Winky Wright, Paul Williams Set To Battle In Vegas Saturday » Maybe it isn’t so hard to believe that a top-tier boxer could stay out of the ring for nearly two years and hardly be missed. Chalk that up to the state of the game. • Winky Wright, who once occupied a spot on the mythical top-10 pound-for-pound list, hasn’t fought in 21 months, and there was no hue and cry for him to return to the ring. Certainly not the kind of calls (muted as they are) for the return of Floyd Mayweather Jr… Tim Smith, www.nydailynews.com

Arreola Is Properly Motivated For The “Big Time” Challenge » Last November I went up to Chris Arreola’s training camp in Big Bear California while he was training for his fight with Travis Walker and the Nightmare wasn’t as motivated as he should have been and commented, “Travis Walker doesn’t motivate me.  I wanted to fight a big name, I’m tired of fighting prospects,” and the lack of drive was evident. • Yes Chris was in camp and had cut out all the alcohol and was going to the gym in the afternoons, but the day that I went to the gym, his regimen definitely lacked intensity… Brent Matteo Alderson, www.boxingscene.com

Bradley’s Move Was Hailed As Brilliant: Not So, Says Kimball » Since boxing is a sport that trades on its legends, we’re generally not disposed toward debunking myths, particularly those that support an otherwise plausibly good storyline, but since this one appears to be taking on a life of its own it might be a good idea to nip it in the bud, lest it spawn an entire generation of puglists suddenly disposed to crawling around on their knees for all the wrong reasons.  • In the first round of last Saturday night’s 140-pound unification fight in Montreal, Kendall Holt unleashed a left hook that looked capable of taking Timothy Bradley’s head off. Bradley went down like he’d been popped with one of those stun-bolt guns they use in slaughterhouses, but then, amazingly, bounced right back to his feet… George Kimball, www.thesweetscience.com

Vitali vs. Lennox II?

Epic Comeback Being Strongly Considered » An absolutely epic comeback to pro boxing by one of the legends of the sport is under serious consideration as this article is written, according to one of the most connected and knowledgeable people in the sport. We’re talking a rematch of some unfinished business that would revitalize the sport in a way that’s desperately needed. Flaws were said to be detected in an arch rivals most recent performance, by the former champ. • So be on the lookout this week or next, for a boxing comeback story which will be front page headline news in just about every newspaper in the world… Scoop Malinowski, www.boxinginsider.com

Round Two For Ring One » After a 10-day hiatus brought on by heartache and financial problems, Brian Clark returned to the ring, putting another young fighter through his paces. • Faced with mounting unpaid bills and the collapse of a seven-year relationship with one of his boxing proteges, Clark (pictured) shut down the Ring One boxing gym last month. He needed time to consider whether it was worth pouring all his energy and money into an operation that was barely staying afloat… THOMAS MACMILLAN, www.newhavenindependent.org

Timothy Bradley Looking For Big Pay Day » Timothy Bradley (24-0) recovered from a first-round knockdown for a unanimous-decision victory over Kendall Holt (25-3) at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday night. It’s a big win for Bradley, the WBC 140-pound champ, who added the Holt’s WBO title to his mantle place. • Holt caught Bradley in the first round with a mix of punches, sending him to the floor. But that was it from Holt as Bradley controlled the bulk of the fight. Holt had Bradley on the ropes in the 12th round, so much so that referee Mike Griffin had to give Bradley a standing eight count. But he held off Holt for the win… MARCUS HENRY, newsday.com

Both guys looks fit and ready. They also sound confident. I think its going to be very entertaining, with Bradley winning… possible KO, because I think both men will be fighting aggressively all night. WHO YOU LIKE? —LC

Kendall Holt And Timothy Bradley Set To Mix It Up » In what is one of the most important fights of the year, Timothy Bradley will need to find a way to topple a more experienced fighter in Kendall Holt when the two hook up in a 140-pound unification bout on Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Showtime Championship Boxing. • Most experts have given Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs), the WBC title holder, a slight edge of WBO 140-pound champion Holt. Bradley’s speed and chin are noteworthy, but Holt (25-2, 13 KOs) has the better track record with wins over Ricardo Torres, Demetrius Hopkins, Jamie Rangel and David Diaz… Robert Cassidy, newsday.com

Calm Before The Storm: Bradley Vs Holt » On Saturday, WBC junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley returns to action in his second defense – a unification match against WBO champion Kendall Holt on Showtime Championship Boxing. Much has been written about the underrated importance of a junior welterweight unification, about the focus on future foes like Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao, and about the lack of ticket sales in Montreal for this bout. Few have weighed in on how good Bradley in particular might actually be. • Kendall Holt seems to be an open-and-shut case. He went life-and-death with the Colombian slugger Ricardo Torres twice and suffered his first loss via first-round knockout to an unremarkable opponent. Holt may be a solid fighter, but he’s already shown chinks that make it increasingly unlikely he’ll have crafted an all-time great suit of armor at the end of his career… JD Camacho, DoghouseBoxing

This Weekend’s Betting Action » As Grand National weekend weighs heavy on the minds of bookmakers nationwide, boxing backers have a conundrum of their own to solve as two evenly matched warriors, Kendall Holt and Timothy Bradley, contest WBC and WBO light-welterweight titles, live on Setanta… The Judge, www.britishboxing.net

MONEYLINE »

(Photos © Tom Casino/SHOWTIME)

Mannn… I’m getting real excited about this fight (Holt vs. Bradley). Kendall’s tells an ill story here. Good luck bro. • I need to check out some more fights of Holt and Bradley, but right now, I’m going with Timothy. Kendell’s got a few holes in his defense… Can Bradley fill ‘em? —LC

New Champ Bradley Seeks More Success Timothy Bradley, whose first professional fight outside his native California has earned him the WBC light-welterweight title, is keen to become undisputed world champion in the division. • Bradley was a surprise winner against champion Junior Witter in Nottingham on Saturday night, putting the Englishman on the canvas on his way to split points decision. —Source: edition.cnn.com 

Mike Tyson Film Takes A Swing At His Old Image IF, as the novelist Joyce Carol Oates once wrote, “boxing has become America’s tragic theater,” then one might cast Mike Tyson — the former world heavyweight champion and self-professed “baddest man on the planet” — as the leading man. • Yes, against all odds, Mr. Tyson is still alive. A pudgy 41-year-old who is millions of dollars in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, he has been living in the Las Vegas suburbs for about three months. And he is sober — 15 months now, he says — after years of drug and alcohol abuse. But this was not an envisioned outcome just a few years ago. In Mr. Tyson’s own words, “I never thought I’d live to this age.”—By TIM ARANGO, www.nytimes.com.

(Bradley/Witter photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)