Quick Flurries: Pascal/Hopkins, Lopez/Marquez, Kimbo Slice

A rematch with Chad Dawson would have been nice. So would a showdown with Tavoris Cloud. Instead, it's starting to look like Jean Pascal will be putting his 175lb title on the line against boxing's grumpy old man, Bernard Hopkins...

AOL FanHouse - Lem Satterfield... "Actually, I had a very good conversation with Pascal's promoter, Ivan Michelle. And, you know, I have to say that things are looking pretty good," said Schaefer. "We actually talked and we'll talk again. One date that was mentioned because of the availability in Canada was Dec. 18."

After the Jones/Hopkins eyesore, does anyone really want to see Hopkins in there again?  He'll make Dawson's measured effort look downright reckless by comparison.  From Pascal's perspective, this is probably the best possible move.  The payday should be substantial and the risk not as great as that posed by some of the other names mentioned.

The new date for the 126lb clash between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez might be in early November...

Boxing Scene - Jhonny Gonzalez.... Featherweight challenger Rafael Marquez expects his fight with WBO champion Juan Manuel Lopez to receive a date in the month of November. Despite reports in Puerto Rico of a date in late October, Marquez is hearing the fight with Lopez is going to take place on November 6. Marquez injured his wrist and the thumb on his right hand. The fight was scheduled for September 18 in Las Vegas and was postponed due to the injuries.

Good to hear the delay won't be too long. The Mexican sharp shooter is reportedly still training despite the injury, but will not be able to use his injured right hand until late September.

ESPN New York - Michael Woods... At Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New Jersey-based promoter Gary Shaw recently told ESPNNewYork.com that he was confident he would soon have a deal signed with Slice. After weeks of negotiations with Slice's advisor "Icy" Mike Imber, Shaw told ESPN that he'd inked a deal and that Slice would debut sometime between October and December, depending on how much progress he makes with trainer Clemente Medina, a California-based tutor.

Good luck to Kimbo, but he's going to have no more success in the boxing ring than he did in the octagon. Perhaps if he was in his early 20's, there would be a chance - albeit a very slim one - of molding Slice into a capable boxer. But at age 36, the chances are nil. That doesn't mean he won't rack up a few wins, as Shaw will likely dredge up a few hopeless opponents in order to create some noise.

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