Boxing Insider Notebook: Pacquiao, Mayweather, Tyson, Crawford, Cotto, PBC, Hopkins, and More..

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of March 3rd to March 10th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Pacquiao-Mayweather Press Conference to be Shown Live On SportsCenter on Wednesday

The super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will only have one pre-fight press conference, and that will be televised live on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Wednesday, March 11th from the Los Angeles Nokia Theatre at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Jeremy Schaap and Bernardo Osuna will be on site to interview both fighters before and after the press conference.

Strip Club Offers Mayweather-Pacquiao Winner Free Lap Dances for Life

Déjà vu Showgirls, a strip club located in Las Vegas, has offered the winner of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on May 2nd free couch dances for life. They have also offered to share their $500,000 bottle of gold-plated Dom Perignon with the winner at the club for free.

Déjà vu has also offered the winner four strippers who will tattoo the winner’s name on their bodies, a permanent drink creation named in the winner’s honor, a topless foxy boxing match in the club in the winner’s honor, and a life-sized portrait of the winner with strippers at his feet displayed at the club lobby forever.

Roc Nation Sports Announces Partnership with Miguel Cotto

Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports has announced an official partnership with boxing legend and current middleweight champion Miguel Cotto. Roc nation adds Cotto to their growing stable of boxers which already includes Andre Ward.

Cotto is expected to fight in New York City sometime in June but his opponent has not been announced.

Crawford vs. Dulorme Set for April 18th

Terence Crawford (25-0) and Thomas Dulorme (22-1) are set to meet for the vacant WBO Jr. Welterweight Championship on Saturday, April 18th at the College Park Center at the University of Texas-Arlington. This bout will be televised live on HBO and tickets are currently on sale. This will be part of a split site double header live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Crawford stated, “I am ready to do bigger and better things at 140.”

“I’m here to prove to the world that I am the best fighter in the junior welterweight division,” said Dulorme. “Crawford has an undefeated record but he’s never won a fight at 140 lbs. I’m envisioning a hard-fought victory, one that I will bring back home to my people of Puerto Rico.”

Tickets will be available online at www.utatickets.com.

Chavez Jr. vs. Fonfara Tickets on Sale

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-1-1) will return to the ring on Saturday, April 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson California to take on Andrzej Fonfara (26-3) live on Showtime.

“I’m excited to get back in the ring and remind everyone that I’m one of the best fighters in the world,” said Chavez Jr. “I have a tough test on April 18, but I am going to pass with flying colors and I look forward to taking on any challengers after that.”

“This is another great opportunity for me and I’m very thankful to have it,” said Fonfara. “I’ve been in there with the best fighters in the world and as always I’m going to try to put on a show for the fans and walk out victorious.”

Tickets will be made available online at axs.com.

Hopkins to Call Kovalev vs. Pascal

Bernard Hopkins will be ringside on Saturday, March 14th at the Bell Centre in Montreal working as the expert analyst for the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast. He will work alongside HBO’s regular broadcast team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, and Harold Lederman.

HBO will broadcast two fights in addition to the main event between Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal. Isaac Hilemba and Vasily Lepikhin will open up the telecast in the light heavyweight division and the co-feature will be between Vyacheslav Glazkov and Steve Cunningham in the heavyweight division.

Mike Tyson Won’t Match 50 Cent’s 1.6 Million Dollar Bet on Pacquiao-Mayweather

Mike Tyson recently told TMZ Sports that he likes Manny Pacquiao to beat Floyd Mayweather on May 2nd, but that he won’t make a 50 Cent style $1.6 million dollar bet on the fight. Tyson stated that he simply does not have the money to bet on the fight.

More can be found at http://www.tmz.com/2015/03/05/mike-tyson-im-not-betting-on-mayweather-fight-i-dont-have-no-money/

Premier Boxing Champions on NBC is Most Watched Boxing Broadcast Since 1998

The debut of the PBC on NBC was the most watched professional boxing broadcast since 1998 according to Fast National Data from the Nielsen Company. It averaged 3.4 million viewers and the last boxing broadcast to top that number was Oscar De La Hoya’s Fight Night on Fox on March 23, 1998.

“The return of primetime boxing to NBC for the first time in three decades got off to a strong start last weekend with Saturday’s PBC on NBC debut,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports and NBCSN.

“With our next primetime telecast on Saturday, April 11, we look forward to building n the momentum that this first event clearly established. We are excited that high-quality boxing is back on NBC.”