Las Vegas, Nevada

Our full report of Yuriorkis Gamboa's unification win over Orlando Salido and Brandon Rios' unraveling of Anthony Peterson is here. 

Undefeated prospects Matt Korobov, Jose Benavidez Jr., Diego Magdaleno and Mike Lee all won their bouts against stepping stone opponents.  Korobov had been out of commission since the Martinez-Pavlik undercard, recovering from some kind of cryptic stamina issue that was supposedly medically related.  A complete review of the untelevised undercard is available at Boxing Scene.

Frankfurt, Germany

Our full report on Wladimir Klitschko's destruction of Samuel Peter is here.  For those who want to catch it, the replay is on ESPN today at 4:30 Eastern.

Johnathon Banks UD12 Saul Montana - In a fight boring enough that a crowd who was attending to watch a Wladimir Klitschko fight actually booed it, Banks cruised to a UD over bloated, 39 year-old Montana.  Banks outboxed Montana from the outside early, but after getting hit a few times, Banks just seemed afraid to engage and content to just win.  I'm beginning to think Banks ends up on Wlad's undercards not because they're both trained by Emmanuel Steward, but because he's a suitable warmup that makes Wlad's fights seem downright exciting. 

Mexico City, Mexico

Our full report on Erik Morales's stoppage win over Willie Limond is here. And yeah, the fight was for a WBC "silver" title at 140, even though both men weighed in at 143, in what might be the most blatant recent example of the WBC making up their own rules. 

Edgar Sosa TKO10 Ryan Bito - Sosa, a former titlist who had made 10 defenses, made an entertaining slugfest against the Pinoy Bito.  While Sosa seemed like he would dominate, a cut on Sosa's forehead (likely the same one opened by Rodel Mayol) gave Bito confidence to get inside and make it a war.  Sosa took control again late, and knocked Bito down twice on body shots, forcing a referee stoppage.

Reyes Sanchez SD12 Daniel Estrada - Sanchez won a lightweight "silver" title in defeating Estrada.  It sounds like Estrada was involved in his second fight of the year candidate this year, and that the two men just traded blows from the first bell.  Sanchez took it with a marginally higher workrate, but it wasn't for lack of trying on the part of Estrada.

Dublin, Ireland

Kiko Martinez UD12 Arsen Martirosyan - Martinez cruised to a decision over Martirosyan, who reportedly was hesitant to engage after feeling Martinez's power.  Martinez wins the European super bantamweight title, and is likely to defend against Paul Hyland, a winner on the undercard, in the not too distant future.

Brian Magee RTD8 Roman Aramyan - Magee defended his European super middleweight title by battering the Armenian into submission.  Magee is ranked highly by several sanctioning bodies, and should be in line for a title shot, probably for Dimitri Sartison's "regular" WBA title, in the near future.

Coleman Barrett, Luis Garcia, Alexei Acosta and Paul Hyland all scored victories over lower level opponents.

Tyne and Wear, England

Our full report of Steve Molitor's victory over Jason Booth is here.

Martin Lindsay also won on the card, while each of Jon Lewis Dickinson and Martin Ward was upset by seemingly lesser opposition.

Riverside, California

Franklin Lawrence KO7 Lance Whitaker - This pretty much spells the end of Whitaker's career as a player in the heavyweight division.  Both fighters were late replacements, and as the fight wore on, it became apparent that Whitaker's stamina would be an issue.  At the last second of the seventh, Lawrence nailed Whitaker with a counter left hook that put Whitaker down for the count.

How dominant was Wladimir?  Peter landed in single digits in total punches in EVERY round.  Peter threw 21 punches per round- less than half the heavyweight average of 46 thrown per round.

Wladimir Klitschko vs Samuel Peter
09/11/2010    GERMANY
Winner by TKO: Klitschko

Total Punches Landed / Thrown

Jabs Landed / Thrown

Power Punches Landed / Thrown

Final PunchStat Report

                                                                       Punches  Landed / Thrown

Wladimir Klitschko successfully defended the world heavyweight championship again today in Germany, dominating Samuel Peter in a rematch and stopping the Nigerian challenger in the 10th round.

Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO) met a bit of danger in the first round, but that was it. Peter (34-4, 27 KO) came out gunning in the first couple of rounds, but ran out of steam and also was slowly and surely beaten down over the course of the fight, eventually bending to Wladimir's will, as so many have over the last four years.

It was hardly a thrilling fight, though it had its moments early on, when Wladimir met Peter's aggression with some of his own. But starting in the third round, it was the typical Klitschko domination. Peter was realistically finished after about six rounds, but held on -- literally. The fight was filled with holding and constant warnings from referee Robert Byrd, who was working his 108th "world title fight." But no point deductions ever came.

Peter was bashed until his eyes were nearly swollen shut, and after both the eighth and ninth rounds, his corner threatened to stop the fight. Lucky for them, they didn't have to. Emanuel Steward got on Klitschko's case after the ninth, which is proving to be quite the energizing tactic for the champion, as he came out and battered Peter in the 10th until finally the Nigerian went down, and the fight was stopped without a count.

It was in many ways a brave effort by Peter, but he just wasn't effective. Like everyone, he simply isn't good enough to get to Klitschko and really rattle him, and I think we saw early on when Wlad took a good left hook and came back with offense of his own, his mindset has changed. He's so good both offensively and defensively now that he appears to be unbeatable.

We'll have more live boxing coverage starting at 10pm EDT with HBO Boxing After Dark.

The world heavyweight championship rematch between Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter is available in the United States on ESPN3.com at 4:50pm EDT, and can also be seen on Sky Sports in the UK and RTL in Germany. We'll be watching the Sky Sports feed, which starts at 3pm EDT with a 122-pound title fight between Steve Molitor and Jason Booth, and another 122-pound fight between Matthew Marsh and Kris Hughes. Join us!

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO "Dr. Steelhammer"		SAMUEL PETER "The Nigerian Nightmare"
	Main Event

Pacquiao-Margarito undercard nearly finalized | ESPN

When  the undercard of Pacquiao-Margarito was first discussed, it sounded like something pretty good might get put together.  As it stands, the actual final undercard isn't going to change too many minds of people who are on the fence.  Kelly Pavlik against Daniel Edouard is a complete blowout fight.  Guillermo Rigondeaux facing Ricardo Cordoba is a huge step up and potentially decent, but knowing the two fighters, there's little chance of anything happening other than the Cuban methodically picking apart the wild and aggressive Cordoba.  The last one is Mike Jones against Jesus Soto-Karass, which still isn't the step up for Jones people have been waiting for.  Maybe slightly better than the typical Top Rank undercard, but nothing that will make the cows come home

Nishioka-Munroe undercard finalized | Fight News

It's starting to look like the card involving Toshiaki Nishioka and Rendall Munroe will be a good one.  Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez will move up to light flyweight, challenging for the title held by Juan Carlos Reveco.  Gonzalez is one of the best and most exciting fighters at the smaller weights, and while the Nicaraguan has fought all over the place, his promoter is based in Japan.  Also on the undercard, Jorge Linares will be fighting Jesus Chavez.

Caballero-Remillard not a go at this point | TKO Boxing

According to a release from Remillard's promoter, no fight has been agreed to by the New England based fighter.  Lou DiBella still says that Remillard is his preference, but that if it can't get made, Caballero could move up to 130 for his HBO appearance in November.

Golden Boy trying for Khan-Maidana, Guerrero-Escobedo | ESPN

With Juan Manuel Marquez facing Michael Katsidis, Amir Khan is looking to the interim titlist Marcos Maidana as his dance partner on December 11.  Golden Boy is having problems putting together the deal, however, as Maidana doesn't think the offer is high enough and has asked the WBA to set up a purse bid.  The only reason there wasn't a purse bid months ago was because Maidana agreed not to have one, so if he's rescinded that, the WBA should call the bid if they're not too worried about ticking off Golden Boy.  Also, Golden Boy is looking to have Robert Guerrero face former Olympian and FNR3 token random dude Vicente Escobedo on November 6, and for Victor Ortiz to open for Amir Khan once again, assuming he gets by Vivian Harris on the Mosley-Mora undercard.

Sponsorships being denied Mayweather | Examiner.com

In the wake of a lot of stupidity this week (a racist and homophobic tirade against Manny Pacquiao, possible domestic violence charges, and an interview with his father than goes even a few steps further than what Floyd Jr. said), some companies that Mayweather are stepping forward and denying that there are any current ties with the star.  Notably, both AT&T and Reebok, for whom Mayweather has done some ads, have come out to say that Mayweather is no longer endorsing them.  In addition, Reebok has pulled all Floyd Mayweather materials and replaced them with Chad Ochocinco materials.  For someone who likes money so much, Mayweather's sure making it difficult to make money without actually getting in the ring.

Weights from Germany | Boxing Scene

Wladimir Klitschko weighed in at 247, while Samuel Peter weighed in at 241, looking about as ripped as he possibly can.  Wladimir's weight for this one is a career high.

Darren McDermott Retires | Boxing Scene

The former English titlist at middleweight has undergone brain surgery and will need to retire from boxing.  He had been scheduled to fight Paul Smith next month for the British super middleweight title.  No word on the reason for the surgery, but best of luck to him.

FX to air new boxing drama | Hitfix

The creator of "In Treatment" has made a new show called "Lights Out" for the FX network about the life of a light heavyweight boxer and his attempts to adjust to life after retirement.  CSI Miami's Holt McCallany will star.

This Saturday's world heavyweight championship fight in Frankfurt, Germany, between champion Wladimir Klitschko and challenger Samuel Peter, has flown under the radar more than deserved. With American TV disinterested to the point that the U.S. outlet for the fight is ESPN3.com, there has been little attention paid to what is, in my view, a serious challenge for Klitschko -- or at least, one as serious as he's going to get.

Truth be told, this is a better fight than most of the bouts that do get major U.S. coverage, but it's also expensive. Boxing IS a business, and as a TV business, HBO no doubt researched and decided these fights were no longer worth the cost.

But I like the bout a lot, and am looking forward to watching it. It's a rematch of what was an exciting fight in 2005, nearly won by the destructive Peter, who floored Klitschko three times. Since then, Wlad's partnership with Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward has turned him into a methodical killing machine inside the squared circle, and Peter has flirted with irrelevance.

Wladimir's Path of Destruction

Since the Peter fight, Klitschko has gone 9-0 (8 KO). Only Calvin Brock, who fought Klitschko in November 2006, has presented much legitimate resistance. Tony Thompson hung around but was never in any danger of actually winning the fight, and Sultan Ibragimov ran, hugged, ran, and hugged some more en route to surviving 12 disgracefully dull rounds in Madison Square Garden in 2008, but Brock actually had Klitschko aware that he was in a fight. That is until Kiltschko, cut by Brock, turned up the heat to avoid any premature stoppages and shellacked "The Boxing Banker" with some vicious right hands to put him away in the seventh round.

Now, Wladimir (54-3, 48 KO) stands basically unquestioned atop the heavyweight world, with only the loyal fans of his aging brother Vitali clinging to the idea that someone else has a legitimate claim to being called The Man at heavyweight. It has been a fruitful five years since Wladimir last met Samuel Peter in the ring.

Peter's Long and Winding Road

Then there's Peter. "The Nigerian Nightmare" has not seen his fortunes go in quite the same direction. Peter (34-3, 27 KO) did win his next six fights after the loss to Wladimir, including a pair over world's most feared boxer James Toney. He survived a major scare against washed-up Jameel McCline in 2007, a fight he took on short notice when Oleg Maskaev dropped out of a scheduled WBC title defense in what for all the world appeared to be a thinly-veiled excuse to avoid Peter and take on returning "WBC champion emeritus" Vitali Klitschko for more money.

But Peter didn't budge on his status as mandatory challenger, and wouldn't take step-aside money. When he finally got Maskaev into the ring in Mexico, he dominated and stopped the Russian in six. And then came Vitali, and Sam Peter's career started to unravel. Vitali's return was against Peter, and he was shockingly superior, as Peter couldn't make his way past a jab and quit after eight completely one-sided rounds. A majority decision loss to Eddie Chambers followed. For that fight, Peter weighed in at a career-high 265 pounds, 22 pounds over his mark on the scales against Wladimir four years prior.

Top Rank took a flier and signed the Nigerian, hoping to rehab his career, which they have done. He's 4-0 against marginal competition since singing with the promotional giant, and has gotten his conditioning back in order, which was obviously the biggest concern. In those fights, he's tipped the scales at 243, 239, 240½ and 237½, the latter his lowest weight since his seventh pro fight in 2001.

Das Rematch

This fight only came about because once again, Alexander Povetkin ducked out of his mandatory challenger role to Klitschko, same as he did in December 2008 when Hasim Rahman stepped in on short notice to get beaten up and cash a check. Povetkin -- now stripped of the mandatory -- had been sitting on that thing for almost three years, but would instead rather fight unlicensed Bruce Seldon in the sticks of Pennsylvania.

Peter should in no way be favored on Saturday. That should go without saying, but I don't want my feeling that he could be a legitimate challenger and real threat to the crown to be misconstrued. I don't think he'll win. The odds are definitely against him.

But nobody is unbeatable, and far bigger shockers have come down the pike than Samuel Peter beating even this locked-in version of Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko has become a master craftsman under Steward's training, and has become almost invulnerable because he protects a relatively weak chin very well with a powerful jab and brutal power in both hands. His left hook and his torpedo right are both knockout punches. He has also become highly adept at frustrating and discouraging opponents to the point that they basically stop trying to fight him at all, and we've certainly seen Peter frustrated enough to give up before.

Peter will have to accept that he probably can't win this fight on points, but also that he can knock Wladimir out. If Peter gets to the chin, which is going to require taking some lumps on the way in (and surviving them), he can beat Klitschko. It would seem that that goes for anyone, but Peter is a particularly hard puncher, still one of the better pure punchers in the division. This isn't Ruslan Chagaev or Sultan Ibragimov or Ray Austin. This is a guy who put Wladimir on the canvas three times the first time they met.

But I gotta go with the champ. The highest hope we can really have is that Peter shows up in shape, ready to rumble, and looking for the knockout. If he does that, he might get it. Or he might get knocked out. Klitschko TKO-8

Peter and Klitschko’s camps up the ante (NEXT)
Emanuel Steward believes that with emotions building for Saturday, Wladimir Klitschko will unleash his power earlier. "I see a knockout in five or six rounds," Steward says. "And that's stretching it."

Freddie Roach might train Chad Dawson (Sports Illustrated)
Freddie Roach says there "have been some calls" about possibly training Chad Dawson for his next fight. Dawson is formerly trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr., and currently trained by Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.

David Haye angers rape victims with slur on Audley Harrison (Telegraph)
David Haye said his fight with Audley Harrison will be "as one-sided as gang rape." WELL THEN.

Shay Day: Margarito's License; Mayweather-Berto; More (BoxingScene.com)
Ishe Smith is back to share some thoughts on the sport. Ishe's just one of those guys I like. Gives everyone a tough fight in the ring, and out of it, he's humble, he's honest, and he clearly puts thought into the things he says, and truly cares about and still enjoys the sport of boxing. Here he weighs in on, among other things, Sergiy Dzinziruk, Shawn Porter, Alfredo Angulo, Kendall Holt, and Omar Henry, for whom he has some choice words.

Rendall Munroe turns up heat on world title bid (Leicester Mercury)
Good news: The fine folks at Biffa have given Rendall Munroe two months off so he can properly prepare for his October 24 fight with Toshiaki Nishioka.

Alex Arthur rules out challenge on Ricky Burns’ WBO superfeatherweight title (Herald Scotland)
Alex Arthur says there's no way he can make 130 pounds again to take a crack at Ricky Burns' new title belt. Arthur beat Burns back in 2006. He'd still like to fight Burns again someday at 135 pounds.

Tyson documentary reminds boxing of what it's missing (Los Angeles Times)
Last night ESPN aired a documentary on the night of the Tyson-Seldon fight in 1996, and a cab driver bemoaned the lack of big-money criminals in Vegas for big boxing fights nowadays. Also Mike Tyson wishes he'd gotten to smoke weed with Tupac Shakur, who was fatally shot after the fight. It's fun for everyone.

Marquez picks old rival Pacquiao over Margarito (GMA News)
Juan Manuel Marquez is picking his rival over his countryman.

Friday, September 10

Channel 7 (Thailand), 4:00 a.m. Eastern, Duangpetch Kokietgym vs. Nino Suelo, Paipharob Kokietgym vs. Edwin Tumbaga, Prawet Singwancha vs. TBA.  Duangpetch and Paipharob have taken completely opposite paths to get to where they are.  Paipharob has only fought eight times, but each bout has been against an experienced fighter, only one of whom had a losing record.  Duangpetch is attempting the tenth defense of his Pacific super flyweight title and is 51-1-1, but his best opponents are mostly guys who Paipharob has also fought.  It appears that only the former and not the latter has any desire to make it to the world level.  In any case, these are three showcase fights on a "boxing against drugs" in Thailand.  

Showtime, Premier Sports (UK), Setanta (Ireland), 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Tyson Fury vs. Rich Power, John O'Donnell vs. Terrance Cauthen.  Tyson Fury makes it onto US television for the first time, although most fight fans already know him as the guy who uppercutted himself in the face, and won't shut up about calling out people he's clearly not ready for yet.  Still, he's young, huge and has some skills, and these days, that's all you need in the heavyweight division to be a serious prospect. Rich Power was the only fighter they could find with a name as awesome as Tyson Fury.  He has good speed and power, but he's about a million times more raw than Fury and probably just doesn't have the boxing skills to keep up.  O'Donnell is Irish and not terrible, which means he's a draw in some circles.  He'll take on former Olympic medalist Cauthen, who's mostly a regional attraction and gatekeeper at this point in his career.  

Telefutura, 11:30 p.m. Eastern, Christopher Martin vs. Jose Luis Araiza, Luis Grajeda vs. Alan Sanchez.  Only a month after soundly defeating fellow prospect Chris Avalos, Martin returns to the ring against Araiza, a Mexican with a deceptive looking 29-2 record.   Grajeda is a Mexican welterweight who's starting to be pushed as a potential future attraction.  Sanchez is far less experienced than Grajeda, and it's pretty clear that this one's intended to be a showcase fight.

Saturday, September 11

Sky Sports (UK), 3:00 p.m. Eastern, Steve Molitor vs. Jason Booth, Matthew Marsh vs. Kris Hughes, Klitschko-Peter II.  In the U.K., Klitschko-Peter will be part of a split-site triple header.  Booth is British and Commonwealth super bantamweight titlist at the moment, but has never really faced a world-class fighter like Molitor before.  Molitor, on the other hand, hasn't really looked the same since getting shut out and knocked out by Celestino Caballero, and has been talking to the media about how he might be close to retiring because of the mental and physical toll the sport has taken on him.  Marsh, who lost his last fight to Booth, will take on undefeated but untested (and obscenely tall) Hughes for the Commonwealth super bantamweight crown.  Bad Left Hook will have live round by round coverage of this fight.

RTL (Germany), Sky Sports (UK), ESPN3.com, 4:10 p.m. Eastern, Wladimir Klitschko vs. Samuel Peter II. Oh how the heavyweight landscape has changed.  The first time these two faced off, Klitschko was barely in the top 10 and Peter was considered to be on the cusp of becoming the next big thing.  Peter fought aggressively and knocked down Klitschko three times, but Klitschko was able to hang on for the win.  The two have trended in opposite directions since then.  While Peter came back to win a title, he lost much of the aggressiveness that made people excited about him in the first place.  Klitschko, on the other hand, has also become much less exciting under the tutelage Emanuel Steward, although the trade off is that he hasn't lost since the first fight and is considered to be the top heavyweight in the world.  While Peter was the favorite in the first matchup, he's practically an afterthought here, though he could make it interesting if he can show some glimpses of his old self.  For those in the U.S. who don't get ESPN3, ESPN will be replaying the fight the next day, at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, in high definition.  Bad Left Hook will have live round by round coverage of this fight.

RTE Two (Ireland), http://www.rte.ie/live (free live international webcast), 5:05 p.m. Eastern, Kiko Martinez vs. Arsen Martirosyan, Brian Magee vs. Roman Aramyan.  Martinez, whose claim to fame was stunning Bernard Dunne with a first round knockout, but who subsequently lost twice to Rendall Munroe and to Takalani Ndlovu, will be fighting for the European super bantamweight title that Munroe vacated to take a title shot.  Martirosyan lost a close decision to Munroe for the title once before, but did beat a 28-0 fighter his last time out.  Magee takes on late replacement Aramyan in the first defense of his European super middleweight title.  The Cubans Mike Perez, Luis Garcia and Alexei Acosta are all fighting on the undercard, so viewers might get to see highlights of their bouts if the main events run short.

Integrated Sports ($29.95), Televisa (Mexico), Gofightlive.tv (where otherwise not available), 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Erik Morales vs. Willie Limond, Edgar Sosa vs. Ryan Bito, Ana Maria Torres vs. Alesia Graf, Justin Savi vs. Alberto Garza, Daniel Estrada vs. Reyes Sanchez. Future hall-of-famer Morales is well past his best, but he still has his fans and continues his quest to become the first Mexican to win titles in four weight classes.  Limond is a light-hitting lightweight without any truly notable wins, so while the fight is at 140, there's no major size disadvantage for Morales.  Sosa continues his comeback, now at flyweight, after losing his light flyweight title on what should have been a no decision against Rodel Mayol.  Bito's fought as low as 102 and has been inactive, so this should be a blowout.  Torres-Graf is one of the better women's fights that can be made, a #1 vs #2 fight at super flyweight.  Savi somehow won a silver title at featherweight, forcing former title challenger Cyril Thomas to quit after Savi's five previous opponents had a combined record of 2-2.  He's just a complete unknown who's mostly fought in the boxing hotbeds of Benin and Burkina Faso.  If he retains his silver belt, don't be shocked to see Hozumi Hasegawa target him if he moves to featherweight.  Estrada was involved in our fight of the year so far, against Angel Alirio Rivero, although it was really Rivero who made the fight. He faces Sanchez, former Campeon Azteca runner up, for another one of those silly WBC silver titles at lightweight.

HBO, HBO Latino, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido, Anthony Peterson vs. Brandon Rios.  At least in theory, we need to take our hats off to the Top Rank matchmakers for this one.  While Gamboa isn't facing Juan Manuel Lopez or Celestino Caballero as discussed, he is taking a unification fight against a tough opponent who beat Cristobal Cruz his last time out and made Robert Guerrero look silly earlier in his career.  If Chris John is the real WBA titlist though, how does Gamboa unify?  Well, John has been pushed to champion emeritus because of an injury, and Gamboa has been promoted to super champ so they can advertise it as a unification fight.  Anything for an extra buck or three, I guess.  Peterson-Rios is another interesting one.  Both are undefeated Top Rank prospects who they've been giving publicity, and while Peterson is the favorite, Rios shouldn't be counted out.  That fight is an eliminator for the right to face the WBA's lightweight champ, which could mean the Marquez-Kastidis winner (or more likely, Miguel Acosta, holder of the regular title).  Bad Left Hook will have live round by round coverage of this card.

Also in smaller fights this weekend - Lee Purdy, Bradley Evans, Carson Jones, Mike Paschall, Paul Hyland, Coleman Barrett, Tony Jeffries, Jon Lewis Dickinson, Martin Lindsay, Matt Korobov, Jose Benavidez Jr., Mike Lee, Johnathon Banks, Steffen Kretschmann and Konstantin Airich.

ESPN3.com is showing new interest in the boxing business, with three notable overseas fights set for live airing on the broadband network.

Saturday's fight between WBA middleweight titlist Felix Sturm and New York-based Dominican challenger Giovanni Lorenzo is the first of the bouts to air, starting at 3:30pm EDT. On September 11, Wladimir Klitschko defends the world heavyweight championship against Samuel Peter in a rematch, and a month later on October 16, Wladimir's brother Vitali defends the WBC heavyweight belt against Shannon Briggs. All three fights will be live from Germany.

That's the good news. The bad news is that a lot of people still can't access ESPN3. The network is available depending on whether or not your ISP has paid for the service. A full list of affiliates can be viewed here.

As a user of the service, I can say it's not the most reliable thing just yet, but the quality is very good when everything's working properly. All in all, it's only good that ESPN is using the service to pick up fights. As internet streaming becomes more and more of a factor in the way people watch television programs, it'll grow into a bigger and better entity, and hopefully that will mean more fights legally available for U.S. viewers. For those looking for more fights to air in the U.S., hopefully this will be a trail-blazing effort.

Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II: No Contracts Exchanged (BoxingScene.com)
Rick Reeno has a lot from the DiBella camp right now. He reported that Peter Manfredo wants Kelly Pavlik, that Andre Berto-Selcuk Aydin discussions have happened (BoxingScene.com) and that, distressingly, talk of a Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams rematch on November 20 may not be as concrete as had been reported before. A source close to Martinez says that the Williams side is "dragging their feet." There's no better fight for either of them right now, and I can only hope both sides realize that.

Maidana, Corley make weight (Fightnews.com)
Marcos Maidana and DeMarcus "Chop-Chop" Corley made weight for their 140-pound fight on Saturday in Buenos Aires.

Keeping Pace: A Look at James Toney vs Randy Couture (The Boxing Bulletin)
Lee Payton examines the Toney-Couture rumble at UFC 118.

Nigerian Nightmare promises sweet dreams for Klitschko (Yahoo! Eurosport)
Samuel Peter has gotten back in shape, had Top Rank rally around a rebuilding of his career, and is very confident going into his September 11 rematch with Wladimir Klitschko. He's calling for an end within four rounds. Last time they met, Klitschko won despite going down three times.

Haye must put up or shut up (The Sun)
Derek Chisora is never one to stay quiet, and he's got thoughts on the ongoing David Haye-Audley Harrison saga. Haye is now being accused of reluctance to sign a finished contract to face Harrison. Says Chisora of Haye: "You are running away from the Klitschko brothers like a thief in the night, and if you can't beat a powder-puff like Harrison, you should pack up."

Luevano Calls it a Day (MaxBoxing)
Steven Luevano quietly retired last week. We talked about it here, and nobody was interested. Steve Kim got in touch with Luevano and got the full story of why he chose to leave boxing at 29. In short, Luevano was released by Top Rank after he'd returned to the gym following a January loss to Juan Manuel Lopez, and it pretty much killed his drive to keep working hard, so he chose to get out instead of fighting on.

Dana White On James Toney: "He Has Fast Hands For A Fat Dude"
Better quote: "If you're a boxing fan, and you've never given us a shot, I think Saturday night's the night." That's from the big boss man himself. He's confident in this card.

"What a nice guy Vitor Belfort is." (Wayne McCullough's Twitter)
In light of all the mouth-breathing sniping about the two sports from its most obnoxious "fans" this week, I was struck by this simple statement. It includes a :) and everything. Why can't we all just...get along?