ishe smith

Miguel Cotto could be closing in on a date for his ring return this year, and the list of possible opponents includes a lot of heavy hitters.

A wave of injuries has resulted in some pretty forgettable offerings from Showtime so far in 2013, but if everyone stays healthy the year ahead looks a lot more promising.

Lee Groves gives his impressions of Ishe Smith’s long, winding road to a world title, a CompuBox view of the Showtime’s Cornelius Bundrage-Smith card, and pays homage to Sanderline Williams in part two of his Travelin’ Man in Detroit.

Fans continue their feedback on the major fights of the past weekend -- including Tony Thompson-David Price, Lamont Peterson-Kendall Holt and Ishe Smith-Cornelius Bundrage -- along with other subjects in this week's Friday mailbag. Enjoy!

WBA welterweight beltholder Paulie Malignaggi looks forward to calling Floyd Mayweather's bout on Showtime Pay Per View, and would also welcome the opportunity to fight on his undercard. 

Photos from Ishe Smith's split-decision victory over Cornelius Bundrage to take the IBF junior middleweight title in Detroit.

Ishe Smith, who has often served as a gatekeeper against up-and-comers, has finally secured a title shot in his 14th year as a pro. The respected veteran will try to become the first Las Vegas native to win a major belt when he faces Cornelius Bundrage on Showtime's Championship Boxing this Saturday.

IBF lightweight beltholder Miguel Vazquez will face WBO counterpart Ricky Burns as part of an EPIX-televised quadrupleheader on March 16.

The trainer of IBF welterweight beltholder Devon Alexander called the biceps injury that has forced the postponement of his Feb. 23 defense against Kell Brook "a freak incident."

An apparent biceps injury to IBF welterweight beltholder Devon Alexander has forced the postponement of his defense against Kell Brook that was slated for Feb. 23, according to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.

WBO middleweight titleholder Peter Quillin is in the mix of a division that includes RING/WBC champ Sergio Martinez, WBA and IBF counterparts Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Geale, as well as ex-beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Super middleweight contender Sakio Bika could face Nikola Sjekloca for the WBC's interim belt on Feb. 16, according to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.

IBF junior middleweight titleholder Cornelius Bundrage looks to revive his native Detroit with a Feb. 23 victory over Ishe Smith that he hopes will earn him a mega bout opposite Floyd Mayweather or Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

Former RING light heavyweight and middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins will be 48 years old by the time he enters the ring for a proposed clash with IBF 175-pound titleholder Tavoris Cloud on March 9.

RingTV.com's resident historian Lee Groves finishes recounting his CompuBox assignment to the recent Showtime-televised card headlined by Lucas Matthysse's action-packed TKO of Olusegun Ajose in Las Vegas.

Junior welterweights Olusegun Ajose and Lucas Matthysse, middleweights J'Leon Love and Ramon Valenzuela, and junior middleweights Ishe Smith and Irving Garcia ahead of the Sept. 8 Showtime card in Las Vegas.

Former 122-pound titleholder Daniel Ponce de Leon will face Eduardo Lazcano on May 4 on Fox Deportes, the first show of a new monthly output deal between Golden Boy Promotions and the Fox network.