Nothing terribly interesting, but it's nice that ESPN is bothering to talk boxing, and another feather in Oscar's cap, as he's apparently the only guy that can actually get himself on the network for more than a 10-second blip.

And, of course, the two comments on ESPN's page:

reh629 (Mon Dec 01 2008 04:29:27 GMT-0500 (EST))
hey espn, BOXING IS DEAD.

mhaseloh3 (Mon Dec 01 2008 03:27:34 GMT-0500 (EST))
Oscar!! Can you say UFC??

Source: El Nuevo Dia via BoxingScene.com

Following their first career losses, middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and welterweight contender Miguel Cotto look as though they'll return to the ring in a co-main evented pay-per-view from Atlantic City (Cotto's fight) and Ohio (Pavlik's fight), if we are to believe the rumors.

Cotto (32-1, 26 KO) will be facing the UK's Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KO) for the WBO welterweight title that Paul Williams recently vacated. Jennings has been the WBO mandatory for a good while now, and though he's barely a blip on the international radar, he...um...hmm. Nah, I can't really try to hype this up. On paper, Cotto-Jennings is a mismatch.

In the other headliner, Pavlik (34-1, 30 KO) will look to come back from his one-sided loss to Bernard Hopkins when he makes the second defense of his middleweight crown against mandatory challenger Marco Antonio Rubio (43-4-1, 37 KO), who impressed with a rugged win over Enrique Ornelas on the Pavlik-Hopkins undercard.

HBO passed on the doubleheader, which is kind of surprising given the fact that it's a legit world championship fight and then a star feature co-main event, but it probably just didn't fit into the budget. If the El Nuevo Dia report is to be believed, Cotto will make about $3 million to fight Jennings. Given the current economy and the two disappointing pay-per-view buyrates Pavlik has done in 2007, this just might not have made financial sense.

Arum's pretty much doing the only thing he can with the show, which is take it to self-produced PPV. Hopefully, he'll not overshoot and try to charge 50 bucks for this, because if he does, it'll crap out and hard. It's not a bad double-header, but it's also pretty much for diehard fans only.

In case you're new to the sport and drawn in by the curiosity of this Saturday's big pay-per-view matchup, or if you just want to relive some of the finer moments in the careers of Manny Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya, HBO has made available via YouTube their "Greatest Hits" features on both fighters.

If you've been here a while, you know I started off against this fight. Many here did, many around the glove did. As its drawn closer, I've accepted it as a reality and as a great attraction, one boxing needs to close out 2008. And now that we're in fight week, it has really hit me: Manny Pacquiao is going to fight Oscar de la Hoya on Saturday night, and it's a big deal. Consider me having done a 150º, if not a total 180º. I'm pretty stoked to see it play out.

We've also got a new poll up on the right sidebar, because the time is here. Pick the winner, gang. You have until Saturday at 9:45 ET.

Pacquiao's Greatest Hits:

Can't argue with the lineup, though I do find it somewhat humorous and applaudable that HBO was able to and decided to boil down Pacquiao-Barrera II into mostly the moments where Barrera decided to trade. Those moments were few and far between and mostly contained within the first six rounds, after which he barely touched Pacquiao save for a cheapshot. Of 2007 fights, that one was really high on the list of most disappointing.

De la Hoya's Greatest Hits:

This one's a little more oddly compiled. Really, the Steve Forbes win? It's rough enough to show him going 3-3 in these clips, and then you realize he beat Fernando Vargas, Ricardo Mayorga and Forbes, and the losses came to top fighters Tito Trinidad, Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

I guess you don't want to go all the way back to 1997 against Sweet Pea Whitaker, which is irrelevant at this point, and neither of the Chavez wins ever sat right with a whole lot of people, whether that's unfair or not. No point in showing the Hopkins loss, either, since 160 pounds is irrelevant, too. So I suppose if you decide to start with Trinidad...yeah, this is about as good as it gets. But still, Steve Forbes? Could've shown the dismantling of the ever-popular Gatti, or edited the Sturm win down to make it look like Oscar won even on an off-night. Hey, they made Pacquiao-Barrera II look good...

This is all just a sampling, of course. Both have had other big fights, big wins, and big moments. But for whetting your appetite for this big money showdown, hard to argue.

Paul Williams won his third straight fight in his third straight different weight class, beating Verno Phillips by doctor/referee stoppage after eight rounds of body bashing, and Chris Arreola won a three-round barroom brawl over Travis Walker on tonight's Boxing After Dark from Ontario, California.

The opening heavyweight slugfest stole the show, with an again out-of-shape Arreola catching hell from Walker in the first round and getting dropped in the second, only to rebound by knocking Walker down twice in that same second frame, and then a third and final time 13 seconds into the third round. Walker threw 106 punches in the opening round, which he dominated, but it may have helped Arreola more than it did Walker. Arreola wisely took the full eight count when knocked down, then took advantage of a throwing, open, and tiring Walker with power shots that sent the big man reeling.

For Arreola, this was a big win, but it's now becoming critical time for his team to get on his ass about the training. He was doughy, the same as he was in September, again weighing in over 250 pounds. Against Walker, it almost got him beaten. Against Wladimir Klitschko, who he's now in line to face next year, it will get him destroyed. I like Arreola a lot, but his disregard for discipline is No. 1 on the list of things that could be his downfall.

Arreola is now 26-0 (23), with Walker falling to 28-2-1 (22).

In the main event, a nasty cut opened on the outside and just above Paul Williams' right eye thanks to an accidental headbutt in the second round, but the former welterweight titlist still picked up an interim 154-pound strap in impressive fashion, beating Verno Phillips down with a focused and wicked body attack that took all the spring from the veteran's step.

Phillips, who turned 39 today, was game and tough, as we knew he would be. But he was also completely outgunned by the younger, bigger, stronger Williams. Williams even did it without using his gross reach advantage, as he relished the chance to fight inside with Verno, who kept trying to load up on big punches. He did occasionally land one, but way too few, way too far between.

Williams said if a big fight comes at 147, he'll go back down. I assume he'll take any fight between 147 and at least 160, which is what he's been saying.

We now officially start the mega hype for next Saturday's showdown between Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. Be with us this week, as we'll examine the fight from as many angles as we can, and then we'll be live on Saturday night with round-by-round coverage and scoring.

The show starts at 10pm ET on HBO, and we'll be here with live, round-by-round coverage and scoring. The holiday weekend is winding down, and what better way to relieve yourself the stress of wanting to tackle family members than watch grown men paid to punch one another?

If you're new to the site, the round-by-round takes place in the comments of this post, with no refreshing whatsoever needed.

via www.hbo.com

via media.halton.topscms.com

Original article:

North Oakville Today has received word that boxer Mike 'Prime Time' Post died this morning.

Police are unable at this time to verify any information surrounding his death.

Post was a champion boxer and most recently worked as the sparing partner of WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Bad Left Hook sends our best wishes and condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Post.

Personally, I don't think Ted wore the white outfit nearly enough.

As always, odds are taken from Bodog.

Paul Williams is a MASSIVE favorite (-1100) against Verno Phillips (+600) in the HBO Boxing After Dark main event tomorrow night, which probably went without saying. Williams (35-1, 26 KO) looks like he's relocated the fire and hunger that made him such a dangerous fighter in the first place. In his last two fights, Carlos Quintana and Andy Kolle have lasted 2:15 and 1:37, respectively, against Williams' big power shots. I think he's going to come out storming against the way undersized, 38-year old Phillips (42-10-1, 21 KO), too, and I don't know if Verno can last. Phillips also hasn't fought since March, when he outpointed Cory Spinks. And I still say that was a robbery.

In the televised opener, heavyweight sluggers Cristobal Arreola and Travis Walker will go head-to-head, and their fight has the exact same odds as the main event, with Arreola the heavy favorite. I don't see it with this one -- Arreola is a big sucker's bet.

Arreola (25-0, 22 KO) came in fat and slow against Israel Garcia in September, but since Garcia lacks any real skill and was just a can with a decent-looking record for Arreola to run over, Chris got away with that. He knew he was out of shape. He's a big dude at 6'4", but if he could keep himself in the 230s, which he's done before, he'll be way better off. The question is whether he has the discipline to do that. Weighing in at a hair under 260 pounds in September was inexcusable. He didn't carry it well, and he's not such a good boxer or so powerful that he can get away with that sort of laziness.

I don't really see why Walker is such a huge underdog, because I think he has a very good chance. "Freight Train" (28-1-1, 22 KO) has only lost one fight, and it was a horrible referee stoppage in the first round against T.J. Wilson, a loss that Walker emphatically wiped away when he beat Wilson down in the second round of their rematch. It's not that I think Walker is all that good, really. He's willing to trade, and so is Arreola, and it should make for a good fight. And even though Walker has little in the way of legit competition so far, guess what? Neither does Arreola, the American heavy people are starting to pin their hopes on.

If Walker catches Arreola, it could go bad for Cristobal. If Arreola isn't in shape, Walker might drill him. If you take yourself away from how much fun Arreola is to watch, the flaws are so clear that it's impossible for me to put anything big on the guy's shoulders. He's a good fighter, an entertaining fighter, but I don't know that he's a world-class fighter. He's 27 and isn't developing anything new; instead, only new questions about his career arise after several fights.

In Panama, former WBA featherweight titlist Jorge Linares (-3000) moves up in weight to face Whyber Garcia (+1500) for the WBA's vacant junior lightweight strap. Chances are it'll be easy work for the 23-year old Linares, one of my favorite young fighters. One of everybody's favorite young fighters, actually.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend, and that if you go out on Black Friday, you remember to wear steel-toed boots. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The big news in Oscar-Manny Land this week is Oscar's rotator cuff, which you may recall he mentioned after his fight with Ricardo Mayorga a couple years ago. The word is that it's still bothering him, and hampering his training significantly. The linked article by Ronnie Nathanielsz even indicates that this may be the secret Freddie Roach was talking about as to why Oscar can't pull the trigger anymore on his left hook, which used to be his best punch. It also implies that the injury caused Oscar to abandon an effective jab when fighting Floyd Mayweather, Jr., in 2007.

We'll just kind of have to wait until fight night to get any real judgment, since I doubt HBO's cameras for 24/7 will be focusing much on Oscar's injuries. That's no way to sell a fight. And even if his arm was falling off, Oscar and his team would downplay the injury as much as possible.

There are also ten thousand hysterical articles out there about Manny Pacquiao fighting Ricky Hatton next, and here's one of them. It's a great fight, and I love the idea. There may be no two fighters in the world who have the dedicated, rabid fanbases of Hatton and Pacquiao. Stick that baby in Wembley Stadium and watch the place sell out. It would be wonderful for boxing, and it'd also be a good fight even if you put it in the Thomas & Mack Center -- and let's hope they don't.

In other Ricky Hatton news, word is starting to simmer a bit about a Mayweather-Hatton rematch in 2009, according to David Mayo. I still think Mayweather has his way with Hatton, but of the two big-money rematches that will be out there for Floyd until he finally stands on top of a mountain and firmly declares that he will never fight again and then chops off one of his hands, it's a fight with Hatton I prefer over another fight with Oscar.

Mayweather-Hatton was the better fight, had the better atmosphere, and is the one I still like to watch every now and again. You'd also get the Mayweather Family Saga that was the selling point of Floyd-Oscar II (since you couldn't promise much of a fight), and plus you throw in Ricky Hatton's verbal jabbing skills. It would sell. You have to remember there are still those who felt Hatton was robbed to some degree by referee Joe Cortez, and that there are a lot of folks that would love to see that rematch.

Bob Arum told Primera Hora (linked from BoxingScene.com) that he's sent Miguel Cotto's team an offer to fight Michael Jennings in February, and that he'll either have to take that fight or likely sit out until a summer 2009 rematch with Antonio Margarito, which is coming whether Margarito beats Shane Mosley on January 24 or not. Cotto-Jennings has been rumored to be paired with a middleweight championship fight between Kelly Pavlik and Marco Antonio Rubio in a split site affair that HBO has turned down but could still wind up as a Top Rank-produced pay-per-view.

I don't really get why they want to do two venues; save money and stick them both at Boardwalk Hall. Pavlik and Cotto both have fans on the East Coast, and one loss isn't making either of them less desirable to see. Neither one matchup is a big seller, but putting both stars on the same card should do a fine house in Atlantic City, wouldn't you think? There's got to be more to it than just that. Cotto-Jennings doesn't excite me, but Pavlik-Rubio sounds like a hell of a fight.

Two great stories, one link: Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com says that Andre Berto's mandatory defense against Luis Collazo is likely headed to HBO for January 17 or January 31, and that's good news. Collazo may not be a truly top-tier fighter, but he'll present Berto with a stiff challenge; at the very least, a lot stiffer than Michel Trabant, Miki Rodriguez, and Stevie Forbes. Collazo is a natural 147-pounder with good skills, and he's a southpaw. He is a tough nut to crack. Ask Ricky Hatton.

The second story in that link is the better one, though. Sampson Lewkowivz, adviser to 154-pound contender Sergio Martinez, absolutely ripped Sergio Mora, the brief WBC junior middleweight titleholder, for turning down a $250,000 offer to be in the co-feature against his fighter. Lewkowicz and promoter Lou DiBella were said to be "shocked" by Mora turning the fight down.

Said Lewkowicz:

"He is no longer Sergio Mora, he is Sergio Moron. He will never be on HBO or Showtime again. The only thing he can do is continue fighting on 'The Contender.' He is a pussy, not a champion."

...tell us how you really feel, Sampson.

Rumor is also going around that Marco Antonio Barrera will fight for a 135-pound title in April, either against Nate Campbell in a WBO mandatory -- unlikely since Campbell is due to fight Ali Funeka in February, his IBF mandatory -- or for an interim title, likely against some schlub that Barrera can handle without much trouble. The last part of that was my own editorial feeling. I am a huge Marco Antonio Barrera fan, but I just don't care.

In a final, very sad note, Bad Left Hook sends our best wishes to the family and friends of longtime referee Toby Gibson, who was found dead at his home in Las Vegas on Monday. Mr. Gibson was 61 years old, and had been working the fight game for a quarter of a century. His final fights were in Vegas on Saturday, as he was the third man in the ring for two fights on the Hatton-Malignaggi undercard, including Ricky's brother, Matthew, beating Ben Tackie. Rest in peace, Toby.

Source: Dan Rafael

After a couple of years of trash talking, both sides saying they wanted the fight, and a couple of losses on either side delaying anything serious moving forward or getting signed, the long-awaited guaranteed slugfest between Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce has been signed.

The bout will take place on February 7 on Showtime.

Darchinyan will defend his unified junior bantamweight titles against Arce at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 7 in the season premiere of "Showtime Championship Boxing."

"I think it's a spectacular fight," Darchinyan promoter Gary Shaw said. "The press conferences may be as good as the fight. I can't wait for both the press conferences and the fight."

Darchinyan, an Armenian living in Australia, and Mexico's Arce had been building toward a match last year as they trash-talked each other and stoked fan interest.

There are some fighters and some matchups that cannot be less than absolutely excellent TV. These two guys always bring action, and they seem to genuinely dislike one another, to boot. Darchinyan's destruction of favored Cristian Mijares has thrown him back into the spotlight, and the popular and flamboyant Arce has done nothing but win since beating Mijares, though anyone but Arce will tell you he's certainly slowed a bit.

Still, the slowing of Arce has not removed him from his spot on the sport's ten biggest action stars, a list for which Darchinyan is a staple, too. Arce, for me, regained his action stardom for sure during his wicked slugfest with Rafael Concepcion in September.

It should be a hell of a fight, for as long as it lasts. And I wouldn't expect it to last too long. These guys are going to throw bombs.