By Mikko Salo: On Saturday night in Helsinki, fight fans were treated to the most entertaining heavyweight fight of the year between two young and hungry pugilists who are sure to make an increasing amount of noise in the division in the coming years. Dereck Chisora in dropping a controversial split decision against Robert Helenius redeemed himself after the lackluster 18 pounds heavier showing against Tyson Fury.

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.

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.

By Mike Sloan: For a fight as close as they come, one that easily could have gone to either man, the official result of Manny Pacquiao’s majority decision win over rival Juan Manuel Marquez has raised quite an uproar. Some 24 hours after the Filipino superstar’s hand was raised in victory, there remains some incendiary embers underneath the ashes of the immediate fallout from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

By Clive Bernath; Over the last three years Manny Pacquiao has firmly established himself as the world’s No.1 pound for pound boxer. Ironically, it was not until after he squeezed a 12 round split decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in their March, 2008 rematch that ‘Pac Man’ first seriously appeared on the radar of the casual boxing fan.

By Roman Kolaczek: Boxing has been a mainstream sport for over a century. Many generations have had great heavyweight champions, many of them household names all over the world.