Boxing Boxing Rumors

We still don't know whether we'll get the dream fight of Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year, but we do know this: Mayweather is favored to win the fight, but bettors are feeling confident about Pacquiao.

The online sports book Bodog.com is already taking bets on the fight (bets that will only become valid if they actually fight in 2010), and Bodog decided to set the opening odds at -170 for Mayweather, signaling that Mayweather's undefeated record (not to mention his size advantage) would make him the expected winner if the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world meet in the ring.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Wladimir Klitschko is a 6-foot-6 powerhouse fighter who currently holds four heavyweight titles - the IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine. In this FanHouse exclusive, we talk to "Dr. Steelhammer" about his brother Vitali Klitschko (and his upcoming fight against Cris Arreola), how often do people get them confused and more.

Check out the video after the jump.

A former professional boxer, Freddie Roach has not fought competitively since retiring in October 1986.

But during an exclusive interview with FanHouse from Los Angeles on Tuesday, the 2009 Trainer of The Year seemed as if he was ready to lace up the gloves and go after rival trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.

Hearing for the first time that Mayweather Sr. has implied that steroid use had contributed to the rise in weight of Manny Pacquiao, his No. 1 fighter and boxing's 2009 Fighter of the Year, Roach fired back, among other things, "Where in the hell did that come from?"

Check out the full interview below.

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SAO PAULO (AP) -- An autopsy indicates former boxing champion Arturo Gatti may have committed suicide, been accidentally killed or murdered, according to a Brazilian newspaper that said it obtained a copy of the coroner's initial findings.

Police have said they are certain Gatti's 23-year-old wife strangled the boxer with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept July 11, but the autopsy report raises some doubts.

Gatti was found dead in the apartment he was renting with wife Amanda Rodrigues in the Brazilian seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Showtime is putting the final touches on a six-man super middleweight round-robin tournament that will include two current champions and three former U.S. Olympians.

Two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Thursday that the details, including sites and dates, are being worked out this week. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing

Boxing's decline in popularity has come in large part because all the biggest fights are on pay-per-view or premium cable. But that will change this month, when, for the first time ever, ESPN will broadcast a heavyweight title fight live.

Having the promotional muscle of ESPN behind that heavyweight title fight, featuring WBC heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko defending his belt against Juan Carlos Gomez, will undoubtedly be good for the sport. But when I talked to ESPN boxing commentator Teddy Atlas this week, he cautioned that boxing has problems that the Klitschko vs. Gomez fight can't come close to solving. My interview with Atlas is below.

The California State Athletic Commission has taken swift action against boxer Antonio Margarito, stripping him of his license after he was found to have an illegal substance in his hand wraps before his fight with Shane Mosley last month.

Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo, has also had his license revoked. Both can apply to have their licenses reinstated a year from now.

Roy Jones Jr. will return to the ring on March 21 to take on the little-known Omar Sheika in a card that he's promoting himself, with mixed martial arts fights featuring Seth Petruzelli and Bobby Lashley on the undercard.

Combining boxing and MMA has been tried before, although never in a card featuring a fighter as well known as Jones. And although neither Petruzelli nor Lashley is anywhere close to being a great MMA fighter, they're both well known: Petruzelli beat Kimbo Slice on national television in October, while Lashley was once among the most popular pro wrestlers in the WWE. Another MMA fight on the card is supposed to match Roy Nelson against Jeff Monson, although Monson's legal problems could make that difficult.

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired over the summer, he passed the title of best pound-for-pound boxer in the world to Manny Pacquiao. Now Mayweather's relatives say he wants to take that title back from Pacquiao.

According to various members of the Mayweather family, Floyd Jr. watched Pacquiao beat Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday and became motivated to end his retirement:

"My niece said my son told her he wanted to fight Pacquiao next, and that he wants me to train him for the fight," Mayweather Sr. said.

Bernice Mayweather said she was not surprised to hear her grandson -- a five-division champion with a 39-0 record, who last fought Dec. 8, 2007 -- wants to return to the ring.

"I always said he was going to fight again," she said. "It was just a matter of time. He was waiting until the time is right. And the time is right. I knew he was going to come out of retirement -- he did it before, didn't he?"

Janelle Mayweather disclosed her conversation with Mayweather Jr. to family members Sunday at Bernice Mayweather's home.

The problem in all this is that the Mayweather family is estranged, and Floyd Sr. is in no position to say much of anything about what Floyd Jr. plans to do. So until we hear the words come out of Floyd Jr.'s mouth, we shouldn't get too excited.

Still, for those of us hoping to see the two best boxers in the world in the ring together, this is a good sign.

World middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik's stock has fallen since his loss to Bernard Hopkins, and No. 1 contender Arthur Abraham's stock is only high in his native Germany. But a fight between the two of them would be a very big deal for boxing, and it looks like that fight is going to happen.

Abraham's promoter, Wilfried Sauerland, said in an interview with the German web site Abendblatt.de that he expects Abraham to fight Pavlik next year in a battle that would determine without a doubt who the best middleweight in the world is.

Sauerland said of Abraham, who beat Raul Marquez Saturday, "Arthur's future is in the U.S. He wants to fight WBO / WBC champion Kelly Pavlik in the summer and then he will move up to super middleweight."

Sauerland added that a fight with Felix Sturm is unlikely for Abraham, although he has said in other interviews that the fight is possible if it can be done quickly, to give Abraham time to fight Pavlik in the summer.

A full translation of the interview, from Robert at Betwwx, is below.