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For months, Top Rank talked about putting on a July 14 pay-per-view card at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but now it looks like the talk is over and there won't be a show.

Originally, Top Rank's Bob Arum said the card would be headlined by Mexican star Juan Manuel Marquez, who won an interim junior welterweight belt in April, and that junior featherweight titlist Nonito Donaire would fight in the co-feature.

Then Arum said Donaire wouldn't be on the card because the company would give him his own date (probably June 30 on HBO). Even without Donaire, Marquez would still headline, Arum said. But no deal had been finalized with a television company to distribute the event and Marquez had no opponent.

Top Rank was talking to HBO about working on the show, and Top Rank certainly could have done it on its own, but time is running short to mount a legitimate pay-per-view promotion.

Then came the usual steady stream of discussion about whom Marquez would fight. Junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson was originally mentioned, but he instead accepted a rematch with Amir Khan (which was supposed to have taken place last Saturday but was canceled when Peterson tested positive for a synthetic testosterone).

Other names were mentioned for Marquez: fellow Mexican star and future Hall of Famer Erik Morales (a fight I've wanted to see for about a decade), former titlist Zab Judah, former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios (coming off a gift decision against Richard Abril that most sane people thought was a very obvious Abril victory) and the utterly unknown Mercito Gesta, a talented Filipino lightweight who is, alas, nowhere near ready to face a fighter of Marquez's caliber.

In the end, after all the talk, Top Rank pulled the plug on the event Monday because Marquez elected not to fight on the pay-per-view. From what I hear from those around Marquez, the financial package wasn't to Marquez's liking. Plus, he didn't want to fight Rios, the opponent Top Rank wanted him to face.

Marquez had previously said he preferred a southpaw opponent (Judah and Gesta would have fit) in anticipation of a possible fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao, a left-hander, in the fall.

Now Marquez might instead wait to see what happens in the June 9 Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. fight. If Pacquiao wins, Marquez figures to be at the top of the list for Pacquiao's November opponent.

Arum had been in talks with Main Events' Kathy Duva about a Marquez-Judah fight, but according to Duva, Arum told her Monday that "Marquez has decided not to fight at all in July."

Zanfer Promotions, which has a promotional contract with Marquez but works closely with Top Rank, said it is possible Marquez could still fight this summer -- but in Mexico on July 21 or July 28, likely against a lesser opponent.

No mincing words here: ESPN.com's Dan Rafael believes Richard Abril got "hosed" in a split decision loss to Brandon Rios on Saturday in Las Vegas. Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments section below or give us a shout on Twitter.

Brandon Rios had never heard of Richard Abril until very recently -- and Rios is fighting him this weekend -- so don't feel left out of the loop if Abril's name doesn't ring any bells.

That said, ESPN.com's Dan Rafael claims Abril, a solid Cuban contender who has fought mostly under the radar until now, shouldn't be discounted when the fighters battle for an interim lightweight belt Saturday in Las Vegas.

Your random thoughts ...

• A tip of the hat to super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute for his willingness, almost eagerness, to leave his comfort zone of Quebec -- when he didn't have to -- to defend his title in Carl Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England, on May 26. You can be sure that Bute, who draws sellout crowds in Montreal and Quebec City, is leaving money on the table by going to England. But he's doing it because that's what real fighters do.

• I'm as bummed as any boxing fan by the apparent implosion of the Brandon Rios-Yuriorkis Gamboa lightweight title bout scheduled for April 14 on HBO. Gamboa apparently is pulling out after skipping both kickoff news conferences this week and complaining about the deal that Top Rank says he agreed to. When that fight first came up, the styles of the fighters and the matchup immediately reminded me of the all-time classic bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor.

• One fight I would like to see in the future would match Gamboa with hair-brushing expert and junior lightweight titlist Adrien Broner. That would be explosive, and the speed matchup would be ridiculous. Of course, it's unlikely to happen anytime soon because Gamboa is with Top Rank and Broner is with Golden Boy. But I can dream.

• I can't wait to see the junior welterweight bout between Lucas Matthysse and Humberto Soto, which is due to take place on Showtime on the undercard of the Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto rematch on June 23. To me, it's a can't-miss fight. Matthysse-Soto has action written all over it.

• I've thoroughly enjoyed HBO's new 15-minute "2 Days" features, which follows fighters during the two days prior to an upcoming bout. So far, two fighters have been profiled, Rios and James Kirkland. Both shows have been outstanding, but the piece on Rios, which followed him in the two agonizing days before his December fight with John Murray, was mesmerizing. HBO's David Roofthooft, who oversees "2 Days" and the network's "Face Off with Max Kellerman," did a masterful job of making viewers feel like they were with Rios as he severely struggled, and ultimately failed, to make weight and was stripped of his lightweight title. It is 15 of the most riveting minutes of television I've ever seen.

• I was disappointed that the IBF didn't order a rematch between light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud and Gabriel Campillo, who got robbed Feb. 18. Other than the two judges who scored it for Cloud, I have yet to encounter anyone else -- other than Cloud and his own team -- who thought he won.

• After watching Alexander Povetkin struggle badly to keep his paper heavyweight belt against cruiserweight titlist Marco Huck -- like many, I thought Huck clearly won -- we all know why Teddy Atlas, Povetkin's former trainer, kept him far away from Wladimir Klitschko, the real champion, even with a career-high $2 million-plus payday at stake for the mandatory fight. Povetkin couldn't handle a decent right hand from Huck. Klitschko, with the best right hand in boxing, would knock Povetkin's head off his shoulders.

• If Mikey Garcia defeats Bernabe Concepcion on Saturday's Showtime undercard, he'll be 28-0. It'll be time for a title shot, already.

• I found it amusing that David Haye seemed to throw more punches at Dereck Chisora during their recent brawl at the news conference following Chisora's lopsided loss to Vitali Klitschko than Haye threw in his actual fight with Wladimir Klitschko last summer. Speaking of Chisora, I found it typical of the wretched WBC that it banned him indefinitely for the brawl with Haye, but when it came to Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s guilty plea on a domestic battery charge against his ex-girlfriend, WBC president for life Jose Sulaiman not only didn't suspend Mayweather, he endorsed violence against women by initially commenting on Mayweather's case that "beating a lady is highly critical, [but] it is not a major sin or crime." How sweet. I'm sure the women in his family are so proud.

• I'm still a bit shocked that Sonny Boy Jaro knocked out Pongsaklek Wonjongkam to win a flyweight title last week. It'll take something crazy to happen in the coming months for that fight to be unseated as upset of the year.

• I am mildly intrigued by Showtime's May 26 cruiserweight fight between Antonio Tarver and Lateef Kayode. I'm not at all for Showtime's April 21 fight between Abner Mares and Eric Morel. Love Mares, but Morel makes bad fights. Always has.

• Good luck to former middleweight titlist Sebastian Sylvester, 31, of Germany, who has announced his retirement. Sylvester (34-5-1, 16 KOs) was never the No. 1 middleweight, but he was a top-10 guy for several years, fought a number of quality opponents and won a world title in 2009. He made three defenses, before going out having lost his last two fights. However, he got knocked out in the first round of his pro debut in 2002 and regrouped to become one of the rare fighters to lose his debut and go on to win a title.

• Happy birthday to all-time great trainer Freddie Roach, who turned 52 on Monday.

• DVD pick of the week: It's one of the most significant fights in history -- they called it the "Fight of the Century" -- and it never gets old. It's the first epic battle between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, both undefeated at the time and both with a claim to the heavyweight championship. Frazier had the belt, but he had won it only after Ali had been stripped and banned from boxing for refusing induction into the Army. Ali returned in late 1970 and fought twice before he faced Frazier on March 8, 1971 -- exactly 41 years ago -- at Madison Square Garden in New York in one of the most anticipated fights ever. Ali controlled the early action, but Frazier came back to even it up in the middle rounds before taking over in the late rounds. Early in the 15th round, Frazier landed his classic left hook to Ali's jaw and dropped him to punctuate a unanimous decision victory in the first fight of their historic trilogy.

Not that it came as a surprise, but former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa was a no-show for the second day in a row as Top Rank moved to Los Angeles for another news conference to promote his April 14 fight with former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios.

Gamboa, who originally called out Rios, was supposed to move up two divisions to face him next month at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay in a major HBO fight.

But Gamboa blew off Monday's news conference in Miami, where Gamboa, a Cuban defector, lives. He did it again Tuesday, failing to show at the presser in L.A., Rios' home region.

So there was Rios, along with trainer Robert Garcia, alone on the stage while Top Rank president Todd duBoef spoke. The only sign of Gamboa was the large framed photo of him that Rios held. Printed on it were the words "The coward never wanted to Fight!!!"

And so it was just another wacky day in boxing -- a news conference to announce a fight that seems unlikely to happen, although Rios was ready to talk while Gamboa was boycotting in Las Vegas, where he has been training at Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s gym, leading to speculation that Mayweather Promotions is trying to sign him out from under Top Rank and co-promoter Arena Box, which insist that Gamboa not only has a rock-solid promotional agreement but that he agreed to the terms to fight Rios.

"It's disappointing that Gamboa didn't show up to the functions that he was supposed to be at, but he has an agreement with Arena and Top Rank to fight Rios," duBoef told me by phone after the presser. "At this point, Top Rank and Gamboa are bound to each other. Any determination otherwise will be made by our lawyers. But as far as I'm concerned, we're promoting Brandon Rios against Gamboa. Gamboa agreed to the terms personally, not through an agent or anyone else. My attorneys have all of the evidence. He is bound to me and I am bound to him.

"This is a situation, to me, that is despicable. If it was the NFL or NBA or Major League Baseball, the commissioners would have fined him. There would be repercussions. You can't just run roughshod over people on your terms when you've agreed to stuff."

DuBoef said Gamboa went so far as to submit a travel list for his team members who would be going to Los Angeles and that he had also made hotel room requests.

At Tuesday's news conference, duBoef announced a sweetener he hoped would get Gamboa to come around -- a $100,000 bonus to the winner on top of their guaranteed purses, which he didn't disclose. DuBoef did say, however, that Rios and Gamboa would both be making their biggest paydays. Neither has made more than about $400,000 for a fight.

"The fans love this fight, and we don't want them to think we're doing anything to stop this fight," duBoef said. "We want this fight to happen and are doing everything to make it happen, which is one of the reasons for the $100,000 bonus to the winner."

The fight is one of the most attractive in boxing because Rios and Gamboa are two of the most exciting fighters. Rios is a powerful brawler with a penchant for dramatic fights. Gamboa is insanely fast, with tremendous power (at featherweight, anyway) and a distinguished amateur career that includes a 2004 Olympic gold medal for Cuba. DuBoef said that more than 4,000 tickets had been sold since they went on sale Friday, exceeding initial expectations.

Regardless of what happens with Gamboa, duBoef said, Rios is fighting April 14.

"I'm disappointed in Gamboa, but I'm not going to let our business be jacked around by a prima donna, and that's why Brandon Rios is fighting April 14, and it's against Gamboa until I am told otherwise," he said.

DuBoef said it's too soon to talk about replacement opponents or HBO's plan if Gamboa doesn't go through with the fight.

Said Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs), in a Tuesday interview with Ring magazine: "There's no contract and there is no fight. ... Whenever everything is clear with my contract, that's when the fight will happen, but right now, I'm not under the terms that I want the fight to happen."

For his part, Rios was his usual outspoken, ready-to-rumble self.

"I guess this s--- is part of boxing," he told me Tuesday. "Gamboa's scared. He knew that he was facing a machine. He got scared, got cold feet. Nothing I can do about it. I'm disappointed because I could have been training Monday, but I flew to Miami and he didn't show up in his own hometown. It sucked."

Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) did, however, find a silver lining.

"I got to experience flying first class for the first time, and I've never been to Miami," he said. "First class was great. I loved it. Makes me not want to go back to coach."

As for the fight, Rios said he would be ready for whoever showed up across the ring from him.

"I feel very good. I'm gonna win that $100,000. But Gamboa's scared. I showed up to his hometown and he wasn't there. I'm ready for this fight. I'm sorry to sound cocky, but I can't make the girl fight. I don't really care who I fight. I will be ready for April 14. Hopefully, it's Gamboa. Hopefully, Gamboa mans up and says, 'Let's fight.'"

Maybe it's too good to be true that former lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios and former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa, due to jump up two weight classes from featherweight, would meet in a battle for a vacant lightweight belt on April 14 on HBO.

It's one of the most anticipated fights on the upcoming boxing calendar, but after what happened on Monday, who knows if it will happen?

Top Rank, which promotes the undefeated fighters, sure sounded concerned. So, too, did HBO. And both should be.

Top Rank was blindsided, as were Rios and his trainer (Robert Garcia) and manager (Cameron Dunkin), when Gamboa was a no-show at Monday's news conference to kick off the promotion in Miami, Gamboa's adopted hometown. Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) and his team were there, as were members of the Top Rank staff to run the event, but they had no idea Gamboa would blow it off, apparently without explanation, although Gamboa couldn't be reached for comment.

"All I can tell you is, he wasn't here and I don't know why he wasn't here," Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels told me from Miami. "We have no answers."

Samuels said somebody from Gamboa's team informed them only a few minutes before the news conference was set to begin that Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs), for reasons they also said they didn't know, wouldn't be coming.

Rios-Gamboa is such a hot fight -- one that matches two of boxing's most exciting fighters -- that Top Rank took the unusual step of putting together a two-city media tour to promote the bout -- Monday in Miami and Tuesday in Los Angeles, the area where Rios is from. Multiple-city media tours are normally reserved for pay-per-view fights.

The bout was announced three weeks ago to much fanfare, and tickets went on sale Friday. Top Rank president Todd duBoef described the initial sales for the fight, due to take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, as "terrific" and "better than we expected."

But then Gamboa didn't show up for the news conference. It's extremely rare -- frankly, I can't think of a single example in my time on the boxing beat -- for a main event fighter not to show up at a news conference to kick off a promotion when there was no travel issue or illness.

In fact, according to duBoef, one of the things Gamboa asked for when they were closing their deal was that a news conference be held in Miami, which duBoef said he was happy to agree to.

The promotion is supposed to move on to Los Angeles for another media event Tuesday. Top Rank's staff and Rios' team boarded their planes Monday afternoon for the trip, but it's anyone's guess whether Gamboa will show up in L.A.

"All I know is, we are going with Brandon to Los Angeles and we will be ready for another press conference on Tuesday," Samuels said. "Will Gamboa be there? I don't know what to tell you."

The industry scuttlebutt is that Gamboa is pulling out of the fight and perhaps is being wooed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Mayweather Promotions. Whatever Gamboa does, duBoef said he has a firm promotional contract with him.

Knowing how Top Rank usually conducts its business, I have no doubt it has a solid contract with Gamboa. Just look what happened last year when Nonito Donaire tried to leave the company to sign with Golden Boy. They wound up in arbitration and Top Rank's contract was upheld.

DuBoef said Gamboa had agreed to the Rios fight and that he has an ample paperwork trail to back it up, even though the official bout agreement isn't signed yet. (It's standard practice in boxing for a formal bout agreement to go unsigned until well into a promotion.)

DuBoef said he has also been in touch with HBO to inform executives there what little he knows about the situation. Like boxing fans, duBoef hopes Gamboa has a good excuse for his non-appearance and makes it to Los Angeles.

"Where in the world is Waldo? I have no idea. Somebody let me know," duBoef said. "I'll be in L.A. for a press conference on Tuesday. I'll let you know if he shows up."

Juan Manuel Marquez is going to the International Boxing Hall of Fame someday. The Mexican star has won titles in three divisions, been in numerous action-packed fights and faced the best of his era, including Manny Pacquiao in their famed trilogy. Even though Marquez officially is 0-2-1 against Pacquiao, he deserved a much better fate. In my view (and I covered all three fights), he should be 2-0-1. (I had Marquez winning the first two fights and drawing with Pacquiao in No. 3).

But here is Marquez, coming off an excellent performance against Pacquiao in a November majority decision loss, unable to land another major fight. It's as though the top fighters played a game of musical chairs and, when the music stopped, Marquez was the one left without a seat.

Right after the loss to Pacquiao, Top Rank's Bob Arum talked about an immediate fourth fight. But that ultimately went nowhere, and now Pacquiao is set to defend his welterweight title against junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. on June 9.

The other fighter Marquez had been closely linked to for a potential bout was Lamont Peterson, who owns two junior welterweight belts. Arum talked about trying to make that fight and holding it at Cowboys Stadium outside of Dallas.

Alas, that big opportunity also fell by the wayside, because Peterson elected to give Amir Khan, from whom he won the belts in December, a rematch on May 19.

With both fights failing to materialize for Marquez -- who would fight at junior welterweight or welterweight -- it has left him looking for an alternative.

If he's only going to work with Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran and Top Rank, his options are a bit limited in terms of notable fights. Probably the most interesting match would be for him to face former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios, if Rios' proposed bout with Yuriorkis Gamboa doesn't come off. (It's being negotiated for April 14 on HBO and, from what I'm told, Rios is in, but there are still issues on the Gamboa side.)

Rios struggles to make lightweight -- he missed that weight for a December fight and was stripped of his belt -- and could certainly fight Marquez at 140 pounds. Marquez-Rios would be a matchup of the ultimate star veteran against a young, hungry, rising star.

If Marquez could work with Golden Boy -- his former promoter, whom he left in order to get the third Pacquiao fight -- he has more options. A summer fight with the winner of the Feb. 25 fight between Marcos Maidana and Devon Alexander would be an interesting option, especially if it turns out to be the all-action Maidana. A similarly interesting option might be to face the winner of the May 19 fight between Lucas Matthysse and Humberto Soto, although that would mean a much longer wait for Marquez.

If I had my way, Marquez would fight the winner of the March 24 bout between junior welterweight titlist Erik Morales and youngster Danny Garcia, especially if it's Morales.

I have wanted to see Morales-Marquez for about a decade, as have many. It would pit all-time great Mexican boxers and would undoubtedly be an exciting fight (one that would also probably do well on pay-per-view). But I also want to see it because it would complete a historic round-robin, as it's the only bout that has never happened among the great foursome of Marquez, Morales, Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, who have met 12 times between them. And if Garcia beats Morales, well, Garcia-Marquez would be another fine fight matching a star veteran against a young, exciting fighter.

HBO put a solid 2011 in the books last week with Lamont Peterson's upset of Amir Khan to win a pair of junior welterweight titles in an exciting fight, albeit one saddled with the controversy of two questionable point deductions of Khan, which impacted the result.

Now attention can turn to 2012. Ken Hershman will take over as president of HBO Sports on Jan. 9, after leaving rival Showtime in mid-October for the gig -- one he couldn't start right away because of his contract with Showtime.

So while HBO waits for Hershman's arrival, the folks running the department for the time being, namely Mark Taffet and Kery Davis, have done a good job of putting together the first few cards of the year, even if they did lose the Feb. 11 Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto rematch to Showtime, after putting on their first (terrific) fight in April.

Despite that loss -- and make no mistake, it's a loss, especially when you consider how good the first fight was, how well it performed ratings-wise and how much money HBO has invested in the careers of Ortiz and Berto over the past few years -- the schedule being put together for the early part of the year looks very good. Let's take a look:

• Jan. 28: HBO is due to kick off its boxing year in Houston with a card that will be announced at a news conference Thursday: Future Hall of Famer Erik Morales will defend his (paper) junior welterweight title against energetic youngster Danny Garcia. When I first heard about the fight, I was a bit surprised it was happening because it wasn't a match I had ever contemplated. I figured Morales would look for a much bigger name for a fight that would generate more money. But Morales has never ducked anyone, and Garcia is one of the 140-pound division's rising contenders. They are both with Golden Boy, meaning it was a relatively easy fight to make. Morales' title is a joke, but that doesn't take away from the matchup. How can this not be an action fight?

I like the undercard fight, too, as it pits all-action junior middleweight James Kirkland -- coming off his memorable battle with Alfredo Angulo -- against Carlos Molina, who muscled his way into the 154-pound top 10 with an excellent recent run. He deserves this kind of fight. Frankly, Kirkland could shadowbox and it would probably be exciting.

• Feb. 4: HBO will stay in Texas -- San Antonio this time -- for the next installment of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. show. He'll defend his version of the middleweight title against an opponent to be named, and either of the fighters being mentioned for the assignment are solid: veteran contender and former title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio and undefeated junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan. I'd prefer to see Rubio in the fight, but either would be a good opponent for Chavez, who usually makes for crowd-pleasing fights.
I love the undercard fight. Nonito Donaire, one of the best fighters in boxing, is leaving the bantamweight division, where he was champion, for the junior featherweight division to face former titlist and top-five 122-pounder Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. for a vacant belt. Simply, I think this will be an action fight for as long as it lasts.

• Feb. 25: Marcos Maidana is like Kirkland in that both are prodigious punchers and make action fights no matter who they face. For this one, Maidana is moving up to welterweight and going to St. Louis, the hometown of his opponent, former junior welterweight titlist Devon Alexander, who is also rising in weight. It's a good style match, too, with Maidana (a pure brawler and banger) clashing with Alexander (a speedy technician). The winner will become a player in a very lucrative division.

The undercard features newly crowned junior lightweight titlist Adrien Broner in his first defense, against fellow undefeated fighter Eloy Perez. Considering how weak the 130-pound division is overall, it's a reasonable first defense for Broner. If Broner wins, you at least know you'll be amused when he busts out his hairbrush after the fight.

• HBO has two other shows in the works. A March 3 card is tentatively supposed to feature Brandon Rios and Yuriorkis Gamboa in separate fights. Rios, who failed to make weight and was stripped of a lightweight belt before his Dec. 3 win, may still fight at lightweight. His opponent is not determined. Gamboa, who is moving up from featherweight, likely will fight at junior lightweight. One name I've heard mentioned as a possible opponent is titlist Juan Carlos Salgado, which would be a nice fight. Rios and Gamboa, who may eventually fight each other, are two of the most exciting fighters around, so to get a chance to watch both on the same card in legitimate matches is a good thing.

The other card being discussed is for March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day -- with middleweight champ Sergio Martinez likely facing Irishman Matthew Macklin in New York. An excellent matchup, with a crowd that will be going bonkers. Andy Lee, another Irish fighter and a top middleweight contender, probably will be on the televised undercard, according to promoter Lou DiBella.
I wouldn't classify any of the fights on HBO's early 2012 schedule, or on the drawing board, as megafights. But to me, they are all worthy shows (assuming Chavez, Rios and Gamboa are matched legitimately) that should provide the two most important things: action and entertainment.