‘Harvard’ Hopkins Out To Educate Dawson » “Styles make fights” is perhaps the most oft-recited advisory in boxing, perhaps because the message it conveys is usually spot-on. • If defensive genius Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and his technically proficient but somewhat cautious challenger, “Bad” Chad Dawson, stick to form in their Oct. 15 WBC light-heavyweight championship bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the forecast likely would call for a pugilistic game of chess… BERNARD FERNANDEZ, www.philly.com

Manager: Gatti Didn’t Take Own Life » A private probe into the 2009 death of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti will disprove the official conclusion that it was a suicide, Gatti’s former manager Pat Lynch said yesterday… Source: www.boston.com

Evander Holyfield: Pay-Per-View is Killing Boxing » As a native of Alabama, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield had the opportunity to speak to those in attendance at a dinner to mark the closing of the Olympic Boxing Trials in Mobile, and he may have turned a few heads when he said that pay-per-view has been the biggest factor that has killed boxing in recent years, not the emergence of mixed martial arts… Charles Jay, www.boxinginsider.com

Photo by Howard Schatz

After weeks of deliberation, the five-men Championship Committee of the World Boxing Federation, announced it has decided against sanctioning the proposed second title defense of its world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

Holyfield, originally scheduled to face Brian Nielsen (64-2, 43 KOs) for the WBF heavyweight title, was informed that due to the Nielsen’s absence of nearly a decade from the ring, the bout does not qualify as WBF championship caliber.

“While Brian Nielsen a decade ago posed threats to heavyweights worldwide, he has not fought in nine years and thus does not qualify to contest a WBF world title at this point,” WBF President Howard Goldberg (Championship Committee member) said. “We have no problem with this fight taking place, but certainly the WBF will not approve it as for our title.”

Jean Marcel Nartz, the vice president of the WBF, expounded upon the decision, revealing a liberating stance.

“The WBF is a world boxing sanctioning body and although we are a business as well, our primary business is to ensure that our fights are quality matchups, that are fighters are deserving of title opportunities and that the standards we aim for are not compromised in order to make a quick buck.”

Although the WBF rejected Nielsen’s championship capability, the May 7 fight will go on as originally scheduled in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, should Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KOs) lose to the Denmark native, his title will automatically be declared vacant.

“The Real Deal”, who has spent the better part of three years in heavyweight purgatory, lost two bouts to Sultan Ibragimov and Nikolay Valuev, before defeating Francois Botha for the vacant WBF heavyweight title on April 10, 2010 in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. Holyfied most recently fought Sherman Williams on Jan. 1, to a no contest after suffering a cut over his left eye, resulting in a doctor stoppage.

— Alex Neely

Illustration by John Murawski

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

Bad Chad Dawson’s Loss Is Light-Heavyweights’ Gain » From most boxing reporters’ accounts Chad Dawson fought his usual safety-first fight and paid the price for his frustrating lack of gusto against Jean Pascal on Saturday night. Chad had been talking up the contest in the lead-up; saying he knew he had to be more aggressive because of the Montreal (Pascal’s adopted homeland) location. • Sadly for him, he didn’t seem to realize the urgency of the situation until it was far too late in the day, and even then, he didn’t pull the proverbial trigger when Pascal slipped groggily into the firing line in round 11. A big chance to leap on a wounded Pascal was also passed up in round nine… Source: www.boxingnewsonline.net

Boxing Needs Another Mike Tyson » It’s no secret that outside of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing’s mainstream popularity has been in a downward spiral. The sport’s efforts (or lack thereof) of breeding new stars has failed. This past weekend saw Chad Dawson—who Floyd Mayweather Jr. coined as one of the best pure boxers in the sport—get soundly defeated by Canadian Jean Pascal. The weekend before that, Devon Alexander had a tougher than expected challenge when he defeated Alexander Kotelnik. Both fights saw boxers who played it relatively safe. In Dawson’s case, he paid dearly by losing… Andreas Hale, live.drjays.com

Boxing Vs. MMA Or Boxer Vs. Reality? » The Ultimate Fighting Championship was originally sold on the concept of fighting style against fighting style. Masters of kung fu, karate, Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu would battle to prove which fighting discipline was superior. • The elephant in the room during MMA’s discipline versus discipline days was the sport of boxing. A few boxers did compete in the UFC. Most memorably, Art Jimmerson wore one boxing glove for his bout with Royce Gracie at UFC 1. But a topflight boxer never competed in the UFC, and for many years top MMA fighters such as Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn would field questions about how they would fare against a Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield… Todd Martin, sports.espn.go.com

Toney photo by Matthew Felix Rosenthal

Teen Boxer Has Pedigree And Promise » AVON (WISH) – Boxing coach Hank Johnson has worked with some of the best boxers in the world — Riddick Bowe, Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, and Roy Jones Jr., to name a few. Johnson believes 14-year-old Anthony Sims Jr. will one day be added to that list. • “I saw very early in his career he had the potential to be a world champion. He’s a coach’s dream in every since of the word. I don’t have to look for him when he comes to train, he does everything I ask him to do. He’s got agility, he can think, he can punch and he can box,” gushed Johnson… Jeane Coakley, Edited by Andrew Bonner, www.wishtv.com

“Wladimir wants to feel comfortable inside the ring and at the negotiating table. He was as reluctant to put pen to paper for this fight as he is when throwing a right hand. He’s a mentally weak fighter and has been terrified to take risks ever since he was blitzed by a semipro golfer (Corrie Sanders).” — David Haye

Klitschko Vs. Haye Finally Set For June 20 » LONDON (AP) – David Haye can become a heavyweight world champion in only his second fight at that class. • The British former cruiserweight world champ announced Thursday that he has finalized a deal to fight IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine on June 20…

Boxers Getting Chance On ESPN Telecast » Call it a fight for opportunity. That’s how junior welterweights Randall Bailey and Frankie Figueroa view their IBF title elimination fight tonight. • Their scheduled 12-rounder is the featured event for tonight’s ESPN “Friday Night Fights,” which will take place at Handy Park Pavilion on Beale Street… Marlon W. Morgan, www.commercialappeal.com

Holyfield Says ‘Time Is Running Out’  The end might actually be near for Evander Holyfield. It won’t arrive, however, without one more title shot. • Holyfield, who said he plans to retire by the end of 2009, will meet 7-foot Russian Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title Dec. 20 in Zurich, Switzerland. Final contracts are expected to be signed before the end of the week… Jeff Schultz, www.ajc.com

Roach: Oscar – Not Me – Lost Mayweather Bout  MANILA, Philippines— If Oscar de la Hoya loses on December 6, Freddie Roach won’t feel bad about getting blamed for it. • Roach said in an international media-conference call on Monday that de la Hoya blamed him for losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007. • The Hall of Fame trainer rejected de la Hoya’s claims, saying de la Hoya strayed from using his bread and butter, the jab… DOMINIC MENOR, www.gmanews.tv

Check the U.S. boxing team’s sole and remaining medal contender Deontay Wilder’s video at ralphlauren.com. Bring home the gold!

Holyfield Says U.S. Boxing Failure All About Money  BEIJING (Reuters) – Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield believes the failure of the U.S. boxing team at the Olympics can be traced back to an obsession with money…. — Martyn Herman/Reuters, www.washingtonpost.com