Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler talk to the media ahead of their upcoming superfight

Jason Pribila reflects back on the weekend that was, and who were the real winners and losers from the May 4th promotion

By: Mike Sloan: Cinco de Mayo weekend is always the best weekend of the year because of two things: The Kentucky Derby and the biggest boxing event of the year (depending on what the September card will be). What’s even better is that the boxing event is always in Las Vegas and it always features at least one of the biggest stars in the entire sport.

By Jason Pribila: In conjunction with the celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the first Saturday of May has been the day set aside for a big time boxing event. For years fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have performed on this date, and promoters avoided putting on shows anywhere near it.

By Marc Livitz: Cinco de Mayo weekend is fast approaching and that usually means what it has meant in years past. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr., who can now truly be the one who sits alone well atop the mythical yet at times nonsensical “Pound for Pound” rankings will be the center stage in Las Vegas.

By Thomas Hauser: Seanie Monaghan is a “throwback fighter.” In the 1940s, he would have been a neighborhood fight club headliner and local hero.

By Matthew Hurley: There was a moment early on in the super bantamweight tussle between Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux where Nonito’s face betrayed the worry that was beginning to plague his mind. Any excuses for his inability to catch and kill his elusive prey would have to wait until the final bell – unless he could catch lightening in a bottle.

By Marc Livitz: Can it really be nearly twenty years since Julio Cesar Chavez was awarded a gift draw in front of nearly 60,000 crazed spectators at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas? The Mexican icon’s bout versus pound for pound great Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker is still a major talking point amongst boxing fans.

By Matthew Hurley: As Timothy Bradley awaited the judge’s decision after his gut-wrenching battle with Ruslan Provodnikov, conflicting emotions must have been running through his admittedly cluttered mind. As honest a fighter as there is in boxing, Bradley has suffered for respect and his dignity for the past year.

By Thomas Hauser: Don King arrived at Barclays Center for the March 9th IBF 175-pound title fight between Bernard Hopkins and Tavoris Cloud shortly after 8:00 p.m.

By Steve Kim: For weeks, the question posed by those interested was: Given the changing landscape of the boxing business (in the form of Floyd Mayweather going across the street to Showtime), would HBO stay in the Adrien Broner business moving forward? Like Mayweather, Broner is under the Golden Boy Promotions banner and advised by the influential Al Haymon. Broner is scheduled to face WBA welterweight beltholder Paulie Malignaggi on June 22nd from the Barclays Center.

By Steve Kim: As 2012 U.S. Olympian Jose Ramirez was working the mitts with one of Freddie Roach’s assistant trainers at the Wild Card Boxing Club, the question asked to the noted trainer last Saturday afternoon (while he was leaning on the top rope near his famous corner perch near the window overlooking Vine Street in Hollywood) was: Did he suddenly forget how to train fighters?

By: Marc Livitz: The city of angels has probably been more than a refreshing change for Ruslan Provodnikov. When the sheer differences in climate between Los Angeles and Beryozovo, Siberia, Russia are considered, there’s no contest to be had. One locale is constant sunshine, while the other rarely sees temperatures rise beyond the level of freezing.

By Jason Pribila: On Sunday evening the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out their Oscars for this year’s best in film. On Sunday afternoon I was reflecting on the weekend’s best in boxing, while I was putting away my groceries and wondering how I spent over $100 when all I needed was chicken and shaving crèam.

By Clive Bernath: At the age of 48, having won world titles at three different weights and a guaranteed induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame the only aim now for Bernard Hopkins is to protect his Legacy. It is indeed an incredible achievement to even be fighting just two years short of reaching your half century but to actually be taking part in a world title fight and be in with a real shout of claiming the crown defies the realms of sensible logic.

By Steve Kim: Michael Katsidis was scheduled to make his next outing later this month. The fan-friendly fighter was to have faced Weng Haya on February 21st but on early Tuesday morning, a press release was sent out to various members of the boxing media.

By Matthew Hurley: On June 9, 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Timothy Bradley struck gold, or fool’s gold, when he was awarded a dubious decision victory over WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. It was the kind of outcome that makes boxing fans roll their eyes in dismay.

By Lovemore Ndou: It is no secret that boxing attracts beautiful women. On a particular fight night anywhere around the world one would think it just rained beautiful women. Beautiful women in all colours come out to watch fights.

By Jason Pribila: On June 11, 2005, Don King brought his traveling circus to the MCI Center in Washington DC, and 15,472 fans made P.T. Barnum’s quote about a sucker being born every minute prophetic. The marquee read that former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson would be in the ring, but those who witnessed the end of his career soon found out that he no longer able to fight.

By Peter Lim: Omar Henry, 12-0-1 (9 KOs) was unanimously described by all the friends and gym-mates I spoke to as a fun guy to be around. It dawned on me that two of the leads I had the most fun writing for The Houston Chronicle were for features about Omar early in his career.

By Alex Luce: The never-ending yet ever-enduring career of Bernard "The Executioner (of Father Time)" Hopkins seems like the stuff of legend.

By Jason Pribila: This past weekend I had the humbling experience of moving into my new one bedroom apartment. Although the place and location is perfect, the toll it took on my right knee and back was enough to make me vow to ensure I have enough money in my savings account to pay someone to handle the heavy lifting whenever my next change of address may be.

By Cody Kaye: “I’ve been around the block man. I’ve got nothing else to prove. But I tell you what, once I win this, no critic, no knocker, no man can say, that I am not the man. That’s what I’m gonna do; I’m gonna prove that I’m the best.’’

By: Marc Livitz: The Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey has seen more than its fair share of memorable evenings within the ring. On February 16, Golden Boy Promotions will most certainly have high hopes that the action packed card featuring the likes of WBC Lightweight champion Adrien "The Problem" Broner and the newly crowned NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titleholder, Johnathon Banks will produce the same type of fireworks.

By Derek Bonnett: As we encounter another new year, the landscape of the boxing scene continues to evolve. With old champions acting out the final stages of their careers and new ones emerging to fill the void, boxing maintains a state of homeostasis and keeps fight fans intrigued even amid the dubious officiating and cries of scandal.

By Mikko Salo: The Fabulous Klitschko Boys continued their unprecedented heavyweight dominance in 2012, but unlike the previous year, when they dismissed the then Ring #2 and #3 contenders David Haye and Tomasz Adamek in consecutive soccer stadium megafights, their opposition in 2012 left a lot to be desired.

By Derek Bonnett: As another fruitful year of professional fisticuffs wraps up, SecondsOut will honor boxing’s greatest practitioners and non-participants with such accolades as Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Service to Boxing, etc. However, among the 170 ranked SecondsOut fighters and beyond, a multitude of fighters go unrecognized for their less obvious contributions to the sport inside of a single division. Each fighter brings something special into the

By Clive Bernath: With the introduction of two new dedicated boxing channels in the UK in 2012 to rival Sky Sports, Primetime and Channel 5, the profile of boxing in the UK could not be stronger right now.

By Lovemore Ndou: In a sport mostly dominated by males today it’s not so rare to see women boxing officials. I remember when I first laced on a pair of boxing gloves in the 1980’s in South Africa women officials let alone women fighters was a scarcity.

By Jason Pribila: There isn’t a sport that asks more of their fan base than boxing. Whether it be a “Cold War” between promotional giants that prevent coveted fights from happening, rising costs of pay per views, bad decisions, or ticket distribution practices that either leave fans in the cold or overpaying; the boxing fan remains loyal to a fault.

By Cody Kaye: When there are no more rounds to box, no more punches to throw, no more bells to answer or title fights to win, all that remains of a boxers career is one simple thing. Legacy.

By Matthew Hurley: As the most important fight of his career fast approaches, Juan Manuel Marquez is champing at the bit to get at Manny Pacquiao. Convinced that the only way he will finally put his controversial rivalry with the Filipino icon to rest is by knockout, ’Dinamita’ has been concentrating almost exclusively on the strength and power of his upper body.

Mike Sloan – Austin Trout is one hell of a fighter, there’s no denying that. He’s tall and lanky and he has terrific defense. Trout also possess a keen sense of awareness inside the ring and his handspeed doesn’t hurt, either. To top it all off, the Las Cruces, New Mexico native can stand and trade blows in a virtual phone booth, something only a few “safety first” boxers are willing to do.

Mike Sloan – It was close to midnight and his face was a battered, swollen mess. There were scrapes and bruises and bumps everywhere, his head hung low out of frustration and disappointment. Just moments earlier, Miguel Cotto intimated that he will continue to fight, though many within the sport of boxing already think that might be a bad decision.

By Marc Livitz: If the third time’s a charm, then is the fourth time a deterrent? The Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez saga will achieve the distinction of being called a tetralogy on December 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

By Matthew Hurley; He was blessed with smooth boxing skills and crunching power in both hands. But his inner demons led him down a self-destructive path that robbed him of his career, his family and his sense of self-worth.

By: Marc Livitz: Across the wide spectrum of professional sports the majority of athletes remain unsatisfied with simply going through the motions of their respective trade. The desire to gain notoriety, whether for famous or infamous reasons is present in all avenues of sport, or so it may seem.

By Steve Kim: Johnathon Banks has had perhaps as much on his plate coming into a fight as any boxer in recent memory. Not only did he lose his mentor, Emanuel Steward, in late October, he was then entrusted to oversee the training of Wladimir Klitschko and now he faces Seth Mitchell this weekend in Atlantic City.

By Clive Bernath: When Carl Froch defends his IBF super-middleweight crown in front of his home city fans at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England on Saturday night he will start an overwhelming favorite against American challenger Yusaf Mack.

By Don Smith: Sad but true...Politics,inflated egos and a cruel ill-advised suspension almost derailed the 42nd Annual Copper Gloves Tournament at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix, Arizona October 24-25.

By Thomas Hauser: On July 7, 2001, Paulie Malignaggi made his pro debut at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn. Even then, he had a mouth. Two days before the fight, he told Tom Gerbasi, “I’m boxing’s next superstar. Paulie Malignaggi is going to make it up the ladder quickly. I’m going to win multiple titles. I’m going to explode on the scene. I’m looking to make a big splash. And once you see me, I’m going to be here for a while.”

By Clive Bernath: Former two weight world champion Ricky Hatton has finally realized that having to shift a third of his body weight during the build up to a fight is not exactly the ideal preparation. It may have taken the ‘Hitman’ more than 15 years to work out but at least now he has officially gone on record to admit his lifestyle between fights was far from ideal.

By Tom Gray: Joe Frazier was still champion. When the famous ego of Muhammad Ali acquiesced that burned deep within his soul. Ali’s first loss came via unanimous decision after fifteen spectacular rounds and one unforgettable punch on March 8th, 1971. With two minutes of The Fight remaining the red tassels of Ali’s boxing boots shot into the air like mini fireworks as his head struck the canvas.

By Thomas Hauser: An athlete’s life is characterized by peaks and valleys. When Sergio Martinez was 17 years old, he played forward in the number seven slot for a team called “Defensoris” in a junior amateur football (soccer) league in the province of Buenos Aires.

By Matthew Hurley: When the announcement came that Manny Pacquiao will square off against Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth time there was certainly a sense of been there, done that. Despite the skill level, excitement and controversy the first three bouts provided you almost get the feeling that these two evenly matched fighters are tired of seeing the other in the opposite corner.

By Jason Pribila: The sport’s two most powerful promoters simply refuse to get along. Their feud has cost boxing fans the opportunity to see many attractive match-ups, and the latest trend of counter-programming is forcing that same shallow pool of customers to take sides and choose what fights they will spend their time and money on. Adding to the mess is that HBO and Showtime seem to have chosen their sides and enable their promoters of choice to continue to run the sport as separate

By Cody Kaye: How quickly things change in boxing. Just a few short days ago, Australia’s IBF and WBA middleweight champion Daniel “The Real Deal” Geale was heavily favoured to be next in line for a super bout against the winner of the Sergio Martinez v Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. title fight. Now? Well, it’s anybody’s guess.

By Mike Sloan in Las Vegas: The fight that has nabbed the majority of the attention in Las Vegas this week is the huge showdown between unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez at the Thomas & Mack Center. The HBO Pay Per View-televised bout has sold out the 19,000-seat venue and it’s expected to do very well in terms of television viewers.