The Neutral Corner

Marcus Henry

After overcoming a setback with his broken wrist, IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi will take on English star and Ring Magazine 140-pound champion Ricky Hatton in a unification bout on November 22 at the MGM Grand.

“I am thrilled to be involved in the biggest 140-pound fight of ’08," Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KOs) said in a statement."This will be my first fight in Las Vegas, which makes it all the more exciting. Las Vegas’ nickname is the “City of Lights”, so it is only fitting that on November 22, 2008 “The Magic Man” will be lighting “The Hitman” up all over the MGM Grand Garden Arena.”

Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs), suffered the first loss of his career to Floyd Mayweather in a welterweight bout 2007. But he came back with a unanimous-decision win over Juan Lazcano last May.

“I am looking forward to returning to America, fighting again at the MGM Grand and challenging Maglignaggi for his title,” Hatton said in a press release. “Las Vegas is like a second home to me. The fans treat me like gold and I promise them another exciting value for money fight.”

HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito welterweight title fight this Saturday, Aug. 2 at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO. The HBO Sports team, which was ringside for the live event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will call all the action. The replay will be available in HDTV. It will be part of a doubleheader that will include the previously announced welterweight title bout between welterweights Zab Judah and Joshua Clottey.

-- CASSIDY

Miguel Cotto, left, battles Antonio Margarito

Maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr. was on to something? Sugar Shane Mosley too. Both of these future Hall-of-Famers turned down fights against Antonio Margarito.

Give Miguel Cotto credit. He took a fight that many top boxers avoided. But he ended up paying a stiff price, a punishing TKO loss that cost him his WBA welterweight title. Margarito stopped Cotto in the 11th round Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden. He dropped Cotto twice and
the champion's corner stopped the fight with 55 seconds left in the round.

(Click through photos of the Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto fight here)

Cotto was 32-0 entering the fight and had been extremely impressive since moving up in weight and capturing the WBA welterweight title in December of 2006. The rise from 140 pounds seemed to invigorate his career.

But at the end of the day, Margarito (37-5) was bigger and stronger. He turned pro at the age of 15 in Mexico and always fought near the welterweight limit (147). In fact, some of his fights came at 154 pounds. In contrast, Cotto turned pro at lightweight (135 pounds). Margarito is the more natural welterweight and that was the difference.

The one fault in Cotto the fighter always appeared to be his chin. And while he withstood some heavy shots, Margarito's power and relentless attack was too much for him to take. Margarito, however, was able to absorb all of Cotto's power.

The win moves Margarito into position to face Oscar De La Hoya in what could be the final fight of Oscar's career. There was speculation that Cotto would be that opponent, now the most obvious choice in Margarito. Oscar has fought nearly every great fighters of his era (aside from Winky Wright), it will be interesting to see if he is a bit more selective when it comes to Margarito. -- CASSIDY

Through six rounds, Cotto is winning. Instead of meeting Margarito in the middle of the ring, Cotto is making Margarito chase him. Margarito is paying the price.

After six rounds: Cotto 58, Margarito 56

Round 7: Cotto was seriously hurt in the seventh after a series of uppercuts from Margarito. Margarito's pressure is getting to Cotto. Margarito certainly won round seven.

After seven rounds: Cotto 67, Margarito 66

Round 8: Cotto gained a measure of control and side stepped much of Margarito's power shots, but it's getting tougher and tougher for Cotto.

After eight rounds: Cotto 77, Margarito 75

Round 9: Cotto looks tired, but he's landing the cleaner shots, including several unanswered flurries. Margarito needs to get more aggressive and land more power shots.

After nine rounds: Cotto 87, Margarito 84

Round 10: Cotto was sticking and moving in the 10th and was winning the round until Margarito hurt him with a body shot with less than 40 seconds left. Margarito stole the round late, but he'll still need a knockout to win it.

After 10 rounds: Cotto 96, Margarito 94

Round 11: It's over. A tiring Cotto could not deal with Margarito's relentless attacks. Cotto doubled over after a hard shot from Margarito. After a quick recovery, Margarito came back again and Cotto just gave in. 2:05 into the 11th.

It was a great win for Margarito as his pressure was just too much for Cotto. Margarito's willingness to bide his time until he found an opening served him well. And again, I tip my hat to my friend and colleague Bobby Cassidy, who predicted a 10th-round TKO by Margarito. It was a round late, but nonetheless as close to accurate as you can get without being right on the money.

I really thought Cotto would catch Margarito in the sixth or seventh with a left hook. But Margarito showed his mettle and withstood Cotto's best shots. Margarito's win leaves the welterweight division wide open, especially with Floyd Mayweather retired.

As for Margarito's immediate future, who knows? But Margarito, based on his post-fight comments, appears to want to step in the ring with Oscar De La Hoya in an all Mexican affair. If not that, Paul Williams, who beat Margarito, is still out there.

-MARCUS HENRY

On Saturday, at 9 p.m., Miguel Cotto takes on Antonio Margarito in a welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Here are Newsday's predictions:

Wallace Matthews: I like Cotto by decision in a terrific fight because he just does more things better than Margarito does, and the move up to 147 has made him a much better and more durable fighter than he was at 140. Margarito has a great chin which is why I think this one goes the distance, but his attack is too limited and dependent on the left hook for him to beat Cotto.

Marcus Henry: This fight is being billed as the fight of the year. And for good reason. With Floyd Mayweather "retired", Cotto was instantly touted the best welterweight in the world. He'll get a chance to prove it in what should be a great matchup. For Margarito, it's the fight of his career. With no big-time wins under his belt, Margarito needs to put on a good showing. But I doubt that will be the case. Margarito hasn't faced a fighter with the power of Cotto. Margarito's aggressiveness and power should serve him well, but Cotto has one of the toughest chins in the business. In 32 career fights Cotto has been hurt seriously twice (Ricardo Torres, DeMarcus Corley). But in both fights he recovered quickly and won by knockout. This fight will be brutal and bloody. But Margarito will walk into one. Cotto by knockout in round 6.

Mario Gonzalez: I think it will be a brutal fight with plenty of close rounds between Cotto and Margarito. In the end, I think Cotto will pull out the victory by a split decision.

Mike Rose: The Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry has a tremendous history in boxing. I expect this fight to be another great one in the rivalry. While Margarito is a very good fighter, Cotto is better. Cotto can box and he moves well. I think Cotto can counter what will be an undoubtedly relentless attack by Margarito by using his jab. Cotto needs to have a fast start -- something he doesn't always do. Margarito will look to gain momentum and win rounds early because once Cotto gets going he is unstoppable. Margarito is the stronger puncher, but I think Cotto's skill wins the fight. Cotto by unanimous decision.

Bobby Cassidy: This is a tremendous matchup, one of the best the sport has to offer right now. And I agree with Mike Rose, this will only bolster the great rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican champions. Cotto is one of the hottest fighters in the game. He has power and speed and a tremendous left hook. But the fact that Cotto has been hurt by lesser punchers than Margarito -- Torres, Corley and Judah -- says a lot. His one weakness aligns perfectly with Margarito's greatest strength. Power. I think it will be a war, but Margarito scores a 10th-round TKO to upset Cotto.

Jose Moreno: This fight will pit Cotto’s boxing ability against the chaos that is Margarito. While Cotto has the power and stamina to rumble with anyone in his weight class, he will try to dictate the pace of the fight by controlling a “safe” distance with a jab or three punch combo. Margarito wants exactly the opposite. He needs chaos and a close brawl where he can use his unorthodox punching angles to overwhelm Cotto with a constant barrage of punches. But Margarito should be careful. If (and when) Margarito swarms him, Cotto has the ability to land his patented and devastating left hook to the body. While Cotto hasn’t faced anyone of Margarito’s intensity, his wins over Zab Judah and Shane Mosely are evidence of his superior boxing technique as well as his ability to adapt. Cotto will win by decision.

Roy Jones Jr. issued a statement through boxing publicity boss Ed Keenan after Joe Calzaghe injured his hand and had to postpone their September 20 fight at Madison Square Garden.

Here is what Roy had to say:

“It sounds to me as though Joe has a normal and usual injury. He had shown some concern recently about his hand not being ready. I still wanted to move forward with the September date, since HBO had already laid out the red carpet for a pay-per-view success when we took the De La Hoya-Mayweather date. But I don’t want him to be no less that his best – so if this is what it takes for that, then so be it.”

Jones and Calzaghe may ultimately meet now in November:

“I have been informed by my people at Square Ring that the fight will most likely be rescheduled for November 8, 2008 on HBO Pay-Per-View at Madison Square Garden. I am glad we are close to being able to put together a new date for the fight within 24 hours of learning of Joe’s injury. I am thankful that the people at HBO and Madison Square Garden were able to open things up for us.”

Jones' twist is to fight for two world titles in the same night:

“I had originally proposed something kind of different for this fight. And that is that Joe and I would first weigh-in for the fight at 168 and fight for Joe’s Super Middleweight titles. Then we would step off the scales, drink some water and weigh-in again at more than 168 so that we could also fight for Joe’s Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight title. I only recall this happening once before, in the Leonard/Lalonde fight and I think it would really add something unique to the promotion. Joe initially expressed concern about his ability to make 168 by September 19, but now that we have another 7 weeks, I hope that he will go for it and that the WBA, WBO and the WBC will sanction it.”

On November 7, 1988, twenty years and one day ago from the new proposed fight date, Sugar Ray Leonard and Donny Lalonde fought for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title and the WBC Light Heavyweight title. Leonard was knocked down early in the fight, but then stopped Lalonde at 2:30 of round 9.

-- CASSIDY

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael is reporting that the Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones fight, scheduled for Sept. 20 at Madison Square Garden, is off because Calzaghe, the light heavyweight champion, injured his right wrist punching the heavy bag over the weekend.

Rafael reports that the fight could be rescheduled for November.

-- MR

Szuzina, left, and Miceli at a Ring 8 function

First it was Franz Szuzina and now Joe Miceli. They were a pair of contenders who boxed in an era when the word contender meant something.

It meant they were stars in boxing.

Both men have passed away and the Long Island boxing community has lost two of its finest veterans.

Szuzina, a middleweight, died June 29 at the age of 77 at St. Francis Hospital of complications stemming from open-heart surgery he had in May. Szuzina resided in Rockville Centre.

Miceli, a welterweight and middleweight, died on July 19 at the age of 80. He had been battling lung cancer since February. Miceli resided in Brentwood.

Szuzina was born December 29, 1939 in Bremen, Germany and turned pro there in 1950. He made his way to New York by 1956 and immediately established himself as a force in the 160-pound division. But Franz often fought bigger men. He lost to Gustav Scholz, who would later challenge Hall-of-Famer Harold Johnson for the light heavyweight title. Franz won a decision over Willi Besmanoff, who would rise in weight and fight legends like Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston and Archie Moore.

Franz once told me, "We all watched American fighters like Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson. In Germany, the idol was Max Schmeling. I met him many times. He was a hell of a nice guy. I became the German Youth Champion and then I turned pro. I fought everyone, heavyweights, light heavyweights and I was really just a big welterweight. Someone told me, ‘Get away from that manager, he’s going to get you killed.’ ... I fought Virgil Akins in his hometown and I fought Joey Giardello three times. After my fight with Giardello in Washington, the crowd was very unhappy with the decision. There was almost a riot. I was supposed to fight Bobo Olson for the title. That’s why I came here, to fight for the title. But it never happened."

Franz fought nothing but tough guys -- often in their own backyards -- while compiling a record 48-23-14 (24). He held wins over Randy Sandy, welterweight champ Virgil Akins and Charley Cotton. He also fought Hall-of-Famer Joey Giardello, Rory Calhoun, Spider Webb and Henry Hank. He retired in 1961.

The same for Miceli. Joe's 110-bout career stretched from 1948 to 1961. He fought in 19 different states, plus the District of Columbia, as well as Cuba, Argentina and Canada. Miceli played all of boxing's grandest venues -- Madison Square Garden, the Olympic Auditorium, Legion Stadium, Chicago Stadium, St. Nicholas Arena, Boston Garden, War Memorial, Miami Beach Auditorium, The Arena in Philly and a lot more.

Throughout his career, Miceli fought a dozen world champions and six Hall of Famers. He met the best in the lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions and 37 of his fights were televised. Here is his ledger against Hall-of-Famers - Ike Williams (Joe beat him 2-out-of-3), Kid Gavilan (Joe lost a split decision at the Garden), Gene Fullmer (L), Joey Giardello (Draw), Luis Rodriguez (L) and Curtis Cokes (L).

I had many conversations with Miceli and his family. I remember him telling this story about fighting Ike Williams: "When I beat Ike Williams the first time, that was the biggest thrill of my life. He was lightweight champ of the world and we fought a 10-round non-title fight in Milwaukee. I saw him fight on television and he was tall, lanky and a hard puncher. I thought to myself, this guy is a great fighter, never thinking that I was going to fight him. I was still growing then. I was 139, 140 pounds. They knew I was a strong kid but a guy like Ike Williams doesn't fear nobody. I just went in against him and fought my heart out. I was young then and I had all the stamina I needed. He was a complete boxer. He did everything well, including punch. I was 21 years old and I beat the champ of the world. I was shocked myself. He gave me a rematch but never for the title."

Both Miceli and Szuzina were members of Ring 8 in New York.

They will be greatly missed.

-- CASSIDY

According to a report by the Associated Press, welterweight Oscar Diaz should survive his brain injury. The fighter remains in critical but stable condition.

The story quotes Dr. David Jimenez saying, "Overall, I think ultimately he should survive the injury and should recover."

The doctor, however, was cautious, saying, it's too early to tell whether the 25-year-old Diaz, who collapsed before the 11th round of the televised fight, will be able to lead a normal life.

"I think the fact that he's young, the fact that he's healthy, the fact that he doesn't have a whole lot of medical problems, is on his side," said Jimenez, who removed a piece of Diaz's skull to relieve brain swelling.

-- CASSIDY

By Marcus Henry

A few years ago, junior welterweight Edgar "El Chamacho" Santana was considered a contender.

But after suffering a third-round knockout to also-ran Harrison Cuello in June 2007, Santana's career appeared to be headed toward journeyman status. Now that career is in serious trouble as the 29-year-old Puerto Rican native, along with 11 others, were arrested on charges of taking part in an international cocaine trafficking ring.

Narcotics detectives arrested the suspects early Friday morning and seized $450,000 in cash and several pounds of cocaine, according to a report in amNew York.

Santana (24-3, 15 KOs) was set to take on Ali Oubaali in a 10-round bout at the Aviator Sports Arena in Brooklyn on August 6. There's been no word from Santana's promoter, Lou DiBella, on the status of the fight.

Calls to DiBella's offices were not immediately returned.

Welterweight contender Oscar Diaz remains in a coma after collapsing during a nationally televised bout on ESPN Wednesday.

According to the AP, Diaz has had surgery for bleeding on the brain.

Diaz was behind to Delvin Rodriguez when he collapsed on his stool before the 11th round at San Antonio's Municipal Auditorium .

What is standard procedure in these types of boxing injuries is to put the fighter in a medically-induced coma and literally open the skull to help combat the swelling of the brain. But according to reports, Diaz is not in a medically-induced coma.

Ron Katz, one of the bout's promoter's, said in a report: "During surgery, he apparently showed movement in his arms and his brain pressure was very good, according to the doctor."

Lou Duva, Diaz' promoter, had this to say on the web site, boxingherald.com:

"Oscar is currently recovering from the surgery; he's a strong kid; he's a warrior. He had surgery to relieve the pressure from his brain. I am going to be here for at least the next few days by his side, and his family's side... he's so young, he's got too much living to do. There were 1,500 people down here at this hospital today all in tears. He has so much support, and we need everybody to be having Oscar and his family in their thoughts."

The fighter remains in critical condition at San Antonio's University Hospital.

-- CASSIDY

BY MIKE ROSE

ESPN.com is reporting that middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) will move up in weight to fight Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs) on Oct. 18 in Atlantic City. The fight will be at 170 pounds, five under the light heavyweight limit, according to promoter Bob Arum.

One month earlier, Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) and Roy Jones (52-4, 38 KOs) will fight for the 175-pound title on Sept. 20 at Madison Square Garden.

The whole middleweight/super middleweight/light heavyweight spectrum is getting increasingly interesting. Pavlik is one of the best fighters in any weight class, so is Calzaghe, who hasn't lost a fight and just beat Hopkins, and Jones, fresh off a dominant performance against Felix Trinidad, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance.

So let's take a look at what the future may hold:

-- If Pavlik beats Hopkins, it's very likely he'll stay around the 170-weight limit. Why? Pavlik can't seem to get a good money fight in the middleweight division. I'm not sure how much interest there is out there in a Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor III. It makes sense for him to fight Calzaghe (if Calzaghe can beat Jones). That fight would be at 168, where Calzaghe holds one of his belts (he is also a light heavyweight champion). There were already talks about a Pavlik-Calzaghe fight before the deal fell through and Arum announced the date with Hopkins. If both fighters win, I expect a Pavlik-Calzaghe fight to happen. It's too good of a sell -- two unbeaten champions.

-- It's not a stretch for Roy Jones to emerge out of all of this with a world title. Calzaghe barely beat Hopkins in a split decision. If Hopkins was more active and threw some more punches, he could have won the fight. Jones is active -- for a fighter at the age of 39 -- and throws punches. He also has some speed left.

-- What about Hopkins? As much as I like Hopkins and learned never to bet against him, I feel Pavlik is better than Calzaghe. Bernard will need to step up his offense to have a shot. Still, he worries me because he knows how to win. And the fact that Arum is already saying that this wasn't the fight they wanted and anticipate a Calzaghe fight eventually is the type of motivation Hopkins loves. He loves being the underdog who doesn't get any respect.

-- Wouldn't it be fun if Jones and Hopkins both won their fights and fought each other -- again?

-- I'm not ruling out Trinidad getting involved somewhere. In boxing anything could happen. He could certainly get a shot at Pavlik or Calzaghe. I don't see another Jones fight. After all, a deal with Calzaghe didn't work at the time so Pavlik is giving Hopkins -- at age 43 -- another shot to keep his name in the game. Trinidad could have the same thing happen to him.

But in the end, I'm predicting that we'll get a Pavlik-Calzaghe fight. Two unbeatens champions.

Until then, it's going to be a very interesting September and October.

It wasn't the fight WBC and WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik was hoping to land, according to a report on ESPN.com, but it's better than nothing.

Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) and Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs) have come to an agreement to fight on Oct. 18 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. But there is a bit of a twist. Pavlik will move up from middleweight to light heavyweight to take on Hopkins.

Despite Pavlik's reluctance to take the fight, it is a good matchup for several reasons. Hopkins, who fell to Joe Calzaghe in a spilt decision last April, needs a win over a solid opponent to prove he still has what it takes to fight on an elite level.

For Pavlik, a win over Hopkins would put him in the driver's seat for future matchups against the likes of Calzaghe, Roy Jones, Felix Trinidad, Paul Williams and Winky Wright. A third fight with Jermain Taylor could even be in the cards. But that's at least 18 to 21 months down the line.

There is always talk about boxers fighting MMA guys and vice versa or guys switching sports. In this case, last week in Las Vegas, former UFC heavyweight champ Ricco Rodriguez competed in a pro boxing match. He lost a four-round decision to Chad Davis, who had a record of 0-1.

Ricco's only other pro boxing match came in October of 2006 when he knocked out a guy name Brandon Baker. In the world of MMA, he has a record of 29-9. Rodriguez beat Randy Couture at UFC 39 in 2002 to become heavyweight champion. In 2007, he lost a decision to Ben Rothwell in the IFL world championship finals.

According to a report in the Las Vegas Sun, Rodriguez had Xtreme Couture boxing coach Ron Frazier in his corner and wore a pair of trunks with a Throwdown logo on them. Mike Tyson was in attendance and made fun of the fight:

“Are you going to throw some punches or what?” he asked in the first round.

And later in the bout, Tyson said, “Come on, try to hurt each other.”

What was even sadder about the card was the main event, during which 41-year-old former featherweight champion Kevin Kelley beat Jamie Palma (13-12-1). Kelley, originally from Flushing, gave fight fans many great moments. And while the Flushing Flash has always been a personal favorite of this corner, the ring is no place for a 41-year-old. -- CASSIDY

By Marcus Henry

If you're looking for any bold statements or predictions from undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, forget about it. Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs), who will square off against Antonio Margarito (36-5, 26 KOs) on July, 26 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, is all business all the time.

During a conference call, reporters peppered Cotto with questions about his legacy, where he ranks among today's fighters, Floyd Mayweather's retirement, etc... But Cotto wouldn't allow himself to be baited into anything.

"It's not my job to put myself on that list," Cotto said when asked if he deserves to be crowned boxing's best fighter, pound for bound. "I'm not here to be compared to other guys. I'm just here to do my work."

Cotto has been on a brilliant run lately, knocking off the likes of Alfonso Gomes, Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Carlos Quintana and IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. But those fighters lack the power and aggressiveness of Margarito.

Although Margarito's skills aren't lost on Cotto, he believes his training will be the difference.
"I've been training for nine or 10 weeks and plan to return to Puerto Rico with my belt," Cotto said.

In a rare show of self gratitude, Cotto admitted the last three years "have been wonderful" for him. "[The last three years] showed another Miguel Cotto," he said. "They showed a Miguel Cotto who can put pressure on an opponent."

Fight promoter Bob Arum, who has a promotional deal with both fighters and will be in the middle of everything, is understandably excited about the matchup.

"I admire both of these fighters," he said. "Miguel we raised from his first fight...Antonio had a number of fights before we signed him to a promotional contract."

What I'm most proud of is that both of these guys are in the limelight now."

Click to watch VIDEO of Ali's visit to the East Harlem Boys & Girls Club

By Marcus Henry
Marcus.henry@newsday.com

When the US Olympic boxing team walked into the gym of the East Harlem Boys & Girls Club on Thursday, no one was more pleased than Sadam Ali.

The 19-year-old lightweight contender said he is primed and ready to go for the gold at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in August.

But it wasn’t a smooth ride for the Brooklyn native, who was actually suspended late last year after testing positive for cathine, a banned stimulant usually found in cold medicines. Ali’s positive test came after participating in the USA vs. China and Kazakhstan exhibition held in Zunyi.

A positive test carries a two-year suspension from amateur boxing, which would have meant a disqualification from the 2008 Olympics. But Ali appealed the ruling and eventually prevailed after it was determined that he received the cathine from a local doctor after contracting a cold.

Rather than receive a two-year ban, Ali accepted a three-month suspension which expired in February. Ali said it was refreshing to return to the sport he had been involved in since he was eight. “You always have to go through a struggle,” Ali said. “But that was a little bump in the road and it feels good to be here today.”

As for the positive test Ali knew he was innocent. “I was just shocked and surprised, but I knew I had nothing to do with any drugs,” he said. “I knew it had to come from the doctor.”

Considering what he went through, Ali said it’s more important than ever to pass on his experiences. “I love kids,” he said. “Just to watch little kids come up to me is great.”

East Harlem Boys & Girls Club director David Giordano said he was pleased to have the Olympic boxing team in attendance. “The kids were very thrilled,” Giordano said. “This is a great way to expose kids to new opportunities and other kind of experiences.”

The event, which was organized in part by the Everlast and the Children’s Aid Society, was also used to get across the message of good nutrition, according to Children’s Aid Society CEO Bill Weisberg.

“We have a full summer curriculum about champions and healthy bodies,” Weisberg. “[The children] know they won’t be Olympic boxers, but seeing the boxers will teach them to keep in shape and take care of their bodies and don’t get into destructive habits.”

It was refreshing to read an ESPN.com report this morning that said Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) and Roy Jones (52-4, 38 KOs) agreed to mix it up for the 175-pound title on September 20 at Madison Square Garden.

It's refreshing because Calzaghe is, at the very least, the number two or three best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, following only Kelly Pavlik and Manny Pacquiao. At least in my opinion. Some say it is Pacquiao followed by Calzaghe. Either way, it's a matchup of two of the sport's best.

There's no reason to think this fight won't sell out the Garden and be a huge hit on HBO Pay-Per-View. The Roy Jones-Felix Trinidad fight drew 521,000 Pay-Per View buys. That number "definitely exceeded our expectations" one HBO official told me.

It is a fight that every boxing fan should pay for. Calzaghe, 36, is cleary near the top of his game, while Jones, 39, fresh off a dominating performance against Trinidad, is looking for another fight to keep his name among the elite. It may not be the Floyd Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya type matchup people were hoping to see in September, but it should be no less entertaining. Calzaghe has a huge European fan base, while Jones' name still carries weight throughout the world.

While I applaud the two for agreeing to fight, there is still one thing that is driving me crazy. Why didn't this fight take place eight years ago? I asked the same question about Jones and Trinidad. Why so long? I guess its too late to speculate about that.

In another interesting twist, according to ESPN.com, Jones' promotional company Square Ring will be promoting the fight without Don King. King promoted Jones' fight against Trinidad and apparently had an option to promote this one.

Marcus Henry

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has stopped fighting. Unfortunately for us, he's still talking.

In his first published interview since announcing his retirement, Floyd essentially accused the HBO broadcast team of racism. He told The Grand Rapids Press that the network “is great,” but ...

“They talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter, like he’s the second coming. Or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I’m a black fighter,” Mayweather said. “Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise white fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But black fighters, they never praise... I’ve noticed it for a long time but I couldn’t say anything because I had to do business with them. I’ll still do business with them, but I’m done holding my tongue.”

Mayweather Jr. happens to be speaking about the network that has made him a very, very rich man. It is the network that gave him a platform, not only to showcase his ring talents, but to showcase himself, with its much-heralded 24/7 series. He also once described a long-term, multi-million dollar HBO deal as a "slave contract."

He particularly cited the broadcast team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward, who happens to be African American.

Mayweather Jr. was clearly the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world when he retired. And because of his tremendous talent, his fights were rarely competitive. That is the reason that the HBO broadcast team goes overboard when talking about Kelly Pavlik or Manny Pacquiao. They participate in action fights. And while it's not his fault, all too often, Floyd does not. He was simply that much better than the competition. A shutout or no-hitter can be compelling in a baseball game. Not so much in boxing.

The Grand Rapids Press then followed that story up with former champ Winky Wright defending Mayweather's statements, alluding to the fact that it has to do with style and race.

"Black fighters, we have different styles," Wright told the paper. "But the announcers, they want someone that just walks out there face-first. Boxing is supposed to be an art. Black fighters, we've got style, we've got pizzazz. All they want is for us to just go out there and slug."

I disagree. They don't want you to slug, they want you to win. Pernell Whitaker, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns were all televised regularly on HBO. Some of them slugged, some of them boxed. Sometimes they were criticized, sometimes they were praised. At the end of the day, the only thing that mattered was that they won. Keep winning and you fight on HBO.

I think the more valid point that Mayweather Jr. made during the interview was this:

"Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward, they're always talking about the negative things in my life," Mayweather said. "But I've seen Jim Lampley in the same strip club as me before. They always want to talk about me going to strip clubs, but they don't want to talk about that."

Here is a link to the entire interview in The Grand Rapids Press.

-- CASSIDY

The registration deadline for the third annual Long Island Amateur Boxing Championships is fast approaching. The three-day tournament, set to begin August 14th at Five Towns Community Center, will feature over 200 amateur fighters from as far as Aruba, according to tournament director Michael Carryl. Last year the tournament, held at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead, had over 250 fighters. The tournament will crown champions in every division from flyweight to super heavyweight.

Any amateur fighting wishing to compete must register by July 18th. Applications can be obtained at usaboxingmetro.com.

Marcus Henry

the Philippines. Much like my friend and colleague Bobby Cassidy wrote in the previous post, Pacquiao's biggest wins have come against fighters on the downside of their careers. That's not Pacquiao's fault, but facts are facts. How many great lightweight fighters are out there?

Right now I'll go with Kelly Pavlik. Yes, I know I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but he beat Jermain Taylor twice and knocked out Edison Miranda. And contrary to popular belief, Taylor is not washed up. At 29, he still in his prime.

Pavlik will probably need to beat someone like Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins or maybe even Roy Jones to convince the rest of the boxing world that he is pound for pound the best. A third fight against Taylor, who's been laying low since his second loss to Pavlik in February, could also be a possibility. But that's at least a year and a half down the line. The latest rumor has Taylor fighting Felix Trinidad as a super middleweight sometime in late September or early October.

- Marcus Henry