Paulie Malignaggi doesn't lack for confidence. Ricky Hatton recently said that if Malignaggi could be reincarnated that he would come back as himself. The confidence extends way behind the squared circle, Malignaggi is already talking about his potential career after boxing. 

Malignaggi told The Sun that he has exactly what it takes to be a porn king:

“I’ve joked about being a porn star but I have all the necessary equipment and I have total confidence in my porn star abilities."

A two-time Guido of the Week on guidofistpump.com, Malignaggi spoke about his experience:

"I could be a superstud. I’ve already done some modelling for Playboy magazine and that went well. Maybe a bit more after I’ve finished boxing, who knows.”

Malignaggi has it tough. He told Yahoo! Sports/ESPNRadio1100 that the woman come at him in swarms:

"I'm not going to tell you it's easy. A lot of women throw themselves at me. I am a good looking guy. A lot of guys hate on me because I am very well-groomed and try to make fun of my sexuality."

The guy doesn't lack for confidence. He set a new record during our interview dropping 172 third person references during a 25-minute conversation. He is a likeable guy but that doesn't mean the Malignaggi porno is being added to vast Cofield collection. Put Paulie's porno on the Cofield must-not-watch list that is already highlighted by the John Wayne Bobbitt and Mini-Me blue movies.  

Gareth Davies from The Telegraph says Vegas is a ghost town. Because of the crashing pound the Vegas bargains are gone for the Brits:

Curbed by the recession and the pound falling against the dollar has made the stay here 25 per cent more expensive than 11 months ago.

The story is told simply by the numbers coming over from the U.K.:

By any normal standards, the 6,000 following is huge for a British fighter in America, yet taken in context of 57,000 attending Hatton's 'Homecoming' fight with Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium in May, and last year's showing, the recession has taken its toll.

It's clearly the wealthiest fans who are coming over. Davies says that many fans are making this into a double-dip trip by traveling to see Oasis in Mexico City.

Trainer Billy Graham, in Las Vegas for the Ricky Hatton fight, is channeling Robert DeNiro, this week. DeNiro as Lefty Rosenthal in Casino, delivered the classic line about Sin City in the 1970s:  

"It's in the desert where a lot of the town's problems are solved."

Graham, recently dumped by the Hatton brothers, Ricky and Matthew, has come to the desert with the same goal in mind. He wants to exorcise some demons according to The Sun:

“I want to go out to Vegas to put it all behind me. I can then start going to fights and taking part in boxing again as a fan. I’m not some cold-hearted p***k who is just going to walk away without some kind of end. This is my chance to lay the ghosts to rest."  

Graham says he has little interest in attending the fight, but he doesn't want to soak in the atmosphere:

“It will kill me that I’m not in the corner but it’s a chance to say goodbye to the British fans who go to the fights. I have not been going anywhere since the split. I have not been seen around by anyone. I want to go out to Vegas to put it all behind me. I can then start going to fights and taking part in boxing again as a fan."

There are some in the British media who think Graham's appearance isn't just some self-cleansing but an attempt to distract and screw with Hatton's mind. Others are saying dumping Graham was pointless because the change to Floyd Mayweather Sr. will have no effect on a one-dimensional fighter like Hatton.

Photo via The Telegraph

Calzaghe has been outspoken in response to Hopkins' claims that he and fellow causasian Kelly Pavlik didn't have the game to beat elite black fighters:

"Screw Hopkins, man. He got his (expletive) kicked by a white boy. He's got to accept that. He's an idiot. A complete (expletive). I don't want to give him a rematch. It wouldn't be a good fight. The guy's a racist. He was never going to give me any credit."

The Welshman made similar comments to Yahoo! Sports last week when asked about Hopkins' racial boxing theories:

"It was a stupid comment. It's like the same comment he made towards me. And he did lose to a white guy so I don't know what he's trying to get to. I just think it's ignorant. All of our heavyweights before were predominately black. Now the Klitschkos and all that are white. Is that saying black heavyweights should fight like white heavyweights?"

'Super Joe also said he has no respect for Hopkins' fighting style:

"The way he fought against me in Las Vegas was cowardly because he held on all night and feigned being hit by low blows. He tried to steal the fight."

Boxing's heavyweight world is armageddon. No one knows that better than former champ Lennox Lewis. Promoters refuse to build new stars and the division's depth is built around Europeans fighters. It's so bad that minutes after Vitali Klitschko's win last month, Don King was calling out Lewis. He's 43 and retired for six years!

It's getting to the point where booking heavyweight fights at all are a waste of time. Dominic Guinn, who was a ranked heavyweight just two years ago, fought some fat slob named Gabe Brown (pictured) at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of Roy Jones Jr.-Joe Calzaghe. Fans are supposed to walk away after seeing Brown and think these guys are top notch athletes?

Lewis spoke with Yahoo! Sports and said things are a mess right now.

Click below to listen to Lewis talk about the heavyweight division (ESPNRadio1100 w/Cofield):

There was 48 seconds left in the first round and over 14,000 in attendance thought they were having a flashback to when Roy Jones Jr. was one of the top fighters in the world. This is the way he used to dazzle and confuse the bevy of car mechanics and cops that dotted his resume from 1998-2000. Except on this night, the guy across the way was one of the all-time greats and Jones. Jr. isn't 29 anymore.

Jones Jr. experienced the flashback too. He knocked Calzaghe to his knees but instead of going in for the kill, Jones Jr. dropped his hands and starting mugging for the crowd. Didn't Roy realize that he doesn't have 12 rounds in him anymore? The short break gave Calzaghe time to collect his thoughts, regain his composure and by the end of the second Jones Jr.'s gas tank was on empty. It could've been a great night for Jones Jr. but he felt it was more important to embarrass his opponent than finish him. In the end, it was fitting watching Jones get clowned for the final six rounds of the fight.

By the seventh round when Calzaghe had outlanded Jones Jr. 210-98, it was clear Jones Jr. blew his shot early on to win the fight. Then pouring salt into the wound, Jones Jr.'s corner did a horrific job of managing a cut over his left eye. They would press on the wound between rounds but rarely apply vaseline to stop the bleeding. By the middle of the eighth, 10th and 11th rounds Jones vision was severely hampered.

Now the question has to be asked, could Jones Jr. have beaten Calzaghe even when he was in his prime? Calzaghe is now 46-0 with a 10-plus year reign as a champion at 168 lbs.

So much for this being the best month of Bernard Hopkins' life. He was elated on Friday during a sitdown to talk about his victory over Kelly Pavlik, the Phillies winning the World Series and Barack Obama's win. Hopkins was on the top of the world waiting for his next big money fight. As he was sitting through the Roy Jones Jr.-Joe Calzaghe fight Hopkins was seen laughing on HBO pay-per-view during the sixth round doing his trademark throat slit towards the camera. Six rounds later Hopkins was probably ready to put the knife to his own throat.

Things couldn't have gone worse. Calzaghe destroyed Jones Jr. Now Calzaghe is looking strongly at retirement and even BHop couldn't sell a fight against "Any More Excuses" Roy.

Calzaghe was asked repeatedly by the hoards of U.K. media about retirement and future opponents but remained non-committal:

"I'm going to go away and evaluate," said Calzaghe who scoffed when asked about a Hopkins rematch. "I don't really like to do rematches."

Click below to listen to Calzaghe at post-fight press conference:

He then pointed to Mikkel Kessler and became matchmaker:

"Maybe you should fight Hopkins man. I'll promote it. I think that's a good fight.

Calzaghe just wants some time off after beating two American legends in 2008. It may sound strange but Hopkins is too old to rest. Soon to be 44, Hopkins was looking for one more big payday. Unless he's willing to go to Wales and Calzaghe gets the fire back, it looks like BHop is without a big fight. Maybe a Hopkins victory over 175 champ Chad Dawson would do the trick.

Calzaghe told The Times of London that he's not too interested in a fight against Dawson either:

“Chad is a good young fighter who has won a couple of decent fights, [but] what's the point?” Calzaghe said. “There's no one left to fight."

He's only 31 years old but Zab Judah is quickly becoming someone not worthy of appearing on pay-per-view cards. A former 140 and 147 champ, Judah was consistently a member of boxing's pound-for-pound list but he's now just 4-4 over the last three years. He did pick up a win over Ernest Johnson on the undercard of the Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones Jr. fight but he screwed around for 10 rounds against a clearly inferior fighter.

HBO judge Harold Lederman scored the fight a shutout. It was quite telling that Johnson didn't have a mark on his face. The official judges gave it easily to the 'Super Jew' 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92.  

Tony Paige, who was doing the color analysis on the international feed, didn't understand why the crowd wasn't booing the lack of action. He then said they're just ignoring the fight.

"Maybe the best thing is for Zab Judah to get knocked out," said an exasperated Paige. "Find something else to do. He's going from a bright light to a dim bulb. What are you waiting on? He's not doing anything."

Judah (37-6) only threw 469 punches in 10 rounds and landed an average of just 13 per round. The lack of work will cost him in the long run. He's screwed if he was looking for a quick turnaround against a big name opponent. Because of a headbutt in the third, Judah suffered a nasty cut over his right eye that will probably keep him out of action for at least 3-4 months.

In an earlier fight, Emanuel Augustus turned out to be a heck of a late replacement against Francisco Figueroa. He danced and slugged for 24 minutes giving Figueroa all he could handle before losing a tight split decision (77-75, 77-75 and 75-77). That was all wonderful except for the fact that Augustus came in with 29 career losses! It shouldn't have been a tough fight for Figueroa (20-2-2, 13 KO) who is ranked No. 4 by the WBC, No. 5 by the IBF and No. 15 by the WBA. Augustus (38-30-6, 20 KO) actually outlanded Figueroa 199-179 and was more accurate. He won the fight on the scorecard of Lederman.

They say a trip to hell dooms you to your worst nightmare for eternity. What could be worse for Roy Jones Jr. than having to lose a fight like so many of his opponents did in the 90's? Joe Calzaghe gave Jones Jr. a dose of his own medicine for the final 10 rounds of his unanimous decision (118-109 on all three cards) against the former light heavyweight champ.

After suffering a first round knockdown, Calzaghe got into a groove. He consistently dropped his hands and stood in front Jones Jr. daring the 39-year old to fire shots. A hesitant Jones Jr. stood there only to be greeted by 8-10 punches from the Welshman. Jones Jr. would meekly fire back with one shot. Just like Jones Jr. did for years, Calzaghe clowned his opponent by twirling his arms, shaking his shoulders and hips, dancing and mugging for the crowd.

"It's strange sometimes I get caught more with my hands up," said Calzaghe. "I'm a bit more unorthodox with my hands at my side because of the angles and the way I move."

Not only did Jones Jr. look old and slow but Calzaghe found him to be predictable:

"After a few rounds I could read Roy's combinations with the right and a left hook. I felt I was one step ahead of where he was going to throw it."

Why didn't Calzaghe go for the kill?

"I'm probably could've but I was having fun. I was in control. I knew I would do the twelve rounds without any problem. I always felt that Roy would tire more in the second half of the fight. He was covering up not letting anything go. I didn't want to make a stupid mistake and get caught."

Watching the late night replay of the fight at the Playwright Tavern in Times Square we did overhear some fans who thought that Calzaghe did much too clowning:

"That could've been a great fight," said one viewer. "But both guys were more interested in fooling around."

Had Calzaghe danced all night and not thrown punches, I might agree with the thought that it was an unfulfilling fight. But 'Super Joe' threw 985 punches and landed 352. He also had Jones Jr. bleeding like a stuffed pig after he landed a straight left in the seventh. Jones bombed Calzaghe with some big punches at the end of rounds 4-6 but Calzaghe walked right through the shots.

Photo via The Daily Telegraph

It's vintage Roy Jones early in his battle against Joe Calzaghe. Jones isn't throwing punches in bunches but he is picking his shots in rounds one and two, hitting Calzaghe whenever he wants.

Jones Jr. knocked down Calzaghe in the first with a short inside right with 48 seconds left. Calzaghe was wobbly when he got up but survived the round. Jones Jr. came back to win the second by landing the harder shots.

The third round was highlighted by Jones Jr. covering up for most of the stanza and allowing Calzaghe to throw 15-20 unanswered punches at a time. For the final minute of the round, Calzaghe clowned often by putting his hands at his sides and leaving his head right in front of Jones Jr.'s gloves. He won the round easily.

Yahoo! Sports has Jones Jr. leading 29-27.

ROUNDS 4-6: Jones Jr. simply stopped throwing punches in rounds 4-6. Calzaghe outthrew Jones Jr. 90-35 in the sixth round alone. He's also landed jabs at a 55-4 rate for the entire fight. Jones Jr. is spending much of time laying on the ropes in the corner and loading up for a big right hand.  

Yahoo! Sports has Calzaghe leading 57-56.

ROUNDS 7-9: It's going down hill for Jones Jr. who suffered a vicious cut on his left eyelid. The cut is spurting blood. Jones Jr.'s volume decreased with each round. Calzaghe won all three rounds. The Welshman outlanded Jones Jr. 273-127. Calzaghe had his hands down at the end of the round and was laughing at Jones Jr. in the corner.   

Yahoo! Sports has Calzaghe leading 87-83.

ROUNDS 10-12: Jones Jr. simply couldn't pull the trigger down the stretch. Calzaghe put on a clinic for the final 10 rounds. Putting his hands at his side and often clowning Jones Jr. Needing a knockout to win the fight, Jones Jr. couldn't muster anything in the final round. Calzaghe outlanded Jones Jr. 344-159. The Welshman threw nearly 1000 punches. He also outlanded Jones Jr. on jabs 120-12.

Yahoo! Sports gives it to Calzaghe 117-110.

Photo via The Daily Telegraph

Salita, 26, continued his climb up the rankings in the junior welterweight division with an easy win over Derrick Campos. One judge scored the fight a shutout and the other two had it 117-111 and 115-113. Yahoo! Sports scored it 117-111.

Campos' best round was the eighth when rocked Salita with a left hook. Beyond that, he got blasted by Salita who often threw triple shots to the body.

Salita (29-0-1, 16 KO) is not in most expert's top 15 at 140 lbs but is ranked No. 3 by the WBA. Salita outlanded Campos 273-222 at a 33% clip.

Salita moved to the U.S. with his family at age nine. He joined two other ranked jewish fighters, Roman Greenberg (27-0) and Yuri Foreman (26-0), at the top of the game. 

EARLY RESULTS:

Former heavyweight prospect Dominick Guinn (30-6-1, 20 KOs) beat Gabe Brown handily but couldn't put away the 301-pounder. Guinn, 33, won on all the cards (80-72, 79-73, 80-72).

21-year old Daniel Jacobs (12-0, 11 KOs) destroyed Jimmy Campbell with via TKO with one second left in the third. The 6-foot-1 middleweight prospect from Brooklyn was 137-7 during his amateur career has won all but one of professional his fights by KO.

The tightest fight on the non-televised portion of the card was Daniel Edouard's win over Alphonso Williams. Edouard outpointed Williams 78-74, 78-74, 79-73.

Zab Judah's younger brother Joseph (4-0, 1 KO) picked up a second round TKO against Richard Heath. Fighting at 154 lbs. Judah, 22, got his first career knockout.

"I think (Jones) has got unbelievable speed. Calzaghe is a man who likes to come. Roy Jones loves for you to come. He waits for you, he'll pick and shoot his shot. Whether he still has enough left in the tank is the question."

Click below to listen to Lewis interview (ESPNRadio1100 w/Cofield):

Lewis didn't sound like he's trusts Calzaghe's resume which was built mostly in Europe until recent sojourns to the U.S.:

"He's never been in with a boxer like Roy Jones. These marquis (U.S.) fighters, they may be aging. But they still have the same talent we've always seen in them. Now we just have to see if they're mentally prepared for it.

Jones has a lot of supporters amongst fighters. With this much backing, he's worth a play at +260. After the jump, check out selections from various fighters and media members.

Ricky Hatton- IBO & Ring Magazine junior welterweight world champion

“Roy has seen better days and I think that Joe will be too fast for Roy.  Joe will outbox Roy and win by points.  I’m going with Joe.”

Jeff Lacy- Former IBF super middleweight champion

“It’s going to be a hard fight to pick. If Jones doesn't stay on the ropes and give Calzaghe angles and lots of movement I'm going to go with Jones by decision. Roy can't stay on the ropes and give Joe the chance to throw his slapping punches. This is a great fight for Jones to win and setup a big money fight again with Hopkins!”

John Ruiz- Former two-time WBA world heavyweight champion

"I like Calzaghe by decision. He's still a hungry and aggressive fighter. He keeps coming at you. The problem for him is that Jones will run all night. He won't stay still. Calzaghe has to cut off the ring. Calzaghe's a gentleman in and out of the ring. I think Jones saw the fight against Hopkins and was motivated to fight Calzaghe."

Glen Johnson- Former IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine light heavyweight champion

“Roy Jones will win. I believe Calzaghe fights an amateur style. He throws a lot of slappy punches. Roy throws much more meaningful punches. In general, Calzaghe will throw more punches than Roy, but Roy’s will be harder hitting. Unless the judges are blind, they will see that the harder punches make Jones the winner. They should see that Roy Jones’ hard-hitting punches make the difference.”

Oscar De La Hoya- Olympic gold medalist and 10-time world champion

“Calzaghe will beat Jones by a unanimous decision.  Joe is going to close the door on Roy’s boxing career.”

Shane Mosley- Former lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight champion of the world

“Roy has trouble with southpaws and Calzaghe is a great southpaw.  Roy is a fighter that is always on his toes and I think that when Hopkins fought Calzaghe, and was moving a lot, it gave Joe a lot of problems. I think Roy can do the same thing.  I think he can cause problems for Joe with his speed.  I’m not really sure on Roy right now. I have to lean towards Joe on this one.  You can’t count Roy out, but I think Joe will get Roy with a lot of combinations and out point him. Roy back in the day would have destroyed Joe, but now Joe will outpoint him with a lot of activity and win the fight.”

Vernon Forrest - WBC welterweight champion

“Roy Jones is still the best fighter in my era and still arguably one of the best fighters period. Roy with his speed can match Calzaghe, and he has power. So the power and speed is with Roy. Roy by decision.”

WRITERS:

John Falgoust- USA Today

“Calzaghe in late stoppage. Usually counter punchers like Antonio Tarver, Eric Harding and Montell Griffin give Roy Jones trouble. Not aggressors. But this isn't the same Roy Jones. Calzaghe's work rate alone should do the trick here. Make Jones fight three minutes of every round and don't allow him to rest on the ropes or clown to kill the clock. It'll open up Calzaghe to get caught in between his flurries, such as when Bernard Hopkins dropped him with a counterpunch, but fortunately for him Jones isn't a finisher.”

Colin Hart- THE SUN, London

“Calzaghe should be too young and fresh for Jones who after all is nearly 40.  So, I take Calzaghe to get a decision in what I believe will be a dull fight.

Beating an ancient Jones will not enhance Calzaghe's reputation.  He's already assured of being recognized as one of the greatest fighters in British boxing history.”

Dan Rafael- ESPN.com

“Although Calzaghe is the favorite, I think Jones' style and speed -- he's still fast -- are going to give him problems. I think it will be a tough, close fight but I'm going with the upset special. I like Jones to pull it out on a close decision.”

Paul Hayward- Daily Mail, London

"Joe Calzaghe's biggest victory has been against the clock. There's still no sign of middle-age stealing his strength or skills. The victories over Lacy, Kessler and Hopkins amount to the best sequence of wins by a British fighter in modern times. And I expect that run to continue against Roy Jones, a world-class fighter, but no longer the force he was. The bout is a match-up between Jones' cunning and Calzaghe's power and work-rate. I believe the latter will prevail.

Kevin Iole- Yahoo.com

“Calzaghe will win in 12 rounds. If this fight had happened five years ago, it would be a different story. But Jones is a shell of the fighter he used to be and Calzaghe is simply too busy for Jones now. I expect Calzaghe to outwork Jones and pull out a clear decision.”

Gareth A. Davies- The Daily Telegraph

“Calzaghe is catching Jones at the right time; though he is meeting a man, who, unlike Hopkins, is already well established at this weight. The two great ring experts have waited far too long for this fistic meeting, with the odds in Calzaghe's favor. That being said, Jones may create problems for Calzaghe which the Welshman has never experienced before, in spite of his opponent no longer being the fleet-footed, flurry-of-punches throwing champion, and world's number one pound-for-pound, he once was. If Calzaghe does lose - we could see a rematch in Cardiff. Having come this far unbeaten, Calzaghe could not allow himself psychologically, to bow out with a defeat. But do not listen to the naysayers, those casting aspirations on the making of this contest. Similarly to Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, this is an end of era defining fight, stacked in flavor of Calzaghe."

Tim Smith- New York Daily News

“Roy Jones has good power and I think that will offset the volume of punches that Calzaghe throws. Calzaghe has a good chin so I don't see him getting knocked out. I like Jones in a decision.”

Bobby Cassidy- Newsday

“I like Roy Jones in the 11th round TKO. Calzaghe does not have the power to keep Jones honest. I think by the second half of the fight Jones will be picking him a part. Calzaghe looked so good against Hopkins because Hopkins didn't have the firepower to slow him down. But Jones has both speed and power. In other fights, Calzaghe has been able to adjust to one of those assets; he won't be able to adjust to both, especially from a fighter like Jones.”

We're live at Madison Square Garden beginning at 9p ET. Check often for updates on the big fights!

Main event: Joe Calzaghe 174.5 v. Roy Jones Jr. 174.5

Zab "Super" Judah 144.5 vs Ernest Johnson 144
Francisco Figueroa 143 vs Emanuel Augustus 140.5
Dmitriy Salita 140 vs Derrick Campos 138
Kieyon Bussy 120 vs Hassan Dato Wasswa 124
Daniel Edouard 159 vs Alphonso Williams 160
Daniel Jacobs 160 vs Jimmy Campbell 159
Joseph Judah 153 vs Richard Heath 150 1/2
Dominick Gunn 229 vs Gabe Brown 301
 

Photo via AP

Dad got them into boxing but that's where the similarities end with Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. Joe's father Enzo, first took his son to the gym at age 9. They're still working together 26 years later and getting along swimmingly. Jones Jr. learned much of what he knows from his father but now they barely speak.

The New York Times spoke with Enzo this week and he said the most important thing to maintaining the positive relationship with his son was making sure that they were friends first. Jones Sr. was sounds like he was never interested in being his son's friend. It was all about maintaining discipline and respect for Pops:

“He’s my son and I’m his father,” Roy Jones Sr. said. “As long as that respect is maintained, then I think it’s great.”

For Jones Jr., daddy doesn't know best:

"My dad is a brilliant boxing mind,” he said. “It would be good to have him in my corner because if I’m having an issue or something, he would help me out. But I already know everything that he would tell me anyway.”

Click below to listen Enzo Calzaghe interview with Yahoo! Sports (ESPNRadio1100 w/Cofield & Cokin):

Calzaghe made it clear it that his son will win because he's the better balanced and stronger fighter. He also thinks Joe can win the fight with multiple styles. He said if Jones Jr.'s plan is stymied early he can make in-fight adjustments.

Bernard Hopkins wins either way on Saturday night. The 43-year old future Hall of Famer is in line for a big dollar fight against the winner of Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. Some may say Hopkins isn't exactly an objective source for a pick on the fight. He wants Jones Jr. badly to end 15 years of frustration. Hopkins has chased Roy since a loss back in 1993.

Hopkins has a two part theory on why Jones will hand Calzaghe his first loss:

"Roy Jones Jr. has found his body back. This fight will be energized for the first five or six rounds then Roy will bring his power, speed and showmanship to influence the judges."

Hopkins spoke about the fight with different media outlets for over two hours on Friday and mentioned repeatedly that Jones wasn't right physically for during the Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson fights back in 2004 and 2005. His body was worn down from jumping back and forth between light heavyweight and heavyweight.

He also thinks that Calzaghe will make the mistake of trying to win the fight on points instead of keeping Jones Jr. at bay with power shots:

"If Roy Jones has no respect for your power you gonna have a long night. He will take more chances. He will gamble. He will disrespect you."

Click below to listen to Bernard Hopkins (Yahoo! Sports and ESPNRadio1100 w/Cofield):

Hopkins said there's no way Calzaghe can get back-to-back decisions over legends in their home country. He also thinks that Roy is going to draw some energy from watching ringside as Hopkins' shocked many by downing the much younger Kelly Pavlik last month.

Welshman Joe Calzaghe takes offense to that statement. He says there will be no issue in terms of ring slickness against Roy Jones Jr.:

"It was a stupid comment. It's like the same comment he made towards me," Calzaghe told Yahoo! Sports. "And he did lose to a white guy so I don't know what he's trying to get to. I just think it's ignorant."

Calzaghe went on to draw an analogy using the changing look at the top of heavyweight division:

"All of our heavyweights before were predominately black. Now the Klitschkos and all that are white. Is that saying black heavyweights should fight like white heavyweights?"

Click below to hear Calzaghe talk race and his battle against Roy Jones Jr. (ESPNRadio1100 w/Cofield & Cokin):

Calzaghe also talks about boxing's overall shift to Europe and away from America with regards to the hot prospects in the sport. Click here to listen to Calzaghe talk about how long he's wanted this fight against Jones Jr. and how he think he will win.

It still ranks as one of the oddest nights in sports history. Riddick Bowe was facing Evander Holyfield at the outdoor arena at Caesar's Palace when 'Fan Man' became an indelible part of sports history on Nov. 6, 1993.

In the seventh round, James Miller after hovering above the arena for 25 minutes, made his dive toward the ring. Unfortunately, he landed on the edge of the ring. Within seconds, he felt the wrath Bowe's thuggish mob. They beat the living snot out of Miller before he was escorted away. He probably deserved it considering the damage his fan propeller could've done had he landed in the crowd. The fight was delayed for 30 minutes. Some think that the interruption lost the fight for Bowe, who witnessed his pregnant wife faint ringside when she saw the Fan Man.

That wasn't strangest part of Miller's story. He died mysteriously 10 years later. Miller was found after an apparent suicide in a remote area of Alaska.

"I wish Bernard would have made that $250,000 bet with me (that Pavlik could not knock him out) because I would have taken it," Loew said. "Bernard may even be in the fight for the first four rounds or so, but you'll see a change a few rounds later. He's not going to be able to stand up to Kelly's pressure. There's no way this is going 12 rounds."

Good thing Hopkins isn't a betting man otherwise Loew would been working for free for the foreseeable future. Loew almost learned the gambling axiom, "bet with your head, not your heart." He probably caught a break as well with the fight being in Atlantic City where sports gambling is NOT legal. Had the fight been in Las Vegas, Loew could've moved on from Hopkins and walked to the window with his money. A similar scenario unfolded last week when Chad Dawson's manager Mike Criscio was turned snubbed by Antonio Tarver when he offered to bet the fighter $25,000. Criscio did back up his bravado with balls by wagering $70,000 on his guy Dawson. He cashed a little over $25,000 at The Bellagio.

Hopkins spoke for nearly 30 minutes at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and most of it revolved around the statement, "media can you please give my due?"

"What I'm trying to do to motivate me, is make the naysayers bowdown," said Hopkins, who is now 49-5-1. "There's people in here who are in shock. There's people sitting in here now who boldly, disrespectfully went against me and said things that (make them) slide down in their chair now because they don't want me to point them out."

Hopkins went away from attack mode and got serious when talking about his legacy:

"Love me, hate me, enjoy while I'm here. Who else you gonna get a better soundbite (from) than Bernard Hopkins?"

Boxing 'press' conferences are hilarious. There is raucous cheering at different points during the presser. The best 'fan' question came when a gentlemen asked, "when did you know you pulled a rabbit out of the hat?" Hopkins responded, "When I signed the contract." But the fact that fans are in the presser has also led to many serious news agencies bailing on covering the sport.

You can listen to Hopkins entire portion of the press conference here.

Pavlik, the WBC and WBO Middleweight champ at 160 lbs., fought Hopkins at a catch weight of 170. By the time, they entered the ring Hopkins weighed 185 and Pavlik was a puny 172.

Pavlik was quick to admit that he was just too small for the best light heavyweight in the world:

“We’re going to go back to the drawing board. It just wasn’t me tonight. I’m going to be more comfortable going back to 160.”

Hopkins not only crushed Pavlik's confidence early on but he did a great job of immediately taking away his 'homefield' advantage. Half the house sounded like it had made the road trip from Youngstown, Ohio. But there were silent by the middle of the bout and ready to throw hands with the Hopkin fans in attendance. Even Pavlik's manager Cameron Dunkin knew his guy was shot early in the fight telling Youngstown Vindicator writer Joe Scalzo:

“He’s dead, he’s got nothing. It’s the weight. He’s a middleweight. That’s all.”

Hopkins nearly turned in a clean sweep on the scorecards (119-106, 118-108, 117-109). It was total domination in the punch stats too:

Hopkins landed 172 of 530 punches (32 percent), including a whopping 49 percent of his power punches (148 of 304). Pavlik, who was widely expected to be the stronger and more active fighter, connected on just 23 percent of his punches (108 of 463), including 26 of his power punches (55 of 211).

Pavlik is only 26 with a bright future but it's down at 160. First he needs to unify the titles with fights against both Felix Sturm and Arthur Abraham. Then he should spend the rest of his career getting fighters from 147 and 154 to step up and make him the big guy in the ring.

Bob Arum told Yahoo! Sports back in July that th Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins fight was going to be billed "Goodbye Bernard." Arum's dream turned into a nightmare. Not only is Hopkins still standing with more big fights on the horizon but Arum now needs to go back to drawing board to re-invent Pavlik's career.

The Yahoo! Sports boxing blog had a tough time giving Pavlik one single round in scoring the fight 119-107. The judges had it 119-106, 118-108 and 117-109. Hopkins looked bigger and was the more slick fighter. Pavlik was never on balance. He didn't land a significant shot at any point in the fight. When Hopkins did dig in and throw, his shots often moved Pavlik a few feet in either direction. BHop even closed out the fight with multiple efforts to knockout Pavlik in spite of the fact that the victory was basically sealed by round eight.

There are interesting fights on the horizon for Hopkins. Maybe it's the winner of Roy Jones and Joe Calzaghe on Nov. 8 or even another young lion in 26-year old Chad Dawson. Can anyone make a case that the 43-year old Hopkins should walk away? I think I may be most intrigued by a matchup against Jones. What a story it would make for Hopkins to face Jones 15 years after losing to him back in May of 1993.

Photo via AP

Harold Lederman, the ringside judge for HBO, said New Jersey has gone round and round with the camps and waited until the last minute to finally name the officials:

"Usually the press is able to find who the referee is a few days before the fight. All hell has broken loose with this one."

Earl Morton was the original ref but then his objectivity was challenged by Pavlik's manager Cameron Dunkin, who said he had a close relationship with Hopkins. The camps finally agreed that Benji Esteves could step in to work the fight.

CLICK BELOW TO HEAR LEDERMAN INTERVIEW (ESPNRADIO1100):

No harm, no foul, right? Word has it that Hopkins actually threatened to pull out of the fight early in the week if Morton was scratched. Pavlik's promoter Bob Arum didn't believe 'The Executioner':

"He never said anything to me or the [boxing] commissioner. That's Hopkins being Hopkins. Nobody believed him. The liability [for withdrawing from the fight] would be enormous." 

Lederman also gave some good background on how closely protected the ref and official announcements were in the 50's to prevent fight fixing. The style of judging is crucial in this fight. Hopkins goal here is to steal rounds. He did enough to get one of the scorecards against Joe Calzaghe 114-113. He lost on another card 116-111. So if Hopkins comes off as the guy with cleaner punching in spite of less volume, he could be successful in the swaying judges. Lederman mentioned another good nugget about what we see at home and what the judges deal with being different. He and the three judges don't see the CompuBox punchstat numbers.

Lederman covers a ton of topics in his conversation with Yahoo! Sports. He mentions that even with Chad Dawson's big win last weekend, HBO doesn't feel that he makes a sellable fight against the winner of Roy Jones and Calzaghe. Lederman also addressed the approach that HBO takes in fights as far presentation and commentating. HBO's Larry Merchant and Emmanuel Steward got some criticism for going bonkers after the Shane Mosley win over Ricardo Mayorga.

This weekend the tables, machines, restaurants and bars are full with folks from Philadelphia and Youngstown for the Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik fight. Pavlik's promoter Bob Arum is thrilled and has been told the fight is a welcome boost to tough times of late:

"They told me at the hotel that this fight is going to help pull out Atlantic City's quarter. There's not a hotel room in town. People are coming into town."

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO ARUM INTERVIEW (ESPNRADIO1100):

The key to ensuring a big crowd in this depressed economy is putting in the work as a promoter. Arum went old school. Top Rank didn't rely on a blank check from a casino, it went to the fighter's hometowns and drummed up interest. A mini-media tour started in New York and then went to Hopkins' hometown Philly:

"And we didn't stop there," said the 76-year old Arum. "We rented out the arena in Youngstown, Ohio. Now we created real awareness of the event with people who could buy tickets."

We're also witnessing a new era where promoters are getting a clue about the current economy and working with the fans. Top Rank's next big card in Las Vegas on Nov. 1 at Mandalay Bay is configured for 11,000 seats. Arum says 8,000 of those seats will be less than $100.

Arum also spoke about the failings of the Chad Dawson-Antonio Tarver fight last week in Las Vegas. He blasted Gary Shaw saying had Top Rank promoter the event it would've been a slam dunk. Dawson-Tarver didn't sellout 2,200 seats and only had roughly 900 paid attendees.

The New Jersey Athletic Control Board on Thursday opted to remove Earl Morton, whom it had appointed as the referee on Oct. 1, and on Friday named Benji Esteves Jr.

The move was prompted when Pavlik manager Cameron Dunkin protested Morton's appointment. Dunkin sent a complaint to the NJACB on Tuesday with the signatures of fighters from Philadelphia, referee Eddie Cotton and others in the Philadelphia boxing community alleging a friendship between Hopkins and Morton.

Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, of which Hopkins is a partner, vehemently denied that. Schaefer was in the limousine with Hopkins when Hopkins learned of the referee changed.

"He told me that if you put Morton in a line with 10 people, he wouldn't be able to pick him out," Schaefer said.

New Jersey deputy attorney general Nick Lembo gave the Pavlik and Hopkins camps three names to choose from. The Pavlik side chose Steve Smoger, but the Hopkins side did not pick.

Lembo eventually chose Esteves, who worked Hopkins' victory over Antonio Tarver in Atlantic City in 2006.

It was hardly the only ridiculous controversy of the day. Minutes before the weigh-in — in which Pavlik weighed 169 and Hopkins was 170 — Dunkin and attorney Michael Miller on behalf of Pavlik met with Golden Boy COO David Itskowitch on behalf of Hopkins to determine which fighter would walk out first for the weigh-in.

Pavlik walked in first and Hopkins, wearing a Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies' jersey, weighed first.

It's rare that an old, Hall of Fame quality athlete becomes a vilified figure. Barry Bonds accomplished the feat by being a jackass and cheating. Bernard Hopkins has gone from great story to one that many people simply want to go away. He's the Princeton basketball of boxing. The guy who runs the four corners offense for 12 rounds. Hopkins is confused by the fact that the same guys who made him a Hall of Famer now dislike his style:  

"Boring fighting is not fighting they way they want me to fight. I became a boring fighter and made the Hall of Fame. My style hasn't changed. You can't please everybody."

Why can't Bernard please the boxing writers:

"Jealousy, envy, wanna-be-athletes. A lot of people want to see my ass get kicked. That comes with the territory of being successful for so long."

Hopkins says Kelly Pavlik is the next guy boxing is lining up to put him away for good:

"They need a clean kill and they think Kelly is the guy."

Hopkins says he can see fear in the promoter's eyes:

"A lot of them are nervous though. They know that styles makes fights. If you stand in front of Bernard Hopkins and he doesn't have the hand speed to match Bernard Hopkins. Bernard Hopkins is a tricky slippery, veteran. Joe Calzaghe admitted that. As far as I'm concerned Kelly Pavlik is nowhere near as fast as Joe Calzaghe."

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE HOPKINS INTERVIEW:

BHop also talks about Philly coming out in droves to see the fight in Atlantic City. The Phillies are waiting for the World Series to begin and the Eagles have the week off.{ysp:block}

Hopkins is a good story about conditioning and lifestyle. The guy is going to be 44 in January and is still fighting at a high level against fighters 10-15 years younger.

Vitali Klitschko brought new meaning to beating the (expletive) out of someone with his revolutionary hand wrapping technique. We're petitioning for 'Dr. IronFist' to become 'Mr. Wee-Wee' fist:

"I wrap nappies filled with my three-year-old son Max's wee around my fists," said Klitschko, who destroyed Samuel Peter to win the WBC heavyweight title. "The nappies hold the liquid and the swelling stays down."

Who enlightened Klitschko to this odd idea? It was brainchild of his grandmother:

"Baby wee is good because it's pure, doesn't contain toxins and doesn't smell," Klitschko said

Let's hope it didn't smell. If it did maybe there was another reason that Peter refused to rise from his stool to begin round eight. NOTE: That is SWEAT flying off of Peter's face. We think.

TMZ has a great graphic for this story and this classic line, "Wait 'til R. Kelly hears about this."

Haye tells the Telegraph that he is convinced he has:

“The tools to defeat both Klitschkos. Give me Wladimir first, then I’ll take on the older brother. Neither of them has the speed I can show them, and they are both vulnerable.”

Haye is 6-foot-3 and will probably walk into the ring around 215 lbs. The only 'small' heavyweight to give the brothers trouble was Chris Byrd and that was on a technicality. Vitali was leading on all scorecards against Byrd but he had to retire because of a shoulder injury. Wladimir destroyed Byrd when they fought turning in a seventh round TKO.

If you consider 225 lbs. small for a heavyweight, then Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster would qualify too. They both knocked out Wladimir.

Photo via AP

"Remember you pick up my toys," said Vitali. "You steal my toys."

"I remember you beat my butt when we were younger," said Wladimir.

"You know what? I like this belt very much," said Vitali as he grabbed one of his brother's three belts.

The brothers have said repeatedly that they will never fight one another. Neither is motivated by money so we could be stuck watching both struggle to find quality opponents as they dominate a dying heavyweight landscape. Chris Arreola and cruiser-turned-heavyweight David Haye may be the only two guys worth waiting for as potential world beaters against the pair of behemoths.  

Those were the words in The Sun before the heavyweight clash in Berlin yesterday. Vitali Klitschko returned from a 46 month layoff to pummel Samuel Peter over the course of eight rounds. The Nigerian was unable to rise form his stool to start the ninth.

The Brit tabloid suggested prior to the fight that this battle could re-energize the western audience and its interest in the heavyweight division:

I’m not trying to suggest it rivals the golden age of the 1970s when we had gut-wrenching wars between Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. But Peter and Klitschko have the skill and power to resurrect the passion that used to be taken for granted whenever two giants collided in the ring.

American boxing fans in attendance at The Palms Casino Resort were mildly interested in the heavyweights while watching on the big screens in anticipation of the live fight between Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver.

The Sun is correct with the assertion that the 37-year old Vitali holding a heavyweight belt has a shot to help the division with the American audience. He is more of a risk-taker than his brother Wladimir and his aggressive style could bring some back to their televisions to watch the big boys go at it. 

There are two issues that could prevent Vitali from delivering on his potential. One is his health and the other is matchmaking. Who does he fight next? It was a bad sign to hear Don King talking about luring former heavyweight king Lennox Lewis out of retirement to fight Vitali. Lewis, 43, retired after he beat Vitali more than five years ago.

Photo via AP

You can see more of Al Bernstein on IBNSports.com with his post-fight wrap from the Palms Casino Resort.

Chad Dawson dominated Antonio Tarver and looked super-confident doing so. He was so cocky that he took off the sixth round and let Tarver pound away at his body. 'Bad Chad' talked trash throughout the round, telling Tarver, "you're not hurting me." It was a departure from the norm for the reserved and quiet Dawson.

The money may have had a lot to do with Dawson's new swagger. No, not his payday of $800,000. It had more to do with a speech from 'Money' and his manager putting his money where his mouth was.

Floyd 'Money' Mayweather was in attendance at the Palms Pearl Theatre rooting on Dawson. Mayweather, a Vegas resident, was in contact with Dawson before the fight. Dawson, who trained for eight weeks at Nevada's Mt. Charleston, was pumped by the Mayweather pep talk:

"He told me I was one of the best in the world, if not the best in the world. He said that boxing is a gladiator sport and (the outcome) could go either way. He told me to fight my fight because I was the better fighter.”

Mike Criscio, Dawson's manager, boosted his fighter's confidence by laying the big bucks on the line. Criscio embarrassed Tarver at the Wednesday press conference by bringing in a brief case filled with $25,000. Criscio challenged the veteran to put up his own money for a side bet. Tarver slinked away saying that Criscio was trying to make a name for himself. That clearly wasn't the goal. Criscio knew his fighter was going to win and wanted to make some bucks. On Saturday, he went over to the Bellagio Sports Book and put down $70,000 on his fighter. The odds weren't great at -270 but Criscio still cashed $25,925!

Photo via Las Vegas Sun

Antonio Tarver knew that Chad Dawson was the future of the light heavyweight division but kept saying he lives in the now and that now wasn't Dawson's time. Tarver was wrong and now may contemplate retirement. He was beat in every phase of the game losing a unanimous decision (118-109, 117-110 2x). Tarver threw with regularity but simply couldn't match the flash, volume and accuracy of the 26-year old Dawson. After a lot of pre-fight trash talk Tarver could do nothing but eat humble pie after the loss:

"I fought my fight, and Chad fought his. I was never hurt. I didn't use my left as much as I wanted to. He was a busier fighter than I was tonight. I fought like a champion right to the end, but I did lose. I respected him before the fight, he was a WBC title holder and I’d like to fight him again."

Tarver sounded like there's only one future option that interested him, a rematch with Dawson. Dawson and his promoter Gary Shaw didn't express much interest in exercising the rematch clause.

“We would absolutely fight the winner of Roy-Calzaghe,” said Shaw, about the Nov. 8 fight. “We’d fight if Kelly Pavlik wants to come up to 175. If Bernard, who is a real live dog, beats Pavlik and wants to fight, we’ll fight.”

Dawson cashed as a -240 favorite and the over came in at -220. 'Bad Chad' earned $800,000 for the fight, while Tarver collected $1 million.

After essentially tossing his WBC belt in the garbage, Dawson picked up Tarver's IBF and IBO 175 lb. belts. With the corrupt sanctioning bodies stupid system of mandatory title defenses, Dawson couldn't face Tarver and keep his WBC belt.

Photo via AP

Wife-beater John Wayne Bobbitt stole some headlines this week with the announcement that he's got a celebrity boxing match scheduled in November. It took one day for the 'real' boxing world to steal the freak show thunder announcing that 200-year-old Evander Holyfield is fighting for a world title.

Holyfield, 46, is attempting to become the oldest heavyweight champ in history against the worst heavyweight champ in history, the 7-foot 320-pound Nikolai Valuev on Dec. 20. The L.A. Times' Lance Pugmire states the obvious, why?:

I spoke to Holyfield before he fought (and lost) a world title to Sultan Ibragimov last year. His speech was slightly slurred, but he'd insisted he'd passed every medical clearance test required to enter the ring. I'm no doctor, but relying only on common sense, here's hoping this bout doesn't happen. There's a lot of life left post-46.

There should be a unified front to see Holyfield win or at worst come out healthy. The same can't be said for Bobbitt. He'll be facing Greg Smith on Nov. 15. If Bobbitt, whose penis was cut off by his wife back in 1993, isn't a celebrity, what do we say about Smith? Smith is the Philly barber who knocked out the rap mogul Suge Knight earlier this year.

Here's pulling for the barber to beat down the wife-beater. Why don't we just skip ahead and match up Valuev against Bobbitt? Who is going to throw in the towel on that one?

Tim Smith from the N.Y. Daily News points out the lunacy of allowing Klitschko to immediately challenge for a title:

The WBC allowed him to come back and immediately fight for the title, because it deemed him to be something called "heavyweight champion emeritus." That's pure phony baloney. Imagine in the real world of sports if the Giants decided they wanted to skip the regular season and just play in the Super Bowl and the NFL allowed it because they were "champion emeritus."

The big fellas weighed in today for their Saturday fight in Germany. The 6-foot-7 Klitschko was 247 while Peter was 253 1/2.

Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) looked good considering all the rumored turmoil that has been dominating his camp. The 28-year old Nigerian, tried to make a late call to trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammed because of battles with trainer Stacy McKinley.

Peter is definitely in a heated mood for the fight. He ripped the belt from Klitschko's grasp at the press conference and stormed off the stage on Wednesday. He was also livid that much of the press conference was in German and answered all of his English question in Nigerian. The press did catch this nugget though:

"He is a phony who is messing with my career and my life. On Saturday, he will be out of everyone's life for good,"

Showtime's ShoBox series starts it on Friday with a doubleheader. The intriguing bout is a middleweight bout between unbeaten 21-year-old prospect Fernando Guerrero, who is 9-0 with nine knockouts, against Tyrone Watson.

Highly regarded super lightweight prospect Mike Alvarado is featured on the Spanish-language Telefutura broadcast on Friday against Miguel Garnica.

On Saturday, HBO's Boxing After Dark series has a tripleheader. Highly regarded super featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa, who I'm convinced is going to be a star within a year, meets Marcos Ramirez.  Alfredo Angulo, who fought a sensational battle with Richard Gutierrez the last time out, gets another tough test when he meets Andrey Tsurkan.

And Alex Bunema will meet Sergio Martinez for the WBC super welterweight title that Floyd Mayweather Jr. lifted from Oscar De La Hoya last year.

There are also two pay-per-view shows on Saturday. Juan Manuel Lopez defends his WBO junior featherweight belt against Cesar Figueora in San Juan. And in Germany, IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham puts his belt up against veteran Raul Marquez.

We find out if Antonio Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs) is still an elite fighter in the ring on Oct. 11 in Las Vegas against rising star Chad Dawson (26-0, 17 KOs). He may be a shot fighter but he can still promote a fight and talk trash with the best of them. 'Bad' Chad tried to fire back at 'The Magic Man' but it was hopeless, Dawson got steamrolled. Here are some of Tarver's best lines from the Tuesday teleconference:

"I got a lot of Chad Dawson's on my resume. He's going to get crash course of what it's like to be in there with a legendary fighter."

"Eric Harding 2001 would annihilate Chad Dawson. I ruin fighters. They're damaged goods. There's a disease going around the light heavyweight division called the post-Tarver syndrome."

"You're the only one who's got to take this ass whooping. You're the only one who has to take these punches."

"Big dummy, buckle up cause you gonna go for a helluva ride. You ever been to hell and back, because that's where you're going."

"It may look slow, it may look deceptive but trust me bro you ain't never seen anything like this."

"You too light in the ass at 178 thinking you're going to whoop me."  

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO TRASH TALKING PORTION OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE:

There was a ton of media on the call. Tim Smith from the N.Y. Daily News said:

Those aren't my words but maybe I'm alone in thinking that Mosley has some big fights in front of him. There has been some strong media reaction to Mosley's knockout win over Ricardo Mayorga.

Veteran boxing writer David Avila thinks it's all downhill from here for 'Sugar' Shane:

Mosley emerged victorious, but he may have hit the ceiling level for talent with Mayorga. Anybody bigger, younger or faster than the Nicaraguan is going to give the 2008 version of Mosley a lot of trouble.

Geoffrey Ciana at EastsideBoxing echoed similiar sentiments:

I saw some things in this fight which lead me to believe that Shane’s days at the top are numbered, which is not surprising for a 37 year old pugilist.

There seems to be a little revisionist history going on here. Mosley fought an unbeaten Miguel Cotto back in November and lost a close decision (115-113, 115-113, 116-113). Aside from not throwing with enough volume to steal an extra round or two, he seemed to be world class on that night.

The prevailing thought is that Antonio Margarito is simply too big for Mosley. Don't forget that this is the same Margarito who was in a dead even fight against Cotto before pulling off the knockout win in the 11th. I'm not saying Mosley will win a Margarito fight but to suddenly act like it's sending a lamb to slaughter is a bit ridiculous.

Paul Williams is an angry, freakish man. The 6-foot-2 welterweight is avoided the like the plague within the division. Williams is extremely frustrated with the lack of opponents and took it out on poor Andre Berto. The 25-year old WBC champ Berto, declared earlier this week that he’s best in the weight class. That set off the WBO champ Williams:

"He called himself the best, that's calling me out. He can't take it back now. Now he's on the chopping block and I have to burn him up. I don't write checks that I can't cash."

You wonder if Berto feels like his manhood is being challenged. He won’t get the chance to respond because his manager Lou DiBella has already squashed the fight when he spoke with BoxingScene.com:

"I think (Williams) is one of the best fighters out there, but he's a seven-foot welterweight and Berto is a small welterweight. Williams is a freak of nature. He should look in the mirror, he's not a welterweight. He just fought at middleweight and he looked pretty devastating." 

Wiliams is slated to fight Nov. 29 on an HBO "Boxing After Dark" doubleheader with heavyweight Chris Arreola. Could that be a possible date for Berto v. Williams? It sounds like the choice isn't Berto's to make:

"I'm not comfortable with putting in a fighter, who's had a very short career, with a much more experienced fighter, who by the way Berto would have to jump on a foot stool to fight eye to eye," said DiBella. "And that's my decision, not Berto's."

Williams also called out Joshua Clottey. That fight may be difficult to make unless Bob Arum and Al Heymon can bury the hatchet. Arum, who promotes Clottey, had it out with Heymon during negotiations for a possible Kelly Pavlik v. Williams fight.

Photo via AP

It was either a crowning moment to a great career or the beginning of the end for fading fighter. The verdict on Shane Mosley's 12th round knockout victory over Ricardo Mayorga varied widely on press row at the Home Depot Center.

Michael Rosenthal, who covered the fight for Yahoo! Sports, thought 'Sugar' Shane looked like a shot fighter.

Mosley (45-5, 38 KOs) looked sluggish throughout. He looked slow, at least by his standards. He looked tired. He threw remarkably few punches. He looked all of his 37 years.

At the moment Rosenthal was thinking about his lead and story angle, Larry Merchant screamed out, "Shane Mosley, I love you!"

Merchant went ga-ga over Mosley's fantastic finish of 'The Matador':

Without Shane Mosley going for broke in the 12th round, it could've been a horrible night for boxing. Mosley, seemingly way ahead in the fight, brought 5,978 to their feet at the Home Depot Center by knocking down and then knocking out Ricardo Mayorga in the final stanza.

'Sugar' Shane scored the dramatic finish with one second left in the fight. If boxing had an NBA-style clock, it might have been 0.3 seconds left on the clock. It was a great finish to a steady, dominant performance. HBO judge Harold Lederman had Mosley leading eight rounds to three and so did I. By the end of the fight, Mosley had outlanded the wild throwing Mayo