Mandatory Eight Count: Labor Day Edition

Time to let go of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (The Orange County Register)
Mark Whicker makes the argument that after Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s imbecilic tirade and half-assed apology this past week, the world will be better able to live without Mayweather-Pacquiao. I still don't think that fight will lose any public demand when it gets right down to it.

Floyd Mayweather's free pass over rant about Manny Pacquiao a disturbing trend in sports (MLive.com)
"He never has been close to truly being liked by masses. The fact he has endorsed so few products in this country, despite his undefeated boxing record, is enough proof his only value is how much money he brings in on fight day." -- Bill Simonson

Hopkins, Jones announce fights (Yahoo! Eurosport)
Ugh. Roy Jones Jr. is really going to go ahead with a fight against Danny Santiago on October 7 in Pensacola, it appears. This has become unbelievably depressing for those like myself who were huge Roy fans. This is all just pathetic, a word I hate using for Roy Jones. Roy musta forgot about his promise to never become this guy.

Vitor Belfort Wants to Box James Toney (Twitter)
A couple of things: 1. James Toney, fat and old and all, would kick Vitor Belfort's ass in a boxing match. 2. These guys need to let this James Toney crap go away. He lost all credibility with UFC fans, even the ones who insisted before the Couture fight that he was still a top boxer (because UFC told them so).

Ricky Burns could defend WBO title against Alex Arthur (Herald Scotland)
This is what you had to have expected, at least for first title defense talk. Ricky Burns, as good as he was on Saturday, does not project as a long-term titlist, even in a poor weight class. So milking him with some winnable fights that will make money is a no-brainer if you're promoting him.

Roman Martinez Claims Weight Issues For Burns Defeat (BoxingScene.com)
Roman Martinez says he was sick the morning of his loss to Ricky Burns, and that he was lighter than he wanted to be in the ring. But overall he just sounds ready to move forward with his career.

Cordoba-Rigondeaux Nov. 13th (Fightnews.com)
Guillermo Rigondeaux has won the Ricardo Cordoba sweepstakes, landing a fight for the interim WBA 122-pound title against the Panamanian on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard. If you're wondering about Celestino Caballero's next opponent now and haven't seen the news anywhere, Matt Remillard looks like he's going to face Caballero on Nov. 27.

Round And Round, Featuring The Inevitable Ninth Postponement Of Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel, But With A Good Fall/Winter Slate Still Possible (The Queensbury Rules)
Tim Starks and I share the same thought: Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel are never going to fight. Tim also talks about Ray Oliveira's comeback, David Haye, Andre Berto, Bradley-Alexander, and more.

Holiday Bonus: Tyson Fury-Rich Power on 9/10 ShoBox
Finally, Tyson Fury will face a man whose name can challenge his for awesomeness.