This has been a big week for boxing, for all sorts of reasons. On Sunday the British fight game lost one of its most iconic figures. Sir Henry Cooper - our 'enery - typified the spirit of the age in which fought and was, as his most famous opponent Muhammad Ali said, 'a great fighter and a gentleman'. He will be missed.
On Saturday night the ever-popular Prizefighter series goes international with a night of heavyweight boxing from Alexandra Palace in north London. Being a bit of a boxing traditionalist I wasn't a big fan of the format when it first appeared in 2008. But I have to admit, I'm a convert. It will be interesting to see if the concept takes off internationally and helps revive interest in boxing, as Steve Bunce clearly believes.
Over in Las Vegas, Nevada, boxing promoters are having little difficulty stimulating interest in Pacquiao's next outing, even if we're no closer to the mulit-million pound superfight with Mayweather we all want to see. 'Sugar' Shane Mosley has had a great career and is a tough cookie, but at 39 most people expect him to be too slow for Pacquiao's whirling fists. Pacquiao has fought three times since he destroyed Hatton back in May 2009 and although Cotto, Clottey and Margarito presented very different challenges, they all had something in common. They all managed to take the contest into the twelfth round and they all ended in convincing victories for the Filipino great. Mosley meanwhile has made it to the twelfth round in five of his last six fights. If the pattern is to continue, the 25/1 on offer from Sporting Bet for a Pacquiao victory in Round 12 looks tempting. I'm not quite that brave though, so I'm going for rounds 10-12, a 6-1 shot with newcomers Unibet.
