6,750 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Mark Vester byline.
Every story follows our editorial policy. To report a mistake, use our corrections form; for anything else, contact us.
Top Rank's Bob Arum says the training of Manny Pacquiao is going well. He visited Pacquiao's camp in Baguio, Philippines to watch the fighter train for the November 14 showdown with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. He wasn't sure how serious Pacquiao would train if the training camp was made in the Philippines. After a spending a few days at the camp, there are no doubts in his mind about how serious Pacquiao is training.
First it was off, and now a few days later the fight is back on. IBO welterweight champion Lovemore Ndou plans to go forward with his November 13 title defense against Matthew Hatton in England. On Tuesday Ndou suffered a bad cut during a sparring session and five stitches were required to close the wound. He was advised to stay away from sparring for six weeks.
Jorge Barrios is disputing the story of WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero. A few days ago Valero, angry over Barrios bashing him in the press, claimed to have put an offer on the table for Barrios to fight him on December 12 in Venezuela. Barrios already has a fight scheduled against Michael Lozada on November 21 in Argentina with HBO Plus handling the broadcast.
Former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor admits that he wasn't fully prepared, physically, when he was stopped in the twelfth round of his fight with WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch back in April. Taylor knocked Froch down in the third round and was winning the fight until he ran out of gas and was stopped with less than a round to go in the contest.
Former champion Jose Luis Castillo (60-9-2, 52 KOs) has accepted the invitation to become a sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao. He left on Wednesday to head out to Pacquiao's camp in Baguio City, Philippines. He will join other sparring partners Urbano Antillon and Shawn Porter in camp to help Pacquiao prepare for the November 14 bout with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. Castillo, 35, returns to the ring on November 28 in Mexico. He plans to fight at 143 and then look for a title shot at junior welterweight in 2010.
Promoter Frank Warren has blasted the recent title shot demand by heavyweight Audley Harrison, telling Sky Sports that Harrison must be "living in dreamland' if he thinks the Prizefighter III tournament win from last week should get him a title shot. Warren says the 2000 Olympic gold medal winner has destroyed his own career and has nobody to blame for that but himself.
Mexican welterweight sensation, Saul Alvarez (29-0, 22KOs) is close to a deal to fight in the United States on December 5. His manager Rafael Mendoza is negotiating with Golden Boy Promotions to bring Alvarez to the U.S. before the end of the year. At 19-years-old, Alvarez is going to close out the year with 30 pro fights. The young fighter has made a lot of noise in Mexico by calling out Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. over the last few months.
On November 21 at Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexico, Edgar Sosa will make the eleventh defense of his WBC junior flyweight title against tough Filipino fighter Rodel Mayol. Sosa won the title with a close decision over Brian Viloria in 2007. Since the loss, Viloria has revamped his career with a seven-win streak and knocked out Ulises Solis in April to capture the IBF's junior flyweight title.
British junior welterweight Paul McCloskey (19-0, 9KOs) is another name on a long list of fighters who want a showdown with WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan. McCloskey challenges veteran Souleymane M'Baye for the EBU junior welterweight title at the 6,000 seat Meadowbank Sports Arena in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland on November 6.
Carlos Quintana wanted a higher catch-weight for his December 5 bout with Joshua Clottey. The fight will open up the HBO televised card that features Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams in the main event from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The former welterweight champions will meet at the catch-weight of 149-pounds in a ten round contest.