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)

Miranda Offers Career Advice To Abraham Calling in from his training camp in Puerto Rico, super middleweight contender Edison ‘Pantera’ Miranda chuckled when he was read the latest statements from his June 21st opponent, Arthur Abraham, who stated that in their highly controversial first bout in 2006, if he failed to beat a man who had his jaw broken, he would have taken a job as a night watchman. • “I agree with you Arthur, if it was a one-on-one fight,” said Miranda of the first bout, one marred by questionable officiating.  “Unfortunately for me, I was fighting you and the referee, and most people who saw the fight still believe I won…” —Source: www.boxeomundial.net

Magic Man Ready For Hatton IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi should be fit for a potential autumn showdown with Ricky Hatton despite fracturing his hand on Saturday. • Malingnaggi sustained the injury during his split-decision win over Lovemore N’Dou at the City of Manchester Stadium on the undercard to Hatton’s title defence against Juan Lazcano… —Source, www.skysports.com