It’s All Up To The Hayemaker Now » WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO insists he is ready and willing to fight David Haye on July 2. • Fight fans are desperate to see WBA champion Haye step in the ring with Klitschko, who holds the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles… GAVIN GLICKSMAN, www.thesun.co.uk

An Opportunity For Boxing Amid NFL And NBA Labor Woes » On Sunday I sat through what was about as enjoyable a Super Bowl as I could hope for, so I didn’t have my usual complaints about the average NFL game containing a mere 11 minutes of action. Most of the rest of America certainly feels stronger about the sport than I do, though. As a result, I honestly wonder what would happen to the American sports fan if the next NFL season was abbreviated or outright canceled because owners and players couldn’t arrive at a new deal out of their labor negotiations, as many fear is possible… Tim Starks, queensberry-rules.com

Tim Bradley: Devon Alexander Fight ‘Was A Little Bit Personal’ » WBO and WBC junior welterweight (140 pounds) champion, Tim Bradley, shared his thoughts in this Q&A with FanHouse concerning his HBO televised, Jan. 29, unanimous, technical decision victory that dethroned southpaw WBC titlist Devon Alexander and may have set him up with bigger and better opportunities… Lem Satterfield, boxing.fanhouse.com

Don King Tries To Drum Up City’s Support For Silverdome Fight » Chewing on an unlit cigar, an American flag in his hand, boxing showman extraordinaire Don King on Thursday called on leaders of the Detroit Three automakers, Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit mayor Dave Bing to be at Saturday night’s Super Fight at the Silverdome… MIKE BRUDENELL , www.freep.com

For Timothy Bradley Jr., This Fight Is Worth The Waiting » When the desert winds blow fiercest in the Coachella Valley, most scramble for cover from the blinding sands or torrid heat. • Not Timothy Bradley Jr. The Palm Springs boxer refuses to yield to such discomfort, letting nothing distract him from the work at hand: to train. And if that includes a solitary eight-mile run through conditions that would break almost everyone else, well, that’s what this is all about…  Lance Pugmire, www.latimes.com

Alexander, Bradley Represent New Breed » American boxing superstars are few and far between these days. • Sure there are some. Bernard Hopkins has a mainstream name, but he is 46 and must be close to the end, even though he continually defies Father Time. Shane Mosley, who is 39, is limping toward the finish line of a brilliant career. • Floyd Mayweather Jr. is clearly the biggest name in American boxing, but at 33, he’s not getting any younger. Besides, he rarely fights anymore and faces several serious criminal charges stemming from an alleged domestic incident in September. • So who else is there?… Dan Rafael, sports.espn.go.com

Don King © TIME/LIFE; Bradley/Alexander photo by Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Roger Mayweather Takes Plea Deal » Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s uncle and trainer pleaded no contest Thursday to two misdemeanor battery charges in a plea deal that avoided a trial and jail time in a Las Vegas domestic battery case. • Roger Mayweather, 49, was sentenced to a year of probation, 24 weeks of domestic violence counseling, 50 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine for the Aug. 2, 2009, incident… Associated Press, sports.espn.go.com

Roy Jones Back On HBO — As An Announcer » It’s a move that seemed to have been coming for months, but on Thursday it became official when HBO announced it had reached an agreement to bring back Roy Jones Jr. as a permanent expert analyst on “Boxing After Dark.”… Dan Rafael, sports.espn.go.com

Alexander, Bradley Winding Down Preparations » Junior welterweight titleholders Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley Jr. are down to the final days of training for their much-anticipated unification fight and pushing themselves to the limit… Dan Rafael, sports.espn.go.com

Manny Pacquiao Trainer Freddie Roach Preferred Juan Manuel Márquez Over Shane Mosley » There is no shortage of boxers who want to take down the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. • But if Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, had his way, the Filipino superstar would be taking on Mexican Juan Manuel Márquez. Instead, Pacquiao is scheduled to fight against Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas… Wil Cruz, latino.foxnews.com

Promoters For Alexander-Bradley: Why Not Detroit? » The greater Detroit area, smack in the middle of one of the USA’s most economically depressed regions, is not usually high on the list of destinations for major sporting events these days. • Which is precisely why boxing promoters Gary Shaw and Don King insist that it is the most desirable venue for staging their Jan. 29 “Superfight” — a matchup of undefeated junior welterweight fighters Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) and Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs)… Bob Velin, www.usatoday.com

Tim Bradley Won’t Let Flu Slow Him For Devon Alexander » FanHouse spoke to 27-year-old WBO junior welterweight (140 pounds) king Tim Bradley in this Q&A as he prepares for an HBO televised, Jan. 29 clash opposite 23-year-old southpaw WBC titlist Devon Alexander that is slated for the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. • Nicknamed, “The Desert Storm,” Bradley (26-0, 11 knockouts) told FanHouse that he will not allow a recent bout with the flu interfere with his training for Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs), who is called, “The Great.”… Lem Satterfield, boxing.fanhouse.com

Holyfield Soldiers On In Ring At Age Of 48 » The year was 1996, and Mike Tyson was out of prison and destroying everyone who climbed in the ring with him. Evander Holyfield was up next, and a lot of people in boxing were worried not only that Holyfield might take a serious beating, but that he might even die… Tim Dahlberg, sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Arum: Alexander-Bradley Winner ‘Absolutely’ Could Earn Pacquiao » Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum, told FanHouse that the Jan. 29 winner of an HBO televised junior welterweight (140 pounds) clash between southpaw WBC champ Devon Alexander, of St. Louis, Mo., and WBO counter part Tim Bradley, of Palm Springs, Calif., could “merit” a berth opposite eight-division king Manny Pacquiao, also holder of the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) and WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belts… Lem Satterfield, boxing.fanhouse.com

What Does Boxing Need In 2011? Marketing » Change is never easy, less so in sports.  Nevertheless,  boxing has gone through some major changes in the last hundred years.  First there was the move from bare-knuckle boxing, then the televising of fights, reduction of rounds, and finally, the advent of pay-per-view.  Each of these shifts in how boxing was conducted was met with criticism.  What was boxing with these newfangled padded gloves?  Only thirteen rounds?  How can you watch the fight without being in the crowd?, they complained… Jesse Tangen-Mills, thefastertimes.com

Promotional Rivals Bob Arum, Don King Unite » The differences between the two boxing sages are seemingly as endless as are their similarities. • Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum, graduated from Harvard with a degree in law, while rival promoter, Don King, a once-jailed, former criminal, will tell you that “I graduated from the University of The Ghetto.”… Lem Satterfield, boxing.fanhouse.com

No End In Sight To Golden Boy-Top Rank Divide » One of the haunting criticisms of boxing is that the best fights don’t get made. • Outside the obstacles that have kept the sport’s super-fight — Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. — on hold, there is a devastating cold war that exists in the silence between the sport’s top two promoters, Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions… Lance Pugmire, latimesblogs.latimes.com

BORGES: It’s Time For Boxing To Create New Heroes » In boxing, as in life, timing is everything. Timothy Bradley figured that out a long time ago. • After being stripped of the WBC light welterweight title for allegedly ducking Devon Alexander 18 months ago, Bradley was accused of refusing to risk his future. Alexander went on to lay claim to the belt Bradley once wore while Bradley cited business considerations and Alexander’s low profile as the reason he opted out to pursue what he hoped would be bigger paydays… Ron Borges, www.thesweetscience.com

Mike Tyson Talks HOF Election, Life » When Mike Tyson was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month, it came as no surprise — at least to those of us not named Mike Tyson. Despite all his problems outside the ring and the soap opera life, Tyson earned his spot in Canastota, N.Y., as the youngest heavyweight titleholder in history and as a dominant champion. • Tyson was a dynamic, charismatic force who made nine defenses in the first of two reigns and became the undisputed champion. He remains one of the most recognizable people on the planet… Dan Rafael, espn.go.com

Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley Rested, Ready For A Super Fight » Devon Alexander is sleeping pretty well these nights despite the prospect of fighting unbeaten Timothy Bradley at the Silverdome on Jan. 29. • Alexander, also undefeated, has been using the bed that former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson slept in when he trained in Las Vegas… MIKE BRUDENELL, www.freep.com

Undefeated Bradley, Alexander Agree: Boxing Needs This Bout » They are young enough to be considered boxing’s new breed, but Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander know enough about the history of their sport to realize what their Jan. 29 junior welterweight showdown in the Pontiac (Mich.) Silverdome means for boxing… Bob Velin, www.usatoday.com

Mike Tyson photographed by Howard Shatz ©

Alexander Prepared For Biggest Test: Junior Welterweight (21-0) Faces Bradley (26-0) » Devon Alexander isn’t about to mess with a good thing. • The undefeated junior welterweight from St. Louis has trained in Las Vegas at Barry’s Boxing for his past three fights, and, with the biggest test of his career looming when he faces Timothy Bradley at the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit on Jan. 29, he’s sticking with his routine… STEVE CARP, www.lvrj.com

Against Mosley, It’s Easily $15M For Pacman » No easy fight. No easy money. • Yes, Manny Pacquiao stands to earn no less than $15 million for his next fight, but like the previous ones, nothing comes on a silver platter… Abac Cordero, www.philstar.com

Manny Pacquiao vs. Pernell Whitaker » WBC and WBO welterweight champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao is the greatest offensive pugilist of his generation… Colin Linneweber, bleacherreport.com

James Toney Makes $500,000 For Failed Mma Debut » Former champion boxer James (Lights Out) Toney made US$500,000 for his short-lived MMA debut, a first-round submission loss to Randy (The Natural) Couture at UFC 118 last weekend in Boston… Source: www.tsn.ca

Texas Official Explains Margarito Licensing » While Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito and the rest of the circus wind their way through this week’s three-city media tour, which concludes Friday at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas, perhaps the most important person in the whole sideshow is missing. • William Kuntz, who most of you have probably never heard of, is probably working in his office somewhere deep in the heart of Texas while everyone else involved in the fight is off selling it… Dan Rafael, espn.go.com

Dan Rafael’s Weekend Notebook » Slowly but surely, the Devon Alexander-Timothy Bradley junior welterweight unification match, slated for Jan. 29 (HBO), is coming together… Source: espn.go.com

Pacquiao/Margarito photo: AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano

» Devon Alexander disappointed with his performance against Andriy Kotelnik. After successfully defending his WBC and IBF 140-pound world titles, Devon Alexander spoke with NewsChannel 5’s Katie Felts about his win. • Alexander addresses what he calls a “D-minus performance” and why even the best fighters in the world find a way to get by on an off night.