WBC light welterweight champ Devon Alexander added the IBF light welterweight belt to his collection when he became the first boxer to stop granite-chinned Juan Urango. Slick boxing and an active jab gave the 23-year-old Alexander a one point lead on two of the three judges' scorecards going into the eighth round. Urango, however, had begun to land right hooks on Alexander and the momentum seemed to be shifting slightly towards the powerful Colombian.

In round eight, Alexander landed as good a right uppercut as you'll ever see and dropped Urango on his back. Urango beat the count but was dropped again by a right to the side of the head and a glancing right uppercut. Once again, Urango beat the count but wasn't on steady legs and referee Benji Esteves elected to stop the fight.

The 29-year-old Urango, who was outpointed by Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto in his only two previous losses, drops to 22-3-1.

Alexander goes to 20-0 and is clearly a rising star in the sport. The talent pool in the light welterweight division is deep so hopefully Alexander's next bout is another unification fight with either Amir Khan (WBA champ), Marcos Maidana (another WBA champ, don't ask) or Timothy Bradley (WBO champ).

Devon Alexander Stops Juan Urango in 8 originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 09:56:52.

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Mike Tyson Comeback? originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 19:07:23.

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Manny Pacquiao puts his pound-for-pound title on the line against Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

No one seems to be giving Clottey any chance of winning the fight but he's a strong, natural welterweight with a solid defense and a sturdy chin. Pacman's speed and unorthodox storming style is likely to give Clottey trouble but he's anything but a pushover. Pacquiao needs to be 100% focused on this fight and not allow himself to be distracted by thoughts of a potential megabout with Floyd Mayweather Jr..

Expect this fight to go into the late rounds with Pacquiao either scoring a late TKO or winning by decision ... as long as he doesn't make the mistake of looking past Clottey.

Who do you think will win? Pacquiao or Clottey? Vote in our poll.

Manny Pacquiao: Fight-by-Fight Career Record

Joshua Clottey: Fight-by-Fight Career Record

Poll: Pacquiao vs. Clottey. Who Will Win? originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 16:56:22.

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After an absence of over 30 years, boxing may be returning to Yankee Stadium. On Sept. 28, 1976, Muhammad Ali retained the heavyweight title with a narrow 15 round decision over Ken Norton at the "old" Yankee Stadium.

Now there's a good possibility Yuri Foreman will defend his WBA junior middleweight title against Miguel Cotto at the "new" Yankee Stadium on June 5. In order to clear the date for the fight, the Yankees had to accommodate a family that had previously scheduled a bar mitvah at the stadium for that same date. If a deal can't be made to fight at Yankee Stadium, the bout may take place at Madison Square Garden on June 12.

Boxing Returning to Yankee Stadium? originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 13:58:11.

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Candi Holyfield, the third wife of Evander Holyfield recently received a temporary restraining order against the future Hall of Famer (if he ever retires) after claiming he hit her several times. The late night dispute reportedly started when she refused to show him check stubs of her donations to their church. The protective order has now been dropped but - between stories like this one, links to steroids and human growth hormone, and missing support payments to several of his many (at least 11!) children while continuing to live in a mansion facing foreclosure - it's getting increasingly difficult to root for the 47-year-old former champ.

Another former champ, Oliver McCall, was scheduled to fight against Zuri Lawrence last night in Florida. The bout, however, had to be called off after McCall was arrested on cocaine possession charges on Saturday night. McCall has had previous issues with drugs during his long career but this arrest (he's also charged with probation violation for a previous offense) may spell the end of the line for the troubled 44-year-old.

Former Heavyweight Champs in Trouble originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 14:35:20.

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Despite compiling a 26-0 record with 26 knockouts (the first 17 in the first round!), few boxing fans in the U.S. had ever seen Venezuelan lightweight Edwin Valero in action before last night. Now, after headlining a Showtime doubleheader, his days as an unknown in this country are officially over.

Find out why Valero's performance puts him on the short list of boxing's must-see fighters. We've also got some ideas on possible future opponents . . .

Edwin Valero Delivers a Pacquiao-esque Performance originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 16:53:07.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley have reportedly agreed to terms for a welterweight title fight on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (and on HBO PPV). It's not Manny Pacquiao-Mayweather but it's the next best thing, right? Yes ... if the fight actually takes place.

Mosley signed his contract last Friday. Five days later, Mayweather still hasn't signed. Ever the prima donna, perhaps Pretty Boy is simply stringing everyone along. Or maybe Mayweather is reconsidering risking his undefeated record against the 38-year-old Mosley. Let's hope it's the former . . .

Given the fight's uncertainty, we offer a somewhat unusual poll. If you believe the fight will take place, tell us who you think will win. On the other hand, if you believe the fight won't happen, then vote "Fight won't happen".

Poll: Mayweather vs. Mosley. Who Will Win? originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 13:47:11.

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Example 9,287 of the adage that "old boxers are never retired, they're just between fights": former champ - and future Hall of Famer - Erik Morales intends to end his 2½-year "retirement" and return to the ring on March 27 in Monterrey, Mexico. Morales (48-6) is slated to face former lightweight beltholder Jose Alfaro (23-5).

Morales lost five of his final six bouts, including two KO losses to Manny Pacquiao, before coming to the conclusion that he had absorbed more than enough punishment over the course of his 54 bout career. El Terrible was only 30 years old at the time of his "last" bout (a 12-round decision loss to David Diaz in August 2007) but it was an extremely high mileage 30.

The time out of the ring may have helped his body heal. It may have also allowed him to forget that he had little left in the tank in his final few bouts. Or maybe he's simply bored and/or needs the money. One thing is sure - the fact that he's coming back at welterweight, a full 12 pounds above his highest previous weight, isn't a good sign . . .

Erik Morales to End "Retirement" originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 14:08:46.

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New York's Madison Square Garden Theater was the site of the first significant fight card of 2010 and both headliners delivered impressive performances.

WBO junior featherweight champ Juan Manuel Lopez moved up a weight class and stopped Steven Luevano in the seventh round to take Luevano's WBO featherweight title. Late in the seventh, Luevano was dropped by a right-left combination. He beat the count but was in no condition to continue so referee Benji Esteves wisely stopped the bout with 44 seconds remaining in the round.

In the co-feature, Yuriorkis Gamboa defended his WBA featherweight title with a spectacular two round destruction of Rogers Mtagwa. Gamboa simply overwhelmed Mtagwa, dropping the Tanzanian-born challenger once in the first and twice in the second. The final knockdown prompted referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight at 2:35 of round two. In Mtagwa's previous fight, he nearly scored a late round stoppage of Juan Manuel Lopez.

Hopefully these performances will lead to a featherweight showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa in the near future, though promoter Bob Arum is likely to let public demand grow a bit more before jeopardizing either fighter's undefeated record.

Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa Score KO Wins originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 11:43:42.

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When Roy Jones Jr. was knocked out in the first round by Danny Green on Dec. 2, it was widely assumed that a proposed rematch with Bernard Hopkins would be scrapped. Remember what they say about assuming anything? Well, that goes double for the sport of boxing.

At 41, Roy Jones Jr., who has been KO'd three times while going 5-5 in his last ten bouts, should retire. Hopkins, still going strong at 45, should fight Chad Dawson to determine who's the best light heavyweight in the world. Instead, Jones and Hopkins are opting for a payday in a pointless fight that is likely to take place on April 3 in Las Vegas (and on PPV!).

Jones won a 12-round unanimous decision on May 22, 1993 in their first meeting. Anytime from 1994 to 2004, a Jones-Hopkins rematch would have been a big event. Now, sadly, fight fans will just be hoping than Jones doesn't get badly hurt in a bout which serves no purpose other than giving Hopkins a chance to settle an old score against a washed-up rival. No thanks ...

Hopkins-Jones Rematch Still On ... But Why? originally appeared on About.com Boxing on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 12:40:37.

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