Fighters analyze tapes of their matches all the time. And Benji Radach, a star middleweight for the Los Angeles Anacondas in the International Fight League, wants to study one of his old fights.

But Radach can't get a copy of the tape, which has left him more than a little frustrated. "I am absolutely desperate to get my hands on that," Radach said.

The tape, though, isn't of one of Radach's 18 mixed martial arts fights. It wasn't even a sanctioned match against a recognized opponent.

Rather, it is surveillance tape from an Elmer's restaurant in Vancouver, Wash., where on Oct. 24, 2004, while trying to beat a mild hangover, Radach foiled an armed robbery. He was having breakfast with his friend, professional MMA fighter Dennis Hallman, at the Elmer's after a night of celebrating a Hallman submission victory the night before over Landon Showalter.

Radach, who fights Gerald Harris of the Quad Cities Silverbacks on Thursday in the IFL semifinals at Continental Airlines Arena in East

TACOMA, Wash. – Carlos Baldomir and Vernon Forrest each must have experienced flashbacks Saturday night during their battle for the vacant WBC super welterweight championship at the Emerald Queen Casino.

Baldomir had to flash back to Nov. 4, when he was out-thought, out-hustled and outclassed by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a welterweight title match in Las Vegas.

And Forrest had to flash back to 2002, when he twice defeated Shane Mosley and boxed his way into the sport's elite.

Forrest was brilliant Saturday in winning a unanimous decision over Baldomir, who said after the fight he probably would retire.

Retirement was the last thing on Forrest's mind after he established himself as clearly the best in his division with a technically superb performance.

The significance of the occasion was not lost on Forrest, who lost back-to-back fights to Ricardo Mayorga in 2003 and spent much of the next 30 months battling shoulder and elbow injuries.

He largely was forgotten during his oft-grueling

Unbeaten welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has opted against retirement for the chance to make Ricky Hatton pay for his boastful comments.

Mayweather and Hatton agreed to terms Friday for a Dec. 8 welterweight fight in Las Vegas, less than three months after Mayweather had said he planned to retire following a victory over Oscar De La Hoya.

Hatton called out Mayweather both before and after his June 23 knockout of Jose Luis Castillo. On Friday, a deal was reached, though Mayweather said he is not certain if his WBC welterweight title will be at stake.

"He's definitely getting knocked out. I guarantee that," Mayweather said. "He's talked the talk. Let's see if he can walk the walk when he's in there against the best."

The fight will pit a pair of unbeatens in a duel for supremacy at 147 pounds. Mayweather, 30, is 38-0 with 24 knockouts. He has held world titles at super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight.

Hatton, 28, is 43-0 with

Muhammad Ali fought professional wrestler Antonio Inoki more than 30 years ago in what turned out be a comic attempt to prove who would win when a boxer fought a wrestler.

The question still remains on the minds of fight fans, who these days frequently debate the boxer vs. mixed martial artist proposition.

K.J. Noons has a unique perspective on the issue, though, since he's not only an active competitor in both sports but has made it a goal to win a world title in each.

Noons, a lightweight MMA fighter who takes on Edson Berto in the main event of a Showtime-televised card Friday night at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif., is 4-2 in MMA and 7-1 with five knockouts in boxing.

He's got a long way to go to reach his dreams, but he's not the type to give up easily. "Why not set your goals high?" Noons asked. "You never reach greatness if you don't chase it. I understand what I'm facing.

"It's difficult enough to win a title in one sport – it's pretty hard even to get a chance to win

Zab Judah held the undisputed welterweight championship when 2006 dawned and was certain he'd carry the belts into an early-year showdown against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Judah was scheduled to fight a journeyman Argentinean whom few gave a chance to last more than a handful of rounds.

Along with his father, Yoel, Judah mercilessly mocked Carlos Baldomir, his opponent in that New York bout. They intentionally mispronounced his name, taunted him for his lack of skill and predicted an early knockout.

Baldomir speaks no English, but he was well aware of everything that the Judahs were doing and saying.

Yet, he offered no response.

"Why?" Baldomir said through an interpreter. "What would it have done? There was a time to respond."

And when the time came to respond – in the ring – it was Judah who deserved to be mocked. He came into the bout out of shape, was nearly knocked out, lost his titles on a decision and then whined afterward that promoter Don King made him do too many interviews.

I rarely missed an episode of Late Night with David Letterman from the time it debuted on NBC.

Of course, I loved Larry "Bud" Melman (who didn't?), but my favorite segment was always Viewer Mail.

And so, given the volume of mail I receive on boxing and mixed martial arts topics, I've decided to start a weekly reader email column.

If you click on the link at the bottom of any of my columns and send me feedback, I'll consider using your message. You can also send me messages at boxingfeedback@yahoo.com or mmafeedback@yahoo.com.

The topic most on your minds in the last week is obviously the column I wrote about steroids in MMA in the aftermath of the positive tests of UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk and challenger Hermes Franca.

I was flooded with comments on the column, which were evenly split among those who agreed with my take that UFC president Dana White should try to get control of the issue and those who think I'm a.) ugly; b.) a moron; c.) educated at about a fifth-grade

LAS VEGAS – Bernard Hopkins used his head to get past Winky Wright on Saturday night in their light heavyweight title fight before a crowd of 8,826 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Wright would argue that it was Hopkins' noggin, which the 42-year-old wasn't shy about using as a weapon, that was the difference.

But it was Hopkins' guile that determined the outcome. Hopkins devised a brilliant game plan and executed it perfectly against one of the game's best tacticians.

Wright moaned about a second-round head butt, which opened a nasty gash alongside his left eye. Wright was following through on a punch when he and Hopkins banged heads.

But though the cut didn't help Wright, it didn't play nearly as big a role as Hopkins' conditioning and the wisdom gained from a lifetime of fighting and nearly 20 years in the ring.

The bout was fought at the distance, the pace and the intensity which Hopkins wanted. Wright was unable to get his jab, the punch that one day will land him in the Hall of

LAS VEGAS -- Lightweight boxer Czar Amonsot suffered a bleed on his brain Saturday following his 12-round loss to Michael Katsidis for the WBO interim lightweight title.

Ringside physician Jeff Davidson was concerned by the head blows Amonsot took from Katsidis in the rousing affair and ordered him sent to the hospital for a neurological examination.

Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said doctors discovered a small subdural hematoma. He said it was not expected to be life threatening, but said Amonsot's career is probably over.

Amonsot, 21, who was knocked down once in the second and again in the 10th, is 18-3-1.