2010 Official Boxing Thread: Soto/Antillon, 2010 Fight of the Year.

[gunna get it]

as much of a dufus Zab has shown himself to be, there is absolutely NO WAY , Khan, Devin or Bradley wanna get in the ring with him. They dont want NO Parts of that Left Uppercut.

This might actually be a good time to get on the Zab Bandwagon, cus I can see him sleepin 2 of them dudes and Devin would have major Problems with Zabs speed and Timing

 

[proshares]

If Kotelnik wasn't the main choice for Berto for that tripleheader, a fight between him and Zab would be a nice showcase for him.

You know they're NEVER gonna put Khan or Kool-Aid in the same ring as Zab anytime soon.

 

[proshares]

Shannon Briggs vs. Vitali signed off for October

 

[scott frost]

Margarito's hearing in CA happening in like an hour.

 

[eagle 0n]

Dan Rafael's twitter if you want updates on the Margarito hearing.

 

[proshares]

Who is the world's best fighter regardless of weight class? See my top 20 below.







And don't forget to check out the divisional rankings, which are updated weekly.





For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.





Note: Results are through Aug. 17.








[table][tr][td]1[/td][td]

Manny Pacquiao

Welterweight titlist
Age: 31 | Record: 51-3-2, 38 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: Pacquiao was ready, willing and able to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing's biggest fight in the fall, but Mayweather blew it off. Blame Pacquiao for some of the mess, but not as much as Mayweather. With that fight falling though, Pacquiao will forge ahead and fight somebody else on Nov. 13. It's always a treat when the Pacman plies his trade.

Misses: Unfortunately, the "somebody else" will be Antonio Margarito in a fight that is like a lead balloon for the sport. Not only is Margarito a cheater in the eyes of most of the public and California regulators, he doesn't warrant the fight when you consider this: He was utterly destroyed by Shane Mosley in January 2009, idled for the next 16 months while his license was revoked and then looked terrible in a comeback fight against a journeyman. Pacquiao and fight fans deserve better.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]2[/td][td]

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Welterweight
Age: 33 | Record: 41-0, 25 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: No matter what you think of his actions in terms of ignoring the Pacquiao fight, Mayweather deserves a lot of credit for steamrolling Shane Mosley in a one-sided decision in their May fight. What was supposed to be at least a halfway competitive fight turned into a laugher for Mayweather, who routed a true welterweight.

Misses: His camp's denials that negotiations for the Pacquiao fight ever took place -- despite Pacquiao's camp and HBO intermediary Ross Greenburg saying otherwise -- are just plain ridiculous, not to mention disrespectful to every fight fan on the planet. Let Mayweather take his vacations and play with Don King, but don't serve us that gibberish. If you don't want to fight Pacquiao, just say so.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]3[/td][td]

Paul Williams

Middleweight
Age: 29 | Record: 39-1, 27 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: It wasn't easy, as the Williams camp had to basically be dragged kicking and screaming back to the negotiating table by HBO and the Sergio Martinez camp, but it looks like we will see a rematch between Williams and Martinez on Nov. 20. Their first fight in December was a classic, which Williams won via controversial majority decision. The rematch is what people want to see, and it looks like we are going to get it. That's a good thing.

Misses: Why was it so hard to get the Williams side to move ahead with the rematch with Martinez, especially when there was no other significant fight available for Williams?
[/td][/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]4[/td][td]

Juan Manuel Marquez

Lightweight champion
Age: 36 | Record: 51-5-1, 37 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: Whatever hit Marquez's reputation took when he lost a lopsided decision last fall to Floyd Mayweather Jr. two weight classes heavier than Marquez normally fights in, he gained some of it back when he returned to lightweight and dominated Juan Diaz in the rematch of the 2009 fight of the year on July 31. At lightweight, and until further notice, Marquez is clearly the cream of the crop. Still.

Misses: Marquez can't get the third fight with Manny Pacquiao that he is so desperate to make, and there doesn't appear to be a really big fight for him at lightweight. That means Marquez might have to go up to junior welterweight for a major fight, possibly against titlist Amir Khan. That is probably not a good style match for Marquez.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]5[/td][td]

Sergio Martinez

Middleweight champion
Age: 35 | Record: 45-2-2, 24 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: After Martinez lost a debatable majority decision to Paul Williams in December, he dusted himself off and took the middleweight title from Kelly Pavlik in a tremendous performance in April. Martinez's side then gave HBO a list a mile long of opponents he was willing to face in the fall, including a rematch with Williams, proving Martinez is one of those guys who is willing to fight just about anyone. Although Williams' side tried everything in its power to avoid the sequel, it was finally backed into a corner. The result: We'll probably see the rematch, one of the most significant fights of the year, on Nov. 20.

Misses: When a guy is willing to fight anyone and has a the kind of talent and personality that Martinez has, there's nothing negative to say.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]6[/td][td]

Miguel Cotto

Junior middleweight titlist
Age: 29 | Record: 35-2, 28 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: Cotto has never backed away from a challenge in his career, which is why his résumé is littered with big names: Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Zab Judah. And even though some wrote him off after very tough losses to Pacquiao and Margarito, he showed he still has something left with a strong title-winning performance in June against Yuri Foreman. As an encore, Cotto is taking an interesting fight (in a rubber-necking sort of way) against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Dec. 4.

Misses: Although many would have preferred to see Cotto face somebody other than Chavez (how about Andre Berto?), you can't criticize Cotto too harshly for the Chavez fight. Say what you will about the merit of the match, but you have to figure it will be an exciting action fight.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]7[/td][td]

Timothy Bradley Jr.

Junior welterweight titlist
Age: 26 | Record: 26-0, 11 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: Bradley easily defeated dangerous puncher Luis Carlos Abregu on July 17 in a test in the welterweight division. With that out of the way, Bradley will return to junior welterweight, where plans are in the works for him to face fellow titlist Devon Alexander on Jan. 29 in one of the best fights that can be made in boxing this side of Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Misses: Although Bradley easily outpointed Abregu, he did not look nearly as good as he had hoped to in the victory.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]8[/td][td]

Bernard Hopkins

Light heavyweight
Age: 45 | Record: 51-5-1, 32 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: Although Hopkins has essentially run out of opponents the public is interested in seeing him fight, he has made clear he would like to continue fighting, be it against new light heavyweight champ Jean Pascal or perhaps super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute. Hopkins is a competitor, so even though he probably won't get either fight, we can tip our hat for his effort in trying to get one of them.

Misses: Sometimes you just gotta know when to fold 'em. Hopkins, unfortunately, does not.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]9[/td][td]

Nonito Donaire

Interim junior bantamweight titlist
Age: 27 | Record: 24-1, 16 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: Enough of messing around at junior bantamweight, where he can't get a notable fight. Donaire is moving up to bantamweight in hopes of landing a big-time match with unified titleholder (and fellow Top Rank fighter) Fernando Montiel. Top Rank says it intends to make the fight. If it happens, it will be the big fight Donaire has wanted.

Misses: The rematch with Vic Darchinyan already has slipped away. Will Top Rank live up to its promise to make the Montiel fight? You never know.
[/td][/tr][/table]




[table][tr][td]10[/td][td]

Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon

Junior flyweight champion
Age: 35 | Record: 34-0-1, 6 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Hits: The facts of life include death, taxes and Calderon by clear decision. Calderon, who took a dominant decision from Jesus Iribe in a June title defense, is quite simply one of the purest technicians in recent boxing history, even if he has slowed down a tad. He's destined for the Hall of Fame.

Misses: Calderon has won titles in two divisions and is 18-0-1 in world title fights, but he still has not had a defining fight, despite facing numerous former and future titleholders. However, that could change now that he is slated to face power puncher Giovani Segura in a title unification bout on Aug. 28.
[/td][/tr][/table]







The next 10





11. Sugar Shane Mosley
12. Celestino Caballero
13. Andre Ward
14. Lucian Bute
15. Chris John
16. Chad Dawson
17. Juan Manuel Lopez
18. Andre Dirrell
19. Fernando Montiel
20. Arthur Abraham

 

[scott frost]

Welp, looks like Tejas is going to have to reinstate his license.  Jerry going to have throw some of his weight & $$$ around.  Seems like a layup to me.

 

[bigmike23]

License denied by a 5-1 voted. No shock there. Chairman Frierson is the lone vote for Margarito
 

 

[bigmike23]

double

 

[proshares]

There's no way he doesn't get licensed in Texas.

 

[beast mode]

easy win for lara.

 

[beast mode]

...

 

[bigmike23]

so there is talk texas could say no to the cheater also

 

[proshares]

Schaefer is telling everyone that JMM will fight Manny at 140 and will do w/e blood tests in order to get the fight done. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Manny still have the Ring Belt at 140?

 

[gunna get it]

Rafael Marquez Injured; Fight with Lopez May Be Off
Posted by Salvador Rodriguez on 08.19.2010

Marquez' right hand may KO the fight.

Rafael Marquez has injured the thumb in his right hand and will not fight on September 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against WBO featherweight champ Juan Manuel Lopez, according to the former champ.

"I'm very disappointed with what has happened, everyone knows this was the fight I was waiting for but I will definitely not be ready for September 8," Marquez told Record.

"Juan Manuel is a great champion and that's why I can't give him even a centimeter of advantage and fighting with an injured finger; I wouldn't be 100% and I wouldn't want to make any excuses, when the fight is here, it'll be when I'm ready to win" continued Marquez.

Rafael, brother of three-division champ Juan Manuel Marquez, injured the thumb on his right hand while trying to close his truck and after slamming his finger, the pain was so great, that despite trying to continue training with it, forced him to get in touch with a doctor and cancel the fight.

 

[proshares]

Damn

 

[dapper d]

Damn man, the fight I was looking forward to the most in the fall...

On another note...what a win for Mosley and Golden Boy

...

 

[proshares]

As per Dan Rafael, the opponents being talked about for Berto are Maidana and Kotelnik and HBO is pushing Maidana hard even though he's fight Chop Chop next week. Alexander/Bradley is almost finished and DLH is pushing for Manny/JMM III.

 

[eagle 0n]

Time 'certainly running out' on Ward-Dirrell bout in September


By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

The long-awaited Sept. 25 Super Six World Classic super middleweight title fight between former Olympic teammates and friends Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell might have to wait a while longer.

The fight, scheduled to be shown on Showtime, still does not have a venue, and that seems to be the sticking point, according to Ward's promoter, Dan Goossen.

"Quite frankly, there's a number of reasons that really slowed down the process," Goossen said Thursday. "And the one at the top of the list is the arm-wrestling on where the fight should be held."

Goossen said Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) would love to have the fight in Oakland, where he won his two previous Super Six fights against Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green, but said he would be amenable to go anywhere. "I say, if we're going to have a fight of this magnitude, let's maximize the revenue, and the best way to maximize the revenue is to go to a place where you can draw 15,000. At the Oracle Arena in Oakland, it would be a slam dunk. I believe we can do a $1 million-plus gate."

What about alternatives? "Well, obviously Dirrell (from Flint, Mich.) would like to have it in Michigan," said Goossen, about a state that's been hard hit economically. "I don't mind going to a Las Vegas, I don't mind going to Arizona, I don't mind going to Atlantic City. What I mind is having such a successful promotion that can draw a million dollars plus not happen."

Asked if it's too late for the Sept. 25th date, Goossen said, "the time's certainly running out."

Asked about a drop-dead date, Goossen said, "I was hoping to have that date last Friday, but I would certainly say it's breathing down our neck."

Gary Shaw, the promoter for Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs), did not immediately return phone calls. Ward won the gold medal in Athens in 2004, and Dirrell won the bronze. Ward is the last U.S. Olympic boxer to win gold.

@ Goossen saying they'd fight anywhere, yet campaigning hard for Oakland.

They should consider the Home Depot Center in Carson.

 

[proshares]

[h4]Tomasz Adamek steps into land of the giants[/h4]

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive

AP Photo/Alik KepliczTomasz Adamek is proving size doesn't matter -- even at heavyweight.

Ten years ago, Michael Grant was the next big thing in boxing, a potential heavyweight champion who looked the part -- a sculpted 6-foot-7, 250 pounds -- spoke the part and had huge backing from HBO.

Then Lennox Lewis knocked Grant stiff in the second round of their April 2000 championship fight, and his career never recovered.

Grant lost his next fight when Jameel McCline upset him on a first-round knockout in which Grant severely injured his ankle. Grant rebounded to win his next seven fights, all against no-name opposition, before Dominick Guinn, himself hailed by many as a future heavyweight champion at the time, stopped Grant in the seventh round in June 2003.

From there, Grant (46-3, 34 KOs) slipped into obscurity. The Atlanta resident continued to fight, but there were some long layoffs and bouts in out of the way places, where he fashioned an eight-fight winning streak. But each came against more no-name opposition.

Now Grant is 38. He is far from the next big thing. But he still has a bit of a name and the size Tomasz Adamek is looking for.

[h4]The Big Challenge[/h4]
Television lineup for the Main Events-promoted Integrated Sports pay-per-view card Saturday night (9 ET, $29.95) from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.:

• Heavyweights: Tomasz Adamek (41-1, 27 KOs) vs. Michael Grant (46-3, 34 KOs), 12 rounds

• Junior middleweights: Joel "Love Child" Julio (35-4, 31 KOs) vs. Jamaal Davis (12-6, 6 KOs), 10 rounds

• Welterweights: Sadam Ali (8-0, 4 KOs) vs. Lenin Arroyo (20-12-1, 4 KOs), 8 rounds

• Junior welterweights: Jeremy Bryan (13-1, 6 KOs) vs. Daniel Mitchell (5-1-1, 2 KOs), 6 rounds

Adamek, the former cruiserweight champ and light heavyweight titlist, is now campaigning at heavyweight. He's 4-0 in the division with designs on a title shot against either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, both of whom are similar in size to Grant.

That's why Adamek (41-1, 27 KOs), coming off his impressive points win against Cristobal Arreola in April, will face Grant in a scheduled 12-rounder for Adamek's regional belt Saturday night (Integrated Sports, 9 ET, $29.95) at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where Adamek has massive support from the large Polish community.

"My sparring partners are tall, too. I don't feel a problem," Adamek said. "With these guys, I feel good in the ring. For me, size is not a problem. Speed is power. Just like with Arreola and Andrew Golota, it's the same. I am quick, that is my advantage. Good left hand, and every time I train I am stronger. I'll win this fight."

While Adamek is attempting to polish his heavyweight credentials against such a big guy, Grant is looking at the fight as a way back to the big time even if he's surprised that he's still around.

"I didn't know I'd still be boxing 10 years later [after the Lewis fight]," Grant said. "I thought by this time I'd have some belts and been retired at an early age."

Despite the disappointments, Grant said he has no regrets.

"It was good for me to go through what I went through in this whole span," Grant said. "It brought experience, patience, things that were probably missing out in my arsenal. Now those years have accumulated and those things are now a part of me, patience and experience. I am happy, and happy I am still here in one piece.

"I'm blessed to have this opportunity to fight Adamek and I just see myself being victorious in the fight. It's courageous on Adamek's part to step up to this level and to fight heavyweights. But not to take [past Adamek heavyweight opponents] Jason Estrada or Arreola for granted, but I'm in a different class. I see how the billboard for the fight says, 'Big Challenge.' This is a huge challenge for him."

It's also a big challenge for Grant, who trained in Las Vegas under the tutelage of Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, and probably his final chance at a meaningful victory.

"Let's face it, he beat Cris Arreola and became a 'qualified' heavyweight," Grant said. "Now he has to go through me. But [if I win], it puts me in the driver's seat to step in there and step up for one of the Klitschkos."

During Grant's move up the ladder, he beat such name opponents as Andrew Golota, making him quit in the 10th round of a life-and-death battle in the fight before facing Lewis, Lou Savarese, Obed Sullivan and David Izon.

Main Events' Kathy Duva well remembers Grant's 1999 fight with Golota, Adamek's countryman and one of his heavyweight victims when he was beyond his prime.

"We respect Michael Grant. We don't think anybody is a stepping stone," Duva said. "I still have nightmares about the night that he fought Andrew Golota. We know that he's not a stepping stone. We know that Tomasz has to fight bigger guys, better guys, if he's going to be able to win the heavyweight title, which is what he wants to do. And our opinion here is that the guy who wins this fight is going to go on to do that.

"We believe that Tomasz is not going to get anywhere if he can't learn to beat the best in his division and he's going to have to get accustomed to very big fighters in order to do that."

Just as quickly as Grant's star rose, the fade began with his tougher-than-expected fight with Golota, followed by the Lewis blowout.

"Were there some regrets? Sure," Grant said. "But I am glad I went through those regrets."

He said he has never dwelled on the Lewis debacle.

"Ten years, man. Come on," he said. "That's long gone. I don't think about it anymore. But I still have an ultimate goal."

It is, of course, to be heavyweight champion. He knows time is of the essence.

"If we were talking about me being 28, I'd say a couple of more fights first," he said. "But you're talking to a 38-year-old. So we are stepping up to the plate now."

Perhaps for the final time.

[h4]Berto mandatory ordered[/h4]

Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesAndre Berto is looking long and hard for his next challenge at welterweight.

Promoter Lou DiBella and HBO are trying to put together a fall fight for welterweight titlist Andre Berto, which would take place in November.

Two names tossed around for Berto are junior welterweights Marcos Maidana (HBO's preference) and Andriy Kotelnik, whom promoter Don King is pushing hard for. However, Maidana rejected the bout Thursday, preferring to remain at 140 pounds. HBO has also approved Mike Jones, a true welterweight, for the fight, but there is some reticence about the match on the Berto side. The card probably will also feature featherweight Celestino Caballero. A tripleheader including junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzinziruk is also possible.

One issue in finishing a Berto fight is that the WBC has ordered him to face mandatory challenger Selcuk Aydin, a fight Berto's camp and HBO aren't interested in, meaning his belt could be in jeopardy.

Aydin wants the fight, saying, "I have been waiting for more than a year to face Berto. I want to prove that I am one of the best welterweight fighters in the world today."

His co-promoter, Ahmet Öner, also wants to make the fight, be it in America or Aydin's native Turkey, where Berto has no intention of going.

"Berto is one of the biggest names in U.S. boxing today. He is one of the faces of HBO," said Öner, who signed Aydin to a co-promotional deal with Don King this month. "This is the chance Selcuk has been waiting and fighting for. I'm sure it will be a hell of a fight."

Mandatory or not, DiBella said the fight is unlikely to happen.

"HBO doesn't want Aydin, so it's not going to happen right now," he said. "There's no market for the fight and no American network is going to Turkey. Berto is not going to Turkey. Of course, we don't want Andre stripped, so we'll see what we can do make sure that doesn't happen. I'll call Ahmet. I have no problem with him. He's doing his job to stand up for his fighter, but my job is also to stand up for mine and to get him paid and televised. Aydin's last performance against Jo Jo Dan didn't help him."

Aydin scraped by to win a controversial split decision against Dan in Turkey in June.

DiBella's talks with HBO on an opponent for Berto center on Andriy Kotelnik, another King fighter, who performed well on HBO in a tight decision loss to junior welterweight titlist Devon Alexander on Aug. 7.

[h4]Lightweight action[/h4]

When Miguel Vazquez outpointed Ji Hoon Kim for a vacant lightweight belt last week, it gave Top Rank three 135-pound titleholders, although Juan Manuel Marquez is the division's lineal champion and also holds alphabet belts. Top Rank also promotes titlists Miguel Acosta and Humberto Soto, contenders Anthony Peterson, Brandon Rios and Urbano Antillon plus Marco Antonio Barrera, the all-time great who covets a lightweight title shot.

While not looking to put on a traditional tournament, Top Rank intends to mix and match its lightweights in a series of fights.

"There's a lot of parity among these lightweights," Top Rank's Carl Moretti said. "So why not try to make various fights and see what comes of it? I wouldn't describe it as a tournament, but it becomes one if you just start making the fights. We just have to find the right platforms for all of them.

"The process is already starting because Rios and Peterson are fighting (Sept. 11 on HBO) with Soto, also on the undercard. We have some building blocks that could lead to something big."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.

[h4]QUICK HITS[/h4]

Alexander

• Promoters Gary Shaw and Don King met with HBO on Thursday in an effort to finalize a junior welterweight unification showdown between Timothy Bradley Jr. and Devon Alexander. The deal is not done yet, but Shaw told ESPN.com that it's "getting there." If the fight is made, it would take place on Jan. 29, although the site remains up in the air. King would like to put it in St. Louis, where hometown man Alexander drew about 10,000 for his win against Andriy Kotelnik on Aug. 7. Shaw prefers a place like New Orleans or Washington. "We were up at HBO all day," Shaw said. "It was lovefest and we are really trying to get this done. We're going to try to put it to bed in the next couple of days. We're very close."

Jones

• Roy Jones (54-7, 40 KOs), the former pound-for-pound king and four-division champion plans to continue his career in the wake of his one-sided loss to Bernard Hopkins in April. Although Jones, 41, has lost three of his last five fights, including two in a row -- to Hopkins and a first-round knockout to Danny Green -- he is in discussions to face Danny Santiago (31-4-1, 19 KOs) in a cruiserweight fight in October in Pensacola, Fla., Jones' hometown. John Wirt, CEO of Jones' Square Ring promotional company, told ESPN.com the fight with Santiago was possible "but Roy is also considering some other things, some other options. We'll know more in a few days."

Rigondeaux

• While Top Rank works to get Antonio Margarito licensed somewhere in the United States (presumably Texas) so he can face Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13, the company is also working on the HBO PPV undercard. Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com that one of the fighters who will appear is junior featherweight Guillermo Rigondeaux, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist, assuming he beat Jose Beranza on Saturday on "Top Rank Live" (FS en Espanol). "I think after the fight in Mexico this weekend, Rigondeaux is ready to fight almost anybody from what I've seen and been told." Rigondeaux (5-0, 4 KOs), 29, had around 400 amateur fights, so his experience is far greater than his pro record indicates. Also likely for the televised undercard is Philadelphia welterweight prospect Mike Jones (22-0, 18 KOs), who is promoted by Russell Peltz, whom Top Rank is helping with Jones. Moretti and Peltz both said they were working on Jones' fight.

De Leon

• Daniel Ponce De Leon and Antonio Escalante will hook up in a featherweight eliminator Sept. 18 (HBO PPV) on the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora undercard, Golden Boy's Eric Gomez told ESPN.com. Ponce De Leon was slated to face Miguel Roman (who lost to Escalante in a February fight of the year candidate), but Gomez pulled the plug on the fight because he said that although Roman agreed, he hadn't returned his contract. That prompted Gomez to step up efforts to match Ponce De Leon and Escalante, a fight Escalante manager Lester Bedford has wanted. "It's been agreed upon and now we're putting it on paper," Gomez said. "It's icing on the cake for this show." Escalante was also weighing an offer to fight Celestino Caballero on HBO in November on Andre Berto's undercard.

Bundrage

• Following Cornelius "K9" Bundrage's knockout of Cory Spinks to win a junior middleweight belt on Aug. 7, promoter Don King and Lou DiBella, who promotes Ronald Hearns, discussed an all-Detroit showdown. However, Emanuel Steward, Bundrage's trainer and the man best known for training the great Thomas Hearns, Ronald's father, put the kibosh on the match this week. He is adamantly against the fight and has no interest in going against Ronald Hearns, whom he has known since he was a baby. "I spoke to Cornelius Bundrage and Don King and under no conditions are we fighting Ronald Hearns. There is no interest," Steward told ESPN.com. "We have no interest, no plans and we are looking at something else. But he is definitely not in the plans. Under no conditions will we ever be fighting Ronald Hearns."

Solis

• Heavyweight contender Odlanier Solis headlines "Top Rank Live" on Oct. 9 against an opponent to be named, Top Rank's Moretti told ESPN.com. Solis thought he'd be facing former titlist Nikolai Valuev in a title eliminator with a shot at Vitali Klitschko at stake. However, the WBC reinstalled Ray Austin as its No. 1 contender after he was dropped for no apparent reason and threatened a lawsuit. So Austin is supposed to face Valuev, with Solis (16-0, 12 KOs), a 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, waiting in the wings for the next eliminator. "We just want to get him in the ring," Moretti said. "He needs to fight. Enough of the politics. He's one of the best heavyweights in the world, we believe, and he can't just sit around."

Soto

• Lightweight titlist Humberto Soto's defense against Fidel Monterrosa, originally scheduled for Sept. 25 in Mexico, as a "Top Rank Live" main event, has been moved to Sept. 11 in Las Vegas, where it will take place on the undercard of the Yuriorkis Gamboa-Orlando Salido featherweight unification bout. While Soto-Monterrosa will still be televised in Mexico it won't be part of HBO's Gamboa-Salido broadcast. "We decided to change it and make Soto the international fight on the undercard because that's what [Fernando] Beltran, our partner, wanted to do," Moretti said.

Linares

• Fresh from a dominant decision against Rocky Juarez on the July 31 Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz II undercard, former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist Jorge Linares (29-1, 18 KOs) will return Oct. 24, Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz told ESPN.com. Linares, 24, who is from Venezuela but lives in Japan, will fight in Tokyo against Jesus Chavez at 133 pounds. The win against Juarez was Linares' second in a row since losing his 130-pound title via shocking first-round knockout to Juan Carlos Salgado in October 2009. Chavez (44-7, 30 KOs), a former junior lightweight and lightweight titlist, is 37 and has lost three in a row.

Salita

• Dmitriy Salita, who was blown out in 76 seconds by Amir Khan in a December mandatory junior welterweight title challenge in England, is returning. Salita, known to many for balancing his Orthodox Jewish faith with his boxing career, will fight in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., Sept. 1 against Franklin Gonzalez (13-5, 9 KOs) of the Dominican Republic. The fight will be televised on The Jewish Channel, Salita said. "I named this card 'Redemption' because I am anxious to get back in the ring and score an impressive victory," Salita said. "This card is special because Oceana Theater is the first place that I fought in New York. It feels right, to come back home for a redeeming victory with all my friends and supporters."

Gamboa

• Yuriorkis Gamboa usually trains in Miami, but for his Sept. 11 (HBO) featherweight unification match with Orlando Salido, he'll train at the Fight Factory in Tampa. "It's a big fight and we wanted to get away and do it right," said Tony Gonzalez, Gamboa's manager and attorney. Also on the Gamboa-Salido card at The Palms in Las Vegas: the return of 2008 Russian Olympic middleweight Matvey Korobov, idle since April because of a nasal problem, and the second pro fight of light heavyweight Mike Lee, the Notre Dame graduate being trained by Ronnie Shields, who drew a big crowd for his pro debut in May.

• Junior lightweight titlist Rocky Martinez of Puerto Rico isn't taking any chance when it comes to the travel for his Sept. 4 defense in Scotland against mandatory challenger Ricky Burns (28-2, 7 KOs). Martinez, making his third defense, plans to arrive in Glasgow with plenty of time to spare in order to adjust to the climate and time change. "The wind and rain could be the biggest threat to me," Martinez said. "I'm not worried about Burns, but I am concerned about the temperature in Scotland. I hear it can be freezing even in August. I'll leave myself plenty of time to get ready because I don't want to make any mistakes." Martinez (24-0-1, 15 KOs) has traveled to the United Kingdom to fight before, knocking out Nicky Cook in the fourth round in England to win the title last year. "I would like to have fought in Puerto Rico, but I'm happy to come to Scotland to fight Ricky," Martinez said. "I have happy memories of Britain because it's where I beat Cook, and I will have more happy memories after the Burns fight."

• Although ESPN2's boxing season ends Aug. 28, ESPNDeportes will have a boxing special next month in honor of Mexico's bicentennial. Edin Dapudong (19-2, 10 KOs) faces Wilbur Uicab (28-5-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round flyweight fight from Cancun, Mexico, that will air live on ESPN.com on Sept. 17. The card, which will air on tape the next day tape on ESPNDeportes, was to be headlined by a rematch between former lightweight titleholders Javier Jauregui and Julio Diaz, but Diaz, who signed a bout agreement according to promoter Artie Pelullo, withdrew without explanation the day before this week's press conference. Plans are in the works to add another title bout to the card.

Klitschko

• Promoter Lou DiBella acquired the replay rights to Vitali Klitschko's May heavyweight title defense in against Albert Sosnowski. The fight, which aired on pay-per-view, will be replayed beginning Sunday (8 p.m., SportsNet New York), as well as on Comcast Sports affiliates nationwide, on DiBella's "Broadway Boxing" series. DiBella has been acquiring American rights for other foreign bouts, too, including fights involving Erik Morales and David Tua.

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Pascal
"I am the king in town. I'm the one who faced and beat one of the best boxers on the planet. I beat him, and a king doesn't chase other kings." -- light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, after his victory against Chad Dawson, when asked about facing super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute in an all-Montreal showdown

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Bute
"I never declared myself as such. That's Pascal's style not mine. I respect his style and his boxing ability, too. One day we will be in the ring, and then we'll see who's the best." -- Bute, on eventually facing Pascal in what would be the biggest fight in Canadian history, when asked who is the king of Montreal

 

[proshares]

[h6]Billy (Patchogue, NY)[/h6]

What's the word with Amir Khan for December? Is Marquez still the leading candidate?
[h6]Dan Rafael
  (12:41 PM)
[/h6]


Could be Marquez, but I suspect it won't happen because it will be just too expensive. Marquez might fight Katsidis.

[h6]David (Houston)[/h6]


If not Marquez then who is it gonna be for Khan?
[h6]Dan Rafael
  (12:42 PM)
[/h6]


Could be Maidana or maybe Victor Ortiz.
[h6]Bk don (Booklyn)[/h6]


Berto v Jones doesn't happen b/c of money or b/c Berto's people are afraid of jones? Seems like they could fight at the boardwalk and do good business.
[h6]Dan Rafael
  (1:39 PM)
[/h6]


I am told Al Haymon does not like the fight for Berto.

Wow.

 

[proshares]

Cruiserweight Super 6 probably starting in December in Europe. Sounds very intriguing.

 

[bigmike23]

who is in it?

 

[proshares]

Names didn't come out but Sauerland promotes almost all of them at the top so probably Cunningham, Huck, Ross, this undefeated kid Lebedev, Wlodarczyk and probably Danny Green. Sauerland said he wants Huck in a unification to start it off in December, him vs. Cunningham would be a great fight.

Three weeks ago I wrote that as long as Floyd Mayweather wouldn't fight Manny Pacquiao, the fight I preferred to see was Pacquiao in a third match with rival Juan Manuel Marquez, not Pacquiao against Antonio Margarito, which is the fight Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is intent on making.

I am not alone in my opinion. I received many tweets from the Fight Freaks agreeing with me that they'd rather see Pacquiao face Marquez again rather than the disgraced Margarito, who was pummeled by Shane Mosley in his last meaningful fight.

We are not alone.

Oscar De La Hoya, Marquez's promoter at Golden Boy, also feels the same way. There's no shock there. He's his promoter, after all. He's supposed to want his guy to get a big fight.

However, in talking with five national boxing writers on a conference call Thursday, De La Hoya made a strong case for Marquez to get the fight -- and called for Margarito's banishment from boxing because he tried to wear loaded hand wraps for his January 2009 fight against Mosley, one of De La Hoya's promotional partners.

Regardless of what media members, fans or De La Hoya have to say, Arum intends to move ahead in making Pacquiao-Margarito for Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium, even though Margarito's application for a new license in California -- which revoked his license after the Mosley fight -- was denied by the California State Athletic Commission on Wednesday.

There are many who believe Margarito will get a license in Texas anyway, and many who believe he should not get one.

De La Hoya is adamantly against him being licensed. But it sounded like his opinion stemmed more from him being a former fighter than it had to do with him being Marquez's promoter.

In fact, De La Hoya's opinion that Margarito should be banned is not new. He's been saying it since the beginning of the scandal.

"I've been very vocal on the whole Margarito situation," De La Hoya said. "My feelings have not changed. … Boxing is a sport I love and participated in inside the ring for many years. This is a dangerous sport and if you put anything on your fists or in your gloves, you should be banned for life. That is my sense. That is my position. [Margarito] says, 'I learned from my mistakes.' What if you would have killed somebody? You should fight again because you learned from your mistakes? You don't mess with somebody's life inside that ring."

De La Hoya said he followed Margarito's hearing with interest, and now that California has denied him a license, he believes Marquez should get the fight with Pacquiao.

"I want to make a strong case for Marquez, not only because I want to the watch the fight, but for all the fans who want to see the trilogy," he said. "Marquez has the strongest case out there in getting that fight with Pacquiao."

After all, Marquez and Pacquiao have fought two exceptional fights. The first one, for the featherweight championship, was a draw in 2004. The rematch, for the junior lightweight title, was a split decision for Pacquiao in 2008. There are legions who strongly believe Marquez won both fights, including me, and I was ringside for both.

"Marquez has a license, he's obviously ready and willing to fight Manny Pacquiao," De La Hoya said. "This is a fight that not only has to be made, but must be made. The first fight was a draw. The second fight was highly disputed. It's only fair that a third fight happens. Here is Marquez with a license, willing to fight him and I think the public really deserves it. … It goes down to what the right thing is for the fans or the sport. The right thing is making a third fight with Marquez."

De La Hoya put the blame for the fight not happening squarely on Arum, who has refused to entertain the bout even though Pacquiao has always said he was willing to do it.

"Marquez is willing to fight him," said De La Hoya, who has had an acrimonious relationship with Arum for many years following the breakup of their business relationship. "We keep on making our case why this fight should be happening. Pacquiao wants the fight. The only person who does not want the fight is Bob Arum and that is not fair. Not fair to the public, not fair to Marquez, not fair to Pacquiao. This is a fight that should be made.

"I actually don't understand why Bob Arum's position would be such. We've put up polls in different websites and the fans say that's the fight they want to watch. Bob Arum, let's make this fight."

De La Hoya said his business partner, Richard Schaefer, has talked to Arum "recently" about the third fight, "but the answer has always been no. It's no because Marquez has [Pacquiao's] number."

If they did sit down to try to make the match, De La Hoya acknowledged that figuring out the weight would be an issue. Marquez is the lightweight champion -- and defended the title impressively in a rematch with Juan Diaz on July 31 -- but he failed miserably in a welterweight fight against Mayweather last year. Pacquiao holds a welterweight title, but held the junior welterweight title before that, and his trainer, Freddie Roach, has maintained that he can fight in either division.

"[Marquez] just wants the fight," De La Hoya said. "We are going to talk to Marquez in the next week or so and there is Plan B, but Plan A is to fight Pacquiao. … Marquez will fight him in Manila if he has to."

A few random thoughts as well:

• If the Devon Alexander-Timothy Bradley Jr. fight gets finalized, which I expect it will, I'd love to see HBO produce one of its excellent 30-minute countdown shows to hype it up. It's a fight worth the effort.

• I keep hearing the names Andriy Kotelnik and Marcos Maidana mentioned as possible opponents for welterweight titlist Andre Berto in the fall. Why junior welterweights? At least Maidana wants to stay in his own weight class and take care of business. I'd rather see Berto fight a true welterweight such as Mike Jones.

• If Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute ever fight each other, I'll be in Montreal for the fight. I wouldn't miss it.

• I wish Chad Dawson had been as aggressive against Pascal as he was with Larry Merchant in their post-fight interview.

• How about a match between Daniel Petrocelli and Karen Chappelle on a pay-per-view card? After the way the lawyers battled each other during Margarito's California license hearing, I'd love to see them throw down for real.

• If any of you still think Andre Ward-Andre Dirrell is going to happen on Sept. 25, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

• Erislandy Lara, the former amateur star and Cuban defector, may only be 12-0 as a pro, but his amateur experience makes him a far more seasoned fighter than his record makes the 27-year-old look. After watching him dominate his recent fights against decent opposition, including Wednesday's first-round knockout of Willie Lee, I think Lara is ready for a major step up in competition. So do Lara and his handlers at Golden Boy. They think he's ready for anybody in the junior middleweight division. How about this fight for HBO: Lara against Alfredo "Perro" Angulo? Lara just might slap the "Dog" around.

• Happy birthday to rising publicist Lisa Milner of Swanson Communications.

• And, of course, happy birthday to the High-Haired One, Don King, who turns 79 on Friday.

 

[proshares]

Margarito's ex-trainer is in Segura's corner when he goes up against Calderon this weekend. Another hard puncher.