» “Let me tell you something, when Bob Arum got Pacquiao, he was a star. I represented Pacquiao. I put him in with Morales, not Bob Arum. So, right now, what we have going on in boxing is leagues and there are two people that are involved in these leagues, there are two promotional companies, and that’s Golden Boy and Top Rank, and they only want to fight their fighters against their fighter because they don’t want to take the chance of fighting the best fighters in the world.” —Gary Shaw (Gary Shaw Promotions)

Boxer’s Widow Sues Top Rank For $1 Million » LAS VEGAS (CN) – The promoter and widow of former world boxing champ Diego Corrales demand $1 million from Top Rank for a nonchampionship pay-per-view bout that they say cost them income because the competitor failed to make weight… NICK DIVITO, www.courthousenews.com

WWE Aside, Mayweather Focused On Marquez » Haven’t we seen this movie before? • In Rocky III, while Rocky Balboa is busy enjoying the spoils that come with being a champion — including fighting a wrestler played by Hulk Hogan for charity — hungry challenger Clubber Lang toils away in relative obscurity knocking out chumps left and right as he waits for his opportunity to dethrone the king… Patrick Gutierrez, msn.foxsports.com

Abner Mares’ Life Has Been A Fight From The Start » Always poor and sometimes homeless as a child, Mares found success as a boxer, then suffered health setbacks. Now, with trainer Joe Diaz in his corner, he’s trying to get his career back on track… Kevin Baxter, www.latimes.com

» 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

They’re Giving This Fight A Hook  Manny Pacquiao versus Oscar De La Hoya has a chance to become the most chewed-on boxing match since Tyson versus Holyfield. • It is still 19 days until the celebrated pair steps into the ring at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas for what has become the most anticipated 12 rounds of the year. But the slings and arrows of pre-fight propaganda have been flying for some time now… BILL DWYRE, www.latimes.com

Boxing Club Holds Tryouts  For the past two weekends, Penn State students have stepped into the ring in Room 52 of the White Building trying to earn a spot on the boxing team. • Nearly 50 people packed themselves into the basement room during each of the tryouts on Nov. 8 and 16, which determined who would be added to the team to replace the boxers lost from last year. About 30 percent of the nearly 50 people who tried out are expected to make the team… Ryan Loy, www.collegian.psu.edu

(Photos— De la Hoya: Tom Hogan; Boxing tryouts: Michael Felletter)

The Brilliance Of Bernard Hopkins  After he had completed his 12 round whitewash of Kelly Pavlik, Bernard Hopkins stared out into press row and gave us guys behind the laptops his best Graterford State Penitentiary glare. For a good minute or so, he stood frozen, his eyes never even blinking once. He didn’t need to really say anything – we all got the message, loud and clear. This was jailhouse communication from the man who served five years in that joint for strong-armed robbery beginning as a 17-year old in 1984. He had proved us wrong once again. In giving yet another career-defining performance at age 43 – versus a fighter who was 17 years his junior – he proved he was/is a prizefighter that could’ve competed in any era of boxing… Steve Kim, maxboxing.com

Calzaghe Speaks Out On Pavlik Vs Hopkins  Cardiff, Wales (October 20, 2008)—As he continues to prepare for his November 8 “Battle of the Superpowers” against Roy Jones, Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York City and live on HBO Pay-Per-View, undefeated light heavyweight champion Joe Calzaghe took a quick break from training to share his thoughts on Saturday night’s tremendous victory for Bernard Hopkins over Kelly Pavlik.  Here is what he had to say:

“I said all along Kelly Pavlik was overrated, overhyped and hadn’t done anything in his career to a warrant a fight with me…

Pre-Fight predictions and preview with some of boxing’s top journalist and personalities including Bert Sugar (ESPN) and Ed Mulholland (Fightwireimages.com).

Margarito Ko’s Cotto In 11th LAS VEGAS— All frustration of the wasted years lost while more high profile fighters refused to face him spilled out in a torrent of fury Saturday night as Antonio Margarito settled many old scores, all at the expense of Miguel Cotto. • For 11 rounds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Margarito stalked the WBA welterweight champion, taking all Cotto threw at him and matching it with a relentlessness that broke Cotto down in the way he had done to so many others on nights that belonged to the champion… Ron Borges, www.hbo.com

Antonio Margarito Knocks Crown Off Miguel Cotto’s Head LAS VEGAS— If Antonio Margarito thought he had trouble getting a fight before, he may never find anyone brave enough to take him on now. Not after the way he pounded heavily favored Miguel Cotto on Saturday in a World Boxing Assn. welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand. • In a dominating performance, Margarito had the previously unbeaten Cotto on his heels throughout the fight before knocking him to the canvas twice in a 30-second span late in the 11th round. Cotto’s corner then threw in the towel, stopping the fight with 55 seconds left in the round… Kevin Baxter, www.latimes.com

(Photos by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) 

Pavlik-Hopkins Fight Slated For Oct. 18, Promoter Says  Unable to secure a meaningful opponent to wage a middleweight championship defense against in the fall, Kelly Pavlik will move up in weight and face former light heavyweight champion and middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com Thursday.  •  Arum said he and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer struck a deal Thursday for the nontitle fight, which will take place Oct. 18 on HBO PPV at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J…. —Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Move Over Mayweather: Pacquiao Is The New Pound-For-Pound King  In what was seen as a potential grab at the pound-for-pound throne, the number one contender to Floyd Mayweather’s top spot, crowned himself king last night. • With a chilling ninth round knockout of WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, Pacquiao showed boxing fans that he is indeed the sport’s top fighter… —Bryan Trafford, bleacherreport.com

Steward: Klitschko Can’t Take Thompson Lightly  Though the heavyweight division is an afterthought these days, IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko remains one of its few bright spots. Klitschko is the undisputed king of the big boys, but he isn’t flawless… —Franklin McNeil, www.nj.com

(Pacquiao photo by Harry How/Getty Images)