You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

The intricacies of the New York state budget process are best left to Gov. David A. Paterson, the state legislature and the voters. Whether deep cuts in the state education system are warranted is a question only New Yorkers and their elected representatives can answer.

There is one part of the budget process, however, that is of great interest to mixed martial arts fans not only in New York, but throughout the United States and, indeed, around the world.

New York is the only state in which mixed martial arts is illegal. Paterson has included a provision in his 2010-11 budget – which may be voted upon Monday – that would allow the New York State Athletic Commission to regulate MMA.

That MMA isn't legal in New York in 2010 is beyond absurd. A small but vocal minority in the state have done yeoman's work spreading misinformation about the sport and keeping its legalization and sanctioning from a vote before the full legislature.

More high

Read More »from Time for New York to legalize MMA

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

Even for a man who has accomplished more in his 31 years than the average person does in a lifetime, this is extraordinary, awe-inspiring.

This means more than winning world championships in seven weight divisions or being named Fighter of the Year three times. It dwarfs being chosen as the Fighter of the Decade and exceeds being selected as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.

Manny Pacquiao was inaugurated as a congressman on Monday (Sunday in the U.S.) in his native Philippines in a moment that has far more significance to the world and to his people than anything he's previously done.

To this point in his young life, he's largely been an entertainer. He's a movie star and a recording artist and, of course, one of the greatest boxers of all-time.

He's also an extraordinarily generous man, giving away thousands of dollars to feed the needy and provide shelter for the homeless. His contributions help teach the

Read More »from Pacquiao embarks on career in political ring

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

It takes an extraordinary amount of courage to climb between the ropes, step into a boxing ring and prepare to fight another man.

But it's nothing compared to the courage it takes to march in a civil rights protest knowing that armed militia are there to prevent it.

Jackie Duddy was 17 and made such a march for what he believed was right on a sunny Sunday winter afternoon in 1972. It wound up costing him his life, as the unarmed boy was shot by British soldiers in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, as he was running away.

Earlier this month, the British government concluded a 12-year investigation into the massacre and determined that the murders of the 14 unarmed civilians on what became known as "Bloody Sunday" were unjustified and that the protesters posed no threat to the soldiers.

Nearly 40 years later, middleweight boxer John Duddy, named after the uncle he never knew, will step into the ring in the most important match of his career on

Read More »from Duddy fights for family pride

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

Floyd Mayweather Jr. retained his top spot in the Yahoo! Sports boxing rankings for June, though the margin over runner-up Manny Pacquiao tightened.

For the first time in the nearly three-year history of the poll, all members of the panel submitted votes. In May, when Mayweather took over the top spot from Pacquiao after routing Shane Mosley, 33 members of the 38 on the panel submitted ballots.

Two writers were dropped after May's balloting due to a consistent failure to participate. In their place, four voters were added, bringing the total to 40: Nick Giongco of the Manila Bulletin, Chino Trinidad of GMA Television in the Philippines, Gareth A. Davies of the London Telegraph and Tris Dixon, editor of Boxing News in London.

Pacquiao fans cried bias when their man dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in the poll. That prompted me to this month keep track of where the votes were coming from for each guy.

Mayweather received 22 of the 40 first-place

Read More »from Rankings: Pac-man gains

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

For a guy who rarely shows any emotion, Fedor Emelianenko sure has a way of sparking emotions in others.

Frankly, it's getting sickening, from both sides.

Emelianenko will fight Fabricio Werdum on Saturday on a Showtime-televised card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., in the main event of a Strikeforce show.

It's getting beyond wearisome listening to Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White repeatedly bash Emelianenko and demean his skills. White speaks as if Emelianenko were a reject from a reality show and not a guy who hasn't lost in nearly a decade and who holds wins over former UFC heavyweight champions Kevin Randleman, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.

Much of White's attitude has been colored by his inability to sign Emelianenko to a contract. White gets particularly infuriated when media refer to the solemn Russian as the best fighter in the world rather than his own,

Read More »from Truth of Fedor matter lies in the middle

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

Short shots about the world of professional boxing:

Allan Green was worse than awful in losing his Super Six World Boxing Classic debut on Saturday in Oakland, Calif., against Andre Ward. By about the fourth round, Green's primary concern seemed not to be winning the fight, but rather reaching the finish line on his feet.

After all the pre-fight smack talk he did, it was a pitiful effort when it mattered. But Green's performance shouldn't obscure Ward's brilliance. Ward won all 12 rounds on all three judges' cards and in his two tournament fights, he's won 59 of the 66 scored rounds.

The next step in Ward's progression will be to show his power more than he has and to win on the road. Ward has fought both of his Super Six fights in Oakland, his hometown, but his Sept. 25 match against Andre Dirrell will be elsewhere, perhaps in Las Vegas. The guy is a superstar in the making, but he's not going to get there until he begins stopping

Read More »from Ward super in tourney spotlight

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

It's once again an overflowing mailbag, as mixed martial arts fans continue to sound off about Chuck Liddell's future, whether Keith Jardine did enough to keep his job Saturday, the scar on Matt Hamill's back and the scoring in the main event of WEC 49 on Sunday.

I get to those topics, and more, in this edition of the MMA mailbag.

Why doesn't UFC president Dana White make a fight between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz? Liddell deserves the chance to fight Tito and I can tell you this is one fight that's one-sided toward Liddell beating the lights out of Tito. Every Liddell fan wants to see Chuck go out with a bang, and what would be better than a knockout of Tito?

Miguel Martinez
Passaic, N.J.

Miguel, if you're a fan of Chuck's, do you really want to see him fight again and possibly risk very serious brain injury? Once a person has one concussion, they're more apt to get another, and of a more severe nature. Liddell

Read More »from Mailbag: Should Chuck hang 'em up?

You can follow Kevin Iole on Twitter at @KevinI

There's a little bit of everything, including some old and some new, in this week's edition of the boxing mailbag.

I respond to reader comments and questions about Andre Ward's performance against Allan Green, whether Mike Tyson belongs in the Hall of Fame, and whether the U.S. boxing media are highlighting the wrong fighters.

Let's get right to it.

I am a big fan of Andre Ward. He was my pre-tournament selection to win the whole thing. However, I just don't see how he can be compared to Sugar Ray Leonard. Ward does not produce the same excitement in his fights that Leonard did. Ward doesn't explode with fast power punch combinations like Leonard did. Ward doesn't exhibit the same power punching ability Leonard had. He doesn't have the lateral movement Leonard did. Being able to adjust to a fighter's style shouldn't merit comparison to Leonard. Many fighters can adjust. Also, as much as I am a fan of Ward, I wonder if he Read More »from Mailbag: Where does Ward rate?