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

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 ©

»» Dana White video blog with Mike Tyson leading up to UFC 118 this Saturday night.

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

» On January 22, 1988, Holmes was lured out of retirement by a $2.8 million purse to challenge reigning Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson.

Haye Promises Historic Knockout » David Haye has vowed to produce “one of the most jaw-dropping knockouts of all-time” when he attempts to win Nikolai Valuev’s WBA heavyweight title on Saturday. • Londoner Haye is aiming to secure a portion of the so-called “richest prize in sport”, but to do that he must beat a man who stands nearly a foot taller than him at 7ft 2ins and who has never been down on the canvas in his 16-year professional career… Source: The Press Association, www.google.com

Don King And Mike Tyson Make Nice At Las Vegas Boxing Event: Boxing Insider » No one promotes a fight like Don King. • His Hairness returned to Las Vegas on Saturday — Halloween — for the first time in four years to put on the inaugural boxing card at Treasure Island. While the nationally televised show had its share of action in the ring, the real news was King making nice with Mike Tyson, a surprise commentator for the Showtime telecast… Source: www.cleveland.com

Manny Pacquiao Vs. Miguel Cotto: The Next Super-Fight » On Nov. 14th, two of the biggest stars in boxing will face-off for a PPV super-fight.  Super-fights are something special in boxing; they are the types of fights that get the general public to pay attention to the sport of boxing. • I go through a few different phases for super-fights: • PHASE 1: Going into a big fight like this I always envision an epic battle between two gladiators, blood and guts warriors, grit, sweat, anger, and any other adjectives that sound tough and manly! I blog about what an amazing ballsy, kick-butt fight it will be. I talk to whoever will listen about my expectations, scientific analysis, and true gut feelings.  This is a great phase to be in… Bryan Brennan, www.nesn.com

Tyson photo by Time/Life ©

The Two Tysons: While The Documentary Is A Masterpiece, The Subject Remains Troubling » Tyson, the film, is a masterpiece of the documentary form. Filmmaker James Toback has wrought a sympathetic, cinematic miracle from his 24-year friendship with Mike Tyson. • Primarily based on fresh interviews with Tyson, the candid film is as complete a picture as possible, warts and all. Yet it brims with humor and pathos. An occasional split screen with multiple images of Tyson’s tattooed face parallels Toback’s insight into the multiple voices in Tyson’s head, an indicator of mental illness. There is also vintage footage dating back to Tyson’s teen years, plus excerpts from his most (in)famous fights… BRUCE KIRKLAND, www.winnipegsun.com

Cautionary Tale For Philippines Boxers » GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines — Ageing brawler Rolando Navarrete attacks the heavy bag swinging above the dirt floor of his crumbling home, each crunching blow evoking the old times when he was the boxing-mad Philippines’ most famous son… Cecil Morella, Source: AFP

Mark Scoop Malinowski’s Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle takes an inside look into one of the biggest money fights in boxing history – the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson battle for the World Heavyweight Championship in Memphis in 2002. Loaded with inside information, interviews, little-known anecdotes and much, much more, this book tells the full story about how the fight built up for almost two decades and, in the end, how the force of good ultimately overcame and conquered the threat of evil. Excerpts »

Top 25 Boxing Nicknames of All Times » The definitive list:

25. Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza

24. “Iron” Mike Tyson

23. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini

22. Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum

21. Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis

Source: directorblue.blogspot.com

Talkin’ Boxing with Larry Holmes » A kinder, gentler all-time great heavyweight champion Larry Holmes discusses a wide range of topics including, what he thinks could restore life in the flagship division, Hatton-Pacquiao, MMA, training with Ali, the Berbick incident, Who is the greatest?, and more… ” Scoop Malinowski, www.boxinginsider.com

Paul Williams Punishes Winky Wright » Punch stats. Total Punches: Williams – 247 of 1,086 (23%); Wright – 116 of 511 (23%). Power Punches: Williams – 177 of 667 (27%); Wright – 76 of 271 (28%). • Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright has long been considered ‘boxing’s most avoided fighter’. That unofficial title has now been officially passed to Paul ‘The Punisher’ Williams. Wright, 37, came back after 21 months of inactivity and displayed the ring generalship, defensive skills and toughness that have always been his trademarks. Unfortunately for Wright, none of that mattered as the 27-year-old Williams was a non-stop punching machine for every minute of every round… Andrew Eisele, boxing.about.com

EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 4 is coming this summer on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Check out the official blog for Fight Night Round 4 where you get inside access to the EA SPORTS™ team as they develop one of the most anticipated games of the year.  Get the latest info, exclusive content and hear what the team has to say about the sport of boxing.