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“Punch-Out!!” has once again been trademarked through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Nintendo filed the trademark on April 1, 2005 for service under “electronic game discs.” The status of the name is active as recent as January 11, 2007.

The game has not officially been confirmed. However, recent reports from IGN hinted at possible Nintendo franchises being reborn on Wii. If in fact a Punch-Out!! title is coming, the game could theoretically have been in development since its 2005 filing date.

Punch-Out!! is a highly characterized boxing title where you control Little Mac, a tiny but gutsy Bronx competitor, on his way to becoming champion of the World Video Boxing Association. The franchise has long been cherished by boxing and gaming enthusiasts for its simple, intuitive and challenging gameplay. If the title is confirmed, one must wonder whether Little Mac will make his much anticipated debut in Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

If this were true - BIG IF this were true - then Wii Sports boxing was just a warm-up, perhaps? Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! may be one of the eagerly-awaited Virtual Console conversions to come (who wouldn't want to sock it to Mike?), but it seems that Nintendo might have other plans in mind, too.

A report in N-Philes noted that the Big N once applied for the Punch-Out! trademark back in April of 2005. Their recent check with the USP&TO showed that the trademark is ACTIVE as of January 11, 2007. Then they cite IGN's little prediction that the Wii could raise a bunch of classic Nintendo franchises from the grave in 2007 (of course, IGN also covers its little touchie by admitting that some of their predictions might be wild-touchie guesses, so this one's not as firm as a right jab to the jaw).

But here's the kicker. The Punch-Out! trademark was filed under "electronic game disc". Now why would you want to reserve a trademark for a DVD box-art? Nintendo could just be covering its bases, protecting its assets, or...

Hey, the idea of Little Mac stepping into the ring again, Wiimote in right and Nunchuck in left, is quite appealing. If only because it's time for a little one-star payback.

Little Mac will make his much anticipated debut in Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Websites and message boards are going wild over a new rumour of a possible Wii version of Punch-Out, especially since IGN reported that “old” games are to be reborn on Wii. Based on reports, a trademark filed by Nintendo suggests that Punch-Out was trademarked for this reason. I personally knew about this trademark for a long while now as it was filed back in 2005.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up over this. Here are the reasons why:

1. Punch-Out!! was filed on April 1st, 2005 to keep the name alive, similar to Mario Bros which has a registration date for May 17th, 2005. Most Wii related trademarks like Super Mario Galaxy were filed in 2006.

2. The trademark is most likely for the upcoming Punch-Out!! release on the Virtual Console, just as Mario Bros is now available.

3. IGN specifically mentioned that (the game to be reborn) “You can, in fact, barely remember it by name”. I am sure Punch-Out is one of the most memorable names amongst gamers from around the world. Who couldn’t forget the battles with Mike Tyson and Glass Joe?

Although IGN did say their are a “number” of franchises, chances are that Wii Boxing is probably the only boxing game treatment we’ll get from Nintendo.