This weeks V8

Pavlik, Pacquiao Tango for a 'Tijuana Twister'?

Jack Lowe, trainer of Kelly Pavlik has recently stated in so many words that he's completely open to a shot at 'Tijuana Tornado', Antonio Margarito. Trouble is, Filipino Manny Pacquiao seems to be the front-runner to land his services if Margarito gets past his upcoming opponent, Roberto Garcia at the 154lb weight limit. What's funny about this is that we have one of the biggest names in the sport and the sports P4P king both considering a man who has yet to be granted a new license to box in the U.S. after being caught in an illegal hand wrap scandal. What's even funnier is that one man is much smaller, and would require Margarito to go back to the weight class he recently defected, (147lb welterweight division); and the other would require him to go north one division to the middleweight limit of 160lbs. Whether Margarito chooses to go up or down in weight, the fact that a promoter in a sport currently trying to clean up it's act is open to the possibility of this 'still-banned-in-the-USA' contender fighting two marquee names tells precisely what this fight game and most other things in life is all about.......money. And right now, it's talking! It'll be interesting to see which side answers, as he won't be an easy fight for either man. Hopefully, Pavlik wins this battle, as a Mayweather victory on May 1st would make many of us inclined to wanna see a showdown for the real 'Money'.

Freddie Roach: Lost A Stud, Adds A Dud

Famed trainer Freddie Roach recently let a fighter slip away that many viewed to be potentially his most prized possession of tomorrow. It's no secret that Pacquiao won't be around forever, and with Amir Khan still evolving and working out the kinks, many wonder which fighter will keep Roach at the head of the class when Pacquiao does indeed hang 'em up. Guillermo Rigondeaux, a Cuban native, is widely viewed as a perennial star in the making. With over 400 amateur fights and a ton of valued credentials, many think he's completely ready at this point for any contender one could possibly throw at him. The talented southpaw super-bantamweight was quoted as telling sources in so many words that he felt Roach and his assistants failed to give him the proper attention. This lack of attention caused the disgruntled fighter to abandon ship, pulling out of a scheduled match up in the interim. With a strong pedigree and a good head on his shoulders, picking up Julio Chavez jr. after losing out on Rigondeaux is like swapping a 1st pick in the 1st round of an NFL Draft for an unproven 3rd round pick from a division II school. Roach is normally on his game, but in another parallel to the NFL, I'm afraid on this one he truly "dropped the ball"!

Bernard Hopkins: No Longer Gold, But Fit To Be (With) King?

After months and months of underground rumbling, Bernard Hopkins has recently gone public with Examiner.com's Michael Marley about his 'on-again-off-again-off-for-good' relationship with Goldenboy Promotions. Most of Hopkins' thoughts were so laced with expletives it would make no sense to republish them, but if those comments were thought provoking, what he did in the the aftermath certainly has many of us thinking, and contrary to popular belief, those thoughts aren't all bad. Schafer's comments about Hopkins the night of the Jones rematch were probably not the 'best' move, but in victory and in good health, the reality here is that if he can continue to be medically cleared, and pass the test before him in the ring, any efforts to have him leave the sport should first consider that he has a family to feed and a medical clearance to continue feeding them. It may not be in GBP's best interest to continue to promote him, but there's a gray bushy-haired guy in South Florida who appears to be far more than eager. One door closed is another door opened. That door closed probably includes the desired shot against David Haye, but the door opened could very well bring Chad Dawson, which is a fight most of us would rather see anyhow. Stay tuned.

Ricky Hatton: Don't Call It A Comeback.....

The U.K.'s Ricky Hatton recently received a proposal from Goldenboy Promotions to take part in a two-fight deal, placing him in the ring against Mexican legends Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez. When you consider the three men at the center of this spectacle, on paper, these fights look like two wars waiting to happen. Unfortunately for interested fight fans, paper burns, but calories don't....or at least not too easily....as the 'never-in-shape-when-out-of-the-ring' Ricky Hatton finds the odds of him dropping enough weight to compete again to be a bit more of a task than he's probably up for. Let the records reflect, cutting weight wasn't his "official" problem, but judging by the internet trail of photos showing the 'British Bulldog' walking around in what appears to be easily the 180lb range, no question, it would be a near impossible challenge to reverse what rumors and reality show to be a lifetime full of binge eating. Whatever the case may be, the end result is quite clear.......as rapper L.L. Cool "J" would say...."Don't call it a comeback"!

Andre Berto: 8 Rounds, 1 (Big) Statement!

Prior to last Saturday night's showdown between Haitian Andre Berto and Puerto Rican Carlos Quintana, many fight fans wondered whether or not the young Berto would be able to handle the slick veteran southpaw. Once widely questioned and perceived to be untested, the near 1 year layoff for Andre Berto did little after the 4th round to slow him from showing his mettle. Overall, his performance was very gutsy, as he showed not only more chin and stamina than we've seen, but far more patience. The talented kid that many of us thought was well on his way to dominating the welterweight division down the line showed us that dream may not be one after all. Huge statement fight for my man 'Dre, but there's still work to be done. Can't wait to see him 'go to work'!

Wladi-K/David Haye Play 'Role Reversal'

Typically known as a very laid back and reserved character, Ukranian Wladimir Klitschko recently sounded off, playing the not-very-familiar role of the bad guy, as he called out 'British Bomber' David Haye in a video taped message. Wladimir looked quite comfortable in the bad boy role, but what's unclear at this point is how well David Haye settled into his new role, going from the 'pimp' to the 'pimped'. Never one to be quiet for too long, oddly enough, Haye has yet to respond, as we now see day 4 without a direct response. I won't go take the lead of some fight fans and say that he's afraid, but judging by many of the recent moves and the now subsequent silence, no question, his critics have been given more than enough ammunition to let the words fly.

Arthur Abraham Files Protest: 'After Further Review'

Promoters for Arthur Abraham, Sauerland Events, recently filed a motion of protest, disputing Abraham's recent DQ loss to Michigan's Andre Dirrell. Most of the things disputed centered around referee Laurence Cole and a failure on his behalf to make a few calls that the Abraham camp felt could have been instrumental in their fighter actually winning. No question, Cole could have done a few things a bit differently, but when you go back and watch the video footage, all proof needed to justify the ultimate stoppage remains unequivocal. Not seeing the footage, one could easily say it was a split second between the time Dirrell hit his knee and moment he was hit by Abraham. But as they say in the NFL...."after further review" (of the video footage), this protest is about as funny as the new nickname disgruntled Abraham fans now call the Michigan native- "Denzel Dirrell" (for his perceived acting)! A foul that started out as no laughin' matter has resulted in a protest that most would agree is a total joke! Carry on fellas, that dog won't hunt!

Bute/Miranda: No Saturday 'Seconds'

With Pavlik and Martinez set to headline this coming Saturday night, few fight fans are talking about the Lucian Bute/Edison Miranda showdown. Most consider Miranda an afterthought, but after seeing recent photos and hearing his trainer, Joe Goosen, talk about the new 'wrinkles' they implemented in camp and how Miranda adapted leaves quite a bit to watch for. Now granted, we've heard all of the great soundbytes before, so whether or not these new 'wrinkles' actually iron things out remains to be seen. But that being said, realizing that this could be his last shot at true contention and knowing that the world will be watching, if there was ever a stage for Miranda to show his worth, this would be it. Ready or not, in less than 48hrs, the time will come. This fight may not be the main course, but judging by the recent rhetoric back and forth, I feel compelled to say it won't be a case of 'sloppy' seconds!

(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, www.vivekwallace.com, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), and Facebook.