Source: ESPN.com

A week after the fight was left for dead, the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley welterweight title match was resurrected on Monday.

"It's back together. Everybody got satisfied. Everybody was sensible," Top Rank's Bob Arum, Margarito's promoter, told ESPN.com. "We adjusted the purses as far as HBO putting more money in and it got solved." They'll meet Jan. 24 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Arum said. "The fight is done," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Mosley promoter Golden Boy.

So after all the wrangling, complaining, verbal potshots and negotiation, the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley welterweight title fight is on and official for January 24, which I think pleases most everybody.

We've discussed it to death, really, so I'll just say I'm happy the fight's on. It's a good challenge for Margarito, and seeing Shane back in the ring after less than a year or more is nice, too.

Schaefer said the fight will be officially announced on December 6, the morning before Oscar-Manny. Arum said that win or lose, Margarito-Cotto II will come next summer.

There's only one Ricky Hatton!

I'm going to have to simply agree with Dan Rafael and many others -- Saturday night was the best that Ricky Hatton has looked since his 2005 win over Kostya Tszyu. Not only did Hatton charge and rush more effectively than he has in recent years, but he did show some change, too -- change that was nothing but good.

Will Hatton ever lose his 140-pound championship? If he keeps fighting like he did last night, it doesn't seem too likely. Hatton is 44-0 at 140 pounds (1-1 at welterweight), and is likely to fight the de la Hoya-Pacquiao winner next. If it's Pacquiao, one assumes Hatton's 140-pound championship would be on the line, and I think Pacquiao has the best shot of guys who do or could fight at 140. If it's Oscar, Ricky will go back up to 147 and risk the weight for his payday and the chance to again be in THE fight.

There are good young fighters at 140, but I don't see them beating this Hatton in the next year or two. He threw Malignaggi out of his rhythm in the second round, hurt him badly (and Paulie's beard is stronger than that of Holt or Torres, and the jury remains out on Bradley), and dominated from that point on.

So far, so good for Floyd Sr. and the Hitman

As much as I think Billy Graham seems like a solid guy and would probably be fun to drink with, Ricky Hatton needed a new trainer. Graham's inability to really give Hatton any advice during the loss to Mayweather was apparent; Hatton underperformed against Lazcano again in July.

With Floyd, you have a professional trainer that isn't Ricky's friend, isn't amused by the big weight gains, and will, for lack of better words, ride his ass and make him the best he can be. And Hatton looks like a very willing student at 30 and having achieved just about all there is to really achieve in boxing. With Floyd in his corner, I don't know that we'll be hearing the constant talk of retirement anymore. OK, we probably will.

Where does Malignaggi go now?

For one thing, I won't be shocked if that was it for Paulie and trainer Buddy McGirt, even though he says there are no hard feelings. Rafael also says that McGirt's decision to throw the towel was done with "encouragement from promoter Lou DiBella and attorney John Hornewer," so it wasn't a one-man thought.

But really, Paulie Malignaggi has more about his career to examine than most 27-year old contenders do. His hands are glass, he can't punch a lick, and that's always going to have him losing to truly top-tier guys. He can shuffle and use his defensive skills and jab against guys like Ngoudjo, N'dou, Cherry, etc., but the two times he's fought truly world class fighters, he met a horrible beating at the hands of Miguel Cotto and got smacked around pretty good by Hatton, too.

These guys who aren't overwhelmed with what Paulie's good at will always beat him. He can have a damn nice career, hold world titles, defend them, and outbox folks. But he's never going to be the guy. He's a tough customer and if his hands were "normal," he'd probably be able to ride the rocket a little higher. Paulie is fully aware that his career can only last so long, and he's making the most of it. This was probably the most he'll be able to make. He got a shot at the champion, did his best, and that's that.

Keep smiling, Brian

It was a butt ugly fight, really, but the TV opener between James Kirkland and Brian Vera was certainly fun to watch. Kirkland won every round en route to an eighth round stoppage after Vera was knocked down for a third time, but we certainly got to see Kirkland pressed more than most times out, and certainly more than his other 2008 fights where he met almost no resistance.

Vera is sloppy, badly-balanced and leaves himself wide open. He's also very slow-handed and not an especially heavy puncher, in part because he throws such looping, swooping punches. But he did catch Kirkland time and again with a loaded-up right hand, and at one point caught him with three of them in a row before Kirkland finally blocked one. That'll be a problem for Kirkland. A better puncher definitely rocks Kirkland with some of those shots, and might have him in real trouble.

Kirkland's vulnerability, we always say, is part of what makes him so interesting. But he's going to have to be more willing to actually defend himself when he steps up and fights the next rung of opposition, and then higher. Vera showed exactly how easy Kirkland can be to hit.

During the fight Larry Merchant mentioned that it's rare for a Kirkland-like fighter to reach the highest echelon of the sport, because he meets a boxer that can take a shot and run circles around him at some point. As much as I like JK, I'm pretty sure that's where we're headed with him. It'll be damn fun along the way, though, because he comes to fight and he can punch.

But hats off to both of the Austin natives, who put on the show everyone expected. Kirkland remains a load of fun to watch, and Vera is tougher than leather.

Does perception of Hatton change?

I think even Hatton's biggest fans with brains wouldn't have argued that Ricky was looking a little bit faded post-Mayweather. There were concerns in so many rumors and reports and all that about his psyche, how the loss had effected him, what it had done to him as a person and as a competitor. Struggling somewhat with Juan Lazcano did him no favors; the somewhat nasty split with Billy Graham added fuel to the fire.

But showing up and fighting three minutes a round all the way against Paulie Malignaggi made him look like the no-doubt best 140-pounder, and may have even brought him back some of the shine that Mayweather check hoooked off his face last year.

Ricky will kick back, hopefully enjoy the holiday season, and await the result of Oscar-Manny to find out what he's most likely doing next.

Notifight reported earlier that HBO came back with a bigger offer on Friday, and now the previously propsed and shot down Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley fight could be back on for January 24. Margarito and team are said to be agreeable to the new terms.

Now, well-known scribe Robert Morales says at BoxingScene.com that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has told him that it's a done deal. Morales reports that Shane Mosley and Golden Boy have signed off on the deal, and we're only awaiting Antonio Margarito's signature now, which will come soon. Problem is, we were only awaiting Margarito's signature before, so not to say I'm doubting, buuuut...well, I'll believe it when he's signed it.

It's still a good fight, a good way to start 2009, and as much as I was OK with Mosley-Berto as a replacement, I think this is the better, bigger fight.

There is one thing I did agree with in Margarito's thought process during this whole thing, and that's that he probably deserved a bit better than a 50/50 split of the purse. He was bringing the trinket that allows Michael Buffer to say "champion of the world," and he's the guy that's going to bring in the majority of the crowd, too. Shane's never been a draw. As great a fighter as he is, he has never been a draw.

Let's hope we get a confirmation before the week is over.

The IBF has decided to fill its 154-pound title vacancy with a fight between ex-titlist Cory Spinks and young Deandre Latimore, who upset Sechew Powell this past summer on ESPN2.

The title was given up by Verno Phillips, who beat Spinks via debated decision in March. Phillips is taking a fight with Paul Williams this Saturday, for another vacant 154-pound title.

The 30-year old Spinks (36-5, 11 KO) is also a former welterweight world champion, but is probably best known by most boxing fans as one of the most loathed talented fighters of his era. There aren't many outside of St. Louis that I think would honestly say that they like watching Cory fight. He's very good, but he is generally a bore. The March fight with Phillips not only couldn't find a home on American TV, which necessitated Don King to stream it online, but it was a very disappointing live draw in St. Louis, too.

The 23-year old Latimore (19-1, 16 KO) looked very good upsetting Powell in June, but the fact of the matter is that Powell just did not compete, and I'm not sure how much we learned from that fight about Latimore, who has not faced a top opponent otherwise, if you choose to consider Powell a top fighter. He was booked as an opponent, but Powell didn't show up and he lost. Sechew also tested positive for marijuana after the fight.

I'd guarantee he's never fought anyone as slick or smart or frustrating as Cory Spinks, but Latimore is a southpaw mirror for Spinks, and he has real skills. Also like Spinks, Latimore was born in St. Louis, though he now resides in Las Vegas.

It's nothing against Spinks, but I am rooting for Latimore to beat him. He's got a lot of future left. That said, I have to favor Spinks.

via d.yimg.com

Trainer Buddy McGirt stopped the fight in the 11th round, and Ricky Hatton retained his junior welterweight championship with a rather dominant performance against top-ranked contender Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Malignaggi had trouble from start to finish against Hatton, essentially, winning the first round but that's about it. Hatton hurt Malignaggi in the second round and had him hanging on for dear life, and shook him up a few more times during the fight.

It was the slickster Malignaggi who held and held, and after the fight, Malignaggi complained openly with Larry Merchant of HBO about the stoppage. "I'm better than getting stopped," he said, while classy about both Hatton and the British fans in attendance.

Frankly, from my perspective, the stoppage did seem a bit selfish on Buddy McGirt's behalf, as Malignaggi failed to implement his advice over and over during the fight. McGirt, honestly, has had plenty of failures over the last couple of years. It's totally speculative and I may be reading more into it than necessary, but McGirt's body language with the stoppage seemed more annoyed and frustrated than concerned. Maybe it's only me, but I didn't particularly like the stoppage at all. Paulie was losing, yes, but he was battling to finish the fight. Not getting stopped is a big deal to him. He wasn't getting killed in there or anything.

Brian Vera, though, was getting killed in there by James Kirkland when referee Vic Drakulich stepped in to stop the action in the eighth round. Vera had gone down twice (once in the seventh, twice in the second) and was getting tagged routinely by Kirkland. He did show that Kirkland's power was not amazing, I guess, but he didn't disprove that it's very, very real. Vera's a tough, tough kid, but he took a beating.

We'll have much more tomorrow on both fights, so come back then. Thanks for joining us tonight!

Our live, round-by-round coverage and scoring will start with the show on HBO at 10pm ET. Join us! If you're new to the site, our coverage takes place in the comments section, which updates live and requires no browser refreshing whatsoever.

Tonight at the MGM Grand in Vegas, Ricky Hatton returns to the States on official business for the first time since his December 2007 defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

He'll face another slick American boxer when he squares up with Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi is no Mayweather, and I'm sure even the brash Paulie would admit as much.

But this might not be the Ricky Hatton of old, either. UK boxing analyst Steve Bunce isn't the only one concerned about Ricky's mindset these days.

A breakdown of events for Hatton since that TKO manhandling against the "Pretty Boy":

1. At first, he showed humility. Later, it was mostly complaining about Joe Cortez, who has his faults to be sure, but Cortez was fine in that fight. Hatton's style was shut down by Cortez in many ways; Hatton's style is also frequently illegal in many ways. Mayweather was the guy hitting him, and Mayweather was the guy Hatton couldn't hit. Ricky's change in attitude didn't seem like "him," if you know what I mean.

2. Hatton beat Juan Lazcano in May, in a fight I felt was closer than the official cards. Juan Lazcano is no chump, but he's always failed against the highest-level fighters he's faced (save for Stevie Johnston, which began Stevie's downfall). Hatton often appeared gun-shy, took some power shots from Lazcano and got in minor trouble a couple times, and just wasn't as active or effective as he has been in the past. And this was with some biased refereeing.

3. He fired trainer Billy Graham. Some said it was about time that the world-class fighter got a genuinely world-class trainer. Others wondered where Ricky's head could be at if he was letting Billy go. Was he doubting Graham, himself, or both?

4. He hired Floyd Mayweather, Sr., to train him for Malignaggi. Mayweather specializes in slick, defensive-minded boxers.

We're hours from finding out how it all turns out against Paulie. Some lame, standardized keys to victory sort of crap? Sure!

What Ricky Hatton must do:

• Don't get too far out of his comfort zone. Trying to box Malignaggi almost guarantees embarrassment.
• Make Paulie throw his right hand. The thing is mostly for show anyway, but with the way Ricky crowds and bullies, chances for Malignaggi to re-break it on Hatton's elbow or something seem especially high.
• Be Ricky Hatton. That means get inside, push him around, and even get dirty. Malignaggi is an extremely emotional fighter that can't hide his feelings. When he's frustrated, everyone in the country knows.
• Lure him into a slugfest. He won't win it, and then you're taking away his best chance at victory.

God, do I love those crazy SOBs. They won't be out in as full a force for Malignaggi as they were for Mayweather, but no doubt Ricky Hatton will have his fans, singing, at the MGM Grand tomorrow night.

Ticket sales are said to be iffy -- Dan Rafael mentioned he expected 10,000, maybe a bit less.

We'll have a further preview of Hatton-Malignaggi later tonight or early tomorrow (same difference, really), and then live, round-by-round coverage and scoring with the HBO show starting at 10pm ET, and presented in glorious HD. Get with it, Showtime!

Back in March, Showtime picked up a title unification bout that American diehard boxing fans really, really wanted to see.

That night in London, David Haye smoked Enzo Maccarinelli in two rounds to unify the WBA, WBC and WBO titles. While it was hard to argue with a great couple rounds of action, it was also hard to not be a bit let down.

Fast forward eight months, with Showtime nabbing a 122-pound unification fight between IBF titlist Steve Molitor and WBA beltholder Celestino Caballero.

Again, it's hard to not be a bit let down, even though we got to see something that usually would be reserved for scouring internet streams and hoping the video isn't too choppy.

Tonight in Rama, Ontario, on Steve Molitor's turf, it was Celestino Caballero who fought like he was in his own backyard, troubling Molitor from the get-go and knocking him out in the fourth round. It was clear in round one that Molitor either had no gameplan, had a bad gameplan, or just didn't know what to do with Caballero's freakish reach and height advantages.

In the third -- which was Molitor's best round (he won none of them) -- Caballero appeared to sting Molitor just before the bell with an uppercut. Early in the fourth, he found that same punch again, and it put Molitor on the mat. After continuing, Molitor was hit four times, on his way down again, and his corner threw in the towel. It appeared that referee Luis Pabon was going to stop it no matter what.

What can you really say? There's not much to analyze. Without being mean, let's face facts: Steve Molitor got his ass kicked tonight. When he wasn't running around the ring, looking to escape Caballero's awkward charges and frustrating style, he was coming up short. Coming up short when he chose to throw at all, that is. He appeared trigger-shy, and admitted after the fight that he was as tight as everyone could see he was. He was never in the fight.

For Caballero, it's another good win for a fighter who is now deserving of a pound-for-pound top 20 consideration. There are more than 20 guys deserving of being in the talks, of course, and now Caballero is absolutely on the list of nominees. This win came against an unbeaten fighter who had largely dominated everyone in front of him, including some good pugs along the way.

I've said it before and will say it again. Caballero is no favorite of mine. I don't particularly enjoy watching him fight, I don't think he has any appreciable skill, and when the situation calls for it he's as dirty as they come. But the man is going to be trouble for anybody at the weight. It's so hard to get inside on him. He lost a couple fights, years ago. Those don't matter now. He is making a habit of beating on guys that'll fight him these days. It might be bowling shoe ugly, but he gets the job done.

Certainly a bit disappointing, but you can't fault Celestino Caballero for going out and doing his job in under four rounds, getting Steve Molitor out of there before the Ontario faithful could even really get settled in for their main event. For Molitor, it's back to the drawing board. For Caballero, he's now got two trinkets as a negotiation tactic. He'll use them.

Our live, round-by-round coverage begins tonight at 11pm ET. The fight will take place on Showtime, once again the go-to guys for these sort of fights that American diehards want to see. Another kudos to the boxing team over at the "other" premium boxing outlet for the States.

via www.eastsideboxing.com