Boxing writer Keith Idec?s inside look at the sport:
FEATURED FIGHT: Heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola (29-2, 25 KOs) of Riverside, Calif., vs. Joey Abell (27-4, 26 KOs) of Coons Rapids, Minn. Arreola and Abell will square off tonight in a 10-round fight, the main event of ESPN2?s “Friday Night Fights” telecast from Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. The co-featured fight will pit undefeated 140-pound prospect Michael Dallas Jr. (17-0-1, seven KOs) of Bakersfield, Calif., against Riverside?s Josesito Lopez (28-3, 16 KOs, one NC) in a 10-round junior welterweight bout.
LOCAL LOOK: Prospect Park?s Rickey Edwards outpointed Bayonne?s Andrew Bentley in a three-round fight Saturday to win New Jersey?s 132-pound State Amateur open division championship at International High School in Paterson. Paterson?s Andrew Bethea stopped Newark?s Gregory Willis in the third round to win the 178-pound open crown at the 14-bout event. Edwards and Bethea train at the Joe Grier Boxing Academy in Paterson.
THE FINAL BELL: If CBS is interested in boxing, and not just transcendent star Manny Pacquiao, the network?s involvement in his May 7 fight against Shane Mosley might signal the start of bringing the sport back to its broadest audience, network television. America?s most-watched network owns Showtime, which will televise Pacquiao-Mosley as a pay-per-view event, and will promote Pacquiao-Mosley during its coverage of the NCCA men?s basketball tournament and other popular prime-time shows. No matter what comes of CBS? involvement in boxing, Showtime?s deal with Top Rank Inc.?s Bob Arum to broadcast Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) against Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs, one NC) was a blow to rival HBO, which televised Pacquiao?s last eight fights via pay-per-view.
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