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

Haye Happy To Do Things His Way – Former cruiserweight boxer believes it made sense to move up to heavyweight  In the days after David Haye knocked out Enzo Maccarinelli in March to win his third version of the world cruiserweight title the messages and offers started to pile up. Haye was simply too big for the cruiserweight division and there were a lot of people in the business desperate to turn Haye into a heavyweight. He listened and nodded but he had his own plans and was soon back near Girne in Northern Cyprus to begin his big push… Steve Bunce, www.independent.co.uk 

Calzaghe Sr Says Fear Of Boredom May Persuade Joe To Keep Boxing  Joe Calzaghe’s determination to retire following his unanimous points victory over Roy Jones Jr on Saturday appears to be softening after his father and coach, Enzo, yesterday insisted the fighter had not made a final decision on his future and could well continue in an attempt to avoid “boredom”… Sachin Nakrani, www.guardian.co.uk

Oscar De La Hoya Takes On All Comers At Media Day  There was a good omen the other day at Oscar De La Hoya’s training camp. The venerable boxer stayed on his feet for more than two hours. • Not that the 35-year-old De La Hoya has spent all that much time on his back in a 16-year career of 44 fights and 39 wins. But the talk has been hot and heavy that De La Hoya’s Dec. 6 opponent, the younger and harder-punching Manny Pacquiao, 29, is thinking knockout more than decision… BILL DWYRE, www.latimes.com

Pre-Fight predictions and preview with some of boxing’s top journalist and personalities including Steve Farhood (Showtime) and Tim Smith (NY Daily News).

>> HAYE HAS EYES ON BOXING’S BIGGEST PRIZE LONDON, England—In the jubilant minutes following his unification of the world cruiserweight division, David Haye saved his sharpest comments and wittiest prose for his interview with American television. —Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports

>> CANCUN, Mexico— When Samuel Peter stepped on to the polished marble in his upscale hotel’s lobby late Saturday night, he looked more like a vacationing millionaire than the heavyweight champion of the world. —The Canadian Press, canadianpress.google.com

>> CANCUN, Mexico — The fox turned the gun on the hunter. The funnel cloud finally ran into a building it couldn’t pick up and toss around like a toy. • After climbing to the top of the lightweight division, Houstonian Juan Diaz suffered the first loss of his pro career and was dethroned as champion by Nate Campbell on Saturday night. —Fran Blinebury, www.chron.com

(Haye Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images; Campbell/Diaz/Peter photo by LUIS ACOSTA: AFP/GETTY IMAGES) 

>> HAYE V MACCA V SLEEP DEPRIVATION  That rarest of sporting events is coming… • A genuine top-class domestic boxing match-up. A true Battle of Britain to rival or eclipse Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank’s dust-ups of the early 1990s, fights that made them household names. • I can hardly wait for the David Haye v Enzo Maccarinelli slugfest and am looking forward to providing the live round-by-round (if there is more than one!) coverage on the BBC Sport website. • But there is something niggling at me and I don’t think I’m alone. In fact, I know I’m not… —Alex Trickett/BBC Sport, www.bbc.co.uk

>> Things will become more clearer in the heavyweight division on Saturday night when Samuel Peter and Oleg Maskaev square of, in all of places, Cancun. —Chris Iorfida, www.cbc.ca

>> PARKINSON’S PATIENTS TAKE UP BOXING TO FIGHT DISEASE “It is just completely inspirational to be around these people,” said Follmar, a former North American Boxing Council champion who retired from boxing three … —Barbara Pinto, www.abcnews.go.com

>>THE SAGA CONTINUES: HOME DEPOT CENTER, MAY 3. ROGER MAYWEATHER VS FLOYD MAYWEATHER, SR. “Even though I will now be on the other side of the ring from Floyd Sr, who I think of like an uncle, but I will have Roger in my corner so there is still a part of the Mayweather family, who knows everything about boxing.” —Stevie Forbes (Source: The 365 Media Group Network)

>> “Not only am I going to knock him out, but I will punish him for the long wait. On March 8, he is going to feel like he is getting two years worth of physical punishment. I’m going to bring excitement back to the heavyweight championship.” — Samuel Peter  •  The WBC heavyweight title clash between interim champion Samuel Peter and WBC kingpin Oleg Maskaev, televised by HBO World Championship Boxing, will be the first world heavyweight championship ever held in Mexico (Cancun’s Plaza de Torros.)

(Roger Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Floyd Photo by Jim Fiscus/ESPN)