Forty wishes on my 40th birthday -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

I turn 40 today. No need for cards or candles. But in the spirit of the day, here are 40 things I want in the sport of boxing:

1. Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- and no more excuses from either side.

2. For David Haye to shut his piehole and fight either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.

3. Fewer titles.

4. And fewer sanctioning bodies, including the elimination of the WBC and WBA as presently constructed.

5. For the deal to make Devon Alexander against Timothy Bradley Jr. on Jan. 29 to get done ASAP.

6. Amir Khan against Marcos Maidana, with the winner to fight the Alexander-Bradley winner next.

7. To head to Montreal to see a showdown between Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute. Great ring entrances, for sure, and hopefully an even better fight. And, hopefully, one that doesn't take 16 months to get.

8. For networks to make fights that fans want to see every single time, instead of making some fights because of relationships with certain promoters or advisers.

9. A bigger budget for "Friday Night Fights."

10. An American amateur program that produces Olympic medalists and professional prospects.

11. Fifty Tomasz Adameks to fill up arenas around the country, even if the fights aren't on HBO.

12. For state commissions to have more uniform rules.

13. When HBO and Showtime put on fights, that we get at least two live bouts every time. No more single-fight telecasts.

14. For fighters to stop turning down big paydays. I'm talking to you, Alfredo Angulo and Alexander Povetkin, among others.

15. Angulo versus Miguel Cotto.

16. For people to stop asking me if Joe Calzaghe is going to unretire. I don't know and, frankly, I don't care. If he does, I'll think about it then.

17. For Evander Holyfield to call it a day. Ditto for Roy Jones Jr.

18. The abolition of rematch clauses.

19. An end to the pointless and boring boxing-versus-MMA debate.

20. To be able to go to the store and buy a fresh pack of boxing cards.

21. A Super Six-style tournament at featherweight involving Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Chris John, Rafael Marquez, Celestino Caballero and Elio Rojas.

22. A legitimate fight of the year candidate, already.

23. Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II. At 160 pounds and a 50-50 deal. Enough with the nonsense.

24. More Dmitry Pirog, please.

25. The return of HBO's countdown shows for big fights.

26. Andre Berto in a serious fight.

27. Zab Judah to stay serious about his return to junior welterweight. He'll do some damage if he's focused.

28. For folks to quit crying robbery after a legitimately close fight.

29. Juan Manuel Marquez against Michael Katsidis.

30. A dollar for every time a promoter, TV exec, manager or fighter has lied to me.

31. Nonito Donaire against either Fernando Montiel or Vic Darchinyan.

32. Peace between Golden Boy and Top Rank. Do it for the fans -- and also for guys like me who get caught in the middle.

33. The truth about how it all really went down with Antonio Margarito's hand wraps.

34. For Javier Capetillo to get what he deserves.

35. Another Yankee Stadium fight.

36. An American heavyweight who: a) can punch; b) can take a punch; c) has a personality; d) is in shape; e) who can sell tickets.

37. A satisfying conclusion to Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, even with Mikkel Kessler having to pull out because of an eye injury.

38. To complete my collection of DVDs of every HBO and Showtime boxing telecast.

39. On a regular basis, quality pay-per-view undercards instead of the usual junk we get.

40. For a fighter to use this as his ring entrance music just once.

Source: espn.go.com

Margarito's license request greeted by Texas hospitality -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Antonio Margarito's request to have his boxing license reinstated by the California commission that originally revoked it when it was found he had plaster-caked inserts inside both of his hand wraps before a title fight last year was denied last week, with commissioners telling him they wouldn't consider his request again until next year.

Unlike California, Texas has the opportunity to profit from Margarito's next fight, to the likely tune of 75,000 people in Cowboys Stadium in a Nov. 13 super-welterweight title fight against the world's most popular boxer, Manny Pacquiao.

So although California didn't hesitate to give Margarito grief over a bundle of reasons, down to his lack of a sparring permit (a misstep the state doesn't enforce in other cases), Texas is poised to loosely reinstate Margarito without a hearing by the end of the week.

According to sources close to the negotiation, Texas authorities have all the information they need to reinstate Margarito in the form of a letter the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's head of combat sports requested from the Assn. of Boxing Commissions.

In the four-paragraph letter, ABC President Timothy Lueckenhoff and other board members advised to state commissions that "Margarito has fulfilled his obligations" to appear before California before seeking a license elsewhere "and thus he is now free to pursue licensure with any ABC member commission. There is nothing under the federal law that would prohibit consideration for licensure."

Dickie Cole, Texas' program manager of combat sports, told The Times this week that in his personal opinion, "If a man serves his time for his crime, he's served his time and needs to be released."

Cole won't personally decide Margarito's fate, but he has worked behind the scenes to assist Margarito promoter Bob Arum and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in their effort to place the fight in Texas.

Cole, 79, went further in defending Margarito's reinstatement, assessing that though Margarito broke rules forbidding the presence of foreign material in hand wraps, the tainted knuckle pads might have been there only to protect Margarito's hands.

"My personal opinion is what he had on his hands doesn't give you any advantage over an opponent," Cole said. "Do I personally think it'd help his hands or be detrimental to his opponent? No. It'd have no effect on his punching power. I wonder how many of those [California] commissioners ever had a hand wrapped before."

Cole noted that "the only gentleman on that committee who's been involved in boxing [John Frierson] voted to give [Margarito] the license. The others are just political appointees who don't really know the sport."

Cole's point is that Margarito would've gotten "spanked" in Texas too, but that he's been sufficiently punished by being held out of fighting in the U.S. for more than 17 months, "has a family to care for," and deserves to be reinstated because he's denied knowing the plaster inserts were inside his wraps in the first place.

"I'm not a policeman," Cole said, "but it appeared the evidence against him was weak. I don't think the kid is a bad person. Now, technically, he's legally able to fight here."

Margarito's team hasn''t sent a similar license request to Nevada. But for the sake of maintaining a positive relationship, Pacquiao's manager, Michael Koncz, had discussions Tuesday with MGM/Mirage officials and Keith Kizer, executive officer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, to let them know Pacquiao is deeply appreciative of their past involvement in his fights.

"He told me Manny wants to fight in Las Vegas, and nowhere else," Kizer said.

Koncz said he realizes the fight against Margarito appears bound for Texas, but he wanted to express that, "Manny likes the city of Las Vegas, how they've always treated him well there, especially Mandalay Bay bending over backward for him. I can't force Margarito to apply here, but I've expressed Manny's thoughts, of how, if we had a choice, we'd fight here. But we have no complaints over Dallas."

Continuing the theme of this fight, Koncz was just playing politics.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com