EYE ON THE RING

YOU SCORE THE FIGHTS

Check out Andre Ward at the press conference following his defeat of Arthur Abraham. Is he going to be the next big American star? He sounds better on the mic every time we hear him. Two interesting things about his future:

• When asked where he wanted the Super Six Finals, he immediately plead Dan Goossen for the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Being at the Pacquiao fight the week before may have made a strong impression.
• He wants the WBC belt that Froch holds because of its history. Then he wants Bute afterwards, so there will be one undisputed champion in the division.

Dan Rafael of ESPN has tweeted that Paul Williams' next fight will be against James Kirkland conqueror Nobuhiro Ishida, as the main event on HBO for July 9. Putting aside the question of whether this fight is HBO main event-worthy or not, it's nice to see Ishida parlay his few minutes of fame into a big spot on TV. Maybe he can make some hay against Williams--Ishida seems just as long and angular--and the question remains whether Williams has taken too much of a beating in his fights against Sergio Martinez.

Check out the size difference between Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham during their staredown --another reason why Ward is such a huge favorite in their fight for Ward's WBA Super Middleweight title. The big news at the weigh-in, though, was Chris Arreola coming in at 234--his lightest weight in almost four years. EOTR Picks: Ward by decision, Arreola by KO

One of EOTR's favorite fighters, Kendall Holt, just put himself back on the boxing map (and in the running for KO of the Year), flattening Julio Diaz with a vicious left hook in the third round. You know what would be a great matchup? Kendall Holt vs. Zab Judah at the Prudential Center in Newark.

In advance of their July 2nd clash in Hamburg in the most important heavyweight fight in years, Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye put in a promotional appearance on the British boxing show Ringside Live. Despite their supposed animosity toward one another, one gets the feeling that these two men could become friends, or, if not that, at least an entertaining comedic duo.

Ringside: Haye/Klitschko Special 1/3

The dust has barely settled on Pacquiao's whitewashing of Sugar Shane, but Manny's next opponent is already signed: Juan Manuel Marquez, November 12, in Las Vegas. News of the pair's third go-round (and its catchweight of 144 lbs.) was first broken by Boxingscene.com. Some recent clarifications of the contract offered by Top Rank:

• Marquez is guaranteed a minimum of $5,000,000 for the November fight, and $10,000,000 for a rematch if he wins
• For every PPV sold over 700,000, Marquez will receive $5
• The contracted weight is 144 lbs., with either side paying $1,000,000 for each lb. over at the weigh-in

The ball is now in Golden Boy's hands to match that offer, but it seems highly unlikely they will be able to.

A discouraged Shane Mosley speaks to the press after his desultory performance against Manny Pacquiao. Couple quick notes:

• Shane cites Manny's power, repeatedly, as a reason for why he fought so carefully
• Says that a fight between Manny and Floyd would be "very interesting" due to Floyd's defense and technique
• Did not indicate a desire to hang 'em up, suggesting that there is no shame in losing badly to the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world

Unsurprisingly, both men look to be in fine shape. What a crowd at the MGM Grand for the weigh-in--apparently, at least 6,000 showed up and many more were turned away at the door by the fire marshal.

While everyone focuses on the big fight this weekend, there's still boxing after Pacquiao-Mosley. Check out this HBO Face-Off between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins in advance of their May 21 rematch. This is without question the most amusingly combative Face-Off we've seen yet--these guys love to argue with each other. Most hilarious moment: B-Hop suggesting Pascal is delusional due to drug use.