As usual, Dan Rafael has come out with his interesting and informative Weekend Notebook, which is filled with all kinds of tidbits. He's about as reliable of a source as there is out there, which makes the Notebook a must-read, even if you disagree with a lot of his other analysis.
- It looks like Paulie Malignaggi vs. Juan Diaz actually might happen. The biggest stumbling block appears to be the weight, as Diaz wants to fight below 140, but Malignaggi doesn't think he can make a weight below 139. HBO has already approved the fight, and Diaz already has a timeslot against the almight TBA on August 22. I'll still be a bit surprised if the fight happens, simply because I have to imagine that Juan Diaz would want a softer touch. If he loses his next one, he will have lost 3 out of 4, albeit against top competition. The other name floating around is Rolando Reyes, and frankly, Malignaggi is a more compelling opponent.
- Wladimir Klitschko's people contacted Tomasz Adamek about taking David Haye's place on his card in two weeks. Adamek declined, as he wasn't willing to take the fight on 2 weeks notice. Seriously, what did K2 expect? It's nice to see they're reaching out to make something happen, but a smallish cruiserweight isn't going to agree to fight a 250 pound behemoth on two weeks notice.
- Cory Spinks is offering Kermit Cintron a shot at his title, which gives Cintron a solid alternative to a rematch with Sergio Martinez that nobody wants to see. I mentioned in comments elsewhere that I thought Spinks was one of the few elite junior middleweights that Cintron could handle, based on Spinks' low workrate and the fact that he, unlike just about everyone else in the division who matters, is an orthodox fighter. Others said they think he's a stylistic nightmare for Cintron. Spinks' last two fights actually weren't half bad, and I wouldn't mind seeing the matchup.
- Rugged journeyman Carita Lopez won a title recently in what seemed like his 10th try. His first title defense was supposed to be against rising Pinoy star A.J. Banal, but Banal can't make weight. It looks like the defense might end up being against 13-0 phenom Marvin Sonsona. There isn't a ton of video of Sonsona out there, but in what little I've seen, he looks fantastic. Kid can bang, and Lopez has a rock solid chin. We'll have to see how this one plays out though - at 19 years old and without an extensive amateur background, this might be too soon to throw Sonsona to the wolves. I posted Sonsona's last fight here.
- I would tell you that there's a title eliminator between Yuri Foreman and K-9 Bundrage, but I just fell asleep.
- Top Rank's August 15 PPV, which features Nonito Donaire, will also include the rescheduled Luevano-Concepcion bout.