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    • Andre Ward (L) won the WBC super middleweight belt in 2011 by beating Carl Froch (Getty)Super middleweight champion Andre Ward was lavished with praise on Monday when he essentially told the WBC to stick their gaudy green title belt where the sun doesn't shine.

      But Ward's actions won't amount to much, because there are few boxers who are willing to take the same stance.

      Despite the fact that boxing's major sanctioning bodies routinely cheat, manipulate the rankings, strip fighters of titles they won in the ring, coerce them into giving up their fight-worn equipment and almost daily break their own rules, boxers are desperate to have them.

      Few boxers are willing to take a stand like Ward did and tell these morally and ethically bankrupt grounds to get lost. It's going to take fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Wladimir Klitschko, Canelo Alvarez, Juan Manuel Marquez and other high-profile boxers to follow Ward's lead for his action to have any kind of an impact.

      Rest assured, though, that's not going to happen in our lifetime.

      Andre Ward wears his WBC belt (Getty)Ward won his WBC title by defeating Carl Froch

      Read More »from Andre Ward tells the WBC to get lost, and hopefully he is the first of many
    • Shane Mosley (R) is 1-3-1 in his last five fights, but has no plans to retire (AP)One of the saddest sights in professional sports is trying to watch a one-time great who is well past his or her prime still trying to compete.

      Willie Mays played long past his prime (AP file photo)Willie Mays is, arguably, the greatest all-around player in Major League Baseball history, but if you only saw him playing for the New York Mets in the 1973 World Series, you'd have a hard time believing that.

      Similarly, Johnny Unitas is one of the best quarterbacks to have ever lived, but definitely not to those who only saw him play for the San Diego Chargers.

      There have been countless boxers in similar situations and fans and media routinely plead with them to retire. Most recently, Roy Jones Jr. and Evander Holyfield have fallen in that situation, fighting on long since their skills have left them.

      Shane Mosley, the one-time lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight champion who is one of the best fighters of the last 20 years or so, is another of them.

      Shane Mosley's Twitter accountMosley defeated Pablo Cesar Cano by a unanimous decision on Saturday in Mexico,

      Read More »from Shane Mosley plans to chase another world title, so don’t ask him to retire
    • About the Bouts: The Counterpunch

      A recap of the highest-profile boxing matches of the weekend.

      Lucas Matthysse has huge power in both hands, although it was the left hook that took down Lamont Peterson. (Getty Images)Lucas Matthysse has huge power in both hands, although it was the left hook that took down Lamont Peterson. (Getty Images)

      A Star Emerges

      Lamont Peterson entered Saturday night's bout with Lucas Matthysse regarded by many as the finest 140-pounder in the world.

      He left in a heap.

      In what was expected to be a highly competitive bout turned into a showcase for Matthysse, who might just be the best pound-for-pound puncher in the world and emerges as an intriguing opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

      Matthysse (34-2, 32 KOs) knocked down Peterson, 29, twice in the third round with a pair of left hooks before referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight at the 2:14 mark.

      Peterson, who came in one pound above the junior welterweight limit, had the right idea in the first round by boxing, using his feet and staying away from Matthysse. Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KOs) then elected to be a bit more stationary and jab a little more in the second round before being knocked down with a looping left hook that completely changed the fight.

      The problem for Matthysse? Well,

      Read More »from About the Bouts: The Counterpunch
    • (Note: Ruben Guerrero's rant starts at 21:25 mark. Video contains strong language so viewer discretion is advised.)

      LAS VEGAS -- It was hardly the classiest tactic, but trainer Ruben Guerrero injected plenty of intrigue Wednesday into his son Robert's upcoming welterweight title bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

      After a boring thank-you fest disguised as a news conference in the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre, promoter Oscar De La Hoya invited Ruben Guerrero to the dais to say a few words. Virtually every other speaker had gone on in a monotone, thanking every entity possible, name-dropping sponsors ad nauseum and predicting a great fight.

      Ruben Guerrero (R) calls Floyd Mayweather Jr. "a woman beater" as Robert Guerrero looks on (AP)Ruben Guerrero, who has been trying to steal the spotlight from his son by, among other things, challenging Mayweather's father to a fight in the official bout's buildup, changed things quickly.

      He ranted and raved like a madman, shouting about Mayweather's domestic violence conviction that forced the pound-for-pound top boxer to spend 57 days in a

      Read More »from Ruben Guerrero calls Floyd Mayweather ‘a woman beater’ and nearly incites a riot
    • Floyd Mayweather Jr. may fight again on Sept. 14 (Las Vegas News Bureau via AP)Two short emails released to the media Tuesday by Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, seemed to ignite yet another dispute between powerhouse promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy.

      On Tuesday, Top Rank formally requested the date of Sept. 14 for a pay-per-view fight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas between Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley. As soon as that was released, though, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said his plan was to have Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight on that date at the MGM Grand Garden.

      Both promoters, as well as the casinos, covet the Mexican Independence Day weekend date.

      Mayweather is boxing's biggest star, and if he chose to fight, the Las Vegas casino industry as well as the cable and satellite operators, would likely side with him over any other fight. Mayweather does big business.

      Timothy Bradley rallied from a knockdown to defeat Ruslan Provodnikov on March 16 (AP)Don't, though, expect there to be two major events in the city as there were in 2012. Las year on Sept. 15, Top Rank put on a pay-per-view show

      Read More »from Two big cards very tentatively set for Sept. 14, but don’t expecting dueling shows again

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