Move Over Mayweather: Pacquiao Is The New Pound-For-Pound King  In what was seen as a potential grab at the pound-for-pound throne, the number one contender to Floyd Mayweather’s top spot, crowned himself king last night. • With a chilling ninth round knockout of WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, Pacquiao showed boxing fans that he is indeed the sport’s top fighter… —Bryan Trafford, bleacherreport.com

Steward: Klitschko Can’t Take Thompson Lightly  Though the heavyweight division is an afterthought these days, IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko remains one of its few bright spots. Klitschko is the undisputed king of the big boys, but he isn’t flawless… —Franklin McNeil, www.nj.com

(Pacquiao photo by Harry How/Getty Images) 

Motor-Mouthed Miranda Still Talking A Big Fight During his playing days, Ilie Nastase, the Romanian tennis star of the 1970s, owned a world-class mouth, and at one time held the ATP record for most fines incurred by one player. • “Ilie speaks seven languages,” his wife once said. “Why does he always have to curse in English?” •  Edison Miranda’s interpreters could probably do him a big favor by deliberately mistranslating some of his more inflammatory remarks. • His own matchmaker, Jim Borzell, who’s known the talented Colombian since his arrival in the United States three years ago, describes Pantera as “a true puzzle.” •  “He’s the nicest guy in the world, but before a fight he can be a complete twit, the way he shoots off his mouth,” said the veteran matchmaker. •  You’d have thought Miranda might have learned his lesson 13 months ago in Memphis… —George Kimball, sports.espn.go.com

Time To Cash In: Calzaghe Calls Out Jones For Autumn Clash  The career of Joe Calzaghe, pugilism’s prince of Wales, has at times resembled the haunted life of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s prince of Denmark. • Their circumstances and motivations were very different, of course, but the burning question faced by both — to be or not to be — had a similar ring. • Hamlet had to learn to live with all that had transpired in the rotten state of Denmark before he was able to act upon his vengeful thoughts. • Calzaghe had to come through what British sportswriter Hugh McIlvanney referred to as a “strangely conservative program of fights [which] had obscured historic talent” before the blood on his stage belonged to men like Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins. • Cast in the role of Claudius this autumn will be Roy Jones… —Brian Doogan, sports.espn.go.com

Mayweather’s Retirement Right Move For Boxing Perhaps your stance is that he retired at the right time — on top, with his faculties still intact and bank account stuffed to the gills. • Or maybe you’re among those disappointed that he leaves the game without defending his linear crown against the world’s best welterweights. • Or maybe, you don’t believe that he’s done for good, that the right fight — and more specifically, the right price to go along with it — will lure him back into the ring. • Regardless of your stance, there’s no denying that Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s sudden retirement announcement comes at a perfect time for the welterweight division and boxing as a whole… —Jake Donovan, msn.foxsports.com

(Mayweather Photograph by Photorazzi)

And Now, The Biggest Entertainer In Entertainment Floyd Mayweather Jr., the welterweight widely regarded as pound for pound the best boxer in the world, is about as rich and famous as a 147-pound fighter can get these days. People who don’t know anything about boxing beyond Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali recognize him on the street (Who’s that little guy with all the bodyguards?), although sometimes it takes an extra second or two. (It’s that boxer who was on “Dancing with the Stars.”) Mayweather, who used to be known as “Pretty Boy” and now answers to “Money,” is famous, but he’s not famous famous. He won’t settle for that. He wants to be bigger than boxing today can make him… —By CARLO ROTELLA, www.nytimes.com

Lockett Has Puncher’s Chance Of World Titles In a week when David Haye brought a new dimension to self-promotion while Ricky Hatton plumbed new depths of self-delusion, the Hayemaker and the Hitman highlighted the vicissitudes of big-time boxing. • Haye, who aspires to be heavyweight champion of the world, confirmed that he is to act as his own impresario, whereas Hatton, whose winning performance against the valiant Juan Lazcano left him looking more like Rocky than Ricky, confirmed that he may be his own worst enemy. • Haye and Hatton are two of boxing’s most engaging characters, able to articulate with more than just their fists. Gary Lockett is another of that breed. In Atlantic City next Saturday, Lockett will attempt to replenish the fast-diminishing stock of British world champions. To do so he will need Haye’s punch and Hatton’s gumption… —By Alan Hubbard, www.independent.co.uk

Pacquiao, Diaz Delight Boxing Fans With Free Workout Although David Diaz knows he’ll be an underdog in his fight with Manny Pacquiao in four weeks, he already pulled one remarkable surprise in a storefront martial-arts gym Saturday. • By following up some sharp shadowboxing with a well-timed joke or two, Diaz charmed a bit of grudging admiration out of the hundreds of Filipino boxing fans from the Bay Area who crowded into every cranny of the West Wind Gym for a free workout by the two fighters who will meet in Las Vegas for the WBC lightweight title in four weeks… — The Associated Press, www.iht.com

(Mayweather Photos By Finlay MacKay)