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)

Jones And Pavlik Top Calzaghe Hit-List Joe Calzaghe has insisted he wants one more fight…but who is good enough to give his glittering career the finale it deserves? • Realistically, it comes to a straight shoot-out between the multi-weight legend Roy Jones Jr and America’s rising star, Kelly Pavlik. — Blair Wood, icwales.icnetwork.co.uk

(Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)

BOXING BRACKETOLOGY AT LIGHT HEAVY Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, Bob Foster, Archie Moore— these are the hallowed names that once made the light heavyweight division relevant and spawned legions of boxing fans to tune in and show up to arenas whenever they fought.

Now, whether by ingenious plan or, more likely, happenstance, the powers that be have collaborated with a half-dozen 175-pounders in setting up the sport’s version of Bracketology and March  (actually April) Madness. —Mike Houser, www.nevadaappeal.com


Producer buys rights for film about Thai woman who became boxing champion while jailed  BANGKOK, Thailand: A female drug dealer, who won her release from jail by becoming a boxing champion while behind bars, signed a contract Wednesday to have her story made into a movie. —AP