I'm sure the Koreans hosting the WBC convention have really strong feelings about the affront Shane Mosley provided to the WBC by fighting the best fighter available rather than the cupcake the WBC mandated. via www.jejuboxing.com

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Since the WBC Convention started, which of the following crazy actions has the WBC NOT taken?

1. Suspended Cris Arreola for six months for swearing in a post-fight interview
2. Resolved to ban fathers working as trainers in their son's corners
3. Refused to sanction Berto-Mosley as a title bout unless Mosley apologizes for dropping the belt to fight Margarito
4. Named Floyd Mayweather as champion emeritus, forcing Andre Berto to fight him next
5. Said that the Humberto Gutierrez-Vitali Tajbert winner would become champion after Humberto Soto's next fight, if he moves to lightweight as expected.
   

On the bright side, they have made a few positive decisions:

• They did make Andre Dirrell Carl Froch's mandatory, pending the outcome of the Super Six.  It's quite possible that they may meet again in the tournament anyway.
• Oleg Maskaev and Ray Austin will fight an eliminator to be Vitali Klitschko's next mandatory.  While neither is particularly worthy, it's better than Maskaev automatically being the mandatory, which is what they had decided previously.
• They have mandated that the Pascal-Diaconu winner and the Dawson-Johnson winner must fight next.  Johnson will face anyone, but if Dawson wins, I'd love to see Dawson-Pascal, even though I think it would be a blowout.
• Sergio Martinez won't need to give up his 154 pound strap in order to fight Paul Williams at 160.

By the way, the correct answer to the question above is (4). 

Though Kermit Cintron (left) beat Alfredo Angulo in May, it is Angulo who will get a crack at an interim title at 154 pounds. Cintron is the mandatory for that body's full titleholder. (Photo via farm4.static.flickr.com)

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Banner Promotions put out word today that Saturday night's fight between Harry Joe Yorgey and Alfredo Angulo will be for the WBO's interim 154-pound title, and Kermit Cintron isn't happy about it.

Hours after the word went wide about the Angulo-Yorgey fight being sanctioned for that belt, DiBella Entertainment sent out a press release highlighting Cintron's issues. He has some pretty valid points, not the least of which is (as you might guess) that he beat Angulo in May. That win supposedly put him in as the No. 1 ranked contender by the WBO.

"What sense does it make that I beat Angulo and now he gets to fight for the interim title, when I am the top contender? I have done nothing but bide my time waiting for Dzinziruk, and now I’m on the outside looking in."

His attorney and adviser, Josh Dubin, also commented on the matter.

"Boxing becomes problematic when fighters earn their stature outside, instead of inside the ring," he said. "Kermit earned his spot in the rankings by clearly defeating Alfredo Angulo in the ring. I am advising the WBO that we will take any appropriate action to ensure that Kermit Cintron is treated in accordance with his ranking. Two fighters below Kermit in the ratings have been elevated into greater financial opportunities and a better standing with the WBO. We will not tolerate Kermit being financially damaged by arbitrary and capricious decision making."

Whether or not they can actually get anything done is another matter entirely, but a big part of the problem with this situation lies with Dzinziruk and his current beef with promoter Universum. Dzinziruk says he'll never fight for the promoter again, although he appeared willing to reconcile were it to lead to a December 5 fight with Paul Williams. Since that's not happening, Dzinziruk is likely back to "standing his ground."

With the full title in Dzinziruk's hands and the WBO having made no decision about whether or not to strip him, the belt is essentially held hostage for the time being, no matter who you blame for that. Dzinziruk last defended on November 1, 2008, when he beat Joel Julio. He won the belt in 2005 from Daniel Santos and since then has made five defenses.

But if he's not going to be fighting any time soon, why bother letting him keep the belt? It doesn't really help anybody, even the WBO, who will get no sanctioning fees or anything from him. They will get some money on Saturday now, but I can't help but agree with Cintron that this is clearly the wrong fight for which to contest the interim title. Cintron earned his spot with a win over Angulo, who now gets first crack at bigger paydays. Honestly, that's wrong, and they know it's wrong, or at the very least they know it's not right.

David Haye and Nikolai Valuev gave their final thoughts and quotes in Germany. The two meet Saturday for Valuev's WBA heavyweight title.

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David Haye:

"He hasn't fought anyone of my caliber; he's never fought anyone in their prime or someone so fired up," the challenger said. "I'm not one of these guys he's used to fighting. I'm not over-the-hill, I'm not tainted, I'm not past my sell-by-date. I am fresh, I am ready."

"Training has gone great and I am going to make him look silly on Saturday night. I am going to embarrass him, knock him out. He's never fought anyone as fast or who punches as hard as me, or as accurate. I know he feels I'm a little mouthy man from England, but he's gonna be in for a rude awakening when that bell goes."

"I don't care what I weigh. I haven't looked at the scales all through training camp. So long as I'm fit and sharp at the weight, I'm not bothered what the scales say. As far as bring my power up, I have no doubt I'll hit hard enough to knock out top heavyweights. I've never been in the ring with an opponent - amateur, sparring, or as a pro - who hasn't respected my punching power. I've floor top heavyweights, in the gym and in the ring, and none of them can ever believe how hard I punch for a smaller guy."

"It's never much fun getting hit by a man weighing 23 stone, so I'm not underestimating the power he generates. He must hit fairly hard. Technically, he does most things right. He's a well-schooled fighter that has improved over the years. Saying that, though, his last five fights have gone the distance, and I certainly don't think he's the fearsome and terrifying puncher he perhaps should be for a man of that size."

Nikolai Valuev:

"He can say what he wants. I have heard that from many opponents before. It is not going to happen. I will win."

Wilfried Sauerland (Valuev's manager):

"I don´t know where he takes it from. He is untested at heavyweight and got knocked down a lot of times in his career. Now he is facing a proven champion with 50 victories, so I really wonder why he is so optimistic."

(Photo via www.google.com)

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David Haye arrived in Germany just recently for his Saturday fight with WBA heavyweight titleholder Nikolai Valuev, and in typical Haye fashion, he found something to say, and he did so in a rather hilarious fashion. From Haye's blog at The Sun:

We were booked on the ridiculously early 7am flight and that meant I had to be packed and out the door at 5am.

Given that we train very late in the evening and didn't finish until midnight, I ended up getting zero hours sleep on Sunday night.

That was annoying, but nothing I couldn't handle.

The most frustrating part was still to come, as when I reached German soil I was guided towards a disgusting hotel, with a dingy room.

After a quick call or two, we managed to depart the rancid lair with our legs and arms still intact.

We actually ended up at a lovely five-star hotel, though we had to pay for the five-star privilege. Still, if it saves us from the guaranteed Black Death of the first place, it will be well worth the price.

These are the sort of mind games and tactics you have to put up with when fighting abroad.

They rattle some fighters, while others refuse to ever box on foreign territory. The foreign promoters are always looking to give their guy any possible advantage and they'll look to screw you around left, right and centre if they think it's going to unsettle you.

So Haye is already saying he's had "sleeping problems," but he's framing it in such a comical manner that he probably never had any single problem with it whatsoever. The guy goes a bit over the top sometimes, but it's this sort of humor that makes me really like him. I mean that whole thing is funny.

Valuev did respond, though:

"I don't care whether he can sleep or not," said Valuev. "And I don't really care about what hotel he stays in."

Short. To the point. Effective.

Derric Rossy is one of two leading contenders to face Cristobal Arreola on December 5. (Photo via www.finalforumboxing.com)

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BoxingScene.com reports that there are four names being talked about as opponents for Cristobal Arreola on December 5, but two men are leading the race.

While Malik Scott (32-0, 11 KO, very empty record) and 37-year old Michael Grant (45-3, 33 KO) have been mentioned, it appears that Brian Minto and Derric Rossy are the most likely to face Arreola, as "The Nightmare" comes back from his first professional loss.

Rossy (22-2, 12 KO) is a 29-year old out of Medford, New York whose most famous fight was a win over Ray Mercer in China back in 2008. He was knocked out by Eddie Chambers in 2007 and by Alexander Dimitrenko in 2008, and the same fate surely would await him against Arreola. He's not that big of a puncher and doesn't have Arreola's boxing skills, either. He's also notable for playing college football at Boston College (1998-2001). He started three games in his senior season.

We discussed Minto (34-2, 21 KO) yesterday. He's a tough guy, but he's also 34 years old and really undersized (5'11", 72" reach). Arreola would likely take his head off, and even with Minto's reputation of making it a tough night for anyone, Arreola's size, youth and power spell doom for Minto, and I don't think that one goes too far into the night.

Neither Rossy nor Minto are exactly big steps up from the guys Arreola's already been beating, for instance Travis Walker or Chazz Witherspoon. But at the end of the day, it is just a bounce-back fight; HBO and Goossen Tutor will try to rebuild Arreola. Neither of the Klitschkos are likely to be in the sport for a whole lot longer, and at that point the heavyweight division will be in need of a new king. Arreola's as good a candidate as anyone, and with his style, the fact that he's Mexican-American, and his great personality, he's worth the bet.

Above is a clip of Mike Tyson interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan of Sky News, with Tyson getting "irritated" by the same old questions about things he said over a decade ago. In the same interview, Tyson denied the rumors that he was considering a ring return of any sport. He says he has no interest.

To be honest, I think Tyson's re-found fame might be getting to him. I mean he's been everywhere in the last 18 months or so, from the documentary film to The Hangover to two appearances in one week on Oprah, and everywhere he goes he's grilled about the same stupid statements he made ages ago. He has to constantly go, "Yeah, I sure am a changed person, aren't I? Yeah, I said those things. Yeah, I did that. Yeah, I went to jail. Yeah, I bit Evander. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But now, no, I'm different."

Ricky Hatton will be a guest host on WWE Raw in Sheffield, England. The show will air live around the world on November 9. (Photo via img.dailymail.co.uk)

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Hey, Ricky Hatton's getting back in the ring after all! But he'll be doing it as a "guest host" of World Wrestling Entertainment's weekly Monday night program, WWE Raw.

Hatton said in a release: ``As a youngster, I was a fan of WWE, and I'm still a big fan now. This is something I'm really excited about doing, especially so close to my hometown. I think my son is even more excited about it than I am.''

With WWE on Hatton's home turf, how will the Hitman run the show?

Will it be gloves on or gloves off?

Either way, he's guaranteed to shake up things when Monday Night Raw hits the United Kingdom.

Past guest hosts for WWE Monday Night Raw included sports stars Shaq, Ben Roethlisberger, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Floyd Money Mayweather who Hatton knows very well. Mayweather, a standout boxer, beat the 7-0, 485-pound Big Show during WWE's WrestleMania 24 in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

The show will be in Sheffield, England on November 9, so the crowd will certainly know Ricky Hatton quite well. The shows airs on the USA Network in the States every Monday at 9pm.

As I've said before, I grew up a huge pro wrestling fan, but in the last five years the product has become unwatchable to my snobby eyes, but I might glance in on Hatton hosting Raw just for kicks. Ricky's a more natural interview than Floyd Mayweather, whose appearance on Raw was forced and dull. Hatton might get to just be himself with a crowd that will love him, and I think he'd likely do well in a back-and-forth sort of deal, which is something Floyd doesn't do so well. Floyd's not exactly a quick thinker, as we've learned recently.

I hope Ricky has fun, gets a good little payday, and his fans enjoy it.

Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi will rematch on December 12 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. HBO will televise. (Photo via upload.wikimedia.org)

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The December 12 rematch between Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz has found a home in Chicago. BoxingScene.com reports that the two will meet at the UIC Pavilion, which holds 7-10,000 for boxing.

The venue has been a pretty frequent home for fights and is located near Chicago's Little Italy, which may give them a chance to draw with Malignaggi. Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions runs there frequently, and the recent David Diaz-Jesus Chavez fight was held at the building as well. WEC has also run there.

It's a good location, much better than the last major card held in Chicago, the Juan Diaz-Julio Diaz fight that was in Hoffman Estates, which is fairly out of the way. It's also worth noting that Don King promoted that fight horribly, and that Golden Boy and DiBella Entertainment will almost surely do better than King did. Chicago could be an amazing fight city if given proper treatment and marketing; there's as much diversity there as anywhere in America and it's a great sports town.

Victor Ortiz will meet Antonio Diaz on the televised undercard.