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Your random thoughts ...

Anyone who reads my work knows I'm no fan of the way the sanctioning bodies do business. Most of their rankings are pathetic, and most of them break their own rules with impunity. And then there are the multiple titleholders per division they crown, which is one of the cancers of boxing.

However, there are times when an organization does something right and deserves credit. Although the WBA, WBC and WBO regularly hand out multiple titles per division, including the dreaded interim titles, I'll give credit to the IBF for its judicious and appropriate use of them.

Interim titles should be used in only one scenario: when the titleholder is legitimately injured and will be unable to defend the belt for an extended period. It isn't fair to strip somebody because of an injury, but neither is it fair to keep a title tied up during a lengthy injury.

The IBF has a provision in its rules regarding when it can use an interim title, and it's going to use it now -- for the right reasons.

Junior flyweight titlist Ulises "Archie" Solis of Mexico is injured. He hasn't fought since August and likely will be out of action for several more months, which will take him at least three months past the time during which he would have been expected to make a mandatory defense.

So the IBF has agreed to allow its two highest-rated 108-pound contenders to vie for the interim title. That means former titlist Luis Lazarte of Argentina and Johnriel Casimero of the Philippines will meet Feb. 10 in Argentina for the interim belt.

And what makes the IBF's rule legit is that it won't mess around: When Solis returns, his next defense will have to be against the winner of the interim title bout -- the way it should be. This isn't the way it's handled by the other organizations, which have allowed titleholders and interim titleholders to go about making defense after defense without being ordered to face each other.

The only negative in this IBF situation is that Solis has already had to fight Lazarte, the dirtiest fighter in boxing, twice. In 2010, Solis was robbed in Argentina in a draw with Lazarte, in which the referee and scoring were so poor that the IBF ordered a rematch. The fighters met again in 2011, with Solis outpointing Lazarte in another terrible fight. It would be a shame if they had to meet again. That's one rule the IBF could stand to tweak -- dropping the loser in a mandatory fight low enough in the rankings so that an entirely unnecessary fight isn't foisted on the titleholder and public.

But the interim title usage by the IBF is exactly as it should be. IBF championships chairman Lindsey Tucker, who has served in his role since 2003, is a by-the-books guy. Under his watch, this will be only the third time the organization will employ the use of an interim world title. It used it in 2004 when junior welterweight champ Kostya Tszyu was injured and Sharmba Mitchell claimed the interim belt (and later got knocked out by Tszyu, upon his return). In 2006, Julio Diaz claimed the interim lightweight title when Jesus Chavez was on the shelf because of an injury, and when Chavez returned he lost to Diaz.

• I was disappointed that President Obama took more than an hour to deliver his recent State of the Union address and couldn't find even a moment to bring up the national need for a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

• I'm looking forward to my first trip to San Antonio later this week to cover the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Marco Antonio Rubio and Nonito Donaire-Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. doubleheader. Friday's weigh-in is scheduled to take place in front of the Alamo. That should be pretty cool -- and probably means I will remember the Alamo.

• Chuck Giampa ... um, I forgot what I was going to write.

• Has Rico Ramos thrown a punch yet against Guillermo Rigondeaux?

• I happen to think that the Edwin Rodriguez-Donovan George super middleweight bout can't possibly be a boring fight. Promoter Lou DiBella and HBO went with that fight to open the March 17 card headlined by Sergio Martinez-Matthew Macklin when they couldn't finalize a fight for Andy Lee. I'm not disappointed. Rodriguez-George is a more interesting fight than any of the opponents who were mentioned as possible Lee foes.

• So Andre Dirrell has left adviser Al Haymon and promoter Gary Shaw and has created his own promotional company. Delusion knows no bounds in this business.

• Poor Cornelius "K9" Bundrage. The junior middleweight titlist has been kept maddeningly inactive by promoter Don King and now is saddled with an absolutely horrible mandatory defense against Cory Spinks, who brings no fan interest and whom Bundrage already destroyed to win the belt in the first place.

• Congratulations to Amir Khan on his engagement.

• I really hope Top Rank and HBO can finish a deal for Brandon Rios and Yuriorkis Gamboa to go right into a fight with each other April 14 rather than wasting time on a card with each of them in interim bouts. Fingers crossed.

• The good news is that the Alexander Povetkin-Marco Huck heavyweight title bout was sanctioned. The bad news is that the winner must face Hasim Rahman next. Ewwww.

• British super middleweight prospect James DeGale, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist, says he has left promoter Frank Warren and is a free agent. Warren says he still has DeGale under contract until April 14, 2013. This one should be fun to follow.

• Gotta be honest: It's hard to get excited for the April 28 rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson. But at least with it taking place in Atlantic City, N.J., I won't have to fly cross-country for it, as I did for the first fight in Los Angeles.

• Happy 28th birthday to junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson and 22nd birthday to welterweight Thomas Dulorme, one of the best prospects in boxing.

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.

Your random thoughts ...

• The last-minute, circus-like way that the New York State Athletic Commission handled the Antonio Margarito licensing situation, including forcing him to break camp in Mexico for an exam of his surgically repaired right eye less than two weeks before his Dec. 3 rematch with Miguel Cotto, at least lent itself to some good humor. On Twitter, the Fight Freaks offered some impressive, witty lines, including:

-- Can't Margarito just use some of that plaster to protect his eye?
-- Is the fight being sanctioned by the WB See?
-- Who sanctioned the exam? The Eye BF?
-- Will Margarito's camp have the doctor's gloves examined prior to the exam?
-- So is this a diamond eye exam or an interim eye exam?
-- Do they charge a sanctioning fee per eye or one fee for both of them?

At least the NYSAC, which should never have allowed the licensing to be drawn out to the 11th hour, came to its senses and licensed Margarito. But it doesn't excuse the fact that it created the mess by waiting until less than two weeks before the fight to handle the situation instead of doing it months ago.

• Speaking of Cotto-Margarito II, how freaking good was the first episode last week of HBO's "24/7 Cotto/Margarito"? Perhaps the single best episode in the history of the series. If you missed it, make sure you watch a replay. The opening few minutes set the stage for an enthralling half-hour as Cotto, for the first time that I have heard, said plainly that he believed Margarito wore loaded hand wraps in their first fight and called him a "criminal."

• I get asked all the time about the best atmospheres of fights I've covered. There have been so many great ones, but a few jump to mind immediately: Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Ricky Hatton at the MGM in Las Vegas (hands down the best, so far), Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward III at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., and Felix Trinidad-William Joppy and Cotto-Zab Judah, both of which were held at Madison Square Garden. I am quite certain I will have another to add to the list after next week because I fully expect that Cotto-Margarito II at the Garden promises an incredible atmosphere. There will be 20,000 (mostly Puerto Rican Cotto fans) rocking the joint. I cannot wait.

• With HBO losing the Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto rematch to Showtime, it looks HBO will aim to kick off its new season with a possible Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight in late January or February. One possible opponent for Chavez is Andy Lee, according to Lou DiBella, Lee's promoter. DiBella told me that Top Rank's Bob Arum, Chavez's promoter, has called him about possibly making that fight. DiBella said he and Arum are planning to meet in New York next week when Arum is in town promoting Cotto-Margarito II. As for my thoughts on Chavez-Lee? Thumbs up. I like that fight.

• If David Lemieux rebounds to defeat Joachim Alcine on Dec. 10, another fight I'd like to see is Lemieux eventually challenging Chavez Jr. for his middleweight belt.

• Although Showtime bought Ortiz-Berto II, it is highly unusual that it's the only fight on the 2012 calendar for HBO or Showtime thus far. I know both networks are going through major changes at the top, with Stephen Espinoza having just started running Showtime Sports and Ken Hershman not due to take over the vacant job at HBO Sports until Jan. 9, but it's still unusual.

• Reflecting on the Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to mention a few things I'm thankful for in terms of boxing: Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather. I want to see them fight each other as much as the next guy, but even apart, they are the biggest boxing stars in a sport that needs as many as it can get. … YouTube.com. Unable to watch many of the fights that go untelevised in the United States? YouTube is your friend. Usually within 24 hours of the fight being over, somebody somewhere on the planet has posted the video. … Heavyweight champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. Some say their dominance is bad for boxing. I couldn't disagree more. I enjoy domination. If you want them out of boxing, the solution is simple: Find someone to beat them. Besides, they're true professionals, always show up in shape and are class people, which is something boxing could use more of. … Guys who come to rumble, such as Cotto, Brandon Rios, Jorge Arce, Tavoris Cloud, James Kirkland, Alfredo Angulo, Marcos Maidana, Erik Morales, Michael Katsidis and Giovani Segura. … The fans in Montreal and throughout Quebec. They turn out to support their fighters like nobody else, which is why fighters such as Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal wield impressive economic clout and fill up arenas north of the border.

• Congrats to Kathy Duva and her crew at Main Events for landing a deal for NBC Sports Network to buy fights from the promoter next year. Hopefully, Main Events will put the approximately $100,000 per-show license fee toward legitimate fights that will provide action and are meaningful. She should be able to accomplish exactly that with a budget double that of Showtime's "ShoBox," which regularly gives us very good fights. It's important for boxing that Duva does not fail.

• This is one of the weakest years I can remember when it comes to legitimate candidates for fighter of the year. Usually, there's an obvious choice, or even two. Not this year.

• Although it hasn't been announced yet, HBO and broadcaster Jim Lampley, the network's voice of boxing and a future International Boxing Hall of Famer, are developing a boxing studio show that Lampley will host and is supposed to begin in the first half of 2012. You can count on news from around boxing and discussion about the latest issues in the sport. It's set to begin as a quarterly program but could expand. This has been a long time coming. Despite a massive involvement in boxing, it has always perplexed me why HBO didn't support its coverage with this sort of show. Considering HBO has skin in the game, it's about time it backs it up with -- knowing Lampley -- what I expect to be intelligent boxing discourse.

• In light of the fact that Joel Casamayor tested positive for marijuana after his one-sided drubbing at the hands of junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr., I guess we now know why he needed two trips to the scale to make weight. Probably had the munchies.

• This is much cooler than going down to Target or hitting JCPenney for a new pair of shorts, but also a lot more expensive. At a recently concluded auction filled with numerous pieces of incredible sports memorabilia, an unidentified buyer bought the trunks that Muhammad Ali wore in his first fight with Joe Frazier for $173,102. Hey, at least they are signed in three places by Ali.

• DVD pick of the week: Last Tuesday, I recalled one of the most significant anniversaries in boxing history by breaking out my DVD of a fight from 25 years ago -- Nov. 22, 1986 -- at the Las Vegas Hilton. That was when Mike Tyson destroyed Trevor Berbick on an ultra-memorable second-round knockout to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history and fulfilled the prediction of his late trainer and mentor, Cus D'Amato. Tyson was just 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old when he steamrolled Berbick to advance to 28-0 with 26 knockouts. The knockout was sweet. Berbick survived a knockdown in the opening moments of the second round before Tyson landed the title-winning left hook. The shot resulted in essentially three knockdowns: Berbick dropped from the punch, beat the count but fell again because he was disoriented; he then tried to get up again before falling across the ring, completely out of it, as referee Mills Lane called it off. That prompted then HBO announcer Barry Tompkins to rightfully proclaim, "And we have a new era in boxing!"