Perhaps Glen Johnson's best attempt at head-games during the buildup to Saturday night's 175-pound rematch with IBO titlist Chad Dawson is his refusal to admit defeat.
The facts are that Johnson was not only judged the loser of their first light heavyweight clash in April of 2008 by scores of 116-112 on all three cards, but that the decision was rendered before a partisan crowd in Miami -- not far from the native Jamaican's current home in Hollywood, Fla.
But Johnson's insistence that he was "robbed" clearly rankles Dawson's promoter, Gary Shaw, and if nothing else, has Dawson so chagrined that he has vowed to turn up the heat when they face off at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., near the champion's hometown of New Haven.
David Haye has fists that have earned him the nickname, "The Hayemaker," since only one opponent in 22 victories has gone the distance with him.
But the London resident is known by opponents as much for his verbal taunts and jabs outside of the ring as he is for the actual bombs he throws inside of it.
Haye, for example, once wore T-shirts sporting the decapitated likenesses of the siblings, heavyweight champions Wladimir Klitschko (IBF and WBO) and Vitali Klitschko (WBC), during promotions of scheduled bouts with each that never materialized.
And during the buildup to Saturday's matchup with WBA titlist, Nikolay Valuev, of Russia, Haye's vocal assault on the largest heavyweight champion in history have been equally relentless.
Called by Haye, "a circus freak, a zombie and a robot," the seven-foot Valuev literally steps over the ropes instead of through them because he says "it's easier."
Paul Williams will be ending a nearly nine-month layoff when he enters the ring on Dec. 5 against Sergio Martinez, which he calls "a good thing."
Williams (37-1, 27 knockouts) will face Martinez (44-1-2, 24 KOs) in Atlantic City, on the same night he was supposed to challenge WBO and WBC middleweight (160 pounds) champion Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs), before the titlist canceled their bout due to a staph infection on the knuckle of his left forefinger.
"I've got to focus on this guy now. It's a little bit of an adjustment, but it's nothing that a champion can't do," said Williams, an Aiken, S.C., native now living in Augusta, Ga.
"At this point in my career, a win is a win. But any time you get in there, you want to make a statement," said Williams. "And I'm going to make a statement. I'm going to go in there and do what I do."
Champion Miguel Cotto has a message for challenger Manny Pacquiao as well as those who believe he can be successful during his quest to win a world title in a record seventh different weight class: "They picked the wrong guy."
"If he thinks he's going to reach a seventh title in a seventh different division, he picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent," said Cotto, all but bristling during Thursday's conference call with the national media.
"If he thinks he's going to beat Miguel Cotto," said Cotto, "he's pretty much all wrong with that kind of thinking."
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum called a recent report that he is negotiating a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight in early March at Cowboys Stadium "total nonsense."
"We haven't talked to Mayweather," said Arum. "We haven't discussed it with Mayweather."
The story, reported by an affiliate of The Dallas Morning News, quoted Top Rank vice president Bruce Trampler as indicating that Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) needed to dethrone WBO champ Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) on Nov. 14, after which Top Rank could focus on making the fight with Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) in Arlington, Texas.
During the buildup of WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao, the challenger's trainer, Freddie Roach, says he's having fun at the expense of Cotto and his chief cornermen, Joe Santiago.
Cotto "is slower," and "gets hit so much more" since his 11th-round knockout loss to Antonio Margarito, and "his defense sucks, because he's training himself," said Roach.
Even though "Bad" Chad Dawson won by four points on all three judges cards in the hometown of his opponent the last time they faced, Glen Johnson still believes that he was robbed.
So on Saturday night, the 40-year-old fighter nicknamed, "The Road Warrior," will travel to the 27-year-old Dawson's home turf of Hartford, Conn., hoping to show the young pup that the old dog has learned some new tricks during his quest to become the eldest fighter to win a light heavyweight crown.
FanHouse sought the opinions of some of boxing's experts to determine if Dawson can retain his IBO title and win the "interim" WBC 175-pound crown Saturday night.
George Foreman was 28 fights into his comeback from a 10-year absence from the ring, had won 27 times, stopped 25 of his opponents, and failed during his first attempt at winning a heavyweight title.
But Foreman wasn't going to blow his second chance at world championship glory, when he faced southpaw Michael Moorer.
This time, the 45-year-old grandfather and father of nine was ready.
Foreman, 60, talks about his historic accomplishment as well as life after boxing during this, the fourth and final installment of a four-part series detailing how he became boxing's oldest man to win a division's crown.
When Manny Pacquiao emerged from backstage for Tuesday night's appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, he was greeted by chants of "Manny, Manny," from what appeared to be a large contingent of his Filipino countrymen.
Near the end of the segment, Pacquiao, wearing a dark, button-down shirt and blue jeans, literally closed the show, singing along with the band as the members of the crowd, collectively, waved their arms.
With Thursday being the 15th anniversary of his 10th-round knockout of Michael Moorer -- which made him, at age 45, the oldest man to become heavyweight champion -- George Foreman reminisced about his comeback from a 10-year hiatus from boxing.
An evangelist for his non-denominational, Church of Jesus Christ, Foreman, 60, recalls the reaction of his wife, Mary, to the news that he was un-retiring, how trainers such as former light heavyweight champion, Archie Moore and Angelo Dundee, re-structured and modified his style, and how a victory over Steve Zouski began a run of 24 straight wins, including 23 knockouts during this, the second installment of a four-part Q&A series.
Perhaps Glen Johnson's best attempt at head-games during the buildup to Saturday night's 175-pound rematch with IBO titlist Chad Dawson is his refusal to admit defeat.
David Haye
Top Rank promoter 
During the buildup of WBO welterweight champ 
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