By Clive Bernath: As Amir Khan celebrates his 25th birthday today with close family and friends he will no doubt be aware that he is just one fight away from realising his dream of becoming a genuine world class operator with ppv box office appeal.

By Gerry Hand: In his fourth professional fight Paschal Collins out-pointed a Mexican called Jorge VERA, eight fights down the line he out boxed Jack Duckworth.

By Jason Pribila: On Saturday Night the eyes of the boxing world were once again focused on Madison Square Garden in New York City where 21,239 mostly Puerto Rican fans filled the building to capacity to cheer on their own Miguel Cotto’ as he attempted to enact revenge on the first man to defeat him. Cotto would have to overcome the cloud of suspicion, controversy, and personal loss in order to focus on the task at hand, which was to leave the ring with his hand raised in victory.

By Derek Bonnett: It’s December and 2011 is rapidly coming to a close. If the Mayan calendar holds true, there are precious few months left for mankind and there are going to be legions of professional prizefighters whose dreams of world title contention will remain unfulfilled as the world comes crashing down in 2012.

By John Wharton: many people will agree, a nickname is easy to come by but difficult to shrug off...just ask ‘Skidmark Mooney’ from my junior school days. In sport, however, a nickname can encapsulate just who you are and what you do, and one sport in which it is seemingly essential to have one is boxing.

By Clive Bernath; The New York State Athletic Commission finally granted Antonio Margarito a boxing licence to fight Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden on December 3.

Jerry Glick reporting: He played Sonny Liston opposite Will Smith in “Ali” on the big screen; he was in "Public Enemies" starring with Johnny Depp; he was in "State Property 2" with Damon Dash; he has appeared on television on Saturday Night Live; he did "Sons of Anarchy." He has played Othello, The Moor of Venice, and he has written for HBO and Bert Sugar’s “Fight Game.” Michael Bentt, former WBO Heavyweight Champion, has added to his boxing prowess by becoming a man of the arts.

By Dave McKee: When the opening bell tolled, bringing the eyes of boxing fans and casual observers alike to focus on the fabled squared circle on November 12, 2012, something profound transpired. Thirty-six-plus-twelve minutes of deep significance passed, and few who watched took notice.

By Matthew Hurley: Well, there’s nothing quite like a bit of controversy to get boxing fans all in a lather. The rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, two fighters so evenly matched we all should have known going in that it would be another hotly contested bout, once again fought on nearly even terms and left their respective admirers in defensive mode.

By Mikko Salo: Good news: In December we will have a two-weekend stretch, where one of The Undisputed Heavyweight Champions and two of The Ring Top 5 heavyweight contenders are stepping in the squared circle. Then the bad news: None of them is facing another Ring Top 10 opponent.