Clottey Set To Face Mosley » Welterweight challenger Joshua Clottey of Accra, Ghana, will train in Las Vegas at the Top Rank gym for his upcoming bout against Sugar Shane Mosley… Source: www.fightnews.com

Mayweather Not A PPV Draw? Not According To Floyd » If anyone is tired of hearing that they aren’t a good pay-per-view draw, it’s Floyd Mayweather Jr…. Marcus Henry, www.newsday.com

Pacquiao Overrules Roach: Trainer Has No Choice But Join Baguio Camp » Manny Pacquiao is bringing Freddie Roach to the country whether he likes it or not… Source: Manila Bulletin

Many of you saw the great photo by Howard Schatz in Sports Illustrated after the Cotto/Clottey bout at Madison Square Garden last month. Howard is pleased to share with you more photos from that classic fight. See gallery here »

To view many other photos already created for the Boxing Book, we invite you to visit: http://www.howardschatz.com/index.php?gallery=BOXING::2::1

Welcome to “Gloves Off”, where you will read only the truth about boxing here. At least the truth the way I see it and more importantly, the way I hear it from the boxers, the sport’s shotcallers, boxing insiders who go on record and the occasional paying fan who in his own way supports the financial purses at both the big PPV events and the local club scene. Any press release passing as an interview will be duly noted. Any boxing writer, website, or fans’ outpost will be called out for praise or as is sadly often the case, stretching the truth in lieu of THE TRUTH. I spent two years working with Joe Pistone, the real life “Donnie Brasco”, portrayed by Johnny Depp in the film. There I learned the truth has three sides: yours, mine, and the ABSOLUTE TRUTH (and the truth about “Donnie Brasco” was that Al Pacino’s character, Benjamin “Lefty Guns” Ruggerio may have been “whacked” in the film, but was healthy enough in real life to attend the film’s premiere in February, 1997.) Read more »

(Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

» Tickets «

WBO Champ Miguel Cotto Won’t Cry Uncle Vs. IBF Champ Joshua Clottey » WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto will meet IBF champ Joshua Clottey in a title unification match at Madison Square Garden on June 13. It will be the fourth time in five years that Cotto has fought at the Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade… TIM SMITH, www.nydailynews.com

Is Clottey Catching Cotto At Just The Right Time? » Miguel Cotto’s rumble with his uncle Evangelista sounded a heckuva lot more interesting than just about any heavyweight title fight we’ve seen in the last few years, didn’t it? Such passion, such fury…why couldn’t most of Wladimir Klitschko’s recent foes have summoned half that energy and zest for combat?… Michael Woods, www.thesweetscience.com

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

To view many other photos already created for the Boxing Book, we invite you to visit: http://www.howardschatz.com/index.php?gallery=BOXING::2::1

Check out photographer Howard Schatz’s latest studio pics of IBF Welterweight Champion Joshua Clottey (2/09). Enjoy!

To view many other images from the Boxing Book Project, we invite you to visit: http://www.howardschatz.com/index.php?gallery=BOXING::2::1

In 5 years time the best fighters will be? —R_9-Ronaldo, www.boxingforum.com/boxing-forum-general-discussion (18 replies) • Zab should retire? —Xplosive, fightbeat.com/forums (8 replies) • Is Arturo Gatti Hall of Fame worthy? —Mark TKO, www.saddoboxing.com/boxingforum (32 replies)

‘I’ll Whip Judah’ – Clottey  Ghana’s Joshua Clottey has vowed to whip two-division champion Zap Judah when the two clash on Saturday in a world welterweight championship bout in Las Vegas. • According to the Ghanaian pugilist, now was the time to become a world champion to put smiles on the faces of his fans. • “This is my time to be a champion,” Clottey declared during a press conference held Saturday morning at The Lounge at The Palms in Las Vegas, adding that he was in peak condition to back his words with action… Source: Daily Guide, www.myjoyonline.com

A Boxing Upset  Over the weekend, the boxing world was treated to a surprising upset when underdog Antonio Margarito stopped favorite Miguel Cotto in 11 rounds for the welterweight title in what was a classic bout. • Cotto had been considered a step up for Margarito, but wilted under the attack of Margarito in the later rounds. It was a great fight, which is good for boxing, and it was a fight where the outcome surprised people, which normally is also good for boxing. • The problem: What now?… Thom Loverro, washingtontimes.com

U.S. Olympic Boxing Team Struggling; Coach Dan Campbell The Cause? When Luis Yanez, a U.S. Olympic boxer, went AWOL from the training facility in June, he started a strange trend. • One of his Olympic teammates also disappeared and went home around the same time, and only came back after being threatened with expulsion. Then another boxer went home and extended his stay to the point where he was threatened with a financial penalty. • Then yet another U.S. boxer was apparently told to pack his stuff and leave the Olympic barracks in Colorado Springs, and he spent the remaining weeks of his training at a nearby hotel. Two other Olympians said they were basically urged to quit… MITCH ABRAMSON, www.nydailynews.com