Miguel Cotto (37-4, 30 KOs) may be getting back into the ring, and specifically on Sep. 28 if everything falls into place.

According to ESPN.com, Golden Boy Promotions has set aside that very date for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., which would be pretty meaningful considering Cotto has fought eight times at Madison Square Garden, and is largely considered a second home.

Cotto would be coming off a decision loss to Austin Trout, after having lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his previous bout.  And while a fall date seems to make sense, GBP CEO Richard Schaefer says that the date is only tentative and no opponent has been chosen yet.

Cotto’s last win came in 2011 when he pounded on Antonio Margarito in a rematch, while also giving Mayweather one of his toughest fights to date.

The fight card will now include two televised bouts, with Thomas Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13 KOs) taking on Brandon Gonzalez (17-0, 10 KOs) in a battle of unbeaten middleweights, set for ten rounds..

The opening bout on the HBO telecast will see Willie Nelson (20-1-1, 12 KOs) face off against Luciano Cuello (32-2, 16 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.

“Both of these bouts have huge implications for each fighter’s respective divisions,” said DiBella, promoter of Oosthuizen, Nelson and Cuello.

“Tommy is not only one of the best 168lb. fighters in the division, but, in my eyes, one of the top prospects pound-for-pound in the entire world. He is taking on another undefeated, highly regarded fighter in Gonzales, and the winner of the bout truly emerges as not only a force in the 168lb. division, but as a potential star.”

“Willie is coming off back-to-back-to-back tremendous performances and is one of the hottest and most feared fighters in the junior middleweight division right now. Cuello is a proven contender, riding a six-fight winning streak and whose only two career losses have come against Canelo and Chavez Jr. This is a real fight and it will provide a true litmus test to see exactly where Willie is at.”

Two of the Bay Area’s top boxers hooked up over the weekend to help knock out cancer.

This past Saturday C.A.R.A.S and the Community of Gilroy honored Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero with a fan festival fundraiser. The Ghost was presented with a “Key to the City” by Gilory Mayor Don Gage along with proclamations from State Assembly Member Luis Alejo and County Supervisor Mike Wasserman.

Robert signed autographs throughout the day. Childhood friend World Champion Nonito Donaire joined him for a few hours. The fans were extremely happy and the event was a tremendous success.

The Shoe Palace donated T-shirts to help raise money for the Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Farmers Insurance, Pacific Coast Bail Bonds, Silicon Valley Hard Wood Floors and other various vendors and sponsors also donated to the cause.

The event was an outstanding success and Robert Guerrero was thankful for the support he received from the fans.

“I’m very appreciative to my fans, the City of Gilory, my family, all the sponsors and everyone who came out to support this wonderful event,” said Robert Guerrero.”I know there were a lot of people behind the scenes who volunteered their time so I want to thank them as well. I also want to thank Nonito Doniare for coming out and signing autographs.”

Andre Ward is the super middleweight champion of the world, make no bones about it. However, the outrageous WBC has decided to strip Ward of the title he won when he dominated Carl Froch in the final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.

The organization has tried to name Ward “Champion Emeritus” while he recovers from shoulder surgery, but the unbeaten champ isn’t having any of it.

Ward released a statement earlier today to relinquish the WBC’s bogus and unwarranted decision:

After careful thought and consideration with my family and team, I have decided to relinquish my WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Emeritus Title. As has been recently reported, the WBC elected to strip me of my world title belt, making the upcoming bout between Sakio Bika and Marco Antonio Periban for the vacant Super Middleweight Title. After consultation with my manager James Prince and attorney Josh Dubin, it is my belief that the WBC did not have the right to strip me of my World Title and name me Champion Emeritus. We voiced our position to the WBC, and after several discussions, have agreed to disagree with their interpretation of the facts and rules. In our opinion, we feel strongly that I did not violate the rules in any manner whatsoever.

When I fought Chad Dawson, there was no mandatory contender. Subsequent to my victory, I injured my shoulder but have remained ready, willing and able todefend my title within the period specified by the WBC’s rules. Nonetheless, without what we feel was appropriate due process, the WBC elected to strip me of my World Title. I think my track record in fighting the best opponents available speaks for itself. I worked extremely hard and dedicated my entire career to win and defend my WBC belt. As a matter of principle, I have chosen to stand up for what I believe is right. I think the fans know and appreciate that I am the Super Middleweight Champion of the World, and I trust that I will continue to be recognized assuch. I am back in training again, feeling great, and excited about my return to the ring.

The Super Middle Weight Champion of the World,

Andre Ward

Photo: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos / GBP

Bernard Hopkins will be defending his IBF light heavyweight title on July 13, when he takes on Karo Murat at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KOs) is making the first defense of his new title, having annexed it from Tavoris Cloud this past March to break his own record for being the oldest fighter to win a world title.

“Murat has nothing to lose and everything to gain by fighting me,” said Hopkins.  “He knows he is fighting a 48-year-old, but he has to understand that there aren’t any other 48-year-olds like me.  I keep saying ‘I’m different’ because it is true and I’m going to prove it once again on July 13.  I don’t know a lot about Murat, which makes him a dangerous competitor, but after over two decades in this sport, there isn’t anything I haven’t seen, so I plan on showing the world that I can face anyone at any time and be victorious.”

Murat (25-1-1, 15 KOs) has slowly worked his way back up to a title opportunity since his lone loss to WBO titlist Nathan Cleverly in 2010.

“We are delighted that at long last Karo Murat is getting the mandatory shot he earned a long time ago,” said Kalle Sauerland, Murat’s promoter from Sauerland Event.  “The fact that Bernard Hopkins plays by the rules and is giving this young mandatory his opportunity speaks volumes of him.  Of course Murat is the underdog, but as the saying goes every dog has its day.”

Golden Boy Promotions has not yet announced any details on how the fight will be televised but all signs point to Showtime.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25 will go on sale this Monday, May 20.

Former three-division champ Shane Mosley (47-8-1, 39 KOs) picked up his first win since 2009, as he netted a close but unanimous decision win over Pablo Cesar Cano (26-3-1, 20 KOs) in Cancun on Saturday night.

Mosley had his troubles with Cano, who got off to a quicker start and built up an early lead.  However, Mosley finally started to warm up during the sixth round and began to trade with Cano, taking the lead on the scorecards after eight rounds.  In the 9th, Cano had a strong round, but Mosley came right back in the 10th.

Despite plenty of back and forth action between the two fighters, Mosley got the win with scores of 115-113 from all three judges.

Mosley’s last win came against Antonio Margarito, having gone 0-3-1 in his last four fights before tonight.

Photos: Al Bello / Getty Images

Many fight fans were expecting a slugfest between Lamont Peterson and Lucas Matthysse, as the two met on Saturday night.  We did in fact get to see plenty of leather flying, but it was Matthysse who did all the damage, knocking out 140-pound titlist Peterson in the 3rd round at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Matthysse (34-2, 32 KOs) of course did not pick up the title as the fight took place at 141 pounds, making it a welterweight fight (140 is the limit for junior welterweight), but it did not matter.  Both fighters came to fight and Matthysse has now earned a crack at unified junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia, who was also in attendance.

The two fighters felt each other out in the opening round as Matthysse tried to figure out Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KOs), who used his jab so stay on the outside.  However, in the second round, Peterson felt the pressure coming from Matthysse and elected to push back, fighting in close quarters and giving the fans an exciting clash.  That strategy benefited Matthysse who finally found a home for a big left hook that sent Peterson down to the canvas.  Peterson rose to his feet but was clearly hurt, though he got himself out of the round.

“I think I got a little lazy with the jab. I started relaxing a little bit…I guess he hit me with a good shot,” said Peterson after the loss. “He did a good job. I recovered from that first knockdown and I was okay for a while and then, eventually, he hit me again and he hurt me again. I still thought I could have fought through it but the ref did the right thing. I guess tonight he was (the better fighter). He won the fight fair and square tonight. He’s a good fighter.”

In the opening moments of the 3rd round, Matthysse sent Peterson crashing to the canvas with a counter left hook that landed right on the button.  It appeared as if Peterson would not be able to make it to his feet, but somehow beat the count.  This time, Matthysse had just enough time to go for the kill, sending Matthysse down again, prompting referee Steve Smoger to wave it off.

“The first round I was trying to find out what I was bringing to the fight. After the second round I started connecting with more force. I had two and a half months of preparation for this fight and that was the difference,” said Matthysse after the fight. ”Now I know I am the best at 140 pounds because no one has ever dominated Peterson the way I did tonight.”

In the co-featured bout, Devon Alexander  (25-1, 14 KOs) came out aggressively and ultimately earned a TKO win over Lee Purdy (20-4-1, 13 KOs) in a non-title welterweight bout.  Purdy failed to make weight on Friday afternoon and was thus unable to win the title with a victory but it simply didn’t matter. Alexander traded punches with Purdy from the start of the fight and didn’t let up.

Despite apparently injuring his right hand in the fight, Alexander kept the pressure on Purdy and busted him up on the inside, leaving his face a bloody mess.

“I hurt my left hand in the first round actually. I hit him on top of the head. I hurt my hand, but I had to get that out of my mind. I had to fight to win,” said Alexander after his win. “I wanted to impress tonight. My left hand was on point in camp. When I hurt my biceps, that strengthened my left hand so it would have been popping real hard, but I hurt it. I had to set it up softly. I wanted to use my hook and my upper cut but I couldn’t.”

After getting dominated in the 7th round, Purdy’s corner threw in the towel to avoid letting their fighter take additional punishment.

“There are going to be a lot of critics saying Purdy wasn’t all that anyway, but he’s a good fighter,” added Alexander. “Over in the U.K. he beat some good guys and I think he was very suitable. He came to fight and he gave me a good fight. I got the win. I got the technical knockout.”

Mosley was last seen in action on cinco de mayo weekend last year against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, losing in a lopsided unanimous decision. It’s been four years since Mosley has won a fight, a 9th round TKO victory over Antonio Margarito in 2009. Since then Mosley has been in the ring with top fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquaio, but he was simply outclassed in those fights.

Cano was last involved in a very close split decision loss against Paulie Malignaggi at the Barclays Center in October. Cano knocked Malignaggi down in the fight, and many ringside observers had Cano winning the fight.

The co-feature will have Sergio “Yeyo” Thompson (26-2, 24 KO) against Gustavo “Huracan” Sandoval (13-4-1, 11 KO) in a 10-round super featherweight bout.

Mosley vs. Cano and Thompson vs. Sandoval will be telecast live on FOX Sports Networks and FOX Deportes in the United States and on Televisa in Mexico on a delayed basis. The FOX Sports Networks and FOX Deportes broadcast will air live at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT respectively and the Televisa broadcast will air on Canal 5 beginning at 10:30 p.m. CT.

Photo: Photo Wende

Alexander Povetkin got through his final hurdle on Friday night, as he took care of business by stopping Andrzej Wawrzyk in the third round of their heavyweight bout in Myakinino, Moscow.

Povetkin (26-0, 18 KOs) got off to a slow start but soon began to dominate with his jab.  By the start of the second round, Povetkin began letting his hands go as the overmatched Wawrzyk couldn’t do much with his advantage in reach and height.

In the final moments of the round, Povetkin landed a punishing right hand that sent Wawrzyk down to the canvas.  He managed to beat the count and was ultimately saved by the bell.

Things got worse in the third for Wawrzyk as Povetkin unloaded with hooks, sending him down for a second time.  Though Wawrzyk managed to get up once again, he was hurt shortly after and referee Russell Mora finally waved it off.

“Everything went exactly as I wanted it to,” said Povetkin after the fight. “It took a little bit of time to get into thefight but once I got started it was pretty much over.”

Povetkin’s next outing will see him finally get it on with Wladimir Klitschko, which is a fight that has been on the table on numerous occasions but turned down repeatedly by the Povetkin camp.  This time, they’re ready.

Bay Area fans will get to celebrate a Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero fan festival fundraiser hosted by C.A.R.A.S and the Community of Gilroy this Saturday May 18th in downtown Gilroy, Calif. The event activities will run from 10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. and take place on Monterey Street between Fourth St. and Seventh St. On the agenda will be food, music, dancing and a hot rod car show.

At 11:25 a.m. The Ghost will be presented with the Key to the City by Gilroy Mayor Don Gage, as well as proclamations’ from State Assembly Member Luis Alejo and County Supervisor Mike Wasserman.

Money raised will be donated to the Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Honored guest Robert Guerrero will sign autographs between 2:00 p.m and 4:00 p.m. Good friend and fellow Bay Area World Champion Nonito Donaire is confirmed to be there signing autographs with The Ghost.