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

Jacobs Fighting For More Than Just A Belt » Daniel Jacobs, the 2009 ESPN.com prospect of the year, was an elite amateur but just missed making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. • Making the Olympic squad was a dream for the 23-year-old New Yorker, who is one of the best prospects to come out of the Big Apple in years and hails from the same Brooklyn neighborhood that has produced many fighters, including former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. • After his amateur disappointment, Jacobs turned pro at the end of 2007 and now, three years later, he’s set to face Russia’s Dmitry Pirog at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay on July 31 (HBO PPV, $49.95)… Dan Rafael, espn.go.com

Wladimir Klitschko Trying To Line Up Samuel Peter » FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Wladimir Klitschko’s management is trying to line up Samuel Peter of Nigeria for the IBF heavyweight champion’s next fight. • Klitschko also holds the minor WBO and IBO belts and was slated to fight Russian Alexander Povetkin in Frankfurt on Sept. 11. But Povetkin never signed the contract and Klitschko’s camp is looking to sign former WBC champion Peter… Source: www.usatoday.com

James Toney-Randy Couture Bout Pits Boxing Purists Vs. MMA » Jon “Bones” Jones takes on Vladimir Matyushenko in San Diego on Sunday, Aug. 1, in a UFC- sponsored card televised on Versus. • On Saturday, Aug. 7, middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will defend the belt he has had since 2006 against No. 1 contender Chad Sonnen, at UFC 117. • Ho-hum. • The fight to watch, the fight that will catch the attention of even mainstream media, is on the card of UFC 118, set for Aug. 28 in Boston. • It’s not B.J. Penn trying to reclaim the lightweight title Frankie Edgar took from him in April, even though that is the top fight on the card. The fight to watch is James Toney going against former UFC heavyweight titleholder Randy Couture… Chuck Yarborough, www.cleveland.com

Jacobs photo by Howard Schatz; Peters photo courtesy of AP

Boxing vs MMA – The Showdown » Next month at UFC 118, Randy Couture will square off against former heavyweight boxing champion James Toney. With not a punch or kick yet thrown, the fight is already proving one of the most controversial in UFC history… Alan Murphy, www.joe.ie

Chantilly High Grad And Artist Continues His Passion For Boxing At Age 35 » There are things you should know about Zain Shah’s hands. • In a studio, they can snap an artsy photograph and create classy graphic designs. In a boxing ring, they can rearrange your face like a cubist Picasso painting… Reed S. Albers, www.washingtonpost.com

Undefeated Hopefuls Are Fighting For Recognition » The biggest and most anticipatedfight in boxing is Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather. What could be the highest-grossing fight of all time doesn’t look like it will happen this year, however, asPacquiao’s representative, Top Rank, has given Mayweather until Friday to decide if he wants to fight Pacquiao on Nov. 13. Mayweather has given no indication he wants to fight again in 2010… Bob Velin, www.usatoday.com

Toney photo by Howard Schatz; Shah photo by Shamus Ian Fatzinger/fairfax County Times.