Might as well clear the deck in advance of the big phony countdown for Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao tonight plus all the fights on Showtime and ESPN2 and whatnot by looking at all the other fights in the works (we already did the Quick Jabs, so that's out of the way too). P.S. Would you rather have Snoop Dogg or Pardon The Interruption on your side? Either way, both will be wrong about many things, judging by their takes on boxing above. Pacquiao has agreed to the drug tests Mayweather asked for in December, not scoring knockouts is not equal to "losing it," etc. etc. etc.

To the right, observe the blurry cover of the September issue of Ring magazine, where I have my first full-length feature after penning a couple smaller items. (It's blurry because I hyper-inflated a super-small image from the table of contents.) My understanding is that the issue has already hit some mailboxes, so I feel obligated to command you to run out and buy three copies, then write a letter to Ring about how it was your favorite article ever. It's about an increase in the amount of boxing broadcasts in 2010, a topic that originated in a discussion here with friend of the site willfrank. But it's also about 3-D boxing. Yes, 3-D boxing.

Self-promotion completed, I must insist we get to the Quick Jabs. I insist! Because I'm in a bossy mood. Besides the headline, we visit once more with Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao because the "deadline" is today, the Klitschkos vs. HBO and boxing's ugly 2010, among other topics.

[UPDATE: I'm bumping this post up in case people didn't see that it was Prediction Game-applicable. First deadline begins at noon Friday! But don't overlook Alex McClintock's post, either.]

This week’s schedule includes an HBO doubleheader that may not be too competitive and a ShoBox tripleheader that’s as competitive on paper as any I can recall, basically ever. That’s the tip of the iceberg, though, as there’s much more on tap. None of them rise to the level of their own preview or prediction blog entry, so we’ll do it all at once.

(If you’re playing TQBR Prediction Game 3.0, read closely for which ones will apply and which ones won’t, and also deadlines deadlines deadlines. [Hint: It’s the first four.])

Golden Boy Promotions is in a little bit of trouble in New York. Depending on who you ask, Oscar and Co. are either guilty of deliberately breaking the law or just forgetting some paperwork. I don't aim to get to the bottom of the matter, but I'm going to put on my fawn cardigan again and have a look at the way the story's been reported.

To look at Pacland over the weekend, you'd think apocalypse had been visited upon the Philippines. A series of boxing matches that very weekend prompted the dour mood. Featherweight Bernabe Concepcion and junior featherweight Eden Sonsona lost by knockout. Flyweight Brian Viloria won, but in a closer-than-expected decision over a journeyman. Only junior bantamweight Nonito Donaire won impressively, albeit against a hopeless opponent.

The reviews were pretty sad sack: "Donaire saves the day on heartbreak Sunday." "The Concepcion debacle: Whose head should roll?" "Do we have someone worse than Concepcion?" "Viloria fails to impress, escapes by split verdict." "The time has probably come for us to take Brian Viloria for what he is."

And you know what? It is indeed a bit on the dismal side for Pinoy boxing. It wasn't so long ago that Filipino boxers were holding a slew of alphabet belts and filling the ranks of promising young prospects. Now, it's just pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao (as if "just" is the right word to describe such a gift to the Philippines) plus Donaire and a long list of fallen Filipinos.

So how'd it get that way?

Here's your first leaderboard for TQBR Prediction Game 3.0. But before we get into the standings, I have a question for the playas:

What fights should we do next for the game? Take a look at the schedule -- several "bigger" fights aren't expected to be too competitive until about August 7, and several smaller fights could be a bit tougher to predict. So check the schedule, and help me pick which one(s) we should do next, please.

At it stands now, accuracy is the difference between 1st place and a very long list of 2nd-placers. The man of the moment? Frankie Topanga aka ScottB, who called both a unanimous decision win for Andre Ward over Allan Green, like 24 other people, and a knockout win for Juan Manuel Lopez over Bernabe Concepcion, like 24 other people. Ah, but here's the difference: He predicted a 3rd round knockout for Juanma, one round late but one round earlier than anyone else. That's good for a 50-point edge over all us others types.

I gotta give an affectionately defamatory bonus mention to Da Weasel aka FunkyBadger, who picked both Green and Concepcion, and didn't get the Concepcion pick in by deadline, either. Triple-fail! A lot of people left points on the table from one fight to the next, too -- 11 fewer people made predictions for Lopez-Concepcion than Ward-Green. So wasteful.

As for the picture, yes, Paul the World Cup-predicting octopus is stale and uncreative, but someday I'm going to run out of pics related to things that can predict things, so I gotta go with this now or never.

Now, your standings. If you see any tabulation errors, notify me so we can adjudicate:

Warning: This is not a happy column. This is an angry rant. If you are offended by liberal use of profanity and seething, unrepressed rage, I suggest you stop reading now and check out one of the hundreds of intelligently considered, profanity-free posts that make up the vast majority of TQBR. I also suggest you avoid conversations with Bob Arum (though I suggest that to everyone regardless of their tolerance of cussing). Sorry, but I need to get this off my chest, and censoring vulgarity in this case would inadequately express the depths of my disgust.

People always criticize promoters for their undercards. I can honestly say this is the best undercard we’ve put together since we formed Golden Boy Promotions. This is a pay-view-card, which means we pay for everything. We’re taking a big risk. I hope the fans support us and come out in big numbers to watch on pay-per-view or live at Mandalay Bay. If they don’t, I don’t want to hear anyone complain about weak undercards anymore. – Richard Schaefer, CEO, Golden Boy Promotions

I know what people want and they can go fuck themselves. – Bob Arum, CEO, Top Rank

I love analogies. Simple analogies, long-winded analogies, obvious analogies, convoluted analogies. I find that analogies are one of the best ways to expose the heart of an issue, to communicate deeper realities or absurdities in ways impossible with simple description.

So when I read Richard Schaefer’s mind-bogglingly arrogant, cynical, hateful quote above, I was of course compelled to come up with a few analogies to emphasize just what a dickhead one must be to utter such a quote. So, what Schaefer said is something like:

(Tim isn’t the only one who can exploit patriotic imagery. ‘MERICA!)

Ahh. This is why I spend my hard-earned (don’t laugh) money, trek through hateful traffic, suffer endless intermissions and dreadful undercard fights – because when a boxing card is as good as Friday night’s doubleheader at the Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall was, there is simply nothing better.

The quartet of welterweights that headlined the Peltz Promotions/DiBella Entertainment card - Mike Jones and Irving Garcia in the main event and Antwone Smith and Lanardo Tyner in the co-feature – provided enough action to make the night memorable, but even if they hadn’t delivered I would have been thrilled regardless. The undercard was that good.

Big props to Russell Peltz and Lou DiBella, who don’t have the resources of Top Rank or Golden Boy Promotions but provide consistently top-notch cards through smart, fan-oriented matchmaking, a keen eye for underappreciated talent, and a deep knowledge of the East Coast fight scene.

(Juan Manuel Lopez finishes Bernabe Concepcion. Photo credit: Tom Casino, Showtime)

This was Juanma at his best and Juanma at his worst. On Showtime Saturday, featherweight Juan Manuel Lopez was on course for a destructive early knockout of Bernabe Concepcion in the 1st round after scoring an official knockdown and getting another that didn't count, demonstrating the power that makes him one of boxing's biggest punchers. Then he got caught by a counter left at the end of the round and got decked himself, demonstrating the tendency toward vulnerability aided by foolishness. But he came back a bit more under control in the 2nd, twice flooring Concepcion -- who's normally sturdy, by the way -- to end the fight and turning the stadium in Puerto Rico into a convection oven of sound. If the performance gave both believers and doubters ammunition, it did nothing to erase Juanma's reputation as a thrilling fighter.

On the undercard, junior bantamweight Nonito Donaire was so hungry for a challenge he fought four rounds against Hernan Marquez as a southpaw, and as much as he proved he could win that way, the fight completely flipped the moment Donaire switched back to his usual orthodox stance. Donaire swiftly dropped Marquez in the next round, then dominated him before finishing him off in the 8th. The performance changed nothing for Donaire -- he's still a supertalented boxer fighting undertalented opponents and desperately in need of a marquee bout.

(DeMarcus Corley, flamboyant as ever. Photo credit: nazarioz)

FAIRFAX, Va. -- I know everybody out there for the most part has the Showtime card on their minds, and I'll get to that shortly. But I went to the Patriot Center for a live show with friend of the site nazarioz, since the last time it was so much fun, and it was again this time, too. I know I preach the gospel about going to local shows every time I go to one, but I have to say it again: You get a ton of bang for your buck going to these shows, or at least the ones in my region -- they're usually matched well, with the more hyped fighters often getting tested, and all the guys tend to brawl their asses off.

The stars of the evening, local fighters Jimmy Lange and DeMarcus Corley, got back to their winning ways, although not without some early difficulty. But both finished the show strongly with stoppage wins.