MARQUEZ LACKS REACH: Mayweather impresses Pacman

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao was pretty impressed with Floyd Mayweather Jr. yesterday and said he can do better than what Juan Manuel Marquez could offer against the flamboyant American.

“Magaling pa din. Mabilis pa din (He’s still good. He’s still fast),” said Pacquiao from his hotel room in Baguio City where he watched the 12-round fight between Mayweather and Marquez.

The fight was entering the third round on the ABS-CBN telecast when The STAR got hold Pacquiao through his cell phone. By that time, he knew Mayweather had won via unanimous decision.

“Walang panama si Marquez (Marquez had nothing to land),” said Pacquiao who watched the fight with his friend Chavit Singson, adviser Mike Koncz and trainers Roger and Buboy Fernandez.

“Hindi niya maabot. Hindi talaga mananalo (He can’t get to him. No way he could win),” said Pacquiao of Marquez, who went down in the second round, and was cut and beaten hard the rest of the way

Pacquiao said Mayweather always looked good in his fights because he hardly gets hit, just waiting for the opening. In this case, Marquez learned it the hard way as he took one of the worst beatings in his boxing career.

“Naghihintay lang (He just waits),” said Pacquiao of Mayweather.

Asked if he can do better than Marquez or the 39 others who failed against the unbeaten ex-pound-for-pound champion, Pacquiao paused longer than usual The STAR thought he already hung up.

“Kaya abutin,” Pacquiao answered back in Filipino. He could have meant Mayweather was reachable or can be hit if and when a fight between the great superstars takes place sometime next year.

Pacquiao said last week when he staged a whirlwind press tour with Miguel Cotto, his opponent on Nov. 14, that if he and Mayweather win their fights then they’re bound to meet head-on.

If that happens, Pacquiao stands to receive no less than $25 million.

He said talks are on but did not state whether it would be for his next fight. Top Rank’s Bob Arum said Pacquiao can fight on March 15 then will have time to campaign hard for the May 2010 elections.

Pacquiao is seeking a congressional seat in his hometown in Saranggani and he can use a fight, not necessarily against Mayweather, that he can win as a boost to his campaign.

Pacquiao arrived in Baguio yesterday morning, and in the country’s summer capital he would train for the next four to five weeks before moving to the US for his Nov. 14 fight with Cotto.

Pacquiao left Manila at 4 a.m. for the five-hour drive to Baguio. He was on board his black Hummer, towed by three police motorcyle escorts and tailed by three back-up vehicles.

Jake Joson, Pacquiao’s buddy, said the boxer went straight to his hotel room at Coyeesan and slept. He got up just before noon, in time to watch the Mayweather-Marquez fight.

Trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning coach Alex Ariza are flying in this week to supervise the training that will be conducted under tight security provided by Singson, the deputy National Security adviser.

The eight-week training starts today — under the Fernandez brothers until Roach comes in. Arum, the Top Rank president, is coming over as well. He plans to be in Baguio from Oct. 1 to 4.

Pacquiao welcomed the sight of Baguio, which should serve him in good stead while training.

“Maganda ito. Matindi jogging ko dito (This is nice. This will make my jogging tougher),” said Pacquiao of the city which is 1,500 meters above sea level.

“At hindi masyado crowded (And it’s not too crowded),” said the boxer, adding that while he’s in Baguio there will be no distractions, no breaks to film a movie or commercials.

“I need to focus,” he added. .....source

NUMBER ONE/NUMERO UNO WEIGHIN RESULTS...MAYWEATHER 146; MARQUEZ 142

Moments ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez made weight for their anticipated clash tomorrow night, September 19th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marquez, moving up from lightweight, weighed in at 142. Mayweather, who hasn't fought in nearly two years, tipped the scales at 146.

Surprisingly, or not, there were quite a few boos in the crowd when Golden Boy partners Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya were introduced to the crowd. Although there were a number of fans in attendance for the weigh-in, there were also several empty seats; it definitely wasn't as packed as it was for Pacquiao vs. Hatton earlier this year. At one point, when D.L. Hughley, co-host of the weigh-in, asked the crowd if there was one Floyd fan in attendance, all that could be heard were boos. WWE superstar Triple H was in attendance and in form as he took the mic, stared at the audience and stated, "I just want to know one thing. Are you ready? I said, are you ready to see the greatest fighter in the world, the pound-for-pound greatest fighter on this planet Floyd Money Mayweather take back his throne at the top of boxing...tomorrow night, the only one laughing is going to be Floyd Mayweather." More Boos from the crowd. As both men took the stage, Marquez received a chorus of cheers while Floyd garnered more boos from the crowd. Floyd did some shadowboxing as he waited to step on the scale and wooooo did he look sharp and ready to fight.

Marquez looked solid weighing in at 142. Floyd looked ripped as usual at 146. Surprisingly, Marquez didn't appear to be too much smaller than Mayweather. "That's the weight we wanted to weigh...we're very happy," stated Marquez. "It's a very difficult fight, but not impossible," he continued. "Marquez knows what he has to do...Mayweather's like, you know, those little puppies, all bark and no bite," stated De La Hoya. "I feel tremendous...my dad played a major part...I'm going to go out there and be the same Floyd Mayweather," stated Mayweather. "I'm a well-rounded fighter. I feel good. Camp went good...key to the fight is just be smart, be me," he added.

Prior to the weigh-in, there was much speculation as to what weight the two fighters would be meeting at. Lightweight champion Marquez fought his last bout at 135 pounds so many assumed that Mayweather, who last fought in the 147-pound division, would meet the smaller man at a catchweight. Despite the fact that the bout was being billed as a welterweight clash, there was speculation that both men had agreed to meet at 144 pounds. Today, Mayweather's weight of 146 pounds put the rumors to rest. Judging from the lack of concern by Team Marquez regarding Floyd's weight, the two sides must have previously agreed that the bout will indeed be fought at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. It will be extremely interesting to see how much both fighters unofficially weigh on fight night.

Mayweather is fresh for Marquez

Floyd Mayweather is confident there will no ring rust when he returns to action after a long lay-off against Juan Manuel Marquez on 19 September.

The former five-weight world champion, 32, is back after retiring in December 2007, after he beat Ricky Hatton.

"I feel fast, strong and my timing is there," said the American.

"I feel the same way as before I left. Actually I feel a little better. I think the break helped because I haven't had a break since 1987."

Mayweather, who has won all of his 39 fights with 25 knockouts, faces the formidable Marquez for The Ring welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

And Mayweather said maintaining his unbeaten record had been the key motivating factor in preparing for the fight.

"When you go out there [against a fighter] with an undefeated record, there is no pressure on these fighters because they have nothing to lose," he said.

"If Marquez gets beat in 12 rounds or he gets knocked out, they are still going to love him in his country because he had the chance to face the best. They will say: 'You lost but you lost to the best'.

"But in the US it doesn't work like that so we have to work that much harder to stay on top.

"If I win, it's normal. If a guy gives me a tough fight or even comes close to winning, that's abnormal. Everybody expects me to dominate.

"It's extremely important for me to go out there to perform well and dominate.

"I've got to go out there and be smart, be intelligent and listen to my uncle Roger [Mayweather, Floyd's trainer]. If I do that, we will come out 'A' OK."

Mexican Marquez, 36, is a former three-weight world champion, but has only ever fought as high as lightweight before.

However, he has 50 wins from 55 professional encounters, with 37 knockouts, and has drawn once and lost narrowly to Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

"He is Mexico's numero uno," said Mayweather. "He's one hell of a fighter with over 50 wins and champion in more than just one weight class.

"Believe me, Marquez is not going to lay down. There's going to be blood, sweat and tears on 19 September."

...source

MONEY MAY, GREEN WITH ENVY

A month from now, the apathetically anticipated boxing match between Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be a reality.

Or is it?

Most boxing fans, pundits and talking heads have pretty much ignored and stayed away from discussing or being enthusiastic about this inappropriately titled boxing match; Number One-Numero Uno. Of course, it is the right description, if we are talking about whiners and not about the best pound for pound boxers.

Lil’ Floyd is so befuddled by the obvious lack of excitement about his fight while Pacquaio-Cotto’s Firepower is creating an incredible degree of anticipation even beyond the boxing world, that he is doing his arrogant best just to get some semblance of attention. He has injected the race card. He sparred with ESPN and anybody else who disagree with him. He has essentially proclaimed himself as boxing god to anybody who would listen. Sadly for him, nobody seemed to be really listening. His bloated ego is hurting enormously for the apparent snub.

It must be heart wrenching for Lil’ Floyd to accept that the only time he gets somebody to listen is when he talks about Pacquaio. During the Numero Uno-Number One press conferences, Pacquaio is mentioned so many times, one would think Pacquiao is the main protagonist. Poor Juan Manuel Marquez, he has become practically invisible during these promos.

For the past year, Freddie Roach has been pretending to be Carmac the Magnificent, accurately predicting that the great Oscar De La Hoya would succumb to Pacquaio in eight rounds and boldly sticking his neck out that Hatton would go down in three. OK, he was wrong. Hatton was sent to dreamland at the end of two. But are we going to be picky?

In one of his interviews, he thinks that the Numero Uno-Number One bout may end up canceled.

Mr. Freddie Roach may be on target once again. There are writings on the wall that point to an outright cancellation. Although Lil” Floyd is trying very hard to be at his obnoxious best and hype up the fight including falsely claiming he grew up in a ghetto and a guest appearance at WWE, still nobody seems to be interested. A potential criminal case involving one of Floyd’s employees in a shooting incident could also pose a problem.

Tickets have been on sale for more than 2 months now but sales remain as cold as the Alaskan Tundra, while Firepower almost sold out in less than 2 days.

Interestingly, there are reports that the 5,000 rooms at the MGM Hotel are all booked during the November 14 weekend, while there are plenty of rooms available during the weekend of September 19. What a contrast!

Juan Ma and Floyd fans, if you are out there, worry no more. The fight will go on.

Although maintaining a positive façade, massive jolt of reality has caught up with Lil Floyd and Golden Boy CEO. Mr. Schaefer. They finally recognized that Lil’ Floyd cannot draw boxing fans on his own. It is well known that Juan Ma cannot even get the Mexicans excited, so he is not even in the equation. Although it was a bitter pill to swallow, Junior is clever enough to make financial concessions to pack the under card with good and exciting fighters who on their own merits can be main event headliners.

Whiners: Numero Uno – Number One will be saved from box office disaster not by Juan Ma, not by Lil Floyd but by first-rate and marketable boxers fighting in the under card. It is well known that Katsidis, Chris John, Rocky Juarez, and Zab Judah have enough name recognition and fan base that Sept 19 will not end up a catastrophic failure. However, knowing that the mere addition of a good undercard, not seen in many years, may not be enough to attract a lot of paying fans, Schaefer is resorting to smart corporate sponsorship to drive up more revenue to help offset the projected substantial losses.

Regardless, Numero Uno-Number One will be a box office and PPV disappointment. 200,000 PPV buys will be an overly generous estimate. Golden Boy will be lucky to fill the arena with enough warm bodies even with tickets selling under face value.

What would this mean for Manny Pacquaio?

After successfully prevailing over Cotto in a thrilling and action packed fight with a blockbuster box office receipts and decent PPV numbers that would be in the vicinity of 700,000, he will definitely be in the driver’s seat in any future negotiations with Money May or Juan Ma.

Although a Manny vs. Money fight will generate obscene payday for both fighters, a Manny-Juan Ma bout would not be far behind. Either man Manny fights, the Filipino Pound for Pound King would not only win in the ring but also would amass a financial windfall.

Lil Floyd must really be crying inside seeing Pacquaio having the upper hand and getting all the attention.

Money May is simply too green with envy.

.....source

Number One/Numero Uno Fight Officials

The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced today the names of the referee and judges who will officiate the Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez super fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, Sept. 19. The referee assigned to the 12-round bout is Tony Weeks from Nevada and judging the bout will be Burt Clements from Nevada, Dave Moretti from Nevada and William Lerch from Illinois.

THREE ELECTRIFYING FIGHTS ADDED TO THE MAYWEATHER VS. MARQUEZ UNDERCARD

LOS ANGELES, August 18 - It's the biggest and one of the most highly-anticipated boxing events of 2009, so there was no question that when it was time to compile the undercard of the Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez super fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas Saturday, Sept. 19, it was decided to bring out the big guns with three spectacular televised undercard bouts on HBO Pay-Per-View®, including two world championship fights.

In the chief support bout, unbeaten Chris John will defend his WBA Featherweight World Championship against one of the most courageous warriors in the game, 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Rocky Juarez, in a rematch of their February 28, 2009 fight which is seen as one of 2009's most compelling battles thus far. The WBO Interim Lightweight World Championship will be up for grabs on September 19 when Australian action hero and former Lightweight World Champion Michael Katsidis and 2004 U.S. Olympian and hot lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo collide in the ring in what looks like a can't-miss brawl. Opening the HBO Pay-Per-View portion of the card will be a 10-round matchup of welterweight veterans, as former Undisputed Welterweight World Champion Zab Judah takes on the always exciting banger, veteran Antonio Diaz.

"The Mayweather-Marquez fight card is definitely living up to the hype of Floyd's comeback," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "With three more excellent fights being shown on the telecast, fans are in for a great night of boxing from start to finish."

"Mexican Independence Day Weekend is one of the biggest boxing weekends of the year and with the Mayweather-Marquez mega-fight as the headliner, we wanted to make sure that we have a full night of hard-hitting action which is what we have with the September 19 undercard," said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar de la Hoya. "In these three fights we have two World Championships, three current or former World Champions, three Olympians and an exciting rematch of one of this year's greatest fights. As a fan, I can't wait to see these fights and the fans will not want to miss this card whether it's live in Las Vegas or at home on Pay-Per-View."

HBO Pay-Per-View's Mark Taffet said, "This outstanding undercard is the perfect complement to the Mayweather-Marquez main event and ensures that pay-per-view boxing fans will have a night of non-stop action on September 19."

Long considered one of the most talented, yet underrated, champions in the sport, Indonesia's Chris "The Dragon" John (42-0-2, 22 KO's) finally broke through to the U.S. audience in 2009 with his exciting battle with Rocky Juarez. A world champion since 2003 who has defended his crown 11 times including victories over Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez and Derrick "Smoke" Gainer, John is eager to build on his newfound fame with a victory over Juarez on September 19.

"I thought I won our first fight but now I am going to show how much I appreciate being champion and beat him again," said John. "It has always been my desire to fight in Las Vegas and on the big fight cards. September 19 I will be able to do this and show the whole world that I am one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport today."

Hard-charging Houston native Ricardo Rocky Juarez (28-4-1, 20 KO's) has made a home for himself at the top of the featherweight division for many years now. The only thing missing for the 29-year-old is a world title and after just falling short in competitive wars with Humberto "Zorrita" Soto, Marco Antonio "Barreta" Barrera (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez, Juarez put it all together in his first bout against John on February 28, 2009, only to have the judges score the fight a draw. The second time around, Juarez vows to bring everything he has to the ring as he looks to take home a world championship belt.

"I am very fortunate to have another chance at a world title and a chance to show the world why I feel like I did enough to win the first fight, said Juarez. "I am getting older and therefore it becomes even more important to reach my long-standing goal of becoming a world champion."

The pride of Toowoomba, Australia, Michael "The Great" Katsidis (25-2, 21 KO's) has gained worldwide acclaim as one of boxing's most exciting fighters, punch for punch and pound for pound. The former interim WBO Lightweight World Champion, Katsidis has been in with some of the best in the world over his eight-year career, including Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor and Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz. Winner of two in a row, including an April stoppage of former World Champion Jesus "Matador" Chavez, the 29-year-old Katsidis is ready to regain his title with a win over Escobedo.

"I just turned 29 and that is a great age for boxing, fighting for championships and I feel I am peaking right now with my power and ability," said Katsidis. "I think we are both going to pull out everything to win the title on September 19, but I plan to win and it's certainly going to be a great way to celebrate my birthday."

At 27 years of age, 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (21-1, 13 KO's) is hitting his stride as a professional and is ready for his first world title opportunity. A native of Woodland, California, Escobedo has drawn comparisons to Oscar de la Hoya for his style and demeanor both in and out of the ring. After a three-fight stretch that has seen him impressively beat the previously undefeated Dominic Salcido and former World Champions Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez and Kevin "Flushing Flash" Kelley, there is no question that he's ready for prime time.

"I am really looking forward to the opportunity to fight on this card as it falls on Mexican Independence Day and I will be fighting for all of the Mexican people out there," said Escobedo. "It is for my first world title and I am training extremely hard because I know this is a great opportunity and my dream coming true. I can't wait for the fight and I am ready to win."

A charismatic wizard in the ring known to his fans as "Super Judah", Brooklyn's Zab Judah (37-6, 25 KO's) is a Former Two-Division World Champion who got to the top not only because of his blazing speed, but also because of his fight-stopping power. Owner of a resume that includes victories over Micky Ward, Junior Witter, Demarcus Corley and Cory Spinks, the 31-year-old from Brooklyn has readied himself for a run at another world championship and the first fighter in his way is Antonio Diaz.

"I appreciate the opportunity to be able to fight on Floyd's comeback show and I know I have a very tough opponent in Daiz," said Judah. "I know he is the bigger guy but I intend to take advantage of his fighting style by boxing him all the way to the finish, whether it goes the distance or it's a knockout. I will beat Antonio Diaz on September 19.

Antonio "Toño" Diaz (45-5-1, 27 KO's) first made his name in the late '90s in the light welterweight division with wins over the likes of Cory Spinks, Emanuel Augustus, Ivan Robinson and Omar Weis. Not content with settling on this an impressive resume, Diaz moved up to 147 pounds to do battle against Sugar Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito, and after a three-year layoff from 2005 to 2008, he has won four in a row, putting him in fine form as he approaches the fight with Judah.

"I am looking forward to fighting Zab Judah and think it is a great challenge for me as I continue to comeback after my layoff," said Diaz. "I have been feeling really good since I took the break and I am training very hard as my goal is to accept this challenge, beat Zab Judah and move on to the next challenge."

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Quaker State, AT&T, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The explosive evening of boxing will take place Saturday, Sept. 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored.

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO's Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series "24/7" returns to HBO® with an all new edition as "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" premieres Saturday, August 29 at 10:15 pm ET/PT. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their September 19 pay-per-view showdown.

....source

Why Won't Mayweather Jr. Fight the Very Best?

Before I get started, let me just say that I don’t disagree with the fact that Floyd was the pound for pound king, because he definitely was. I just never could understand why his opponents weren’t the best in the latter part of his career as they were in the beginning? His speed and class, and the way he made fights look so easy made you either have a love or hate opinion of him. His victories at Super Featherweight made us all assume he would fight anyone. Besides he was fighting the very best in that weight class, and not just beating them, but outclassing them and making them look almost amateurish in the ring. Genaro Hernandez was the first world champion to suffer the humiliation of Floyd’s greatness. Stopped by his corner after 8 rounds, it was just the beginning of Floyd’s storm that would rain down on boxing for the next 10 years.

Gregorio Varges soon followed Hernandez into his pile of victims by the way of a unanimous decision. Then his big fight with the late Diego Corrales, a fellow undefeated fighter who had never been knocked down. Mayweather made him look silly, knocking him down 3 times in the seventh and twice in the tenth before a tenth round TKO, when Corrales’s corner stepped in to stop the fight.

Then came Carlos Hernandez followed by future two weight world champion Jesus Chavez. All of Mayweather’s fights in Super Featherweight were brilliant, and so he finally moved up to Lightweight, to challenge Jose Luis Castillo for the World Boxing Council lightweight title. For the first time we saw an uncomfortable Floyd Mayweather Jr fighting. He didn’t seem to like the way Castillo was cutting off the ring and wearing him down with his size advantage, but like a great champion he adjusted to the style and grinded out a unanimous points win.

Although some felt he should have lost he offered Castillo a re-match straight away and this time there was no confusion, as Floyd dominated with his footwork and fast combinations to silence his critics. Then he took what some felt was a risk.

His chin was suspect purely because it had never really been hit. He fought promising South African Phillip Ndou, a brilliant knockout artist with a record of 31-1 with 30 KO’s, and after an action packed fight mainly in round 5, Mayweather begun to land heavy combinations and a flurry of straight rights and Ndou went down in round 7 causing a TKO when he failed to respond to the ref who was trying to make sure he was still able to fight.

Floyd moved up to Light Welterweight after that, defeating DeMarcus Corley and Henry Brussels in what were considered tune up fights so he could get used to the weight class. Now, this is where I think Mayweather started to change his type of opponent’s.

See apart from the late Arturo Gatti, Floyd never fought anyone else in the light welterweight division. I didn’t really know why he was fighting Gatti in the first place as he was rated as number 3 by Ring magazine at the time their fight was announced. I know he was great but he wasn’t the best in the division.

Those titles went to Miguel Cotto who was ranked 2 and Ricky Hatton who was ranked 1 and Kostya Tzyu who was the ring magazine champion and IBF champion, and ranked number 2 on the pound for pound list. What about after Hatton made Tszyu quit on his stool. Why didn’t he fight him then? Was it because he knew Ricky would be a major handful at light welterweight?

We will never know for sure, all we know is that he never wanted to face the best in that division, so he jumped to the Welterweight class to face Shamba Mitchell in again, a tune up fight as Floyd was out of action due to his trial for domestic abuse, for which he was found not guilty. He dominated Sharmba Mitchell with straight rights and combinations to the body to stop him in round 6, to set up a much anticipated fight with Zab Judah.

That fight looked in doubt after Judah lost the ring magazine title and the WBC belt to Carlos Baldomir, but none the less it took place on April 8 2006. The start of the fight was all Judah, winning the first 2 rounds and then the fourth round after landing a massive straight left to Mayweather’s nose, forcing him to cover up against the ropes. Floyd then took the fight over in round 5 with his sharp defence and fast combinations to wear Judah down.

After the riot that happened in round ten caused by a Judah low blow Mayweather carried on showing Judah up and he was awarded a 12 round decision and his 4th world title in 4 divisions. After this fight however Floyd Mayweather Jr seriously started to duck the major players in the welterweight division after not wanting to fight Shane Mosley still, and refusing an 8 million dollar payday to fight Antonio Margarito.

8 million dollars would have been his biggest pay day. Why did he turn it down and then spilt with Top Rank as a result of it? Maybe it’s because he knew Shane might be too good for him, and Margarito was too big for him, with the style and chin that he has, Mayweather maybe thought he just could not cope with it? Honestly I don’t blame him as Margarito is a very big Welterweight with a 73 inch reach, and being 5ft 11 makes it hard for any man to beat him with the way he fights.

No, instead he fights Carlos Baldomir for the WBC and Ring magazine titles. Wise I must admit because it was a fight he would definitely win, so it was the safest option in order not to destroy his legacy. Then came the most anticipated fight of the decade against Oscar De La Hoya, and in Oscar’s weight class (Junior Middleweight), making it Floyd’s fifth division to hold titles in.

This I give him major credit for, and I thought he had big balls to jump in the deep end at a weight he had never fought in. No tune up fights and excuses, straight for the number one of the division. Brilliant I thought. The old Mayweather is back. After the first few rounds of which De La Hoya won with his jab, Mayweather started to counter a bit better and started to land crisper punches, especially after Oscar stopped using his jab.

It was no surprise that Floyd won a split decision, because upon judging it myself I thought it was a very fair fight and it could have gone either way. But it didn’t matter to anyone; Floyd was now a champion in 5 different divisions and after being asked if he would fight Cotto or Mosley or Margarito he said ‘’I have nothing to prove.

I won’t let the sport of boxing retire me I will retire from the sport of boxing’.” Basically saying no I ain’t fighting them, my legacy is set in stone why bother, I’m just going to retire. Then a few months later a massive press conference is called to announce Hatton V’s Mayweather in a super fight titled Undefeated. Being English myself, I was shocked and really happy that finally the Hitman was going to get to fight a major player in the sport and it being Mayweather, brilliant I thought but why Hatton?

Why not Cotto or Mosley or Margarito why make the little man come up in weight to fight you when you said he wasn’t in your league a few years before? I think it was because we saw what happened to Ricky at welterweight against Luis Collazo, he was just not as strong as he was a light welterweight and at 5ft 7 and a small 65 inch reach would pose little threat to Mayweather.

Plus, I think the money had something to do with it. A reported $15 million dollars, plus a share of the profits to fight Hatton. Numbers he would never get against Cotto or Shane or Margarito. So it was a small risk with the biggest rewards. Although Ricky did make Floyd uncomfortable at first, I think Cortez was a bit too intrusive in the fight and that did make a real difference.

I think it would have been a points win for Floyd had Ricky not started to lose his composure that night. Still never mind, he made his cool $15 million dollars and gave his speech again of how he wasn’t going to let boxing retire him ya da ya da ya da, and this time he retired before another Super fight with De La Hoya could be finalized, although I bet wishes he took the fight now after what Manny did.

Now he is back again telling us in another press conference that he is to fight three weight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Once again making the smaller man come up to fight him, but this time he is making Marquez go up 2 divisions to fight him. At least De La Hoya came down a division to fight Manny. It’s been kept tight lipped the actual weight for the fight Marquez saying its 144 Mayweather saying its 147 who knows! I do know this however; Mayweather may have made a mistake because Marquez is a clever dog with old tricks that wins fights.

He seems to come on stronger as the fight goes on, and is very clever as to when to counter and when to attack. Without doubt, I believe the fight will be entertaining and whoever wins should definitely fight the winner of Cotto and Pacquiao.

Although if it’s Floyd who wins, I wouldn’t count on it, I can already hear another version of “I won’t let the sport of boxing retire me I’m going to retire from the sport of boxing”. I love watching Floyd work, and I love his ego he deserves to have it, but it’s time to give the fans what they want. I’d rather have seen Floyd against Pacquiao or Floyd against Mosley than Floyd against Marquez.

.....source

Marquez Prepared to beat Mayweather

Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO’s) is ready to pull off a major upset on September 19th in his mega fight with undefeated pound-for-pound boxing star Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KO’s) at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marquez, 35, has put on weight, gotten much stronger and is hitting harder than he ever did before. Marquez is making no secret about what he plans to do against the 32-year-old Mayweather, intending on attacking him to the body.

Mayweather struggled in the past when facing Jose Luis Castillo, a huge body puncher, who attacked Mayweather downstairs often in their two fights in 2002. Although Castillo lost both of the fights, many people boxing fans feel that Mayweather lost the first fight in April 2002.

Marquez has been training in the mountains for his bout with Mayweather, running hills and lifting large rocks to strengthen his legs, arms and shoulders. Marquez sees Mayweather as having a weakness in taking body shots and intends on working in that area against him. Mayweather recently sustained an injury to one of his ribs while in training. He won’t say what was the cause of the injury, but speculation is that one of his hard-hitting sparring partners hurt him with a big body shot while training.

Mayweather has since healed up and barring another injury, will be ready for their bout in September. Mayweather hasn’t fought in two years since retiring after his 10th round TKO victory over Ricky Hatton in 2007.

Rumored to be in need of money, Mayweather has come back with the goal of fighting Manny Pacquiao. However, instead of taking an easy tune-up for the fight, Mayweather decided on Marquez, who he points out really beat Pacquiao in both of Marquez’s prior two fights with Manny.

Mayweather figures that by beating Marquez and hopefully Pacquiao, if he can land a fight with him, Mayweather would be beating two of the best fighters in all of boxing. However, it won’t be easy, because the time away from boxing surely couldn’t have helped Mayweather’s skills any.

Mayweather looks noticeably older, less youthful than he did two years ago and there’s a question whether he still has what it takes. For a fighter to take off that much time from the sport, especially a fighter in the lighter weight classes, it’s often difficult, if not impossible, for them to stage a successful comeback. Usually the fighters in the smaller weight classes are unable to come back successfully once they retire for any length of time. The heavyweight class is a different story.

Fighters like George Foreman, Vitali Klitschko and to a lesser extent Larry Holmes, were able to come back to the sport after an extensive amount of time in retirement. For Mayweather to do it, will be a tough task. However, the advantage that he has over normal fighters is that he was so good before he retired that even if he’s only 75% of what he used to be, it might be just enough to get a win over Marquez.

Additionally, Mayweather is the bigger fighter, used to fighting at welterweight compared to Marquez, a former featherweight who has been moving up in weight the past year.

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MARQUEZ: "I KNOW WHERE HE'S BEEN HURT AND I'M GOING FOR IT!"

Mexico City, Mex. (July 23) -Reports out of Mexico City, where five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Marquez is back in training for his scheduled September 19 bout (at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View®) against Floyd Mayweather (Mayweather vs. Marquez "Number One/Numero Uno"), confirm that Marquez is bigger, stronger and punching "to the body" harder than ever as he pushes his training regime to new heights in preparation for his ultimate challenge against Mayweather.

Eyewitnesses say it is evident that not only is Marquez bigger, but his training includes a special focus on body work and technique as he looks to defeat the undefeated Mayweather, a six-time World Champion in five weight divisions. "I know where he's been hurt and I'm going for it," said Marquez. "He is vulnerable now and I will take advantage of his weakness with a body attack that emphasizes two things-the right and the left." Another testament to this new resolve are his grueling two-hour runs in the mountains of Nevado de Toluca at a staggering elevation of 13,500 feet. "The mountain is a magic place and gives me the freedom to visualize the night of the fight and how I am going to beat him," said Marquez. "It is also building my endurance, making my legs stronger and building muscle across my whole body." Marquez has also been adding weight as he works through technique in training. Marquez finished, "I've been working gradually with the extra weight, which is going to be pure muscle and make me stronger than ever by the time I step in the ring September 19. Mayweather is going to be the first one to feel the difference." Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Quaker State, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The 12-round bout will take place Saturday, September 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com. HBO's Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series "24/7" returns to HBO® with an all new edition as "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" premieres Saturday, August 29 at 10:15 pm ET/PT. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their September 19 pay-per-view showdown. Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored. .....source

Floyd Mayweather Jr disses Manny Pacquiao not being his own Boss

In a recent interview with CBS Sports, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was on hand to promote his September 19th bout against Mexican fighter, Juan Manuel Marquez. During the interview, Floyd Mayweather Jr. also discussed the fight many want to see, and that's a fight against Manny Pacquiao. "Everybody wants to see the Pacquiao fight," said Mayweather Jr to CBS Sports. "But it doesn't work like that." Mayweather Jr. went on to discuss how Pacquiao gives up a portion of his money to his Promoter Bob Arum. In doing so, Mayweather Jr. feels Pacquiao is not even his own Boss. "Pacquiao is not his own Boss," said Mayweather Jr., adding: "And he is giving up 27% of his money to Bob Arum, so he's not even his own boss. Once he becomes his own boss, then we can talk. If he's not his own boss, then I ain't got nothing to say to him. It's not hard to find me...everybody knows I am in Las Vegas! Just look for the biggest mansion and the prettiest Rolls Royce and there's me!" .....source

MAYWEATHER WON'T SAY WHAT CAUSED HIS INJURY

"It was just a freak accident"

Six-time world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., who announced in May that he is coming out of retirement, is on a quest to obliterate five-time world champion Floyd Mayweather Jrin a mega-fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on September 19, 2009. The fight, which was originally slated to take place July 18th, was postponed due to a rib injury sustained by Mayweather. In a conference call today, Mayweather would not divulge exactly how that injury occurred, and became aggressive with reporters who were asking simple, basic questions. Did it come from sparring? A body shot? Hitting the bag? “Did you not hear me?” he griped. “I got hurt in training and I’ll leave it at that.”.......read more