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) 

WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and longtime Reno Gazette-Journal boxing writer Steve Sneddon head the list of honorees who will be recognized at the 83rd annual Boxing Writers Association of America Awards Dinner May 1, 2008, in Los Angeles. • Mayweather, widely recognized as boxing’s finest pound-for-pound performer, will receive the Edward J. Neil Award as 2007’s Fighter of the Year. Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs), who scored a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya (in the highest-grossing pay-per-view fight of all time) and knocked out the previously undefeated Ricky Hatton in 10 rounds in his two ring appearances last year, narrowly staved off WBC/WBO middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik, whose 2007 resume included victories over Jose Luis Zertuche (KO8), Edison Miranda (TKO7) and Jermain Taylor (TKO7)— 2007’s Fight of the Year. • Other BWAA awards go to Nigel Collins, the longtime editor of The Ring magazine (the James J. Walker Award for long and meritorious service to boxing); Enzo Calzaghe (the Futch-Condon Award as Trainer of the Year); Cameron Dunkin (the Al Buck Award as Manager of the Year); Teddy Atlas (the Marvin Kohn Good Guy Award); Nick Charles (the Sam Taub Award for excellence in broadcast journalism), and Lamont and Anthony Peterson (the Pat Putnam Award for perseverance in overcoming adversity). —Source, www.bwaa.org

I personally would like to congratulate my associates and friends of ROUND1 for their achievements— Ron Borges, Nigel Collins, Steve Farhood, Zach Levin, Don Steinberg, Thomas Hauser, Dan Rafael and Ed Mulholland. Best in ’08! —Lamar

The Genius of Boxer Floyd Mayweather Though also undefeated, Miguel Cotto cannot avoid the spectre of the Pretty Boy • At the press conference for Miguel Cotto’s upcoming April 12 fight, the name of the man who has cast an intimidating shadow over the welterweight champion’s career would not go away. • Floyd “Money” Mayweather is the pound for pound champion of the world and could well be one of the smartest men in boxing. —Justin Cavell Biggar, english.ohmynews.com.

When asked if he thought he would defeat Mayweather: “I’m pretty sure of it.  He’s quick. He’s fast. But when you pressure him, he closes his mind, you know? And he runs from the really good boxers. I don’t know how the people that know boxing can put him in first place, pound-for-pound. To be the best, you have to fight the best.” —Miguel Cotto (NYC, 3/9/08)

(Mayweather: Elle G; Cotto: Al Bello/Getty Images)

[Poll] Is Floyd Mayweather Ducking Miguel Cotto? —TommyGunn, www.boxingforum.com/boxing-forum-general-discussion (131 replies) • Can anyone STAND Floyd? —Explosivo, fightbeat.com/forums (96 replies) • [Poll] Who hits Harder ??? Hopkins or Calzaghe —ds91, www.saddoboxing.com/boxingforum (34 replies)