» WHO YOU LIKE? Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito. Check out my pre-fight coverage from the NYC press conference (Wednesday, September 1, 2010.) I received some good quotes from Harold Lederman (HBO), Chris Mannix (SI.com) and boxing aficionado Pablo Santiago. I like Manny. Enjoy! —LC

» “I feel him and his trainer should be banned for life.” —Freddie Roach. Antonio Margarito vs Manny Pacquiao? Looks like Roach is singing a different tune now.

Taking A Field Trip To Canada For Chad Dawson Vs. Jean Pascal » Chad Dawson-Jean Pascal on Saturday is about as meaningful a bout as there is on the 2010 schedule. It offers Dawson, a strong contender for the best young American fighter there is today, and Pascal, a Canadian all-action highlight reel who very well could defeat Dawson. It’s being staged in the biggest city in Quebec, where they root loudly for their Canadian fighters but where the classy fans appreciate good performances by all. And it offers something that’s rarer than it should be: a chance to crown an honest-to-God, real division champion, in this case, the light heavyweight division… Tim Starks, queensberry-rules.com

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Deal Is Near To Bring Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito Fight To Cowboys Stadium » Apparently Manny Pacquiao hopes to make it back-to-back bouts at Cowboys Stadium. And if promoter Bob Arum is correct, the crowd for a Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito would dwarf the 50,994 that watched Pacquiao easily handle Joshua Clottey in March… BARRY HORN, www.dallasnews.com

Pacquiao vs Margarito. Please Don’t Reward A Scoundrel! » Manny Pacquiao is without a doubt one of the greatest fighters in the history of professional boxing. His talent in the ring may only be surpassed by his enormous generosity and love of the people of his native Philippine Islands. Many people can learn something very valuable from Manny Pacquiao • He fights all comers and always without question gives the fans their monies worth. To this I say- Thank you and much respect, Sir. • But his team’s decision to fight Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13th has me scratching my head… Dr. Johnny Benjamin, www.huffingtonpost.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Camp Responds To HBO, Arum Comments » Hours after the president of HBO Sports said he had negotiated with both sides in an effort to make a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. mega-fight on Nov. 13, Mayweather’s lead adviser again denied the claim… Lance Pugmire, latimesblogs.latimes.com

Time For Pacquiao To Stop Cheating History By Inventing Weight Classes » Another event, another catch … weight, that is… Jake Donovan, sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Matthew Aguilar: Nevada Made Right Move On Antonio Margarito » Antonio Margarito had some big plans this fall. • The “Tijuana Tornado” was either going to fight a rematch with Miguel Cotto or, if Manny Pacquiao’s proposed superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell through, have an intriguing showdown with “Pac-Man” – maybe the most popular fighter in boxing. • Both fights would have garnered worldwide attention and generated millions of dollars. Both fights would have qualified as two of the more significant fights of the year. And both fights would have happened in Las Vegas. • But a funny thing happened on Margarito’s way to career rejuvenation. The Nevada State Athletic Commission reminded him that he was a cheater… Matthew Aguilar, www.elpasotimes.com

The Future Of Boxing After Mayweather & Pacquiao » It’s no secret boxing has been fighting with its back on the ropes for the past couple of years. With one megafight left to be made between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, one has to wonder if this will be the end of boxing as we know it. Although there are no fighters out there with the immediate impact of a Mayweather or a Pacquiao, there are five boxers who could take boxing off of the expected life support it will be on should Pacquiao vs Mayweather take place this November… Andreas Hale, live.drjays.com

Boxer Leaves Ring To Fight For Children » Lamont Ingram is looking to start a boy’s group home in the Riverside Drive Building recently purchased for his non-profit organization. The 29-year-old, who won Golden Gloves titles and has trained with the same camp as boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr., plans for the group home to house boys ages 12 to 17… STANLEY DUNLAP, www.jacksonsun.com

Punishing Antonio Margarito: A Year or A Career? » 
Does the crime dictate the punishment? Or do the consequences of the crime dictate the consequences for the criminal? • Those are the questions that those in boxing must ultimately contemplate when it comes time to decide whether Antonio Margarito should be allowed to fight again… David P. Greisman, boxingscene.com
 

MONDAY’S BOXING ROUNDUP: Dirrell Tkos Findley, Yorgey Upsets Hearns » Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs) scored an impressive sixth-round TKO over Derrick Findley (13-3, 8 KOs) in the main event of another spectacular edition of “ShoBox: The New Generation” from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma on Saturday. • Dirrell, ranked No.1 by the WBO in the super middleweight division, nearly knocked Findley out in the very first round. A left hook, followed by a barrage of hooks and uppercuts staggered Findley against the ropes… Francis Walker, blackathlete.net

Cocky Hatton Fires Warning Shot » MANILA, Philippines—Manny Pacquiao will be in “for a shock” in his May 2 showdown with Ricky Hatton as the British “Hitman” claims he’s “in the best shape of his life.” • “I’ve got a little bit more finesse and I’m thinking about what I’m doing instead of steaming in there and making it easy for my opponents, so I’m better in every department now,” Hatton told The Daily Telegraph… Philippine Daily Inquirer, www.inquirer.net

(Margarito Photo by Juan Alicea Mercado/El Nuevo Dia)

Many Options For Rebounding Cotto  NEW YORK – Boxers are rarely the same after taking the kind of beating that Miguel Cotto absorbed from Antonio Margarito in their welterweight title fight in July. • Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo were only shells of themselves after their epic 2005 lightweight title match. David Reid was barely competitive again following a pummeling he took from Felix Trinidad in 2000… By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

The Return of Miguel Cotto

By Distinio Lois, Jr.

This Saturday night, we fight fans will see in Madison Square Garden, the return of one of the most formidable and perhaps feared Welterweight fighters’ in boxing today— former World W.B.A. 147 Pound Champion, Miguel Angel Cotto. • Question! Which Miguel Cotto will show up Saturday night— the pre-Antonio Margarito Champion fighter, or the post-Margarito brutal knockout victim? Read on…

Cotto: Margarito Gives Sport ‘Black Eye’  NEW YORK — Former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto doesn’t believe Antonio Margarito should be allowed to fight anywhere after his boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission… Associated Press, ESPN.COM

 (© Howard Schatz)