium, the site of the last Pacquiao fight against Joshua Clottey. He compares and contrasts the way Nevada handled Mike Tyson's many offenses in the past. Iole says Nevada is wrong to deny Margarito the chance to fight again. 

Stealing a page from the World Cup's book, Golden Boy Promotions has a 40-pound Octopus choosing between Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez in Saturday night's world lightweight title fight. Similar to soccer's "Paul" the Octopus, who was 8-0 during the World Cup, "Oscar" housed at Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef, will choose between two boxes containing mussels. The L.A. Times says Oscar will test his handicapping chops Thursday around 12:45 p.m. ET:

... reef keepers will drop two plastic boxes filled with food — one marked "Marquez" and the other "Diaz" — into the octopus tank.

The Mandalay Bay octopus was nameless until late Wednesday, when a suddenly comedic boxing promoter Richard Schaefer said he had decided to call the creature Oscar, in tribute to business partner Oscar De La Hoya.

Schaefer, a native of Switzerland, is a big soccer fan.

Update from Golden Boy Promotions:

The Giant Pacific Octopus at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay entered the sports predictions arena earlier this morning when he aggressively selected Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez as the winner over Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz in Saturday night's contest between the two pugilists who are fighting for Marquez's Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO Lightweight World titles at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay-Per-View. 
 
"Let's see if the octopus that picked Marquez to win Saturday night will be as accurate as Paul was during the World Cup," said Schaefer, CEO Golden Boy Promotions.  "Either way, we are going to have a great night of boxing from top to bottom as this is one of the strongest events we have ever had for the fans watching in the arena and on pay-per-view. All of these match-ups have the potential of being fight of the year for 2010."

Lopez and Marquez will meet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena while Mosley takes on Mora at Staples Center. Unless there's some kind of $25 promotion again at Staples, who wants to bet both fights will struggle to get 10,000 in the building? The Las Vegas prices are already set at $100-$400. The MGM can't be too happy. After all, it would love to draw thousands of fans from L.A. for a weekend in Sin City. 

But beggars can't be choosers, so let's just be happy we're getting quality fights. Lopez-Marquez is a great one. The 35-year-old Marquez is still at the top of his game while Lopez, 27, tries to get the veteran to pass the 126-pound torch. From the Los Angeles Times:  

"Age has nothing to do with this sport as long as you prepare yourself," Marquez said. "I will put my experience in play in this fight. I have noticed [Lopez's left], but he also drops his hands. That gives me confidence I can move in there and hit him.

"I'm not concerned at all about age making a difference. My only worry is myself."

This quote in Lance Pugmire's story would suggest Marquez may be considering retirement after the fight.

"I know I got one good challenge left before me, and I want to fight the best," Rafael Marquez said. "It'll be a tough fight, but I'll win by knockout."

In L.A., it's a must-win fight for Mosley. If he loses to Mora, he could fight on, but what's the point?

Bob Arum has a love-hate relationship with Las Vegas and the Nevada State Athletic Commission so he's not about to wait around while the powers that be mull over their decision to grant Antonio Margarito a license to fight. If Top Rank successfully strong-armed the NSAC, it was initially thought that Las Vegas was the favorite to get the Margarito-Manny Pacquiao fight. But just in case the NSAC refuses to reinstate Margarito, Arum is throwing Cowboys Stadium and Atlantic City into the mix, according to Keith Idec from the North Jersey Herald.

MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, are considered Arum's top two choices, but sources close to the situation believe Boardwalk Hall has become a viable alternative because executives at Arum's Top Rank Inc. think New Jersey's State Athletic Control Board would approve Margarito's application for a license to box in this state. Haledon native Nick Lembo, general counsel for the SACB, declined comment Tuesday because Margarito has yet to submit an application.

This is an interesting twist since the NSAC already tabled Margarito's initial request and told him to head back to California, the state that initially handed down a one-year suspension back in February of 2009. If New Jersey approved Margarito's license, it might indicate that Nevada is no longer the standard-bearer when it comes to state commissions. 

Margarito will fight Pacquiao at one of the three U.S. sites mentioned. If all three states turn away Margarito then Monterrey, Mexico, could be the backup plan. 

Bob Arum claimed last week that he negotiated most of the terms for a superfight with Mayweather manager Al Haymon using HBO sports president Ross Greenburg as the intermediary. Then Mayweather's adviser Leonard Ellerbe called Greenburg and Arum liars.

Greenburg finally responded Monday in an email to the Los Angeles Times:

"Fights like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao are significant because of these fighters' ability to connect with sports fans around the world.

"It's unfortunate that it won't happen in 2010.

"I had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2, carefully trying to put the fight together. Hopefully, someday this fight will happen. Sports fans deserve it."

Lance Pugmire from the L.A. Times tracked down Ellerbe for his reaction. He didn't back down from his claims that Greenburg is lying.

"Obviously, the parties making these statements need to understand what the term 'negotiation' really means. Calling to ask Floyd what he's thinking about doing is not a negotiation. How ... can you have a negotiation when the principal has made it clear he's not interested in doing anything at this time."

He also lobbed another bomb at Arum.

"I pay absolutely no attention to what Arum says," Ellerbe said. "He's just bitter because Floyd left him to become his own boss and has gone on to make $125 million since."

Ellerbe wonders why there's been confusion from the get-go. 

"This whole thing is getting blown out of proportion," Ellerbe said. "Floyd made it clear what his intentions were, after the fight ... and again in an interview last week. He's on vacation."

So why didn't Ellerbe, Mayweather or Haymon just make that clear weeks ago before the stupid deadline was set and we all followed the countdown?

Be honest, are you starting to lose interest? Frankly, the one truth being told here is that all the parties involved could give a rat's ass about you, the fan.

The Klitschkos can't find anyone to fight and there are hardly any marketable stars on the way up. David Haye and Alexander Povetkin are probably the closest guys. So Wladimir set up a fight against Povetkin, who then no-showed this week's press conference in Germany.

The heavyweight champ and his people mocked on Povetkin by taking a series of photos with a cardboard cutout of the young Russian heavyweight. It was a nice joke. Well now, the joke is on boxing fans.

It turns out the Povetkin camp, led by trainer Teddy Atlas, didn't think he's ready for his shot and they bailed from the fight. So who did Team Klitschko turn to? That's right, another guy he's already fought in Sam Peter. What has Peter done to earn to the shot? You got it! Very little.

Peter has won four straight over the likes of Nagy Aguilera, Gabe Brown (pictured), Ronald Bellamy and Marcus McGee. Brown (18-12-1) is one of our all-time favorites. He's lost five straight fights and weighs 363 pounds.  

Peter and Klitschko met back in 2005. Klitschko won via unanimous decision. Their careers have gone in opposite directions since with Peter going 10-2 but with the other wins coming against Oleg Maskaev, Jameel McCline, Julius Long, Robert Hawkins and James Toney twice. Klitschko has nine straight since the Peter fight.

Atlas' excuse for why he didn't want Povetkin fighting Klitschko has some validity but it also pours gasoline on the tire fire that is the bogus boxing rankings system. Atlas told Brian Kenny on ESPN Friday Night fights that although Povetkin is the No. 1 ranked fighter in the IBF and WBO, that doesn't mean whole lot. It's only a number.

So if the fighter and his trainer don't think he's the top contender how can both sanctioning bodies justify having him in that slot? Of course it makes more sense when you see that Kali Meehan and Ray Austin are No. 1 contenders for the other sanctioning bodies.  

Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) and Peter (34-3, 27 KOs) meet in Frankfurt on Sept. 11 at Commerzbank-Arena.

We still have no official word on the next Manny Pacquiao fight. The window of exclusivity for negotiating with Floyd Mayweather went bye-bye last Friday and now Top Rank has moved on to other potential opponents. It's clear Team Mayweather doesn't want to fight this year, but now some media members are saying the same thing about Top Rank's Bob Arum, and that he never wanted the fight this year either. David Mayo of the Grand Rapids Press says Arum never negotiated in good faith:

Arum relayed through HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg the terms he would find acceptable for making the fight. You can bet they were favorable terms for Pacquiao, which is to say terms Mayweather very well might find onerous. They probably included a 50-50 split in money, or something close to it. Arum steadfastly refused to specify that. Second, Greenburg relayed those terms to the Mayweather camp, which never responded to them. Arum might as well have called me to relay the terms. I have all the same phone numbers and could’ve had the same conversations -- or lack thereof.

Mayo says that's not a negotiation as Arum calling it:

My 30-year-old Webster’s New World Dictionary -- the one that one of my dogs tore the cover off of years ago -- defines negotiate as “to confer, bargain, or discuss with a view to reaching a settlement.” Arum got a lot of mileage with the media in saying Manny Pacquiao had agreed to terms. Sending a message through an intermediary who isn’t empowered to respond or counteroffer doesn’t qualify. And that Greenburg converses often with the Mayweather camp means absolutely nothing.

He says Arum's always wanted a Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito or Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight:

Failing that, what Arum planned all along was to have two of his own fighters face each other on Nov. 13 -- Pacquiao against either Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito -- which seems the near-certain resolution now. That keeps all the money in house, gets another probable win for Pacquiao, and keeps him from being exposed to Mayweather for a few more months, if at all.

Mayo said Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe predicted this is exactly what would go down back at the start of the year. 

Battling a hostile crowd that resembled a meeting of the Young Republicans, Al Gore's son Al III, showed moxie and a nice right hook in winning his first organized amateur boxing match Tuesday night in New York. The younger Gore (in the dark trunks) tipped the scales at a stout 200 pounds but exhibited a solid gas tank and eventually broke down his opponent, Ken "The Carnivore" Cunningham, before the referee handed him a TKO victory (2:28 mark) at B.B. King Blues Club in New York City.

[Photos: Recent images of former VP Al Gore ]

Gawker was on the scene with an account of the fight and victory from "Kid Blanco" over Cunningham at The Corporate Boxing Challenge.

In Round One, it looked as if they might get it. Cunningham came out throwing sweeping left hooks at 110% power (even leaving his feet once), clearly dreaming of the bragging rights attendant with knocking down a political scion.

In the second round, young Gore found his rhythm! Though he eschewed complicated combinations in favor of a jab-looping right one-two repetition, Gore Jr. began landing his big right hand, and forced the ref to step in and give Cunningham a standing eight count.

His confidence renewed, Gore emerged for the final round in fine form. Cunningham could find no answer to Gore's straight-ahead one-two combos, and caught himself another standing eight count. The crowd was in an uproar, calling for the ref to allow these two financial warriors to spill blood. In the entirety of Strategic Capital Partners, we boldly guess, there is no more competent heavyweight than the son of the former vice president. And of that, America can be proud.

According to the report, Al III has been training for the last three years. Apparently, he viewed boxing as the path to clean up his act after a little run in with California police in 2007. Gore was the darling of tabloids after being booked on "pot-and-pill-possession charges" while driving 100 mph in his Toyota Prius. Good for him for cleaning up his act.

[More on the former VP: Portland paper offers new details of Gore investigation ]

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
• Top NCAA coach compares some agents to 'pimps'
• Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach to be on 'Survivor'
• Magic Johnson offers his take on LeBron's move

The fight game used to deliver the fights we wanted to see. It's the greatest thing about boxing. As soon as the "supposed" best beats a highly touted opponent fans could always say, "Well what about so and so!" There's little sense in doing that now because you're only setting yourself up for disappointment.

The cries for Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather started back in the middle of 2008 when Pacman dismantled the same Oscar De La Hoya that "Money" fought to a decision against. Two years later, we still don't have the fight we want and really don't appear any closer to getting those guys in the same ring. But they're not the only fighters frustrating fans right now. Here are eight more fights we won't see before the calendar changes to 2011.

8. Wladimir Klitschko vs. Vitali Klitschko
We know it's not fair to ask brothers to square off but we can always hope. After all, these are the two best heavyweights in the world. They've combined for 20 straight wins and there's just a few fighters on the horizon worth watching the giants square off against.

7. Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams
This isn't a big deal for the casual fan but for the hardcore it's a rematch that needs to happen. Martinez took apart Kelly Pavlik last time out and lost an oddly scored fight against Williams at the end of 2009. Martinez's mix of craftiness and volume may be tough for Williams to overcome next time around.

6. Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley
Instead of having Pacman face the guy recognized by most as the best 140-pounder in the world, Top Rank is going to force Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto down our throats. Because he's not under the Top Rank or Golden Boy banner, Bradley is viewed as an outsider and hasn't been exposed enough to the public. So instead we get to see Pacquiao face Cotto, whom he destroyed last time around, or Margarito, who can't legally fight in the U.S. and was mauled by Shane Mosley, who was just wrecked by Mayweather.

5. Andre Ward vs. Lucian Bute
Showtime's Super Six middleweight tournament has been a fight fan's dream come true. All of the matchmaking politics have been eliminated in squaring off guys like Ward, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch. One problem, because Bute is an HBO guy, he wasn't invited to the party. When this thing is over, if Ward rolls to a win, Bute needs to be the next guy in line. He's already filling up arenas in Canada. He's a highly marketable guy to go against America's next great hope.

4. David Haye vs. Wladimir Klitschko
What's the problem here? Haye's big mouth will make this fight into a blockbuster internationally and possibly win back the adulation of Ross Greenburg and HBO. Klitschko reported offered a 50-50 split and got no response from Haye, who is now fighting something called Audley Harrison. Time's a wastin'. Haye better get in there with one of the Klitschkos before no one really cares.

3. Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson
This is ridiculous on both sides. Hopkins, 46, is quickly falling from the consciousness of many fight fans. He looked old at times against an even older Roy Jones Jr. Dawson, 28, is the guy at light heavyweight and has been for a while, but he's losing luster booking fights like Glen Johnson-Dawson IX. They better get this one done by the middle of 2011 or it's never going to happen.

2. Carl Froch vs. Joe Calzaghe
Calzaghe wants to come back, but why is he targeting bums? After having cleared out the 168-pound division, the 38-year-old walked away with an unblemished 46-0 mark. Well, it took less than two years for the super middleweight class to rebound and produce some highly marketable guys. Froch may not be the best of the lot but he's British and has a big trap. A Brit versus Welshman fight anywhere in the U.K. would draw 50,000 fans in a soccer stadium. Plus the fight could be a classic. 

1. Floyd Mayweather vs. Paul Williams
Williams deserves the shot. He's a matchup nightmare at 6-foot-2, but his promoter Dan Goossen put it perfectly last week saying the greats take on all comers. Who wanted to face the gangly, tall Tommy Hearns in the '80's? No one. But Sugar Ray Leonard did it. Williams is recognized by many as No. 3 pound-for-pound, so if Floyd won't fight the No. 1, why can't we see No. 2 versus No. 3? You know why and that's why there are this many fights we want to see but won't in 2010. 

"Here are the facts," said Mayweather spokesperson Leonard Ellerbe. "Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis and the truth is no negotiations have ever taken place nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying."

Arum's story was that he and Haymon had agreed upon most of the terms for a Nov. 13 fight and did so with HBO's Greenburg as the middle man. Ellerbe says none of that happened.

Fight fans should be happy to know, we're back to status quo in boxing. Once again we don't get to the see the match we've been waiting two years for and it may now be harder than ever to make the fight.

Pacman's promoter Bob Arum wants to keep the next fight in-house, but it has a lot of people around boxing scratching their heads. Paul Williams, Andre Berto, Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan are all more dangerous opponents or more sellable fights.

Williams' manager Dan Goossen is asking the same questions. From the Los Angeles Times:

"It'd be a travesty to have Manny Pacquiao fight a guy whose license has been taken away," Goossen said. "That would be hurtful to Manny's reputation. Manny's a great man, but there's a lot of negative sentiment about Margarito and what he did. These are the things that are not good for our sport."

Also not good for the sport is the fact that Arum may move a Pacquiao-Margarito fight to Monterrey, Mexico. Goossen told the Times:  

"How can he take this fight against Margarito out of the country, like thieves in the night? Our sport needs to make the biggest and best fights possible, and without Mayweather, Paul Williams is the richest fight for Pacquiao that’s out there."

Goossen wonders why Pacquiao won't do what the greats of the past have done. 

"What made our sport great — the era of [Marvin] Hagler, [Thomas] Hearns, [Roberto] Duran — is that all those guys wanted to fight each other," Goossen said. "That's a champion's mentality, to fight the best."

Apparently, Floyd Mayweather and Bob Arum are going to make us wait until the wee hours of Friday night before we know if the fight against Manny Pacquiao is going down on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. Arum will be speaking to the media at 3 a.m. ET. 

All signs point to it not happening, but you never know. Some late-night wranglings could change everything. 

Apparently most of the issues (money split, venue and drug testing) have been worked out in an odd negotation process. Sources say Ross Greenburg, president of HBO sports, has been the middle man between Arum and Mayweather's manager Al Haymon. The two sides haven't spoken directly. Each step of the way they've told Greenburg something and he's turned around to relay the message to the other side. But there's one thing Greenburg's patience can't solve — Roger Mayweather's lunacy away from the game. 

The biggest issue for Floyd is the pending trial for his uncle and head trainer. The 55-year-old goes to court on a year-old battery charge. He's facing up to 10 years in prison for allegedly beating and choking a 26-year-old named Melissa St. Vil. The bigger problem is that Mayweather already served six months on a similar charge in 2006-2007. This won't be easy to beat.

David Mayo from the Grand Rapids Press has a nice roundup of all the factors that will probably nix a Nov. 13 fight between boxing's pound-for-pound best. 

The countdown is on for Floyd Mayweather to take the fight against Manny Pacquiao. Top Rank Promotion's website has made it official. Stealing a page from ESPN's LeBron Tracker, Bob Arum now has a clock ticking down as Friday night's deadline approaches.

Arum is already lining up Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito for the Nov. 13 date against Pacquiao in Las Vegas. 

Tip via The Sports Pig

He's always been a fascinating guy. Sitting down with Mike Tyson for a few minutes for a candid conversation can often turn into a trip to bizarro world. It's also a window into one of the most brutally honest athletes in the world.

Tyson recently stated he was broke during an appearance on "The View" and now in an interview with Details magazine, Tyson questions what he's accomplished during his first 44 years.

The first stage of my life was just a whole bunch of selfishness. Just a whole bunch of gifts to myself and people who didn't necessarily deserve it. Now I'm 44, and I realize that my whole life is just a [expletive] waste. "Greatest man on the planet"? I wasn't half the man I thought I was. So if there's a big plan now, it's just to give—it's selflessness, caring for the people who deserve it. Because I think I'm a pig. I have this uncanny ability to look at myself in the mirror and say, "This is a pig. You are a [expletive] piece of [expletive]."

Tyson says he has a sixth sense around bad people.

That's why it's very difficult for me when people are offering me all that adulation and love. I just feel dirty. These people want to hug me, they want to touch me, and I'm feeling like, "Get your [expletive] hands off me." I feel that energy of theirs, and it's just filth and murder. It's not that they're bad people necessarily; it's just that they did something bad, and you can feel it on them. I have to go and wash up before I touch my own kids.

He says he feels lost right now and sometimes doesn't recognize the changes around him.

I went back to Brownsville with my reality-TV-show crew, they're doing a segment about my childhood racing pigeons, and Brownsville's all upscale now. They got surveillance cameras, buildings that were abandoned cost, like, a million now, and I'm thinking, My life must've been a lie, 'cause there's nothing there that looks like my childhood. This white woman come up, and I'm thinking, Wow. When I was a kid, she would've been robbed and raped and left for dead. This is a real strange scenario, and I just wanted to cry. I'm like, "Who am I? Where's my heritage?"

What shouldn't get lost during the interview is Tyson's fanaticism for the sport he dominated during the late '80s. When asked about intimidation and respect as a factor in and out of the ring he pointed to Muhammed Ali.

Believe it or not, with all that poetry and the butterflies, what I learned from Ali was meanness. He was the meanest fighter of all time. He'd be in there with Foreman, hardest puncher of all time, he'd be in there with Frazier, another hardest puncher, and he'd be taking it, boom, getting pounded, and then he'd turn, when it was his time, and you'd look at that face, and he's screaming. [Does an Ali impression] "I'm not [Throws a punch] scared [Throws a punch] of you, you [expletive] faggot. [Throws two punches] You [expletive] punk. I'm [expletive] God, and worship me. I'm the greatest. [Throws two punches] You're a little [expletive] boy, [expletive]." Nobody at ringside reported it, but nobody [expletive]-talked like Ali.

There are some good things in Tyson's life. He lost a tremendous amount of weight by going on a strict vegan diet. With a little hope remaining, he wants to be a productive citizen the rest of the way. 

And after I lost my 4-year-old daughter? All these people reached out and I realized: I just want to be of service to people. I need to help. I need to have something, finally, that I can offer people in this world.

Check out the interview. Tremendous stuff.

The headline in the U.K.'s Telegraph was a bit shocking. But can it really be true? Television's biggest boxing backer is permanently done with the heavyweights? HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said it.

"We're out of the heavyweight division. There isn't any interest in the US and no one besides Haye to challenge the Klitschkos."  

Boxing writer Gareth A Davies states the obvious about what's happened to Americans' interest in the heavyweights.

The public in the United States appear to have lost interest in a division which once spilt over with larger than life athletic giants who became world stars. 

The Klitschkos, Vladimir and Vitali, gave it a go with 12 fights in U.S., but the greeting was lukewarm. In defense of the fighters, they also weren't where they are now as fighters. Davies points out how big they are now in Germany.

In Germany, it is a different story. The Klitschko Show tours German football stadiums, the two super-heavyweights hammering no hopers in front of 60,000 spectators, out on a night of gluwein and canapés, before retiring for a little light opera. 

They could be a draw in the U.S. again, they just have to come back and have someone compelling to fight. The guy is David Haye. But how do you build Haye if he's not on HBO and won't fight here? Tough one. Let's hope HBO means its out of the heavyweight business for now.  

Antonio Margarito and his lawyers tried to sneak in the back door and they were greeted by some angry pit bulls in Nevada. Margarito, who was suspended by California after being caught with loaded gloves before his fight against Shane Mosley on Jan. 24, 2009, applied for his U.S. license reinstatement before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Friday.

From the Las Vegas Sun:

In a 4-1 vote, the commission tabled Margarito's application for a license and encouraged him to return to the California State Athletic Commission that revoked his license for a year in February 2009. Although there is no legal requirement Margarito receive his license there, those in favor of the decision stated California seemed to be a more appropriate venue for the discussion.

Margarito is still defiant in stating that he had no knowledge of the illegal hand wraps.

"My former trainer [Javier Capetillo] put knuckle pads on that had irregular substances inside. I didn't know about them, truthfully. I would have been the first person to say, 'I can't go out and fight,' if I had known. But I didn't feel anything."

Margarito also claimed the illegality of the wraps weren't as serious as has been reported. 

"There's been a lot of misrepresentation on what happened in January," Margarito said. "I didn't have plaster casts on my hands like some people have commented."

His lawyer Thomas Marroso is ready to move forward and hit the Golden State.

"We're very disappointed in the commission's decision," Marroso said. "We understand it though and we heard their suggestions. One thing I can tell you, and Antonio would agree with me, is we're not done fighting."

Allan Green was steaming last July when the field for Showtime's Super Six was announced. The fast-rising super middleweight was left out of the prestigious tournament the network put together to showcase the best the weight class had to offer. Green (29-1, 20 KOs) caught a break when Jermain Taylor had to bow out of the tournament. He now gets a chance to pull an upset on the guy many have labeled the favorite to win the whole thing. But don't expect Green to be handing out prefight thank yous. He's got a real chip on his shoulder according to Tim Smith from the N.Y. Daily News. 

"The thing I didn't understand was Jermain Taylor getting into the tournament," said Green. "No offense against Jermain but we fought on the same show and I won my fight and he lost his fight. I got pushed to ShoBox and he got put into the tournament. That's what I didn't understand."

Green is here, and now he's calling out Ward. The former light heavyweight thinks Ward lacks the punching power to be elite star at 168.

"Andre looked great against Kessler, but I'm not Kessler," Green said. "Mikkel Kessler really couldn't deal with a lot of things that Andre was doing. I'm a slick guy and I'm a sharp guy. I'll fight however my opponent wants to fight. If I have to be slick, I'll be slick. If I have to box, I will box. If I have to brawl, I'll brawl. I expect a thinking match."

Green wants to send a message after not receiving the proper respect when the field was put together. That's fine says Ward, who's still trying to carve out his own niche.

"If he (Green) has a chip on his shoulder then that makes two of us. I've been away from my family for a long time and I'm a bit irritable," Ward said. "He's desperate to win but I want to keep my title. I don't know if it's now or if it's later but I know eventually I'm going to get respect for the dog that's in me and for the bite-down that I have. It's about going out there and taking care of business."

Cotto's heart and ability were questioned by many coming into the fight after a brutal loss at the hands of Manny Pacquiao. The Puerto Rican only has two losses in his career. 

Mercante's actions were odd considering someone threw in the towel to stop the fight in the eighth. The referee seemed to think it didn't come from the corner and even said, "I won't let it end like that." With 1:18 left in the eighth, it appeared the fight was done and the ring filled up. Mercante called timeout and cleared the ring. Ring announcer Michael Buffer claimed that the corner didn't throw it but Joe Grier admitted that he did so seconds earlier. Mercante didn't care, he thought the disappointed Foreman should be allowed to fight on.

"The towel came in, in the heat of the battle," said Mercante. "There was a good exchange going. I felt it wasn't necessary. That's what the fans came to see. I felt I did the right thing."

It is what the fighter wanted, but what fighter doesn't want to continue? 

"I'm a world champion, now former world champion," said Foreman (28-1, 8 KOs). "We're not just quitting. We need to fight."

The knee first buckled in the seventh with 2:05 left and then again with 1:34. Foreman became very stationary and Cotto simply poured it on. A left hook by Cotto had Foreman's mouthpiece fly across the ring in the final minute of the round. 

"It's an old injury. I wear the brace to prevent it," said Foreman. "I was making side-to-side movmeent and it just gave out. It was a lot of pain, very sharp pain. I couldn't do a lot of movement."

It's the fourth weight class at which Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) has won a title. Yankee Stadium was configured to seat 29,000, with 10,000 on the field. It appeared most of the cheap seats sold but there were a few thousands empty seats on the field. 

Cotto outlanded Foreman 115-71 but the crispness and power on the punches made the difference. 

It'll be interesting to see what Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) does from here. Most of the possible opponents at 154 pounds are in the 5-foot-11 to 6-1 range. Cotto is only 5-8.

"It was a historical moment; it had a major effect on people around the world that was the time Adolf Hitler was expounding his theory on the master race, and so on, and it would have been a tremendous propaganda victory if Schmelling had won the fight. That fight is a watermark and will be remembered for years to come," Arum told Gareth A. Davies of the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph.

Arum then went back thousands of years in talking about the significance of Foreman fighting.

"It will be totally different. When he starts his ring walk, the Shofar [the ram’s horn] will sound. In effect, remember, this was the like the bugle call which led the Ancient Israelites into battle in the time of King David and King Solomon."

Even the prefight trip to the stadium for Foreman will be something worth watching.

"Yuri can’t begin his work until after sundown on the Sabbath, which is over at 9.16pm. We have him in a hotel on the East Upper Side [in Manhattan] so he will get a police escort to the stadium with an HBO helicopter filming it all from above, following his journey to the Yankee Stadium."

Arum said there are still tickets available for the fight; with tickets ranging $50-$400. The stadium is configured to seat about 30,000. The ring, set up in front of the rightfield bleachers and stands, will be covered by a giant canopy. There will be roughly 10,000 seats on the field. 

The trainer both guys wanted on their side for this fight will be standing behind Miguel Cotto. Emanuel Steward is highly coveted; you could almost call him a hired gun. Foreman wanted Steward for this fight back in February and the 65-year-old trainer almost took the gig.

Foreman's manager Murray Wilson told BoxingScene.com it was a done deal.

"It's official. Manny is going to help. It will only be for a couple of weeks, three at most. Yuri is great fighter and we are looking to throw more punches." 

It wasn't done, Steward turned down the offer and then oddly popped up on the side of Foreman's opponent. That had Bob Arum on the offensive when talking about any advantage Steward may bring to Cotto.

"Obviously, Manny can't hurt, he's a great trainer," Arum said of Steward. "But he's taking a guy in the middle of a race. It's not like Tommy Hearns and the Kronk guys he got from the beginning. He happened to do a marvelous job with Klitschko, taking him in the middle but with other fighters he hasn't done particularly well. When he took Oscar (de la Hoya), that was a disaster. Jermain Taylor, that wasn't effective. How he's going to do with Cotto, I don't know."

Sounds like Arum, who has promoted Cotto for years, doesn't sound too confident in his second dog in this race. Like all good trainers, Steward has seen his highs and lows. Arum mentioned guys like Hearns and Klitschko. He's also worked with Evander Holyfield after his 1992 loss to Riddick Bowe and brought back Lennox Lewis from his loss against Oliver McCall. 

Just like those guys, Steward sees plenty left in the 29-year-old Cotto, who was last seen getting pummeled by Manny Pacquiao.

"I have always been a big fan of Miguel,'' Steward said. "After meeting his people, it was very comfortable. I didn't make any changes, just subtle changes. Anytime you are coming in with a fighter that has some very rough fights, you are concerned with the physical damage as well as the mental damage,''

Steward says he didn't see any cumulative effects from Cotto's losses to Pacman and Antonio Margarito.

"Some guys, their coordination and reflexes are totally shot from the combination of the tough fights and emotions. But I did not see that from Miguel. His boxing has been superb. All of us have been impressed," said Steward.

Cotto, 29, has spent most of his career putting forth a conservative, quiet image. But he's also been working behind the scenes to become more media savvy and accessible. His English is excellent and apparently he keeps up with hot-button issues in the United States. The Puerto Rican had some pointed comments about Arizona's new immigration policy, as reported by the New York Daily News:

"You can't treat immigrants, people who move the economy of this country, like that," Cotto said. "They are human beings. They are here legal, but you can't treat them the way people from Arizona want to treat them."

The WBC has already come out and said it won't schedule any fights in Arizona until the policy is changed.

"(The law's) going to be trouble," Cotto said when asked about the law possibly presenting problems with boxers not fighting in Arizona. "People get mad to get there because people from there, the cops, the government from there, aren't going to treat them like they need to be treated."

Cotto takes on Yuri Foreman Saturday night at Yankee Stadium for the WBA junior middleweight title.

"If the Mayweather deal isn’t made, Pacquiao might fight Miguel Cotto, if Cotto beats (Yuri) Foreman for the 154-pound title," said Arum.

"I don’t think Manny would fight Yuri Foreman because he says Yuri is too tall," said Arum of the defending 154-pound champion from Israel who stands 5-foot-11.

Didn't we just see that fight? Pacman wrecked Cotto, right? Cotto was finished in the 12th round trailing 109-99, 108-99 and 108-100. Talk about the boxing sin of all sins. Why not Foreman? Frankly, who cares how tall he is? Should Pacquiao really be afraid of a guy with eight knockouts in 28 fights?

GMA in the Philippines reports that Pacquiao left the homeland Tuesday night for a two-week stay in the United States. He'll attend the Cotto-Foreman fight but before that he'll be a featured guest at the Boxing Writers Association of America awards to accept his Boxer of the Decade honors. 

Pacquiao, 31, who was taken to a hospital for stomach pains on Sunday, said he was suffering from an ulcer which may have been caused by irregular eating habits during his recent political campaign.

"I must be disciplined and not miss meals during the proper time," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN television.

DogHouse Boxing and The Manila Bulletin say it was simply acid reflux.

Doctors revealed that it was a recurrence of his old acid reflux ailment, something that was triggered by his poor eating habits the past couple of months due to his hectic campaign schedule.

The Guardian in the U.K. said he had the same issues in the past.

Pacquiao underwent an endoscopy and other routine tests, and was given a clean bill of health. His chief of staff, Jake Joson, said: "The tests revealed nothing." It is not the first time the 31-year-old has suffered stomach ailments, having undergone similar problems in 2006 and 2007.

Manny was released Tuesay but didn't exactly go the rest-and-relaxation route. He drove straight to the GMA studios to tape an episode of "Show Me Da Manny!" In the coming days, he'll have little time to kickback. He's scheduled to arrive in the New York area on June 1. On June 4, he'll be at the annual Boxing Writers Association of America awards night and then attend the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman fight the next night at Yankee Stadium.  

After mauling one another for 25 rounds in three previous fights it was tough to expect another long war between Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez. The tread on the tires is wearing thin but maybe not for both fighters. Vazquez, 32, suffered horrible bruising and injuries to his eye in the third meeting and had the look of a guy who just can't take a punch anymore without severe gashes opening. In meeting No. 4, with both eyes cut early, Vazquez took a big right from Marquez in the middle of the third and went down. He came off the deck but referee Raul Caiz Jr. had to stop it seconds later when Vazquez wasn't throwing back giving the 126-pound victory to Marquez at 1:33 of the third round.

The Marquez win evens the historic series at two fights a piece but the tone after the fight in the ring suggested there may not be a need for a fifth. In fact, it may be a long time before Vazquez (44-5, 32 KOs) should into the ring again.

Marquez talked about his motivation after losing the third meeting by a point after he was knocked down in the 12th and also had a point deducted during the fight.

"I was really hurt (by the loss) and today I made things clear," Marquez.

Marquez wasn't shy in saying he targeted the fragile eyes of Vazquez.

"Yes definitely, that was the plan and all the punches were effective tonight," said Marquez.

Marquez was even more direct when he spoke with the L.A. Times:

"I've been waiting for this moment for almost three years," Marquez said in the ring, crediting trainer and former world champion boxer Daniel Zaragoza for developing a fight plan, "to go directly to the eyes."

Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) landed a grazing right in the first and Vazquez left eye tore open about two-third down his eyelid. There was a clash of heads at the end of the second that nicked Marquez and had him yelling at Vazquez after the round. Marquez came out for the third breathing fire, landing anything he wanted, when again the fighters clashed heads. This time, Vazquez suffered a cut next to his right eye. It wasn't going to be long before he couldn't see the punches coming and decide it was safer to bail and potentially fight another day.

Oscar De La Hoya, Vazquez's promoter, doesn't expect there to be a fifth fight.

"It's 2-2, and that's the way it should end," said De La Hoya.

The Yahoo! boxing blog had it 115-113 for Mares as did Showtime announcers Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver. All three media judges (115-113, 115-113, 116-112) for Showtime also gave it to Mares. Perez (20-0-1, 14KOs) retains his IBF bantamweight title and almost certainly sets up a rematch down the road and hopefully a bigger payday for both fighters.

The pro-Mares crowd jeered the decision, in which judges Gwen Adair and Regina Williams scored the bout 114-114. Marty Denkin gave Mares a 115-113 edge.

"I thought I won, and I'm not the only one," Mares told the L.A. Times. "I wouldn't mind a rematch. I showed him a high-caliber fighter tonight."

Perez is open to another fight but sound too impressed.

"I will fight a rematch, but it's up to my promoters," Perez (20-0-1) told the L.A. Times. "He's a good fighter, but he never hurt me."

It was really three different fights with Perez jumping out to an early lead. Mares was landing more shots early but Perez was thudding with the heavier shots as he possibly won 4-of-5 rounds. In the sixth, Mares flipped the script by moving a lot more and making Perez chase him. When Mares decided to punch he'd stymie Perez with four and five punch combos and then get back on the move again before Perez could catch him. All that movement seem to tire out Mares going into the ninth. He lost the round and even told his corner that he was getting tired.

Then somehow Mares found an extra gear and closed strongly. He was dynamite in the 10th and 11th and outlanded Perez 41-14 in the final round. It appeared the best punch of the fight came with less than 20 seconds left. A combination finished by a thunderous right rocked Perez, who stumbled a bit. Perez also slowed in those final three rounds. When Mares got back into it, in the middle of the fight, he did a nice job of doubling up his left hooks, to the head and body. Perez may have paid for that at the close of the fight.

Mares threw 1032 punches and outlanded Perez 378-276. He had a big advantage with the jab (179-76) and more than matched Perez's power shots 202-197.

Odd circumstances made this brewing rivalry possible. Perez is much older at 31 years old versus the 24-year-old Mares. Perez, a Columbian, got a late start on his boxing career as he was serving a mandatory seven-year stint in the military. Mares' career hasn't come without stumbles either. He was on the verge of a title shot back in 2008, scheduled to fight Gerry Penalosa, but his career was derailed for 12 months because of a detached retina. Both guys appear to be in their prime and have a chance to shine a big spotlight on the bantamweight division.

The media, and rightfully so, has asked, "hey fellas, is it the safest thing to keep beating the hell out of each other?" You knew what the answer was going to be because fighters, fight. That's what they do until they can't do it any longer. And most of the time there's long term damage. These two Mexicans have hooked up for 25 nasty rounds and they're ready to go another 12 if necessary tonight at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"We just want to make a great fight," Vazquez told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "We're preparing ourselves to give it our all in that ring and the motivation is just to shut those naysayers' mouths. They're saying I shouldn't be fighting anymore, but I want to shut their mouths and prove to them I can still make a great fight."

Marquez is 35 years old and Vazquez is 32. They've combined for 91 fights. This is for them and the fans.

"I believe our rivalry is far and above one of the best rivalries ever for one reason. Outside the ring, both of us totally respect each other as human beings," said Marquez. "But when it's time to fight, you know we will put forth nothing less than an all-out effort. And I expect the same from both of us (tonight)," Vazquez said.

George Willis from the N.Y. Post is one of the veteran boxing scribes who doesn't like it. 

I’m not sure why a fourth fight is necessary. We’ve seen this three times before and as thrilling as the fights have been, the toll it has taken on the two boxers can’t be ignored, and it’s only going to get worse.

Marquez's promoter Gary Shaw is tired of hearing the reporters' concerns.

"They want to fight one more time, fans wanted them to fight one another again. There is truly some unfinished business," said Shaw. "And it doesn't help the sport, it doesn't help these two guys when the press is questioning if they should fight a fourth fight."

What isn't it helping? Is anyone not going to watch because some reporters have concerns for the fighters' health? The fans will be there and we'll get a great show. Let's just make sure to watch how both guys come out of the fight and what comes down road.

Vazquez suggested something we already suspected.

"With Rafa, we're probably going to end up in wheelchairs, but we'll probably still end up throwing punches at each other in wheelchairs."

The Showtime fight card starts at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Abner Mares also challenges Yonnhy Perez for his IBF bantamweight title. 

Abner Mares and Yonnhy Perez are being pushed pretty heavily in an effort to make late-ticket sales for Saturday night's Showtime card at Staples Center. Both outstanding fighters, they deserve to grab some of the spotlight from Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez. That said, don't they deserve a little more money?

The common misperception amongst fight fans, both boxing and MMA, is that world champs make a great living. To help fill a 20,000-seat arena and risk having your brains beaten in, getting only $50,000 for your efforts doesn't seem like such a great deal.

That's what Perez, the IBF 118-pound champ, is getting. On top of that, because his family is so poor, living in his native Colombia, the majority of the payday will head south.

Perez's co-promoter, Gary Shaw, recently accompanied the boxer home to Colombia, where Perez provided a tour of his home. It is made of cinder blocks with no interior drywall, bed sheets used as doors, and cut-out openings to the outside where windows usually would be fitted.

Shaw was so bothered by the conditions that he asked Perez to accept $25,000 to move to a better neighborhood. "This is my street, my neighborhood. These are my friends," Perez replied. "I'll never leave."

Perez, 31, helps support his two boys, parents, grandmother and wife. The remaining money doesn't exactly have Perez living high on the hog in Sante Fe Springs, Calif.

Perez makes do in the U.S. with what's left of the purse money, needing $400 a month for rent and $60 to maximize his frequent cellphone calls to Colombia. Perez grins and admits he will occasionally treat himself to a $10 fried fish dinner at a neighborhood strip-mall restaurant.

Perez is relatively new to boxing. After serving in the Colombian military, he's gone 20-0, with 14 KOs since age 26.

When he was 18, the Colombian military mandated that Perez commit seven years of service, mostly representing the army at a sports school and by fighting an estimated 250 amateur bouts. He was sent on patrols in Antioquia, dangerously close to the country's drug-trafficking center, Medellin, recalling how life in Colombia meant "seeing it all: the kidnappings, the drugs, the corruption, the guerillas."

You can see why there will be no complaints from Perez, who will probably take home less than $20,000 after taxes and expenses. But it's clear the gap between the haves and have-nots in boxing is widening with each card.

Bernard Fernandez points out that the last meeting was so brutal, Marquez (38-5, 34 KOs) took off 14 months while Vazquez was sidelined for 19. They meet again Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

"As a fighter, obviously you know it takes something out of you," Vazquez said of the toll he and Marquez have exacted on each other's bodies. "But I feel good. I'm still capable of going in the ring and fighting, and I'm finally making some money now. If I can feel the way I feel now, I'll keep fighting until I'm 50 years old."

Fernandez also did a nice job of reminding us how rare a four-fight series is in boxing.

It joins an even more exclusive club, that reserved for fighters who have squared off four times or more with memorable results. That would include Beau Jack-Bob Montgomery, Jack-Ike Williams, Sandy Saddler-Willie Pep, Jersey Joe Walcott-Ezzard Charles and, most recently, Azumah Nelson-Jesse James Leija, who fought four times from 1993 to '96.

Somewhere off in the distance is Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake La Motta, who battled six times, and Gene Tunney and Harry Greb, who shared the ring five times. In some distant galaxy, in what might be boxing's most unbreakable record, are Jack Britton and Ted "Kid" Lewis, who faced one another an incredible 20 times from 1915 to '21.

After this fight, there are some intriguing potential matchups for winner and loser. Marquez, 35, and Vazquez, 32, have young lions like Juan Manuel Lopez Marquez and Yuriokis Gamboa they can face, along with Chris John and Elio Rojas. A drop down to 122 could set up a big fight against Celestino Caballero.

Or are we asking for too much out of these guys after what could be a third war in four fights? Mark Whicker from the Orange County Register says many times trilogies and beyond destroy both fighters.

Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera electrified their crowds three times. Twice they created the Fight of the Year (as was the second Vazquez-Marquez fight). Morales won the first even though Barrera had knocked him down, and then Barrera won decisions in the final two. There is also little doubt that Morales and Barrera shortened each other's careers, by years, with their violence.

Saturday night's Showtime fight card (9 p.m. ET/PT) is also highlighted by a good matchup in the 118 class as Yonnhy Perez defends his IBF strap against Abnes Mares.

He's 78 years old and been a part of some of the biggest fights over the last 45 years, but for Bob Arum his time spent recently in the Philippines may have been the proudest moment of his career. Arum is a big fan of politics and said he was re-energized by Manny Pacquiao's efforts over the last few weeks. 

"It's like he turned back the clock," Arum said of how Pacquaio helped him. "I was checking on these electionprecincts. I amazed some of these Filipinos. How
I got into this. Imaybe think more than a boxing promoter my calling was probably as apolitician or a political operative."

For those who have dealt with Arum over the years, make your own jokes. All kidding aside, Arum did say that he has one more thing to accomplish and it's not making the Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather fight. 

"My great, great dream is to still be around to attend theinauguration of Manny Pacquiao as the president of the Philippines. That would be to me, the greatest achievement in mycareer."

When asked by David Mayo of the Grand Rapid Press if Pacquiao could be part of the big fight's negotiating process, Arum quickly snapped back saying no, he's too busy as a Congressman now. That political career may cut Pacman's boxing career a bit shorter than you'd expect. Arum said Pacquiao told him in confidence how much longer he'll be fighting but wouldn't elaborate.

Pacquiao will be back in the U.S. in early June to attend the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman fight at Yankee Stadium on June 5. He will not be able to throw out a pitch at a Yankee game. Obviously, The Bronx Bombers will be out of town. Arum said Pacman has a nice little curveball according to San Francisco Giant pitcher Tim Lincecum. Lincecum, who is half-Filipino, was on the receiving end of a Pacquiao first pitch back in April of 2009.

While he's been gone, Showtime has revitalized the super middleweight class with its Super Six Tournament. It's given great exposure to Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler and Andre Dirrell. And don't forget about what Lucian Bute is doing over on HBO along with Chad Dawson, who has been inactive for all of 2010.

That's a great group for Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs) to come back and make a few mega-fights. But now we get word that Richard Schaefer wants to make another Calzaghe-Hopkins fight. Why? BHop is great, but what does another fight against the 45-year-old prove for Calzaghe? Why even come back?

According to Gareth A. Davies, this nightmare could become reality later this year.

Telegraph Sport understands that Schaefer will come to the UK later this month and will discuss plans for [Amir] Khan and Calzaghe with Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports.

If Froch comes back from his loss last month against Kessler and gets a big win over Abraham, wouldn't a 2011 fight between the Brit and Welshman be a natural? If Ward goes on to win the Super Six, you're telling me Calzaghe, 38, against the best young fighter in the class wouldn't showcase boxing to the casual fight fan? And what about Dawson, who hasn't fought a top-level fighter since 2007?

The worst part of all, Calzaghe has to be persuaded to take the fight.

"I have spoken to Joe [Calzaghe] several times about fighting Bernard Hopkins in Cardiff. He is ambivalent. Some days he says ‘yes’ he’d like to do it, other days he is not sure if he wants to get back in the ring," Schaefer said.

"There are days when he wants to do it and days he would rather not. Bernard would love to go over to Wales to fight Joe, and I think we could make it a major event there. I think the Welsh public would enjoy a return match, this time in Cardiff."

What's the point? Let Bernard ride off into the sunset, prevent another sloppy, sluggish money grab and put Calzaghe's legacy to the test. Every day we think boxing is about to turn the corner we're slapped in the face by stuff like this.

When it was missing in action from Shane Mosley against Floyd Mayweather, were you screaming for the jab two weeks ago? Amir Khan found it tonight at Madison Square Garden and beat the snot out of Paulie Malignaggi. The New Yorker's face was target practice for Khan's nasty jab. Malignaggi took 223 punches to the head over 11 rounds. That included Khan landing 41 percent of his jabs as he scored a TKO victory at 1:25 of the 11th round. Khan (23-1, 17 KOs) retains his WBA super lightweight title and is now 5-0 with trainer Freddie Roach.

The 23-year-old Brit brutalized Malignaggi from the get-go and was difficult to hit. Malignaggi, a brilliant technician, only landed 57 jabs the entire fight at a pathetic 20 percent clip. In all, Khan outlanded Malignaggi 259 to 127 and made good on 40 percent of his shots. 

I used my speed and my boxing skills," said Khan. "I've got a great jab. Me and Freddie have been working on that jab. It worked for me. Everything was coming after the jab."

The jab completely wore down Malignaggi throughout the fight. By rounds nine, 10 and 11, "The Magic Man" was hardly firing back and Khan was landing nearly half of those jabs.

"(Malignaggi's) great at moving but we had to break him down slowly," said Khan. "We didn't want to try and knock him out because we would've got caught with a shot. I knew in the last few rounds I was hurting him. All I had to do was put the pressure on him."

Malignaggi (27-4, 5 KOs) was barely responsive between in his corner between rounds 9 and 10 and then again going into the 11th. That's when referee Steve Smoger came over and said, "you're not throwing back." The doctors also checked on Malignaggi, who was lumped up around both eyes. His corner insisted on allowing him to go out for the 11th but once Smoger saw Khan teeing off halfway through the round, he stopped the fight. 

"I don't know if I'm getting old or what," said Malignaggi, pointing out that he felt fine in camp. "Amir came and fought a very good fight, very busy, (he) kept changing distance. That was the plan for me."

Malignaggi, 29, is just not good enough to beat the top level fighters, especially as he appears to be losing his legs.

"When I turned pro I had a similar style to Amir," said Malignaggi. "I ran into a clone of myself when I was younger but even bigger and stronger and faster. I couldn't keep up with him. I couldn't get the distance right."

The dominant win by Khan answers many of the questions as to whether the 2004 Olympic silver medalist has a chance to be a star. The cry now is for Khan to face 140-pound knockout artist Marcos Maidana.  

"I'd love to fight him next. I put up a statement today," said Khan. "Everybody's talking about Amir Khan fighting these big names. I ain't leaving 140 until I unify the titles, until I'm No. 1."

That's good news from a guy with huge star potential in the U.S., England and Pakistan. Khan could bolt the division for the more prestigious welterweight class. There's really no reason when you combine Khan, Maidana, Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley along with veterans Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez, super lightweight has a chance to be a glamour division as well.

Maybe it was just a bump in the road for Victor Ortiz. One of the top prospects in all of boxing, Ortiz was upset by Marcos Maidana last July. Worst of all, it appeared he didn't have much of a fighting spirit when he quit in the sixth round. Ortiz has bounced back with a two wins since and tonight he was impressive in schooling former lightweight champ Nate Campbell. Ortiz got the victory in The Theatre at Madison Square Garden via unanimous decision, 100-89, 99-90 and 100-89.

It was clear early on that Campbell had no intentions of trying to outbox Ortiz. The veteran wanted to sucker Ortiz into a brawl and land big overhand rights. It never happened as Ortiz showed composure by staying on the move and picking apart Campbell with straight lefts and clubbing rights.

One of those clubbing shots caught Campbell, 38, when he was off balance in the first. Campbell stumbled and his gloves hit the canvas. It was ruled a knockdown by referee Earl Brown. In the second, Campbell was only able to land 2-of-39 punches. The first round shot was probably most trouble Campbell encountered all fight but he took some hard shots throughout, including a nice uppercut in the sixth.

Campbell (33-6, 25 KOs) simply didn't have the speed or gas to keep up with Ortiz. Ortiz (26-2, 21 KOs) outlanded Campbell 122 to 71. Of those 122 shots, 109 were power punches.  

Paulie Malignaggi has knockout power. Not necessarily with his fists. He can score the mental KO with his mouth and bravado. He's not too proud to brag about being on Guidofistpump.com and his future as an adult film star. Malignaggi can really get under an opponent's skin. Amir Khan, just 24 years old, fell victim to cocky Paulie at yesterday's New York City weigh-in. The fighters got nose-to-nose, Malignaggi said something Khan didn't like, the Brit pushed him away and all hell broke loose.

Who's fault was it? It might be Khan who gets fined and disciplined. At least that's what Malignaggi's promoter Lou DiBella wants.

The trouble all began when, a weigh-in that was supposedly closed to the public at the Essex House, was attended by fans. All of them, 160 bussed in from Brooklyn, backing Malignaggi. So you can only imagine what happened when the pushing and shoving started on stage. 

It'll be a home crowd at Madison Square Garden and Malignaggi will again be looking to get under Khan's skin tonight and break him. The difference maker could be Freddie Roach, who is trying to make Khan into a composed, patient, well-rounded fighter. 

"Freddie and I are very close and we have a laugh," Khan told the Daily Mirror. "We've been out to dinner a couple of times together. But I've learnt from the past that you just want to keep it as a coach-boxer relationship.That respect is always going to be there, but you don't want to get too friendly."

The message is getting through. Khan, the WBA super lightweight champ, is becoming a more patient fighter and trusting his skills.

"We've worked on using the right defense at the right time, blocking shots and not taking too many shots. Freddie's a brilliant trainer. Everyone can see the changes in me since I've been with him."

He'd better be on Saturday night against the very crafty Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) at Madison Square Garden. Oscar De La Hoya is on board, saying Khan (22-1, 16 KOs) has a lot of the qualities he himself possessed. That said, De La Hoya is his promoter. DLH was also saying two weeks ago that 19-year-old Saul Alvarez was the future of boxing. Tomorrow, expect nice words about Victor Ortiz, who is also featured on the New York City card against Nate Campbell.

All kidding aside, this is a huge fight for Khan, who has a chance to be a mega-star.